I Just Want A Simple Life (ABO)Chapter 1

{ Chapter One }

  tmfvwy

There was a common story that was often told to the graduating students of a prestigious Omega finishing school. The aim was to intimidate those who perhaps had ideas that didn’t necessarily conform to society’s plans for them. Omega’s were expected to look and behave in a certain way— and even though it wasn’t a regulation, it was the norm.

The story consisted of an Omega, who thrived in education and was rewarded by pairing with an Alpha of a suitable ranking. Said Alpha was in the top-tier of a certain branch of the military and was the envy of many around him. He received the utmost respect, even if he didn’t command it. And as a pair, they were beautifully matched and meticulously private even though their faces were well-known. But it wasn’t long after that when the Alpha himself was pronounced KIA. 

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The couple were still considered newly-weds, and the Omega still young, so the governing-body set their sights on remarrying him to another. Prestigious bloodlines were paramount, so Omega’s were in high demand. Said governing-body also couldn’t waste the opportunity of solidifying their control by receiving support courtesy of the influential investors who represented the family of whom they had decided the Omega would eventually marry into. Which is—of course— a part of the story which was conveniently absent when retold to the impressionable students.

Instead what was presented was a fine-tuned web of lies, depicting an ungrateful Omega who blatantly refused their aid. On top of that, he turned down any mention of remarriage. But as it turned out, this particular Omega also happened to be with-child. Which always elicited a pitiful response when people heard it. As all high-society Omega’s knew, from the toxic whispering of their own parents, that an Omega who carries the child of another Alpha— and intends to keep it— was one that would be considered undesirable. 72vMs

But to attend the certain finishing school, an Omega had to previously come from a background of substantial wealth. So on top of the inherited riches the Omega from the story obtained after his parent’s passing when he was younger, he also found himself with a larger sum of money which came-about through his mate’s conscientious spending. It left the young man, who remained absolute in his opinion of remarriage, with a lot of money to his name. 

Instead of lying low in fear of aggravating the empowered governing-body any further, the Omega used his abundance of wealth and invested wisely. Slapping those in the face who believed Omega’s should be subservient. He wanted to guarantee that the fragile life inside of him took it’s first breath in a healthy surrounding, and without the feeling of loss from being raised in a single-parent household. 

The Omega was ambitious and successful. Which is why that crucial element of the story was also scribbled out of recognition. Instead, opting to speak of an Omega who was cocky with his precarious investments.

They didn’t speak of the brave Omega who fought tooth and nail to be the best he could for his child. Suffering for years through relentless heats that nearly broke him both physically and mentally. But he only had to see the chubby-cheeks and hear the toothless giggles from his son, to know it was well worth it.

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As his baby grew, the Omega took a back-seat when it came to monitoring the businesses he’d invested money in and happily spent his time doting on his child. And surrounded by copious amounts of love, his son had the best of early-childhoods. But it gradually became blotted when a man, whom the Omega had trusted as his advisor, suddenly expressed his interest in courting the young father.

Back in the finishing school, which was catered towards Omega’s from the ages of thirteen through to sixteen, they used this particular Alpha as a case-study. A prime example of a grand manipulator.

Even though the Omega flatly turned him down, he continued to lurk around as an apparent friend and gradually got the young man to lower his defences. Which is when the Alpha took the first step in his reevaluated plan.

Unknowingly drugged, the Omega expectantly went into heat. Coincidentally, the Alpha was also present, and from then on the retelling of the story became much vaguer as everyone merely assumed what followed.  dDjtz5

And so afterwards, there was little to no argument from the Omega and the Alpha became a permanent fixture in the house. In fact, he stuck around for a handful of years, right up until he bankrupted the very same Omega he blatantly refused to bond with. With a handsome sum of money he’d obtained through loans in the Omega’s name, he conveniently disappeared into the night. 

Leaving the father and son duo in a dire situation. They lost their beautiful home which was situated in the meadows that then looked bleak. They were left with no other option but to move from an uncontaminated space to a location where the fees were cheap; a congested box-like apartment which they could barely afford. 

The determined Omega did all he could to try and keep the quality of life his son was used to, which came at a hefty cost. Scraping by, with more loans to his name which were courtesy of sketchy businessmen, the Omega’s son miraculously got through the final years of school and attended the same finishing school that his father once attended.

With his papa’s reputation tarnished, the young teen was incessantly harassed. He put on a brave face, one he’d learnt from his papa, and refused to bring him anymore grief. But by the time he graduated the elite finishing school, the politically-motivated story was widespread and no one wanted to marry an ‘undesirable’ like him. Any prospect of love, or even profit through an arranged marriage, were crushed. b9PmJo

The resilient pair didn’t mind too much, but it wasn’t too soon after when the young Omega was left on his own as his papa unexpectedly passed away. 

There were many speculations as to what led to a relatively young and healthy Omega’s death. Many believed he actually contracted a disease after putting his only remaining skill to good use in order to desperately bring in money. But those who perhaps showed more empathy, guessed that it was because of the proven scientific case of an Omega dying prematurely after losing their mate.

In actuality, it was because of the continuous stress. The man didn’t have the greatest of constitutions following his son’s birth. The endless work and fear that his son would be taken from him— or worse— resulted in his body literally shutting down. He couldn’t cope. It left his son both homeless, and fatherless.

We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.

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As the years went by, his only saving grace became the increasingly popular drug which was being offered to Omegas to help them have better management of their pheromones. If taken excessively, an Omega’s heat could be stopped. The young and isolated Omega had no reason to be wary of the drug and took more than was recommended. Doing irreparable damage to his body he couldn’t bring himself to care about. That was another tidbit of information that was kept out of the story when told to the receptive students.

Moral of the story? The current and longstanding governing-body knows what’s best for young Omegas. Ignore them? Then you will most definitely end up like the woeful Omega’s in the story. A commonly used, and proven to be successful, way of having vulnerable children listen— by scaring them witless.

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As for said treacherous Omega’s son, he continued to live in a relatively isolated world. With his nearest neighbours being Beta farmers, that wouldn’t be able to pick up on his pheromones even if he fell to the ground in a writhing mess in the dead of heat. They didn’t ask questions, only acknowledging the generous young man who offered to help when the growing season had ended and it was time to harvest the fruits of their labour.

What little money he received, of which he was practically ordered to take by the farmers, he put towards art supplies. An interest which turned into a hobby, which turned into an obsession. The drive to paint only grew as he became weaker; side effects of consuming such a potent drug for many years. It was only when the middle-aged man didn’t habitually arrive for the fruit picking one year that the neighbours came looking for him. lYTJ2t

That’s where they found a man sitting peacefully in his chair, in front the large windows that let in streams of sunlight, one arm loosely wrapped protectively around a sketchbook and the other arm dangling down beside him; pencil having fallen to the ground some time ago.

 

*//* *//* *//* *//* *//* *//* *//* *//* *//* *//* *//* *//*

  WDc1sB

Caius Xue developed a personality much like his father’s, with a twist unique to himself. He chose to make the best of a situation and to always look onwards and upwards. It was only occasionally where he’d let a tiny amount of bitterness flood his thoughts, but it was always on behalf of his papa. But just like how Finian Xue wouldn’t let anything get him down, Caius promptly shook off the residual sadness.

Although his life turned out to be nothing exceptional, he was happy. With treasured memories, he couldn’t complain about anything. Which is why he didn’t panic when he felt the overwhelming drowsiness one day as he sketched. Over the past few days, he’d grown weaker and could only just hold a pencil. So when the time came, he didn’t put up a fight. In fact, there was a small part of him that was giddy about potentially meeting his papa once again.

But what he hadn’t expected, was to once again open his eyes. Gone were the low murmurings of farmers ploughing their fields in the distance, gone was the constant drip of his bathroom tap he that had contacted a plumber about on numerous occasions. Instead, he was sitting on the ground in the middle of a floor. Around him, in varying shapes and sizes, were all sorts of toys. 

Streams of sunlight flooded into the room, causing him to wince as he looked around. But no temporary blindness could keep him from identifying the room he was currently in. Every single detail had already been etched into his mind and stored away for safe-keeping. Even down to the tiniest of details such as the intricate pattern that weaved across the hemline of the curtains; ones which currently billowed in the light breeze. yJFrPz

All this was seen by twisting his body at an awkward angle, so he intended to jump to his feet. Which is when he discovered more obscurities. His body no longer as heavy as it once felt, and so the immediate control over his scrambling limbs became a little confused. This is because he was once again a child. 

Tentatively examining his hands, Caius gave a sharp intake of breath. 

They were undoubtedly the hands belonging to a child, with pale skin and petal pink nail-beds. Completely untouched by the harshness that life would eventually throw at them. 

The delicate nature of an Omega was expressed in his defined wrist-bones and slender fingers. But the youthfulness clung to his body, as it did to all Omegas, and suppressed the growth-spurt any normal child would go through. KbIJLv

Reaching his feet, Caius wriggled his toes whilst looking around at everything he remembered so vividly. Beside his big bed and on top of a small table, was a vase with a clutch of fresh flowers inside. They were a pop of colour, a warm hue against the backdrop of the neutral ones decorating the spacious room. 

Floorboards creaked as he roamed around the room, face beginning to hurt as he smiled so broadly. There was an ever-growing pressure behind his eyes, threatening to release the waterworks. But as he came across a mirror which was attached to his old wooden wardrobe, his frantic reminiscing came to an abrupt halt.

A child he only saw when looking back through grainy holographic images, which had worn over the years from excessive handling, looked back at him. 

The boy was undeniably a beauty, with many qualities about him that would be considered adorable. His hair as white as artificial snow, sat dishevelled on his head and added to the innocent appearance. From beneath the soft strands which looked like they had been stripped of their colour, was a pair of eyes that were a mesmerising shade of soft blue.  YHzPF5

They couldn’t be considered too dark or too light, nor did they create an intense look. They added to the features of a boy of around ten years old, who was undoubtedly soft in nature. There was nothing threatening about the child, which would often leave people thinking he was a breath of fresh air. So it was hard to believe that this was the child who, in the end, died all alone.

Caius spun around, trying to catch himself out in the reflection, but everything he did was what the boy in the mirror followed. He gently tapped his cheeks, blinked quickly and pulled faces. But no matter what he tried, the image did not change. 

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A gentle laugh escaped his mouth.

Ordinarily a relatively composed child who sometimes struggled with social situations, the youth’s bedroom was filled with heart-warming giggles as he spun around and eventually landed on his large bed with a poof. Like a warm embrace, the top-quality bedding took the sudden impact and allowed Caius to catch his breath. A smile still firmly in place as his cheeks burned with excitement. JEw1lO

Every item of his room had been especially selected by his papa to ensure he received nothing but the best, but also mindful not to spoil him too much. Unlike other families, where their children were given the best of the current age’s technology, or had been physically raised by it themselves, Caius was brought-up with a particularly different set of morals. It’s likely what made him so unwilling to put up a fight when it came to his final days. 

He was taught to be happy with what he had, to appreciate the little things and not to be caught up in the apparent toxic nature of their futuristic society which almost forced people to embrace technologically-advanced lifestyles.

Their abstract way of life mirrored the location of their home. One where birds still chirped and butterflies felt comfortable to take flight. Every square-inch was both his and his papa’s pride and joy, their very souls felt like it was attached to such a beautiful space.

As memories of the life he had already lived began to filter through, Caius sat up and shook his head, soft strands brushing against his cheeks. If it was really a dream, then he wasn’t going to waste it. So he looked at the door to his bedroom, which was kept open at the request of his papa. LR zDr

He felt happy and nervous as he slowly made his way out of the room and down the light-filled hallway. Everything around him was intact, like images Caius hadn’t seen for so long and yet acutely remembered, even down to the smell of fresh flowers that wafted in through the open windows from the surrounding meadow. It had him picking up the pace, almost flying down the auburn-coloured grand staircase which stood to one side of the entrance-hall and curved around along with an eye-catching bannister.

When his bare feet touched the familiarly cold tiles of the ground floor, he hesitated. The front door was wide open, the outside world swallowed by the daylight. Caius already suspected where his papa would be at this time of the day, but his chest clenched painfully at the thought of him not being there. 

Step by tiny step, he made his way towards the large door-frame. Hand clasping it as he took his first look outside.

Blinding light subsiding, colours became bolder and the wildlife more animated. Everything was as it was, as if his past life had actually been a dream. The long cobblestone path that stretched down the centre of the meadow was the only entrance to the house which was otherwise hidden by the large overhanging trees that were dotted around. But the exquisite drive-way was somewhat blurred by the many bluebells, daisies, sunflowers, buttercups and many more that grew either side. zS3kuV

All looked so beautiful, and yet it was the figure crouched down to one side, tending to a veg-patch, that took Caius’ breath away the most. The elegantly dressed man had his back to him, humming gently as he worked. He didn’t hear as Caius slowly approached, tears dripping down his cheeks.

Finian Xue was known for his beauty. It would be hard to find an Omega who wasn’t pleasing to the eye, but there was something especially captivating about the white haired man. Just like his son, who was the spitting image of him, there was something effortless when it came to speaking with the Omega. Perhaps it was because of the abundant flaws of an Omega’s biology, which he possessed and yet never let define him. There was nothing that could be considered inadequate about him, as was often proven by his intellect. He was always more than happy to showcase his strength, especially when faced with those who unwisely viewed him as an Omega lost in mourning after his mate’s passing.

Unlike Caius’ hair, which was still a messy state and only just reaching his shoulders, his Papa’s own was loosely tied back and set over his shoulder. But his clothes were far different from what Caius recalled the farmers wearing, who could be found doing the same job as his papa. Where they were used to a bit of dirt, and if on the rare occasion they finished the day without being covered head to toe, then they would declare they hadn’t worked hard enough.

But his papa chose to wear comfier clothing. Usually loose oriental-styled robes which were always so tasteful that could hardly be considered casual. No matter the situation, he looked prepared and profoundly elegant. So it felt like a clamp was squeezing his stomach as his heart thumped erratically in his chest when he tentatively stepped closer. mXsc67

“Papa,” his voice was taut from crying. His bottom lip quivered and his hands shook as he waited. But it wasn’t for long, as his Papa dropped what he was doing and spun round at the sound of his precious son’s upset voice.

Finian’s beauty struck Caius right in the chest. He clung onto every memory he was able to of his Papa, cherishing them dearly. And to see him alive and well once again, it had the tears flooding even faster. It had his Papa jumping to his feet and reaching him in seconds. 

The light blue robe which didn’t have a speck of dirt on it, wrapped around Caius as his beloved Papa did. He sobbed louder and uncontrollably at the warm feeling of being embraced, since it had been so long. Looking back on the moments in his life, where he believed he had finished mourning, they were quickly ambolished as he sobbed like a baby. But it was his papa’s beautiful and comforting smell that steadily consoled him.

“Why is my baby crying?” Caius began to continuously hiccup. When his papa pulled back just a few inches, their identical soft blue eyes met. It was enough to render the young boy speechless and help him further calm down. 9MnFSE

The surprised look, along with the red nose and mouth, made Finian chuckle gently at his usually unproblematic son. His baby looked completely lost in thought with his eyes blown wide and mouth gaping open. It reminded the man of when he first set eyes on his baby, and instead of crying, Caius just opened his eyes and looked at him quietly. Then a few days later, the soft giggles appeared.

Suspecting his baby was entirely tongue-tied, Finian tilted his head slightly to the side and made a humming sound, one he tended to make when pretending to think of something. As a parent, he was immediately concerned about whether or not Caius had fallen and somehow injured himself, but as there was no signs, he was able to discreetly sigh a breath of relief. But as his baby was sobbing so passionately, Finian was determined to know what or who he would have to punish for injuring his little soul.

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“What was that saying I told you last night after story-time?” Finian tapped his chin, as if he had simply forgotten.

Caius was clinging to his Papa, his young hands clutching onto the soft fabric of the robes. He was gently coaxed out of his thoughts by his papa’s words and there was very little time needed to think up a response, as Caius knew the little saying off by heart. “It’s just you and me, in our little world among the meadows.”  NgcXU1

It was spoken like a promise, and always brought out a smile on both the son and father’s faces. There was no stronger connection than between a parent and their child, which is what many children including Omega’s lacked, given that they were raised by absent parents who filled that void with robotic assistants.

Which made Caius all the more grateful for the man who held him protectively in his arms. He never had to doubt for a second whether or not his parent loved him. Even when his papa was absent, be it working or meeting old friends, Caius was lovingly passed over to a service that all but didn’t exist in the current age; human babysitters. 

“Just you and me, me and you.” Finian whispered, hoping to emphasise the point that there was endless trust between the pair. That there was no need to be fearful or hesitant when speaking. And Caius would have fallen hook, line and sinker for his papa’s genuine words if not for the recollection of the parasite that currently resided within their home. A man who appeared to be conspicuously absent; most likely to be found within the heart of the affluent planet, Nova. Undoubtedly lurking familiarly around his papa’s bank.

Caius was no genius, he couldn’t recall his exact actions when he was around ten years of age. Which included the movements of the parasite who called himself a friend and then lover of his papa. But he had a vague timeline in his mind of when the damage was considered irreversible by the manipulative Alpha. SHWTrL

If his predicted age was correct, then there was only three years until he attended the elite finishing school solely for Omegas. And two of those years were spent crammed into a condemned apartment which took its toll on both his papa’s and his own health. Which meant that Caius and his papa currently only had a few months left— at best— in their beloved home. 

The poisonous tongues of the parents belonging to the children Caius went to school with, were already wagging and making their children avoid him like the plague. He never told his papa. Caius was naturally aloof at times, and so it rarely stuck in his mind. 

So when it came to the parasite in their home, he was once too young to fully comprehend what was so wrong about the man who usually treated him well enough. 

Time lost in thought was mere moments in Finian’s arms. Caius swallowed his hiccups, his eyes uncomfortably swollen from the amount of tears he had shed. The inevitable exhaustion of an overexerted child gradually set in. But he shook it off as he looked at his beautiful papa. “You’re going somewhere without me..” he said quietly.  6RY1wC

As expected, his papa was confused. “I didn’t realise I had plans.” 

“I heard Kalel talking to someone on his communicator,” Caius revealed as he kept his gaze lowered and unconsciously ran his fingertips over the excess fabric of his papa’s robe. Their surroundings, thriving with wildlife in one of the last remaining areas of outstanding natural beauty which was uncorrupted by genetic-modification, was unprepared for the gradually darkening expression on one of the Omega’s faces.

“He said Papa and him are going somewhere to get alone.”

Finian blinked, “To get alone? Baby, did he say anything else?” gO4lE8

Caius shook his head, “He said he was going to get alone.. but he definitely mentioned you, papa.”

Slowly but surely, Caius discreetly watched as his father figured it out. And when he did, his light expression shifted to one which was far more dangerous. One Caius had only seen on a single occasion where someone threatened him on the street in his previous life. “I believe you, my soul, I do. I promise, I’m not going anywhere, but right now I do need to make a call of my own.”

Returning to the compliant child Caius knew he was known for when around his papa, he nodded his head shyly and snuggled into the man’s arms. Knowing now what he did about his past life, Caius felt no shame latching onto his papa. Whilst Finian didn’t hesitate to wrap his arms around his emotional child and plaster his face with kisses when those beautiful blue eyes looked up at him again.

Kalel wasn’t going anywhere with him to get alone, he was going somewhere to get a loan. vdWMZk

 

{ To Be Continued }

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