It was probably reckless to have shown his hand yesterday, but he did not want to deceive Huo Huli. This was putting the game piece in the fox’s hand, at least for now. He wasn’t going to stop his pursuit any, but he wasn’t going to force it either. He’d listened to some more of Huo Ningjing’s advice over lunch at Aunty Li’s.

 

“Don’t be too much like the alphas at our sect, that might be why my brother likes you.” Huo Ningjing waved a chicken leg at him while sucking the thumb of his other hand clean. “They all respect omegas and stuff sure but they are kinda boring if you ask me. It’s always, Shidi, can I have a bundle of herbs from your garden? Or, Shixiong could you leave a bit of food for us? Bah!”

 

He smirked at Huo Ningjing’s antics while he focused on the blossom he twirled between his index finger and thumb. It was starting to wilt, but found it hard to part with it. It felt like a little treasure given to him, and he wanted to keep it near as much as he could. 

 

“Just keep doing what you’re doing. You’re polite and Li’er likes that sort of thing. He is not stuffy like other nobles, but politeness goes a long way for him. He’s quite the filial son,” Huo Ningjing huffed, “Except for the marriage part.”

 

“Is there a reason he is opposed to marriage?” He thought back on how Huo Huli revealed he was afraid of alphas, but a sect that was as liberal as the Huo Clan could certainly let him marry anyone. According to Bai Luo, he read that alphas can pair with anyone, and that there were even multiple marriages where they all dual cultivated. Triple cultivated…? Quadruple…?

 

“Hmmm, he might not tell you but…” The little twin blew out a breath between his grease covered lips, making them flap about. “You know he doesn’t look like other omegas, right?” At his nod, Huo Ningjing continued. “When we turned sixteen and made our self portraits, Li’er made his and of course it was sent out. My mother’s uncle suggested a boy to my father and so they started to make a match. He had just earned his title, so it was a big thing.”

 

Zhou Lieren listened carefully, despite his displeasure at the idea of someone else wanting Huo Huli.

 

“Well...I think my brother sort of built it all up in his mind.” Huo Ningjing frowned and looked at an empty space at the table as he spoke. “He kept talking about how he could put everything behind him now, and that he could live a normal life. I still don’t know what he meant by that, because I thought he really wanted to be at the sect. Li’er got dressed up in this beautiful apricot robe with little cranes on it and even oiled his hair so he could wear it up...” His voice trailed off for a moment, then he shook his head.

 

“Anyway, I was hiding in the rafters when they had their first meeting, and I saw and heard everything. The alpha came in and he was handsome, but he took one look at Li’er and asked my parents why they were trying to pass off a beta as an omega. He was very rude and said that he thought the self-portrait was just some bad drawing, but that Li’er was really ugly.”

 

“His name,” Zhou Lieren said flatly.

 

“What?” Huo Ningjing raised his head and blinked his big doe eyes at him. “Oh, I don’t remember, though he asked for me instead, but my parents flatly refused. I would have too! I don’t remember much about the alpha but later that day, Li’er took that pretty robe and all his self portraits and burned it in the middle of the garden for everyone to see. Since then, he’s refused every attempt at a match.”

 

Maybe Bai Luo has some connections. He’d find that name one way or the other, though the story upset and confused him. The words ‘defective omega’ kept ringing in Zhou Lieren’s ears. “But...Huo Huli is very beautiful.”

 

Huo Ningjing shrugged his shoulders up to his ears and reached for his wine. “The standards are different for us omegas. You find him beautiful, and I am sure other alphas and betas do too because you aren’t the first one to show interest, but in our world you know how it is. Add being noble on top of that, well...”

 

They nodded in unison and he sighed. How do I make him feel beautiful? The door opened nearby them and Bai Luo stepped into Aunty Li’s. He made his way straight towards their table and plopped down next to Huo Ningjing, his eyes glued to him.

 

“Guess what we found at the mine?”

 

Even if Zhou Lieren was being slightly ignored because Bai Luo had focus for only one thing - that being “Jing’er” - he leaned forward with interest. The Heavenly Lake disciples went to the mine to investigate some theories that Huo Huli and Huo Cheng came up with.

 

“What?” Huo Ningjing peered at Bai Luo over the rim of his wine cup as he took a large sip.

 

“It’s caved in and we couldn’t really sense anything else, but the jiangshi we buried? Someone dug them up!” Bai Luo’s eyes were wide as saucers, “It was so creepy! We couldn’t find much of an energy signature, so the cultivator can definitely suppress their aura, but it definitely looks like the mine has been emptied. We put some wards up around it just in case.”

 

“Good boy!” Huo Ningjing smiled wide, his cheeks dimpling. He lifted up a big pork stuffed bun that dwarfed his little hand and stuffed it in Bai Luo’s mouth. The alpha’s mouth was big enough to take it in one go, his cheeks stuffed. He smiled around his treat and chewed happily.

 

“Is it possible the mine has an alternate entrance, or an exit?” He asked and Bai Luo startled like he hadn’t realized Zhou Lieren had been there the entire time. Bai Luo chewed rapidly and Huo Ningjing offered him his own wine cup, which Bai Luo drank from graciously. He paused mid-sip and gulped everything down in one go.

 

Bai Luo’s eyes darted between the cup in his hand and Huo Ningjing’s lips several times as a blush came across his face that got redder with each passing second. He dropped the cup back down in front of a smirking Huo Ningjing. Zhou Lieren didn’t put it past Huo Ningjing that he knew exactly what he was doing by sharing his cup with Bai Luo.

 

Truthfully, a match made in heaven.

 

Still blushing, Bai Luo answered his question. “Um, well, we didn’t check that. There wasn’t anything on the map, but it’s something we should definitely run by Huo Cheng.”

 

“Not Huo Huli?” Zhou Lieren arched a brow at that. He didn’t think Bai Luo was someone to exclude an omega, especially so openly in front of said omega’s brother.

 

“Easy there, tiger.” Huo Ningjing reached over to his side of the table and patted his arm that rested on it. “Lin’er is working on cultivation while Huo Cheng is in charge of the mine business. I yelled at him before because his energy has been off, and I want him to lean on us more.”

 

“Cultivating…” So that means he hasn’t been avoiding me, technically. “Where is he?”

 

“Hmm?” Bai Luo blinked. “Huo Cheng? Oh he’s--”

 

Another bun cut off Bai Luo’s sentence and Huo Ningjing smiled at Zhou Lieren. “He’s by the eastern river. He likes it there.”

 

“I’ll leave first.” He nodded to the two and tucked the plum blossom into the fold of his robe, nestling it against his chest. He did not mind leaving Huo Ningjing unaccompanied, mostly because he knew the small man could take care of himself. Also, Bai Luo did things properly and by the books. Zhou Lieren gave a final bow once he stood and left.

 

Just as he stepped outside, Xiao Lin raced up to him with her arms waving. “Zhou Rong, Zhou Rong!”

 

He knelt down onto one knee to get at her level. She smiled wide, exposing some teeth that were just starting to grow in. “Xiao Lin, did you find what I asked for?”

 

“Uh huh, uh huh! It’s next to Elder Ming’s house!” She reached out and tugged on his hand. She was patient enough to wait for him to stand upright before she pulled on it again, and he let her lead him to Elder Ming’s house.

 

Elder Ming was in a chair outside her home, lightly fanning herself. She had a modest little house at the opposite end of the village, and next to it was a small stall that had her baskets and dolls that she and her daughter made. She smiled warmly and gave a little wave, but Xiao Lin was on a mission.

 

She dragged him to a patch of grass just off the side of the house where a little bundle of flowers stood soaking up the spring sun. Some were blue and others were yellow, but their petals looked buttery soft.

 

“What are these called, Xiao Lin?” He didn’t know much about flowers, and they looked pretty. He’d ask her to find out where some pretty flowers grew since Huo Huli already had a plum blossom.

 

“These are irises.” She nodded fiercely, her face serious. “Did I do a good job?”

 

His lips managed to carve out a small smile for her, “Yes, Xiao Lin. Thank you, you did a great job.” He looked back down at the flowers, unsure of which to pick. “Have you picked flowers for anyone before, Xiao Lin?”

 

“Ummm…” The young girl tapped her chin and squatted down low to the flowers. “Sometimes for mommy and daddy! And grandma too.”

 

“How do you pick which one?”

 

“That’s easy! What’s a color you like?”

 

He knelt down beside her and examined the flowers more closely. There were only a few of them, and he knew that just one would do. He gravitated towards the darkest blue one, as it reminded him of his Shizun’s robes. He pointed at that one.

 

“I think I like that one. What do you think?”

 

“Hmm…” She leaned forward and shut one eye and opened the other very wide. She inspected it this way, then nodded her agreement as she sat back on her heels. “I approve.”

 

His smile made his muscles twitch now and he chuckled. He pinched the base of the stem between two fingers and his thumb and tried to pull up the flower as delicately as he could so as to not disturb the others. The stem complied and broke off easily enough, allowing him to take the flower.

 

Will he like this? He sniffed the flower, but he wasn’t sure if he was a good judge of character about smelling flowers, except for Huo Huli’s scent. The memory of it warmed his heart, and he gave one last smile to Xiao Lin.

 

“Thank you Xiao Lin. I have to go give this to someone, so I will play with you later this evening, alright?” Playing with her was pretty easy, which mostly consisted of him sitting down and her serving tea and listening to her talk.

 

“It’s a promise!” Xiao Lin’s crooked grin made him feel good. When he stood back up, she hugged him around his leg with a tight squeeze before running off. It was a peculiar thing, how free and innocent children were, and how they could openly give affection. 

 

Was I ever that way? He pondered this to himself as he walked out of the village towards the river set to the east. Further ahead he could see the outline of Huo Huli in profile sitting on a rock underneath a tree that’s branches loomed over the river. It was a peaceful, serene picture that deserved to be painted.

 

A fluttering sensation overcame Zhou Lieren that started at his heart and sunk down low into his belly. It took him another moment before his feet found the will to step forward and walk him over towards Huo Huli.

 

He wasn’t that far away by the time Huo Huli noticed his approach. His light brown eyes passed a glance at him before he did a double take and whipped his head around. Huo Huli’s eyebrows rose, and the apples of his cheeks turned bright red like the fruit itself.

 

Zhou Lieren didn’t want to scare him. He remembered their conversation, even though Huo Huli may still think it was a dream. He understood that Huo Huli was afraid of alphas, and Zhou Lieren fell within that category, so he kept his distance but was still within his space.

 

Huo Huli stared at him wordlessly, his mouth slightly parted. “H..hello, Zhou R--I mean, Zhou Lieren.”

 

“Hello, Tianshanghuo-jun.” He stuck the hand that had the flower out to Huo Huli. “I thought you would like this for your journal.”

 

That wide eyed stare fell to the flower, looking still just as shocked as before. Both of Huo Huli’s slender hands came up and took the flower from him, the heat from his exposed fingers barely grazing against his own. He held it between his hands and settled it in his lap.

 

“T-thank you. It’s a lovely iris. But,” his gaze lifted back up to him, “You remembered?”

 

He does know flowers. He filed that knowledge away for later. To Huo Huli’s question, he nodded. “You mentioned yesterday that you collect them for your journal.”

 

“I...I mean, yes, I know. I just…” Huo Huli’s teeth caught his plump red lip between them and chewed lightly. “I guess I was rambling that day and didn’t think you’d remember.”

 

“Am I scaring you, Huo Laoda?” He noticed the discomfort, and he chose to stick with his courtesy name to be polite and not bother him further if he was in fact upsetting Huo Huli.

 

“Scared?” Huo Huli’s wide eyes contradicted the shake of his head that said no. “No, you’re...I’m not afraid of you.”

He felt compelled to ask, “...Even if I am looking at you?”

 

Huo Huli turned his head to look down at the flower in his lap. He repeated himself, “I’m not afraid of you…”

 

“Let me be clear, I mean--”

 

“I know what you mean!” His head shot back up, a glare filled his eyes. “I was there when you said it!”

 

He waited a minute and took a breath when he saw Huo Huli do the same. Some of that fire died down, but his eyes were bright and shiny. They wouldn’t look at him directly, but they would flicker back to the flower that he tenderly held in his hands.

 

“If you’d rather not talk about that day, I understand...but may I ask you to explain something to me?”

 

His sidelong glance looked wary and his back stiffened, “What do you need explained?”

 

“You seemed to think I have a low opinion of you, and you said I didn’t look at you...why?”

 

Huo Huli’s lips turned down in a frown but his brows pinched together in utter confusion. He tilted his head up to look him in the eye this time. “It was obvious to me that you didn’t find me attractive. That’s the low opinion I meant.”

 

It was his turn for his eyes to go wide, “H-how...why would you come to that conclusion?”

 

Huo Huli’s lips pursed, turning his frown into a scowl and he stood up and set the flower on the rock. He clenched his fists at his sides as he looked him head on. “You flirted with my brother, for one.”

 

“I did not.” He took a step closer, his hands raised in a surrender. “I did not approach your brother at all. He was...being friendly, and I was nervous about it.” He didn’t want to reveal that Huo Ningjing knew about his attraction to him, and vice versa.

 

His expression softened, marginally. He didn’t stand so rigid, but his shoulders sagged low. Huo Huli’s eyes drifted off to the side, looking towards the river. “When I was in the spring...you said you had no need to look at me naked. Not that I wanted you to look at me naked!” His gaze snapped back to his, his cheeks aflame. “Just...I know that’s part of attraction - wanting to see someone naked...that’s all…”

 

That’s what...He shut his eyes as he sighed in relief then pinched the bridge of his nose. “I...I’m sorry for that. It’s a misunderstanding.”

 

He scoffed, “What is there to misunderstand?”

 

“I wanted to see you naked, but I couldn’t admit that or lie to you, so said that I didn’t want to see you naked. I said exactly what I meant...I technically didn’t need to see you naked.” 

 

The low collar of his shirt felt stifling as heat rose around it. He smoothed his hand over his face and opened his eyes to look at Huo Huli. He looked stunned, all traces of his previous anger gone. He wasn’t speaking, just slowly breathing and watching him.

 

Make him feel beautiful. He reminded himself that, and he tried to think quickly on his feet. “Those things I said to you by the barn, I understand why they were hurtful now. It was wrong of me to say them to you. As a flower, I wouldn’t ask you why you exist…”

 

To make himself perfectly clear, he took a step forward and knelt down in front of Huo Huli on both knees, resting his palms on them as he stared up at him. Huo Huli took a half step back and his gawking stare angled down at him.

 

“B-but...I would ask why you, a flower, would bother to exist here with all the rubble?” He swallowed hard, unsure how to read Huo Huli’s face, but he continued. “I wasn’t joking that day, Huo Laoda. The only reason I can come up with as to why you haven’t ascended is because the other Immortals would be jealous of your beauty.”

 

Huo Huli covered his mouth with both hands and turned around. He stayed on his knees, staring at Huo Huli’s back as it began to shake. He heard a sharp breath and sob, followed by sniffling. Shit. He hung his head and clenched his fingers tightly around his knees. He knew he wasn’t very good at his words, and he did the last thing he wanted to do which was to upset Huo Huli.

 

“I’m...I’m sorry, Tianshanghuo-jun. I won’t disturb you--”

 

“You think you can just say those things and walk away?!” He looked back up at him, and Huo Huli whirled back around. His fiery gaze fixated on him and locked their eyes together. “You…”

 

“I didn’t mean to upset you, I am sorry.”

 

“I’m not...I’m not afraid of you!” He could barely make out Huo Huli’s throat as it bobbed with his swallow. His breaths came out in pants and he wiped a gloved hand over his cheek to brush away a tear. “I’m afraid of myself.”

 

He stayed quiet and listened, watching him carefully as he spoke.

 

“I don’t understand why I am not afraid of you. I mean...I mean look at you!” He waved his hands towards him. “You are tall and intimidating, and you have looks that could probably scare some wild beasts, but...but you don’t look at people aggressively. It’s...it’s like you would prefer to fade into the background, and...and I didn’t understand it, but it made me feel safe.”

A lump formed in his throat because his first assumption that Huo Huli actually saw him was right. He whispered softly, not to Huo Huli in particular, but just out loud. “Be seen, not heard.”

 

“W-what?” Huo Huli wiped at more of his tears and took in a shuddering breath.

 

“In Seven Star...orphans are the lowest rank, and we are told to be seen not heard. We aren’t the upper class, and we aren’t even low born legitimate sons, so we know our place. You are right, I wanted to fade in the background, but you...your brother…” His jaw clenched for a moment as his throat swelled up again, “And even Bai Luo, just...none of you would let me.”

 

A small thump startled him when Huo Huli dropped down to his knees in front of him. Huo Huli looked him in the eye. “I didn’t know that about you.”

 

He didn’t know what to say in response so he simply nodded. Their knees were almost touching, he could feel the heat of Huo Huli’s body against his knuckles. Huo Huli’s own hands were in loose fists on his thighs.

 

“Did…” Huo Huli’s voice cracked, “I mean, have you...ever had a first love?”

 

“En.” He wasn’t sure if he would sound sane or not given who he loved, but he went on to explain. “My Shizun. It was definitely not appropriate, and he didn’t reciprocate, but...he would talk to me or let me ask questions, and generally give me attention.” At Huo Huli’s silence, he hesitantly apologized. “I’m sorry, I understand it is awkward, talking about someone else like that…”

 

“No, no...I’m not upset about you talking about your Shizun.” Huo Huli shook his head but never broke eye contact. “I want to know more about you...because this is all new for me, and I think...I think I want to start by getting to know you.”

 

I’m...I’m Huo Huli’s first love? His heart swelled and pounded in his chest as he stared into Huo Huli’s dark eyes. The corners were faintly red from when he’d been crying, but his tears have dried. There was a wariness in them, but he did not appear upset. He could understand being afraid of something new, because everything for Zhou Lieren going forward was new and uncharted territory. He wasn’t bound by the sect anymore, there were no rules, and he was free.

 

The idea was scary, but if he had Huo Huli by his side, could watch and learn from him, and just bask in his light...that would be the greatest privilege in the world.

 

“I want to get to know you too, Tianshanghuo-jun.”

 

Red suffused his cheeks again and his chin dropped, looking at him now through his eyelashes. “You...you can...when it’s just you and I, please call me Huli.”

 

Huli, Huli, Huli…. He smiled at him, and from the way his muscles pinched he could tell it was the biggest smile he’d ever given yet, but he was sure there would be many more in the future.

 

“I would like you to call me Lieren.” 

Omega Mini-Theatre 3

 

Huo Lang had just about admitted defeat when it came to his two sons. He knelt in front of his ancestral wall where he lit over fifty incense sticks and multiple food offerings over the years. He kowtowed to his parents, lamenting out loud.

 

“What have I done in a past life to get two beautiful omega sons that I can’t marry!” He sat back up and held his arms to the air. “Please, I beg of you, I will give a hundred gold taels to the needy, I will be pious and good! Just please, let me--”

 

“Dearest,” his wife’s voice called to him from the door. “May I ask what you are doing?”

 

He froze, feeling like he’d been caught sneaking sweets from his mother’s jar as a child. He dropped his hands and slowly shuffled around, still on his knees, and faced Huo Chunhua. As an alpha, his wife was tall and graceful with a warrior’s set of phoenix eyes and dark elegant hair that she kept loose only in the evenings. Around her shoulders was a sheer plum colored robe with a light pink inner robe that gracefully hung over her lithe frame. The smile on her red painted lips was warm but turned up into a slight smirk as she watched him with a knowing look.

 

“U-uhm…” Huo Lang didn’t technically have to answer to his wife, but their partnership was one that an omega like himself leaned towards a more...submissive nature. There were no attendants beside her, as this late in the evening they would often dismiss their servants so they could have true privacy. Like this, he didn’t mind bending to her whim.

 

“Hmmm?” She hummed, and her smile grew.

 

“I was...just asking my ancestors...why our sons are so difficult.” His lips pursed together, “That’s all.”

 

“Is that all? Well, then you may enjoy this news…” She slid something out of her robe, a small paper that was delicately folded and looked quite official. She opened it and read from it, though from the way she kept looking back at him, she must have memorized it. “The fathers of Bai Luo humbly request a portrait of Huo Dier. It is their understanding that, if approved, Bai Luo seeks marriage at the earliest most auspicious day once their disciple trial has concluded. Enclosed is their birth chart, along with a portrait for your approval. The fathers eagerly await a response.”

 

Huo Lang was unsure he heard correctly. “W-what?”

 

Huo Chunhua’s regal demeanor became more animated like the teenager he remembered her as when they first got married. “I already put in some inquiries, and they are quite a wealthy family! His fathers are Bai Jinxuan and Bai Sheng, alpha and omega respectively. Come, look at his birth chart!”

 

He leapt up onto his feet, tripping over his robes as he rushed to his wife. He snatched the papers from her hands and stared in awe as - yes, it really was real - a request for his littlest son. 

 

“Be still my heart!” He clutched his chest, feeling faint. Right beside him was his wife and she caught him with an arm that she used to embrace him tightly against her bosom.

 

“Isn’t this wonderful news?” she asked.

 

“Yes!” He practically vibrated in her arms. He was so thrilled he didn’t notice how she picked him up with both arms and positioned him so he straddled her waist. He was stuck staring at the letter, half worried it would disappear.

 

She rested her cheek against his temple, her breath fluttering against his ear as she whispered. “The wonderful news makes this wife excited, A-Lang.” 

 

He let go of the papers instantly, letting them drift and sway until they fell to the floor by Huo Chunhua’s feet. Calling him by his pet name meant one thing and one thing only, and with a trained response, he started to grow wet. 

 

“A-Laaaang…” Her playful tone carried a bit of wickedness. She dipped her head down to his ear and bit it. “Is this venerable husband excited?”

 

His mind drifted to the fact that sitting inside a beautifully carved box with a beautiful satin red pillow is the carved, double ended wooden penis that Huo Chunhua liked to use on him. She could put it inside herself and the curved arch had the other end stick out so she could put it in him.

 

“A-Lang?” She pinched him through his thin robe and he yelped. The back of his thighs were soaked now.

 

“Y-y-yes!” He nodded his head up and down eagerly, “This v-venerable husband is excited!”

 

“Well then...As a dutiful wife, I will make sure my husband is tended to.”

 

As he was carried away to their bed chamber, Huo Lang had to pat himself on the back - he really knew how to pick a good wife.

Author’s Note:

Please note that Lieren is the one jumping to a love confession. These two are fated for many miscommunications, so be kind!