Hello and Happy Friday! This week I have chapter two from Alpha's Desire. It's NSFW, so don't leave it up on your work computer while you go on break. ;-)
CHAPTER 2
Rashan went straight back to his room, not speaking to anyone he passed along the way. The odd tension that had cropped up during the scent marking surprised him. When he'd asked Tony to help him out, he'd thought his friend would mark him as a relative would, with a quick hug and cheerful rubbing of his throat over Rashan's head. He hadn't expected Tony to mark him in the way of a lover, using lips and tongue pressed against his scent glands. If Tony hadn't done that, he never would have thought to ask him to mark that spot at the base of his spine. But an unfamiliar urge had prompted him to do so, and the request popped out of his mouth before he realized what he was saying. Tony becoming aroused and his eyes going silver was another surprise. Rashan hadn't ever been involved with anyone so he had no frame of reference for what was normal. Maybe that was just the way alphas reacted to any omega in heat that they got too close too. His was obviously coming soon. He could smell the scent of it wafting off him, and it was growing stronger by the second. When he arrived at his room, he grabbed his data pad, swiped to the 29th Star Squadron schedule, and marked himself unavailable for patrol. The notification would go to their flight commander, and she would put an alternate in his customary position on patrol. It was a simple system for omegas and their partners to schedule time off during a heat. Rashan had never needed to use it himself. He was slightly embarrassed using it now, but there was nothing he could do about it. With that small but necessary task out of the way, Rashan started to settle down on the bed. He immediately jumped back up as another task came to him. He was going to need food and water but all he had in his room was a few bottles of water and some pretzels. That wouldn't get him through the next several days. Damnit. He had no experience with this.
Grabbing his credits card, he left his room again and started to head to the commissary for a few snacks. He was halfway down the hall when someone called his name, making him stop and turn around. A member of the cafeteria staff stood outside his doorway, waving to get his attention. Rashan went back down the hall. "Hey, what's up?"
"This was ordered for you," the staff member said as he opened the lid of a white box sitting on his delivery cart. Rashan looked inside. It was a cooler full of electrolyte drinks, a small selection of water-based fruit, packs of protein nuts and meats, cheese, and his favorite chocolate. "Who is this from?" "Star Officer Alvarez." "Oh, wow." Grateful that he no longer had to make a last-minute run for packages of beef jerky, Rashan raised his card to wave it over the guy's electronic reader for a tip. The staff member held his hand up, stopping Rashan. "It's already been taken care of," he said with a polite smile. "Thank you." Rashan lifted the box off the cart and went back into his room. Momentarily setting the cooler aside, he opened a comm line and called Tony. Oddly reluctant to see his friend just then, he kept the call to audio only. "Hey," he said when Tony answered. "I just got the box. Thank you." "You're welcome. I had a hunch you might not be prepared since this is your first time experiencing a heat on your own." Rashan sheepishly laughed. "Yeah. I was running up to the commissary to buy a couple jugs of water and bags of beef jerky when the cafe man flagged me down." "Beef jerky, huh? Sounds delicious." Rashan shook his head even though Tony couldn't see him. "Not really. It would have worked but this is much better. Thank you again." "No problem. Take care of yourself, and let me know if there's anything else you need." As they disconnected the call, Rashan's stomach did something unfamiliar, something swoopy and light at Tony's parting words. It was as if there was a hidden, secret meaning behind them, that he would discover if he took a moment to figure it out. And for some reason, it seemed as though he was noticing the deep timbre of his friend's voice for the first time. Which was odd because he'd known Tony for years, so his low, soothing voice was more than familiar. Rashan shrugged off the strange feelings. This heat was messing with his head. He moved to stock his room's small fridge with all the food, and put one of the electrolyte drinks on the nightstand. By the time he finished, his skin started to become overly sensitive and his clothes bothered him. Stripping down until he was naked, he laid the clothes across the foot of the bed for easy reach. For what reason he didn't know. It wasn't like he would get dressed in the middle of his heat and take a stroll around the ship. He was just... jittery and uncertain. His one heat almost a decade ago had pretty much faded from his memory. And to have this one sprung on him so suddenly had him completely thrown off track. Hoping to at least be productive while he waited for it to start, he laid down and tried to review squad reports. Eventually, he fell into a restless sleep. **** It hit him in the middle of the night. Rashan woke with his skin on fire, and his cock so hard it ached. He rubbed his thighs together, flexing his ass cheeks as his inner muscles clenched down on nothing. A distraught groan rolled from his throat at how empty he was. He needed to be filled. Why hadn't Tony thought to put one of the toys that omegas used in that box for him? Tony should have known he would need something to get through this. A soft voice in his head whispered that Tony was tall and big and strong. A perfect alpha. He would fill Rashan better than any plug. Rashan gasped in embarrassment at that thought. That was the heat brain talking. He rolled to his front and buried his face in the pillow, making an effort to push Tony from his mind. It was a losing effort, however. Because he could smell Tony beneath the thick, sweet smell of his heat. It helped having his friend's scent on him, letting him know that he didn’t have to seek out an alpha, and giving him a sense of calm, as though he were expecting Tony to arrive and slide inside him at any moment. That wouldn't happen of course. But the thought of it, forbidden as it was, eased his mind. Twisting onto his back again, Rashan tentatively gripped his cock. Thanks to the heavy dose of his suppressants, he hadn't felt the urge to do this for a long time. He started to stroke, slowly and hesitantly at first, then with a tighter grip as he figured out what felt good. As his hand moved over hard, slick flesh, Rashan discovered that he liked long, deep pumps that took his fist from the base of his cock all the way to the tip. But his cock wasn't the only thing demanding attention. His nipples were swollen, achy, and hot. His heat brain whispered that he should have someone there to suck on them. Unfortunately, his own hand would have to do. Rashan gently rubbed the pad of one finger over a nipple. That sent tingles of pleasure from his nipple straight to his cock. The tingles increased when he pinched it. Soon, he was frantically tugging and twisting them both. With his attention split, his rhythm on his cock faltered, and he cursed in frustration. He stopped and tried again, timing the strokes on his cock to match the play on his nipples. Once he got in sync, he gasped as hot sparks of pleasure sizzled along his nerves. The sensations took him where he needed to go, right to the edge of climax. Raising his knees, he spread them wide, ready to accept his lover inside him. But there was no one there. With a frustrated cry, Rashan let go of his nipple and gently slid a finger inside himself. Thanks to his heat, he was slick there, and it helped ease the way. He added a second finger, then a few moments later a third. He was clumsy, and couldn't quite match up with the rhythm of his strokes but finally it happened. His climax rushed through him, spilling over the hand on his cock, drenching the fingers stuffed in his ass. It took a few moments before Rashan could move. He just laid there, staring up at the ceiling as he caught his breath. The heat eased back, his head cleared, and his body cooled slightly. Once he felt capable of moving again, he took his hands away from his cock and ass, wiping them on the sheets. Rashan slid off the bed and stumbled to the shower. He turned on the water but didn't bother to wash. Instead, he simply stood under the cool spray, gradually turning it colder and colder in hopes it would help curtail his arousal. Or at least give him a long interval before the next wave started. It did neither. The second wave hit him as hard as the first, with barely any time for him to prepare for it. Close to sobbing, he sank down to the shower floor, back against the wall, water falling against his front. He spread his legs again, moaning as the water gently massaged his balls. Again, he brought himself to climax, this time giving all his attention to his cock to make it easier to get himself off without trial and error. After he came, he sat there with his legs splayed for several long moments before pushing himself to his feet and shutting off the water. He stepped out and grabbed a towel to dry off but abruptly stopped with the towel smashed against his face. Damnit! He'd just rinsed Tony's alpha scent off him. He immediately dropped the towel, hoping that since he'd only gotten wet and not washed, he hadn't removed all of it. Irritated at this entire process, Rashan staggered back out to the bedroom. His ass was so slick his thighs were wet with it, his cock stood up stiff and bobbed with each step, and a blazing inferno of heat burned over every inch of his skin. Crawling onto the bed, Rashan settled on his knees, one hand braced on the mattress, the other slipping between his legs to grasp his cock. Desperate to come so he could experience the momentary cooling relief that followed, Rashan closed his eyes and started to stroke. **** Throughout the next two days, Rashan brought himself to climax again and again. Bent over the side of the bed, with his face pressed to the mattress and his ass raised in the air as if he was prepared to receive a cock. On his back. On his front humping the mattress. On his side, practically curled up in the fetal position as his muscles clenched, torn between arousal and pain. He rested when his body let him rest and ate when his stomach demanded he eat. It was agony, as bad as he'd expected. And beneath the heat lust that fogged his brain he was pissed that he'd had to go through it. Finally, in the afternoon of the third day his heat started to wane. The arousal wasn't as fierce, and there were longer stretches in between each wave where he could either sleep or lay there quietly without the clawing need to climax. By that evening, Rashan realized he hadn't had a wave for several hours. He sat up amidst his tangled sheets, looking around the room as if he was checking for the all clear. But really it was his body he needed to check. Rashan looked between his legs. His cock was soft, no longer leaking pre-cum. When he shifted, he could tell his ass was still slick, but not nearly as much as it had been the past two and a half days. And his muscles were tired and sore but lax now, no longer trembling with the urge to reach for a nonexistent lover. Rashan sighed with relief. His heat was over. Dragging himself from the bed, he stripped off the sheets and balled them up. He went over to shove them down the laundry chute, silently thanking all the stars and planets that the laundry system was mostly automated and humans wouldn't have to touch his cum, sweat, and slick stained sheets. Then he went and took another shower, turning it to a soothing warm temperature. He washed, gently rubbing the wash cloth over his still sensitive skin. It felt good to remove the evidence of the last few days. Clean again, dressed in soft sweats, with his damp hair pulled up into a twisted bun, Rashan sat in the small armchair in the corner of the room. Checking his data pad, he saw he'd only missed one patrol. There was another scheduled for tomorrow. Determined to be ready for it, Rashan thumbed the button to show that he was available again. Then he set off for the cafeteria to eat his first full meal in three days. **** After Tony ended his call with Rashan, he sat there quietly for a few moments. He'd worried that he'd overstepped in sending him food. But his alpha instincts had prodded him to take care of the omega anyway he could. As well as he knew Rashan, he'd felt certain he wasn't prepared to be shut up in his room for several days. He'd been right, and thankfully Rashan had been grateful for the delivery. Rashan hadn't picked up on anything other than one friend caring for another, which of course was all he was. Even though he wanted to be so much more. Tony had been in love with Rashan for so long, he almost didn't remember a time when he wasn't. Caring for the omega was second nature at this point, and he'd immediately thought to provide him with the food. And Tony had been happy to scent mark him, even though that meant he had to make a concentrated effort not to respond to Rashan's coming heat to keep himself from going into rut. Of course, as he'd ordered the food and drinks, he'd been well aware there was something else Rashan was going to need. Unmated omegas made use of sex toys during their heats. They had anal plugs and synth-cocks to keep themselves... full if they didn't have a mate. There was no shame in it. In fact, there was a small store on ship stocked with heat and rut aids. It was part of their biology. Human society had long ago adapted to accept it. But buying something like that for Rashan was far too personal. Besides, maybe he already had his own heat aids. That thought immediately lead to Tony thinking of Rashan using a sex toy on himself. Something thick and sleek to easily slide into his ass. Tony stood frozen in the middle of the room, picturing Rashan on his bed, fucking himself with a dildo. It didn't take long before he put himself in the vision too. He would raise Rashan's leg high, spreading him wide to help him out with the toy, getting him used to being filled before replacing it with his own cock. A rush of arousal went through him and his dick started to harden. Fuck. He needed to get these thoughts out of his head or he'd be sJJ in his room aching for a man he couldn't have. Shaking himself out of his daze, he went over to the closet to grab a pair of running shoes. Physical exertion would distract him. Tony made his way through the halls of the Marion to the gym and jumped on the treadmill. He set the screen in front of him and the corresponding running program to the rugged terrain of a mountainous ice planet. The machine kicked on with a quiet whir and Tony started running. He ran until sweat burned his eyes, zoning out to the pounding of his feet on the belt, until he no longer thought of Rashan and his heat. **** The next day, Tony made his way down to the flight deck for patrol, his quads burning from the previous night's punishing workout. He'd managed to keep from going into rut, but thoughts of Rashan continued to pop up in his head. As he settled in the cock pit's seat and started rolling forward to get on the track for take off, he realized that he would have to find a more surefire way to keep from responding to Rashan in the future. At least until they had time to talk so Tony could start courting him. His mind started to wander, daydreaming about courting Rashan. They would take late night walks on the observation deck, where they'd share their first kiss. He would love to taste Rashan's gorgeous lips. He'd been a hairsbreadth away from kissing them during the scent marking. Tony shifted in the pilot's seat, growing warm in his flight suit as he imagined what would have happened if he had. "Alvarez!" The sharp voice blasted from his helmet's earpiece, abruptly distracting him from his musings. "What are you doing? Your canopy is still open!" Tony snapped to attention. With a sharp curse, he hit the button to close his mech's top. Then he sat there, cheeks burning with embarrassment as he waited for the canopy to lower over him. On the ground, his signal officer stared at him, eyes wide in shock. "Are you okay?" he mouthed. Tony nodded and gave the man a thumbs up. Once he received the go signal, he slowly pushed forward on the accelerator. The jet took off down the runway, gathering speed, blue lights flashing by in a blur until he blasted out into space. Tony adjusted his speed and got into formation on Sasha's starboard side. "You okay, Alvarez?" Layla asked. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just got a lot on my mind." "I know what he's got on his mind," Waylan slyly said. JJ chimed in with a guess. "Does it start with Ra and end with Shan?" "Ding! Ding! Ding! That is the correct answer." Tony responded to his squad mates' teasing with a dry laugh. "Ha-ha. Very funny." "So Rashan's back at the ship and you're out here chasing Varnos rebels," JJ made a tsk-tsk noise. "I know where I'd be during my mate's time of need." Tony was about to deny that Rashan was his mate, but Layla spoke up first. "You don't have to worry about that, JJ, because no one will ever mate you," she said in her sweet voice. Tony grinned. Only those who knew her would detect the layer of acid hiding just beneath her sweetness. "Whatever, Layla! There are plenty of people who want to mate with me." "Name one," she drawled. JJ sputtered but Sasha cut him off before he could give any names. "Are we out here to keep our little corner of space safe or to argue about our sex lives?" She paused for a beat. "Or lack thereof." Howling laughter came through the lines from everyone on the squad, including Tony. When they settled down, Tony answered her question. "We're out here to keep the planets safe, squad leader." Agreements came from Waylan, JJ, and Layla. "All right then. Let's do our jobs." She shot forward and they all accelerated to keep up with her. *** Several hours later, they returned to the ship after a fairly quiet patrol. As usual, Sasha hung back and let the rest of the squad enter first. Tony went in on the left behind Layla. As he was riding the lift up, his dash blinked, notifying him he had a private call from the lieutenant's line. "Yes, Lieutenant?" "Wait for me on the flight deck. I want to talk to you for a second." "Yes, ma'am." He and Sasha were friends - had been since they were kids - but when they were on patrol, he always treated her first and foremost as his commanding officer. After his post-flight check, he deplaned and made his way to the bay across and three down from his. A special door opened in the belly of Sasha's icy blue and silver jet, and a second later she emerged in her wheelchair, a motorized ramp lowering her to the flight deck's floor. Once she was off the ramp, it retracted into the jet. She made her way over to him, her short, brown hair flattened by the helmet now resting in her lap, a frown creasing the otherwise smooth, light-brown skin of her brow. "Thanks for waiting." "Of course." They set off, Tony pacing his strides to match the speed of her chair. "I'm not bringing this up out of nosiness and honestly I hadn't planned to say anything at all. But since you almost flew out into space with the top of your mech open I have to ask. Do you need to be excused from patrols when Rashan is in heat?" Tony shook his head. "No. He's not my-." Tony paused before he finished his denial. Rashan wasn't his mate but he wanted him to be. And somehow, it felt wrong to deny it, as if he were rejecting him. "It's not like that with us," he said instead. "For him? Or for both of you?" Tony huffed a laugh and rubbed a hand over his hair. "I think you know the answer to that." "Hmmpf. Indeed I do. Listen. I'm not going to try to give you any kind of love life advice. Stars know mine is nonexistent. But I think it would be best if in the future, you took yourself off patrol when Rashan is unavailable. I'm not going to ground you, because I have faith that you can make that call on your own. Just keep what happened today in mind, okay?" "I will." "Good," she said with a nod. "Now if you'll excuse me, I stupidly drank a gigantic Nebula Slush too close to go time and now I have to piss like you wouldn't believe." She sped up, leaving Tony alone to make his way to the residence wing and to his own room. **** Tony kept himself busy the next day. Most of it was spent volunteering to work with the young fighter pilots who'd been stationed on the Marion, but hadn't yet been promoted to a squadron. Tony watched them in the flight simulator, answered questions, and even let them take turns sitting in his jet. He was glad to give them a little personalized attention, and they were all appreciative that he'd taken the time. In the evening, he had dinner with Sasha and Waylan. As usual, they groaned at his healthy menu choices. Tony simply grinned and made a big show of enjoying his protein-boosted grilled chicken and vegetables. As an alpha, he was genetically pre-disposed to be big and muscular but he still liked to take care of his body. After dinner, Tony decided to go and chill on the observation deck for a while. As he walked down the hall, the lights overhead gradually darkened until they were replaced by softly glowing floor-level track lights. This area of the ship was kept dim so that there wouldn't be any glare obstructing the majestic show of deep space. Thick glass made up the entire starboard wall, giving observers an amazing view from every spot in the room. On the level above, there was a circular track for those who wanted to stroll. While on the main floor there were lounge chairs, intimate two-top cafe tables and giant poofs perfect for napping. To his surprise Rashan was there, kicked back on one of the lounge chairs. He'd dragged a blanket along with him and wrapped himself up in it from toes to chin. His hair was twisted up into a bun, the relaxed style showing off his cheekbones and sharp jawline. He looked beautiful and exhausted, but Tony kept that opinion to himself as he went over and sat in the chair next to him. "Hey. How are you?" Rashan answered in a low, husky voice. "It was rough. But it's over." "Are you sure you should be up and about?" "Yeah. I had to get out of that room." He shifted in the chair. "Thanks again for the food and for marking me. It helped, until I took a shower like an idiot and rinsed most of your scent off. I'm such a rank newbie when it comes to this." "Ah, I didn't think about that either. I'll give you a shirt next time. That way you won't have to worry if you want to shower." Rashan flashed a tired smile. "You've always got my back. Thank you." "You're welcome,” Tony said returning his friend’s smile. “You know I'll always be there for you."
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