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“Nong Kenta, can you join me in my office for a second?”
Alan sometimes forgot how Kenta had been shackled to his adopted dad for years; how the man had shaped and moulded the younger man until he was a jumbled mess of anxiety and fear. Because all Alan was allowed to see was the stoic mask Kenta kept up around him, one he didn’t let crack in the same way in front of the other X-hunters members.
At times, Alan would get to see the real Kenta peek through. His smile as North and Sonic messed around with him, or blushing as he whispered with Kim. But that didn’t mean the darkness Kenta had been subjected to had dispersed. No, it was still there brewing in the horizon; reminding the man of its presence from time to time.
The only problem was that Alan had a hard time knowing what would trigger the omega. Sometimes the most insignificant things could set him off, leaving him with that vacant and dulled look, as if just waiting for Alan to take charge.
And as the alpha closed the office door behind them, he could see the dreaded look again. Kenta’s gaze was unnerving. His hands clasped neatly behind his back as he stood tall; unnaturally so. With deep breaths, the omega’s chest heaved, silently waiting for whatever the alpha intended to say or do.
“What can I do for you, Lung?” Kenta asked in a strained voice.
To create some space between them, Alan rounded the desk and settled down in his swivel chair. But to his surprise, Kenta’s breath hitched at Alan’s positioning. His shoulders were hunched up for a second, a vulnerable look coming over him.
Then, the omega’s gaze sunk to the floor as he began to move.
But to Alan’s surprise, it wasn’t to settle down on the chair opposite of him. No, the omega came around the messy desk and suddenly pushed the swivelling chair further out. With no further questions or words exchanged, Kenta sank to his knees in the space created.
“N-nong?” Alan stuttered out, as he tried to scoot the chair out further.
All the response he got was Kenta’s shaking hands reaching for the zipper of Alan’s pants and pulling it down before Alan could register what was happening.
“Hold up, Kenta!” the alpha cried out and took hold of Kenta’s wrists to stop him from proceeding further. “What are you doing? Why would you-”
The omega gasped quietly as Alan held his wrists, causing him to stop. Neither of them said something more as they tried to make sense of the situation. Alan tried to understand why Kenta would have thought he had wanted to cheat on Jeff, and Kenta tried to understand why Alan would want him to stop.
The far-away look was still painted on Kenta’s face, his eyes never meeting Alan’s. Instead, his face was cast down on Alan’s shoes, as if he wanted to be anywhere but in the office. His body was shaken by small tremors as his body pumped out confused pheromones.
For a second, the alpha could only think about how young Kenta looked; so young and scared, shaking like a leaf. It was so different from the sight he saw in the garage, of the omega slowly gaining more confidence as he had been set free. The man in front of him looked like a shell of Kenta, a cheap copy with a non-existent interior.
One day, he would hunt down every single person who had assisted in turning one of his kids into this.
“Let’s talk about this, okay?”
Slowly, Alan let go of his pack members’ wrists, scared of causing further harm. However, it seemed to send the omega the wrong signals and only edged him on further. Once again, Kenta tried to push his hand down into Alan’s pants, which finally pushed the alpha into gear.
“Wait, Kenta. Get up, please-” Alan pushed his chair out and away from his frightened pack member. He had never seen the omega look this vulnerable, on the edge of breaking down. But what pained the pack leader the most was Kenta’s confusion. “What are you doing? Why would you-”
But the pack leader stopped himself, as he could already guess why the scared omega would think Alan had meant something like this when he asked for him alone in the office.
Kenta finally looked up at him, his scent drenched in fear. He seemed stunned that he had been stopped, unsure how to proceed. His eyes flickered in the room, and his lips quivered. The light reflected in his wet eyes, which threatened to spill tears.
“You wanted me alone in the office, away from prying eyes. You’re my pack leader, my lung . It’s what I am expected to do, to tend to your needs,” Kenta said, repeating it as if it was a mantra. He tried to reach out for the alpha again, but Alan scooted further away and it turned the omega desperate. “I need to do this. It’s all I can do to show you how grateful I am for you keeping the others safe.”
Alan hated how Kenta didn’t even think of it as keeping him safe. No, it was all about everyone else. As if Kenta didn’t matter.
“You don’t need to do anything, nong. Nothing ever, and especially never this . To me or anyone else ever again. Do you hear me?”
The omega shook his head, his cheeks finally coated by his tears as they spilt. “You’ve always kept us safe and now you want to get something for it. Tony always said this is how you show appreciation, what an omega needs to do.”
The older man’s stomach flipped at the words. He hated how he had already put the puzzle pieces together just by knowing what a slimy man Tony was. But hearing Kenta say it outright, so openly, made it so much worse. Alan could just wonder how many times Kenta had expected Alan to force him to do something against his will. All the times Kenta must have waited for him to turn around and destroy his trust.
Alan wished he could kill Tony all over again. To get to kill him once for each person he had hurt. To hurt him for every person Alan loved and cared for.
Before he could reel his scent back, the alpha could feel his self-control slip. Kenta looked panicked and fidgeted on the floor as the mixed scent of sadness and anger spread into the office. As the seconds went by, the omega shook more and more. For Kenta’s sake, Alan attempted to still the rage that burned inside of him.
Slowly, to not frighten the omega, Alan pushed off the chair and sank down on the floor beside him. He settled down at a distance, scared of what Kenta might do or think if he was sat too close.
“That’s not what appreciation is or should be, nong. And it’s certainly not something an omega needs to do. Jeff or North doesn’t do that for me, and not for anyone else either,” Alan said and closed his eyes. “Has anyone else here expected you to… ‘show appreciation’ to them?”
He couldn't even say the words, too scared to make it more real than it already way. he dreaded what the answer would be, already getting ready to unravel his rage on the person just in case. To his relief, Kenta let out a small shake of his head.
“Not yet.”
“Not ever ,” Alan corrected him. “Not for as long as I live and breathe, will anyone be able to force you into doing something like that again. If they do, then the rest of the pack and I will make sure it’s the last thing they ever do.”
The room was silent as the omega let the words register.
Alan could only guess how fake they would sound after years of torture, getting the words drilled into his head again and again. But with the help of the pack, he would make sure they became easier to process over time; until Kenta would believe them.
“Do you promise?” Kenta’s voice was small, so unsure and wavering. But his scent had a hint of happiness, something akin to hope. It made Alan’s heart break all over again. He just wanted to keep the omega safe and happy.
“I promise.”
And Alan meant it.