Chapter Text
“Mega, please, no dragging it out today- yeah?” Hunter called after their youngest sibling as she trudged up the stairs. Omega muttered an affirmative. Of course not without giving him a good, firm grumble first.
A thing Crosshair found himself to routinely pull the dopiest expressions at. Not entirely sure how, but Crosshair was convinced that some of her expressions were courtesy of him. And that without even knowing each other for the first ten years of her life. A fact that made his stomach flop whenever he thought about it. Which was often. Pretty often, to be correct.
Actually, aside from her grumbles, there was little about her that didn’t make his insides churn—
Her hair, his. Her face, his. Her awful long feet and gangly arms, his.
And his was Nala Sé's.
Despite the brown eyes, of course. Made it easier. Luckily. Having to stare into two eyes that didn't remind him of the ones of his mother, while the rest of Omega's phenotype tried to prove him otherwise.
Hunter groaned, slapping a hand across his eyes. Clear as the day’s blue sky had been, Crosshair was sure what was about to be happening was past the point of being stopped. It had been the hottest day in October since the weather records began. Not only noticeable by the temperature itself but also by the fact that Hunter grew increasingly quiet as they ate, and that the slight grayish sheen in his eyes worsened.
Whatever the case, and however long the fit would last for, Crosshair only hoped he could bail out on them before he had the chance to feel completely useless.
“Mate- just let us do it if you don't feel good.” Echo carefully stated, while retrieving his meds from the Omega-safe box up on the fridge.
“We’re tucking her in right- don't worry.” Wrecker laughed, which had Hunter wincing at the sound. “Aint gotta worry, Sarge- the kid ain't gonna fall out-”
Crosshair probed the two, not ready to peel his gaze away from Hunter’s face yet. Clothed in his work vest, he shuffled from side to side on his chair.
Hunter heavily blinked against the bright kitchen light, shutting his eyes as if it bit down directly on his retina. He fumbled with the lid a little, defeatedly holding the kid-locked pill bottle out to Tech. His piss poor pre-migraine-fit motor skills were never easy to witness. Even if it didn't seem to alienate Hunter much, but it scared the crap out of Crosshair.
“Hunter”
“Echo, please-” he gave back, tossing two into his mouth to wash them down with the rest of his water. Not something that was necessary. But everyone knew just how much Echo hated it when they demonstrated their unique skill of swallowing pills dry. “You’ve taken over yesterday, Wrecker has a date, Crosshair has to go to work and Tech had a hassle with getting the truck up and running for the entire day- You guys deserve a break”
“That's bullshit-” Crosshair admitted, eyes widening as Hunter attempted to get up, swaying vigorously and barely able to be held by Tech, who gripped his shirt with two fistfuls in the back to keep him upright. “Whoa”
“-Untha” came a particularly high-pitched screech from the door. Omega helplessly tugged at her pajama top, Lula in the other hand.
“Wrecker, take her up, please-” Echo stiffened up, fully utilizing his Corporal voice.
“Hunter will be best left in our capable hands and without a small companion by his side-” Tech eyed the said small companion at that. Her pout grew larger than ever.
“C'mere, kiddo-” Wrecker crouched down, arms extended.
“But Hunter needs help-” she insisted, standing her ground for now.
“None you can give-” Crosshair hissed, pressed.
Under as little commotion as they could manage for Omega’s sake, Tech took the fistfuls of shirt and Hunter and gently shoved his incapacitated brother out of the kitchen. Echo, not passing an opportunity to play mother hen, of course, followed both.
Omega’s chin gave into a firm wobble. Noticing his sister’s change of face from determination to sadness and fright, Wrecker gathered her up in one fluid motion, letting her settle on his hip bone while he trailed his way upstairs.
Rippled by guilt over his previous comment, Crosshair followed.
“What's wrong with Hunter?” Omega continued to pester once the threesome passed the brothers bedrooms. “He needs help- He-”
“Kid, he's good down there.” Wrecker interrupted, leaving Crosshair baffled at just how reassuring it sounded despite Wrecker putting it rather firmly. “Happens from time to time- When the weather turns from hot to cold and the uhm you know the hum- uhm-”
“Humidity-” Crosshair tossed in, eyeing the top of his sister's blonde head thrown over Wrecker’s shoulder.
His burly brother only nodded, his cheek rubbing against Omega’s ear. “Yeah right- the humidity drops. It's called a migraine- But he’ll be up and runnin’ soon.”
Not entirely satisfied with the answer she got, Omega merely made a puzzled Mhh- sound.
“Like a brain freeze-” Crosshair further supplied, hoping that would get rid of the bulk of her insecurity. “a super bad, painful one.”
Crosshair knew that was putting it mildly. He was no stranger to them either. Back in the army, when looking through the scope of his fire puncher for most of the day, straining his eyes to death, he had experienced quite a lot of those. Though thankfully not at all on a chronic basis.
Wrecker jostled her around, trying to grasp for the door handle while keeping her secure. “You know that, kiddo, dontcha?”
Omega nodded, probably remembering the first time Echo had allowed her a fruity popsicle. After being way too eager to taste it, Omega had clutched her head tight, emitting a heartbreaking owww- But every victory demanded its prize and the next few times, while the summer still lasted, Omega had learned to be patient with refrigerated treats.
“Tell him to get well soon from me-” she muffled into Wrecker's neck, voice fully choked up with pity.
“I will-” Wrecker minded the one corner of her rug that kept flipping up and made them all trip on the way in and out of her room. Crosshair not so much. He could barely hide a curse, while Wrecker tried to suppress a chuckle. “So if ya don't protest, we’ll be the ones shooing the monsters out your closet tonight-”
Crosshair didn't miss the We- For a second, he regretted having come up with them.
“I don't believe in monsters.” Omega proudly declared, almost making him laugh.
Yeah, she’d seen enough monstrous stuff happen in real life. Crosshair surely hadn’t been afraid of monsters either at her age. Well, at least not the common ones.
“Well yeah? Ya not? Then ya're braver than we are-” Wrecker flung her over the shoulder onto her mattress in a WWE move that Echo would’ve most certainly chided him for. Before Omega could even ask what that meant, Wrecker scooted her body up like she was made out of feathers, shoving himself down beside her and thus giving her something to cuddle against.
“Dunno ‘bout you, kid, but I could need a story now.” Wrecker rumbled a laugh, trying to distract Omega’s thoughts from what was going on downstairs. Thinking the charade would be better participated in than bristled against, Crosshair sat down at the foot of Omega’s bed. Needing no further invitation, Wrecker started to nudge Crosshair with his size 15 feet. Groaning, and much to the amusement of their youngest, Crosshair dodged one, before Wrecker’s other got to his side, wiggling his big toe right underneath his ribcage, summoning a foreign sounding giggle out of his chest.
Short of saying fuck you and angrily shoving him off, Crosshair thought otherwise. He rolled his eyes, sighed dramatically, but then reached behind himself to grasp for a book off of Omega’s small stack beside her bedpost. Clutching one, the memories of the last attempt he’d tried to read something to her came flooding back.
Omega had sat in the same position she sat in now, cuddling with Hunter on one side, while Crosshair sat on the other. During the story, and although Hunter had held her tightly in his grasp, Omega had wiggled herself closer and closer, inevitably making him freak out and causing the reading to end in a disaster. Hunter, ever the diplomat, tried to calm him down while not hurting her feelings, which, considering them, had made it even worse for Crosshair.
He had stormed out, needing a good half an hour before he'd recouped himself, was ready to apologize, and wish her a good night from afar.
Today, however, he positioned himself differently. Practice makes perfect, after all.
Swallowing, Crosshair dropped his voice into a whisper. “What about your date?”
Sheepishly, Wrecker nuzzled his head into her hair. He’d seen this man about two times before- annoying them to shreds with his tinder bio and spicy texts whenever Omega wasn’t around. Wrecker glanced up, raising an eyebrow. “What about your work?”
Touché- Son of a bitch.
Crosshair’s mine got stiff. “Can wait.” he retorted, crisp.
“Right- kid comes first, huh?” Wrecker admitted, this time without the sly grin he put up whenever he noticed Crosshair’s blossoming affection toward their youngest.
Like he’d try to get rid of the pumpkin soup Tech had made for dinner, Crosshair attempted to fight the queasiness in his stomach. Luckily coming out as the winner. “Suppose so.” He gnawed at the inside of his cheek, eyeing the book his subconscious had reached for. A story about a bird flapping his wings for the first time-
Granted, a little too childish for what Crosshair thought Omega would be into. But considering this kid basically had no childhood, he’d be damned if he commented on it now.
“Ouh-” Omega’s eyes glistened. “That’s a good one-” She wiggled herself further into Wrecker’s embrace, one hand on his chest to fumble with the dogtag his brother had on beneath his shirt. Crosshair eyed them both, a slab of unjustified jealousy rippling his insides. For which of his siblings, Crosshair didn’t even know. But Wrecker made it look so damn easy.
“Tech bought me that one after we went to the bird exhibition in the natural history museum.” Omega eagerly nodded. Crosshair remembered. Tech had tried to rope him into the endeavor, playing Omega’s homeschool teacher in order to get her fit for her classes.
While Crosshair began to read the sickeningly sweet story, coming close to having to suppress a retch at times, Omega lay still in Wrecker’s arms, Lula sandwiched tight between them both. Reluctantly showing the pictures whenever a page sported one, Crosshair couldn’t deny for having his sister’s full attention to feel good.
After he came close to the climax of the story, the little bird flapping his wings after two failed attempts, Omega even let out a small gasp, despite likely having heard the story before.
Still, it didn't bother Crosshair even remotely as much as he thought it would. Once the story had finished, the swift bird finally heading south for the first time without a crash landing, Crosshair closed the book, putting it on the stack beside her bed.
Wrecker stretched a little, having gotten a bit uncomfortable with his huddled position for the last twenty minutes or so.
Crosshair pressed his mouth together, seconds short of saying goodnight and making a run for his car. And then, it happened.
Omega leaned forward. Enough so that Crosshair could smell the minty-toothpaste tang to her breath. Quickly and with a motion that could only be described as sheepish, her lips collided with the side of his face.
He froze- entirely.
"Thank you for the story." Omega breathed, blinking doe-eyed from underneath the slowly growing out curly fringe.
"y'r 'lcom-" he tried, not making it past the sentence. The army was all about soldiers needing to adapt and having to learn new skills. So why was this so different?
His pulse thrummed wildly in his ears. Wrecker’s gaze lingered on Crosshair's face. Waiting for the pang, for this bout of affection Omega so desperately needed to be over. Crosshair closed his eyes, wetness gathering in the corners from the stimuli as he begged himself for only one thing: Don't freak out on her again-
But nothing happened. As quickly as it had been summoned, the anxious fluke had passed.
Assuming she'd stretched her luck enough, Omega rammed her forehead first into his armpit instead of asking for a hug. "And thank you for being my brother." She mumbled, the tip of her nose tickling his skin.
Two things were roaming through Crosshair’s head, quietly entangled in the loudest battle ever to be held. One, the urge to tell himself he didn't deserve it, that this must’ve been a malicious joke of some kind, destined to make him fall- the situation would turn on him and come crashing down as soon as he felt safe. He was sure of it.
The second, that it felt good. It felt warm. It felt safe. It felt like home.
And that despite his opposite being short enough to stand upright underneath the dining table.
Slowly, Crosshair breathed, gulped, fought the flutter in his chest. It wasn’t equipped with the same plummeting feeling a stupid prank had. This was real. This was so real. Crosshair only managed to blink, carrying his heartbeat on his tongue while he glanced down. He patted her shoulder once, carefully peeling her off his body. Not unkindly though. The spot where her lips had met his cheek still tingled.
“Awwweeee-” Wrecker rumbled, leaning forward to ram a fist into his shoulder. “Megs, you made the man blush.” His burly brother laughed, trying to muffle a “would’ya look at that-” while he headed out of the door, leaving the two blondes on their own.
Crosshair just hoped that, whatever Wrecker’s date had in mind for that evening, it involved him getting his mouth stapled shut.
“For the record: I’m not blushing-” Crosshair croaked out, twirling some of her blonde locks around his finger. Heat flooded his cheeks, leaving the narrow face to swell a bit as he glanced aside. Giving the rug beside her bed a particularly intense stare.
Shit. He was, in fact, blushing.
“‘s okay.” Omega retorted, looking just a tad bit disappointed that the contact of his fingertips against her hair hadn't lasted. “I know you’re shy.”
An asshole? fine- he’d take it. Motherfucker? not entirely correct- but okay. Bastard? - yeah sure, he took that one without arguing, given how accurate it was. but shy?
Crosshair tried to clear his throat. “Shy? What makes you think that?”
Omega pulled away slightly. Tilting her head up, the brown pupils alight by the glittery fairy light slung throughout the wooden bars of her headboard. “Well-” she fiddled with her hands. “Just- I thought you were calm around me because you didn’t like me at first-” his heart sank deep, deep down. Probably deep enough to walk out the front door. “But then Echo said that wasn't true and that you needed time. And I thought the reason why was because you're shy.” She scooted back, gently laying down on her pillows, yet pinning his frame to the spot with her stare.
“Omega-” Crosshair tried to breathe. He dragged in lungfuls of air, only to release them without any words making their way past his lips. “I need time- that's true” he nodded, gripping the blanket on top of her body tight to pull it past her shoulders up to her chin. “But uhm- that is none of your fault-”
“Really?” Omega piped up, tone high pitched. “Hunter said you guys have been living together since forever and maybe I did-”
“You-” he interrupted before she could say anymore that threatened to break his heart in two. “You did nothing wrong.”
“So it’s not true?” Omega tilted her head, wiggling one of her hands out from underneath the comforter to grasp for Lula. “That you didn’t like me?”
“No. It’s not. I never not liked you-” Crosshair huffed, getting one of the stubborn curls out of her eyes. “You’re funny sometimes.” He perched in close enough for a gentle forehead-bonk, better than a kiss, in his opinion. And although Crosshair couldn’t bring himself to tell her the three words she quite obviously wanted to hear, he just begged that Omega’s definition of ‘him needing time’ would still satisfy her for a while.
He breathed in deep, dragging his hand up to tuck at the same strand of hair he tried to schmooze back. Making her giggle, his hand motions slowly transformed into pets. Fuck, this was so worth being late for work. His coworkers would eat him up alive but Crosshair would be damned if he started to give a shit now.
“You stay here ‘ntil I’m asleep.” Omega demanded, slowly giving up to combat her heavy eyelids.
“Right.” Crosshair promised while cupping her cheek, wondering when her energy would finally wear out.
It was easier now- touching at least. He'd grown accustom to her scent, to the smooth, soft feeling of his fingertips bristling over her face-
It was easier now. It had to be-
“‘n that case-” Omega began to babble, finally sounding somewhat sleep drunk. “I never not liked you either, Crosshair.”