Traces of consciousness started to tickle at his brain, it started with a faint sound piercing the empty void of darkness gaining in strength until the sound echoed incessantly against the corners of his mind. It continued, volume increasing until the sound could finally be deciphered from the static sounds of silence. Azaki then heard a faint whimper, no, more like the muffled sounds of pleading. Someone's affection and care, sounds that couldn’t possibly be calling out to him.

He didn’t have anyone left who cared.

The void was cold and yet comfortable. He felt safe here, as if this space of nothing was better than his own reality. Why was he so upset again? His mind tried to hunt for the answer to no avail. A lethargy had crept in, holding him here in this dark embrace. He couldn’t remember why he was hiding, only that he had to. Reality was too much.

“Aki?” The sound was soft like a whisper, and yet it cut through the haze and fog of his mind like a hot and sharp blade.

“Aki please wake up.” The voice was so gentle and coaxing, almost seeming coaxing if the desperation wasn’t so apparent. The sounds of shuffling seemed to follow.

In his mind was a faint smell, it was so alluring that it pulled his consciousness forward. It enveloped him and gently ushered him toward the light. Azaki followed the scent in a daze, captivated and curious as to its source.

“AZAKI!”

He awoke in a jolt. Confused and blinded by bright fluorescent lighting that stung his retinas. With a yawn, he shifted his body and waited for his eyes to adjust. A low beeping was chiming through the room in tandem with his heartbeat. When his eyes finally found focus, he realized he was in a hospital bed. The scent of disinfectant and aggressive cleanliness burned his nostrils, making him yearn for that subtle smell that had found him in his darkness.

What was that smell?

“Doctor?” Azaki questioned when his eyes locked with the kind and concerned expression on the older gentleman face. He was met with a small smile of relief before the man replied.

“I’m glad you’re awake, Azaki.”

“T-Thank you,” The younger man responded before allowing his breath to catch a bit in his chest. “What happened?”

The doctor sighed and adjusted his glasses while straightening in his chair. He seemed a bit exasperated and took his time before replying. “You almost went into a drop.”

“A drop.” Azaki repeated the words as if testing them out. “Like-”

“Yes, an omega drop.” The man sighed and flipped a page on the clipboard he was holding, his body language was tight as if he was holding back some kind of strong emotion that Azaki couldn’t quite wrap his mind around.

“An omega drop. How co-” Azaki was cut off abruptly.

“Why didn’t you tell me how badly you hated this?” The doctor was frustrated, obviously, and the older man recoiled at his own tone. “I-I’m sorry… I’m just…”

A silence stretched between the two for a moment. “Azaki, I should have said something before. I knew you hated it.”

Azaki’s voice was barely above a whisper, like he couldn’t get enough air, “You knew?”

“Of course I knew, child.” He rubbed the bridge of his nose and then returned his gaze to his patient. “I had hoped… I don’t know… I hoped that you’d eventually realize that there is no escaping this. I feel as if I failed you, I never knew how badly you…” The sentence trailed off, leaving Azaki to sink further into his pillow.

“I just” Azaki’s lilac eyes shot toward the ground in shame. He wasn’t sure how to explain himself. “I don’t want this.”

“I understand, Azaki, but...this isn’t something you can run away from. This is who you are. Regardless of how you feel about it. You cannot escape the inevitable. “

“I was getting better..”

“No, you were getting worse. Now, you are getting better.” The doctor was stern, locking his eyes on Azakis’ until he looked up to meet his gaze, all to drive the point home further. “You were always going to end up here, I’m sorry that I couldn’t make you realize that truth before we got to this point.”

“But you said, you said that I likely would never trigger a heat without-”

“That’s true.” The man kept his voice calm to keep Azaki from getting worked up again. When he was sure that Azaki was listening, he continued. “You probably would have never went into a heat, but that doesn’t change that you are an omega.”

“I’m no-”

“YOU ARE.” The spike of anger made Azaki sink even further into his pillow and pulled his blanket up protectively in response.

“A true mate or a Prime Alpha.” The doctor sighed, “But heats aren’t all there is to being an omega, you have to know this. Sooner or later, you will show more traits. Like today with your near drop. And if you aren’t careful, the next time we may not be able to pull you out of it.”

“What are you saying?”

“An omega who cannot sense pheromones going into a drop is horribly dangerous, can't you see? The standard practice for pulling an omega out is pheromone therapy, we were lucky that you didn’t drop fully. Your body would have shut down permanently if we hadn’t been able to pull you out before it was too late. We pumped this room with the calming pheromones of every Prime Alpha in this hospital in hopes that we could save you.”

By this point the doctor was nearly in tears. The concern that he felt was palpable and made Azaki tear up in response.

“What do I do?”

“You listen to your doctor.” The mans face softened and he reached for Azaki’s hand. “And you be honest with me about how you’re feeling.”

“Be honest?”

“Yes.”

“I wish you would have left me in the drop.”