Alfred wasn't sure how he could have let this happen, after a year of impeccable timing today he was running late, and running he was. Re-checking his watch while quickly flitting through the bustling commuters of the New York City streets, clutching two Venti Starbucks cups while getting a firm beep from a taxi he'd barely avoided, he finally made it to his office building doors. Partially colliding with the closing doors as he scrambled into the elevator, knocking the 44 button with his elbow while sighing in relief catching his breath, passing a brief apologetic smile to the people he almost took out in his mad bid to be on time. He knew he'd just about make it.

Having the time to compose himself on the ride up, he walked, briskly mind you, towards the main office of the 44th floor through the open plan office of his colleagues grabbing the papers from his 'IN' tray on the way, some looking at him with concern, as if something must be seriously wrong for him to tempt fate like this. Walking in depositing one of the cups down onto a coaster on the desk, easing out the briefcase from under his arm and spreading the days work contained within it across in front of the high backed chair, stepping to the side just as the glass door opened.

"Running late today Jones?" Alfred's boss questioned while smoothly walking in, depositing his tailored jacket onto his elegant coat stand. "I do believe this is the first time I've ever heard you out of breath."

"Just a few unexpected delays Sir, I didn't realised the subway strikes were scheduled for today.." the Alpha briefly explained knowing his superior wasn't really interested, taking the moment to read through the morning updates. Alfred usually got to the office an hour early, only nipping out just before to get Arthur's prized tea.

"Hmmm." was the muted response, looking at the first paper on his desk while reaching to take a sip from the cup. Alfred inwardly cheered having caught up already, he'd gotten away with his little faux pas. "Christ Jones! What is this bitter dishwater you call a drink!? Disgusting!" Arthur spluttered while wiping his mouth with a napkin, thrusting the accusing cup back towards Alfred with a firm grimace firmly set across his features.

Alfred looked down at his own cup taking a whiff, taking in the citrus scent. Shit, in his haste, he'd put down the wrong cup. "I'm terribly sorry Sir, this one's yours." The Alpha apologised awkwardly while swapping over the cups in their hands. Great, well that was his potentially good day over with, it started badly, why not just carry on.

"Use your damn nose next time, I thought you were supposed to be a bloody Alpha?! Aren't your type ruled by your olfactory senses, use the sodding thing." Arthur snorted indignantly, quickly pouring some tea down his throat while looking through the rest of the papers, whether it was to overpower the taste or just scald it away, Alfred wasn't sure. Well, he liked his coffee along with most of America and it sure tasted better than the watery cack Arthur poured down his neck almost religiously every day, he'd taken an experimental sip once and regretted it immediately. He wouldn't expect an omega with medically blunted senses to understand true quality nectar, maybe Alphas were ruled by their senses, at least it added a little flavour to the world!

Arthur was the head editor in Random House Publishing, it was a miracle really that one of his type could even get to such a position of authority. One really had to wonder how he'd managed it, and what he'd done to get there… What with the social norms that governed their society, Omegas generally weren't business orientated though a few made it through, they tended not to be taken as seriously as Alphas or Betas in the workplace. Maybe that was why Arthur was such an ass, a grumpy, bossy, bitchy ass. There were plenty of rumours going around the workplace of just what Arthur got up to with the higher ups behind closed doors. He'd heard a lot of hushed whispering in the cafeteria, and some not so hushed accusations when Arthur had rubbed someone up the wrong way. Alfred was dubious though, as Arthur's assistant he tended to walk in and out of Arthur's meetings, there never seemed to be much going on other than discussions of their clients or shareholders. Not not mention there weren't any tell tale lingering smells. Alfred had to wonder if he was included in any of those rumours… Probably.

Arthur sure was an enigma, he wasn't a bad looking omega, he'd be quite the catch to an Alpha or Beta by any standards. It was just his piss poor pompous attitude, and really that's what counted. The guy had issues clearly, perhaps jaded by the business world. You have to admire the guys spirit though, he could argue any Alpha into the ground and it took a very special Omega to do that. Most of all he was exceedingly good at his job, Alfred could learn a lot from him. Hence why he was there, in this unthankful job, he wasn't a masochist he just knew what he wanted and how to get it, this just happened to be the only option open to him.

The young Alpha had left University the year before with top marks in his year reading scriptwriting and gotten straight into the company, he wanted to be a writer and a top editor. He knew he could do it, it just took a lot to get noticed as a writer. If he got to top editor, people would have to take him seriously. Arthur would have to take him seriously.

Taking a deep breath, inadvertently sniffing the now medicinally scented room, he held back a sneeze while giving the source of the acidic aroma the morning update. "Frederick phoned late last night, he wants to make a deal to get published overseas. If not with us, then someone else. That and Russel sent a fax through, yep a fax, he wants us to sort out a ghostwriter for his 4th book, he's got his recordings, probably on vinyl, ready to send over and just needs us to give him a time agreement." Quite a short list that morning, things had slowed down a little through June, people were on vacation he guessed or the heat made people lazy, but anyway the workload had yet to pick back up.

Arthur listened intently, tapping his pen against his lip looking towards the window. "Must you take such a conversational tone towards me, really Jones?" Alfred bit his tongue getting ready to take notes. Rising to his feet, Arthur continued as he walked out his office and through the offices, Alfred trailing behind, "Is there really no loyalty anymore, resorting to threats straight off the bat, oh Frederick you wound me. Ask Julia to mockup a proposal for overseas publishing, research demand and costing. Oh and make sure Feli contacts Frederick and gets him to agree to do a publicity run once we have the proposal ready." pausing for a sip of tea he continued, "Understanding Russell's recordings takes a master of linguistics. Find out which ghostwriter took care of his last train-wreck. They actually made a decent book out of it last time, reassign them if they're available, if they're not, increase the offer. God knows why that fools books sell so well, but I sincerely believe she had a lot to do with it. Now Jones remember once we enter here, you're an accessory." Arthur pushed through a set of tall glass doors. Alfred quietly griping behind him.

"Good morning Gilbert, I do hope you are well this morning." Arthur started with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. Gilbert to his credit looked fairly cautious with his response.

"Arthur. Good morning, for what do I have the pleasure of your company?" Gilbert gestured towards to two of them with a similar expression to Arthur's own.

Arthur chuckled to himself, "What indeed, well I've been on the phone on the way to the office with our dear Horatio. He's agreed to our televised marketing campaign, so Gilbert, why did you report that he had refused?" Arthur looked at him with wide expectant eyes.

Gilbert's expression quickly became drawn, speaking with restrained anger "Horatio has never done any marketing for us, ever. In fact he has always refused to even speak to us in person, how did you even get a phone number for him?!" Gilbert finished panting.

Arthur looked at him pointedly leaning forwards, "Gil. You didn't even try to contact him did you?" Gill looked towards the floor, "And there's the answer, right well Gil, I'll give you a month to hand in your resignation to save face and find another job. Good day Gil" Spinning on his heel, Arthur left the office back through the open offices, Alfred tagging along obediently.

There was a loud bang behind them and they turned around, Gilbert apparently wanted the last word. "You can't fire me! Arthur you know what, I know what it is. You feel threatened, I'm an up and coming awesome Alpha and you're a sad, lonely, poisonous little Omega fucking his way to the top, no mate, no future. You're going to die sad, dirty and alone, and no one is going to fucking care." Gilbert blustered, gesturing to the whole world.

Arthur looked bored with the whole affair, "Well firstly Gilbert, I didn't fire you because I felt threatened by you. I fired you because you didn't do your job. You sat on your arse, did nothing and lost us business. You're a lazy, self indulgent twat, who doesn't do what we pay you to do." Arthur stated in a calm, matter of fact manner with his magnificent eyebrows raised, "That month I most graciously gave you has shortened to one week, clear your desk by Friday." Arthur dismissed with a sarcastic smile once again walking towards his office.

Alfred decided to break his silence, "What should we do with Gil's position? He's our secondary editor, we don't have anyone on standby." Arthur let out a long sigh, rubbing his hand through his golden locks moving to pinch the bridge of his nose.

"Just sort out a vacancy advert with recruitment, make sure the advert reads 'lazy, irritating, prick' and we might just find someone of Gilbert's calibre to replace him." Arthur quipped, sitting at his desk, palms running over his face.

The phone rang interrupting his note taking. "Mister Kirkland's office?" Alfred answered politely, Arthur looking at him with expectant eyes, chin resting on his thumbs and fingers over his nose "Right away Sir. I'll let him know." he hung up turning to Arthur, "The boss would like to see you in his office, as soon as possible." Arthur stood up grumbling about good mornings just getting better then like a passing storm walked out.

Alfred let out a long pent up breath, what a morning! Picking up the phone again, relieving his stress with deep breathing before dialling through, setting the phone ringing again.

Arthur stepped through the office door on the floor above, walking over to the desk sitting in the vacant chair. "You wanted to see me Basch? How can I help you this fine morning?" Arthur looked towards the other taking a relaxing breath.

Basch looked at him blankly, "Well Arthur, I've had a phone call from the department of immigration regarding you. It seems that during your application you failed to complete the medical assessment portion. You are being deported back to England." This was all stated very blandly, Arthur took a second to process it with a blank stare.

"What!? I'm being deported? Because I didn't find time to nip and have a blood test, what a bloody joke", Arthur looked on with wild eyes, "This is America for Christ's sake, damn near the whole population should need a working Visa from bloody England!", Arthur paused to think it through, "Well it's fine right? We have email and live meetings, I can work from England until this whole debacle has blown over." He states nodding with pseudo calm, trying to reassure himself.

Basche let out a brief sigh, "Arthur I'm sorry, if you're deported you can no longer work for an American company during that term, you cannot apply to return for a minimum of 3 years. We cannot keep this position open for you, it's been decided that Gilbert is going to be promoted as your replacement."

Arthur sat silently contemplating the fall of his life as he knew it, he couldn't go back and rebuild, it took so much work to get where he was now and a little luck. So much work, all for the sake of a bloody test, he had been avoiding it down to a crippling fear of needles hoping to prolong it, now it just has to come back to bite him in the ass, in probably the most destructive fashion too. And Gilbert! Gilbert who he'd fired this morning for being a useless pillock was going to replace him, now that was a kick in the teeth of a dying man. A muted knock and the creaking of the door shook him from his internal damnation. Almost hopeless eyes latched onto Alfred's own and in that contact there morphed an idea.

"Excuse the interruption, but you've had a phone call regarding the contract with the advertising company, they want to know specifics of advert length and additional materials we want them to produce in addition to the television advert so they can get started." Alfred said through the crack in the door.

Arthur's plan was only half formed, but he steam rollered ahead anyway. "Alfred, Alfred come on over my dear, I was just about to tell the Director the news." Alfred looking legitimately wary, shuffled through the door to stand just behind Arthur. Arthur took a step back so they were in line and pulled Alfred over to him, "We... Myself and Alfred. Are actually promised mates."

Alfred's head snapped towards his boss wide eyed, sputtering with a shaky exhale "Erm mates?... We're.." Blinking rapidly towards the Omega as Arthur grabbed his hand giving it a warning squeeze.

"Mates." Reiterated Arthur, with a wide smile directed at Basche. Adding quickly, "We kept it from most people for obvious reasons, you know, employee, employer relations are frowned upon. But I feel this is the perfect time to let you know, don't you feel the same Alfred, we've been silent for long enough?" Getting only a squeaky hum of recognition from Alfred, Arthur continued, "So with this we're good right? Fine?" Directing the questions back to Basche.

Basche looked rather hopeful towards them both. "Well firstly congratulations, just make it official and we're great." He said with a muted smile, shuffling papers and tidying his desk as an act of dismissal.

Alfred still looking a little shocked didn't really react for the rest of the talk still staring at Arthur, jolted at the feeling of his arm being tugged out backwards to the door. Getting through the door brought him crashing back to reality turning sharply towards the Omega ready to give an ear full. "Now... Alfred. You need to clear my schedule for the rest of today, and your own I suppose, we need to head down to the immigration office as soon as possible to get this whole affair set straight." Arthur butted in before Alfred had the chance to speak. "And.." Arthur was promptly cut off by being shoved into an empty document room. They both stood there in the dark for a couple of breaths, Arthur still in Alfred's firm grip. "Now Alfred, sweetheart, don't you think this should wait until after the ceremony?" Arthur stated with the very best of his dry sarcasm.

Alfred fumbled to find the light switch, finding himself frantically looking into Arthur's bored expression. "Arthur, dearest, could you maybe, I don't know, explain a little bit of what's going on here?" Alfred asked mimicking Arthurs question with a half manic expression, slightly hugging himself with one hand, the other going to his own chin.

Arthur looked certainly nonplussed "Okay sure, well long story short, I was going to be deported-"

"I'm not mating with you." Alfred interrupted firmly.

"I'm not asking you to, now let me finish Alfred, don't be rude." The Alpha looking ready to interrupt again, Arthur steadily ploughed on, "I was going to be deported, now to stop that we're going down to the immigration office to make a statement that we're going to be bound, we just have to have the ceremony, which is codswallop anyway, no mating involved you just mark me every now and again to keep up appearances and scent and walah, no one's any the wiser. Once it's blown over, we can have the ceremony annulled, I can go back on pills so no scents anyway, no one will ever need to know." the Omega finished up looking very satisfied with himself, making for the door handle.

Alfred placed his arm on the wall, effectively blocking the older man's path. "Please do tell me why I would agree to this? You do realised that it's very illegal, both faking an official mating and falsifying a bond for the sake of illegal immigration!?" His tone turning frantic towards the end.

Arthur, crossing his arms looking very done with the whole conversation, quickly shot the Alpha down, "You do want to be an editor right? You honestly think Gilberts going to keep you on if I leave? You'll be the first following me out the door and there following after you, will be your lifelong dream of becoming an editor, no job, no dreams, no future. Now if I stay with your charitable help, nothing changes, you lose nothing." Arthur smirked up at him, seeming to feel as though he'd made his point very clear.

Now Arthur, as fucking always, was right, Gilbert did not in any shape or form like him, that was a dead cert. He'd be nipping at Arthurs heels out the door and it would be the end of this particular road. Now he had options, he was a young Alpha with experience and good grades, no future sure was a bit of an exaggeration. But he didn't want the entire year he'd spent running around like a man on fire after the demands of the most nit picky Omega if not in America, then the world, to be a complete waste of time. He'd still start from zero, this was his big chance to hit it big, fast and now this was it. Yes or no. Well it couldn't be said that he wasn't a gambling man. He steeled his expression, eyes determined, this deal could most definitely be sweetened. "I want Gil's old job."

Arthur scoffed "You have got to be joking... you? Secondary editor? You've barely wiped your feet from walking through the door." Arthur laughed at his own joke. The Alpha continued to stare down at Arthur, his eyes glinting with a solid, tangible determination that eventually wiped the smile from the Omega's face, Arthur look away in resignation, "Fine! Alright, you can have a probationary period at the role, if I find your work to an adequate standard, you can keep the job. If not you can return as my understudy instead of PA okay? More responsibility either way. Deal?"

Alfred looked to contemplate this offer rubbing his chin while moving to lean against the door, though inside he was rejoicing like a kid at Christmas, "I suppose I find those terms reasonable, now all you have to do is ask me nicely" Alfred replied grinning cheekily down to Arthur leaning down to the other's eye level.

Looking as though he was regretting all his life choices so far, Arthur weakly questioned with a quirked eyebrow "And what exactly do you mean by that?".

Alfred still grinning returned "Ask me nicely to be your mate of course!"

TBC

Notes:

Hey everyone! I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of my first story.. ever! I'm sure I have a lot to learn so please bare with me and I'll do my best.

I've always wanted to read a 'The Proposal/USUK' story so I thought, what the heck, I'll write one my self. ;)

It would be lovely if you could review, so if you have a little time so leave a little feedback, I would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks for reading!

-PicklePeaches-