offically, it was assumes killer was a beta - by 16 he'd still not presented any secondary gender markers and their little pack had put it out of mind. he was almost 18 now and nothing had changed on that front.

unoffically, there was an undercurrent that he still might be an alpha - he was named Kilelr for good reason and unapologetically defended their territory and kidd with a violence first mantaility that left outsiders on edge. he was grumbling, snarly. He tollerated no alphas at all, even the ones on suppresents, to the point where he'd gone after a shopkeeper who'd been watching kidd in case he got sticky fingers - which he did- and nearly gotten them both arrested. and that didn't even broach the sour smell to him that was his general unpleasent mood - scent markers far too stong for a beta.

for the most part, the crew - a loosely formed pack of mostly unbound omegas and two other betas - let it be. even if he ahdn't presented, kilelr was a reliable member of their group and even if on the younger side, they turned to him as pack leader more often then not. and kidd too - but no one wanted to admit that a feral 13 year old was co-leader of their little group.

where killer went, so did kidd - the two living out of the other's pockets since time immorium. the rest of them had gravatated to them over the years, most of their pressence tollerated begrudingly at first. none of them had packs - either regected for being found lacking or fleeing from unwanted attention. that's how they'd found papas - in heat and being forced into a bond by a pushy alpha. Killer stopped that in the act, an alpha too engrossed in papas to watch his back, and found a knife in it a couple dozen times for his audacity. kidd had crawled into papas' ruined and trespassed nest - maybe only nine at the time - and the smell of pup had soothed over the worse of things until papas was clear headed again. killer had stalked thearea oozing malica and the promise of death, puffed up and growling went they escorted his to their own nest fo rhte end of his heat.

other omega would join - most unbonded and rejected, like compo and UK. Bubblegum was actually bonded to an alpha - but unwillingly, and it was bad enough with the alpha that he'd run away. Hip had her partner hop - who was a beta so their bond was symbolic, and then quincy - a freew spirrit who rather liked being an omega, but didn't want to be bond to any one aplha. Sun was the final beta of their little pack - he'd been charmed by kidd int he market one day and followed him home. said he dint' have anywhere else to be. killer had been the most wary of him - what grown man followed a child home? - but he was really just that mellow and never gae kilelr any reason to run him off.

for the last five years or so, kidd and killer collected their people. A pack of eight omegas, three betas, and a pup running wild and feral on the outskirts of the city. having a pup around kept heats short and mellow and even if he wasn't /their/ pup, having him in the nest dulled the desire to breed into non existance. and when he eventually got bored of cuddling and wandred off, there where pletly of others to help scratch the itch. his child scnet was so strong int heir colletive nest it overroad any hunger for an alpha, the fersusly and desperation most heats reduced to lazy orgies and a lot of snuggling of omega and older beta alike.

Killer, and Kidd byt he last few days, patroled the nest each time, taking the  safelt of thei crew far more seriously than most of their age should, but that;s ehy there where leader after all.

and if their youngest beta's ended up being an alpha too stuck in fight or flight to present properly, well, they'd deal with that when the time came too. last year bubblegum had already volunteered to be Killer's first rut partner - going as far as to tell a horrifed killer to his face one drunken night that he'd be okay if they bonded too. In an attempt to distract everyone from killer's growing mortification, quincy had rminded bubbles that he couldn't be bonded t two alpha's. "Watch me," bubblegum had doubled down, drawing a red faced killer into his lap and clung to him possessivly, giggleing at kilelr's attempt at a rumbling growl back at him, "Imma gonna have so many bond bites from this man my first alpha's not even gonna be able to /find/ his bite mark."

[[wrok in teatree mint with bubble here?]]

and that how things went. survival was hte name of the game in the Heaps, and that what they did - survive. they got lucky enough to fall in with an uneasy understanding with one of the larger packs nearby - one without an alpha to rirle killer up - a dosen strong of omegas and betas in even numbers. the pack leaders where a tall tall tall beta named wire, and his omega partner heat.

heat and killer had not gotten on well in the begining, both would bear he scares of hte other for the rest of thier lives, and it was ironicaaly heat's heat that had them laying down arms as it where. they'd been just about at war at that point, both heat and killer gunning for the other's head. killer had gotten the jump on the omega and while the two tried to murder each other, killer had staggered back, hand over his noise, hackles raised.

"You smell awful" he'd compained, making a face like he was going to wretch. he'd actually clawed at his own tounge, like that would make any difference. heat - skin crawling and senses overwhalemd, had snarled back, "you're not much better [nsult]"

actually, kilelr's scent had gone ripe too, a sour unhappy cloy. that when Heat had a feeling killer wasn't a beta after all - wire was a beta, half his crew where betas, and they'd nevr smeld so stongly of any emotion. he'd been ready for that night to horrifically at that: ambushed outside his own nest by a rival alpha. heat's two options were to hope wire hurried along and stopped this from getting bloody, or murder the boy and hope his pack didn't retaliate.

an inconcivable third option presented itself when killer put his blade away, face stil twisted as heat's smell appreatly the worst thing imaginable to him. heat was alittle offended. "where's your stupid pack..." killer had grumbled, growling under his breath, staggering away from what he was realising was heat's nest and starting to stalk back and forth a few yards from the entrance.

after a momnet, heat sat at hte edge and watch him. killer had snarled at him once, but went back to aggitated pacing. there was no way his was a beta, heat concluded, wincing as he watched the blond start to pick and claw at his arm as he paced, excess energy needing to go somewhere. heat couldn't help but be a little satisfided that kille reas mauling the arm heat himself had tryied to burn off him in a previous encounter.

"you're bleeding," heat offreed warily. adrealing and fear had taken the edge off, but was things calmed, his heat had not slowed down. where was wire?

"And you smell. Go in your nest before you attract someone else. Where's Wire?" the man demaned, and if he didn't smell like rot rolling in poison, heat would have almost been touched at his concern.

Pomp would find them first - his nose flared at heat's distress. Killer pulled his knife on the tiny omega, and circled him like a vulture.

"Killer," heat warned, unsure what footing the two of them where on anymore, but heat or not, Heat was not going to let Killer go after any of Heat's other Omegas. Killer was volitaile on a good day, and now... now Heat worried about the omega's in his rival's pack. he hoped they knew what htey where getting into, keeping a loose cannon alpha like killer in thei misdest. his first rut was going to be the end of that fmaily, heat was calling it now. all pent up and overdue... he'd prpobaly murder the first ogmea he tried to bond with at this rate.

killer was panting, sceneting Pomp, and with him partially distracted, Heat slying reaching back into his nest to pull one of the pistols Wire had gotten him incase of emergancy.

killer make a groaning snarl at pomp, towering over the man, and then pointing at heat with an air of anger that could curled milk, "in heat!" he puncuated the remark with a stab of his hand, "why is he alone!? where is wire?"

Wire again, huh.... either killer repscced the beta more and was demaning an audiance or... and heat was starting to relaise, the betas smell on him was stong enough that killer had picked up on who he spent his heats with. he slip the pistol back into hs hiding spot.

"Pomp... please go find Wire..."

Pomp remained frozen under killer's scrutiny still, until the interloper grawlied at him and snareled out his own, "get wire!" which send him turning heal and fleeing.

just the two of them again, killer paced, growing more na dmore axcious with each loop, an awkward grumbling growl directed at EHat with each passsing. heat's own skin was crawling - his own heat wasn't joing to be in full swing for some time yet, but an interloger outside his nest had him just as unhappy. but it was the longest tow two had tollerested each other's presence before, and heat did find it somewhat facinating.

Heat drew his knees up to his chest, resting a ching on them and studdied thehis rvial, "Killer-san..." he'd try for some poilitnetss, jsut theis ponce, "how old are you?"

maybe he was younger than heat was giving him creadit for... most presented by 12 under normal cercumstances, but the malnutituer and povery on their island pushed that to 14 or so even for those better off. 16 was the latest anyone heat had known of ever presenting. but maybe it was becuase so few of them lived longer than that in the heaps. it was hard to guess peoples ages, living outside stablitly liek they did. pomp and dive where both well into their twenties, but hradly taller than children. [[removing dive from this part of the story]]killer could be anywhere from 13 to 30 for all heat knew.

hell, heat was younger than most people thought - barely 20 himself but with the weight of too many winters spent hungry and cold.

killer did not answer with words, but the defensize hunch in his shoudlers gave heat an idea he wasn't any older hten himself.

"have you had a rut yet,  boss killer?" he asked, watching his face for the answer he would not get words for. killer snarled at him, bitter nad angry and the smell has like death. no he had not,a nd he was not looking forward to it. but he did not deny that he one day would - no insitance that he was beta like his pack mates assured wire over and over.

soon, killer's sour sick smell and irritated growling became just anohter pack thing, as the lines between his and wire pack blurred with kilelr and kidds pack. offically, there went anything other than watching each other's backs and turf lines. unoffically, heats, shelters and meals where shared and shared alike.

Kidd had turned fourteen over the summer, killer was 18 now, and bets hard started to be made on when and if their pup would end up presenting. quincy also had a betting pool going on how lone it would take killer to have his first rut - her hainvg long started to suspcted the smll of pup having effected him jsut as much as the rest of them. afetr all, the two of them had been sleeping in a pile together longer than the rest of them had been part of their gang and killer was all pent up and grumbly and  sour smelling becuase he'd been cock blocked since puberty.

she was closer than anyone had realsed, yet so so wrong.

the first hint should have been the angry muttereing of the alpha's that killer ran off; they seemed to be even more put off my killer's smell than any of the omegas. at first it seemed no body liked his smell - but there was something else - soemthing they should have noticed.

pup's did. pup's besides kidd. pup's from other packs. they would crowd him in town. they would follow him around until kidd eventually ran them off. he was the pied piper of children, a duckling line of them follwoing him everywhere though the markets.

disttressed omegas too. his crew had known that he was good at finding them, but they'd forgotten how good he'd smelled to them too in the begining. his angry prebubecent growling almsot soothing. only bubblegum seemed to remmeber; he still shoew up and down that hte reson of them where crazy - killer smelt devine. hye'd rub husmelf all overkiller to prov ehis point, just making the sour smell worse for hte rest of them.

they'd dismissed him - his prior bonding must have messed with his nose.

tea tree and mint, bubble gum had called it. burning rubber and rotting leaves was more like it.

[[kiki's ogemas halfway though their heat]]

until the day heat froze, orange na clove mixed with teatree and mint soft int he air. and blood. a lot of blood.

wire noticed him tese up and started to look around for what had sent him off.

"wha-"

"Where's Boss Killer?"

wire shook his head, he didn't know, but rose to start looking. heat didn't need to look - he just followed the smell.

while at some poitn 'nesting' had just grown into one big piles they all shared, killer had his own little den he used sometimes. no one else was allowed in it, and killer never seemed to be happy with it - a constant cycle of building and demolosing, before sleeping int he pile or omegas and betas anyway after a few days of sulking.

thats where the smell was comign from. the blood was tick enough wven wire could smell it, a visiable wince onhis face and a quickeing of steps. the air was twinged with distress. panic. fear. heat stromed int ot he den, ready fo face down a mindelss alpha - he'd come to liek killer as of late, but he knew this was going to happen - he'd warned them, he'd/

he stopped short. tea tree mint and distress. tea and mint and fear.

orange clove and panic. orange clove... and alpha. in rut. or.. coming out of rut.

an alpha in rut. a distressed omega.

teatree and pain and mint clashing with orange and help help help

heat looked at kidd in horror, the two still tied together by his knot, both bloody and bitten to hell in back. killer cattatocn under him. kidd tried to pull away agian, crying and looking at heat in panic, looking like he'd only jsut started to come back to himself.

"hey hey hey," heat motioned for kidd to sop, to stay still, "easy boss."

"I not... I'm not," kidd shooke his head frantically in denial, looking back down at killer, "i dont..  i didn't mean too...."

kidd being an alpha hadn't been on any ones cards. they should have known better.

"stay calm," heat tried to assur ehim, wire pausing at hte den's entrace, waiting or heat's instructiosn. the space was small - wire woun't likely even fir though the entrance.

kidd stopped trying to pull awya form killer, haet encroughing enough in that he instead pulled killer agianst him, growling at heat and wire. the both of them where litttered in bire marks, agresse ones meant ot hurt long both of hteir arms. kidd's arm was nearly shreaded, and there was a coeectin of grusume bleeding bites agisnt his thoat.

there wher enot bonding marks - but an akilling attempt.

killer's...

his neck was decorated wti bites too. incuded a gory one over the punctured secnt gland that adonded every omegs' neck.

how'd they fumble this one so badly, heat wondered.

there was no way for kidd to be killer's actual pup - but some how along the way, killer's biology dismissed that fact..blues. killer had presendked years ago - liekly long before their pack had formed. he smelled like a omega with pups. he smelt like a nursing mother. an ugly sour smell that made alpha's stomach turn becuase he had a pup already. he been unbonded, so he didn't smell like any alpha, just a horrible off putitng order that drove would be suttors away. they all used kidd's presence as a cheat code for lighter heats - killer living at ground zero had liekly had a stonger effect on him.

killer who never parcipated int hei shared heats... who built not dens, but nests he hated and Heat realised that worse... kilelr had been haivng heats this whole time. alone.

who may not have understood what was happeneing to him this entire time... hiding from their incorect teasing of his alpha statutes.

all while the rest of them went about isgnoreing the kidd and failing to prepare him for this...

had killer know kidd was an alpha? had he invided kidd into his nest? or had he been hiding once again, and kidd had tespassed..

did kidd understand what was happening?

heat wiars his hands placatingly once again, "calm, boss. stay calm."

kidd's young eyes where wide, he reacked of panic, clutching killer to him. killer smelling of fear.

and blood.

"wire," heat said low, speaking back to his parnter wiout takinghis eyes off kidd, "get me a first aid kit. and don't let anyone else nearby for a lttle bit."

kidd didn't exacly calm down when wire left, but he didn't tense up any further when heat inched closer. "Boss Kidd? can i see boss killer? please?"

kidd shook his head no, trying to curl around killer, too small and them still stuck together on his knot.

"he's bleeding - can i please see?"

kidd did't snarl or hiss at him, and heat inched closer.

"heat..."

he wonderd which kidd was referancing.. himself or... no, it was him, kidd was looking at him, eye contact and all.

"i don't know what happend.." kidd wishepred.

it was every omega's nightmare - an alpha with no control over themselves. heat hadn't given much thought into what that was like for an alpha. a newly preented alpha. damn.

heat had eased himself next to the pair, causiosly reaching out to check on killer. he was lax in kidd's hold, awake but unaware. he was also clammy and cold, and heat pulled at the blankets untder them, "get up, i need these, we need to wrap him up..."

it's awkward but soon they;ve got kidd sitting back, killer cuddldin his lap, blankets tucked aroudnt hem both. kidd has stopped being standoffish with heat, the smell of him sticken with grif and sorrow as he burried his face in the crux of killer's neck. heat tried no to look at the  ragged teeth puncture wounds under his forhead, focusing instea don the still bleeding bites on his arms.

wire slide a first aid bag in but otherwise kept them from being interuped. kidd was crying, huddled behind killer, who semeed to stat to be coming aorund finially.

tea tree and mint. fuck. bubblegum had called it. heat dug though the bag, pulling out ointment and wrappings, swollowing down the lump in his own thraot at the confused look on his rivals face. "Boss killer?"

kidd looked up abrutly, a glare form heat keeping him for speaking up. killer blinked slowly at heat, before his gaze drifted down the his bare arm in heats hand, wrapped in a layer of bangadges. he looked atht his other arm, bitten up and bleeding, and then down at kidd's arms still wrapped around his middle.

"Boss heat?" killer whimpered, and the man offered a sympathic smile, gently taking his still ingured arm, and starting to clena it next, "what.. what hapnneed?"

killer tried to sit up, but kidd tightneed his hold with a whimper and kilelr looked down at his lap in growing horror. he faught with the blanket, and heat who was trying to get him not o look, until he had uncvored his naked lap - and witnessed forhimself kidd;s knot still lockign them togehter.

kidd was whinining out a steam of appologies as he clung to killer and heat tried to keep the omega calm, pulling the blankets back up and around him.

"bo..." heat puased, 'killer-kun,' he tried instead, voice soft and low pitched, and killer looked up at him. "you /will/ be okay, do you hear me?"

by thr yimr heat had finished cleaning and bandaging killer, kidds knot had finally soffened enough for them to be seperated. bubblegum and papas had been called from theri own heat pile - bubblegum's heat always shorter than average and he was just vibing withthe other ogemas anyway and papas refusing to staw away once he casught scent of distress omega in tandum with Kilelr's name - and they waited outside to bundle killer up in more blankets and shuffle him off, leaving heat in the bloody den with kidd.

killer had done a good number on him, his arms just as ripped up as kilelrs, adn his throat torn and bleeding - he was lucky killer ahd only been trying to stop him nad not outrigth kill him.

the boy awas quajet as heat vleaned ihim up next, vioice a whisper, "i hurt him."

"you did," heat had never had a problem with the kid before - the pup was a wild handful sure, but what pup wans't? but he wasn;t a pup anymore, was he.

"i ... i bit him."

"you did," heat said again. if killer wasn;t in heat the bond probably wouldn't stick - put it wAS still the fact that kidd had tried.

it was sun who came in to deal with kidd after heat had finished banaging the boy; kidd wasn't heats pack after all. heat didn;t oown either of thfw paiet a thinfd, byt he also couldn't just walk away.

theyw here both msirable, their pak declairing them t be seperated until they could conrim where thie bond had taken or not - to stratch it thin and hope it was enough to sever tying them together even more

kidd was 14 - he was too young to be bonding anyway, and killer didn't need t obe trapped ina psudo-incetuois relationship without getting a sa in the matter first.

it was the fist time they'd ever had to deniy the kid anything, and that should have been a clue too.

kidd - cmng down off his first rut, no amunt of scubbing able to wash the smell of omega blood frm him - crying and demanind killer be brought back. they didn't even know for shure if it was an alpha thing or hte fact the two had never been forcable sperated before.

where the was one there was always the other

"he needs me!" kidd had demanded, trying to fight his way free. wire and orains agreeed to stand guard together, wire's beta's holding the line outside.

"does he, or do you need him?"

"og course, i need him yo didiots!" he's snarled, "but it's not about what i need!"

sun took pity on him, "you gotta give him some room, kidd. he's gotta clear his head. you messed up-"

"I KNOW THAT!' kidd nearly snapped at hi, "but i'll do better. see! see! i can fix it."

neither wire no sun did see, but hip, who been with hop amoungest wire's beta, looke dup sharply, pushing her way though with a look of cinfsuin tinges with horror. "pup?"

"I can fix it!" kidd insisted, turning to her, "I can go back! I can fix it! I slipped up, but it wont happen again!"

sun looked at hip for explination.

"His smells... gone. he smells liek a pup again. not an alpha, or even a beta."

"I know what that itch means now, i wont do it again" kidd swore, eyes empassioned like will alone could keep pubuty at bay.

"that.. thats not that this works. you can't jsut stop having ruts... we can get you some suppessents, that wll help"

"I don't care. I won't be an Alpha then. I'll fix it, I was wrong. I didn't understand." he rambled, pleeding, Wire didnt' like the convisin in his words, like thsic child could speak them into reality, "I wont be his Alpha. I'll be an omega like him. Hell. I'll stay pup if that what he needs me to be."

Hip scented the air in daze, the once bright orange clove of his smell comeing back with his rant with a dull almost netual beta scent, all emotion gone, before flairing sharply with an earthy omega undertone before he changed his mind and it went back to pup.

"Im whatever he needs me to be. I'll always be whatever he needs me to be"

if cam to be foudn out htat it wasn't killer who found kidd in the begning; but very much the other way around.

there owrld was not kind to omegas. no was it kind ot chidlren.

an alpha had  found an orpahned pup and stolen him away from the streets. who would notice after all?

took libertites with a child. it wasn't the alpha's pup so what did they care.

spent years abusing and tormenting a child. using him both in and out of their ruts.

the alpha sould have been delited with ht pup presented so young, and as an omega at that. tried to get his own pups out of his child bride.

triet to force a bond on a child in their first heat. the first weak, premature pusdo-heat triggered byt eh constant assults on a child tht had tollerated so much up intil that part, but this was too much, and when the alpha went for teh bond bite, they found themselves violently dnied. denied with a piece of scrap shoved htough their throat

unfortualy, the alpha had already knotted the pup, and htat where he lay trapped for days, pinned under the gore dead body of his adult captor.

in the begingin, he was too scared to cry out fo rhlpe - to scared tht all adults where like alpha.

but after the second day, starved, dehidrated, barely able to breath under the dead weight, he didn't care anymore. he wanted someone to help him. anyone.

day four, a red hair pup maybe half his age would brave the queit building fpr food; would canth his snent coiling out. kidd would wedge the body off him, would hold nad comfort /him/ as he left to exhaused to cry, just cling to him.

kidd who still had the stng neatual smell of pup, would rub all over him until the alpha was gone. would do so fro day, weeks, years, soothign ever nightmare and frea with pup pup pup

im your pup. your okay now.

pup

even if the Alpha had wanted pups, killer was far to smal and young and weak to carry htem ye, no mater how much the omega wanted to do waht Alpha wanted of him.

kidd held him through the miscarrige too; pup. pup. pup. kidd owuld spent the next ten years agressivly soothing killer's increasingly frazeled omega hindbrain with his scent

he'd been too youn to carry pups to tearm,a dn far to young to have nursed them even if he did; but the omega didn't understand that, and greddly accrepsed pup as his own, flooding his system with nursing pheromones that would have tappered off when pup started to be weened.

a decade later, he was still giving them off. still treating evey Alpha as a danger to his pup, lke any good omega parent would. kidd reinfocing the behavour by rubbing himself all over killer afterward, meaning to aonly sooth frayed meotions but strangthng their bond each time.

his heats did try to start back up aain when he was stogner, healther, older. he thought it might have been somekind of symphayth thing, feeling itchy and reslaess after they buried paaps in their nest after his was raided. kidd had done his best to rub over paaps like he did will killer that first day, papas still deep into his heat and stolen from his nest.

it had helped, but not enough,a dn in the end, killer made kidd leave and he held papas as the omega whnes and begged for relaease, and tried not to feel sick at himself as he touched back, recollection hazy at best the next day wen he woke up tanged with the older sleeping oemga, sweaty, sore and slick covred. kidd had crawled back int oteh nest somethime after they'd passed out and killer should had said something to papas then, but didn't know how.

eventually, other omegas would join their little pack, but killer was there for all of papas until then, unable to articulate what was happening, but equally unable to stay away.

by the time he wasa 14 - papas had othere to help him,a nd killer was eased out of the group during heats. which was fine - it was good his omega's had others who knew waht they where doing. killer was probably doing mare harm then good anyway. (the more omegas joinged the family, the more they mentioned his bad smell too. papas seemed to have only tollereated it becuase when it was jst them, he'd never brought it up, had had no issues rubbing agisnt killer's scent glands in the dark.... but killer heard him mention it now and again to the others. only kid dnad bubblegun seemed to not mind it. but kidd was a pup, and kilelr wans't sure how much he could pick up on smells anyway. and bubblegum had a bad Alpha, one that had marked him. left him smelling like the name he'd taken for himself - chewed bubblegum. his nose was all messed up - constantly calling the otheres out, saying kilelr was hte only one who did smell good.)

execpt killer itched and his skin scrawle dnad he wanted something, but he didn't know hwat nad the sharp edge his pack smells got in heat was liek a dagger to his chest and he didnt' know why.

he made a smaller second nest when the angery statcih in his head got too loud, al the smells he tryied to fi it with being wrong wrong wrong until he was too exhaused to keep tring and he;d curl up int he empty room and sob, clawing at his body to try and get hte itch out. rip chucnks of his own hair our to desrpatly stuff int he croners of the space.

until kidd owuld find him, drawing in a blanket form the omega nest, one that smelt liek enveryone still and kidd owuld smell liek pup and family and kidd would wrap him up and hold him tight until he stopped tryign to hurt himself. it wasn't like the itch that trying to claw its way out of him with papas, it was more tha tkidd smothtered it away, pushed it abck into sleeping. papas and he had rubbed and grinded and touched, seaking relief. kidd and he rubbed and cuddled and slept, seaking peace.

he couldn't express how it hurt for be excuded from heats; that his pack was digusted by his scent; that no matter how much he did he was kept at arms lenthg, bbubblegum and kidd the only ones who would scent him. the smell of his teams heats started to physcially hurt - leaving him bitting and clawing himself when left alone.

fightign with rivel ogmea Heat became the closest he would get to the depserate touch he craved, the frantic grappleing soothing the hindbrains need to he held

]]

and then instead of starting the pack heat cuddled up with the rest of the omegas like he'd been doing for years, kidd came stragin to him.

came stragiht to him smelling of bright oragen and smokey clove and killer didn't remmerb much more after that.

he had vague memories of it being happy. of feeling loved. fufilled. like he fiannly found that thing he'd been missing his whoe life...

only for everything to slide away when he was trapped again. swallowed up by fear, smothered and pinned. he couldn't breath again. couldn't move. ten years gone in a flash and he was back in that hell, Alpha ripping him open, threating him with pups and he was trapped. trapped. trapped.

Alpha at his back, breath heavy agaisnt his skin, mouthing at his neck. Alpha wanted to bond!

Bond and breed and killer couldn't get away, pain up his spine when he tried. this nest was bared, he scramped for a weapon but there was nothing this time. he started bitting and clawing anything in reach, even himself, sobbing when Alpha bit him; no flood of hormones, no soothing comfort of a bond, just terror and fear and killer ftasted Alpha's blood in his mouth and bit and bit and bit.

it was almost a relieve when his hyperventuneing finally let him pass out, if he couldn't espe phycailly, he could at least espcae mentally.

<><><>

"he smells lik hee always does..."  HE was in bubblegum's lap, wrapped in one of papas' hoodies as the other omega cuddled in his lap in turn. Papas said soemthing to bubblegum abck, but the words just buzzing. bubblegum ran a hand though killer's hair,a nd Papas curled around killer tighter though, rubbing scents with him. it hurt, it hurt alont, but it also felt so nice, and killer bit his lip to try not to cry. it was liek that first real heat, just him and papas, kidd wandering in and out each wave. he only had the one, despite bubblegums want of him ther for his next one, and despite everything, he couldn't help the soft rumble

<><><>

Papas shifted, senting him, studing him. he sat up then, stradling kilelr and bubblegum, and nuzzled kilelr again, searching his memeory. bubblegam sat quietly, contining to pet kilelr's hair.  papas knew this noise.... knew this scent...

this is what killer smelt like when they first met. he remmebred it now. remmebred being wrapped up in the teens nest, killer's purring a soothing anher when he was adrfit, his own nest violated. killer had smelled so good, how had he forgotten theat? bubblegum had beens aying it for years...

killer was there for that turbulent heat, stayed with him the whol time, turning a nightmare into finind his pack. he was jsut barely older than a pup hiimself at the time. papas inhaled sharply.

had kiler ever spelt liek pup? how had the missed that? for those months between heats, bjut him, kilelr and kidd - killer had nevr been teh ne that smelt like pup. that was always kidd. killer hadn't started to smell bad until.. until...

until there was more of them, and they had a fight. he remmebred now - they'd pushed kidd and killer out when the clothes started coming off - the new comers not wanting children around. bubbglegum ahd tried to argue othereise,a nd paapas.... he'd been ashamed - felt he must have taken advantage and didn't mention the two heats he;d already shared witht heir young pack leader.

he rememebred killer started to smell sour after that, until that was all he could remmer kilelr smelling like.

yet bubblegum claimed his smell had never changed. bubblegum who was still bonded to abselt terrible Alpha and still struggling with it. bubblegum who never really healed, a bonded omega always the odd one out even with their group of odd ones.

a tramatized, bonded omega without an Alpha... who would not only not be a threat to a nursing omega but a possible comfort, an ally, a needed compainion. another omega to help raise a pup.

and in the end - killer was an omega raising a pup alone. no alpha. no pack. he oozed this from his pores, phemomes a mother would give off for the first year or so after a pup was born, an omega dedicaed to their pup and no one else, a messure to drive alphas and healthy omegas away until their own pup was weaned. except kidd was way passed that age and a side effect of nursing omega was sometimes it wasn't sour to other nursing omegas or oemgas in distress.

they'd all missed it. they'd /all/ missed it, even bubblegum.

papas rumbled back at his young pack leader. even if he wasn't the alpha they'd all been gussing he was, killer was still half their leading duo...

it took a concious effort to keep purring once that thought crossed him mind, and he nosed at killer's bitten scent gland, picking up on the orange and clove notes.

it was both unfamilour yet not a stanger.

heat, of all omegas, joined them with more blankets and soup and a terrible smelling conoction of herbs as a post-heat preventative. he kept at arms length at first, letting Papas and bubblegum feed thier own as he sits abck and regards his young rival, before looing at bubblegum.

"he.... he never smell off tou you.. right? like he di to the rest of us?"

surppsited to be adressed by the someimes rival boss, someimes orgy partner, bubblegum just nodded. Papas looked between the two of them curriously.

"Is.. did it change now? or is it the same?"

"orange and lcove." papas offered, heat frowning. "your asking abotu the new smell?"

heat swore, nodding. "I was... hoping... that the bond wouln't take..."

"I don't think it did." bubblegum offered. Papas wasn't so sure, but fodused on trying to convied a barly concious killer to drinv some of the broth.

bubblegum secented kilelr, nearly spiling the soup and papas glasred.

"no, i don't think it did," bubblegum said again, "the bite smells like new Alpha, but not Killer. he smells jsut liek he always did."

"Teatree and mint?" heat asked.

bubble gum nodded.

"Are you sure? his base scent is unchanged?"

bubblegum smilled at him, before buring his nose the unmauled side of kilelrs neck, "i always wondered what our smells woudl be if we bonded." he chuckled, "I know killer-san's smell better than my own Alpha's by now. I could find him anywhere, jsut on smell. no matter what he prents as, kilelr is my alpha."

killer rumbled softly in responce, but no one was really sure how much he was understand of their conversation, or just responding to bubblegums affection.

bubblegum purred back.

"when did the purring start?" heat asked, trying to piece toghther the signs they missed.

bubblegum frowned for a moment, some new information shifting in place. "It's mostly with Kidd, but he's always done that." bubblegum assured him, "Just never realised it was purring..." he mussed.

[[address kidd being /the/ alpha with the crew]]

it was another day before killer started to really come back to himself, the smell of distress fadinf into exhustion. killer still spend his day tucked into a new one of papas sweatshirts, curled up in bubblegums' lap.

he tollerated the gaggle of omega's rubbing on him, learning his new smell, but repeatdly wanteded Kidd, calling out for his pup until he'd doze off again for a half our or so, only to wake up and the whoe process repeased.

"I want Kidd," he whined again, Quincy stroked teh side of his head where he'd pulled one good chuck out, skin only just scabbed over.

"i know you do," she soothed, "just another day or so, jsut to be safe"

kilelr made an angry noise at that,  clearly not wanted to wait another day.

Mosh piped in as the next voice of reason, "first heats sometime have some false sops and starts, we want to be sure yours is really over before kidd comes around."

"I've share lots of heats with Kidd" killer argued, leaving most of his crew look uneasy. Papas and Bubblegum whod been talking with HEat and started to put the pcutre together already grumbled unhappily, Bubblegum righteing his hold and leaving papas angry in putskirt of their collective.

"But Kidd's an Alpha now," bubblegym said before anyone else coudl question killer's statment, "an alpha who was in a rut, and tried to bond with you."

killer looked liek he was ready to agure, but papas spoke up next, "A 14 year old alpha who you where okay with until you suddenly weren't and neither one of there were in your right minds to tell us why."

killer got quiet at that; He wasn't really sure he remmerbed abything past the bitter start that was all his heats, except. "...it was nice... until it wasn't."

papas wanted to fling himself at thier little leader, sooth away the coil of distress starting to tighten again. "So give us one more day, okay boss? one more day to make sure your both clear headed."

/one more day to make sure the bond didn't take/

Hip warned tehm there was something wrong with Kidd's smell - none of them had any idea how he was doign it, but he was right back to smelling like pup.

He jsut about launched himself at Killer, who clung back like kidd was the start and end of his whole world. it was equal parts endering and [embarassing] and if it was any other cirumstanced, it would be the soruse of teassing for days.

in real time, the omega watched in faciation as killer's scent turned sour again as he scented his pup, rubbing still healing glands all over kidds own neck and face.

Kidd who was crying, and appologizing and promsing nevr to let it happen again. killer jsut shushed him, and he was crying too, and the other ogema's turned to look at Hip for answeres.

"I have no idea - he was talking crazy, and his scent was all over the place. he was a beta and an oemga at one point too!"

the wanted to not beoiece her, but she poitned to him - smelling liek the last week and change hadn't happened.

it worked until the two of them fianlly passed out from exhaustion, still wrapped up in each other. as soon as kidd was unconsious, the bright notes of clove and orage silled the nest, and their hearts collectivly sank as killer's scent sweated too. it shot right pas the teatree mint aht thed started to learn over hte last fwe days, and coloured with clove imediatly. kidd too tingled with mint.

damn.

kidd woke up first; he knew imediatly by their faces somethign was wrong, and he oozed distress as he curled around Killer. "no no no.." he whimpred, and UK was there to shoos him hefore he woke killer up. Uk carefully took the still sleeping half of thei duo leaders as boogie concolced Kidd. both looked over in shock as kidd frowned, eyebros drawn togther in a furrow, and his scenet changed again. it slipped back to pup, killer's sunconsously changing to match, before kidd seemed to loose coneration, goign right back to alpha as his eyes rolled abck in his head and boogie caught him before he crashed to the ground.

He came back around a few minutes later, looking rather upset,

kidd rejected - quite vocally - any attempts to call him alpha - souring anytime it was brout up. int he mean time, killer refused to le tthem be seperated a second time, more snarly and on edge than they'd ever seen him before. as the only other bonded (to an alpha) omega, bubblegum was left to explain as best he could the 'hoenymoon' phase the two where in.

"getthing split up right afte rht bond probbaly made them more clingy," he conceded, ahving alreay really hoped the bond wouldn't have fallen though.  not that he wish any ill on either of his pack memebers, but that kidd realy outta be older forst, killer maybe getting a change to see him as something besides a pup. he worred that afterit their disastours first shred heat that the next coupling was goign to be a repeat preformance.

heats are not universal, some omegas have them seasonaly, some jsut once a year. Papas had alays been very regualr, one int he fall and one int he spring. Killer might be leader, but he was young, and he followed apapas cycles instead of developed one of his own. in turn, between the two, evenaltly all the other omegs snced up too.

there were all on edge as the months ticekd by, all eyes off kidd too see if he'd rut again. if thir crew was aboutto be broken forever by volitile alpha hormones. heat and Wire's group lurked aorund the edges, the ebtas waiting to see if they'd need to step in agaisnt an increasingly uneasy teenager.

it was their first heat as a famiyl with an alpha instead of their pup, and none of them knew what to expect.

kidd who had made himself scarce as the days ticked down, making killer promise to stay behind with their pack no matter what happened. kilelr was angry, but agreeed.

presenign as a pup was getting ahrder and harder with each passing day, no matter waht kidd did. but he refused to be the reason his family broke up; refused to the the alpha nightmare that lurked intheir collective consiousness. sun stalked behind him, his strange beta shadow, his odd man out compainon ove rhte years.

"tell me now, boss, am i stopping you if you trying goin back?"

"if i say no?"

"then i point out that you might not have a pack after. heat and wire already offred to shelter us if you go bezerk. they got thier own pup now. i dunno if they'll all go, but... if you go alpha on 'em, we aint a fmily anymore."

"im not ... i'm not gpoign alpha on nobody. not ever gagin. i promised killer."

"you can't possible keep a pomide liek that boss."

kidd snarled at him, but said nothing, stalking the parmiter as the smells of his wary family stabbed at him.

kidd whined when his packs scents when sharp as heats setteld in. sun sat next to him. "We're still too close, Why ar eyou tortuing youself liek this?"

"becuase i gotta learn to control it. i scared kil and i won't let it happen again."

"you're an alpha boss - "

"No, I'm kidd. this is me and killer's crew and i'm gonna earn thei respoecet back becase i'm me, not some stupid knothead."

sun sighed, but let the kidd tourute himself a little longer.

the omega's are halfway thought heir heat, and kidd was started to whine -a deep sound in his thorat that he

knotting is what messed it up last time. so i just wont do that this time.

you thinkyou can keep that up?

of course.

he's pacing; killer's calling for him, their link shaky still at best, but kilelr wants him.

but is killer calling for kidd the pup... or Alpha?

he hates that he doesnt' now.

he wishes orains wasn't a beta. he want to check his smell fore he approached, nevious

compo met him at the entrance, looking him over causiosly. they sencted him, pressing their head agaisn this, "i still don't understand how you do this boss..."

"im Boss," kidd gently butted heads with the big ogema, "that how i do it. i gotta take care of my pack after all."

comp chuckled - a low sad sound.

"I.. I can stay way astill, if everyone wants. but.. i jsut.. how killer?"

it was his partner's first shared heat with the other omegas in years. kidds memeories of killer's self soothign and self harming bahavor over the last couple years int he for frint of him worries.

compo glanced backa t hte nest before their face fell, "we messed htat up pretty abd, didn't we?"

kidd didn't want to make things worse, said nothing

"I think he was pretty overwhealmed at first. UK caught him biting his arm early on and him and quicy have been keeping an eye on him since then."

kidd slumped, looking toward the nest.

"Boss?"

"Hmm?"

"Boss Killer - he uh... before you two... last time..."

kidd came him a wary lok, and compo moved forward.

"Do you know if Boss Killer's ever shared a heat before, or even messed around with anyone outside a heat?"

"um. him and papas had.. two heats, i think. outside of those.... not cause he wanted too. and ah... that was along time ago. real long time ago." 

compo make an unhappy grumble. "yeah, okay, that tracks." he tok in kidd's look, "sometimes he seems to know what to do, what he wants, but then he jsut freezes up and wont let anyone to touch him. Bubblegum's just kinda been cuddlign him for most of the day

uncertain if he would be welcome, kidd causiosnly eased in the nest behind compo. he'd never been nervious to enert the nest before - brazeling wandering in and out as he pleased for years. he turned to compo, makign sure he still ahd control on his gender, still as nutral as he could maintain, un assuming beta that wouldn't sway and feelings or

he wasnt sure how he'd feel, seeing his partner in one

he waits patently, each of his omega's rubbing and scenting him in turn, waiting for his presences to be acceted. as a pup he;d just done as he pleased, but kidd understodd that since presenting as Alpha - no matter waht he will himself to be right now, any trespasing would be seen as an Alpha attacking. he knew doing the wrong would loose him his whole family.

killer was last, if only becuase kidd wasn't sure he'd care about anyone else after him.

killer is sceneting him then, purring, pulling kidd down against him. it was the best killer had ever smelled, kidd thought - even better than his last heat. last heat was good becuase kidd wass fianlly old enought o appreacitate it. this heat was better, so much better. killer smelled happy and healthy and he wasn't stressed and upset. he wasn't lonely. there was no underpining of pain and blood from hurting hisemf-

-and then his crew is moving, pulling them apart in a rush.

killer whines amd kidd is halfway though a snarl when he realises what's happened. Hop has him in a deadlock, Hip blocking him from returning to killer. Bubblegum is pushing the other omega's back across the nest, trying to put as much space been tween them and Alpha.

kidd bits his btttom lip so hard it's bleading freely, and he's working on getthing his head under control. he's not a knothead. he's not some bull alpha on a rampage. he's eustass kidd and this is his /family/

"okay..okay" Hip is saying, Hop loosening her grip. Hip reachs up to rub away the blood on his face, "kidd, you with us again?"

He nodds, doube, triple checking his control before he dares to speak,"Yes. Yes, i'm got it."

she scents him for a moment, before a shy little smoile crosses her face,"be an omega with us kidd," she purrs, "beta's can't smell for shit." Hop scoffs behind them.

"i think if you can smell us better you won't have to fight so hard."

being an omega is far better than a beta, the room explosed in smells and colours and the weight of heat setting overhim like warm blanket on a chilly winter morning. the scent rubbing starts again, after he passes hip's approval until he'd back to killer again, loosely held abck in ubblegum;s arms with a silly littel grin on his face.

kidd dutity sncents bubblegum first, how has the gall to nip back at him with a smirk.

kille still smells wonderful, but her's no rush this time, intenst, but calmm and kidd is purring with him this time. the noise echoing back and for beteern the pair.

at best, kiddw as in some kind of psudo heat, wanting just the press of bodies agaisn thim, the warma nd smell of back without all the groping and wet. he was more than content to stay curled avound his mate, breathing him in while the other omega's around them indulged in each other.

quincy braoched their bubble first, boldly kissing killer infront of kidd, watching their young coleader's reaction. if kidd wanted to be jekous, it was wiped away easy by the happy purr from killer who melted under the older omega's touch. she kissed kidd next, a softer more chase kiss but still heacy with adoration and love. she rubbs cheekc with him after, brefore returning to killer.

kidd nibbled on killers neck as quincy showded killer with phypical affection. he basked in the happy content loved smell that came of not jsut killer but his whole crew.

he'd long enjoyed napping and lazing about int he nest during the luls in their heats, but the last few years he'd always been torn between pack and killers nests. it was noce to have everyone together finally in one place.

it was nice to have killer smell so happy for once; cries of pleasure instead of ones of pain, falling apart under quincy's experet hands, not tearing himself up alone in the dark.

kidd stayed until the wave crashed, sexual fresnzie simmereing back down as the omegas curled up for a neeed rest. Orains and Hop brought water and snacks, checked in with everyone. killer was passed out in kidd's arms, and the last thing the young man wanted to do was leave, but he could feel the exhuastion creeping in.

his pack still had another day or so of heat, but kidd was at his limit.  UK seemed to scense it too - comeine over toe rubb on kidd before settling in to rouase killer with food, coaxing him aawy so kidd could leave.

he rubbed his forhead agaisnt killer first, geting a content sleepy purr from is partner, before retutuing uk's rub. hip and hop next. papas and compo. quincy and bubblegum. Orains walked him put, arm slung aver his shoulder. "how you holden up boss?"

"Gonna sleep until their done probably."

the beta chuckled, cheek rubbing his temple, "you want company?"

kidd smiled. he did, truthfully, but he also knew he wasn't goign to notice either way.  "nah. jsut make sure i'm breathing still everyone and a whil;e."

"will do boss."

kidd did sleep though the rest of the his packs heat, technically slipping into a rut, but too exhaused to do anythign about it. his wake up formt he slight coma he put himself was a pleasent surprise, finding killer plastered agsint him, dozing, and mosh fiddeling with some thing nearby. kidd motioned mish to stay quiet, smirking down at killer. mosh winked at him, and let the two of them be for a little longer.

they'd have one more disasetious mating before kidd figured otu the pattern; it was hard to think in a rut, killer to far gone in his heat to offer much byt he way of workds as to why he'd grown upset.

it was the knotting. killer's go from happy - if nto demanidn - omega to deathly quiet, colour gone, frozen in place. and then he was fighting like his life bepended on it, bitting and clawing, kicknad nad thrashing. gribbed by a terror rooted into a lifelong trama,

<><><><>

he's 6, when they find the first missing poster.

it could be for anyone - a baby gone missing a half decade a go - but body never found. neihter of them recognize the name. William Euastace. posted by the boy's survivng coisuin, who just turned 18.

a baby with bright red hair, amber eyes, pale skin with heavy freackles.

Kidd's the right age, and there is a resep;ace tot he aged up skistch posted.

Killer had pulled it town, starting a thte little boy in the drawing.

a month later, he was holding kidd's hand, knocking ont he door of a littel brick house int he city. he was antzy, bouncing in place a little, grib on kidd's hand flezing. the woman who answered the door looked like an adult kidd, and killer's heart sank.

SHe didn't even see him, gasping and bursting into tears at seeing kidd. she sobs, puuling himinto a hug, rubbing agaisnt him fursiosuly, searching him for any smell of her family, desperate for pack. the stange sick smell to him buried in her own pumkin and cinnimon alpha smell.

and then kilelr was gone, just kidd and his cousin.

he lived with her for two months -- she was sweet and kind and everything kidd htought a family was supposted ot be. clean bed, indoor pumbing, warm meals. new clothes, new shoes, new name.... he wasn't kid anmore - but william. she was goign to enrol him in school. they where talking about getting him a tutor.

"who'd you know to look for me?" he asked her one night as she tucked him in to her bed; she'd only have the one and was sleeing on the counch in the dining/living room.

"I'd

"can anyone look for someone liek that?

"How do you mean?"

"Killer. My pack. maybe we can find his family?"

she didnt' say no, not outright, but he could tell she wasn't so certain.

"his name was Doruyanaika before.. Doruyanaika Shiruton. but his old alpha called him Victoria."

His cousin asked the PI who helped her look for William about a Doruyanaika Shiruton that went missing six or seven years ago. no such perosn was ever reported missing, or even killed.

but about 10 years ago, there was a littel girl with that name born to the Shiruton family who lived port side. SHe doesnt' tell her littel cousin it, not yet, maybe he'd miss heard his freinds name. as far as she could tell, he hadn't gone by it in a long time, so kidd might have gotten it confused.

The Shirutons look identical to the little boy who'd brought her cousin back to her. there are children everywhere, dirty and rough and tumble and wild, a dozen or so all under the age of 8. Their parensts where home, they said, being watched over by a teenager neighbor.

"I was loking for Doruyanaika? I think my kid brother is freinds with her, and i wanted ot invite her to his birthday parrty?" he lied to the babysiter. her lie was clocked immediaty, the boy ushering the kids outside, looking at her with a scared look.

"How do you knwo that name? who sent you here? you tell that asshole to fuck off - leave the kids alone!"

"wait - no.. who?"

"You don't work for [redacted]?"

"no.. no! who?"

"Fucking creep who keeps trying to buy kids of mr Shirton. I know they sold off at least two of them already... but... you're not witht hem? ar you"

she felt faint; no missing poster needed if youre sellign your chidlren. blues... kidd certanily didn't know - but did killer?

the babysiter guided her to sit down, handed her a glass of water. "so... so Doruyanaika's still alive? if your borhter knows her?"

should she say something?

"I never really knew her, i only started lokign after the kids last year; they were jsut left home alone all the time and i was worried abot them. stated hanging out after classes, ya know?"

"I.. you really think the /sold/ their own child?"

"At least twice. they keep coming aorund trying to buy more."

she swore. he nodded.

she left before the shirton parents showed up; she wasn't strong enough to confront them. but she knew the truth now. and the babsiter at least knew one of the missing chidlren was still out there, alive. SHe wishes she'd talked to kidd more about the boy who brought him to her.

she wishes she'd paid more attention to the child; wishes she'd said something - anything - to the child; invited them inside. Something.

later that night, as she washes the plates from dinner, william tucked in for the night, she finds herself starting out the kitchen window at the rain.

she thinks back on the sick smell that clung to william those first few days; old pack scent markers rubbed onto him over his neutral pup smells. she'd never been so spurred to action to scent over someone like that before, not even realising what she'd done until that moemnt.

pup's dont have their own scents. they can't mark others, only be marked by pack. she'd been able to overwealm the smell so easily. it wasn't an alpha who marked him. maybe a beta... but that sick sour smell....

...

.

she froze, looing at he plate in her hand, thinkign about the little boy she'd barely looked at, holding william's hand on her door step.

she'd.. she'd just stolen an omega's pup. it was her family - she had rights to him. she was legally allowed. the fact she could override the pups scent so eaily proved that.

she's had omega freinds, but never an omega partner. She was 12 when her family had been murdered, her parents and her father's parents, and his brother and his family. but it wasn't so long ago that she didn't remmeber her omega parent.

william had left. he'd left her a note - unsteady hand and terrible speelling; he was so far behind his peers in reading and writing,a dn she'd only barely had a chance to start helpign him with that.

thank you, the note had said, for careing enough to look for me.

it went on the say that he liekd living with her, he liked having a cousin. but he missed his pack, and he needed to go home now. he ahd signed it kidd wllam eustass

she kept an eye out, but she never saw either of them again. not for yeats and years.

in hee lock box, with her important papers, are four aged papers. a missing poster, a goodbye note, and two wanted posters: one of her cousin and another of his mate.

<><><><>

they wont liekly ever have pups of their own. Its not impossible: its as good as a three in twenty chance if killer fucks him outside of a rut or heat. ANd Kidd would welcome it if it happened. but by now, the whole pack knows killer won't be able to cary any pups of his own to term, his head too fucked up even if they don't know the details. little care is usually taken during heats, but Orains and Hop are both very careful about what acts they engact in with Kidd's partner during them now - and the warning has been passed on to wire and his beta's one their packs offically mearged.  And as high as 50/50 of Killer getting pregnant even if kidd's outside his rut. Even higher if killer hooks up with a beta in his heat.

and kidd eaily come to tearms with the fact that its his knot - the big things that alphas all ove rht world crow about and so many of them make to eb their hwole personaitlties - that he woun't liekt ever knot an omega ever again. he can't imagin being to connected to anyone besides killer liek that - he loves his pack,a nd he has fucked pleaty of them since preenting, but he doesn't want to knot them, and he certainly wouldn't do such a thing in fron t of killer even if he wasnted to. but killer cannot untangle the action from his childhood, and kidd certaily is not quilified to wrok him through sometthing liek that.

kidd has also gotten much stronger, phycially, emotionally, mentally, and his grip on his willpower frightened those who done't knwo him.

he loves it,

he blends into the omega's of his pack flawlessly when awake, able to hold it from sun up to sundown, days at a time. Beta is still ahrder - he doesnt' like how dull and dreary the world goes, adn he finds hiself rediculouisly overaffectionat with his betas in the dys after. Wire will hide from him after, finding it jsut too much for him.

he's gotten so good at it, then they think him being an Alpha is the trick, which cracks him up to no end. 

<><><>

its a... strange system they have, and sometimes kidd wonders if kilelr is actually okay wit hit or not. wire had already tutted over him,a dn is dottering over heat now. they're knotted otgether ; sctratching an itch for them both and little more.  Heat's name can't forma  knot and kidds cant...

"do you think.. can shit you go though as a kid make you present one way or anyother later?"

his bed amtes seemed to thin it over, "i think i heard once, that the trama your parents go though can get written into your dna; stravation, assult, fear... esepeally your birth parent, it can all factior into things liek your weight and hieight. parents who where malnutised or lived though famile tend to have babies that store fat easier, but if the famile is while the parent is pregnate, then they are smalla dn tiny and tend to be omega." wire said finally,a dn heat nodded his agreement.

"assult and war tends to lead to biggered baboes that tend to be alpha from what i undesatd. but.. that's all whiel still in utero or before. not sure there's much study for after."

heat can't comeforelble torn around to study kidd's face, but he can snuggle into wire,a nd wire can look at kidd.

kidd ran his hands soothingly doen Heat's back, thinking of how much to share what was on his mind.

"when.. when i was little, my family died. i was left alone." he said  carefully, "i would break into the big houses on the hill, live int hem when they left for vacations. spend alot of time watching for people to stop coming and going for a couple days and sneak in. eat them out of house and home until they came backand then lookf or a new place."

>>>>

the alpha must have left early in the morning while he was sleeping, becuawe th ekid nevr saw it ehad out, but the house was clearly empty. not a hint of anyhone home for a few days now. he'd have to move fast, in case it was a short trip.

a window tot he basement wasn't fully latched and the kid was easily small enough to shimmy though. and then the house was his for the raiding. bast enxpseaice had tought him not to gourge himself on day one less he throw it all back up later.

it was early afternoonw hen he finally ehard it; no, he'd been hearing the scatching, he'd jsut been to preocupied with food. but he stood at the landing of hte stairs up to the second lever where the bedrooms and private rooms would be. there again he heard it, a soft creak, scatching noise and then silancce again.

soemthing was up there.

the kid nibbled on the block of cheese he'd found, listening.

it wnet quiet again, but the lack of sound was all he could focus on now.

once he was up the stairs, he coudl.... smell... it. stale blood and death. something died up here nad it wasn't pleasent. he wonder it if the the alpha, or something worse.

he sould turn aroudn and walk away before someone showed up and they thoguht he was invovled with what ever was ont he other side of this door. the kid stood outsode the wood door to what was listely the master bedroom. this is where the smell is from.

the scartching is behind the door. a slow drawn down sound.

the door isn't locked, it creaks open when he tries the knob, the smell like a wall inside.

the alpha is laying naked in a pool of its own blood in the middle of the room, a shatted ceramic wash basin scattered across the floor. the dead eyes of the alpha stare at him as she stands int he door way. it's started to rot, it reksa, and the kids stockage rolls as he scrambles away.

he's about to fling himself down the steps when the scratching comes back; its not the slow sound tht's been teasing him all mosting, but almost a desteraere sound, scambling.

the alpha's body moves, its shoulder rolling, but dead eyes remaining looking a thte kid.

thes a flash of soemthing else moving... the kdi froze - it looked liek a hand clawing at he fllor never to the alpha's head.

sure enough, the kid runs arounf the body, and there it a child size arm and hand reaching out from under the aphla's bloated body. their fingers are bloddly, nails raged and torn as they fight for purchase of the floor, gouges in the wood, that terrible scratch soudns again.

the kid doesn't even stop to think, starts to try and push the alpha's body awya. he can't get the leverage, whining as he can't get eh body to move. befoe rhe leaves though, he takes the bloody hand in his own. it's twice the size of his but so tiny comapres the the alphs. the hand recoils at first, but the kid parts it with he ofhte hand. "imma be right back, okay? just wait foe me."

it takes some seaching, but he finds strong iromn rods byt he fire place, and the kid cna use thses to lever the body...

he pats the hand when he returns, "im back, im here," he reassures.

'...pl..se...' comes a tiny croacking sound, '....hlp.'

"I'm here," the kid assures, and he;s able to wedge the body upa nd away,

the girl's maybe twice the kids age, a bare eight years to the kids paultry four. they're brused and dehydraded from being under the corpse for so long, long since run out of tears, vocec virtually gone. they're little more than skina nd bones, naked and still knoted to the alpha kid has freed them from. red and white paint their legs when they rips herself free and the kid holds them to him when they collaspes and jsut pants into his chest.

eventually, the kid gets the girl downt he stais, the two curling up under the table int he kticehn, the kid slowley getting them to drink some of the water, eat soem of the bread goign stale ont he coutner.

it's another day before they seems to start coming around; their face still gaunt and thin, skin like paper -  it will take years before they dens't look like death anymore. the kid prods them to munch of little bits of food, to drink water, even goign to far as to try and make them some tea, thinkign the warm water would help. finally, they seems to find thier voice, throat still raw from days yelling for yelp.

"what;s you anme" they asked him finally, as the both of them pulled towles and drapperes into a nest under the kitchen table - any large fabrics that coudl be found that didn't smell so strong like the alpha upstairs. the kid jsut shakes his head; he knos he ahd one, but the harder he tries to reember it, the more it slips aywa.

they nods, seemign to undesrtand. "Alpha called me Vicrotia, but... but i was never her. but i can't remmebr before"

the kid could understand that. he called them Victoria just the once, but they looked so sad, he didn;t use it again.

they stay hiding in that ktichen thought he hotest part of the summer. victoria got sicker and sicker as the weeks ticked by, until by late january they lay listed and crying in pain in thie little nest.

and then they started bleeidng again. when the kid first foudn them , they'd bled for a few days, torn and ripped from the alpah's knot that they'd been trapped on besude ebihng trappe dunder the adult. it was so muhc worse this time, thier body cramped and wracked in pain. the ehere both sure they must be dying; but at least they was dying in a warm nest and not with thier alpha upstairs. the kid ignored the mess of the nest, cuddling with them ash cried themselves to sleep

hte blood is wrong though, thick, clotted and dark. gry and white something in the discharge.

mischarage. they dont knwo the wrod for it for yeara nd years alter, but she stares at it and seems to know on some level what happened.

'are you.. better .. now?" the kid asked once the bleeding stopped again, yet they looked

'a pup...; they whispered.

they would leave soon after, pockets filled with easily pawnable goods, back pack of what non persasbal efood they could gather. outsiders had started to drop by looking for alpha l they needed to go before someone was brave enough to opent he door.

kid also hid a way a stack of papaers he'd found; he coul;dn't read them, but there was a picture of a little girl that looked alot like victoria nad he 

the watched the building burn from an alley across the street. kid would find them a new place t squat n that night.

"i killed my alpha," they whisper. kid want to argue that their alpha was a shit excuse of a perosn, and good ridance. "i killed my pup too."

the kid crawls up into their space, he doesn't know about the lat part, but he certaily wont say that maybe it was for the best.

they decide to kill vicotia too - in the end. "wans't ever her"

they are just the killer and the kid.

thresers some kind of sick irony to the whole ordeal, heat watching over a rival omega in his own nest with his own pup; but he kid's head is scrambled right now, and his own pack agrees that they smell the same right now, and heat hates hates hates the implications of that.

thats that his gratest rivals are a pack aof fucking idoits being led by a tramatized child - no matter what age he is now.  half a decade of figthting and mauling each other - all becuase everyone involved ewas too stupid to sit a couple kids down and bother exolaining the birds and the bees and maybe realsing what the fuck was ogign on.

he's never seen kilelr as naything but an agreey spitting cat, and now the bastards only finally stipped crying and is purring and cooing over dive like a baby sick omega.

bcause that's what he is.

he hasn't got the tits to nurse, but by god the both of them are tryng, and heat knows he's gonna have to fix this mess, all while delaing wiht the fact a rival omega is in his fucking nest with /his/ ppup.

someone should have picked up on this. the sick smell, the grezzy hair, the hostility to outsiders. killer /literally/ butted heads with everyone, but not like an alpha; a side swip that was an omega fucking marking their pack.

he was doing it now to heat's pup, rubbing his greazey, scent oil thick hair against dive's little head and heat grawled a warning.

the prick had the gaul to purr at him.

for 5 years, heat had been trying to kill this bastard, now he was trying to plya house. his skin crawled and he would really like to have wire back please.

instead, he stomped over nad took his pup back, ignoring the way both of them whines at being seperated. 'oh shus' he hissed, plobbing down in his nest nest to kilelr and arranging dive so she could suckle. she latched on instantly and heat ////hated//// the sour smell coming off killer as he watched heat feed his pup so effortlessly.

he would liek this bullshit to end, and he wanted his rival back. they where suppoted to be stabbing each other, lighteirng the oter on fire. not.. cuddled in the dim light of his nest.

heat should be taunting the other omega over his inadiqasize. shaming him for being an unfit omega. but the though of it was bitterand heavy in his chest, and heat, cruely,  grabbed af ist full og greazy har and lead killer around by it until the younger aomega was touched up agins this other side, head resting on his colour bone across from dive.

the purr was so deep it rattled heat's teeth, and he wached kilelr hold his hand up to his pup until her tiny hand clased his finger and she clung back to him.

'don't let her slip' heat told hte other omega, one arm trapped under dive's litlel body,t he other still tangled in killer's hair. killer nodded, and heat abdesltymngly sought out the pinna scent gland all omega's have behind their ears. he got a fucking squeeking purr for his efforts and he was gign to murder every last one of killer's pack for being so stupid.

he woke form his doze when his pup was shifted, being moved form his left tit to his right, hungery little mouth latching abck on almost immediatly. killer was no longer propped up agisnt him, curle din hte space at his side, giving die enouraging little chirps.

he smelled calmer now at least, and heat was hoping the happy noises where a sign his might be cmeong back around. not that he traked other packs or anything shit like that, but the eustass ogme's still ahd another day or so to their heats leaft and Heat was hoping killer was synced up and his own voliotly and elevated hormones would calm down witht he others.

thre was also a chance his fucked up head would keep him like this until didve wasn't trying to nurse anymore - or worse, grew out of her epup phase like kidd had, and Heat had no earlthyly idea how the hell he was suposted to deal wiht that.

the fall out when the omega's came around was ging to be gnarly, kidd was under house arred by wire and his own two betas and killer was mia becuase they where all fucking stupid.

he'd like to chew the two betas out some more, but orains admitted that kidd and co was his first time aorund omegas (and alphas) having been raised bt betas his whole life nad not ahivng the nose for any of the signs being given off. hop had a vague idea somehting had happened, but she was still plAYING NURSEMAID FOR HE OMEGAS and they felt it best to let her stay focus on that.

<><><>

wire joined him again finally after the third day. killer had started to cme back to himself that morning, uneasy and hostile. amusingly, all heat had to do has hand him dive and it was like flipping a switch, and he was back to calm and doting. he should not being using his pup like that, but he was also hestitant to kick killer out without addressing the elephant int he room.

besides, it was actully a ittle nice to let killer play omega so heat could great wire properly when he asked to coem intot he nest. Hea tloved all his pack - but he maybe lved wire alittle more than anyone else. killer didn't seemd t pay them the slightest mind, fully engrossed in the tiny pup. hell, he'd even been content to change dirty nappies, and heat was taking full advangage of that, even if it took longer becuase he had to show killer how to do it right.

eventually though.

the talk.

wire - massive tall bean pole that he was - sat at one en dof the nest, his legs straching out acrosshte whole area. killer - for all he;d been cuddly wit heat the last few dyas - wa tucked as smll as he could get at he far end, trying no to touch anyone but dive. but heat had taken his pup back, nd was sat infon of wire, resting agsint his broad chest and the trio was just the picture of domesciitcy,

that sour smell was lurking agian.

time to adress that.

"so - now that your pups al grown up, you jsut goign to ditch him to steal mine?"

killer looekd at him like heat had reached over and slappe dhim, dark look and all.

good. the dreaded prick was there still.

"kidd is ... kiss in mine. how dare you think i would just.. ditch.. him." he snareled out the word.

heat carefull did not react at first, making a point o slowly look  up from dive to kiler.

"haven't you already? ditched one pup for a new one?" it's crule, and heat know it. knows that what he's accusing the omega of doing is horrific and not something any sane omega would do. but unwell, sick, tramazed? absoulty. "Kidd's not your pup. not really. you have to know that." he continures

wire is quiet behind him, a hand on his thihg to ground him, but otherise stoicly netural. the perfest specime of beta.

killer's scent takes a disctreesed smell too it, but the pup sick smell that he's been so known for is weaker than usual.

"what happened to your pup - your real pup?"

there is no comforintg smells for killer to cling too - trapped in another omeg's nest. heat can smell his heatache, he distress. its thick enough, that his sure wire can pick it up too.

"the one you rpalced with kidd? where are they?"

killer growled something. disctress and anger and fear and hate. the hate is the thickest. loathing. abhorrence. revulsion.

"I can't hear you. Omega, where is your pup?"

"Kill - "

No, heat whont let him humanize himself, "Omega -"

"Kil - "

"OMEGA!"

"Kille dhtem!" killer yealled, and heat realized he'd misunderstood him. he wasn't correcitng heat - he wan't insisint on heat usuing his name... he was telling heat how he'd gottne his name....

"Killed pup! i did. killed pup! killed pup, killed omega, killed alpha. all of them. killed them!"

wire takes did ve from heat, as the ogme'as voice raises and he shouts and yells "I did! i killed htem! me! i;m he killer, im the killer!"

heat scoots forward. "what omega? what omega did you kill?" becuase there was still something mixed up i this. his parents maybe? was the pup a sibling?

"i killed htem. i kileld omega. no more pups, no more alphas. i killed omega. i killed all the pups. no more alphas."

shit... "how many pups?"

"me."

"Killer..." heat reache dout, rubbing the omeg's arms soothingly, pulling his hands away from where he was trying to claw his arms, "How many pups did you kill?"

"Doruyanaika. no... no alpha killed her. i killed alpha. alpha made her be Victoria. Victoria kileld alpha. Victoria had pup. i killed thie pup. or.. or Victoria killed htier pup. i killed Victoria and alpha..." he was dstarting to hyperventialate, to fight heat's hold.

"Is Doruyanaika and Vcitoria the same person?" wire asked carefully.

"no.. no alpha said Doruyanaika was gone. no one wanted her. she was dead. that im Victoria now. alpha says im Victoria now."

heat went cold, his mouth dry, and he glanced over to see wire close his eyes and hang his head.

"how old was Doruyanaika,' wire asked, "when Alpha said she died?"

killer's eyes where vacant and crazed, but he looked at wire like he was go glad someone was fianlly understanding all the gubmled memoeries he couldnt untangle for himself. "Five. She wanted to go home so bad. No one ever came to get me. Alpha said no one cared, and they never came looking for her. No one wanted her. They hated me. Wanted me to go away."

"so you where Victoria after that."

kiler nodded. "Alpha said so. Alpha loved Victoria."

"Was.. Did Alpha hurt Victoria?"

"all the time."

"Victoria can't follow rules. they have to be punished. Victoria does't go down staris, doesnt look out hte window. They arn't allowed to leave nest Alpha made. Alpha chains htem when they try, so they dont anymore."

"alpha wants pups, but it huuuuurts. it hurts so much, but alpha wont stop. Victoria begs and begs, but alpha just hits them. hurts more next time."

"This time is differnt, Victoria can smell alpha this time. everything semlls funny. everything burns. hurts differnt. Victoria tried to run; alpha broke the water pitcher on them. not int he nest this time, Alphas gonna nkot Victoria in the glass..."

"shrads everywhere..." heat utrned killers fac eup to him, the lost look. broken, but not scared anymore. tired. "Alphas gonna get pups this time. Victoria knows. Alpha cant be allowed pups. Alpha wants a bond. bitting. and a knot. Victoria wont let alpha have pups. can't be allowed pups."

"what did Victoria do?" wir prompts.

"lets alpha bite. lets alpha knot. stabs alpha in the face witht eh glass. stabs put alphas throat. alpha can't have pups."

fuck.

"how old is Victoria?"

"Dunno. Doesnt' amtter. Victoria gonna die too. trapped. no one but alpha"

killer lookes confues. "pup .. pu is htere. pups there already. pup saves Victoria form alpha..." he's looking down at his own gut, tryingot puzzle ot a time line that doens't make sease. "pup is here,but.."

"how old is the pup - the one that found Victoria?"

"no no no no." kiler is shaking his head, tagles jsut woresting

"Not alpha's pup, but the pup that foud Victoria" trieso t re hprase it, and this seems t ohelp, "How old is that pup?"

"pup is.. pup little, but.. not a.." kiler's eyebrows scrunch, "....four.." he wasys though it might be a guess - "Pup can't be four, that's not right..>"

"is the pup a readhead?"

"hmm.."

"That's killer's pup, not victoria's." heat tryied to clarafing, now that he things he's undersand the players involved. "kille'rs pup is four, but Victoria's pup has been born yet."

"Oh." kilelr seems to accept ths as it is both true and confusing.

they still ahevn't answered Heat's first questio, but he's starting to think he might undertand the answer. "Killer's pup, he's four?"

"yeah. he found Victoria  - took them away form lapha. new pack with pup. not alpha"

"So, Victoria  is .. maybe eight? does that sound right?" eight is stilla pup. eight is too young to carry a baby full term. it's too young for aheat, but the alpha might have triggred a psudo-heat if in rut.

killer nodds slowly, not sure but unable to agurs otherwise. "So, it's Victoria is eight, and there with the older pup. what about Victoria and their pup, wht happen to them?"

killer's lookign don ath his hands, showing them like he things heat can see what he sesa when he looks at himself. "Killed them."

"Who did?"

"I killed them. i dunno why i did. just... blood everwhere. can't stop bleeding this time. the kid is scared, but i cna't stop the blood; it's the pup. i can't stop it, but i know its the pup bleeding. and Victoria is bleedling and it wont stop.

"nest is riuned, and the pup is dead. i know its dead.

"pup is dead..." he's clawing his awms again, and heat is pushed awaide before had try and wrestle killers hands way again.

Kidd is there, shvoing his way inot heat's nest and there is not room for htis many poeple - but kidd is all up into killer's space, 'I;m here, im here. pups not dead. i promised you. its okay now. i'm here. i'm your pup. i promised ypou"

oh. oh this is so much worse than heat realsed.

"i killed them"

"I know. i know. but its okay, bucase i'm here. i'm your pup now rememrbe. it doenst' amtter anymore."

fucking children, even a decade later.

"kidd" heat warns," Ypu making it worse"

kidd snarles at him, and wire anreles back. heat lookes over at eh beta is surpise, but he shouldn't be. this is heat's nest after all. not kidd or killers

"i'm your pup" kidd oges back to repeating

"/no,/ you not - becuase youre an alpha who bonded to him, remmebr?

you cna't be his pup and his alpha!

kiddis frozen in place, killer nad he cluthcing at each other.

"your packs about to implode, it's been on the verge of it for years. your leaders are an unstable ogema thats been loosing his fucking mind for years and not a single one of you noticed, and an pup turned alpha that raped and bonded him on his first rut."

"i didn't!"

"You did. agruable mayeb not yur fault since not a singe adult took the time to explain to /either/ of you what the hell was goign to happen when you hit pbirty, but you cna't honestly think he would have wanted to bond wiht yo /while you still/ calling yourself his pup? that he wanted you to knot and breed him while still trying to play baby for him?"

"I mean - he took your knot so well, right? totally didn't have a comeplete breakdown and try to tear your throat out, right?"

"stop it."

heat did back off, but he oculd tell his wors had shook the young man.

"you are not his pup. not anymore. you blew that, the moment you entered his nest while in a rut. if you where my pack, i would have killed you already for that. made absoulty sure the bond didn't take. but if you were my pack, i would of fucking explainted what a rut or a heat would be like the first time time around, and had someone fucking cheking in on you when the pack's heat started. also would have never let kller isolate himself like that, should have been the first fucking red flag and not a single one of you noticed."

"i idn't know."

"i know. that's what's so frustarating. you were pup, it's wasnt' your job to know."

wire rubbed a hand on his shoulder, reasuring.

"your an alpha now though. and assuming you have a pack to go back to after all this - now it is your job to know."

kidd frowwned, adn heat could smell him pulling whatever trick it was wire had toried o explain to him being lifted. wire pulled dive closer to himself, and kidd's snuetal pup smell thicked with orange clove. and mint.

fucking mint. wiht dive in the room, killer's pup sick didn't completely lift, but it wasn't so sour anymore.

without the haze of heat nad rut, killer had a clearer head to scent kidd; his poor head given a chance to understadn the new signals he was picking up.

shame he wouldn't ge the chance to do it without kidd's bond coluring his new view of ht eworld.

heat woudl really liek this head ache out of his nest.

"first thing - you smell the sick sour scent on me?" kidd nodded demurly. "it's becase your not my pup's sire, and i want you out of my nest. youre not an omega in distress, youre a threat. shame on me for not figuring it out, but killer's not my pack so you all smell off to me to begin with. pup sick and sick sick smell the same out of pack."

kidd scneted hte air, befoer foucsing on killer, "his isn't so sour."

"well, he's fucked in the head right now and the idoit's been trying to adopt /my/ pup for the last few days, ever since you betrayed him."

"i!"

"You did. but he'ss tll your pack, so he's not gignt o smell sour unless you royally uspet him again. pup sick is a defense smell. ogema's only smell liek that while nursing. but it's not suposts to comely overwhealm thie actual scent. but omega's aren't suppost to be pups themselves still when they get pregnat."

kidd hunched in on himelf, lit it was his fault. maybe. partially, it was. but.

heat sighed, "you did what you thought was the right thing. you where.. four, he said? what th fuck di dyou know?"

kidd presse dhis forehewad to kilelrs.

"proably saved his life. its was quick thinking and maybe it wan't a good choise int he end, but you gave him soemthing to tetther to. kept him from drowning. a pack of two, with some fucking bizzare dynamics. probkem was it kep this stuck there as long as you where still a pup."

"papas sadi he smelled good, when he first foudn him. when it was jsut the three of us... hims and killer shared his heats. they'd even kcik me out for a couple hours. killer didn't like me leaivng, but he didn't like nobyy standing watch either, adn that second time... tht second heat he didn't want me in there at all."

heat graoned. "he'd presented, adn you idots where all to dmaaged to notice.... papas - he's the one that was already in heat wen you found him the first tine, right?"

kidd knodded.

"you remmeber what happened to his alpha yeah? for tkaing liberties?"

"killer killed him."

"yeah. be reall grateful no one did that to you, and be better."

"after more omegas... papas said killer smelt bad. all the omega though he smelt bad. i know.. i know kilelr was upset abotu ti, but he never wanted them to know. papas didn't want to share heats with him anymore after that either.:

"pack bonded, but then denied from the pack during all th good aprts. no wonder he was a misstbale aggressive bastard. ypou idots made him leader and then starved him."

kidd htought back to all the heats he'd vasiated abck and for from den to nest.

no. not den.

killer didn't den. he'd nested and nobody notced.

"his next heat is goign to be bad; warning you now. you can keep trying to trick him with pup scent, but he knows now. he's got what.. four, five years of isolation about to rear its head and he's going to be a needy contrary bastard though all of it. his hormons are goignt o be all over the fucking place, and he's way to old to be trying to deal with it fo rhte first time.

"he's goignt o stab someone," wire was claling it now.

hea lookaed at him., "he's defiantly ogignt o stab someone. judging by your arm, he's goign to maul someone too. he's goign to be desperate nad horney and begigng to jsut be touched, and he's also goign to be scaed out of his fucking mind and yeah.. absulttuy goign to sta b some one. first heats and ruts are supposte to happen when your young and too small to hurt you partner when you inebable freak out on them."

"the man's going to be feral" wire piped up, "more so than you've ever seen him before."

killer was not exaplty what anyone would have called ocllected and composed to beging with. short temper and quick to throw hands. he only got n with their own omegas as well as he did becuase thoae hands got thown in htier defense to start with. proble was, kidd wasn't much better, and his first rut had been a disaster.

"but he's had heats before - "

"But you where still pup then. there was always the smell of pup to keep the worse in check. adn being you where /his/ pup, it's kept him on a mauch short leash then the mild chill effect you gave the others. as aweful as thy wher propebl for him, he'd never had the unhidged hormal chaos that a heat was.

killer seems to be .. finally... back to his old onery self - twice as bad by how hulmialting the alst few days have been and the fact he'd had multiple meltdowns - included a few in his rivals nest infront of hte omega, his partner and his kid. and its not over, beucase now he has to go face his pack and deal with that fall out.

kidd is quiet, which he never is, and killer would really liek the earth to jsut open up and swolow him up now. kidd was carfully concentrating on so qlitch int he system he'd discovered, and kilelr wans't even remotly in a head space to deal witht hat at the moment, and his scent was very carefully beta right now, in what was propably an attempt to keep from setting kilelr off again. which was also humiliating.

heat however had handed his pup to wire,a dn made kilelr walk with him for a moment. outside the nest, killer was feeling less awkward, but finding himself in a civil conversation with heat was extrramlly off footing.

"last year" heat started, "i should have relaized when i was ogign into heat, and you found me. you where so upset seeing me alone that i could smeel it." kiler frowned at him, not understanding.

"beta's ... they ahve a smell, but its weak. they also can't smell our heats. same with pups. i shou;d ahve realized right then and there you'd presntet. and you where... well .. you seemed defensive /for/ me. agressive, but never towards me. i should have know then youw here an omega too."

"you asked me if i'd had a rut yet...."

heat 'hmmed' "i did... we where al so sure you where goign to be an alpha that we jsut ignored all the signs otherwise. gerenaric alpha and mama omega are pretty close in mannerisms, it turns out."

kilelr tsked, but offred nothing abck.

"you've been having ehats the same time as the rest of your pack, coorect?"

killer nodded, but offreed nothing

"my pack wil not be; should you feel like it might be too overwahealing,a nd you feel the need to hide again, i am offering my pack as a safer alternative to trying to ride it out alone. nest with me and my daughter."

killer froze, wide eyed in shock.

heat leveled him a look.

"Wh.. why woudl you offer that?"

"you clawed your own arm open when you found me alone, you where so upset that i might have to go though a ehat alone. depiste all out animosity before nad even since then, you where deeply upset on my behalf."

kilelr shurgged, unsure of heats point.

"Ho wmany heats have you been alone for, killer?"

"Kidd always came by eventually."

heat leveled a look.

"Five.:

"Heats?"

"Years...five years, everny fall and spring."

two heats since

you just.. going to abandon us?

kidd frowned, but didn't dent it

we both... we both need a change to figure our own shit out. bubble gum said it took him about 3 years to stop being able to feel his alpha thought he bond - so that's what i'm gonna do. 3 years.  see if we actually still want anthign to do with eah other anymroe, or it's jsut been.. hormorna and shit

kidd refused to look at him - he knew the heartbreak he'd see on killer's face, felt in in his own chest alrady. 3 years.

he'd nnever been away from killer so long. hell - he'd barely been alive for that long befor ehe'd met killer int eh first plac.

i'm.. i'm alwyas ogignt o be your pup, if i stay. hea tand wire are right. we're going to destroy each other. i cna't be your alpha and you pup, but i don't know how to be anything /but/ you pup.

the pain oozing off killer made him want to claw it all back. god, if this is what kilelr felt like all the time, no wander he'd clawed his arms to hell and back so often. kidd made a confene effort to unfles his fists; he could feel the little pricks of blood on his palms, but is he turned as looked, killer would see and want to fuss.

your my best frined, my partner. but.. but i've let you be my mom for way to long, and no body is in a glood place now becuase of it. you might have ben twice my age when we met, but that was a long long time ago. its been ten years, and i cna't keep expecitng you to be Victoria.

im not

you are though. yo mightt be killer to the people who cross us, but to me, youre still this scared new mom who donest' know what's happening,a nd i thought i was helping, but i think i got you stuck soewhere laong the way.

killer leaned agisnt his back, head resting on the curve of kidd's spine - 'its not fair

no.. no its not, but we droppe dhte ball on this bad. kill - we're got you so messed up int he head that you had to go with heat to get straightened out. Heat - your worse enemy.

killer snickered. "he's aweful>" he said fondly.

"right? he lit you on fire! how abd is this situation that heat and wire are savign the day?"

there's a wet heat on his bck, and kidd fight bacl his own tears. they can't both be weeping or htis is never going to work.

we both need a change to figure out how to be people on our own. i can't be the kid forever, and you -"

"you goignt o be william tehn?

kidd froze, the name stealing his breath from him. /no/ he wasnted to say, /of course not/

i'm always goignt o be be Kidd, he settle on, but aybe... i can use williams paperwork to get a job. i can proabyl trake my cousin down -

i have your appaper still.

kidd is quiet, he's not sure how to feel about it,

when you came back, killer whispered, i looked for your cousing to figure out what went wrong. i thought.. it doesnt' matter what i thogugh, i was wrong. but they gave me your papers... some of mine too.

they said they didn't find anything on you! kidd turned accusitorily, but any anger at the lies was washed away by killer's face.

'turns aout Alpha was right. no one was missing Doruyanaika.'

kidd rubbed his foreahd agsonst killr's jaw, tucked in agisnt him. he was getting too big to fit there.''youve known this whole time..."

'yeah. but i had you to worry about, so i just.. moved on. She died so long ago, what did it matter anymore?"

killer was goignt o be some therapist wet dream, kidd mussed darkly. 'did you evere think about being her again?'

'no... what was hte point? i mean - did you ever want to be william, after you left?"

kidd hsook his head. 'i'd forgotten about that name, honestly. i couldn't even remmerb him, even after my coiusn told me. kinda always felt i was some imposter, just playing pretend.'

<><><>

kidd looked at the new papersork, barely regonciing a word on the sheet, before Orains asked fo rit. gratefully, kidd handed it over the the Beta, letting him read it over for errors. "it looka abotu right. we've been speelling you name wrong though, looks like.

Kidd schowled.

I spelle dmy name just fine.

orains conceded to him, and nodded to the desk worker, "yeah, looks right. thank you."

she nodded, and filed her copy away.

next would be takign the paperwork over to his new employer and getting that all squared away. he found himself a little nervous, city overwhalming in its smlls and its poeople, and kidd getting ready to leave the island as a whole for the first time suantiny gor any man.

oraian had already stated he was comeing with him - the shipsmaster having no idues with a beta on board. otherwise most o fhis crew was alpha's, and kidd admited to his friend he wasn't sure who to deal witht hat. his only interactiosn where with a handful of the worse assholes in existance,a nd at the moment, he felt himself included in that group.

orains told him the only option he needed to worry about thas the captains. he was jsut a chore boy, so keep his head down and his mouth shut, and take it as an optutinuty to learn

3 years.

katsukke is diffreent.

it spirals up higher than he remmebred, smog and dirty water cricloing it like death.

home.

he .. doesn't miss it. the smell, the sounds. the mess.

the open sea was liberating, and his heart sings to get back out there - pwered by wind a wave and a dream.

he.. almost odens't come back.

he misses his fmaily freince, but he's not sur ehe can weather their rejection.

the band on is wrist is frayed and long since lost it's smell, more replacemnt thread than anything else.  he'd started to weave his own hair in the last few months, unsure if the universe was telling him no to go back or if her was being a coward.

his bond broke somehwere around then, distance finally letting him free of a stuid child mistake.

Oranins is still with him, along with tow new betas he'd fallen in wit on the sea, Boogie nad Mosh. the trio follow him around like ducklings, much to his last crews amusemt.

"you got a magnetic personalityl," cpatian had told him, "embrace it."

"its not jsut an alpha thing?" kidd  - no william, here - had asked him

the cpatain, and alpha herself, and smiled wriley at him. "no. not an alpha thing. there's someting about yo eustace, that suchs all the attention of the room to ya. you gonna end up a king or monster, but i'll put money down now that you'll shake the heavens by the time your done. you're name iwll rattle in peoples heads long after your gone."

the woman looked at him seriously for a monet. "just make sure your proud of the reason why, yeah?"

kidd didn't knw about all that.

3 years, and he knew hte way home withuth a seocnd glance. streets moved, buildings changes, but his feet knew th way all the same.

he might be the magnit, but here was alwasy one thing onthe horizen he'd always been pulled to, bond or no bond.

they've consolidated, since he was gone. his fmaily and tht of his rivals.

he's not surprised; the animosity between Heat and Kiler was pretty skin deep when he left, and with Heat's Pup, he's not surprised Killer would loiter aorund the older omega. always had a soft spot for the unlucky and small.

He sees quinc first - and then compo with her. hip and hop...

then the girls are looking abck at him and quicy's runningup the hill before anyoe else can move - the pack exploding inot noice and movement.

he and orains are smothered in hugs and scnets, and he's crying like a fool as he hugs htem back, and its been a lifetime and no time all at once. he's tackles by bubblegum next, picked up and swung aroung, then Uk is lifting up over his head with a cheer.

papas gets a hug in once he's lowesd, whispering sft happy noises as htey but heads.

then its'a ll quiet, becuase kiler is there, and kidd has never been so scred or happy and he doens't now which way to feel, except killer loogood. he's taller, tanner, not so skinny even if he still stiggy. his hairs long and braided back, and there's s scruff or a bread on his chin and kidd's heart is ogign to break out and fly away.

he's taller htan killer; somehow he's taken over his friend in hieght during hsi time away, making it easy to rub his tembles all over his freind ans killer laughes - that stupid redicular sound of his that kidd adores.

he's nevr gogn to le tthis man go. 3 years, and a broken bond, and it will kill kidd to leave him again. his best friend, back at his side and it's impossilt to miss hte awe in killer's voice

"you came back."

he's 18, and he's pulled kilelr aside. it's heat nad wires pack - kidd's trio of beta's aside ad the last year has taught him that he has to try harder than the rest to not though his weight around.

he's an alpha - but he'd not THEIR alpha. he's not htier pup anymor eeither, and he thinks he's starting to understand the new dynammics.

but he wasn't to ask something of killer, and he needs the man's honest anser - soothing his smell over until it's an unabstusive as a beta.

killer raises an eyebrow.

"i want to go back to the sea." kidd admits, catching kilers hand before the forwn can form on his fireds face, "but... ut i want you to come wiht me this time. i've ... i've got a ship, she'll be reasy int he spring, so you odn't have to-"

"okay."

"des.. waht, okay what?"

"i want to go with you."

"just liketht?"

killer grineed, butting heads with him, "you never shut up about the ocean, of course i want ot go. i want to mea thtis lady love of your that replaced me in your heart."

kidd ins't sure if kiler is teasing, but he sounds sincerse, "no one replace -"

"it's okay, kidd. it's better htis way."

"How ibg is your crew?" wire asked one night, and kidd fought a blush, "i'm.. still getting that part fgured out. Boogie and Mosh already knew my plan, and ORains, of course. me and Kill. So there's five of us - proablt need anohter 10, but my lat captain siad she's recommend some sailors depending on how far i want to sail."

"Where would tat be, do you think?"

kidd looked up at hte night skiy, hazy and smogy. somewhere up there was the canoly of starts that he's spent the last few years awed by. "i dunno yet. as far as i can, i think..."

"hmm" is all wire says

"as far as you can?" heat asks him later,

you should see the sky out here heat, " kidd marvels to him, "Its like something out of a dream. sea and stars, reaching on forever."

he's nervous; for the first time thinking maybe this wasn't as grand idea as it was in his head.

 his old pack is here for the grand tour; his ship's not quite ready - but Kidd will need to start lokignf or a crew. he might be an alpha, but he's only 17 still. boogie and mosh have rejected quite a few maybe's and orains has rejected the others. kidd's still at a crew of five, if he counts himself, but there's time.

HE's jsut... he jsut needs the ship to pass kIller's aproval - and hte omega has no iead.

heat & wire where killer's pack for the last three years, and he needs to make sure they approve too - less htey talk killer insto staying behind.

when he'd registarted a name for his ship - he dint' think kilelr would want to sail with him - and he's anmed her after home.

his childhood pack is expoloring the bare bones of hte ship in hte dry docks, but killer hasn't boarded yet. he's studing her  bow, looking at the decrative letters stencled out, bot yet painted in.

kidd palm are swety, and killer must smell his anxiety, smirking over at thim.

"what have you done," he teases, 'bashful as a child."

kidd steps next to him, looking up at his ship. "Named her after the most important, bravest girl i knew.... sorry i didn't knwo how to spell Doruyanaika. guy at the registar office didn't know either."

Killer shook his head. hoenstly, he wasn't sure he knew either. the large letters of the Victoria Punk outlines above them as kidd head bumbps him, mulling over the name of his new home.

kilelr is quiet, studing the letters. Painful memoeries tied up in a name of someone long gone... for him, nothing by dark horror and fear and pain. but for kidd..

for kidd, victoria was brave even in thier fear. they were stong and paintent, and for all the abuse they took form their alpha - thye gave it back tenfold when it was clear it was not jsut their own life ont he line.

Vicorita slayed giants.

"rediculous boy," kiler joshes him, signing into his hair.

"are you okay?"

"... maybe. it is kinda nice... that someone cared about them in the end after all." he looks a the letters, a dedication to a dead girl. "just  dont tell quincy that /important/ part, you'll break her heart. she's under the impression she's your best girl."

"oi," UK called down from the railing, "Captain. you gonna show us around or are we jsut guessing where things go up here?"

kidd frowned, "What ar eyou one about?"

"WHere's our rioom?"

killer chuckled, but said nothing, as kidd stomeb over to the ganplank, "excuse me?"

"Becuase i call didb on the big one atop the castle iint ehte back otherwise."

"THat's /my/ fucking room!"

his old pack was arguging over where their nest should be, kidd standing dumbfoudned on deck watching in confusion, "Will someone PLEASE explain to me what you are all on about?"

Heat held dive;s hand, watching it unfold; his own ogema voicing their own options while wire nad his betas seem to be placing bets of some kind amongst themselves along the rail

"I believe, that you sold this dream of yours too well," heat offered. " a place where the sky and sea never end? stars as numerous as sand on the beach? water as blue as saphires? what saphires do you think we get looking at?"

kidd looked at him in confusion, befor elooking abck to the group. he didnt' know HEat's omega so well, but the five of them seemed to be right at home with Kidd's six. Boogie and Mosh where looking at him in amusment form the rail as Orains and Hop inserted themselves int the arugment over the best place to nest.

"What int he four blues ar ey'all goign on about?" kidd yelled , getting the collected group attention.

killer had followe dhim up the gnagplank much slower, looking to heat in confusion. the older oema jsut smirked. seeing killer, dive rN UP TO HIM, demaning to be picked up. he lifted the pup up with ease, and kidd looked abck at him bewildered.

kiler just shrugged back.

Compo slung an arm around Oraians and grinned at Kidd, "Like we're letting you run off on us a seond time! stucpid captian, we're your pack. we know you ahd to figure some shit out, we get it. but you can come walzting abck and then think you would waltz back out again!"

Uk, bubblegum, hip and hop, papas and quincy all grinend abck at him.

Wire and HEat appraoched then, looking at thier own pack who nodded un agreement.

"Wr've grown rather fond of your pack's comapny over the last few years" wire said causally, "Heat nad Killer are almsot.. fond of each other, i would even say. It would be a criem to break the fmaily up now."

the two of them lookeda t kidd, "If, of course, you'd be amenable. Alpha."

killer looked up in surpsise, as blindsided by it as KIdd was.

Kidd looked around the deck, family, onld and new. "Captain." he corrected. "Not ALpha. Captain."