Keith's heart broke as he watched the omega sob. He had caused this. He had rejected Lance's nest and now he didn't feel safe. It was all his fault. Hunk snapped into action when the omega started to scratch at his arms.
"Get Coran!" he yelled as he scooped Lance into his arms. "We need to sedate him before it gets worse!"
"Worse?" Keith echoed. "What's happening to him?"
"His body is rejecting his heat!" Hunk snapped. "Because you rejected his nest! You made him feel threatened!"
"Hunk, Keith didn't know," Shiro said. "It wasn't his fault."
"I know I just...I don't want him to go through this again." Hunk sighed. The pack eyed Hunk curiously.
"Again?" Shiro asked. Hunk's head snapped up when he realized what he had said.
"I'll explain later," Hunk said, holding the whimpering boy in his arms. "We need to calm him down first!"
Pidge raced into the room followed by a very frightened Coran and Allura. Coran took one look at the scene before him before he rushed to Lance's side. "Hunk what's happening to Lance?" He asked as he took out a needle with strange purplish liquid in it. An Altean sedative. He looks at Hunk for permission and Hunk nods eagerly. Coran injects the liquid into Lance and he visibly relaxes until Lance is unconscious. Hunk lets out a sigh of relief. "What's happened?"
"Lance tried to fight off his heat."
"Forgive me," Allura cut in. "But I thought you told me only omega's could have heats. Am I mistaken?"
"No," Hunk said, shaking his head sadly. "You're right. Lance is an omega--"
"He kept it a secret." Keith said bitterly. It wasn't nearly as edgy as he had wanted it to be. He was still worried about Lance. He had made Lance do this. It was his fault.
"He has his reasons," Hunk said angrily. "He didn't exactly grow up in the best environment."
"What do you---"
Hunk held up a hand, silencing Pidge. Even thought the beta knew that Lance was an omega, Lance hadn't told her anything about himself. "It's not my place to tell. Lance'll have to explain himself. All I'm saying is you can't exactly blame Lance. We just need to focus on finding him somewhere he can nest."
"But I thought he couldn't nest anymore." Keith questions.
"He can't nest around us," Hunk says sadly. "But it is really important that he nests. I don't think his body can fight off a heat twice."
"So this has happened before?" Shiro asks. Hunk nods.
"A long time ago. A few years after Lance presented he was going into his heat and his parents accidentally took apart his nest." Hunk said. "He didn't feel safe at home, but there wasn't anywhere else he could go for his heat so his body rejected it. He ended up getting really sick. He almost died. It was really bad. I don't think Lance will be able to survive it again. He barely did the first time."
The pack looked at the only omega in their group. He was sweating and whining in his unconsciousness. He winced every few seconds. Hunk wiped some of his hair out of his face lazily. He smiled at his best friend with love and adoration.
"So what do we do?" Shiro asked.
"We need to find a place in the castle that none of us have been in. Somewhere where Lance won't be afraid of us walking in on him. " Hunk pondered this. They had pretty much been everywhere in the castle. The only places where they haven't been in is the ninth and tenth floor. "Coran? What's on the ninth and tenth floors?"
"Well, my boy, it's really only extra rooms. That's where the servants lived back on Altea. Nothing up there but empty rooms and closets." Coran looked off into space (pun intended bwahaha) and sighed contently. "Why I remember showing the newbies around the castle. They were more nervous than a mating Wizzpaper."
Hunk clapped his hands together. "It's perfect." the rest of the pack looked at Hunk, confused. They didn't understand. "We'll tell Lance to find somewhere to nest up there, where we won't go, and maybe, just maybe, he'll feel safe enough to go into heat."
Shiro nodded understandingly. "That could work," his gaze returned to the whimpering omega in Hunk's arms. Lance scratched himself deep, bloody claw marks raked up and down his arms. "We need to heal him first."
Hunk nodded and lifted Lance into a bridal carry and followed the rest of the pack into the med bay. He set him carefully into the healing pod before stepping back. Hunk knew that Lance would only be in for a few ticks. The pod door made a whooshing noise as Lance fell out. Hunk caught him.
"Hunk?" Lance whimpered.
"Hey bud," Hunk said, taking in the omega's scent. Lance smelled...sick. His sweet ocean scent that Hunk loved was tainted with sour.
"Hurts.." he wined.
"I know bud, I know," Hunk said, rubbing his back soothingly. "Your body is trying to reject your heat."
"Again?"
"Again." Hunk nodded. Lance clutched his stomach and whined again. "It's okay. I think we've found a safe place for you to nest." Lance looked into Hunk's eyes when he said that. Hunk steeled himself when he saw the tear stained face of his best friend.
"Where?" Lance's voice cracked.
"On the ninth or tenth floor of the castle," Hunk said. "None of us have been up there and we won't go up there unless you want us to. We're going to let you go up there and find somewhere to nest safely. We'll leave provisions for you in the elevator for you once you've found somewhere, okay?"
"Okay."
"Now, Keith's going to help you collect your nesting materials while Shiro and I prepare food for you, okay?" Hunk asked. Lance nodded again. Keith's head snapped up at the mention of his name.
He wanted to revoke Hunk's declaration. Was it really safe for him to be alone with Lance? What if he made it worse? Still, he found himself leading Lance back to his room. The whole time Lance's distressed scent kept Keith digging his nails into his palms to keep him from comforting him.
His alpha was going crazy.
Protect omega.
Protect omega.
Protect omega.
Keith lightly pushed Lance into his room and blocked the door so he couldn't run. Not that he expected Lance to run. He could barely stand. Keith finally went to help Lance. He collected the blankets and clothes carefully.
Was Lance mad at him for rejecting his nest? Did Lance hate him. The thought made Keith's heart break. He never told anyone, not even Shiro, with whom he shares everything with, that he had a crush on the Cuban boy. Keith had always thought Lance was a beta so it would never have worked. But Lance wasn't a beta. Lance was an omega.
And Keith was an alpha.
And Keith could court Lance. But now, Lance would probably never forgive him. After all, Keith had caused all of this. It was all his fault.
"I'm not mad at you," Lance said, snapping Keith back to reality. Keith was surprised. Could omegas read minds? "It wasn't your fault. You didn't know. I shouldn't have tried to build it in your room. This ones on me."
"No it's not," Keith replied. "It's not your fault. You couldn't help it. It was your instinct. I'm honored that you felt safe enough with me to even want to build your nest here. Until I ruined it."
Lance grabbed Keith's hand, jolting him in shock. Lance looked down at it, blushing red. Keith blushed in response when Lance's thumb brushed his hand comfortingly. "It't not your fault." he said softly. "And even if it was, which it wasn't, I wouldn't be mad. So there."
Keith let out a low chuckle. "Okay." he said. Lance looked up at him in shock. "Okay, fine. It wasn't my fault. But it wasn't your either, so don't you dare for a second blame yourself. How about...it was no one's fault. Yeah?"
Lance nodded sheepishly. Keith scooped up the rest of the materials before leading him to the elevator. He carefully set them down and stepped back. In order for this to work, no one can set foot on the floor that Lance picks.
"Now remember, we won't go up there, but if it starts to hurt again you call for us, okay?" Keith asked.
"I remember."
"Good." Keith looked at Lance for a second before stepping forward and pressing a light kiss to his forehead. Blame it on the alpha, Keith thought. But he knew deep down it wasn't his alpha instincts compelling him to kiss Lance. "Be safe."
Lance blushed profoundly and nodded. Keith stepped back once more and the elevator doors closed, and Lance set off in search of his nest.