Kand-Lei suddenly grabbed Darcy's hand, sensing that something was wrong. The only thing he could think of of was that the man Darcy had refused to marry had found him and they needed to run immediately.
Despite Darcy saying that it was merely an arranged marriage, Kand-Lei had an inexplicable feeling of danger whenever he recalled the man who had stalked past the alleyway they had been hiding in.
He looked around as he tugged at Darcy's hand, hoping to incite him into action.
Darcy stumbled as he turned, Kand-Lei reached out an arm to support his unsteady frame, looking over Darcy's shoulder. His eyes slowly swept the street and accidentally made contact with the last person he wanted to see at that moment.
Panic.
He immediately felt as if cold water was poured all over him, his mind screamed run but his feet were rooted to the concrete. He swore that he could smell the pissed pheromones from this distance, heavy, oppressive, dangerous.
Before he could string a thought together he was running, dragging a still dazed Darcy after him.
His single objective; get far enough from Darcy's crazy-stalker-ex-arranged-marriage-partner that his fight or flight response was no longer triggered.
They made their sequel to last night's mad dash, this time running faster and further because it was easier to keep track of them in the daylight.
Darcy's breath came out in ragged gasps, breathing out big clouds of mist into the bitter air. Both were beautiful, the sunlight reflecting off of Darcy's long, hair, shining a brilliant opalescent white, reminiscent of fresh snow.
Kand-Lei made a snap decision, casting his nose in the air, he ducked into an outdoor market, filled with a myriad of confusing smells. It was enough to mask both of their scents.
He tucked them both into a little alcove between two stalls, one selling extremely pungent durian, the other seemingly battling the durian for strongest scent with many wheels of different cheeses on display.
The durian was undoubtedly winning.
Kand-Lei was breathing a bit heavily, such a sprint was not too laborious on his stamina, the same could not be said for Darcy. He was bent over like a half finished origami piece, hands clutching his knees as he gasped in air.
Kand-Lei couldn't help a small triumphant smirk from slipping onto his face. Darcy might be stronger, but he had the better speed and endurance.
Maybe there really was balance in the universe after all.
They tacitly decided to retreat to the hotel after they had caught their breaths, not willing to risk another run in with the obsessive alpha.
Darcy grumbled when they were back in the room.
"You alright?" Kand-Lei asked, closing the door softly. "You kind of froze when he showed up."
Darcy ran a hand through his hair. Visibly annoyed and frustrated. "I panicked. My body just automatically froze when I got a whiff of that stench." A brief look of fear flashed through his eyes. "He was…" Darcy pinched his arm lightly, hoping that Kand-Lei couldn't see the tremor in his movements. "I'm okay. Just need to wash this durian smell off me you know?"
With an insincere laugh he walked towards the bathroom.
Before closing the door he looked back at Kand-Lei, "Look online and pick out some clothes you like, we can't keep wearing the same outfits indefinitely. Since our trip to the mall got interrupted we'll have to settle with online." He slipped into the bathroom. Then poked his head out again. "Don't worry about cost, you just saved my life I think. Everything is on me for a while." With a halfhearted smirk he disappeared into the bathroom again.
The next thing Kand-Lei heard was the shower running.
His mind briefly recalled fragments of their mad dash through the city before he decided to distract himself with shopping. His fingers missed the buttons more than once as he pulled up the shopping app. The tremor of adrenaline and fear still coursing through his veins.
…
Darcy stood under the torrent of water, watching the steam curl away as he tried to still his trembling hands. He tapped a fist lightly on his forehead as tears trickled out the corners of his eyes, unchecked.
Why had he been so weak? So utterly frozen and terrified? So much like the stereotyped omega that he hated.
These thoughts swirled around his head in a terrible loop, driving more and more tears from him.
His feelings of inadequacy coupled with the fear of being hunted by someone stronger than him was too much. He shut the water off and stumbled out of the shower, after pulling on the provided bathrobe he almost ran out of the bathroom.
Tears leaving salty tracks down his face, his body still dripping from the water he hadn't bothered to wipe off, he faced Kand-Lei.
"I'm not ok. I-" his voice cracked as he choked on a sob. "Kelpie I'm so scared."
He buried his face in his hands, feeling the hot tears trickle through the gaps in his fingers.
He inhaled sharply when Kand-Lei enveloped him in the tightest hug he could muster. Both arms wrapping around his torso, rubbing soothing circles into his back. He blinked back tears of his own as Darcy clung to him, sobbing into the crook of his neck.
"I know. I know." He drew in a stuttering breath. "It was terrifying. But it's ok. We're safe now." He squeezed tighter. "No one can hurt us here." He wasn't sure whether he was reassuring Darcy or himself. Probably both.
Almost whispered, "I'm scared. I'm so scared. M-my hands won't stop shaking."
Kand-Lei choked back tears. "Mine too." He laughed a little wetly, "I dropped my phone four times while you were in the shower."
Darcy gave a strangled chuckle, finding he had the ability to laugh and cry at the same time, feeling both amused and still battling the crushing weight of fear.
They remained that way for some time, swaying gently together in the middle of the room, occasionally a sob breaking the quiet. Neither cared much that Darcy was dripping a wet patch onto the carpet. Nor did they care that to the sensitive noses of omegas Kand-Lei still smelt strongly of sweat and a touch like durian.
Merely the presence of the other was enough to overcome the fear they both felt. They both sniffed and laughed a little as they separated, they wiped at each other's tears, almost like a habit. Yet neither had such a habit.
Strangely, it still seemed like the most natural thing to do.