Chapter 7
Once they were dressed and dry, Cody made sure he was all packed up before choking down his inhibitor dose. Leo threw him an alarmed look as Cody gagged and forced himself to swallow, but he didn’t comment. Just pressed his lips together, looking troubled.
Cody just tried to gather together his courage and strength to go down to breakfast. He didn’t want to. He didn’t want to leave his room and have to be a person and pretend that the last twenty-four hours hadn’t happened.
Leo touched his shoulder, a warm press of his large hand. “Come on,” he said, not unkindly. “You need to eat something. You barely ate dinner last night, and a few snacks hours ago aren't enough for you.”
“’M not usually hungry during—when I’m like this,” Cody mumbled.
“Yeah,” Leo said quietly. “I think there’s probably a lot of people who lose their appetite when they’re in pain.”
Cody shrugged helplessly and concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other.
It was second nature to breathe through his mouth so that Leo’s scent didn’t overpower him.
After taking his libido inhibitor, Leo’s scent didn’t make Cody want to drop to his knees or turn around and present, but a day into his heat and so close to what had been a dream of a night…
Well. Cody was already dripping slick, and thank every deity that ever was for his absorption underwear, but more than that, he wanted to just press his face into Leo’s chest or the crook of his neck and inhale.
The cramps hadn’t come back yet, not so soon after being doused in Leo’s pheromones or whatever, but with both of them having used Cody’s scent blocking soap in order to make sure they got rid of the heat scent that had clung to them, Leo’s own scent was slightly dulled now.
Cody just knew that the cramps would return with a vengeance, and soon, and all he could hope for was a plane ride that wasn’t spent wishing he could curl up into a ball or climb into Leo’s lap.
Get through breakfast. Get on the plane.
Get to your car and drive home. He used a mail-order pharmacy for his inhibitors and they express shipped.
He’d already gotten the notification that his meds would be waiting for him once he got home.
He’d weather the cramps and nausea like he always did, and at the very least he wouldn’t lose himself to desperation.
He only had two more games to get through before his heat was over, the one tomorrow and the one on Sunday, and he could manage that and morning skate and press and—everything else.
He’d done it before. He knew how to grit his teeth on a smile and get through it.
Something squeezed his shoulder, and Cody blinked, coming back to himself. Oh. They’d made it to the dining room.
That was…that was good.
He spotted about a third of the team and staff peppered throughout, and some called out greetings.
Cody summoned up a weak smile and waved half-heartedly back, and then stared down at the table Leo had led him to, trying to cobble together the energy to try picking out a breakfast to eat that he’d be able to stomach.
“Why don’t you take a seat?” Leo said. “I’ll get you a plate. Okay?”
“Okay,” Cody whispered, eyes suddenly misting up—what the hell. Just because Leo was going to get him breakfast?
No. Because Leo was providing for him.
Fuck. Fuck stupid omega instincts and his innate needy, clingy nature, and fuck all of it for making him want to cuddle up to Leo’s bigger body and go back to bed surrounded by him.
“Thanks,” he added, trying to keep his voice from shaking.
Leo smiled at him and reached out one more time, thumb sweeping just under Cody’s ear. Cody fought down the shiver through the sheer force of will he’d spent his entire life honing, and watched Leo walk away.
The minute Leo was about fifteen feet from him, Cody was hit by such a severe cramp that his vision fuzzed out, and he was lucky that he was already sitting down.
He bit his lip nearly to blood to keep in the pained whimper, and when he’d blinked the spots from his eyes, it was to see Sergei standing right in front of his table, his blue eyes wide.
One hand was outstretched, as if Sergei couldn’t help reaching for him.
As Cody watched, Sergei tucked both his hands behind himself and shuffled back half a step.
“Oh, hey Sergei,” Cody said tiredly, trying to summon up another smile and failing miserably. “Morning.”
Sergei bobbed his head, looking distinctly uncomfortable. “Cody Wallace. You are…okay?”
Cody fought the urge to bury his face in his hands. He must look about as bad as he felt.
“Just a headache,” Cody said, trying to sound unaffected. “But I took something for it. You don’t have to worry about me.”
Sergei looked from Cody to around the room, then back to Cody. “Leo, he is too far away, yes? I will get him.”
“No, no, no,” Cody said in a rush, holding up his hands.
“That’s okay. That’s fine. He’s not—he’s not, um…
” Sergei knows, he reminded himself, even as that had his heart pounding harder.
In front of him, Sergei looked panicked, as if he was reacting to Cody’s own emotions.
Was he? It was primarily an omega skill, but Cody knew that was something some alphas could do too.
Leo certainly could. It was part of why he was such a great captain.
And now he was thinking about Leo again—
Cody cleared his throat. “It’s fine. Really. I’m really fine. But thank you. Leo’s, um,” Cody stared back down at the table. “He’s just getting me breakfast.” Because I’m so fucking pathetic that it felt impossible to do it on my own.
But Sergei didn’t look judgemental or disdainful at all. Instead, his expression cleared and he smiled, leaning in though still keeping some distance. “Leo, he’s good alpha. Is good he’s take care of you.”
Cody blinked, mouth working soundlessly for altogether too long. “Oh,” he said weakly. “Uh, yeah, um, he is.”
Sergei nodded, like it was perfectly normal to be discussing his captain’s…alpha capabilities in taking care of an omega. Who was also his teammate. “But maybe he should not be so far away?”
Cody looked across the room to where Leo was, then back to Sergei. “He’s just—right over there,” he said helplessly.
“Maybe I’m say wrong,” Sergei said with a frown, brow wrinkling as his shoulders hunched. “My English very bad.”
“Excuse me?” Cody demanded indignantly, hurts momentarily forgotten.
No one put themselves down like that on his watch.
Especially not for something like not being one hundred percent perfectly fluent in a second language.
“Your English is great,” Cody continued, glaring at him.
“You can speak two languages and be understood in both of them. I can’t speak two languages. I can barely speak one language.”
Sergei seemed taken aback by Cody’s sudden fierceness. “Thank you,” he said quietly. Then, “Have good breakfast with Leo, okay?”
“Okay,” Cody repeated dumbly, before he realized that Leo was approaching, carrying a tray—where had he gotten a tray? Had he asked the staff?—with a bowl, two plates, and three cups. He smiled up at him. “Hey, welcome back.”
Leo chuckled as he set the tray down. “Good to be back. Morning Sergei.”
Sergei glanced from Leo to Cody and back to Leo, expression one of clear bafflement. “Why…Leo?” And he tapped his nose.
Cody looked at Sergei blankly, but Leo seemed to understand whatever the question was, because he answered Sergei in Russian. Sergei replied with another glance at Cody, to which Leo said yes which at least Cody understood, and then some more words Cody didn’t.
Whatever the exchange meant, it seemed to satisfy Sergei. “Have good breakfast,” he said, then walked away.
Cody tilted his head in the direction Sergei had retreated. “What was that about?” He asked.
Leo took the bowl off of the tray and pushed it in front of Cody.
When Cody glanced down, he saw that it was oatmeal with cut up strawberries.
The other plate, Cody saw as Leo set it in front of him, had several pieces of toast, as well as a variety of jams. Not the most calorie dense, but yeah, Cody didn’t think he’d be able to stomach eggs or bacon or sausage anyway.
The final thing Leo placed in front of him were two of the cups. One was water, the other—
“What’s this?”
Leo gave him a crooked grin. “Apple juice. You need to be hydrating and you need the sugar. It’s some calories even if not the most, which is especially important if you’re not eating well.”
“Oh,” Cody said, and now that Leo mentioned it, he was thirsty, even if not particularly hungry. He took a sip and then several gulps of the apple juice before he turned his attention to the toast. That seemed easier than oatmeal. “So what was that about with Sergei? What did he ask you?”
Leo turned his attention to his own plate, which did have a heaping pile of eggs, as well as hash browns and sausage. “He wanted to know why my scent was dampened, when…”
“When?” Cody prompted after Leo trailed off and didn’t say anything else.
“When my omega needs it,” Leo said, eyes downcast and keeping his voice low.
Cody’s piece of toast dropped back to his plate. “He—he could pick up on that?” He asked, trying not to sound hysterical. “Could other people? Will the team or crew be able to—?”
Leo shook his head, cutting off Cody’s desperate questions. “Sergei’s like me, in that he’s pretty sensitive to scent. On top of that, he’s got…some additional information about what happened last night. He’s only drawing a logical conclusion.”
Cody nodded. Right. When explained like that, it made sense. Sergei was with Leo when Cody—with Vince, when he—
Vince. Fuck. Cody had almost forgotten, among everything else.
“Hey, hey,” Leo said, nudging the plate of toast closer to Cody. “What’s that face for?”
“I’ve got to talk to the GM,” Cody said dully.
“And talk to PR. As far as I know, Vince already—he already blabbed about last night and I…I need to prep them for that. I need to prep me for that, fuck.” He stared down at the plate of toast, throat closing up as he pushed out, “I might lose my contract over this.”
Leo’s face clouded over. “Over what?” He demanded in a furious whisper. “Over being assaulted?”
“I—I let him into my room,” Cody said miserably. “Soaked with heat scent, I—”
“And the first thing he tried to do was hurt you,” Leo cut in, voice almost a growl.
“He didn’t offer to help you, or try to give you comfort, or call someone because he was worried about an omega in distress.
He tried to hurt you. And I know there’s always going to be shit floating around in the world about omegas asking for it during heat or some other fucking nonsense, but I am an alpha.
And you know what? So is Sergei. What did we do, when we were in a room supposedly soaked in your heat scent? ”
“You…” Cody wet his lips. “You pulled him off me. And Sergei dragged him out.”
“Did Sergei come back to try to hurt you?” Leo asked. “Once he knew about you and got your scent?”
Wordlessly, Cody shook his head.
“And I—” Leo took a deep breath and let it out. “I had the most opportunity. An alpha in your room. Did I…did I do something you didn’t like or want?”
“No,” Cody said in a rush. “No, of course not, you were—” he stopped, face flushing.
“What, sweetheart?” Leo asked, voice so low no one else could have heard the endearment. “What was I?” He sounded worried, unsure for the first time since Cody’s heat had started.
That got Cody to loosen his tongue. “You were everything I had hoped it could be like,” he said, feeling the admission crack something open inside of him.
“I-in my fantasies, when I was really hurting and just dreaming about what it might be like if I could share my heat with someone.” Cody slid his finger through the condensation on his water cup.
Leo had filled it nearly to the brim with ice, and the cold was welcome in the face of how hot he felt.
“I’m glad it was you. And I-I know I won’t get it again, but I’m glad I got to see what it was like.
When things felt good instead of hurting.
When—” he swallowed, finishing in barely a whisper.
“When there was someone to take care of me.”
Leo’s hand gently touched Cody’s, making Cody look up.
“I will be thankful every day that I got that privilege, “ Leo said with quiet intensity. “That you trusted me enough to help you, and that I was able to help. So let me help you deal with this shitty excuse for an alpha too, okay? If nothing else, it’s his word against yours, mine, and Sergei’s. And we’ll tell Hen and PR the truth. They’ll know how to handle things.”
Cody nodded, but couldn’t help voice his fear. The fear that hounded him every day that he played as an omega in the big leagues. “What if…what if handling things means getting rid of me?”
“Then I guess the Cougars will need a new captain,” Leo said lightly. “Because I will renegotiate my contract with a different team, where the people in charge aren’t bigots.”
Cody’s mouth dropped open as he stared up at Leo.
“Why don’t you drink some more juice,” Leo said gently. “And try to eat something, and then we can talk to Hen.”