nightstand for the lotion he kept there for sunburn. He straddled Micah’s naked body, poured a generous amount of lotion over his hands, and rubbed them together.
“My dad used to sing to me when I had nightmares as a kid.” He smiled at the memory and slid his hands down Micah’s back. “But I can’t sing for shit. I’d only traumatize you.”
Micah chuckled, then sighed when Travis dug his thumbs into the muscles between his shoulder blades.
“I could talk about my work. That should put you to sleep in no time.”
“I doubt it. I haven’t yet heard anything about you I didn’t find interesting. But tell me more about your family.”
“Okay.” That was easy. He imagined Micah meeting his brothers and his parents, and the clarity of the image made him all warm inside. “Jared is two years younger. He’s always been the boss, ever since he was a toddler. At eight, he trained Lucy, our retriever, to pick up toys after him. He had Oscar doing his chores for shares of his pocket money until Oscar grew smart enough to see through it.” Travis chuckled. “Pa called him our little capitalist. Dad was mad when he found out. I remember him holding a long speech about helpfulness and generosity and how everybody must do their part. ‘You won’t hire your little brother to do what is your responsibility! I don’t pay you for chores because you are my child and not my employee!’ He was afraid that the better off we were as he and Pa advanced in their careers, the more spoiled and selfish we’d become. And in a way, I think we were spoiled. So many things we took for granted. Loving parents, freedom to be who we wanted to be, unconditional support, and resources to study whatever we chose.”
“Both your brothers are omegas, right?”
“Yeah. Jared married his high school sweetheart. Logan is a lovely guy. It takes time to get to know him. He’s the quiet type but kind and supportive of Jared. Patient. One has to be. Jared has a forceful personality. He takes after Dad.”
“And Oscar?”
Travis grinned. “Oscar challenged Dad in the hardest possible way. It’s been fun to watch Dad struggle with his own values.”
Micah sighed when Travis kneaded his trapezius muscles. “How?” he asked on another contented exhalation.
“See, when Oscar’s first heat came, he was single, and Dad was ready to pay for a heat teacher.”
“Wow. I looked up a few, both omegas and alphas. It would deplete my college fund.”
“The certified ones with good reputations are expensive, yeah. You pay for complete safety and discretion. But when Oscar started feeling it, he came to my parents and said he was leaving with a couple of friends, long-term partners he knew from school. Dad was speechless. Oscar explained he wanted to enjoy himself during his first heat. He packed his bags and left. Dad fought for sexual liberation of omegas for half of his life, but then when his youngest son, his baby, took control over his sexuality, he was floored. I admit, the thought of my baby brother and ten days of wild threesomes was a lot, even for me.”
“And your pa?”
“I think Pa’s exact words to my dad were ‘Benjamin, dear, go to the bathroom and look into the mirror for ten minutes. Then come back and tell him he can’t go. I dare you.’”
Micah chuckled softly. “Oh, to be a fly on the wall.”
“Dad worked through it in a couple of days. It turned out Oscar had been sexually active for years before his first heat. He just wasn’t interested in a relationship. He spent a few more heats fucking around, and then he married a guy nine years his junior. They’re great together, but I think they play with other couples, especially during heats, which Dad doesn’t know. Liberation of omegas is one thing, but he still believes in monogamy and wants Oscar to be happy. He can’t wrap his head around Oscar’s version of happiness.”
“Mhm.” Micah hummed as Travis worked through the muscles in his lower back. “I think I get it. He grew up in a world where omegas were infinitely more vulnerable. Of course he worries. I guess he’s not as anxious when it comes to you, is he?”
“No. He worries about me in a different way. He thinks I’m lonely.”
“Are you?”
“Not really.”
But he would be. After Micah left, Travis would be as lonely as he’d ever been.
Their conversation died out, and Travis softened his