Alpha Assignment (BL) Chapter 9 (Early Access) (Patreon)

There was a lot of food left on Remi's plate when they decided they had had enough screen time. Quinn could never quite work out what was a healthy amount for an omega to eat. Sometimes Remi could put away more food than seemed capable of fitting inside his tiny torso, others it felt like he was picking at the edges. It was impossible to get an admission of dislike out of Remi, so Quinn decided he would have to start trying to track the foods that Remi ate the most of.

While Remi scraped his plate and filled the dishwasher, Quinn hunted around the dining area for a fresh notebook. Atop the storage unit that held a selection of his uniform stationery, was Remi's notebook. Looking was not an intentional act. It was open and Quinn had stepped up to the storage unit innocently. Once he had seen though, it was too difficult to drag his eyes away.

There was a mind map on each page with scrawled lines and notes around an activity: the activities that Quinn had offered him at the local leisure centre.

On the left page was PYROGRAPHY and the pros and cons surrounding it were overwhelmingly negative. Remi was scared of burning himself or setting something on fire and causing damage. Most of the scribbles were these same two sentiments reworded.

On the right page was PAINTING and there were only two lines pointing out from the word.

The first: I like drawing.

The second: I don't think Alpha likes painting, he does not have any in his house.

He wasn't wrong. Quinn didn't have any art on his walls. The less clutter, the better, he thought. Calm home for a calm mind.

But Remi likes drawing, apparently, so painting they would do if that was the next best thing. Quinn made a note on his phone to call the leisure centre first thing in the morning and book in a class. Preferably a private one, or at least a quiet one with less humans to overwhelm Remi. Quinn would do anything to avoid the mess of creativity from his all-white abode, but he also knew crowds of humans were to Remi what mess was to Quinn.

They turned in for the night, and while Remi was dragging his feet and fighting to keep his eyes open, Quinn was filled with unspent energy. He hadn't worked out and he'd had a meal high in fat, salt and sugar. His body felt on the verge of shock.

He really needed the sleep, though. He was behind by at least a day already. He forced himself to lie still in bed, clutching at the top of his covers and squeezing his eyes shut. Eventually, he drifted off. And woke up exhausted Friday morning.

Slumped in front of his computer, he tried to calculate exactly where he was going to make up the lost sleep since he clearly wasn't doing well enough without it. Jordan mercifully left him to his thoughts with a lack of messages about non-work subjects.

At least by the end of the day, it almost felt like he and Remi were finding their routine. And Quinn loved nothing more than routine.

Quinn returned from work to find Remi sitting still on the sofa, then they made dinner together after Remi refused once again to choose between any options given to him. They ate and talked a little about their days, then Quinn did yoga in his bedroom to an online video, and finally they watched TV and wrote in their matching notebooks on the sofa before bed.

It was an amalgamation of Quinn's own routine, much longer meal times, and sporadic conversation. Quinn didn't hate it. He hoped Remi didn't either, even if he might not stay for long. The thought twinged a little in his chest, but Quinn brushed the tight pain aside. It was not his or Remi's fault, it was the Assembly’s. They could only do their best in the meantime.

Friday night, he finally slept well again.

Saturdays were for errands and chores. Sundays were for silence. Quinn woke early both days, it wasn't enough to get the most of his time to get his household in order, he took his resting time just as seriously. This Saturday he would allow Remi to sleep in, though. That form of rest was clearly what his body needed.

It was an issue Quinn had faced himself when he left his pack - re-discovering the ability to listen to his own body. Not following the routine dictated to him because the rest of the colony were. There was no true individualism inside of the pack mentality. Technically, you were a unique person, but in reality you would always be another furry body making up the group.

When Quinn had first walked away from his father’s dictatorship, he had attempted to emulate the routines and lifestyles of humans he encountered. They were all so different. Even within family units, they didn't feel the need to take every action as one amalgamated being. They didn't all eat, sleep and bathe at the same times. There were communal activities, but they were still individuals who could act according to their own needs.

Quinn hadn't made any real friends since entering the human world, and he blamed the fact that he needed to work out who he was, what he wanted to do, and how he wanted to spend his time for the rest of his life now that he was free.

Eventually he knew himself but no one else.

Sometimes he chatted to the ladies in his yoga classes, but the culture barrier was always there. Without the ability to relate to humans, he couldn't connect with them. And they were constantly evolving. There was always a new musical artist, a new funny video on the internet that somehow they all had viewed but not at the same time, or a tv show that had released just days before but somehow they’d consumed every episode. Although he had switched to admitting to not watching TV, it was one of many mediums of media.

It was… overwhelming. And so, Quinn could admit, he had retracted back into his routine of intense self-care.

He was indulging in an extra long yoga session in the living room, following a voice from the assistant’s speaker, when Remi arrived late in the morning. Fleecy pyjamas dislodged and black flicks of hair stood straight up to the ceiling, Remi managed to exude a gentle warmth no matter how dishevelled he appeared. He squatted in front of Quinn’s yoga mat and gave him a sleepy smile. Quinn returned it from his plank, and then pushed into downward dog. He was grateful for the excuse to look away or he might be too tempted to poke and pinch at Remi’s puffed morning face.

Remi toddled around him and Quinn heard the kitchen door swing open and shut. There were some cupboard clatters and the sound of running water. Then the door opened again. Quinn looked between his legs at the head poking back into the living room.

“Would you like coffee, Alpha?” Remi squeaked.

“Sure.” Quinn stretched his arm up to side plank and felt his muscles pulling through his shoulders. He let out a soft groan of satisfaction. “Thanks, Remi.”

The kitchen door closed again.