(Warning: Cringey Content, Reference to Violence, Sexual References)

I blink confused. “Can they do that?” I whisper back. 

“No and yet he does. I don’t trust him, he’s… slimy.” The word that came through my collar was a little delayed, there must not be a direct word for the one he used in my language. Probably something like a slimeball or sleezy I dunno. 

After walking for a while I see a beautiful butterfly boy that I “make” Master stop so I can look at. 

“What is he?” I ask quietly. He’s standing very dejectedly in the hallway outside the nurses office. 

“He’s one of the claimed Omegas, hmm very... colorful.” Master looks away, not interested. I hunch down peeking over Master’s bicep. He has a humanoid-like face but alien eyes and antenna. Large butterfly wings connect to his “arms” and he fiddles with his suit in an agitated manner until. 'Garbled noise.' Comes through my collar. I see my Master whip around.

Worried I was about to be very close to a fight, I tense up as my Master’s lungs fill, instead a happier noise comes from Master’s lungs. 

'Garbled noise,' "when did you get back?!” 

‘Is that their names?!’ I try to listen for the growling but they don’t use their names again. 

A very large, very scarred, and most surprisingly very colorful wolf is walking towards Master. Master puts me down quickly nodding towards the butterfly omega. I move out of the way quickly as the wolf is picking up speed. He smashes into Master as hard as he can. They grapple for a second then Master gains his footing and pushes the other much larger wolf back a few steps. The colorful wolf laughs and gives up, lowering his head and eyes briefly. 

“Still as strong as ever.” He rumbles and a strange feeling twists in my stomach at the way they look at each other. I turn my attention quickly to the butterfly boy. He has a look of absolute terror at the feat of strength before he sees me approaching and hisses, bearing awful spider-like fangs. I stop short.

“Can you understand me?” I ask, seeing his collar light up, but not hearing anything. 

He looks at me then his collar lights up and I hear a soft whispery voice say, “Yes.” 

“Why are you scared?” I ask moving so I can press up against the wall as-well, he recoils from me. 

“I’m delicate and I’ve already been hurt twice.” My collar says. 

“I won’t hurt you,” I promise. 

“Will you try to mate with me?” 

‘What’s with everyone assuming that I hop dicks?!’ 

“No, believe it or not, I’m satisfied with my Mastor for now.” 

Content the butterfly approaches me. He tilts his head, butterfly eyes taking me in. They are black fading to blue. 

“I can see you much better than the others.” My collar murmurs. “I like your color.” 

“Thank you.” I say, “You are very beautiful as well.” 

He spreads his wings a little, “It’s hard not to stand out, that’s why…” He turns to look at his colorful Master, “He means so much to me.” 

I smile a little at the obvious infatuation he had for his Master. ‘I must look the same way.’ ‘Don’t trust him.’ A memory echoes and I shake it away.

The boy has a horrible scar going down his wing. “Are you okay?” I gasp, ‘Why didn’t they heal it?!’ 

He tilts his head, “I had that scar before he took me.” He turns back to me and rubs his left hand down the right wing over the scar. “It’s not good to stand out.” He says softly. Sparkly dust trickles to the floor. 

“I think Omegas stand out no matter what.” I soothe. He chuckles silently, soft laughter coming through my collar. 

“It was nice to talk to you, I’ll be seeing you later more than likely,” He says politely then is scooped up by his Master. 

“Bye! My name is Syl by the way!” I call. He pops his head over his Master's shoulder. 

“My name is Omra.” Turning away he snuggles into his Master’s neck. 

“Obvious display of affection.” I touch the faint scar on my neck, “No bite marks,” I murmur out loud. 

‘If your Master really loved you then why would he want to scar you.’ 

I shake my head violently with a growl. Then turn to him who was watching the colorful wolf walk away with sad eyes. 

“He has lost so much ranking.” Master growls, “All because he refuses to follow the standards.” Picking me up, Master continues to walk, though much slower as to let them get far ahead.

“He is much stronger than me.” He says suddenly. 

I look up still dazed, “What.” 

“He pretends to be weaker because of his beliefs.” 

“What are his beliefs?” I ask. 

“That we shouldn’t mark our Omegas, shouldn’t be ranked by our strength, shouldn’t have to hide emotion or pretend not to care. It’s all a load of-” He stops, looking at my shining eyes. Ruffling my hair he sighs, “It’s all a load of Omega-like beliefs.” 

“That doesn’t sound so bad though,” I sigh. 

“We’re almost there so I’ll explain quickly, Omegas used to get stolen and fought over some being killed because the party’s couldn’t prove that the Omega was their’s. Records can be forged. People can be bribed. Not everyone has a telepath on hand but,” he touches the scar on my thigh, “scars last forever and each one is different. A permanent replica of their Master’s bite.” I stay quiet thinking about it for a minute. “By all means though, if you find a better way let me know,” he chuckles.

I open my mouth to ask what was wrong with physical affection in public and being ranked by intelligence when Master says, “we’re here.” He puts me down and then opens the double doors. It’s a large room. There are places to sit on the sides and it reminds me of a senate room mixed with a court. At the end of the room the Captain sits at a throne-esk chair, raised above all the rest. His Omega sitting in the chair to his left.

Upon eye contact with me I feel his presence between my eyes. I recoil a little startled that I could feel him reading my mind. I shut him out violently. He starts a little but says nothing, instead he gently presses. I can’t fight the horrible feeling it gave me and keep my mind shut. I don’t know how but I kind of imagined shutting a volt door in his face and it worked. He stands up and I start to worry but he asks if he can get closer to me. Mostly to the Captain. But after the Captain gives his approval my Master does too and I watch him walk up to me with only one thought in my mind. 

‘Bubblegum.’ He is the candy color pink and obviously an aquatic alien of some kind. Also he is small, about the size of a twelve year old male. I crouch, I hope that it wouldn’t be insulting to any of them but I wanted to see him eye to eye. Silently he tilts his head one way and then the other. He looks so soft and fragile I want to protect him. 

“Why do people have a bad first experience with you?” I ask. And the Captain doubled over laughing my Master tenses up and hits me softly over the head. The alien smiles softly and then shows me why.

His soft gentle persona melts away and I’m glad that I’m crouched because my legs would have given out as his eyes glow, more spots glow over his body. As I realize he could easily kill me if he wanted to, he bears the largest most violent teeth I’ve ever seen in my life. 

He forces his way into my mind, ‘This is why!’ He echoes. I cover my ears and then he leaves, my head aches but then he puts a mental “bandaid” over it. Thinking to me gently, ‘If I wanted to kill you it wouldn’t be because you thought I was cute and wanted to protect me. You are a very honest person. You need to work through your darkness though, it has the potential to consume you. I can feel it creeping in the corner of your mind.’ 

‘I have darkness?!’ I think worriedly. His fins flatten against his head and I catch a glimpse of his thought, ‘How can he cast thoughts he’s not a telepath?!-Get out!’ 

I flinch at his venomously and tear up, ‘What, you did it to me.’ I send. I can’t press anymore. It’s sealed. 

He moves closer sniffing me, ‘I will keep this information to myself unless it becomes a danger to the crew but I want to know, why can you cast thoughts?’ 

‘I dunno I just thought that since you could do it I could do it too.’ I think. 

He glows his eyes at me, ‘You are telling the truth. This is interesting.’ He presses at my mind, ‘Will you let me in?’

I hesitate, ‘Will it hurt, is it safe, what if you find something bad?’ The thoughts pour out. 

‘I would have already found the “bad” thing you are worried about. You are not evil just too conscious of how you are acting and what people think of you, honestly you’re normal. If you couldn’t send thoughts you’d be just like everyone else.’ I take a deep breath and closing my eyes relax my mind. He enters and starts looking around, ‘That’s interesting,’ he murmurs in my mind. 

I take another deep breath and he presses into the darkness jumping back a little as a surge of memories and emotions. I wince unable to meet his eyes after he saw how I was bullied and what I wished I could do to them in retaliation. He has almost no reaction just starts scrolling past until he stops on my dream and the intrusive thoughts. 

"Was that you?" I ask. My eyes snap open, breaking the connection. 

He says ‘No.’ In a very concerned tone. 

“...not normally that relaxed around people the first time.” The Captain was saying. I make eye contact with him and then look down at the pink telepath. 

He blinks and then thinks to me, ‘Don’t talk about this to anyone, you have telepathic abilities, I’m assuming it’s from the half alien part of you, if you really are half alien.’ He thinks something to himself I feel it but he blocks it from me. ‘I can train you how to completely seal yourself off and hide your telepathic abilities from others. You were way too open when you first came in the room, I was reading your thoughts from down the hallway they were so loud. Did somebody puncture your mind?’ 

‘I had a splitting headache after the dream.’ I think to him and then look up at my Master. He's talking to the Captain but I can’t hear him.

‘Focus,’ The alien demands of me. ‘What did he look like? The man in your dream?’ 

I picture the wolf alien and push the fuzzy image as hard as I could to the telepath. 

He squints, ‘That’s the worst quality memory I’ve ever seen,’ he chuckles. I get lost as the alien’s thoughts race. He’s thinking much faster than I can process. ‘Alright,’ he says, ‘I’ve decided the best course of action.’ He turns to the Captain, a brief exchange happens. 

The Captain exclaims, “What?!” I look at my Master and then the Captain sighs, “If you say so,” he murmurs, he points at me and says, “You’ll be required to train with my Omega everyday until he decides that-” He stops, “Uh the playdates are over, he’s bored.” 

My Master raises an eyebrow at me. “I’ll bring him here before work and pick him up after, Captain.” My Master briefly lowers his head and eyes. The Captain nods. He looked mean and gruff but I look at the telepathic alien and feel the warmth of his feelings towards him. 

“I look forward to talking to you tomorrow.” I whisper to the telepath. He blinks at me and then thinks, 

‘Remember to keep your mind guarded, I’ll help protect you while you’re aboard this ship, you are the most vulnerable when you are sleeping so try to prepare your mind before bed.’ 

‘I’ll try.’ I think back. 

He smiles at me, “Bye.” He says out loud. The doors swish shut.

“What was that?” My Master asks me slowly. I reach up to be picked up. 

“I’m tired.” I say truthfully. 

“You have a knack for making friends,” My Master says casually. 

I hug him tighter than close my eyes, “I love you.” I whisper.  He almost misses a step, I feel him correct himself. 

He murmurs, “I’ll take you home but I want you to tell me what happened.” 

‘Don’t tell him everything.’ I think to myself. 

“He said he wants to help me and that he found me interesting, don’t worry we didn’t flirt.” 

“That’s not-” ‘I mean it does make me feel better.’ My Master thinks. ‘I’m just worried, I don’t like dangerous people taking interest in you. How am I supposed to protect you from a telepath if he decides you are dangerous.’ 

I didn't expect to be able to read his mind so easily. I shudder and force myself to stop, I shouldn’t be invading his privacy like this. 

“Are you okay?” He murmurs. 

“My...ass hurts.” I say honestly and he laughs. I smile but my heart is heavy. Thankfully I fall asleep and can stop worrying.