(( I genuinely got triggered writing the first part of this chapter. Please read with caution if you are sensitive to abusive or noncon content. Thank you.

-Soki ))

Ouch. That was the only word that Keith could use to describe James' ruts. It was typical for an alpha to go through pain during them, pressure building up in all of their parts and the heat making it burn. But he wasn't talking about James' pain.

It was his own. Ouch was his dialogue.

The scent filled the house, seeped into every corner and came to torment Keith's nose. He knew it was just a matter of time until the alpha snapped and let his instincts run rampant for days.

He was wearing the skimpy underwear James had asked, more like ordered him to. Though Keith was getting a headache from the constant aroma, it wasn't in full swing. For then, James was only sweating. It could change at any moment, though.

This would most likely be their last meal together until the rut was over, since people only had time for snacking between the mating.

He was in the kitchen, putting together dinner. It wasn't anything too complicated, just a frozen pizza. He'd already cut it up the specific way the other liked.

" Jesus, Keith! Are you done?" James called from the living room.

Keith jumped and dropped the pizza cutter, the plates to his left clanking as he was so startled. The other's voice... it was deeper and louder than normal. Ruts were scary.

" Y-yes! Sorry!" Keith exclaimed and fumbled while plating the slices. James liked his pizzas with literally everything on them, so Keith had to put a bunch of extra stuff on it before and after baking it.

Keith scurried out to the living room with the plates, handing one to James and sitting down. He thought he was in the clear, but then the other didn't say anything. That was a bad sign. James was ALWAYS talking, and often found the occasion to do so with his mouth full.

" Baby? Aren't you forgetting something?" James asked, taking a bite of the pizza and smiling at him tauntingly.

Keith thought about it for a moment. He scrambled back to the kitchen and nearly slipped on the hardwood before bringing him back a beer. He always drank beer with pizza.

James took it and unscrewed the cap, and Keith sat back down. He could pretty much feel the heat coming off of the other, and the sweat was beaded on James' forehead.

" Did you set up the bedroom?" James asked, munching on the pizza. Keith nodded while he did the same.

It was fifteen minutes later when Keith was shivering from the cold. Lingerie wasn't exactly ideal to prance around in all day, especially with such an up to date AC system.

He set his empty plate on the coffee table, then covered up with a throw blanket.

Keith couldn't help but feel like he was forgetting something, but his mind was thrown away from the topic as James cleared his throat and gestured to the dishes.

Omegas were responsible for chores. James' rules, though he was under Keith's roof.

Keith shed the blanket and grabbed the plates, going to the kitchen. He set them in the sink, squirting some soap in, putting in the plug, and running hot water. He turned around and put the cardboard from the pizza in the trash, then grabbed the pizza cutter.

Right as the water was done running and Keith shut it off, he felt arms behind him, and something prodding by his lower back.

Keith gulped, finding himself squeezing his eyes shut.

" Bedroom. Now." Was rumbled from behind him, and Keith was pulled away from the sink. Keith's heels dragged on the floor, and he was about to get picked up when his eyes bulged.

His pill.

He needed to take it.

" James! Hang on!" Keith exclaimed and squirmed, trying to pull away.

" No. This can't wait." The alpha growled and hurled the omega over his shoulder. Keith beat his fists on James' back and kicked.

" I NEED MY BIRTH CONTROL!" Keith shouted with a frantic voice crack.

" No you don't." James smirked, opening the bedroom door. Keith's eyes were huge, panic written all over his face as the door locked behind them.

...

Keith was awake soon enough, sitting up and feeling his head. It was aching from the left over hormones, and he noticed a teardrop on his cheek. He wiped it away and stared at the wall blankly.

Oh look.

Another nightmare/flashback duo! Two for the price of one.

He yawned and stayed like that for a moment until something caught his attention. The slick... it had stopped. The sweat? He didn't feel like he was cooking anymore.

Keith smiled to himself in relief, his lip quivering. He had made it through. Even if the bedsheets reeked of heat, were covered in slick, and apparently had a dildo laying near the foot of them... he'd survived it.

He put his feet on the floor, then nearly toppled over. Luckily Keith's hand caught the nightstand, since his legs were wobbly at best. After such a big... helper... walking would be difficult for a couple days.

Keith picked up his phone and saw that it was already five at night. That was normal. Omegas could often sleep for days after a heat, depending on how bad it was.

The omega had been going to take a shower, but then he thought of one thing. Lance. It was safe to see Lance again! His face lit up, and he was quick to open his phone, flopping on the bed.

Keith pressed the call button to talk to him, eager to see the alpha. After all the flashbacks, and brutal pain... he needed cuddles. More than that. He needed Lance's support and companionship.

" Princess? You're up?!" Lance excitedly asked, picking up right away

Keith felt his entire face lifting. His cheeks hurt from smiling. He could see Lance. It wouldn't be dangerous anymore!

" Yeah... come over." The omega said, and his voice was scratchy. Did he even have to explain why, pervs?

" I'm on my way." Lance replied. He wouldn't admit that he'd been waiting by the phone. Shiro and Matt had told him earlier that day that the heat was mostly done, so he'd been bouncing off the walls to see the omega again. Erection free this time around, or so Lance hoped.

He was still so pissed at himself about that one. Getting hard while Keith was in pre-heat?! That was a bad move, and Lance smacked his forehead as he remembered. What if he would've gone alpha on Keith?

" Good... I miss you..." Keith murmured, pulling the blankets closer for a moment. He didn't even think twice about admitting it. The leftover hormones made him more submissive than usually, even if he didn't notice it.

" I miss you, too. You have no idea." Lance said in a love struck voice. His keys could be heard jingling in the background, and Keith's eyes widened.

" I have to shower before you get here... but see you soon."

" Ya, do that." Lance laughed. " Bye."

It was about fifteen minutes later by the time Keith got out of the bathroom. His skin was warm to the touch from the ungodly hot shower water. He'd spent a fair amount of time cleaning himself up. He was covered in plenty of... fluids, and seeing Lance like that wasn't something he planned on doing right then.

Keith wore a baggy shirt and pajama pants while coming out. He would've liked to wear Lance's jacket, but his guess was that no one should have touched it until it was washed.

The omega emerged from his room for the first time in days, and Kosmo came charging at him, barking. He petted him enthusiastically and grinned.

" Hey, Buddy..."

" Keith! You're alive." Pidge greeted. She was over, as were Shiro and Matt.

" Yeah..." Keith said, running a hand through his wet mullet. " Thanks for staying..."

Pidge came over and wrapped her arms around him, closing her eyes.

" Don't mention it." She whispered. After everything Keith had been through, a heat without assistance from suppression was a huge milestone. " We're all really proud of you." Pidge pulled back to smile at him.

Keith might not have wanted to admit it... but as terrifying as it was... he felt better. His body had released everything that had been pent up for so long.

" Thank you." He said again, and she patted his shoulder.

" We weren't sure when you'd get up, so we ordered some pizza. You're cool with that?" She asked, and Keith shrugged.

" I'm fine with anything. I'm starving, actually." He honestly said while kneeling down to ruffle Kosmo's fur. " I just told Lance to come over, though. Would there be enough for him?"

Pidge nodded with wide eyes. She had a tendency to order way too much on accident. But with Shiro and Lance and Keith? No contest. They could finish it.

" Where are Shiro and Matt anyways?" Keith asked, looking around seeing that the couple wasn't in the living room, nor were they in the kitchen.

Pidge glanced to the side and pursed her lips.

...

" Not in Keith's house, Matt-" Shiro stammered, and the other only smirked more so. " Are you crazy?!" He whispered frantically.

" Maybe." Matt bit his lip and undid the button on Shiro's pants, looking up at him and smirking. For an omega, Matt's sex drive was beyond hyper. He was almost like an alpha that way, but Shiro had gotten used to it.

Shiro covered his mouth and peeked around to see that they'd remembered to lock the door.

" Matt... c'mon... what about dinner?" Shiro broke into a nervous sweat.

" This is dinner." Matt replied sultrily. He pulled down the zipper and massaged in between Shiro's legs, biting his lip still. He knew exactly how to touch Shiro, knew exactly how to drive the alpha nuts.

Shiro was about to say something else, but he tensed and his breath hitched when Matt squeezed him outside of his boxers. Okay... maybe just a little.

" Matt... oh my god..." Shiro whispered, and Matt chuckled to himself while rubbing Shiro the right way. Whenever he did stuff like this, he wasn't as omega. Usually when they went all the way, he was a puddle of submission and did whatever Shiro asked, but not then.

Matt wasn't sure why he was trying to spoil Shiro right then, but he had one clue. They hadn't had sex since before they'd come to Keith's to watch the omega, so he was deprived. Even if he wasn't planning on doing the dirty with Shiro in Keith's guest bedroom, he did know that the alpha was probably sexually frustrated as well, even if he didn't wear it on his sleeve.

Feeling the alpha's member hardening in his grip, Matt blushed and looked to the other.

" Daddy... what should I do?~" He purred, and Shiro was so flustered he didn't know what to do with himself. That daddy kink of Matt's... it never ceased in making him embarrassed yet weirdly aroused.

Shiro swallowed and got a hold of himself, feeling his alpha instincts taking over.

" You know the answer to that..." Shiro said, reaching down and tangling one of his very large hands into Matt's hair. And with that, Matt was pulling the alpha's cock out of the boxers. Not to brag or anything like that... but... Shiro had what could be called an enormous length.

...

By the time Lance arrived, Keith was practically having withdrawal symptoms. He missed the alpha so much that he could never admit to it without losing his pride. Getting that attached to someone again was something Keith never thought he was capable of, but low and behold, it happened.

Lance was let in by Pidge, and the second he saw Keith, a grin unfolded on his face. He rushed over and swept the omega up into a hug, nuzzling his cheek by Keith's and holding him.

" I missed you!" The alpha exclaimed and scented the other, and Keith was a blushing mess while wrapping his arms around Lance in return. To feel his hug... his body... to smell his scent. Keith felt like he was breathing a breath of fresh air.

" I missed you too..." Keith admitted under his breath and let his face sink into Lance's chest. He couldn't help but get as close as he could to the other.

Pidge made kissy faces at the two, deciding it was an okay time to tease them. Lance waved her off, too happy to even care. He lifted Keith up into his arms, not holding himself back. He took the other to the couch and laid him down.

Keith was completely red.

" L-Lance, what's the big idea?" The omega stammered, and Lance laid beside him, spooning him.

" I'm Keith deprived." Lance murmured. Kosmo jumped on top of the two, barking and pawing at Lance. He was so huge that his weight nearly crushed the two. And Keith didn't know what to do. On one hand, being lifted up had startled him, but on the other... he'd liked it. He moved back against Lance, letting the larger male drape an arm over him.

Pidge laughed to herself and was about to head back to the guest room Keith offered her, but then there was a chime. It was the doorbell outside the gate, meaning the pizza delivery person must've been there.

" Pidge, should I-" Keith began to say. Even though he hadn't been the one to order it, he still felt like he should've been the one picking up the bill. After all, Matt, Shiro, Pidge... they'd all stayed to watch over the house during heat.

" I got it, man." She insisted before going out the door.

Lance smiled and kissed Keith's cheek, then again.

" KitKat..." He murmured, brushing Keith's hair aside.

" When did you start calling me that?" Keith chuckled and turned over his shoulder to look at the other. He was ready to implode from how cutesy the pet name was, but Lance didn't need to know that much.

" Since I felt like it..." Lance blushed and pursed his lips. Then he remembered something in that moment, and he felt absolutely horrible about himself. Lance's eyes sullied and he hid in Keith's neck out of shame, holding him closer.

He'd nearly lost it.

He'd gotten hard when Keith kissed him.

He was a bad alpha.

He was dangerous.

He-... he had to stop thinking things like that. Lance was so guilty that he had to talk to Keith about it, though it was so repriable that his shameful lips almost wouldn't speak it.

Keith noticed the shift in Lance's scent, his own scent gland tingling while picking it up. He was upset, and Keith was aware of it as he rolled over to face the other. Lance's face was scrunched and his lip was puffed out in a way that he'd never seen before. It wasn't sadness like when Allura put out her video... it was guilt mixed with anger, and Keith had no clue what could've brought it on.

" Did... did I say something wrong?" The omega stammered.

Lance's eyes widened.

" Uh- n-no... just... Keith..." His eyes darted to the side, and he grit his teeth while trying to put the words together. " I feel like I need to come c-clean about something..."

Keith listened, worried.

" During your pre-heat... when you were trying to g-get me to stay... what do you remember?" Lance asked. He needed to know what Keith could recall.

Keith made a face.

" I... I asked you to stay?" The omega questioned, and Lance nodded. So apparently Keith didn't remember much at all.

" You did... and you were kissing me a-and I swear that I didn't mean to b-but... I-" Lance fumbled, and Keith looked horrified at first. He was kissing Lance? He couldn't remember a thing after Lance had given him the jacket and tucked him into the nest. Hormones had a way of blocking an omega's short term memory for the duration of heat, so he was expecting not to remember much. But hearing this? What else had he done?

" Slow down." Keith whispered, trying to get a hold of himself. He didn't want to accuse Lance of anything.

Lance gulped, taking a deep breath.

" I... I got hard from you kissing me..." He confessed, and Keith's eyes were beading as he stared into Lance's. " But I left right away! I had to pry you off and I pretty much ran out the door b-because I didn't want to take advantage of you and now I'm guilty because you don't even know it happened- well now you do but-"

Keith got what Lance was saying, and a few stray tears gathered in the corners of his eyes. Lance had listened? Lance had left like he'd asked, even after he himself had tried to take it back? He couldn't help but feel emotional, but in a happy way to hear that. Cupping Lance's cheeks, Keith cut the alpha off. He leaned closer and kissed him gently, causing Lance's eyes to bulge. It took a moment for Lance to settle down and let his eyes close, and Keith's were already squeezed shut.

" Thank you..." Keith murmured, sniffling. A tear slipped down his cheek, and Lance held him closer. " Thank you for not touching me..."

" I promised you I wouldn't..." Lance whispered, pulling Keith to his chest.

The door opened, and Pidge walked in with a stack of pizzas. The smell of them filled the room within seconds.

" Come on, losers! I got the pies!" She announced, and Keith peeled back from Lance's chest with a small smile. He felt so many things... but in that moment... it was something new. The slightest bit of trust was growing.

(( Lance is such a sweet boi and my heart can't take it nyaaaaaa! >0< ))