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It was no grand secret that Sharpness was an Omega.
His striking face, long lashes, and slender waist had long been dead giveaways. Yet, people couldn’t ignore the contradiction: his skin was fair and well-groomed, but it was more often drenched in blood than in milk or lotion. His eyes were beautiful, but they usually cast a freezing stare at his enemies. His frame wasn’t large, yet his ferocity could outmatch a thousand men.
Perhaps it was the blonde youth’s ruthlessness that had kept him without a mate until now. Sometimes, Tai couldn’t wrap his head around how an Omega as stunning as Sharpness remained unmated.
“I will find a mate who is my equal.”
Sharpness’s answer that day finally satisfied Tai’s long-standing curiosity. So, Sharpness had been fighting blindly all this time just to find a mate? If so, that was bad news, because Tai was certain the blonde youth always came out on top in any fair fight.
That concern only grew when he realized Sharpness had never spent a night with an Alpha before, not even once. “Wait, doesn’t that mean your heat will be even more painful if you’ve never been with an Alpha?”
“Fuck if I care.”
At that moment, Tai truly felt like strangling him and his big fat Ego.
-+-
Perhaps Tai didn’t need to worry too much. If Sharpness truly wanted a mate as strong as himself, then so be it. after all, there was no shortage of powerful people here.
That was what Tai thought as he watched Sharpness duel Judelow. For a brief moment, the thought of jumping into the fray during a crucial second crossed his mind. Perhaps to steal the strength of whoever he could take down. However, the urge vanished the moment he saw the two of them orbiting each other.
The fight almost looked like a dance wrapped in blades and the night wind. They might have looked like they were falling in love, if not for the splatters of blood decorating their bodies.
Jude wasn’t even that specialized in PvP. The rabbit hybrid usually spent his nights staying up late designing traps that killed targets instantly rather than breaking a sweat and swing sword like the other usually do. Even so, he found himself crawling back time and again to challenge Sharpness. Even if it was always defeat who greet him.
Naturally, Sharpness never turned down a duel from Jude. Not when they were teammates, and certainly not now that they were... whatever this was. They didn’t really match an identification nor want to be identified, let them be.
So after all of that, Tai should have been able to breathe a sigh of relief now that Sharpness had found the opponent he was looking for, right?
Dead wrong.
Because the one lying in an underground cave near his base right now none other than Sharpness himself. His body was flushed red, drenched in a never-ending sweat, while his breath came out heavy-nearly choking. His armor lay scattered across the cave floor like scrap metal scavenged from a battlefield. “You smell terrible.”
“Fuck off then.” Sharpness bark.
For God’s sake, Tai wanted to kick him right then and there.
-+-
When Jude encountered the intruder in his base, Tai was the last person he expected to see. "Yo, it's rare to see you brave enough to step into my base," Jude greeted him, sounding almost too cheerful. It was a rare sight to see Tai willing to step foot into Jude’s base. His fear was well-founded, considering the sheer number of traps Jude had scattered across every corner of the server; it would be no surprise if his own base was just as heavily rigged. Better safe than sorry.
Tai clicked his tongue, annoyed but keeping his focus straight. "Are you going to take care of Sharpness or what? He's in a world of pain right now."
At that, Jude gave him a bewildered look. "And why should I care?" The purple rabbit hybrid brushed past Tai, busying himself with one of his chests. "Besides, we're not teammates anymore."
"Dude, aren't you his mate?"
A heavy silence fell between them.
Jude spun around, his eyebrows arched and his eyes narrowed. "Excuse me? Did I mishear something? What did you just call me?" he asked, silently praying that what his ears had just caught was nothing more than the squeak of a mouse.
“Mate? You two are a pair, right?” This time, it was Tai who was confused. Had he said something wrong?
“What?! Me!? With him?? That’s it, pack it up, Tai. This joke isn’t funny.” His tone was bitter, almost as if tinged with regret. Even if Jude were a master liar, a leak of genuine emotion slipped through his empty words.
“Jude, I’m not joking. Sharpness is in heat right now, and I know damn well it feels like being boiled alive. You’re being-“ His words were cut off.
“SHARPNESS IS AN OMEGA!?”
Tai immediately regretted his decision to get involved with these two idiots.
“You didn’t know!?” If this were a horror movie, Tai would give a solid 10/10 to whatever this situation was. Jude and Sharpness had been at each other’s throats since the beginning; they had been on the same team, and they had even lived under the same roof, considering the blonde was practically homeless.
"Of course I didn't! Nobody told me!?" Jude yanked at his own ears, the sting on his scalp grounding him in the reality that this wasn't a dream.
"It's quite obvious, isn't it!?" Only a madman would miss a fact that glaring, and perhaps Jude was one of them. The rabbit hybrid glared at Tai before shaking the server owner's body like a milkshake.
"I didn't know, Tai! Why didn't you tell me!?" Jude protested. Truly, he only ever thought Sharpness was beautiful; it had never crossed his mind that his ex-teammate was an Omega. "I mean-I mean, he's strong! And he doesn't show any Omega traits at all!”
That statement was no lie. Sharpness was the complete inversion of typical Omega traits. Omegas were usually gentle, submissive, and peace-bringers. Sharpness? He was the exact opposite. So, one couldn’t really blame Jude for thinking the blonde was just a beautiful Alpha. Besides, no one had ever explicitly pointed out that Sharpness was an Omega. Tai let out a long, weary sigh, gathering every ounce of patience he had left to deal with this genius trapper who turned out to be a total idiot when it came to romance.
“So? Are you going to help him? He’s in a cave near my base, we can-“ Once again, he was cut off.
“Why are you asking me? I’m not his mate. Go find his actual mate to help him.” Jude turned his face away, determined not to let a single stray emotion slip out and become Tai’s mockery for the next week.
“Sharp doesn’t have a mate.”
That sentence triggered a rather interesting reaction. Jude’s ears twitched-whether from shock or curiosity, Tai couldn’t tell. Slowly, Jude turned back to look Tai dead in the eyes.
“Unclaimed?” The word came out colder than Jude had intended. “How?”
Tai rolled his eyes. “Isn’t it obvious? He’s been waiting for the right person all this time, and that’s where you come in, Jude. I’m sure he’s already realized his feelings but chose to keep his mouth shut. You know his ego.” This conversation was a massive waste of Tai’s time, bruh.
A faint blush crept onto Jude’s cheeks. Really? Sharpness was writhing in pain from his own heat, while his ‘prospective’ mate was over here practically giddy like a schoolgirl. Jude might have lost his footing and floated off into the clouds if Tai hadn’t shattered his daydream. “Jude! Focus, for God’s sake! Are you going to help or am I just wasting my breath on a wall?!” Tai barked, his voice laced with genuine irritation.
“Huh? Yeah, I’ll help. Let’s go.” Jude scrambled to grab a few things he thought might be necessary before following Tai out of the base.
-+-
Only a few minutes had passed since Tai left the cave, yet to Sharpness, it felt like he had been abandoned for years on the cold stone floor. His naturally low body temperature only made things worse. His heat offered no warmth. Instead, it plagued him with cold sweats while he curled up, shivering uncontrollably.
Every part of his body felt wrong, no matter how many times he shifted into uncomfortable positions. He had stripped off his armor the moment he entered the cave, right as the heat hit. Sharpness never bothered to track his cycle; he simply didn't care. Usually, he would bury himself deep underground to avoid being found or retreat to the highest mountain peaks to suffer in solitude. A Swordmaster like him shouldn't be seen in such a weak state, should he? Especially when half the server would hunt him down if they knew his vulnerable moment.
Ugh...” Sharpness yanked at his blonde hair, his head spinning and his vision blurring. Something was making him frustrated, but he couldn’t put his finger on it.
Usually, he could handle his heat alone, no matter how agonizing. He had even died once from his own heat. Pain was no stranger to him. Someone like Sharpness knew all too well that this discomfort didn’t just stem from his protesting body, nor from the old wounds on his hands that were beginning to fester from neglect. This pain felt internal-as if his heart were being squeezed and his logic drained dry. With his mind dulling by the second, he yearned for even the slightest bit of comfort.
Sometimes, the thought of building a base crossed his mind. A place where he could curl up in comfort and not have to lock himself away in caves, starving and alone. But Jude’s base had already provided everything he needed. That house had felt warm, organized, and welcoming, even though anyone else would have been terrified to step inside. Sharpness wouldn’t have minded sleeping the day away or brewing potions daily in that home.
Home.
What a funny word, considering Sharpness was the one who had betrayed the host of that home. It was bitingly ironic how his spite had dismantled a structure built on mutual trust. All it took was one press of a button, and it all came crashing down.
Of all times, perhaps now was the most fitting moment to regret his actions. Sharpness found his heart racing at the mere thought of the rabbit hybrid-maybe it was the heat, or perhaps it was because the moments they had spent together never ceased to haunt him.
He rolled over, positioning himself to sleep facing the cave wall. Even while dying like this, his foolish brain insisted on dreaming of those phantom days. His rations were gone, he hadn’t brought much in the way of supplies, and now his body had given up on moving altogether. Perhaps he would starve to death in a few days, or maybe Tai would return and be merciful enough to offer him a few breadcrumbs.
As Sharpness drifted deeper into his own thoughts, a breeze swept in from the mouth of the cave, carrying a familiar scent. Sharpness thought he might be hallucinating, but the aroma didn’t fade. It was the same scent as home, calm and peaceful. Sharpness began to steady his breathing, desperately filtering through the lingering scent in the air.
“Sharpness?”
That voice. The voice that had been his constant companion only days ago-Judelow. At first, it sounded distant, a faint murmur lost in the shadows of the cave. Then, another call followed, closer this time. Jude was coming in, searching for him. As Sharpness turned toward the cave entrance, he felt a sudden surge of joy fill the hollow space in his chest.
Almost unconsciously, a smile tugged at Sharpness’s lips as he watched Jude navigate the treacherous, jagged rocks of the cave. He wanted to scream, to give any signal of his whereabouts. But it seemed that wasn’t necessary. The moment Jude’s eyes landed on him, the rabbit hybrid dashed forward, nearly slipping on the uneven ground in his haste.
“Holy- Sharpness, are you okay?” Jude knelt directly in front of him. The blonde forced his body into an awkward sitting position before suddenly pulling Jude into a desperate embrace.
Sharpness didn’t bother asking for permission to bury his nose in the crook of Jude’s neck, he knew the hybrid would let him. He wasted no time, greedily inhaling the scent of patchouli and honey pheromones. The effect was instantaneous. His breathing no longer felt constricted, and his tremors finally began to subside. In their place, a soft ache of longing tickled his throat. Oh, how he had missed the warmth of Jude’s body.
Another figure appeared shortly after. “Jude, you have to get him out of here. This cave STINKS!” Tai covered his nose, wearing a look of pure disgust, as if he had just stepped in something foul. Jude glanced back, shifting his arms to settle Sharpness into a more comfortable position in his lap. “Stinks? All I smell is vanilla and milk. It smells amazing.”
“Vanilla, my ass! All I can smell is rotting carcasses and dried blood. My God, I’m gonna puke,” Tai gagged.
“Oi, Tai, quit talking nonsense. Sharpness, are you okay?” Jude refocused his attention on Sharpness, who was still nuzzling deeply into the crook of his neck.
“This cave wasn’t this reeks earlier. What the hell is-“
“It’s my pheromones,” Sharpness interjected. Though his voice was calm, there was a slight rasp that only Jude’s sensitive ears could catch. Tai furrowed his brows, completely failing to understand Sharpness’s answer.
“Aren’t Omegas supposed to smell sweet? Why do you smell like a corpse, huh!?” he protested.
Sharpness merely rolled his eyes and settled back into his most comfortable spot. “That’s because you’re not worthy,” he muttered, followed by a mocking, raspy chuckle.
Jude ignored Tai’s indignant growls. The rabbit hybrid was far more interested in understanding what the hell was happening here than listening to Tai’s petty complaints. “Sharp, stop mocking him and tell me what’s going on.”
“Are you blind? I’m in heat right now.” Even in this state, Sharpness wouldn’t just stay quiet and submissive, especially not with his annoying ex-teammate. “I thought it was obvious, assuming you’re as smart as people say.”
“I KNOW that. I mean, how the hell are your pheromones being this selective?”
“I don’t know. Can you please just shut up now? I’m dying over here.”
Taking a deep breath, Jude forced himself to swallow the insults he wanted to spit out. “Can you walk?”
There was a brief pause before Sharpness answered, “I can’t.” His voice was intentionally faint, ensuring that Tai wouldn’t be able to catch his words.
Slowly, Jude released his hold on Sharpness’s body. The blonde let out a low growl the moment his private access to Jude’s neck was cut off. Jude crouched down and turned his back, signaling for Sharpness to climb on. “Hop on, Princess. I’ll be your noble steed.” Tai shot them the flattest look imaginable. Had these two idiots forgotten he was even there? Watching them act all lovey-dovey was almost too much. Tai made a mental note to bleach his eyeballs as soon as he got home.
“You’re so nice.” It was impossible to tell if he was being genuine or sarcastic. Sharpness climbed onto Jude’s back, trying to find a comfortable position for the piggyback ride which, in his own opinion, felt incredibly childish. The scent of vanilla radiated even more strongly as Sharpness hooked his arms around Jude’s neck. Naturally, the aroma only irritated Tai further, since all he could smell was rotting corpses, not vanilla.
“Ugh... okay, Jude, you can take it from here, right? I’m going home.” It didn’t take long for Tai to ditch them, running off as if he were about to puke-or perhaps he actually was.
Jude picked his way back toward the base. The weight on his back wasn’t much. most of Sharpness’s weight came from his armor anyway, so Jude didn’t have to strain himself. Sharpness kept his nose buried in the hybrid’s nape, breathing as if Jude’s pheromones were the only oxygen he needed. Silence hung between them until they reached the open meadow.
An open field like this was often a PvP hotspot, so Jude didn’t let his guard down. One slip-up, and either Sharpness or both of them could end up dead.
“Princess, stop nuzzling my neck. It tickles.”
Instead of stopping, Sharpness bit down on Jude’s nape. Startled, Jude nearly lost his grip on the blonde. “Fuck-Sharp, what the hell?” Jude wasn’t truly angry. To be honest, he might even say he enjoyed the sting of Sharpness’s sharp teeth, pun intended. Sharpness barely reacted to the fact that he had almost slipped from Jude’s back. Instead, he let out soft purr, signaling to his “opponent” that he was comfortable and didn’t want to be disturbed by any more yapping.
“Why did you never tell me you were an Omega?” The question successfully caught Sharpness’s attention. “We were teammates, and I feel like an idiot realizing I never knew.” Even though Jude’s tone was light, there was an underlying ache in his voice.
“How many nights did you spend pining over me that you became blinded to the obvious facts? Or did my face dazzle you so much that your brain simply stopped working, Jude?”
“Yeah, your face is beautiful. I wouldn’t even dream of denying it.” A flicker of crimson flushed Sharpness’s cheeks. Luckily, Jude couldn’t see it. “I just... I don’t know, I’m confused. Tai came to my base asking for help, assuming I was your mate.”
“Oh...”
“Oh? That’s your only reaction?” They finally arrived at Jude’s base. To Sharpness, it felt like a brief trip, but to Jude, it was the longest journey home he had ever taken.
Jude set Sharpness down on his bed, being careful not to let the blonde slip and hit the floor. “Stay here,” he commanded.
It didn’t take long for Jude to return, carrying a tray filled with water bottles, steak, and a few golden apples. He set the tray down on the bed, right beside where Sharpness was curled up. “Drink and eat first. You look like you haven’t eaten all day,” he said, helping Sharpness sit up and handing him an already opened bottle of water.
“I haven’t,” Sharpness replied, draining the entire bottle in one long gulp. A faint glimmer of life returned to his weary, olive eyes. “My rations ran out yesterday.”
“How long were you in that cave? Alone?” Jude furrowed his brows in disapproval, his tone sharpening. “Where are those teammates you’re so proud of, huh?”
Sharpness merely let out a lopsided smirk, eating a slice of steak with perfect precision. “Wouldn’t you be jealous if I brought them along to keep me company during my heat, bunny boy?” Jude didn’t grace Sharpness’s question with a response. The swordmaster was clearly mocking him. They remained in silence until Sharpness finished the last of his steak. Jude simply set the tray aside and watched as Sharpness took a bite of a golden apple.
While Sharpness ate the golden apple, Jude grabbed some bandages from a chest near the bed. His other hand was busy uncapping a bottle of healing potion. “Give me your left hand. Let me see how bad the wound is.” Sharpness had actually forgotten he was injured. His entire body ached from the heat, so a wounded arm felt like just another drop in the ocean of pain. However, Sharpness knew better than to resist; obeying Jude was far easier than putting up a fight that might end with him being kicked out of the base like a limping animal.
“Take off your bodysuit.”
Sharpness stopped mid-bite, his golden apple already half-eaten. Jude’s words sounded ambiguous and caught his brain completely off guard. Seeing Sharpness’s confused-and frankly, startled- expression, Jude quickly clarified. “I need to tend to your wound. Don’t go getting any ideas." The wound wasn’t particularly deep, but it had begun to fester due to a total lack of care. It made Jude wonder if Sharpness had run out of healing potions during the fight, or if the wound had originally been so deep that even a potion couldn’t fully close it.
Once again, Sharpness complied, pulling off the black bodysuit that was usually hidden beneath his armor. Jude let out a low hum of approval before he began cleaning the wound, carefully pouring the healing potion drop by drop to halt the spreading infection. It should have been painful, but Sharpness felt only a cooling sensation and a slight tingle. Once he was satisfied, Jude wrapped the wound in clean bandages. Every movement of Jude’s fingers was incredibly gentle against Sharpness’s fair skin, as if the swordmaster were the most fragile thing Jude had ever held-taking extra care to ensure Sharpness didn’t feel any discomfort.
Satisfied after a few bites of his second golden apple, Sharpness set the apple down and looked Jude in the eye. “Why are you helping me?”
“Didn’t I tell you? Tai asked me to take care of you.” Jude tied the bandage with one firm, decisive tug, earning a quick yelp of surprise from Sharpness. His tone remained gruff, yet his eyes softened the moment he saw Sharpness wince. Unfortunately, Sharpness wasn’t looking at him to see it.
“And? Why did you agree?” Sharpness snapped back, his instincts far too alrent to let such kindness slide. Not when he was clearly vulnerable, not when they were talking about his ex-teammate, and certainly not on a chaotic server like this.
“Even your arrogance is enough to intimidate your own predators, huh?” Jude snorted, finding the situation amusing-especially since Sharpness’s face was flushed a soft pink, yet he insisted on acting as composed as ever.
“A bunny talking as if he were a lion. That’s cute, Jude.” Sharpness’s sweat had finally stopped pouring, though his breathing remained heavy. Jude fought the urge to swallow hard as Sharpness’s pheromones continued to flood his senses.
“I’m a rabbit. And to answer your question, I simply do whatever I want.”
“Even helping a traitor like me?”
“Especially when that traitor is you. I figured I’d make you pay for it later, but I never expected that you’d also choose me.” Sharpness tilted his head in confusion. Jude was talking in riddles again.
“What do you mean?”
“Your pheromones are sweet to me. Doesn’t that mean you want me to be your mate, Princess?”
Sharpness neither denied nor confirmed Jude’s assumption. He didn’t have to, they both already knew the answer. He was far more interested in hearing Jude’s next move. “And? What are you going to do about it?”
“Not even giving an inch, are you? Is your ego so high that it locks those beautiful lips of yours from saying something sweet to me?” Jude made a piteous face, his rabbit ears drooping against the back of his head.
Whether it was a compliment or an insult, Sharpness flushed anyway. “I can bite you with these ‘so-called beautiful lips.”
“And I can bite you and make you mine.”
Suddenly Sharpness grabbed Jude’s collar roughly, pulling him down until they both tumbled onto the bed. Jude didn’t protest; instead, he fixed his gaze on Sharpness, tracing every inch of the most enchanting masterpiece God had ever carved. Patchouli and vanilla swirled together, thick and heady. It was the kind of scent that would surely overwhelm anyone else. The air in the room became significantly denser, yet the two of them remained indifferent. Jude's eyes, which had now bled into a deep red, were locked onto those shimmering olive ones. There was no fear in them. It was as if they had both been waiting for this day to come-as if their hollow prayers had finally been answered, as if fate had granted them a sliver of mercy, and as if, just for once, they were allowed to fall in love.
“Prove what you can do, bunny boy.”