"You're WHAT?" V shouted, his voice shrill from the strain of overloading. The way his pupils evidently shrunk wasn’t missed by the Alpha’s eyes.

Echo was not exactly sure how the Omega would react. Maybe he wouldn’t get mad, he hoped. If the screaming didn’t prove that he was an idiot, the angry pheromones did. The peaches that were so sweet turned sour in an instant. There was something else, too. Underneath.

Fear. His Alpha brain supplied on instinct. It was subtle but it was there.

“You’re not mistaken. It’s as I said. My people and I have been tracking where you go and where you’ve been for the last 10 months.” He wanted to apologize - truly, but he knew it was for naught. If he were to apologize, then they shouldn’t have done anything to be sorry for, to begin with.

But I don’t really have a choice now, do I?

He felt uncomfortable like this; something inside him saying it was wrong to see the Omega trembling from anger and fright. The skin on his palms was itching to reach out and comfort him, scent the place in pheromones that said safe and calm.

“Why?” V’s voice interrupted him before he could do so. “What’s the reason for all the stalking? Surely you weren’t interested in some unemployed omega living in a studio apartment, right?” Echo heard Vs voice quake in his question and his heart only tightened further.

He craved to inch closer to where V was, but he kept still. “Well, yes. We weren’t exactly interested in you. We were interested in where you were going.”

“Huh?” V titled his head to the side, a clear indication that he was confused.

Echo stared for a second, amused at the Omega’s appearance. “Do you remember what I told you? Destiny is only being at the right place, at the—”

“At the right time. Yeah, yeah, I remember. So what are you trying to say?” V cut him off, but he didn’t mind. It was much better than getting punched in the face (again).

Echo took a deep breath, trying to see how he could go about this the best way possible—if maybe he should lie or spare some details.

In the end, he chose the truth. “V, for the past 10 months that we had our eyes on you, in every single place you’ve been to aside from your home, you encountered destiny and almost touched other people’s fates.” That cafe would’ve been an exception as well if only the events of 2 weeks ago didn’t happen, he wanted to add but kept to himself. “And as I told you, there is no such thing as a—”

“Coincidence.” The words left the Omega’s lips in a whisper, obviously in disbelief. “So what does that mean?”

Echo wasn’t sure if the question was for him or if V was merely talking to himself; he chose to answer anyway. “I don’t know, we’re trying to figure it out.”

“We?” This time, V’s head tilted to the other side.

The Alpha paused, unsure yet again. This never happened before; they never had to reveal their identities to anyone. For all the world knew, he was just a descendant of the Quina family, a kid born with a silver spoon. Sure, he appeared in several magazines and red carpet premiere, but from the way the Omega acted on their first meeting, it seemed like he was just a stranger - a creep, too, no less.

Nevertheless, he opted for the truth, so the truth it shall be. “My team. It’s necessary to prevent … tragedies.”

“How many people are there?”

Echo wanted to ask why that was important, but he was in no position to be asking questions. Not if he didn’t want to scare the Omega further, at least. “There are only 6 people under my direct orders, but we currently have a staff that provides support: administration, legal, medical, tech, information, and all that. It’s not possible for one person to carry the whole operation this long.”

“How long have you been doing this?”

“Since I was 18. But I awakened when I was 10.”

“How old are you now?”

“30.” Only three years older than you, he wanted to add.

Silence passed between them with V trying to digest the information and Echo respecting his needed peace. He wasn’t trembling anymore and the sour peaches in the air slowly dissipated. Echo took advantage of this and steadily filled the room with his own - to compose his guest, hopefully.

After about 30 minutes, the Alpha spoke first. “As I’ve said, we are also unsure about your situation, so to prevent any accidents I’ve come to offer you a proposal.”

There was no response. V simply stared at him, face impassive.

Undeterred, he mustered up his courage and said the three words that would change his life. “Live with me.”

--

V belatedly realized that as of recent, his mind has been in a muddle, as if his last two brain cells decided to take a leave without telling him. He was supposed to be looking for a source of steady income, yet all he did was be all over the place just because some beautiful Alpha gave him earth-shattering news.

He rolled around his nest in frustration, hoping the familiar scents would calm him down. He couldn’t believe he was allowed to walk away like that.

I was sure they’d keep me in that mansion. Manor? House? Whatever.

He sat up and gathered the nearest fluffy pillow he could reach. It was light blue and had obvious signs of wear-and-tear. He wanted to use it to vent his frustration but his fist stopped mid-air.

This pillow was all too familiar, the scent in it too deep. It was sent from home, one of the pillows he kept by his side since he started nesting. His family knew early that he was an omega, way before he presented. After all, the things that disappeared from the house were found in his room, a clutter that only made sense to him.

One of his brothers (was it the third brother?) learned the hard way not to touch the mess he called his nest. One day, he went to the Omega’s room and tried to retrieve his maroon hoodie. When he came back from school the next day, he found his room trashed, the hoodie was gone, and the Omega ignoring him for a month. Neither their parents nor their brothers made a comment, but they all sent pitying glances to his brother. V only acknowledged his existence again after his brother went to the next town and brought back the limited-sale chocolate mousse he was craving for weeks.

He was young then - about 11, while his brother was 17. This pillow had been around since then. Instead of using it as a punching bag, he squeezed the pillow tightly. For the first time in months, he genuinely missed home. He had the urge to call his parents, but it was late and they were old. Instead, he grabbed his guitar and opened a live stream on his phone.

“Surprise!” He greeted after making sure his face was out of shot. “I know it’s late but I was feeling melancholic so I might as well sing for you.”

Immediately, bullet comments started flooding the screen:

[wowow ur here ur here]

[what are you gonna sing for us?]

[Why are u sad don’t be sad]

[I miss your voice]

V laughed upon seeing the comments, low but hearty. “I’m not sad. I just miss home. I moved out a long time ago but sometimes, I just want to see my parents, you know?”

[sing sing sing]

[I miss my parents too]

[you shld visit them]

[i wanna see your face]

[ur a good son]

“Okay, okay, maybe I’ll go see them. For now, here’s a song.” He strummed the guitar hesitantly, but he quickly found the right melody.

He hummed - the words to the song lost in his mouth. He let it be. The bullet screen was quiet too, the online audience simply relishing the reverie. When he found the lyrics to convey his feelings, his voice was soft and light.

 

I see the shadow of my past

Alone, deserted

But it’s okay, I’ll be there soon

At home, at last

At home, at last

 

Are the daffodils still there

By the street

By the time that we meet

Again, I hope

You will still smile at me

And call my name

Like the summer of twenty-eight

Just the same

 

I’m sorry for never calling back

I hope that you are well

This song is for you

For the times I made you cry

And that time I said goodbye

 

Are the daffodils still there

I hope that you are well

I’ll be there soon

My citadel

 

As soon as the song ended, comments flew up the screen one-by-one:

[y r u making me cry]

[i rly thought u were singing abt a past lover]

[where did u grow up]

[sing more]

[i love your voice so much]

V answered some of the questions, careful not to reveal too much private information. He also sang a few tunes, enjoying the moment though alone. When he noticed that the live stream had been on for more than 30 minutes, he said goodbye. Some protested in the comments, but with the promise of a next time, he managed to end the stream.

Upon putting away his guitar, he sent a quick chat in the family group chat that said:

[going home tmrw. see u soon]

He tossed his phone away after setting an alarm, not bothering to check the successive notification that lit up the screen. It was from his annoying brothers, he was sure. They were probably asking him annoying questions and preparing to visit home at the same time he did.

V was right. The youngest going home meant that everyone was going home.

Still, there was nothing he could do, so he let himself be lulled to sleep in his nest.

As V slept that night, he was blissfully unaware that someone he was familiar with entered his live stream.

Username: Q_Ech0