CHAPTER 5

A/N – Hello everyone! Delayed this even more than expected due to some minor computer problems, thankfully solved now :) So excited to be back with a new, slightly longer update – the action is picking up from here and honestly you couldn't ever guess what's coming after this relatively 'peaceful' and fluffy chapter where things progress and stuff… Anyway, I should cease this ranting I usually successfully substitute to meaningful author notes and bring on the actual chap ;) Enjoy!

The next days passed in a happy, hopeful daze for the young Alpha. He was increasingly convinced that the odds were in his favor since he actually got Mathias and Berwald to apologize to the newcomers' group for the cafeteria incident and all of them started to meet for lunch. And while these obviously didn't count like one-on-one meetings, he still got to be around Arthur, talk to the Omega and observe him when he was at ease with his friends around. It turned out that by nature Arthur wasn't very talkative, but when he did open his mouth he said no nonsense, and he wasn't silly or shallow like most Omegas. It was a rather unusual trait which his friends seemed to share as well, and while most Alphas would have probably found him boring, Alfred liked it. Also, unlike most Omegas who were keen on attracting longing stares, the green-eyed boy never seemed to pay attention to how he was being looked at by others, completely oblivious to his own ravishing alluringness.

But still, despite the elevation of his aspirations and overall awareness, in the end Alfred was only human and so that morning he was (very much) looking forward to the Joined P.E. class where both classifications would be exercising together and he would have the chance to observe Arthur in the standard short-shorts (and hopefully not be observed in turn and caught staring). As he walked down the hall the blue-eyed blond's mind was hopelessly filled with anticipation and he was barely paying attention to Mattie speaking about his latest drawing assignments.

"And now it's your turn to be laughed at," Gilbert said with a humorless chuckle, adjusting the strap of the bag with his P.E. equipment. "Or be stared at… or something. A welcome distraction from us, I should hope."

"Who the fuck cares what they're doing, huh? Whether they're laughing, or staring, or drooling, or fuck knows what? They're just a bunch of stinky regulars, all of them," Elizaveta grumbled with a pissed expression.

The group was making their way towards the gym hall and the brunette was already half-fuming for some reason, so Arthur gripped her arm lightly, hoping a few words of caution should have the desired effect.

"Liz, you know that the Alphas might be staring at your boyfriend…" Her arm tensed under his fingers. "But it doesn't bloody mean anything, okay? Just try not to rip anyone's head off."

Gilbert was about to make a similar suggestion when a yelp suddenly alerted him that someone smaller coming from around the corner had bumped into him. Alfred too was abruptly pulled from his happy musings when Mattie's books scattered on the floor with a startling thud and the younger sibling was barely caught in mid-fall by a strong arm.

"Ah, shit! Sorry! Are you okay?!" the untouchable boy asked, gradually easing his grip on the little Omega's arm. But the blue-eyed blond was just looking up at him wide-eyed, speechless and almost in panic, so Gilbert pulled his hand away quickly and crouched down to rapidly gather the fallen books from the ground.

"I-I'm sorry…" Mattie stuttered, inching back towards his older brother. "I didn't mean to hit you, I just-"

Gilbert cringed inwardly upon seeing the younger boy in such distress, but he didn't let the uncomfortable feeling reach his face. Instead, he smiled softly, offering the stack of books he'd quickly dusted off with the hem of his shirt. "Kid, it's okay, really, I'm not made of glass. Here, you dropped these!"

Alfred couldn't help a light, involuntary scowl as Mattie thanked his friend, blushing a bit as he did. "Right, Mattie, this is my friend Gilbert," he said at last, shaking it off as he continued with the rest of the newcomers' group. "Everyone, this is my little brother Mattie."

But his Omega sibling's eyes were still glued to Gilbert, even if now he was shyly smiling and making small talk with his new friends and Alfred felt the tinge of irritation persisting. Not because he had a bad opinion on the albino or anything, but still, he was two years older than Mattie and hell, Mattie was his little brother and he was supposed to be protective of him. Of course, in the back of his mind the Alpha did realize that 'protective' shouldn't have meant 'suffocating' and besides, it was rather crucial that Mattie would find someone to settle with after the end of highschool. And from what he knew so far, Gilbert was available.

"You like Arthur," Mattie piped up as soon as they were alone again, taking a little detour to drop the Omega at his literature class. "I saw how you were looking at him," the boy giggled.

Damn. So his brother had been paying attention to stuff other than Gilbert. Not necessarily a good thing, Alfred thought. "I like all of them, they're really nice guys," he grumbled unconvincingly while keeping his gaze on the path ahead.

Mattie rolled his eyes. "It is rather obvious, you know?"

"Great, glad to hear it," the older sibling replied, with an open scowl now. "Just don't mention it to Dad, okay? Please, Mattie!"

"But… why wouldn't you want Dad to know that you like someone?"

'Because that's something expected of you right now, not of me', the young Alpha thought, but the bitter words would have hurt his brother so he gritted his teeth and kept it in. "Because he'll think that next thing I'll want is to be mated and drop out of school to raise a family and stuff. Which kinda goes against the plan, you know? Besides, it's much too early, I don't even know if Arthur likes me back or anything…"

"Are you sure I can't just, like, flip them the fing-"

"No!"

Arthur grimaced, turning away from his friends' bickering. He eyed the network of iron bars hanging from the ceiling, some lower and some higher, wondering if it would have been too much for an Omega to climb and try their arm muscles on them. The green-eyed blond waited for a bit to see if anyone else was willing to give them a try before deciding, but the majority of the students had already split up in small groups and started exercising – the Alphas were obviously all over the weights and heavier stuff, while the Omegas had taken to running laps around the large hall or other cardio workouts. Boring. But well, he had to get started on something soon, or the Alpha coach would be on his back in an instant.

"You're not seriously considering those, are you?"

Arthur nearly jumped, whipping his head around to discover none other than the person Gilbert and Antonio had jokingly referred to as his 'stalker on duty'. He didn't really mind, the blue-eyed Alpha was both surprisingly well-mannered and behaved and not quite an eyesore (if he were to be honest), but bloody hell was he creepy popping up like that at all times – in the restroom, in the almost deserted library, from around corners…

Alfred was smiling and the 'Omega' felt an irresistible urge to put up a challenge, even if there were more than slim chances that it was a bad idea. He scrunched up his nose playfully.

"Actually I am. What about you, Alfred Jones?" he replied in a tone of voice which had sounded slightly more flirty than he'd intended, bending his knees before he launched himself upwards in a bold jump and caught the lowest bar. From there he hauled himself up and climbed a bit higher, inside the steel labyrinth. Once there, he looked down at the staring Alpha and raised an eyebrow questioningly.

Alfred's mouth, which had been gaping in obvious awe, widened into a cheeky grin. "I'll catch you, Arthur Kirkland," he stated." Just wait and see…"

Flexing his muscles, the Alpha lifted himself onto the steel contraption as well, just in time to see Arthur move away from him towards the center of the hall, climbing higher and out of his reach. But despite the fresh predatory surge at the sight of the Omega's curves as the blond moved like an agile feline, he knew better than to give his all to the chase and risk both him and Arthur to fall – there were thick mattresses on the ground below but accidents could happen anyway.

However, this was not how Arthur interpreted his hesitation. The green-eyed boy smirked smugly, thinking that Alfred was either doubting his own climbing skills or he was just afraid to get so high up. Yet that cheeky smile didn't falter and his pursuer advanced, slowly but surely, making him move further away, as swiftly as the setting allowed. Eventually there was nowhere left to go and he wasn't going to let the Alpha catch him either (Arthur fleetingly figured that he must have had a flight instinct far more developed than other people and it had just kicked in, even though he wasn't in any real danger). The only way 'out' was to bypass Alfred without getting grabbed and to reach the lower bars, then jump down. Yeah, it was a plan.

One the blue-eyed boy figured with ease though. He saw the Omega panting slightly – the effort was catching up with him, if anything else wasn't, and he was running out of space to go. Of course, Alfred was planning on winning this little chase – not with a full grab but just a simple touch would have been enough to mark his victory, and maybe this was an 'innocent' opportunity to get a feel of those smooth bare calves, feel Arthur's hot skin under his fingers if only for just a moment.

The young Alpha's grin grew wider and wider as Arthur was making the exact moves he'd been anticipating and his victory was drawing near. Only things didn't go quite as planned until the end, because the smaller blond avoided being grabbed in the last moment, jumping down from the bars right under his nose. The Omega landed on the mattress below, tumbling on his back as he did and Alfred mindlessly pursued, letting go and successfully trapping the other boy under his body without crushing him (too much).

"Gotcha!" he exclaimed victoriously, his face hovering mere inches above his prey's. The moment was absolutely perfect, Arthur's cheeks were deliciously flushed, eyes a bit wide and his pink lips were slightly parted as he panted, if only Alfred could just lean in and kiss him right now-

And then his glasses slid off his nose and hit Arthur full in the forehead before bouncing off onto the mattress next to his head.

"Ow!" the green-eyed boy said, scrunching his face.

Absolutely epic.

And of course, fucking everyone saw it happening and burst into laughter.

Alfred honestly thought he'd never hear the end of it for the rest of the day, even Mattie had laughed at his flirting mishap, but thankfully Arthur had treated it with a sense of humor and hadn't gotten upset or anything. Moreover, the delightful Omega had even agreed to meet him after classes to hang out in the school's back yard, the one which was set up like a miniature park.

"So… have you decided what you want to do after the end of this year?"

Alfred was both curious and worried at the other's answer. Before he started anything with Arthur he had to come clean about his plans for the future and not give the Omega any false hopes just yet. He didn't know if Arthur – or anyone really, he thought with dismay sometimes – would be willing to wait for him to finish his studies before getting mated. Such that he didn't even dare hope…

"I don't know…. I suppose I'll find a job of sorts in some general store or something. My mother's been working on occasion too and she says the pay isn't that bad…"

Arthur shrugged, looking away and slightly disappointed in the prospect. But then there weren't many job options for Omegas as it was. They could only apply for low level jobs and getting a job wasn't encouraged in general unless the family didn't have much of a choice. Still, there was something else about the way he'd said it, something the blue-eyed blond couldn't exactly put his finger on, like a jaded carelessness which he found very odd. It was as if the other wasn't concerned about the future at all, even if he didn't have a settled future mate like most Omegas in the final year.

"What about you?"

Alfred glanced down at the boy who was sitting on the bench with his knees held up against his chest almost defensively and struggled to open his mouth and answer.

"Actually, I'll still be in school for, like, another four years after this. I'll study to become a doctor and then hopefully I'll get a chance to work with my father at his institute. It's gonna be pretty big if I make it and stuff…"

"That's cool," the green-eyed blond said with a smile, much to his surprise.

"You think so?"

"Sure. Don't you?" Arthur looked up, questioningly. "I mean, that's not what you want to do?"

"Yeah, it is, but…" The blue-eyed blond didn't know what to think. Was the other aware of what he was actually saying?

Yes, the 'Omega' was aware, he understood perfectly. And it brought unexpected relief to know that Alfred wasn't in the same mating frenzy as everyone else, perhaps he'd be happy with just some casual flirting (which he found out that he rather enjoyed) and then Arthur wouldn't have to deceive him too much… And he wouldn't be awfully hurt after the end of the school year, when the untouchable was going to vanish without a trace, as if he'd never existed.

"Um… Arthur… does that mean that you're not in a hurry, you know, to settle down and stuff?"

The Alpha moved slowly and took a seat next to him and the untouchable boy felt a bolt of discomfort in his stomach. What was he supposed to say? All Omegas were more or less hell-bent on getting mated and having children as soon as possible. He couldn't really say otherwise…

"Uh, well, not in a hurry…" he stuttered, looking away from the other boy's piercing stare. "I mean I do want all that, but… I-I think it should be with someone who's worth it, you know? Worth waiting for even… Don't you think the same?"

Alfred smiled, secretly breathing in relief as he drew closer, intent on draping his arm around the green-eyed blond's shoulders. And maybe next he would-… The all too familiar scent of cigarettes hit his nostrils the moment he got closer to the Omega and he instinctively frowned.

"Arthur… have you been… smoking?"

The smaller blond flinched visibly. "Ah, no… Tony and Gil were in the last break and I've been out with them. My shirt must have caught the smell, is it so bad?" he asked innocently.

But the Alpha didn't answer, frown persisting as he leaned in without warning and kissed Arthur on the mouth, a bit forcefully, capturing his parted lips and tasting them in full.

"You've been smoking." Alfred's gaze was cold and stern now, all friendliness gone. "I'll have to report you for this, do you realize that?"

The Omega froze at first, his eyes wide in horror. "N-uh… I-I didn't… You can't prove it! You can't prove shit!" he snapped angrily, pulling himself free from the other's touch. Arthur just couldn't believe how something that stupid could get him into trouble, and it had been even more bloody stupid of him to trust the Alpha enough to let him this close. The bastard! He sat up abruptly, intent on removing himself from that place as quickly as possible, but his legs were shaking so badly that he stumbled and very nearly fell face first on the concrete.

Alfred was stunned. Admittedly, he'd been a bit shocked at the discovery, but he'd only meant to make a joke (quite a bad one, now that he thought of it), in any case he hadn't expected such a reaction. The blue-eyed blond lunged forward, catching the stumbling boy, Arthur's body now shaken by shivers and violent sobs.

"Shhh… It's alright," the Alpha soothed, gathering him in his arms gently and burying his nose into the short, light hairs at the nape of his neck. The other boy still struggled weakly, mumbling to be let go, but Alfred held him tightly, pressing his back against his chest as he kissed his hair. "Arthur, I'm so sorry! Please forgive me, I just made a bad joke but I didn't mean it, I won't tell anyone, God, I swear! Please, calm down, baby. What are you so afraid of?"

The other closed his eyes, wiping his moist cheeks with the back of his hand and taking a deep breath as his shaking eventually subsided. He inwardly cursed for getting so scared, but it was a fact that even a minor thing like this could have alerted Principal Vargas that there was something unusual about him and then he would have put everyone in danger.

"I-It's complicated…" he replied at last, biting his lip awkwardly. "I can't…"

Alfred only tightened his grip after pulling the Omega in his lap and turning him to the side so that he could get a look at his face. God, he was such an idiot, thinking that one embrace could protect Arthur from all his troubles, like that arsehole of a brother. And maybe Arthur's dad wasn't much better either, if he'd raised his Alpha son like that.

"It's okay, baby, it's okay. You don't have to say anything if you don't want to," the blue-eyed blond said softly. He leaned in and, after briefly rubbing the tip of his nose against Arthur's, kissed him again, sweetly, gently and taking his time.

"You know, Alfred seems like a really good guy."

Antonio kept his eyes on the road head as he drove, but the tension filling the air as he spoke the words could be felt regardless. He didn't need to look in the rearview and see his friend sulking on the back seat, next to Lukas.

"So?"

"So maybe you shouldn't lead him on, Arthur. I know that Francis said we should make friends among the regulars, but you realize it was only for observation purposes, right? We can't let anything get serious and stuff."

The green-eyed blond was scowling openly now. "Get serious? Didn't you say that they all have only one thing on their mind?"

"Yeah, but he doesn't seem to be the usual type, so what if he ends up wanting more? And after the end of this year you know you can't see him again, so it wouldn't be fair to break his heart, that's all."

Arthur huffed, irritated. "Well you know what, Tony, maybe you don't remember your family but I bloody remember mine and I know one thing: Alphas don't love, they own. My father owned my mother and me and he bloody treated us accordingly! I mean yeah, Jones is nice and maybe he's different, but what if he isn't and this is just part of the courtship phase or something? He's been okay so far and…um… I rather enjoy his company, but he's still a regular and I don't trust him. "He paused, sighing. "I know what you're really trying to say, Tony, but there's nothing you should worry about."

Antonio looked up to the rearview mirror and smiled bitterly. "Okay. Had a rough day again, haven't you?"

The blond only nodded, feeling spent after the short but intense exchange.

"Ask Francis to give you something to sleep."

To be continued