Everything is (was) fine. - Chapter 2 - Z3r0o (2024)

Chapter Text

May 3rd, 1883

Arthur sat in his tent, reading a book while waiting for Dutch and Hosea to return, and Miss Grimshaw was around, clearing up any weeds to pass the time. Arthur was now 18, nearly 19, and regarded as their son. Dutch began to refer to them as a gang that would develop, but for the past four years, it has just been them. They established a home base concealed among the woods to avoid detection during their heist missions. Their robbery was all good; they retained little for themselves and contributed to the poor at Hosea's request, and Arthur saw nothing wrong with that.

They always had ways to feed themselves, and they were quite content in their current nesting location. Arthur referred to it as such because he frequently found himself nesting in every part of the camp as his heat approached. Dutch, Hosea, and Miss Grimshaw would keep their distance to respect the young omega's space, although Hosea may occasionally enter the nests for Arthur's comfort.

He closed his book as he heard horse hooves pound on the ground, signaling the approach of both parental figures. They had rushed into town to get extra provisions for the camp, as well as materials for Hosea and Arthur's heats. Exiting his tent, he noticed a skinny lad with black hair sitting in front of Dutch's horse getting awe-like eyes from Grimshaw. He hesitated as he glanced at the youngster, who appeared to be shy of his attention.

"Who is… that?" Arthur grumbled, surprised at how possessive he is of what he considers his land. However, the new face clearly demonstrated the importance of protection. "This is John, Arthur, and he is fourteen. He'll be accompanying us on our new travels.” When Dutch spoke, Arthur's gut twisted in unacceptance. "Dutch! We're content with only four; there's no need for more! This is our territory." Hosea interjected, "No, Arthur, this is not how we will behave. Don't worry, pup; you'll accept him someday.” The elder omega petted Arthur's head, and he nearly leaned in before snapping out of it, humming at them before wheeling off and mounting his horse.

"I'm going for a ride, I'll be back soon." He stated, turning to the tiny child and growling at him before giving his horse a short nudge to motivate her to move. He clutched the reins firmly, his chest throbbing as he descended into his own thoughts. When they found him, he was also 14, but the boy appeared to be more roughed up than Athur was. The young omega knew they would soon discover they didn't need him, especially if the boy presented as an alpha. He let out a small whimper as he considered the likelihood that Dutch and Hosea would abandon him.

His chest ached even more, and he lowered his head against his horse's neck, trying to hide his face. He let his girl lead him wherever since he was too preoccupied with his thoughts to see what was going on around him. If the tiny child presented as an Alpha, Arthur considered himself screwed. Alphas have a tremendous sense of terror over his head; they prefer to act before thinking, or perhaps they think and act. Arthur didn't care. All he understood was that alphas would steal what is not theirs, particularly when an omega is defenseless. Women alphas were far more docile than males, but that didn't change his opinion that they were greedy monsters, Dutch and Miss Grimshaw being an exception to his opinion.

Several hours have passed now Arthur assumed, and he insisted for his horse to take him back to camp, which she followed his command with a soft snort. As they slowly made it back to camp, Arthur did everything to keep his mind busy, like praising his horse, or brushing out her already clean coat. He knew Hosea would keep him safe from any alpha, he had done it before when Arthur’s heat hit unexpectedly. That led to a man getting shot in the head and them needing to move their camp to avoid law. The thought brought warmth and comfort to his stomach, after that incident, Hosea was always welcomed to his nest.

When he returned to what he referred to as his nesting location, he was welcomed by a concerned Hosea who began showering him with questions like "are you okay? And remember: "It's okay to be upset." Arthur shook his head, assuring the elder omega that he was OK and that he would ultimately adjust to the new black-haired chap roaming around camp. The younger omega caught a glimpse of Hosea smiling before fingers wove through his golden hair and drew him into an embrace. A hand snaked around his waist, and Arthur realized Hosea was probably worried about the new arrival. He smiled as he accepted the elder omega back. Arthur realized he was incorrect to presume Dutch and Hosea would even have the thought crossed their mind about kicking him out.

The sun was sinking, and they would generally sit around a fire and make supper. That was the regular pattern, but there was a new face this time. John stood by the fire, staring at Dutch and Hosea, who sat with a cup of coffee, Miss Grimshaw who was sorting herbs, and Arthur, who broke apart whatever was left over from the turkey he had slaughtered earlier. With no other options, John sat next to the man, seeking to maintain his distance.When Arthur started cooking, John noticed an unusual odor. He noticed several odors actually, but the two omega and alpha fragrance’s stood out the most. One omega seemed to be closer to 30, and the two alpha’s were in their late twenties; their fragrance was quite serene and at ease. Then a younger fragrance of omega reached him, and it was complete ecstasy. It warmed his stomach, the omega appeared preoccupied, and he recognized the source as the man sitting next to him.

John had no clue Arthur was an omega, and he failed to notice his eyes falling as he leaned in and lay against Arthur, who tensed. John could not stop smelling Arthur's aroma, and the older boy let him. He returned to reality when Hosea said, "So you haven't presented yet... I believed that was because my nose was in horrible shape!" John turned his head towards Hosea, expressing complete uncertainty. "Do you not know anything about secondary genders, kid?" John shook his head as he leaned in to listen, while the omega next him reclined back and began to eat the turkey he had cooked.

"Well, before your secondary gender is presented, which can be either Alpha, Beta, or Omega, Your ability to sense what others are becomes reachable, meaning you are to present soon." Hosea hesitated, and Dutch stepped in. "Which means, we should probably explain what each role is like so you aren't some confused kid!" Arthur grumbled as he took another chunk of turkey and swallowed it. "They're dragging it out, John," he said, causing the tiny child to stare back at him, surprised and with a flip in his stomach. "If you present as an Alpha, you may develop behaviors to rule, tame, and protect. You will also encounter ruts, which Dutch will have to explain to you if you present as one." Dutch coughed up his deer meat when his name was suggested as an explanation for a rut.

"Betas are quite basic; they have lesser scenting senses and find it more difficult, but not impossible, to produce children. I don't think you'll present as a beta because of your reactivity with scent right now.” Arthur rambled on, and Hosea and John were both interested in listening. "As for Omega, you develop the instinct to submit, be tamed, and protected. Regardless of gender, Omegas are the ones that carry children. They frequently go into a state called heat, which may last anywhere from 3 to 7 days.”

"It is preferable to leave them alone; otherwise, they become fairly territorial and vulnerable. Regardless of what the rest of the world believes, it is critical that you respect an omega.” John nodded while Hosea and Dutch hummed in satisfaction. "Instincts are hard to fight, kid, but they are not what you are and you must refrain from following them if the other person does not consent." Dutch spoke, dropping his knife to a fresh chunk of deer flesh. "Now there are instances where it is okay if the other person is in trouble or is the trouble, but usually Alpha's are the only ones to prevent issues due to their demanding endeavor."

Arthur grumbled and rolled his eyes, "Omegas can be just as powerful, we just choose not to be… well, no, I choose to be independent, I don't need any alpha." John felt his gut twist, which felt extremely awkward. Arthur leaned forward, resting his elbows on his spread knees and looking John in the eyes. "If you present as anything, just know that you are supported in this camp just as much as I was, which I apologize for my very warm welcome earlier." Arthur rambled cynically. "Guess I just wasn't expecting a tiny child to roll into camp." "Hey! I'm not a child! I am 14, almost 15!" John argued.

Arthur inclined his head, indicating disguised curiosity. "You know your birthday?" John paused before shaking his head, 'no'. "I don't know the exact date, but I know that it is soon, I was born sometime in late spring…" To be fair, Arthur had no idea when his birthday was, so it was commemorated whenever Dutch and Hosea found him. The fact that this 14-year-old recognized it was at least in late spring is noteworthy. "Late spring, you say? Hey, doesn't that swing around to May?" Dutch questioned Hosea, who nodded. "Looks like we got a birthday boy in our camp!" Ms. Grimshaw wooed him, saying she wanted to celebrate his arrival and birthday at the same time.

John leaned back, his cheeks flushing pink. Arthur could only laugh as he lightly smacked John's back. “Welcome home, kid. You will have a lot of fun here.”