rural omega dennis secretly signs himself up to be a mail-order bride so he can escape his family, who want to marry him off to an alpha in their town who's known to be physically abusive. dennis doesn't want to marry at all, but he knows he has a better chance of escaping and finding some form of freedom if he's bought by some alpha across the country- at least then he won't have his family so close to him and he'll be harder to find when he runs.
when he gets a call from the service telling him that his profile (which had contained a tolerable photo of him, plus his designation, height, age and his medical history) has been viewed and chosen by alpha michael robinavitch in pittsburgh, he sighs in semi-relief.
pittsburgh is far away from Nebraska, and it's a big city. a small omega like him will be able to easily run away and hide, he hopes. maybe he'll be able to find an omega shelter, where he can give a fake name until he can find a job to support himself. although he's 99% sure that he'll have zero interest in this "michael" who's bought him, he opens the profile anyway.
hmm. okay. the picture staring back at him looks kind, though dennis isn't stupid enough to be so naïve. michael has warm brown eyes, and a neat brown beard to match. he's got crow's feet around his eyes, and he's smiling in a way that seems... safe. though again, dennis is no idiot. it said he was 6'1", much taller than dennis himself, and that he was 50- twice dennis's age.
something about his face seemed open and honest, and genuinely sweet, and dennis cursed himself for even having the smallest thoughts of what it might be like to be held in an embrace by such a warm looking alpha. all the alphas in broken bow were pale and hard, eyes full of cruelty and menace. the omegas of the town were far more likely to feel contact in the way of a sharp slap upside the head, as opposed to a soothing hug or cuddle in a nest.
michael didn't look that way. he looked like the kind of alpha that sad, lonely omegas wrote gas station romance novels about, hoping they might turn up in the night to snatch them away to happiness. but then again, he was probably an older alpha who was in desperate want of a pup or something, and had turned to the mail order service to buy an omega young enough. dennis scowled. he didn't want a baby.
nonetheless, the fact he'd been bought, and the one-way ticket to pittsburgh had given him a lifeline out of Nebraska, and he was taking it. he packed his meagre amount of things under the cover of darkness, and slipped out of the house. he didn't even whisper a sorry to his father as he took their car and sped from the town. the police could find it the next day at the train station- he'd be long gone by then.
the train ride was long, and dennis was shaking slightly. he'd put scent blockers on to hide his anxiety and distress, not wanting any attention from other passengers, and was trying to familiarise himself with the new city he was heading to. luckily, it did seem that there were a few shelters for vulnerable omegas, and he bookmarked their tabs on his phone. he'd cycle through them once he'd escaped from "michael".
the alpha would be meeting him at the station, so dennis knew he'd have to spend at least some time with the man. he just hoped that Michael would be kind like in the pictures, and might not force himself on dennis on their first night together. his hands sweated at the thought, and he rubbed them on his trousers.
he guiltily allowed himself the last pleasure of fantasising that Michael might be nice and sweet, like the novels, and that he'd have a nice scent that was nothing like the bitter tang of broken bow alphas. he imagined a warm, musky spice that might smell of leather, or a deep citrus, the kind of smells that made the omega want to purr and cuddle into. maybe he'd hold dennis close and safe, and tell him that they didn't have to do anything until the omega was ready. maybe he'd even let him make a nest in the way his father never had.
dennis chastised himself for thinking this way. he hated the fact that, at his core, he craved the loving touch of a caring alpha, and yearned for the comfort of having someone who wanted to protect him and love him. he bit the inside of his cheek and tried not to cry. at least here he'd have a chance to run and hide and get a job. his prospects were better here than back home with an alpha he knew would beat him.
pittsburgh arrived before he felt ready. it looked just as big as the the pictures he'd seen online, and he thought about how this was his new "home". he would make it work, michael or no michael. unless something insane happened, within 24 hours he hopefully wouldn't have to think of the alpha who'd bought him at all. he smoothed his scent patches down harder, not taking the chance of his vulnerability being evident.
his heart thudded in his ears as he walked into the bustling entrance hall, looking for the alpha. there was a soothing, fresh scent somewhere in the hall that made his omega wriggle within him excitedly and encouraged him to want to trill, but he didn't let himself get distracted. he needed to find michael.
"dennis? dennis whitaker?"
the voice came from behind him, and was deep and rich, almost rumbling out of the man's chest. dennis snapped around, moment of truth awaiting him.
and there was michael. he looked taller than his profile had said, yet his figure wasn't imposing. his hands were clasped almost nervously in front of him, and his eyes truly were warm, the brown sparkling in the station lights. he was wearing glasses, which he hadn't been in the profile, and dennis's stomach flipped at the sight. he also wore a tan coloured jacket which made him look sturdy, reliable... safe. the scent dennis had smelt was coming from him, no scent blocking patches in sight.
"i- uh, I mean, yes, I am. dennis, that is. I'm dennis."
the alpha smiled and it spread through his whole face, scent smelling welcoming and happy, not things dennis had much experience with. he tried to stop himself from smiling stupidly and obeying his omega, who seemed to want to get closer to the man to bask in the scent. not yet, not yet, he didn't know this man. he too might hurt dennis.
"I'm glad to meet you, dennis. you're a very beautiful young man, I hope you don't mind me saying. I hope your journey was okay- from Nebraska, was it?"
dennis was taken aback. he blushed at the compliment, far more used to being called pasty and thin than beautiful. michael still hadn't made any move to touch or scruff or claim him either, seemingly waiting for the omega to make the first move.
"oh, ah, thank you... you- I mean, you're very... nice to look at too. like, I like how you look. umm. yeah. yes, it's Nebraska. and it was... fine, I suppose?"
dennis was internally kicking himself. one smell of the alpha who he'd technically married and he was stuttering and stumbling over his words, blushing so red he looked like a goddamn tomato.
the alpha laughed kindly and his eyes crinkled more behind his glasses. dennis's omega tried to urge him forward again, into the solid chest and safe scent. fuck, this wasn't how it was supposed to go.
"well," michael laughed softly, "I'm happy im to your liking, dennis, and that the journey was okay. you're probably hungry though, and I hate the thought of any omega looking to me for safety and love to have to put up with that. it's not right. there's a cozy restaurant down the street that's open late, if you'd like that? I figured it might be nice to get to know each other outside of my house, so there's less pressure?"
immediately offering to feed him? *and* in a public place so he would feel more comfortable and they could actually talk? oh, dennis was in trouble. in broken bow, omegas did all the cooking and then ate last, surviving off the scraps the alphas left behind. michael seemed to like the idea of him being full though (and god, when was the last time he'd been allowed a full belly?), and dennis inched closer.
"that's... yeah, thats okay with me, michael. I'd like to get to know you too."
dennis smiled shyly at the older alpha and michael blushed, which in turn had the omega blushing too.
"that's great, let's go now- theyve got a pretty wide range of foods, so there should be something you'll like."
dennis bit his tongue and resisted from telling the alpha (*his* alpha?) that he would eat anything put in front of him.
"oh- and let me take your bag. omegas shouldn't have to carry things like that themselves."
dennis fought back an embarrassingly besotted purr from escaping his throat. robby took his case in one hand like it weighed nothing, and then reached out his free hand for dennis to hold. dennis hesitated slightly, and then took it. it was warm and sturdy, and he could smell the alphas scent stronger now- and he wanted it all over him, quite frankly.
"oh, and dennis, you should call me robby. no one really calls me michael. you can call me alpha if you want, but there's no pressure. we don't know each other that well yet, so it's okay to wait. I've got, um. nesting materials, too. obviously I didnt really know what you'd like, so I've picked up quite a few. hopefully there'll be some blankets and pillows you'll take a liking too."
food, courtesy, and now *nesting materials*? was the alpha trying to kill him? and robby... the name suited him- calm and friendly. he held robby's hand tighter and trilled very quietly. the alpha heard it anyway, and rumbled back. maybe dennis would wait *48* hours before he decided to run away... for now, robby seemed like someone worth getting to know...
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