No one's
"Ethan!" Trey shouted. It was fast, Yasser and Trey held his arms and put him down. But see, an alpha in a rut is way stronger than a normal alpha as it is. And so, it wasn't surprising that when he struggled and tried to get back to the bed, Yasser and Trey who are both admittedly strong, nearly let go because he quickly goes feral.
His eyes got red in anger as he growled, a warning to take their filthy hands off of him or he'll break them. An alpha in rut forgets friends and family aside from their mate. They're engulfed with their primal instincts and they're automatically a threat for getting him away from his mate.
"Roo's bitten!" Aeria said, who was about to walk towards the room even with an alpha going feral by the doorway if it weren't for Azrael stopping her. "Ourie, beat him up," Azrael commanded. Ourie's eyes widened and were about to shake his head but when they saw Ethan pushing Yasser down the floor to punch him repeatedly, he cursed and run towards them. "Don't kick him!" Azrael said, his eyes looking around. Trey was shoved hard against the wall that's why he got the chance to hurt Yasser. He needs to stop his friends from killing each other.
"Oh shit." Ourie kicked Ethan but it was to no avail. Apparently, Ourie who seemed like a playful and cool guy who can beat anyone up if they want to doesn't want to fight. Ethan turned to him and got the chair and throw it towards Ourie. He was nearly hit. Azrael grabbed a nearby vase and was about to hit him on his head to make him sleep but Em kicked a scattered hardbound book on their room towards Asea who was checking Roo and she already used that to hit Ethan hard on the head. It wasn't enough, of course, but it distracted him for Trey to hold on to his neck from the back and wrestle him down.
Trey laid back and hugged him tight to stop him from fucking moving. "Let me go!" He growled, and Aeria and Jace who was just observing almost felt like baring their neck in submission in gripping fear just seeing an alpha going feral.
"Fuck you, Ethan! Shut up!" Ourie said, glaring at his friend before Azrael motioned for Trey to let him go. As soon as he lets him go, he turned over to beat the shit out of Trey now but a sickening crack of the vase on his head filled the house and Ethan dropped down to Trey who closed his eyes in tiredness. "Fuck. What just happened?" Trey said loudly, pushing his friend off of him as Yasser didn't mind his bruised cheek and eye and Azrael who just hit the vase on Ethan's head helped Ethan up towards their bedroom. "He's in his rut," Yasser confirmed, feeling the feverish temperature of his friend.
"Rut? That's why he forced himself on Roo?" Ourie asked, worriedly looking at Roo as his friends got out of the room. "Let's tie him up." Azrael decided. "No. Why would you tie him up?" Fiona asked, scandalized.
"He'll beat us up when he wakes up," Trey said, stretching a little as he holds on the footboard of Roo's bed. Aeria and her friends got to Roo who passed out because of the bite. "Fuck. Roo...if...if his body doesn't accept the bite, he might die." Aeria started stopping the bleeding of the bite. They weren't in their right minds. They barely knew each other and no matter where they see this, they were pushed by their feverish instincts and it was non-consensual.
Or maybe it is consensual, just, they're both half-awake when they did it. Just thinking about the fact that they both triggered each other's heat is, okay, romantic and worthy of any soulmate au, but then it still boils down to the fact that it's lust-driven. See, an omega to get triggered with someone's heat, he has to be attracted to it on his conscious, waking moments for it to spark a fire on his stomach and be it a heat-inducing scent. Of course, an omega has a wide array of scents around him and anytime, a whiff of scent from their friend lying around can trigger them. This means, for him to get triggered in the first place by Ethan's specific scent has floored them.
Two things, he's either attracted to Ethan as it is or it's really just his instincts who's attractive to his scent. A matter of preference which means Roo's inner omega is weak for Ethan's specific scent. But surprise, surprise, a day later, Ethan here got his rut and bit Roo without his consent.
And as if Fiona coming last night and Asea's doubts aren't enough, they have this too big of a problem to settle on their hands right now.
😯😯😯
Aeria's
Aeria pressed the cold compress against Yasser's cheek as he breathes sharply in protest but didn't flinch as he did a few times now before this. Yasser's head has a raging headache so she gladly volunteered to hold the cold compress against his swollen cheek and eye.
Roo, after the bite, thankfully didn't die. It's been half an hour right now of Azrael and company figuring out whether to tie the alpha in a rut until Emerald told them they should until he clears his head, which is pretty impossible because the sweet-smelling scent of his new mate is in the air and she doubts he'll be able to stay put while glaring daggers to everyone who's trying to get between him and his mate.
To be honest, Aeria's the only omega on their family of betas, the only omega after her grandmother in the father side who married a beta, too, and for that matter, she never had any experience seeing an alpha in a rut around his omega in heat.
She could just see that phenomenon in shows. Or in books. She's lucky to bond around omegas but none of them has alpha mates (now she has one now, fuck) so she finds all of this weird and confusing but mostly scary. It was all so simple, Ethan bit Roo then when they tried to get him away, he started shoving his friends away like paper dolls, like he had no idea who they are. His growls were scary as hell and she was sure she almost run away hearing that warning growl towards the other alphas. He was so angry, his pale skin reddening fast and his eyes were dark and burning, he was completely different.
He's salty, yes and he only shows intense emotion when he's annoyed on people touching him suddenly or when they're not cleaning after themselves, but mostly, he's calm, cold, and stoic. Someone who would stare at you and judge you when you try to pick a fight with him until you realize you did the wrong choice even trying because his stares could kill...that exactly. Exactly why seeing him angry, like a long inactive volcano surprising everyone with a comeback, was beyond horrifying even though she's meters away from him and just watching him shove and beat his friends away.
Aeria finally realized why alphas were built to be the stronger and faster gender. She thought it was just to prove a point that omegas are nothing but dirt stuck on their alpha shoes. Turns out it was to fight off other alphas trying to hover near his mate in their most vulnerable and territorial phase. To protect their mate, at all costs, even if it means killing anyone off.
Because alphas might be shitty and history told on alphas who collects omegas as their slaves like clothes, but they're extremely protective and territorial of them. Once they bite you, they own you. And they would do anything to protect them from anyone else who can hurt them.
Maybe that's why alphas who treat omegas as dirt won't bite them. Because bites are like marriage, it's an emotional bonding mark deeper than a wedding ring can give someone. It's more than just I love you, it's the most possessive, most romantic I love you heightened by lust and the deep-seated emotional vow that comes along with the mark. Deeply written to the bone, to just protect their mates because they're one.
"At least he didn't die?" Ourie said, plopping on the couch next to Jace who was just as shocked as they all are, tapping his index on his lap repeatedly, the only signs of uncertainty and distress on his otherwise stoic and calm expression. She's kinda relieved that she's not the only one freaked out now.
"We'll get killed because we peeled them off of each other," Trey said, taking a deep inhale then coughed. He was shoved and all, punched a little but he seemed fine. He's sitting on the other couch with his arm open at the backrest. He seemed relaxed but of course, he's bothered. Azrael has been silent for a while now, staring at nowhere after they tie Ethan like he'll be getting exorcised later. Close.
"It'll be fine. Roo's fine." Em whispered to her and Jace as she sits back down between them, her eyes going towards Fiona whose wide, curious eyes travels to each one of them as if she's waiting for the next words to flow out then to Asea who was the only one standing at the kitchen counter, her face unreadable and twisted in deep thinking.
"It's basically dubious consent since they're both in their heats, right?" Jace broke the silence. Ourie thought for a while and nodded. "Yeah, but Roo received it and didn't die. Maybe them getting triggered by each other's scents played on their will?" Ourie was making so much sense but everything's circumstantial. They can't really understand how these things work because this is entirely new territory to them.
While everyone else their age is bragging about body counts, their first kisses were all miles away in question. Hell, they would joke about perverted shits like this but they're all cowards and too much of a goody-two-shoes to actually try anything, add the fact that they're omegas who are strictly asked to keep their life under wraps with scent blockers and suppressants or they're bringing their family dishonor. They're fucking noobs to this thing and all the things she knows about marks and ruts are entirely brought to her by textbook examples and media literacy, and so, there's a high chance a big chunk is dampened to fit the bland facade of sex education for children for everyone on this world. A big chunk being 'so alphas go feral, really feral and scary when other people try to come near their mate' and 'so mysophobes are not mysophobes when they're slaves under animalistic and inner alpha instincts.'
"Is Roo really sleeping?" Yasser asked Em who nodded. "What would Roo feel if he finds out he's bitten when the heat has passed, though?' He asked worriedly to them. Well, Roo is a planner. He rarely fucks up, everything he does is sure and all within his limits. They're too sure it isn't Roo they know who would just say yes to this commitment without thinking so much and so long.
"I think he would freak out," Aeria answered though they rarely see him freak out surely, he'll regret it. It's like getting a tattoo while you're drunk. Except this isn't a tattoo and it has an alpha with it as an added bonus. She somehow looked at Yasser and thought a tattoo while drunk with Yasser as the added bonus wouldn't be bad. Her family would freak out and would probably disown her, but why not right? Sometimes, she can be brave for herself when she really needs it. Seriously, this isn't the time, Aeria.
😅😅😅
Emerald's
Emerald was the first one to see Ethan woke up. He looks fine when he wakes up, the back of his head bandaged after getting hit by a vase. Also, thankfully, he's not half-naked anymore. And they know even if they put on his mask, he would still sense his new mate's scent. "Em, just stay here." Trey told her and she nodded and lets his friends talk to Ethan.
"Bro, you're---" Yasser tried to nudge Ourie off but he continued, holding on to the footboard. "--mated." His face scrunched into confusion before his pointed nose raised up as if sensing the familiar scent. He started struggling and glared at them. "Fucking take this off of me! Now."
They just looked at him as Azrael sighed. "Ethan, you don't remember punching Trey and Yasser?" He didn't answer and started kicking the footboard to get out from the ties to no avail. Ourie may be a coward in fighting but he took knot tying seriously. No wonder, Ethan gets frustrated easily by the fact that he can't even take his wrist and ankles off the blanket ties with sheer strength.
"You forced Roo to be your mate. Thankfully, his body accepted your bite. Do you know what you got yourself into?" Azrael asked calmly. Emerald doesn't want to think of what Roo would feel about this once he's sober enough to think for himself. Alphas are still conscious and able to do their daily business even when they're in their rut. And so, she knows Ethan is slightly more aware of everything else when he did that. This means, even if he's overpowered by his instincts, he did it willingly. Because that's how several alphas conquer unwilling omegas, hand in hand with their animalistic desires.
It's like, Roo, being an omega is completely intoxicated, then there's Ethan, an alpha in a rut who's tipsy and all but aware of his surroundings yet driven by lust. Just thinking about it grips something in her stomach hard. She looks at Trey's back in the opened room and a chill runs down her spine. Accompanied by the loosening of the forming knot on her stomach. Weird, just weird.
"I know. Now let me get to him." His eyes are mad and his voice has a growl on its end. He looks like he would be willing to snap his friends' necks if they don't.
"No," Ourie answered, then cleared his throat. "No. We won't let you come near each other until he finishes his heat and realizes what happened." Ourie trying to be dominant is cute though, kinda made her smile.
He knows how to be cool and relaxed and he doesn't know how to fight and then there's Trey who knows how to control his friends when they're going feral. It's really, more than Ourie actually, nice seeing him in a different light since he's so gentle and nice when he's around her. She cleared her throat and looked away from Trey.
He turned red in anger, his eyes darkening. "Ourie, I'm going to kill you once I get out of this." He threatened calmly and Ourie chuckled. "If you can." He teased. Yasser clicked his tongue in annoyance. "This is damage control, Ethan. You'll understand why when your head clears." He threw his head back to the pillow. "What if I want to pee? Or eat?" They were silent. Of course, he'll take advantage of that and they didn't think of that.
"I'll tase you," Yasser said. "Asea has a taser. So, don't try, even if we let you out, don't come near him--"
"This is torture." He muttered, defeated after, maybe slightly realizing the consequences of what he's done. Yasser rolled his eyes. "It is torture. You'll regret it if we let you."
"Just let them," Asea said suddenly, walking towards the doorway and looking at them with her serious eyes.
"No." Azrael said as Asea blinks and looked at Yasser instead as if she deemed Azrael a hopeless case. Azrael scoffs, insulted at what she just did. "Omegas in heat can die within three days without suppressants because of how painful it is. I don't know about alphas or them regretting after but I won't let my best friend die over this." Em swallowed the lump that has been there for a while. It's uncommon but it does happen for omegas to die in their heat without suppressants. It's like having a fever so high, their system just overloads. Sending them to overdrive, killing themselves.
"That was a legend, actually," Azrael said, smiling as if he just hates Asea's guts so fucking much it felt good to be able to win over her. "There was a reason why most suppressants are too cheap for their own good."
"But it wasn't dying--"
"I was talking to Yasser, not you."
"Asea, it's best if we thread through this carefully," Yasser says calmly as Asea lets out a shaky breath and got out to their sight in frustration. Em knows Asea quickly realized his friends are against it that she just abandons the idea. That and the fact that she might have started hating herself more than necessary again.
Em wishes this gets done anytime soon. No more problems, please.
🙁🙁🙁
Jace's
They managed to make Ethan not run to his mate through the following days. Through reason and threats, mostly by threats, and Roo and his friends' room were kept locked all the time with Asea accompanying him, refusing to go out. Jace thinks it's because she's afraid she might just hate Azrael and his friends even more for not thinking of Roo's state. It's uncommon but it still can happen so they're also worried. Somehow, Jace thinks it's not all there is to it as to why she's allowing for them to fuck.
Everything else is back as it is, Trey and Em talking by the kitchen. Aeria visiting Yasser by the entryway of Yasser and his friends' room to talk and bring snacks and meals because he volunteered to look after Ethan who's still grounded for the time being.
Grounded, yes, it was within reason and he's kinda surprised he actually agreed. Also, he commends his friends for being calm and reasonable in dealing with this whole ordeal, their friendship is so strong and trusting even if they almost beat each other up. Aside from Ourie being more comfortable talking to him with new facts or none (he doesn't really mind not knowing that there are more germs transferred in shaking hands than kissing, then Ourie looks at him with this annoying signature smirk he has then said, "so if you're worried about anything, i just brushed my teeth and used mouthwash twice." He just sighed at that as he laughs out loud like it's the funniest there is and no, he wouldn't admit that he smiled at his laugh just because. Just no) there are nothing more changes.
Actually, there is. After Asea left that argument, Fiona approached Azrael when he's alone and started asking if he's okay. Azrael doesn't seem to mind though it doesn't look like he enjoys the convo, just too polite to tell a pretty girl like Fiona off when he wants to think about his friend's case. In short, he thinks Fiona likes Azrael? She keeps approaching him randomly and only when Azrael is supposed to do anything else that they stop talking. He's just wondering why Azrael's always preoccupied when talking to her because for Jace, that's a sure sign he didn't want to talk and wants to be left alone. She can't pick up though. But maybe she's just feeling lonely?
Jace doesn't really want to approach her first. Shy-type bullshit or something but he just doesn't see why he would want to talk to her alone. She doesn't acknowledge him so why bother? And his friends, too, don't really talk to her but Aeria and Em are kind enough to acknowledge her. Other than that, she always busies herself exercising or talking to Azrael or Trey, or Yasser. Mostly Azrael. He doesn't really mind her too much.
"Jace, I'm sad." He blinked fast, turning towards Ourie who's pouting a little, staring at nothing. And wait what, did he hear it right? Ourie, the relaxed, playful and always playing it cool Ourie, sad? He has the balls to admit it though, he'll give him that.
"Why?"
He laid back on the couch as Jace just watches him, waiting for his response. "It felt like we're getting forced into a narrative we never wanted in the first place. And people say we need to write our own story."
"We never wanted to be here in the first place. We can still write our own story within this narrative." He chuckled and Jace fights internally to not smile.
"You mean, let it flow? I've been doing that for days." That's why he's so laidback. And he admires him for that, for not getting the situation caught up to him. He somehow thinks that they just switched positions right now.
"What's so wrong about letting it flow? We have to take it easy sometimes." He can't believe he's saying this actually sensible shit to Ourie who's been doing this for days and momentarily forgets his character arc.
He stared at him with that steady look as he battles within whether to look away or not but his orbs are tantalizing even when he's serious or not and oh god he really is...pretty. I mean, handsome. Not pretty. Few weeks in this hell hole and you're messing up your adjectives. Shame.
And then Ourie raised his hands to his face and slaps both his palms on his cheeks as he laughed at what he did. He breathed out, this time a small smile on his face. "Right. I'm thinking too much these days. But I shouldn't.." He closed his eyes and leaned back more as if wanting to sleep. "...it's weird if you think too much, Ourie. You'll get sick." Azrael said from the other couch while reading and he frowned as Jace chuckled at that.
Ourie looked at him, amused. "You really look cute, Jace." He hissed and shook his head, closing his eyes, too. Ignoring the whirring but settling for its warmth as their arms touched while they both try to relax on the couch.
😛😛😛
Roo's
When Roo finally had his heat ended, he waited another day for Ethan to finish his before talking to him. "What do you plan now?" Asea asked, laying down on the bed next to Emerald who has her legs crossed and looking at Roo stare at nothingness.
Emerald's sure Roo's head is in chaos now. As if getting kidnapped isn't enough, now he's bonded against his will. "Go with it. I guess."
"So...that means, every time you have your heat, you will need him to...fuck you?" Jace asked. Though he tried to be careful with it, the seriousness of the situation just calls for bluntness so. "The mysophobe's really handsome though," Aeria said, her smile teasing a little. Roo just smiled but it's obvious he's deep in thought. "It's fine with me. The bright side is, heat would be less painful now." He's looking too much on the logical side.
"He's handsome, Roo. Really handsome." Aeria's eyebrows moved suggestively as Em and Jace laughed, getting the insinuation. "Those red, thin lips, the hooked nose, the half-lidded eyes, that fucking mole, ugh!" The appreciative and simping Aeria is here again.
"Aeria, it seemed like you're the one crushing on Ethan." Em teased as Aeria smiled naughtily.
"I mean...why not? But I mean, I ship Ethan to Roo already so.."
"Why would you ship me with Ethan? He's way beyond me."
"You're handsome, Roo." Asea cuts him off. Roo smiled a little. "Ethan is this pale salty Greek god with wavy hair and breathes cynicism and you're this pale fry that just won't condone his shit and great at drawing." They laughed at that as Roo shook his head.
"A fry. And great at drawing, that's all there is to me?" Roo asked, amused.
"You can cook. And you're not bad-looking." Jace is like Aeria who can't just compliment directly. "And you're really smart," Aeria added.
"And you're not a salty fry anymore. You would balance each other out. Even without the romantic feelings for a while." Em said that made Roo somehow relieved. Right, he doesn't have to force himself so much. After all, they both didn't want this but it happened.
He just hopes that they will thread through this slowly and maturely.