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Shane loved his little nest in the cupboard. Yea, almost every house had at least one built-in area for nesting, but his little hiding space just made him feel so safe and small. Most people just assumed that he was a beta and he liked to keep it that way. Not that he was embarrassed of being an omega, people were just weird about it “OH you’re an omega, but you’re so tall, but you’re not submissive at all!” It’s not like he didn’t trust his friends he just didn’t want it to be made into a big deal.
He’s taken suppressants regularly most of his life. Heats were limited to only 2-3 days every 6 months with another 2-3 days for menstruation. It usually only ended up being a week altogether, half the time it was the holidays anyway so he didn't have to make an excuse to skip work. Any other time the suppressants worked well enough at masking everything that he could go to work as normal, only taking one or two sick days for menstruating.
He didn’t know what was wrong but the suppressants just weren’t doing it this time. He’s just feeling extremely vulnerable. Even during his heat he hid in his little space, now it was his period and he was feeling so incredibly emotional. He couldn’t stop crying and he just wanted to be held It took everything in him not to call any of his friends, especially Ryan. Accepting their friend was an omega was one thing but they DO NOT need to have this bizarre, out-of-the-blue, emotional, situation thrust upon them.
Ryan was worried, Shane didn’t get sick often and even then he usually answered his texts. He spent the day in a fog worrying over him, maybe he hurt himself and he can’t reach a phone? maybe he’s REALLY sick and needs to go to the hospital? He drove to Shane’s apartment as fast as he could without breaking the law. He bought some soup on the way, Shane’s favorite. He pulled out the keys to Shane’s apartment, he didn’t answer any of his phones (he tried again JUST in case) so he hoped he wouldn’t scare Shane too badly.
He walked down the hall toward his friend's apartment and winced in sympathy as he smelled some poor omega going through it. He didn’t know what it was like but he didn't have to, it was obvious from the smell that they were sad, alone, and hurting. He started getting concerned when the scents were getting stronger as he got closer to Shane’s apartment. Did he take a sick day because he had a family member visiting and they went into heat unexpectedly?
He cautiously opened the door and the waft of scents in the hall was nothing compared to this. The smells hit in nose like a hammer, slick, blood, and Shane’s personal scent was amplified tenfold, strong coffee, deep woody forest, old leather books.
There wasn’t anyone in the apartment except for Obi. His instincts, along with Obi, took him to a closet and his heart broke when he heard a little whimper.
“Shhh, it's just me big guy.” He gingerly opened the door and saw a ball of clothes and blankets, when it twitched he realized it was Shane. He poked his head out to see what was going on, he was curled up in an impossibly tight space that looked like it would even be painful to Ryan. He knelt down and suppressed every single molecule in his body SCREAMING at him to take care of this omega in pain. Yes, he just found out Shane was an omega, but he was still Shane, he had no right to treat him like that just because he found this out. He was a little bit hurt that Shane didn’t tell him, they’d been friends for six years. But he’s seen what happens to female omegas and god only knows what a male omega has to go through.
He looked up and realized Ryan was there and he was, in fact, not dreaming. He’s too out of it to even think about the fact that Ryan now knows, he just needs comfort. He snuggles closer to his friend, silently giving him permission to touch him.
He gently runs his hand over Shane’s back, “It’s ok, I’m right here. Hey, why don’t we get you into a more comfortable nest.”
Shane let out a cry and curled up a little tighter. “I like it, it makes me feel small”
“It’s ok, we don’t have to do anything you don’t want to, I just thought you’d be more comfortable if you were…..less….squished”
He could see a bit more clearly what was going on, Shane was on a little pile of his favorite shirts, cuddled up in a blanket that his mom knitted for him when he was a baby, hugging one of his sweatshirts- wait. “Shane, is that my sweatshirt?”
He could feel the heat flood his face as he looked at the other man, his face equally red as he buried his face in it. “Mmhp mpmmph”
He gently pulled down the shirt. “It’s ok, you can tell me.”
“Makes me feel safe.”
He sounded so small and frightened, he just needed to take care of him and by the sound of it, Shane needed him to. He squished himself in as much as he could and let the taller man lay in his lap. “Oh sweetheart, it’s ok, I’m here”