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Nick could feel his heat creeping up on him. Which was to be expected; he’d gone off his suppressants three days ago in order to trigger this withdrawal heat. But it still didn’t make him feel any less miserable about the impending cycle. His skin felt tight and prickly, he was sweaty and cranky, and every so often a painful twinge would shoot up through his abdomen. He was running a slight fever, and he’d developed a nasty headache, too. And he had barely been able to stomach the tea and single slice of toast Charlie had prepared for his breakfast, but he ate it anyway because he didn’t want Charlie to eat alone.
Charlie had known from the minute they woke up that Nick would be going into heat today. He could smell it, he’d told Nick, kissing him gently to soothe the panic that rose in Nick’s chest at the certainty in Charlie’s voice. No matter how many heats he went through, he still despised and dreaded it, though having Charlie with him made it significantly more tolerable.
Nick was now taking up residence on the couch, a cool washcloth across his forehead and a heating pad on the lowest setting resting on his abdomen. Charlie had helped him into this position and insisted that Nick rest while he got Nick’s room ready for his heat. Whatever that meant; Nick didn’t need much to get through his heat besides Charlie, so he couldn’t imagine what the alpha needed to do to get his room ready. But Charlie had scented him and kissed him until he was boneless and melted into the couch cushions, so Nick wasn’t about to question his alpha’s plans. Charlie always took good care of him, and Nick trusted the alpha with his whole heart.
Charlie scampered downstairs a few times, rustling around in the hall closet at one point, ransacking the kitchen at another, rummaging in the master bathroom at yet another. Nick couldn’t keep his eyes open long enough to see what Charlie hauled upstairs with him, but from the sounds of struggle that came from the staircase on each trip back up, it sounded like every load was large and bulky.
“Charlie?” Nick called out. Charlie immediately rushed to Nick’s side.
“What is it, baby? Are you okay? Do you need something?”
“What are you doing?”
Charlie smiled and stroked Nick’s hair, which felt so comforting that a purr started up in Nick’s chest. “Don’t worry, you’ll find out soon enough. Why don’t you take a nap while I finish up?”
“Finish up what?”
Charlie ignored him, heading back upstairs. Nick huffed, but the idea of a nap was too tempting to pass up. His eyelids drooped closed, and the next thing he knew, he was being woken by gentle fingers tracing the freckles on his cheek. He blinked blearily, taking in the blurry image of his alpha crouching beside him.
“Hi,” Charlie said softly.
“Hi,” Nick replied, voice groggy.
“Your room is all ready for you. Can I help get you upstairs, baby?”
Nick pushed himself into a seated position, the cloth on his forehead tumbling to the floor. He winced as jolts of pain shot through his lower half and pressed the heating pad tighter against him, even though it really didn’t help that much.
Charlie saw the look of discomfort immediately. “You okay?”
Nick nodded. “Yeah, just…need a minute.” Charlie rubbed his hand up and down Nick’s arm as Nick breathed through the pain, waiting until it had dulled to a more manageable level. Then the omega switched off the pad and threw his legs off the couch, feeling the well-worn carpet beneath his bare feet.
“Here, let me help.” Charlie reached a hand toward him, which Nick accepted gratefully, allowing his boyfriend to tug him to his feet. Ordinarily, Nick was a lot stronger than Charlie, but his heat weakened him enough that Charlie barely had to exert any extra energy to help Nick up.
The movement from sitting to standing caused a gush of slick to soak into his boxers, which were already a bit damp. He must have started leaking while he napped. He grimaced, feeling immediately disgusted by his bodily functions.
“Hey,” Charlie said, catching the whiff of disgust in his scent. “What’s wrong?”
“Slick,” Nick grumbled.
Charlie squeezed his hand. “Slick is normal, remember? It doesn’t bother me.” The alpha kissed Nick’s cheek as if to prove that he loved Nick even when he was covered in disgusting slick. Nick smiled despite himself. Charlie could always make him feel better when he was upset.
“Come on, baby.” Charlie tugged on his hand, encouraging him to move. Nick swayed unsteadily, only feeling secure when Charlie wrapped an arm around his waist and the other around his shoulders. Nick leaned his weight against the alpha, grateful for his support.
“We’ll take it nice and slow, okay, Nick?” Charlie took a tiny step forward and Nick forced his feet to follow. The path from the living room couch to the bottom of the steps felt endless, and by the time they stood in front of the staircase, Nick was exhausted. He stared up the steps, feeling like he was about to scale a mountain.
“We can take a break if you need,” Charlie said, in tune with Nick’s feelings. Nick nodded, too embarrassed to admit how tired he was, though Charlie clearly could tell if he’d suggested a break in the first place. Charlie helped guide him to sit on the bottom step, squeezing himself in beside him. He opened his arms to the omega, and Nick fell into them. They sat like that for a while, until Nick felt he had enough strength to make it up the stairs.
“I’m ready now,” said Nick.
Charlie helped him back to his feet and made sure he held tightly onto the railing as they made their way up to Nick’s room. The door was closed, and Charlie paused in front of it. “Close your eyes,” he said.
“What?”
“Just do it. Please.”
Nick did as he was told, and Charlie took his hand again. He heard the door creak open, and Charlie pulled him inside, the door clicking shut behind them.
“Open your eyes.”
Nick did, taking in the room before him. He gasped. “Charlie, did you… Did you build a nest?”
Charlie shuffled beside him. “Um…yeah. I know you don’t usually nest during your heats, but I wanted to try my hand at building one for you, to give you a safe, comfortable place to spend your heat with me. We don’t have to use it if you don’t want, we can just use the bed, but I thought maybe it would be something nice to try. I know it’s not really my role as an alpha to make a nest, and maybe I totally overstepped, in which case…”
Nick cut Charlie off with a kiss. “I love it,” he murmured against his lips. “I love you. Thank you.”
Nick made his way over to the nest, taking it all in. Several large sheets were draped over a string of fairy lights, creating a tent-like cover over the nest. The string of lights continued into the structure, running along the back of the space and casting a warm glow over everything. The floor was covered in thick quilts, pillows, and fleece blankets. There was a wall of fabrics built along the edge of the nest, mostly made up of hoodies and sweaters, clothes worn and shared by both of them, their scents no doubt mingling in the threads.
“I, uh… I got really into the construction,” Charlie said, a tinge of embarrassment creeping into his tone. “Is this crazy?”
“No,” Nick breathed, blinking back tears at the thought of his alpha taking the time to create such an intricate nest for them. He hugged Charlie tightly. “It’s perfect.”
“Go on then,” Charlie said, gesturing toward the nest. Nick crawled inside, immediately overwhelmed in the best way possible. Charlie’s scent enveloped him, and Nick realized it was because everything in the nest smelled like Charlie. The alpha had scented every single item before incorporating it into the structure. Nick buried his nose in a pillow and inhaled, the sweet, comforting scent of his alpha immediately soothing the pain brewing within him.
Charlie crawled in next to him. “You like it then?”
Nick pressed a kiss to his lips. “Absolutely. I have never wanted a nest more than I want this one.” Nick looked around, spotting a pile of snacks in one corner. “There’s snacks, too!”
“Of course,” Charlie said. “All your favorites.”
Nick ran his fingers along the wrapper of an Oreo Dairy Milk bar. “I love you so much.”
“Wow,” said Charlie sarcastically. “I’ve been replaced by a candy bar.”
Nick leveled him with a playful frown. “You know I was talking to you and not the chocolate.”
“I’m not convinced of that. Pretty sure those words were meant for the chocolate bar. You were looking at it with heart-eyes and everything.”
Nick tackled Charlie who shrieked with laughter as the omega peppered his face with kisses. “Convinced now?” asked Nick, placing one last kiss on Charlie’s forehead with a loud “Mwah!”
Charlie huffed a dramatic sigh. “I suppose so.”
Nick rolled off of Charlie, settling in beside him and staring up at the fairy lights with his fingers laced together across his chest. “I can’t believe you did this for me,” he murmured.
Charlie curled up against his side, trailing his fingers along Nick’s arm. “Anything to make your heat a little more bearable.”
As if it needed a reminder it was in heat, Nick’s body let out a fresh gush of slick into his already damp boxers, enough that it now felt like it was soaking his joggers, too. He groaned, shifting uncomfortably.
“I have some of your pajamas here,” Charlie said, picking up on Nick’s discomfort. “If you want to change into something clean and comfy.” He handed a pair of striped pajama shorts and a threadbare t-shirt to the omega, who took them gratefully. Charlie turned his back to the omega, changing into his own oversized t-shirt (that had once belonged to Nick) and a pair of plaid pajama shorts.
Nick peeled off his sweaty shirt, replacing it with the clean one Charlie had given him. His pants and underwear were absolutely sopping wet with slick, and he groaned as he pulled off the ruined garments. “God, it’s even down my thighs!”
Charlie handed him a small towel, which Nick took gratefully, wiping down his skin. “I know you hate it,” Charlie said gently, “but I actually really like your slick. The scent is very sweet, almost floral.”
Nick’s face twisted into an expression of absolute repulsion. “Ew, Charlie, seriously?”
Charlie shrugged, grinning. “I can’t help it. It’s the alpha in me. I get one whiff of my omega’s slick and it’s like I’ve been blessed with the best scent in the world.”
“Gross,” Nick said, giving his body one more wipe with the towel before deeming himself as clean as he could get for the time being. Charlie took the soiled towel from him and tossed it out of the nest, but not before sneaking a quick sniff. Nick suppressed a gag, not wanting to make Charlie feel bad about giving in to one of his instincts that for some reason made him like the smell of Nick’s slick. Nick knew it was a normal reaction for an alpha to like the smell of slick, and that he was the strange one for being so self-conscious about his body’s natural response, but it was always a shock to be reminded that Charlie loved the things about Nick that Nick hated the most. Then again, he supposed that went both ways. After all, how many times had he reassured Charlie that he loved his scars, and his skinny body, and his brain even on bad brain days?
Nick tugged on his pajama shorts and settled onto his back, reaching for Charlie. Charlie cuddled up beside him, resting his head on the omega’s shoulder.
Nick returned his gaze to the fairy lights, letting his eyes relax until the lights became twinkling blurs. “This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me,” he said, voice hushed and awed.
Charlie wrapped a hand around Nick’s arm, squeezing lightly. “I wanted to do something special for you. Because I love you. And I hate seeing you so miserable during your heats, so I wanted to do something that could help, in case cuddles aren’t enough.”
“Everything you do helps,” Nick said, rolling onto his side to meet Charlie’s eyes. “I just wish I could do the same for you during your ruts.” As guilty as it made him feel, Nick couldn’t bring himself to spend a rut with Charlie. He knew there were asexuals out there who were willing to have sex with their partners for all sorts of reasons, but he couldn’t force himself to be one of them. He wished there was a way he could be with Charlie during his rut that didn’t involve sex, but Charlie had warned him that once his alpha took over, sex was the only thing he wanted.
“Nick,” Charlie said, placing a hand on his cheek. “It’s okay. I don’t want you to feel pressured to do something you don’t want to do. I would never forgive myself if you spent my rut with me just because you felt obligated to. I know we’ve had this conversation several times now, but I will have it as many times as you need until you finally realize that you don’t need to feel bad or like you aren’t enough for me, just because you don’t want to have sex with me, in rut or any other time.”
Nick nuzzled his face into the crook of Charlie’s neck and inhaled his alpha’s scent. Charlie was the most understanding and wonderful partner, and Nick knew he was endlessly lucky to have found him so early in life. “I love you so much,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to Charlie’s scent gland. He fell asleep like that, breathing in his alpha as their bodies wrapped around each other.
When he woke, it was to pain and sweat and need. His entire body felt like it was on fire, a deep ache pressing on him from within. “Charlie,” he moaned, reaching for his alpha.
“I’m here, baby,” said Charlie, pulling Nick against him. “What do you need?”
“You.”
Charlie held him tightly, releasing burst after burst of pheromones, but it wasn’t enough. The pain still lingered. “Skin,” Nick said through gritted teeth. It was all he could manage to spit out, but Charlie seemed to understand what he meant. The alpha immediately stripped off his shirt and yanked Nick’s off his torso, pressing the omega’s back against his chest.
“Better?” Charlie asked, feeling the omega relax slightly.
“Mm,” hummed Nick as the pain lessened a tiny bit. “Need more. Need to feel all of you.”
Charlie wrangled Nick out of his pajama shorts before tugging his own off, leaving them both naked. In another universe, this might be the point in time where they’d have sex, where Charlie would take the time to open Nick up with slick-coated fingers, before he’d guide Nick to lay on his side, and Nick would let out a breathy, “Fuck me,” as Charlie slowly entered him, giving him what his body craved and taking away his pain with sexual pleasure.
But Nick in this universe was ace, and he didn’t need taken care of in that way. “Hold me,” the omega whispered, turning onto his side. Charlie settled in behind him, spooning his body and feeling the omega’s heat-flushed skin burning against his own. He snaked an arm around Nick’s front, grabbing his hand, and Nick pressed their joined hands tight against his chest, right against his pounding heart. The effect was instantly calming, the pain easing and the raging of his omega soothed by the closeness of his alpha.
“Thank you,” he murmured as Charlie kissed the back of his neck, still pumping out calming pheromones. “I love you.”
“I love you, too,” Charlie whispered back, pulling him impossibly closer, ensuring every part of them was touching in some way. He felt the omega’s body relaxing even further, breaths slowing and evening out in sleep, safe in the alpha’s embrace and the nest he’d built for them.