Chapter 7
This was it.
He’d had a good run, nearly two months with this amazing foster family.
But now...well he wouldn’t blame them for calling Scott after what Wade had just done.
Wade had always thought most foster parents had too many rules...or not enough.
Clint and James had one.
Don’t leave the front door open, or Lucky will run away.
Look, in Wade’s defense - screw you Jimmy - there was a really cool looking bird out front! And he had barely left the door for two seconds before he turned around and realized the door was wide open. No sign of Lucky.
The boy ran all around the house - both inside and outside - even checked around the block calling Lucky’s name. No sign of Lucky. He couldn’t help it, he started to cry.
James was at work while Clint was sleeping in as usual, which meant Wade would need to go wake up the Omega. Tell him the bad news.
A guilty feeling settled in the pit of his stomach as the pup slowly made his way to their bedroom, dragging his feet the whole way. He wiped his nose as he opened the door, whimpering at the sound of Clint snoring.
Clint usually slept until ten and it was seven thirty.
Oh man he was going to be so mad.
You should just run away. Thanks Jimmy.
“C-Clint,” the pup said with a hiccup. You are the worst pup ever. Clint began to stir as Wade couldn’t help but whimper again, the Omega no doubt smelling the distressed scent coming off the pup.
“Wade? Pup are you alright?” the sleepy Omega asked, flipping over to face him.
“Lucky ran away I’m so sorry!” Wade cried, freezing when the older blonde put one finger up. He’s deaf you dummy.
“Hang on pup, let me get my ears in,” the squinty eyed man grumbled, reaching over the nightstand for his aids. “Okay, I can hear. What’s wrong Wade?” The boy watched as the Omega sat up, wiping his eyes before realizing Wade’s state. “Wade?”
“I left the front door open and Lucky ran away I’m so sorry Clint I looked and looked but I can’t find him I did the one thing you guys asked me not to and -”
“- Wade, puppy slow down. Just put your shoes on, okay?” Clint said before a yawn as he sat up and began to put socks on.
Oh god...it was happening, he was going back to the system. He couldn’t stop more tears spilling down his cheeks, alarming the Omega moving around him.
“Hey, hey. Sweetheart what’s wrong? Wait, Wade I’m not awake yet and my brain isn’t working. You’re not in trouble. You’re not getting...like sent away or anything either. I want you to put your shoes on because I know where Lucky is.” And just like that, Wade’s world turned upside down.
“You...you do? But what if he got hit by a car?!”
“Oh baby, he is three blocks away and didn’t cross any streets to get there,” Clint said softly, squatting down and pulling the boy into a quick hug as Wade felt his stomach relax again. He quickly returned the hug, smiling as Clint led his face to the Omega’s neck. The scent helped calm the pup, whose breath was slowly evening out.
He hadn’t lost Lucky. They weren’t going to send him back.
“Come on, let's go put our shoes on,” Clint said as he also lifted the pup into his arms and walked the two to the front door. Silently, Wade put his shoes on, carefully watching the Omega in case he was pulling his leg. But the sleepy Clint just offered him a tired smile, yawning as he put his own shoes on and grabbed a leash before grabbing the pup’s hand gently and leading the two out of the house. Clint locked the door behind them before grabbing Wade’s hand again, offering a squeeze as he led the pup around the corner and towards a…
A pizza joint?
An old sign for Sal’s Pizza hung over the restaurant, the bell chiming when the Omega opened the glass door to an empty place. And there in the corner, sitting on a pile of pillows, was Lucky.
Eating pizza.
“Lucky!” Wade cried in excitement, letting go of Clint’s hand to rush over to the dog and hug him. The dog offered the boy a lick on his cheek before going back to munching on pizza, tail wagging.
“Lucky, did you run away from Wade?” Clint asked in a stern voice, amusement and slight annoyance in his voice and scent. The Omega had his hands on his hips too. And even though Lucky hung his head, his tail was still wagging. “Sal!”
An older Omega popped up out of nowhere, looking innocently at the situation.
“Clint! There you are!” the Omega said as he walked over to them. He was shorter than Clint, had a balding head and was covered in flour.
“Sal, you know you can’t reward Lucky with pizza if he comes here by himself,” Clint's fake stern voice now turned toward the other Omega.
“The poor dog came to me, clearly malnourished. What, you think I’m a monster? I had to give him some scraps!” Wade couldn’t help but giggling as he continued petting the dog, who was chunky enough that you couldn’t feel his ribs.
“Well, Lucky scared the crap out of Wade here, so I think you owe me a coffee and the pup here a few slices.” Sal rolled his eyes with a grin and wiped his hands on his apron.
“Fair enough. Who’s the pup?” Wade kept his eyes on Lucky but could feel Clint’s on him, the Omega taking a moment before responding.
“Bucky and I have started fostering, this is our pup.” Wade looked up that time, smiling at seeing the matching smile on Clint’s face.
“Well that’s freaking adorable. What kinda pizza you want, pup?” Sal asked, getting Wade to finally stand up and face the man. He didn’t look at him any different when he found out Wade was a foster kid, just took it in stride and waited for the pup’s answer.
“Um, cheese please,” Wade said, walking over to Clint and wrapping his arms around the Omega’s waist. He practically purred when the older blonde bent down and kissed the top of his head.
“Come on, pick a table for us,” Clint said as he gave the pup a hug in return, releasing him and following the pup to the table closest to Lucky.
“So how did you know he’d be here? Lucky comes here a lot, huh?” Wade asked just as Sal reappeared with a tray of food and drinks.
“Coffee for mister grumpy and a sprite for the pup. Along with a mini pizza, all on the house.”
“Thanks Sal,” Clint said as the older Omega smiled and walked back to the kitchen. “Lucky was, well...Lucky came to us because of Sal’s son - Sal Jr. He...died saving Lucky from a street gang. Sal Sr. was too sad to take care of him, so I offered to take him. Sal still has a soft spot for him, so he gives him pizza whenever we come by. Normally when me or James are with him though,” Clint explained between gulps of his coffee. “Sorry that scared you, puppy,” the Omega said in a quieter tone as Wade focused on eating his pizza.
“It’s fine. I was being stupid anyway,” Wade said, looking up at the angry smell coming off of Clint.
“You are not stupid, you made a mistake. And if you haven’t noticed, James and I make them all the goddamn time,” the Omega quipped, getting a genuine laugh from the pup. “It’s okay to have doubts about all of this, pup. You’ve been through a lot. Just come to me or Buck when you do - so we can tell you that you’re awesome and you’re not going anywhere.”
Wade felt himself blush but didn’t care, unable to control his smile as he reached over and pet his favorite dog.