What to expect, fic

[isamazed]

Title: What to expect
Author: isamazed
Word count: approx. 3,400
Characters: Becker/Ryan, OCs, Allen and the colonel, mention of the pups
Rating: T
Warnings: pup!verse (Alpha/Omega verse with puppies and mpreg)
Disclaimer: Primeval belongs to Impossible Pictures. I only write for fun…
A/N: Written for fredbassett's Valentine's Day Gift Box 2022 on primeval_denial. The prompts that inspired me were 1) I have no idea where the fuck we are. And no, I am not joking. and 2) They're furry, and they seem friendly, so what's the problem? Both prompts got a rather liberal application here ;-)
The pups (and pup!verse in general) belong to fififolle. Allen and the colonel are clea2011's. Thanks for lending them out! Also, thank you, fififolle, for the speedy beta!
Also, pup!verse is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. So I thought it would be fun to send their world into upheaval again ;-)

This follows on from To be expected. However, the storyline started with Unexpected Circumstances.

Becker had a hard time battling the button of his jeans after his check-up. He was almost four weeks along now and he was starting to show. He'd been reluctant to share the news of his pregnancy widely so far, partly because he knew some people would be bloody judgemental and partly because he'd secretly been afraid something might go wrong. He couldn't put it off any longer now.

The symptoms of the early pregnancy had disappeared and the doctor had just confirmed he and the pups were in prime condition. The little ones were growing nicely and seemed perfectly healthy and Becker preened about the fact that his hair had become even thicker and shinier, he didn't even mind that one or two new grey locks had appeared. Ryan never ceased to tell him that he positively glowed.

Finally he managed to get his trousers fastened and sighed in relief that he wouldn't have to leave with them open. He really needed to buy a couple of pairs of paternity trousers, and soon. He still had to go to work for a few weeks and pregnancy wear wasn't quite part of the standard special forces issue. 

It was just one of the times when it became blatantly obvious that Becker was still the odd duck out, more a curiosity than anything. It had made him mad when he found out that practically nothing had changed since he'd had the triplets and he still needed to apply for permission to wear civilian clothes during work hours. The fact that someone had to approve that pissed him off and frustrated him, especially since it wasn't like he had a choice. There simply wasn't adequate military wear available. It was no wonder that still only few omegas worked. It was plain exhausting to fight for every little thing every day. He'd definitely lucked out with the ARC for his permanent posting. It was like a different world entirely sometimes and most of the time, he was just one of the guys.

„Uhm, Captain Becker?“, the omega specialist's hesitant voice interrupt his thoughts.

„Yes?“ Becker turned to look at her. That was weird. Was something wrong after all?

„I was wondering... I am sorry if I overstep but I have this other patient. He's pregnant, too, and he shared that he's worried about how everything will work out with his job once the little ones arrive. He's got a friend who works at a store part-time after pupping, but he's never met another omega with an ambitious career like he has.“ She cleared her throat. „I was wondering if you might be willing to meet him? Share your experiences and some best practices maybe? It seems like you and your alpha really made it work. It would be good for him to see there are options, and maybe you two get a new friend out of it?“

„Oh,“ Becker hesitated for a second but then made a decision. „Of course, you can pass on my number to him.“

He'd never entertained the thought of himself as a role model. His work-life balance was more a constant turmoil than “balanced”. It had always just been that his life hadn't felt complete without his job, so it had been nothing more than a necessity to work things out. But he now that he was presented with the opportunity, he quite liked the idea of talking about it all with a fellow working omega parent. Maybe they'd really get along well and meet up once in a while? Yes, it would be nice to have a friend like that. He usually didn't mind being the sole omega among a truckload of alphas and a few betas all the time, but sometimes they just couldn't relate and he felt a little lonely in the crowd. 

Yes, Becker was going to do this.

„Great!“ The omega specialist clapped her hands in delight. „He will be thrilled. His name is Dennis. He's a little younger than you but he reminds me a lot of you, actually. I am sure you'll get along nicely!“

Becker snorted. „I am sure practically every other pregnant omega out there is younger than me.“

Most omegas had their first pups before they turned 20, and even those who opted for a second set of pups after their first pair were old enough, usually gave birth the second time at just over 35. Becker on the other hand had been a good decade older when he had their trio, and they were well into puberty by now.

The doctor chuckled. „It's not always a bad thing, I think. You seem a lot more relaxed and settled than some of the youngsters.“

„Thank fuck for that! With five pups, I need my head screwed on straight,“ He chuckled.

The omega specialist laughed again. „You know, you're probably my favourite patient.“ She clapped a hand in front of her mouth and threw here eyes wide open. „I shouldn't have said that. Please don't tell the others in the waiting room, captain!“

Now he laughed. „No worries, doc. I get it, this is classified.“ He winked.

„Good,“ she chuckled again. „Okay, I'll put you in touch with Dennis and I'll see you back here next week. And as always if –“

„If anything feels off, I'll see a medic.“

She nodded, satisfied, and ushered him out of the examination room.

„See you next week then.“

„See you.“

# # # # 

Becker stood in the street and stared at the door to the independent gym on the other side of the street. It promised access for everyone independent from their fitness level, age, gender or designation. It sounded like a place Becker might enjoy going to if he hadn't access to ARC gym and training grounds. It just seemed like a weird place for two pregnant omegas to meet at.

He checked the time on his watch – still two minutes before the agreed time – and rubbed his belly. His skin itched as it stretched for his growing pups. He looked up again and watched a huge muscular alpha with a little pouch exit the gym. Becker wondered how much beer the guy drank to develop a belly like that when the rest of his body clearly got a regular workout.

The guy looked up and down the street until his eyes found Becker. A big smile appeared on the alpha's face and he headed straight for Becker. 

Wow, that was weird. He hoped the guy didn't have some weird cuckolding kink focused on pregnant omegas. That would be just his luck.

„Hilary Becker?“ The guy stopped in front of him and extended his hand for a handshake.

„And you are?“ Becker made no move to take his hand and just lifted a brow.

„Oh – I – oh,“ The guy let out an embarrassed chuckle. „I am Dennis. Sorry, how rude of me.“ His cheeks pinked and he saved himself from his awkwardly held out hand by running it through his short blond hair.

Dennis? This was Dennis? Holy shit.

Becker didn't really look the omega part but compared to this guy, he was practically a pixie. But while Dennis had introduced himself, the sweet scent of pregnant omega had reached Becker's nose.

At least that explained the pouch.

Becker was quick to jut out his hand this time and Dennis grabbed it gratefully. „It's good to meet you, Dennis. Shall we go to that café down the road?“

„Oh, if you don't mind we can sit down in the gym lounge. It's mine and we have the best green smoothies and protein drinks you'll find in town,“ He smiled proudly.

Wow, the doc hadn't been kidding. An omega who did not only work but ran his own business? Becker was immediately even more thrilled to meet him.

A few minutes later they sat down, both with a tall glass of green goo in their hand. Becker wasn't quite convinced. He was all for healthy food but he usually preferred his veggies in non-liquid form. But Dennis had gushed about how the ingredients were full of vitamins and stuff perfect for pregnant omegas, so he figured it wouldn't hurt to give it a try. Dennis seemed a little like a slightly more contained, burly, blond version of Connor, only that he was geeking out about everything related to fitness rather than technology and time travel.

„So, thanks for taking the time to meet with me. I really appreciate it,“ Dennis smiled and his big brown eyes were all warm and excited. „I really couldn't wait to meet you when the doc called me. It's great to meet another omega dad who's stayed in his job. How far along are you? And how old are your other kids? The doc said this is not your first rodeo. It's so exciting. You rarely hear of couples with a second set of kids while the firsts are still at home.“ His eyes got huge. „Oh my god, they're not dead, are they?“ He looked horrified.

Becker laughed and Dennis relaxed. „They're fine. Well, most of the time. They're teenagers, so one minute they're on top of the world and the next they're bawling their eyes out. Oh, and don't forget about the times they get angry and ready to take on the entire world. Don't get in their way then. You still sure you want to do this?“ Becker vaguely gestured in the direction of Dennis' belly.

„Oh believe me, I have absolutely no idea what the fuck I am doing here,“ he laughed and rested a hand on his bump. „It was a bit of a shock to find out I am pregnant. We thought I was dying or something.“ He shrugged as if it didn't matter but his eyes were serious.

Uh oh, was he struggling with this as much as Becker had the first time around?

„Yeah, same here. How come it was such a surprise for you? That's usually what happens after heats spent with an alpha.“ Becker was intrigued now. Omegas hardly ever saw a doctor for their pregnancies. They'd just let nature take its course unless something was wrong.

„Yeah, just that I didn't go into heat,“ Dennis smiled ruefully.

„What? Pregnant without a heat?“ He'd never heard of that. Ryan would never ever get his knot wet without a condom!

„Doc says I have too many alpha hormones. She thinks that's how I could bulk up that much in the first place and that it suppresses some of my heats to a level that I practically don't feel them at all. I only ever thought they don't come on the regular.“

„Wow,“ Becker said. „That's – wow.“

„Yeah,“ Dennis agreed. „Pretty much what Omar, Sally and I thought, too. Omar's my alpha.“ He pointed to the man working the reception desk. He was equally as big as Dennis and Becker had already noticed him sneaking them a glance a couple of times. Omar smiled and waved but stayed where he was. Becker smiled and nodded in greeting, quietly approving of the alpha giving them space. „Sally's our beta partner. We're all looking forward to it now. I can't imagine you planned for this right now either?“

Becker laughed. „Fuck no. We thought it was a faux heat at the onset of menopause.“

Now Dennis looked surprised. „Menopause? Surely you're too young for that?“

Becker shrugged. „I took a ton of illegal suppressants before Ryan and I mated. The military wasn't an omega-friendly place at the time. The medics thought it fucked up my hormone levels, late effects and all this. Turns out it was a normal surprise heat after all.“

„Shit.“ Dennis looked down at Becker's belly and back up again. „But you're happy about it now? You and your alpha?“

„Yes, we're doing quite alright with our trio, if I may say so myself, so I guess will get these two through it all, too.“ He patted his little bump.

„Triplets? You don't do anything by halves, huh?“ Dennis gaped.

„People keep telling me so,“ Becker chuckled. „But enough of me, what is it that has you worried? Doc said it's mostly about work?“

The other omega nodded. „Yeah, I've worked really hard to start this place and we're an established business by now but still... I know Omar will take care of everything on the floor while I am on leave after giving birth – he's been working for me for months before we even started dating – and Sally will take over the office side of things. But how will we manage in the long run? Is working full-time as a business owner really something you can do with kids? Hours can get unpredictable if one of the staff calls in sick or something. And it seems most omega parents still do the lion's share. And then there's the fact that we're an alpha-beta-omega partnership which increases the chances of having a third puppy.“

„Having three pups at once isn't the end of the world, I should know. And I know a thing or two about unpredictable events at work,“ Becker said dryly and then started to hash out advice and crazy stories from over the years. Before he knew it they also talked about things Ryan and he had tried that hadn't worked out for them at all. Dennis soaked it all up like a sponge, eagerly interrupting with more questions or concerns.

Becker decided then and there that the omega specialist was one of his favourite people on this planet. She'd not only connected him to another working omega dad but one who was the employer of his alpha AND beta. If anything, this throuple would form an even more unusual family than Ryan and he did. It was quite refreshing and he liked Dennis already. Maybe he and Ryan would get along with Omar and Sally, too?

# # # #

A couple of hours later, Becker arrived at home to find his parents' car in front of their house. He was sure they hadn't expected them and was a bit salty that Ryan hadn't warned him. He still hadn't told them about the pregnancy. He'd been working up to that for Sunday dinner. Just then his mobile beeped with an incoming text. He'd need to apologize to Ryan because this was the warning he'd missed. He felt absurdly pleased that Ryan always had his back, even with things like that.

Becker rolled his shoulders. There was no way his parents were going to miss his protruding belly when he took off his jacket. He had to bring the show on the road now.

He purposefully kept his coat on when he entered the house and found Ryan and his parents having a cup of tea at the dining table.

„Hey,“ He bent down to steal a quick kiss from Ryan and then greeted his parents. His father smiled at their little display of affection like even after all those years, he was happy and grateful that Becker had found love with Ryan. „I'm sorry if I forgot that we were expecting you.“ He grabbed himself a cup of tea and sat down at the table.

„Don't be stupid, Hilary,“ the colonel said. „We just picked something up at that antique's store in Church Street and thought we'd drop by for a minute. And take off your jacket. You're not in camp in Siberia.“

Becker fought hard not to roll his eyes. His mother had mellowed out a lot over the years but his instinct was still to fight her on every single thing even when he'd learned by now, that turning deaf to some of her comments was by far the less stressful alternative.

„Where were you? Did you do something nice?“, his father asked eagerly. He was always so keen to be a part of Becker's life.

„Beck met with a working omega who's expecting and was looking for some advice,“ Ryan pitched in when Becker hesitated. The alpha was clearly proud and puffed up in his seat.

„Oh! How lovely!“ Allen's eyes lit up. „It's wonderful to have little pups around. I loved when yours were still so small. Their fur is so soft and watching them exploring the world with friendly curiosity was the best! Not that I don't love them just as much now that they're older!“

„We know, Allen. Don't worry,“ Ryan was quick to reassure him. 

The colonel narrowed her eyes at Becker. „You don't look happy about it, though. Do you still not see how omegas find happiness in raising their pups? Not even after having your own?“

That was at the same time so accurate and far from the truth that Becker let out a startled laugh. He loved his kids, and they shared a happy life, but that didn't mean that this was everyone's experience or that everyone wanted to take that route in the first place. But arguing with his mother about that was wasted energy.

Instead, Becker cleared his throat and took Ryan's hand in his. The alpha squeezed his hand lightly, recognizing the signs that Becker was about to reveal their secret. 

„In fact, we have something to tell you,“ Becker started and watched his father's eyes dart between him and Ryan anxiously. „I am pregnant again. We're having two more pups in a couple of weeks!“

„Oh my god!“ Allen almost squealed, despite going on 70. „I can't believe it! That's wonderful! Hilary, I am so happy for you!“

His mother on the other hand was clearly unimpressed. „Pregnant?“ She lifted an eyebrow in distaste. „At your age? And with three children still in the house. Good lord, Hilary, how inappropriate. You're going to be the talk of the town for years.“

Becker felt Ryan keying up for a fight, but before the alpha could say anything, he replied coolly. „You know what, mother? I don't give a flying fuck. Ryan and I are happy about it, and the kids are looking forward to it, too. I really don't care what a few narrow-minded pensioners who don't have a life of their own think.“

„Hilary! Watch your mouth, boy. That is not how you talk to your alpha parent!“

„Ruth,“ Allen pleaded. „Let's not fight. This is wonderful news!“ He turned to his son and stretched out his hand to grab Becker's hand that rested on the table. „Tell us everything. When are you due? Is everything going fine? With your medical history...“

Becker ignored the colonel and instead, Ryan and he started to happily answer Allen's question and bring him up-to-date.

Becker's mother still looked snooty but she couldn't quite disguise that her interested was sparked, too. She'd really grown a little soft but couldn't bear to show it. Becker was glad their standard setting wasn't confrontation anymore. They could share a room without fighting all the time. He'd never really have a relaxed and close relationship with her, but he was happy that she didn't take it out on his kids like she used to in the beginning. And he'd certainly sleep more soundly knowing that this would hold true for the new pups arriving soon.

Ryan and he had built a good family.

This continues in Unexpected Problems.

Comments

[goldarrow]

Aw, poor Dennis! I'm glad Becker was able to ease some of his fears.

LOL Yay for both Becker and Allan standing up to the Colonel!

Onward to next part!

[isamazed]

Becker and Dennis will lead the revolution, no doubt, lol.
Yes! Allen loves his boy, so he’ll stand up for him in his own way ☺️

[fredbassett]

I absolutely LOVE it!!! Especially the bit with Becker falling into the trap of wrongly stereotyping Dennis and then really getting along with him.

And the scene with the Colonel and Allen was excellent. She's definitely mellowed, but will kill anyone who dares to suggest it!

Thank you so much for this!

[isamazed]

Yay, so happy you like it!
Oh gosh, never so much as hint on that to the colonel *shudders*

[fififolle]

I love how this all fits together and I never knew, lol. Yay for Dennis, he's brilliant.
The colonel, not so much, haha.
It just feels so nice for Becker to share with another omega. Love this!!!
And more!!! Amazing.

[isamazed]

Thank you! I think together Becker and Dennis could conquer the world if they wanted to 😄
It’s so much fun to see you going through all the installments 🤗

[fififolle]

It was amazing!! :D

[knitekat.livejournal.com]

Dennis is great. The fic is too.

[isamazed]

Thank you! ☺️

[telperion-15.livejournal.com]

Dennis is great, I love him! Hopefully he and Becker will be good friends :)

[isamazed]

No doubt, they will. They both needed a friend like that 😉

[nietie.livejournal.com]

Indeed, Becker and Ryan had built a good family. Mark that Ruth!

[isamazed]

Word.