The Rightful King

Allen | 005

            Initially, he thought he'd become bored in the Palace. They had to be present for breakfast and dinner, as well as their lessons in the morning, but their afternoons and evenings were pretty much their own. There was plenty to do, thankfully, and Allen quickly took to exploring the building (with exception to the third floor, which the King had to himself), and there was a lot to look at. And a surplus of servants to talk to.

By the end of the week, he'd found himself a plug.

Which meant that he could get high in the gardens and spend his time looking at flowers in the evenings.

This certainly suited Allen just fine. He generally didn't mind spending time by himself, even if he attended a lot of parties in college. That was mainly just to keep up appearances and piss off his parents. Here in the Palace though, all he had to do was keep to himself until the King inevitably picked someone who wasn't him and he could go back home and finish up his degree. For now, though, he would lay low and enjoy having little to no responsibilities for the upcoming weeks.

It's where he was now, the blunt had been burning a hole in his pocket the entire day, but he hadn't had a chance to escape to the gardens until after dinner. Generally, it was deserted by then, the other Suitors returning to their bedrooms to prepare for the next day and Allen could enjoy the secluded bench he'd found in a corner, surrounded by bushes that kept away prying eyes.

The sun was low in the sky as he followed the now familiar path, and it was when he was rounding the corner when he caught a whiff of something that made his nose twitch. It had him tensing, instincts flaring and spurring him forward just a bit quicker, even if he was wary of what he was going to find. There, in the little alcove he'd claimed as his own for the past week, was someone sitting on his bench. They seemed to be hunched in on themselves, arms curled around their middle and sandy hair falling into their eyes.

"Robbie?" He asked, breathing through his mouth so as not to inhale too much of the pungent scent of Omega distress that mixed in with the floral scent of the garden.

The Omega visibly jumped, head whipping up to look at him and eyes the size of saucers. "Oh, uhm..." He didn't seem to know what to say, but that was okay, because the words were stumbling out of his mouth without his permission.

"Are you okay?" Apparently, that wasn't the right question. Or maybe it was. Either way, Robbie's face crumbled, eyes welling up in tears that quickly spilled down his round cheeks. It was the high-pitched whimper that had him closing the distance between them.

Allen didn't know Robbie well, beyond that he was somewhat shy and awkward, and clearly young. He hadn't spoken to him outside a few conversations during their lessons. Still, he was an unmated Omega that was crying, and his biology demanded that he comfort him. "Hey, shhh, it's okay." He kneeled before him, not quite touching him, but letting him know that he was close. "Let's take some deep breaths, huh? In through the nose, out through the mouth. There you go, you're doing so good." Allen took a few deep breaths of his own for Robbie to mimic. "Can I touch you?"

Robbie nodded, so he took his significantly smaller hands in his. Humans had small scent glands on their wrists, which was where Allen placed his thumbs now, gently massaging small circles into the flesh. The effect was almost instantaneous, The Omega's shoulders relaxed as a burst of his scent filled the area. It was sweet, most Omegas' were, like berries doused in sugar. Allen was reminded of strawberries and cream hard candies, ones that his mother carried in her purse when he was a kid. He continued until Robbie's breathing evened and he slumped back against the bench. He took his hands away.

"How did you do that?" Robbie asked, but there was nothing in his tone to indicate that he was uncomfortable. Simply curious.

"I just massaged the scent glands on your wrists. You didn't know those were there?"

"No... my parents are Betas." At their mention, Robbie's bottom lip trembled, sending a fresh wave of tears down his flushed cheeks.

"Missing them, huh?" He asked, forgoing mentioning that Betas could also be calmed down through similar means, and that Robbie's family should probably know that. Allen didn't know what had gotten into him as he reached for The Omega's hands again. Normally he wouldn't have bothered to comfort a distressed Omega, especially one who was crying over something that seemed so trivial.

Robbie nodded as sniffled. "Y-yeah. I'm sorry for crying I know it's only been two weeks," He hiccupped, "But I miss them so much. My brothers and sisters too, I've never been away from home this long."

Allen nodded, like he understood, but he didn't. Not really. With no siblings and parents who were busy with work, he had never been really close to his family. Live in nannies and posh boarding schools had raised him, so he was used to being away from home, and not seeing his parents for months at a time. "That's okay, it's okay that you miss them. Have you written them yet?"

It was archaic method of communication, but the only one that the Palace was offering them. Their phones had been taken away for the duration of their stay, mainly to prevent social media scandals or things of that nature. It also isolated them from the rest of the world, but Allen chose not to think about that.

"I sent one yesterday, but it's not the same." He replied, and Allen squeezed his hands.

"Did you still want to dye your hair?" Distractions worked, yes, distractions were good.

"How are you going to get hair dye?" Robbie squeezed back, eyes big and he was adorable despite the snot that had started running down his nose. Allen wished he had a handkerchief.

══════✮❁•°♛°•❁✮ ══════

Twenty minutes later they were in Allen's bathroom, mixing together the pigment and developer while Robbie was sat on the closed toilet seat, a towel wrapped around his shoulders. Maybe it was a little inappropriate that Robbie was in his room, but he couldn't bring himself to care. Robbie looked much happier, excited even, his pink nose the only evidence that he'd been crying.

"Do you think I'll get in trouble?" The Omega asked suddenly, picking at a thread in the towel.

He shrugged in response. "What are they going to do? Ground you? If they get mad I'll just say I peer pressured you or something."

Robbie laughed at that, "I'm sure they'll believe it. Big bad Alpha, forcing a poor Omega to dye his hair midnight blue."

"Alphas are always being villainized." He lamented playfully, prompting Robbie to tilt his head back. He began using the brush to distribute the dye throughout his hair, starting at the roots.

"I can see why," Robbie hummed, "You're all very intimidating."

That made him pause, but only just for a moment. "Do I scare you?"

"Not anymore than any other Alpha." He shrugged, and Allen wasn't sure why he cared. Maybe it was just that Robbie seemed like such a sweet and genuine Omega, but Allen didn't want him to fear him. Maybe it was just the lack of friends he'd made in the Palace. He was just lonely.

"You ought to be more wary then." Allen huffed, "You're alone with an Alpha. Some would take advantage of that."

"I guess, but you're not going to."

That had him pausing again. "And just what makes you so sure of that?"

"I can just feel it. I know you won't hurt me."

Allen's mouth twisted into a frown, one that the Omega couldn't see. This is what he didn't understand about Omegas. They were much too trusting, as if they were just asking for something bad to happen to them. It was just stupid, in his opinion. Perhaps if his hands weren't gloved and covered in blue dye, he would have instilled some fear in him, but instead he just put the last of it in his hair. "This needs to stay in for twenty-five minutes."