Archive of Our Own

Dennis Whitaker is a young man who has always worked hard, who has always pitched in on his parents’ farm alongside his brothers. He is a bright young man who has always gotten excellent grades in school, who has always been willing to lend a hand, and who has always taken his role as an altar boy with a seriousness that made his mother proud and reminded his father that he also had a fourth son.

Dennis is also a young man whose path has already been decided by his family.

The farm isn’t big enough to provide work for him and his three brothers, and although Dennis enjoyed working in the fields, his parents saw him as more suited for the Church.

Where his brothers lacked even the bare minimum of empathy to understand why you shouldn’t randomly beat up your younger brother, Dennis had it in spades.

Dennis, in his awkward way of speaking, knew how to listen and how to lend a hand, and his parents had decided that this role would suit him perfectly -and his father wouldn’t have to worry about one more mouth to feed.

No one ever asked Dennis what he really wanted to do.

And at some point, Dennis felt suffocated by the weight of those expectations and that life that didn’t belong to him.

And then a series of events unfolded one after another that made him realize he had to leave -and do it as soon as possible.

Well, his parents disinheriting him wasn’t much of a deterrent, to be honest.

And so Dennis chose his own path, leaving the seminary, leaving the farm, leaving Broken Bow behind. A life spent in the fields, under the scorching summer sun and through snow-covered winters that froze his bones. And Dennis’s heart is broken. And he doesn’t know how he’ll mend it, nor does he know where he’ll go or how he’ll carry on with the rest of his life, because all he has with him is a backpack, his laptop, and a little money he managed to save up.

But for the first time, he feels that this is the right thing to do; he wants to help people, he wants to be on the front lines and lend a hand, the images he saw on TV of doctors and nurses fully geared up during the pandemic still etched in his mind -left alone, without help, working grueling shifts- and his mother told him that it’s not his job to play the martyr, that he shouldn’t go out there to sacrifice himself, that he already has a way to help and that he must pursue it with all his might.

But, to be perfectly honest, that wasn’t the only reason he left because, whatever his mother might say, he’s definitely no saint.

It was the looks on his brothers’ faces that drove him away, the disgust in his father’s eyes and the worry in his mother’s.

Because among all of Dennis Whitaker’s qualities, among all his virtues, among all his flaws, among all the good things he’s done and the foolish things he’s regretted, the worst thing is being an Omega.

No one in the Whitaker bloodline has ever been born an Omega. They’ve always been Alphas, all of them marrying docile, hardworking Omegas -scented with honey and cinnamon, ready to raise a large family, and submissive.

Dennis’s mother never once said no to his father. As the head of the household, his father never wasted words on encouragement, but he never hesitated to use his belt when things didn’t go his way.

(Dennis still has a scar on his back from when, as a child, his father lost his grip on the belt and the buckle struck him squarely. That day he cried so much he was inconsolable, and his father told him that if he didn’t stop, he’d get more.

Dennis hid in the barn and didn’t come out until the next day.)

And no one had ever doubted that he, too, would be an Alpha. After all, no Omega has shoulders as broad as Dennis’s, hips as narrow as his -which, as we all know, aren’t built for having children- his manner of speaking is too bratty (except with his father; never with his father), and he manages to command attention and take charge of a room when he really wants to, even though he isn’t particularly tall or imposing. There’s never been any doubt about it.

And yet.

And yet Dennis found himself alone, at fifteen, going through his first heat without knowing what was really happening.

Because no one had ever talked about Omegas in his household. His father thought it was pointless, his brothers were completely uninterested, and his mother was too tight-lipped to discuss such matters with her children -and of course they didn’t teach biology in Broken Bow, Nebraska.

So Dennis found himself completely alone, knowing absolutely nothing, as he felt a burning sensation between his legs, his head pounding, tears streaming down his cheeks, and his fever rising as he called out to his mother for help -but no one ever came to his aid. The water and food left on the nightstand were the only sign that anyone else had been in the house besides him in the days leading up to it.

He drank only during the brief moments when the burning sensation let up. He ate and threw up. He slept little and never truly rested.

By the end of his first heat, Dennis wasn’t even able to get out of bed.

But his father didn’t care.

“We’ve already lost a week of work because of you. Clean yourself up, you smell disgusting, and go help your brothers!”

And Dennis got up. He cleaned himself up. And he went to help his brothers.

And from that day on, things were never the same.

And there’s only so much abuse a person can take before doing something truly stupid.

There’s only so much of freak of nature and what are we going to do with you, no one will want you, and come to think of it, as stupid as you are, you could only ever be an Omega, and no self-respecting Alpha will ever want you and so much of his mother’s resigned glances and his father’s twisted lips that Dennis can take.

And it’s at that point -maybe just a tiny bit earlier- that Dennis leaves the seminary, grabs his little backpack and his laptop, and decides to go study medicine.

His father tells him not to come back, so as not to cause embarrassment.

Dennis looks at his mother, hoping to see something that will make him stop, but his mother says nothing, so Dennis nods, a lump in his throat that hurts, but he won’t start crying -not here, not now.

He closes the door behind him and leaves.

“What’s up with that face, baby?”

Dennis snaps out of his thoughts and looks up at Michael, who sets his coffee cup on the table before sitting down next to him, one arm resting on the back of Dennis’s chair while his hand strokes Dennis’s hair, his eyes fixed on him as if trying to figure out what Dennis was thinking.

Dennis blinks and stares at Michael for a few moments, still too distracted by the thoughts he’d just had, still too lost in his own head to truly understand what’s going on, but then the reality of the situation -that it’s five in the morning, that they’re both on duty, that they’re sitting at their kitchen table, that they live together, that they woke up together that morning, just like every single day for years now- hits him all at once and makes him smell the coffee, the TV on with the day’s news, and Michael’s fingers running through his hair. And Dennis practically melts at that touch, as he sighs softly and leans heavily on that hand that supports him and has always supported him.

Michael gives a guttural nod of agreement, and Dennis relaxes completely.

It’s all in the past, he tells himself, and his shoulders relax even more, and the dark thoughts fade away as Michael’s familiar scent surrounds him, and Dennis finds himself smiling.

“Nothing important,” he replies. And maybe that’s not the whole truth -maybe those memories still hurt, maybe sometimes Dennis still feels like the odd one out- but he manages not to dwell on them the way he used to; he manages to look at the situation as if it weren’t him personally facing those problems, but someone else.

He feels sad, of course; sometimes he even misses his family in some twisted way, but all he has to do is look at Michael, hold his hand, or get close to him, and everything goes away.

Because Michael is a constant, steadfast presence.

Because ever since they got together, years ago, he’s never backed down, never given up when things got tough; he’s made sacrifices for Dennis, made changes for Dennis, and all Dennis has to do is look into those brown eyes to find peace again, to feel at home again.

And Dennis is also surrounded by endless love, and he doesn’t know what good he’s done in life to deserve it.

Because he has Michael, who makes sure he has everything he needs. But he also has Trinity, who -despite her abrasive way of responding, which hasn’t changed over the years- is the best friend Dennis could ever hope for.

He has a second family at Pitt.

There’s Dana, who takes care of him as if he were her own son; there’s Vicky, Mel, and Mateo, whom he hangs out with after work (when he has the energy to do so); and there’s Jack, who, ever since Dennis started dating Michael, has taken him under his wing and confided in him all of Michael’s most horrible secrets (Michael simply rolled his eyes and told him to be careful because he might do the same thing).

Dennis has a life that fulfills him completely, and when he thinks back to that boy who ran away from home with nothing but a backpack, his heart swells with gratitude.

Michael grunts, unconvinced but knowing when to let it go, and plants a kiss in his hair before telling him to eat or they’ll be late.

Dennis looks at Michael, watching him put scrambled eggs on a piece of bread and take a bite, his hand always returning to the back of Dennis’s chair as if he doesn’t want to stray too far.

And Dennis is simply overflowing with love for this man, and he feels so lucky and-

A whiff of lust drifts into Dennis’s nostrils.

“You have to stop that immediately, or we’ll be late for real.”

And Dennis really doesn’t know how to stop himself from climbing onto Michael’s lap; he doesn’t know how to stop the purring that naturally escapes his throat as he strokes Michael’s hair and then his cheeks and neck, watching Michael’s pupils dilate and-

“Fuck, baby, do you have any idea how much your scent is driving me crazy?”

Dennis would have stopped once.

Dennis would once have thought that his scent disgusted Michael and would have backed away, ashamed.

But not anymore.

Michael sits up and, with one hand in Dennis’s hair, tilts his head back, exposing his neck, running his face from Dennis’s collarbone to his ear, breathing in deeply, making Dennis tremble.

In the end, they miraculously manage to arrive at work only five minutes late.

“I’m sorry, but I’m looking for someone… cuter,” says George, the first Alpha he met at a gay bar.

“Yeah, dude, I don’t think this can work, I mean, your shoulders are broader than mine,” says Adam, an Alpha who works out for a living.

“Whoa, yeah, no, I was just being friendly, I wasn’t hitting on you. Sorry, man, you’re not really my type,” says a Beta who is looking for an Alpha.

And so on… and so on…

“No self-respecting Alpha will ever want you,” his brother’s voice echoes in his mind.

And after yet another failed date where he gave it his all, where he tried to be less bratty, where he tried to play it down, where he even tried to just be himself, Dennis has come to terms with it.

His family is right.

No one will ever want someone like Dennis.

Dennis is brushing his teeth upstairs when he hears the front door open and then close again, leaving only silence in its wake.

No whistling, no I’m home, no complaints about a long day or a sore back.

Dennis is about to go check it out when the bathroom door opens and Michael is standing there in front of him. He hasn’t even taken off his shoes, let alone his coat.
There’s a stiffness in his shoulders, in the expression on his face, that makes Dennis realize immediately that things didn’t go well at work -that it must have been one of those days best forgotten- but he also sees something in Michael’s eyes that makes him understand right away where the evening is headed and what Michael needs.

And if Michael’s hungry gaze weren’t enough, the scent filling the room and the fact that Michael is already hard in his pants would be pretty obvious clues.

Michael lets his coat fall to the floor behind him.

Dennis shivers, and Michael’s gaze sweeps over his bare chest, his hard nipples, his flat stomach, and the light fuzz of hair disappearing beneath his pajama bottoms, before he looks up again and stares intently into his eyes; it’s a predatory gaze, and Dennis is already trembling.

He spits out the toothpaste and rinses his mouth as quickly as possible, but Michael is faster than him, and before Dennis can even wipe his mouth or put his toothbrush in the glass, Michael is all over him, his hands slipping into the back of his pajama pants as he firmly grabs Dennis’s buttocks and spreads them apart, gently stroking the entrance with a fingertip as Dennis's fluids flow copiously, making the intrusion easier.

Dennis is already breathless, his cock hard, and his knees buckling, but he leans his hands against Michael’s chest and buries his face in the crook of Michael’s neck, breathing heavily on him, feeling Michael’s own heart pounding in his ears.

And Dennis moans. He does so without shame, calling out to his Alpha.

And his Alpha responds -clearly pleased by his Omega’s quick reaction- with a guttural sound that reverberates in his throat, making the hairs on the back of Dennis’s neck stand on end, and two fingers that slide inside the Omega without any resistance. Because Dennis is completely wet. Because he’s used to Michael’s intrusion. Because Dennis likes it a little rough. And because Dennis is always ready for his Alpha.

“Alpha” Dennis gasps directly into Michael’s ear as his fingers begin to move, spreading apart like scissors to open him up further, and Dennis finds himself parting his legs wider to make more room for him, to let his fingers reach deeper, and he tugs at the collar of Michael’s shirt to take in more of his scent (disinfectant and the hospital mingle with Michael’s natural scent, and Dennis feels at home), to bite the soft flesh beneath his jaw.

And when Michael’s hand stops, when his fingers no longer move inside him, Dennis finds himself moving his hips, as if in a trance, trying to recapture the same rhythm, the same pleasure he felt just moments before, but Michael, it seems, has other ideas.

Because Michael’s hands pull away and Dennis groans at the loss, because Dennis feels himself being grabbed by the hips and turned toward the mirror, thus finding himself trapped between Michael and the sink, and the only thing Dennis can manage -with his knees still failing to support him properly- is to lean his back against Michael’s chest, as Michael runs a hand over his flat stomach, brushing the hem of his pants with his calloused fingers but never crossing it.

Dennis is suddenly frustrated.

And Dennis wants to come.

So he starts grinding his ass directly against Michael’s cock, angling himself just right to feel it as much as possible.

And Michael’s cock is huge, something that drives Dennis wild. He still remembers the first time he took it in his mouth: the stretching sensation at the corners of his mouth, his tongue barely able to move, tears welling up in the corners of his eyes from the effort, and the feeling that something was missing the moment Michael came in his mouth and pulled out.

Now all he has to do is think about Michael’s cock to start salivating, he doesn’t need anything else. It’s an annoying Pavlovian reaction, since he thinks about it more than he should.

And Dennis doesn’t even care that there are two layers of pants separating them; as long as he can keep rubbing against Michael’s cock, he knows he can come without even being touched.

He speaks from personal experience.

But Michael seems to have other ideas that evening, because with one hand he gently grabs Dennis’s neck, his thumb caressing his jaw, and the other makes its way into his pants, grabbing his cock and stroking it softly, as if they had all the time in the world, as if Dennis weren’t already this close to coming right then and there.

“Omega” it’s the first word Michael has said since he got home, and Dennis’s legs tremble a little. His voice is hoarse, low, full of promise, and Dennis gets even wetter as he feels his wetness soak through his underwear and run down his thighs, and the only thing he wants to do is lean forward over that sink and be taken without further ado.

“Look at you,” Michael says, and Dennis knows it’s not a figure of speech -he has to look up at his reflection and see himself- and that’s exactly what he does.

And he likes what he sees.

Dennis’s eyes are clouded with pleasure, his cheeks flushed, and his mouth slightly open as he breathes heavily and his chest rises and falls rapidly. He can see Michael’s hand moving on one side of the mirror, stroking him through his pants, and it’s almost a dissociative experience to see his cock being stroked with his own eyes and to feel Michael’s large, warm hand doing it.

Feeling the thumb stroke the tip while in the mirror he sees only a movement beneath his cotton pants.

Feeling the warmth of Michael’s hand gripping his cock while watching the fabric of his pants swell and deflate in time with Michael’s movements.

And Dennis watches it all, transfixed, his mouth half-open as he tries to breathe between moans, while Michael’s mouth on his neck leaves languid kisses.

And it’s incredible what Michael managed to do with him, what he managed to get out of his head.

Because Dennis didn’t like himself. Because Dennis hated looking at himself. Because Dennis was the flawed Omega in a family of Alphas, and there was nothing right about him.

Because his face is ugly, because he has dark circles under his eyes that are too pronounced and always make him look tired, and how could someone with such features ever attract anyone?

Because the first time Dennis wore one of Michael’s shirts, it was too tight across his massive shoulders but baggy everywhere else on his body, and this sent him into a total breakdown, leaving him crying in the middle of the room, with a shirt that didn’t fit him right, for almost an hour, inconsolable, while Michael nearly had a heart attack because he didn’t understand what was happening and why his Dennis was so distressed, trying to talk to him, asking if he’d done something wrong.

And Dennis, with tear-filled eyes, told him no, because Michael couldn’t do anything wrong, it was he who was flawed.

And that’s where it all began.

That’s when Michael began telling him every single day, without fail, just how perfect Dennis was.

And it wasn’t easy at first. It was exhausting. It was horrible. It was embarrassing and humiliating, but with each passing day, Dennis felt a little more confident.

And he could see it in Michael’s eyes; he could sense it from the scent that surrounded him every time Michael whispered sweet words in his ear -that Michael was dead serious, that he wasn’t lying, that he truly believed Dennis was the most beautiful Omega he’d ever seen.

And Dennis started to believe it a little.

And in the end, he didn’t care much about the voices in his head if Michael looked at him that way.

“Gorgeous,” Michael says, staring into his eyes through the mirror, and Dennis feels a spasm between his thighs and a moan escapes his mouth, uncontrollably.

He wants his Alpha, and he wants him now.

“Fuck me,” he says then, resting the back of his head on Michael’s shoulder and continuing to look at both of them in the mirror.

They’re an obscene sight. And Dennis is completely in love with the scene.

He raises a hand and brings it behind Michael’s head, grabbing his hair at the nape and pulling gently. “Fuck me, Alpha.”

Michael lets out a disappointed groan and shakes his head, grinding his cock against Dennis’s ass, and Dennis sees stars for a few seconds.

“Aren’t you forgetting something, baby?”

Jesus Christ.

“Fuck me, Alpha, please.”

And Michael lets out a guttural sound, a rumble from the back of his throat, his scent spiking pleased.

“That’s a good boy”

And Dennis finds himself going from standing leaning against Michael to being bent over the sink, his arms braced against the marble countertop and his legs spread ungracefully apart by Michael’s knee as his pajama pants are unceremoniously pulled down.

And Dennis gets even wetter being handled that way, the whole room smelling of them, of lust, and of mine.

“Fuck, you’re a sight to behold.”

Michael’s voice makes him tremble. Whereas once he would have been nothing but ashamed of such behavior -of being positioned that way- now he feels, above all, aroused; he feels desired, and even though he’s still a little ashamed, the only natural thing he feels compelled to do is submit to his Alpha.

And so he leans more heavily against the sink, his hands gripping the porcelain edges firmly, lowers his head to fully expose his neck where Michael’s bite mark is always clearly visible -and Dennis is proud of it, proud that Michael claimed him, so no one would gets near his Omega- and lifts his ass into the air, offering himself to Michael and waiting to be taken the way his Alpha prefers.

And he still hears the voices in his head -the ones that have always told him he isn’t submissive enough, that he always talks back too much and stands his ground, that he’s incapable of being obedient.

But by now, even though he still hears those voices sometimes, he takes them on and silences them, because Michael has never had any trouble putting him in his place, because all it takes is a glance, a word, for Michael to silence Dennis and make him do whatever he wants, because Dennis offers himself to Michael without Michael having to say a word, because that’s what Michael deserves and that’s what Dennis wants.

“Fuck” and Dennis hears it in his voice, the shift from almost collected to wrecked, and he knows it’ll be fast and brutal, and Dennis can already almost feel the pleasure he’ll get from that orgasm.

But in the meantime, he feels the pleasure of Michael's cock thrusting into him in a single, powerful move, and Dennis is already so full that he feels his toes going numb; he feels Michael’s cock filling him perfectly and moving against his walls, and Dennis feels like he’s in heaven. He takes a single deep breath before the second thrust and then lets it all out, his eyes closing of their own accord, leaving him in a state of blissful floating.

He feels himself breathing more calmly despite the incessant moans; his mind feels more relaxed, almost peaceful, while Michael continues to thrust at an ever-increasing pace, and Dennis has to dig his toes in and grip the sink harder.

He wants to say Michael’s name, he wants to call out to his Alpha, he wants to tell him how good he makes him feel and that he wants to be used –again and again, even more. But Dennis has no voice. His ears are ringing, his fingertips are tingling, and Michael’s cock thrusting into him and shaking him from the inside makes him forget everything except the sensations he’s feeling.

And Dennis is coming. Or at least he thinks so, he’s not sure of anything anymore.

The only thing he knows is that Michael’s teeth are firmly embedded in his neck, right above the last bite, and that Michael is knotting him, and that the added sensation of fullness is making him come a second time as the knot grows larger and completely fills him while Michael’s seed makes its way inside him.

Dennis’s mind is completely fogged, as if he had cotton candy in his head, his ears ringing and his legs unable to support him.

He is content and placid, completely helpless against Michael’s chest; Dennis doesn’t even know when it happened, but Michael has lifted him off the sink and held him close. And Michael’s lips caress his neck, kiss his hair, whisper the sweetest things to him, and Dennis turns his head to meet those lips without even realizing he’s doing it, because he always wants Michael’s lips on his, he’d never let go if he could.

“This is the third time you made me pop a knot out of my rut this month. You should be ashamed of yourself”

Dennis smiled, his head resting on Michael’s shoulder as he kept his eyes closed and felt Michael’s lips on his forehead.

“Mmh, yes, ashamed is exactly how I feel right now.”

Michael lets out a snort and holds him close, his arms wrapping around Dennis’s chest and Dennis’s hands resting on his as Dennis purrs because he’s on cloud nine.

“Anyway, how was work?” Dennis asks.

And Michael laughs heartily.

“There’s nothing to teach about being an Omega. God made us this way, and as it should be, when an Omega has to play his part in a relationship, it comes naturally to them.”

That was his mother’s response after Dennis came out as an Omega.

And, even though God created them this way -even though it’s supposed to be natural- during his first heat, Dennis didn’t have the slightest idea what to do. He didn’t know how to behave. He didn’t know how to find relief during those hellish days. And he didn’t know what to do during the heats that followed, either.

There must be something wrong with him.

Dennis hears Michael’s footsteps outside the front door even before Michael can slip the keys into the lock, and he runs downstairs, his heart in his throat and his hands itching with the urge to do something.

Michael doesn’t seem surprised to see him waiting at the door and smiles at him as he sets his backpack on the floor and his keys on the shelf.

Dennis grabs him by his shirt before he can take another step toward the living room.

“Give it to me,” Dennis says -because it’s not a request- and tries to strip him without further ado.

Michael chuckles and playfully stops him from taking it off.

“What, not even a kiss? Not even a welcome back?”

Dennis lets out an exasperated groan and keeps tugging at the T-shirt that smells of Michael, sweat, and disinfectant.

He wants that T-shirt -he needs it- because his nest can’t smell of anything but Michael, and the heat is coming in a few days, and he has to get ready.

So Dennis uses his most powerful weapon of seduction, because he wants that T-shirt, and he wants it now.

Dennis lowers his head slightly to look up at Michael and gives him a sweet, pleading look, while pulling on the T-shirt with a little less force and taking another step forward, almost resting his chest against Michael’s.

“Alpha…” Dennis whispers then, with a certain urgency and longing in his voice.
And Michael crumbles like a house of cards in the wind.

Dennis has no problem admitting that he uses this tactic every time he wants something. And he’s not so stupid as to not realize that Michael knows it all too well but plays along anyway.

At that point, Michael sighs and undresses, and even though Dennis needs that shirt right away to go finish their nest, he can’t bring himself to turn around and go upstairs while Michael stands shirtless in front of him.

Maybe the nest can wait another ten minutes or so.

His hands are on Michael’s chest as if by reflex; he isn’t even aware he’s done it -he just knows they’re exactly where they’re supposed to be- and his fingers find themselves playing with the hair on Michael’s chest, brushing against the Star of David on the necklace, then his eyes fix on Michael’s collarbones, travel up his neck, watch Michael’s Adam’s apple move as he swallows, and then his eyes settle on Michael’s mouth. And Michael is smiling. And one of Dennis’s hands is stroking Michael’s beard. And Dennis just can’t take his eyes off him.

Dennis is transfixed.

“Can I have that kiss now, pet?” Michael’s voice is almost a whisper, but it reverberates through Dennis, who feels his knees grow weak. And Michael’s scent spikes amusement and lust, and Dennis wraps his arms around him and opens his mouth to welcome Michael as he moves in to devour him.

Maybe the nest can wait a few more hours.

Michael, who was still holding the T-shirt, drapes it over Dennis’s shoulders, and now Dennis finds himself completely enveloped by Michael’s scent, and it goes to his head.

Dennis moans as he feels his arousal soak through his underwear and rubs himself against Michael’s leg like an animal in heat, and Michael touches his shoulders, sliding his hands down his arms, then down to his forearms, and grasps his hands with his own, pulling them away from Michael’s neck and bringing them between their bodies.

And Dennis loves Michael’s hands. And in a small part of his brain, he can hear Trin belittling him, saying, I'd like to know what you don't love about Robby. And maybe that’s true, but he doesn’t care. Michael has big hands that are always, always warm, and when he touches him, he does so with a care and tenderness you wouldn’t expect from hands like that, and Dennis is always happy when Michael touches him.

And Michael’s hands are so skilled that it takes no effort at all to trap both of Dennis’s hands in one of Michael’s, while the other goes to Dennis’s jugular, gently gripping his neck and moving him as if he were a doll, positioning him however Michael sees fit and forcing him to open his mouth even wider, invading him further. And the position is almost uncomfortable -it makes Dennis’s neck feel a little stiffer- but for some reason, being treated this way, being commanded and used however Michael sees fit, almost makes him come in his pants.

Michael towers over him.

Michael moves him however he pleases.

Michael takes everything he wants from Dennis.

And Dennis moans at the thought as Michael’s lips suck on his tongue, and his mind races back to that morning, when Michael sucked his cock for hours.

Dennis is a mess.

And about to come.

But at that moment, Michael takes a step back and looks at him with hungry eyes and a sweet smile.

“I thought you were supposed to be preparing the nest,” he says calmly, as if Dennis hadn’t felt Michael’s hard cock against his thigh just a few seconds earlier, as if Dennis’s legs weren’t barely holding him up.

Dennis reaches out to grab him again, but Michael’s hand around his wrist stops him from taking even a single step forward.

“Ah-ah-ah!” Michael admonishes him, looking at him with oh, so gentle eyes. “I have a feeling,” he says, then pauses for a moment and licks his lips as if chasing a particular taste, “that your heat will come sooner than expected, pet, and it’s best to finish what we’ve started.”

Dennis whines, but Michael shakes his head and, letting go of his hands, steps back and motions for him to go back upstairs.

“Finish our nest soon, and then I’ll reward you. Anything you want, baby.”

Dennis takes a deep breath -which doesn’t help, because the scent of Michael and lust permeating the air makes it hard for him to think clearly- and looks at Michael’s serene face, which is looking right back at him.

“Anything?” Dennis asks.

“Anything,” Michael confirms.

Dennis nods and turns away with some effort as he slips Michael’s shirt off his shoulders and holds it close to his chest.

“That’s my sweetheart,” Michael says, patting him on the butt and heading into the kitchen while Dennis slowly climbs the stairs and stares at his bare back as it disappears over the threshold, and Dennis really, really wants to follow him, to sit on the kitchen island and make Michael forget what he’d gone there to do, but he also wants his Alpha to be comfortable when Dennis’s heat arrives; he wants him to like their nest; he wants to hear the compliments he’ll give him between kisses -and this leads him to finish the last few steps and head to the bedroom to finish what he’d started that morning.

The bedroom is a mess (Dennis has never been particularly tidy); there are Michael’s clothes tangled up with piles of blankets and pillows scattered all around the bed because Dennis likes to be comfortable during his heat, and to have soft things to hug and touch and to smell his Alpha everywhere. And Dennis also loves being in heat because it means Michael takes a week off from work too, and they can be together without anyone bothering them, without any emergencies distracting them from each other.

And he almost has to laugh at the thought that he loves being in heat because there’s someone who takes care of him in every way, because he has warm arms wrapped around him, because he has a voice whispering sweet words in his ear -words Dennis doesn’t always understand in the midst of his delirium but somehow feels- because his Alpha’s knot makes him feel full and happy and a little more like himself.

And to think that before Michael, he used to have anxiety attacks every time his heat was about to set in.

But before Michael, he didn’t know what it meant to wake up surrounded by the scent of his Alpha, by arms wrapped around him, by warm kisses, and by a sense of safety and protection that he felt expanding in his chest with every passing minute.

Dennis climbs onto the bed and places Michael’s shirt -wide open- on his pillow, rearranges a blanket by folding it into several sections to make it softer, smooths out the sheets until there are no more wrinkles, and places his couch pillow on Michael’s side, because he knows Michael also likes to be surrounded by the scent of his Omega.
Michael told him that one of the first times they slept together.

Dennis gets into bed, looks around, checks to see if everything is ready or if anything is missing, makes sure Michael’s side is perfect and comfortable and that everything his Alpha prefers is there (and Dennis still blushes when he thinks back to how Michael told him that even if it were just the two of them on an uncomfortable concrete floor, everything would still be perfect), and that nothing will bother or stand in their way over the next few days.

And, if he’s being completely honest, he feels like he’s done a really good job.

Can I be your nest?

Dennis’s heart skips a beat. So many years have passed, and yet…

Yet it’s as if Michael were saying those words to him at that very moment, as if he were speaking them right here and now, and Dennis’s eyes sting a little.

The first time Dennis went through a heat with Michael was… difficult, in some ways. Extremely easy in others.

They decided to take this step when their relationship had not only become exclusive (which it had been from the start for both of them, it seems) but also extremely serious.

When Michael suggested they go to HR to figure out how to handle their relationship in the best way possible without causing too much of a stir, Dennis almost thought he’d misheard him, because having a secret relationship with your boss is one thing (something that could be swept under the rug, something you never talked about, something that, if it ended, no one would ever notice) but an open relationship with your boss is a whole different story.

And when Michael invited him over to his place to spend the heat together, Dennis was on cloud nine.

Michael invited him to spend the days leading up to the heat with him at his place, so he could get fully accustomed to the surroundings and the scents around him, allowing him to enter his heat with peace of mind, without having to think about anything but relaxing.

And it’s true that Dennis had already spent many nights at Michael’s place and knew it almost better than the home he shared with Trinity, but he’d never been there in his most vulnerable state. And, if he had to be completely honest, he’d never spent a heat with another person -it was definitely a big step for him, and Michael knew it.

And Dennis had relaxed. Or at least, he’d tried to. But the closer his heat got, the more he had the feeling that something wasn’t right. There was an energy he’d never felt before tingling beneath his skin -a sensation that left him restless even during the quietest moments he enjoyed with Michael. Dennis had decided it must be because he didn’t feel like he was helping Michael in any way; he didn’t feel like he was repaying him in any way except by being there and being a burden, eating his food, getting in his way, and disrupting his days. Dennis wasn’t doing anything.

He felt as if he were trapped inside his own body. As if he knew there was something he had to do but didn’t know what, and his mother had told him that being an Omega was a natural thing, that everything would fall into place on its own, but to Dennis, it really didn’t seem like things were working out.

What was a good Omega supposed to do? And why hadn’t he done his research beforehand? And why was there clearly something he was supposed to do but didn’t know what it was?

He had always spent his heat cycles alone, in his room, in the dark, locked in so as not to bother anyone, or in the barn during the summer when, according to his family, the smell became too unbearable in the house and he had to move out. There was no fanfare -just him, the darkness, and three days of agony as he tried to relieve himself without much success.

And it's the first time in all those years that he's felt this sense of restlessness and inadequacy -more so than usual.

And he doesn’t even know why.

Michael watches him whenever Dennis is upset; Dennis always feels his gaze on him and tries with all his might to show that everything is fine, but he doesn’t always succeed -and every time, all Michael does is step closer, hold him in his arms, and whisper that if something’s wrong, they can talk about it. If he wants to put it off, he’s under no obligation to spend the heat with him and can stay at his place while Michael asks Jack for a place to stay or goes to a hotel for a few days, but the mere idea of Michael leaving him makes Dennis even more anxious and causes him to cling to the Alpha with all his might.

“Okay,” Michael whispers then, kissing his hair. “Okay,” he repeats when Dennis holds him tighter. And Dennis doesn’t know what to do, nor does he know how to ask Michael for help; he’s too caught up in his own thoughts, and his hormones are in turmoil because Dennis knows that if he were in his right mind, he’d ask Michael what’s wrong, if he’s doing something wrong, or if there’s something he needs to learn -but the only thing he can manage is to cling to the Alpha and not let him go.

From then on, Michael doesn’t leave him alone for even a moment.

And it seems his heat will come sooner than expected. And he knows it’s because of Michael’s presence. And he knows it’s coming because of the heat he feels in his gut, because of the tremor in his legs that occasionally overtakes him, because of how he’s constantly searching for Michael, and because of how much better he feels every time he manages to breathe against him and smell his scent -and it’s precisely in one of those moments when Dennis needs Michael that Michael finds him in the bedroom (as if he knew Dennis needed him), and hugs him, and kisses his neck, and Dennis practically melts in that embrace until Michael looks up at the bed and seems puzzled.

“Aren’t you nesting?”

And Dennis freezes in his tracks.

Because, in theory, Dennis knows what a nest is and what it’s for; he’s aware that it’s something Omega usually do. But in practice, he’s 28 years old and has never made one in his life -he’s never felt the need to- and he doesn’t even know where to start. But his mother always told him that an Omega’s instinct trumps everything, that you don’t need anyone to explain what you should do in that moment, so maybe Dennis really isn’t even good at being an Omega. Maybe his family was right all along; he’s been a disappointment to everyone, and he certainly can’t be good for Michael, maybe-

Two arms pull him forcefully toward them, and Dennis finds himself smelling Michael’s scent right off his neck as he breathes heavily, and Michael whispers nonsense to him and strokes his hair until Dennis calms down enough to stop hyperventilating.

But Dennis feels ashamed. Both for the fool he just made of himself, and because he doesn’t know how to act like an Omega, and because everything was going well and he had to ruin it all.

He can’t even bring himself to look Michael in the face.

But Michael kisses his temple and lifts his face with two fingers under his chin, and Dennis, after mustering a little courage, meets his eyes -and there’s not the slightest hint of the disappointment he’d expected. Michael looks at him as he always does, with dark eyes that reveal far more than Michael can put into words, and with a half-smile on his face.

“Can I be your nest?” is all he says. As if it were no big deal. As if it weren’t one of the most romantic things Dennis has ever heard.

And Dennis knows he’s about to start crying. He also knows it would be pretty embarrassing, but luckily he’s too busy kissing his Alpha to care.

***

Dennis opens his eyes and feels disoriented for a moment. He’s in their bedroom -of that he’s certain- with Michael’s arm wrapped around him while Michael’s hand is tucked inside his pants, and Dennis can feel those calloused fingers caressing his pubic area with every breath he takes. The T-shirt Michael gave him earlier is still lying on the pillow, but the curtains are drawn and the room is dark, even though Dennis is sure he went upstairs in the middle of the afternoon to finish the nest.

“I called you when dinner was ready, but you didn’t come down. I found you asleep, hugging a pillow, and I didn’t have the heart to wake you up,” Michael’s voice is hoarse; he must have been sleeping until just a little while ago, but Michael always wakes up just before Dennis does. How he manages it, Dennis has no idea.

“Are you hungry? Should I heat something up for you?”

And Dennis knows he hasn’t eaten since lunch and that he should be hungry, but he’s incredibly tired and, above all, he’s comfortable right where he is and doesn’t want Michael to get up.

Dennis turns within the embrace, and Michael’s hand in his pants slides down to Dennis’s butt, and Michael lets out a sound of appreciation. Dennis curls up to get more comfortable, and Michael makes a sound like purring when Dennis rests his head under Michael’s chin.

“Are you comfortable?” he asks.

“Very.”

“Were you having a good dream?”

Dennis, still half-asleep, lets out a sound asking for an explanation.

“You were purring in your sleep.”

And Dennis suddenly remembers what he was dreaming about -glimpses of the first time he spent the night at Michael’s house, conversations that warmed his heart and made him say this Alpha is mine.

“I was dreaming about you,” Dennis whispers in the darkness and feels Michael’s chest swell slightly.

“Go back to sleep, love.”

And Dennis does, but not before purring the loudest in the world.

His father slams his fist on the table, and the room suddenly feels oppressive.

Dennis knew the conversation wouldn’t go smoothly, but he’d hoped they’d take it better.

“You’ve already let us down once, and now this?”

The sheet of paper on the table clearly lays out Dennis’s plans: to study medicine, to leave the seminary, and how he intends to repay his parents to the best of his ability.

“I don’t want a penny from you. You had a family, and now you have none.”

Dennis didn’t expect that reaction; it seemed exaggerated to him, it couldn’t be-

“May God watch over you, because there will be no one else to do so”

For the first time in months, Dennis has three days off in a row, and he can’t wait to spend them sleeping.

Dennis is tired. Exhausted by weeks that seem endless, and the Pittsburgh heat in the middle of summer has even taken away his appetite -leaving him nauseous and with a headache- he just wants to stay home with the AC cranked up and sleep for twelve hours straight.

Unfortunately, Michael only has one day off that week, so they have little time to spend together, but he agrees with Dennis that they should spend it at home resting because he, too, is exhausted and his back won’t give him a break.

Dennis eats and sleeps and sleeps and eats, except when Michael comes home, and then he spends the evening curled up next to him on the couch while they watch something on TV without really paying attention.

It’s one of his favorite parts of the day. It’s a kind of domesticity he’s never experienced before -a domesticity he’s never even seen, since his parents barely spoke to each other except for his father’s yelling and his mother’s crying. And Dennis never thought he’d have anything like this, but here he is, snuggled up to his Alpha, who’s stroking his hair and resting his other hand on Dennis’s knee. Always touching him as much as possible. Always close.

Dennis rests his head on his shoulder and purrs. Happy and content with where he is in the world right now.

Michael tenses up for a moment, but Dennis doesn’t pay it much mind -maybe he remembered something that happened at work, and if he wants to, he’ll talk about it- but suddenly Michael’s nose is buried in Dennis’s hair, sniffing him deeply, then moves his face down Dennis’s neck and continues his inspection, stroking Dennis’s neck with his beard and sniffing him deeply, making Dennis laugh heartily because he’s ticklish and the beard is scratching him.

“What are you doing? Stop! You’re tickling me!” Dennis tries to pull away and puts both hands over Michael’s mouth, trying to push him away at least a little, but Michael is relentless and tries to get closer, wrestling a bit with Dennis to break free.

Dennis doesn’t know what’s going on, but the whole situation amuses him.

Michael mumbles something against Dennis’s hands, and Dennis looks at him skeptically, even though he’s still laughing.

“Promise you’ll stop if I take my hands away?”

Michael doesn’t blink, and Dennis takes that as a yes.

Of course, he’s wrong.

As soon as Dennis takes his hands away, Michael goes on the attack again, and this time he pins Dennis’s hands with his own, pins him down on the couch, and starts sniffing him again like a dog searching for fresh tracks.

Dennis laughs again and knows that Michael’s beard will give him quite a scratch on his neck, but he couldn’t care less. Whatever’s happening amuses him, and having Michael pin him down with his weight always makes him feel protected and safe, so he sees no reason to complain.

“You smell different,” Michael says as he lifts his head from Dennis’s neck, and Dennis looks at him, shrugging.

“You scented me this morning, must be that?” is the only thing he finds himself saying because he hasn’t changed his deodorant or body wash (and anyway, that would be hard since they use the same products), and he’s been home for days, so it can’t be anything else.

But Michael doesn’t seem convinced and starts sniffing him again, and Dennis lets him because when Michael sets his mind on something, it’s impossible to change his mind -they’re both just as stubborn. So Dennis just lies there on the couch, one hand stroking Michael’s hair while he’s being thoroughly inspected, and he closes his eyes, relaxing in the moment.

“Haven’t you been feeling nauseous lately?” it’s Michael’s voice -or rather, Dr. Robby Robinavitch’s. Dennis immediately senses the difference in tone, in the casual way the question is asked, and rolls his eyes.

“Yeah, but I’m not sick. I mean, remember that case of the stomach flu we had a few days ago, and that two doctors have already been out sick? I wouldn’t worry about it too much.” Michael looks at him as if Dennis doesn’t understand what he’s talking about, and in fact, Dennis returns his gaze without saying anything because he doesn’t understand where Michael is going with this.

“You’ve gained a little weight lately,” is what Michael then says to him, and Dennis splutters because that’s not exactly what he expected to hear, and he’s about to give him a piece of his mind, except that Michael keeps talking “And your skin is glowing.” Michael touches his cheek with his fingers, and Dennis -idiot that he is- deflates like a balloon, and his anger evaporates, because despite everything, Michael is looking at him adoringly, and Dennis just doesn’t know how to stay offended in the face of a look like that.

“Would you do something for me, sweetheart?”

And Dennis, the idiot that he is, nods.

*

“Michael, it can’t be”

“Why not?”

Dennis, pregnancy test in hand, looks at his Alpha and wonders if he’s gone completely crazy.

“Because I can’t be pregnant, I-”

“Why not?”

Because my parents have always told me it would be impossible, because they’ve always told me my body isn’t suited for it, that I don’t have the physique to carry a pregnancy to term, because a body like mine isn’t right, that it’s probably infertile, because despite everything, I’m on the pill.

Dennis doesn’t say any of this and just keeps staring at the test, still sealed in its box (and why Michael has one in the house in the first place remains a mystery), as he sits on the toilet, turning it over and over in his hands, feeling nervous and anxious.

And then suddenly Michael is on his knees in front of him, resting his hands on Dennis’s knees, massaging his thighs, instilling a sense of calm throughout the room, and Dennis relaxes for a moment.

Michael’s knees must be hurting like hell, but Michael says nothing as he continues to stay at eye level with him and reassure him with his presence.

Dennis sighs.

What the hell, it’s just a stupid pregnancy test that’s going to come back negative. Nothing to get upset about, right?

His stomach clenches, his hands sweat, and his father’s voice -reminding him that he is and always will be a failure- echoes in his head, but Dennis nods anyway as he opens the test kit.

***

“Holy shit-!”

The two lines that intersect to form a “+” are clear and obvious on the test, and Dennis stares at them, transfixed, still unable to believe what he’s seeing.

And the test could be wrong. Maybe it’s defective, who knows how long Michael had been keeping it at home. And they’d need to run some tests, but-

His hands are shaking a little, his head is spinning a bit, his mouth is dry, his heart is racing, and his chest is filled with a feeling he doesn’t even know how to describe.

He’s never even wanted to think about it -why hurt yourself over something you know you can’t have?

Holy shit!

He’s about to-

They’re about to-

“Fuck” Michael’s voice snaps him out of that moment, and Dennis, feeling his cheeks ache and only then realizing why -because he’s smiling, he’s smiling without even realizing it- looks up at him, and the smile freezes on his lips.

Because Michael isn’t smiling; Michael doesn’t seem elated, and Dennis thinks back to the moment they shared on the couch, where Michael had remained professional the whole time, he thinks back to when Michael told him to take the test but there wasn’t a hint of expectation on his face, he thinks back to when they started their relationship and Dennis told him he was probably infertile, and when he explained why, Michael opened his mouth to say something but then shook his head and simply told him to take the pill anyway.

And they’d never talked about having children. And why should they have? Dennis was absolutely convinced he couldn’t have any, and Michael had never brought up the subject.

What if Michael didn’t want kids? What if Michael asked him to-

“Fuck,” Michael says again, standing up, and Dennis would follow him if only his legs didn’t feel like jelly -he knows he’d probably end up on the floor without taking a single step.

But apparently he doesn’t have to follow Michael, because it’s Michael himself who picks him up and carries him out of the bathroom, and Dennis is so surprised that the only thing he can say to Michael is to put him down -because he’s heavy, because Michael has a bad back, and this will only make things worse- but Michael ignores him and carries him into the bedroom, where he gently sets him down on the bed and then looks around, like a trapped animal, and starts opening closets and pulling out blankets and pillows, and Dennis really doesn’t know what’s going on; he just knows that at some point Michael is beside him again, arranging pillows behind his back, helping him lie down more comfortably, and draping a soft blanket over him even though Dennis isn’t the least bit cold -it’s summer and the air conditioner is on-  but Michael wraps Dennis up in it, and strangely, Dennis feels calmer, more at peace, he feels taken care of.

But Michael also seems to be in a world of his own because the only thing he keeps repeating is fuck, fuck, fuck, and Dennis is starting to panic a little -actually, a lot.

“Michael?”

“This house is a death trap for kids; we have to baby-proof every single surface, and starting today we’re using the guest room on the ground floor, there’s no way you’re going up the stairs in your condition.”

Dennis blinks a couple of times and falls silent, staring at his Alpha, who continues to look around as if cataloging all the potential dangers until he seems satisfied and finally sits down on the bed, staring at Dennis with an intensity he’s never seen before and placing a hand on his leg, squeezing gently.

“Needless to say, you’ll stay home from now on,” his voice completely matter-of-fact, as if it were obvious.

And that brings Dennis back to his senses.

“What?”

But Michael isn’t even listening to him, continuing to look around, seeing things that Dennis doesn’t see. “We need to schedule an ultrasound appointment. I need to call Dana to speed things up. And we need to decide which room to turn into a nursery. We’ll need more space. Maybe we should move. We need to find someone to come here and help you out when I’m at work, or I could take a few months off to-”

“Michael.” Michael stops talking and turns to look at him, gasping for breath and looking both terrified and excited at the same time.

And Dennis can’t believe what he’s about to say.

It had never crossed his mind that one day he’d say it, that one day it would happen. He’d tried time and time again to keep jealousy at bay within his family, to watch his siblings have children and be happy to be surrounded by nieces and nephews; he’d tried to pretend that not having children didn’t matter to him; he’d tried to suppress the words of his mother and father when they gazed adoringly at their grandchildren and then looked at Dennis with disappointment.

“We’re going to have a baby,” Dennis says. And his voice is uncertain, because he doesn’t believe it yet, because in a small corner of his mind he knows the test could be wrong and that this can’t really be possible, but on the other hand there’s a feeling that’s almost suffocating him because it’s so strong and so desperate to be heard.

“Fuck” is the only thing Michael repeats for the umpteenth time, and then Dennis finds himself pressed against a solid body that’s hugging him, his face buried in a sweater that smells like Michael, his arms trapped between their bodies, and Michael’s lips on his hair.

And Dennis breathes -he breathes deeply- and feels his eyes sting and his father’s voice echoing in his head, but he feels Michael’s hands caressing his back, feels Michael’s lips pressed against his temple, and hears his uneven breathing.

When Michael lifts his head to look into his eyes, Dennis is sure he’s seeing a reflection of himself as well: reddened eyes and wet cheeks, lips trembling slightly as they’re pulled into an uncertain smile, as he looks at him, gently cupping his face in his hands as if it were the most precious thing in the world.

Michael is happy.

And it was Dennis who made this happen.

Dennis feels his eyes sting again, but this time he doesn’t try to hold back the tears -fuck it, he can blame it all on his hormones going haywire now that he knows- and he feels a huge surge of emotion in his chest, something so deep and overwhelming that he doesn’t even know how to contain it, and crying is helping him let go a little, because otherwise he’s sure he’d suffocate.

“We’re going to have a baby,” Michael repeats, and it’s as if that confirmation helps Dennis let go of everything -the years he spent feeling like a failure, his family’s criticism, his attempts to tell himself that it was okay, that even if he never had children, he was still a successful professional, and that was enough for him. Years of lies he told himself so he wouldn’t break down. But now he can let it all out. He can break down because there’s someone there to support him, because there’s someone he can rely on without having to think twice about it, without wondering if they’ll ever want something in return or if there’s an ulterior motive.

Michael pulls him back together, because that’s what Michael does best, just as Dennis knows how to pull Michael back together.

***

“I’ll have to call Trin and tell her before you tell Jack, or she’ll never let me off the hook for finding out secondhand.”

Evening fell; neither of them moved from the bedroom, neither left the other’s side for a single moment. They lay in bed, Dennis leaning against the headboard and Michael with his head resting on Dennis’s chest, running a hand over Dennis’s bare stomach as if he could already feel something, while Dennis ran his fingers through Michael’s hair.

As the sun set, the room grew dark, but neither of them turned on the light; they remained in the dim light, illuminated only by the streetlamps outside and nothing else.

Michael sighs and kisses his stomach, and Dennis doesn’t know how he’ll survive all this because if Michael is already this caring now, he fears he’ll fall in love with the same person all over again.

“Well, I can’t let that happen, or I’ll be the one who can’t take Jack anymore. I’m afraid the only solution is to invite them both here and tell them together.”

Dennis imagines the scene and runs a hand over his face.

“They’ll suspect something from the very first minute.”

Michael nods. “We’ll tell them both before their shift starts, so they’ll have time to stew in their own juices.”

“Ooh, that’s mean.”

“I’ll give them a taste of their own medicine.”

Dennis thinks back to the early days of their relationship, to how both Trin and Jack had been unbearable with their little jokes and winks at the most inopportune moments, and how they’d teamed up to make their lives a living hell (and maybe Dennis is exaggerating, but he likes to be a little melodramatic).

“Touche.”

“And I meant it: no more work for you. I’ll notify HR first thing in the morning.”

“But isn’t it a little early to-?”

“You won’t do any work that could put you and the baby at risk.”

“But-”

“No buts, I’ll take care of you, sweetheart,” and that seems to be the end of the conversation because Michael lifts his head, gives him a peck on the lips, and lies back down.

Dennis sighs, vaguely amused by the whole thing. “You think you can boss me around? You know that’s not how it works.”

Michael laughs.

“Ooh, I know, baby, I know.”

But Dennis recognizes that tone and knows when Michael is just saying things to make him happy, and as he curls up next to his Alpha, Dennis finds himself smiling.

Because he’s happy.

A happiness he wouldn’t have believed possible just a few years ago.

Because he’s gone from being the young boy who used to sleep secretly in a hospital room -penniless, without a family, alone in a big, completely unfamiliar city- to having a family of his own, to being surrounded by friends, to having a solid roof over his head, and now this.

And Dennis knows that if he could tell his past self all this, he wouldn’t believe it.

Because that young boy was alone. Because he felt like something was wrong with him. Because he didn’t feel worthy of any kind of affection, even though he gave his all to others.

But Dennis is now surrounded by completely unconditional love.

And Michael loves him exactly as he is.

And even though there are still difficult days, even though his family’s voices continue to creep into his head every now and then, Dennis hears them growing fainter and fainter, because it turns out, in the end, his family was wrong.

Because Dennis Whitaker is perfectly fine just the way he is.

“I’ll tell our baby that you mistook them for a stomach flu.”

“Don’t you dare.”