11. Lucky
Lucky
He felt numb. Despite the island heat, ice burrowed beneath his skin to make his teeth chatter unnaturally.
Lucky moved on autopilot. He dropped off his SD cards into his research folder, plugged in all the batteries, and put the camera that had been knocked over on his desk with a sticky note reminding him to check it for damage.
Despite everything Antonio had done to calm him, Lucky tumbled right back into the panicked depths of overthinking when the alpha was gone.
What was he going to do?
The question spiraled helplessly through his bus ride. Instead of heading home, he got off two stops earlier for the Marine Center. It was just past two in the afternoon; the tourists were likely gone or milling about the aquarium section. It didn’t matter. He just needed to find his dad.
Lucky flashed fake smiles as various volunteers and research staff greeted him, hoping the anger and hurt and just general upset didn’t show on his face. Not until he reached the office of Teague Wilde.
He knocked, throat burning with a matted ball of emotion, and nearly choked on a small sob when his father’s warm voice told him to come in.
He didn’t even give his dad a chance to ask questions.
Lucky rushed in, letting the door close under its own power, and all but threw himself into Teague’s lap.
“What’s wrong, little Lucky?” His father’s strong arms curled around him protectively. Teague leaned back in his office chair, making space for Lucky. A kiss was pressed to the crown of his head.
Words stuck in his throat, drowned out by tears that soaked into his father’s shirt.
How easy it was to become a child again.
Teague smelled like spiced rum. To him, it would always be the most comforting scent in the world, the one that wrapped him up in hugs and tucked him in at night.
His father was strong and sturdy and always had a smile to give them.
Shame and fear couldn’t get him here, not when his father’s large hand rubbed his back until everything spilled out.
“What happened?” Teague asked again once Lucky was wrung dry and his breathing had steadied.
Lucky sniffled, prompting his father to adjust his hold so he could grab a tissue from his desk. He pressed it to Lucky’s face just as he had when Lucky was a pup, and prompted him to blow his nose.
“I went on a date.” He started, sitting up to grab a second tissue to clean his face. “We had a great time by the way, you’re gonna like him.”
“Not if he’s the reason my pup is crying.” Teague grumbled, licking his thumb to rub Lucky’s cheek clean.
“He’s not, I promise he’s not.” Lucky sighed, “We ran into Evan Jones at Tesoro. Daddy, they’re surveying our beach for a land sale!” A fresh wave of anger threatened to bring more frustrated tears to his burning eyes.
“Easy, deep breaths Lucky.” Teague patted his back gently. “Surveying doesn’t mean anything is official.”
His father was always reasonable. Slow, steady, laid back to the point he could be frustrating. “We need to find mom’s paperwork. I know she filed for protective status, that will prove they can’t build there.”
“I’ll have Joe get a copy from the environmental protections office, Lucky. It’ll take a few days.” Lucky’s classmate was a capable research assistant, if anyone could track down the paperwork with ease, it would be Joe.
“Alright…” Lucky sighed, tucking his head under Teague’s chin. The office chair creaked in protest.
Silence blossomed as Teague rubbed his knuckles up and down Lucky’s back. His father didn’t press or offer continuous reassurances, he offered space. A chance to breathe, to think, to center himself without worrying about anything.
Minutes ticked by in comfort until there was a knock at the door at the same time the handle turned, “Hey dad, someone said they saw Lucky and— Lucky!” That was all the warning they had before Jack happily flung himself into the cuddle pile without question.
Lucky laughed, wrapping an arm around Jack as the office chair groaned and Teague grunted from an elbow to the ribs.
“You’re going to break my chair.” Teague protested halfheartedly.
Worry still clung to his heart like an octopus but with his family holding him, it was impossible to believe things wouldn’t work out. Everything would be okay. It had to be.
Lucky finished typing up the last line of notes from the three-hour lecture on the latest in reef restoration with a sigh of relief. He stretched his hands above his head, linking his fingers together. A squeak escaped him when a finger prodded his armpit.
“Serena!” He batted away harpy-like fingers eager to dig into his sides. “I swear to god if you don’t stop with the armpit fetish…”
“Slander!” Serena gasped in mock offense; hand pressed to her chest. “It is only because you leave them so defenseless and exposed that my innate desire to hunt little omegas like you is triggered.”
He snorted, “You’re a beta, you don’t have an innate desire to hunt anything!”
“That is beta exclusionary and I won’t stand for it.” Which led to her dramatically collapsing against his side. He shoved uselessly at her before submitting to his fate.
Serena smelled like coconut lotion and the hibiscus scented hair oil she swore kept her blond waves springy and glossy.
She was all tan lines and sunburned cheeks when she tilted her head to kiss the tip of his nose.
“Come get lunch with me, I need to stretch and stuff a sandwich in my face before the next lecture or I will literally expire.”
“Food sounds amazing.” Lucky’s stomach begged through the entire final hour of the lecture. It was his fault, forgetting his lecture snack was a literal sin.
“Perfect! Grab your stuff and let’s go, mi amor!” Serena squeezed him tight enough to strangle before finally releasing him to pack up her own stuff. Lucky clicked his laptop shut after saving his work, stuffing it into his messenger bag.
Just as they exited the classroom, Lucky’s phone pinged with a text message. He paused, fishing the device from the pocket of his shorts.
“Hey, how about a raincheck on the sandwiches?” Lucky asked, smiling at the message.
Antonio was taking a break and wanted to grab lunch.
Since their last failed date, finding time in their schedules seemed nearly impossible.
If there was even a small chance of seeing the alpha, he really wanted to grab it.
“Oh oh oh, is someone ditching me for an alpha?” Serena teased dramatically, hand flying to her mouth in surprise.
The tall beta shoved him lightly from behind, “Go on, go see your big strong lover. And please remember to ask him who on the search and rescue team is single so I know who to ask for next time I tragically twist my ankle surfing.”
Lucky rolled his eyes at her antics. “Alright, alright, I’ll ask.” He smiled appreciatively, turning to give her a quick hug, “I’ll text you after, maybe we could grab drinks.”
“Yeah, yeah. Keep me posted!” Serena waved him off a final time, hurrying him along.
With a wave over his shoulder, Lucky power walked towards the front of the university, texting Antonio a thumbs up and a note on the best place to park. It took fifteen minutes. Nine hundred seconds spent bouncing from foot to foot, heart pounding, eagerly watching for that familiar shape.
Antonio was dressed in black cargo pants and a dark green t-shirt with fluorescent white lettering that read SAR on the front. A couple of the students stopped to stare. Lucky couldn’t blame them, Antonio was incredibly handsome and the SAR team always drew attention when in uniform.
“Hope I didn’t interrupt your study time.” Antonio said as a greeting.
“Not at all, I just got out of a long lecture when you texted, so food was absolutely about to be my next stop.” Lucky smiled, tucking himself into Antonio’s side. The alpha slung a casual arm around Lucky’s shoulders.
“Good to hear.” Antonio kissed the top of his head, “I haven’t been around campus in… ten years? Why don’t you show me where you like to eat.”
“There’s an amazing skewer place. Just a little street stall if that’s alright but they really do have the best skewers!
” Lucky guided Antonio towards the manicured quad.
Large palm trees and short frond shrubs were tastefully planted around benches and other seating areas to create a comfortable space for the students to hang out.
To the north of the quad sat a line of food carts.
“Skewers are always on the menu.” Antonio laughed, “At the team BBQs we always have someone on skewer duty.”
“Is that so, well I’ll look forward to my invite.” He prodded Antonio’s side teasingly.
It was forward. But forward worked because it made Antonio smile and it spread warm feelings through his stomach. They were so much better than butterflies. He didn’t feel nervous, he felt cozy. Antonio’s laugh, his touch, his scent, it was like sliding into a jacuzzi.
Lucky never wanted to get out.
They gave their orders to the guy running the cart: Two picanha (one for each of them), one cheese skewer with sugarcane molasses and a chicken skewer wrapped in bacon (for him), along with a cheese skewer wrapped in sundried meat and a chicken heart skewer (for Antonio).
“Jack hates chicken hearts.” Lucky laughed as they found a bench in the shade to eat their lunch. “Dad sometimes makes them and Jackie gags and cringes the entire time.”
“Mateo is the same way! He makes faces every time I order them.” Antonio snorted. “What about you, yay or nay on the chicken hearts?”
“Absolutely a yay from me.” Lucky paused to take his first bite of the cheese skewer. The sweet sugarcane molasses was truly the best thing. “Here, try this one!” Antonio leaned in to take a bite. His groan of appreciation made Lucky’s insides melt.
“That’s delicious.” Antonio licked his lips slowly, savoring the sweet sauce. Lucky’s mind blanked out. “Do you prefer farofa or Brazilian vinaigrette?
“What?” Lucky asked, unable to process the question. He pried his eyes from Antonio’s lips to be met with an amused stare.
“I asked if you prefer putting farofa or vinaigrette on your skewers.” Antonio repeated. Lucky did his best to ignore the man’s knowing smirk. So, he was attracted to the alpha… Who wasn’t?
“Oh! Ah, I prefer farofa. What about you?” The toasted, buttery cassava flour always added a nice taste to the meat in his opinion.
“Vinaigrette. The fresh red peppers and the sour vinegar help cut through the rich meat taste.” Antonio shook the little container of sauce they gave with the skewers for good measure. “So, have there been any updates on the turtle situation?”
Before Lucky could answer, three sharp beeps shattered the moment.
Antonio’s entire demeanor changed. The smiling, teasing alpha turned serious as he pulled his phone free. Whatever the alert said, his expression became apologetic. “I need to go, there’s a boat accident off Topacio. I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay—” The words barely escaped Lucky’s lips.
Antonio handed off the skewers, kissed the top of Lucky’s head, and dashed off without even a goodbye. It took a moment for Lucky to process the exchange. With a sigh and a small huff, Lucky pulled his phone out, calling Serena.
“Hey, I know you said sandwiches, but I’m sitting in the quad with more skewers than I can eat and no one to share them with… Come help?” He got a cheerful squeal and an aggressive ‘yes.’ They both had busy lives, but at least he had good friends to soothe the sting.