CHAPTER 1.2

Ciel immediately heard the horns of the tricycles and jeepneys after exiting the college building's gate. Some of the drivers were also personally calling his attention, asking him if he wanted to ride, but he politely declined all of them.

The house where he rented a room is only a few walks away, so there was no need for him to take a ride, which was one of the things he highly considered when he decided to move out of their home and live on his own.

After more than ten minutes, Ciel finally reached the house, entered it, and was greeted by Lala, the lovely old Omega landlady, who was sitting on the couch and was watching her favorite telenovela.

“How were your classes, Ciel? Were they entertaining enough to keep you from falling asleep?”

Ciel smiled at the kind landlady. “A bit boring, but not too boring for me to be asleep.”

Lala gave back Ciel's smile and nodded as a response to his answer. She then proceeded to say, “I cooked banana fritters and left some for you. Go get them in the kitchen while it's still hot and bring it to your room. Take a can of soda from the fridge as well.”

“Oh, I'll pay for the soda.”

“It's fine.”

“But—”

“Just go and take it, Ciel,” Lala said, making his voice sound stern as she knew that's the only way to make Ciel back down.

And it was effective. Ciel stopped persisting about paying for the soda, and instead, he smiled sweetly at Lala before muttering his words of gratitude. “Thank you, Lala.”

“No problem, sweetheart,” Lala responded, putting out her kind and gentle smile again. “Now go and get your banana fritters and your soda. I know you're starving.”

“Okay,” Ciel said while still smiling before making his way to the kitchen and immediately saw a plate full of banana fritters on the table.

“Is this all for me, Lala?” Ciel asked with a slightly loud voice.

“Yes,” he heard Lala answer, making Ciel's smile widen.

Ciel hadn't eaten or drunk anything all day, not even a cup of coffee, and was already starving to death. He was able to hold back while taking his classes by silently reciting his motto that he does not have the right to be hungry if he is penniless, but when he saw the plate filled with banana fritters, he felt like his saliva would fall down right away and his stomach, which he hadn't heard making noises a while ago, was beginning to make churn noises like a monster ready to devour anything.

He couldn't wait any longer to get a taste of the precious meal right in front of him, so he picked one banana fritter and ate it with gusto before taking the plate, making his way to the fridge, opening it, and getting a soda, then leaving the kitchen. He thanked Lala again before taking the stairs to the second story of the house, taking care to ensure the food was safe.

The second story of the house is quiet, which means the other renters were still either at work or at their classes.

Ciel went inside his room and immediately grabbed the second-hand foldable mini desk study table that he bought for half of its original price, putting it beside his bed.

He gently put the plate of banana fritters on it, as well as the soda. After making sure his precious snacks were secured, he took off his bag and started cleaning his room.

His room, which is the only room in the house that is designed for just one renter, has not much of a space, so it was easy for Ciel to clean and only took him a few minutes.

After putting all the trash in the trash bag, Ciel looked around the room to make sure it's spotless, and upon seeing that the whole room was already clean and tidy, a smile of satisfaction rose upon the young omega's lips.

Ciel has always been a clean freak. He despises unclean things and places and prefers everything to be organized; otherwise, he is unable to focus on tasks that require his attention, such as writing a report.

Ciel looked at his banana fritters and his soda. His stomach started growling again and was also salivating again. But when his eyes went to the mirror across him, where he could see his reflection, his hunger vanished instantly, and his face turned into a grimace upon seeing how wet his shirt was from sweating too much. Even his face up to his neck was damp from sweat.

He couldn't take the uncomfortability anymore, so Ciel locked the door to his room and took his towel before he went inside the bathroom that was inside his room.

The bathroom was one of the reasons why Ciel chose the single-bed room, despite it being a bit much more pricey than the other rooms where he needs to share with other renters.

For an omega like him, who has an irregular heat period, privacy is one of the most important things he needs to have, and the bathroom is one of the places where he could enjoy such privacy. He couldn’t imagine himself going to a shared bathroom where alphas could also be in.

For someone like Ciel, even being in the same place as alphas is already dangerous.

Once he was inside the bathroom, Ciel immediately took off all his clothes and started bathing. He made sure every nook and cranny of his body was clean, without any scent of sweat reeking off. And after almost an hour of bathing, he finally emerged from the bathroom with a white towel wrapped around his waist while drying his hair with a head towel. And when he was done drying his hair, it was only then that he realized he wasn’t the only one in his room.

With a wrinkled forehead, he lifted his head that was looking down and found Raffy sitting on his bed while munching a piece of banana fritters. And with a smile on his face, he inaudibly said, “Hey!”

But instead of getting surprised that Raffy was inside his room, Ciel was much more concerned with the banana fritter his friend was eating.

His eyes widened, and with long strides, he made his way towards Raffy and tried to take the banana fritter from his hand. But before his hand could make contact with the banana fritter, Raffy had already moved his hand away from him.

“What?” Raffy asked in a confused tone.

“Give me that!” Ciel said in an annoyed tone while still trying to take the snack.

Raffy stood and moved away from the bed while still raising his hand that was holding the banana fritter. And because Raffy is much taller than Ciel, taking the snack made it even harder for him.

“I already took a bite on it, so why would you still want it? And there's still more on the plate too!” Raffy answered.

But Ciel continued on trying to take the snack as if he did not hear what Raffy said, “Give me that!”

It may look stupid and a bit childish, but for Ciel, who rarely fills his stomach with anything other than instant noodles, banana fritters have become such a luxury that he refuses to share even a single piece with anyone, including his closest buddy, Raffy.

Raffy went silent for a few minutes and just stared at him, looking like he was thinking about something, though his hand remained in the air.

“You want this?” Raffy asked after being silent.

Ciel did not answer, but the answer could already be seen on his face. Yes, he wants the snack back; it doesn't matter if it's already bitten. He wants it back. He wants all the banana fritters to himself!

Finding the answer in Ciel's expression, a mischievous grin appeared on Raffy's face. He then said, “If you really want this back, then promise me you'll come with me to Andrew's party.”

And just like that, Ciel gave up on trying to take the snack and turned around instead to get his clothes, leaving Raffy dumbfounded.

“What the—you’re really doing this? You don't want this snack anymore?” Raffy asked, but Ciel did not answer him, not even sparing him a glance, and just went back inside the bathroom with his clothes in his hand to get himself dressed, completely ignoring Raffy, who kept calling him.