Chapter Text
Heat season was always hard (Pun intended). It was Vessel’s ridiculously loud and busy footsteps from the second floor that pushed II to start ordering III around.
“Go check on them,” II had insisted before he went to take a call, “We need to make sure Vess isn’t being too overbearing.”
Turns out, he was being too overbearing.
As III stared at Vessel cradling Ivy in the massively overstuffed nest currently taking up a good 69% of Ivy’s room, that fact was becoming more and more clear by the second. Vessel stared back at him, spooning Ivy and clutching him in his arms like someone was going to snatch him away the second he let go. Ivy seemed both hazy and resigned to his fate as a prisoner, if a bit sweaty from the cloying atmosphere. “Hi, III~”
The room smelled like sweat and sex and something sweet. It smelled like Vessel, mostly, which set off the alarm bells in III’s hindbrain, even if he tried to ignore it. “Sorry that I’m a bit late."
That was the thing about heat season. It only occurred about once or twice a year, and III usually forgets how difficult it is to deal with by the time the next one comes around.
Don’t get him wrong: III loved his mates, and Ivy himself wasn’t even that difficult to manage during his heat. He was soft and clingy and instinctive, a far cry from his usually relaxed demeanor, and sometimes would be more emotionally sensitive, but there were three of them there to take care of him. Together they made sure he was healthy and satisfied, always ready to offer food and comfort and a knot (which was III’s favorite part, of course; Ivy during his heat was so eager and always sopping wet enough to take. Even thinking about it for too long left him drooling).
They were even meant to take scheduled shifts: II got mornings, III got afternoons, and Vessel got evenings, with all four staying in the nest later at night in case Ivy needed any of them in the middle of the night. III lost count of the number of times he’d woken up to Ivy on top of him, pleading to get fucked, not that he ever complained.
It was a system that allowed for at least two alphas to be able to manage the home, while at least one was always there to keep an eye.
No, it wasn’t Ivy himself that made heat season difficult. It was usually - okay, it was always Vessel.
Vessel glared up at him from where he lay curled on the bed. III knelt close to them both and growled, bringing his teeth closer to Vessel’s neck. “So? Have you taken a shower yet?”
Ivy whined, leaning back under Vessel’s chin, but let his big pleading eyes hone in on III, as if to silently ask if the growl was meant for him. III softened a bit, and left a gentle kiss on his cheek, as if to silently say no no no, not you, don’t worry.
Vessel sighed through his nose. He looked tired, but dignified. “I can take one later.”
“It’s my turn with him,” III said, more gently this time, switching back to Vessel to kiss his forehead, his tone softer. “Go take a shower.”
It was supposed to be III’s shift, but apparently he took approximately .05 seconds longer to get out of the shower than he should have, and since it was the end of II’s shift, Vessel had insisted on letting him rest while he “took care” of Ivy. II had been reluctant, but figured there was no harm.
III knew better. Vessel loved slotting himself into their parts of the schedule, especially his. It was hard not to feel some type of way about Vessel’s clear attempt to get under his skin.
Of course, there was resistance. Vessel growled his arms curling tighter around Ivy’s waist. “Even if I wanted to, it's not happening.”
Ivy cleared his throat, then pulled back the blanket, lifting a strong leg to make the point. Ivy’s cunt glistened as it was visibly stretched taut on Vessel’s knot, the slightest movement shifting them both. III’s own cock immediately came to attention in his pants, in a mixture of envy (he didn’t know which one of them he wanted to be at the moment), annoyance (what the fuck is Vessel doing here, that should be me) and arousal (I can’t lie, that’s pretty hot). “Goddamn it.”
Vessel smiled, that cheesy grin he did when he felt victorious about something. III didn’t know whether he wanted to slap him or kiss it off of his stupid face. Still, he wasn’t going to force Vessel to pull out; that would only harm them both. II was the only alpha whose knot was decently large enough to be a comfortable fit but still possibly slide out if need be (with some time and effort). Ivy had mentioned III and Vessel being so much bigger meant the swell was far tighter, and left more potential to harm if not handled with care.
Vessel tilted his head. “Still want me to pull out?”
As if to demonstrate, Vessel made an incredibly weak, almost playful attempt to slip out of Ivy's folds, and III saw it gush beautifully as it resisted, clenching instinctively around it. Ivy let out a surprised moan, and reached back to hold onto Vessel’s arm. “Easy back there. I don’t need you to tear me in half.”
Vessel kissed his neck. “I would never. There’s nowhere safer for you to be than in my arms.”
III scoffed, trying to pretend he wasn’t stupidly turned on and pissed off at the same time as he plopped next to them both, making it a point to get incredibly deep into their personal space. “Fine. I guess I’ll just wait here for my turn, then. What can we do to pass the time?”
Ivy relaxed and reached for his shirt. “Get this off, for starters. I want to see all those muscles.”
III laughed, but obeyed, pulling it off before giving it to Ivy. “You’re being very generous, darling.”
Ivy didn’t answer, instead turning the shirt over. He brought the tight bend of a sleeve - where III’s armpit had been - to his nose, breathing deeply. III grinned. “Now you have something else to add to your nest. It’s okay, I don’t need to wear shirts ever again.”
“I promise you’ll get your stuff back, I just-“
“Don’t worry, love.” Vessel chimed in, kissing his head, “We understand. You don’t need to justify yourself.”
“Yeah, he’s right,” III said. He leaned in, and licked a gentle stripe up Ivy’s neck before nuzzling him. He whispered in his ear. “I know how much you like how I smell.”
He heard Vessel growl, and glanced up to meet his gaze. Both of them stared down the other. III grinned at him. This show of affection was aimed at Vessel as much as it was aimed at Ivy himself.
A lot of communication between omegas, betas and alphas were all in the body language, subtle cues that the instinctive brain could pick up on that the human brain struggled to keep up with. There was always context required, finesse with this sort of thing, but some things were clear as day.
Prolonged eye contact was a challenge. Getting so close to an omega while they were still knotted by an alpha was an even bigger challenge. And scenting that omega while barely acknowledging the alpha they were already fucking was practically begging for a fight.
With mated alphas, it was… different. Any of the previous behavior might get him mauled if he tried it with an alpha outside of his pack. Within the same pack, this type of behavior wasn’t a call for genuine conflict. It was play.
Vessel bared his teeth back at him. The annoyance between them, it wasn't true anger. It was part of the fun, and III knew Vessel loved catching him in his teeth. “You’re pushing it.”
“You’ve already pushed it,” III snapped back. “You’re not sharing, which isn’t very nice of you. That doesn’t seem fair to me.”
“Ivy needed a knot,” Vessel said, his nose brushing III’s cheek, “And you weren’t here.”
“I’m here now,” III said, wrenching a hand against Vessel’s neck, as if to choke him. “So, now I can give Ivy a real knot.”
“Guys-“ Ivy tried to interrupt, but was quickly ignored.
“A real knot?” Vessel guffawed, “What the hell are you talking about?”
“You’re just here to tide him over,” III said, “I’m here to give him the real thing. Fuck him like he deserves.”
That did it. Vessel lunged for his neck, with III barely dodging and instead pressing a palm into his forehead to push him back. He snapped back with a bite of his own, only narrowly catching Vessel’s shoulder and narrowly missing his scent gland. Vessel head-butted him, pushing him back, and attacking his mouth with his own. It was barely a kiss, with teeth snagging at lips and tongues digging at each other, drool trailing down both of their mouths. It was a fight for dominance, with no real tell of who was winning.
A gasp from Ivy, squished between their chests, momentarily pulled them out of it, and Vessel breathed out a confused groan into the kiss. It took III a moment to realize Ivy had popped free in the scuffle, the sound of Vessel’s knot pulling out obscene and wet. Vessel reared back for only a second to pull himself out the rest of the way, Ivy’s cunt still stretching filthily around the widest part of his cock even as the swelling had gone down.
Ivy whined as he crawled to the edge of the nest, leaving a trail of spend that leaked from his hole. He panted, curling into an exhausted ball in the corner. Vessel and III both looked to ensure he was alright, before III lunged for Vessel and continued their roughhousing, only now they no longer had to gentle themselves for Ivy’s sake.
Their mouths clashed again, and III managed to get a clean move on Vessel’s neck, biting his Adam’s apple. Vessel’s nails raked down his back, leaving thin red marks. He shoved forward to pin III to the ground. “I’ll show you the real thing.”
III’s eyes narrowed. “You… you’re not gonna do what I think you are, right?”
Vessel grinned down at him, grinding his bare, wet cock against the tent in III’s pants, and III’s eyes shot open. “If you put your cock in my face again, I’m biting it.”
“Is that a promise?” Vessel said, shoving III’s head further into the nest as he straddled him. He scooted forward, his cock wet with a mixture of Ivy’s slick and his own cum. The odor was salty and overpowering and filthy, and combined with Vessel’s own natural musk, III couldn’t help but drool at the thought.
But he couldn’t make this too easy, of course, so he growled, clawing at Vessel’s arm and leaving red marks where his claws cut into skin. Vessel hissed, and thrust his hips forward, his cock sliding against III’s face. “Say it. You’re my bitch.”
“Fuck you,” III bit out as Vessel’s heavy dick slid over his cheek, and despite the hostility, his hips thrusted the open air, eager and wanting. He wanted to be the one overpowering Vessel, but the alpha instincts in the back of his brain were at war with itself, torn between two sides.
It wanted to fight back, to prove itself, to be the one doing the bitching. To show Vessel and Ivy who really deserved to be on top. But another part of it couldn’t help the satisfaction of being so utterly, viciously dominated by someone stronger, by its pack leader. Establishing a hierarchy, where his position in it was so mind numbingly clear. To be serving a purpose and serving it well.
Vessel started a frantic pace, rubbing his junk viciously across III’s cheeks and nose, his balls practically muffling his mouth where they smacked him. III had to close his eyes when his cock smeared a trail of cum across his eyebrows and cheekbones. “Say it. Say it loud enough for Ivy to hear.”
III tried to shove him off, his nails leaving scratches against Vessel’s thighs where they straddled his chest, but the other was always the bulkier of the two, even if III had a few inches of height on him. Despite himself, the smell was intoxicating, a musty combo of Vessel’s seed - a big, red glowing neon sign that told III that he was too late, that Vessel had taken Ivy before he even had the chance - and the Fragrant odor of Ivy’s slick - which was almost worse, since it was a sign that Vessel had not only done his job, but had done his job well, direct proof that Ivy had fallen apart on his cock hard enough to still be dripping off of him afterwards.
It wasn't enough that Vessel got to fuck him first. He had to make sure Ivy enjoyed it. Maybe it was a little self-centered for III to assume Vessel was only thinking to fuck Ivy explicitly to piss him off, but he did not care.
He couldn’t help it. III tore down his own pants and underwear, his cock springing free in anticipation. He started furiously jerking himself off. Vessel laughed. “What are you using your hand for? Our omega is right there. All you have to do is reach him!”
III glanced up from under Vessel's dick. Ivy was watching them both with rapt, predatory attention, legs shut, clamped and tight. III wanted nothing more than to yank them open, but his attempts to get up were met with Vessel’s mocking laughter and another shove back into the blankets below him. “Oh, wait. You can’t, can you?”
Fine, if he was going to be petty, than so was III. He snarled, his mouth opening, and he caught Vessel’s balls in his teeth. He didn’t bite down hard enough to draw blood or cause any damage, but he knew there’d be a visible teeth marks after this. Aside from the scent glands in the neck, genitalia was the next strongest source of pheromones for most people. With Omegas, their slick an surrounding sweat glands held a great deal of potent juices, enough for Alphas to smell when they’re in heat. Alphas often secreted their own scents through the sweat on their balls. So when III bit down, he could practically taste the other’s pheromones on his tongue, slightly salty and hot.
God, despite how he would complain about Vessel doing this, he loved it every time.
Vessel hissed, and momentarily pulled back, giving III the advantage he needed. Vessel may have the advantage of strength, but III had a further reach, was quicker, and was a lot more flexible. Kicking his legs up, he hooked them around Vessel’s torso, using his momentum to knock him onto his back, and then used every available second to straddle him. “Who’s the bitch, now?”
Vessel growled, clearly angered by the switch in power, and clawed as III’s arms, trying to thrash him off with his core strength. III was violently jostled, but tightened his legs around Vessel’s waist, not letting himself get loose for even a second. His hand went back to his dick, a wicked grin on his face. “Want a taste?”
III knew that, since he had managed to “win” this round, he could take the opportunity to get to Ivy and knot him stupid, really shove it in Vessel’s face if he were to sink into Ivy’s sopping heat. Give Vessel a taste of his own medicine. The idea of it was really getting him going.
But no, what he had in mind was probably a lot funnier. His hand sped up, his moans loud and shameless as he fucked his own hand. It was difficult trying to focus on that and trying to keep down the thrashing Vessel underneath him, but looking down into Vessel’s blown out pupils, he could tell he was just as into this as he was.
“Open up,” III said before his climax hit him. Ropes of cum splattered onto Vessel’s abs and chest, some even hitting his chin and neck. Vessel let out a deceptively adorable whimper, closing his eyes in shame and arousal. III felt his cock suddenly swell, and a fat knot took form, swelling, visible veins in the flesh.
III leaned back and sighed. Knotting the open air was nowhere near as good as knotting a tight ass or a wet pussy, but it was fun to exaggerate his pleasure, really show Vessel how thoroughly he’d been dominated.
Too bad it didn’t last, as Vessel used his euphoria as a chance to roll over and pin him down. “Two can play at that game.”
The incensed look in his eyes made III cackle. He could tell Vessel was as pissed as he was exhilarated. Vessel started jacking off, too, using his superior strength and III’s exhaustion to keep him pinned down. “Maybe I should get Ivy and knot him in front of you this time. Really drive home who you both belong to.”
“Not if I do it first,” III said through snarling teeth.
Vessel squinted at him. “Is that a challenge?”
He reached a hand up towards Vessel’s abs, fingers smearing around his own cum, and scratched down, all the way to where pelvis met hip bone. He wrapped a hand around Vessel’s as they got him off together. “Do you want it to be?”
Neither of them wanted to be too gentle about this. Vessel and II were practically married; sex between them was methodical, focused, rhythmic, even in the thralls of instinct. III could not get away with this level of confrontation with II either, and he didn’t really want to. He’d hate to break the level of trust they’d grown together.
With Ivy, they were both doting and attentive; Ivy hated the rougher biting and clawing when it was aimed at him. Gentling themselves for him was second nature.
No, they could only really let loose like this with each other. They could afford to be mean, to be aggressive, to dominate. But that didn’t mean there wasn’t room for love to show through.
Vessel’s hands sped up, and he finally spilled over, splashing III’s torso with his own spend. It was more watery than III’s had been, clearly spent from knotting Ivy more times than III would know about. His knot, which was always pretty big, swelled in their joined hands. Vessel hissed, wrapping it tightly. “Fuck, yes.”
He collapsed on top of III, embracing him in an odd combo of a grapple and a hug, as if he didn’t know whether to keep him trapped or to hold him close for comfort. Probably both.
There was little noise aside from their frantic breathing. III felt Vessel’s cock harden against his inner thigh, and laughed. “What? You ready for round two?”
Vessel laughed back. “There’s not… gonna be a round two. I’m gonna fuck our boyfriend in front of you, while you’re gonna watch.”
“The fuck you are,” III sat up and shoved him back, pushing him off onto his back. III smiled. “What do you think, Ivy? Don’t you want me, or Vessel?”
When he got no response, he looked to where Ivy had been sitting last. “Ivy?”
The spot was suspiciously empty. In fact, Ivy did not seem to be in the nest at all. Vessel sat up. “Where did he go?”
“Do you think he got bored?” III joked. Despite it, he couldn’t help the rise in mild panic from his hindbrain. It’s gone from the blissful, mind-numbing competitiveness with Vessel to newfound fear that his - no, their omega was suddenly gone.
Where is he? Why is he not here with us? He belongs in the nest warm safe loved-
He looked at Vessel and could tell he was feeling the same way. They gently nuzzled each other, III licking one of the scratches he’d left on his shoulder. The other alpha stood up and sniffed the air. “We can find him.”
III tilted his head enough to catch the light of an inconspicuous puddle of clear, slightly milky liquid on the ground. Wait, it wasn’t a puddle. It was a trail leading out of the door. He pointed, getting Vessel’s attention. “Looks like someone made an escape.”
“It sure is fortunate that I fucked him before you got here, or else we might not have known.” Vessel smiled, the expression annoyingly precious.
III shoved his face away. “When we find him, I’m gonna fuck him so hard that he forgets how to play the guitar.”
“What if I find him first?” Vessel proposed, tilting his head. Of course, during Ivy’s heat, he just had to make everything a competition.
“Whoever finds him first gets to knot him, then.” III all but ran to the door. The trail ended a little outside of it, but III knew he could find Ivy on faith alone.
Vessel cursed, standing up and following. “Hey, we didn’t say when!”
“Last one to find him is a rotten egg!”