CLICK!
The diode on the electronic lock lit up green, and the door unlocked. Still holding the card in his hand, Elias pushed the door open, and stumbled into the room.
"Fin…nally!" he half gasped, half sighed, taking a moment to catch a breath. He was almost there, already inside the room, just needed to take a few more steps… Drag Axel to the bed…
But he was completely out of strength. And the bed was in the second room, behind another door. Right now, there was only the convertible sofa in front of him. Of course, he could make Axel sleep there and take the bed for himself…
That didn't seem like the best idea, though. Technically speaking, he could do it - he was already doing that wretched Alpha a massive favor, so Axel had no right to complain - but… He wanted to score as many points as he could with this favor, to make it worth the trouble. Personally, he didn't mind sleeping on the sofa, or even the floor, and it would make him look nicer if he tucked Axel in bed. Not that the Alpha deserved it, but…
He sighed once again. He should have at least asked for a room closer to the elevators… Or for one of those luggage trolleys that some hotels had. With it, it would have been a bit easier to transport this heavy mound of handsiness and stickiness and the world's most unbearable pheromones (at least as far as Elias was concerned. Axel's pheromones would actually be pretty nice, if not for the fact that they were, well, Axel's)…
Well, there was no point in thinking about it now. They were already in the room, and Elias wouldn't have to take Axel out. They would only leave once the Alpha was conscious and functional, after all.
Grumbling inwardly at his lack of forethought, Elias reached out to the side, placing the card in the slot on the wall to turn the lights on. Then, he took a deep breath, and started stumbling forward, step by step, dragging the mess of stickiness and 'stinkiness' known as Axel along.
His whole body was going to be sore tomorrow, he was sure of it. Perhaps it was a hint that he should start hitting the gym…
But the gyms in the city were too expensive. Not to mention, a bit too risky for him, when he was hiding his secondary gender. So, regardless of any health benefits it might have, he'd have to give it a pass, at least for now.
Besides… When would he have to half-carry a grown-up Alpha again?
Never, that's when.
Preoccupied with complaining about anything and everything, he forgot about his aching back and legs for a bit. Before he knew it, he was already more than halfway through the room, almost at the door to the suite's bedroom…
When all of a sudden, he felt the pressure on his shoulder ease up, as the human luggage he had been carrying slipped off.
Elias was tired. It had been a long day at work, then an even longer evening after he had the misfortune of running into Axel. It was late, he was exhausted, and his nape was stinging from wearing a pheromone patch all day (yet another brand he was allergic to)… How could his reflexes still work fine?
They couldn't, that's how. By the time he realized what was going on, Axel was already on the floor.
If it were just this, then it wouldn't have been so bad. But the hotel room, even though a suite, wasn't all that spacious. Much bigger than the room that Elias used as his bedroom… But small enough that if you fell, you could have a close encounter with one of the pieces of furniture.
And that's what Axel had done. Sliding down from Elias' shoulders, he greeted the coffee table.
With his head.
All the blood drained from Elias' face. He stared at the unconscious Alpha on the floor for a brief moment, before rushing to his side in panic.
"H-hey, hey! Are you alright?" he asked, tapping Axel on the cheek, on the verge of losing his mind. N-not that he cared or anything… But if something happened to the man in the hotel, he could be held responsible. Not to mention, while Elias firmly believed that Axel was an absolute piece of trash as a person, he at least was a loving father to Ollie… So, it wouldn't be good if anything were to happen to him…
Luckily, the Alpha was still breathing just fine. And there was no blood. Of course, there was still a risk that he might have a concussion or something, but at least it didn't feel like his life was in immediate danger…
"Hey, you okay?" Elias bit his lip, staring at Axel's flushed face. He had no medical knowledge, so he couldn't assess the situation well. Should he call for an ambulance, just in case? He didn't want to do it, but…
"Mmmh…" Just then, Axel stirred, letting out a groan. His eyes opened a crack…
And the next thing Elias knew, he was lying on his back, Axel pressing him against the floor.
It seemed that his worries had been unfounded. The Alpha was perfectly fine, alright!
…But now he had new things to worry about. First of all, how to get this wretched Alpha off of him… And second of all… Was Axel always this muscular?
Elias gulped loudly, his eyes involuntarily drifting to Axel's chest. The Alpha's shirt had been in the state of complete disarray even when he had first found him on the street, and it only had gotten worse from then. Throughout all of the struggle of getting him into the hotel and into the room, the buttons had been ripped off or undone…
And now, his defined pecs were fully exposed.
Against his own will, Elias felt himself growing weak and aroused. Back when they had slept together that faithful summer, they were both still teens, having barely reached adulthoods. But now, they were reaching their mid twenties… Elias was still short and slender, even skinnier than he had been back then, but Axel… Axel had properly matured into a strong Alpha male. His physique was strong, defined, and masculine… And his face was still just annoyingly handsome…
"Ugh…" Elias fingers dug into the carpet, as he tried to focus on his breathing and clear his mind from those inconvenient thoughts and emotions. He was on the suppressants, so he should have been fine, but somehow, Axel's pheromones seemed to be still getting to him. As much as he hated them, he had to admit that the scent was nice. And it went along so well with chamomile…
…Wait, chamomile?
Elias' eyes widened, and he reached his hand to check his nape, hissing as his fingers touched the reddened, swollen gland.
The patch was gone. It must have come off during the struggle.
"Shoot!" Elias panicked. The situation was far more dangerous than he had thought. His patch was gone, and the effect of his suppressants seemed to have faded, and he was now leaking his pheromones…
All while there was an Alpha in a rut on top of him.
It couldn't be good.
He looked up at Axel's face, trying to quickly come up with something, ANYTHING, that could help him get out of the situation…
But it was too late. Before he could even start forming a plan, his lips were captured.
And his mind went blank.