I didn't remember how I knew him. It was like he just appeared from thin air, as if someone added a "fade in" transition the moment he walked into my view. He was that plain. That... inconspicuous. It was as if he had no presence at all.

He was a beta. He was neither as dominant and "elite" as an alpha, nor was he ethereal and gentle as an omega. If an alpha was black, and an omega was white... Well, he wasn't even as grey as a beta. He was clear, transparent.

Our paths wouldn't have crossed if it wasn't for that single moment of a hapless event that happened because of fate was toying with us.

I was avoiding my crazy ex-girlfriend who was threatening me with her fake pregnancy at that time. How did I know it was fake? I've only done it once with her and that single time happened while I was wearing protection. Even if it leaked or tore, I would've had known because I was the one who cleaned everything up while she was snoring.

Anyway!

I was running away, and ended up in one of the toilet cubicles in the old building. Unbeknownst to me, there was also another person there who just arrive before me. He was emitting his sweet pheromones and was trying so hard to endure the torture of his first heat.

I was caught off guard, and long story short, everything went downhill for us. I lost control of my sense of reason, and he was already losing his mind. Things happened. When we realised what had happened, we both was frozen in place.

Or at least, I was.

Once I regained my spirit, I sprinted away from him, not even checking if he was okay. I knew he wasn't. Deep down, I knew. But I was busy saving myself that I didn't even looked back to see if he was still conscious. I was so scared and was panicking.

I just couldn't believe that I just slept with a guy.

No.

I just didn't want to believe that I slept with him, of all people.

That day, I didn't know that I would make the biggest mistake that I would regret for the rest of my life.

⭒❃.✮:▹ ʕ˵• ᴥ •˵ʔ  ◃:✮.❃⭒

Years passed by without him in my sight. Naturally, with how hard I tried to forget that... incident, I kept going with my life and eventually, he turned into a speck of dust in my head.

I was so glad that he didn't barge into the door of my parents' house, not even my classroom, and told everyone everthing that had happened that day. I didn't even try looking for him, assuming that he, too, didn't want to bring that up and wanted to treat that mistake as something that had never happened in the first place. I mean, if there was something bad happened, he would've look for me first, right?

I was wrong.

He, that timid boy, was enduring all the consequences of OUR actions alone without even thinking of rushing at me, and blaming me of what had happened!

Maybe, he did thought about that.

But, seeing my reaction that day had made him stop in his way, and he decided to turn away from me and faced it all himself. Meanwhile, the stupid me was living my life as a normal teenager, graduating high school and college without any care of the world; not knowing what had happened to the life of a guy that I had ruined with one single action.

Not until the fruit of that day came to me and earnestly called me, "Daddy!".

Those wide and innocent eyes, bore the colour of 'his' eyes. Those anxious and cautious expression on the little boy's face mirrored 'him' so perfectly that the memories of that day came flashing into my brain like a scene from a movie.

At first, I was scared. Only God knows how terrified I was when that innocent eyes met mine with such confidence and determination. How could I not? I was so young, too young to have a kid, let alone a five years old kid. Yet, I was unable to send him away due to guilt and how he looked at me as if he was passing a judgement whether I was good enough to be called his parent. I was shaking. Literally.

•

When he told me of your passing, and how he would be taken to the orphanage because "grandpa and grandma" didn't want him, I was hit so hard in the heart that I subconsciously brought him home.

Did you know that he ran away, took a bus to my parents house, ALONE just for a single hope that I would take him in? A five-year-old him? Even the adult me was terrified of taking a step into the unknown, yet he was ready to sprint into th darkness, fueled with uncertain hope and desperation.

How did you raise him for him to have such courage and trust himself enough to make a change to his life?

I seriously admired you for it.