**TW: sexual harassment/attempted sexual assault**

 Allen was sitting in his little alcove of the garden, cigarette burning between his fingers. It was around lunch time, one of the meals they were technically supposed to attend, but he wasn’t really hungry, so he’d slipped away after lessons.

Robbie had looked particularly cute today, in a thick sweater tucked into a pair of slacks that shouldn’t have looked as good as it did on him. He seemed to be in a good mood, smiling radiantly when he’d seen Allen this morning. The reason why was revealed to him when he’d sat down, his nose assaulted with an overwhelming amount of lavender. When Allen had asked if he’d spent time with the King, he’d giggled and blushed like a smitten schoolgirl, and he knew that he didn’t stand a chance.

Not that his feelings for Robbie were anything serious.

Allen brought the filter of the cigarette up to his lips and inhaled, allowing the smoke to sit in his lungs for a few moments before he exhaled. He couldn’t help but feel like he was just wasting his time here, but when presented with the opportunity arose to leave, he’d still asked to stay. Maybe he was actually a masochist or something.

With a sigh, he stood up, discarding the half-burned cigarette into a random potted plant. He started down the little maze that made up the gardens, the little twists and turns familiar to him after spending so much time here over the weeks. He was about halfway to the entrance when he heard something that made him pause.

A scuffling noise, followed by some grunts and a growl, that certainly wasn’t typical for the gardens. He inched forward, the hairs on the back standing from the smell that followed. Ashy, burnt lavender permeated the air, and just like with Robbie, he had no choice in moving forward. The scent of a distressed Omega overpowered his rational instincts, compelling him to look for the source. He was soon rounding the corner into one of the many secluded areas, and he was greeted with the sight of Princess Emeline’s back.

Her head was ducked down, golden ringlets cascading down her back. Allen could hardly see the King, his smaller frame covered by hers as she pressed him against a tree. They were kissing, and neither had noticed his presence yet, and for a moment he contemplated quietly slipping away. He had no idea what the relationship between King Scott and the Princess of Lockmere was like, and it wasn’t exactly his place to intrude in the happenings between royals. But then he was breathing in the bitter scent of lavender and aggressive Alpha, and Allen saw red.

He cleared his throat, announcing his presence to the two. They were away from each other in moments, the Princess standing at a respectable distance away from the King. Allen hardly paid her any mind though, instead inspecting King Scott’s current state. His chest was heaving, lips bitten red and pupils blown wide from fear as he looked between the two Alphas. The top few buttons of his dress shirt were undone, and Allen’s stomach twisted uncomfortably at what sight he might’ve been met with had he decided to smoke another cigarette before returning to the Palace.

“I didn’t mean to intrude.” He finally said, keeping his voice carefully calm. The last thing he wanted was for the Princess to interpret him as a threat.

“Well you are,” Emeline snapped, straightening her gown. “What do you want?”

Allen was quiet for a moment, scrambling for an answer to that. Instead, he directed his attention back to the King, “One of the Omegas went into heat, my King. I was instructed to fetch you.”

“Oh, I see…” He said, voice hardly above a whisper. He didn’t make any moves though, instead glancing warily towards the Princess. He’d never seen King Scott anything other than composed, so this unsure version of him was unsettling. Finally, he straightened up, moving away from the tree he’d previously been leaning against. “Right, I should attend to that,” He cleared his throat, “Please… please have a good night, Princess. Mr. Perez, if you could lead the way.”

“Gladly.” Allen bowed shortly towards Princess Emeline, who was watching him with angry, displeased eyes. Did she recognize him from the other night? He led the King back into the thick walls of the Palace, carefully listening for the Omega’s light footsteps behind him. It was when they were in a corridor, away from any guard’s prying ears that Allen finally stopped and turned toward the King.

He was rebuttoning his shirt but stopped walking when he realized Allen had halted. “Yes, Mr. Perez?”

“Are you okay?”

“Isn’t there some helpless Omega I need to be attending to right now?” He asked, green eyes calculating. He seemed to be back to his normal self, as he finished with the top button, but Allen noticed the way his hands were shaking.

“I lied about that.” Allen shrugged, “How many times has that happened?”

“I hardly know what you’re talking about.”

“You smell like a burning meadow.”

“Perhaps I feel guilty? I was caught kissing someone I wasn’t supposed to, by one of my courting partners, no less.”

“You smelled ashy before you knew anyone was around, Your Majesty.” Allen noticed the way he flinched slightly, and Allen decided to drop the matter. The King clearly didn’t want to talk about it, and Allen wouldn’t gain anything from upsetting him further. “Have you had lunch yet?” The King shook his head no, “Eat with me then.”

“I’m not particularly hungry.”

“Humor me, Your Majesty. If you’re insistent that I caught you red handed, then the least you could do is make it up to me.” King Scott shot him an annoyed glare, and perhaps the man wanted to be alone after what had just happened, but his instincts wouldn’t allow that. “What can I do to convince you?”

“Begging would be nice.”

That drew an amused snort out of him, “I’m not that desperate for your attention.”

The King smiled, and Allen felt some relief that it seemed semi genuine. “Ask nicely at least.”

“Please have lunch with me?”

“That could use some improvement,” King Scott hummed, “But I suppose it’ll do. Fetch a maid, please, and we can take lunch in my study.”

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“Boo.” The person’s breath tickled Allen’s ear, and perhaps it would have been scary if Robbie was any good at sneaking up on someone. Except his footsteps were loud and could hear him trying not to giggle as he approached.

“Nice try.” He mumbled, and the Omega whined loudly, draping himself across his shoulders so that he was essentially hugging Allen from behind, only separated by the lounge seat that he was currently occupying.

“You’re supposed to pretend to be scared at least.” His nose was digging into his neck then, and Allen sighed quietly as his heart skipped a beat. Robbie had become a lot more generous with his affection recently, and Allen both loved and hated it. Loved it because it was Robbie, and he liked pretty much any attention the Omega gave him. Hated it because he was constantly having to remind himself that Robbie was just a friend, and that’s all that they would ever be, even if Allen would much prefer it if they were more. “What are you reading?”

“Sci-fi. What else do I ever read?”

“You’re such a nerd.” Robbie teased.

“Don’t act like you don’t exclusively read romance novels.”

“So? They’re good. The world basically revolves around love, Allen.” He pulled away from his neck, moving around the love seat so that he could sit down.

“You must be living in a different world than I, because-“ Allen paused, frowning as he leaned closer.

“What?” Robbie asked as Allen tilted his head to the side so that he could breathe in Robbie’s scent from the source. It was faint, and one probably wouldn’t notice unless they were well acquainted with his scent, but the heady fragrance of heat was definitely there, hidden just beneath his sweet berries.

“When’s your next cycle due?” He asked before he pulled back, head already feeling fuzzy. It wasn’t fair how much Robbie affected him.

Robbie’s face flushed a bright red, and perhaps it wasn’t the most appropriate question, but Allen figured they were probably close enough for it. “Uhm, that’s a little personal.”

Allen shrugged, turning back to his book, and trying not to feel hurt that Robbie didn’t want to answer. It wasn’t like he would be assisting him through it, anyway. “You just smell like you’ll be dropping into preheat in a few days. I apologize if I made you uncomfortable.”

“N-no, it’s okay. I’m not uncomfortable,” He mumbled, even though he was visibly uncomfortable. He stood up suddenly. “I just remembered one of my maids needed me for a fitting, so… yeah. I’ll see you at dinner.”

Then the Omega was scurrying out of the room, and Allen regretted saying anything.