a/n: heyy. apparently i wasn't super clear at the start but these are all standalone unless otherwise noted! they're all within the same universe but it's going to jump all over the place timeline-wise, sorry that it's been confusing! & i'd rather not give up everyones status until/unless i get to the point of having something written (nvm i've mentioned everyone but lucy already!) alex = alpha, maggie = alpha, lena = beta, and kara = some sort of omega (there's a bunch of stuff to it that they all have fun figuring out and i'll probably get a story about that at some point. the imprinting is one of the new things that none of them understands yet)
replying to reviews/questions here is kinda tedious so if you've got specific questions about timeline/their relationship/wtf is going on/what we've got plotted already/prompts for them you can send me an ask on tumblr at ohpolyship! we have over 245k words plotted and there's a heap of stories (and smut) there but i don't know what all people other than us are interested in reading.
Everything hurts.
Everything hurts and she's so dizzy, feeling alone without pack or alpha to take comfort in.
Her heat has never been this bad before and she wants to be angry with Alex for being away the first time it's actually painful, for leaving her trapped in this place with an alpha that isn't hers. But it isn't Alex's fault, her heat is early for the first time and there's no way they could have predicted that.
Trying to remind herself that things between Alex and Eliza have been so strained lately, that she doesn't begrudge Alex's time with her mother, that she is so so proud of Alex for winning that award even if it meant a weekend alone with Jeremiah while Alex and and Eliza went to Metropolis.
But it's hard, when the cramps are so bad she's surprised she hasn't broken something yet, when she's to shaky and nauseated to eat anything, when everything in her is crying out for Alex.
He makes the mistake of approaching her from the back, something that she would have normally heard and usually isn't a big deal, but she freezes up as soon as his hand touches her shoulder as he moves past her in a gesture that's usually familiar and calming, the panic is almost consuming and she drops the glass of water that she had finally managed to get.
Jeremiah is instantly concerned, moving her back and away from the broken glass, and there's a fleeting thought about how pointless that is, but he's to close. His touch has never been more unwelcome. His scent has never been so oppressing.
As much as she cares for him, appreciates the sacarcifices he's made for her the scent of alpha coming off of him is overbearing, leaves her feeling trapped, and trying desperately to tamp down the overwhelming instinct to get away from this alpha who is not pack, not mate, who must be posing a threat to her.
She breaks away from him but only makes it a few steps into the next room before one of the worst cramps hits her, her legs giving out under her, a wave of dizziness and panic clouding her vision as she curls up against the back of the couch whimpering and clutching her stomach as tears finally manage to leak out of her tightly closed eyes.
He's right there, of course he is, concerned dad voice and worried face but his scent is to threatening and she finally breaks, screaming at him not to touch her. He backs off instantly and as appreciative as she is of that it's not enough.
His concern isn't what she needs right now, he isn't the alpha she wants and it's finally too much. Alex isn't here, her alpha isn't here, won't be back for another couple of days and she can't do this without her.
Alex promised to always be here for her heats. She promised.
And she's angry. Angry at him for not respecting her space. She's heard the lectures that he's given Alex, about always making sure that she's aware and not crowing omegas, to be aware of the room if they're one on one, to pay attention so that she isn't blasting them with alpha pheromones. But he's right there, still in her space even though he's no longer touching her and she's angry with him for not affording her the same respect she's heard him lecturing Alex about.
"I'm in heat," she finally gets out, sobbing fully as another cramp saps what strength she has left. "I'm in heat and Alex isn't here.. She promised she would be here."
Be backs off instantly, finally puts a decent amount of space between them and the panic recedes a bit, leaving her exhausted, "I just want Alex."
He doesn't say anything for a long while and when she finally manages to hold her eyes open she notices that all the windows are open and his scent is dampened.
When he comes back into the room he crouches down a few arm lengths away, asks her what he can do, if he should call and see if Eliza and Alex can come home early and that suggestion finally pulls a response from her. As much as she wants Alex here she won't ruin this for her so she tells him no, begs him not to call them, not to tell them what's going on.
He leaves her some food that she can't manage to eat and she eventually makes her way up stairs and curls up in Alex's bed, being surrounded by her scent finally stops the shaking and the nasua receedes though the cramps and dizziness linger.
They have an awkward couple of days after that. Jeremiah is great, makes sure that he showers and that his scent is as unobtrusive as possible whenever he brings her food and he never opens the door or comes into the room, all he asks is that she responds so that he knows she's still there.
Alex stops in the doorway, eyes wide as she gets hit with the scent of Kara's heat and Jeremiah nudges her towards her room, giving only a raised eyebrow when she mumbles about Kara being early.
If it weren't for the wave of calm that sweeps over her when Alex finally crawls into bed and cuddles up close she'd have thought it was yet another fevered dream.
Hands thread tightly into her hair, pull her close, and that familiar body relaxes against hers as strong arms wrap around her.
She's probably holding her to tightly, hands slipping under the wind chilled shirt to get at heated skin. Alex huffing at her as she leans back to pull the shirt off, tugging Kara close again and nuzzling at her as she tucks her head into Alex's neck, inhaling the calming scent of her alpha, of pack, of home and safety.
"Voi," Alex tells her and she nods in response, the skin on skin contact pushing back the last of the cramps and the sickening dizziness.
"Zhao rrip." She tells Kara next, quietly and not nearly as confident, but it's exactly what she needs. The last of the tension and panic and loneliness and longing finally leaving her, fingers finally releasing their tight hold and instead tracing light patterns along a bare back, butting her head gently into Alex's chest and getting a light chuckle in response that pulls a smile from her for the first time in days.
Alex doesn't push, knows her well enough not to force her to talk. Tugs her out of bed a few hours later and bundles her up in a blanket and one of the hoodys she knows Alex took on her trip, sitting her down to lean against her still unpacked bag while Alex strips the bed and changes the sheets. Cuddling up to her while she pulls some clothes out of the bag then tugging her up, pushing her towards the bathroom with quiet words and reassurances that she won't leave.
Turning her back while Kara strips and gets into the already drawn bath, setting her phone down on the counter as sits down next to the tub, one hand idly playing in the water, "Dad said he'll run interference with Mom and bring us some stuff, so no worries about having to sneak you back in tonight!"
She nods a bit, tangling her fingers with Alex's and sighing at the light tingle that the contact brings, wishing not for the first time that Alex was okay with sharing a bath without her having to explain customs that are still too painful to talk about.
Alex gives her some more of her clothes to wear after and by the time they make it back to her room there's food waiting and a pile of fresh, scent free sheets, blankets, and pillows waiting. Alex grins at her, bundles her up on the bed with the tray of food and a stern look until she starts eating, then sets about building up a rather impressive blanket fort.
Kara finishes off the food without even realising it, busy watching Alex, charmed by the very intent look on her face as she makes sure everything is sufficiently cozy.
"Ewuhsh!" She says finally, hands on her hips and triumphant smirk on her face, "a den fit for.. Well fit for us."
She rolls her eyes at herself as she tugs Kara over and they both snug down in the warm pile. All she can smell is Alex and fresh linen and everything is pretty much perfect. Having Alex so close, having the scent of pack surrounding her, having this comfy nest for them both to cuddle up in without fear of Eliza barging in to drag one of them back to their own room.
Alex doesn't leave her side for the next couple of days and Kara doesn't leave their nest outside of trips to the bathroom which Alex escorts her to and from with Alex making all their meals after that first day, grumbling about Jeremiah teasing her for being so domestic.
It's a new experience for both of them.
It isn't unusual for Kara to go nonverbal for some heats, isn't unusual for her to crave the physical contact from Alex, and isn't even that unusual for Alex to build them a den out of blankets and make all her meals, but the pain doesn't ever fade fully. There's still cramps that reduce her to tears on more than one occasion and dizzy spells that have her gripping onto Alex for support.
They bond though. They're closer than they've ever been and Kara hadn't expect that they could be any closer than they already were.
And then there's the awkward conversation with both Eliza and Jeremiah after her heat has finally faded.
It hadn't occurred to either of them that other humans couldn't scent her. Alex had noticed the instant she had presented, seemed to always scent her heats before Kara, but apparently no one else had been able too. Jeremiah confirms that they had just assumed that she wasn't going to present any way, that things were different enough for her that it wasn't something they were going to have to worry about, that the lack of scent for them signaled beta if nothing else.
She wishes they had never found out.
The rules regarding her and Alex's alone time become even stricter, they discuss having a heat chamber installed in the house, discuss taking her to the DEO during heats, and she's now required to tell them when she's going into heat so that they can take precautions whatever that means.
Alex sneaks into her room late that night, holds her while she cries, reassures her that there is no way she will ever let them lock Kara away during heats, promises that they'll figure something out but a few hours later Eliza is screaming at Alex to go back to her room and Jeremiah is standing silently by.
She's alone again. Fighting back the instincts urging her to be with her alpha, hearing tuned into Alex's agitated heartbeat.
She waits for the house to quite before making her way back to Alex's room, pushing the door open to find Alex waiting for her, sitting in the still assembled blanket fort with a smile and as they snug down in a tangle of blankets and bare skin Alex sleepily whispers, "Zehdh."
"Voi," Kara mumbles in response against the warm skin of Alex's neck. "Voi vot rraop."
Alex nods, tugging Kara even closer, "always, Kara. You're always safe with me."