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Ch. 1 Summary: It's 1917, and Oberleutnant Karl Horstmayer is an omega. Unfortunately, the German soldier is captured by French enemy forces and realizes all to soon that his heat is approaching. Karl suffers mistreatment and torture at the hands of his French captors, who are more than willing to take advantage of his impending heat. Will he be rescued in time?
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Fandom: Joyeux Noël | Merry Christmas (2005)
Rating: Explicit, Minors DNI 18+
Relationships: Karl Horstmayer / Camille Audebert / Mackenzie Gordon (Joyeux Noël)
Ch. 1 Tags: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Whump, World War I, Hurt/Comfort (comfort comes in later chapters), Angst, poor karl, I promise he gets better
Word Count: 1716
Ch. 1 Warnings: Minor Injuries/Violence, Brief Threat of Non-Con, Whump, Cursing
Lieutenant Karl Horstmayer winced and stumbled into the holding cell, nearly falling to the floor as one of the French guards shoved him roughly between the shoulders. He quickly caught himself on the cold wall of the cell, his palms smacking loudly against the surface.
“In you go, boche,” the guard spat in French. “We’ll be back to check on you in half an hour. Don’t do anything you might regret.” The man chuckled darkly, and Karl listened to the sound of the metal cell door being slammed shut behind him.
The German forced himself to watch as the guards disappeared down the long hallway, their footsteps slowly echoing into silence. The moment that he was certain that he was alone, Karl let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. His exhale sounded more like a whine, and he groaned as he let himself slump against the cell wall.
Everything hurt, and he sank to the ground as his knees gave way. He was exhausted, and now he was also nursing quite a few new injuries thanks to his two French… interrogators. The guards had already tortured him for answers, multiple times, and had attempted to wring every bit of knowledge from his lips. By any means necessary.
He was sure that he was sporting a nasty looking black eye, and his ribs ached every time he touched his sides. His nose was sore from being punched in the face one too many times, and the blood that had run into his throat from the injury made him let out a hacking cough every so often.
As much as he was in pain, though, Karl was really only focused on one thing. He felt the familiar ache in his bones that usually preceded a heat, and he shivered involuntarily. A defeated chuckle escaped his lips. Oh, the irony of it all.
His heat suppressant pills had run out last month, and supply shortages in the trenches meant that he hadn’t been able to refill his dwindling stock. Only a few days ago, he had been taken prisoner by the French army, and this was the worst place to expose himself by asking for any kind of medication that might reveal his identity as an omega.
He had always projected himself as an alpha, because there was no room for any perceived “weakness” in his position as a German Oberleutnant. His commanding officers would have never allowed an omega to rise within the ranks as he did, simply because of their prejudices against the “weaker” classification.
“Omegas have no place at war,” Karl’s superiors had told their squad of young trainees. “Only alphas are worthy and capable of defending their country.” However, Horstmayer knew better, and he had signed up to serve his country despite the dangers. Now though, going into heat would provide the perfect opportunity for the enemy to take advantage of him. His omega nature would be his undoing.
As if sensing his worry, he heard the footsteps of the guards approaching again. He had no idea how much time had passed, but they seemed to be ready for another round of interrogation.
“Boche, we’re back,” one of the guards taunted, seeing Karl huddled pitifully in the corner of the cell. “I must commend you, you stayed right where we left you.” Karl winced at the sound of scraping metal as the guards pushed the cell door open. He glared up at the guard who loomed over him.
“You have told us many things tonight about your German comrades, boche,” the bigger of the two guards said darkly. “But I think there is still more in you.” The man, who was at least a head taller than Karl, reached down and fisted his hand in the front of Horstmayer’s uniform shirt.
Before Karl could react, he felt himself being lifted like a sack of potatoes, as if he weighed nothing in the guard’s hand. The German barely suppressed a grunt of pain as he was roughly shoved against the cell wall. Scheiße.
“I am going to get all of the answers from you, one way or another,” the man said, leaning all of his body weight against Karl to keep him pinned against the wall. Karl couldn’t prevent a quiet whimper from escaping his lips, and the heavy weight of an alpha against him triggered his natural omega desire to obey.
He felt himself begin to panic, because suddenly he was all too aware of the scent of alpha pheromones. The thick and heady waves of the odor from both of the guards were just another reminder of his oncoming heat which he was powerless to stop. To make matters worse, Karl knew that if he could smell the alphas so strongly, then they would likely be able to smell him.
The guard holding him against the wall took a small step backwards as he inhaled Karl’s omega scent, now enhanced out of Karl’s fear. The alpha's eyes widened in realization.
“Ah, an omega,” the guard said in surprise. “I would never have seen it in you, boche. An omega Oberleutnant? No doubt you have tried to hide that your whole life, hm?” Karl felt a flush of anger rise to his cheeks, but he refused to let himself take a violent swing at the alpha yet.
“This changes things, then,” the guard sneered. The big man still hadn’t released his hold on Karl, and Horstmayer tried to turn away, refusing to make eye contact with either of his captors.
“Pretty omega,” the taller man purred, pressing his body closer to Karl’s, “You’re going into heat soon. I can smell it on you.” His voice was sickly sweet, and Karl felt his stomach drop. “I know other ways of making you talk. More… pleasurable ways.” The man let his hand snake between Karl’s legs, groping his thigh over his uniform trousers. Slowly, the hand slid upwards towards Horstmayer’s crotch, his intent blindingly clear.
Karl snapped. He grabbed the alpha’s wrist in a firm hold, and with a furious growl, he twisted the guard’s arm until it was pinned behind the man’s back. Horstmayer managed to kick the alpha’s knees to force him onto the ground, keeping a firm hold on his arm and effectively putting the bigger man in a helpless position. The smaller alpha guard had barely blinked before realizing that his partner was on the ground.
“Do not touch me,” Horstmayer snarled, both terrified and enraged. “I am not some helpless omega you pulled off the streets. Keep your hands off me, du verdammter Hurensohn!” The pinned alpha snarled in anger and wrestled free from Karl’s hold, easily pushing himself to his knees and whipping around to face the omega. Thankfully, before the man could act on any furious desires, his partner stopped him.
“Leave him, Pierre! He is not worth it,” the first guard said, roughly pulling the other alpha back. “This boche would make for a terrible experience. He would fight too much.” There was a brief pause of silence, the sound of heavy breathing filling the damp walls of the cell.
“We will call the Lieutenant and ask him what should be done,” the first guard said, eyeing Karl warily. “He will know exactly what to do with this… omega filth.” Karl watched the man spit on the floor, as if to make an emphasis of the omega’s worth.
Pierre just glared darkly at Karl as he dusted himself off, the alpha barely containing his own rage.
“Yes, we will see,” he said dangerously, stalking towards Horstmayer slowly. “We will see what the Lieutenant has planned for this boy. No doubt something… similarly pleasurable.” At the word ‘pleasurable,’ the guard leaned forward to hiss in Karl’s ear. The omega suppressed a revolted shudder, but he stood his ground, refusing to cow to anything.
With that final remark, the guards seemed to think their work was finished, and Karl watched as they both left the cell. The door was locked securely behind them, and with one last glare in Karl’s direction, they turned to leave. Karl listened once more to the echo of footsteps that faded into the distance.
When they were gone, he finally let his knees buckle as he sank to the ground again. It took him a moment to realize that he was trembling. Horstmayer held up his hand in front of his face, watching as his fingers vibrated with nervous anxiety.
Scheiße, that had been close. He needed help, and he needed it fast. The longer he stayed here, the more he could feel the symptoms of his heat threatening to overwhelm him. Feverish chills, cold sweats, and a growing arousal that was becoming harder and harder to ignore.
Soon, he would be a willing omega to any alpha who came near him. Plying answers out of him would be as easy as slicing through butter with a hot knife. Karl dreaded such a humiliating experience, to be taken by an alpha who not only was a stranger, but who was an enemy. And yet, he knew it was inevitable if he was to ever get through his heat in a place like this.
A feeling of intense loneliness overwhelmed him at the thought. He had no alpha to protect him. No alpha to care for him, to ensure him that everything would be alright. No loving alpha to coax him through his first heat in what felt like ages.
Karl shivered again, and he couldn’t suppress a helpless whimper as he pressed his cheek to the cold wall of the cell, desperately trying to cool his fever-flushed skin. The Lieutenant. The Lieutenant, the guards had said, would know what to do.
Horstmayer had no idea what kind of man this Lieutenant was, but he prayed that he would be at least somewhat merciful. No doubt, the Lieutenant would be an alpha male, wanting to make an example of a weak omega enemy soldier in heat. Karl would have to bear it.
For now, though, all he could do was wait. Wait and prepare himself for whatever these French bastards had in store for him. As he relaxed, huddled in the corner of the cell, he slowly felt himself slip into a restless sleep.
