When the weekend came around, Leo, Ruben, and Summer went out shopping for the trip. Leo pushed the basket while asking Ruben, “Did everyone say what they wanted?” 

“Yeah, they sent me the list. Although I cut down a lot of things, especially from Nathaniel and Jo.” 

“I told Jo not to worry about the food.” 

“That is the only thing she worries about.” 

“Noah asked me to make sure I pick up condoms.” Summer mentioned. 

“Why is he asking his sister to pick up condoms? Let Ruben do it.” Leo could never understand how close the twins are; he felt they knew way too much information about each other. 

“Why am I the one who has to do everything?” Ruben sighed. He felt like he was already raising six kids. He is close to saying he doesn’t want any kids in the future if it is like this. 

“So, no condoms? I mean, it is rare for a male alpha to get pregnant, so we can let them rawdog it.” Summer wondered. 

“Did you just say rawdog?” Leo questioned in disgust. It is always the quiet ones. Leo thought. Then he thought, Who the hell still uses that word? 

“Children,” Ruben sighed, getting their attention (he is around the same age as them but felt like he aged 20 years), “why don’t Leo and I get the condoms and you can get the travel necessities like bodywash, toothbrushes, wipes, shampoo, etc.” 

“Okay.” Summer shrugged, taking the basket from Leo and walking off. 

“Do I have to go with you?” Leo asked, wistfully watching Summer disappear. 

“It is just condoms, what are you afraid of?” Ruben commented. 

Leo is not afraid, per se (he did jerk off on a video call the other day while Niko watched), but condoms are something he never thought about because of his disorder. However, things are changing now that Niko has entered his life. Looking at condoms would give him wishful thinking, knowing that he and Niko might not be able to get intimate in real life. 

And here he is again, hating that he ended up with this disorder, wishing to be normal. Niko can say that he is normal, but Leo doesn’t feel it when obstacles like this appear. 

“It is nothing,” Leo shrugged it off, “let’s get them.” 

They walked down the aisle to the item. The aisle held condoms, lube, over-the-counter suppressant pills, and scent blockers. Ruben went to pick up the condoms (Leo didn’t question how he knew which size to get) while he walked over to the suppressant pills, glancing at the different products. 

“Did you run out of the pills already?” Ruben asked, staring Leo down. He could have sworn that Leo bought a bottle almost two years ago. 

A typical bottle should last 3 years, because omegas and alphas go through periods of heat and rut every 2–3 months, about 4–6 times a year. Well, with suppressants, you can cut that down. However, the doctors strongly recommend that you cut back only 2–3 cycles a year, and never more. That is why each bottle only holds 6–9 pills for the next three years. 

For one, it can cause fertility issues if you abuse the pills. And your cycles can become extremely irregular or happen every month. 

“Does it matter?” Leo clamped up. He has been abusing the pills. When he thought about how his ruts were useless, he started using the pills every time he wanted to stop them. It has been almost three years since he had a rut. Leo knew it was wrong, but he couldn’t stop now. 

And it is not like he is using strong ones, since they're over-the-counter. Plus, Leo hasn’t experienced any side effects. 

“Do you want the government to assign you a life partner?” Ruben sounded ready to lecture. 

Once your cycle is affected by the pills, you will be stuck in the hospital because there will be no way to predict when your heat or rut will hit, plus it will come more frequently. For twenty-four years or so, doctors and researchers have been trying to find a way to reverse the effects, but came up empty until realizing that a permanent mark would fix the problem. So, after two years of nothing and learning about the permanent mark working, the matchmaking department was born. 

It is not as bad as people would think. 

For one, joining the matchmaking program is optional and becomes mandatory only if there are problems with your cycle. Once you turn 18, they will ask if you want to join the program. If not, that is okay. If so, you will be put through tests (personality quizzes, love language, 40 questions, etc.), background checks, witness statements, and so on. Every year, they will check in with you to see if anything has changed. They do this to ensure everyone gets their perfect match and also make sure the person is not abusive in any way. 

After there is a match, the two people will go through a three-week trial before the marking. It is to check how they will be together, their compatibility, and if their pheromones attract each other. 

The whole process is tedious, but they do this since a permanent mark is not something you can change and binds the alpha and omega forever. 

You can get it removed, but it will ruin your body. 

In conclusion, it is not a terrible thing, but it is something that Leo would never want. Plus, it is not like he could join anyway with his disorder. When he turned 18, the doctors automatically rejected him from the program. 

“No.” Leo shook his head, but still picked up a new bottle. “But, can we drop it? It is not affecting me in any way. I am fine.” He wanted to end the conversation. 

“You know you are my best friend, and I only want the best for you, so I am going to say this once: abusing pills is never good. You said many times that your rut does nothing for you, so it is pointless to suppress it every time. You may still be fine, but it will not last, Leo.” 

Leo frowned, tightly gripping the bottle. He wanted to say something, but quickly shook his head. He didn’t want to fight with Ruben. “Let’s go find Summer,” Leo said instead. 

Ruben sighed, but didn’t say anything else. He already spoke his warning and didn’t want to push. Pushing would lead the other to walk away; Ruben thought about wanting to keep Leo close so he could help with any falling-out. That is how their relationship has always been since they met. 

Leo had his problems he never wanted to talk about, and Ruben, even when he wished to push, never did and always stayed to catch his friend when he fell. 

He patted Leo’s shoulder as they left the aisle in search of Summer.

When they found her, she was in the towel aisle, staring at the different colors. “Hey, were you able to get everything needed?” Ruben asked. Summer nodded while not looking away from the towels. She reached for two, looking between them. Leo watched her, noticing something on her hand. It looked like numbers. 

“What is on top of your hand?” 

“Somebody wrote their number there. Which color is better: red or orange?” She waved the towels in front of them, barely giving details in her first sentence. 

Ruben grabbed her hand, pulling out a napkin as he started smearing the number on it. “Don’t let strangers write things on you.” 

“So, red or orange?” Summer continued to ask, barely batting an eye at Ruben babying her. 

“Red,” Leo answered, wondering if it was a good idea to bring Summer to the store. 

“Okay.” Summer waited until Ruben finished wiping the number off before putting away the orange towel and throwing the red one in the basket. 

Ruben stuffed the napkin back in his pocket, sighing. He should have gone shopping by himself. Is it too late to put his kids up for adoption? “Let’s try to get through the rest of the shopping trip, kids.” 

“Yes, Mom.” Leo and Summer cheekily responded, causing Ruben to roll his eyes. 

They finished getting everything they needed without any problems and loaded the bags into Ruben’s SUV. “Is there anywhere else you two want to go? Do you need to get home soon, Leo?” Ruben asked as they closed the car door. 

“No, I took today off from streaming. Although I have to make it up tomorrow.” Leo shook his head. 

“Yeah, can you stop at the adult store?” Summer nonchalantly asked. 

“Why would we need to stop at an adult store for the trip? Are you planning something? Or is it for Noah?” Leo was lost. Summer always threw him for a loop. 

“Not for the trip, for me. Since I am already out, I might as well go. Can we?” 

“We can.” Ruben drove off to the closest adult store. 

When they arrived and entered, Leo felt like a baby learning how to walk. He swallowed, looking around at the toys, lingerie, videos, etc. He has never dealt with anything like this. Before Niko, when it came to sex or anything associated with it, Leo never paid attention to it. What is the point if he is unable to be intimate with anyone? Plus, he never felt any attraction and believed he was asexual or something. 

So, being here felt outwardly. 

Summer had already walked off, knowing what she wanted, while Ruben stayed with Leo. “Do you want to wait outside?” 

“I feel like you treat me like a chaste pure maiden or something.” 

“The way your eyes are moving around, I thought you might want to hang outside.” 

Leo blushed, happy his mask hid his red face. “It is not that; it is just that all this is new to me. I never explored, if that is the right word, any of this.” 

“I know you have Pheromone Aversion Disorder, but you do not need to push yourself into a bubble.” Ruben patted his shoulder before asking, “Do you have any questions about anything? Is there something you want to try?” 

Leo's first instinct was to say no, but then he thought about Niko. He glanced at the lingerie and sexy outfits in one corner and the dildos in the other. He wanted to do something fun for Niko; Leo didn’t want Niko to get bored with the plain phone and video sex. 

Niko has talked about how Leo would look good in some outfits, and once he slipped out that he wished he could finger him. He whispered it during one of their phone sex calls, thinking Leo didn’t hear it, but he (L) did. And the thought has been passing through his mind ever since. 

Even though two male alphas are acceptable nowadays, people still look down on an alpha if they bottom for an omega. It was the norm that an omega would be the bottom while the alpha was the top in an AO pair; rarely does anyone think differently. 

But Leo did not think in the norm. Once Niko said those words, he imagined Niko’s fingers in him; fuck, he even imagined Niko pounding into him without abandon. The thought of Niko filling him turned him on. Let the norm be damned. 

“I,” Leo swallowed, not knowing if he should voice his thoughts. 

Seeing Leo’s unease, Ruben said, “It is okay if you don’t want to; I know this is new to you. But, do know, I will never judge you.” 

“I know,” Leo muttered. Ruben is very supportive and knows how to be a safe space for people. But it is still hard to speak about your deepest desires. He took one last glance at the dildos before saying, “Can we look at the outfits and lingerie?” 

“Sure.” 

Ruben took him over, “Is there anything you want to look for?” 

Leo looked at the clothes, biting his lip. “I don’t know, really. What is something that people like?” 

“I cannot say since everyone is different. Do you have someone in mind? If so, do you know what they like?” 

“I-I,” Leo stuttered, not knowing how to answer. 

Ruben looked at him with a serious expression, “I am not prying, I only want to help.” 

“How can you tell if there is someone and not that I am just curious?” 

“Because, if there weren’t a person, you would not have thought about any of this. Now, tell me, what does the person like?” 

“I honestly don’t know. They tell me I would look best in their clothes.” Niko has given Leo outfit ideas, but he didn’t want to tell Ruben them. It is already enough to provide the information he had given him. 

“Ah, possessive type.” Ruben softly muttered. 

“What?” 

“Nothing.” Ruben walked over to some pet outfits. “Does the person have a favorite animal?” 

“They own a cat.” Leo provided, confused why Ruben wanted to know. He followed him, peering at the different sets. 

Ruben picked up one of the sexy cat sets and handed it to Leo. Leo grabbed it, looking at the outfit and what was inside. 

The outfit was a onesie with a zipper that stopped at the stomach, a bottom shaped like a bikini bottom, a hoodie with cat ears, and long sleeves open at the shoulders. Although the front covered the body, the back was a different story. The back only covered half the body, stopping at the waist, while two straps hooked to the bikini-like bottom. There was a tail attached to the bottom. And the outfit had accessories: a bell collar and fishnet knee-high stockings. 

“Are you sure?” Leo uncertainly asked Ruben. He didn’t know if Niko would like seeing him in it. Am I sexy enough? He thought. 

“I am sure,” Ruben reassured him. 

Leo thought some more before agreeing to buy it. Hopefully, Niko would love it.