Omega Mine

Chapter 39

You took Loki's hand as you headed out of the tower with him. As usual, he hesitated at the doorway, tense and nervous at leaving. He didn't trust the realm to like him, even if he was here making amends, even if he hadn't been in control when he'd attacked New York. You saw him tense and his hand moved as if to summon his dagger. He didn't feel safe. You could practically feel it radiating off of him how unsafe he felt.

You squeezed his hand and let your calming aura spread over him. "It's alright, Loki," you reassured him. "The people know you're an Avenger now and we're together," you reminded him.

"I know, it's just... still hard," he admitted softly.

You squeezed his hand again. "I'm here with you, Mate,"

Loki relaxed and lifted your hand to kiss your knuckles. "Thank you, Elskling," he replied and the pair of you headed out of the tower proper. You strolled down the sidewalk to the main street.

From the moment someone stepped onto the sidewalk up to the tower, they were on Avengers' property and were watched by Jarvis, the Iron Legion, and the tower's defenses. Visitors were allowed on the first floor of the tower, to visit the museum of Avengers' memorabilia and leave letters for the team. People had to get past security to get to any of the upper levels, especially the living quarters.

"So what errand are we attending to?" Loki asked as you led him down the street toward the shops.

"Nothing major, I just need to buy some things at the store,"

"Doesn't the computer do all the ordering for the tower?"

"He orders groceries and such and he can place special orders. But I like getting out of the tower on occasion and you seemed like you could use a break from the team too," you told Loki. You hated being cooped up all the time. The AI was handy, but it was still nice to go out and pick things out for yourself.

Loki accepted your answer and strolled along beside you. You noted that he was watching the people around you more than your destination. He was watching for threats, but you noted the calculating look in his eyes. He was also evaluating how the midgardians acted. The people you passed were just going about their daily lives. People on their way to or from work, coffee breaks, runners, women pushing children in strollers.

Loki watched, though, noting his observations. The Omegas could all be told from their collars. Most of them who were going to jobs were wearing uniforms, indicating a lower-level position. You were one of the lucky ones who had an amazing job. He stiffened next to you and hissed when he saw an old Omega lady who was on a leash. Leash laws had been abolished years ago, but some of the older Alphas and Omegas still used them. It wasn't illegal to do so, but you never saw anyone under the age of 70 who still did and they made most people uncomfortable.

"It was an old law," you told Loki quickly as his hackles rose. "No one has to do it anymore, just some older couple choose to," you dragged Loki past the couple quickly, seeing how much they disturbed him.

Loki was still on edge, so you were glad that you were nearly to the store. He relaxed when you were inside and there were younger people inside and he could see much more normal interactions.

You ran your errands quickly and Loki carried your bags for you, perfect gentleman that he was. He was eternally curious about everything, especially what you were purchasing. Most of what you were buying were things like the shampoo you preferred, a new pair of fuzzy socks, yarn that struck your fancy for a knitting project, and a new book to read. You nearly lost Loki in the bookstore and the pair of you came out with your weight in books and a purring happy Loki. You took him out for food and introduced him to the concept of a greasy delicious cheeseburger. You both expected him to hate it, but he was surprisingly enamored with the junk food.

*

Something felt wrong when you finally entered the tower again. Loki must've felt it too, since he vanished your bags of shopping and pulled you closer to him to protect you. Nothing seemed amiss as you walked through the museum section of the first floor toward the security desk and the elevators past the security checkpoint.

"Is there something going on?" You asked the security guard.

He shook his head. "Not that I know of, Omega Y/N," he replied politely. Only the team called you by your nickname. You didn't know this particular guard, but he was a Beta and all the guards were vetted by Stark's company before they were allowed to work anywhere near the team. He would also be on his absolute best behavior with your mate right next to you.

You thanked him and headed to the elevator with Loki. "Something feels wrong," Loki told you as you stepped into the elevator. He wouldn't stop you from going home, but he would stay by your side to protect you until you knew if there was truly a threat or not.

"I feel it too," you agreed and could hear the worry and nerves in your own voice.

The elevator opened onto the common room, where you both felt the same strange feeling. You stepped out of the elevator and one sniff of the room told you exactly what was wrong:

One of the puppies was presenting.