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"How was your day love," Rain asked as he crawled in the nest full of his omegas. Pai was already asleep, curled around Sky. Sky was also sleeping. Only Phayu was wide awake, watching him make his way to him. The kiss they exchanged was sweet. He had missed them all.
"We have no one to stay with Daw tomorrow," Phayu said after he settled in his arms.
"I thought Sky was taking him with him?"
"Something happened at work and he has to go on site."
Rain sighed. Usually they had Saifah but he was gone on a trip with an unknown alpha. Phayu had not been happy about the news. He wanted to know who dared take his brother like this, without even meeting him first. Thinking about Saifah reminded Rain that night at the race and P'Chai's offer.
"Maybe... we could ask P'Chai?" he said unsure.
"P'Chai?"
"You know he said to ask him if we ever need it. I'm still not sure if he was serious."
"I'll call him tomorrow," Phayu answered with a yawn. "Let's sleep for now."
"Daw, come here," Phayu called, crouched to the pup's level. The pup left his coloring book and ran to Phayu. He easily caught the pup, lifting him in his arms. Daw laughed at the sudden move.
"You remember what we talked about yesterday?"
"Someone's coming?"
"Exactly sweet pup. Saifah is away and can't look after you so P'Chai is coming."
"You met him at the race last month."
Phayu saw when the pup remembered and how excited he became. He was not expecting this reaction.
"P'Chai's nice! He showed me the bikes!"
Phayu had not been aware of this and his mates certainly were not either or they would have mentioned it.
"No race tonight little pup. You're staying home and being the sweetest pup ever, okay?"
"Yes Mae," Daw said with the voice that meant trouble.
*
The alpha smelled nice Daw noticed as he hid behind his Ma's legs. He had already noticed it last time even while being scared. He shivered at the memory of getting lost and all the people that surrounded him.
"Daw, come say hello to P'Chai," his Ma said with the sweet voice he loved. There was no better voice in the world than his Ma's. It was quickly followed by those of his Pa, Mae and Mama, in no particular order.
He peeked out of his hidden spot and sniffed the air. He knew it was not polite to do it. He did it all the same. A surprised gasp escaped him when he smelled pups on the man. He forgot his fear of the almost stranger and walked to him.
"Pups!"
"Daw, remember what we said."
Daw nodded, greeting the man while trying to understand where the smell came from. There were laughs and words exchanged between the adults but he didn't listen.
Coloring books were nice but not what Daw wanted to do. He let his pencil fall on the floor and pushed all the others out of the way. Mama always picked them up for him. He reminded him not to do it but gave them back, often followed with a sweet kiss on his head. He expected P'Chai to at least give him back the pens but the man didn't move. He looked at him with his best puppy eyes but still had no reaction. Maybe if he tried with a sad whine? It always worked on his Ma and he was the toughest of his parents.
"It's not going to work with me. If you want them back, you'll have to move."
The thing Daw understood was that he needed to try harder and see what would make the man's resolve break.
Complaining about the food didn't work. Neither did refusing to brush his teeth after. Breaking Ma's favorite lamp had been a mistake but even this only earned him a raised eyebrow and the right to clean up after him once all the broken glass had been removed.
Daw sighed and tried to hide a yawn behind his hand.
"You're sleepy pup?"
Why was the man so nice to him? Everyone at the race had looked scared of him. Daw wanted to know why.
"You're too nice," Daw mumbled as he let himself be lifted and carried to the bathroom.
Chai put him on the comfy chair Mae had ordered for him and turned to the sink. Daw watched as he looked around and gathered everything he needed. He was too sleepy to resist and let the man wash his face and hands without a protest. He took him in his arms again and Daw nuzzled in his neck. The scent was comforting even if unfamiliar.
"Time to go to sleep, little pup."
"No!"
He squirmed in the man's grasp but he didn't let him go. No matter how much he tried to escape he couldn't. They arrived in his parents room and he calmed down a little, enough for Chai to put him in the middle of the covers and kiss him good night.
Once the door was closed Daw waited a little. He wanted to be sure P'Chai was gone before he got up again.
"Daw?" The pup startled in the middle of the room, tightening his grip on his plushie. "What are you doing?"
"Can't sleep. Nest wrong." He added some sad eyes, the ones always working on his Pa. It looked like it was not working.
Stage two it was. He pinched the inside of his arm, the place he hated because it always made him cry. He could feel tears start to appear and repeated, "Can't sleep."
"Okay Pup, what do you need?"
Daw smiled at this and started to list everything that he needed.
"How was the night?" Rain asked softly when he noticed Chai on the couch and his pup sleeping on him. "He wasn't too difficult?"
"Everything's fine. He didn't want to sleep in his room."
"You should have put him in the nest as we told you."
"Talking about this. You might want to rebuild it before thinking about getting in."
Chai didn't look upset but the words were suspicious. Everything could have happened with the pup. Rain took Daw when Chai gave him back. He wanted to ask more questions but Phayu, Prapai and Sky came in at the same time. Chai took the opportunity to say goodbye and leave. Rain didn't like the little smile the man had when he closed the door after him.