Chapter 12
“Hey, can you drink something for me, sweetheart?”
Cody whined, panting. He was so, so hot, his skin almost feverish. The bottle wasn’t cold, but it was colder than he was. His alpha’s palm was cool though, and Cody pressed his burning cheek to it, eyes slipping shut.
“Come on, Cody please? Please drink something?”
Cody begrudgingly opened his mouth, accepting the water.
“Good, Cody. That’s—that’s so good. Thank you.”
***
Cody was so tired. He was so tired and his body ached and he was burning up from the inside, and the only relief he ever felt was when his alpha was knotting him, stretching him open. But even though his alpha was perfect, the best alpha Cody could ever ask for, he couldn’t knot Cody all the time.
“Shh, shh, it’s okay Cody, it’s okay. I’ve got you. I’m going to give you my fingers, okay?”
Cody whimpered as his alpha slid out of him.
He was dripping everywhere, leaking slick and come both, and his nest was a mess in a way that Cody knew would be upsetting later.
Right now, he couldn’t bring himself to care.
All he could care about was how empty he was.
His alpha was close, but Cody wanted to be closer.
“Okay sweetheart, come here. Let me hold you?”
Holding sounded nice. Cody managed to scoot forward, until his alpha wrapped one strong arm around him and pulled him in. His alpha’s other hand dipped down, and Cody gasped as three of his alpha’s thick fingers slid into him.
“How’s that? Is it—is it enough? For now?”
In response, Cody buried his face into his alpha’s neck, clenching on the fingers inside him, and tried to settle.
***
“One more bite, okay? One more bite and then you can be done.”
Cody glared blearily at the offending piece of dried pineapple.
Which was stupid and ridiculous, because he normally loved dried pineapple.
It was just that he didn’t want to do anything right now.
He didn’t want to eat, or drink, or even be fucked, no matter how much his body screamed at him that he needed to be filled.
All he wanted to do was close his eyes and drift, in that hazy place between being asleep and awake.
His alpha was knotting him again, and it felt so fucking good still, but Cody was also sore and wrung out and he wanted to be done, not just with the pineapple but with all of it. He wanted to be able to rest. Could he? Please?
“It’s almost over,” his alpha said, sounding shaky. “It’ll be over soon and then you can rest, okay sweetheart?” And then, much quieter, so quiet that maybe his alpha didn’t intend Cody to hear it, “Please fucking god let this be over for you soon.”
***
Cody groaned, trying to summon up the strength to peel his eyes open.
He couldn’t tell if he’d just woken up or if he’d been dozing and not quite asleep.
Either way it hadn’t seemed to matter, because he was fucking exhausted.
Every bone in his body was tired, every muscle ached like he’d just run drills for hours before playing the most knock-out game of his life.
He was also incredibly thirsty, and his skin itched with how disgusting it felt, thanks to dried sweat and—
And…
Now Cody’s eyes did pop open, because he only remembered bits and pieces of what had happened, but he could remember enough to know that that had been the most intense heatwave of his life.
He realized that he was tucked up in Leo’s arms, and Cody twisted out of them to take stock of Leo. It didn’t hurt to do it either, which Cody took to mean that his heat fever was…was it broken? Or just banked?
It didn’t matter. Leo looked as exhausted as Cody felt, a pained divot between his eyebrows, and Cody had never felt more guilty than he did in that moment.
The nightstand was covered in water bottles and electrolyte drinks and snacks, the floor was littered with empty bottles and wrappers.
Cody snagged a blue drink because he was thirsty, cracked it open, and guzzled almost half of it before he came up for air.
Once he was done drinking, hunger made itself known too, so Cody grabbed a strawberry fruit bar from the box on the nightstand.
He tore open the wrapper and stuffed a huge bite into his mouth.
As he chewed, Cody looked around his room.
He didn’t really get why he didn’t just leave the bed to go get something more substantial to eat—or to shower, he really needed a shower—but something in him was loath to leave Leo to wake up alone.
And there was no fucking way Cody was waking Leo up before he was ready.
Not after Leo had done so much, taken care of him so perfectly.
Cody winced as he remembered what a mindless mess he’d been. Leo had had to coax Cody to drink, coax him to eat, even had to half-carry Cody to the bathroom because Cody couldn’t be apart from him at all without breaking down. Fuck, Leo deserved—whatever he damn well wanted, honestly.
For the first time, it made Cody really think about what he might’ve been doing to his body, being on inhibitors for so long.
Because Leo was right; no way had this been a healthy heat.
Cody had just figured that the pain he experienced was worth it to play hockey, to be seen as an equal as an omega to the alpha guys in the league.
But this had been bad. Really, really bad.
He jumped as Leo started to stir, murmuring nonsense as he reached for—something among the very disheveled blankets, clearly not fully awake. His movements got more frantic the more he searched for whatever it was, and when Leo’s eyes finally opened, Cody read panic on his face.
Fuck.
“Hey, hey,” Cody said quickly, tones soft. “I’m right here.” He caught Leo’s hands in his own. “I’m right here. I’m okay.”
Leo searched his face. “Are you back with me?” he asked.
Cody nodded, licking his lips on the nerves. “Yeah. I-I’m sorry.” I’m sorry for putting this on you. I’m sorry for doing this to you.
Leo was sitting up between one instant and the next, throwing his arms around Cody, buying his face in Cody’s neck. “Thank fuck, oh my god,” he croaked.
Cody brought his arms up to squeeze Leo right back. “I’m okay. More than okay. You took—you took such good care of me.”
Leo held him for another long moment, just breathing Cody in, before he finally pulled away. “What else do you need?” Leo asked, still sounding a little frantic.
“Leo!” Cody caught him by the shoulders and made eye contact. “Leo, I’m fine. We made it through, okay? I feel fine.”
“Yeah?” Leo asked hoarsely.
“Promise,” Cody said, leaning in to kiss the corner of Leo’s mouth.
“I mean, I won’t lie, I’m tired. And sore.
And I really need a shower and about five thousand calories.
But you took such good fucking care of me.
Okay?” He took a breath. “I don’t even know what would’ve happened to me without you here. ”
“Let’s not think about that,” Leo said, with the haunted expression of someone who had very much been doing so.
“I mean it, Leo,” Cody said with feeling. “You were perfect, okay? No notes. The best alpha I could have ever hoped for.” And the only alpha I could have wanted.
That finally got Leo to smile again. Then Leo was the one leaning in, to press a gentle kiss to Cody’s mouth. It sent a thrill though Cody, and he listed forward into the kiss. “Best omega,” Leo murmured against Cody’s mouth. “Even if I really fucking hope your next heat is less…hard on you.”
Cody swallowed. “Well hopefully the doctors I talk to will be able to help with that. And also I’ll—talk to Hen too. About what’s really been going on. And maybe we can bring in Dr. Bart.”
“I think those all sound like very good ideas,” Leo said. He fixed Cody with a wry smile next. “What do you think? Food first or shower?”
“Oh my god, shower,” Cody groaned. “I’m disgusting.”
Leo looked affronted. “You are not—”
Cody slapped a hand over his mouth. “Leo, I’m covered in sweat and slick and come. I’m filthy. Now, are you joining me in the shower or not?”
Leo very much wanted to join Cody in the shower.
***
It was only after they’d showered, Cody had thrown the first load of bedding into the laundry, and they had each cleaned a plate of lasagna and were working on seconds, that Cody thought to check his phone. When he saw the date on his lockscreen, he nearly choked.
“What?” Leo asked, concerned. “Bad news?”
“It’s Monday,” Cody said, horrified.
“Yeah…?” Leo looked confused, but not upset. “So?”
“So you mean to tell me I was out of it for three fucking days?” Cody said, still staring at his phone screen. The date did not change.
“I mean,” Leo started. “It’s unusual for a heat to last longer than forty-eight hours, yeah, but you said yours started last Wednesday and that they normally last a week, so I was just…I was hoping we’d gotten off lightly.”
Cody put his head in his hands. “I’ve never been out of it like that before. I’ve never lost time like that before. Three days, Leo.”
“And we’re going to a doctor as soon as you feel like you can,” Leo said firmly. “We‘ll figure this out.”
“I think,” Cody said shakily. “I think I might not be able to take my inhibitors anymore. Not if they’re messing me up this badly.”
“You know how I feel about the inhibitors,” Leo said after a pause. “I’m all for you going off them. And seeing actual medical professionals about whatever the repercussions of being on them so long might be.”
“But…but then what?” Cody asked, voice small. “Do I just have heats, full blown heats, three times a year? What if they interfere with something important? And you know the press is going to eat me alive. They already give me a hard time—”
Leo sighed. “I can’t tell you not to worry about it, because I know you will.
And fair point, cause I’ll be worrying about it too.
But lots of people have to take off work for a couple days for heats, or work around them.
And maybe your heats might be less intense and also might last a more normal amount of time.
I’ve never heard of a heat lasting more than four days, and those are rare cases.
I told you; typically they top out at forty-eight hours. ”
“Yeah,” Cody said, fiddling with his fork.
“As for the press,” Leo said. “You know the team’ll be behind you. Hen and PR will do everything they can to make things easier for you. And I know the guys will too.” He grinned hesitantly. “Like half of them already drop their gloves when you get targeted on the ice.”
“I know,” Cody said with a sigh. “That’s—the team’s been great. It’s just…you know.” He shrugged. “It’ll be different now. And change is scary.”
“I get that change can be scary and hard,” Leo said.
“And I’ll never be able to understand how hard things have been for you, and the specific kind of pressure you’re under.
But I know that you take such things to heart, that all of it hurts.
” He reached across the table to touch Cody’s hand.
“So let us help you hurt a little less, okay?”