"Yichen, are you really in a rut? Did you take your meds?!" Qixian bit his lip hard when only a heavy silence answered him.
Realizing the gravity of the situation, he spun around and bolted toward his own bags, his heart hammering against his ribs.
'Ah, shit,' Qixian cursed under his breath, frantically rummaging through his belongings. He was looking for anything—rut pills, blockers, even a sedative. 'I'm not even an Alpha, why would I have rut pills?' He panicked as he tossed clothes aside. Finally, his fingers brushed against a small injection—a calmative he'd picked up from a pharmacy. 'This is the only thing I have... it's strong enough to knock out a high tier. It'll have to do.'
He stood up, his legs feeling like lead, and ran back to Yichen's bedroom. He didn't knock this time, he simply threw the door open.
The air inside was thick enough to taste, saturated with a raw, primal power. Qixian's eyes widened as they landed on Yichen. The Alpha was hunched over, his muscles corded and trembling. He was, without a doubt, in the throes of a violent, sudden rut.
"Why the hell are your pheromones so aggressive?!" Qixian complained, his voice trembling. He forced himself to cross the threshold, covering his nose with his left hand to filter the intoxicating scent while his right hand gripped the syringe. "Hey, look at me. I'm going to inject you with a sedative... it's all I've got, okay?"
But as he reached out, the world suddenly tilted. Before he could plunge the needle, Yichen's hand shot out with predatory speed, catching Qixian's wrist. The force was so sudden that the syringe flew from Qixian's grip, skittering across the edge of the bed.
Qixian let out a sharp yelp as Yichen pulled him forward. He tripped, falling onto the mattress, and in a blur of motion, Yichen flipped him over. Qixian found himself pinned flat, the massive weight of the Enigma holding him down.
Qixian glared up at him, but the defiance died in his throat when he saw Yichen's eyes. The dark grey was being consumed by a glowing, predatory dark blue—a sign of extreme dominance. "Shit, are you crazy? You let yourself go into a rut without a plan?!"
"Qixian...? you shouldn't have entered..." Yichen growled, his voice a low, gravelly rasp as he fought the instinct to claim everything in sight.
"What was I supposed to do?! Your scent is leaking through the whole damn dorm!" Qixian yelled, struggling to free his wrists. "Let me go so I can inject you that sedative!"
"No." Yichen's grip only tightened, his fingers like iron bands.
"You bastard!" Qixian hissed. "Can't you get a grip on yourself?!"
"And who's the one who walked into a locked room filled with a dominant and dangerous scent?" Yichen countered, his teeth gritted so hard his jaw looked ready to snap.
'I'm losing my strength... his pheromones are forcing me into a heat,' Qixian realized with a jolt of pure terror. His body was beginning to soften against his will, his Omega instincts screaming to submit to the overwhelming power above him.
"You really shouldn't have come," Yichen whispered. In his mind, his Enigma instincts were roaring a two words, 'Mark him.'
In a momentary lapse of Yichen's concentration, Qixian managed to yank his wrists free, but before he could scramble away, Yichen's mouth crashed against his.
Qixian's mind went blank. The suddenness of the kiss stole his breath, and for a second, he forgot he was even fighting. The contact sent a devastating spike of heat through his veins, making his own light-red Omega glow flicker in his eyes.
Regaining a shred of consciousness, Qixian shoved Yichen's chest with every ounce of strength he had left. He rolled to the edge of the bed, reaching desperately for the calmative. His fingers brushed the injection, but just as he gripped it, a hand clamped around his ankle and dragged him back toward the center of the bed.
Qixian managed to turn over, the syringe clutched in his shaking hand, but his body was betraying him. His hands were trembling so violently he couldn't aim the needle. The air was too thick, the scent too strong.
As Yichen loomed over him, his eyes now a terrifying, solid dark blue, he leaned down. "I'm sorry..." he whispered against Qixian's neck. The Enigma instinct had completely taken over.
Yichen's teeth grazed the sensitive scent gland at the curve of Qixian's neck.
"Shit... you bastard..." Qixian murmured. The syringe slipped from his nerveless fingers, clattering onto their side. His eyes began to glow a hazy, luminous red as his body finally gave up the fight. 'No... he's not in his right mind, and neither am I... but I can't move... I can't stop him...'
"Yichen... stop... let me go..." Qixian whispered weakly, even as his head tilted back, exposing his throat to the Enigma's mark.
__________________
Morning light spilled across the room, but the atmosphere was far from bright. Qixian was the first to wake, his head throbbing with a dull, insistent rhythm.
"What the hell actually happened last night?" he muttered, sitting up and clutching his face as the memories hit him in a sudden, overwhelming wave. "Ah, right..." He let out a long, weary sigh, his gaze drifting to Yichen, who was still sleeping with an infuriatingly peaceful expression.
'It's crazy how I remember every single detail,' Qixian thought, a mix of irritation and heat rising in his chest. 'He's a lunatic. A complete and utter madman.' He attempted to stand, but his body had other plans. His legs felt like jelly, wobbling so badly that he nearly collapsed back onto the mattress.
With sheer force of will, he managed to limp back to his own room. He scrubbed himself clean in a hot shower, trying to wash away the lingering scent of cedar and rain, before collapsing onto his own bed, utterly spent.
He hadn't been resting for more than a few minutes when heavy footsteps thundered in the hallway.
"Surprise!" Sihan's voice boomed as the door on their room was flung open with a violent bang. "Oh Yichen! You just got up? Wait, where is he? Is Qixian still dead to the world?"
"Probably," Yichen's voice replied from the hall, sounding suspiciously calm.
"Hey, Qixian! Wake up, sleepyhead!" Haoran chirped, bursting into Qixian's bedroom.
'God, I just got here!' Qixian groaned internally, dragging a pillow over his face to drown out the intrusion.
"Come on, let's play! Qixian, get up!" Haoran began shaking him relentlessly.
"Five more minutes..." Qixian's muffled voice pleaded from under the pillow. "No, ten more..."
"No way! The sun is up and so are we!" Haoran continued his assault on the blankets.
Qixian decided the best defense was total silence, refusing to move a muscle.
"Haoran, leave him be for a bit," Sihan called out, peeking into the room and seeing the struggle. "We're going to start on breakfast anyway. He'll come out when he smells the coffee."
"Ugh, fine. But you'd better be out soon!" Haoran finally gave up, following Sihan toward the kitchen.
An hour of blessed peace passed before Qixian finally gathered enough strength to emerge. He walked into the dining area, trying his best not to limp.
"Just in time! Dig in!" Haoran said, spotting him immediately.
"Are you... okay?" Yichen asked, his eyes searching Qixian's face with an intensity that made Qixian's skin prickle.
"Why? Did something happen?" Sihan asked, looking between them with narrow, suspicious eyes.
"Nothing worth mentioning," Qixian answered shortly, taking the furthest seat at the table.
"I'm sorry about last night," Yichen said softly, his voice full of genuine apology.
Qixian didn't look up from his plate. "Why didn't you take your meds?"
"What meds? What happened last night?!" Haoran's eyes went wide, his imagination clearly running wild.
"I had a sudden rut," Yichen admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "And I realized too late that I didn't pack any medication for it."
"What?!" Sihan shouted, nearly dropping his fork.
"So you two—" Haoran gasped, his mouth hanging open.
"I don't... I don't remember much," Yichen added, looking troubled. "It's all a bit of a blur."
"And just what do you remember?" Qixian asked, finally meeting Yichen's gaze.
"That..." Yichen hesitated, glancing at the others.
"Spit it out!" Sihan demanded.
"I remember that... I marked you," Yichen said, his voice dropping an octave as he stared at Qixian.
Qixian immediately looked away, but he couldn't hide the deep crimson flush creeping up his neck. The table went silent.
"What?! You marked him?!" Sihan's voice hit a new decibel of shock.
"Well, that was... significantly faster than I expected," Haoran commented, trying to process the news.
"And what exactly is that supposed to mean?" Qixian glared at Haoran, his embarrassment turning into sharp defensiveness.
"Only that I thought it would take you two much longer to actually end up together," Haoran replied with a shrug.
"But Yichen," Sihan asked, his expression turning serious. "Did you mark him... permanently?"
"From what I can tell, yes. I did," Yichen said. He didn't look away from Qixian. "But... are you okay with that? Truly?"
Qixian took a slow breath, meeting Yichen's eyes directly. "Well, are you? If you're not, I'm sure we can find a way to have it removed."
"That would be incredibly difficult, Qixian," Haoran interrupted. "You have to remember, Yichen is an Enigma."
Qixian froze, the world seemingly stopping for a second. "He's a what?..."
"It's true. I am," Yichen confirmed, his expression grim.
A heavy silence descended over the breakfast table.
"So... do you want to try and remove it? We can look into specialists," Yichen offered cautiously, his voice tinged with a hint of worry.
Qixian looked down at his lap, his mind a chaotic mess of panic and flustered emotions. "...No. It's fine. It can stay," he murmured. It really was fine, he like it, somehow. Though he really wanted to punch Yichen's face whenever he felt like this. It's embarrassing.
"Is that okay with you too, Yichen?" Sihan asked, checking on his best friend.
"If he's fine with it, then I'm more than fine with it," Yichen answered, a small, relieved smile tugging at his lips.
"So are you two together now?" Haoran asked mischievously.
"No." Qixian and Yichen answered quickly.
"That's no fun..." Haoran expressed in disappointment. "But just to be clear," Haoran asked, leaning in. "Was that your first... you know?"
Another awkward silence followed until Qixian finally spoke. "Not that thing on your mind, it's a kiss. And it was my first kiss... I don't know about his."
"It was mine, too," Yichen admitted.
"Congrats!" Haoran cheered.
"What is there to congratulate?" Qixian asked, raising an eyebrow.
"All of it?" Haoran grinned.
"You're crazy." Qixian rolled his eyes at Haoran.
"But is that really all that happened?" Sihan pressed, his skepticism clear as he looked at Qixian. Now everyone's eyes were locked on him.
"Yes," Qixian lied, his face a perfect mask of a deadpan. "I managed to inject Yichen with a calmative right after he lost his mind. It knocked him out cold instantly."
"Really?" Sihan asked, leaning back.
"Yeah. For real." Qixian didn't blink, playing the part of the unaffected Alpha to perfection.