Jealous of Another's Freedom

Everything seemed so loud and far away at the same time. Tiza's gaze scanned the room and flitted between all the dancing bodies, the people sitting at tables engaged in conversation, and the bartenders running back and forth between the bar with drinks. The dim lighting sinks him deeper into this alcohol-induced haze he's in and it feels like he has tunnel vision.

'Liquor is way different than wine,' he thinks.

He's been drunk before, but this...this was a different kind of drunk. Four empty glasses sit atop his side of the table and it feels like they are taunting him, telling him he's weak if he can't handle this much liquor. He does feel weak, as he shifts his gaze to where that other Omega is the feeling seems to cement itself in him.

She's alone on the dance floor now after Aosh decided he was done dancing. Well, she's not entirely alone. At least two other women are dancing with her. They're moving a little too fast for Tiza to count them properly.

Initially in the first hour or so they were here the trio got glares and whispers from onlookers. Tiza assumed they were a rare sight indeed. An Alpha with not just one but two Omegas, one hanging off of each arm was a sight to behold. Tiza did not doubt that Aosh had gotten more than enough jealous leers tonight, and as for the other Omega and himself, well he'd didn't want to know what kind of looks they were getting. Definitely not looks pure of heart.

The women have Daniella sandwiched between them, the three grinding on each other and swaying together in a drunken stupor. Tiza is past the point to where he can hide his scowl, his mind wasn't working well enough to allow him.

How could she, an Omega, be so nonchalant about being so close to other people? She was so...carefree. Where did she get the right to act like that? Hadn't she been used and abused before like himself? How could she find it in herself to go out there and enjoy herself fully knowing there could be consequences? Maybe it was living with an Alpha that made her this way. Maybe being this close to Aosh made her forget about how cruel this world was to people like them.

Tiza looked at said Alpha. He sat next to him, eyes toward the stage, watching the pianists duke it out over a cover of a pop song. Or was he watching Daniella? Tiza couldn't tell but the latter made him wish there was another drink in his hand.

Aosh had this way of making you forget. He regularly made Tiza forget about how much he hated people and Alphas in particular. But to be honest, Aosh wasn't like other Alphas. He wasn't like his ex. Just the thought of her had him reaching for one of Daniella's unfinished glasses and downing it not caring what was in the glass. He refused to go down that train of thought any longer.

The alcohol made him feel like he was floating. It reminded him of that one time in private lessons when Aosh lifted him. He could still remember those strong hands gripping his waist tightly, but not enough to leave bruises on his fragile body. Back then they barely knew each other and the thought of being alone with an Alpha was still jarring for him. He still wouldn't have done it if it hadn't been for the money. The mystery concerning Aosh's real name wasn't enough for him to risk being alone with the Alpha at the time.

Now they saw each other almost every day, they went on jogs, ate together and they even texted each other regularly. If it was a couple of months earlier Tiza wouldn't be able to believe it. He still felt skittish whenever Aosh got too close into his personal space though, this was a weakness leftover from a lot of past trauma.

Tiza wasn't a touchy person. Unless it was completely necessary, like it was in his field of work, he tried to avoid being touched. But that was work and a professional environment, it was when strangers were involved that there was a stone thrown in how he felt about touch. Now double the fact that Aosh was an Alpha and Tiza wasn't comfortable with touching him much at all.

If you asked him all Omegas probably felt this way. He'd never been around any before but he knew enough Omegan history to know that touching an Omega platonically never happened outside of family circles. You always had to be alert, and protect yourself, unless you wanted to get raped or bitten.

This was another reason why Daniella bothered him. As he sat here distancing himself she was out there having a fun time grinding on some women she doesn't even know! Tiza didn't know if she was having fun, it looked anything but to him, he just assumed by the stupid grin she had on her face that she was having the time of her life.

It looked similar to the ever-present grin on Aosh's face.

Where did she get off hanging all over Aosh anyway? She was always in his personal space, and he let her. Tiza chewed his straw in frustration. He felt like compared to her he was inferior. It was like looking at her, he was picking out all his own flaws compared to her strengths.

She was friendly, he was cold. She was comfortable with people, he hated them. She could touch people, he felt averse to it most of the time. She had the freedom to go and do whatever she wanted, and Tiza didn't. Absentmindedly he pulled at the collar around his neck and wondered if he took one of the plastic swords from Daniella's martini glass how long it would take him to cut the damned thing off.

Why did she deserve to have freedom while he had to be locked away by his brother? It wasn't fair, but when had life ever been fair to him?

As he stirred the melting ice in the glass in front of him, he decided he needs to look on the bright side of things. He was out doing what he wanted now, he was even sitting next to an Alpha and he was fine! That was something right? If he stopped comparing himself to Daniella then that would be something. But his gaze kept going to where she now danced, too close than she should be to total strangers. One of the women had a hand on Daniella's waist and she put her hand on top of it.

The straw in his fingers bent in half.

He could do that too, it wasn't that hard. Touching people wasn't hard. It was easy. She wasn't better than him in the least. He re-focused his gaze and realizes he's been staring at Aosh, or actually at his hand which is set on the table. Tiza's eyes roamed over his fingertips, knuckles, and where his tattoos started at his wrist.

He could touch a hand too. It wasn't that hard. He touched his arms before, what was a hand compared to an arm?

The Omega slowly inches his hand along the surface of the table, his palm getting slick from the rings of condensation left by the glasses. Pale fingertips come centimeters close to brushing the side of Aosh's hand but they don't move towards their destination. Tiza literally can't make his fingers go any closer. Has his arm stopped working? Why won't it move just a fraction closer?? He can just barely feel the small amount of body heat coming from it, just... a little...more…

"Are you ok?" comes a silky voice beside him.

Tiza jolts back, pulling his hand back to himself like he had just touched something incredibly hot. The force of his sudden movement jostled his stool and he doesn't realize he's headed backward until Aosh is in his space, hand on the back of his stool righting it's balance so he doesn't fall. Tiza holds his hand to his chest and stares at the Alpha.

Aosh says something else but all Tiza can register is the deepness of his voice and how it glides over his senses like silk. His ears prickle with heat and somewhere in his haze Tiza wonders:

'Has he always sounded like this?'

Tiza adjusts the way he's sitting and asks the other to repeat himself.

"I said you almost fell. You need to be careful."

The words roll out of his mouth in a sensual wave that hits Tiza relentlessly. The sound of Aosh sounds just so great in his ears, he can't help but want more. He forgets about the hand and now his full attention is on the Alpha.

"Tell me about your job."

Aosh is taken aback.

"My job?"

"Yea… your job, plants, anything... just keep talking," Tiza says letting his head rest lazily on his hand.

Aosh could talk about plants for hours. Tiza didn't care about what he talked about as long as that deliciously rich baritone voice kept flowing into his ears.

Aosh glanced next to Tiza and noticed the collection of empty glasses next to him. The Alpha had been so busy worrying over Daniella that he didn't notice that Tiza had ordered and drunk quite a few more drinks. The tab for tonight was going to be huge.

"Well, I brought home another plant from work the other day."

"Mmn. Tell me about it."

"It's a Hoya Carnosa. It wasn't doing so hot in the summer heat, so my managers let me take it. I can't tell if she's doing better yet but I'm sure her leaves will start to perk up soon, I've been keeping a close eye on her."

"Mnm."

"They love the sunlight so I have her by that big window in my place, right next to the peonies."

"Mnm. So that's what they're called."

"Hmm?"

"Those-those pretty white flowers by the window. For the life of me, I couldn't remember the name of them."

Tiza's eyes traced over the peonies on Aosh's cheeks while he spoke and then they shifted to his dark eyes that were still clear and not fogged by alcohol like his own. They were always so nice, filled with kindness. How did Aosh do it? Being so happy all the time? Was it because he could get everything he ever wanted and so there was nothing to worry about?

Aosh notices how intensely he is being stared at but continues talking without saying a word. Tiza's face was flushed and his eyes looked distant, but he was hyper-focused on Aosh like he was the only one in the entire bar. He wasn't that upset if the Omega wasn't listening to him, at least he was looking at him and him alone.

........................

Daniella makes her way back to the table sometime later after she has successfully danced her way across the dance floor. Along the way, she may have done some body shots off of a couple of girls' chests and was invited for drinks at their table, and she may have gotten a couple of their numbers as well. But she wasn't about to kiss and tell.

After pushing her way through a group of drunk patrons she sees Aosh and Tiza sitting at their table still. Aosh is talking animatedly about something and it has Tiza doubled over laughing. Daniella is just impressed he got the other to laugh. She was starting to be convinced Tiza didn't know what a smile was.

She greets them as she approaches and doesn't fail to notice the rather large amount of glasses on Tiza's side of the table. The man was currently sucking the glass in front of him dry. He was so pink that even in the low lighting she could tell, and he slurred his words as he talked.

"Looks like you two are having fun. Maybe a little too much?"

"Hahaha yeah, I told him that was his last one."

"You told m-me that thr-no two dwrinks a-ago."

"Yeah well, I'm cutting you off now," Aosh said, pulling the glass in his hands away and replacing it with one filled with water.

Tiza pouted into the straw and Aosh felt his heart squeeze. Daniella got Aosh's attention and spoke into his ear.

"Why don't you call a ride and take Tiza home, I don't think he'll make it trying to get there on his own."

"What about you?"

"Don't worry I'll call one for myself too after I pay our tab, it just looks like he might pass out any minute."

They both glanced at the man in question to see him trying to use one of the small plastic swords to fish ice out of an empty cup.

Aosh silently handed her his credit card.

...…���...............…

After watching Tiza fumble with his seat belt for a solid minute he reached over and buckled it for him.

"Do you usually get this hammered when you go drinking?"

"This was my first time..." Tiza mumbles while he fiddles with the hem of his top.

"Oh, well did you have fun at least?"

"It was louder than I thought it would be."

"Well, people get a little rowdier at bars like that because of the live music. If we go out again we can go to another bar I know about-"

Aosh felt a weight press down on his shoulder. Turning his head he saw that Tiza had fallen asleep and was now resting his head on him.

His heart squeezed for what felt like the millionth time that night. He really shouldn't think it, but Tiza was an adorable drunk. He was even using him as a pillow! He would gladly be his pillow for as long as he could. It was too bad he would have to wake him up soon, the bar wasn't too far from where his apartment was.

Tiza's skin still had that cute hint of pink to it under the dusting of freckles on his face. His wispy platinum bangs hung in front of his eyes and Aosh brushed them to the side so he could get a better look at his face. Tiza was beautiful, Aosh wasn't going to waste an opportunity to see the man so docile so he soaked up every detail, committing his sleeping face to memory.

The longer he stared, the warmer Aosh became. He was getting uncomfortably warm. It felt like there was a fire inside of him. He fanned himself and wondered for a moment if the driver forgot to turn the air on. It wasn't until he shifted slightly and felt the growing hardness between his legs did he realize what was happening.

His rut was about to start.