Chapter Text
Lucerys runs in what he has, in a light robe and a nightgown with bare feet and a phone tightly clenched in his fist.
A loud voice, filled with anger, echoes on his heels, only spurring him on with his feet, almost leaping over the stairs.
This is not good in his position, but now he has to make sure that he and the pup get to a safe place.
The first blow was more like an accidental slap in the face, and it took Lucerys a moment to realize that it had even happened.
His husband's face changed in the blink of an eye, he was grabbing him by the shoulders with a pleading voice, begging him to forgive. Apologizing for hitting him, kissing his face, hugging him in his tight embrace.
"It won't happen again. I promise. I will change," he repeated over and over again.
And Lucerys believed, covering up bruises with foundation, smiling warmly at his mother and family at home meetings, repeating as memorized as his husband.
It's fine, Mom. We're happy.
Lucerys thought the news of his pregnancy would stop the outbursts of anger and violence that were increasingly happening in their little family. However, this didn’t happen. How those many promises of his husband's to change for the better didn’t come true.
And maybe somewhere in that moment, he finally realized so idiotically for himself he had let it go too far.
Another quarrel started spontaneously.
He only mentioned his plans to move in with his mother for a while, nothing much. Just to give them a chance to be alone, apart, and rethink some things in their relationship, but he didn't expect it to cause the kind of anger that Lucerys had never had to face before.
Most of the blows landed on his face, disorienting him. The young man fell to the floor several times, covering his belly with his hands. Forcing himself to get up again and again, because the moment his husband is on top of him, Lucerys is afraid that he will not get up again.
A vase on the bedside table that comes to hand immediately flies into the man's temple, breaking into large fragments, causing him to growl in acute pain, giving omega a chance to get out from under him.
Thus, rushing to the door and running out of the apartment into the arms of the night, all Lucerys manages to take with him is a phone and his desire to stop this violence.
He ran without looking back, weaving through the streets, trying to get as far away from the pain, from the quarrels and screams as possible.
His vision is blurred by heavy blows, making the picture in front of his eyes blurry, making it impossible to understand where he ended up.
With heavy breathing, Lucerys only reaches the nearest bench under the streetlight, starting to feel the evening chill creep into his bones, and the baby turns in displeasure in his stomach.
The blood from his nose began to dry, and his lip and temple throbbed in unison. So after several unsuccessful attempts to unlock the phone using Face ID, he finally opens the contacts, searching for the right one. Mom.
The vision is really blurred and his head is aching, making it impossible to figure out which of the many numbers in his phone belongs to her. His thumb freezes over the screen, stopping the search.
For some reason, Lucerys feels scared and ashamed to call her, interrupting the comfort of home and the family at such a late hour. After all, he was the one who lulled the mother's vigilance, assuring her that everything was fine with his husband.
And now he will have to tell her everything from the very beginning, explaining the reason why he put his and his pup's life in danger. What the fuck is he supposed to know!
Lucerys hoped for the best, bitterly realizing what a fool he had been all along.
His body begins to shake slightly, either from the cold, or from the adrenaline draining from his blood.
Sniffing with a bruised nose, the young man scrolls through the contacts further down the list with trembling fingers, straining his eyes in an attempt to snatch the familiar letters of the name or at least the numbers from the blurry spot.
Fortunately, he manages to distinguish between the last digits of Jace's number 1 and 7, immediately dialing his number.
He would be able to explain himself to his brother later, perhaps by confiding in him what he would not have been able to tell his mother. He needs protection and support now more than ever.
Lucerys sniffs, wiping the dried blood from his skin with the edge of his sleeve, until the infinitely long beeps on the other end are interrupted, the connection is successful.
A sob escapes his lips as the young man cries pitifully into his phone, "Jace, please, can you pick me up? I’m hurt.. I'm bleeding."
After a few sighs and sobs, Lucerys continues in a quieter voice, "He beat me up.. Come, please."
On the other side, the interlocutor is heavily silent, perhaps shocked by the information he received, while Lucerys repeats like a mantra please, please, please.
"Where are you?" is the only dry question.
Later, lying in the hospital, Lucerys reflected that perhaps he should have been wary, because his brother's soft voice sounded rougher and colder at that moment.
Jace didn't ask him to stay in touch while he went to see him. Didn't ask him unnecessary questions, worried about him, and didn't threaten his husband with violence.
So when a black Chevrolet Camaro stops at the curb behind him, and someone who is clearly not his brother Jacaerys gets out of the car, Lucerys, to put it mildly, is shocked.
Uncle Aemond, with an impenetrable face, approaches him, grabbing him by the arm without any tenderness, "What the fuck, Nephew?"
Oops.
There were two numbers with "1&7" at the end, and Lucerys was so lucky to choose the one he didn't want to call.
✿
Lucerys doesn't remember well the way to the hospital or how his uncle and he argued in the car.
He seemed to have a tantrum when Aemond mentioned he was going to call his mother, handing over all the worries about him to her. Uncle was annoyed, of course, and already in his usual bad mood, not wanting to mess with someone else's pregnant omega in the middle of the night.
Lucerys kept begging him not to do it, begging his uncle to accompany him to the hospital for medical treatment, and that was it.
"What are you talking about? Let Rhaenyra sort out this mess on her own. Why did you even call me..?" He stops abruptly, caught by the fact that Lucerys starts crying crocodile tears, using his omega nature and a little scent to ask the alpha for help.
"I beg you not to tell her.. don't tell anyone, please," Lucerys hopes his tears will touch something in the soul of this callous alpha, who is his uncle. "Please."
"Hmm.. Okay," It surprisingly works, as the man blinks in embarrassment, turning away to focus on the road. He snorts a few times, trying to get rid of his nephew's scent and regain control. "We're almost there."
Indeed, they arrive at a high glass building with a large shining sign. Luke doesn't see it, but he assumes it says "Hospital."
The examination takes quite a long time, which allows doctors to make sure his baby and he are healthy. Except for a bruise on his head and bleeding from a bruised nose, he's fine.
Uncle Aemond surprisingly stays with him in the emergency room, but keeps his distance, probably waiting for a chance to leave.
The doctors offer the young man to stay overnight for observation, but omega refuses, wanting to get as far away from here as possible.
He doesn't want them to keep sniffing out the details of what happened, and his head is too pounding to come up with a plausible excuse for what happened.
He still has to dictate his details to fill out the necessary documents, having difficulty putting his thoughts together, but everything goes without the participation of the police at his request. Thank God.
Aemond is asked to keep an eye on him during the night, and if his health deteriorates, immediately go back. His only healthy violet eye keeps glancing discontentedly at Lucerys on the couch.
His uncle still has not attempted to take away his leather jacket with patches, which he offered earlier on the street.
Lucerys is grateful to him for this, just as he thanks the medical staff for helpfully giving the barefoot young man disposable slippers, saving him from the cold and new micro-injuries on his feet.
The omega's entire face is now covered with a medical plaster, his nose is clogged with a bandage, and his lip is swollen with fresh stitches. The head feels like it's filled with cotton wool too.
It’s in this form that he freezes as if dug up when leaving the hospital in the early morning, after long and tedious hours of procedures.
Aemond stops too and watches him doubtfully, unfeelingly interested, "Well. Are you going to call someone now?"
Lucerys is tired and can barely stand on his feet, he fidgets with the long sleeves of his jacket, not knowing what to say to this. He just wants to go to bed and rest, think carefully about what he should do next. "Em."
"What do you mean by “Em”? Who's going to pick you up for proper care, hmm?" The man demands impatiently, tapping the toe of his shoe on the asphalt. "Pull yourself together, Nephew. I can call in your place."
Lucerys looks up at him with frightened eyes, shaking his head, immediately putting his palm to his forehead with a groan. Sudden movements cause him discomfort. "I- I don't want anyone to know what happened."
And the most annoying thing about all this is that now Uncle Aemond knows. Someone who definitely didn't need to know about Lucerys's problems.
If he hadn't gotten the wrong phone number, Jace would have been there, and he would have had the opportunity to explain himself to his brother, resolving the conflict without fuss and unnecessary proceedings.
Irrational shame fills his chest, forcing him to look down at his feet, his lips trembling. He needs to go there.
But our home is no longer safe, omega tells.
"Hey, what are you doing?"
Lucerys blinks in a daze, discovering that at some point he has taken Aemond's hand. Oh. He doesn't remember it.
With annoyance, the alpha growls damn you, squeezing his hand in his own, leading him to the parking lot. The young man hurriedly shuffles his feet, trying to keep up with him.
Already sitting in the car, Lucerys hears through the thick of sleep something about problematic spoiled omegas and the fact that he needs to get up for work in a few hours, and not be here.
So he falls asleep in an armchair, wrapped in a warm jacket, hugging a round belly.
The mild scent of cinnamon and dark chocolate with an admixture of lemon zest fills the interior of the car.
✿
He wakes up hard.
The image in front of his eyes is constantly floating, and he doesn’t have enough strength to keep himself conscious. It's like an endless dream that Lucerys can't seem to get out of.
The room is dark by the time omega finally opens his good eye, shifting his position in bed with a groan of pain. With a bleary gaze, he slowly scans the space of the room, the thoughts in his head don’t come together in any way. What happened..?
The laptop was still turned on, left on the bedside table, which is now so unpleasantly blinding him right in the face, causing another headache attack. Lucerys winces and whines, lifting a hand that is too heavy to cover his irritated eye. His whole body hurts.
The omega doesn't know how much time passes before he manages to focus his gaze, forcing his mind to stay awake.
The room in which he slept is in semi-darkness due to the tightly drawn curtains, leaving only a thin strip of light near the floor. There is unusually little furniture, which leaves an uncomfortably large amount of space around. What is this place..?
A muffled voice can be heard talking to someone outside the door, and he wants to call them, ask for a sip of water.. And he can't.
There is only a muffled wheeze coming from his throat, so the omega has to wait for someone to approach him. He puts his hand over his round belly, sighing.
It hurts and makes him uncomfortable, which causes the natural smell to deteriorate, becoming more acidic, gradually filling the entire room. The omega in his chest is crying, asking for help. Please, someone.
The door immediately swings open, letting bright light into the gloom, and a dark figure freezes in the doorway with a phone in their hand. He squints at the too-bright light, averting his gaze.
A strangely familiar voice says, "I'll call you back," closing the door behind him, which allows Lucerys to open his eyes with relief, getting used to the dimness again.
"You're finally awake," an unquenchable thirst grips him with renewed vigor, while the glass next to him is filled with the desired water. A strong hand grabs him under the neck, holding him while the young man drinks greedily, choking a couple of times in his haste.
After drinking enough, he feels a long-awaited relief, lying back on the pillows.
A dark figure, whom he recognizes as his Uncle Aemond, snorts, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "It seemed to me that I would have to take you to the hospital again. You've been sleeping for a long time."
Lucerys only mumbles indistinctly at this, painfully clinging to fragments of memories of past events. He remembers his escape, the moment when they took tests from him, examined his bruises and asked a lot, a lot of questions for his weakened body.
They got into his uncle's car afterwards, and he passed out in the heat.
"What time is it..." The young man turns over on his side, pulling his knees up to his stomach. He looks like he's going to sleep again.
"Half past six. You've been asleep most of the day, in case you're wondering," There's a note of displeasure in his tone, but Luke doesn't really focus on it. His uncle is always morose. "Are you feeling better?"
The omega hums negatively in response to this, he feels like a wet and torn rag, to be honest.
The alpha mutters to himself, Lucerys decides to ask. “..Has anyone called?"
chuckling angrily, Aemond says that there were several calls, but he was not particularly eager to answer them from someone else's phone.
"Your husband called," he says simply, making the young man flinch.
"Uh. Have you called anyone?" This is the question that interests him the most at the moment. His uncle threatened to call his mother to hand Lucerys over to her, but if he's supposedly in Aemond’s apartment right now, he didn't call her.
"No."
The omega sighs with relief, relaxing his whole body, which causes another wave of discontent in the man.
"Can you explain what the hell you're...!!" a crease forms on the long, pointed nose when the alpha growls in his direction, but it immediately smooths out as soon as a thin palm covers Aemond’s hand. He cuts himself off in mid-sentence.
"Thank you, Uncle," Lucerys whispers with a soft smile, letting exhaustion lull him back into its arms and drifting off to sleep.
Aemond sighs heavily, caught off guard by the spice of cinnamon and dark chocolate hitting his nose, blowing out the wide wings of his nose.
The alpha shakes his head, pushing the obsession away, his lips curling in annoyance.
He missed work today, taking an unscheduled day off because that troubled omega, his nephew, burst into tears in the car, begging him not to call Rhaenyra or anyone else.
And Aemond had to drag him to his apartment, not knowing what he was supposed to do with a limp and badly beaten Lucerys in his arms.
The nephew slept all day, and he was uneasy from the very beginning.
His alpha nature kept pushing him to go and check on an omega in need of help, which was why he couldn't understand the reports sent to him from the office by the secretary.
He even had to set up a workplace for himself in the guest room, in which he placed his nephew, hoping that then the alpha in him would calm down, now that the omega was right in front of his nose. To his disappointment, it didn't help much either.
"You're constantly creating problems for me," the man swears softly, boring a tired look into a pale face in bandages. Lucerys looks peaceful in his sleep.
A lonely gaze slides to their hands, where the nephew's palm rests gently on his palm.
Thank you, Uncle.
This traitor in his chest is happily jumping between his ribs, almost wagging its tail, causing the man's chest to swell with pride just because the omega thanked them. At the same time, as if for evil, emitting an attractive smell.
With a growl of displeasure, he pulls his hand away, getting out of bed. He should be in his office or anywhere else, but not in the same room with Lucerys.
It's all fatigue, he muses, wondering why he allowed himself to be dragged into other people's problems in the first place.
The brat woke him up late at night with an unexpected call, pulling him out of the routine flow of life. And he still hadn't rested after the overnight trip. Fuck.
He resolutely gathers his things and moves into the next room, closing the door behind him. After thinking for a while, Aemond leaves a gap. Just in case!
The alpha nature claws at his chest as he drags them both away to a room where he can think clearly.
Unfortunately, he still has to call the office again to warn them that he probably won't be around for at least the next couple of days.
✿
Over the next few days, Lucerys gradually shifts from the position of "lying flat in bed while my uncle turns around with the most displeased face, bringing breakfast and medicines to bed" to "trying to walk on tiptoe and avoid my uncle's eyes while he taps the keys of his laptop with a dark aura over his head."
A warm, invigorating shower was what he needed all these days! The opportunity to wash off the dirt, blood and handprints of his husband on his skin was a release for him, as if giving him a second wind.
The reflection in a fogged mirror, however, is the exact opposite of how he feels. Bruised, with dark marks on his skin.. pathetic.
Lucerys habitually hides the marks on his skin under a patches, shifting his gaze to the pile of clothes left on the countertop in the bathroom.
A wide T-shirt with the logo of some rock band hangs on him like a potato sack, and long loose trousers gather into an accordion at his feet.
The clothes are too big and wide for him, but the young man is not going to complain about it, especially since his belly is free.
The uncle was so kind [his lips turned white from how hard he was squeezing them] that he kindly lent him some of his clothes to replace his battered nightgown and robe.
Aemond seems to like wearing oversized clothes, as he has never been broad and muscular. Taller and more wiry? Yes.
The soft clatter of keys comes from the kitchen, signaling that his uncle has already settled down there with a cup of black coffee, habitually left next to him.
Completely engrossed in his work, he doesn't show that he's noticed Lucerys's presence, so he clears his throat softly. "Good morning, Uncle."
The clatter of keys subsides. Turning his head slightly in his direction, Aemond casts a brief glance at him behind his glasses, muttering, "It's already noon." immediately returning to the numbers on the screen.
Huh.
Lucerys holds back the sour expression on his face, stroking his belly.
He might not be the most welcome guest here, but couldn't Aemond be more welcoming? After all, they are not strangers to each other.
He minces over to the fridge, wondering if he can borrow some breakfast (lunch, nerd!). These days, he only got bland food, which was really very similar to hospital one. So by this point, his appetite was wild.
The man leaves him in silence, so Lucerys takes this as permission to act on his own.
Well, the omega doesn’t find an abundance of products there, choosing from the leftovers what could be cooked into a full-fledged dish.
Is this really the alpha bachelor set? Or does Aemond usually prefer to eat out?
He adds a few eggs and milk to the bowl and mixes the resulting mixture, involuntarily plunging into thoughts of his husband and their home.
The young man was too excited to read the chat with his husband, although the number of messages and calls continues to grow every day. There were also a few missed calls from his mother, and a couple of chats with his brothers were also active.
Lucerys replied briefly that he was fine, promising to call them later.
And again a lie.
"How are you feeling?"
The young man blinks, floating out of his thoughts, at some point he stopped stirring the omelet mixture, hanging in a daze.
"I feel better thanks to your efforts, Uncle," he returns to cooking with a tight smile. The pan is hot enough, so after throwing a slice of butter, he pours the mixture into it, turning down the heat of the stove.
"It's not my case, but since you've dragged me into your business.. Do you want to tell me everything from the beginning, hmm?" A heavy look and a slightly strong bitter smell forces omega to turn to face his uncle.
Lucerys didn't want to go into details, revealing the ugly secret of his family life to someone who was used to mocking and ridiculing him for any flaws.
Aemond is not the person who should know about his pain and suffering, but the one who gave him a helping hand. And just because of that, Lucerys has to be honest with him. At least partially.
"We had a fight that night," The young man begins hesitantly, considering how much truth there should be in the story so that his uncle would no longer have any questions. "I didn't notice when we started fighting. And I didn't think it would come to this."
Aemond leans back in his chair, folding his arms over his chest. "You look like your alpha's gone nuts. What did you say to him?"
Oh. If Uncle thinks it's Lucerys's fault that his husband attacked him with fists, despite the pregnancy?
"We haven't been close lately," his palms are sweating profusely, and the young man discreetly wipes them on his trousers. "I said I was going to stay with my mother for a while, and he freaked out."
"So if you were going to go to Rhaenyra, you could have called her? So why haven't you done it yet?" The man frowns uncomprehendingly, tilting his head to the side.
Something doesn't add up here, he thinks.
Lucerys turns away, pretending to check the readiness of the omelet, but in fact hides a bitten lip and a nervously glittering look.
Although he felt very hungry, his appetite disappears abruptly due to the nervousness he experiences from interrogations from the outside.
"Nephew? Why didn't you call her and tell her about the beating?" A short laugh. "I think you even called Jace-.."
"BECAUSE MOM DIDN'T KNOW!" With a hoarse cry, the young man abruptly turns to him, clenching his trembling fists. "No one knew! Not Mom, not Jace. No one!"
Aemond freezes in place, his mouth hanging open in surprise, clearly not expecting such an outburst of emotion, but nothing can stop him now. There's too much accumulated in his heart, and Lucerys can't hold it in anymore.
"I didn't tell anyone the truth, and I kept lying to their face that everything was fine with us, that I was fine," his gaze swollen from approaching tears, rushes to his bare feet. He feels ashamed and has a headache. "Things got worse a long time ago. And I thought I could save our marriage, fix us.. fix him."
The omega whispers. "But it didn't work, no matter how hard I tried."
The legs of the chair creak as the uncle gets up from his seat with a pained grimace. Lucerys looks up at him with tearful eyes, his palm tightly squeezes the wrist of his other hand, trying to take control of his emotions. He shouldn't have said anything.
"S- Sorry.. I'm sorry. I don’t know why I started screaming, Uncle," Desperately trying to wipe the tears from his face, Lucerys quickly minces to the bathroom. "I- I just didn't want to cause trouble for anyone."
Quickly closing the door behind him, he turns on the faucet, letting the water flow freely down the drain, muffling the sobs.
It takes a while before he hears a soft knock on the door. "..Nephew, are you okay? Come out."
The young man doesn't want to go out, but it doesn't make sense to stay in the bathroom any longer. He's certainly trying to tidy himself up, but even after that, he still looks like a mess. Damn it.
Aemond is waiting just outside the door, stepping back to let him out. Lucerys doesn't look at him, not wanting to find that annoyed expression on his face again.
He feels like he might get dehydrated if he keeps crying at the same pace.
The man takes him by the wrist like a naughty child, leading him back to the kitchen, which adjoins the spacious living room. The smell of burning makes him wrinkle his nose, covering it with his palm.
"Yeah, the omelet is a little burnt," Aemond admits, sounding softer than Lucerys expected.
He is seated on a sofa with pillows, and the uncle himself goes to the window, opening it to ventilate the room.
A howl like the singing of a flock of whales makes omega shiver, tucking his legs under him. The only thought makes him sick, but he's hungry. And the pup too.
"I wasn't expecting guests and, you know, I didn't have time to prepare properly," the man scrapes the remains of a light snack into the trash, tying the bag into a knot to muffle the smell of burning. He leaves the pan to soak in the sink. "I'll make you some tea, and then I'll order us something to eat. Do you want anything special?"
"No," Lucerys croaks from the couch. He clears his throat, pulling a small pillow towards him, then another, and another. A small soft wall forms around him. "It's just.. anything."
"Okay."
While they wait for the delivery, the young man sips sweet tea, feeling the pain in his chest gradually recede, and he calms down. The pup constantly reminds him of its needs, turning over in his belly.
Thinking about his baby makes him happier, he plays with it, stroking his stomach where he feels its arms or legs.
Aemond glances at him from the side, noticing a hint of a fever nest, checking his phone with a timer. He paid extra for them to deliver the order faster.
Until his nephew eats, the alpha will not be able to concentrate on work because of this obsessive anxiety in his chest.
He didn't intend to make him cry. He was just wondering why the frivolous boy stubbornly refused to call someone he could really trust.
Aemond stayed in the apartment with him for several days and considered it reasonable that he deserved to know the reason.
And now he has discovered the unpleasant truth behind the beautiful picture that his nephew drew for his family.
He feels unreasonably angry at a man he doesn't even know, watching young omega play with the pup in his belly, curled into a ball on his couch, propped up with pillows, as if erecting the walls of a fortress.
Yes, Aemond also feels like a complete asshole, not knowing how he should behave with a traumatized omega.
Fortunately, the food order is soon delivered right to the door, and he can invite his nephew to the table island.. Oh, or let him eat right on the couch if he feels more comfortable there.
Gradually, the smell of bitterness is replaced by the already familiar intertwining of chocolate and cinnamon with an admixture of something citrus that tickles his nostrils.
Lucerys eats it for two, sighing heavily when several containers are completely emptied.
“It was delicious," The nephew thanks, finally getting out of his safe nest to collect all the garbage in a paper bag.
Aemond snorts, feeling his alpha nature proudly turn up its nose, as if nodding its muzzle approvingly at both of them. We're doing great, it keeps saying. They’re full now.
Shut up, Aemond answers.
"About what you said earlier," The young man freezes with a rustling bag in his hands, rolling his eyes. He definitely didn't expect Aemond to bring it up again. "Don't worry, I won't ask for the details. I just wanted to say that he did a terrible thing to you, and you didn't deserve to be treated like this. No one deserves it."
Lucerys decides to look at him for the first time after an emotional breakdown, probably not expecting to hear something like this from him, but Aemond notices the relief that flashes in his gaze. His whole posture relaxes a little, and he stops squeezing the bag so tightly with his fingers. The omega nods.
So Aemond hopes that this will be a little apology for his neglect.
No matter how much resentment there had been between them since a long time ago, he had said what he meant.
Aemond wasn't going to bother Lucerys anymore for the rest of the day, intending to focus on work, but a little later Lucerys himself sneaks up to him, hesitantly hovering next to him.
"What do you want?" He tries to sound as gentle as possible, although he feels tired from working with reports. Coffee doesn't help him keep his concentration anymore.
"I have a small request if I can ask you about it, Uncle," The young man rummaged through his closet for a worn sweater with holes here and there, wrapping himself in it as if in a cocoon.
Don't even think about it, the man is shaking an invisible finger at the alpha who has raised its nose.
After massaging his eye, he blinks away the sand.
"I'm grateful for the clothes you lent me, but I-.. I need my things. Um," His face twists painfully again, and his gaze darts around, trying to catch on to anything in the room. "I don’t know if my husband is still there."
It makes sense, the man is thinking.
Lucerys needs his things and maybe something else in his apartment. So he's asking him to keep him company?
Aemond checks the time on his laptop, realising it's really late.
It's not the best time to trudge home alone, not knowing if he'll meet his abusive husband there.
In any case, it wasn't that he was going to refuse Lucerys, a short trip would allow him to take a break from his continuous work and clear his head.
And it's definitely not because of how Lucerys is beaming all over his face, receiving a positive response, immediately relaxing from the realization that someone else will be with him on the way to the place from which he fled.
His own home.