Continuing the train of thought about unsure/nervous/whatever omega Quinn
And he just lets Brock scent him at first, and Jared because he's Captain.
The thing is, omegas who don't get scented enough regularly get sick. Like Quinn was when he first got to Minnesota.
And as helpful as Brock is, Quinn needs more people to scent him if he wants to avoid getting sick again.
Plus, scenting omegas help betas and alphas too. So he kind of feels like he needs to let them do it to help them too.
Cue Brock playing middle man and doing some careful but intent nudging to get Quinn to start letting some of the others scent him.
And of course he goes with Kirill and Matt first.
Partly because those are his guys, but also because they have a good relationship with Quinn.
And it's all a little easier for Quinn to consider when he's got Brock plastered to his back, patiently waiting for Quinn to allow it because he knows he will if they give him a min.
And he does.
Lets Brock carefully tilts Quinn's head back to rest of his shoulder and has the other arm around his waist.
Kirill and Matt each take one side of his neck and he can tell when his scent really hits them because it's like the air around them just relaxes.
Sharp teeth graze over his skin, and honestly wtf what is up these Minnesota alphas? He's never had so many teeth against his throat in his life because Brock definitely uses his teeth and I won't be swayed to think otherwise, and the muscles in his stomach jump as he fights the urge to drop his chin and hide his neck.
Brock just quiets him and holds him tighter, fingers under his shirt and petting at his hip.
If Quinn really freaked out they'd let him go.
They had made it clear they weren't going to let him get sick again though. Not while he was with them.
They'd been patient so far but Quinn knew that time was running out to do this on his terms, if he had any.
He really doesn't. It's just vulnerable as fuck and he's sat and thought about it too much now. Worked it up to this big thing in his head and it's not. Rationally he knows that.
And this isn't bad. He trusts Brock, trusts Kirill and Matt.
Trusts the whole team really, even though he isn't ready to let everyone at his throat yet.
And he does start to feel better, and it gets easier. He doesn't need Brock to hold him still each time anymore.
Let's more of them at his throat until they all do it almost absent mindedly, whenever they get the urge to or notice their scent fading.
Quinn just tilts his head when he feels one of them lingering and keeps doing whatever he was doing.
Brock still does it the most, Kirill and Matt up there too. They're more likely to work their teeth into it too, making sure their scent sticks into the little bruises they can nip into his skin.
And I imagine omegas having scent glands on their necks, wrists and inner thighs.
Sooo maybe those three take care of making sure those other spots are marked too? ☺️
okay. so. anon. this ask made me feral. just so you kow.
like i’ve been sitting on this one for 3 days but i could not stop thinking about it!!!
huge huge huge yes on omegas who get sick if they’re not scented enough. the need for scenting and pack bonds and stuff both ultimately come down to the fact that no one’s meant to be solitary, to be without some kind of pack, no matter how small—which in quinn’s opinion, is a pretty fucking big design flaw, but also biology doesn’t really care about his thoughts on the matter, so. oof and in vancouver things falling apart to the point where no one was really regularly scenting anybody else, and it really whittled down the people quinn could do that with to such a small handful, which with the degrading pack bonds had such an effect on him. like he even tried to be proactive about it, but there was only so much rejection (no matter how gentle or unintentional) before he just stopped asking.
and then coming to the wild, where they’re all over each other all the time in a way quinn’s never really seen in a hockey team, but even if he’s still hesitant about his place there with them, he can’t deny that it feels nice to at least be included on the periphery of that kind of thing. and once the wild figure out that he’s pretty scent-sick, for an omega, they immediately try bringing him into that even more fully—but quinn is anxious and still unsure, and it’s clear that their enthusiasm makes him uncomfortable and kind of skittish. they realize they’re going to have to go slower with it, if they want quinn to actually fold into the pack (and they want that so bad, and they’re pretty sure he does too). so if in the beginning, quinn’s only comfortable letting brock scent him, and only tolerant of jared doing so because he’s captain…they can be patient and work with that.
AND THEN BROCK HAVING TO HELP QUINN LET HIMSELF BE SCENTED!!! when i read this for the first time i had to get up and walk away from my computer. this made me insane. insane!!!!!! brock suggesting kirill and matt because brock trusts them to be good about it, and quinn—for reasons that are still unclear to brock—trusts him to make that choice and to keep him safe. which is both a huge amount of pressure and a real ego stroke (not that brock would ever admit it, but he’s pretty sure a bunch of the guys can tell).
the resting his head back on brock’s shoulder…….the teeth……….like seriously, anon. feral. insane. i’m feral and insane 🙂!!!!!!!!!!! brock gently reminding him to breathe, that it’s okay, they’ve got him, he’s doing really well, and quinn tries to not let instinct override his rational brain about it, tries to—trust them, and to remind himself that they’re trying to do this for him, so that he doesn’t get sick, and that they’re getting something out of it too. it’s not a weird power dynamics thing, they’re trying to take care of him. and he needs to try to let them do it. even if, the whole time, he needs to dig his fingers into brock’s arm around his stomach, hard enough that he’s sure there will be bruises—not that brock complains.
and it works!! exposure therapy is real 🙂↕️ and it must make them feel so good that he trusts them, and so proud that he was willing to try and push through how much he clearly hated that vulnerability. like now every time he tilts his head so casually they have to try not to make a big deal of it or let too much bleed into their scent but like!! holy shit!!!!
and of course it would make sense for him to keep doing it the most with brock—the bond between a man and his d-partner can be something so special—as well as with matt, who’s usually also on the ice with them, and kirill, who lives in his apartment building and visits invites himself over a lot
AND THE BRUISES!!!!! THE TEETH!!!!!!!!!!! ALL OF IT!!!!!!!!!!!!! I’M FERAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
this may be the first snippet from a smut scene that i've posted for one of these?? from tab 2 (abo)!!
Hands on his skin draw a sound out him that's so relieved that in any other case he'd be humiliated, probably, but Brock's touching him and saying, “Shh, okay, I gotcha,” so Quinn really doesn't care about anything else at all, other than Brock folding over him and pressing him into the sheets. He feels big and solid on top of Quinn, and it makes his instincts purr. He wants to stay like this always, safe and boxed in, surrounded by Brock's scent and warmth. It's perfect and not enough at the same time, and his fingers tangle in fabric, pulling, demanding, until Brock gets the idea and draws back just enough to yank his shirt off.
it's true, i do write things other than qh being turned into a smoothie.....occasionally
And everyone knows the best way to rile up Jack and Luke is to say something degrading about Quinn. Gets them angry and fired up and it can either throw the whole game off to the point they lose or have them on your ass and completely dominate.
Because omega Quinn, beta Jack, and alpha Luke has taken ahold of my head. And them being all protective over Quinn even though he's the oldest. Especially on a new team. And sure, they know Matt and Brock but that hasn't stopped people from being shitty in the past. So they're keeping an eye on everything and side eyeing the hell out of the Wild. Even though they think this is going to be really good. They have a really good feeling.
Anyway -
So the Wild thinks they're pretty prepared for the normal chirping with Quinn, maybe some extra stuff since he was an omega. They were not prepared for the stuff people had the balls to say to him in front of them or about him to them.
The first time someone said something about Quinn skating so much it must be hard for him to go to his knees for them in the locker room - Brock is on them before it even fully processes what they said.
One says he doesn't smell like them enough, and can they not take care of an omega? Their team would be happy to do it for them. Show them how it's done. And the guy barely gets to smirk before they're knocking his teeth out.
And Quinn gets scented so hard after that game his skin was red.
He's used to it, has heard every dirty thing they can come up with. Doesn't even phase him too bad anymore. The only thing that does is when they get mean with.
Huh, you know, you sure don't smell like much there, Hughes. This locker room as cold for you as the last one?
It's been awhile since you guys have won. Think if we let you guys win, they'll let us have you for awhile?
And okay. Firstly, that's not even a thing. Second, even if it was, Quinn's positive they wouldn't.
But it's not like he'd be able to fight off a bunch of hockey player alphas if they really wanted him.
And people tend to look the other way with that stuff.
Kind of a Well, what did you expect? There's a reason professional sports usually don't have omega players situation.
A Well, were you taunting them? situation. Like chirping isn't essentially a requirement for hockey. Like he can't open his mouth on ice or they won't be able to think about anything but what they can put in it.
And Quinn gets kind of tossed around a lot. He's a little guy but it's more than that.
Anytime they get him flat on his belly and they could have access to the back of his neck, or knock him to his knees, or occasionally manage to get him on his back, it has the whole Wild team snarling.
It would get to the point where it wasn't worth it. Go after the omega and the whole team is after you. Plus the brothers next time you play their team.
*Maybe the US doesn't have as many omegas that play as Canada, so some of the US players are a little protective and retaliatory if someone does something particularly insulting to Quinn.
Matthews.
McAvery.
The Tkachuks.
Eichel.
Zegras.
Thompson.
anon i have been sitting on this one ALL DAY because it is soooooo delicious and i needed the time to actually sit down and give a response all my attention…….this one is SO GOOD and it’s been taking up SO MUCH of my brain
apologies to everyone else bc this is gonna be long as hell but the flavor.........i'm so ALIVE
Thinking about abo stuff and omega Quinn
And everyone knows the best way to rile up Jack and Luke is to say something degrading about Quinn. Gets them angry and fired up and it can either throw the whole game off to the point they lose or have them on your ass and completely dominate.
Because omega Quinn, beta Jack, and alpha Luke has taken ahold of my head. And them being all protective over Quinn even though he's the oldest. Especially on a new team. And sure, they know Matt and Brock but that hasn't stopped people from being shitty in the past. So they're keeping an eye on everything and side eyeing the hell out of the Wild. Even though they think this is going to be really good. They have a really good feeling.
Anyway -So the Wild thinks they're pretty prepared for the normal chirping with Quinn, maybe some extra stuff since he was an omega. They were not prepared for the stuff people had the balls to say to him in front of them or about him to them.The first time someone said something about Quinn skating so much it must be hard for him to go to his knees for them in the locker room - Brock is on them before it even fully processes what they said.One says he doesn't smell like them enough, and can they not take care of an omega? Their team would be happy to do it for them. Show them how it's done. And the guy barely gets to smirk before they're knocking his teeth out.And Quinn gets scented so hard after that game his skin was red.
YES YES oh man, them being so protective of him because growing up together, they saw the way some people turned around on quinn after he presented—some of whom were supposed to be their friends, too. jack getting big enough and good enough to play with the older kids, and witnessing firsthand the kind of things other players would feel so comfortable sneering at quinn in passing…the way jack could tell that the flush on quinn’s face wasn’t just from the cold. not needing to have presented yet, himself, to pick up on the threads of frustration and humiliation in quinn’s scent…….. the concept of that being the first time jack draws a major penalty, because you don’t just get to come up to his big brother and say that kind of shit, and think you’re going to skate away unscathed. (their dad gets mad at him for it, their mom less so.) luke, being the youngest, remembering the point at which the other parents at practice started asking ellen if she really intended to let quinn keep playing hockey, given his… dynamic; luke not really understanding at the time, but figuring it out pretty soon afterwards.
and it’s not like quinn can’t handle himself—the better he got and the higher he moved up, the more he started snapping his teeth when the refs weren’t looking, shoving back and making it abundantly clear that he belonged there on the ice with them, that his worth as a player was more than his status as an omega.
but all three of them know there’s also only so much you can do on the ice if there’s nothing physical and the refs aren’t paying attention, and if quinn wants to play and to stay out of the penalty box, then sometimes it’s just easier to ignore it or bear it. but that’s quinn’s choice to make, and jack & luke more often tend to make the choice of “fuck you, what the fuck did you just say about my brother, get your ass back here”
and they’re pretty careful about their friends because of it, like i imagine they’re the type of guys who will let someone off for one (1) omega-disparaging joke, as a warning, and then you’re out. so far matt and brock have been good about it but that’s no guarantee, so…they watch the trade and quinn very closely
jack: let me know if i need to fly out there, or something. you know, if they’re being shitty
quinn: it’s very sweet that you think you could take on marcus foligno if he was being an asshole
luke: love is the most powerful force of all, quinn, don’t doubt him
jack: so i hate the both of you,,
oooooooohhhh yeah, like. in my mind the wild has to go through some sort of sensitivity training or smth before quinn gets there lmao, like one of those quizzes that’s like “which of the following options it okay to ask/say to your omega teammate?” and the answers are all:
a) nice ass, good lookin’
b) but don’t you want to settle down and start a family?
c) *** ****** **** ** **** *****
d) is there anything in particular you want to focus on in practice today?”
but none of that really fully prepares them for the fact that players will actually say that shit to quinn on the ice—especially right in front of them!! everyone knows that the nhl is broadly alpha-centric: it’s in the sport, the teams, the fan culture. omega players aren’t common, and despite milquetoast efforts by the league to create more equitable conditions—everybody knows it’s rougher out there for them. but there’s a big difference between knowing people say those kinds of thing behind turned backs and closed doors, and someone zipping by them during pregame practice to lament how the wild overpaid for vancouver’s sloppy seconds.
there’s a big difference, especially, when they can see quinn’s reaction to it, the way his face cycles through six expressions of variegated unhappiness before settling into a blank mask, and that—no one gets to just say that right to quinn’s face, in front of all of them, and think they’re going to let it slide. quinn’s barely been there a week and the wild’s already starting fights about it, making sure he’s more than thoroughly scented before he steps out on the ice.
He's used to it, has heard every dirty thing they can come up with. Doesn't even phase him too bad anymore. The only thing that does is when they get mean with.Huh, you know, you sure don't smell like much there, Hughes. This locker room as cold for you as the last one?It's been awhile since you guys have won. Think if we let you guys win, they'll let us have you for awhile?And okay. Firstly, that's not even a thing. Second, even if it was, Quinn's positive they wouldn't.But it's not like he'd be able to fight off a bunch of hockey player alphas if they really wanted him.And people tend to look the other way with that stuff.
the problem being that, for quinn, none of that necessarily makes things better for him …….OUUUUUGHGH having developed a threshold for it, because he’s had to in order to keep playing. it doesn’t always matter if quinn smells like someone twice his size who’s more than willing to throw hands—people will talk shit anyway. and it’s fine, it is, quinn’s used to it, even if there are things that still dig deeper than he’d care to admit… sticks and stones and all that, but the kind of comments that poke at spots where he’s still sore (vancouver, for example), still hurt, even if he won’t acknowledge it.
worse still, if it touches on any of quinn’s anxieties about the trade and the dynamics of a new team. because yeah, he knows these guys, and he mostly trusts them, because so far they’ve been protective, but quinn’s also still caught up in all the what if’s— what if he can’t trust them? what if he’s been mistaking protectiveness for possessiveness? what if they did want—that? what would quinn even do, what could he even do? not that they would, he’s pretty sure, but. what if they did?
Kind of a Well, what did you expect? There's a reason professional sports usually don't have omega players situation.A Well, were you taunting them? situation. Like chirping isn't essentially a requirement for hockey. Like he can't open his mouth on ice or they won't be able to think about anything but what they can put in it.And Quinn gets kind of tossed around a lot. He's a little guy but it's more than that.Anytime they get him flat on his belly and they could have access to the back of his neck, or knock him to his knees, or occasionally manage to get him on his back, it has the whole Wild team snarling.It would get to the point where it wasn't worth it. Go after the omega and the whole team is after you. Plus the brothers next time you play their team.
“Like he can't open his mouth on ice or they won't be able to think about anything but what they can put in it”..........i sat with this for like five minutes because UFGH YES. he’s not only an omega but a smaller guy, too, and he’s aware of the disadvantage both put him at. it’s why he tries not to rise to the bait when players chirp at him, because if they know it bothers him, if they know they can get under his skin and get his attention that way, then they know what they can use to distract him from playing his best. the problem other teams are encountering is that the wild is reacting for him, sending a clear message that even if quinn won’t fight, they will, and if there’s one aspect of drawing penalties that the wild excels at, it’s making sure they drag someone else down with them. it only takes a handful of games to demonstrate how how bad of an idea it is to keep messing with quinn, to show other teams how very off-limits he is, not because he’s technically inaccessible, but that it’s just not worth it
also i love the concept that jack & luke are keeping a mental list of players that fuck with quinn….. imagine saying something vaguely discriminatory once to one guy on a minnesota team, and then a month later you’re playing in jersey and just get randomly jumped about it?? hilarious and soooo so good
anon this ask…..it’s like you peeked into my brain about this THANK YOU this was such a treat to find in my inbox………much to think about, much to ruminate on, much to add to my evil little drafts…..thank you!!!!
The recent anon abo ask where Brock helps Quinn get scented has been haunting me.
Insane and feral is so right.
I just keep imagining Quinn getting nervous or starting to squirm and Brock quieting him and telling him to be good.
Maybe Matt and Kirill having to occasionally take the same position Brock is in once they start slowly getting him used to the rest of the team scenting him too.
Not to the extent or the same way they scent him though 👀
Love the ask about heats not necessarily being sexual.
I think it kind of links in with the one I sent about preheat being similar to PMS.
I didn't picture a lot of that sexual. And even during heat, I kind of picture it as a as needed thing rather than a have to have.
Or even a intimacy with the pack but more sexual with the ones under the mate category in his head vs the pack category.
Or maybe it becomes more sexual after bonding.
Plus heats actually being miserable opens the door for so much hurt/comfort.
Temperature regulation issues like you discussed.
Loss of appetite and nausea means that he usually comes out of it losing a few pounds that he really can't afford to lose.
Fatigue to the point where he sleeps whole days but honestly that might be better than being awake and miserable.
However
I also love the idea that heats have to be sexual, and if they're not thank it's a super painful experience and all the above happens.
Quinn hates his heats so he always fights them on it. It's not that he doesn't want it necessarily but he doesn't like needing it.
So it puts the pack in a hard place where they can help Quinn and they know it but also they have to respect him saying no.
And he always puts it off long enough that it starts to hurt.
So he ends up smelling like hurt and pain and all the bad things until he finally gives it up and agrees.
And then they have to figure out how to provide when it's like the least arousing thing in the world when an omega smells like that.
I just think exploring that would be fun.
The only thing that's going to make him feel better is sex but there's no way I can get it up under these circumstances.
I picture a lot of I'm sorry and I know and all the comforting words because they are sorry and they do know it hurts but they have to move him and do what they need to do to get it done and him to start feeling better.
And it's like a drug because as soon as they finish, Quinn just goes boneless under them. Scent going sweet and thick and pain free.
And maybe they just can't do it sometimes and they have to help Quinn through a really shittty heat in other intimate but not sexual ways.
Quinn doesn't blame them when they can't. It's his fault for waiting so long, especially when he knows how sensitive they are to his scent, but giving in feels too vulnerable and he can't get himself to do it yet.
Cue a few heats like this and Quinn decides okay. He can do this. And reminds them his heat is coming up like they don't all have it saved on their calendars with reminders.
But this time he doesn't say the day it officially starts or a day or so after. This time he says a day or so before, which means they won't start helping late, and they all know what that means. And amazingly enough, his heats don't suck anymore.
YES!! like don't get me wrong, i love traditional heat fic because the gender of it all is very near and dear to me. however there's also something so compelling about a guy who needs to be cuddled, needs to be crushed between his heat partners and who can't bear to be physically separated from his heat partner(s), spends the whole time sitting in their lap or needing them to just lie on top of them in the bed because being squished into the mattress satisfies his instincts so good 🙂↕️
the intimacy divide between sexual and platonic existing along lines of mate/potential mate and pack is exactly how i envision it as well!! i imagine both as equally satisfying to heat instincts, but for a lot of people sex helps their heat end earlier, which is why many tend to go that route, for convenience.
and YESSSS i love a miserable heat for the h/c of it all…..quinn just kind of being miserable during it, body aches and cramps, oscillating between exhaustion and insomnia. he's either intolerable restless or too weary to get out of bed, even for food. all of that being why it's usually advised for omegas to have some form of heat partner, not only to relieve the worst of the symptoms but also to make sure they're still eating and staying hydrated…quinn always comes out of his heat a couple pounds lighter, a little paler, looking like he's right off the end of a super long shift, always smelling like lingering pain and dissatisfaction, and the wild hate it :((
but ohhhhhh yes the idea that heats without sex are so painful, almost intolerable……yesssssssss
quinn being so stubborn about it, in part (going back to another ask) because he has a lot of internalized issues about his biology and being reliant on others, especially alphas. and rationally he knows heats are easier with partners, but that doesn't stop him from hating the vulnerability and desperation and neediness. quinn hates it, and asking for help even as a baseline, and the idea of having someone in his space when he'd probably beg for anything is not only frustrating but also frightening. and he has suffered through them alone before, so he knows he can—he doesn't need to ask for help, certainly not from the pack to which he's still so new.
but maybe because of those fresh bonds, his first/first few heats with the wild being so rough. like heat is meant to be a bond strengthening thing, so is body is working really hard to solidify his connection to the pack.
he tries to resist it anyway, hopes he can just ride it out alone, but it does get to a point where it's just pain, he can't even leave his nest and everything hurts. the pack isn't really surprised when he finally texts, desperate for help—they're just sad it took him so long, that he tried so hard to wait it out until it was basically too late.
and OUGH the concept that because it's so hard for him, it's so hard for them—scrumptious 🤤 apologizing because there's nothing about his scent that's arousing. their instincts are wired to respond to quinn's heat, not in spite of it. still trying to help, giving him their fingers and mouths to take the edge off, to give him enough relief that his scent isn't just unhappiness and pain, so they can actually give him what he needs. and yeah the way he finally just relaxes, pain eased, smelling satisfied and relieved. but oh there also being times when it's just too difficult, or when quinn's instincts won't let up enough on being defensive…still trying to do what they can, and it's better than nothing but not always quite enough—and they know being there does help, but also it's so hard when quinn is clearly in so much discomfort and clearly upset about needing them there………
ugh him finally getting to the point where he trusts them enough!!!! it would be such a huge step for him and they all know it. trying not to show how proud they are in case quinn interprets it as patronizing. and yeah!! quinn finally realizing that when he gets ahead of the pain, his heats are so much milder and pass so much faster—and, “shockingly,” are actually pleasant and enjoyable!!
......can you guys tell i love giving quinn trust and intimacy issues. is it obvious by this point 😭
I've been thinking that a nhl composed mostly of alphas, a few betas, and the rare omegas opens the door for a lot of potential problems.
It'd make sense that most if the trainers, medical staff, etc would 1.) Be mostly betas. Less likely to trigger the aggressive, professional athlete alphas. 2.) Mainly be familiar with the alpha side of things.
So when Quinn needs something, problems they don't even think about pop up.
I imagine they'd be different in a lot of ways.
Omegas run cold so they don't overheat in their nests or during their heats. Alphas run hot to counter that omegas run cold.
Omegas need more sleep but they doze for most of it. Alphas need less sleep but it's got to be a deep sleep.
Omegas are more sensitive but their pain tolerance is higher. Alphas are tougher but their pain tolerance isn't good.
Omegas has smaller, sharper teeth and Alphas have larger, duller teeth.
Just for some fun ones I can think of at the moment.
So like:
Medications - giving him too much/too little of something.
When he gets hurt and they give him the wrong dose of pain meds. Leaving him having trouble breathing, weak, or barely able to stay conscious.
And only when he misses a dose in the chaos and starts to feel a little better do they put it together.
Body - giving him stretches that aren't necessarily helping him, don't know places to avoid touching when working with him, etc.
I also feel like it makes sense that they just wouldn't know things and assume stuff.
Like scruffing an omega? Huge issue unless you know exactly where to grab.
Grab the wrong spot and it hurts a lot. It's also paralyzing, leaves omegas basically useless, and it's just a terrifying thing for someone to be able to drag you around with one hand.
Grab the right spot and it's great. A rush of serotonin that leaves omegas pliant and lovey and basically purring.
People don't think it's that bad though. So maybe the trainers/medical do it on Quinn sometimes to hold him still, because hockey players are terrible patients.
And no one really thinks anything of it and Quinn doesn't ever say anything about. Because it's Quinn.
Some potential for a misunderstanding where he thinks they know about it and they don't know it's happening.
Because they always ask Quinn questions about omega stuff and they know unless they're 100% sure where they're grabbing him, they need to be careful.
Until Quinn gets hurt and while the trainers are looking him over he flinches away when they poke too hard and they just scruff him. Because they need him to hold still so they can check it and this is easier.
And the team is on them immediately.
Maybe everyone thinks they're being over protective and it's fine. We do this everytime.
And they what?
Later, much later when Quinn doesn't snap teeth when they get too close to his neck, he'll show them exactly where to grab for it to not hurt. It's good knowledge to have for pack/mates. A good way to calm or comfort a stressed omega, or during heat.
And maybe where to grab it so it does hurt. Because taking their hands and showing them exactly where to grab and knowing with 100% certainty that they'll never use it just settles something in him.
DELICIOUS DELICIOUS YES
anon it's like you're in my brain…..i literally spent an hour yesterday on world building notes that almost certainly will not make it into my fic in a meaningful way (😭) but was basically a punch of league regulatory frameworks around dynamics & how that relates to healthcare, penalties, player rights, etc. (i can post some of that if people want??)
so you and i are on the same wavelength thinking about a lot of this stuff 🧠🤝🧠
the structure of the league (present and historically) being mostly alphas, so that's who most trainers are qualified/trained to work on. like it's a systemic discrimination thing for sure, but also individually it’s just that most medical staff are trained using alphas as a baseline
so yeah the meds and the scruffing and stuff…….OOF GOOD. bc like honestly i see the wild as a team that definitely tries to accommodate the fact that quinn is an omega—they want him so bad, so ofc they're going to do their best. but also maybe nobody realizes they need to update their medical staff's training because they're expecting quinn to tell them if things are wrong…and quinn is used to being handled wrongly. the medical staff genuinely don't realize they're bordering on medical malpractice not giving him good care, because the trainers figure that quinn's reactions to things are different-but-normal, and quinn is just used to seeing it as another part of being an omega in the nhl that he has to muscle through if he wants to play the sport he loves. he knows its kind of an issue, but he assumes that the trainers are aware of what they're doing...the staff in vancouver sure had been.
so like a solid month or two go by where nobody is any the wiser and quinn is just quietly putting up with things and trying to avoid injury so that he can avoid that skin-crawling-bad-trapped feeling whenever they scruff him wrong, because being forced to just lay there on the exam table while everyone moves around him and having to trust that he's safe while his instincts are blaring a constant alarm in the background…..it's not great!!
AND THE FIRST TIME THEY DO IT IN FRONT OF THE TEAM!! i'm thinking it happens during some intermission between periods, quinn took a hard fall or something and he's carrying himself like something hurts, but he's trying to pretend like he's not injured because they're in the middle of a game, and if they scruff him now he's not going to be able to return to the ice as soon as the period starts, so he keeps waving them off. the team not understanding why he's so resistant; in their minds he should just get it checked to make sure he's good to play, but quinn's really digging his heels in about it. and one of the trainers seeing an opening to scruff him, just figuring that he's being a stubborn hockey player about it, but he really should get looked at or he might hurt himself worse back out on the ice…..
quinn going still and quiet but not in the good way, and they spend so much time together that they can all immediately read it in his scent, that the stress is worse and more, and they jump on it so fast. whatever discussions might have been happening about the game instantly taking a back seat to what the fuck?? let go of him and what the fuck are you doing??? someone is getting fired for sure over it, and hynes has to go out and bargain with the refs for just a few more minutes bc the team is so keyed up about all of it and they need a minute to get it together again before they can play
and ooooohhh yesssss 🙂↕️🙂↕️ the showing them where they can and can't scruff him, trying to exercise that trust once he realizes that they never actually meant to do that to him, and it also helps that he has no less than 3 aggressively protective teammates watching over things the whole time
