Author's Notes: Taking a break from writing "Hatchling" to write this smutty one shot.

This is my second reylo fic prompt fulfilled (the first being the Breylo fic "Never Any Other Way") but this is my first ABO so please be gentle.

NO BETA. WE DIE LIKE MEN.

Please note that unless you are familiar with Alpha/Beta/Omega dynamics or Omegaverse, you will end up confused with a lot of things in this fic.

Warning for adult themes.

She had been in love with him at first sight.

Well, if you're going to get technical, she had been in love with him at first scent.

Sure, Ben Solo was easy on the eyes, so broad and muscular that she had just instantly wanted to climb him like a tree the first time they met. He looked every bit the alpha that he was, though when Rey first learned of his designation, she had been shocked to know that he was one. She had been close to heat when they first met a few years back, and the fact that he didn't smell her had initially made her wonder if he was actually a beta.

But her? Oh, she smelled him. Picked up on his scent that fated day they met in the coffee shop. And she had been so distracted by it, she knew she had to follow it to its source-a giant of a man with dark waves of hair, hunched over a small table, in a chair that barely let his long limbs stretch as he sipped from his mug of strong black coffee. Slick had immediately dampened her shorts, and she suddenly found herself warding off the unwanted attentions of a few alphas in the shop but Ben Solo had intervened. Bigger than the other alphas, he had managed to make them back off, and she had been so grateful to him, she was ready to be swept up into his arms and tied to his knot.

Only, that never happened. He was very much the gentleman, simply choosing to intervene for a woman he saw being harrassed. He had claimed not being able to scent her at all despite the slick pooling in her shorts, and had even driven her to her apartment so he could make sure she was safe.

Even as early as then, she knew Ben Solo was special.

There were a few times early on in their friendship, when Rey deliberately crashed at his place during the throes of her heat in the guise of having him protect her from unwanted alphas, all the while hoping he would smell her and fuck her brains out. But nothing of the sort happened. He protected her like she had asked him to, went out to get food for her, helped her with her nest and made her as comfortable as possible, which had landed her in guilt central.

Ben Solo...he was a nice guy. A great guy. An all around good friend. She shouldn't be thinking of him as a lay, and so Rey had continued her friendship with him, finally accepting that maybe they just weren't compatible as alpha and omega.

As the years passed though, their close friendship became harder for Rey to bear, not because it was strained or anything, but because she had fallen for him. Hard. It was excruciating to see him go on dates with other women, even more painful when she had to pretend that it was alright and be the supportive BFF she was supposed to be. Ben had even encouraged her to go on her own dates but everytime an alpha made moves on her, she just wouldn't feel it, or rather, smell it. She wanted Ben's scent-that combination of musk and sandalwood that made her hindbrain go on overdrive. It was in Ben's arms that she wanted to be wrapped up in, not some random alpha, and so, more often than not, she ended up alone in her apartment, with one sex toy or another, screaming Ben's name upon her release.

Rey sighed as she drove over to Ben's apartment. She knew she shouldn't be pining over him. Shouldn't even be thinking about him sexually or anything, but it was actually more than just sex. He made her laugh. Engaged her in intellectual discussions. He understood her like no one could, knew all her secrets (except her secret crush on him apparently) and made her feel that she wasn't alone.

She loved him and wanted to be with him. But his hindbrain didn't agree that they were a perfect match. She would have to resign to a life without him as her Alpha. If friendship was all her could offer her, then she would take it rather than have nothing.

One more turn, and she stopped her car in front of Ben's apartment, where he was already waiting for her at the curb. It punched her in the gut again, how good he smelled, and she had to take a moment to compose herself as he slid into the passenger's seat.

Ben frowned when Rey didn't drive off immediately. "Rey? Are you okay?"

"It's nothing." Rey shook her head, even as slick started to form in her jeans. Thank God she thought to wear slick pads today to absorb it. "I think I might be going into heat soon."

Ben's brows knitted in worry. "Should I reschedule my surgery? I don't want other alpha's harassing you while I'm under."

"I'll be fine, Ben." Rey smiled weakly. "I took a packet of pheromone suppressants so they shouldn't be able to scent me for a few hours."

Rey sat in one of the benches in the waiting area, though sometimes, she would stand up to pace back and forth. She knew she shouldn't worry. It wasn't like the surgery to fix Ben's deviated septum so he could breathe better was life threatening. It totally wasn't. But she was worried for him nonetheless. She hoped the recovery would be quick, and if it would take a while, then she was ready to help him out in any way she can.

After almost a couple of hours of waiting, a nurse arrived to tell her Ben was already in the recovery room and ready to be sent home. The nurse also told her about the medications he should be taking, what to do and what not to do, and to check back in a day to have the packing in his nose removed.

The nurse then guided Rey to the recovery room, past other hospital beds and recovering patients before opening the curtain to Ben's bed where he lay, still groggy from the effects of the anesthesia. His nose was swollen and covered in gauze, and his eyes were bleary, though they did brighten when he saw her.

"You look like shit," Rey said after the nurse had left.

Ben grimaced. "I feel like shit."

Rey laughed and sat down at the edge of the bed. Ben immediately took her hand in his. He had always been touchy feely with her, particularly during the times he felt unwell. Like he was seeking out comfort through her touch and she welcomed it. This was probably the only extent of his physical intimacy towards her.

"The doctor said I gotta breathe through my mouth until they remove the packing tomorrow." He sounded terribly congested because of the packing they stuck up his nose to stop the bleeding. "Otherwise I could go home today. But it's gonna be a bitch sleeping tonight."

"You want me to crash at your place so I can help you in case you need anything?" Rey offered.

Ben was quick to nod his head. "Yes, please."

Ben jolted up from bed, his shoulders heaving as he hungrily filled his lungs up with air. It had been damned near impossible to train himself to involuntarily breathe through his mouth and he had spent the night tossing and turning. It felt like he was waking up every other minute to gasp for breath, and he'd had enough.

He glanced at the clock. It was a little past eight in the morning, and he knew it was still too early but he needed to have these things in his nose removed ASAP.

Slipping on his pajama pants, he padded out of his room and walked towards the guest room, where he found Rey, curled up under the covers. He hated to wake her up, but he wanted her with him at the hospital. He always seemed to want her around, especially during the times he didn't feel well.

Hell, he wanted her around all the time.

He sighed and leaned against the doorjamb, watching as Rey, his friend, continued to sleep. Best friend, he thought wryly. Whoever heard of an alpha and an omega just being best friends and nothing more? Yet here they were, going four years strong.

That didn't mean his alpha hindbrain didn't consider Rey as a potential mate. He had been attracted to her almost on sight, with her hazel eyes and disarming smile, and that soft, chestnut hair he'd managed to run his fingers through a few times. Innocently of course. He still was physically attracted to her but he dared not act on it. He valued their friendship too much to complicate things with sex and feelings, the latter of which he had been trying to suppress for years. He loved having her in his life...loved her in a not so bestfriendy sort of way...and he couldn't bear to lose her if ever they had a falling out due to incompatibility.

Besides, he couldn't even smell her to know if they were even compatible or not. Hell, he couldn't even smell himself, or any of the other demi-humans he had encountered all his life, and he'd always found that a blessing. He knew of alpha males who went into crazed ruts whenever they met a compatible omega, and that had never been a problem for him.

Then, some nasal complications with a particularly bad cold had led him to seek out medical help, where a doctor discovered he had a deviated septum and recommended surgery to fix it. He was scared to death of needles and shit and had almost chickened out on the surgery were it not for Rey encouraging him.

Rey...he could always rely on her. If only they were compatible as alpha and Omega, things would be a lot different. Different good, like his parents, and his grandparents. But he'd never been able to find 'the one' in the over thirty years of his existence. Rey was the closest he could get, but there was a biological barrier between them. If only they lived in a world where mates weren't dictated by biology.

Ah, if wishes were fishes…

He sighed again and walked towards the side of the bed, nudging Rey's shoulder. "Rey, wake up. I need you to drive me to the hospital. My car's still in the shop, so..."

Rey groaned, but didn't move. In a sleepy voice, she asked, "Is your nose bleeding?"

"No. But I need to have this shit removed from my nose so I can breathe. I barely slept last night."

Rey moaned again and pulled the covers up to her neck. Ben's brows furrowed with concern until he remembered something Rey had told him the day before.

Gently, he peeled back the blanket, and what he suspected was true. Rey was lying in a pool of her own slick.

She was in heat.

"Oh my God, Ben. I'm so sorry!" Rey gasped, probably only realizing then the mess she had made, and sat up. "I'll...I'll clean up."

"Hey, don't worry about it, alright? These things happen," he said, putting his hands on her shoulders for added reassurance. This certainly wasn't the first time this had happened in his apartment, and he was honestly just glad she went into heat where he could protect her. He may not even be able to smell himself, but he knew his alpha scent deterred any other alpha from encroaching his territory to get to Rey. Nonetheless, he was going to make sure to lock up when he left. "I'll get you some of my comforters and extra pillows so you can build your nest. I'll also get you some heating pads for your cramps. That good?"

Rey nodded weakly, then grimaced. Must be from the cramps, Ben thought, and he idly rubbed her back to comfort her. He knew what she needed was an alpha to take care of her, but as with the last few times, Ben knew Rey would just reject the suggestion that she find an alpha to help her through her heat. Compatibility issues, she had said, and so she had preferred and still continued to prefer that she just suffer through her heat, which would last for a few more days.

Ben wasn't going to lie and say that her refusing another alpha didn't please him. The thought of her being with another sickened him, even if he and Rey were incompatible. He would be the one to take care of her, even if it wasn't in the sexual way she needed it to be.

About an hour later, Ben emerged from the hospital, thankful at being able to breathe through his nose despite the bandage and the pain. They had finally removed the offending nose packing, and not only could he breathe properly, he can actually smell things-the disinfectant in the hospital corridor, the coppery scent of blood from his stitches, the food being carted out to patients' rooms, and even the unpleasant smell of engine exhaust when he arrived in the parking lot to get into Rey's car, which he had had to borrow for a bit.

He started the engine and got out of the parking lot. Being able to smell was good, but it was just an added bonus to being able to breathe so much better than he had in years.

He arrived at his apartment, carrying some chocolates he had bought on the way. Chocolates seemed to help Rey a little during her heats, so he always made it a point to buy them for her.

He arrived on his floor and froze the minute he stepped out of the elevator. Something smelled...nice. No, not nice. Intoxicating. A heady scent of lavender and vanilla. Bandaged nose up in the air, he followed the scent and was shocked to find that it led to his apartment.

His throat felt like a desert, and he had to swallow hard to moisten it. He knew what that scent meant. Knew where it was from, and he hurried to open the door, his hand shaking so much it took him three tries to get the key in.

Once inside, he dropped the chocolates on the floor and ran to the guest room. His body felt like it was on fire, pumping so much blood everywhere that by the time he reached the door to the guest room, his cock was already painfully hard.

He groaned loudly and hit his forehead against the closed door, one traitorous hand sneaking down to palm the sizeable tent in his pants. He knew what was happening, but this was the first time it had ever been triggered by a smell. This scent...this beautifully delicious, delectable scent was from Rey, and it was putting his body into overdrive.

He was going into rut. He was going into rut from his best friend's smell.

"Ben?"

The sound of her weak, mewling voice was music to his ears, and he flung the door open, finding her in bed, surrounded by fluffy pillows while wrapped up in a soft comforter.

He had never seen a more tantalizing sight.

"That's a pretty little nest, Rey," he said the first thing that came into his mind, though his voice didn't sound gentle. He had practically growled, his gaze locked on Rey's as her eyes widened and the comforter fell off her shoulders to reveal tanned skin under her white tanktop and still slick-soaked shorts.

"B-Ben...you're…"

"I'm sorry, Rey," he rasped, and before he knew it, he was on the bed and moving his body over hers, nose pressed against the scent gland on the side of her neck. "Fuck, you smell so good."

"Ben...you can smell me?"

"Yes, yes." Ben groaned as he made his first attempt at thrusting his still clothed crotch against Rey's slick-stained ones. He needed friction. Dammit, he needed it now! "God, I've never smelled anything so heavenly, so sweet...so damned good."

He continued to rub himself against her, holding her to him as his tongue snaked out to lick her scent gland. Rey moaned when he did, her body trembling beneath his. He had never been this close, this intimate with her before, and two sides of his brain were screaming different things. The louder one demanded to claim her, to fuck her and knot her until she had a belly full of his pups. But the other part of him reminded him that she wasn't just any omega. This was Rey, his best friend of four years-the one woman who had been there for him through and through. But it was a voice in his head that was getting drowned out with every whiff of her scent, every shift of her body beneath his, every feel of her exposed skin against his.

"I'm sorry, Rey, I'm sorry," he almost sobbed, even as he continued thrust against her crotch, staining his pants with her slick. "I don't want to do this. I don't want to hurt you. Fuck!"

"It's okay, Ben. It's okay."

Ben stopped moving and pulled back to stare at her, his heaving breaths almost in sync with hers. Her hair was wild, her forehead shiny with sweat, her eyes hooded. She didn't look sick with her heat. Not like those last few times. In fact, he had never seen her more alive, with the colors flushing in her cheeks and lips.

"It's okay," she repeated, this time reaching out to frame his face with her palms. "You have no idea how long I've wanted you to do this."

Ben felt his heart constrict at the breathless way she had said it, and he managed to croak out, "Since...since when?"

She smiled softly. "Since the first time I caught your scent in that coffee shop."

Ben froze, and he stopped breathing for a moment. She wanted him. Wanted him since day one. Had smelled him as early as then. And now that he was able to smell her, he knew.

He knew then that he didn't want to just be her friend anymore. Friendship be damned, he wanted more than that. So much more.

Without thinking, he leaned down and crushed his lips against hers. Rey squeaked in surprise, but when he wormed his tongue into her mouth, she quickly obliged, running her own tongue over and under his while he carried on rutting against her.

"I love you," he moaned between kisses, and Rey tensed against him. "I've loved you since before I could smell you."

"Oh, Ben." Rey was trembling now, her kisses more fevered and her lips and tongue more insistent. "I love you, too. I've always loved you."

He felt his heart hammer so hard against his rib cage, it almost hurt. Rey loved him. Actually loved him, and he felt like he was soaring high above the clouds. But now that she told him, and every single doubt was swept away, there was nothing holding him back.

He was going to claim Rey for himself.

He broke away from the kiss and hurriedly took off his shirt and pants, letting out a breath as the cool air hit his scorching skin. He then pulled off Rey's tanktop and shorts, practically ripping off her underwear until she lay naked in front of him, nipples high up in the air, thighs gleaming with slick.

"You're so beautiful," he whispered, throat bobbing as he crawled down and without warning, buried his head between her legs.

"Ben!" Rey screeched, her hips involuntarily moving to bring her pussy further against his hungry mouth. She tasted absolutely divine, her slick overflowing even as he tried to lick them all off before concentrating his efforts on her engorged clit. She was highly aroused and so was he. He needed to be buried in her heat, but he was going to make sure she came first.

He rolled his tongue around Rey's clit, eliciting a long, drawn out moan from her. Slick continued to pour out of her, and he easily slid in one, two fingers inside her tight passage. He added a third, which made her whole body shake with another moan, and he pumped into her, feeling her warm, slippery walls contract around his digits. It was easy to imagine what her pussy would feel like around his dick, and he had to hold himself back from mounting her before she could orgasm.

It didn't take long for her to reach that peak, and she screamed as she convulsed around his fingers, her slick running down slowly and steadily into the comforter she had used to build her nest. Her pretty little nest, which he now knew she had built for him and his soon-to-be pups, and that made his cock ache even more.

Licking the slick off his lips and wiping the rest with the back of his hand, he crawled up on top of her and rubbed his cock over pussy to gather more of her slick, brushing the underside of his dick over her clit as he did.

"Gonna fuck you now, Rey," he snarled, then pulled Rey up and flipped her until she was on all fours, his cock nudging at her slippery entrance. "You want this, Rey? You want my cock in this sweet little pussy of yours?"

"Yes, alpha, please, I need your cock," Rey whined, and Ben felt something snapped inside of him the moment she called him by his designation.

With a growl, he bottomed out inside her in one thrust, both of them moaning at their union. She felt so fucking good around him, so tight and wet around him that he couldn't help but snap his hips against her pelvis over and over, chasing that damp warmth, chasing that high that alphas could only experience through fucking an omega.

But this...this went beyond that. This wasn't like his other flings...because it wasn't. This was Rey, and he loved her. And she loved him. This wasn't going to be a one time thing. He didn't want it to be.

"You're doing so well, omega," he praised, watching his cock appear and disappear into her pussy. His large hands dug into the side of her hips as he moved her back and forth on his cock, slick gleaming under the morning sunlight pouring in from the windows. "So good, taking your alpha's cock. Oh fuck, your gripping me hard!"

"I love your big cock, alpha," Rey wailed, her hair and breasts moving back and forth with each of his movements. "Please, alpha, faster."

"You want it fast and deep, omega?" Ben gripped her hips harder to the point where he knew it would bruise, but he was too lost in the moment, too lost in her scent and the pressure around his cock from being inside her. He pounded into her faster, the sounds of skin slapping on skin echoing through the guest room along with the loud creaking of the bed.

"Oh my God!" Rey squealed with almost every thrust until she was an incoherent mess. Soon, her arms gave away and she lay her head sideways on the pillow, Ben still thrusting in deep, fast strokes from behind.

Ben threw his head back and moaned when he felt Rey flutter all around him. She was close to coming again, he just knew it. He wanted to come with her. To chase that feeling with her. He wanted to feel everything she felt.

He put his weight on top of her until he was flush against her back. He continued driving into her wet pussy while sweeping her hair aside so he could lick her scent gland again, inhaling the sweet, sweet smell of her until he felt drunk from it.

"I'm close," he said in a strained voice. He could feel his balls start to tighten and the base of his cock begin to swell. "Gonna knot you, Rey. Gonna knot you and cum in you until your belly is thick with my pups."

"Yes, yes, yes," Rey said, far more enthusiastically than he could ever have expected. "Knot me, alpha. I want your pups. Oh, Ben, I want your pups so bad!"

Her words made him snap his hips faster, and he sucked on her scent gland, teasing it with his teeth. She moaned and turned her neck to give him better access. He knew what she wanted, what she was giving to him, but he wanted to make sure.

"You want to be my mate, Rey?" he whispered huskily in her ear. "You want me to be your alpha forever?"

"Yes, Ben, yes." Rey nodded, and turned as much as she could so she could look him in the eye. She was smiling, and his heart soared at the sight of it. "Make me your mate, Ben."

She turned her neck to him again, and with one last thrust he bit hard on her gland, teeth breaking skin as his knot swelled to lock them together, cum splashing inside her fluttering walls as another orgasm ripped through her. His eyes rolled to the back of his head at the rush of emotions and euphoria sweeping through his entire being, feelings so powerful it left him breathless.

He came down from the high and lay on top of her for a while, idly licking the blood away from her gland as he purred against her back to soothe her. He could feel her satisfaction, her happiness, and most of all, her love for him, and he knew then that they were truly bonded.

After a while, he moved to lie down on his side, spooning Rey and holding her close to his chest, bandaged nose still taking in her scent. It was going to be a while before his knot would shrink back, but until then, he would enjoy this post coital glow with her, all the while reminiscing about their friendship and thinking how he had wasted years and missed out on so much.

"We didn't waste years," Rey said, reading his thoughts, and he grinned into her hair. It was going to take some getting used to being in each other's heads, but he didn't mind. They had all the time in the world to navigate through life as mates. "We built an amazing friendship these past four years, Ben. I wouldn't call that a waste."

"I know," he sighed happily, his heart so full, it was close to bursting. "I just wished I'd gone through surgery early on. Maybe then I would have realized you were right under my nose the entire time."

Rey giggled. "Pun intended?"

Ben chuckled. "Pun intended."

Author's Notes: The original prompt was for Ben to go into rut the minute he comes off anesthesia and smells Rey, but I did a little research and apparently, after a septoplasty, they stick a packing up your nose to prevent bleeding (they're like nose tampons) so Ben wouldn't be able to realistically smell Rey until he has the packing removed.

Hope you guys enjoyed this!