Corinthians

Love is not Rude

Stroganoff was stroganoff. Her grandson never missed dinner when she made it. Carol called three times before making the trek upstairs to his bedroom to check on him. He looked so handsome in sleep. Untroubled. And she could smell why. "So, you do have a boyfriend," she muttered to herself. "Curiouser and curiouser. But who could he be?" She knew about the incident, that's why she'd paid so much attention to his behavior after his heat. "Surely not him?" She picked up the scattered textbooks and stacked them on his desk. "Well, stroganoff makes good leftovers." She muttered, and went downstairs to pack two portions in Eddie's lunchbox for tomorrow.

Waking up rested, and not desperate, was a novel feeling at this point. He regretted that he couldn't wear the t-shirt to school under his clothes or everyone would know in short order. In fact, he needed to shower before going out. In the shower his mind cleared and it occurred to him that Zane's body might be craving the same connection to get rest. His t-shirt would never fit the tall muscular alpha, but he pulled off his pillowcase and folded it carefully into a ziplock bag, thinking only of giving rest to another poor soul. He hid it deep in his backpack having no idea when he'd get the opportunity to give it to Zane.

Soren drove him to school as usual, and though they were early, he jumped out of the car right away. "I've got something I need to do before class." Soren was clearly bothered by this rapid abandonment. "I'm just going to the Health Office." Ed added.

This seemed to satisfy his friend. "About time. Get going then." If he knew the real reason he'd be horrified.

"Ah, it's Ed!" The nurse greeted him. "You didn't use my office as a locker room yesterday. Are things going well for you?" The room smelled of fresh sterilization and seemed brighter than usual. Ed noticed the daylight panels next to one of the cots. The brightness finally made sense. It was nearly the end of November.

"Uh, yeah. That's what I wanted to talk to you about. I wanted to ask if you could take the alert about Zane off my file. The teachers shouldn't have to seat us in opposite corners of the classroom anymore."

"Really?" The nurse looked skeptical. "So your hormones have calmed down?"

Ed swallowed nervously. "Somewhat. But mostly we've come to terms with them. I'm not worried about him attacking me. It would be rude to keep the warning on file at this point."

The nurse looked him in the eye and seemed to be seeking some revelation. "Come to terms with them? Do you want him to attack you now?" Ed swallowed again.

"Not, attack." He looked away. "But we're going to try getting to know each other better...as boyfriends." He was afraid to look back and see judgement on the nurse's face, but the older man just ruffled Ed's hair and stood up to go to his desk.

"I'll make the change. We can't have the staff panicking when they see you together."

"It's a secret," Ed rushed to add. "While we're still trying it out."

"That's fine. Your secret is safe. I wondered when the tension didn't clear after the usual month or so. If it lasts beyond that, there's usually something more to it. I hope you figure it out. Bet you were afraid to ask about that, huh?"

"Yes. It was...troublesome." Something more to it? Ed wondered.

"To say the least I'd imagine. But you're probably doing the best thing for it. And you've got your collar so if it turns out to be a mistake it won't be a lifelong one." Adults sure put a lot of trust in omega collars. His body wouldn't be ruined, but what about his heart? He still had no idea what, if any part of this overwhelming bundle of feelings, might be love. But he already felt losing Zane would be a critical blow.

"Um, yeah. Thank you."

"Do me a favor and keep me posted?" The nurse asked. "If I don't hear from you at least once a week I'll worry."

Ed understood what the nurse was doing. They'd studied coercive control in Omega Health. Abusive relationships with alphas often began with them cutting off an omega's other relationships and restricting their freedom to go where they wanted. He was giving Ed a way to signal his relationship going bad without having to actively ask for help. Ed wasn't sure enough of his new relationship himself to not appreciate the gesture. So many people were looking out for him. He thought of how scared and hurt Grandma must have been when she was his age, being attacked and marked and having no support like this. He grabbed the nurse's hand and squeezed both it and his eyes to block the tears trying to escape. "Thank you. I will." His smile quivered slightly but stayed in place as he left for first period.

Zane was sitting on his desk when he arrived. He could feel the pull. The craving to walk straight up to his alpha and claim with with a kiss in front of everyone. But there were already quite a few curious females watching for his reaction and he didn't relish the beat down they could inflict. He wasn't quite sure how to react, but Zane jumped up when he saw Ed and, smiling warmly said, "I'm sorry, this is your desk," before walking back to his own.

It was such a small thing, but his desk was warm, his heart was warm from the subtle acknowledgement, and a faint smell from his alpha lingered on the desk making his morning calmer than anticipated. He actually heard the lecture and understood it for a change.

When they changed classrooms for second period he noticed Zane keeping close to him and felt his hand drop a note in his pocket. It was as he supposed. The note read, I thought about you wearing my t-shirt all night. Wish I could have seen it.

It was signed simply, Yours.

Mine. If only. But people couldn't own each other. And possessiveness wasn't a sign of love.

Third period was Omega Health, so he usually went early and spent break in the classroom with the other omegas. He'd heard the alphas mostly did the same in their Alpha Health class so he was surprised when he caught Zane's signal to wait for the classroom to clear when the bell rang. It was empty in seconds.

Zane stood and walked over to Ed's desk where he was slowly packing up his things. "Would it be too bold of me to walk you to your next class?" He asked.

"Probably," Ed answered casually, "but here," he added as he shoved a plastic bag into Zane's hands.

He looked puzzled. "What is it." Then, he opened the zipper seal and understood.

"Um, your t-shirt really helped me sleep so I thought mine might help you except..." he trailed off.

Zane smiled. "Except it's three sizes too small for me, so this is...?"

"My pillowcase." He turned beet red. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Zane reached up to stroke Ed's face and bring his attention back. "It was thoughtful." When he looked up Zane nearly came on the spot. "I can't help it." He whispered apologetically before kissing his omega the way he'd wanted to all night long.

There was no resisting this kiss. It drew out the longing in Ed's body until he was shuddering in his alphas arms. "We can't do more than this right now." Zane muttered as he forced himself to pull away. "But please let me walk you to your next class?"