Deep End

A couple days later, Zach was sitting in the quad by the Campus library; laptop out, books open, highlighters giving off day-glo realness, and notebooks filled with anything he thought might be on the test coming up a week after they got back from the wedding.

Although he was working on school-work physically, his mind wasn't in it. His mind was on Owen and the apartment and he started absent-mindedly tapping his pen against his book. Wondering what it would be like living with someone who wasn't family.

What it would be like living with the man he planned on mating with?

If he would feel any differently about the Alpha after living with him for a few days or weeks or even months.

It was kind of scary to think about. Scary but good.

The Omega was aware of some things about the Alpha's living habits, but he was both curious and worried to learn about all of them.

He knew how Owen loved to cuddle. Finding that out on the rare nights he had stayed overnight in Owen's hotel room. Often waking to the larger Alpha plastered on his back and his limbs wrapped around his body like an Octopus. Limbs so entangled that he usually had to wake the other man up just so he could get to the bathroom.

The older man also liked to leave his wet towels on the floor and squeezed the toothpaste tube from the middle instead of the bottom.

Zach stopped tapping his pen, it hovered in the air as an important thought struck him, Did Owen go over or under for the toilet paper?

He didn't know if he could live with someone again who liked it over.

Gray liked it over and many a battle had commenced over toilet paper etiquette in their shared bathroom over the years. It had gotten so ridiculous that once Gray had decided to hide all the toilet paper and refused to let Zach have any until he declared 'Over' was the best way to hang your toilet paper. Zach had hung him over the toilet and threatened him with a swirly in retaliation, getting his younger brother to give in. He had won that battle but not the war.

His text alert broke him out of his thoughts and he fished his phone out of his pocket.

I see you.

Zach smiled and looked up, his eyes moving quickly over the people in the quad, looking for Owen. He didn't see him anywhere and made to turn around and check behind him, but before he could Owen's big, familiar hands covered his eyes and a voice whispered in his ear, "Guess who?"

Zach smirked playfully, "Well, let's see, it can't be my mate because he's not supposed to be in town for another day. So it's obviously my other handsome boyfriend...Chris Pratt."

He felt a little growl go through Owen's chest before the hands were removed and his Alpha straddled the bench next to him. "I'm way sexier than that pretty boy."

"I don't know, he's pretty attractive and funny and he's got this amazing ass-mph!" Zach was pulled forward by his shirt suddenly and Owens lips captured his, his eyes closing as he tilted his head to deepen the kiss with his Alpha. Owen's tongue snuck into his mouth, mapping out the inside like he was searching for lost treasure and a whimper was pulled from Zach's lips. The young Omega moved in closer, his hands landing on top of Owen's thighs to help hold him up as the other man devoured his mouth. The hand in his shirt eventually loosened and let go, moving up to the back of his head to thread fingers through dark brown hair and Owen's other hand cupping his cheek.

Someone far off wolf whistled and hollered at them, "Get you some!" Zach pulled back with an embarrassed laugh and red cheeks, from the make-out session and cat-call in equal measure. Owen leaned back and smirked, the hand in his Omega's hair falling away but not the one on his cheek.

"What were you saying about that no-name actor again?"

"I don't remember." Zach leaned forward, smile still on his lips, and quickly stole another kiss from his Alpha.

"Good."

Zach moved so he was straddling the bench and facing Owen head on, "Why didn't you tell me you were coming today?"

"That's why it's called a surprise." The older man rubbed his thumb softly just under the Zach's eye, smiling at him.

"Yeah, yeah. How'd you even know I was here?"

Owen lifted his hand away from Zach's cheek and put it to his forehead, eyes closed and humming dramatically, "Psychic."

Zach's brown eyes rolled and he gave a slight push to the Alpha's shoulder. "Gray told you didn't he?"

Owen opened his eyes at the shove and smirked, "Nope. Believe it or not it was your dad. Your mom and Gray had a date with the dentist."

Zach quirked an eyebrow, "Really? My dad told you where I was?"

"I think he's actually starting to like me. He only maimed me with his eyes this time. Didn't set me ablaze for the deflowering of his son."

The Omega turned scarlet and this time punched Owen hard in the arm, "He doesn't even know that we...you know."

Owen snorted, "Believe me, he knows. The way he's been looking at me ever since that weekend tells me he is completely aware of what we got up to."

"Aw man." Zach leaned forward and rested his head against Owen's shoulder, "That is so embarrassing if he does."

Owen laughed and rubbed his hand down Zach's back, "So before I went to your house I called about that apartment. The guy who answered says it's still available and we may have an appointment to see it in an hour."

Zach looked up. "Really?!"

"Yup. So if you pack up your books we can go grab a bite to eat before we head over there."

Zach lunged forward again, hugging Owen and giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. The older Alpha laughed as he watched his Omega grab up his bag and start stuffing his things away making a mess of it in his haste.

They left Zach's little putt-putt car in the parking lot of the school and took Owen's rental to a nearby burger joint. After their lunch they made their way over to the neighborhood the apartment was in. Zach was watching the house numbers pass by, his eyes searching for the right house, "...158, 160, 162...there, 164 Newville." Owen parked on the street next behind a black Mercedes Benz. They took a minute and just sat in the car looking at the brick house, an 'Apartment for Rent' sign sitting in one of the two upper windows of the apartment they were there to look at.

"Well, at least the outside looks like the pictures."

"What? Were you expecting an old dilapidated house with some creepy guy just trying to lure people to his home to murder them?"

Zach's cheeks tinted pink in embarrassment, "Kind of. I mean, they still haven't caught that guy who is attacking Omegas."

Owen chuckled and grabbed up Zach's left hand, "You know that's one of the reasons I wanted you to wait until I got here to see the place. Wanted to make sure everything was on the up and up."

"So I'm justifiably paranoid."

"Completely. Now let's go check this bad boy out."

Owen let go of Zach's hand for the few minutes it took them to get out of the car and meet by the walk-up before he grabbed up the younger man's hand again. They made their way up to the house and then Owen pulled Zach over to the stairs, "The guy said we should meet him upstairs."

They walked up the stairs and Owen knocked on the door with his knuckles, "We're a little early so he might not-"

The door whipped open and a rather tall, pregnant Hawaiian man in his thirties appeared, a smile on his face, "You must be Mr. Grady." He looked at Zach, "...and you must be Mr. Grady's mate that he spoke of." The darker-skinned man turned and shouted behind him, "I told you there was nothing to worry about Jackson."

Owen smirked over at Zach as someone shouted back from inside the apartment, "You're 5 months pregnant Danny! I can damn well worry if I want to!" A shorter blonde man came to the door and wrapped an arm around the Omega's waist. Palm resting on the curve of the other man's belly. He was about the same age as his pregnant mate but was more the sharp GQ model lines and harsh glares type. His blue eyes looked over Owen and Zach suspiciously before he grunted and nodded his head at them. "They look alright. Go on and show 'em the place."

Danny rolled his eyes, "You're so gracious thank you." He looked at Zach and winked, "Alphas, am I right?"

Zach chuckled, "I plead the fifth."

Danny gave a chuckle as well, "Smart man." He held the door open for them, "Come on in and check it out. I hope the pictures do it justice."

Zach pulled Owen into the apartment behind him, a little awestruck because it was actually bigger on the inside than what he thought. "This is great. It looks better than the pictures! They make the space look smaller than it is."

"Just the angle the photographer used probably." Danny said and smiled at Jackson, the other man grumbling something under his breath.

Zach nodded absently as he moved into the apartment, Owen let Zach's hand slip from his and he watched as his Omega went around the room. The younger man's smile only getting bigger the more he looked about. He opened all the cupboards and then opened the appliances to check them out. He sat on the couch, sighing as he sunk into the cushions. He loved that it was cushier than it looked. He turned on the TV and flipped through a few channels, making sure it worked. Then he moved to the bed and plopped down on it, giving a few bounces. "Queen size?"

"Yup and brand new. All the other appliances and furniture was used by the last tenant though."

"Nice." He noticed what had to be the bathroom door and went to go check it out. The picture he had seen of the bathroom seemed cramped but he was pleased to see it was nice and had a good amount of space inside so he wouldn't be getting out of the shower only to step into the toilet.

He walked out of the bathroom and went to one of the windows and smiled, "I love it. It's just big enough and it's close to my school, work, and family."

Danny, who was sitting on one of the bar-stools while Jackson rubbed at his lower back, smiled and rubbed his hand over his protruding belly, "I'm glad you like it. Everyone else who's looked at it thinks it's too cramped. It's been on the market for a while, but we only just put it online hoping to branch out."

"I think it's perfectly cozy." He looked over at Owen and then glanced at Danny's baby-bump, "Just the right size for right now."

Owen didn't miss the lingering look and he suddenly really needed the other couple to leave. The dominate part of him needing to take his younger mate and give him everything he wanted, starting with a pup. He even moved across the room and grabbed Zach around the waist, one of his hands resting low on Zach's belly where their children would eventually grow. He missed the embarrassed look Zach threw over his shoulder at the other couple and the start of a blush to appear on the Omega's cheeks but he heard the quiet questioning, "Owen?"

That's when the older Alpha realized he had started softly growling, almost purring, one of Zach's hands resting over the one on his stomach. He took a few breaths, put his head in the crook of Zach's neck, breathing in the scent he found there and said, "Sorry...I'm sorry. Didn't even realize I was doing it. I just..." He shook his head slightly and looked over at the realtor and his mate, "Yeah, sorry, so is there anything we should know about before we decide to sign on the dotted line. Ghosts and sh--Jackson narrowed his eyes--tuff like that?"

Danny laughed and shook his head, "Not really. No one's died here so I promise no ghosts or hauntings. There's an older widowed Alpha that lives on the floor below you. She's the nicest lady. Probably waiting to see if you take the apartment before baking you something. Then there's a Beta in the basement apartment. He's kind of an odd duck, but seems harmless. You'll probably never meet him because he keeps odd hours. Rent is due at the end of the month, amenities are included. Only one pet allowed and i'll need an extra $300 deposit for that if you decide to get one."

Zach smiled at that. He could finally get a dog.

"How long is the lease?" Owen asked, turning their joined bodies to face the other couple.

"Month to month. The landlord likes it that way. Says it's easier for him than having the hassle of dealing with, and I quote, 'stupid people who break their lease'." Danny gave the side-eye over to Jackson and smirked, "The landlord is pretty nice though. He's an Alpha and he seems all grumpy and holier-than-thou at first but he's quick to take care of any problems so you won't have to worry if something breaks. He usually gets someone out to look at it the next day. He even put that security door up for the last renter without asking."

"Really?"

Zach missed Jackson's hint of a blush, but Owen didn't and he smirked over at the blonde.

"Yup. You know that guy they're still looking for? The one attacking Omegas living alone?"

Zach nodded and ran his hand over Owens as the other man's arm twitched and held him just a bit tighter.

"Well, the last renter who had this apartment was an unmated Omega and I hear the Landlord was totally gone over him the first time he saw him. After the first two attacks happened the landlord had a security door put up."

Jackson cleared his throat, "There's a security door on all the doors. Not just this one. You're just reading too much into it, babe."

Danny rolled his eyes and turned to Jackson, "Now there are, but not for a week after this one was put on...You still won't admit it will you?"

"No idea what you're talking about."

Zach's eyes widened, finally realizing what Owen had, and then he smiled and gave Danny a look, "You were right. Alphas."

Danny laughed and Jackson scowled, "If you two are done then maybe we can continue on with business?"

"Honey?"

"Yeah?"

Danny kissed Jackson cheek, "Shut up."

"Whatever." Jackson sulked and grabbed a folder off of the counter, "So are you taking it or what?"

Owen's arms around Zach's waist tightened, "We're taking it."

The blonde Alpha made whoop-de-doo motion with his finger, "Great."

Danny reached over as best he could and pinched Jackson's arm, "Be nice."

"Yeah yeah. Here." He pulled out a sheaf of papers and laid them out on the counter and then pulled a pen out of his jacket pocket, placing it next to one of the papers.

Danny moved off the bar stool to give the others room to look over the paperwork, his hand on his lower back rubbing into the aching muscle.

"Are you okay?" Zach asked, eyeing the way the other Omega cringed a bit as he rubbed the spot.

"Yeah. This is the one thing I don't enjoy about being pregnant. The aches...well, and at the beginning with the morning sickness."

Jackson snorted. Danny ignored him.

Owen smirked at the play by play of the mated pair. Knowing that that would more than likely end up being him and Zach in 5 years. Mated with a house and a kid on the way. His eyes became unseeing on the papers in front of him as he imagined a nice big house with a yard and maybe a dog running around; definitely a cat though. Working on one of his many motorcycles in the driveway. Getting yelled at by a pregnant Zach for forgetting to pick up whatever it was he was craving.

It was a beautiful image and Owen knew he had never wanted anything more than for that to become his future. Zach moved over to Owens side and the older man reached over and pulled Zach to him, kissing his Omega's cheek. His eyes bright and happy, "Let's get this paperwork done for and then go enjoy the rest of our day."

Zach smiled down at him and helped fill out the information so it was done quicker than normal. Owen signing his name next to Zach's with a bit of a flourish and roguish smile.

Danny took the papers and "We just have to wait until the credit report comes back and that'll be in a day or so and then as soon as that's done with we'll give you a call and you can come get the keys, pay the security deposit and first month's rent. Then you guys can start moving in whenever."

"If they pass the credit check. Keyword babe."

Danny sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, "Ignore him and please don't judge me based on this veritable joy of a person."

That, apparently, was the thing that got Jackson started off and Zach smiled over at Owen as they followed behind the bickering couple and down the stairs. The mated pair only stopping long enough to say goodbye to Zach and Owen and that they would get back to them soon. Jackson helping Danny into the Mercedes still arguing, before he got into the drivers side and drove off.

Once they were back in the rental Zach leaned over the arm rest and kissed his Alpha on the mouth, taking Owen by surprise. Zach lingered, savoring the kiss for a minute before pulling away and smiling at the older man before getting himself hooked in. Ready and waiting to leave, Zach noticed out of the corner of his eye Owen was still facing him, so he turned and smiled. "Well, I'm ready when you are."

Owen's lips twitched up and he hooked his own seat-belt and started the car, "Where to?"

"Anywhere and everywhere."

The older man gave him another bright smile, his eyes crinkling in happiness as he pulled away from the curb and drove away. His hand reaching for Zach's and his fingers twining with his Omega's.