Chapter 4. A Breath of Fresh Air

Continued

PRECIOUS OFTEN WONDERS whether he’s of two people sometimes. Most days cramped in the office, he’s irritable but buries any emotion deep within like his hearing. Any illogical thinking can upend years long curated calm.

The morning is beautiful. The singing birds, the orange of the ground, the sky’s reflection in the water, the hum of life.

The residential part of the little village is quiet with the children in school, adults out in the sun, soldiers on their daily training, the Elders in their backyard stretching.

Pivoting away from that direction, his legs takes him south to the barracks, rather the Musclehouse as it is popularly called.

The building looks like two ranch houses were forced to be one, the top folding in depression.

A funny looking building that has had more reconstruction than any other building. Beyond the musclehouse are hills upon hills, just right below the incline of the canyon.

As Precious gets closer, he picks up chants coming from the Musclehouse. It triples as a training centre, a residence and a guarded like prison for captured omegas.

He stops right in front of the steps but why he’s here eludes him. No, that’s not right. He’s looking for a pair of blue eyes and the Musclehouse is a good guess as any.

Before he can leave, the door swings open and threw soldiers walk out though two are in a headlock—Anduan’s headlock.

Two soldiers he quickly recognizes as Blue Sun omegas.

“Alpha,” the omegas' lit up, cheeks smudges with pink at being choked.

Looks fun.

“Alpha North,” Anduan drawls, a shit-eating grin plastered on her sweaty face. “If you’re here for the Cap, you’re in shit luck. He’s in one of his mood,” she rolls her eyes as if it’s absolutely hilarious.

“Isn’t he always. No, I’m looking for Kamil.”

“Ah, Major Dutiful. He’s not here. He's digging holes in the Winter Forest, garden side.”

Near the east gardens.

“Not digging holes,” one of the omegas corrects. “Checking perimeter.”

“That’s what I said.”

Nodding, Precious briskly makes his way to the Winter Forest, lighter on his feet and even starts whistling.

The blast of the Winter Forest chill takes Precious by surprise but he doesn’t slow down or try to pick up sounds.

Precious doesn’t see where he’s going but hears the whoosh and on reflex, dodges and flies to the ground. Flat on his back, he hears barking and the suddenness of it makeshim wince.

“Goddess above, Alpha!” Kamil runs to him and drags him up by the arm.

Precious spots an axe buried so deeply in the crack of a tree he only sees half of it. “You’re a shoot first ask questions later, aren’t you?”

“That’s not funny. You could’ve died!” Kamil shouts before a frown settles between his brows. “I was practicing my axe throwing that I didn’t see—”

“It’s fine—”

Kamil shakes his head. “No, it’s not. If something had happened to you…”

Precious says nothing as Kamil dusts him off. When he declares that Precious is infact intact, he reluctantly steps back.

“I was looking for you…” Precious days but trails off, noticing that Kamil is shirtless.

He’s wearing khaki trousers that doesn’t hide the bulk of his thighs but it’s the chest Precious zeroes in on.

Like someone had drizzled honey on him, Kamil’s caramel skin glows with sweat. His shoulders are broad, his chest are wide and his abs are rock hard.

Precious mind completely blanks at Kamil’s largeness. He imagines Kamil jogging, panting, out of breath.

Kamil’s dog - Community Princess - barks for their attention but Precious doesn’t give it. Kamil turns around and Precious greedily takes in his broad back and his taut ass…

Without thinking, Precious steps closer and reaches out. Kamil turns around at the last minute as Precious palm flattens on his stomach. Kamil’s abs clenches under his touch - it’s warm and slick with sweat.

At a sharp intake of breath, Precious raises his head to find blue eyes watching him. Embarrassed at his forwardness, he jerks his hand back.

“Shit. Sorry. I didn’t mean to.” He totally did.

“It’s fine. I don’t mind. I can’t hit my Alpha, can I?”

“If they overstep your boundaries, you totally should. Abuse of power is never okay.”

“Well, if it was anyone else, I’d have punched them. But anyone else isn’t you.”

Silence.

“You can touch me again.”

“I’d rather not.” He takes a step back and pockets his hands.

“You said you were looking for me.”

As if he has no filter, Precious blurts out, “I want to take up on the rain check. You know, keep my promise. Fresh air. Fresh air is nice.”

“It would be. But it’d be wasted on you.”

“Why?”

Kamil nods towards his clothing. “That tie is bothering me. It looks tighter than my ass.”

Precious chuckles.

“You should loosen it. Take off that jacket and is a vest really necessary?”

He throatily laughs. “It’s called fashion. You know, being clothed. Something you clearly know nothing about.”

The command comes as sudden as a swift wind. “Untie it.”

Precious shivers at the authority in Kamil’s voice. Without hesitation, he nimbly undo the tie.

“The jacket. And vest too.”

He swallows, fingers trembling but manages to unbotton the clothing. Kamil walks closer and with only two fingers effortlessly pops the top two buttons open.

Precious gasps inaudibly when Kamil buries his head in the crook of his neck and inhales. Precious shivers slightly when Kamil caresses the dip of his throat and pinches. Precious loses his head there and then.

Kamil steps back and smiles acting as if nothing had happened. As if Precious wouldn’t have stripped if he’d asked him to.

“There. Now you can breathe again.”

The moment Kamil whistles to the dog, Precious blinks, clears his throat and without a backward glance heads to the exit.

Kamil walks behind him, the dog sniffing as she goes.

“The Ambassador is being a ray of sunshine again. Bringing so much joy that Nuka is running himself chasing after the Alphas secretaries.” Precious surprises himself by saying.

“So, what do I bring Alphas that would be extremely grumpy about the Ambassador's recent news?”

“Which is? The news.”

He hesitates but only for a second. “The government have added a list of unfair, unfavourable condition for Packs to meet or they’ll impose heavy embargo. Dramatic, that government.”

“What? No. They can’t do that,” Kamil exclaims

“That’d be catastrophic for all parties involved.”

Precious could only shrug.

“The condition that’s bothering you. Tell me.”

“You won’t like it.”

“Tell me,” Kamil insists.

“You know how the Packs are forced to give DNA to the government for their ‘scientific breakthrough for humankind’?”

“Bullshit.”

“Well, they want to go back to before 1943,” he explains in one breath.

They’ve exited the Winter Forest heading towards the east gardens.

“That’s madness. We signed a treaty amd everything. Multiple treaties. There are organizations and factions to protect us from this kind of bullshit. They can’t do that.”

Precious smiles at the passion in Kamil’s voice, at the justified anger..

“They ‘discovered’ several discrepancies in the agreement. They want to collect.”

“Fuck.”

They quieted, each lost in their thoughts.

“They also want to increase tax. Land, hunting, health... Anything they can price tag really to redefine our relationship.”

“Humans are so messed up.”

“Tell me about it.”

“We’d get through this,” Kamil reaches for his hand, squeezes and lets go. “We’ve weathered worse.”

“Yeah. We’ve weathered worse.”

Precious looks on ahead at the garden coming into view. What he sees is a land that can be taken away at anytime by the human government, Blue Sun Pack. By his inability to fight for what's theirs.

But Precious doesn’t say this. He doesn’t think this. Not now when the flowers beckos onto him like blissful dreams he doesn’t dream anymore.