Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Diesel was right. After taking another suppressant a wave of warmth washed over him. But as he crawled into his bed, his body started rejecting the medication, cried for help, asking its owner why he would put his own self through such torture – feeding himself chemicals that messed with his entire being, his hormones all over the place, being fought by whatever was inside those develish capsules. And the warmth, it increased to the max before abruptly vanishing, leaving his skin clammy and even colder than before.

The tremor started mild, just a light shiver lingering in his bones – but it got worse the more time passed, the more his cells absorbed the medication and struggled with handling it. To the point his whole bed vibrated from his shaking, his breathing uneven, panicked – feeling like he could pass out anytime soon – his pulse way too fast for someone in a resting position, his heart hammering against his chest like it would die if it couldn’t break free soon. And the sensitive spot on his neck not only feeling uncomfortable like it did so often – an indescribable pressure pushing down on it – no. It hurt. Sent sharp pain signals through his spine, leaving his head spinning and his body curling into itself in agony – soft, heartwrenching moans escaping his lips as he tried to endure the torture. 

Fuck— 

That was it. His weak body finally succumbing to the mistreatment he put it through. His father was right. Diesel was pathetic. So much in fact not even a boot camp could fix him. He would never be the alpha his fa– Diesel always dreamt to be. He was just a despicable omega. Just a pretty trophy for real alphas to claim. And even that was wrong. Diesel didn’t have working pheromones, didn't have a sweet scent to compete with others – his body not even worthy of being a slut, belonging to anyone but his father. And his father would probably kill him if he didn’t return as an alpha. The ugly scar beneath his ribs was the proof. Almost like his father had already marked Diesel as his property. Had stained his body so that no one else would ever want to touch – no – look at it. Forcing Diesel to either become an alpha or– die. Because how could an omega ever fend for itself? Useless beings…

Diesel's vision blurred at the edges, darkness slowly consuming his sight as his body tried its best not to fall apart – fingers digging into the bedding, clinging to the measly comfort life spared him.

But every time he was about to drift away, his own tremor shook him awake, kept him alive. As if he wasn’t allowed to escape the torture. Something forcing him to endure the pain, wrapping itself around his bones, burning itself deep into his soul.

Was that the punishment he deserved for being an omega? Not even being able to shed his disgusting gender with medication that was supposed to help him shift? He truly was weak.

Not like Phi Thee. Never like Phi Thee. How could he be such a perfect alpha? So– different from any alpha Diesel had ever known. So much stronger, confident and dominant, yet his scent didn’t burn inside Diesel's lungs, his presence never felt oppressing – and he never used his strength to inflict pain. Despite Diesel deserving it.

Instead, he was kind and caring, protecting Diesel although he was just a stranger, even going against school rules to help Diesel through the day.

Phi Thee–!

His body cried for him, his mind yearned for him. He needed his warmth, his soothing pheromones. Craved for the way he looked at him, spoke to him – so soft and gentle, although his dark voice and sharp, dangerous eyes suggested something completely different. 

With his last bits of energy, Diesel swallowed the next wave of pain and crawled off his bed, using everything his hands could find as railing to not break down while stepping through his room as fast as he possibly could, the cold air surrounding him slowing him down more and more each second. Hesitantly, he knocked on the door across the hallway, hoping Phi Thee was still awake – and wouldn’t get mad at Diesel for interrupting his peace.

Thee froze as his eyes met Diesel's. Something inside him painfully cracked at the sight. Diesel stood there, clinging to the blanket sloppily wrapped around his shivering body, barely able to steady himself on shaking knees – exposed, the short pajama set flashing his soft skin. His breathing was shallow, yet frantic. He leaned on the door frame as if his life depended on it, his eyes kept squeezing shut before fluttering open again, his teeth dug into his abused lip, trying to contain his cries that leaked anyway, soft moans echoing through the night, stabbing Thee right in the heart. 

“Ph–phi–”

Thee's guts twisted.

“Pl–ease h–help—”

His trembling voice was Thee's death sentence.

Diesel's legs gave up, his body about to hit the floor when Thee caught him, cradling him in his arms. As soon as his skin touched Diesel's, peppermint and black tea gushed out of him stronger than ever before. Diesel's body felt cold. Alarmingly cold.

“Diesel–!” Mok ran towards them immediately, offering his helping hand.

But seeing another man reach for Diesel, Thee’s scent increased its intensity, so much, Mok stumbled backwards, coughing, looking at Thee in worried – and hurt – confusion. For a second Thee glared at his best friend like he was his biggest enemy, like he was a threat to Diesel's safety, even flashed his teeth like a warning before snapping out of it. The primitive facial expression vanished, his gentle self showing again – an apologetic look hit Mok before his focus turned back to the trembling body in his arms.

“What's wrong– what happened–?”

“I'm–m c–old–”

Thee could barely understand the shaky words coming out of Diesel's mouth but Diesel tremblingly curling into him, fingers weakly digging into the fabric of his red sleeping robe – it broke Thee in a way he couldn’t describe, his protective instincts overtaking him as he scooped Diesel up and carefully carried him into his bedroom.

Diesel's senses started to numb, his tremor slowly ease, like his body gave up trying. But he could feel the strong arms around him, his back hitting softness that smelled exactly like Phi Thee – the scent fighting the agonizing pain, now a mere dull throb behind an invisible barrier. Still present but not hurting him anymore.

With dazed eyes he watched Phi Thee move, pull out some clothes from his closet before returning.

“Here, put these on–!”

Thee held out a long-sleeved pajama set, similar to the one he was currently wearing, just a different colour.

He was slightly overwhelmed by the situation, didn't quite know what to do, how to help. Of course, his parents had taught him how to take care of an omega, knew they were prone to freezing due to their slightly leaner anatomy, the different hormones surging through their bodies, and was shown firsthand how to deal with such a situation. But… Diesel was an alpha. Could the same methods work on him? They… should, right? Alphas and omegas were both humans – so it was worth a shot.

Diesel hesitated as Phi Thee handed him his pajama set. Diesel had brought his own long-sleeved pieces, too. His striped pullover for example. Or some joggers he loved to wear when sitting at his computer. But he was never allowed to wear those inside the bed, his father had prohibited him from doing that. Had said it would make him turn soft, turn into an omega if he used warm clothing for sleeping. Seeing Phi Thee's set broke his mind, couldn’t comprehend the concept of a textbook alpha like Phi Thee breaking every rule Diesel's father had ever set up.

Could Diesel really wear this? Would it make him even weaker than he already was? Would Phi Thee realize he was born an omega?

It felt illegal – somehow. But seeing the long silky pants underneath the robe as his senior strode back into the living area made Diesel’s spiral stop. At least for now. If Phi Thee was wearing a similar pajama, it should be fine, right? 

With shaky arms he pressed himself upright, leaning heavily against the headboard while exhaustion kept trying to pull him back down. Unsteady fingers started unbuttoning his own shirt, the cold air finding the opening, seeping through his bones immediately, making his hairs stand on end.

“Diesel–!”

Diesel flinched hard as the loud call hit his ears, his body immediately starting to vigorously shake again.

Fuck—

His heart skipped a beat.

It was a test. To see if Diesel would fall for it. Of course, he wasn’t allowed to wear long clothes inside the bed – Phi Thee himself would probably change into a short set before sleep. Diesel was so naive, so stupid to even believe it could be otherwise. What would happen now? What would he do to him…?

But Thee just turned around, covering his face in embarrassment, had accidentally walked in on Diesel changing, his eyes met with bare skin he was never meant to see.

“I'm– so sorry–! I meant– you were supposed to– wear my clothes over yours– for– for extra warmth–” he stammered, heat rising into his ears. 

But the involuntary flash had burned into his mind. Not Diesel's breathtakingly smooth skin or the lean muscles carved into his stomach, no. A scar. Jagged, red, reaching from the middle of his torso to his side. Leaving Thee's mind running non-stop, asking himself what had happened, another wave of protective pheromones gushing out of him, adding more to the already filled air.

Why am I leaking so badly when it's you?

Diesel swallowed, head spinning, still trying to catch his breath from the initial shock as he watched this textbook alpha shy away from him, apologizing as he turned around.

So, an alpha was allowed to wear long-sleeved pajamas…?

“Are you– done…?”

“One s–sec–!”

Quickly, Diesel buttoned his own shirt back up and threw Phi Thee's over his body. The smooth fabric wrapping around his arms, a familiar smell covering him in an additional layer of comfort. With his last energy reserve he brushed away the blanket on top of him and wrangled with the pants, pulling them over his bare legs before slumping back against the headboard, slightly panting from the minimal effort.

Weak…

“I'm done…”

Only after making sure Diesel was fully clothed did Thee turn around, a throw blanket and a few couch cushions in his arm.

His mother had taught him to cover the freezing person up as best as possible, multiple layers helping with trapping heat, additional pillows isolating further. With the limited possibilities inside this prison, this was all he could find. 

“I'm sorry– for the miscommunication–! I’m still not as fluent as I have to be–” he mumbled, as he carefully set the items on the bed. “Here, let me just–”

Thee didn’t finish his sentence, instead he slid his hands underneath Diesel's body and laid him back down before tucking him in.

Phi Thee's touch sent a wave of intoxicating warmth through Diesel's stomach, making his heart pound against his chest, the sensitive spot on his neck acting up again – thankfully not as painfully as before.

But his words had made Diesel curious, had asked himself since the moment he first met Phi Thee where his accent came from.

After letting his senior cover him in blankets and pillows, using the time to calm his own breathing, his shiver slowly leaving his body again, he gathered all of his courage to voice his question. 

“You seem– fluent– just–”

“The accent?” Phi Thee sighed, almost like he was disappointed in himself. “I'm from Hongkong, but– my mother is Thai. They sent me– us here to expand.”

For one second, Thee got distracted with missing home, was reminded of the path his parents had chosen for him, having to attend this horrible school that took everything from him. His freedom, his confidence, his scent…

But meeting Diesel somehow brought it all back – like his presence reminded Thee of his purpose, his responsibility. Protect and care. An alpha's job. Even if it meant looking after another alpha.

Thee's eyes met Diesel's, droopy, glazed over with tears, and tired – but trying to stay awake, eagerly listening to his words. Thee swallowed. He knew what the next step was. Knew what his mother had taught him. But he was unsure if that level of intimacy would overstep a line or not. 

“Are you– still cold…?”

Diesel blinked a few times, looking down on himself, covered in blankets and an additional layer of clothes – but still slightly shivering. Was it the cold? Or was it… his medication…? 

“Y–yes–”

Diesel had greedily hoped, claiming he was still freezing, would make Phi Thee release more of the scent that Diesel couldn’t get enough of. Every time those pheromones entered his body, it seemed like another cell of his gained back its strength, enough to fight every demon attacking him.

But what happened next wiped his mind empty. 

Thee stared at Diesel for another second, contemplating, asking himself if he was ready – if Diesel was ready.

“I'm going to–” For a brief moment Thee squeezed his eyes shut, an attempt to ground himself, get rid of the nervousness. “I'm going to hug you then–”

Diesel's breath hitched as Phi Thee laid down next to him, strong arms gently wrapping around the coccoon, accidentally shoving one of the pillows to the floor in the process.

The initial touch burnt, made Diesel’s heart skip a beat, his limbs tensing up, going stiff. But as soon as the peppermint and black tea noticeably got closer, his body and mind automatically leaned into the comfort and warmth, letting itself be cradled by Phi Thee's proximity.

It was so wrong – an alpha inside another alpha's embrace, his father’s nightmare, would slap Diesel senseless if he knew, his son a weakling, an… omega – but it felt so, so right. So incredibly right in fact, Diesel's mind didn’t even have the time to worry about the consequences of his slutty actions, his inner omega surfacing like his father had always warned him about. Instead, everything quieted down. He drifted away.

Thee felt the man in his arms slowly relax, steady breathing, a peaceful facial expression, cute little noises escaping his partially parted lips every now and then.

But there was something else. Something that made Thee’s mind overheat, his pupils dilate and his composure falter.

Something slipped.

Something sweet.

Just faintly, just a little hint peaking through the wall of peppermint and black tea.

But enough to hit him like a truck.

Unlike usual, this morning Thee's sleep wasn’t cut short by the alarm. He was harshly shaken awake by the man in his arms jerking up as soon as the deafening sound blasted through the halls.

Thee wasn’t able to rest that night, not really. His mind forced him to stay up, waiting for the sweet hint in the air to come back – but it had vanished as quickly as it appeared. He didn’t know what its source was or why his body reacted so strongly to it – heating up, heart beating out of his chest, mind wiped empty and his peppermint and black tea desperately flaring up, searching for the sweetness to wrap itself around it, mix the scents – but he knew he wanted to smell it again, just didn’t know how to. Had hoped he would find out by staying awake, but at some point he passed out from exhaustion, from the lack of sleep the day before while his glands worked overtime, couldn’t stop producing and releasing pheromones even if he tried to restrain himself.

Diesel woke up as soon as the first blaring sound of the alarm hit his eardrums, shakily jumping up immediately. At home, oversleeping for just a few minutes meant his father would barge into his room to wake Diesel up his way. It had only happened maybe once or twice. But the fear stayed, loud noises forcing his body into fight or flight mode.

After just a few blinks, his eyes getting used to the light, his mind slowly starting to work, another shock wave washed over him. Unfamiliar interior surrounded him, the usual scentless air filled with peppermint and black tea – and to Diesel's personal horror: Phi Thee's arms were wrapped tightly around his body.

What happened…?

His head was spinning, nausea claiming his stomach, a faint ache inside his bones. Last night felt like a blur inside his mind, like a dream Diesel couldn’t quite remember the details of. But waking up inside an alpha's bed as… someone born an omega was never a good sign.

Did Phi Thee…

Panicked, he hastily scrambled away from his senior, used one of the many blankets to cover his body, his level of fear increasing even more when Phi Thee slowly woke up as well, the confused look on his face quickly turned into worry as his eyes met Diesel's.

“Diesel– what's wrong? Nightmare…?”

Thee sleepily sat up, a slight headache pulsing underneath his skull. He brushed it off, wanting to focus on Diesel, currently pressing himself against the wall behind him, had scooted to the other side of the bed looking like a frightened prey animal being cornered by a hungry predator.

As the blanket fell off of Phi Thee, realization hit – his senior was clothed, he himself was also clothed – double even. Nothing happened… Diesel's memories slowly came back. He had seeked his seniors' help when his body fell apart, had turned to the only person inside this prison that was able to ease Diesel's fears, help him breathe – and also keep him warm.

Anxiety was quickly replaced by embarrassment as he remembered clinging onto Phi Thee, his hazed and panicked mind seeing him as a life saving pillar, greedily inhaling his scent while at it – and Phi Thee cuddling him to sleep.

“N–no, no nightmare, just– startled–” Diesel mumbled under his breath.

More like a sweet dream…

Diesel discreetly pinched himself under the blanket for thinking that, the pain reminding him of his place. He had bothered his senior in the middle of the night merely because his weak body was freezing, couldn’t handle the cold, how dared he enjoy his time here? If anything, he should apologize, try to make it up to him – somehow. 

“Good,” Phi Thee smiled, shortly rubbing his eyes, dark shadows underneath them. “Let's get ready.”

Phi Thee held out a hand for him to grab, gently pulling him up and away from the bed. With the first rays of sunlight reflecting off the walls, Diesel could actually explore Thee's room, used that opportunity to ease his nervousness, maybe discovering a way to start a conversation with his senior and find out how he could repay him for his help. Or maybe he just needed an excuse to avoid looking at Phi Thee – messy hair, slight stubble on his face, wearing pajamas instead of the strict uniforms the school required. It felt quite illegal to see him in that state. Too intimate in a way Diesel couldn’t describe. 

So instead, he focused on his room's interior. Same boring furniture, same sad colours – but somehow still different, everything feeling much more inviting than his own loft. Little gadgets were scattered all over the place. The special charging docks provided by the school neatly tucked away between the desk and the hanging shelves, the working area neatly separated from the bed and the closet by a book case – displaying everything but actual books. Diesel saw a section full of jewelry, one dedicated to expensive watches, a family photo peaking out in between the miscellaneous items – and most of all elegant bottles of perfume were scattered across multiple levels, sleek, black labels flashing a designer brand he knew too well. Had been buying from the same one ever since it appeared on the shelves maybe a year or two ago.

Diesel liked how his perfumes were widely unknown in Thailand, kind of brushed off as a newcomer, yet in their origin country they were already seen as one of the best – products of the most influential business group in Hongkong. Arseni. In fact, Diesel had only discovered that brand because he had heard his father cussing at his assistant for not being able to get in contact with those people, trying to invite their representative to one of the high-class events he hosted purely for connections and polishing his image – desperately wanting to disclose a deal with them as they were expanding their grounds across borders.

In an attempt of making his father proud, Diesel did some research himself, hoping he could find a way to contact the people behind Arseni. Instead, he fell into a perfume rabbit hole, was interested in their unusual aromas and combinations right away. As someone who depended on perfume to mask the faint sourness that sometimes surfaced – probably his medication trying to form his alpha scent – or distract from his overall scentless body, he had ordered a few samples on the spot, only to completely fall in love with the brand.

Diesel felt special having discovered this gem, would call himself a trend setter in his friend group when they asked him about it. And now, seeing the same brand on Phi Thee's shelf made him feel warm somehow. Maybe liking the same perfumes as Phi Thee – an admirable and well-respected alpha – gave Diesel a confidence boost in his own gender. Surely, he had to be an alpha. No omega would ever spray themselves in those harsh scents, right? Omegas shouldn’t even be allowed to use perfume at all. If they did, they would mislead alphas, wouldn’t they? Lure them in with a scent that wasn’t their own. False-advertisement. If all their worth lied within their purchasable bodies and sweet scent, at least they shouldn’t alter those features. His father had berated him once. Had smelled Lukjan’s perfume on Diesel mixing with her natural scent. Diesel couldn’t bring her to drop it, but it had annoyed him ever since. 

Maybe Diesel could buy his senior a new perfume once school break allowed them to leave campus again. Just as a small gesture, to pay him back at least a little bit. Phi Thee clearly liked perfume – although Diesel hadn’t really smelled it on him, his peppermint and black tea too strong to mask. Then a bottle with peach-coloured liquid caught his eye.

“Is this new?”

Diesel pointed at it, hadn’t seen it before despite regularly checking the Arseni shop for new collections. 

“Yea– you know that brand?”

“It's my favourite, Phi–” Diesel flashed a proud smile. “And you seem to like it, too.”

“Yea– I do,” he chuckled shyly before walking over to grab and hand Diesel the bottle in question. “Try it, it's– very new.”

Matter of fact, it was so new it hadn’t even left the creative teams’ desks yet, not officially. They were still in the midst of finalizing the formula and promotion deals when the new school year began. Thee's parents had advised him against the collection he had planned – trying to expand Arseni's portfolio with sweeter scents – but Thee had gone against them, had told them the perfume branch was his. It was the least he could demand after having to move away from home.

“I'm– not sure, Phi–”

Diesel eyed the label: green tea and peach. A combination so far from everything Diesel had ever worn – and would have thought someone like Phi Thee would ever touch. Not musky, not harsh, instead light and soft – and sweet. An alpha wearing a sweet scent? Was that not degrading? Maybe strong ones like Phi Thee could confidently wear it – somehow – but not him. Not Diesel with his lack of hormones, lack of pheromones – lack of everything. It would only make him even more of a target, wouldn’t it? If the queen happened to smell it on him? What if she would come to the conclusion that he indeed was an omega? 

“Just take it with you and tell me if you like it whenever you decide to use it.”

“Khap, Phi–”

Phi Thee seemed to really like that scent. So maybe it was worth a shot – at some point. But him looking at Diesel like that, so intense, so expectantly, after everything that had happened the night before – it embarrassed Diesel, made him shy beyond belief, had to break eye contact in order to not melt into the ground. Not only Phi Thee's current carefree appearance made the situation even more intimate than it already was. Diesel's own look – stripped from his formal clothes, his neat hairstyle, perfume worn off – felt like his extra layers of protection were pulled away from him, leaving him incredibly vulnerable, like his secret was just one tiny misstep away from leaking.

“I'll– go to my room then–!”

They had already wasted a bunch of time just standing around, shyly eying each other, when in reality they had to hurry in order to not be late to the morning assembly.

“Let's meet in the hallway at 6:25,” Phi Thee called after him before his voice – and scent – disappeared as Diesel hushed out of the room and left the apartment to enter his own.

After a few minutes of catching his breath, regaining his composure, he walked into the bathroom to brush his teeth, wash his face – the water as cold as ever, but at least he was still dressed warmly.

Oh…

He forgot he was wearing Phi Thee's pajama set over his own, his peppermint and black tea faintly hovering over him like an additional layer of warmth and comfort.

Oh—

And as he took it off, his heart almost stopped beating, couldn’t believe how he didn’t add two and two together sooner.

Theerakit K. Lee 

A fine embroidery snaked across the back of the fabric. Name of the CEO of Arseni's perfume branch.

Phi Thee… Theerakit… Hongkong…

It was so obvious, yet Diesel couldn't connect the dots until the answer was right in front of him.

He felt stupid for ever thinking Phi Thee was only nice to him in order to gain something from Diesel, when in reality, Phi Thee had everything – and Diesel had nothing. 

No wonder was he sent to this school with a bodyguard accompanying him. He must have a bunch of enemies, a bunch of people who want him dead. And no wonder Phi Thee was such a strong alpha, he was practically born to be one – a leader of a successful company, carrying one of East Asia's most powerful name, now additionally expanding southeast.

Diesel eyed the peach perfume standing on his desk. Why would someone like Phi Thee create such a scent? So sweet… so omega. Or maybe it wasn’t as sweet as Diesel thought? Maybe it was just a misleading label? Surely, Phi Thee despised omegas’ scents as much as any respectable alpha would. So there was no reason to create a perfume representing them. Maybe Diesel should try it. It was Phi Thee's brand afterall.

But before Diesel built up enough courage to test out the new bottle, an old familiar scent hit his nostrils – after having stripped out of Phi Thee's pajama and slipping into his own school uniform – peppermint and black tea completely left his space, revealing something he had been trying to hide ever since he first noticed it. Just a little hint of indescribable sourness. That pitiful smell his body sometimes produced. A sorry excuse of an alpha's musky scent leaking now and then after taking his pills. Which he hadn’t done as of yet. So why was it already surfacing? Diesel spun one of those little capsules between his hands, eying it in uncertainty. Was that a sign for him to not take one right now? Diesel could still feel the slight nausea lingering in his stomach, his body still remembering the torture it was put through just a few hours ago, desperately trying to eject the chemicals out of its systems.

No, he wouldn’t take his medication. Not now at least. Peppermint and black tea would help him get through until at least after breakfast. And then Diesel could think about taking his daily dose. He flicked the capsule back into its bottle and grabbed his go-to perfume instead, drenching himself in it, masking the sourness leaking out of him. It wasn’t his go-to because of its scent though. He hated how strong and harsh it was. Would much rather use the other, lighter Arseni perfumes he preferred way more. But it perfectly suppressed his weird scent, so he used it every time it surfaced.

“Phi,” Diesel voiced after a few minutes of silently walking downstairs, Phi Thee closer to him than ever before. Diesel wouldn’t complain, it helped him breathe, especially after having skipped his pill. “Why– did you make that perfume?”

“Oh–” Thee cleared his throat, his footsteps slowed and he shied away. He had been feeling protective this entire morning. Especially after Diesel left his instincts tried to desperately follow him. He had to forcefully keep himself inside his apartment, had briefly talked to Mok as a distraction – and to apologize for his accidental hostile behavior last night. But as soon as Diesel stepped into the hallway, Thee’s mind felt fuzzy again, pulling him closer towards Diesel with no way to fight it.

However, Diesel knowing he was indeed Arseni’s CEO somehow managed to create some distance between them.

Thee had always been proud of his name, his brand, but ever since the bullying started, he stopped showing it off, instead he hid it. The pride never vanished, but the backlash made it a harder pill to swallow. What if Diesel would think the same as those people? Laughing at him for not being alpha enough to carry that CEO title on his shoulders? Peppermint and black tea flooded the space – again. In fact, it hadn’t stopped ever since last night, even before Diesel asked for help.

“So you knew?” A slight hint of insecurity swayed with his question.

“No– I just figured after seeing your full name…” Diesel hastily said, not wanting his senior to think he had only tried to use him for his connections. “I'm just wondering… why you decided to– make a sweet perfume–”

“Ohh–” The tension in Thee's body eased, his worry erased. Diesel wouldn’t make fun of him, why would he? Had spent the entire night peacefully sleeping in his arms despite peppermint and black tea filling the air, so he couldn’t dislike Thee's softer scent like the others did, right? “Well– it reminds me of omegas.”

The mention of that gender startled Diesel for half a second, feeling like he was just called out for being one before regaining his composure. Did Phi Thee like their manipulative scents? The ones his father had always warned him about? What if it reminded Phi Thee of… his omega…? Did he own one back home…?

Something about that made Diesel’s gut painfully twist, his nausea resurfacing, not exactly understanding why. Maybe he… was getting sick of the thought of someone as powerful as Phi Thee still being tricked by one of those ugly creatures. Or maybe it was only Phi Thee's trophy omega? Something he could just– use and show off? Like– Lukjan was to Diesel? But just a trophy wouldn’t be important enough to dedicate a whole perfume to, right? Who even wanted to smell like an omega…? 

Diesel's head demanded answers, but the assembly had just started, leaving him alone with his spiraling mind. Only when they sat down at the table after picking up their breakfast trays was he able to ask.

“Do you like omegas’ scents, Phi?” Surely not. Nobody did–

“Yes, Diesel, why wouldn’t I?” Thee stared at Diesel confused, eyebrows furrowed. Was Diesel one of those weird alphas who looked down on omegas? If so… Thee's insides stirred. He couldn't be close to someone with that opinion, wouldn’t tolerate hatred towards any gender. This school was already so inherently anti-omega, he couldn’t spend his free time with one of those alphas as well. But something inside of him refused to let Diesel go, was stuck to him, wished to stay close to him as much as possible. Peppermint and black tea flared up in stress – and confusion – earning him a worried look from his best friend.

“So– so is that… your omega’s scent…? The tea and peach I mean…” Diesel stammered, his brain still trying to process the fact that Phi Thee – an alpha so perfect others could only look up to but never reach – liked that manipulative sweetness, while his father had always preached to him no respectful alpha would ever want to lay hands on an omega unless it was a strong and good one – which was straight up impossible. Omegas weren’t good nor strong, they were the source of all evil – weak, pathetic and slutty. Using their bodies to make the world a worse place.

“No, sadly not.”

Sadly …?

“They are too rare and too precious, I haven’t been lucky enough to win an omega’s heart over.”

Diesel's brain short circuited…

“But when the day comes, I'll be the happiest man on earth.”

… and now it shut off completely.

He had never heard an alpha talk so– tenderly about that despicable gender, let alone make it seem like it was an omega’s choice which alpha they belonged to. His father had always taught – and showed – him the opposite, how easy it was to claim ownership of an omega. Starting with Diesel's body – beating it to a pulp, making it feel unbearable pain for having somehow fucked up his gender at birth, marking it permanently, the scar on its torso a lifelong reminder for whom it belonged to until he finally became an alpha himself.

“Diesel…?”

“Y–yes–?” Diesel jerked up from his memories flooding his brain, feeling his father’s hands all over his body, his nausea increasing yet again, his limbs trembling, his eyes stinging.

“I asked you–” Thee stopped. He had originally returned Diesel's question, his brain for some reason dying to know if Diesel was already taken. Only to make sure he wasn’t one of those anti-omega alphas, of course. But seeing Diesel so distraught, all the colour drained from his face, shivering and shaking like last night, eyes unfocused, glazed over with tears – it broke Thee, his priorities shifting instantly, another wave of peppermint and black tea washed over the both of them. “Are you okay? Are you cold again?”

“N–no–”

“Then–” Thee hesitated. Would it overstep a line if he asked? “Are you– sick? Does it… have anything to do with—”

Carefully he pointed at the spot he had seen that scar in last night. What if Diesel had some disease that made him lose his scent? That made him freeze easily and denied him normal amounts of food?

“Wh–at–? N–no–!” Panic surged through Diesel's whole being. Phi Thee had seen it… seen his father’s mark… He couldn't let Phi Thee know the truth. It would reveal him as an omega – too weak to defend itself from much stronger hands. Phi Thee would despise him– no, he wouldn’t, he liked omegas… but he would– 

Diesel didn’t know what to think, but he was certain he had to lie, couldn’t risk his gender being revealed. It would bury his chances to ever pass as a real alpha. It would get him into immense trouble – from the school and his father. He might not survive it. Already felt cruel hands on his skin, no longer holding back, wanting this failure of a son gone. And the scariest part was that Diesel knew his father had the connections to easily let his body vanish – if he happened to go too far one day – without anyone ever wondering where Diesel went. As if he never existed.

“That was an accident– nothing too bad– just– my kidney–” Diesel forced a smile onto his face. 

“Diesel… what does that even mean?” Phi Thee sounded helpless, his eyes shimmering in worry, fingers twitching. “What do you mean it's not too bad when it involves your kidney?”

Diesel swallowed.

“I have– two, so…” He shrugged.

That was what his father had told him when he picked him up shortly after his surgery, mind still hazed from the anesthetics. He had two kidneys anyway, so he should be glad his father didn’t hurt both, had spared him one to keep him alive. Diesel had thanked him that day.

“Diesel–!” Phi Thee gasped. “That doesn’t mean you can– just– be careless…!”

Phi Thee was right. Diesel was careless. Had allowed his pathetically weak body to pass out during his father’s punishment. One he had deserved to fully feel. But he drifted away, hid from the pain. So it was only the consequence of his own action that his kidney tore. He didn’t protect it like he should have.

“I– I'm not– anymore…”

As he saw Diesel's lowered gaze, looking at the floor in shame, guilt gnawed at Thee.

“I'm sorry for lashing out. I just–” He had felt too protective over him. Even more than over Rome – or his own mother. “Please don’t get hurt again, Diesel. It's– it's damaged now, right?”

Diesel nodded, then quickly shook his head. “It healed, Phi—!”

“Okay, good.”

Thee smiled, but on the inside he knew better. Knew sensitive tissue like that wouldn’t just magically turn back to how it was before. The risk of it getting injured again was much higher now. He couldn't let that happen, had to shield Diesel from harm.

Starting with their now daily routine of shoving over half of Diesel's food portion onto his own plate.

During his first lecture of the day Diesel felt the effects of his missing medication. He had planned to take a pill right after breakfast, but the nausea still lingered, scaring him too much to give it a try. So instead, he tried to withstand the suffocating air on his own. Knees weak, breathing shallow, too busy fighting the intruding pheromones to even pay attention to the professor. Luckily, he had successfully passed his first year at his old university, so it wasn’t too bad. Had heard the teachings already. Still, during the short break in between classes, he rushed upstairs to take his medication anyway, hoping his body wouldn’t react as strongly again as it did yesterday.

Luckily, it didn’t, just a bit of a tremor claiming his bones, nothing too serious.

At lunch, Phi Thee's scent helped him again, so Diesel hopefully wouldn’t have to take another pill until maybe dinner. To help him eat.

But Diesel couldn’t even get that far into the day before his heart dropped.

He was getting ready for his first ever self-defense class – important for the heirs of the most powerful families im the whole country – when a familiar smell hit him. Not in a good way. In a bad, gut wrenching, scary way.

The queen entered the gym, followed by a few other tutors. And as her gaze wandered over the crowd, her eyes instantly locked onto Diesel, a mischievous smile spreading across her face.

Fuck…

Diesel was fucked. If he happened to slip up even a little bit, there was no way she wouldn’t take that opportunity to torment him. And the lack of suppressant in his system only made the experience worse, her scent easily fighting its way inside, claiming his lungs, his cells – his body desperately fighting the intrusion. And failing. Even before the first self-defense technique was shown, he had to discreetly lean into the wall behind him to not fall over. And as the actual training began – a student pretending to grab another student who was then supposed to use the newly taught move to free themselves – his body gave up. The alpha so close to him, choking him from behind, the arms around his throat – it threw him right back home. Into his bedroom. His father holding him in a headlock to drag him out of bed and through the whole mansion because Diesel had overslept for a few minutes. Only when he was close to passing out did he let go of his limb body, shoved it away so it would hit the ground with more force. Hurting, feeling every step it was pulled down the stairs, red marks all over his knees from friction burn, from not being able to get on his feet while his tender skin was dragged across the floor, the carpet.

Thud.

Diesel fell. Heart racing, breathing frantic, body shaking.

“Teacher, khap, he refuses to train.”

“I'll take care of him, teacher.”

The queen's voice.

Diesel was dead.