Chapter Text
It’s a bit of an out of body experience, the way he stumbles back into the area full of people. A lot of random scent makes him scrunch his nose; unfamiliar and distasteful, he quickly reaches to his mate instead and he feels his heart calm from the sight alone. Charles must be enjoying the night, from the evident smile on his lips, hand holding a glass of wine, gently twirling the scarlet liquid before he takes a slow sip. Music was his passion, he talked about it with so much heart that Max just had to make it come true.
The Alpha doesn’t realize it but his heightened scent has got every Omega in the vicinity drooling at him. He walks over like nothing has changed, takes his seat and smiles rather dumbly at the Monegasque who returns it brightly before noticing something is amiss.
Charles inhales the air deeply, twice just to confirm the change. “Franz… are you… alright?”
“Yeah.” He answers, again, not realizing a lot of willing Omega women and men are walking around him just to catch a whiff of his intoxicating scent. He won’t attract all of them but a dominant Alpha like Max is definitely seducing most of them.
It takes a heartbeat longer but the brunette catches up to what is happening, he glances around warily but tries not to stir up unwanted trouble. He leans closer to whisper to Max but all Max cares is that Charles is closer now.
“Franz… are you… going into your rut or something? Your scent is… different.”
“Different bad?” He tilts his head, blinking round blue eyes like he’s being cute.
“No! Good– you smell…” Charles trails off like he can’t find the word or maybe he can’t, he just can’t bring himself to admit it until his head fully processes the weight of the words “...Amazing, actually… you smell really… like… it’s really strong and……”
When he’s not in a rut induced state, his scent would be normal just like any other but now in this heighten version, he’ll attract Omegas however because Charles is rightfully his mate, it must be otherworldly to him, he just hasn’t fully bloom into his real secondary gender yet. All the drugs in him over the past weeks must work to something because the Monegasque is staring at him with blown out pupils, like he’s in a daze, getting high-off an Alpha’s scent.
A female Omega walks up to their table, she smiles sweetly at Max “Alpha~” She greets, batting her eyelashes and about to continue her words but Charles across the table gets up abruptly, almost slamming the table in the process.
“Excuse us.” He grits out and immediately grabs Max’s arm to yank him up and away, she tries to stop them but the Monegasque whips his head back and snarls.
Like an actual possessive snarl that makes the woman jump back and cower, partly because he’s still Alpha.
Max allows himself to be dragged along, a silly stupid smile on his lips as Charles stomps his way through the hallway and back to his suite before slamming the door shut and sealing the two of them to their private affairs. Only when they are alone does Charles’ shoulders drop from being tensed all over, he slowly looks at Max, a little flustered himself “...You’re in pre-rut Franz… did you not know?”
“Am I?” Max feigns his innocence.
“Yeah— did you not see all the Omegas lusting over you like you’re some kind of meat?”
Max chuckles at the vivid imagination of him being a steak and a hoard of men and women are chasing after him.
“I didn’t realize… sorry… I was too busy looking at you.” He states honestly and in a way trying to charm his mate, it does work because Charles blushes pink and he’s staring at Max, eyeing him very closely.
“You…cannot say these things so carelessly, Franz… it will give me a wrong impression.”
“Really? And what’s that?” Max takes a step forward to crowd Charles’ space so his mate can smell nothing else but him and his heightened scent.
The Monegasque searches his eyes for some kind of crack; a lie, a scheme but all he will find in Max’s true, genuine, obsession over him. It is dark and it is scary but the Alpha won’t hold it back, he wants him, he loves him and has only ever wanted him since he laid eyes on him all those years ago. Something inside him aches to hold him close, yearning and growling; wishing death and sorrow upon all those that dared take his Omega away from him.
Charles’ breath hitches, lost in those blues and he can’t find a word to describe this attraction and Max knows he’s luring him with everything. The coincidental meet-up, the conversations, the laughs, the close contact, the charm, the looks, the voice, the scent, (and the drugs)---
“Is it so wrong that I want you?” Max whispers out, heavily breathing “I’ve never… met anyone like you, Charles… and these last few weeks have been nothing short of perfect… I know it is far to call it love but I don’t know what this is…”
The Monegasque takes a step back, casting his sights away as if he would be trapped if he didn’t “You’re in your pre-rut, Franz… you don’t actually… feel this and… we’re both Alphas, whatever this is-”
Max feels insulted that Charles would ever doubt his feelings.
“Tell me you don’t want this and I’ll leave… tell me I’m reading it wrong, tell me I didn’t understand your words and body language. Tell me to find another Omega.”
That final keyword snaps Charles' head to look directly at Max again; as if he couldn’t believe those words, like his body reacted faster than his mind, something internal and animalistic fighting to not accept this fate. He won’t understand why he reacted the way he did but maybe Max doesn’t need him to understand now, he just needs that unyielding submission first.
“Franz….”
“Was I… wrong?” Max looks disappointed, all a big act and for a moment Charles mirrors it, confused but also very sad about this.
“N-no. No. You’re not wrong but… I can’t…. I can’t be with an Alpha… this isn’t how it works.”
“...Fine… I’ll find someone else.” Max turns, expecting Charles to grab him but the brunette literally slams his palm on the door to stop Max from leaving, glaring at him, teeth showing.
“No.”He says adamantly and angrily.
“You don’t want me but you also won’t let me have someone else, what are you trying to say, Charles?”
“No.” He repeats it.
“Then let me go…” Max grabs Charles' wrist and pushes it off the door. He grabs the handle, ready to make a move but the Monegasque grabs him by the collar, scrunching his shirt and slamming him against the wall “You are not allowed to leave!” He’s heaving and from the looks of it, his head is under a lot of confused stress, must be sending mixed signals in his body. He wants his Alpha but he doesn’t know why or how.
“Don’t. Don’t. Don’t go. Don’t. Don’t. I won’t allow it…” His words trail off, getting closer and closer to the Dutchman. He sounds so distraught, so sad, so broken, so desperate that even Max’s facade melts for his beloved mate. How could he ever be cruel for long to Charles? Never. He could never. Max sighs internally, knowing he’s too soft to really pull such a stunt against his mate. He could threaten others to their deaths but Charles? Never. He’s about to say something to calm him but suddenly Charles pushes himself against Max, lips on his and Max finally feels free when he grabs Charles by the waist, holding him even closer to deepen it.
He steals the breath out of his lungs, intoxicated for Charles and it isn’t because of the hormones. Max has waited too many fucking years and now finally he has him in his arms, within reach, his mouth on his. The Monegasque claws Max’s shirt, finding strength to push him away so they separate to catch their breaths.
“...My family… won’t approve of this….” He sounds upset, guilty and it’s understandably so.
“Your family doesn’t need to know, Charles. We’re just two strangers on a boat, right? I know you feel the same… I know we’re both confused but… this is real.”
“You don’t understand, Franz… my family is dangerous… if I implicate you in any way…”
Max’s gaze softens, instead of fighting fire with fire, he reaches out to hold Charles’ hand, intertwining their fingers; he understands his mate’s mindset is still very fixed with Ferrari and his family, he still hasn’t fully understand all of this yet and he isn’t even open minded to try. This is an Alpha who has been taught to be an Alpha all his life. The drugs can help biologically and Max can charm him but mentally the years have won over—
“We don’t have to do… anything you don’t want to, Charles. This isn’t what I mean… I just… want you to accept the attraction between us… and give me a chance.” The Alpha nudges the other’s cheek affectionately “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to use my rut against you… I just…. I hate how you’re pushing me away when you obviously want me like I want you…”
“But you will go to others…? Other… Omegas….???”
Possessive little one.
“No. If you don’t want me to… but don’t… don’t turn me away, again, okay?”
The lump in Charles’ throat goes down and he wraps his arms around Max’s shoulders tightly, burying his head in his chest “I don’t know. Fuck. I don’t know. I don’t know what’s happening to me… I know this is wrong, I know I shouldn’t but… Franz… you… you turn away from me and something feels wrong. Something in my heart feels wrong…- why do you feel like this to me? You’re an Alpha! You’re supposed to make me feel territorial if you’re too close, I am supposed to feel challenged or threatened…we’re supposed to have this fucking mutual respect thing… not whatever the fuck this is. Merde. I see someone else near you and I’m livid, that is not normal. I’m never like this, I swear. I’m never this… this….”
‘Needy? Possessive? Clingy?’ Max waits for the admission.
Charles swallows again “Weird.”
Not what he expected but okay.
“Charles. We’ll figure this out… together, okay?”
“Something is wrong with me, Franz….”
“No… you are perfect, baby. Perfect.” He repeats it for good measures, even going far as to lay a kiss on his cheek.
“Franz– I…”
“Don’t push me away, Charles… Just… follow your heart… “ Max traps him, kisses him softly and though the brunette rejects it at first, he slowly sinks into it, he lets the other slide his tongue in and explore his mouth. He allows Max to hold him so close until he’s grinding his erection against his hip. He allows Max to move them both to the bedroom where he gets pushed on the bed and ravished slowly.
Max prays for the day his mate will call his real name but for now he settles for the soft mewls and whispers of ‘Franz’.
“Don’t think, Charles. Don’t.” Max exudes more of his Alpha hormones in the air, dominant and commanding as if Charles was an Alpha and they’re battling it out to see who is more dominant except Charles is an Omega, a perfect prime Omega, his Omega so his inner wolf is being beckoned to obey, to listen, to submit, to present, to give—-
“Don’t think of anyone else… not anyone on this cruise, no one at home, no one in this world but me. Just focus on me, okay? Trust me, believe me… because this feels right. You want this… you want me… the rest of the world doesn’t matter. Choose me, Charles, over anyone, everyone because I would never hurt you.”
The black pupils swallow the green, panting on the bed, probably fighting everything in his mind and also how his body is reacting to a call from his Alpha.
Max didn’t lie, he would never really hurt Charles, unfortunately for one to learn how to swim, they must first learn how to sink.