gunsforhire | LOG: The family that drinks together

"They didn't forget you," Omega says, because the tequila was stronger than he expected and it's finally hitting. "They're too young. But they like you. We all do."

"Do they understand that I'm their sister?" she asks, a touch quieter than before. They've been told, but she's not sure it really hit home to them or if it ever would.

Omega draws circles in the condensation of the bar. "The twins and Theta understand that you are their sister, who lived somewhere else for a long time. It's not as hard as I imagine it would be for normal kids. We all just showed up at the house one day. Gamma..." He shakes his head. "I never know how much Gamma understands. He knows you're family, that you're Beta, but does he know you are the same Beta we used to argue about existing? I'm not sure he believes Alpha ever existed and wasn't just someone's imaginary friend."

That's what Omega thought for years. That Beta was his or Delta's imaginary friend that the Counselor didn't like for some reason. That's how he rationalized to himself what happened.

"If I need to give him a punch in the arm to prove I'm real, let me know," she replies lightly and sighs. "Well, I'm glad they get that I'm their sister. Do they ask why I don't live at the house?"

"The twins do," Omega admits. "They're trying to fit another bed in their room for you. The others understand."

There's a small smile at that mental image. "Let me know if they ever succeed. Delta was telling me your bed is usually empty because you sleep on the couch."

"No, sometimes I have things to do at night or I fall asleep on the couch after working all day," Omega says, "and since Theta wakes up if a lizard sneezes in Bjørndal, I stay there."

Why is Delta discussing his sleeping arrangements with Tex? Is he trying to move someone in on his couch? "Eta, especially, likes the idea of a sister. It wasn't a problem, before, but now she does like having another girl in the family. I think if she was older, it may have been an issue."

"I'll try to be a good sister to her." Even if she's still figuring out what the hell a good sister even looks like. "I was thinking I could stay over some nights if there's space."

"You are a good sister," Omega says. "So just keep doing what you're doing. If you're staying over, I can be extra-sneaky and not wake Theta up. Or go crash on top of Epsilon. We can always make space for family."

It's been a while since he laid in bed and stared at Epsilon until the penguin woke up. That was always a fun game. Fun for Omega, at least.

"It won't be all the time, but I figured I could swing it every once in a while," she replies. "You don't need to traumatize Epsilon on top of it."

She's starting to gather a lot more places she can sleep at than she ever thought she'd have when returning to Gulch.

"See, you're a good sister, protecting him," Omega says. "Though a little trauma is good for him. Builds character."

Would it be weird to have her at breakfast? Should he start getting her a donut?

"I got the impression he wasn't home a whole lot. I'd like him to not avoid being home when I'm there for the night," she says flatly.

"Oh, that has nothing to do with home and everything to do with him," Omega says. "He likes you, as far as I know. He just wanders. Looking for Alpha, or something."

"Any luck on that front?" Was Alpha even alive? She'd like to think he is that he's somewhere on Adaptive like she was, but who knows why he was even taken.

Omega shakes his head. "No. No clue where he is. But he's alive, where ever they took him." Someone found Beta, took care of her. The same must have happened to Alpha.

"I hope so," she mutters. She runs a hand through her hair and sighs. "I'd like to meet him one of these days."

"Alpha was -is- really great. Like Maine around the twins, only he talked more." Omega wishes he could describe him better for his sister. Wishes he could trust his own memories more. "Used to build forts for us in the living room."

"We'll find him. If he's out there, we'll find him." She's not ruling out death yet, she knows she wouldn't have made it far when she was dumped off if she was found. But she's not giving up hope either. "And he'll come home."

"Yeah. We'll find room for him. Somewhere." Omega should go home himself, though he doesn't exactly want to. "You think he forgot us? Was made to forget us?"

"Made to forget or he'd be looking," she answers. If they did that to her, she has no doubt they did that to Alpha. "We might want to at least peek at a larger house for you all. If you wanted."

That's the answer Omega needs to hear. "You mean move? From the house we've lived in all our lives? Be somewhere else, away from the closet Sigma got locked in and the patches where I punched holes and the corner Delta leaned against when it finally sunk in that Alpha was never coming home?"

Omega would love to do that, take his brothers and Eta to live anywhere else. "There's ... any house big enough for us would be expensive, and I doubt Delta or I qualify for a mortgage. The littles might have to switch schools, for all I know our parents would cut us off. Look, it's not that I wouldn't want to. I don't know that there would even be problems, Delta does all the money."

Don't the mercenaries all have safehouses? How long will it take Omega to be able to afford one of his own? A safe place for his family. Why he's doing this at all. "So I suppose the answer is, as long as Delta comes along."

"The parents that send mysterious checks to you? How do you even know that's not actually the Counselor and whatever assholes he works with?" she asks flatly. How was that not even a possibility in their heads.

"I'm not going to stress Delta out with the money part of that idea, but... I'm going to start looking. Even if it had a bedroom or two more or rooms that could be used as bedrooms, it'd be nicer. Give you guys some space and get you out of that hellhole of bad memories."

"Oh, it probably is, but they leave us alone and the checks are good," Omega says. "That's a good plan. And if I'm staying at base sometimes, that should help."

"When you can, cut off using the checks. They might be tracking where they go or where they get cashed to keep better tabs on you." Paranoid, maybe. But it's kept her alive this long.

"We're planning on it, but right now..." Omega shrugs. "Food's expensive. Helmets are expensive. Kids are expensive."

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject