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Ollie took a deep breath and tried not to make any noise. He tried not to show too much of his anxiety, Charles always knew when he was nervous or awake after "bedtime."
"Ollie?" - Oscar entered the room, his hair messy and a pillow mark on his face. The pup stifled an involuntary gasp when he noticed the print on the young alpha's shirt – a huge, fluorescent papaya. "What are you doing?" - his eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Are you messing with Charles' books?"
Ollie shrugged reflexively for a few seconds. He shot the Australian a look – which he assumed was – extremely intimidating. "And what if I am?"
Oscar frowned at the pup's uncharacteristic attitude. "There's no need to be rude to me, Ollie, I was just asking," he gently warned. Ollie looked down with some underlying embarrassment. "Isn't it past your bedtime already?"
"I'm not a baby!"
The alpha widened his eyes at the pup's raised tone. He immediately turned his head to the stairs, as if expecting Charles to appear and scold them for speaking too loudly or being awake in the middle of the night. "Don’t act like one then. And keep your voice down before Charles shows up."
"Sorry," Ollie apologised, scratching his neck. "I just wanted to see what the pack was like before."
"What?" - Oscar rubbed his eyes. After a whole day of meetings, the last thing he expected was to be the one dealing with Ollie’s whims. Where’s Dam? he wondered, mildly irritated. "You know what the pack was like. Seb and Kimi have an entire wall dedicated to pictures of the pack."
"Well... but those are too formal. I don't want to see them posing for dinner photos or knowing they’re being photographed. I... I want to see the pack dynamics before I arrived... before you arrived!"
Oscar blinked in disbelief. A disgruntled sigh escaped his lips, but he joined the pup in searching for some album like the one Fernando and Mark kept. "Why are we doing this in the middle of the night? Why didn’t you ask Charles after dinner? Or wait until tomorrow?"
Ollie shrugged.
"That's something I'd like to know too," - a deep voice echoed behind them. Oscar growled involuntarily, pushing Ollie behind him. The pup yelped loudly, startled by the sudden push against the bookshelf. Max’s intimidating figure was leaning on the sofa, his travel bags lined up at the entrance. The Dutch alpha didn’t seem the least bit concerned or upset by Oscar’s growl.
"Sire!" - Ollie squeaked, darting out from behind Oscar and running into the blonde’s arms.
"Little Bear," - Max affectionately greeted, letting the pup sit on his lap and hug him tightly. His Sire instincts automatically urged him to scent the small – not so small – future Haas pilot. "I missed you, huh?"
"Missed you too, Sire," - Ollie sniffled against Max’s neck. A small whimper escaped him when Max’s thumb brushed the nape of his neck. The nervous tension in his body disappeared instantly.
"Hello to you too, Oscar," - Max teased, noticing his older pup hadn’t yet approached, lingering uncomfortably near the bookshelf. "I'm not mad about the growl. You protected Ollie, followed your instincts." - Oscar sighed in relief. "Now come and hug," - he ordered.
Oscar rushed to join the cuddle. The familiar scent of Max made him grunt in satisfaction. "I’m glad you’re here, Sire," - he whispered, resting his cheek on Max’s shoulder. The tension that had accompanied him since Sire left for the Red Bull factory finally eased. Sire is here. Sire will guard the house. Keep Dam and Ollie safe.
Max smiled. He could feel Ollie poking his hoodie repeatedly, grumbling every time he caught an unfamiliar scent. Oscar was falling back to sleep. And if he concentrated hard enough, he was sure his omega was coming down the stairs.
Charles entered the room, wrapped in one of his robes and loose satin trousers. The alpha’s chest swelled at the sight. His instincts also relaxed, being able to see and have all his family close by. "I didn’t expect you home so soon, mon amour."
"The traffic was less terrible than usual," - Max smiled. A happy grunt echoed soon after the omega pressed their lips together. Max felt proud when he saw Charles’ pupils dilate. "I missed you, mijn engel."
"You were missed as well, alpha."
"Stop it," - Ollie’s petulant whine interrupted Charles. The two older pilots exchanged a knowing look. Charles moved to occupy the tiny space on Max’s other side... but not before running a hand through Oscar’s curls and covering the young alpha with one of the scattered blankets in the room.
Tomorrow... this morning, they needed to tidy up the house. Before the pack saw the everyday mess they lived in.
"Ollie, don’t bite," - Max pinched the pup when he felt Ollie’s canines grazing his hoodie. Ollie whimpered, throwing himself backwards. Charles quickly pulled him towards him until the pup’s head was resting on his chest. The pup’s dark eyes closed as soon as he smelled the familiar vanilla scent.
"Don’t bite your Sire, baby," - Charles purred, receiving a soft chirp in response. Max admired the interaction with a smile. Ollie rubbed his nose along the exposed skin of Charles’ chest in protest. The couple just laughed tenderly. "Are you hungry, pup? Is that why you got out of bed?"
Ollie knew it was a trap. He knew that if he gave the wrong answer, Dam would carry him straight to bed. His bed. Without Dam. Without Sire. Without Oscie. A sad whimper escaped the pup immediately. "No."
"No?" - Charles hummed carefully, continuing to rock the pup lovingly. Something in his secondary brain urged him to feed the pup and put him in the nest where he should already be. But Charles knew better than to blindly follow what his instincts told him. "Do you want to tell us... Baby, no," - he pulled Oliver’s mouth away from his robe collar.
"Oliver," - Max growled softly. The low baritone scolding automatically made the pup let go and whine loudly. Ollie rubbed his eyes in frustration. Dam moved to get up. No. No. The pup cried louder in protest. Dam was taking them away from Sire and Oscie. Ollie wanted to stay with his family. His hands clung to Dam’s neck in an effort to stop him.
"Alpha!" - Charles lamented, feeling a nip on his shoulder. The alpha's eyes widened in horror.
The alpha growled. Loud and authoritative. The pup instantly submitted. His body went limp in Charles' arms. The omega whimpered softly, his glands aching. Max quickly pushed Oscar to rest on the other side of the sofa and took Ollie.
Charles rushed to the kitchen, searching for the first aid kit. The last thing they needed was anyone thinking Max had hurt him or, as some traditionalist idiots might say, put him in his place.
Max sat on the sofa with the pup nestled in his arms. Thick tears streamed from Ollie's eyes. "What happened, Ollie? You know we don't act like that with Dam. We never, ever hurt Dam."
"Sowwy. Sowwy," - Ollie cried sadly. His entire body felt heavy and numb. He knew there were pups his age who were no longer so affected, but despite all his bravado, Ollie was still too much of a pup to resist the “hold” of his pseudo-parents. "No mean to hurt. No mean to make Dam cry."
Max sighed, loosening his grip. Immediately, the pup buried his nose against his neck and closed his eyes. Max knew what Ollie was feeling. He had been through it. Charles had been through it. Oscar had been through it. They had all gone through it one day.
The first signs of presenting.
The inexplicable need to mark the family as their own.
Max knew there was a faint scar on his bicep from one of George's episodes. And although no one else but them knew, there was a more prominent bite mark on his calf, courtesy of Oscar.
"Alright, alright, my baby," - Charles soothed the crying pup, who refused to feed out of fear of hurting Dam again. "It's okay. I’m fine, I promise," - he purred maternally, guiding the pup's face to his chest. Ollie whimpered one last time before giving in. He barely finished the second side before falling into a deep sleep. "Max."
"I'll take Oscar to our bed and come back for Ollie... and you," - the alpha kissed his omega tenderly before standing up. As a final reflex, he gave a light kiss to the bandage on the omega's shoulder. Charles smiled lovingly. "We'll talk to them tomorrow... agreed?"
"Agreed."
Max woke up to a brick hitting his stomach and an alarm blaring. The abrupt brightness made him growl involuntarily. "Who is..." - he muttered incoherently, fumbling around the bed for the familiar warmth of his omega.
The bed was cold.
His eyes widened in panic. The speed at which he sat up made him dizzy, and he nearly fell back down. The annoying music kept playing. There was a grunt somewhere at the end of the bed... Oscar. "Oscar," - Max blinked in horror, reaching out to stop his oldest pup from falling.
"No! Too early, Sire," - the ungrateful pup grumbled at him, squirming like a worm as Max tried to save him from the fall.
"You're going to fall, stubborn pup," - Max warned grumpily, pulling the pup forcefully to the centre of the bed. Oscar almost instinctively rolled towards Charles’ pillows. Max huffed as he stood up.
There was light at the end of the hallway. In Ollie's room. Max could smell Charles in the corridor, mixed with the softer scent of the pup.
Charles was sitting in the rocking chair, the sunlight draping over him like a blanket, giving him an angelic appearance. Max felt a familiar warmth spreading through his abdomen. But then he noticed the pup wrapped in the omega’s arms and heard the familiar sounds of feeding.
"Are you going to stand there like a stranger?" - Charles teased, gently rubbing his thumb across Ollie's cheek, purring to him maternally.
"I’ve just realised how bloody lucky I am... again," - Max muttered, scratching the back of his neck and stumbling clumsily towards the pair. The alpha had no shame in dropping to his knees beside his omega, resting his cheek on his shoulder. Charles shivered from his morning stubble. Ollie looked almost drunk from the milk and sleep. "What happened?"
"Ollie needed the loo..." - Charles didn’t elaborate further. The alpha stared at him with raised eyebrows. The omega silenced him with a sharp look. The pup whined softly in protest. "Shhhh, keep feeding, pup," - he gently commanded. Ollie stretched out a hand towards Max. The alpha smiled indulgently, giving his hand for the pup to hold. The alpha couldn't help but smile as the pup moved their hands to rest over Charles' heart. "Wipe that smile off. We have one pup here. And another in our bed."
"Do you think Seb and Kimi, or Lewis and Dam, would agree to take care of them for a month?"
"You must be mad if you think I’ll go a month without my pups," - Charles retorted with a stern look.
"I’m joking, love," - Max smiled, brushing his thumb across the little wrinkle on the omega's forehead. "I couldn’t handle a whole month without our little beasts either."
"No beast."
"Go on, eat, Ollie. Shhh," - Max gently urged the pup back to the omega’s chest. Charles straightened in the chair with a soft shiver. "Does it hurt?"
"It was hurting... now it's a relief, actually," - he gestured with his chin towards the wet robe tossed near the door. Max cooed in understanding. "Could you start making breakfast? I’m afraid someone will arrive, and we won’t have anything ready."
"Love, it’s like 6."
"Please, Alpha," - Charles softly sang, looking at his lover with pleading eyes. "You know Calos and Lewis get up at sunrise to go running. And Lando always makes a point of popping by when his alpha isn’t around."
"Your little brother should be paying for part of our groceries considering that half the stuff we buy for our pups ends up going to him," - Max grumbled, stretching as he got up. Charles clicked his teeth in disapproval of the comment. The alpha raised his hands quickly.
"Don’t talk about Lando like that. He’s always welcome," - Charles said, giving him a dark look. Max nodded obediently. "And make stroopwafels, please. Last time we spoke, Lando mentioned he loved your homemade recipe."
"I’ll text Carlos," - Max promised softly.
"Do that," - Charles agreed, turning his attention back to the pup in his arms and purring when he noticed Ollie watching him sleepily. Max took the opportunity to leave before he could be roped into anything else.
Oscar watched as his Sire moved around the kitchen with ease. Many alphas would consider the task of preparing meals as exclusively the omega’s duty, but Max never pressured Charles to even fry an egg. Even the laundry and cleaning of the house were tasks shared by all four of them.
"What is it, pup?" - Oscar blinked in surprise when the Dutchman's metallic blue eyes met his. "I can practically smell your tyres burning," - Oscar blushed, lowering his head and fiddling with the half-eaten apple in front of him. "Talk to me, Oscar," - Max requested, approaching and resting his forearms on the white marble island. "I know I’m not your Dam, but you know I’m always here to help."
"I..." - Oscar swallowed hard, feeling strange not knowing how to explain himself. Dam always seemed to know what to do to calm his and Ollie’s anxiety. Dam always touched their shoulders or scented them to soothe their minds before. Max never initiated contact before knowing what was happening. "Something’s wrong."
Max didn’t say anything. Oscar felt the invitation to continue.
"Ollie is always talking about how the pack feels strange, like something’s itching him... and I’m feeling it too," - he continued, waving his hands for emphasis. "It’s not right anymore."
"Pups don’t like change, Oscar. And with the new trend of bringing in new pups and older members settling down elsewhere..." - Max said softly, lifting his wrist to the younger alpha’s neck and rubbing gently. Oscar shook his head in disagreement.
"It’s not that, Sire! It’s... it’s like there’s no balance anymore! Like... like Kimi and Seb aren’t available anymore, and no one wants to acknowledge it... and it’s affecting the pups... and Ollie keeps complaining... and the other pups won’t shut up about it... and..."
Max didn’t think before pulling the younger one into a tight hug. The McLaren pilot broke down into heartbreaking sobs. The blonde growled sadly, hating to see his oldest pup so affected. "Thank you for telling me, baby. I’ll talk to your Dam, okay? We’ll sort things out."
"Promise?" - two caramel eyes, filled with tears, looked at the Dutchman with hope. The innocence of a pup, trusting blindly that his Sire and Dam could fix all the world’s problems.
"I promise, baby," - Max swallowed, kissing Oscar’s forehead and standing up. He pulled the rest of the apple towards Oscar again. "Now finish your apple and go tidy the playroom."
"But it’s Ollie’s turn this week!"
"Ollie will clean the playroom and the pups’ room."
"When I was the youngest, there wasn’t a pups’ room."
"Oscie," - Max narrowed his eyes in warning. - "You know very well the pack now has many literal pups, and we need a space where they can be comfortable."
"Ollie has a room. Why can't they just use his?... Ollie Bear is always the favourite! And I’m the one who has to clean the more difficult areas... as if Ollie doesn’t use the space just as much..." - Max shook his head with a nostalgic smile, letting the young alpha grumble his way upstairs. If Oscar became too petulant with his comments, Charles would warm his backside in seconds, one way or another.
Finishing slicing the cake, Max smiled at Carlos, pulling the other alpha into a hug by the shoulders. The Spaniard hugged him back with a grin. The easy camaraderie stemmed from the days when they were both terrorised by Kimi. "I hope my omega didn’t intrude too much during the week, mate. I was really stuck in Madrid with the apartment sales..."
"Nah, man. Lando is always welcome," - Max interrupted the Spaniard, giving him a pat on the back. "Besides, Charles is always happy when there’s another omega staying over."
"When you go to visit your mum, you can leave the three of them at my place," - Carlos suggested.
"I’m taking Oscar and Ollie with me," - Max revealed with a shrug. "Charles would love to keep the pups with him, but I want them to get to know my country too."
"Ollie will be fine away from his Dam?"
"We’ll freeze some milk, and if necessary, I’ll buy formula from a pharmacy."
"Does Charles know about this last part?"
"Do you think he would’ve agreed if he knew?" - Max retorted, earning a laugh in response. "Omegas call us possessive madmen, but the mere idea of their precious pups being fed from bottles drives them absolutely mad."
"The one time I tried to trick Charles with a bottle, Seb came in spitting fire," - Kimi’s voice echoed from the doorway. Max and Carlos instinctively turned towards the Prime Alpha, greeting him respectfully. "I didn’t dare repeat the experience with Lando," - he added wisely, pulling his "sons-in-law" into a group hug. "How are you, you little pup-stealing brats? Taking good care of my pups?"
"Always, Kimi," - Carlos responded, swallowing nervously.
"Charles keeps complaining that I can’t get the egg cheese recipe right like you do. So... feel free to make it for your eldest pup," - Max said, with a suffering expression.
Kimi laughed at Max’s tormented face. It was a small, petty revenge, but pride for his pack burned in his chest. "You still have a lot to learn before you reach my level, Verstappen," - he gave a fatherly pat on the Dutchman’s back. Max shrugged. "Bwoah. Learn, kid. It’s your duty to set high enough standards for your omega pups, so their future alphas have to humble themselves... just like you’re doing now."
"You’re always so kind, Kimi," - Max muttered, scratching his neck.
"I’m not here as your Prime Alpha, cheeky pup. I’m here as the Sire of your omega. And the grandsire of your pups."
"Old man..."
The sound of the towel slapping Carlos was all that could be heard as Max burst into laughter, and eventually, Kimi joined in. Carlos just ran behind the newly arrived Mark, using him and Daniel as a barrier.
Charles smiled. He purred at the gentle touch of Seb on his cheek. He loved these moments. Just omegas and pups together in a big nest. No rush. No dangers. The alphas were close enough to protect them but not hover over them.
"Ki, back," - George scolded his pup when he noticed he was almost falling out of the nest. The pup pouted but crawled back into the Brit’s embrace. Nico cooed at the pair, joining in the cuddle.
"How have the past few days been?" - the Prime Omega called the Monegasque’s attention, pointing towards Ollie. The pup was curled up against Lando’s chest, watching something on his "uncle’s" phone. "Kimi told me he felt the pup seemed off, and I felt the same... Oscar’s been acting strange too."
Charles sighed. "Pups don’t like change, Dam. You used to tell me that all the time. They’re just reacting to the past few weeks. The situation with Logan, Kimi... Lando staying over for the week, Max being away... it’s too much."
"He bit you," - Seb traced the scar on Charles’ shoulder lightly. Charles nodded. "In the same spot you bit me," - he added, getting emotional.
"Don’t start getting all emotional, Dam."
"My pup is all grown up..."
"Dam, please..."
"My pup is a Dam himself now!"
"Okay, enough," - Charles muttered, rubbing his eyes. Ollie whined as soon as he noticed Charles was about to leave the nest.
"Hey, Ollie. Look at this update," - Lando tried to grab the nephew’s attention again, but the pup was too busy crawling towards Charles, demanding to be carried. Charles laughed but effortlessly hoisted the pup onto his hip. Ollie buried his nose in his neck and whimpered. "What..."
"He’s just overstimulated. Aren’t you, pup?" - Charles cooed at the pup, receiving a nod in return. "Shall we go find Sire? Does anyone need anything from the kitchen? No? Pups?... Oscar, lads, are you alright?"
"Hungry, Dam," - Oscar shouted back, pausing his FIFA game to answer.
"I’ll check if Max has taken the turkey out of the oven," - Charles replied with a sigh. Ollie sighed as well. "Let’s go find your Sire, baby," - he whispered maternally, walking towards the kitchen.
"Charles?" - Pierre stepped back from the door when he noticed him. The Monegasque just shook his head when he saw the beer already in the Frenchman’s hand. "Is everything alright with Oliver?"
"It’s Ollie," - the pup corrected sharply. Charles hissed softly to scold him. "Wanna Sire."
"Charles... baby," - Max quickly put down his own beer and wiped his hands before walking over to his omega and pup. Ollie let go of Charles and launched himself into Max’s arms without a second thought. "Shhhh... who upset you, baby bear?"
Ollie just pressed his lips to Max’s scent gland and closed his eyes. His whole body relaxed. "Charles? What on earth is going on with our pup, omega?" - the alpha asked, looking at his omega, who seemed somewhat out of place.
Ollie looked back, confused. A high-pitched, whiny protest escaped him. Max rocked him gently, patting his bottom softly. "Is the turkey ready?" - Charles managed to ask despite his dry throat.
"I think so," - Max replied, barely paying attention. Ollie purred as the alpha rubbed circles on his back. Charles’ heart ached seeing the pup so affected. At least Max's presence seemed to bring some comfort...
A curse escaped his lips as he opened the oven and bumped into the hot tray inside.
"Pup," - Kimi was the first to jump in to help him, even before Max had the chance to react. The Prime Alpha turned off the oven and guided Charles with one arm to the sink. "Oh, Charles," - he murmured, holding his pup’s hand under the cold water.
Charles bit his lip to keep from crying. He contented himself with resting his face against Kimi's neck and inhaling his familiar scent.
Because a pup growing up doesn’t just hurt the pup.
He stayed there until eventually, Sire turned off the water. He didn’t pay attention to what was being said. Ollie’s milky scent lingered close by for a moment, but the pup wasn’t crying, so Charles didn’t pick him up.
"I’m so sorry, my love," - it was Max who applied the cooling ointment to his hand. - "I shouldn't..."
"You have no right to talk to me like that," - Charles heard himself say, blinking away the tears. He sniffled, pressing his thumbs into his eyes. The alpha flinched as if feeling the pain himself. "Not in front of the pack. Not in front of my Sire. Not in front of our pup!"
"I don’t have the right to speak to you that way, ever. Never. I... I’m such an idiot. I’m so sorry... I panicked because of Ollie... I..."
"Never," - Charles interrupted his monologue with a firm voice.
Max blinked and fell silent. He swallowed hard and nodded firmly. "Never. You are my equal, my omega... and..."
"I love you, Max Emilian," - Charles cupped the alpha’s face. Max swallowed, feeling the lump in his throat he hadn’t realised was there. He was crying. He was crying. "Do you love me?"
"I love you more than anything, Charles. You are... my literal angel. My other half. My purest and most magnificent half."
"I forgive you. Now, let’s go before the pups show up..."
"Um..." - Oscar's timid voice echoed from the door. The alpha stood awkwardly at the entrance, with Ollie barely hanging onto his back. "Can we just... Ollie asked if we could all stay together for a few minutes."
"Ollie had a brilliant idea," - Max and Charles exchanged knowing glances. The alpha stood up and walked over to pick up the pup while Charles pulled Oscar into a scented embrace. Oscar collapsed against the omega's chest, inhaling his maternal scent almost desperately. Charles purred, letting the Australian nuzzle into his chest and neck as much as he wanted. "My family," - the alpha whispered, kissing the forehead of each one present with affection. Charles smiled. Oscar smiled against Charles' shoulder. Even Ollie seemed content now, surrounded by enough familiar scents.