Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

”Getting you fixed was the best solution to both of our problems. Laswell is finding a new unit for you so you don’t have to see my face again. Not sure I can look at myself anymore… just… do your best to survive. You’re a damn good soldier… A good omega and I had to ruin you.”

Those words often echoed in Soap’s mind on every difficult day he had in the SAS. His hand moved absently to the scar on his lower abs a reminder of what Carlson meant by ruining Soap.

At that time, he was young, naive, and wanted nothing more than to be loved. He thought he found love in Nathan Carlson, his first captain out of training. The first man Soap ever loved and trusted so implicitly. Soap often wondered how things would have been different if he had been more mature and socially aware. Could Carlson have broken what Soap was so completely…

“Bravo 7-1 to Delta 1-5, watch your flank at 3 o’clock,” Soap directed on comms.

“Delta 1-5 to Bravo 7-1, you worry too much omega. Just sit there and look pretty picking them off,” Lieutenant Samuels ridiculed on the line.

It was always like this with the alphas in Soap’s unit, particularly the superior officers like Samuels. The alphas saw Soap as a maid, an object, or a hole depending on the day. If he thought about it this was what his whole life was like with alphas. They acted like they didn’t need him, yet he cleaned up their messes, like right now. Samuels’ alpha cockiness left his six wide open.

A body was heard hitting the floor on comms.

“Like that?” Soap sounded smug over the line having taken out a hostile that was about to ambush Samuels.

“Don’t get too big for your britches,” Samuels muttered, irritation apparent in his voice.

Soap took his hand off the button, huffing. “A simple ‘thank you’ would be nice…”

“Why can’t Alpha be happy with me…” Soap’s omega lamented his need for praise frequently ignored no matter how hard Soap tried. “You and I both know they’ll never do that so quit whining about it,” Soap reprimanded himself. He clenched his jaw, gripping the handle of his rifle tighter to distract himself from wanting to scream as he continued to do his job on overwatch.

The mission was simple: go in, take out the target, grab intel, and get out. Soap was one of three people on overwatch. At this point, the other two alphas were napping, not caring about watching the other team members’ backs because Soap was there to do it.

“Delta 1-5 to Delta squadron, objective complete. Overwatch cover us on the way out to exfil,” Samuels directed.

“Copy,” the team responded.

Soap furrowed his brow as he kept watch, “Once again, I was the only one doing anything on overwatch, but okay.” He took a deep breath and tried to let it all go on the exhale. He didn’t have time to be agitated about the lack of effort his teammates put forth.

When they all made it back to the plane on exfil, there was a lot of patting on the back and praises, none directed at Soap. He usually sat on the far end of the plane from the others, Soap had no interest in their thoughts about him or their unwanted butt taps and commentary on his body.

Soap had his arms crossed, clutching his biceps tattoos and gunshot wounds stretching over muscles he fought hard to build. Being an omega, even a dominant one, made it difficult to bulk up as omegas were typically smaller, daintier, and treated as delicate. Everything Soap wasn’t, or at least he wasn’t allowed to be. His comrades had no problems reminding him he wasn’t soft or sweet, or how they couldn’t look at him when they used him because he seemed more like an alpha by appearance. They ridiculed him for trying so hard.

Soap could just as easily point out that he did most of the work on overwatch, but he’d be met with disdain.

“Do you worry so much because you’re an omega?” Captain Jeffreys called him out when he tried to point out the route they planned on taking to stop a weapon’s deal would put the infil team in unnecessary danger.

“We don’t need to be babied,” Sergeant Warren shrugged Soap off when he tried to treat his gunshot wound so it wouldn’t get infected later. Surprise, surprise it got infected because he didn’t let Soap treat it.

“Just sit there and look pretty like an omega is supposed to,” Lieutenant Samuels would say, undermining Soap during training exercises he ran by the book, the Lieutenant did not show the privates enough discipline or cleanliness in drills and procedures that were important to, you know, keeping them all alive.

“Didn’t I do a good job?” Soap’s omega prodded. “You know there’s no point in seeking any kind of praise or comfort here. Just stop it,” Soap hissed a warning at himself. Soap slumped his shoulders, feeling so small for someone who kept his team alive most of the time.

Soap knew that the only “praise” that would come from this little excursion was a group of alphas in his room seeking to celebrate by trying to be knot deep in the unit omega. For Soap, this wasn’t happening. Not today. He wasn’t in the mood. Of course, when is he ever in the mood to have a group of people forcing themselves on him?

Soap had done a good job dodging them lately, his first night on the unit he was cornered when they found out Soap had been “fixed,” not sure how that information got around to them since the procedure wasn’t on his record. Fortunately, it was only two of them that night, though Soap could have gone his whole life with that number being zero. Private Benson almost got a hold of him a week ago, Soap barely wriggling out of the larger alpha’s grasp and scrambling off, finally able to lose him in a supply shed.

“Great work, lads,” Captain Jeffreys praised, “HQ will be pleased. Glad to see MacTavish didn’t slow you guys up too much.”

“I was the one keeping all these idiots alive, but okay,” Soap leaned against the wall at the back of the room, a fake smile plastered on his face as the rest of the room chuckled at his expense. He submitted his report in writing because he was never allowed to speak at briefings or debriefings.

Jeffreys gave a wicked smile, “Lads, once we’re done here, you’re free to celebrate your achievement however you want.”

Captain Jeffreys was the worst kind of alpha. He was of the mind that the only function an omega should have in the military is to be a slag for the team to let off steam with and nothing more. He couldn’t treat Soap as just a hole though, despite his best efforts, Soap’s skill and competency would raise red flags if they took Soap off the field for any reason.

So he’d let Soap tag along on the missions, but after they were done, he would turn a blind eye to any misconduct on the part of the team members that were on the mission.

Soap could smell pre-rut on half of his team, so as soon as they finished debriefing Soap took off to the obstacle course. When he felt no one followed he did what he always does. He paced around and scratched at the fabric covering the patches on his neck.

The pain of the infection was nothing compared to the way his COs and team ignored his achievements, more interested in hyping each other up into a frenzy so they could use him and abuse him.

“Isn’t the fact that we give you the time of day praise enough, omega?” Jeffreys would say when Soap would try to make any reports on the issue. Soap was lucky if Jeffreys even referred to him as anything other than “omega.” There was one thing keeping him from feeling completely dehumanized, and it was the memory of a man who took things from him. Things Soap would have happily given him and would have happily made it work.

“You’re a damn good soldier… survive…”

Soap hugged himself trying to fight back the tears. He couldn’t let anyone see how much any of it hurt. There would be no comfort, only ridicule.

“We’re all cold worthless bastards, MacTavish…”

The one thing he screamed out for internally was at the very least to crawl into a nest. A feeling that itched deeper under his skin than the patches he wore 24/7. Itched deeper than the desire for praise that never came. It’s one of those omega instincts that he couldn’t push down because omegas nest year around. Or at least that’s what healthy omegas do Soap was told. He hadn’t nested in years. Fortunately, the military kept him busy enough that he didn’t have the time to fall into a spiral, a deep depression at not having the one thing that would help him decompress. The constant business was what made it easy to push to the back of his mind most of the time.

Despite being bone tired, he didn’t dare return to his room, which he knew would be trashed and picked over. The alphas in his unit would gladly settle for laundry to have a good wank if they couldn’t find him directly. The soldiers on KP at the laundromat would give him judgmental looks from the way his laundry would come in saturated with alpha stench and cum.

“Geez, do you routinely let over half the base fuck you, MacTavish?” one of the attendants commented.

At first, he’d get pissed about it, but after a while, he just smiled as he signed it all in and silently leave. It’s not like he could say that it wasn’t his fault his laundry came in so disgusting.

“They won’t believe you, no matter how much you insist… Survive…”

The only guidance that none of this was right was the abject shame he felt for his lack of control. Otherwise, he’d think all of this treatment was normal. Once he presented he didn’t have his dam to teach him anything, his father yanking him away.

His father never wanted an omega for a child, so it made him lose his mind when his only male child turned out to be an omega. It brought shame to his sire, so he locked Soap away as much as possible so this stain on his family line wouldn’t be on display. Soap wasn’t allowed to have friends at school. Since his father had his thumb hard on the neck of the school board, no one was allowed to talk to him about his secondary sex at all. His father was a huge stakeholder in the Catholic School Soap and his siblings went to, so they didn’t mind firing any faculty member who tried to give Soap ‘the talk.’ The only thing Soap had was his father and that awful basement. His one comfort allowed was his dam’s blanket because his bastard of a father might have been cruel, but not completely heartless…

“You of all people should have known the way we are from the beginning, right?”

“Why do they all hate me? What have I ever done to deserve ANY of this…” Soap swallowed a keen of frustration. “Fuck if I know…“ If he stayed in this unit any longer he knew he was going to go insane.

“Great job on the mission, lads! Take a breather, it was a long one,” Price congratulated the team.

They had all spent the better part of a week tracking the movements of a high-value target, having to stay close to be able to change locations at any given moment. Because they were all the cream of the crop, they would be able to pass on detailed intel to HQ about a weapon’s deal that would go down a month from now.

“Whatever,” Gaz pushed past him off the tarmac.

Price scratched the back of his neck as he watched after Gaz. He hoped Gaz would be in higher spirits since the mission was a success.

Lately, it seemed like Price couldn’t do anything right when it came to Gaz. As a soldier, he’d follow directions well and be a team player. As a partner, he stopped giving Price a second glance.

“Will we at least see you at dinner?” Price called after him. He had planned to order takeout and beer, so they could all spend time together. Something they used to always do, and it was even more fun when Price, Gaz, and Ghost entered a relationship with each other. Now it seemed like pulling teeth to get them all to be able to sit down together.

Gaz didn’t answer, just trudged back to his room. He wasn’t sure why everyone had been pissing him off lately, but Gaz needed space after being stuck with the team for a week.

“Do you not understand how horribly wrong that would have gone if you didn’t wake your ass up fast enough to make that shot? Meet me at the range in an hour, you all obviously need a refresher on proper overwatch procedures,” Ghost snapped at the two recruits that joined them on the mission.

Price knew when Simon was feeling any sort of anxiety he would overdo it. Whether it was on a mission, training himself, or training the recruits. Whenever Price would try to get Simon to talk, the poor lad looked like a deer caught in the headlights. Then Ghost would take over, and that would be the end of it.

“Ghost, we all made it back okay, and it was a long mission. I think the refresher can wait until tomorrow,” Price reprimanded. It was the recruits’ first mission, they did well. They all deserved a break.

“Is that an order, captain?” Ghost crossed his arms, glaring.

“You know what. Yes, it is, and I need to see both you and Sergeanr Garrick in my office in an hour. Not a single minute later,” Price narrowed his eyes meeting the way Ghost stood at his full height mirroring Ghost’s posture. Price had a good two inches on Ghost.

Between the attitudes and being iced out, Price was tired of trying to chase affection from either of them. Whatever he did was starting to bleed over in how they interacted at work, and Price would be damned if he had to worry about their attitudes on the clock too.

Ghost squinted his eyes under the mask, and gritted out a, “Yes, sir.”

Price let out a heavy sigh and turned the recruits, “Hit the showers, hit the mess, and get some rest.”

The recruits nodded and scurried off. Their captain didn’t have to tell them twice.

Later in Price’s office, Gaz was sitting with his arms crossed looking away while Ghost stood leaning against the wall.

Price let out a heavy sigh, trying to check his temper.

“Well?” Gaz asked impatiently.

“Sergeant Garrick, I’m going need you to cut the fucking attitude with me,” Price snapped, “I don’t know what’s getting into you two, but you’re getting out of control to the point that I’m even getting sick of it.”

“Oh, so you’re sick of us now?” Ghost raised his eyebrows.

“That’s not what I fucking said, Lieutenant Riley, and you know it,” Price glared, a look that caught both Ghost and Gaz’s attention as it was not a look Price gave often.

Price was trying to give his boys some grace because it’s hard being on a unit with no omega, and yeah, none of them had had time to take rut leaves lately, but the lack of leave is not an excuse for giving a superior officer attitude or running recruits ragged.

“I love you both with all my heart, so I’m going to say this as a partner and as your captain. You better figure out how to check yourselves, because I promise you and you both know well enough this isn’t me checking you yet,” the usual warmth in Price’s voice wasn’t there.

Gaz tsked, but before Ghost could say “Yeah, whatever,” Price raised his voice.

“Did I fucking stutter you two? You know what? If this is not a conversation you’re both privy to having, you can get the fuck out of my office right now before I say something we’re all going to fucking regret.”

The two flinched again, looking confused because Price didn’t bark orders in their downtime. No, he was soft and sweet. A far cry from the furious dominant alpha standing before them.

“Get- out- of- my- office- NOW,” Price roared causing the two to scurry out. He slammed the door after them locking his office.

“Don’t yell at love’s like that,” Price’s alpha reprimanded. “What do you want me to do? Let the hierarchy break down and have them walk all over me?” “No…” “To let them know this behavior is breaking my heart and as another alpha there’s not shit I can do about it since we’re all military?” “Bingo!” “I can’t stand you sometimes…” Price internally glared at his alpha who shrugged. They both knew being honest about his feelings would be a step in the right direction to fixing it.

Before Price and his alpha could argue anymore, he got a notification to meet Laswell for a video conference. Price let out a heavy sigh, trudging out of his office to prepare for this impromptu meeting.

“Congratulations on a mission well done, Price,” Laswell appeared on the screen.

“Thanks, Kate, but I know you’re not calling just to pat me on the back,” Price grumbled.

“The fact that you look so worn out lately is why I’m calling, but you aren’t necessarily going to like how we’re going to have to go about it,” Laswell looked at Price with some sympathy.

“Well go ahead and get on with it, Kate,” Price acknowledged running a hand through his hair.

“John, the 141 needs a unit omega, and honestly, your pack needs one too. I can’t help you keep avoiding it with HQ for much longer. From their standpoint it’s beginning to look like an issue of discrimination,” Laswell got to the point.

Price clenched his jaw, “You and I both know that’s not the case.”

Laswell gave Price a sympathetic stare, “I know, but John, at some point you’re going to have to let what happened to William go.”

“Will has nothing to do with this!” Price snapped.

“Doesn’t he?”

“John, what happened to me… this isn’t your fault… we got him… we got Makarov… that’s all that matters…”

Price shook the memory from his head before the tears started to well up again. He had been thinking a lot about Will lately, silently crying over a man he lost a long time ago after he’d wake up in a cold sweat. Nightmares he thought he had gotten over.

“So what do you want me to do about it?” Price grimaced, ignoring Laswell’s last question.

“I have a list of candidates I want you to look over. We both know it’s not easy being an omega on a unit in the military, and we both know the 141 is held to higher standards than most,” Laswell explained.

She knew better than anyone being an omega herself. She had to fight tooth and nail for her position. Entrance exams, training, beating up other alphas, earning their respect. It’s not something most alphas accomplish in their career, so she had twice the obstacles blow through. She made it though, and was the most respected member of the service.

Nobody pats her on the back for making it because she’s an omega either. She beat the whole “Wow, you’re doing great for an omega” bullshit out of anyone who would dare make that comment a long time ago. No, she commanded their respect as a human being and a soldier. Her secondary sex hadn’t a damn thing to do with it.

Price was there for most of her career, and she was around for most of his. Laswell did more for Price and the 141 than anyone else, and he doesn’t take that for granted. Especially for how long she was able to hold off on pushing a decision for the 141’s unit omega on Price. If he was honest, he’d never be ready to do this. Price was glad this push was coming from Kate and not some rando member of the brass who didn’t understand them at all because they’re only seen as tools. The best tools, that got the greatest care at times, but still tools. Price wasn’t a fool, for as long as he served Price knew what this all was.

He nodded to Kate.

“I pulled as deep and as far as I could for these. Just let me know when you’ve picked one.”

The two nodded to each other, and Laswell signed off so Price could start his search.

Price was bone tired. It was a long mission, but he’d stay up as long as he needed to. He wasn’t particularly ready to have any more interactions with Ghost and Gaz tonight anyway.

He held his head in his hand as he started reading over the files. Price furrowed his brows at first, incredulous.

“Kate has to be kidding. None of these are a fit. The lads would eat this one alive. This one is too inexperienced. None of them have field training… wait,” Price stopped on a file that shined through the rest.

Price would never admit this out loud, but the first thing that struck him about this file was the pretty face that looked back up at him from the picture. A set of beautiful sky-blue eyes, surprisingly soft-looking lips for a man with a scar on his chin, and a Mohawk that wasn’t regulation, but added to his charm. As he kept reading the file, he found out that this particular omega was the top of his class, blowing most alphas out of the water on the written and practical portions. The Scot excelled in sniping and demolitions, a spot they were sorely lacking in with the 141.

Price put in a call to Laswell.

“Have you made a selection already?” she sounded surprised over the phone.

“John MacTavish… there are somethings in this file that raise some questions, but otherwise he’s perfect,” Price wasn’t doing a very good job of hiding the admiration in his voice.

“I was hoping you picked him,” Price could hear Kate’s smile on the line, “The questions you have aren’t pertinent to the job, but if you get along with John well enough I’m sure he’ll open up about them in time.”

“You sent me the files like this on purpose. You wanted me to pick MacTavish,” Price was suspicious. He knew Kate was way too good at her job to throw in half the candidates she threw in that stack.

“I don’t know what you mean, Price. Anyway, I’ll push the papers on this once we end the call,” Kate informed.

“Thanks, Kate,” Price continued to stare at the file after they got off the phone.

He gingerly ran a finger over the picture. Price imagined since Laswell didn’t even want to entertain his questions, it was something they’d have to find out from MacTavish themselves as she said. Price was okay with that, satisfied to take the time to get to know their new omega.

Chapter Text

MacTavish’s heart pounded, leg bouncing, nervous energy laced with excitement as the helo ride took him to his new unit. He hummed excitedly, blue eyes lit up in wonder as the aircraft slowed to land at his first assignment out of training. He stepped onto the tarmac and greeted his superior officers with a bright smile.

“John ‘Soap’ MacTavish reporting for duty!” MacTavish saluted sharply.

The warm smile from one of the most handsome men Soap had ever seen when he introduced himself gave Soap a good feeling about finally making it into a unit.

“Welcome to the unit, MacTavish. I am your new captain, Nathan Carlson.”

He could still see that day clearly in his mind. He was so full of hope and wonder then, but now his heart pounded and his leg bounced for different reasons. The thought of the situation being worse than what he was coming from had his stomach churning along with starvation. He hadn’t eaten since his last MRE on the prior mission before the transfer.

After his last mission, he didn’t even go back to his room on his old base until Captain Jeffreys informed Soap he was being transferred.

“Pack your shit, MacTavish. The 141 wants you as soon as possible for some ungodly reason,” Jeffreys rolled his eyes, shooing Soap away with a flick of his wrist now that the news had been delivered.

The anxious energy Soap was currently feeling due to the abrupt change caused the scent patches to itch worse, Soap was unaware of how aggressively he was scratching as he was lost in thought.

Soap was broken from what felt like a distant memory as the pilot attempted to get his attention, “You know if you keep staring hard like that you may burn a hole in the floor of my helo.”

Dull blue eyes once focused on the floor slowly rose to meet the pilot who had introduced himself as Nikolai.

“Sorry, sir,” Soap didn’t look up long enough to catch the smile that indicated Nik was trying to lighten the mood.

Nik couldn’t catch any scent from the omega, but the dark clouds were apparent. Nik felt like the Soap would scratch a hole in his neck if he didn’t stop. He had to wonder if it was a nervous habit or not.

Nik saw Soap’s file. It said Soap was friendly, talkative, and loud… the omega sitting in his helo was closed off, made himself as small as possible, and did his best not to draw attention to himself. Nik would have questioned whether or not he picked up the right sergeant if it weren’t for Soap’s Mohawk. Something was off.

“I was just messing around, Soap. You can relax, yeah?” Nik tried to sound soothing.

Soap put on a tight smile which indicated that he would say whatever he thought would make Nik happy or disinterested. Since Nik didn’t want to push Soap into more discomfort, he figured he’d better drop it. Nik focused on getting them to base, the uncomfortable silence settling again as Soap continued fidgeting.

After what felt like hours, the helo finally landed. Soap picked up his bag and took a deep breath before he stepped off onto the Tarmac. He saluted when he saw Captain Price, “Sergeant John ‘Soap’ MacTavish reporting in.”

He kept his eyes forward as he dropped his hand back to attention.

“Captain Jonathan Price. I’d like to continue introductions but we’re going to have to go wheels up once Nik refuels,” Price looked apologetic, “I think I have time to show you to your room at least.”

Soap nodded in affirmation, keeping step behind Price as they made their way to Soap’s new room. He would only look up long enough to catch landmarks that would help him back to his room later. Soap wanted to take steps to make sure he had as little help getting around as possible so he could spend as much time as he could alone.

“Sir?” Soap’s eyes darted around the area when he realized where they were heading, “These aren’t the sergeant’s quarters.”

I haven’t even been here five minutes and he’s already trying to… Soap’s jaw clenched. He knew they weren’t going to be any different than the rest.

“Right, you’ll be in the lieutenant’s room that lies between mine and Lieutenant Riley’s,” Price explained, “We haven’t had an omega on this unit yet, and I wanted to make sure you felt secure.”

Soap stared at Price in confusion when Price passed Soap a set of keys to his new room.

“Everything alright, lad?” Price took a moment to examine Soap now that they were standing still.

The omega looked a bit hollow, facial features dull but eyes anxious. It was disconcerting that Price couldn’t catch a scent from Soap either. Since they were on base, the scent patches weren’t necessary. As far as Price knew, they had gotten off their last mission hours ago. Plenty of time for the sergeant to get some kind of rest.

Unfortunately, Price didn’t have time to dwell on this. Wheels needed to be up in one-hour maximum.

Before Soap could formulate a thought in response to Price’s question, Ghost stepped out of his room. Ghost was vaguely aware of what was happening in the hallway. He knew Price was going to show their new omega to his room. While they were all broken, they were a decent bunch. Price was paranoid putting a sergeant in a lieutenant’s quarters even if he was the only omega on base.

“This him?” Ghost gave Soap an assessing look.

“He is Simon,” Price replied with a bit of a warning in his voice.

Price hoped Simon would catch the hint that now was probably not the best time to mess with the new guy. Ghost just grunted and nodded heading off to check out his kit.

If he had time to think about it, he would have thought the little omega was cute. Perhaps too cute for their line of work. Sure the sergeant had the muscles, tattoos, and scars indicative of any soldier, but Ghost could smell fear radiating off the man even in the absence of a scent. He hoped that Soap could actually back up what was in his file.

Price and Soap watched as Ghost stalked down the hallway, long legs propelling him quickly and silently out of sight.

Price sighed, turning back to Soap, “You have 45 minutes to get settled before I need you back on the tarmac, understood?”

Soap saluted and barked out a “Yes, sir.”

Price nodded in affirmation, turning to go to his room next door to grab a few things before he set off to the armory to examine his own kit.

As soon as Price was out of sight, Soap scampered into his new room, dashing for the bathroom. Bile crept up the back of his throat. He wretched, trying to rip off his shirt in between heaves. He hissed as dried blood attached to the shirt peeled off some of his raw scabbed-over skin. Soap also threw off the scent patches revealing even redder angrier skin beneath them.

When his stomach seemed to settle he leaned back against the wall behind him, panting. He hadn’t slept since the last mission, hadn’t eaten, or put anything on the irritated hot skin around his neck.

The best solution to cool off and clean up was a quick shower. Soap groaned as the water seemed to soothe the heat around his neck. The shower also helped wash away the stench of his old unit. He put on new patches and another one of his shirts that covered his neck. With one final look in the mirror to fix his hair after brushing his teeth he set back out to the tarmac.

Forty minutes later, Soap realized he was the first one to make it back to the tarmac. This meant he had first dibs on a seat, so Soap silently took a seat away from everyone, though somewhat close to Nik as he was most familiar with that alpha. He had limited interaction with Nik, but he appreciated Nik’s sense of giving him space.

Soap’s leg started bouncing again, but since his skin was clean he wasn’t as compelled to scratch at the patches despite the nervous energy. He was so lost in thought again, that he didn’t hear someone approaching.

He wasn’t sure how long the alpha in front of him was trying to get his attention, but he certainly didn’t hear the man come in. Maybe the exhaustion was getting to him, or maybe the alpha was just that quiet.

“Everything alright, mate?” Gaz asked concerned, when he finally got Soap’s attention.

Gaz was so excited to have an omega on the unit, especially after taking a peek at Soap’s file. He was as pretty as his picture, but there were a few things that didn’t match. The first thing that was apparent to Gaz was the lack of the brilliant smile that shone even through a photograph. He brushed it off as nerves, so Gaz thought being friendly might take the edge off of whatever was bothering Soap.

Ghost entered next, sitting directly next to Soap. He considered the omega again with a quick glance out of the corner of his eye. Ghost was impressed at how damn fidgety one person could be. He hoped it wouldn’t affect Soap’s performance in the field.

Suddenly, something caught his eye. His hand darted over to tilt Soap’s head to face him. There was a splotchiness around his collar as if his skin had been freshly scraped by something.

Before Ghost could examine further, Price stepped past them to sit on the side of Soap nearest Nik. Whether it was instinctual or not was up for debate, but they were all drawn to Soap.

When Soap finally realized that the large alpha on his right let go of his face, and crossed his arms to stare at the wall, he turned back to Gaz and realized that he didn’t answer Gaz’s question.

“Fine,” Soap was short. He was confused, they were in his space but it didn’t seem like any of them had bad intentions. Soap knew better than to trust it. People had been kind to Soap before only to turn. He was just waiting to prove that the 141 was just going to maintain the status quo.

Price quirked his lip to the side, he wasn’t buying that Soap was fine. He could tell the omega was the opposite of fine. The stiff posture, the awkward grin, the way his fists clenched around his safety harness.

All Price could do was shrug when Kyle looked at him confused because Gaz could tell Soap was not fine either. Unfortunately, there was nothing they could do for the moment, and it seemed like Soap was determined to get the job done even if he wasn’t being interactive.

“Right… Well my name is Kyle Garrick, but you can call me Gaz,” Gaz smiled brightly at Soap.

Soap replied slowly glancing at the hand Gaz extended, “John MacTavish, but people call me Soap…”

Gaz put his hand down when he realized Soap was not going to let go of his safety harness long enough to shake hands.

“‘Course he’d be a Scot,” Ghost scoffed.

“Simon,” Price warned.

Gaz smiled when he reprimanded Ghost, in an attempt to keep the conversation light, “Didn’t you read the file?”

“Yeah, hoped it was a typo,” Ghost grunted.

“Great, a Manc who can’t read a file.”

Soap didn’t realize he said that part aloud until Gaz started wheezing, “Nice one, Tav!”

Soap’s eyes snapped up to Ghost as Soap white-knuckled his harness at this point. The alpha just huffed, and Soap could swear he saw a bit of a crinkle at the corners of his eye through the mask. Ghost had pretty eyes, and if he weren’t wearing a mask he was sure Ghost would have a soft smile.

Carlson also had a soft smile and warm eyes, a voice in Soap’s head reminded. Soap quickly returned his eyes to the floor, shrinking in his seat.

In the blink of an eye, the helo landed before any more of an exchange occurred. After a brief drive through the city, they arrived at the hotel that would serve as their safehouse. It was across from an office building that housed the intel they were sent to retrieve.

Soap rushed to the bathroom as soon as he entered the door. He was afraid he was going to be sick again, he felt like he couldn’t breathe. What were you thinking opening your mouth like that? Soap internally reprimanded himself splashing water on his face and taking deep breaths. Be normal, Soap. Just be normal.

The rest of the team entered the space looking around. When the team settled into the space after Soap returned from the bathroom, each member took stock of their supplies as Price gave directions.

“Since HQ was being cheap on this op, you can have the bedroom, Soap,” Price said, nodding to Soap before continuing with other directives. Each team member needed to take turns keeping watch of the movements in the building making sure the movements inside and outside matched the intel.

Soap knew he wasn’t going to sleep any time soon, and wanted to make sure he could keep an eye on everyone, so Soap volunteered for first watch. It was uneventful, the time seemed to creep along slowly. Finally, Ghost swapped out and Soap headed for his room and shut the door until it was time to move again.

12 hours later, Soap and Gaz were set to cover Ghost and Price respectively. The two commanding officers went in to look for the documents they were extracting from the building.

Once orders were given, and they started moving into position Soap didn’t look up unless he needed to, silently taking his place on overwatch. He kicked himself because the only energy he could read from his limited interactions with Ghost was anger, How could I be so stupid… I’m sure he hates me now, which usually makes things so much worse.

Soap shuddered as got that phantom feeling of hands holding him down.

“Think you’re so smart, don’t you, MacTavish… Obviously, you never got a lesson in what an omega’s mouth is supposed to do. Don’t worry, we’ll teach you…”

Soap took deep breaths to try and settle. What’s the point in stressing if it’s just going to be more of the same? Soap was shaken from his thoughts by movement inside the building.

“Bravo 7-1 to Bravo 0-7, you have movement on your flank at 9 o’clock,” Soap warned.

“Copy,” He saw a glint and a body hitting the floor. The sound lured someone from another room. Johnny took the shot with a silencer.

“Bravo 0-7 to Bravo 7-1…” Ghost began on comms.

“Ah, shit… here we go,” Soap waited for ridicule.

“Great shot sergeant. Thanks for having my 6,” Ghost said as he was able to go through the files in peace.

Soap almost dropped his rifle, not sure if he heard his lieutenant correctly. He wasn’t going to push it by asking Ghost to repeat himself. Soap learned very quickly SO’s especially those of the large alpha variety did NOT like repeating themselves.

“Bravo 0-7, you’re clear to start exfil,” Soap scanned the rest of the windows in the building.

“Roger,” Ghost acknowledged before making his way out to where they were to rendezvous back at the safe house.

When they entered, Soap quickly ducked into his room, something else that was new to Soap. Normally, he would have to share a room with one randy alpha or another.

“Alpha praised us?” Even Soap’s omega was confused as Soap took off his boots to settle for the night. “Y-yeah… but let’s not get used to it… that was probably a fluke…”

Soap didn’t sleep well that night. He stayed pressed to the far wall so he could watch the door, expecting company to come ‘celebrate’ a job well done. No one tried to come in. Not a single time.

When they finally returned to base three days later, Price gave them the night to file their reports and get some rest. “Another successful mission under our belts, lads. We’ll debrief in the morning,” Price said as he turned to leave. Soap followed quickly, hoping to avoid further interaction.

Ghost and Gaz stood on the tarmac exchanging concerned glances. Price hadn’t mentioned anything about having dinner later, meeting up in someone’s room… or inviting someone to his room which was unlike him. Even before they all entered a relationship almost a year ago, Price would offer to sit in the rec room or have a late dinner to celebrate returns from successful missions.

Gaz felt concerned that his agitation as of late was pushing Price away which was not what Gaz wanted at all. Gaz loved Price, and it hurt him to see that he was hurting Price, but Gaz just couldn’t resolve this aggression that he was feeling.

Ghost could feel the tension in their bond, but he reacted to adversity the only way he knew how: by becoming cold, standoffish, and combative. It was the way his father and society expected him to be as a dominant alpha. It wasn’t the way Simon wanted to be. He just didn’t know how to fix himself, so how could expect to help fix his partners? He had a feeling he knew what was going on with Gaz, but Gaz was starting to shut him out too.

Without a word Ghost and Gaz decided they’d meet in Gaz’s room for the night, each man troubled by the state of their relationship and how it was causing Price to withdraw. It had been a while since Ghost and Gaz had one on one time and what better time than now since Price made it abundantly clear that he did not particularly want their company at the moment.

When they met in Gaz’s room, Ghost and Gaz lay together in thought about the events of the last couple of days.

“Has… John been coming to sleep with you?” Kyle finally asked.

“No, I assumed he wanted to spend one-on-one time with you lately,” Simon responded concerned, “So John has been sleeping alone this whole time.”

Guilt pressed on the two alphas knowing their partner has issues with sleeping alone, being plagued with nightmares of a situation he dodged ever talking about.

Gaz curled into Ghost, “This is partially my fault… I’ve been so angry lately like my alpha is clawing under my skin…”

Simon hesitated before he asked, “Have you gone to the doctor yet?”

The question had been setting Gaz off lately, but when an alpha became aggressive and started talking about a crawling sensation, it was a sign that the alpha getting sick. When an alpha got sick, they became untethered. When alphas become untethered they may shut down, do something that would cause them to get put down, or worse… The military would take advantage of the fact that the alpha was considered a deadman and use that untethering to do to dangerous shit on the battlefield, psychotic breaks be damned.

Kyle wouldn’t hear it. As far as Kyle was concerned he had to maintain a level of perfection and that included keeping control of his alpha. He had kicked Simon out for pressing before, but it almost broke his heart because he knows Simon, like Price, doesn’t like being alone to stew on things. However, Kyle was not going to be pressured into doing something he said he wasn’t going to do.

“Simon…” Kyle warned pulling away, “What did I say about bringing that up?”

Simon was startled at the sudden movement. The warmth left as Gaz’s body pulled away. Simon grasped at Kyle pulling him in desperately for the warmth that drifted, “I’m sorry… I won’t do it again… I just worry about you…”

Kyle sighed before he planted a soft kiss on Simon’s lips, “I know, but I just need you to believe me when I say I’m fine and I’ve got it under control.”

The corners of Simon’s lips quivered. He didn’t believe it for a second, but between Price pulling away and Gaz being scarce Simon started to feel that cold lonely feeling again. The darkness crept in when he had memories of being locked in a closet after his father got done using him as a human punching bag, or from having to pull himself together on the battlefield before he fell apart after the haze cleared and he realized he was crying out for a mate that never existed, or on all those nights he’d wander and pace because he couldn’t sleep.

Simon’s need for touch, need to be close, and need for warmth overrode what he knew was the right thing to do, which was to get Gaz to go to the doctor. Even if he had to make it an order, but…

“I’m sorry, Kyle, I—” Simon bit his lip to rein in the desperation and anxiety. He was already being selfish. He…

Kyle brushed a tear away that fell.

“Sssh… relax, Si. I’m not going to send you out of here,” that light returned to the most beautiful pair of hazel eyes Simon had ever seen.

Simon leaned in to place a trembling kiss on Kyle’s lips, that desperation bubbling over as their lips met again and again. Kyle gave reassuring touches to ground Simon, the larger alpha trembling. Simon needed more to know that Kyle was still there with him. He needed to be closer to Kyle.

Simon’s kisses became more heated along with the desperation for warmth behind them. He ripped his shirt over his head between heated kisses, Kyle discarding his own.

Simon cupped Kyle’s cheeks in his hands as he kissed him again, the warmth of Kyle’s bare skin on his causing him to chase more. “Need to be closer…”

Eventually, every last shred of clothing was discarded on the floor, Simon’s body pressed to Kyle’s from chest to hips. Simon had his arm looped under Kyle’s lower back the two alphas rutting against each other indulging in that delicious friction from that angle.

Simon had his face firmly planted in Kyle’s scent glands at his throat, drinking in the arousal that zested Kyle’s usual strawberry and bergamot. He kissed and nipped at that sensitive spot, Kyle groaning.

“Kyle… I need to… I need to fuck you, please,” Simon begged.

Simon’s distress curled around his arousal as lemongrass and cedar wood permeated the air along with Kyle’s scent.

“Sssh… I’ve got you,” Kyle stroked Simon’s hair, “Let me just, swap positions.”

Simon nodded helping Kyle shift onto his stomach. He’d prefer to have Kyle face him, so he could admire those eyes and freely taste Kyle’s plush lips, but he was already being so damn selfish ignoring the right thing to do.

Simon took his time working Kyle open, eyes drifting over the planes of Kyle’s body. He was still so damn sexy from this angle, especially with the way Kyle presented himself to Simon. He held onto Kyle’s hips as he pressed in, grasping for one of Kyle’s hands when he bottomed out, soft globes of Kyle’s ass flush against Simon’s hips, the heat of Kyle’s back against his chest, the intimacy of the way Kyle let Simon hold his as he kissed and nipped at the back of Kyle’s neck. Simon’s cock being sheathed deep inside Kyle had both men dripping.

The heat coiled in Kyle’s gut so much tighter when Simon fucked him like this, soft desperate whimpers and I love you’s pouring into Kyle’s ear. The way Simon’s purr vibrated against his body. Even the way Simon’s lips pressed and teeth dragged over the nape of his neck, instincts taking over. Kyle indulged the behavior even though they were both alphas and their mating glands were at the front of their neck and shoulder it didn’t mean that wasn’t a sensitive area for Kyle.

The sensation caused him to press back into Simon, chasing more of that sweet pressure of Simon’s cock filling him. Chasing that delicious fullness of Simon’s knot inflating inside was usually enough to drive Kyle over the edge the crest of his orgasm always meeting Simon’s peak. There was one problem…

“I’m so fucking close why isn’t…” Kyle was distracted by the fact that his knot wasn’t inflating. There were other obvious signs he was enjoying himself, especially with the way precum was dribbling out of him pooling in Kyle’s sheets underneath him, his cock twitching and throbbing.

Even though his knot wasn’t reacting, Simon still pulled an orgasm out of Kyle that came out in a shout. Simon’s teeth pierced into Kyle’s shoulder, the other alpha whimpering trembling through his orgasm as Kyle felt hot ropes of cum paint his insides white.

Simon peppered Kyle with kisses, whispering praises to his partner as they came down from the high. Simon enjoyed rubbing his hands across Kyle’s stomach after his knot locked them in place. Kyle was built and sculpted like the marble statues in art museums, but his waist was slight so he tended to have a little bit of a bulge between Simon’s cock and his cum being pressed firmly and deeply inside Kyle sealed by Simon’s knot.

If Simon felt particularly cheeky, he would rub lower until he could tug at Kyle’s cock, Kyle was so sensitive afterward that the teasing caused the other alpha to squeeze around him deliciously, but today Kyle grabbed Simon’s wrist before he could go too low. Odd…

“You okay, sunshine?” Simon asked concerned by the tremble in Kyle’s hands as he gripped Simon’s wrist.

“Fine, Pookie, just too sensitive for that today,” Kyle lied. He tried to keep the panic out of his scent. That’s not something that had ever happened to Kyle before.

Simon frowned but still wary of Kyle getting upset again if he brought up his concern about Kyle seeing a doctor. So he just kissed Kyle’s shoulder rubbing Kyle’s belly where he was allowed, purring contentedly against his partner. The only thing Simon loved more than looking at his sunshine’s body was holding him so close, being tender with him while they were locked together like this.

“I love you so fucking much Kyle,” Simon whispered between kisses.

He wished he hadn’t fucked things up with Price, his warmth missing from Simon’s senses.

It was a close enough call that Simon almost saw that he didn’t have it as in control as he tried to convince himself that he was. Kyle didn’t want Price to know that he was having trouble either. Simon and Price always seemed so sure in their alpha-ness. Kyle used to be, but now…

Now his senses were filled with lemongrass. The panic melted away as Simon did that thing where he turns Kyle into a puddle when he’s sweet on Kyle like this, “I love you too, Si.”

Maybe this knot thing was just a fluke.

Soap was grateful to be in a lieutenant’s quarters because the closet accommodated his size as he curled up with his blanket. Soap found closets to be the safest places to sleep after he stopped nesting due to the constant harassment. He couldn’t seem to sleep, but with his body pressed against the door to guard against any intruders, he could rest.

Soap didn’t normally like silence, but between his old CO practically throwing a party for him leaving, being sent on a mission not even within an hour of his new position, and not sleeping for… five days at this point, Soap was overstimulated.

The silence was broken by soft sounds. Soap didn’t have to strain super hard to hear what was going on since he had great hearing due to his omega instincts. Someone was mumbling and panicking. Then there was thrashing.

Against his better judgment and instincts, Soap stepped out of his closet and peeked out of his room in the direction of the noises. They were coming from the captain’s room.

“You shouldn’t trust alphas… we’re all cold bastards… turn back, MacTavish… survive…”

Soap wanted to listen to that voice. The voice of the man who taught him lessons more painful than his father ever could, but… the sounds he heard from his new captain’s room…

“Alpha is hurting…” Soap couldn’t argue with his omega.

He knocked on Price’s door, “Sir?”

He heard a gasp and the rustling stopped.

Soap tried knocking again, “Captain, are you okay?”

Soap jolted in surprise at how quickly the door opened. The alpha that towered over him looked as if he had seen a ghost, ice blue eyes still glossed over with sleep, tears glinting in the dim lights they leave on in the hallways.

Soap could feel the hairs stand up on the back of his neck at the haunting sight. Price’s shaky hand reached toward Soap.

Soap expected to be pushed or struck. However, the touch was tender like Price was touching something fragile, like Soap would disappear under his trembling fingers. He met his captain’s eyes again, Price still not totally in the present, eyes soft yet still haunted. One word, one question leaving his captain’s lips like a broken prayer.

“W-Will?”

Chapter Text

Price was sure this was the end of him. He was in the process of diffusing a bomb when he heard a scuffle behind him, before he could turn around fully he felt the burning of a bullet piercing his shoulder. Rolling over he saw Will was down.

“Will!” Price shouted before a boot pressed over his gunshot wound, pinning him to the ground. His eyes met Makarov in a crazed sort of rage.

Makarov snickered, “Never bury your enemies alive.”

As Makarov’s finger flexed around the trigger, he was suddenly tackled, falling away from Price. A gunshot was heard and a shout from the omega.

“Will!” Price tried to crawl towards them.

There was another gunshot. The scuffling stopped, and Makarov stopped moving. Will’s breath came in wheezes as he rolled over to double tap making sure Makarov was down for good. Will coughed up blood, as Price managed to make it to cradle the omega in his lap, scenting him.

“Will, it’s going to be okay. We’ll get out of here. Just hold on!” Price did his best to keep Will awake.

“Is— he dead?” Will murmured shakily.

“A-aye, lad,” Price glanced over at the body, Makarov’s brain splattered across the floor.

“Did— did I do a good job, captain?” Will asked before coughing again.

“You did an exceptional job, now quit talking. Save your strength,” Price’s voice quivered, “That’s an order…”

Will huffed, a small smile crossed his lips. Before a shaky hand could caress Price’s face a gaping maw opened up, Makarov dragging Will down with him.

“WILL!”

Price woke up with a jolt, jumping up from his desk and knocking some items over, coffee mug and papers flying off completely, “WILL!”

His hand was reaching out to nothing but the stale air that settled in his office. He panted, getting a look at his surroundings. Price wasn’t in the Tunnel. He was in his office, drenched in sweat. He flopped down into his office chair scrubbing a hand over his face, leaning his head back, and staring at the worn ceiling through his fingers.

After years of chasing Makarov across the planet, Price’s prior task force tasked with capturing the man, finding Makarov became an obsession. That obsession led to being too quick to leap before Price looked, and ultimately Will suffered from Price’s single-minded focus on his long-time nemesis as he continued his plot for global chaos.

Some of the events of the Tunnel could have been prevented if Price weren’t so focused on apprehending the man. Occasionally in his dreams, Will would try to reassure Price that he did everything right, but if he had Will would be alive and not an apparition that appears in his recurrent nightmares.

Price stared at his hand that he covered his face with. The hand that caressed Soap’s face three weeks ago when he was lost in another half-sleep half-hallucinating stupor. He hadn’t slept in his room since that night three weeks ago. Up until a moment ago, he hadn’t slept much at all.

Thinking back to that night, Price remembers those sky-blue eyes staring up at him in fear and curiosity when he asked, “Captain? Who’s Will?”

If Price were a better man, he would have given the real explanation for why he probably scared the shit out of Soap. He would have told him that the omega on his old team he let die was haunting his dreams, even if the apparition begged him not to blame himself. Price would tell Soap that he had nothing to fear from them. He’d swear he’d protect Soap.

What had actually happened was Price lied.

“Nothing! No one. Just go and get some sleep, lad. I’ll be alright,” Price forced a smile before he scooted Soap along and shutting his bedroom door. After Price was sure Soap was back in his room, he slid down his door and stared at his wall the rest of the night.

Price hated himself for how scared Soap looked and for just leaving him hanging.

In the present, Price’s alpha reprimanded him, though its tone was somber, “Omega was trying to see if I was alright.”

“I know, but if I can’t even let Simon and Kyle in… John is new. I can’t just dump my problems on him,” Price sighed as he sat up and pulled a cigar from its box in his desk drawer, biting and spitting out the end before lighting it.

After dragging the smoke into his mouth he checked the clock. They’d be called for breakfast in roughly an hour, and then he’d meet with Soap and Ghost in the conference room. The three of them were to go on a mission together. Price finished his cigar so he could return to his room and shower. He was sure he looked like shit.

Two hours later in the conference room, Price met Soap and Ghost passing each of them a file as the two had a seat on either side of the table.

“There’s a weapons deal that’s supposed to go down at The Weapon’s Hall in Muncaster,” Price explained pulling up a presentation on the screen at the front of the room, “One of the latest automatic rifle prototypes from the US is being smuggled into the country and sold to a high bidder from Russia.”

He talked as he clicked through the slides.

“It is believed that the weapon was taken because there was a mole in the lab where it was developed. The projected target receiving the weapon is Andrei Volkov. They’re expected to make the trade as a shipment of new weapons to the museum are being delivered.”

“Hiding in plain sight,” Soap murmured studying the pictures on the screen.

“Exactly,” Price nodded before he continued, “The three of us will be going to stay at a hotel in Muncaster between the Muncaster Castle and the Weapon’s Hall. Intel couldn’t determine the exact location of where the targets are staying, but they’ll be nearby. It’s our job to keep an eye on the area,” Price pointed at each spot on the map, “If we find the targets we are not to engage them until the deal is set to go down five days from now. When we spot them our jobs are simply to follow their movements. Make certain that you’re not perceived it’s said that Volkov is jumpy.”

“We know what Volkov looks like, but what about the mole from the American lab?” Soap interjected.

“I’m glad you asked, Soap,” Price nodded clicking to the next slide, “Here’s the general description of the US target involved, along with defining features. Study each image and description in the file while flying to infil. You have 30 minutes to pack a go bag and grab your kits.”

“Yes, sir,” Soap saluted before heading out.

Ghost hung back for a moment, “You sure you should go along on this one, Price?”

“What’s that supposed to mean, Simon?” Price’s voice was cold.

“Quit shutting them out!” Price’s alpha shouted. “THEY’VE been icing ME out,” Price growled back.

Ghost stepped in, examining Price’s face.

“You haven’t been sleeping,” Ghost observed, noting the bags under Price’s eyes.

“Good of you to notice. I need to pack my bags,” Price pushed past Ghost who just watched after Price.

Ghost sighed, he knew talking to Price right now wouldn’t go well, but as far as he knew Price had to have been compromised with how little sleep he’d had.

“It’s because he’s babying that new omega again,” Ghost thought, jealousy bubbling inside him.

Ghost knew his and Gaz’s behavior was the cause of Price not wanting to interact with them. Ghost imagined since he was spending so much time in Gaz’s room, Price had sought comfort in Soap. It’s not that Price wasn’t allowed to do that. Their relationship was open, but they usually talked to each other when they included new partners. A question that burned at the back of his mind was whether or not Price wanted to continue their relationship. It’s not something Ghost particularly wanted to think about.

Ghost growled and continued to take care of his own business. Thoughts about Price’s interactions with Soap plagued his mind as he gathered his clothes into his go bag and went to pick up his gear from the armory. Gaz tried to be friendly with Soap, but the effort seemed futile, his anti-social behavior bordering on stuck-up. Price insisted that they give him time, but it’s been close to a month since Soap landed at their base and his avoidance affected Gaz. Ghost couldn’t abide by his sunshine struggling because he simply wanted to get to know and be friendly with a teammate.

Thirty minutes later on the dot, they loaded the plane that took them to an airbase owned by a local who works with the SAS. On their way to Muncaster, Nik who was usually the pilot who took them from point A to point B was getting a little tired of these infil and exfil drops filled with awkward silences. Nik never really participated in the conversations, but hearing some small talk was nice.

Nik also noted that Price looked a bit more worn than usual.

“Nightmares must be back again,” Nik thought letting out a heavy sigh.

Years ago, Nik was on Price’s team when the incident happened. Everyone celebrated that the worst terrorist of their time, Vladimir Makarov, had been taken out. Unfortunately, he took the omega Lieutenant William Evans, with him. Price took Will’s death the hardest, he almost became an untethered alpha, his alpha becoming sick with grief. People questioned whether or not Will and Price were a mated pair, but the team knew Price kept everything tactical keeping an arm’s length between coworkers. Maybe it was the fact that Price ignored Will’s advances or the way Will attempted to confide in him that made the guilt unbearable.

In any case, Price had been on forced medical leave for a month spending some of it in a psych hospital. Without him and with the loss of Will the old team dissolved. Price never forgave himself, but Nik thought he was doing better.

Now on their present team, there was Soap. The two omegas, Will and Soap, looked nothing alike, but their mannerisms tended to be close now that Soap was starting to be less wary of everyone. The young omega didn’t make himself smaller anymore, but he was still quiet and anti-social.

However, it didn’t get past Nik that Soap would steal concerned glances at Price. He could tell Soap’s brain was running a mile a minute, trying to think of what to say to his captain while Soap studied the file. The kid’s leg bounced again as he chewed away at his thumbnail. After Ghost grabbed his face to look at what Soap hid under his high-neck shirts, Soap stopped scratching as much.

Ghost wasn’t doing much better either. The alpha wasn’t as overt about his nervous ticks and quirks as the others. How Ghost crossed his arms indicated when he was fine vs. not fine. Ghost was not fine because both his hands were hidden under his crossed arms.

From Ghost’s perspective, as the thoughts continued to swirl in his mind, the cute little omega was encroaching on what was his. Sure, Price was the captain and pack leader, but Ghost was the protective one. Ghost was failing at his self-imposed duty to make sure everyone felt safe and loved, but this twitchy, meek wildcard kept Ghost’s hackles up. It’s not that Soap wasn’t good at the job, but they hadn’t been on an op like this where they all physically had to be out in the open since Soap joined the 141. How would Soap behave with strangers if he was so scared of his comrades? Ghost did not like mysteries, he did not like surprises, he did not like what he couldn’t read, therefore he did not like Soap, and would not like Soap until he opened up a little more. Ghost saw his file. There were some disturbing things in there, some things that were redacted, and some things that were gaps. Likely incidents struck from the omega’s record.

The more he tried to analyze and put pieces together the more Ghost tensed, and the way Soap was stealing glances at Ghost’s partner, his Price, was starting to grate on Ghost’s nerves.

Meanwhile, Nik sighed, hoping they’d all figure it out before someone got hurt, but what did he know? His only job was to operate the vehicles to get the team places.

Later, when the team landed and swapped from aircraft to car, they made the five-hour drive to where they would stay for the week in tense silence. As they drove south, they drove through winding roads through lush greenery and open fields leading up to a building southwest of Muncaster Castle. The hotel was a new addition to the area, although they made the architecture match the castle’s exterior. The driveway was added onto the southern pavement of the castle so as not to build any more roads than necessary into the area.

When they exited the car, Soap looked around at the beautiful scenery, especially enamored with the way the castle looked as the sun started to set.

Price went inside the beautiful wood double doors to the lobby to check them into the hotel. This time HQ was not cheap on their accommodations. Price met Ghost and Soap outside on the sidewalk to guide them to the room.

As they entered the single wood door into the interior, Price whistled at how upscale the place looked, with the modern furniture and lighting, a stark contrast to the style of the worn brick on the outside.

The interior was like a four-bedroom townhouse split into two floors with two rooms on the bottom floor and two on the top. Each bedroom had a bathroom. The living room and dining area were visible from the second-floor balcony.

As Soap glanced out the window over the kitchenette’s sink, he noted, “With the way our room is facing and the driveway is built, we can track movements from anyone leaving the castle to go to the Weapon’s Hall easily.”

Ghost grunted in agreement as he looked out the window over Soap’s shoulder.

“The field between here and the weapon’s hall is pretty open save for a few trees. That might make things a logistical nightmare if we’re not careful,” Soap also noted as he continued to analyze the scenery from the window on the wall that shared a corner with the kitchenette.

“Fortunately, we have five days to resolve that problem,” Price confirmed as he headed upstairs to his room.

The team settled into their respective rooms as they prepared to track their targets for this weapon’s deal. Price and Soap took the top two rooms, while Ghost stayed in the bottom one.

During the day they’d blend in with the tourists keeping an eye out for the men in their files. With the way Price and Soap behaved the team didn’t seem to have any problems blending in.

Ghost wondered if Soap and Price were even scoping out the area with the way Soap would look at everything in wonder, and how Price looked after Soap. Ghost continued to build a narrative that made him itch under his skin while he wondered why Price was there.

At night when the bustle of the day would settle, they’d meet in the living area of their home for the next week to share their findings for the day and took turns keeping watch.

Another thing Ghost noticed was the exorbitant amounts of coffee Price had been drinking from Ghost’s perch on the couch that faced the kitchenette, a sign of Price’s determination not to sleep. If Ghost wasn’t worried about Price before, he was certainly worried now, and he would let Price know that.

“When that stops working, you aren’t going to start taking stim shots, are you?” Ghost finally asked, his tone laced with genuine concern.

“I’ll do what I need to do to complete the mission,” Price stated firmly before he continued to sip his coffee staring out the window above the sink.

Ghost frowned as he approached the breakfast bar Price was sitting at.

“You know you don’t even have to be on this mission, right? Soap and I could have handled this,” Ghost continued to press. “Alpha you need to rest before you get sick…” Ghost’s alpha poked at Price’s but even their alphas were shutting each other out. Typically, alphas couldn’t bond the way Ghost and Price had, but under his cold exterior Ghost builds such strong connections with the few people he let get close enough, like Price, it would be as if they were a bonded pair. However, with the current conflict in their relationship, the bonds between his partners were getting weaker.

Ghost glared at Soap who was silent save for the sounds of his pencil against the paper of his journal as he sat next to Price at the breakfast bar. Putting an omega on the team was supposed to help, or whatever. Instead of admitting his own shortcomings and his inability to communicate, Ghost was beginning to blame Soap’s presence for their current problems. Ghost projected as he started building his narrative about Soap’s past now.

With how much had been redacted from his file, he probably did a bunch of horrible shit. Soap’s problems were probably taken care of because some high-ranking officer put him on some pedestal. There’s a medical file that was struck, but the way the file was written, it didn’t escape Ghost that a medical file was the type that was removed. What could have happened to him, Ghost thought as he glanced over Soap. And why does he wear scent patches he’s allergic to?

From Soap’s perspective, these alphas seemed much nicer, but he was still unsure of where he stood with Ghost. The more time Soap spent with Ghost the more Ghost seemed to hate him. Soap didn’t want to assume Ghost was showing restraint because a superior officer was present. After all, Price seemed like the type of CO who wouldn't put up with the shit his other COs turned their heads about. If that’s what Ghost was actually like, Soap was glad Price was there.

Soap wasn’t sure if the fact that he was anti-social grated on Ghost’s nerves. If that were the case, then it seemed hypocritical since he’d only ever spent time with Gaz. Gaz did his best to try and be friendly with Soap, but there was something off about Gaz. Soap knew alphas were terrible and couldn’t be trusted so he didn’t care enough to find out, especially with how close behind him Ghost followed. Yet, when it came to Price, Soap couldn’t help but worry. He ducked his head down into the little doodles he was making from the area in his journal as he felt Ghost approach them.

Price sat up tall and narrowed his eyes, agitated by Ghost’s choice to not only question him but question him in front of a subordinate, “I determined that my presence was needed and so this is what we’re doing.” It came out as a warning for Ghost to quit pressing.

“Why? So you can keep eyes on the omega?” Ghost asked, incredulous, “What’s so special about him, huh? There seems to be a lot we don’t know about him. There’s a lot that’s not in his file. What? Are his skills mediocre to be here, and some higher-up is covering for him?”

“Simon…” Price warned. Price AND Laswell told Ghost there were things that Soap would tell them on his own time. Ghost was being petty and Price knew it.

“It’s bad enough you give him special treatment by having him stay between us back on base. What? You don’t think Soap can complete the mission, so you’re picking up the slack? Is that it?” Ghost pressed, leaning over the breakfast bar to try and get into Price’s line of sight.

" SOAP IS MORE THAN CAPABLE OF DOING HIS JOB,” Price growled, jumping up from his seat to meet Ghost’s stare from his full height.

“THEN WHY ARE YOU HERE?” Ghost growled back.

“HEY!” Soap shouted, “that’s enough! Do you both want to bring attention our way and jeopardize the mission? I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to raise my voice.”

That feeling of anxiety started to bubble under the surface from past experiences coming back to reality with his new unit. Soap did his best to maintain his professionalism, but the accusations about Soap’s abilities were starting to press on a nerve. He worked hard to get here despite next to no one believing he could because he was an omega.

“See! That’s the shit I’m talking about. What are you sorry for, huh? Where’s that loud friendliness that’s supposed to accompany insubordination?” Ghost shouted, waving a hand in Soap’s direction as he maintained eye contact with Price.

Soap froze, his pencil landing against his notebook, as he thought, “because it was beaten out of me the moment I stepped under Jeffrey’s command.” He was not in a place where he wanted to explore that information with Price or Ghost.

“I don’t want to talk about that…” Soap murmured, clenching his fists.

“Why? Because it would reveal whatever some superior officer erased from your medical file? What did you do? Charm them? Use your omega to seduce them into letting something go?” Ghost challenged, moving around the breakfast bar to get into Soap’s space.

“GHOST!” Price shouted.

“Answer the question, sergeant,” Ghost pressed, now standing in front of Soap who closed his journal to face Ghost.

Soap’s heart started pounding as he glanced between Ghost and Price. How do they keep finding out about that file? Soap’s seen his file. There shouldn’t be any details that lead back to when he had that procedure that still haunts him unless it was the long dates between his physicals that raised red flags, but even so… then there was that comment.

Soap’s mind started racing as he chewed the inside of his cheek. Maybe it was actually all his fault that he was taken advantage of… that he was assaulted… No. No. Soap was starting to experience something that seemed more normal than what he came from. Not only that he didn’t know how to seduce anything. Up until Carlson, he didn’t know what his omega was for except to piss alphas off.

Carlson showed him that those little habits Soap did for him were okay. Those habits drove him crazy. That…

“You should know better than anyone else how awful we are. We will take advantage given the opportunity and that’s what I did to you, John. That’s how we ended up in this mess. We’re cold bastards and opportunists… You earned your place here… even more than most alphas… you ARE a good soldier, Soap… and a good omega…”

Soap took a deep breath to push the spiral Ghost was putting him in with his commentary to the back burner. They were on an op, and Soap would have hoped his superior officer would check himself instead of pushing Soap’s buttons.

Soap stood at his full height hands by his sides. Looking up at Ghost, Soap repeated, “LT, I think we’ve made plenty of noise. I’m sorry if I did something to make you angry, but we should start keeping this tactical instead of drawing attention to ourselves.”

“I’m pretty sure I just gave you an order, sergeant,” Ghost stepped closer into Soap’s space, looking down at him.

Soap felt a flurry of emotions, the tension between himself, Ghost, and Price stirring something in him beneath his own inner turmoil, memories, and emotions. The main emotions coming to the forefront were, guilt, shame, and anger.

“That information is not pertinent to the mission… sir.” Soap gritted out the sir, “Again, this argument is probably garnering outside attention if we don’t keep our voices down.”

“This started because of me, so I’m ending it. You’re right,” Price sighed, trying to move between Ghost and Soap so each man would take a step back from the other, “I’m the one that should be sorry. As the superior officer, I should have stepped in sooner…”

“Should you though?” Soap asked turning to stare at Price, indignant.

Soap was beginning to hate how forward he was because of how much bigger these alphas were than any of the others he encountered and couldn’t fight before. But what pissed Soap off even more was that Price was working himself to death with no comfort.

Yeah, comfort was part of Soap’s job description and he hated himself for being so scared of alphas hurting him that he couldn’t even perform that function for an alpha that made him feel safe. Even in Soap’s absence, shouldn’t his partners be taking care of him? Was Price not in a relationship? Was Soap being blamed for alpha inadequacies again? “I’m sick of this shit… I’m glad Price stepped in because if I keep being pressed…” Soap thought, unsure what he would do if Ghost didn’t stop pressing him. There were decades of rage crawling under Soap’s skin the more he and Ghost continued this stare-down.

“No, I think he was right the first time,” Ghost scowled at Soap, stinging at Soap’s last nerves.

“If he’s the problem, then why does he stand outside your door at night talking himself into and out of knocking on your door?” Soap squinted his eyes looking up and Ghost with determination, “If he’s the problem, why is he avoiding sleeping so he doesn’t disturb me knowing that as an omega I can hear pretty damn well at night? If he’s the problem, then why is it that he looks heartbroken every time I stare up at him? If he was the problem, why is he as lonely if not lonelier than I am!”

Soap’s shoulders raised with his voice breathing heavily. “We were ordered to stand down… I need to stand down…” Soap thought. “No, alpha Price is hurting… alpha Price is nice… angry alpha in front is the threat to nice alpha….” Soap’s omega hissed.

If he weren’t wearing the scent patches, Soap would have emitted sulfur, that deep primal rage of a dominant omega fighting its way to the forefront of Soap’s mind for the first time in years. If he had to drag Ghost to hell with him to make Price happy… well, Soap was hanging on that edge. The edge that turns dominant omegas into what had been dubbed, the hell beast.

Dominant omegas developed a survival skill to protect their nests, their packs, and lovers from threats that would normally be too big for an omega to handle. Unfortunately, it can’t help an omega stop a group of five alphas at one time, which was what happened to Soap the first time he tried to fight back.

“Soap…” Price looked down at the omega astonished. Was Price being that obvious with how miserable he was?

“Don’t comment on things you know nothing about,” Ghost snapped as he leaned down to get into Soap’s face as he glared. Who does this omega think he is? Is he actually trying to steal Price from us…

“You’re right, I don’t know why things are the way they are. I don’t know anyone, and honestly yeah you could say what I said about being lonely is my own fault, but that’s more self-preservation than anything,” Soap was too pissed to stop himself from opening his mouth at this point.

“And what does the pretty little omega who jumps at his shadow have to do for self-preservation? I’m sure people have babied you your whole way here. Whose bed did you warm to—” Ghost was cut off by a slap from Soap that echoed through the entire common area.

“Shut your fucking mouth… You don’t know me,” Soap growled, arms still raised, ready to defend. “I didn’t ask for any of it… I didn’t want it… Not after what Carlson did… No… it’s not my fault, and it’s not Ghost’s fucking business,” Soap fumed as he thought, his next words came out of his mouth with very little thought to their impact, “If you have to write me up for what I just did and what I have to say fine. But if you EVER speak to me like that again Simon Riley, I’ll make sure you regret it.”

Soap stomped up the stairs to his room, slamming the door. When Soap was sure he wasn’t being followed he scrambled for the closet.

“Oh fuck… oh fuck… oh fuck…” he curled up, fingers gripping his hair tightly as he rocked back and forth. He channeled all that rage into that slap, and the contact brought him back to reality.

“You hit alpha… are we going to die now?” Soap’s omega questioned cautiously.

“Well, you’ll know when I know,” Soap tried to ground himself through the panic that threatened to creep up his throat.

Soap didn’t fear death, but that doesn’t mean he actively sought it out. The last time he raised a hand to an alpha with multiple alphas present he woke up in a hospital room on a vent.

“You never learn, do you son?” Soap’s father’s voice rang out in his head.

Soap guesses he doesn’t after what he just did.

Back in the main area, Simon was still frozen in his spot when Price sighed figuring he didn’t need to add anything, so he headed up the stairs to take his leave for the night.

Ghost touched a hand to his cheek, surprised that the slap stung. Ghost wasn’t sure if it stung because that omega packs a punch, because he deserved it for all the filth he just spewed, or that Price didn’t even look at him when Price left the room just now. Not many people had the balls to stand up to Simon “the Ghost” Riley, especially not hitting him like that and getting away with it. He cycled through being pissed and regretting how far he took that conversation.

Simon’s alpha just growled at him a hint of disappointment in the rumble. His alpha had no words for whatever the fuck that was. He was not sure why he said any of that. Once again, Ghost lashed out, and Simon suffered for it alone.

Chapter Text

“Here ye go, Johnny,” Johnny’s dam finished the blanket she was making for him. She scented it carefully before passing it to her son.

Johnny held that blanket closely, taking in the comforting scent of his dam.

“Ma?” Johnny asked, wrapping himself in his new blanket as he joined her on the couch.

“What is it, sweetheart?” Johnny’s dam asked as she wrapped her arms around him.

Johnny frowned, “D’ye think… I’ll be an omega like you?”

“What brought this on?” Johnny’s dam looked surprised at her son’s question.

“Some o’ the other kids at school have started presentin’,” Johnny began.

“D’ye want to be an omega, Johnny?” his dam asked.

“Well, I certainly don’t want to be an alpha,” Johnny’s brow was still furrowed.

“Why no’, son?”

“They’re so arrogant and rude. They try to grab at the other kids when their parents send them to school even though they should be at home,” Johnny explained, “I had to deck one for grabbin’ my friend on the playground.”

“Johnny!”

“Sorry, Ma. I told him to leave me an’ Jenna alone, but he kept goin’ after her because she’s an omega,” Johnny got defensive.

“That was very sweet of ye, but ye should have gotten an adult,” Johnny’s dam reprimanded.

“I know… everyone thinks I’m goin’ to be an alpha,” Johnny snuggled into his dam.

“Why’s that?” Johnny’s mom asked.

“Because I’m one o’ the tallest in our class and like to roughhouse too much,” Johnny huffed annoyed.

“No matter what ye present as, ye’ll always be my beautiful boy, Johnny. Size doesn’t matter as long as yer healthy,” his dam pulled Johnny into her lap, making sure he was sufficiently bundled up.

Soap was huddled in the very same blanket from his dream, sleeping so deeply until the sounds of a fitful sleep came into his senses waking him from that comforting dream.

“I guess the captain finally collapsed,” Soap laid there in thought. His omega tugged at him to comfort the alpha.

“Alpha needs help…”

“Sometimes I wonder if you have a concept of danger,” Soap sighed, his omega usually kept him hidden and separated along with those memories.

“You can’t trust us…”

“We can trust this one,” Soap’s omega kept tugging at him.

Soap yawned, rubbing sleep from his eyes as he crawled out of the closet. He folded his yellow blanket and carefully tucked it into his bag. Soap fixed a cloth collar to his throat that would hide the patches and infection no matter how much Soap tossed and turned. He slowly cracked his door open, peeking around. It looked like Ghost was keeping watch downstairs still.

Soap moved as silently as he could to the room next door, closing the door behind him. It almost broke Soap’s heart to see the large alpha, his captain, lying in a pool of cold sweat, worrying his lips and whimpering in his sleep.

Considering the alpha carefully, Soap took a deep breath before he moved quietly towards the bed. He carefully lifted the corner of the blanket so as not to disturb the sleeping Price much as he moved to cradle the alpha in his arms.

As Soap gently stroked his hair, the smell of dead flowers turned to a light scent of tuberose as the lines smoothed on Price’s face, as if the nightmare was starting to fall away. Sandalwood started to lace his scent as Price rolled into the warmth he felt in his sleep, wrapping his arms around Soap’s waist, and pulling Soap in.

Something about the captain’s scent and his strong but gentle hold uncoiled something in Soap. Soap’s constant anxiety melted away as the alpha enveloped Soap in his calming scent. The desire for Price to protect whoever was providing warmth filled his scent. Soap’s instincts kicked in, and instead of being anxiously alert, he drifted off to sleep too, letting go and trusting the big alpha to keep him safe while they slept.

Meanwhile, downstairs, Ghost was aware that movement was going on upstairs, but he didn’t want to leave his chair watching the window to see what was going on. Ghost figured Price was having nightmares again. He had gone up to Price’s room a couple of times hesitating to knock. Ghost still had to wonder if he even still had a space in Price’s bed.

“Talk to alpha…” Ghost’s alpha huffed, getting frustrated with Ghost’s obstinacy. Ghost didn’t respond. As far as he was concerned he had a job to do. It sounded like Soap was taking care of it anyway. The omega was stealthy, sure, but not much gets past Ghost.

The next morning when Price stirred, he felt something warm against his body. Price’s face was buried in the crook of someone’s neck. Underneath what smelled like sickness and infection was the faintest smell of vanilla. Vanilla? He couldn’t place who he knew that smelled like vanilla. He was too tired and comfortable to care. After what felt like forever, there was a warm body next to him, and Price was not ready to let go of the feeling.

He pulled whoever it was closer, as Price spooned them. Soft… whoever this was was soft. As his hands traveled over them, he found a patch of bare skin. Price lazily rubbed soft slow strokes over the skin of whoever was laying with him. They seemed to melt back into him. Price started to purr softly and gently as a dominant alpha in the military could. It was nice and safe until his fingers brushed a lump in the skin. His fingers traced what felt like a long scar.

Whoever he was holding started getting restless, eventually, they startled and there was a thud on the floor. Price was on full alert, realizing that it was Soap. The omega looked terrified as he pulled his shirt down defensively.

“Soap? I’m sorry. I didn’t mean— it’s okay, just relax,” Price sat up slowly.

When Price got out of bed, he held his hands up where Soap could see them. As Price took a step forward, Soap scooted back. Before he could get any closer, it looked like Soap was going to be sick, Soap rushed out of Price’s room into his and slammed the door.

When Soap burst through the door in his room he beelined for the little bathroom, bile rising from his throat as the MREsfrom last night made another appearance.

“Fuck… fuck… FUCK!” Soap screamed internally.

If Ghost saw them, the smug bastard would have thought he was right. That Soap was just some filthy slag trying to cozy up with his SO. Maybe that’s all he was… maybe that’s all he was good for, and now that Price felt his scar from the procedure that ‘fixed’ him, Soap felt like it was over. All that softness was going to evaporate once the questions started rolling in about the location and length of that stupid scar.

Now if Soap was in a rational state of mind, he would know that as captain, Price already knew about the procedure in about as much detail as was necessary. Laswell struck most of the file and redacted the rest for need-to-know information, “Anything else is up to you whether or not you tell. For as much as was taken, we owe you at least that much.”

Soap wasn’t ready to answer any questions fielded his way. He wasn’t even ready to acknowledge that if anyone cared enough to touch him as gently as Price did, they’d feel the remnants of Soap’s shame. Yes, Soap would absently touch the scar when he was lost in thought about the person who was responsible for it, but to have someone else touch it…

Soap threw up again at the overwhelming wave of emotions he was feeling as his mind raced. The guilt gnawing at him. He wasn’t sure he could handle the one alpha who held him like he mattered after so long looking at him in disgust. Soap was damaged goods. He knew that, but for the first time in his life, for one night, he forgot.

Soap carried the nervous energy with him the rest of the day, and as the mission continued with their following the targets, Soap avoided eye contact with both alphas. He didn’t leave openings for anything other than tactical conversations, reporting in, listening to what he needed to know, and then going to his room or finding another location to monitor.

If Soap would have ever looked up at them he’d know the alphas weren’t looking at him in judgment at all but legitimate concern. Simon was beginning to understand just how wrong he had been about Soap. It pained him to see Soap withdraw again.

“Good job…” Simon could feel his alpha grimace. After his time with Roba and coming back into the military as a deadman, he was numb to his instincts, but Soap started bringing those instincts back to the forefront of his mind. If Simon were honest, that scared him.

Price wasn’t sure what he had done to push Soap away. Every time he reached for the omega, Soap would shrink and back up. Soap wouldn’t let Simon anywhere near arms reach, keeping as many objects or Price in between himself and the other dominant alpha.

Price wished Soap would talk to him, to let Price know what he did wrong, but no one seemed to want to talk to him lately outside of business.

The next time Price kept watch he had an easy time staying awake. He had actually slept for the first time in a long time, plus there was a lot on his mind too.

One of the things on his mind was every time he’d interact with Gaz it would go sour. Gaz wouldn’t even let Price touch him anymore. He knew Simon wasn’t doing well either, but if Simon really wanted to settle things Simon knew where to find him. Price and Simon were like two peas in a pod spending more time locked in their own heads. Price was beginning to wonder if he was cut out for relationships.

“Just can’t seem to do anything right, eh, John?” Price muttered into his coffee as he scanned the landscape outside.

They’d had eyes on the targets for a while, now it was just a waiting game. With the way things were, the time seemed to move like molasses.

Soap sat on top of the balcony, watching Price from the shadows. He knew he had to talk to Price. Something told him that Price wouldn’t pry, and to hear how much weight Price held onto now that Soap was a problem too broke Soap’s heart.

Soap rested his head on his knees and counted back from ten to settle himself and steel his resolve to tell Price something… Anything… After he got to one, he stood up and padded down the stairs.

Price glanced over to note the omega was in the room though still at a distance.

“Soap, what’s wrong ?” Price stood up from his seat.

“Uh… well,” Soap looked at the floor brows furrowed, he had no plans on what he was actually going to say.

Price waited patiently as he watched Soap mull things over, glancing out the window from time to time.

“It’s… not your fault I’m scared of all of you,” Soap tried to find the words.

“Of Ghost and I or…” Price was hesitant, but he wouldn’t be surprised. He and Simon weren’t exactly pictures of friendly.

“Alphas, sir,” Soap’s shoulders raised with tension as he spoke.

“What—?” Price began.

“I just wanted you to know… you… didn’t do anything wrong I just,” Soap trembled, his omega not having any encouraging words, it was as scared as he was. Soap brushed a sleeve across his cheek sniffling and taking a shaky breath.

Price moved to see if he could step closer, perhaps provide some kind of comfort. Price could see Soap was terrified from the first moment Soap stepped onto his tarmac, but he had no idea why. If he hadn’t been so busy he would have made a few phone calls to find out.

Soap shrunk but didn’t move away watching Price through his lashes cautiously. Price still approached slowly not wanting to startle Soap.

“No one… has held me like that for a long time… they’d just use me and…” Soap felt his chest tightening like he couldn’t breathe, “I’m not just some filthy rut slut… I…”

“Nobody thinks that of you, lad,” Price’s face softened but he was still concerned. Price was close but didn’t want to touch until he was sure that’s what Soap wanted, “Simon may have been out of line, but…”

Soap sniffled, “Well… he was half right… I wish it was as simple as warming someone’s bed and not being used as the base hole when it tickled the other alphas’ fancy… I didn’t… I…”

Soap’s mouth went dry as a bone, but he pushed because he didn’t want Price to think it was his fault.

“Are you saying your old unit assa—” Price almost growled. He was definitely making phone calls.

Soap put a hand over Price’s mouth and nodded. When Price raised his eyebrows in an attempt to ask more clarifying questions, Soap shook his head.

“I didn’t… want to have this conversation… I’m not ready to have this conversation, but I just wanted you to know, you didn’t do anything wrong,” Soap admitted, finally pulling his hand away from Price’s face.

Price looked Soap over. “Omega cares…“ Price’s alpha pushed Price to reach out and comfort Soap. “Omega is hurting…” “Will you be patient?” Price’s alpha whined but complied.

Soap stood in front of Price for a long moment, finally looking away from the alpha. He didn’t want to go up to his room to be alone. However, he knew if he let Price hold him again, he wouldn’t be able to stop all of his bottled-up emotions from coming out, holding in his tears and his dinner as best as he could.

Price hovered a hand over Soap’s shoulder waiting for permission to touch. Then he grunted when the omega jumped into his arms, wrapping his arms around Price’s waist and burying his face into Price’s chest.

Price leaned down a little to wrap Soap into a crushing hug, rubbing circles into the omega’s back as he let him cry.

“Come sit with me by the window?” Price offered when Soap calmed down some.

Soap nodded, following Price to the chair he pulled up from one of the tables. When Price turned to grab one for himself, Soap held his hand.

“Want to be close to alpha…” “I’ve lost my mind…” Soap thought as his omega kept tugging at him.

Price nodded in understanding taking a seat in the chair and letting Soap climb into his lap. The soft scent of sandalwood calmed the omega. Eventually, Soap fell asleep cradled in Price’s arms as Price kept watch for the night.

Price ran his hair absently through Soap’s mohawk as he kept watch. He found it odd that Soap didn’t purr, but he seemed settled enough, and it took a lot for Soap to share the little information he did. Price let his questions go for now, but he was going to find out who hurt Soap, why they hurt Soap, and what had been done to rectify the situation.

He glanced down at the sleeping omega in his arms. Price couldn’t guarantee Soap’s safety on the field, their job was dangerous, but on base in his new home? Price would make sure Soap could wander around unafraid and without those damn scent patches. That sweet hint of vanilla accompanying contentment should be shared free of anxiety and sickness.

Finally, it was the day of the weapon exchange. The exchange was to happen behind the Weapons Hall building on the west side. The night was clear and silent save for the wildlife in the area. The air was crisp with a soft breeze.

“Bravo 0-6 in position, team how copy?” Price whispered over comms, settling into the bushes of the southwest treeline.

“Bravo 7-1 in position, I have eyes on one of the targets coming in from the North,” Soap reported from his place in the trees to the northwest, watching the targets from his scope.

If either Volkov or the man with the weapon, Alan, tried to run for it, Soap and Price had a clear shot on each of them.

“Bravo 0-7 in position from the top of the building,” Ghost whispered from the shadows of the roof, “Have eyes on their means of transportation.”

The drivers for the getaway cars decided to stand outside of their respective vehicles to get some fresh air and have a smoke break, unaware of the eyes that followed them.

Volkov tried to move with conviction but the eerie feeling that he had been watched this whole time was starting to wear on him.

“Let’s hurry, I feel like we’re being watched,” Volkov urged when he was within earshot of the American.

“Not until I see the money,” Alan demanded.

The Russian opened his briefcase full of cash. Enough to pay for the weapon and then some for the traitor to get a change of identity since he knew his government would be after him.

“Good, this is very good,” Alan grinned. He banked on the amount of bureaucratic red tape they’d have to go through before they could even get close to him.

Volkov and Alan made the exchange, but the noise of a cat rustling in a bush spooked Volkov and Alan. The two started barreling towards Soap’s location.

“Bravo 7-1, you have company heading in your direction,” Ghost had moved his position to watch the exchange now that he took out both drivers with a silencer.

“Aye, I’ve got eyes on them, Lt,” Soap responded, training his weapon on Volkov’s ankle.

Volkov stifled a scream because drawing any more attention would have them both sunk. Unfortunately, his accomplice was not so quiet when he took a shot through the calf. Soap slowed them down, but not before Volkov pulled his weapon. Stray bullets blew past Soap, one grazing him as he found better cover to keep his eyes on the targets to return fire.

“Bravo 7-1, you and the targets are out of scope, moving to provide back up on the ground,” Ghost said finding a way off the roof.

“Roger,” Soap said on comms as he kept firing.

Soap kept a close count of his rounds and kept a careful count of the number of shots the targets were taking. Based on the guns they were using that wasn’t the prototype they’d run out of bullets before Soap does. Soap just hoped the targets were too scared to think of using the prototype.

“This is Bravo 0-6, Bravo 0-7 are the other targets cleared?” Price held his position until he received the affirmative. It took everything in his power to not run to Soap, his alpha chomping at the bit, but Price was a trained military captain. He was not going to lose it. Not now.

“This is Bravo 0-7, there are no others in the area,” Ghost reported.

“Bravo 7-1, how are you holding up?” Price asked, moving to Soap’s position.

“Like shooting the breeze, sir,” Soap reported as he continued to carefully calculate his shots.

“Hope more of those bullets are hitting targets and not the air, sergeant,” Ghost replied.

“Don’t worry, sir, every bullet is targeted and accounted for,” Soap said, “Volkov has 10 rounds left, and his accomplice is down to his last 12.”

“How do you know that, sergeant?” Ghost asked as he made the corner, taking out the American first since he had more rounds according to Soap.

“Do you really want a math lesson right now, sir?” Soap smirked.

“Nah, I’ll leave the big brain stuff to you, Johnny,” Simon replied.

Soap almost missed his next shot as he felt something flutter in his stomach at the nickname, but then he grunted in agony. Volkov’s third shot didn’t miss.

“Bravo 7-1, been hit, but the good news is, the only rounds Volkov has left are in the prototype,” Soap leaned back against a tree, taking it easy now that Ghost took out Volkov.

At that report, Price sprinted as fast as his legs could carry him. Price had never run so fast in his life.

“Bravo 0-7, targets taken out and cargo acquired,” Ghost said, “Bravo 7-1, can you move?”

Before Soap could respond, there was an alpha on him with so much fear in his scent he was almost scared he’d be drowned in the dead flowers seeping through Price’s scent patches.

“Captain? I’ll be okay. Calm down,” Soap tried to calm the alpha who was panting on the verge of hyperventilating and shaking as he pulled Soap in checking frantically for injuries, “Just my shoulder, sir. Can’t say it doesn’t hurt like hell, but I can walk it o—”

Before Soap could finish, Price picked him up heading back from the safe house.

“Wait, sir! We need to do clean up…” Soap began then paused at how the alpha’s face darkened.

The person who hurt the omega was dead before he got there. It was probably a good thing he was because Price would have ripped him apart.

“It wasn’t your fault, Captain,” Will’s voice echoed in Price’s mind.

Ghost sighed, figuring he’d have to take care of clean-up as soon as Soap said he was hit. Ghost was impressed at how easy clean-up was. Soap was right, he was calculating every shot.

“Omega has big brain…” “Sure does…” Ghost smirked as he turned to follow the others back to the safe house.

Ghost could only hope that opening his mouth that night didn’t totally screw his relationship with Soap. 

Price burst through the door, and carried Soap up to his room. He set the omega on his bed and fished his medkit out one of his bags.

“Sir, I’m fine, really,” Soap held a hand over the wound that was still very much bleeding, but not so much that Price should be on edge like this.

The alpha helped Soap get out of his kit, but when it came to his shirt, Soap slowed him down.

“W-wait, Captain, I can do this myself really,” Soap hesitated.

“What do you mean you can do this yourself?” the statement made Price finally pause.

Soap just chuckled dryly, “I mean, I usually do this by myself. It’s okay, captain, really.”

“No, it is not okay, sergeant. Do you know if you passed out pulling a bullet out you could make it worse? How did you put on bandages?” Price narrowed his eyes at Soap.

“I— I just made it work, sir,” Soap murmured, attempting to head out.

“Sit,” Price ordered.

“S-sir?”

“I’m taking care of this, so take off your shirt and sit,” Price demanded again, “Do I need to make it an order, sergeant?”

“N-no, sir,” Soap adjusted his pants so his scar wasn’t visible when he pulled his shirt off.

Price made a wounded sound when he saw Soap’s upper body. His neck, armpits, and wrists were swollen, and hot, the skin looking extremely angry. Scars from shoddily taken care of wounds littered him here and there.

“Sergeant… when we get back, I need you to go directly to medical,” Price said evenly, “And then we need to talk about your use of scent patches.”

Soap flinched, nodding.

“I’m going to check to see if I need to pull a bullet out, then I need you to get cleaned up so I can patch you up,” Price set to work.

He did have to pull out a bullet. He put pressure on the wound to slow down the bleeding.

“Do you think you’ll be able to shower on your own?” Price asked before offering to help.

“Aye, sir,” Soap nodded.

“Good lad,” Price nodded as he passed Soap some of his clothes, and sent him to shower. He waited patiently in the bedroom, thinking about all that he saw. Price in good conscience could not let Soap put any more patches on, but they were still on a mission. It made Price wonder how else Soap was suffering.

Meanwhile, in Price’s bathroom, Soap showered quickly. Price had offered to help him so he wouldn’t pass out, but Soap was already far out of his comfort zone. Soap frowned as he rinsed off.

“Why does Price care so much?” Soap thought. “Why do you care so much about alpha?” Soap’s omega quipped. “Yeah, yeah, okay.”

Soap couldn’t argue. He was really drawn to the captain. He couldn’t help but hesitate.

“No matter how much we like him, I can’t just let my guard down…” Soap sighed. “Can’t I?” “No, I can’t… We shouldn’t just jump at the first alpha who cares…” “But he’s not first…” “You’re right he’s not. Need I remind you of the first?”

Soap’s omega laid over and didn’t prod anymore. He hated hurting and ignoring his omega, his instincts, but Soap just couldn’t handle anymore heartbreak, not when he was doing so well with the 141.

Soap considered Price’s clothes, taking a deep whiff of the light scent of the alpha underneath the laundry detergent. If he could purr, he would. Soap’s omega perked up, at least Soap could allow himself this.

Soap had to tie the drawstring on the pajama pants in tight. He knew Price and Ghost were large alphas, but the sheer size of them wasn’t apparent until Soap put on these pants. He saved the shirt for later, careful to not let the wound drip.

When Soap exited the bathroom, Price perked up. “Omega looks good in my clothes…” “He does but you didn’t need to point it out…” “Yes I did…” Price gave his alpha side-eye.

He silently picked up the medkit and continued working on Soap’s wounds.

“Soap… I know this is probably a lot to ask… but can you give your skin a break, just for tonight until we get back onto base,” Price asked.

Soap hesitated then nodded.

“If it would make you feel better, you could stay here. I promise I won’t touch anywhere you don’t want me to,” Price offered then backpedaled. “What am I doing?” He thought. “Taking care of omega,” his alpha encouraged. He’d been with Simon for a long time, Gaz for a decent amount of time, and a few omegas and alphas before them, in all this time Price did not remember his alpha being this chatty since he presented.

Soap considered the alpha as he put on Price’s shirt after Price finished stitching and bandaging him up. “DO IT! STAY!”Soap’s omega screamed at him. “But…” “NO BUTS!” Soap’s omega meant business.

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” Price added.

“N-no. It’s okay. I’ll stay,” Soap murmured.

“Are you sure?” Price asked.

Soap nodded. Price let Soap settle so he could clean up and go to bed, scooting in with Soap after Price showered. He was content with just lying next to Soap when he felt a tug on his arm, Soap wanting Price to be the big spoon. Price smiled and let Soap settle in. Under that sick smell, hints of oranges and vanilla seeped through.

Price had to hold himself back from scenting Soap, but he wanted to bury himself in the beautiful omega’s scent.

“Sir?” Soap asked causing Price to jump.

“W-what is it, lad?” Price cleared his throat.

“Are you okay?” Soap asked.

“I’m fine! Why do you ask?” Price’s voice almost cracked.

“Your scent, sir…” Soap said, “You’re anxious? Do you want me to go?”

“No, Soap… Sorry… you just smell good,” Price cleared his throat.

“I know… too pretty for the military…” Soap murmured.

Price sat up and stared at Soap, “No! Who told you that?”

“My old CO… he said it was too sweet and soft,” Soap confessed.

“Did he know you were allergic to the patches?”

Soap simply nodded.

Price tried to hide the growl and the anger in his scent.

“Sir?”

“Please, just call me John,” Price urged.

“John… why do you care so much… about me?” Soap asked.

“Because you’re a good soldier, Soap,” Price replied confused.

“Is that all?” Soap asked.

“Do— you want me to be honest?” Price hesitated.

Soap nodded again, though he wasn’t sure he wanted the answer.

“You’re the most gorgeous omega I’ve ever seen. Your smile is pretty and I’m sure once you feel better, you could light up a room. You’re also really smart, and…” Price started listing, “I want to know everything about you. What’s your favorite color? What do you like to do in your free time? S-Soap?”

Soap started sniffling, “Are— you pulling my leg, sir?”

“Soap, look at me…”

Soap rolled over, and paused at the intensity in Price’s eyes as he tilted Soap’s chin to make sure they were eye to eye.

“When have you EVER known me to blow smoke up anyone’s arse,” Price asked.

“N-never, sir…” Soap whispered.

“Exactly, and again… please call me John.”

“Never, John,” Soap repeated.

“Can I ask you a question, Soap?” Price asked.

“You can, John… if I’m not comfortable with answering, I’ll tell you,” Soap offered.

“That’s fine by me. What will it take for me to make you feel safe in your new home? Our home?” Price asked.

“H-home?” Soap sounded confused.

“I know our base isn’t exactly a home in a traditional sense, but it is our home for now,” Price nodded.

“Home… I wish I had an answer for you, sir,” Soap answered honestly, “You’ve done so much already. You gave me the keys to my own room. No one has invaded my space without my consent. You all give me space.”

“Soap… that’s just basic decency and respect,” Price tilted his head to the side.

“Ah… I suppose it is,” Soap frowned.

Price rubbed a thumb over his cheek, “Lad, if you don’t quit frowning like that, your face is going to freeze…”

Soap couldn’t help but smile at the absurdity of that statement.

“There he is,” Price’s face warmed.

Soap hid his face in his hands, but he couldn’t hide the blush back to his ears.

“Sorry, I’ll stop, but I mean it…” Price looked at Soap in earnest, “Anyway, lets get some sleep. It’s a five hour drive back to exfil.”

Soap nodded, facing towards Price this time, letting the alpha pull him in close.

“One more question… and you can say no.”

“What is it, John?”

“Please, can I scent you?”

“I probably smell really sick,” Soap raised his eyebrows.

“There’s still that lovely smell of vanilla and oranges… and I think it might help you relax a bit more,” Price explained.

“I suppose… if you really want to, sir,” Soap shrugged.

“Do you want me to?”

“Does it matter if I want you to or not?”

Price looked down at Soap incredulously, “OF COURSE THAT MATTERS!”

“Oh… well then… Yes. I would like it… if you scented me,” Soap said bashfully.

Price nodded, lowering his head to Soap’s neck taking in his scent before letting the smell of sandalwood and tuberose fill the space, Price rubbing his scent over Soap.

Soap was tense at first but relaxed into the smell and the sensation. He practically melted into the alpha.

“Better?” Price asked.

“Mhm… much better,” Soap yawned, tucking in closer to the alpha.

“Good,” Price settled in pulling Soap in again.

It didn’t take the two long to fall asleep after all the adrenaline for the week finally wore off.

Ghost hadn’t intended to stand there long enough to listen to the exchange, but curiosity got the better of him. Simon started to feel really guilty about his outburst.

The fact that Soap entertained him on comms like they started doing before gave him some hope of fixing things. But did Simon deserve to have things fixed after he royally stuck his foot in his mouth?

Maybe he should see the counselor. They had been annoying the piss out of him to go see them anyway. At the very least he could get things off his chest with them.

Ghost sighed deciding to turn in for the night as well, Price was right, it was going to be a long 5 hour drive to exfil.

Chapter Text

“Kyle, come here!” Gaz’s mom called from the dining room.

“Yes, ma’am?” Gaz asked as he made his way to their kitchen, “What’s going on?”

All the tables and chairs were pushed aside, and classical music played on the radio.

“You’re going to learn to dance today, son!” Gaz’s mom sounded enthusiastic.

“I am?” Gaz gave his mother a quizzical look.

“Of course! How else are you supposed to woo your future mate?” Gaz’s mom put her hands on her hips.

“Uh… I don’t know, mama?” Gaz tilted his head and furrowed his brow, “I’m 12.”

Gaz’s mom huffed, “I’m partially joking sweetheart, but a school dance is coming up, and I’d be a failure as a mother if I didn’t teach you how to dance properly.”

“Well, if it’ll make you happy, but… don’t we already dance every day for fun?” Gaz asked as he let his mom get him in position.

“We know how to dance for fun, but this is formal dancing,” Gaz’s mom explained, “For now when you do this with another person though I want you to leave room for Jesus, understand?”

Gaz’s mom positioned themselves at a respectable distance. They had ‘the talk,’ so Gaz could read between the lines, “Yes, ma’am.”

“Great,” Gaz’s mom nodded her approval.

She never had to worry about her sweet Kyle, but he was so charismatic and kind it was all the others skulking about that made her worried, especially now that they were approaching the age where their secondary sex presents.

As they started to move, Kyle began watching their feet for the pattern.

“Don’t watch my feet, son. Just let me lead,” Gaz’s mom instructed, “I’ve got you.”

It didn’t take him too long to pick up the patterns as he and his mom twirled around the dining room.

“Wonderful!” They stopped as the music died down.

His mom then taught him the etiquette to approach a dance partner.

“Splendid, Ky! Now let’s…” Kyle’s mom began.

“May I try leading this time?” Kyle requested.

“Of course!”

Kyle’s mom let Kyle practice pre and post-dance etiquette before getting into position. It wasn’t perfect at first, but as he mentioned earlier they danced every day, so he had time to learn how to lead.

Even if he struggled a bit after they finished, Kyle’s mom clapped for him, pulling her son into a hug.

“I love you, Ky.”

“I love you too, mama.”

Kyle’s mom held her son out front with a smile.

“Alright, now we’re going to learn how to tie a tie,” Gaz’s mom led him to grab his new suit Kyle’s Da sent in the mail, “Your Da always said, tying a tie properly is just as important as knowing how to brush your teeth or tie your shoes.”

Gaz nodded, his Da did always said that. It’s just his Da was in the military and was away a lot, so his mom filled in the gaps.

She situated them in front of the mirror when he was in his suit.

“Okay so tying a tie…”

In the present, Gaz was in France on a mission with the 141 adjusting his tie in the mirror of their hotel room at the Le Méridien Beach Plaza. The higher-ups spared no expense for this mission as they’d infiltrate the Rose Ball at the Salles des Étoiles. It was a huge charity event and the perfect place to capture their HVT.

Gaz couldn’t help but be excited because while they were on a mission it would be his first time alone with Soap. He wanted to make a good impression on the omega. Maybe with Ghost and Price on scope, he could get Soap to relax a little. He saw Ghost watching him from the mirror as he adjusted his jacket and cummerbund.

“You clean up nice, Garrick,” Ghost commented, looking over Gaz hungrily.

“Why thanks, Pookie,” Gaz leaned up to place a soft kiss on his cheek over the mask.

“Wish it was me going to the ball with you,” Ghost murmured.

“But you’ll be there?” Gaz tilted his head meeting Ghost’s gaze with a quizzical look, then a grin crawled across Gaz’s face as it dawned on him, “Or… did you want to be my arm candy for this mission?”

Ghost just snorted and looked away.

“That wasn’t a ‘no,’” Gaz hummed.

“Uh… I think Price is calling us from the other room,” Ghost diverted heading to the main room.

Ghost was glad to see that Gaz was in high spirits today. After Ghost told Gaz about his little blow-up on the last mission, Gaz’s look of disappointment almost killed him.

Ghost had bristled at that time, “The only thing I know about that omega aside from his file is that he’s broken.”

“Okay, and so are you, but you don’t see me jabbing at your insecurities, Simon,” Gaz reprimanded.

“Why are you even defending him?” Ghost snapped, crossing his arms.

“Because I want him to like us! He’s been here a month and he’s hardly talked to any of us and now that you’ve basically hurt his feelings he’s talking even less,” Gaz snapped back, then looked worried as he continued hesitantly, “Don’t you want him to like us?”

“Of course I do!” Ghost uncrossed his arms, mirroring Kyle's worry before rubbing the back of his neck, “It’s just… you and Price are acting differently and it’s not just because of our current problems.”

Gaz exhaled slowly, “Simon… Pookie, this is just our instincts trying to fix whatever is distressing Soap. I know you feel it too, but you love like to push away those you’re interested in most.”

“No, I don’t,” Ghost defended.

“Don’t you?” Gaz raised his eyebrows.

Since Gaz asked him that question Ghost mulled over his behaviors. He did snap at Price a lot in the beginning, fortunately, Price was as headstrong and obstinate as he was. He kept his distance from Gaz at first, denying that he had fallen for the alpha hard. Then there was this omega… this very pretty, very distressed omega on their team.

“Fuck… maybe Kyle is right…” Ghost muttered in the present.

“I’m not sure what’s on your mind, Simon, but I thought you’d figured out that I’m always right,” Kyle playfully bumped shoulders with Ghost.

Price ignored the clawing jealousy churning in him at being constantly left out. “Talk-to-them,” his alpha pleaded with him. “Do they even really want me to?” Price asked. “YES,” his alpha threw its hands in the air.

His alpha was right, but it’s gone on for so long that Price doesn’t even know where to begin. Focusing his energy on caring for Soap seemed to take the edge off of things.

When they returned from the mission at the Weapons Hall, he steered Soap straight to medical.

“Captain Price! It’s unusual to see you this early post-mission,” Specialist Gordon noted, hands on her hips.

“I’m not here for me, Molly. I’m here for the sergeant,” Price indicated Soap.

“MacTavish, right? The new omega on the unit?” she pulled his chart.

Specialist Molly Gordon had been with the 141 for many years, and she had to practically chase them all down and strap them to the table for exams. It appeared MacTavish was no different considering he hadn’t been to medical since… a redacted file.

“Okay, well, we’re going to do a full exam,” Molly concluded out loud.

“We— don’t need to do that! I don’t even need to be here! I feel just fine! OUCH!” Soap cried out when Price pinched his neck.

“That doesn’t seem fine, sergeant,” Price narrowed his eyes.

Soap shuffled his feet, staring at the floor. No CO cared enough to force him into medical so he was able to evade exams all this time. Guess he wouldn’t be able to do so anymore.

When she was done with the exam Soap sat in the room with Price. That was Soap’s one ask, was that he be there. Soap didn’t want to be alone to face the inevitable.

“MacTavish… you’ve had an illegal procedure done,” Molly looked over the results and scans.

“Y-yeah,” Soap flinched and murmured looking at the floor.

Molly looked at Soap for a long moment assessing.

“I— didn’t have much choice in the matter,” Soap’s shoulders tensed.

Now Price’s eyes were on Soap.

Soap took a shaky breath, “I—just—I thought we could work it out. I thought he wanted to work it out, but he—I didn’t know he was taking me to—our pups… I…” Soap fell apart. He hadn’t spoken any of this out loud. It hurt. It cut deep. And this exam seemed to tear it all wide open again.

“Pups?” Price stiffened, caught off guard by Soap’s admission.

Molly cleared her throat and just passed the exam results to Price. He looked over the results. Soap had been pregnant before, but Price didn’t see anything about children in Soap’s file. Then he kept reading, “Incision made for abortion and sterilization.” Price couldn’t believe his eyes. Who could have been so cruel to authorize such a procedure, especially on someone so young? In one of his prior missions, he busted a scientist who was doing these procedures under the table for the wealthy in search of another HVT. He could see why Laswell removed and redacted the file. This could ruin Soap.

“You… didn’t put this file on the official record yet, have you?” Price asked, pulling Soap in close as he clung to Price.

“I can’t do that until you sign off on it, Captain,” Molly hesitated because she knew he was about to request she falsify results. She knew just as well as he did what this would do to Soap if she put it on record.

Price watched Soap with crestfallen eyes as he pulled Soap closer to him, “Burn these results. Only put on the file about the scent patch allergy.”

“But… those procedures don’t stop heats, and MacTavish hasn’t had once since,” Molly began.

“Enough,” Price barked, “Burn those results.”

“Okay, Captain… if it’s any consolation, MacTavish, this is reversible… it might not feel like it now, but most people who get this procedure aren’t that lucky if they come out of it alive that is,” Molly offered as she took a lighter to the file and threw it in the bin, having a trusted nurse help her scrub any evidence that the tests were done.

Price consoled Soap as best he could through that exchange, the omega was hysterical as the sick smell of burnt vanilla permeated the room. A lot of things about Soap’s behavior since he arrived started to make sense.

The aversion to interacting with them, the over-the-top reaction to having his scar touched, the admission that he was afraid of alphas. Even so, he carried all this alone and still did a better job at being a soldier than any alpha he’d worked with.

“Breathe, lad,” Price held Soap’s hands, as he carefully scented Soap, tuberose and the breathing exercise calmed the tightness in his chest.

When Soap was as relaxed as he could be in this situation, Price scooped Soap up and carried Soap back to his room. It was late enough that most of the base was sleeping, so no one saw Price holding the omega together while he fell apart in Price’s arms.

Well, all but one person because they had to pass his room. Before Ghost could ask, Price narrowed his eyes and shook his head. Ghost nodded in understanding returning to his room.

Ghost would never forget that sick smell of burnt vanilla, and how badly it made him want to help. His outburst out of jealousy and pain might prevent him from any of it. Learning who hurt Soap and why. Did Ghost even deserve to know?

He had done his best to make it up to Soap as much as the omega would allow, and he’d keep doing so.

“Will it be enough?” “It will,” Ghost’s alpha encouraged. At the very least, Ghost’s own trauma wasn’t stopping him from trying to make amends with the omega. Thus far, he had been avoiding them because of it.

When Price entered Soap’s quarters, he paused taking a glance around the room.

“Lad… where’s your nest?” Price asked.

“Haven’t built one,” Soap’s voice was muffled since his face was buried into Price’s shoulder, the alpha emitted lightly to try and soothe Soap.

“What do you mean you haven’t built one? Did we forget to show you where the supplies were?” Price raised his eyebrows.

“I know where they are, sir,” Soap sounded exhausted.

Price furrowed his brow assessing the omega in his arms. He lost pups, was sterilized, sick from scent patch abuse, and now he’s not nesting. Soap experienced so much… too much for an omega so young. Now that he knew, Price was going to start digging… he was going to find the alphas responsible for this, and they were going to have a long interrogation chat.

For now, though, Price sat down on Soap’s bed still cradling him, Soap clinging to Price like Price was his only lifeline left. When it felt like Price was going to put him to bed, Soap squeezed tighter.

“What do you need from me, lad?” Price whispered still being very careful about how he was broadcasting his scent. His alpha was too focused on Soap to be angry for now.

“Don’t want to be alone, sir,” Soap was taking in that beautiful scent of sandalwood in slow deep breaths.

“Do you want to stay here or come to my room?” Price asked.

“Your room, sir,” Soap pleaded.

“Of course, lad,” Price exited Soap’s room, quickly nesting for the omega as best as he could with one arm when they got into his.

“What are you doing, sir?” Soap rubbed his eyes.

Price presented the best nest he could make under the circumstances.

“You didn’t have to do that for me… I don’t deserve it,” Soap muttered.

“Soap, look at me,” Price commanded, “good lad. I did this because I wanted to. I want you to be comfortable and safe… do you understand?”

Soap nodded, sniffling.

Price smiled as he waited. When Soap didn’t make any more moves Price started fidgeting with his sleeves. Finally, he murmured rubbing the back of his neck, “Do you not like it?”

“I love it, sir,” Soap looked up at Price with teary eyes. “Good nest… strong alpha…”

Price relaxed, alpha preening at the praise over his nest. He had to think for a minute about other things about Soap to understand why he hadn’t walked around the nest considering the materials or trilled or any physical reaction an omega has to an alpha building a nest. Then Price remembered Soap doesn’t purr, and he doesn’t nest, two things that should come naturally.

“You— can go in if you want,” Price encouraged dispensing with nesting etiquette, questioning if anyone even taught him how to do it.

Soap hesitated, hoping he didn’t do something to offend Price since he seemed so dejected a moment ago. Probably something he should know how to do but just doesn’t. He stepped inside and felt around the cloth, surrounded by the captain’s scent. He chirped. It was a broken sound, but Price would take any sign of approval he could get. He crawled into the nest with Soap letting the omega settle into his side before he wrapped his arms around him.

Price hadn’t told Simon or Kyle, but he and Soap had slept together every night since Soap’s exam, not that they’d given him any opportunities to let them know that. At the very least he and Soap were better rested, Price not having nightmares so much anymore and Soap loosened up, putting his trust in Price.

Price figured he’d better start giving more details about the current mission in Monte Carlo as it would be a complex mission. The fact that Soap was on the unit was great because the HVT was an alpha who loved omegas to the point of being lecherous. He had so much money though, that people let it slide. It made Price sick. Was the alpha who did what he had done to Soap in a position like that? Just use Soap and when he didn’t want to take responsibility…

“John?” Ghost and Gaz looked over concerned at the overwhelming scent of wildfire.

Price snapped out of his train of thought, clearing his throat.

“Alright, lads, as soon as Soap is done getting ready we will head our separate ways and rendezvous to the south of the Salle des Étoiles to meet Nik for exfil,” Price reviewed.

When they heard the other door to their room open, all eyes were on the door. Soap had also been fitted for a tux for the event. His Mohawk was slicked back, and he looked gorgeous. When Soap finally looked up to see the three alphas staring at him he looked like a deer in the headlights.

“I-is there something on my face? Did- I already mess up the suit?” Soap looked down at himself feeling over the suit. He was not used to events like this. He understood why he would be going with Gaz and not on scope and he didn’t like it, but HQ gave specific and direct orders on this. Soap would have to suck it up and hope he doesn’t mess up at such a fancy event.

“No, Tav. You look fucking stunning, sweetheart,” Gaz breathed.

Soap turned a shade of red, “Th-thank you. You look great yourself.”

“I know,” Gaz winked, “a perfect couple for a perfect evening at the ball.”

“Don’t forget about the mission,” Price warned.

“Don’t worry, Captain. I think we’re more than ready to get close to Blanchet,” Gaz reassured offering his arm to Soap, “Our chariot awaits, sweetheart.”

When they arrived at the venue, Soap was glued to Gaz’s side. It wasn’t just his unit that was giving him the eyes. Quite a few people at the ball were also giving him the eyes.

“You’re okay, sweetheart, I’ve got you,” Gaz squeezed Soap’s hand, catching the light hint of burnt vanilla that started to underlie Soap’s usually fresh citrus and vanilla scent now that he was feeling better.

Gaz started lightly emitting bergamot which helped ease Soap’s tension. It wasn’t so much the alphas Soap was worried about, but the omegas. He hadn’t seen this much disdain since he presented and his father figured it out.

“Look at how bulky he is,” a wiry omega in a group of them whispered.

“Is that a scar on his face?” another sounded appalled.

“And Armani is so last year,” one of the male omegas commented.

Their comments prompted Soap to look around the room. Every omega there was dainty, graceful, quite the opposite of Soap. Gaz squeezed his arm to get his attention.

“Don’t listen to them, sweetheart,” Gaz kissed Soap’s temple, “I meant it. You’re fucking stunning.”

Soap’s heart started to pound so hard at the familiar gesture, no longer worried about what anyone said about him. It wasn’t in a bad way. He didn’t mind Gaz being nice to him. They were on a mission, but it still felt nice. Soap was lost in his thoughts until Ghost shook him from his stupor.

“Bravo 0-7 to ground team, keep it tactical, yeah?” Ghost growled.

“Relax, Pookie, we’re just enjoying going around the ball,” Gaz whispered casually as if he were telling Soap something earth-shattering.

“You have good taste, monsieur,” an alpha moved across the room the crowd parting for him.

“Thanks, monsieur,” Gaz returned.

“Your suit isn’t half bad either,” he quipped at Gaz, winking at Soap, “It’s refreshing to see an omega of a different build. Strong.”

The alpha stroked across Soap’s bicep. Some of the omegas within earshot who hung all over this alpha scoffed. He took Soap’s hand kissing it.

“Ignore them, chérie, you are the highlight of this ball,” he held Soap’s hand, “Lucas Blanchet, and who do I have the pleasure of speaking to this evening?”

“I’m Noah Thompson, and this is,” Gaz encouraged Soap to answer for himself.

Soap’s brain went offline again, before snapping back and squeaking, “Callum Wilson.”

Blanchet chuckled, “And so shy, chérie. If I didn’t know any better I’d think you almost forgot your name…“

“I knew I’d messed this up… they should have sent in the captain or Ghost… or anyone really,” Soap thought as he stiffened.

“Relax, I’m only teasing,” Blanchet squeezed Soap’s hand, “Humble as he is beautiful, no?” Blanchet nodded to Gaz, who agreed.

“This is our first time at this event,” Gaz admitted keeping to the truth.

He knew these people came from old money, he could smell it. And with there being so few billionaires in the world, they probably would recognize anyone as a newcomer.

“Ah, yes. That’s what drew me to you, monsieur,” Blanchet nodded, “I hadn’t seen either of you before, but it is not unheard of for someone who just came into money to show up. You already have the taste for it, Monsieur Thompson. I see that is Tyrwhitt you’re wearing.”

“Good eye,” Gaz nodded, thanking his father for studying suits as a hobby, “And you? Is that Alexander McQueen you’re wearing?”

“Ah, so you know your designers,” Blanchet seemed to become a bit less suspicious, “These are such temporary styles, but contrary to that nobody arm candy’s opinion, the classics can still be en vogue if worn well. And you Doux Callum do wear that suit well.”

“Th-thank you, sir,” Soap nodded in appreciation noting that Blanchet had not let him go the whole exchange.

It didn’t slip past Gaz either, but this was another test. High society alphas don’t bristle, and he had been waiting to see if Gaz would challenge him. In this instance, it’s convenient that his alpha’s a bit lethargic lately, otherwise, he would challenge Blanchet for putting his filthy paws on Soap.

“Bravo 0-6 to Bravo 6-1, how are you holding up?” Price asked because he knew he was agitated at Blanchet’s hands being on Soap like this.

Gaz made a gesture that was relevant to the conversation, but a sign to Price that he was still solid.

“Great, sergeant keep up the good work,” Price whispered, “He seems to be relaxing the longer you keep him talking.”

“Bravo 0-7 to Bravo 7-1,” Ghost chimed in, “Relax Johnny, you’re doing well. I know this isn’t exactly ideal. Just hang in there.”

Ghost talking in his ear and Gaz squeezing his arm kept him grounded because his instincts were telling him to run. “Not alpha… why is he still touching me…“ “I know I don’t like it either, but it’s for the mission…“ Soap tried to soothe his omega.

“I won’t keep you, but hopefully, I’ll see you again tonight, Doux Callum, Monsieur Thompson.”

Gaz politely waved, as Soap let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding.

“See,” Gaz leaned over to whisper in Soap’s ear, “stunning. You’re doing great, Tav, just hang in there. Come on! The first dance of the night is about to start!”

“But I— I can’t dance,” Soap exclaimed as Gaz dragged him to the dance floor.

“Don’t worry. I’ll lead,” Gaz pulled Soap in close, placing Soap’s hand on his shoulder, and then placed his hand on Soap’s hip, holding the other hand.

It was a pleasantly slow waltz, which Soap was appreciative of.

“Don’t worry about watching our feet. I’ve got you, sweetheart,” Gaz reassured, and he was right. With Gaz leading, Soap was able to catch on quickly. When Soap met Gaz’s eyes, he was glad Gaz was holding him up.

“You alright?” Gaz wrapped his arm around the small of Soap’s back pulling him closer when he felt a stutter in Soap’s step.

“Y-yeah,” Soap nodded. “Ah… that’s better…” Soap’s omega relaxed again as he twirled along the dance floor with Gaz.

“Good,” Gaz beamed. “Omega… h-happy… with… me…” Gaz’s alpha perked up some but it was still in a lethargic stupor.

“Are you okay, Noah?” Soap looked concerned. He had been concerned about Gaz the more time he spent with him. He knew that sick feeling mixed in his scent. Gaz is either taking too many suppressants or has been on them for too long. Soap just hadn’t been around long enough to bring attention to it, assuming it was more because Gaz had been on back-to-back missions for a while and not because he was hiding something. And yeah, their relationship dynamic was on the rocks, but surely Price and Simon knew about this… right?

In any case, Soap was beginning to feel like he stepped into an alternate universe. One where alphas were— nice? At the very least, being there with Gaz felt nice. He continued to stare into the alpha’s eyes the rest of the room melting away.

“I know we’re on a mission, but— I’m glad to have this time alone with you, Callum,” Gaz stared into Soap’s eyes with the softest expression of joy. Gaz’s alpha hummed in agreement, that’s all it could manage anymore conserving energy to get through this mission at least. It clung to the fact that Soap was there and he seemed glad to be spending time with Gaz too.

Soap couldn’t help but smile at how sweet Gaz was to him, “Me too, Noah.” “Hang in there alpha…” If Soap knew how to help Gaz, he would, “Good alpha… just keep hanging on…”

Soap could almost feel a level of relief in Kyle, like something was content even if it was sickly.

When the song finished, Gaz spun Soap around, kissing his hand before letting go.

“See, I told you I got you,” Gaz grinned, “You’re a quick study, Callum…”

“Well, I have a wonderful teacher, Noah,” Soap grinned back.

“May I cut in?” Blanchet made his way to swap partners.

“Actual to ground team, Soap as much as it pains me to say this…” Price gritted his teeth.

Gaz caught onto what his captain couldn’t finish, giving Soap some encouragement.

“A-aye,” Soap managed when Price and Gaz gave him the go-ahead. “The mission… just remember, we’re on a mission…”

Soap was glad that Gaz made learning to waltz easy, so he didn’t have to think so hard about how to move.

“Pretty and Scottish. The only thing that would make this night perfect would be to have you on my arm,” Blanchet whispered, “What do you say, chérie?”

“Uh…” Soap glanced around for Kyle.

“Don’t worry, I won’t take you away from your alpha, though he’s a fool to not have mated you yet,” Blanchet lamented.

“M-m-mate?” Soap stammered. Soap’s omega sighed gushing at the thought. “Settle down you…” Soap warned.

“Of course! Those prissy high society omegas might have been catty, but I don’t think you noticed how many alphas have their eyes on you,” Blanchet whispered, “If it were me, I’d do what it takes to make sure everyone knew you were mine.”

Price growled on comms. If this were earlier in his career when he was more unhinged, he would take down the bastard on the spot. It was bad enough that his filthy paws were all over his omega, but now… “He cannot have what is already mine…” Price’s alpha growled, dispensing with his usual denial about his feelings for Soap.

“Don’t worry. We will have plenty of time to rectify his cockiness,” Ghost’s voice came on a channel just for Price.

Right. They were there to abduct Blanchet to interrogate him.

As the night progressed, Gaz brought Soap food, pulled out his chairs, and gave chaste touches here and there. It made something in Soap’s chest warm. “Good alpha…” Soap’s omega gushed, feeling giddy now that Blanchet put such a silly thought in his head.

Soap had never experienced his omega being happy about anything until he ran into Carlson and hadn’t had those feelings since then. Still, Soap’s rational mind couldn’t help but remain cautious.

Through all of his flitting around Soap, Gaz kept casual conversation with everyone, eyes on the area to see if Blanchet had any bodyguards in the crowd. It didn’t appear that he had any. Gaz imagined that for as high class as the Rose Ball was, the event planners insisted on having their own security which some recruits already infiltrated.

Gaz was glad he and his alpha were showing some energy. He’d like to bring Soap food and give him whatever he needed when they weren’t under the constant scrutiny of these high society types. His father was raised in this, that’s how he knows what he knows, but his father was disowned when he enlisted and was outcasted when he married Gaz’s mother who was too "low-born" for a Garrick. Gaz was glad his dad’s side of the family didn’t bother.

Soap was doing his best to keep an eye out, too, but the longer he looked around the more he realized he was out of his depth. The combination of disdain from alphas and omegas who preferred someone smaller and graceful, and the others looking at him like he was a commodity. An item to add to their expensive collections that was different from what was normal.

He tried to keep still. Tried not to attract any more attention, but his skin started to crawl from not being able to do any self-soothing behaviors. He didn’t want to mess up his hair, he didn’t want to start shaking the table because he knew his leg was going to kick up a mile a minute. Nail biting was out of the question with the entirety of the ballgoers having perfectly manicured hands, not rough like his from his time in the military. He’d be able to concentrate if he had a rifle in his hand, or doing calculations for blowing things up, but no. He had to look proper, and that meant trying to blend in with those around him.

“Tav, take it easy,” Gaz warned, “Your scent is getting heavy. Everything alright?”

It dawned on Soap that the smell of burnt vanilla was wafting off of him. He could tell others noticed with the looks of disdain turning to that of disgust.

“Excuse me,” Soap jumped up and stiffly marched away, trying to find an exit, a balcony. Anywhere he could be alone to get some air.

“Johnny?” Ghost asked, he could see Soap’s tension through the scope, “Just relax. There’s a balcony to the right of you, 2 o’clock. There’s no one there and you’ll still be in sight.”

Soap had never been so grateful to Ghost as he ducked out to the balcony. He did his best to keep down all the expensive food he’d been eating, sure HQ would kill him if he ralphed all over this suit.

“Just breathe Johnny. In through your nose, out through your mouth,” Ghost gently instructed, “There you go, Johnny boy. Don’t worry it’s almost over.”

Soap nodded leaning over the balcony to catch more of the breeze coming in from the Ligurian Sea.

“Alright, Soap?” Ghost asked on comms, watching the omega on the balcony.

“Aye, LT,” Soap sighed, “Just overwhelmed.”

“Don’t worry, Johnny. You and Gaz have the target very closely in sight. We just need to get him alone from all the prying eyes to grab him,” Ghost reassured.

“LT?” Soap asked.

“Yeah, Johnny,” Ghost answered looking Soap over, he looked good tonight, too. He just wished he could say so.

“Why are ye so nice to me?”

“N-nice?” Ghost sputtered, “Johnny I—”

“I know… I know… you said partially true somethings, but I knew it wasn’t about me,” Soap sighed, “Sorry I slapped you by the way…“

“Johnny after what I said to you, I deserved it. That was mild compared to what I would have done in your shoes,” Ghost replied, “You don’t need to apologize to me for that.”

“I suppose you’re right LT,” Soap was relieved he wasn’t mad.

“So now let’s cycle back to your question, what part of anything I’ve done to you reads as nice, Johnny?” Ghost asked.

“You patrol our hallway at night, you’ve scented the door to our building to tell others to keep away, you make sure the recruits give me space, you know how I like my coffee…”

Ghost chuckled awkwardly, “Y-you noticed that, huh?”

“LT…” Soap warned.

Ghost sighed, “Johnny… none of what I said was true. I know you fought your way here, tooth and nail. You’re more than a pretty face… you’re smart… too damn smart sometimes… and… when you smile… actually smile your eyes light up in a way that takes my breath away…”

Ghost heard sniffling over the line.

“J-Johnny? Everything alright?”

“Yeah, LT… it’s all just overwhelming… the difference between you all and every other alpha I’ve ever known… it’s like night and day,” Soap admitted.

“Well, you deserve it, Johnny. You deserve to be treated well, to be treated like the great soldier that you are, and… you know… eventually, if you want to… maybe we could,” Ghost began but was cut off, “Watch your six, Johnny, someone’s approaching.”

Soap sighed, knowing it would take a while for Ghost to finish whatever his request was now that they were interrupted. He turned around and was met by Blanchet.

“There you are,” he smirked, “Why are you out here alone, chérie?”

“Just needed some air, Mr. Blanchet,” Soap answered.

“Please, call me Lucas,” Blanchet stepped into Soap’s space such that Soap had to take a step back. Eventually, he had managed to steer Soap into a wall, caging him in.

“So, from the way monsieur Thompson was behaving he hadn’t even started courting you. I know he probably comes from new money, but I can show you real luxury,” Blanchet dipped his head down to take in that sweet citrusy scent that was Soap.

Soap’s first instinct was to snap at a stranger coming so close to the vulnerable spots on his throat, especially sniffing around his scent glands, but he had the target right there. He didn’t want to make a scene and cause them to lose their chance.

“I-I appreciate the offer, L-Lucas, but…” Soap stammered as the alpha cupped Soap’s cheek in one hand, lips ghosting over the source of the scent, breath against Soap’s ear.

When Blanchet forced Soap closer, squeezing Soap’s ass, Soap froze. His heart was pounding in his ears. “Not alpha! not alpha! not alpha!” Soap’s omega was spazzing. Soap stood frozen, as Blanchet continued to grope him.

“Fuck… I’m on a mission…” Soap willed himself to do something, anything, but the touching. He knew every alpha in this place wouldn’t rip him apart if he defended himself. Mentally, he knew that. His body didn’t.

“C’mon… relax, chérie,” Blanchet whispered as he nibbled Soap’s ear.

“Stop! not alpha…” Soap’s omega shouted, “Alpha help!”

Just then, Blanchet grunted and then crumpled into a heap. Soap took a shaky breath and looked up to see Price and Ghost tying up the target for exfil. Gaz came out to look for Soap.

“Tav!” Gaz caught Soap before he hit the floor, “Tav, hey! We’re here, just breath.”

Soap gasped returning to the present to see Gaz, Ghost, and Price looking at him again, this time in concern.

“‘m fine… let’s just… complete the mission,” Soap muttered looking away.

“Right, see you at exfil,” Price nodded, “Then we all need to talk.”

Price threw Blanchet over his shoulder as he and Ghost took the zip-line they shot away from the balcony.

Gaz nodded his acknowledgment before he turned back to Soap, “Still with me, Tav?”

Soap nodded, “Sorry I’ve been so useless…”

“Omega is not useless…” Gaz’s alpha whispered, “I am…”

Gaz tried to shake off his alpha’s self-depreciation. They were on a mission. Price and Ghost were on overwatch. Of course, it made sense that they got here first. “Usually I notice something’s wrong first…” Gaz’s alpha reminded.

“Gaz, are you alright?” Soap looked concerned, the sudden sick smell on Gaz’s usually sweet scent caught him off guard.

Gaz seemed to fix himself before he responded, “Are you kidding, sweetheart? You single-handedly lured our target out for easy pickup,” Gaz held both of Soap’s hands, “And you indulged me for the evening. The first dance was necessary so we wouldn’t draw attention by not participating, but the other four times were just because I wanted to be close to you…”

Soap searched Gaz’s eyes for any sign of a cruel joke or anything of that nature but he didn’t find any.

“Well, we’re dressed so nicely, and… I liked being close to you, too,” Soap admitted.

“Really?” Gaz raised his eyebrows, now searching Soap’s eyes for any signs of a joke. He didn’t find any.

“Yeah, so… before we go to exfil… can you… dance with me one more time?” Soap asked bashfully, wanting his last memory of this night with Gaz to be a pleasant one.

Gaz’s lips quirked up as he held his hand out to Soap, “Of course.”

Soap took Gaz’s hand a warm relief brimming in his chest as he and Gaz took their last dance alone on the balcony in the moonlight.

When they finally made it to the onsite helo pad for exfil, Price had his arms crossed, eyebrows raised.

“And what took you lads so long to make it here?” Price didn’t sound irritated, just a bit worried.

“Just… wanted to have one last dance, cap,” Gaz took the blame for their late return.

“Alright, well get buckled in, we need to head back.”

When they landed at the base, Kyle walked Johnny back to the officer’s quarters building.

“Thank you, Kyle, but you didn’t need to walk me all the way here,” Soap was still floating with how in control and sweet Gaz had been that evening, butterflies still fluttering. “Nice alpha… safe alpha…"

“What kind of date would I be if I just let you walk home alone?” Gaz asked casually.

“D-date?” Soap squeaked.

“Of course!” Gaz smirked taking one of Soap’s hands, “May I?”

Soap nodded, then turned a deep shade of red when Gaz kissed his cheek.

Giving his hand a gentle squeeze, Gaz whispered, “Good night, Tav,” before he headed to his room.

Soap put a hand to his cheek, awkwardly waving at Gaz. When Gaz was out of sight he scampered to Price’s room and burrowed himself in the nest Price made, putting his hands on his face.

“What is happening?” he thought. “Alphas like you…” Soap’s omega cooed. “Yeah, I know that, but…” “NO BUTS! let alphas like you.” “Fine… I suppose I will…”

Chapter Text

“Listen, Gary, just because you’re a beta doesn’t mean you’re at a disadvantage against anyone else,” Gary’s Uncle Lynne’s beta partner decided to sit down and talk with him while they sat by the fire in the living area.

They were rubbing their hands together as Larry instructed a few minutes ago. Gary felt silly, but he learned the most about beta dynamics from Larry, so he figured this was one of those things.

“I don’t know Uncle Larry,” Gary began, head tilted to the side as he concentrated on the motions of his hands, “Pretty sure being just a beta is neither here nor there.”

“Who told you you’re ‘just’ a beta, son?” Larry asked sitting forward in his chair and furrowing his brow, motion stopping.

“Well, my parents since some of my other siblings presented… and those siblings,” Gary shrugged, lips quirked to the side. Gary’s hands were starting to feel really warm.

“Typical,” Larry scoffed rolling his eyes before returning to the hand motions he and Gary were doing, “They underestimate us, but what they don’t know is that we have a kind of power they take for granted.”

“Power?” Gary leaned in towards his uncle.

“Yes, Gary. Since we aren’t a slave to our instincts we are way better equipped to help partners who do have a secondary sex,” Larry explained pointing a finger in the air for emphasis.

“But we can’t scent, or purr, or do any of that,” Gary declared furrowing his brows.

“That’s okay because we can do better,” Larry cocked his head to the side smirking, “There’s a reason we’re rubbing our hands together this way.”

“How?” Gary leaned in again, staring at his uncle in wonder.

Larry stopped rubbing his palms together and gave Gary a gentle squeeze at the juncture between Gary’s neck and shoulder.

Gary’s eyes widened, “That pain in my neck feels a bit better, but what does that have to do with being a beta versus an alpha or omega?”

“Gary, the system of nerves, glands, and organs that make secondary sex is just like any other body part. Therefore, they can be manipulated in certain ways,” Larry continued, pointing to various parts of his body where the glands in the pheromone system lie.

"Uh-huh?” Gary said slowly, barely following. He knew about these body parts, his mom had ‘the talk’ with Gary before but he was unsure how releasing tension in his neck related to what Larry was talking about.

“Look at your gorgeous uncle Lynne,” Larry pointed towards the omega sitting at the dining room table, “What do you see?”

“He looks upset?” Gary tilted his head to the side eyes following his uncle’s finger to Lynne.

“How can you tell?” Uncle Larry put an arm on Gary’s shoulder following Gary’s eyes as he assessed.

“Well, he looks sad, his shoulders are drawn up,” Gary furrowed his brow as he examined his Uncle Lynne.

“Look harder,” Larry encouraged, leaning forward with Gary.

“Hmm… Uncle Lynne also looks like he might be a bit constipated…” Gary narrowed his eyes, noting that perhaps there was some bloating there. Although, Gary knew better than to comment on that in front of Uncle Lynne.

“And..?” Larry circled his hand in the air as he led Gary on the fire crackling softly in the silence as Gary thought.

“He seems off balance and looks like he has some swelling around his neck,” Gary leaned back to stare up at his uncle Larry, “You can barely see it though.”

“With practice, you can immediately see it. Uncle Lynne looks constipated and off balance with swelling glands because his glands are backed up,” Larry explained tapping his neck, “Since Uncle Lynne has your Aunt Jude, Lex, Uncle Glen, and myself, the backup isn’t that bad since our relationship is good. I can fix this pretty easy. Watch.”

Larry left his spot by the fireplace and walked to the dining room behind Lynne. Larry gently rubbed Lynne’s shoulders and neck before squeezing which caused Lynne to jerk, and start purring. Gary watched in amazement as all the symptoms he pointed out melted away.

“How did you do that?” Gary’s eyes followed his uncle back as he came to sit next to him by the fire once more, “You made Uncle Lynne purr, but you’re a beta?”

Larry laughed, clapping Gary on the shoulder, “I know, that’s part of the power I have, and now I’m going to share those secrets with you…”

Gary grinned as he thought about his Uncle Larry and his family fondly as he thought about finally heading home to his teammates. Gary boarded the plane with a bright smile, grateful to see Nik after his months-long mission in Peru.

“Hey, Nik! How’s it going?” Gary greeted patting Nik on the shoulder.

“Great, Gary! Going to be glad to have you home! Things are better between everyone but my neck is killing me!” Nik sighed.

Gary gave Nik a gentle squeeze, “Yeah, I can feel it. I’ll come find you once I’ve settled in.”

“Thanks, Gary,” Nik was relieved.

Nik wasn’t sure what it was about his beta comrade, but he knew exactly what to do to fix the stiffness in Nik’s neck. It took him a while to build up the trust to have Gary touch him there, but he was glad he did.

Gary settled into his seat, letting out a relieved breath. He liked Peru well enough but missed his family, and his comrades, and most of all he’s upset he missed meeting the new omega.

It had been roughly four months since Soap’s arrival, and according to Simon, he started to fit in well with the team. With as much as Simon talked about Soap, Gary felt like he knew the omega already.

Gary crossed his arms and smirked, as he leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes. He had 14 hours to catch up on sleep before they landed back in the UK. He did not want to look tired the first time Soap saw him.

On base the next day, Soap, Gaz, and Ghost waited on the tarmac for a plane to land. Soap heard about a beta named Gary, but never saw him around. Today Soap was going to meet him.

As the plane door opened, a man just a couple of inches taller than Soap walked towards them with a bounce in his step. His honey-brown eyes looked well-rested for someone who came off a long flight. Soap didn’t think his eyes could get any brighter until he made eye contact with Soap. Gary beelined directly for Soap.

“Gary Sanderson!” The beta introduced himself extending a hand to Soap, “But they call me Roach!”

“John MacTavish, but they call me Soap,” Soap shook Roach’s hand returning Gary’s smile.

“You really are as pretty as Simon said you are,” Roach noted studying Soap’s face, “Even more so now that I can see you myself.”

Ghost seemed to choke on nothing behind them as Gaz stifled a chuckle.

“Really? LT said—” Soap tilted his head to the side as he glanced up at Ghost.

“I think Bug is tired from his trip! Aren’t you?” Ghost elbowed Roach anxiously.

“No! Actually, I slept like the dead on the ride here! Weird,” Roach shrugged, “Anyway, I’m sure he already said so, but he’s sorry for what he said to you. Spent hours angsting over it. Poor guy.”

“Bug…” Ghost murmured with an edge to his voice.

“You seem a bit tense there, Simon,” Gary frowned, “Here.”

He gave Ghost’s wrist a little squeeze which caused Ghost to go a bit lax, he quickly cleared his throat to mask the purr as he pulled his arm away. Gary looked confused but then shrugged.

Soap smirked staring directly at Ghost who flinched now that he remembered he was on the tarmac with all of his sergeants.

“LT? Angsty? No way…” Soap was mock surprised.

“Johnny…” Ghost warned.

“Man, Simon… I really think you need to see me later,” Gary reached up to squeeze a spot on Ghost’s neck, relaxing into the touch before shrugging Gary off.

“Bug, please!”

“Hmm… Anyway, Soap, he wants you to like him,” Gary leaned over, whispering to Soap, “Like… like like him, but he’s bad at dealing with feelings.”

“Oh! I see,” Soap’s smirk widened maintaining eye contact with Ghost.

Simon was screaming internally. He loved Gary, loved the man dearly, but holy shit he can not take a hint.

“Yep! Whew, I’m starving! Want to hit the mess, Soap?” Roach asked suddenly offering Soap his arm.

“Yeah!” Soap smiled, taking hold of the arm offered, “Maybe you can cue me in on other things LT has told you about me!”

“Oh! Absolutely! You’re all Simon talked about there for a while…” Gary’s voice faded as he and Johnny strolled to the mess together.

Ghost pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking his head now that he and Gaz were the only two left on the tarmac.

“So… when did all that happen?” Gaz cocked his head to the side.

“Not now, sunshine,” Ghost groaned, “Aren’t you supposed to be in a meeting with Price?”

Gaz sighed, shoulders slumping, “Yeah…”

“Did he say why?” Ghost turned to Gaz eyebrows raised.

“I don’t know,” Gaz murmured.

“Well, good luck, sunshine,” Ghost nodded to Gaz as he watched the alpha walk away from the tarmac towards the office building.

Gaz tried to talk himself into remaining calm as he made his way to Price’s office. There was no reason to snap at Price. Price gave Gaz space, too much space if you asked him.

As Gaz approached Price’s office, he smelled something incredible wafting out of there.

“Hmm… it’s not like Price to order in during the middle of the day,” Gaz thought as he continued his approach.

When he opened the door, he found Price setting food for two on his desk. He looked like he got caught red-handed when Gaz opened the door.

“Cap? What’s all this?” Gaz assessed the room, eyes lighting up at the fact that he was right. Price ordered in and it was Gaz’s favorite.

Price meticulously cleaned his office and made the space as comfortable as an office could be.

“Ah… well,” Price rubbed the back of his neck, “Our anniversary is coming up. I know we haven’t exactly had the best of times lately, but… it’s still important to me that I…”

Price trailed off as he began to fidget with his sleeve. He didn’t think about how Gaz might react. He just wanted to extend an olive branch. Price missed Gaz so much it hurt.

“This was a dumb idea. I’m sorry, Kyle,” Price quirked his lips to the side rubbing the back of his neck. Price mentally prepped himself not to snap back if he messed this up again.

Gaz just sat silently in the spot intended for him. He didn’t want to open his mouth and something irritable slipped out. Price went through all this effort. Kyle didn’t want to ruin the gesture. Kyle also had to admit that the smell of relief and Price’s smile made Gaz’s heart flutter.

When Price settled, they began eating. Price spent the meal watching Gaz in a tense sort of silence. Kyle was smiling, so he enjoyed the food. He just didn’t want to say anything to set Gaz off. He didn’t want to mess this up… he hoped he wouldn’t mess this up… He…

“John, you can relax,” Gaz broke Price from his spiral.

Price kept his scent reined in, but Kyle didn’t need to catch the anxiety in Price’s scent. His brow knit together in the way it does when Price thinks too hard.

“R-right,” Price exhaled, shoulders lowering.

He was right. This was Kyle. Everything may have been rocky, but Price shouldn’t assume anything bad would happen. He smiled at Gaz who returned as they continued to enjoy their meal.

When they finished, Kyle leaned over to kiss Price’s cheek, and Price closed his eyes savoring the feeling. He craved Kyle like a man starved as much as he tried to pretend his feelings hadn’t been hurt.

The feeling of Price’s skin on Gaz’s lips caused his alpha to perk up. It had been quiet lately. Too quiet.

Price stood from his seat extending a hand to Kyle. Kyle took it letting Price lead him to the couch. They sat in a tense silence again. Price fidgeted with his sleeve as Gaz tried to keep his emotions in check. Finally, Price broke the silence.

“Kyle, I…” Price took a deep breath, but it came in with a shudder and he forced the rest of the words out around the lump in his throat, “I miss you… and whatever I did… I’m sorry.”

Gaz stared at Price like really examining the man in front of him. He was used to a soft Price but not a Price that was this emotional. Kyle knew it took a lot for Price and Simon to be vulnerable. Gaz’s alpha was on alert, causing Gaz to feel a light itch under his skin.

“Whatever it is, I’ll fix it. I swear,” Price squeezed Gaz’s hand.

Kyle sighed, pulling Price in, scenting him. The larger alpha seemed to melt into Gaz, tilting his head to let Gaz take what he wanted, to scent where he wanted.

Gaz was not used to a submissive Price, but he did need more. He missed Price, missed his touch.

“Need,” Gaz’s alpha said weakly, Gaz’s heart pounding in his chest.

Price gave a small smile as he let Gaz crawl over him, relaxing back onto the couch. Strawberries and bergamot filled the air. Price shuddered and groaned when Gaz started kissing and nipping at the glands in his neck, skin burning under Gaz’s fingers on his chest.

“Need…” Gaz’s alpha’s voice got a bit louder. Gaz winced as that itching sensation intensified. Gaz started to scent and lick and bite at Price with more intensity.

Price did his best to keep control. “Let alpha take…” Price’s alpha, usually ready to dominate the situation encouraged him to let Kyle take over.

Price swallowed hard, “Can I— touch you too?”

Price was trying, but he needed to touch Gaz, to feel Gaz in his hands.

Gaz nodded, fine tremors shooting through his body as Price’s fingers brushed his bare skin along his sides. Something curled and uncurled in Gaz’s gut. He felt a pull and assumed it was the hunger of arousal. When their lips finally met after so long, Price shivered down to his core.

Gaz felt eager, hungrier. He clung to Price, mind clouding over, as if he were going to fall into an abyss.

“Need!” His alpha said again, but it sounded wrong in Kyle’s mind.

Kyle growled into the kiss, forcing his tongue into Price’s mouth.

Price felt something was off especially since Kyle’s fangs brushed his tongue as he pressed against Gaz, but he was compelled to let Kyle keep taking what he needed.

Gaz’s hands clutched Price’s shirt as if Price was a lifeline. As if Price was preventing him from tipping over into something. Something primal, something evil, something…wrong. It swallowed Gaz whole and he froze.

When Kyle stopped, Price looked up to see Kyle’s eyes lidded, his tongue lolling, fangs out, and pupils blown impossibly wide.

“Kyle?” Price leaned up, brushing a hand down Kyle’s face as he stared into the alpha’s eyes. “Alpha…” Price’s alpha knew they should do something anything, and Price knew it because he’d seen this before. Price just couldn’t place where, or maybe he wanted to pretend this wasn’t happening to Kyle.

The next thing happened faster than Price anticipated. His back hit the seat of the couch, pain shocking his head and body as a sudden pressure clamped around his throat.

Price howled in pain as Gaz sunk his fangs into Price’s throat. This wasn’t a love bite, this wasn’t a mating bite, this was a bite that meant business. This bite was meant to injure.

“K-Kyle,” Price barely managed with Gaz’s jaw snapped around his throat. Price grasped at Kyle’s back, his hair, wherever he could find purchase to try and pull Gaz off, “You’re— hurting me! KYLE!”

There was something satisfying to Kyle as if he’d caught prey like a wild animal going in for the kill. A satisfied growl roiled deep inside Gaz as he squeezed, liquid pouring into his mouth.

Between the bite and the overwhelming sourness of Gaz’s usually sweet scent, Price was going to pass out. His desperate grasping at Kyle got weaker as a cloud threatened to settle along Price’s mind. “Alpha…” Price’s alpha whined.

“Kyle… please…” Price’s voice was small as he felt his body go lax.

That small plea seemed to pull Kyle out of his haze.

“What am I doing?” Gaz thought as he felt his consciousness breach the surface, “Where am I? Why does it feel like… there’s blood in my mouth? WHY IS THERE SO MUCH BLOOD?”

Gaz slowly lowered his eyes and saw Price hanging on, color leaving his face. His brain pieced together that the satisfying feeling in his mouth was his lover’s throat. He tried to kill Price! When… How?

He let go of Price’s throat with a gasp, wide-eyed and panting.

Price groaned at the release and put pressure on the wound that was pouring blood, staining his shirt.

“Kyle— it’s okay. Just relax,” Price managed, wincing as he sat up. His head ached, his neck ached. None of that mattered. What mattered to Price was his sergeant, his lover, his Kyle. That look Kyle had in his eye before he attacked, Price had to admit to himself what it was because it was exactly the same look Simon used to have when Price had to pull him back from the edge in the field before he declared HQ would not use Simon like that again.

Kyle slid off Price backing away, breaths coming in way too fast, tears pricking at his eyes.

“I hurt him… he… he opened his heart to me and I hurt him,” Gaz’s stomach churned as his mind raced.

When Price reached for Kyle he bolted out of the office door, leaving it ajar in his haste.

Price faltered as he clasped at nothing, feeling dizzy.

“Kyle,” Price whispered as he forced himself up. “Alpha… it’s not safe. It’s not safe for you out there…” Price’s alpha cried out.

Kyle couldn’t see where he was going. He didn’t know where he was going. He just knew he had to put distance between himself and Price. He couldn’t let himself hurt Price again.

“NEED,” Kyle’s alpha shouted. “SHUT THE FUCK UP!” Kyle shouted fighting that cloud again.

“Sunshine?” Simon asked when he saw Kyle run as if the devil himself was chasing him.

Simon’s eyes went wide, concern painting his face that Kyle had blood on him.

“Sunshine!”

Simon decided to head to Price’s office to run damage control if anything turned sour. He didn’t anticipate it would go this badly. Simon knew that look in Gaz’s eye. He had been there.

Ghost went to chase after Gaz when he heard a thump and uneven steps. Price was pushing himself to stumble after Gaz.

“KYLE!” Price was trying to run after him, but he was getting dizzy, “KYLE WAIT!”

Simon was definitely on high alert, noting that while Kyle had blood on him, Price seemed to be drenched in it. Price did not look good. He did not look good at all.

“John?!” Simon caught Price before he fell, “John!”

“Don’t… worry about me… Kyle! Get to…” Price wheezed, reaching as Kyle seemed to disappear into the distance. “Help! Alpha needs help!” Price’s alpha pleaded to Simon.

“Nuh-uh. We’re getting you to the infirmary,” Ghost said, picking up Price and carrying him off. “Can’t help anyone until we can get you help, alpha,” Simon’s alpha was firm, vaguely aware of the other’s communication as he always was.

Simon was not going to let Price bleed out, as much as he knew he should stop Kyle before he hurt anyone else. Simon was a selfish man. Price looked small as he started to cling to Simon, despite Price being a bigger alpha than Simon was. “Alpha shouldn’t look this small…” Simon’s alpha cried. “He’s going to be okay… he has to be okay,” Simon tried to be soothing but he was panicked.

Simon called for the doctor as he laid Price on a bed. Specialist Gordon was quick to respond. It was not often she heard Ghost shout like that, which meant whatever it was, was urgent.

Ghost held Price’s hand as Specialist Gordon worked on cleaning and stitching the wound. Price stared up at the ceiling brows furrowed. He probably needed medical attention right then, but they needed to get to Kyle before this got further out of hand.

Simon watched as Price’s gears turned, guilt eating him up. Simon stared at where their hands were held, pursing his lips.

Specialist Gordon finished patching Price up, “That’s a pretty nasty bite. Looks like an animal tried to rip out your throat. Fortunately, you’ll live and you’re lucky you don’t need a bag, Price.”

Simon wished he could say he was shocked that Price was injured, but he pieced together what happened. He felt his chest constrict. If he would have said something sooner. “Alpha is hurt because of me…” Ghost’s alpha lamented.

“Either there’s a wild animal on the loose or we have an untethered al—” Price gripped Molly’s wrist before she could finish her sentence.

“This does not leave this room,” Price rasped looking stern, very much the in-control captain even with his throat bandaged up, white as a sheet.

“As soon as you step out of this room with this bandage around your throat it is! You’re lucky whoever did this to you missed everything important. An artery, your scent glands, it grazed your mating gland pretty severely, but that’ll heal,” Molly lectured.

Usually, she could keep her emotions in check, but not this time. Price was beginning to ask too much of her.

“Molly,” Price warned.

“Fine, but if anyone else comes in injured, I’ll have to call it in,” Molly said with finality.

Soap’s test she could cover, an isolated injury, she could cover. Repeated injuries made by a single person? That would reflect on her as negligence. She’d lose her position. Frankly, no other doctor would be nearly as kind or lenient as she was. They don’t know this task force as she did. As the base doctor she technically outranked Price, but she had so much respect for the man she often took a backseat. No matter how much any doctor coveted Molly’s position, no one else would give him this much grace.

“Thanks, Molly,” Price nodded as he stumbled to his feet. He knew he asked a lot of her, but the severity of an untethered alpha running around the base on record was too great of a risk.

“Nope, you’re staying put for now,” Molly pushed him back down before he face-planted.

Price growled, knowing he needed a moment, but they didn’t have a moment.

At roughly the same time, Soap and Roach left the mess hall and headed toward the sergeant’s quarters, chatting like old friends. They paused when a blur moved past them.

“Kyle?” Roach raised his eyebrows as he and Soap watched Gaz dash to the room Roach and Gaz shared.

The sour scent didn’t pass Soap, and the blood around his mouth caused both sergeants to look on in horror.

Roach and Soap glanced at each other before they chased after Gaz, ordering any curious recruits to clear the way and keep their mouths shut.

When they finally caught up, they found Gaz curled up on the floor of his room.

“Kyle!” Soap exclaimed.

When they fell on their knees near the alpha, Kyle growled deep from his chest. His pupils were blown as if he weren’t all there. “NEED,” Gaz was still grappling with the rage and chaos of his primal instincts.

“Simon used to get like this… everything was okay when I left, what happened?” Roach thought as he recognized what was happening and snapped into action.

“Grab him,” Roach ordered sharply.

Soap wrapped his arms under Gaz’s clasping his hands behind Gaz’s neck pressing Kyle to his body and bracing himself as best as he could on the concrete floor. Before Gaz could start thrashing and using his legs as leverage to throw Soap off, Roach straddled Gaz’s legs dropping his full weight.

Gaz snapped and thrashed, Soap and Roach were struggling to hang on.

Soap’s heart racing at how long Kyle’s fangs were. “I’ve seen alpha fangs before, but… these are out of control,” Soap’s mind turned over and over, “What is happening to him?”

“Keep him still,” Roach ordered, snapping Soap back into focus.

Roach started warming up his hands. “Alright, Uncle Larry, let’s hope my ‘power’ is enough,” Roach took a deep breath.

He reached on either side of Kyle’s neck, rubbing the muscles there. “Kyle’s scent glands are really swollen,” Gary frowned as he thought, “His muscles are tight…“

Roach paused and used his palms applying pressure to the scent glands on either side of Kyle’s throat.

Gaz howled at first but thrashed a bit less tongue lolling again, fangs still out. The haze was clearing again, but he couldn’t form coherent thoughts or speech as he felt like he was floating instead of falling. The weight of Gary on his legs and the hold Soap had on him was beginning to ground him, but it wasn’t enough to pull Kyle out.

Gary moved his fingertips to Kyle’s scent glands, thumbs moving over Gaz’s mating gland. “Lot of swelling here… when was the last time Kyle rutted?” Gary frowned as he rubbed soft circles into the flesh in these spots, “Well, let’s hope this doesn’t fling him into a rut… I have to be careful…" When Gary applied pressure, it was like a shock ran through Kyle’s body before he went completely limp. “Whew, okay, that’s a good sign,” Roach’s frown relaxed.

“Scent him but keep him still,” Roach said rubbing his hands together again.

Soap nodded, rubbing his nose against the scent gland Roach indicated. “Poor Kyle smells so sick,” Soap did his best to keep the sadness out of his scent, but his omega felt despair. “If I’m not careful, he could drag me down, too,” Soap breathed, drowning out that sour smell with his vanilla and orange scent.

Kyle’s growl was weak, but he didn’t appear to be able to move. The crazed alpha’s growl grew weaker as the familiar scent of oranges and vanilla, the familiar scent of his omega filled his senses. Kyle’s alpha at least the primal side of it was fighting. “Breed…” It cried out.

Soap ignored the scent that pushed out of Kyle, he and his omega focusing on one thing, “Alpha needs help…”

Roach grabbed Kyle’s hands, rubbing his thumbs over Kyle’s palms. This drew Kyle’s attention away from Soap. Roach hoped he didn’t scent as anxious as he looked when Kyle glanced up at him like he was a meal. Roach massaged up Kyle’s wrists until he found the glands there. When he applied pressure, he was met with some resistance.

“You’re pretty backed up here, big guy. How’d it get this bad?” Roach asked Soap who shrugged. “Right, Soap wouldn’t know exactly how this came about because getting this bad does not happen overnight,” Roach furrowed his brow again as he started rubbing circles into Gaz’s wrists again, “This had been going on for longer than Soap’s even been here.”

“I noticed he had a scent smell as if he was using too many suppressants for too long,” Soap did his best to remember. In the first month, Soap was too anxious to take stock of everything that was going on, and the fact that they were thrown into back-to-back missions didn’t help.

“Kyle… when was the last time you took rut leave?” Gary turned his attention to Kyle. When Gaz didn’t respond still reeling, Roach sighed. “As far as I know, Kyle’s last rut leave happened two weeks before I left,” Roach did the math, “There’s no way he went almost five months without taking rut leave.” When Roach tried to apply pressure again some of it finally releasing he thought, “Never mind, way…”

“Well, in any case, I need you to start purring,” Roach ordered.

“I… can’t do that…” Soap admitted. He’s never done it before. He was never allowed to try. “I wish I could purr. I wish I could purr if it would help, but I don’t know that I could if I wanted to right now,” Soap was stressed. Kyle was settling down, but Soap’s omega wasn’t. “Alpha needs help!” “We’re helping him right now!” Soap reassured.

Roach raised his eyebrows, “An omega who can’t purr? That’s problematic. Soap and I are definitely going to need to spend time together to fix that.” Roach bookmarked that thought and said, “I’ll address that one later. Nest?”

“H-haven’t nested in years,” Soap’s admission caught Kyle’s attention despite the haze.

“Omega hasn’t nested?” Kyle’s alpha startled, “Omega needs help… let me go and let me help!” Kyle pulled his alpha back so they wouldn’t start thrashing again. It still did not sound right, and he still couldn’t formulate his own thoughts, the instincts were still too loud.

“Alright, take off your pants,” Roach demanded. “Kyle’s alpha seems to be responding to Soap’s omega. We need to get Soap’s scent through to him from the strongest source.”

“Excuse me?” Soap raised his eyebrows, wondering how Roach could joke at a time like this. “There’s no way he seriously wants me to bend over for Kyle while he’s in this state? This is more dangerous than a regular rut,” Soap could feel it under his skin. This alpha would rip him apart while it tried to breed him. Soap squeezed Kyle tighter to keep himself grounded. “This is all insane…”

“I’m not suggesting you let him knot you. I need your underwear,” Roach explained looking at Soap with intensity indicating that he was not joking. “I know it’s a lot to ask, but this is really bad. I can tell Soap’s omega is reacting to this. I need to drown out his scent if he’s broadcasting any anxiety…”

“That explanation isn’t much better, Roach,” Soap shook his head, incredulity still laced in his voice. “How is my underwear supposed to help this situation? What is he going to wank Kyle with it? Is this seriously going to be the story of my life?”

“Look… just trust me,” Roach earnestly stared into Soap’s eyes.

Soap sighed and dropped his pants, stepping out of his briefs and passing them to Roach. “Not like anyone hasn’t used my clothes to wank before, at least he’s not using me,” Soap thought.

Soap didn’t have time to think about how uncomfortable he was. How familiar this felt, but Roach promised. Even though he hadn’t known Roach for very long, the rest of the 141 sang his praises and he trusted them.

“Have you slicked in these?” Roach asked causing Soap to lose hold of his pants that he was putting back on for modesty’s sake.

“What?” Soap stammered, blushing profusely. “Maybe I did a little when Roach was sharing LT’s deepest darkest secrets, but I’m not going to admit that out loud!” Soap quickly continued to pull up his pants.

Soap wasn’t sure he liked the way that question made Gaz drool just then, but the alpha couldn’t move if he wanted to. “I really hope whatever we’re doing fixes this soon. I do not want to be devoured… at least not this way…” Soap didn’t want to admit that he’d like to do it in a different situation.

“You know what? Not important,” Roach gripped Kyle’s jaw and shoved Soap’s briefs in his mouth, the alpha’s eyes rolling back as he groaned the taste of his omega like ambrosia on his tongue. “There you go, big guy. That’s it,” Roach encouraged making sure the briefs were securely stuffed into Gaz’s mouth.

“Roach, what the fuck?” Soap was mortified. “I expected a wank, not to make Kyle EAT them? Mad… this man is completely mad,” even Soap’s omega was confused by this turn of events.

“Grab him again,” Roach ordered as if he were doing surgery and not using Soap’s underwear to tame an unruly alpha. “We’ve almost got him… just a little more…”

Soap followed directions, “If this will help Kyle…” he thought blushing back to his ears not just because his underwear was in Gaz’s mouth, but at how obscene Kyle’s groan was and how it made his omega preen. “I did that for alpha…” “Can it ye wee weirdo.” Soap’s omega was too proud to be insulted.

“Alright, now…” Roach began before Ghost and Price burst through the door.

The scene gave them pause.

“What in the fresh hell—” Price began.

“Bug, what—” Simon said at the same time.

“Holy shit,” Roach’s eyes went wide looking at Price’s bandages before looking back at Soap, “He’s more backed up than I thought… how do you feel about sitting on his face?”

Gaz groaned again, bucking his hips almost knocking Roach off. He was ready to rut into something, anything to relieve this pressure that was building.

Soap was slack-jawed at the request, “Sit on his face with his fangs out like that?” “mmm… alpha’s face…” “Cut it out, you!” Soap batted down his omega. He’d pour cold water on it if he could.

“Don’t worry the underwear will provide a cushion if you’re worried about his fangs,” Roach reassured.

Price’s brain caught up and he sternly declared, “Nobody is sitting on anyone’s face. What the fuck is going on Sanderson?”

“Kyle’s backed up to the point his alpha is really sick, sir. I’ve done some triage, which is much easier with an omega here… thanks by the way, Soap, but I need to get rid of this build-up,” Roach explained, “Otherwise… well it looks like you experienced it firsthand, sir.”

Not much stun-locked THE Captain Jonathan Price of Task Force 141. This scene unfurling in front of him was one of these few things.

“Obviously Soap isn’t okay with sitting on Gaz’s face,” Roach glanced at Soap hopeful.

“I’m not saying I’d be opposed to the idea,” Soap’s blush crawled down the back of his neck, “But… not like this!”

“Fair enough,” Gary said as Kyle perked up at Soap’s admission.

Soap flinched and looked away when he saw the way Kyle was making eyes at him at that moment. If he didn’t claw his way out of his primal fog for anything else, he’d pull out for the opportunity to have the fresh taste of Soap on his tongue. Kyle groaned as he thought about it.

“Stay with me, big guy,” Roach took Gaz’s face in his hands turning him away from Soap to make eye contact, “Now listen to me. I’m going release the rest of the backup in your other glands, then you’re going be in for probably one of the most painful hand jobs of your life if no one in this room is going to volunteer to let you knot them…”

“I’ll do it,” Price murmured, as he looked at his lover. Kyle was like this because of Price’s negligence, and he didn’t think he’d have very many opportunities for his alpha to be this settled over something like that. “Help alpha…” Price’s alpha pleaded.

“What?” Simon was now stun-locked. In all of the years Simon knew Jonathan Price, he has never known the man to actively volunteer to bottom. As a matter of fact, he’d never seen Price do it at all.

“I said I’ll do it,” Price repeated, “Don’t you say ‘what’ again Lieutenant!”

“But… you’ve never been knotted before… sir,” Simon began, “I have… I should do it.”

“No, somehow this is my fault,” Price argued, “And… it’s mine and Kyle’s anniversary soon anyway, so… I guess… what better gift than… being the first one to knot me… I guess…” Price was now blushing back to his ears.

“Alright, well if you’re going to do this, I’m prepping you,” Simon squared up to Price, not going to take ‘no’ for an answer, “How long do I have, Bug?”

Kyle groaned, eyes rolling back at the prospect, being the first one to knot his captain ever. If only he were in a better frame of mind, he’d prep Price himself. He bucked his hips again, and Gary put his full weight down on Kyle’s thighs to keep him still.

“Ten minutes,” Roach confirmed rubbing his hands together again.

Simon and Price nodded as Simon dug through Kyle’s drawer for lube.

“Okay, so this is actually going to probably be one of the most painful knottings of your life,” Roach still held Kyle’s face, that stern look of a surgeon still on his face.

“How is telling him that helpful!?” Soap was incredulous at the whole thing.

He was holding his friend down who was sporting a hard-on from Roach doing whatever he was doing to his scent glands or having Soap’s underwear in his mouth or both, while his lieutenant was finger fucking his captain on the other side of the room. Soap was sure he stepped into the Twilight Zone because he was usually the hole in this scenario. Not that he wasn’t appreciative of the fact that he was not being used. It was just… bizarre.

“Focus, Soap! It’s better that he knows now so he can mentally prep himself than being surprised later. Alright Garrick, we’re getting rid of these pants next,” Roach threw off Kyle’s pants, “Oh… geez…” “That looks pretty angry,” Roach thought, almost feeling bad for Kyle.

“Oh, geez? What’s oh geez?” Soap squeaked then followed Gary’s eye line, “Oh geez…”

“I’ll stall, Simon you have 15,” Roach called across the room.

“Alright,” Simon nodded, he returned to encouraging Price, “Relax, love, I’ve got you…”

Price swallowed hard, “I know you do, Simon.”

Simon nodded, rubbing Price’s back for reassurance while Price was bent over Kyle’s bed. He flinched when he felt Simon’s cold fingers on his entrance.

“Sssh, you’re okay, love,” Simon cooed as he gently squeezed Price’s hip, “I’m going to press in…”

Price nodded then bit his lip to not moan out loud. “This is different,” Price thought.

Kyle thought he was going to pass out, between Soap’s scent on his tongue and having a view of Price’s face and Gary pressing on his hips. “Need…” Kyle’s eyes rolled back as his alpha’s voice seemed to normalize.

Price grunted as Simon slipped a second finger in, gripping the sheets of Kyle’s bed. He panted as Simon took his time working Price open, getting used to the slight burn. Price had met Kyle’s eyes, trying to seem encouraging and not anxious that he was going to be fucked for the first time.

“Fuck… you’re beautiful from this angle,” Simon swallowed hard.

The next time they were in this position, if there was a next time, Simon was going to savor every inch of his alpha from his angle.

Before Price could protest Simon curled his fingers, arching his back, cock twitching. Price could swear he was going to lose his mind between Simon finger fucking him and the light scent of Kyle on his sheets. He buried his face into the mattress as Simon started stroking his cock, a welcome distraction from that third finger slipping in, the moan Price let out was about as obscene as Kyle’s.

Normally, this amount of alpha arousal would set off alarm bells in Soap’s brain, but Roach having control… and the absurdity of the situation seemed to push down some of the stress he’d normally feel. As a matter of fact, he was experiencing a completely different feeling that he would unpack later.

Kyle glanced up at Soap, not missing the change to his scent. Soap looked away blushing again at the way Kyle’s hunger and adoration fed up to him. “That’s it… good alpha…” Soap’s omega cooed. “Please, stop talking,” Soap begged his omega to settle. Kyle squirmed and throbbed as Gary worked the scent glands in Kyle’s thighs, the sensation and the taste of Soap in his mouth were making him insane.

“Done back there, Simon?” Roach asked with urgency.

“You ready?” Simon whispered to Price.

“As I’ll ever be I guess,” Price sighed making it a point to keep his eyes forward as he climbed into Kyle’s bed since Soap and Roach’s reaction earlier was a bit disconcerting.

“Okay, we’re going to let him go, and you, Simon, and I are going to exit the room,” Roach said to Soap.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Soap glanced at the bandages on Price’s throat.

“It’s okay, John. I trust Kyle,” Price encouraged with a small smile.

Kyle knit his eyebrows together, if he needed to he’d blame the tear he shed on the fact that all the blood in his body seems to have rushed to his dick. Even after he almost ripped Price’s throat out, he still trusted Kyle. He still adored Kyle. It was apparent in his scent.

“Do NOT spit out Soap’s underwear until you’ve knotted the captain,” Roach gripped Kyle’s face, ordering sternly.

Kyle nodded in understanding as Roach dragged dumbfounded Soap out of the room followed by Simon who gave them one last longing look before shutting the door.

Kyle got up and moved across the room in a haze.

“Alpha looks good… presented for me like that,” Gaz and his alpha were salivating at the view, but Kyle didn’t want to simply plow into Price like a rabid dog… even though he bit Price like one. And leaving him in this position was going to hurt his back… Yeah, he wasn’t all there, but… Price wasn’t just a hole.

Price flinched as he felt a hand on his back, Kyle gently signaled for Price to roll on his back.

“Isn’t this supposed to be the best way?” Price was unsure.

Kyle shook his head and signaled to his back. Price understood even though this was about Kyle, not him. He followed Kyle’s directions, Kyle putting a pillow under Price’s hips.

Kyle raised his eyebrows to make sure Price was comfortable.

“I’m okay, sweetheart, take what you need,” Price encouraged trying not to seem anxious.

Kyle nodded, gripping Price’s thighs and lining himself up. Price grunted and Gaz groaned as Kyle pressed in, head slipping past Price’s ring. Kyle was careful as he kept pressing in, sweat dripping off his body as if he were in rut. When he was finally fully sheathed inside Price, Kyle leaned forward gripping the headboard. His breaths were coming in heavy as his eyebrows knit together.

He opened his eyes to gaze at Price apologetically. Price reached a hand up and caressed Kyle’s face, wiping a tear away as he looked at Price’s throat.

“I’m okay, sweetheart,” Price pulled him in for a kiss on the cheek. He’d rather kiss Kyle on his mouth, but it was full at the moment.

Kyle started moving, taking a slow pace. Price felt like a dream despite Kyle’s dick feeling like he was in a nightmare. He white-knuckled the headboard as he tried to adjust to the sensation. There was no adjusting. Roach wasn’t lying. He was going to have to push through it. Kyle put on a look of determination as he picked up the pace.

His alpha preened at the moans he was pulling out of Price glad his partner was enjoying it at least. He shivered under Price’s gentle touches, urged on by Price’s praise. Kyle winced as his knot was inflating, turning full thrusts to deep grinding.

“Fuck, Gary wasn’t lying,” Kyle thought as his moans came out in growls and shouts.

Price peppered kissing along Kyle’s neck, scenting his lover who buried his face into Price’s shoulder.

“That’s it, sweetheart,” Price breathed into Kyle’s ear, lips brushing against the shell of his ear.

Sweat pooled along Kyle’s back as he felt an overwhelming pressure. Price was so tight, so warm. “So good…“

When Kyle finally orgasmed it shook through his whole body as his knot locked firmly in place. As much as he enjoyed the sweet taste of Soap, Kyle spat the briefs across the room and claimed Price’s lips, holding one of Price’s hands. After one more shiver Kyle collapsed careful not to move too much. He couldn’t remember a time when his knotting anyone was this intense, and as much as he loved being inside his lover he never wanted to be that backed up again in his life. He never wanted to feel the way he felt when his alpha lost control. And he certainly never wanted to hurt Price again.

Price ran his fingers through Kyle’s hair, peppering his cheek with kisses, whispering praise and sweet nothings in Kyle’s ear.

It was an odd sensation, being on the other side of being knotted. He expected a bruising pace and pain. Instead, Kyle was sweet, took it easy on him, and made sure he was comfortable. Price purred his alpha also surprisingly content, “Missed you alpha…” it pushed through his scent to Kyle’s.

“Missed you too alpha,” Kyle’s alpha returned before he passed out.

“How are ya doing there, Soap?” Roach pushed another apologetic pudding in Soap’s direction. The lady at the mess hall counter didn’t complain when they took extra after she took a look at Soap’s face.

“Well, my friend is knot deep in my captain with my underwear in his mouth,” Soap raised an eyebrow as he opened the pudding cup, “I don’t have a word for this emotion.”

“Fair enough. Simon?” Roach asked.

Simon slid his pudding in Soap’s direction. He accepted the fact that he would be incapable of standing up and leaving anytime soon with the mental image burning in his brain.

“Oooookay,” Roach nodded slowly.

He figured he better drop it and settle into the awkward silence.

“MacTavish?” a courier approached their table.

“Aye, that’s me,” Soap confirmed.

“I have to speak to you about a delicate matter,” the courier glanced around the table hesitantly.

“You— ah… look like someone died,” Soap half-joked, but quickly led the courier to a conference room when he didn’t respond.

“I wonder what that was about?” Roach watched after them, confused.

“I don’t know,” Ghost tensed. Soap was joking, but Ghost knew what grave-looking couriers carrying boxes meant.

He hoped Soap would be okay.

“Well, at least we can get up now,” Roach noted.

Simon rolled his eyes and groaned as he dragged Roach off by the collar.

“Bug, you and I are going to have a long talk,” Ghost muttered.

Roach laughed awkwardly looking up at Ghost, “I’m in trouble, aren’t I?”

“I haven’t decided yet,” Ghost muttered as he kept walking.

After his meeting with the courier, Soap rushed to his room and slammed the door. His breaths came in gasps as he clutched a box to his chest. All the color left his face when he first got the news but was replaced by red. Soap threw the box across the room and screamed before falling to his knees keening and sobbing.

One of the things that fell out of the box was a set of dog tags that read “Nathan Carlson.”

After his stern conversation with Roach that ended with hugs and kisses, because he wanted Roach to be happy he came home, and Simon started looking around base for Soap. He went to knock on Soap’s door when the sound of something being flung across the room rattled the door, followed by angry shouting, sobbing, and the scent of an angry, distressed, and grieving (?) omega.

Ghost knocked, “Johnny?”

All movement stopped.

“Johnny? Are you alright?” Ghost asked through the door.

“Just— go away!” Soap shouted again, something contacting the door.

“Alright… just… if you need me… or any one of us… we’re here,” Ghost reassured before he left Soap to his rage and pain.

Ghost wasn’t sure what hurt Soap this bad, but he hoped he’d never find the bastard who did.

When Soap finally wore himself out his room completely destroyed, he stared at the tear-stained letter as he held the dog tags.

“John,

I see you made it to the 141. I knew you could do it. You’re a stronger man than I could ever be. By the time you get this, either my liver will have failed or there’ll be a bullet in my brain. Which one will be determined by how weak of a man I am.

You deserve better, and I can only hope the alphas of that squad treat you right. Price is a good man… better than me.”

Soap frowned at how Carlson would know Soap’s whereabouts. He hadn’t seen hide nor hair of this alpha since he had Laswell move Soap.

“I paid that bastard of a doctor extra just so you could have a choice next time. If you ever want there to be a next time, a do-over with someone worthy of you…”

A series of tear drops stain the paper here. Soap read the words over and over, the crease in his brow increasing.

“I’m also leaving you my pension, and the keys to my place. You can sell it, burn it, whatever. Don’t worry I won’t die in there.”

“That’s the thing he’s worried about? Really, Nate?” Soap huffed, tears threatening to prick at his eyes again.

“I didn’t realize saying goodbye again would be this hard. I don’t deserve this to feel hard, and I don’t deserve to say this to you, but… if you can believe me… I did love you, I know I had a fucked way of showing it… a really fucked way of showing it.

But I could see it… you’d drop everything for me… for our pups… god… our…”

A series of teardrops stained the next part of the letter before the writing continued.

“Loved? LOVED?” Soap shook the paper making crumbling sounds.

“Fuck you were way too young and too bright to ever get mixed up with a damned fool like me… you didn’t deserve it and neither did our…”

A series of teardrops and what looked like a bit of bile stain this part of the letter.

Soap also began to feel sick, thinking about it. The pain coming back to the forefront of his mind, the phantom feeling of the surgery, the pain of his loss. It wasn’t an easy decision for the alpha, but it was still a decision that hurt Soap worse than anything.

“God, I’m sorry, John. I’m sorry…

I’m sorry, and goodbye.

-Nate”

Soap held the letter and the dog tags to his chest.

“You idiot… you fucking idiot… making big decisions for me again… god fucking damn it, Nate,” Soap shook as he breathed in, “fucking… damn it, Nate… I never wanted this either… how could you ever think I’d want this?” Soap sobbed, “How … could you…”

Chapter Text

“Nate, why are we here? I thought you said—” Soap asked, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up.

“I know what I said, Soap!” Carlson shouted, avoiding Soap’s eyes.

“You’ve been upset this whole trip. Did I do something wrong?” Soap urged, placing a hand on Carlson’s thigh.

Carlson gripped the steering wheel tighter and did his best to ignore his alpha instincts, the anxiety in Soap’s scent, and especially the scents of two others lightly emitting off the omega. “Don’t do this,” Carlson’s alpha pleaded, “Don’t hurt my omega.”

“This is for our own good,” Carlson gritted his teeth, exhaling as he stepped out of the car. Soap's breath picked up as he watched Carlson move around the car. Soap locked the door and started tugging at his seat belt. He tried to scurry to the other side of the car. Soap did not like the look in his alpha’s eyes. He didn’t like it at all.

Soap’s fingers trembled as he pulled at the belt to no avail. Carlson unlocked the door.

“Please, don’t fight me, sergeant,” Carlson ordered.

“Sergeant? So not even Soap anymore, Nate?” Soap’s pained response tugged at Carlson.

“Please don’t hurt omega,” Carlson’s alpha shouted louder.

Carlson growled as he attempted to pry Soap from the vehicle.

Soap thrashed and fought against the alpha. He kicked his feet and grasped for anything he could use as leverage to stay inside the vehicle.

Soap trusted Carlson implicitly, yet he felt like something was wrong. He hoped his Nate didn’t intend to hurt him. Prayed he didn’t. Eventually, Soap was overpowered. Carlson shoved Soap’s legs aside after taking a kick to the jaw and pulled Soap from the vehicle by the scruff. Goose bumps raised on Soap's skin as Carlson shoved Soap toward the abandoned building.

“Nate… I-I don’t like this place. Where are we?” Soap glanced around at what looked like an abandoned hospital. The sound of gravel scraping the drive as Soap pushed against Carlson to get back in the car.

Carlson sighed. He had a tough enough time fighting his instincts. He didn’t have the energy to fight Soap too, so Carlson hauled Soap over his shoulder, the omega yelping at the new position. Carlson’s firm grip on Soap’s thighs as he pressed Soap’s legs to his chest. Soap couldn’t use his legs to get away and his arms were in an equally awkward position.

“Alpha, please…” Soap begged as he twisted in Carlson’s grasp, his omega speaking in an attempt to appeal to the alpha.

Carlson’s alpha tried to respond, “I’m sorry, omega! I’m sorry…” but was stomped down by Carlson.

“Shut up, Soap,” Carlson clenched his jaw practically kicking the door to the facility open. “You shut up too,” Carlson hissed at his alpha.

Soap whimpered as he looked around. This place was supposed to be abandoned, but the scent of death clung inside its walls. Soap struggled again, pushing against Carlson’s stiff shoulders, trying to get some kind of leverage. He needed to get out of there. He had to get out of there. Soap froze when a voice crawled up his back like ice.

“Ah, you must be Nathan, and is this unruly one to be my patient?” A tall slender man with impossibly long fingers greeted them near the front desk.

Soap smelled anxiety and guilt coming off the alpha despite Carlson keeping his scent reined. It felt like no matter what either of them did, they could smell each other. Their biology did this in an attempt for a dam and a sire to not lose track of each other even if the omega and the alpha are unbonded.

“Patient?” Soap repeated, eyes wide, “I have a doctor on base. I don’t need to see this guy. Nate, what are we doing here?”

“Oh, dear, you didn’t even tell the poor thing?” Dr. Davenport mock gasped, “And they call me a monster,” his insane smile cutting across his face as he rested his chin on steepled fingers.

“Shut it, Davenport,” Carlson barked making himself taller as he glared down at Dr. Davenport.

“Watch your tone, Nathan. You’re no longer on your… cushy base but in my domain. I suggest you behave,” Davenport warned, cocking his head back, the crazed smile never leaving his face.

“Alpha… what is he going to do to me?” Soap whispered, throat tight.

“Since he won’t tell you, I will… in due time. This way Nathan,” Dr. Davenport opened a large metal door deep inside the facility, bowing a small curtsy and ominous signal for Carlson to enter.

The place was a maze, Soap couldn’t make heads or tails of where they were. The only sounds in this labyrinth were sounds of Carlson and Dr. Davenport’s footsteps against the tile floor and Soap’s whimpers. He couldn’t stop shaking.

“Will you stop whimpering like that?” Carlson snapped, that scent of guilt heavier in Carlson’s scent.

“Alright, boys! Take the patient away from our guest please,” Dr. Davenport ordered as he gathered instruments from the other side of the room, the lights began to dim while a brighter light shone over the table they intended to strap Soap to.

Carlson clamped his eyes shut as he felt Soap reach for him, desperately trying to hold on, the panicked sounds of his omega tugging at him. “Omega! My omega needs help!” Carlson’s alpha pleaded with him to reconsider. “No… not mine… we can’t do this…” Nathan cut his alpha off entirely, “This is for the best.”

That’s what he told himself as he stood there with his eyes shut, listening to Soap’s screaming for him fade as the anesthetic took him under.

“Wait! I change my mind,” Carlson cried out, reaching towards the operating table.

Unamused Dr. Davenport shot something into Soap’s IV. He signaled his henchmen to hold Carlson when he heard panicked footfalls approach his operating arena. Dr. Davenport didn’t spare a glance at Carlson as he coldly replied, “A little late for that, now, isn’t it? My specimens are ready for extraction.”

Carlson paled, the fight leaving his body. The henchmen shoved Carlson back to his corner as they watched over Dr. Davenport, assisting as needed. Monitors beeping as instruments clanged against the side table.

Carlson was not sure he wanted to know what Dr. Davenport meant. All he knew was that Soap looked awful. The omega’s face was relaxed from being put under, but it still didn’t stop an air of sadness and betrayal coming from Soap’s sleeping form. The omega looked green around the gills.

Carlson took a shaky breath and closed his eyes like the coward he was, listening to Dr. Davenport practically salivating over having such strong specimens— whatever that meant— listened to Soap wake up in pain the scent of sulfur and ash filling the room as Soap’s last ditched effort to protect what Carlson SHOULD be protecting failed, he stood there with his eyes shut for minutes after Dr. Davenport said he was done.

“And this can be undone?” Carlson rasped, looking everywhere but at Davenport and Soap. The captain who never backed down and never looked away felt small, sick. His mind beginning to fathom the sin he committed against three helpless people. Davenport was right of everyone standing in the room, Carlson was the monster.

“Of course! Do you doubt my abilities?” Davenport hissed as his voice circled Carlson like a python ready to close in on his prey. The threat was evident as his beady eyes glared at Carlson.

Carlson didn’t say anything, body on autopilot as he picked up the omega, the three scents fading to one, the scents of the sterile environment decreasing as he walked away, the scent of the crisp air stinging Carlson’s nose as he put Soap into the car.

He didn’t remember when they got back to his flat, but he will never forget what he’d done… and unfortunately, neither will Soap…

In the present, Price, Roach, Ghost, and Gaz watched Soap as he went through his duties with the 141 on autopilot. Soap barely acknowledged anyone and if he did it was with small smiles and dull eyes. The recruits were even starting to feel Soap’s lack of enthusiasm, the omega’s warm smiles kept up morale. That was suddenly just… gone.

“I know, it’s probably selfish of me to mope like this, but I can’t do it. I can’t fake being okay right now,” Soap sighed as he floated around his day, not really all there. “Alpha…” Soap’s omega grieved a man who logically speaking, didn’t deserve it.

Soap was numb. Once his day was over, he cleaned his room, fixing what he could. He left his dam’s blanket packed away feeling too dirty to touch it. Hate pooled at the pit of his stomach— for himself. For wanting to go to Nate’s place and wrap himself in Nate’s scent one last time. How could he want that after what Nate did to him?

Soap felt sick. He especially felt sick in the head. “Alpha is gone…” Soap’s omega lamented. Soap didn’t have the heart to even reprimand it. He felt like he didn’t have a heart at all anymore, the news punched a hole in his chest. “I didn’t think he had anything left to take from me. I never wanted him dead, not a single moment. I should be— god I know people would say I should be happy,” Soap thought. He cried so much, he couldn’t cry anymore, “My pups are gone… and now my alpha… though… I guess he was never really mine. He obviously didn’t want me…” “Alpha abandoned me… again…”

Price noted Soap didn’t come to his room anymore and tried checking in with Soap. The omega shut him out, and Price didn’t know why. Whatever was sent to Soap was confidential. Laswell’s lips were sealed. All she said was, “Let him grieve.” “But what is he grieving?” Price thought, unable to concentrate on his paperwork. Despite Simon and Kyle gradually letting Price back in, he wasn’t sleeping well again.

Gaz insisted Price leave the nest he built for Soap intact. Gaz hoped it would encourage Soap to nest somehow, but the nest lay empty, abandoned. That didn’t stop Gaz from leaving scented items nearby. He still had hope for Soap to come back around.

Ghost, Gaz, Roach, and Price sat outside of Soap’s room at night. They held each other back from barging into Soap’s space when he’d howl in his sleep, a haunting sound. Burnt vanilla crashed through the halls when Soap slept.

One day Price had enough and called a meeting with all but Soap.

“Does anyone know what the hell happened? Did someone do something?” Price snapped. “Between the four of us, someone must know something,” Price thought, “The lad is eating less and less.”

“That’s what I want to know!” Gaz snapped back. Things were getting better between the two, but their statements had an undertone of accusation. “Tav needs us, but I don’t know how to help,” Gaz sighed, his alpha ready to take care of Soap, “If only he’d let us in. He doesn’t have to suffer alone.”

“Simon and I might know,” Roach muttered. “It had to do with that box. That’s the only thing that changed. Maybe that’ll be enough of a clue for the captain at least.”

“Well, spit it out, Sanderson!” Price leaned forward in his seat.

“A couple of weeks ago, a courier came to deliver news,” Roach recounted, “Said it was a delicate matter.”

“And?” Price encouraged him to continue, but Simon spoke next.

“The courier was carrying a black box,” Ghost paused until he saw understanding on their faces, “When I went to check on him it sounded like Soap was in a fit of rage and pain. Whoever died… this didn’t feel like the grief of losing a loved one.” Simon knew the various types of grief; Simon knew them quite well actually.

“And you didn’t think to mention that he received ‘the black box’ until now? How long has it been since we started to patch things up?” Price asked Gaz, staring up at the alpha who leaned against his desk, arms crossed.

“Almost 3 weeks ago, Cap,” Gaz calculated, tapping a finger to his chin. The more he thought about it the guiltier Gaz felt. He was so wrapped up in fixing his and Price’s relationship Gaz didn’t notice Soap was hurting at first. The omega hides things well. Or at least he did.

“Almost a month, with two weeks of trying to coax whatever was ailing him out of him?” Price started to raise his voice.

“I assumed you knew as the captain!” Simon shouted. “What is going on with Johnny that not even Price is allowed to know about? What happened to him?”

Roach sighed, “So we haven’t learned our lesson about assuming things…” Roach wished they’d be more open and honest after Kyle’s fiasco. “Guess I’m just as bad since I assumed they were doing better, too,” Roach thought. Roach was relieved to see Soap was calm, but he mistook Soap absently doing things as calmness not numbness.

Before anyone could respond to Roach, Price got a call.

“Kate?” Price answered the call, shoulders raising. Sudden calls from Laswell like this were not a good sign.

Price listened for a few moments before he nodded and said goodbye.

“We have 30 minutes to meet in the conference room,” Price ordered, “Find Soap and tell him to meet us there.”

30 minutes later, the three sergeants entered the conference room where Price and Ghost were waiting with Kate on the screen.

Gaz took the seat next to Price, Soap and Roach sitting in the two seats in front and behind Ghost respectively on the opposite side of the table.

“Alright, I need a team of four on a mission for a High-Value Target who appears to be operating in an abandoned asylum outside of Ruthin,” Laswell’s image shifted to the bottom corner of the screen. A map of the building took up the rest of the space.

A strange chill passed through Soap, “That place looks a little too familiar.”

“Alright, Johnny?” Ghost leaned in.

“Yeah, LT,” Soap lied, but Ghost had to let it go for now.

Roach tensed and raised his hand, “Um, why does that place look haunted?”

Laswell raised her eyebrows, “You’ve been tortured and survived a battlefield, but ghosts are what you worried about? Aren’t you involved with one?”

Everyone but Soap and Roach groaned in the room.

“Leave the jokes to the professionals,” Ghost rolled his eyes.

“I thought it was funny. I would have laughed if we weren’t going on a mission in a HAUNTED HOSPITAL,” Roach stood from his chair waving his hand to the screen, voice pushed out in a squeak.

“Relax, Sanderson. There haven’t been any reports of spirits walking the halls lately,” Laswell chided.

Roach slumped back and groaned. “I thought this was the military, not Scooby-Doo.”

“Survive…” Carlson’s voice whispered in Soap’s mind, the hairs on the back of Soap’s neck standing on end. He couldn’t rip his eyes from the screen.

“Anyway, it’s been reported that there’s been movement coming into and going out of the facility,” Laswell continued, “Some parties going in, but not coming back out. I need a team of four…”

“I volunteer Simon as tribute!” Roach raised his hand, panting brows furrowed.

“I need a team of four, but Price is not taking one of those spots,” Laswell looked at Gary amused. “I never imagined a sergeant being this superstitious,” Laswell thought.

“Well, I see where I stand now, Bug,” Simon huffed a laugh.

Price stepped forward, continuing Laswell’s intentions, “Since I’m off the roster for just a bit longer, the team going in includes Riley, Garrick, MacTavish, and Sanderson.”

Roach plopped back into his seat lamenting how short his life was. “Sure, I could die at any moment, but at least with people, I can fight. You can’t fight a ghost,” Gary shuddered at the thought.

“It’s okay, Roach. I’ll hold your hand… the place gives me the creeps too,” Soap soothed. He wondered if he would isolate himself so much if he got a sympathetic hand sooner.

Roach rolled Simon’s chair away, scooting up to hold onto Soap. Ghost tried not to laugh as he moved towards the table again behind the two. He shouldn’t find Gary’s distress amusing but all he could see was the tall-lanky guy and the dog from the show Gary liked to watch. Ghost doubted the HVT would be a man in a goofy costume.

Price and Laswell sighed pinching the bridge of their noses.

“Alright, if you’re comfy now, the details are in the envelopes,” Laswell nodded to the table, “The building is only 74 miles northwest of the base. Garrick is driving.”

Ghost scoffed and pouted, “I never get to drive…”

Gaz smirked. He should feel bad, but after Ghost ran over Price’s car with a tank, Ghost was forbidden to drive anything else. Ghost gave Gaz the “wipe that smirk off your face” glare.

“I thought I had soldiers under my command not a group of goofy children,” Price spoke sharply standing at full height.

As much as he’d like to let them continue to be silly, this mission was extremely dangerous. The HVT was said to be a former doctor turned psychopath. The fact that some teams hadn’t come out scared the hell out of Price. He had to send everyone he cared deeply for into that place.

They all sat up properly, “Sorry, sir…”

“Now that the silliness is out of our systems, I want to emphasize that this particular HVT is particularly dangerous, and I’m sorry to say Soap, he has a particular interest in omegas, so we have to use the fact that you’re an omega again,” Laswell grit out.

It’s almost as if HQ was actively trying to piss her off. She was sure to remind him that Soap was more than an omega; he was a damn good soldier. They kept assuring her that’s why they kept sending the 141 on these particular ops. In a way, they were right to send in the 141. There weren’t very many other omegas like Soap and Laswell.

“Any particular reason why?” Gaz asked, his hackles up. He remembered what the last mission for Soap was like when his secondary sex was necessary to capture the HVT.

“He likes experimenting on them,” Laswell sighed.

All the color left Soap’s face, and he started to feel clammy under Roach’s touch. The longer they talked about this particular mission, the deeper the pit in Soap’s stomach became.

The rest of their room had eyes on Soap because Soap emitted burnt vanilla and rotten citrus. Soap’s omega cowered, sensing the familiarity.

“Is there a problem, MacTavish?” Laswell asked alarmed that Soap looked whiter than a sheet all of a sudden even on her screen from her distant location.

“It can’t be the same guy. What are the odds?” Soap’s breath hitched as he picked at his nails under the table, “Just keep it together, Soap. You’re a member of the SAS. The 141,” Soap swallowed hard before he answered, “It’s fine. Just caught a chill is all.”

Price pursed his lips. He had a bad feeling, but HQ was insistent to the point they overrode Laswell on this one. There was no choice.

“Well, drink extra orange juice because you’re rolling out in three hours,” Price ordered.

Before anyone could speak any further, Soap left the room in a hurry, heart pounding in his ears. He had to get it together before he made his way to infil. Soap knew there were no other options.

As thoughts ran through his mind harder and faster than Soap’s footfalls, he didn’t notice the presence behind him. At least not until he felt a large hand on his shoulder.

“Johnny, you sure you’re good?” Ghost turned Soap to face him, and the omega followed too easily for Ghost’s liking.

“Am fine, LT, really,” Soap murmured.

“I’m not buying it, Johnny. We can tell HQ to fuck off on this one if you need to stay,” Ghost earnestly offered. “I really think Johnny should sit this one out,” Ghost thought.

Johnny laughed, “You know we can’t do that. Don’t worry. I’ll be ready when it’s time to go.”

Ghost let Soap go so he could pack his go bag and do whatever it was Soap did before missions. Ghost turned to his room to prepare himself. He knew had to be extra vigilant for the sake of the team.

The car ride to the Pool Park Asylum was unusually quiet. Ghost noted that Soap looked about like how he did that first mission with them, leg bouncing, white-knuckling his seat belt. Ghost knew better than anyone that ready or not HQ sent people out. He just wished Soap would talk to them so they could provide some comfort.

The three-mile trek through the dense woods was silent save for the few animals in the woods and the rustling of leaves as the building came into view. The cool air was welcome, due to the weight of their kits raising their body temperatures with the effort. The team’s eyes scanned their surroundings carefully, for hostiles and traps. The building towered ominously the closer the team got to reaching their destination.

Soap froze as a memory flashed through his mind when they neared the front entry to the yard.

“Nate, what is this place?” Soap’s voice echoed in his mind.

“We shouldn’t go through this gate,” Soap murmured in a trance.

“What do you mean? Intel says it’s clear,” Roach raised his eyebrows.

“We shouldn’t go through this gate,” Soap repeated with finality.

The team searched the area for another way to the other side of the walls surrounding the abandoned hospital. There was a part of the fence that crumbled enough for Ghost to scan the area before he signaled the team to scale the wall.

Ghost easily cleared that section of the wall, taking the team’s bags as they tossed them over the wall to Ghost. Gaz grunted as he gave Roach and Soap a boost, the beta and omega too short to scale the spot.

When every member of the team made it over the wall, they grabbed their bags and scanned the area. They noted cameras pointed to the main gate. The team was fortunate enough to have entered the hospital grounds in a blind spot.

“How did you know that there were cameras there?” Roach whispered.

“Just a hunch,” Soap cleared his throat.

Ghost signaled for them to keep moving, Soap leading the way. It’s almost as if he’d been to this facility before. Odd.

When they entered the facility, it smelled too sterile and too much like death for an abandoned building.

“Let’s split up,” Ghost ordered, “Roach and Soap do you think you’ll be able to clear the west side of the building while Gaz and I do the east.”

Roach nodded his affirmative clutching Soap.

“Aye, LT,” Soap confirmed.

Each team moved away from the area in crouched postures, pressing themselves against walls. Soap signaled to Roach that the passage was clear, moving to clear the rooms along the walls.

Roach finally let go of Soap so they could continue to search the area, guns out. The two would silently signal that the room they were searching was clear, each taking one side of the hallway.

Once they reached the stairwell, they’d make their way up in a crouch, Roach peeking above the second floor to make sure the passage was clear as they repeated their search of each.

As Soap and Roach walked, Roach was a bit jumpy but at least he was silent.

“What has you so spooked?” Soap tilted his head to the side as he considered Roach, holding onto Roach’s arm tightly to ground the other man whenever possible.

“You can punch, shoot, and stab people, but you can’t do the same for ghosts,” Roach said in a barely audible whisper.

Soap sighed, “I brought my holy water with me we should be fine.”

“Perfect! Great thinking!” Roach bought Soap’s lie.

“Poor lad is terrified,” Soap averted his eyes as he chewed his lip, “I shouldn’t have lied, but if it will help Roach relax…”

Soap and Roach’s examination of the area was uneventful, just old rooms, with abandoned beds and archaic equipment.

“Bravo 7-1, all clear heading back to the entrance,” Soap alerted Ghost and Gaz before they made their way back.

Meanwhile, Ghost and Gaz had an easier time, taking a similar strategy to Soap and Roach. The top floors were cleared quickly. Ghost and Gaz stalked back to the ground floor.

At the bottom of the stairs, Ghost put a hand to Gaz’s chest signaling him to stay out of sight. They happened upon an entrance with two men standing there.

“Ugh, it seems like we’re burning more bodies than having successful experiments,” one lamented, blood splattered on an apron.

“Quit your whining or the boss will go on one of his rampages again,” the other reprimanded.

“Ugh… if all of them came in like that one dominant omega… uuh… what was his name? Captain Carlson brought him in. I remember that one,” the one who complained recounted, “Not often we get a specimen from a dominant alpha.”

“MacWilliams… MacRiley…” the second one guessed.

“MacTavish!” they both said at the same time.

That caused Ghost and Gaz to raise their eyebrows.

“There are plenty of MacTavishes out there,” Gaz murmured, “Right?”

Ghost grunted and nodded. “But how many MacTavishes are dominant omegas? If they are referring to Johnny, why would he be brought here and who is Carlson?” Ghost thought.

“How could we forget that one? He was a pretty young thing, silly mohawk,” the first one said.

“Oh, and those blue eyes. Master would have plucked them from his head were we not paid to fix him and let him go,” the second one reminisced.

A growl rumbled in Ghost’s chest that Gaz stopped. He signaled to Ghost that there was a way to get closer to the two henchmen without being seen.

“I’m pissed, too, but we can’t blow our cover. The HVT is antsy,” Gaz thought, “Who could have brought Tav to a place like this? What do they mean by specimen?”

Gaz hoped the noise Ghost made didn’t alert the henchmen to their presence, shocked that Ghost even made any sound at all.

Ghost and Gaz’s feet were swift and quiet as they made their way towards their targets, hands gripping the handles of their knives which wouldn’t leave their sheathes until the last possible moment. The darkness of the cabinets in the area—which appeared to have been an employee lift at one point— kept them in the shadows.

“Did you hear something?” the first one asked.

“Nah, you’re just imagining things, anyway, let’s get back before Master has a fit,” the second one said.

Ghost and Gaz’s heart rates were still slow even as they got close to each henchman. The two soldiers were used to taking out targets with practiced efficiency. When the two made eye contact on either side of the henchmen from the shadows, they were quick to take down their quarry.

The henchmen didn’t have time to react before they fell into a heap on the floor Ghost and Gaz slitting their throats. Their orders were to get the HVT, dead or alive. That also meant obstacles by extension. Two less men to obstruct their way on the way down, right?

Ghost was panting growl still rumbling in his chest. “Who are these assholes? Why were they talking about Johnny as if he were some sort of object?”

“We need to meet them near the entrance,” Gaz pulled Ghost away from the area after they stowed away the bodies.

When they all rendezvoused where they split up, Soap was confused by how Ghost and Gaz stared at him.

“Find anything?” Soap asked attempting to break the silence.

“A way down to the facility that looks like a way hostiles are getting in and out…” Gaz reported, Ghost still fighting his fit of rage.

“Those big double doors look like a direct line down, though,” Roach pointed out.

“We can’t go that way,” Soap had that distant look in his eyes broken by a whine, “LT?”

“Sorry,” Ghost cleared his throat, “Let’s head this way.” “I knew Johnny should have stayed back,” Ghost reprimanded himself for not pushing.

The team took the small antique lift the henchmen were previously standing in front of. The cage creaked as it made its descent to the basement floor. Tensions were high as the elevator rattled, the team had their guns ready in case they were met with an ambush at the bottom of the lift.

Ghost pushed the gates apart allowing Soap, Roach, and Gaz to exit, covering their six. The area was clear aside from the door in the lift area. Soap checked it for explosives. He signaled that it was clear, letting the team press into the walls on either side before Soap turned the knob and pushed it open.

Startled sounds filled the air when they entered the room. Scanning the area, they saw it was filled with people in muzzles and collars.

“Hostages weren’t in the file,” Gaz raised his eyebrows. “There are at least 20 people down here…”

“Here let’s get you all out,” Roach reached for one who shrunk away shaking his head, “Come on I’m sure it’s hard to breathe…”

“Roach, wait,” Gaz pointed at a corpse across the room whose head had been blown off, the people near that body had their eyes squeezed shut, shuddering as tears ran down their faces. Some of them were covered in splatter and viscera from the poor headless corpse.

“If we touch those muzzles and collars they’re rigged to blow,” Soap took a closer look at one of them, “Sick bastard.” Soap had to wonder what was the difference between himself and these hostages. “Were they simply abducted? If Nate didn’t carry me into this facility, would I have ended up here?” Soap shuddered at the thought.

“Bravo 0-7 to evac,” Ghost said on comms.

“Evac to Bravo 0-7 everything alright, it’s not like you to call mid-mission,” Nik asked.

“Need an extraction team to pick up hostages,” Ghost said, “I’ll leave a marker for their location. Do not take off the collars or muzzles during extraction. I repeat do not touch the collars and muzzles.”

“Roger Bravo 0-7. Evac out,” Nik cut the feed to make the necessary calls.

Ghost set the marker outside the door they entered in case any other frequency would cause the collars and muzzles to blow before the team proceeded. The sounds of sniffling and muffled relief decrescendo-ed as they left the room.

“Was it just me, or were those all pregnant omegas back there?” Roach furrowed his brow.

“Let’s just keep moving,” Soap’s voice was sharp as he marched forward, eyes front. “We’re on a mission. I have to keep it together,” Soap pushed, his omega trying to maintain the same focus.

Roach glanced at Gaz eyebrows raised like he had something to say about Soap’s sudden outburst. Gaz shook his head indicating that Roach shouldn’t ask it now, so he murmured, “Sorry, Soap… just an observation.”

Soap’s shoulders slumped. “I shouldn’t have snapped at Roach. It’s not his fault. It’s none of their fault,” Soap’s eyes narrowed as he chewed the inside of his cheek, “They don’t know… hopefully, nothing happens to where they find out…”

“Johnny, seriously, if you want to back out,” Ghost walked next to Soap.

“LT, you know we can’t do that, so quit offering,” Soap stared Ghost square in the eyes, “I’m not fragile.” Soap’s omega couldn’t reprimand Soap for snapping at Ghost, feeling the pressure of their current situation. Soap turned on his heel.

“I— didn’t say you were, Johnny,” Ghost murmured as Soap walked ahead. “I wish he’d quit shutting us out…”

The team managed to make their way to an office at the end of the hallway that appeared in better shape than the rest of the facility. They paused because it looked like someone was in the chair, the team training their guns on it.

“Turn around slowly,” Ghost barked.

The chair didn’t move but someone started speaking.

“Ah, you’ve delivered my favorite test subject to me,” Dr. Davenport’s voice came from behind the chair.

“Test subject?” Roach squeaked, jumping away from the chair.

Soap just started opening fire, emptying the chamber. “Fuck… it’s him… it’s the fucking bastard who…” Soap trembled, bile threatening to crawl up his throat as his hand tensed around the handgun.

“Bravo 7-1, stand down,” Ghost ordered, but Soap looked crazed.

“Always the violent one, eh, Johnny boy?” The voice crooned even though the chair was in shambles.

They all stopped to stare at Soap, who was panting heavily.

“How do all these people know Soap?” Roach thought eyebrows furrowing.

“What does he mean by ‘test subject’?” Gaz wondered lips quirking to the side.

“Nobody is allowed to call him Johnny. Who is this guy?” Ghost narrowed his eyes.

“If you’re wondering who I’m talking about it’s the trigger-happy omega with you. It’s a shame I had to fix you. Your pups were great test subjects, very insightful indeed. If only Carlson agreed to keep breeding you,” Dr. Davenport lamented.

“Pups?” Roach raised his eyebrows, “I didn’t know you were a parent!”

Gaz swallowed hard, “When he said test subject… surely he doesn’t mean…”

“No… something isn’t right here,” Ghost stared at Soap, brows furrowed.

“Oh, no. Johnny Boy was never a parent, I plucked those little bundles of joy before their gestational period was up. Carlson had caused a problem you see, and needed a doctor to fix it… and the omega in front of you,” Dr. Davenport continued, “Was the problem that needed to be fixed.”

“Soap… what does he mean by fixed?” Roach’s voice quivered as he looked at Soap in horror.

Ghost and Gaz began to growl from deep in their chests.

“I’ll kill him… whoever this bastard is… I’ll kill him,” Ghost narrowed his eyes at the chair.

Gaz just felt a blind rage, still processing the information they just learned about their omega.

They heard Soap’s gun clatter against the floor, the sound snapping them out of their rage. He looked like he was going to be sick. “They know… now they know…” Soap’s heart pounded in his chest, “Not like this… I can’t believe I’m going to lose it all like this… I don’t want to go back to the way things were before the 141… I can’t bear their looks of disgust… I can’t…”

“But more than your pups. The way a dominant omega’s body works in reproduction is fascinating. Your body did just about everything it could to keep those two little guys from me. I was going to pull them out naturally, but that obstinate body of yours forced my hand into a C-section,” Dr. Davenport waxed poetic over the procedure.

Soap’s hands shook as his fingers traced the scar, tears threatening to fall from his eyes.

“J-Johnny?” Ghost whispered. “Johnny’s lost so much… a loss even I don’t think I could fathom…”

“No wonder Tav’s cries at night are so heart-wrenching. Is this what haunts his dreams?” Gaz felt tears prick at his eyes.

“Too bad Carlson had to off himself too. The man had strong sperm. A dominant alpha breeding a dominant omega produced test subjects that produced even more brilliant results.”

“MY PUPS WERE NOT TEST SUBJECTS,” Soap screamed.

“Soap…” Roach’s eyes filled with tears. “This is so fucked… This is worse than what I imagined would be down here…”

“Hmm… I beg to differ,” Dr. Davenport sounded indifferent, “Anyway! It’s so good to have you back at least! I require more test subjects and unfortunately, none of the omegas in the room back there are dominants… or if they are they don’t have dominant partners. I’d kill them all, but… no subject is a waste.”

“They’re not test subjects! They’re human beings,” Roach threw a hand to the side as he stepped toward the chair. “Betas aren’t better because we don’t have those instincts… how can he be so cruel?”

“Ah, that’s the rub, isn’t it? Are they truly human?” Dr. Davenport hummed as he thought, “In any case, I assume you were sent here to find me, but you’ll have to do… what was it Carlson always said? Oh yeah… survive.”

Chapter Text

Soap gripped the collar around his neck, chain pulled taut as he reached up towards his father, unable to reach from where he was chained to the floor in the basement. The man in front of him was gritting his teeth and snarling, Soap watching pages upon pages of his work falling to the floor in tiny pieces.

Soap wasn’t fast enough to hide his journal in the floorboard before his father descended the stairs to let out his frustration about something or other on Soap. His biggest frustration was that Soap presented as an omega. The second was the perception that he turned out that way because Soap’s dam babied him, and not that scientifically there wasn’t a choice.

“If ye think any son of mine is going tae fantasize about how soft domestic life is, yer sadly mistaken,” Soap’s father stared down at Soap, the corners of his lips downturned with disdain.

“What’s wrong with wantin’ a nice home an’ pups one day?” Soap didn’t let the tears he wanted to cry fall. He already set off his father once today. His tears weren’t just going to be because of all his lost work, but the rage that he felt knowing his dam was probably somewhere in this house being abused by this bastard. The rage that his alpha sisters would grow up with the idea that this sort of treatment of others was okay.

His dam’s cries still haunt Soap’s mind as the man before him ripped Soap away from her as soon as his secondary sex presented. The white-hot hatred Soap’s father had for him and his dam was currently reflected to Soap’s father as Soap narrowed his eyes, jaw tense.

“The problem is the only way for this tae happen for you is for my son… my only male child bent over like someone’s bitch,” Soap’s father spat, gritting his teeth, “I have no choice but tae leave my estate to one of yer sisters because YOU couldn’t turn out to be an alpha.”

“Ma says nobody has a choice in that!” Soap stared his father in the eyes despite wanting to look away to drive home Soap’s defiance, “And why would I want to be someone who only knows how to bully and hate?”

Soap was suddenly looking at another wall as his cheek stung, his father’s hand still crossed his body from how hard he slapped Soap.

“Yer dam was right about one thing… nobody has a choice, 'cause if I did, I wouldn’t have a mouthy omega for a son,” Soap’s father hissed.

Soap turned his head around, lips pursed as he glared up at his father. His face was already starting to bruise, but Soap refused to cry. His father might try to abuse Soap getting him to bend to the man’s will, but Soap refused to break.

For the life of him, Soap couldn’t figure out what purpose was being served by locking him in this basement every second Soap wasn’t at school. What was the purpose of starving him? If his father wanted him dead for being who he was, why not simply kill him?

“Perhaps more time down here in the dark will teach ye how tae behave,” Soap’s father turned on his heel, stalking back up the stairs, shoulders tense. Harassing Soap didn’t relieve his father’s frustration like his father thought he was going to. Soap left the man more frustrated than when he walked into the cold basement.

Soap wasn’t going to beg as much as he hated the dark. He wasn’t going to give his father the satisfaction.

Soap was determined to grow up to be the kind of parent who would protect his children no matter what. He wouldn’t be so nasty and cruel as to lock them in a basement or punish them for dreaming.

Soap stared down at the floor now covered in his notes and drawings, brows knit together. He had no choice but to listen to his father’s cold laugh echoing through the cold stone room as the man ascended the stairs, slamming the door behind him.

The mission continued in the abandoned hospital, as laughter echoed through the chamber. When Dr. Davenport cut the feed, the team stood in tense silence, Roach, Ghost, and Gaz in total shock at the revelation. Soap’s lips curled into a snarl, growling as he dashed for the seat where the voice came from only to find a tape recorder and the corpse of an omega with no eyes.

Soap gasped, “That sick bastard… THAT SICK BASTARD!” Soap threw the tape recorder against the wall, a crazed look in his eyes.

“Tav?” Gaz whispered.

“Johnny,” Ghost went closer to Soap, “Johnny, look at me.”

Soap shook his head, chest rising and falling rapidly, breaths coming in too quickly.

“Johnny, please?” Ghost begged.

In an eerie turn of events, Soap suddenly pulled himself together a little too well.

“Let’s go complete the mission,” Soap’s shoulders relaxed, breathing slower, panicked, crazed eyes turned cold.

“Johnny, wait!” Ghost reached for Soap who shrugged him off because Soap couldn’t handle gentleness or kindness, he couldn’t give forgiveness, and he didn’t feel anything at all. At least not until he bumped into the eyeless omega corpse flinching away from Ghost and it started emitting gas.

Ghost, Gaz, and Roach had their masks up immediately, but Soap had been hit. Ghost managed to yank him out.

When they made it far enough that the gas couldn’t reach them the steel door to the room suddenly snapped shut.

“That… was way too close,” Roach glanced back at the door.

Soap wobbled, Ghost catching him before he hit the floor.

“Johnny! You have to stay awake, okay?” Ghost shook Soap. They didn’t know what that gas did, but if there was anything Ghost knew about chemicals it was probably not a good idea to lose consciousness.

“But I’m so… tired,” Soap looked more unwell than when that butcher started tormenting him.

“I know… but we have to get out of here first,” Ghost tried to convince him.

Gaz looked him over, “Whatever that was it has to affect omegas only.”

“How do you know that?” Ghost asked.

“Have you noticed most of the assistants are alphas or betas?” Gaz pointed out.

“Now that you mention it,” Roach thought aloud.

“Wait! Ghost we can’t be sure!” Gaz exclaimed before Ghost pulled his gas mask off.

When the others saw he was fine, they removed theirs too.

“If that door snapping shut is any indication, we need to keep moving,” Ghost scooped Johnny up as soon as he realized the omega wasn’t going to be walking straight anytime soon.

As they continued forward, they noted the path was no longer clear. Roach—who had been scanning one side of the room—bumped into what seemed to be a mirror. Gaz ran into a mirror next. The team soon realized funhouse mirrors obstructed the way forward.

“How do we get through this!” Roach jabbed a hand toward the mirrors beginning to think he’d rather deal with ghosts. He kicked a wall after he ran into another mirror trying to find a way in.

“I don’t know, but it appears we only have twenty minutes to figure it out,” Ghost set Soap down momentarily.

Ghost felt along the wall with Gaz. When they turned to each other to shake their heads, Ghost noted Soap was not where he set him down.

Ghost instantly regretted his decision to let go of Soap at all. The omega seemed to disappear into thin air.

“Johnny!?”

“Tav!?”

“This way,” Soap’s head poked out of a corner.

Gaz’s shoulder slumped, “At least Tav seems to be having a good time.”

Ghost rolled his eyes and grunted as he trotted after Soap, afraid the loopy omega would hurt himself.

The rest of the team chased after Soap and Ghost through the maze. They seemed to have made good progress until Soap suddenly pressed himself against a wall, screaming. Mangled corpses of omegas with puncture wounds littered this area.

Roach’s chest rose and fell rapidly as he glanced up at the clock. They had five minutes and had no clue how close they were to the exit.

Ghost’s eyes were locked on Soap’s, trying to distract the omega from the horrific scene.

“Johnny,” Ghost stood between Soap and the corpses, “Stay with me, okay?”

“We need to get out of here!” Roach blanched as spikes came out of the floor in a procession behind them.

“Tav, I know it’s hard, but we have to keep going,” Gaz joined Ghost.

“Soap, please!” Roach’s eyes rapidly glanced from the clock to the approaching spikes, chest rapidly rising and falling.

They had four minutes to get out of the maze.

Soap stumbled forward again sniffling.

When the team saw the exit, Ghost scooped up Soap and they ran for it. The last set of spikes grazed Roach’s boot as they jumped away from the trap.

“How did Soap know?” Roach was shaking.

“I’m going to guess it’s because he’s been in this facility before,” Gaz looked at Soap with a tinge of sadness.

“So tired,” Soap’s body wobbled back and forth as his eyelids felt heavy.

“Stay with us, Tav!” Gaz caught him this time gripping his face and shaking him.

“We need to keep moving,” Ghost’s voice was even, but he had never been so eager to commit murder.

Meanwhile, back on base, Price had to face his own horror. He was on a call with Captain Jeffreys.

“Ah! Captain Price! To what do I owe the pleasure? MacTavish isn’t giving you trouble, is he?” Jeffreys sounded smug.

“No, but he is the purpose of this call,” Price continued, “Want to explain to me why Soap is afraid of alphas?”

“Hmm? Afraid of alphas?” Jeffreys tried to feign innocence.

“Jeffreys…”

“Fine. I’ll admit he was our base hole, a rut slut if you will… I hoped you were ready to send him back,” Jeffreys sounded disappointed.

“Why would I do something like that?” Price’s fist clenched, white-knuckling the phone.

“Oh, I see you’ve discovered MacTavish’s secret too? Good thing! That Ghost of yours could stand to loosen up,” Jeffreys said nonchalantly.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Price was incredulous.

“I’m not into alphas so I can’t speak on your… situation, but I imagine alpha ass is not nearly as good as a nice slick omega,” Jeffreys sighed, the smirk on his face could be heard over the line.

“We are not passing Soap around like some slag!” Price shouted.

“Oh, touchy… It was cute how MacTavish thought he could keep up here,” Jeffreys laughed, “Omegas, in the military? What a joke. The only thing they’re good for here is to be a nice hole for the lads to let off some steam. Shame MacTavish never went into heat. That would have been heavenly…”

“You knew Soap hadn’t had a heat?” Price hissed.

“Yep… broken omega couldn’t nest properly either, boys had to wank with his clothes instead of in the comfort of a nice nest,” Jeffreys lamented.

“Jeffreys… if you come anywhere near Soap again… I will put a bullet between your eyes, understood?”

“What?” Jeffreys sputtered but the line went dead as blood dripped around Price’s hand. The phone’s plastic and metal finally gave way to Price’s clenched fist as the vein in his neck visibly pounded against his skin.

Price didn’t have time to cool down because his cell phone rang. His heart dropped when Nik called for a mass evac of hostages with explicit directions not to tamper with collars or muzzles. What did they send his team into?

Gaz helped Soap around this time as they made their way through the basement of the abandoned hospital.

Gaz decided since they were already found out he’d take a patch off and waft a gentle scent to Soap as he encouraged the omega to stay awake.

“I hope things don’t get any worse,” Roach’s voice came out dry and high-pitched even after swallowing hard. His heartbeat roared in his ears as he stared toward the next steel door.

The next room appeared to be a thin beam set over a vat filled with something.

Ghost tossed something down that almost immediately started to disintegrate.

“Acid,” Ghost narrowed his eyes.

“Of course, it would get worse,” a frustrated sound left Roach’s lips as goosebumps rose on his skin.

Gaz grunted as he passed Soap to Ghost, the larger alpha better able to handle the extra weight without losing his balance, one of Gaz’s favorite things about his partner. Ghost easily put Soap on his back, keeping Soap’s arms around his neck as he supported Soap’s thighs. Soap had no problems holding onto Ghost, the omega settling against Ghost’s body.

When Soap was secure on Ghost’s back he took a cautionary step onto the single plank. It seemed sturdy enough, so Ghost began to walk across it. He signaled for Roach and Gaz to follow. Gaz encouraged Roach to go next. Gaz had no problems bringing up the rear, agile enough to provide cover if someone tried to come at the team from behind.

“Whatever you do, don’t look down,” Ghost warned over his shoulder as he set a decent pace across the plank.

A timer went off when the team reached the end, but Gaz hadn’t stepped off the plank before it started sinking, the end they came from disintegrated as it sunk into the pool below. The fact that the plank slid off the edge from behind startled Gaz enough that he didn’t jump off in time to clear the wall, fingers scrambling to find purchase at the top.

“Sunshine!” Ghost shoved Soap to Roach, reaching for Gaz as his fingers lost their grip on the ledge.

He barely managed to grasp Gaz’s wrist.

“Don’t let go!” Ghost barked.

“Didn’t plan on it, Pookie,” Gaz gripped Ghost’s wrist sealing their hold, glancing down at the acid. Suddenly, dangling from helicopters didn’t seem so bad considering Gaz walked away unscathed. Acid was NOT going to be something Gaz would walk away from.

“Ghost, we need to hurry and pull him out!” Roach’s voice was shrill as he urged Ghost on, chewing his lip.

“I know that Bug!” Ghost’s voice was tight. He gritted his teeth as he tried to get his footing to pull. If he didn’t find the right footing before he pulled, he knew he’d slip then both he and Gaz would be disintegrating alive in the pool.

“No seriously, I think the acid pool is rising,” Roach squeezed Soap, the omega woozily patting Roach’s head.

“Ssh… It’ll be okay,” Soap whispered.

“Soap, please!” Roach cried, normally welcoming the touches, but he was scared shitless about losing his teammate.

Ghost planted his feet, and in one swift release of power, Ghost pulled Gaz up before the acid filled to the top. There wasn’t time to celebrate as the timer on the wall read two minutes. Ghost barreled forward, carrying Gaz as the team ran for the door before it slammed shut. They could hear the acid gurgling on the other side, but the door was sealed so well that none of it bled through.

The group was panting, usually not getting winded by such simple things, but adrenaline was high.

“I’ve dealt with bombs. I’ve dealt with being shot. I’ve been tortured… I’ve been blown up, but this? This is fucked,” Roach clenched his fists near his helmet, shaking.

“It seems my specimen brought along strong subjects,” Dr. Davenport sounded impressed over an intercom, “Especially the large one… oh how I’m going to love breeding MacTavish to continue my experiments with your genes…”

“I’ll fucking kill you before you lay another hand on Soap,” Ghost’s voice was guttural, dangerous, his usual even temper during missions was starting to crumble. “Voice hurt omega… voice trying to kill friends… voice must die…” Ghost’s alpha declared.

“Hmm… touchy… but don’t worry, MacTavish gave me a rough estimate of how much sedative it’ll take to keep you dominant types under,” Dr. Davenport laughed before cutting the line.

Ghost stood to his full height, rage boiling over, “Come out and fight me like a man!”

He flinched when he felt fingers wrapping around his arm, petting his bicep, “Sssh… it’ll be over soon. Soon we sleep…” Soap soothed.

Ghost pulled Soap into a crushing hug, “Johnny please, stay awake… Gaz… please tell me you’re alright…”

“I’m alright, Pookie, though if I’m honest I’d rather fall out of a chopper again before I ever run into anything like that,” Gaz’s relieved smile didn’t quite reach his eyes as he took Ghost’s hand to help him off the cement floor, “Take it easy though, if you keep manhandling both of us at once, you’re going to gas yourself.”

“I’m alright, Sunshine,” Ghost reassured, “Let’s keep moving.”

The next thing in front of them was a room full of what looked like chicken wire.

“If Soap’s head was a bit clearer, we might be able to crawl under without coming into contact with this metal,” Gaz examined the area as Roach touched the wire, hissing as the wire seemed to prick him even through his gloves, “Wait… throw me Soap’s bag.”

Ghost tossed Soap’s bag to Gaz who immediately started digging through it.

“Hmm… C4 would sling debris our way,” Gaz analyzed the contents, “Aha!”

Gaz started assembling Soap’s flamethrower.

“I could kiss your big, beautiful brain, Johnny,” Ghost sounded relieved. He’d have used his body to shield them through if he had to, but this was an infinitely better idea.

“Rather you kiss me and not my brain,” Soap murmured.

Ghost cleared his throat.

“Ooo, he like likes you too Simon,” Roach noted, trying to focus on anything other than the fact that they’ve all almost died in gruesome ways twice.

“Not now, Bug!” Ghost’s voice almost cracked, Soap curling into him was not helping.

Gaz led the charge, burning through the metal easily. They’d celebrate only they were met with a padlocked door.

“Shit where’s the key?” Gaz asked.

“Oh, fuck what if we melted it,” Roach squeaked.

“I’m pretty sure Soap keeps lock picks on him,” Gaz dug through the bag.

“Or we could just break the lock,” Roach reached for his rifle.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Dr. Davenport warned, “Any other method of getting the lock off of that door would result in a giant boom.”

“What the fuck, mate?” Gaz slumped exasperated, “Why all this song and dance, huh?”

“It would be boring if I just let any Tom, Dick, or Alpha stroll through my facility. The human mind works in interesting ways when under the duress of a timer. Tick tock… tick tock… You have 2 minutes to find it,” Dr. Davenport cut the feed.

Roach cried out in anguish. There didn’t seem to be any holes for keys on the other side nor in the mess of wiring.

“I wonder what fucked up shit will happen if we don’t beat the timer,” Gaz started feeling along the floor for a loose board.

Roach stared up at the ceiling and started babbling, “B-b-b…”

“What is it, Bug?” Ghost looked up from the spot he was looking for a key.

Ghost and Gaz followed Roach’s finger. Behind a glass plate, there was a swarm of bees.

“If the wiring didn’t kill you, trying to get past, the bees would,” Gaz deduced.

“Fucked! This is so fucked!” Roach gripped his helmet.

“Shit! I’m not finding anything! Gaz?” Ghost shouted.

“Nope, nothing here either,” Gaz sighed, “Thought a concussion would take me out, but I guess it’s bees.”

“How are you so calm!?” Roach screamed.

“Because animals can smell fear, that includes bees,” Gaz exhaled.

Ghost’s brows clenched together as he tensed, fist contacting the wall, “GOD DAMN IT!”

Before panic could set in, Soap said, “Shiny…”

“Is that the key?” Roach practically cried.

“Only one way to find out,” Gaz plucked the key from Soap’s fingers, trying the lock. It popped right open. Ghost managed to get the door open as Gaz picked up Soap. They ran out of the room, slamming the door shut before the buzz of a thousand bees swarmed the room.

The team was panting, exhausted.

“I don’t know if I have it in me to figure out another puzzle,” Gaz exhaled.

Soap pouted and whined, “I’m tired…”

“How could you possibly be tired at a time like this?” Roach’s tone was sharp, tension in his shoulders as his eyes widened at Soap.

“Why are you yelling at me?” Soap sniffled.

“Shit, I’m sorry, Soap. Please don’t cry,” Roach pulled Soap in who clung to the beta, “I’m not mad at you.”

“Promise?” Soap’s brows knit together as his glassy sky-blue eyes met Roach’s honey-brown ones.

“I promise, but you’re going to have to stay awake for us,” Roach rubbed his arms.

Soap sniffled and nodded, “Okay… I’ll try.”

Ghost had a pained look in his eye when he looked back at Soap.

“How are you holding up?” Gaz leaned toward Ghost, voice low.

“I’d be lying if I said I was alright. This is all too familiar… the psychological torment… at least Soap is numb to it for the time being,” Ghost glanced back at Roach and Soap.

“We’ve all been in worse situations,” Gaz tried to sound encouraging.

“Yeah…” Ghost didn’t sound so sure, but he led the way through the next room which was full of jars.

“Are these body parts?” Roach squeaked.

“And…” Gaz began examining them.

“Soap, wait!” Roach reached for soap, but Soap stepped to one of the shelves holding the petrified corpses of unborn pups.

He traced his fingers over the jars, tears falling from his eyes, even in the haze.

“Johnny?” Ghost approached cautiously, “Johnny, what’s—”

Soap’s words were inaudible as he leaned towards the jars, gently tracing his fingers over them. His eyes were dim, but a soft smile crossed his lips, voice gentle and comforting.

“Interesting.”

Everyone but Soap turned to the voice guns out.

“Even after all this time… out of every last jar in this room full of specimens, you found the ones that are yours… very interesting indeed,” Dr. Davenport scribbled some notes.

Soap squeezed his eyes shut as he cradled them, “It’s going to be okay… I’ve got you… It’ll be okay…”

“Johnny…?” Ghost called over his shoulder.

“Want to meet my team?” Soap’s voice cracked, “I’m sure they’ll love you as much as I do…” Soap stepped within everyone’s eyeline, but still far away from Dr. Davenport.

“This is Roach, that’s Gaz, and this is my LT… we’ll all take care of you… you’ll see,” Soap held the jars to each of them in turn.

“This is fucked… this is so fucked,” Roach took a shaky breath, gun still trained in Dr. Davenport.

Soap set the jars down, pulling dog tags from his breast pocket.

“These belonged to your father… he… can’t be with us… but he would have loved you too… I just know it,” Soap whispered.

“Soap, please,” Gaz begged, hands shaking around his rifle.

“It’ll be okay… they’re tired… I’m tired so… let’s all just,” Soap began.

“Johnny!” Ghost called out.

“LT… what…” Soap seemed to slip out of the haze before he dozed off.

“Drat… so close…” Dr. Davenport scratched more notes down.

“No…” The haze clouding Soap’s mind lifted as the pleasantness of the gas devolved into a painful reality. He realized he was in a lab… THE lab, “No…”

“Johnny!” Ghost caught Soap before he lost his balance.

Soap wailed, a sound that made everyone flinch in a shared pain. Everyone but Davenport, that is.

Davenport sighed, still writing, “Going to be harder to get any to take now that he’s under distress…”

Soap turned his head in the voice’s direction, wide-eyed with rage.

“You… you’re the one who took them…” Soap’s voice became low, full of venom.

“Of course I did! Who else would leave a scar so pristine?” Davenport was insulted.

“You— took— them…” Soap punctuated each word, body shaking as his eyes narrowed at Dr. Davenport.

“I-is that sulfur? Is he spraying another gas in this room?” Roach called out.

“Oh no, beta! You’re smelling the one scent superior beings like us can catch. Those are the pheromones of a hell beast!” Dr. Davenport held his arms out in glee.

Soap approached in slow steps.

“TAV!”

“JOHNNY!”

“That’s it… come to me my beautiful specimen. Come to your doctor,” Dr. Davenport was brandishing a syringe. Before anyone could reach him, Soap was on top of the butcher. His fangs were dropped as he growled into Dr. Davenport’s face.

“Fascinating,” Dr. Davenport wished he had his journal, “Usually fangs drop during mating, but extreme anger seems to pull them out. Yes, so very fascinating.”

Gaz squinted his eyes, carefully following Davenport’s hand as he brandished the syringe.

Before his hand could move to stab Soap with the syringe, a gun shout was heard, as the syringe flew uselessly across the floor. Even though Gaz could make that shot in his sleep, his body relaxed as he exhaled. The emotional investment in this particular mission was wearing on Gaz. It was wearing on them all.

Ghost and Roach still stood with their guns trained, knowing Gaz’s gun was the one to discharge. Their bodies were still tense as they attempted to find an opening to take out the target. Soap’s wild movements as he held down the butcher, Dr. Davenport, did not leave any openings.

“You fool! You could have harmed these hands!” Dr. Davenport shouted more concerned about his surgical accuracy and not the dominant omega at his throat, “Oh my, claws too? Beta do you see what I mean? Are they really human anymore? This looks more like a beast. A ball of primal energy, ready to strike at a threat…”

Before Roach could respond the next thing happened suddenly. Soap’s jaws were snapped around Davenport’s throat.

Gaz’s eyes filled with tears as he saw himself at Price’s throat when he bit Price before, “Tav, not like this… “

“Johnny!” Ghost called out, but it was too late.

Soap pulled out a chunk spitting it aside, but it didn’t seem to silence the good doctor.

Roach heaved at the sight, Ghost putting his gun down and pursing his lips.

“Brilliant!” the butcher laughed in astonishment, blood gushing from the gaping hole in his throat as if his study never stopped, “Wonderful!”

Soap was a ball of teeth, claws, and primal energy as he ripped and tore at the doctor. Even as Soap ripped out his tongue, Davenport looked amused.

“Soap!” Roach tried to get his attention as Soap yanked the man’s heart from his chest.

“GIVE THEM BACK GOD DAMN IT!” Soap screeched, hands trembling as Davenport’s heart imploded in his hand with a wet squelch.

“Johnny! That’s enough! He’s gone!” Ghost grabbed him before Soap could disembowel the dead man anymore.

“He took them, LT! He needs to give them back!” Soap struggled, but Ghost held Soap tightly to his chest.

“They’re gone, Johnny…” Ghost’s eye black smeared as he shed tears.

“No! No! LT you’re lying!” Soap kept struggling, “Why would you lie to me like this?”

“Johnny!” Ghost croaked, “Please…”

Ghost threw off his mask turning the omega around, pressing his face into his neck.

“Simon!” Gaz called out nervous. If Gaz could attack Price it wasn’t out of the scope of possibility that Soap wouldn’t give Ghost the same treatment, especially after watching Soap rip Davenport’s throat out.

Soap jerked around in an attempt to push Ghost away, a primal sound vibrating from deep inside Soap, but the smell of lemon grass and cedar wood filled his senses as the fight slowly left Soap. The smell of sulfur and ash faded. Soap’s claws and fangs slowly retracted. Ghost held Soap as he went limp in his arms.

Soap wrapped his arms around Ghost’s neck hiding his face as sobs wracked his body. After crying so much over Nate, Soap didn’t think he’d have anything left, but no… his whole body shook as howls of grief left Soap’s throat, crying harder for his pups…

Roach put aside that he was grossed out to grab the jars and the dog tags as they moved out.

When the team came into view of evac, Price rushed off the helo to meet them after receiving Gaz’s report. Price gripped Soap and Ghost in a crushing hug. Ghost finally broke down into sobs of his own, the comforting presence of Price signaled that this horror was over. Ghost didn’t have many missions that pushed him past his limit, but this one was one of them.

“I— uh… maybe you didn’t want to do this, but… I thought maybe you’d like to give them a proper burial… and say goodbye?” Roach pulled the jars and the dog tags from his pack.

“Roach, come on, mate! What the fuck?” Gaz shouted.

“Thank you,” Soap took the jars and the dog tags, “Captain… is everyone out…”

“Yes, son. The building is clear why—”

The abandoned hospital collapsed a series of bombs burning the thing to ash down to the lowest floor. Soap pulled a detonator from his vest. His tears shone brightly in the flames turning the source of his nightmares to ash.

“When did he have the time?” Roach began but Gaz put a hand on his shoulder to silence him.

After the embers from the blaze seemed to die down, Nik was kind enough to make a detour to Scotland, going to lie on the record about the reasoning, since the team wouldn't be returning on the vehicle transporting the hostages.

Soap had small graves dug in the MacTavish family plot of tombs between his dam and his grandparents, registering in the military and any other official documents under his dam’s last name.

Soap held the tiny coffins to his chest, whispering apologies, whispering I love you’s and finally whispering goodbyes as he lowered the tiny coffins into the ground. The grave keepers filled the holes with dirt. A tombstone was at the head, with birth dates, death dates, and the words, “Here lies the pups of John MacTavish and Nathan Carlson,” with Carlson’s dog tags permanently attached to the stone.

The 141 stood back and watched as Soap sat and stared at the grave, a numb expression on his face. They were out there for hours; Price had shut his phone off. Fuck the call of duty… they’d wait for their omega, for as long as he needed to grieve the loss of his family that never quite came to be.

Chapter Text

“Señora Parra, I’m here to ask for your blessing before Rudy bites me,” Alejandro had his feet planted as he bowed his head to Rudy’s dam.

“You have a lot of nerve coming here and asking me such a thing,” Rudy’s dam narrowed her eyes, “You’re both military. I know my mijito is fixed, but you are in no place to ask to bond with my son.”

Alejandro shifted and cleared his throat, “I know our situation isn’t ideal…”

“You’re right it’s not. Not only are you military you’re in a relationship with more than just MY son. I still haven’t decided if it’s because you’re a bad influence or my son’s time with that monster warped his perception of love,” Rudy’s dam scoffed.

“Señora, please,” Alejandro began.

“I should just snatch my Rodolfo back. Have him come home and behave as an omega should, taking care of a home, not out playing alpha with you beasts,” Rudy’s dam glared.

“But Rudy isn’t playing at being an alpha. Rudy is a good soldier. Yes, he had a run in with a monster, which I took care of by the way, but he has so much love in his heart still,” Alejandro tried to reassure her.

“I know, and I’m worried that it’s wasted on you and your other partners,” Rudy’s dam turned away from Alejandro, a sign of dismissal.

“But Señora,” Alejandro continued to plea.

“Callete, I’ve heard enough… now get out,” she didn’t turn to face Alejandro again.

“Si, Señora,” Alejandro’s voice was small, “Sorry to bother you.”

Rudy’s dam glanced over when the door was shut. She let out a heavy exhale her eyes drifted to the floor.

“It’s not that I don’t like Alejandro,” she thought, running a finger over a family portrait, “Just… if that goofy idiot doesn’t come back… it’ll break his heart… right, querido?”

The picture was of Rudy, his dam, and his sire who passed away in the line of duty to the Mexican military. Rudy was a baby, too little to remember his sire and how her mate’s absence would have taken her too, were it not for Rudy.

“Who knows the damage that monster caused? What if my beautiful son can’t conceive? What then? It’s already up in the air whether my Rodolfo will come back,” Señora Parra’s eyes became glassy before she took a shaky breath biting back the tears, “No matter how much Rudy likes him, no matter how much I like him… if one of them dies… it’s not a heartbreak that is easy to come back from…”

“But— isn’t that my choice to make, mama?”

“Dios mio! Are you trying to send me to an early grave?” Señora Parra held a hand to her chest.

“Lo ciento, mama,” Rudy helped her to the couch, “I’m going to guess with how pathetic my alpha looks right now, you told him no.”

“An alpha? Looking pathetic? Please,” Rudy’s dam was in disbelief. In her day alpha’s took. They didn’t show weakness.

“I know we just sat down, but come with me to look out the window,” Rudy helped his dam to the window.

Alejandro lay in the front yard. The overcast sky matched his mood as he sang sad Spanish love songs to himself. His voice quivered with a stronger vibrato than necessary while recounting his life choices until Señora Parra dismissed him.

“Is he always so dramatic?” Señora Parra frowned.

“Only for his pack, mama,” Rudy patted her arm, matching her facial expression as they watched Alejandro have a whole identity crisis in the yard.

“Tell me the truth, Rodolfo, does this alpha truly love you?” Señora Parra began to feel pity for Alejandro, as the alpha started muttering plans for how to win her over.

“Would he be outside laying on the ground like a kicked puppy if he didn’t love me?” Rudy matched his dam’s expression again as they watched Alejandro scamper off to god knows where.

“No… no mijito, I don’t think any alpha who wasn’t lovesick would leave themselves that vulnerable,” Señora Parra sighed, “And you love that goofy man?”

“Si, I do, mama,” Rudy turned to look his dam in the eyes.

She reached up to cup Rudy’s face in her hands. She couldn’t deny the adoration and devotion each of these silly pups showed her today. She dropped her hands and turned to the family portrait again.

The corners of her lips quivered as her eyes cast down to the floor.

“Mijito, promise me one thing,” Rudy’s dam’s voice was barely a whisper.

“Anything, mama,” Rudy kneeled to look into her eyes.

“Please, do your best to keep that goofy man alive…“ Señora Parra rubbed the bridge of her nose, wondering if Alejandro was actually a colonel. Especially with the way he was marching up the driveway as if he had bought out a whole store. “I’m not going to tell him right away that I changed my mind.”

Rudy mimicked his dam and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Yeah… as long as you tell him.”

“And another thing… I know things are different now, but if you run into an omega who needs help,” Rudy’s dam said remembering her community of omegas… though none of them were in relationships. She shook off the thought, “If you run into an omega and your gut instinct tells you something is wrong. Help them…”

“I will, mama,” Rudy took her arm and helped her sit back down on the couch for whatever elaborate presentation Alejandro was going to put on for her.

The Parra’s watched as Alejandro presented Señora Parra with the softest nesting items, her favorite treats, gift certificates for a spa, and a ridiculous amount of flowers, ending with the alpha on his knees before her neck bared.

“Please, Señora, whatever you want. Just don’t take Rudy from me,” Alejandro looked up at her earnestly, as if rejection would shatter him.

Señora Parra sighed as she scented Alejandro, feeling bad for putting him through the turmoil, “You are a very sweet, very goofy alpha.”

Alejandro waited hopeful.

“Fine, my son can mark you, but promise me you’ll look after him, and no matter what you come back to him alive,”

Señora Parra stared into Alejandro’s eyes, face stern but eyes soft.

Alejandro scooped Señora Parra into his arms, “I’ll do more than that, I’ll make sure, mi vida will want for nothing.”

Señora Parra looked at all the stuff he brought her that filled the living room, “I can see that. They don’t make alphas like they used to, and for my Rudy’s sake, I think that’s a good thing…”

Alejandro sniffled still hugging Señora Parra.

“Alright, put me down and take me to this— spa… Rodolfo, you’re responsible for dinner,” Señora Parra led Alejandro out by the arm before Rudy could protest, not that he would. His mom didn’t like to go out much, so he could let her hijack his alpha for the day.

A few days later, Señora Parra held Rudy and Alejandro tightly before they headed back to the Los Vaqueros base. No matter how long the leave, it always feels short to Señora Parra, never ready to let her Rudy go never knowing what horrors he will face next.

---

As with all things related to the war machine, the mission keeps going whether you’re ready or not.

In the present, back in the UK, Price gave Soap as much time off as he could, but Soap was going to need to return to base the next day. They had orders to leave the country again when Soap returned.

Soap wasn’t sure he could face the team. After they made it back to base and Price gave him extra time, Soap found himself in Carlson’s place, curled up in the last vestiges of rosemary and thyme that made up Carlson’s scent.

Soap got closure, it should have been enough, right?

He curled deeper into what was once his safe haven. The weighted blanket the alpha got for Soap was still on what had been their bed at one point in time.

Shame crept over Soap, the sheets rustling as he curled tighter. He took in a shuddering breath, the mixture of oranges and thyme eased the full body crying into soft sobs. This shouldn’t be comforting… yet it was. “Alpha…” Soap’s omega was still grieving. Even if Soap’s logical mind kept telling it to stop, that he should be angry and hate Carlson but he just… couldn’t.

While Soap sobbed and spiraled again, Price sat in his office staring at the spare key Soap handed him. They hadn’t heard from the omega since Price gave him the week off, telling the others to give Soap space.

When Soap didn’t acknowledge he got Price’s messages though, Price couldn’t help but be concerned. He knew the brinks grief could send a person to if his throwing himself into his work after high school and his stay in the asylum over Will was any indicator.

As Price stepped inside the house, he noted the faint scent of oranges and vanilla mixing with the strong scent of rosemary and thyme.

“Soap?” Price’s voice was low, cautious as he closed the door behind him. Price checked each room softly calling Soap. He finally heard it. The soft sobbing of the omega that squeezed Price’s heart. He knocked, but when he got nothing, Price opened the door.

“Soap?” Price whispered and poked his head inside the door.

If it weren’t for the creaking door, Soap would have thought he was hallucinating Carlson’s voice again. Soap realized he wasn’t alone, there was a real person there. When he heard his captain’s voice, he jumped out of bed, standing tall, eyes cast onto the floor. The thought of the first alpha he felt safe with after Carlson, looking at him with disgust tied Soap’s stomach into knots as he clenched his fists.

“John…” Price approached Soap and pulled him into a hug, “It’s okay. I’m not here to judge. I’m sorry to barge in here, but when we didn’t hear from you, I got worried.”

Checking in made him a bit more worried. In every other room Price found groups of blankets and laundry thrown around. Price couldn’t place it at first, because the mess didn’t indicate that Soap tried to nest at first. He could smell frustration on the fabric as he examined the laundry that was too big for Soap. It soured the air along with the stale guilt that permeated the space.

It was obvious Soap was trying to force himself to nest. The odd configurations that didn’t resemble anything close to a nest disconcerted Price, because it’s not that Soap chooses not to nest. That part of his instinct was skewed. Price stared down at the omega gently running his fingers through his hair.

“You’re not mad?” Soap murmured into Price’s chest.

“Why would I be mad?” It was a genuine question.

“Because I shouldn’t be sulking in here. Because I should have blown this place up. Because I’m a weak man for trying to find comfort where I shouldn’t,” Soap shook.

“John, people grieve differently. Yes, what this alpha had done to you was unspeakable, but at one point this was your home too?” Price soothed even if he ended with a question.

Soap nodded. When he had nowhere to go on leave Carlson invited Soap back to this house. This was where Soap thought he and Carlson were going the last time, and Soap knew he was here when he was unconscious after, his scent still clinging to the sheets indicated that.

“It’s not my place to judge how you grieve lad, not mine or anyone else’s,” Price reassured, rubbing Soap’s back.

“I should hate him… I should despise him…” Soap squeezed.

“It’s not easy to separate your instincts from someone like this,” Price soothed.

“Why? Because I was an omega?” Soap frowned.

“No… because you were so attached you shared something precious.”

Soap looked up when he felt something wet on his head. Price was shedding tears of his own.

“Sir?”

“She was terrified. We weren’t bonded,” Price reminisced with an air of sadness.

“What happened?” Soap looked up wide-eyed.

“She uh… well… I didn’t know until after the fact,” Price looked away.

“What did you do?” Soap asked curiously.

“Well, I went on a rampage. I was young back then, a bit unhinged,” Price admitted, “Her— parents took her, and she didn’t make it…”

“I-I’m so sorry,” Soap looked up at Price, sad blue eyes meeting each other.

“It’s okay. I mean it’s not, but I’m better. After my rampage I was just… kind of empty for the longest time,” Price continued, “I was just kind of stumbling through life until the military. It gave me something to focus on, though probably not the best way to cope.”

“You threw yourself into your work,” Soap murmured.

“Aye, I did… You being here isn’t a surprise to me. For the longest time, her parents did let me sit in her room. I wanted to hate them, but I couldn’t. We were all attached at one point, and those attachments can skew what would seem so simple from the outside,” Price smoothed his fingers through Soap’s hair, “You asked if I’d be mad, but truthfully… I know how hard it is to let go.”

Soap nodded, grateful for Price’s understanding.

“In any case, I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon for our briefing,” Price stepped away to give Soap space but was surprised that Soap held on.

“S-sir, if it’s not weird could you stay for a little while longer?”

Price smiled, “Sure, I’ll stay.”

The two spent three hours in the house. Soap gathered his things and elected to return to base early.

When the two returned to Price’s room, he stood shocked. The nest Price built was still there. It acquired quite a few offerings set around it from Ghost and Gaz.

“Gaz insisted that I leave it… in case, you decided you wanted to come back,” Price said sheepishly before he panicked, “I can take it apart if you want!”

Soap sat outside the nest, gingerly rubbing his fingers over the offerings. He looked up at Price, confused.

“Why didn’t you add these?”

“I built this nest for you, John,” Price explained, “I didn’t want to add anything unless you said it was okay…”

“Oh…” Soap nodded running his fingers over the offerings before picking them up. He looked at Price for permission before stepping into the nest. Price was still not used to Soap’s lack of knowledge on nests. For all intents and purposes that was Soap’s nest. Still, Price gave Soap the affirmative.

When Soap entered the nest, he sat down and put the items in front of him. Soap stared at them for a long moment before looking up at Price, lost.

“You can put them in however you want,” Price encouraged.

Soap hesitated, reaching for one of Gaz’s offerings with shaky hands. Instead of adding it to the nest, Soap held it close.

“Go on, lad, it’s okay,” Price encouraged.

Soap shook his head, clutching the article tighter.

Price scratched his head, he and his alpha were confused. They thought maybe the template of an already-built nest would bring something back. That’s why Gaz told him to keep it, right?

Price shifted his weight, watching as Soap took up all the items as if they’d be taken away. As much as it pained Price to enter without proper signals, he knew they wouldn’t come.

“No one is going to take these away from you, John,” Price scented Soap, remembering his phone call with Jeffreys, “It’s safe here.”

Soap stopped clutching the items, but the omega still looked lost. He denied the instinct for so long, it wasn’t that he was afraid the items would be stolen. He simply didn’t know how to place them. It’s just a fucking circle of fabric, it shouldn’t be that hard, should it?

The fact that he couldn’t do something that should be natural to him was causing distress to build as burnt vanilla seeped out of him.

Before Price could offer more assistance, Soap got up and left the space.

“John, it’s okay!” Price tried to soothe, but Soap was gone.

Soap had to relieve the itch under his skin, so he did the only thing he knew to do anymore— run the obstacle course until he was exhausted.

Meanwhile, Ghost found himself in Price’s doorway following the scent of burnt vanilla and now dead flowers.

“John?”

“I—” Price began, “It was too soon, I should have let him settle in how he wanted…”

Ghost sat outside the nest waiting for Price to exit. Simon scented his partner as Price plopped down next to Simon leaning against his shoulder.

The team landed in Mexico and were greeted by an alpha the size of Price and an omega that was slightly taller than Roach.

“Welcome! I’m Colonel Alejandro Vargas and this is my sergeant, Rodolfo Parra,” Alejandro introduced, “You’re a bit early, but that’s good. You’ll need to rest and settle before we get into talking shop.”

Rudy’s eyes were planted firmly on Soap.

“Colonel, Captain John Price and the 141 are grateful for your hospitality,” Price nodded introducing the rest of the team.

Soap didn’t realize how small he was making himself in the new environment, shoulders hunched, eyes darting around the area. The way the other omega was scrutinizing made Soap even more anxious, his jaw clenched as he tried to hide the frown that was threatening to crawl across his face.

Rudy narrowed his eyes before taking Soap by the hand and leading him off. Ghost shifted to reach after them.

“Don’t worry. I’m not sure why Rudy suddenly dragged off MacTavish but I assure you no harm will come to him,” Alejandro signaled the others to where they’d be staying.

Rudy stopped outside of a supply closet holding Soap’s face in his hands. Instead of harming Soap, Rudy rubbed his wrists over Soap’s neck.

Soap melted into the scent. When Rudy held Soap’s face again, Rudy’s eyebrow quirked up.

“You’re not purring,” Rudy noted concerned.

“I—don’t know how,” Soap looked away.

Rudy furrowed his brow tilting Soap’s face from side to side. Rudy started dragging Soap along again, Soap following easily. He wasn’t sure if this was how omegas behaved toward each other and didn’t want to insult Rudy.

“Our nesting items are here if you need extra…” Rudy stopped, the slight shift in Soap’s posture didn’t escape Rudy, “Are they not to your liking?”

“I haven’t nested in years, and… well… I don’t think I know how anymore,” Soap stared at Rudy trying to rein in his distress. It’s not like he could just go run it off without knowing the lay of this base.

Rudy looked Soap over again. He started dragging Soap along to his and Alejandro’s room. Rudy put a red rope on the doorknob before scooting Soap into Rudy’s nest.

“I’ve got you… don’t worry,” Rudy reassured as he wrapped Soap in blankets, holding him close and humming while he scented Soap.

Soap was wide-eyed at first, the pushy nature of this omega was so different from the ones who looked at him in disgust at the ball.

Even if it wasn’t the same tune, Rudy’s humming reminded Soap of his dam. Rudy rocked Soap releasing a comforting scent of peppers and cardamom. Tears left Soap’s eyes as he fell asleep in Rudy’s arms.

Later after the brief meeting Alejandro sighed, exhausted from trying to settle the visiting alphas after Rudy basically kidnapped their omega. Alejandro slumped when he saw the red cord on his door, a go bag tucked where he could find it.

Alejandro pursed his lips, grabbed the bag, and headed to the guest quarters. As tired as he was, Rudy’s behavior raised red flags that made Alejandro suspicious of the other alphas. There was something very wrong with the omega they brought if Rudy kicked Alejandro out of their room possibly for the entirety of the 141’s stay if the number of the items in his go bag were any indication.

The next morning, Soap woke slowly, well rested as he was curled into someone. Their purrs were soothing, and the arms wrapped around him were strong. His eyes fluttered open to find he was in a room with an unfamiliar face. Soap knew he should feel threatened, but he felt eerily calm with this new person.

“Sorry to drag you around like this. We met yesterday, but you can call me Rudy,” Rudy reintroduced himself as he kept his fingers running through Soap’s hair.

“I’m Soap,” Soap introduced.

“Soap?” Rudy raised his eyebrows.

“Aye, it’s my call sign,” Soap nestled in, the vibrations of Rudy’s purr felt so comforting.

“Why Soap?” Rudy was still confused.

“Top of my class, like doing cleanup jobs, pretty easy to slip out of situations,” Soap listed.

Rudy hummed in understanding, “Jabón,”

“If you’d like to say my name in Spanish that’s okay,” Soap nodded, “Think I like it…”

“Alright Jabón,” Rudy settled, “Can I ask you a question?”

“Mhm,” Soap’s eyelids felt heavy. He slept well, but he had been holding on for so lon it was all catching up to him.

“Are you safe?”

“As safe as one can be doing our job?” Soap was confused by the question.

“No, are you safe with the 141?” Rudy pressed.

“Yeah… they’re the best team I’ve had… strange alphas though,” Soap frowned.

“How so?”

Soap went on to explain his life with alphas before the 141 and his time with the 141, feeling oddly safe enough to be honest with someone who was basically a stranger.

“Oh, Jabón,” Rudy squeezed Soap, “They might be better, but they’re still idiot alphas…”

“Huh?”

“They’re so used to just being a bunch of alphas and a beta, I don’t think they’d know how to help an omega like us if they tried,” Rudy sighed.

“Omegas… like us?” Soap asked.

“Sí,” Rudy said, “I’ll admit my childhood wasn’t bad. I still learned from my dam the things we need to know, but… I was taken once. Experienced some of the horror the man you’ve chased here has done…”

Soap frowned confused until Rudy sighed and took off his shirt. Soap was wide-eyed as his eyes passed over Rudy’s beautiful skin, littered with scars, one of them very familiar.

“Jabón, I know they mean well, but…” Rudy hesitated, “Well, hopefully your stay will help you out.”

Soap looked up at Rudy with a question. When Rudy affirmed, Soap traced some of Rudy’s scars.

“Are you— able to be fixed?” Soap whispered.

“Have been for a couple of years now,” Rudy nodded, “It’s been— a slow recovery, but I’m getting there… Ale and I might try for pups one day… now that I can again.”

Soap nodded, amazed, “And you’re not scared they’ll be taken…?”

“That fear… doesn’t ever really go away, but therapy has helped,” Rudy admitted, “You can get fixed on your own time… I know it’s hard… living with that constant itch under your skin, but it’s up to you when you feel as whole as omegas like us can.”

Soap jumped into Rudy’s arms. “Omega who understands… like me…” Soap’s omega whispered in awe and sadness. A relief to a clawing loneliness Soap didn’t realize he was feeling so deeply washed over him.

Soap’s phone rang. A video call from Laswell to his personal phone. Odd.

“Is everything okay, Laswell?” Soap asked eyebrows knit together as he looked up at Rudy who shrugged.

“Good, you’re there with Sergeant Major Parra,” Laswell sighed in relief.

“Y-yes?” Soap was confused.

Laswell laid some interesting information at Soap’s feet, giving Soap a choice he needed to consider. In the meantime, Laswell recommended that Soap stick close to Rudy, an omega who had more experience and emotional maturity Laswell didn’t quite have. She was awkward even having this conversation.

“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of Jabón,” Rudy nodded affirmatively.

“I know,” Laswell smiled, “Thank you, and good luck to both of you.”

The line clicked off.

“I want to ask Jabón,” Rudy continued, “I won’t let any alphas in our room while you stay. Are you okay with betas and other omegas?”

Soap nodded, “But what about Al?”

“He will live for the length of your stay,” Rudy reassured him.

“Okay, then yeah…”

Rudy shot a quick text and there was a knock on the door.

“Jabón, meet Corporal Maria Sanchez and Corporal Jose Martinez,” Rudy introduced, “These are my partners and pack mates.”

“You are in a relationship with another omega?” Soap was shocked.

Rudy raised his eyebrows, “Yes? Is that so surprising?”

Soap looked deadpan, “Rudy, I grew up in a basement. The 141 is my first experience with alpha-alpha relationships.”

“Fair,” Rudy nodded.

Soap watched as Jose and Maria circled the nest.

Maria trilled and waited for Rudy to trill in return, Jose nodding and waiting for another trill before they both entered the nest.

“What was that?” Soap tilted his head to the side.

“What was what?” Rudy asked.

“What you all just did?” Soap waved a hand toward the three.

“Permission and approval of Rudy’s nest?” Maria asked.

“You… have to get permission for that?” Soap’s eyebrows raised eyes wide.

The three looked at Soap, aghast.

“Of course people need permission to enter your nest! Not only that but they wouldn’t even consider it if they didn’t like my nest,” Rudy explained incredulously.

“You always build such beautiful nests, amor,” Maria planted a soft kiss on Rudy’s cheek as she wrapped her arms around him, “Never enter a nest you find unsatisfactory. The other person can tell.”

“I don’t know… Price seemed confused when he told me it was okay to just get into the one he made for me,” Soap shrugged.

“Hmmm…” Rudy nodded in understanding. “It makes sense that Jabón wouldn’t know what to do… Jabón, I’m not going to force you into a situation where you nest,” Rudy explained, a reassuring hand on his shoulder, “Your alphas mean well, but with their instincts and lack of experience, they shoved you in a corner they shouldn’t have.”

“It wasn’t okay for me to be in Price’s nest?” Soap frowned shrinking.

“Jabón that part is okay and the fact that he built and maintained a nest for you is correct. What was incorrect was putting adding items to a nest on you when you weren’t ready. You can’t force nesting, Jabón, no matter how disconcerting it is that an omega has nesting-based trauma.”

Soap nodded in understanding.

“It’ll happen when you’re ready,” Rudy reassured, “Let’s get a bit more rest then we’ll go eat.”

“What about the mission?” Soap asked.

“They don’t technically need us until the last phase,” Rudy passed Soap an envelope so he could study the mission contents and plans, “In the mean time the three of us, and your beta can take care of you if you like.”

“They… aren’t mine though?” Soap noted that Rudy used a possessive again.

Rudy dropped his head and put his hands on Soap’s shoulders, “You have much to learn…”

Soap was confused as Maria and Jose also pat Soap sympathetically.

“What do you mean Soap won’t be joining us until the last phase?” Price shouted as Gaz and Ghost growled.

Alejandro looked at them coolly, “Rudy didn’t specify, but he did say your beta is more than welcome to join them.”

“M-me?” Roach stammered.

“You all are asking me questions, but do you know that even I’m not allowed in my own room for Jabón’s stay, so I should be asking you why MY omega has turned our bedroom into a no-alpha zone?” Alejandro still had that cool expression on his face.

“A no alpha zone?” Price met Alejandro’s eyes in earnest as Gaz and Ghost quit growling at Alejandro looking confused.

“Why should we believe that?” Ghost glared at Alejandro.

“You can go near my bedroom if you want, El fantasma, but I think you’ll find my love doesn’t need my protection even though he will have it,” the warning didn’t slip past the 141.

Before they could even get to the door, Rudy stepped out of the room standing in front of the door arms crossed.

“Since my love didn’t return last night I was sure he got my message and divulged that information to you,” Rudy narrowed his eyes.

“You can’t keep him here,” Ghost narrowed his eyes.

“I assure you, Jabón is not a prisoner here,” Rudy was still a stone wall.

“Then let us see him!” Ghost argued approaching Rudy.

“El fantasma, if you want to keep that hand, I suggest you not use it to shove me out of the way,” Rudy growled low before Ghost could even lift his hand.

Ghost froze especially when that light hint of sulfur and ash began to fill the air. Gaz and Price were worried Ghost might go off the deep end, but what Ghost did next surprised them all. Ghost begged.

“Interesting, your change of tune,” Rudy sighed and softened, “I’m not keeping him forever, but I’ll be honest I don’t trust any of you.”

“Why not?” Price demanded.

“Are you all aware Jabón can’t purr or how damaging it is for you to try and put Jabón in a corner to add to a nest when he’s not ready?”

They all flinched.

“Uh-huh,” Rudy said, “Take care of your mission. If it’ll make you feel better your beta can join us, but that’s it.”

Price nodded to Roach who followed Rudy into the room and shut the door.

The three alphas sighed going back to meet Alejandro. The bastard had the audacity to be waiting for them in the conference room looking smug.

“Alright, now that that’s settled, let’s get to work,” Alejandro began the first briefing.

Ghost was only halfway focused on the briefing, worried about whether or not Soap was safe in Rudy’s hands. Even if he was threatened, Ghost couldn’t challenge an omega so he had to stew in his thoughts.

As Soap spent more time with Rudy, Maria, and Jose he felt like he missed out on a lot growing up. Soap was nothing if not determined to learn, and it was easy to settle in with Roach by his side.

“Alright, now how are you doing on suppressors?” Rudy asked Soap.

“I— don’t take them?” Soap tilted his head confused.

“Jabón that’s dangerous,” Rudy raised his eyebrows.

“I haven’t had a heat since my procedure,” Soap scratched his head as he shifted in Rudy’s nest.

Rudy and his partners looked at each other, tension in their bodies as their stares turned back to Soap. Soap was beginning to be accustomed to that look of horror on their faces even if he did still shrink away as if he were about to be reprimanded.

“You know that procedure doesn’t stop heats,” Rudy leaned in close.

“I think that’s what our doctor was trying to tell me. So if it doesn’t, why wouldn’t I have one,” Soap looked confused.

Rudy sighed heavily, “It all comes back to nesting.”

“How so?” Soap tilted his head to the side.

“Jabón a nest is an omega’s safe space. We nest year-round because it regulates our mental, physical, and sexual health,” Rudy’s eyebrows knit together as he met Soap’s eyes.

“I see,” Soap put a finger to his chin as he thought, “So I shouldn’t have sexual urges unless I nest?”

“Dios mio, Jabón,” Rudy rubbed the bridge of his nose, “I almost don’t want to send you home. There’s so much you need to know. But in answer to our current question, no. You don’t need to nest to feel regular urges…”

“Okay, good… I thought that was another way I was broken,” Soap sighed in relief.

“You’re not broken, Jabón,” Rudy smoothed hands over Soap’s shoulders, “If they broke you, you wouldn’t be here with me… with us right now,” Rudy corrected himself, “So… I suppose let’s tackle the birds and the bees since the cart came before the horse on this conversation.”

Roach swallowed hard, “Do we have to start there?”

Rudy gave Roach an assessing look, “Is the secondary sex guru having second thoughts on learning what makes your omega tick?”

“I’m not a guru?” Roach looked between Soap and Rudy.

“I don’t know… You helping a sick alpha better than a medical professional kind of earns you that title,” Rudy gave Roach an unreadable expression.

“Oh… you know about that,” Roach blushed eyes glancing between Soap and Rudy.

“Sorry,” Soap apologized.

“No need to be sorry, Soap. Just it caught me off guard,” Roach smiled.

“Okay!” Soap’s shoulders relaxed as he exhaled.

“So, how do you take care of these urges, ASIDE from what happened to you before? This is just about you and what you like, Jabón,” Rudy diverted the attention back to the main topic at hand and not to things that sometimes still turned Rudy off.

“Not sure,” Soap shrugged.

“So… you’ve never you know,” Jose began out loud, then whispered as if he were going to say something taboo, “masturbated?”

Rudy hid his eye roll. “Jose, ever the shy one…” Rudy thought fondly.

“I mean I’ve tried, but I feel sort of silly,” Soap explained a blush painting his cheeks.

“You know one of the best ways to have experiences with others is knowing what you like first?” Roach added to the conversation.

“Oh… okay,” Soap was confused. Usually, people just took from him, so he never quite had the room to consider his own preferences.

Rudy and Roach sighed making eye contact.

“Jabón you can say no if you’re not comfortable with it, but I think Roach and I need to see how you think you’re supposed to handle yourself,” Rudy asked slowly, an indication that if Soap said yes, Jose and Maria would have to join Ale for the night.

“Well, if it’ll help,” Soap shrugged. It wouldn’t hurt to keep learning.

“Perfecto,” Rudy nodded to Jose and Maria.

“Okay, let’s start with the basics,” Rudy began before explaining omega sexual cycles, mating habits, heats. “While there are things that relate directly to secondary sex, it’s not the total driver for being intimate with someone. It’s just good to know these things so you know how to be careful.”

Soap nodded as he wrote in his notebook so he could remember the highlights of this conversation later.

Rudy continued explaining basic nesting etiquette, “Unless there’s a part of the nest that is next to a wall, the entirety of the nest needs to be considered before anyone gets in. We call it ‘etiquette’ but it’s an instinctual give and take. How we consent to an outsider entering our space.”

Soap thought back to how Price behaved awkwardly when Soap stood outside his nest looking confused. Soap was worried he insulted Price, but he didn’t have to worry anymore now that he knew what to do.

Rudy elaborated on consent as Soap continued to write as fast as he could. Rudy thought it was cute how serious Soap looked as he wrote, lips quirked to the side tongue peeking out. He shook the thought from his mind when he noted Soap was finished writing.

“Now that you’re caught up, let’s get into things specific to you,” Rudy sat back in the nest, “What turns you on?”

Soap thought for a long moment, “Cuddling, and sounds of approval. Catching the scent or proximity to someone I like.”

“Okay, so those are what start the fire,” Rudy nodded, “How do you stoke the flames before you put them out?”

“Would it be easier to show you?” Soap asked.

“Only if you’re comfortable,” Rudy affirmed, “Roach, walk Jabón through it.”

“M-me?” Roach raised his eyebrows, then settled when Rudy reminded him consent applies to him too, “It’s not that I don’t want to,” Roach admitted, “Soap is gorgeous. It’s just… are you okay with this Soap?”

“Aye, I’m glad you’re here,” Soap reassured with a bright smile.

“Alright, so pick out something familiar to you. Someone’s scent that you like, or the gentle graze of a hand,” Roach kept his voice even, “You don’t have to tell us what you’re picturing just picture it.”

Soap laid back. He thought about all the times he cuddled up to Price, the alpha thus far icing him out. He often wondered what it would be like moving beyond chaste moments, feeling the captain’s beard tickling across his body.

Soap shifted as his briefs started to fill out a little.

“Okay,” Roach kept that noninvasive trance-like voice going, “Keep the thought in mind and start touching yourself.”

Soap simply shoved a hand in his briefs and started stroking his cock.

Rudy and Roach glanced at each other. They both ignored the little flutter in their stomachs at Soap’s stifled sounds.

“No lube, no spit, no slick, no nothing?” Rudy kept his voice low matching Roach’s volume.

“Am… I supposed to?” Soap panted confused.

“I mean if you enjoy the dry rub,” Rudy shrugged, not wanting to knock it if Soap liked doing it that way.

“Nah… sometimes it’s hard to get there,” Soap sat up taking his hand out of his briefs, “Just kind of get frustrated and quit.”

“Hmmm… do you not touch yourself playing in your slick?” Rudy asked.

“No… hadn’t thought about it. I just seen some of the other lads in the unit do it this way,” Soap shrugged.

Rudy rubbed his temples, “Alphas…” It never ceased to amaze Rudy how alphas just jerk any and everywhere, and even worse since it’s a horrible example for an omega.

“Okay, Jabón, I’m going to do somethings and I want you to mirror me. Roach, you can stay or go.”

“I’ll stay to provide support,” Roach nodded, “I can face the wall though or something.”

“Nah, I don’t mind,” Rudy reassured, Soap nodded along.

Roach was kind of the professional in Soap’s eyes. He seemed to know exactly what to do in every situation, especially in ones like this.

Rudy guided Soap through an earth-shattering orgasm. The first one Soap ever did on his own. Soap was collapsed back arm thrown over his eyes, panting. He could get used to that.

“How do you feel?” Rudy lay next to Soap holding his hand up in a question.

“Good,” Soap managed, letting Rudy scent him.

“Good!” Rudy praised giving Soap a small smile as he was coming down too. “Now that’s just the way I do it. You’re free to experiment because when you’re alone that’s your time to do what you know makes you feel good.”

Outside of the occasional lesson on things, Soap settled into a comfortable rapport with Rudy. The two could be seen walking around the Los Vaqueros base holding hands, or cuddling, Rudy feeding Soap. The younger omega beamed when Rudy chirped in approval. Eventually, Soap began returning the gestures, their relationship falling into a give and take. Rudy would purr for Soap, letting Soap touch him to see what it feels like on various body parts. Rudy was patient assuring Soap he’d get there when he was ready.

Rudy was grateful for Roach’s and his partners’ consistent presence. It helped keep him grounded so Rudy didn’t cross too far over any lines, because if he was honest with himself, Rudy liked Soap. He didn’t want to feel like he was taking advantage because of his feelings, especially with how skewed Soap’s perceptions of life were. He was providing guidance and nothing more. Soap would be leaving in a couple of weeks anyway.

Maria could sense Rudy’s internal conflict and made sure to scent and cuddle up with Rudy as much as she could, prompting Jose to follow suit to keep Rudy’s spirits up. Much like their Ale, Rudy tended to fall hard. Maria and Jose didn’t mind. Soap was easy to love. They knew they’d miss him too, even if they didn’t hold their dominant omega’s same intimate feelings towards Soap.

On the seventh day of their stay, Ghost was slipping unable to handle the itch under his skin. He started guarding and scenting the door to Ale and Rudy’s room. It provided some relief, at least enough for now.

Price and Gaz stayed on Ghost as much as they could under the circumstances so he wouldn’t spiral, Soap was currently an omega Ghost was pining for. The artificial pheromones and psychological games skewed Ghost’s ability to self-regulate well now that Soap was real. The omega wasn’t a lie this time.

Before Alejandro could go apeshit on an alpha outside of his pack scenting his territory, Price explained a bit about Ghost. Ghost was confused about why Alejandro began scenting him, with Ghost’s permission, the colonel’s eyes soft whenever he saw Ghost stalk off to his quarters unaware that Alejandro kept a close eye on him. Ghost’s lack of awareness on this was concerning to Price, but there’s not a lot they could do. He had to let Ghost do what he needed to so they could focus on the mission. Price was grateful for Alejandro’s understanding.

Meanwhile, Rudy kept a close eye on Ghost from a window inside the room when Soap was asleep. The lemongrass and cedarwood were starting to unsettle Maria since Alejandro had not been in their space for so long. Ghost was starting to drown Alejandro’s out. Finally, Rudy had enough.

“El fantasma, I told you this is a no-alpha zone,” Rudy crossed his arms as he squared off to Ghost outside his room.

Ghost shrank back, “I know…”

“Then why are you here making my room smell like one of those smoothie places my best friend and I used to go to,” Rudy was much shorter than Ghost but still managed to level Ghost with a stare.

“Need to make sure Johnny is safe. Need him to know I’m still here,” Ghost murmured, fidgeting with his gloves.

“You see him around every day…” Rudy maintained a guarded expression. He tried to tell himself that he was honoring what his dam asked and not because Rudy was starting to become territorial.

“Not the same, we’re not home… so many different scents…” Ghost’s breath picked up. Rudy could see the panic in Ghost’s eyes as he shifted.

“Easy,” Rudy rubbed Ghost’s arm to soothe him.

“You’re not going to take Johnny away, are you?”

Rudy was beginning to feel guilty, the usually cold and guarded alpha on the brink of falling apart. Ghost wasn’t lying in the hallway singing sad love songs, but he still very much reminded Rudy of Alejandro.

It became even more apparent when Ghost did something even Rudy didn’t expect. Ghost took off his mask, and fell to his knees in front of Rudy.

“Please don’t take him,” Ghost begged baring his throat.

Rudy rolled his eyes and sighed, scenting the upset alpha Ghost wrapping his arms around Rudy’s middle. Rudy took Ghost’s bare face in his hands so Ghost would meet Rudy’s eyes.

“When Jabón leaves here… promise me you will take care of him. He’s the only omega on your team, a weird custom, so it’s up to you to make sure Jabón is cared for,” Rudy’s face was stern but his eyes were soft.

“I swear,” Ghost met Rudy’s stare in earnest.

“Good,” Rudy helped Ghost get up.

When Ghost was standing he handed his mask to Rudy, blush painting his face.

“Can you… give this to Soap. None of us brought scented items and…” Ghost muttered in a way that would be inaudible to most people, but Rudy was an omega.

Rudy pat Ghost on the arm, “I see why you wear this mask. You’re too cute and wear your heart on your sleeve.”

“Don’t tell anyone but Johnny about this…” That firm coldness returned to Ghost’s voice, even if the blush didn’t leave his face.

“Yeah, yeah. El fantasma has to be big and scary,” Rudy smiled at him, “Go get some rest. I’ll have Jabón scent it and bring it back to you. Good night.”

Ghost grunted and nodded before he returned to his quarters.

Chapter Text

Any normal person would have ducked and covered, surrendered, or even said a prayer because in this scenario any normal person would meet their maker.

Not Ghost, the man who survived unspeakable torture, watched his family die and then dug himself out of a literal grave.

So, no, THE Ghost wasn’t bothered by the 100-to-one odds. He wasn’t bothered by the cacophony of bombs and bullets. No, the thing that bothered Ghost was his omega was in trouble. One scent sticking out above all others.

“OMEGA!” Ghost shouted as he cleared another floor.

The enemy thought the SAS sent at least 40 men to oppose them. To the leader’s horror, they sent one alpha. One very distressed, very dangerous alpha looking for his mate.

The leader called to whoever was left alive to tell them to find this alpha’s mate and then kill them both. To his even larger horror was that none of his men knew of said person and their numbers were reducing rapidly. Eventually, everything went silent save for the howls of a man that would haunt the leader’s nightmares, though he doubted he’d live long enough to have nightmares.

The leader did his best to barricade the door with every piece of furniture in his office. He cowered in the corner as his barricade began to shake “OMEGA!” the howl pierced through the mental fortitude of a man who was a leader in a top criminal organization. He shook violently, covering his ears in a futile effort to dampen the sounds of his death knell.

It didn’t take long for the barricade to become useless. The massive alpha stood in the room, eyes locked onto the leader.

“Where is my omega?” The man in the skull mask demanded low and dangerous.

“I don’t know who you’re talking about! There are no omegas in my operation!” the leader lied, his organization one of the leaders in the human trafficking of omegas.

“Smell my mate on you… where… is… my… omega,” his words punctuated by each step, a knife leaving its sheath.

Just before the leader was going to meet his maker, the large alpha hit the floor scratching at his neck. A shock collar?

The next several things happened faster than the leader could comprehend. There were two soldiers on top of him to cuff him and carry him a way, and 10 to hold down the alpha that was foaming at the mouth, the shocks unending until he was properly muzzled and restrained in a straight jacket, shackles on his ankles to limit his range of motion.

When the shocking stopped he thrashed around. The sounds that would haunt his nightmares turned to howls that made the leader pity the alpha who almost gutted him like a fish.

He passed an 11th man that stood in the back of the room, arms crossed, jaw set, and eyes blazing.

One of the men who was holding down the alpha asked, “Captain Price?”

“You are to load bravo 0-7 into my chopper. I’m taking him,” this Captain Price ordered.

“But captain, this alpha unit is one of our best,” one of the other men holding the large alpha—whose howls turned to quiet sobs— replied.

“My mate…” he murmured.

“I don’t give a bloody shit, as of today he’s under my command. You have a problem with it? Take it up with Watcher One,” Price narrowed his eyes.

Eventually the leader was out of earshot. He hoped this captain Price took this alpha. In all his years as a criminal, the leader has murdered, raped, stolen, dealt, and at no point in time has he used any of his men like this. The leader thought he knew cruelty and depravity, but with these SAS bastards, the leader didn’t know cruelty as well as he thought.

---

In Mexico almost 5 years later, Price was scenting Simon. He ran his fingers through the alpha’s hair, giving him soft forehead kisses.

“Don’t worry lad, we’re getting close to the last leg of this mission,” Price whispered, “Then we’ll have Soap back. Just hang on a little longer.”

Simon sat leaned into Price, but his expression was hollow. The alpha had awoken from a nightmare with a howl Price will never forget.

There was a knock on the door, “Everything alright in there, hermanos?”

Price called out, “Have it under control, colonel!”

“Are you sure? Do you need medical assistance?” Alejandro insisted.

“No. Trust me it’s fine,” Price was firm, squeezing Simon as he rocked the man on his cot.

“Alright, I trust you,” Alejandro conceded, “But if you need anything please let us know.”

“Thanks, Colonel,” Price finished the conversation.

“‘m sorry,” Simon muttered, his tone was flat. Empty.

“You have nothing to be sorry for, love,” Price held Simon’s head to his chest as he squeezed Simon tighter.

A little later, Alejandro made the trek to his room. He had never heard an alpha cry out like that before, but he felt the sentiment, which was why he knocked lightly on the door.

A very irritated Rudy answered, “Cariño, it’s the middle of the night! Wait, what’s wrong?” Rudy’s furrowed brows rose and his tired eyes became alert. He slipped outside of the room closing the door.

Alejandro let out a heavy sigh, “Mi vida, we need to let the others see their omega. El Fantasma is not looking so good… and… I’ve never heard an alpha cry out like that.”

Rudy furrowed his brows again shaking his head, “No. He’s not ready…”

“He’s not ready or you’re not ready to start detaching?” Alejandro asked hands on his hips.

Rudy scoffed, “What does that even mean?”

“Mi vida, I see the way you spend time with Jabón. I don’t mind, you’re free to see others, but we can’t keep Jabón,” Alejandro reiterated waving towards the bedroom door with one hand.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Rudy crossed his arms and turned away from Alejandro. “I know we can’t keep Jabón if he doesn’t want to stay. Surely I’m not that obvious!”

Alejandro scrubbed a hand over his face, exhausted, “Jabón has benefited from your guidance. He’s looking better, more sure of himself, but it’s becoming a bit more than guidance.”

Rudy threw his arms down to his sides snapping around to face Alejandro, “What are you even talking about?” Rudy knew exactly what Alejandro was talking about. He was just in denial.

“Mi vida, we can hardly smell Jabón’s scent. You’re covering him, and if I noticed the stolen kisses and the way you two occasionally disappear together, I know the captain and El Fantasma have noticed too,” Alejandro reasoned, “You’re not being fair to them, and eventually this is going to stop being fair to Jabón if he becomes too attached.”

Rudy crossed his arms and turned away. He hated conceding defeat, but Alejandro was right. He closed his eyes and sighed when he felt Alejandro’s hands smooth over his shoulders.

“Just… think about it,” Alejandro took in Rudy’s scent deeply as he wrapped his arms around his omega. He nipped at Rudy’s scent gland causing him to shudder. “Omega smells so sweet,” Alejandro’s alpha melted, Ale barely managed to stifle the groan as he nipped again.

“Ale,” Rudy hummed halfway between a moan and a warning.

Alejandro took in one more long whiff before detaching himself from Rudy.

Rudy turned to pull Alejandro down so he could give the alpha a gentle kiss, “Just a little longer.”

Alejandro sighed and conceded. It’s not like he was alone in Rudy’s absence. Maria and Jose have given Alejandro plenty of attention. He loves them dearly, but Rudy is the one who marked him. The alpha pack leader needed his lead omega. The one who is his right hand in the field and in his heart.

It also didn’t help that Carlos, the other alpha in their pack and polycule had been radio silent since before the 141 arrived having to hand off intel with a beta from the Los Vaqueros so no scent was shared during the intel transfers. The base was smelling less and less like him, so on top of Rudy kicking him out of his space, El Fantasma scenting everywhere Jabón can smell him, and the fact that he hasn’t seen Carlos in months… Alejandro was starting to itch under his skin. As the leader though, he had to keep it together and hold out just a little more, the mission was almost over.

It was finally the last phase of the mission. Gaz and Ghost were on over watch. Price and Alejandro were on the perimeter with small teams. Soap and Rudy were infiltrating the facility to blow off one of the doors to let the others in.

Everything was going well. At least until Rudy got captured after a dizzy spell. He told Soap to run to blow off the door, otherwise neither one of them were going to make it out alive.

So Soap ran, and loaded the charges on the door. The objective was to quietly take out the HVT, the base crawling with over 100 men.

“Where’s Rudy?”Alejandro asked tone even and posture not anymore tense than usual, even though he was alarmed.

“He got dizzy. When I was trying to help him, we almost got captured,” Soap explained quickly leading them in, “He told me to head on because as much as I want to go get him back… even I know I can’t get through this compound without backup.”

Alejandro nodded sharply.

“Where did they take him?” Alejandro asked a little too calmly for Price’s liking.

Soap gave the location, so Alejandro told Soap and Price to head to the HVT while he went to look for Rudy.

Price had an uneasy feeling about that, but there was no time to argue.

They parted ways, Alejandro headed in the direction Soap told him. On the way, he spotted a trail of blood and a familiar scent. He hoped it wasn’t all Rudy’s. Please let all not be Rudy’s.

The itch under Alejandro’s skin was becoming more intense by the second. “Omega…”

When the trail ended, there was no more blood, no direction to where the scent leads to. Alejandro’s breaths became deeper, heavier… against his better judgment, he grabbed the nearest hostile.

“Where’s Rudy?” His fangs dropped.

“I don’t know what the fuck—” the henchman said.

“DON’T play stupid with me, cabrón,” Alejandro hissed, “Where is he?”

“Oh, that cute little omega? Feisty thing. I’m sure the guys who took him are already having fun—” the hostile was cut off. Alejandro slit his throat.

Alejandro’s pupils were blown, shoulders rising and falling with each breath.

“Rudy…” he murmured, before he howled, “RUDY!”

Soap jumped and cowered behind Price from their location. The sudden shift startled Price.

“Soap, what the hell—?”

“Did you hear that?” Soap asked Price, cocking his gun but still sticking close behind the alpha.

“Hear what?” Price glanced down at Soap as he urged the omega on.

The sudden movement of boots prompted Price to pull Soap into a closet. If he couldn’t hear it before, Price could hear it now with all the gunshots going on in the opposite direction of where they needed to go.

Price took the opportunity, leading Soap up to where Intel indicated where the HVT was hiding.

“Bravo 0-6 to over watch,” Price panted as he and Soap ran along, “Plans fell through, they know we’re here somewhere. The path is clear to the HVT.”

Gaz and Ghost stared at each other until Ghost heard it over the cacophony coming from inside the compound.

“RUUUUUUDYYYYYY!”

“Shit…” Ghost cursed, “Gaz, stay here. Sergeant Martinez, take my place on overwatch.”

He waited for the beta to take his position. Ghost ran across the field as quickly and stealthily as he could. “Bravo 0-7 heading into the facility.”

“Bravo 0-6 to Bravo 0-7, maintain your position—”

Ghost ignored Price as he barreled towards the facility. If the guards weren’t already dead, Ghost got them. The hostiles could be heard screaming about “El Diablo”— likely Alejandro— and “el demonio”— likely referring to him. Ghost much preferred Alejandro’s nickname for him, but now’s not the time to dwell on that.

Deeper inside the facility Price cursed under his breath, praying Ghost would hold Simon together. This was the last situation Price would want Simon to ever encounter again.

It took roughly 30 minutes for the sounds of gunshots to dwindle by half. Ghost followed the sound and the trail of bodies.

“RUUUUUUDDDYYYYY! OMEGA!!!”

Ghost flinched. He knew that howling a little too intimately. Ghost choked off Simon’s whine shuttering Simon and his alpha away. He had a job to do, and Ghost intended to do it.

By the time Ghost caught up, the compound was cleared. No one aside from the team and the HVT seemed to be left alive.

Ghost found Alejandro and put his hands up where the alpha could see them.

“WHERE’S MY OMEGA?” Alejandro snarled at Ghost.

Just then the radio crackled, “We got the HVT and found Rudy.”

“Everyone clear the building,” Ghost ordered, “No time to explain, just do it.”

Ghost didn’t wait for confirmation, he just spoke in hushed tones, “Hear that? We got him back.”

Alejandro growled, whatever was said he couldn’t hear. Ghost knew that, but he knew he could hear the tone, so Ghost kept it as gentle as his usually gruff voice could be.

When he got within range, Alejandro snatched Ghost up by his tac vest and slammed him into the wall. Ghost kept his breaths even as Alejandro’s fangs came dangerously close to Ghost’s throat.

Ghost started purring, a sound that seemed to distract the other alpha long enough to give Ghost the upper hand.

He put Alejandro in a headlock from behind, lacing his fingers with the hand that Alejandro could use to reach back. Ghost purred as he fought to hold onto the alpha who was determined to rip out his throat. He used Alejandro’s shoulder to push up his mask with practiced efficiency so he could scent Alejandro while he purred. Alejandro’s fight was fading, thrashing slowing down, howls turning into deep breaths.

Eventually, Alejandro calmed enough to where Ghost could let their hands go finding any soft spots between Alejandro’s gear, preferably bare skin to massage his fingers into. Skin to skin contact and Ghost’s slow heartbeat against his back seemed to help Alejandro go slack.

“There we go,” Ghost started to whisper, praising Alejandro as he started to come down.

When Alejandro shrunk down to the floor, Ghost followed holding on so Alejandro didn’t hurt himself. Ghost pulled Alejandro into his lap, pressing his face into Ghost’s own scent gland, letting out a soothing scent. Alejandro wrapped his arms around Ghost, squeezing and hiding his face.

“It’s okay, hermano, I’ve got you,” Ghost ran his fingers through Alejandro’s hair, the alpha managed to chuckle at Ghost’s use of Spanish between sobs. Ghost rolled his eyes but kept rocking Alejandro.

Rudy and Price were the ones who found Ghost and Alejandro. Rudy determined to find his alpha, and Price praying the familiarity of the situation didn’t throw Simon into a spiral.

The two alphas were clinging to each other sniffling. Now that the adrenaline wore off, the familiar situation did crash down on Ghost. They were scenting each other and purring between sobs as they held each other together.

Price called for Soap, letting their teammates know they could head to exfil with the HVT.

Soap rushed in, confused as to why he was called until he saw Simon and Alejandro. “Alpha?” Soap’s omega asked as Soap glanced back and forth between the two alphas on the floor and Price.

Price nodded, signaling them to enter the room, Rudy chomping at the bit since he and Price arrived. Rudy and Soap entered the room, the two omegas removing their scent patches as Price instructed.

Their scents caught the attention of the alphas who pulled their omegas into each of their arms.

Alejandro and Rudy immediately took to scenting each other. Ghost hesitated as Soap held him back.

“Johnny?” His voice was hoarse.

Soap lifted his chin, accepting the request. Ghost scented Soap, taking in the orange and vanilla deeply. Soap scented Ghost in return.

Soap cleared his throat. He felt a tickle in his throat down to his chest. He held Ghost’s head to his neck indicating that he was okay. He felt that tickling again. Soap buried his face into Ghost scent glands, the alpha still holding Soap close.

The tickling turned into a stutter. The vibrations were very broken, but Ghost went completely lax in Soap’s arms. Soap didn’t quite know what he was doing but it was helping.

Eventually the two alphas got their wits about them enough for Alejandro and Ghost to carry their omegas to exfil, Ghost walking taller than ever. Finally, at the end of a traumatic road, there was a living breathing omega.

Instead of returning to Rudy’s room, Soap let Ghost take him to his room. The alpha quickly made a nest, including all the scented items Rudy gave to Ghost from Soap.

Soap examined the nest, a familiar warmth spreading through his chest only this time he knew what to do. Trilling was still a problem for Soap so he nodded like a beta would. Ghost chuffed following Soap in. Ghost wrapped himself and Soap in a blanket, the two never quite stopped scenting each other on their way back from the facility to Ghost’s room.

Instead of anxiety and the adrenaline buzz that happened after a mission, there was a happy alpha with his omega who was safe.

“Purring for me, Johnny?” Ghost asked lazily against Soap’s neck.

“I can’t purr, LT?” Soap sounded confused.

Ghost just signaled for him to sit quietly and take in his surroundings. That tickling stuttering sensation became a consistent vibration, it was still very broken and very weak, but it was there.

“I’m purring? LT I’m purring!” Soap looked into Ghost’s bourbon brown eyes, his sky blues twinkling in delight.

“It’s a beautiful sound,” Ghost started purring in response, “So proud of you, Johnny.”

Soap chirped in elation then flinched.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’ve made this sound before I think, but…”

“That sound means you’re proud, happy,” Ghost chuffed prompting Soap to chirp again.

“You make such pretty sounds, Johnny,” Ghost smiled into Soap’s neck.

Soap smiled wide too, excited to finally be able to tell his alpha he was pleased in the way an omega should.

Meanwhile, across the hall, Price lay awake that night. He made the right call, calling for Soap as the team omega. He knows he did. Price’s first duty to his team was as captain, his second duty was to be Simon and Kyle’s mate (and ultimately Soap’s if he’d have them.)

Still, Price felt a level of envy that made him feel guilty. Comforting Simon had thus far been his job. Price did as good a job as he could, but he knew he was no omega. This was the one thing that Simon needed to reduce those nightmare, so Price should be elated like any other normal person should be.

There was a knock on the door, “John?”

“Enter.”

Kyle entered the room closing the door behind him as he crossed the room to sit on Price’s bed. He squeezed one of Price’s arms.

“What’s wrong, darling?” Kyle asked.

“Nothing,” Price said with more of a pout than he intended.

“Sure, sure,” Kyle slipped into Price’s arms, “You’re not in here pouting over a certain alpha are you?”

“Not pouting…” Price murmured burying his face into Kyle’s shoulder.

“I know you know this is good for both of them,” Kyle began and Price prepped himself for the reprimand, “It’s okay to feel a tinge of jealousy. What you do with it is what’s important.”

Price furrowed his brow, but Kyle began scenting him.

“Are you going to discuss this feeling with Simon and/or Soap when they’re both feeling a bit better or is it small enough to just let it go?” Kyle’s hazel eyes searched Price’s ice blues.

Price sighed looking away, “Feels like I’m being replaced.”

Kyle wanted to reassure him, but only Simon himself can do that. In the meantime Kyle would do what he knew best. He pulled out the emergency snack he keeps on him, and handed it to Price.

Price nodded in appreciation sharing it with Kyle.

“If you feel like this, darling, you need to talk to Simon,” Kyle kissed Price’s forehead, “Don’t let it fester… keeping things in tends to cause breakdowns in the dynamic… trust me, I know a lot about this.”

“I’ll talk to him when we ship out in a couple of days,” Price nodded.

It wasn’t a couple of days. Simon pulled Price aside after lunch that day.

Simon had a hand on Price’s shoulder, “What’s wrong, sweetheart?”

Something flashed across Price’s eyes before he shuttered it down.

Before he could speak again Simon pleaded, “Don’t close me out, love. I can’t fix it unless I know what’s wrong.”

Outside of classified information, Price couldn’t lie to Simon.

“It’s stupid,” Price muttered.

“It’s not stupid if it makes you pout, John,” Simon said, “You never pout.”

Price let out a heavy sigh, “Just felt a bit jealous yesterday is all.”

Simon was silent for a moment.

Price quirked his lips to the side, “See… I told you… it’s stupid.”

Simon shook his head, “It’s not stupid. For the longest time it was just you and me, and then Kyle, and then Gary.”

Price fiddled with his sleeves, “Yeah and I have no problem with that!”

“None of our partners are omegas and none of our partners has been around for my episodes,” Simon reminded, “You’ve shouldered that on your own.”

Price closed his eyes then sighed and nodded.

“I wish I could promise our dynamic won’t change anymore than it already has,” Simon scented Price, “But as pack leader, you shouldn’t have to shoulder that alone, just like your own nightmares.”

This reminded Price of how he’d shut them out when it came to his own demons. He’s sure they all felt similarly when he let Soap in where they hadn’t been allowed to tread.

“These are just pack growing pains,” Gary’s sudden appearance caused Simon and Price to jump, “It’s going to take some time, but I think we can all agree that Soap belongs with us.”

Price and Simon nodded once they came down from a scare.

“I just hope Soap sees it that way,” Roach stared at the floor. Suddenly, his eyes went wide and he slapped a hand over his mouth.

“Why wouldn’t he see it that way?” Price furrowed his brow.

“What are you not telling us, bug?”

Gary shook his head, “Laswell will kill me if I told you— Christ Roach can you just shut up…” Gary reprimanded himself.

“What does Kate have to do with this?” Price raised an eyebrow.

As soon as Laswell appeared on the screen, before Price could say anything Simon snapped.

“Start talking.”

Kate raised an eyebrow amused, “Well hello to you too, Simon.”

“Kate what’s this about letting Soap stay in Mexico indefinitely?” Price put a hand on Ghost’s shoulder.

Kate stared the two dead in the eyes through the screen, “Soap has the right to learn what he needs to learn and be where he feels more comfortable. If that means it’s staying with Sergeant Major Parra and his pack, I’m willing to push the papers through if that’s what Soap wants.”

“You should have run that by me!” Price snapped.

“No, I shouldn’t have,” Kate stood firm.

“HQ was the one who wanted us to have an omega and you’re going to take him away?” Price shouted.

“I’m not going to let HQ keep using Soap for his secondary sex instead of assigning missions based on his merits,” Laswell’s voice was cold.

“So you’re going to punish the 141 for that?” Price glared.

A small voice cut in, “Please… don’t…”

The two looked in the direction of the voice.

Simon pleaded again, “Please don’t take Soap away…”

Laswell was never a flincher, but the pain in Simon’s eyes gave her pause.

“That’s ultimately up to Soap, not either of you and not me,” Laswell regained her cold resolve, “If there’s nothing else, I’ll be taking my leave.”

“Wait!” Simon shouted but the line clicked off.

“As long as it’s truly Soap’s choice,” Price murmured, but he couldn’t quite rein in the smell of dead flowers.

The two senior officers of the 141 sat in a stunned silence.

Soap laid out on a patch of field in the sun, he needed a moment alone which was rare for Soap who preferred the company of others. As the mission was coming to a close, he realized he’d hadn’t given much thought to Laswell’s offer.

Staying with the Los Vaqueros meant that there’d be balance in their dynamic. He wouldn’t be the only omega in the group. It felt nice and safe in a space with no alphas, especially for Soap to learn himself.

While all that is nice, the 141 is his pack. As stubborn as the alphas are there, they need Soap and Roach has been happy to have the company of someone other than his alpha partners. Roach grew up in an omega dominated household so it reminded Roach a bit of home.

Price doesn’t have nightmares with Soap. He opened up about the cause to Soap eventually. He and Will were in agreement that Will’s death wasn’t Price’s fault.

Once Kyle’s alpha was doing better he had boundless energy, getting into mischief with Soap. What’s nice was Soap felt safe to go out to the pub with Kyle.

Then there was Simon… Soap’s never purred before, but he purred for Simon. The alpha was still a mystery and tried to stake his claim on Soap like an awkward pup, but Soap found it endearing. The big scary Ghost being soft with Soap without being patronizing.

Soap stretched before he rolled over to play with one of the few tufts of grass he was lying in.

“Need some company, Jabón?”

It was Alejandro.

“Aye,” Soap sat up patting the spot next to him.

They sat in a comfortable silence until Soap spoke up.

“I haven’t had many opportunities to interact with you, Al, so maybe you can provide some insight,” Soap hesitated.

“I’ll do my best.”

“I’ve been given the option to stay here with the Los Vaqueros or go home with the 141,” Soap explained.

Alejandro raised an eyebrow.

“You didn’t know? I guess it makes sense that you didn’t because it was a conversation between Rudy, Laswell and I…”

Soap looked down at one of the tufts of grass poking out of the earth, floating alone in the desert.

“Do you want to stay here with us?” Alejandro asked.

“I don’t know. I’ve learned so much from Rudy, and I know I have a lot to learn. It’s also been nice being surrounded by omegas, and…” Soap trailed off.

“And?” Alejandro encouraged.

“I’ve never had someone understand me like this before,” Soap admitted. He felt guilty considering staying because he felt a little less alone with Rudy, and Soap had to admit it was nice being intimate with someone on an even playing field.

Soap knew he and Rudy pushed a tick too far past friendship. He was glad Alejandro and the other members of the polycule were understanding.

Then again… he chirped and purred for Simon. That means something, too, right?

“Rudy is very perceptive and very loving,” Alejandro agreed, “And I’m sorry that one of the things you have in common with Rudy is not something anyone who hasn’t experienced can understand.”

“I purred for the first time,” Soap blurted, “for Simon… I thought maybe I had a cough but no, I purred.”

“Mhm…” Alejandro hummed in thought.

Soap searched Alejandro’s face as if he held the answer to his decision.

“Sounds like you have a rough decision ahead, hermano,” Alejandro pat Soap on the shoulder before he helped him up, “Hard to make decisions on an empty stomach though.” It was dinner time.

When Soap and Alejandro entered the cafeteria, they were met by a bristling Ghost and an even less than impressed Price.

Alejandro got on the defensive, not about to back down or lose a fight in front of his pack, though he’s not 100% sure on what the fight was about.

“I can’t fight Rudy from sinking his claws into my omega, but you’re a different story,” Ghost’s voice rumbled low in his chest.

“I’m doing no such thing. Whatever happens is Jabón’s decision. Do you think you’re helping your case with yours and my omega by threatening me in my own territory?” Alejandro was cool, but still cautious, “I’ve let a lot of things go up to and including letting you leave your scent all over my spaces El Fantasma and I am eternally grateful for you bringing me back from the haze, but my patience does have limits and I’ve had about enough of you pushing my buttons.”

Alejandro was almost toe to toe with Ghost returning Ghost’s threat.

Price knew he should put a stop to this, but as far as he was concerned Soap was under his command, and he wasn’t sure if Alejandro had been in on Laswell’s little plan.

Soap pushed his way between the two.

“Enough! If this is how you’re going behave I’m wondering if I should stay with any of you,” Soap glared, “I haven’t interacted much with Alejandro and I asked for his mostly unbiased opinion on what to do. He’s the only person in this scenario who isn’t so emotionally invested in my decision that he’d try to sway me one way or another.”

The two parted, but still didn’t break eye contact until they heard a third growl. It was Soap.

“If you want to keep going I’ll be more than happy to finish this fight for the both of you,” Soap snapped.

“I understand Jabón,” Alejandro stepped aside to go find his pack mates, but not without giving Soap a side hug just to discreetly rub his scent on Soap. Was it petty of Alejandro? Sure. Did he care? No.

Ghost stood stunned at the tiny omega glaring at him.

“I’m the last person to talk to anyone about checking their temper, but LT if you want me to come home with you challenging the man who has given us grace and hospitality is not the way to do it,” Soap hissed and shot a glare in Price’s direction before stocking off.

Soap perked up when Rudy came in. He practically bounded toward the omega. Rudy seemed to be in some sort of daze. The two scented each other, and Soap took to gathering dinner for the both of them. Soap had been returning Rudy’s kindness and had been extra protective since they got back from the mission once Alejandro was settled.

When they sat together, Soap stuck close to Rudy making sure the other omega’s tray was stacked. Rudy ate with gusto chirping at Soap in approval. Soap blushed, stuttering a purr for Rudy.

“Jabón, you’re purring,” Rudy wrapped an arm around Soap’s shoulders kissing his forehead. Rudy returned Soap’s purr a content smile on both of their faces.

Just then an unfamiliar alpha approached. Soap broke their tiny huddle and snapped at him. As a matter of fact, Soap had been snapping at people who he knew were outside of Rudy’s polycule. The alpha glanced between Rudy and the new omega confused.

“Easy, Jabón. It’s just Carlos,” Alejandro steered Carlos to the opposite side of the table from Soap and Rudy.

“Oh! S-sorry,” Soap murmured an apology still trying to get Rudy to eat more.

“It’s alright. I’ve been gone since before you arrived. I was afraid the base was infiltrated by a smoothie stand,” Carlos let Alejandro aggressively scent him, the alpha crowding Carlos’s space much like Soap and Rudy were huddled together.

“Sorry about that too,” Soap glanced in the direction of the table the 141 was occupying.

Rudy tucked in impossibly closer to Soap, but was making soft eyes at Alejandro.

“Mi vida, are you okay?” Alejandro asked, noting the shift in defensive behavior from one omega to the other.

“Everything’s fine cariño… more than fine actually,” Rudy purred.

“Oh?” Alejandro raised an eyebrow.

“Mhm…” Rudy smiled, “Just got back from my check up…”

Soap made eye contact with Rudy, wide-eyed. When Rudy nodded, Soap squeezed and scented Rudy. He purred a bit louder but still stuttered.

“I’d like to know what has you two so excited and affectionate?” Alejandro was still waiting.

“I’m— pregnant, Ale,” Rudy finally said.

It was Alejandro’s turn to go wide-eyed, “You are?” He slowly rose moving to the other side of Rudy before he realized what he was doing.

“Yeah,” Rudy said, “Our pups…”

“Our…” Alejandro almost missed his chair.

“Mhm…”

Alejandro’s chuff startled everyone in the canteen. Soap detached himself long enough for Alejandro to shower Rudy in kisses and praises and chuffs.

Everyone’s question about Alejandro’s overly excited behavior when the alpha cried, “I’m going to be a father!”

The canteen broke out in applause. Before Alejandro scooped Rudy up he looked at Soap in a question.

“Aye, you two spend some time together. No need to worry about me!” Soap held his hands up.

Before Rudy was carted off he held Soap, kissing him tenderly, “Thank you, Jabón…”

“I’m not sure what I did, but… you’re welcome?”

Rudy and Alejandro chuckled as Alejandro swept Rudy off of his feet the two disappearing to Ale’s room.

Soap waved them off. Before he had the time to miss being attached to Rudy, Maria and Roach surrounded Soap.

“You have an incredible nose, Jabón,” Maria scented Soap.

“I do?” Soap looked confused.

Maria looked deadpan, “I see why Rudy wants to keep you here with us. Yes, Jabón! I thought it was just that the two of you were getting close— which you were— but you’d been taking the lead and caring for our partner. You knew!”

“I did?” Soap was still lost.

Maria lamented, “Jabón please!”

Roach ruffled Soap’s hair, “Looks like I’m not the only ‘guru’ around here.”

Soap blushed, “Cut it out you two… In any case, can I room with you Roach?”

“Of course! But do you think Rudy is going to want either of us out of his sight for a single second until we leave after he and Alejandro finish celebrating? I-if you intend on leaving with us,” Roach backpedaled.

Maria gave a knowing smile and nod in agreement. She knew her partners were celebrating in their nest, but they’d all have plenty of time to keep celebrating. The 141 was leaving tomorrow afternoon.

Soap thought for a long moment. The alphas of the 141 might be chaotic. None of them emotionally stable… but one day, if Soap was ever ready for that day…

He made eye contact with the three alphas staring at him from a table over. Soap couldn’t help but smile at them.

Soap had his answer, “You know what? I think I do want to go home.”