It has been about three months since that initial meeting.  Jamie and Ronsel have followed the same routine. Jamie would come over just after Ronsel's afternoon duties. They would always take the long way to town. It gave them enough time to just chat and talk it up with one another. Then, Ronsel would gather any groceries or feed needed for home while Jamie goes for another bottle of his 'medicine'. They were never together in town. The white folk stared too hard while the other colored folk asked too many questions. They would meet back an hour or so later to head back to Ronsel's home. The long way again. It was the way things were for the two men. Until, one day, it wasn't.

Ronsel told Jamie about this place just outside their normal path. It was a dilapidated saw mill left to rot after reconstruction.He thought it fit to show it to Jamie. His own secluded world away from prying eyes. A place where he could sit down and gaze up at the sky and be lost in his own daydreams. 

Jamie and Ronsel shimmied in through a ragged gap. It’s old, decrepit and laden with cobwebs. Shafts of sunlight jut in through the wooden slats. Ronsel leads the way forward while Jamie makes sure not to drop his new bottle of whiskey. 

"Used to come here when I was a boy. Whenever I needed to be alone and think." Ronsel explained. He found a familiar seat on a fallen thick beam of wood. 

"Well I love what you’ve done with the place." Jamie laughed. Jamie offered Ronsel a smoke. Ronsel accepts and Jamie lights his own then tossed it to the colored man the lighter. Ronsel lights up and tossed the lighter back. As the months have passed, Jamie has found that his eyes continue to linger more and more on the colored omega. 

Ronsel was no fragile thing. He was well built and muscular. Unlike other omegas who strived to be docile and modest, Ronsel was self assured and made sure his point was heard. An overly masculine aura that permeated every action he made. The only feminine thing about him was probably his ass. Yet, Jamie has yet to be with a woman whose body made him fantasie the way Ronsel's one did. He knew that's what attracted him to the omega.  

"Why are you being so nice to me?" Ronsel asked. 

"Because you look like you could use it." Jamie replied.

Ronsel narrowed his eyes. "Bullshit!"

Jamie hid the growing smirk with a drag of his cigarette. 'This man will be the death of me.' He thought. It seemed like Ronsel was not relenting his look at Jamie. He lets out a short sigh before he began to tell the tale.

"We were somewhere over Austria and we made contact with a swarm of Messerschmitts. They were everywhere. Took out my tail gunner, side gunner...my co-pilot. Made a deal with God right there. Swore if he saved me I was gonna do something right. I didn’t know what, but I promised anyway." Jamie explained. He leans down and sits on the beam next to Ronsel. Said man looked engrossed in the story.

"Next thing you know, a whole bunch of P-38’s show up. Just like the goddamn cavalry. They knocked those Germans right outta the sky.  I swear they were angels sent by the Lord himself." Jamie lets out a soft chuckle. "Those P-38’s, their tails were painted red. And one of ‘em, he buzzed me after the fight. When I looked over I thought I was seeing things. But that fighter pilot?" Jamie focused his attention on Ronsel. "He was colored."

"Then he saluted me. And I saluted back.", Jamie takes the bottle of whiskey Ronsel handed to him. "Men who died that day... They were fathers. Husbands. Good men. Lot better than me." He put the bottle to his head and tipped it into his mouth. 

"At least you are here to tell the tale," Ronsel said. He placed a cautious hand on the Alpha's thigh. He smiled and that took Jamie's inhibitions away. 

He leans in before any of the men could think twice. The kiss was tentative and short. A brush of the lips. Ronsel could smell the alcohol on his breath. It didn't bother him. Noticing that Ronsel hasn't pulled away, Jamie leans in for the attack. He captured Ronsel's lips with his. A hand was placed behind Ronsel's head stabilizing the two. The omega's hat was knocked clean off his head while the bottle of whiskey sits long forgotten. By the time they broke the kiss, the need for air was too great. Both men stared at each other for a beat. The only thing connecting them still is a strand of saliva on their lips.

"I..I think we should head back home. My father is expecting me." Ronsel muttered. His lips said that but his scent begged to differ. It would be awhile before he could go around others smelling like that. Jamie's is not letting anyone smell this. His arousal. It was for his nose alone to enjoy if he had anything to say about it. 

"Yeah…I'll take ya home."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Florence sits on her porch as she mends some of Ruel's  socks. She looks off into the distance watching Ronsel sit against a tree smoking a cigarette.  The nearby chickens flock around his feet as he looks off into the distance with a thousand yard stare. He mindlessly drags and exhales.

"He hardly eats…He hardly sleeps. Can't sit still without this long stare on his face. Can't move. It's like he is just stewing. Waiting for something…" Florence's mind raced. 

Henry’s truck pulls up, Jamie behind the wheel. Ronsel hops into the passenger side. Florence shakes her head. Her lips pulled tight. The truck pulled out and Florence watched it go. 

"Him and that white alpha. Trouble is bound to follow. My dear baby will be caught in the worst of it."

Florence stared off into the distance. Hap hobbled out on his still-splinted leg. He leaned his crutches against the house, placed his arms around her, 

inhaled into her neck. Florence cradled his head. A gesture of many years over.

"You ain’t tired?" Hap asked.

"I'm worried for him. He spends all his time with that man. Maybe we gotta let him go. Explore.", Florence mused.

"We’re not holding him." Hap countered. 

"We are. He’s staying for us." Florence said.

"Maybe he wants to stay. It’s not always gonna be like this. Soon as I’m healed we’ll move outta here. We’ll be okay. He’ll be okay once 

he has his own place and a proper alpha to take care of him." Hap reassured.

"Maybe that alpha is the one he wants? You know what trouble that will bring him?" Florence challenged.

Hap hummed a broken tune. Hap helped her to her feet and spinned her around to him. He pulled her into a clumsy one-legged two step. Florence melted onto him.

"You not supposed to be up on this broke leg, Hawthorne Jackson. You never let it heal, you never gon’ walk." Florence complained.

"Why walk if I can’t dance?" Hap hummed. Hap and Florence swayed to the music of their own creation. They hung in each other’s eyes and grasped for exhausted joy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ronsel laid back in Jamie's arms. They were back in the old saw mill once again. The old place has slowly become a safe haven for the two men. Ronsel takes the cigarette from his mouth and places it into Jamie's mouth. The alpha's arms held Ronsel close and rested just across his midsection. Ronsel took the stagnant bottle of bourbon and took a nice full sip. Jamie chuckles softly and places a small kiss on the other male's forehead. If this is what love feels like, he doesn't ever want to be out of it.

"The silver star? Damn." Ronsel responded. A smile full of teeth shined brightly at Jamie.

"Don’t be impressed. I got it for being stupid." Jamie rubbed the male's head.

"What?"

"I almost drowned in a flood when I was a kid. Since then, baths, swimming pools, any kind of water I hate it. And this one mission I changed course so we wouldn’t be over the water so long. And, as luck would have it, we ran smack dab into some enemy flak. A lot of it. But I managed to hit the target and bring us all back." Jamie explained. His hands ran sweet circles up and down the omega's abdomen. It has been the first time in a long time he has been able to talk about his experience without his hands shaking. He owes it to them always being preoccupied with something much better.

"You so scared of water you’d rather get shot at than fly over it?" Ronsel laughed.

"Damnedest thing, ain’t it?" Jamie supplied. Ronsel lifts the bottle of bourbon up to Jamie and allows him to take a swing. "You ever miss it sometimes? Being over there? I don’t mean getting shot at, but... I actually miss it." Jamie mussed. 

Ronsel gave a short nod. "Me too. Over there I was a Liberator. Had folks lined up on the street cheering and throwing flowers. They didn't care that I was colored or an omega. They saw me as a hero. Back here, I’m just another nigger pushing a plow. A nigger omega. A freak of nature." Ronsel growled at the end.

"Well, I think you are far from a freak of nature. I bet you had all of those European guys and gals all over you." He whispered into his ear. Ronsel bites his lip as he feels his face grow warm. 

"Army gave us separate barracks, separate blood supply, separate latrines. But them European girls didn’t mind us a bit. When we were in Wimbourne, English gal I never laid eyes on patted me right on the butt. Told me she was checking for a tail because the white GI’s was saying we were more monkey than human. So we made sure to show ‘em just how human we were every opportunity we got." Ronsel recounted.

Jamie nuzzled the crook of his neck. "And I thought I could have been your first." He muttered. Ronsel turns his body around to face Jamie. 

"Had many gals, but never the fellas. Though, they did offer some stuff I never even heard of." Ronsel wraps his arms around his neck. "Think you can do half as much."

Jamie growled at the challenge. He pushed Ronsel back onto the widest part of the beam. His mouth immediately attacked the lovely smelling scent gland at the cusp of his neck. "Oh darlin' you smell this nice now. Imagine your heat.." Jamie whispered on his skin. Both male's hands moved to remove their belts, followed by pants to the dirt floor below. Jamie's hands cup and massage the melanate pectoral muscles down to the smooth sides. A soft moan escapes from the omega. A breathy gasp of a moan that sends blood running straight to his dick. 

Jamie has been with many omega women and men in his life, but this one between his legs, was enough to out rank all of them. He didn't feel the need to be gentle with him. Ronsel had enough muscle to take whatever Jamie had to give. Jamie broke about five buttons from his shirt trying to peel away the constricting fabric. He made a mental note to purchase a new one as soon as possible. Jamie's hands traced down the tantalizing ass that has sparked his original interest. It was firm, round and just leaked slick for him. Migrating his hands downward he placed them firmly on his hips. He spread the tight muscle with one hand and allowed his tongue to dive down into the slick hole. Ronsel threw his head back in a deep moan. Those european girls were nice but this was out of this world. Jamie made sure Ronsel was nice and opened up before pulling away. He angled his cock to his entrance. He wanted desperately to thrust in but he needed to hear it from the horse's mouth.

"You want me sergeant?" He asked. He channeled his inner captain voice to sell the part.

Ronsel moans. "Sir! Yes! Sir!" He responded with a short buck of his hips.

Jamie plowed into Ronsel with an intense force. He wasn't gentle with the man. Ronsel liked it that way. If he didn't, he would have ended this a long time ago. The old bomer pilot hoisted the man's leg up to his shoulder. His hips snapping into the slicked hole with accuracy. Both men didn't know how much more they could take. Ronsel's cock bobbed and leaked pre-cum while Jamie could feel the swell of his knot taking over. 

"So…so close.." Ronsel moaned. Jamie just kissed his inner calf in response. He thrust once more, hitting his prostate with clear intent. Ronsel saw stars as he gasped and came hard between the two. Jamie followed close behind him. The feel of Ronsel's walls clenching around him as he came sent the same waves of pleasure through him as well. The alpha's knot swelled inside of Ronsel. He had never taken a knot before. It was tight yet satisfying as it squeezed his prostate nicely.  Jamie leaned weakly on Ronsel's chest. Eyes locked with one another in a piercing stare. Lips locked once more as they lazily kissed until fatigue took them away.

The pair didn't wake until nightfall. Jamie blinked away the stray sleep from his eyes and pulled his now limp cock out of Ronsel. Ronsel squirms in moderate discomfort. The cool air hitting his aching hole. They said nothing as they stared at each other. Jamie couldn't think of anything to say. His fingers caressed the perfect dark skin that looked blue in the moonlight. The pair soon had to get up. They shrugged on their clothes in silence. Ronsel made the first move to get up but Jamie pulled him right down into his lap.

"What are we?" Ronsel asked not facing the alpha.

"We can be anything you want it to be." Jamie replied. He pressed a short kiss to his cheek. "You name it sarg, and you got it."

"Can we be anything more?" Ronsel questioned. "White man and colored man? Is it right?"

Jamie turns Ronsel's face to look at him. "What right or wrong is our business alone. I would be mighty pleased if you want to be mine."

Ronsel gives him a skeptical look. Jamie reaches to his neck and retrieves his dog tags from around it. He takes Ronsel's hand and sets the silver chain into his palm. "I want you. Ronsel Jackson. Would make me happier than a kid on Christmas." He flashed a smile.

"What will your folks think? Your Pappy would be quite happy to see a rope around my neck." Ronsel mused. 

Jamie narrowed his eyes. "My Pappy needs to be happy that no one has put him in a box floating down the river." Jamie countered. "I don't care who talks or wants to try something. You are mine." He growled the last part into the hard part of his ear.

Ronsel relents. He leans his head onto the crook of Jamie's shoulder. 'If just for a moment. I felt as an equal.'

Later that night, Ronsel was home in his bed. His family have all taken shut eyes for the night. His parents didn't question him. He thinks they are giving him some space. He held the dog tags in his hands. They shine so nicely in the blue moonlight. Ronsel brings his lips to them and pressed a kiss to the cool steel. Then, with resolve, he stuffs it into a small tin box next to his bed and closes the lid shut. His eyes closed with memories of a time he will not forget easily.