Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Fine. Fine. Fine. It was all fine. Everything was fine. Or least it would be soon enough. Sure Greg might presently be in his depressingly, windowless, once functioned as a mailroom office with the lights off switched off, casting the entire place in darkness, and squeezed awkwardly under his desk – which given his size, was immensely uncomfortable – but again, everything would be fine. He just need to get through this, wait things out a little longer then he could leave the building and get home and everything would be A-Okay like none of it ever happened.

Yessiree. It was fine.

Normally Greg was good at lying to himself; pretending that things were okay when in reality they were a massive shit show. Given what he had been through since he started working for Waystar, he kind of had to be less he have some kind of mental breakdown.

But this…this was…

He cursed himself for even coming into work today. He had been feeling like shit since the evening before, going to bed early hoping to pass out and sleep it off. But when he awoke this morning he only felt worse.

Unfortunately Waystar Royco wasn’t exactly the kind of company you could take a sick day just because you felt a little off. And considering everything that was going on, it seemed unfair to do so. As such, he had dragged his sorry ass into work, hoping that he would be left to his own devices for the day – the one positive of having a shitty ‘office’ away from most of your colleagues was that they often forgot you existed – and that Tom wouldn’t barge in suddenly demanding something of him either work-based or something personal related. Tom did the latter quite a bit as of late.

Fortunately, he had been lucky in that regard so far. Everything else, not so much.

Greg had started to realise that something was very wrong with him just after lunch. He had taken a bite into his sandwich and almost threw up, his stomach protesting massively at what should have been a perfectly fine meal. He decided to put it aside for later before simply throwing it in the trash, realising that there was no way he would be eating any more of it that afternoon. The sandwich wasn’t the only strange thing. The coffee he had grabbed from the breakroom when he first got in that morning had also made him want to hurl. Given that the coffee there tasted like crap most of the time, Greg thought nothing of it, instead merely lamenting that he hadn’t time to pick up a drink from his usual place that morning.

It just seemed like it was going to be one of those days was all. But he would get through it. It wasn’t like he wasn’t used to feeling like crap through the workday. Tom occasionally liked to drag him out on a worknight taking him to dinner and plying him with copious amounts of alcohol. Greg noticed that it was usually when things were going particularly bad with Shiv, which appeared to be often these days The fact that he was expected to still work at peak efficiency the next day while feeling like he had been hit by a truck was just part of the culture. He resented the fact that Tom always seemed to be absolutely fine afterwards, made worse in that he would proceed to lord it over him. “So much for robustness of youth, huh, shit stain?”

Today meanwhile, he felt like he had been not only hit by a truck but catapulted off a cliff immediately after.

Greg’s body ached and his stomach churned horribly. He was also boiling and sweating profusely. He checked the thermometer in the room several times but according to it, the temperature level wasn’t all that hot. The aircon seemed to be working fine and Greg found himself standing over it more than once just to get that sweet flush of air on his far too warm skin. Greg figured he must be running a fever. God, he hated being sick.

Fortunately, provided nothing pressing was thrown his way – again he desperately hoped that Tom wouldn’t randomly drop by – he could probably skip out a bit early. And if he got chewed out by Tom if he found out about it? Well, it would be worth it to climb into his bed and pass out. Plus, it wasn’t like he wasn’t used to it. Tom chewing him out was practically the man’s favourite hobby.

It was about an hour or so after his failed attempt at lunch that Greg began to realise what was ailing him was much more than just a simple fever. He felt strange; off somehow. But it was only when he was faced with another person he realised what it was exactly.  

Greg has always had a pretty good sense of smell. Better than most people. Not that it was anything to boast about nor particularly useful. Still, he had always been able to tell immediately what his mother was cooking as a kid – which admittedly, wasn’t often – or what takeaway she had brought home for dinner before she had even gotten through the door.

Some guy, Mike, Greg was sure his name was, had come into his office to get some printer cartridges – because yeah, his ridiculously glamourous office also doubled as storage for stationary products when there wasn’t space in the designated cupboard – when Mike’s scent hit him like a ton of bricks. Greg slapped his hand over his nose and mouth so hard that he almost fell out of his seat when he got a whiff of it, only just managing to catch himself on the edge of his desk.

The guy, Mike had shot him a questioning look that appeared to question more if he were some kind of imbecile than if he was alright. But to Greg’s relief, he pretty much ignored him, leaving the moment he had gotten what he had come in for.

Greg’s breath came back in thick bursts, his hand on his chest as it quickly dawned on him what was happening to him.

He had absolutely no idea why this was happening, but somehow he was going into heat.

Yep, he was going into heat right here in the middle of his work and for a company who employed a high percentage of alphas at that. 

Mike, thank God, hadn’t seemed to pick up on his scent; a scent that would broadcast to any alpha who got too close to Greg that he was an omega and not the ineffectual beta he presented himself as being.

Greg got up from his desk and immediately closed the door before taking a tentative step back as if someone else might suddenly barge in wanting something. He didn’t bother trying to lock the door knowing that the damn mechanism was busted and had been since Tom had kindly relegated him here from his previous much nicer office. Greg had tried requesting it to be repaired several times to no avail. Eventually he had given up on trying, it seeming like it was more trouble than what it was worth.  Oh how he regretted that now.

Fuck.

Fuck.

Fuck.

Fuck.

Greg paced around his office for a good five minutes or so as he desperately tried to figure out why the hell this was happening. And between his size and how little space in here there was, it was rather awkward.

He hadn’t missed a dosage of his suppressants he was sure. It was one of the few things he was diligent about remembering. But even if he had skipped a day or two, it wouldn’t cause him to go into heat right away. Not like this in any case.

Shit.

Realising that there was no way he could go back out there now, not with so many alphas out there, Greg switched off the lights, turned off his computer and crawled under his desk with the aim of making it looked like he had stepped out or already left for the day. No one should bother him and hopefully no one would come in wanting to grab more print cartilages or whatever else his office contained.

He would wait until he knew everyone had gone home for the day and then he would discreetly sneak out, grab an uber home, take some more suppressants and then collapse into bed and stay there until his body was back to its normal beta-presenting self.

Yeah, if he did that, everything would be fine.

He just hoped his legs and spine would be okay.

According to his phone, as of now he had been under his desk for at least three hours and if his body was aching before, it hurt like hell now. He really wasn’t made for such small spaces. Actually his body wasn’t made for most spaces. The woe of being so ridiculously tall.

Trying to pass the time and to stop himself from freaking out completely, Greg tried listening to some self-help omega podcast on his phone he had found. It was supposed to help calm down omegas who suddenly found themselves going into heat in places that were less than ideal. He wasn’t sure how much use it would be but it was worth a try at least. It wasn’t like he currently had anything better to do.

You are a calm, confident omega. Just keep taking deep breaths. Yes, in and out, just like that.

Greg did so. Yeah, he just needed to keep breathing. Sure, it wasn’t exactly the easiest thing to do cramped under his desk in pitch blackness barring the light of his phone, but he had been in worse situations, right?

 You are a strong omega. You are a confident woman.

Oh, okay. So it seemed like this one wasn’t taking male omegas into account then. Well, males did only made up like one percent of all omegas so he guessed that made sense that they might be overlooked. Still a little shitty but oh well. And with that small particular detail aside, he could still keep listening. It could still be useful.

You should focus on contacting and locating your mate as soon as possible. Calm yourself until your alpha arrives. He will protect you. Will keep you safe. Afterwards you can fulfil your duty to him as his bond mate so that God may bless you with a chi –

Okay, nope, nope, nope. This…This wasn’t for him. This definitely wasn’t for him.

Greg pulled out his headphones and glanced down at the page where he had downloaded the podcast from. It looked like it had been recommended to him by the ATN app. He sighed. That made a depressing amount of sense. ATN weren’t exactly known for their progressive stances on omegas. Or well, most things for that matter.

Greg only had the damn app on his phone because he was expected to what with being one their employees and all. Then there was also the fact he happened to be the assistant to the head of ATN. He knew that Tom didn’t really believe the stuff that the network peddled, seeing what he was doing as merely a job and a steppingstone towards better things more than anything else. Nonetheless, it was still a little disheartening. And even more so that he himself was a part of it.

There was a reason why Greg had wanted out all those months ago. He hadn’t been lying when he said working at ATN went against his principals. Of course, he had then gone and abandoned said principals when Tom had offered him a raise and new office. And now with everything going on regarding the cruises scandal, he was stuck here. It was almost like a metaphor for his current situation. He couldn’t leave his office because of the scandal of him being an omega. Well, that and attracting the unwanted attention of some alpha. Greg trembled at the thought, his heart racing in his chest.

He doubted any alpha would have much interest in him that way – he was atypical as far as male omegas went – but the thought of confronting one unnerved him all the same. Plus there were all those horror stories of alphas losing control of themselves when in the presence of omegas in heat regardless of whether they had been attracted to them before or not. Even an abnormally tall omega like himself might be appealing to them.  

Greg cursed out loud. He just wanted to be safe at home in his bed. Was that really too much to ask?

Apparently it was.

Instead of trying of trying to find something else to listen to – he had little charge left in his phone and figured he should probably try to conserve it – Greg rested his head on his knees. Curling into himself even further than he already was, Greg closed his eyes, wondering if could fall asleep just for a little bit. He doubted he would be able to drift off in such a position and it probably wouldn’t be wise either given his present circumstances. Still, the thought was appealing.

He sighed. He was feeling even worse than before. He wondered if maybe he could finally leave now. While he hadn’t been paying too much attention to what was going on, being distracted by his condition and all, from what he could tell it hadn’t been a particularly busy news day. That probably meant most people would have gone home already, right?

Yeah, as long as he was careful, he should be fine. It shouldn’t be too difficult to avoid people. And if he did chance upon someone, maybe he would get lucky and they’d be a beta. Betas sense of smell weren’t as developed as alphas and omegas so provided he didn’t get too close they wouldn’t even be able to smell him. As for omegas, given the building he was in, while not entirely outside the realms of possibility, he doubted he had to worry about running into one.

Okay, yeah, he should leave now.

About to crawl out, Greg paused. But what if he was being hasty? Like what if there were still people around? What if there was some kind of huge meeting going on filled with alphas that he hadn’t been aware of in one of the conference rooms and just as he was walking by it, they all piled out and ran into him? He’d be surrounded by them.

That…That would not be good.

Maybe he should give it another hour or so just to be safe. But he really did want to get home. But what if –

As Greg continued debating with himself, that’s when he heard a loud knock accompanied by what sounded like the door swinging open. Startled, Greg’s body shot up in response causing him to bang his head right against the underside of his desk in the process.

“Fuck!” he cried loudly, his hand rushing to cradle his head. Damn, that had really hurt.

Given that most people would knock and probably at least wait a little before entering, that likely meant it could be only one person.

“Greg!”

Shit.

Had Tom heard him? Given the loud thud and explicative he had called out, chances were Tom probably had.

All of a sudden the lights were switched on and Greg squinted against the sudden brightness.

“Why the hell are the lights off in here? And where the fuck are you, Greg?” Tom demanded.

Okay, so Tom definitely knew he was in here then.

“Oh, uh, he-hey Tom.” Greg greeted like it was a completely natural thing to walk in on as he awkwardly climbed out from under the desk and clambered to his feet, “Did – Didn’t see you there. I uh, dropped my pen under my desk. I was just looking for it is all. I, uh, couldn’t find it though,” he quickly added, realising he wasn’t actually holding any sort of writing utensil. He chuckled weakly. “Must of fell into some mystical portal, huh?”

Tom was looking at him like he was complete moron, which in itself wasn’t unusual. “Well, no wonder dipshit, it’s pitch black in here.”

“Yeah, the lights just suddenly went out on me. Totally bizarre, right? A power cut maybe? Just one of the many fun perks of being here in this particular office.”  Okay, so maybe now wasn’t the best of times to bring up how much he hated his office being a mailroom.

Focus, Greg. Focus.

“Bizarre, uh huh.” Unsurprisingly, Tom didn’t seem to be buying into it.

He really needed for Tom to leave. He couldn’t risk getting too close to him. Tom was an alpha after all. Not to mention technically family. No, he was family. Sure, he might not be a Roy in name but he was married to one, and as far as Greg was concerned, the Roy’s were the absolute last people he could let find out what he really was. If they did, he would be absolutely fucked. Even more fucked than he was right now.

Tom folded his arms across his chest. “Greg, just what the hell is going on here?”

“Going on? N-Nothing’s going on.” Yep. That was convincing.

Greg felt dizzy. Along with injuring his head, he had probably stood up too fast. Oh, and there was also the fact that he was in heat so yeah, it was probably mostly that last thing that had to do with it.

“Nothing? Really now, Gregory? Because you look like actual shit. More so than usual.” Tom took a step forward and that’s when it hit Greg; Tom’s scent.

Greg felt his knees go weak and once again he had to grab onto his desk for support. There were times when Tom’s scent, despite the suppressants he took, filtered through to him. It happened on occasion with other alphas as well, but none more so than Tom. Greg assumed that it happened with Tom so much as he was the person Greg spent most of his time with, both during work and in his spare time. Kendall was an alpha as well, and while Greg had found himself in his cousin’s presence a lot more of late thanks to recent events that had transpired, he never really got much more than an odd whiff of Kendall’s scent. Greg guessed it was because unlike Tom, Kendall wasn’t constantly invading his personal space.

Tom on the other hand, always seemed intent on standing as close to him as humanly possible. And out of everyone, he probably touched Greg the most. Actually, Tom probably touched him more than everyone combined. Greg didn’t mind it. In truth, he actually enjoyed the physical contact. It was pleasant. The Roy’s, despite being his family weren’t exactly touchy-feely people; neither in the physical or the emotional sense. Tom was the opposite. Greg was as well, so he guessed it made sense why Tom would gravitate to him, and why Greg as a result would be able to pick up his scent more markedly. Admittedly up to this point, he had never experienced it this strongly before.

And now in contrast to his usual proclivity for some form of closeness, Greg wanted to be as physically far away from Tom as possible.

Provided that Tom didn’t get move any closer and he was able to convince him to leave then he should be fine.

But it was too late. Apparently that step forward was all it took and Greg watched as Tom’s eyes suddenly widened. Seeing this, his own did as well.

He felt like a deer caught in headlights. He often did when interacting with Tom, but this time was different.

“Greg…?”

Greg swallowed. No. This couldn’t be happening. “Tom, look, I –”

“Has an omega been in here?”

Greg blinked. “What?” Wait. Had Tom… Had Tom not realised? Did that mean –

“Ye-Yeah, there was!” Greg answered, probably a little too eagerly, “They – They’ve left though. I mean obviously they have since they happen to uh, no longer be here.”

“Of course obviously. I just watched your gigantic ass crawl out from out your desk and there’s no way someone else could fit under there with you unless they happened to be like six inches tall.”

Okay, so maybe he could get through this after all.

“Gregory, why was there an omega here in your office?” Tom seemed at a complete loss. Greg hoped that would help him believe what bullshit reason he came up with easier.

“Oh, well, they were lost. They – she wanted directions was all.” He wasn’t sure if specifying their sex as the opposite gender would make much of a difference, but anything to widen the gap of Tom coming to the conclusion that the omega was actually him. Regardless, Tom like most, had probably assumed them to be female anyway.

“So you’re saying that of all the places in the entire building, this woman came here to your office specifically to ask you for directions?”

“Uh, yep. I know, it’s like super weird, huh?” Okay, maybe it wouldn’t be as easy as he thought.

“Hmm yeah. It seems that there are a lot weird and bizarre things happening in here today.” Tom was clearly suspicious. This wasn’t good.

“I mean, maybe she came here because she knew that I’m a beta? The building, it’s full of a lot of alphas. Like so, so many. Maybe too many actually? And that uh, that uh, can be super intimidating for omegas.”

Tom took a step forward towards his desk. In response, Greg automatically took several back, causing him to bang into the file cabinet behind him.

Crap. So much for subtlety.

“Greg, what the hell is wrong with you, today?”

Why did Tom’s scent have to be so strong? That guy Mike’s scent did absolutely nothing for him in comparison. Was it due to having been in heat for a few hours longer since back then, or was it because he was so familiar with Tom on a personal level? Regardless of the reason, there was a part of himself that wanted to lean forward and inhale Tom’s scent more deeply rather than back away. But nope, that was the utterly last thing he should do.

He needed to keep playing it cool – because he had f course been doing such a great fucking job thus far. He just needed to continue on with this fictional narrative of there being some random omega in his office and everything would be fine.

Admittedly, the word ‘fine’ was kind of losing all meaning by this point.

Tom’s expression once again morphed into shock. “Holy shit, Greg. Was she in heat?” Tom practically yelled.

An omega going into heat in public was a big deal. It wasn’t like it didn’t happen at all, especially when an omega first presented. But when it did occur, it was pretty alarming, mostly due how shameful it was perceived as being. Not to mention it was considered dangerous, which was just part of the reason for Greg’s current dilemma being in a building full of alphas. Primarily however, he was most concerned about being found out. Which again was why he had to do everything in his power to get rid of Tom.

“Oh, uh, yeah, I guess so. I mean, she definitely was. Being a beta I couldn’t smell it too well. But hey, that makes perfect sense why she came here, right? Because I’m not a danger or a threat or anything like that.”

Greg expected some comment at his expense along the lines of even if he were an alpha, there was no way anyone would possibly see perceive him as a threat – that a tiny field mouse who died of fright from the mildest of things wouldn’t even bat an eyelid at him. But no jab came. In fact, Tom wasn’t saying at all. And given that Tom Wambsgans always had something to say, that was worrying.

“To-Tom, are you alright, man? Cause I should like probably go.” It hit Greg suddenly that Tom might then offer to walk out with him in which case they’d be practically shoulder to shoulder. Or worse than that, what if he suggested they go get a drink or something?

“But, uh, first, I have to finish some work,” he quickly added, “You know, I got so caught up helping and talking to that nice omega lady that I kind of fell behind with my workload. I still have a bunch of stuff to get done so, I’ll uh, just finish that before I leave, and I’ll see you tomorrow, alright?”

But Tom didn’t make any kind of move to leave. He still wasn’t saying anything either. When he did finally start moving it wasn’t towards the door but to Greg himself. Greg took several steps backwards until his back hit the wall right in the corner of his room.

“Tom?”

The expression on Tom’s face was completely unreadable to him. Not that he would have much time to process it as the moment Tom was a less than a couple of feet away from him, Greg completely against his will let out a pathetic whimper.

Tom’s scent was overwhelming him completely now. He would have slapped his hand over his face to try blot it out if he hadn’t been so preoccupied trying to keep himself upright and from sliding down the wall.

Tom’s eyes were the size of saucers by now. In any other situation Greg might have considered comical, but the implication of what that meant was anything but.  

“Greg, are you…are you a fucking omega?”

Greg felt the world around him collapse upon hearing the question. It was one he hoped never to hear asked, and until today, he hadn’t.

Yet somehow he held something inside of him that allowed him to deny it.

“Wh-What? Of-Of course not! That’s crazy, Tom. Like what are you even saying, man?”

Greg was well aware from observing the Roy’s these past two years of just how much his cousins and uncle Logan bullshitted each other straight to their faces with next to no regard. Maybe it was that some of the Roy blood in him allowed Greg to do the same. Unfortunately, unlike them Greg had never been particularly good at lying. He would have said his Hirsch blood cancelled it out but given how long his dad had his mom fooled with all the things he had gotten up to behind her back, that didn’t really hold up.

To Greg’s shock, Tom leant forward and smelled him; wasn’t even subtle about it.

Greg whimpered, getting an even stronger whiff of Tom’s scent in return. Tom’s scent was like a strong mahogany, accompanied by the aroma of coffee. The latter was probably from drinking it rather than being his natural scent. Either way, Tom smelled damn good.

“You are,” said Tom, pulling back, his face incredulous. “You’re a fucking omega.”

“Please Tom.” Fuck, this was way too much. Why was this happening?

“What the fuck, Greg? Honestly, what the actual fuck?”

“I-I can explain,” Greg answered. Could he really? He didn’t think he could. “Just please…could you…maybe,” 

Tom thankfully, seemed to realise what he was asking and immediately moved back to where he was standing before, giving Greg some space.  

With Tom no longer in his face, Greg could breathe again. He stood there for a good minute or so trying to compose himself as he took deep breath after deep breath. He thought about the woman’s voice on that podcast telling him to breathe, and immediately tried to push it away when he remembered what the hell else she had said about seeking out his alpha. Tom was anything but.

Tom to his credit didn’t try and rush him, but by the time Greg was able to push himself away from the wall and take a seat – standing was exhausting and he thought he might collapse if he stood any longer – Tom was looking like he might actually explode if he didn’t say something soon.

Greg opened his mouth only to immediately close it again. He didn’t know what to say. How was he supposed to explain this?

“You’re not really a beta, are you?” Tom spoke when Greg didn’t say anything. His tone was only mildly accusatory and for Greg that was weirdly reassuring.

He shook his head, and in an embarrassingly small voice, answered, “No, I’m not,”.

Tom pressed his entire face against his hands and groaned into them loudly before mumbling something that Greg couldn’t entirely make out.

Tom lowered his hands and with a loud sigh, asked, “How long then?”

Greg wasn’t sure he quite understood the question. “Since like birth, I guess? But I, uh, I didn’t present until I was like seventeen.”

Tom would probably have looked shocked if he weren’t already. It was an absurdly late time to present, most omegas having done so several years before. Alphas tended to present even earlier than that. As such, when he didn’t present as an alpha, and before he realised he was really an omega, Greg had spent a good number of years believing himself to be but a simple beta. He was perfectly fine with that. He had never really cared about being an alpha one way or another. Not like a lot of the guys he attended school with, some of whom although not religious, went as far as praying that they would present as one. To say it had come as a shock when he had gone into heat for the very first time would have been a massive understatement. His mother had been mortified. Possibly even more than him. As for his father…well, he had already been long gone by that point.

“No, I didn’t mean that. I meant…” Tom placed his hands on his hips and turned away from him. Greg suspected that Tom probably didn’t know what he meant either. “Jesus Christ Greg.”

“I know. I’m sorry,” replied Greg because really what the hell else was there he could say?

Tom started walking towards the door and for a brief moment Greg thought he might actually leave. It would have been a lot nicer if Tom had left before discovering his ridiculously incriminating secret but oh well. After a moment however, Tom turned back around and came to a halt just short of the spot he was stood in before. Greg wondered if he chose deliberately to stand further away from him, it suddenly occurring to Greg that just as he was able to smell Tom, he would be able to pick up Greg’s scent as well.

Greg felt his face redden at the thought. He wanted to spray himself all over with an entire can of pheromone blocker. Unfortunately what he had was currently at his apartment. It was the kind of thing that was way too compromising to carry about. If anyone saw it in his bag, he would be lending himself to so many questions. Really he would rather wave about those cruise documents in that file marked ‘secrets’ for everyone in the office to see than be caught with a can of pheromone blocker in his possession.

“Who else knows about this?” Tom asked finally, “Shiv, does she…does Shiv know you’re an omega?”

Greg instantly shook his head. “No. None of the Roy’s do. Just my mom.”

For a brief moment, Greg thought Tom looked relieved about this. Probably because it meant Shiv hadn’t been keeping yet another thing from him in their tenuous marriage.  

“There’s no way I would have gotten this job if they – if my Uncle Logan knew.” Logan didn’t possess the most kindest of view of omegas. Or at least male ones like him. Greg did his best not to think about it whenever he was in his presence. As for his cousins, he knew they thought so little of him already that it was hard to believe they could have an even lower opinion of him. But if there was one thing he had learned these past two years, it was never underestimate a Roy. He liked to think that Kendall liked him somewhat but he knew his worth to his cousin came mainly from getting him drugs and then giving him those cruise documents. Kendall had threatened to burn him after all if it came down to it. Which Greg couldn’t deny, was a scary possibility, and more than a little hurtful given he had put himself on the line for him.

Tom snorted. “You’re damn right you wouldn’t have gotten a job here if Logan knew what you are.” It appeared Tom like himself didn’t feel the need to say out loud why.

“So, what you’ve just been lying to me – to everyone this entire time?”

“Hey, I wasn’t lying,” said Greg, picking tugging lightly at the cuff of one of his sleeves out of nervousness, “I just…I just didn’t really feel the need to share it with anyone is all.”

“It’s the exact same thing, Greg,” retorted Tom, emphasising his name the way he did when he was really pissed off at him. The way Tom was talking made it sound like Greg had betrayed him. It annoyed Greg. Hadn’t he been listening when Greg had told him that the only other person that knew was his mom? It wasn’t like he had gone about broadcasting it to every single person he knew and then chose specifically to keep it from Tom.

“It’s really not, Tom. Besides, lots of omegas decide to keep their designation a secret these days.” He was saying it like it was somehow a new phenomenon, as if people hadn’t been trying for decades, hell, centuries to conceal that they were omegas or whatever else. It just so happened be a lot easier to do these days what with the creation of and better access to suppressants. Unfortunately suppressants were very expensive to purchase, especially here in the States. Greg loved New York, he did. He loved living here. Nevertheless, there was still a lot of things he missed about being back in Canada.

“There are a lot of reasons why people choose to do it,” added Greg just as Tom opened his mouth to respond – likely to protest.

Frowning, Tom closed his mouth, perhaps realising that he was right. After all, while Tom was an alpha and therefore on the top of practically every hierarchy, even he had to know why many omegas would want to keep their designation private. And even more so for male omegas like himself who more often than not were treated like freaks.

He wondered if that was what Tom thought now. That he was a freak. That the person he had taken under his wing and be a mentor to was nothing more than an abomination.

Tom started to pace again. Greg noticed that Tom moved about a lot when he was anxious. Greg was much the same himself. Admittedly Tom’s movements had way more of a manic energy to them.

“Jesus, I can believe it. All this time you’ve been a…” Tom gestured with his hands. He did that a lot too.

“An omega,” Greg supplied as if Tom might have forgotten the word.

“Exactly! Damnit Greg. You know that I came down here to chew you out because you haven’t replied to a single one of my e-mails in over five hours.” Greg couldn’t help wondering if these emails were all work-related or if some were of the personal variety. If someone were to look in Greg’s inbox – and thanks to having to testify in front of congress, to is mortification, people most definitely had – they would find that there tended to be a healthy balance of both kinds from Tom. One email would be berating the shit out of him for taking too long finishing a report or for some minor mistake, and the next would involve Tom sending him a meme – or joke as Tom continued to refer to them despite Greg telling him otherwise – that Tom thought he might appreciate. Greg supposed he would just have to wait to find out next time he checked his inbox. That was if he still even had a job…

“But you know, I really did not expect this!” Tom continued, sounding almost frantic. Like the notion that his assistant was actually an omega had come as such a shock as to completely fry his brain. “I thought you’d just skipped out on work or something but then I walk in and find you in the dark, under your goddamn desk like a kid pretending he’s in some kind of shitty fort or whatever.”

“I was hiding,” Greg replied.

“Yeah, I sort of got that part, Greg”

Greg sighed despairingly. “It was working until you came in. I’d been under there for four hours. I was almost about to leave.”

“Oh, well, I’m so very sorry for coming to check up on you to make sure you were alright.”

Greg was going to point out that Tom had actually dropped by to chew him out for not answering his emails but decided against it. It felt like too much effort and Greg was functioning on what felt like zero capacity right now.

Slowing down slightly in his pacing, Tom shoved his hands in his pockets. “So, just to make sure I’m clear here, not only are you an omega,” Greg flinched. Did Tom really have to say it like that? “But you’re in heat as well?”

“Yeah, that pretty much sums it up.”

“Okay then, so why in the hell did you come into work today if you knew you’d be going into heat? Do you have any idea how dangerous that is? How much of momentously stupid thing that –”

“I didn’t know I’d be going into heat, okay!” Greg found himself yelling, feeling the sudden need to defend himself, “And honestly, I don’t know why I’m in heat. I shouldn’t be! I take suppressants every single day and I’m pretty sure I didn’t miss a dose and –”

Greg stopped. He felt incredibly dizzy and his head was absolutely killing him. Leaning forward, he closed his eyes and pressed his palms against his forehead, letting out a small whimper. He hated this.

“Greg?” He really wanted to cry, but that would mean revealing himself as the sad, pathetic omega he was. But Tom was probably well aware of that by now so maybe there wasn’t any point in holding back.  

“Greg, buddy, you okay?” asked Tom, the anger gone from the other man’s voice.

He wanted to yell out that of course he wasn’t fucking okay. How could Tom possibly ask if he was okay when this was happening to him? When he had been reduced to hiding under his fucking desk at work because he dreaded someone finding out his dirty little secret. And of course low and behold, with his shitty luck, his biggest fear had come true and someone had.

Greg’s nostrils flared, Tom’s scent becoming far more potent to him. It was at this that Greg realised Tom was now right in front of him. The fact that he wasn’t scrambling to get away showed how truly out of it he was. That or maybe it was because he thought that despite feeling like shit, Tom smelled really good. He wondered if Tom would be disgusted by him for thinking so.

“Greg, hey, it’s going to be alright,” he heard Tom say softly; far more softly than he had ever heard Tom speak to him before for that matter. Greg thought that Tom sounded almost worried about him, and when he chanced a glance at him – Tom was kneeling down in front of his chair looking up at him – there was clear concern written on his face.

“Look, I’m sorry I didn’t mean to… you know. I was just taken aback, okay? I never expected that you’d turn out to be a…” Tom trailed off, clearly at loss at how to talk about it. Nevertheless, Greg did think Tom sounded genuinely apologetic. The only time Greg could remember Tom actually sounding similarly – although back then he hadn’t actually used the word ‘sorry’ – was when he had shown remorse in the aftermath of the panic room incident when Tom had lost it and started pelting bottles of water at him.

Greg closed his eyes again, finding himself tensing slightly at the memory. Usually, it was easy to brush off. It hadn’t impacted their relationship at all and straight afterward Tom had offered Greg a new title and office. That was after a discussion. Totally not to do with Greg using the cruise documents for leverage…

However, in his current state it was difficult not to recall just how frightening it had been at the time. It wasn’t just having bottles thrown at him – it hadn’t hurt all that much, although there had been bruises the next day – but also seeing Tom so angry and upset and realising that he was the cause of it, even if he hadn’t been able to grasp at the time why Tom had reacted so badly to his suggestion of going to another department.  

“Greg, come on, talk to me. Tell me what I can do to help, okay?” Tom urged, almost pleadingly.

Fortunately, it didn’t seem like Tom would suddenly take to throwing anything at him right now. Possibly the opposite. Although Greg wasn’t exactly sure what the opposite of pelting someone with bottles of water in anger would quite be.

Tears started to well up in Greg eyes as he opened them again. “Please don’t tell anyone what I am. Please, Tom.” Had he been feeling better, Greg might have gotten down on his knees and begged Tom. 

“Sure. Of course not. I won’t tell anyone,” assured Tom, “Not even Shiv. I promise you.”

Greg believed him. Somehow he could tell that Tom was being sincere.  

Greg wanted to thank him, but a moment later, Tom placed his hand on his knee in what Greg assumed was supposed to be a comforting manner. But having not expected it, Greg jolted upright in his seat at the sudden contact.

Tom instantly pulled his hand back, apologising. “Shit! I’m sorry! Sorry. Are you okay?”

“It-It’s fine,” Greg stuttered out, embarrassed by what to anyone else would be a massive overreaction.

 It wasn’t like he wasn’t used to Tom touching him. Tom did. A lot. And he liked it in truth. It was just that he was already struggling not to lean down and inhale Tom’s scent as deeply as he could; add Tom touching him…well, that made things even more difficult. 

Things really would have been easier if Tom were a beta. No correction. Things would be better if he were a beta. Because Tom wasn’t the abnormal one here.

“I forgot that when omegas are in heat, that they can be a little…” Tom trailed off again. Greg assumed Tom was going to say something along the lines of sensitive, which was true.

Staring at him, Greg noted that Tom’s cheeks were rather flushed and he couldn’t help feeling guilty for it. As Tom has already said himself, he hadn’t come into Greg’s office, whether welcome or not, expecting to come face to face with something like this. It was probably last thing he wanted to be dealing with.

“I’m sorry,” Greg choked out, more tears welling up in his eyes.

“What? Hey, no, it’s okay,” replied Tom. Greg doubted that it was. He was kind of amazed that Tom was being so understanding in truth; that he wasn’t continuing to berate him or make hurtful comments like, “Well, I always knew you were defective, Greg, but even I couldn’t have imagined this.” Greg grateful that he wasn’t. He didn’t think he would be able to take that right now.

“I mean, it’s not like you can control these things, right? It’s not your fault.” For the briefest of moments, Greg felt Tom’s hand hover over his shoulder, about to touch it like he always did. He pulled back however, and Greg couldn’t help feeling saddened by it. He really wished he hadn’t jumped when Tom had touched his knee before. Most of the time he liked Tom’s touches.

“Is there anything I can do? Tell me how I can make this better for you.” There was the same pleading in Tom’s voice again. It was so different from how the media portrayed alphas to be.

Greg lifted his head. “I just…I really wanna go home, you know?”

“Yeah, yeah, of course. Come on, let’s get you the hell out of here,” said Tom, his voice still unusually gentle, “I’ll give you a lift to your apartment, okay? We can leave right now. That sound good?”

Greg gave a small nod. He thought he should maybe be polite, say that Tom didn’t need to go out of his way for him, but really getting a ride with Tom sounded way better, not to mention easier, than grabbing an uber driven by some stranger who might be an alpha. If they pulled up and did turn out to be one, Greg wasn’t sure he would even be able to force himself to get into the car.

“Your driver, he…he’s a beta, right?” Greg asked tentatively. Greg thought he was but…

Tom gave him a sympathetic smile. “Yeah, you don’t have to worry about that. The only alpha anywhere near you will be me.” Greg found that strangely comforting. Yeah, he would be safe as long as Tom was with him.

“Okay then.” Tom got to his feet and as he moved away Greg couldn’t help lamenting the loss of his scent.

Damn, he really needed his suppressants.

“Look, I-I’ll be right back, okay? I just need to grab my things from my office and then we’ll be good to go. So, you just stay put, that okay?”

Greg nodded again before saying, somewhat hesitantly, “Hey, Tom? Would you, uh, mind closing the door behind you and turning off the lights when you go?” Tom looked confused with Greg quickly adding, “You know, just in case someone sees the lights and tries to come in?”

“I don’t think you need to worry about that. Most people have gone home already for the day. But if it makes you feel better then sure, of course.”

“Thanks, man.” Greg appreciated it. He was probably being paranoid. Plus, even with the door closed and lights off someone still had come in. Of course, it was difficult to equate Tom’s actions with the behaviour of practically every other person in the world. Half the time, Tom came across like he was from another planet. Although, he was pretty sure his family, and probably Tom too for that matter, thought that way about him as uncultured as and oblivious to their extravagant tastes that he was.  

“No problem.” At the door, Tom stopped to reassure him once more that he would right back before switching off the lights and closing the door behind him.  

Greg didn’t bother hiding under his desk this time. He doubted Tom would be very long. Plus, if he crawled back under, he wasn’t sure if he would have the energy to get back up again. Would probably have to get Tom to help him, and really hadn’t he embarrassed himself enough already today as it was?

Greg tensed when the door opened again but quickly relaxed when he realised that it was only Tom returning.

“Hey, you good to go, buddy?” asked Tom, turning the light on and grabbing Greg’s coat for him. True to his word, Tom really had come right back. Greg wondered if Tom had deliberately rushed to his office and back again for his sake. But it could just be that his perception of time was off. It was something he could remember happening during the last time he was in heat. Sometimes minutes had felt like hours and what he thought had only been an hour or so had actually been an entire day. He didn’t think his heat had progressed quite to that stage yet, however. He was still capable of rational thought after all. God, he really hoped his suppressants would stop him from getting to that stage. Especially with no one to help him through it. Not that he would want anyone to see him in that humiliating state.

Greg picked up his phone and grabbed his bag that he kept behind his desk. And while he was thankful that he was finally getting to leave, he found himself hesitating

“Everything alright?” Tom asked when he paused in the middle of the room.

“Is…Is there really not that many people out there?”

“Well, there will still obviously be people in the building but there are definitely not as many at this hour.”

Greg gripped the strap on his bag. “Oh okay. Uh, that’s good then.”

“Hey, don’t worry. I won’t let anyone get too close to you, okay? You’ll be safe with me. I promise.”

Greg felt his cheeks flush. “Oh, uh, th-thanks.” Tom saying that made him weirdly happy. Maybe it wasn’t so bad that Tom had found him after all.

No.

Tom still knew his secret. Nothing was worth someone learning that. Plus, while Tom had promised that he wouldn’t tell anyone, not even Shiv, would he really stick to it? Tom had clearly been shocked by what he had discovered. It was the kind of thing you would probably want to share with someone eventually, and unfortunately for Greg, the person Tom happened to be closest to was both Tom’s wife and Greg’s cousin. Greg suspected that if Shiv found out, Logan no doubt would as well. Maybe not right away, but eventually Shiv would probably end up telling him whether out of spite or to get into Logan’s good graces. The Roy sibling’s relationship with their father was precarious to say the least. And while his own relationship with his grandfather wasn’t that great at the moment – Ewan Roy wasn’t the most understanding or easiest man in the world to get along with – most of the time Greg knew where he stood with him. He was straightforward. Or at least to the extent, that he didn’t try to play mind games with him.

That was another thing, if Logan found out, it would probably somehow end up making its way to his grandad as well. In a certain way, that would be even worse that Logan knowing.

Greg quickly shook himself out of such troublesome thoughts. He could worry about that later. Right now he just wanted to focus on getting home.

Greg’s coat rested over Tom’s arm. Greg had naturally expected him to hand it over but instead Tom held a different one for him. Greg quickly recognised it as Tom’s own.

“Oh, uh, that’s not –”

“I know. It’s mine,” said Tom before Greg got a chance to finish, “I, uh, think it might be better if you wear mines out, rather than your own. Like I said, I won’t let anyone get too close to you, but my coat should help mask your scent a little better.”

Greg tensed. “Oh God. Is my scent really that strong?” he asked, panicked as he lifted up his arm and smelled the cuff of his suit jacket. It was a pointless gesture really in that he had no real way of being able to tell himself.

“No…It’s not too strong,” said Tom, “But just to be on the safe side, you know?” Greg wasn’t sure if Tom was being honest or if he was just saying that not to make him worry. That he could smell Tom so strongly probably meant that his scent was more potent to Tom as well. Not that Tom seemed to be reacting much to it, unlike Greg who was overwhelmed and struggling to keep what little cool he had.  “Also, I figured wearing my coat might make you feel a little better?”

“Better?” Greg wasn’t sure he knew what Tom meant.

“Oh, I, uh, read that omegas can find a familiar alpha’s scent comforting when they’re stressed or in…. well, when they’re in heat,” answered Tom, his face reddening at the explanation.

“Oh.”

Tom laughed awkwardly. “Although given its mine that you’ll be wearing, it might make you feel worse, huh?” Tom said, unusually self-depreciating.

Greg immediately shook his head which given how dizzy he still felt probably wasn’t the best of ideas. “That’s not true! I’m sure – I’m sure it will be. Uh, comforting that is.” Greg could feel his own face redden.

They stood there awkwardly for several moments before Greg realised he hadn’t actually taken Tom’s coat from him. “Oh, uh, thanks,” he said as he grabbed it and hastily pulled it on. Greg couldn’t help thinking there was almost a romantic aspect to Tom giving him his coat, like a lover placing it over their partner’s shoulder when they noticed they were cold or wearing an item of their clothing after having been intimate the night before. Of course, this was anything but that. Nevertheless, the thought still remained.

Unsurprisingly, Tom’s coat didn’t fit him particularly well. It was bulky on Greg’s much thinner frame and the sleeves were too short. Greg wasn’t really focused on any of that however, as for the moment he pulled it on, a small gasp escaped his lips, Tom’s scent suddenly engulfing him; almost like Tom had wrapped his body around him. Greg pulled the coat against him more tightly, silently delighting in the smell and sensation of it.

It really was comforting.

“Greg?”

Greg’s eyes widened, shaking him from his brief moment of bliss.

“Oh, uh, yeah?” Oh God. How had he looked just there? Had Tom noticed the strange expression on his face? Had he heard the noise he’d made when he had pulled it on? Greg’s heart stated to beat rapidly in his chest.  

Tom, however, didn’t comment on it. Although Greg thought he noticed a faint smile on his face, almost as if he was pleased about something.

“You ready to go?” Greg quickly nodded in reply, instantly regretting it. He really needed to stop moving his head around so much.

“So, are you…Are you going to wear my coat since like I’m wearing yours?”

“I wasn’t planning to,” Tom replied, looking slightly confused. Greg supposed that made sense that he wouldn’t. It wasn’t like Tom has any reason to mask his own scent. Greg couldn’t help but envy him in that regard. Tom had likely never had to use pheromone blocking deodorant or soaps in his entire life.

“Will you be warm enough?” Greg asked, realising that he had stolen Tom’s source of warm.

Tom scoffed at the question. “We’re just heading downstairs to the lobby and then getting straight to the car, I think I’ll be alright, Gregory,” replied Tom in a tone Greg was far more accustomed to. Bizarrely, Greg found it oddly reassuring.

“Okay.”

Despite not planning on wearing it, Tom didn’t hand Greg his coat over to it, still carrying it with him as they exited Greg’s office.

“Aren’t you going to lock the door?” questioned Tom expectantly, pausing in front of it. 

“Oh, the lock on the door is still busted. I would have like locked it earlier to make sure that no one could get in. That I couldn’t was kind of part of the reason why I was hiding under my desk at all. I’ve asked a few times for someone to come fix it, but no one got back to me. I kind of gave up to be honest.”

Greg noticed Tom wince. “Well, we can’t have that. I’ll have someone come by tomorrow morning and fix it right away tomorrow.” Greg would have preferred moving back into his old office, or any other one to be fair, however, right now didn’t seem to be the best time to bring it up, especially when Tom was so graciously helping him out.

“Oh, thanks. That’d be good, man.”

“Yeah, well, you shouldn’t have to worry about people barging in.” Greg wondered if Tom was aware of the irony of him saying that. “Especially not when you’re…” Tom gestured awkwardly, “Well, not when you’re like this.”

Greg didn’t plan on ever being like this in work again if he could help it. Still, the fact that Tom saw a future for him here given what he now knew about him, gave Greg hope. It appeared that Tom wasn’t expecting him to quit just because he happened to be an omega, as if being one suddenly took away all he had achieved so far. Knowing this, definitely took some of the weight off of Greg.

Tom kept close to him as they walked down the corridor towards the elevator. The floor was mostly empty which was a relief, and the people still there were at their desks and out of their way. Greg froze however, when waiting for the elevator, it opened and revealed that there were already people inside.

It was only two people and it wasn’t like that elevator was small. There was plenty of space. He could squeeze into one of the corners. Nevertheless…

“We’ll take the next one,” Tom announced suddenly, whether to the people in the elevator or Greg himself.

Greg let out a small sigh of relief, grateful as the doors closed back over.   

Thankfully the next lift was empty and Greg followed inside after Tom who pressed the button for the lobby. It got most of the way down before coming to a halt at the fifth floor. Greg tensed when the doors opened to a small group of people chatting loudly.

They were about to walk in when Tom held abruptly held up his arm against the door, effectively blocking their paths.

One of the men looked deeply taken aback. He opened his mouth to question what the hell Tom thought he was doing when a flash of recognition on his face, likely identifying Tom as head of ATN.

“Uh, can we get pa –” 

“No. Take the stairs, you lazy pricks,” spat Tom, pressing down hard on the down button. The people looked on with disbelief as the door closed on their faces. Greg might have laughed if he wasn’t so anxious. It was such a Tom thing to do. And Greg couldn’t be more grateful.

“Thanks,” he couldn’t help saying.

“It’s only the fifth floor. Those assholes should learn take the fucking stairs. Get some actual exercise.” Greg couldn’t help but smile, refraining from pointing out that Tom probably wouldn’t take the stairs even if he was only on the first floor. That he would somehow see it beneath him even though Greg knew Tom often went jogging in the mornings to keep himself healthy and in shape. Greg continued to be thankful that Tom never tried asking Greg to join him. Exercise was really not something he was good at or enjoyed.

“It’s almost like you’re my alpha chaperone,” Greg blurted out without thinking as he was often one to do.  

Tom raised his eyebrows. “Alpha chaperone?”

Shit. He had said it offhandedly, but now, he would have to explain it.

“Oh, it’s uh, like years and years ago, in certain places, like some more than others, omegas weren’t allowed to go outside by themselves. Not without there mate there with them.” Greg froze, realising how that might sound; that he suddenly thought of Tom as a mate. “Or you know, an alpha family member if they weren’t mated! Which of course, I’m not, so that’s what you would be to me. Uh, the alpha family member that is, which I guess technically you are?” 

Just as Greg silently prayed the wires of the elevator would snap and plummet downwards so he could get out of the conversation – it wasn’t that high up so they wouldn’t be that badly injured should they? – the lift stopped, pinging as the doors opened into the lobby.

“Chaperone, huh? I guess I am.”

Greg swallowed. “Ye-Yeah.”

“Well, as your chaperone, I promise I’ll get you back home in one piece.”

Tom didn’t seem offended at least, but Greg thought he should probably avoid talking much less he say anything else embarrassing. He tended to babble when he was anxious, often oversharing and saying things he immediately regretted the instant they left his mouth. And in his current state, he suspected the things he might say would be way more incriminating that usual. 

The lobby to Waystar Co was huge, giving them plenty of space that they could avoid getting too near to anyone. Tom however, remained close by Greg’s side. And although he wasn’t physically touching him, Tom had his hand raised, hovering just over Greg’s lower back as if he was guiding or even protecting him.

It appeared that Tom took his chaperone duties seriously. Greg thought it was oddly sweet of him. Nevertheless, he quickly reminded himself that Tom was probably only doing this and making sure he got home out of some sort of obligation more than anything else; whether it was because he was his boss or as Greg had just said, as a family member. A part of Greg hoped however, that it was as a friend. That or perhaps something more, although he quickly quashed that notion before it had time to blossom any further. Such thoughts were dangerous and even more so when he was like this.

The car was waiting there for them when they got out the building. Tom opened the door for Greg and climbed on in after him, giving his driver the address to Greg’s apartment. Although Tom had been there a few times before, Greg was impressed that Tom still seemed to remember his address by heart.

Greg let out a soft sigh of relief once the car started moving. He would be home soon enough, then he could take his suppressants, crawl into bed, and hopefully forget this day ever happened in the first place. Unfortunately he doubted Tom would be likely to forget anytime soon. But as with so many things it seemed, that was a problem for another time.

Now in the car, Greg realised how warm he felt. Yet at the same time, he didn’t want to take off Tom’s coat. Instead he pulled it more tightly against him. Tom had been right when he said that he might find some comfort from it. Resting his head against the cool window, his nose pressed against the collar of Tom’s coat, Greg softly inhaled Tom’s scent and closed his eyes.

He must have drifted off as hazily he heard Tom calling him. “Greg…”

Greg lifted his head from against the glass. “Huh?”

“Greg. We’re here.”

“Oh right, sorry.” Greg pushed himself up properly, running a hand over his face. His head ached. He wondered if he should take some painkillers along with his suppressants, but not wanting anything to interfere with them, he decided against it. Plus, the pain wouldn’t be an issue if he passed out right away.

“Exhausted, huh?” Tom said sympathetically.

“Yeah. It’s…” He sighed. “It’s been a day.” Greg never slept particularly well in cars or anything that moved really. It definitely went to show how out of it he was that he had been able to even if it had only been for twenty minutes or so.

“That’s certainly one way of putting it,” Tom replied. Now that Greg, thought about it, it must have been quite the day for Tom as well. He had already said so himself, coming into Greg’s office to find him in heat was the last thing he expected to have to deal with. Greg felt guilt start to well up inside him.

“Thanks for the ride, Tom. I really appreciate it,” said Greg, hoping Tom realised how much he did.

“Come on, Greg, it isn’t like your place is exactly that far out of my way.”

“Still…”

Silence descended on them when Tom suddenly announced that he would walk up with Greg.

“Oh, you really don’t have to. I’ll be fine,” Greg tried to reassure.

Tom scoffed. “I’d be a shitty chaperone if I got you all the way here only to find out later that you’d collapsed in the elevator before you actually got back to your apartment.”

“I’m pretty sure I’m not that far gone,” Greg replied. Well, not yet anyway.

Tom, however, was already climbing out of the car, informing his driver that he wouldn’t be long as he did and to wait on him. Tom was still holding Greg’s coat and this time even grabbed his bag as well as if he thought Greg somehow wasn’t capable or too weak and out of it to carry them himself.

For a brief moment, Greg wondered if this was some kind of alpha response or if Tom really did think he looked that poorly that he needed help with his things.

Greg quickly climbed out of the car after Tom, pausing to thank the chauffer for the ride. Greg highly doubted he would have felt comfortable enough to fall asleep in the back of some uber had he had to grab one instead. Not that such a thing would really be wise, whether in heat or not. However, in the car, with Tom next to him, Greg had apparently felt safe enough to do so, even if falling asleep hadn’t been his intention.

The building he stayed in was half empty so there was often less of a risk of bumping into someone which was nice. Once they got to his door, Greg finally took his coat from Tom so he could grab his keys from his pocket to open the door.

His apartment as large as it was, was rather bare for the most part. Greg didn’t have a lot of possessions; most left behind at his mom’s house in Canada. Meanwhile, the furniture he owned was sparse, leaving the place with a great deal of empty space. As he was only squatting there until Kendall could finally move the condos he’d bought, Greg wasn’t allowed to do any proper decorating to the apartment such as painting the walls. It made the place seem more like a showhouse rather than an actual home, but Greg loved it all the same. It was infinitely better than the hostel he had spent all those months staying in when he first arrived in New York. Or any other apartment he had lived in for that matter. And for now this was all his.

Greg had to admit however, it did get a little lonely at times. But he supposed that would be the case no matter what the size of the place he lived in. Although having some more neighbours might have been nice even if he didn’t end up interacting much with them. Fortunately, the lack of people around in his current condition suited him just fine.

Tom followed in after him. Apparently his chaperoning duties also involved making sure that he made it safely over the threshold of his apartment.

Greg wasn’t sure what to say now that he was finally home. He had kind of been expecting that Tom wouldn’t stick around, that he would be eager to get back home. Back to Shiv. That was if she was even there.

“So, uh, do you want something to drink? Like, uh, a glass of water, that is!” Greg quickly added, worried that Tom might think he was asking him to stick around for some sort of alcoholic beverage. Not that it seemed likely given the circumstances.

“No, I’m fine. But you on the other hand, I imagine you could use one,” said Tom and before Greg knew it, Tom was heading into the kitchen. He grabbed a glass from one of the cupboards, appearing to remember where Greg kept them, and proceeded to fill the glass up with water from the tap.

“I’m assuming once again that you don’t have any bottled water in your refrigerator,” Tom bemoaned as he handed the glass to Greg.

“Oh, uh, thanks,” said Greg, taking the glass and having a small sip of it, before going on to take a larger one. Tom was right, he did need that. “And nope. The tap water here is perfectly fine. It tastes nice even.”

Tom rolled his eyes at him, like he thought Greg was an idiot. Greg wondered if Tom had drank bottled water back when he lived in St. Paul or if he had just regular old tap. Greg suspected it was the latter, although he had no idea if that would be the case now whenever Tom went back to visit. Of course in the two years Greg had known him, Greg wasn’t aware of Tom ever going home to St Paul. Being head of a news network was time-consuming, Greg knew, not leaving Tom with a lot of spare time. And the free time that Tom did get mostly involved Roy holiday outings, which for the most part didn’t feel like vacations but more like glorified business meetings albeit in slightly nicer backdrops.

It was the same for himself. Greg remembered being in complete awe when he first arrived in Hungary only to have it quickly ruined by Logan’s malicious ‘Boar on the floor’ game. Greg was sure that the only reason he had come out of it not utterly traumatised was that Tom had been by his side. Then after that, there was the instance on the yacht in the midst of gorgeous weather in the Mediterranean, were they had been all gathered around the table, summoned by his uncle to discuss who should take the fall and go to prison over the whole cruises’ fiasco. While Kendall had ultimately been chosen, Tom had also been a prime candidate for the chopping block. It would have also likely include himself; Roman framing it that he would be the ‘Greg sprinkles’ to Tom’s ‘sundae’, whatever the hell that meant. Roman could be a really difficult guy to like at times…

His two trips to the UK had only been slightly better although still marred, what with his granddad informing him in Dundee that he would cut Greg’s his inheritance unless he quit Waystar, and then on Tom and Shiv’s wedding day when Tom wrestled him to the ground after trying to inform him that Shiv was having an affair. It seemed like Roy holidays were destined to be cursed. At least for him. Still, he guessed it was nice to say he had at least travelled outside the US and Canada.

Tom’s busy schedule aside, Greg wondered if another reason Tom might not have been back to St. Paul might be because of Shiv. Chances were Tom wouldn’t want to visit his parents without his wife by his side. And Greg had the feeling that somewhere like Minnesota was the last place a person like Shiv would want to go unless she absolutely had to. Of course, it was all speculative on his part. Tom didn’t talk about his relationship with Shiv all that much. But from the outside looking in, it didn’t seem great. Whether it was really the case of not, nonetheless, Greg couldn’t help feeling bad for the guy. He made so much effort for the Roy’s, and while part of it was because he wanted to gain their favour, Tom had also shown himself to be selfless many a times. Greg thought Tom really deserved better and in truth he –

“Greg?”

Greg startled, almost spilling his water. “Ye-Yeah?”

“You okay? You were spacing out there.”

Greg felt his cheeks flush. “I was? S-Sorry.”

Shit. How had he managed to go from thinking about Tom’s water preferences to reflecting on the state of Tom’s marriage and what Greg thought he deserved?

“It’s fine. Don’t apologise. I’m used to you spacing out, Greg,” said Tom, not unkindly. Greg didn’t think he spaced out all that much. Unless he was high of course then he absolutely did.  

“So I uh, since I’m home, I should probably go lie down,” said Greg, raising his hand to the back of his neck and rubbing it. He hoped that Tom would take that as his cue to leave. It wasn’t so much that Greg actively wanted Tom to go, rather again he was worried about saying something compromising.

“I need to take my suppressants as well,” Greg added when Tom didn’t respond

“You want to try and eat something first?” Tom asked. He looked concerned, which Greg thought strange. He was back home now, safe and sound, with Tom having succeeded in his chaperoning duties, which while having started off as a joke, had in a way, become an actual reality for Tom. 

Greg shook his head. “Nah, I don’t think my tummy could handle anything right now.” He thought back to the sandwich he had attempted to eat earlier in his office. It made him feel queasy.

Tom gave him another sympathetic look. “That bad, huh?”

“A little. But I’ll have something when I get back up. Hopefully, the suppressants should have kicked in by then and I’ll feel better.” God, he hoped he did.

Tom nodded. Although Greg thought he seemed reluctant to leave. “Alright then. I’ll let you get some rest. I’ll see you soon, okay?”

“Um, Tom, I uh, I’m not sure how I’ll be for work tomorrow,” Greg admitted, tentatively, “I mean, I might be better but –”

“Greg, there’s no way in hell that I’m expecting you to come into the office,” replied Tom as if that should be more than obvious, “Besides, it’s a Friday tomorrow. Take a long weekend. Relax. That’s an order, Gregory.”

Greg had no idea why, but he felt himself shudder ever so slightly at the word ‘order’. It wasn’t like he wasn’t used to Tom bossing about. He was his boss after all, but still…

“If…If you say so,” he managed to choke out in response.  

Just as it seemed like Tom was finally about to leave, Greg suddenly remembered he was still wearing Tom’s coat.

“Oh! Ah, hold on.” It was with a great deal of reluctance that Greg took it off, doing so slowly. It was probably for the best, however. If he was being honest, he thought Tom’s scent, as comforting as it was, might be making him a little loopy. He worried that he might be enjoying it a bit too much.  

“Thank you,” he said, holding out Tom’s coat to him. “You were uh, right by the way. I…I found it com – Well, it really helped me, you know?”

Tom took it from him. Rather than putting it on, he placed it over his arm. That made sense, thought Greg, given that it was now imbued with his scent. The last thing Tom would want would be to go about smelling like his secretly omega assistant. Tom would probably have it dry cleaned before he actually wore it again. Maybe he would even get rid of it completely. Greg hoped not. It was a nice coat. And while it didn’t look good on him, Greg thought Tom looked really handsome in it. It would be such a waste to throw it away, and Greg didn’t want to be the cause of something else ruined.

“Is that so? Well, I’m…I’m glad, Greg.” Greg thought that Tom sounded genuinely pleased by this. It made Greg satisfied in turn.

“It really did. And…” Greg bit down on his lip, wondering if he should just keep quiet or not.

“What is it, Greg?” Tom urged, curious.

“It’s just… I’m sorry that you had to find me like that today. And well, also learning about my secret. But I also kind of don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t? That is at least when it came to making my way back here. I’d planned on getting an uber but I don’t know if I would have even been able to bring myself to get into it let alone leave the building. So, like, thanks for that as well.”

Reaching out slowly, Tom gently placed his hand on his shoulder. Greg shuddered ever so slightly at the contact but having expected it this time he thankfully didn’t jump out of his skin like he had when Tom had touched his knee.

Sensing that Greg seemed okay with his, Tom gave Greg’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “It’s no problem. I’m glad I could help. Thinking of you been stuck there all alone for hours, I... Well, I’m glad you’re alright, buddy.”

Greg couldn’t help but smile, suddenly feeling very much cared for. Tom was being so incredible about all of this. And while things might change once Tom had the chance to properly think things through and reflect, for now, Greg would count it as a win.

Eventually, Tom dropped his hand from Greg’s shoulder, and just as with Tom’s coat and scent, Greg couldn’t help lamenting the loss of it.

“I should go,” announced Tom. That’s right. Greg had already taken so much of his time up already. While Tom had been wonderfully kind, he was probably eager to get home to his beautiful beta wife who unlike Greg wasn’t a freak of nature and put the day far behind him. Greg couldn’t help but envy Shiv being the one who came home to or vice versa. Greg found it wasn’t an uncommon occurrence these days.

“Yeah, of course. Thanks again, man.”

Then just as Tom turned to leave, the insecure, anxious mess that Greg was found the need to ask again, fumbling with his hands, “You, uh, really won’t tell anyone, right?”

“I won’t,” Tom answered simply.

Despite this, Greg believed him. Greg hoped that wasn’t too naïve of him especially given all the backstabbing he had witnessed and been privy to these past two years. But other than getting him to destroy those documents early on in their relationship, Tom had never betrayed him; had even covered for him back in Hungary when he could have so easily used the information about Greg being the one to speak to the auto biographer to get out of the hellish Boar on the Floor game, as well as get on Logan’s good side at the same time. Instead, however, Tom had remained silent. Had later offered to take Greg’s corporate wrongdoings onto himself and serve prison time for him if it came down to it. It was true that Tom could be abusive, but when push came to shove, the man was always looking out for him. Greg knew that he probably didn’t deserve it. But he so unused to such attention and even a little affection, that he couldn’t help but treasure it. Ignoring the castration part, Tom had once told him he would marry him in a heartbeat. Had also kissed him rather tenderly on the forehead as well. Surely, you wouldn’t say or do those things if you didn’t hold some fondness for the person? 

Greg nodded lightly. “Thank you. That’s so… Just thanks.” Yeah, it was definitely a good thing Tom was leaving, Greg starting to feel tears begin to well up in his eyes. He didn’t want Tom to see him cry. Not again.

“Take it easy, Greg.” Tom started making his way to the door, turning back to call, “Let me know how you’re feeling tomorrow, okay? I’d like to know that you’re not dead.”

“I don’t think you have to worry about that, but I’ll text you,” Greg promised.

“Uh, bye!” But the door had already closed, leaving Greg alone there in his very big, very empty apartment.

Greg braced himself against the counter, standing there for a good solid minute.

Yep. Well, that just happened.

After taking a deep breath, Greg headed to the bathroom, taking out the suppressants that he kept hidden in the back of a cabinet there. Considering he lived alone and rarely had company – and he doubted anyone would ever be interested not in him enough to root around his stuff – it was probably unnecessary. But old habits die hard he supposed.  

Topping up the glass of water that Tom had gotten for him, he shoved the suppressants in his mouth, took a sip, and swallowed them. He should be fine by morning. Had even taken a couple extra for good measure.

Greg stripped to his boxers and pulling back the covers, climbed into bed.

It was ridiculous, they had never shared a bed before – although Tom had once slept in his bed after relegating Greg to the couch – but a of part Greg wished that Tom was there lying next to him; maybe even holding him. Tom had been so good today, had taken care of him even when he hadn’t needed to.

Greg quickly shoved down on the thoughts that followed which involved thinking of what a great alpha Tom was; of what an amazing mate he would make and that how nice it would be to be Tom’s ome –

No. Once his suppressants kicked in, Greg would return to being just another regular dime-a-dozen beta who no one gave a second look at. Or well, that would be the case if it wasn’t for his abnormal tallness. Regardless, things would be back to normal tomorrow. Everything would be fine.

He just hoped that Tom would be willing to overlook what he learned today. That he would treat him like he usually did.

Greg pulled his bedsheets more tightly around him, wishing it was Tom’s coat.

“Tom,” he whispered out loud to no one but himself; this time unable to stop the thoughts of the alpha lying there holding him as he drifted off to sleep. For tonight and just for tonight, he would allow himself to indulge in them.