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As his thirteenth birthday draws near, Thomas finds himself almost afraid to present. He’d heard the story of how Dad and Papa had presented and he didn’t really want to go through either of them.
Dad had presented at thirteen in the middle of a patrol with Grandpa Bruce which had resulted in him falling headfirst off of of a forty story building.
Papa had presented in the middle of wrestling with Dad and had pinned the older male in three seconds, nearly hurting him in the process.
“What’s wrong, Tommy?”
Thomas looked over at Catherine, his eight year old sister, who he was watching The Little Mermaid with. Mary was on his other side, watching him intently.
“Nothing,” Thomas replied easily. “It’s just...my birthday’s coming up.”
“And you’re worried?” Mary asked, frowning. “About what?”
“You wouldn’t understand.” he winced when Catherine punched him in the arm, strong for an eight year old. Papa had remarked once that she was
definitely
going to present as an Alpha after she’d growled at him.
“I would too!” Catherine snapped. “Tell me!”
“I’m just worried about presenting,” Thomas said with a sigh. “I just wanna be a Beta like Uncle Tim.”
“But why?” Mary asked.
“Cause I don’t wanna go through ruts or heats every month,” Thomas replied. “I’ve seen Dad go through heats and they don’t look fun.”
Mary and Catherine didn’t get a chance to reassure him because at that moment, Ursula had just taken Ariel’s voice on screen and the girls had immediately gotten sucked back into the movie.
Thomas figured that was for the best.
Sitting at the dinner table later that night, Thomas couldn’t help but watch how Dad struggled to handle Thomas’s three year old brother John who was more or less making a mess of himself. Thomas winced internally. Is that what it was like being an Omega? He looked over at Catherine and Mary who were chattering loudly with Papa about The Little Mermaid.
“Thomas?” Dad asked, drawing Thomas’s attention back to the Omega who had a frown on his face. “Are you alright?”
“Did you want four kids?” Thomas asked abruptly.
Dad blinked, looking over at John and taking the spoon from the toddler when the boy tried to shove it down his throat before giving Thomas his full attention.
“What do you mean?”
“Is that all it is, being an Omega?” Thomas asked, shifting when he heard Papa tell the girls to go to their room since they were finished eating.
“Can you explain a little more please, bud?” Papa asked. “I don’t think we understand.”
Thomas heaved a sigh. “I don’t want kids!” he said abruptly. His face turned red. “And...do you
have
to have kids if you’re an Omega?”
Dad blinked before understanding flashed across his face. “You’re worried about presenting,” he said softly.
“I don’t wanna go through heat,” Thomas said, eyes wide. “And-and I don’t wanna go through ruts or-”
“Easy, bud,” Papa said gently. “Relax.”
“But-”
“You don’t have to have pups if you don’t want them,” Dad said gently.
“But you have four,” Thomas objected.
“Yes,” Dick said slowly. “The twins were a little surprise and John was
definitely
not planned, but I still love each of you.”
“But if you’re an Omega, do you really have a choice?” Thomas asked weakly. “I mean, won’t the Alpha be all controlling and-”
“Of course not,” Papa cut in firmly. “If an Alpha really loves you, they’ll do whatever you wish. They won’t force children on you if you don’t want them.”
“You know there’s a chance you won’t present as an Alpha or Omega at all,” Dad said gently. “You could present as a Beta.”
“But what if I don’t?” Thomas asked. “I want to be able to choose who I get into a relationship with.”
“Who told you you can’t just because of your dynamic?” Papa snapped.
Dad reached across to place a warning hand on his wrist before looking at Thomas. “Just because you’re an Omega, doesn’t mean you have to love an Alpha. Same goes for the other way around.”
“Your dad is right,” Papa said, now more calm that he had been a second earlier. “You’re born in a time period where it’s alright for an Alpha to love an Alpha or an Omega to love an Alpha.”
“Or a Beta and Omega or Beta and Alpha,” Dad chimed in. He gave Thomas a soft smile. “And if you present as an Omega or an Alpha, there
are
suppressants you can take.”
Thomas perked up. “Really?”
“You’ll still have to go through heat,” Papa warned, flashing Dad a look that told Thomas that he and dad would be having words later. “But that’s only twice a year with the strongest suppressants. There are some for ruts as well.”
Thomas nodded slowly. “Would you accept me?” he asked softly. “No matter what I was?”
“Of course,” Dad breathed. “Thomas, of
course
we would. We’re your parents, we love you.”
“And Catherine and Mary will accept you as well,” Papa chimed in. “No matter what you present as, we will always be here for you.”
“And,” Dad said slowly. “If you’re that scared of presenting, I can schedule you a doctor’s appointment to get you tested tomorrow to find out what you’ll present as.”
“You can do that?” Thomas asked, eyes wide.
“Yep,” Papa confirmed. “Your dad and I didn’t because we wanted to try and keep it a secret, what we presented as.”
“Living with Grandpa Bruce meant we had a lot of people watching us grow up,” Dad explained when Thomas looked confused. “We knew people would try to take advantage of us if we presented as Alpha or Omega. I did want to be tested but we didn’t trust that the doctor would run to the press.”
“Oh,” Thomas said quietly. “But...I can get tested?” he asked hopefully.
“If that’s really want you want,” Dad said with a smile. “Then I’ll call tomorrow morning.”
Thomas jumped to his feet, rushing over to tightly embrace his dad before quickly moving to hug Papa.
“Thank you,” he said, eyes wide. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
“Of course,” Papa said, smiling. “We love you, buddy.”
“Why don’t you go finish your homework?” Dad suggested. “Papa and I will clean up in here.”
“Thank you!” Thomas said again. As he rushed back to his room, he felt like he could breathe for the first time in weeks. Dad and Papa wouldn’t throw him out if he didn’t present in the way they wanted him to
and
dad was going to take him to find out what he’d presented as.
With his enthusiasm still intact, Thomas rushed through his homework before helping Dad and Papa say goodnight to Catherine and Mary as well as helping them set John down for the night.
“Good night,” Thomas said, embracing them both. “I love you.”
“We love you too, buddy,” Papa said, ruffling Thomas’s fluffy red hair while Dad gave him a quick squeeze.
“Good night,” Dad said as he followed Papa out of the room, quietly closing the door behind himself.
Thomas fell asleep with a smile on his face, eager for the next day to come.