Chapter 14: Locked Away

Yuuichirou was troubled.

No matter how many times the beta said he was alright, he didn't look the part at all. His green eyes looked a bit dull and he would have this faraway look all the time. It was distressing Mikaela to see Yuuichirou like this, and the alpha wanted nothing more than for the beta to cheer up even for a bit.

The call yesterday must have been grave if Yuu-chan is acting like this…

That was the only reason Mikaela could find because he knew that he didn't do anything to upset Yuuichirou yesterday. He remembered the way Yuuichirou paled at one point while he was having a conversation with his father after all of his apologizing and random defensive yelling. Even if the alpha couldn't hear it, he knew that Yuuichirou's voice was quivering, but from what?

Mikaela could ask the beta about it, but out of respect, he decided to drop the topic off because he could clearly tell that Yuuichirou didn't want to talk about it. It would irritate the raven if Mikaela were to pry in his private matters.

So, for now, the alpha did what he could only do, and that was to keep his mind out of that event and remain oblivious. Yet, he had this urge to comfort Yuuichirou. The beta had faced enough problems during his stay in France (though he wasn't sure if his rutting season was counted) and almost died at one point. And Mikaela felt like it was a part of his responsibility to lighten Yuuichirou's mood.

"Hey, Yuu-chan…" He called out tentatively, his eyes glancing at the raven looking over at the glass window of the living room with that faraway look again. "Do you want to… go out for a bit to get some fresh air?"

The reason sounded pretty stupid, but Mikaela found Yuuichirou nodding his head slowly.

"Yeah…" The beta turned his head away from the window, and to the alpha's surprise, he had a small smile on his face when he looked at him. "Yeah, I would love that, Mika."

The alpha sighed in relief that Yuuichirou at least accepted his invitation and he stood up from the couch before approaching the raven and tugged his hand gently. "Then, let's go. I know the perfect place for it."

Yuuichirou blinked in surprise, but he didn't say anything as Mikaela led him to the door and eventually to the outside of their apartment.

"Wow…" Yuuichirou gasped in amazement at the place Mikaela led him to: the infamous Pont des Arts Bridge. It looked exactly what Guren had taken a photo of with his mother during his visit.

His green eyes excitedly looked on the different kinds of locks all attached on the wired bridge, each lock in a different shape, size and color. All of them glimmered brightly in the late afternoon sun. It was beautiful; a complete masterpiece.

"This is awesome! Look at all of these locks, Mika." The beta said as he bent over to hold a random lock that had the initials of a couple and a date on when the couple first started dating. "I've never seen so many of them."

"Well, that's what this bridge is famous for." Mikaela chuckled as he looked over at Yuuichirou's giddiness. He neared him and bent over the same level as the beta. "They say that couples who vowed to be together until the very end buy a lock with their initials imprinted on it as well as the date they officially started going out and go here. The lock symbolizes the faithfulness of their love together."

Yuuichirou curiously peeked over to Mikaela as he slowly let go of the lock he was holding. "But, what about the key? Every lock comes with a key, after all."

"… They throw the key beyond this very bridge, Yuu-chan."

"And no one picks them up?"

The alpha laughed. "No. That would defeat the purpose of the lock."

The raven hummed in wonder. "But, if what you're saying is true… How can you be certain that the couples who have their locks here end up together until the very end?"

"… No one knows for sure." Mikaela shrugged as he straightened up. "Although… I've heard that if couples do have troubles in their relationship, they would go here and reconcile."

"Is… that so…" Yuuichirou slowly straightened up with a small smile on his face. "That sounds wonderful…"

And he did that look again.

His green eyes looked over the horizon across the bridge, his black hair and blue scarf swaying along the gentle breeze of early dusk as he slowly placed his hands on the grid. Yuuichirou breathed in deeply as he closed his eyes, trying to calm his beating heart at what he was about to say.

He knew what he was about to confess would be surprising to the blond. Yuuichirou wanted to keep his engagement a secret for as long as he could, but with the new feelings that were starting to bloom inside, he knew that he couldn't hide it anymore.

If anything, Yuuichirou wanted to be honest with Mikaela from now on. And he was slowly getting there, despite the pain that might come along with it.

"Mika," He started, not turning to look at the alpha beside him as he continued. "There's… something that I forgot to tell you about myself during the whole time we stayed together…"

Mikaela blinked. "Oh?"

Blue eyes started at him, coaxing him to continue, and Yuuichirou bit his lips to control his emotions. His hands were starting to tremble and it was getting to difficult to spit the words out. But he stood firm.

"I…" Yuuichirou clenched his teeth and he hunched his shoulders a bit as he confessed. "Mika, I have a fiancée back home."

Mikaela's eyes widened in disbelief when he heard the news, and he could have sworn his heart stopped beating for a while. Yuuichirou was engaged this whole time?

… What?

"Are you… Are you telling me that you're engaged?" The blond repeated.

"Y-Yes… To an omega…"

Now that just made Mikaela's heart squeeze painfully in his chest. "And you didn't tell me this whole time, why?"

"I… I thought it wasn't important b-because I assumed that we wouldn't see each other again." The beta explained as he let go of the grid to look at Mikaela with his eyes glimmering with unshed tears. "A-And then… it slipped from my mind the more I spend time with you. It… It only came back to me because of what happened yesterday…"

"… Do you mean the call with your father?"

Yuuichirou nodded and sniffled softly. "I… I'm sorry that I have to tell it to you now… I should have told you about it for a very long time."

"No…" Mikaela murmured as he took hold of one of Yuuichirou's hands and gave the beta a warm smile. "It's alright, Yuu-chan. Thank you for telling me."

But, deep down, the alpha didn't feel alright. He felt heavy and sick. Was this how Yuuichirou felt after the call? Mikaela felt like he had just been stabbed in the chest badly, and he fought the anguish that was beginning to take form.

Yet, wasn't the alpha the same as well?

He too had kept the same secret from Yuuichirou. To have the beta confess this thing, it was only fair he do the same as well.

"… Yuu-chan, you're not the only one who is engaged."

The raven blinked with surprise evident in his features. "M-Mika… Are you telling me that you're also…"

"Yes, but I don't think it will last…" Mikaela admitted as he drew close to Yuuichirou. "My engagement with my fiancée was only on a whim because our statuses compel with each other. But other than that, I only see her as a little sister figure and nothing more."

"… So you still have a chance." The beta said almost bitterly as he averted his eyes away. "My engagement, on the other hand… is arranged by my family and that of the Emperor's."

Mikaela thought he stopped breathing for a moment there. "You're going to wed… one of the Emperor's children?"

"Yes… The arrangement was made in order to strengthen not only the family ties between us, but also to improve the economy of Japan. It's… a marriage only for convenience, and because of the relations we have, it is very hard to break such since the Ichinose's are one of the loyal families serving the Emperor's clan."

Yuuichirou wiped his eyes and breathed in deeply. "Mika, I―"

Before the beta could continue anymore, Mikaela leaned in and claimed his lips in a kiss with his hands on Yuuichirou's scarf to pull him close. The raven tensed at the surprise, but he immediately relaxed in the touch as he closed his eyes and let the tears finally fall out to his face. This was painful and heartbreaking, yet the beta melted into the alpha's arms as Mikaela kissed him more.

The alpha pulled back a bit with a sorrowful look on his face as he stared down on the beta's weeping face. "Don't cry, Yuu-chan. It hurts me to see you like this."

"How can I not cry, Mika?" Yuuichirou sobbed as more tears run down his cheeks and he was gulping air. It was difficult to breathe. "I'll be spending my whole life with someone who I don't truly love with all my heart. I… I don't want that. It's not fair. I… I…"

"Shh…" Mikaela cooed as he pulled Yuuichirou into a hug and rubbed his back gently to calm him down. "It's alright. It's alright…"

The beta clenched on the alpha's coat as his body quivered from his crying. Mikaela closed his eyes as hugged the raven tighter as his own eyes shed their own tears silently, agonizingly acknowledging that Yuuichirou could never be his.

It hurt, but it was the inevitable truth.

And Mikaela accepted it despite the ache throbbing inside.

Apparently, Yuuichirou cried himself to sleep after that moment. The beta was snoozing softly in Mikaela's arms while he was being carried back to their apartment room. Yuuichirou looked so wounded even after he had calmed down. It was palpable with his tear-stained face and uneven breathing.

He was a wreck, and Mikaela was no different.

"Yuu-chan…" The alpha whispered his name as he laid the beta down on the couch so that he could take off his scarf and coat.

As his hand lingered on Yuuichirou's coat, a warm hand overlapped his and he looked up to see the beta awake with his eyes half-lidded. Even if he had cried his heart out a while ago, he looked somewhat attractive like this, Mikaela admitted.

"Mika," Yuuichirou's raspy, breathless voice sent a jolt in the alpha's spine as he continued. "Thank you… for everything today. I really needed it. I'm sorry that you had to see me like this."

"It's okay, Yuu-chan. We all need to vent out and have a good cry once in a while, so I understand."

Yuuichirou smiled weakly at that as he slowly sat up on the couch. "It's strange, Mika… How do you always know what I want when I needed it? I didn't even tell you anything about the conversation I have with my father…"

"Your actions were pretty obvious, Yuu-chan." Mikaela explained as he sat beside Yuuichirou. "You may not know it, but I was observing you. It's easy to tell if something is wrong because you don't act like yourself."

"… I guess I was." The beta sighed tiredly as his hand laced with Mikaela's. "I'm sorry… I must have been a burden for you."

"No, you're not. Don't blame yourself."

"But, Mika…"

"Yuu-chan," Mikaela turned his head as he let his other hand touch Yuuichirou's cheek to let them face each other. "You were never a burden. I accepted everything that may happen when I came with you on my own free will. So don't you dare think of yourself as a problem."

Yuuichirou fretted. "But because of me your car, your mansion and your internship, even your life were―"

The beta was silenced once again with a kiss on his lips. He let out a surprised squeak as his eyes widened a bit at the sudden intimate act. However, he never pushed the alpha back and Yuuichirou found himself pressing back into the kiss, softly moaning and begging for more contact.

He knew that he shouldn't even be doing this, but it suddenly seemed that everything fell into a serene calm whenever he was like this with Mikaela. It was like nothing else mattered except for this moment he was now sharing with the alpha. It felt like he was saved even if it was only temporary, and Yuuichirou felt like crying again simply at how perfect it was.

"Mika…" He murmured as soon as they pulled back for a bit. His mind was dazed and his body hot with traces of arousal that was beginning to intensify the more he stared into those deep blue eyes looking at him with the same amount of fervor. It made his skin prickle pleasantly and the urge to do something sensual with the alpha was there, yet remnants of what happened to him with Ferid hinder Yuuichirou to express what he wanted from Mikaela.

The memories of it sent a shiver down on the beta's spine, and before he knew it, he was already trembling before the blond with his head hung low as his eyes stung with fresh tears.

Mikaela silently stared at Yuuichirou as he broke down. He didn't know why the beta was reacting this way when he felt a tang of desire from him a second ago. Did he do something bad?

"Yuu-chan, what's wrong? Tell me, please…" He coaxed him as he rubbed his thumb on Yuuichirou's cheek tenderly.

"I… I can't…" Yuuichirou shakily said as his face became wet for the second time that day. "I can't, Mika… I want to... I want to so much, b-but I can't… I-I'm sorry…"

"Shh, it's alright. Come here."

Mikaela opened his arms welcomingly wide and the beta didn't hesitate to throw himself at the alpha and hug him like his life depended on it. He felt like he was drowning as his tears soaked Mikaela's shirt and his sobs choked his breaths. Yuuichirou should feel bothered that he was showing his fragile side to Mikaela, but he couldn't bring himself to care. Not when the alpha was hugging him back and making him feel so secure in his warmth.

He felt hand raking on his hair and massaging his scalp gently as a weight land on the junction of his neck where his scent glands were. Yuuichirou's breath hitched and he tensed when Mikaela nuzzled on his skin, emitting his scent in the open and making the raven whimper.

"M-Mika…"

"… Yuu-chan, can I scent you for tonight?" The alpha asked with a hint of possessiveness in his voice as he gave Yuuichirou's neck a lick.

Yuuichirou sniffed to catch his breath in between cries as he nodded slowly. He could at least give Mikaela that much.

"Yes…" He muttered, sounding almost breathless. "Please… I… I want your scent on me, even if it's only for this moment…"

Mikaela let out a soft growl before he pulled on Yuuichirou's shirt collar for a bit and rubbed himself, his nose smelling the blend of apples and vanilla sugar on the beta the more he stroked his scent glands. The alpha's eyes dilated deliberately in want and he lowered his head down a bit to suck on Yuuichirou's skin after he scented him, the alpha inside him wanting to claim the raven despite his status.

The beta gasped and let out a low moan as his back arched in reaction, his chest meeting Mikaela's as he felt lips and tongue on his skin. Lust was gradually clouding his senses the more Mikaela ravished his scent glands that were becoming sensitive as he continued to lick and nip it. He quivered and his hold on Mikaela's shirt tightened as the alpha shifted to lay Yuuichirou on the couch.

Instinctually, Yuuichirou spread his thighs to accompany Mikaela for easier access as the alpha continued to give kisses and light bites on the beta with their scents mingling between them. Yuuichirou's quiet sobs eventually turned into faint pants and he tilted his head back to have more of that warm, wet pleasure that was Mikaela's mouth on him while his mind became blank.

He felt the alpha giving his collarbone a long lick before pushing himself up enough for the both of them to stare at each other, their breaths labored as they took in each other's appearances.

"Yuu-chan…" Mikaela breathed as he caressed the beta's cheek at the back of his hand, and in the process, he tucked a hair behind his ear while he gazed at Yuuichirou with his eyes full of love. "You're beautiful…"

Yuuichirou blushed at the compliment and he lifted his hands up to cup Mikaela's face, his fingers getting lost in soft yellow strands of hair as he pulled the alpha in close with his eyes closing halfway. "No… You're the one who is beautiful, Mika…"

A lopsided smile formed on the alpha's face and he closed his eyes along with Yuuichirou's before they kissed again soundly, simply enjoying the touch of their lips together in a very gentle and sweet contact that made them forget everything even for a brief moment except for each other. It felt so heavenly, so freeing…

They broke the kiss soon after as Mikaela settled on Yuuichirou's chest with an ear hearing his erratic heartbeat while the beta brought his hands up on the alpha's hair to stroke and play with his strands as they both calm their breaths down.

They didn't say a word as they were both lulled into sleep, feeling completely relaxed and contented being in the embrace of the other while smelling their now intermingled scents.

... I'm not sure if having followers and favorites but no reviews is supposed to be a good thing? :\ (I'm confused. Help.)