Claiming Your Pheromones

The reason Huo Fan agreed to let Qu Zhiyi stay by his side was simple.

He needed an emotionally stable, genetically compatible Omega who had never been marked, so they could establish a long-term, stable "partnership."

Huo Fan had a special constitution. When he was twenty-six, his glands underwent an unexpected second differentiation. His S-rank genes, already placed under close supervision, evolved directly into the far more extreme S+ rank.

As a result, none of the suppressants currently available on the market could effectively ease Huo Fan's extremely unstable heat. The doctors told him that the only person who could save him was an Omega of a compatible rank.

And Qu Zhiyi was the perfect candidate.

Qu Zhiyi's reason for agreeing to help Huo Fan was even simpler.

He just needed money. A whole lot of money.

So when the Huo family approached him, he agreed to the highly lucrative deal without a moment's hesitation. He even offered to take care of Huo Fan's daily needs, earning himself some extra pay in the process.

-

However you looked at it, this seemed to be nothing more than a cold transaction that benefited both parties. Money and pheromones were the only things connecting Huo Fan and Qu Zhiyi.

[The following are excerpts from chat logs recovered from Huo Fan's phone]

[October 9]

Qu Zhiyi: Mr. Huo, are you coming home tonight?

Huo Fan: Business dinner.

[October 17]

Qu Zhiyi: Mr. Huo, I made soup tonight. Will you be home for dinner?

Huo Fan: No.

[October 24]

Qu Zhiyi: Mr. Huo, it's your birthday today. I made a cake.

Huo Fan: Business trip.

Huo Fan: Don't do pointless things like this again.

Qu Zhiyi: Okay, I understand...

Qu Zhiyi: I'm sorry, Mr. Huo.

[November 1]

Qu Zhiyi: Mr. Huo, I have a performance at the concert hall tonight. I'll be back very late.

Huo Fan: Extract your pheromones before you leave.

Huo Fan: Don't tell me about things like this in the future. It's a waste of time.

Qu Zhiyi: Sorry, Mr. Huo. I understand.

-

At first, Huo Fan visibly enjoyed the uneventful days of living under the same roof without getting in each other's way. He seemed to prefer treating Qu Zhiyi not as a person, but as an obedient, well-behaved tool who would help him whenever he called.

But then one day, he suddenly realized that this tool seemed to be slipping away from him...

[December 2]

Huo Fan: Why aren't you home?

Qu Zhiyi: Sorry, Mr. Huo. I have some personal matters to take care of tonight, and I'll be back very late. I can't have dinner with you.

Qu Zhiyi: I left the extracted pheromones in the drawer on the right side of your study.

Huo Fan: ...

[December 16]

Huo Fan: Where have you gone this time?

Qu Zhiyi: Mr. Huo, I have a performance tonight. I asked you for permission last week. I left the pheromones in the usual place.

Huo Fan: When will you be back?

Qu Zhiyi: I'm not sure. If it's too late, I'll stay somewhere else tonight. Don't worry, I won't disturb your rest.

Huo Fan: That's not what I meant...

Huo Fan: Forget it. It's fine.

Huo Fan: Come back, no matter how late it is. You can't stay out.

[December 19]

Huo Fan: Do you even want to keep living in this house?

Qu Zhiyi: Mr. Huo, I went to help Auntie Qin catch a kitten.

Huo Fan: Why do you have to get involved in everything?

Qu Zhiyi: I'm sorry. Please forgive me.

Huo Fan: ...I wasn't asking you to apologize.

Huo Fan: Come back soon.

[December 22]

Huo Fan: Who's that Alpha in your Moments? Why is he holding you?

Qu Zhiyi: He's a junior from my high school, Mr. Huo. Sorry, I forgot to hide the post from you.

Huo Fan: Why would you hide it from me?

Qu Zhiyi: Because you said you weren't interested in my private life and didn't want to see it. It was careless of me to bother you. It won't happen again.

Huo Fan: ...

Huo Fan: When are you coming back? I don't feel well.

Qu Zhiyi: Mr. Huo, I left the pheromones...

Huo Fan: I don't want to take care of things by myself with a glass bottle tonight.

Huo Fan: Come back. I want to see you.

[December 27]

Huo Fan: I heard you call someone "sir" on the phone.

Qu Zhiyi: He's the new conductor of the orchestra. Sorry, Mr. Huo. Was I talking too loudly and disturbing you?

Huo Fan: Don't call anyone else "sir."

Qu Zhiyi: ?

Huo Fan: Or at least don't let me hear you do it.

Qu Zhiyi: Mr. Huo, are you in a bad mood today?

Huo Fan: I was fine. Now I'm in a terrible mood.

Huo Fan: Come in and see me.

[※ Some chat logs could not be recovered ※]

Qu Zhiyi felt that Huo Fan had changed lately.

The man who once wouldn't say a word more to him than necessary had inexplicably started taking an interest in his life, asking in his spare time about his school, parents, family, and friends...

And Huo Fan always knew just how far he could take the conversation. His questions never crossed a line, yet still struck Qu Zhiyi as strange.

It all came to a head on the night their contract was about to expire, when Qu Zhiyi told Huo Fan he wanted to leave the Huo residence.

That night, Huo Fan experienced the most intense heat since his second differentiation. And Qu Zhiyi, in turn, faced the darkest nightmare of his life.

"Xiaoyi, don't leave me. I'm begging you... You can't go..."

Just before the surging tide swallowed him whole, Qu Zhiyi, already on the brink of death, thought he heard a low, hoarse voice trembling uncontrollably as it whispered in his ear, almost delirious.

"I won't let you go, and I won't let you accept anyone else... Stay by my side. Please..."

"Bonus phone-finding extra"

[February 17, the following year]

Huo Fan: Xiaoyi, Happy New Year.

Qu Zhiyi: Sir!

Qu Zhiyi: Is work going well, sir?

Huo Fan: Everything is going well, except that I'm a little down without Xiaoyi by my side...

Qu Zhiyi: Sir, I miss you so much.

Huo Fan: I miss you too, Xiaoyi.

Huo Fan: So I booked an earlier flight home. Shall we see each other tonight?

Qu Zhiyi: But what about your work there... Will it be all right?

Huo Fan: Nothing is more important than my Xiaoyi.

Huo Fan: As long as Xiaoyi is happy, nothing else matters.

Qu Zhiyi: Sir, you're saying embarrassing things again...

Huo Fan: [cuddle]

Huo Fan: There's still some time before boarding. Will you tell me, bit by bit, everything you did and anything interesting that happened today?

[More or less the story of an emotionally detached, robot-like Alpha slowly learning to be human, opening up, and chasing his lover after losing him.]

A gentle, well-behaved, independent, strong-willed, flirtatious angel of an Omega x A taciturn, robot-like mature Alpha who awakens emotionally and develops a bit of a Daddy vibe

Content warnings:

1. Huo Fan seems robotic because he has congenital emotional deficiency, but he gets much better later on.

2. Before meeting the Omega, the seme used other Omegas as tools. There were no romantic relationships involved; he only used their pheromones to ease his heat. If that bothers you, please don't read.

3. There may be a few original worldbuilding details, but nothing too complicated.

4. Quite melodramatic.

Theme: Expressing your love bravely is an incredibly courageous thing to do.