Charles burst out laughing. Benjamin stood there awkwardly, his fingers still hovering near his chest. The vulnerability of the moment felt at odds with the professional doctor he tried to be.
"Were you so nervous to tell me that?" Charles asked, catching his breath.
Benjamin nodded sheepishly.
"Why?"
Benjamin shrugged, his gaze dropping to the floor. At that moment, Benjamin wondered why he had been so nervous, but he did not find an answer.
Charles walked over and pulled Benjamin into a hug, much to the doctor's surprise. He wrapped his arms over Benjamin's shoulders, pulling him close. Benjamin stood frozen for a second, confused by the sudden contact.
"You don't have to be nervous or afraid to tell me anything," Charles said into his ears. "I noticed that you like to keep a low profile. You care more about everyone else around you than you do about yourself. I might not understand all the reasons why you choose to live like this, but I want you to know that I'm here for you… For better or worse. I don't care if you're an alpha, a beta, or an omega. You're just Benjamin, and that's enough for me."
A wave of warmth enveloped Benjamin's heart. He raised his arms, wrapping them around Charles's waist and leaning his head against the prince's chest.
"Let's sit down so we can talk," Benjamin said after a long moment. "Let's go to the terrace upstairs."
They moved to the terrace and sat on the folding beds Benjamin laid out.
"So... yes. I'm an omega."
"You could have fooled anyone," Charles said. "But to be honest, I knew before you told me."
Benjamin's eyes widened. "Since when? I'm really good about keeping my pheromones in-check."
"The trip to the hot springs," Charles admitted. "You reacted to my pheromones in your sleep in the carriage. When I saw you struggling in your sleep, I instinctively let out my scent to calm you. I didn't do it intentionally. I thought you were a beta and wouldn't be affected. But I smelled your pheromones in return. It happened again that night at the inn."
Benjamin looked down, mortified. "Ah. I'm sorry. That must have been unpleasant for you… And, last night too… I'm really sorry."
"Not at all," Charles said, a soft smile on his lips. "I like your scent. It smells of fresh, sun-ripened strawberries."
Benjamin blushed. "I... I'm sorry. This isn't like me. Since I presented, I've never struggled with hormonal cycles. Even my heats have always been mild with minimal symptoms, and always regular. I just apply scent-blockers and go about my day. I'm even less affected by other people's pheromones than most. As a doctor, I've always considered it a blessing."
"Do you take suppressants or herbal medicine for it?"
"Usually, no. I only take a mild herbal tonic if I have to work long hours in crowded spaces. Maybe three or four times a year."
"You're lucky," Charles sighed. "Most alphas and omegas I know are required to take medication. Like me."
"But recently... the past few months... my heats have become intense. Unpredictable," Benjamin said, his brow furrowing. "The last two months, I've been compounding different herbal mixtures, but they haven't worked. Yesterday... I've never experienced a heat like that. Thankfully, it only lasted a day. Usually, as you know, they last at least three."
"Is that why you went to the market?" Charles asked.
Benjamin nodded. "I heard there were merchants from Arcadia. They often import potent medicines. I found some herbal heat suppressants compounded into pills. The seller claimed they were quite potent, perhaps as strong as the serum you used to inject, but they're entirely plant-based."
"I saw them in your bag," Charles said. "I wasn't snooping. They fell out when the bag tipped over. They were unlabeled."
"I was going to run purity tests before taking them," Benjamin sighed. "But the heat came earlier than expected. It's strange. It's never been this erratic."
Perhaps it was your pheromones that triggered mine. But, I've been exposed to so many different pheromones in my life and my pheromones have never reacted to them. Benjamin was confounded.
"I was thinking I should ask Wren about it," Benjamin said.
"Him?" Charles sounded frustrated. "Why him? Why not me?"
"Because he's a doctor, Charles," Benjamin replied in a matter-of-fact manner.
"No, I mean... does he know? Did you tell him before you told me?" Charles asked, looking genuinely hurt.
"No, no. It isn't like that." Benjamin shook his head vigorously. "I haven't told him anything."
Charles looked away, still pouting slightly.
"I don't know why I didn't bring it up earlier. I've just handled it on my own for so long. Only a handful of people have ever known—my parents, and a few mentors in Xenos."
"If it isn't a big deal, then why hide it?" Charles asked, turning back to him. "If you didn't care about your secondary gender, you would have mentioned it like any other fact. It seems to me there's a reason you keep it secret."
"It... It isn't important to me. People shouldn't be defined by their secondary gender. Despite all the progress we've made as a society, people still tend to judge others based on their secondary gender."
"I agree that our secondary gender doesn't define our worth or value and that old prejudices still exist among many. I don't understand them because in this day and age, you can hardly tell who's who since we have scent-blockers and all kinds of medication," Charles sighed. "But... Would you have hidden your secondary gender if you were an alpha or a beta?"
Benjamin replied quickly, without a shred of doubt, "I wouldn't tell anyone unless it were absolutely necessary. As I said before, only a handful of people know my secondary gender."
Charles smiled. "I won't tell a soul. I know how much you value your privacy. I want you to trust me... I hope that you'll learn to trust me more."
"It isn't a lack of trust," Benjamin said quietly. "I do… trust you."
Charles gently placed a hand on Benjamin's cheek. "I'm glad."
Benjamin pulled back in surprise. Charles just chuckled and turned back toward the balcony door. "So, what should we do with the rest of our day?"
Benjamin shrugged.
"Well, I found a telescope at the market yesterday. Why don't we read up on astronomy? I can have my guards fetch some books from the palace library."
"That sounds wonderful."
"And while we wait," Charles teased, his eyes dancing with mischief, "We can finish that novel of yours. The Doctor and The Dragon. I could even read it out loud for you."
Benjamin's face went from pink to purple. "There are... other books! Better books! I think that one would bore you!"
Benjamin scrambled into his room to hide the scandalous novel under his mattress.
Charles followed close behind, laughing loudly, before stepping out to give his guards orders to fetch astronomy texts.
** ** ** ** ** **
They sat side by side, their shoulders touching as they leaned over the open astronomy book. The room was quiet, but Charles wasn't looking at the diagrams of the stars. He was looking at Benjamin.
"Ben," Charles whispered, his curiosity getting the better of him. "Why do our necks produce the most scent?" As he spoke, he leaned over, resting his head on Benjamin's shoulder.
Benjamin tried to nudge him off with a weak elbow, but Charles's wouldn't budge.
"The skin on the neck is thinner and closer to the surface of the blood supply," Benjamin said, his voice a bit strained.
"Really?" Charles said in a low, quiet voice, his fingers trailing up to caress the skin of Benjamin's nape.
Benjamin tried to move his hand away and continued his lecture out of habit.
"Evolutionarily speaking, the neck is at the perfect height for our scent to catch the wind and reach the noses of others."
"Charles," Benjamin nudged again as his breath became shallow.
"I can't resist," Charles whispered. He began to press slow, lingering kisses on Benjamin's neck. Benjamin could feel the soft, warm pressure of the Prince's lips, sending sparks of heat across his skin.
"Does that feel good?" Charles whispered, his lips grazing Benjamin's ear.
Benjamin blushed. "We should— we really should— read—"
Before he could protest, Charles slid his hand beneath Benjamin's shirt, his palm searingly hot against the doctor's skin. The hand slid lower, moving beneath the waistband of Benjamin's trousers.
The sensation was intoxicating, a trail of heat slowly moving across his skin. Benjamin felt his body betraying him, his penis growing hard and thick against the firm grip of Charles's hand.
"Do you like this, Benjamin?" Charles didn't wait for an answer, his lips moved slowly down the side of Benjamin's neck until he reached the broad line of his shoulder.
With a steady grip, Charles began to stroke Benjamin's penis in a fluid motion, maintaining a steady rhythm, and his thumb sliding over the tip.
Benjamin couldn't find his voice. His breath came in short gasps. The sensation was overwhelming.
As the stroking became more intense, there was a tidal wave of raw pleasure that made Benjamin's hips jerk upward. He arched his back, his body shuddering violently as he came against Charles's palm, leaving him weak and gasping for air.
"Benjamin... Can I... go further?" Charles asked, his voice thick with desire.