At First Blush

Chapter 14

Ollie grinned as he waved off Avril and Ty. Sighing, he closed the door, leaning against it for a minute. He loved his friends and having them over, but tonight, it had felt different. He had lied to them. Not directly, but where he'd normally tell them all about the bathroom encounter, he'd stayed silent. And then there was the shocking attraction when Benji had sat in his lap.

He took a deep breath and went back to the living room. Jax was stacking the pizza boxes and plates, while Benji was passed out on the couch. Jax looked up, and smiled. "Hey. Looks like the little monster is down for the count. Want me to drag him away with the rest of the trash?"

Ollie laughed softly. "Nah. He can stay. You too, if you want. It's pretty late."

Jax nodded. "Nah, it's not too late for me to drive. Guest room all good?" He asked, gesturing to Benji

"Yup. Mom knew y'all were coming over."

Jax nodded, and leaned down, stacking up the cups they'd used. They fell silent as Ollie stared at the blank TV.

"That was him, huh? Doc was your secret Omega?"

Ollie's gaze snapped to Jax, who was looking down at the stuff on the table, his shoulders held carefully. Ollie sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, it was." He admitted.

"And you did all that to what? Make him jealous?" Jax looked up at him, and Ollie grimaced.

"Not exactly. More like, to show him that he wasn't special. That "look at me, I'm desirable so it doesn't matter if you don't want me," kinda." Ollie sighed, propping his elbows on his knees, cupping his chin. "But it worked the same as if I was trying to make him jealous."

"So that Omega that the mini monster smelled on you?" Jax guessed and Ollie nodded.

"Yeah." He fell quiet, then looked up at Jax, who was leaning against the mantle, his gaze trained on the fireplace. Ollie got up, and tentatively went over to Jax, grasping the hem of his shirt. "We okay? What's wrong? What are you thinking about?" He asked, biting his lip.

Jax sighed, straightening, pulling Ollie into a hug. "Sorry. Just in a weird headspace, I guess. I really care about you, and Doc isn't shy about what he likes, and it just feels weird knowing that y'all are together? I don't know. I just want you to be safe, Ollie. That's all. Promise me you'll be safe?"

Ollie wrapped his arms around Jax's chest, pressing his face into his shirt. Jax smelled like cedar and citrus and Alpha. It was comforting and alluring, and he felt the answering tug of heat in his gut. But as much as Jax smelled familiar, Juls had smelled like home.

He sighed, tipping his head back, looking up at Jax. "I'll be safe. I promise."

Jax smiled softly at him, and dropped a kiss on his forehead. "Good. Now help me drag this up to the guest room." He gestured towards Benji and Ollie stifled a laugh.

He went to the couch and pulled of Benji's shoes. Then Jax easily hefted the miniscule Omega into his arms. Benji lolled like a doll in Jax's arms and Jax tightened his grip so that Benji didn't fall right back out of his arms. Ollie went ahead, opening doors as they went until they reached the upstairs guest room. Jax dropped Benji on the bed roughly. Benji groaned in his sleep and rolled over, curling into a ball.

They looked down at him for a minute before Ollie reached down and pulled the blanket around Benji's form. "I never understood what happened between you two," he murmured, looking up at Jax.

Jax sighed, shaking his head. "We met badly and it just snowballed. And I know it was his fault, and he's a contrarian little shit so he says it's mine, so." He shrugged. "It is what it is. What I can tell you is that we both value you all a lot. For me, being friends with you, Avril and Ty has really made a huge difference in my life. So I can set my baggage with him aside for that." Ollie raised a brow, and Jax grinned. "Mostly set my baggage aside." He amended, laughing softly.