Quinn was in shock for about ten minutes after Noah told him what he was planning. He wasn't sure how he even came to such a conclusion, but when he started poking, Noah revealed everything.
One of his university friends, a dominant alpha from a different family, had overheard the plans that his father had for him. He'd evidently not been that quiet at a party he'd attended recently and he'd overheard when coming back from the bathroom.
He'd reached out to Noah with a couple of plans, but this was the one that involved the least amount of people being harmed. Quinn shuddered to think what the other options were when what Noah was suggesting was a damn sex party.
That's what it was, wasn't it? A freaking sex party!
"Noah, why did you include me in this plan?" Quinn asked and Noah flushed. They'd ordered another sake bottle and Quinn had gotten a top up of his tea. Noah deserved to drink and Quinn wasn't going to stop him. It was the weekend. Let the man live a little, especially after he'd come when Quinn called him in the middle of the night. Driving him home after drinking himself silly was nothing when compared to that.
"Well, uh, they often say that getting under someone is how you get over someone and maybe you might find someone you like at a party like this." Noah was mumbling. Quinn could barely understand what he was saying.
It sounded like he was speaking a foreign language.
Quinn flushed, staring at him slack-jawed as he processed what he said.
"Pardon?" Quinn said and Noah coughed. He looked up at Quinn, intoxicated, but not enough to hinder his words.
"Quinn, you're attractive, okay? I'm pissed that that man is the one who convinced you otherwise, but I don't like seeing you like this. The party doesn't invite omegas. Do you understand what I'm saying?" Noah asked and Quinn stared at him blankly. He didn't and Noah groaned.
He turned away from Quinn, his jaw tight, his cheeks burning red. He groaned again as if he was fighting demons before he turned back to him and met Quinn's gaze.
"They invite betas, Quinn. That's who they have sex with. Those are the bottoms, and from my understanding, that's what you like to do." Quinn gasped, covering his mouth as Noah groaned again, covering his face. "That's why I hoped you would catch on without me having to explain it. I feel like such a fucking asshole." Noah muttered.
Quinn was shocked. He couldn't stop staring at Noah. He couldn't believe that he suggested that. That he'd considered that Quinn might be into it.
"Is this because of-"
"What? No!" Noah raised his voice before he caught himself. It was clear that he was flustered and Quinn couldn't blame him. Quinn was sure he could start a fire with the heat coming from his face alone. "No, Quinn. I noticed…before. Fuck. I don't want to explain how, I'm just not stupid. Besides, it's not like all the betas bottom. Some alphas liked to be the ones who do. Everyone has their own things they like, right?" Noah said with a shrug.
He was doing his best to play this all off, but Quinn was burning from the inside out and Noah was doing the exact same. Both were awkward and confused, and Quinn felt like his head wasn't attached to his body.
"So…you'd be okay with me…having sex with someone at this party? How does this even work, Noah? Is everyone tested ahead of time? Do you just…do it in front of others? I'm not sure I'm that comfortable with all of this." Quinn told him. Noah frowned, swallowing.
"I didn't really ask follow-up questions because I wanted to see what you thought. Honestly…I'm not sure I could go through with it without having someone I know there. Sure, the guys are there but it's not like they're going to stay by my side. They have the things that they like to do and I'll be the outsider." Noah swallowed.
He turned to the side, sighing as he stared at the small door that gave them some privacy. This was such a strange conversation to have at a restaurant of all places and not Quinn's apartment. Maybe Noah chose this place so that Quinn could run away if he wanted to. Quinn's chest tightened.
"I just want you to forget about that waste of space Baxter." Noah muttered. "You deserve better. Much better, and this was the only thing that I could think of that might help you quickly. You might like someone, you might not, you might just coast by the snack table at the party and not do anything. They don't bring in drugs, I already asked about it. For a sex party like you said, it's on the up and up. They have a very small group of people that they invite, but I didn't ask about the other parts." Noah's smile was grim. "They know me, after all, and knew what I would be cool with and what I wouldn't be."
Quinn stared at Noah, listening to him speak and felt a small, bitter feeling bud in his gut. Noah'd made friends at university without him. All because he thought that Quinn had an issue with dominant alphas.
Quinn didn't have an issue with dominant alphas. He was friends with Noah, after all, he just…found it awkward being around them. Noah was different because he was his friend and he'd known him for so long. That was probably why Quinn hadn't had as many issues with Michel as well.
Quinn just…liked the way dominant alphas looked too much. He had a hard time not staring, especially if they were males. If they were females, he was able to control himself a bit more, but not by much. He was fine around normal alphas, but dominants? Something about them just made Quinn feel like a damn pervert.
That was why he avoided them, and after Quinn had worked so hard to push that to the back of his mind, here Noah was, pulling it forward once more. Quinn sighed, unfolding his legs and pulling them up to his chest. He rounded his back, wrapping his arms around his knees as he processed what Noah was saying.
Noah glanced at him but said nothing. Neither touched their food, the conversation too heavy and dessert forgotten.
"If we do this, there is no going back to what our relationship was like before this." Quinn said quietly. Noah jerked, turning big, blue eyes towards Quinn.
"What?" Noah asked, sounding choked and Quinn gave him a confused look. He squeezed his knees tightly.
"Don't 'what' me. Of course this is going to change our relationship. Our relationship was already shifting into a weird direction after you helped me clean up from Michel." Quinn told him, poking the bear that had been between them since Quinn had left for his hometown. Noah flushed.
"It won't end, will it?" Noah asked, sounding suddenly desperate. Quinn scowled at him.
"Not unless you don't want to see me again if we both went. I'm just saying. Friends don't really…watch friends have sex, Noah. Not any friends that I know." Noah swallowed at Quinn's words.
"I don't know. The other guys seem to be able to maintain a relatively normal friendship. I obviously don't pry, but they seem…normal. Why would it be different between us after?" Quinn wasn't sure if Noah was being obtuse on purpose. He probably was in this circumstance.
"Noah, you just hinted that I like to take it up the ass. Say it with your whole chest, alright? These men probably aren't watching their friends get fucked, now are they?" Quinn asked and Noah turned bright red.
"I could leave if you were feeling uncomfortable." Noah said and Quinn groaned. He dropped his head to his knees, sighing as he stared at the wall behind Noah. Noah shifted awkwardly. It seemed that he hadn't considered how this would alter their friendship and…that kind of hurt Quinn.
He understood that Noah needed to get out of a shitty situation. That part wasn't hard to understand. He also understood that Noah was thinking about him as well. That was kind of him. He just didn't like how Noah hadn't put two and two together. Knowing what a friend liked to do in the bedroom was completely different from witnessing it and if they were honest with each other, they were barely maintaining a normal friendship as it was.
Noah hadn't looked at Quinn strangely, and Quinn hadn't done the same, but it wasn't like either of them were stupid. Things would change if they went through with this.
"I just don't want our friendship to suffer." Quinn muttered and Noah sighed. He sat up, leaning over and placing his hand on top of Quinn's on his knee.
"I wouldn't ever view you differently. Would you view me differently if I was getting fucked up the ass?" Noah asked and Quinn flushed.
"Noah!" Quinn whispered, scandalised. Noah's eyes smiled as he laughed.
"What? You were just saying that, so why can't I? I've never done it, whose to say I won't like it?" Noah said with a shrug. "So? Would your opinion of me change? I don't think it would, Quinn. So what if things get a little strange between us? It's not like I haven't seen your dick before, especially after Michel abandoned you like an asshole." Quinn's face warmed. "If you don't want to do it with me, I'll just go back to the drawing board. I don't want to pressure you into this. If you're not comfortable-"
"Is there really nothing else you could do?" Quinn asked and Noah's lips closed. His expression grew serious. "Noah?" Quinn asked and he sighed.
"My other friends suggested getting someone pregnant, but I would never do that to someone I didn't even love or use them like that. I know what that feels like, and I wouldn't intentionally do that to someone." Quinn's chest tightened.
"That's your only option outside of this?" Quinn asked and Noah ground his teeth.
"I don't have the funds to fully separate yet, and neither do you. This is the best I can do, or else I'd owe them my damn soul. So yes, this is the best I can do right now where it hurts the least amount of people." Quinn's heart ached for Noah.
This was a shitty situation and here Quinn was, being selfish and awkward and not fucking honest with himself. He sighed, leaning his head against Noah's hand on his knee. Noah winced.
"What if I like it too much?" Quinn whispered, the secret worry coming to the forefront and Noah stared at Quinn blankly.
"Is that a bad thing?" Noah asked. "They're all tested, like you asked. You'll be tested too. Everyone will be safe and liking sex isn't shameful, Quinnie." Noah said. Quinn groaned.
"No calling me that while we're there." Quinn muttered. "I'll strangle you." Noah laughed.
"Who knows? I might even like it."