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Royce spent the entire duration of the rush back to his quarters mentally kicking himself. What kind of mate was he if he wasn’t there for her on a day like this?
Both he and Ava had experienced mating cycles before, but this was their first one they’d be spending together. Neither of them had gone through their respective cycles with a partner before, which was why it was of the utmost importance that they be there for each other as much as possible.
Ava hadn’t been showing any signs of being in heat, but her cycle tracker had said it was coming up. It could be any day now…
As soon as the slot on the door was within reach, he inserted the key chip. Once it recognized the chip, the door opened with a soft hiss.
There was Ava, curled up under a blanket and several pillows.
Nesting.
Thank the maker, that meant she was only in pre-heat.
“Hey…” She murmured when she saw him in the doorframe, her voice slightly muffled by the blanket. Her face had a rosy glow about it, indicating her high body temperature.
“Hello, Ava.” He smiled, kissing her forehead as he joined her on the bed. “Are you comfortable?”
She smiled back.
“I’m nice and cozy in my blanket franikhad. I missed you, though.”
He paused, unexpectedly touched at her admission, before cupping her cheek gently.
“I’m here now.”
She let out a low hum of appreciation as he settled in next to her. As she adjusted her nest to accommodate him, he caught a glimpse of a very specific shade of green.
“Is that…my uniform?”
He noticed her face immediately go even redder than before at his question. She turned away, hiding her face in the blankets, before mumbling a soft “mhm.”
“Where did you get it?”
He has a feeling he already knew the answer, but he wanted to hear it directly from her. She murmured something indistinct into the blanket.
He chuckled.
“Ava,” he coaxed, his voice gentle but firm as he pulled the blanket away from her face, “where did you get my uniform?”
It took her a moment to respond, and she avoided his gaze as she did.
“…From your wardrobe.”
Royce sighed, glancing over at the small, gray wardrobe she had raided. How hadn’t he noticed that the drawers and cabinets were all flung wide open?
A brief flicker of annoyance was quickly replaced by guilt as he observed the scene. He could just picture her: freshly in pre-heat, desperate to get her hands on anything with his scent to add to her nest. She’d even raided the small trunk of scientific equipment he kept next to the wardrobe, which explained why she also had one of his lab coats.
“Oh, sweetheart…” He smiled sadly. “You really did miss me, didn’t you?”
She nodded quickly, still embarrassed.
“I’m sorry. I couldn’t help myself, I just…I needed your scent with me…”
He tucked a rogue strand of her long, dark hair behind her ear, causing her to fall silent.
“No need to apologize, dove. I should have been here sooner.”
He settled in next to her, wrapping the blankets tightly around them both.
“You’ll have more than just my scent with you from now on, I promise.”
To his surprise, she pulled him into a kiss. It was soft and sweet, and he could detect the distinct scent of pre-heat pheromones on her skin. If this was her scent before entering heat, he could only imagine how intoxicating he’d find her when she actually entered it…
Slowly, reluctantly, she pulled away to take a breath.
“Sorry about the mess.” She smiled apologetically, and he shook his head.
“It’s to be expected. Next time, I’ll give you something with my scent in advance.”
She nodded, before chuckling nervously.
“I’m just going to worry about this time, for now.”
He chuckled back in response, giving her another kiss on the cheek.
She was right. They would take this one day at a time.
And they would get through it together.