Archive of Our Own ^beta

After the Phantylia incident, it was inevitable to expect a lot of paperwork in the office. Of course, the current general of Luofu saw it coming but he's allowed to dread, no?

I mean, who likes doing paperwork when you just recovered, your rut cycle is coming up and your partner is who knows where on the entire galaxy. Unknowingly releasing his pheromones, all the workers and even the guards almost pissed in their pants and collectively agreed to silently leave the office for the sake of their sanity.

One could only hope a certain someone magically appears to soothe a distressed lion.

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“G-General…?” One of the workers in the office dared to test their bravery in approaching the lion’s den with its owner in it. The general in question didn’t say anything, but the domineering scent in the entire place definitely changed. The writing tool in his hand stopped, making the ink gather in one spot. There was only pin-drop silence you can hear the worker gulp in anxiety and fear.

The general finally glanced at him. Wait no.

He was glaring. [Xianzhou profanity]

“What is it?” Yikes, he didn’t even try to hide the growl in that tone. And the rest swore they could see lightning sparkling from the inside.

“T-These are the remaining reports f-for property damage in the Alchemy Commission…” The poor worker couldn’t even mentally praise himself for managing to speak out since the general is literally glaring daggers at him. He swears he can see his eyes glowing.

Dear Lan, help us…

After what felt like torturous hours, the general finally responded. He pinched the middle of his eyebrows as if to soothe himself with the incoming stress. His overwhelming scent however was not calming down. At all. “Leave it at my desk.” With that, the poor guy hurriedly placed the files on his desk and waddled out of the office along the rest. Heck, even the stationed knights ‘discreetly’ sneaked out and closed the doors, leaving the lion’s den. Even with the doors closed they can still smell the overwhelming scent of an angry alpha.

‘I thought I was gonna die…’ was definitely what they were thinking. By the looks of it, it seems not even their lieutenant Yanqing can calm the general’s wrath. Thankfully, he was out patrolling the area right now.

…

‘Sigh… I should really make up with them once this is all over. I lost control there…’

Jingyuan couldn’t help but feel sorry for scaring every single person in the vicinity. He’s aware he shouldn’t take it out to them but really, he can’t hold it any longer. He was sitting in the office for almost a week already and the paper works doesn’t seem like its lessening. Those last files were the last straw and his control slipped. All the recent events really took a toll on him. Phantylia, those damned ravagers, Stellaron Hunters, meeting old friends, getting stabbed, and his cursed rut cycle is nearing.

‘Stop blowing holes on my ship!’ is what he wants to say but decided not to. Screaming will not help with his current situation.

‘[Xianzhou profanity] alpha instincts and its [Xianzhou profanity] pheromones-‘

“You stink.”

All other profanities he thought in his head vanished as he heard that deep voice he’s very familiar with. He looked up and saw the last person he expected to enter his office. A beast wearing the face of a dead man, of his dead lover…

“Ren…” He mumbled in disbelief and… was that a tone of longing? “I thought you already left with Kafka.” After dismissing the Stellaron Hunters at Scalegorge Waterscape, he believed they left his ship already lest he sends his knights after them.

“We did plan in doing so. However, she told me I still must do something here. It wasn’t in the script, but she said Elio doesn’t mind. It’s for the peace of my mind, she said.” Ren explained with his default stoic face.

“Ho? And what is this ‘something’ you must do? Considering you’re in my private office… are you going to finally give me eternal repose?” Jingyuan stood up from his seat and dared to taunt him. After the fallout of the High Cloud Quintet, he carried the guilt of not being able to save his precious friends. He saw them kill each other, fall into the mara’s embrace, and eventually go with their separate paths. Out of five of them, only he remains with their memories. If Ren is here to deliver his punishment with his own blade, so be it.  He was snapped out of his trance when he caught a whiff of a scent he thought he wasn’t going to smell ever again.

A gloved hand gently held his left cheek, thumb caressing the beauty mark right under his eye. Ren’s wrist peeked out of his sleeve, his calm and subtle scent reaching Jingyuan’s keen nose. He felt himself slowly relaxing. “Stupid fool. Here I am serving myself on a silver plate to calm your stupid pheromones, yet you want me to kill my mate.”

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‘What…?’

Jingyuan found himself dumbfounded with what he said. There was no way…right? It was only possible in his lonely dreams where he longs for his beloved. He stared at Ren whose expression usually unreadable, now displaying half disbelief and half… fondness?

“…Mate? Ren, perhaps do you-” Whatever sentence he was gonna say was cut off with soft lips meeting his own. Jingyuan was frozen in place. He desperately worked his brain to find out what led to this turn of events. While he was busy thinking, a bandaged hand found its way to his waist and pulled him closer, deepening the kiss. To Jingyuan’s horror, he let out a muffled moan which was hungrily swallowed by Ren’s kiss.

They made out for several minutes until Jingyuan needed to breathe. He tried pulling Ren off him by lightly pushing at his shoulders. Ren felt his gesture so he put his hand from Jingyuan’s cheek to the back of his head and gently but firmly pulled it back, white hair entangling with his fingers. He pulled back from the kiss and traveled down to his sharp jaw, then to his Adam’s apple. Finally he went down to where his shoulder and neck meet, his scent gland. He buried his nose and inhaled his scent. Because of his stress, it smelled sour and heavy. Wanting to fix that, he flattened his tongue against it and licked from bottom to top, right underneath his ear. He heard Jingyuan groan from the sensation and felt his fingers tighten on his shoulders. Ren could even feel him starting to shake but he didn’t pay attention to it and held him tighter to continue his task. Seriously, who was the omega here?

The sour scent was starting to fade away and is replaced with Jingyuan’s natural scent. From there, he could see his old bite mark peeking out of his hair. He stopped abusing his scent gland and went to gently kiss the mark on his nape. Ren heard Jingyuan gasp from that, tensing for a bit before finally relaxing against him. Seems like his scent is finally back to normal, mingling with his own but was slightly panting due to what just happened. He kept his arms wrapped around him since his knees seems like its going to give up anytime soon. Jingyuan buried his face on Ren’s neck and basked in the calming pheromones Ren was releasing. There was a hint of the Abundance’s curse on it, but he could still smell Ren’s natural scent if he tries hard enough. It was admittedly a soothing scent.

“I do remember.” Ren finally spoke out when he deemed that Jingyuan has finally calmed down. “For some reason, no matter how much Kafka tries, my memories of you won’t completely disappear. There are gaps here and there, but your name, face, voice and even scent… I remember all of it. And weirdly enough, my mara doesn’t act up whenever I’m around you. Rather, I feel calm.”

If this is a dream, Jingyuan hopes whoever hears his prayers that he shall never wake from it. He’s been wanting this for centuries. For his beloved mate to come back to him. All his lonely rut cycles before were his worst torture, yet he never seeked for an omega. He only called his beloved’s name, hoping to get a response yet were in vain. Now, the person he longed for is actually in his arms. He feels tears in his eyes.

 ‘He’s real… It’s not a dream. I could actually smell him…’

“That’s why I accepted Kafka’s request and came here. I thought I should check up on you but it seems like I made the right choice then. You were brooding so much you scared everyone and didn’t even notice me enter.” Jingyuan slightly flinched at that.

“How did you even enter here anyway? I suppose my knights are right outside, no?” He pulled back from Ren’s neck and looked at him in confusion. He was pretty sure the Cloud Knights would make a commotion at the mere sight of Ren. He’s a Stellaron Hunter, for Lan’s sake. Ren, on the other hand, looked at him like he grew another head.

“Seriously? You yourself gave the order to let me and Kafka walk free after our names were cleared. Did age finally catch up to you?”

…

Ah.

Right. He did that. Haha.

“Ah. Before I forget…” Ren reached for his nape and pulled something from there. Are those scent patches? He approached Jingyuan and set his hair aside to clear his scent glands then sticked the patches right over it.

Jingyuan was on cloud nine. If it was possible, he would’ve melted into a puddle on the floor by now.

“This will do for now. My scent glands aren’t working properly due to the curse and mara combined.” If it was any person, they wouldn’t notice it but Jingyuan definitely could. He saw how Ren spoke in sadness and sorrow when it comes to his scent glands. He didn’t say it, but he could hear it from his words. ‘I’m no longer a normal omega. I failed you as a mate.’

Jingyuan raised his hand and held his cheek, so gentle like he’s convincing a scared child that he’s safe. “I couldn’t ask for more. Just your presence alone is enough to make me happy.” Ren couldn’t help but shed a tear. He couldn’t even remember when he last time shed one. After that woman left him to die, he only sought for revenge. He was only able to retrieve his memories of Jingyuan when Silver Wolf saw his bite mark. Before he realized it, centuries already passed by after he left his mate. When Elio said he has a script in Xianzhou, he was both scared and hopeful. Scared that Jingyuan might be in mara’s embrace already or what he would think of his absence. Hopeful that Jingyuan is doing well… hopeful that he still considers him as his omega.

Jingyuan wiped his tear off with his thumb and pressed their foreheads together, taking the opportunity to boop their noses. “Welcome back, A-Ren.”

With that, Ren completely broke down. He wept against Jingyuan’s neck; his hands tightly wrapped around his shoulders. Jingyuan wrapped one hand on his waist, the other on his head gently caressing his hair. Now it was his turn to comfort his mate. He kept planting kisses on his forehead while Ren apologized again and again for leaving him behind, for everything that happened. He too shed some tears once it sank to him that his mate is really back in his arms.

The sour scent in the room was no more. Instead, two scents mingled together, bringing comfort to the two mates whose hearts finally reunited after being separated by fate.

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“Are you going to leave soon?”

They were now in Jingyuan’s private chambers. They just finished taking a bath and are now laying down on his bed, holding each other close. Their scents still linger in the air, but they couldn’t bring themselves to care.

“No? Your rut’s nearing, right?” Ren looked at him in confusion. ‘Does this idiot want to torture himself? Is he a masochist?’

“I-I mean… I thought you guys have another mission?”

“Kafka didn’t contact me so no. Until she does, I’m staying here with you.” If scaring off his fellow workers with his pheromones was enough to bring Ren back to him, maybe he should’ve done that sooner.

“A-Yuan.” Oh, how much he misses that endearment. He saw Ren grab his face by his cheeks and kiss him so lovingly. How he missed this. Did he really survive centuries without Ren by his side? Had he finally gone crazy?

Ren pulled back from the kiss and tucked his bangs resembling a lion’s mane behind his ear. “I’m here now, okay? We may not be together all the time, but you can contact me anytime. Atleast let me make it up with you. Let me take care of you while I still have time here before my next expedition. Let me stay with you during your rut.”

Jingyuan would definitely cry right now if he didn’t just a few hours ago.

“Of course. It’s not like I can refuse you anyways.”

For the first time in a while, they had a very good sleep wrapped in their beloved’s warm embrace.

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A week later…

“I’m truly sorry for my unpleasant attitude back then. I’ll make it up to you by buying you all dinner. It’s the least I can do.” Jingyuan stood in front of his table and did a 90-degree bow to everyone in the room.

“G-Goodness, you don’t have to apologize to us general!”

“General, please! You really don’t have to!”

“We should be the ones apologizing to you for putting so much burden on you!”

“Yes, yes! That’s why please don’t bow to us general! We should be the one making up to you!”

“But-”

“So please leave all the paper works to us and take a break!”

BAM!

…

‘They kicked me out…’ He couldn’t help but sigh. He’ll keep his word on treating them dinner though. They atleast deserved it.

A ring from his phone snapped him out of his trance. A message from Ren.

‘Just finished our mission. I’ll be there in two days. You better be sleeping on time or else I’m stabbing you in your sleep.’

How cruel his mate is. Well, he couldn’t do anything about it. Ren’s straightforwardness and sharp words was what made him fall for him in the first place. A smile made its way on his lips, already planning on what to do once Ren returns.

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In the Seat of Divine Foresight

Qingzu, the counselor of the divine foresight, was wondering on what happened while she was away that drastically changed their general’s attitude. He seemed… happier than before. Heck, she swears he was glowing too. The secretary was on the same predicament.

When they asked the other staff about it, they instantly paled and sweated buckets. They immediately think up of excuses and pardon themselves, not willing to answer at all.

‘How serious was it?’

Meanwhile, all the staff and guards collectively thanked a certain hunter in their heads for soothing the lion’s wrath.