Chapter Text
Charles rummaged through the cabinets as silently as he could, cursing quietly as he reached the back of the cabinet without finding a single bottle of scotch—or hell, he’d take any kind of alcohol, at that point.
Just as he stood, pulling himself upright with a hand on the kitchen counter, the front door opened, and the quiet murmur of Erik and Magda’s voices had him stumbling back and turning on his heel, eyes going wide. Erik spotted him first and went silent. His arms were laden with groceries, but he looked past Charles to the liquor cabinet—and his face turned to stone.
Charles threw up his arms immediately, heart beating too fast; the Lehnsherrs hadn’t had reason to ‘discipline’ him yet, but it had only been a week—and alcohol was strictly off-limits. He had known the risk when he went hunting for it, but he hadn’t cared at the time. Now, all the fear and anxiety came rushing back like a wave, and his chest heaved, choking on a breath.
“Charles. What were you doing in here?”
Magda, at least, hadn’t turned into a statue of stone in front of him, and she set the grocery bags down in the living room, advancing slowly. Her eyes flicked from the liquor cabinet to Charles’s face. She seemed to assess him, and the lack of a drink in his hand had her shoulders relaxing. The alpha tried for a reassuring smile, taking another step forward with her hands outstretched, the same way you would approach a wild, cornered animal.
“Charles, why don’t you help us put the groceries away, and then we can all sit together on the sofa? Erik and I missed you while we were gone.”
Charles stood still for a moment, before nodding.
“...Alright,” His voice couldn’t quite stay level, but he edged around Magda and Erik, grabbing a bag of groceries for himself. Once he started to comply, Magda took Erik by the arm, and they started to put away the groceries. The three of them worked efficiently, and Charles had inadvertently familiarized himself with the kitchen and its contents in his hunt for liquor, so he managed to put things away without having to ask Magda or Erik any questions.
Once the groceries were put away, Erik took a step toward him, his face a carefully smooth, expressionless mask.
Charles retreated a step in response, holding up a hand in anticipation of the anger he was certain was brewing in the alpha. Erik froze at the motion, eyes flicking from Charles’s hand, back up to his face.
“I won’t put my hands on you, Charles. I simply want to sit you down so we can discuss the rules we had agreed on when you came to live with us.”
He gritted his teeth, taking another step back as Magda came around on his other side, her hands raised placatingly.
“Rules, oh yes. Because I can’t be trusted to take care of myself, because I’m just a helpless omega, right? Little better than a child.” The sarcasm was scorching, but he didn’t care—he had heard it all before. It was the societally acceptable belief that omegas were flighty, and generally incapable of caring for themselves without the guiding, overbearing hand of an alpha or guardian.
Erik growled, reaching out and grabbing Charles’s hand with the speed of a viper. Charles tried to yank his hand back, but Magda was there for reinforcements as she darted forward and rubbed over the scent gland on his wrist with insistent, unyielding pressure. His knees became weak immediately as he let out an outraged squeak, Erik reaching out with his other hand to wrap around Charles’s waist and bring him closer. Charles was almost grateful for the motion even through his anger at their audacity, as he wasn’t sure whether he was strong enough to stay on his feet as Magda purred at him, keeping up the gentle pressure on his wrist and using her other hand to cup his cheek.
Her eyes were swimming with fondness that had him blushing and keening in embarrassment at the way they had rendered him into a mewling, wordless creature running on instinct with just a few touches.
“Oh, my darling. We only want the best for you. Won’t you let us take care of you?”
He could only roll his head on his neck and collapse further into Erik’s embrace, letting out a whimper as his eyelids fluttered. God, he was so tired. It was so difficult being an omega in the world, especially when you were alone...
“He’s so touch starved. God, everyone has failed him, Magda. Er braucht uns.”
“Er gehört jetzt uns.” Her voice was sweetened by her own purr..
Charles leaned into Magda’s touch, purring against his will, as their words drifted over him, holding no meaning. Their voices were just a low, soft rumble in his ears that further disarmed him.
“Wir müssen sanft zu ihm sein.”
“I can be gentle.” Erik sounded slightly petulant as he said it, but he still released Charles’s wrist and moved to brush a hand through his curls.
“Sweet boy. Well, we can discuss the house rules another time. I think this one needs to just be held for a bit. If I take him to the couch, can you grab the blanket and put on a movie?”
Charles saw Magda nod through his daze, and he let out a high-pitched squeak when Erik bent at the knee and swept Charles into his arms. He clumsily threw his own arms around Erik’s neck, letting out a little growl at the sudden movement that further exacerbated his spiral into his instincts.
Erik chuckled at the noise, and Charles’s heart clenched as the alpha leaned close and rubbed his cheek against Charles’s curls, leaving his rich, caramel scent all over him.
“My sweetness. You just need to be shown we just want to take care of you, don’t you? You’ve never known any kind of consistency or unconditional love in your life.”
Charles couldn’t respond, swimming in the depthless waters of omegan instincts, warm and washing over him like the crashing of waves upon the shore. He could only hold onto his alpha as Erik moved out of the kitchen and into the living room. Magda had worked to turn down the lights and put a movie on the tv, already sitting on the sofa with a thick, plush blanket thrown over her legs.
She moved over as Erik settled on the sofa, arranging Charles so he was perpendicular on his lap, tucked against his chest. The warmth of the alpha that soaked into his skin was almost surprising, and he curled further into Erik's embrace, even as he hated his weakness.
He hated being a ‘stereotypical’ omega, weak and whimpering and wanting. But that didn't change the way he luxuriated in Erik's touch as he brushed through his hair.
“I don't…” Charles licked his lips, words failing him. It was so hard to dredge through the mush of his mind and pull some kind of coherence together. Erik hushed him gently as the movie started, some grainy black and white feature that had Magda giggling within the first few minutes.
“I don't want to be your kept pet,”
Erik's arms tightened around him, but Charles continued, barrelling on now that he had found scraps of courage he found. “I want… my freedom. You knew that, when you… when you brought me here. And you… you promised.”
Erik sighed, his eyes cutting from the screen to stare down at Charles. Charles felt like he was drowning in those steely depths, the curiously-colored eyes that looked grey, then blue, and shot through with green, that were looking down at him with a frightening amount of fondness.
“I know what I promised. And I don’t want to take your freedom away from you. That isn’t our intention, Charles. Magda and I only want the opportunity to take care of you. And yes, we brought you home with us in the hopes that you might provide us with a pup, but it’s more than that, Charles. We could make you happy. Could give you a home. If you wanted.”
Charles hummed, rolling his neck and setting his head on Erik’s shoulder, the clouds of his omegan haze building once more. He did want… a home. People to care about him. The stability of a… family. He shouldn’t want those things, as when it came to what that meant for an omega, it was the complete sacrifice of freedom.
Yet the basest part of him, the most human part, wanted all those things Erik was offering.
They were inches apart now, and Charles marveled at the bump on the alpha’s handsome, aquiline nose.
“If… If I follow your rules, if I… give you a pup, could we discuss emancipation, if I still want it, when the time comes?”
Erik worked his jaw, his eyes flickering all over Charles’s face.
“When it comes to it, Charles, we’ll--” He took a breath, his voice solemn. “We’ll discuss it. I won’t refuse you your freedom, Charles. I want to make you happy. If you let us try to make you happy, I would be grateful.”
Charles tightened his arms around his alpha’s neck, his nose digging into the soft skin there, an inch away from his scent gland and the sweet, caramelized scent drifting from it. The movie drifted on in the background, Magda laughing once again as Charles inhaled, letting himself sink into his instincts.
“Alright, Erik. Alright. I… I do want a family. I’ll… I’ll try.”