Marshmallow friends

      The scent hits Matt even before he opens the door to his dorm – burnt wood with something sweet mixed in. ‘Neil,’ his mind immediately supplies. Matt wastes no time and goes in.       There, on the sofa, lies Neil, curled up under his favorite blue plush blanket, resembling a big burrito. The sight would melt Matt’s heart if not for the grimace on Neil’s face.       “Neil?” He steps closer to the omega. The only acknowledgement he gets is a hum that sounds more like a whine. Matt’s stomach twists in worry.       Neil reaches out towards Matt and this time he definitely whines. The sound nearly breaks Matt’s heart.       “What is it, bud?” Matt takes Neil’s hand and he’s immediately yanked forward with such strength that makes him stumble, nearly falling onto the couch.       At least now Matt has the chance to check Neil’s temperature. The skin feels clammy under his palm and too warm, but not alarmingly so. Up close, Neil’s scent is nearly clogging, and Matt wants to smack himself for his own stupidity. How is he realizing it now that Neil’s heat is starting? And the omega doesn’t even know it himself yet.       Neil is still pulling on his arm, now with more urgency, so Matt gladly obliges and lets his friend position him the way he wants. Despite the scalding heat under the blanket, Neil shivers and cuddles closer to Matt, seeking more warmth. Or maybe comfort? It’s hard to tell with Neil.       The warmth is nearly suffocating, and Matt feels a bead of sweat go down his back. Still, he stays right where he is, even though he longs to at least open the window to let some cool air in.       “Do you need anything?” Matt asks. A mumbled ‘no’ is the only answer and he lets out a gentle sigh. Trust Neil to go with all the ‘I’m fine’ bullshit when clearly he’s not okay.       So it’s on Matt to take care of the situation to make Neil more comfortable. His instincts tell him to take care of his friend in need, but he’d do it even without them. He should bring Neil some water, definitely. And maybe painkillers too? Has he even eaten anything today?       Urged to do something, Matt shifts on the sofa to get up, but Neil quickly grabs his shirt with surprising strength and tugs at it. Matt doesn’t need him to say anything because the message is clear enough.       “Alright, alright.” He lays back down. “I’m not going anywhere.”       Cautiously, without startling Neil, he reaches into his pocket for a phone. After a quick text to Seth and putting his phone in silent mode, all is left to do is to wait for the man to show up. Matt nuzzles Neil’s neck in comfort when the omega starts getting restless. The scent grows stronger, and the underlying sweetness (burnt sugar? Vanilla?) borders on too-much for Matt’s nose. How do alphas find it alluring? He’d suffocate before getting to the action.       The door clicking open causes Matt to hug Neil protectively. ‘Danger!’ his mind seems to scream at him, but then the scent wafts through the air – caramel and tobacco. Matt lets his body relax at that.       Seth walks towards them, his footsteps much lighter than usual. He scrunches his nose and says, “It stinks in here.” His eyes immediately find Neil, and despite the complaint, concern shows on his face, though he’s quick to hide it.       Matt would chuckle if not for the precious bundle at his side. “I got trapped before I could open a window.”       Seth huffs. “Of course.” His hands twitch, as if he wants to do something, but he puts them in his pockets instead.       The omega has been like that since Matt met him – always fighting his instincts to prove himself tougher. Which is unnecessary, in Matt’s opinion, because omegas can be even more deadly than alphas when you push their buttons. A brief memory of Neil’s feral look when the omega punched Riko flashes in his mind, and he shudders. Yes, it was epic, but Matt wonders how it would end if nobody interfered.       His attention goes back to more important things. “Do you have any pills from Abby?” he asks. Neil’s breath is short against Matt’s neck, and he fidgets under the blanket like he couldn’t find any comfortable position. To sum it up, Matt is worried.       Seth disappears for a moment without a word and comes back with a small bottle. “I’m not your errand boy,” he says, handing it to Matt. To the beta’s surprise, he also puts a few water bottles near the couch, so that Matt can easily reach for them.       “Thank you,” Matt says with a wide smile. For all the posturing Seth does, there is a softer side to him, but nobody believes Matt when he says it, even Dan.       Seth opens the window next, and the cool breeze brings comfort to Matt’s overheated body. How Neil can stand being under the blanket, Matt doesn’t know.       Now he needs to coax Neil to take the medicine for the pain and fever. Of course, his attempts are met with the usual ‘I’m fine’ first. Even Seth scoffs at that.       “Just take it, you dumbass,” he says, and Matt has to stop himself from laughing, which isn’t an easy task.       Neil grumbles (‘Adorable,’ Matt thinks), but actually takes the pills, and even drinks some water. Matt has never felt so proud before.       Now all that is left to do is wait for the medicine to start working its magic. Matt hugs Neil closer while Seth is standing near the couch awkwardly, as if he isn’t sure what to do with himself.       There’s a sudden knock at the door, and the men perk up at that. By a silent agreement, Seth is the one to go to the door. Matt sees as the omega tenses up with each step, and he wonders if it’s because of his protective instincts or the person on the other side. Or maybe both.       Matt gets his answer when short after opening the door, Seth says, “Fuck off, Day.” Disdain rings clear on every word.       “Is Neil here?” Kevin ignores Seth’s words – typical – and looks around the room. He spots Matt, then his eyes fall on Neil covered by the blanket.       “Is he alright?” Kevin asks, his tone surprisingly soft, way different than his usual berating one.       Instead of saying anything, Matt gives a thumbs up. Neil has finally managed to doze off a few minutes ago and Matt doesn’t want to wake him.       Kevin tries to barrage inside the room (‘Like a stereotypical alpha,’ Matt thinks amused), but he is immediately blocked by Seth. The omega growls, the sound something Matt’s never heard from him before, and the beta gets ready to interfere if things become ugly.       “I told you to fuck off,” says Seth, showing his sharp teeth. And okay, maybe Matt underestimated the omega’s protective instincts.       An important lesson everyone learns: don’t cross an omega who is protecting someone if you value your life. Especially if you are an alpha.       Thankfully, Kevin gets the message and backs off. It appeases Seth a bit, but Matt can see that he’s still ready to fight. Though, to be honest, when isn’t he when it comes to the alpha?       Kevin shuffles in place awkwardly and the sight nearly makes Matt laugh. The great Kevin Day acting like a kid who got scolded. Nobody outside the Foxes would believe this.       “Tell me when he’s better,” says Kevin, at which Seth glares.       Matt observes as Kevin retreats hastily, which breaks the tension in the room. Through it all, Neil has been sleeping, not a single sound from him. He smiles fondly at his friend and nuzzles into Neil’s hair.       The next hour is spent just like this – Matt cuddling with Neil and Seth guarding the door. The lazy mood has made him doze off, but can you blame him? There’s nothing more to do now.       His nap is interrupted by the phone vibrating in his pocket. With surprise he sees a message from Andrew. Maybe the world ended and it's actually some sort of dream? Because the man never texted him before.       ‘Food by the door’ is all that’s written. How did Andrew manage to get so close to the door without alerting Seth is beyond Matt.       ‘Neil would absolutely hate the attention,’ the thought enters his mind as he whispers to Seth to get their food. Maybe Neil wouldn’t be happy about it, but it’s not like he’s awake to tell them that, no?