#his al*pha rut

[conradrasputin]

[whumpbby]

and Penguin doses them w heat inducers bc he's an asshole and everyone knows that Nightwing is an omega and he thinks it'll be hilarious to force a bond between Nightwing and RH but they're both used to this kind of crap and beat him up and run off to Dick's place to have just the hottest heat sex ever and then next day Dick pins Jay down and fucks him w a knotting strap on and refuses to let him go until they talk properly 3/3

oooh man, I adore the idea of Jason growing up into a butch omega - and resenting that! Young Dick Grayson was perfect - Jay wanted him and to be him, and it all tangled together into some strange desire/resentment mixture and that’s one of the reasons they’ve never had a true sibling bond - Dick was a mess of a young adult trying to make his fate and Jason was a mess of a teenager trying to find his place in the world. 

And then Jason comes back and he’s huuuge for an omega - Dick is not a twig also, but he’s a gymnast, there’s that smooth, relaxed quality to him that makes him approachable and enticing, while Jason is as graceful as a rhino and abrasive like bleach - he’s damaged and it shows, and he hates it, so he hides his secondary gender behind armour and military-grade suppressants to the point where no one knows, not even the family, not even Bruce. 

And then the bust in the Ice Lodge happens and Dick sees Jason without the armour for the first time in forever and oh man - Jay was going to dress up as a waiter, but the tux he’d arranged for is a size too small! :O The trousers are tight and he has to spend the evening with his stomach sucked in and keep his arms down so the shirt doesn’t rip. It’s not exactly making him as inconspicuous as he’d intended, but he did put a lot of work into the rest of the disguise - a ratty mousy blond wig, unremarkably blue contacts, freckles, etc. 

And it works on everyone, Jay is close to invisible - except for one Dick Grayson whos there in disguise as a patron and it takes him 0.02minutes to zero in on the waiter serving his cocktail and holy shit what is this hotness?? The guy has amazing thighs and his waist is comparatively tiny, and there’s some good ass there too. It’s a bit hard to concentrate on his mission when all his eyes want to do is to trail after the pretty waiter, but that’s fine, Dick is a Detective, he can be a professional... but damn that skanky businessman dropped his napkin on purpose 100% so the boy has to bend over to pick it up and Dick is just there in the line of sight and looking away would be weird... 

The shit goes down and the pretty waiter suddenly starts kicking ass and there’s a domino on his face, and fuck, Dick would recognise that roundhouse in his sleep. Shows how good of a Detective he is=_= (he will never mention perving up on his bro to anyone and all these discreet photos he’s sent Wally have to be retrieved and destroyed!)

That’s when The Penguin’s experimental drug shipment goes up in flames and the building is flooded with an equivalent of extasy. Awesome, the mooks are busy fucking, so Dick can just call it in, trust the cops to sort it out and retire to his closest safehouse where he keeps the good drugs and spends the next two days suffering from the symptoms of induced and halted heat. Boy of boy, the highlight of his week, really, he loves these missions=___= He takes Jason with him, because his little wing doesn’t look too good - he was standing the closest to the shipment, his rut will probably be hell even if Dick shoots him up with Plan C (the mid-heat/rut suppressant)... except when they get to the warehouse and Dick watches Jason sluggishly peeling himself out of the drug-soaked clothes and notices that... these shorts are... are they wet? Is that... slick? But that’s impossible, you’re silly Dickie, this is impossible, becuase Jason is an al...phas usually have knots, don’t they? They sure do, Dick remembers that much...  

The truth comes out - Jay never had a proper heat in his life, so he’s utterly confused and defenceless and Dick just can’t stop asking questions... and oh, god, Jay was an omega this whole time - and a supremely hot one tooTT and it’s so sad that Jay never had a heat and didn’t know how to deal with it now and yeah, they were going to get some suppressants, but ugh, this is so sad, Dick can’t just leave it like thatTT Does Jay even have any toys? No?? No toys... oh poor Jay...TAT 

Dick endeavours to show Jay all of is best toys and all the ways omegas can have fun together. In the morning Jason tries to get out of the flat like a man on fire and Dick has to tackle him in the doorway to stop him and get the necessary conversation to happen>>  

[bunny-lou]

Submission, pt. 6 (A/B/O Descendants fic)

Summary: Alpha!Jay is going through his first rut in Auradon, where he’s expected to control his desires and aggression in a way that the Isle never taught. It doesn’t help that his roommate is an omega who is determined to help whether Jay wants him to or not.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5

Rated M for sexual themes and issues with consent (this is consensual though) as well as mentions of past child abuse.

“Pay attention to me.”

“I’ve paid attention to you for the past three days, alpha,” Carlos hums while his eyes never stray from his physics book. “And I’m missing class to stay here with you. I must keep up with my school work.”

“You must,” Jay drops his voice and smirks as Carlos straightens at the sound of a potential command, “come here.”

Carlos nearly groans. “Alpha, we’re sitting side by side.”

Without another word, Jay pulls Carlos to sit sideways in his lap where he can properly nuzzle a thin shoulder and grope his sides.

“May I continue to study, please?”

Jay huffs. “Fine.”

“Would you...prefer I hold off on studying?”

“Yes.” Jay nearly purrs as Carlos closes the book and turns to him. No one on the entire planet studies as much as Carlos. “You’re too fucking smart already.”

“Oh.” The omega stiffens and lowers his gaze.

“I like that you’re smart,” Jay promises and Carlos relaxes in his hold. “Get to show off what a genius you are and how clever you are.” He nips at Carlos’ neck, “show off that you’re all mine.”

As far as Jay is concerned, Carlos is his. The bites and bruises from yesterday haven’t faded at all. They are down Carlos’ arms, up his legs, decorating his chest and back and stomach and every single hickey matches Jay’s mouth. His scent, as well as his mark, is all over Carlos. It’s only when Jay pushes how far he can go - like sucking on Carlos’ bottom lip or grinding against him - that his omega scent overpowers Jay’s smell on him.

Instantly, Carlos relaxes into him. “Thank you alpha.”

“Look so pretty with all of my bites on you,” Jay mumbles into purple skin. “Can’t wait to show you off.”

“Does...that mean you’re leaving this room any time soon?” Carlos stiffens again, holding his breath.

Why would he need to leave if Carlos is here with him? Jay shakes his head. “No.”

The omega sighs and the tension fades from his muscles. “Good.” He eases back into Jay and shivers at a bites below his ear.

Jay tightens his grip. “Worried that I’ll go pick more fights?” He would win clearly, why would Carlos fret about that?

“No, I’m just kind of enjoying this,” he says softly, almost like Carlos doesn’t realize he’s speaking. “This has been...nice.”

“It’ll be better when we fuck.” Jay promises for the umpteenth time. He maneuvers Carlos to straddle him properly, taking in the light flush and dilated eyes. Jay’s fingers travel from solid sides to a soft face. Fucking or not, the desire to have his hands on Carlos is a constant one that Jay indulges in. His hands move slowly, tracing soft skin beneath, until the tips of Jay’s fingers can caress his ears.

Carlos gasps and immediately tenses in his lap, reaching up to grip Jay’s wrists.

The alpha pauses and sniffs the air. Just like with arousal, Jay will be able to tell when Carlos is unhappy, but there’s no bitter smell...

Oh. Oh.

It’s a faint scent, one that reveals Carlos is pleased with...something. He’s more than pleased actually. It’s thicker than it has been at all this week, even than yesterday when Jay placed his mouth all over Carlos’ body and marked him.

He’s been sitting in Jay’s lap the past few days and he’s never responded like this before. Maybe it’s Jay’s hands on his face?

Carlos finally blinks open, looking at him and easing his straight posture, but Jay hasn’t removed his palms from freckled cheeks. It must not be that.

Maybe it was...

“Oh,” Carlos arches and groans when Jay’s fingers trace his ears, brown eyes slipping shut. “Al-pha.”

Fuck, he smells so good right now. Like desire and need and heat. “You like having your ears played with?”

Carlos shivers, goosebumps rising all over his arms. “Yes-s-s.”

“Come here,” Jay breathes and pulls Carlos closer, kisses the corner of his lips and across his cheek until Jay can nip at a sensitive ear. Carlos groans and bucks against the alpha’s stomach, whining when Jay digs his teeth in a little deeper. “You’ve been holding out on me,” Jay purrs with his lips against Carlos’ ear, grinning when the omega trembles.

He’s responding so intensely that Jay thinks if he knew of this weak spot on the first day, he would have had Carlos in bed immediately.

Which is why the little shit didn’t tell him probably.

Now that Jay has some sort of resolve that he won’t fuck Carlos until the omega apologizes for being a tease and earns Jay’s dick, the intensity has died down. Jay promises how good it’ll be and how well he’ll take care of Carlos, how he’ll bite and lick and taste every inch of him, but he’s not doing more until Carlos is sorry for testing Jay.

That doesn’t stop Jay’s annoyance though.

If he could have fucked Carlos from the start, the past few days would have been heaven. Instead, Jay’s suffered blue balls and crazy desire and the itch under his skin has never left.

His fingers curl in Carlos’ hair the same time he growls against freckled skin. “You bad boy,” Jay growls and pulls on Carlos’ curls, yanking his head back to expose his throat.

He’s not actually mad - only irritated and inconvenienced. Jay just wants to tease and dominate and be a little more aggressive. He wants to wreak havoc on two twitching ears and put Carlos through the same torment and desperation that Jay has gone through.

But when he pulls Carlos’ hair again and rubs his nose along the omega’s throat, Jay nearly gags.

There is no desire and heat and need anymore. There is something bitter, sour and too strong.

His omega is hurt.

The first instinct of the alpha is to shove Carlos out of his lap, but the scent has his stomach dropping and Jay lets go of black and white locks. He pulls Carlos back by the shoulders, searching for a problem because Carlos is eerily quiet, face screwed up in agony. “Omega?”

Carlos whimpers and hangs his head. He opens his mouth, then closes it again.

This isn’t supposed to happen, no no no, this isn’t right. “Omega, what’s wrong?” Jay reaches for his chin, lifts it gently.

“S-s-sorry, alph-pha,” he chokes out. His eyes are firmly shut and his shoulders tremble violently.

Jay pushes Carlos on to the bed and stands. He can hardly breathe with how heavy the scent is, Jay pulls his shirt over his nose and checks Carlos. There’s nothing different, all of the bruises from yesterday are the same. Did they start to hurt Carlos? Did Jay bite too deeply?

“Omega,” Jay tries again and his voice is muffled from under his shirt, “what’s wrong?” What happened? What went wrong? How can I fix it?

Carlos shakes his head and starts to sit up, but Jay pushes him back down. The omega is clearly in distress and he’s not moving until Jay determines he’s alright.

“Alpha, I’m okay. We can... We can still...” He’s pale and trembling. Even if the scent isn’t as strong, it’s still just as bitter lingering in the air. Whatever caused Carlos to panic is gone, but the effect is still hanging between them. He liked having his ears rubbed and kissed, but it was right after that...

“Was it your hair?” Jay asks and stumbles onto the bed. He places his hands on Carlos’ face, watches for eyes that are calm and clear instead of out of focus. “Because I pulled on it?”

Fuck, why is he such an idiot? Things had been going so well and Jay had to go and be rough and ruin everything and hurt Carlos. He didn’t want to hurt Carlos - who would ever want to hurt someone so sweet? - but Jay got caught up in the moment and dammit! Their whole room smells like fear and panic and...and...

Carlos doesn’t answer his question, just closes his eyes again and falls silent.

“Omega?” Jay nearly pleads with him and he’s too far gone to care. Please be okay, please open your eyes, please talk to me.

“Sorry,” Carlos mumbles. “I didn’t mean to... Sorry.”

Jay can smell his distress again. It’s not as powerful and thick, but it’s here. Carlos is worried and self conscious and curling up on himself.

“Hey,” Jay grabs his shoulder. “It’s okay, what.... What do you need?” 

Carlos shakes his head.

Fuck, no one on the Isle ever taught how to care for an omega. Or anyone, really. Jay doesn’t know what to do. Should he hold Carlos? Give him space? What does he need, dammit, what the hell does he need? How the fuck is he supposed to provide as an alpha if he doesn’t know what Carlos needs?

Well...shit. Jay looks at Carlos huddled on the bed and supposes he hasn’t been providing very well at all lately.

He’s a fucking mess of an alpha.

“I’m locking the door. Don’t let anyone else in, got it?” Jay swallows and places a gentle hand on Carlos’ side. The omega blinks at him and nods, curling back in on himself. “I’ll be right back.”

There’s a moment of silence when Jay opens the door. Right as he clicks the lock and pulls the door closed, he hears, “wait, you’re leaving?”

He runs down the hall and ignores other students. Some of them give him a strange look and jump out of his way, but Jay doesn’t notice. No one says anything or tries to stop him, thankfully, so he makes it to the cafeteria in record time.

The breakfast Evie provided and Jay threw out into the hall had been cleaned by late afternoon yesterday. If anyone had brought them dinner, Jay hadn’t checked. It’s been almost two full days since Carlos has eaten then and while that’s nothing compared to how long he would go on the Isle, Jay is thoroughly kicking the shit out of himself as he snatches food onto a tray.

He has an omega now and Jay is meant to care for and provide for and soothe. The fact that he has failed the past week has the itch under his skin rearing back twice as hard, but Jay is too preoccupied to pay it any mind.

Carlos likes anything and everything, but he won’t pick meat if there’s another option, so Jay grabs a peanut butter sandwich and three different fruit juice bottles. He piles on vegetables and and chips and desserts and-.

“Jay?”

The alpha blinks and turns. “What?”

Chad blinks right back at him. “What are you...doing?” The he shakes his head and narrows his eyes. “Aren’t you still in your rut?” He hisses.

His rut...? “Yeah. I gotta couple more days to go.” Why the hell does Chad care? Why is he distracting Jay from getting back to his omega? “Move.” He bumps Chad’s shoulder and grabs a fruit cup, then stops. His tray already has apple juice and orange juice and grape juice... “Is this too much fruit?” He asks Chad, but then drops the cup onto his tray without an answer.

Nonsense, Jay shakes his head, that was a ridiculous question. There’s no such thing as bringing his omega too much of anything.

“So, you-. Where-? What...?” Chad keeps watching him like there’s something odd about Jay pondering the appropriate quantity of fruit. What a freak.

“I gotta go.” Jay takes off for the exit in the back, the one that says Dining Service Employees Only.

“Wait, you have to go through the line!” Chad shouts at his retreating back and points the other way. “You can’t...” the beta scoffs and finishes weakly, “steal.”

A couple of guys with hairnets shout at him, but Jay moves right past them and out of the side door. It’s the opposite end that he came in through, which means it puts him further away from his dorm room, further away from Carlos, but the line to swipe his school ID was too damn long.

Cautiously holding the tray to his chest and tapping into years of balance from running on rooftops with stolen goods, Jay manages to not drop any of the food. He dodges students and teachers (what time is it? Are classes done for the day?) easily, making his way back to the dorm in a hurry.

He has food, check, their dorm room has blankets, check, they have a basic first aid kit, check... Jay is so focused on getting back to Carlos and going over the list of everything he needs - everything he should have been providing since the beginning - that he nearly spills the whole tray when a flash of blue turns a corner at the same time.

The only thing that saves them from colliding is Evie’s sharp yelp. “Jay!”

“What.”

She blinks at him and tilts her head, raising her phone. “Carlos called and said you left?”

Yeah, he did, and Jay feels awful about it, but he has food and they have a first aid kit and Jay is going to make everything better if people would stop fucking talking to him. “I’m going back up now.”

“Is something wrong?” Evie keeps up with the quick pace. “Why did you leave?”

“To get stuff.”

“I would have brought you more food,” the beta huffs as they move up the stairs (because the elevator would have taken too long). “You think it’s safe to go out?”

Jay almost falters in his steps, but his concern for Carlos outweighs his confusion with Evie. “Why wouldn’t it be?”

“Because of your...rut.” She answers honestly.

Why the hell is everyone obsessed with his rut?

Jay doesn’t answer, just keeps moving and taking the steps two at a time until he’s on the right floor.

“What’s going on?” Evie asks and he can hear the demand in her voice no matter how she tries to suppress it. There’s an urge to snap and glare and watch as the beta ducks her head in submission but Jay has someone more important to focus on.

“I’m taking care of it.”

“What happened?”

They reach his dorm room almost instantly with how fast Jay moves and he pauses with the key in his hand. He turns to Evie and assesses her. She was the one Carlos called for and she smells...neutral. “You’re acceptable.”

“I...thank you,” she nods slowly. “Is everything alright?”

“It will be. Go down to the nurse and get bruise cream and bandages.”

“What?” Her brown eyes widen and she gasps, “what happe-?”

“Go, beta!” Jay snaps.

She bows her head and waits only a moment before scurrying off.

Balancing the tray with one hand, Jay unlocks the door and pushes it open, allowing himself into the room and seeking out Carlos immediately.

The omega is up and pacing in front of the beds, though he should be laying down! His fingers are in his mouth to chew at his nails like he always does, but his eyes find Jay’s quickly. “Ja- Alpha!” Carlos rushes up to him, “where did you go?”

Whatever horrible scent that was in the air earlier is almost gone, probably thanks to the window Carlos opened after Jay left, but there are hints of the sour stench still. “Bed. Now.”

“I... Alpha?”

“Now.” Jay lowers his voice and narrows his eyes, watching as Carlos lowers his head and obeys quickly. After a moment, Jay follows him to the bed, placing the tray in between them. “Eat.”

Carlos opens his mouth, probably to question him, but Jay stares him down until the omega nods and lifts the sandwich to his mouth.

It’s not until Carlos is swallowing and taking another bite that Jay relaxes and sighs. “Keep eating.” He pushes himself off of the bed and over to Carlos’, messily made since neither of them slept there last night, and takes the giant comforter and plush blanket off. Jay gathers them in his arms and dumps them onto his bed, Carlos watching him silently (and still eating, Jay notes proudly).

He grabs the soft one because Jay knows Carlos favors it and drapes the blanket over the omega’s shoulders, tucking it in against freckled arms and pulling it tight. “Do you want the comforter too?”

“No, alpha,” Carlos says after he swallows. He’s almost done with the sandwich and Jay scowls. It’s his responsibility to make sure Carlos eats and drinks properly, he’s been slacking the past couple of days damnit.

He opens one of the juices and pushes it into Carlos’ hands. “Drink. Unless you wanted apple,” Jay pulls the bottle back and offers a different one to Carlos. “Or grape. Or all three of them.” Just drink one of them, any of them, all of them!

“I like orange juice,” Carlos says quietly and takes the first one back, sipping on it. “Thank you.”

“What about the vegetables?” Jay taps them on the tray. “Eat those too. Eat everything here. All of it.”

“Yes, alpha,” Carlos pops the rest of the sandwich in his mouth and picks up a piece of celery just to please him. “Did you get anything for yourself?” He looks at the alpha’s empty hands

“No. Now stay.” As if Carlos needs another command to follow, but Jay’s nerves are still running about.

He searches the bathroom and finds the first aid kit under the sink where Carlos always puts it. Jay flips it open and digs through the contents before deciding to take the entire thing out into their room.

Carlos still watches him quietly, having abandoned the vegetables in favor of the fruit cup and eating the sweet pieces with his fingers. Jay spends a moment too long staring at Carlos suck the juice off his fingertip and suppresses the growl in his throat.

Now is not the time for that.

He sets the first aid kit on the bed, tosses some of it to the floor because they don’t need tweezers or a thermometer. Jay sets aside bandages and ointment and whatever else he thinks could be of use.

A knock at the door has them both jumping, but Jay rushes to the door and opens it wide enough to see Evie with what he ordered her to retrieve.

“Here,” she hands the the plastic container and a box of bandages. “What-?”

“Thanks.” Jay closes the door without another word.

Carlos, having set the rest of his fruit cup down and munching eagerly on a cookie (because Jay is a dumb ass who never ensured his omega was eating), snickers. “I’m okay, Evie!” He shouts as he takes a bite.

“...Okay,” she calls back from the hallway, but Jay’s not paying her any mind.

He’s next to Carlos again, unscrewing the lid from the bruise cream. Jay only knows the nurse has this because of a fight on the tourney field and he had been amazed at how quickly his wounds faded. “Stay still.”

For the first time, besides anything regarding sex, Carlos disobeys him. “What are you doing?” He moves back and watches Jay suspiciously.

Jay glares. “I’m taking care of your bruises.” He reaches for Carlos’ arm again, but the omega pulls out of his grasp.

“Why?”

“Because they’re bruises and they hurt.” Right? Bruises hurt, don’t they? Is Jay going crazy or is everyone around him being really weird today?

Carlos flushes. “What if...I like having them?”

“You...?” Oh. Jay’s mouth goes dry and he can’t speak for a second. “Don’t they hurt?”

“Not really,” Carlos shrugs and breaks his cookie into small pieces. “But when they do, it’s...it’s like a good pain.”

Shit. He had been so focused on relieving Carlos of pain that Jay was able to distract himself from the sorrow at having to take his mark off of the omega’s skin. The fact that Carlos likes the bites and bruises and want to keep them all...

“Unless you don’t want me to keep them, alpha,” Carlos looks away. “I’ll try to get rid of them if you don’t like them.”

“I like my mark on you,” Jay says without thinking. Carlos blinks up at him. “I do. Just...maybe they don’t need to be everywhere.” Fuck, he even went and bit Carlos’ wrist, where his natural scent is strongest. “I should take some of them off.”

“Whatever pleases you.”

If Jay weren’t so focused, he would probably lose his mind at that. He swallows and almost takes some of the cream onto his fingers, but he’s stopped again.

“I’ll do that if you’d like to eat, alpha.”

Eat what? Jay looks at the single tray of food in Carlos’ hands, still with half the vegetables and fruit cup and a cookie. “No. You eat it all.” It’s not for him, the food is for Carlos! Jay is trying to provide!

“Jay, you’ve gotta eat too. We’ve-.”

“Eat.”

Carlos nods quickly. “Yes alpha.” He sets the tray down again and picks up another piece of celery.

There’s a tingle in his spine at seeing his omega eat the food Jay gave him, but he pushes it aside and reaches for Carlos’ hand again. He dips his fingers into the bruise cream and soothes it onto Carlos’ arms gently, moving in little circles. The omega probably has more bruises than he does unmarked skin. Slowly, rubbing in the ointment, Jay works his way from wrists to sharp elbows, up to thin shoulders, moving dutifully and appreciating every bit of skin under his hands.

“This feels a lot like aftercare.”

Jay freezes and after a moment, he looks up from Carlos’ freckled skin and into his curious eyes.

“I mean, well, I suppose it is,” the omega shrugs and flushes. “After everything. I...” he huffs and falls quiet.

“That was kind of a drop earlier,” Jay says and continues working. “Was that...? Did you...? Was that an actual drop?” Granted, his rare experiences with omegas on the Isle meant Jay had never truly seen a drop. He only knew of them from books and vulgar talk from his father. Drops were common in omegas, especially during their heats or the ruts of their alphas when emotions were high and sex drives were wild. A drop in an omega mean a time of complete vulnerability and exhaustion, a need for comfort and attention.

Shit. If Carlos was dropping earlier and Jay left...

He is such a fuck up.

Carlos flushes further, the red of his cheeks reaching his ears. “No. It wasn’t a drop. It was... It wasn’t a drop.”

Thank evil. At least Jay is not a total fuck up. “Was it because I pulled your hair?” He swallows and tries not to let his panic feed into his voice.

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Omega.”

“Uh. Well. Kind of,” Carlos says quietly and finally pushes the empty tray off his lap. “You... I don’t like being called a-a-a bad boy.” He says the phrase with his nose scrunched up and lips twisted, as if the words themselves leave a bad taste in his mouth.

Jay feels his face heat up. “I didn’t mean it. I was just...” Fuck, words are so damn difficult right now. “You’re not a bad boy.” Carlos is the opposite. Maybe a cock tease and a smart ass, but he’s kind and intelligent and beautiful. How could Carlos not know that?

"It’s what my mother would call me.”

Well shit. That explains how quickly Carlos shut down.

“I know that’s not how you meant it,” the omega quickly says. “But that was the first time I heard someone say that to me...since the Isle.” Carlos shudders and pulls his legs up, curling tighter into the blanket. “And she would...pull my hair too.”

Fuck. Fucking fuck.

“I’m not like her.” As soon as the words leave his mouth, Jay realizes it’s a lie.

He bruised Carlos and hurt him, pulled his hair and scared him, called him a bad boy and mocked him.

Why is he such a failure as an alpha? Why the fuck did Jay ever think he was worthy of being Carlos’ alpha?

“Hey,” Carlos reaches out, “I know you’re not like her, Jay. I know that.”

“I scared you,” his voice nearly cracks. “I didn’t mean to. You’re not a bad boy and I won’t ever touch your hair again.” Jay grabs Carlos, pulls his shoulders until they sit so close, no space is left between them. “I’m...I’m sorry.”

“No!” Carlos snaps. This tone is so unlike the passive, accepting voice that he’s spoken in that Jay blinks in shock. “You are not like her. I know you’re not. She never... My mother wouldn’t do any of this for me,” Carlos nudges the lunch tray and raises one end of the blanket. “Or try to fix me up,” he nods to the bruise cream still in Jay’s lap. “You’re not like her. At all.” Without another word, he ducks his head under Jay’s chin, nuzzling at the alpha’s throat and sighing. “You smell so distressed.”

Jay’s arms wind around Carlos’ back and keep him close.

“You checked after me when I did tourney. You always gave me food on the Isle,” Carlos kisses his throat. “You look out for me. You made sure people didn’t mess with me.” He takes a deep breath. “You’re a good alpha.”

The self pity in Jay’s gut is replaced with the burning desire of his rut again, hot and urgent and clawing under his skin.

But it’s not for sex. No, this urge is different, but just as strong, it’s to dote and comfort and provide.

He could never do any of those things on the Isle. No one could cuddle or take care of each other. It was the way of life for everyone.

But that’s not the way in Auradon. Jay doesn’t have to hold back here, he can pamper and praise Carlos all he wants. He can indulge himself and Carlos too.

He can be what Carlos deserves.

“Come here,” he pulls the omega into his lap again and buries his nose into white hair for a moment. Jay kisses his head. “Lay down.”

Carlos obeys quickly, laying on his side.

Jay stands and places the lunch tray on the floor and off to the side, noting the first aid contents still on the ground. He’ll clean it up later. The two other juices are set on the little table by his bed and Jay finds Carlos’ physics book on his desk along with a notebook and pencil.

After double checking that the door is locked, Jay straightens out the comforter he stole from Carlos’ bed and drapes it over the omega. He slips under the blanket as well, pulling Carlos up to his chest and opening the textbook for him. “You wanna study? Or just...you know, cuddle?” Jay squirms when Carlos turns to look at him. “Or we could watch TV. Whatever. Whatever you want to do.”

Carlos laughs and it sounds so sweet and pure. “Yeah, this seems a lot like aftercare.” He snickers again, less joyful this time, and sighs.

“What’s wrong?”

The omega doesn’t say anything, just keeps watching Jay. His scent doesn’t change, but his expression does slightly. His brow pull together, his lips purse a bit, his head tilts to the right.

“Carlos?” Jay runs a hand down his back while the other cups a freckled cheek.

“I just don’t want this to end with your rut,” Carlos murmurs. “I don’t know what’ll happen after. I’m,” he slowly exhales. “I’m gonna miss this.” He leans into Jay’s touch and closes his eyes.

Why do people keep talking about his rut like it’s some big deal?

“Hey,” Jay leans forward. It’s an awkward angle with Carlos on his chest, but he lets their foreheads touch. “I’m not going anywhere. This isn’t ending.”

Maybe he’s been a shit alpha today and yesterday, but that changes now. Jay is going to provide and support his omega. He’s going to be gentle and protect and ensure Carlos’ happiness.

Jay’s going to be worthy of being Carlos’ alpha, he swears it.

So shout out to @disney-princess-sized for helping me with this scene a few months ago. She and I talked it through and I really like how it came out, I hope everyone else did too!

I hope my writing conveyed what’s going on with Jay. His urge to protect Carlos outweighs his aggressive side. He’s basically a teddy bear at this point.

This is day 5 of Jay’s rut, which means we only have 3 chapters left! The ending is still up in the air, but I’m leaning to one side over the other. Let me know what you like, what you don’t like, what you wanna see, etc!