#alpha damen

[evergreenerieh]

After many weeks, this artwork inspired by talented @winmance's beautiful series "The Prosperous Line" is done 🥺 I've had such a lovely time drawing it, all while thinking about the sweet moments in the fics 💕

[winmance]

My Life for Yours - Winmance (AO3 Link)

Summary:

It had been five days since Laurent had given birth, two months earlier than expected.

He had refused to see his child since then.

———

It hadn’t stopped raining since Laurent gave birth.

It had been over five days now, and still, the rain refused to ease, never slowing for more than a few minutes at a time. Laurent had planned on going riding, or at the very least visiting his horse, whom he hadn’t seen in weeks, but it was raining, and Pascal had told him he was too weak to go outside.

Even if it hadn’t been raining, he doubted the old man would have allowed it. This time, Laurent wouldn’t have listened. But it was raining, and his body was still wracked with pain and at least he had an excuse. His people would be merciful. They would understand that a King couldn’t risk catching a cold so soon after giving birth.

It was foolish to think so. His people already had plenty to criticize him for, whether he went outside or not would be the least of their concerns. He could only imagine what they were saying about him. About them. It had been over five days. Surely, the news had traveled across the kingdom and beyond by now.

“Your Majesty?”

The servant’s voice was barely above a whisper. The girl was barely eighteen, still a child herself. She was a beta, as were most of Laurent’s servants, and he found himself envying her. If Damen and he had been betas, Damen could have carried their child. He would have done a better job than Laurent ever could. Their child would have been strong and healthy, nothing like the one Laurent had given him.

“What?” Laurent said at last.

“The child would benefit from your milk,” the servant offered carefully.

It wasn’t the first time someone had told him so, and he was growing tired of repeating himself.

“Ask the wet nurse to feed him.”

“With smaller babies born before they are fully - ”

Laurent cut her off with a sharp gesture of his hand, unwilling to hear the rest.

The child was not fully formed. Too small. Too light. Too fragile. He had been meant to give birth to a King - a child who would have looked like Damen, so large it would have torn him apart. And Laurent would not have complained, not once, because he would have known the pain was worth it.

The delivery had been long. Three days and three nights. Pascal claimed to have seen longer, but never so early in a pregnancy. He hadn’t been certain the child would survive.

Laurent almost wished he wouldn’t.

He had suffered for three days and nights, endured seven months of every possible affliction, all to bring a strong and healthy child into the world. Instead, he had brought humiliation upon Damen.

“Your Majesty…”

“Ask the wet nurse to take care of it,” Laurent ordered.

The beta did not move, though her body seemed to beg her to run away. When she spoke again, her head was bowed, too frightened to openly defy her King. Laurent’s temper was well known by now, worsened by the pregnancy. The birth had stripped away whatever humanity he had left.

“King Damianos asked us to insist. He said it would do you good to see the baby.”

Ah.

Damen and he were equals in every way that mattered, yet they were still mates. An alpha and an omega. Damen, though he never had, could order him, could use that bond to compel him.

He could try. Anyone who knew Laurent knew he would never submit - not to Damen, not to any alpha.

But he had given Damen a weak child. Not an heir. Not even a spare. It would be a miracle if the creature survived its first month, Pascal had warned them, and even if it did, the damage from such an early and difficult birth was impossible to predict.

Ten years. Ten years of trying, and failing, to conceive.

His womb was cursed.

He had begged Damen to take a lover, just for one night. He could have endured the humiliation. He might have survived the heartbreak, and if he couldn’t, he could at least have pretended. But Damen was a loyal alpha, and he had refused. Ten years. Countless disappointments. And this was the result.

“Tell the King I will not breastfeed the child,” Laurent said evenly. “I will go and see it, if that is his wish.”

It was the least he could do. He would look upon the monster, then return to his chambers and weep through the pain, if that was what Damen wished.

Moving was still difficult. He had barely eaten since the birth, and had already lost weight during the pregnancy, and the bleeding had not yet stopped. Being apart from Damen only worsened his condition. Omegas needed their alphas after such an ordeal, yet he had not seen Damen since he had screamed at him to take the baby from his chest. Damen had tried to return, of course, but Laurent had sent him away. He refused to face his mate after failing at the only thing Damen had ever asked of him.

He walked to the nursery without assistance, ignoring every offered hand. He would not appear weak.

Yet he had seen himself in the mirror.

He had seen his face and body, the witness of his skin and the hollows in his cheeks.

It would be a miracle if Damen ever wished to lie with him again.

He had looked, too, at his private parts, and he doubted that, even if Damen still wanted him, they would be able to do anything. The sight had been horrific, and he had called for Pascal to confirm that he was not, in fact, dying. The old man had been reassuring, until he began offering unwelcome advice.

You need to see your baby. You need to be with your mate. You need, you need, you need, you need. Everything was Laurent’s fault. Everything that went wrong was because of him, and he could not endure the accusation any longer. He had sent the old man away and refused to let his servants help him wash again. He didn’t want anyone reporting back to Damen how broken and disgusting he had become.

He stood in front of the nursery’s door for a long time before finally opening it. The servants that were taking care of the creature left the moment Laurent stepped into the room, and he did not spare them any word.

The bassinet stood in the middle of it, but from where Laurent was standing, he could not see what lay inside. His heartbeat quickened, fear tightening in his chest at the thought of what rested in the wooden cradle.

Slowly, he made his way toward it, dragging a chair behind him so he could sit, afraid the shock would be too much to bear standing. He set the chair carefully beside the bassinet and did his best not to look down until he had no other choice.

He braced himself and drew a long breath, praying for a miracle. Perhaps the child had changed already. Perhaps he had gained weight and now resembled a proper newborn. Perhaps he was an alpha, after all, strong and sturdy, as Laurent had once dreamed.

Laurent did not believe in gods, so he prayed to Auguste.

Please, brother. Please help me. Please make the pain go away. Please, please—

He looked down and felt as though he had been stabbed through the heart.

The babe had barely changed. Still ugly, bald, and wrinkled, small enough to fit in Laurent’s hands, if he could ever bring himself to hold him. Instead of gaining weight, he seemed thinner than before, which was no surprise considering Pascal and the servants had been begging Laurent to come feed him for days.

Sensing his presence, the baby forced his eyes open and turned toward him, searching for the love he deserved. Because Laurent knew he did. Every child deserved love and care. Laurent wished he could give it. He wished he did not feel this way. But more than anything, he wished things had been easier. Perfect.

“You couldn’t even take after his eyes?” Laurent murmured.

They were not Laurent’s eyes either. They were darker, a deep blue he knew all too well, eyes that had once looked at him with nothing but warmth and devotion.

They were Auguste’s eyes.

Pascal had said they would change. Eye color did not settle for months, sometimes up to a year.

Auguste’s eyes had been beautiful, but too kind. Too gentle. Laurent never wanted to see them again. The grief was still too raw, even after all these years.

“I was hoping you would come.”

The voice reverberated through Laurent’s body. His alpha stood behind him, and for the first time in five days, Laurent felt something close to alive. He had been longing for his alpha’s touch, his warmth - yet he had refused it and would continue to refuse it. He did not deserve the gentleness Damen would offer, and he feared even more the anger he believed he deserved.

“You asked me to come. So I did.”

“I didn’t ask. I would never order you, and you know that. Forgive me if the servant misunderstood.”

“I’ve seen the child,” Laurent cut in. “What more do you want from me?”

Damen remained behind him, but years together allowed Laurent to picture his expression perfectly. Disappointment. Sadness. Frustration. And yet, he said nothing.

Laurent needed him to be angry. Needed him to shout, to call him a useless omega, to strip him of the pity he could not bear.

Damen did none of that.

Instead, he stepped in front of Laurent and knelt, like a servant, before taking Laurent’s hands in his own. Despite everything, Laurent could not fight it. He craved the contact more than anything. It took all his strength not to collapse into Damen’s arms.

“Talk to me, love,” Damen pleaded. “Tell me what’s wrong. Is it the pain? Are you still bleeding?”

“Of course I’m still bleeding. Pascal said it was to be expected for days, perhaps weeks. Are you so eager to put another monster inside me? I can’t promise the next won’t be even uglier or weaker than this one.”

He expected anger then. He wanted it. Needed it, but instead, Damen looked wounded, as though Laurent had struck him. As though he were the one at fault.

“It is because of me that the child is like this,” Laurent went on. “I am cursed. We should have known better.”

“Do not speak that way about my omega. Nor about my son,” Damen said quietly.

“A son? This thing will not survive. And even if it does, it will never be a king. We waited ten years, and all I could give you is a frail omega. Spare me your pity, Alpha. I do not need it.”

There was a pause before Damen spoke again. He seemed to gather his thoughts, choosing his words carefully so as not to anger Laurent further, as if he could somehow mend the situation.

“The birth was difficult,” Damen said after a while.

“Like all births are.”

“No. Pascal said it was bad. I thought I was going to lose you. I know you feared that too.”

Damen’s mother had died bringing him into this world, and Laurent would be lying if he said the thought hadn’t haunted him ever since he became with child.

The pregnancy had been atrocious. He had thrown up every day, several times, until his stomach was empty, and yet he had been forced to eat again, if only to keep the child alive. He had migraines so severe he ended up slamming his own head against the walls, praying for the pain to stop.

At barely four months, he had been forbidden from riding his horse anymore, and in the same breath, forbidden from lying with Damen. At five and a half months, he had been put on bed rest.

He had not complained, even when he had wanted nothing more than to tell everyone to go to hell. He had endured it all and more, to give Damen a healthy child. All of it, all that pain, all those sacrifices, for nothing.

“I failed you. Ten years without an heir, and when I finally give you one, it’s… it’s this.”

“This,” Damen said, tightening his hold on Laurent’s hands, “is our son. And he is as perfect as I ever dreamed he would be.”

“He’s going to die,” Laurent said. “He’s too weak. I saw it the moment Pascal laid him on my chest. He was so -”

The memory of the baby on his chest rushed back, and Laurent felt nausea rise in his throat. The baby had weighed almost nothing. His body had been so fragile, so delicate, so incomplete. Laurent had not only failed Damen, he had failed his son. He hadn’t made him whole. He had pushed him into the world too soon, hadn’t eaten enough, hadn’t been careful enough, hadn’t been enough. He had condemned him to suffering. He hated himself for it.

His child deserved better. He did not want him to suffer. Never. He wanted him to have the life Laurent had never known. He wanted him to look like Damen, to love and be loved as Damen was.

“It’s okay, my love. It’s okay.”

Laurent hadn’t realized he was crying until Damen brushed the tears away with his lips, a futile attempt to kiss the pain from his face. Still, Laurent let him, even leaning in until Damen’s arms wrapped around him, offering the comfort he had been longing for.

“I’m sorry,” Laurent whispered. It was unclear whether he meant it for Damen or for their son. “I’m sorry.”

“You didn’t do anything, Laurent. Our son will live. Pascal said he is strong, despite how he looks. We will love him through it all, won’t we? That’s all he needs. That’s all that matters.”

“He will be infirm.”

“We don’t know that,” Damen corrected gently. “And what if he is? We will find a way. If he cannot hold a sword, we will fight for him. If he cannot ride a horse, we will carry him every day of his life. If he cannot speak, we will speak for him. We will face whatever comes together. As a family. Would you have given up on me if I had become infirm after a battle?”

“Of course not! But it’s not the same.”

“It is. I promise you, it is. Our son just needs you right now. He needs your milk, yes, but more than that, he needs your love.”

The baby began to cry beside them, as if in agreement, and within seconds Laurent felt warmth spreading across his chest, his body responding to his son’s need. Damen’s eyes followed his, but he said nothing.

“You haven’t even held him yet,” Damen said softly. “Perhaps we could start there? You don’t need to feed him. He just needs to be close to you. Can you do that?”

Could he? He wasn’t sure. He didn’t know how he would react. But Damen was right. He had to try. At the very least, he had to try. If it still didn’t work - if it still didn’t work, the baby would die, and Laurent would let himself die as well.

He must have nodded, because Damen pressed a kiss to his forehead, thanking him for something that should never have needed asking.

The baby looked even smaller in Damen’s enormous hands, and yet the sight of his alpha holding him sent a fresh wave of emotion through Laurent’s body, his heart suddenly too large for his chest. Tears slid down his face again, and this time he did not try to stop them.

Carefully, Damen placed the child into Laurent’s trembling arms, and Laurent forced himself to breathe steadily. The baby’s body was warm against him, and he instinctively turned toward Laurent’s covered nipple. He could not feed like this, but Laurent let him nuzzle there anyway.

He was still too light. Too small.

But he was here.

He was alive.

And he was fighting.

“I wanted him to have an easy life,” Laurent said. “To be an alpha. Strong, and not - I didn’t want him to be like me.”

“Why? You’re the closest thing to perfection I’ve ever encountered,” Damen replied. “I know the pregnancy was hard. I know the birth was even worse. I will never be able to thank you enough for enduring it all for us, Laurent. You are stronger than you think. And so is our son.”

Laurent closed his eyes and tried to focus on the feeling of the baby against his chest. He didn’t have a name yet. Five days, and no name. If he had died, he would have died unknown. Unnamed. Unloved.

Laurent had already lost a child that way - a young boy with mischievous eyes and a quick mind, who had died alone because of his loyalty and love for Laurent. He had never been able to recover Nicaise’s body after everything that happened. No ceremony. No burial.

He could not bear to lose another child.

“Isn’t he the most precious thing you’ve ever seen?” Damen asked.

Was he? Maybe. Perhaps, in some fragile way, he could begin to see it.

“Your Majesty?” one of the servants called through the door. “One of the guards is asking for you.”

Damen sighed heavily, the same way he always did when a servant interrupted their lovemaking or disturbed them in the middle of a conversation. The familiarity of it made Laurent smile faintly.

“I’ll be right back. I promise,” Damen said.

Laurent nodded and watched him leave, leaving him alone with the baby in his arms.

It was strange to dwell on it for too long. Damen and he had created this. Their love had made this child. And he would grow to resemble them, if he survived.

Laurent needed him to survive. He could not give up on him. Not now, not ever.

He thought of Auguste, who had cared for him when their own mother rejected Laurent after his birth. He thought of Damen, who had continued to love Kastor despite all the wrong he had done. He thought of Nicaise, who had loved him enough to give his life.

But he also thought of the sacrifices he himself had made. Of the endless nights he had spent at Damen’s side when he was wounded. Of the statues commissioned in honor of Auguste and Nicaise. Of the good he had done, of all the love he had given.

He had not always been rewarded for it. Auguste was still dead. So was Nicaise.

But he had tried.

And he would try again, for their son.

“I’ll give you my life,” Laurent whispered. “My life for yours. I would give it without hesitation. You will do great things, greater than anyone before you. You will be great. The greatest. I promise you, alive or dead, I will watch over you. You will never be alone. Not once.”

Laurent did not believe in gods, not after all the pain life had inflicted on him, and yet, for the first time in years, he found himself praying.

For his son, he would pray to every god. And if they refused him his miracle, he would fight them himself until they had no choice but to grant it.

For his son, he would do all of this, and more.

He opened his shirt, his nipple tightening in the cool air, and guided it to his son’s mouth. The baby began to suckle, instinct taking over, and Laurent closed his eyes.

His son would be alright, and so would he. They would defy the odds. The three of them, together. Destiny had never managed to stop Damen and him before, and it would not start now.

My life for yours, he promised once more.

[foxyatlas]

All I want, ALL I WANT, is a Captive Prince a/b/o au where Laurent is an omega and Damen is an alpha, and Laurent goes into heat while Damen is injured/away, and someone else needs to help him through it. It could be Nikandros, it could be Jord, it could be Orlant, whoever, just a good trustworthy person who would be willing to do that to help laurent (you can decide if they have ulterior motives). And then, Laurent has to confront Damen about it after he gets back/heals, but before he can say anything about it Damen smells the scent of another alpha on him. Cue jealous/possessive alpha Damen.

I don't know anyone on Tumblr who writes captive prince fics/takes prompts, but if you do please tag them? I'm also gonna tag @snowstark because I know you haven't finished the books and you've never written CP but I'm literally BEGGING.

So yeah if someone could make this happen I'd be indebted to you forever. Xoxo

[dreamdropxoxo]

Omg if you're still taking prompts, i would LOVE an omegaverse au where damen realizes laurent is pregnant during kr!! Can be either right before the okton, right after, at the trial, whatever, just smth w pregnant laurent during kings rising and people realizing it

Hello and thank you so much for your prompt. I had a blast writing this short story. Honestly, I almost forgot how much I liked writing Omegaverse :)

I hope you like the result :) I was very happy that I could write it, so thank you for that! I also think it has the potential for a longer story but unfortunately I am to tied up by my other long-term projects that I won’t be able to start another one soon. :( 

Whatever, here is what I came up with (please keep in mind that the original work is written by the incredible C.S. Pacat and I don’t own any of the characters or of the universe (I also pilfered some of the original lines)):

Damen couldn't really explain his sudden urge to smoother Laurent in his arms. Half of the time, he wasn't even sure if he liked the git. It made absolutely no sense to him, but his instincts screamed at him to not let the blond man out of his eyes, or even better, his reach.

True, Laurent was damn attractive, gorgeous even, everybody would agree with that. Even Nikandros, who hated him even more after he had realized what Laurent had done to his king, had admitted in a drunken stupor that the omega was beautiful beyond measures.

Damen's back looked horrible, he knew it himself but he could also admit that Laurent had had his reasons. Cruel as they might be.

However, the instinctive urges explained at least why Damen's blood froze when Makedon demanded for Laurent to ride in the okton. Was the man out of his bloody mind? Damen couldn't really justify the wish for Makedon's swift death, but it was undeniably prominent in the forefront of his thoughts as he scrambled for words, a reason for Laurent's absence on the field, anything really.

"Veretians do not train in the okton," he said finally, it sounded weak an argument even to his own ears. Yet, he couldn't really reason with the fact that Laurent was an omega, because if he did, he didn't know how Laurent would take retribution, but it was undebatable that he would. Damen wasn't fool enough to risk that.

"In Akielos, the okton is known as the sport of kings. Our own King will take the field. Does the Prince of Vere lack the courage to ride against him?"

Damn it, Damen wanted to place his fist in smug visage of his general. Makedon knew that it was impossible for Laurent to refuse now. He was already looked upon with condescension from most of the alphas in their joined forces, he couldn't afford to refuse.

And he wouldn't. Damen needed just one look at his face and he knew that Laurent would agree, out of his foolish pride, and sharp mind. Because Laurent knew better than anyone else what they had to loose and he knew that the people gathered needed to acknowledge him just as much as they did Damen.

Suddenly, he wished for a different world. He wished for a world, where Laurent wouldn't need to prove himself worth of following and recognition just because he was not the warrior Damen was or his brother had been. A world, where Laurent's secondary gender wouldn't limit him in the ways it did.

He risked a glance at Laurent, hoping that his outstanding mind would be able to somehow sidestep, he didn’t want him on the field. He would give almost anything to keep Laurent here, keep him safe and that was rather startling an insight. 

The omega beside him, though, didn’t even try. “Why not?” said Laurent and this made Damen’s stomach lurch. He needed all of his self-restrain to stop himself from dragging the blond man to the side and just straight out tie him up to keep him away from the course. 

He couldn’t pinpoint the source of this feeling exactly. He just knew that there was a very faint, sweet smell in the air. It was mouthwatering to Damen. It came from Laurent. And it was the main reason he wanted Laurent nowhere near the okton course.

He balled his hands on his thighs. He had scented the sweetness coming from Laurent before on another person and it confused him. He couldn’t remember when exactly that was. The implications lost on him. The only positive thing was that he would be there too. Maybe he could keep Laurent from the worst. It was just wishful thinking, if something happened, he had no choice but to watch it happen.

***

Laurent’s spears were tipped in blue. It was fitting. Damen tried not to think about what they were about to do. He was nauseates, his inner alpha pushed him to keep Laurent back, to not let him ride. His skin itched with the struggle from keeping himself back.

Laurent, he knew, was good at riding. He was not only good, he was outstanding and Damen knew that. This knowledge didn’t keep him from fretting. What if something happened to Laurent? The alliance would be over, all their struggles would have been for naught, he would never be able to explore the potential of their tentative relationship. 

This last thought was something that surprised Damen in its vehemence. He realized that he wanted to get to know Laurent better, he wanted the chance to court the other man properly, he wanted a future with Laurent. The one night together was not enough. 

All of that meant nothing in the face of the okton. Men died during the okton. Damen almost sickened up, only the focus on the impending challenge kept him from swaying on his horse.

Suddenly, he remembered Laurent’s scent with such a vividness it caught him off guard. He had smelt the mouthwatering omega scent only once, Laurent’s control otherwise impenetrable. Through their night it had surrounded him, made his head swim and convinced him of their compatibility. He knew that Laurent could bring him to his knees with a whiff of his scent. 

He was almost grateful that Laurent kept his scent under iron control. He wouldn’t be able to talk to him without thinking of fucking him, otherwise. Not that it wasn’t already challenging enough without Laurent’s scent added to the mix.

Damen’s focus was almost forcefully dragged back to Laurent. He catalogued every single micro movement from the Omega at the front of the line. The blond man sat relaxed and securely in the saddle. He didn’t look fazed or nervous. His face was concentrated and self-assured. 

However, there was something else, he couldn’t put his finger on. He couldn’t keep himself from breathing in deeply, although he knew that he wouldn’t smell Laurent in the slight breeze. But his nose caught something else. There was this sweet scent again, coming from the omega. It made his head spin.

He saw Laurent assessing the course. He was clinical in his observations and Damen wished he knew what Laurent was thinking in that moment. His whole focus on the other man. 

Then it hit him. He almost bolted towards the omega. The urge to leap out of the saddle overwhelming and desperate. He wanted to shout, demand that they stop. He wanted to rage and imprison Makedon for even suggesting Laurent should ride today.

But then Laurent already rode out on the field. Damen couldn‘t admire his prone form, his flawless control or his effortless grace, because he felt so faint he almost fell from his mount. Gods, he felt the bile rise. The cold terror had him almost missing how Laurent hit a perfect bullseye. 

He missed entirely how Pallas rode out. The fear gripping his heart incapacitating him of rational thought. But he needed to concentrate. He couldn’t afford a single slip up, not when it could mean that he somehow hit Laurent. 

When the third horn sounded he flung his horse into a gallop. Trying to block out the noise, earsplitting in its intensity, trying to forget that on one of the horses sat Laurent, the omega he wanted to court, the omega pregnant with his child.

As soon as he thought it, it was as if someone had his heart in an icy grip. The coldness spread through his body. He felt numb and he almost looked at Laurent. Only the danger of accidentally causing a mishap kept him from doing so. 

After the first course he allowed himself a glimpse towards the omega. He was still just as composed as when he sat at the dais with him some hours before. He also realized that Laurent dealt with the danger of the okton by simply behaving as though it did not exist. 

Damen admired him for it but at the same time he wanted to drag him from his horse and shake him before snogging him senseless. He wanted to wrap him up in silk and satin and keep him save. He wanted to worship his body from the tips of his toes to the top of his head. 

He compelled his focus back to the course. Pallas, Laurent and he himself had yet to miss a shot. Aktis and Lydos were no real competition. It was extraordinary enough for three riders to ride a flawless okton. 

They thundered into the final circuit. The mistake, which finally broke their graceful ride, was one that anyone could have made. It was a simple miscalculation and it stopped Damen’s heart. Aktis threw his spear too early, which caused the target to collapse.

Lydos and Pallas both lost their spears. Time seemed to stand still as Damen watched Lydos’ spear soar through the air in Laurent’s direction. It was going to hit either Pallas or Laurent and Damen couldn’t tear his eyes away from the blond omega. Even when he realized that Pallas’ spear aimed for him.

Instinct reacted before thought. He caught it out of the air, his hand closing hard around the shaft, the momentum of it wrenching his shoulder back. The crowd exploded into noise as he absorbed the force of the throw and tightened his grip with his thighs to stay upright. 

However, his whole focus was on the other end of the field, on Laurent and the spear flying towards him. The blood froze in his veins. The only thought he had was that he couldn’t loose this, couldn’t loose Laurent, not now. The blind panic immobilized him, forced him to watch what would inevitably happen next.

He could see Pallas shocked face and he knew the impossible choice the younger alpha faced. Either he saved his own life at the expense of Laurent’s, a Prince and more importantly an omega or he died right there and would be celebrated as a brave and honorable alpha. And, worse even, Pallas didn’t even know that Laurent carried the next heir to the Akielon and Veretian throne. Damen, however, knew, he knew and he prayed to every deity out there that Pallas wouldn’t move out of the way.

He knew it was a horrible thought to have. He also knew that it changed everything. He realized that Pallas wouldn’t ever move out of the way because it’s what they were waiting for their whole life. Fighting to protect others and giving their lives for the greater good. Pallas, who was one of the best, despite his young age, would never be able to put Laurent in danger.

Damen could see that Laurent knew it too. It shouldn’t surprise him anymore. He already knew that Laurent was exceptionally perceptive. He had seen the collapse of the target early on, and that had given him the time necessary to react. 

The prince acted without a seconds hesitation. Laurent leaped from his horse, a feat almost impossible with the momentum he still had from the ride, and jumped into the path of the spear as he launched himself for Pallas’ horse, stirring their course to the left. 

Laurent pushed Pallas down as the spear sailed past them. Damen watched in stunned amazement how Laurent picked up Pallas’ last spear and threw it at the last target. Hitting bullseye. He completed the okton with a perfect score and Damen couldn’t really decide if he wanted to fuck him right there, in the middle of the arena or if he would prefer to drag him away to his chambers and have his wicked way with him.

When Laurent’s eyes met his gaze across the course with an obvious challenge in them, Damen grinned. Dizzy with relief and overwhelming confusion. He threw the spear he had caught across the full, incredible length of the field. Sent it flying right into the centre of the final target, where it rested, quivering.

Pandemonium.

[winmance]

Link here

So happy to have finished this fic. It was one of my favorite to write and I hope it will be one of your favorite to read too!

[winmance]

Mommy (AO3 Link)

Additional Tags:

Post-Canon, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Omega Verse, Smut, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Mommy Kink, Mommy Issues, Kind Of, Lactation Kink, Pregnancy, Pregnancy Kink, Omega Laurent (Captive Prince), Alpha Damen (Captive Prince), Laurent has a pussy, Vaginal Sex, MILF Laurent

Laurent doesn’t notice it at first.

In fact, he doesn’t notice it for a very long time, not until Nikandros, of all people, points it out.

They’re out in the garden, the kids are playing around, chasing each other while singing a new song they learned last week, and Damen is of course entertaining them by randomly starting to run after them every now and then.

Every time he does, the kids scream in both laughter and terror, and after almost two hours of playing the game, Laurent knows a disaster will be happening soon if he doesn’t prevent it.

“We will be heading back home soon,” he declares.

“Already?” Henri complains with a loud sigh.

“Listen to mama,” Damen says. “He knows what’s good for us.”

If the kids sometimes question Laurent’s orders, they would never dare do the same to their dad. Even at the age of 5, 4, and 2, they already understand that Damen is their dad, an alpha, and a king. If they don’t know what those words mean exactly yet, they do understand that it means they shouldn’t question whatever their dad tells them to do or not to do.

“I hate when he does that,” Nikandros says.

“When who does what?”

“When Damen calls you mama or mommy or any other shit like that. It’s weird.”

“Most parents do that.”

“Yes, but they don’t say it like that.”

Like what? Laurent wants to ask, but at the same time Damen turns to him, his hair all wet from playing with the kids, a wild smile on his face, and he crosses the path until he’s standing in front of Laurent and kisses him on the mouth. Like every time they kiss, Laurent has to get on his tiptoes to reach Damen, which he usually does, when he isn’t six months pregnant like he currently is.

“You look so pretty, mommy.”

It hits him, then. Yes, he sees what Nikandros is talking about. Damen doesn’t call it mommy or mama with the usual neutrality of the term. No. Damen calls him mommy like he’s fucking hungry for him.

—-

There’s not really a best way to bring it up, and so Laurent waits until a few days have passed. During that time, he observes Damen, and he wonders when he lost his famous sense of observation because there’s no way he hadn’t noticed that before.

It’s not just the surnames that sold Damen’s kink away. It’s all the other little things, like the way his eyes are always lingering on Laurent’s best and belly, how his hands always find their way over his round part. It’s in the way Damen’s eyes grow heavy when Laurent disputes one of their children, as if his alpha was ready to eat him up, right there, right then.

Laurent would be lying if he said he didn’t like it. Now that he has noticed it, he feels his body reacting every time he catches Damen looking at him or every time Damen calls him mommy. Unlike the general tendency, Damen and he never stopped having sex while Laurent was pregnant, but their sex life did change with it. More slowly, more carefully, a bit less regularly. Laurent had thought it was normal. That perhaps Damen didn’t like his pregnant body as much as he liked his “regular” one, and after each baby, they were back to normal, which proved him right.

He wonders if this is the real reason, or if maybe, just maybe, his husband has been holding back all this time.

Laurent is already in bed when Damen comes into the room, completely naked after his bath. His alpha is the most beautiful alpha to ever exist, Laurent is sure of that, and he feels his private part tingling just by looking at him.

He doesn’t know how to bring it up. They don’t have any secrets from each other and are free in their words, but even after so many years together, Laurent still finds himself shy about certain subjects. He usually lets Damen take the lead on everything related to the bedroom, because that’s how they both like it, but today… Today is different.

“We should start planning Louis’ birthday,” Damen says as he lets himself fall down on the bed next to Laurent. “It could be a great occasion to close some deals. What do you say?”

One of Damen’s hands is already working its way on his back, rubbing it gently with his fingers. Laurent always complains that his back hurts, and the touch of his alpha makes him melt on the spot, his body searching for some relief. Yet, Laurent forces himself to focus and keeps his eyes open as the words finally make their way out of his mouth.

“Do you have a mommy kink?”

The fingers freeze, and so does the expression on Damen’s face. It’s rare for Laurent not to be able to read the expression on his alpha’s face, but right now, he can’t tell if Damen is embarrassed, angry, or excited.

“Excuse me?”

“A mommy kind. Do you like - Do you like thinking of me as your maternal figure?”

Damen frowns, and Laurent has to prevent himself from putting his fingers between the crack of his eyebrows.

“I don’t like it when you say it like that, no.”

“But you do like to call me mommy and other things, correct?”

“I -”

It’s rare to see Damen being uncomfortable, especially around sex. Out of the two, Damen is always the more open-minded one, ready to test new things and to voice out his desires and fears. Where Laurent is hard work, Damen is easy and patient. It feels good that, for once, their roles are reversed.

“It’s not because I don’t have a mom,” Damen explains. “I don’t see you as a substitute for my mother. It’s more than… It’s that I think you’re fucking hot as mother, Laurent.”

It’s Laurent’s time to freeze, trying to make out what Damen is saying without his head bursting from the heat that has reached his face.

“I’m a hot mom,” he repeats.

“Yes,” Damen says, as simple as that. “I like to see you so big with my babies. I like it when you tell the kids what they can and cannot do, when you hold me against your heavy breast that smells like milk. I love how caring and loving you are with kids. I am jealous of our kids for getting the love I could never have as a kid, but it’s not what this is about.”

“You love that I’m bossy but loving,” Laurent says. “And that I’m fat, obviously.”

Damen straightens up and grabs Laurent by the hips, pushing him into his lap, until Laurent is straddling him, his imposing belly between them.

“I do. I love that when people look at you, they know that I was inside of you, that you let me come inside. I love how your body is changing, how hard your breasts are, and how delicate your nipples have become once again.”

To prove his point, Damen’s hands leave the comfort of Laurent’s waist and travel up to his nipples under his nightgown. When his cold fingers touch them, Laurent shivers and bites down on his lips not to moan loudly.

“You’re so beautiful,” Damen whispers. “The kids are so lucky.”

Laurent rolls his hips on Damen’s hard cock, and he feels his own fluid leaking through his underwear and into Damen’s lap. Pregnancies always make him wetter than usual.

“How does that make the kids lucky?”

“Because they can do it.”

“They can do what?”

“They can drink from your breast.”

Damen’s hands are cupping his swollen breasts now, four pregnancies back to back having forever altered Laurent’s body, his milk supplies never stopping once in the past five years. They had initially planned to hire a wet nurse, but when Henri was born, Laurent knew immediately that he couldn’t bear the thought of another omega feeding his child.

When Damen squeezes on them, Laurent feels a rush of milk leaking through his right nipple.

Immediately, Damen stops his movement and starts to profusely apologize. When they have sex while Laurent is pregnant, he is always careful not to touch his breasts, and Laurent had thought, wrongly, that it was because his alpha was disgusted by it, like many alphas are. If only they had talked about it earlier.

Laurent snaps Damen’s hand back on his breasts and makes him apply more pressure.

“Mommy didn’t tell you to stop.”

“Laurent,” Damen moans.

In lieu of an answer, Laurent lifts his nightgown over his head and takes it off. Damen isn’t looking at him anymore, and instead, his eyes are glued to his breasts, a hungry look on his face.

Laurent cups his face in his hands and rubs the skin slowly, until Damen finally looks up.

“Drink, baby. You must be starving.”

He doesn’t have to be told twice: Damen’s mouth immediately starts to lap at Laurent’s nipples, more milk coming out as Damen’s teeth bite gently into his skin. When Laurent cries out from pleasure, Damen almost takes a step back, but Laurent pushes his head right back against his chest.

“You need to stop not listening to mommy,” Laurent warns him. “Good boys always listen to their mommy. And you're a good boy, are you not, Damianos?”

With his mouth full of nipple and milk, Damen cannot answer, but the way his dick twisted under Laurent and the noise he makes are enough of an answer. He sucks deeper, and Laurent can’t help but throw his head back, rocking his body even harder against his alpha. He has always been so self-conscious about leaking, as he always tries his hardest for it not to happen during their intercourse, even when his breasts were on the verge of bursting from all the milk inside. It feels like liter and liter of milk are pouring into Damen’s mouth, and Laurent takes one of Damen’s free hands and starts massaging his other breast with it, stimulating it before all but slamming Damen’s face on his other nipple.

“Such a good boy. Making mommy feel so good.”

Damen sucks harder, and Laurent arches into the touch.

“It’s so good, mommy,” Damen says. “So delicious. You’re delicious. I want to eat you up.”

There’s milk drooling from Damen’s mouth, and Laurent cleans it with his finger before pushing it back into his husband’s mouth. With his tongue, Damen starts to lick and sucks on it, his eyes never leaving Laurent’s own.

“Baby, you need to fuck mommy now, before I come from you just sucking on my tits.”

With one smooth movement, Damen rips Laurent’s underwear with his bare hands, until his pussy is pushing against Damen’s cock. If he were to just lift his hips, Laurent could slide Damen’s dick directly into his pussy without much effort, and he could ride him until they both reach orgasms. But today isn’t about that.

“Good boy, don’t make their mommy do all the work,” Laurent warns him. “You’re gonna fuck me and make me come like you were meant to do, got it?”

“Yes, mommy.”

Suddenly, Laurent is being lifted from Damen’s lap and pushed back on the mattress. Instead of getting between his legs like he had expected, Damen gets off the bed and stands at the edge.

“What are you doing?”

The smirk on Damen’s face should have been enough of a warning, and yet when he’s being yanked forward by his ankles, Laurent still yells in surprise. Damen is standing firm on the ground, both of Laurent’s legs up against his chest, giving him total accessibility to his hole. He must be dropping on the floor, Laurent realizes, both ashamed and excited.

He feels the tips of Damen’s cock brushing against his lips and immediately clenches in anticipation.

“And you call me hungry,” Damen says.

“Shut - Fuck!”

Damen has slammed in without any warning, and Laurent feels his eyes rolling back inside his head. His cock is so big, it feels like it will rip him apart one day, and maybe today is the day because Damen doesn’t carry the usual carefulness he does when they make love with Laurent pregnant. Instead, he fucks him like he would do in normal time, slamming into him at a brutal speed. Laurent pushes back against him, trying to meet his thrusts, even when his body is too heavy from the pleasure he’s feeling. He tries to suck Damen’s cock in, tries to take him even deeper, and when Damen pushes on his legs more, almost folding him in two, Laurent ignores the pain from his legs and lets his head fall down on the bed.

One of Damen’s hands finds his clitoris and starts playing with it, rubbing and squeezing the little bundle of nerves between his fingers. Laurent already feels his orgasm building up, and he knows he won’t be able to last for long.

“You’re so naughty,” Laurent says. “Torturing your mommy.”

“Am I?”

Damen punctuates his question with a hard, well-directed thrust that hits Laurent in his most sensitive spot. Damen is ball deep into him, the sound of their skin slapping against each other filling up the room, as well as the awful sound of wetness every time he thrusts in and out of him. Laurent tries to muffle his moans, aware that the guards are right behind the door, but when Damen’s free hand grabs one of his breasts again, he can’t help but moan loudly.

“Fuck Damen,” Laurent pants, overstimulated. He puts his own hand on top of Damen’s and forces him to squeeze harder. “Fuck me, fuck me hard, baby, make mommy come.”

Damen’s grip on his breast is so strong that his fingers are turning white, and it hurts, it fucking hurts so good, that soon, Laurent is clenching hard around Damen, swallowing his cock inside his cunt. Damen accelerates his movement over Laurent’s clit and finally, Laurent’s orgasm washes through him, sending waves of pleasure through his body.

He feels his hole tightening ever more around Damen, until his alpha can barely move anymore, and, to his horror, milk comes pouring from his nipples, splashing all over himself and Damen’s face with the force of it.

“Shit, I’m sorry,” he breathes down.

Damen’s tongue licks all the milk it can reach on his face, and, as best as he can with Laurent’s belly on the way, Damen gets closer to his face and kisses him firmly on the lips.

Laurent tastes his own milk on Damen’s tongue, sweet and creamy, and when his husband pulls back, he bites down on one of Laurent’s nipples again.

“Mommy is so good,” Damen says. “But I haven’t come yet.”

When Damen starts to move again, Laurent lets out a “Fuck” and lets his husband chase his own pleasure. The overstimulation after his orgasm is almost painful, yet not quite.

“Come for mommy,” Laurent encourages him.

Damen doesn’t make it last for too long: he thrusts hard inside of him and, without any kind of rhythm, encouraged by Laurent’s moans, his knot forms and becomes bigger and bigger, almost too painful to get fully inside of Laurent. Finally, the knot catches, and Damen comes; he does it so deep inside of Laurent’s belly that he swears he can almost taste it, his knot linking them together.

Damen doesn’t fall down on him, too conscious of hurting their babe, and so he collapses next to him and immediately drags Laurent into his arms.

Their bodies are sweating profusely, and Laurent can hear his heartbeat in his ears.

“You’re ok?” Damen asks after a while, his fingers tingling with Laurent’s hair.

“It was so hot. Did you like it?”

He’s scared that somehow, maybe, Damen didn’t like it as much as he did, but although they just had sex, he can already feel Damen’s cock hardening inside of him, just slightly.

“It was amazing. You were amazing. I never thought… I didn’t know I was so obvious.”

Laurent breathes out, satisfied with his husband’s answer, and snuggles closer to his chest, his eyes already closing.

“Say thank you to Nik. This is all because of him.”

He feels Damen’s body contracting against him.

“What?”

“Sleep, baby. We need some rest.”

He doesn’t wait for Damen’s answer, his body and mind feeling too relaxed to even form a comprehensive thought, and he lets himself fall asleep, his alpha’s strong body against him and his knot secured inside of him.

—

When Laurent wakes up the next day, he’s clean, inside and out, and he’s wearing a nightgown and a new pair of underwear. There’s a breakfast on his side of the bed, fresh fruits, toast, and a glass of milk, with a handwritten card.

To the best mommy ever,

Thank you for the feast.

I love you,

Your good boy, Damen.

[winmance]

The Invitation (AO3 link here)

Damen is getting married.

The invitation is here, in front of him, lying on the hard and cold kitchen’s counter. On the first page, where the names of the couple are, Damen has put a post-it, his elegant writing having formed the words for Laurent to read.

I would like for you to come.

Love,

Damen.

Laurent doesn’t remove the post-it. Under it is the name of the person Damen is marrying. He doesn’t want to know who it is. Does he know them? Have they met before? Are they OK with Damen inviting his ex of four years to their wedding?

The invitation is pretty. It’s a mixture of gold and a light shade of beige, the text heartwarming and intimate.

Two souls, one love, and a lifetime of adventure ahead…

With hearts full of joy, we invite you to share in the celebration of our love as we say "I do."

Join us on Wednesday, March 18th, at The Starling Venue, where we will be expecting you for two days of celebration, under the guidance of the stars.

We will be uniting our families and our stories during an intimate ceremony.

We hope we can count on you.

With love,

The Future Mr. & Mrs Akielos

Laurent’s heart is in his stomach now and any moment from now, he will start throwing up. It’s unfair. Of course, Damen has moved on. Why wouldn’t he? Laurent doesn’t have any right to be angry. It’s him who broke up with him, not the other way around.

“I’m so hungry!” Nicaise complains when he enters the kitchen. He stops when he sees Laurent holding himself still. “What’s happening?”

“Nothing,” Laurent says. He takes the invitation and throws it in the bin. “Let’s make you breakfast.”

----

“I would kill for a cheeseburger,” Ancel complains next to him.

His legs are on his desk, his hands on his round belly and his laptop is shut down. Laurent hasn’t seen him work all day, but it’s nothing new and he has gotten used to it. It’s one of the privileges of being the boss’ mate, Laurent presumes. It’s gotten even worse now that Ancel is expecting.

Berenger simply refuses for his mate to do as much as lift a finger, claiming that it could tire him up too much. Ancel isn’t one to refuse being treated like jewelry and he uses every occasion to get more of his husband’s attention and devotion. For example, by saying out loud that he wants a cheeseburger. Even though it’s four in the afternoon, Laurent is almost certain that Berenger will stop whatever he is doing and order it for him.

“Do you want one, too?” Ancel asks him.

One would think that Ancel’s extravagant personality would crash hard against Laurent’s composed nature, but it’s far from the truth. In fact, Ancel is the closest thing to a friend that Laurent has in his life. They even went out for drinks, something Laurent never allows himself to do. He hates drinking alcohol and he hates being away from Nicaise, especially at night, but Damen had offered to babysit him that day and it had been nice to be a normal human being for a while. Ancel doesn’t know a single thing about his past and his ability to wrap the whole conversation around himself has allowed Laurent to do nothing but listen. It will be years before he can even imagine going out like that again.

“No, thank you.”

“Are you ok, pretty boy? You seem.. off.”

“No, I’m good.”

Laurent is usually pretty good at keeping his emotions under control. He knows how to play pretend and how to hide his feelings - or he used to, at least, before Damen.

The beginning of their relationship had been a hot mess. Damen had just broken up with Jokaste and had a hard time trusting, while Laurent had never dated anyone and was refusing to open up. They fell in love, hard, but communicating was equally hard, especially with Damen always away for work and Laurent having to take care of Nicaise, but they worked it out, eventually. Kind of.

For four years, Laurent had been so caught in this little happy world he had created that he hadn’t even noticed it starting to crumble until it was too late.

Five months. It’s been five months since their breakup and yet, Damen is already getting married. He has moved on, so easily, as if Laurent had been nothing but a fling. Maybe he was, after all. Four years of so-called love and Damen didn’t even cry when Laurent broke up with him. He didn’t try to stop him or to get a reason. Laurent’s sick mind had hoped for a big, dramatic breakup, where Damen would have run after him and Laurent would have opened his arms for him, because he didn’t want this either. He never did in the first place.

But Damen didn’t run after him. He didn’t ask Laurent to explain himself. And Laurent had thought, rightfully, that it was just the confirmation that Damen didn’t really love him but suddenly, he realizes that it’s not it. Not really.

The notion hits him like a train at full speed, entering his heart and exiting through his stomach, leaving behind a deep, black hole.

Damen cheated on him.

This is why he wasn’t sad about Laurent leaving. This is why he never made plans for the long run with him. Because Damen’s heart never belonged to him in the first place.

“Are you going to throw up again?” Ancel asks, half annoyed, half worried, even though it’s been a few weeks since the last time Laurent had thrown up.

“No. I’m just tired. I’m gonna go.”

“Text me when you’re home,” Ancel says.

Laurent doesn’t answer, too caught up in his mind, and walks straight to his car.

Damen cheated.

Why is he surprised? It’s not like the thought never crossed his mind before. Damen is an actor and spends his days with beautiful women and men, who are waiting for him to allow them into his bed. How many times has Laurent been through Damen’s following on Instagram, trying to see if there was someone new, someone he didn’t mention before? But Damen had reassured him every time, telling him over and over that there was no one but Laurent for him. That Laurent was the only person he needed in his life. And Laurent had believed him, because somehow, Damen had been able to turn down the voice in his head. He couldn’t hear his Uncle’s voice anymore when they were together. For the first time in years, it was all quiet.

Uncle had told him that he wasn’t made to be loved and Damen had made him believe otherwise.

How stupid of Laurent to believe him.

“Nicaise, I’m home!” he yells.

“Don’t need to scream like that, I’m not deaf.”

Laurent takes his shoes off and when he turns around, he finds Nicaise on the couch, the invitation for Damen’s wedding in his hands.

“Where did you find that?”

“In the trash.”

“Nicaise, we talked about you doing that…”

It’s not the first time Nicaise has been digging into the trash, and it probably won’t be the last. He does the same thing with Laurent’s closet once in a while, taking everything out of it before putting the clothes back in. His therapist says it’s normal for him to do so. Nicaise hadn’t been nursed by his parents when he was a kid, and his childhood has been nothing but traumatic. The psy explained to Laurent that Nicaise sees him as his mom, and because of that, Nicaise has this deep need of knowing everything that is going on with him, whether Laurent consents or not.

It doesn’t help that this is the second time he finds something aggravating while digging around. “Are you going?”

Laurent lets himself fall down on the couch next to him. He’s so exhausted. It feels like his body has been run through a train. He wishes he could lay down in Damen’s arms right now. They would put a movie in the background while Damen runs his fingers through his hair, massaging his scalp as he goes. Nicaise would be making comments all through the movie, as he always does, but it wouldn’t matter because Laurent’s eyes would already be closed, safe and happy in his boyfriend's arms.

“No.”

“Why?”

“Take a guess.”

Nicaise sighs and pushes the invitation away. Laurent makes a mental note to burn it once Nicaise has gone to sleep.

“How was school?”

“Good. I’ve gotten an A in history.”

“You’re so smart,” Laurent says. Nicaise rolls his eyes but his cheeks are slightly pink.

“It wasn’t hard.”

“Still. If you keep it up, you will have no trouble getting into a good university.”

Nicaise is seventeenth. In a few months, he’s supposed to choose the university where he will be spending the next few years of his life, and although he’d been excited for it for as long as Laurent can remember, it doesn’t seem to be the case anymore. Now, the only mention of it is enough to send him into a deadly quietness that often lasts for hours. Laurent still hasn’t been able to understand why.

“Is it a girl?” Laurent asks after a while.

“What?”

“Is - Damen, is he marrying a girl or a boy?”

Nicaise is silent for a long moment, so long that Laurent thinks he’s not going to answer. Good. He doesn’t need to know. In fact, it’s better if he doesn’t. If he does, then he will start imagining them together, and he can’t allow himself to do that. He can’t fall into such embarrassing behavior.

“You didn’t read the invitation?”

“Only bits of it.”

Nicaise nods. There's silence again. Laurent thinks of the empty fridge that is waiting for them in the kitchen, and regrets turning down Ancel’s invitation from earlier. Maybe they could order something in. He needs to be more careful with money, he knows that, but he’s too exhausted to cook tonight and one pizza isn’t going to send them into bankruptcy.

“It’s a girl,” Nicaise says.

Of fucking course.

“Omega?”

“Yes.”

They will mate, then. Once it is done, their union will last forever.

Laurent had offered his neck to Damen, once. It was after a remarkable love making session, one so intense that Laurent had trouble seeing straight afterwhile, and the offer had come out, so naturally that it had taken them both by surprise. They had never discussed it before. Damen turned the offer down, and they never talked about it again after.

“That’s great,” Laurent says. “Does it say when they got together?”

“No.”

“And how did he propose? I bet he went down on both knees to do it. He has such bad balance, there’s no way he only stayed on one knee.”

“But he never proposed to you,” Nicaise says. “So you don’t know.”

The words cut through him, as if a hundredth of knives had been thrown his way. He wants to ground Nicaise for saying it out loud, but what would be the point? He is right. Damen never proposed to him. It was never the right time. Never the right place. And Laurent never cared about marriage anyway, how could a piece of paper say anything about the love they had for each other?

But Damen had been engaged to Jokaste.

And now Damen is getting married.

Laurent still doesn’t care about marriage, but he had hoped Damen and him would get married. It’s nothing but a piece of paper, but it would have had their name on it. He would have changed his last name without any hesitation - would have been relieved by it, even. He would have settled for a simple dinner or a big party, he would have worn blue because it’s Damen’s favorite color. He would have let his hair grow a bit, knowing how much Damen loved it. He would have done anything and everything Damen would have asked him to do.

But Damen didn’t ask.

Laurent simply wasn’t enough.

“Maybe she’s pregnant.”

“Shut up.”

Like everything that leaves Nicaise’s mouth, his words hold a part of truth. Maybe the girl really is pregnant, and Damen is marrying her out of obligation. That’s the kind of man Damen is. He’s a good man, the kind who holds doors open even if the person is feets away from it, who helps old people cross the street. The kind who would marry someone because she’s pregnant with his kid, even if he doesn’t want to.

It’s a big assumption, though. Maybe Damen does want this. Maybe that woman truly is the love of his life and that pregnancy is a blessing. Maybe Damen loves her, in a way he was never able to love Laurent.

“He’s gonna see, if you go,” Nicaise says. “You’re going to be like, super big by the time of the wedding.”

Laurent looks down at his round belly, where the fœtus is growing, taking more and more space everyday. It still doesn’t feel real. If that woman’s pregnancy is a blessing, Laurent’s is a curse, an unholy and unwanted creation that cost him one of the only two people he loves.

Damen would have probably married him, if he knew. He probably would still do, if his fiancée isn’t really pregnant, and that’s why Laurent didn’t tell him. He loves Damen too much to force him to stay by his side.

The breakup was Laurent’s last present to Damen. He broke up with him before even making a decision regarding the pregnancy. It didn’t feel right to stay with Damen without telling him that he had an abortion, but it also didn’t feel right to tell him. Damen would have been sad. He had always wanted kids. Not with Laurent, though. When he talked about it, he would always stay vague, never mentioning him directly. It was always When I have kids and never when we have kids. Yet Damen had asked Nicaise if he would have been happy to have siblings. Nicaise hadn’t answered and the question had never been asked again.

“Order yourself something to eat,” Laurent says while getting up. He winces from how much his lower back is killing him. “I’m going to sleep.”

He doesn’t wait for Nicaise’s answer and goes straight to his bedroom.

Once, not so long ago, it was Damen’s bedroom, too. He slept on the left side of the bed, Laurent on the right. For weeks, Laurent had refused to sleep on Damen’s side or to change the sheets, refusing to lose Damen’s scent. At night, he could still pretend that Damen was in the house, as if he had just gotten out of bed to go to the bathroom and was coming back soon. Except Damen isn’t coming back and now, he lays down next to his fiancée, and the side next to Laurent is cold and lifeless. It doesn’t smell like Damen anymore. Slowly, every little thing that was left from him is disappearing, and Laurent feels a pain in his chest when he realizes it.

Read more on AO3

[winmance]

To Be Loved - AO3 Link

Tags: Additional Tags:

Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Omega Laurent (Captive Prince), Alpha Damen (Captive Prince), Pregnant Laurent, Mpreg | Male Pregnancy, Angst, Sad and Sweet, Post-Canon, In a way

Happiness, Damen knows, is not something that is meant to stay.

They had years of happiness with Laurent, years of kisses and cuddles, of love and trust, and somewhere along the line, he had forgotten.

Deaths, ghosts, and the lies and pain from the past have been buried away in his mind, giving place to new memories: running naked in the palace together, making love under the stars, marrying each other and later on, welcoming their first child, and then second, third, and soon, their fourth. A daughter, Laurent swears. Damen cares very little about their child’s gender – he will love them, no matter what, for they are the proof of their love for each other.

The birth is still days away, and to make time go by, Damen is walking in the garden, his arm secured around Laurent’s waist while their first son runs around the different statues.

“My breast is swollen,” Laurent complains. “I’m barely done breastfeeding the last one, and here I am, pregnant again.”

Laurent, although he pretends to be annoyed about the situation, is feeling the exact opposite. It is he who insisted on having a fourth one so close, just like he did with the three before. When they had made love, he had secured Damen’s cock inside of him by locking his legs around him, until after Damen went soft. Then, he had put his hands on his belly and had said, I’m pregnant.

“Papa,” Little Auguste says. “How did Uncle Auguste die?”

Time stops, and under his hands, Laurent froze.

Damen knew the question would come, eventually, but he had let himself forget. Had let himself believe that his children wouldn’t know this side of their story and the pain he caused to their dad.

“He died in a battle,” Laurent answers, his answer short and cold. “You were named after a great fighter, Auguste. Now come. Your brothers are waiting for us.”

Little Auguste doesn’t move, despite Laurent’s order. Little Auguste, Damen knows, will be an Alpha, as fierce and protective as his uncle was.

His eyes are still on the statue in front of him – his body looks so small compared to it, and from that angle, it almost looks like Auguste is looking at him. He isn’t. Auguste is dead, killed under Damen’s hand.

“Who killed him?”

Damen closes his eyes, refusing to see the disappointment that will soon be in his son’s eyes. He remembers when he himself lost part of his respect for his dad. The day he went from an almost god to a human being, full of mistakes and flaws. He had thought he had more time before his sons were put face to face with the same realization.

“I did,” he says, wanting to spare Laurent from the pain of saying it. “I—”

“He liked horses,” Laurent cuts him off. “He had a favorite one, a dark mare that he named Caramel. It was a stupid name. She wasn’t the right color, and no king should have a mare named like this.”

Laurent’s hand is on his stomach, rubbing circles on it to calm the baby moving inside of him. With the other, he takes Damen’s hand away from his waist, but before Damen’s heart can break, he puts it to his lips and drops a kiss on it.

He moves them, guiding Damen by the hand, until they can sit on a bench. Little Auguste comes, too, and sits by Laurent’s side, his head on his belly.

“He had golden hair and loved to dance. He was amazing at playing the harp. He would let me sit next to him while he played, and sometimes I would even get to play with him. When he was eighteen, he went on his first real battle and cut a lock of his hair to braid it to mine. He said, I’m still with you this way.”

Auguste had been a good fighter. Probably the best Damen ever faced. He had helped him on his feet when he could have won. In another life, they would have been best friends, even after Damen stole his little brother from him. Little Auguste would still have his name, but instead of talking to a statue, he would be walking on his uncle’s shoulders.

“He was—my everything. A good brother. An excellent leader. An amazing Alpha, the kind I want you to become one day.”

“Do I look like him?”

“Yes,” Laurent says, caressing their son’s face. “I see him in your features and in your kindness. Your eyes are the same as his. Your smile, too, and most importantly, your heart.”

Little Auguste doesn’t know it yet, but being compared to Auguste is by far the greatest compliment a man can ask for. Damen knows: Laurent had compared them in the past, too, the words still deep in his soul.

“But Dad killed him,” he says, with sadness in his voice for a man he doesn’t know. “It’s not kind.”

“The world isn’t kind, Auguste. But the hands that feed you one day can slap you the next, and the ones that leave scars on your back can hold your heart tomorrow.”

“But—”

“My brother died, but it’s only one fact about him. I have a thousand more that I can share with you, if you’d like. He died, but most of all, he lived. He loved me. He loved his mare and his sword. He sounded like a pig every time he laughed. He loved swimming but hated being on a boat. He didn’t like to read books but would read them every nights for me. He was there, he was a person. He isn’t just someone who died. He isn’t just that, and we gave you his name so you will continue his story. Death isn’t the end. It took me a while to understand it.”

There’s a statue of Kastor, deep in the garden. It was made when he was just a teenager, and in his left hand is Damen’s own. Two brothers, stuck in the rock together forever.

There are days when Damen can’t sleep. When he can see Auguste’s face, accusing him of all the bad things that happened to Laurent. Damen doesn’t blame them. Sometimes, when he looks in the mirror, he tells himself the same things.

“I’m sad he died,” Little Auguste says.

“Me too. But I’m glad he lived. The pain means he was loved.”

“Is loved,” Damen corrects.

“Yes,” Laurent’s voice is tight, and Damen knows that if he were to look at him now, he would see tears in his eyes. They’re still holding hands, their hold stronger than ever, and with his free hand, Laurent is caressing their son’s hair. “Promise me that you’ll remember him, even if I’m gone.”

Little Auguste straightens up, the thought of losing his papa unbearable.

“I don’t want you to go!”

“He isn’t going anywhere,” Damen reassures his son. “Listen to Papa, now.”

“If one day I’m gone, you’ll have to take care of your siblings just like Auguste took care of me. You’ll love them, always.”

“Yes, Papa.”

“One day, you’ll be king, just like your Uncle Auguste was meant to be, and it will be your duty to be as good as he was, if not better.”

“Yes.”

Little Auguste’s hand is on Laurent’s belly. The promise, Damen knows, is for both Laurent and the baby.

“Your dad killed my brother, yes, but this is what it takes to be a king, sometimes. Mistakes from the past can’t be undone. There’s no purpose in living in the past, especially when the present is so lovely.”

This time, when Laurent speaks, he does so while looking at Damen. In his eyes full of tears, there’s only love: for Damen, for Auguste, and for their children here and all the ones yet to come.

From the distance, they hear the cry of a child, and Auguste is on his feet in a second, running to find his brother.

It’s only Laurent and Damen, then, and the statue of Auguste, looking over them.

Laurent puts his head on Damen’s shoulder, and Damen kisses the top of it. In another world, Auguste is with them today. In this one, he isn’t, and although Damen wishes it could be different, he still wouldn’t trade their lives if it meant losing this.

“We should call this one Lauri,” Damen says, his hand on Laurent’s belly. “In honor of the love of my life.”

“It will be a girl.”

Refusing to upset his omega, Damen nods.

“Laurie, then. Even better.”

Happiness, Damen knows, is not something that is meant to stay. Yet on days like this one, sitting next to Laurent on a bench, their son safe in his omega’s belly while the others are running their way, Damen thinks that perhaps it can be.