August was filled with abrupt panic. He instantly knew which box Galen had found. He’d forgotten that his sister had brought it over with his other things. When he had found it amongst the stuff in his room, he hadn’t wanted to deal with it, and had just thrown something overtop so he didn’t have to look at it. Until this moment, out of sight, out of mind, he’d completely forgotten he still had it at all.
“Ah, don’t open that—” August started, somewhat belatedly.
Galen was already pulling stuff out of the box. In one hand, he had a set of measuring cups with his 12-year-old face printed on the backs. In the other was a Future Princess Galen™ fact-a-day calendar. “Oh wow, this stuff is old,” he said, then added, “I still regret letting them put my face on these. They were destined to get damaged.”
“So, I, uhm…”
“Have a box full of my old merch,” Galen helpfully finished, pulling out another item, a glossy, thin book. The title was “Prince Alexander & Galen’s Look Book”. The cover was a photo of a smiling, dimpled teen putting a flower wreath over a younger Galen’s head. He flipped through the pages wistfully before putting it down and reaching for something else.
“I guess I went through a bit of a phase, and then people realized that they made easy gifts,” August finished. He wanted to sink into the bed and disappear.
Unhindered by August’s embarrassment, Galen pulled out a children’s cookbook next. “It’s not surprising to me. We were really popular with kids at the time. It’s just interesting that you kept so much old stuff, but nothing newer than—” Galen rummaged quickly through the rest of the box, “—about 9 years ago.”
“Yeah, that’s around the time I got sick.” August felt he’d been completely seen through. A breeze moved through the trees outside, shifting the light and shadows in the quiet room. Maybe it was the cool sunlight that compelled him to be more honest. He shifted on the bed but couldn’t bring himself to face Galen directly.
He explained, “I guess when I was little, I was just fascinated by you and Crown Prince Alexander. You were the perfect couple. I’d watch your cooking show and I’d daydream, like a lot of Beta kids do, about differentiating, and being special, and getting to hold onto my own Omega, who’d be as pretty and gentle and graceful as you were… But then I got sick, and everyone thought I was going to die, and I didn’t want to think about that stuff anymore.”
August couldn’t help but laugh at himself. He could hear the bitterness in his voice, and he was bitter about being bitter, too. After another moment of silence, he continued, “It’s pretty ironic. I really did differentiate into an Alpha! The rarest and most useless kind.”
Galen listened quietly as August talked. He had always expected that the other had some history with his celebrity, but he hadn’t expected it to come with such harsh feelings. Until this moment, everything had seemed much more straightforward in his mind. August was sick with a disease that would kill him; Galen could help him live a long and normal life. It had been a direct and satisfying story. Now, August’s words gave him pause. He realized that maybe it wasn’t as simple as being sick and getting better.
Galen started putting the old merchandize back in the box, trying to decide what to say next. August watched him look at the measuring cups again, running a thumb across the scratched-up image of his childhood self.
Finally, Galen got up and sat beside August on the bed. He pressed their shoulders together and said, “If it’s any consolation, I’m not exactly the perfect Omega, either.”
August said, “I’m not sure if I believe that.” He couldn’t imagine anyone else looking as elegant while hanging upside-down off the couch.
Galen laughed lightly, “Really? I killed Johannes. I’m a convicted murder, and you still think I’m the perfect Omega?”
“Well when you put it that way, it sounds bad… but everyone knew Prince Johannes would have made a terrible emperor, so I still think you did the right thing.”
“Me too,” Galen sighed, shifting more of his weight onto August’s shoulder, “I don’t regret it, even though I know it’s not what Alex would have wanted. All of that graceful-beautiful stuff used to feel natural to me, but after he died, I realized that it wasn’t always worth it to be gentle.”
“Mmn, yeah… I must sound pretty shallow. I think it’s admirable, that you were willing to take a stand,” August murmured. He was starting to get too distracted by the smell of Galen’s shampoo to say anything less blunt. He believed he had desensitized himself to Galen recently, but, aside from the treatments, they’d never been this physically close before. He was relieved that the Former Crown Princess didn’t belittle him, and happy that Galen was willing to be open with him, but he was also feeling other things that were harder to control.
“I appreciate it,” Galen said, letting his head fall against August’s neck. He could sense something swirling beneath the surface that he couldn’t put into words. He just wanted to rest his eyes for a moment.
The soft and quiet moment lasted until Galen felt August shift uncomfortably, and when he opened his eyes again, there was a pillow placed rather conspicuously over August’s lap. It was easy to deduce what had happened.
The light was just bright enough for Galen to make out the blush spreading all the way to August’s ears. A strange atmosphere spread throughout the quiet room as the restless trees outside continued to cast erratic shadows. The sound of breathing wasn’t loud, but it was the loudest thing Galen could hear, each breath falling out of sync with the other.
August stammered and apologized, “Sorry, I, uh, I can go—go handle this myself.”
Galen’s mind was turning in a new direction. He still vividly remembered how August had teased him the last time. The frustrating thing about being in heat was that he was always at the other’s mercy, but now… Galen had a clear head, and August was practically squirming beside him, and this seemed like too good an opportunity to pass up. “Would you like my help?” he heard himself ask.
*** Explicit scene begins ***
In the long silence that followed, Galen boldly slipped his hand between the pillow and August’s pants, lightly kneading the bulge he felt underneath. Whatever willpower August had to resist deserted him in an instant. Galen could sense the change in tension as he traced the area with his slender fingers. He felt his way to August’s waistband, and slowly wormed his hand underneath. August gulped, and Galen felt his waist flex against his fingertips.
August didn’t say anything, but he did remove the pillow.
Beneath the fabric, Galen wrapped his hand around the growing cock. The smooth and soft skin felt like it would burn him, but it was an addictive warmth. He rubbed his thumb lightly across a vein, and brushed his fingers across the swelling head. He reached lower, filling his palm with August’s balls and massaging them with his grip.
Galen moved August’s pants out of the way, and finally got a good look at the instrument. It was long and thick and dark with blood, and still growing. A few shallow veins were clearly visible, and Galen couldn’t help but trace them out using his fingertips. As precum starting leaking from the head, he slid a finger across the slit, picking up the slick fluid and distributing it down the shaft.
August was enraptured by Galen’s touch. He could feel the Omega’s interest, curiosity, and distance through those lithe fingers reaching out to grasp him. But he wanted more. “Hang on,” he managed to say. Then, he reached into one of his nightstand drawers and pulled out his lube.
When Galen understood him, he held his hand out politely, waiting to receive it. August squeezed some into the palm, and watched as those pale fingers closed around it, flexing as Galen coaxed the lube across his skin. That hand at last returned to August’s hard cock, and August sank back on his elbows in relief as Galen slicked the shaft. He more firmly gripped it, feeling his Alpha jump against his palm. He starting pumping August’s length, occasionally stopping to caress the oozing slit.
Under the influence of Galen’s ministrations, August couldn’t help but close his eyes and pant, open-mouthed. Galen enjoyed the helplessness of his expression. He squeezed a little harder, and watched as the action registered on the Alpha’s face. August always had a certain vulnerability about him, but at this moment it radiated from his skin and breath, heating the dim room and capturing all of his Omega’s attention.
Galen leaned his back against August’s chest, tilted his head up, and whispered, “Would you like me to go faster? Hold you tighter?”
“Yes.”
Galen felt the air from the word move over the top of his head. Complying, he redoubled his efforts, moving his fist over August’s shaft over and over, twisting his wrist and teasing the weeping head with his thumb. Galen could feel the muscles in the Alpha’s hips start to tighten, and knew that soon he would be ready to come. He gave a few more pumps, rubbed his head against August’s jaw, and sweetly asked, “Do you like it?”
“Ah—” August tensed, and his seed erupted, covering Galen’s hand and dripping down his wrist. They both stared at it a moment, before Galen worked up the nerve to taste some.
He licked a little off his thumb and found it somewhat unpleasant, but August was watching his actions, so he didn’t stop. Instead, Galen locked eyes with the man, and surveyed his reaction as he slowly lapped every drop off his fingers, the back of his hand, and his wrist. August was both mesmerized and mortified as he saw the soft pink tongue chase his cum across Galen’s delicate skin. The perverted scene continued until almost every drop was gone.
*** Explicit scene ends ***
Galen was considering what he should do next when the lights came back on.
All their actions were thrown into abrupt relief as the harsh artificial bulbs illuminated the room. What had felt only natural a moment before took on a sense of absurdity.
“Now that the power’s back—”
“I think I should go—”
They each started to say something, but neither of them finished. August turned away as Galen gracelessly fled the room. Once the other was gone, he couldn’t help feeling like everything had been a dream, or maybe a mistake. It had all been a little too good, a little too perfect to be real. He sighed and went to the bathroom to wash up.
A few days after the power outage, August invited his sister over to use the pool. He asked Galen to stay upstairs, and told her that his roommate wasn’t in. They spent a couple hours playing pool games and talking about school. His sister was in the process of choosing a university, so he listened as she went over her pros and cons lists, where her friends were going, and what her teachers had said. Finally, when it was time for her to go home, he brought her the box of old merchandize.
“I think these got packed by mistake,” August said with a straight face, “but I don’t really have a use for them, so can you take them back?”
His sister broke out in a malicious smile at his words; evidently she’d been waiting for him to say something. “Oh I didn’t pack them by mistake. You’re the one who never threw them out! And besides, maybe they’ll be worth something someday…”
“Oh no, not you, too,” August groaned, “In what crazy conspiracy world does this old junk have any value?”
“What? Everyone’s got their theories! Personally, I’m hoping that Princess Galen’s on a secret mission to investigate corruption amongst the nobles. What’s yours?” His sister picked up on August’s sore spot and needled him even as she took the box from his hands.
August’s theory was that Galen was probably miffed at having to hide in his own house, and he’d have to make it up to him later. Of course, what he said was, “I don’t have a theory. Nothing’s happening.”
“C’mon, I know it’s not spies or holograms or whatever, but it’s gotta be something right? It’s pretty suspicious that there’s been no news about the execution,” his sister continued as August walked her to the gate of the house.
