Notes: I'm spacing these chapters out as there are only three up on my AO3. Chapter 4 is slowly being worked on and I can't stress the "slowly" part enough because my writer's block is still bad. It's getting better somewhat. I have an idea what to do with the next few chapters but putting it into words will be an issue. When I finally finish writing chapter 4, it will be uploaded to AO3 first, then to here. :) Well, no warnings are needed for this chapter. Just some talk about second genders, nothing explicit as far as I remember. Hope you all enjoy! -Kai

So far, the date with Otabek, if Yuri could call it that, was amazing. There was rarely a break between their conversation once one started talking about their interests, daily life, and friends. Yuri was elated to find out that Otabek was currently single which brought up another question to what kind of relationship did they have. He kept it to himself due to the increasing fear of the other man admitting he was just a one time fuck during such a vulnerable time. So he kept quiet and asked Otabek about how he got a job as a DJ. Otabek explained in a small story of it being open night for amateur DJs and the owner of the club was impressed with his music choice and he ended up getting the job. It paid good money and it was a fun weekend thing for the Alpha. Yuri listened with interest and admiration as Otabek delve into how music was a huge part of his life with how it could influence the emotions of a person and how they could easily connect with one or two songs. It was a fulfilling conversation. Otabek was becoming increasingly curious about Yuri then asked about him doing ballet instead of going to college and asked if he was content with it. Yuri faltered in his speech a little when he saw Otabek smile at him when he answered 'yes' to the question.

Yuri went onto explaining how as a danseur, he felt like he had something he could control. It was a world he could also escape into when the music starts playing and he moves with it. He could add his own flair to any dance routine he had to do or earned. As a soloist, he could do whatever he pleased a bit more than the rest of the group. He normally got to choose his own music, but not this time. For his first performance as a soloist, he had to dance to Swan Lake. That was one of the most difficult things to dance to even if he had a partner. It was kind of required, but Yuri doesn't want anyone to lift him. He doesn't trust anyone to. Except for Mila and he knew she could only do that so many times in that particular routine. It was frustrating. However, it didn't matter. He had his part, his routine and he was going to make it the start of his career he intends to make last as long as humanly possible. Yuri expected Otabek to laugh at him when he mentioned he was going to be one of the first Omega to become a well-known dancer. Instead, he received a smile that was genuine and warm. He forgot to speak for a few moments.

"Hey, you okay?" Otabek asked, breaking through the momentary daze Yuri was in.

"Yeah. It was surprising to not receive a laugh from someone whenever I claimed I will become well-known in the world of ballet as an Omega." Yuri admitted then drank some of the cup of warm tea in front of him. "It pissed me off when they did that. It was like they were looking down at me."

"If it's any consolation, I believe you'll do great, Yura. Better than any Beta or Alpha." Otabek propped his elbow on the table and rested his chin in the palm of his hand. "And once you do make it, I will definitely be there to watch."

Yuri grinned. He really liked the thought of this. Of Otabek watching him dance on stage. Since he had recently gotten the main part in a production of Swan Lake, he found himself wanting Otabek to be there watching him. It would give him more motivation to push through practice after practice each day.

"I'll save you a ticket."

The smile Yuri received from Otabek had him melt in his seat. It was odd how Otabek had such an effect on him in the little time they knew each other. Yuri chalked it up to just having a really good connection with another person who isn't family or his roommate and best friend. Or he just had an insane attraction to him which he tried to ignore for the first part of the date since he assumed it was his Omega wanting the Alpha in Otabek. Why has he been so weird lately? It wasn't like he reacted like this to an Alpha before. Yuri picked at the croissant he had ate half of as he frowned and felt Otabek stare at him. He met the other man's concerned eyes and awkwardly sipped his warm tea.

"Something on your mind?" Otabek asked, seemingly worried.

"I was wondering if we are all driven by our second gender to desire a particular person to be their mate." Yuri set the mug down on the table and sighed wearily. "I've had Alphas and even Betas who smelled a small fraction of my scent approach me, befriend me with ulterior motives. It was frustrating since they only wanted me because I am an Omega. I feel them stare at my neck even when they think I don't know they do. They know I'm free game and want to Mark me and I detest that is all they want me for: to Mark...claim me and put a baby inside."

"Is that why you hid your scent often?" Otabek asked when he remembered the time Yuri confiding in him what lengths he went to hiding any instances of his second gender, though he still didn't know about Yuri practically abusing his suppressants. It was during their heat and Yuri was in a clear state of mind after being sated for the time being when he told Otabek why he tried hiding himself.

Yuri nodded. "Yeah. I wanted to because I rather not be pursued like some animal. Letting anyone within a half mile radius know I'm a fertile, unmated Omega is mortifying. It would give some asshole a reason they can get into my pants."

"I can't lie and say I wasn't affected by your scent when I first smelled it. You smelled better than anyone I had ever been with, but I did my best to control myself around you so I wouldn't let the Alpha in me take over." Otabek explained then reached out to take Yuri's hand into his own. "In a way, we are all sort of driven to find a specific person to be for certain needs whether we want to or not. Though I hope I didn't get you pregnant so soon. Us being nineteen and twenty-two is too young to get pregnant after all. Though that is my opinion."

"True. I don't think I'm pregnant, but I have an appointment tomorrow to make sure even if I took those heat specific morning after pills Mila left me." Yuri remarked as he ate a bit more of his croissant. He thought he should let him know what his doctor said when he voiced his concerns during an emergency appointment after his heat ended. Unfortunately it was too soon to tell if he was pregnant after his heat. So Yuri waited a week and while no symptoms had occurred, he was still on edge.

"Hmm, the heat was really intense for both of us. However, I still should have used a condom when we were together."

"Well, it's not like I urged you to wear a rubber anyway. So we're both at fault, Beka."

Yuri saying that managed to get a small laugh out of the Alpha. He smiled in return as he realized he and Otabek couldn't go against instinct. He still hoped he wasn't pregnant. It was too soon and he knew if he was pregnant now, he would have to give up his spot in the upcoming production to another person. Ivan Sokolov was one of those people after it and there was no way he was going to let that rich, pretentious prick of a Beta take what he has been working for. Getting pregnant and birthing a tiny, screaming human would hinder his process and Yuri did not want that now. He ignored the inner voice of his Omega telling him it would be okay if it was only Otabek.

"If you did end up pregnant, I will take responsibility in caring for him or her." Otabek promised, a tinge of excitement he could not suppress was in his voice.

Yuri didn't catch it this time but he felt little flutters in his stomach when Otabek said this, but ignored it. Something was really wrong with him today. Maybe it was because he was on his first date with such a nice Alpha. With Otabek. He found it admirable Otabek would step up and be a dad to his kid if Yuri happened to get pregnant. Well if it turns out that way. The blond Omega needed to make sure first at the appointment tomorrow. For now, he wanted to tell Otabek he was happy he would be a good dad to the baby if he turns out to be pregnant. Their baby. But the words wouldn't come out when he tried to speak. His face was slightly flushed as he took another sip of his tea which cooled down significantly. The smile on Otabek's face was perfect and blinding to Yuri.

'Beka… He's one of the few good Alphas… I'm glad.'

"At least I know you'll be with me if I end up having a kid. You're better than anyone who just wished to get me pregnant for the purpose of getting me pregnant." Yuri sighed. "Thank fuck a pregnancy didn't happen with any of them."

"I would want you to get pregnant on your own terms, Yura. Though I hope I'm the one you'll want to conceive it with."

Yuri choked on his tea as he heard Otabek's confession. How could the guy say something like that so easily and sound genuine? His Omega was quite loud and told him he would love that if it happened. Right now, Yuri would rather not concede to the thoughts that emerged in his head since he spent his heat with Otabek. That just wasn't going to happen. Not yet.

"You can't just say that so casually!" Yuri muttered as he wiped away the small amount of tea on his chin with a napkin Otabek handed him. The small jolt of electricity occurred when their fingers lightly brushed across each other.

"Sorry, Yura. Are you okay?" Otabek asked him after pulling his hand back. So many odd things were happening today.

"Yeah, I'm good."

Yuri attempted to turn the conversation in a different direction and they ended up talking about pets at first, mentioning he has a cat back home in Moscow named Puma Tiger Scorpion. He thought Otabek would laugh at the fact his four year old self choosing the name, but was surprised when Otabek told him it was a "sick ass name." Yuri grinned and mentioned it was a cool name for his cat even though he knew she was a female cat at the time. He ignored the good feeling of being praised by the other man as he asked him what pets he had. Otabek mentioned he had rescued a small Bengal Tiger kitten a couple of months ago and she had been attached to him ever since. They ended up bonding more over the talk of their cats before Otabek, being half serious, offered to set up a playdate for their pets. Obviously, Yuri accepted the offer. He just needed to make time to pick up his cat from his grandfather soon.

They finished off their drinks and food then Otabek had taken the cups and plates to the kitchen where they were washed. Yuri waited for him to return after throwing away their napkins, adjusting his scarf when three guys looked in his direction. He didn't need to smell them to figure out they were Alphas; Yuri knew. God he hated his neck being stared at. It was instinctual, yet it didn't lessen his disdain for any random Alpha staring at his neck. He wasn't going to give himself to the first Alpha who looks his way. He felt a pair of lips and the familiar scent wafting off of who they belonged to near his hairline above his right temple. The men looking his way averted their eyes.

"Thanks," Yuri murmured then upped the ante by nuzzling into Otabek's neck as he stood up. It was risky to do that early in…whatever kind of relationship they had, but it felt so right. It was comforting.

"Anytime, Yura." Otabek whispered back then pulled away from Yuri, but took his hand into his own. They left the coffee shop together with Yuri resisting on flipping off the guy, who he presumed to be Otabek's co-worker, had told Otabek to have fun and use a rubber. As crass he can be at times, he knew he shouldn't be an asshole to baristas or anyone working a customer service job. Otabek had did him a favor and flipped off the guy for him who had laughed. It let Yuri know the other guy and Otabek were also good friends.

"Don't mind Alec. He likes to joke around far too much but he's a good guy. He was surprised to see me with a new guy after a while." They began making their way to the subway since it was quicker and because Otabek didn't take his motorcycle to work.

"I'm guessing it's been a few months?" Yuri asked and Otabek shook his head.

"More like a few years. Three. He's old history I dated just before we started shortly after leaving secondary school, kind of a jerk-ass, and tried to manipulate me. It's a huge reason to why I will never do that to future partners."

"In my opinion, you deserve better than someone who was an asshole to you, Beka."

"I could say the same thing for you, Yura. You're so great and not because of your second gender. You're so much more than that. Everything about you exudes strength."

"Strength? This coming from a guy who looks like he can bench press the mailbox?"

If Otabek wasn't holding his hand, Yuri would float away into the stratosphere from the way Otabek's laugh made him feel. He gave the Alpha's hand a bit of a firm squeeze as if to ground himself to the earth.

"I can bench press the mailbox, but that isn't the point. I'm talking about your eyes. I had a feeling when I first saw them when we met, but now I'm sure. Your eyes hold the strength of more than one soldier. It shows you are strong in other ways apart from physical strength even as a dancer, Yura."

"Now you're laying it on thick." He couldn't lie and say the praising didn't affect him. It did and his Omega crooned in delight, hoping to hear more from his Alpha.

'Wait, my Alpha? He isn't mine yet…' Yuri thought to himself as Otabek grabbed his attention again when he kissed the fingers of his hand.

"I know, but I thought it would be a good idea to let you know some of the things I love about you."

Yuri had stopped walking and Otabek looked back at him curiously, but was surprised when their lips met briefly. The blond couldn't contain himself and his body moved before he could think. The kiss was almost as good as when they were making out during Yuri's heat. It was soft, warm, and it left Yuri wanting for more when he made himself pull away.

"One of the things I like about you is that you are more genuine than the other Alphas." Yuri admitted as he glanced up at Otabek and gave him one of his rare smiles. He groaned when he heard his phone chime with a text message. It was from Mila who had let him know he should text her beforehand if he is heading home. It didn't take him a minute to figure out his roommate was with someone.

"Do you have to head home now?" Yuri shook his head.

"No, Mila has someone over. Probably her new girlfriend and I rather not hear the sound of her fucking anyone, so I'm probably just going to go see a movie or something." He sighed.

"Your friend may have heard us during your heat." Otabek whispered to him.

"God, don't remind me…" Yuri groaned.

The thought of Mila hearing him with Otabek during that time was mortifying. And Yuri thought he was the type that wasn't vocal whenever he took care of himself during his heats. When he was with Otabek, he cycled between sleep and the best sex he ever received. He was surprised to know Otabek had managed to keep him fed and hydrated because he usually never ate more than a bite of food when the intense inferno wore off after he achieved an orgasm by the fake knot. It was only after Mila told him how good of a guy Otabek was to him. It made Yuri like him more and it washed away some of the embarrassing feelings of him being heard during the times he was lost in pleasured bliss.

"Want to come to my place?" He heard Otabek ask him. "Not so we can fuck, but to hang out. We can watch a movie or play Mario Kart."

"Yeah, definitely." Yuri answered, perking up "What kind of movies?"

"I have Netflix so we can watch whatever, Yura."

"Sounds like a cozy date. I'm all for that."

Otabek wrapped a hand around Yuri's waist as they resumed walking to the subway together. The two men arrived there after ten minutes and Yuri won their "minor" argument of who pays for both of their tickets then boarded the train. They had received some stares from other people during the ride, but they were easily ignored as they were engrossed in their own conversation about music. They nearly missed their stop. Thankfully they didn't forget to get off the train together with Yuri following close to Otabek until they reached the Alpha's apartment. They went up to the fourth floor where Otabek lived then Otabek fished out his keys to let themselves inside. They kicked off their shoes and took off their jackets to get more comfortable. Yuri was relieved to know Otabek's roommate was also with a boyfriend for tonight so they had the apartment to themselves. He got to keep Otabek all to himself and made a noise of content as he pressed himself against Otabek on the couch with a blanket wrapped around both of them. They quickly decided to have a Marvel movie marathon, starting off with Deadpool.

Yuri's mood became significantly better as he felt Otabek's body warmth and smelled his scent. He was sure his was leaking out into the air around them in response because he felt so comfortable. He wasn't for feeling safe until he really felt Otabek's presence. It wasn't overbearing or scary possessive at all. It let him know Otabek was there so he can relax. He loved it and wanted more.

"Beka? Think we could have a good relationship?" Yuri murmured absentmindedly.

"I don't think. I know we will, Yura. And I have a hunch it will transcend into something more." Otabek answered, kissing the Omega's cheek.

Their newfound friendship was new and one would label them as friends with benefits if they knew of their first meeting. But Yuri knew they weren't that as they had an impromptu date earlier. Whatever they are and what they will become, he hoped it will be something amazing. For the first time ever, Yuri thought his relationship with an Alpha, with Otabek will be a good one for once. It was reassuring to him.