Rose Tricklebank takes her time bagging groceries for Jamie. The handsome young alpha in front of her makes great eye candy. A soft yet rugged prince charming type of look. Like a prince from a fairy tail. A country prince. Small mustache and charming smile. Hat sat on his head with a lovely slant. Rose found herself looking a bit too hard into his green blue eyes rather than the groceries she was packing. She was lucky her wife wasn't here to see it.  Jamie was polite, but curt as his eyes were on his freshly purchased bottle of bourbon.

"How long you been back from overseas now?" R0se asked as an attempt to make small conversation.

"Coupl’a weeks." Jamie replied shortly.

"And how’re you liking Marietta?" She questioned with a short smile.

"Lovely little town. Just lovely." Jamie said.

Rose moves to bag the bottle of bourbon but Jamie quickly intervenes. He pulled the bottle to his side and shoved it into his pocket.

"Oh, I got that one. Let’s just put that right here." Jamie said. He quickly shoved the remainder of the provisions into the bag. "There we go. Much obliged, Miz  Tricklebank. You have yourself a wonderful day." He ended and quickly made his way out of the store.

Jamie barely made it out of the General Store before the sound of a car backfiring made its way through the air. Instincts kicked in and soon Jamie is face deep and body low into the dusty streets. Bystanders all around mutter to themselves as they watch the young alpha hug the dirt and cast frightened eyes around. 

Out of all the white hands that could have been extended to the scared male, it was the brown one that made its way to him. Ronsel holds his hand out to the cowering man. He saw from afar how the man reacted. There was no doubt in his mind that that man had also come from the war.

Jamie's eyes followed that hand all the way up to Ronsel. "It’s alright. It was just a car." Ronsel reassured him. "Backfired. Must have a stuck 

intake valve."

Jamie looked up at the porch and saw mean eyes staring from underneath hat brims. He ignored Ronsel’s hand, got up and retrieved his groceries. Ronsel helped the male as well. Ronsel was close and he could smell the male's prominent scent well. Alpha. No doubt about that.

 When Jamie grabbed the bourbon his hand shook so badly he dropped it. Thankfully it doesn’t break. "Dammit!" Jamie swore.

"They say it stops eventually," Ronsel replied. Ronsel held out Jamie's hat and it shook like Jamie’s. They traded a look  that could only be described as an instant kinship. Despite being from different worlds and status, they still found a common ground.

"You're Ronsel, Hap's boy?" Jamie declared. Ronsel nods firmly. "Jamie McAllan, Henry's brother." Jamie extends a hand to Ronsel. The coloured boy's eyes widened slightly at the unexpected gesture. Ronsel takes the hand and gives it a firm shake.

"You walk here?", Jamie questioned. 

"Yesssir."

"I'll give you a lift." Jamie declared and began walking towards his truck. He casts his eyes back, noticing two distinct things. One, Ronsel hasn't moved and two, those men on the porch were looking awfully harder than he would like to see.  "C'mon!" Jamie encouraged him. 

Ronsel found his feet and quickly followed behind Jamie. He hopped into the trunk while Jamie revved up the engine. As they pulled out of the town center, Ronsel held his head straight. No need to look those bigoted men in the eye as they stared.

They drove down the dirt road in relative silence. Ronsel, lost in his own thoughts. He enjoyed looking at the sky. He used to spend time staring off into the sky many times when he was stationed. It almost made him forget about the horrors he has seen in the field. Jamie stole a few looks at Ronsel through the back window. His body squirms with guilt that only he knows. Memories of the B25 echo in his ears like the beating of his heart. Ronsel was oblivious to it. Too busy chasing his daydreams flitting across the landscape. Jamie pulled over. 

"Come on up front." Jamie shouted.

"I'm doing just fine back here." Ronsel responded.

Jamie scoffed. "Get in, soldier! That’s an order!" He snapped.

A beat passed before the truck rocks. Ronsel hopped off and got in 

the passenger side. Jamie gives him a knowing look but keeps his head straight. 

"How do you know you outranked me?" Ronsel asked. He didn't dare turn his head to meet him.

"I was a captain." Jamie answered.

"We had Negro captains. I served plenty." Ronsel replied.

"You obeyed my order." Jamie answered. His eyes lingered looking across at Ronsel. "Plus, not many omega captains I presume. Bet you were a sergeant." 

Ronsel gives Jamie a small look before letting out a small huff of air. "761st tank battalion. “Come Out Fighting”! Spearheaded for Patton. You?"

Jamie shrugged. "I flew B-25's"

Jamie reached into the grocery bag between them and took out the bourbon bottle. He uncorked it then took a long, much needed swing and drove on.

"So, sergeant, how do you like being back here in the Delta?" Jamie asked. The silence spoke louder than any of his words did. "Me too." He sighs. 

They drove in relative silence for a few minutes before Jamie began to speak. "Heard you and my Pappy had words."

Ronsel was quick with a response. "I apologized for that."

Jamie waved the hand with the bottle. "He’s a disagreeable sonovabitch. I’m sure he had it coming." He held the bottle out for Ronsel to take. "Here's to you."

Ronsel declines. "No thanks."

Jamie looked at the road. "You always this stubborn? Or is it 

just around white people trying to be nice?"

Ronsel eyed Jamie, then he grabbed the bottle, took a quick sip and tried to hand it back. Jamie waved a hand.

"It's no time to try to act modest. What kind of NCO are you?" Jamie replied. Ronsel gave him a side eye before he took an even bigger sip. Jamie laughed seeing the colored man choke a bit on the size.

"Don’t waste it now. That’s my medicine. I need every drop." Jamie laughed. That got a smile out of the stubborn looking omega. Jamie decided to take the pull. "You tankers ever pissed in your helments?" He asked.

"Plenty of times" Ronsel answered honestly. Having been stuck in a tank for hours on end, a person had to make sacrifices for his own good.

"We had relief tubes up in the cockpit but sometimes it was easier just to use our flak helmets. And at twenty thousand feet? That piss 

freezes solid in less than minute." Jamie explained. Ronsel looked completely hooked on the story.

"It’s that cold up there?" he asked. Jamie looked over at the male. There was a small sparkle in his eye that Jamie had never seen before. That doesn't mean he disliked it. He liked it.

"I’m talking twenty, thirty below zero. And one time we were on this long haul and I went in my helmet and forgot all about it. Then when we got close to the target, I put the helmet back on. And we’re doing our bombing run, dodging enemy flak and suddenly I feel something running down my face. I thought I was hit!" 

The truck erupted into laughter. Jamie held onto the wheel for balance while Ronsel held his sides. "I smelled like a damn latrine."

"You must’a caught hell back at the officer’s club." Ronsel asked.

"My buddies never let me hear the end of it." Jamie sighed. "The ones that made it back anyway."

The light air of the truck shifted. The realities of the war rearing its ugly head once again. Ronsel shakes his head. "I have lost some people too."

As Jamie approached the Jackson's shack, Jamie couldn't hold back the question that was brimming in his mind. "So, what's it like being an omega in the army? Couldn't have been easy." Jamie said.

Ronsel rubs his hands together in thought. "It wasn't too bad. The Army had these pills they made me take. Worked wonders stopping those heats. Dulled down my pheromones too. Made things easier." Ronsel explains.

"I just don't understand how they allowed it though." Jamie remarked.

Ronsel faced Jamie fully. "It's just a status. I fought the fight just like you. Doesn't change because of what I got going on in my body."

Jamie nods, "Sure doesn't."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The sound of a truck pulling into the yard drew Hap away from his book. He half expected it to be Mr. McAllan  to ask for his boys to move some equipment for him again. Instead, he spots Ronsel and Henry's brother Jamie sitting neck and neck in the truck. Ronsel hops out the truck quickly enough. Ronsel hopped out of the car and made his way to his home. His father casted him a look before he focused on Jamie.

"Everything alright Mist Jamie?" Hap asked.

"Everything’s fine. I just gave Ronsel here a lift from town." Jamie explained. He was half way drunk already by the way he was smiling.

Ronsel looked at his father with a look of reassurance. 

"I’ll be heading into town again next Saturday afternoon. I’ll stop by, see if you want a ride." Jamie explained. Jamie doesn't know if it was the drink or him fancing the young omega's scent. Nevertheless, he caught himself staring at the colored man's well formed ass. Oh, what he would do to see what it looked under those beige trousers. 

"That'd be fine." Ronsel responded.

"Alright." Jamie waved Hap off and began driving down the road.

Hap gave a small look once more at Ronsel once the truck was a fair bit away. "Be careful son." Hap warned.

"I'm always careful when I pop." 

"Especially around him. I see how he looks at you." Hap said. Ronsel didn't need to hear his father elaborate more. He knows what he means. 

Troubles of being an omega.