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"Because you work too much."
Ian shrugged and yanked him into a bear hug, engulfing Elias in his arms. He let go and hugged Ian around the middle, holding him so tight it made his arms ache. They rocked back and forth like that for a while until a knock at the door alerted them back to reality. Elias jumped, pulling his cheek back from Ian's shirt.
"Shit, I haven't even changed yet."
Ian shooed him down the hall. "Go on, I'll entertain them until you come back. Make it quick, though. They might barge into your room if they have to wait any longer to see you."
Elias laughed, rushing past Ian down the hall and slipping inside his bedroom. Distant voices accompanied him as he tore off his suit, leaving it in a crumpled heap on the floor with the rest of his clothes. They were piling up outside the hamper, and he knew what that meant.
Heat signals.
When he lacked motivation to clean and left clothes with the scent of Ian and himself scattered about, it was a clear sign that he would soon be taking a few days off from work. While scent suppressants were effective, heat specific suppressants didn't work well on him. They lessened his symptoms, but it was by a short margin. He still had no control over his cherry blossom scent, his need, or the things that came from his mouth. The only thing they did was keep him from tearing down the walls for an alpha.
"Where's Elias?" Dane rumbled.
He could practically hear the frown. It made him smile as he tugged on a pair of black sweats and a dark red tee shirt.
"He just got home, so he's changing. He'll be out in a sec."
"Ah, I enjoy seeing him in leisure clothing," Levi sighed.
Elias heard a smack, then Dane's charged voice. "Don't be weird about it, man. What the hell?"
"What was weird about that?"
Their bickering moved down the hall toward the living room, leaving Elias to laugh at their expense as he paused in front of the mirror. As always, his brown curls were a tangle of messiness, but his freckles seemed to have a healthy glow beneath them, and his emerald eyes gleamed. Elias looked alive in a way he hadn't for a long while. He tip toed across the hall to the bathroom to wash his face and take a quick suppressant just in case.
Even as he popped his seventh pill that day, there were plenty of reasons to be grateful, including his new alphas. Their presence left him breathless and excited. Not to mention how much calmer his omega became since they started scenting him every day. It was an upward trend he couldn't push aside even if he tried.
With a few light slaps to his cheeks, Elias left and walked toward the kitchen where he heard clattering movement. If he knew Ian well, he assumed the alpha had put the others to work setting the table. He was right when he rounded the corner to find Dane setting out wine glasses and Levi straightening silverware.
"Hey," he said.
Dane whirled, baby blues going wide as he strode over to lift Elias into his arms, twirling him. Elias laughed, threading his hands around Dane's neck and nuzzling their scents together. It instantly brought relief, enveloping his senses with waves of comforting affection. Without thinking, Elias kissed him square across the lips.
It seemed to catch the alpha off guard as he paused in his spinning to luxuriate in the kiss. Their mouths melded together perfectly. Dane's lips were as smooth as satin against his own, with the bottom one slightly more noticeable. Elias loved it, sucking it into his mouth every time they pulled away.
Dane set him down, and immediately another pair of arms swept Elias off his feet, lifting him until his forehead was pressed against Levi's. Their eyes met, drowning out the rest of the room. Since submitting himself to his alpha, Elias had never been more in tune with him.
"How are you?"
Elias smiled and caressed his cheek. "I'm not sore anymore, if that's what you're asking."
To his delight, Levi blushed. "Not exactly, but that's good to know."
He snickered, patting Levi's chest as he pushed away, moving toward the kitchen table where Ian was setting down various dishes. Plates filled to the brim with rice, stacks of flatbread, and chicken drenched in a generous amount of heavy cream added to the sauce. Elias' stomach rumbled as he sat down.
"This looks amazing," he told him.
Ian winked. "I know."
The others sat, making the poor little kitchen chairs groan and bend beneath their weight. Elias would have to order metal ones in the future… If they stayed together. He'd finally gotten to the stage of admitting he wanted them to.
Without waiting for permission, he scooped a ton of rice and chicken onto his plate. Ian passed two garlic flatbread pieces to go with it, and then they all dug in. The meal was silent. He didn't care, stuffing his face and even getting seconds of chicken, something he almost never did.
After he sat back and groaned while rubbing his stomach, Ian, who was sitting beside him, burst out laughing. "Don't say it."
"Say what?" Elias asked, offended.
