— What...? You mean the accident that left you with this scar is the same one in which the fighter died?
— He didn't die in the accident. It's... It's hard to explain.
Nathaniel's expression was sad. Although it wasn't so explicit, Jake was sure that the omega was uncomfortable touching on the subject. If it was so widely reported that so many people knew about it, then Jake could find out more on his own and wait for Nathaniel to finish telling his side of the story.
Since his intention was not to leave the omega, he would certainly have enough time to wait for him.
— It's strange that you don't know. The accident was reported everywhere.
— Ah... Matheus said that Ares died three years ago, is that it? — Nathaniel nodded and Jake smiled slightly — Let's just say I wasn't in the best of times at the time.
— Did you also have an accident?
— Nothing like that, haha.
Should Jake tell him?
Well, Nathaniel said something about his life that seemed difficult, so he could share a bit of his story too, couldn't he? That omega had chosen him to be his alpha. Jake had already decided that Nathaniel would be his new beginning. It was only right that he should tell him about his worries.
— Remember when I told you that I was kicked out of my family? — Nathaniel nodded again, then Jake smiled — It was because three years ago my family caught me in bed with another guy.
— What? Wait, that means... No, wait.
— Haha, crazy, huh?
— I'm not going to say that I've never thought about the possibility that you've been involved with other guys... But I'm still surprised.
— It's not like that either. You're the second guy I've been involved with.
Nathaniel bit his lower lip and lowered his eyes, returning to stare at his fingers. The alpha reached out and touched a small lock of his brown hair, feeling relieved that he didn't react so negatively.
If Jake were him, he'd be surprised too.
— Are your parents... Prejudiced?
— Too much so.
— And that's why they kicked you out?
— No. I was always the perfect son for them, I did everything they wanted. So when it happened, they were willing to consider it a mere curiosity on my part, since I was a teenager. And since the other guy was an omega, they would blame him for seducing me.
Nathaniel quickly stared at him, looking surprised again.
— He was an omega? An omega man?
— That's right. Oh, and just to be clear, at no time was I seduced by him.
— You mean it was you who approached him?
Jake still had fresh in his memory the moment when he felt something different about that blond omega. He was smiling and calm, a little shy, but if he had his confidence he'd see a little of his extroversion.
Theodore was like an angel who brightened up his days. It was fun to play with him, to see him blush and his incredible capacity for observation was what attracted the most attention. There was no way Jake couldn't look at him.
It was a sweet memory.
— It was the first time I loved someone so recklessly — whispered the alpha, taking a deep breath to get out of that sea of memories — Then I had a fight with my parents, making it clear that I wasn't going to break up with him and that we were dating. But then my parents kicked me out and I had to leave town.
— That's a bit... Too much. I know your family is famous, but I didn't think it was that big a deal.
— Oh, so you know my family?
— I'd be an idiot not to. I remember that shortly before the accident, one of the McKenzies made a sponsorship proposal to Ares. But I don't know what happened.
Hm... That was news. Jake was probably no longer privy to his family's business plans. And that didn't even impress him. The Mckenzies always went to any lengths to increase their influence.
— I don't doubt that you went after him.
— And because you were expelled, you had to break up? Like... Romeo and Juliet?
Nathaniel was interested. He asked a lot of questions even though he seemed hesitant. Wasn't that a sign that he was interested in getting to know Jake? Ah, it made him happy just to imagine it. If he told the omega about his life, perhaps Nathaniel would come to trust him more, to the point of also sharing the burden he was carrying.
— I didn't even have time to say goodbye. I had to leave him behind and then I moved to the capital. That's when I met Matheus.
— I thought you were childhood friends.
— Not at all. Matheus's family are kind of rivals of the McKenzie. That guy is a little demon who harboured me and keeps waiting for the moment when I'm going to fuck up my family.
Horrified, Nathaniel grimaced.
— I never imagined that the captain of the Rapoxia had such a side.
— Didn't you? Haha, yet he was the only one who helped me that year. I stayed in the capital to make connections with people so I could clean up the mess I'd made. I needed some investors and so I got ready to go back.
Now that he looks back, Jake realises how determined he was back then. He worked hard and desperately to return to the countryside and get Theodore to live with him in the capital. On the condition that Jake went to college in the countryside, Matheus said that his family could also sponsor Theodore's father's co-operative. The alpha accepted the offer on the spot, as he was looking forward to being with the omega.
— Have you seen him again?
Waking up from his reverie, Jake let out a nasalised laugh.
— I did. More precisely, I wanted to take him to the capital so we could move in together. I had everything ready. But...
— But?
— I discovered that because of me, during my absence, he was bullied at school. Everyone had found out about him being an omega, and since he wouldn't open his mouth about anything, everyone bullied him. And when I went to pick him up, I also discovered that he was already with someone else — Jake laughed.
He still remembered the feeling of having his heart broken when he learnt that the omega had another guy. That was the first time Jake had to force himself to smile, because he had discovered so many things at once...
It was your fault.
If you'd taken Theodore with you from the start, he wouldn't have gone through all that alone.
— Why are you laughing? It's obvious that it hurts you.
Paralysed, Jake clasped his hands in his lap.
It hurt.
And how it hurt.
It was a little embarrassing that someone should see this side of him, but he couldn't hide it any longer.
— I'd never felt so pathetic and powerless. At the time I referred to him as "my omega", but I could never protect him properly. That's what I regret most.
An alpha is there to protect an omega. That's something that society has employed since the beginning of time. It never saw Theodore as an omega who needed to be protected, he was strong on his own. The fact that he had dealt with all the humiliation his cousins had caused him was proof.
But Jake wished he'd been there.
He wished he had at least supported him. If he'd been on his side, things would have been easier to deal with.
A couple needs to face problems together.
— Is that why you're so insistent on helping me? Because I'm an omega?
Jake had never met omega men who depended on others. They were all strong and independent. Nathaniel most of all. He still wasn't sure what he'd faced because of that fighter, but the scars on his face and hands seemed to be the tip of the iceberg.
It wasn't just bullying from school mates.
Nathaniel seemed to be facing the world.
— You're stronger than you think, Nathaniel — whispered the alpha — Taking responsibility for your late blooming is just an excuse to stay with you.
— An excuse?
Leaning towards Nathaniel, the alpha stood mere centimetres away from him. Just enough for their eyes to meet and not run away from him.
— Nathaniel, you're beautiful and sexy.
The boy's cheeks quickly reddened. Pushing Jake by the shoulder, Nathaniel looked away.
— Stop joking.
— I'm not joking.
— I'm not handsome. I'll never be...
Jake interrupted him by kissing his scar on the right side of his face. Nathaniel stopped and blinked, drawing an amused laugh from the alpha. How could he cope with such innocence?
He wanted to tease him again. To see the different expressions on his face, and to unravel Nathaniel.
— What were you saying?
— That I'm not pretty — Jake kissed his scar again, this time on the left side — You're not paying attention, are you?
— I am. You were asking me to kiss you.
— No, I didn't. I was saying that I don't think I'm pretty...
The third kiss was on his lips, shutting him up completely. A long, soft kiss, enough to leave Nathaniel stunned.
— Have you ever heard that song?
— W-What song?
— The one that says "I'm a fan of your way, I'm a fan of your clothes"... — Jake hummed, staring at Nathaniel's lips as he gently rubbed his thumb over the scar — "I'm a fan of that smile on your mouth".
— My... My smile?
Jake had never been one to associate songs with people, but as he remembered the lyrics of the song that had recently been playing on the radio, he started to pay attention to Nathaniel. His eyes were beautiful too, lined with long lashes. The golden brown colour then...
— "I'm a fan of your eyes, I'm a fan beyond measure. I'm fan number one and with you..." — Jake continued to hum, paying attention to every detail of Nathaniel's face. Then he looked him in the eye again and smiled kindly — And with you I'm a fan for life".
Without resisting, Jake kissed Nathaniel tenderly. Slowly and gently, he felt the omega shyly reciprocate. This time he knew how to control his desires completely, all he had to do was feel the warmth of his face in the palm of his hand and the texture of his lips.
In that ward of the abandoned building, Jake appreciated Nathaniel's natural beauty. Whether it was thanks to a song lyric he heard from time to time, the fact was that he had noticed small details about Nathaniel and found them marvellous.
After that kiss, the alpha kissed the omega's eyelid, then his scars, then his chin and finally his forehead. A trail of selfies that left the omega blushing as he stared at him in amazement.
With a caress on his cheek, Jake kissed Nathaniel again.
And in that building would remain the sweetest memory of the two of them.