The Palace has never been quieter than it is now.
Even when the Queen died and the Prince was hospitalized, there was an air of sorrow, but still at least something of semblance filled the atmosphere.
For the past week, the palace servants tip-toed past the bedrooms of the Prince and his Consort, their ongoing row painfully obvious to all who were unfortunate enough to hear it that night.
Whispered rumors of what had started the fight circulated amongst the halls.
Everything from infidelity to a sudden unexpected miscarriage…though none found root in truth.
Prince Jak mostly kept to himself in the royal couple's bedroom, but occasionally he skulked around the halls, his aura one of irritation and melancholy. Passer-bys always gave him a wide berth, not wanting to be on the receiving end of his aggravation.
Prince Consort Torn was so rarely in the palace, people often compared seeing him to witnessing a ghost. Having thrown himself deep into his military training, he would often leave before the day star came up and return long after it receded into the ocean.
The fight was affecting the palace as a whole.
Even the King was disturbed by the sudden change of mood, no longer being able to enjoy seeing either his son or his son-in-law converse at the table.
When they met for breakfast in the mornings, Torn would always join him and Jak at the table only to quickly and emotionlessly scent with Jak for the barest amount of time before leaving to train. He would only eat dinner after they both went to bed.
Jak became more and more withdrawn, barely eating anything in the morning and just staying still like a statue when Torn carelessly scented him, before shambling back off to his room.
Which is why Sig now finds himself entering the training hall for new recruits after hearing from a lieutenant that Torn was spending his break honing his skills. At Damas's request, he was going to attempt to talk with Torn.
…though as he watched Torn decapitate a dummy with a roundhouse, he decided that maybe some small talk was in order first.
He slowly approached the heavily panting Omega, so as not to startle him before humming, "Think we might need to send you some tougher targets, eh Cherry?"
Torn breathed out an exhausted sigh before turning and saluting Sig, "I second that statement, Sir."
"Cut that shit, Torn." Sig shook his head, "We're the same rank…hell, you're technically above me."
"Not while I'm on duty, sir." Torn added, dropping his hand to his side, "Here, I'm a recruit."
Sig gave a huff as he regarded the destroyed dummy, "Yeah, about that. I wanted to talk with you."
Torn nodded and straightened up a bit, "Have I done something wrong?"
Sig paused for a moment, then shrugged, "Not necessarily. It's more my fault than yours." He crossed his arms, "Torn, you're being promoted to Captain…effective immediately."
Torn reacted exactly as Sig expected him to, with a frown and a stubborn refusal, "No thank you. I told you already, I want to work my way up-"
"That's a waste of everyone's time and of your talent." Sig interjected, "Look, I get it. You feel like you gotta prove yourself to earn your fellow soldiers' respect. But the fact is, you're running circles around the recruits and my captains are all coming to me complaining about you not being put to use in the field. They're out there risking their hides every day facing Metal heads and Marauders, while a highly skilled soldier runs drills and stomps grunts in the sand. We need you out there."
"I…" Torn started, but after he thought it over, he had to admit Sig had a point.
Sig moved closer and gripped Torn's shoulders, "You proved who you are and what you're all about on day one, when you kicked two of my best Captains asses in less than a minute. They wouldn't stop gushing about you since then. I'm not saying you won't have to prove yourself still, but at least you'll be among people near your level."
Torn sighed after a moment of turning Sig's rationale over in his head, "You got a point. Fine…I'll take the position."
Sig smiled and gave Torn's shoulders a squeeze before pulling away and taking on a more serious look, "Now that the easy conversation is out of the way…care to explain what the fuck is going on between you and Jak?"
Immediately, the tone changed, and Torn's demeanor shifted from calm to uncomfortable, "Nothing. Just busy." He feigned disinterest, but Sig could easily see that the other Omega was actively avoiding meeting his eyes.
"Cut the bullshit. Y'all aint subtle." Sig crossed his arms and gave Torn a more pointed look, "Ever since you came back from Haven, you've been avoiding each other. Some of the maids are spreading rumors about some other Omega Jak got involved with. Apparently, that's what your screaming match was about?"
"Those maids need to keep their fucking mouths shut." Torn growled.
"Then were they right?"
Torn shifted on his feet slightly, trying to come up with a way to get out of the conversation.
"Did Jak…sleep with someone else in Haven?" The way Sig whispered the assumption gave Torn the notion that Sig actually suspected Jak of adultery…
…and as ashamed and angry as he was, he did NOT want Jak's character slandered, "Of course not!" He snapped, "The little shit got turned on by a heating Omega's pheromones and nearly killed the guy when he was propositioned!"
And as he watched Sig's eye go wide, he realized he said too much.
Sig's attitude shifted from sympathetic to panic in an instant, "What?! Did he lose control?!"
"Kinda?" Torn replied, "No one got hurt, and I got there in time to calm him down. There's no risk of the guy telling anyone either. It's fine…"
That didn't seem to assuage Sig, however. The other man growled under his breath, "I'll have to notify the King, just in case." He then returned the conversation back to the original topic, "So, what was the fight about?"
Torn averted his gaze once more, "Nothing…its stupid..." He really didn't want to think about this right now. His training had successfully taken his mind off his and Jak's quarrel for the past week. Now, he was being forced to relive the awful lies he spewed out of anger and hurt.
"I've heard plenty of stupid things…I'm sure it's nothing new." Sig prodded, "C'mon, Cherry…spill."
Torn gave an exhausted sigh, "It's nothing, really. Just…things were getting weird between us and I had to remind him that we aren't a real couple."
"What do you mean by 'weird'?"
"Just…" Torn paused, searching for the words, "I dunno…"
"And what's this nonsense about you not being a 'real' couple?" Sig probed, "Last I checked, you seemed to be getting along pretty well."
Torn narrowed his eyes and bit back, "We're trying to be friends. That's all." He decided to leave out the fact that they managed to do some questionably "friendly" things during their Haven stay.
Before Erol went and ruined it…
Sig considered him for a moment before giving Torn a shrug, "All right, if that's how you really feel Cherry, then I won't pry." Just as Torn thought Sig was about to leave him alone, the larger man got in his space once more and leaned down to speak a bit more softly, "I just hope you're not letting fear get in the way of your feelings."
Once again, Torn allowed his anger to speak for him as he growled, "I'm NOT afraid of ANYTHING! I don't know why you Spargans insist on that bullshit."
"Calm down, Cherry." Sig raised his hand in resignation, "I'm just saying-"
"I know exactly what you're saying!" Torn hissed as he jammed a finger in Sig's face, "What, you think I'm afraid of being in a relationship?! I've done that whole song and dance before, and it was a MASSIVE pain in my ass!" Sig just stood there, meeting his gaze, and Torn couple stop the flood of words falling from his lips, "Yes, Jak's great. Ok?! He's fucking perfect! But he's a fucking Alpha and no matter how different I think he is, I know he's the same as all of them! I refuse to bow down to that little shrimp only to get tossed away when he's gotten what he wants from me!"
"Oh come on, Jak wouldn't do that." Sig interjected.
"How the fuck do you know!" Torn yelled over him, "He got hard from another Omega's pheromones. If I hadn't walked in and interrupted them-"
"But didn't you also say he went dark?" Sig reminded, "Sounds to me like he had no intention of doing anything other than mauling the poor guy."
Torn huffed and crossed his arms stoically, "Well, yeah…but even so, the fact that he found someone else's scent good enough to have a boner over proves that he can change his mind about me later. Just because I'm trying to be friendly with him doesn't mean we're suddenly gonna be all fuckin' romantic and shit."
Sig opened his mouth to comment but Torn immediately bulldozed over him and continued his ranting, "And yeah, I kissed him a couple times. SO WHAT?! Doesn't mean I'm ready to spread my legs for him. That's the LAST thing I wanna do!" Torn felt his face heating from both the untamable frustration, but it did nothing to slow his role as he continued venting everything that he'd been agonizing over to the only other Omega he felt would get it.
"I get how he'd think we're 'like that', I made the mistake of fucking kissing him and he's been riding that high all fucking week, and then I fucking marked him. I still don't understand what came over me!" Torn began pacing back and forth, no longer talking directly to Sig, "Sure, I bit Erol before, but that was only because he pissed me off when we were together. With Jak, its like I have to bite him or I'll go crazy! It makes no fucking sense!"
He threw his hands up in exasperation, "And he keeps doing things for me! Standing up for me, the chaste kissing, and the fucking grooming! Why does that shitty brat act so fucking different from anyone else I've ever known?! If he just acted like every other Alpha, this whole situation wouldn't be so fucking difficult!"
When he finally caught his breath and stopped his pacing, Torn only then realized what he'd been doing for the past 5 minutes.
Suddenly, his face went red in something other than anger.
When he turned reluctantly to meet Sig's gaze, he found the other Omega staring at him with a knowing smirk.
"Wow…" Sig mused, "You got it bad, Cherry."
Torn blinked owlishly, "I…I can't believe I just said all that." He squatted down and dropped his face into his hands with a groan, "What the fuck is wrong with me?"
Sig laughed softly as he moved over and kneeled next to Torn, placing a comforting hand on his back, "I have a theory…you're in love, Torn. There's nothing wrong with that…and there's nothing wrong with you."
Torn bit back an aggravated whine as the truth of Sig's words sank in.
It was true after all…
…for the first time in his life…Torn thought he could actually be in love.
"I don't know what to do." He whispered softly.
Sig pat his back, "You want my advice? Go talk to your Alpha. Be honest with him for fucks sake."
Torn winced in response. That would also include an apology for the things he said to Jak. Strangely…he couldn't tell which would be harder to do…
…apologize…or confess.
"I…think I need some air." Torn stood up straight, but immediately he felt his legs go numb, bringing him crashing down to his knees with a groan.
Sig grabbed him before he fell forward, "Woah there! You alright, Cherry?"
Torn shook his head in confusion, "I…yeah?" He let out a groan of discomfort as a sharp pain grew in his hips, "Th'fuck…guess I went a bit harder than usual…probably just pulled something."
Sig narrowed his eye, "I don't think so…you smell…off."
Torn shrugged Sig's hands away from their hold on his torso and rose shakily to his feet again, "I'm telling you…it's nothing. I just need air."
"Torn…when was your last heat?" Sig carefully stood up as well, slowly regarding Torn as if he were made of glass.
And honestly, Torn felt that it pissed him off more than it should've, "I'm not due for a while. I'm tellin' you, I'm just fucking sore that's all." He brushed past Sig and made his way to exit the gym, but the other Omega followed him swiftly and warned, "You should go see Samos or Keira just in case. If you're about to go in heat-"
Torn whipped around and growled far louder than he intended, "I'm NOT going into heat!"
He saw the larger man freeze in front of him and back away cautiously. It was only then did Torn realize he was baring his teeth at the other Omega.
In shame, he covered his mouth with a hand, hiding his still bared canines as he grit out from in between them, "Sorry…just…I'm gonna get some rest." He retreated before Sig could stop him…making a beeline for his bedroom.
Once he reached the safety of his bedroom, slamming the door behind him, Torn immediately felt warm.
Not in a good way either…in a very familiar and very scary way.
He ground his molars together as he felt the heat slowly begin growing in his belly.
This is NOT happening…I am NOT going into heat!
He repeated that thought to himself over and over…
…only stopping when he felt that first trickle of slick begin leaking out of him.
This past week has been draining on Jak's end.
He went from being practically on the cusp of a romantic breakthrough, to suddenly right back at square one.
And what's worse…he kept fluctuating between thinking he did nothing wrong and feeling like he fucked up big time.
He'd been spending his time loitering around Daxter's bar and pacing back and forth in what was supposed to be his AND Torn's bedroom…hoping that he might "accidentally" run into his seething mate so they could have an excuse to talk this out.
The only time he saw Torn anymore was in the mornings, but Torn always scented him so quickly it didn't leave any room for Jak to break the ice.
He tossed around the idea of staking out the guard barracks to increase their chance of meeting, but he couldn't come up with an excuse as to why he would be there.
And seeking Torn out purposefully was out of the question.
Which is why he finds himself in the kitchen…half-heartedly stirring a bowl of cereal he didn't even want honestly.
His solitude was interrupted by the kitchen door swinging open slowly. Keira peeked her head in and gave Jak a friendly smile, "Hey there, handsome." She teased as she strolled over to her medicine cabinet.
Jak gave her a half-hearted smile before returning his gaze to the bowl of soggy mush.
Keira took on a concerned look as she moved to stand beside her sulking friend, "Still fighting with Torn?"
"A fight would mean I've actually been close enough to him to talk." Jak mumbled in reply.
"What the hell are you guys even fighting over anyways?" Keira wondered aloud, "Ashelin said you guys were getting along really well at the Gala, but the day you guys left you seemed…different."
Jak raised a brow and mused, "You're chatting with the Governess of Haven? Sounds like you two are getting pretty friendly."
Keira narrowed her eyes sternly, but still blushed in mild embarrassment, "Don't change the subject! Will you please tell me what happened?"
"Nothing happened!" Jak stated, "Torn's just being his normal grouchy self."
"Jak…" Keira folded her arms and gave Jak a look akin to a disapproving mother who knows her child is lying.
Jak shrunk a bit under her gaze before he sighed and decided to confess, "We had a fight about something that happened on the last day in Haven. I got propositioned by another Omega and Torn apparently thinks that means I cheated on him. Also he apparently doesn't like me and wants nothing to do with me again…it's like we've gone back to how we were when we first met. Satisfied?" Jak slumped back in his chair, arms folded in resignation.
For a moment, Keira didn't say anything, processing the information Jak relayed. After a while, she sat in the chair next to Jak and placed a hand on his bicep. When Jak turned to look at her, Keira gave him an empathizing grimace, "I'm sorry…sounds like you guys have quite a few issues to work out."
Jak gave a huff of humorless laughter, "You think?"
Keira removed her hand and continued, "I know you're hurt, but maybe you should think about this from Torn's perspective. Maybe he's lashing out at you because he doesn't know what else to do?"
"I don't think that's the case." Jak sighed, "He seemed pretty sure of himself."
"People who've been hurt in the past become very good at masking their true feelings, Jak." Keira continued, "Think about all the time you spent together, and all his interactions with you. Does what he said back up what he did?"
Jak thought for a moment. Torn claims that everything they did, all the progress they made, was just an act…a lapse of judgement. But looking back on those times where he felt that hey had moved to the next level of their relationship, he realized that those moments were far more genuine than Torn claimed them to be.
It's obvious to him that Torn's got some issues with expressing emotions beyond anger and stoicism. It confuses him that the same man would kiss and mark him so passionately one moment, then claim that he never even liked him at all in the next. He even had the audacity to claim that Jak should and would sleep around with any willing body that fancied him…because apparently that's what all Alphas do anyways.
He tried so hard to show his good side. Tried to show Torn that he respected him as an equal…but it seems all his efforts were all for naught.
"I just…" Jak started, "I wish I could just understand what he's thinking. He acts like he likes me, then he says he hates me. It's fucking frustrating!"
"Then why don't you ask him?" Keira stated like it was obvious, "You've been avoiding each other for a whole damn week. It's high time you suck it up and talk it out like adults."
Jak turned away sheepishly, "Yeah but…I don't know how to even approach him."
Keira rolled her eyes and sighed, "He's gotta sleep sometime right? Just go to his bedroom, wait for him to come by, and tell him you want to talk."
"Easier said than done, Keira." Jak refuted, "What do I do if he leaves?"
"The same damn thing until he gets worn down enough to finally give in and talk." Keira replied, "I'm serious. This whole thing needs to be talked out if you want to get anywhere with him. When he finally decides to talk to you, just be honest with him. Validate his concerns and share some of your own. It won't be easy, but it's something at least."
All things considered, Jak was grateful to have someone like Keira as his friend. She was absolutely right about what needed to be done. Jak gave her a thankful smile before he stood up, "Thanks for the assist, Keira…I appreciate it."
"No problem." She replied with a knowing smirk, "Now go get your man!"
With a laugh, Jak left the kitchen with renewed confidence. It was terrifying, but Keira was right…this state of limbo between him and Torn needed to end.
And if Torn wouldn't come to him…then he would go to Torn.
As he neared the door to Torn's old room, where he currently slept nowadays, Jak's confidence drained to near exhaustion.
Saying what he needed to do out loud was vastly different from actually trying to do it.
He paused in front of the door.
His stomach did flips as he tried to come up with a game plan for what he would do when Torn came back to his room.
He didn't have to think long when he tried the doorknob and found that it was locked.
Fuck…there goes his element of surprise.
Despite the wrench thrown in his plan, Jak decided that he made it this far already, so he might as well take the plunge. He knocked on the door hard, "Torn? Hey, can you open the door for a minute? I need to talk to you."
There was no reply at first, but just as Jak was about to knock again, he heard something thump against the door and Torn's voice weakly call out, "Go away, Jak."
At least the other man seemed calm enough to reply…but Jak noticed his voice sounded a bit raspier than he remembered, "Torn…please, this whole thing is getting ridiculous." He sighed and said a bit more softly, "We need to talk about this. Please let me in."
He heard a soft hiss from behind the door before Torn called back in a pained-sounding moan, "This really isn't a good time, brat."
"It never is!" Jak protested, "There won't be a good time for this kind of talk, but we really need to get through all this." He placed a hand on the door, since he couldn't exactly place it on Torn himself, "Come on…I just want to understand what you're going through right now. I know the thing with Erol was bad, and I get why you were so upset by it. I'm sorry that I didn't take your feelings seriously. Just open the door and we can try to-"
He was surprised when the door actually opened about an inch wide. He couldn't see Torn, but his nose was suddenly assaulted with a very sweet scent that was familiar in the wrong way.
Torn was still hidden behind the door when he softly growled, "…I'm starting my heat."
Jak's eyes went wide and he backed away a bit, "O-oh…shit."
"Yeah." Torn hissed in pain before continuing, "I'm sorry…I really need to be alone."
Jak nodded, even though he knew Torn couldn't see him, "Ok…yeah…um…do you need…help?"
The growl that came out from behind the door made Jak quickly elaborate on what he meant, "No no! I didn't mean in that way! Like, do you need anything? Blankets? Towels? Do you want me to bring some of your clothes over?
Torn seemed to be taking it into consideration as he went silent behind the door, "Yeah…can you bring my heat box? I left it in our closet. It's a blue box on the top shelf."
"Sure! No problem!" He turned and raced down the hall as fast as he could. Thankfully their shared room was fairly close. The talk could wait, right now, making sure Torn was comfortable took priority.
It only took a minute for Jak to locate the blue box when he reached the closet of their room. However, in his haste to grab it, it slipped out of his hands and crashed to the floor. The lid flew open and the contents rolled out onto the floor, causing Jak to hiss out a curse.
As he started gathering up the few contents, he reached for a large blue rod…and stopped short when he realized what it was.
His face went up in flames at the sight of it, and he had to look away so he could quickly grab it and shove it back in the box.
It would seem Torn is a fan of rather LARGE endowments…
Shaking the impure thoughts from his head, Jak also gathered up a few blankets and articles of clothing from the closet. He remembered from his sex-ed class that Omegas liked using those types of things to build their nests.
Bundling all the items up in his arms, Jak swiftly darted back to Torn's room and kicked the door with his boot…currently being unable to use his arms, "Torn! I got the stuff!"
The door opened up again, this time a lot wider, and Jak could finally see what state Torn was in.
The man was dressed in only a light tank top and boxers, and his face was flushed red and sweaty like he'd just had one hell of a workout. Torn stared at him for a bit too long before seemingly shaking himself out of his trance and moving aside to let Jak in, "Just…put it on the floor near the couch…"
Jak nodded and tried not to breath in the pheromone tainted air as he walked inside the room and set the box and fabrics on the floor, "I…I thought you'd want some blankets and clothes. Y'know…if you wanted to nest?"
Torn cautiously moved around Jak and away from the door, keeping his eyes locked on him as if prepared to fend off an attack, "Thanks…please leave."
His inner Alpha screamed at him to stay, but Jak told it to kindly fuck off and moved out of the room, closing the door behind him. Once he was outside and able to breathe in the fresh air, he called back through the door, "I'll tell the maids to bring you food and water, ok? Keep your com by you and call Keira if you need something!"
The door opened again slightly and Torn peeked out. He looked like he wanted to ask something, but after a while he simply said, "Thanks, Jak." Then closed the door.
Jak felt his heart skip a beat at being thanked, but he couldn't help but feel like he was making a huge mistake by letting Torn go through his heat alone. He felt the urge to stand outside the door to make sure no one tried to enter the room.
Every fiber in his body protested that he should NOT leave.
Eventually, he tore himself away from the door, telling himself that Torn knew what he was doing. Torn knew how to handle his heats, and he didn't need Jak pestering him like a mother hen.
Having an Alpha so close to him during the time when he's vulnerable wouldn't be what Torn wanted.
Besides…in 3-5 days, once Torn is feeling better, they would be able to finally talk.
Jak felt that would be enough time to prepare what he would say.
The minute Torn shut the door, he felt a current of slick pour out of him.
He really didn't expect his body to react to Jak simply being mere feet away from him. His sense of smell was heightened in this state, and Jak smelled like what a steak would smell to a starving crocadog.
He was mere seconds away from grabbing the young Alpha and pulling him into the room to do precursors know what! Thankfully, he was still in that brief period of sanity where he could keep his impulses in check.
The heat was still a few hours away, so he had time to build a nest and settle in before the cramping started.
He sifted through the things Jak brought, originally only wanting his heat box…but as he looked through the blankets and random clothing, he felt drawn to them. The blankets somehow still held both his and Jak's scent on them. Torn's scent was very faint due to having only slept on them once, but Jak's scent was very strong.
Torn held the blanket in his hands, bringing it up to his nose before he could stop himself. He pressed his face against the soft fabric and breathed deep. Jak's scent was shockingly comforting to him…probably because his inner Omegan hindbrain equated Alpha to safety.
Nevertheless, if anything is to be believed about mated Omegan biology, the scent of his Alpha would probably help alleviate cramps…allegedly.
He glanced around the room, trying to decide where he should build his nest. He eventually decided that the floor in front of his bed would work best. There was a large, plush rug made from some sort of animal fur that would make a good base.
He didn't really like nesting in his bed. Heats tended to be very…messy.
The rolling cramp that coursed through his abdominals forced him to get moving. He placed the blankets on the rug, adding another layer of padding. Once he had a decent base, he began weaving the mismatched clothes and towels around the edge of the nest in a ring. Some Omegas enjoyed intricately braiding the cloths together, and different braids often meant different things.
The most well-known style being a breeding braid, mainly used by couples who were trying to get pregnant.
Torn, however, felt no need to do any of that shit. A simple sturdy weaving of clothes together around the perimeter of his nest was good enough.
At least…it should've been…
For some reason, he just couldn't get the clothes in the right position! By the time he repositioned the same pair of slacks three times, he was already growling with frustration.
He didn't need to worry for long, however, because a wave of heat suddenly washed over him. As he doubled over in pain from a awful cramp in his belly, he felt his boxers immediately become soaked from the first flood of slick.
It's time…
With a pained sigh he grabbed his heat box and opened it, pulling out what would absolutely be his saving grace in a minute. He set the hard plastic dildo in the corner of his nest and decided to try and grab a nap before the real deal started. Laying down in the nest, Torn could effortlessly catch Jak's scent surrounding him.
Before he drifted off to sleep, he couldn't stop himself from pressing his nose against the blankets and taking a deep breath.
It didn't take long for Torn to start fucking himself desperately on the fake cock.
He sat on his knees in his nest, one hand stroking his cock while the other plunged the dildo in and out of his soaked hole. His tight cloacal channel was nearly gaped and oozing slick from the soft walls.
The fake cock was large enough to give him a nice stretch, and the length almost reached all the way inside him when he shoved the knot in. Pretty much, his ideal fantasy cock.
The dildo stroked and pummeled his sensitive insides as he felt the pain from the cramps being overtaken by pleasure. But as much as Torn wanted to focus on the feeling, his mind kept wandering to thoughts of an annoying blonde Alpha.
Torn grit his teeth as he suppressed a whine. Usually, his heats were uneventful. He didn't even bother to think up an imaginary partner; just having a dildo stuffed in his ass and a hand fisting his cock was enough to get him off.
But now, he couldn't stop thinking about Jak…despite actively trying not to.
At one point, he began hallucinating that it was Jak kneeling behind him, his hard fat cock pounding him roughly from behind while his strong hands reached around to play with his leaking cock. It got so detailed that he could also feel Jak's tongue running across his mating mark…even his sharp canines scraping over it, threatening to bite down and split the gland open to release more of his heat permeated scent.
Torn bit his lip hard to suppress a whimper as he finally shoved in the large knot at the base of the dildo, causing him to cum immediately from the sensation of being locked.
Losing the strength in his legs, Torn fell forward onto his nest. He panted as the aftershocks of his orgasm coursed through him. He should cum a few more times now that he'd properly knotted himself. Squeezing his inner muscles around the cock lodged inside him, Torn felt the pleasure sensors lining his male-vaginal passage light up from the pressure.
In the post-orgasm haze, Torn's thoughts once again went to Jak…specifically the things he said to him that night they fought. In remembering, Torn felt a wash of shame flow over him.
He really acted like an asshole…
He shouldn't have let his insecurities and self-esteem issues cause him to lash out at the one person he actually cared about…romantically that is.
And damn it…Sig was right…
He loved the little bastard…none of this "like" bullshit. He loved Jak.
He wouldn't ever tell the little shit, but still…Jak deserved to be treated better than that.
Just a few more days…then I'll fix this. Torn told himself as he felt his body suddenly get colder.
The moment he removed the dildo from his body, he suddenly felt drowsy. This was normal for him…to randomly pass out after a good cum, so Torn didn't think anything of it as he drifted off to sleep again.
Torn woke up to sunlight streaming on his face…
…and a horrific pain coursing through his entire body.
He let out a groan of pain as he sat up. And THAT was a huge mistake because the second he did, he felt a wave of nausea hit him hard. It took all of his willpower to make it to the bathroom before he threw up.
After vomiting what little food he had in his system, Torn felt very cold. His body started trembling as he dry-heaved over the toilet bowl, and he broke out in a cold sweat.
Once he felt well enough to stand, he flushed the evidence then washed out his mouth to rid himself of the taste of bile.
Staggering back out to his nest was probably the hardest thing Torn's ever had to do…well…at least it felt like that.
Collapsing onto the soft sheets, he could do nothing but curl into a ball as wave after wave of pain mixed with nausea came over him.
What the fuck was wrong?!
Never in all his heats had he felt this bad. This was unlike anything he'd ever felt. He felt so cold…he was in so much pain everywhere…and he no longer felt horny.
In fact…he wasn't making slick anymore…
All of this suddenly clicked in his head, and drew him to one horrifying conclusion…
He was heat sick.
He didn't even bother suppressing a cry of pain as his legs seized up in a terrible cramp. How could he be so fucking stupid?! He was BONDED now! Bonded mates can't endure their cycles alone! He was so used to getting through his heats alone, and with the added situation with Jak…he didn't even consider the fact that he would need his Alpha this time!
And the more he thought about it…the more he felt his body cry out for his Alpha…
Jak would make all of this better…Jak would make it better….
Jak…
The pain grew to such an intensity, that Torn felt his eyes water. This was worse than anything he'd every experienced…he felt like he was dying.
Glancing to his left, he saw his com resting on the nightstand next to the bed.
It took every ounce of strength in his body to get to his feet and walk over to it. He barely made it three steps before dropping to his knees in agony and nearly screaming in pain. Crawling the rest of the way, Torn swiped his com off the table before mashing in Keira's contact. It only took a minute for her to pick up.
"Hello? Torn is that you?" Keira's voice came over the com.
Torn steadied his breath before replying, "Keira…I need you to send Jak to my room."
"Um…sure? But what for?"
He paused, biting down on his lip as he once more felt nauseous, "Please…I…I need help. Just send him ov-" His sentence was cut off by a loud yelp of pain as a stabbing sensation attacked his stomach.
"Torn?!" Keira called in panic, "Torn, what's going on?! Are you ok?"
He whined automatically, not even caring how pathetic he sounded right now, "H-heat…"
"Oh! You're starting your heat?"
"N….no…S-started…" Torn grunted out from in between whimpers, "Yesterday… but…somethings….wrong…"
Silence came from the com before Keira screeched, "ARE YOU TELLING ME YOU'RE GOING THROUGH YOUR HEAT ALONE?!"
Torn could only whine in reply as he fell to his side, bringing his knees up to his chest, "I-I know…'s stupid…wasn't….thinking…"
"You're damn right that's stupid!" Keira shrieked before she gave a groan of frustration, "Ok…so you're heat sick. I'll find Jak and send him over. Just try to breathe and stay still until he gets there!" Keira didn't bother waiting for a reply as she hung up.
Torn gave a sigh of mild relief as he crawled slowly back to his nest.
Even through the agonizing pain, his inner Omega was mewling with joy anticipating the arrival of his mate. As soon as he reached the braided walls of his nest and climbed over them to plop in the center of his temporary sanctuary, Torn curled up into the tightest ball he could make himself into.
It would be ok now…
Jak was coming…and his Omegan hindbrain told him that would make all of his pain go away.
As he wallowed in horrendous pain, one thought repeated itself over and over in his mind.
His Alpha was coming…
Jak wasn't even awake yet when Keira burst into his and Torn's couple room, yelling at him to wake up.
When she told him the reason, he instantly became fully alert.
As he rushed down the hall with Keira at his side, he couldn't stop kicking himself over his decision to leave Torn alone. His inner Alpha had tried to warn him…tried to keep him by Torn's side…but Jak was too preoccupied with trying to not step on Torn's toes that he completely forgot his basic secondary gender education.
How did he forget the fact that bonded mates can't spend cycles away from each other?!
Well, in any case, now wasn't the time to agonize over mistakes.
As they neared the room, Keira gave him a brief refresher on heat sickness, "Listen, you don't have to have sex with him for him to get better. The only way to make heat sickness better is through scenting. Just stay close to him and try to keep him warm. Usually, his skin would be feverish, and that's normal for heats, but with heat sickness he'll probably be cold. Body heat works best, but you may want to try and wrap him in something warm."
Jak just nodded in reply. His concern for Torn only grew the closer they got to his room.
"Oh, also, you need to periodically check his slick levels." Keira added on as they reached the door, "The amount of slick he's producing will tell you if he's getting better. If he's still sick, there won't be a lot…probably won't be any at all."
"Um…yeah…I'll do that." Jak felt his teeth start aching as his anxiety built. He was trying hard to control himself…his inner Alpha wanting to burst in and tend to his sick mate. The rational side of Jak tried to remind his primal side that Torn was still mistrusting of Alphas and wouldn't appreciate one invading his sacred space and forcing himself on him.
Keira pat his shoulder encouragingly before saying, "You'll do fine. Just do what comes natural to you…and keep yourself in control of your body and the situation. Remember, Torn won't be in his right mind…now or when he gets better."
"I know." Jak stated, "Don't worry…I'm going to get him through this the way he would want."
They exchanged one final look before Keira began to walk away, calling over her shoulder, "Call if you need anything."
"Will do." Jak replied before turning his gaze back to the door. He took a deep breath before grasping the door knob and slowly pushing the door open.
Immediately, his nose was hit with a sour smell that was a putrid mix of heat pheromones and sickness. He scrunched his nose before calling out, "Torn? It's me…Keira told me what happened. I'm here to help." He heard no reply after a while, and took that as permission to enter. As soon as he stepped into he room, closing the door behind him, he froze at the sight before him.
One look at Torn's state had his heart crumbling into little pieces.
He was pale…so fucking pale…and his entire from was trembling. His skin had a layer of sweat covering it and the light underwear and tank top he wore were soaked in it.
His eyes were squeezed shut, but tear trails were clear on his face…and he wore the most pained expression he'd ever seen on someone.
Jak had never felt so angry at himself than he did at that moment.
When Torn's red-rimmed eyes fluttered open and locked with his, he heard the most pathetic sounding whine cut through the stale air.
It took Jak a moment to realize it came from Torn.
He didn't think the proud, stoic man as even capable of making such a noise.
It shocked him even more when the sick Omega weakly reached for him with one trembling arm. With one more pained whimper, Torn rasped quietly, "Al….Alpha…."
That was all the invitation Jak needed to cross the distance between them and enter Torn's nest. Immediately, Torn wrapped his arms around Jak's neck and shoulders as the younger Alpha pulled his sweat-damp body flush against him. Jak wrapped his arms around Torn's back and under one thigh, bringing him to a straddling position on his lap.
Torn wasted no time as he smashed his nose against Jak's scent gland and gave another desperate whine. Jak simply tilted his head and rubbed up and down Torn's back.
Torn's entire body shook in his arms, and he felt cold as ice. Jak growled low in his throat…this was all his fault. He should've forced himself to stay…he should've remembered the protocol for mated cycles…
…he shouldn't have left his Omega alone.
All the negative thoughts stopped when he heard Torn start purring in between the whimpers and whines. It hiccupped its way through the shaking and involuntary cries of pain…but it was there.
Proof that he didn't fuck up as badly as he could've since his mate still found his presence comforting.
Jak reached behind himself and grabbed the edge of the blanket that covered Torn's bed. He tugged it off and quickly wrapped it around the both of them.
First things first…he needed to get Torn's body temperature back up.
When he had successfully cocooned them, Jak decided that he should get the slick check over with sooner rather than later. He really didn't want to do something so invasive to Torn while he was sick…but he needed to know how bad off he was.
"Torn?" Jak whispered, "Hey, I'm really sorry about this…but Keira said I need to…um…check you to see if you're slicking. Just…growl or something if you're against it."
All he got in response was another nuzzle against his neck and a soft purr, so he figured that was good enough.
He slid a hand down the back of Torn's boxers and pressed in between the globes of his ass until he found his cloacal entrance. After gently rubbing his finger across the soft skin of his opening, he grimaced when he confirmed the worst…Torn was dryer than the desert outside.
"Fuck…you're not even damp." He pulled his hand away and returned it to the small of Torn's back, pulling him a bit closer, "I'm so…so sorry Torn. I shouldn't have left you alone…"
Torn gave a small sigh against his skin before weakly rasping, "No…my…fault."
"It's not your fault." Jak said, "I'm your Alpha…I should've never left. I could have at least waited outside the door, but I was afraid of making you even more upset."
Torn huffed a small laugh and pressed his lips against Jak's mating mark, "You're…here now. That's…all…that matters." He then pulled his head up to try and meet Jak's eyes, "M'sorry…I…I was an…asshole. You're…you're a good…Alpha." He leaned down to kiss Jak's mouth, but landed just on the corner before weakly dropping his head back on Jak's shoulder.
And Jak couldn't help but blush. He pulled Torn back up to a semi-sitting position before lining up their mouths together in a proper kiss. Torn moaned into the kiss and attempted to deepen it, but with his body still battling the heat sickness, he had to let Jak control everything.
Jak kept the kiss gentle, teasingly touching his tongue against Torn's and pressing their open mouths together. He pulled away briefly to kiss a line down Torn's neck, causing the older man to purr a bit more consistently…the whimpers of pain having died down a bit.
When Jak reached Torn's scent gland, he found that the sour smell of heat sickness was already starting to recede. Something in his primal instincts told him that marking his Omega would help. He ran his tongue along the pulsing skin before sinking his teeth in, cutting into the flesh until he tasted iron.
He was satisfied when he heard a weak growl automatically rip its way out of Torn, and heard his purr begin to grow stronger. He tightened his hold on his Omega until he was ready to unlatch his jaw. He lapped the new bite mark lovingly as he stroked his hands up and down Torn's strong back, happy to feel his skin already start to warm up.
Torn dropped his head against Jak's shoulder once more, his body going slack in Jak's lap.
Jak smiled gently and kissed the base of his ear before asking, "Better?"
Torn moaned in response and turned to somewhat face Jak, "Yeah…still…hurts though…"
"Yeah…it'll go away soon…hang tight." Jak whispered as he planted another chaste kiss on Torn's temple.
After a moment, Torn quietly asked, "You gonna stay?"
Jak paused for a moment, "Only if you want me to. But I should at least stick around to scent you…unless you want to get even worse."
Torn pressed a hand against Jak's chest, fiddling with the fabric of his tunic before saying, "I don't want it like this…the first time…" He turned away, unable to look at Jak if he was going to start spilling his feelings, "I'm…not me right now…I don't want to…do it like this."
It took a moment, but Jak eventually picked up on what Torn was requesting, "Don't worry…I won't sleep with you when you're like this. I want you to be in your right mind too."
Torn let out a breath he seemed to be holding, "Geez…you really are…a one-of-a-kind Alpha."
Jak smiled in response. He just held Torn close for a moment before asking, "So…when you get better…and your heat starts back up normally…what do you want me to do?"
"I…I don't know…" Torn admitted, "Just…no sex."
"I got that," Jak laughed softly, "I mean, can I use my mouth or hands on you? Do you just want me to stay away while you handle it and just scent you in between? It's your show…I'm just here to help."
Torn thought for a moment then mumbled, "Hands…and I guess…mouth is fine."
Jak nodded, "Alright. No problem."
They sat like that for a moment before Torn felt himself get drowsy again. He attempted to lay back down in the floor of the nest, but Jak kept his grip on him firm and said, "Don't…we need to keep you warm. Just sleep on me…I'm fine with that."
Torn didn't really feel up to protesting, so he just went along with it and dozed off listening to Jak's soft growls.
Once Jak's ears caught the sound of Torn's sleep purring, he shifted them to a more comfortable position with Torn sitting horizontally across Jak's lap…his head resting against his chest.
He looked down at Torn's sleeping face…his expression now pain-free.
"I promise…I'll take care of you this time."
