Chapter 375: Let Me Sip From Your Overflowing Cup

[FROLO]

Sergei spent the first fifteen minutes of the late lunch shoving food on Greg’s plate like it was his only objective today. And by the twentieth minute, the poor coworker had to excuse himself to head to the washroom because he just couldn’t stomach the food anymore.

Bad stomach, Greg had said, and Sergei smirked at him.

"You should go home. Don’t suffer with a bad stomach here at our expense," the alpha said to Greg, his smile genuine, like this was just another conversation.

Katya watched in silence because he was always the brat.

Not Sergei.

Never Sergei.

But he had to admit, seeing Sergei being passive-aggressive and jealous was a turn-on.

Maybe that was why, when Greg returned and Sergei tried to shove more food on the poor alpha’s plate, Katya lifted his scent patch just a little.

Sergei picked it up immediately, the simple warning from his mate forcing him back into position as a good alpha. He even put the meat back on the grill.

"Thanks for coming, Greg," Katya said softly, and Sergei stared, only for Katya to rest his hand on Sergei’s thigh, once again forcing the alpha into silence.

Gods, Sergei was doomed.

"Thank you for inviting me. See you at work, Katya," Greg said before excusing himself.

Katya’s hand stayed on Sergei’s lap until the poor coworker disappeared.

And once Greg was gone, Katya pulled it back, only for Sergei to pull Katya closer by his chair, ignoring the annoying sounds in the restaurant.

Sergei Moskowsky was a menace.

A jealous menace.

"What are yo—" Katya tried, and Sergei silenced him with a kiss. A hungry, desperate, and angry kiss, ignoring the fact that they were in public.

Katya didn’t even try to protest.

He knew Sergei needed this, especially after the day he’d had. So, he kissed him back, equally as hungry, while the world faded in the distance around them.

Sergei’s hand snaked around Katya’s neck, kissing the omega even more possessively, and Katya let out involuntary moans. Moans that Sergei swallowed like the hungry man he was.

And when they pulled back, lips swollen, eyes hazy, Sergei had never looked that pleased to see his mark on Katya glowing under the long bar that Katya had undone.

"Mine," the alpha growled lowly, leaning in for another kiss. And Katya, who was too flustered and weak for the alpha, let him.

The second kiss wasn’t as hungry or possessive as the first one. It was slow, tender, expressive of the emotions they were both feeling.

The anger, the jealousy, the fear, the disappointment at everything that had happened. It was what held them together, and one that reminded them both that they were real. That they were alive. That they were in each other’s arms and that it was not a dream.

"I’m sorry about Greg," Sergei whispered against Katya’s lips before he pulled back slightly, his eyes holding Katya’s apologetically.

"He’s my coworker, Vladimir. An excellent researcher," Katya explained.

"I know... I just... He’s normal for you. And I’m... Well, I’m me," Sergei admitted in earnest, his admission a pained one and one that reflected a fear that Katya had never thought Sergei Moskowsky would ever have.

"You’re alpha, Vladimir. I’m your omega, only yours. No one is ever going to take me from you," Katya reassured, and Sergei stared softly at the omega, his head bowing in shame.

But Katya wasn’t about to let that happen.

So, he lifted the alpha’s chin with his hand, making certain that Sergei was looking at him. Damn, the alpha was really something else, and Katya wouldn’t want him any other way.

"I’m not going anywhere, Vladimir. No matter how hard the realm tries to paint you, or paint whatever we have. As long as I come home to you, I’m fine. And happy. You never have to worry about me choosing normal or something else.

"I want you. Not normal. Not perfect. You, my Vladimir," Katya said, kissing Sergei’s forehead.

Katya could swear he heard a camera click in the distance when he pressed their foreheads together. But that didn’t matter.

Not right now.

Not when he was with his alpha.

Because even Katya was not oblivious to the risks of being with Sergei Moskowsky or even the life that Sergei Moskowsky lived. He knew what was expected of him and of everything that was around them.

"I love you," Sergei said, smiling, pulling Katya’s hand to his lips and pressing a kiss to it.

"You haven’t eaten," Katya reminded and Sergei smiled heartily at him, not the creepy smile he’d been giving Greg or even the smirk he had on his face each time he filled Greg’s plate.

"I won’t kill Greg..."

"I know."

"You know?"

"I’ve learned to understand every word that comes from these lips, alpha. If you wanted him dead, he’d be dead... Probably an accident that no one could trace to you, hmm?" Katya teased.

Sergei stared at the omega who had just made the one admission that touched his heart in so many ways.

Katya understood him.

His omega knew him.

That was the kind of shit that came with so much trust, and fuck if Sergei didn’t want to spend the rest of his life just looking at Katya dreamily.

His omega was perfect.

So very perfect.

And kind.

"Solnyshka... We need to talk," Sergei said moments later.

"I know. But you haven’t eaten. Let’s eat first, then we can have our talk. Wherever you want us, alpha," Katya said, and Sergei smiled heartily at that.

He was not sure what he had been expecting, but the way Katya was relaxed made him feel at ease.

Because Sergei knew Katya was intelligent enough to know that there were things already in motion in the realm from the moment he wore Sergei’s mark.

And the fact that Katya was not freaking out about the attention he was getting, even as people tried to get the best camera shots for gossip, had Sergei feeling a little more thankful today.

Because Katya felt safe with him.

Felt safe in their relationship.

It was the only reason they were here calmly even after everything, and frankly, that was something that Sergei was going to protect. Even if he had to do it with his life.

And so, what was supposed to be a simple late lunch date turned into a dinner, an evening that was well lit and filled with happy moments.

Katya got to hear so much from Sergei about the day and how Sergei had felt. Not to mention he learned a little more about Sergei’s past interactions with society that had Katya laughing hard at the alpha’s deadpan humor and inability to interact like normal people.

Somewhere in the night, slow music played, and couples stepped onto the dance floor.

"Won’t you ask me for a dance, alpha?" Katya asked when he noticed how panicked the alpha was.

"I... I don’t know how to," Sergei said, and Katya stared at his alpha curiously.

"You don’t... You don’t know how to dance?" Katya snorted at the man who was once again sulking.

Oh, Sergei.

"It’s not easy," Sergei complained, and Katya just laughed lightly before he got up and held out his hand for the skeptical alpha.

Sergei wanted to keep whining, but the determination in his omega’s face told him that he was not whining his way out of this one.

"If I step on your feet..."

"You’ll be fine, Vladimir... Besides, we’ll do it frequently so you don’t have to worry about stepping on someone’s feet in the future."

"I don’t want to dance with anyone but you," the alpha said as a matter of fact, and Katya chuckled at the sincerity in the poor alpha’s voice.

"Shall we?"