The case had dragged for three days so far, and John's dread increased day by day. Minute by minute. Hour by hour. He was starting to feel it. There was a penetrating heat pooling in his centre, swirling and radiating outwards. Despite the suppressants, he could feel a dull ache in the pit of his stomach. His skin was starting to prickle and tingle in the confines of his clothing. More than that, Lin's intense chilli chocolate scent was driving him crazy. Despite forcing himself to be away from him, John's body was craving his strong touch. His body remembered how it had felt to writhe beneath his larger body. The bite on his neck throbbed, reminding him who owned him. He could feel his own scent seeping from his glands, calling Lin. Telling him his omega was ripe for mating. This is horrible...He felt nervous and shaky as he hurried into one of the small bathrooms in the mansion. The house was so old that it didn't even have a heat room. How did people survive before? John could only imagine the monthly carnage as various omegas had fallen into heat, and the stream of alphas that would have risen to claim them. The fights must have been a bloodbath.

John turned the rusting old lock of the dirty bathroom door and sat on the grubby tiled floor. He pulled his knees up as he bent over and clutched his aching head. He closed his eyes and mentally closed in on himself. I'm alright...I don't need him...I don't want him...I can ride it out...I can just stay here. He felt scared and vulnerable as he huddled in a ball. He wished the mansion was closer to Tokyo. Closer to any form of civilisation would be a good start. He whimpered as he finally felt the unwelcome warmth of slick pooling in his pants. It was almost like he'd wet himself. It was humiliating. It was soaking through his clothing, and would soon start to smear the dirty tiles. I should have left the moment Monk-san pointed out my heat cycle! I could have been home, in my own room...I just didn't think the case would drag on for so long! He felt vulnerable and alone. He didn't feel safe being somewhere so cold and unfamiliar. It was filthy. Dirt and dust layered thickly on the floor. It wasn't the sort of place any omega in heat wanted to be. He should be at home. Curled up in his bed with his blanket and teddy bear.

The small bathroom smelled of damp, rot, and filth. The scents of the previous occupants had long since rotted away. There was nothing familiar. Nothing human. Nothing comforting. Nothing he could wrap himself in. Nothing he could cling to. He tried to quiet his sobs and sniffles. He knew that his friends would be aware of it by now. His scent was so strong it would permeate the whole house soon. It had certainly filled the filthy bathroom. Cotton candy was thick in the air, with an underlying sharpness that signalled his distress at being alone in an unfamiliar place. His body was calling for Lin even more insistently in his hour of need. It was a small comfort that his friends were the only ones around for miles to pick up his scent. He quivered fearfully as he sensed a familiar presence arrive on the same floor. He knew who it was. Don't! Go away! Don't come any closer!

"John...Open the door please," Lin's voice murmured from outside, trying the gentle approach for now. John's head shot up, his heart pounding as dread washed over him. He whimpered as he felt warmth spreading out from his bonding mark. The tingles willed his body to obey. To invite his alpha inside. He isn't my alpha! John gripped his arms tighter and buried his face once more. The knock became firm and insistent. "John." Lin repeated the word with a growl of possession. John could feel it from the other side of the door. Lin's burning need. You're my omega, and I will have you. The strength of his tone made John wince and shudder in submission. His omega wanted his alpha. His conscious mind was terrified. He didn't want to lose himself. He was also afraid of weathering his heat alone.

Lin seemed to sense or hear something of John's state of mind as he waited outside. He made no move to knock the door off its hinges and force his way in because he could hear John's scuffled movements as he slowly moved to comply. Lin waited impatiently, resting his hand on the almost rusty handle of the scuffed wooden door. He heard the lock click, and quick rustling movements that told him John had pushed himself away from the door. His jaw tightened as he pushed it open. He did it slowly, doing his best not to scare John. He didn't want to come on too strong.

John didn't look at him as he stepped inside. His face remained buried in his knees with his arms folded around them. He was huddled against the dirty porcelain tub, his whole body quivering in fear and need. Lin didn't want him to be afraid. He hated it when John gave him that wide-eyed look. It hurt. He'd understood it would be difficult when he'd first decided to mate John, but he hadn't imagined the level of emotional attachment he would come to feel. He would genuinely die for the omega before him. Seeing him through his heats was his responsibility. My privilege. He desperately wanted to take care of him. He wanted to nuzzle and pamper. Cuddle and caress. He wanted to scent John and be accepted.

"Look at me," Lin coaxed in a gentle tone as he shut the door and moved to kneel in front of John's huddled form. He rested one leg on either side of John's shivering form, almost creating a protective shield. John shook his head, tightening the grip on his arms as he pushed his face further into his knees. He was sniffling quietly, quivering with each sob. His scent screamed his distress. He was afraid. He still didn't understand how he should feel. Lin sighed as he reached out with gentle hands and caressed John's golden locks, trying to offer comfort. He could feel the heat there. It wasn't as scorching as before, likely thanks to Takigawa's administrations. "Please..." he breathed as he slowly coaxed John's face up.

He felt horrible as he took in John's vulnerable, distraught expression. Tear tracks streaked his flushed cheeks. Salty drips clung to the tip of his small nose. Lin wiped them away with gentle fingers, leaning in to press gentle kisses to his warm forehead. He could feel John shaking his head in denial. He didn't want this. But you need it. Lin's say it out, but it hung silently between them as he continued to kiss and caress. He rubbed John's back and stroked his shoulder. He pressed their bonding mark with gentle fingers, tracing the red scars. He could feel John shiver in anticipation. His legs subconsciously parted a little. A show of submission.

"You need to start keeping better track of your heats..." Lin chided gently, his voice thick with affection. John's shaking fists bunched in his shirt. He wanted to pull him closer and push him away in equal measure. Lin closed his eyes as his rut flared. His instincts were screaming at him to slam his omega into the tiles and pound him into oblivion. He wanted to fill John and feel him panting and writhing beneath his body. He clenched his teeth and pushed the urge down. That could wait. He wanted to reassure him first. He wanted to ease John into their coupling. He wanted him to willingly accept their pairing. John could smell Lin's rut. His scent was leaching from every pore. It was drowning him in a sea of heady spice. Temping him. Calling his omega. "If you were somewhere away from home...away from me...any alpha could take you," Lin purred in warning. He felt John's shudder of revulsion. He didn't want to be taken by anybody, and that included Lin.

It was cruel and unfair, the way Lin's presence wrapped around him like a comforting shroud. Before he could stop himself, he'd already leaned forward to press his forehead into Lin's chest. He was seeking comfort on a subconscious level. Lin's scent grew stronger as he raised his face closer to his shoulder. To his scent glands. Lin's arms rose to embrace him warmly, accepting the weight against his chest. Lin buried his own face in John's soft hair. He breathed deeply, easing their slowly entangling bodies down to the cold, dirty tiles. He moved an arm beneath John's head to cushion him. He stared down at his vulnerable expression, caressing his heated cheek.

"I can't take this!" John whimpered as he cried, tears trailing down his cheeks. Every month, for at least four days, for the rest of my life! He still hadn't come to terms with, or truly accepted, his position. After his last heat, he'd done his best to put the experience in a box, nail the lid shut, and pretend it had never happened. Lin was sympathetic as he soothed him, stroking his cheek and throat gently. Palming their bonding point was a common gesture of comfort. Massaging the area would remind an omega of their bonded status and tease out their combined scents. The urge to rip John's clothes off was getting harder to resist, but he was firm in his resolve. He would never intentionally hurt John. He would never treat him like a thing to be used. John was his omega, and he would always treasure him.

"Let me help you," Lin coaxed as he shifted their tangled bodies, holding himself above John's vulnerable form. John clenched his jaw, eyes glittering with resentment and resignation as he rolled over to face the tiled floor. Lin rested his weight on his knees as he looked down at his shivering body. He was troubled as he stroked circles on John's back. "What are you doing?" he asked in a wounded tone as John shifted to brace himself against the filthy tiles. Dust coated his dark sleeves as he angled his hips up. Submissive and accepting of his position. Lin's alpha purred at the sight. John was wearing a deep blue top, which usually brought out the brightness of his eyes. Lin adored those eyes. He wanted to see them.

"Making it easier...Get it over with." John felt humiliated as he knelt on the floor like a whore, waiting to be filled. Lin growled in arousal, surprising John as he was roughly turned onto his back and pressed against the tiles. "You don't have to..."He was afraid of what he'd see if they did it face to face. Lin cupped his cheeks, silencing his fears with a deep, slow kiss that took his breath away. Lin was clearly experienced. His lips pressed and coaxed his own, teasing him to respond. His tongue lathered his lips and mouth with lazy strokes. John hated the needy sound he made as Lin drew back.

"I don't want to fuck you, John...I want to take care of you." He was insistent as he silenced John's response with his lips. He knew the setting wasn't ideal, but he was going to make sure the emotion was there. John felt hazy and breathless the next time Lin drew back. His eyes were unfocused as he allowed Lin to slide the damp blue material up his body and over his head. Lin spread it out on the dirty tiles, along with his own white shirt, to create a barrier between the filth and John's pale skin. "Shhh...Just feel it," Lin murmured as he nipped their mating mark. He almost purred as John's legs fell open a little wider. A sign of willingness and submission.

John was flushed and breathless as he lay on the thin barrier, moaning needily as Lin moved further down to suckle his small buds. Tingles spread across his skin. Buzzes of pleasure swirled in the pit of his stomach. John squirmed and whined, relishing in the contrast of the hard floor beneath and Lin's warm flesh above. He keened as he breathed in Lin's spiced scent. The alpha who'd marked him. The alpha who owned him. His alpha desired him. He had to please him. As Lin slipped his trousers down, John parted his thighs wider, exposing himself in submission. John could feel Lin's hunger. He watched his dark eyes trail over his slickened entrance and throbbing shaft.

John's sweet scent was overpowering. It called to him. It begged to be touched and taken. Lin traced his tongue over his lips slowly, watching John flush timidly. He quivered beneath his strong hands. John whimpered as he shifted between his legs. Lin purred as he licked the slick from the tender skin of John's thighs. It was better than he remembered. He moaned as he teased John's thighs wider with his hands, listening to the needy gasps John made as he was devoured. Lin prodded the loosened ring with his tongue, slowly edging in for a fresh taste of the sweet nectar. John's heat had already loosened and slicked him. He was ready to be filled. Lin trailed his tongue up John's perineum, tracing higher to his throbbing shaft. John whined and yelped as Lin drew his length into his mouth.

"I don't want to...feel like this..." John choked as Lin left his shaft and licked higher. Pleasure was thrumming through his body. The heat in his core was building. His skin was burning. Heat began to consume his body, despite the suppressant in his system. John could feel a rush of warmth and affection rising for the alpha between his thighs. His omega wanted Lin. He wanted to be filled. He wanted to be comforted. John mentally recoiled from the feelings. He didn't want to want it. He didn't want to need it.

"Like what?" Lin asked curiously as John gripped his shoulders and tilted his head back. He waited for John's answer, hoping that he could reassure him. That he could somehow prove himself worthy of acceptance.

"Like any of this is real..." He was beautifully vulnerable in his confession. Lin softened his expression and grasped one of his hands, linking their fingers. He kissed the small pale wrist, marvelling at its fragility. John's whole body was fragile. He could snap him in half. As if sensing his thoughts, John's whole body quivered. He turned his face away as Lin started easing himself inside. His blue eyes widened as Lin turned his face back. He kept eye contact as he slowly filled his warm passage. "Nn...huh!" John looked like a deer in headlights as Lin slid in to the hilt. His breath was shaky as Lin paused and let him adjust. He didn't want to overwhelm him too soon. He wanted to take things slowly.

"It is real." Lin's voice was barely a whisper. It was almost vulnerable. A plea for acceptance. John couldn't respond as Lin pulled his hips back and rocked forward. He was soon a shivering, whimpering mess as he clung to Lin's strong shoulders. Lin insisted on keeping eye contact. He tried to keep his movements smooth and fluid as he rocked back and forth, circling his hips to tease John's walls. He wanted to show that he cared, even if it wasn't love. He wanted John to feel safe. Protected. Important. Cherished. He wasn't something dirty to be used and tossed aside. He was something precious to be treasured.

"Please...please..." John moaned as he buried his face in his shoulder, accepting each tender thrust. Lin allowed himself to cut loose a little, rutting against John's rounded rump. He cushioned his arching spine with his hand, unwilling to bruise his skin on the tiled floor. John's moans grew breathier and more urgent. His insides quivered and tightened around Lin's solid length. Lin growled and bit down on their mating mark. He could feel John shudder as his hot seed spurted between their bodies. With a final thrust, Lin pushed in deeper. John's blue eyes flew wide at the feeling of Lin's knot swelling almost painfully in his passage. It locked Lin's length deep inside his tight warmth. As he came down from their coupling, John turned his face away. He was resentful as he felt Lin's hand on his cheek, forcing him to turn back.

Lin didn't say a word as he caressed John's damp cheek, staring down at him with eyes full of warmth and adoration. John's blue eyes shifted uncomfortably. He didn't want that warmth. It felt like Lin was laying himself bare. Showing him his deepest feelings. Lin finally allowed him to turn his head again and sadly accepted John's rejection. They remained quiet after that. Lin didn't want to start an argument. John didn't want to fight. He also didn't want to feel. Unfortunately, that was impossible during his heat. He could already sense the heat flaring across his skin once more.