Part of a scene from my original story I wrote today that I'm really happy with 💖
Kaito is an Alpha with hyperosmia, unable to function in normal society because of how others scents overwhelm him to the point of being cripplingly ill.
Mei is an Omega with an "invisible" scent, told her whole life that she would never be able to pair-bond with an Alpha because they just couldn't smell her
After spending a few months together in a lightly enchanted castle, Mei and Kaito need to travel into the nearest village for supplies.
When Kaito's condition causes him to spiral, Mei gently pulls him back from his panic.
...her eyes scanned the market square until they fell upon what looked to be a narrow, empty side street or alleyway tucked between two larger buildings.
"Come with me," she tugged at Kaito's arm/sleeve, gently guiding him through the small crowd towards the space.
He resisted for a moment, reluctant to go any further in to the square and the crowd, but he soon caught on to where she was trying to lead him and then followed close behind.
As they ducked into the small space, Mei felt goosebumps flaring along her arms as a chill washed over her; the dim, shaded alley was much cooler than the open, sunny market.
She turned to look at Kaito, who had slumped back against the alley wall, his breath still coming in short gasps. One large hand was raised to his heaving chest, covering the spot above his heart, willing the organ to slow down.
"Hey, look at me," she said softly, and when he did not move his gaze to meet hers, she felt a little stab of something cold and helpless in the pit of her stomach. "Please?" it was a whispered plea; she didn't know how else to help him. His gold-flecked eyes finally fixed on hers, and she exhaled slowly, reaching for him before pausing.
"Can I touch you?" she asked softly, remembering how her sister had always asked before taking her hands.
He again hesitated for a moment; that smell from the market still stung at his senses, making his throat dry, the back of his eyes already starting to ache. Kaito relented, giving Mei a jerking nod, Mei placing on hand on top of the one he had settled upon his chest.
She held onto him, squeezing with a gentle but firm pressure, raising her free hand up under his veil to rest lightly against his face, cupping his jaw, all the while her eyes never leaving his.
"You're safe, I'm here with you; breathe with me, okay?" she repeated the words her sister had always used with her, inhaling slowly through her nose, pausing and holding that breath for a few seconds before slowly exhaling through her mouth. She gently moved his hand downward, resting it instead against his soft abdomen. "Try to breathe from here, okay? Deep breaths," she soothed, repeating the breathing pattern.
Kaito's breaths stuttered the first couple of times, but he was soon taking in long, deep breaths, copying Mei, their hands rising and falling with his abdomen, her other hand steady against his cheek.
Her scent...those sweet little notes of vanilla and warm fruits...her wrist was so close that she cut through everything.
He felt the tight knot in his chest loosen just slightly, repeating the pattern over again, and again once more, his shoulders starting to drop.
"You're okay, I'm right here. We're going to go back to the wagon as soon as you can breathe. Focus on the herbs in your veil, deep breaths for me..."
But it was not the herbs that settled the thrumming of his heart, and while the breathing did help, it was her. Mei's soft scent seeming to shield him from anything else, her serene voice wrapping around him like a silken blanket.
With every exhale he felt the panic that had been gripping him release a bit more, until his breathing had fallen back into its normal rhythm, and he no longer needed to keep time with her.
annaxmalina
blakekathryn
izzy806
janainaart
origamiaround
tangentwithtanner
theartofmadeline
