Chapter Text
Isack was all up in his space, and it was making him nervous.
Liam took a deep breath, but couldn’t deny there was a slight shake to it. He was feeling hot, way too hot.
“Hello? Bro, are you good?”
The hand waving in front of his face brought him back to reality. He blinked once, twice, and ran his hand through his hair. “Uh, yeah. Yeah, I guess so.”
He pulled out his phone and opened his calendar. His heat was scheduled after Mexico, he was almost a week early.
Liam couldn’t afford to be a week early.
“Are you sure? You’re all red.”
Isack frowned at him, leaning even closer. Liam caught his scent, unfairly deep and masculine and alpha, and he could feel the sweat forming on his forehead.
“Yeah. All good.”
His teammate didn’t believe him, and neither did the social media team watching their interaction, but they left him alone. No need to worry anyone or cause a scene. Instead, he shot a text to Declan.
Emergency meeting. I think I’m early. Need to do some damage control.
If it wasn’t too late already.
Isack wasn’t satisfied with his dismissive answer. Once they were declared free and Liam wanted to leave to go to his emergency meeting, his teammate grabbed his arm and held him back.
“Hey, are you really okay? You look like you’re getting sick.”
He should probably step away, but he really didn’t want to.
“It’s nothing… Just…” Liam sighed, and then decided to tell him the truth. “I think my heat is coming early, is all. I need to talk to Declan about it, I hope he’s got a plan.”
Isack’s eyes got wide, and he took a step back. “Your heat?”
He frowned, surprised by the shook on his teammate’s face. “Yeah?”
“You have a heat?”
Okay, now Liam was the one confused. “Yeah? Pretty normal for omegas, you know?”, he chuckled, trying to diffuse the situation with humour.
“You’re an omega?”, Isack squeaked. “I thought you were a beta!”
Liam raised his eyebrows. “How the fuck did you miss that?”
“I don’t know! You don’t smell! Like, at all!” If Liam wasn’t in such a stressful situation right now, he would find Isack’s agitation absolutely hilarious.
“Yeah, I wear blockers. I’m not the free-scent type, it makes me feel weird.”
Isack still looked at him as if Liam just told him he swallowed a baby.
“Anyways, now you know. I have to run, cheers.”
Liam hurried away, leaving Isack to stare after him. On his way, he wondered if it was really so surprising. Yes, nowadays a lot of people do not use scent blockers anymore, for multiple reasons, one being that it wasn’t that frowned upon anymore to expose your scent, especially as an omega.
However, Liam found that people treated him differently if they could smell him, privately, but especially professionally. It both annoyed him and made him uncomfortable. Before the blockers, while he talked to somebody, in the back of his mind he had always ended up wondering how different the situation would be if they couldn’t smell him. It had made him paranoid to the point he had difficulty connecting with people.
When he turned fifteen, he had finally had enough, and decided to wear blockers. Only in public, of course, around his family and friends he didn’t use them. It got him thinking, and indeed he couldn’t think of an occasion where he hadn’t worn blockers around Isack. They were pretty invisible too, at least if you didn’t look for them, only a thin film over his scent gland.
Still, he couldn’t believe Isack hadn’t been able to tell. Sure, he was far away from a stereotype, but usually you had a feeling for someone’s second gender.
To be fair, Isack didn’t seem like the type to be a good guesser.
“Thanks for meeting me.”
Liam gave an exhausted smile to Declan. “The day is not even close to over and I’m already done, man.”
“You said you think you’re early”, Declan got straight to the point.
He nodded. “I think so. I’m hot as fuck, and I feel all woozy.”
“And you took your heat blockers?”
Liam rolled his eyes. “Yeah, heat blockers, scent blockers, birth control, the whole bullshit, I’m not a fucking baby.”
“Well, there must be a reason why you’re early”, his trainer pushed. “You did something?”
He knew that Declan was right. Heat blockers were pretty reliable nowadays, they rarely failed without reason. Still, it wasn’t fair to pin it all on him. No heat blocker was a definite guarantee.
“I don’t know. Don’t think so.”
His mind automatically wandered to Isack. They had become pretty close, to the point where Isack had slept over at his place, or in his hotel room, wearing his clothes. Liam wouldn’t admit it with a gun pointed to his head, but he hadn’t washed the clothes and instead drowned himself in the alpha’s scent when he felt lonely.
That shouldn’t have had an impact on his heat blockers though.
Did it?
Declan let out a sigh. “Okay. Plan?”
“My plan was asking you for a plan.”
“You think you can make it to Sunday?”
Liam shrugged. “I can only try. I only have to make it to the beginning of the race.”
It was stupid. A lot of alphas raced during the beginning of their rut, when they were just on the verge of what was socially acceptable for them. Some were convinced it made them more aggressive, better racers. With omegas, however, it was a very touchy subject. The FIA outlawed racing under heat or rut influence, but it wasn’t really enforced for alphas. With omegas, however, it was, under the pretence that it was dangerous for them.
Liam remembered the scandal that occurred a few years ago, when Nico Rosberg chose to break the rule during the European grand prix. He finished in first place while actively going into heat, even stood on the podium, refusing to let anyone take his moment away from him.
The FIA had tried to enforce consequences, but public outrage over the unfair treatment made them drop a potential penalty. Back then a lot of people had compared Nico to Lewis, who had done the exact same thing in Bahrain just a year prior and driven the grand prix while going into rut, like many other alphas before. A warning was still issued, since they “couldn’t be held responsible if somebody would choose to take advantage of an omega in heat”.
Heat didn’t have a place in public, much less in Formula One. It was sacred and to be kept away, while simultaneously being treated as a fantasy. Omegas were fragile and dainty and had no control over themselves during their heat.
Maybe it was different for other omegas, but Liam was very much able to control himself during his heat. He was a horny omega during his heat, not an animal. And the people around him weren’t either. Raping an omega in heat was still rape, a take that really shouldn’t be as controversial as some pretended.
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. I’ll talk to medical regarding my blockers, and give Alan a warning in case we really do need Ayumu to step in.”
Declan nodded. “Yeah, that’s a solid start. In the meantime, whatever helps, alright? Cold showers, don’t exhaust yourself too much, no activities that could set your heat off.” At that, he raised his eyebrows. “I mean it. No funny business. No sex, no heavy make-out sessions. And maybe no cuddling Isack.”
Liam stopped dead in his tracks, his face becoming even redder than it already was. “What?”
“I’m not blind, Liam. I don’t know what exactly is going on between you two, but it’s not completely innocent. And the last thing you need right now is an unmated alpha hovering over you.”
His trainer got up. “Alright. You take it from here?”
He could only nod, almost robotically.
“Good. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to call, I’ll be there in a minute.”
Declan patted him on his shoulder and left him alone to sit with his thoughts and red face.
Isack and his relationship was innocent, though. They were friends, there was nothing greater behind it. Right?
Right.
Telling Alan about the situation at hand was mostly chill. He definitely appreciated the heads-up, and assured him that no matter what Liam ultimately chose to do, he and the team would be backing him. Whatever he was most comfortable with. Liam didn’t outright tell him he planned to finish the race if he were to go into heat during the race, FIA be damned, but he suspected Alan knew.
When he went to his driver’s room to grab his things and call it a day, Isack was walking up and down the hallway. Once he spotted him, his face brightened up. “There you are! I was waiting for you!”
“Really? Why?” Liam tried to be casual, but Declan’s words still echoed in his ears.
No funny business.
No cuddling Isack.
How had he gotten that impression? They had never cuddled before!
Except that one time, but that was an accident. They were friends. Bros. Just guys hanging out.
“I have so many questions! Like, does everybody know? Or am I the only one?”
“Most people know, I think. I don’t really hide it, but I don’t talk a lot about it either.”
Isack’s scent was all up in his nose again. Liam couldn’t explain what exactly he smelled like, but he imagined it would make a nice cologne. Sharp, fresh, but calming in a way. He smelled like what an ice bath after a hot day felt like.
“Why didn’t you tell me? I thought these are things you tell a friend!”
Liam shrugged. “It never came up. Also, does it matter? Does it change our relationship in any way?”
He wanted the answer to be no so badly, but he could see it in Isack’s eyes. There was a softness to them he didn’t notice before. Or was his brain playing a prank on him?
“No, of course not! I don’t mind, if that’s what you mean, you’re still my friend. I just thought I would know, if you were an omega, you know? You made me question myself.”
That made him chuckle. Isack was truly a bit dense. “Sorry for troubling you. I’m actually on the way to the hotel though, so… See you tomorrow.”
“What, we’re not going to hang out? I already planned our whole evening!”
Liam raised his eyebrows. “Oh, did you?”
“Yeah! First, we get dinner together, then we go to your room, or my room, and play some uno while we watch a series of your choice, and then go to bed!” He grinned from one ear to another, like this was the most natural way they would spend their evening. And Liam wanted to say yes, he would have said yes, immediately, but…
“I’m sorry Isack, but that’s not what’s going to happen today. Some other time again, okay?”
Isack’s smile fell immediately. “But why not? Do you have any other plans?”
Liam sighed. It was more difficult to let Isack down than he thought, no matter how gentle he tried to be. “Isack, I’m an omega on the verge of going into heat. Spending all of my time around an alpha is not helping me here, and I still want to race on Sunday.”
Isack stared at him for a moment. “You mean… you think spending time with me will actually make you go into heat?” There was a weird undertone in his voice that Liam couldn’t actually place. Was he weirded out? Probably.
“I don’t know, it might, though. It’s what Declan said, and he’s probably right. Look, this has nothing to do with you, okay? I wouldn’t hang out with any alpha right now. I’m sorry.”
“So… it’s not me?”
The undertone had changed.
“Nope, not really.”
Maybe. Maybe Isack was the reason he was going through this now.
“What if you spent it with someone? Would that make it be over before Sunday?”
The air had suddenly become thick and Liam found it hard to breathe. He craved a weight to gently push him down, to hold him in place while keeping him warm. How heavy would Isack be on top of him?
No funny business!
On the outside he kept composure. “Probably not. Even if, I would still miss free practice and qualifying. But I wouldn’t know, to be honest.”
Liam had never spent his heat with somebody. He had had boyfriends before, three to be exact, even spent a rut with one, but the thought alone of someone being there for his heat made him feel itchy. He didn’t want an intruder to see him like this.
Isack wouldn’t be an intruder.
“Oh.” There was a slight pink tinge on his teammate’s cheeks now, and he nervously licked his lips while looking at an unspecific point on Liam’s throat.
“Sorry, too personal.”
“No, no, it’s… it’s fine.”
Isack smiled now again. “Well, then, I guess I’ll have to change plans. See you around.”
Gabi texted him later that day.
Gabi
Isack is sulking. What did he do that you punish him like this?
Liam frowned at the text message. Isack was seriously sulking at Gabi? Because he couldn’t spend his night with Liam?
That sounded wrong.
Liam
Bro I’m probably going into heat soon, I don’t need him to set it off early
Gabi
Oh
That’s understandable
Still, he’s annoying, I don’t know how you put up with this
Stinking up the whole room
And he thinks you’re mad at him
Liam
I’m not mad at him
I just can’t risk it
Gabi
Yeah no I get it
Hope the best for you
Liam
Thanks man appreciate it
Also thanks for putting up with him
Gabi
You owe me
Liam felt a little guilty turning Isack down like this. He knew that realistically, there was nothing to blame him for, he was only doing what was best for him, but he couldn’t help but think of Isack, probably talking Gabi’s ear off. About Liam.
He felt a familiar tickle in his stomach, and immediately stood up to take a shower.
It was only Thursday. Three more days to go.
Liam had expected to feel worse on Friday, but he was actually pretty fine. After first practice, during which he watched the track closely, he could throw himself into the car, and he did well, or at least well enough. He didn’t think about Isack a whole lot. Sure, he occasionally popped up in his head, but it wasn’t as bad as he thought it would be.
It would be a lie to say that he didn’t know he liked Isack, or that he was at the least attracted to him. He knew that the moment he humped a pillow while pressing his face into a dirty shirt.
But maybe, just maybe, Liam would have to admit to himself that whatever he was feeling for Isack was way more severe than he thought.
Or maybe it was his heat-hazy brain trying to couple him up with somebody who could probably put a strong and healthy baby in him.
Lisack baby.
Their social media team would love it.
Maybe Liam would too, but not now. He had other things to do, and no desire to become a parent right now.
It didn’t change their relationship, though. They were friends, and Liam felt guilty for thinking about his friend that way. He could only hope Isack was dense concerning everything.
Back at the hotel, he got a text message from Isack.
Isack
Hey bro! Sorry if I bother, but I’m bored, and Gabi doesn’t want to hang out anymore
And I know I can’t come over! But I thought maybe we could call or something?
Liam smiled at the text. Isack was so cute. He was trying to accommodate him while still wanting to be close.
Now, how was Liam supposed to explain to him that the thought of him alone was probably more than he could handle right now?
Liam
Sorry, but I’m kinda tired. I’d rather go to bed early
Isack
Aw :(
That’s alright. I wish you a good night!
He wanted to touch himself so badly, but refrained, instead staring angrily at the ceiling. It was just unfair. Why did he have to deal with this?
Liam still hadn’t talked to medical, even though he really should.
Saturday was not his day. He woke up with a boner and spent almost twenty minutes in the shower before it went down. Liam felt all sticky and disgusting, and his skin was still heating up. Maybe he could get out of doing media when he went to medical instead.
Liam had opted for stronger scent blockers, even though they were more visible, in a desperate attempt to hide his situation. The normal ones just didn’t cut it anymore. He had already arranged to stay in the hotel for longer, since he probably would have to spend his heat in Mexico. It wasn’t his preferred setting, but he had no other choice, really. Everything else would be reckless or impossible.
Isack didn’t make anything better. He still granted him space, which he was thankful for, but he could feel his eyes sticking on him. Wherever he went, the alpha’s gaze followed him around, and he was unsure of how to feel about it. When he talked to a mechanic, he could have sworn Isack actually growled.
He wanted to convince himself that his mind was playing tricks, that Isack probably growled at something else, or not at all, but the other part of his brain ignored that and chose the more exciting variant of the story.
He wants you, that’s why. He’s jealous, he doesn’t want you to talk to other alphas. He wants to be the reason you’re in heat. He wants to be the one you share it with first. He wants…
Declan approached him after he crawled out of the car after getting knocked out in Q1, a worried expression on his face. “Are you okay?”, he asked.
“I don’t know. I wish I did.” Liam tried to control his body by concentrating on his breathing, but a part of him knew it was too late. He would probably be in full-blown heat by tomorrow morning if he didn’t do anything against it.
“Can you excuse me? I need to go to medical, right now.”
His trainer nodded. “Yeah, I’ll figure it out, you go. Maybe they can give you something?”
He hoped.
On his way to medical he bumped into Gabi. That meant, he smelled Gabi long before he grabbed him by his shoulder to hold him back.
One of the things Liam admired about him was how unbothered Gabi was about his own scent. And his scent was anything but subtle; Gabi smelled like a whole fruit basket, Liam thought. Isack insisted it was closer to a Pina Colada. No matter what it was, it was admirable how freely he handled it. Liam could never.
Gabi started laughing at the sight of his face. “Holy shit, man, you look awful. And you aren’t in heat?”
“Not yet”, Liam grumbled, although realistically it could only be a matter of hours. “I’m going to medical, maybe they can do something.”
Gabi nodded. “Yeah, for sure. You’re spending it alone?”
“Why, you offering?”, he joked.
“No thanks, I do my own thing. But I know somebody who would probably die to spend it with you.”
Liam shook his head. “Please don’t tell me, I don’t want to know.”
“Oh yeah? Are you sure?” Gabi squinted. “What if you want to spend it with him too?”
“How would you know?”
“Because I’m not fucking blind, you and Isack are obsessed with each other and there’s no reason to doubt that.”
“And why do you think Isack would want to spend my heat with me?”, he asked provocatively, trying to shut Gabi up and get out of this situation, but no.
“Because he told me.”
His heart skipped a beat. Then two. Probably a full minute before it started racing. “He… what?”
“It’s what he said, just like that, no cryptic message. I know you two are friends, but if you told him to, he would throw himself at your feet.”
Gabi smiled. “But anyways. I don’t want to hold you up. Go to medical.”
With that the other omega almost skipped away to do interviews, his scent of overripe pineapple clouding the air, and Liam felt like the world was trying to make him go insane.
Just like that, no cryptic message.
Liam was unsure if Gabi knew what turmoil he just caused, but he would definitely make him pay for it, one way or another. The tingle in his stomach was back again, and Liam wasn’t so sure anymore if it was just sweat or slick that made him feel so sticky.
“God fucking damn it”, he swore under his breath and speed-walked to medical.
Medical was pretty sceptical at first, asking him at least three times if he was sure he wanted to suppress his already ongoing heat. After he told them the third time that yes, he fucking wants to race, they finally gave him an injection, one of the strongest suppressants on the market that was still considered safe. It wouldn’t stop his heat, but it would buy him a day’s time, and that was all Liam wanted right now.
He texted Declan a short update, before deciding he should probably go to sleep early. Exhaustion took over him quickly, and the stress wasn’t doing anything for him.
Liam was just about to set an alarm, when he got another message from Gabi.
Gabi
Isack’s going into rut lol
You two triggered the hell out of each other
Liam
Like actually going into rut??
Gabi
Yeah
They gave him suppressants too, but they won’t do it for long
Other than you two would, if you could just get it over with
Liam
Fuck you
Everybody knows you got your own issues with your old man, and it’s not cute anymore
Gabi
Hey! That old man loves me!
One day I’ll get him
Liam
Sure you slut
Gabi
You’re a slut
Liam wanted to forget about it, but his thoughts kept going in circles. Maybe that’s why Isack acted so weird. On the other hand, he had seemed normal on Thursday, at least more normal than Liam. Was it his fault? Had his heat set off Isack’s rut, even without smelling him?
When he couldn’t resist anymore and looked at his phone again, there was another text. This time, it was from Isack, and nothing could have prepared Liam for that.
Isack
I want to know what you smell like
Maybe I shouldn’t, but I need to know. I want it so badly
Would you let me?
For a moment it felt like all suppressants had vaporized in an instant. Liam bit his fingers to keep himself from making an embarrassing noise.
He could feel the desperation in the words.
What if they spent their heat and rut together? What if he gave Isack the pass? What if they started dating?
They probably should talk about that before though.
Fuck now, talk later!
He wondered if Isack would beg him for it. Go on his knees, begging to touch him. Liam wouldn’t deny him for long.
Liam
You want it?
What do I get for it?
Whatever possessed him in that moment, it was significantly less scared and more confident than Liam actually felt in the moment.
Isack went online in an instant, typing a response.
Isack
Everything, whatever you want
I would do everything
Liam
Everything?
Isack
Anything you want
I just want to know what you smell like
Liam
What if I let you?
You think you could stop yourself from wanting more?
This time, he needed longer to answer. He wondered if Isack was touching himself. God knew the only thing keeping him from doing it was iron discipline. Still, he could feel himself get hard as well as slick trickling out of him.
Isack
Probably not, but can you blame me?
I know I shouldn’t, because you’re my friend, but I can’t stop thinking about you. I want to know what you feel like, what you taste like. Even when I thought you were a beta, I couldn’t stop myself. I feel like I’m going crazy right now.
Liam decided that discipline can go fuck itself and shoved his hand down his pants to stroke himself. It was almost embarrassing how much this turned him on.
Liam
I think I would let you
If you behave well tomorrow, you can come to my room with me, after the race
Then you can touch me as much as you want
You get me all to yourself
There was a pause again.
Isack
Do you mean it?
Don’t tell me you play with me
Only if it’s not a one time thing. I would rather not have you than only have you once
Liam
Fuck Isack
You can have me as much as you want
As long as I get you in return
Isack
You can have everything of me, all I am is yours
Liam hadn’t probably come so fast since discovering the concept of getting himself off. His skin was feeling hot all over again, and he feared he would regret it in the near future.
Liam
Fucking hell man
This is not helping
Isack
Sorry
I’m kind of in the same shit
Liam
Gabi told me you’re going into rut
Isack
Yeah
They were a little irritated at medical, but they gave me a suppressant
Liam
Me too
I just want to make it to the race
Isack
Yeah
You want to talk about it?
Liam
About what?
Isack
Us
Liam
Post nut clarity much?
Isack
Because you’re sooo much better, right?
Liam
Okay guilty
Is it true? That you were into me before finding out I’m an omega
Isack
Of course it is
I was trying to get the courage to ask you out on an actual date for months, but I always got scared
First I wanted to find out if you even date alphas
Liam
Why wouldn’t I?
Isack
I don’t know!
Also, I’m your teammate!
Liam
Is that a problem for you?
Isack
No
I don’t think so
You?
Liam
I wouldn’t do it
But I still like you, so I’m willing to try
Isack
Yeah?
Liam
Yeah
Isack
I see you tomorrow?
Liam
I hope so!
Isack
Okay
We talk after the race, okay?
Liam
I’m happy if we make it to the hotel, to be honest
Isack
We’ll make it!
And if you change your mind, just tell me
Liam
Same to you, btw
Isack
I won’t
Liam
Me neither