Chapter Text
Another night passes by in what feels like the blink of an eye in this miserable mansion in the mountains.
You’re carefully tending to the burns on Solaris’ hands, cooing and comforting the still weeping toddler as you wrap the bandages carefully around the wounds. The burns seem to be healing well, and you can only thank whatever being was out there watching you that you’d been quick enough to act when this happened two days earlier. You knew that while the burns didn’t hurt your son, he was upset with the fact that he couldn’t use his hands much while they were healing, which made it difficult for the little purple-haired boy to play when he wanted to, “There, there, Sol, it’s alright - you won’t have to have these bandages on your hands anymore after tonight, okay?” You murmur, Solaris hiccupping sadly as he stared up at you. Your words were true since your son was half pillarman, he had a higher rate of healing than that of a normal human. While his hands had gotten second-degree burns because of the sunlight that had touched his hands while he’d hung onto the window sill to watch the sunrise, he was much, much hardier against direct sunlight than full-blooded pillarmen. Didn’t much help that he was just as interested and nearly obsessed with touching sunlight as your mate seemed to be. Big fat tears spilt down his chubby cheeks and your heart nearly melted at the sight of his watery blood-red gaze. Tucking the end of the bandage beneath the first layer carefully, you lifted the tiny appendages and pressed loud, overdramatic kisses to the fabric, “Mwah and mwah! A kiss for the pain and one more for my big brave boy.”
As you leaned in to kiss Solaris’ chubby cheek, your son giggled wetly, flinging his arms around your neck and cuddling into you, “Tank you, Mama,” Solaris giggled, and you had to hold back the urge to awe over his cuteness. While your son tended to be a bit of a cry baby at the best of times, you could say with much relief that he was usually a very happy little toddler. While you and Kars still had a rather... contentious relationship to put it lightly, you’d been lucky so far that it hadn’t seemed to affect Solaris in the slightest. But then again, that probably had to do with the fact that your son tended to just lose himself to his thoughts more often than not. Occasionally, when you played with him, you would feel a wave of vertigo overtake you, but brushed it to the side, especially since he always seemed to happy after it had passed. Kars, of course, had been highly interested in these moments whenever they occurred in his presence, and would often stop what he was doing to watch Solaris stare into space or wait for vertigo to pass. It was a strange phenomenon you’d had to get used to when you were pregnant with Solaris as well - you often experienced those moments and thought they were just because of the shift in gravity you had to experience while your body grew to accommodate your son. It didn’t explain the strange visions you’d often get while you’d slept during those times, but hey, you figured it was just cabin fever or insanity settling its sharp claws into you. You refused to listen to Kars’ nonsense, nope, not one bit, nuh-uh, your son did not have strange abilities because of his pillarman blood.
Absolutely not. That would be absurd. If anything, he would end up having Hamon, like you did.
“Mama, my head hurt,” You were broken from your thoughts by Solaris’ little whine of complaint, your surprise causing you to tighten your arms around your son. Ah, it seemed your little one had another headache again. Humming, you lifted the pup into your arms and stood from where you’d been crouching. Solaris, as was his habit, buried his face into the crook of your neck, right where your scent glands were and breathed in deeply, relaxing in your arms as your familiar, comforting scent washed over his mind like a soothing balm. Shifting your grip on your son just a little so he was more comfortably pressed to your chest, you turned to the door that leads out of your son’s prison playroom. While you wished you had the freedom to wander around the manor without a guard, you knew that Kars still didn’t trust you with that much leeway. You were free not to wear your, ugh, ‘mating collar’ while in the privacy of the playroom, the nursery and your and Kars’ shared bedroom, it was expected of you to wear the damn thing if you were to go anywhere outside of those enclosed spaces. In a way, Kars was right not to give you that kind of freedom - you still fantasised about running away from this place, preferably with your son in tow, but you knew that the only way you could successfully do so without literally anyone coming after you would be during the day.
And unfortunately, your son was not immune to the rays of the sun.
Solaris whined when you pulled his face away from your neck, the pup’s headache coming back full force now that he was no longer able to continue scenting, “I’m sorry, baby, but you know Mama has to put the collar on,” You murmured, trying to keep your voice near whisper-soft so you wouldn’t aggravate Solaris’ pain. He grumbled as you clicked the leather piece on, the collar wrapping snugly around your neck, luckily leaving your scent glands uncovered so Solaris could continue to draw comfort from you. Once you were done, you walked towards the door and knocked lightly, waiting patiently for the guard - usually Whammu - on the other side to open it. You were unsurprised to see that being the case once more, the large pillarman raising a brow when he spotted you holding Solaris carefully in your arms, “He’s got a headache again. I need to go back to our rooms for some rest,” You murmured, trying to keep your voice as soft as you could. Whammu hummed and nodded, stepping aside to let you pass and closing the door firmly behind you. You waited patiently for the guard to step beside you, the blond man keeping a steady pace with you as he leads you to your rooms. It was humiliating, having to be guided everywhere in the manor, but you knew you had no one to blame but yourself. Even after all these years had passed, Kars still didn’t trust you not to leave if you saw the opportunity.
Sighing softly, you didn’t bother with making conversation with Whammu, knowing that your guard would prefer to remain quiet as he kept watch over you. You knew it partly had to do with the fact that you’d escaped once under his watch in the past, and that he’d been very cold and distant after that had happened, which made you feel guilty. Despite how deeply you despised being here, kept under constant surveillance and forced to play the perfect Omega mate to Kars, you had come to see Whammu as a close friend during your pregnancy, precisely because he’d spent so much time around you during those long months. You know that he’d blamed himself for what had happened, that you’d broken his trust despite the friendship you’d cultivated with him, and now he no longer could bring himself to allow you past those walls he kept mounted high around his noble heart. The deception weighed heavy on your mind, and you wonder if you would ever have that companionship with Whammu in the future once more, “It’s been getting warmer lately, hasn’t it?” You murmur, hoping beyond hope that maybe you could spark a little bit of conversation, missing the days where you’d be able to discuss with someone other than your three-year-old son, “It seems spring is going to be coming quite early this year… don’t you think?”
Whammu grunted in return and you felt your shoulders slump in disappointment. Of course, he wasn’t just going to go along with your weak attempts at drawing a reaction other than the cold stoicism from him. You would have tried once more if only Solaris didn’t whimper and curl closer to your neck. You felt pity for the little pup - his headaches had been getting a lot worse recently, and you knew they could last for hours if you didn’t give him the salve Kars had made especially for him. His horns had also started to grow in just a few months after his teeth had, so those prongs were bothering him as well. There was many a night where you’d had to leave the comfort of your nest to go and get your son from his crib after you heard him wailing with pain from his nursery. It hurt you to hear Solaris in so much agony, but Kars had assured you that this was something fairly normal for pillarman children to go through, your mate often using whatever tricks he had to help soothe and calm Solaris down enough to sleep. Sometimes, you couldn’t help but be grateful for those days, considering they were the days where Kars didn’t end up manipulating you into allowing him to fuck you. Of course, part of that relief was also because you hadn’t had another Heat in nearly three years, which you knew should concern you, especially after all the trauma you’d experienced beneath Kars’ ‘loving’ attention.
Shaking your head to clear your thoughts, you pushed the slight worry you had for your potential infertility to the side, choosing instead to focus on Solaris. It didn’t take long before Whammu had brought you to yours and Kars’ shared chambers, the large guard opening the heavy doors and giving you a terse good day. You sighed and walked in, biting your lower lip when the door shut and locked firmly behind you. Solaris whined and nuzzled closer to you, his little breaths huffing over your scarred scent gland, and you quickly moved to the bathroom to grab the salve you needed to provide your son with relief from the pain, “Come on, pup, let’s make that headache go away, hmm? Poor thing, first the burns and now your head - how do you manage to get into all this trouble, I wonder,” You teased, trying to keep your voice light and soft as you spoke, unwilling to hurt your son while his head throbbed. You were completely unaware of the dizzying array of visions that swirled through his little mind, most of them dissipating far quicker than Solaris could see them, though a few managed to stand out in his mind despite the pain. One, in particular, was extremely attention-grabbing, considering Solaris was part of the vision itself: it was rare for your son to get visions where he was included, so he couldn’t help but stare at the image of you smiling at him, big-bellied and resting against his Papa’s side. Unfortunately, despite his curiosity, Solaris was distracted from his visions when you shifted him away from your body, murmuring to stop the little one from fussing. You sat Solaris on the thick edge of the tub, being careful to make sure he wouldn’t be unstable or lose his balance while you took care of him, and popped open the lid of the salve.
When you started to gently rub the cool, soothing cream over Solaris’ forehead, you can see your son’s brow smooth suddenly, the pain relieved by whatever it was Kars had used to make the salve in your hands. You massage the tender, raw skin around the straining bumps where Solaris’ horns had just begun to grow, hearing the little one sigh and watching him lean into your touch. Unsurprisingly, Solaris begins purring, high pitched and adorable, his face nuzzling happily into your hands as you continued to ‘heal’ his pain. While most Alpha, Beta or Omega children could purr during this age, you knew instinctively that your son wasn’t technically Alphom as you were. Solaris didn’t yet have much of a distinctive scent - young ones such as himself were usually coated in the scents of their parents to show people who they were related to and to warn off any potentially dangerous people - but you knew that once he did, he’d probably be similar to Kars in that regard; smelling like Alphom, but not quite. Pushing the thoughts from your mind, you tried not to worry about how that knowledge made you feel, especially since you were somewhat certain that Solaris will be the only child you will ever have. You always kind of marvelled how quickly Kars’ tinctures and salves worked, but at the moment you were just relieved that Solaris would be in no more pain for a while. Once you were done, you pulled your hands away and smiled softly at Solaris, your little one blinking tiredly, exhausted from the pain and all the playing he’d been doing that night, “Mama, ‘m tired,” He yawned cutely, holding his arms out to you and making little grabby hands, your heart melting at the sight.
“Alright, let’s get you ready for bed then, hmm? It’s getting pretty late and you’ve had a busy day,” You hummed, helping your son off of the edge of the tub to set it up instead. You gave Solaris a quick bath, being mindful of having him keep his bandaged hands and head out of the water, then emptied the drain, dried him off and carried the little one to the nursery. Solaris kept growing sleepier, his head resting on your chest as you juggled with carrying him and grabbing his sleep clothes before you managed to snatch them up and pull them out. Unconsciously, you hummed a soft, slow tune, one that was familiar to your pup and had Solaris sleepily hum along. If anyone had stepped into the room at that moment, they would have been struck with how cosy the scene looked, how soft and warm with affection you were to your son. Once you had tugged Solaris’ pyjamas on, you tucked the toddler into his half-bed half-crib that Kars had Whammu and Esdisi help craft so Solaris wouldn’t accidentally roll out of bed in his sleep, your little one being as active while unconscious as his father. Smiling softly, you cupped and stroked Solaris’ cheek, allowing your scent to permeate the air as you grabbed his favoured toy - a plush rabbit with lopsided ears and a missing nose, made of patchworked materials you’d managed to scrounge together from the manor. When you’d made it, you’d been insistent that you didn’t want your mate to help you by providing the necessary materials, knowing that near the entire world was already under Kars’ controlling hand. Sighing, you leaned down to kiss your son, murmuring a quiet, “Sleep well, Sol,” before you stepped out of the nursery and shut the door behind you.
Leaning against the door to the nursery, you shut your eyes and sighed deeply. You couldn’t help but grow increasingly worried about your son as time moved on. Solaris’ headaches had been getting much, much worse the last few months. The little one hadn’t even been well to celebrate his birthday, forced to curl up against you and Kars inside your darkened room the entire day. He’d been so ill he hadn’t even been able to eat anything, food causing the little tyke to feel such extreme nausea he wouldn’t be able to keep it down. You couldn’t help the panicked, stricken feeling that came over you whenever Solaris had those awful moments - especially since you were convinced the little pup would be the only child you would have. Despite Kars’ ‘efforts’ to breed you again, you’d had yet to have another Heat, even after three years following the birth of your son. Most Omegas would only have an infertility period of a year following their first child, as it was common for all of the Omega’s instincts and energy to go towards caring for the new baby, forcing one’s Heats to be put on hold for that entire duration. Of course, you’d heard of other Omegas going through a longer ‘Heat Pause’ than a year, but even then it would only be around a year and a half before something was considered very, very wrong. You didn’t know whether to be relieved or terrified in that case - relieved because it meant that you would not have to carry another pup for your ‘Alpha’, but terrified that Solaris would grow up sickly and lonely, locked away in the mountains with no other children to befriend and play with. And then there was the fear that came to you if - due to a very low possibility - Solaris ever died; what would Kars do then? Would he kill you because you no longer had a use? Would he continue to keep you here, torturing you, trying to force your body under another Heat so he could experiment and create another human-pillarman hybrid? Sure, Kars seemed like a good father, he was kind and patient and affectionate with Solaris, but there was never any doubt when you looked at the two interacting that Kars also viewed your son as some interesting thing to study.
A shudder rushed down your spine and you shook your head, trying to clear your thoughts of the possibilities. Damn, you needed to find a way to relax without spiralling into another swirl of anxiety-ridden thoughts. Maybe you could take a bath before Kars returned to the rooms from… whatever it was he went to do today. You knew he’d gone out of the manor to do something, but at the same time, you couldn’t find it in yourself to care. Walking over to the bathroom, you perked up more when you realised that Kars’ absence might just extend to tomorrow, the day after, hell, he might be gone for the remainder of the week! Maybe you could beg Whammu to let you go to the library with Solaris so you could read something fun for once. Maybe you could convince him to let you go to the kitchens so you could make some good goddamned comfort food that you so desperately missed having while stuck here!
Practically skipping to the bathroom, you were unaware that Kars had just returned to the manor and was in debriefing while he waited for the kitchens to prepare something for you and Solaris to eat. Now that your son was asleep, though, he would not be hungry until he woke again in a few more hours, especially considering the headache he’d had just before turning in to rest. Unbeknownst to you, Kars had been hunting down Joseph, Caesar and Lisa Lisa, still intent on gaining the red stone of Aja, especially now that it was confirmed that his son would not be able to stand in the sun much like Kars himself. The knowledge fueled the pillarman’s hunt, Esidisi and Santana having joined their leader on his current quest while the new leads to the three Hamon warriors were still fresh. Whammu had been tasked with keeping you occupied, something easily done by leading you and Solaris to the playroom where you would be distracted by ensuring your son remained away from the windows and enjoyed himself. Kars couldn’t help but smirk triumphantly, his bloodied fingers clutching the stone between his claws, the stone mask that would turn him and the others into Ultimate Beings held in the other. Unfortunately for Kars, he had not killed the three humans, having spared their lives because of the promise he’d made to you when you gave yourself to him fully, though he’d been tempted to when that damned Joestar brat spat out that though you were Kars’ mate, the pillarman was second place to Joseph. The taunt, for that was all it was, had been enough to make Kars snap and claw the insolent whelp’s arm off, the leader of the pillarmen barely having held himself back from killing the Joestar as he lay screaming in pain.
Shaking his head, Kars turned the glimmering red jewel over in his had, admiring the way it shone in the golden light of the fire. He wondered, idly, what you would think when he would walk into the sunlight with your son after he unlocked their full potential. Would you be elated? Would you be distressed? Would the actions break that last, stubborn little flicker of hope that still prevented you from giving, mentally, completely into Kars, mind, body and soul? The pillarman hummed thoughtfully, allowing Esidisi to speak in triumph as he continued to regard the stone in his hands. He’d have to perform the ritual when you were asleep, certain that you would try to take and hide Solaris from Kars should you be aware of his plans to turn your son into an Ultimate Being such as he and the other pillarmen. Kars smirked, inhaling slowly as Whammu stepped into the throne room, catching the slight trail of your scent that seemed to linger on those you spent time with. While you were under the impression that you were never going to experience a Heat after the traumatic events that lead to Solaris’ birth, Kars could already smell that your body was preparing to undergo another one. Oh, he’d certainly been worried at first when you’d mentioned off-handedly that your heats were taking far longer than usual to return, but after some research and calculations on his part, Kars doubted you were as ‘infertile’ as you believed to be. While common for human Omegas’ Heats to undergo something similar to a ‘hibernation’ period - especially so after a difficult birth - but after reading through and listening to information gathered by other Alphom humans, Kars had concluded that the ‘hibernation’ of your Heats were also related to your and his son.
Because Solaris was considered only partly Alphom, due mostly to the fact that the pup was going to be more in tune with the pillarmen system of secondary genders, your hormones and instincts saw your son’s lack of secondary gender as something requiring effort and protection. Your instincts keep telling you that Solaris’ differences with Alphom children mean that the child is sick, thus suppressing your Heats so you will be able to concentrate and care for the pup without having to worry about the distractions of Heats and hormones present during another pregnancy. It was quite an interesting and complex system, Kars mused, one that you seemed to only half understand yourself - though, that could be due to the lack of proper education for Alphom children and the lack of half-human half-pillarmen pups running about. In any case, now that your instincts about Solaris’ health had settled, your body was quickly beginning to prepare for a Heat, stockpiling energy through eating more and putting on some extra weight to help you through it. You seemed not to have even noticed the changes yourself, which amused Kars when he’d have the pleasure of pinning you to the nest and indulging you both with the pleasure of sex. Or, it could be that you were trying to deny that you were going into Heat after so long, having decided and stuck to the ‘fact’ that you were infertile after such a long break between the Heat where Kars claimed you and the one your body was currently preparing for. Whatever the case, the pillarman couldn’t help but look forward eagerly to your upcoming Heat, the memories of how sweet and desperate you’d been the first time playing through his mind on repeat. He fully intended to use your mindless need to be filled by your ‘Alpha’ to manipulate you, wanting you to become so fully attached to Kars that you would rather die than leave his side.
Especially after the threat Joestar had snarled while being dragged from Kars’ sight.
As Kars waved off the rest of his underlings, promising Esidisi, Whammu and Santana that the preparations for the ritual would be soon underway, you had just finished unclothing yourself. The water in the tub steamed, filling the bathroom with the delightful scent of waterlilies and honey. While bathing was a regular thing for you, Kars and Solaris, you hadn’t had the chance to indulge yourself in the calm and relaxation of a proper bath in so long. You couldn’t help but step into the tub eagerly, sighing in bliss as the hot water lapped at your body, engulfing you and warming you to the very core of your being. All of your muscles went lax once you were in the bath, your eyes fluttering shut with a soft moan of relief. Gods, this is heavenly , you thought to yourself, tipping your head back and inhaling, slow and deep, holding your breath for several seconds before releasing it in a deep sigh. You can’t help but languish in the heat, briefly imagining that you were outside, laying in the summer sun, your friends beside you as you joked and laughed and just… enjoyed the time you spent together. You missed sunlight, you thought with a pang of nostalgia, trying to ignore the tears that prickled beneath your lashes. You missed being able to go out, to tilt your head back and breathe deeply while Hamon crackled through your body. You missed the smell of summer, the sounds of cicadas screaming and the sweat that fell from your brow as you sparred against Caesar. You missed lazy afternoons on surprisingly warm spring days, the scent of honeysuckle tingling in your nose as you leaned against Joseph, watching the sun slowly making its way past the horizon. You missed the days Lisa Lisa would indulge the three of you by buying you ice cream, teasing her lightly for being ‘such a mom’ as Joseph and Caesar argued whether mint chocolate chip ice cream was good or the devil’s choice of treats.
You missed those dorks so, so much.
The door opens not several moments after you step into the hot bath, distracting you from your thoughts with a soft click. Sighing slowly, your eyes fluttered open at the sound, (E/C) eyes blinking away the wetness to your eyes, “So this is where you’ve decided to hide yourself tonight, Omega mine,” You tense at Kars’ voice, forcing yourself to remain still and ‘relaxed’ beneath the hot, soapy water of the bath. You swallowed thickly when your ears caught the sounds of rustling cloth, a clear indication that Kars was unclothing himself, your ‘Alpha’ intending on bathing with you in the warmth the tub provided. You could never really find the right words to describe what Kars and the other pillarmen smelled like, but you supposed it was just… earthy, stone-like if you wanted to describe it in some way. Feeling the water shift around you, you stared, wordlessly, as Kars clambered into the bath opposite you. Despite yourself, you couldn’t help but let your gaze wander his strong body, pausing to watch the way his muscles shifted beneath tanned skin. Swallowing thickly, you tried to turn your gaze away, only to catch sight of your Alpha’s soft cock, as it swayed between his thighs. While you knew it was large - you’d seen, felt and tasted it plenty of times to know that it was - you couldn’t stop how your mouth dried out whenever you saw the sheer girth of it. Of course, the length of Kars’ member was nothing to scoff at either - no, bad (Y/N), think of something else. Kars, seeing where your attention seemed to be locked, chuckled, his blood-red gaze becoming hooded and sultry, “Was there something you liked, dearest? I’m not opposed to posing if you wish to study my body.”
You made a soft, embarrassed noise, ducking your head down to tear your eyes away from his cock, biting your lower lip when Kars’ released a chuckle, the sound rumbling, nearly vibrating in the centre of your chest, “No, thank you, that isn’t necessary,” You responded, far too hastily for your voice to be anything other than panicked, which drew another chuckle from your mate. You tried to ignore the heat that bloomed in the pit of your gut, arousal tightly coiling in your loins despite yourself. Clearing your throat, you purposefully looked elsewhere as Kars settled into the tub across from you, the Alpha releasing a heavy sigh and a groan that shot straight to your core. Damn, had the water somehow gotten hotter while you weren’t paying attention? You don’t think you’ve felt this aroused in well… you furrow your brow and shake your head, jolting in surprise when Kars’ thick legs stretched to frame your softer limbs, drawing your attention back to him. He rose one of her eyebrows, lifting one hand to beckon you closer. Knowing what disobeying Kars could entail, you sighed and moved closer to him, allowing the Alpha to pull you into his chest so that your back rested against him. You were tense for several moments, shifting to get comfortable against the hard planes of your mate before you settled down, leaning comfortably back into Kars’ touch with a small hum, “I thought you wouldn’t be returning till next week?” You mumbled, tilting your head to the side when you felt something brush against the scars on your scent gland, shivering lightly when Kars’ cool lips pressed lightly against the marks.
Your mate hummed and moved, reaching towards the nearby stool that housed the soap and hair products that Santana had supposedly designed to be used by you and Kars, though you didn’t know why the pillarman would have done so, “We were able to collect what we needed earlier than expected,” Kars spoke softly, pressing another surprisingly tender kiss to the back of your neck, one hand pulling your hair up and out of the way as he did so. Leaning back, you sighed as your Alpha used a small bowl to wet your hair, soaking the (H/C) strands so he could wash your hair. You couldn’t deny that there was something incredibly intimate about Kars bathing you, something that settled low and heavy in your mind and body, suffusing your skin with warmth. You shut your eyes and tipped your head back when you felt Kars run his fingers through your hair, the actions building up a thick, deliciously scented lather. Something vaguely citrus and herbal filled your senses, the smells mixing with that of the bathwater and encouraging you to relax further, whatever lingering tension flooding out of your system as your mate gently, carefully washed your hair, “I heard there was an incident while I was away, though,” You winced slightly at Kars’ tone - not quite angry, not quite disappointed, but enough so that it would have made your hackles raise if you weren’t already so relaxed, “I assume you used the medicines I’d left here just in case the worst happened?”
“Mhmm,” You hummed tiredly, surprised with how exhausted you felt now that the worry and tension throughout the day had flooded out of you. How had you not noticed it before? Had you missed Kars so much that his mere presence, his touch, his voice and kisses, were making you feel more secure and safe? “Solaris is healing well. He’s got your faster healing factor,” You muttered, mewling and going lax when Kars’ claws scraped lightly over your scalp, tingles of pleasure skittering down your skin from the sensation. You had to bite the inside of your cheek to hold back the soft moan you wanted to release, leaning into Kars’ touch as your Alpha finished lathering up your hair, massaging your scalp while the shampoo soaked into your hair and worked its magic, “Just kinda terrifying when it first happened, you know? I thought he’d be more… I don’t know,” You murmured, tilting your head and allowing Kars to dip it beneath the water, his fingers running through your hair and washing out the suds.
Once Kars was done with your hair, he pulled you back up carefully, making sure none of the water spilt over the sides of the bathtub, “You thought he would be more resilient because you had been capable of using Hamon,” You tensed slightly and shrugged, unaware of the knowing smirk the purple-haired pillarman shot the back of your head. Now that your hair was washed, he moved to wash your body, only to pause when you rested a hand against his arm lightly. Raising a brow in curiosity, Kars stayed still as you clambered to the other side of the tub, moving to sit on the lip. Hesitating for just a moment, you spread your thighs and gestured your mate closer, something deep inside you wanting to be involved in the cleaning process, your fingers itching with the need to touch and stroke through Kars’ thick hair, “Oh? I thought you said you would never indulge me,” The pillarman purred shifting in the tub to rest his back between your thighs, inhaling slowly to take in the scent of the water, the shampoo… you, earthy and clean, the slight hint of your heat tinging your rosemary and honey smell, adding something spicy that made Kars’ mouth water. Tipping his head, he felt you begin the long process of washing his long, thick curls, wetting the strands gently but thoroughly before you started to massage the shampoo into Kars’ scalp, gradually working down from his head to the tips of his hair. Kars couldn’t help the flutter of his heart at the gentle, caring way you washed his hair; traditionally in pillarman culture, only mates, siblings or parents touched and cleaned one another’s hair, the action so intimate that it was held only for those you were closest too. Barely remembered moments where Esidisi, Kars’ closest friend, had helped him wash and care for his hair floated through Kars’ mind as he relished your touch, “Hmmm, you’re very good at this.”
“I’ve had practice,” You mumble, carefully moving Kars so you could dip his head beneath the water, cupping the back of his neck to keep his face above the water, but freeing your other hand so you could wash out the suds. The moment felt calm, a sliver of time that would always remain in the back of your mind. Your eyes drank in the relaxed expression on Kars’ face: lips parted slightly, lashes fluttering against his cheek, he almost looked like he was asleep, the statuesque beauty of his face unmarred by stress as he relaxed into your tender touch. Your heartbeat loudly in your ears, struck, quite suddenly, by this all-encompassing warmth and affection you felt for Kars. You watched his eyes slowly flicker open, regarding you lazily, his parted lips curving just slightly up into a smile. Unable to stop yourself, you lean in and kiss your Alpha, slow and languid, forgetting for a moment just what Kars had done to you, how he had taken you from the life you’d lived before now. All those memories were pushed aside, forgotten while you lost yourself to the taste of your mate’s mouth. Kars froze momentarily, surprised by your actions before he responded, raising one hand to cup the back of your head, tilting your face so he could devour your lips and tongue.
You whimpered and relented, following Kars’ rhythm, the two of you kissing for several long moments, until your Alpha allowed you to pull away, his blood-red gaze heated with lust, “If you had wanted a kiss, beloved, you could have asked,” He murmured, grinning when his words broke you out of your stupor. Your brows furrowed and you jerked back, cursing the pillarman out as you stood from the tub, nearly slipping and falling before Kars caught you, laughing and pulling you back into the quickly cooling water, “I was just teasing, (Y/N), come, let us finish bathing, my Omega,” Your mate chuckled, pulling your slippery body back into his as you put up a token struggle before relenting. The rest of your bath together went by quickly, the two of you soon stepping out to dry up and re-enter your sleeping quarters. Once there, you moved to pull on one of the few large shirts that Kars ‘owned’ and wore semi-regularly - only so he could drench the material in his scent so you would be coated in it while you slept - and crawling into your nest. You could smell that there was food somewhere close by, but you suddenly felt much, much too tired to eat, even when Kars moved to sit beside you with the plate and urge you into his lap, “Come, dearest, you must eat. You will need your strength for the coming days,” He whispered, bundling your tired body into his chest and slowly feeding you, ignoring the way your scent became stronger.
It would seem that your Heat was already beginning to set in, far faster than Kars would have anticipated, given how your pre-heat used to last a week, rather than the four days it had this time. You couldn’t believe it, the sensations of your Heat beginning to fill your body familiar yet not, but you were too tired to do anything about it right now. You just wanted to curl up and sleep, to cuddle close to your mate and rest before you would wake, insatiable with need. Once you’d eaten several bites, Kars was satisfied enough to push the plate to the side of the nest, your Alpha turning onto his side and burying his face in the crook of your neck, rubbing his cheeks against your scarred scent glands. You whined his name softly, but remained soft and lax, the calming sensations of Kars’ actions quickly lulling you into a pre-heat sleep, allowing your body to finish its preparations while you slept. Kars contented himself, for the time being, scenting and kneading your body, ensuring that you would be needy and desperate when you next woke, glad that he’d already spoken to the other pillarmen to have them entertain Solaris while Kars helped you through your Heat. if all went well, Kars would secure a second Heir in your belly through the next few days, intent on stuffing your womb full to the brim until there would be no doubt whose pup would grow in your belly once more.