Chapter Text
"Thank you so much, you don't know how much this means to us." The alpha in the couple said gratefully, bringing out a large hand for Niall to shake. He grabbed it gently, smiling up at him in relief that he's finally never going to see them again, but in a good way, to know that this couple is saved from going their separate ways, that now he can breath and watch as they leave with smiles on their faces.
The omega of the relationship smiled, her eyes wide and bright, the glimmer of happiness in them instead of grief and strain. "Thank you, truly." She brought her small hand out that seemed to slip more easily into his, their hands a matching omega size.
"Feel free to come by in a couple years, tell me all about your life after this." Niall urged with a welcoming smile, nodding his head when they both smiled in assurance. They then walked off, hand in hand instead of a few feet apart, Niall's hands coming to lock together in front of him, his eyes looking upon them in fondness until the front door closed behind them.
His shoulders slumped, a small sense of thankfulness knowing that was his last appointment of the day. His hands loosened and creased down his high waisted work pants. He had to admit, he was shaking and sweating the whole time, hands stressing to write on his clipboard as they spoke in detail about their improvements and still very complicated situations. But now, a weight was gracefully lifted off his shoulder, and even though there was the corrupted teenaged beta boy who stole money from his innocent omega mom that he had an appointment with tomorrow, and the alpha couple that was thrown out from their families because of their unique relationship, going into debt. He was still breathing, and everything was a calm road until tomorrow started a new day.
He walked off into the kitchen, looking at the time on the wall and marking the time to make dinner in his mind, a half hour before his alpha, Harry, would come home from his equally successful job.
Niall worked at home, his office down the hallway from the living room, a chaise lounge chair and some bland leather chairs across from it, a small and welcoming place to talk with a coffee table between the three chairs to set tea or coffee down which Niall did every appointment. It was weird, but as an omega, it was good to stay at home, clean and cook on his free time, not that Harry truly cared, his alpha was open, let him do whatever he wanted, and wasn't one of those possessive types that growled at anyone who even shifted a gaze at him.
A smile crawled it's way onto his lips as he slowly sat down on the couch in the living room, pushing up his glasses before bringing his hand out to search for his poetry book. Niall thought it was funny seeing alphas so protective, and of course in his level of profession, he didn't show that sly smirk to his patients, seeing many couples come by and Niall having to fly his hand away from the omegas hand when they shake because a deep growl erupted into the room.
He was an omega for god sakes, why was that something to be possessive about?
Opening his book and moving the bookmark beside him, he leaned against the arm of the couch and slowly got encased into his book, his eyes drifting along the pages and pointer finger tapping against the hard cover. He was on chapter twelve when he slowly shifted his gaze to the time on the VCR under the television, it flashing 3:30 on the screen. A sign his alpha was coming home in half an hour.
He slapped the book shut and bolted up, skipping his way to the kitchen to make the daily evening dinner, some chicken and noodles for tonight, a glass of red whine with it on the side, a formal but calming dinner, something Harry adored after a long day of work.
The chicken steamed on the plates as he brought them out from the oven and settled them on the plates, then dipping the noodles beside the juicy meats. A smile of pride on his face as he stared down at his work, something hard to believe since he wasn't as good as a cook as Harry, but since the promotion a year back, he decided to take some cooking lessons, which, he would never do again.
Omega cooking classes were like a kindergarten class, a bitchy omega girl standing in front of the class, Niall sitting beside an even bitchier omega girl who kept side glaring him the whole class every time he asked a question that, to him, needed to be answered and explained. But it payed off, apparently.
The click of the lock made him straighten, his hands moving out to take the two plates and escort them into the dinning room, setting them on the deep red placemats. He stood with his hands in front of him, his foot tapping against the wood flooring, waiting patiently as he heard the clinking of keys, the shuffling of a jacket being shrugged off and the squeak of dress shoes being taken off. And soon enough Harry was walking into the room, white dress shirt and black dress pants not nearly as high as Niall's was, belt loose against his waist. He looked tired with his shoulders sagged and eyes ringed with purple bags. "Hey babe." Harry mumbled, a weak smile on his face as he maneuvered around the table, shifting his gaze to the food then back up at Niall to kiss the corner of his mouth.
They both sat down after Harry's welcoming gesture, the only sound throughout the apartment was the clinking of utensils. "How was work for you today?" Harry asked, his eyes still focused on the plate as he cut his chicken and plucked a piece into his mouth. "Oh, fine, that couple with the trust issues? Well, they're both still together and are going to be fine, I'm so happy for them." Niall said cheerfully, Harry setting down his fork and knife to place his elbows on the table and set his chin on his entwined fists, chewing slowly and staring at Niall with love in his eyes.
"Yeah? That's great babe." Harry acknowledged and then swirled the noodles on his fork and slurped then up into his mouth. "How was yours?" Niall then asked, knowing that's the best way to keep a conversation going, not that it was hard to talk to his alpha, but Harry was tired and Niall knew as soon as he was done eating he was going to slump down the hallway and fall into bed for a long rest, probably till 3 o'clock the next morning to get up and go to work, yes, an ungodly hour, but something, again, Niall got used to.
"Fine, did surgery on a patient today, took seven hours but never lost him once, then got to show some new sergeants how to reconnect the tibia bone." Harry explained using his doctor vocabulary that Niall seemed to pick up as the year went by.
"Oh, that's great baby. You must be exhausted though." Niall said with a frown, cutting the last of his chicken and gliding the now cooled down meat into his mouth. Harry nodded, but gave him a reassuring smile before getting up with his plate and disappearing into the kitchen, the clinking and clacking of the plate and utensils being set on the counter, then the sound of water drizzling out into the sink meaning Harry was going to do the dishes, one of the only jobs he did besides fixing any malfunctions around the house.
Niall got up, the sounds of his husband working a sign that he should set his plate beside the sink for him to wash, but he still held that frown on his face, Harry was tired, very, and he was going to wake up at three o'clock the next morning to head off to work, he needed the sleep.
Once Niall got to the sink, he settled a hand in the middle of Harry's shoulder blades, his thick, buff muscles felt under the light, white fabric of the dress shirt. Harry looked down, his eyes were in slits from exhaustion and barely being held open by his lids.
"Go to bed babe, I'll do the dishes tonight." Niall assured in a whisper, gliding his hand down his alpha's back before bringing it back down to his side. Harry stuttered in his step, opening his mouth to protest but being left with a finger on his lips, Niall softly shushing him, "go to bed." Niall said sternly, brows raised and tone motherly.
Harry nodded weakly, bringing his head down to kiss Niall's forehead before walking off and disappearing around the corner. The sound of him stumbling down the hallway and the strain of the mattress strings as he slumped into bed.
A smile slowly spread across Niall's face as he washed the dishes and then dried them and set them where they belonged. It was like any other day, but tonight was slightly different with Niall insisting on sending his barely alive husband to bed. He liked the twist of the evening, instead of the normal and patterned days.
The night was nothing different after his cleaning, his eyes drooping as he walked down the dimly lite hallway and into the bedroom, where his alpha laid, the covers not even overtop of him, head barely on the pillow, cheek squished against the mattress and his work clothes still on, wrinkled and creased and definitely in need of ironing in the morning.
Niall settled his discarded clothing on the small leather chair in the corner of the room, a place to settle his things that he was too tired to put away neatly, and he might as well throw them over the chair than jam them into the drawers or closet hangers.
With just his boxers on, he slowly climbed into bed, taking his glasses off and placing them on the beside table and then settling himself under the covers, being cautious of the particularly large body spread out like a butterfly on the queen sized bed, long limbs knocking against Niall's body. But, the blond slowly got comfortable, now on his side facing the window that looked over the London streets, the room pitch dark aside from the slightly lite hallway lights. Harry didn't really cuddle with him in bed, something that got them both distracted and having to wake up early in the morning with zero amount of sleep is nothing either of them wanted. But again, he didn't mind, Harry was in love with him, and he was in love with Harry, and they both shared it. And he thought that was enough.
He awoke to a beaming light blinding him, making his hands jolt up to block his delicate morning eyes. He slowly got up after rubbing at his sore eyes, blinking around the room, noticing the bed was cold and the sheets were ruffled into a recent indent, Harry, who had definitely left by now. But he noticed the work clothes set neatly on the floor beside the bathroom, a sign Harry had taken a shower before he left, and to clean them.
And that was his reason to get out of bed, his appointment with the beta boy was a 12 o'clock, meaning he could sleep in for awhile, but with the chores and getting ready for the appointment, it will be time before he knew it. And he couldn't bare the thought of scrambling around the house stressing to find out what he was going to talk about with the troubled teen, or have Harry come home with a sad and guilty expression seeing him half dead on the couch from exhaustion, no food cooked and ready for him to eat. And Niall could not disappoint his mate like that, or degrade his job like that.
He snatched his glasses from the bedside table and settled them on, his eyesight immediately upgrading. Then he grabbed his clothes and Harry's, shuffling down the hallway with just his sweatpants on, taking his time in settling the clothing into the washer and starting it up, then going to the kitchen to make his tea and settle himself to work in his office, bringing out his century old note book to write down questions.
And like he said, after writing down his questions, making the bed, getting changed into his high-waisted work pants and white dress shirt and then making himself breakfast, three sharp knocks echoed throughout the apartment. He flicked his glasses up the bridge of his nose, walking nervously towards the door and flinging it opened, the beta boy not even flinching, just staring blankly at him. "Good afternoon..." Niall trailed off, bringing his hand out awkwardly when he closed the door behind the boy as he walked in, Niall never got the boys name, wanting to know it first hand instead of from his sobbing, wits-end mother on the phone.
"Blake." The boy grumbled, standing stiff instead of taking Niall's hand in his. Niall settled his hand back at his side, a strained expression on his face as he motioned Blake into the apartment and into his office, offering a cup of coffee like always and letting him take off his jacket and shoes.
Niall settled himself across the boy who sat on the fancy lounge seat, slouching back with his arms crossed over his chest, a flaming gaze locked on Niall's calm blue eyes. Niall cleared his throat, adjusting his glasses on his face before opening his book and focusing his eyes on the first question.
"Do you know why your mother called me, Blake?" He asked, raising a brow at the boy, but not in a judgemental way, just a curious and totally harmless way.
Blake shrugged and shifted his gaze to the floor.
"Alright, well, your mother called very upset, telling me you steal money from her a lot, do you know anything about that?" Niall started to get more tense, knowing he was getting into a more serious matter, something that might make the boy snap.
But Blake didn't speak, just furrowed his brows and frowned, an angry expression on his face. Arms tightening around his chest.
"I'm sure your mom wouldn't lie to me? She sounded pretty-"
"I don't have a job, so I can't get the money for myself." Blake spurted out, shutting his mouth quickly and turning away to glare at Niall's desk.
"And what is making you so agitated for money that you had to steal from your own mother?" Niall asked, tapping his foot patiently against the floor.
The boy seemed to start fidgeting, eyes still in a deep glare, but body slowly slumping in defeat.
"Drugs and alcohol." Blake mumbled, barely over a whisper.
"Sorry?" Niall asked, not wanting to tease the lad, but wanting Blake to hear it himself, to know that this was reality, he was here, and we was out of control.
"Drugs and alcohol, okay!" The beta shouted, straightening up to throw his hands up and then slump back down into the chair. But Niall immediately saw his personality change, from angry to frustrated, something that meant he was hiding something more, something like pain.
"Does your alpha father know about this?" Niall asked, raising a brow as he wrote down the boys words, feeling his glasses sliding down his nose.
"Alpha mother, stupid bitch." Blake corrected angrily, growling at Niall and definitely insulting him. But Niall heard it all the time, bitch not just being for girls but now for the whole omega population. Harry didn't like it, but Niall assured himself and his own alpha that it didn't bother him, something a therapist needs to learn, not taking things seriously and to heart, because the people he talks with, sometimes feeds off abuse and tears, loves the look of weakness or drop of discourage from someone's or particularly an omegas expression.
Blake seemed to be agitated with Niall's unresponsive attitude, just blinking up at him. Which Niall enjoyed.
"Alpha mother? Did one of them mate before they met or did they do it for both their desires for a child?" Niall asked and Blake seemed even more angry when he ignored his insult even more.
"My mom, she got with some low-life alpha that ran off with a beta when she was two months pregnant, met my other mom when she was five months pregnant with me." Blake explained, the sign of tears welling up in his moss-green eyes.
Niall had dealt with this many times, the cure? Love. Family. This boy wasn't doing all these things cause he wanted to. No, he did all these things because he wasn't treated to be a kind and responsible beta, taking care of his omega mother or protecting his future one, all he was taught is to never trust beta men. Which, was him.
"On Monday, I would like you to bring both your parents, both as in that's an order. Your parents need to let everything go in their lives just for a few hours, focus on you and your problems. How does that sound?" Niall asked, the boy showing sign of a snarky comment coming. Yes, he just ordered around a beta, but he wasn't afraid too, his job overweighted the omega look and personality seeping through him.
"Why should I listen to an omega?" Blake teased, something Niall was waiting for.
"Well, you listen to your mother, don't you?"
"I obviously don't, or else I wouldn't be here."Blake gave Niall a child-like smile, playful but mysterious.
"True, but I believe you had to listen to your mother at some point growing up, if you haven't, I'm going to have to schedule another appointment." Niall knew saying that would make Blake change his sly attitude. And it immediately did, Blake's guarded and immature expression dropping into regret.
"Uhm, its fine, my mom isn't worried about that, thanks." Blake then got up, grabbed his coat and put on his boots, stomping his way to the front door. Niall followed, with a slight smile on his face, grabbing his card off his desk before he walked off.
When Blake grabbed the doorknob, Niall flew out his card, it placed between his fingers, his smile welcoming. "My card, for your mother, tell her she can email me, text me or call me any time." And Blake just glared up at him, snatching the card from his hands and flinging the door opened, his shoes echoing down the hallway at his angry steps.
But this was just another day, and in an hour, since this one was half an hour, the alpha couple will come in, hopefully more controlled and mature then the beta boy.
Niall heard the front door open, his hand clasped against the spoon that was stirring the beaf stew he was making. Harry came into the kitchen, giving him the usual kiss on the cheek and then unbuttoned the top of his dress shirt, the white flannel like a chokehold against his throat from buttoning it right to the top.
Harry didn't say anything, just walked into the living room to turn on the tv and wait for the dinner to be ready, which, was just a minute away, and when the timer rung, the sound of the tv being shut off and the scrape of the chair against the wooden flooring a sign Harry had settled himself already at the table.
"I made beaf stew tonight, something to fill us up for the weekend." Niall joked, placing the plate in front of his alpha and then walking over to his side and settling himself down across from him.
"How was work today babe?" Harry asked, again, a usual routine. Nothing different.
"The beta boy came today, looked like he wanted to punch me in the face the whole time." Niall answered and Harry nodded, occupied with chewing on his beaf. "Then the alpha couple came, nice fellas, powerful men, they invited me to come to the bank on Monday to settle some money arrangements." Niall finished, Harry again, just nodding.
"How was yours?" Niall asked once again.
"Fine love, much more awake today, just had to file some reports and meet with the guy I did the seven hour surgery on yesterday, nice lad, very grateful." Harry explained and then scooped up some more soup, placing the spoon into his mouth and dipping it upwards to let it drain into his mouth.
"How about a movie date tonight then? Kill Your Darlings, heard it was a good movie." Niall smiled and Harry nodded, scooping the last of his soup into his mouth and getting up to get more.
They sat on the couch after, Niall taking an old book that was in his bedside drawer- for what looked like years based on the layer of dust coating it-to read, he had it bookmarked halfway, something he couldn't just leave, since he liked to finish his books.
The movie played for twenty minutes, Harry beside him leaned against the armchair, one hand rested against the arm rest, another settled behind Niall on the back of the couch. But Niall started to get bored, trying not to be rude by slowly opening it by the bookmark.
He let out a screech at what the bookmark actually was, hands flying out and throwing the picture onto the ground. His knees were up against his chest like he almost stepped on a mouse.
Harry was looking at him with wide eyes, settling a hand on his knee and shaking it, asking if he was okay.
"Oh my god, what were we?" Niall asked and Harry furrowed his brows, not understanding Niall's whispered and out of focus tone.
Harry got up and walked over to the picture, taking it and flipping it over to see what his omega was freaking out about.
"Wow." Harry said, his eyes large and brows raised. "What really were we?" Harry repeated Niall's tone, sitting back down to show Niall again, making the blond whimper.
It was a picture of Niall and Harry, Niall on his stomach but butt up and legs spread, one arm rested against the mattress to hold him up, the other knotted into Harry's curls, Harry's head rested in the crook of Niall's neck, looking to be breathing heavily into his ear, one large arm wrapped around Niall's thin torso, the other up and out of the camera, probably taking the picture. But the two mates focused on their younger selves locked together with Harry's knot.
Harry had lots of things running through his mind, some sexual, some flabbergasted that this was him, doing such dirty things, and wondering about his omega, the little blond in the picture looking like he could barely take Harry's knot, let alone do such dirty and kinky things.
Niall's expression dropped, his hands coming out to take the picture from Harry's grip, staring at it with wide eyes. "How long was this taken?" Niall asked and Harry shrugged, still staring at the part where they were knotted together. Niall flipped it over, seeing the date marked on the back.
"January 1st, 2014"
Harry's brows shot up, mouth gaping, it had been a year, that picture probably taken after New Years, celebration sex probably. But a year?A year since they did anything sexual? Harry could barely believe it, but the picture was proof based on how they reacted.
"That's not normal, Harry." Niall said, shooting up and rushing into the kitchen, coming back a second later with a phone and a phonebook. Harry was stuttering, so much confusing things happening in just a few minutes. "What are you doing?" He asked, seeing his blond omega searching frantically through the book until he stopped and started dialling a number on the phone. "I'm calling a therapist, see if they can help us get back into it, cause I don't feel like doing anything... sexual, do you?" Niall asked, and Harry hesitated, but Niall just nodded in understanding.
"Hello? Hi, uhm, sorry to call you like this but, are you free tomorrow at any time, me and my husband need to have a chat, a very needed chat." Niall said and there was a voice at the other end, a sign of relief flooding throughout Niall's face. "Thank you, mister Tomlinson. We'll be there at 10." Niall then shut off the phone, looking up at Harry who was now towering over him with a stone expression.
"Do we really need this? Your a therapist, we could just talk it out, I'm sure we can try and, you know-"
"You can't even say the word babe, that's a sign we need someone to talk us through getting back into it, and this therapist has a profession in sexual problems, from a malfunction in knotting and heats, to rape. And then us, a year without any sex." Niall pointed out and explained, then getting up off the couch, taking Harry's hand and leading him to the bedroom. "Let's rest, big day tomorrow." And Harry just nodded, the movie still heard from down the hall, a few lights still turned on that they didn't get to turn off, but he was now exhausted, the thought that they actually haven't had sex in a year yet, was making his brain want to blow up.
For the next hour, he just laid in bed, Niall on the other side, them not even touching like a normal couple would. His mind repeating "no sex, for a year, no knotting, for a year, no heat, for a year, no marking, for a year, not even meaningful contact in the slightest, for a whole, fucking, year."