CW for coarse language, violence

Dante had been correct that Miguel needed extra help in the kitchen. Raf was astonished by the sheer amount of peeling, cutting, boiling, baking, frying, steaming, and seasoning that needed to be done just to get one meal ready. Miguel was a decent teacher, but he didn’t really have the time or patience for a lot of hand-holding, and it was all Raf could do to keep up with his shouted instructions.

On the plus side, attending to the tasks at hand kept him from feeling too awkward, because he had gotten the distinct impression that Miguel didn’t like him all that much. For one thing, he couldn’t be bothered to call Raf anything besides “You”. Raf also caught him glaring several times when he happened to look up from his slicing. He thought maybe Miguel was unhappy with the way he was doing vegetable prep, but rather than say anything, the other man just frowned and looked away.

It wasn’t until they finally finished all the prep and were waiting for the last dishes to finish cooking that Miguel finally said what was on his mind. He was resting against the counter while Raf got himself a drink of water from the sink. 

“So. You’re an Alpha, yeah?”

Raf stiffened. “I am. Is that a problem?”

Miguel shrugged. “Don’t really see many Alphas around here. Most of the folks are Omegas. You stand out.”

Raf turned around and looked the other man up and down slowly. “You don’t seem to be an Omega yourself.”

“Nah, I’m a Beta. We’ve got a couple of those on staff. I’m tall, though, so some of the residents thought I was an Alpha at first. Definitely made a few of them skittish. You should be prepared.”

“Um, yeah. Dante mentioned that some of them have had bad experiences with Alphas.”

Miguel snorted. “Some? All of them, more like. Did Dante tell you anything about the sorts of folks who come through here?”

“Not really.”

Miguel shifted uncomfortably. “Well, it’s not my place to say anything. But it’s some pretty heavy stuff. Expect that the majority of Omegas you see around here will probably just steer clear of you. One or two might cuss you out. What you gotta be prepared for, though, are the ones who freak out.”

Raf’s hand stilled, the water glass halfway to his mouth. “Freak out?”

Miguel opened his mouth to respond, but was interrupted as the doors to the dining room opened, and people started to filter in for the midday meal. “Well, I guess you’ll find out. Grab those serving dishes and let’s get the food laid out on the table.”

Raf did as he was told and began hauling dishes out to the dining room and laying them out on the buffet table. He was just straightening up from setting out the dish of steamed vegetables when he realized that a hush had fallen over the room. He looked up to see what had caused it, and realized that every eye in the room was staring in his direction. He swallowed, and forced himself to turn around and retreat towards the kitchen. He had only taken two steps when the whispers started.

“...Alpha.”

“He’s an Alpha, right? Why is he here?”

“Who is he? What is he doing?”

Suddenly, one voice spoke up, significantly louder than the rest. “Yo, Miguel! What the fuck is an Alpha doing here?”

Miguel came out of the kitchen upon hearing his name and took stock of the situation. He kept his stance relaxed and his face calm, but pitched his voice to carry. “He’s a volunteer. He’s here to help me with food prep and service. No need to cause a fuss, Trevor.”

The voice spoke up again. Raf turned his head slightly and caught sight of the speaker, a red-faced Omega with blond hair and a look of fury on his face. “Why do we need an Alpha volunteer?”

“You can take that up with Dante when he gets here. For now, he stays. Now, the menu for today’s lunch will include--”

“We don’t fucking want him here!” another Omega shrilled, pointing at Raf. “This is supposed to be a safe place! I brought my kids here to keep them away from Alphas like him. Tell him to get out!”

The rumbling murmurs were growing, and other Omegas began to add their displeasure to the chorus. Raf was starting to worry that he had made a terrible mistake in coming to the Center when, all of a sudden, a tall auburn-haired woman near the front of the room abruptly stood.

“Pipe down, all of you!” she yelled in a commanding voice. The room instantly quieted. “Miguel said he’s here because Dante said so, and I trust Dante. You all know damn well he wouldn’t let an Alpha come in here if he was going to do us any harm. Now stop being so goddamned narrow minded, and let the boy serve the food. I, for one, am hungry, and I intend to eat.”

With that she marched over to the buffet, grabbed a plate, and held it out in front of Raf. He froze, unsure what to do, and looked over to Miguel for help. Miguel responded by picking up a serving spoon, and indicating with his head for Raf to do the same. Raf nodded, grabbed the spoon, and ladled some vegetables onto the woman’s plate. He did his best to keep his voice polite and friendly, as he said, with as much enthusiasm as he could muster, “Is that enough, miss, or would you like some more?”

“I’m good, thanks,” she said with a bright smile, and then turned back to the crowd. “Well? The rest of you gonna eat or not? He ain’t gonna bite.” She gave Raf a quick wink, which he answered with a grateful smile, and then she sauntered down the buffet table to the next dish.

After a few moments, other Omegas began to filter up toward the table. Raf did his best to ladle out the food quickly and efficiently. He noticed the way some of the Omegas glared or shrank away from him when he looked at them, and he quickly realized that it was best to avoid eye contact altogether. He kept his head down as he continued to serve out the rest of the food. 

“Hey. You didn’t give me enough.” 

Raf paused, and looked up at the Omega who had stopped in front of him. It was the angry-looking blond Omega who had yelled at him earlier. His blue eyes and his voice were both ice cold. 

“Lay off, Trevor,” the woman next to him muttered. “Leave it be.”

“No,” Trevor proclaimed loudly. “He didn’t give me enough. If they’re gonna keep a worthless Alpha around, then the least he can do is serve food properly.”

Raf swallowed. Keep your cool. Don’t respond to his provocation. “I’m sorry,” he said with a strained smile. “Here, have another helping.” He lifted the spoon and moved it toward Trevor’s plate. Trevor smacked the spoon aside, knocking it out of Raf’s hand. It clattered onto the floor, spilling steamed carrots across the tile.

“I don’t want another helping! I want you fucking gone.” He grabbed the front of Raf’s collar and yanked him forward. Raf, caught off balance, stumbled and fell across the table. The dish of vegetables toppled, and a wave of hot water splashed across Trevor’s shirt. He jumped back and howled in pain.

“That fucker just splashed me with hot water!”

“No, I didn’t…” Raf struggled to push himself up off the table, but he had barely managed to right himself before Trevor dove across the table and tackled him to the ground. The woman next to him screamed as Raf fell over backwards and cracked his head loudly against the floor. He looked up dizzily and barely had enough time to throw up his arms to protect his face before Trevor began raining down blows. He could vaguely hear Miguel shouting in the background. Someone was trying to pull Trevor off of him, but the Omega was too enraged to be constrained.

Get off of me.

“Someone get Dante!” a man’s voice yelled.

“Trevor, seriously, get a grip man!”

Get off of me.

The back of Raf’s head was throbbing viciously and his breathing quickened as he continued to ward off the blows from above. He could feel his heart drumming rapidly and his vision was beginning to fade at the edges as his rationality was consumed by a blinding, white hot rage.

Get...off of me. 

Raf could taste the iron of blood in his mouth. The situation was rapidly spinning out of control. He had to protect himself. He had to find a way to make Trevor stop. He had to free himself and get away from there, before he lost himself completely and did something horrible... 

Get off--

“Get the fuck off of me!” With a roar, Raf grabbed Trevor by the shirt and viciously shoved him away. Time seemed to slow down and Raf watched in horror as Trevor, unprepared for the sheer force of the push, went crashing into the legs of the table, and promptly crumpled to the ground.

“No, wait--”

The next thing Raf knew, Miguel had him by the arms, and several of the nearby Omegas started wailing.

“Is he dead?”

“What just happened?”

“No, wait,” Raf cried, the panic in his chest rising. “I didn’t mean to. I didn’t, he just, he wouldn’t stop hitting me and--”

“Calm down, kid,” Miguel murmured in his ear. “Don’t move, and don’t say anything else. Trust me on this. Just stay still, and breathe.”

Rafael, still dizzy and in pain, nodded and held himself as still as he could. Focus on breathing. Just breathe.

“What on earth happened here?”

Raf looked up and his eyes widened in fresh alarm. Dante was staring down at him, a complicated mix of emotions skittering across his face, among them shock, confusion, anger, and worst of all, disappointment. Raf closed his eyes and hung his head in shame. He hadn’t even been on the job a full day and he’d already hurt someone. Miguel had even gone to the trouble of warning him something like this might happen, and he still hadn’t managed to keep his cool. Worthless. Stupid. Weak.

“It wasn’t the kid’s fault, Dante.” A woman was speaking. “Trevor came at him.”

“Is that true?” Rafael opened his eyes to find Dante looking at him again, waiting for him to explain. He opened his mouth, but to his mortification, nothing came out.

“It’s true,” Miguel finally answered for him. “Trevor started it; Rafael was trying to protect himself. I think things just got out a little out of hand.”

Dante turned without another word and dropped down next to Trevor. “Hey, Trev? You okay?” He gently shook the man’s shoulder. 

Trevor groaned from where he was lying on the floor, and slowly managed to roll into a sitting position. He touched a hand to his head and hissed in pain. Raf could see a large angry welt forming on the man’s chest where the water had splashed him. Dante probed Trevor’s arms and legs gently, looking for broken bones or sprains. “Think you can stand up?” he finally said. Trevor nodded, and gingerly allowed Dante to pull him upright. He said nothing, but shot Raf a look of pure loathing before he draped an arm across Dante’s shoulders and hobbled out of the dining room. 

At the doorway, Dante paused briefly and looked back at where Raf was still lying on the floor. “I’m going to take Trevor to the infirmary now. Miguel, please help Mr. Alvarez to the staff room. I’ll be in after I get Trevor some medical treatment.” 

As soon as Dante and Trevor had disappeared, Raf felt Miguel release his grip on his arms, though he kept one arm behind Raf, supporting his back and shoulders. “Think you can stand up, kid?”

Raf nodded and rolled forward onto his hands and knees. Good god, his head. It felt like someone had taken a sledgehammer to it and everything in the room was suddenly spinning. He wanted to throw up.

“Kid?” Miguel looked at him, concerned. “Christina, can you help me over here?” Through the fog, Raf noticed the auburn-haired woman who had spoken up for him earlier. She knelt next to Raf and put one of his arms over her shoulder while Miguel took the other, and the two of them hauled him upright. “Okay, slowly now. Let’s just take one step forward at a time.”

Raf managed a grand total of three steps before the spinning finally got the better of him. He distantly heard a shout of alarm from Christina as he sank to his knees, sagged sideways, and blacked out.