Chapter Text
It was a cold morning when Matt woke up, despite how close he was pressed into Chris’ chest and how Nick had his legs and arms tightly wrapped around him from behind, it was still a very cold morning in Boston. How both his brothers were just in their boxers was a question Matt asked himself frequently, seeing as how he was wrapped up in one of Chris’ soft hoodies, a pair of Nick’s old track pants and his own baby pink fluffy socks.
He grumbled quietly, smoothly pressing himself further into Chris’ chest to try to absorb the heat radiating off his younger brother. It helped, especially when Nick moved even closer to him, sandwiching him between both Alphas, stealing all of their combined body heats. He couldn’t move, but he found that he didn’t care. As long as he got to be warm being wedged between the two boys it didn’t matter. Not when he got to take in their comforting scents and be lazy with them.
Of course, his peace couldn’t last as a loud banging on their door made him jump and pull him right back out of that sleepy state he had fallen back into.
“Boys! It’s time to get up” Mary Lou loudly called from the other side of the door before she made her retreat downstairs.
Matt groaned and pressed himself impossibly closer to Chris, who had begun to wake up “Mmm morning babe” Chris chuckled as Matt wormed even closer to him “You’re being extra lovey this morning” He mused fondly as he ran his fingers through Matt’s hair.
The Omega hummed, nuzzling his nose into Chris’ chest “You’re warm. It’s too cold” He murmured sleepily, earring a huff from Chris and a small chuckle from the slowly rising Nick.
“He doesn’t actually love us, he just loves our body heat” Nick laughed through a yawn, pressing a kiss to Matt’s head and softly running his hands up and down his side, practically making Matt purr between them.
Chris grinned at Nick before they both fondly rolled their eyes at Matt “I guess if he only wants us for our body heat we should cancel our bonding ceremony this weekend?” Chris joked amusedly, cackling when Matt quickly shook his head and gripped him impossibly tighter, whining in protest.
“Calm down love, he’s just joking. We do need to get up though” Nick reminded softly, slowly pulling Matt back from Chris’ chest and smirking at him “Oh there he is. Did you sleep okay?” He asked fondly, reaching over to gently caress the side of Matt’s face.
Matt tiredly nodded, looking over at Nick with sleepy eyes before he rolled on his side and pressed his face into Nick’s chest instead “Don’t wanna go to school” He cried tiredly, gripping Nick as tight as he could to stop him from moving out of the bed.
Nick and Chris shared a tired look with each other. It was the same thing every morning, yet it still didn’t get any easier. Matt hated school, more than he could even put into words. It wasn’t that Nick and Chris didn’t sympathise, it was just something they had no control over. If they had it their way Matt wouldn’t go to school. He didn’t enjoy it and wanted to stay home. But as it stands, Omegas were required by law to attend specialised Omega Only schools until they reached the age of 17.
“We know babe, but you’re nearly finished now. One more year and then you can stay home to your heart's content” Chris reminded him softly, running his thumb over Matt’s bony hipbone.
Matt whined and pulled his head out of Nick’s chest to look at both his brothers, a sad expression as he did “Want to stay with you. Don’t like being away from you all day” He sadly muttered to the pair of them, tightly fisting Nick’s shirt and reaching down to hold Chris’ hand.
This wasn’t new either. Matt hated being separated from his brothers all day. All he wanted to do was stay at home wrapped up safely in their arms at all times. He hated that he wasn’t allowed to go to the same school as his brothers. Even though this had been the way it was for several years now, Matt still didn’t enjoy it.
Things definitely didn’t help once the three boys had finally presented and realised they were soulmates. They had always known that they were closer than most, but before it had always just been put down to their triplet bond. However, once all three of them had finally presented and gone through their first heat and ruts respectively, their soulmate bond blossomed and their intense closeness didn’t seem as insane anymore.
That being said since they officially mated with each other Matt’s desire to stay with his Alphas at all times grew tenfold, therefore so did his disdain for school.
Nick sadly sighed and nodded, running his thumb over Matt’s cheek “We don’t like being away from you either Sweetheart. It’s only for a few hours and then we’ll all be back together again. You gonna call us at lunch? Have a little lunch date?” He asked softly, trying to give Matt something to look forward to.
Matt looked up at him with big sad doe eyes, slowly nodding his head, still looking sad.
Chris gave him a small smile, leaning over to press a soft kiss to his lips “Good boy. Such a good Omega for us Matty” He praised fondly, smiling brighter when Matt offered a small shy smile in response.
Nick smiled at the pair of them, pressing his own kiss to Matt’s lips “Always a good boy for us. You gonna keep being our good boy when we drag you out from our warm bed?” He joked as he quickly sneaked his hands under Matt’s armpits and hoisted him out of bed and onto his hip, quickly walking towards the bathroom. While Matt squeaked and hurriedly wrapped his arms and legs around Nick, grumbling about the cold.
Chris joined them, giggling at Matt’s pouty face as Nick set him down on the toilet seat and began turning on the shower, letting it warm up for his grumpy cold Omega. The Alpha quickly got his and Matt’s toothbrushes ready, passing Matt’s over to him with a soft grin, while Matt made grabby hands for him. Chris fondly rolled his eyes but picked Matt up and carried him over to the counter, setting him down on it and standing between his legs, using his free hand to rub up and down Matt’s thigh, as they both brushed their teeth.
Nick joined them a moment later, brushing his own teeth with one hand and running his fingers through Matt’s hair with the other. Once the three of them were finished, Nick and Chris collectively took responsibility to get Matt out of his clothes and into the shower, ignoring his protests of being warm and comfy in his Alphas clothes and hopping in the shower with him. Washing him and sneaking kisses whenever they could.
When the three of them were finally clean, they shuffled their way back into their room. Nick set Matt on the bed wrapped in just his towel, while he and Chris quickly got dressed and ready for the day. Carefully ignoring Matt’s jealous looks when the two of them got to wear whatever they wanted for school.
“C’mon then Princess, let’s get you ready” Chris warmly instructed Matt, standing him up and pressing a kiss to his temple, while Nick brought Matt’s school uniform over to them.
“I hate that dress” Matt moodily muttered, staring at the uniform all Omegas were required to wear while at school, as Chris quickly sprayed deodorant under his armpits. Unlike him, Nick and Chris had free rein to wear whatever they liked to school and weren’t conformed to wearing certain clothes. Leaving the two of them in comfortable hoodies and track pants. Whereas Matt had to wear a baby pink pinafore dress, a white long-sleeve blouse with puffy sleeves and black Mary Jane shoes.
“I know you do. But it makes your ass look sexy so I don’t have any complaints” Chris joked as he began pulling the blouse onto Matt and doing up his buttons, smirking fondly at him when Matt flashed him a dirty look.
Nick snorted in response “Speaking of, what underwear do you want? Panties or a G-string?” He asked Matt plainly, rummaging through Matt’s underwear drawer.
Matt would be embarrassed if this wasn’t something that happened every day. Omegas were seen as nothing more than incompetent children 90 per cent of the time, meaning that even the simplest things like getting dressed needed to be left up to the Alphas or Beta caregivers. Before the three boys soulmate bonded Matt had been dressed by either Mary Lou or Jimmy every morning. Now, the job fell to Nick and Chris, who were more than happy to do it.
They both knew that if the need ever arose, Matt was more than capable of getting himself dressed and ready for the day, but that just wasn’t how things were done. Nick and Chris didn’t like to infantilise Matt, knowing that he wasn’t an incompetent child. But it was something that just happened naturally within the society they lived in.
Besides, Matt had never actually complained about it. He knew what was expected of him, it had been drilled into his head more times than he could even count at this point. And while it did sometimes make him feel pathetic and inferior, he wouldn’t deny that he liked having his Alpha's hands all over him first thing in the morning. Plus, having Nick and Chris dress him was a lot nicer than when his parents used to do it.
Matt looked over at Nick with wide eyes “Can I wear some of yours?” He asked shyly “No one would find out” He pleaded quietly, bringing his hand up to nibble on his fingers.
Nick sighed while he and Chris shared a knowing look with each other, wishing that they could just let Matt indulge in such a simple pleasure. But knowing the fallout if Matt was caught wasn’t worth the risk. Shaking his head, Nick picked up a pair of panties “When we get home you can have them. But for now let’s just be safe and put you in some panties, okay?” He asked, but they both knew it wasn’t really a question.
Matt huffed but tersely nodded his head, earning a small sigh of relief from both Alphas.
Nick quickly joined his brothers, passing the panties over to Chris and pressing a kiss to Matt’s temple “Love you so much baby. Always such a good Omega for us” He praised softly, running a soothing hand up and down Matt’s back, using his other to help keep Matt steady as he stepped into the underwear Chris was holding out for him.
Matt hummed and offered Nick a small smile “Love you too, Alpha” He muttered back quietly, blushing slightly when Nick pressed a kiss to his cheek.
Chris quickly got Matt dressed in his hated dress, smoothing out any creases and carefully doing up the zip before he gently kissed Matt and sat him back down on the edge go the bed, softly running his fingers over Matt’s calves “We’re gonna need to shave your legs again soon, baby. Getting all prickly” He commented nonchalantly as he accepted the socks Nick passed him.
Matt groaned and threw his head back, rolling his eyes disinterestedly “Can’t we just laser them? I hate having to shave all the time” He whined unhappily as Chris slid the socks onto his feet.
Nick smirked at him and fondly rolled his eyes “Oh? You hate having Chris and I lathering you up with shaving cream, taking our sweet time carefully gliding the razor down your legs, making them nice and smooth. Before we lay you spread eagle on the bed, slowly massaging moisturiser into your legs. You hate having to be gagged so Mom and Dad don’t hear you whining for Chris and me to hurry up and finish so we can each take turns f*cking you so hard that you can’t sit straight for days on end? I must have forgotten how inconvenient it is for you to have shaved legs” He baited amusedly, glancing over at Chris who was also smirking.
The Omega's cheeks blushed a beautiful bright red as he shamefully looked away from his Mates “Not when you put it like that” He whined embarrassedly, hands awkwardly wringing together in his lap.
Chris and Nick chuckled at him, running soft hands over Matt “Do you want your leg warmers today? It’s going to be cold all day?” Chris asked Matt fondly, smiling when Matt shyly nodded at him and thanking Nick when he brought Matt’s soft white pair of leg warmers over to him.
“Right, all dressed, you just need your collar and then we’re done” Chris chirped enthusiastically, buckling up Matt’s shoes for him and pulling him back up to his feet once he was finished.
Matt smiled softly as Nick brought his collar up and securely buckled it to his throat, gently thumbing at Matt’s scent glands as he finished “You look so pretty baby” Nick commented fondly, kissing Matt’s shoulder before coming around to his front and kissing him on his lips.
“Thank you, my Alphas” Matt thanked the pair quietly, accepting the outstretched hands they were both offering him as the three of them made their way downstairs and into the kitchen.
“Morning boys” Mary Lou chirped as they arrived, Nick and Chris sitting themselves down at the island bench and making light conversation with their Mom, while Matt got to work preparing breakfast for the three of them. Nothing complex, just a bowl of cereal for them all, but adhering to his Omega responsibilities and serving his Alpha’s, like he was required to do.
Nick and Chris thanked him and quickly tucked in as Matt slotted himself into the available seat between them and then joined his Mates in eating breakfast. His heart fluttered when both his Alphas caressed each of his thighs absentmindedly as they ate.
After breakfast was finished and Matt cleared the dishes, it was time for the three of them to head out for school “Have a good day! Matt, best behaviour please” Mary Lou chided as they made their way to their car. Matt internally groaned at the chastisation but plastered a fake smile on his face and nodded. It was the same every morning, every day really. Nick and Chris could get away with murder, but Matt was constantly being spoken down to and reminded to behave. He didn’t like it, but he didn’t blame his parents for it either, that was just how life was as an Omega.
He waited for Chris to open his door before climbing into the backseat, allowing Chris to buckle his seatbelt for him and whispering a small thank you when Chris kissed him on the cheek. Whenever the infantilisation got too much for him, he tried to think of it as a Princess treatment, rather than society viewing him as an incompetent overgrown toddler only good for obeying, serving and providing his Alphas with pups.
Once Nick and Chris were buckled up in the front seats, Chris driving and Nick in the passenger seat, they made their way to their respective schools, engaging in mindless chatter as they drove.
“Alright Princess, ready to go in?” Nick asked Matt with a smile, looking back at him as he pulled Matt’s leash from the glove box.
Matt sighed, looking out the window to his school's entrance. Looking at all the other Omegas, dressed exactly like him, all either holding the hand of their parent/guardian or being walked on a leash or a harness by their Alphas. It reminded him of going to preschool, back to the days when he had been allowed to go to school with Nick and Chris and where it didn’t look odd to see kids clinging to their parents at school drop-offs. Now that he was 16, it made him cringe. Nick and Chris didn’t need to be escorted to the door like a child, why did he need to? He was more than capable of walking into school on his own.
He looked back over to Nick with a pleading expression “Please don’t make me go” He begged, knowing it was futile but he was suddenly feeling incredibly uncomfortable and nervous. His breathing had picked up and he began chewing on his nails in an attempt to self-soothe.
“Matt? What’s wrong Sweetheart?” Chris asked worryingly, watching him in the rearview mirror.
Matt’s breathing was still too fast and he was growing pale, chewing his nails down to the stubs. The thought of having to go to school today made him feel uneasy in a way he never had before. He had never liked school, but even for him, this was new.
Sharing a worried look with Chris, Nick quickly climbed into the backseat, while Chris quickly got out of the car and opened Matt’s door. They each took ahold of one of his hands and began whispering soft reassurances to him, and releasing calming pheromones to him, helping guide him down from the panic attack that was brewing inside the small Omega.
“There we go, that’s better” Chris commented once Matt’s breathing had regulated and he had stopped shaking in their grasp.
“What was that all about Sweetheart?” Nick asked softly, brushing the hair from Matt’s eyes, while Matt looked up at him with a nervous look.
“Something doesn’t feel right. I don’t know, I’ve just got a bad feeling” Matt whispered anxiously, gripping Nick and Chris’ hands tightly, while his brothers shared a confused look with each other, figuring this was just another one of Matt’s attempts to not go to school.
“I’m sure it’s just nerves, you’ll be okay once you get going. I know you don’t want to go, but we’re going to be late if we don’t get you inside soon and I really don’t want you to get into trouble” Chris reminded him as softly as he could, reaching over to unbuckle Matt’s seatbelt and carefully pulling him out of the car.
Matt pulled against him, trying to get back into the car “Chris, please. I can’t” He pleaded desperately.
Chris raised his eyebrow at him unimpressed as Nick climbed out of the car and clipped Matt’s leash to his collar “Matt. Be a good boy for us, please. Don’t make me ask you again” Nick ordered sternly, reaching back into the car for Matt’s backpack.
Matt slumped in on himself and lowered his head to the ground, his heart still racing but making no other attempts to stop going to school today. He had already annoyed his Alphas and did not want to annoy them any further.
“Thank you. Now, let’s get you inside, it’s freezing out here” Chris ordered, slightly pulling on Matt’s leash as he and Nick walked Matt towards his school's entrance.
“Cutting it close this morning Omega” Matt’s Principle Mr Howard, chastised as the three boys made it to the front door, looking at him with a sneer. He was an Alpha who made it very clear that he only saw Omegas as nothing more than slaves. How he was allowed to run an Omega Only school baffled Matt every morning. But to say that he was the only staff member who made their beliefs obvious would be a lie. All of the staff were Alphas and every single one of them shared the same political beliefs. Matt figured that their being allowed to boss and belittle Omegas all day was their version of a wet dream.
Matt nervously looked over at Chris for guidance on what he should do, but Chris only gave him a brief glance before looking over at Mr Howard, silently informing Matt to keep quiet “That was our fault, there was more traffic than usual this morning. Sorry, he’s running a bit behind” Chris lied easily, filling Matt’s chest with warmth that he hadn’t admitted the real reason they were running behind, which was Matt’s panic attack in the car park and then his reluctance to go in.
Mr Howard sneered at Matt again, making him feel scared and small, but he just rolled his eyes and looked back over to Chris “Don’t let it happen again. I will not have Omegas coming into class late. Next time he will be getting 10 with the cane” Howard warned seriously before turning and walking away.
At his words, Matt flinched and once he left Matt quietly whimpered in fright, while Nick and Chris quickly grabbed his hands “Shh, he’s not going to punish you unless you give him a reason too. Be a good Omega and everything will be fine. You can be a good Omega can’t you?” Nick pressed calmly, mildly releasing some calming pheromones.
Matt whimpered nervously but nodded his head, looking at his Mates with a nervous expression before looking directly at Chris “Thank you… for lying” He whispered uncomfortably, but still feeling immensely grateful that Chris had lied to Mr Howard for him. He hated being punished, especially at school. The teachers were ruthless when inflicting punishments on Omegas.
Chris hummed unimpressed, but squeezed Matt’s hand reassuringly “I don’t like lying, so don’t make this a frequent occurrence” He reminded sternly, huffing pleasedly when Matt quickly nodded at him “Now we have to go, but we will see you later and you’re going to call us at lunchtime, so we can have lunch together. Be a good boy, okay?”
Matt nodded again, squeezing his brother's hands tightly, really not wanting them to leave but not daring to vocalise that knowing he was on his last warning. Nick and Chris flashed him a sad smile and quickly took turns wrapping him up in a hug and kissing him softly, unclipping his leash and passing him his backpack. They both watched him run down the hallway to quickly shove his bag in his locker before his class started and then they made their way back to their car.
“He’s getting worse with school” Nick murmured to Chris as they got inside the car and hurriedly made their way to their own school only a few streets over.
Chris sighed and nodded “I know. I dread to think what he’s going to be like after this weekend. He already hates being away from us now and we haven’t even had our official bonding ceremony” He reminded seriously, keeping his eyes firmly on the road in front of him.
Nick nodded and shook his head “What are we going to do with him? He can’t keep acting up like this” He asked unsurely, looking back to the seat that Matt had occupied only several moments ago.
“I don’t know. He only has a year left anyway, so hopefully he won't be like this until he finishes. I hate having to punish him” Chris mused tiredly, rubbing his eye at the thought of punishing Matt.
Nick reached over and rubbed his shoulder soothingly “Neither do I. Hopefully, Howard's threat keeps him in line for the meantime” He admitted honestly “When does he get his period again? Maybe he’s just PMSing” He added with a small laugh.
Chris huffed and smirked at him “Yeah maybe, I think he is due for it now you’ve said it” He considered for a moment “C’mon we’re here and I really do not want to be late again. Mrs Kennedy is a bitch and I don’t want to deal with her bitchiness this early in the morning” He groaned as they pulled into their school's parking lot.
Nick laughed but nodded at him, quickly grabbing his stuff before the two of them made it inside, saying hello to their friends and settling down in their classroom.
It was recess at Nick and Chris’ school and they were hanging out with a bunch of their friends, talking about everything and nothing, mostly talking about Nick, Chris and Matt’s bonding ceremony that was taking place this weekend. All of their friends were invited and were excited about it. It wasn’t every day that soulmate ceremonies took place, especially not in their little town.
“I can’t believe it’s finally happening. I feel like the three of you have been together for years” Josh exclaimed excitedly, slapping Nick and Chris on their backs, grinning widely at them.
Nick smirked and shoved him off him “Well we sort of have. But we’ve only been soulmates for a year” He informed him proudly, glancing in Chris’ direction only to find the other Alpha already looking at him and smiling fondly.
“A year? Feels way longer than that! Why have you waited so long for your ceremony?” Aiden asked them interestedly, looking up from the homework he was hurriedly trying to complete before going into class again.
Chris shrugged “Tradition apparently. Something about really knowing your soulmate before committing yourselves to one another, or some bullsh*t like that. It’s what our parents wanted, I don’t really get it, I’ve known Matt and Nick my entire life” He chuckled amusedly, looking over at Nick for reassurance. Nick smirked and nodded at him, humming in agreement.
“Aww, I bet Matt is really excited about it. How is he by the way? Haven’t seen him in a while” Josh cooed childishly, grinning at the Alphas amusedly.
Nick fondly rolled his eyes and nodded “He’s been looking forward to it since the moment we became Mates. He’s a proper little bridezilla. Got a mood board for it and everything” He chuckled humorously “Doesn’t stop him from being a pain in the ass sometimes though” He quipped fondly, earning chuckles from his friends and Chris.
“Wait where’s Brayden? He loves hearing all about Matt. I swear he’s got a little crush on him” Aiden laughed smugly, cackling when Nick and Chris glared at him before they looked around for their friend.
Chris frowned and shook his head “I actually don’t know. He was here this morning, he was in English with us?” He admitted confusedly, glancing over at Nick, who shrugged and shook his head bemusedly.
“Maybe he’s gone to declare his undying love for Matt, trying to win him over before he legally becomes yours” Josh joked amusedly, fist-bumping Aiden when he cackled at his joke. He didn’t stop laughing when Nick and Chris decided to smack him for even joking about Matt.
It wasn’t long before all four of them were laughing and joking about something else, using the remainder of their short break bickering and bantering with one another, not giving Brayden another thought.
For Matt, the day was dragging on. He was counting down the minutes until he broke for lunch and was able to call his Mates. His classes were boring and dull, his teachers mean and cruel and his classmates tired of being belittled and degraded every moment of the day.
He was currently in his Home Maintenance class half listening to what his teacher Mr Johnstone was droning on about. His back was aching and his legs were starting to cramp having to sit on the floor criss-cross like a first grader, because apparently, Omegas were not worthy of sitting at desks like Alphas and Betas.
Knowing he still had a while before he could call Nick and Chris, he zoned out of the lesson and began thinking about their upcoming bonding ceremony. He couldn’t believe it was almost here. After waiting for a year to finally be claimed and legally be his brother's Omega, the day was nearly here. Only a short three days away. He couldn’t wait. He couldn’t wait to finally wear his pretty dress and have his Dad give him away to Nick and Chris.
He was slowly getting a vision in his head of Nick and Chris turning to look at him as he made his way down the aisle, when a loud bang quickly broke him from his thoughts. He jolted and quickly looked around the room, scanning to see if something looked amiss.
When another bang sounded, he jumped, a slight whimper in his throat as he looked at his teacher, who was wearing a brave face but did look concerned “Stay here and keep quiet” He ordered firmly, pointing down to the floor and looking at his students sternly. He carefully crept to the door, looking out the window at the hallway but when the loud bang sounded again, followed by a series of loud blood-curling screams he stepped back and quickly locked the door.
The Omegas all frightfully jumped and whined, looking at their Alpha teacher in fear. Johnstone looked at them nervously opening his mouth to speak, but before he could a frantic-sounding Mr Howard’s voice came over the PA “Attention teachers and students, this is a lockdown! This is not a drill! I repeat this is not a drill! Report to a classroom immediately and initiate lockdown procedures”
A moment later a loud alarm sounded all throughout the school. Panic spread like wildfire, students whimpering and crying frightfully. Matt himself felt his heart drop into his stomach, his hands shaking uncontrollably, feeling frozen in place.
Mr Johnstone clapped once quickly gaining the attention of the class “Move to the corner, stay down, keep calm and keep quiet” He ordered firmly, using his Alpha voice to convey the seriousness of the situation.
At once, all the Omegas ran to the furthest corner of the room, silently squeaking when the long bangs of gunshots and screams grew louder. The group quickly huddled together, gripping tightly onto one another, biting their bottom lips to stop themselves from crying out loud. Mr Johnstone joined them once he had shoved his desk against the door and turned the lights off, subtly releasing calming pheromones to the group of 15 terrified Omegas.
For about a minute, there was silence from outside the classroom, but no one was that stupid to believe it was over that quickly. As if to prove them right, the sound of the gun rapidly firing started right back up again, causing them all to jump and bite their fists to stop their cries from making noise and alerting the shooter to their location.
Johnstone turned to them, a stern expression on his face but his eyes showed his fear “Message your loved ones. Silently.” He whispered regretfully, clearly not wanting to ever tell his students something like that. He might be like all the other Alpha teachers at this school, viewing Omegas as nothing but incompetent overgrown toddlers, but that didn’t mean he wanted any of his kids to die. Especially not at school, a place where they should be safe under his and the rest of the school staff's protection.
Matt sniffled silently, hands fumbling as he tried to fish his phone out of his pocket, dropping it several times before he finally got a firm grasp of it. He had to let Nick and Chris know that he was okay, for now. With shaking breaths, he opened their group chat and frantically sent a text to both his Mates.
‘School in lockdown. Not a drill. I love you both’
He hit send and waited, every second feeling like an eternity. He tossed and turned between texting his parents, but decided against it and felt guilty about it. But all he wanted right now was Chris and Nick.
He flinched as the gun sounded again, sounding like it was creeping closer and closer to his classroom. Beside him, his friend Emily had tightly gripped onto his knee and was shaking like a leaf. He wanted to comfort her, but he could barely keep himself together. He too was shaking and couldn’t stop his tears. His bottom lip was bleeding from biting it so hard and his heart felt like it was beating out of his chest.
Back at Nick and Chris’ school, the two of them were in their history class, quietly joking around with Josh and Aiden. Nick’s phone buzzed in his pocket causing him to frown and discreetly pull it out. His eyes widened and his stomach dropped as he saw the preview of Matt’s text message. Quickly hoping he had just misread it, he unlocked his phone and went straight to their group chat, hands shaking as he read the message.
“Chris!” He whispered urgently, unsure he could even utter the words. Chris looked over, concern etched on his face as he took in Nick’s now pale and shaken state.
“What’s up?”
“It’s Matt. His school is in lockdown. It’s not a drill” Nick nervously cried, his voice barely steady as he looked at his younger brother, watching as the colour drained from his face.
Chris’ eyes darkened with fear “What? Oh my f*cking god! He said something didn’t feel right this morning. I shouldn’t have pushed him to go. We need to call him! Now!” He frantically cried, already on his feet and pulling his phone out.
Nick nodded and quickly ran out of the classroom behind him, ignoring his friend's confused calls and his teacher yelling their names. In the hallway Chris quickly dialled Matt’s number, his hands shaking. It rang, once, twice and then Matt’s face appeared on the screen, pale, scared and hurriedly holding his finger to his mouth, silently telling his brothers to keep quiet.
“Matt! Are you okay?” Nick and Chris’ scared whispers overlapped, fear written across both of their faces.
“I’m… I’m really scared” Matt whispered frightfully, glancing around at his classmates and teacher nervously “We’re hiding in our classroom. I don’t know what’s going on. There’s been gunshots and… and loud screams” He informed them worriedly, tears rapidly dropping down his face as he anxiously chewed his thumbnail.
Both Alphas felt their stomachs drop at Matt’s words, knowing their Omega was in an active shooter situation and they weren’t there to protect him “Stay calm baby” Chris said quietly, trying to steady his shaking voice “We’re right here with you. Just stay hidden and quiet, okay?”
Matt nodded, wiping his tears and snotty nose with the sleeve of his blouse, but it was no use, the tears just kept coming “I’m really scared Alpha” He choked quietly.
Nick pushed his head into the frame “We know baby, we know” He whispered softly, tears falling down his own face looking at his scared boy “But you’re so strong, baby boy. We’re right here, we’re not going anywhere”
Matt’s face crumpled up even more, using the hand that wasn’t holding his phone to bite onto as a sob tried to come out, the hand holding his phone shaking uncontrollably making it near impossible for Nick and Chris to even see his face “I love you” He whispered, choking back the sob.
Nick and Chris tightly clutched each other's hands in a bruising death grip, their own tears freely falling down their faces “We love you too baby, so so so much. You’re our favourite boy in the entire world” Chris choked out fearfully.
“Nick? Chris? What’s going on?” Josh asked frantically, looking at both Alphas frightfully.
Nick quickly reached over and put them on mute so Matt’s phone wouldn’t hear them talking to Josh “It’s Matt, there’s a shooter at his school. He’s under lockdown” He quickly informed him, voice shaking as he tried to compose himself slightly.
Joshes eyes widened and his jaw dropped “Oh my god! Is he okay?” He cried loudly, and god was Nick thankful he had the quick thinking skills to put them on mute with Matt for the moment.
Chris shook his head “He’s terrified. He’s in his classroom but he can hear the shooter. We need to go to him” He stated sternly, keeping his eye on Matt as he spoke.
Josh nodded but quickly frowned “You’re not going to do anything stupid right? Please don’t do anything stupid. Wait for the police, don’t you dare go running in there on your own” He ordered the pair sternly, knowing they were in an impossible situation.
Chris scoffed at him and frowned “Josh it’s Matt” He reminded him firmly, looking completely defiant.
Sighing, Josh nodded “I know it is and I know this is killing you both. But you can’t do anything stupid. Because when Matt is safe - and he will be - he is going to need both of his Alphas at his side and if you two do something stupid like getting yourself, killed he won't be able to. Don’t do something stupid and risk Matt being all alone” He warned them sternly, flashing them a serious look to show that he wasn’t joking around.
Nick frantically rubbed his face and ran his hands through his hair but eventually nodded “We won’t do anything stupid” He agreed begrudgingly, sending Chris a serious look when the younger Alpha gawked at him in disbelief “He’s right. Matt is going to need us when he gets out of this. We need to be there for him” He reminded sternly, knowing why Chris wanted to go in completely unprepared and save Matt, but this wasn’t just some random guy harassing Matt, this was an active shooter and despite both of them being strong Alphas, they were no match for a shooter.
Josh tersely nodded at the pair of them, sighing nervously “He’s going to be fine. He’ll be okay. Just- Just make sure you’re there for him when he gets out” He ordered sternly, closing his eyes anxiously before stepping to the side and letting them run past him towards the exit.
As soon as the pair were outside the front doors, Chris quickly unmuted them and watched as Matt’s face jolted back to the screen, now looking even more scared than he had before “Where did you go? You went silent?” He whispered scaredly, his voice even more shaky now.
Chris flashed him an apologetic look as he quickly climbed into his car “I’m so sorry baby, Josh was asking where we went. But we’re back now, we’re not going anywhere Princess, I promise” He whispered back apologetically, handing the phone over to Nick while he hurriedly started the car.
Matt sniffled as his hand continued to tremble “Please don’t leave me” He cried desperately, keeping his voice as low as possible.
Nick choked back his own sob and shook his head “Never baby, we’re staying right here with you. We might need to mute ourselves to keep you safe, but I promise we aren’t going anywhere. Please don’t panic Sweetheart, we’re right here” He promised quickly, tightly squeezing Chris’ hand again now he had started driving the car.
Time seemed to stretch endlessly as Matt huddled in the corner of the classroom, the faces of his classmates around him a mix of fear and anxiety. Everyone crying silently and clutching their phones firmly. Matt kept his phone close, the screen glowing softly in the dim light. Nick and Chris’ whispered voices were a steady presence, helping him stay coherent and grounded admits the chaos.
“Can you hear anything?” Chris whispered his voice tight with worry. It had been about 30 minutes since they had made it to Matt’s school and so far they hadn’t seen nor heard anything from inside the school. Other parents and family members had sporadically made their appearance, standing nervously at the edge of the school being held back by the police that had arrived just shortly after Nick and Chris had.
The Alphas couldn’t understand what was taking them so long to actually go inside and take the shooter down, but they weren’t the only ones. As the minutes passed with no movement from inside the school or from the police, the awaiting family members started demanding answers and trying to break through the barricades to help their children.
Matt strained his ears, listening for any sounds beyond the heavy silence “No, nothing. Just… It’s too quiet” He whispered frightfully.
Nick tightly squeezed Chris’ hand, scanning the school premises again before looking over at Matt’s face on the screen “That might be a good thing” He muttered, trying to sound reassuring “It means the shooter isn’t near you”
Matt nodded, but as he did the sound he had been gladly missing came back to life, gunshots sounding loudly from outside his classroom door, followed by growing footsteps“Did you hear that?” He frantically whispered, clutching his phone even closer to his chest.
“Yeah we did” Chris replied, his voice strained “Stay calm baby, breathe and keep quiet” He instructed sternly, hysterically looking between Matt on his phone screen and the building right in front of him.
The sound of the gunshots caused everyone waiting outside to panic, screaming and shouting at the police to do something.
“I don’t think I can do this anymore” Matt cried to his Alphas anxiously, looking more frightened than he had all day.
Nick and Chris shucked in terrified breaths and shook their heads at him “You’re doing so well baby. We’re so proud of you. Just hold on a bit longer and it will all be over soon. You’re such a good boy for us Matt” Nick reminded as calmly as he could.
The shooter prowled through the hallways, looking for one Omega in particular. He had been planning this for weeks and now the moment had finally come. Anger, despair and heartbreak had driven him to the brink of insanity and now there was nothing stopping him from taking what he believed he rightly owned.
He was obsessed with Matt. He had harboured an unspoken, twisted affection for him from the moment he met the small Omega and in his deranged mind, today was the day he was going to make Matt his.
Matt didn’t belong with Nick and Chris. He would never be fully satisfied with them, they weren’t his true soulmates. He was and he was going to do whatever it took to show Matt who he really belonged to.
The school had descended into chaos. Gunshots rang out frequently now, each one sending a jolt of terror through Matt’s body. He could hear the screams of terror and the sounds of doors being kicked open.
“We have to stay hidden” Mr Johnstone whispered urgently to his terrified students “Whatever happens, do not make a sound” He pressed seriously.
But then, a loud banging on their classroom door made everyone jump and bite their hands to stop their shrieks. They all watched the door in a panic, they were sitting ducks if the shooter managed to break his way through the door. Not even a single desk to shield them from the attacker. Just the group of them huddled at the back of the classroom.
It took several more loud banging and thrashing, but the door did burst open, the shooter using all his might to shove the desk out of the way and force his way into the classroom, eyes fixed on Matt the moment he spotted him. Mr Johnstone did his best to shield his kids, but that did nothing to deter the shooter.
The students terrified silence was shattered by the loud, ear-piercing, rapid gunfire. Matt watched in horror as his classmates all screamed and cried out, falling down in pain. Their blood spilled everywhere and their cries left a resounding echo in his head.
He was frozen for a moment before a voice called out “Run! Matt, run!” And now driven by sheer instinct, Matt scrambled to his feet and bolted to the door. He didn’t look back, didn’t stop even as more gunshots and pained, petrified screams echoed behind him.
Matt found himself running in the hallway, crying his heart out, out of breath from running and panicking before he threw himself into another classroom, hurriedly closing the door, nearly backtracking and vomiting when he saw all the dead bodies scattered on the ground around him.
He took a few terrified breaths before he dove under the teacher's desk and curled himself up as tightly as he could, pulling his phone back up and shakily looking at his brothers “It... It… It’s Brayden” He choked, trying to keep his breakfast that was threatening to come back up down. In the corner of his screen, he could see his reflection. The splatters of blood made it hard to breathe properly.
Nick and Chris were speechless looking at him. Brayden? Their friend from school who they always joked had a crush on Matt was the shooter? He was the one causing all of this pain and suffering? The kid that had been around their house on numerous occasions? They felt sick to their stomachs.
“Dead… So many de-dead” Matt stuttered, paralysed with fear. His breathing was too fast, too loud.
“Matt, breathe. Slow breaths baby. Don’t talk, keep quiet” Nick quickly instructed, crying as Matt flinched when the gunshots continued, growing louder yet again.
He quickly had to grab hold of Chris’ waist when the younger Alpha tried to make a run for it and go help Matt “No! No!” He ordered his idiotic brother, not caring how much Chris was going to hate him for it.
Matt slapped his hand over his mouth when he heard footsteps getting closer to where he was hiding, his heart sinking to the floor beneath him. He jumped when the door creaked open and he watched as Brayden’s feet slowly crept into the classroom, walking around, checking each corner before he slowly made his way back to the door. But just before he made it to the door, he stopped, paused for a moment and then slowly made his way over to the desk Matt was hiding under.
“Matt, I know you’re in here” Brayden’s voice called out, almost taunting him as he stepped in front of Matt and slowly crouched down in front of him.
Matt looked at him with a fear he never knew even existed “Please just leave me alone” He trembled, pushing himself as far back under the desk as he could.
Brayden’s eyes met Matt’s as he reached over and caressed the Omega's shaking knee “I can’t do that Matt. I need you to understand why I did this” He started, an uneasy level of calmness in his eyes as he spoke.
Shaking his head, more tears welled up in Matt’s eyes as he continued trying to push back from Brayden, but the desk backing kept him wedged in place “You killed people Brayden. How could you do that? I thought we were friends? Why would you do that?” He sobbed frightfully, noticing that Brayden still had a tight grip on his gun in his other hand.
“They didn’t matter” Brayden shrugged, his voice devoid of any emotion “None of them mattered. Only you matter Matt. I did this to show you how much I care about you. To prove that I would do anything for you. You’re my soulmate, Matt. I love you. You belong to me” He explained seriously, looking at Matt with soft eyes, like he hadn’t just murdered all of Matt’s friends, his teacher and countless other students at Matt’s school.
Matt’s heart pounded in his chest, his fear was palpable “You’re insane! You’re crazy! This isn’t love Brayden. It’s sick” He cried, petrified out of his mind.
Brayden’s expression darkened, but he didn’t raise his voice “You don’t understand Matt. I’ve watched you for years, wishing that you’d look at me the way you look at them. Waiting for the moment you realised you belonged to me. But you never did. You’re always with them. I was jealous, you shouldn’t look at anyone like that but me. You’re my Omega Matt, you belong to me and I own you, no one else gets to have you. I just needed to show you how much I love you and how much you need me”
Matt’s hand shook as he tried to inch away, but Brayden grabbed his wrist, holding him in place “Don’t move Matt. Just listen to me” He ordered firmly, his Alpha voice slipping through as he spoke.
“Please” Matt begged, his voice barely a whisper “Please just let me go”
Brayden’s grip tightened “I can’t. Not yet. I need you to see how much I love you. All of this… it was for you. For you to see what I’m willing to do to have you. So we can be together, away from those inadequate Alphas you call your brothers” He scoffed angrily.
Matt looked at him with horrified eyes, unsure what he could do to remove himself from this situation, while Nick and Chris angrily and frightfully listened on the other end of the phone call.
The sound of sirens grew louder outside and Brayden’s attention was momentarily taken off Matt. The Omega seized his opportunity, wrenching his wrist free and scrambled to his feet, running towards the door faster than he had ever run in his life. But Brayden was hot on his heels following after him.
“You can’t run from me, Matt. You’re mine!” Brayden screamed, his voice desperate as he shot around Matt, not aiming to hit him, but trying to scare him.
Matt didn’t stop or turn back, only running faster, eyes frantic as he searched for any signs of help.
He legged it towards the front of the school, crashing into a group of police officers who had finally come to rescue him, their weapons drawn as one of them quickly secured Matt into his arms.
“Drop the gun!” Another ordered when they saw Brayden running behind Matt, his own gun still drawn in his hand.
Brayden froze, his eyes darting between Matt and the officers. For a moment, he seemed to be considering raising his weapon, but after several long intense seconds he dropped it, his shoulders slumping in defeat.
Matt collapsed to the floor, his body shaking with sobs of fear and relief. While the officer who Matt had crashed into stayed with him, the rest of them threw Brayden to the floor and hurriedly arrested him. Brayden still continued to scream out even in his defeat.
“Matt, remember I did this for you! You belong to me Omega! You’re mine and I will make sure of it” He shouted at Matt, who was shaking, sobbing and screaming, scrambling on his hands and knees to move away from him.
Outside, the scene was chaotic with flashing lights, loud sirens and panicked family members all screaming and demanding information. Nick and Chris standing at the front of the barricade, switching their glances between Chris’ phone screen and the front doors of the school, scanning for any sign of their Mate.
It took a long time, a very long time filled with radio silence from Matt before they heard anything from him. And when they did, it was when an officer was slowly walking out of the building, holding a small shaking lump in his arms.
When they realised that shaking lump was in fact their Matt, they broke through the barricade and sprinted over to him, yanking him from the officer's arms and pulling him into a tight embrace.
“Matt! Matt baby, oh my god!” They shouted in unison, holding him as close as they possibly could, smothering him in kisses and calming pheromones.
In their arms, Matt couldn’t speak, too consumed with sobbing his heart out. Everything that he had been through today suddenly hit him all at once, making him feel a wave of a thousand emotions all at once. Most of which was fear and tension, but also an overwhelming amount of love and relief at finally being back with his Mates.
“You’re okay baby. You’re okay, you did so well. We’re so proud of you” Nick murmured into his ear, running his hands up and down any part of Matt he could hold onto, while Chris continued to hold Matt on his hip and whisper reassurances to him.
Matt didn’t stop crying, but nodded into Chris’ shoulder, reaching his hand out for Nick to take and squeezing it as hard as he possibly could once he had it in his grasp.
