Work Text:
It was already half past six in the evening. Po was running late to pick up his little piece of happiness from kindergarten, but he was rushing as fast as he could. When he walked into the building, his daughter was the only one left. The upset little omega sat on a tiny chair, staring thoughtfully at the floor. As soon as she saw her papa, she reached her arms out to him, relief washing over her face. Po approached, crouched down beside her, and they shared a tight hug.
"hi, sweetheart. I'm sorry, I got held up at work. Is everything okay?" He pulled back and looked into her teary eyes. "Yes. Papa was gone for a long time, but you came," she smiled through her tears. "I'm sorry," he hugged her once more. "Let's go home."
"I am so sorry for being late, thank you for waiting," Po apologized to the teacher. "It's no trouble at all, Wesley is very easy to look after," the teacher replied with a smile.
Po took Wesley by the hand, and they headed toward the exit.
–
In the evening, after dinner, they settled in the living room as usual. Po was reading a book, while Wesley was drawing at her little table.
"What are you drawing, sweetie? Is that me?" Po peeked at the paper and saw the outline of a person. "No, it's the beautiful uncle from kindergarten." "What beautiful uncle?" Po asked in surprise.
"When Papa was gone for a long time, he stayed with me. He's probably Marn's papa. He picked her up," the little omega explained enthusiastically.
"Wow... oh I see. And why aren't you drawing me? Are you upset because I picked you up late?" Po pouted slightly, rubbing his daughter's back.
"No, Papa is good!! And the beautiful uncle is good too. I'll draw you right now, don't be sad," she kissed her papa on the cheek, pouting her lip too.
"Okay, sweetheart. You're doing a great job. I'll go make your bed now. It's almost bedtime," Po got up. Wesley nodded, took a fresh sheet of paper, and eagerly went back to drawing.
After Wesley was bathed and dressed in her cute kitten pajamas, she lay in her bed in her room. Po sat beside her.
"Do you think the beautiful uncle will come tomorrow too?" the girl asked thoughtfully. "I don't know, sweetheart. First, you need to get some good sleep, okay? And when you wake up tomorrow, we'll go to kindergarten," he gently stroked his daughter's leg.
"Mm-hmm. Will you stay with me until I fall asleep?" she made a cute, sad face. Po just smiled and kissed her forehead, staying with her until she drifted off to sleep.
Then he left the room and began getting ready for bed himself, while thinking that he should take a day off to take Wesley out for a walk. He owned a small flower shop. He loved arranging flowers himself; he liked them, and making bouquets relaxed him, which was why he preferred to work there alone. But of course, he took days off sometimes, and for those occasions, he had another employee.
Once he slipped into his favorite comfortable pajamas and finally climbed into bed, sleep quickly overcame him.
—
The next morning passed cozily and peacefully. Po deeply loved his life and his daughter. Although it was sometimes sad to see complete families on the street, consisting of an alpha, an omega, and a child, he had grown accustomed to this way of life, and everything suited him just fine. He had a job, a home, a wonderful daughter, his parents, and a best friend who could always come to his aid. But his daughter was his greatest joy.
With these thoughts, Po drove up to the kindergarten. He opened the car door for Wesley, and she immediately, by habit, took his hand, while in her other hand she held her cute tiny backpack, which she loved to carry herself.
"Papa... can I give my drawing to the beautiful uncle? I put it in my backpack," the girl asked shyly in a quiet voice.
"What? Sweetie, do you like this uncle so much? You remember how I told you not to talk to unfamiliar uncles, right?" – stopping by the car, Po crouched down to be at Wesley's level and hear her soft voice.
"I remember. But the uncle isn't unfamiliar. Please, Papa," the girl pouted her lips. "Alright, fine, you little trickster," he could never resist his daughter's pouting face.
Since he was raising her alone, he wasn't strict and tried to give her enough love. Sometimes he had doubts about whether he was coping well in the role of a father. But his best friend, whenever they talked on the phone, always persuaded him, assuring him that in any case, she didn't need some best papa in the world; she just needed Po, who already gave her all his love and lived for her. For a while, he believed her. He tried not to succumb to sadness, otherwise Wesley would feel his sadness and get upset too.
They hugged and then continued on toward the kindergarten, holding hands. Besides them there were already three other parents with their children.
Wesley scanned the hall and, spotting one young man, pointed at him. “There he is.” Po followed her gaze and saw an attractive alpha, who looked, Po guessed, to be about his age. He was a little surprised — he had expected to find some soft, kind omega, but here was an alpha, and he didn’t look particularly friendly. He was squatting down and saying something to a little girl, probably his daughter, Po thought.
Wesley let go of his hand and, confident but also blushing a little, went straight up to the man. Po followed her, feeling a strange anticipation. He noticed his palms had already started to sweat.
The alpha turned as she approached; then he glanced up, probably looking for the parent, and his eyes landed on Po. For a second their gazes met. Po would remember that piercing look for the rest of his life. He looked away, and the alpha quickly scanned him, lingering at his neck as if checking for a mating mark.
“Hi,” the alpha said suddenly in a husky voice, smiling softly.
“Uhm… good morning,” Po answered, a little embarrassed.
Wesley drew both of their attention. “Hi, mister… I drew a picture for you,” she said, taking a sheet from her backpack and holding it out to the alpha.
“Hi, baby,” he replied, taking the paper and looking at the drawing. Then he smiled and asked, “Is this… me and your… papa?” he looked at the little girl. Po opened his mouth in surprise, peered at the picture, and then looked at his daughter in astonishment. The little omega nodded proudly.
Po’s ears flushed pink and his mouth went dry, but he felt he should say something. “Oh—I’m sorry, I didn’t see. Probably your partner would be upset if they saw…” he blurted, worried. The alpha murmured, “Thank you, sweetheart. It’s very pretty,” and gently patted Wesley on the shoulder. She beamed and flung herself around his neck. The alpha looked surprised for a second, then confidently placed his large hand on her back and turned to Po.
“It’s okay, I don’t have a partner,” he smiled. “I just sometimes pick up and drop off my brother’s daughter.” Po only blinked in mild surprise and nodded.
It felt strange to see Wesley in the alpha’s arms—she was usually only with him or with his friend, who was also an omega. Yet, surprisingly, she looked completely at ease in those strong arms, and Po found himself thinking how nice it would be if Wesley had a full family, as she deserved.
“All right, Wesley, let’s say goodbye – Papa has to go to work,” Po said. She reluctantly let go of the alpha’s neck and came back to her papa. Po leaned down and, as was their tradition, Wesley planted a kiss on his cheek before he left. Po tried not to notice the curious way the alpha kept looking at him. Wesley waved one last time and ran off to the other children.
The alpha stood up and, seeing Po’s unease, stepped closer. “If you don’t mind, I could give you a ride to work. I have a car,” he offered. As he came closer, Po felt a small pang of disappointment that he couldn’t smell him. Since birth Po had issues with his sense of smell; he couldn’t detect scents, not even his own. This condition ran in the family from his father, and he was grateful that Wesley hadn’t inherited it.
Po blinked, coming back from his thoughts, and registered the alpha’s words. “Huh? Thanks, but no, that’s okay.” The alpha appeared disappointed and pursed his lips slightly. “I have my own car, too,” Po added quickly—he didn’t like seeing the man look let down for some reason.
“Oh, I see, then… shall we go?” the alpha said, opening the door for Po with a smile. Po followed him, bewildered.
He himself couldn't smell it, but his own scent betrayed his embarrassment – and the alpha noticed.
Po nodded slightly in farewell and headed to his car, surprised when the man walked toward the vehicle next to his. Po didn't know much about cars, but they looked almost the same, only different colors: a black Mercedes and the white one.
He felt his heart rate quicken, and without looking back at the alpha he slid into his car as fast as he could, started it, and drove off to work to get away from those strange feelings... from him.
He put on music to distract himself, but his flower shop wasn't far, and in fifteen minutes he was already there. Inside, he turned on some calm music and, smiling, began slowly getting the shop ready to open. Apart from the variety of flowers, workdays all ran almost the same, so he always looked forward to the evenings when he could pick up his little sunshine from kindergarten. But now the thought of the kindergarten brought mixed emotions — there was a chance he might see... him.