gunsforhire | LOG: The family that drinks together

"Feels like a punishement," Omega says honestly. "But if you think it will help...what we're doing now isn't working. Something needs to change."

It doesn't make sense. If Delta's going to hide and Epsilon's going to wander and Sigma's going to ... Sigma, isn't it more important for Omega to be there, make sure everyone doesn't get so distracted by boyfriends and self-pity they forget to pick the twins up?

"Maybe Delta should leave. Find a place where nobody makes him face reality. He did that, once, lasted about a week. I didn't make him come home, though I'm sure he told everyone I did. I just wanted to make sure where ever he was, he was safe."

"It's not a punishment. You're going to be part of our team, so you should have a room on base. They saved mine even when I was gone for months. Don't have to use it, but it'd be there," she replies. And he'd be close to her. She's never had family staying in the same place as her, far as she can remember. Selfish reason, but it's there.

"You think Delta would do that long-term? He wouldn't even agree to let me put the twins to bed by myself, said I needed 'learn from him' first."

"When you put it that way, I can see it. A team thing." Not getting Omega to where he could do the least amount of damage. Not kicking him out until he says all the right things. Something the rest of the team has. "It sounds like a plan. I like it. Let's do it. Though I don't know how much of a teammate I really am. I haven't taken any tests."

Omega shakes his head. "No, but tunnel-vision is almost his middle name. He talks about wanting to go out and have a life, I try to make it possible, and we end up fighting because I don't like to text. He...I don't know. He's my problem child."

"But you're planning to and having a place on base will help. I'll get it set up." Most likely for use after Delta's recovered from his surgery. At least it'll be ready for the next big blow-up.

"And you're certain he was mad because you don't like to text? The only reason?"

"Thank you." Omega smiles at her. There is a plan. He likes plans. And the idea of coming back to something just how he left it is a nice one.

Omega shrugs and looks away. "He thought I was lying to him. He thought something had happened with Louisiana, that I wasn't talking to him about it. And when I told him what happened, that there was no problem, he decided I was lying." Omega finishes his drink. "I'm very sorry I didn't have a problem to feed to his ego."

"Didn't you mention there was some huge misunderstanding with her?" Or something along those lines.

She motions for the bartender to come over and refill Omega's glass. She's handling their tab and he looks like he could use another drink.

Omega shrugs. "I gave her the wrong idea, she assumed something that wasn't true, I got mad. She gave me space and then we talked it out like adults. I don't know why everyone is making such a big deal."

It really was that simple, once it was over.

She nods. Sounds perfectly reasonable to her. "Good. Did you tell Delta any of that or did you brush him off?"

"The first five hundred times or so," Omega dodges. "Then it became clear that he was less interested in what was going on than finding some way for me to be weak-

"To be weak?" she asks, stopping him right there. No wonder he blew up at Delta if that's what he thought his brother was doing.

Omega shuts his mouth with an audible click, looks away. "You know what his sign for me is?" Does Tex know how namesigns work? It shouldn't matter for his point. "Rock. I'm the rock. Which is just fine. I'll take care of everyone and I'll cover for him when he needs a mental health month and I'll get him whatever surgery or book or boyfriend he needs on the frequent occasions I'm not good enough."

Omega drops his voice so she has to pay attention to him, so he doesn't start screaming for the whole bar to hear. "He doesn't get to take care of me when he can't even take care of himself!"

She's quiet as he rants, the only sound coming from her being the light tapping of her fingertip on her glass. Coming into an established family dynamic has been difficult, but this gives her context she's desperately needed.

"Are you sure he was looking to see you weak or did he want to know what was going on in your life? He can't take care of you, but that doesn't mean he can't listen. Especially if you listen to his bullshit, too."

"I told you. I told him what was going on. And it wasn't good enough! He started in on how he wanted to be there for me like I am for him -which is just a joke." Omega picks a napkin up from the bar and starts shredding it. "So I told him what he always tells me, which is he's not good enough. Because after that humiliating not-date, I just wanted space. Like you keep telling me. Space."

She's going to ask about Louisiana, and Omega doesn't want to go there. "But that wasn't good enough for him. It was convient for him to listen now, and by God I was going to give him something to listen to or he was going to make things up out of whole cloth. Why couldn't he have wanted to listen earlier, when there was an actual problem?"

It feels good to tell someone what's going on. Someone who's not going to threaten to take away the littles.

"I don't know, Omega. I'm still figuring all of this out myself and I wasn't there to see what either of you said." She sighs. Coming in at the end after Omega called her had made it hard to get both sides. There's a lot about their dynamic she's still trying to understand like why the hell they feel the need to tell the other they're not 'good enough.'

"But I'm glad you came to me about it. You shouldn't have to rely on only yourself for everything, I'm here when you need it."

Omega has no idea what to say to that. Tex has stopped him dead in his tracks, before he gets to property destruction and disturbing the peace.

He's not complaining. He does offer her a small smile. "Well, I'm your little brother," he says. "I don't need to keep it up for you."

"Good." She watches him a moment and hesitates a second before leaning over to give him a hug. It's the first real one she's given without some emotional disaster surrounding it.

"I've heard you have to sit there and take it when I hug you since you're younger," she explains as she pulls away.

Omega freezes. Then he leans into her, almost remembering. Almost getting back what was taken.

Then she is gone, and he's left staring speechless at her. What does he do now? Also how come she does that and everything seems better?

"What?" she demands and her eyes dart away. Wrong thing to do? Ugh, she should have known. Maybe given him some warning. Delta might have been wrong after all about Omega wanting a hug.

"Nothing," Omega says. "You're right. You get to hug me whenever you want."

Someone used to hug him when he was small and angry, when he'd lash out violently at anyone or anything within range. Someone used to hold him so he wouldn't hurt himself. Was it Alpha or Beta who would wait until he'd wrestle the rage under enough control to speak?

And it must be some sort of Pavlovian response. There's no way a hug in a bar is going to fix everything. But it does make him think things are going to be better.

"You sound so thrilled about it," she replies with a snort.

All right, if he doesn't want hugs then she can stick to what she's been doing. He seems calmer than when she came into the bar, at least.

Omega scowls at her. He was very thrilled about it. "It's been awhile, okay?" he says into his glass. "I'm usually on your end. Just because I don't...doesn't mean I don't like it."

Because he does. Oh, how he does.

Well, that's something. Better than what she had been expecting. There's a small sigh of relief as she leans back in her seat. "I'm not good at this whole 'hugging' thing unless there's crying involved. So if you want one... You can hug me too. Just not in front of our coworkers, okay?"

Is she ashamed of him? No, if she was, she'd say something. "Deal. And you don't have to worry about me crying. I haven't cried since Sigma was two."

"Even if you did, it's not a problem," she says quickly. If he needs to cry, he should and she won't stop him. "I haven't had a reason to give out hugs until now."

"I'm not really a crier," Omega shrugs. "Maybe Friday."

Last time, they'd said Sigma was almost dead, that the Counselor almost killed him. Even twenty years later, Omega isn't sure how much of that was true. At least, if something goes wrong on Friday, it won't be because they waited too long.

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