Chapter Text
For the most part, Barry Allen had never paid much attention to his designation. He wasn’t like most Alphas. Oh sure, he had an Alpha’s drive to protect Betas and Omegas. He had the normal urge to comfort those in distress. He could be aggressive when need be. He was a natural leader, uneasy when it came to following others. What he didn’t have, was the urge to take a mate.
He had been in relationships. He had dated. He had even had a few one-night stands. He just never felt the need to bond with anyone. No one brought out his bonding urges as an Alpha. A few had tried. Linda Parks. Dick Grayson. Patty Spivot. Becky Cooper. Even Eobard, under the guise of Harrison Wells, had attempted to get Barry to mark him. Barry remained unmoved by their efforts.
Sure, he found them all attractive. He had enjoyed being with each of them. But he refused to knot or mark any of them. Patty had come closest. She was sweet, smart and pretty. She had been the most pleasant partner he had ever been with. However, Barry never shook that little bit of trepidation that told him this just wasn’t for him.
If not for a batch of bad heat suppressants, Barry might have never found himself bonding, ever.
***
Len Snart cursed under his breath as he slipped through the shadows of an alley. He could hear the man from the store growling under his breath as he sniffed the air at the mouth of the alley. There was no way to conceal his scent. For years he and his crew had relied on scent blockers and heat suppressants to conceal their true status. With one the exception, each and every Rogue was, in actuality, an Omega. Shawna was a Beta.
It was part of the reason they had all banded together. None of them were safe alone, and they were desperate to avoid being claimed, considering the type of people they dealt with on a regular basis. No Omega in their line of work would want to mate with an Alpha who was a criminal. They’d never have the same protections and rights as law-abiding citizens had. How could they walk into a police station and file a claim against abuses if they were liable to get locked up themselves? No law-abiding Alpha would want to bond with a criminal Omega, either.
“You’re just making things harder on yourself, Omega,” the man growled. “Do you really want to piss me off before I knot your tight ass?”
In a normal fight, Len was confident he could win, but his heat had come on, despite the suppressants, and every cell in his body was urging him to submit. He was trapped in an alley blocked off by a new brick wall, and he was pretty much unarmed. His own stupid fault for thinking with his emotions and running five blocks for a new batch of suppressants without checking the charge on his cold gun. He was just steeling himself to try and fight his way out of the alley when a welcome streak of red lightning coming down the street caught his attention.
“SCARLET!” he called out hopefully.
In the blink of an eye, Barry was suddenly standing in the middle of the alley, looking from Len to the unnamed man and back. Barry opened his mouth, paused and took a step closer to Len, looking confused.
“Hey!” the man growled. “I saw him first! Wait your damn turn! You can have a go after I’m done with him!”
Len froze as Barry suddenly spun and dashed forward. His hand twisted in the Alpha’s shirt and he lifted him a couple of inches off the ground.
“Did he touch you?”
Len flinched from the absolute fury in the hero’s voice. Barry’s head swung back toward him and sparks flashed in his eyes. “Leonard! Did he touch you?”
Len slowly shook his head, stunned by Barry’s violent reaction. In all honesty, he thought he’d have to do some fast talking to get Barry to believe he wasn’t the assailant here.
Barry turned back to the gasping man. “You were going to rape him?” he hissed. “You were going to touch him! Violate him! Knot MY Rogue? I should kill you!”
“Un...claim...ed!” the man stammered, trying desperately to draw in a deep breath.
Len’s eyes widened as Barry, in an unexpected show of strength, threw the man several yards away. Hearing Barry call him ‘his’ rogue made his stomach flutter. Len was embarrassed (and scared) to feel his body begin to heat up and produce slick.
“He is under MY protection! If I ever catch your scent within a hundred feet of him, I’ll rip off your dick and present it to him as a gift!”
The man scrambled to his feet and ran off without another word. For several seconds neither Barry nor Len moved. It wasn’t until Len could sense Barry’s rage lessening that he slowly moved forward. His instincts, shockingly enough, were telling him he was safe.
“Scarlet?” he whispered.
Barry slowly turned and looked at Len warily. His pupils were mere pinpoints and his skin pale, but he seemed in control. “Go home,” he said flatly. “I can smell you from here. It’s not safe for you to be out when you’re in heat.”
Len tensed and looked away briefly. After a moment he glanced back at Barry. “You don’t want to...”
“Claim you?” Barry finished for him when Len’s words died off. “No. How far is the closest safe house?”
“The old Ryder Chemicals warehouse near the wharf,” Len answered cautiously. He had never known an Alpha to resist an Omega in heat unless they were already bonded, and Barry Allen was definitely not bonded.
Barry nodded and walked toward him, exuding calmness. He grabbed Len around the waist, ignoring the way Len tensed. “Hold on and I’ll speed you there.”
A moment later, Len found himself in front of his door. Barry released him and stepped back, preparing to race off. Len stunned himself, and Barry, by grabbing the hero's wrist in a tight grip. “How?” he demanded. “How are you able to ignore my heat? I know you aren’t bonded.”
“Do you want me to take advantage of your heat?” Barry asked, confused.
“Of course not!” Len argued. “I just… you know what, never mind!” he growled angrily. He turned on his heel and slipped into the warehouse quickly, locking the door securely behind him. Len leaned back against the cool steel and struggled to even out his breathing. What the hell just happened?
***
Len grimaced as he watched the news report. Nearly every report said the same thing. Heat and scent suppressants were being recalled all across the midwest. They hadn’t been mixed correctly and were completely ineffectual. It would be weeks, if not months, before pharmacies and stores had adequate supplies of effective drugs. He had called on several contacts out of state, but they weren’t able to help, for any amount of money. People everywhere were scrambling to get their hands on unaffected pills, and even the black market couldn’t keep up with the demand.
Len clicked off the TV and walked into the kitchen. He looked around the room at the other Rogues and shook his head. “We’re going to have to lay low for a while. If you’re near, in, or just out of your heat, you absolutely cannot leave the safe house alone.”
“We’re going to need some supplies,” Lisa warned. “Food, beer, toilet paper.”
“Batteries for vibrators,” Hartley added.
Len nodded. “Mick, you’re furthest from your heat. You and Shawna make a run.”
“Ice cream,” Mark huffed. “The Moose Tracks one I like.”
“And Hills Bros double mocha cappuccino,” Len added.
Shawna wrote it all down and accepted a handful of bills from Len. “We’ll hurry,” she promised.
Len nodded and went to his room. He needed to plan. Getting them all through the next month or two without being outed as Omegas wasn’t going to be easy.