Chapter Text
Rylands day has been exponentially terrible. Which he totally didn’t plan for, considering it’s a Friday and he should be enjoying the last day of school before the weekend!
He had a wonderful day planned out, too. His students would play a quick study game before their exam, they usually voted for blooket but Rylands been banned from letting them play that anymore after he received one too many voice complains after his students screamed at each other for stealing gold or something. Kahoot it is, at least his students are pretty easy to please. Then after their study game and quiz, he was gonna let them watch a movie to start off the weekend right! Then after work he’d stop by the grocery store and then call his bestest friend (who is also his twin, but it’s really sad admitting your twin is your best friend) and end the day perfectly with a drink with Jody! Jody was his other best friend, but she’s his twins girlfriend, so he also doesn’t like admitting that.
A beautiful day planned the night before, Ryland expected to wake up with a smile on his face and skip to work like the world was sunshine and rainbows. Well, the world was in fact not, capital NOT, sunshine and rainbows.
First, Ryland overslept, which meant he either had to skip breakfast or coffee. He chose breakfast, which was probably the unhealthier option, but he can’t live without his coffee.
Second, because Ryland was in such a frenzy to get out of the door on time, he completely forgot to put on his scent blockers this morning. Thankfully he always carried an extra pair in his desk at work, but he still had to bike all the way to school without them on! It wasn’t the biggest deal in the world, but it still gained him some unnecessary attention he really didn’t want.
Third, he made a fool out of himself in front of his new neighbor! A young, handsome alpha at that! He’s probably getting made fun of in a frat boy group chat right now.
Ryland almost tripped and fell on his ass when he ran into the elevator, eager to make it to work on time. Of course, his frantic behavior caused him to bump into the new neighbor, just his luck. He didn’t even have the chance to introduce himself to the neighbor properly yet, the stranger had just moved in earlier this week and Ryland planned to bake him a sweet tray of cookies as a warm welcome this weekend, after work and everything. Now he was meeting the neighbor, a younger alpha with an impressive build, much earlier than he expected- and much worse than he expected!
“Oh- Jeez! I’m so sorry, I’m in a bit of a hurry. I didn't stop to look around! Let me help you-”
Ryland’s a sputtering mess, wanting to give a better first impression while also needing to get his butt on that lil ass bike and haul ass to work. He was trying to help pick up the stranger's fallen item, some greasy towel Ryland momentarily fears touching. What the hell kind of substance was even seeped into the towel? Oh, who is he kidding, he’s put more mysterious things in his mouth back in college, he can’t seriously be scared about touching this thing.
Well, thankfully Ryland didn’t have to think about it too much because the alpha’s already leaning down to pick it up before Ryland could. In fact, he’s snatching it up like he doesn’t want Ryland to touch it. Okay, ouch, maybe he is old and ugly. At least the close proximity allows Ryland the chance to smell him- and God- did he smell nice. Leathery with a hint of cedar, and something akin to gasoline. It’s a pleasant scent that makes Ryland want nothing more than to nuzzle right into the stranger's scent gland and bask in the smell.
With the closeness, Ryland also has a moment to finally appreciate the strangers' features. He’s got a pretty face, clean shaven with captivating blue eyes. His jawline is sharp, and his expression is intimidating. He’s just a bit taller than Ryland, but lord were his shoulders broad, built for someone who worked hands on. Must be blue collar. Biceps fight at the seams of his short sleeves, and Ryland thinks he should let them free before they rip the fabric and free themselves.
No more time to appreciate the stranger. Due to the fast reaction speed of the alpha, and the slow reaction speed of Ryland considering he woke up maybe fifteen minutes ago, they bonk heads when rising back to their full heights. It was awkward, and a beta standing near the elevator door walked away, probably from the second hand embarrassment she just felt upon witnessing that.
“Ow ow ow,” Ryland whines, hand flying up to soothe his forehead. The alpha just stares at him, tight lipped, hand hovering over his own forehead. Aw man, this couldn’t have gone worse.
“Are you okay? Um, my name is Ryland, I live next door to you, I really need to get to work but I’m so sorry I hit you and I promise to make it up to you with cookies! Goodbye!”
“Ryland,” the alpha repeats, and wow, his voice is mesmerizing. Soft, a little quiet, but rough around the edges. It’s got a gruffness to it that makes Ryland’s knees embarrassingly weak, and now he has to beat himself up on his way to work for finding his neighbor that’s probably a decade younger than him attractive. Oh, but the way he said his name like that, kind of shy and hoarse, Ryland doesn’t know if he’ll be able to think straight the rest of the day.
It must be his omega talking, more heightened without the scent blockers. Rylands never been one to prioritize alphas or relationships, it’s how he got through college with a doctorate in molecular biology. Alphas rarely affected him, and he’s been called a ‘difficult omega’ his entire life. It was belittling at first, but after a while he wore the label with pride. Difficult, more like an omega who knows his worth and has high standards. Colt and Jody always uplifted him, and those were the only two people he needed.
So now, with wobbly knees and probably looking like an idiot with his glasses askew from the impact, Ryland has no idea why this alpha has this effect on him. He doesn’t even know his name, how promiscuous.
“Driver,” the younger finally introduces, nodding curtly before walking away. Oh, wow, a man of few words. Is that his real name? Who the heck names their baby Driver? His mother carried him in the womb for nine months and thought, ‘aww, I can't wait to name my little bundle of joy Driver!’ Yikes! At least he was hot, really hot. Would it be sexy to moan Driver? Okay, never mind, Ryland is way too old for him and he has classes to teach!
Ryland has to jab the floor number six times before the elevator doors finally close and descend to the lobby. His mind is reeling over the interaction- he made a fool of himself. The voices in his head are pointing and laughing right now going, and so is the alpha, probably. Ryland should probably stop referring to him as alpha now that he knows his name, that’s a little dehumanizing. Driver is probably pointing and laughing at him right now.
Ryland shuffles out of the elevator awkwardly when he reaches the lobby, darting past others to reach his bike. He receives a few odd looks, some people scenting the air around him. Okay, that’s rude. Sure, Ryland rarely goes out without scent blockers so this is a rare occurrence to smell him, but to smell him so overtly is just plain old rude!
The bike ride was just as weird. People go out of their way to avoid his path for some odd reason. Maybe he smelled bad? Yeah he didn’t have a lot of time to get ready, but he still brushed his teeth and put on deodorant and cologne, and he showered the night before so he shouldn’t smell terrible. Was his natural scent gross?
Ryland discreetly twisted his head to try to get a whiff of his own scent. Nope, smelled pretty normal to him. His usual sea salt and ocean air scent, a hint of vanilla underneath the more dominating fragrance. Ryland wasn’t one to compliment himself often, but he does think he lucked out in the scent department. So why was everyone smelling him and avoiding him like the plague?
The oddities only continue when he gets to work, all of his coworkers staring at him wide-eyed. He can tell they’re whispering about him, discreetly looking over their shoulders to get a peak at Ryland before twisting back around and giggling. Even the principal joins in on the gossip!
Rylands lips part to ask why everyone’s looking at him so weird, but the 6th grade math teacher, Mrs. Romero, is cutting him off with a laugh.
“Ah, you smell like you had a good night!”
Rylands eyebrows furrow, what could this possibly entail? How far did she jump to reach this conclusion, and why?
“Huh?”
She then looked Ryland up and down, real sassy it got him nervous he did something wrong, before her eyes returned to his gaze and winked. What the hell?
He’s about to question what the hell she means by that, but the homeroom bell is ringing and now everyone is running to their classrooms.
Well, at least he knew all the weird stares were because of his scent. It must be because he forgot to put on scent blockers this morning, he’s never come in without them. He better get to class to put those back up ones on before any more rumors spread.
“Goooood morning everyone!” Ryland greets his class extra cheerfully, trying to distract them from his more obvious scent. He’s quick to plop down at his desk and dig through the drawers for his scent blockers, but the class is already snickering. These brats.
“What’s so funny?” He cocks his head to the side, one eyebrow raised as he waits for one of the laughing students to answer. Instead, they all just look at each other and giggle harder.
“Alright. If nobody answers, no movie day for you-”
“It’s nothing, Mr. Grace!” One student, Ashley, is waving her hands frantically while her best friend giggles behind her. “We were just laughing about a TikTok Tristan showed us!”
“Enough of this tic tac. Didn’t I say no more talking about tic tac in my class?” The class collectively groans at Rylands scolding.
“It’s TikTok!” One student groans in response, secondhand embarrassment already settling in.
“TikTok, back in my day we used YikYak.”
“Yeah, and you also went to school with the dinosaurs so put on our Kahoot.” The class is now laughing at him.
Ryland pinches the bridge of his nose. He’s yet to meet someone meaner than a middle schooler. Seriously, where do they learn these things? Eight in the goddamn morning and he has to deal with this.
When he twisted around from the whiteboard to give them the look, the intimidating one he does that silently says ‘I’m not mad, just disappointed,’ the students sink into their chairs guiltily. They awkwardly fumble to get their Chromebooks out to punch in the Kahoot code Ryland put up on the screen projecting at the white board.
Once the class has settled and logged in, they begin to whisper among themselves. Ryland assumes it's normal teenage stuff, like what they’ll be doing this weekend or what they’re having for lunch, but then they start staring at him and giggling.
With narrowed eyes, he looks up at the class from his spot on the desk. They try silencing their giggles behind their hands, but Ryland still knows something’s up.
“Okay, who’s gonna tell me what’s so funny? Do I smell?”
That, unfortunately, only gets them laughing harder. Ryland wrinkled his nose up in irritation, seriously, is that what this is about? He put on the scent blockers as soon as he dug them out of the drawer, was his scent still lingering?
When they didn’t answer this time, Ryland decided to let it go. They still had a Kahoot to finish before their quizzes, so he wouldn’t question it further. Though, he was still confused why he was the butt of some joke he was completely unaware of.
Sipping his coffee and waiting for the game to be over, a student suddenly approached his desk. Glancing over, he noticed it was straight A student Claire Fitzroy. She’s a phenomenal student, just… Very sarcastic, a bit blunt. He assumes she gets the spitfire attitude from her father, the alpha that drowns her in his scent every morning before sending her off to school. His scent is something of bubblegum and fresh rain and something smokey, which is surprisingly very pleasant, so Ryland doesn’t mind too much when she comes in reeking of him.
He’s extremely protective, but Ryland understands considering the poor girl's severe heart defect. He hasn’t had the pleasure of meeting her guardian yet, just knows his name is Courtland Gentry from the 504 documents entailing his contact information in case something were to happen. Thankfully, he has yet to need that information.
“Claire,” Ryland smiled down at the brunette, “do you need anything? We’ll be starting the quiz in ten minutes.”
“Hi, Mr. Grace,” Claire shifted awkwardly where she stood. She looked like she needed to say something, but had yet to find the words.
“Is everything alright?” The omega hummed, leaning closer. Claire wasn’t one to hesitate, she was a very bold student that stood her ground. He feared she was feeling ill.
With Ryland closer to her space, Claire instinctively leaned back and scrunched her nose up.
“You smell funny.”
“Claire, you can’t just say that,” Ryland deadpans.
“I’m being serious, Mr. Grace! You smell weird weird.” She looks genuinely concerned.
An exasperated sigh left Rylands lips, leaning back on his chair. Somehow, the judgement of a middle schooler hurt harder than the judgement of the entire science community when he was shunned out.
“Well, some things are better left unsaid. If we have nothing nice to say, don’t say it at all.”
The scolding had Claire shrinking in on herself, eyes downcast as she fidgeted with her hoodie zipper.
“No, Mr. Grace, I don’t mean to be rude, it’s just…” Suddenly, she leaned in closer to whisper near Rylands ear, “you smell like an alpha… That’s why everyone’s laughing.”
Ryland choked on air. “Excuse me?”
Claire’s nose wrinkled up again, like the scent of a strange alpha on Ryland seriously offended her. It must be because of how intense her guardian scents her, she doesn’t find other alpha scents to be pleasing, Ryland thinks.
But how on Earth did he smell of alpha?! He didn’t have a mate, and he sure as hell hasn’t been scented by one.
Backtracking his day, Ryland realized the weird stares happened after the elevator incident. With Driver. An alpha who did technically make skin to skin contact with him when they bumped heads. But it was only a second, he had no time to properly scent him then. Even if he did accidentally scent him for that second, the smell would have worn off by now, right?
Claire is scuttling back to her seat at the sound of students cheering for whoever won the Kahoot. Thank God Ryland would have a moment to himself while they take the quiz. He needed it to comprehend what the hell was going on.
All the weird stares are because of the alpha scent on him, that was now clear. At least his own scent wasn’t gross, he was worried people were avoiding him because of that. Still, not fun knowing all of his colleagues were probably spreading rumors that he’s finally been mated.
The only thing Ryland could do was take a shower. His own scent hadn’t overwhelmed the alpha scent so it wasn’t like he could rub his scent glands with his clothes and hope that would work. Unfortunately, he’d have to let the rumors and gossip spread today. He’ll wash it off once he gets home. He needs to worry about his students right now, he’ll revisit this problem later.
｡ﾟ•┈꒰ა ♡ ໒꒱┈• ｡ﾟ
“Are you being courted?”
This is the second time today Ryland has choked on nothing, inhaling deep enough he’s sputtering.
“Mr. Smith, you know that is not true, nor is it appropriate to be discussing in school-”
“You don’t have to be shy about it, you reek of alpha. Real possessive, huh? I remember my first alpha girlfriend, miss her a lot,” leave it to Mr. Smith, the loopy English teacher to start reminiscing about his borderline insane alpha girlfriend back in college when he has a wife.
“Do I really reek?” Ryland frowned, trying to scent himself. He has no idea how he’s been so oblivious to the smell all day, he can’t even detect it.
“Positive, why do you think all our alpha colleagues are eating in the old teachers lounge today? They’re too scared to get close to you, you’ve got a protective one.”
Rylands frown only deepened. He didn’t mean to make his coworkers avoid him, now he feels bad.
“Well, I’m positive I don’t have a mate. And I’m positive I’m not being courted. I’m not even seeing anybody,” Ryland explained in a quiet voice, but he didn’t sound so sure of himself anymore after hearing what Mr. Smith had to say.
“You’re being serious? Mr. Grace, either you’re the most oblivious omega I’ve ever met, or you’re in danger.”
A squeak. “Danger?!”
“Uh, yeah? You reek of possessive alpha pheromones, the ones they reserve for claiming a mate. If I came home smelling like that, my wife would probably kill the alpha and then me.”
Now Ryland was a little worried. Had an alpha been staking him out? Try to claim him unknowingly? Now he really wanted to take a shower.
Now Ryland would have to spend the rest of his day in fear. Darn Mr. Smith for getting these scary visions in his head. Hopefully he isn’t getting stalked or something by some crazy murderer, that would be insane.
｡ﾟ•┈꒰ა ♡ ໒꒱┈• ｡ﾟ
The rest of the school day passes by with each of his classes whispering and giggling behind Rylands back. At least it makes sense for them to gossip, they’re teenagers. But his colleagues are doing the exact same thing, and they’re grown adults!
It was embarrassing having a rumor about himself circulating through the school. Ryland has always been nothing but an average guy, he lives a mundane life and considers his twin to be his best friend, nothing about him is interesting. The only interesting thing about him is the time he ridiculed a leading scholar in his field during a UNESCO conference, and that’s old news by now.
So, to be the butt of some joke he wasn’t a part of, Ryland was seriously getting jittery and wanted to go home. Thankfully, with it being a Friday and letting the kids watch a movie after their quizzes, the day went by pretty fast. Ryland was able to get a lot of work done while the kids watched! He responded to emails, worked on next week's lesson plans, and approved parent-teacher conference appointments that start next week.
Ryland always got anxious before the conferences. He mostly had good things to say about his students since they behaved well, but for the few that did act up, their parents never wanted to hear any of it. It’s like parents don’t parent these days, Ryland is afraid what the next generation of students will be like, the ones that had an ipad shoved in their face by the age of 2. Ryland shuddered at the thought, he doesn’t even want to think about that.
The sound of the last bell ringing signals for the students to whoop and cheer and run down the corridors to the busses and parent pick up. Ryland has to yell ‘no running in the halls!’ at least four times and now he feels like a nerd.
Now he can finally pick up his much needed groceries and call Colt before he meets up with Jody at the bar tonight. He’ll have to ask Colt if he’ll be joining them when he calls him later.
The teasing doesn’t end even when Ryland is hopping on his dingy little bike. Mrs. Romero is back, winking at him with a wave.
“Have a good weekend. Take the next week off if you need it! You get PTO!”
This is even more humiliating now knowing that she’s referring to his sex life.
“Have a good weekend to you too, Mrs. Romero,” Ryland shuddered, hoping he sounded sarcastic as he mounted his bike.
“Will we get the chance to meet him-”
Someone’s cutting her off before she can finish her sentence, which Ryland appreciates even if it is embarrassing.
“Camila! You can’t just ask someone that!”
Ryland doesn’t waste anymore time waiting for the math teacher to make up excuses, he’s already pedaling away to the nearest grocery store.
The short ride gives Ryland a few minutes to overthink his predicament. What if Mr. Smith was right? What if he was in danger? How could Ryland trust any alpha in the vicinity?
Maybe he’ll ask Colt when they call later. If Ryland truly was in danger, he and Jody wouldn’t hesitate to let Ryland sleep at their place for the time being.
At least with whatever alpha pheromones were sticking to him, everyone avoided him. That fact was sad back in school with his colleagues, but in the grocery store it’s a blessing! Nobody is running into him with their carts like it’s their first day on Earth, they finally have spatial awareness and give him space to move.
He has a short list. He only feeds himself, so it’s not like he needs to grab a lot of things. Just the essentials, ingredients to bake apology slash welcome cookies, and a bag of chips for whenever Colt stops by his apartment.
Getting the bag of chips, however, proved to be difficult.
Colt was a difficult man. You see, he only eats honey barbecue chips, and only the Herrs brand. One time Ryland accidentally bought Lays, and even though they’re the same chip just with a different name on the packaging, Colt refused to eat them and Ryland ended up giving them to his coworkers.
The grocery store did have the right chips in stock, but they were high up on the top shelf. Ryland prided himself in being above average in the height department, but he was still just a sliver too short to reach them, even on his tippy toes.
Stupid grocery store. They’ve never been on the top shelf until now, why’d they have to move them around? Ryland couldn’t even get someone to help him since everyone and their mother is avoiding him.
“Do you need any help?”
Ryland was about to give up with a sigh. Colt could go without the chips for this week, even if he’s gonna whine in his ear like a little baby when he finds out. But then, the Heavens above have sent him this sweetheart that’s not scared to get close to him! Oh, bless their soul. Twisting around to meet his savior, he’s met with the young alpha he met this morning.
Wait a minute.
“Driver?”
The younger man looks sheepish to be recognized, hand scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. He looks flustered, and Ryland doesn’t think he’s ever seen an alpha this cute.
“Hi. Ryland.”
“You remembered my name! I thought you wouldn't after how frantic I was acting this morning. Nice to see you again. Oh- And yes, I do need help. My brother- twin, actually, is a real pain in my butt and will only eat these specific chips from this specific brand. Like, seriously? I’m the one going out of my way to buy you snacks and you have the audacity to act picky? I should really stop accommodating him. Spoiled brat.”
Ryland doesn’t realize he’s rambling until he comprehends the amount of silence coming from Driver, who’s already gotten the chips in his hand. He’s staring at Ryland curiously, and now it’s the omegas turn to get flustered.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I’ve been told by my students that I talk a lot. You can tell me if I talk a lot. Sorry.”
“You talk a lot.”
“Oh!” Well, Ryland can’t really act surprised when he told him to say that.
“It’s okay. I like to listen.”
That was an infinitely sweeter response than Ryland was expecting. It made his eyes crinkle up with a smile, how polite! Driver, if that really was his name, was a very polite man. Even with whatever alpha pheromones were clinging to Ryland, Driver didn’t seem bothered at all! If anything, he’d gotten closer. It was nice to finally not have someone avoiding him, how chivalrous.
“That’s good, because I like to talk!”
That made Driver smile himself. It was a boyish smile, a bit crooked but charming nonetheless. He shifted from side to side, like he wasn’t sure what else to say. Wasn’t a big talker, Ryland already gathered that from their little interaction this morning.
“Well,” Ryland coughed, taking the chips and putting them in his basket, “thanks for the help!”
Ryland gives Driver another sweet smile, and Drive just stands there motionless. He looks like he has something to say, but his lips are sealed shut. Ryland shrugs it off, maybe he’s just tired after a long day, so he turns around and begins walking down the aisle.
Two steps in, he feels something tug at the back of his shirt. With a blink, Ryland twists around to find the culprit, and it’s none other than Driver.
“Um,” the alpha coughs awkwardly, staring down at the basket in Rylands grasp. “Is it heavy?”
“Huh?” Ryland cocked his head to the side, looking down. All he had in the basket were the chips, bread, milk, eggs, and baking supplies. “Not really?”
Driver did not like the response, eyebrows furrowing.
“I can carry it.”
“You want to carry my basket?”
Driver only nods in response, but those little puppy eyes he gave Ryland, all wide and just begging to help, made Rylands heart melt. He felt bad accepting any more help from the alpha after his terrible first impression this morning, but Driver looked like he would burst into tears if he didn’t accept his help.
“Aw, that’s very sweet of you. If you’d like to, sure. I just need to grab a few more things if that’s alright with you.”
The basket was practically ripped from his hands, but Driver’s appearance brightened. It was nice to see such a younger alpha be so considerate, most were jerks nowadays.
Ryland felt significantly less lonely for the rest of his shopping with Driver by his side. He carried Rylands basket with pride and even added a couple items he insisted Ryland needed, like sweets and snacks. It was sweet how Driver was looking out for him, but there was a reason why Ryland didn’t buy this kind of food anymore- he couldn’t afford eating like this with a teacher's salary! That would be too embarrassing to admit in front of Driver, so he let the alpha pile the basket and silently grieved how his bank account would look after he paid.
Surprisingly, most of the other customers emptied the store. Huh, it was a Friday afternoon, it should be packed. Maybe everyone had somewhere to be, like a party?
Even the employees were avoiding the pair, and coincidentally all of them except one went on their break. They basically had the whole store to themselves. What a weird day!
Arriving to self checkout and scanning all his items with the help of Driver, Ryland fumbles to get his credit card out. When he’s finally got the card in his hand, he’s met with the screen saying ‘Thank you for your purchase!’
A squeak echoed throughout the unusually empty grocery store, “you didn’t have to pay!”
Drivers ears turn red, “S’okay. I have a good job.”
“I- Do you have Venmo or something? Let me pay you back-”
“No.”
“Oh, c’mon, everyone has Venmo. Do you have anything I can send you money on?”
“No.” Stubborn.
“I- let me pay you back somehow, please! I feel bad now.” Ryland fears he may be a flustered mess.
“You’re baking me cookies. That’s enough,” Driver responded with a glance down at the ingredients.
“Well- Yeah! But those are to welcome you to the apartment! And you paid for the ingredients anyways so now it doesn’t count! What about dinner or something? I feel bad-”
“Okay.”
Ryland blinks. Oh, that was easy. But he didn’t stop to think about the implications of his proposal before the words had already spewed from his mouth. At least Driver looks happy. The same boyish grin is on his face from before.
“Can I drive you home?”
“It’s okay. Don’t worry about it!”
“We’re headed to the same place. Also, it’s probably not safe to carry groceries on a bike.”
Huh. When did Ryland mention he drove a bike to Driver? Maybe this morning.
“I-“ Ryland hesitated before accepting the offer, “Okay. Thank you, really. I owe you a ton.”
Driver just smiled innocently, and impressively carried every bag to his car, a 1973 Chevy Malibu. It even already had a bike rack mounted so Ryland didn’t have to worry about coming back for his bike!
Hopping into Drivers car on the passenger side, Ryland realizes Driver's scent isn’t enveloping his senses. That was weird, it totally should be considering he was inside the alphas private vehicle. Come to think of it, even in the grocery store Ryland didn’t detect him by scent. Huh, maybe he put scent patches on?
｡ﾟ•┈꒰ა ♡ ໒꒱┈• ｡ﾟ
“You know,” Ryland said as they stepped out of the car and into the evening air, “it’s funny running into you twice in one day!”
Driver’s grip tighten imperceptibly on the grocery bags, “yeah.”
“What a small world!” Ryland continued, getting his bike and locking it with a D lock outside the apartment building.
“Small world,” Driver echoed, adams apple bobbing as he looked away.
The walk to the elevator and towards Rylands apartment was filled with silence. Surprisingly, the silence wasn’t awkward, which was weird considering Ryland hated silence, he always tried to fill it with conversation.
But walking beside Driver felt easy, comforting, even. The alpha carried all five grocery bags in one hand, and even shifted to push the elevator button for him with his free hand. Ryland hated to admit how attractive that was in a domestic kind of way. Not to mention the way he didn’t complain once, he walked behind Ryland obediently until they got inside the omegas apartment.
“Thank you so much for all of your help,” Ryland thanked profusely, helping Driver set all the bags down on the kitchen counter for him to put the groceries away.
Drivers nose crinkled discreetly, like he was smelling his surroundings. Ryland missed the way Driver tensed up, standing taller and fighting back a growl.
“It’s no problem,” Driver mumbled with a curt nod.
“Oh- I can walk you back to your apartment if you’d like!” Ryland offered quickly, wanting to offer as much hospitality as possible after all of the help he received. “And I’ll have your cookies done tomorrow! Promise!”
“Ah- It’s fine. My place is right next door. Could I just use your bathroom?”
“Of course, follow me!”
Ryland led him past his bedroom and showed him the bathroom before returning to the kitchen to get his groceries away, especially the cold ones so they wouldn’t go bad. Driver reemerged a few minutes later, and offered Ryland a small wave before leaving.
Ryland got the impression Driver was shy. It was a little odd for an alpha to be shy, as opposed to a beta or omega being one, but there’s no shame in that at all! He must have felt a bit awkward helping someone older than himself, but Ryland assumed he was just the helpful type.
A very charming young man, one with a nice job too considering he didn’t think twice before paying for his things. If Ryland was a few years younger, maybe he’d consider this courting, but he had to be at least a decade older than the blonde alpha, it didn’t make sense. So he chalked Driver up to being a considerate young man that looked out for his neighbors, how thoughtful!
Rylands finally finished putting his groceries away, he should call Colt while he gets ready for his night out with Jody! He remembers putting a cute button down shirt on his dresser the night before, it’d be perfect to wear tonight.
Huh. His shirt was gone. It’s not on the dresser anymore, Ryland realizes with a quizzical expression when he enters his bedroom. He must’ve thrown it in the laundry basket by accident this morning, oh well, he’ll find a different one.
Dialing Colts number, Ryland plans to tell his twin about the crazy day he’s had- oh, and ask if he’ll be joining him and Jody tonight!
｡ﾟ•┈꒰ა ♡ ໒꒱┈• ｡ﾟ
Driver is shaking when he slams the door to his apartment behind him. His heart is beating fast, so fast he’s afraid it may beat out of his chest. He needs to lean against the doorframe to catch his breath, hand falling above his sternum.
Driver doesn’t think he’s met an omega that pretty before. He’s had his eye on him since he moved in earlier this week, a sweet, older school teacher that always had the prettiest smiles on his face. Driver wanted to taste him.
He finally had the opportunity to see him up close this morning in the elevator. He smelled better than usual, and Driver thinks he became addicted to the scent immediately. Part of him wants Ryland to ditch the scent blockers for the rest of his life. Another part of him wants to keep Rylands scent a secret to everybody but himself.
The incident was a coincidence, really. Driver had no intentions of meeting the omega yet, he felt too nervous to. But with the omega so close to him, Driver couldn’t help but purposely hit his head against him, give himself the perfect opportunity to finally lean in and smell him directly from the source.
Salivating. A blend of the sweet smells of the ocean with a subtle trace of vanilla. Driver has never smelled an omega this good before, he couldn’t help but accidentally trace the scent glands of his wrist over the rambling omegas scent glands.
The rest of the day wasn’t a coincidence. Drivers not a stalker. He just wanted to look out for Ryland.
Ryland. That was the mystery omegas name. A pretty name for a pretty man, Driver repeated it like a mantra when they parted ways.
Driver watched him go to work. He’s not stalking, because the school is on the way to his own job at the auto shop down the road.
Driver watched him leave work. He’s not stalking, they just have very similar hours and Driver happened to be nearby when the school day ended.
Driver watched him walk into the grocery store. He’s not stalking, he just had a few things he needed to pick up, too.
Driver watched him between the aisles. He’s not stalking, he just coincidentally needs the same things Ryland needs.
Driver watched, and watched, and watched. But he’s not a stalker.
It pleased Driver to see the way other alphas went out of their way to avoid Ryland. Good, as it should be. Driver wanted that omega all for himself, even if he would become “Dr. Graces controversially younger alpha.”
Dr. Grace. Yes, Driver looked him up during his free time between cars at work. The omega was smart. Really smart. He had a doctorate in molecular biology and had a special interest in xenobiology.
But he was shunned out of doing what he loves. Because of some sleazy, good for nothing alpha that ridiculed him in front of all those jerks at a UNESCO conference. How was Ryland in the wrong to argue back? Driver thought his comment about the knothead being a ‘staggering waste of carbon’ was funny. He didn’t deserve to be shunned, the alpha did.
Driver also found out the name and profession of the douche that did that to Ryland. He also found out where he lived, who his family was. But that’s not relevant.
It was like the gates to Heaven opening when Ryland let him inside his apartment. It smelled so beautifully in there, he almost growled just from the scent alone.
And his bedroom. Oh, Driver couldn’t help but sneak inside with Ryland in the kitchen so oblivious.
A white button up lay on the omegas dresser, smelling so sweetly of Ryland. Driver isn’t a selfish man, he’s never taken for himself, so he deserves this treat just this once. He pocketed the thin fabric with one discreet swoop. Ryland hadn’t noticed. Besides, he’ll give it back.
For now, though, that cloth was his. Wrapped around his dick and pump, pump, pumping up and down the veiny length. Driver has to bite the wrist of his free hand to not whine and growl like a pathetic alpha in his first heat, but that’s exactly how Ryland makes him feel.
Oh, how would Ryland feel if he saw Driver playing with himself with his clothes? Would he degrade him, call him pathetic and tease him for being such a bad alpha? Would he play with himself in front of Driver, fingers thrusting in and out of his gooey cunt while calling Driver a bad boy?
Driver whined, canines digging into the flesh of his wrist. Maybe if he atones for his sins Ryland would let Driver fuck him like he means it, thrust into the omega until his knot is popping. Maybe Ryland would caress Drivers face, call him a good boy while he cries and begs for forgiveness.
Driver wants to be his good boy. A button from the shirt slides over his slit, already leaking pre, and he can’t hold back the growl that’s bubbling in his chest. He’s so close, embarrassingly close just thinking about the older omega next door. He really hopes Ryland is a cougar.
He can hear Ryland on the other side of the thin wall. He’s on the phone with someone, telling them all about the alpha that scented him so aggressively everyone avoided him. Driver whines knowing he’s the culprit, but somehow it makes him speed up. He thumbs over his angry red tip and knows he’s going to cum soon, cum to the thought of the pretty omega nextdoor, only separated by one thin wall.
A few more swift strokes and Driver’s spilling into the shirt, head banging against the doorframe as he tries to steady himself and his breathing. His chest is heaving as he uses the now dirtied shirt to clean up the mess, and all he can think about is returning the shirt and watching Ryland put it on, unaware of what Driver did to it.
Driver is so fucked up for this omega.