Chapter Text
Carmen Berzatto had just turned 17 when he presented.
It was late and he'd finally gotten free from the chaotic energy that was his family on his birthday. He'd drank quite a bit—not necessarily because he wanted to—because Mikey had kept pushing beers at him, saying something about his older teen years.
Finally, after what felt like ages he was allowed to leave and head upstairs. His head was starting to ache from the alcohol and he felt too warm, uncomfortable in his skin. Another telltale sign that he'd drank too much.
Moving sluggishly he made it to his room, closing the door behind him harder than he meant with a slam that made him wince.
He flopped onto his bed with a huff, regretting the movement when it made him more dizzy. His hand fumbled for his pillow, slipping inside the case and pulled out a pack of smokes. No one except maybe Richie had picked up on the fact he was smoking.
He remembered coming in from outside late one night to find Richie at the sink with a glass of water in his hand. The alpha had simply raised an eyebrow at him, nostrils flaring for a moment before he went back to drinking his water.
That had been the end of that and if Richie knew he was smoking, then he had chosen to not say anything about it. Which Carmy was grateful for. The last thing he needed on top of his crazy family was to be screamed at for smoking.
It was a habit now to slip his bedroom window open, pull the lighter from his pocket, and press a cigarette between his lips. Hands cupping around the stick, he lit the end and took a long deep drag, the nicotine blooming in his body. It felt so good after all the chaos of the night it made a small sigh leave him. He finished the cigarette in silence, breathing out puffs of smoke into the cold night and watching them swirl away.
Another wave of dizziness washed over him as he opened the screen and flicked the butt out the window. Nausea and something else rumbled through his stomach, settling in the space at the bottom of his waist, right in the cradle of his hips.
His hands came down to clutch at his lower abdomen when a sharp pain erupted there out of nowhere.
Carmy hadn't realized he'd begun to sweat, nor that his temperature had risen. His body started to shake with chills and he felt like he'd been punched when another sharp pain tore through him.
Fear spiked in him that maybe he'd drank so much he'd done something bad to himself. The fear had him standing on wobbly legs and stumbling towards the door to his room to get to the bathroom.
Before he could reach for the handle, his legs gave out as a wave of cramps tightened his lower back and navel muscles. The startling pain had him choking on a silent groan.
Unable to stand and vision splintering black around the edges, he reached for his phone in his pocket, fingers slipping on the glass from sweat.
He doesn't remember sending out a text. And he certainly doesn't remember calling Richie.
All Carmy knew is when he opened his eyes again his sister and Mikey were hovering over him with worry and something like pity pasted across their face. His face felt raw against the stiff carpet under his cheek. His head felt too stuffy, making it hard to focus on one thought at a time and instead blurring them all together.
Mikey was on the phone–his phone–saying something he wasn't able to make out. Just fragments.
"Yes, no she doesn't know I made her go to bed when she started screaming. Sug's here with me. Man, I don't know what to do. I've never had to deal with this—not this bad anyway. Yes, Richie."
A loud keening whimper made him jolt and it startled him so much that it took way too long for him to notice that the sound had come from him. Pain and heat radiated down his spine into his thighs, a burning sense of need filling him as he caught a whisper of Richie's voice on the other side of the line.
Mikey had his hand held up to his forehead with worry pulling his mouth down into a grimace.
"He's burnin' up man... No. They're just gonna tell us what they tell everyone Richie, that he needs a partner to get through this. Fuck knows they'd try to assign him a registered-” Carmy missed his next word as his hearing faded out and in, “-partner. That or just make him suffer through the week alone… I don’t fuckin’ know.”
Partner? Get through what?
Another whine was pulled from him as more cramps wracked his body.
Mikey's voice again, "yeah, yeah… The doors unlocked. Hurry."
Black splintered his vision again and he felt nauseous, bile rising in his throat. Carmy searched his brain for reasons he'd be reduced to this mess, scrambling for a thought when Richie's signature black canvas shoes came into view.
When Carmy looked up he noticed that the others eyes were pink with tiredness and he looked winded like he'd ran.
Somewhere in the back of his mind Carmy remembered being put out after finding out that Richie wouldn't make it to his birthday celebration because he had to work. He was so used to Richie just being there for every family get together, that he'd gotten used to him being there on every birthday he can remember. Gotten a little too used to the alpha’s presence in their home that not having him there on his birthday made him feel a way that should have made Carmy worry.
A long drawn out whimper filled the room as Carmy took in Richie's scent, immediately feeling a small sense of relief. It was different. Like leather, smoke, and something deep and velvety that was entirely Richie. It was stronger than he’d ever noticed and something about it washed over the pain like a balm.
"Fuck. You weren't kidding. He really is in heat."
The rational part of Carmy's brain went off like a lightbulb—realizing that all the signs were there and he was just so out of it he didn't put them together.
Sugar's voice finally spoke, hushed but laced with worry and warning, “Yes, he is. But this is worse than anything I've seen and I've seen a lot being around omegas as much as I have with work and school. His temp just keeps going up. The ER won't be able to do much except push fever reducers and assign him the nearest on-call registered heat partner.”
"Richie, man, I don't know what we're supposed to do. I mean I know, but he's just a kid. And like fuck I’m going to let a random fuckin’ alpha put their hands on my brother."
Carmy pushed into the hand in his hair, unsure if it was Mikey or Sugar but grateful for the contact anyway. Another breath of that intoxicating scent, an uncomfortable feeling of wetness spreading between his buttocks.
"Shit." Mikey cursed under his breath, “even I can smell it now.”
Carmy's vision blacked out for a second. Distantly he heard Richie and Mikey’s voices, they were raised, upset. It must have been longer though because when he came back into focus, it was just Richie in the room with him.
“Hey, Carm.” The soft baritone of his voice carried softly in the quiet.
Carmen felt himself shiver, jerking hard when another cramp caged his muscles. A pained groan weakly broke his lips apart, turning into a whimper.
“Shhh shh, I got you Carm, it's okay. Just listen to my voice okay, listen to me.”
Richie was softer than Carmy ever heard him, voice low and quelling the confused fear in his chest. He clenched his eyes shut, nodding in short jerking movements.
When a large hand cupped his cheek he couldn't help but moan as he pressed into the touch. Richie’ skin was cool to the touch and he grunted at the relief it brought. He missed the way Richie's mouth turned down for a brief moment.
I’m so sorry, Richie wanted to say, but now wasn't the time. He didn't want to risk making Carmy panic and hide away from him. He couldn't afford to. Not with the way his temperature kept rising.
“I'm gonna take the hurt away, Carmy. I'm gonna take care of you, okay?”
He watched Carmy open his big blue doe eyes and look up at him, red rimmed and wet. It broke his heart to see the kid like this. So far gone from his quiet, shy disposition that it was like he wasn't even talking to the same boy as a day ago.
“Richie,” Carmy pushed his chin further into the hand on his face, making Richie jump when he felt a wet open mouth kiss against his palm.
Curls stuck with sweat to the omega's forehead, cheeks rosey red and dewy. Drool started to trail from his open mouth and Richie watched transfixed as Mikey's baby brother sucked his thumb into his mouth.
His pants felt too tight all of a sudden and Carmy must have sensed something because his eyes shot wide and dilated, falling half lidded as he whined. Richie's thumb slipped from Carmy's mouth with a pop, the omega panting and grinding his hips into the carpet.
Taking a deep breath—inhaling the scent of omega in heat—the alpha closed his eyes for a second. Then, gently, he rolled Carmen onto his back, ignoring the way the omega's legs fell open, and picked him up with an arm under knees and shoulders.
Immediately Carmy was there at his neck, inhaling large gulps of air and pawing helplessly at his chest and shoulders. Richie bit his lip hard, fighting back a groan as those soft lips pressed against his scent gland, failing when a wet tongue laved over it.
Carmy moaned so loud in his arms he was terrified that everyone else in the house would hear. Which was probably stupid considering he was going to fuck him into next week, something Richie wasn't particularly excited for. He could only imagine just how rank with pheromones this room was gonna be at the end of the week.
Carefully, he laid Carm onto the bed, his instincts screaming at him at the loss of touch. Telling him that he needed to take Carmy as his, to satiate the omega in heat before him. To seek out the glands in his neck and tear into them with his teeth.
Shaking his head, he looked down at Carmy.
The omega was panting, cheeks bright red and sweat beading down his forehead. His expression looked pained. And when he met Richie's eyes they immediately looked away, welling with tears. Tears that made it blatantly obvious that Carmy was still there. Just aware enough to feel humiliated.
“I-I’m-I'm sorry, f-fuck.” Carmy choked out, bringing an arm up to cover his eyes but Richie still saw the way his chin dimpled, trembling.
“Hey, hey, shhh, no Carmy. It's not your fault. This isn't your fault. Okay? I'm sorry. I'm gonna make it better, okay? Can you trust me on that? I'm gonna take care of you, baby.”
The pet name came out before he could stop himself, but Camry whined high through his nose, finally moving his arm from his face and looking Richie over with cloudy, yet intense eyes.
“I t-trust you.”
Richie nodded before sitting at the end of the bed.
Carmy's socks came off with ease, exposing two pale, soft feet that were hot to the touch. His shirt got tangled around his arms when Richie gently urged it over his shoulders but it came loose once the sleeves were pulled over his elbows.
The blush on Carm's face reached all the way down to the dimple of his chest, just below his breastbone, in blotchy red patches. Faint freckles danced over his skin like pretty little stars. A small thatch of dark golden hair peaked just above his waistband, hinting what lay under it. It was the small round of baby fat there that had Richie swallowing around a lump in his throat.
Richie placed a hand on the boy's chest—rubbing a soothing circle there—and the action pulled a moan from Carmy's plump lips. The dip of his cupid's bow was deep and Richie stared, feeling like he was living outside his body, thinking that surely this was a nightmare. In no universe did Richie ever dream of this, let alone want this. This was Michael Berzatto’s little brother. The kid had just turned fucking 17 for Christ's sake.
Richie closed his eyes, letting his hand roam the soft skin of Carmen’s chest and then up to his neck, sliding up to cup the boy’s face again.
Smooth. Soft. Sparse prickles of facial hair. 17.
Richie yanked his hand back like he’d been burnt. Whatever heat he’d been feeling down south fizzled out.
“Fuck. I can’t do this shit.” Richie cursed, standing up from the edge of the bed, pressing his hands to his face and just standing there for a moment.
His hands slid from his eyes to cover his mouth, deep blue eyes casting a long stare over at the bed where Carmy lay. The omega’s eyes were clenched shut, stray tears running down his temples before those red rimmed lids opened to reveal those faded denim blue eyes.
“Rich-Richie w-w-where are-where did you go? Richie?” The omega pled. The way Carmy was laying on the bed, he was facing the wall just slightly, so even when he turned his head towards the door, Richie was out of his sight.
The alpha bit back a reply, turning to leave the room, too ashamed to tell the kid he couldn’t help him because he was 15 years his senior and shouldn’t be fucking his best friends little brother.
A sudden, wounded sound filled his ears and tore Richie out of his racing thoughts.
At first he thought maybe he’d imagined the sound, but it happened again, this time louder. It took longer than it should have for Richie to realize the sound for what it was—a sob.
Another, this time bordering on a wail.
The scent in the room turned stale and acrid with the smell of fear and distress. The alpha instinct in Richie had him rounding on himself, nearly tripping over himself as he came rushing back to the bedside.
Camry’s hands were crushed over his eyes, chin wobbling with each sob that left him, failing to hold back the loud ones that came out in wails. His body was shaking and when Richie reached out to try to calm him, Carmy jumped and flung his hands out in a drunken swipe.
When the omega opened his eyes, they landed on Richie immediately.
“Y-y-y-you l-left!” Carmy stuttered out through short, fast breaths, near hyperventilating. “Y-y-you left me! Y-you said you’d h-he-help! You said you’d take-take it away! A-and you left!”
Richie didn’t block the weak punches when Carmy landed them on his chest, eventually tangling his fists in the alpha’s shirt.
“Hey, hey, hey, Carmen-“ another hit, “hey-stop that, ow fuck! Carmen—STOP!” Richie cried, finally taking the omega’s wrists in one of his large hands, using the other to grab the boy by the jaw and making him look at him.
Even in full blown heat the teen managed to go stone faced and defiant—even if tears still streamed down his face—even if his eyes looked murky with something a little too close to desire for Richie’s liking.
“I’m sorry,” Richie said with as much weight as he could muster at the moment, needing the other to understand that he meant it.
Those two words had Camry’s face crumpling, jaw turning into the touch of Richie’s thumb in his cheek.
“Y-you left me. All these-these feelings—I-I don’t know what I-I-I’m doing Richie—I-I don’t—you said you’d help and th-then you left!” The last word came out a cry as another sob tore through him.
Richie’s hold on his jaw relaxed, sliding back through sweaty golden locks to cup the back of Camry’s skull, saying, “I know, I know. I’m sorry, I’m sorry Carm. I’m so sorry.” And Richie was. He knew better than to leave an omega in heat and yet he still almost did.
For all Carmen knew—he did.
And didn’t that break something in Richie; knowing that Mikey’s little brother actually trusted him that much—to take care of him—that when he got up to leave it sent the boy into a fit.
“Please,” Carmy begged, voice hoarse and so quiet that it was a little worrying.
“Please d-don’t go. Richie.”
Richie.
His name echoed in his head, bouncing around his skull like a rubber ball—except it was the ones schools used during kickball—the kind that everyone knew the sound it made when it hit you upside the face. It was pounding against his brain making his head ache something terrible.
The alpha stared down at Carmen Berzatto, boy turned man in the ugly form of presenting. Presenting as an omega. An omega male. Male.
Richie didn’t know how to fuck men. Sure, he’d had men hit on him at bars and parties, but not an omega male. And definitely not one in heat.
Carefully, he leaned down and pressed his forehead to Carmy’s, inhaling a deep breath of omega in heat. A deep, low sound vibrated through his chest. He physically felt Carm start to relax, hiccuping breaths evening out until he looked semi content.
“I’m gonna…” Richie paused, swallowing around the words because saying them made them real. “I’m gonna touch you now, is that okay, Carmen?” Richie asked seriously, ocean blue meeting faded denim grey.
The way Carm looked at him, like he was seeing a shooting star or some shit for the first time made a sense of unease settle in the pit of Richie’s stomach.
“Y-yeah, yeah it’s okay. I just—I-I need something.” Carm trailed off, eyes looking downward for a sec before he tossed his head to the side.
Another pained groan, “I need-need-”
You.
Richie wasn’t sure if he heard that last word right, but what mattered to him right now was that he had as much of Carm’s consent as he could get, that he didn’t feel as sick as he did earlier.
“Okay. It’s okay.”
Carm nodded, turning back to him and staring up at him with those fucking ridiculously big blue doe eyes of his.
Leaning down to press a soft kiss to Camry’s head—was terrifyingly easy. Kissing down that still somewhat chubby cheek—was easy. It shouldn't have been easy.
Richie paused when his lips felt the edge of Carmy’s mouth, wet with drool and drying tears.
His eyes, which were already closed, clenched once more.
There's no going back after this, he thought. Even with the excuse that he was trying to help Carm, he still felt terrified of what this would do. What it would do to the familial bond he had with Carm. What it would do to Carm.
Pushing the thought into the abyss of his mind, he focused on the scent of omega, the sound of the omega below him, letting his instincts in just enough to guide him.
Richie didn’t know how to fuck men.
Hopefully Carmy didn’t mind being treated like a lady.
When their lips met, it was with Richie pressing in soft and sweet against Carmy’s lips. It was so soft and careful—for a moment.
A strangled whine pressed to the alpha’s lips, and then there were shaking hands reaching under his shirt and running over his chest. Smaller fingers gripped and squeezed at his sides, ran through the fur on his chest, up to grab at his shoulders as Richie dubiously slotted himself between Carm's thighs.
The low growl that resonated deep in his chest was accidental but he couldn't stop it when legs wrapped around his waist and pushed up into his groin.
Carmy's tongue licked at his lips until he parted them and let him in. He tasted like the dessert he ate at supper, sweet like brown sugar. It made the alpha groan into the kiss, pushing the bad thoughts out of his head when Carm moaned in reply.
Richie let the omega lead the kiss for a while before he took over and slowed the messy kiss down, going from licking into that soft, pliant mouth to fucking his tongue in and out.
A soft whimper from Carm had Richie finally letting himself go and giving into the need to touch. His large hands roved the soft expanse of the omega's chest, gently fingering over his nipples and delighting in the sound it pulled out of the other.
Pulling out of the kiss Richie just stared down at Carm, unblinking. Those eyes were full of heat and desire, and the older man didn't let himself feel bad—or tried not to. His hands slid over the thick vintage denim of Carmy's knee before sliding deftly to the loop of the waistband.
Carmen opened his mouth to plead, snapping Richie back into action. His fingers moved in experienced ease over the button of Carmy's jeans, yanking the zipper down.
Richie sat back on his feet to start pulling the jeans off of Carmy's hips, groaning at the sight of his hard cock leaking through his boxer briefs—the gentle jut of his hip bones. He dove back down to kiss and lick at the omega's stomach, smelling the sweet scent of slick and arousal on the other male.
One of his hands reached up to cup at Carmy's clothed cock, giving it a stroke before a squeeze. Carmy's hips jerked upward with a gasp.
Richie let out a growl, nipping the soft skin over Carmy's hip, and sucked a deep bruise there as he hooked his fingers under the waistband of the other's boxers.
He wasted no time in yanking the soaked undergarments off to see the way Carmy's cock sprang up against his stomach, wet with precome.
Richie stared at the picture in front of him, watching Carmy squirm.
“I got you, I got you Sweetheart.” He said breathlessly before lifting Carmy's legs into the air over his shoulders.
“Wh-what are-” Carmy started, stopping with a shout when he felt his cheeks being spread apart and then a tongue lapping at his hole.
Richie ate him out like a man starving. The salty sweet taste of Carmy's slick on his tongue made him go crazy.
Carmy was choking on cries, hips rutting up into thin air, desperate for touch on his cock. The tongue lapped and pushed at his entrance with abandon, obscene wet noises accompanying Richie's heavy panting and groans.
Soon, there were three long, thick fingers spreading him open. Slick coating them and Richie's mouth and chin where he licked and nipped at the omega’s cheeks.
“Uhng! Rich-Richie, please—I need to-to come, so close-” Carm gasped, feeling the curl of those fingers against his prostate.
Richie was transfixed on the omega, curling and thrusting his hand as he reached up and curled his other paw around the smaller omegan cock and tugged. He watched Carmy's expression, slipping his hand off the boy's cock when he went to cover his face again and instead pinned it down at his side.
“Like this, baby, just my fingers.”
The pace sped up as Richie began to finger him hard like he would a female lover.
“Oh-fuck-!”
Carmy's mouth opened on a silent cry, moaning loud and gasping breaths when he got his lungs back. The way he tightened up had Richie leaning down to kiss him again while undoing his own jeans to release his own cock, fingers slipping from Carm with a wet sound.
Things started to get hazy. Richie was hyper aware of his own hand jerking his cock, staring down at Carmy who lay heaving breaths below him.
Large hands grabbed at pliant legs, folding them to a soft chest and stomach, ignoring the little grunt that followed the movement.
“Richie,” Carm said, voice wrecked.
“I got you, I got you.”
The moment he pressed the head of his cock in, Carmy tightened up. A wince and small noise made him stop, breathing hard and feeling nothing but the need to fuck Carm senseless. Make him sob for it. Hold him down and take him hard. He wanted nothing more that to make the omega present for him; face down, ass up, and stuff him full of his come—knot keeping it deep inside him until it took.
Richie forced himself to push in slow the rest of the way, rubbing soothing circles into Carmy's hip with his thumbs.
Carm bit back a groan, feeling so full but needing more. Even if it hurt more than he expected. The burn had tears burning his nose, blinking them away as they came. But the alpha didn't move like he thought he would. Instead, he leaned down over him, blanketing Carmy like he imagined he would,
Only he was folded in half with the backs of his knees curled over the inside of Richie’s elbows, nearly whining as strong hands slipped under his hips to hold him tight to the alpha’s body.
“Im gonna move now, okay?” Richie spoke against Carmen Berzatto's lips.
The other licked his lips and nodded slowly, heat washing over him in another wave.
“Say it for me, Sweetheart. Need to hear you say it.”
Carm turned his head towards the side, blushing dark and feeling so aware right then that he wanted to hide from the way he's been acting.
“Carm. Words.”
Biting his lip hard enough to bleed, the arousal won, “please, Richie.”
Richie pulled out, blunt head stretching that tight rim of muscle, then slid back home in one fluid motion. The soft ‘plap’ of their skin meeting was as good as deafening. The soft shout it tore from Carmy sending Richie off the deep end.
“Fuck.” The alpha growled before setting a fairly quick pace, not going hard but not slow either.
Cries and choked moans filled the room, the stench of sweat and sex permeating the air making it feel almost damp.
“Ah! Richie—” Carm barely got the words out as he moaned again.
Nimble fingers gripped at Richie's back and shoulders, digging in and scratching with barely there nails. The actions had Richie groaning deep in his throat, hips slamming in one hard thrust that had Carmen shouting loud into the room.
All the resolve and patience Richie was trying to keep up disappeared like cigarette smoke and next thing he knew he was rocking his hips deep and hard.
Richie buried his face in the crook of Carmy's neck and inhaled deep as he fucked into the omega. Sweet salty brown sugar and buttery bread filled his nose. No doubt the bread smell a remainder of the supper his omega had eaten.
My omega? Richie had a second to think before forgetting it to the tight heat around him.
His cock brushed against that spot inside Carm that had him clenching his eyes shut, mouth open around a shout that never came. Richie watched in awe, thrusting his hips against the other's prostate again, reveling in the gasp for breath it tore from the omega. His omega.
“Jesus christ, baby—what the fuck,” Richie breathed and set a pace that hit that spot every time he pressed in.
Carm was sobbing now, head turning into the pillow as he fought to catch his breath. Drool ran down his jaw into his pillow as he was thoroughly taken apart with hands, teeth, and tongue.
“There—please, please richie, ah fuck m-me, oh-!”
A hot wet splash between their bodies and Richie was leaning back onto the balls of his feet. His hands grabbed those slim hips and yanked them up over his thighs so the boy's back arched off the bed.
He didn’t wait for Carm to catch his breath and began to fuck him again.
Time seemed to pass by in a blur of sweaty skin, the dark hair of his groin becoming wet with come and slick. Vaguely he heard the way Carmy was openly crying with overstimulation, felt those smaller hands pull at his hips to get him deeper.
The sound that poured from Richie's mouth made Carmen moan loud when they both started to feel the knot at the base of the alpha’s cock. Every thrust became harder and harder to press in, until the pain on Carmy's face was becoming noticeable.
“Richie wait-wait,” the omega breathed, trying to blink the fog from his mind and failing.
“Shhh, shh, just relax, fuck youre so tight, as tight as a virgin omega girl.” Richie groaned mindlessly, pulling out one last time before pressing steadily forward and feeling his knot catching on Carmy's rim.
—“W-wait—Richie, I've never-”
—“Fuck!”
The knot slipped in place with a gush of come. The orgasm tore through the alpha in waves as all the possible endings of what Carmy's sentence could be. It felt like a bucket of arctic water being dumped over his head and making the pleasure almost sour at the edges.
“Fuck, are, are you a virgin?” He managed to get out between growls.
It was no secret that alphas naturally pumped out a lot of come when they knotted partners—hence making their orgasms longer.
“Ri-chie-wh-why does that matt-” Carmen gasped, eyes slotted and full of tears.
“Are you,” Richie wasn't asking. Orgasm be damned.
Carm looked at him, closing his eyes when he felt Richie throb inside him.
“Y-yeah fine, y-yeah im-”
“God damn it—fuck-”
As his orgasm came to an end with one last pump of come, Richie finally collapsed onto the other, head turned to the side as he panted. Everything from the past who knew how long coming flooding back in horrible clarity.
He had just fucked his best friends little brother.
Who was a fucking virgin.
The realization made him instinctually try to pull his hips away, to pull out. A pained hiss had him stopping.
“Fuck-fuckfuckfuck!” Richie grit, the urge to hit the side of his head flooding into his arms.
“It-it’s okay, Cousin.”
Richie reared back and growled loudly, “the fuck its okay, if I fucking knew you were a virgin I wouldnt have-” he cut himself off. Reminding himself why he agreed to this in the first place. Reaching a hand up he pressed it against the teen’s forehead, sighing that he already felt cooler.
Unable to go anywhere with his knot locked in place, Richie rolled them onto their sides and then moved so Carmy was the one laying on him.
“Richie, I-”
“Shhh Carmy. Try to sleep. You're gonna need it.” Richie said, trying not to sound as disturbed as he felt.
He felt Carm tense against him, knowing the teen was about to argue, and was grateful when he instead sighed and started to relax.
Soon the exhaustion got to the younger man and he was asleep. His soft breaths puffed against Richie’s naked chest, which he didn't remember taking off. Through all the negative emotions and thoughts he had, the alpha still reached up and wrapped his arms protectively around the boy in his arms.
He prayed to the gods above that Carmy would forgive him.
In his sleep, the youngest Berzatto whimpered and turned his face into Richie's chest.
Richie's hold tightened.