Shaded Soldiers || Gay MxM || Omegaverse

28. His Promise

Things were a little off at home that evening. I was worried about Captain and his mom, and couldn't really concentrate on anything, but Reid, in particular, wasn't acting normally at all. At first, I was willing to believe he was just worried as well, but the way he acted toward me didn't really make sense. And he definitely acted weird toward me, no matter how hard I tried to pretend it wasn't happening.

Both he and his alpha were getting very restless. I was watching TV before bed, eating the chocolate Captain had given me, and while Reid did stay with me on the couch, he wasn't really watching the show. He kept peering at his phone, shifting his weight, and every two minutes, he turned a little toward me to sniff at my scent. It was a sign of high anxiety.

Not only that, but a few times, when he got particularly agitated, he brought his chin to his shoulder that was closest to me so fast I heard his bones popping. He quickly tried to hide it by stretching his neck, but my omega and I had noticed it. That particular bow was a command. He and his alpha were telling us to stay closer to them. Another sign of anxiety.

I couldn't focus on watching the show at all, mostly because my omega was getting increasingly concerned and kept trying to get my attention. It could tell Reid and his alpha were guarding us, aggressively so as well, and even though we couldn't sense any danger, my omega didn't like that I was ignoring them. It kept trying to find the reason for our partner's agitation, and it wanted us to move closer to the alpha, like they were asking.

And I had to admit, I was getting concerned as well. Why was Reid so stressed? It had started when Captain left, and it was clearly getting only worse. And why did Reid get angry when Captain left?

After the third time Reid's alpha tried to order me to come closer to them, I faced him. He again acted like nothing happened and stretched his neck.

"Why are you so agitated?" I asked quietly.

"I'm not agitated," Reid said without looking away from TV.

"Uh-huh..." I said, and stood up as a test.

He immediately got up on his feet as well.

"Where are you going?" he asked in a demanding voice.

"Just to grab a glass of water," I told him, and tried to take a few steps to the door, but he stepped in front of me.

"I can go get it for you," he offered.

I gave him a stern stare. "Why are you guarding me?"

"I'm not," he said, keeping his voice unnaturally light. "I need something to drink as well, anyway. You should rest."

"Reid," I said sternly.

"What?"

"Why are you guarding me?"

His stare turned almost into a glare, but then he turned around and paced a little. He was very agitated...

"I'm..." he grunted, glanced at me, then turned away again. "I'm just not comfortable, okay?"

"I mean, if it makes you feel better, then guard me all you want. I just wish I knew why," I told him calmly.

He turned back to me, looking surprised. "You don't mind...?"

I shrugged. "Why would I mind? I'm your partner. If guarding me is in your instincts, you do what you have to do."

He opened his mouth, then closed it again. "Oh."

I frowned and chuckled. "Come on... Tell me what's going on. I just want to understand, that's all."

He shrugged and let out a deep breath. "I just can't... calm down. My alpha is... It's restless."