Chapter Text
Simon wakes with Price’s arms around him, the Alpha still lightly snoring into his blond curls. It's still near dark outside, Price not due to get up for another hour, and Simon is tempted to stay with him until then. Waking up with one of his mates plastered to him has become one of the highlights of his days, and it gets harder and harder to stick to his usual routine. He needs to get up though, and with a sigh, he starts moving, kissing his mating bite on his Alpha's neck- crosshatched with three others- before slipping out of the nest, having become an expert at sneaking out for his morning run. He pads to the door, taking one last look at his sleeping mate before heading toward his own quarters.
It’s as he’s putting on his scent patches, after changing into his joggers and tee, that he gets the first indication something is off. His stomach flutters oddly, and he pauses his dressing, trying to figure out what’s wrong. He feels a bit nauseous, but other than that, he’s fine. The feeling passes swiftly, and he decides to ignore it, pulling on his trainers and heading out the door.
The morning is quiet as he steps out into the crisp, autumn air. Birds are just beginning to sing as the first rays of sunlight peek over the horizon. Simon takes it all in as he stretches. He loves the mornings and the peace they bring with the sleepy base still not quite ready to wake. It’s like all this serene beauty is for his eyes only. Like a little haven saved just for him. As he starts his laps, the rhythm of his footsteps and the familiar scenery flowing past him lulls him into a meditative state.
He's nearing the end of his second lap when his stomach lurches again. He barely has time to wrench up his mask before he’s emptying his guts onto the grass beside the footpath. Lifting a shaky hand, he wipes his mouth and suppresses another gag as he looks around, relieved to find he’s still alone. Not wanting anyone to stumble upon him like this and make it their business, he hurries back to his quarters, managing to make it to his toilet where he heaves again.
He spends a good ten minutes hunched over the porcelain before he deems it safe to flush and sit back. He feels off, nausea swirling in his gut, his brow prickled with sweat, frustration building at the interruption to his morning. What is going on? He doesn’t feel sick. There’s no fever or chills accompanying his queasiness and he doesn’t feel weak. It kinda feels like a hangover, but he hasn’t had a drink in a while. It could be food poisoning, but that would mean the others are sick as they eat the same meals as him from the mess.
Deeming that a good place to start, and wanting to make sure his mates aren’t in the same state as him, he quickly brushes his teeth and heads back to Price’s room. His Alpha is still asleep when he slips back in, his stomach obviously not waking him with urgency. He stares down at him for a moment- deciding whether or not he should interrupt his sleep for this- before sitting on the mattress, tucking his face into his throat.
The nausea quells as he breathes in his mate’s scent, settling his anxiety. Leather and spice fill his nostrils and he sucks it in greedily. Price hums, stirring and snaking an arm around the Omega to pull him close.
“How was your run?” he asks, voice rough with sleep. Simon shivers from the sound, still snuffling at his scent gland.
“Barely started before I got sick,” he replies. Price pulls back, his scent turning concerned.
“You alright?” he asks, brow furrowed as he scans Simon’s face. The Omega nods.
“Better now,” he says, figuring whatever is going on with him is not affecting Price as he seems just fine. “Might try to take it easy though. Don’t want to leave a trail of sick around base”.
Price scrunches his nose, letting out an unimpressed snort.
“Lovely,” he grunts. Simon chuckles, sitting back up and stretching. His stomach flutters again, but he keeps everything down. Price seems to notice it though, because he frowns at him. “Are you sure you’re okay? You’re not one to get sick, Simon”.
“’M fine,” Simon insists. “But we should check on the others. I’m not yet convinced it wasn’t somethin’ I ate”.
Price nods, prodding him to go while he gets ready. Simon leaves him with a kiss and heads to Johnny’s room, sure Kyle will be there too. He is, and immediately pulls Simon in as he steps into the room.
“Easy,” Simon says, his stomach lurching again at the sudden movement. Kyle freezes as he fights down the bile rising.
“Ye alright, LT?” Johnny asks, coming up and laying a gentle hand on his hip. Simon nods, taking a deep breath when the worst passes.
“Got some kind of stomach thing,” he replies, turning to them. They seem fine too, so it must only be him. Great.
“You need anything?” Kyle asks, hands running along his torso as if he could find the source of his Omega’s illness. “Maybe you should take the day and rest. We wouldn’t want you getting worse”.
Simon lets him fuss for the moment, knowing his Alpha gets quite protective over him and Johnny. Kyle’s always needed to give extra care to his Omegas anytime they’re feeling less than top shape. It’s his nature and, though it took some getting used to, Simon has to admit he likes being pampered by him- and he’ll never turn down being scented by any of his mates.
“I’m fine,” he tells him, though his stomach churns when he puts distance between them, taking the bergamot that’s been swirling around Simon with him. “I’ll take it easy and if it gets worse, I’ll go to medical. I promise”.
Kyle still doesn’t seem satisfied, but he relents, going back to getting ready once Simon starts purring for him. He does keep casting him worried glances though, before Johnny laughs and kisses his head.
“Ah, he’ll be fine,” the other Omega soothes. “Si's a big boy. He can take care of himself”.
“Yeah, yeah, my Omegas are perfectly capable of taking care of themselves,” Kyle pouts, poking Johnny’s ribs and causing him to yelp. “Doesn’t mean I don’t still worry”.
“And we love you for it,” Simon grins, catching his hand when he passes by to grab his jacket. “Our perfect Alpha”.
Kyle smiles, rubbing circles with his thumb over the back of Simon’s hand. Johnny comes up behind him, placing a kiss on Kyle’s nape.
“Aye, ye’re brilliant,” he agrees before slapping his arse. “But I’m fuckin’ starvin’, so can we pick this up later?”.
Kyle snorts, pulling Simon up and pushing up on tiptoe to kiss his jaw before pulling his rucked up mask down.
“I promise, I’m fine,” Simon assures him. Kyle hums in response.
Price is ready when they swing by his room. Simon mourns the fact that he can’t smell him anymore, or any of them, with their scent patches on. A drawback of life with his mates in the military.
There are a few things he’s started to dislike now that he’s mated. The adrenaline on missions isn’t as good now that he worries more about them. He doesn’t doubt their abilities, far from it. He knows he’d be even more anxious if they were anyone else, but his mates are the best of the best. They can take care of themselves, but it’s hard to watch them toe the line of life and death, knowing one of them could very well not make it back.
He also doesn’t like the close quarters with other people. All of them are quite possessive of each other, and seeing other soldiers be familiar with his mates make his hackles rise. It’s only through sheer will and determination to be a good lieutenant that he hasn’t ripped a corporal’s arm of for slinging it around Johnny or Kyle. They’re younger and make easy friends and Simon doesn’t want to ruin that because he’s territorial.
The thing he’s becoming more disdainful of though, is the limited free time they have. They don’t have the luxury of spending day after day lounging together. Even on base, they all have their own duties that keep them separated most of the day except for mealtimes and sleeping or the occasional trainings they may run together. It leaves Simon feeling on edge, his mind always wandering to them and how they might be doing, and it’s been getting worse lately.
Often times, after their long days, they’re too tired to do more than lounge together in the rec room. Getting significant alone time with all of them together is difficult as Price and Simon tend to work later into the evenings or the sergeants are beat after hours of drills. Not to mention the fact that their final mate is hardly ever around, flying people to and from who knows where most of the time. They don’t get a lot of time with Nik, and Simon can’t even imagine how he feels with none of his mates around.
Then there’s the matter of not having a proper nest for them all. They’ve taken to rotating rooms and partners to spend time with each other, but Simon wishes they could have one, giant nest for all four of them to pile into, rather than his and Johnny’s separate ones. They’re supposed to be getting such accommodations, but getting large quarters fit for a bonded group of five is low on the list of priorities for the army. The only time they’re really able to all be intimate together is on leaves or heats and ruts, and even those get interrupted by their duties.
His and Johnny’s last heat, about 6 weeks ago, was all but ruined when the mission they were on ran long. They had to lie low in a safe house with no chance of exfil for two weeks longer than accounted for. Their heat suppressants ran out and, after having skipped the previous two for other missions, this one hit hard. They were lucky they had no one looking for them- only being on surveillance in the middle of nowhere with their safe house even more desolate than the enemy base they were spying on- as they fell deep into their heat.
Simon can barely remember it. Thinking back, he sees everything as if through a soupy haze. He remembers feeling hot and desperate as he and Johnny writhed against each other, whining for their Alphas’ knots. He knows Johnny fucked him, as he always loves to do, but his smaller Omega cock didn’t quite scratch his itch. He distinctly remembers it helped when his Omega decided to fuck him with his fist.
He thinks he was able to help Johnny too. He definitely remembers eating him out for hours, but he thinks he even managed to fuck him with his own small cock for the first time, out of sheer need to soothe his mate. At the very least, Johnny pinned him down and rode him for his own stimulation. All in all, it was better than either of them feared it would be without access to their knot toys back at base or, better yet, their Alphas. They got by without them, like they did before mating them, but they agreed it’s better with them there.
Simon halts as they near the mess, his stomach jumping again as he senses a foul odor in the air. The others pause too, looking at him quizzically. He waves them off, continuing forward and opening the door.
Bad idea.
He’s hit by the smell full force and his stomach clenches. He runs to a nearby bin and heaves into it, harder than he has all morning. His eyes and nose sting and he feels hands on his back and sides.
“C’mon, love,” Price’s deep voice rumbles. “Time to go to medical. That’s it. We’ll get you looked at”.
Simon blinks his watering eyes, feeling a bit better once he’s back out of the mess. The smell dissipates, and in the back of his mind, he realizes the smell that triggered this- eggs. Just the thought of them makes him gag again, and someone hands him a bucket that he hugs it to his chest, hoping he doesn’t need to use it.
He lets himself be guided toward medical, not in any mood to think for himself if he doesn’t have to. His mates whisper soothingly to him as they walk, telling him he’ll be okay.
“I know,” he says irritably, unsure why he’s lashing out at them. It’s not their fault he feels like shit. Still, he’s cranky now, and just wants to go lay down.
“Aye, we know. Ye’re indestructible,” Johnny coos. Simon can hear the grin in his voice, all of them far too used to his mood when he doesn’t feel good to be offended. “Let’s get ye fixed up, then ye can sleep it off. I’ll take ye ta my nest and we’ll scent all the pillows, aye? I even have Nik’s sweater. Still smells like him too”.
Some of the ice melts at that, and Simon nods, nudging Johnny’s side in apology. The sergeant merely wraps an arm around his waist and kisses his cheek.
Medical is near empty, luckily, so he doesn’t need to wait. One of the nurses ushers him back, but he pauses. Usually, he doesn’t mind the others waiting for him, the rooms small enough without so many people in them, and he’s an adult. He doesn’t need someone holding his hand for a check up. Something in him hesitates this time, though. For some reason, he hates the idea of not having them by his side.
“Simon?” Kyle prompts. Simon bites his lip.
“Can one of you come with me?” he asks the floor, ashamed of his sudden weakness. He can see them all glance at each other out of his periphery.
“Go on, Sunshine,” Price says to Johnny. “We’ll wait out here.
The two Omegas go with the nurse, who leads them to a room. He has Simon take a cup to the bathroom for a sample before taking his vitals. He also has him remove his scent patches before letting them know the doctor will be in shortly. Simon nods, staring at the floor, hoping the swirling in his stomach is nerves and not a warning to grab the bucket Johnny is now holding.
He's always nervous when it comes to being in medical and he feels ridiculous every time. After all the time he’s spent here over the years- enough to be on a first name basis with the staff and having removed his mask when they entered the room- he’d get over his fear, but he can’t seem to shake it. The worst part of getting injured in the field, is the doctor’s visit when he gets back.
A nudge at his hand pulls him out of his daze, and he finds Johnny holding it and smiling up at him.
“It’ll be alright,” he says. “No needles or anythin’ this time. Hopefully they can just give ye some meds and we’ll be outta here before ye know it”.
Simon shrugs, feeling every bit the pouting child he knows he looks like. Johnny chuckles lightly and stands from the chair he’s been sitting in to lean against his side, the paper beneath them crinkling under his weight.
“I love how soft ye get with us,” Johnny murmurs. “Big, bad Ghost all shy and nervous behind closed doors. Such a sweet, wee Omega, hm?”.
Simon rolls his eyes, even as he feels a blush spread across his cheeks.
“You know you’re smaller than me, right?” he teases. Johnny just waves a dismissive hand.
“Only in stature,” he replies. “Ye’re smaller in spirit”.
Before he can ask what the hell that means, the door opens. Dr. Sampson, an Omega he’s seen quite a few times, steps inside.
“Good morning, Simon. Soap,” she greets them, smiling when Johnny moves to sit back down, still holding Simon’s hand. “I hear you’re not feeling well. Why don’t you tell me what’s going on?”.
“It’s started this mornin’,” Simon replies, keeping the nerves out of his voice. “I woke up with a bit of nausea, but it passed. When I was runnin’, I got sick. I’ve thrown up a few times since then”.
“Well, you don’t have a fever,” Dr. Sampson says, looking at his chart. “Any other symptoms?”.
“Not really,” Simon says. “Just- uh- a bit more clingy with my mates”.
“That’s normal when feeling under the weather,” she says. “Is that just today, or longer?”.
Simon thinks back. Actually, he's been finding it harder to be apart from them for a couple weeks now. Getting up for his runs or going about his day seems less and less enjoyable than being with them.
“Longer,” he answers. “I think we just haven’t had enough time all together”.
“That may be it,” she replies, scanning him intently. “Do you mind if I smell you? It may give me some insight”.
Simon lifts his wrist, used to this kind of test. Alpha and Omega doctors familiar with their patients can tell when their scent has shifted and it can sometimes lead them to other tests. She hums thoughtfully, making a note on his chart.
“It’s changed a bit,” she says. “Sweeter. When was your last heat?”.
“Six weeks ago”.
“And you had skipped two before, right?”.
“Yes”.
“How was this last heat?”.
Simon glances at Johnny, who suppresses a scoff.
“Johnny and I were stuck on a mission,” he says. “Neither of our Alphas were there. It wasn’t great, but it wasn’t bad, either”.
Dr. Sampson writes some more notes, then looks up at him.
“And since then,” she asks. “Have you been intimate with your Alphas?”.
Simon lifts a brow.
“Yes”.
“And you’re taking your birth control?”.
“Yes”.
“What about on your last heat?” she asks. “You obviously ran out of heat suppressants. Did you also run out of birth control?”.
Simon looks at her incredulously. What is she implying?
“Yes,” he answers slowly. “But like I said, it was just me and Johnny”.
“I understand. Was there any penile penetration though? Vaginally, I mean”.
Simon's thoroughly confused now.
“Yes,” he says. “We fucked. But again, Johnny’s an Omega. And anything I did with Kyle and John was while on the pill. If you’re implyin’ what I think you’re implyin’, it’s impossible”.
“I understand the confusion,” Dr. Sampson replies, tone gentle. “But I’m asking, because your urine sample was positive”.
Simon freezes.
Positive?
What does that mean?
It can’t really mean-
There’s no way.
He’s not-
“Ye’re sayin’ he’s pregnant?” Johnny asks incredulously.
Simon’s still frozen, unable to even look at his mate who is currently gripping his hand so tight, his fingers are going numb.
“I am,” Dr. Sampson states firmly. “And I believe you’re the father”.