Chapter Text
“Well?” Legato crossed his arms and fixed Vash with a glare. “What did you call me out here for?”
It was a nice enough day. The diner Vash had chosen for them to meet in was comfortable. Vash had even offered to buy him whatever he wanted. By all rights, Legato should have no complaints.
But there was something about the way Vash squirmed under Legato’s eye, tail twitching and alpha pheromones bleeding out in anxiety, that made him want to bare his teeth.
Vash grabbed a fry from the basket in front of him, making every effort to appear casual as it drooped between his fingers. “Y’know that guy I’d been seeing for a while? We broke up a few months ago?”
Legato blinked. Vash had been seeing someone? “No.”
Vash looked up, eyebrows arched in surprise. “Really? I thought you’d been hanging around for longer than that.”
Hanging around. Legato fought a wince at the phrase. It was more honest than Vash normally was, condensing months of trailing after Elendira and her new omega into just two words. It was stupid, it was embarrassing, and Legato still accepted every invitation to be in the same room as Knives. His alpha brother had been an unfortunate add-on.
Legato instead settled for allowing his lips to draw back over his teeth, giving up on fighting for politeness. “Get to the point.”
Vash smiled back. What a truly insufferable man.
“Well we’d been together for a while, right. A long while. But his cycle is coming up soon, and it’s his first one since we broke things off, and I’m worried if he doesn’t have anyone to help him through it after having a partner for so long it’ll be awful for him, and–”
“And how is any of that my problem?” Legato’s tail twitched with growing agitation.
Vash looked up at him, eyes wide and pleading. “I was hoping you’d help him?”
Legato’s snarl deepened, ears flattened back against his head. “Don’t try to feed me your discarded leftovers.”
Vash clasped his hands together, practically throwing himself over the table and looking up desperately. Legato flinched further back against his side of the booth. “Please, Legato? He’s not so bad, you might even like–”
“Don’t pretend to know what I might like.”
A terrible grin twisted Vash's expression. “Oh, I don’t need to pretend. This might be at least a little better than mooning after my brother all the time, don’t you think?”
Legato huffed, turning his head to cover up the way his blood went cold. He knew he hadn’t been particularly good at hiding the way he trailed after Knives, but for Vash to call him out like this had to mean it really was dire. “I still don’t see why I should be the one to ease your guilty conscience.” A token protest, just to claim it hadn’t been enough to end his fight.
Vash groaned, letting his head fall forward onto the table. “I started dating his brother, Legato. At this point I’m just looking for all the help I can get.” His spotted cheetah tail whipped through the air behind him, and Legato watched the movement with a hint of satisfaction. He wasn’t the only one agitated by this.
And, well.
Legato took a lot of pains to cover up his scent, but Vash had to know by now that he was an omega. And Legato was pretty sure Vash didn’t even know how to be vengeful and cruel. If he knew that Legato was interested in (he wasn’t mooning, he didn’t moon after anyone) omegas, any attempt at a set-up from him would be genuine. It wouldn’t hurt to meet whatever poor omega he’d scraped off the street.
It would get Vash off his back, at least.
Legato let a few seconds pass, humming thoughtfully, just to watch Vash squirm again. Just another small payment to make the whole thing go down sweeter.
“You’re buying me another slice of cake.”
Vash shot up, eyes shining and smile beaming, and waved over a waitress. Legato swallowed down the sudden feeling he’d bitten off more than he could chew.
Legato’s tail whipped wildly behind him, hands balled into fists at his sides. “Absolutely not.”
He should have known better. Anyone could see Vash wasn’t exactly a traditional alpha. It was his fault for expecting some desperate omega just trying to make it through their heat.
Not this disgusting wolf of an alpha, chest thrown out like he owned the place. Legato bristled at the idea of what might come out if he let the wolf open his mouth.
Vash waved his hands, a shit attempt at a placating gesture. “Come on, it’s not what it looks like, just give him a chance–”
“A chance? To do what? To treat me like a walking fucktoy? Does this guy even know how to stand without posturing and peacocking? What the fuck is wrong with you, to even think about asking me for this?”
The absolute insult of Vash to even suggest it, to dare to put him in the same room as some prideful bastard alpha.
Was that it? Did Vash think Legato wanted a partner with pride? With some cold and stuck-up attitude, because that’s what Knives is like? Nevermind that Knives wasn’t an alpha, that those things combined made him safe, that with Knives Legato would never have to worry about fending off a knot or a claim. With him he could maybe, finally, relax.
This was a threat.
The wolf's mouth opened around a protest. Legato drew his lips back in a snarl.
Vash's arms continued their flailing. “Legato, please, just–”
He would not just. “I don’t want some stupid alpha, I don’t want someone who’s going to use me to fuck the rut out of their system, I don’t want to spend another minute with this idiot who thinks some half-baked attempt at swagger will win him whatever he wants, and I don’t want to hear you ever try to beg me for a favor again.” Legato gave one last glare to both of them, ready to turn on his heel and leave.
Vash’s hand darted out, grabbing the wolf by the scruff and giving a light tug.
The wolf crumpled instantly, the shoulders which had already started to slump during Legato’s speech now falling completely, his chin tilting to the side to expose his neck. To both of them. Not just submitting to the other alpha. The realization had Legato pulling up short.
“I promise you, that’s not what this is about,” Vash said with a too-bright grin. “Wolfwood here is more of a service dog, isn’t that right?”
The wolf – Wolfwood, apparently – let out a faint whine.
“Trust me, he’s the furthest thing from a traditional alpha. He just doesn’t know how to ask for what he wants.”
Legato looked down at the pitiful picture that Wolfwood now presented, all loose muscles and wet eyes, the perfect opposite to the way he’d first approached with his shoulders back and a cocky grin in place.
If he could get Wolfwood to stay just like this, there might be something he could work with.
Legato gritted his teeth. “I’ll think about it.”
“–And then he brings in this alpha, can you believe it?” Legato tossed his head with a scoff. “And an arrogant asshole of one, too. I mean really, does anyone find that attractive?”
Elendira hummed thoughtfully as she sipped her drink. “Vash has never been the most traditional alpha. Did you know he’s dating a beta now?”
Her attempt to distract with gossip was appreciated, but it did nothing to shake Legato’s foul mood.
“Yeah, well, maybe he should stick to dating the alphas himself, instead of trying to foist them off on me. Nasty freaks, all of them. They should just pair off and leave the rest of us alone.” He crossed his arms with a huff, slumping further in his seat and letting the metal of the café chair dig into his back.
Elendira paused, the tip of her tail twitching, and fixed Legato with a beady glare. “I’m an alpha too, remember.”
Legato ducked his head. “That’s different,” he mumbled into his coffee.
Elendira’s glare only grew sharper. “Is it? And why would you think that?”
Because we’ve been friends forever. Because I know you’d never try to claim me. Because I know you already have someone else.
None of those really answered the question Elendira was asking.
Legato apologized to his drink.
Elendira’s expression twisted into a smirk, and Legato suddenly wished he’d gotten a few more jabs in before backing off. She really did have a terrible knack for sniffing out the most vulnerable targets and piercing without remorse.
“I’m sure you just want me out of the way so you can have Knives to yourself.”
Legato groaned, burying his head in his hands. “I keep telling you, I’m not trying to, I just. It’s not my fault he doesn’t like me. Maybe if he actually paid any attention to me he'd start feeling like a threat, but if he's just going to ignore me all the time it's hard to not think he’d be perfect.” He just knew Elendira’s tail was twitching territorially as he spoke, the chestnut color broken up by the soft ermine fur that was forcing its way in for the colder months.
He swallowed down the thought of how Knives’s tall hare's ears must look the same.
Elendira laughed, breaking through the ice of his thoughts. “Maybe he’d pay attention to you if you didn’t act like some obsessed loser pining after him.”
Legato pulled his head up just enough to roll his eyes at her. “I’m not pining, I don’t pine. I’m just. You know.”
“Pining.” Elendira nodded sagely.
Legato let his head fall back into his hands.
“You just need a distraction. Maybe that’s all Vash was trying to do, when he introduced you to that alpha. He’s sharper than he looks, even if he does have terrible taste.”
Legato frowned. “Well, that’s the funny thing.” He propped his head up again, looking at the space over Elendira’s shoulder so he wouldn’t have to look her in the eye. “I’m afraid he might know what he’s doing. Sure, this alpha walked in all cocky, but right as I was about to storm out, Vash scruffed him. And he just collapsed on the spot, in front of both of us.”
He thought of the smooth column of Wolfwood’s throat, exposed for him, and his voice dropped to a whisper. “I don’t think it was just for Vash. I think he might have been ready to submit to me, too.”
Elendira’s brows knit together as she stared down at her drink.
“Vash called him a service dog.” Legato laughed nervously, a bit of hysteria creeping in as the words kept spilling out. “And then he whined. Can you imagine? An alpha, whining.”
Elendira spoke slowly, her long fingers perfectly still around her cup. “Sounds like Vash got him to crack, a bit. What did you tell him?”
“I told him I’d think about it. I mean, sure, this guy’s an alpha, but if I can get him to break like that for me? Maybe it won’t be so bad. Plus, then Vash would owe me one.”
Elendira shot him a look, something like nastiness bleeding in around the edges. Legato felt himself flinch back on instinct. Even after all this time being friends, her sharp glares still cut deep. “Don’t turn this into squeezing a favor out of Vash. Is this something you think you can do, or not?”
Legato bristled at the phrasing. He could do whatever he wanted. If he got a favor out of it, well, that was just decent compensation.
Still, the question made him pause. Could he really stand spending five days stuck with this guy?
The memory of Wolfwood’s eyes, wide and pleading as he lay in a heap on the floor, asked a different question. Given five days to work with, what else could he get Wolfwood to beg for? How many ways could he coax out another whine?
As Elendira waved down a server for the check, Legato sent a message to Vash.
“Fine. I’ll do it.”
Legato stood in front of the address he’d been given, on the day he’d been told, knuckles white around the small bag of supplies he'd brought and fighting to keep his ears from pinning themselves back against his skull. He knew it was irritation, annoyance, an already creeping regret at having to spend the better part of a week with some nasty alpha.
He didn’t need said alpha thinking it was fear.
With his shoulders squared against his rising apprehension, he gave one firm rap on the door.
It was quickly followed by the sound of a door slamming and feet stomping down the stairs, squashing a hope he hadn't dared to acknowledge. Why did that damn dog have to have such sharp ears? Why couldn’t he let Legato get away with slinking off unnoticed, still able to tell Vash that he’d tried? Inconsiderate, really.
Legato didn’t bother to plaster on a fake smile as the door opened.
He was subjected to the sight of Wolfwood leaning against the door frame, the reek of cigarettes nearly suffocating his alpha pheromones and the corners of his mouth pulled into an easy smirk that was sure to be followed by some repulsive drawl.
“Well hey there, pretty kitty.”
And there it was, right on cue.
Legato swallowed the urge to snarl, raising a single eyebrow instead. “You were so well behaved for Vash. Are you trying to get me to leave?”
He’d anticipated this. It only made sense that without another alpha to keep him in check, especially with his rut bearing down on him, Wolfwood would be back to his idiotic peacocking. Legato had budgeted for the arduous hours necessary to break him down, to force Wolfwood to do things his way.
The sudden flash of fear in Wolfwood’s eyes was a surprise.
His smirk was back before Legato could blink, but it had lost its confident shine. “Alright, alright, you can put the claws away. I’ll play nice.”
Legato didn’t bother to respond, simply shouldering his way past Wolfwood into the house behind him. The narrow hallway held only the staircase Wolfwood had so loudly stomped down and a closed door off to the side – Legato spared the briefest moment of pity for whoever had the misfortune of being Wolfwood’s neighbor as he walked more delicately up the stairs towards the door that Wolfwood must have come from.
He smiled to himself as he heard Wolfwood plod along after him without putting up any more of a fuss. Maybe this would be easier than he thought.
That hope lasted for the nine seconds it took for him to reach Wolfwood’s door and throw it open.
“What the fuck is this.”
The apartment was small but it wasn’t cramped, and everything seemed passably tidy at a glance. But if Wolfwood reeked of cigarettes, his apartment may as well have been inside of one.
Legato wrinkled his nose against the overwhelming scent of tobacco and tar, amazed that the paint wasn’t yellowed and peeling with the weight of it. A recent habit, maybe? Or maybe only this severe to try and get the upper hand on Legato.
As if Legato would ever let an alpha get the better of him now.
“Are you that desperate to impress me with how filthy you can be? If so, you’ve certainly succeeded – this is beyond disgusting, I’m not fucking you like this.”
To his credit, Wolfwood at least had the decency to look chagrined for a moment, coloring slightly at Legato’s bluntness. “Yeah, well, sorry for not wanting to broadcast to the world that I’m an alpha going into rut.” The words were spat out with more bitterness than Legato expected, Wolfwood’s ears flat against his skull.
Legato scoffed. “What, are scent blockers too good for you?”
Wolfwood’s expression narrowed into something that bordered on a glare. “Seriously? You think they make scent blockers for alphas? When was the last time you met an alpha who wasn’t trying to scent as much as possible?”
Legato let his face pull reflexively into a sneer, deflection already on his lips. “I don’t make a habit of meeting alphas.”
That said.
Legato thought about the alphas that he did already know – Elendira would never let anything dissuade her from practically oozing pheromones, no matter how many times Legato made a show of gagging over the smell. She was too proud to ever be anything less than full force. Even Vash, non-traditional as he may be, certainly didn't do anything to cover up his scent.
Well. He didn't need to say any of that to Wolfwood.
Instead, he held his breath and walked purposefully towards the window closest to the door, throwing it open to start airing the place out.
Wolfwood jolted after him, tripping over his feet as he spewed out a handful of half-formed protests. Legato didn't bother listening to any of them, the words unimportant.
"Look. Either I open the windows, you pay for a hotel room for the week, or you can get through this on your own. You can live in whatever den of squalor you want on your own time, but I'm not putting up with it." He fixed Wolfwood with an unimpressed frown, arms folded loosely over his chest.
Wolfwood opened his mouth, a spark of a fight still glowing behind his eyes.
Now, that wouldn't do.
Legato cut him off. "I don't have to be here. Those are your options."
Wolfwood stared him down for a long moment before his shoulders slumped, tail hanging limply between his legs. "Alright. Windows open, then."
He showed Legato through the rest of the apartment, each window flung open along the way. With each one Wolfwood startled, a short burst of agitation coursing through him, before returning to his miserable posture. Even as slouched as he was, Legato could watch the tension grow as his rut grew nearer.
Still, despite the fresh air clearing out the overwhelming stench of tobacco, Legato could hardly discern Wolfwood's scent, even though the pheromones should have been growing stronger. Was he actually trying to suppress it himself? Was he really that desperate?
Legato filed the thought away. It could be a curiosity to puzzle over later.
The last stop in their little tour was Wolfwood's room, where he shifted his weight uncomfortably while Legato opened the last window as wide as it could go. Odd – It was Wolfwood's room, and yet he was acting like he was being hunted in his own territory, eyes shifting nervously and refusing to look at Legato.
Legato turned to stare him down, calm and collected and exuding nothing short of confidence. "One more thing."
Wolfwood's eyes flitted to his before darting away again.
Legato reached into the bag he'd brought with him, rummaging around before pulling out a muzzle, all black leather straps and gleaming steel bars. "You wear this, or I'm leaving."
A handful of seconds passed as Wolfwood opened and closed his mouth like a beached fish. When he found his words, they were dry and rasping. "Don't omegas wear collars, normally?"
Legato stamped down the flutter of panic with a condescending sneer. "Please. If you're the one who's a bite risk, why should I have to be the one covering up? Wouldn't you say it's more fair this way?" And besides, he was no idiot. He knew better than anyone how a collar was just a trap.
Wolfwood curled ever so slightly further in on himself, eyes wary but lacking that spark of fight. "And how am I supposed to eat? Or. Uh." Wolfwood trailed off, color rising up the sides of his neck.
There was a sheen of sweat sprouting across Wolfwood's forehead, the beginnings of a bulge tightening the front of his pants. It was clear where Wolfwood's thoughts had strayed, and Legato felt a brief surge of fear – he didn't have much time before the bite risk became a threat.
"I hope you know how to use chopsticks. Anything else you were imagining won't be necessary." He blunted his urgency with a smirk. "Well?"
Wolfwood swallowed. "Yeah, I know how to use chopsticks," he told the floor.
Good enough for Legato.
He circled Wolfwood, coming up behind him and fitting the muzzle under his chin, over the jut of his nose. Features which could have been called proud an hour ago, before Legato had gotten here. Features which now sloped down towards the ground, painting the perfect picture of resigned misery.
Legato let the feeling swell within him as he pulled the straps tight, an aborted gasp choked from Wolfwood's throat as he secured the buckles on the back of his head.
When the small lock clicked into place, Legato finally let himself relax. Just a little.
He stepped back with a satisfied hum, soaking in the way Wolfwood's shoulders drooped and the whine that left his throat at the loss of contact. His tail had found its way completely between his legs, covering his crotch in a delightful display of submission.
An excellent start.
It was a shame Legato couldn't let him stay like that.
"Tail down." He grabbed a fistful of fur, tugging. "I need to see what I have to work with."
Wolfwood bared his teeth, jaw clenched shut behind the muzzle. Legato felt a thrill run through him – it didn't matter how hard the wolf tried. Legato could poke and prod all he wanted, and there would be no danger of a bite. It was just him, in control, forcing this alpha into submission.
He smirked as Wolfwood quickly thought better of his obnoxious display and lowered his eyes and tail, slouching further in the process.
"Good dog."
Legato let his eyes trail lower, tracing over where Wolfwood's erection was now clearly outlined by the straining fabric. A small frown pulled at the corners of his mouth – the wolf's cocky posturing clearly hadn't come from a place of compensation. Wolfwood squirmed under the scrutiny.
No matter. Legato would just have to make sure that wouldn't become a problem when his rut fully hit.
He stepped back, crossing his arms over his chest. "Well? Pants off. Unless that's all you have to show me." Legato let a sneer bleed into his voice, trying to needle another display of defiance out of Wolfwood. The sooner they got those out of the way, the better.
Instead, Wolfwood whined.
It was cut off short, low enough where it could almost be mistaken for a growl. But the way Wolfwood ducked his head, hiding his face as he slipped his thumbs under his waistband, spoke volumes.
It made Legato's blood sing, made the experience of watching Wolfwood step out of his pants with his hands held awkwardly in front of him much more bearable.
"Come on, no need to be shy. You'll have to show me sooner or later."
Wolfwood's eyes narrowed into the suggestion of a challenge, ears flattening against his head. He clenched his hands into tight fists, knuckles screaming white under the skin, but slowly, he did move them to his sides.
Legato hummed in approval, not bothering to look. Despite what he may have told Wolfwood, he didn't really care to get an eye full of alpha bits right now – this was more about breaking him down, simple orders to get him ready for more demanding ones. "Shirt off, too."
Wolfwood stood frozen for a moment, but pulled his shirt off without any further resistance.
Good. Time to really kick things into gear.
"Get on the bed."
As expected, Wolfwood backed up until his knees hit the bed, lowering himself slowly against the pillows without turning his back on Legato. Legato stalked closer, flicking his tail behind him and letting a grin crawl over his face.
Wolfwood's eyes went wide, tongue tripping over the stuttered words he squeezed through the muzzle. "Aren't you… I mean. You're still dressed? How am I… how's this gonna work? Don't you. Uh." Wolfwood swallowed heavily, trying again. "You're an omega, right? Aren't I supposed to–"
Legato only stopped once he hovered over Wolfwood, making sure the alpha could see the predatory glint in his eyes and relishing in the way his ears flattened as the sense of danger settled in his gut.
"I think you've misunderstood."
His hands shot out, grabbing Wolfwood and flipping him onto his front. The air left Wolfwood in a rush, gasped out in surprise and at the uncomfortable angle the muzzle forced his neck into. Legato climbed onto the bed behind him and pulled Wolfwood's hips into the air, leaning over his back to speak directly into his ear.
"I'm the one fucking you through this, remember?"
Wolfwood froze, hands fisted in the sheets and his tail pulled protectively between his legs again. Legato clicked his tongue.
"I told you, none of that." He wrapped one hand around the base of Wolfwood's tail, savoring the moan he wrenched from Wolfwood's mouth with a quick yank. "There's no point in me helping you if you won't let me work."
Legato caught the wet look that Wolfwood leveled over his shoulder, but the wolf otherwise remained still.
"Well? Are you going to let me get started?"
It was more of a challenge than an actual question, forcing Wolfwood to agree to Legato's methods rather than allowing him to just go along with it. He wanted the alpha to know he'd been brought to heel, to admit it out loud.
He wasn't sure what he had expected in response, but it sure wasn't the whimper that left Wolfwood's throat as he nodded awkwardly.
This day really was just full of surprises.
Legato's face split into a grin as he grabbed at Wolfwood's ass, spreading him and running a thumb over the pucker of his hole. It was odd, doing this with an alpha, but it certainly was rewarding when Wolfwood shuddered at the sensation.
He let the tip of his thumb dip in, just a bit, just enough to force Wolfwood's head into his new reality. It could hardly even be considered prepping him, really.
Or at least, that was what Legato had planned for, a dry test run of sorts. He was ready to take things as slow as necessary. Even if Wolfwood had been starting to submit to him, actually moving forward with sex would be another story entirely. No self-respecting alpha would take so easily to getting fucked in the ass, not during their rut, and certainly not by an omega.
Wolfwood must have no self respect, then, because he immediately pushed himself further back onto Legato's thumb with a loud moan.
Legato froze, listening to Wolfwood pant underneath him as he wiggled his hips, inching deeper until he hit the flat side of Legato's hand. That couldn't be right. There was no way. The mournful little howl that Wolfwood let out when he could go no further had to be a trick that Legato's mind was playing on him. Wishful thinking.
The furthest thing from a traditional alpha. That's what Vash had called him, when he'd scruffed Wolfwood. Legato hadn't actually thought that Vash was being genuine.
He assumed it was hyperbole, maybe, or some off-white shade of lie. Whatever he needed to do to bait Legato into accepting.
He just doesn't know how to ask for what he wants.
Legato blinked at Wolfwood's quivering form, tail laid over his back in a perfect arch as he let out countless little gasps and whines.
Vash was something to be feared, Legato decided.
He shook himself out of his thoughts with a small laugh. "What, dissatisfied already? What do you expect me to do about it?" He kept his tone a careful sneer – he couldn't have Wolfwood thinking he actually cared. But if he really didn't know how to ask for what he wanted… forcing that would have to be Legato's next step.
Wolfwood's face scrunched up as much as it could under the muzzle, eyes squeezed shut.
"Well?" Legato eased his thumb out, only to ram it back in. Wolfwood made a hideous choking noise, eyes flying open. "Use your words."
Wolfwood's jaw clicked. "More."
It was just one word, raspy and hoarse, and Wolfwood looked like he wanted to bite it back the instant it left his mouth. Still, progress was progress. Perhaps it was time for some positive reinforcement.
Legato removed his thumb from Wolfwood's hole, barely taking the time to slick his fingers up before slamming two of them in up to the knuckle. Another oddity – Wolfwood was cleaner than he'd expected from an alpha. "Good dog." He pressed firmly on Wolfwood's prostate, drawing a keening whine out of him. "The more you're honest with me, the more I can reward you. Understood?"
Wolfwood clenched around his fingers as he nodded.
Legato hummed in approval, continuing to massage Wolfwood's insides with one hand as he reached between Wolfwood's legs with the other. As much as he wasn't thrilled about the idea, he had to let Wolfwood knot something during his rut, after all. Better to offer his hand before Wolfwood got any ideas about trying his ass.
His knuckles grazed the thin skin of Wolfwood's balls and Wolfwood jerked forward, pulling halfway off of Legato's fingers as another hand came flying down to bat his away.
"Don't." Legato looked up in shock at the ferocity of the snarl, getting a clear view of the flash of Wolfwood's teeth through the muzzle. He's an alpha. He's a threat. Legato felt the bile crawl up his throat as he tried desperately to reassure himself that the straps were tight, the muzzle was secure, it wasn't going anywhere. He was safe.
He pulled his fingers out of Wolfwood, using his clean hand to cup Wolfwood's neck and press him into the mattress. "You don't get to threaten me."
Wolfwood struggled between the pin of Legato's hand and the twist forced onto him by the cage of the muzzle, ears flat and eyes sparking. "I thought you wanted me to be honest with you, kitty cat."
Legato squeezed, just a little, just enough to make Wolfwood's eyes go wide and for his squirming to settle. "Honesty doesn't require teeth."
Wolfwood's pulse hammered beneath his fingertips as Legato stared him down.
Slowly, Wolfwood's lips slipped back over his teeth, although the rhythm under his skin continued at its jackrabbit rate. Wolfwood's gaze shifted back to the side, no longer straining against the corners of his vision to glare up at Legato.
"You don't have to worry about my knot," Wolfwood mumbled into the mattress.
Legato held in a snort. Like hell he wasn't going to worry about it. Too many alphas had made it far too clear to him just how much a knot was something to worry about. No matter how pathetic he tried to act, no wolf could convince Legato that he was an exception to the rule.
"Just. Don't touch it, okay?" Wolfwood's voice was so small, so hesitant.
Legato considered Wolfwood's shivering form for a long moment before finally easing off, making sure to maintain the careful disdain in his tone. "Fine by me. It's not like I wanted to touch your nasty alpha knot anyways."
It was hard to miss the way Wolfwood's body slumped in relief. It was even harder to miss the way his ears perked up.
Legato ignored the way it twisted in his gut with something close to understanding.
"Besides, I've got plenty to play with back here." Legato stroked the joint at the base of Wolfwood's tail, earning him a full-body shudder and a thin whine. "Let's get back to it, shall we?"
Legato finally pulled his own pants down far enough to get his dick out, smiling softly at the way it stiffened in his hand as he slicked it up. This was how it was meant to be – he wasn't some hole for alphas to use, to claim. He was always meant to be the one on top.
He pressed his cock against Wolfwood's ass, reveling in the quick gasp and drawn out moan that it punched from Wolfwood's lungs.
"Well? This is what you wanted, isn't it?" Legato felt a manic smile creep over his face.
Wolfwood trembled beneath him, anticipation a clear thread pulling him taut down the curve of his spine through the tip of his tail. He nodded, face scrubbing against the sheets in his eagerness.
Legato pressed forward, just enough to squeeze the tip of his cock past the tight rim of Wolfwood's hole. Legato had never finished stretching him, but Wolfwood didn't seem to mind, not with the way he clutched at the sheets and let out a high pitched whine.
"Answer me. How can you expect a reward if you're not honest?" Legato felt close to giddy, a laugh bubbling up between his ribs. This is what he was meant to do.
Wolfwood made a wet little noise. "Yeah. Yeah, 's what I want."
Legato thrust in, burying himself in Wolfwood's hole until his hips slapped into the thick flesh of Wolfwood's ass. The cry that was punched from Wolfwood's lungs reverberated through every inch of Legato's limbs, setting him on fire. This was right.
"Good dog."
Wolfwood's coherency plummeted rapidly over the first day of his rut, quickly rendering him unable to string even two words together, let alone full sentences. As satisfying as it was to hear the alpha whimpering and moaning instead of a string of complaints, Legato had to admit he missed being able to toy with Wolfwood by forcing him to use his words.
Legato couldn't even take the credit for it, which was the true frustration. Wolfwood's refusal to so much as touch his dick had left him unable to get any relief, increasing the desperation behind his whines.
No amount of prostate massage could replace a popped knot, it seemed.
Not for lack of trying, of course. Legato had hammered into him relentlessly, hardly able to breathe between his own orgasms before Wolfwood was pawing at him again, unsatisfied and frantic.
Even now, Legato gritted his teeth as he plowed into Wolfwood, both legs thrown over his shoulders in an attempt to take Legato as deeply as possible, as if that small amount of leverage would make the difference between another denial and a chance at relief.
It was miserable, and Legato found himself wishing that Wolfwood would just suck it up and knot something already. How had Vash ever dealt with this?
Vash can knot. Of course he'd have an easier time.
Legato couldn't help the snarl that came over him, the resentment that rolled off him in waves. He wouldn't let that be the difference between them. It couldn't be.
Below him, Wolfwood's mouth opened as he began taking greedy pants, lungs heaving with the effort. Could he finally be getting close? Could this be it? Legato focused his efforts on Wolfwood's prostate, determined to make this one count.
Wolfwood's neck strained forward, and Legato immediately jerked back, chest seizing with fear at the thought of those too-sharp teeth surging towards him.
A broken sob tore through Wolfwood as he slumped back in the sheets, eyes squeezed shut with tears budding at the corners. Legato held perfectly still as Wolfwood trembled around him. Why did Wolfwood have to push his luck? When he had been so close, when Legato may have finally been able to earn a break? The irritation made his ears twitch.
Why couldn't Wolfwood have just controlled his instincts?
Legato turned a glare down at Wolfwood, a scathing reprimand building in his throat. It died when Legato caught Wolfwood's nose quivering, scrunched up and searching.
Was that what he wanted?
Cautiously, Legato pumped out his scent, just enough to bypass the cocktail of blockers he was always so careful with. He hated his scent, hated the way it made alphas react, but if it could finally get him a moment of rest… it might be okay, just this once.
Wolfwood's face immediately relaxed, a low moan bleeding out of him. He rolled his hips into Legato, legs tightening over his shoulders in a wordless plea for more.
Legato returned to hammering away at Wolfwood's prostate, letting his scent surround them.
It was only a few moments before Wolfwood was clawing at the sheets as he came, white streaking across his stomach with his knot inflated between them. Finally his cries subsided into gasping breaths, followed by little whimpers as he came down and, for the first time since they'd begun, started to relax.
Legato gaped down at him, too busy processing to chase his own orgasm. They barely knew each other, and yet Wolfwood needed his scent to get off? Was that a thing? Should he be worried?
His lumbering train of thought collided with a faint but pungent aroma of hot pepper, burning the inside of his nostrils. Legato scrunched up his nose, the itch making his eyes water. This was Wolfwood's scent? No wonder he tried so hard to cover it – even through the mask of tobacco, just that small whiff had him reeling.
As Legato threw his head back to chase a breath of fresh air, he caught a hint of bitter cocoa hidden underneath the overwhelming capsaicin, just enough to make the whole thing smell rich and wrong.
Suddenly on edge, Legato pulled back from Wolfwood, leaving him alone as he finally came down enough from the first wave of his rut to start dozing off. Legato shouldn't be here. Not with an alpha who smelled like that. It couldn't have been any more obviously a threat, a giant red flag of warning screaming that this was someone dangerous, someone to stay away from. It would only be tempting fate to stay.
Then again.
Legato had made someone who smelled like that come to heel, hadn't he?
And what did that say about him?
Legato breathed deeply, holding the scent of burning pepper in his lungs until he felt like he could burst with it, flames eating him up from the inside. He could command that.
A hysterical grin split his face. This was proof – of everything he'd ever known, of everything others had doubted.
It was euphoric.
After five full days of cries and moans, Wolfwood's rut seemed no closer to its end than when it started. Legato's desperation quickly grew to mirror Wolfwood's – wasn't the whole point of having a partner, of having him here, to make the rut easier? Why bother, if it would still take just as long, be just as miserable?
Legato didn't want to consider the possibility that it would have been worse.
Even now, in a break between waves, Wolfwood was tossing fitfully in his shallow sleep. His skin was burning red, sweat gathering in the creases of his joints and plastering his hair to his face, expression twisted in pain. Legato pumping out his scent could only go so far – it's not like they were mated, they were almost perfect strangers, it was foolish to think it could have been enough.
He needs to knot something.
Not just let his knot pop and then ignore it, the way he had been all week. He needed to take this seriously, actually do something about it, not just stubbornly insist on the impossible. It was stupid, it was going to get him killed.
Legato knew firsthand how you could only do so much to change nature. Why couldn't Wolfwood see that? Was this why Vash had recruited him, to make Wolfwood see reason?
At the moment, Wolfwood was sprawled out on his back, his cock resting against his stomach. Even between waves it was still hard and leaking, despite his knot having gone down some time ago. It would take so little for Legato to reach over and finish the job. Wolfwood might not even be able to tell, let alone remember, through the delirium that covered him.
It didn't matter. Legato would never be able to forget.
Instead he reached a hand out to comb through the hair on Wolfwood's chest, squeezing gently at the soft tissue. It gave way so nicely under his fingers, a balm to his strained nerves as he debated how to proceed.
Wolfwood moaned, pressing up into Legato's hand, and Legato couldn't help but let out a chuckle.
"Oh? You like having your tits played with?" Legato let his fingers graze over Wolfwood's chest, flicking delicately against his nipple.
Wolfwood gasped, curling up on his side and pushing himself closer. Legato watched as his eyelids fluttered before staying closed, breath coming more rapidly as he trembled.
"You want more? Is that it?" Legato moved his hand to find Wolfwood's other nipple and pinched.
Wolfwood whined, high and desperate, eyes flying open as he wriggled under Legato's hand. In an uncoordinated fit of motion made even more awkward by the bulk of the muzzle, Wolfwood turned to press his chest into the sheets, smothering Legato's hand.
Legato smirked. Finding a new toy was just the thing to lift his spirits.
Even with his hand pressed flat, he managed to wiggle his fingertips enough to draw more delightful little noises from Wolfwood's throat. He reached his other hand out to smooth along the curve of Wolfwood's ass, getting a strained whimper in response.
When his hand never met the soft fur of Wolfwood's tail, Legato looked back with a frown. It had found its way back between Wolfwood's legs at the start of every wave, needing to be coaxed out of its defensive set. Was something wrong? Had his rut gone on too long, and this was a warning that Wolfwood would be getting more aggressive?
Legato hadn't been prepared to see him ass up, knees spread, tail flat along his spine. Not from being wrenched into place by Legato, but as a choice.
Legato's breath caught in his throat.
He'd gotten an alpha to present himself.
He hadn't dared to even think it was possible. Alphas were too proud, too stubborn, and this one in particular had seemed obsessed with posturing. Of course any submission would need to be wrenched from him with both hands.
But here it was. As a gift freely given.
Legato moved to kneel behind Wolfwood, careful to keep his fingers within a light touch of Wolfwood's nipple. "Ready for another round?" Legato fought to keep his voice even, to not betray how the gesture was making him burn incandescent.
"Please." Wolfwood's voice was hoarse with disuse and dehydration. "Alpha."
Legato felt trapped in amber, the world spinning rapidly around him as he struggled to find ground. He thinks I'm Vash. That must be it. He fell back to earth, shattering to pieces in a hell of his own making. Of course it wasn't him, had never been him. It was the memory of another alpha, still fresh in Wolfwood's mind. He was just someone random, plucked off the street for Wolfwood by the alpha he wanted. An unfortunate necessity to ease the pain, nothing more.
An omega getting used to help an alpha through their rut.
Legato's smile turned bitter and biting. If that's how things were going to be, then far be it from him to dispel Wolfwood's pretty little lies. He could shove down the bile long enough to play his stupid games.
"Yeah, that's right. Your alpha is here. And you're going to take his knot."
He couldn't knot, of course. But he could force three fingers inside Wolfwood's hole as he slammed his hips forwards one last time, stretching his rim as far as it would go.
Wolfwood could have his stupid knot from his precious alpha. And Legato could live with the knowledge that he'd wasted a week of his life.
Wolfwood's eyes rolled back in his head as he cried out, nonsense tumbling from him as his own knot inflated and he stained the sheets below. He reached back with one hand, grabbing desperately at Legato and attempting to hold him in place with shaking fingers.
Legato shook him off easily, pulling out of Wolfwood and looking down at his fingers in disgust. He wiped them off on Wolfwood's back, using it as a chance to gauge the progress of his rut.
His fever seemed to have broken, finally, his skin no longer radiating heat. He didn't tremble as Legato's fingers traced over the joint at the base of his tail. He didn't moan, or whine, only panted heavily into the sheets as he clawed his way out of the pit of desperation his rut had thrown him into.
It was good enough for Legato.
He had to get out of here. He couldn't do this anymore. If Wolfwood was already on his way back up, he could manage the rest on his own. No one could try to guilt him over leaving, not when Wolfwood didn't need him anymore. If he ever even did.
It was fine. Legato didn't need him either.
Never did.
Legato threw his legs over the side of the bed, ready to start gathering his clothes off the floor, as Wolfwood flopped over onto his back with a groan. It sounded more like crunching gravel than anything human, his throat torn up by a week of screams.
"Damn, you're insane. No one's ever gotten me to present like that before." Legato stiffened, thrown off by Wolfwood's rapidly returning lucidity. So much for escaping unnoticed.
A bitter snarl pulled itself over Legato's face, a sneer twisting his words. "Not even your precious alpha?"
Wolfwood snorted around a laugh. "What, Vash? Are you kidding me? Vash wouldn't even let me take his knot, he'd just keep going on and on about how he was afraid of hurting me. He made it fun in other ways, don't get me wrong, but still." He stretched his limbs out as far as they would go, and Legato could hear his joints popping under the tense muscle.
Legato sat very still at the edge of the bed.
Wolfwood hadn't been asking for an alpha who'd never made him present, who'd never given him his knot. Why would he, if he knew they'd never give him what he wanted?
All of that had been for Legato.
The dry brush in Legato's chest screamed at the threat of a spark.
"You sound like shit. I'm getting you some water." Legato shifted his weight to stand right as Wolfwood threw an arm around his waist, taking advantage of his moment off-balance to drag him back into the center of the bed.
Wolfwood curled up around him, head turned carefully so the cage of the muzzle didn't press into Legato's chest. "Not yet? Stay here a bit."
Legato blinked up at the ceiling, too shocked to react properly. "Uh. Alright."
Wolfwood hummed happily, and Legato faintly registered the swish of fur that suggested Wolfwood's tail was actually wagging.
He refused to look down to confirm.
"I don't mind returning the favor, by the way. Y'know, when it's your turn. If you want." This time Wolfwood's voice was softer, growing heavy as exhaustion took over.
Legato didn't know if he hoped Wolfwood was already asleep by the time he found the words to reply.
"I'll let you know if I do."