by D. J. Heart
“How do you feel?” Derek asked, looking at Scott’s reflection in the mirror. Scott shrugged. He was not looking forward to his parents seeing him dressed up in Derek’s version of proper omega attire—fitted gray slacks, a tight T-shirt, and a collar around his neck—but he hoped they could look past that and see that for all of Derek’s obstinate conservatism, he and Scott could make it work and be happy. Both of them.
“I feel okay, I guess. My parents are going to freak out, but I think once they see that I’m happy they’ll get over it…”
Derek nodded tightly, wrapping the leash around his palm one more time. At this point he was bound tighter than Scott. Smiling, Scott looked down to hide the expression. Derek was nervous. The alpha might say that he didn’t care what Scott’s parents thought of him or his relationship with their son, but he did. It was obvious by the way he fiddled with the leash and couldn’t stand still, and by the endless barrage of questions about how Scott was feeling.
“Are we going to go?” Scott asked when Derek turned back to the mirror instead of leading the way out of the house. If Derek wanted to get to work on time and say hello to his parents, they would have to leave now. Then again, Scott wouldn’t mind if Derek just dropped him off—sans leash—and drove off to work without meeting his mom and dad.
No such luck.
“Yes. Are you ready?” Derek looked at him as though he were the one who was stalling. Scott might not be happy with his parents seeing him like this, but he wanted to see them. Today, preferably. Derek was the one being a pussy.
Not that he’d ever say so. There were limits to what Derek would tolerate, but fearing the omega box, Scott wasn’t in any hurry to find out what those limits might be. So he made sure to show respect and be a good boy.
“Yes, I’m ready,” he replied. Derek nodded and opened the door, picking up his briefcase with his free hand.
Finally they were getting going.
***
Derek parked the car, breathing out through his nose as he clutched the steering wheel tight. Scott watched him out of the corner of his eye, not making a move.
They were at his house—or his old house, he should say—and it was surreal to be back. Sitting in Derek’s shiny car, leather hugging his neck, Scott didn't feel like himself at all. He felt like a stranger, visiting the person he used to be.
The door to the house opened and Scott saw his mom standing in the doorway, arms crossed over her chest and a pinched look on her face. Derek made eye contact through the windshield, holding her gaze for a second before letting go of the steering wheel and stepping out of the car. He walked around to open Scott’s door, grabbing his leash and wrapping it around his palm twice before taking Scott’s hand and helping him out.
Lips pinched tight, fury in her eyes, Scott watched his mom as she stared at him and Derek walking up the driveway. Derek was holding himself straight, shoulders squared and chest puffed up like he was going into battle. His mom looked just as fierce, eyes burning as she stood blocking the door into the house.
“Hey Mom,” Scott said.
Derek reached up and unclipped his leash, point made. Scott leaped toward his mom and threw his arms around her. She caught him, wrapping her arms around him in return and holding him tight.
“Scott,” she said, pulling back after a few seconds and holding him at arm’s length. She was giving his collar a dark look, eyes moving from it to Derek and making no attempt to mask how she felt about it. Scott really wished Derek didn’t feel the need to make a point with the leash—because that’s all it was, a point—and had instead tried to get along with his mom.
There was literally no chance of that happening now.
“So, Mom, this is Derek, my alpha,” Scott said, knowing that Derek would appreciate being referred to as such. His mom’s lips pinched even further.
“Derek, this is my mom, Jane.” Scott stepped back, looking between his mom and alpha with bated breath. This was it. Derek stared down at his mom, face stern and every inch the arrogant alpha. His mom stared back, eyes blazing.
“Can we come inside?” Scott asked when it was clear that neither Derek nor his mom would be the first to speak. “Derek is just dropping me off. He has to go to work, but he wanted to meet you first.”
Derek looked away from his mom, giving Scott a raised eyebrow. Scott looked back, unblinking and doing his best to look innocent. It was true, though. If Derek hadn’t wanted to meet his parents he could have just dropped him off. The fact that he was standing here meant that he had wanted to meet Scott’s parents. Even if it was just to make sure they weren’t a bad influence.
“Come inside then,” his mom said, stepping aside and letting them in. It felt weird being invited into his own home as a guest. Weird and sad.
“Thank you,” Derek said, nodding politely. Scott let out a sigh of relief. If Derek was going to be confrontational about this then it would be a disaster.
Inside, Scott’s dad was waiting, and Scott went in for a hug while his mom and Derek waited.
“What’s this?” his dad asked when they pulled apart, reaching up and tracing his collar with a frown.
“It’s his collar,” Derek answered for him, stepping forward and wrapping a possessive arm around his waist. “He’s an omega, after all.”
His dad blinked, taken aback. “That’s a little old-fashioned, don’t you think?”
“No,” Derek said simply, fingers curling in the waistband of Scott’s slacks, messing up his shirt.
Scott’s dad didn’t look like he knew quite what to say, Derek’s whole attitude baffling to him. Scott knew just how he felt. It was baffling to him too.
“I don’t mind wearing a collar if it makes Derek happy,” Scott lied, wanting to forestall an argument. He needed Derek and his parents to—if not get along—then be on terms that would let Scott visit often and stay in contact. His mom did not look convinced.
“Can I get you anything to drink? Coffee, tea… something cold?” Scott’s dad asked, changing the subject.
“Can I get a Coke? Derek, do you want anything?” Scott asked, turning to his alpha. Derek was stiff, holding himself like he was in enemy territory.
“No. I need to get to work. I’ll pick you up at five, or if you need me sooner just give me a call,” Derek answered, leaning down and kissing his forehead. It was a gentle kiss, tender and caring. Scott felt warm and tingly down into the bottom of his stomach. He didn’t realize he was smiling until he caught his mom staring at him with a frown.
“Okay. I’ll see you at five,” Scott said. Derek patted him on his ass, smirking before turning to his parents.
“Will that be okay?” he asked them. It was a challenge. The way Derek asked the question, the smirk, the way he was holding himself and holding Scott, it all said that Derek was in charge of him now, not his parents. That he was the one setting the rules and terms. That Scott was his.
“That will be great,” Scott’s dad said. Derek nodded and headed toward the door. He walked like he owned the place, every inch the domineering alpha. Scott wished it wasn’t so fucking attractive.
The door closed behind him, and Derek was gone. Scott turned to his parents, breathing out a sigh of relief that none of his worst case scenarios had come to life.
“Are you okay? Really?” His mom grabbed his shoulders, holding him still and examining him again.
“Yes,” he said, pulling away. He looked both his parents in the eye, “Really.”
They nodded, neither of them looking like they were buying it.
***
“Hey man, good to have you back,” Jacob said when Derek walked into the office. The alpha pulled him into a quick half-hug, clapping him on the back before looking around. “Where’s your new boy?”
Derek grinned and shook his head. “He’s at his parents’ house for the day. He’s missed them, and he’s been really good lately so I thought I’d reward him.”
Jacob frowned. “His parents? Are you sure that�
��s a good idea?”
“What do you mean?” Derek walked toward the coffee machine, grabbing his cup from the cupboard and filling it with steaming hot coffee.
“I just mean, don’t you want him to bond properly with you? How’s that going to work if he’s still attached to his old family?”
Derek took a sip from his cup, staring incredulously over the rim at his friend. “So what, you don’t let Mike talk to his family ever?”
Jacob looked like he found the idea ridiculous. “I’m Mike’s family. That’s the point. I’m all he needs. His family hated me. If I’d let them keep in contact they would have undermined all my training and conditioning. We’re much better off without them.”
Jacob filled his own mug, leaning against the counter as his eyes sought out his omega. Mike was standing by the copier on the other side of the room, entirely focused on his task. Jacob’s look was hungry and intense, and now Derek knew exactly how he felt.
“Doesn’t Mike miss them?” Derek asked, looking at the omega and feeling pity. He couldn’t imagine taking Scott’s parents away from him. Couldn’t imagine causing him that sort of pain… Then again, maybe Mike hadn’t had a good relationship with his family?
“He did at first, but now he’s settled in nicely.” Jacob turned his head and looked at him. “Do you think Scott’s parents are going to encourage him to be a good omega?”
Derek shook his head. Scott’s parents were liberal omega rights activists in the same vein as his family. No doubt they were trying to undo everything he had accomplished with Scott in the two weeks the boy had been his. Still, to deny him access to his parents… Derek wasn’t sure he could bring himself to do it. Threaten it, sure. But to actually cut him off from his mother and father? Probably not.
“I guess I’ll just have to trust him,” Derek said, deciding that he wouldn’t even consider doing what Jacob was suggesting. He wanted an obedient omega, not a prisoner.
“Your call,” Jacob said. He looked across the floor at Mike, who was still fiddling with the copier. He sighed, shaking his head. No matter how many times Mike was shown how to use the more advanced functions on the machine, he still managed to mess up every time he was asked to do something more advanced than copying a single page. “I’ll catch up with you later. Lunch at one?”
Derek nodded, watching as Jacob went to help Mike. He watched them closely, comparing Mike’s behavior to Scott’s. Mike’s look was one of relief when Jacob came to help him, his whole body draining of tension when Jacob rubbed his head affectionately.
Jacob was patient with Mike, no matter how badly he screwed up. Unfailingly sweet and gentle, if also undeniably in charge. Was the risk of Mike’s parents being a bad influence really so high that all contact should be severed, or did Jacob just find it more convenient to deprive Mike of a social network that would have helped him stand up to his alpha?
The whole train of thought made Derek uncomfortable, so he abandoned it. Mike was a happy omega, and Jacob treated him well. It wasn’t Derek’s business how they made that happen.
Shaking his head, wondering what Scott was doing, Derek headed toward his office. Patty, his secretary, was waiting for him at his desk, and after welcoming him back, set about updating him on all the people he needed to call and what work he needed to go over.
It was nice to be back in the swing of things, though there was a part of him that wanted nothing more than to be at home with Scott, buried knot deep in his ass as the omega whined and keened in pleasure.
Cock hard at the thought of Scott, Derek got to work.
***
Scott leaned back and closed his eyes as the breeze caressed his face. He was sitting in the garden behind the house with his mom, waiting for his dad to serve lunch. They were having steak and baked potatoes, Scott’s favorite.
It would have been nice, if the mood hadn’t been so tense. His mom kept acting as though Derek was someone he could argue with—as if Derek wasn’t perfectly set in his ways—and his dad was backing her up.
“Maybe if we—” his mother started, no doubt about to offer up another ridiculous suggestion on how to fix Derek’s view of the world. Scott cut her off angrily.
“Mom, there’s nothing I can do, okay? He’s my alpha. He decides. That’s the end of it!”
His mom just didn’t understand. Working against Derek would get him nowhere. Arguing with him would get him nowhere. And really, things hadn’t been bad at all since he’d decided to be Derek’s version of a good omega. The indignity of being leashed and collared he could live with, more time in the omega box he could not. If he had to wear one to avoid the other, then that’s what he’d do.
“Sweetie, if it’s that bad we could move to Canada,” his mother suggested, taking his hand.
“No!” he said, pulling back and staring at his mom in horror. “Derek and I bonded, mom. I can’t leave him… I would...”
Scott felt sick at the thought of it. He and Derek were bonded. No matter how frustrated he might get with Derek—or even if he started hating him with every fiber of his being—he couldn’t leave his bonded mate. It just wasn’t possible. He knew his mom couldn’t know what it felt like to be in a bond, but still… she should know better.
“I know it feels that way, but studies show—”
“He’s not abusing me, Mom. He’s old-fashioned and strict, sure, but he isn’t a bad person. When I say no to sex, he stops. He’s letting me go to school. And just because he wants me to wear a leash when we go out together, it doesn’t mean that I can’t go out by myself. I don’t… I don’t want to leave him.”
He stared at his mother, willing her to understand.
“I just want you to be happy,” she replied, taking his hand and holding it tight.
“I think I can be,” he said, believing his own words. His mother nodded, looking lost.
They sat quietly for a minute, his dad breaking the silence when he came out of the house carrying two loaded plates. The stakes looked juicy and delicious. Scott grinned at his dad, stomach rumbling at the sight of all the food.
They sat down to eat, his dad looking at his collar.
“Can’t you take it off? Just while you're here?” his dad asked when Scott caught him frowning at it.
“No,” Scott replied, looking at his plate. “And you shouldn't ask me to disobey Derek.”
“But just when you're—”
“I can’t be here if you’re going to ask me to do things like that,” Scott interrupted, looking up and staring his dad in the eye. He forced himself to be stern. “Derek is letting me be here. If you’re going to undermine his authority he might not let me come back. So you need to stop. Okay?”
His dad studied him, face grave. “Do you mind following his rules?” he asked, voice a little hesitant. Scott thought about it, surprised that the answer wasn’t an unequivocal yes. The truth was, if Derek’s rules were reasonable—or at least not unreasonable—there was no part of Scott that genuinely rebelled at the thought of obeying.
“Not if the rules are reasonable,” he answered, taking a bite of his steak to distract himself. His mom and dad were looking at him strangely.
“Have any of his rules so far been unreasonable?” his mom asked, not eating. Scott thought back to the no-talking and the always-calling-Derek-alpha rules, but those had been lifted. And after that… not really. All Derek demanded was that he be showed respect and obeyed. It wasn’t that hard.
Then again. They were on the first day out of their bonding leave. Who knew what kind of rules Derek would come up with for him now that they had to rejoin the real world?
“Not yet, no…” he answered.
“And wearing a leash? That’s not a rule you mind?” his mom asked.
Scott grimaced. “I don’t like it, but I don’t have a problem with it like you do…”
“But he hasn’t hurt you, right? He hasn’t hit you or done anything like that?” his dad asked, intense and protective.
“No!�
�� Scott said, ignoring Derek’s use of the omega box. That had hurt him, but he didn’t want to mention it to his parents. “Nothing like that.”
“Okay. If you want us to leave it alone, we will. But you have to promise to let us know if he ever hurts you or crosses the line. Okay?”
Scott nodded. “I promise.”
“Then we’ll stop bothering you. Right, Jane?” his dad gave his mom a look. She sighed and nodded.
“I don’t like it, but I’ll stop,” she confirmed.
“Good. I know you don’t understand, but I like having an alpha. It’s… it’s how it’s supposed to be,” Scott said, thinking about how safe and good Derek made him feel. Except for when he didn't. Still, he could only make the best of it.
“Let’s talk about something else,” his dad said, forcing a happy smile, “Tell us about school. Will you be commuting now that you’re bonded?”
“I guess. We haven’t talked about all that yet…”
The rest of the day passed pleasantly. Scott packed up some of his things—like his laptop, clothes and a few things he wanted to take with him—while his parents let up talking about Derek. They were still concerned, but nothing but time would help that. Scott just hoped time would prove his optimistic view of the situation right.
At the end of the day Derek picked him up promptly at five. The alpha didn’t make him wear a leash on the short walk to the car, for which Scott was grateful. Once inside the vehicle, having said goodbye to his parents, Scott was surprised by how good it felt to be sitting next to his alpha.
“I missed you,” he said, turning to look at Derek’s handsome face. The alpha looked surprised, then pleased.
“Yeah? I missed you too.”
Derek’s hand landed on the back of his neck, giving him a nice little squeeze. It felt amazing.
Now that their bonding-time was over, he and Derek didn’t need to have sex as often as they did before—a day apart had been just fine—but that didn’t stop him from feeling horny.
He wasn’t worried. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind that once they got home, Derek would give him exactly what he wanted.