The Reluctant Omega

Inner Turmoil...

"So, Jaxon, how is your relationship with your parents?" Avery asked as everybody had settled down at the dinner table. Grey shot him a warning glare.

"Great," Jaxon replied giving him a confused grin, "we're all pretty close." Avery hummed, nodding.

"Would you say you're closer to one or the other?" He asked.

"This looks great, mom." Grey interjected.

"Yes, thank you, Mrs. McLane." Jaxon agreed, smiling.

"Aww, thank you." She said, smiling back.

"Would you like something to drink, Jaxon," Parker asked turning to him, "maybe some water, a beer, or tequila?" Grey nearly choked on his food. Jaxon chuckled softly.

"I'm good, thanks." He replied simply.

"Hey, mom, we should break out the photo albums," Declan said smiling, "I bet Jaxon would like to see them." Jaxon opened his mouth to reply, but Grey interrupted him first.

"I don't think he would be interested." Grey said glaring at him.

"Why not?" Declan said giving him a mischievous grin. Grey gave his mom a pleading look. He knew exactly what Declan was wanting Jaxon to see. Grey went through an "emo" phase right before he started middle school. He wanted to dye his hair black but his parents refused so he settled for purple and blue streaks instead. He wore a lot of black and black and white stripes. He even wore eyeliner. It was pretty embarrassing.

Grey was ready to leave and hoped this wasn't going to turn into a daily occurrence. He loved his family, he really did, but he preferred limited interactions with them.

Grey never realized he could eat so quickly. His brothers and their families left right after dinner with tired, cranky children in tow.

"Thank you again," Jaxon said to Grey's parents as they walked them to the door, "it was great meeting you both." Henry gave him a warm handshake and a friendly pat on his shoulder.

"Certainly," he said smiling, "don't be a stranger, ok?" Grey gave his parents a quick hug before Jaxon escorted him to his truck. He let out a deep sigh when he slid into the passenger seat.

Jaxon dropped him back off at his apartment before heading back to his house. He noticed he had a missed text from his dad, who was just checking in to make sure he was doing ok. Jaxon decided to call him instead and see about setting up a time to have Grey over for dinner. He thought it was cute how Grey was worried he was going to be overwhelmed meeting his family. That was nothing compared to some of the dinners he sat through with his whole family. Between his aunts, uncles, and cousins, it wasn't unusual to have at least a gathering of twenty people or more. He headed inside and flopped down on his couch before calling his dad.

Angelo Vitali was an Omega. He ended up pregnant with Jaxon when he was only sixteen. Jaxon's biological father, an Alpha from a very rich and influential family, was rarely around. He helped out monetarily, but aside from that, Jaxon wasn't close to him at all. He even played football in middle school and high school to try getting his father's attention. But when Jaxon turned sixteen, his father married and started his new family. Angelo married Jaxon's stepfather, Damon Pace, when he was five and a year later, he officially adopted him and soon after, Angelo was pregnant with his little brother, Noah. Jaxon loved his stepfather. Damon always treated him like he was his own and now that Jaxon was older, he realized all the time he spent trying to please his biological father was a waste. Their relationship now was basically nonexistent, which was fine. Jaxon knew he had a half-brother and a half-sister, but he never met them. He only found out about them from their birth announcements he randomly came across. Jaxon called his dad and he answered right away.

"Hi, ragazzino," he greeted happily, "you doing ok?" Jaxon smiled.

"Yeah, doing great, Dad." He replied. Angelo was silent for a few seconds.

"You sound really happy," he said, "something good happen?"

"Hmm...yeah," Jaxon replied, "I'm actually dating somebody right now."

"Oh...that's great," Angelo exclaimed happily, "tell me everything!" Jaxon told him how he met Grey and how they spent some time getting to know each other. Then, meeting Grey's family tonight. Angelo whistled softly.

"Sounds pretty serious." He said. Jaxon chuckled softly.

"Yeah," he murmured, "I really like him...I want you guys to meet him."

"Oh, ragazzino, we would love to meet him too," Angelo said softly, "just let me know when." Jaxon talked to him for a little longer, then Damon came on for a bit. Noah was out with a couple of friends, so Jaxon would text him later. He texted Grey as he was getting ready for bed, asking when he would like to have dinner with his family. Grey replied right away saying he was available on the weekends. They texted back and forth for a little while before they were both too tired to stay awake any longer.

Grey met Jaxon at Mickie's Friday night after work with Blake and Drew. He still hadn't told them they were dating now, so they were both surprised when Jaxon walked over and immediately pulled Grey into a hug, brushing a quick kiss across his temple. Grey turned to them, his eyes widening slightly and his face flushing.

"Oh...we're dating now." He murmured softly, giving them a sheepish look.

"About fucking time!" Drew exclaimed happily.

"That's great you guys!" Blake said smiling.

"We thought Grey was never going to find anybody to date," Drew said as they found an empty table, "we tried setting him up a few times, but he was never interested."

"Guess he was just waiting for me then." Jaxon said smiling, slipping an arm across the back of Grey's seat. Grey looked at him, rolling his eyes, but smiled back. They sat talking for a bit before Jaxon needed to finish up some work in his office. Drew excused himself and nonchalantly made his way over towards Hanna, quickly striking up a conversation. Grey glanced at them, smiling and shaking his head.

"So...sounds like it's getting pretty serious with you and Jaxon?" Blake asked, smiling.

"Yeah," Grey replied, "he met my family already and I'm going to meet his parents next week."

"That's great," Blake said, "Jaxon seems like a nice guy."

"He is." Grey said nodding. Blake gave him a concerned look.

"Why do I get the feeling there's a 'but'?" He asked softly.

"No, there isn't," Grey said glancing at him, "he's been great," he hesitated for a second, "I guess...I'm just worried."

"About what?" Blake asked.

"I've never dated anybody before," Grey replied, "I'm just worried I'll mess it up." Blake reached across the table and gave Grey's hand a gentle squeeze.

"From what I've seen, Jaxon is crazy about you," he said giving him a reassuring smile, "relationships take work and it's not always easy, but I'm sure you'll both be just fine." Grey nodded, silent for a few seconds.

"I ran into his ex awhile back," he said quietly, "completely by coincidence."

"Was that the night he took you to the ER," Blake asked and Grey nodded, "what happened?"

"He said Jaxon hates Omegas," Grey murmured, "and when I asked him about it later on, he just said he had a complicated history with them."

"Jaxon knows about your designation?" Blake asked softly. Grey nodded.

"I told him when we were at the hospital," he replied, "he said he didn't have a problem with that, but I guess I'm just curious."

"You could always ask." Blake said simply. Grey gave him a skeptical look.

"Is that ok," he asked uneasily, "I don't want him to feel like I'm interrogating him?"

"If it's something that's really bothering you then you should bring it up," Blake replied, "a good relationship needs good communication...otherwise you'll find yourself questioning everything and trust me, he will notice." Grey nodded, thinking about Blake's advice. Was it important enough for him to question Jaxon's past or would he be content not knowing?