Three hours.
To Yuri, three hours was the equivalent to three eternities. Especially since while Viktor was three hours away from home on a business trip, Yuri was suffering the symptoms of preheat. His alpha, three hours away, while the little omega was stuck at home, hardly able to get out of bed without falling over due to the intense cramps shooting through him every so often. He was a shaking, sweating, whimpering mess on their shared bed, curled up in the center under a thick, soft blanket that reeked of his bonded mate.
But it wasn't enough to just smell like Viktor. As much of a comfort as it was, he sorely missed his actual presence. Why did Viktor have to leave now of all days? And why of all times did his heat have to start two weeks early? They had always been so regular in the past, never even a day off. It was always quite a benefit because they started without much warning. His first heat with Viktor was quite surprising to the alpha; nothing was off at first glance when he had returned home that day, but then he noticed some of his clothes were missing. Especially the dirty ones from the basket or wherever else they were lying around. All the pillows and blankets from the couch and closet were also missing. When he decided to check on Yuri, he had found the most perfect and beautiful nest built with his perfect omega lying in the center, waiting for his alpha.
The memory triggered another spasm in his thighs, followed by a stream of fluid trickling down onto the mattress. He sniffed as tears collected behind his eyelids, threatening to spill.
Alpha, where are you? he thought with a pathetic whimper. His rationality was quickly dwindling as the sun began to set and his heat was fully kicking in. He clutched the blanket closer and curled in tighter on himself as the realization that Viktor was not coming home was slowly dawning on him.
Please, Alpha, I need you.
He could not stop his distressed scent from escaping and permeating the flat thoroughly with the odor. The smell of an omega when like this was sour, enough to grab the attention of any alpha walking by. Ever since omega protection laws were put into place, anyone that smelled distressed omega was to immediately report it to the police. Abandonment, be it intentional or otherwise, was a serious crime and could come with up to ten years locked away, depending on the severity. But Yuri was a good omega. He couldn't get his alpha into trouble, so he and Viktor had made the extra effort to insulate the apartment so that the scent would not so easily escape. The only true way for it to leak out of the building was for a door or a window to open. They only did this because Yuri's anxiety often caused him to release this scent, and they both knew they could not afford having charges pressed against Viktor.
Now, however, he wanted nothing more than for an alpha-his alpha--to find him and help him. He almost regretted having the extra insulation put in.
Darkness fell completely on him, his heat now in full swing, the last of his conscious thought process now gone, and only one thing was on his mind.
Alpha, please come home.
Nest! I haven't built a nest yet!
Maybe if I build the most beautiful, perfect nest for him he'll come home.
Yuri willed himself to sit up amidst the horrible cramping, then onto his feet, only to fall flat on the floor a second afterwards.
No! I have to be a good omega.
He forced himself into crawling on all fours, not able to do much better than that at this point, and searched for the fluffiest blankets and pillows and the best articles of his alpha's clothing, preferably the dirty ones from the laundry room that had his scent on it. He whimpered as he tried to find a good place for the nest, finally deciding on the floor in their shared living room. Arranging the materials into a nearly-perfect circle, he curled up in the center, awaiting his mate's return home, growing more agitated and anxious as the clocked continued to tick by without a sign of Viktor. His scent grew more distressed by the second. He finished building his nest. Viktor was still not there. He could feel something break inside of him, curling into a tighter spiral, eyes glazing over.
Alpha left me because I'm not a good omega. Bad omega, bad, bad, bad!
In the nether reaches of his mind, he recognized himself slipping into omega depression, the worst kind of pain one can go through, characterized by a complete lack of emotion or self-preservation. If left untreated some omegas were even reported to die from it, or on a lesser case go feral, abandoning all inhibitions in their desperation to mate and finding the nearest alpha or beta to mate with. This could often lead to severe consequences.
But what else could he do other than go into depression or go feral? His alpha abandoned him because he was a bad omega. Why did he even bother to build a nest if no one appreciated it? With no alphas around, there was no point in having it.
In a sudden burst of rage and distress, he tore apart the beautifully-constructed nest, throwing each individual article in some random direction. He heard something fall to the floor and break when he threw one of the shirts, but he could not care less. Nest now scattered, and with nothing else to throw, his body sank back down to the floor, tears finally beginning to fall. He didn't even bother to hold them back or conceal them, nobody around to see his weakness anyway. Another wave of panic overtook his senses when he eyed one of Viktor's shirts.
I have to hide! I'm not safe here!
He bolted upright in an instant and searched frantically for a good place to hide, finally seeing one. Without another thought, he was gone, his stale scent the only sign of his presence.
...
A sound. A key turning the doorknob. The door opening.
Footsteps.
No, they can't find me! It's not safe! I'm not safe here!
"Tch. Damnit, Beka, why do you always have to get in the way? I have my own life too, you know!" a voice ranted to itself, one that Yuri could recognize right away as his Russian rival, Yurio. "Ah, whatever. I'm sure that dumbass Viktor won't care if I crash here for a bit-"
The footsteps and the voice both ceased, replaced with a sharp gasp belonging to the same person.
"Holy fucking shit...was this place robbed or something?"
More silence.
"Wait, that smells like..." Yurio sniffed, or at least Yuri assumed he did. "Heat..."
Yuri bunched up tighter.
"Is that part of a nest? Hey, Katsudon! Where are you-ah! Fucking hell!" Yurio grabbed his foot and fell backwards, belatedly seeing the broken glass vase scattered on the floor among the other various pieces of nest. Yuri only shrank further at the harsh tone of voice, foot hitting the wall of his hiding place.
Yurio faintly heard the dull thud and snapped back up onto his feet, glass forgotten, as he raced towards the source of the disturbance.
"Katsudon?" he called again. He stopped in their laundry room, in front of the dryer, where in the silence he caught the barest sound of tiny whimpers. Not entirely sure what to expect, he flung open the dryer door to reveal a very disheveled Katsuki Yuri, shaking and letting out the occasional moan or breathy sigh at the pain that made him see stars. Yurio nervously scratched his neck and took a couple steps back, the omega pheromones overwhelming his own alpha instincts steadily. He could begin to feel a tent being pitched against his will; there was no way he was attracted to that fat pig, it was just an automatic reaction.
"Damnit, Fatso! What're you doing in there? Get out here before I give you a pain to complain about!"
Both Yuris flinched at the harshness of his tone. Was that me? he silently wondered. He would never be that harsh to the kid, even as standoffish as he was. My damn dynamic must be kicking in faster than I thought.
"Uh, Katsudon, I didn't mean-" he began to ramble, but the response from Yuri was rather...unexpected.
"Alpha, please..." Yuri groaned amidst the pain, turning his head to the side to show submission. Yurio was a strange mixture of appalled and concerned; here Yuri was, in the middle of his heat that Viktor missed, submitting to Yurio. The blonde stopped mid-sentence and glared at his superior omega rival, now completely lost.
"What? No, I'm not your alpha. Listen, I'm gonna call Viktor, okay?"
But his words did not seem to reach Yuri as he curled in on himself again. Yurio heard his progressive symphony of sniffles and hurriedly punched in a number on his phone, waiting impatiently as it rang.
"...Hello?" Viktor's stressed voice sounded over the line. "Yurio, why are you calling me? I'm in the middle of a meeting."
"Viktor, get your ass back here right now or you won't have one by the time I'm through with you!" he snapped back almost immediately, this time with full intention of being rude. "Your precious fiance is in heat and you're not here!"
Viktor was not amused. "Yurio, that's a mean joke. I don't have time for this-"
"Goddamnit, Viktor, just listen!" He thrust the cell into Yuri's trembling hands, ordering him to "Talk to him, it's your alpha."
"Alpha?"
Viktor's voice softened instantaneously. "Yuri? How are you? I miss you so much!"
"Alpha, please come home!" His voice shook. "I promise I'll be a good omega, just please come home!" Now Viktor could hear just how much distress his other half was in and froze in his place; so Yurio was not lying after all?
"Hold on, Yuri. I'll be home as quick as I can! Just stay there, okay?"
"But I want you here now! Why aren't you here?" he sobbed nearly incoherently. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew he wasn't making any sense but he did not have the wherewithal anymore to do so.
"I'll be on my way soon, Yura. I just need to get out of this meeting, alright?" Then Viktor hung up, leaving Yuri all alone again. Well, all alone according to him. Yurio took his phone back when he saw that they were no longer talking, dialing a new number as he knew it would be a while and he needed help from someone who was not an alpha.
...
The door to Viktor and Yuri's shared apartment creaked open, allowing natural light to flood in from the outside into the otherwise dark home. A deep, baritone voice called out "Hello?" as the figure it belonged to stalked inside. He shut the door behind him and took only one glance around; that was all he needed to see the extent of the damage done by Yuri's heat. When there was no response, he carefully avoided the shards of silver glass as he searched for the two people he had come to see, mainly the one in heat. Walking through the hallway, he began to pick up on the faint smell of an unhealthy omega in distress, growing stronger the nearer he drew to the laundry room.
"Yuri? Yura?" he addressed the two he discovered to be on the floor and in the dryer, curiously enough. Yurio, the latter Yuri called for, was busy tending to Yuri, the former, and therefore had not at first heard the man until the two names were called. Yurio turned around, startled, and relaxed when he saw who it was.
"Thanks for coming, Beka. I can't do this myself," he began to explain his excuse, which Otabek waved off.
"It's fine. How long has Yuri been in heat?"
Yurio shrugged. "I don't know, but I think I came somewhere in the middle."
Otabek nodded his understanding and left the room, leaving Yurio slightly stunned and even a bit irritated.
"Hey, where are you going?"
"If an omega is alone during a heat, it is a good idea to give him something to hold onto. Something with the alpha's scent. Like this." He procured a jacket from the nearby bedroom closet, which Yurio knew to be Viktor's Team Russia coat. Yuri picked up on the telltale scent lingering on the fabric and looked up from his spot, and upon seeing Otabek holding the jacket he reached a shaky hand towards it with a small whimper. Otabek handed off the clothing to Yuri, who greedily took it from his hands and buried his nose in it, the smell overwhelming with his omega instincts so heightened.
Yurio stared in disgust as Yuri pressed his wrist to the sleeve, taking his time scenting it, mixing his smell with his alpha's. Yuri's eyes pricked with tears when he saw that his alpha was not in the jacket, but still buried himself in the soft material. It reeked of Viktor, not having been washed after training, and that small fact brought a little comfort to his frazzled mind. But the sting of his bonded mate not being there with him still hurt. The sniffles started again, eyes overflowing.
"Vitya...Vitya, Alpha, please come home!" He shifted and nervously scented the jacket further, as if it would help Viktor come home faster, while Yurio and Otabek exchanged fearful glances.
"Goddamnit, I thought you said it would help!" the blond teen nearly shrieked at his omega partner, who flinched at the harsher-than-usual tone.
"It usually does." he replied calmly, but Yurio was having none of it.
"You call that helping? Just look at him! He's even worse than before!" He gestured furiously to the stale-scented omega who, in a blind rush to be left alone, slammed the dryer shut. He then shouted again, this time at Yuri with a "Hey, don't shut that!" and hastily pulled it back open. Yuri snapped out of his trance for a moment at the authority in the tone. His shoulders slumped and he drew back a little.
"Alpha?" he half-whispered to no one in particular. His eyes clouded over and he lay down on his back the best he could in such a cramped space, spreading his legs and exposing himself to Yurio, who blanched and froze, stuttering over words that never quite formed. "Alpha, take me..." He moaned just slightly to emphasize the desperate need he was in, and when Yurio would not move Yuri sat up and eyed him curiously. Surely, the others knew, Yuri's rational mind was completely gone. He'd gone completely feral.
Oh God.
Yuri went feral.
The thought stopped there as Yuri suddenly pounced, tackling Yurio to the floor. He scented the struggling teenager's neck, arms, chest, legs, everything he could reach while still maintaining a firm hold on him. Otabek sprung in and tried to pry Yuri off before things went too far, but apparently an omega in heat was a force to be reckoned with as the effort resulted in a scratched, bleeding arm and a threatening hiss. He was an alpha when he wanted to be, that was a fact.
The raven-haired one desperately ground his hips against Yurio's which triggered soft groans of excitement from himself and a fiercer fight from the alpha below. In an instant Otabek had his phone out and was dialing Viktor's number, tapping his foot impatiently as the phone rang.
"How is Yuri?" was the first question to come from the other end the moment Viktor picked up. One look at the two on the floor would have answered everything without explanation if only he could see it.
"He's trying to mate with Yura. How far away are you?" While he tried so hard to keep up a calm front, on the inside he was panicking, and so was Viktor outwardly judging by the tone with which he answered.
"Trying to mate with Yurio? Otabek, stop him! I'm only ten minutes away, please!" he begged desperately and hung up. Otabek turned back and assessed the situation; Yuri was on top of Yurio, grinding his hips against the other's, releasing an unbearable amount of pheromones into the laundry room, releasing insanely lewd moans of relief and pleasure mixed into one melting pot of desire. Yurio had begun to surrender his fight, feeling the pheromones start to haze his mind.
"Shit," he cursed upon seeing the sight, and threw himself into the midst of the action.
...
A new scent entered the apartment, a strong, distressed one, followed by rapid footsteps, a thud, a curse, and more footsteps. Yuri stopped for just a moment, gauging the distance of the sound from where he was currently, letting out a warning scent to the new intruder. Ever since Otabek had pried him away from Yurio, Yuri had taken refuge in the dryer again, chasing away anyone who tried to draw near him, now completely lost in his instincts and his heat. The source of the sound revealed itself after not much time passed, though he could not see it since he lacked glasses. The blurry image stopped in the doorway, presumably staring at the scene in front of them. Then it slowly drew closer while he crept back, threatened.
There was also a voice with that shapeless being. It was calm and melodic, though clearly shaken. He vaguely thought he heard his name-was it his name? What even was his name anyway? Did he have one?-but crept back further until he hit the back. Panicked, he shut the door in front of him, and found some comfort in the now-enclosed space.
But the figure was persistent, and opened it back up to reveal a disheveled, frightened pile of anxiety and heat lying in the middle. With them so close now, he could begin to see the familiar contours of a face he recognized well. But the thought Viktor, Alpha was pushed out after it had barely even formed by panic. Two arms circled around his trembling frame, soft and warm, though little comforting in this state he was in. With a loud hiss, he batted at the first arm he could reach, clawing it and drawing blood.
"Ah!" the other yelped while pulling away. He vaguely saw the man-yes, he was male, that much was now clear-cradle his injured arm and heard his still-slightly-muddled voice moan a stream of Russian curses.
Wait.
Russian.
Alpha?
Alpha, is that you?
"Fucking hell!" a younger voice sighed and shoved an unfamiliar object over his eyes. Oh, my glasses, he realized when his vision cleared up instantly and he could see just what happened. With the waves of heat beginning to let up, his mind cleared a bit and he saw Yurio lying exhausted on the floor with Otabek saying something to him that Yuri couldn't quite hear, and Viktor sitting in front of him, arm in his red-stained hand.
Oh, God.
I hurt my alpha.
I don't deserve him.
I'm such a bad omega!
He didn't realize he said the last part out loud until Viktor snapped up. Yuri cast away the jacket he had with him and let out more distressed pheromones, the inside of the dryer now permeated with his scent as well as the rest of the room. The smell made Yurio gag now that his mind was less foggy, and he stood up and ran out of the room, saying something along the lines of "He's your problem, you deal with him!", and Otabek following close behind. Now alone with Yuri, Viktor felt a little bit calmer, even if only marginally. Yuri showed no noticeable change in his state and resorted to scratching his own arms as if in penance for having done the same to his bonded mate.
"Yuri," he tried softly to stop him, but Yuri only whimpered and dragged his nails across his skin harder. Viktor bit his bottom lip and tried again. "Yuri, please stop. You're hurting yourself."
"No. I've been a bad omega, I hurt my alpha, I need to be punished." he rambled, though it was hard to tell if it was to himself or Viktor. Even so, Viktor responded.
"Yuri, you're not bad, you're the best omega! Please don't hurt yourself."
But still he continued to scratch himself. Now at this point blood began to drip from the cuts, bringing stinging tears to his eyes. Viktor shifted nervously, debating whether to hug him or leave him alone. Yuri answered that question when he dove into Viktor's embrace and held on as though if he didn't hug with everything he had the other would slip out of his arms and leave him behind to rot. His chipped nails dug into Viktor's shirt and ripped the fabric, but Viktor still held him closer.
"Don't go away, Alpha! Please don't go away!" Yuri begged between gasps. "I promise I'll be good. I'll do anything you say, just don't leave me!"
"Of course not, I would never leave you, Yuri! I'm so, so sorry I was late for your heat! Will you forgive me?" Viktor smattered him with kisses, as if he could kiss the despair away. Yuri's frame quaked with each heaving breath, and his scent grew more agitated.
This has happened before, actually; not because Viktor had missed a heat, but because of Yuri's susceptibility to stress. That was actually why they had insulated the walls of their apartment after his last major incident. Their neighbors could smell the turmoil from an omega in distress and had immediately reported Viktor to the police. It was difficult to explain to the cops that had shown up at their door not too long after while Yuri was still in the middle of an anxiety attack. They had both sworn never to let that happen again. Hence the insulation.
Yuri's mind raced with anxious voices nagging him for his own incompetence at being a good enough omega for Viktor, even despite the constant presence of his alpha, the barrage of pecks, and the soft words of comfort and reassurance. He clung wildly to every inch of Viktor that he could possibly grab onto, trying to keep the pieces of his mate together so they would not fall away and disappear, leaving only him behind in that tiny laundry room.
Perhaps it was this very piecing together that finally slowed his ragged breaths to a more even pace and stilled the thoughts in his exhausted mind, to say nothing of Viktor's persistence in staying close to him. It truly warmed his heart to know that even during an intense panic attack and during a bout of omega depression Viktor would stay by his side and not leave him like he knew so many others would. Maybe that more than anything was what finally got through to him and calmed the storm of his mind. He hesitantly lifted up his face after so many countless minutes to meet Viktor's gaze, eyes now red. His nails still dug into the fabric of his shirt, but Viktor did not seem to mind as he let out a small puff of air in relief.
"Do you forgive me?" he repeated, much softer this time. Gradually, after having some time to ponder the question, nodded once slowly, before the reality of the situation hit. Looking around, he saw that the room was a mess, clothes strewn about, dryer door ajar, Viktor's jacket lying abandoned. On top of that, the room reeked of distress. Looking at Viktor, he saw in its full glory the damage he had done to him, and the effect it had on his soulmate.
"Viktor, I-I'm sor-"
Viktor drew him in for a tight embrace, effectively cutting off any attempt at apologizing. "No, don't. It was my fault I missed your heat. I should have been more careful. Forgive me?"
Why would Viktor be apologizing? It wasn't his fault his heat came early. It was his stupid dynamic's fault. It had always been regular, so for it to just change...it was not Viktor's fault. But Viktor would never take that. It was almost as if he made it a personal goal to berate himself for every mistake. So rather than trying to turn his mind around like he had been trying to do to himself, he caved.
"I...forgive you, Vitya."
He felt Viktor's body relax its tense hold on him, though still continued to cling to him dearly. They sat like this for some time, each relishing in the warmth and safety of the other's presence. At the slightest hint of a shiver, Viktor moved only to grab his discarded training jacket and wrap it around his precious omega. This time it was not rejected, but welcomed by his trembling body. He had long regained a comfortable breathing patina and leaned heavily against the alpha. A soft purr escaped his throat when Viktor lightly kissed his forehead and lifted him slowly, pressed against his frame snugly.
"Let's go to bed, okay?" Viktor suggested, and Yuri acquiesced immediately, turning his head into Viktor's chest.
"Okay, but we have to...apologize to Yurio and Otabek later."
By then he was already being tucked into bed, and he subconsciously scooted closer when his partner joined him under the soft covers. The bed was blessedly soft and warm and smelled sweet, like Viktor, compared to the hard floor of the laundry room. Viktor smiled at Yuri's thoughtful nature.
"Of course. But for now, we sleep."
Eh, I didn't know how to end this one. A lot of my stories end with the character(s) sleeping, so...there we go.