Since Cecil was better, they spent the rest of their free time practicing 5v5 fights for the event. During the nights, Leo would talk with Niko before sleeping. Niko would count the days down, waiting for Leo’s gift. 

When it was the day before Leo left with his friends, Leo called Niko and asked, “Are you going to be at the event?” They have talked about it before, but Niko never gave a definite answer. 

It is not like they could actually meet up and try anything, but Leo would love to see Niko in person, even if it is from a distance. They can be around each other with scent blockers and sprays, but standing close without intimacy is something Leo (and Niko) would be unable to handle. 

He longed to touch Niko, to kiss him, and do many things with him, but it was a wistful dream. 

“Want to see me that bad?” Niko responded. 

“Is that a bad thing?” 

“No. Let me think about it, baby; maybe I want to surprise you (from a distance was left unsaid). On another note, everything is ready at the villa, and the passenger van should be delivered to you later today.” 

“Okay.” Leo almost wanted to sigh from the unclear answer, but let it go. “Thank you again for this.” 

“You don’t need to thank me; it is something a sugar daddy should do.” 

Flustered, Leo yelled, “I told you to stop saying that!” 

Niko laughed, “You are so cute when you get flustered.” 

“I am going to mess up everything in your room when I arrive at your villa.” 

“Cute. Record yourself when you do.” 

“You are unbelievable.” 

“Am I?” 

“Yes, and insufferable.” 

“What else, baby?” 

“Whose going to stand you acting like this?” 

“You’re still here. It is more than enough for me. Now, don’t forget to send me all kinds of photos of you.” 

Leo rolled his eyes, smiling, “Why photos when I can video call you?” 

“Because you would leave me a starving and thirsty man if you keep video calling me,” Niko responded. 

“And my photos don’t do that?” 

“They do, but the video calls are worse. Seeing everything happen in real time gives me thoughts.” 

“What kind of thoughts?” Leo acquired. 

“Something you are not ready to hear, baby.” 

Leo almost pouted, but did not say anything. He could keep teasing Niko until Niko told him. 

“Would not streaming for a few days cause you any problems?” Niko changed the subject. He knew Leo’s income came from streaming, so he was worried that not streaming would affect him (L). 

“It is okay. I have done it before. I usually made it up by doing a 12-hour stream. It is crazy, but the people enjoy it.” The only problem is that Leo would forget to eat and take breaks during long streams, but this time he would set timers to remind himself. 

“Okay. Remember, I am always here to be a sugar daddy when needed.” Niko joked, but he honestly wasn’t kidding. He would not mind taking care of Leo. 

“Niko!” Leo wished he could slap his shoulder, because Niko keeps trying to act like a sugar daddy. 

“Cute.” Niko laughed instead. 

They talked for another two hours before ending the call. Leo messaged his friends to check in and see if they had everything before leaving. Since this is a 4-hour drive, it is not easy to turn around and head back if someone forgot something. It had happened before (Noah and Nathaniel), so he kept checking in multiple times. 

He hoped he could see Niko, even if it was from a distance. 

The trip was so long that Ruben looked ready to jump from a moving van. “I swear, I am not having kids.” Ruben rubbed his temples, glaring at the two main culprits. 

Imagine being on a four-hour drive (even longer with traffic) with two people who loved to argue, horse around, and talk louder than anyone possible. Everyone else, minus Summer, was slightly annoyed. 

Leo drove the whole time, wearing earphones, but he couldn’t turn them up too loud, so he could hear them yell the entire ride. Cecil tried napping with noise-cancelling headphones, but realized they couldn’t completely drown out the voices. They kept almost dropping Jo’s food while playing around, and Summer seemed used to it, so she tuned out everything and read. 

The one who had to deal with everything was Ruben because he is the only mature adult in the group. Well, he was the parent of the group who tried to keep everyone under control. 

When they reached the villa, Noah and Nathaniel started quieting down, glancing out the window with the others. Leo stopped at the gate, entered the code Niko gave him, and the gates opened. He drove inside. 

“Damn,” Noah marveled, “How the hell were you able to get this again?” 

Leo did mention they would stay at a small villa, but there is nothing small about this. Even the circular-shaped driveway with a waterfall in the middle made him question everything.

Everyone was thinking the same thing as Cecil felt more thoughtful, glancing at the N on Leo’s earring. He held his tongue for now, but he had a burning question on the back of his mind. 

“Does it matter? We have a place to stay that is near the stadium.” Leo evaded the question, cursing himself. Once again, he is reminded how rich Niko is. He is scared to think about how much his earrings really cost. 

Leo parked the car as Noah and Nathaniel ran out without their bags, ready to enter the house and explore. “I have the keys, guys! Come get your bags first.” Leo told them. 

When the people dropped the car off at Leo's, Niko mentioned that he had put his house key in the glove compartment for him. Leo opened the glove compartment, taking the keys as he pocketed them. He went to grab the bags out of the van. 

Once everyone had their bags, Leo reminded them, “The second floor is completely off limits to everyone except me, so if you need anything while I am up there, message me or yell my name. The first floor is free to explore, and the rooms should be cleaned for you. The kitchen has everything we need, and there is a gym and a pool we can use. Do all of you understand?” 

“Yep. Yep. Let’s get inside.” Noah bounced on his feet, ready to run inside. 

Leo rolled his eyes, unlocking the door and opening it wide. Noah and Nathaniel ran in, their bags trailing behind them. They quickly took off their shoes as they started exploring the first floor. Summer was right behind them, only walking as she stopped in the living area first; she wanted to finish her third book. Jo left her bag with Ruben, running towards the kitchen, ready to eat (like she hadn’t been snacking the whole ride). Ruben sighed, grabbed his and Jo’s bags, and decided to check the rooms like a normal person. 

Cecil stayed behind, pulling Leo’s sleeve, stopping him from going inside. “Look, I know you don’t want to talk about this and hate that I am pushing, but can you please be honest? It is Niko, isn’t it?” 

“Cecil,” Leo started, not knowing what to say. To tell the truth or not? He thought. 

Raising his hand, Cecil stopped Leo, “The letter N with expensive earrings that are obviously custom-made, and this villa, it has to be Niko. Everyone knows how rich and powerful his family is.” 

“Can you keep this to yourself?” Leo said instead, he was not ready for others to know. He knew how people saw Niko, which would probably cause his friends to dissuade him. 

“Leo, did you forget who Niko is?” Cecil started. 

See, this is what Leo meant. 

“Don’t. Niko is not bad; he treats me well. There is nothing bad going on between us. So, don’t try to dissuade me. I am an adult, not a child.” Leo stopped Cecil before he could start.

Cecil frowned, but stopped. Instead, he asked, “Are you really okay?” 

“I am.” He is right where he wants to be. Although he would love more with Niko, he knew it was not something either of them could push. 

“Okay. I won’t tell the others. But Ruben probably has an idea in mind, but he would never say unless you tell him.” 

“I know.” 

They finally entered the villa with their bags as Leo closed the door behind them. “Ruben probably picked a room for everyone already,” Leo mentioned to Cecil, who looked ready to rest for a while. Cecil nodded and went to find Ruben to see what he had for them. 

Most people would say something about an alpha and omega sharing a room, but everyone in the group knew Ruben would never do anything to Cecil, and he had a strong will when it came to an omega in heat. That is why no one questioned each time Cecil and Ruben roomed together.

Leo went upstairs, trying to follow the layout Niko told him last night. When he reached the door to Niko’s bedroom, he entered, closing the door behind him. 

He looked around, putting his luggage by the bed. Everything in the room was black and gold, even the curtains and sheets. It was a surprise to see, because from the glimpses on video calls, Niko’s home (that he lives in) looked like a mix of white and grey. So, he thought the villa would hold the same, but it was the opposite. 

He noticed an outfit that Niko wore in one of his older photos online, resting on the bed, waiting for him. He chuckled before walking towards the other two doors in the room. The first door he opened was the bathroom. The bathroom had a black-and-gold marble theme, with the sink and wide tub on one side and the walk-in shower on the other. There was another door that led to the toilet. 

He checked the other door, which was a walk-in closet, but since Niko bought a wardrobe, he turned his large closet into a mini-gameroom.  And once again, it had a black-and-gold theme, with LED lights to brighten the area. 

Leo walked back to the California king bed, running his hands on the soft sheets, wondering how Niko could have slept on a huge bed. He grabbed the outfit and walked back to the bathroom to take a quick shower before putting it on. Leo felt gross from sitting so long in a van while driving. 

Once he finished, Leo lay down on the bed, putting his face on the comfortable pillow. He smelled vanilla everywhere. He knew it wasn’t Niko’s pheromone, thankfully, but vanilla was still his (N) scent because Niko had talked about wearing vanilla-scented cologne for years. 

Stuffing his face into the pillow, Leo was almost rubbing against it, causing Niko’s shirt to roll up and winkle. The shirt was slightly longer and wider on him because Niko was surprisingly taller than he was. 

Leo was the average height of an alpha, standing at 5’11 (180cm), while Niko is very tall for an omega, standing at 6 ft (182cm). Plus, Niko’s muscles were more developed and defined than his. 

Thinking about Niko’s body, mixed with the vanilla scent and wearing his clothes on top of it, caused Leo to start rubbing himself against the sheets, groaning. 

He didn’t notice the way his body started to heat up as he continued humping the sheets, practically suffocating himself with the vanilla-scented pillow while letting Niko’s name slip from his lips. His pheromones started slipping out, and once he smelled them, Leo quickly stood up, jumping from the bed. 

He grabbed his bag, unzipping it as he looked for his pill bottle. When he found it, Leo untwisted it while quickly taking the suppressant. His pheromones began to dissipate as his body slowly calmed. 

Leo also took out a spray and began spraying the room. 

My rut almost started. Leo thought, slightly freaking out. He told Ruben he had not experienced any side effects, but he was telling a white lie. Abusing the pills has not given him a terrible result that would have led him to the hospital, but he has been noticing that the periods between his cycles are shortening. 

He should stop taking them, but he has already reached this point, so why stop now? 

Instead, Leo pushed it away and checked himself in the mirror, making sure nothing was showing on the clothes. Once he fixed himself, Leo got back on the bed, taking a picture of himself to send to Niko before leaving the room.