The Sky Full of Ghosts 1/? "Mail order omega in space" AU
(see previous post for notes and warnings)
Haley Station never sleeps, rotating slowly over the surface of a swampy planet. The lights never dim, ships load and unload in a non-stop cycle of work. Still, it feels late for Jamie as he crosses the marketplace. He passes food vendors and those selling trinkets to miners on their days off, to spacers like Jamie.
He reeks of synthetic omega scent, worn by the beta he just spent two incredibly expensive hours with. He feels sated in body, in a way he can’t remember after any jerk-off session, but the loneliness he’d gone to alleviate gapes like an open wound in his chest, an ache he can’t soothe.
He just wants to wash the heavy smell off of his skin and crawl into bed, but of course, of course Jordie’s light is on, his cabin’s door cracked open so he’ll hear Jamie going past. Jamie clenches his jaw and walks by, hoping against hope that Jordie choses that moment to be unobservant.
“Jamie.”
Jordie’s voice is quiet, worried, and that’s the last thing Jamie wanted.
“What?” Jamie asks, defensiveness leaking through the tone he’s trying so hard to keep even. He’s sure Jordie has never been to the private rooms, never paid a beta to pretend to be an omega, never compromised his honor for the sake of getting his dick wet.
“Where did you…” Jordie’s nose wrinkles as he catches a whiff. A range of emotions flash over his face-disgust, worry, guilt. Jamie should have planned this better, should have rented a room somewhere on the station to stay until he could get cleaned up.
“Damn it, Chubbs,” Jordie sighs.
“I won’t…I won’t do it again,” Jamie says, and it’s not an empty promise.
Jordie stands up and Jamie flinches away, doesn’t want his brother to get any closer, to be tainted by what he’s done.
“Are you okay?” Jordie asks, hands hovering like he wants to hug Jamie like he had back when they were small.
“Yeah. I just. I don’t want to go back there.”
Jordie sighs. “Look. I’ve been saving a little money. This last haul had some nice artifacts in it, and we’re ahead on the payments on the Star. We could start putting out feelers. See if there’s an omega out here that’s willing to bond and stay, or one from the core that’s willing to come out. We’d have enough to pay the transportation at least, if you met someone you liked…”
Jamie ducks his head, jaw clenching. It’s just bad luck that of two brothers, both were born alphas. Bad luck that there have always been fewer omegas than alphas. Bad luck that the Benns are from the fringe, where life is harder. It’s too easy for alphas on the original-six colonies to poach fringe omegas to the core, to offer them easy lives and nice things, comforts and safety. Getting an omega to come here or stay here takes funds.
Funds that Jordie deserves to have for an omega of his own. He’s oldest, has given everything for Jamie. From food when they were little, to working on Lindy’s Lady while Jamie was able to stay in school until he was sixteen. Jordie put ten-years of his life on the line as collateral on the Star in the form of an indenture contract. Jordie has always paid and Jamie always received and for all that Jamie was so weak that he broke down and went to a professional impostor to meet his needs, it doesn’t mean that Jordie wants any less, needs any less, and certainly Jordie deserves this more.
“No,” Jamie says, surprises himself with how firm he sounds. “No, Jordie. You go first. This once, you go first, you’re older. You deserve it. I can wait. I’ll be okay.”
“Chubbs,” Jordie starts, rubs the back of his neck like he’s embarrassed to take something good for once.
“It’ll work,” Jamie says. “I know you. I trust you. I won’t be without forever.”
Jordie sighs and Jamie tips his head towards his door, towards the tiny bathing cubicle and the bed that’s calling. “I’m gonna clean up,” he says, and Jordie nods.
=============
Jamie isn’t sure that Jordie is taking him up on the offer, if he’ll really go first. Jordie’s inquiries through matchmaking services seem half-hearted at best. But then he meets Tyler somehow, unbonded omega from the core. He looks decent, from the photo Jordie takes to keeping on him at all times. They send messages back and forth, and Jamie teases Jordie about the way he smiles when Tyler’s name comes up in conversation (and it comes up all the time, whether the subject at hand has anything to do with Tyler or not).
He thinks maybe he should be jealous, when his own chance at an omega is so far off that it’s not even worth making first contact. He doesn’t feel jealous though, in the face of his brother’s joy. He’s never seen Jordie have something he wanted for himself, and the way Jordie hoards Tyler’s messages, the way he replays the short videos, the way his eyes light up, Jamie is genuinely happy for him.
For months, Jordie and Tyler court. Jordie has small gifts delivered to Tyler’s home and Tyler sends back cautiously hopeful wishes for their future together.
“I’m gonna send him funds, if he’ll come, if he’ll have me,” Jordie says, and Jamie helps him clean out his quarters, to make room for Tyler to add his own touches, his own personality to the room.
Jamie isn’t in the room when Jordie proposes, but he’s never seen anything like the naked joy on his brother’s face when Jordie comes out of the cockpit.
“He said yes! He’s coming. Jamie, Tyler is coming!”
Jamie laughs and hugs him, lets Jordie spin him around. They’re on-station then, so they go out with Roussel, drink and fight and stumble home eight hours later still grinning.
Tyler is coming.
============
Haley Station never sleeps, rotating slowly over the surface of a swampy planet. The lights never dim, ships load and unload in a non-stop cycle of work. Still, it feels late for Jamie as he crosses the marketplace. He passes food vendors and those selling trinkets to miners on their days off, to spacers like Jamie.
He reeks of synthetic omega scent, worn by the beta he just spent two incredibly expensive hours with. He feels sated in body, in a way he can’t remember after any jerk-off session, but the loneliness he’d gone to alleviate gapes like an open wound in his chest, an ache he can’t soothe.
He just wants to wash the heavy smell off of his skin and crawl into bed, but of course, of course Jordie’s light is on, his cabin’s door cracked open so he’ll hear Jamie going past. Jamie clenches his jaw and walks by, hoping against hope that Jordie choses that moment to be unobservant.
“Jamie.”
Jordie’s voice is quiet, worried, and that’s the last thing Jamie wanted.
“What?” Jamie asks, defensiveness leaking through the tone he’s trying so hard to keep even. He’s sure Jordie has never been to the private rooms, never paid a beta to pretend to be an omega, never compromised his honor for the sake of getting his dick wet.
“Where did you…” Jordie’s nose wrinkles as he catches a whiff. A range of emotions flash over his face-disgust, worry, guilt. Jamie should have planned this better, should have rented a room somewhere on the station to stay until he could get cleaned up.
“Damn it, Chubbs,” Jordie sighs.
“I won’t…I won’t do it again,” Jamie says, and it’s not an empty promise.
Jordie stands up and Jamie flinches away, doesn’t want his brother to get any closer, to be tainted by what he’s done.
“Are you okay?” Jordie asks, hands hovering like he wants to hug Jamie like he had back when they were small.
“Yeah. I just. I don’t want to go back there.”
Jordie sighs. “Look. I’ve been saving a little money. This last haul had some nice artifacts in it, and we’re ahead on the payments on the Star. We could start putting out feelers. See if there’s an omega out here that’s willing to bond and stay, or one from the core that’s willing to come out. We’d have enough to pay the transportation at least, if you met someone you liked…”
Jamie ducks his head, jaw clenching. It’s just bad luck that of two brothers, both were born alphas. Bad luck that there have always been fewer omegas than alphas. Bad luck that the Benns are from the fringe, where life is harder. It’s too easy for alphas on the original-six colonies to poach fringe omegas to the core, to offer them easy lives and nice things, comforts and safety. Getting an omega to come here or stay here takes funds.
Funds that Jordie deserves to have for an omega of his own. He’s oldest, has given everything for Jamie. From food when they were little, to working on Lindy’s Lady while Jamie was able to stay in school until he was sixteen. Jordie put ten-years of his life on the line as collateral on the Star in the form of an indenture contract. Jordie has always paid and Jamie always received and for all that Jamie was so weak that he broke down and went to a professional impostor to meet his needs, it doesn’t mean that Jordie wants any less, needs any less, and certainly Jordie deserves this more.
“No,” Jamie says, surprises himself with how firm he sounds. “No, Jordie. You go first. This once, you go first, you’re older. You deserve it. I can wait. I’ll be okay.”
“Chubbs,” Jordie starts, rubs the back of his neck like he’s embarrassed to take something good for once.
“It’ll work,” Jamie says. “I know you. I trust you. I won’t be without forever.”
Jordie sighs and Jamie tips his head towards his door, towards the tiny bathing cubicle and the bed that’s calling. “I’m gonna clean up,” he says, and Jordie nods.
=============
Jamie isn’t sure that Jordie is taking him up on the offer, if he’ll really go first. Jordie’s inquiries through matchmaking services seem half-hearted at best. But then he meets Tyler somehow, unbonded omega from the core. He looks decent, from the photo Jordie takes to keeping on him at all times. They send messages back and forth, and Jamie teases Jordie about the way he smiles when Tyler’s name comes up in conversation (and it comes up all the time, whether the subject at hand has anything to do with Tyler or not).
He thinks maybe he should be jealous, when his own chance at an omega is so far off that it’s not even worth making first contact. He doesn’t feel jealous though, in the face of his brother’s joy. He’s never seen Jordie have something he wanted for himself, and the way Jordie hoards Tyler’s messages, the way he replays the short videos, the way his eyes light up, Jamie is genuinely happy for him.
For months, Jordie and Tyler court. Jordie has small gifts delivered to Tyler’s home and Tyler sends back cautiously hopeful wishes for their future together.
“I’m gonna send him funds, if he’ll come, if he’ll have me,” Jordie says, and Jamie helps him clean out his quarters, to make room for Tyler to add his own touches, his own personality to the room.
Jamie isn’t in the room when Jordie proposes, but he’s never seen anything like the naked joy on his brother’s face when Jordie comes out of the cockpit.
“He said yes! He’s coming. Jamie, Tyler is coming!”
Jamie laughs and hugs him, lets Jordie spin him around. They’re on-station then, so they go out with Roussel, drink and fight and stumble home eight hours later still grinning.
Tyler is coming.
============