Chapter Text
Dennis knows he shouldn't be out, not without permission, not with this cold, more than anything not alone.
Being an omega in a beta household was lonesome.
His father treated him like a bother, a thing he could not place without feeling odd or in the way. His mother treated him like a girl, he was a man, already of age, already tall enough to pass her, yet fragility suits him, making him tend the tasks where strength was not a requirement, the ones that were meant for a daughter instead of a son. His brothers were in the middle, not ignoring him but making sure to never anger their father by acknowledging his presence, never speaking with him but of him.
So he got tired of it, he had enough.
Enough of the way he was looked down on, how he was ignored at the minimal mistake, how he could still taste the blood on his mouth after his father slapped him.
It's only so much a person can take until he breaks.
Dennis took his coat, his thickest clothes, winter boots and left.
Out of Broken Bow there must be a better life, maybe even find a community of omegas, find an alpha, find something that was not mistreatment.
Not being a thing but a person.
He walked until his house became a tiny speckle of darkness.
Going up the hills with stiff steps, sniffling the cold away and rubbing his cold nose, looking around at the wild trees he had never seen before, where he had not been allowed to wander. It was a new experience, but mostly, ever since he left a few hours ago before anyone could wake up, were.
After growing in a farm the forest didn't quite bother him, trees were hard to mark if you didn't understand how they came to be, how old they were, and because they all looked the same. Still, even when lost, it wasn't like he knew where he wanted to go, Dennis just wanted to leave.
When the sun threatens to go down, and that means no light to guide him in the middle of nowhere, that's the moment Dennis begins to panic, to think about what he is doing a bit more carefully.
His legs were tired, he brought no food or water and his lips were dry. His hands feel heavy, almost like hard to move, and when he sees at the distance lights moving he hurries down there.
It was a highway.
He hurried, panting as his feet buried in the snow making it hard to move, cars passed by without noticing him, the orange hue becomes darker and darker until the night swallows him, Dennis sighed, just a few steps away from being visible to the passing vehicles, and, when he blinked everything felt heavier, wobbly legs can barely hold him and he finds himself falling on his knees, the cold crushes him, he was exhausted, and even when he tried to stand his body betrayed him.
The snow on his face should have awakened him, the cold bit his skin making him unable to breathe properly, yet when his hand pushed up his torso trembled and gave away again.
The last thing he sees is a bright light coming close, forcing him to close his eyes.
He awakes feeling heated, he had heard that when the body got cold it tricked the brain to believing it was too warm, making men take their clothes off in the middle of blizzards. He hoped that was not happening to him.
He breathes in, his eyes still shut, the heat fills his lungs, he recognizes an aroma of coffee, of something woodsy and alcohol-like, the last feels like something his father drinks at night. Dennis clutches his hands, trying to figure out if he is dead or alive. An engine roars, and he frowns, feeling weak as he moves a bit he notices he has been covered by something, a blanket or a jacket, the smell of a man clinging to it.
Dennis opens his eyes slowly, afraid of the situation he seems to be in once sure he is not dead.
The first thing he noticed is that he is inside a truck, almost laying in the seat beside the driver, his eyes can't catch the man's face, only a beard, the second thing he notices is the darkness that surrounds them, pitch black except the light of the car that allows him to see how they are surrounded by thick trees, and the last thing is how calm he feels to be in the situation he is in.
He takes a moment to process it.
He breaths in deeply.
Coffee, wood, alcohol and maybe cinnamon.
He breathes out and he feels movement beside him.
He forces his eyes shut, leaning away as if he was asleep. The movement beside him ceases, like the man accommodating himself, Dennis hears the way he breathes, as if taking the scent of Dennis.
It takes a few minutes for him to fall asleep again, he doesn't mean to, but in between the warmth, the exhaustion and the way the car hums, Dennis drifts away.
When he awakes again he is being laid somewhere, he is not fully up, his eyes are heavy, blinking slow and not even opening them all the way. He feels hands under his legs and his torso, carefully putting him down. It's so gentle, so gentle it stirs something on his stomach. He can't help but nuzzle on the chest of the man and fall asleep again.
Dennis looks up catching the eyes of the man, he freezes, both of them do.
Some minutes have passed as the man is no longer holding him but sitting in an armchair in front of the fire beside Dennis.
The man is old, older than his brothers, almost the same age as his mother. His hair is short and graying, the beard also has some patches of gray. He has broad shoulders, hands that cover a mug that's still hot from the smoke that comes from it.
“Hi”
The voice is not particularly deep, but it feels raspy, a bit put out by Dennis.
That's when Dennis smells it, not a Beta, not an Omega, there's a heaviness to the man, something that attracts him to it, his hands fidget. An alpha, not the first one he has seen but never this close.
He stays silent, not blinking, staring. The man looks to the window, swallowing and clenching the mug before taking another peak at him.
“You are awake” It's a bit cheerful, but it sounds awkward, his attempt to lighten the mood does not work.
Dennis says nothing, leaning away with caution.
“I, uh, I found you laying on the side of the road, I… I know you must be scared, and this must be confusing for you” He leaves the mug on a small wooden table beside his leather armchair and leans forward to speak to Dennis, he feels tired. “I swear all I did was with good intentions, I just saw you covered in snow, in the verge of hypothermia and I couldn't leave you there”
Dennis blinks, slowly taking in the place he is in before staring at the man again.
It felt like a cabin, but it was bigger than a normal one, the fireplace had pictures above it, beside it had bookshelves filled with books, not organized but double stacked to fit more, wood piled beside it, the rug old and used but not dirty. The arm chair the man was on was a bit dried, not worn out, but overly used, behind him an open kitchen that had the windows covered with old see through curtains
“I am Michael Robinavitch but people call me Robby, I am a Doctor, used to be, actually.” He smiles again, tight lipped and squinting a bit. Dennis sat up, hands sweaty and his hair sticking on his forehead. “So I guess you are lucky I found you” His smile falters, his hand on the armchair toys with the blanket under him.
“I am Dennis” He whispers, still staring, still wary.
The younger man looks at his hands, his knuckles reddish, it feels like he had been burnt in the snow and his body was just getting used to being warm again, or like the change of temperature was making him flushed.
The silence stretched, the fire in front of them crackled making him feel almost like at home.
“Do you… Do you wish to tell me what happened, Dennis?” The older man is looking at him kindly, his eyes don’t feel predatory but worrying, his hands laced as his elbows were propped on his knees leaning to Dennis.
After all, the so-called Michael had found an omega passed out in the dead of the night.
Dennis picks on his nails, looking away again, taking in the small figures in the carpet before opening his mouth, assessing what he could say, what he couldn't.
“Not really” He whispers, his head is leaning down but his eyes look up, it was a pitiful expression as his mouth was slightly ajar.
“Okay” Robby’s voice comes strained as he stands up.
He looks at the man, tall, taller than his father, taller than any of his brothers, maybe even taller than the Alpha in his small town. Dennis looks down again cowarding, feeling too vulnerable.
“You were really cold when I found you. I took your temperature when you were unconscious, I'm sorry about that.” He slowly kneels, his knee cracks and he grunts softly before being eye to eye with him. “I understand some Omegas are not fond of touching but I promise it was strictly professional.” Robby smiled again, this time it felt more standard, if before he was nervous now he seemed to be in Doctor mode.
“It's okay.” Dennis whispers again, still moving away.
Robby's smile keeps put even when noticing the movement. “I need to do it again, just to check your temperature, I wouldn't bother you again this soon but you are really dehydrated and need to rest so after this i need you to keep sleeping, ah, and drink some warm tea.” He breathes in. “You won't like this but I need you to change your clothes, they used to be damp, so I took your jacket, I don't know if the under layers are wet as well.” The older man spoke to him as if he was a kid.
Dennis took in his clothes, he no longer was wearing his jacket, it had been replaced with, what he assumed, was Robby's jacket by the way it didn't fit him at all. He swallowed, feeling a bit faint before touching his sweater, not wet, but it felt a bit damp.
“Is it okay if I touch you?”.
He stares at the older man's beard, the perpetual grin that was too perfect to be natural.
“Yes, okay” He stutters, his hands clinging to the blanket on his lap before looking down again and waiting for the touch of the Alpha.
He stopped breathing, the fireplace roared behind Robby and Dennis felt his heart beating fast, he was anxious, never in his life he had physical contact with an Alpha, would his body react to the touch? would he feel a need to be at his side?
Dennis had barely had a few heats, none pleasant, but he had been taught Alphas induced something primal and animalistic in Omegas making them submissive with just a few words. He did not feel like his omega side had taken over, yet it's not like he could tell from other experiences.
A hand covered his forehead, it was big and rough. Dennis swallowed dryly, he felt the man's eyes on him. The palm covered his forehead entirely, even a bit of his vision.
It stirred something in him.
“You have a bit of fever, nothing scandalous.” Robby said, taking his hand immediately, his voice strained before he could stand. “I’ll serve you some hot tea, you can change into dry clothes, I left some beside the kitchen counter, I'll be right back.” He left, his steps made the wood under his boot creak.
“You can change here, I won't look”
It was quick, a small smile, clothes beside him as he excused himself to the kitchen again.
Dennis stared at the back of the man, his hands were busy heating the water in a wooden stove, it would have been easier to heat the kettle on the fireplace but he assumed Robby did that to give some sense of privacy.
Slowly he stood up, his legs ached from all the walking, and his feet felt swollen when taken out his boots. His socks were wet, and it made him cringe at how cold he felt. It took him a few seconds to decide if he was changing there just a few meters from the man, it felt like he had not left him all alone in case Dennis fainted right there.
He took his clothes off and put on a new one immediately, every time he took a garment he looked to the side to see Robby pretending to be busy or clinging to the wooden table beside the stove, head cast down.
Dennis left his clothes beside the fireplace to dry them, then sitting on the couch and covering himself with the jacket he had already claimed as his for the time being.
It took a few more seconds for Robby to notice the lack of movement or maybe he waited to make sure Dennis had stopped for good before finishing the tea and coming back.
“Thank you” He grabs the mug, it was chipped and had some teddy bears painted on.
“It’s the least I can do.”
He looked at the man again, giving his version of a nice smile. Dennis looked down again, shy.
His reflection made him feel feral. He was a bit dirty, hair wild and stuck to his skin, his cheeks were pink by the fire and the fever.
“It’s more than i deserve” He whispers, the weight of the cross on his chest sank down.
If the doctor heard him, he didn't say anything. Maybe it was a small mercy.
All this seemed like a miracle. He looked at Robby again, he gave him grace by drinking from his own mug and looking at the fire. Dennis took in his form, tall, strong but not overly muscled, it felt like he had gained his mass by physical labour, he knew hardworking hands when he saw them, Robby had them.
How did a doctor end up in the middle of the forest?
Or more like an Alpha unclaimed and secluded?
He had been told some old stories of Alphas gone wild, losing their humanity and becoming savage like creatures that isolated themselves due to their violent manners.
Robby didn't look like one.
He took a sip of the tea, it smelled nice, it had sugar in it, more than what he was used to having, and Dennis wondered if Robby did, in fact, think of him as a teenager.
Dennis was twenty two, but had inherited his mothers baby face therefore looked much younger. Maybe it was also an Omega trait, the whole prepared to bear babies thing and so. Dennis wasn't particularly fond of it, or he was not allowed to when your father feels it blasphemy to be a male and be able to get pregnant.
Half his cup was done when his blinking became heavier, it was slow. In between the soothing sound of the fire, the warmth and the smell of the Alpha his blinks became longer and longer.
The first long blink he tried to keep himself awake when he noticed Robby turning to see him. Still sitting, resting his body with no fear with his own finished mug.
The second time he opened his eyes the floor creaked and Robby was taking the mug from his hands, it had almost spilled on the knitted blanket. Dennis tried to speak but his eyes closed again and everything went dark.
The third and last Dennis was already laying down, Robby putting out the fire a bit before leaving the area, he could hear the floor creaking, it went up and up and it stopped after a closed door.
He passed out again, mouth open as he felt his nose a bit stuffed, his hands clung to the jacket and sniffed it noticing the cinnamon scent in the collar. It felt so nice, like a hug, like someone holding him, it felt secure, like he was meant to be there.