Chapter Text
Rain tried to not feel disappointed when he saw Phayu's car was missing despite the late hour. He was certainly still at work. They had barely seen each other for a week now. Rain knew they were both busy but he couldn't help feeling left out. Everything was adding up to this weird feeling of being "unwell" he had had for several days now. At first he had thought about his heat but he just went through one a few weeks ago. It was surely nothing and during the day he was mostly fine, just a little more tired than usual. Even this could be explained by being overworked as all the deadlines were coming to an end. The worst of it was in the morning. He had been unable to eat breakfast for a few days. Just thinking about food made him feel sick. That morning Sky had even asked him if he wanted to rest at his dorm between classes. Lunch had barely been a better time. He had quickly left as soon as the smell of food had reached him.
Maybe he should go to the doctor before it became worse. He could speak to Phayu about it too, if only the other had enough time for him. He would think about this later. For now he could only think of a shower, his nest and eating soft gummy bears.
He left his bag slide on the floor near the front door. Phayu would say something about it and how he shouldn't leave a mess everywhere but he was not here at the moment to scold him. Rain couldn't care less as he removed his jacket and let it on a chair.
He looked at the kitchen. He should eat but just the thought of smelling food made him sick. He was hungry but not enough to risk throwing up again.
Shower and sleep, that was the real plan for his evening and maybe his alpha would be home next time he opened his eyes. Maybe he could eat if Phayu was the one feeding him. A slight purr escaped him at this idea. He wanted it. He needed to be pampered. He craved to feel his alpha's hands on him more than for a quick goodbye kiss in the morning. He wanted to fell asleep surrounded by the other's scent. He just needed to feel safe and not walking through this strange fog.
*
The shower was a quick thing. Rain was barely staying awake at that point. He still took the time to dry his hair before crawling into his nest. He started to lazily roll around to spread his scent. The jasmine notes slowly dispersed in the room, helping him relax. He was just missing his alpha now. There was still the scent of Phayu on the pillows but it was too light for his liking. He wanted the real scent, not some morning leftovers. It was just not enough.
*
Rain slowly blinked awake as he heard noise in the room. He didn't move at first, just listened to the shuffling of clothes and the steps coming closer to the bed. He had no idea when he had fell asleep. He had intended to wait for Phayu but had been too tired at the end.
He raised his head and looked at the clock when he heard the water running in the bathroom.
2 am.
Was Phayu only coming home now?
Where had he been?
Rain thought about checking his phone to see if he had missed a text while being asleep. Phayu always texted him. He looked around but his phone was nowhere to be seen. The mere thought of getting out of his soft pile of blankets was too much. The water had stopped at some point while he was considering going to look for his phone. The bathroom's door slowly opened and closed.
"Can I come in sweet boy?"
The question took him out of his thoughts. Why was Phayu asking out of nowhere? Rain didn't like this.
"No."
Phayu who was ready to go in the bed froze. He looked up at Rain, not sure he had heard correctly. Rain was surprised by his own answer.
"No, you can't," he still said as he straightened up in his nest.
He reached for his blankets and curled more into them, waiting for his alpha to make a move. He was not sure of his reaction. He had never forbidden access to the nest before. He knew it was his right but had never felt the need to. They had a quiet understanding of Phayu always being allowed by his side. Phayu's place was there but not now. When Phayu had asked earlier - more as a courteous thing than real necessity - Rain didn't need to think about the answer. The no had been obvious. It had felt necessary. It was something he needed more than the comforting arms of the other around him.
How Phayu dared coming in here like he owned the place when he had left him alone the entire week. He needed him and the alpha had been gone. Of course there were texts during the day, more than strictly necessary, but it was not enough. It didn't replace being there for him. He had seen how other omegas were looking at the other, how they always tried to talk to him or touch him. They all acted as if Phayu wasn't already taken. As if they couldn't smell his claim on the alpha. The truth was they didn't care. It wasn't something permanent. They never took it at the sign it should have been. Most of these omegas thought they could be better than him; that they just needed to prove it.
"You should bite me."
Rain didn't know what he was trying to do in saying this. He could feel Phayu's unease at the mention of mating bite, again. Even more as it had to feel like coming out of nowhere for Phayu. It was coming out of nowhere but made sense for Rain. If Phayu finally stopped with his "we should wait" nonsense, Rain would feel better.
Rain stepped out of his nest. He stopped for a few seconds when he was seized by dizziness. Phayu tried to reach for him but he didn't let the other touch him. Rain knew his confidence would fail him if Phayu touched him. He craved to be touched so much that he would let this go and other omegas will keep lurking for what was his. A flare of anger surged out of nowhere at the thought of other omegas.
"Rain?"
Phayu was confused. Rain saw how he was trying to make sense of his words. Let him think. Rain was too much in his head and with his worried thoughts to care about it. He knew he should.
"If you won't do it, I'll walk out and find someone else."
The growl at these words surprised both of them. Phayu never growled at him. He always was so controlled that hearing him like this was a shock. Phayu was the first to regain his composure. He walked to Rain who didn't dare make a move. The scent of angry alpha was all around him, overpowering the previous jasmine's notes of his own scent. Rain wanted to bare his neck and submit.
Appease.
He wouldn't do this.
He was not in the wrong.
His alpha was being stubborn for nothing and he would prove it. Instead of listening to his instinct and submit Rain straightened his back and glared at Phayu.
"What did you say?"
It was not the time to falter.
"I'll ask another alpha since you won't."
A whimper escaped him as Phayu's hold on his arm tightened.
"Is it what you want? Just let any Alpha bites you?"
The threatening tone in his voice was obvious.
"P'Phayu..."
No it wasn't what he wanted. He wanted to curl up in his nest with his alpha. He wanted to feel as if he belonged and not be alone as he had been the whole week. He said none of this, just kept his eyes straight in Phayu's, daring him to say or do anything.
"If that's what you want then just go."
That was not what he wanted to hear.
Phayu's voice was cold. He had never heard him like this. Another whimper escaped him.
"That's not what I meant P'Phayu."
His anger was slowly replaced by the cold embrace of fear. What did he do? Why did he say any other alpha would do when Phayu was his. The only alpha he ever wanted. The only one he needed. He wanted to say all of this but the other was not listening.
Rain tried to reach for him but one look of Phayu dissuaded him. His alpha was furious. Rain curled on himself.
"I'll go sleep on the couch since I'm not allowed anymore in your nest. Before we both do things we'll regret."
"P'Phayu?"
Tears were running down his cheek now but Phayu was not moved by them. Rain could still feel the other's fury rolling in waves around them. It was suffocating. Another whimper escaped him, followed by more sobs. He only gained another dark glare.
Phayu was livid. All of this was because of him Rain realized.
Phayu breathed deeply, as if he was trying to hold on his anger, before he looked back at Rain.
"Sleep. We'll talk tomorrow."
He didn't wait for an answer and walked out of the room.
*
Rain couldn't sleep.
He turned around in his nest, rearranging the pillows and blankets but everything was wrong. There was nothing of the peaceful feeling he always had once in his nest. He pushed away an offending pillow. It didn't smell enough like his alpha. He didn't want it in his nest anymore. And this one too. And this blanket. Everything just smelled wrong. Before he knew it Rain had destroyed his nest and all the pillows and blankets he had carefully arranged were laying on the floor. Of course, he knew what was missing or more like who. He sighed and stared at the door where Phayu had disappeared. The mix of anger, disappointment and fear still lingering in the room were not helping him calm down. His own sadness was adding another layer of misery to the room.
Did he want to calm down?
The only sure thing was that he wanted Phayu to take him in his arms and tell him everything was okay. It was just the result of Rain being insecure. They were both tired and didn't think before talking. He wanted Phayu to cover him in his scent and tell him he was his. He wanted Phayu to show him who he belonged to.
Phayu loved him. He had told him several times.
This was nothing they could not overcome.
Fighting happened.
Rain absentmindedly started to touch his unmarked neck. He wanted it so much. Why did Phayu not understand this? Why was he so stubborn about this one thing?
Everytime he asked, it was the same answer.
Later.
He understood Phayu's reason but it didn't mean he was accepting them.
Another sigh.
Another roll from one side of his empty nest to the other.
There was nothing else to do.
Rain sat up. His mind was made up. He got up and get out of the room trying to be discreet as he went down the stairs.
*
Phayu was laying on the couch. It looked like he was sleeping. Rain hesitated. He looked upstairs and thought about going back to his empty nest. He knew he wouldn't sleep if he did this. He would only think about their argument and feel even worse about it.
He walked slowly to the couch, holding his breath any time Phayu started to move. He finally reached his destination and slipped in the space between Phayu's arms. The warmth and familiar scent around him eased some of the tightness he had been feeling for days. He was were he was meant to.
A slow purr started to resonate in the room as one of Phayu's hand fell on his stomach but froze when he felt him move. Was he going to push him away and tell him to go? He did nothing of this. The arms around him tightened and Phayu nuzzled his neck. A relieved sigh escaped Rain as he finally relaxed.
They will be good.
"I'm sorry." he mumbled, looking at the wall.
He was not ready to face the other but felt the need to apologize. The words he had said earlier were coming back to him and he felt horrible about them.
"I'm... I'm sorry. Didn't mean to say this," he said as he started to cry again.
All the tension of the previous days was crashing down now that he was safely in his alpha's arms. The spicy scent all around him was all the comfort he had been craving for.
"I just... It looked like you were leaving me and - all these omegas always touching you when I'm just next to you. I -"
"Rain. Darling. Look at me."
Phayu made him turn around and he let him do. He was now facing him but still couldn't look in his eyes. He was scarred of what he could see in them. He felt a hand on his chin. The touch was soft but didn't let him any choice but to look at his alpha. More sobs escaped him when he finally met Phayu's eyes. The disappointment he was expecting was not there.
"It's okay. We're okay," Phayu whispered as he leaned on him.
The kiss that followed was soft, lips barely touching before Phayu broke it and moved to his jaw. He covered his face with small kisses before he ended on his neck. It was soft and all the attention Rain had wanted. He could feel arousal slowly waking up but did nothing to act on it. He was just happy to bask in his alpha's arms and feel settled. He hadn't feel so good in what seemed to be ages when it had only been a week.
"I'm sorry I left you alone all week."
Phayu kept kissing and licking his neck in between soft words. Rain's purr was getting louder every time Phayu's was getting rougher.
"I will bite you Rain. Somedays I can only think about this. I just want it to be special. It has to be perfect but... I should have seen it coming."
Now Rain was confused.
"What? Seen what?"
Something passed in Phayu's eyes. Rain wanted to insist but Phayu shushed him with another sweet kiss.
"Go to sleep, we'll talk tomorrow."
This time the words were barely above a whisper and didn't hold any of the previous anger. It was just a statement. They would talk it through in the morning and everything would be back to normal.
Rain closed his eyes and let Phayu's soft rumble lull him to sleep.