Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Barstow, California 1980
“Judy Ramirez reporting live from the Whitehouse,” the reporter stands before celebrating crowds, many people hold glow sticks, the sky is dark and the reporter has on a scarf and hat, “President Carter has announced that all six genders will now be legally recognised. He has made a further statement that all Americans over the age of twelve will be tested and their ‘true’ gender assigned.” The camera pans out to include a man standing by the reporters’ side. “We have Dr David Sweet, professor of gender studies from the University of Washington here…”

“Hello Mr O’Connor, I have you and your wife’s results here,” Gary had been expecting the call for three days.
“About time,” he kept his eyes on Sarah who was helping Brian wash his hands at the kitchen sink. The two year olds blonde curls kept falling in his eyes, he needed a haircut.
“Sorry for the delay. Would you be available to come in to discuss the results today?” The receptionist sounded vaguely apologetic.
“Can’t you tell me over the phone?” If they needed to go in did that mean it was bad news?
“No, I’m sorry that’s against practise policy. Dr Montero has an opening at four thirty?”
“Fine, see you then.”

“O’Connor?” Sarah looked up from Brian to see Dr Montero smiling at them.
“Come on baby,” she held her son’s hand as she followed her husband into the doctor’s office.
“Please take a seat. Hello there Brian,” realising he was being spoken to Brian looked up from his toy police car. At Dr Montero's smile he shrank back behind Sarah. “So, your results. Gary you’ve been assigned male,” Sarah could see her husband relax out the corner of her eye, “and Sarah you’ve been assigned beta.” Gary’s head snapped toward her, but the doctor didn’t seem to notice. “I’ve got some pamphlets here for you. I’ve even put in a few that explain all of the genders, it can get a bit confusing don’t you think?” She handed them both a few pamphlets, “You’re probably getting everything you need just getting Brian to do his chores, so I don’t think there’s anything you’ll need to add to your relationship. If you start feeling a bit off, or find relaxing or sleeping difficult just pop in and see me and we’ll see what we can do.” She smiled and looked between them, “Do you have any questions?”
Sarah shook her head, Gary seemed to almost be vibrating next to her.

Brian held his hands against his ears as hard as he could but could still hear his daddy.
“Think you’re top fucking dog, huh?” There was a crash and his mama screamed. “Think you’re the boss of me? You want to fucking try? Wanna fucking push me around?” The yelling stopped but there was weird noises.
Brian tried to relax, to stop crying. He didn’t want his daddy to yell at him. “Mama,” he couldn’t help the whisper.
“If you made my son a faggot I’ll fucking kill you.”

Barstow, California 1988
It wasn’t until Brian was ten that he found out why his dad called his mama an “uppity cunt”. A special teacher, Miss Walsh, was there for three days to teach them about gender, and sex, and puberty. She told them that most people were male or female, then there were people like males but they had some extra stuff, urges. Alphas needed to be in charge, and omegas needed someone else to be in charge. Betas and deltas were the same but like females.
Brian was the only one in his class with a beta for a mama. Three kids had omega moms, and one kid had an alpha dad. One kid had older twin sisters and they were both deltas. Miss Walsh explained that alphas and betas weren’t scary or mean and that omegas and deltas weren’t weak, that everyone was pretty much the same but when they got to be teenagers they would need to do some stuff differently.
His dad was huge, way taller and stronger than his mama, but maybe he was scared that his mama would be mean to him. Maybe his teacher didn’t tell him that? Brian decided that his dad should know.
That was the first time his daddy hit him.

Barstow, California 1990
“Kelly O’Brien.” Brian watched as Kelly went in to the little room with the nurse. He was next. It was time to find out his gender. The past month the school had been explaining the process; that it was painless and there was no pressure. Unless their dad had sworn to break their ribs if they turned out to be omega. Rome knew he was scared of his dad, he didn’t know why but he still insisted he should tell someone. His dad was a cop, no one was going to believe him and if his dad found out he’d told? No more Brian.
“Brian O’Connor.” He knew his eyes were wide, could feel the sweat on his lower back, his breathing was coming too quick, he felt too hot, couldn’t move, but no, he was moving, was in the little room before he knew it. There was a desk and chair in the corner, a projector and a chair in front of the blank wall. Next to the chair was a machine with what looked like a speedometer with lots of wires coming off it. He stopped behind the chair clearly meant for him and tried to slow his breathing down. “Don’t worry, it’s over pretty quick,” the nurse smiled at him, he was clearly used to spooked twelve year olds. “Did they tell you what would happen?” He nodded but must have still looked terrified because the nurse explained anyway. “We’ll take a blood sample now to see what your base levels are, then you’ll watch a sixty second video while you’re hooked up to the monitor, then we’ll take your blood again and you can get back to class, sound ok?” Brian nodded, a little more firmly. It was all going to be fine, he would identify as male and everything would be fine.
As he sat a second nurse entered the room and they quickly worked around him. The first nurse took his blood while the second hooked him up to the monitor. “Okay, Brian. We just need you to pay attention to the video, okay?” One of them turned the lights down while the other switched the video on.
It started with a tall man standing with his shoulders back, his chin up and staring into the camera, it quickly changed to a tall woman in the same pose. Then another man, thin, with his eyes down, then a woman, soft looking, her eyes to the side. Brian tried to focus but he could tell the nurses were watching him. Next came a guy with broad shoulders and facial hair, he was on his knees with his arms behind his back, his head hanging down. Then a small woman with her hands on her hips and an evil smirk on her face. An older man sitting, reading a newspaper with a bigger lady kneeling by his feet, her cheek resting on his knee with her eyes closed. Then rapid flashes; an above-shot of a man’s head, clearly kneeling at the photographers feet, a shot looking up at a woman smiling down, the top of a woman’s head, hands holding a whip, hands holding a belt, a dog collar, hands cuffed together, and finally, a man smiling down into the camera.
Brian was still staring at the wall while the nurses took his blood and removed the wires. He didn’t know how much time passed before he snapped back to reality but only the first nurse remained, he was writing on a clipboard but quickly looked up when Brian gasped. “Don’t worry, it happens sometimes. It’s a bit full on, huh?” He nodded and left when the nurse gestured to the door. “You’ll get the results in the mail, probably by Friday, okay?” He nodded and smiled in thanks before turning to head back to class. Rome would have his turn pretty soon.

Friday afternoons Brian went home with Rome until six, his mama did the grocery shopping on Fridays and his dad didn’t get home until six most days. When he got home on this Friday he saw his dad standing in the kitchen, envelope in one hand, letter in the other, and a look of pure rage on his face.

Gary O’Connor looked up as the front door slammed open. He could hear Sarah coming in the back door with the groceries. He didn’t know who to go after first. Brian stopped dead when he saw him, Sarah’s greeting tapered off and it was like a stand-off. Gary put the letter and envelope on the counter.
“Sarah, put the groceries away before the beer gets hot, I’m gonna have a chat with your faggot son before dinner,” he took satisfaction in the realisation in both their eyes. They knew what it meant, knew what he thought about pussy omegas. Brian didn’t even flinch as he walked up to him and grabbed him by the back of the neck. Pulling him toward the lounge room he heard Sarah whisper. “Please, don’t hurt him.” He threw a glare over his shoulder but knew she wouldn’t interfere.
He shoved Brian to the floor and watched as the kid leant back onto his elbows. “Don’t worry Brian, I read the booklets, I know what omegas need. Someone to tell them what to do, how to act, what to fucking think!” He shook his head, he didn’t mean to yell. “I was supposed to have a son, wanted a boy to follow in his old man’s footsteps. Looks like I got something worse than a daughter.” Brian hadn’t lifted his head, Gary could see the tears rolling down his cheeks.
“I know I said I’d break your ribs, but I already took my boots off.”

His dad would only go back on a threat like that if he had something worse planned, Brian watched in horror as his dad unbuckled his belt and pulled down the zip of his pants.
“Now, the booklet said that servitude, sex, and punishment can help omega and delta sluts reach subspace. So I’ll make this quick for you, you get on your knees, I’ll slap you a few times, then you can suck my dick.”

Sarah tried to keep her sobs silent as she filled the pantry. She could hear her husband slapping her son, could hear him crying, shouting for her to help. Then gagging, she felt as if she'd throw up.
She stood in front of the open cupboard with her hands pressed over her mouth, trying not to sob, or puke, or scream. As she heard her son's tormentor grunt his completion, her son gasping and heaving, she reached into the pantry and pulled out the bottle of rum she kept for Christmas cake. She swallowed until her head swam, put the lid back on, and put it back in its place.
She was putting chicken under the broiler when Gary came back. For the first time in a decade she wasn’t afraid, he'd already done the worst thing she could imagine.

Chapter Text

Barstow, California 1991

“Hey, uh, Rome?” Brian scratched the back of his neck and tried to look anywhere but his friend. “If you, uh. If there was…” shaking his head to clear it a little Brian looked up to see Rome frowning at him. He’d had this all planned out this morning. “If someone, uh, if they… fuck.”

“If someone what, Brian?” Rome had been asking questions for months, but Brian had no idea what to say. He didn’t even know if he could say it.

“I don’t know, man. Forget about it.” Giving his best smile he could see that Rome wasn’t pleased, what could he do though? There was no way to explain something like this.

Omega and Delta Shelter, South Central, Los Angeles, California 1997

“Would you prefer a male or female counsellor, Brian?” With an eye roll for an answer the social worker ticked male. “Are you having any troubles with your dorm mates?”

“Hi, Brian. My name’s Shane, I’ve been a counsellor with the hospital for, oh, about seven years now.” Brian’s eyes didn’t lift from his feet. “Today we can get to know each other a bit, then there are some officer’s that need to talk to you, I’ll be present for that. Then next week we can get into some more detailed things.”

…

“So, six years on your own as an omega. Do you masturbate?”

“Female. I want a female counsellor.”

“My name’s Kelly, Brian. What have you and Shane covered so far?” Kelly was tall, thin, red hair in a ponytail, she looked no-nonsense. Like she’d heard and seen it all.

“He asked me if I jerk off.” Her eyebrows lifted. “Masturbated.”

“And that’s something you didn’t want to discuss?”

Brian shrugged. “Not with him, at least.”

“Well, do you masturbate?”

He glared, “No.”

“Any reason why not?”

“I don’t like it.”

“Okay. I masturbate, so do many other people. When was the last time you tried?” A shrug. “A year ago?” Another shrug. “Two years ago?”

“Maybe.”

“Where were you then?”

“Empty warehouse.”

“Was it safe?” Head shake, no. “Warm?”

“No. It was empty. Me and heaps of other hookers, real old druggies, just…” He sighed. “Gross homeless people everywhere. I was gross too.”

“So, you were uncomfortable, unsafe, and cold. Doesn’t sound much fun. Masturbation is fun.”

“Is it?” Brian’s eyes were fixed on the window, his arms crossed.

“It is. And useful. It can be a safe way to achieve subspace for omegas and deltas. But you had a different way to get that didn’t you?” It wasn’t really a question.

“I didn’t know I wasn’t supposed to take so much.” Brian’s arms tightened across his chest. He felt stupid.

“Of course not, you were thirteen. I imagine you didn’t care about the risks. Which is perfectly understandable. You needed to keep yourself safe, and you did. There are consequences to that now, but they will hopefully be manageable. Masturbation is something that could help you manage those consequences.” Shaking hands, the urge to obey, freaky dreams, yeah, consequences.

“Before we meet again on Thursday I want you to try again, okay? It’s okay if you don’t get very far, if you don’t get started. It’s okay if you just plan out how you’ll go about it.” After a pause he nodded. “Right, so Officer’s Jameson, and Armin need to speak to you. I’ll be here the whole time in the role of your guardian, okay?” Brian nods with a shrug. Kelly nods and gets up to call them in.

The officers look like they could be brothers, tall, broad, brown hair, straight face, boring. “Mr O’Connor, two arrests have been made in regards to your case, a Mr Gary O’Connor, and a Mrs Sarah O’Connor. In accordance with state regulations regarding child abuse or neglect cases you will not be required to be in the courtroom at the same time as your parents. You will need to identify them, however,” Officer Armin gestured to the other cop who pulled out a manila folder. He handed it to Brian who opened it to find two mugshots.

It’d been six years but he would know them anywhere. His father had darker bags under his eyes, more grey in his hair, deeper lines on his face. His mother looked thinner, more yellow, she looked sick. They’d gotten old.

“Yeah that’s my mum and dad.” He closed the folder and handed it back.

“Thank you, we’ll let you know the date that you’ll need to appear in court.” He handed over a card, “Give me a call if you have any questions about anything.”

Kelly was watching as he tucked the card into his pocket. “Did you want to talk about your parents today?”

“No.”

“So, I gave you an assignment on Monday. How did it go?” Brian shifted in his seat.

“I, it, uh.” He ducked his head and rubbed the back of his neck. Kelly waited. “In the shower. I was, it happened in the shower.”

“Was it fun?” he blushed and nodded. “I’m glad to hear it. So you feel safe here?” Another nod. “And when you get placed with a family? Do you think you’ll feel safe then?”

“I don’t know,” Kelly pulled out a sheet of paper and began writing.

“Well, you don’t know who you’ll be placed with, but when you get a bit older and move out, live in an apartment building maybe, you won’t know the people living in the building either. You need a way to make yourself feel safe. This isn’t unusual, Brian. I do these things.” Brian nodded and she continued. “Now, when I move somewhere I find out the local numbers for the hospital, fire station, and police station. That way if it’s not exactly an emergency I don’t have to call nine-one-one. I have pepper spray that I carry with me, and a baseball bat next to my bed. My brother is on speed dial, and I know that if I started screaming, my next-door-neighbour will come running. All of these things make me feel safe.

But for you in a foster house it’ll be a bit different. You can’t have a weapon for one thing, but you can have pepper spray. You have my number, your social workers number, and Officer Armin’s number. If you ever feel unsafe you can call any of us, people you know, and we will help you. How does all this sound?”

“How do you know your neighbour will come?”

Kelly sat back, considered the amount of trust an ex-street kid would dole out to a near stranger. “Well, we’re kind of friends. I invited her to my birthday party. We’ve had drinks a few times. She let me use her shower while mine was being re-tiled. And, I asked her. I literally said, ‘Hey, Stacey, if you hear me screaming bloody murder, ring the cops and come running, okay?’ and she laughed and said okay.”

“How do you know she meant it?”

“I don’t for sure, until it happens. But I’ve known her three years now, and I trust her.”

“Do you think I could do something like that?”

“When you get placed?” A nod. “Why not? I’m sure there’ll be someone there that you feel like you can trust. And if there isn’t, maybe a neighbour. You can just straight up ask them.” Kelly smiled at the wide eyed look that gave her. “What? Embarrassing?” Brian went from looking like a tired twenty-four-year-old to a nervous sixteen-year-old when he blushed. “Well, why don’t you tell me what you thought about when you masturbated?”

“So, we’ve found a family for you. The Toretto’s.” Brian just stared. They’d found him a home? All the other kids had talked about how he’d never get placed, he was too old for anyone to bother. “Mario and Rosa. They have two kids, uh, Dominic and Mia, and two foster kids, Jesse and Leticia. Mario and Dominic are alpha, but have passed all of the standard tests, and Jesse is omega.” Two alphas? Okay, now he was a little worried. “They own a garage and a market, and Mario drives a race car.” The social worker leans in as he says it, like that’s the selling point.

“Cool, when do I leave?”

Toretto House, Echo Park, Los Angeles, California 1997

Mark, the social worker, stepped right up to the front door and pressed the doorbell. Didn’t hesitate or anything, just, boom! Brian shook his head and stayed back a ways, he had a back pack full of brand new clothes, a can of pepper spray and not much else. Apparently his new foster parents would organise all his school stuff, and had to provide everything else.

His hands were shaking where they gripped the straps of his bag, probably just the withdrawal though, he’d been in way worse situations than this. That time a cop had pushed him to his knees in an alleyway. That other time Sophie had sold all their shit to get some money for more gas. That time his dad-

“Mr Toretto?” Brian’s head snapped up, standing in the doorway was the epitome of a cisgender alpha. He was tall, probably six-three, broad shoulders, muscled, shaved head, olive skin, close-cropped beard, he looked mean.

“Call me Mario,” but then his eyes crinkled up as he smiled. Brian felt safe.

Chapter Text

Hey everyone, thanks for all the comments and kudos even though I haven't posted in ages. My excuses:
1. I had a big cancer scare and was not well enough to look after my children let alone work on this fic.
2. My laptop died and with it all of the notes I had written.

I will not be continuing with this fic, thank you for understanding.