Valgar
He stared at Cocal, who Quincy had sent to fetch him, and wanted to beg to be allowed to take Mar along for support. But not only would that have been cowardly, it was not what Quincy wanted.
The child would be his first born, which meant no one could send them to battle and... And he wanted a child, he always had.
So he had pretended Quincy simply felt nervous at the prospect of something new, that Mar’s determination could do something in the face of biology and keep their partner safe...
And here was the price: Quincy rejecting him once more.
Nothing more than Valgar deserved when he’d selfishly been glad of something that made his mate despair like this.
He knocked and waited, chest tight, hands sweaty.
Quincy’s voice sounded normal, or as normal as it could sound when Valgar could barely feel him on the other side of the bond.
It was late afternoon and the room was messy. His omega was sitting by the window, facing out, his exhaustion heavy in the air between them.
He turned and met Valgar’s eyes. “It’s over.”
Valgar gave a sharp nod, then took a hesitant step closer, lips parting for words he didn’t know. “Quincy,” he said in the end.
And his partner’s face crumbled like it’d been the key to it all, lips pressing together, hand coming up to cover his eyes.
Valgar crossed over and grabbed for it. “No,” he said. “I’m here.”
And maybe it wasn’t enough, it made no difference to what Quincy had gone through and what was left to come, but this time he was allowed to hold him as he cried, the bond opening up like a flood he could barely withstand.
Except he had no choice, because he couldn’t leave Quincy alone with it. In a way, the pain was a cleanse, the only fair payment he could offer for the pain he had caused.
Quincy stumbled into his arms fully, nails digging into his arms, crying harder against Valgar’s breaking heart. And all he could do was keep his own hands steady and soft on his back, his own body firm as his partner collapsed into him.
It wasn’t simply pain, but anger, and Valgar took it all, breathing to keep them both grounded until Quincy’s body started following suit. He was still panting, but the horrible twisting feeling had eased. Not gone, but at least retreated, a wave returned to the immensity of the ocean.
The kiss made him jerk in place, just a press of lips against the corner of his mouth where Quincy could catch him by turning his face.
Quincy stopped cold, and with a sharp stab of shame, Valgar realised his mate was psychically retreating again.
“No!” He said quickly, leaning back to seek his grey eyes and finding his omega staring at the ground, fair cheeks scarlet.
“I wasn’t expecting it,” Valgar explained. “I... I always want you.”
But Quincy didn’t believe him, which made no sense except Valgar was way too freaked out to be aroused.
He put his fingers under Quincy’s chin and tilted it up, met his wary eyes and then bent over for a kiss.
Barely there at first, until he couldn’t resist and licked at the seal of Quincy’s lips, pausing for his mate to invite him in and then kissing slowly, tracing his teeth and sucking at his tongue.
He felt his partner shudder at the touch, their bodies finding a familiar rhythm once again, a step they had missed in a dance they knew well.
Yeah, he thought. Just like that, just let me...
Quincy was walking him backwards to the bed, which was the last thing Valgar had expected coming to his rooms today and it felt so good that he could have wept.
He’d spent half of the last four days promising himself he would never touch his omega again if that was what he wanted, and now...
Quincy shoved him onto the bed with enough force Valgar had to put his hands down.