#om3ga

Huddled under the blankets in his bed, clutching onto the sheets, fresh tears streaming down his unpainted cheeks, shivering from trauma-induced fear and inexplicable cold, Terzo didn't hear the door to his old papal suite open.

"Papa?"

Terzo cautiously peeked his head out from under the blankets, squinting into the darkness of the room. "Eh? W-who is it?"

"It's me, Omega."

Terzo's breath caught in his throat at hearing the name of his old ghoul. His old bandmate. His old love. Swallowing a sob and clearing his throat, Terzo croaked out a "Come in."

He laid there as he heard the large ghoul slowly walk across the carpeted floor to his bed. There was silence for a moment, just the sound of them both breathing, then, "Papa?"

"I am not Papa anymore," Terzo replied, bitterly. "I am just someone who was cast aside when I was no longer useful."

"Papa—"

Terzo sat bolt upright, flinging the blankets half off of himself in the process, and spat out, "I am NOT Papa anymore, cazzo!"

Though it was dark, he could still see the effect that his venomous tone had had on the quintessence ghoul, and immediately regretted opening his mouth. These sleepless nights had made him irritable, and he felt like such a stronzo taking it out on his beloved ghoul.

"Terzo." Omega's voice was steady, but still with an edge of sadness to it.

"Omega," Terzo breathed.

The two men were silent for a long moment, looking at each other in the darkened room, neither of them really sure just what to say or how to proceed. They'd been reunited shortly after Terzo's resurrection, but for the past week or so, Terzo had been avoiding everyone, including Omega.

Now, with the nightmares plaguing him, and the trauma of being killed, revived, and replaced...Terzo regretted it. He was lonely, and felt an unbearable ache in his soul and body, for contact with someone who actually cared about him. Someone like Omega.

Omega closed his eyes, muttered an apology, and turned around to leave. Just as he was about take a step toward the door, Terzo whispered, "Hold me?"

The quintessence ghoul stopped in his tracks, and Terzo feared for a moment that he had make a mistake, that speaking to Omega so harshly had soured his beloved ghoul's opinion of him, that Omega would disregard his request and walk back out the door...

But he didn't.

Instead, Omega slowly turned around, looking at Terzo with an unreadable expression, then nodded.

Terzo pulled back the blankets and scooted over, giving Omega enough room to join him in the bed. They stared at each other for a moment, feeling a bit awkward, but that moment soon passed and then Omega was laying down next to his Papa—because Terzo knew that he would always be Omega's Papa—and wrapping his big, strong arms around him.

Terzo buried his face in Omega's broad chest, clutching at his shirt, letting more tears fall. But this time, they were tears of relief. Being in Omega's arms seemed to heal a part of his shattered soul, even if only slightly.

"Omega."

"Terzo." Omega pressed a kiss to the top of his Papa's head, and Terzo felt his heart flutter in a way that it hadn't in a very long time.

Before long, both of them fell asleep; Omega happy to be with his Papa again, and his Papa so comforted by his ghoul that he finally felt safe enough to drift off, and the two of them slept through the rest of the night. Safe, secure, and in each other's arms.