The chilly wind raised goosebumps on Louis's skin, and he pulled his light jacket more tightly around his shoulders. Zayn and Liam trailed just a few steps behind him, debating whether they had better chances of running across a larger animal closer or farther from the river. The sun shone brightly through the forest canopy, the only sign that spring really would come in just a few long weeks.
When the wind changed direction, Louis paused, sniffing the air curiously. "Wait, is that . . ?"
"Louis!"
Niall's voice filled the air, and he sprinted into the clearing, ramming straight into Zayn. The two betas fell to the floor with a loud thump, limbs tangled as they rolled together like something out of a cartoon.
"For god's sake, Niall! Can you not watch where you're going?" Zayn exclaimed, grunting as the Irish boy landed on top of him. "You must've seen us a mile off!"
Niall ignored him, untangling himself from Zayn and scrambling to his feet. He propped his hands on his knees, bent over as he panted. "I . . . fuck, okay . . . Harry --"
Louis's eyes widened, every hair on his body standing on end. "Harry . . ?"
Niall was already shaking his head. "Harry's fine, he's . . . well, actually, I guess he's not fine," the beta admitted hesitantly. "He kind of . . . maybe . . . sort of . . . went into heat early?"
"He what?! Are you sure?" Louis exclaimed, his mind racing as he tried to figure out the best and most appropriate reaction to this unexpected information.
"Oh, yeah. I was just trying to soften the blow," Niall said bluntly. "He's definitely in heat."
With two fistfuls of the beta's shirt, Louis slammed him back against a tree. "And you left him alone?!" the alpha roared, his eyes flashing.
"I scented the area before I left!" Niall shouted back, not nearly as afraid of Louis as he should have been. "It'll cover his scent, but you need to hurry. The herbs and my scent will only last a little while, and traces of beta might not deter a determined alpha."
Louis cursed again, his blue eyes dark and stormy. He shoved Niall back against the tree one last time, and then released his iron grip on the beta's shirt, not hesitating to sprint off in the direction of their home.
"You're an idiot," Zayn commented as they watched Louis's back disappear into the distance, a bit too amused considering the stressful situation.
Niall shoved the other beta's shoulder, snorting, "What was I supposed to do -- fuck him through it?"
He glanced nervously over his shoulder as soon as the words left his mouth, as if Louis might have heard and turned back just to tear him limb from limb at the mere suggestion. Liam and Zayn burst out laughing, the sound echoing through the trees.
/
Louis rushed into the cave. Harry's scent had beckoned him from half a mile away, making his alpha growl protectively at the idea of anyone else knowing that his omega was in heat.
And that he wasn't there to take care of him.
Harry was trembling on the corner of their mattress, pressed back against the cave wall. His body was on full alert during his heat, his nerves reacting to even the smallest noises and movements around him -- especially without his alpha there to protect him.
"Harry, baby," he cooed softly, running across the cave. Harry looked so small and scared, curled up into the tightest ball he could manage, but relief washed over his face when he saw his mate.
"Lou," he whimpered, reaching out for his alpha. Dried tears stained his cheeks; patches of cum and slick stained his thighs and stomach.
"Shh, shh, I'm here." Louis gathered his omega to him, cradling Harry's head against his chest as the younger boy started to cry properly again, all while rutting desperately against his hip. "I'm right here, angel, I've got you."
"Need . . . need you," Harry begged, nuzzling into Louis's neck. His tongue darted out to swipe over the dark mark on the alpha's neck, making Louis groan. "Need your knot, alpha. Need you."
"I know, sweetheart, I know. I'm going to take care of you." Louis stripped out of his clothes in record time, his heart shattering at Harry's quiet whines of protest at the loss of contact. Harry tended to be a bit clingy on a normal day, but in heat, he hated every single moment that Louis wasn't touching him, even in the most innocent ways.
"Don't know why," he sobbed quietly, grasping at Louis's shoulders as the alpha settled on top of him. "Thought we had another month, wasn't supposed to happen for another month --"
Louis shushed him again, nuzzling into his neck. Harry's skin was hot and clammy against his own. "It's alright," he soothed, trailing his lips up the younger boy's jaw. "Don't worry. We'll figure it out after. Right now, I'm going to take care of you."
"Don't know why," Harry mumbled again, and then Louis cut him off by attaching their lips in a firm but comforting kiss.
He slipped one finger into Harry's slick hole as their lips moved together. The omega whined needily, rolling his hips down to meet Louis's steady thrusts, making the alpha chuckle against his mouth, "Patience, baby."
"I'm in fucking heat," Harry snorted, his head falling back against the pillow.
"Oi! No excuse to disrespect your alpha, hmm?" Louis shot back, one eyebrow raised in a challenging question. He scissored his fingers inside of Harry, only looking to pleasure him -- thanks to his heat, the omega's hole was already naturally stretched for his cock.
Harry's swollen member gave an interested twitch against his stomach, and he shook his head quickly. "No, alpha, I'm sorry," he whimpered. His tone was breathy and needy. "Please."
Louis slid in a third finger beside the first two, making Harry whimper. "Please, what?"
"Please, let me come," he begged softly. His hips shuddered as the words fell from his lips, his back arching off of the mattress. "Need to come."
"You think you deserve it?"
"Please, alpha!" Harry wailed, rolling his hips down to meet Louis's fingers. "Oh, please, Lou, please --"
Louis wrapped his other hand around the omega's neglected cock, stroking steadily in time with his harsh thrusts. Even through his heat-muddled brain, Harry knew that was permission enough; and besides, he couldn't hold himself back for another second. He arched up off the mattress as he came -- again. He had already lost track of how many orgasms he had before Louis arrived.
"So good. So gorgeous," Louis praised fondly, stroking Harry through the aftermath of his orgasm, not giving his aching cock a chance to soften. "Love watching you come."
Harry was breathless, his chin tilted up with his eyes closed. "Knot," he murmured, his hips twitching as Louis continued jerking him off. "Please, knot."
"Alright, angel. I've got you." Louis slipped his fingers out of Harry and flipped him over abruptly, smirking proudly when Harry presented himself instinctively, whining impatiently. Louis pumped himself a few times, spreading Harry's slick over his aching cock as he lined himself up with the omega's stretched hole.
"Please, Lou --"
He pressed himself inside before Harry could even start begging properly. Harry's breathing hitched, holding on to fistfuls of their sheets as Louis fucked him hard, moaning whenever the alpha growled.
"So good for me," Louis told him, thrusting particularly hard just to hear Harry cry out. "My good omega. Just take it like you're supposed to."
"O-Only from you," Harry managed. He arched his back, whining desperately, "I'm close. I-I'm so close, oh, please --"
"Come," Louis growled, the hint of alpha tone in his voice making Harry wail as he came, the sound only slightly muffled by the pillow. The alpha followed in suit, groaning as his omega's hole clenched wetly around him, milking his cock as his knot snapped into place. "Fuck, Harry, so good. You're so good, fuck --" His tone softened as he added, "I love you. My pretty omega."
"Sleepy," Harry spoke slowly, his eyelids already drooping. "Thank you."
Louis didn't respond; he just kissed Harry's bare shoulder, then settled them onto their sides so that he could spoon him properly. Harry drifted to sleep in mere moments, his pliant body safely wrapped up in his alpha's arms while Louis stayed awake, tracing comforting patterns onto his omega's heated skin with his index finger.
It had been a long time since he had helped Harry through a heat while he wasn't in rut himself. Their heat and rut had synced for the first time just a few months after Harry's banishment, and their schedule had stayed normal since then. Louis frowned as he tried to figure out what had gone wrong, and eventually, he gave up, settling for watching Harry's nose twitch adorably in his sleep. Time didn't really exist when they were in rut or heat, so Harry might have slept for a few minutes or the entire night. Either way, Louis refused to leave his side.
Harry moaned quietly, rutting up against Louis's leg even in sleep. Even as he tried to get a few hours of much-needed rest, he couldn't escape the throbbing ache. Louis just stroked his hair soothingly for a couple more minutes, letting Harry unconsciously ride his thigh. One glance down under the covers made Louis cringe -- Harry's cock was painfully hard, red and flushed and leaking against his stomach.
So he untangled himself from his omega and crawled down Harry's body, working hard to ignore the way that Harry reached for him without ever waking up. After pumping the younger boy's length a few times, he took the sensitive head into his mouth, swirling his tongue around the tip.
It was only a minute or so before Harry woke with a gasp, bucking his hips unexpectedly into Louis's mouth. His hands tangled in the alpha's hair, tugging lightly on the ends.
"Alpha," he moaned, holding fast to Louis's hair. "Knot. Please, need your knot."
Louis pulled off with a pop, trailing his lips down the younger boy's hipbone as he pressed one finger inside. He sucked a dark mark into Harry's skin as he fingered him, holding the omega's hips down when Harry started writhing desperately on the mattress.
He didn't wait more than another thirty seconds to replace his fingers with his cock, gripping at his omega's hips as he pounded relentlessly into Harry. The amount of slick that Harry produced in heat made him groan; he had forgotten the dripping, addictive drag of Harry's clenching walls, especially since he had only fucked Harry in heat during his own rut. Lost in the sensation, he realized suddenly that Harry was whimpering something nonsensical, and he took hold of his mate's chin, tilting his head forward.
"Use your words, omega," he growled, forcing Harry's hazy eyes to meet his own.
"Lou," the younger boy breathed, squeezing his eyes shut. "Need . . . come . . ."
"You can come, sweetheart. Don't have to ask for permission. Especially not when you're in heat," Louis soothed him. He slowed his pace, thrusting languidly in and out of the omega's pulsing heat. "It's okay. Let go, baby."
Harry was shaking his head, almost thrashing against the pillows. "No, no, no, I need . . . need you to come here."
"I'm here." Louis's eyebrows knitted together, concerned. He reached up to untangle Harry's fingers from the sheets, lacing their fingers together and squeezing. "I'm right here."
"No. Kiss me," Harry finally managed, pouting. "Need you to come down here and kiss me."
Louis couldn't help but laugh, the sound ringing happily through the cave in a sort of release of tension; because here was Harry, pouting like someone had just insulted his very best dinner, all because Louis wasn't kissing him.
The older boy leaned down to connect their lips, gently prying Harry's mouth open with his tongue. "Such a sweet omega," he praised softly, his words tumbling straight into Harry's open mouth. "So good for me. My perfect omega."
Harry cried out into Louis's mouth when he came, tilting his head back and baring his neck. Louis growled possessively at the sight, chasing his own release as Harry's body trembled around him. His knot caught on the omega's rim after just a few more thrusts, settling deep inside, and Louis collapsed on top of him, burying his face in the younger boy's neck.
Once they caught their breath, Louis flipped them over, careful of his knot. Harry settled happily on top of his chest, eyelids already drooping, as he mumbled a sleep "I love you." And they fell asleep like that, tangled up in each other in the most literal sense of the phrase.
The next time Louis woke up, Harry was prodding gently at his shoulders, trying to push him up into a sitting position. He rubbed at his face, blinking bleary-eyed at his mate, but he complied without question, sitting up and leaning back against the cool cave wall.
Harry swung his leg smoothly over his lap, straddling him with more grace than either of them realized he possessed -- especially in heat. Still shaking off some hazy remnants of sleep, Louis groaned when his cock slid wetly between Harry's cheeks, then inhaled sharply when the omega reached down to properly take hold of the throbbing member, guiding it to his used hole.
"One more," he mumbled, his nose scrunched in adorable concentration.
Louis didn't protest. He just brushed the tangled curls away from the omega's forehead, letting Harry take control. His cock slipped in easily, and Harry sank down without hesitation, wiggling his hips as he settled himself in the older boy's lap.
"So good, love. So tight for me," Louis groaned, barely resisting the impatient urge to flip Harry over and take the omega for himself.
Harry inhaled sharply as he lifted himself up and dropped back down, throwing his head back as he set a steady rhythm of bouncing on Louis's cock. Maybe it was just his heat starting to wind down but Louis felt so much bigger this way; Harry felt full to the brim in the best way possible.
"Alpha," he moaned, his fingertips digging into Louis's shoulders for leverage. "So full."
"Yeah, you like being full, don't you?" the older boy growled, thrusting his hips up to meet Harry's movements. "Like taking your alpha's cock like you were made for it?"
"Love it, love it," Harry rambled, another hard thrust upwards from Louis nearly sending him flying out of the alpha's lap. "Love it, love you --"
"Gonna remark you, sweetheart," he said firmly. "It's about time."
The omega whined excitedly at the prospect, grinding his hips down. "Please, Lou. Want it. Want your mark."
Louis growled possessively. In one smooth motion, he slammed Harry down onto his back, quickly finding his own rhythm and pounding into him mercilessly. Harry cried out, scrambling to grip Louis's arms, his fingertips digging into the solid muscle.
"Please, please, alpha, mark --"
One more growl ripped out of Louis's throat, and he sank his teeth into Harry's bond mark. The omega came with another cry, spilling long ropes of white into the small space between them. Louis followed in suit, his knot catching inside of Harry, pumping deep pulses of come into him.
"So good." Harry blinked a few times, trying to clear the spaciness that had formed in his head.
"So pretty," Louis praised gently, thumbing over the fresh mark. He kissed Harry softly, then carefully maneuvered himself onto his back and the omega onto his chest, wincing when the movement tugged uncomfortably on his knot. "You think you're done now?"
A blush spread across Harry's already-flushed cheeks. "I'm done. Feel mostly normal," he said, resting his chin on his mate's chest. After a pause, he added quietly, "I'm sorry."
Louis frowned. "What for?"
"For . . . well, for this," he explained, gesturing to their sweat- and cum-splattered sheets. "I don't know why it happened."
"Me neither. But don't apologize. I mean, really, when do I not love needy sex with you?" Louis teased, tickling the younger boy's side playfully. "We'll talk to our resident omega expert when the other boys get back tonight, alright?"
Harry smiled, still blinking slowly. "Niall was freaking out," he confessed, laughing. "When we finally realized what was going on, he acted like I had grown a second head. He wouldn't even come close to me -- like he was afraid he might accidentally touch me."
Louis couldn't contain the rumble that escaped from his throat. He squeezed Harry impossibly closer, his fingertips digging possessively into the omega's hips. "It's a good thing he didn't touch you," he replied, his voice low enough to be a growl. The renewal of their bond sent a twinge of energy shooting up his spine at the thought of anyone else going near Harry. "I'm the only one allowed to touch you when you're in heat."
With a snort, Harry told him, "You're ridiculous."
Louis just nuzzled his nose into his mate's curls, sighing contentedly. "And you're mine."