Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

When Eggsy was born, it was clear he would either be an alpha or a beta. There was no changing that. He even smelled like a beta from birth, and within two months, as soon as his big blue eyes had lightened to a pale blue-green, he officially had his own scent as a beta, just barely there, but enough to tell what he was. 

A male alpha and beta had the same parts at birth. External testicals and a penis. They both developed normally until post-puberty when the alpha would continue with a second puberty and gain a knot and stronger scent glands, which were primed and ready for a mating bite. Male betas could take a mating bite too, but it affected them less since they had a smaller gland. There were other random characteristics, like the fangs, but those were the big ones. 

Female omegas and female betas also had the same parts, a vagina, at birth. When post-puberty hit, often around nineteen to twenty-one, the female omega would have a first heat, and like the alpha, develop stronger scent glands for taking a mating bite. Everyone knew that an omega’s fangs were longer and sharper than an alphas after secondary-presentation, so they weren’t anything to be scoffed at. 

But then you get to female alphas, who were born with the exact same genitals as a male omegas, which was to say, a vagina and penis, with no external testicals. You could check them right away, to see the placement of their internal organs, to see if they had testicals connected to their penis, or ovaries connected to their uterus, but within two months you’d be able to tell if they were an alpha or omega, based on scent alone. Alphas would always present female, in this case, and omegas would always present male when puberty came, unless they chose to transition from one to the other, of course. When secondary puberty came, they’d either have a heat or a rut, depending on what they were born as. 

Which meant that Eggsy was expected to be a normal little boy beta. 

Michelle hadn’t expected the way Eggsy would gravitate towards typically omega things. Lee had taken it in stride. He was the type of alpha that treated everyone else like they were fragile, not because he thought they were, but just to have someone to protect. So when little Eggsy started nesting with his blankets and stuffies, the male had grinned and helped him get his things just right. 

And it was just right. Things had been just right back then, watching her alpha husband tuck their boy into his little nest and tell him stories about big strong alphas that would come save an omega or beta in distress. That Eggsy could be saved by the alpha if he wanted to be. 

Dean had not been the alpha that could save these betas in distress. He had not been able to save anyone. Really just made things worse. The only thing Eggsy was thankful he brought into their lives, was Daisy. 

Harry had been useful, kind and a true gentleman, and getting him out of that flat with barely more than a cut on Eggsy’s face had been welcomed. 

The alpha had growled when he saw Eggsy again, and it had been a little terrifying, until he realized Harry was pissed at the cut on Eggsy’s cheek. Before he brought down through the Kingsman tubes and to the estate, he’d asked the man working in the shop for a medical kit, growling the whole time he used sanitary wipes at Eggsy’s cut, little butterfly stitches to keep it closed, and then scent wipes anywhere he scented too much fear from the beta. 

Eggsy had never been cared for like this. Ryan had been a beta, but Jamal was an alpha, and he was the closest alpha Eggsy had in his life, and Jamal didn’t get all growly and possessive over him like this. He could growl pretty bad when he saw Dean, but even then, he wasn’t going to posture or challenge him. Probably because his scent was all over Eggsy, even if the man had never claimed him as a pup. 

Well. Almost never. Sometimes Dean would threaten that he could sell Eggsy off to the highest bidder if he wanted, and those were the times Eggsy would start working on Smith Street in an attempt to lessen whatever money issues were going on in the apartment. 

But Harry clearly hated the way Dean’s scent was clinging onto Eggsy’s body and clothing, the way subtle anxiety and adrenaline was sharpening his scent to a point where Eggsy’s softer tones could barely be caught. 

“Sir, if I may? Merlin will take one scent of him and send him to the showers with clinically clean clothing to replace it with.” That was Andrew, who was working on a pattern at a desk across the room from them. He was working on hand stitching something with a pair of magnifying glasses perched on the end of his nose, and a less than amused look on his face. But that tone… it sounded like you’d use to scold a cranky toddler. Eggsy used that voice on Daisy, but she was a little too young for it to work like that.

Harry finally gave one last growl, and peeled off his gloves, tossing the majority of his supplies into the trash can, and putting a hand at the back of Eggsy’s neck. His thumb brushed over Eggsy’s scent gland, and it felt like electric spark and a warm hug all at once. Eggsy leaned into it, letting the man guide him blindly out the room. 

Harry hadn’t told him where they were going at first, and it had taken Eggsy a minute to realize the man was trying to wait for his fangs to retract enough that he wasn’t slurring. Eggsy felt a little drunk off the touch to his gland, and reached out a shaky hand so he could poke him in the lip. “Sharp teeth.”

Harry, having dragged him into changing room one, stilled, and suddenly pulled his hand back from Eggsy’s neck, looking scandalized at his own actions. “Forgive me, I didn’t mean to scruff you like a pup.”

Eggsy snorted, blinking the fuzzy feeling out of his eyes, straightening his neck so he wasn’t leaning back into where Harry’s hand had been, and realizing he needed to hold himself together better. He hadn’t gone fuzzy from a scruffing since he was a pup. That was so embarrassing. “Don’t pretend you didn’t want to, I just don’t know why.”

Harry swallowed once, and turned to the mirror. “Instinct, I guess.”

And then he started telling Eggsy about the Kingman, about the spy agency and how Harry thought Eggsy could be one of them. 

Sick. 

The tube train to the estate was only a few minutes, but it was enough time to calm Harry down completely, and by the time he’d brought Eggsy to a bald headed Scot with a clipboard, Harry could at least pretend a modicum of confidence and self control. Merlin clearly read through him, but Eggsy had no way of knowing that. 

“Absolutely nae, Harry. What did ye do tae this lad?”

Eggsy looked between them with a bit of nervousness. Was he already about to get kicked out? Did he already mess up?

Harry grit his teeth. “His bastard of a stepfather did that. I was the one who pulled him out and dragged him back here.”

Eggsy started mumbling about how Harry didn’t drag him anywhere, but Merlin turned to look at him with shockingly gentle eyes. “I’ll give ye a moment to compose yerself, I’ll not be sending ye intae a room scented like panic. Come on, we’ll go to the gym showers. Harry, go get the lad something as fragrance free as ye can find. Do nae bring back anything with yer own scent on it.”

Eggsy let the new man lead him off, and with that protective streak, he almost expected to scent another alpha in him as they went. He was so big, confident and assured in a way that Eggsy had always wanted to be himself, and most of all? In control. He cowed that alpha and took his charge off his hands with nary a complaint. 

No. Merlin was distinctly omega. Eggsy liked it. It made him want to nuzzle up into the big man’s scent glands and cover himself in a blanket of omega protection. 

He barely noticed the way the man had made the same mistake as Harry, until he was being led to sit down in the locker room, instead of just being directed towards the showers. “Hey there wee beta, can ye give me a sign ye know what’s going on? Oh those eyes are hazy, have ye been given anything?”

Eggsy blinked a few times, and finally sat up straight on his own. “I’m sorry, Harry did that to me too, in the shop. It made my brain fuzzy. No one’s ever scruffed me and pet my scent glands before.”

Merlin frowned at him, but he was also carefully undressing Eggsy for him, pulling his jacket and shirt off. “It helps ye release yer natural scent, calms down whoever is taking care of ye, but more than tha’, it’s supposed tae help ye down from adrenaline rush. Ye smell like anxiety and adrenaline.”

Eggsy nodded a little, letting the man get him to his feet again and toeing off his shoes and socks. “I haven’t really had anything to eat today. I had half a beer with Harry in the bar this morning, I think it’s adrenaline crash and low blood sugar. You guys keep touching it and it makes me want to sleep.”

Merlin stripped him of his jeans and pants and got him going for the showers. “I’ll ask Harry tae bring ye a sandwich. Ye are likely right, sounds like ye finally got intae a safe place and just wanted tae trust us that ye were fine now.”

Eggsy gave him a little smile as he looked at Merlin outside the showers, carefully using the shampoo Merlin had handed him first. Always go from the top down when getting rid of scent pollution. “I’ve never met a protective omega before. It made me want to take a nap all wrapped up in your scent. I felt funny and now that I’m thinking about food, I’m starving.”

Merlin was nearly fifty years old. He could not be blushing like a virgin at this cute wee beta child. He glanced away anyways, trying not to show how much that made him want to pull the kid into a nest and cover him in blankets. The kid was going to sleep well tonight, until the first test started and he woke in a panic at the water. 

“Well, ye met shite omegas, if they wouldnae protect someone who smelled like ye did. Wee ones shouldnae have to deal with tha’ on their own.” He wasn’t even sure what that was, but with an arsehole stepfather in the mix, it probably wasn’t anything good. 

Eggsy felt like whatever test was going on here, at least it would keep his mind off his nest being ruined and his flower still stuck at home with that ass Dean. If nothing, he might get a few days of sleep and to think about what was happening. 

***

Eggsy did not sleep well that night. In fact, he was in even more of an adrenaline crash than before. At least he’d had some food to up his blood sugar before, but now all he had was the scent of anxiety and an alpha trying to back him into a corner. 

“You sure you ain’t no omega? Sure smell like one that should be barefoot and pregnant.” Charlie was such a dick. Just because there were no omegas in this testing group, didn’t mean that they couldn’t be in them, Merlin had assured him.

“If I was, would that make you backing me into a corner any less inappropriate? No. And since I ain’t, it’s more like sexual harassment. Back off.” Eggsy wouldn’t hit the guy. Not on their first day here. 

Before Charlie could reply, he was practically ripped off Eggsy by the smallest alpha in the room, Roxy, who was the same age as Eggsy and had gotten him to take the first bed in the new bunkroom so she could back him into a corner in a much safer way than Charlie. He hadn’t grumbled about it, but only because having two walls around him felt more familiar and a bit more like a nest. He could watch the room easier like that. 

Besides, Roxy had a very calming scent that made him want to go belly up. Eggsy had always liked alphas the most. He had known from a young age that he liked alphas best, but hadn’t ever dated one openly. Dean was of a mind that a male beta had no right dating an alpha or a male beta, since it wasn’t right. 

He didn’t have an issue with Eggsy working on Smith Street though…

“Stay the hell to yourself, Charlie. You don’t have any right to be up in anyone’s space, no matter their designation.” She glared Charlie down, and Charlie was just smart enough to know they were still being watched, and not to fucking touch. Roxy turned back to Eggsy and held a hand out to him. It wasn’t like she was trying to protect him, but more like… offering another area for Eggsy to join so he wasn’t alone. 

He let her take his hand and lead him off to the far right of the showers, and they started stripping off. They needed some heat to keep them from shivering and unable to sleep, and Eggsy wanted to wash off the anxiety scent. He needed to learn to control that. 

It wasn’t that he was an anxious person as a whole, but most people felt a spike of fear when in a dangerous situation. Charlie had been right about his anxiety making him smell like an omega though. Omegas had a naturally higher pheromone production for scents that would keep people from attacking them. Eggsy had been saved by his pheromone production multiple times when it came to Dean wanting to hurt him. 

Eggsy let the small alpha -an overstatement, because without their shoes she was barely a couple inches under him, and with them she had been nearly the same height- lean in and start to clean his hair for him. It felt comfortable in a way that made him purr a little, and she stilled, before resuming. 

“I… you are a beta, right?”

Eggsy hummed, nodding, and still purring as she gently washed his hair for him. “I am. I just have a really weird pheromone mixture. Turn a bit, let me get your hair too.”

She accepted that, turning so the beta could take care of her hair, rubbing at her scent glands with the chemical soap that dampened them a bit, and Eggsy wanted to whine as the nice protective smell went away. He didn’t, but mostly because he was pleased with her letting him wash her hair. Hair held scent so well, so it was important to use a fragrance-free wash-through after a bad spell like what had woken them up. 

It was more like a conditioner, though, which was good. Eggsy’s hair would fry off at the rate he was having to do wash-throughs to wipe away scent. 

She didn’t even ask if he wanted her to towel him off, simply pulling her towel around herself and grabbing one for Eggsy, her soft wiping making his purr one of the loudest sounds in the room. 

Betas rarely purred, probably because they had such lower instincts than most, but Eggsy had found early on that purring could get him a lot of what he needed in life. It could relax Michelle and convince Dean he was innocent enough not to bother with. It could get a pretty alpha to see him as cute and soft enough that they could get him into bed like they would an omega, even if it meant more to Eggsy than it did to most alphas that took him. It could get him taken care of by random teachers or adults that heard a purr and instinctively wanted to feed and protect him. 

He’d used that purr a lot in life since it came to him as a toddler. It was one of the reasons Michelle had questions if his pheromones were imbalanced in the first place. 

They were but it wasn’t an issue. Eggsy was okay with what he presented as. Or… it didn’t bother him, anyways…

The others in the room gave him anything from suspicious to amused looks while the smallest alpha started finished wiping him down, and he only just then realized how odd it all was. He blushed, purr quieting down, but never stopping, and looked away from her. “Thanks, Rox.”

Roxy gave him a look so soft, like she wanted to hug him. “No problem, Eggsy. Go get dressed and comfortable.”

There were clean and dry changes of clothes at each of their beds, and Eggsy was pleased to see his was a sinfully soft pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt. They were all a bit long on him, but when Roxy finally got dressed, Eggsy realized they’d all just been handed the same thing, and hers were a little long on her too. 

At least the briefs fit, so she didn’t bother complaining and just slipped them on. They looked a little tight, because alpha females still had wider hips, but she fit into them. 

Eggsy tried not to think about how well she fit into her briefs. It was a little distracting. She might be someone he could go to if the itch to get knotted came up anytime soon. 

He curled up in the bed, stretching his arms out luxuriously til he felt like jello, and tucked himself under the blanket, watching the lovely alpha dry her hair the whole time. She was very pretty, and having her hair down made her look a little bit older, even. 

It wasn’t the worst first night ever, but that was mostly because he was purring so pleased, he slipped right into sleep, between one minute and the next. 

It may not have been a fun test, but it had been easy, and maybe this candidacy would be similarly satisfying. 

***

Merlin was going to murder Charlie Hesketh. He was going to put a knife through his stupid alpha knot and let him bleed out from it. 

He opened the door to the candidate’s dorm with a growl so loud and angry it actually made Charlie stop in place. He ignored the fact that it made both Eggsy and Roxy whine and bare their necks at him, and grabbed the back of Charlie’s jacket and bodily dragged the alpha out of the room. “I told ye all tae stay out of the dorms.”

Charlie growled back, and Merlin thought about just punching him in the face. Merlin shouldn’t be soft on any of the candidates, but the fact that Eggsy and Roxy were like pups to him and Harry, had his bullshit grating on his nerves. “I needed to get my stuff.”

“And I told ye all of yer supplies would be moved tae the new bunk room. Within a couple hours.”

“My dog-“

“Is going tae be safely moved, and with the way ye were palming yer knot and talking like that tae them, I donnae think yer intentions were tae get your bloody dog, now leave.”

“I will be-“

“You will do nothing, Charlie Hesketh, you will back off and do as your quartermaster tells you to.”

There was an angry growl that came from one of the most dangerous agents in the estate, and Charlie paled as Percival rounded the corner and narrowed in on them. “You are lucky I do not let our quartermaster tear you limb from limb. You were told to leave the dorm rooms alone and why. You thought it would be a smart idea to try and rape my niece?”

“I wasn’t going to touch her-“

“No. You just decided to insinuate yourself into her space during rut while aroused and, what, fight her for her beta partner who she chose and they signed a contract while she was still rational this morning? How is that not sexual assault at the least?”

Percival moved aside so a guard could pull the man away, letting his anger slide off his face as he looked back to Merlin. “Thank you, for removing him. Are Roxy and Eggsy okay?”

Merlin gave a so-so gesture, looking back at the door that led to the candidates dorm. “She seemed feral, but protective over Eggsy more than anything. They both… bared their throats tae me when I came in.”

Percival actually cracked a smile at that. “Well, shit, I guess those two already know who runs this show. After that showing, I will heavily protest Charlie if he gets anywhere close to the table. He didn’t even seem upset that you dragged him out.”

“He tried tae challenge me when I got him out. If ye weren’t around the corner tae bring guards, he would have attacked for sure.”

Percival glared at a floor tile. “We cannot have that. We can’t have a table agent that doesn’t trust Merlin implicitly. I’m going to talk to Bors and Caradoc when they get back later. If we have enough table protest, we can get rid of him immediately.” 

Merlin nodded at that. Arthur couldn’t stop them if they all held a vote. He wasn’t an actual king, just their boss. If enough votes to get rid of a candidate were ignored, he’d be in just as much danger himself. He motioned to a crate of supplies on the floor. “I came tae bring out the pups and give them supplies. Eggsy and Roxy went intae seclusion almost immediately after they signed the contract.”

Percival nodded. “I’ll wait and help you wrangle all the dogs to the kennels. Did Eggsy get the stamina and muscle relaxer shots?”

Merlin shook his head. “It’s probably going tae be a bad idea, but if he’ll let me give them now, it’ll prove he trusts me, anyways. Roxy would be the real test.”

Percival snorted. “You said an alpha in unexpected rut bared her throat to you, I think she’ll be fine.”

Merlin grinned at him. “Just a few minutes. Unless ye’re willing tae see the lass knotting someone.”

“Gods no, I’ll wait here like a good boy for those puppies.” 

Merlin nodded and went back to the dorm, letting Percival hold the door so he could bring in the crate of supplies. 

Eggsy and Roxy had pushed their beds together into the corner of the room, and had clearly raided a supply closet for more pillows and blankets. He set down the crate next to the large platform their beds made, and opened it up. 

Roxy was spooned up behind Eggsy, having crowded him into the corner so she could protect him, and in the quiet of the room, Merlin could hear the soft soothing purr of a pleased rut partner. Eggsy was kneading at one of the pillows in his hold, letting her keep him close. 

Merlin could just barely catch the barest hint of her cock in him, and that knot must have been pressing on something pleasing to get even a beta purring. The blanket below them was a little sloppy with lube, and Merlin was thankful for that. Betas don’t stretch as easy. “Eggsy, lad, ye need a couple shots. So does Roxy, but hers are nutritional.”

Eggsy gave a sad little whine. If he’d been an omega, Merlin would think he was starting to fall into heat with her, but… betas didn’t have heat. They could have a pseudo heat, one that was more the cause of hormonal imbalance, or maybe hormone replacement therapy if they wanted to transition… but Eggsy was a healthy beta, right?

He wriggled a bit in place on the bed, both him and Roxy giving little gasps when it shifted her in him. Merlin could see the way her knot tugged at his hole, and Merlin wanted to palm his own dick. But considering that’s what he’d found Charlie doing when he got there, Merlin would never be so crass as to actually do that. 

Roxy never turned back to face Merlin, and he could feel his face heat up. She knew he was there, for sure, but she let him stay at her back like a good pup. Kept her neck open to him, and understood that he would never hurt her. He reached out and gave her neck a gentle squeeze, making her moan as she thrust into Eggsy a few times, a bit rough but Eggsy just moaned and pressed his face into the pillow to pant. If Merlin knew how she’d react to him touching her beta, he’d give Eggsy a couple of neck squeezes too, but Eggsy was Harry’s boy, not Merlin’s. And right now, he was Roxy’s, and Merlin didn’t want her to see him as a threat. 

But she did overall comprehend his words enough that she pulled Eggsy into the cup of her body, his thighs flush with hers til he squeaked, and started to sit them upright. 

Merlin pulled out the medkit, and the three needles inside. One was stamina and nutrients for Eggsy, and a mild relaxer with nutrients for Roxy, with the last one being a muscle relaxer for Eggsy that would have him loose and pliant for a few days. They really didn’t need any injuries here. 

Merlin sat on the edge of the bed near them, pulling out sterile wipes so he could clean up their arms, quietly explaining to Eggsy what was in the crate. They had mostly liquid rations and granola bars that Eggsy had already approved within the contract that he could stomach if he needed solids. 

There were also a couple toys, a couple plugs for Eggsy and some knot sleeves for Roxy if she just wanted to be kept warm but Eggsy wasn’t able or willing to at the moment.  

Not that Eggsy wasn’t rather eager and pleased, it seems, with the evidence of a couple orgasms already on his stomach and the spot he’d been laying, but very few betas could handle an alpha rut without any help. 

He gave them both their shots with little issue or even grumbling, ignoring the way Roxy was softly sighing and rocking the beta on her lap, which made Eggsy give these cute little gasps and sighs that made Merlin want to pin them both and use them. It didn’t help that Eggsy’s cock was soft and stayed that way even as he oozed pre and gave sweet little hitches to his breath that made Merlin’s own pants tight. 

Omegas were typically supposed to stay soft during their heat, unless they had a hormone imbalance like Merlin did, in which case, he stayed mostly a top and didn’t crave a knot. He liked alphas well enough, but alphas rarely stayed submissive to him when their ruts started, not the way Roxy kept her throat bared to him, giving him big eyes as she thrust up into Eggsy in her lap. 

Yeah. Maybe Merlin needed to get laid. 

He went around the room, gathering up the dogs from their kennels and leashing them. 

“Are they okay?” Percival sounded just a little worried. He wasn’t worried about his niece joining the candidacy to become the next Lancelot; to replace his husband who could not sit at the table anymore, but he was worried about her privacy and safety during what should be an extremely safe rut, in the middle of the Kingsman estate. There were two new guards in the corridor, and they seemed to be the new hall monitors. 

Merlin nodded to both of them, and reset the passcode on the barracks door, he sent a PM to their tablets about the change, but not any other candidates. “They both stayed calm. Nae a single growl, both let me give them their shots without complaint.”

Percival seemed to relax a bit. “Thank you, Merlin.”

Merlin hummed. “They’re my responsibility too, while the candidacy program works. They both have a lot of potential, I’m almost sad there won’t be a position at the table for both of them.”

Percival cracked a little smile. Roxy wasn’t his by blood. She was James’s sister’s daughter, but Percival had been around since she was little, and married nearly the whole time. James getting himself on the disabled list was anxiety inducing, but Percival was just thankful he left the Swiss Alps alive, with nothing more than a messed up story of the woman who almost cut him in half, and their apparent supervillain who had thrown up at the sight of blood. 

But their girl was okay. She was okay and Merlin would keep her and her little beta partner safe. It was unexpected that her latest travel boosters had wrecked her ability to regulate her rut for a while, but the young beta that had been brought in by Harry was a sweetheart and a blessing in disguise. 

Not that she wouldn’t have found anyone, but it was important to know and trust your heat and rut partners. She had cleared adored the boy from the moment she had met him, especially since Merlin had kept him updated that night, telling Percival that she had taken her nervous energy in hand, and used it to bathe and towel the kid off. Those were very good, very protective alpha instincts that would come in handy a lot in this job. 

Percival didn’t care how much Chester growled about low class and how Eggsy shouldn’t be here, he had proven himself multiple times, and now he was trusted enough to be completely submissive to an alpha in rut, and that said something. Percival would make sure her parents kept their mouth shut if she ever brought home a beta, especially him. 

Merlin decided to keep JB and Roxy’s poodle Piper in his office for the next few days. Their mummy and daddy would be happy to know they were taken care of in the meantime. 

Chapter Text

Merlin didn’t expect the other candidates to make much of a fuss about Roxy and Eggsy’s disappearance, other than the fact that they were off getting laid and the rest of them weren’t. But actually, it was noticeable the very next morning. 

The candidates had their own cafeteria, a lovely room with small tables to sit at. Merlin would join them there, if he wasn’t taking his meals in his lab, entirely because it gave the candidates a chance to come to him for informal requests and the like. 

Even if Merlin complained about teaching, he actually liked it quite a bit. It was nice to get to help young adults come into their full potential, or even get them moved into a different area of the Kingsman, or flagged for an interview after they failed out. Teaching was one of the most stereotypically omega traits he had. It was a very small trait, and one that barely actually existed, but he liked to help new recruits, not just candidates. 

What he didn’t expect, was the fact that Digby and Heights were both complaining about rough sleep. Before Merlin could ask them if their new dorm had something wrong with it, Rufus had scoffed at them both. “You’re both alphas, maybe act like it? Not like you need to listen to mummy’s purrs just to get to sleep.”

Geret rolled his eyes so hard it looked painful. “It’s not because of instinct, you git, it’s just helpful to sleep to sound. We’re underground in the dorms, no windows, no natural sound, not even a random faucet drip to drive us crazy. What is instinct, is the fact that human beings are meant to hear silence as a sign that something is wrong. It’s why people sleep with white noise machines and fans.”

Heights nodded, rubbing at his left eye. “I don’t know how Eggsy can keep up a purr all night, but as soon as he’s up, the rest of us are too. Ever notice that? Because you get up when he does too. The lack of sound isn’t right. Even the dogs hate it.”

Rufus looked considerate. “Is that why Jelly kept waking up all night? I had to put her in bed with me before she finally slept.”

“Probably. I don’t know how Spot slept, but I know he seems cranky today.”

Merlin finished up his meal, and left the candidates to their thoughts. They made a lot of good points. Were they actively crippling their candidates by removing natural sounds? Was this going to condition them to sleep in dangerous situations, to ignore threats?

He needed to make a call to psych about that. This could be dangerous. 

But either way, it seems like the candidates had attached themselves to a natural sound, so they weren’t being taught to sleep through danger. Even if that natural sound was one of their candidates that could purr though an entire night’s rest. It was rare enough for a beta to have the instinct for it to begin with, but Eggsy’s instincts were constantly surprising them all. 

He stepped out to find Percival waiting for him, a single hand on the hilt of a knife he kept up his sleeve. It wasn’t quite a nervous tick, just one he tended towards when he had something on his mind, not even running fingers over it, just something to hold. Merlin gave him a nod, letting the beta fall into step with him. “Are ye alright, Micheal?”

Percival hummed, slipping the knife back into the slot in his sleeve. “Well enough, considering. I told James that Roxy’s suppressant was flushed out of her system because of a travel booster, and he asked if we should expect little grandnieces and nephews. I told him she chose a male beta partner and her dad caught wind of it. He’s making some big fuss and James’s sister might divorce him finally. Or, I can hope, anyways.”

Merlin actually barked out a little laugh at that. Amy’s husband had been an arranged marriage between her and an alpha, and they had a bit of a toxic relationship most of the time. Toxic in a codependent sort of way, actually. But she wouldn’t take any chances if he was going to start blaming her twin brother for Roxy choosing a non-breeding partner. If there was nothing else, Amy was fiercely protective over her brother and daughter, and would drop the man if he got it in his head that either of them were ‘unnatural’ in some way. 

Micheal and James lived with them, for Christ's sake. She demanded her twin stay in her marital home simply because she wasn’t going to stand for being kept away from him any longer than his job forced on them. 

“Tell James tae film his next tantrum. They always amuse me. If they get divorced, I won’t get tae see them as often.”

Percival’s face cracked from his normally placid appearance, giving a little half smirk that Merlin had been hoping for. The man had been a bit down since his husband was put on the disability list. It wasn’t that he was upset over James’s mission that had cut off two toes and gave him nerve damage in his right leg, but the fact that with only one of them still a knight, that changed things. 

It wasn’t that James had pain now, they both had aches and pains, but James’s pains were enough to move him out of the field. Michael, not Percival, was now faced with the reality that if he died, he’d be leaving his spouse alone. It was daunting. 

“Chances of him actually getting bad enough for a divorce are low. Knowing him, he’ll have a ‘come to Jesus’ moment in a week and become an advocate for non-breeding partnerships, claim that he’s always been Roxy’s biggest supporter.”

Merlin shook his head in amusement and exasperation all at once. “In a way, I guess. What else but the love of his bairn could make a man change his mind on his own bigotry?”

Percival shrugged. “Fair. Have you checked on them today?”

Merlin nodded. “Aye, I got on the speakers and coaxed Eggsy intae getting Roxy tae drink some electrolytes and eat a fruit bar. He said they’re doing fine and she hasn’t shown any aggression.”

“She’s always been a very sweet alpha. More likely to be protective than possessive, I’d think.”

“Aye, I saw tha’ when I came tae see them, she even let me touch for the shots. She didn’t try to fight Charlie, just covered Eggsy so he wouldn’t get hurt.”

Percival’s expression seemed to lighten, lines of tension around his eyes smoothing over. “Good girl, Roxy pup.” His voice was low, just for himself. “Arthur is trying to pushback about Charlie leaving the candidacy. He keeps saying that the situation couldn’t possibly be as bad as we told him. I didn’t show him any footage from the dorm cameras.”

Merlin sighed. “Tae protect their privacy, I assume.”

“Yes. What Charlie did was clearly calculated to cause an issue. He was either spoiling for a fight, maybe trying to get Roxy to attack and catch Eggsy in the middle, or he’s been trying to get Eggsy alone since the beginning. I asked the candidates about his conduct since he got here. He was just a bully before, but even then I don’t think that should be tolerated. He’s not just going to grow up and do the right thing because he’s on the table.”

“Have the others cast a vote yet?”

“No. They knew you were in working on a tense mission to get Kay home yesterday. They wanted to talk to you first. Arthur is demanding that they get all the facts if he can’t see a video.”

Merlin glared at the wall as they walked. They were on their way to one of the agents' lounges, so he assumed Percival had left the knights there. “I would suggest we doctor the footage to blur Eggsy and Roxy, but he would simply say they must have provoked him somehow. I checked the footage after I left and we sent Charlie to detainment, and he was definitely aggressive, but we know Arthur would just push and claim they provoked him.”

Percival gave him a blank look. That one he gave when he was about to tell you how stupid you were. It was rare, but he knew how to knock people down a few pegs. Merlin suspected he learned to control his features so he’d stop picking fights with his brother-in-law when he was caught rolling his eyes. “So? Show it to him.”

Merlin stopped short. He lowered his voice when Percival stopped as well, trying not to attract attention from anyone watching cameras. “Are you suggesting I set him up somehow? Because if you think the answer is to make him deny it…”

“Then the knights would start questioning his ability to be impartial. We all know he’s not. Either he finally gets called out and we can vote him out, or he backs off and removes the problem student. We either get rid of one of them, or both.”

Merlin followed the beta into one of the knights’ lounges, met with all the table agents in-house at the moment. Gwaine looked like he was about to toss Bors into a wall, Bors was fiddling with what looked like an actual bomb at the coffee table he was sitting on the ground at, and Tristan was attempting to steal his fuses while Bors was loudly telling Ector about the alpha that he went on a date with last week. Apparently she had done unspeakable things to him that Merlin never wanted to know about. The others in the room were trying their best to ignore it all, aside from Leon’s occasional worried glances towards the bomb. 

This was going to be a long day. 

***

Eggsy wasn’t even going to lie, this wasn’t the first rut he’d spent with an alpha. It was embarrassing, but he wouldn’t lie about it. He liked alphas, and it wasn’t that hard to get knotted for three days if he got the muscle relaxers first. There were beta-type muscle relaxers for a reason, and it helped take the craving away for a couple months. 

It was the first time he wasn’t getting paid and actually knew the alpha more than two days before their rut was due to start. It was also the first time he’d had all expenses paid for by someone other than the alpha, because normally if a third party was involved, they went with professionals. 

Those professionals were almost always omegas, though, and it didn’t really help alphas that were attracted to betas or other alphas. Just like most heat services were full of dominant alphas or betas, which is stupid because it didn’t account for omegas that were attracted to submissive partners or other omegas. 

Which is why people who wanted to spend their rut or heat with a partner who isn’t provided through any type of heat or rut service, they would have to pay out of pocket, and get a partner through an escort service or off the street. 

Eggsy wasn’t exactly working street corners when he was looking for a new alpha to spend a rut with, and it was the only time he brought Jamal or Ryan to clubs with him, but it was sec work either way. He brought Jamal and Ryan cause they could help him get through contracts faster, and Jamal had a better sense of smell in case they were lying or clearly the wrong sort. 

The beta-type relaxers had a mild stimulant for stamina, but he usually chose what’s called a stimulant lube as well. It was supposed to smell like an omega, but those were the least sold type, because the point is to make a beta or alpha eager to get fucked, and having them suddenly smell like an omega was a major turn-off for those alphas. It helped alphas a lot when their partners were beyond eager to get knotted, because the ache inside could only be relieved by a fat knot locked into you. 

He wasn’t using that lube. When Roxy had started to panic about rut symptoms the other day, Eggsy had told her immediately that he could help. That is, after a bad conversation she had with the doctor, and a mild panic attack because Roxy needed a connection with a partner to feel comfortable with them, and she didn’t know any of the omegas or betas -and a few alpha that were willing to pair with other alphas- on staff, and wouldn’t feel comfortable with them. 

Eggsy had offered, said it was far from his first time providing rut service, and she had looked so relieved she actually teared up a little. 

But he wasn’t using the stimulation lube this time. He’d offered that if they had any on hand he could use it for her, but Roxy wasn’t going to use a condom because they were both clean and stimulation lube could lengthen the rut by a whole day because it made alphas more sensitive. Some of them it wore out faster, but it would make Roxy last longer. 

But ever since Roxy had put him in presentation position, it felt like her every touch was electric. The nest she had let him build for comfort was nice and soft and safe, full of familiar scents that Eggsy had never had while providing rut service. 

Normally, an alpha would provide him nesting materials of their choice, he would sleep with a item of clothing next to his face for the few days before so he could get familiar with them, but the nest he’d build them was never about his comfort. 

Roxy had been unhappy, seeing him build a nest without Eggsy’s own blankets at first, and that’s when it hit him that things would be different, because Roxy wanted Eggsy’s scent in her nest, as a matter of comfort. 

She had also asked a nurse to get some sweaters from Percival’s room, one of Micheal’s and one of James’s, and Eggsy had woven the scent of comfort and home into their nest. Roxy liked this nest. She never wanted to take it down again. It smelled like home, and pretty little mate, and she could feel the sweet beta under her purring as he came on her knot, making broken little whimpers of pleasure as he milked her of cum. 

He was going to be drenched in her scent for weeks. She leaned down, nuzzling into his shoulder, giving an unhappy little grumble at the thick leather collar he wore on his neck. He was so pretty wearing nothing but the collar, but it was in the way. Eggsy said that covering his scent glands with the collar was the purpose, but she couldn’t even snuffle into his throat glands, much less bite and claim him. 

Eggsy was sweet, and gentle, and brave and brilliant and so, so very strong. He was strong in all ways. He would be the perfect little mate for her. She wanted to sink her fangs into his scent gland, get him swollen and gasping as they bonded mentally and physically, but that pretty collar on her pretty boy’s neck was thick and in her way. Also it was locked on, and she didn’t know who held the key. She couldn’t gnaw it off. 

She nuzzled into the space in his shoulder, giving a very gentle nip to his skin there, feeling him twitch and ripple around her knot. She purred just as hard as he was in response. “Good pup.”

Eggsy gave a soft little moan, clenching around the knot intentionally, and Roxy fucked into him a few times in excitement. This knot hadn’t been up that long, and the few times Eggsy had been capable of keeping time instead of feeling like a knot drunk idiot, he had overall timed most of her knots to about twenty-five minutes. About twenty more minutes of having his hole stretched and his prostate rocked on. It truly felt good. 

He wriggled a bit, and she proved to be happily coherent enough that she helped him onto his side, sighing into his neck as she spooned him. 

“Thank you, Roxy. You feel good.” Roxy nipped his shoulder, this time the other one that was now facing up. 

“Pup Eggsy is a good boy.”

Eggsy didn’t even want to tell her how much that made his brain flood with happiness, it was so embarrassing. He liked being praised, and she’d been calling him pup a lot, which was hotter than it should be. To be fair though, that was the most coherent sentence she’d strung together in the past few hours. Eggsy had the feeling her rut was coming to its peak. Her skin was hot and her cock was nearly diamond hard up his ass. It felt good and he wanted to squeeze around it forever. 

But she was also a bit sensitive, so he tried not to squeeze too much at this point. 

It was comfortable. He’d never spent such a nice rut with someone else before. It was familiar, and caring in a way others didn’t usually have. 

He’d do it again. He liked it more than he usually did. 

***

For Roxy, things had been a little different. She had gotten a travel booster for… typhoid? She thinks. Either way, the shot had managed to flush out her suppressants. She and the other alphas were supposed to be on suppressants for the duration of the candidacy, but as a female alpha, hers were different in both brand, and how they worked in her body. The booster had happened just a couple days before they all realized someone was going into rut. 

She hadn’t known that Eggsy was a rut service sec worker before he came to Kingsman. It made sense, since he alluded to being a sex worker in general before he came here, but being a sec worker was quite different than being able to regularly keep up with an alpha during rut, to a point where he could confidently draw up contracts and work with alphas he’s only known a couple days. 

She remembered the start, when she’s just began to realize what Eggsy used to do for a living. He’d been talking to Rufus about honeypot training, that it’s no different than sex work, you just become what someone else needed. It’s just that they didn’t know that you were doing this as a job. You didn’t have to want what they gave you regularly. You just had to think of the sex as an aspect of a job, and whatever parts you end up enjoying, that was a bonus. 

Rufus had scoffed and asked him what he knew about sex work. 

Eggsy had a lot to say about working with Johns’ and Janes’. He hadn’t mentioned his work with rut service, probably because it was… well, it said a lot about his character and his body that he probably didn’t want to share with the others just yet. It took a certain type of bottom, of sub, to handle a rutting alpha for three days without wishing they’d never done this to begin with. If Eggsy used to do this regularly… well, he was used to a lot of rough handling, most likely. 

Which is why Roxy refused to handle him roughly. When she realized that Eggsy was trying to figure out her parameters for a comfortable rut, she had flipped that around on him, telling him that since she’s never had one with a service worker before, she didn’t know what was expected of either of them. 

She wanted him to build the nest. And she wanted Eggsy’s scent in it. She wanted a couple pieces of Uncle James and Uncle Percival’s clothing in the nest, simply to feel the extension of her pack in there.

She wanted to hold him in her arms and cover him. Roxy liked it when he presented, not because it was what he should do, but because it made Eggsy give happy little sighs and squeeze around her knot when she rocked down just a little. 

Roxy liked that they were in the dorms, so even if Eggsy left the nest while she wasn’t ready to, she could watch him shower or use the loo and know that her little rutmate was safe and available to her. 

Eggsy seemed rather shocked that she didn’t ask for anything specific. She didn’t ask if she could knot his mouth -he would have to say no because her knot was too big- or ask him to be locked in a cock cage because some alphas saw it as a challenge while deep in rut. It was a primal thing, even if they were attracted to betas or other alphas sometimes. 

She truly just wanted to blanket him in her scent. And Roxy did, she would cover him fully, even if he was a bit bigger than her, she could press to his back and he’d curl up small as if he had an instinct to be covered and protected by his alpha partner. 

Roxy didn’t ask for anything weird or unusual, she didn’t want him to call her alpha or mummy, she just wanted him tucked into the curve of her body, safe. 

That protective posture had been triggered by Charlie coming in and trying to steal her mate, and she’d found out then, that Merlin cared for them in the same way that Roxy cared for Eggsy while he was vulnerable like this. She could trust Merlin. She could bare her neck to him. He could pet her little beta if Merlin wanted to. He was so pretty, it would be a shame not to share him with those that took care of them. 

Merlin didn’t seem like he wanted to share her beta, though. He had given them their shots, and told Eggsy he’d been good for her, and told Roxy that she was a good alpha, taking care of her mate like this. Merlin was very nice. 

Out of all the things Roxy didn’t like or ask for… there was one thing she realized she should have talked about when they were still coherent. She was having issues stringing sentences together right now, but she knew she’d had one big thing on her mind right now. 

“Putting puppies in you.”

Eggsy clearly let out an amused snort below her, and she whined a little. “Hush, Roxy girl, I’m not upset. You can put all the puppies you want in me.”

Roxy whined again, nipping at Eggsy’s jawline to make him gasp. “No actual puppies.” She clearly sounded sad. Eggsy decided to take pity on her. 

“No, we can’t make real puppies together. I’m just a beta. You can keep trying, though. It feels nice, and I like knowing you want to put your puppies in me.”

Roxy’s scent turned rather happy at that, at the confirmation that her Eggsy wanted her to want puppies with him. Just about all alphas and omegas got a breeding kink, when they were deep in rut or heat. Whether they wanted actual pups or not, they usually liked the act of breeding. 

Roxy liked Eggsy, and that wasn’t just the rut talking. She liked the way he would talk with her, and how he clearly didn’t see her as competition in a way that separated them. They weren’t in a competition, they were simply training for the same position that only one of them could have. The rest of them all seemed to think it was a competition they needed to get rid of the rest for. Eggsy was… real. He acted real, and he clearly loved his family and that cute alpha pup sister he had at home, and he just wanted to make himself into the best he could be. 

He was more worried about letting down his mentor than actually losing the position. He wanted it, clearly, but unlike the others, he didn’t feel like he had some birthright to it, just happy it was a way to connect with his father and try his best. It was sweet. 

Roxy curled up to cover him in safety and warmth, nuzzling her boy to her chest. Eggsy was such a good boy, he would give her the best puppies. She would make sure he was happily pupped and barefoot whenever he got stressed out, even if they couldn’t have that for real. He was taking such good care of her now, he deserved to be taken care of as well. 

***

Harry was bored. He’d been stuck in this hospital room for a week now, waking occasionally between headaches and nausea. They said he might have a few more loose bolts in his head than usual, but he was mostly just bored. He hasn’t slept this long in years. 

“Can I please just go on a walk?”

His usual nurse from the past few years was giving him a bland look, before rolling her eyes. Her name was Leanne and she was a beta fully attracted to women only, and never put up with his puppy eyes. “You did get invited to a meeting that is happening in one of the knights’ lounges.”

Harry raised an eyebrow. “A meeting in the knights’ lounge? That’s unofficial.” 

Leanne nodded. “I figure that might be low stakes enough that my boss won’t yell at me for letting you get into work stress again.”

She looked like she knew something Harry didn’t, but he decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth, getting out of bed and leaving to change into some sweats and a jumper Merlin had dropped off the other day. The jumper smelled like his friend, calming mostly. 

“Did the message say what the meeting was for?” He came back out, running a comb through his hair just enough that he knew it wasn’t all over the place. If it was a meeting, he’d have to leave before Leanne decided he was primping too much and they might just go for a little stroll in the garden instead. 

“Hmm…” Leanne bit her lip and held out an arm to him. He didn’t need to hold onto anything for stability, so his nurse was acting more as a friend, than a keeper. Very unofficial. She wanted him at the meeting. “Your candidate. He gave you full clearance for his medical records, did you know he has a hormone imbalance. Sort of straddles the line between beta and omega, I’d say.”

Harry blinked down at her as she led him down the hallway to a lift. She really wanted him to be at that meeting. Leanne was his usual nurse for a reason, and she always made him take the stairs leaving medical. She always said that if he couldn’t handle the stairs, he wasn’t ready to go back to regular work. 

He probably could handle the stairs, he was just having issues with headaches the past week. He’d really hit his head good this time. 

“I did not know that. So, like Merlin, but in the opposite direction.”

They both knew that Merlin had a hormone imbalance as well. It wasn’t that it was actually a problem, it was sort of like the secondary gender equivalent of being intersex, and Merlin usually let people know that he was when they worked in close proximity to him. He’d been misgendered as beta before, and that always grated on his nerves. 

“Has he had any issues with that?”

She hummed again, keeping his arm tucked into hers as they got into the lift. “You heard about his first week here, I know. Before you started working on finding more of those kidnapping victims. His first night here, he was accused of being an omega by one of the other candidates.”

“Yes, as if an omega wouldn’t be allowed in the candidacy to begin with.” Harry rolled his eyes.

“Quite so. That same candidate has been… let’s call it terrorizing him. Trying to get him to drop out of the program. Young Roxanne has taken exception to that.”

Harry sniffed, looking a bit offended. “Of course she has. She’s a good girl, and whether or not my boy straddles that line, he deserves to try his hand at this program, no matter what.”

Leanne smiled at him. “Exactly. A couple days ago, there was an unexpected situation, one that I’m going to let Merlin and Percival update you on, nothing bad, but Charlie, the lad who’s been bullying your boy, finally went too far. This meeting is to get the table members to vote to remove him. He’s in the detainment center, so he should have already been removed, but Arthur is putting up a fuss.”

Harry stopped. They were just about at the knights’ lounge in question, but he couldn’t help but give her an odd look. “And this meeting might very well determine if Chester King stays the head of the table, or if we remove him for the better of this organization?”

She gave him a small nod, looking a bit nervous. She hated that man, but they were sort of openly planning a coup at the moment, and that was not the smartest thing in the world. 

Harry smiled a little, trying to alleviate those nerves, and let her walk him the rest of the way to the knights’ lounge they were meeting in. “I thank you, as always, Nurse Leanne, you are always such a good help to me when I have a stumble. Thank you for the updates on our organization while I was recovering.”

She snorted at him, taking her arm back and stepping back. “Galahad, I will come check on you in an hour, I expect you to still be in the company of Merlin or Percival; no running off to play with Bors, and if you have another headache then, I’ll have to take you back to sleep it off.”

Harry turned away and opened up the doors to the lounge with a suitable flare for dramatics, and even if he probably looked a fright in his loungewear and messy hair, he noted the way the agents in the room rolled their eyes at his dramatics anyways. 

“Hello there, fellow agents. I hear my boy has caused a bit of a stir in the past few days, and was wondering if I could get some updates on that.”

Merlin, for once, was actually the most relieved to see him, putting his clipboard in his lap and giving him an expectant look. “Aye, Galahad, come sit with us. Yer lad has been a delight tae teach, but I have been driven sparse by some because of him.”

Harry let Tristan close the doors behind him, coming to sit next to his best friend and check to see what he was working on on his tablet. He seemed to be editing a video. 

Maybe that was the incident that they were dealing with. 

He just hoped Eggsy had been a good boy while Harry was gone. He was a bit high maintenance, Harry was learning. Didn’t do well without consistently being told he was on the right path, probably because of that cad of a stepfather. Merlin was good at giving praise when his students were on the right path, and Eggsy seemed like the type that would love to learn.