A Rose For A Rose

 

He could do this, this was going to be the day Claude was finally going to ask him out. Was finally going to go up to the omega of his dreams and declare his love, hoping that him being a beta wouldn’t deter him and that maybe, just maybe, they could get out of the friend’s zone and into the ‘I want to be your mate’ zone instead. Not that there was anything wrong with being in the friend zone mind you, he would just rather be in the ‘I want to be your mate’ zone far more because of the immense amount of feelings that he held for the other.

Hopefully, Sal will feel the same.

Bouquet of roses in hand, he forces himself to walk up to the omega’s door. He refused to look at himself right now because he knew that he had to be as red as can be, probably looking like a walking strawberry as sweat beaded at his brow.

Why was he so nervous?

There was no reason for him to be as nervous as he was.

This was Sal, his friend, his friend’s friend, his packmate. There was no reason for him to be as scared as he was, but… He had always loved the other. Had always watched him from afar, wishing that he was brave enough to simply go to him and proclaim his love every mating season, but was always too afraid to do it. This year was different though, this year he couldn’t wait, not with Sal having told their friends that he was ready to settle down. That he was looking. It didn’t matter that he knew that he most likely didn’t stand a chance at the omega’s heart, Claude couldn’t just not try. He had to at least attempt.

So here he was, a dozen handpicked roses in his shaking hands, his fist raised up to knock on the omegas door like he had a million times before. But he was too nervous to do it.

“Claude?” Nearly dropping the flowers from his hand, the beta whipped around and pressed the bouquet to his chest as he looked at his friend with wide eyes.

“Sal, I-I-I-I thought-”

“Are those for me?” A wide toothy grin spread over his lips and without thinking Claude pushed the bouquet out for him to grab.

“Y-Yes, they are.”

“Thank you,” He sounded breathy as he said the words as if he was in awe and that’s when he noticed the large bags in his hands.

“Oh, I can get that for y-you, I mean if you would like, not that you couldn’t carry them yourself mind you, I know that you are strong, the complete opposite of weak in fact, but I would really like to carry in your groceries if you don’t mind, and I’m rambling, why am I rambling, please tell me to stop, I-“

“Hey,” Sal was laughing now, “You can carry my bags if you would like.”

“T-Thank you, I mean, a-alright,” He was not being smooth in the slightest, but at least it didn’t seem like the omega minded. In fact, based on his scent, he seemed really pleased even. So, as if to trade, Claude took the bags from his hands and gave him the roses to hold instead.

“No one has ever given me roses before, thank you.”

If Sal said yes he would make sure to give him roses every day if he had to in order to keep that smile on his face. “That’s a shame.”

“Here,” Sal scurried around him in order to unlock the door and shuffle the both of them inside. “You can set them down on the table.”

Doing as he was told, Claude placed the bags on the table, turning around to see if Taehyung wanted him to unpack them for him as well, but was met with the mesmerizing sight of the other smelling the roses indulgently. His eyes were closed, a small warm smile on his lips, and his scent was heavy in the room. The smell of roses magnified by ten as it mixed with the omega’s own rose-like scent. He couldn’t help but think that it was fitting. A rose for a rose.

“Beautiful,” The word came out before he could stop himself and Sal paused, his eyes opening in order to look at him.

“What was that?”

“N-Nothing, I said nothing.”

Placing the bouquet down, Sal walked over to him and took one of his hands into his own. “I believe you just called me beautiful.”

He blanked. Might as well be honest. “I did.”

“You also brought me flowers.”

Nodding, he said the only two words that he was capable of saying at that moment, “I did.”

“Claude,” Sal’s pretty teeth worried at his lower lip, and everything in him wanted to reach out and stop him from doing it but he refrained, afraid to touch, “Not that I mind, quite the opposite actually, but,” Almost shyly, the omega looked down, his eyelashes fanning over his cheeks before he looked up again through them, “You never come unannounced.”

Licking his suddenly chapped lips, Claude gulped, it was now or never. “Sal,” He could do this, “It’s mating season, and I,” He paused, not able to keep looking into the other males pretty eyes anymore, so he closed his own, “I know I am a beta, but, if you let me, I would love to have the honor of courting you.”

Silence.

There was no sound.

He could barely pick up the sound of both of them breathing.

The only thing that changed after he got the words out, was the sudden abrupt spike in Sal’s scent. Taking it as a positive, Claude slowly opened his eyes again and was met with the sight of the omegas tears.

“It sure took you long enough, I almost thought you would never ask.”

“What?”

“Why do you think I’ve been dropping hints to everyone, you included, that I would like to mate soon?”

“I thought-”

Pulling him into his arms, Sal suddenly nuzzled into his neck and started to scent him, “Dude, I’ve been inviting you to take care of me during my heats for three years. Each time you are so respectful despite me begging for you to join me. Why do you think I kept inviting you?”

Well, he felt like an idiot now. “I thought it was just because you didn’t want to do anything during those moments.”

“I wanted you to bone me into the mattress until I was a pile of jelly.”

Unintentionally his scent spiked at that and the omega giggled, “I never cared that you were a beta. I’ve been wanting you for years.”

“I’m an idiot.”

“No, you just had some stuff to work through and wasn’t ready.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

“You needed time, I wasn’t going to rush you.”

Unable to resist any longer, he brought his cheek to Sal’s scent gland and started to scent him in return, “What do we do now?”

The other chuckled, “You’re going to court me, then at the end of mating season you are going to claim me and give me some pups. Does that sound good?”

All he could do was nod, too happy to speak as he held his friend, now courting partner, close. And sure enough, by the end of mating season, the two of them shared matching marks, and a month later, Sal started to show signs of pups.