Thread by @cerbykerby

tw modern au a/b/o

alpha!wwx carries a bottle of generic brand heat suppressants around with him at all times because he once saw an omega unexpectedly go into heat in public and he doesn't want any of his omega friends and family to ever feel that mortified, ever.

because of this, he often gets invited to omega-only parties/hangouts. other alphas hate or envy him for it.

he gains a reputation at school for always having omegas hanging off of him. rumors say he has *multiple* partners for his ruts, that he's just drowning in omega hol—

in reality he's just spending his friday nights watching tv, eating potato chips, and absolutely VIBING in the gigantic nest his friends like to practice building around him.

new student omega!lwj does not know that wwx likes to walk around in a snuggie and cry over studio ghibli movies. but he has heard that wwx is a playboy. a philanderer. that omegas fall over themselves to be near him.

so he's NOT happy to see wwx at mianmian's omega-only party.

wwx: oh! hello, i'm wei ying. you must be… lan wangji?

lwj, thinking: (hhh fuckk he's just as bad as i imagined, wtf is his scent, why do i want to lick his neck, why is he here, is he qingyang's alpha, look at how cocky he is, oh god he's coming over)

lwj: you need to Get Out

anyways mianmian comes back with groceries to find lwj trying to kick wwx out of her apartment and wwx swearing up and down that mianmian invited him.

she has to sit lwj down and explain that, yes this is an omega-only party, but wwx is one of the Safe Ones.

lwj accepts it, but he also spends most of the party on the couch, watching in disapproval as guests easily touch, hug, push, and tease wwx.

back home, lwj and the other lan omegas lived separate from the alphas. this sort of… 'intermingling' is unseemly.

later, wwx plops down on the couch next to lwj and tries to chat with him.

lwj immediately glues himself to the couch arm. "Please move further away. You smell."

wwx makes a startled-laugh sound. "Oof, cold as ice. I showered just an hour ago, too!"

but he does move away, and he also sniffs his own t-shirt. "Hey mianmian!" he calls. "Smell this! Do I reek?"

lwj seethes as mianmian yells some choice swear words at a laughing wwx. such inappropriate behavior. this is why alphas and omegas need to be separated.

first week into the new semester, lwj learns why wwx is so popular. apparently he carries heat suppressants with him, and omegas feel safe enough to approach him if their heat unexpectedly hits.

lwj doesn't like the thought of in-heat omegas going to wwx, but he can't place why.

it must be because… because it's suspicious, that's why! why would an alpha be carrying around heat suppressants, unless they deliberately want in-heat omegas approaching them? it's incredibly insidious—and dangerous.

yes. that is why lwj is so opposed to this idea.

the school is mixed, and it isn't long before lwj draws the attention of his alpha classmates.

"You're a pretty one, aren't you?" one of them says to lwj in the hallway.

"I have class. Excuse me." lwj tries to walk past them.

the alpha blocks him. "You're different, you know."

lwj doesn't ask for elaboration, but the alpha gives it anyways: "You're the only omega in this school who isn't easy. All the other omegas are head-over-heels for that Wei Ying. Only you seem to see him for what he is."

lwj gives the alpha the most withering side-eye.

"Wei Ying is considerate of others," lwj says coolly. "His actions stem from empathy. It is predictable that someone as unappealing as you can resort to labeling those who gravitate to such empathy as 'easy'."

the alpha's jaw drops. half the hallway falls silent, watching.

"Well—" the alpha sputters, composure entirely lost. "You're not that pretty anyways, whore."

lwj watches, unfazed, as the alpha storms off. how very typical of an alpha to resort to name-calling after not getting their way.

he goes through his classes as usual.

after school, wwx runs up to him with a wide grin. "So," he says. "I heard."

of course he did. with a huff, lwj turns away and walks off.

wwx skips along after him. "Don't be like that!" he laughs. "I didn't know you liked me so much, Lan Zhan!"

/liked/. lwj's hand clenches around his backpack strap. "He spoke ill of you."

"Nah, that's just how Su She is." wwx waves a hand dismissively. "Ignore him. He's just mad I broke his jaw once."

lwj stops. "You broke—"

"I punched him." wwx grins. "He was being a little shit."

lwj makes a disapproving noise. "Uncouth."

"That's me," wwx agrees happily. "Does this mean we're friends?"

lwj has never had an alpha friend before, but there's a first time for everything. he supposes that it wouldn't hurt if that friend was wwx.

"Alright," he says.

friendship with wwx is… trying. wwx is loud and likes to tease. lwj is not used to it. the few alphas lwj met back in the cloud recesses always try to keep their distance with their gazes respectfully averted.

wwx likes to throw his arm around lwj and laugh next to his ear.

on one especially trying day, an omega with the sickly-sweet scent of oncoming heat shakily taps wwx on the shoulder and meekly asks if he has any heat suppressants.

lwj does not like the way the omega gazes at wwx while wwx rummages through his backpack for suppressant pills.

lwj knows how the omega must feel: heats make omegas feel terribly vulnerable. when faced with a kind-hearted, compassionate, handsome alpha like wwx, it is not unreasonable for a heat-addled mind to wander to more intimate thoughts.

still, lwj dislikes it. a LOT.

"Here you go." wwx hands the omega a sealed blister pack of suppressants. "Feel better soon!"

"Thank you," the omega blushes, fingers brushing wwx's own as he takes the pills. "You know, I'm considering seeking a… partner for my heats. I would not be—opposed, if you also feel—"

"Seek elsewhere," lwj snaps.

"Oh." the omega blinks at lwj as if suddenly noticing that he was there. "I—I didn't know you two were—" they suddenly narrow their eyes. "Are you two together?"

lwj bites the inside of his cheek. "No," he admits with a grumble.

"Oh," the omega says again, in a different tone. "Well. Then I have no reason to retract my offer." they turn back to wwx, expression softening once more. "Think about it, handsome," they purr. they brush a finger under wwx's chin before walking off, hips swaying lightly.

wwx giggles a little as he watches them leave. "Ah, pre-heat is a bitch," he says cheerfully. "They're not going to remember ever saying that to me."

lwj disagrees entirely. he knows the omega means every word of it. heats do not spawn attraction where there is none.

"Why didn't you refuse them?" he demands.

wwx blinks. "Ah?"

"They asked for your company during their heat," lwj says with frost around his words, "and you didn't refuse them."

"What?" wwx chokes on his laughter. "Lan Zhan, they have no idea what they're talking about."

"They do know." lwj can feel his mood worsening. "Heats intensify existing attractions."

wwx shrugs with one shoulder. "Physical attraction doesn't mean much."

"Not just that." lwj's hand clenches. "That omega likes you."

wwx perks up. "Oh?"

lwj's lower left eyelid twitches.

"If you don't return someone's feelings," he hisses, "then you should make it clear. Do not needlessly lead them on." he grabs his backpack and marches off.

"But I didn't even do anything!" wwx calls after him. "Oi, Lan Zhan!"

lwj pretends he doesn't hear him.

pounding footsteps rush towards him, then lwj is swept up in a hug from behind.

"Alright, alright." wwx nuzzles into lwj's hair. "Lan Zhan, you're so prickly. Don't be angry anymore, ok? I'll say no to propositions from all omegas from now on."

lwj struggles, but wwx's arms are locked around his waist. "… All omegas?" he can't help asking. "With no exception?"

he feels wwx nod. "No exceptions," wwx declares.

lwj's mood plummets once more and he pushes at wwx's hands. "Let go of me."

"There no pleasing you, Lan Zhan," wwx bemoans as lwj fights to escape his hold. "You're not happy when someone flirts with me, and you're not happy when I promise to go celibate. What do you want?"

lwj doesn't dare answer that question, not when he has been wondering the same.

wwx interprets his silence as surrender. "There, there, kitten." he pat's lwj's head. "Retract those claws, alright? I'll go with whatever makes you happy."

lwj lets himself be held. wwx's scent has turned soft and warm, most likely to appease him.

later, when he's at home, lwj sits on his bed and thinks about the events of the day. he'd overreacted, he decides bitterly, because he was jealous and envious: jealous because another omega flirted with wwx, and envious because the omega was brave enough to say what they wanted.

lwj grew up with the expectation of being properly courted—of declarations of intention and promises of a future together. there is none of that here, where casual dating and hook-ups are common. it's not bad, but it is different.

lwj does not know what to do with different.

he does not know how to shape what he feels into something that can fit into wwx's world. he does not know how to put into words how fragile he is, like a butterfly freshly-emerged from its cocoon, wet wings too easily broken.

would wwx laugh at him, he wonders, if he told him.

wwx's kindness is why other omegas trust and approach him. lwj has no right to be selfish over that. he has no claim, and he cannot demand for wwx to make himself dimmer so that others don't see how brightly he shines.

the next day, he apologizes to wwx, who looks at him funny.

"Are you okay?" wwx feels lwj's forehead. "Are you sick? It's not that time for you, is it?"

lwj is not going into heat, no. "I have been unreasonable," he says. "Wei Ying may continue to do as he wishes."

wwx laughs uneasily. "Is this a trap?"

"It is not," lwj says, taking wwx's wrist and peeling his hand off of lwj's forehead. "I apologize. I will be better."

wwx's eyes momentarily go unfocused as he looks at their hands. then he blinks rapidly and straightens his back.

"Ah, Lan Zhan," he sighs. "Always so serious."

luckily for lwj, omegas are conscious about their cycles and heat suppressants. and when an omega does go into heat unexpectedly, they usually turn to their omega friends for suppressants. wwx is rarely approached.

lwj keeps track of his own cycles too, of course.

his cycle is a little irregular, but it's not irregular enough that a spare bottle of suppressants in his bag can't handle it. he knows the early signs.

when he feels the telltale twinge in his abdomen during class, he automatically reachs into his bag for the pills there.

he searches, and searches, and searches. the longer he searches, the more his brows furrow.

it should be there. it must be there. he never takes the bottle out.

another twinge, this time more painful, and he winces. a few classmates turn to look at him.

"Is there a problem, Wangji?" the teacher asks, looking distinctly annoyed.

lwj shakes his head. "No." he rummages through his bag. "My suppressants should be here. I don't know why…"

across the classroom, su she snickers.

"Class, this is your daily reminder to keep track of your respective cycles and always keep your suppressants on hand, so that you do not disturb others," the teacher announces loudly. "Be responsible."

lwj ducks his head, his face burning.

he is far too aware that his scent is starting to spread. his belly feels too warm, and other classmates are starting to fidget in their seats.

wwx's seat is behind him. lwj hears him take a slow, deep inhale. the sound alone nearly makes him whimper.

wwx stands up. "I'll take him outside to get some fresh air."

"Right," su she sneers. "'Get some fresh air'. If that's all Lan Wangji truly needs, then there's no reason why I can't be the one to accompany him. Unless you have ulterior motives."

wwx beams a sharp smile at him. "I'm accompanying him because it would be terrible for your health if you tried." he grabs lwj by the arm as he passes him.

"Better hope you don't get pregnant, Lan Wangji!" su she yells after them as the door shuts. "Nobody wants a used omega!"

"I'm going to break his arms when I see him again," wwx mutters.

lwj blinks hazily at him. he's still terrified—he always feels terrified during his heats, when he has no nest to curl up in—but the thought of children with wwx is a… a very nice distraction.

wwx takes them outside to a secluded area—a student-maintained garden that is lwj's favorite spot on campus. "Alright." he lets go of lwj and steps away to reach into his pocket.

lwj makes a small noise and follows him.

wwx laughs and dances out of his reach. "No, Lan Zhan."

for some reason, that 'no' is absolutely devastating to lwj. he stops. blinks. blinks again. does wwx… not want him near?

"Emotions, huh?" wwx laughs again when he looks at lwj. "Okay, here we are." he fishes a blister pack of suppressants from his pocket and pops one pill out.

"Wei Ying," lwj calls, reaching for him.

"Hold up." wwx shakes the pill onto his hand and offers it. "Alright, here you go."

lwj steps forward, ignoring the held out pill, and melts against wwx's chest. "Wei Ying." he nuzzles wwx's neck, inhaling his scent in gulps. "Wei Ying."

"Aha, okay." wwx waves the pill in his face. "See this? Be a good boy and take it for me."

lwj looks at the pill. picks it up. tosses it into the nearby bushes.

wwx watches the arc it takes through the air. "Dude," he says, incredulous.

"Wei Ying," lwj says again. his name is so good. lwj loves it so much. loves him. "Wei Ying. I—I want to—"

"Okay, but you can't throw this one away too." wwx fumbles with the suppressants pack. "Or I'm going to pick it up off the ground and make you swallow it anyways."

lwj makes a noise of frustration. why is this so difficult? his pre-heats have never been this much trouble. he aches, and he yearns, and wwx is right in front of him and he can't seem to form the words right, can't just /say/ it.

he presses his lips to wwx's neck.

wwx freezes.

lwj alternates between peppering wwx's neck with kisses and rubbing his chin on wwx's skin, mingling their scents. "Wei Ying," he whispers. "Beloved. Stay with me, always."

wwx's entire body somehow gets more stiff. he exhales shakily. "Lan Zhan, you're in pre-heat."

lwj does not see why that matters. he wants to go home and build a nest out of his and wwx's clothes. he wants wwx beside him, in him. whether or not lwj's in heat is irrelevant.

"I can be good for you," he tells wwx. "I can make us a home, give you children, care for you."

wwx's eyes are very wide as lwj moves up to kiss wwx's face. when lwj's lips touch the corner of wwx's mouth, wwx flinches.

"You need to take your suppressants." wwx's voice is hoarse as he steps back. "They won't work if your heat is too far along."

lwj does not want to take the small pills, not if it means that he will lose this bit of courage. he shakes his head. "I want you," he pleads.

"You cannot make that decision right now," wwx insists, even as his pupils dilate. "You don't know what you're doing."

lwj gives a low, mournful cry. he's being rejected. wwx has rejected him. the pain of it threatens to bring lwj to his knees.

then wwx is cradling lwj's face in his hands. gently. almost lovingly, if lwj hadn't very clearly heard wwx refuse him earlier.

"Later," wwx whispers, his forehead pressed to lwj's. "Tell me again later, if you truly mean it, if you remember any of this."

lwj doesn't want 'later'. he wants /now/. "I won't feel different," he promises.

wwx smiles at him. it doesn't reach his eyes. "We shall see." he uses his thumb to press the heat suppressant pill to lwj's lips. "Open up."

obediently, lwj opens his mouth to let wwx push the pill inside. he swallows.

"Good boy," wwx praises, handing him a water bottle.

after drinking half of it, lwj puts the bottle cap back on and hands it back to wwx.

"You should take the day off," wwx says. "Get some rest. I'll tell the teacher you're not feeling well."

lwj nods, already starting to feel his body cool down. "Thank you."

taking the day off turns out to be a good idea. lwj develops a massive headache along with body pains. he half-heartedly attempts to build a nest, then gives up and sleeps amidst the rumpled blankets and sheets.

the next day, he's feeling much better. he goes back to school.

wwx is waiting for him in front of their first class, as usual. he waves when he sees lwj. "Feeling better?"

"Yes," lwj says. "Thank you. That could have been embarrassing."

something shifts in wwx's gaze. "Yes. Of course. Embarrassing."

when they enter the classroom, eyes follow them. a few of the alphas good-naturedly elbow wwx's ribs as everyone takes their seats.

lwj spends the entire class distracted. everything feels a little off for him. did he say something yesterday during his pre-heat?

he can't tell. wwx doesn't act much different; their alpha classmates tease him a bit, but that's it.

then, during lunch, wwx doesn't show up. when lwj goes looking for him, he spots a crowd forming, and wwx's voice shouting from somewhere within.

lwj hurries over.

"I don't know why you're so upset, Wei Wuxian," lwj hears su she growl as lwj squirms his way through the crowd. "You should be thanking me. I practically pushed him into your arms."

lwj reaches the front of the crowd to see wwx hold out a very familiar medicine bottle.

"I will ask one more time," wwx's voice is a dangerous thing—too soft, too even, like the still air before a lightning strike. "Why was this in your bag?"

lwj feels his stomach plummet into the ground. there, in wwx's hand, is lwj's missing personal bottle of heat suppressants.

su she's lip curls. "It's impolite to go through other people's things."

"It's impolite to steal an omega's suppressants," wwx sounds so cold.

"I didn't steal them." su she rolls his eyes. "I found them on the ground. Who knows? Maybe Lan Wangji wanted to lose them."

"Impossible," wwx growls. "Lan Zhan would never be so careless."

"I disagree," su she sneers. "Do you see how he holds himself? Like he thinks he's so much better than all of us. It would be just like him to blame lost suppressants if he ever lowered himself to fucking any of—"

wwx's fist swings, sending su she flying to the ground. flecks of blood smatter across concrete as su she clutches his nose, gasping. marching over, wwx grabs su she by the front of his shirt and punches him again, and again.

lwj steps out from the crowd. "Wei Ying!"

wwx freezes. his head turns, wide eyes meeting lwj's. "Lan—"

su she's fist connects with his face. wwx staggers back, clutching his jaw. another hit lands; wwx gives a strained grunt.

"Wei Ying, do not!" lwj barks when wwx draws his hand back to punch again.

"Well, look who it is," su she laughs as lwj plants himself in between the two alphas. "Typical omega. You get fucked once by an alpha and think that you have any right to interference in—"

lwj slaps him across the face.

su she doesn't fall or stumble back, but the outraged look on his face is far greater than the one he'd shown when wwx punched him.

"Be silent," lwj tells him, "or I hit you again."

"How dare you, bi—" is all su she gets out before lwj backhands him.

"You took my suppressants," lwj says, "and deliberately antagonized your fellow student. You are a danger to your omega and alpha classmates alike. I will be bringing this issue to the school."

su she turns multiple shades of red and purple. "You can't get me thrown out."

"I cannot," lwj agrees. "I don't need to. You will leave this school of your own accord."

"Why, you—!" su she sputters. "Are you threatening me?"

"I am not," lwj says. "I am warning you. It is different."

su she starts to throw another fuss, but lwj turns to face wwx instead.

"Wei Ying," he takes wwx's hand, "it's time to go."

wwx is still breathing hard. the look in his eyes is feral. his nose is bleeding.

lwj unfolds a handkerchief and holds it to wwx's face. "Let's go," he repeats, softer this time.

and this time, wwx follows without protest.

"We should get you to the school's medical wing," lwj says as they walk off.

"Don' wanna," wwx sounds nasally. he's holding the handkerchief to his nose. "'S nah tha bad."

lwj considers making him go. it would be the right thing to do. professional care is always better.

instead, he hears himself say, "Come home with me."

wwx's steps falter, but lwj pulls him forward by his hand.

"I know some first aid," lwj explains. "If it's not that bad, as you claim, then I can tend to your wounds."

wwx doesn't say anything, but he continues following lwj.

lwj lives alone in a studio apartment. his hands are small and thin against wwx's as he rinses wwx's scraped knuckles off in the sink. then he seats wwx on the couch as he locates his first aid pack.

"This will sting," he warns apologetically before disinfecting wwx's wounds.

"Ouch," wwx says half-heartedly, then falls back into silence as lwj wraps his injuries.

lwj lets the repetitive motions soothe him. his uncle would blow a vein if he knew that lwj invited an alpha to his apartment. alone. only married couples can be left unattended together.

in the cloud recesses, lwj would be considered ruined the moment wwx stepped foot into his home. his uncle would demand that they marry. the elders would be so disappointed in lwj. wwx's very presence in lwj's home goes against all that he has been taught.

but it feels right.

"Thank you for standing up for me," lwj says as he ties the last wrap in a neat little bow. "I suspected Su She had something to do with my missing suppressants, but I didn't have proof."

"It's no issue," wwx mumbles. "It was the right thing to do."

wwx's stomach makes a small gurgle, and lwj suddenly remembers that neither of them have eaten yet.

"I'll make some lunch," he says as he stands up.

wwx startles. "Oh, no, you don't have to do that."

"It won't take long," lwj promises as he opens his fridge.

"The issue isn't the preparation time," wwx protests weakly. "It's that you'll be cooking for a…"

he doesn't finish his sentence, but lwj knows what he means. it is one thing to eat lunch together in school. it is another to cook a meal for both of them in his home.

"I do not mind," lwj says as he takes a few eggs out and cracks them into a bowl.

wwx makes a strange noise, like a groan mixed with a sob. "Lan Zhan, you can't do this. This is—you can't, not for me. I'm not your—"

'husband'. the word rings like a dull bell in lwj's mind.

he doesn't say anything. his hands move on their own, adding in ingredients, whisking them together, throwing the scraps away.

"Lan Zhan," wwx calls.

lwj doesn't look up, doesn't respond. he measures rice out and washes it.

"Lan Zhan." wwx gets up off the couch and walks over.

lwj's heart is in his throat, and he feels every beat of it under his skin. he wants this so badly. he wants wwx in his home, by his side. he wants to be the one place wwx will always return to.

wwx is so good. so kind. so free. lwj cannot have any claim on him.

wwx would go to incredible lengths to stand up for anyone, not just for lwj. it is selfish of lwj to even think of binding someone like wwx to himself, so that he could keep such a radiant soul for himself.

but he wants, so very much, to at least cook one meal for him.