Omega Retreat

Small steps

You tried to focus on your work, but you found yourself losing focus time and time again. Your eyes kept leaving the dull glow of your computer monitor to steal glances at your phone.

"You seem distracted."
Her tone was playful, but the abrupt interruption still had you jumping in your seat. Your boss had snuck up behind you easily as you were rechecking your email on your phone.
"Geez, we'll have to string a bell around you if you're going to sneak up on people." You laughed back, reassured by her coy smile.

"Something's got you in a good mood." She hummed behind you.

"Oh, yeah I guess." You try to hide your pink cheeks, too embarrassed over getting caught texting a new flame like a love-struck teenager.

"All the girls can smell the change. Even the betas, dear." She sang back.

"Who is he?" She tried to hide her beaming smile behind the back of her hand as she leaned over on the wall of your cubicle.

You scoff, trying to cover your warm cheeks as you answer. "You sound more excited than my mother was."

She gasped with a wide smile, like a schoolgirl getting gossip from a friend. Omega's always connected more closely, and it warmed your heart that she could be equally happy for you. So, when she leaned in for a hint of another scent that may have been left to linger on your skin, you quickly answered the anticipation in her eyes.

"We haven't met in person yet; you're not going to catch a whiff of him, so don't bother trying." You laughed up at her before she pulled away.

"No fun. You could at least tell me what he is." You knew it had to be the question bugging her the most.

You hesitated for a second, biting back on your lip before whispering back, "An alpha."

"I knew it!" She nearly jumped with delight, leading you to try and shush her before the other cubicles were privy to your personal business.
It made you happy that you could feel like you had bonds even at work, and we're thankful for her gentle omega nature.

"Keep your voice down."

"I'm sorry; I'm just so happy for you. After everything, I just.."

You didn't want her to finish that sentence. Luckily for you, she wouldn't, looking back into your saddened eyes instead. "I'm just so happy for you."

"Thank you."

"You think you'll meet him soon?"

You chuckled alongside her, glad to have the conversation shift back to a lighter tone.
"We'll see. We'll see." You shoo at her, hoping to get some of the work she'd given you done today.

She gets the message, realizing she'd been gushing for too long and had work of her own.
"Fine, but I expect an invite to that wedding."
It was the last you heard of her before she walked back to her office.

You smiled back at your computer, a drab Excel sheet still painted over its background. You sighed back at it until a telltale ding rang across your previously ignored phone.

A relationship with an alpha was still scary, but Bucky seemed to dampen those worries every time you looked at his photo blipping over your screen.
You pulled the phone towards you to glance over the notification of Bucky's message.

"I wait to see you tonight." You read along with the small message box.
You ran your fingernail along the power button before pressing on it, letting the passcode window light up the screen before tapping on a handful of numbers.

You looked back at the few cubicles behind you, making sure you had a moment to answer.

"Me either. I can't focus on work," you typed fervently.

"I'd rather meet you in person, Omega." The message pops up in the next second.

You let out a breathy chuckle with a smile, still in disbelief that you could be his omega even in text.
"I know. Hopefully soon, but I'm excited about our video date."

You were more than excited; it was all you could think about as the hours ticked away slower than they normally would. When 5 p.m. finally rolled around, you nearly lept from your seat. You nearly forgot to shut off your computer before grabbing your stuff and rushing away.

A giddy drive home was a delightful change of pace, spurring you to drive just a tick above the speed limit as you neared your little house.

You fly through the house, letting the door slam behind you before tossing your purse over the couch. You stumbled past the mirror, only to twist back towards it after catching sight of your messy hair.

Your fingers only tangle into it as you fight to take it out of its messy bun. You only tied it up halfway through the day for a little comfort, only to ruin all the work you put into it that morning.
You didn't have any time to fuck with it now, yet you continue to burn through the few seconds you have left trying to tame your tired looks. Could each flyaway be seen through your laptop's webcam?

You stopped for a second, closing your eyes and sucking in an uneven breath before looking back up at your reflection.
You looked redâ€"nothing new, of courseâ€"but not a face you wanted him to see, and yet there wasn't anything you could do to fight it except to finally calm down.

Your hair wasn't bad, and your reflection wasn't meant to scare you, and as you continued to breathe, that red blush began to fade. You can do this.

You leave the mirror, setting your eyes on the laptop still sitting on the coffee table. You lowered yourself to the sofa to sit as comfortably as possible before pulling the computer to your lap and switching it on.

A brief photo of you with your arm wrapped around your mother's shoulder flashed in the background of your screen before you set up the video call.

It was just more of those bouncing dots with a different ring as it all danced along a blue screen. You held your breath, waiting patiently for his image to take over. Yet, when the square zoomed over the page and movement took over your screen, every ounce of air seemed to force its way from your lungs.

He was there, tucking his hair behind his ear and smiling at his own screen as you gave a shocked smile.

"Hi!"

You mouthed back an overwhelmed 'hi' as you watched him intently. Your mouth moved in an attempt to form words, but you were far too mesmerized by the real alpha on your screen. That is, until his smile fell.

"Is your sound on? I can't hear you."

"Yes!" You were quick to reassure him, wanting desperately to see that smile set upon you again.
Just as you hoped, it was back in an instant after hearing your voice.

"Sorry, I was just a little speechless for a second." You blinked at his image, wanting to make sure it was real as you spoke to it. "It's amazing to finally see the real you. Not that I thought your photos were fake..uh it's just." You fought your way through your ramblings as he chuckled at your giddy and nervous demeanor.

"No, I know what you mean. It's so exciting to finally see you, Omega."

It was like a dream, finally laughing and talking where you could see one another and study each of his expressions as he took each word that left your stuttering lips. Hours pass, and the conversation continues to burn through the night as it's carried happily between the two of you.
It was so much better, but not nearly enough. A frustration shared by both you and him began to show as the veneer hiding it broke away.

"But, I wanna bury my face in your neck." His voice deepens, showing a glimpse at a small possessive side. It was something you'd initially feared from an alpha.

"I gotta see you for real."

It's so sudden, you could hardly believe it would always be like this for omegas, but how could someone who had shut themselves away for so long really know?

You think back on what others spoke of during their tales of pleasure and even the more harrowing words from your physician only a few weeks prior. They'd cut off your suppressants 'for your own safety', and urged you to seek a sexual partner in the most blatant terms. But, they weren't wrong, and with another possibly fatal heat on the horizon, you had to make a very difficult choice.

"Maybe we should. It's just..." You stopped for a second to calm yourself. "It hasn't been very long, and you're already..so smitten."

"Can you blame me?" His voice rang low over the speaker yet still sang through your worries so melodically.

His tone drops, becoming more serious and heavy, so much so that it only echos the ever-grave voice that bounced around the back of your mind. "What are you scared of?"

It hit close to home, like he could be looking right through you and seeing every mounting fear you tried so hard to bottle up.

"It's just, with a heat coming in a couple weeks.." you tried to ignore the breaking of your own voice as you spoke. You didn't want this to be the reason why, and you didn't want it to be so soon that you two had to meet or finally be intimate. "...and I just don't want to rush things. But I agree; maybe we should consider meeting in person soon."
You fought not to let your true emotions show and not to let your true fears come to light in front of him. It was a relief when his face lit up with so much joy. He just stared back at you, his eyes beaming through the screen.

You could nearly cry. After ripping off this first bandage, it was such a relief that you finally felt you could breathe properly. You chuckled happily together, taking in each other's joyous reaction when he finally spoke again.

"I can send you an invitation right away. I can be there for you." He spoke so passionately, looking at you with big, wet blue eyes before typing away at the keys on his keyboard.
"W-what invitation?" You nearly coughed on the words as they left your throat.

You do think back on the vacation packages on the original website and how they boasted about safety as well as elegance. The thought of having that kind of special getaway with the Alpha often, finally seeing Bucky where the sun could hit his skin instead of in the glow of your laptop monitor.

But, he was still technically a stranger, in spite of the two of you consistently sharing messages over the course of several weeks. Running away with him seemed, in the most juvenile sense, stupid. Yet, a twinge in your stomach urged you to leap at his offer.

"It is such a beautiful resort." You chuckled nervously. You recalled all the photos you'd scrolled through before he'd matched you on the website.

"I'll meet you anywhere you want me to, Omega. I just want to feel you so bad." The low drag of his voice wasn't unfamiliar by now, after having heard similar sentiments during a steamier exchange over a phone call. You felt a little embarrassed as your skin started to flush again.

"I don't want to make you spend that much money on me."

"This is not about money. I just want everything to be perfect for you."

You try to force yourself to speak, but each word falls flat on your tongue. He was offering you what felt like a lifeline with open arms. You never wanted something like this to progress so damn quickly, but maybe you were really that desperate. Maybe you were really that scared.

It was so nice to be wanted, and by him especially, an alpha unlike any other you'd ever met. You still wanted time to think about it, but what time do you have left before a possible disaster? The date of your heat was growing closer, but you had to afford at least a night to ponder something like this.

"C-can I have a few days to think about it?"