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Thanos is agitated. He can smell every scent a little bit too well and he can hear the muffled talking a little too loudly. It's pissing him off.
It also doesn't help that he's forced into a booth in some random club because Semi wanted to go out. She and Gyeongsu had been on a mission to get Minsu a partner. Preferably a beta because Minsu can not handle either an alpha or omega.
So Thanos sits, nursing the same drink he'd brought when they entered with a frown on his face. It's enough to get Minsu noticing but, to be fair, as a beta, Minsu is wired to notice the slightest fluctuations of others.
"Hey," Minsu says, getting Thanos' attention. Semi and Gyeongsu are busy laughing at something that's probably unfunny as Thanos turns to look at him. "Are you okay?"
"Why wouldn't I be?" Thanos asks bluntly.
"You do not look happy," Minsu states. "You know, we can go. I don't want to be here either."
"I'm fine. I'm just... tired."
Minsu stares back at him like he doesn't believe him. "You smell all weird. Are you in pre-rut?"
Thanos frowns back. Is Minsu stupid? Of course he isn't. "No. I know I'm not."
"You smell off. Like in pre-rut but... sour. But you're not acting like you normally do. You're usually all energetic and friendly in pre-rut, but now you're all... gloomy. Miserable even."
"The fuck?" Thanos retorts. "Stop fucking studying me. You're a fucking weirdo."
Distantly, Thanos is aware he's being needlessly cruel. He's never this mean to anyone, at least no one that doesn't deserve it. Minsu doesn't, he's just trying to help him.
He can feel the guilt eat at him when Minsu looks at him, upset and hurt, as he curls in on himself slightly.
"Sorry. I was just worried about you."
Yeah, Thanos is being a dick right now.
That does, however, get both Semi and Gyeongsu's attention. They turn to look at them, frowning as they take in the scene in front of them.
"What happened?" Semi asks, looking between both Minsu and Thanos.
Minsu shrugs. "It doesn't matter."
"Dude, we don't pay attention for, like, two minutes and you two get into some argument?" Gyeonsu says, frowning at them. "You two have never not got along."
Maybe Thanos is just in a bad mood today. He's never so easily pissed off at his friends. He doesn't have a justified reason for the way he glares at Gyeongsu. "Why's it any of your fucking business? Just stick out of it."
Gyeongsu looks at him like he's just been shot.
"Dude, the fuck is your problem? Did Namgyu turn you down or some shit?" Semi asks. That's the thing that makes him snap.
"Why the fuck would I care about Namgyu? You're always talking about him lately. You two friends now or something? I mean, you love talking to him about your other alpha friends who get paid to help omegas in heat. 'Oh, Namgyu, you'll love him. He's real sweet and I know he's helped out so many omegas who have rough heats like you do. You should definitely give him a call'," Thanos rants, doing a terrible impersonation of Semi's voice as he does. "Is that why you think he's turned me down? Fuck you. I bet you think that was so fucking funny."
The other three stare at him, mouths slightly agape as they try to process what Thanos has just said. Thanos doesn't bother to wait around. He slides out the booth, standing up and gives them one final glare. "All of you can go die. I hate you all."
He walks away. Storms out is probably the more correct way to describe it. He barges past people on the club floor that are in his way with little care for how they yell at him in response.
When he gets out onto the streets of Seoul, the cold bite of November hits him. He's running too hot to even really notice it.
There's just this feeling under his skin. He's all nervous, jittery as he walks down the street. It's like there's too much emotion in his body and it's made all of his skin feel tight around his bones. Bites at the skin around his nails for any sort of relief.
It doesn't take him long before he's fishing out his phone and clicking onto his recent messages with Namgyu. It's not like it's any of his business what Namgyu does or doesn't do during his heat. They're friends, that's all.
So he just sends off a simple text. 'hey wyd'. It's to the point, maybe he just wants to see what Namgyu's up to. That's an okay thing to do because they're friends.
He waits. Stares at his phone as the minutes tick by and Namgyu hasn't even read the message yet. Namgyu, who always responds within a minute, hasn't even seen it after ten whole minutes.
Thanos feels like he's going insane. He rips at the skin on his fingers until they sting and blood teases the wound. He wants to rip his hair out and all his skin until he's nothing but bones.
He's losing his mind and he doesn't even know why. Namgyu's his friend who's probably just busy. Why can't he be calm and normal about this?
Maybe he is in pre-rut. Although he's not usually like this in pre-rut. Other alphas normally are, they get a lot more quiet and aggressive, but Thanos was always different. Pre-rut for him was a lot of fun. His hormones must be a little weird for that, but pre-rut just made him calm, almost like he took a couple edibles. He's friendly in pre-rut, unlike most alphas that are all territorial.
So he doesn't really know why, if he is in pre-rut, why this one specifically is so bad. Maybe he's just going crazy.
It's been fifteen minutes and Namgyu still hasn't seen his message. He wants to claw his face off.
It hits Thanos suddenly. Him and Namgyu have always had a pretty regular heat and rut. Namgyu always tracked his and knew exactly when he was due roughly. Thanos always appreciated that because his heat would usually start the same time Thanos' rut does.
So if Thanos was in pre-rut right now, Namgyu should be in pre-heat.
And he's not even responding to his message.
He feels sick to his stomach when he remembers Semi giving him the phone number of one of her "sweet alpha friends" who helps omegas through heats. His stomach twists and stabs at him when he puts the two together.
Namgyu is probably in pre-heat. Namgyu isn't responding to his message. Namgyu has the phone number for an alpha who helps omegas through heats.
If he'd eaten anything, Thanos thinks he would've thrown it all back up.
He doesn't really know what possesses him to march down the street in the direction of Namgyu's house. It's kinda far away on foot but that's fine. Thanos can't really think of anything more than having to get there.
It's purely for safety reasons. Some random guy being around an omega like Namgyu while he's defenseless and not lucid? Thanos can't allow his friend to be in such a situation, even if Semi spoke highly of them. Thanos is just a good friend.
And Namgyu not replying is worrying. What is this alpha doing that's preventing him from replying to him? No, Thanos is just worried about his friend's well-being. He's a good friend like that.
Namgyu still hasn't seen his message forty minutes later. He's close to Namgyu's house now, only pausing as he stands in front of a street vendor. The smell is mouth-watering and Thanos can feel his stomach churn again. Whether that's from the desperate need to get to Namgyu's house or because he's so hungry, Thanos can't tell.
It's pure intelligence that Thanos buys a fuck ton of food Namgyu enjoys. If he really is in pre-heat with some random ass alpha, Thanos needs to prove to Namgyu's omega that he's the better of the two. He's actually covering all bases to help protect his friend.
That's the only reason he buys a bunch of hotteok, tteokbokki, and kimbap when Thanos isn't the biggest fan of them. Namgyu is though, they're his three favourites.
The bags of food are warm in Thanos' hand as he stands outside of Namgyu's apartment. He hits on the door quickly, a little out of rhythm. Every second he waits for an answer, his stomach sinks and twists even more.
The door opens and Namgyu's in front of him. The relief disappears as quickly as it comes when Thanos sees how out of it he looks. Eyes blinking at him blearily and hair a little damp with sweat.
"Thanos?" Namgyu asks. He must be a little surprised to see him. "What are you doing here?"
Thanos doesn't answer, instead he barges into Namgyu's house. He doesn't even process Namgyu's startled questioning as he looks around.
Namgyu's living room doesn't smell of anything but Namgyu's vanilla scent. Slightly sweeter than normal from his upcoming heat. It doesn't look like anyone's here, either. There's no new pair of shoes in the entrance, only one empty glass on the table in the middle.
But that doesn't convince Thanos. He's not naïve enough to take a situation like this at face value, so he marches into the kitchen.
"Are you okay?" Namgyu asks, following Thanos into the kitchen. "Why are you here?"
Thanos doesn't reply. He can't, really. He thinks if he opens his mouth, all he'd do is bare his teeth and growl like some alpha who can't control himself. So he keeps his mouth shut.
The kitchen seems fine, too. The only scent he can detect is Namgyu's vanilla, soaked through the surfaces. One plate in the sink.
So he marches back out and through to the bathroom. He can hear Namgyu's feet pat against the floor behind him as he follows him.
"Seriously, are you okay? You're worrying me," Namgyu says again. Thanos can hear in his voice how honest he is.
The bathroom is fine, too. There's nothing out of the ordinary. No new scents beyond Namgyu's usual lavender shampoo and body lotion. There's two toothbrushes in the little cup on his sink - a green one that Namgyu uses and a purple one Thanos borrows if he stays the night.
He heads into the last room of Namgyu's apartment. His bedroom is probably the biggest room in the house and it smells the strongest of Namgyu. Just Namgyu. There's no other scent there. His bed is properly made, not a single crease, just how Namgyu always makes it as soon as he wakes up. No one has so much as sat down on it.
He checks the closet, just to be sure, but all that's there is Namgyu's clothes. They're drenched in nothing but vanilla. It has Thanos relaxing instantly.
When he is very confident that there is no other alpha in Namgyu's apartment, he turns back to look at Namgyu. He stands in the doorway, eyebrows furrowed in confusion and worry as he stares back at Thanos.
Thanos coughs, just enough to get his voice to come out normal. "I brought food."
Namgyu stares at him for a few seconds before he nods. He pushes himself off the doorway and walks back out into the living room. Thanos follows behind him this time.
They stop in the kitchen. Namgyu falls easily into one of the chairs on the kitchen table. He looks up, raises a brow as Thanos just stands in the middle of the room. "Well? I thought you brought food."
Thanos doesn't hesitate then, moves quickly towards the table and drops the bags of food in front of Namgyu. "Yeah. I brought your favourites."
He hurries, hands a little bit uncoordinated as he reaches into the bags and pulls out the silver boxes of food. Opens all of them up and lays them on the table for Namgyu.
The soft smile on Namgyu's face feels like the biggest reward ever. It's jarring to go from his stomach twisting painfully to flying like he's popped a pill.
Namgyu grabs the pair of chopsticks that were thrown into the bag. He pulls them apart and moves to go eat before Thanos reaches out and stops him. He doesn't even know why he does it, only processing the way his hand holds onto Namgyu's when Namgyu looks up to him and frowns.
"I- You can't-" Thanos swallows, tries to find anything to say to explain himself. "You're about to go into heat. You shouldn't exert yourself."
Namgyu scoffs, like Thanos is stupid. "By what? Eating? I'm an omega, not a child."
"No, I know. I know that. You just- I can do it. For you. So you don't... get tired or something. You- Well, you say your heats are really difficult, right? So, maybe then- maybe this will ease it somewhat."
It's bullshit. Thanos has no idea what he's saying or what he's doing right now. He came here to make sure there was no other alpha potentially taking advantage of Namgyu and now he wants to feed him. What's wrong with him?
But now it's in his head, he can't get it out. He needs to. Why? Thanos doesn't know, but his brain isn't exactly working right now. His head's a little foggy and all that he can really make sense of is the instinct to provide.
Namgyu stares at him. He blinks once and then twice. Thanos almost loses his mind as he waits, hand still clutching Namgyu's own.
And then, suddenly, Namgyu relaxes. Looks at Thanos all sweetly as though he's understood exactly what Thanos wants. "You want to feed me, alpha?"
Thanos feels like he has no blood in his head and that's why the room spins slightly. The vanilla in the air is so potent that it dries up Thanos' mouth enough that he has to swallow sharply just to stop it.
He nods stupidly. "I- Yeah. Yeah, can I?"
He must have said the right thing because he's rewarded with another smile. Namgyu nods, lets go of the chopsticks so Thanos can take them.
Thanos goes straight for the tteokbokki. That's Namgyu's favourite of the three. Grabs one of the rice cakes and lifts it up towards Namgyu with a slight shake in his hand.
Namgyu doesn't need any prompting. He lets his mouth fall open as soon as Thanos lifts it close enough.
There's a moment, briefly, where Thanos thinks he might die. The shake in his hands is still there as he presses the rice cake into Namgyu's mouth. Watches him intently as his mouth closes around the wood and begins chewing.
It's a little embarrassing that Thanos stares at him the whole time. Mouth opens just slightly to breath because if he breathes through his nose, the scent of vanilla makes him feel delirious.
He comes back to reality when Namgyu swallows, stares back at Thanos with a raised brow as he waits. Thanos startles himself out of it, reaches back down quickly to lift up another rice cake. The same process happens again and again.
The feeling Thanos gets in his chest is warm. He can't really pinpoint it but he feels good. Purposeful. It must be an alpha thing, the need to provide for their omega. Thanos has never really felt this before. He's never really been the type to be all romantic and instinct driven with omegas before. But this is Namgyu.
He feeds him most of the food. Nearly all of the tteokbokki goes and most of the hotteok too. Thanos only stops when Namgyu shakes his head, dropping the chopsticks back into the little boxes of food.
"Subong," Namgyu starts. The use of his real name gets him sitting up a little straighter. "Why are you here?"
"I- your heats starting," Thanos answers. It's somewhat the truth.
Namgyu just shakes his head. "No, really. Why did you come in here and search through my apartment?"
"I thought... Semi gave you the number to one of her alpha friends who helps omegas through their heats. I was... Concerned that this guy would- I dunno, hurt you?"
It sounds stupid now that Thanos is coming down from the high of providing and the relief that there is no other alpha here. Something possessed him to act that way.
Namgyu's face softens at the confession. "There's no one else here. I wouldn't want another alpha here."
There's that sinking feeling back in Thanos' stomach. He feels awful for barging in on an omega in pre-heat just because he felt what? Insecure? Of course Namgyu doesn't want any alpha here, definitely not him.
He doesn't know why he feels so upset about it. It almost feels like rejection.
Thanos stands up. "Sorry. I didn't- I'll go."
He's stopped as Namgyu's hand reaches up and grabs at Thanos' wrist, pulling him back. Namgyu frowns up at him. "Why? You just got here."
"You said you didn't want an alpha here just now," Thanos answers. "I intrudded. I'm sorry."
Namgyu laughs softly, moves a sleeve covered hand over his mouth as he does. "I said I didn't want another alpha here."
Thanos blinks. "You- what?"
"Don't make me be the one to say it," Namgyu sighs, standing up in front of Thanos. "I don't want another alpha. Just you."
Thanos had never even thought about that before but when he does, it's all he really wants. He's always loved Namgyu's scent over anything else in the world. Happily sticks his face into his sofa after Namgyu's spent the past few hours there. The only omegan scent that didn't burn at his nose.
Namgyu was also the prettiest omega he's ever seen. He has no doubt that he'd make it big as a model. Thanos had always been selfish enough to not mention that, though. He had never really wanted other people to see him like Thanos did.
Everything about Namgyu was perfect. From his pretty, perfect features, to his warm scent, to the fact that no one else has ever got Thanos like he did. Now that he thinks about it, there really was never any other omega for him.
Thanos was stupid. Real fucking stupid. He wonders sometimes if his brain actually works. He had just never really thought about it. About finding an omega and actually dating instead of just the odd one night stand here and there. Now, though, since Namgyu mentioned it, he can't imagine being with any other omega but Namgyu. He's pretty sure his alpha had always known. That's probably why he's been so on edge this time at just the idea that Namgyu could be with another alpha.
Now that he's thinking about it, he can't help but zero in on the flawless expanse of skin of Namgyu's neck. His shirt is just a bit too big on him and slides down his shoulder and- Thanos blinks.
"Is that my top?"
Namgyu looks down at the top. It's got some weird ass, stretched image of a cat on it. Badly edited on, too. That's definitely one of Thanos'.
"Yeah," Namgyu says. "Stole it from you once. For my nest."
Thanos is really, really stupid. An omega like Namgyu has been wanting him for God knows how long and he just wasn't aware? He wasn't even aware he'd been wanting Namgyu until just recently. Life is cruel.
He swallows, throat dry. "You like my scent?"
Namgyu nods. "I think we blend well."
Thanos agrees. Vanilla and cinnamon blend really well together. Of course Namgyu had to be the smart one of the two.
"And you... want me?"
Namgyu rolls his eyes. "Of course. I've been waiting for ages for you to start courting me. Who knew overhearing Semi give me some random alphas phone number would get you to start."
Thanos frowns. He had not started courting Namgyu. He would've known if he had done that. "Huh? I haven't started courting you."
"Yes you have."
"I think I'd be aware if I had."
"You brought me my favourite food and hand fed me. You ransacked my whole apartment making sure there was no other alpha around and scented my entire place," Namgyu states and, well, now he's said it, he's right. Thanos has been courting him. His alpha must have been sick of waiting for him to realise his feelings and took matters into his own hands.
"Oh shit," Thanos says, looking at Namgyu with wide eyes. "I didn't want to do it this way. Well, I didn't realise I did want to do it at all until, like, five minutes ago."
"You're cute," Namgyu comments softly. "You're lucky I like my alphas stupid."
"You like other alphas?"
"And easily jealous."
Thanos huffs out a breath at that. He's not easily jealous, he's never been an alpha like that. But, well, he's also never been an alpha who falls easily to instinct like he is with Namgyu, so who knows what type of alpha he really is. Namgyu just makes him crazy.
His gaze falls back to his neck, unmarked and pale. Takes in a deep breath through his nose to intake as much of Namgyu's scent as he can. It must be even sweeter from the source.
"Can I-?" Thanos starts to ask before he cuts himself off. Swallows harshly as he tries to bury that desire. It would be too much to ask to an omega he'd apparently started courting, like, twenty minutes ago.
Namgyu looks at him, tilts his head slightly to the side. It stretches the skin across his neck as he does. "What? You want to scent me?"
Yeah. Thanos does. Wants to make it so Namgyu smells just like him, of cinnamon with a faint touch of vanilla. Wants to make it so, if anyone smelt him, they'd know he was Thanos'.
Okay, so maybe he is a little possessive and jealous.
Thanos nods, looks back up at Namgyu. "Can I?"
He watches Namgyu smile back, wider than he's ever seen before, as he tilts his head further to the side. "Please. Scent me, alpha."
Distantly, Thanos is aware that Namgyu's enjoying torturing him like this. He can hear it in his voice every time he calls him by his subgender. But as he grips Namgyu by the waist and pulls him in, presses his nose and cheek and entire face into his neck right onto his scent gland, Thanos doesn't really care.
He feels like he's drowning in vanilla and he's willing to suffocate in it. Thanos feels like he could die very happily with his nose buried in Namgyu's neck. Rubs his cheek along his neck in an effort to drench Namgyu in his own scent, too. He wants to smell nothing but vanilla mixed with cinnamon.
Thanos could've been pressed into Namgyu's neck for hours. Time seems to stop existing as he scents him. It may have become Thanos' new favourite thing to do.
He's all dizzy as he pulls back reluctantly. Namgyu's no better. His face is dusted red and his pupils are dilated.
Namgyu smells like vanilla and cinnamon now. Thanos is aware that he smells the exact same.
"Do you," Namgyu starts, coughing to get rid of how rough his voice sounds. "Do you want to spend your rut with me?"
Thanos feels like his entire body could explode. He has to make a conscious effort to not nod his head quickly and desperately.
"If you want to," Thanos answers.
Namgyu rolls his eyes. "I wouldn't have asked if I wasn't serious."
"Then yeah," Thanos says, voice light. "Yeah. Please."
He'll be embarrassed by how pathetic and desperate he sounds when his ruts over with. Namgyu's smiling at him all widely, though, so right now he can't feel too embarrassed about it.
-
"You two reek of each other. It's embarrassing," Semi comments when she sees them both. "Do you have any kind of decorum?"
Thanos doesn't really care. He's got his arm wrapped around Namgyu's waist and he does smell like Thanos. It makes him get dizzy everytime he realises.
"Oh, so that's why you told us to go die and that you hated us," Gyeongsu comments, nodding his head as he makes sense of the two in front of them.
"No, he actually meant that," Namgyu cuts in. "We both think you should all go die."
Thanos can hear the way the others argue back, and he knows he should stop them from fighting but he's a little too content where he is to really care.