Gerard awoke the next morning to the sound of loud buzzing and he let out a loud groan, turning over on the mattress to see that he was completely alone. He shot up with a start, looking around their little loft for any sign of his omega, only to be fronted with the fact that he was completely alone. He took a sniff of the air, sighing in relief when he could still smell Frank nearby. It was only after that initial panic that Gerard realized that the sun was already up, and had been for some time now. He swung himself off of the mattress, his legs protesting, and reached over to grab his sweatpants. His muscles ached, his head still felt heavy, and his hands refused to coordinate as he gingerly slid himself into his pants. He went over to the window to see Wayne steering the tractor through a field and Frank was standing up behind him, pointing forward like a proud navigator. Gerard instantly lit up when he saw the omega, throwing on a t-shirt before he ran out of the barn and toward the tractor. The large machine came to a stop beside him, and he grinned brightly, holding out his hand, "I wanna go! C'mon, man, I'm ready! Tag me in, Jackson, I can do it!"

"Good morning." Wayne laughed lightly, "Feeling better?"

"I'm all fucked-out for now." Gerard nodded eagerly, "C'mon, I'll behave!" Frank and Wayne looked at each other and at Gerard as though having a telepathic conversation before Frank hopped off of the back of the tractor. Gerard frowned and looked at Frank to see him wandering off into the barn, "Where's he going?"

"We have a better idea," Wayne replied cryptically and Gerard watched the barn with curious eyes until Frank came into view, pulling a rusty trailer along behind him. Wayne cut the engine of the tractor and hopped out of the seat to help Frank pull the trailer closer and hitch it onto the back of the tractor by cranking the two pull-shafts together and locking it.

"There. Now someone can sit on the trailer and someone can sit up front with me if they're brave enough." Wayne grinned as he jumped back into the seat of the tractor and pressed the button, starting the engine back up loudly. Frank clambered onto the trailer and sat down in front of it with his hands on the metal railings. Gerard couldn't help the grin on his face as he climbed onto the back of the tractor and turned to sit with his back against Wayne, facing the excited little omega who was now wiggling his hips in anticipation.

"Onwards and upwards, my good fellow!" Gerard called behind him to Wayne before he looked down at Frank, "We haven't a second to lose! The fate of the world rests in our mortal hands!"

"Onwards and upwards!" Frank yelled out and Wayne put the tractor in gear before steering it and revving. The tractor shot forward in a straight line that sent Frank toppling onto his back with a loud whooping laugh. Gerard let out a cracking giggle as he held onto the back of the seat between his legs, watching Frank try and sit up despite the ride being exceptionally bumpy.

"How's the ride?" Gerard called out to Frank, his hands cupped around his mouth as a loudspeaker.

"Rough!" Frank called back as he gripped the railing, "Willing to bet you'd be a lot worse!"

"Probably!" Gerard called back, "I'm not good at riding!"

"The tractor is easy, Gee." Wayne interrupted innocently, completely missing the innuendo of their conversation, "You'll get used to riding it. Frank's a natural."

Gerard grinned down at Frank and saw his pink cheeks, "I bet he is, DeWayne! I bet he is!"

"Tyler phoned this morning!" Wayne called out as they drove around a large pine tree and Gerard roared with laughter when Frank fell over and rolled backward, shrieking in fright.

"What does ol' Big Roberto want?"

"We're all meeting at the quarry after lunch!" Wayne announced loudly as the tractor gave a particularly nasty sputter, "He said the weather is gonna be great for a swim! What do you say?"

"I'm down for a swim." Gerard nodded and looked at Frank, "What about you Cranky Frankie? Fancy a swim, old chap?"

"A chance to see you in your underwear again?" Frank called out, "I've won the fucking lottery."

Wayne let out a laugh and Gerard gave Frank a perverted grin as he grabbed his own crotch and made a seductively cheeky bite at the air. Frank flipped him off before he turned around on his knees, looked at Gerard over his shoulder, and gave his own ass a squeeze with both hands. Gerard's smile instantly vanished as they bounced on toward the house, his cheeks were suddenly warm as Frank's fingers toyed with the bottom hem of his shorts just below his ass. He took his hands away and his shorts fell back to where they usually lay. He sat back down innocently and closed his eyes, taking in the summer breeze as Gerard tried to nonchalantly readjust himself on the chair behind Wayne. He looked out at the orchard, ignoring the radiating heat that settled in his cheeks and his crotch. Damn omegas.

"Are we all gonna meet up at your truck around lunchtime and go to the quarry, or are we gonna take our bikes?" Gerard asked as they hopped off of the idle tractor, a surprising spring in his step that he had been missing for two days.

"Bikes." Wayne nodded toward the old Chevy parked nearby with the hood up, "The truck needs a seeing to."

"Ah. Well," He smiled, clapping Wayne on the shoulder, "Thanks for the ride, old boy. Highly appreciated."

"Anytime, son." Wayne grinned and looked back at Frank, who was wandering around the field and watching a butterfly flap lazily through the air, "Just so you know... I know what happened."

Gerard balked suddenly and tried to recover, clearing his throat, "Know about what?"

"He came in this morning and told me that he went to check on you." Wayne looked at Gerard and then at Frank again, "Not only did he reek of you, but I'm pretty sure he was limping."

"I- Me? What are you talking-?" Gerard gasped and his head jerked back, his eyes wide in an attempt to feign innocence, "Wayne Jackson, what are you insinuating? That is my best friend and-"

"And you guys turned my barn into a fornication station." Wayne put his arms out over the tractor's steering wheel, "Clearly."

"Clearly?"

"You smell like Frank, too." Wayne noted, "It's very noticeable, and not in an 'I hang with him so I kinda smell like him' kinda way, more like 'I smell like his bodily fluids' kinda way, man. If you don't want the gang to find out, you better shower or get to the quarry early and wash it off before they get there."

"Good point." Gerard turned to see Frank squatting down to pet one of Wayne's field cats. He watched the way Frank's hair tousled in the gentle breeze, the way his pale skin seemed luminous in the midday sun, and just how gently he behaved around the tiny feral cat. He seemed invested in trying to pet the animal despite the cat trying to bap his hand away with its little paw. Frank insisted, gently holding his hand out for the cat to sniff before he was allowed to give it a small pet on the head. He beamed with pride, smiling in triumph, his entire objective based solely on nurture, his sympathy for the wild animal made Gerard's chest ache. He idly lifted a hand to rub his sternum, unable to look away from the omega, "Hey, DeWayne?"

"Yeah?"

"Not that there is anything, or that this conversation even happened but... Don't tell anyone, please. About anything. For Frank's sake." Gerard waved a flippant hand to add a light humor to his serious tone, "You know how he gets."

"Don't even remember what I said." Wayne grabbed the tractor keys and got up, "Now if you'll excuse me, I gotta get outta this minty stench and go and work on the truck, it's already making my teeth hurt with how dang sweet it is. You guys are gross."

Gerard chuckled and watched Wayne walk off towards the garage, turning his gaze back to Frank who was standing up and looking back at him, his dark hair shining in the sun. Gerard walked toward him, surprised when the omega instantly turned on his heel and walked towards the barn, pulling the door open to sneak in. He peered out at Gerard just enough to give him a suggestive glance before he disappeared again. Gerard stopped in his tracks, eyes wide, his heart leaped as he ran towards the barn and snuck in, closing the door behind him. He glanced around, his eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness around him as he scanned for his omega, frowning when it seemed to be empty, "Frank? You in here?"

"Hey." Frank suddenly purred in Gerard's ear, making him jump, but Frank's arms were quickly around the Alpha's body, a hand skidding over his pants to grab and rub at his crotch, "Don't think I didn't see your little show back there."

"Right back atcha." Gerard whispered, his words ending in a moan as Frank's warm hand slid into his pants to wrap around his dick and give it a slow and sinuous stroke.

"What was that about a ride, Gerard?" Frank asked innocently, "I don't quite remember."

His eyebrows knitted together as he tried to remember what they had joked about but with the way that Frank was palming him, his mind was drawing a blank, "I-uh..." Gerard's head went back on his shoulders and he frowned deeper, "Fuck knows, actually."

"Unfortunate." Frank clicked his tongue softly, "If you don't remember, I'm gonna have to show you."

"For the love of God, please do." Gerard groaned out but then there was a sudden wave of chatter outside and the ringing of bicycle bells that pulled them out of their pheromone-fueled bubble. They both jumped and Gerard cursed outwardly - he knew exactly what it meant.

"They're here." Frank yelped, "The guys are here. I thought...? Oh, God, they're gonna find out. Gerard. They're gonna smell us. Fuck- I thought we had time. I'm gonna puke. I-" Frank began to take gulps of air before he grabbed his inhaler and sucked in two large puffs of it.

Gerard ran up into the loft and looked out of the window to see four bikes that had been strewn across the lawn in front of Wayne's house, "Son of a bitch." Gerard muttered and then looked at Frank who had wandered in looking green, "Maybe Wayne will keep them inside. I mean, I doubt they'd wanna be in here if I'm supposed to be hiding out here because of my rut."

"I suppose." Frank croaked weakly, "They'll still smell us, though. Gerard, I'm not ready to tell them. I can't-"

"We'll beat them to the quarry and get in the water before they do, it'll soak off our skin in no time." Gerard assured and looked out of the window when he had an idea, "I'm sure Wayne will cover for us. Let's go and hose off in the orchard, they have the sprinklers on now. We can wash off under there."

"You think that's enough?" Frank asked anxiously, his eyes darting from Gerard to the bed where they had been the night before.

"It should at least make it less obvious." Gerard shrugged, "If we take away some of it and stay together at all times, they'll just smell us. They won't smell me on you or you on me. Just you and me."

"That's..." Frank bit on his lip and Gerard let out a small groan and rolled his eyes.

"Any better ideas over there, Captain Kirk?"

"I guess not." Frank shrugged, "Let's go."

They carefully opened the barn door and peered out before they took off around the side of the barn and ran towards the field on the other side of the house. They sprinted through the grass with ease, their bodies and their stamina heightened for distance and speed thanks to their wolf DNA. They took a jump over the small fence and instantly ran under the forceful stream of the waters, soaking themselves. Frank let out a yelp at the cold water when it hit his back and Gerard began to laugh. He put his glasses in his back pocket and stood as close to the sprinkler head as possible, making sure to soak every inch of himself in the jets. Frank stood on the other side with his arms out, rotating to get even coverage.

It was then that Gerard cupped his hands, collecting a handful of water before he threw it, hitting Frank directly in the face and making him sputter, "You dickhead!" Frank spat the water out beside him and went pink, "This is borehole water! It went in my mouth!"

"So. Many. Jokes." Gerard clutched his chest in faux pain before he grinned over at Frank with a smug expression, "Whatcha gonna do about it, Iero? Gonna fight me?"

"I'll fucking kill you." Frank threatened as he narrowed his eyes, glaring at the tall Alpha with the most adorable expression that Gerard had ever seen. He knew Frank was absolutely serious and probably would dropkick him if he could, but how was he supposed to take Frank seriously when he looked like that?

"Gotta catch me first, Monkey." Gerard dared before Frank went after him. He let out a yelp and ran off from Frank, running through the apple trees and away from the speedy little omega. He whirled through the trees, zigzagging between them before he did a complete turn and ran back towards the sprinkler. He dashed around it with Frank almost behind him and took off again. He turned suddenly, realizing that he was alone, his eyes darting quickly around the orchard for any sign of the spry little wolf, but it seemed empty. Gerard was about to go after Frank when he was tackled over onto the grass. He let out a short shriek as Frank jumped him from the side and knocked him to the ground. Frank pinned him to the wet Earth beneath the sprinklers and let out a playful but victorious growl. Gerard grinned brightly at the omega and let himself be pinned, knowing full well that he could easily overpower Frank in a second. He looked up at the soaking wolf above him, and at how happy he was, his eyes sparkling, and it had Gerard's chest jolt unexpectedly.

"Better get up before anyone sees, Frank. Don't want them to get the wrong impression now, do we? God forbid they might think there's actually something going on between us." Gerard replied coyly as Frank let go of his wrists.

"Shuddup, Alpha," Frank replied as he got up and tried to wipe the grass-stains from his knees, scowling at the smug expression on Gerard's face, "Don't get any ideas."

"Too late." Gerard got up and looked down, towering over Frank with a smug expression, "I have all the ideas running through my head."

"Well, save them for later. There's a reason we're doing this." Frank waved a hand to the sprinklers and Gerard nodded, realizing he was right.

"We'd better go back and see if we're being searched for yet." Gerard gestured back to the farm, "Shall we, good sir?"

"Just move your ass." Frank bumped his hip against Gerard's before they began walking back to the farm. They had gotten back to the barn when they saw everyone walk out of the house and out onto the porch. There was a second of confused silence as the rest of the gang took in their soaked and sodden appearance before Frank broke the quiet.

"He was overheating and I went to go and find him. He was running through the sprinklers and wouldn't come back. I had to go after him." He lied smoothly before shooting Gerard a scathing look, "Asshole."

"Guilty." He threw Frank a brilliantly smug smile and looked at Wayne, "Thanks for the splash, DeWayne. I needed it."

"Any time." Wayne smiled and held up a sneaky thumbs up to them from behind the rest of the group.

"Wuh-We were tuh-talking earlier." Tyler began to explain, "Guh-Gonna go suh-swimming before luh-lunch and thuh-then kuh-come back huh-here to eat."

"Sounds good to me." Gerard clapped his hands together excitedly and looked at Frank, "What about you, Cranky?"

"I'm in." Frank nodded and then looked at the gang as everyone hopped off to get their bikes. Gerard and Frank went around to the side of the porch where their bikes had been leaning against the house. Everyone mounted their bikes and began to cycle down the road of the Jackson farm. They turned onto Halstead street and began to cycle towards the Springs, turning off of Halstead and onto Lower Center Street. Gerard was speeding up, taking over to cycle right upfront with Tyler. He grinned as he overtook Sam, snapping his teeth at her as he did so.

They turned onto Quarry Street and took off left, cycling in a long cluster line to avoid cars before they went past the other side of the river. One by one they came to a stop and dismounted at the off-turn, laying their bikes at the lookout, climbing over the short, white guardrail fence.

They all got to the edge of the cliff and began stripping down. Sam and Awsten were first, the both of them undressing down to their underwear. They held hands and ran from the rail of the cliff, jumping over the edge. Awsten let out a yell as he leaped over, the height still freaking him out even after all these years. Wayne jumped in after them once he was down to his underwear, executing a beautiful cannonball that had Gerard applauding him. Tyler leaned in to give Joshua a kiss on the cheek before he removed his t-shirt - Frank went slightly pink in the face as they all looked at Tyler's toned body. He took off in a run and dived over the edge with perfect form.

"He's real somehow." Josh looked at the edge of the quarry-dive where Tyler had just taken the plunge, "I have no idea how someone that amazing actually exists but here he went."

"It's surreal." Gerard nodded and looked at Josh, "You gonna fly, birdy boy?"

"God, I genuinely hate this part." Josh pulled his slacks down and went to the edge of the cliff, peering down. Gerard suddenly ran at Josh and wrapped his arms around the tall boy and tackled him, the both of them flying over the edge with velocity. Joshua let out a bloodcurdling scream as Gerard launched them off the cliff. He grinned at Josh, who looked fucking livid, and then closed his eyes as they went under the hazy green water. He took a moment under the surface, relishing in the cool temperature on his skin and the bubbles that rolled off of him as he broke the surface.

"You asshole!" Josh shrieked and splashed Gerard angrily, "I could have died!"

"You were completely safe!" Gerard laughed, letting Joshua splash him.

"No one is completely safe around you, Way!" Josh ended his angry tirade with a large splash before everyone looked up the cliff to see Frank peering over the edge, his hands clutched nervously to his chest.

"C'mon, Frank!" Gerard called up, "Show us what a real cannonball looks like!"

"Yeah, Frank!" Wayne encouraged loudly, "You can do it!"

"Frank! Frank! Frank! Frank!" Sam began to chant and soon everyone was shouting his name, calling up to the nervous omega who looked slightly green.

"I can't do it, guys!" Frank called down, "It's too high!"

"If I can do it, you can!" Awsten yelled reassuringly, his hands cupped over his mouth, "It's not too bad!"

"You want me to jump with you?!" Gerard called and Frank's head appeared suddenly.

"And have you suicide jump me over the edge like you did with Josh?! Get fucked, buddy!" Frank yelled back and Awsten began howling with laughter. Gerard swam to the edge of the quarry and waded out of the water. He began to climb up the side of the tall rocky ledge where there had been a makeshift pathway created to get to the water. He got back to the top and found Frank standing away from the edge with his arms curled around his waist nervously.

"Hey..." Gerard frowned, "What's with you? You don't usually have a problem with the jump."

"I-" Frank grimaced, "I'm just a little on edge today... Extra nervous, is all."

"You've made this jump a thousand times." Gerard encouraged with a wet hand on Frank's shoulder that had him flinch, the droplets of sudden cold on his warm, goosebump-addled skin seemed to alarm him. Gerard took his hand back and smiled, "And you'll make it a thousand more. It's safe as hell."

"Jump with me." Frank slowly took Gerard's hand, "Please..."

"Anywhere you go, I'll be right by your side, Frank." Gerard smiled and reached up to stroke Frank's pink cheek, "That's a promise." Frank smiled and looked over at the edge, sucking in a shaky breath. He nodded wordlessly and Gerard squared his shoulders, "Wanna run up or just jump off?"

"Run." Frank began backing up, his hand in a death grip around Gerard's. The two of them backed away from the ledge about two yards before they began running towards the edge. Gerard looked over at Frank with a smile and tightened his grip around Frank's hand as they leaped over the precipice.

Frank let out a yell and closed his eyes tightly, his free hand coming up to plug his nose as he braced himself for the impact. They hit the water just to the left of the group and went under with a large splash. They looked at each other underwater and Gerard leaned in, kissing Frank on the cheek before they swam up and broke the surface.

As Frank came up, everyone else began clapping for him, cheering him on for his excellent jump. He smiled brightly and wiped the water from his face, looking at Gerard nearby, his face turning pink as he swam off. Gerard went back, floating over the water idly, when a pair of arms came to rest over his stomach. He glanced to his side to see Sam using him as a floatation device, "Morning, Collins."

"Way." She greeted happily, "How's things?"

"Rutty." He announced simply, "So far, so good."

"Heard about that." She nodded, her head on his stomach, "Aren't you supposed to be jumping everything all day."

"I was able to stave it off for a few hours." Gerard explained cryptically even though the only way to stave off a rut for a few hours is fucking an omega. He hoped that she hadn't figured it out that far, but decided to throw her off, "Won't be for much longer, though."

"At least you're getting in some free time before you start your depravity all over again." She stated jokingly and Gerard's eyebrows rose in feigned offense.

"I beg your pardon." Gerard stopped floating and began to wade in front of her, watching her giggle at him, "My what, Collins?"

"Your gross Alpha dick in every gloryhole you can find." She snickered and Gerard scooped her up into his arms before he pushed her under the water. He let go and watched her come back up with a loud burst of laughter before she reached over to hit him on the arm.

"Asshole!" She gasped, "How dare you!"

"Quite easily." He pulled her closer, "I'm depraved, remember?" She grinned, her legs wrapping around him casually as he held her up in the water. She laughed, flicking his forehead as they swam together in the water.

Josh and Wayne were wading together as Sam swam off toward Awsten to give him some love. Gerard looked over to see Frank and Tyler somewhat away from the rest of the group, Frank had his arms around Tyler's neck and their Alpha was whispering in Frank's ear, making him blush and grow somewhat coy. Gerard knew that he couldn't act out, despite the raging jealousy in his stomach, he knew how close they all were as a forming pack, and that Frank would never actually do anything with Tyler because... He frowned; he and Frank were dating, but had he actually mentioned to Frank and agreed that they were exclusive? Surely, he didn't need to, right? That was sort of a given. Gerard watched as Tyler spun around and took Frank with him in the water, leaning in to kiss Frank's cheek.

They separated after that and Gerard instantly swam over to Frank, "What was that about?" He asked idly as he watched Tyler swim over to Josh.

"Oh." Frank cleared his throat, "He told me that he and Josh are official but didn't want to say it out loud because he doesn't want the guys to know, yet. He told me that he's sorry that he can't help me with my heats anymore because he knows Josh doesn't want him to just hop around."

"What did you say?" Gerard tried to keep his questioning casual as he floated closer to Frank. He looked at one of the rock outcrops, avoiding Frank's gaze as his jealousy seethed inside. He tried to quell it, knowing that he was overreacting because of his rut, and that Tyler would never try and steal his omega, but the logical side was only just winning over.

"I told him that I'm happy for him and that I didn't need his help anymore. Even though I haven't needed his help for months." Frank replied as Gerard came to a stop in front of him, "What?"

"You're just really beautiful." Gerard whispered softly, his instinct had him reaching out to touch Frank's cheek, but he stopped himself and pretended to pick a piece of debris from his hair instead, "I just really tend to notice it sometimes. More than other times. Like, I always see you and I always notice but there are times when I'm hyperfixated on it, where it's all I notice."

"Jesus." Frank went pink as Gerard pulled him closer under the water. Ever since they had grown taller, the quarry hadn't been as deep as it once was when they were kids in certain places where the embankment rose up, and sitting in the water was a lot easier now if you knew where to sit. Gerard sat on the sandy floor of the quarry and nonchalantly set Frank in front of him, turning him around. Frank sat with his back against Gerard's chest between his legs. Gerard put his arms around Frank under the water and they both sat there in comfortable silence.

"Hey, give it back!" Josh called out and both Gerard and Frank turned to look at Joshua, who was standing in the water a few feet away, trying to jump up against Tyler who was holding Josh's waterproof watch above his head as high as he could.

"Fuh-Fuh-Finders kuh-keepers!" Tyler grinned, "First ruh-rule!"

"He's right!" Gerard called out and Tyler nodded smugly.

"Give him his watch, Tyler." Frank took Josh's side instantly, "Don't be such a knothead."

"It was a Hanukkah gift last year." Josh pouted and Tyler softened slightly before he handed the watch back.

"Nuh-No fun." He muttered before he fell back into the water and lay there on its surface.

"Thanks, Frank." Josh smiled as he went on trying to fasten his watch on his wrist.

Frank smiled back and put his head against Gerard's chest, the simple action had Gerard's inner Alpha already preening, and he tried to ignore the way it made his pulse pick up. The omega turned his head and looked up at Gerard, "I can smell you again."

"How bad is it?"

"It's getting worse." Frank sighed, "You might have to go back a bit earlier and I'll have to join you later. It'll look weird if we both suddenly leave."

"True." Gerard nodded and then looked at the guys who were all swimming around, "We've also been sitting here a while. Maybe we should mingle."

"I'll go left, you go right," Frank whispered before he kicked off of the embankment and swam away from Gerard towards the left of the group to Tyler and Josh.

Gerard went to Awsten and Sam, putting his arm around Awsten with a grin, "Hey, Beanpole. Read anything interesting lately?"

"I was just telling Wayne about this book I read the other day and it was all about Antarctica." Awsten explained, "It was really neat."

"Sounds enthralling." He patted Awsten's cheek and sat down next to Sam and Wayne on the watered embankment to look up at the lanky beta, "Tell me more."

"Antarctica has ice in some places that is over a mile thick," Awsten announced and Gerard was genuinely taken aback, not expecting to hear something so wild. He adjusted his glasses and looked at Awsten with earnest intrigue, "Despite it being completely made of ice and being so cold, it's one of the driest and windiest places on Earth."

"Get the fuck out." Gerard whispered, eyes wide, "What else?"

"A lot." Awsten shrugged, "The biggest land animal that inhabits Antarctica is only an inch in size. All the other animals are considered marine life."

"An inch?" Gerard measured an approximate inch with his fingers, "Get the fuck out."

"No really." Awsten urged with a nod, "The wingless midge."

"Sounds like my aunt's nickname in college." Gerard snorted and Sam let out a small laugh and looked up at her boyfriend with a smile.

"I think it's awesome."

"So do I." Wayne insisted.

Gerard was about to reply when he looked over to see Frank and Tyler again. Gerard squinted to see Frank wrapped up in Tyler's arms and Tyler seemed to be scenting him very gently, and he fought the snarl that seemed to want to vibrate in his chest.

"Hey, Frank," Sam called out as if on cue, "Are you feeling okay?"

Frank didn't reply and Tyler looked up with his lips pursed, looking at Josh, "He's got a fever." Josh replied and Gerard instantly stood up. He took a couple steps into the water and held his arms out.

"Lemme take him home. You guys enjoy your swim." Gerard urged and then realized how it may have seemed so he added in the first thing he could think of, "Maybe Wayne can take him and he and I can go back to the farm."

They all looked at Wayne, who jumped at the mention of his name and looked up to see Gerard's pleading face, "Oh, of course. I can take Frank home." Wayne stood up and he and Gerard leaned out to take Frank from Tyler. Gerard easily slung Frank onto his back, who held on tightly.

They looked at the group in the water and Gerard blew Sam and Awsten a kiss before he and Wayne began walking up the steep path to the top ledge of the quarry. They got to the top when Gerard carefully put Frank down, letting him stand, "What is it?"

Wayne went to casually go and get his bike, leaving them alone. Frank went pink in the face and he looked down at his feet, mumbling under his breath, but Gerard was already overwrought with worry, "Frank?" Gerard put his hands on Frank's shoulders, a concerned frown on his brows, "Tell me, dude."

"I'm in heat." He said slightly louder, "I think. It shouldn't be for a few days but because of you..."

"Me?" Gerard frowned, "What did I do?"

"You're a new Alpha - a potential mate. My body can sense it. It senses you and I think it decided to try and speed things up and then after last night... It sped things up even more and now Tyler was here-"

"What did Tyler do?"

"Nothing. He was just here, but he's an Alpha. It kicked my hormones over the edge. I could feel the fever set in the moment I was in radius of him." Frank grimaced.

"Is that why you've been crying and shit?" Gerard asked as his brain finally put all of the puzzle pieces together, the night before definitely made more sense now that he realized what had been the cause behind it. He put his hands on his hips, "Or why you've been so... Horny?"

"Probably." Frank nodded and grabbed his t-shirt to pull on over his head, "It would explain a lot."

"So what now?" Gerard asked curiously and Frank swallowed hard as he adjusted his t-shirt.

"Now I'm the one who needs you."