Terrible things always happen in three's. It's a common saying, one that Ethan believes. He'd rather expect everything to go wrong than be disappointed that it doesn't go right.
Today happens to be one of those days.
"Leo called off today." Ethan places the laminated menu on the booth table and forces a kind smile. Did his lack of a greeting give away to how unwelcome this customer has become in such a short time? Honestly, he hopes so.
What he said was a lie, though, but Ethan can't exactly say, 'Leo is avoiding you, and he's hiding beneath the front counter to do so.' Not to mention it'd throw his best friend under the bus.
Unfortunately for Leo, he was born an omega. One who attracts the most likely weirdos.
The alpha, Max, sniffs the air with furrowed eyebrows, his nostrils flaring and making Ethan's smile drop a fraction. "Really?"
Ethan clenches his jaw, and with his cheeks straining he says "Would I lie to a loyal customer?" Yes. Yes he would if it meant getting said customer, who's more of a stalker than anything, to leave Leo alone.
"I thought I scented him when I came in." Max murmurs as he glances around the restaurant. Ethan counts to three in his head, because patience is a must. Though he wonders what would really happen if Ethan wasn't as patient as he was. He'd probably end up in a jail cell due to the creep sitting in the booth.
Max is a good looking guy, with styled brown hair, a sharp nose, and sparkling green eyes. He wears a three piece tan suit, black cuff links, and shining leather shoes. He's the epitome of perfection in the looks department. He's just a little delusional. The only thing wrong with him is that he's not Leo's type. Let's not forget to mention Max also doesn't understand the word no, by any means. It's worrisome.
"You must be mistaking it for my mother's new desert." Ethan says. He taps the flier he taped to the table before they opened this morning, "Care to try some of her seasonal strawberry shortcake?"
Max frowns down at the image of the sweet desert, "Leo doesn't smell like that-" he starts to say.
"As I said, Leo isn't here today. Honestly, he's called off so many times I'm thinking of firing him." Ethan shrugs. Another lie, but maybe it'll get him to stop coming.
Ethan is a beta, so he doesn't really know what Leo's pheromones smell like. Whenever he heard alphas talking about omegas, the term 'sweet' was a common description. The deserts his mom makes are sweet, so he just went with it. "Now, how about that shortcake?" He grins.
"No, no." Max shakes his head and rubs the back of his neck, as if he suddenly feels sheepish. Not a word often used on an alpha, so he's definitely faking it. "I'll take a coffee to go. A latte please." He passes the menu back and taps his forefinger against the table top. He turns to look out of the window and puts his chin in his hand with a pout.
"Of course, right away." Ethan beams. When he walks away, the smile on his face drops and he groans. "This dude can't take a hint." He mutters.
"Is he gone?" Leo whispers from beneath the front counter. Ethan doesn't show that he heard him as he starts to make the drink.
"Not yet. I'll let you know." Ethan replies under his breath. He glances inside the kitchen to see his mother talking with Jessi. It's good she can't see Leo hiding away. She'd give his presence away, ask why he's tucked underneath the counter, and then they wouldn't hear the end of it from Max.
He glances over his shoulder and huffs a breath, "Why do you always attract the weirdos?"
"It's not my fault!" He exclaims. Leo's eyes widen and he slams his hands over his mouth. He glares at the back of Ethan's head as he finishes the order.
"Ugh, be glad you're not an omega," Leo continues to complain. "The sex crimes against us are so high it's scary."
Ethan offers a sympathetic look. Leo's right, there's always a crime against omega's popping up on the TV. It's common because omega's tend to be on the smaller and weaker side, not that Ethan intends to insult them, it's just a general fact. So it's easier to commit crimes against them, rather than a beta or an alpha.
After giving Max his coffee, the alpha takes one last look around the restaurant, and leaves, the chime on the door ringing behind him.
Leo climbs out from under the counter and dusts off his apron. "Maybe I should just confront him rather than avoid him." He reaches up to ruffle his blond hair, shaking off the dust that gathered from the bottom of the counter.
"Are you just now realizing this?" Ethan snorts. He leans back against the counter and crosses his arms over his chest. "Do it here, in a public space. If he makes a scene, someone will call the police." The someone will probably be him.
"Surely he wouldn't." Leo mumbles. He grabs the wash towel and walks away to wipe down a table.
***
"Ethan," Leo wipes his hands down his red apron, his pale face flushed and slightly out of breath. "There's an alpha in rut, in the bathroom."
Ethan's eyes widen in surprise, "Oh shit." He abandons the register and the customer he was just talking to, and runs to the office. He grabs the rut suppressants on the top shelf and then runs to the customer bathroom, ignoring the curious looks others send his way.
As soon as he steps past the threshold, the hairs on the back of his neck stand up and he freezes on the spot. Ethan has never smelled pheromones, betas lack that ability. But he's heard rumors of dominant alphas being able to have a weary affect on betas. Could it be a dominant alpha then?
Ethan shakes off the cold pressure that clouds the bathroom, and finds a male omega. His petite body leans against the stall door as if he wants to meld into it, his long blonde hair doing nothing to hide the bliss on his face.
Grabbing the guy by the shoulders, he firmly guides the omega out of the bathroom.
"No, wait!" He pushes Ethan off, eyes glued to the locked stall. He moves to walk around Ethan, his eyes glazed and unfocused. "He-he's in pain." The omega whines when Ethan tries to steer him towards the exit. "Are you really going to stop me? I'm an Omega. I'm the only one who can help him." He says wistfully.
Yikes.
"If he wanted you, he wouldn't have locked himself in. Please wait outside." Then he firmly guides the omega out of the bathroom and locks the door. He sighs in relief.
Mental note, buy special fans to filter out pheromones in the bathroom. Now, to deal with an alpha on the verge of a rut.
He turns to face the cold and dark corner of the bathroom. Swallowing the urge to run away, he grips the box of medicine and cautiously approaches the stall. He taps the back of his knuckles against the door, the sound echoing in the eerily quiet space.
"Excuse me, Mr. Alpha." Ethan is greeted with silence. He awkwardly clears his throat and shuffles on his feet. The aura of a dominant alpha is no joke, all he wants to do is say damn it all, and run away. Maybe he should've just let the omega take care of him. Ethan shakes his head, no, no. This is the right thing to do.
"I am only a beta, so please don't feel threatened by me." God, Ethan hopes he's not insulting him. He shivers, the dark aura has only increased, but he's not going feral so it must be a good thing. "I will offer you rut suppressants now." He lifts the box over the stall door and waits. "My friend, coworker in this case, I suppose, notified me of your situation. They are for such emergencies, so please take them."
Ethan flinches when a hand tightly grabs his wrist. The grip tightens and a dull ache begins to build. "M-Mister alpha," Ethan chuckles dryly, "That hurts."
There's a sharp squeeze that makes Ethan yelp before one finger at a time lifts. The suppressants are ripped away from Ethan's hold. It's still eerily quiet on the alpha's end. He drops his hand and sighs at the bruising hand print around his wrist. This pain must be nothing to what the alpha is probably experiencing.
"Shall I call an ambulance?" He asks, taking a wide step away from the stall door.
"No." The answer is immediate, and Ethan's eyebrows raise in surprise at the voice, it's cold and detached, deep and rough. "No, thank you." He says again.