By the time Rey went to bed on Thursday evening, she was beyond exhausted. And not the normal "I went to work for 9 hours after only five hours of sleep the night before" kind of tired. She was barely coherent, only able to nod along to Ben's complaints about Hux's behavior at work, desperately trying to consume the Thai food he had picked up. She was so tired that she actually missed her mouth a few times and well, while Rey was messy, she always somehow managed to get food where it belonged.

At any rate, the minute her head hit the pillow, she was asleep, so perhaps it was a good thing that she had her alarm automatically set for 8am. And then another for 8:15—the time she normally crawled out of bed.

Ben and Rey actually both started work at 9, but their schedules couldn't be more different. Ben was normally up by 6 and started his day with an hour or so at the gym. And once he finished his workout and getting ready, he'd then sit at his favorite coffee shop, reflecting on the morning with a cup in front of him.

He'd arrive at work no later than 8:30, a half hour before his day was meant to begin.

Rey, on the other hand, was the "sleep until the last possible minute" type of person, and always set her alarm for 8, thinking she'd spend a half hour getting ready and maybe cramming some oatmeal down her throat. But she never did.

Almost always did she sleep until 8:15, then proceed to run around like a maniac trying to get ready to leave by 8:30. She normally strolled in around 9:05, but thankfully, her boss was pretty lenient.

So, when Rey woke up at her first alarm at 8 on Friday morning, nothing should have been out of the ordinary. She should have snoozed her alarm, slept for another fifteen minutes, before jumping frantically out of bed to somehow get out the door by 8:30.

Instead, she woke up laying only on her top sheet, her usual blankets on the ground. That wasn't too abnormal. She did kick frequently in her sleep.

What was abnormal, however, was that the old t-shirt she was wearing, along with her panties, were absolutely soaked in sweat.

With the sound of her alarm still blaring, she managed to lean over and silence her phone, before sitting up. She felt…

Words couldn't describe it. Sore, aching, hot…

She blinked a few times, shrinking in the gentle sunlight seeping through her windows. Immediately, she noticed how disgustingly dry her mouth was, along with the pounding ache between her temples.

She needed water. That would solve everything.

Rey stumbled off her bed and out of her room, thankful that by now, Ben would be drinking his morning coffee at his usual table at his favorite café, not home to witness Rey's first sickness since she was likely eight years old with the flu.

On shaking legs, she managed to rummage through the fridge, hoping Ben had some fancy bottles or something, before ultimately grabbing the entire Brita filter. And then, in probably not her hottest moment, she poured directly into her mouth, covering her face and top with the intense stream escaping the plastic barrel.

Rey let out a groan and stumbled back to her bedroom, the Brita filter clutched against her chest like a teddy bear. After dropping the filter onto her nightstand and typing up a probably very incoherent text to her boss about being too sick for work, she began to furiously paw at her clothes.

Despite wearing so little, she felt like she was burning alive. She managed to pull the t-shirt and panties off, before making the choice to stumble to the bathroom.

Surely a cold shower would alleviate whatever fever was ravaging her body.

But after five minutes under the cold stream, sitting on the tile of her shower because she simply couldn't hold herself up, she gave up.

She then figured medication would help. And so she stumbled out of the bedroom, soaking wet, until finding the ibuprofen stocked for whenever her period cramps were murderous. She swallowed probably a few more than she should have with a gulp from the filter, and collapsed back on her bed, completely nude and resting only on the top sheet.

And then she began to cry.

Her skin felt like it was on fire. Every nerve ending seemed to be buzzing, leaving her body to shudder and shake in the cool air of her bedroom. She could barely focus her attention on anything, not even enough to send Ben or Rose or Finn or whoever a panicking text message about just how close to death she was.

And then, to make matters worse, her head wasn't the only thing aching. Between her legs, in perhaps revenge for how little attention it had been receiving, her core was on fire. Her skin was flushed, and her thighs were slick with what appeared to be her own essence.

Maybe it was good she wasn't coherent. Because if she was, just the sight of her wet thighs would have had her screaming bloody murder.

Before she could even try to figure out what type of fever had her simultaneously near death and also ravenous for some intimate attention, she dozed back to sleep.

Apparently, the previous movement was too much for her.

If she were lucky, this would be it.

She'd just be dead.

-x-x-x-

Up.

UP!

Prepare.

Rey's eyes bolted open. She managed to sit up and glance at her phone, her eyesight still wonky. She could see text notifications but couldn't figure out who they were from. She could, however, see the time.

It was noon. She had slept for almost another four hours. But instead of feeling better, she felt…

Hot.

So, fucking hot.

She let out a sob, her body shaking, still nude from her disastrous attempt at a shower. As tears streamed down her face, it occurred to her that her head no longer hurt. Maybe the Ibuprofen had helped.

Instead, all of the pain and bodily torment was coming from the crux between her legs. She continued to cry, but instead of ignoring the intense longing, she slid her hand down her sweat slicked stomach, before resting it between her legs.

And then she began to rut against her hand, desperate for any sort of relief. Her fingers rubbed furiously against her clit, but even the usual stimulation that had her seeing stars was doing nothing. With another sob, she flipped herself onto her stomach and grabbed her pillow, settling it between her legs.

Then, like a randy teenager, she grinded against the pillow, one hand rubbing aggressively at her clit, the other shoving two shaking fingers inside of her. And then she tried three.

She would have shoved her entire fucking fist inside of her if it had done anything.

After another few minutes, she abandoned the task and began to cry harder, her body continuing to shake. Her limbs were spent, covered in a mixture of sweat and slick and tears.

With a frustrated scream, she kicked the now slick-covered pillow off the bed and proceeded to watch as it knocked over her work bag, the contents spilling onto her carpet.

Then, like magic, her body perked up as the scent infiltrated her musky bedroom. She bolted to her feet, her legs shaking, and glanced at the spilled items, wondering what she was smelling.

Rey had never smelled anything so intense in her life. It was like a department store perfume section, mixed with the spring air, and the scent of the grass after it rains, and a musky candle that smells like man, and sandalwood, and maybe some mint, or maybe it was cinnamon?

Her body swayed side to side, her chest rising and falling as she inhaled the delicious fragrance.

Whatever it was, she wanted more.

She dropped to her knees and began to flick through the random items that had been in her work bag.

A tin of Altoids, countless receipts from lunches she shouldn't be buying, her to-do journal, her sunglasses case, her wallet, Ben's jacket, an empty water bottle she stole from Finn, a candle a client gave her—

Oh.

She grabbed the massive jacket and ran her hands along the fabric, admiring the soft cotton. She had borrowed it the last time she and Ben went to the movies, about two weeks ago, and selfishly hadn't returned it because it was Lululemon and even she didn't buy Lululemon.

But now… Now she was never giving it back.

She brought the black fabric to her face and buried her nose into the jacket, her body shaking as the intense, beautiful, delicious fragrance hit her nose and strummed through her body like the hit of a drug she never knew she needed.

Mhm. Alpha.

In a trance, Rey slipped her naked body in the jacket, loving the way it fell to the middle of her thighs, her slick rubbing against the spotless fabric. On shaky legs, she stumbled into the living room, leaning against the hall wall for support.

Supplies. Prepare.

Rey glanced around frantically, until landing her gaze on the two matching fleece blankets they kept in the living room. They had been a gift from Leia for Christmas, and Rey and Ben normally burrowed themselves under the fleece whenever they stayed up too late watching Netflix.

She grabbed the blankets and stumbled back to her bedroom, letting out a tiny growl after smelling the fabric. Instead of smelling like her or Ben, they smelled like laundry detergent.

It made her angry.

Once back in her bedroom, she grabbed her own blankets that had been kicked to the floor and looked around frantically.

Space for pups. Warm. Keep safe.

She grumbled and stumbled to her closet, throwing the doors open dramatically. She set the blankets on the ground before pulling every piece of clothing and hanger out of the space and tossing them into her bathroom. They couldn't impede on her space.

Now, with the tiny space empty, she began to pad the walls with her retrieved blankets, stopping every few moments to bury her face in Ben's jacket with a content purr. But once the few blankets she had were expertly arranged, she began to cry.

Not safe. More.

With another whiff of Ben's delicious scent, she scurried out of her bedroom and into the hallway, stopping in front of Ben's closed door. She stared at the offending white barrier, her legs shaking.

Sure, they were best friends, but they didn't just invade the other person's room without permission. That was an invasion of privacy.

But maybe Rey was going insane. Because she couldn't give two fucks.

She threw open the door and stepped inside, immediately letting out a sob of relief.

Oh, god, the scent of the room. She could live in it, swim in it, fucking die in it. She let out a content purr and collapsed onto his bed, burying herself in his pillow.

Alpha. Alpha will protect us.

She hugged the pillow to her chest, rocking back and forth, her nose buried in the silk pillowcase. It smelled like pure, unadulterated pleasure. Like the purest, most delicious nectar in the world.

Like Ben.

In a muddy haze, she ripped through his room, grabbing whatever she could of substance. Sheets, blankets, pillows, jackets, shirts—really as much as she could hold onto. And then, still with shaking legs, she darted back to her bedroom closet.

With careful movements, she primped and fluffed and found the perfect place for each piece of fabric, until she was surrounded by a beautiful nest of soft material.

Perfect for pups.

She collapsed onto the soft surface, taking a lengthy inhale. It smelled so fucking good.

Alpha will be proud.

And then she whimpered and jammed her hand back between her legs.

Everything ached.

But, this time, with her face buried into one of Ben's pillows, she finally reached her peak, a soft sob escaping her lips.

Thankfully, it put her back to sleep.

-x-x-x-

Ben grumbled and locked his car, haphazardly balancing his gym bag in one arm and a bag of takeout in the other. Today had been an exhausting day. After missing three days of work from rut leave, the rest of the week had been a desperate attempt at catching up on everything he had missed.

And since Hux was a Beta, his irritating colleague never seemed to understand why Ben was completely incapacitated while away from work.

"But I responded to emails when I had the flu," Ben muttered, mocking Hux's uppity voice, "Even Jyn took a phone call when she was in labor!"

He growled and wandered into their garage elevator, angrily pressing the button for the eighth floor. And aside from falling behind on work, and dealing with Hux, his mother had once again renewed her insistence on Ben finding an omega, especially after this most recent rut alone.

Ben thought it was just a bit ridiculous. He had only just turned twenty-six. He didn't care if his mother and father had wed at twenty-three. He had plenty of time to settle down with an omega and have kids when he was ready.

In fact, he had even sent Rey a few texts about his conversation with his mother, knowing she'd support his hesitance for settling down. He also had texted her about the hideous tie Hux had been wearing. And then again to ask if Italian was okay for dinner. And then again saying he had picked up Italian and would be home within the hour.

Sure, Rey not responding was weird, especially since they normally texted throughout the day, but he knew she was probably busy. Or she wasn't, and had decimated her phone battery playing candy crush, and per usual, never brought a charger with her to work.

Actually, the second option sounded much more like Rey.

Ben strolled out of the elevator and down the hall, before stopping in front of their door to dig the keys out of his pocket. He was ready for the weekend. Tonight, he and Rey could dine on pasta and catch up on Game of Thrones, and then maybe tomorrow, he'd even skip the gym and sleep in until eight.

That sounded glorious.

But thoughts of the weekend vanished when he unlocked the door and slipped into the apartment.

Omega.

His nostrils flared.

What the fuck?

He carefully set the food down and took a cautious step into the apartment.

"Rey?" He yelled out, his palms itching as he shut the door, "Rey, are you here?"

Ben swallowed, desperately trying not to inhale the delicious scent. He knew Rey had a few college friends that were omegas—Kaydel and Jessica—along with maybe a few colleagues at work. Had she brought them home?

Was one of her friends going into fucking heat in his apartment?

He took a deep breath through his mouth, trying to calm himself down.

There was no way. Rey wasn't irresponsible. If she had a friend over, she would have found a way to get the friend out before Ben got home. It was common sense. Common courtesy.

He scratched at his neck, his mating gland suddenly on fire. Just his fucking luck too. It had been inflamed for the entirety of his most recent rut, and after two glorious days of it returning to normal, it was back to its bright red, itchy ways.

Ben shut his eyes for a moment, just inhaling the delicious scent.

And fuck, was it the most delicious he had ever smelled. He just wanted to bury his face in—

He lost his track of thought at the sound of a feminine whimper coming from Rey's room. He gulped and rushed forward, genuinely concerned.

But as he knocked at Rey's door, he realized it wasn't shut. Only ajar. And the moment his fist met the barrier, it swung open, assaulting the air around him with the essence of Omega.

He inhaled it and began to shake.

"Rey?" He bellowed, his body twitching as he stumbled forward, "Rey? What the fuck is going on? Do you have a friend over?"

Then, he made the mistake of stepping into the room. He heard the shuffling coming from the closet. But he kept walking.

He even held his nose at this point, knowing that smelling any more would put him over the edge.

And when he reached the opened doors of her closet, his entire world changed.

Laying there, surrounded but what appeared to be half his wardrobe and every blanket in the apartment, was Rey. She was dressed in one of his gym jackets and nothing else, her hair in buns but sticking to her face from sweat and dried tears.

But she wasn't sleeping. She was furiously humping one of his pillows, if his black silk pillow case was any indication.

And then she realized his presence, her nose twitching as she smelled him. Her eyes shot open and landed on him, the normally hazel orbs glazed over from desire.

"Alpha," She whimpered out, continuing to rub her naked lower half against the pillow, "Alpha please!"

Ben's mouth fell open.

And then he turned on his heels and ran.

Legitimately fucking sprinted out of the apartment. And then out of the building. And then down Harbor Street, Lincoln Boulevard, 9th Street, and McCartney Way before stopping at the front door of a remodeled Victorian home. He furiously knocked at the door, his fists slamming against the house like a madman.

His work shoes were not meant for running, and his black button down was sticking to his chest with sweat—although he wasn't sure if that was from the run or from, from, from—

Fuck. No. NO. That did not just happen.

Lunch gave him food poisoning. He was hallucinating. He was never eating at the deli on Franklin again.

Or maybe he crashed his Audi. Maybe he was dead and having the same fantasy about Rey being an omega he had been having since he was 14.

Or maybe Rey was the worst friend in the world and was playing some weird fucking practical joke on him.

Or maybe he's just genuinely fucking going insane.

Or maybe—

But then the door flew open, causing his fist to knock frantically against a toned stomach.

"Ben! Jesus, what the fuck?" Poe cried out, before shoving his hand away, "Are you trying to fucking destroy our door?"

But Ben could only stare at him with wide eyes and a pale face. Thankfully, Poe took notice.

"Christ, are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost." He looked behind Ben at the driveway, clearly noticing the lack of Ben's black Audi, "Did you walk here? Where's Rey?"

Ben swallowed and grabbed the collar of Poe's shirt. He pulled the man against him, eyes wild. "You need to come to my apartment now. You need to tell me not I'm not fucking crazy, okay?"

At that moment, Finn wandered down the stairs, freezing at the sight of Ben holding his fiancé and mate by the shirt. He raised an eyebrow. "Ben? Is there a reason you're manhandling Poe?"

Ben let out a growl and dropped Poe. "Perfect! Two of you. More validation." He ran a hand through his hair, his body shaking, like his nerves were live wires and on the verge of exploding, "Put your shoes on. We're going."

Finn raised an eyebrow. "Poe and I have reservations at that new sushi place on Santana in thirty minutes, so we can't—"

"PUT YOUR FUCKING SHOES ON!" Ben screamed, his chest rising and falling at an unhealthy speed.

Poe and Finn exchanged a look before following his command. The couple followed Ben out the door.

"Don't use an Alpha command on my mate, Solo," Poe began, before unlocking his car, "But I'll excuse it because something is clearly making you a madman."

Ben just let out a growl and slid into the passenger seat, leaving a perturbed Finn to climb into the back. As Poe drove off, both he and Finn continued to throw not so subtle glances over at their unexpected guest.

"So…" Finn began, meeting Poe's gaze through the rear-view mirror, "You gonna let us know what's got you going crazy, Ben?"

But Ben only let out a growl and gripped the arm rest of the chair. "Drive faster, Poe. I could fucking run faster than this."

Thankfully for everyone involved, Poe sped up and they returned to Ben and Rey's apartment complex in only mere minutes. Poe pulled into his usual guest space and had barely turned the engine off before Ben was flying out, frantically pressing the 'up' button of the elevator.

Finn and Poe exchanged weary looks before following Ben into the enclosed space. As soon as the doors shut, and Ben pressed the 'eight' button, he let out a shaky breath.

"Listen to me and don't interrupt," He began, his voice tinged with panic, "I got home from work and smelled Omega. I thought Rey had a friend over or something."

The doors opened on the eighth floor, and the men shuffled out, before walking along the halls. Ben continued.

"But then I went into her bedroom and…" He let out a terse breath and looked at the men, his eyes wide, "Rey was nesting. She's in heat."

Finn and Poe exchanged looks before looking back to Ben. Poe rubbed his shoulder.

"Hey, man, look, I know you're lonely, and that you had another rut alone, so maybe you're just projecting some old wish that Rey—"

Ben batted the hand away and pulled out his keys, shaking his head frantically. "I'm not fucking imagining it!" He nearly screamed, before looking between the men, "That's why I brought you two here! You have to…"

He gulped and rubbed at his eyes. "Fuck, you gotta tell me I'm not imagining this."

Poe opened his mouth to push back, but Finn jumped in instead. "Okay, Ben. We'll let you know what we think."

With a curse, Ben unlocked the door and stepped inside, the couple following behind.

But this time, instead of burrowing away in her nest, fucking herself with her fingers, Rey was standing in the living room, still wearing only Ben's jacket. She hugged his pillow to her chest and met his gaze.

Her lip quivered, and she let out a sob.

"Alpha, you left!" She cried out, her pupils blown wide, "Please, Alpha!"

From behind Ben, both Finn and Poe's mouths dropped open. Poe even covered his nose.

"Holy fucking shit," Poe groaned out, before looking at his fiancé, "He wasn't fucking with us! She's in heat!"

Ben began to shake, the smell of her heat surrounding him like beautiful torture. He covered his nose and took a step back towards the door.

Rey took a step forward, her knees practically giving out with every step she took, "Alpha…" She purred out, as another few tears dripped down her face.

And then he let out a growl.

And ran right back out the door.

He ignored the cries of "Alpha" from Rey and "Ben" from a concerned Poe, and just kept running.

This couldn't be happening.

Not after the hell he put himself through to accept that she and him could never be together.

Not when everything was so comfortable.

Fuck. Omega.