Trouble || Gay MxM || Omegaverse

14. Therapeutic

Kieran wasn't very happy with how I smelled, so before letting me enter his bed, he made me go take a shower. I was happy to follow his orders. I really didn't want to smell like death anymore. I feared the awful smell of our home was so deeply burned into my sense of smell that I'd have to live with it forever, but once I'd scrubbed myself clean and washed my hair, the smell was thankfully gone.

Kieran had left me a clean set of clothes in the bathroom. They seemed to be the same ones I'd worn when I was tied to his basement. For some reason, I was happy to put them back on. The sweatpants and the T-shirt were comfortable, and... they were from Kieran. My own clothes were gone, and I had the feeling Kieran had simply burned them because of the smell. Probably. Hopefully.

I just didn't want to have anything to do with anything I was before I got shot.

I stepped out of the bathroom, enjoying the faint scent of vanilla and flowers in the tiny house. I'd not noticed them before... I took a deep breath, feeling even calmer.

"Feeling better?" A soft voice came from the kitchen.

I turned to face Kieran, who gave me a small smile. I stopped to stare at him. Both my alpha and I were happy to rest our eyes on him. I couldn't believe he'd let me stay... More than that... It didn't... quite fit in my head... that this little one...

Could be mine.

"Yeah, yeah... Better for sure..." I mumbled once I'd recovered my brain and took a few steps toward him.

"Good..." he said, taking a step toward me in return. "I uh... I'm trying to save your clothes, but the smell... Did you stay in the sewers while you were gone?"

I let out a small laugh, feeling a bit miserable. "Not sewers, no... Glen and I have a place, but... I think one of the neighbors must've..."

"Must have what...?" Kieran asked.

Died...

"Maybe an animal broke in and died in one of the apartments," I said. "Or could be a busted toilet or something. The house is falling apart. Half of it collapsed a while back."

"And you... Live there?" Kieran asked with wide eyes.

"I mean, it's fine. Our end is still fine. Only a few... few cracks..."

While jomicas had their luxury offices they barely used...

"I'm really starting to understand the whole busboy thing..." I mumbled.

He gave me a soft smile and stepped in front of me. "You're not a busboy anymore. You are not a terrorist. You're not brainwashed anymore, and you're not a kidnapper," he said gently.

"Then what am I?" I whispered.

He raised his brows, returned to the kitchen counter. When he turned back to me, he was holding a plate full of sandwiches.

"Maybe you are hungry?" he asked.

The smell of food... Real, tasty food... I suddenly had tears in my eyes again.

"Oh, baby boy..." Kieran murmured, put the plate down, and returned to me.

And he hugged me...

I wrapped my arms around his smaller frame, buried my face against his shoulder, and cried. Kieran held me gently and whispered soothing things to me... I wasn't even sure why I broke down again, but I guess... I guess the past few days had been shitty enough for that.

"Yeah... Yeah... I think I'm hungry," I finally said, sniffing.

"Did you have anything to eat while you were gone?" he asked gently.