Heat [Omegaverse, Brolby, SamandColbyFic]

Chapter 12

The thing with Brennen, of course, almost triggered another meltdown.

"Why the fuck can't I fight it?" Colby was pacing, his hands making agitated little movements at his sides.

Tara was curled into his sofa, watching him pace.  "It'll get better," She promised evenly.  Her phone was in her lap, but she wasn't looking at it, just watching him with worry in her eyes.

"But I can't... I need it to..." Colby gestured angrily.  He'd asked Tara to come over the next day in the wake of the disastrous sex encounter with Brennen.  "I need to learn how to do it now.  Tara, I don't..." He growled, frustration burning hot in his chest.  "I don't have a year to learn how to do it.  I can't.  The fans are going find out at some point and I really can't wait to tell them much longer.  They're gonna... fuck!" He let out a noise of frustration.

Tara shifted to sit on her knees.  "Then don't wait," She offered, "Just tell them and be done with it."

And that was just Tara, wasn't it.  Offering the simplest solution to his problems.  "It's not that easy..." Colby muttered back, "Tara, you know... you know how my fans are." She nodded, grimacing a little.  The weird shit that had come out of Sam presenting... God, the edits had been bad.  "And besides," He turned and paced the other direction.  "I can't tell them before I tell the team or my parents."

Tara raised an eyebrow at him.  "You haven't told the team or your parents?" There was genuine surprise in her voice.

Colby sighed, pausing in his pacing.  "The team, I..." Because it hadn't even been two weeks since he'd come out of heat and he hadn't really wanted to deal with how the heads of their PR team would handle this.  "John and Ashley... I mean, Ashley's a beta and I don't think it'll be a problem but... you know John's an Alpha, right?"  Tara nodded.  "He and Sam have always kinda been after each other because of me and Sam's dynamic with Sam being the Alpha and now that I've presented..." He shrugged.

Tara snorted, "No way they'd drop you.  They're making way too much money off of you now.  Like, with the book deal and don't you guys have a movie in the works?"

Colby sent her a surprised look, "How'd you...?"

"Jake tells me everything," Tara waved it off.  "But like, what do you mean about you and Sam's dynamic?"

Colby groaned.  "John uh... John thinks the way that Sam and I act around each other..." He crossed his arms.  "He's one of those toxic Alpha types, I think?  Where he thinks that every other designation should like, defer to Alphas?"

Tara's brow scrunched, "How did a guy like that get in that kinda position with you two?"

Colby rolled his eyes, "Because he's figured out how to be subtle about it.  I honestly hadn't noticed until Sam pointed it out.  You know how he is about Alpha stereotypes."  Tara nodded.

"So, because Sam doesn't make all of your decisions, he doesn't like you?" She asked, clarifying.

Colby shrugged. "Maybe?"

Tara rolled her eyes. "Dick."

"Yup."

" Anyway ," Tara crossed her arm, redirecting the conversation, "Ignoring the knotheaded idiot, pretty sure they've put way too much into you guys that you presenting isn't going to change anything." Then she smirked, grinning up at him,  "Just maybe the fanfiction that we get sent."

Colby shuddered.  "God dammit..." He muttered.  Tara had an interesting habit of hopping around the fan base and finding the cringiest stuff she could and sending it to him and Sam.  He'd just stopped clicking the links.  "But like, John and Ashley don't... like I just..." He crossed his arms.  "Makes me nervous." He admitted. "They're uh... like this whole other thing, you know?"