"Get back here, you worthless piece of shit!"

Running as fast as his body would allow, Alfred slammed a door open and skidded a bit as he turned and ran towards a tall, looming gate. There was yelling and scrambling behind the male that served to speed his movements and send a pulsing fear throughout him. His hands grabbed the metal wire of the fence, and he winced as his bloody wrists cried out in pain as he climbed upwards. The wounds had formed when he had fought against his restraints to escape the Alpha that had came way too close for his liking.

Oh God, he begged every power in the universe to allow him to outrun that Alpha. He couldn't go back there.

The man threw himself over the fence and onto cold concrete. Pushing his cracked glasses back onto his face, Alfred only took a moment to regain his balance before running again. He heard a shout and a gunshot suddenly enter the air, as if it were an especially loud heartbeat, and Alfred let out a cry of pain. The bullet had entered his shoulder, and it took all of the Omega's willpower to keep running towards the distant city that vaguely lit the night sky with hope.

That city had always been something seemingly unattainable. It had been something he had looked at with hope for years, but it was always just out of reach. Now, he would finally be able to reach its canopy of protection.

Alfred's lungs were constantly gulping in oxygen to allow himself to keep going now. They burned — oh, they burned so much — with the effort it took to supply the male's body with the air it so desperately needed. The lungs were practically screaming for the Omega to stop — to let them rest. However, Alfred could not stop; he had to keep running.

It had been over half an hour — or maybe it had been hours, he couldn't say — of running before he neared the city. The Omega felt a slight bit of relief wash over him when he finally was in arm's distance of an alleyway. But he daren't let himself get too hopeful. He couldn't afford to become complacent and practically hand the organization the chance to capture him again.

The man, feeling sweat pour over the deep cuts on his face, coughed roughly and stumbled for a moment. He quickly regained himself and swiftly — though clumsily — climbed up yet another metal fence, heaving himself over and jumping into a dark alleyway. He winced momentarily at the pain that spiked through his right ankle and hurt shoulder, but the man refused to be caught again. So, ignoring his hurt ankle and his screaming shoulder, the Omega ran out of the alley.

His head whipped around furiously in an attempt to find a way to go. The streets were peppered with people wearing heavy coats and gloves to arm themselves against the freezing air. The sight made him painfully aware of the cold biting his uncovered skin, and a shiver wracked his body. Stores practically invited all to approach with their different colored, hanging lights that contrasted wonderfully with the alluring, darkened sky. A man in a bright red suit and an obviously fake beard by one store made his bell ring, calling for people to donate for a good cause.

Alfred sprinted towards the nearest people, nearly skidding on the icy concrete. The two males that he frantically approached were both Alphas — that much was obvious by their scents — that gave him strange, bewildered looks.

"P-Please! You gotta help me!" the Omega begged. "I was shot, a-and I'm being chased! P-Please, I can't go back there!"

The man to the left with snowy white hair and unnaturally pale skin stepped forward, and he seemed to have the desire to protect the blond-haired Alpha beside him. "Look, I'm sorry, but I'm gonna have to ask—"

The male to the right glowered at the albino. "I don't need you protecting me from a hurt Omega, Gilbert. Now, back up, will you?" the Alpha hissed.

"It's my job to protect you, Arthur."

"I thought I told you to back the hell up!"

Gilbert let out an irritated groan, looked at Arthur's unamused gaze, then reluctantly stepped backwards. The glaring Alpha returned his emerald eyes to Alfred, who stared back with utter desperation. Arthur's gaze softened, and he opened his mouth to talk before Alfred collapsed due to exhaustion and blinding pain.

The Omega's last sight was the fading image of Arthur rushing to his side.

-o-o-o-o-

Alfred woke up to a resounding beep that continued to repeat itself. The male shifted slightly, and when a sharp pain shot through his shoulder, he let out a loud groan.

"Finally awake, are you?"

Alfred blinked his heavy eyelids open at the voice, and his blue eyes were revealed to the harsh white shades of a hospital room. The Omega turned his head slightly to view the owner of the voice, but his vision was too blurred to make out details.

"Can't see," Alfred mumbled, squinting. "Need my glasses..."

The figure moved silently towards a bedside table and picked up the glasses, putting them onto the Omega's face. "There."

Alfred looked at the man as his vision refocused. The image of wild blond hair and green eyes sharpened and became recognizable. It was one of the men he had begged for help. Wasn't his name Arthur?

"Oh," Alfred said rather dumbly. "It's you."

Arthur raised his eyebrows — God, those things were much bigger than he remembered! — at the simple response. "Are you always this articulate?" he said sarcastically. "But yes, it's me. How are you feeling?"

Alfred gave a half-hearted frown. He was injured! He hardly had any energy, so he wasn't going to be some babbling motivational speaker upon waking! But he decided to keep it to himself — because he really didn't have much energy — and moved slightly to test his pain levels. He grimaced.

"'m sore," Alfred answered. "My shoulder really hurts, but it's better than last night."

Arthur gave an approving nod. "Good." Alfred felt himself wanting to shrink as the Alpha's green eyes bored into him. Seriously, did he have to keep looking at him like that? "Now, I guess I should introduce myself. My name is Arthur Kirkland."

God, now that was the definition of an overly fancy name. But oddly enough, it did strike some cord in his memory. He couldn't place why, though… "Alfred," Alfred said after a moment of silence. "I'm Alfred F. Jones."

"Well, Alfred," Arthur began, moving to sit in a chair next to Alfred's bed. "I think that now you're awake, I should get some explanations. Who were you running from, and why did they shoot you?"

The Omega winced at the question and diverted his blue-eyed gaze. The answers to those questions had scarred him for so long. Sure, Arthur had saved him, but spilling out his secrets to him wasn't going to happen. "Long story. I won't bother you with it."

"Excuse me, but I picked you up — a stranger — and took you to a hospital. I think hearing this story is going to be much less bothersome."

Alfred let out a loud sigh. This Alpha wasn't going to drop it, was he? "Fine," the Omega relented. "Long story short, I was captured by some really bad guys when I was fifteen. They did bad things, but I escaped, so I'm fine now. Happy?"

"'Some really bad guys'?" Arthur repeated with a deep frown. "I'm afraid I'm going to need more information than that."

"Seriously?" Alfred said with frustration then glared at Arthur. "Look, dude, I'm really grateful you helped me. I thank you so much for doing that, but, as you said, I'm a stranger. I don't feel the need to tell you every detail of my life."

The two had a sort of glaring contest before Arthur finally shook his head and sighed. "All right, all right. I won't ask about it, but the doctor did say that if you were feeling better, you could be released today. You have a place to stay, right?" At Alfred's suddenly tensed face, Arthur rolled his eyes. "I knew it. Well, you're welcomed to stay with me until you have a place of your own."

The Omega's gaze became suddenly confused. "What… Why? Why are you helping me this much? You don't know me."

"Because you've been hurt," the Alpha stated simply. "It's my job as an Alpha to help you."

Alfred scrunched his nose. So that's the reason, was it? He should've known. Every Alpha has that fucking superiority complex. Every single one of them believed Omegas to be weak, fragile things.

"Of course," Alfred said bitterly. "Look, dude. I don't want to be your pity project. I can handle myself and don't need some Alpha caring for me. So, just take your sympathy elsewhere and leave me alone."

Arthur leaned back in his chair and didn't smile, but his eyes clearly conveyed amusement. "You have nowhere to go."

"I'll find a place."

"You have no money."

"I'll get a job."

"Do you have any references that would encourage people to employ you?"

"Motherfucker," Alfred finally snapped. "I'll find a way to make do! I don't need your help! Is it too much for your Alpha head that an Omega can actually fend for themselves?" the male sneered.

"On the contrary, I am one of the few that think Omegas aren't just fragile dolls," Arthur replied. "My mother is quite the independent and stubborn individual."

Alfred snorted. That must be where Arthur got his stubbornness. He glared at Arthur, and it only made him angrier seeing how calm and collected the other was. "You're not gonna give up, are you?"

"It took you a long time to figure that out."

Alfred let out a growl of annoyance. "Okay. I'll come with you, but I'm only going to stay with you until I can take care of myself."

Arthur smirked victoriously. "Of course."