You spent so long alone you had forgotten that noises of pain are typically addressed.
You’ve been an omega for as long as you’ve been alone (…unfortunatley correlated), so every heat or sickness you’ve just had to deal with. Your typical set up once you feel the early onset of whatever ailment is to sequester away into your nest and just rot there until the problem is gone.
Is that pleasant? No. But what else could you do? Heat is all-consuming and inescapable and everyone knows omegas don’t deal with sickness well. You can barely stand let alone get yourself food or medicine. So sitting alone, curled up, whimpering away, is a very familiar feeling for you.
That is until you join the 141.
It had snuck up on you, a little twinge in the back of your head slowly spreading into a crown of pain. Slow enough that you were like a frog in boiling water, didn’t realize untill it was too late.
The fatigue threw itself on you all too quickly after that, and then the sniffles. You knew it would happen eventually, new environment and all, but you were hoping you might get away with it. Not your heat—thank god you still had some months before that was due—but a flu. Having to explain why you were down for the count to your new captain sounded like worse torture than how you currently felt, so you were more determined than usual to hide away.
As quickly and subtly as you could, you grabbed a whole box of granola bars and a jug of water, knowing that was the only way you were going to be getting sustenance, before hurrying into your room to go die for the next week. Price would just have to deal with you absence and you would explain later.
By the time you got yourself semi-set up, food and water within reach and tucked tightly into your nest, the pain was a living thing. Fever bloomed beneath your skin, causing illogical shaking and chills despite the mountain of blankets that surrounded you. The headache was pounding now, twinging your temples with every beat of your heart, and you couldn’t breathe through the sniffles anymore. Who could really blame you for the sad, keening whimper you let out?
You didn’t give it a second thought, par for the course in your mind, but you must’ve been way louder than you though because it wasn’t even a minute later when there was a pounding on your door.
It made you let out another whimper with the way the vibrations made your head pound. That wasn’t the right move, though, because it just made the pounding get more frantic.
“Sergeant?” You could barely make it out between the pounding in your head, the pile of blankets muffling your ears, and the real life pounding, but it sounded like your Captain. Or maybe Lieutenant Riley? Actually, were there multiple voices outside your door?
Whatever, it didn’t matter, you weren’t going to answer. You just burrowed yourself deeper under the warm comforter and tried to muffle your whines better. Maybe they’d leave you alone.
You were almost able to ignore the pounding and chatter, but the sound of wood cracking was a little less subtle.
“Hmmrph?” Your whimper transformed into a sound of confusion as you tried to lift your head to investigate, but the pile of blankets interrupted your view.
You understand what happened when the voices suddenly got much louder, like right outside your nest loud. They broke down the door.
“‘Mega?” A soft, sweet, Scottish voice cooed, gently pulling away the layers from your eyes.
He looked incredibly hesitant—as he should given how improper and frankly dangerous it can be to enter an omega’s space uninvited. Luckily for him, you were in no shape to fight him on his presence. You weren’t even mad. Some part of you was just incredibly happy to see him—the part of you that was aching for someone to take care of you and knew he would do a great job.
When you made eye contact and he saw your wet eyes and trembling lip he swore he could feel his heart crack.
“Ohhh, sweetheart, why didnae you say something?” He lets go of any inhibitions, his instincts overriding it all with the absolute desire to take your pain away.
His big arms sweep under you, picking you up, blankets and all, to slide under you and then plop you back down on his chest. You take a second to soak in his heat and scent, which both immediately cut through some of your pain somehow. Causing your body to relax as your mind sends out ‘safe’ signals. Only with this new angle do you see that it was not only Soap who was concerned. Rather, the rest of your team is eagerly awaiting your reaction, like it will be the go-ahead for them to join too.
You can’t form words, you just melt deeper into Soap and let out another whine, this time a more satisfied one which seems to be all the cue they need.
Suddenly, they’re all there. Swiping sweat from your forehead, speaking sweet words, climbing into the mess of blankets, bringing water for you to sip. Normally, maybe, it would make you overwhelmed or feel coddled, but it had been so long since anyone gave enough of a shit to take care of you, that you couldn’t help but preen under their care.
“Right, let’s get you fixed up, love, hmm? How’s that sound?” You’ve never heard your captain’s voice so soft, nor have you known his hands to be so gentle as he pulls your hair off your slick forehead. You immediately miss his hands when he pulls away to grab medicine, but you figure he’s doing the right thing.
Simon somehow wriggles himself next to Johnny, equally cradling you and him both and adding to the warmth of the nest. It feels like the perfect heating pad.
“Don’t hide when you’re hurt,” Simon whispers to you, sounding wounded. “Trust us to help you. Please.” You’ve never heard him ask something so desperately before.
You can’t even bring yourself to mind Kyle’s chastising.
“Thought you’d try and be tough and handle it alone, bug?” He places a cool cloth on your forehead, thumb caressing your cheek, “you don’t gotta do that with us around. Let us take care of it, alright?”
Your lip quirks up, breath finally stabilizing and allowing your eyes to close, body resting and safe for the first time in a very long time.
