Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The soft hums of her voice echoed through the large room. Her hands brushed through his short hair that matched hers. A soft tune that seemed to repeat through his head during even the most dire of moments.

Twitching, shaking in a heap of his sweat as he pulled his knees closer to his chest. Her memory reflects off Ivan as his voice reminded him of her.

Till had been feeling off all week; he had stuck closer to Ivan as his stomach began to cramp earlier that morning. Each wave, feeling as if his muscles were contracting, pain radiating down his legs, as he reluctantly lay his head on Ivan’s lap.

The other boy told him to relax, as they both sat together in the grass. Ivan’s milky scent somewhat calmed his nerves, as he would curl further into himself.

His collar shone a bright red even as Ivan rubbed his back at their awkward angle. The pain circling his abdomen, fingers digging into the fabric of his shirt, as another wave of pain came over him. A small whimper escaped his throat as he pushed his face further into Ivan’s lap.

Till could feel his heart hammering against his chest, thoughts flooding incomprehensibly with each new contraction. Till though if this was what dying felt like, sweat beading off his skin with each new breath.

Tears being absorbed by Ivan’s pants, Till swiped his face against the soft fabric– a stark contrast to his canvas material, which seemed to rub and itch against his skin.

Moving his shaking arms, Till managed to prop himself up with a shuddering breath- Ivan paused his ministrations. His voice dying in his throat– the gentle tune dissipating.

“Till, you don’t have to get up..”

Pushing back, Till barrel got himself standing as his head seemed to follow just a second behind. Being so close to someone, even Ivan, made his heart hurt. Felt suffocating, too warm, making his head swim in a flurry of confusion and nausea.

Eyes traveling slowly, yet everything blurred together as if someone had smudged his vision. Flashes of his drawings came to mind, the pencil marks blurred by fingers darkened by graphite, contaminating the bright yellow and orange decorating the page.

Even as his body clumsily made its way down the hill, he was sure he pushed past a blur of pink and black- but his brain had mixed everything he saw into a splatter of paint tossed against a canvas.

He wasn’t sure how long his collar glowed its ominous red, but the imminent danger it brought in its midst nagged at the back of his brain. Heart hammering against his chest, pushing past multiple people before crashing into a looming figure.

Till could barely lift his head, feeling his legs shave under the constant pulse of pain. A large hand encompassed his waist as the Segyein led him to the dorms. Their language, one he had started to understand by being around Urak, was now incomprehensible to his brain.

White walls seemingly became never-ending until he collided with the floor of his dorm.

Door closing with a resounding click- the Segyein held his head in its hand as a small pin prick snapped into his collar. Neck muscles twitched against the intrusion as his veins felt a cooling liquid enter slowly.

A small, click-click-psst.

Until his eyes began to fall, vision going black, until his head finally hit the cool floor. Pulling him up, despite the heavy dead weight of his body, the Segyein brought him to his bed before leaving with a small click of the door.

Instinctually trying to nuzzle against the blankets, the scent reminding him of Ivan. Of a pup that has yet to present, what he used to smell like Cream, like milk- nothing like Mizi and her slowly developing sweetened tones. Thinking about her made his heart ache, smelling his once-pup-scented sheets flashing images of Ivan. A way that made his head pulse with pain as it would travel down to his stomach

Now tainting the fabric with his never, cooler scent of peppermint- a cooling effect entering his head even as a warmth radiated from his back.

It was disappearing, Ivan’s scent- even as he tried to convince his brain of it being the others- was being replaced. With an unfamiliar scent that was now permanently his. Body pushing further against the fabric, trying to chase the quickly dissipating milky scent.

Till felt heavy, with the room’s still cool air barely alleviating his overheated body. Blinking rapidly against the heavy weight…

As a final, click-click-psst echoed in the room, the void cloning in on his vision as everything seemed to slip away.

A soft hymn of a woman's voice seemingly entering his head- hands carding through his hair, rubbing his back, milky scent replaced with peppermint.

He hadn’t even been able to say goodbye, gather his meager possessions, or even comprehend what was happening until he woke up in a room similar to the one before.

Still white and barren, but now with another bed pushed against the opposite wall, and a matching desk between them.

Quiet and calm- with a soft hum of the vents as Till blearily looked around. Trying to gain feeling back in his limbs as his body twitched with every attempt at movement. He felt as if every blink made time drift off- blink once and an hour went by, again, and the day was now night.

As the door to the room opened, a boy who seemed to be around his age entered. His hair was a straight cut bob, just like Ivan when they were younger… but his was slightly longer. The boy's eyes were a shade of brown that matched his hair.

A soft smile was present on his face as he sat on his bed, across from his own, as his eyes watched him tiredly blink. It hurt to blink, it hurt to come out of what seemed to be an endless sleep, becoming more and more aware of the ache encompassing his body.

Head sluggishly moving around to take in the rest of the room fully- not too dissimilar to his last one. Barren as always, with the occasional decoration from his new roommate. Small drawing stuck to the other side of the room, depicting many people within a field.

Every drifting to his roommate, Till opened his mouth to ask-

‘Who are you?’

‘Where am I?’

‘What is going on?’

Anything, or everything really- even as his brain reeled at the unfamiliarity, his throat tightened. Dry and tacky, making every conscious swallow hurt. Coughing harshly as he bright his heavy hands to his face.

Rubbing at his eyes as his roommate came closer to him. A faint scent of freshly picked herbs encompasses him. The other boy fiddled with his shirt as he leaned in closer, nose twitching slightly as Till lazily blink at him.

“Are you alive?”

The boy sounded younger than he looked, voice pitched higher than his own- nervous but still closer to him than he’d prefer.

Bringing his finger to his mouth, the other chewed nervously at his skin, tipping between his right and left foot.

“I-”

A cough ripped through him as he felt his body lift against the bed with each resounding, rough breath taken. Burning his throat even more, hurting his lungs, and making the other shuffle a little farther away.

Trying to clear his throat,

“I’m Till”

His voice was still rough, barely understandable in its sorry state. Till could barely see the small droop of the boy's shoulders.

His hand went over his chest with a sigh of relief,

“I was worried for a second.”

A small awkward laugh escaped him as he tangled his fingers together- coming closer to him, sitting near his head on the floor.

“I’m Fio!”

The boy perked up with each passing minute. Till was sure that if he had a tail, it would be wagging like no tomorrow. Eyes looking at him, before turning to the ceiling. He put his hands over his chest as he focused on his breathing- trying not to cough his lungs out.

Till’s eyes narrowed,

“Your way to…trusting.”

He murmured, so quietly with a barren breath that he wasn’t sure Fio heard him. His eyes widened slightly at his words before replying,

“You just smell…so…refreshing”

Finding the words easily, his smile was wide, blush creeping on his neck-

“Everypne here smells too sweet, and there aren’t many male omegas.”

Fio looked so genuine that it made him physically wince.

‘Like looking at the sun,’ Till thought, squinting at his bright smile, watching as Fio leaned his chin against the bed.

“Where am I?”

Till managed to get out, Fio’s smile dropped slightly as he started to play with the stitching of his blanket.

“Well, we’re in a weird in-between facility. We’ll be here for a few months to mingle and get tests done while we wait for…”

Fio paused, a small sweat forming as he looked away fromTill.

“For…?”

Till pushed, a heavy weight leading from his stomach to his chest. The fact that he probably wouldn’t see his previous friends already swirling in his mind as his stomach rolled with Fio’s next words.

“For…ummm. For our owners to sell our first pregnancy- we’ll be transferred to a new facility indefinitely.”

It felt as if the weight on his chest turned into a sharp pain, constricting his lungs worse that any cough, as he could feel his vision blur with unshed tears.

In his peripheral vision, Fio scrunched his nose, no doubt from the sour scent emanating from him now.

But as if snapping out of it, like some sort of rubber band- Fio stumbled to get Till to sit up as a choked gag began to form in his throat. His face became red as his body fell apart with the words circling his mind, black filling his vision.

‘First pregnancy?!?!”

His stomach recoiled, another gag passing his lips.

‘Like breeding stock!’

A second wave of nausea reached his stomach, and his body collapsed against Fio. Chin against his shoulder as tears and snot travelled down his face.

‘Like my mother? My caretaker!’

A bubbling burn going up and up and up, struggling against it- trying to keep it down. His frantic movements left droplets of tears and saliva on the floor. Everything else staining Fio’s shirt as another dry heave wracked through his body.

‘Would he ever see them again? Sua, Mizi….Ivan?’

His fingers felt numb, knuckled going white, holding onto Fio’s shirt as he tried to grasp at anything- anything to keep him present.
He wanted his friends; he wanted their makeshift nest, their milky scent mingling together in a pile of soft fabrics and softer toys.

But to see him, to watch him fall apart as the Segyein took what they wanted- forced children into his body.

‘They can’t see me like this’

The final thought sent a sharp pain through his skull, and shame crept up, releasing burning bile onto the floor. Pushing Fio to the side as best he could, as the other rubbed soothing circles against his back… motion soothingly familiar.

Finally taking in a breath through his sore throat, burned by his stomach acids, barely protected by the excess of saliva dripping down his chin

Tears continued to stream down his face steamed red, pushing his face to Fio’s neck- fresh herbs. Trying to breathe, Fio patted his back- once, twice.

“Breath with me Till.”

Fio’s voice seemed so far- barely hanging on, Till wasn’t sure what happened next, but he was sure of the darkening vision creeping through. Dreams encapsulated him as Fio led him back down to life flat on his bed.

Eyes scanning the slowly disappearing room

“Little bird”
Till looked to Ivan, the boy had a book in his lap, but rather than looking at the brightly illustrated picture, he was looking towards him.

“Who are you calling little?”

With a small pout, matching Ivan’s smirk. Truthfully, he wasn’t sure what a bird was, but the other boy’s face just made the word seem like one of his usual dumb jokes made at his expense.

The word wasn’t familiar, probably something Ivan picked up from the books his owner had gotten him. For his ‘good behavior,’ but Till, with still healing bruises, would like to disagree with Ivan’s well-mannered self.

And while he drew what he saw, or wrote music sheet after music sheet of new songs based on his experiences, Ivan seems to continuously learn new things from a time before Segyeins.

Ivan turned the book to him, and a small creature was depicted in the book- a little thing that looked soft with brown and white hues. A Common Nightingale, it said beneath.

Eyes shifting- Ivan’s face was looking more and more punchable the more smug he got.

Till still didn’t get it, shaking his head,

“Whatever.”

Ivan tilted his head, seemingly not wanting to let this go,

“It says they have a beautiful song, just like Till.”

“It does not say that!”

Till shoved Ivan lightly- each passing moment brought a warm tone to his chest. Heavy and sweet,

“My little bird.”

Ivan repeated, softly gazing at the picture, then at him.

The artificial breeze of the garden cooled the heat rising to Till’s face as a distant yell brough his eyes away from Ivan.

“Ivan! Till!”

Mizi, her pink hair and scent catching the wind as both of them looked at her.

“Come nest with me and Sua!”

Waving her free hand as the other grasped Sua’s tightly.

“Come on, little bird.”

Sputtering a flustered reply, Till quickly gathered his sketchbook and color pencils- trialing after Ivan.

Tripping over his own feet as the hill began to follow his vision down.

Gasping awake, Till watched as Fio filled his vision. His eyes shook with concern, searching his face as Till tiredly blinked.

Helping him, he sat up in bed- the same white walls and movement making a wave of nausea encompass him once again.

Keeping it down this time, the taste of burning bile still staining his tongue as he reluctantly let his head fall to Fio’s shoulders- tense but slowly relaxing as the other breathed in his relaxed peppermint scent.

Trying to keep his heart calm for what seemed to be his new life.
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Till saw Fio less and less as time went on- faces would blur together as they would rush to where they were going.

Fio did mention how it was a temporary holding facility- with many of the rooms holding 4 omegas at most.

“We got lucky.”

Fio mentioned over lunch, stuffing his face with what looked to be porridge.

“I heard that they’ve tried stuffing 6 omegas into one room- something about conflicting scent made them stir crazy.”

Pushing around his meal, Till barely felt like eating anymore- his mouth watering but stomach rolling at the idea of something weighing him down.

“They’re fine cooping us together because it’s supposed to be temporary- any longer and I think we’d lose our minds!”

He said with a strained smile, laughing slightly as he tried to lighten the mood.

Sighing as Till looked down at his plate. His vision catches the trail of bruises lining his arm. More of the large Segyain hands left them as they would hold him down. The smaller dots decorated the crook of his elbow, made by their attempts at finding his veins.

His blood was tested every week, his “cervical” check was next, and his collar fitting was in a few days. Test after test, bruises piled on the next, faint spells from his lack of appetite, and constant blood draws.

Frowning to himself, Till wanted to curse at Fio- for being obedient to the bastards, treating them like stock. But he could only huff, his frustrations evident on his face. Fio was a good kid, younger than him by a year or so- not knowing much of anything outside the walls of Anakt.

‘I was born for this’

He had confessed one night, when they’ve had sleepless nights with white ceilings holding none of the answers.

‘I don’t know anything else but this Till’

Fio continued, eyes turning distant. Accepting the eerie silence, void of the voices but taken over by the hum of the air vent.

Feeling his head heavyweight pull him down, Till pulled back- seeing Fio stare at him with a nervous smile.

He coughed, A genuine smile now forming-

“I'm meeting my sponsor next week- so I might… you’ll be nice to your next roommate, right, Till?”

With a small tilt of his head, and a teasing smile-

“Of course, I’ll be so nice they’ll want to get a new roommate.”

Standing, as he ruffled Fio’s perfectly cut brown hair, tossing the strands into a mess. Patting his hands away, Fio flattened his hair, pouting as he followed behind Till.

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The next few days passed in quick succession, and his collar was fitted, matching the one he had in the garden, matching the one his mother had.

Feeling around the smooth metal, he could distinguish the small seams along the interlocking pieces with a small injection point at the naps.

A shudder forced itself up his spine.

His “cervical” exam was not any better, as the Segyein pushed and pulled skin. Pinching and swabbing at his inner walls at the other Segyein held his arms down with every twitch

A particular jab made him cry out in pain, as his head smacked against the table in a desperate attempt to distract him from the intense cramp radiating from his abdomen.

From his blurred vision, he could see his legs shake in occasional discomfort- the Segyein taking their sweet time, muttering about repeating the procedure if he kept squirming.

He wanted to rip this damn organ out of his body already, he even debated stealing a scalpel from the table once. So he could hide it in his sleeve before gutting himself and the Segyein who still had their disgusting fingers and cold tools inside him.

That day, Fio had stolen an extra pastry for him, his stomach still cramping as he took small bites every so often.
Every test he came back from that left him disconnected and silent, left Fio to fill the silence- his voice going quiet when he realized he wouldn't reply, before becoming light and airy as his brain wandered to the clouds…

“Till… Are you listening?”

Blinking back, clouds dissipating from his head as Fio gave him his bright smile. Wishing for shade, Till looked away from the personified sun.

“As I was saying, the alpha has the nicest scent I’ve ever smelled!”

“The only alpha scent you’ve ever smelled..?”

A small chuckle escaped him, Fio rubbing his hand against his nape, face becoming a slight flush of red.

“Well…I mean- it’s true! It’s like a-a I don’t know, like hugging a tree.”

Raising a brow-

“Have you ever hugged a real tree?”

Pausing slightly, Fio fumbled with his words.

“Well…no…no…but I’ve heard about them a lot-”

Till shook his head, ruffling Fio’s hair- his hands reaching to keep his hands there.

“Well..”

His sigh was heavy,

“You’re not missing much; they’re not super exciting..”

Fio looked at him, his eyes wide, face inching closer to his.

“You’ve.. Seen a real tree!”

Till looked away, face growing red to match Fio’s.

Sputtering out,

“Just once, but I wasn’t focused on it…”

Fio awed, his eyes traveling away as if envisioning the mystical plant. The silence enveloping them with a kindling warmth.

With a fall of his smile, Fio began to curl into himself.

“Till… I’m leaving tomorrow.”

His body shook with each passing moment- he knew it was going to happen, just never wen or how it would hurt his heart. Till’s eyes widened, feeling the warmth and shaking nerves of the other under his hand.

A small huff left him,

“Well.. don’t forget about me, okay?”

A soft smile formed on his face as Fio nodded with unshed tears glistening. Entering a small embrace, as the younger’s arm circled around him. Warm, soft, a small resonance of their heartbeats as they breathed in the fresh, herb-like scent of Fio combining with his peppermint.

The last time he would be able to scent him, as the next morning , he woke to the white ceilings, holding secrets whispered into the night, Fio was gone.

His items, his drawings, his decorations, his scent.

All gone, sterilized, and missing.

A small hole in his chest formed, aching every moment he returned to his room without Fio. Sighing to the emptiness every night, humming a small tune to the darkness.

Mentally preparing to wake up to a new scent in the room, to walk in and see a new person on the other bed. Confused and shaky as he was when he had first met Fio.

But thankfully or more accurately- Till’s heat came faster than he predicted. Meeting with his sponsor was a small affair, rushed through with his rapidly approaching heat. The Segyein spoke with the nursing staff of the specifics of his pregnancy, with their human pet paying no mind other than to quickly glance his way.

With the papers signed, Till was stuffed into a padded room with a pile of blankets- scented with the human pet’s scent. Distinguibly alpha pheromones reminding him of hard candy- sickeningly sweet yet bitter as a hint of lemon undertones entered his nose.

But through the pain radiating from his stomach to his legs, Till stumbled to the pile. Searching for something familiar, a soft nest to nuzzle and to brush his naked skin against. The idea of a soft nest overwhelming the anxious thoughts of a new scent.

He felt as if his skin was on fire- his limbs felt heavy, vision tunneling as he dropped into the pile. Tossing and turning in the blankets- wrapping the bitter lemon with his peppermint, tasting the sweet hard candy on his tongue as the room filled with a mix of scents.

Curling against the cushions, pressing against his stomach- wishing his nails were sharp enough to carve it out! Take out the offending organs from his gut. Each wave of his muscles contracting- back arched as he whined to himself.

The unfamiliar scent clinging to his skin, yet not relieving any pain from his aching muscle. Tears escaped, wetting his face. Within he dulled lights and fever induced brain, Till was sure he saw Ivan.

The boy’s smile so sweetly, eyes taking him in as himself. Seeing him, seeing till, seeing his little bird.

‘My little bird’

His voice was smooth against his skin, fingers brushing against every inch he could get his hands on. His thought soothed the burn underneath- the ache easing with every soft breath against his nape. But every time Till reached for Ivan, his eyes spotted- black furling around his vision as Ivan drew further away from him.

Frustrated cries escaped him as Ivan’s present smile strained with each hiccup- each desperate plea for his help.

Till couldn't tell the time he spent there, nor the amount of time he called out for Ivan- But he could recall the nearing moments of the end of his life as anything other than stock.

The early onset of his heat was retreating as the lines in the walls became clearer. Mind finally able to grasp his environment- but limbs still heavy against the overwhelming calm of his nest. A calm taken from him as a small group of Segyein enter the room- approaching his nest?!

Pushing further into the plush fabric, Till tried to hide from the,- stop the shaping in his arms and legs, even as the tremors traveled to his heart.

Yet despite his best efforts, he was pulled away from the now calming scent- ankles fully enveloped by the large Segyein hands.

Rapidly forming new bruises over the skin stretched bone- grasping at the fabric as pillows toppled over one by one. Breathing heavily, almost trying to push out each breath with conscious effort. Till was flipped over as his pants and underwear were pulled off in quick succession.

Two Segyein held his arms down as the third forcefully pulled his knees apart- cold air brushing against the most sensitive parts of himself. Whining against his shoulder as tears prickled at the edge of his vision.

“NO.NO.NO.NO.NO!

Repeating like a mantra, the words mingled together as a loud chorus to his ears. Ignoring his pleas for release, Till began to thrash against the ones holding him down, feet pushing against the floor and Segyein. The fourth Segyein who was preparing their tools, began to hold down his legs- now finished with their preparation.

The fifth Segyein, with careful eyes watched him squirm- hands reaching for the cool cloth. Wiping the clothes between his legs and the cold fabric made him jump up against their hands.

Large hands kept his skin apart, allowing the alien to watch with unamused detachment of his persistent twitch and tug against the one holding him down.

Feeling a cool metal object press against his entrances, a keen, pitched hitch escaped his throat as the object slowly entered him. Whatever small amount of slick he was still producing barely aided in the device's push against strained muscle.

However, the presence of his heat allowed for the device to enter anyways with little pain- discomfort enveloping his senses instead. Tears now fully formed- flowing down his cheeks as the Segyein continued their ministrations.

Keeping the object in place, the Segyein prodded their gloved finger into him- feeling the protrusion so deeply inside him made him want to hurl. Bile rising yet pushed down with effort. Lying in his vomit was the least of his concert, yet the thought sickened him even further.

His pleas became louder and more desperate the more they pushed against his skin. The hand that was not knuckles deep in him, pushed against the soft mound at his navel.

“Stop! Please!”

‘It hurts!’

Repeating in his head as the Segyein pushed up against his inner walls- the prodding was met with heavy resistance and a sharp pain striking up his spine- toes curling with each poke at the entrance deep within him.

Cut off cries of pain with sobs of shame- as the buzzing of the room was the only other sound accompanying his voice.

Once the Segyein seemed to find what they were looking for, they pulled their finger out, gaining a small gasp from Till as the sharp pain dulled to a radiating ache.

Beginning once again- prodding at his womb with something small and hard. Cold to the warmth of his inner walls- it pushed against the quivering entrance.

A small contraction enveloped his body as the contraction began to push through- his hands trying to reach between his legs, to force them away. Wanting to pull his knees together, Till tensed with every new frustrated huff that escaped the Segyein- as their hands became rougher. Pulling at his folds as if that would open the inner entrance any further.

But, with what felt like a pop deep within him- a loud wail echoed across the walls, Till was sure it went past the door with how loudly he yelled. It rang against his ears as his body began to pant against his will- desperate for air as the wind was knocked out of him.

His brain trying to reel back against the curling disgust forming, only becoming so deeply seated in his gut as warmth spread within him. While barely noticeable, he swore he could feel his lower belly swell- whether with shame or whatever they just planted inside him… he wasn't sure.

Till could feel his body going slack- giving up, rejecting any fight to preserve any sanity he had left. But his eyes followed, his nerves felt, and his throat whined.

Feeling the tube being withdrawn from him was quick, but not any less painful.

A quick pop, and initial check once again with the Segyain’s finger- brushing against the bundle of nerves so deep down to his core.

With a satisfied huff, the Segyein retracted the device from him- cool cloth wiped against the sensitive skin once again. With a silent nod, the other Segyain release their hands from his shaking limbs.

Twitching with each breath, as his heavy legs were lifted to allow for the smooth fabric of his underwear to be put back on.

They left as quietly as they entered, leaving him huddled on the floor. Lulling his head to the side, he could see his nest- dragging his heavy body to the comfort of the blossoming scent.

Calm waves over his muscles as his shoulder shook with every shaky sob escaping him.

Pulling his hand to his hair, carding through the strands as he thinks of Ivan’s voice-

Soft and warm..

Calling out to his,

“Little Bird.”

Chapter Text

Her fingers carded through his short hair. Una, written on her collar bone in bright silver.

Her smile was gentle as she brought the short, bristled brush through his dull hair- a stark contrast to her longer, shinier, blond hair: streaked with white.

There were others, sitting with each other- close together, scents mingling with what little interaction they were allowed, they savored every moment of it. Faces became blank canvases to his tired eyes, as they moved as blurs passing by.

He was ‘allowed’ extra time with another omega of his choice. They said it was to help his depressive episodes, but it was more likely so he wouldn’t hurt himself.

A particularly harsh tug made him wince, with a small apology from Una,

“Sorry dear, short hair doesn't save you from matted knots…”

Humming slightly to herself as her finger took apart the small mats forming from his continuous neglect.

“Y’know I miss your long hair- it was so pretty”

Her collar clicked, green light turning orange, as she smiled at him. Looking towards her, her eyes seemed heavy- she was one of the older omegas here, and he was surprised she wasn’t “retired” already. His stomach twisted at the thought, eyes burning from unshed tears.

Her belly is large, around 6 months, if he recalls.

It was her 9th pregnancy, having birthed twins and triplets before- she seemed to keep going despite her body falling apart. Scars upon scars trailing her hips and stomach. Her unwavering smile was trying to placate his nerves with every approaching day to his due date.

He looked away with his sad smile. She fluffed up the now brushed strands,

“They’ll never let you grow it out if you keep acting like this, Till.”

Despite each pregnancy becoming more difficult, Una found that- like many humans allowed to live long enough- being compliant was the best option, and perhaps it was. Her ease about the situation allowed her to take care of him even when he lost the will to do so himself.

But something in his head hurt at the thought.

His little acts of rebellions left him in more pain than he thought was worth it. But something about the rebellious habit made him keep going. Each act felt as if he made that decision, not the Segyein watching through the glass, as if they were lab rats in a cage of their own making. Feeling more human with every newly formed scar.

He was the one who found out some of the extra screws holding his bed could be used to cut his thighs and arms. Before he was ever sedated, he was trying to catch the relief of having some form of control in his hands. Feeling the shake of his hands steady as his breath settled over the pain- something he could control, feel, on his fruition and not thrust into his womb like a ticking time bomb.

Waiting to explode in a flurry of pain.

They took his bed frame for that stunt. Leaving a mattress, with the scratchiest sheets, lying in the corner of his room.

With his second child, his sponsor had paid for him to raise her. For the first three months, his heart felt full as he bounced his little Ivy on his knee. A name he whispered in the dark, so quietly that he barely heard himself. He never thought being the cheaper option would bring so much joy- as many Segyein nannies were more expensive than a human carer, another omega explained to him one day.

Her eyes were blue, but her hair was pitch black. Not quite right to his heart, but burying his face into her fuzzy patch of hair made all doubt fade from his mind, shoulders slumping with each small coo she let out. Any thoughts about his first stolen child melding as if this one was his first.

But things never lasted for him, as his blood dripped down the wall, sound of bone meeting tile, wet smacks of sinew splattering the floor, his face soaking through his clothes.

His eyes dazed, face bruised, covered in visceral red, as Seygein hands pulled him away from the now-painted wall.

He was sure he yelled her name, spitting blood in the Segyein’s face as he held onto her empty swaddle.

His eyes blinked closed as he was quickly sedated on the cold tile, demands for his baby dying on his tongue.

When he woke up, he could barely lift his hands, feeling across his nest as it met the wall for support. To try and push himself up, only to find that the once hard tile was now cushioned padding.

During his recovery, he was met with seclusion. A small form of punishment disguised as a necessity.

The once scented items of his nest became mulled over with only his own. His hari became matted against his head, knotted at the base of his neck as he found no motivation to get up and brush it.

To exit his nest, to wash his hair, and even to eat the food given through his door.

Rough hands threading through his hair- cleaning his wound before wrapping it up once again- infection prevention, they told him, as each day dragged on. His hair became a source of constant ache. Feeling wrong with every tug of the strands.

The Segyein observing him, changing his bandages, reminded him to wash his hair, yet left him to sulk after each scolding.

He wasn’t sure if he appreciated them just leaving him alone, letting him rot in his nest. Wanting to keep their already invasive tendencies to a minimum. Allocated to his occasional insemination procedure and gynecological check-up occurred.

He wasn't sure what day his brain decided that his hair became so foreign to him, hair feeling heavy, a nuisance- something that shouldn't exist in its current form.

So, by the end of that day, Una had helped him cut his hair. He hadn’t known her that well at that point, but the Segyein determined that she was the best option. One of the first and only omegas to interact with him consistently from their observations.

His hair, once to his shoulders, was now a short shaggy cut- similar to his carer’s hair, albeit shorter.

Some patches were thinner than others from his repeated tugging. Tufts of hair lay in his nest, and clean cuts surrounded the chair he sat at.

Una’s soft hums filling the room.

With Una’s help, his life became a little easier, with a more structured routine in place. The time spent with her was filled with what little food he could keep down, scenting, and basic help with hygiene.

Anytime he wasn’t with her, he was met with intravenous nutrients through the tube connected to his collar and drugs to keep him docile. Drugs that made his head float above the clouds despite the storm forming underneath- thunder blowing through yet leaving him undisturbed.

The same sigh of relief that would escape, like the ones he let out while making the marks on his thighs. The high reached a point beyond, where he didn’t feel in control in those moments. He felt nothing as his heart rate would slow to a rhythmic tempo.

His body, however, was a canvas of bruises and cuts- neck a blossom of purples and red from repeated injections.

A hand to his shoulder, snapped him out of his swirling thoughts-

“Although I don’t mind the short hair- makes it easier to wash.”

Una felt along his hair line, fingers brushing against his still red scar.

When the Segyein finally realized that if left alone, he would rot away on his lone mattress in the corner of his padded room, they allowed Una extra privileges as well.

Keeping him alive enough to push out babies.

Urak was earning too much money from him, so why not keep him alive? Especially with the excess labor not costing him a penny. Each successful baby pushed out increased his worth, filling his pockets. Hell, he was sure that if the kennels made Urak the same amount of money, he would have been sent there at the first signs of heat.

But now he was here, pregnant with his third.

His sponsor, a rich diplomat, a Segyein, who owned an equally expensive human alpha to match.

A confusing match considering he was one of the cheaper options among the omegas available. He was advertised with multiple drawbacks that left him wondering when they were going to ‘retire’ him and why many richer Segyein chose him in the first place. Though he was sure that his shorter wait time and innate musical talent sweetened the deal for Segyein, wanting genetically modified children quickly, or musically talented products.

With the brush coming to a stop, Una sighed. Placing her forehead against his shoulder blades.

Rubbing what little scent of her was left under the cream coated one of her ongoing pregnancies. He smelled of peppermint as always, not yet consumed by his baby’s pup-like scent.

Purring against his spine, relaxing under her weight as he tried to match her- his purr raspy and rough in comparison.

“My sponsor is considering letting me raise this one.”

Her hand reached his, bringing them to her stomach, light pressed against his back, as he angled slightly to feel the warmth under his palm.

Rubbing the taut skin hidden under her soft hospital gown.

“You're getting better Till, maybe you can raise yours aswell…”

He shook his head, pulling his hand away from hers as he began to rub his stomach. A pouch that would not grow as much as the female omegas there but no less heavy at the core of his body. Despite this, his babies were always so small in his hands before being taken to god knows where.

His last pregnancy flashing through his mind, floors soaked with his blood- head throbbing as if pressure was building beneath his skull that needed to be let out against the wall.

His hands were empty, the swaddle still warm from when she was wrapped so snuggly. His Ivy, ripped away from him. Cries echoing within the room, travelling to the corridor. A burning sensation ripping through his heart, frazzled mind searching for his child.

The pressure building to the point of needing release, replacing the burn with a sudden pulsing ache against his skull as the tile became slick with his blood. The Segyein met with demands, he wanted to know where they had taken her.

Demands so quickly died out when that cold drug filled his system as he desperately breathed against the pooling blood in his mouth.

His lowest point- a point that scared many sponsors from buying his womb, worried that he would harm himself of the baby growing inside him.

Una sighed as she glanced over to the rest of the room, empty now.

“It’s time to get you back to your nest.”

Standing with a huff, Una reached for Till. helping him up as they made their ebay back to the dorms- a Segyein leading them from afar. Away from the room once filled with soft scents, gentle purrs- omegas scenting one another to get through until they could meet again- now met with the sterile white door of his room.

Una gave him a fond smile, her eyes wrinkling in a way that reminded him of her- his carer. Their smiles were similar, her lavender scent matching her flowery aroma. Something so sweet yet forgotten through the years apart.

An aroma that had faded from his clothes years ago.

Her wrist rubbed against his neck, as best she could with his collar- every shift of the metal band making his bruises ache slightly.

Despite it, he smiled loosely as her hands found the dangling tub from the ceiling- needle at an end that could easily click into his collar.

Sedated when possible, small doses to not affect his pregnancy- anxiety, depression, nutrient-dense fluids flowing through his veins every moment he is in his room.

Padded walls, soft and cushioned. A bare mattress huddled in the corner. Clothes upon clothes piles.

There was a scatter of hospital gowns in the mix with regular clothing- his assigned alphas vanilla mixing with the other omega’s scents. Day after day, he kept his head down, but could feel the lingering eyes of the others on him.

Such as, Lou, Pushing her scarf in his hands- smelling of peaches. The fabric was softer than anything he had owned. Since Urak was keen to keep profits up, he gave the facility the go-ahead to spend as little money as they could on him.

Her red hair was tousled slightly from the removal of such a beautiful fabric, closely held against her neck, soaked in her scent.

While Misha, although younger than him, gave him her kitten plush. Its black fur was matted, red button eyes that seemed a few ripped stitches away from falling.

Her bobbed black hair reminded him of Sua- and although she was not friends with him, he smiled fondly at the thought. He was sure that if he had the chance of seeing Ivy grow up, she would also end up resembling the quiet girl.

While Una scented many of her extra hospital gowns for him to nest with. Bonding closer with the scent each day, he lay to sleep with them.

Many articles of clothing surrounded him as Una lowered him to his nest. Angling his neck away to relieve pressure from his bruised neck. Eyes drooping as familiar scents encompassed him.

“Till please, I-”

Her hand rubbed his stomach, head pressed against his chest as the medication made it slow to a minor flutter against her.

“I don't want you hurting yourself, please. I understand that you love your babies, but…”

Una paused, her grip tightening slightly, thumbs rubbing circles.

“They’re so small Una, they need me…”

He whispered to her, his head slowing with each passing moment. Her breath hitched against him, hands stopping before shakily resuming.

“Or maybe…”

Una looked to him; her eyes shone with unshed tears.

“I need them… if they were someone else's child- they would grow up to be so much happier.”

Her lip quivered, shaking despite her face trying to hold back the now fallen tears. Small sniffles escaping her,

“Till, I’m sure they were happy… Ivy and Isha- During the small moments they were in your arms. They may not remember it, but you do. They had clung to you so tightly- I'm certain they loved you beyond anything.”

He felt something burning rise in his chest before the steady blanket of the sedative flowed through his veins with a quiet click-click-psst.

Till only nodded as his head lay against a black blazer. From his baby’s father- it was given to him last week, already losing its potent vanilla scent. Una squeezed his hand once, twice, before slowly standing to leave. Hands rubbing away at any lingering tears before waving goodbye, slowly closing the doors behind her. The telltale click of the door resonating, finding his body too heavy to double-check the lock. A habit he had when he first arrived here.

Left alone, evidence of every rebellion leaves a heavy ache in his chest. Plush mattress void of any sharp objects, walls cushioned from his skull’s brute force, hair cut short with thin patches ripped away in once tight fists.

Hands curling over Misha’s plush cat- red eyes, surrounded by black. Till could only pull the ears slightly- pinching the fabric playfully as the lights dimmed themselves, and his eyes closed to be met with a fitful sleep.

By his fifth pregnancy, Till had been officially diagnosed with ADE- or as Una explained, Abandonment Depressive Episodic Disorder. A term the Segyein used to describe certain symptoms an omega displays after the removal of their alpha or baby.

“That’s… bullshit.”

Till murmured with a huff-

“Yeah, well, they say omegas are ‘cured’ after their third pregnancy.”

Una rubbed the shampoo through his hair, gentle fingers against his scalp as a resounding click-click-psst silently pushed against his veins. Her tone was sour, scent mimicking the drop with rotten flowers permeating the air for a brief second.

The diagnosis only meant that he was still giving the Segyein trouble- leading to the immediate sedation after labor, constant monitoring, and closer omega interactions.

“Although I would say it’s most likely they’ve given up on the idea of keeping the scent of the alpha father or raising their child… But I ain’t no doctor.”

Una remarked, and Till didn’t really have a choice but to believe her- doctor or not. It wasn't like he was given any books on the subject matter.

While his pregnancy was underway, Una was in her resting period, waiting for her next heat- when the Segyain would shove her into a room with her next alpha’s scent to pseudo-bond with some rando, the rest being the classical procedure many of the omegas underwent there.

During these moments, she always got melancholic- becoming more tentative. Scenting him and the others more frequently, like a mother caring for her children.

He hated how normal everything had gotten to him, speaking about his life- their life as if everything that was being done to them was what was now the norm in their fucked up life cycle.

“Y’know I knew this male omega who passed through here for a short time. He resented his kids, a very popular fella… until.”

Her hands shook slightly, a loud sigh escaping her- shoulders dropping. Shifting against the tub’s edge.

“He took what his sponsors gifted him and broke out, made some sort of bomb- I’m surprised we’re allowed gifts at all now.”

A small huff pushed past her lips as she reached down to the cup resting above the water. Rinsing the soap from his hair- before taking a conditioner and brushing it through. The gentle motions of the bristles made him purr against Una, Her knees pressing against his shoulder blades as he instinctively pressed against her.

None of the products were scented, but that didn’t stop the evident calm to rush over him as the bristles relaxed his tense body. The warm steam of the bath allowed for the soothing scent of lavender to permeate every which way. Coating the room in a soft cloud that was only perpetuated by the drugs flowing through his system.

After what seemed like a long pause- but was probably only a few minutes even to Till’s slowly fogged mind- Una dragged him out of the bath, handing him the towel as he sluggishly dried off.

Dressed in one of Una’s hospital gowns, the softer fabric was warmly draped over his thin frame. The gown was much larger than his own, hiding the bones of his spine poking through his skin- his hips jutted out from the lack of fat underlying skin attached to muscle and sinew.

Before even glancing at the mirror that reflected his disheveled form, Una crowded his vision. Eyes soft, as she turned him back to his room. Turning to him, Una led her hand to his neck- pressing a few buttons before pulling free the IV implanted into his collar. The cooling drug slipped slightly as Till felt a shiver run up his spine.

Letting the long tube dangle from its spot attached to the ceiling, retracting slightly to prevent it from touching the floor.

Una brought her hands to his, warm wrinkles encompassing his thinner, more fragile skin.

His hand holding hers as she led him out of his room and to the lounge- a morning of delicate touches leading to a room of mingling scents. The room was large, with many nests compiled together with omegas scenting each other. Talking in hushed calm tones.

Others basked in the items gifted by their sponsors- many finding themselves indulging in the puzzles, sketchbooks, coloring books, and more, showing others their large smiles.

But… There was a small crowd near the corner, omegas pushing at each other to get closer to a rather large new object that had found itself in the lounge.

Feeling his hands slip away from Una, he found himself drawn to it, a large device that displayed many passing images as Lou pushed buttons on it. Segyein's face clicked quickly through the device, buzzing past as Lou’s face scrunched in frustration- her huffs becoming more frequent as her search was met with nothing.

“Oh, Till, look! Lou was gifted a television!”

Misha stood next to him, helping him sit down on one of the many cushions surrounding the display. Her smile was wide, and her eyes seemed to widen at every new image that popped up on the screen.

“What is Lou looking for?”

Till whispered to her, a pout now present on Lou’s face. Her fist was clenched- seemingly ready to punch the television.

“She’s looking for the channel that’s showing Alien Stage- the first round is supposed to air today.”

With a raised brow, Till looked to the screen- channels slowing down as Lou tensed in anticipation of seemingly coming close to find what she was looking for.

With a tilt to his head,

“What’s Alien Stage?”

He didn’t understand why, but something churned in his stomach- placing a gentle hand on his now developing bump as Misha scooted closer to him.

“It’s a sort of singing competition, a lot of us haven’t seen it before- but some of the older omegas have kids who participate in it”

Till felt his shoulders rise at this, eyes glancing towards Una- her body tense as she watched Lou finally find the channel. Showing a large stage as the camera panned across a large crowd of Segyein and human bodies- eyes large as they watched from afar, two people walking on stage.

Distantly displayed, before zooming in on the two singing together-

Till could have sworn his heart stopped, dropping deep into his stomach- chest hurting as he watched the familiar sight of pink hair, flowering between her and her partner.

Mizi and Sua, surprise etched on his face as Misha leaned closer to the display.

The crown became quiet as a small tune began to hum past- no doubt the harmonious voices of his childhood pack. Their eyes roamed over each other, sparkling in the light as their song rang through the stage and the lounge.

Misha seemed to be enthralled, awe flowing through her as she held Lou’s hand in support, leaning against him as she clenched her chest.

The song was sweetly sung- displaying the sound of their love as they danced so perfectly around each other. Hands delicately tracing each other, finding each crevice in loving touches.

Till couldn’t take his eyes away from them- Mizi and Sua alive together, their contrasting solar blurring through the movement of the camera.

Time seemed too low, as the song seemingly close to ending- a resounding high pitch sound echoing on the stage as numbers behind them would appear to rise and fall. But past the song, past the shining lights, past the figures signifying their ever-present love- was…Blood.

Everyone breathed in harshly- so vocally that Till wasn’t sure what he just witnessed.

Eyes large, glossy with tears as his body felt number- his core tearing through his lack of feeling. Trembling hands enclosed around the small bump- sharp pain struck through as Misha’s sharp cry broke him from his daze.

Lou held her close, her words mumbled and shocked as she sobbed to her.

Everyone crowded her,

“W-wh-why?! Why did they need to be…”

Even as her sobs echoed through the lounge, Una found her way to him. Kneeling next to him, a gentle hand pressed against his lower back, her other hand reached his face as she wiped the tears that felt like they were burning his face.

Her face was blurry, but her face held her ever so gentle wrinkled brow with a saddening smile. Frowned edges as she brought his head to her neck.

Another sharp pain struck through his stomach- he whimpered against her as his eyes lazily rolled back to the television.

Sua…little lamb… bleeding out on the stage- Mizi crumbled, body still as the guard walked to her. Clicking a quickly red lit collar around her neck as the camera changed to a reporter.

A rough sigh left his throat- wet with tears as his lungs felt a horrible pressure that would not disappear.

He didn’t know why, but his eyes would not stop picturing the bleeding form of Sua- body slack against the cold floor of the stage

With a gentle hand, Una began to brush through his hair with her lithe fingers. Eyes finally closing, his mind wandering past above the cloud- searching for that familiar feeling as his breath slowed and Misha sobbed.

The next day, Till wandered into the lounge, without Una at his side, and let his eyes drag through the room, finally landing on the shock of red hair.

Lou was flipping through channels again, her face bored as she tried to find some form of entertainment.

Misha laid her head against the other’s shoulder, occasionally whispering small observations that Loud made little acknowledgement towards.

Till found himself sitting next to them, heart hurting, hands fiddling slightly before turning to the duo.

“Lou…”

Taking her eyes away from the television, her eyes drooped slightly- still tired from the day before as she held a hand against Misha’s head, keeping her in place even as she turned to him.

“Will you put on Alien Stage again?”

His voice sounded hesitant, even to his ears, as Lou looked conflicted. Gaze darted between him and Misha as she tensed up against the other. Her fist tightened around her frown, and he almost regretted asking.

“Well…um- if you want but..”

Misha pulled away despite Lou’s silent protests-

“We can put it on Till”

Misha, one to always go along with whatever Lou decides, nodded to the television, her face nervous but determined.

Perhaps she was slightly curious to see how the competition would play out, despite the bloodshed she had witnessed the day before.

Lou’s lips drawn in a line, as she fumbled to get to the right channel.

Till mirrored her expression, vision honing in on the display- stage back in view with a differing backdrop.

A hitched sound escaped him as Mizi made her way onto the stage once again. Her opponent was a tall, lanky man with shockingly bright blonde hair that shone with the intense overhead lights.

They were both bathed in white, so bright that Till almost thought they sparkled brighter than the sun- even the artificial one from the garden. Glancing at Misha, her gaze was shaking with anxiety, yet widened with the theatrical performance now starting.

Mizi, on the other hand, was dragged around- her voice sounding out across the stage in small bursts as the other pulled her along. Dipping her, as his hands followed to her face, to the crowd.

As the song began to reach its point, an overwhelming chorus of terror flooded from Mizi’s eyes, shaking in their wide unspoken terror as it slowly devolved to rage.

Her hands reached for the dainty neck of the blonde, encircling the flesh as Mizi pushed him to the ground.

Even as her hair cascaded to the ground, creating a long halo around the man, blood began to paint the man’s once flawless face.

It was only until Mizi was pulled off that Till realized the shaking breath taken beside him- from Misha as she buried her head into Lou’s shoulder, the red head holding her blank expression with the slight twitch of her crossed brows.

Bringing his eyes back to the display, smoke began to overlap the stage, covering the figure as… Mizi’s bright hair began to disappear from view.

His heart sank, feeling the same striking pain pull through his stomach and making him wince as tears began to edge his vision.

Scooting closer to the screen, he searched for her hair- beautifully pink and now gone from his view.

Even as the fog dissipated from the stage, Mizi was gone…

Gone..

Nowhere to be seen, his blurry vision could no longer see her- even as the camera zoomed in on the scene.

Curling into himself, his breathing came out short and sporadic. Eyes unable to leave the screen as a Segyein reported the missing Mizi.

Gasping for breath, a hand met his back as Una’s face held a tight grimace. His lungs clenched in unexpected pressure as he cowshed against his hand.

‘When did she get here?’

She took his hand in hers,

“Dear…breathe with me”

Una’ voice was heavy, wet against his shoulder as she whispered to him. She put his hand on her chest as he felt her lungs rise and fall with each controlled breath.

Sputtering out a few strangled coughs, Till regained his racing mind, Looking at the screen, everything felt as if it had stopped in its tracks. Silent to his ears as his newly controlled breath stopped once again.

The Blonde, whose name was displayed as Luka, had his picture next to another's.

A boy with black hair, eyes he remembered so fondly…

It was Ivan; his Ivan was on the screen as his shaking hands pulled him closer to Una.

A date set, a week from then- the next round of Ivan vs Luka.

Dread pulling him down.

“They..they can't do that”

He murmurs, so staggering even against Una’s steady heartbeat ringing in his ear.

“Till, it's going to be okay”

Head rubbing against his shoulder as he shook like a leaf in her ars.

“They’re going to kill him.”

Tears flowed too heavily; his eyes burned.

“He's going to die…”

“Sh..sh..sh.. Till dear- he’ll survive”

Una tried to let her scent drown out his souring peppermint, but it only made his gaaf-

Mizi was gone.

Ivan would most likely die soon.

And there was nothing he could do about it. He didn’t want to see it, but part of his mind recoiled at the fact of never confirming it with his own eyes.

Misha leaned closer to him, Lou following long as they tried to envelope him in calming scents.

Despite his efforts to calm his mind, his body revolted- mouth salivating as it shocked against a pit coursing through his stomach.

Gaging once again, his body forcing up nothing but dry heaves. Throat constricing, tears falling to the floor.

“He…I…I.. Can’t…I-I-I Can’t”

Una lifted him, even as his legs barely held his weight. Pulling away from the television, a week from now- the date daunting presence in his mind.

A week, Ivan would survive or be shot dead within a week.

‘A week… Ivan would be…”

Chapter Text

As the days passed, Till found himself having more sleepless nights. The white ceiling bored into his vision as static filled his sight. Clearing as his eyes shifted away, hearing his steady breathing, the clicking of his IV drip, and his hand going over his stomach in a gentle motion.

The drugs in his system being the only thing keeping his thoughts from spiralling, but not enough to make him have dreamless nights.

The thought of closing his eyes only to find the face of a girl bathed in blood as he reached for her frightened his fragile heart.

The little lamb of their pack, shy little Sua, with her steadily forming clean scent, now lay dead at the Segyein’s hands, beneath Mizi’s feet as her body crumbled in shock.

Images of Mizi’s widened expression filled him with such visceral ache- so deep down it made his legs shake with pain.

His pack was falling apart– the nest had probably been dismantled years ago, but a distant wish he prayed for night after night.

To be back, enveloped in milky warmth, hugging onto the next person to enter the nest- their heart humming against his ear. Calm and so gentle, like a butterfly’s wings.

Sua’s reluctance as she would find herself in the crook of his arm after a particularly difficult day- nuzzling against him as he would allow the quiet to envelop them. Waiting for Mizi to bring her out of her shell- with Ivan joining them last.

The boy, coming back from a sponsored dinner, smiled once his eyes found the small curled form of Till.

Joining their pile- feeling the warmth grow from his heart, Till could almost cry from the happiness of his pack together in the nest he proudly built for them.

An activity he had seen many of the other children partake in, maybe it was an excuse to get closer to them. He’s not sure anymore.

He wishes that he had paid more attention that day,the expression of the Segyein when he asked for nesting materials. One of the only semi-kind ones in the facility, after handing the stack of blankets and soft fabrics, wrote on their clipboard, face scrunched and looking towards him.

It was only a month afterwards that he had his first heat-

– The ceiling became blurred as tears flooded his vision.

The twisting pain goes through his stomach once again, rubbing a gentle hand against it- trying to placate the small being forming there. He was sure that Una’s almost constant expression of worry was from his growing eye bags- days would pass, more and more sleepless nights, most filled with tears.

Eyes now red-rimmed despite his promise to her to catch up on sleep.

Every day he spent in the lounge filled his heart with dread, Even as Misha watched cartoons, her face in awe as she would cling to Lou. Her hair was growing longer, allowing her companion to braid it with gentle ministrations.

Even looking towards the television made his head spin with images of pink and black- a stage with shining lights illuminating the bloody scene before them.

Every single day, his heart pushed against his ribcage even harder than before. Clicking against his bones as he could swear they shook against the strain.

As if his heartstrings were part of some melody, strumming against the guitar with practiced ease. The crescendo was met a week later, sitting in front of the television.

Lou looked nervously at him. Una was with Misha in the cafeteria- noise buzzing aimlessly around them.

It was the only way he could watch the last round, and to even get Lou to agree to put it on.

“I don’t want Misha seeing any more than she has to… and the same goes for you, Till.”

Her face conveyed a twist of concern and anger- Deep seated hop situated in her heart, waiting for him to back out of this whole ordeal. But despite his increasing anxiety,

“This is the last time…Promise..”

Lous sighed, coming out shaky as if on the verge of anger induced tears- but even as she shook slightly, her hands were steady.

Finding the channel he watched just a week ago with practiced ease.

The stage seemed new, cleaned from any damage that occurred during the previous round. It was decorated more lavishly, with rich hues highlighting the two figures displayed- their bodies slightly swaying as if to get into the rhythm of their impending arrival..

The harmonic progression of Ivan’s voice surrounded him- the wandering eyes of those still in the lounge disappeared as his head floated beyond the clouds.

Reminiscing about the times in the garden- their lonely moments in the nest.

Ivan would only share his recent song if Till showed him. Even as face burned red with embarrassment, Ivan looked upon him so fondly that Till could almost tell the way the other pupils widened in sheer awe.

But just as Till reached the clouds, they rained as Luka’s voice entered the fray.

His was perfect- as was his other round against Mizi.

So delicately punctuated, Till was growing nervous as Ivan sang against the tuned notes. Melody sharp yet so gentle- like a baby’s breath against grating skin.

Uvan wore a red and black suit- striking with the background as Luka flowed out in his signature white and gold.

Somber turns of the tune left Till inching closer.

Eyes following Ivan’s movements- even dragging against the quick rise and fall of Ivan’s chest as he tried to follow the beat and evenly match to Luka’s rhythm.

The other was taunting, flaunting in a way that brought that same sharp pain through him once again. And seemingly made Ivan pause?

Brows furrowing in a way he’d seen playfully before- but now seemed too intensely uncomfortable.

Luka, who seemed proud of himself, continued their little song and dance. Points clicking against the screen as they rose- synching at an uncertain 87-89.

Their numbers flicker continuously- unknown to even the Segyein in the crowd as their scores dropped and rose in ways that made Till take a shuddering breath.

As the song began to taper off- beat and chorus dropping down, the camera zoomed in as Luka walked closer to Ivan.

Whispering delicately, arms wrapped around his shoulder as Luka went back to the final lyrics of their duet-

– cut off by the pull of his collar, Ivan’s swift punch was delivered as his hand dropped the mic- his score began to stagger.

Ivan’s face turned to anger- Till’s horrified expression reflected off the television, widened fear to explicitly entranced that he was almost sure it wasn’t him staring back.

Luka tried to back away slowly as Ivan stepped closer- his body towering over the other as his fist clenched in a tight fist.

But before Ivan could make his next point, a loud band echoed throughout the stage.

Making Ivan stagger slightly as his shoulder began to shake- blood hardly noticeable on his black coat but dripping down his arm to his fingertips.

A gasp escaped him as his body curled into itself- the ache within his stomach getting worse with every passing moment- but his eyes couldn’t leave the screen.

Another hitch left his throat as another bullet tore through Ivan’s side, making him stumble once again to the side.

He clenched his hand on the wound as he seemed to sway in place. Tears burned his face as Iva’s name was whispered to himself.
Loud looked at him and the screen- glancing towards the door as she waited for Tills cue.

He had begged her to let him see it through- he was begging to believe his heart could take it.

Once again, as Ivan drew closer to Luka, another shot rang through. Piercing Ivan’s leg.

Finally giving out, Ivan crashed into the floor- blood slowly pooling beneath him as the camera zoomed out.

Points indicating the winner- Luka, deemed the king of the stage once again.

His face was wet with sweat as his body shook with exhaustion. Though his eyes looked to the screen, pupils shivering in strain, the display flickered.

No longer showing the stage footage, but rather some after-show commentary. His mind finally caught on, hand pushing against the screen- teeth gritting together as his poorly held sobs left his body.

“I-IVAN!”

His body ached with every shivering hitch- blurred vision obscuring the faces of Lou as she tried to hold him back from the device.

But despite his conscious replaying Ivan’s death over and over, mumbling the man’s names as if on a broken loop, his heart felt torn from his chest. The cords of his body snapping as his limbs fell numb.

Something so deep within napped- images of his broken nest flooded his mind, a failure to keep his pack alive gutted him despite all logic telling him that there was nothing he could have done.

His words became incomprehensible as the television was turned off- leaving a murmur of voices around him.

Lou’s voice sounded so far to him, even as it turned from concerned to panicked.

Her hair swaying frantically as she called out to the others- for what? He wasn’t sure.

His bones felt heavy, his spine so easy to break under the weight as wet heat flowed from his body in convulsing waves. A hand reached for his, pulling it away from the grounding pain at his core.

A blur of blond hair in his vision as Una’s voice echoed in the chambers of his head.

Arms encircled him, warm, almost too warm, as he was lifted clumsily to his feet. His inner thighs felt sticky- legs heavy, yet unable to hold him still as they shook with such violent force.

Something was digging his insides out, but…

Ivan was gone….

Mizi was gone…

Sua was gone..

What did it matter if his body revolted against his better nature? Who did he have to go back to? When thrown away and useless.. His pack was gone- their nest destroyed, his current one a disheveled mess, a mockery of what could have been.

‘They’re dead’

His mind cried out countless times, so weak and soft his eyes blurred further with each one.

‘What is the point?’

As if shutting down- Till’s body fell slack, hands dragging him to who knows where, and does he even care anymore?

He wished to be on the clouds once again.

Seeing Ivan upon their hill, hearing the other call him his little bird. Even as the cold metal of a sterile table met his back, he could only muster a shudder.

Segyein hands prodded his skin, looking for a vein that wasn’t blown to high heaven, underneath the blossom of purples and reds that decorated his inner arm.

Bile rose to his mouth before he could lean to the side- the stomach matter bubbling against his mouth as he choked against it. The Segyein standing near his head tilted his head to the side, forcing him to cough out any lingering phlegm and mucus- harshly patting their hand against his turned back.

Eyes rolling with a new wave of nausea, he finally pulled out his messy breakfast into a bucket off to the side.

The contractions flowing from his pelvis seemed to go on for hours, as hands prodded against the entrance. Looking for something, or perhaps pulling at something that wasn’t supposed to be there.

The nausea never left- even as he cleaned up and dressed with new underwear and gown as he shook in the cold, sterile air of the room.

A Segyein cleaned up all around him- another writing quickly into what he could assume were his files.

Underneath the pain- the number choking sensation behind his throat- was the heavy grief settling deep in his bones.

His body ached with loss, the stress expelling any lingering lifeform that nestled itself within him. A shield who barely formed its rhythm. Cells that have yet to form their features. A milky scent still holding into his skin- body twitching occasionally in a painful manner.

His mind crashed in waves, unable to escape the death of his loved ones- every turn, every corner, their faces haunted his vision.

Blood hands, that was what he felt- sticky against his fingertips, as they dragged against the skin of his arms.

Causing irritated red lines to be drawn- matching the dripping blood cascading down Ivan’s. Feeling the plastic tubing of his IV- pulling at it as blood pulled from the sudden force.

What kind of person was he? To live out of everyone in their pack- he wasn’t a good omega, a good friend, a good person.

Leaning upon everyone for his troubles, not even able to take care of himself.

Everyone left alone was bathed in blood- his own drawn against himself. Stinging pain bloomed as a Segeyin pulled his arms away. Fastening them to the side of the table, grumbling in their language about his bad habits.

His eyes drifted around the room. He was alone with one Segyein- the one between his legs was gone. Feeling his body fully slump- brain seemingly shutting down to accompany his body- before the slam of the door brought back a violent flinch.

Urak entered with his telltale huff of anger- no doubt about the lost money on his ‘defective’ product.

Engaging a heated conversation with the other-

“Do you know how much money I lost on this mill trash!?”

Urak slammed his cane against the floor, clicking harshly against the tile.

“Sir, it's only a mere setback- since he is the only omega available at the moment, we already have a new sponsor in place.”

“And how long may that take!”

The other clicked his pen against the clipboard, pandering the question as he flicked through his file.

“Well, after healing, his cycle should begin within three weeks without intervention- so by the end of the month, we’ll have him set up with a new alpha.”

“You better make sure he keeps it this time..”

Urak turned to him, hand grasping at his chin harshly,

“Do your damn job, mill trash!”

Pulling away, Urak pushed him back- his head slamming against the table. Till could imagine smoke billowing from Urak’s ears as he stormed away in a huff. Not even sparing him another glance- “mill trash” that was bought kicking and screaming memorized by passing black eyes all those years ago.

His face felt stiff from the dried tears, and his throat burned from the continuous sobs.

Till searched his mind for some form of relief, but found none as Ivan’s face would encompass his vision.

The Segyein wrapped his arms in thick bandages before injecting his usual sedative through his collar port.

Eyes grew heavy as the light began to fade. His thoughts flowed into the clouds as the rainstorm crashed underneath.

The nest stuck against his burning skin- sweat drenching the fabric with thick peppermint layers of his scent.

His mind felt foggier than usual, even more so despite the persistent pain that erupted from his head and stomach. The bright lights of the room kept him from sleeping for long.

It had been two weeks since then… his already frail frame became hollow as his body would reject any food given to him.

The only thing keeping him going is the forced venous nutrients pushed through the collar in tandem with his sedative.

Despite the recent loss, his body began to heat up against his well. His stomach curled in pain as body pulled tightly together. Face buried into his knees as the clicks of his collar echoed through the room.

Small shivers wracked his body as he would wrap himself in blankets- only for the head and sweat to build, causing him to toss and turn. Pushing and pulling blankets, heavy and thin, skin in a constant cycle of blistering heat or continuous shivers.

Everything felt so heavy around him, the air, the heat. The newest scent passes over him, with its notes of bitter coffee. A beverage he had never drunk, but had seen many of the other omegas partake in. The black drink, swirling in their mugs, staining the white porcelain with its darkening color.

It warmed his heart; the heat of the mug would set his nerves alight. The feeling radiated from his core, turning the heat unbearable to his tacky skin.

Rolling over to the floor, despite its padded nature, gave some relief to the burning under his skin. Soaking up excess sweat, his cheek rubbed against the rough fabric. His breathing turned harsh as an odd cramp wracked through his stomach, going up his spine, waiting for it to pass. Till blearily let his gaze pass through the room.

Empty as always- the white walls always being an unwelcome presence, but familiar despite it all. As muscles felt weighed, and limbs useless, Till found his gaze landing on him…

His black bobbed hair was so very familiar, Tooth stuck out in a mimic of his, He didn’t speak, only stated as the heat rushed to his face. Vision shook, pupils finding it hard to truly focus on the other… his hand tried to reach out to him

The other barely acknowledged him, walking around the room with his characteristic disinterest- painted with his ever-present small smile. An expression he knew too well, one he was met with when the other found new ways to bother him.
Eyes, the same black voids with hints of blaring red. But not the sticky red that would pour from his wounds. A shade darker, something so viscerally deep down. Something that could not be found with a simple slice of a blade- but rather reaching further into his core, the pulse that rang through his entire body.

“Ivan…”

His voice was raspy, weak, barely even there as the other looked at him. A small hitch escaped him, followed by a cough so harsh it rattled his ribs. Pushing against his lungs until his fits became steady and trailed off with lingering pain in his throat.

He closed his eyes for a moment, but there was no answer given by the other. Waiting for this nightmare to end, only to hear the small click of his footsteps. Coming closer and closer until a small shuffling noise was right by his ear.

Opening his eyes to the blinding light- now blocked by a shadow of black hair and red pupils.

“Hi, little bird.”

His small smile turned genuine, a smile Ivan made when he believed Till wasn’t watching. The ones he would make when shoving his face into the nest. The ones he would find himself watching in the reflection of the lake- something so different from the one he was trained to make on stage.
A beautiful set of pearly white teeth, heightened by the presence of creases and wrinkles made by his brows and cheeks. A small crinkle in his nose, a rare moment left between them.

His voice left his expression crumbling. Mouth downturned as his lip wobbled, eyes scrunched with the overexpressing pain flowing from his mind. Tears were collecting at the edge of his vision, burning his already strained eyes. Feeling a sudden gasp for air, shaky and ragged.

Swallowing thickly, Till brought his hand to his eyes- rubbing against them until flashing lights burst through. While his vision blackened, he could feel gentle hands holding his head, pulling him towards the boy's lap. Soft fabric brushing against his head- ruffling his already shaggy hair.

A small whimper escaped as his IV pushed against Ivan’s leg, the boy letting out a small apology as he supported his head, avoiding his nape. Hands carded through his hair, feeling the small strands between his fingertips before leaning forward.

Despite Ivan’s face becoming a blur of hues- mind so muddled in the relaxing presence- he could see his pulled frown, brows furrowed. As if wanting to let something out, but Till knew. He knew this wouldn't last, but his heart ached for his calming touch even more so.

“Will you stay with me?”

It was so quiet in the room, even his ragged breath seemed to stop within that moment.

Ivan’s pulse pattered against his temple, pushing his head against his leg to reach for that rhythm. The gentle, slow beats of his heart.

“Please…”

Till felt his face dampen, from his tears… as well as Ivan’s.

“I’m so sorry…”

A sob pulled from his chest, body gasping for air as his breathing became erratic.

“Why? Why are you apologizing? I-I should be sorry!”

His words slewed together in haste, his head shaking in Ivan’s grasp. His hands warm against him, keeping him in place despite his frantic sorrow.

Till reached his hand to his face, tacky skin no longer due to sweat. The tears pulled at his skin as they travelled down, to his ears, to Ivan’s pants. The fabric was soaking up his shaky sobs, damp yet warm beneath his head.
Ivan’s hand met his, wiping away his fallen tears, his own forgotten as they fell to his face. Mixing with his own, turning into an indistinguishable salt against his skin.

“I should have gone with you, Ivan!”

The memories flooded his mind, the white sterile ceiling turning into a blinding light of reddish hues. Blazing through the sky as they ran along with the stars.
Shining so bright, Till wished to look away, his eyes catching Ivan, following him as he was pulled along that field so long ago.

His mind pulled him back at the last minute. Seeing flashes of Mizi and Sua in his thoughts. The red in the sky is ingrained so deeply that he dreams of that day too often to admit.
He remembered tackling Ivan afterwards, seeing him back at the garden. Leaving him behind should have been his clue. He should have left without him, but Till saw him the next day. Urak had left him in the small dark closet till he had confessed who opened his collar. He had brought his hands to his ears, to be back with the shining red and twinkling white of the night sky.
Over and over, telling him that it was worth it. The dark was worth it if Ivan got out.

But the smug bastard had appeared once again, with his smile, even as he pushed the other to the ground. Wrinkling the other’s ironed clothing, questions, or rather demands in his throat. Wanting to ask, why?

‘Why had you come back?’

‘Why didn’t you escape?’

‘Why!’

‘WHY!’

Ivan curled further, his head lying on his chest as Till pulled him even closer. Hands on the boy’s back as his tears dampened his shirt.

“Why didn’t you leave?”

Muffled against his shirt, rubbing his face against the smooth fabric.

“I should have gone with…. But.. why didn’t you go?”

Ivan was left silent; he never told him the reason after all. Even in the silence of their nest, Till reached closer than he had before. But the silence told him everything.

Ivan’s hold on him told him everything, his face burying further. Back arched uncomfortably as his body shook.

‘Because of you’

Ivan could squeeze his heart in his hands; the pain would feel markedly better than the striking pain piercing through it now.

Ivan’s heartbeat would be real. His breathing, his voice, smile, cries…. All of it would be real if…

Till curled his fingers tighter, holding on. Despite knowing, this rhythm echoing against his chest wasn’t real. He still held on.

“Will you stay with me?”

Ivan nodded, his hair becoming a tousled mess against him. Strands going every which way, as he murmured,

“Of course, little bird.”

The warmth coming from Ivan was different. Different from the kind that left him tacky with sweat. It radiated with softness that lulled his eyes closed. His fingers were relaxing despite his efforts to keep Ivan close to him.

Arms falling to the ground, his heartbeat fluttering against his chest. Slowing to a steady rhythm that fell silent as his mind drifted off.

Ivan’s warmth curled into him, every moment he woke up to when he fell asleep. So steady against his ear, his heart pushed out a beautiful rhythm. Dreamless nights usually met him, Ivan’s hand holding his amid fitful nights.

Till knew his rhythm wasn’t real, his warmth was the presence of his heat, his voice a figment of his imagination…but.

Every time his eyes met Ivan’s, his heart jumped. Pushing against his already rattling rib cage.

Ivan would keep the silence of the room comfortable with his presence, opting to keep him company without input. But every so often, Ivan would comment on little things.

“You should try washing your hair.”

Fingers coming back greasy, despite the oil sticking to his hand, Ivan went back to brushing against his hair. Letting the hand ruffle and push strands every which way.

“Have you drawn recently?”

He would ask more often. Till always shook his head. He rarely had the energy to draw anymore. The pencil pushed harshly against his bony fingers. His mind more muddled than not, most days left his sketchbook empty. During his earlier days. Till would draw Mizi and Sua… as well as Ivan- not that he would admit that. Even to his hallucination of the boy. Face flushing at the idea of pulling those sketches back.

He did not want to forget their faces. Mizi’s sweet complexion, Sua’s calm yet annoyed frown when anyone but Mizi was around, and Ivan’s smug expression turning genuine in secret. Details falling away with each passing day, the broadcast of Alien Stage was the first time in years he got to see him.

Now, he held his mind's version of Ivan, just as bratty as he remembered him. But more silent than usual. Mimicking their days, they slept in the quiet calm of his nest. Holding his hand, rubbing his back, curling around his body in a protective shield.

Covering his vision with his body as the Segyein prodded against the deepest parts of him. Stomach twisting in pain and disgust. His “No’s” were left ignored as Ivan hummed a soothing lullaby to his ear. Holding him tighter than he ever did that night. Small tears escaped his eyes, determined not to let him see, but his hair fell damp against the falling cries.

“I’m sorry…”

“You keep saying that.”

Till pushes his face against the soft fabric once more,

“I know, but you need to hear it.”

The other tightened their grip, his chest pressed flush against Ivan’s.

“When I see you again, I’ll keep saying it.”

“And I’ll tell you, not to”

Till lightly scoffed, playfully playing with the stitching of Ivan’s shirt. Perfectly pressed fabric as always, tousled to get closer to him,

“You’re such a pain in the ass.. You know that?”

Ivan’s laugh passed through him,

“And you are a blockhead.”

Till’s laugh was wet, damp- shook with falling tears. Ivan rubbed his back as always. Face pressed against his hair,

“I’ll stay until you stop crying… like always”

His tone was airy against his ears, distant and fluffed.

“Promise?”

“I Promise.”

Chapter Text

Una heard them before seeing them, the red alarms lagging behind the blaring sound that rang through the facility. She sat in the medical wing, IV in her elbow- her recent miscarriage being a new blemish on her otherwise perfect record.

She was sure that the only reason they let her get this far was for Till. The aliens are already stamping his file with ‘Extreme ADE’ not sure what he would do if she were ‘retired.’ Hoping that she can push out one more baby to give them time to force him to bond with another omega willing to take care of him.

Her stomach twisted with fresh waves of pain, ears ringing as the alarm began to blare- Segyein looking just as confused as her.

With a sudden flash of bright pink, the door barged down, entering the room. Gun pointed towards the,, if it wasn’t for the alarm, she would have covered her ears from the resounding Click-Bang! That made the Segyeins’ head explode in a flurry of purple and brain matter.

Flesh falling to the floor with a loud splat, the pink-haired figure rushed towards her, helping her off the table.

“Are you alright?”

Her voice was soothing, rushed but calm, as she was checked over. She smelled distinctly of alpha, although composed of sweetened tea - her scent gave away a more protective hint underneath it all. Uncharacteristically sweet even compared to the heavy scent of her previous alphas.

Una nodded, a surprised, wide-eyed expression reflecting off the pink alpha’s eyes. She resembled the girl Till cried over, watching the television as she disappeared in a plume of smoke. Her hair was short now, fluffy strands choppy and barely styled.

“Is there anyone else on this floor?”

Shaking her away from her thoughts, Una nodded frantically- finally finding her voice,

“The dorms are on this floor, and below are the cafeteria and lounge.”

She quickly summarized, she walked through the halls more than most, extra diligent of their surroundings due to Till. Leading him to appointments and to make sure he ate real food– even entering the kitchen a few times if he couldn't stomach their current meal.

Pursing her lips, as the IV was removed carefully from her arm,

“I’m Una”

“Hello Una, I'm Mizi- there are others as well.. We’re here to free everyone.”

Mizi’s smile was strained, sweat beading off her as she led her to the door. Looking down each end of the hall, giving a small nod before allowing her through the door. Her jaw was tense, clicking together with every shift. The lights were still blaring red, yet it didn’t seem as if any living being occupied the halls?

“Una, could you lead me to the dorms?”

Only nodding as she quickly made her way through the white halls- slippered shoes almost skidding across the floor. With each room they passed, it seemed empty– nests in their natural disarray with no signs of life.

“They must be in the lounge.”

Una pointed out, noting it must be around lunch time for everyone to be away from their rooms.

However, she continued her trek, beginning to round the corner- entering another part of the facility line with more doors.

She knew that none of them were occupied except for one.

With Mizi on her trail, she quickly hiked her gown, finding herself running down, slippers falling behind in her fast pace.

Mizi’s boots clacked against the tile as her small pauses echoed to look into the windows of the other dorms.

But Una knew the door she needed, at the end of the hall- the only one she knew was still in his room. Someone she wouldn't leave behind. Breathing heavily, crouched near the door in question, looking into the window to the plush walls and floor.

In the corner looked to be the same disheveled nest she knew so fondly. With a slight rise and fall of the blankets piled on the lone body inside, the IV tube hanging from the ceiling periodically swayed.

Una unlocked the door for Mizi- she may not have known the nature of their relationship, but she knew Till’s reaction to her on the television.

His expression burned into her mind, as his breath came out ragged and unfocused- panicked in a way that left him partially blue and covered in sweat.

Mizi looked at her, hesitation on her face- confusion underlying her brows. Quickly changing to one of surprise and sadness as Till lifted his head/

Shaggy silver hair- patched thinner than others. Eyes dulled, barely taking in the warmth of Mizi’s saddened awe. Careful, yet quickly, she rushed to him.

But even as her body was open to hold the other, till recoiled further into his nest. Mizi’s pause left her fidgeting with her sleeves- not knowing what to do.

She retreated into herself. Looking at her once again, nodding.

Una came closer to Till instead.

His eyes were darting between them. His body shook so badly the blanket seemed to shiver with him. His distressed scent of peppermint burned her nose as it combined with the already bitter notes of his new alpha’s coffee- like scent.

“Till, this is Mizi- remember, we saw her on the television.”

Una lifted her hand to Tull, wrist outstretched to allow him to come closer. Calming scent, leaving her as Till’s nose twitched with recognition. Widened eyes going to her hand, to her eyes- leaning in slightly, he began to brush his cheek against her wrist. Then, his neck, his milky scent already developing with his new pregnancy, enveloped the room as he pushed the white button- up shirt from his alpha to his chest.

Till’s eyes were still dazed, sedative still flowing through his collar- keeping him calm despite the blaring red alarm.

His eyes drifted towards Mizi, her own eyes shaky as his barely seemed to hold any recognition in his sight. Rocking back and fourth, Till began to whine lowly in his throat.

Retracting slightly away, further into his nest.

“Sh…sh…Till dear, I need you to come with me.”

Her hands shook anxiously, wanting to pull him forward to her neck where her scent was strongest- but with Till’s new alpha and pregnancy, he shook like a leaf with every breath Mizi took. Even twitching with her sudden movements.

His eyes searched hers, dashing to Mizi frequently as if to ask if she was safe. Una nodded, inching closer to his nest, so close to entering it but not daring to do so.

Till lowered his chin to his chest, eyes large and glassy- moving towards her slowly.

She could hear Mizi’s breath hitch as Till laid his head on her shoulder. Rubbing his cheek against her scent gland.

Lavender and peppermint mix, small hints of milk underneath it all, and a tinge of coffee clinging to Till’s clothing. Propping his chin to her shoulder, he smiled lazily into her neck- keeping his eyes on Mizi.

His stomach, barely even exhibiting his newest pregnancy, was purposely being held protectively between them.

Without trying to move away, Till tried to reach for his blanket. Cream and coffee scent leave it with every passing second, peppermint mingling and replacing it.

Una reached for it, wrapping till in the soft material. Wrapping it around his shoulders as she found her way to his collar- gently removing the IV, but still accidentally pushing against Till’s many bruises.

A small whine escaped him as he pushed further into her hold. With bated breath, Una lifted Till up and away from the nest. Despite being taller, she lifted him easily. His frail frame barely weighed anything.

Till shifted slightly at the new hold, Una whispering small hushes into his ear. Bouncing him in her hold as if he were a small child.

But, at her age, many of the omegas were like her children,

Una looked to Mizi, her eyes not moving away from Till’s slowly sinking form. His eyes drooped tiredly.

Small coos left him, whimpering at harsh jostles as Una turned to Mizi. Her worried face and voice brought Mizi out of her trance.

“Mizi, where is everyone else?”

The red lights kept blaring– Una pushed Tills head further into her neck, shielding his eyes and ears from the alarm.

“R-Right! We have a truck in the tunnel system underneath this facility.”

Holding the gun once again, Mizi led Una out of the dorms- spotting corners, keeping her steps quiet yet quick.

Leading them down the many stairs to the emergency exit. Large, tunneled ceilings echo the rushing steps of many of the heavy omegas. Scrambling with scented objects, holding to each other as many alphas and betas led them into large vehicles.

Their steps printed out in the concrete with purple, sticking to the collecting dirt. Many were trying to wipe away at the sticky mess that began to dry on their legs.

Una tried to keep her scent calm, but knew from the subtle shift of the blanket that she was not succeeding.

Mizi led her to the side, where a smaller vehicle was holding another woman with short brown hair at the driver’s seat. A tall man obscured by his hoodie and mask helped an omega she recognized as Kana. A short woman who always kept to herself.

She was held up into the back of the vehicle with the help of the man, his hand gentle on her back and hand as he pushed her up.

Till barely made a sound at the transition, settling further into her embrace as she found a seat in front of Kana.

With a loud clack, the man entered the vehicle with the,- the door closing behind him as the muffled sound of Mizi’s voice rang out:

“Get ready to head out!”

Screeching tires against hard pavement drowned the blaring alarm, the sound becoming more distant as they drove farther and farther away.

Una slumped against her seat, becoming lax as her hand rubbed Tills’ back. She could feel the ridges of his spine even though his blanket The man sat next to them, close enough for Una to shift in her seat. Kana even looked at her, shooting worried glances through her lashes as she rubbed her swollen belly.

Una couldn’t worry about the mystery man, however. She pulled the blanket away from Till,

“Till, dear, would you look at me?”

The boy twitched slightly, his head raising slowly, sluggish still, and his eyes met hers.

His pupils were blown wide, still not registering exactly what he was looking at. Instincts going off scent and bonds alone.

A small pit sat heavy in her stomach, looking to Till, smelling the fading scent of his alpha. His body already shaking once again, recoiling from his overwhelming scent mingling with hers, souring.

His nose twitched, pulling away from her neck and leaning towards the side.

His hooded eyes shadowed his large pupils, leading to the man sitting beside them. Till’s head leaned forward, chasing something Una had yet to notice. But with an extra sniff in the man’s direction, a small light bulb flashed- the man had the same notes of coffee-like scent that Till’s alpha had.

Nothing particularly rare with the scent, but oddly very lucky for the moment…

Una felt her hands almost tighten around Tull before the harsh jump of the can knocked his face forwards- pushing against the other’s sleeve, body tense as Till seemingly didn’t notice the growing tension.

Even glancing towards Kana, the woman seemed equally stressed about their predicament.

No doubt smelling the coffee scent turned bitter as Till’s turned sweeter. His cheek rubbed against the coarse fabric of the jacket, and his hands followed him as they held on tightly to the man’s shoulder. Pulling himself to the man, Till laid his head onto his lap- legs slightly sprawled on her lap.

Till settled further into the coat’s scent. His body no longer shaking with the familiar scent now encasing him

“I’m… I’m sorry for Till, he’s just a little shaken, is all.”

Una didn’t know what else to say, why those words spilled out of her mouth. But the gentle purrs that vibrated against her skin made her heart melt.

It had been a long time since she had heard the rough purrs, the raspy quality a stark contrast to his singing voice. His mumbling melodies that were made when hardly conscious of his surroundings.

Her hand travelled to his waist, petting along the grown covering such delicate skin. The blanket fell, drooping and touching the floor- barely covering Till as he pushed further into their holds.

Una’s face turned upward, a loving smile adorning her features as her eyes watched as the man’s stiff posture began to relax.

A hesitant hand was brought to Till’s head, petting along the soft tufts of hair, bringing the strands between soft finger tips, lightly pulled as Till patted at his hand.

“If you don’t mind, sir, to allow him to stay there… until we get to our destination of course.”

Una murmured, her voice as soft as it could be with the sleeping omega both their laps. His breathing was steady, a stark contrast to the shaking breaths of the man as he nodded.

The drive was long and awkward, Kana looking between them as she would nervously advert her gaze every so often. Top teeth gnawing at her bottom lip, pulling at skin as it bled from constant pressure.

Una tried to move closer to Till as time passed, pulling his legs further on her lap.

She could hear the change in pathway, feel the van transition from the smooth concrete into rough terrain. Drowning out the muffled sounds of Mizi’s conversation with the driver.

An hour or so more of tense silence, with the occasional pitch of Till’s purr echoing through the vehicle.

Hitching with every sharp brush against his nape as the man would brush through his hair, hand traveling to his shoulder- holding Till as the van jostled and threatened to accidentally push him to the floor.

A small sigh of relief escaped Una as the van pulled to a stop. Hearing the shuffling of many feet, Una leaned in to grab for Till. His breathing was deep, brows relaxed in a way she had never seen before. His head lolled to the side as she carefully pulled him away from the man.

The other held no protests except for a small twitch in his fingers, pressed against the seat as he let her pull Till to herself.

“Thank you…”

Una muttered, her hands encompassing Till’s back, pushing his head back to its spot at the crook of her neck. The motion was a familiar, soothing gesture- calming her scent as Till nuzzled against her.

Her eyes met Kana, wobbly and anxious, her head nodding shakily as she got up from her seat. Dainty hands find the fallen blanket, wrapping it carefully around Till, enveloping him with the faint mixture of coffee, peppermint, and residual lavender scents.

The sound of the van door opening brought Una back from her musings, the night shadowing them with small sparkles of stars met her.

Getting out of the van with help, she found herself staring up at the sky…

It had been so long since she’d seen it. The real, true sky with its blinding stars flickering against the dark void. Blues and blacks swirl together in an array of bright highlights and shadows.

It wasn’t just her, either; many of the other omegas stopped in their tracks to stare. Many were seeing it for the first time, their first glimpse of the real night sky leaving them in awe. Patterns of stars reflecting off their wide eyes.

Bathed in bright twinkling lights that were long lost in the city. Many of the omegas were not even used to the clean air, and dust collecting on their feet from the gravel underneath them. No longer caring where they step, they cooed at the sights before them.

But her ears picked up the shuffle of Mizi's boots, her hand gently leading the man away as others in the rebellion started to call out to follow them.

Una lifted Till, hiking him up before he could fall. Bunching the blanket up beneath him as she followed along with the crowd- before a hand grabbed her elbow. A small panic struck through her, and her eyes met the golden ray that was Mizi.

“Una, you need to follow me, Till needs to be seen faster than the others...so-”

She choked out, her eyes falling sadly at the sight of Till. His deteriorating condition was obvious from the numerous bruises that littered his body- many new from just being transported here.

His emaciated form was barely hanging on from lack of proper food. With his scent dependency being the most obvious, he tried to conserve what little energy he had, being led by scents alone to guide him.

Una nodded, her cheek brushing against Till’s hair, enticing a small smile to form against her skin.

“Lead the way, Mizi.”

While the crowd of omegas funneled into a separate section of the building, no doubt large enough to accommodate them, she was led to a small hallway.

The tile was old and broken in some places, but the walls were half white, half blue. Becoming a pleasant change compared to their previous facility, where white had been the sterile norm.

Her eyes wandered, her legs carrying her to wherever Mizi was leading them. Entering an elevator, she could feel her body shake with the machine. Noises causing Till to stir, his ear pressed against her shoulder as she reached to cover his other ear.

With a loud click, the elevator opened to an open room, a large desk in the middle with surrounding rooms labeled with numbers and letters.

Mizi opened the door to a room, a bed lay within, with a table and chair off to the side. Machines with tied wires with what seemed to be a computer attached to the wall, sat next to the bed.

“Try and get Till settled on the bed, I’ll get someone to look him over.”

Mizi said, taking one last glance at Till before clicking the door closed behind her as she was left with Till.

A small hum left him as he lifted his head once again. His eyes met hers, pupils still large- almost bordering his iris even. His eyes looked around, not making any indication of understanding his surroundings, but always trailing back to her.

Her scent, preening under the eyes of what her body had decided was her pup. She slowly lowered Till onto the bed, letting him cling to her before his hands became lax. Her wrists scent the surrounding blanket and glands at his neck.

His face relaxed despite the new environment, pulling his legs up onto the bed while she placed the pillow underneath his head.

His curled hands pressed against his chest, as eyes wandered around the room even more. No longer coming back to her as they began to droop again, heavy with sleep.

A small whine left him as he began to curl into himself even more. Knees drawn up to his chest, head burrowed against the pillow as best he could.

A click of the door drew Una’s attention; a woman dressed in blue attire. Her hair tired up, and body strung in tight stress. Although, her scent was not even noticeable- nothing other than her taught shoulders indicating her emotions.

“I’m Lana, I’ll be taking care of Till today.”

Una backed away, standing near the wall as she watched Lana work diligently with the equipment present in the room.

Machines were attached to Till as best she could, with the boy being as curled as tight as a stretched rubber band. Small muffled cries left him as Lana whispered small reassurances to him, pulling at his gown to ensure the wires went through correctly.

Turning on the machine stood near the bed, beeping steadily as lines jumped along the screen. Heartbeat displayed at a calm 68 beats.

“Una, could you hold his arm down so I can get the IV in?”

Nodding quickly, she scampered over to his side once again. Holding his arm against the bed as Till shifted against her.

Lana’s hands were careful, perfectly practiced as she put in the IV tubing. Gentle fingers able to find the vein despite the purple marring his skin.

“He’s mainly going to be on intravenous nutrition for now. When he wakes up, we’ll see how he handles food and go from there."

She looked to Till, seeing Lana peer into his eyes observing the large black orbs his pupils had become. Seeing Till under the room's luminescent light made him seem paler. His collarbone was even more prominent, and the bruising an even darker shade of purple.

“If he can’t eat, what will happen?”

She asked nervously, looking to Lana as she began to try and work the collar off Till.

“There’s a possibility of implementing a feeding tube, depending on his condition; it might affect the placement.”

She felt her hand go to her neck, rubbing against her nape, fingers brushing against the smooth metal of her collar.

A frustrated huff left Lana as she pulled away from Till’s neck.

“This damn collar..”

She murmured,

It’s different from those in Anakt, I’ll get someone to help with this, hang tight.”

With a quick pull, the railing of the bed lifted, one on either side of Till.

And just as quickly she entered, she left with the same rush. Leaving Una with Till once again.

Till began to toss and turn, pushing against the railing inciting a small panic to rise in her. His bony back was digging against the metal rails, his hand reaching for the IV tubing.

Una reached over, her hands going over his shoulders as she pulled him back to the middle of the bed. Her eyes searched for something to call for help as Till began to thrash more frantically within her hold.

His heart rate jumped, and the beeps resound like an echo in her ears. The escaping whimpers from Till made her heart plummet as her body shook with resulting pain. Her pup was in pain, and she couldn’t do anything to help him. Her scent soured, any idea of calm leaving her body.

She almost let her grip fall through, letting go of his fragile wrists, but felt her body jump at the sound of the door opening.

Lana was back, with multiple supplies carried within a pink bone. Following behind her was… That man!

“You!”

Till’s previously trashing body, now calm as the scent of coffee entered the room.

Lana continued inside the room, placing the bin on the table as she took Till’s left hand from her. Connecting the tubbing to an IV bag, quickly working through the steps before ensuring the bag was secured to the hook attached to the side of the bed.

But Una was staring at the man, the one from the van- now dressed down from his fullcoverage outfit.

The man’s eyes were wide, filled with worry- but still concealing a black iris surrounding red. Shadowed by disheveled black hair, he held onto long cushions.

“You’re from the television!”

Una yelled, almost seeing Till’s broken expression encompass her mind. His yells, panicked form crumbled to the ground as blood seeped through his clothing, staining her own as she tried to pull him back. Walking into the heart wrenching ordeal before she could prevent his resulting breakdown.

He looked nervous before Lana’s voice rang through the silence.

“Ivan, bring over the covers.”

Snapping out of his stupor, the man, Ivan, brought the cushions to the bed. Strapping them over the railing before leaning over to work on Till’s collar.

Una stepped back, watching as both worked together to get the collar off. Till’s face relaxed once again with Ivan’s fully open scent.

Once the collar clicked off, the bruises were on full display. Purple and red dots painted his neck, yellowing at the edge as Till would appear to wince in pain with every movement of his head.

Ivan’s face pulled tight, brows furrowed in a way that even made her squirm.

“Has he been pulling at the IV?”

“Earlier he was..”

Lana pulled something else from the bin, small circle-like mitts were placed over Till’s hands. The mesh part of the mit showing his fingers straightening inside. They were strapped to his wrists, Lana pulling at them to ensure a secure fit.

Lana made a final check over the wires, the machine, and Till. Looking towards Ivan and herself,

“I have to check on the others, call if you need anything.”

Leaving her alone with Ivan, the man kept his eyes on Till. On his bruises, trailing down his thin arms, to the subtle rise and fall of his chest.

Her stomach churned, Till’s voice ever so present in her mind- his cries for Ivan..

“He called for you… watched you die on that stage…”

Ivan’s head shot up, watching as she approached Till’s bedside once again.

His face turned pallid, his eyes dropping on a wave of tenderness bathed in sorrow.

“He… watched that?”

She nodded,

“He needed to see you, practically begged.. But now you’re here, how?”

Her hand found Till’s, the mitt making his grip clumsy against hers. Sweat stuck to the fabric, making it damp against her skin. A heavy pause between them left her heart pounding, the rhythm so pertinent to her ears. Almost aching against the walls of her eardrum.

“I’m not exactly sure myself. I was sure I had died, but…”

His eyes never left Till, encompassing awe on his features as his finger brushed lightly against his sleeping face. Tracing his fading tear tracks, red and tacky on his skin. Eyes wandering down to his collarbone, sharp jutting bones pushing against his skin. Feather-like touches made the other twitch, nose moving towards him as his right hand reached for Ivan’s wrist. Pulling it closer as his face relaxed at the scent.

“I woke up in a desolate room, so cold I could see my breath. I saw Sua, dead next to me- so I was sure I was too… but then I saw Mizi and Hyuna.”

Una’s ears perked at the new name, mind supplying the unknown name with a blank face. Mizi’s expression came easily to her vision of the scene.

“They were wearing guard uniforms, had one for me too, after being patched up, they snuck me out.”

The pieces clicked in her mind; the incident took place around 2 months prior. While she wasn’t there to see the subsequent ‘death,’ she had heard about it from Lou. Her only words to describe it were brutal, inhuman, slow and painful.

“Are you still injured?!”

She suddenly mentioned, quietly muttering an apology as Till scrunched his face at her volume.

Ivan looked sheepish now, no longer looking at Till, nor making eye contact with her. Finding the floor particularly interesting.

She may not know this Ivan fella, but she did know Till cared about him a lot. A lot more than her pup would like to admit, but she knew of the drawing hidden beneath his bed. Something to bring up when Till felt better enough to turn bright red from the embarrassment.

“I needed to see-”

Una cut him off swiftly,

“You needed to rest!”

Her tone was lowered but even more pointed.

“Till would rather you stay in one piece.”

His eyes lit up in a way of fondness so pure, finding Tills now peaceful expression.

“Really?”

She rolled her eyes, brushing her hands along his hair- it was beginning to become damp with sweat. A small huff escaped her- she was getting too old for this…

“Don’t you have more collars to remove?”

Una bit out, looking to him as he drew closer to Till with each passing moment.

“Yes, ma’am.”

His hands, skillful in their craft, yet free of any imperfection, worked at her collar. Pulling away with a resounding click of the metal.

The collar was placed on the table, Ivan looked hesitant to leave. She could only smile at his aloofness. When everything calmed down, she was going to tease them about this later.

He’ll be alright, dear, just leave a jacket, will you? Your scent is closest to his alpha.”

Ivan’s shoulders slumped at the mention of Till’s alpha, but he still shrugged off his coat, leaving him in a long-sleeve black shirt.

Almost immediately, Till curled towards the fabric. Pushing his nose to the inner lining as his head brushed against the hood.

“No go on, I’ll call you if anything changes.”

Una shooed the boy out the door; she was sure that if she wasn’t there, the other would climb into the bed right next to Till. She had heard of their nest when Till was particularly delirious, feeling the softness of his nest and current pregnancy.

She sighed as the door clicked, slumping into the nearby chair. Watching the subtle rise and fall of his chest- evidence he was still living…

“Wake up pup, you have people waiting for you…”

Till could barely see anything around him, everything seemed blurry, out of focus.

He felt as if his head was under water, the heavy weight, usually a comforting presence, was now suffocating.

His body shook despite his best efforts, body taking in too much- nose searching for a scent that was barely there. Darkness found him as his brain began to be swallowed by the ocean. Limbs heavy as it waded through the current, aching with every movement.

His vision cleared, small breaths of fresh air found him, as a familiar scent warmed his core deep down. Allowing him to float above, seeing the clear sky of blue and fluffy white clouds.

Seeing drawn images of birds go over his sight, blinking away the haze, his eyes found the stark red pupils of his other.

“Ivan?”

The boy smiled, the corners of his mouth bruised and scraped- rubbed raw with resounding redness stretching past the corners.

The smile was cold, not exactly reaching his eyes- something so practiced.

“Don’t look at me like that.”

He remembered telling him countless times before, Ivan only smiled more smugly- mockingly, if he recalls.

“You know, maybe if you smiled more, more people would be your friend.”

His remark held no actual weight, humorous in Ivan’s way. But still, his brow would furrow, usually back with a hurtful remark- only for them to silently ‘make-up’ in his nest by the end of the day.

“Like you have any friends!”

Till’s shove was hard, but not enough to dislodge him from his seat on the grass.

“I have plenty of friends, you don’t though.”

Till rolled his eyes, Ivan was popular, but he wouldn’t call any of those kids his friends.

They didn’t help Ivan with writing his lyrics, or quietly patched him up after a particularly bad day. They never brought him into their nest, nor saw the way he teased the recluse Sua or made Mizi laugh from deep in her core.

“It’s only because you’re an alpha or something, they flock to you like mindless peas!”

He stuck out his tongue, a small sound escaping him in disgust at the thought of many of their classmates surrounding Ivan after class. Searching for his attention in ways that made his stomach flip in a way he didn’t understand.

Ivan’s brow raised, confused but curious-

“If that’s true… then they avoid you because you’re an omega?”

A small flicker of confusion now appeared on his face, shoulders hunching up to ears, most likely a bright shade of red.

“I'm not an omega!?”

“Sure you are?”

Now Ivan sounded unsure, as if not understanding what he didn’t understand himself. Where his line of thinking went wrong.

“Didn’t your owner tell you? They test your blood if you’re not born with prominent characteristics, then tell you so you’re not surprised when your cycle starts…”

Yill knew his face looked dumbfounded, his chest curling in worry- was he supposed to know that already? He was sure everyone just found out when their cycle began or something.

Till scoffed, not wanting to outright voice his lack of knowledge or how much it bothered him to not know.

“That bastard doesn’t tell me anything.”

The tone was gritty,anger bubbling in a way Till found recognizable. Ivan only looked away, no longer smiling but not entirely leaving his peripheral.

The quiet wind brushed past them. Calm yet bustling trees, as the wind ruffled their hair in a cooling embrace.

With a sigh, Till breathed in the soothing scent of milk- something shared by the unpresented members of Anakt- but something about Ivan’s made his mind fizzle with something different. Wanting to grab the other’s hand and not let go.

“I want to go to the nest.”

Till said with a small huff, pushing off the ground as he slowly made his way down. Stopping when an echo of footsteps did not follow him.

Looking back, Ivan sat there with his smile now warm and cozy.

“You coming?”

Ivan’s face turned downward, and a smile formed with a droop of his eyes. Eyes becoming glistened.

“Yeah, I’ll meet you there, little bird.”

He could feel his feet shift against the fake grass, sky now the distant memory of a star-stricken gaze.

Looking back to Ivan, he looked older, sadness etched on his face that made Till want to hold him until the expression melted away.

Down to the bone, past any grief deep-rooted in his heart. To pull it out and rip through until he found the infection.

“Just come with me.. What do you have to do here?”

“I have to stay here for a little while longer, go on without me.”

Till made his way back to Ivan,

“I’ll just stay with you then.”

Ivan shook his head, his eyes barely meeting his.

“You have to go, Till, people are waiting for you.”

Till looked down the hill, darkened the surroundings keeping a calm distance.

Shaking his head, Till sat down next to Ivan once again.

“They can wait, I’ll go when you do…”

An amused huff left Ivan, red reaching his face as Till leaned against him.

‘They can wait’

Chapter Text

The medical unit was crowded with many pregnant omegas, multiple sitting on hospital beds- scenting each other as they nervously fiddled with their hospital gowns.

Very few holding their alphas scented items to their nose- breathing in the protective accent as they rubbed their stomachs gently.

It had been a few days since they had been taken under the rebellion’s wings. Their medical team was short-staffed and rushed to get them checked. Yet, despite the very few actual injuries, many wanted to make sure their babies were okay.

Hyuna could see how energetic yet nervous the others were, as some found the freedom exciting while others worried for their children. But with many rooms filled with them, waiting for their check-up, there was an omega occupying one of their private rooms.

Rounding the corner, Hyuna saw the same bright pink and black hair she had been searching for. Standing like guilty puppies outside the aforementioned room.

“Y’know, when you said that you wanted to lead a rescue, I thought it was going to be at the kennels…”

Looking towards them, as they shifted their gaze to the floor- Ivan did not look particularly guilty, but Mizi held that expression for the both of them.

“Not one of the most prominent Omegan holding facilities in this city!”

A small jump in Mizi’s shoulder almost made her clam up, as she nervously rubbed the back of her neck.

However, despite her rising anger, it quickly dispelled at the sight of Mizi- fizzling out but entirely gone.

“And you! You should still be recovering!-”

Everyone’s head snapped to the sound of the door opening.

An older woman exited, her eyes tired as she quickly took Hyuna;s hand with a kind smile. Her face flushed pink with gratitude, lashes softly closing as she held Hyuna’s hand to her neck.

“Thank you, Mizi has told me so much about you.”

“It’s no problem..”

Hyuna returned the smile awkwardly- hoping that this woman did not hear her about to scold her saviors.

Bowing her head slightly, she quickly looked towards Mizi and Ivan-

“He’s still sleeping right now, so you can go in- just be quiet.”

Looking towards them, Ivan seemingly in a rush, ready to push past and enter the room.

Nodding toward the room as Mizi brought her finger to her lip, shushing her with a grin. Ivan rushed inside as she trailed behind.

Now alone with the blonde, Hyuna looked at her more closely. She was older than many of the omegas they brought back, body hunched slightly- but still appearing more youthful with her blonde eyelashes and golden eyes….

“You look familiar.”

Hyuna murmured, the other’s grasp on her hands loosening slightly.

“I'm Una. I may not have been very popular in my day- but perhaps the beautiful Hyuna has seen me sing on stage? Or perhaps a magazine?”

Una’s smile was bright yet aloof, similar to the one they trained Ivan to mimic. It showed her teeth perfectly, straight and even with the curve of her lip.

Her wrinkles made her look soft when relaxed, as she brought her hand to her shoulder.

“Dear, truly I am grateful for everything you’ve done for us- would you like to see Till?”

Holding her hand once again,

“I might as well see who these knuckleheads risked their lives for.”

Sighing to herself, Una chuckled at her exasperated huff before opening the door for her.

Inside, she could see Ivan and Mizi, sitting at either side of Till as he lay on his side. Their friend was as they described him, with silver hair, thin and scrawny, and an angular face.

But looking closer, it was obvious that his time in the Omegan Facility affected him. Pin-pricking bruising and scarring lined his inner arms and neck. Deep purple spattered at his nape. Hair dulled of any shine it would have had growing up, thinner in some areas, but being short made it hardly noticeable.

Till’s hands were covered by large circular mitts- his right hand crossed to his chest while the left dangled over the cushioned railing of the bed. Wire poked out of his gown as the IV tube was close to being pulled tight, almost ripping out completely as Till leaned further over the bed.

A thick blanket was draped over him lightly as it shifted under every continuous movement Till made. Every few seconds, Till would twitch his feet kicking underneath himself and his right hand struggling to pick at the IV in the crook of his left elbow.

Subconsciously, it seemed Till gravitated towards Ivan, despite his deeply sedated state. Til was leaning over to his side. His mitted hand reached for him, even as his fingers curled tightly within the restraint- he padded the mitt against the railing, pulling closer to Ivan.

Mizi stood up slightly to try and pull hom towards her- worry etched on her face as the IV kept pulling, and Till’s face scrunched at the tight tubing.

Una herself even walked closer to try and pull him back slightly.

“Oi Ivan- hold your boyfriend's hand before he rips out his IV.”

Hyuna remarked, a smirk playing in her tone.

As if snapping out of a trance, Ivan’s eyes snapped from Tills’ face to hers, face becoming a blush shade of red.

“He’s not-”

Face pulling together as he looked to Till once again.

“Please, dear, at this rate he might fall off the bed.”

Una chimed, a small chuckle hidden behind her hand. Mizi nodded along with a bashful smile.

Ivan hesitantly inched towards Till, hand going up the railing before leaning on Till’s forearm. Pushing him gently to move his left closer to his right hand, curling further as Ivan led his hand to Tills.

Fingers scratched against the fabric as it folded the mitt to properly hold onto Ivan’s hand. His face relaxed as his grip tightened, going further to pull Ivan’s hand to bring his wrist as close to his face as he allowed.

Sighing as bitter notes of coffee, freshly poured, entered the room. Mixing with the out-of-control peppermint and developing cream.

Una’s fiddling calmed as Till began to fully relax, Mizi retreating to her seat as she pulled herself closer to brush the short strands of hair at his nape.

“So, other than the twenty or so new omegas in the rebellion now- did y’all collect anything else?”

Ivan looked to Mizi, her eyes leaving Till before searching for Hyuna’s.

“Well, our main priority was the omegas…”

Mizi reached into her pocket, packed away closely on her person. Pulling out one of the many collars that decorated their necks in the facility.

“But Issac believes we can gain some information from the collars.”

Hyuna grabbed the collar, hand brushing against the small raised edges and intricate ports.

Una perked in her peripheral,

“They would scan a chip in our collars for our monthly checkups. Would it be possible to access their system through it?”

She could see it, and knew what Una was talking about. In her time with the rebellion, she had run through many different kinds of buildings during rescue missions. Many of which had less funding than others. But a majority had the same information system. A small chip contained in their collars, scanned and updated almost daily based on vitals and mood indicators.

However, they usually broke once they escaped. The cheap plastic covering was easy for the omega to rip apart once they felt safe. Tearing at the precious wiring and chips held inside.

But now… the collar she held was held together in a metal casing. Small rivets almost flush against the pristine white surface. They were more well put together, almost mimicking the ones from Anakt, but more inhumanly designed.

From what she saw, there was one size- one design. Many of the omegas had red marks around their necks from the pinching material. An easy access port in the back to allow for easy IV treatment, and a difficult removal process to prevent them from ripping it off.

She nodded as she fidgeted with a loose panel,

“I’ll ask Issac about it, but first and foremost we can at least try to obtain some medical information.”

The collar slid easily into her pocket, feeling heavy against her leg as silence encompassed the room.

Looking around the room, she could see the heavy exhaustion. Almost weighing down their shoulders in a way that even made her tired.

“Well, I understand this was short, but you all need some sleep.”

With a loud clap, Mizi looked close to protesting. Ivan, barely even able to take his eyes off Till, seemed to be ready to back up whatever Miziz was about to say.

Putting her finger up to silence the pair, Una looked to her. Shuffling to stand closer, crossing her arms.

“Mizi, you’ve been on back-to-back missions and you, Ivan, are supposed to still be resting. And Una here, I’m sure would love it if you showed her to her room.”

Ivan stood before Miziz, his hand not leaving Till, but his gaze still sharp in her direction. Her brow rose, eyes searching his. Questioning whether he was ready to actually challenge her on this.

With a heavy sigh, Ivan reluctantly moved away. His hand waved to Mizi to follow. Her throat bobbed, giving a glassy eyed glance to Till. His body shifted slightly to curl further in. Keeping his scented arm close to his chest.

“Come on, kids, let’s get some sleep.”

Her smile was bright, her voice gentle. Her hand gently led Ivan and Mizi out the door. Soft features nodding her way.

“Yeah, listen to her. Don’t worry, our medical staff will notify you if anything changes.”

Hyuna rubbed the back of her neck. She already had a lot to get done, the collar weighing heavily in her pocket being one.

She sighed, as Una gave her a last nod-

“Thank you, dear.”

The door closed with a soft click. Her footsteps sounded louder than the rhythmic beeps of the heart monitor.

Till was so still, his chest rising and falling gently in his deep sleep. She had heard of the kid, briefly, in her time at Anakt. His rebellious nature being an example of what not to do.

But now he is here…

“You’d better wake up, kid, there are a lot of people waiting for you.”

A small hitch rose in his heartbeat, so subtle she wasn’t sure she even heard it correctly. But Till only shifted slightly, his body now lying on his back, arms lying near his head.

“Crazy kid.”

Hyuna let her eyes sweep through the room one last time before turning on her heel and letting the door close behind her.

Everything was so warm, soft- with the most beautiful rhythm fluttering near his ears. He was sure it was coming from Ivan, the boy who had always hummed a delicate lullaby in their nest.

But… something hurt.

Actually, everything hurts.

His brows furrowed in pain, the gentle melody never leaving but now battered harshly against his eardrums. His eyes blurred, trying to look around- everything seemed so bright. Light bouncing against the white tile that surrounded him.

The pain was radiating from his hands. His fingers.

They felt as if they were on fire, burning, the cool air of the room doing nothing but send shivers up his spine. Growls and murmurs replaced the melody passing through. His once free mind was trapped, somewhere dark and cold.

His hands hurt so damn much!

His face felt tacky with tears, eyes stinging as more fell. Wet and blurring.

He had…what had he done again?

They spoke around him, his panicked mind couldn’t follow along. His voice was small; it didn’t sound like him.

“W-why?!? It hurts!”

They looked to him, their faces scrunching in a way Till knew as discontentment.

“The silly human doesn’t know.”

The Segyein drawled out, their speech slow and disconnected. Sloshing together in words he barely understood. The humanoid Segyein displayed an unpleasant smile.

“You harmed another student. If you were docile, this wouldn’t have happened.”

Till’s sobs served as a good enough response, echoing through the room. His mind picturing Ivan’s face, hair fluffed against fake grass as they tumbled down the hill.

His wrists strain under the restraints, red marks boarding the edges. His fingers throbbed- now all bruised and bloodied.

Any movement causing strikes of pain to shoot through his arm. The Segyein approached, pliers in their hands, clicking dangerously close to his face.

A weight of dread fell upon his chest, heavy. Instinctually trying to push his body further and further into the chair in an effort to move away.

He had to get away!

He thought his punishment was over!

He didn’t mean it!

He would take the dark closet over this!

He didn’t mean to hurt Ivan!

They were just playing!

Large Segyein hands held his head back as the rest of his body squirmed in their grip. Thumb prying his teeth apart, the pressure almost making his jaw click into place. His shaking was bad enough to make the pliers click against his front teeth. The pliers moved across his mouth, steel hitting his tongue before clacking against his teeth.

Saliva pooled, eyes widened- the Segyein counted.

1-2-3…

Firmly holding the tooth between the clamps, the pressure caused a wince to escape from deep in his throat. The Segyein’s face twisted in concentration.

With no warning, a sharp tug!

His vision became blurry once again. The room was swirling in many shades as his head lolled to the side. Static filling his peripheral, boarding everything. Pain erupted from his gums as blood mixed with saliva. Copper tastes collecting on his tongue.

Passing his lips as it began to pour over, coating his chin, dripping onto his shirt. The Segyein observed the tooth now clamped between their pliers. Sharp in its nature, but still small like the rest. His gum throbbed with his heartbeat.

The tooth was allowed to join his ripped-away claws on the floor. Clicking against tile, splattering small droplets of blood on his feet. His head was held again, his body breathing heavy as it tensed in anticipation. Scrunching his eyes closed at the sound of the pliers clicking closer to his mouth.

1-2-3…

Counting down to the remaining sharp canine resting against the rest.

Pressure…and then a sudden pull!

It came out with some resistance, with horrible residual pain radiating throughout his jaw. Body shivering, jaw clacking his teeth together in shock.

Till let his head fall forward, blood now dropping to his lap.

So much red stained the room.

Like the blooming red of Ivan’s scratched face…

It was an accident….

They were just playing…

“Now you can’t hurt the other students again.”

The Segyein sounded so chipper to his ears, so joyful despite his bloody hands and face. Despite the glare his body mustered to send their way, probably not sending the right message as they smiled right back at him.

Everything felt so warm, his mind, his body. Warming up to the point of nausea. So heavy, warm, boarding on burning up from the inside out. His vision went black, blood loss reaching him.

Afterwards…he remembers his fingers being bandaged, twitching in discomfort with each new wrap of the coarse cloth.

He remembers the gauze shoved into his gums, stained red in seconds as the Segyein steadily replaced them until it remained partially white.

He remembers Ivan asking- his face bandaged, but most likely scar-free. Ivan was their favorite after all, they wouldn’t want him damaged.

His tone filled with worry, fingers tracing along the lines of the gauze wrapped fingers. Trying not to flinch back at the gentle touch. He told him it was just guitar practice- they could be rough on your fingers after all.

He remembers eating soft foods for a while, gums bleeding with any jab of his fork. The sensitive flesh, soft and slick without the tooth filling the cavity. Losing the majority of his appetite from the residual copper coating his tongue.

He remembers what caused this. They were playing… It was an accident- he was never supposed to get hurt. They rough-housed all the time. Ivan never brought it up, but they did.

They told him it was improper for his kind to fight in such a way.

They told him it was unnecessary to have those weapons.

They told him he would harm more people if he kept them.

It was unnatural for him to have them.

So they helped.

Removed them.

Every pull of a claw, they set it into his head. He was an anomaly. If he wasn’t mill trash with tainted genes, they wouldn’t have had to remove them. Unregulated genes, they had to go through the bother to take care of later.

The pain, the blood, the residual panic he felt when he looked at his smile for too long. The tears that would escape as he would try to play the guitar- his nails never growing right afterwards, causing his nerves to twitch and burn, traveling to his heart- aching with each new note played.

Fingers becoming red and sensitive with every practice- forced to continue long after his tears blurred the sheet music.

Ivan never asked about his smile, his brows furrowed- but his voice never shaped those words he hoped for. The words that allowed him to recount the horrors, to get it off his chest. The words they spewed to him as his torture continued.

But despite his heart yearning to hear him ask, his brain stopped the thought- not wanting the other to feel burdened by his mistake.

If he hadn’t gotten carried away.

If he hadn't fought back.

If he…

Ivan didn’t have a scar, but he was left with less than before.

No markings of their fight, only blurred sheet music.

Unspoken words and fallen teeth.

….

A dark room, filled with his blood and tears.

A dark room? With a rhythmic beeping against his ear.

Hands brushing against the rough fabric No longer within a pile of fabric, yet surrounded by warmth and soft scents.

Lavender hitting his nose first, sweet aromas underlying the strong scent of coffee. A large sigh left his body, as he sank into the mattress…

His eyes snapped open, letting his vision roam across the room. Small, but comfy the way the blanket warmed his core. Steady beats, slowly increasing in their beeping.

As if weight settled over his shoulders, his body only continued to fall back. Sinking further and further into the mattress, his eyes drooping with the calming pheromones enveloping him. But, his breathing became ragged and rough.

His throat responded with the unfamiliar raspy purrs that rattled his ribs. Trying to calm his racing mind.

Hair brushing against the pillow roughly, Till found himself reaching for the railing. Mitted hands, causing a small tilt of his head. Bringing the velcro strips to his mouth, front teeth biting against it, he stripped his hands free of their restraints.

Finding his hands curled in a way that hurt to try and pull out from. But, his eyes found the beautiful dark blues of the sky, swirling in an array of sparkling stars that seemed to glimmer endlessly. It hurt to witness something so awe-inspiring, his eyes straining to take in the stream of colors decorated with sparkling lights.

His body followed his eyes, leaning further to the edge, the railing keeping him secured on the bed. It didn’t deter his mind; his leg followed suit. Thrown over the bedrail, his shoulder came next. Everything felt so heavy, but this couldn’t be real? Was it?

It was like that night, but so relaxing in a way- where his heart beat felt so prominently in his chest. Rickety, fluttering beats against his ears. His hand reached for it, for the twinkling lights, the night Ivan showed to him. None were falling, however, so the sky looked to be a pool of stars waiting to reach the ground. Waiting to reach their loved one- wherever they went.

But, just as Till reached for it, to reach for his dream to come true, it fell out of his sight. His body fell to the floor. A pile, a heap on the ground. Wrapped in his blanket, but his knees were now quickly becoming bruised by the hard tiled floor. His IV pulled from his skin, small rivets of blood flowing from his arm. Wires pulling machines closer to him.

His chest heaved from the strain, the wind knocked out of his lungs. Gasping at the sudden drop, but finding himself looking up once again. To the lovely blues, to the beauty his mind decided to conjure this time in his fits of sleep.

His hand curled even further, tighter against the floor, another pulling at his blanket, A small shiver traveled up his spine as the cool edge of the room settled deep in his bones.

Despite the horrors that lay so deep in his dreams, he basked in the small reprieve that was this one. Something so tangible- he didn’t want to wake up…

But…. something clicked.

Till almost expected his vision to escape him, to no longer sit in that room. To dream something different that would leave his heart racing in an effort to clear his brain of the fog.

But the room remained the same, the chill traveled further into his bones, vision clearing like a breath of fresh air.

The click became a tap, one made but cut off so suddenly.

Looking to the source, Till sees a flash of those familiar eyes. He was so sure his lungs would stop working. His body would fall apart once again, finally breaking under the new weight.

The man he had seen in his dreams now pressed heavily against him, almost suffocating under this crushing hug. It felt so real, so tangible.

His fingers glided over his gown, feeling the individual bones dripping against his skin. His nose pressed against his neck, breathing in the strong peppermint he produced. His back arching into the other, pushing against the other in an effort to get closer. To become one with each other in a way their flesh and bones would not allow.

Till’s own hands found Ivan’s back, feeling the very real smooth fabric of his sweater.

He felt so real… in his hands, his heart beat a rushed but steady melody against his chest. Together with him, never letting go. The only sound was the beeping of the monitor, and his small sobs passing his lips.

Every hitch of his tonne caused the other to tighten their grip.

“You’re here? With me?”

His voice was small, rough against his ears, muffled by the other’s sweater.

“I am, little bird.”

A heavy cry wracked his body. Ivan’s heartbeat was real. His breathing, his voice, smile, crise…. All of it was real…

He could barely breathe with each new mewl coming from his strained throat, lungs struggling to keep up.

His grip became almost painful to his own hands, imagining how they look right now left Till warm and fuzzy. A small laugh escaped at the thought. Curled together on the floor, crying.

A small form, huddled together,

“You got away..”

He nodded against his hair, cheek brushing against his ear.

“And I followed…”

A small sigh escaped Ivan, weighing heavy in his head.

“I’m sorry… for not following sooner.”

His mind told him to push Ivan away, his thoughts swirling in guilt that day. The day he let go, Ivan gave him a wide smile as he ran back to Anak. The expression haunting his every dream, his every waking moment.

But, his heart wanted to wrap its veins around the other until they became once, until they could not untangle from one another, no matter the circumstances.

“I’m so so sorry, Ivan.”

A large gasp echoed through the room, followed by a muffled yell as Ivan pushed him further to his shoulder.

“Don’t ever apologize, even if you do, I’ll tell you not to… until you understand. We were just kids.”

Ivan shifted, his face leaving his neck until his eyes met his. His eyes were glossy, with a shimmering edge that reflected the sky. His warm hands travelled up his neck to his cheeks. Cradling his head so lovingly in his hold. A small smile shaking with unshed tears. In comparison, Till knew his face was streaked red with tears, tacky in ways that made Ivan rubbing their foreheads together- caused him to scrunch his face tightly.

Nose wrinkling, mouth pouting as the other huffed out a small laugh. Lashes fluttering, pressing gently against his skin. Soft in a manner, he thought only his brain could conjure in his imagination.

Ivan’s thumb rubbed against the red underlying his eyes, swollen from crying, wiping away any tears left, or rather the ones that seemed to be never-ending.

“I’m so tired, Ivan.”

He breathed out the words, letting his eyes fall shut as Ivan kept them close. Holding him up even as his body began to slump once again.

“Go to sleep, bird.”

His laugh was light, airy in a way Till loved.

“But if I do… will you still be here?”

His hand stopped, so suddenly that Till allowed his eyes to peek. Earning the sight of Ivan, his expression twisted in pain, but was slowly giving in to his genuine smile.

“Of course I will.”

“Promise?”

His heart ached; the memory was now just a distant hallucination. Imagination running wild in the past, now conjured in reality, right in front of him.

“Promise”

Ivan felt Till lean more into him, his body becoming more and more slack with every passing minute. Letting his hands go to Till’s side, he could feel the protruding ribs, each one so pronounced against his hand. Once Till felt better, he was going to be one fat bird with how much he was going to feed him.

Ivan smiled even wider at the thought, Till waddling through the halls, with his hand on his belly as he held his hand.

Pulling Till up was easy, his feet scrambled to plant correctly on the ground. With a small shift, Ivan got Till to lean against his chest. One hand around his torso as his other hand lowered the bedrail.

With how high the bed was, Ivan was surprised that Till basically jumped down with no injuries except for a few bruises.

When helping Till to sit on the bed, his feet dangled off the edge, and he swung his legs back and forth in amusement. Ivan lifted his legs so he could lie properly. The bed wasn’t large at all, but it could fit them… Ivan nodded to himself as Till began to curl into himself.

A sigh left him, as Ivan fluffed the blanket, covering him in the soft material. Till nuzzled against the pillow, pushing himself further into the cushioned railing, giving enough space for Ivan to slide in next to him.

Ivan found himself almost falling off the bed. Till pushed against him in an attempt to hold him closer and closer. They shuffled against the bed for a few minutes, mainly Ivan, trying to find a good position where Till’s wasn’t fully pushed against the rail.

Before pulling Till into his arms, he pulled the collar of his gown- checking the monitor's stickers were still firmly attached to his chest. His IV was pulled out afterall.

“Pervert.”

Till murmured as his hand batted his hand away, letting it fall to the side as he hid his blushed face against Ivan’s chest.

His own face was flushed red, warming in a way he hadn’t felt in a while. A hearty laugh escaped him after a moment, shaking both him and Till.

Once calmed down, Ivan looked to Till once again. His eyes closed, chest rising and falling with each sleep-induced breath. His hands held the front of his sweater tightly. Not allowing him to move and inch, not that he would want to.

Ivan let his head fall to the pillow. It smelled of Till. Every small movement let that scent wash over him. His own eyes finally falling close as the beeping of the monitor lulled him to sleep.