Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Rule number one about going to Dream's house: use scent blockers if you're staying for a prolonged amount of time. 

Rule number two: that's it, no other rules.

Reasoning behind the one and only rule? Dream's mom was sensitive to the spike in people's scents when they get overly emotional, causing the women to get migraines. And ever since Drista, Dream's younger sister, presented and was found to have the same affliction, rule number one was created and heavily enforced.

And as a good friend Quackity always made sure to follow that rule, making sure to rub a scent blocker on his glands a few minutes before he even left his own house and went to Dream's.

But today he wished he hadn't.

They were gonna hang out like they used to before George, Karl and Dream graduated and went off to university. A simple hang out session playing video games, annoying each other, getting so loud yelling over one another that Dream's mom would threaten to kick them out of the house, etc.

Instead of doing any of those things Quackity found himself in the middle of the living room, sitting on a lone chair while his friends encircled him like predators trapping their prey.

"What the fuck are you guys doing?" Quackity asked, glancing at everyone for some type of answer.

"Nothing much, just wanted to ask some questions," Dream answered as he widened his stance to look bigger, "wanted to make sure you didn't make a break for it."

Quackity furrowed his eyebrows before looking George in the eyes. The eldest had the audacity to shrug, trying for nonchalant but Quackity saw the little smile on his lips. Of course the other omega knew what was going on, he was probably in on it!

Quackity was even about to ask his British friend what Dream wanted, knowing he'd get some type of crumbs just to set him on edge, before the tallest of the group cleared his throat.

"So, has someone been courting you?" Dream asked. Quackity sharply inhaled, eyes going wide before sputtering out some choked words. He tried hiding the shock with a laugh, but even he didn't believe himself so he doubted the others would.

"WH-what the hell are you on about?! Courting? What is this, the 19th century?" Quackity asked after getting a hold of himself. He couldn't help how his lips formed a smile in his discomfort.

"You started to smell like oranges back in March. We all realized this when summer started and we were all together again." Sapnap said. Quackity stopped himself from reacting to what his friend said, because of course the alpha would pick up on that, they had shared four classes their junior year of high school.

"It's a new cologne my mom bought." Quackity lied easily. All four of his friends looked at him in disbelief.

"No it's not, it's clearly someone's scent." Karl said.

"It smells like an alpha." Sapnap tacked on before Quackity could come up with another lie.

No one said anything after that comment, obviously waiting for Quackity to say something. But the Mexican refused to continue the conversation.

"Fine, if you won't answer my first question, how about this?" Dream asked seriously, crossing his arms across his chest. "What's your relationship with Wilbur Soot?"

Quackity tilted his chin up, hoping his face was impassive and didn't give anything away as he answered, "Whose that?"

Dream huffed angrily before looking towards George.

"You know how I moved here from the UK, right?" George said. Quackity quirked an eyebrow up, wondering where the conversation was heading with the sudden change.

"Yeah?" Quackity answered.

"I was friends with this guy named Wilbur Soot, but after moving here I couldn't really keep in touch with him because of school." George started out, and Quackity steeled himself for where this was about to go. "You can guess how surprised I was when he moved here with his family at the beginning of the year. Or how surprised I was when he told me last month he was seeing this omega who wasn't afraid to speak his mind, had a sense of humor like no other and smelt like chocolate. " George emphasized the last part, having bent down to look Quackity in the eyes.

"That could be anyone." Quackity said. George scoffed with a roll of his eyes.

"He showed me a picture of you." George answered.

Fuck, Quackity thought, balling his hands into fists on his lap.

"I'm not a kid, I can handle myself." Quackity said, knowing he could no longer evade questions or beat around the bush.

And Quackity knew that if none of them were using scent blockers right now the living room would smell like agitation, maybe even anger from Dream seeing as he was scowling at him, but alas, all it smelled like was the combined scents of the blonde's family.

"Alex, we care about you and want the best for you." Dream said. Quackity glared up at him, hating how the use of his real name made him feel panicked. Feeling like the head of his pack was reprimanding him for breaking a rule set only for him.

"Especially after what happened with… the last guy ," Karl dared to say, making Quackity clench his jaw and turn his glare at the brunette, "we just wanna meet him. See if there's anything off with him that you don't realize."

Quackity scoffed before finally getting off of the chair to leave. He shoulder checked Dream as he went through the middle of him and George, but in doing so the taller grabbed his shoulder to stop him from going any further.

"Alex, just one meeting with him before summer ends, that's it." Dream requested, but there was something in his eyes that made Quackity realize it wasn't a request but more of a demand.

"He's on holiday, won't be back until university starts again." Quackity commented curtly. He pointed at George before continuing, "and if you don't believe me then you can always contact him. I'm sure you exchanged contact info after you two saw each other again."

And with that he left the living room, hearing Karl call after him, but Quackity just sped up as he walked out of the house. He could hear Sapnap stop the older brunette once he opened the front door and made his way out. He was slightly thankful at the interference, but at the same time he was still upset with his friend. It had to be because of him that they started noticing Wilbur's scent even though he knew he washed it off of him before their meetups.

Not well enough , he thought as he walked back home.

But why would you do that? A voice, most likely his instincts, said to him. His instincts made him sad at the thought of fully washing away Wilbur's scent, but he ignored it. It wasn't the first time he felt like this and he was sure it wouldn't be the last.

He made his way home, kicking a rock that was in his path, scowl gracing his face as he let his anger finally rear its ugly face towards the surface. He hated how Wilbur was compared to Schlatt. The older British guy was nothing like him! And George should know that better than any of them if they truly had been friends back when he lived in the U.K.

Wilbur was better than… him .

So, so much better.

Chapter Text

"You never told me you knew Gogy," Quackity said as he called Wilbur. On the other side of the line he could hear what must have been nerf guns going off followed by laughs, the noise becoming distant before completely stopping at the sound of a door shutting.

"You know Gogy?" Wilbur asked instead. Quackity huffed as he placed his head on his pillow.

"Yeah, I've known him since I was a freshman in high school," Quackity answered, practically hearing the cogs in Wilbur's brain turn. "When I was fifteen."

"Ah, yeah, okay," Wilbur responded. "Why are you asking about George?"

"Because," Quackity huffed, pinching the bridge of his nose, "I got cornered by four of my friends today asking if I was being courted."

A pause.

"Oh," Wilbur said. Quackity could hear the older sit down, making him raise an eyebrow.

"You good?" Quackity asked.

"Yeah, yeah," Wilbur said, "I'm good… just… do you, uh, do you want to be courted?" Wilbur stumbled out, the last word going up an octave. And while Quackity was still upset over the whole confrontation with his friends earlier that day, he couldn't help but smile at Wilbur's nerves.

"Wilbur, are you asking me out?" Quackity asked gleefully. He could hear Wilbur start to stutter again.

"No! Well, maybe? Um, only if you want me to if you're OK with that, but if you're not that's cool! We can still be friends, I'll still teach you how to play guitar if you're OK with that." Wilbur stumbled, making Quackity laugh. Oh, how he needed this.

"Wilbur," Quackity said, hoping to stop the older's rambling, "I'd love to date you."

"Oh," Wilbur breathed out and Quackity was sure he was smiling. "Pog."

"Did you just pog the start of our relationship?" Quackity asked, but he couldn't stop the laugh that came deep from his chest. Wilbur followed suit with his own laugh.

"Yeah, I did. Got a problem with that?" Wilbur teased, a few chuckles escaping him. Quackity took a deep breath to calm himself, continuing to smile a bit more before remembering why he was calling.

"I don't have a problem with it, it's just… my friends want to meet you," Quackity said.

"And that's a bad thing? Cause I already know Gogy and his boyfriend." Wilbur asked, obviously not getting where he was coming from.

Quackity groaned. "Wilbur, I know you're friends with George, but this is different. It's like," Quackity paused trying to figure out the best way to describe the situation, "it's like meeting my parents but worse."

"How could hanging out with you and your friends be worse than meeting your parents? Are they your pack?" Wilbur asked. Quackity groaned into his pillow this time.

"Kind of, I guess? Just don't tell Dream that or he'll get all gleeful and arrogant since he's like 'head alpha' of our group, but," Quackity trailed off, feeling his heart speed up in what he was about to say. "It's just… they know my dating history and how the last Alpha I was with fucked me up. They saw me at my absolute lowest." Quackity whispered in admittance, feeling his chest hurt at the remembrance of Schlatt.

"Is it something you want to talk about?" Wilbur asked softly and Quackity felt the pressure in his chest lessen at the sweet tone.

"No… not right now at least." He said with a shake of his head even though the older couldn't see.

"Anyway, it's not a good idea to meet up with them. Dream would be so insufferable if today was an example." Quackity reasoned. On the other side of the phone he could hear a door slam open, two high-pitched war cries followed by the sound of nerf guns firing before Wilbur yelped.

"Tommy! Toby! I'm on the phone!" Wilbur screamed. Quackity could hear him run somewhere for cover with laughter from the two boys following him. Soon the sound of a door slamming made it stop as well as some distant shouting. "Sorry about that, my little brothers are so annoying," Wilbur said with a huff. "So explain why Gogy's boyfriend would be bad?"

Quackity couldn't help but groan. "Dude, I just said that he's the head of our group or 'pack' as he'd like to say." He said, taking on a condescending tone towards the end. But realizing he was taking his anger out on the wrong person he took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

The pack was protecting you, a voice in the back of his head said.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude, I'm still hung up on what happened," Quackity said, taking another deep breath. He knew they were trying to protect him, show them that they cared about him but they just sucked at showing it reasonably. "Dream's the head alpha, but he's also like my brother. He helped me out after an… incident with the last guy so I know he'd always help me out no matter what I did."

"And you're afraid he might drive me away?" Wilbur asked. Quackity hummed his confirmation. "Well, trust me there won't be anything on this planet that'll drive me away from you."

It must have been the sincere and loving way Wilbur said it as Quackity felt his heart squeeze and his instincts flare-up. He couldn't help but purr softly.

He'd never been desired that way before.

You'd never been treated like this either, a voice in the back of his head told him.

A chuckle on the line brought him back to the present.

"I've never heard you make that sound before," Wilbur commented, making Quackity blush.

"Ye-yeah, well I don't make that noise a lot either. So consider yourself lucky to hear it." Quackity retorted. And while he wanted to say something more, a yawn stopped him from doing so.

"Oh yeah, I bet it's pretty late over there, huh?" Wilbur said. Quackity wanted to refute that, but another yawn caught him off guard.

"Yeah," Quackity said instead, "it is a bit late."

"Good night then. I'll call you next time." Wilbur said.

Quackity tossed to the side, "Goodnight Wilbur."

And with that, the line went silent. Quackity looked at his phone one last time, staring at Wilbur's name on his phone before shutting it off and placing it on his nightstand. As he closed his eyes to go to sleep he couldn't help the purr he made.

________________

It had been three days since he'd called his boyfriend (that was still hard to believe at times) as well as three days since the confrontation with his friends. He knew he should talk to the four again, get things figured out and be on common ground, but he didn't know where to start. It was also just easier to ignore their texts and occasional calls than to talk about him and Wilbur and what they thought was going on between them. It's not like he was in a hurry to tell them about how they were dating now, because if he did then they'd push for that 'hang out' with Wilbur all the more.

So that's why Quackity found himself on the bus downtown to the music shop Wilbur worked at. It was where they had first met, and while he knew the older wasn't there, wouldn't be for at least a few more days, he couldn't help but seek it out for comfort.

It didn't take too long for him to get there, what with him practically speed walking there. And as soon as he opened the door to the shop, being greeted by the smell of scent diffusers and the soft lull of some indie artist playing overhead.

And damn was it comforting.

It didn't even matter that he had no clue as to what he should buy, just skimming over the vinyls that took up half of the store. He was sure the workers wouldn't care that he was loitering, they knew him well enough and knew that he was Wilbur's friend.

But now you're more, a voice in the back of his head said. He softly cleared his throat as to not purr again.

Maybe he could buy something for Wilbur? Or would it be weird to buy his new boyfriend a gift as soon as they started dating?

Too busy debating on buying Wilbur a gift, Quackity didn't realize someone was behind him, not until they bent down to put their chin on his shoulder.

"Whatcha thinking about?" Wilbur's deep voice greeted him, scaring the crap out of the younger.

"Jesus! What the fuck Wilbur!" Quackity screamed, right hand over his heart as he took a step to the side. Wilbur laughed loudly, wiping a nonexistent tear from his eye.

"I didn't expect to scare you that badly," Wilbur said, smiling down at him.

"I thought you weren't supposed to come back until the middle of September?" Quackity asked, going back to looking at vinyls. It didn't matter that his heart was still beating a little harder now that he was with Wilbur, smelling his refreshing orange scent.

Wilbur placed his chin on top of Quackity's head, "Well I was, but Tommy and Tubbo kept complaining about how Techno and I weren't going back with them and our parents, so being the kind older brother I am I decided to change my flight ticket. And Techno decided to copy me and came home early too." Wilbur explained, placing his arms on the younger shoulders, swaying side to side.

"And you're not jet-lagged?" Quackity asked, allowing himself to be swayed.

"Not at the moment, I wanted to buy some food, but then I saw my lovely boyfriend at my place of work and I knew I had to see you," Wilbur said, rubbing his cheek on Quackity's head. The younger giggled, turning his head up to try and look at his boyfriend.

"I can go with you, if you want? I don't have anything planned today." Quackity said, the older taking his head off of him so they could look at each other.

"What, you don't need to buy anything from here?" Wilbur asked with a teasing smile like he knew Quackity came here just to feel like they were close and that miles of ocean weren't separating them. Quackity whacked the olders chest, walking past him and to the door. Wilbur laughed, shooting a goodbye to his co-workers before catching up to the younger.

"Just to let you know I'm getting food for the rest of my family, so if you want I can drive you home," Wilbur said as he led them to a burger place.

"Why can't I hang out at your place?" Quackity asked as they got in line. He side-eyed the brunette, noticing a faint blush and tiny unsure smile gracing his face.

"Well, you could if you want to, my parents wouldn't mind. But just to let you know Tommy will most likely follow us around and cling to me if he isn't either, one, too busy eating, or two, sleeping in the family nest with Tubbo." Wilbur said as they got closer to the front.

"That's fine, I just don't want to be at my house. Not sure if Karl or Sapnap would show up to my house unannounced." Quackity said. Wilbur looked towards him to say something, but the cashier stopped him as they asked what they were ordering.

So the Mexican waited for his boyfriend to finish reciting his own as well as his family's order, looking at him to see if he wanted anything. Quackity just shook his head. After Wilbur finished and paid for the meals he took Quackity's hand and walked them over to a table to sit and wait at.

"You still haven't talked to your friends?" Wilbur asked, placing his chin on his hand. Quackity sighed.

"I talked to George last night, apparently Dream went into his rut, so that's why he was protective and stand-offish during that day," Quackity said, Wilbur humming in understanding.

"But even knowing that, I don't want to tell my friends about us," Quackity said, watching Wilbur's face slowly fall. It took a second before he realized how it sounded. "At least not yet! I just… I want it to be us for the first few months. I don't want them to bombard us with questions or decide to invite themselves over on our dates because trust me, they will." 

"That's fine by me," Wilbur said as the smile on his face finally made its way back onto him. "But it might be hard to do that. You know how I get sometimes, how I need attention and to scent things or people. You might end up smelling like me."

"They already noticed that," Quackity said with a dry laugh, "At least my friend Sapnap did but that's because we go to school together, the other three all graduated and left us behind."

Wilbur pressed his lips together, most likely thinking of something else to say as a worker called out his name. Quackity got up with Wilbur to help carry the drinks as he carried the bags of food.

They walked out of the restaurant, making their way towards Wilbur's car in silence. After the doors were unlocked they both got in, with Quackity keeping the drinks on his lap and Wilbur placing the food on the floor of Quackity's seat it was still silent.

"You're not mad, are you?" Quackity couldn't help to ask as the car started up. Wilbur jerked his head back in surprise.

"What? No! They're your pack and mean a lot to you while I'm just the new guy, so I get that you want to wait before I'm introduced to them. I just forgot what to say when my order got called." Wilbur explained. Quackity breathed a sigh of relief.

"Don't worry, it won't be too long before you get to meet them," Quackity said with a smile. He hoped it seemed genuine and not fake.

"And it won't be too long before you meet my family," Wilbur said, glancing to the side and smiling at him before putting his eyes back on the road. "You'll love them, although Tommy and Tubbo can be quite a lot at times."

"I'm sure I can handle it," Quackity said with a smile.

Chapter Text

It didn't take too long for Wilbur to arrive at his house, quickly grabbing the food and heading towards the door. Quackity followed him, trying his best not to drop a drink. Wilbur looked back to make sure he was there before opening the door. It was then when he stepped through the threshold that Quackity noticed the tangy edge in Wilbur's scent, not bothering to focus on anything other than his boyfriend.

"Are you nervous?" Quackity whispered with a chuckle, being mindful of any listening ears.

"Yeah," Wilbur admitted, "Cause you're gonna be meeting my family ." He said. There was an unspoken My pack that seemed to hang in the air.

“Oh, yeah, that makes sense,” Quackity said, wishing his hands were free so he could fidget with them.

Wilbur walked to the kitchen with Quackity following behind him once again. Watching the older man open the bags to get to his food, Quackity sighed at finally being able to put the drink holders down.

“So… am I gonna meet your family, or is that for a later time?” Quackity asked, watching as Wilbur ate some french fries.

“Depends. Not sure if they're awake anymore.” Wilbur said. All of a sudden his scent turned acrid as he faced the Mexican.

“How would you like to be introduced to them? Do you want me to say you’re my friend or…” Wilbur asked. Quackity opened his mouth to say something when they both heard the sound of shuffling feet.

“Oh Wil, you’re back with the food,” A tired-looking man with blond hair said. He was followed by an equally tired-looking woman with long black hair. 

Quackity couldn’t help but focus on the new scents near him. The man smelled like grapefruit, but it didn’t have that underlying musk all alphas had. And focusing on the women’s scent he could tell that it was similar to Wilbur’s orange although hers was more floral. He could tell that there was an underlayer of sweetness all omegas had.

Beta and omega? His mind supplied him. He’d have to ask Wilbur later.

“Who's this? Is he your friend?” The man, who Quackity was sure was Wilbur's dad, asked.

“I’m his boyfriend, actually,” Quackity said before Wilbur got a chance to say anything. He was glad too, as he smelled the change in the brits scent, becoming more pronounced as if he was nonverbally boasting at the claim.

“Ah! Well, it’s nice to meet you…” The woman, Wilbur’s mom, said trailing off as she extended her hand for a handshake.

“Alexis. Or Alex, but my friends call me Quackity.” Quackity introduced himself, taking Wilbur’s mom's hand in greeting.

“That’s an interesting name you got there mate.” Wilbur’s dad said, going for a handshake as well. “You can call me Phil, none of that sir crap, I get enough of that at my job from kiss asses.”

“And you can call me Kristin.” Wilbur’s mom, Kristin, said. Quackity nodded in confirmation. Even after living in the U.S. for a couple of years, he found it weird how adults were okay with being on a first-name basis, but he’d take it in this situation. He figured it was because they saw him as an equal and not a child. It definitely wasn’t because Wilbur’s scent became sweeter when his parents introduced themselves and welcomed him with open arms.

“Well, your food is in the unopened bag. I’m gonna take Quackity up to my room.” Wilbur said, grabbing his meal with one hand and drink with the other. Before either could take a step towards the private space of Wilbur's bedroom his dad put a stop to it.

"You know the rule Wil, no eating in your room. Eat down here in the kitchen or dining room." Phil said. Quackity eyed Wilbur, always feeling odd when he saw his friends argue with their parents. Except he didn't think he'd see the older, much taller , taller than his dad even, pout and look at his dad with puppy eyes.

"But Dad , if I eat down here then Toms and Tubs won't leave us alone. " Wilbur pleaded. Quackity made eye contact with Kristin, soon holding back a laugh as he saw the woman roll her eyes at her son and husband's antics.

“Phil, just let them go up to his room. The rules are mainly for Tommy and Toby anyway.” Kristin said. Wilbur let out a small yes at the victory before going towards the staircase and up towards his room. Quackity soon followed him, paying no mind as he heard Phil and Kristin argue. From the sound of their voices, mainly Kristin’s teasing tone to her husband, he knew it wasn’t that big of a deal.

“Wil slow down, my legs aren’t as long as yours,” Quackity complained as he went up two stairs at a time. He saw the brunette stop at the top of the stairs, a small smile and loving eyes looking down at him. The shorter couldn’t help but smile back at him, shaking his head as he stood next to Wilbur on the landing of the second floor.

Wilbur made sure not to walk to his room like his life depended on it, which Quackity was thankful for. Even if he had, the Mexican would have been able to figure out which room was his, what with the music note stickers covering part of it. Or that his name was messily written in the middle of it in yellow, a drawing of what looked like a ukulele but could have been a guitar next to it.

Before the brunette could try and most likely fail at opening his door with his full hands, Quackity opened the door and stepped in.

The room wasn’t much, had everything it needed to look like someone lived there. There were a few pieces of clothing on the ground, but otherwise, the room was clean.

Quackity made his way to the bed,  flopping down at the foot of it and looking up at the ceiling with his legs dangling off the side. Wilbur made his way to the head of his bed, placing his food down on his nightstand so as to not leave any crumbs on his covers.

Quackity turned his head as he smelled the change in Wilbur's scent, noting the tangy, slightly sour tone again.

"Why are you nervous again?" Quackity asked with a smile. He personally thought meeting the brunette's parents had gone well.

Wilbur cleared his throat nervously. "I'm honestly not sure. My parents seem to like you and… I'm really happy you introduced yourself as my boyfriend," Wilbur said. Quackity reached over so they could hold hands, giving him a reassuring smile. The one Wilbur gave him was a bit tight around the edges. "I think it's just anxiety. Sometimes it pops up for no reason."

"That's OK, it happens. I've just never smelt it in your scent before." Quackity said, trying to think of a time they've spent where he would have smelt the souring of his boyfriend's scent, but he came up with nothing. He did think of a reason as to why Wilbur could be anxious.

"Are you nervous of me meeting your brothers?" Quackity asked, finding it funny how Wilbur's face changed from nervous to astonishment.

"NO! Why would I be nervous about that? That's fucking stupid!" Wilbur exclaimed. Quackity laughed, pleased that Wilbur didn't seem anxious anymore.

"I don't know!" Quackity held his hands up in surrender. "I only thought that because you really don't want me to meet your younger brothers."

"I don't want you to meet Tubbo and Tommy, those two are grubby little demons I want to punt," Wilbur huffed as Quackity laughed. "Techno's fine though. He can be a bit intimidating apparently, but he's cool when you get to know him."

The Mexican didn't say anything more as Wilbur started to eat his food. He went to grab his phone to scroll through it before it started to buzz from an incoming call.

"Who is it?" Wilbur asked through a mouthful of food. Quackity looked at his screen with a groan.

"It's George." Quackity showed the screen to Wilbur. Turning it back towards himself he debated on letting it ring till it went to voice-mail or just rejecting the call.

"You should answer him." Wilbur said. Quackity looked at him like he was out of his mind, about to say as much when Wilbur’s arm shot out and accepted the call.

Quackity gaped at him like a fish, but brought his phone up to his ear.

"Hey, what's up?" Quackity answered, glaring at Wilbur who just continued to eat.

"Oh thank God." George sighed from the other end.

"Dude, you called me yesterday, what's up?" Quackity questioned. From the other side of the line he heard a bang before hearing a muffled Gogy.

"Are you with Dream?" Quackity asked before his face pinched in disgust. " Ewww, you called me yesterday to tell me he's in his rut!"

George huffed, most likely rolling his eyes as something clicked on his side of the line. "It's nothing sexual you pervert. He's brooding because of what happened the last time we hung out."

"And whose fault is that?" Quackity shot back, making George groan.

"Can you hear him out at least? He keeps knocking or throwing things around my apartment and I'm getting tired of it." George said.

"Then kick him out. He doesn't need to be at your place for his rut." Quackity said, avoiding the question the older omega asked.

"He came to my place because all of our scents are here in my spare room. It's the only place I can keep him and know he won't mess anything up." George said. Neither said anything more, but the small nudge he got from Wilbur made him groan before agreeing.

"Fine, but I'm hanging up the second anything regarding him meeting Wilbur comes out of his mouth." Quackity bargained.

"Deal," George said as the sound of a click and a door opening was picked up. "Dream! Quackity wants to talk!" The older omega called out.

A muffled and excited calling of the young omega's name was all he heard before George yelped before the phone clattered to the ground.

"Dream?" Quackity hesitantly called out. There was a bit of a scuffle before the phone was picked up.

"Quackity!" Dream greeted excitedly before his tone took became sad. "I… I'm sorry for what I did, but I just want to protect you! You don't know what a random alpha can do to you if they find you attractive."

"Aren't you an alpha?" Quackity mindlessly said before his brain fully processed what his friend was insinuating. "And Wilbur isn't a random alpha, he's my friend."

Dream growled on the other side of the line. "How can you know what he's like if you haven't known him for that long?"

Quackity knew what the older was doing, knew he shouldn't let himself talk about his relationship with Wilbur or else there would be more questions to each answer, but he couldn't help it when his boyfriend was being ridiculed.

"I may not have known him for as long as you guys, but I've gotten to know him pretty well in the past six, seven-ish months." Quackity said, trying not to get angry.

"You're right, six months isn't that long." Dream said and Quackity groaned. Of course the alpha would misconstrue his words during his rut.

Not wanting the conversation to go on any longer in fear of more misunderstandings, Quackity decided to be honest.

"Dream, you want to know why that impromptu meeting got me so upset? Because it showed me that none of you trust me to make a decision as simple as who I date." Quackity said, taking a deep breath before continuing. "I know the shit show that was me dating Schlatt affected not just me but you guys too, but I need you to understand that it was a one time thing."

"That's what a lot of people say about abusive relationships." Dream mumbled. Quackity took a deep breath, hoping Wilbur didn't hear that bit. Except he must have because what other reason would he decide to squeeze his hand all of a sudden?

"Listen Dream, I learned a lot of shit from when I was dating Schlatt. Do you really think I'd make the same mistake again?" Quackity said, hoping that his friend would say 'no, I know you would never do that again,' as his free hand squeezed his knee.

The line was silent for a second too long.

"Are you fucking kidding me!?! " Quackity yelled before taking the phone away from his ear to hang up. He heard someone on the line call his name but it was cut off as he ended the call.

Taking a deep breath through his nose he noticed the smokey, almost burnt smelling notes his scent had taken on during his call with Dream. Holding his breath and staring at a spot on the ground he counted to seven before taking a deep breath out.

"I'm sorry," Wilbur apologized as he rubbed his back comfortingly. "I shouldn't have accepted the call for you."

Quackity shook his head. "I don't blame you, I was gonna have to talk with Dream sooner or later."

Turning around to snake his arms through Wilbur’s to hug him he could feel himself relaxing into the hold. It took a second for Wilbur to return the hug, but when he did it felt warm and grounding.

Chapter Text

"I'm sorry," Sapnap said, surprising Quackity as the Mexican waited outside the door to his first class.

"What are you sorry for?" Quackity asked. He knew full well what the apology was for, but he wasn't planning to accept the apology outright.

"I'm sorry for telling Karl about the alpha scent I noticed on you. I should have realized he was gonna talk to George and Dream about it when you didn't give him an answer." Sapnap explained. Quackity looked down in thought, vaguely aware of Sapnaps scent turning acrid the longer he stayed quiet.

"I think…. I think Karl might have asked me about Wilbur's scent during spring break?" Quackity commented more to himself than to Sapnap. "I don't remember though…"

"He did," Sapnap confirmed. "I mean, he didn't know it was Wilbur, none of us did, but I remember him talking to me about that. He was kind of upset that you wouldn't tell him anything."

Quackity groaned, already wishing the day was over.

"Do I have to tell you guys about every alpha I meet with?" Quackity asked incredulously. Sapnap held his arms up in defense.

"No, that's not it!" Sapnap defended himself, getting some stares but not caring one bit. "We were trying to keep it to just us, but then he confided in George, and some way or another he told Dream which is why that shit show happened."

"Let's not talk about that," Quackity said as he watched his teacher unlock the door to the classroom and followed him in.

Hoping that that was the end of the conversation he groaned as Sapnap followed and sat next to him.

"I texted you my schedule last night!" Sapnap said as he threw his arms up in the air. Quackity mimicked his movements before laying his head down on his desk.

It was silent between them for a few minutes before Sapnap cleared his throat.

"I am sorry though. I should have had your back that day even if I didn't know what was going on with you and Wilbur." Sapnap apologized again. Quackity sighed as he raised his head to look at his friend.

"He's my guitar teacher. That's why his scent was on me." Quackity explained. Sapnap nodded his head in understanding before twisting in confusion.

"I thought you knew how to play guitar?" Sapnap asked, giving him a knowing glance. Quackity felt his face heat up but hoped it wasn't noticeable.

"I-" Quackity stuttered, not sure what to really say. "I've been meaning to learn, but I was too busy!" Sapnap had a teasing smile on his face as he cooed.

"You have a crush on him~," Sapnap said with a shit-eating grin. Quackity placed his head on his hands as the bell for first period rang.

_________

"George wants to hang out this Saturday. Says he'll try to be up around noon." Sapnap said as they ate lunch.

"He could text me ya know," Quackity said as he took a sip of water.

"He told me to tell you because you blocked him and Dream," Sapnap said. Quackity opened his mouth to refute that but pressed his lips together as he took his phone out and looked at his blocked list. Sure enough, his two friends were there on the list.

"No, they're not," Quackity said as he unblocked Dream and George.

Sapnap raised an eyebrow at him. " Sure , whatever you say dude. Hopefully, you don't have a guitar date with Wilbur that day."

" Ooh, now that you mention it, I do, sorry. Can't go." Quackity said as he put his phone away.

"You can bring him over. I'm sure George wants to hang out with him too." Sapnap said. Quackity rolled his eyes as he ate his food.

"He could text Wilbur himself if wanted to," Quackity said around a mouthful of food.

Sapnap just shrugged his shoulders as he began to eat his food.

"Thought you'd want to invite your boyfriend yourself." Sapnap teased as he poked Quackity's cheek. The Mexican swatted the hand as he blushed. He was just glad that his reactions towards Wilbur being mentioned were only seen as having a crush on him and not like they were dating.

"I'll go, but if Dream brings up wanting to meet Wilbur, even though they already have , I'm jumping out the window." Quackity threatened hollowly, causing Sapnap to chuckle.

"I'll be sure to tell him that," Sapnap said with a bit of a smile. Quackity couldn't help but smile too, hoping that they're next hang out wouldn't be as much of a shit show as last time. 

_________

Quackity took a deep breath as he lifted his hand to knock on George's apartment door. He knew he didn't need to, that the older omega knew he was coming over and could just open the door and go in, but he couldn't help going through that motion.

He did stop himself from knocking though, lowering his fist to instead just open the door.

He hadn't been expecting much when entering the apartment, usually when he went over to his friends he'd always be the first person to arrive with… certain exceptions. One of those exceptions was of course when it came to hanging out at George's place. Now was an example of that as Dream tackled him into a bear hug as soon as he opened the door.

"Gogy! Get your boyfriend away from me!" Quackity shouted from the front door. He heard the older omega walk from the living room and towards the front door, stopping once he saw them to laugh. Quackity flipped him off but that only made George laugh harder.

"He's just saying sorry," George said as he wiped away a tear.

"Dream, let me down ." Quackity said, trying to push away from the alpha. As a response the blonde whimpered, causing Quackity to stiffen and look at George. The older omega was just as shocked as him, finally walking over to them. Before reaching out towards his boyfriend Dream placed Quackity back on the ground.

"I'm sorry for being a dick." Dream said, looking like a kicked puppy.

"...thanks for the apology," Quackity said after a beat of silence. 

He waited for Dream to say something more, but after a few seconds of awkward silence, it didn't seem like he was going to. Quackity inched to the side to get through him as he heard the elevator doors open and the sound of Karl and Sapnap talking carried through the hallway. He had just gotten to the living room when he heard Karl speak up.

"Uh, George? I think Dream is going through his emo phase." The brunette said as he and Sapnap came through the door. Quackity waited on the couch to hear what else would happen, but instead, all he heard was three pairs of footsteps going towards the living room.

Picking up the remote Quackity turned on the TV so they could play some video games, but the current channel playing caught his eye before he could.

"Hey, Quackity!" Karl tried to greet in a cheery tone as he sat next to his friend. When he got no response he looked between his friend and the TV. On the TV was a news broadcasting of a murder case from Mexico.

Husband murders wife and son, the main suspect of being killer linked to other omega murders.

"Quackity?" Karl called out, placing a hand on the younger omega's shoulder. Quackity flinched at the touch and Karl instantly brought his hand back towards himself.

"It's nothing," Quackity said as he switched the input channels. He didn't pay any mind to the look Karl gave to George and Sapnap over his head as he went to pick up an Xbox controller.

"You know you can talk to us, right?" Sapnap said hesitantly. Quackity pressed his lips together as he walked back to the couch.

"Are you gonna be joining us or not, Dream?" Quackity called out to the older alpha. 

While he didn't respond he did walk back into the living room and took the opposite end of the couch. George went to sit next to him while Sapnap picked up two controllers, handing one to Karl before taking the other free spot next to Quackity. The younger alpha bumped him with his elbow as a sign of affection, causing Quackity to lower his head and groan. The reaction caused all of his friends to look at him in varying states of worry. 

"Latin America has a serious problem with femicide and omegacide. That's why I was staring at that news broadcasting. It brought up memories I don't like to think about." Quackity said as he slouched into the couch. Karl rubbed his shoulder in comfort, making Quackity squeeze his eyes as he thought about his life back in Mexico.

"When I was a kid I had a lot of teachers who had strong opinions on omegas. None of them were ever positive." Quackity continued.

"Like what?" George asked. 

"Depends on who you're talking to," Quackity said as he thought back to his middle school health class. "If you talked to a female alpha they'd be fairly okay with all omegas, they always thought they shouldn't work strenuous jobs, but at least they thought they were capable of working," Quackity took a deep breath as he thought about his health teachers, who'd all been male alphas. " Male alphas though… They always thought that female omegas were nothing more than baby machines and shouldn't be allowed out of the house. And how male omegas are a sorry excuse for a human." Quackity said, gripping the controller in his hand with such force that the controller squeaked. "That all male omegas are a mistake and are only good for sex. That any child that comes out of them is damned and wouldn't ever be able to enter heaven."

Quackity took a deep breath to reign in his anger, dropping the controller in his hands to not crack the shell. It took him a few seconds of breathing to fully come to his senses. Once he was fully aware of everything he realized that Karl was trying to calm him down by scenting him, his honey scent sweeter than usual. Quackity huffed a laugh as he rolled his jacket sleeve up and showed his wrist gland to the other. Karl held his hand, letting their scent glands touch.

Quackity cleared his throat to go on. "It wasn't talked about, but everyone knew that if you were a guy and presented as an omega you needed to find someone asap . Usually, it'd be the toughest or richest alpha you could find so you knew you'd be protected from other people."

Quackity squeezed Karl's hand, receiving a squeeze back.

"Wow… uh, that's a lot to learn," George commented, getting a soft punch to the shoulder from Dream.

"Is that why you dated Schlatt?" Sapnap whispered. Quackity bristled as he watched Karl turn to reprimand his boyfriend.

"Ugh!" Quackity groaned as he covered his face with his forearms. "I hate to admit it but yeah, that's why," Quackity said as all eyes turned to him again.

"I knew I didn't need to when I moved here with my parents, but it's hard to get rid of those thoughts when you grow up with adults spouting that bullshit," Quackity explained, feeling rawer than he ever had.

"Does Wilbur make you happy?" George suddenly asked. Everyone looked at George curiously, but the older omega held eye contact with the younger.

"...yeah?" Quackity admitted as he looked between George and Dream. Both George and Dream smiled at him sadly, a level of kindness in their eyes that was never there, pointed directly at him. He didn’t know why it made his chest swell with joy, but it did.

“That’s all that matters then,” Karl said from the side, placing his cheek onto the younger’s shoulder.

From Quackity’s left Sapnap made a barfing noise, causing everyone in the room to look at him.

“If this keeps going I’m gonna actually throw up,” the alpha said. Karl reached over Quackity’s head to try and hit his boyfriend at the disrespect he was showing but stopped when the younger omega laughed instead.

“Agreed,” Quackity said as he went to fist bump the alpha, who gladly fist bumped him back.

It was nice to be back to this.