Archive of Our Own

Louis sits in complete darkness, knees drawn up to his chin and contemplating hard.

He can feel it creeping up - the heat, the need to mate and honestly, it's gotten old after the first nineteen months of suppressants and trying to relieve himself using his own fingers or dildos. He is 21 and can't get laid because they only recently found out he's actually an Omega and not a Beta because sometimes tests are inconclusive for Omegas and they tend to act like Betas till then. (Well, technically, he can still get laid but not without repercussions and that's not really saying anything, so).

It happens sometimes they say, that some are slower in coming into their Omega characteristics and cycles. That when they do, it hits them harder and that it's supposed to be amazing.

Louis did love it at first, that's true enough. Feeling like everything was on fire in the most astounding of ways, like every pore on his skin was lit up and he could just feel, feel and feel. And going into heat was wonderful even if there was no one to knot him because he could send himself into blissful unawareness with a single finger slipping inside.

But after a while, his body started rejecting it of course. Rejecting the suppressants which minimized the effects of being an Omega in heat without an Alpha to take care of him and it stopped feeling good. It started feeling like Louis was being torn apart from the inside out then. And now Louis keeps feeling like every month, this heat is just a prelude to an explosion waiting to occur within him (implosion Harry calls it when Liam is out of town and he has to deal with his own heat himself).

The thing is, Louis has been waiting for an Alpha, his Alpha, all this time. His mom told him there's one out there specially made for him, and he made especially for his Alpha and they are supposed to fit into each other like puzzle pieces. That knotting with an Alpha will bind their souls together. That, despite all of that, it isn't just about the Alpha choosing the Omega for sexual benefits but the Omega being comfortable with his Alpha too and Louis wants that perfect Alpha so desperately, that perfect relationship. He wants the knot of an Alpha with whom he doesn't mind bonding his soul with, sharing his soul with.

But so far the puzzle piece has been missing and no souls have been bound and Louis has had it with waiting (he has waited and waited and rejected so many unworthy Alphas, it's become rather ridiculous). This clawing feeling inside him, the pounding in his head, the blood rushing too fast in his arteries and veins and even his capillaries feeling like they are going to burst open from the force of everything if someone doesn't knot him this time - it is near overpowering. Louis needs to do something before he gets to the point where he actually can't move from the intensity of it all. He can feel it coming this time, as always. Louis has gotten better at recognizing it and he can tell that he has at most tonight to do something about it, that tomorrow will be too late.

Hence, despite the fact he can imagine in his head Liam's frowns and protests that this is a bad idea and Harry's sad smile and worries that he's only settling, Louis is going to the club tonight for a one-night stand (or a one-week stand because that's how long heats usually last for him). He knows it's probably going to lead to so many problems he'll need a calculator to count them, but he doesn't really buy into that soul-bonding bullshit anymore, he can't afford to if he doesn't want to slowly disintegrate into a lifeless form of himself.

And since that is decided, Louis smiles with an almost feral smile and it's so out of character for an Omega that it's a little scary; but no one's here to see it anyway, so who cares? Besides, it's not like any Alpha's about to give up the chance to knot an Omega in heat.

He quickly changes into clubbing clothes - a jumper that shows off his collarbones (yes, he's well aware he looks like fish bait for the likes of sharks) and grey jeans that are far too tight and itches on his skin in his current condition. Louis' heart starts beating wildly as he fixes his hair into an artful mess.

And as much as he tells himself it's only because of the approaching heat that his heart is beating so when he leaves the house, Louis knows it's actually not. His skin is already prickling at the thought of tonight and how it will probably go wrong in so many ways.

xx

Louis' never been more glad for Londoners' love for dancing and sweating it out in clubs for no apparent reason than just because.

As he enters the darkened club, he is immediately hit with an overwhelming mix of scents and is relieved that his won't be apparent. Which is true enough because when Louis shoves past people on the dance floor, only the Alphas flare their nostrils and turn their faces towards his direction but can't quite identify him before he has already moved on.

He sits on a stool at the bar and motions for the bartender. "Can I get a Kiss In The Dark please?"

The bartender nods before moving towards the row of alcohols behind him and Louis sighs. As he starts to turn back, a low voice from his side says, "A pretty boy like you shouldn't go around saying things like that. Might get misconstrued."

"Miscon - what?" Louis asks, frowning as he turns to his left and just about gets smacked speechless by the sight.

Louis is quite handsome himself, albeit in a feminine way he admits and it’s a by-product of his Omega-ness he now knows, and he’s friends with Harry who looks like a cupid full-grown and Liam whose physique Michelangelo himself would have begged to model his sculptures after, but this man – well, he’s something else entirely. Eyes the colour of whiskey and just as hypnotizing as the drink, they are gazing back at him in amusement. With chiseled cheekbones and lips that naturally pout (for if they don't - that the man has purposely done something to make them look so deliciously pillowy - then surely he's the devil himself), Louis can't seem to look away from him. In fact, the more Louis looks at him, the more he is sure that he needs to hide the man's head in a brown paper bag because it should be kept hidden. It's all sorts of health hazards rolled into one face.

"Misconstrued. It means misunderstood," the man says, waving his glass of plain beer around casually.

"Oh. Huh. Okay," Louis replies, still slightly dazed.

"You're not very bright, are you?" the man says under his breath and Louis shouldn't be able to hear it above the din of loud, crappy music or the people shouting, but he does and it annoys him. Immensely.

"Excuse me. I am bright. I am exceptionally bright," Louis replies, nose turning up and lips curling in a sneer, "I will blind you."

Louis is about to smile smugly because the man looks shell-shocked but it lasts for only that second before he's bellowing out a laugh. Louis' mouth drops open in astonishment because bloody hell, is this guy for serious? Who even laughs like that? Like a little kid with scrunched up nose and tongue poking out amidst his teeth. Honestly, this man is stupid.

Louis doesn't know why he is even interacting with him when he has a mission to accomplish that the fucking jeans he is wearing tonight aren't helping with at all. It feels like his thighs are burning up and no amount of ice can save them from charring. Louis turns back to the counter in front of him and sees that his drink is already there. He downs it one shot, wincing at the burn in his throat and without looking at the infuriating man beside him who is still chortling, he walks into the throng of people on the dance floor.

Louis nose naturally wrinkles at any particular strong Omega scent, it makes him want to kick them out with a hiss. But he can't really identify them and besides, even if he could, it wouldn't matter. He doubts any other Omega is as stupid as he is to come to such a place without an Alpha to protect them.

Louis doesn't wait to see if anyone is watching him like he used to when he thought he was a Beta and frequented such places in hopes of getting laid. He now knows that someone's always watching him, someone would have caught a whiff of him surely and zeroed in on him. As he loses himself in the music, and closes his eyes, hands traveling up his own body, his mind immediately drifts to the thousand voices inside him screaming that he shouldn't be here.

Which is true enough. After all, this exercise defeats the purpose of Louis having waited the last year and a half. He wanted the perfect Alpha but now if he does this, there's a high chance he'll end up with some douchebag who would just treat him as a sex toy.

Louis shakes his head because no, it doesn't matter. It's only for five days, or a week at most. He does not believe in soul-bonding and if someone doesn't believe then it simply won't happen and he won't need whoever the guy is after once the thrice-cursed period is over. Whatever else crops up when he kicks the Alpha to the curb, well, he'll deal with it then.

Louis can feel different hands start to touch him and bodies pressing against his. Everyone's scent is mixing with his own and he wonders if that is going to be hindrance to his mission. But Louis can still tell the Alphas apart from everyone else - they have a different way of carrying themselves - and that’s all that matters because as long as the Alphas aren't already attached then it's fine whether or not they can tell he's an Omega right now. Louis just wants to get this over with.

Because this is perhaps making his heat come on a little earlier than he anticipated if the weak knees and sudden desire to tear off all his clothes are anything to go by.

Just then, a pair of arms going around his middle and hauling him back towards a hard chest catch him unawares. Louis inhales sharply, and his senses are immediately attacked by an Alpha’s scent mixed in with the distinct odour of cigarettes and beer. Louis twists his neck to see who it is over his shoulder and flushes when he recognizes the man to be the one from the bar earlier. The man smiles at him, all stark white and pointy teeth.

"Hello, you're kind of cute when you're annoyed," the man mouths against his cheek more than his ear but Louis hears him as though he is shouting.

Louis scoffs, blushing madly, and turns around. He doesn't bother trying to get out of the man's arms, Louis knows very well he can't compete with his strength. Instead, he pushes his arse back towards the man’s crotch and undulates his hips. He smirks when the arms around him tighten. Louis does believe he has found the Alpha he wants for this. Even if he is an annoying twat.

“Zayn,” the man whispers against his ear, “the name’s Zayn. Thought you might wanna know before you start humping against me.”

Louis scoffs and promptly grabs the first man his hands reach to pull towards himself. He’s glad it’s a Beta who's completely sloshed and complies completely with Louis’ wishes when he pushes himself up against the Beta’s chest. The man grips Louis’ hips with one hand and the other sliding to the back of his neck to tip his face up.

“Mine,” Zayn growls and snatches Louis away from the man before he can dip his head to kiss Louis. The Beta stumbles back, looking confused and goes about dancing as if nothing has happened after a while. Zayn spins Louis around. “You’re such a fiesty little shit.”

“Not yours,” Louis mutters darkly but they are close enough that Zayn hears him. “Not yours to control, you wanker.”

“That’s why I liked you straight away,” Zayn says, pulling Louis close by the waist, their lips almost touching when Zayn speaks. “You’re not like them Omegas, so mindless.”

Louis bites his lip to refrain from retorting that he is, in fact, an Omega and that not all Omegas are docile airheads; and that Zayn would know that if he wasn’t such a shit Alpha.

But even as he decides to say his piece, Zayn is kissing the words right out of his mouth and throwing them somewhere far beyond that Louis couldn’t possibly ever remember. He can barely even think. Zayn kisses like a man gone hungry for an entire lifetime and has finally found food, kisses like he has sinned all his life and Louis is his only salvation. Louis staggers under the onslaught of intensity in Zayn’s kiss, but Zayn’s already holding onto him tight.

Zayn pulls back just enough to ask, “Yours or mine...?”

“Mine, mine. And it’s, uh, Louis,” Louis replies breathlessly.

“Okay, uh-Louis, let’s get out of here and hail a cab, yeah?”

“You’re such a twat,” Louis grumbles but he’s already dragging Zayn towards the exit. He can feel his hole lubricating itself, and while he’s usually massively disgusted by it - himself - this time he just can’t wait to know how good it will feel when Zayn’s inside him.

xx

The cab-ride is strangely quiet, and thick with tension. Zayn and Louis, surprisingly enough, for all their handsiness in the club, are sitting at opposite ends in the backseat. Louis did try to come closer, but Zayn had told him he reeked of other people (and he had sneered at the word people for some reason that Louis can’t fathom) and told him to stay in his corner which -

Which Louis doesn’t understand because it’s not like he didn’t reek of other people (Louis suppresses an eye roll) in the club. In fact, he’s sure the smell was tenfold greater there. But Louis just chalks it up to Zayn’s Alpha characteristics to not like others’ scents and sits quietly on his side (after all, he has seen how Liam is with Harry).

Zayn doesn’t even let Louis open his door before he starts tugging at his jumper. He slides his hands underneath Louis’ jumper making him shudder at the calluses he can feel on Zayn’s fingertips. He whispers a chain of faster, faster, faster under his breath, each of the words hitting Louis’ overheated skin in little puffs of cool air that make him erupt in goosebumps. Louis finally gets key into its place and opens the lock. They push through the door rather than actually open it like civilized people and Zayn has Louis pinned against the wall beside the door in less than a second.

He pushes the door shut with one hand while the other yanks down the zip of Louis’ jeans. He shoves a hand down Louis boxers to wrap a hand around his already hard dick and freezes when Louis’ musk wafts up.

“Fuck, fuck,” Zayn curses, eyes blazing when they snap up to meet Louis’. Louis doesn’t know what he has done to warrant such hatred from this beautiful stranger. “You’re an Omega. Fuck, how could I have missed the scent. Fuck.”

Louis whimpers when Zayn’s hand, deliciously warm around his dick, tightens ever so slightly.

“I’m s-so - “ Louis cuts himself off from apologizing, “I didn’t realize it was that big a deal that I didn’t advertise I’m an Omega!”

“Shit - “

“It’s your fault for not being able to tell, anyway,” Louis hisses, and pushes against Zayn’s hand to make him let go of his cock, but Zayn only growls at him in response. “You can leave if I. If O-Omegas disgust you that much.”

Louis doesn’t know where he found the willpower to say that and actually mean it. He doesn’t know how he could when the Zayn’s scent, Zayn’s very presence has him panting. But he hates the way Zayn is looking at him like he manipulated him, which he didn’t (he didn’t, okay. He simply omitted the truth and that’s only because Zayn kissed him and he forgot about everything else) and he’d rather not spend the next few days with someone who doesn’t want to be here. Louis wants to bash his head into the wall he’s leaning against because he hadn’t factored in that an Alpha actually wouldn’t want to do this. Who the fuck knew?

“I can’t,” Zayn gasps. “I can’t leave, because fuck, you’re releasing these pheromones. You’re going into heat and I literally cannot leave. I don’t have that kind of discipline. Fuck. And I didn’t think an Omega would be stupid enough to go into a club unattended. Thought you were a Beta. You’re too fiery for an Omega.”

“I don’t care what you think,” Louis explodes, unable to take the constant pressure on his dick anymore. Zayn is just there, holding him without actually adding any pressure and it’s driving Louis mad. “Either you do something about the hand you have down my pants or you get the fuck out!”

“Fine!” Zayn shouts back, and vengefully squeezes Louis a bit too hard and has Louis arching against him. “You want this, don’t you? Wanted an Alpha to knot you? Figure that’s why you took the risk you did tonight, you slut.”

Zayn’s hand is stroking him swiftly as he mouths these words harshly against his throat. Louis shivers and clings desperately to Zayn, finding his words far more arousing than he should.

“Please,” Louis whimpers, and he doesn’t what he’s begging for but hopes that Zayn does.

Zayn pulls his hand out and cups Louis arse in both hands and picks him up. Louis wraps his limbs around the male now carrying him towards the only bedroom in this apartment. He starts clawing at the hem of Zayn’s shirt to pull it up and reveal whatever little piece of skin he can. He rakes his nails upwards and his lips tilt up in a devilish smile when Zayn hisses. Louis yelps when Zayn lands a slap against his arse, his hole releasing another bout of lube. Zayn sucks in a sharp breath when he presumably smells it and grips Louis a little tighter and walks a little faster towards the bedroom.

Louis bites and sucks at Zayn’s shoulder as he carries the him into the room. Zayn dumps him on the bed and starts tearing at Louis’ jeans, pulling his boxers down at the same time. Louis lifts his hips up willingly and releases a pent-up sigh when the cool air brushes against his naked skin.

"Jesus - " Zayn chokes on his own words. Louis can see his throat working, swallowing hard, the veins popping. Louis lifts himself to lick at them and Zayn moans.

"You smell so good," Zayn growls at him, "You're driving me mad. I hate it."

He pushes Louis back down on the bed and tugs off his jumper, leaving him completely naked before Zayn's lustful gaze. Zayn licks his lips and just the light touch of his hand to Louis' calf has Louis parting his legs automatically. Zayn smiles wolfishly before dipping his head down to look at Louis hole, now drenched.

He licks where Louis' bum meets the back of his thigh because a little droplet of Louis' wetness is sliding down that seam and bites down hard on the fleshy area. He kisses down to his hole and licks a fat stripe up against it.

Louis arches off with a cry and comes. Zayn leans up far enough to see him pant and spill thick white lines of come on his stomach.

"You're still hard," Zayn murmurs almost clinically and if Louis wasn't so grateful to that wanker that he took that edge off for him, Louis would have slapped him upside on the head.

Zayn ducks down and starts sucking bruises after bruises around Louis' right thigh until he reaches the top and he moves up where Louis' pelvic bone is jutting out.

He's looking at Louis' still hard dick when he says , "I hate it that it's you who needs me and yet I'm the one who can't walk away. Why." Zayn bites down harshly on Louis' hip and it hurts this time.

Louis can feel Zayn's anger and frustration in the way his teeth sink into his flesh, and he pushes at Zayn's head helplessly. Louis can't do much else because he needs Zayn to be in him now. His heat has kicked in already and every touch of Zayn's feels like a torture of sorts when it's not accompanied by his knot.

"Zayn, please. I'm - I'm sorry," Louis whimpers, uncaring enough to apologize mindlessly, willing to sacrifice all dignity, "Please, want you in me. Need you. You in me."

Zayn looks up into his eyes and in a flash of lucidity, Louis is once again reminded of how much they look like whiskey and if Louis wasn't careful he could get addicted. Zayn curtly nods at him before getting off him to remove all his clothes. Louis didn't realize there is such a chill in there air tonight and immediately wishes Zayn would come back and cover him.

Zayn must notice him shivering because he says, "It's 'cause your own temperature is too high."

Louis rolls his eyes because honestly, this man is such a geek. "How long does one need to take off clothes?" Louis whines instead.

Louis spreads his legs even further and angles his hips up so that Zayn has a clear view of his arsehole. Louis wants to crow in victory when Zayn starts pulling at his clothes that much faster.

Louis swallows audibly when Zayn's cock springs free of its confines. It's hard, and curving upward, and so, so thick. Louis goes to scramble forward, eager to take it into his mouth but Zayn quells him with an authoritative, "Stay." Louis frowns mutinously at him but does as he's told as Zayn removes his godammn socks.

Zayn finally - finally - crawls up over him, and smooths a hand down Louis' torso that he curves up towards in a decidedly feline manner. When their cocks brush against each other, Louis pleads, "In - in me. Can't wait. Anymore."

"Yeah?" Zayn replies as he leans down further towards Louis and Louis is happy to hear the sharp edge in his voice present this whole while has finally softened slightly. "Gonna finger you first, though. Get you ready."

"I'm ready. Ready," Louis gasps, rutting against him, desperately shifting his hips against Zayn's.

"This is your first time, isn't it?" Zayn asks, as he snakes a hand between their sweaty bodies, touching Louis in a way that's meant to tease and leave him frustrated. "First time with an Alpha."

"Ye - AHHHH!" Louis reply is lost in the scream that follows when Zayn slips two fingers in him at once without any warning.

Zayn doesn't even need to do much except to hit the blue-eyed lad's prostate once before he is coming in thick spurts across their stomachs again. Zayn continues to finger him through his orgasm, muffling his own moans against Louis' neck when he feels the Omega clenching and unclenching against his fingers. Louis can feel Zayn's nostrils flaring spasmodically as his musk becomes thicker in a mix of his come and lube and need.

It's just as Louis starts coming down from his high, that Zayn slips inside him, Louis' hole well-lubricated and stretched by now to accept his girth easily. Louis marvels at how easily he takes Zayn's dick even though he hasn't had sex in over a year and a half and and how much of Zayn he can actually feel.

"Fuck, fuck - " Louis says, "Too much, too good. Za - yn."

Zayn builds up a steady rhythm, and he keeps hitting Louis’ prostate with one hand cupping one of Louis arse-cheek to angle it just right and the other hand gripping his waist tightly enough to leave fingermarks. Louis keeps moaning Zayn's name as he pounds into him. His voice sometimes breaking, sometimes fading into an incoherent mess of words. Zayn's grunts and groans are mouthed against Louis' throat, or shoulders or chest; and sometimes he kisses Louis until they are both gasping too much to make any other noise. Louis can tell when Zayn starts getting angry again - at the situation, at Louis - and even through Louis' heat-addled and pleasure-riddled mind, Louis wants to comfort him. He lets Zayn slam into him as hard as he wants, as if that will solve whatever his problem is, in hopes that maybe at least it will seep all the anger out of him.

Louis moans in pleasure when he starts to feel the base of Zayn cock thicken in the formation of a knot. Zayn stills within him and pulls Louis up into a sitting position on his lap. The position has him embedding himself even more deeply inside Louis and Louis digs his fingers into Zayn's shoulders in some kind of anchor.

Zayn jerks Louis' head backwards with a hand clasped in his hair and whispers against his exposed jaw, "Gonna knot you. That's what you wanted, right? Gonna fill you up till you're dripping and then knot you over and over again."

Louis mewls and tightens his legs around Zayn's waist. Zayn is shoved inside him, and he starts grinding in small circles. They both start breathing heavily as Zayn's knot swells within him, plumping out in the most magnificent of ways. The pleasure increases exponentially, what with the head of Zayn's dick wedged deep against his prostate and now the knot pinning him.

Louis has never felt anything like it.

Louis knows the exact moment when Zayn is about to come. His heavy balls resting flushed against Louis' arse jerks and Zayn starts emptying into his warm hole in slow, thick pulses. Louis can feel the liquid inside him and when Zayn slides a hand down to trace the ring of muscles stretched wide from accommodating his knot in a feather-light touch, Louis almost cries as he starts coming again.

This time, there's barely any come, just a sad dribble spilling out of his slit. Louis' lead is rolling on Zayn's shoulder in ecstasy as the waves of pleasure cascades through his body; and Zayn is almost gritting through his teeth to say, "Yeah, come for me. Come on my knot. You're so hot, Louis."

Louis hums when Zayn jerks slightly into him, causing a fresh bout of come to pulse into Louis, and Louis to feel yet another ripple of pleasure move through him.

"Your knot," Louis mumbles, "Feels - feels so good. How long?"

"Don't know," Zayn murmurs, "Can go on for fifteen minutes or. Or so - "

"Fuck," Louis says, and shifts restlessly on Zayn's lap because he's never been one to sit quietly no matter what. The movement has Zayn's dick prodding at his prostate and Louis starts coming again.

Louis whines high and clawing at Zayn's back, he shoves his face into Zayn's neck helplessly. Zayn is looking down at him where he's coming completely dry now, he knows, because he's mumbling things like you're doing so good and going to be over soon, babe. He's glad the man has finally stopped being angry long enough to take care of him, to stroke his back with warm, soothing hands.

"I'm going to lay us down, okay?" Zayn says, and places a kiss behind his ear.

Louis doesn't bother with nodding, just wraps his arms tightly around Zayn's back as the Alpha tries to manoeuvre them into lying facing each other. By the time he manages, Louis comes once more from all the jostling, and they are both breathless. There are tears in Louis' eyes that Zayn, surprisingly enough, tenderly brushes away.

In the end, it lasts nearly seventeen minutes (Zayn counted and told him) and Louis comes one last time. It's been far too painful by then and there are probably crescent-shaped fingernail marks on Zayn's back along with long scratch marks. Louis doesn't know much of what happens after he starts to feel Zayn's knot soften within him because he falls asleep mid-sentence complaining senselessly about him taking so long inside him.

xx

Louis wakes up with a long stretch, spine curving and him humming low in a satisfied way. He turns to his side to see Zayn lying on his stomach, seemingly dead to the world as he sleeps with his mouth wide open. Louis smiles and traces his fingertips down his stubbled cheeks.

It's been four days, and his heat period finally ended early this morning sometime around 3 am. Zayn's cheeks have sunken in from the lack of proper food and continuously servicing Louis. Louis feels terrible for him, for how haggard Zayn looks. And yet, Louis notices, with the soft sunlight streaming in and hitting his face, the man manages to look far more beautiful than Louis ever could.

Louis knows it's creepy of Edward Cullen proportions to be staring at Zayn while he's sleeping as such but he just feels so fond of him. Louis giggles, he hasn't felt this good in, well, ever and it's all because of Zayn and he just feels a strange sort of connection to the Alpha.

He eases out of the bed, careful not to disturb Zayn and goes to freshen up. He hums under his breath a soft tune as he changes he showers and brushes his teeth. When he re-enters his room, he is hit with the stench of sex and sweat. The room reeks and Louis nearly gags thinking about how they have been sleeping in soiled sheets for the past few days. Sure, Louis always miraculously woke up to cleaned arsehole and stomach and assumed Zayn had done it for him but of course he didn't change the sheets. Louis wants to burn the entire mattress.

But Zayn's still sleeping peacefully and he figures he can clean up the room after he wakes up. He opens the windows though to allow some ventilation before padding his way to the kitchen to make something for breakfast. Louis' stomach growls loudly and yeah, no his usual cereal won't cut it this time. But he can't really cook unless he wants to set the house on fire, so he decides to call McDonald's and have them deliver everything on their breakfast menu. It's needless to say they are more than a little suspicious of Louis and baffled too when they ensure that yes, he is indeed not joking.

Zayn comes shuffling out of the room when delivery men help spread out all the food on Louis' coffee table in the living room. It's just as Louis closes the door, thanking the men for helping out that he hears Zayn gruff voice from behind, "It smells delicious. I'm so hungry."

He groans and pats his stomach, and Louis watches in amusement how Zayn's eyes are barely open as he walks like a zombie towards the food.

"Yeah, ordered for us," Louis says. "Macs thought I was mad for ordering this much."

Zayn jumps hearing his voice and turns towards him. "Didn't see you there. Weren't you in bed?" He frowns at Louis, squinting and cocking his head to one side as if Louis just performed a magic trick.

"Yeah, sure and the food just spontaneously appeared out of nowhere," Louis snorts, walking towards the food himself now.

"I wouldn't know," Zayn grumbles, "I've been dreaming about food for the past two nights now."

"Well, eat up then," Louis says, pushing a box of chicken nuggets towards Zayn who just slumped onto the couch beside Louis.

Within twenty minutes, Louis starts to wonder if McDonald's is going to be grateful or would simply call the mental hospital for him if he orders in more food. Between Zayn and himself, they manage to devour all the food so fast and so completely that empty boxes litter the space around them. Zayn is slouched, a hand on his stomach and eyes closed. Louis suspects he has fallen asleep again, but he looks a lot better now so Louis isn't as worried as he was in earlier.

Zayn has a lot more colour in his face, the pallor underneath his naturally tan skin fading away. Louis reaches out to touch a fingertip to the stubble growing on his cheek there but -

But Zayn catches his wrist.

"Don't," Zayn bites off. "Don't touch me. We've had enough of that for the past four days. And once I'm rested enough, I'm getting out of here, hopefully to never see you again. So don't, don't think there's anything else going on here."

He lets go of Louis' wrist and Louis immediately shrinks back. He curls into himself. He watches silently as Zayn gets up and shuts himself in Louis' bedroom and he pulls his knees up in a fetal position.

Louis doesn't understand.

It's true that Louis still doesn't know why Zayn was so angry with him initially and Louis saw traces of it often enough throughout the last few days, especially when Zayn would be inside him not yet knotted but Louis thought - Well, he thought, they made progress. When they are knotted together for minutes on end, there's hardly anything to do except to talk and they've talked. Louis has told him about Liam and Harry, and Louis now knows Zayn works as a radio DJ on BBC Radio1. They have shared other personal details, it's hard not to when they're attached at the hip (quite literally, in this case) 24/7 and Louis honestly thought they were on their way to becoming friends at least.

Louis wipes the tears rolling down his face and fuck, why is he crying? It's not like he actually knows Zayn well enough to care about him, no. He doesn't know the man and he's completely fine if Zayn never wants to see him again. Besides, his initial plan was to not be tied down by an Alpha anyway, so this is good. This is great. Zayn will go his way and Louis will go his. Just because it's Zayn who's making the choice and not Louis and just because Louis might actually want Zayn around occasionally even as a friend doesn't mean he has to cry like one his younger sisters.

This is stupid. Louis is being stupid. Louis scrubs at his cheeks fiercely, feeling them heat up underneath the mistreatment, and goes to clear up the empty boxes as if nothing has happened.

Later, he is in the kitchen making Mac & Cheese, the only thing he can cook, when he hears Zayn come out of his room. He can't see Zayn from where he is but he hears him pause outside the kitchen, and then open the apartment door to leave without a single word of farewell uttered to Louis.

Louis leaves the food half-cooked on the counter and sleeps the day away under covers, on the soiled sheets because they smell like Zayn and he for some inexplicable reason, misses him already.

xx

The first two weeks go by smoothly enough. There are odd pangs here and there in his chest when he goes back to work at the cafe the day after Zayn leaves or when he's out buying groceries that Louis learns to ignore. Other than that though, he's fine, perfectly fine.

Louis goes about his daily life - messing with Liam, who's the manager of the cafe and mixing up orders and charming himself out of trouble or inviting himself over to Harry and Liam's place and forcing (there's not much forcing involved) Harry to cook him complicated dishes when he's bored. When he's not doing all that, Louis finds himself bringing home comics after comics of Liam's to read late into the night. Zayn had once mentioned in one of their post-coital sleepy conversations that he loves comic books, and Louis doesn't know anyone who has a larger collection of comics than Liam (in fact, Liam might even put some bookstores to shame). Louis knows it's a little pathetic but in his defence, it's two people now in his life who has told him that comics are gold and he wants to see for himself what the magic is.

Harry shakes his head sadly at him when Louis defends his actions as such when Harry confronts him about it one day.

That's another thing. Liam and Harry believe, unlike Louis, that Louis has bonded his soul with Zayn's, which is why he keeps feeling melancholic at the strangest times and has started doing things like read comic books, which is absurd because Louis doesn't read anything beyond text messages (not even emails). Louis vehemently disagrees for all his worth whenever the topic comes up and as two weeks progress into three and then into four, and he becomes crankier as he begins to go into heat again, he regrets having ever told them about Zayn.

He regrets ever having made them a copy of his apartment key as well.

Louis is lying starfished on his bed, itching to take off all his clothes, when he hears the keys jiggling into the lock. He knows it's Harry and Liam by their voices and soon enough Harry comes bounding into his room.

"Aww, Lou," is all Harry says before he goes into the bathroom to get a wet cloth.

He comes back with it and starts wiping down Louis' face, his neck, and then his arms. Louis tugs on one of Harry's ringlets in a show of thanks and Harry smiles.

"I'll, umm, stay here, if you don't mind," Liam says weakly from outside his room and even shuts the door.

"Guess I shouldn't have brought him with me, huh? Your scent is too potent for him," Harry teases, waggling his eyebrows as pushes Louis' fringe back to air his heated forehead.

"Oh my god. Shut up," Louis cries, embarrassed and shoving a hand towards Harry's face to push him off the bed.

Harry laughs instead and says, "You're warmer than usual. As in warmer than I've ever been. Are you always like this?"

"No," Louis moans, twisting around restlessly. "It's so bad this time. Never been this way. Don't know why. Feel like - like tearing out of this skin, Haz."

"Oh, you poor baby. Maybe a cold bath will help? I don't know? Let's try? I'll help," Harry says and slides his long arm underneath Louis to help him up.

In the end, he ends up carrying Louis to the bathroom and Louis' never been more glad that Harry is so strangely big for an Omega; or else they would have had to call Liam and as much Liam's his best friend too, that would have been mortifying for all three of them.

The shower helps. For about as long as he's under the cold spray of water, after which, the moment he is not, he goes back to feeling deeply unsatisfied and as though he is innately missing something. It doesn’t take a genius to know that he’s missing Zayn, but Louis refuses to admit, and he won’t let Harry or Liam even begin to utter the name.

Hours go past, and as much as Harry does all he can to help (short of offering his own Alpha up), nothing quite works and Louis finally kicks them out when he starts self-lubricating. Louis doesn’t want them to be here when he descends into the delirium he is bound to at this rate when he does. Louis curses Zayn, and he curses himself for being an Omega and he curses himself for ever having gone out that night four weeks ago.

And when Louis’ body convulses in pain because he can’t find fulfilment, his scream bounces off the walls in eerie echoes; and maybe he falls asleep from tiredness or maybe he just faints, it doesn’t matter because Louis is simply glad that he is unconscious and does not have to endure it anymore.

xx

Louis didn’t think it possible, but somehow it gets worse from thereon. Even after the cycle is over, it manages to steadily get worse.

There are days Louis finds himself at the London Bridge contemplating what it would be like if he just took that one step forward and let himself freefall into the river below. He usually manages to shake himself out of these suicidal thoughts long enough to run home on trembling legs and lock himself in, cowering underneath a multitude of sheets and quilts.

It’s only when Liam and Harry finally sit him down one slow day at the cafe, that he admits that yeah, something might possibly be wrong.

“Louis, listen to me,” Liam growls and immediately Harry and Louis shrink back a little. “I asked Andy who works at the hospital, remember, yeah? I asked him and yes, I had to tell him your story and he has heard about such cases.”

“And?” Louis asks in a small voice, already dreading the answer because Liam has that look on his face, the one where he looks like a kicked puppy.

“It’s - well, fuck. It’s like he’s your Alpha, yeah? And - “

“No,” Louis cuts Liam off, “He’s not my Alpha. There has to be some agreement. There wasn’t. I would know. He explicitly told me he never wants to see me again and I am fine with it.”

“Being someone’s Alpha, or someone’s Omega doesn’t work that way,” Liam says, sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose. “It’s like. As cheesy as it sound, it’s about your souls being the ones conversing and connecting and not you physically doing it. When you knotted, it gave your souls a chance, and you guys, no matter what you say or think, bonded. Your souls bonded.”

Louis looks like he’s about to cry or scream or do something because he hates feeling like he is not in charge of his own destiny. “So now what?”

“So now, it’s like. What Andy says is that your Alpha rejected you - “

“Oh wow, thanks, Liam. That helps a lot.”

“Louis,” Harry hisses, hand covering Liam’s comfortingly, “He’s only trying to help.”

Liam turns to Harry and smiles at him, “It’s alright, babe. Anyway, I didn’t say it to hurt you, Lou, and you know that. Alphas rejecting Omegas are worse than Omegas rejecting Alphas because they somehow have an easier time of it getting over them? I don’t know. It’s just easier for us than you guys. But - but, the problem is that, with Zayn not, umm - “

“Rejecting me. Yes, you can say it, god,” Louis says, rolling his eyes and crossing his arms in a huff. “What? Without him, I’m going to want to commit suicide all the time?”

“Yeah?” Liam replies, “Not really. It’s more like your body naturally wants to stop functioning. You’ve already been losing your appetite. I don’t know if you’ve noticed.”

Louis looks down at himself, and thinks that he didn’t notice but now that he sees his elbows jutting out in ways that they never have before, and his little pudge of a stomach having disappeared, he realises that maybe Liam’s right.

“Your cycle’s due again soon, isn’t it?” Harry asks finally after several minutes have passed.

“Yeah,” Louis sighs out, “In another week. If I’ve to go through what I had to last time, I might actually prefer death over it.”

“Do you - “ Harry starts to say, but cuts himself off.

“What is it, Curly?”

“You know they keep a record of all the Alphas right? We can try and find this Zayn person and - “

“And what? He doesn’t want to be here, Harry. He hates Omegas for some reason and I can’t force him into - I don’t even know what I’m supposed to be forcing him into doing. Accepting me? Isn’t it supposed to be a natural thing?” Louis asks, clearly defeated in the way he is slumped in his seat.

“I’m sorry, Lou,” Harry murmurs. “I just. I just think maybe we could talk to him? You don’t have to. Liam and I could.”

“I’ll look pathetic,” Louis mumbles.

“Better than waking up one day to hear that you’re in the hospital from a suicide attempt or something,” Liam says, face fierce and determined as though willing to fight for Louis’ honour. Louis feels like joking that that ship has sailed a long time ago. He doesn’t think Liam will appreciate it, so he keeps silent and just nods along to their plans.

It’s about five days later, that Liam and Harry have tracked down Zayn through Andy and bribing some other officials into giving them his particulars and they’ve come over to Louis’ apartment to tell him the news. They enter the apartment to find the blue-eyed lad moaning and curled into a ball on the couch.

“Shit, he’s going into heat already,” Liam groans.

“Lou?” Harry asks, cautiously laying a hand on his friend’s back, “How bad is it?”

“Not that bad yet. It hasn’t quite started. Just starting to heat up everywhere,” Louis says, trying to unfurl from his position. “What’s - what’s up?”

“Oh, we found Zayn. Zayn Malik apparently,” Liam supplies, sitting as far away as possible from Louis, offering an apologetic smile in return which Louis waves away. “We called him on the way here. And told him to meet us here. He’s agreed to hear us out.”

“What.” It’s not a question, and Louis’ eyes are about as flat as is his tone. He knows that he’ll be barely conscious by the time Zayn arrives and he can’t believe his friends just invited the man over without asking him first.

“I’m sorry! We didn’t know you’re...in this condition already,” Harry says quickly, rubbing soothing circles onto Louis’ back. Louis shrugs him off and tries not to feel when he pouts.

“Fuck!” Louis grabs a fistful of his own hair and tugs roughly. He gets up and says, “I’m going to the roof. You guys deal with him.”

“Wait, take a jacket or something,” Harry says, tripping over his feet to get to Louis who is already out of the door.

Louis stomps to the window at the corner of his floor beside the stairs, and shoulders it open. He climbs through it to the roof and shivers when the chilly air bites at his feverish skin.

He appreciates the how the wind blows at his exposed skin and is glad he pretended not to hear Harry when he told him to wear a jacket. Being out here in a vest and basketball shorts is better. It makes him concentrate too much on how he is freezing up to be thinking about a certain whiskey-eyed man about to arrive at his apartment.

Louis doesn’t know how long it’s been and at some point he moves to sit down on the rough concrete with his back against the wall so that he can see when Zayn comes through the window, but he is shocked into awareness when there’s a muffled curse from in front of him. He sees Zayn trying to fit in through the window and fall in a heap of tangled limbs.

He jerks himself up and looks acutely embarrassed as he avoids looking at Louis, but Louis - Louis can’t stop staring at Zayn. All he sees is Zayn. Louis drinks in the sight of Zayn and he can’t seem to get enough. Louis stumbles up, clutching at the wall for support and his heart is beating as though as it’s going to beat, beat, beat right out of his chest to trot over to Zayn. A shudder passes through him that reminds him of his impending heat and that stops him from continuing to engrave Zayn’s black coiffed hair, stubbled jaw, furrowed eyebrows into his memory.

“Hi,” Louis says.

“Hey.”

There’s a pregnant pause that Louis doesn’t bother breaking.

“So,” Zayn says, “I was, uh. In there with your friends. And they - “

Louis shivers again, this time because of a particularly strong gust of wind and Zayn breaks off mid-sentence.

“Shit, you must be cold. Jesus,” Zayn says, rushing forward and pressing a hand to Louis’ cheek, “Wow, you’re burning up.”

Louis leans into his touch, he can’t help it. “Yeah, can’t seem to cool down anymore.”

“Let’s - let’s get you inside,” Zayn says, wrapping an arm around Louis, and tries to usher him towards the window.

“No, I. I wanna stay here. The cold helps me think. Takes me mind off this heat stuff,” Louis says.

Louis ducks his head with a smile when Zayn nods and doesn’t take his arm away from around his shoulder.

“So, yeah. I talked to your friends. They explained - “

“I don’t want you here if it’s a favour if you think you’re doing,” Louis promptly says, “Want it to be your choice. I know you don’t actually want to be here, so don’t let them force you.”

Zayn sighs.

“You know why I got attracted to you first? That night at the club? I thought you were such a different Beta, you know? All the Betas I’ve known are very compromising or peace-loving but one look at you and I knew you were nowhere near like that. I didn’t even think you would be an Omega, and anyone would know you’re not an Alpha. Later, when I found out that you’re an Omega, I wasn’t as angry as I wanted to be, and maybe I was angrier at myself for that. Because you’re much less an Omega than a Beta. I was still so attracted to your devil-may-care attitude.”

Zayn says all of this looking out at the city covered in fog, while Louis watches him. He’s still mesmerized, can’t stop watching the way Zayn’s lips move to forms words.

When Zayn turns to look at him, he quickly looks away, blushing and says, “I thought I was a Beta all my life. It’s only recently I found out I’m an Omega. Being a Beta, and then an Omega too, people treat you different. Well, Alphas treat you different and I sort of had to become the way I am to protect me, I guess. And not - not all Omegas are as stupid and eager to please as you think they are. Don’t know why you hate them.”

Louis suddenly staggers as he feels his heat becoming stronger but Zayn catches him.

“Are you - “

“I’m fine. Just - “

“You’re in heat.”

“Not yet. I’m fine,” Louis bites out, glaring at Zayn.

“Your friends told me what happened last month, maybe we shouldn’t wait,” Zayn suggests.

“What? You’re gonna pity-fuck me now?” Louis asks, blue eyes blazing.

“No, no,” Zayn groans and manhandles Louis into facing him, “Don’t you get why I told you all that? I do like you. I have my reasons for having left.”

“Then tell me, because I’m not convinced,” Louis replies.

“Fuck,” Zayn says, letting him go suddenly and Louis stumbles back without the support. “It’s. I - I had an Omega before. We. He was my soulmate. He died. In - in a car accident. I don’t hate Omegas, like you think. Or I made you think. I just. I just can’t go through that again, because I knew knotting with someone again would mean soul-bonding and then what? So I thought if I didn’t want you from the get-go I’ll be safe. I couldn’t love you, or anyone, like I did Niall and have them leave me like Niall did when he died. A part of me died. I felt it.”

Zayn snaps his back to Louis’ horrified ones and Louis’ heart stutters at how broken Zayn’s are. Zayn grabs his arms and hauls him close.

“You’re not the only one going mad the last two months. I thought I could shield myself. It didn’t work. I missed you at every turn. Fuck, I had only known you for four days and I missed you all the time. I would think about you at work, on the train, everywhere. I wanted to run back right here all the time. But I didn’t because I was stubborn. I am stubborn,” Zayn admits with a hollow laugh, “I wanted to prove the universe wrong, that I could be an exception. And it was so, so stupid, Louis.”

Their foreheads are pressed together and Zayn’s words are almost being breathed into Louis’s mouth. Louis doesn’t know how to respond to that, doesn’t know what else to do except to accept this broken man. He knows they are far from having discussed it all, from having brought everything to light, but Louis recognizes an apology when he sees one.

Louis does the only thing he can in this situation - he tilts his face up just so, and slots their lips together. Zayns makes a low sound at the back of his throat, and he pulls Louis flush against his body as he licks into the smaller man’s mouth. Zayn angles his face to deepen the kiss but Louis breaks off with a gasp.

“I just sat through your speech and I have immense willpower, but can we skip the foreplay and get to the sex part? I don’t think I can stave off - “

Zayn cuts Louis off with deep kiss, but he’s chuckling.

"You're so demanding. Is this what I'm going to have to put up with?" Zayn teasingly asks, even as he pulls Louis towards the window. "Ugh, how the fuck do you even fit through that?"

Louis laughs at him but the vibrations has a wave of slickness pouring out of him and his semi-hard cock thickening to almost painful hardness. He abruptly stops and quickly climbs through the window.

"Come on, come on," Louis urges, "I can't take - take it anymore already. Zayn. Fuck, come on."

"Okay, okay," Zayn replies before he stumbles through the window and immediately grabs ahold of Louis to hoist him up.

Zayn carries him into his apartment and when Liam and Harry see them, they beam at Louis and Zayn, not unkindly, tells them to get out while Louis simply waves.

Zayn doesn't bother waiting for them to actually leave before he is kicking the bedroom door shut. He lays Louis down and it gives Louis an overwhelming sense of deja vu, except for the stark difference of how Zayn is so gentle now.

They quickly shed their clothes, and Louis spreads out willingly for Zayn. He watches with heavy-lidded eyes as Zayn comes to kneels in between his legs. Zayn sniffs the air sharply and smirks, eyes lighting. He roams his hands over Louis' naked body, running them up and down till Louis is squirming.

"There's still some time left," Zayn breathes into his ear, leaning down and letting their chests align. Their nipples rubs against each other and Louis arches into the feeling. "'M gonna worship your body till you're writhing beneath me."

Zayn turns his head in and licks his ear playfully. When Louis whines, he bites down on the lobe and tugs. Louis pulls at Zayn's hair with vengeful harshness. Zayn's hands slide down to his nipples while he slowly trails kisses from his ear to his lips. His lips don't allow Louis for breathing when his hands tweaking and circling Louis' nipples force Louis' to gasp and moan into Zayn's mouth.

He whimpers when Zayn pinches his nipples and turns his head away, parting their locked lips.

"Stop," Louis says weakly, pushing at Zayn's hand. His body is already over-sensitized and this is pushing it - Louis doesn't know if he likes it or not.

Zayn only hums and bends down far enough to take one tortured nipple into the wet heat of his mouth. Louis' hands fly into his black hair as he arches off the bed with a cry. Zayn suckles even as he rolls the other nipple between his fingers until Louis is nearly sobbing. He pulls off and Louis can see the nipple is shining from Zayn's saliva.

Louis' eyes roll back in pleasure when Zayn wraps a hand around Louis dick and starts pumping him. At the same time, he blows against the slick nipple and says in between blows, "Come for me, Lou. Wanna see you come from this."

There's nothing much else Louis can do except to come. Not with Zayn wanking him like that, or how the air on his nipple has pleasure spiralling through his body. He comes with a shout of Zayn's name on his lips, he spills onto their abdomens and onto Zayn's hand. When he sees Zayn bring up his come-covered hand to lick at it, Louis' still-hard cock twitches and releases some more come.

"You're so beautiful like this," Zayn says, sounding awed, looking awed as he gazes down at him. "But you're going to look even more beautiful filled up and dripping with my come in you."

"Zayn, please," Louis pants, voice stripped bare of any sarcasm.

"Yeah," Zayn breathes and before Louis knows it, he is ducking down in between his parted legs to look at his slick hole. "You're so wet, Lou. So wet for me. God, you look beautiful. Wanna - gonna put my tongue in you, yeah?"

Louis' hole looks pink and puffy and releasing copious amounts of natural lube that Zayn just can't resist. He smells delicious too. Louis keens when Zayn doesn't wait for an answer, simply just shoves his tongue in. Zayn's big hands come to rest on Louis' thighs as he slides his tongue in and out of Louis' hole, coaxing him to release more of his wetness on his tongue. His fingers dig into Louis' thick flesh when Louis does release some lube on his mouth and he laps it right up.

Zayn knows when his tongue hits Louis' prostate because Louis starts writhing and his small hands grasp Zayn's shoulders tightly. Zayn clamps his teeth down on the edge of his hole and starts prodding at Louis' prostate, that has Louis freezing for a second above him before he is coming for a second time.

It's a mixture of Louis' fingernails cutting into his skin when he orgasmed, and his taste on Zayn's tongue and his heady musk, that has Zayn quickly shifting up. He can feel his own orgasm building and he needs to be inside Louis before his knot plumps out.

"F-fuck," Zayn stammers, "I can't wa-wait any longer."

"Get in me," Louis nearly screams and Zayn enters him swiftly.

It's just in time, and Zayn bottoms put, heavy balls resting against Louis's wet hole when his knot pops out fully and secures them together for the next quarter of an hour or so.

Zayn's come starts filling Louis in warm thick spills, and it has Louis sighing and pulling Zayn down towards him into a hug. He wraps his arms around Zayn and kisses the side of throat. He strokes Zayn's trembling arms where they are planted on either side of him so that he is braced over Louis and goes to wrap his arms back around Zayn's frame.

"Wrap your legs around my waist," Zayn softly commands.

Louis complies and the action has Zayn impaling himself deeper inside Louis, nudging Louis' prostate that much harder. It makes Louis come again, this time only a small amount spurting out, mostly just his slit opening and closing around dryness.

Zayn places soft kisses on Louis' forehead until he calms down and then kisses him deeply. He says, "This feels strangely right."

"Maybe, the universe knows what it's doing," Louis whispers back, brushing back the sweaty fringe away from Zayn's face. "You know, you don't have to stay like that all night. You can like, lie on me. I won't be squashed or anything."

Zayn chuckles and slowly lowers himself onto Louis' soft, pliant body. He buries his head in Louis neck, and when Louis digs his heels into Zayn's bum playfully, Zayn laces their fingers together.

"If the universe is right, guess that makes you my Omega, insufferable as you are," Zayn murmurs into Louis' skin.

"Well, you're my Alpha then, twaty and stupid as you are," Louis replies, smiling serenely and closes his eyes.