Archive of Our Own ^beta

The General Mahamatra being an omega was something that most of Sumeru knew but could never fully internalize. Of course he had the shape and general appearance of one. In fact if you dressed him up just right and softened his expression he'd be a textbook example of a perfect omega in terms of appearance. Petite frame and breedable hips, wide and capable of bearing any good beta or especially an alpha a good amount of young without giving out.

But his atmosphere and demeanor negated all of that. Icy aura and dominating presence that sent almost everyone regardless of secondary gender into a fear induced submission. This was something that was more characteristic of an alpha and their very infamous and very banned in most of proper and sensible Teyvat, command . That paired with the fact that his pheromones were so faint one would think they were non existent and his inhuman strength made it hard for the average Sumerian to accept that The Fearsome General Cyno was an omega in same way that more “gentle” and visibly and socially presenting ones like Layla and Kaveh were. 

Which is what landed him into this situation.

It was a regular work day for Cyno; he had already finished tracking and then detaining a group of rogue scholars with help of the Forest Rangers in Gandhara Ville and it was time for his routine interrogation and report writing before he was able to carry out judgment and it had been going smoothly.

After the surprisingly more physically taxing than expected pursuit and arrest of the wrongdoers, strangely they complied faster than expected upon receiving Cyno's signature take down. No attempt to escape from the escort caravan nor the usual pleas from release, mainly just them fighting amongst themselves in hushed tones clamming up when he would turn around to check on them.

It was even stranger when they reached the Akademiya. The scholars all submitted and confessed relatively quickly like much faster than usual (in fact he didn't even have to threaten to start employing his usual advanced interogation techniques (torture) on them.A truly rare and idealic situation which would have gave him plenty of time to nap or whatever he need to do to remove the dull throb at the back of his skull after noting down their statements and going to his office where he would write out the full report on the matter. 

Well that was only if he could make it to his office in the first place. As he traversed through the halls of the Akademiya he felt that earlier ache had transformed into a very strange sort of fatigue. Yes, he had exerted himself quite a bit but not even close to the point of needing anything more than a glass of water and something light to snack on he ensured that (due to a plethora of formal complaints) but now his body felt heavy. The pit of his lower abdomen felt like it was tingling with emptiness and a burning sensation like he was in the desert spread through his body becoming searing hot in certain places like his nape, wrists, and in between his thighs.

"This is starting to get bad. " He thought to himself, inner voice sounding fuzzy .

The General forced himself to move forward, slamming against the corridor wall as he continued to try and force himself onwards towards his office.

So close yet within a blink of an eye it looked as if the corridor had stretched itself. First to give up were his hands that had been gripping on to his notebook then subsequently with a sway his legs gave out sending his body to come crashing down to meet it.

It took entirely way too long for someone to find him. The cloying scent similar to that of fresh jasmine and pardisarahs with an undertone of henna berry flooded the hallway completely. Despite that due to the overwhelming fear of The General Mahamatra, people seldom found themselves inclined to make the trip down to the area of the building where his office was. 

Everyone in the Akademiya knew that the Acting Grand Sage's afternoon lunch break was a sacred thing. It had been like that since before he was even promoted to his previous position of Grand Scribe. That one hour from two to three o'clock was the only time he was forbidden to be disturbed.  So when such a quick succession of thunderous knocks came from the other side of his office door at two twenty he was beyond irritated and filled with dread. The last time such a thing had occurred was back when Azar was in charge and it came with a great deal of  stress and work.

"Whoever is there, I beg for both of our sakes, that this is a life or death issue."  Haitham sighed from behind his desk, setting down his tea and book.

And it was.

Archon's did he want to eat his words.

The young matra who was escorting him to the heat room was reasonably anxious. 

"Acting Grand Sage! Quickly the General Mahamatra! He's in heat"

Ever since the Akademiya assigned the two of them as work mates he had only assisted the omega through a meager twenty five heats. Which was obviously very off schedule considering the average omega is supposed to have one every other month and they had both been working there for ten years. Making it not very surprising when each and every time he was in terrible condition at the verge of becoming heatsick and possibly dying if not for immediate intervention.

When Haitham finally arrived at the sterile room where they were keeping The General he was hit with the pungent scent of a very distressed omega in heat , like dead flora and rotting fruit that got stronger as he approached the small shuddering mass in the middle of the bed covering himself with the blanket.  Knowing the dangers of suddenly engaging with Cyno in such a state he proceeded carefully, metered and short steps so as to not startle until eventually a hand stuck out and grabbed him by his ankle.

"Alpha…" Cyno mumbled, voice teary as he tugged him in close.

"I take this as permission for me to enter your nest?" Haitham verified, remembering the first time they shared a heat together and he was nearly mauled to death for entering the omega's space without asking.

There was no verbal affirmation and Haitham wasn't expecting one with how the omega trembled like a leaf, eyes hazy and unfocused, grip much weaker than his usually firm and unrelenting hand.  

Just a simple whimper accompanied by the addition of another arm around his leg was enough.

Despite the infrequency of the omega's heats being a responsible partner Al-Haitham drew up a rather comprehensive game plan for these situations.

Being let in was fortunate but a sure fire sign that Cyno's health wasn't where it should be, dehydration or distress at something entirely different meaning that he was going to have to act quickly and carefully to make sure he didn't add on the general's already high stress.

Good thing the twenty or so heats Haitham had cared for Cyno through had made him somewhat prepared for this (because there was never such a thing as 100% certainty when it came to Cyno’s heats) .

First order of business was to take off his collar to prevent clogging of the scent glands. He unzipped his belt pouch and removed the small key Cyno had given him a few days after he became the General Mahamatra. With the appearance of his new vision he had decided that with an upgrade in position should go alongside a studier secure alchemical mechanism collar and key to replace the tattered and bite covered leather collar and the old tarnished iron key that went with it. At first he was adverse to it because knowing how Spantamads could be the lock was probably going to be an unnecessarily long and complicated elemental puzzle but thankfully Cyno knowing him well enough by then made it a simple insert key, channel in a little dendro energy and unlock situation.

With the collar removed second on the agenda was to check his condition. Despite his worrying collapse for the most part his vitals were alright aside from the heat typical rise in temperature which could easily be taken care of by making sure he ate and drank well and addressing his biological need to be bred– or at least tricking his body into thinking that was what was happening. Had Cyno been better off it would have been something he would have been forced to address later on  because the omega would have been clawing at him begging to be fucked.

Making sure to hold him tight yet gently upright as he fed him water so he didn't choke.(like the first time or the two times after that) and most importantly and kind of dangerously the "faux claim".

The idea came to him from Kaveh three years into their Akademiya mandated partnership. Every single heat had for all intrinsic purposes been horrid. A messy cycle of heat sickness scares, territorial disputes, ending in both of them including the alpha losing control and having for lack of better words messy and somewhat violent instinct driven intercourse. The aftermath of which caused the two of them to forgo speaking to each other for a month or so which wasn't very conducive for a plethora of reasons.

Though they never had a definite date for when Cyno's heats were to arrive it was nearing the end of the year and his third one had yet to come causing the alpha to become full of dread,which didn't go unnoticed by his senior who just so happened to also be an omega. 

The suggestion sounded right about stupid at first.

"Have you tried biting him? Works for me." Kaveh said that day nonchalantly, munching away at some pita chips.

Haitham looked at him with a mixture of disbelief and disgust.

"I'm not trying to get arrested by the matra Kaveh. We aren't in that type of relationship."

"I know! Who would even want to be in one with y–! Ugh- I'm not saying you should claim claim him!  My heat partners do it all the time and look–" The blonde carelessly unlocked his collar and lifted his hair up to show a perfectly smooth and unmarred nape.

"All you need to do is be extra gentle but ensure you do it hard enough to indent 

but do not break. DON'T USE YOUR FANGS. Breaking skin is a big no.There was a whole research paper I saw on it too! The indents on the primary scent gland basically temporarily mimics the effects of a mating bite without the permanence. Bet if you try it with Cyno he'll become all nice and cute for you! Not that you deserve that honestly." Kaveh finished not even joking.

And to Haitham's surprise and relief it did work!–A little too well though. Cyno was in one of his semi-feral heat rampages trying to climb out of the window to Archon's knows where and usually when it got this rowdy Haitham would have to wrestle with him which ended up as well as anyone would guess with a feeble scribe going up against a matra. This time however, as he pulled him in tight, holding him still ensuring no angle of escape he licked the scent gland at the nape of his neck and oh so delicately started to sink his incisors and the very points of his canines into the omega's bare nape. Cyno's toes curled and his thighs pressed together entire body tensing up, all things Kaveh told him to anticipate. He continued pressing down holding the omega in place till the moment he felt the skin on the cusp of breaking. The moment he released the omega let out a high pitched very shocked and surprised gasp before going limp which was something Kaveh had never mentioned.

The only thing that prevented him from thinking he'd gone and accidentally broke the general was the distinctive change in scent after a few seconds. 

The thick heady to the point of giving him a headache scent lightened up drastically and became more palatable gradually. The undertones of deep desperation and discomfort began lightening up to a more pleasant and joyful scent. 

Then just like Kaveh had said he did become significantly easier to deal with and in a way "cute". 

He stopped trying to claw out his throat or escape whenever Haitham tried to feed him or give him water and was extremely receptive to any instructions. He'd bare his neck and nuzzle close to the alpha begging for "alpha” to “touch him more" since he'd “been good”.  Very uncharacteristic of the Cyno he knew in any situation prior but very much good to the sake of taking care of the smaller man and staving off any dangerous instincts from taking a hold of him.

Due to that taking care of the omega during heats became less of a life-threatening task and more of an occasional treat. For that reason he employed that tactic every time from then on. 

Even with him not showing any signs of hostility, now was no exception. The moment his state of fatigue broke anything could change especially since despite his condition he still found the energy to squirm against his hold.

He sucked and kissed at his inflamed scent gland and the moment he went in to make the impressions with his teeth upon his nape gland he pressed down and–

Shit.

It was just a slight taste of iron that was enough for Haitham to fully back out.

The wound wasn't that deep, just two relatively shallow-ish puncture wounds but blood was drawn.

Did he almost?….

No.

There was no way he actually did.

It was an accident and a small (little bit under an inch long) one at that. A non severe one at any rate. A slight nick caused by an unforeseen shift. No one's fault and it couldn't be deep enough to really do anything...right?

But just to ensure that it didn't get infected he did clean and dress the mistake with supplies from the first aid box that was in the room.

After that things did get back on track though a little bit off schedule. As he anticipated the fever did go down after he gave him a bit more water and a little bit of fruit before laying him down on the cot to rest  before the second phase of the heat started. 

Nesting.

Due to them being in the Akademiya’s sterile emergency cycle room there obviously wasn't much pre-scented materials for him to give Cyno but since this wasn't the first nor last time the omega had gone into heat at the Akademiya and one of the Matra already knew were Cyno kept his emergency supply in his office. Before then though Haitham peacefully parted with a few of his own clothing items on his person to keep him from getting antsy.

From experience he already knew Cyno's preferences. His cape, gloves, and shirt came off and were promptly tossed on the floor. The sheets that were to the side of ihe cot he began to lightly dabbing them lightly against his wrists since Cyno often complained when he came to that, too many heavily scented things it made him feel uneasy (“It’s like waking up in a perfume store the day right before a festival.”)

With that his personal contribution was done and he could finally relax, as from now until Cyno was done putting together his nest his job was to sit by the door and ensure no one disturbed Cyno what so ever. A job with a varying level of difficulty especially with their location.

Had they known in advance he would have decided to hole up somewhere guaranteed to receive as little of external contact as possible, namely Cyno's legal place of residence. There all he'd have to do to ensure no one would jeopardize the smooth progression of this heat period was put a sign up saying “highly perceptive and territorial omega in heat make as little noise as possible”. With that up those who lived in the area would due to their prior knowledge would have (like in the past) strictly adhered to the sign.  

But with Akademiya staff and students there was always a gamble despite the fact that this place was supposed to hold the most intelligent people in Teyvat. There would be people who noticed the occupied light on the heat room and stayed away then there were some who didn't and were nearly mauled by Cyno for their trouble be it alpha,omega, or beta. 

Something that was reminiscent of an incident that had occurred a few years ago where a researcher who was in desperate (yet non urgent ) need of the General Mahamatra’s approval on something despite being told severally according to the Matra who the scholar had talked to“The General is on heat leave. Please wait until his return or if it's truly urgent, set the documents on his desk and those with the permission to handle it will get to it.” And instead of heeding the warning waited until Al-Haitham was gone getting fresh air or something to sneak in and confront him. The matter didn't end pleasantly to no one's surprised because when Cyno came to from his post scenting daze to see an unfamiliar Alpha looming over him he rightfully freaked out which resulted in a thoroughly thrashed and incapacitated researcher being dragged out of the room on a stretcher while Al-Haitham and two of Cyno's subordinates had to restraint the omega.

From that experience, Haitham learned why he was told by Cyrus that he shouldn't even think of exiting the room until the heat disorientation has subsided.

As for the general population of the Akademiya due to that incident they learned why when the General Mahamatra was in heat they should also refrain from doing anything that would startle the omega too much such as knocking on the door when delivering things.

“Acting Grand Sage.” A low voice said from the other side of the door. “I've come with Lord Cyno's nesting materials. I'll be sliding the box through now. If you need anything, someone is stationed in the hallway.” after which as promised the medium sized box was slid through the door flap.

A short and curt exchange as expected from the matra.

Haitham opened the box to look over to confirm the contents and its completion to ensure that once again another unfortunate incident would not repeat itself. Namely when they accidentally brought the wrong box. Luckily for his safety Cyno was more or less lucid and in control of himself so he did not get his ass beaten for presenting the omega with a box of documents instead of his precious nesting materials but it was still undesirable.

While waiting for the matra to find and bring the box to him he had requested that Al-Haitham hold him for a bit to calm his nerves. Not really surprising given what he learned about heat etiquette from both his own independent research and the mandatory training classes given to all partnered Akademiya staff. Since the nesting instincts were directly tied to those of safety and security, it made sense that when an omega wasn't able or allowed to properly nest it would result in overwhelming feelings of anxiety and a need to ensure their alpha or any other pack members wouldn't abandon them.

Hence Cyno wrapping himself around him quite tightly, nipping at the junction of his neck and shoulder. 

“Can I ask a genuine question?”

“Shoot, we have nothing better to do.”

“Can't you just use any other nesting material while we wait?”

“No, because the scents on those things aren't mine.”

“Lovers?”

“No, never had any. If I did, I definitely wouldn't have been sharing my cycles with you for years.” Cyno replied which all though obvious, sort of stung quite a bit at the moment.

“You're right. If you don't feel like sharing it's fine.”

There was a moment of awkward silence.

“The small embroidered blanket was a baby blanket my father found with me when we first met, the Akademiya robes  belonged to him. He gave them to me not too long after, as for the shawl Lisa gave it to me during my first heat. I don't have a permanent nesting place so if I don't have these things no matter where I am I feel… incomplete.”

Blanket, same condition as always, Robes as faded as the day he last saw them. Shawl, still fragrant and intact.

And the world was all in order.

Making as little noise as possible Haitham creeped over to the cot Cyno was resting and set down the box and was about to go back to his comfortable spot on the stool when his wrist was grabbed.

Early, but that was infinitely better than late.

The omega rubbed his cheek against his scent gland. 

“Stay… I need you now.”

“I wasn't planning on leaving anyway, I have to keep watch while you make our nest.”  He assured,using his free hand to pet his head.

And as per intended at the mention of nest Cyno sprang up and got to work.

Over the years he'd seen a few omegas create a nest whether it be due to heat or just want for a comfortable place to rest but none of them did it quite like him.

Depending on where he was, it always changed. A hammock if they were in the forest, an intruder secured tent if in the desert, he'd remove his mattress and turn his bed frame into a “fortress”if at his place and at Cyrus’ place (an insanely long story) he'd make it extra big with space for three instead of two (yes that heat was especially awkward). But aside from his precious boxed nesting material one thing that always stayed consistent was the odd way he marked the nest. 

Just like most omegas he'd roll or rub against the nest to impart his own pheromones but as Cyno did this it left these distinctive inscriptions(?) of electro upon it that would stay for a while before fizzling away. He'd tried deciphering them occasionally as they looked similar to the script on Cyno's Pactsworn Pathclearer but not the same exact words and it never quite made much sense to him as if it was its own dialect or something. He'd asked Cyno a few times about when he was more lucid and his answers always left a lot to desire.

Always something exceedingly cryptic along the lines of:

“The intentions of the spirit that dwells within me are not always clear to me. These are most likely for protection and ask no more questions on this subject for your sanity.” and from then onwards he never allowed him to bring it up again even going to the lengths to burn (via electrocution) his notes and tell Lord Kusanali to not answer him when he tried to bring it up after the whole overthrowing the government thing. To his chagrin she laughed upon seeing it and agreed that it would be for the better for all parties in the long run if she didn't insert herself in the matter.

This time Cyno was especially quick with the putting together of his nest definitely due to the prospect of getting knotted and the alpha's words of praise for making a comfortable nest for them and their “pups” that “they'd definitely would be having this time” as if Cyno wasn't most likely infertile due to his irregularity and Al-Haitham hadn’t been on those government mandated electro regisvine core based birth control pills (which he was extremely skeptical about but they hadn't failed him yet).

When he was done with his post nest building marking Cyno's very already limited patience had finally ran out and he didn't even bother to “present” himself and lifted the alpha off of his stool, into the nest and if not for his weakness due to his estrus he definitely would have hurled him on to it (which despite how pleasing it sounded when he imagined it in his head occasionally, would probably leave him with serious debilitating injury or death knowing Cyno's strength and his own durability).

Almost immediately after he hit the blankets on the floor Al-Haitham found his pants being practically torn off of him signaling to him that the highly romanticized most anticipated and glorified part of any estrus commenced, physical alleviation.

With the amount of times they had done this Haitham knew that he didn't have to make sure there was enough lubrication. Slick was already running down from his thighs and they'd done this enough times that he knew his way about avoiding accidental tearing(again) or Cyno’s pelvis taking any serious damage if they got too rough(like in the past).  

 The most recent and traumatizing time being when Cyno had been similarly overly eager to be “bred” and Haitham had found no real reason to stop him from taking the lead. Him taking the lead did mean less work and the omega would be satisfied but it was a huge mistake which resulted in an uncomfortable bimaristan trip at the end of Cyno's heat when he became lucid and almost immediately asked Haitham to take him to the Bimaristan because “Something was definitely damaged” 

And indeed something (namely his cervix) was. This then lead to that ointment prescription alongside another scolding and another yet more embarrassing official written notice to the matra office saying “THE GENERAL MAHAMATRA, CYNO HAS SUSTAINED A SERIOUS INJURY DURING HIS LAST HEAT PLEASE ENFORCE BIMARISTAN ORDERS BY BARRING HIM FROM FIELD WORK TO AVOID AGGRAVATION TO THE INJURY. By Kusanali’s wisdom the first time it happened he wanted to kill himself more than Cyno did with the way that essentially the entire matra barred him for being alone with Cyno as if they had sex (often) outside of estrus and his own subordinates either looked at him,specifically his crotch like a deadly god slaying weapon or as if he was some sort of hero. It took around a month for both of them to recover both socially and physically from that experience therefore he would make any and all attempts to avoid it all together even if it meant dealing with an impatient heatstruck omega.

Despite his strength, Cyno was light enough that as long as he wasn't struggling he could easily reverse their position. Luckily omegas in heat, unless threatened, almost never did such against those perceived to their “alpha(s)” which was an added beauty of the earlier faux bond. In fact they responded quite favorably.Body relaxing and bearing his neck for the alpha as his hips shifted around in need. He'd never grow tired of this sight and in fact it just got better and better over time.

The soft gasps the omega let out as he inserted his fingers into his too soft,too warm hole. Small yet strong arms wrapped around his neck as he shook his head pleadingly. “P–lease I need it now, alpha not enough I need your knot in me !” He begged ,he always begged so persuadingly sweetly this would not be the day that Haitham was going to give in to it– at least that quickly lest he return to his duties as an enemy of the matra. 

He worked him open thoroughly, yet with haste fingers plunging deep, twisting and spreading and hitting all of those spots he knew the omega went crazy for just enough to soothe but not satisfy since when it was all said and done Cyno could only truly be satiated by a proper (unproductive) breeding just like any other omega in his state. Which was the (official) reason why the founders of the Akademiya created this entire estrus partnership program (aside from the uber gross super weird underlying eugenic ulterior motives some of the previous sages had that Haitham was able to confirm after reading all those documents with his newly acquired clearance).

After being winded up for so long unsurprisingly it didn't take Cyno too long to reach his first orgasm. After removing his fingers from the omega’s now soaking hole he didn't hesitate before sinking his cock into his still insanely tight pussy. Trying to avoid premature ejaculation before his knot could form, he started easing in centimeters at a time as he massaged chest squeezing those nipples that he swore had been taunting him ever since Cyno decided to go with that outfit after becoming general. 

Not unlike all the times before, due to Cyno's small size his cock was only able to enter around three-fourths of the way before knocking against the soft womb barrier that was Cyno's ultra sensitive cervix. The sensation of the pressure causing the omega to quickly cum again this time pulling him in closer by wrapping his trembling yet strong legs around his torso. Not even letting the omega enjoy his refractory period Haitham continued his brutal onslaught thrusting up hard and deep as the omega could take him with the sole goal of overstimulating the omega to the point of exhaustion or getting himself worked up enough to ensure he’d pop a knot when he eventually ejaculated.

Cyno's first orgasm came loud and hard, nails and teeth biting into the larger man's shoulder hard enough to draw blood with his tiny omega fangs but unfortunately (thankfully ?) nowhere near his scent glands.  Haitham was deeply pressed up against his cervix making the smaller man's eyes roll back as he took these deep laboured breaths trying to compose himself with the scent of the alpha above him.

From there it didn't take Haitham too long to join him; he couldn't hold on much longer after he felt the telltale swelling at the base of his cock.

Each thrust became choppier than the last until with a hitch of the breath he came, flooding Cyno's womb as he held him tightly from behind.

At the sensation of being creampied and knotted just like with the previous ruts Haitham had helped Cyno through, the omega’s leg lock on him loosened significantly giving him an opportunity to get into a more comfortable position- holding the omega flushed to his chest sitting upright against a wall to wait out the knot binding them together until Cyno regained his stamina for another high anticipated round which by then the knot would have most likely deflated and if it didn't Cyno had in the past made do by bouncing and grinding upon his knot, a totally enticing possibility for this time. 

Until it wasn't anymore.

The rhythmic breathing of the omega pressed against his chest alongside the slight weight was in expectedly soothing enough to send Haitham to that place in between sleep and wakefulness to the point he didn't notice the omega's scent becoming more and more mild and until it was that barely noticeable memory of the scent of jasmine Haitham was used with Cyno's everyday scent.

It was only when the heady scent of sex finally lifted that he came out of his daze to notice that Cyno had unexpectedly come out of heat way earlier than expected.

A nail dragged against the gemstone embedded in his chest and he could hear faint murmuring.

“... everytime must be… for him…so embarrassing”  

Parts and bits he couldn't make out due to how low Cyno was talking and his earpieces had found themselves right out of reach.

Upon realizing he had regained awareness, Cyno was quick to (while notably still warming his still hard but knottless cock) reach over and grab the just barely in reach earpieces and place them on him  before settling back into the Alpha's embrace.

“Your heat’s over early?”

“Yeah I guess… I'm just as confused as you. “

“...You feel alright at least?”

“Yeah. My body feels a little weird and my neck hurts but other than that I'm fine.”

Remembering the “nick” from earlier, Haitham froze up for a second arms tightening around the omega.

“...I see…” Haitham responded, praying Cyno wouldn't notice.

And the Archons answered.

“Don't worry I don't want to leave yet either so you don't have to beg for you ‘precious time off’” 

Haitham let out a sigh of relief.

And thus marked another peaceful uneventful heat.