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Nine: Frustration

Nine: Frustration

Mature content warning.

***

Wren went into heat two hours later.

Heat symptoms varied between omegas, but there were a few that were generally considered the standard for most people. Nesting, aggressive protection of the nest, and picking fights with inanimate objects were, for example, pretty common.

For this reason, intruding on an omega in heat was something only done in the direst of circumstances, or if you really, really wanted your throat ripped out. So, after sending a quick text to his supervisor at work to let him know Wren wouldn't be in for the next few days, Wren bolted his door, and hoped no one else would pay him a visit.

Not that there were many people who stopped by to see Wren. His parents, his landlord. And maybe his childhood friend Will, if he was going to stop in the city for a few days.

Wren hadn't lost contact with Will and Adam, surprisingly, despite the fact that neither of them lived in the same city. Adam had gotten married early, and now lived happily in their hometown with his mate. Will, on the other hand, was more of a free spirit. He landed a gig as a manager for a talent agency, representing actors, models, and the like.

As a result, he was incredibly nomadic, traveling all across the country for work. Whenever his job happened to carry him through Wren's city, Will stayed with him. Wren didn't think he was likely to show up during his heat, but Will was notorious for "forgetting" to tell Wren he was coming.

It was actually entirely on purpose. He thought that Wren's prudish lifestyle was going to lead Wren to have an early midlife crisis, so he was always hoping to catch Wren in the middle of going off the rails. It was amusing, if nothing else, especially when he burst through Wren's door, acting like he was expecting to see Wren having a massive orgy or something, only to droop in disappointment to find Wren on the couch, watching tv or reading.

Thankfully, Wren was pretty sure Will was still miles away working on a project, so he could spend his heat undisturbed.

It was early. Heats came a few times a year, usually every two months or so. Wren's last one had only been about a month ago. This was odd, especially for Wren, who had always been so regular that his parents had often joked about not needing a calendar to know what month it was with him around.

Wren wrote a sticky note reminding himself to set up an appointment with the doctor after his heat, slapped it onto his fridge, and then gathered snacks, water, and clean blankets to take back to his room.

The next few days were hell – more than usual. Wren didn't know what was going on. His heats were typically mild. He would nest, curl up, sleep, become unbearably horny and punch the shit out of some pillows, but that was usually it.

Something was definitely wrong with him this time. It started out normal enough. With his skin tingling and sweat beginning to crop up on his forehead, Wren started putting his nest together.

He was always very particular about his nest. It was the same every time. He would push his bed out a few feet from the wall, wedge himself and all his bedding into that small space, and then tack up a sheet from the wall to the two bedposts closest to himself, creating a sort of tent. It was a sheet made for a king bed, so it draped around the small space, leaving Wren in darkness. Since his bedframe was close to the floor, he couldn't squeeze under it like he had when he was a teen living with his parents, but the small space that was there was a perfect alcove for his snacks and drinks.

Wren had never been quite brave enough to buy a toy to get him through his heats, though Will and Adam both ensured him it would make the process a whole lot easier. Wren was still unreasonably embarrassed about it, despite their assurances that since everything was online, he just had to click 'order' and however many toys he wanted would arrive in discreet packaging, right outside his door.

Wren was still paranoid that some nosy neighbor would have x-ray vision or something, and see what he'd ordered. Or that the mailman would recognize the packaging and never look Wren in the eyes again.

Honestly, even if Wren were to go online and browse the many options available to him, he didn't think he'd know what to buy, what he would like. So he made do without it. Just using his fingers had never been a problem for him before.

It was a problem now. As soon as Wren's nest was built and he was snuggled up inside it, he could no longer ignore the wetness between his thighs. He shoved his pants off hurriedly, tossing them somewhere outside of the nest, and was quickly four fingers deep into himself.

Usually, Wren would make himself come a few times in the span of an hour, and then he would be sated enough to sleep for a while.

But that was just the problem. Wren was doing everything he normally did to make the burning itch under his skin dissipate. But he couldn't come.

There was a puddle under him from how much slick he was leaking, but it was like his nerves were deadened or something. Every time he felt himself closing in on that peak – it would shift farther out of his reach. He tried everything – fingering himself, stroking his cock as ineffectual as that was, playing with his nipples. He moved into every position possible, but nothing was working.

Wren let out a wretched sob and collapsed into his pillows, wrist aching. This had to be unheard of. An omega in heat being unable to come? There were some omegas who couldn't stop coming while in heat, alpha or no alpha.

Maybe that was it. Maybe Wren was finally past the point of being able to endure heats without an alpha, or at least a dildo. He'd heard of omegas having heats so terrible that they had to spend them with an alpha, or risk hurting themselves.

There were workarounds to not being in a relationship with an alpha, Wren knew. Agencies that would send an alpha to spend your heat with you. They were incredibly professional about it. The alphas they hired underwent rigorous background checks and training to ensure they weren't dangerous to the omegas they helped.

But if Wren couldn't even work up the courage to buy a dildo online, how could he ever bring himself to call one of those agencies?

Some omegas worked out arrangements with alphas they were friends with. It was mutually beneficial, giving the alphas someone to spend their ruts with. And typically, after spending a few cycles with the same person, you would start to sync up to them, freeing up more time for both parties.

Suddenly, in a brief moment of clarity, Wren's pitiful sobs and whines died down, the reason for his early heat suddenly becoming apparent.

Vincent. He had been in rut, or on the verge of it. And now, coincidentally, Wren was in heat a mere few hours later? The timing was incredibly suspicious. Wren couldn't think of any other reason for why he would have his heat early and have so much trouble finding release.

Countless studies had been done on alphas and omegas whose heat and rut had synced. When the alpha and omega were separated for the next cycle, both parties almost always noted increased aggression, severe mood swings – and difficulty achieving orgasm.

Wren couldn't think too deeply about what that meant for his situation. But his brain latched onto Vincent and wouldn't let go, and now he was thinking about Vincent – about his scent, about his voice. In a daze, Wren returned to fingering his now abused hole, biting down on one of his pillows, low growls and whines torn from his throat.

Vincent's smell was so much stronger in rut. Musky but clean, incredibly enchanting. It was a warm scent, despite being minty and woodsy. Wren wondered if Vincent would taste like mint if he licked him.

Maybe Wren would ask the next time he saw him. What part should he lick, though? Neck, chest?

Cock?

The risqué thought made Wren blush from his head to his toes, but a strangled moan came from his lips just the same.

Vincent might not even say no, if Wren asked, he thought. Because Vincent – Vincent wanted to date Wren.

Shamefully, that was all it took. Wren came, slick pouring out around his fingers.