By the time Luca was stirring awake in the bed Nico was on the verge of freaking out. The sun had set hours ago, and the alpha had stepped out long enough to get the ship on course and ready for sailing before handing it off to his shorter blond friend. 

He came back down and added a wet rag to the omegas forehead, adjusting him so that he was flat on his back in the bed. The younger man had gone from pale to bright red in the few minutes he had taken to step out, and Nico quickly understood what was happening when pheromones clouded the room, goosebumps prickling up his arms as the hair on his neck stood on end.

Luca was in heat. There was no denying it. The blond covered his nose as he stepped back, breathing in a long breath before holding it. He knows how to control himself, he's not a savage, and so now as he sits here hours later watching the omega stir back to life he finds himself looking up from his ink stained parchment tiredly.

“You're awake…” He mutters, and Luca flinches, blue eyes glancing over his shoulder as he looks at the alpha. 

And Nico sees it- for just a moment those blue beauties look frightened, gaze afraid of something that Nico clearly isn't aware of. Then the glare is back, quickly lacing the alpha with malice as he scowls at him, “Course I am.” He growls out, and his hands grab at his loose shoulder sleeve, straightening it from where it'd come loose in his sleep, “Where's those pills?”

“I took em, you don't need to be taking pheromone tranquilizers…” Nico rubs an absent-minded hand over the bottle of pills in his pocket. He didn't hesitate to snatch them up when they rolled out of Luca’s pant pocket earlier, “How'd you even get these? Only rich people get a hold of these. And anyways, they're not good for you.”

Luca turns in the bed and Nico has to keep his body from tensing as caramel and sugar laces his senses, body flooding with warmth as that scent reaches his nose, “Give them to me. They're not yours.”

“These are the reason you passed out.” Nico snaps back, feeling a little upset, “I know you probably don't wanna be in heat okay, but you don't have to worry about any of us on the ship bothering you-”

“Bullshit! Give me the pills!” Luca’s voice grips his throat like a vice, and Nico finds his words slipping from his lips as he looks up at the younger man. Luca's eyes are hard and wild, gaze piercing the captain's very soul. Nico stares at him baffled, wondering how someone so foggy can look so damn threatening. Luca scowls at him, red face scrunched in pure anger as those brows furrow tightly over his blazing eyes.

“I won't.” Nico says back, voice stern. Luca blinks, looking surprised that he didn't get his way. Nico wonders if that's because he's used to getting his way or if it was just a simmering hope he was holding on to, “Lay down… Relax. No one will bother you. You ain't gotta cover this shit. It's better for you anyways.”

Luca clenches his jaw, turning back around in the bed as he pouts. Nico hides a smile beneath his hand, looking back down at his papers as he scribbles away on them, “This is such bullshit.” The omega mumbles and Nico shakes his head.

“You'll be fine.” He says quietly, hazel eyes focused on the words, “These pills don't do shit for you but make you too woozy to realize you're in heat… All they do is dampen the scent. They're bad for you.”

“I've been taking them for two years, it doesn't fucking matter. It keeps fucking alphas away.” Luca snarls back, curling up in the blanket despite his angry words.

“Then come take them.” Nico says back, feeling slightly angered, “If you want ‘em so bad. If not, quit complaining.”

Luca turns one of the sharpest glares the blond has ever seen on him, gleam cursing him to the depths of hell, “Fuck you.” He seethes, tone holding every truth that they both know: there's no way in hell the smaller man would win against Nico bare-handed.

Nico hums, looking back down at his papers, “No, thank you.” He says smugly.

Luca scoffs, turning so his back is to him.