Chapter Text
After weeks of living with her brothers, Omega thought she would never fit in.
It was new, living with adults that had already known each other so long. She had been through things similar to what they had, and she thought that would bring them closer, but it didn't.
Her brothers didn't talk about it like she did. They tip-toed around it as if the very mention would cause the world to end, and that confused Omega.
Hunter told her that her scars and experience made her strong, and that she always allowed to talk about it.
So why didn't they?
The answer was pretty obvious, thinking about what Omega had observed. Hunter had mentioned some things while moving her in, some "ground rules" as Hunter called them.
He had mentioned at the time that they weren't really strict on them, but Omega found herself following them diligently, anyway. Out of respect, or gratitude of having a real home, she wasn't sure.
While he assured her that while his brothers were fully on board with having her live with them, they might be a bit skittish at first.
It wasnt anyone's fault, that's just how things were. It was how they were made to be, after living in the confined walls of Nala Se's presence for so long. Omega understood that, she supposed.
Living in their new, large home, with no boards over the windows or doors, Omega thought it was strange.
Her brothers seemed to blend into their environment for the most part. At first, Omega stuck out like a sore thumb, a loosened cog among the clockwork.
Though as she settled, she realised it wasn't just her that stuck out. Her brothers had shining moments that reminded her that they were different, just like her.
Padding across the soft carpet in the hall, Omega was determined to find out more about her brothers. How they worked, how they acted and reacted.
The way she preconceived her affection being accepted and reciprocated was quickly tossed out the window, it was clear that they did not work like she did.
Not all the time, anyway. She stooped by the stairs and considered how exactly her siblings showed their care.
Wrecker was happy to indulge in her affections, scooping her up and spinning her around. Always holding her hand when she wanted to, and even on cold, sleepy nights he'd carry her up to her bedroom and set her down for sleep. It was almost overwhelmingly sweet.
Omega felt closest to Wrecker when they were messing together, chasing each other through the street or bothering the others with their silly shenanigans. Wrecker was fun, and open.
Hunter responded well to her affections, too. Sometimes.
He wouldn't shy away from holding her hand in public, and always had an arm close, either on her shoulder or hovering by her back, keeping her steady and on track.
Hugs were brief and tight, normally Omega buried herself quickly into his stomach and ran off again.
He was much more solid than Wrecker, watching rather than joining her fun, keeping a constant eye on her and their surroundings while Omega focused solely on what she was doing.
There was never a shred of doubt that Omega always felt safest when Hunter was around.
Echo was different, but only just. He, like Hunter, kept his eyes glued to their surroundings, but hardly contributed to what Omega was doing.
When it was just the two of them, Echo was stiff and on point, nodding along or humming as Omega spoke on.
She caught him on multiple occasions just- watching her. Observing as she went around her daily tasks.
He seemed to be waiting for something to give, to recognise something and to jump in. Omega hardly understood it, though.
If Echo wanted to join, why didn't he just ask? Omega liked explaining things to people.
There was the occasional, fleeting moments of softness that Omega cherished. Like when Echo would huddle close during a movie, a pillow strewn across his always cold legs, and Omega firmly planting herself against him to watch together.
Those were her favourite moments, because she could feel the tension leave him, and hear the content sigh over Wrecker's commentary. She liked watching movies with Echo.
Here's when things get confusing for Omega. The younger two brothers. They were on a whole new level than the other three, and Omega found herself floundering for any explanation.
Any conclusion she drew felt silly, though. They were so profoundly different than anyone Omega had ever met.
It took her far longer than expected to realise Tech didn't dislike her. Omega, for the first while, didn't see much of Tech, but when she did, the interactions felt awkward and forced.
Tech kept their relationship to a surface level, with bare minimum conversation. He hardly ever reciprocated affections, in fact, he seemed repulsed at them.
Omega struggled to come up with a reason why. Tech spoke to his other brothers more than her, so what had she done wrong?
It took a bit of watching to catch that Tech was nervous, not agitated. His fingers tapped along his own hands, legs, whatever they could reach.
Occasionally they'd even flex and twitch at nothing. His words were carefully picked and calculated, and he hardly looked right at anyone, nevermind accept their affections.
It wasnt just her. That was an immense relief, to say the least.
She asked Hunter about it, and Hunter got awkward, explaining to her that Tech was a little different than the others, but that didn't mean he didn't care as much as they did.
He just couldn't show it as easily as- an example Hunter used- Wrecker could. Omega understood, or, at least, she tried harder to.
At least that was one brother she was closer to understanding. Crosshair was a different story.
She hardly ever saw Crosshair, even less so than Tech at first, so her lack of knowledge was at least was explained.
What she knew, was that Crosshair was rude and abrasive, shrugging her words off and sulking off whenever he happened to be caught in Omega's sights.
Hunter assured her that he just needed time to adapt to the change, and that he'd come around eventually. Omega wasn't sure, though.
She tried not to push, she really did, but the way she'd caught Crosshair watching her on the very rare occasion he joined them for dinner, made her second guess things.
It was a stare of pure curiosity. Behind the glare, Omega could tell he was as curious about her as she was him.
She tried to tell him as much, but all that got her was a sharp, fake laugh and a "Yeah, nice try." Before Crosshair disappeared again.
Omega couldn't let it go. Was she wrong, or was Crosshair denying it? She had to find out.
She got to the bottom of the stairs, greeting the new week with a smile. She was determined to grow closer to her siblings, even if she had to adapt.
Hunter had said it was good for her, so it wouldn't hurt to try, right?
Now all she needed was her first target.