Disclaimer: I don't own Netflix's "The Rain" or any of its characters, wishful thinking aside.

Authors Note #1: I recently got into "The Rain" and fell in love with the Martin x Simone pairing and the Jean x Lea pairing. This was mostly inspired by 1x08/post season credits, in an a/b/o universe setting. – Set in my alpha/beta/omega series, prequel to "Uventet." - Written in Lea's point of view.

Warnings: alpha/beta/omega dynamics, care-taking, hurt and comfort, animal traits, scenting, language, drama, romance, alpha/omega pairing, pack dynamics, alpha!Martin, omega!Simone, alpha!Jean, omega!Lea, nudity, mildly dub-con due to trope.

Amor Fati

"Jean?!"

"Lea?!"

"Hi there!"

"I thought you were dead!"

"I've just taken a shower!"

"You smell good," he murmured. Pointedly not easing away after the hug had ended. Giving her the excuse to stick close and just soak in the sight of him. Making little in the way of effort when it came to pulling away and giving him his space as the weight of the last few days - of missing him, losing Beatrice, Rasmus and everything - seemed to soften and ease in concert.

She laughed. Because he was sweet and silly and most of all she knew she didn't.

"Liar. You're the one who smells good. I don't think I'll ever take showers for granted again," she chirped. And she wouldn't. She hadn't realized how much of her mental health was based around all those old habits and rhythms until they were gone. Until she never felt clean anymore and everything itched. When she could smell herself - especially down there - and drove herself crazy wondering if the others could smell it too.

"No. You do," he told her earnestly. Tucking his nose behind the shell of her ear like he could root out the smell somehow. "I like it."

The words were shy.

Different.

Making something tickle like an unasked question in the back of her mind as she looked up at him searchingly. Leggy, pale and tall. Hyper-aware that he was naked - almost naked - under the thin blue towel that separated them.

A noise from down the hall shook her out of it. Reminding her that happy endings had been in short supply lately, and that Martin and Patrick still didn't know.

"Come on," she urged, smiling widely as he blinked down at her. "Get dressed. The others are here too. There's so much to tell you!"

She didn't connect back to that strange little tickle until Jean fell asleep in the back of the Humvee. One hand clutching the strap of her backpack, like he was at loath to let her go - even for a moment.

It wasn't just that. Or even one thing by itself. It was everything. Like the way Jean's forehead was flushed pink, frowning as he dreamed. His chest rising and falling steadily, but his breathing was heavy and labored – too labored. Like for some reason his body was working hard in his sleep. Even Jean's skin was clammy to the touch. Only getting worse when she asked Simone to crack a window.

Something wasn't right.

She didn't say anything when he woke up a few hours later. Irritable and hungry and making everyone in the car hush down to nothing when he looked around and scrunched his nose. Sniffing the air in tell-tale aggressive whuffs as Martin stiffened in the front seat.

"You smell like Martin," Jean complained fitfully. Only quieting when she pressed her hand on top of his. Lips threatening to tremble as a little voice inside her exhaled - maybe for the first time in her entire life.

The feeling had strength and weight to it after that. More when she realized Martin was scenting the air. Looking back at them in confusion like he couldn't wrap his head around what he was picking up.

But it wasn't until Simone murmured her name – voice soft but strong as Jean ignored them and dug into his pack, stuffing handfuls of dry cereal into his mouth - that she dared to do it herself. Scenting the air as her keen Omega nose wrinkled at the strength of it. Immediately glad she was sitting down because the smell was-

She felt lush and on the verge of being wet as the scent settled deep into every chink. Into every hollowed space and empty cell inside her. Every part of her she hadn't been aware had been so empty until just now.

It was Jean.

Somehow she could smell him.

All of him.

For the very first time.

Alpha.

Hers.

And while it didn't make sense, she couldn't help but believe deep down in her deepest heart that in spite of what the world was these days, and how they were barely holding on, everything was finally how it was supposed to be.

A/N: Thank you for reading, please let me know what you think.

Reference:

- Amor fati: (Latin: "the love of ones fate") An attitude in which one sees everything that happens in one's life, including suffering and loss, as good; or, at the very least, necessary.