Chapter 18

When Sebastian stepped out of his house that evening, he happened to run right into Eleanor coming out of hers.

The moment Eleanor caught sight of him, she greeted him with total warmth. "Sebastian, you're here to see Asher, right?"

Sebastian smiled and nodded. "Mm. There are a few test problems I'm stuck on, so I wanted to ask him about them."

"So hardworking! Head on in, then. But Asher is currently taking a shower, so you'll have to wait a bit. I need to go to the airport to pick up his dad, so I'll be off now."

"Mm. Please drive safely, Auntie."

"Will do! You boys take care too."

Finishing her piece, Eleanor walked off with a light step. She was beautifully dressed, carrying a bouquet of flowers; though she was past forty, her eyes couldn't conceal the girl-like joy of being reunited with her lover.

She had only returned two days earlier than Arthur.

Sure enough, the people living across the street were all incredibly endearing.

Sebastian let out a soft smile. Lazily sauntering up to the second floor, he came to a stop in front of Asher's room and rapped his knuckles against the wood.

The hollow sound of running water drifted faintly from inside, making Asher's voice a bit muffled. "Mom, I'm showering."

"It's me."

"Oh, then come on in."

Sebastian wasn't polite either. Turning the door handle, he stepped straight inside.

The last time he entered Asher's room, he had been so thoroughly panicked by the boy's state that he lost his composure—hoisting him onto his back and sprinting off before he could take a proper look.

Reviewing it now, he discovered the room had changed significantly; it must have been completely redecorated.

The light blue palette had been replaced by a scheme of gray, black, and white.

The little red flowers and academic certificates on the wall were gone, replaced by rows of trophies sitting on the bookshelves.

The spot that used to host a massive slot-car track now held a colossal Lego structure.

The old, bulky monitor had also been replaced by a high-end, dual-screen Alienware setup.

It appeared as though almost nothing remained the same.

Sebastian's eyes instantly locked onto the piece of milk candy resting untouched on the nightstand.

The child had indeed grown up—already over six feet tall, and no longer fond of sweets.

The three years he had been away were the precise years during which one grew fastest in life.

He blamed himself slightly. Why on earth had he been willing to leave back then? If he hadn't missed those three years, perhaps he would be much more skilled at coaxing him now.

Instead of merely doing what he did right now—clumsily and stubbornly circling through one street alley after another to find a decaying grocery store just to purchase a box of milk candy that was on the verge of being discontinued, simply because he remembered the child used to beg for it.

He also desperately wanted to ask Asher directly what kind of person he liked now.

Yet with these secrets buried deep within his heart for so many years, how exactly was he supposed to bring them up?

He treated him well, yet feared the boy would see through his intentions, so he constantly succumbed to a clumsy desire to cover his tracks by teasing him.

He worried that once those hidden feelings crawled out from the dust, they would fail to bloom—leaving them unable to even remain friends.

He had been the absolute best since childhood, never believing there was a single thing he couldn't achieve.

Yet concerning this specific person, he treasured him too deeply, to the point where he didn't dare make a single rash step.

Because that was the solitary rose that had bloomed across his lonely and barren years.

Sebastian picked up the milk candy, twirling it in his hand a couple of times, intending to slide it into his jacket pocket.

With a sharp creak, the bathroom door swung open.

"Why the hell are you stealing my candy?"

Sebastian turned around, catching sight of Asher wearing nothing but a bath towel wrapped around his waist. "..."

Asher was entirely oblivious to anything being amiss. Snatched the candy from Sebastian's hand, he peeled it and tossed it straight into his mouth. "How can you steal a gift back after you've already given it away?"

Sebastian had zero desire to discuss this topic with him, his eyes turning cold. "Asher."

"Huh?"

Asher lifted his head. Drops of water slid down from his forehead, traveling past his collarbone, his eight-pack, and his hip lines before disappearing into the towel.

Chewing the candy, his eyes held a trace of bewilderment. "Why are you using such a fierce tone? I'm just eating a piece of candy, is this necessary?"

The veins near Sebastian's temple throbbed. Swallowing the burning breath rising in his chest, he bit his lip. "Put some clothes on."

"Fine, I'll put them on. No need to be fierce." Muttering under his breath, Asher walked over to the bed, picked up his pajama pants, and undid the towel, preparing to slip them on.

Black underwear, two long, pristine legs, and that rather valuable gluteal line.

A breath caught in Sebastian's throat. Marching straight out of the room, he shut the door with a loud bang.

His voice was freezing: "Call me once you're dressed."

Asher found it completely bizarre. "You are truly dramatic. It's not like you've never seen it before."

Leaning against the wall with his head cast down, Sebastian pinched the bridge of his nose, letting out a helpless sigh. "You are currently an Omega, and I am an Alpha."

Silence fell inside the room.

Imagining the young master's current expression, Sebastian couldn't resist letting out a soft chuckle—both irritated and thoroughly amused.

When on earth would this person finally view him as a member of the opposite gender?

But he truly was beautiful.

White, lean, and toned.

In the end, Sebastian couldn't restrain himself from letting his mind savor the memory for a brief moment.

When the young master opened the door again, his pajamas were buttoned up with absolute precision, looking as though he desperately wished he could add another button above his collar.

Only his face looked a bit sour.

Sebastian knew he was simply embarrassed.

Although this person was dense on this front, his skin was exceptionally thin. Since he didn't intend to lay his cards on the table just yet, he needed to rein it in for now.

Savoring the memory internally was one thing, but actively teasing him further would make him look like a piece of trash.

Thus, Sebastian uncharacteristically refrained from goading him, driving straight to the core task. "Ready?"

"Perfect."

"Phase one training. We'll aim for ten minutes each time. If you find the discomfort genuinely unbearable within those ten minutes..." Sebastian thought for a brief second. "Just call me 'Big Brother,' and I'll withdraw it."

This meant Asher would rather die than succumb to the pressure.

"Sebastian, can you show a single shred of face? On regular days at school, you put on such a cold, restrained, upstanding front. How can you completely abandon it the moment you change locations—" Hiss.

Before Asher's little mouth could finish yapping, the crisp scent of pine instantly exploded throughout the air, condensing into an unyielding wall of ice that pressed straight onto Asher's frame—forcing him to bend his waist, lower his knees, and cast his head down.

Biting his lip, Asher braced his hands against his knees, fighting intensely to straighten his body and lift his head.

Because the resistance required absolute force, his frame was shaking slightly.

The influence of genetics, the pure strength of an Alpha—it turned out to be this powerful.

Every single cell within his blood was screaming for him to submit. As long as he lowered his head, bent his waist, and put on a delicate, weak front, he would receive absolute comfort—turning the agonizing pain of struggle into a wave of blissful indulgence.

Instead of experiencing what he felt right now, where every single bone seemed ready to fracture, and every single muscle felt as if it were being torn away.

Asher suddenly let out a laugh.

Bracing his frame, he lifted his chin high into the air. His face was sallow and his eyes were a bit red, yet biting his lip and curling his mouth, his laugh radiated absolute defiance and pride.

"Launching a sneak attack out of nowhere—vicious, aren't you?"

His chin was delicate, yet his jawline was entirely resolute. With his head lifted high, the line of his neck stretched long under the lamp light, looking staggeringly beautiful.

Like a wild rose rising from the barren stone and gravel at the highest crest of a cliff side—blooming with absolute pride, looking down upon everything in existence.

Sebastian couldn't comprehend how anyone in the world could fail to let their heart stir for a rose like this.

If it were possible, he desperately wanted to pluck it back to rest inside a greenhouse—shielding it from the wind and rain, clearing the weeds and insects, claiming it entirely as his own to admire its beauty day and night.

Yet a rose treated in that manner would become exactly like every other ordinary rose in the world.

Averting his gaze, Sebastian's tone was flat. "If an Alpha intends to look for trouble, do you think they'll give you a heads-up beforehand?"

"Fine." Asher bit his lip, his smile unchanging. "Is this all the strength you've got? Not that impressive anyway. How exactly did you achieve absolute suppression over those Alphas? Don't tell me it was a staged act."

"Step-by-step progress. This is twenty percent."

"..."

Twenty percent of his energy, and it already triggered this.

Asher let out a bitter smile. "Then my path ahead truly is long and arduous."

"Eight minutes passed. Endure for two more minutes."

"I think you can add another twenty percent. This current state doesn't present much of a difficulty for me."

Asher had managed to virtually straighten his body now. Raising his eyebrows with a hooked smile, his posture looked staggeringly cocky.

Sebastian let out a silent breath of relief internally. Not bad; it turned out even better than he anticipated.

Yet his tone remained as solemn and flat as an entirely emotionless instructor. "Are you certain you can jump straight to forty percent? An Alpha with slightly weaker physical endurance wouldn't be able to handle this level of intensity."

"I’ve discovered you are remarkably soft-hearted. Doing this will shatter your cold persona, you know?"

"..."

How on earth was that little mouth so capable of yapping?

"Ten minutes reached. Relax for a bit. We'll increase the intensity in five minutes."

Asher pressed his tongue against his cheek. "No need to relax. Continue."

"I'm worried you—"

"What's there to worry about? If an Alpha genuinely comes looking for trouble, will they grant me a rest break?"

He was remarkably skilled at applying a lesson.

Thus, in the next fraction of a second, a doubled wave of pheromones pressed straight down. Asher had severely underestimated this energy; failing to handle the sudden impact, his entire frame was forced straight down toward his knees in an instant.

Fortunately, at the very last second, he held his ground.

He stopped his descent when his knees were less than two inches from the floor.

With one foot balanced on his toes and his fingers braced against the ground, his knuckles shifted from pale to blue, trembling at a high frequency due to the extreme exertion.

The silk pajamas clung to his skin, exposing the tight line of the boy's rigid spine and shoulder blades with total clarity—appearing a bit skeletal.

The powerful oppression left him unable to catch a breath of air, all color completely drained from his face.

A single drop of sweat slid along his brow line, hitting the floor with a sharp thud.

It was pure pain.

For a single fraction of a second, Sebastian wanted to instantly withdraw his pheromones, yank Asher up, throw his arms around him, and hold him securely in his embrace—telling him: I don't want you to do this training anymore. I am always by your side; can I not protect you? Why on earth must you show off your strength? Why be this stubborn? Why endure this hardship?

He came exceptionally close to doing exactly that.

Except he didn't merely like Asher; he loved him, comprehended him, and believed in him.

And right in the next fraction of a second, Asher released the hands bracing against the floor. Stabilizing his breathing, he straightened his spine inch by inch.

Yet right at the exact moment he was about to stand fully upright, his physical strength fell short, and he was pressed straight back down by the weight.

Bracing against the floor once more, standing up once more, failing once more.

Bracing, standing, failing.

An endless cycle, to the point where several broken drops of sweat had accumulated on the floor.

Sebastian felt the corners of his eyes and his chest aching with an intense tightness.

How was this merely a torture for the Omega?

He bit his lip, his jaw tensed with absolute force as he cast his eyelids down, not daring to look for even another second.

Finally, he caught a loose, reckless voice that was thoroughly punchable: "Tsk, Sebastian, is this all your level amounts to? Pretty average."

Lifting his eyelids.

The boy had already stood fully upright, his spine straight as an arrow, his head held high. Raising his eyes with a playful smile resting on his lips, his posture looked flashy and provocative to the absolute extreme.

"Well? Your 'Big Brother Ash' is impressive, right?"

A youth's reckless arrogance was, above all else, the definitive way to steal someone's soul.

Sebastian stared at him, uttering not a single syllable, simply looking at him in that manner.

Deliberate, quiet, and completely silent.

Then, taking a step forward, he threw his arms around him. Slipping his fingers shallowly into the boy's hair, he pressed his head straight against his own shoulder.

The pheromones that had resembled an unyielding wall of ice just a moment ago melted into the warm water of early spring.

Rash, yet thoroughly gentle.

Asher froze. It took him a long while to react. "Sebastian, what kind of madness are you throwing? Are you trying to take advantage of me?!"

Sebastian let out a soft chuckle. "If I wanted to take advantage of you, you wouldn't even have a single scrap of skin left by now."

Recalling that terrifying forty percent, Asher unexpectedly found himself completely unable to deliver a rebuttal.

"Then what exactly is this madness for?"

"The after-sales service for the training."

"?"

"If I don't soothe you after the training, you'll develop a psychological trauma toward my pheromones—becoming terrified every time you see me in the future."

"...Really?"

"Really."

"...Fine, then."

Asher knitted his brows, half-believing his words.

And in a location completely hidden from his line of sight, a smile curved Sebastian's lips.

Only when he held him in this embrace was Asher unable to see his eyes—allowing the aching heartbreak and intense love he had suppressed to finally step out for a breath of air.

Utilizing his official duty to claim a personal benefit; surely he could be forgiven.

And tracking along this exact direction of holding Asher, he caught sight of a candy jar resting in the corner of the storage cabinet.

It was exceptionally old, its paint chipped with numerous scratches scoring the surface—the exact brand of milk candy Asher had loved most during his childhood. Scripted across the container in crooked watercolor marker lines was the title: Sebbie.

That was the very first birthday gift he had delivered to Asher when he was five years old.

Sebastian suddenly felt that time was perhaps more merciful than he anticipated. Within this lonely and hidden unrequited love of his, it had always left a trace of memory—granting him a sliver of sweetness across the long span of years.

He smiled. Just as he was preparing to release the Asher who was about to explode in rage from being held too long, the door opened with a sharp creak.

"Asher! Your dad is back, look what I bought for you... you... I'm sorry, Dad should have knocked."

Bang. The door slammed shut.

From outside the room drifted Arthur's voice, attempting to drop his volume yet failing completely: "Shh! Don't go inside just yet. Our son is engaging in puppy love!"

Asher: "...Sebastian, speak the truth. Exactly what kind of grudge do you hold against me? To ruin my life to this extent."