Chapter Text
They’re woken in the morning by harsh knocking on the front door. It’s gotta be bad if they can hear it all the way up in the nest. Mama and Poppa both go stiff, and start grumbling about “who the hell?” and “on a Saturday?” Poppa gets up, pushing Mama back into bed where he wraps his arms around Jake and Nat. They listen to Poppa go answer the door.
“Can I help you? … Officers?”
“My apologies for waking you Mr. Kazansky, we need to ask some questions concerning your son… Jake? May we come in?”
The sounds of shuffling, boots in the hallway, in the living room, messing up the carpet Aunt Sarah got them that Mama loves but won’t say. Poppa’s making protesting noises about how Jake’s “- only eight!” and how he “couldn’t possibly - ” though what he couldn’t possibly is lost on the journey through the floorboards.
Jake’s gone stiff, he can’t move. Nat’s holding his hand super, super tight.
“We should probably go see what they want.” Mama’s voice is all high. Like he’s scared. But Mama doesn’t get scared. He’s a super badass fighter-pilot. Like Jake’s gonna be one day. Nat too, but Jake still thinks she’s just copying him. He is three minutes older. Mama takes them back to their room to put on their robes and slippers before going downstairs. He holds both of their hands really tight the whole time. Like he’s worried they’re going to disappear. He can see Nat’s as worried about Mama as he is, so they both squeeze his hands back extra hard. Poppa meets them at the bottom of the stairs, and he and Mama look at each other. The adult kind of look that Bradley says all Mamas and Poppas learn when they get bonded.
“Ice?”
“I don’t know Mav.” Mama doesn’t let go of either of their hands, so Poppa just turns around and leads them back into the living room.
There are two strangers sitting on the nice sofa. The one they’re never ever allowed to have any snacks on. One man and one woman. They’re both betas. They startle when they see Mama. The woman looks spooked when she sees Nat. Mama squishes all three of them onto the loveseat. Poppa sits in the big chair between them and the strangers.
“We’re sorry for waking you, Mr. Kazansky - ”
“It’s Mitchell, actually” Poppa interrupts the policeman. He always says it’s rude to interrupt, but he’s looking at the two of them like TOPGUN students he’s caught saying things about omega pilots. So maybe he deserves it.
“Lieutenant Commander Pete Mitchell, my mate. You wanted to speak with us about Jacob?” He thinks he understands why people call Poppa ‘Iceman’ now. He’s usually only Jacob when he’s in trouble. He doesn’t think he’s the one in trouble this time.
Silence descends.
The woman recovers first. She clears her throat several times before speaking. Her knuckles are white around her notebook. Her pen has letters on it, Jake squints to read them. C… P… S…
“Yes, well” she clears her throat again, “Commander Kazansky, we received a call from a resident of the area reporting some concerning things Jacob has said regarding the separation of alpha and omega spaces in the home.” She glances up, scans her eyes over Jake's family. He glares at her. He knows Nat is too. This woman is making his Mama afraid. Not even enemy MiGs can do that. “He was overheard indicating to another alpha, an adolescent, that your neighbour’s nest ‘smelled wrong’ because of an absence of alpha scents in the space.” She looks up again, “I’m sure you can understand why someone would find this concerning.” She’s looking right at Mama.
Mama pulls them both tighter into his sides. “What do you mean?” Mama is never quiet. Jake twists to give him a hug. Whatever these people are talking about, it’s bad.
“Would you care to clarify what exactly it is that you are insinuating?” Poppa’s using his big scar Commander voice. The one that says you will follow his orders or you will leave the navy. The woman looks away. It’s the man who speaks this time.
“Commander Kazansky,” he’s cajoling. It’s the kind of voice Uncle Slider uses when he talks to Poppa ‘man to man’. It just gives Poppa the Angry Eyebrows. Usually reserved for misbehaving ensigns (when they’re being especially stupid) and Grandpa Nathan (always). “I’m sure this can all be cleared up quickly if we could just take a look at the nesting spa– ”
“No.” Poppa looks furious.
“We just want to make sure that nothing… untoward is happening. Especially not with another alpha in the house.” The woman is trying to sound conciliatory, but her eyes flick to Nat, who still looks kinda pale and shaky.
“Hey!” everyone’s eyes are suddenly on Jake “Don’t you be mean to my sister!” he doesn’t know what ‘untoward’ means. But he knows what that look means. Other kids moms sometimes look at Nat like that on the playground. Like, just ‘cos she’s an alpha they think she’s gonna hurt their wimpy kids. Mama pulls him back to sit on his lap. But he isn’t laughing, or saying something dumb like “easy tiger” like he does when he thinks Jake or Nat are being funny.
“We understand there’s also nephew at home?”
“My godson, Bradley.” Poppa still looks like he’s talking to Grandpa Nathan “He’s living with us while his mother is in the hospital.” Nobody says anything. The adults trade looks over Jake and Nat’s heads. Eventually Mama sighs. Poppa doesn’t look angry anymore, they both look tired.
“Come on munchkin,” Poppa swings Nat up in his big strong arms. “Let’s go see if Brad Brad’s awake yet.” She waves over Poppa’s shoulder when he walks out. Then it’s just Mama and Jake with the strangers.
“Lieutenant Mitchell,” the woman is looking at Mama with big, earnest, eyes. She should've called him Lieutenant Commander but Mama doesn't correct her. “There is a concern here that Jacob may be, influenced, into allowing alphas further into his personal space than he is comfortable with, because he thinks it’s normal.”
“Are you – do you think I’m grooming my son?” his arms go tight around Jake’s middle. The painfully stiff silence from earlier is back. “We just need to ask these questions, sir” the man says, looking at Mama like he thinks Mama doesn’t understand, “given the concerns raised, I’m sure you can understand.” Mama says nothing.
“How about this,” The woman changes tack. She looks straight at Jake. “Jacob, honey,” only teachers call him Jacob when he’s not in trouble. “Can you tell us what was wrong with the way Mrs. Neilsen’s nest smelled?” Jake looks at Mama, who nods at him. Then he watches the woman’s pen where it presses into her notebook.
“It smelled lonely.” he looks up at her eyes, he needs her to understand. Mama’s reactions mean this is serious, so Jake has to make this woman understand. “I could only smell Kasey’s Mama.”
“Can you explain why you thought that made it lonely Jacob? It was Mrs. Neilsen’s nest.”
“Because! she was alone there!” He’s starting to get frustrated that this woman won’t get it. “All the time.” The pen scratches. The man stares at him.
“I… think I may be able to explain this.” Mama sounds hesitant. The officers are both looking at him intensely. “My nest is in my mate’s den, we share a bedroom.” The woman’s eyebrows raise. The pen scratches. “I understand that’s somewhat unusual.”
Jake turns around to stare up at Mama’s face “You mean that Kasey’s house was normal?” he can’t imagine it, “Mama, her nest didn’t even smell of Kasey! It was only her mama.” Mama’s face does the sad-soft thing, like when Bradley reminds him of Uncle Goose.
“Kasey’s a big girl now Jakey, she’s Bradley’s age. Teenagers don’t want to sleep in their Mama’s nests.”
Jake harumphs. But he thinks he gets it. He’s a big boy himself, after all. Nat had decided they were too old to hold Mama’s hands all the way to school anymore, and Jake agreed. He thinks it’s probably like that. He likes his own nest anyway. He likes that is smells like him and has all his own pillows. Maybe that’s a bit what ‘growing up’ means. “Okay.” He concedes. Mama strokes his hair. That still didn’t explain why Mr. Neilsen wouldn’t let Mrs. Neilsen put her nest in his den. Didn’t they miss each other? Mama and Poppa miss each other all the time, whenever one of them is on deployment. Why wouldn’t Kasey’s mama want her nest to smell like her mate?
“Thank you Lieutenant Mitchell." There it is again! And Mama still doesn't correct them! "That does make several things clearer.” The woman takes an ‘I have to tell the commander something he won’t like’ breath. “However, we would still like to request a viewing of at least the children’s spaces. Just to be thorough.” Mama sighs like a puppet with his strings cut.
“Fine.” He picks Jake up and stands. Mama’s got strong arms just like Poppa. He can still carry Jake and Nat even through they’re both big now. The officer’s follow them upstairs. Their room is to the right of the staircase, past Bradley’s room, but before Mama and Poppa’s. Mama puts Jake down by his desk inside. It’s a big L shape, blocking his nest – tucked into the back corner on his side of the room, the cosiest spot possible – from the door. Nat’s bed is against the opposite wall. Mama and Poppa bought her a loft when they outgrew their baby beds. The mattress is something Poppa called a foo-tawn in her favourite colour (fancy-uniform-blue) and there’s a desk attached underneath with a big squishy chair also made of Navy-blue foo-tawn. Jake thinks it would be horrible to sleep on, way too hard, but Nat loves it. Mama strung up spare sheets under the mattress, so Nat can have her own little den in there. She called them her princess curtains. It made her unbearably smug for some reason. Jake thinks maybe he should ask for curtains on their next birthday. Or he could just build a blanket fort, it’s not like Nat’s are fancy either.
The man and the woman are looking around their room. At Nat’s Den. At his Nest. He doesn’t like it. Mama doesn’t like it either, and Poppa must be able to tell because he comes in behind the officers and makes them all jump.
“Has your curiosity been satisfied, or would you also like to test my mattress.” It doesn’t sound like he really wants them to. They leave Jake and Nat’s room pretty fast.
Nat and Bradley are also waiting on the landing outside. Jake runs over and hugs his sister. He doesn’t want them to look at Nat like they did before. And if they do then he’s here to tell them off. Bradley too, now. Even if they’re all still in pyjamas and Bradley’s hair is all fluffy like he only just woke up.
Jake and Nat stay with Bradley while Mama and Poppa walk the officers back to the front door. They all creep down the stairs to listen in.
The man is saying the same things about “sure you understand” and “no harm done.” Poppa doesn’t say anything back, but when the door finally slams closed he comes back up the stairs muttering about “insufferable woman.” He doesn’t seem to mind that all three of them were eavesdropping. He hasn’t let go of Mama since he interrupted the officers poking around Nat and Jake’s bedroom.
“I think we all deserve a pyjama day, after that, what do you think, ducklings?” Jake and Nat cheer.
“Let’s make some breakfast, then we can see if there’s anything fun on tv.” Jake grabs Nat’s hand again, and they troop back down into the kitchen.