Chapter Text
Etho could admit that he felt a little bit stupid, sitting in the middle of his gang's headquarters and doing homework of all things. But… his brother had been getting on his case about his grades. And Etho had a soft spot for his brother.
That didn't mean he wasn't relieved when he got interrupted only two questions in.
“Uh- Boss?” Tango's voice was a reprieve, even if his right-hand man did smell… nervous. Nervousness was more common from Etho's lackies, but the scent of confusion certainly wasn't. ”I'll need a couple minutes of your time,” Tango continued. “This… is hard to explain.”
“What do you got?” Etho sighed, shoving his homework in his backpack just in time for Tango to sprawl a map of the city across it. The sections that Etho's gang controlled had been marked in dark green- their gang colour.
“It looks like a gang has been encroaching near our territory,” Tango started, pulling out a blue marker. He began highlighting several blocks with it- mostly northern, but beginning to conquer downwards.
Etho narrowed his eyes. “Seriously?” was his best initial response- shock. What gang would be stupid to challenge them? They'd held territory alone for years! “Who the hell do they think they are?” Etho leaned back, crossing his arms as he watched Tango finish highlighting. “Tell me about these dumbasses wanting to press their luck.”
Tango nodded, tapping the now-capped marker above the map. “They used to run the town north of us before it got, y'know… destroyed. I guess they're trying to make new territory with their old stomping grounds gone?” Ultimately, Tango shrugged. “I dunno- I never heard of ‘em before this.”
Another gang used to running solo? The last thing Etho needed. He sighed, rubbing between his eyes. “How long they been on our turf?”
“A few of our men reported noticing them real recently.” He gestured vaguely. “Gang symbols painted on walls, a lot of people dressed cyan hanging around… They haven't directly tried to steal territory. Y'know… yet.”
“But they're testing the waters,” Etho finished for him. He dropped his fist onto the table, frowning greatly. “I don't like it one bit. Whole thing screams bad news… but get on with it. What makes this so confusing to explain?”
“It's weird, Boss!” Tango insisted. “This gang, they're… they're all omegas, y’see.”
Etho could only keep Tango's serious gaze for a moment before laughing. “Omegas!? Seriously?”
He couldn't believe Tango had brought this up like it was an actual threat! Etho's all-alpha gang would take them down in seconds.
But Tango just scowled at him. “Yeah, that's what I thought too. Til I did some research, and found out they clashed with an alpha gang in their old town! And won.”
“Weak alphas, then,” Etho snapped dismissively, but he couldn't deny that Tango's words had ripped the smile off his face. He looked back down at the map, highlighted green and cyan.
It wasn't unusual for gangs to be segregated by secondary gender, by any means. He'd seen plenty of beta gangs back in the day. Alpha-beta mixing wasn't even that unusual. But this… was especially unprecedented.
“...What should we do, Boss?” Tango asked after Etho'd gone silent. “Should I call a meetin’?”
Etho drummed his fingers on the table before nodding. “Yeah. Call a meeting. We should deal with these omega punks ‘fore they get too comfortable.” He stood up, already eyeing the stage. “I bet they think they're tough, just cuz they got lucky. Shouldn't be hard to put ‘em in their place.”
“On it, Boss!”
Etho watched his second hand scatter off with some amusement before shaking his head. Sorry, Joel…. but this takes priority.
With his homework abandoned, Etho climbed up the stage. ‘Stage’ was, admittedly, a bit preposterous. Moreso an outcropping where the more delicate boxes were likely kept, back when this place still functioned as a warehouse.
Still, Etho's alphas had mostly all gathered by the time he took center stage. His gang was about a dozen strong- it was good. With Tango standing at the front of them.
“Alright, listen up,” Etho started shortly, snapping his fingers a couple times until the few otherwise preoccupied finally joined. “We got a situation brewing, and we're gonna nip it in the bud. A bunch of omegas preparing to take our turf.”
Etho watched his gang murmur amongst themselves in alarm as he figured the best course of action. Start searching for their hideout? If he did that, they'd undoubtedly turn hostile and do the same. Were they worth the respect of fear?
“I want small groups patrolling the borders of their marked zones,” Etho barked. “Make sure they don't expand into our territory. And I don't want any direct confrontation, y'hear? Not til I meet with their boss.”