Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It wasn’t a surprise, really, when the royal family announced that the younger of their two sons was an omega. Princess Philip had always been, if not small, slender and delicate, friendly and amicable, his many quirks considered charming in the face of all that he was. The House of Lester already had their alpha heir, anyway, who’s upcoming marriage to a minor Lady from a neighboring kingdom was a highly anticipated event, so the omega Princess was a beautiful curiosity rather than a lineage ending disaster.

Dan, for his part, had never really cared much for news of House Lester. He was from a small farming village far from the royal city and the direct influence of the King, who’s people were content to be more or less ignored until taxes came due.

At eighteen, Dan was a gangly newly presented omega, a fact which- to his great resentment- brought him out of the fields and back to the schoolhouse with the other omegas and small children. He had been considered fit enough to help with the labor before he presented, his designation as an alpha something of a foregone conclusion, so his confinement with the weaker sex was a frustrating and unexpected change. It had been a disappointment to his alpha father, of course, but there was nothing to be done about it. He’d be mated soon enough, anyway, the town alphas already sniffing around him. He wasn’t deluded enough to think that it would really be his choice, when it happened. For now, though, he spends his days in the omega homemaker’s classroom.

The unmated omegas spend their days learning to cook and sew and gossip under the watchful eye of a rotating cast of village omegas rather than a real teacher, and Dan finds it all so dull. He’s not a natural cook, he’s stabbed himself with a sewing needle more times than he can count, and the scarf he’s currently knitting resembles nothing more than a tangled ball of yarn. He’s not really sure if he actually misses working the fields, the hot sun and the dirt and the ache of his muscles at the end of a long day.

“This is stupid,” he complains, unwinding another row of soft blue yarn. “Bet the omega Princess doesn’t knit.”

“What do you think a Princess does all day?” another of the omegas asks. Her scarf actually resembles a piece of clothing, and Dan is absolutely not jealous. He doesn’t care about the stupid knitting. “I’m sure the Crown Prince has duties, but the poor delicate little omega probably spends all day lounging in bed being fed grapes.”

“And occasionally takes breaks to meet respectable alphas, no doubt,” Dan says. The fact that Princess Philip is still unmarried a few years out from his presentation is something of a scandal, but they’re probably just waiting for the right alpha to come along. Maybe he’s picky, or smells weird, or is secretly a terror who no alpha wants to take on. They make him look nice enough in the official paintings they occasionally get out of the Royal City, but Dan bets that’s an exaggeration. No one is actually that pretty.

Dan is just re-winding his loose yarn into a ball when there’s a knock at the door, and a man wearing the uniform of a royal guard enters. Every omega in the room sits up straighter. The man is a beta, but he’s clearly the highest authority their little village has ever seen. Dan fidgets in his chair, eyes flicking between the King’s seal on the scroll he holds and the metals pinned to his chst.

“By decree of the House of Lester,” he reads off, “for the benefit of the Princess’s education, a school for omegas is to be established in the Royal City, open to all unmated omegas in the kingdom. Any omega who wishes to join the school will be boarded in the palace at the expense of the Royal Family and their families fairly compensated.”

So that’s how Dan finds himself in a convoy north to the Royal City with a handful of other omegas. He had parted ways with his parents for a small amount of gold and grain, which suits him just fine. There had been no great emotions passed between them, in the end. Dan’s not sure if he’ll ever get to come home, and he’s not sure it matters to him. It’s not like there was much for him to look forward to in Wokingham, other than an arranged mating to one of the knothead alphas of the village who would beat him when they weren’t knocking him up, just like his omega mother. Better to be in the Royal City, under the protection of the King and Queen. The same education as the Princess, maybe even the same alphas- the ones who don’t meet the Princess’s standards, anyway.

It’s a long journey, many nights at inns and days gathering more omegas from the small villages that lie between Dan’s home in the south and the Royal City. The omegas in the convoy chatter nervously, sharing rumors and speculations about what their lives may be in the city. The towns this far south are all poor, the omegas scruffy and uncultured. Dan can tell which ones come from the larger port city- a little more robust, a little snobby. As they get closer to the Royal City, there are fewer of Dan’s scruffy kind and more of the others, who he knows look down on him already.

There are some fifty omegas when they finally arrive to the palace. The guards escort them to a small set of rooms in an out of the way wing of the palace, probably modest by the Royal Family’s standards but nicer than anything in Wokingham, and they’re instructed to wash and dress in their best clothes to meet the omega Princess. Dan’s best clothes are suitable for church back home but kind of embarrassing to be meeting a Princess in, but it’s the best he can do. He takes his time trying to get his curls to lay right so he doesn’t look so much like a street urchin, and then they’re all being brought into a receiving room. To Dan’s surprise, they’re met by the whole Royal Family- the King and Queen, the Crown Prince and his omega fiancee, and the tall, slender Princess Philip. Dan has always been the tallest omega in the village- part of the reason they were so sure he would be an alpha- so he’s sort of surprised to see that the Princess is of a height with him. His blonde hair is topped with a delicate golden circlet, the blue gems set into it making his wide eyes glow, and the air is momentarily knocked out of Dan’s chest.

It’s not like Dan has never looked at another omega before, is the thing. As a teenager, before anyone had presented, Dan had been drawn to the delicate future omegas, never really into the muscled alpha thing. Fooling around as an unpresented teenager had been fine, and even with another omega- it’s perfectly acceptable, after all, for omegas to see one another through heats, or for a bit of youthful fun before you settle down with a proper mate- but the omega Princess’s entire purpose, biologically and politically, is to marry a high born alpha and have an heir, and he can’t do that if he has some dumb fucking farm boy omega chasing after him. So, Dan absolutely isn’t looking. He can’t be looking.

And then the Princess’s eyes meet his through the crowd, and he smiles, just a bit, and Dan is fucking gone.

It turns out that Lady Cornelia is the one who’s actually organizing the school, based off of omega education in her kingdom, where the high and low born are educated together and allowed to mingle with alphas at social events and parties. This was where Lady Cornelia had met the Crown Prince, who had been invited to attend one of the balls her school had thrown. She’s a minor Lady who’s marriage prospects had never included Princes, but it had been a love match.

Cornelia is confident, smart, and funny, her bright red curls and smoky wood fire scent commanding attention, every inch a future Queen.

She’s also the reason, apparently, Princess Philip has not been married off. “My parents are quite progressive. They believed an omega should never be forced to marry, and I am hoping the King and Queen will allow Philip the same,” Cornelia says. A small group of omegas has gathered around her as they mingle with tea and cakes, the alphas having left the Princess and Lady to their new schoolmates. “I was allowed to wait for the right alpha, and in the end it wasn’t because he was a Prince, he was just the one.”

Dan grabs another tiny, intricately decorated cake off the tray, glancing around the room. The Princess is entertaining his own little group across the room, and the way he laughs with his tongue between his teeth is so endearing it makes Dan’s heart jump. He’s so unbelievably fucked.

“When are you officially mating?” one of the omegas asks curiously.

Dan tunes out of the conversation about heats and private consummations and public mating ceremonies and conflicting traditions, preferring instead to watch the Princess lick the icing off of a cake. It’s obvious he doesn’t think anyone is looking, so when he catches Dan’s eyes he flushes all the way down his neck. Dan grins, swiping the frosting off of his own cake with a finger and sticking it into his mouth, and he’s rewarded with that tongue laugh before the Princess quickly turns away, back to his conversation.

“So, where did you say you’re from?” Lady Cornelia asks, and Dan abruptly realizes people are trying to get his attention.

“Uh- Wokingham. Farming village way down south,” he says, pulling his eyes away from the Princess and attempting to look interested. Cornelia just gives him a knowing half smirk, and he flushes.

“I can introduce you properly, if you like,” Cornelia says casually. The group has more or less dissipated, everyone wandering off to more interesting conversations. Dan, embarrassed at having been caught, rubs his neck awkwardly.

“Don’t know what you mean,” he mumbles, taking a sip of his tea.

“It’s Dan, right? You shouldn’t be shy. Come, meet my brother.” And she links arms with him and leads him right to the Princess, who seems to be attempting to hide in the corner. “Phil, you must meet my friend Dan, he’s a farmer from the south.”

Phil swallows a mouthful of cake, coughing awkwardly. “Cornelia! You snuck up on me,” he accuses, and Dan hands him his own cup of tea. “Oh! Thank you.”

“Uh- your highness,” Dan says, face heating up. He just knows the silly fucking red patch on his jaw is flaring up, fucking embarrassing. “Pleased to meet you! The party’s- great.”

Phil rolls his eyes, taking a sip of Dan’s tea from Dan’s cup, and he hadn’t quite thought about the implications of that until this moment. “The party is- forgive my saying- a little much,” he says.

“I wanted a small gathering to welcome our schoolmates, and the King and Queen throw a feast,” Cornelia sighs. “Still, the food is good.”

“If you want to sneak off and find Martyn I’ll cover for you,” Phil says good naturedly, and Dan nearly laughs. Cornelia sighs, relieved this time, and pulls the crown from her head, rubbing at her scalp.

“Much appreciated,” she says, glancing about the room before sneaking out. Dan snorts behind his hand, watching her red hair flick out of the room.

“Not one for parties?” he asks.

“Well, we do try to keep each other sane,” he says, handing Dan’s tea back. “They’ve been attached at the hip since the day they met, really.”

Dan nods, putting his mouth on the spot where the Princess had just had his mouth to take a sip of rapidly cooling tea. “You’ve not met anyone like that, I take it?”

Phil raises an eyebrow, bright blue eyes locked on Dan’s. “We’ll see, I suppose.”

Chapter Text

Omega finishing school in the Royal City is just a bit more intensive than the schoolhouse in Wokingham. Sure, they still do the cooking and the sewing and the gossip, but they also have lessons in things such as history, which Dan tolerates, etiquette, which he hates, and music, which he genuinely enjoys. He also genuinely enjoys Lady Cornelia, who’s upcoming mating and wedding is the topic of much of the gossip, but Cornelia herself doesn’t seem too fixated on it. 

“I’m looking forward to getting the whole thing over with,” Cornelia confesses as the three of them walk through the Palace gardens one afternoon. 

“When are you expecting your heat?” Phil asks. He’s linked his arm with Dan’s, keeping him close by his side. Dan’s not entirely sure how he managed to get himself into the Princess’s inner circle, but he’s not complaining. Cornelia groans and starts in on a tangent about pre-heat symptoms. 

“What, all the times you’ve snuck into his rooms at night haven’t triggered it?” Phil teases, and Cornelia squaks and hits his shoulder. 

“Phil! You’re going to embarrass me in front of Dan!” she complains. Dan laughs and butts his head into Phil’s shoulder, taking in the sugar sweet scent of him. 

The thing about Princess Phil is that you would be inclined to think he’s popular because he’s the Princess, but he is legitimately kind, making it easy for the other omegas to gravitate to his side. Phil has friends, even alpha suitors, but he still mostly seems to want to spend time with Dan, which is as confusing as it is awesome, because Phil is great. They read all the same books, and they’re both competitive in games, and Phil is as awful at knitting as Dan is. He giggles, high and bright, when Dan pulls out the scarf he’d been making back home. 

“That’s- it’s not so bad,” the Princess attempts to reassure him, poking at one of the knots. “It’s my favorite color!” 

Dan groans and considers stabbing his own eyes out with the needles. “I’m going to unravel it, you can have the yarn.” 

“No!” Phil says, grabbing his arm. “Don’t undo it, you’ve worked so hard! You have to finish it.” He looks at Dan with those wide, pleading blue eyes, the same color as the yarn, and it knocks the breath out of his chest. 

“Okay,” he says, voice softer than he meant it. He clears his throat, twisting a bit of loose yarn around his fingers. “Will you wear it? When it’s done.” 

Phil startles, a minute little motion that brings his entire body to attention, eyes somehow wider than they were before. “Yeah!” he says enthusiastically, grabbing the end and wrapping the too-short length around his throat. Dan swallows hard at the thought of his scent all over the yarn, has to resist from snatching it back to rub against his own neck. “Does it look good?” 

“Great,” Dan says, fidgeting with the end so it lays flatter. His fingers brush against the pale hollow of Phil’s throat, and he feels his breath hitch. “Fit for a Princess.”

Later that night, in the room he shares with a few of the other omegas, he presses his nose to the scarf and falls asleep with Phil’s scent in his nose. The next day, during their free time in the afternoon, he carefully adds a few rows, fingers clumsy and unpracticed. They come out somehow neater than the rest, which makes Dan’s chest rumble in a pleased little purr. Fit for a Princess, indeed. 

The other omegas think he’s sucking up, that he has aspirations beyond his station, but he genuinely doesn’t. He just likes Phil and wants to spend time with him. He’s not angling for royal favor or introductions to alphas or an invitation to the wedding, he just likes sneaking off from the endless social events to hang out with Phil outside, splitting pilfered plates of sandwiches and cakes and talking so long they lose track of time.

And Dan is fine, really. The Princess is fucking beautiful and funny and smells like a dream, and he’s going to marry some high born alpha and be taken away from Dan, and it’s fine, because he has this, right now. They’re sitting on the edge of a fountain, the All Hallow’s Eve masquerade going on behind them, and Dan curls into the Princess’s side, swiping the frosting off of the top of a cake.

“No, like-” he says, licking the frosting off of his finger. “That’s the point -”

“Wait, Dan,” Phil giggles, reaching out to wipe the frosting off of Dan’s face. His fingers linger at the corner of Dan’s mouth, a soft touch that sends buzzy lightning down his spine. Dan freezes, his story trailing off, letting Phil touch his face. The faint light from the ballroom and the street lamp above them cast Phil’s beautiful face in stark shadows, his eyes wide and mouth slack.

“You’re beautiful,” Dan breathes into Phil’s soft fingertips. Phil swallows, his hand drifting to Dan’s jaw.

A nd Dan is a coward, but Dan knows how this ends, so he stands up a little too quick, knocks his bear mask to the ground and then nearly steps on it. “I’m going to- go,” he says, scrambling to pick it up. “I’m sorry. I’ll see you inside.”

Phil grabs Dan’s arm gently and takes the mask from him. Dan stands perfectly still as Phil ties it on behind his head, surrounded by his scent. Phil smiles, kind and a little sad.

“Perfect,” he says quietly, fingers lingering in Dan’s hair for only a second.

The rest of the ball goes okay, Dan thinks. He dances with a few alphas, but they can obviously smell his disinterest. They probably think he’s taken, some secret alpha he’s sneaking off to see. They have no idea he’s got himself wrapped around the Princess’s delicate fingers.

Phil is dancing with Sir PJ when Dan finds Cornelia against the back wall. The Crown Prince is off in the crowd somewhere, no doubt fielding offers for his brother’s hand, so she’s alone for the moment. “Think he’s got a chance?” Dan asks, nodding towards the alpha who’s spinning Phil around the floor.

“I think,” Cornelia says slowly, “they both have their eyes elsewhere.”

Dan frowns. “If Phil’s got his eyes on someone he hasn’t told me,” he says. Cornelia rolls her eyes.

“You’ll figure it out,” she says. “Anyway, Sir PJ’s not likely to make an offer, I think. They’ve been friends since childhood, I don’t think either of them are interested in something more.”

Dan nods, watching Phil laugh at something PJ says as they glide through the other dancers. Dan is a shit dancer. He’s always stepping on someone’s toes. Phil is clumsier than he is, but somehow he makes it look graceful as the alpha leads him.

“- no , mum, I’ll be fine, just like I always have,” Phil’s voice comes through the nearly closed door of his sitting room, and Dan freezes in the hall.

“You know it isn’t good for you to go through so many heats alone,” The Queen responds. “Really, Philip, it’s beyond time for you to get mated.”

“I won’t be alone , mum, I’ll do it like I always have.”

The Queen sighs. “You can’t rely on other omegas forever,” she says. Dan clamps a hand over his mouth to try and stay silent, the idea of helping Phil with his heat rushing through him in a hot wave of want. It’s not unusual for young omegas to help each other out, especially with the stronger early heats, but it’s not a habit that many keep up. It’s unseemly, an omega in his 20’s rolling about with another omega like a pair of teenagers instead of finding a mate or riding it out alone. He hadn’t thought the Princess would be the type.

“Well, I don’t have an alpha,” Phil says stubbornly. “As hard as you’ve all tried to marry me off.”

“Cornelia certainly isn’t helping matters,” The Queen says. “All these modern sensibilities. When I was your age, we were married off good and proper, no talk of a love match or any such nonsense.”

Dan scrambles to act like he wasn’t listening in as the Queen walks out of Phil’s room and almost runs into him headlong. “Oh! Excuse me,” she says.

“Sorry, ma’am! Your Majesty,” he says, bowing awkwardly. “I was just- coming to speak with the Princess. About- a school matter.”

He scrambles into the room and shuts the door firmly behind himself, face flushing bright red. “I just ran into your mother,” he says. “Literally.”

Phil laughs, tongue caught between his teeth. “Sorry, I should’ve warned you,” he says. “She’s been on me about finding a mate before my next heat, I keep telling her that none of these alphas are my type.”

Dan sits in one of the chairs, tapping out a rhythm with his fingers. “Uh- what is your type?” he asks. “You know, in case I meet an alpha I think you’ll like!”

Phil rolls his eyes. “I don’t want you to set me up,” he says. “Besides, I don’t know that I want an alpha at all.”

Dan clears his throat, looking anywhere but at Phil. “Well, you know,” he mumbles, kicking his foot back and forth. “If you were looking for someone for your heat. I could do it.”

Phil grins, face brightening. “Yeah, alright!” he says, and Dan relaxes into the chair. He tries not to think about Phil not wanting an alpha as he launches into a complaint about the novel Phil had reccommended to him. One heat, that’s all it is. Maybe they’ll get it out of their systems, and then Phil will get mated properly, and Dan-

Dan won’t. He doesn’t think he will. Even here in the Royal City, all of the alphas smell wrong. Phil is the only person who’s smell he wants on him, and that’s fucking depressing, because Dan can’t have him. Not really.

Chapter Text

He finishes the horrid blue scarf the day Phil goes into heat. He had been so, so careful with the second half, knowing that the Princess would be the one to wear it. It smells like him, and it fills Dan with a possessive little thrill to imagine Phil wearing it in public.

He’s lounging about in the omega classroom, the finished scarf tucked neatly in his bag to be presented to Phil lter, when Cornelia walks in alone. “Where’s Phil?” he asks, frowning.

“It’s so annoying, right? Doesn’t he know I’m trying to get married?” she sighs, sitting down next to him. “And he gets his heat before me, unfair.”

“It’s because you’re stressing so much about it, you need to relax,” he says automatically, before her words set in and he sits up straighter. “Wait, he’s in heat?”

“Preheat,” she says. “Officially sequestered this morning.”

Dan stands up quickly, fumbling for his bag. “I have to go,” he says. “See you, Cornelia. Uh- good luck with the mating and all.”

Cornelia rolls her eyes, settling into her seat. “Have fun.”

“Shut the fuck up,” he says. Then, glancing around at the half-full room, “My Lady.”

Cornelia laughs out loud at that. “See you next week, Howell.”

Dan high-tails it out of the room, stopping by the omega’s quarters to grab a few things on his way to Phil. He’s not sure how much of his smell Phil will actually want around, but he grabs the quilt off his bed anyway. He can smell Phil as soon as he rounds the corner to the Princess’s rooms, a pair of omega guards stationed outside.

“The Princess is waiting for me,” he says, bouncing on his feet. “Can I go in?”

One of the guards nods, opening the door, and Dan slips inside. Phil is curned up in the middle of a nest on the bed, blond hair sticking to his face with sweat. He blinks blearily at Dan, then smiles and holds a hand out. Dan sets his bag down, kicking his shoes off and coming closer.

“ Hey, beautiful,” he says quietly, running a hand through Phil’s sweaty hair. “You alright?”

Phil hums, pushing his head into Dan’s hand and purring gently. “Mmm, alright,” he says, blinking up at Dan with his pretty blue eyes. “C’mere?”

Dan smiles, sitting on the edge of the bed and reaching down to his bag to pull out the scarf. “Made you this,” he says, wrapping it around Phil. “Looks so pretty.”

Phil grins, rubbing the end of the scarf between his fingers and curling closer to Dan. “Smells like you,” he says, pressing his nose into the scarf. “S’nice.”

Phil is still in preheat, making him tired and affectionate but not overwhelmed with need quite yet. Dan’s preheats are always short, a warning before the main event, but Phil’s drags on, an event of itself. Dan shows him his quilt and allows him to tuck it into the nest, and Phil purrs happily while he adjustst the bedding, the scarf still hanging around his neck losely. Other than that, he’s just wearing his thin sleep clothes, going transparent with sweat in certain spots and sliding off of one shoulder as he presses closer to Dan. Dan leans down to scent him, pressing his face into Phil’s sweaty shoulder. Phil giggles, running a hand through his hair.

“ I’m happy you came,” Phil says softly.

“I promised you,” Dan mumbles into his neck, and Phil shudders under him as Dan’s hot breath hits him. He’s getting there, then. Even his scent is building, drawing Dan in. It would be worse if he was an alpha- the draw of an omega in heat almost uncontrollable. Dan kind of always wants to be this close to Phil, though. Tangled together, their scents mixing.

“Why are you still dressed?” Phil asks, pouting up at him. Dan flushes.

“I- didn’t want to presume,” he starts, and Phil snorts and shoves at his shoulder. “I wasn’t sure! I didn’t know what you wanted!”

“Dan, I want you to fuck me,” Phil says plainly, rolling his eyes. “What, did you think I invited you over for coffee?”

Dan laughs, biting gently at the exposed skin of Phil’s shoulder. Phil stretches out across the bed with a sigh, clearly showing off his body. “I’m a poor omega in heat and you’ve got me all alone in my bedchambers. Take off your fucking shirt, Daniel.”

Dan laughs. “I hate you,” he says, but he takes his shirt off and drops it onto Phil’s face. Phil gets to work tucking it into the nest, further mixing their scents, and Dan strips down to his underwear and joins him back in the nest.

“You don’t,” Phil says confidently, reaching up to run a hand across Dan’s chest. “You’re so pretty.”

Dan leans down to kiss him, tangling his fingers in Phil’s soft hair. Phil moans, arching up into him. His heat-sweet scent surges, and Dan gasps at the strength of it, licking into Phil’s mouth. He’s so sweet under Dan, so pliant and needy. The slick leaking down Dan’s legs becomes almost an afterthought until Phil runs his fingers up Dan’s thighs. “Smell so good, Dan,” he gasps, bringing his fingers up to his own mouth, just a few inches from Dan’s. Dan surges forward, clumsily pulling Phil’s fingers into his mouth, and Phil laughs, pushing against Dan’s tongue.

“Greedy,” he says. “Got somewhere else you can put your pretty mouth, baby.”

Dan laughs, breathless, spitting out Phil’s fingers and surging forward to kiss him. “What do you want with my pretty mouth , Highness?” he whispers, nipping at Phil’s bottom lip. He slides a hand under Phil’s sleep shirt, tugging on one of his nipples. Most male omegas don’t have prominent tits unless they’re pregnant, but Phil’s are a perfect handful, just enough for Dan to squeeze before he pulls away from Phil’s mouth to push the shirt over his head.

“ Down, Dan, I need-” Phil gasps, rocking his hard cock against Dan’s hip. Dan kisses down Phil’s neck, licking at his scent gland greedily before slipping down between his legs. He’s shared heats with other omegas before, but it’s always been a very perfunctory, need-fulfilling thing. Helping someone get off to satisfy their instincts. With Phil-

Phil, he wants . When he licks up Phil’s cock and the Princess moans and tugs on Dan’s hair, Dan thinks he might want him, too. It’s an odd time to have the realization, when you’ve already got someone’s dick in your mouth, that the person you’re into might actually like you back .

Dan grins up at Phil from between his legs as Phil blinks down at him with heat-clouded blue eyes, then leans down to lick at his leaking hole. Phil keens, pushing against Dan’s mouth. Dan takes his time tasting him, getting to know what spots make Phil squirm and moan until he’s falling apart, flushed and incoherent. Dan pets at his stomach and sides, comforting and gentle even as he digs his teeth into Phil’s thigh, leaving a mark. “So pretty, love,” he gasps, leaning his forehead against Phil’s hip to catch his breath. “Feel good?”

“So good- your mouth,” Phil sighs, tugging on Dan’s hair none too gently. “Come kiss me?”

Dan obliges, licking into Phil’s mouth so they’re sharing the taste of him, sweet like honey. Dan is overwhelmed, overcome. Phil sides his fingers through the slick on Dan’s thighs again, pressing a finger against his hole. Dan gasps, rocking against him. “Yeah, baby,” he moans into Phil’s mouth, shifting his hips to line up their hard cocks. Phil moans, pushing a finger into Dan, and Dan digs his teeth hard into Phil’s shoulder. They come like that, spilling over each other’s stomachs. Dan collapses against Phil, pressing his face into his shoulder. Without a knot filling him, Phil isn’t satiated- the orgasm has just made him more desperate, squirming against Dan as Dan pushes two fingers into him to take the edge off. He fumbles for the false knot on Phil’s bedside table as Phil squirms against him. Dan will fuck him later, but for now he brings him over the edge with his fingers and then presses the false knot in place. Phil’s instincts, for the moment, settled, Dan pulls him into his arms, kissing the back of his neck. Phil purrs happily, settling against Dan. Dan’s heart is beating fast, and he thinks he may be in way, way over his head with this one. This beautiful Princess, fucked out and smelling like him, dozing off in his arms.

Once Phil wakes up, Dan feeds him fruit from a plate that one of the beta guards had brought in, makes him sip cool water from a glass. They cuddle until Phil’s rising heat makes him desperate again, and then Dan fingers him open and fucks him.

“Dan, Dan,” Phil moans. “Breed me, fill me up, I need it.”

“Yeah?” Dan says, running a hand over Phil’s flat stomach. “Want my baby, love?”

He knows it’s not possible, getting another omega pregnant. But god, he wishes . By the way Phil moans, he wants it too- Dan’s baby, specifically. Fuck.

(If they could, if they would- no one could keep them apart. No one would force them to mate alphas. That’s not the world they live in.)

“Your baby, Dan-” Phil gasps, pulling Dan into a dirty kiss by his hair. “God, want it so bad- wanna be your mate.”

Dan closes his eyes, kissing the hollow of Phil’s pale throat. He knows it’s just the heat, just Phil’s instincts gone wild. He knows it’s not how Phil actually feels, which is fine. They have this, and it’s fine. Dan might be, slightly, just a little bit in love with the fucking Princess, but that doesn’t make this something it isn’t.

“Maybe next time,” he says quietly, breath hot on Phil’s skin.

After, he pushes the false knot back in, trapping his come inside Phil. For just this moment, as he settles in to cuddle Phil again, he can pretend it’ll take, marking Phil as his.

The heat takes five days, in the end. Phil is insatiable, rocking down on his own fingers and his collection of heat toys when Dan is too worn out to keep going, and Dan is happy to watch, to touch his bony hips and his tits and his stomach as Phil brings himself off. Eventually, the need fades, the time between surges getting less and less until Phil is mostly tired and satiated, napping on top of Dan for hours at a time. When he wakes up, clear headed and bright eyed, Dan is hit with a wave of sadness down to his bones. He kisses Phil gently, pressing his fingers into bruises he’d left during Phil’s heat to make him squirm.

“How are you feeling?” he asks, nuzzling at Phil’s neck so he doesn’t have to look in his eyes. Phil squirms under him as Dan’s hot breath hits him, cupping the back of his head gently. Dan presses his face into Phil’s neck, curling close into his chest.

“I’m good,” Phil says gently. “Are you okay?”

“Can we- can we just stay like this? Just a little longer?” he asks. Phil laughs, kissing the top of his head.

“Yeah, we can do that,” Phil says. “But are you okay?”

Dan pulls back, leaning his forehead into Phil’s. “I just- don’t want everything to go back to normal,” he admits.

“It doesn’t have to,” Phil says, running a hand through Dan’s hair. “I- really like you, Dan. I think we could- we could keep this.”

“Your mum is looking for an alpha to marry you off to right now,” Dan says, kissing the corner of Phil’s mouth. “This- is going to have to change. Eventually. We can’t keep it forever.”

“Can we have it for now?” Phil asks. Dan nods, hiding his face in Phil’s neck again.

“Yeah, okay,” he mumbles.

Chapter Text

The other omegas know where Dan has been when he and Phil finally emerge from their nest. Dan knows they know. Knows they’ve been talking about it all week. He can’t hide the way he hadn’t quite been able to scrub Phil’s scent from his skin. Isn’t really sure he cares to, honestly.

Phil’s wearing the blue scarf, covering up a bite mark on his neck that Dan can’t bring himself to regret. He keeps a possessive hand on Phil’s hip as they walk into the sitting room for morning tea, not quite able to stop touching him yet. Let the other omegas talk, he’s got the Princess all to himself.

Cornelia grins at them as they sit down next to her, waggling her eyebrows. Phil rolls his eyes, kicking at her feet. “Don’t say it,” he threatens.

“You look like you had a good week,” she says, and Phil glances around the room before throwing a pillow at her across the table.

“You’re just jealous,” Dan says, grinning at her. “You wish you had the week we had.”

“Daniel!” Phil squawks, hitting his shoulder. Dan laughs, shoving him back, as Cornelia makes an exaggerated gagging noise.

“I actually don’t want to know, thanks!” she says, throwing Phil’s pillow back.

“Don’t worry, you’ll get your turn to, uh, tie the knot soon,” Dan says. Cornelia groans and covers her face with her hands, and Phil screams.

“Oh my god, I hate you,” he says, but he’s laughing, so Dan counts it as a win.

Life starts to go back to normal, but it’s not like Dan feared when he was in Phil’s nest- Phil isn’t abandoning him. Dan’s spent heats with omegas who refuse to look him in the eye the next day, girls from the village who go back to making eyes at the men in the field and boys who threaten to sic their alpha relatives on him if he mentions it . Phil isn’t anything like that, to Dan’s great relief. He still seeks Dan out, and they spend their free time curled up in hidden corners of the library, free to sit as close as they want out of the prying eyes of the omega hoards.

No one is bold enough to openly gossip about the Princess to Phil’s face , but Dan doesn’t quite get the same treatment . People go quiet when he walks into a room, or else they start asking loaded questions about Phil and his heat. It’s overshadowed the wedding talk, everyone bored with speculation of when Lady Cornelia will go into heat and turning to the more interesting affairs.

“ Just ignore them. They don’t know anything,” Phil says, petting Dan’s hair gently. They’re in their favorite spot in the library, a little love seat tucked into a dark alcove. Phil’s spread out across the seat, Dan curled into his side, a stack of books that had looked interesting a few minutes ago left forgotten on the table in favor of Phil’s hands on him. He kisses the top of Dan’s head, and Dan purrs and presses closer.

Sometimes, he wishes he could live inside Phil’s chest, kept safe and warm there. Sometimes, he wishes he had a knot just so he could keep Phil as close as possible when they have sex. They haven’t, since Phil’s heat ended, which is fine- an omega’s sex drive usually drops out right after heat, but Dan will be here when Phil feels like it again. If he feels like having sex with Dan again.

“They think they know plenty,” he mumbles, gripping Phil’s shirt tight and taking in his scent.

“Well, it’s none of their business, then.”

“I need your brother to go and get married so they can start talking about something else.”

“Well, I’ll just go and tell Corn to go into heat already so people can stop gossiping about you,” Phil replies, biting at Dan’s ear because it’s close to his mouth. Dan giggles, bumping the top of his head into Phil’s chin affectionately.

Sir PJ, the alpha knight who had danced with Phil at their last ball, seems to be mysteriously invited around the castle more and more often over the next few weeks, Phil’s parents still pushing for a courtship before his next heat hits. It’ll be a few months still, plenty of time to find a mate. Dan’s heart aches at the thought of it, of someone else touching Phil while he’s in heat, putting their claiming bite on him, getting him pregnant.

It’s worse that PJ is actually a good guy. He’s been friends with Phil for ages, and he and Dan take to each other quickly, too. If there was any alpha Phil would mate with, it would be PJ. Dan thinks he might even be okay with it, watching them build a life together from the outside, if Phil was really happy- or even content- with PJ as his alpha.

But then, a group of alpha knights come back from patrolling the outer border of the kingdom, and Dan gets to meet Sophie. She’s cool and funny and regales them all with the story of a fox they had thought was a bandit stealing their rations for weeks, and PJ’s face lights up like no other when he sees her. Dan understands now what Cornelia had said at the ball about PJ having eyes for someone else, the way he keeps a friendly distance between himself and Phil- and doesn’t seem to mind when Phil walks closer to Dan than to him.

The four of them find themselves at a table near the back of the room midway through the night, and PJ produces a deck of cards and starts explaining a game that’s popular among the knights. Tonight isn’t a ball, it’s just a casual sort of gathering to introduce the alpha knights to the new omegas, so Dan doesn’t feel so bad about keeping the Princess away from his adoring crowds. Besides, there are two alphas here, and two omegas, and isn’t that the point of this whole social experiment? So Dan presses closer to Phil as they each lay down cards one after the other, and he watches PJ’s hand settle low on Sophie’s waist, under the table, and he figures they’ll all work it out.

Later, as they’re walking back to the omega’s quarters and far from listening ears, Dan presses close to Phil’s side. “ Are PJ and Sophie-” he asks quietly, and Phil smiles.

“Those rumors have been going on for ages,” he says, voice fond. “ It’s kind of an open secret that alphas who aren’t really interested in finding an omega end up in the knighthood, cause they travel so much and it’s so dangerous that a lot of them don’t end up mated anyway.”

“But PJ’s already got a connection with the most eligible omega in the kingdom, so that hasn’t worked for him, ” Dan observes, and Phil nods.

“Which is fine, and we’ ll do what we have to, but we both prefer to- keep our options open, as it were.”

Dan nods, pressing closer to his side. Never close enough to Phil, never close enough to stake his claim. “Well, thank him for me, then,” he says quietly, and Phil smiles and squeezes his hand.

While most of the omegas live in comfortable but bare dormitories in the omega wing of the palace, Phil and Cornelia both have more spacious temporary rooms away from the rabble, with a private sitting room each and a small army of servants waiting on them hand and foot. Phil takes Dan back to his rooms to end the night, and Dan knows eventually he’ll have to go back to sleep in his own room- a dorm he shares with a girl called Dodie, who he adores for their shared love of their music classes- but for now, he’s got Phil to himself. He tries to push the time later and later each night, stretching the bounds of polite behavior, seeing how much Phil will give him. There doesn’t seem to be a limit, but once the clock strikes midnight he reluctantly untangles himself from Phil to sneak off back down the hall.

Which is where he runs into Cornelia, sweaty and confused and only barely wearing her dressing gown. Dan grips her arm tight, pulling the tie around her waist tighter. “Corn,” he says, because he’s not sure what else to say. She sways into him, her red hair fluttering against his throat, and Dan wraps an arm around her protectively. “I’ll call the guards.”

“No,” she says, closing her eyes. “Just- take me to him? We’ll tell them- tomorrow. I just need-”

Dan nods, steadying her with gentle hands and leading her out of the omega hall. She’s not properly in the thick of it yet, which is good. And she’s already got a known claim, so they shouldn’t have too much trouble with alphas on their way.

The halls of the palace are blessedly empty, everyone already turned in for the night, so they make it to the Crown Prince’s chambers as quick as Cornelia’s increasingly shaky legs can take her. The beta guard stationed outside understands immediately the presence of the two omegas, and he goes to retrieve the Prince quickly.

There will be no ceremony, for this part. Cornelia and Martyn will be sequestered to mate in private, and be married officially after it’s all over. Cornelia could, technically speaking, still be sent home without a mate. If they emerge on the other side without a bite on her neck, the whole thing will be dissolved. The ultimate test of compatibility. Of course, Cornelia may never find another match- never quite shaking the implications of a spurned heat partner. Martyn would be fine.

Dan makes his way back slowly, knocks on Phil’s door and collapses into his arms when Phil, befuddled, opens it. “Your brother is getting mated,” he sighs, wrapping his arms around Phil. He’s not sure why he’s come back to Phil, except that he had a sudden need to be touching his skin. There’s a bone deep sadness welling up in him, and he’s not quite sure what to do with it. He’s happy for Cornelia. He’s just about made peace with the whole PJ situation. He just- wishes.

Phil takes him inside, past the sitting room and into his bedchamber. Dan hasn’t been here since the heat they shared, and he’s slightly shattered to see their nest disassembled. Obviously, Phil hasn’t kept it, but- the blue scarf is tucked under his pillow, a small reminder.

Chapter Text

The Palace is thrown into chaos as the Crown Prince finally takes his mate, everyone preparing for the wedding that will take place as soon as the couple emerges. The Palace servants quietly and quickly clear out Cornelia's rooms in the omega wing, preparing for the transition into her mate's household. Dan and some of the other omegas huddle in the hallway, pretending like they’re not watching. Dan’s a bit glad for all the fuss about Cornelia, because it means no one has asked him yet why he didn’t make it back to his own bed last night.

Weddings aren't so much a thing, back home. Mostly people see the fresh bite on an omega’s neck and expect a baby to come along. All of the ceremony and tradition here makes Dan's head spin. He can't keep track of what's supposed to happen when, whether the mating or the marriage is the official bit, what it means for Phil if she gets pregnant this go around.

Phil tries his best to explain it, the line of succession and his place in it. Or, really, lack thereof.

“If the baby is a girl, we won't know for ages, because a female omega falls under a male one in the line,” Phil explains. They're in the library again, hiding out from everyone else. Technically, they should be across the Palace doing wedding flower arranging with the other omegas, but neither of them had felt up to it, so they’re bunking off. Dan frowns.

“That's not really fair,” he says. Phil shrugs.

“That’s the way it is.” 

“Would they really make you be Queen? If something happened to your brother?” Dan asks. Phil laughs. 

“Not really,” he admits. Obviously, an omega Queen is unheard of. “They’d appoint a regent, then they’d get me mated all quick-like, then my mate would be in charge.” 

Dan’s heart sort of stutters in his chest, and he clutches at Phil’s shirt, tight. He can’t let on how much it fucking hurts him, knowing it’s only a matter of time before they take Phil away from him. For Phil, it’s just his life, heirs and succession and mating ceremonies, but it all feels huge and scary and new to Dan, all a little to much when he’s just started to get used to having Phil.

They’d slept together, the night Cornelia went into heat. During heat, it had been one thing, but with both of them in their right minds, well. Dan can’t get enough of him.

“ Look,” Phil says into his hair, shoving at his shoulder so he turns and looks out the window. “It’s snowing!”

The first snow of the season had been a dreaded thing back home. They tried their best to prepare, but somehow it always snuck up on them, they never quite had enough to go around. Spent months shivering, huddled together indoors, eating dried meat and boiled grains until they were sick of it and then eating it more. To Phil, though, it seems to be a genuine joy. He’s never gone hungry, or cold, or suffered the wasting winter illnesses. He grabs Dan’s hand and drags him outside, grinning with snowflakes clinging to his eyelashes, and Dan has to admit- it’s nice. Phil’s laugh is infectious, and when he scoops up a handful of snow and throws it at Dan, he can’t help but retaliate until they’re both soaked to the bone, wrestling in the falling snow. He rolls Phil onto his back, kneeling over his hips so he can shove snow down his front. Phil squirms under him, laughing, face flushed red, and it’s quite suddenly not a game. Dan grabs both of Phil’s hands in him to keep him still, and Phil goes quiet, staring up at him. He’s so fucking pretty, ever-changing eyes and messy blond hair, and Dan can’t help but roll his hips down.

“ I love you,” Phil says suddenly, and Dan’s arms go out from under him, bringing his weight firmly down onto Phil. He buries his nose in Phil’s neck, blinking back tears.

“Say it again?”

“Dan,” Phil says, running a hand through his hair. “I love you. And we’re going to catch our death if we stay here in the snow.”

Dan laughs, shoving off of Phil and brushing snow into his face. He holds a hand out, and Phil takes it and lets Dan pull him up. “Love you too,” he says, brushing snow off of Phil’s face. “Let’s get you to a warm bath, Princess.”

Later, after the servants have poured them both a hot bath, they’re naked in Phil’s bed. “I love you,” Dan mumbles, curling an arm over Phil’s waist and pressing close to his side. Phil purrs under him, petting his hair.

“Yeah. I love you too,” he whispers. Dan swallows hard, hiding his face in Phil’s chest.

“You’re gonna marry him, though.” Phil doesn’t say anything, just kisses the top of his head. Dan pulls back so he can look him in the face. “Are you?”

“He hasn’t asked,” Phil says quietly. It’s not a denial.

“But if he did?” Dan presses. He’s not sure why it’s so important to him, right now. He should just let it go, be here with Phil, but he can’t. All he can think about is that Phil’s next heat, it won’t be him in his bed. He loves Phil so fucking much he hates him, just a little bit, because he can’t actually have him.

“ I don’t exactly have a choice, Dan.”

“If I was an alpha-” he starts, sliding his hand over Phil’s flat stomach. Dan doesn’t care about being an omega, it’s just the way he is. When he was young, his family had thought, or perhaps hoped, or expected, he was an alpha, and that was fine, too. It’s not like he necessarily wants himself to be different, it’s just that he wishes the situation was.

“Thy never would have let you get this close,” Phil says gently, laying his hand over Dan’s. Dan nods, leaning their foreheads together. “I’ll say no. If you want me to. My mother will kill me and I’m sure it’s a matter of time before someone else comes along, but-”

“No,” Dan says quietly. Because, really, this is the best they can hope for. A sham marriage with a good friend who sort of understands what they’re going through. “Don’t turn down a decent alpha for me.”

“There’s a lot of things I’d do for you, Dan.”

“ I’ll just marry Sophie and we’ll all live together, it’ll be grand,” Dan says, trying for a joke. It’s not that funny, but Phil laughs, just a little. Dan leans forward to kiss him, very gently, and Phil sighs and relaxes into him. They’re both naked, so it’s easy to slide a hand down Phil’s hip and around to his hole. He pushes in with a gentle finger, and Phil keens and rocks his hips, sliding his hardening cock against Dan’s hip. It’s easy to forget about the rest of it when they’re together like this, everything slick and warm and perfect, the tiny sounds Phil makes against his skin and their scents mingling in the air. They keep it slow and gentle this time, bringing each other off with soft hands, their breath mingling in the scant space between their mouths. Dan feels oddly like crying, every inch of his body tangled up in this beautiful man, this man who can make him laugh and make him come and who sneaks away from parties to be with him. This man, who Dan will always belong to on some level, even once they’re forced apart.

“I really love you,” he whispers, kissing down Phil’s neck to the spot where he will one day have a mating bite. Phil digs his own teeth into Dan’s shoulder, a mark that isn’t nearly as permanent as Dan wants it to be.

It takes nearly eight days for Martyn and Cornelia to emerge. They meet their family in private first, which means that Dan is barred from the room. He’s not sure how much he’ll get to see Cornelia now that she’s mated, which sort of sucks. It’s not that he thinks the Crown Prince will keep her from her friends, it’s just that she’s got quite a bit more going on than taking dance classes. She’s got a wedding to see to, and very probably a baby soon. Dan’s not quite sure what responsibilities the mate of a Prince has, because it’s not like she has a proper household to run, but he’s sure they’re going to keep her busy somehow.

“We should get her a gift,” Dodie says idly. They’re gathered in the omega’s sitting room, waiting to hear the news from the royal family. Dan can practi cally feel the bite mark on his shoulder, thrumming in time with his heart beat. He can admit that he’s jealous, in a vague sort of way, that she’s in there with the family and he’s out here.

“We could do a baby blanket,” Louise suggests.

“That’s not really a proper wedding gift, though,” Dan says. “I don’t think I’d like getting a gift for a child I don’t even have yet.”

“Well, you know plenty about Princesses, what do you suggest?” she teases, “I mean, Phil seemed to like that scarf you made him.”

Dan rolls his eyes, face flushing horribly. “Can’t we just do a nice card? Congrats on the heat sex?” he redirects.

“Must you be so crass, Daniel?” Dodie sighs fondly. They move on, throwing ideas around until the sitting room doors open and Phil and Cornelia walk in, arm in arm. As everyone suspected, she has a bandage on her neck, covering her mating bite until it’s healed. The wedding will go on as soon as possible. Dan hugs her tight, congratulating her, but when he catches Phil’s eye over her shoulder, he looks- nervous. He nods towards the doors, and Dan frowns, puling away from Cornelia and kissing the top of her head before following Phil out.

“Is everything okay?” he asks, grabbing Phil’s hand gently.

Phil bites his lip, glancing at the closed doors. “My dad spoke with PJ,” he says quietly, tangling their fingers together tightly. “He’s to propose just after the wedding, on my birthday.”

Chapter Text

Dan’s world falls out from below his feet in a second.

The wedding is set for Christmas Day, a month before Phil’s birthday. One month, and he’s losing him forever. He’d known this was coming, but so soon?

Dan yanks his hand away from Phil’s, too furious to speak. Phil’s lip wobbles, and Dan can smell how distressed he is, but he doesn’t know how to comfort him, or even if he can right now.

“Dan-” he starts, but Dan just shakes his head, trying not to cry.

“I can’t do this right now, Phil,” he says, turning away.

“Dan, I’ll say no,” Phil says desperately, grabbing his wrist to stop him walking away. “Please, don’t go!”

“I’ve already said you don’t have to do that,” Dan says. “We both knew it was going to end this way, right?”

“Dan- nothing is ending! Will you just talk to me?” Phil begs. Dan shakes his head, yanking his arm back and walking out of the room. He wanders down random hallways until he collapses against a wall, burying his face in his hands, body shaking with sobs.

The worst part is he’s the on who fucking ruined it. He ruins everything. He could have had an extra month with the person he loves, and he just had to go and start a stupid fucking fight. God, he’s a fucking idiot. But he can’t stop thinking about how, next time Phil goes into heat, it’ll be PJ in his bed. PJ biting him, leaving a permanent mark. He’s never been Dan’s, not really. He never could be. Better to just forget about it now, not drag things on. They’re both miserable, he knows. He can’t see a way through this, a way that they won’t just keep hurting each other.

He’s not sure how long he sits alone in that hallway, driving himself deeper and deeper into despair, before he hears a set of footsteps. He stumbles to his feet, wiping his tears away quickly. Cornelia appears around the corner, face pinched and worried. When she catches sight of Dan, she rushes over, and Dan starts crying all over again when she hugs him.

God, but it’s not just Phil that he wants, it’s all of it- it’s the life together. The family. Cornelia and her baby and the foreverness of loving someone.

“Phil was so worried when you didn’t come back,” she says, and Dan hides his face in her red hair.

“I don’t want to see Phil right now,” he tells her.

“I know. But he’s really upset,” she says gently. “He’s not pleased about this either.”

“I don’t really want to talk about how he feels.”

Cornelia sighs, patting his back gently. “Okay,” she says. Dan pulls back, attempting a smile.

“So, how did it go?” he asks, wiggling his eyebrows. Cornelia laughs, shoving his shoulder.

“It was fine, Daniel!”

Dan can’t quite break out of his bad mood over the next few days. He knows he’s moping, and everyone else is excited for the upcoming wedding, but he can’t quite bring himself to join in the festivities. He’s happy for Cornelia and Martyn, he really is. He wishes he could bring himself to be anything but fucking miserable right now. He hardly wants to get out of bed. Goes through the day like a zombie, barely aware of anything that’s happening. In his mind, there’s a countdown. Days until Phil gets engaged. Weeks until his next heat. Months until he has PJ’s baby. He’s hardly thought about his own heat, which has to be coming up, or who will see him through it. He’ll just ride it out alone, the proper way. He wouldn’t be able to stop himself from thinking about Phil the whole time, though.

He’s so distracted during music class that Dodie keeps trying to toss crumpled up balls of sheet music at his head to get him to play. She comes up to him after, concerned and a bit annoyed.

“What’s gotten into you? You’ve been all in your own head ever since Lady Cornelia’s heat.”

“I’m fine,” he says shortly, and she rolls her eyes.

“You’ve spent every day practically since you got here with the Princess, and now the two of you can hardly be in the same room,” she says.

“Everything’s fine, Dodie,” he insists. “I just- think I need different friends.”

“ Friends , okay, that’s what you were,” she says. “Anyway, aren’t we friends?”

“Of course we are,” he sighs. “Sorry I’ve been a dick lately.

It’s nice, hanging out with some of the other omegas. This is what he came here for, really, before he got distracted by the fucking Princess. He’s making connections. Never mind that he already made the highst connection he possibly could before it blew up catastrophically on him. Still, Dodie and Louise are both well connected, as if that was something he ever cared about, and besides that they’re both actually cool. Louise is technically unmated, but she’s got a daughter at home, which Dan hadn’t realized. His Princess drama pales in comparison, really.

They manage to pass the time until Christmas, and the pit in Dan’s stomach returns as his countdown clicks closer to one month. He hasn’t spoken to Phil since he found out about the proposal date, which he’s aware is petty, but- well. The love of his fucking life is getting married . Cut him some slack here. Still, he’s made Phil’s gift well ahead of time, so he leaves it outside his door before sneaking off to bed on Christmas Eve.

Most of the omegas haven’t been invited to the wedding, and he was pretty sure he got cut from that list if he ever made it, but he wakes up to a note from Cornelia very strongly requesting his presence, so he gets dressed. He’s got more wedding appropriate clothes since he arrived, thank god. He doesn’t think he’d manage to show if all he had was his fucking farm boy Sunday best. This suit, though, is very nice. It’s classy. It makes him look like the special guest of the soon to be Princess, the Queen-in-waiting. He’s not sure it makes him feel ready to see Phil, though.

Cornelia is getting ready for the wedding in her old sitting room with some of the omegas that had come with her from her home country- and Phil. The guards let Dan in, and he stands hesitantly at the doorway until Cornelia spots him in the mirror and grins. “You came!”

Dan watches in slow motion as Phil turns, and their eyes catch and hold across the room for a long moment. Then, Cornelia hugs him, and their gaze breaks. “Hey, Cornelia,” he sighs, staring at the back of Phil’s head.

“Don’t fight on my wedding day,” she whispers, and Dan laughs.

“Can’t fight if we’re not even talking.”

“Can you pretend to get along today?” she asks.

We get along too well. That’s the problem. “ I will not ruin your wedding, Corn,” he says instead.

The bite mark on Cornelia’s neck is on full display today, healed just enough to show it off. Dan catches himself looking at it, and his chest aches . He and Phil keep to opposite sides of the little sitting room- Dan’s a little afraid of what he’ll do if he gets too close, whether he wants to kiss him or fight him, and Cornelia’s right- he doesn’t want to find out on her wedding day.

As they’re leaving to go to the chapel, though, Phil grabs his wrist and pulls him away from the little group, into a shadowy little corner. “I just wanted to thank you,” he says quietly, pulling the little wax carved stag out of his pocket. “It’s really beautiful, Dan.”

“Well,” Dan says, swallowing heavily. “Merry Christmas, Phil.”

“I didn’t get you anything.”

“You didn’t have to. I made that weeks ago, back before-”

Phil nods, running a gentle finger over the stag’s head. “We don’t have to talk about it.”

“I promised Corn I wouldn’t ruin her day,” Dan says, running his thumb over the back of Phil’s hand.

“Yeah,” Phil says. “We should- go catch up.”

Dan nods, but he doesn’t pull his hand away, heads ducked low together in the near dark. “Can we talk later?” he asks. Phil shrugs, turning his face away.

“Do you actually have something to say or are we just going to fight again?”

Dan shrugs. “I just- miss you,” he admits.

“That’s not my fault,” Phil replies. “I don’t know what else to do.”

Dan takes a deep breath, closing his eyes. “Fine,” he says shortly. “We have to go.”

And that’s the end of it, for now. Dan feels off-center for the rest of the morning as they go through the little private ceremony, then the grand public one where Lady Cornelia becomes Princess Cornelia, her new husband and mate crowning her as his future Queen in front of the gathered court. By the end of it all, Dan is exhausted, and he ducks out of the reception early. He hasn’t had that much to drink, but his head feels hazy as he stumbles out of his suit and into bed.

He wakes up only an hour or two later, bedclothes soaked through with sweat and slick, his body aching with need. His heats have always come on fast, and he never really gets a warning in the form of a pre-heat. He’s just in it, mind and body reduced down to one simple need.

He whimpers, pushing his blankets into a messy little nest, trying to get comfortable. It smells all wrong, though, and frustration builds in his chest until he’s nearly crying, not quite sure what’s wrong. Dodie’s hands fall gently on his overheated skin, and Dan pushes into her, but that’s not right, either. She’s too small, her comforting lemon scent not the right kind of sweet, and her touch doesn’t take the edge off at all. There’s only one thing he wants, one thing he will ever want, for the rest of his life.

“Phil,” he mumbles, squirming in Dodie’s arms as she takes a cool cloth to his forehead. “Where’s- I need Phil.”

Chapter Text

The world fades in and out around him, the only real thing the burn under his skin and the ache in his stomach. Dodie’s voice, his door clicking open and then closed and then open again. A cool cloth on his forehead, water pressed to his lips. He takes to it all like a petulant child. He asked for his mate, where’s his mate? He fidgets with his nest idly, wanting it to be perfect for when his mate gets here- wanting to prove he’s good, and right, so that Phil will keep him.

There are people in the room, and the people are talking.

“The Princess-” Dodie whispers to someone at the door.

“Not sure-” the other person says, and Dan finds himself making a needy little noise. He’s finding a hard time attaching words to meaning right now, but Princess he knows.

“Just go,” Dodie sighs, and then the door closes again. She kneels next to him, face kind and open.

“He’s coming,” she promises, placing a gentle hand on his forehead. “You feel okay?”

Dodie’s hands are small, and they’re covered in odd little callusses from playing string instruments, and Dan wants to cringe away from them immediately except that she’s trying to help him, and wouldn’t that be rude. “My mate-” he mumbles instead, feeling somehow like the words don’t fit, like that was the wrong thing to say.

“You don’t-” Dodie starts, and Dan curls in on himself, letting out a pathetic little cry, his heart a white hot ball of sadness. He’s confused, and he thinks he’s upset with someone, and mostly he just needs to be touched, right now, by one specific person. “Oh. He’s on his way.”

It isn’t too much longer when the door opens yet again, but this time the room fills with the scent of honey, bright like a summer day, and Dan settles into his body. “Phil,” he says, holding a hand out. “’M in heat.”

“I can see that,” Phil says gently, taking his hand and kneeling next to the bed. Dodie scurries out of the way, and Dan frankly doesn’t care whether she’s left the room or not. “Hey. You okay?”

“Better now,” he admits, pitching forward to scent Phil more thoroughly, gripping his hand tight. Phil laughs, patting his head.

“Okay, love,” he says. “Hey, your nest is looking good.”

Dan preens at the compliment, tugging Phil closer until he’s properly on the bed and in the nest. Phil’s just wearing a dressing gown over his sleep clothes, but he pulls the blue scarf from his front pocket and hands it to Dan, watching as he finds the perfect spot for it. “That’s good,” Phil says, running a hand up Dan’s side. “You have enough here?”

Dan frowns, contemplating his nest carefully. “Think- I just need this,” he says, tugging at the dressing gown. Phil laughs, letting him slide it down his arms and tuck it into place in the nest . “Now it smells like you,” he says happily.

Phil’s touch becomes less gentle, more purposeful. He scratches Dan’s skin, all the way down his chest and hips, and the slight pain of it makes Dan squirm, needing more. “Yeah? Wanted me in your nest?” he asks, slipping a hand down between Dan’s legs. “So wet, just for me?”

“Only you,” Dan says, pushing into his touch. “Need- just need you. Please, put it in.”

“ Needy,” Phil chastises, but he pushes a finger into Dan’s heat slick hole. Dan moans, pressing his face into Phil’s stomach and rocking against that one finger. It’s not enough, but Phil takes it slow, stretching him with his fingers, the other hand in Dan’s hair, scratching gently at his scalp.

“More, please, Phil,” he begs, clutching at Phil’s hips, his arms, anwhere he can reach. Phil shushes him, grabbing his wrists and pinning them above his head with one hand.

“You’ll take what I give you,” he says, voice sharp and slightly fond, and Dan melts. Phil makes a pleased little sound, pushing another finger in. “There you go ,” he sighs, bending down to kiss Dan. “Such a good boy.”

Phil seems to delight in taking him apart, his touch unhurried but his words pointed. Dan, heat stupid and desperate, does what he’s told. As long as he’s good, Phil will keep touching him. Phil will stay here, in his nest, kissing Dan sweetly and fucking him dirty. And he does fuck Dan- it’s their first time doing it this way, but Dan’s the one in heat, and his whole body is screaming for a knot. Phil doesn’t have one, of course, but- well, omegas make do. After he’s done, he presses a fake knot into Dan’s hole, and Dan suddenly gets very tired. Phil cuddles up behind him, an arm over his waist, just like he would if it was his knot filling Dan up so nicely. He kisses the side of Dan’s neck, and Dan’s just aware enough not to start begging for a bite, but it’s a near thing. Instead, he tangles his fingers with Phil’s and falls dead asleep.

He wakes up not quite in the next wave of his heat because Phil is whimpering in his sleep, bucking his half hard cock against Dan’s ass. Phil’s scent has settled heavy over the room, just this side of too sweet, and Dan’s only smelled it like that once before. “Phil,” he groans, kicking back at the other omega. “Wake up.”

Phil makes a sleepy little confused sound, pressing his nose into Dan’s neck. Dan rolls over, putting his body on top of Phil, and leans down to kiss him. “Think I triggered yours,” he mumbles, rocking his own cock against Phil’s. His head is still foggy, caught in the in-between state of the well-fucked omega and the next wave of heat, but yeah- he could go again.

They get off rubbing against each other, heat slick and needy and riding a hair trigger. Phil gets all soft and pliant afterwards, needy and affectionate and sweet. Dan loves him like this- loves him always, but watching him stretch out in their heat nest, hair ruffled, legs splayed, Dan thinks maybe he didn’t love him at all before, because this feels brand-new. They’re both sleepy and not quite ready for a proper round two, but Phil fidgets with their nest, rubbing his scent in with Dan’s and getting it just-so. The heat is starting to build in Dan again, and he knows they’ll both be at it before too long, but for now, he’s just enjoying this small moment of peace. He’s not sure how many more moments like this he’ll get with Phil, so he’s content to curl up next to him and enjoy whatever time they have.

The first wave of Phil’s heat hits properly a few hours later, and he wakes Dan up with a needy little whine. Dan grins, rolling Phil over and kissing down his chest. He bites at one of Phil’s nipples, and Phil moans, clutching at his hair.

“So sensitive, baby,” he says, raking his teeth over the other nipple. “Pretty little tits just begging to be touched.”

“Dan,” Phil gasps, shoving at his shoulders, asking for something, and Dan wants him to have what he wants. He kisses his chest gently, then moves down, settling between Phil’s legs. He takes Phil’s cock in his mouth at the same time he pushes a finger into his hole, and Phil gasps and pulls at his hair.

“Yeah, yeah,” he sighs, legs splaying wide to give Dan room to work. He gets Phil off with his mouth and his fingers, then crawls up the bed and kisses Phil’s own come into his mouth.

“You’re so pretty like this,” Dan says, running a hand up Phil’s side, miles of smooth pale skin all his for the taking. “Gonna mark you up so good so your alpha knows who you belong to.”

Phil clutches at him, dragging his nails over Dan’s skin, biting at his shoulders. “Don’t want him, only want you,” he promises, nuzzling his nose into Dan’s neck. “Smell so good, love, so perfect for me.”

Dan holds Phil tight and close, every inch of their bodies tangled together, scents merging into one in the small room. He’s not going to cry, not when he has this beautiful man in his arms, not when this is his last chance to touch him. “Love you, forever,” he says, and Phil purrs against his chest.

Their heats drag on just over a week all together. Dan’s are usually only a handful of days, coming on strong and then burning out, but having Phil all hot and slick in his bed draws him back in over and over again. Eventually, they start to wind down, their peaks getting further and further apart as their scents mellow out. On what Dan knows is going to be the last day, he fucks Phil gently, face to face in their nest, fingers tangled together. He pushes the fake knot into Phil, trapping his come inside of him, and then just holds him for hours. He stroaks a hand over Phil’s soft stomach, and Phil giggles and tangles their fingers together.

“If you were an alpha I’d be pregnant by now for sure,” he says, and Dan kisses the spot their mating bite would go.

“Well, I fucked you enough times,” he jokes, but it’s not really funny. Dan’s never been too interested in actually getting pregnant, much as he thinks he wants children- not that he hates the idea, it’s just not really something he’s thought much about- but Phil seems obsessed with the idea. Dan has to admit he wants to see it, Phil round and full with his child. “If I was an alpha I’d have bitten you days ago.”

“Yeah,” Phil sighs, squeezing his hand. “I’m still- I’m getting engaged, Dan.”

Dan thinks with a vicious sort of glee that he’s glad he triggered Phil’s heat, pushing back the actual mating by a few more months. It’ll be ages now before PJ will take Phil away from him for good.

“You don’t have to,” he says, nipping not too kindly at Phil’s ear.

“Dan, I told you weeks ago to tell me if you didn’t want me to, and now it’s too late,” Phil says, rolling over in his arms to face him. “You can’t just expect me to know what you want me to do if you won’t fucking talk to me.”

“I want you to do what you want to do, and I want it to be me,” Dan says. He’s not sure how much sense he’s making, but his head is still fuzzy and vague, and he suddenly remembers he hasn’t eaten a proper meal in days.

“That’s not fair,” Phil says. “You don’t understand what my life is. You don’t understand what this all means to me. I can’t just-” he closes his eyes, turning his face away from Dan, and Dan reaches out to touch his cheek gently.

“I hate fighting with you,” he says, and Phil nuzzles into his hand, eyes still screwed shut. “I just- wish it could be like this forever.”

“ I just don’t know what you want from me, Dan.”

“I love you, and I want to be your mate and I don’t want someone else to be. And I’m sorry I didn’t say it the first time.”

Phil lets out a sad little choked noise, and Dan strokes his cheek gently until he opens his eyes. “He’s a good man,” Phil says quietly. “This is- it’s the best case scenario, Dan.”

“I know that,” Dan says. “But I can’t help how I feel about it.”

“Dan, I can’t-” Phil says, curling an arm around Dan’s shoulders. Dan leans forward, pressing their foreheads together. “I don’t want to hurt you, but I don’t know if I can be without you. I hated it when you were avoiding me.”

“ I don’t know what you expect me to do when you’re married to someone else,” he says. Phil nods, leaning up to kiss him.

“I’m sorry.”

The spell is broken. The perfect little bubble they’ve spent the last week in has popped, and now they have to go and explain themselves. Dan opens the windows to air out the room, dismantles their nest with cold detachment. Phil goes back to his rooms, and Dodie appears around midday with a tray full of food that Dan can only pick at despite his gnawing hunger. He doesn’t know how to explain what’s happened, how the past week has changed him. How Phil’s love has settled inside him, perfect and real and untouchable. How he’ll grow around it forever, but he’ll never get it back. He’s not really angry, not anymore, he’s just- tired.

Chapter Text

Phil is already seated near the front of the room when Dan comes in for their lessons the next day. Everyone has been leaving the seat next to Phil open, even as they haven’t been speaking, and today isn’t an exception. There’s still a seat next to Dodie he could take, but-

He doesn’t want to. He wants to sit next to Phil, to whisper stupid jokes to him while their teacher drones on about history or some such. He wants their hands to brush when they write, Phil on his left so they have an excuse to touch. He takes a deep breath, steeling himself, and slips quietly into his seat. Phil offers him a small, shy smile as Dan settles in, and his heart bursts in his chest. He can’t keep going the way he has been, ignoring Phil and tearing them both to pieces when it’s already all so bloody hard. Phil’s hand is resting on the table, so Dan settles his next to it, linking their fingers together. Phil’s smile brightens, and Dan ducks his head, face flushing. He feels like a stupid kid with a stupid crush, which he is, except he had his dick inside Phil not 24 hours ago, so it’s not quite like that at all.

“Cornelia and Martyn are going away on their honeymoon today,” Phil whispers, knocking his foot against Dan’s under the table. “Come see them off with me later?”

Dan nods, kicking him back, and Phil giggles. It’s not like everything is perfect overnight, or even okay, and Dan is still angry and heartbroken, but he’s determined to keep Phil as long as he can. Maybe he’s making it worse for himself in the long run, but he honestly doesn’t care. He’ll take this, just sitting next to Phil and writing notes back and forth on the paper between them, for as long as he can have it.

The Queen, predictably, isn’t too pleased with Dan. He’s not sure how much she knows about the reason for Phil’s early heat, but she knows they spent it together again. Gossip travels fast around here, and no one’s missed the fact they were both absent for a full week. Dan is dreading the other omega’s gossip, whether anyone heard him calling Phil his mate, whether Dodie will say anything. He doesn’t think she will, she’s a decent sort, but she’s seen entirely too much of him for comfort.

“Honestly, Philip, I don’t know why you didn’t call for Sir PJ,” The Queen sighs. Phil rolls his eyes, gravitating closer to Dan without actually touching him. They’re gathered for tea in the drawing room, waiting for Cornelia and Martyn to come down, and Dan is trying his level best to blend in with the furniture.

“I haven’t actually agreed to marry him yet, mother,” he says. “Would it not be improper to be mated first?”

“No more improper than a grown man, very nearly engaged, spending his heats with another omega,” she says, casting her gaze over to Dan. He shrinks back into the sofa, holding his teacup like a shield.

“I wasn’t due for weeks yet, it caught me by surprise. Dan was- convenient. ” Phil is different around his family- more proper. Stiffer. Dan doesn’t like it. “I didn’t mean to ruin the mating, I’m sorry.”

She sighs, patting Phil’s cheek. “You’re young yet,” she says. “ Not all is lost, child. S ir PJ will forgive you, I’m sure of it .”

He’s done nothing that needs forgiving, Dan thinks. Phil sways ever closer to him, and Dan nudges a hand against his hip. I’m here, I’m here.

“PJ will be fine,” Phil says. “I will speak with him today.”

The Queen nods, and they move on from the heat conversation. She keeps giving Dan these odd little glances, though, so he can’t quite get comfortable.

It’s a cold, clear winter day, the air crisp and the sky blue. They huddle just outside the Palace, watching the footmen load Martyn and Cornelia’s things into a carriage. They’re taking a grand tour of the kingdom that they will someday rule, their first appearance as a mated couple to their subjects. They’re dressed for travel, clothes plain but unmistakeably fine. Cornelia hugs Dan tight when she sees him.

“Good luck,” she whispers, and he kisses the side of her head.

“Safe travels, Corn,” he responds. There’s not much more they can say in front of the King and Queen, but he thinks they both understand. They’re family in all the ways that matter, and it stings a bit that they’re the only ones who will ever know it.

Phil presses his shoulder into Dan’s as the carriage pulls away, and Dan leans into his weight for just a second. He thinks maybe Phil understands it too, the precious unspoken truth in the space between them all.

He winds up in the library later, flipping through some book he can’t be bothered to actually pay attention to. He feels restless and sick, his mind frayed, unable to concentrate. Phil’s birthday is in two weeks, and he’s being proposed to so they can announce it at his birthday ball. Dan’s not sure what he’s going to do, after. Whether he can stick around, on the periphery of Phil’s life, his friend or his fucking mistress while some other man gets to claim him publicly.

He hears soft footsteps pad towards him and he jumps up, grinning, turning towards where he expects to see Phil. Except it’s not Phil.

“Oh. Hi, PJ,” he says, sitting back down.

“Well, don’t seem too happy to see me,” PJ says, pulling a chair over to Dan’s little table.

“No offense, but it’s pretty hard to be happy to see you right now,” Dan mumbles, straightening the stack of books in front of him. PJ is a good man. Dan likes PJ. It’s just that he likes Phil even more , and it makes him sick.

“I can understand that,” PJ says, pulling a deck of cards out of his pocket and dealing them out. Dan frowns, fiddling with the corners of the cards. “I know you don’t want to talk to me right now, so we’re just going to play.”

They play a few hands, the silence hanging heavy around them. “I love him,” Dan says finally, playing another card. PJ nods, shuffling through the cards in his hand.

“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry,” he says.

“You don’t have to do it.”

PJ shrugs, playing his hand. “I’m a Knight, Dan. It would be the greatest disrespect to my King to reject his offer for his son’s hand.”

“But what about-” Dan glances up, meeting PJ’s eyes for only a second before going back to the cards in his hand. PJ was right- having a game to focus on is helping.

“Sophie understands what’s been asked of me.”

“It’s a fucking mess,” Dan mumbles, and PJ laughs loudly. “It is! We’re all just making each other miserable.”

“If it wasn’t me there would be some other alpha who would treat him worse,” he says.

“I understand that. I don’t have to like it.”

“No one is asking you to,” PJ says, playing his last card. Dan groans, throwing his hand down. “But we’ve all got to find a way to deal with it.”

Dan rolls his eyes, gathering the cards into a deck so he can shuffle them. “I don’t know what you want from me.”

“It’ll be a lot easier for him if we can get along.”

He’s right. Of course, he’s right. Phil is the important thing here. Phil is the one who’s being forced into marriage. Still, Dan kind of just wants to wallow in it, a little bit. He feels childish and petulant, as is his right. He really wants to beat PJ’s ass at this stupid game. “One more round,” Dan concedes, dealing out the cards.

PJ wins a second time, and then a third. Damn him. Dan does feel a bit better, though. A little less like he wants to fistfight PJ, anyway. Phil does wind up coming to the library, and he gets a pleased little smile on his face when he sees the two of them bickering over whether or not Dan has cheated.

“That was a completely valid move, and you know it!” he shouts, rising up out of his seat.

“You can’t just combine any cards you like, there are rules!”

Dan catches Phil’s eyes from where he’s standing a bit away from the table, watching them. “ Phil! Tell PJ I won this round,” he says, and Phil laughs and coems over to join them. He glances at PJ nervously before sliding a hand over Dan’s hip, kissing his cheek.

“Don’t yell in the library, love,” he chastises, and PJ laughs loudly.

“He knows you’ve lost, Dan.”

Dan rolls his eyes, sweeping the cards back into a neat little pile. “Here, I’ll shuffle you in,” he says, making room for Phil on the sofa. Phil smiles, tongue in his teeth, and Dan’s heart swells in his chest. Maybe, maybe, they’ll be okay. The four of them, their strange little group, all cracked apart and put back together wrong, but they can sort out the pieces.

Chapter Text

As January bleeds on, Dan can feel his friends getting annoyed with him. Frankly, he’s annoyed with himself. One minute, he wants to be as close to Phil as possible, holding his hand, making him laugh, holding him close as both of their moods swing towards melancholy. The next, he wants nothing to do with him, harboring a bone-deep sense of betrayal. He can’t get a sense for when or how his moods shift, and it leaves him off balance. He hates himself for caring so much, and he hates himself for wasting what little time he has with Phil by being upset with him.

Everyone knows that the proposal is coming, and Dan can’t escape the gossip. They’re all looking at him, asking about PJ, prodding for information about his relationship with either man. If he were a beta, of course, it would be more or less acceptable for him to carry on a relationship with a mated omega, or even with both of them. Some would even consider it a more healthy and stable family unit compared to the much more common two way mating bond. But Dan is, for better or worse, an omega, so Phil is slowly slipping out of his grasp.

His friends, for their part, understand he doesn’t want to talk about it, and Dodie and Louise try their best to distract him as January 30 creeps closer. It doesn’t work, but he loves them for trying.

When the day does come, Dan wakes up before the sun, agitated and sick and longing for Phil’s touch. So, he grabs the carefully wrapped gift out of his bedside drawer and sneaks through the quiet hallways of the Palace towards Phil’s rooms. The guards recognize him, and he doesn’t even have to explain what he’s doing before they’re opening the doors. Phil is sleeping, as he always does, sprawled out on his bed, blanket tangled around his body, sleep shirt slipping off one shoulder. He’s a mess, and Dan adores him completely. Dan sits on the edge of the bed, brushing his fingers through Phil’s messy blonde hair, making sure his scent will be the first thing Phil notices so he doesn’t get scared by someone in his bed. He sighs, pushing his nose into Dan’s wrist sleepily, then blinks awake, startled.

“Dan?” he mumbles, nuzzling into Dan’s hand. Dan smiles, stroking his cheek gently.

“Happy birthday,” he says quietly, leaning down to kiss Phil’s pretty face. Phil hums happily.

“Happy birthday,” he says, and Dan laughs against his mouth.

“Not my birthday,” he whispers, sliding a hand up Phil’s side under his shirt. Phil frowns, big blue eyes blinking up at him.

“Don’t want it to be my birthday,” he confesses, running a hand through Dan’s hair and scratching gently at his scalp. “Want to be 22 forever.”

Dan closes his eyes, pressing their foreheads together. He feels bizarrely like this is the last day of his life, like he’s going to be reborn tomorrow as something new and terrible. He's determined to make the most of the last day, then. He doesn't want to waste a second of Phil. He kisses him, slow and deep, hands wandering over miles of smooth, pale skin. Phil sighs into his mouth, rocking his hardening cock into Dan’s hip, one hand in Dan’s hair and the other very low on his back. It’s a slow, quiet moment, touching and being touched without too much intent, just hands on bodies in the pale light of early morning.

“I love you. So much," Dan sighs.

Phil lets out a choked little half sob, clutching at Dan’s hair like a lifeline. Dan just holds him, soothing him with gentle touches as his body shakes.

“I don’t know if I can do it without you,” Phil says, voice pleading. “Please, please promise you won’t go. You can't leave me, Dan.”

“That’s not fair,” Dan says. He squeezes his eyes shut, taking a steadying breath. He doesn't want to ruin this moment. “You can’t ask me to just- be okay with that.”

Phil’s eyes are wet, but he’s not crying. Dan feels horrid, pressed against him like this, breaking both of their hearts, but he can’t stop. “I love you,” Phil says. Dan can’t bring himself to pull his hands away, wanting to memorize Phil’s body. “I don’t know what you want from me. I love you.”

“I don’t want to be your fucking mistress, Phil,” Dan says. “So you can do your royal duty and produce alpha heirs with PJ. You can’t make me do that.”

Phil sits up, pulling away from Dan. Dan's body goes suddenly cold, despair and the distance between them freezing him. Phil pulls his knees to his chest and crosses his arms over them, making himself small, and Dan is so fucking pathetic, because he wants to comfort him. “I don’t know what to do, then,” Phil says, voice hollow and sad. “I don’t know why you’re here. I don’t know why you keep doing this to me. Can’t you just let it go? One way or the other?”

“I don’t know how to,” Dan says. “I don’t know how I can just let you go and I don’t know how to be okay with it and I don’t know why I’m so fucking angry at you, because you’ve done nothing wrong. I want everything with you, and you’re giving me- fucking scraps.”

“I am giving you everything! I have given you everything I have to give, everything I am allowed to give. I wish I had more to give, Dan, but I don’t, and you can be okay with that or you can fucking go,” Phil says, finally looking up at him . His face is flushed red, his eyes tearing up, and he will always be the most beautiful thing Dan has ever seen. “I love you, and I always will, but this is hard enough wi thout fighting with you constantly over things we can’t change.”

Dan nods, pulling the gift out of his pocket and setting it on the bed between them. “Happy birthday,” he says, “and congratulations on your fucking engagement.”

So, it’s over. He knows it is. He collapses in the hallway somewhere between their rooms, hardly able to breathe for how hard he’s crying. He would have done almost anything to keep Phil, but he can’t do what Phil is asking of him- he won’t be another pathetic fucking omega mistress, watching his lover raise someone else’s children. He’d rather take as clean a break as he can get, let Phil go so they can both at least try to move on. Watch it all happen from a safe distance, where it can’t hurt him. No sense dragging things on.

Sophie is the one who finds him, this time. He doesn’t ask who sent her, and she doesn’t tell him. She just sits down next to him on the cold floor, both of them staring straight ahead at the wall.

“ I hate that I fought with him this morning,” he says finally, plucking at a loose thread on his trousers idly. “I don’t know why I’m so angry, all the time.”

“You can love someone, and understand the choices they’ve made, and still not want to watch them build a life with someone else,” she says.

“Has it happened yet?”

“He’s doing it after lunch, when Phil’s got his appearance at the festival. I let him practice his speech to me for hours last night.” Her usually cheerful voice is strangely hollow, and Dan knows she feels the same as he does right now. It’s sort of comforting, not being alone in it. “Come on, we have to get off of the floor,” she says, standing up and holding a hand out.

“Where are we going?” he asks curiously.

“Staying as far from the festival as we can, I reckon.”

Sophie leads him out to the Knight’s training grounds, far behind the Palace and away from the hustle and bustle of the Princess’s birthday celebrations on the main street. Dan hasn’t been out here much, except when the other omegas have dragged him along to watch sweaty alphas hit each other with sticks. It’s a favorite pastime among the omegas, which Dan sort of gets, but all the alpha scents just make his head hurt. Sophie opens a chest and pulls out a wooden sword, which she tosses to Dan. He fumbles it, and she laughs, closing the chest and sweeping her short hair up into a messy knot.

“I think we both need to hit something today,” she says by way of explanation. He tests the weight of the fake sword in his hand- it’s heavy, but shockingly easy to hold, well balanced.

“Show me how to use this thing, then,” he says, swinging it experimentally.

“Yeah, not like that.”

She shows him how to hold it properly, how to stand so he doesn’t stumble when she comes at him with her own sword. Once he’s gotten comfortable with it, she lets him go at a straw dummy. His form is clumsy and inexpert at first, but with practice and instructions yelled by Sophie, he sort of gets the hang of it. It makes his arms burn, and by the time he collapses on the ground, he’s a little less angry. Sophie sits cross-legged next to his head, passing him a water skin. He spills it a bit trying to get it to his mouth while laying on his back, but she doesn’t laugh at him.

“Feel better?” she asks.

“I think I’m too tired to be upset,” he complains. “My whole body hurts.”

“Too tired to go to this ball later?” she asks. “I promised PJ I’d go, but I think I’d like a dance partner.”

Dan pushes his sweaty hair out of his face, squinting up at her. “You want to watch everyone celebrate the engagement?” he asks.

“I don’t,” she says. “But I love him. And you love him . And it’s not really about us.”

“How can you be so casual about this?” he grumbles, sitting up. Sophie shrugs.

“Think I’ve had more time to get used to it,” she says. “Don’t get me wrong, I hate it, and I am going to get very drunk tonight, but he’s worth it.”

“I reserve the right to leave early,” he says, pushing himself to his feet. “But I need a good bath. And maybe a massage.”

“ I’m not massaging you,” Sophie says, taking his sword. Dan is a little sad to see it go, truthfully. “But you’re welcome to hang out here if you need. As long as there’s no training going on feel free.”

Chapter Text

Sophie looks beautiful, because of course she does. Objectively, she’s gorgeous, and Dan wishes he could just put aside Phil and everything else and be content walking into the ballroom with her, but he can’t- he’s never been particularly interested in either alphas or women, and truthfully he’s not sure he’s into anyone but Phil right now. Emotionally, he’s all tied up.

The Grand Ballroom is done up very nicely in blues and greens, very Phil. Phil, of course, hates being the center of attention like this- he’s sitting up on a raised platform, looking pale and sort of nervous, PJ by his side. If this was any other kind of party, they’d be sneaking off already, to the library or the garden or just to sit in the hallway outside the ballroom and listen to the faint orchestra music through the wall.

He gives Dan a tiny wave when they walk in, smile tentative and small, but there’s the glint of a ring on his finger, and Dan can’t bring himself to look for very long. Sophie draws him back towards the food table.

“Try not to look too much,” she whispers, handing him a little cup of lemonade. “And relax, Dan. Have fun.”

He nods, sipping at the lemonade. It’s the good stuff- only the best for the omega Princess. “So, do you know how to dance, Sir Sophie?” he asks, and Sophie laughs and shoves at his shoulder.

“Do you ? I’d rather not get my toes stepped on all night.”

“What good is omega finishing school if they don’t teach us to dance?” he scoffs, but his bravado is fake- he’s shit in dance lessons.

“ I’ll believe that when I see it,” she says, taking his hand and leading him onto the floor for a waltz.

He is, in fact, shit. But the amount of shit he is has them both laughing as they spin around the room and their practiced dance steps devolve into chaos. He’s stepping on her toes, he knows, and every omega in the room is judging him, but he doesn’t care. He’s hardly even keeping an eye out for Phil anymore. He and PJ are no longer at the front of the room, having come down to dance and mingle. Phil is a better dancer than Dan, of that he’s certain. For all Phil is clumsy and constantly injuring himself, he holds his body with a confidence and grace Dan can never quite match. Dan keeps catching glimpses of him through the crowd, laughing in PJ’s arms. They make a good couple, he thinks.

He and Sophie end up hiding out in the back to give Sophie’s feet a break from Dan stepping on them, a plate of cakes between them. “He looks good tonight,” Dan complains. He wishes he could ask Phil to dance just to hold his soft, slim hands, to look into his eyes. Every time PJ makes Phil laugh he burns with jealousy- it should be him.

“What are you going to do?” Sophie asks, curious. Dan shrugs, finishing off his lemonade and wishing it was something a little stronger. This party would be more fun if he was drunk.

“Join a convent, I don’t know,” he mumbles, watching PJ lead Phil onto the dance floor again . They’ve had a handful of dances tonight- only one of them had been a line dance, and he had dragged Sophie into the spot next to them. Phil’s probably getting sick of it, but it’s his party, and he needs to be seen dancing with his fiance .

Sophie snorts, rolling her eyes. “Please, Sister Daniel? As if,” she teases.

“I could be a nun!” Dan argues, kicking her under the table.

“ Y ou wouldn’t last a day in a convent and you know it ,” she says. “They’d make you take a vow of silence, you’d never survive.”

“I could take a vow of silence! I’d be great at doing a vow of silence.”

“Remember when we were playing that game with PJ? The two of you couldn’t keep your mouths closed for a second .”

Dan does remember. He’d been happy that day, poking fun at Phil as PJ tried to keep them on track with whatever game they’d been trying. That day, he’d really thought his future would hold more nights like that, card games with Phil and his mate. He’s not sure he could handle it, though. “Well, easier without Phil,” he sighs. He thinks he’d be perfectly happy to never speak to anyone again, if Phil’s not the person he’s speaking to. He might actually become a fucking nun.

“God, you’re so morose,” she says, standing up. “Come dance with me, Sister.”

“I’m sorry in advance for your toes,” he says, following her out onto the floor.

Phil is standing next to the food table, next Dan sees him. Likely place for him to be, if not by PJ’s side. But PJ and Sophie have gravitated towards each other at the edge of the dance floor, leaving the two omegas momentarily unaccompanied in the crowd. Dan lets them have their moment, strangely jealous at how well Sophie seems to be taking it all. He’s not sure if she is taking it well, but she puts on a good face, at least.

Phil finds him through the crowd and smiles, raising a hand in a tiny wave. Dan sticks his tongue out at him, leasing, and Phil giggles into his cake. Dan’s heart pounds in his chest. They’d fought just that morning, but he finds he wants to beg forgiveness right here in the middle of the ballroom just to see more of that smile. God, he’s fucking pathetic. Can’t keep away from Phil for a moment.

That turns out to be a good thing, then, when all of a sudden the cake plate slips from Phil’s hand, and he sways and then collapses onto the ground. Dan watches it happen as if in slow motion, the plate cracking in two just like Phil’s skull surely will if he hits the ground. He shoves through the crowd, catching Phil just before his head hits the marble and lowering him gently to the ground, pillowing his head in his lap.

If the crowd reacts, Dan doesn’t notice. All he cares about is Phil, pale and still in his arms. “Hey, I have you,” he says, pushing Phil’s hair off of his forehead. “Love, look at me, please.”

His eyes are half open, but vacant, and Dan’s heart has stopped entirely. He’s not sure he’s breathing. PJ and Sophie push through the crowd, and Sophie presses her fingers to Phil’s pale wrist, mouth moving slightly as she counts silently.

“His heart is beating fast,” she says, biting her lip.

“But he’s okay? Is he going to be okay?” Dan begs.

“Dan, I’m not a physician, I know how to patch up battle wounds, not fainting Princesses,” Sophie snaps, and Dan flinches back. It’s always been sort of a thing with him- the way he reacts to alphas. Sophie’s not angry, he knows, she’s just trying to help Phil, but his body reacts like she’s angry, like she’s about to hit him. Her face softens, and she reaches out to touch his hand on Phil’s chest. “Okay, hey,” she says, very gentle. “I’m sorry. He’s alive. He’s breathing. You caught him before he could get more hurt.”

“ He’s seemed fine all night,” PJ says, glancing between Dan and Sophie. Now that Dan is up close, he can tell that Phil is paler than usual. He rubs his wrist against any exposed skin he can reach, trying to leave the scent of worried-mate, making sure Phil wakes up knowing who caught him. “I don’t know. He was upset about-” he glances at Dan, who frowns and rubs his wrist against Phil’s neck, exchanging scents. “But he didn’t seem- unwell.”

“It’s my fault,” Dan whispers. Phil’s familiar scent seems off, still Phil but not quite right. “I yelled at him. I upset him.”

The palace guards have pushed the crowd back, giving the four of them some space.

“ It isn’t,” Sophie says. “I know it’s not. You’ve done nothing wrong, Dan.”

“Physicians,” PJ says, nodding to the door, and he and Sophie scurry out of the way for the doctor. Dan stays put, stubborn.

“Don’t go,” he whispers into Phil’s hair, holding back tears. “Please, I don’t know what to do if you go.”

“We can take it from here,” the physician says, and Dan kisses the top of Phil’s head and slides out of the way. Sophie squeezes his hand, hard, and Dan sways into her side.

“He’ll be fine,” she says. Dan doesn’t think even she believes herself.

Chapter Text

They’re all still in their party clothes come morning. Phil is still sleeping like the dead, and Dan is losing his mind. The physician had come and gone a few time through the night, but there’s nothing much to tell- Phil collapsed. They’re just- waiting. Sophie and PJ, to their credit, haven’t left his side all night, humoring him in his vigil. They’re sitting on the floor, shoulder to shoulder in the cold of a winter morning. He’s glad to have them here- at least he’s not losing his mind on his own.
“He’ll be fine,” Sophie says, leaning her head on his shoulder. Her hair tickles his nose, giving him a wave of her scent- something like flowers and fresh sea air, or a thunderstorm rolling through the trees. It’s strange and beautiful, making her small frame seem somehow larger than life.
“What if he’s not?” Dan asks. “What if the last conversation I ever had with him was some stupid fucking fight?” He’s so fucking stupid, and petty, and jealous, and some part of him had wanted to hurt Phil. And now- now, Phil could go away forever, and Dan will never get a chance to figure his shit out. He wants to scream, or cry, or push past the beta guards at Phil’s door and curl up next to him in bed, sleep as long as Phil likes.
“It won’t be,” PJ says, but he doesn’t sound sure. It’s not comforting to Dan, who is afraid he won’t know any peace until he sees those blue eyes again.
“You don’t know that.”
“It won’t be,” they say again, and Dan shrugs. He’s too tired to think about it too much.
“Fine,” he says, wrapping an arm around Sophie so he can lean his chin on her head to get her hair out of his face. “Being in love fucking sucks.”
Sophie laughs, which Dan can almost feel more than hear. Her scent is comforting, and it makes Dan relax a little bit. “He’s going to need you, you know,” she says. Before Dan can find a response to that, the door opens, and they all scramble to their feet.
“He’s awake,” the physician says, addressing only PJ. Dan sighs, slumping into Sophie, exhausted and relieved.
“Can we see him?” he asks. The physician frowns, turning to him.
“He needs his rest, I’m afraid,” he says. Then, to PJ, “He was asking for you.”
PJ frowns, glancing at Dan. “Me?” he asks, startled.
“He was looking for his mate. Your scent will be comforting to him.”
Sophie grips Dan’s hand hard, and it’s the only thing stopping him from doing something he will regret, like punch someone or start crying right here in the hallway. “I’m his- friend, I can’t comfort him?” he asks.
“Now, dear,” the physician says, and it’s so fucking condescending Dan could scream. “I think the alphas can handle this one.”
“I think Phil will want to see his friend,” PJ says. “We’ve all been very worried, so if you could just let the three of us in to see him-”
“The last thing my patient needs, Sir, is a hysterical omega getting him riled up.”
“You can’t fucking talk to me like that,” Dan says, and PJ steps in front of him smoothly as Sophie’s nails dig into his hand, but Dan’s already gotten started, so he can’t stop. “I’m a personal friend to the Princess, who the fuck are you?”
“Dan-” Sophie says, voice warning.
“No, I have just as much a right to see him-” he argues, trying to shove past PJ to get to the door. PJ puts a hand on his shoulder, stopping him.
“Everyone knows how close you are to the Princess,” the physician says, nose wrinkling in something like disgust. “Which is why I can’t in good conscience let anyone but his proper mate in to see him.”
Dan swallows back his anger, along with the bile rising in his throat, and untangles his hand from Sophie’s. “Fine,” he says shortly. “I’ll go.”
“Dan, I can tell him-” PJ starts, voice worried.
“Don’t bother,” Dan says. “It doesn’t matter.”

He ends up on the training grounds. It’s still early, the sun barely up, and there are no Knights hanging about, which Dan is glad for. It feels like a million years since he was here with Sophie, but it’s been less than a day. He hasn’t even slept, except for a few minutes in fits and starts on the cold stone floor outside Phil’s rooms.
It feels good to hack randomly at the straw dummy, but it feels even better to put him in the positions Sophie had shown him, properly follow through on his swings without stumbling. The weight of the wooden sword is almost familiar at this point, the balance perfect in his hand.
He’d watched Phil collapse last night. Had caught him in his arms while the court watched. They’re probably gossiping about him right now- had probably never stopped. The physician had looked at him like he was less than nothing, the stupid fucking farm boy who thought he had any right to the Princess’s attention.
“You’d make a good Knight,” Sophie says behind him, and he takes a ragged breath and drops the training sword, dragging his dress shirt up to wipe the sweat from his face. He must be a sight- an omega, dressed for a party, covered in sweat and dirt. Maybe he’s also crying, and maybe he didn’t even notice when he started. He sits down right there on the hard packed earth, covering his face with his hands. Sophie sits down next to him, pressing her knee to his. “He shouldn’t have said that to you,” she says, and Dan laughs, wet and ragged.
“I’m just the stupid omega slut who can’t leave well enough alone,” he says. “I thought- I thought it was over, I really did. I was going to leave, join a fucking convent or become a school teacher or something. But then- never seeing him again would be worse.”
“Yeah,” Sophie says. “That’s kind of what I’ve been trying to get you to see.”
“Have the two of you- talked about it?” he asks, curious. Sophie hums.
“Ages ago, before you were even in the picture,” she says. “It’s always been the plan, eventually. We did try and hold off as long as we could, but once Martyn was married it was only a matter of time. You haven’t made it easier, no offense.”
He laughs, shoving her shoulder gently. “Okay, thanks, Sophie.” Sophie laughs, shoving him back. “How can you just be okay with it, though?” he asks. She reaches out to take his hand, turning to face him properly.
“Dan, you’re not from our world,” she says. “You don’t know what we have to do just to get through the day. Phil especially, but all of us. I live for the moments I get them alone. Everything else is just- politics.”
“But I want all of him,” Dan says, frustrated. “I’m fucking selfish, and jealous, and I don’t want to share.”
“You’re not sharing him, really. He’s yours, Dan. Every part of his life that isn’t owned by the Crown is yours. It’s not that much, but it’s his, and it’s yours.”
Dan sighs, tipping his face up to the muddled gray sky. “I just don’t know how to live like this,” he says softly.
“We find ways,” she replies. She’s still holding his hand, a small comfort. Dan turns that over in his mind, and Sophie stays quiet, letting him think. It’s a mess, and he hates it, but he loves Phil, and he doesn’t know how the pieces fit together yet, but he can’t fucking leave. He’d held Phil’s still, pale body in his arms last night, and all he knows is that he needs to be here. He needs Phil to be okay- needs to know PJ is looking after him. The conclusion he comes to is out of his mouth before he fully realizes it’s there.
“Sophie, would you marry me?” he asks. She doesn’t seem that surprised, all things considered.
“Was that a proposal, Daniel?” she asks, raising an eyebrow.
“No! I was just asking if you would,” he says. Sophie laughs, tangling their fingers together. She’s wearing a simple silver ring on one finger, a match to one he’s seen PJ wear, and it’s cold against his hand.
“If I got mated,” she says slowly, considering. “I wouldn’t be around a lot. I have responsibilities. My mate- would have to be okay with tending to a household alone.”
Dan nods, reaching out for her other hand. “Sort of- independent,” he says quietly, and she nods.
It’s actually kind of perfect, now that he’s thought about the thing he said impulsively. He can stay close to Phil, and no one would be able to question his place here. He’d have a mate, a well respected alpha Knight. What Sophie can give him is security.
“Is that what you’re looking for?” she asks. “A mate in name only? Dan swallows, looking at their joined hands.
“I have a mate in all but name,” he says. Sophie nods, taking a deep breath.
“Okay, so we’re doing this.”
Dan nods. “You’re a really good friend, Soph,” he says.

Chapter Text

“What Will Save Us”

It’s been four days since Phil collapsed and three since Dan got engaged, so there’s plenty for the other omegas to gossip about. Dan can’t even be bothered to pay attention to what they’re saying about him- he’s losing his mind, just a little bit.

The Princess is still confined to h is rooms, weak but okay, and Dan is still being kept from him. He sits in his usual seat at the front of the classroom, fidgety and nervous, waiting for the one next to him to be filled. He’d asked PJ not to tell Phil anything about Sophie, he wants Phil to hear it from him, but if no one lets Dan into the room and they won’t let Phil out, it’s starting to feel like he’s concealing something, like he’s lying by omission. At least he won’t be in heat again for a couple of weeks yet, so it’s not like he’s getting married tomorrow.

Actually, come to think of it, his and Phil’s heats- and their mating- will probably line up again. He wonders if they’ll be able to see each other during, or at least get each other’s scent for their nests. He doesn’t think their mates will want to keep them apart, but PJ and Phil will have to go into strict seclusion by royal protocol , so they’d have to be sneaky about it.

Either way, he doesn’t think any of it will feel real until he gets to see Phil, talk to him, apologize for what happened on his birthday. He thinks they’re on the same page now, or close enough to it that they can talk without fighting. He still doesn’t know how PJ and Sophie stay so goddamn cool and collected through this, because he’s been an emotional wreck the entire time.

The thing is, he’s actually excited to tell Phil about Sophie. Tell him that he’s got it all worked out, that he’s found a way forward for them. That he can live with this, their interlocked marriages of convenience. That Sophie is someone he thinks he can really rely on. And he’s ready to apologize, beg for forgiveness. Because the thing is, he can’t lose Phil. Whatever kind of future they’ll have together, he wants it, even if it’s just in private. In Phil’s rooms, where no one can see them, where the gossip won’t find them.

It’s weird, going through the day without Phil. Everyone else seems to be carrying on like normal, like their Princess almost dying is just a part of life, and he’s falling apart. He misses Phil, and he’s worried about him, and the omegas still have their classes and their tea, and in the afternoon they pick at their needlework in the sitting room. Dan’s got a new project going- it’s tradition to embroider a handkerchief for your mate, so he’s carefully traced SN onto the corner of one in charcoal. The other omegas fawn over it, everything about a new engagement interesting.

He’s got another, PL , that he works on only in private, something just for him and Phil. Something to prove he’s committed to whatever the fuck they’re about to do. He wonders briefly if he should make one for PJ too, but Phil’s already got that underway- also, they’ve got the same initials, which honestly seems a bit confusing to Dan.

“So it’s true you’re marrying Sophie?” Dodie asks, watching him fumble through the frankly annoying curves of the S.

“Yep,” Dan mumbles, picking apart a too-jagged line. Dodie frowns, glancing around the room- but there’s no one paying attention to them, really. The excitement of an engagement isn’t enough to make up for Dan’s shitty embroidery skills, or his refusal to talk about the engagement to the others. His personality, as always, has left him more or less alone- not that he minds. He likes Dodie, and Louise, and otherwise he’s content with Sophie and PJ and Phil, and Cornelia when she comes back from her honeymoon. Should be before either of them are mated, he thinks.

“That makes sense,” she says. “Her and PJ-”

“Yeah,” Dan says. “It’s- we’ve got it worked out.”

Dodie nods. “Do you know what’s going on with Phil?” she asks. “You seemed- really worried, at the ball.” Dan shrugs.

“No one will let me see him,” he says, wondering if he can cover up a mistake he’d made really too far back to fix. He’s not sure Sophie will mind, but he at least wants it to look good . Prove that she’s not mating a completely useless omega. “PJ says he’s okay. I don’t know.”

“ It’s only-” Dodie frowns, leaning in closer to him. Dan looks up from the handkerchief, suddenly worried.

“What, Dodie?” he asks.

“The rumors-” she starts, glancing around the room again. “People are saying he’s pregnant?” Dan opens his mouth, not sure how to respond to that, and Dodie hurries on. “I know it’s not true! I mean- you were with him his whole heat, I know there weren’t any alphas around, it’s just- what I heard.”

“People around here are gossips,” Dan mumbles, shuffling through his box of colored thread for he’s not sure what reason. It’s not actually possible for Phil to be pregnant, he knows that. Phil had gotten ill for some other reason, stress of the engagement or something. But- he just doesn’t know, because he hasn’t actually seen Phil. “Do you- know who started the rumor?” he asks.

“One of the girls here is friends with a beta maid who knows the physician’s assistant,” Dodie says. “Allegedly, I mean. It’s just what people are saying.”

Dan frowns, deciding to unpick the letter entirely to avoid looking at Dodie. “Don’t listen to gossip,” is all he says.

Later, he goes for a walk with Sophie out in the garden s . It’s a very proper place for an alpha and an omega to have a private conversation- there can be no allegations made towards their conduct, but no one is close enough to listen. “ PJ says he’ll be well enough to come to tea tomorrow,” she says as they walk through the carefully manicured rose garden. It’s all a bit dead in February, but that means they’re alone, and Dan doesn’t mind the bare bushes.

“That’s good!” Dan says. Phil hasn’t been allowed out of bed at all , so it’s a step forward. He’s getting better. Dan will get to see him , soon. He can’t help but imagine the worst, thinking about Phil these days. He needs to see him, well and walking about and laughing at some dumb shit Dan’s said. “I’m glad he’s better.”

“Just in time for his mother to get very excited about the wedding,” she sighs, picking a lone rose petal off of a plant. “You’re both going into heat next month, yeah?”

Dan shrugs. “Mine are usually pretty regular every three months, but his last was a surprise so I don’t know that it’ll be the same.”

“It will be,” she says confidently. “His body knows yours.”

Dan nods, frowning. “So we’ll be- mated at the same time, then,” he says.

“Dan, I have no interest in keeping you to myself,” she says, nudging his side with her elbow. “We’ll work it out.”

Dan smiles, genuinely happy with Sophie- his friend, his future mate. “So, next month,” he says. “Are we doing the full wedding, or just the biting?”

They walk through the garden a while longer, chatting idly about their mating, but Dan can’t quite shake what Dodie had told him earlier. It’s not possible, he knows- an omega can’t get pregnant outside of heat, and it was just Dan and Phil in the room the whole time. Still, the fact that anyone is even talking about it, like there’s any way Phil let an alpha near him on his heat, bothers Dan. It’ll all be cleared up, though, tomorrow. He’ll talk to Phil, and they’ll laugh off the silly gossip, and it’ll be fine.

Phil is, true to Sophie’s word, at afternoon tea the next day. He walks into the room, looking uncertain and shy, and it knocks the breath out of Dan’s chest. God, but he’s in love, and he’s fucking missed Phil.

He stands when Phil walks in, and Phil smiles and weaves his way through the tables to Dan.

“Hello,” Phil says, grinning, and Dan laughs and hugs him tight. “Oh!”

“I’m so glad you’re okay,” he says, breathing in the familiar scent of Phil. Only- it’s a bit off, illness or nerves shifting it just a little. But it’s still Phil, beautiful and real and Dan’s favorite scent. “I’m so sorry for what I said,” he whispers into Phil’s neck.

“Dan! It’s fine,” Phil says, winding an arm around Dan’s back. Dan doesn’t care who’s watching, he’s missed Phil too badly. “It’s okay. I’m okay.”

“Talk in the library later?” Dan asks, pulling back. Phil beams at him, all bright and real and alive, and it settles something in Dan. They sit down to tea, because Phil still seems sort of unsteady, and Dan can’t help but glance over at him far too much, but Phil is looking back every time. He hooks their feet together under the table, and Phil giggles, and it’s all just fine.

Dan really, really intended to talk it out with Phil today. They have quite a bit to talk about, and he still hasn’t been able to say I’m marrying Sophie, which he feels is kind of important, but more important is the fact that Phil has his hand up Dan’s shirt right now, his tongue in Dan’s mouth, his thigh between Dan’s legs, and really, he’s powerless to stop it.

“God, Phil, I missed you so bad,” he gasps, nipping at Phil’s lower lip. “I really- we need to talk-”

“Doesn’t matter,” Phil insists, tugging at the tie on Dan’s pants, and okay.

“Can we at least- to your room,” Dan says, bucking his hips against Phil’s leg. “Or- somewhere private?”

“I’ve bribed the guards,” Phil says, grinning with his tongue poking out, cheeky and beautiful, and Dan laughs, tipping their foreheads together. “We’re alone. Promise.”

“You had ulterior motives,” Dan accuses, pushing Phil’s shirt up over his head. “I wanted to talk, and here you are bribing guards to get me alone.”

“Wouldn’t let you into my rooms, had to improvise,” Phil says, sliding a hand into Dan’s pants. “Wanted to see you so bad this week, I kept asking for you but they just sent PJ.”

“Don’t fucking talk about PJ with your hand down my pants,” Dan growls, shoving Phil gently back onto the couch so he’s kneeling above him. Phil gasps, then giggles, reaching up to grab Dan’s arm.

“You’re possessive,” he says, eyes wide and dark with lust. “What are you going to do about it?”

It’s a challenge, and Phil is winding him up on purpose, and he is absolutely going to rise to the occasion. “Make you forget his fucking name,” Dan says, leaning down to kiss him. Phil hums into his mouth, delighted. They make it quick and dirty, because they’re in the fucking library and no amount of bribery will keep people from looking for the Princess for long, but it’s exactly what Dan’s been needing. He leaves with Phil’s scent all over him and the assurance that- even if they didn’t exactly talk today- they’re on more even ground now.

Chapter Text

Phil is avoiding him.

They fucked in the library a few days ago, and Phil is avoiding him. It’s not like he’s still ill- he’s out and about, and seems to be more than happy to talk to anyone but Dan. Dan still hasn’t even gotten the chance to tell him about Sophie, and he’s not sure whether or not Phil has caught wind of it yet. He’s sure he has, with the way the omegas gossip, and with the way Phil seems very interested in befriending all of them right now.

The longer it goes on, the angrier he gets. Phil sits in the back of the class when Dan’s saving his usual seat up front, Phil takes tea in the garden with PJ instead of inside with Dan, Phil ducks out of the library right as Dan walks in. For weeks, Phil’s been the one begging him to stay, and now this? It’s not fucking fair, not when Dan’s clothes still smell like him. Not when their usual couch in the library does. He’s angry, and he’s sad, and he’s confused. He wants to cry every time Phil fails to meet his eyes, fall to his knees and beg forgiveness, declare his love publicly just to force Phil to acknowledge it. He carries around the finished betrothal handkerchief, waiting for the moment he can finally get Phil alone. (The one for Sophie is going rather less well- he’s not been able to focus on it at all, and her initials are proving too much for his meager embroidery skills.)

He’s running Sophie ragged in the training field a few afternoons after the library incident, his arms aching and his hair soaked with sweat, when he spots Phil and PJ walking a little ways away. And damn, he’s really going to do this soaked with sweat, because he’s the sweatiest person ever, but he drops his sword and takes off running. Phil freezes, panic on his face, and PJ slips away to spectate with Sophie from a distance. It’s a setup, clearly, and he sends a silent thanks to their friends for getting them both here.

“Philip Michael Lester,” he shouts, grabbing Phil’s arm. He’s out of breath, and of course Phil is all fresh and beautiful, damn him, but he doesn’t try to get away at least.

“Dan,” he says, voice cautious. “Hello.”

“What the shit?” Dan demands. “Why are you avoiding me?”

“I’m not!” Phil protests.

“Phil, you sat with Tyler today, I don’t think I’ve ever seen the two of you talk,” he says, crossing his arms. Phil frowns, fiddling with the sleeve of his sweater. After a moment of silence, Dan’s frustration overtakes his good sense, not that he had much to start with. “You know, it’s kinda fucked up to sleep with me and then disappear?”

“Well, you do it all the time,” Phil says, and it hits Dan like a bolt to the chest. He knows it’s true, he does- he’s fucked around with Phil and left him alone too many times- but it makes something angry and defensive rise in his chest.

“Jesus fuck, is that what this is about? You’re trying to get back at me?” He’s shouting, and PJ and Sophie are definitely watching, despite the fact they’re trying very hard to pretend to be adjusting the straw training dummy.

“No!” Phil shouts back, and okay, they’re getting too loud. He grabs Phil’s arm, dragging him a little ways away into a copse of trees.

“Okay, Phil, I was trying to apologize to you the other day, you’re the one who didn’t want to talk,” he says, trying to keep his voice down. They’re out of sight here, but he’s not sure they won’t be overheard.

“No, Dan- I just wanted one last time before-” Phil swallows, turning his face away. “I just didn’t want everything to change, and it is.” He’s upset, Dan knows he’s upset, but so is Dan, and he needs him to fucking say what his problem is already.

“Last week you were all but begging me to stick around, and now that I want to talk about it you don’t want me? What the fuck is going on?” Dan demands. Phil crosses his arms, gripping his sweater sleeves tightly. He’s still not looking at Dan, and Dan aches. He’d thought he had it all figured out, but here Phil is, throwing another log on the fire.

“Because if we talk, then I’ll have to tell you, and I’m afraid,” he says, voice small. “I don’t want you to go again, but you will.”

It hits him, suddenly, what Dodie had told him. Phil’s illness. Maybe there was some truth to it, then. Dan reaches out and grabs Phil’s wrist, just that much too tight. Phil gasps, shocked, pained. “Tell me the rumors aren’t true,” he demands. “Tell me you didn’t- see someone else. When we were in heat together.”

“Dan, no!” Phil says. “You’re hurting me!”

Dan drops his wrist and steps back. Shame boils inside of him, for yelling at Phil, for hurting him. “ I’m sorry,” he mumbles, curling his fists into tight balls. “I just need you to tell me. Is there an alpha?”

“Of course not!” Phil says, indignant. He rubs at his wrist, and there’s no mark, but Dan hates himself a little bit. “There’s only been you- in heat and otherwise. It’s just you.”

It’s just you. Dan, who picks fights. Dan, who just grabbed Phil, who pushed him around. Dan, who got his shit together just a little bit too late.

“I’m sorry,” he says again, softer. “Are you okay?”

Phil puts a hand on his face, gentle, always gentle, and Dan crumples, leaning into him, tears on his cheeks. Dan doesn’t know how he can be forgiven over and over again. He takes Phil’s arm, gently this time, and kisses his wrist, and Phil smiles, cupping his face.

“Who would I go to, Dan?” Phil asks. “Who could have taken better care of me than you? Who would I ever want to?”

“I’ll be better. Please, let me be better for you,” Dan says, and Phil laughs and pulls Dan’s face to his neck.

“I know you will,” he says, assured.

“Your scent-” Dan mumbles, pressing his nose into Phil’s neck. They’ve fought, again, and Phil still hasn’t told him what’s going on. “The rumors?” he pulls back to meet Phil’s eyes, confused. Phil smiles, small and watery, and takes Dan’s hand, pressing it low to his stomach. Dan gasps, closing his eyes tight. “It’s not possible.”

“I don’t know possible,” Phil says, winding their fingers together over his still flat stomach. “I just know what’s true. I was with you, and now- the physician says I am. And my scent-”

“PJ doesn’t smell like that,” Dan finishes, nuzzling into Phil’s neck again. Phil’s sugar sweet scent has a darker edge now, something earthy and deep, like good chocolate or warm dirt. Something like Dan. It’s the scent Phil’s child will carry, once his goes back to normal.

“I smell like you,” Phil says, kissing the side of his head.

All of the anger bleeds out of Dan’s body at once. Phil was afraid, and he was poorly, and he was carrying a secret- their secret. Their miracle. It’s not supposed to be possible, but stranger things have happened. And even if it’s not, Dan knows he will stand by Phil in this. It’s too big, too important, to leave again. He’s been angry, and he’s been petty, and Phil has come back every time, and now Phil needs him more than ever.

“You were scared to tell me,” Dan says, heart aching with it. With the knowledge that this, their child, was the thing Phil was concealing from him.

“I knew you’d take it wrong,” Phil says. “I wasn’t sure you’d listen.”

“I hurt you,” Dan says, pressing his hand into Phil’s stomach gently, kissing his neck.

“Not very much,” Phil says.

“You’re pregnant, and I hurt you.”

“I know you wouldn’t hurt our baby,” Phil says gently. I won’t let you goes unspoken, obvious. “I know you’re going to be better.”

Dan nods into his neck, closing his eyes tight. He untangles from Phil gently, dropping to his knees in the dirt. He presses his face into Phil’s stomach, and he might be crying, but Phil makes a small affectionate sound and runs a gentle hand through Dan’s hair, so maybe it’s okay. “Dan,” he sighs.

“Just let me,” Dan begs, rucking up Phil’s shirt to bare his skin. He kisses the smooth skin of Phil’s stomach, and Phil giggles, cupping the back of his head. It’s Dan’s favorite sound, Phil’s laugh. He wants to make him laugh forever. He wants to fucking keep him, and keep their baby, and not give them to PJ. “I love you,” he whispers. He’s not talking to Phil, and Phil knows it, so he just stays silent, petting Dan’s hair gently.

“Dan, c’mere,” Phil says eventually, grabbing Dan’s shoulder to pull him up. Dan wraps his arms around him, pulling him close.

“Marry me,” he says, without quite meaning to. Thank god, he’d just finished one of his betrothal handkerchiefs.

“What?” Phil laughs, wrapping his arms around Dan’s neck.

“Phil, marry me,” he says, more sure this time.

“Dan, I’m already engaged,” Phil reminds him, and oh yeah.

“So am I, it doesn’t matter,” Dan argues. Of all the ways to tell Phil about his and Sophie’s plans, Dan thinks he’s found the worst.

“What? Dan, you didn’t tell me that!” Phil says.

“You were avoiding me!” Dan says. “It’s fine, it’s just Sophie, she’ll understand.”

Phil raises an eyebrow, laughing. “Just Sophie? I’m going to tell her you said that.”

“No, I didn’t mean just Sophie, she’s great- Phil, it doesn’t matter, marry me, not them.” He pulls back to take the betrothal handkerchief out of his pocket, running a finger over the mostly even stitching. “I made you something,” he says. “I was- making one for Sophie, and I thought you deserved one, too. Because I think I made you feel unwanted, and I never want you to feel that way. And I never want our baby to feel that way. Phil, I love you, and I want to be with you in any way we can manage. And I know we can figure it out, because you’re the strongest person I know.”

Phil beams at him, tracing the lettering gently. “It’s beautiful, Dan,” he says, eyes bright and delighted, and Dan can’t help but kiss him again, deeper this time.

“This is not going to be easy,” Phil says.

“Is that a yes?” Dan asks, a hopeful spark in his chest.

“My mother is going to kill you, and then me, and then you again,” Phil says. “Yes, you idiot, I’ll marry you.”

Dan laughs, leaning down to kiss him.

He has a feeling their trouble has just started, the tiny spark growing inside of Phil bringing a storm, but they’ll weather it together. They’ve created a fucking miracle, and Dan won’t let it go.

Chapter Text

That night, Phil sneaks Dan into his room. They haven’t spoken to anyone else, so for the moment they’re living in their own private little world, the two of them and the precious secret they share. A world where no one will try to take Dan’s child from his arms, where they will never be separated or forced to marry others. They strip bare and climb into Phil’s bed together, both too worn down to initiate anything more but needing the touch of skin on skin. Dan finds his hand settling on Phil’s stomach, almost automatic. It’ll be months still before there will be anything to feel, but Dan knows it’s there.

Phil falls asleep first, but Dan can’t quite seem to manage it. He just holds Phil for a very long time in the dark of the room, surrounded by Phil’s comforting scent. Now that he knows, he can pick out his own scent in the mix, the way it blends with Phil’s. The proof that Phil is his, that they belong together. That they created a new life. He falls asleep with that thought, his entire world safe in his arms.

When they wake up early the next morning, neither of them are quite ready to get out of bed, so they don’t. They stay there, naked and tangled together, and they have the talk they should have had days ago. Weeks ago. They lay everything bare between them- all of their insecurities and fears, the future they could have, the fragile hope of it all.

“We could leave,” Dan says. “If they try- anything. We could go. Start a new life.”

“Dan, it’s not so simple,” Phil says. “They’re my family. The baby’s family. I know it’s- complicated, but I want them to have a family.”

“I’m their family,” Dan argues. “They need me.”

“I know that,” Phil says. “And if we have to- if it goes badly, we will, but I don’t want to unless we have to.”

“Okay,” Dan says. “We have time. We’ll figure it out.”

“Okay,” Phil says softly. “I don’t want to tell anyone yet. I want it to be our little secret for awhile more.”

“We have to tell Sophie before I go into heat,” Dan says. Because yeah, Sophie still thinks they’re getting married, relatively soon. And he could have handled that, before. Mating Sophie, watching Phil mate PJ, and taking enough of him as he could. Living their lives near each other if they couldn’t do it together. Now, though, there’s the baby, and Dan feels possessive and protective and tired of compromise, of giving Phil up little by little. He's tried, he really has, but it's different now and they both know it.

“That’s right, your fiancee,” Phil says, light and teasing. “The fiancee you didn’t tell me about.”

“Hey, you got engaged first,” Dan argues, but he’s grinning, Phil all warm and pliant in his arms and totally his for this moment.

“Oh, but you did it when I was in bed sick,” Phil sniffles dramatically. “With your baby, I might add.”

“I didn’t know that at the time!”

“I could have died, Daniel,” Phil says, rolling them over so he’s on top of Dan.

“Philip Michael-” Dan laughs, wrestling Phil back under him.

“Ahh! Be gentle, I’m delicate!” Phil protests, laughing.

“Oh, you’re delicate,” Dan says, pressing Phil into the soft bedding, tickling his sides lightly. “My Princess demands special treatment?”

“Yes,” Phil pouts up at him, all beautiful and glowing, and Dan is so soft for him. He’d do anything Phil asks, now more than ever. “Treat me nice, I’m trying to grow a person over here.”

“A person,” Dan repeats, running a hand over Phil’s stomach. He can hardly believe it’s real. A new person, one who’s part him and part Phil. The person he loves most in the world, growing his baby. He feels suddenly like he might cry, overwhelmed and ecstatic and in love- and scared. The world, Phil’s world especially, won’t be kind to them. To their child.

Phil’s face goes from teasing to concerned as he watches Dan. “Are you okay?”

“I’m scared,” he admits, ducking his head into Phil’s neck. Phil sighs, combing a hand through his hair.

“I am too,” he says. “We’ll be okay.”

Cornelia and Martyn are coming home, and Phil is nearly bouncing in excitement. Dan sits on his bed, watching him get ready, and he can’t quite stop himself from grinning.

“I can’t wait to see them,” Phil says. “Oh! Do you think she’s pregnant? We could be pregnant at the same time! I can’t wait to tell her.”

Dan laughs. “I thought we weren’t telling anyone?”

“Except Sophie,” Phil reminds him. “Your fiancee.”

“And your fiance,” Dan says, “and now Cornelia?”

“She doesn’t count, she’s my sister,” he says, rolling his eyes. Dan catches him by the waist, pulling him in gently for a kiss. Phil hums, pleased.

“So our little secret, and our three best friends.”

“Exactly!”

Unlike when Martyn and Cornelia left, Dan isn’t invited to wait with the family. It stings, a little bit, that no one else considers him part of the family. But he’ll get to see Cornelia soon enough, and he knows she does. She’ll have his back, at least. And Phil was right- Dan doesn’t want to take the opportunity for Cornelia to be in this baby’s life away. So he’ll stay, and play the game, follow Phil’s lead. He doesn’t have to like it, but he loves them. So he waits in the sitting room, turning all the pieces over in his head and pacing a hole in the rug, until they show up.

“Corn!” he shouts, catching her up in a hug.

“Hi, Dan,” she laughs, hugging him tight. The first thing he notices is that her scent hasn’t changed since the last time he saw her. Now that he knows how Phil’s has changed so quickly, it’s unmistakable. He pulls back, puzzled.

“You’re not-”

Cornelia laughs, a small, slightly sad sound. “Well, sometimes it doesn’t happen right away.”

Dan nods, kissing the side of her head, and then the moment is over and they’re sitting down at the table, pouring tea, chatting about Cornelia’s honeymoon. Dan grips Phil’s hand under the table, and Phil leans into his side. He nudges Phil’s leg under the table and raises an eyebrow, and Phil shakes his head. Not yet. Not the time.

It’s weird, Dan thinks. The model mated couple, the future King and Queen, haven’t managed to conceive on their mating heat, while Dan and Phil have stumbled into something that should’ve been impossible. It doesn’t feel fair, goes against everything Dan thought he knew about mating, but here they are.

“It was so lovely to spend time alone with him, though. Come to think of it, I don’t think I would have wanted to be pregnant while traveling like that, it sounds absolutely miserable,” she says, grimacing, and Phil laughs.

“Well, you’re mostly just tired for the start,” he says, and Dan kicks him under the table. Phil’s eyes go wide and panicked, and Cornelia raises an eyebrow. “Uh- that is to say-”

“What do you know about pregnancy, dear brother?” she asks.

“Well-” Phil starts, and Dan squeezes his hand tight. “I actually didn’t mean to mention it yet.”

Cornelia waves her hand expectantly, urging Phil on. “Nobody knows yet, so you can’t say anything,” he says all in a rush. “I actually didn’t think it was possible so we’re still- working it out.”

“Philip! Tell me what’s happening right now,” she says, grinning and excited. “What secrets have you been keeping? Is it that alpha you’ve gotten engaged to?”

“There is no alpha,” Phil says, rolling his eyes. “That’s the impossible part, actually.”

“We’re pretty sure it’s mine, actually,” Dan cuts in. He has a feeling Phil could walk around it forever, strange and worrisome as the situation is.

“We’re sure,” Phil says firmly. “I’m having a baby, and it’s his.”

Cornelia just stares at them for a long moment, hands over her mouth, and then she laughs. “Only you two,” she says, leaning across the table to pull Phil into a hug, and then Dan. “You have to tell me everything.”

Chapter Text

The longer they go without telling Sophie and PJ, the more antsy Dan gets. He’s pretty sure his heat is coming on soon, and he’s also pretty sure Sophie and PJ know they’re avoiding them, but the thing is-

The thing is, Phil has been so tired lately, and Dan is feeling so possessive, that they spend all their time locked up together in Phil’s rooms or the library. And the thing is, Dan likes it that way. They’re in their own little world, Phil cuddled up into his side nearly all of the time. The beta guards have stopped really trying to keep Dan out, especially since the physician gave Phil a clean bill of health- aside from the obvious- and withdrew, so he’s been spending the night more and more. The others deserve to know, he gets that. It’s just that he wants to keep Phil to himself awhile longer, before everything starts up again. Once everyone knows about the baby, it’ll be political, and Dan wants to shield them from that as long as possible.

He’s sitting on Phil’s bed a few weeks after his birthday, watching him get dressed. “I thought you had someone to like, pick out your clothes and shit,” he says, watching Phil pick through shirts with a frown.

“I dismissed the omega maid,” he sighs, pulling out a shirt that’s near identical to the others and turning to Dan. “What do you think of this?”

“Why did you dismiss your maid?” he asks, standing up and plucking the shirt from Phil’s hand. “I like the other one better. The one with the buttons.”

“They all have buttons,” Phil says. “And I can’t have someone dress me, because none of my clothes fit anymore, and if my mum finds out I’m pregnant by the maid letting out my trousers she’ll kill me, and also you.”

“This one,” Dan says, picking out a shirt with particularly nice pearl buttons. “Won’t she know you dismissed the maid?”

“She doesn’t pay attention to the staff,” Phil says, rolling his eyes. “She will notice I’m getting fat. I can’t bloody close these pants.”

Dan laughs, gesturing for Phil to hold his arms out so he can pull the shirt on. “You’re not fat,” he says gently, doing the buttons. “You’re pregnant.”

“My baby is the size of a pea, Daniel,” he says, pouting at Dan as he finishes with the buttons. “I’m just fat.”

“Well,” Dan says, kissing the tip of his nose. “You’re beautiful.”

“You’re just saying that cause it’s your baby that’s made me fat,” he grumbles.

“You’re beautiful, and I love you,” Dan repeats, sliding his hands across Phil’s hips and rubbing his thumbs over his stomach. His pants are still undone, making him look more obscene than when he was naked, and if Phil didn’t have actual responsibilities to get to Dan would take him right back to bed and remind him how obsessed he is with his body. “We doing lunch with PJ and Sophie later?”

Phil sighs, sliding his hands up Dan’s arms and leaning forward to kiss him. “After I get through this thing with my brother,” he says, resting his forehead against Dan’s collar. Dan laughs, tilting his head to the side to let Phil scent him. “I don’t know if Corn told him anything, I’m going to be such a mess.”

“I’ll be in the library when you’re done,” he says, kissing the side of Phil’s head. “If you wear a sweater it might cover that your trousers are unbuttoned.”

Phil laughs, smacking Dan’s chest. “I hate you,” he says.

“You love me,” Dan says, wrapping his arms around Phil’s waist fully to pull him into a hug. “You’re gonna marry me and have my baby.”

Phil laughs, gripping his arms tight and pushing his nose into Dan’s neck. “Yeah, I am,” he says.

Dan actually does go to the omega music class that morning. With Phil busy, he figures he might as well make an appearance. Dodie raises her eyebrow when he walks in.

“Don’t say anything,” he warns, sitting at the piano and leafing through the sheet music. Dodie just laughs, rolling her eyes.

“I take it things are- going well?” she asks. Dan fights a smile, feeling his face flush.

“Don’t know what you’re talking about,” he says, playing a scale up and down the keyboard. If him and Phil really do leave, he’ll have to try and get a piano. Play for the kid, maybe teach them. He’d like that, he thinks.

“Sure,” she says. “How’s wedding planning?”

“Oh,” he says, hitting a wrong note. “Yeah. Fine.”

“Okay, no chatting today?”

“Sorry, just- a lot on my mind.”

Dodie shrugs, pulling the arrangement they’d been working on together out of her folder. “Well, you can play at least,” she says.

They’re half way through when Cornelia walks into the room, looking worried, and Dan’s hands fall from the keyboard. Phil has fainted again, hit his head this time. He’s bled out, and Cornelia has come to tell Dan that he’s died, and their baby has died, and he’s just a childless widow who will have to marry Sophie anyway just for security’s sake.

“Nothing’s happened,” she says immediately when she sees his face. Dan deflates, hitting a few notes at random to get rid of the jittery adrenaline that’s coursing through him. “Can I speak to you in the hall, though?”

Dan’s not going to shake the feeling that something is really, desperately wrong until he sees Phil. It was bad enough on his birthday, watching him collapse like that, but now it’s worse, his mind spinning up a thousand terrible fates for Phil and the baby in the moment it takes to follow Cornelia out and close the door.

“He’s fine,” she repeats, putting a hand on his arm. “Breathe, Dan.”

“What’s- has something happened?” he asks.

“He was sick earlier, he’s asking for you, Cornelia says. “I just didn’t want to say in front of the others, the rumors and all.”

“Sick?” Dan asks, clenching his fists to stop from shaking.

“Just the usual pregnancy kind, it’s fine, he’s just feeling delicate,” she says. “Go give him a cuddle, make sure he drinks some water, you’ll both be used to it by the end.”

Phil is, true to Cornelia’s word, pale and miserable looking but ultimately fine, curled up in his bed with a bucket near his head. Dan sits down next to him, running a hand through his soft blonde hair. “Heard you got sick on Martyn’s shoes,” he says, scratching Phil’s scalp lightly. Phil groans, hiding his face against Dan’s leg. “I’m sorry,” he adds.

“Would say it’s not your fault but it absolutely is,” Phil mumbles. “We were supposed to meet PJ and Sophie today.”

“If you’re not feeling up to it, we can skip it,” Dan says gently.

“I can’t skip lunch every time I’m feeling ill, we would never go anywhere,” Phil says, turning his face to glare at Dan. His cheek is squished into Dan’s leg, and it’s so cute that Dan actually never wants to leave this room. They can just stay here forever, raise their baby in this bed, die side by side at a good old age.

“Sounds fine to me.”

“Dan,” Phil groans, smacking him. “You’re awful. Let’s go to lunch.”

Dan stands up, holding both his hands out to Phil. “Come on, sick boy. Let’s go break up with our fiances.”

PJ and Sophie live in a little cottage outside of the city proper, a little private place just on the edge of things. It’s cute, and it’s comfortable, and it’s full of knickknacks that Dan wants to look at forever. He wonders if this is where he would have lived, in the version of the future where he went through with it. PJ puts on a kettle for tea, and a black and white cat winds around Dan’s feet and attempts to trip him as he makes his way to the little table tucked in a sunny corner of the main room.

“Careful of Fuji,” PJ says, setting down an eclectic selection of mugs for them to pick from. Phil sits right next to Dan, hooking their legs together under the table, and selects a ceramic mug with the cat’s face painted on it.

“So what’s so important we had to speak outside the palace?” Sophie asks, setting a plate of sandwiches down in the middle of the table. Dan takes a sandwich and a dark mug with yellow spots for PJ to pour tea into. Phil fidgets, hands cupped around the cat mug.

“Well- something’s happened,” he says slowly. Dan squeezes his leg under the table, urging him on. “And- I’m pregnant.”

“What?” Sophie asks, glancing over to PJ. And Dan gets it, because he’d thought the same, but it makes him a little bit sick to think about it.

“You are?” PJ asks, raising an eyebrow. “I didn’t think-”

“It’s Dan’s,” Phil says quickly. “Which I recognize isn’t- supposed to be possible, but it is.”

“You don’t have to defend yourself, we believe you,” PJ says.

“Congratulations!” Sophie adds, beaming at them. Dan relaxes, tangling his fingers loosely with Phil’s on top of the table.

“Yeah, so,” Dan says. “We need to figure out what we’re going to do here.”

“Well,” PJ says slowly, “I’m still willing to mate you, if that’s the way you want to play it.”

“Uh-” Phil glances at Dan, and Dan squeezes his hand. “Thank you, but- no.”

“You realize that if you call it off, PJ will look like the spurned lover,” Sophie says. “Actually, Dan will take the blame, probably. Phil can do no wrong.”

“Yeah, I’m the omegaphile slut who seduced the Princess away from his good alpha fiance,” Dan says. “I can take it.”

“Dan,” Phil says gently. “Don’t say that.”

“It’s what everyone will be saying,” PJ says. “But it doesn’t make it true.”

Dan frowns, fidgeting with his tea mug. “Okay,” he says, voice choked. It’s embarrassing, really. Everyone in this room has higher status than him, more friends and allies, and he’s just the fucking farm boy who knocked up a Princess. What right does he have to even be here right now?
“Dan,” Phil says again, voice firmer. “If I wanted to do this with anyone else I would do it with someone else. You have to believe in yourself or it’s never going to work.”

Dan swallows past a stone in his throat, gripping Phil’s hand like a lifeline. “Okay,” he says again. “Yeah. I get it.”

“Hey,” Sophie says in a changing-the-subject voice, and Dan is suddenly grateful for her steady friendship. “So, the true mates thing.”

“True mates are a myth,” Dan says automatically. Phil rolls his eyes fondly.

“Of course you think so,” he says.

“No, but listen,” Sophie says. “The myth is that true mates are ultimately compatible, right? Like- in a reproductive sense.”

Phil perks up, grinning. It’s endlessly endearing to Dan, Phil’s tongue in teeth smile. If there was anyone on Earth who he was universe fated to love, it would be this man. “Aww, so the reason we’re having a baby is because we’re true mates,” he says.

“Oh, so we’re just so perfect for each other that we magically created life?” Dan asks, and Phil laughs.

“Come on, skeptic, it’s romantic!”

“It’s not romantic, it’s a cop out. True mates are for people who don’t want to put in the work.”

“It’s nice!” Phil argues. Dan is aware they’re being watched, but he can’t help it. It’s nice, sitting here in this very lovely house with a cat watching them from across the room, having a pointless argument with the man he loves.

“If we were meant to be, don’t you think it would be easier?” he asks.

“Romeo and Juliet were true mates!”

“That’s a story, and they died. Very romantic, Phil.”

Phil laughs, smacking his shoulder gently. “Well, I think we were meant to be,” he says, and that’s that. Some of the tension in the room dissipated, they go back to their sandwiches and tea. They avoid the subject of the engagements for now, sticking to lighter subjects. Phil cuddles into Dan’s side, and Dan wraps his arm around his shoulder.

Chapter Text

The guard stationed outside of Phil’s room raises an eyebrow when he sees them. Dan knows he’s been too obvious lately, but he can’t bring himself to care- he wants to be with Phil, all the time.

“Princess, don’t you think-” the man starts, and Phil just shakes his head.

“Honestly, just leave it,” he says. He sounds so tired, and the guard hears it too, because he doesn’t say anything else before he lets them into the room. Dan waits until the door is closed to curl an arm around Phil’s waist, take some of his weight. Phil sighs, slumping into him.

“Tired?” Dan asks, kissing the patch of warm skin behind his ear. Phil hums, sliding his hands over Dan’s.

“Take me to bed?”

Dan leads him over to the bed by his hips. Phil sits on the edge, blinking up at him with sleepy eyes, and Dan leans down to kiss him. He undresses Phil gently, taking his time with the shirt buttons, urges his hips up so Dan can strip him of his pants. They don’t talk as Dan readies them both for sleep, the silence comfortable and familiar in the near dark of the room. Dan kisses Phil gently as he goes to put their clothes away, tidying up after them before he joins him. Phil purrs happily as he slides into bed, curling in close, his breath hot on Dan’s throat.

“You smell nice,” Phil mumbles, nosing at his throat.

“Are you tired?” Dan asks again, curing an arm over Phil’s waist and rolling them over so he’s half on top of him. Phil stretches out below him, considering.

“You could make me more tired,” he offers, sliding a hand up Dan’s arm. Dan smiles, leaning down to kiss him deeper than he’s been able to all day. Phil sighs into his mouth, pleased. “Want you so badly lately.”

“Yeah? Need me to take care of you?” he asks, nipping gently at Phil’s bottom lip. Phil squirms under him, not with any sort of intent, just because he’s Phil and he can’t sit still. Dan is hopelessly, helplessly endeared by him, so fucking in love he can’t stand it sometimes.

“Been too long since I’ve had you inside me,” Phil whispers, and Dan groans, closing his eyes. So in love, and horny. It really has been awhile since they’ve been able to have sex properly. It’s been all hands and mouths fumbling in the dark lately, which Dan isn’t complaining about exactly, but it’s about time they take their time with it.

Dan slides his hands down Phil’s sides, a gently, barely there touch that makes Phil squirm. He parts Phil’s legs gently, and Phil lets him, sliding one of his legs over Dan’s hip. His cock is hard and leaking, as is his hole. The space between them fills with his scent, sugar sweet and cut with a darker edge that serves as proof he’s carrying Dan’s baby.

Dan sits up between Phil’s legs, running his hands up and down Phil’s thighs, and just looks at him for a long moment, memorizing his body. Phil is all soft and rumpled, the moonlight coming in through the window making his pale skin glow. “Beautiful,” Dan says, leaning down to bite his thigh. Phil giggles then, kicking at him.

“Get on with it, then,” he says, stretching out to show off the long lines of his body. He knows exactly what he’s doing, is the thing. He drives Dan crazy, and he does it on purpose.

Dan gets on with it, because he can’t deny Phil anything. He can’t resist leaning down to taste him first, licking a line up his cock and then going lower. He teases Phil’s hole with his mouth until Phil whines and pulls at his hair. “Fuck me,” he begs, and Dan laughs, leaving him with one last gently kiss to his inner thigh before he slides back up Phil’s body to kiss him. Phil seems to love kissing his own taste out of Dan’s mouth, because he does it very thoroughly as Dan pushes his fingers into Phil. He’s already wet and open, but Dan takes his time with it anyway. Phil relaxes into the pillows, eyes closed and mouth slack and open as Dan fingers him.

Then, his eyes jump open, panicked, and he shoves at Dan’s chest to get him to move. “I have to-” he says, rolling over to the sick bucket that’s on the floor next to the bed. Dan wipes his slick hand on the sheets, then gets up and pours a glass of water from the pitcher. He combs his fingers gently through Phil’s hair until he’s done retching, then offers him the water.

“I ruined it,” Phil says miserably, holding the glass in both hands. Dan sighs, pushing Phil’s hair off of his sweaty face gently.

“You didn’t ruin anything,” Dan says, kissing his shoulder.

“I really wanted-”

“I know. There will be other times.”

Phil finishes his water, then curls into Dan’s side. Dan lowers them gently down to laying, rubbing Phil’s back. They fall asleep like that not too long later.

Dan wakes up early, Phil still asleep and hogging the blankets. The sun has barely risen, the light in the room pale and weak. He dresses in the same clothes he’d worn yesterday, needing to go back to his own room for a proper change, then kisses Phil’s forehead gently. Phil blinks awake, frowning. “Leaving?” he asks, curling a hand around the back of Dan’s head.

“I’ll be back,” Dan promises, leaning down to kiss him.

He’s carrying a bucket of sick to get it cleaned when he runs into the Crown Prince in the hallway.

“Oh! Dan!” Martyn says, seeming surprised. So Cornelia hasn’t told all, then.

“Uh- Your Highness,” Dan says, fidgeting with the bucket.

“I was just- checking on him. After yesterday. Seems he’s still ill,” Martyn says, gesturing awkwardly to the bucket.

“Yeah. I guess.”

“Well! See you around then,” Martyn says, hurrying away. Dan catches a whiff of his scent as he walks away, and it’s surprisingly light for an alpha, springy and clean.

He finds himself in the training grounds later, moving through the positions Sophie had showed him. It’s not easy, but it feels good. His mind goes clear and empty, all of his anxiety draining out in the swing of the sword.

He hears gently applause behind him, and lowers the sword, turning around. He’s expecting Sophie, so Cornelia is a surprise. “Sophie told me you might be here,” she says, perching on the wooden crate that holds the practice equipment.

“Hey, Corn,” he says, taking a drink of water from his skin.

“How are you doing?” she asks, and Dan shrugs, sitting down next to her.

“Tell me how you are first,” he says. “Tell me about the honeymoon.”

Cornelia sighs, leaning against his shoulder. “It was really good,” she says, but it’s not very convincing. “It’s just that- I haven’t gotten my heat yet.”

“What? But it’s been months,” Dan says, trying to count back in his head. She had hers before he did, surely.

“Yeah, it’s- we’re pretty sure I did conceive, but- it wasn’t to be.”

Dan frowns, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. “I’m sorry,” he says. He’s not sure what else to say. And it makes a strange, angry fear rise in his chest- one he’s felt on and off since finding out about Phil’s pregnancy. It wasn’t to be. “It just- ended?”

“It happens, Dan,” she says. She sounds tired, and very sad, and Dan can’t breathe around his fear.

“No, but-” he says, almost choking on it. “Phil and I- this one was a miracle. I don’t know if there could ever be another. I don’t know if he would stay if it- if it ended.”

“Dan, he loves you,” Cornelia says.

“But he only ended it with PJ because of the baby, if there’s no baby- everything goes back to normal!”

“I feel like you’re making my miscarriage about yourself,” Cornelia says gently, and Dan deflates.

“I’m sorry,” he says, kissing the top of her head. “Are you okay?”

Cornelia shrugs. “I barely knew it was there,” she says, then reconsiders. “I guess- no, I’m not. Not really.”

“Everything is such a fucking mess,” he says, and Cornelia laughs.

“It’s just that there’s so much pressure on us,” she says. “The Queen- needs an heir.”

“Well, you’re still young,” he says. “It’s not like Martyn is going to die tomorrow and leave the kingdom heirless.”

“No, but- it’s more complicated than that," she says slowly. "Dan, the Kingdom doesn’t have an heir now.”

Dan sits up, turning to face her. “What are you talking about?” he asks. “Martyn is the Crown Prince. He's the alpha heir.”

“He’s not,” Cornelia says. “He- by the time he presented, everyone knew Phil would be an omega, so the Queen let people think- but if we don’t have an alpha heir, it all falls apart.”

The pieces come together slowly, Martyn’s scent in the hall this morning, the desperation from the Queen trying to get all of her sons mated. “He’s a beta.”

"He told me the night we met. He wears a fake scent and everything," she says. “That’s why it’s so important Phil marries an alpha. Martyn and I are less likely to have an alpha, and your baby- it'll probably be an omega."

“Most likely,” Dan admits. “God, so the whole kingdom is on you and Phil?”

Cornelia shrugs. “It’s silly, but betas can’t inherit titles,” she says. “But- come on, I don't want to think about this right now. How are you, really?"

Dan picks at a loose thread on his trousers. “I don’t know,” he says. “I love him a lot, and I’m so happy most of the time, but then I’m really scared, and confused, and I have no idea what’s going to happen, and then I feel bad for feeling that way, and then I feel like I'm being a stupid emotional omega and they really would be better off with PJ," he confesses all in a rush.

“They don’t need PJ or any alpha,” Cornelia says. “They need you.”

“I’m just scared that someone will take them from me, and part of me thinks- if I don’t get my hopes up, it won’t hurt as bad. God, especially if they’re counting on him to have an heir. Fuck.” He closes his eyes, fighting back tears. "I want this so fucking bad, but it's all so messed up right now."

“That baby will always be your baby, and they can’t actually take that from you. Sharing your heat with someone you love, the life you created together, that will always be yours. And for what it’s worth, I am proud to be the aunt to your baby.” Cornelia says, taking his hand.

“I would have been proud to be the uncle to yours,” he says, gripping her hand tight.

“You still will be,” she says, leaning into his shoulder. “In our hearts. This family is yours, Dan. If you want it. But you have to fight for it.”

Chapter Text

Dan can’t stop thinking about the conversation with Cornelia. The baby, that’s just gone. Martyn not being the heir after all. He brings it up to Phil a few nights later, as they're getting ready for bed.

“I was talking to Cornelia,” he starts. He’s perched on the edge of the bed, watching Phil wash his face. He still feels like he’s getting away with something, being in Phil’s bed every night. He is getting away with something. He’s sure no one has told Queen Kathryn about the omega sneaking into her son’s room night after night.

Phil hums, drying his face off and turning to face Dan, leaning back against the vanity table. The edge of it pushes into the bit of fat on Phil’s hip, a little softer than it was before the pregnancy and instantly interesting to Dan, who sort of wants to bite it.

“You get distracted?” Phil asks, raising an eyebrow. “Can’t stop looking for a second?”

Dan rolls his eyes, tossing a pillow at him. “Shut the fuck up,” he says, because it’s true.

“What did Corn tell you?” he asks. Dan pulls his eyes away from his naked body, focusing on his face instead. It’s not any less interesting, to tell the truth. Dan likes every part of Phil.

“She was telling me about Martyn,” he says carefully. Phil raises an eyebrow, shoulders suddenly stiff. Dan is not upset Phil didn’t tell him about his brother, he’s just curious. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t know I had to,” Phil says, voice neutral and cautious.

“You didn’t,” Dan says. “It’s not your secret. It’s just- if that’s the reason your mum is so worried about you being mated, I would have liked to know about it.”

Phil shrugs, frowning slightly. “I knew you’d make it personal, and it’s not. It’s not about me at all. It’s about some hypothetical heir, like my parents don’t have two perfectly good children already.”

Dan holds his arms out, and Phil comes over willingly, wrapping his arms around Dan’s neck. Dan knows it’s a sensitive subject, Phil’s family. Much as they love him, they have high expectations that he can’t meet. He rests his hands on Phil’s soft hips, rubbing his skin gently with his thumbs. “So what’s going to happen if you don’t?” he asks.

“Please, there’s a whole line of alphas just waiting for their chance to step in,” Phil sighs, swaying into Dan’s body. “I made my choice, Dan. Cornelia and Martyn made their choice. If it happens, it happens. If not- House Lester falls, and someone else takes over. It’s how it’s gone for thousands of years.”

Dan hums, pressing his forehead into Phil’s sternum, and Phil runs a hand through his hair. “But we won’t know for years yet,” he says. “How can you stand it?”

“Don’t focus on that,” Phil says. “Just focus on the next thing. In a couple of weeks you’ll be in heat and we can be married, and in a couple of months we’ll have our baby. That’s all we need to worry about right now.”

Dan thinks about it, and he thinks about Cornelia’s baby. How often a pregnancy ends with nothing to show for it. The fear that claws at him every day, that his baby will die and take Phil with them, or Phil will leave him once there’s no reason for him to stay. “I think we should go to an omega midwife,” he says, pulling back to look up at Phil. “Someone outside of the palace. I know we can’t really tell anyone yet but I want to make sure bub is okay.”

“Okay,” Phil says.

“Plus, this book I was reading says we might be able to hear the heartbeat soon?” Everything about the baby’s growth is exciting to Dan. He’s been reading every book the Palace library has, counting backwards to their last shared heat to figure out when they’ll be able to feel it moving and how long the worst of Phil’s sickness will last. Phil grins, leaning down to kiss him.

“Our baby has a heartbeat,” he says, and Dan laughs, kissing him deeper.

The midwife they meet in a nearby village is a pleasant older omega woman who assures them right off the bat she’s seen to the births of hundreds of babies in her time.

“It’s not very common,” she admits as Phil makes himself comfortable on her exam table. “But it does happen.”

Phil kicks his legs, face slightly nervous. “Does it matter he was in heat too?” he asks. “When we conceived, I mean?”

“Well, that makes it a bit more likely,” she says. “If only because it would give you more chances.”

Phil slides back on the little table, pushing his shirt up over his stomach so the midwife can feel it. “How many weeks, if you could guess?” she asks.

“Um-” Phil frowns, looking over to Dan.

“It was Christmas,” Dan says. It had been right after Cornelia’s wedding, a month before Phil was to get engaged. They’d been fighting, but Phil came anyway, because Dan needed him. And they’d made a baby. “Nine weeks? Ten?”

The midwife nods, pressing gently against Phil’s stomach. “Well, it’s still very early then,” she says. “How have you been feeling?”

“Mostly tired,” Phil says. “And really sick, lately. I- passed out, once right at the start.”

“That’s fairly normal for this stage,” she assures him. “It’s really important you’re eating enough, though. If you’re feeling too unwell, there are herbs you can take to settle your stomach. Passing out is more irregular, but I wouldn’t worry overmuch if it was just the once.”

Dan stands next to Phil’s head and takes his hand gently, watching the midwife’s practiced hands moving over his stomach. “What are you feeling for?” he asks curiously.

“At this stage, I’m really only concerned about the placenta’s development. Your baby is too small right now, but later on I’ll be able to feel it’s position and make out some of it’s features. Everything seems to be coming along just fine, by the way.”

Next she pulls out a little wooden horn and uses it to listen around Phil’s stomach. “It’ll be a few weeks until we can really find the heart,” she says, which lets Dan down a little bit. It’s still early, though. Plenty of time for the baby to grow. “If you like, I can give you a pinard and you can try again at home. Other than the heartbeat, you can also try and hear baby moving.”

Dan nods. “We had a friend recently lose a pregnancy,” he says, rubbing his thumb over the back of Phil’s hand. “How- common is that sort of thing?”

“Well,” the midwife starts. “O/O pregnancies tend to be more delicate to start. That’s no a guarantee, and I’ve seen plenty through with perfectly healthy children, but it is something to be aware of. Pregnancies by alpha fathers tend to make it through the first trimester more regularly, but once you make it to that point there’s not too much of a difference.”

“What- what do you mean delicate? We could lose it?” Phil asks, sitting up. Dan squeezes his hand tighter.

“You only have a few weeks left of the really delicate stage,” she assures him. “If your scent stops changing or starts to go back to how it was before the pregnancy, that can be a bad sign, but as long as everything keeps going on as it has you’ll be just fine.”

She shows Dan how to press the little horn into Phil’s stomach and what to listen for, and then sends them off with it and a selection of teas for Phil. They’re far enough away from the Palace and Phil is dressed plainly enough that they’re not terribly concerned with being recognized, so Dan steers them to a quiet little cafe for lunch. “How are you feeling?” Dan asks, watching Phil pick at his sandwich. Phil shrugs, face looking worn. It kind of always does, lately. People talk about the pregnancy glow, but Dan thinks that probably won’t come until Phil can keep down a meal without vomiting.

“I don’t know, I guess it just made it all feel really real,” he says quietly. “Like- before it was just our thing, our miracle, and now I have to think about actually bringing a child into the world, and it’s scary.” Dan frowns, nudging him under the table to get him to look up.

“Phil, seriously. Are you okay?”

“I don’t think I realized how worried I was, after Cornelia and everything,” he says. “I’m glad she said the baby is okay, but now that I know I can’t not know, you know?” Dan nods, reaching across the table to take his hand.

“Only a few more weeks, then we’re out of danger, right?”

“A few more weeks,” Phil says, smiling. “And then you can try and fail to find the heartbeat. We’ll have to go back to the midwife and explain our baby is hiding from you.”

“Hey!” Dan laughs, kicking him under the table. “Eat your lunch, you rat.”

“I’m glad I’m doing it with you, you know,” Phil says. Dan smiles, lifting Phil’s hand to kiss his fingertips gently. “I love you. I don’t say it enough.”

“You don’t have to,” Dan says, because it’s true. Phil shows his love a million ways, every day. Dan couldn’t forget it if he tried. “I love you too.”

Later, when Phil’s gone for a nap back at the Palace, Dan wanders through the city aimlessly, just thinking about the visit to the midwife. Maybe they should’ve saved it for a little longer, just so she could tell them more, but Dan feels oddly relieved to have done it. Finding out that there’s a greater than normal chance of losing the baby has shaken Phil, but Dan is glad to know. They have a goal, now. A date to make it to that will tell them their baby is going to be real.

If he could, Dan would protect Phil from all of it- the sickness and the worry and the possibility of miscarriage. He’s never felt particularly interested in pregnancy, and he knows that Phil actually does want to carry the baby. Once they get through this first part he hopes it’ll be easier, but Phil needs him so much right now, and he’ll do anything to keep him comfortable. He buys some more of the tea that the midwife recommended, and a few sweet treats he hopes Phil will tolerate. Then, he sees a shop selling hand knitted baby clothes. There’s a pregnant omega man behind the table, no older than Phil. “I’m expecting a baby,” Dan explains, picking up a tiny sweater with little wooden buttons.

“Congratulations,” the man says, resting a hand over his stomach. “You’re not too far along, then?”

“It’s new,” Dan says. It occurs to him that this stranger thinks he’s the one who’s pregnant, and he lets it happen. He’s not too eager to explain here and now that actually, his mate is another omega.

“I don’t miss those days,” the man sighs. “Sure, I can’t walk more than a few steps these days, but it’s better than being sick day and night.”

Dan laughs. “How long does that phase last? Just so I’m prepared.”

“Oh, first few months, then it stops. You’ll get through. Worth it in the end, though.”

Dan ends up buying the sweater and a pair of tiny socks. He stashes them away in his dresser drawer back in his own room, because he knows Phil won’t find them there. He’ll give them to Phil in a few weeks, when they can hear their baby’s heart. For now, Dan holds onto the fragile, beautiful hope they represent.

Chapter Text

Almost exactly twelve weeks after Christmas, their baby is the size of a plum and Dan goes into heat again. They’re both expecting it, this time. They start building the nest before it hits, and the way Phil is reacting to it makes Dan think they should leave it, after.

“I’m the one in heat here,” he teases lightly, watching Phil purr happily as he adjusts the blankets piled up on his bed.

“I’m the one who’s pregnant,” Phil says. “Besides, you’re not even in heat yet. Let me have this.”

“You like me,” Dan croons, kneeling on the bed and leaning into Phil’s space. “You likemy scent. You like that you smell like me now.”

Phil rolls his eyes, shoving at Dan’s chest. “My baby hormones like your scent,” he says.

“You love me and you’re going to have my baby,” he says, grinning and leaning closer to Phil. And maybe he is in preheat now, because Phil smells good, and Dan wants him. Usually, his heats hit a little more suddenly, but maybe it’s the fact that he’s starting it with his mate or maybe it’s that Phil is pregnant, but he’s feeling all soft and warm instead of burning hot. Phil can smell it on him, he’s sure, because he relents, leaning up to kiss Dan deep and a little dirty.

“Feeling it, love?” he asks, scratching gently at the patch of skin behind Dan’s ear. Dan purrs, closing his eyes and collapsing half on top of him.

“You smell nice,” he mumbles into Phil’s shoulder.

“You like that I smell like you,” Phil says, petting his hair. It’s true- Dan loves Phil’s normal scent, but he goes crazy for this- his scent on Phil, inside of Phil. And suddenly, he needs more than just physical touch, more than Phil’s hand in his hair. He bites Phil’s shoulder hard, and Phil follows the change in tone immediately, pulling at his hair to get Dan to look at him. “Need something, baby?” he asks, and Dan is hit with a wave of white hot need. He whines, wiggling closer to Phil, and Phil laughs. “Use your words.”

“Phil,” he begs, pressing his nose into Phil’s neck, grabbing for any part of him he can reach. Phil shushes him, running his soft hands down Dan’s sides.

“I have you,” he promises, rolling them over so he’s kneeling on top of Dan. Dan reaches up to grab his waist, thumbs pushing into the soft fat of his belly. He knows that Phil is self conscious about the bits of fat he’s put on since getting pregnant, but Dan is a little bit obsessed with it. He would love Phil’s body any type of way, but the fact that he’s carrying Dan’s baby makes him even more beautiful.

“So fucking pretty,” he preens, pulling Phil down so he’s sitting on Dan’s hips. Phil grins, leaning down to kiss him. “Phil,” he says, pressing his hips up against Phil’s ass. “Phil, want you to bite me this week.”

Phil sits up, running a hand down Dan’s chest to rest on his waist. The other goes to Dan’s neck, the spot where a mating bite will go. “Yeah?” he says, a little breathless.

“Wanna do it before the baby is born,” Dan says, sliding one of his hands over to press into Phil’s stomach.

“Dan,” Phil sighs. “I can’t show up in front of my mother with a fucking mating bite next week.”

“No, I don’t care, we don’t have to do yours,” Dan begs. “I want it. I need it.” He can’t quite put it into words, why it’s suddenly the most important thing in the world. It’s just that Phil smells like him, and Dan doesn’t have anything to show he belongs to Phil. It makes him feel all unbalanced and out of sorts and strangely empty. Because Phil agreed to marry him weeks ago, and they haven’t really talked about it since. He should have brought it up before his heat, he knows, so he’d be prepared in the case of rejection.

Phil slides a hand up to his cheek, and Dan realizes suddenly he’s crying. His breath hitches in his chest, and the tears start coming full force.

“Hey, love,” Phil says, pulling him close, letting Dan press his face into his neck where his scent is strongest. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

“Just want to be your mate,” Dan mumbles, gripping tight at his shoulders. Phil strokes his back gently, kissing the side of his head.

“You are,” he says. “I want you to be.”

Phil pushes Dan back gently so he can kiss his mouth, tangling a hand in Dan’s hair, and Dan relaxes against him. “Please,” he gasps, and Phil nods, a motion Dan feels more than sees.

“Yeah,” he says. “Yeah, we can do that.”

It settles something in Dan, the insecurity that still colors his relationship with Phil settling somewhat. Phil wants him, wants to be together. Everything is going to be okay. Everything is going to be perfect.

The embarrassing little emotional hiccup done with, the heat takes over, making Dan needy and greedy for Phil’s hands on him. Phil brings him off first with just his fingers in Dan’s slick hole, their hot breath mingling between their mouths as Dan moans against him. He gets his hand on Phil’s dick between them, desperate to feel him, to make him feel good. He comes just after Dan, collapsing on top of him and nuzzling into Dan’s neck. He kisses the spot where he’ll leave the mating bite later, and it sends a wave of need through Dan again. He’s barely satiated, already needing more. Phil, always tired lately and not riding a wave of heat induced lust, falls asleep against this shoulder, and so Dan gets himself off the second time, surrounded by their mingled scents.

He does doze off after awhile, and when he wakes up something feels wrong. It’s too cold in the room, too cold in the nest- Phil isn’t next to him anymore, instead standing in the doorway talking to someone, and dread settles into Dan’s stomach. Because that’s the Queen’s voice, and she’s going to make him leave, and he’s not going to get his bite. “Phil,” he begs, hugging Phil’s favorite pillow close to his chest. He’s going to cry again, in front of the Queen, and he’s going to be naked and crying when they drag him out of here.

“No, mum, I’m not going to make him go,” Phil says, voice steady but strained. Dan wants to go wrap his arms around him, but if he gets out of this nest he’ll be halfway out and he can’t give up any ground.

“Philip, be reasonable,” she says. “Imagine how it looks. You just days from your own mating heat, him supposed to be with Sophie now-”

“Mum, he called it off,” Phil says. “I’ll explain it all to you-”

“You’ll explain it now,” she says. “You young omegas and your drama, I swear to god.”

“I’m not going into heat, mum,” Phil says. The silence is deafening, and Dan fidgets in their nest, twitching to get Phil back in his arms. “I’m already pregnant.”

“Well! Why didn’t you just say so? It’s a shame he didn’t mate you, but we can fix that,” she says, voice bright. “Does PJ know?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Unless there’s another alpha I don’t know about? Either way, we can have the wedding now and do the mating after the baby’s born,” she says, and Dan frowns, burying his face in Phil’s scent on the pillow. As if Phil would ever be with an alpha. He’s Dan’s mate.

“There is no alpha,” Phil says, voice going sharp. Dan bites the pillow, purring. “Dan is my mate.”

“That’s impossible.”

“The midwife says it happens all the time. It’s just not very common because omegas don’t mate with each other loads,” Phil says.

“Philip, you know how important it is-”

“I’m not giving up my true mate for some imaginary heir you don’t even know I’m going to have!”

“You’re acting unreasonable,” she says.

“Can we have this conversation later, mother?” he asks.

“Just let me know when you’re ready to act like an adult,” she sighs. Phil slams the door, and then he’s back beside the bed, running a hand through Dan’s hair.

“You were very brave just then,” Dan says, nuzzling the pillow. “Now can you fuck me?”

Phil laughs, kissing his shoulder and slipping out of his clothes to get back into bed.

Phil fucks him all soft and gentle in their nest, the early morning sunlight casting over their sweaty skin. Phil had called Dan his mate. Had stood up to his mother, at least a little bit. Dan couldn’t love him more than he does right now. Then, right when Dan’s going to come, Phil bites into his neck, hard. His sharp front teeth dig into his skin, bringing up blood. It sends shock waves through Dan, everything going bright and fuzzy and lovely. He kisses his own blood out of Phil’s mouth as Phil comes inside of him, filling him up.

“Love you,” he mumbles, running a hand through Phil’s soft blonde hair.

“Love you too,” Phil says.

He wonders idly, as Phil collapses next to him and licks at the blood on his neck, whether he’s going to get pregnant. It would be nice, he thinks, to do it together.

Either way, Phil is officially his mate, or he is Phil’s. Phil is having his baby, and he has Phil’s bite on his neck, and in a few days they’ll have to have a very difficult conversation with his mother, but for now they fall asleep together in their nest.

Chapter Text

When Dan wakes up well and truly clearheaded a few days later, body worn out and neck still throbbing from Phil’s bite, he knows they’re going to have to face the Queen. He’s gotten past the dread and is just resigned to his fate now, he thinks. They wake up slowly, curled together in their nest. Dan pulls Phil into his arms, Phil’s back to his chest, and kisses the crown of his head. “You good?” he asks. Phil hums, lacing his fingers through Dan’s where they rest on his stomach.

“I can’t believe I actually did it.”

“You didn’t have to,” Dan tells him. “I didn’t need you to.” He’s a bit sad that it’s not really their little secret anymore, actually. He knows, of course, that they’d have to do it eventually, and better now than when Phil misses his heat or starts showing. Still, it’s going to change things.

Phil nods, stroking his thumb over the back of Dan’s hand. “I wanted to, though,” he says. Dan smiles, kissing his jaw, and Phil giggles, twisting around to look at him. He reaches up to touch the bite gently, and Dan tries very hard not to flinch away. “Does it hurt?”

“Not very,” Dan says. It doesn’t, but it’s tender and sore and every time he moves his head he remembers it’s there, a physical representation of their love. “Thank you. For doing it for me. That, and the thing with your mum. I know it’s probably made it worse, but-”

“I don’t care,” Phil interrupts. “And I didn’t do it for you, I did it for us. She’d never take us seriously anyway. I’m tired of lying, and hiding it. You are my mate, and the father of my child, and I want you to be my husband.”

Dan can’t help but lean down to kiss him at that.

“I really love you,” he says, close and warm into Phil’s mouth. “My mate.” It feels important to say it, suddenly. Like it wouldn’t be real otherwise. This man is his mate. They can’t take that away from him, no matter how hard they try. And they are going to try, he thinks. A lump rises in his throat, and he nuzzles into Phil.

“I love you too,” Phil says. “Are you okay?”

“I’m just really happy right now,” Dan says, hiding his face in Phil’s pale neck, trying to memorize the Phil-and-Baby scent. “And I’m afraid it’s about to end.”

“Hey,” Phil sighs, running a hand through Dan’s hair. “I’m not going to let that happen, okay?”

“She was really upset.”

“Yeah, well, she’ll have to get over it.”

“It’s not that easy,” Dan mumbles, kissing Phil’s neck. Phil squirms a bit, not quite ready for the sensation of it, and so Dan licks him, making Phil squeal and shove him away. Dan laughs, pushing Phil back onto the bed so he can hover over him.

“Hey,” Phil says, reaching up to touch Dan’s face. Dan closes his eyes, leaning into it. “Hey,” Phil says, more insistent, and Dan opens his eyes again. “I need you to trust me, okay? I you to stop pulling back. You need to start believing we’re forever, otherwise I’m scared you’ll just let me go. I need you to fight, okay?”

Dan nods, leaning down to kiss him. “I promise,” he says. “I won’t let them take my family away from me.”

They go down to see the Queen for tea in the afternoon, Dan still a bit fuzzy and heat tired but mostly there. He just wants to get it over with. She frowns when she sees him follow Phil into the room, and he can feel all the walls going up. She’s expecting a mother-son chat where she can push Phil into line, Dan knows, and she’s not going to get it.

“Hello, dear,” she says, taking Phil’s hands and kissing his cheek. “Daniel.”

“Mum,” Phil says warily. She’s close enough to smell him, so Dan can see the moment the truth hits her.

“Well,” she sighs, patting his cheek. “You haven’t a mating mark, but I suppose that’s not a requirement, as long as we secure the marriage before it shows. Your little- friend looks enough like Sir PJ, I suppose-”

“Mum,” Phil says, pulling out of her grip and retreating to where Dan is just sort of hovering next to the sofa. Dan puts a steadying hand on his back. “I’m not marrying him.”

“Maybe we should all sit,” Dan suggests.

“No farm boy will tell me what to do in my Palace,” the Queen says, but Phil shoots her a look, and she sighs and waves them to the couch. “Please, sit.”

“Can we be civil, mum?” Phil asks, pouring three cups of tea and passing one across to his mother, who takes a sip and nods. Dan isn’t really one for tea, and he knows Phil’s not either, but there’s no coffee, so he drinks it anyway. “I’ve really been far too ill to fight.”

“You’re ill?” she asks, sounding surprised.

“I’m pregnant, mum,” he says, tired. “Pregnancy does that.”

Dan stays quiet, not sure what the etiquette for this conversation is and not wanting to upset the Queen- Phil’s mum- his child’s grandmother. And really, that’s the one that holds the weight for him. He respects his own grandmother tremendously. Fuck, does he need to write Veronica? He should write Veronica. His family doesn’t even know about the baby.

“Well- you’ve got to be three months on? You’ll feel better soon, I’m sure,” she says. “The first part really is the hardest. By the time you’re well, though, you’re quite too heavy to move much anyway.”

Phil laughs, lowering his guard just a bit, and Dan smiles, squeezing his hand. “Oh, don’t tell him that, he’s quite sensitive at the moment. Getting him dressed is such a production lately,” he teases, and Phil gasps and smacks his shoulder lightly.

“Not in front of my mother!”

“Well, we’ll get you fitted for maternity clothes,” she says. “Christ, is that why you’ve let the maid go? Philip, really!”

“Mum, we actually do need to talk, and not about my weight, Daniel,” he scolds, and Dan laughs, poking his side gently.

“You didn’t hear me complaining-”

“Dan! Not helping!”

“Really, Philip, what do you want me to say?” she sighs, covering her face with her hand. “I set up that omega finishing school so you could meet a nice alpha, maybe make some friends? Cornelia said it would- help.”

“Cornelia didn’t even meet a nice alpha at her finishing school,” Phil points out, and Dan almost laughs, pressing his face into Phil’s shoulder to hide it.

“Philip!” she gasps, glancing at Dan.

“Oh, I didn’t tell him, that was all Cornelia! And I don’t know why it’s up to me, actually, when Martyn would be a perfectly good King who could have perfectly good heirs!”

“That isn’t how it works, and you know it,” she says. “You’re acting very selfish. This isn’t about just you, our whole family- our legacy- is counting on you to make the right choice here!”

“He is my family,” Phil says coolly. Those words are like a lifeline to Dan, who’s always felt sort of out of place with his own family, who’s always wanted someone to claim him with no hesitation. It makes him proud, to be sitting here like this with Phil, side by side. Dan and Phil against the world.

“You are betrothed to another! It would be an embarrassment of the highest order-”

“I am betrothed to no one! Dan is my mate. He carries my mark. I carry his child. I was taught all my life that a mating bond is sacred, and now you would ask me to break it?”

“You didn’t,” The Queen says. Dan pulls the collar of his shirt down, craning his neck to show it off. He wants to show it off. He wants her to know. He wants everyone to know. She leans forward, eyeing the still fresh mark on his neck.

“You cannot ask me to marry another,” Phil says firmly.

“This is the act of a petulant child. You don’t get your way and you go running off to some foolish- sham of a marriage.”

“You can’t talk to him like that,” Dan breaks in, half rising out of his seat. Phil frowns, grabbing his arm.

“Dan, it’s okay,” he says.

“No, she can’t! You’re his mother, you can’t be happy for him for one second?”

“I don’t think you understand what you’ve done here,” The Queen says. “You have ruined him. You have swayed him from a match that has been in the works since he was a child. You have doomed our family legacy to nothing-”

“You’re the one who didn’t manage to produce an heir,” Dan bites back, and Phil squeezes his arm hard.

“Not only have you ruined Phil’s life, you have ruined Sir PJ and Sir Sophie both. Why is it that you seem insistent on dragging everyone around you down into the dirt with you?”

“Okay!” Phil says, standing up and dragging Dan towards the door. “We’re leaving before either one of you says something you’ll really regret. Mum, I’ll have PJ publicly retract the proposal, I won’t be implicated at all. We’ll discuss the rest later.”

“I won’t have that little omega slut in my home, Philip,” she calls after them, and Phil shuts the door.

“She just called me-” Dan starts, and it’s not funny, but Phil starts giggling, and Dan laughs, pulling him into his chest.

“My omega slut,” Phil says, leaning up to kiss him.

“I’m really sorry,” Dan sighs, pulling back and leaning their foreheads together. “I didn’t mean to go off like that.” Phil sighs, reaching up to cup the back of his head, scratching the skin behind his ear gently.

“She was never going to listen to us,” he says.

“So what do we do, love?”

Phil pulls back, taking his hand to pull him down the hallway and away from the Queen’s sitting room. “We just have to keep trying,” he says. Dan tugs on his hand, pulling Phil closer into his side as they walk. It sounds easier said than done, in Dan’s opinion, but that’s fine. He’s finally got his mate, so they’ll keep trying.

Chapter Text

“I can’t believe she actually kicked me out!” Dan says, gripping the official letter, complete with the royal seal, in his hand.

They’re gathered in PJ and Sophie’s living room, the two of them and Phil watching him pace the room from their seats on the sofa. Sophie grabs the letter out of his hand as he walks past.

“By Order of the King and Queen, Daniel Howell is hereby dismissed from the Royal Omega School for alienation of affection and obscene acts? Well, I thought seduction would make the list, but close enough.”

“You didn’t alienate my affection, mate,” PJ says, patting Phil’s arm. “You know I still love you.”

“Thank you, PJ, that means a lot,” Phil says.

“Well, you can stay here as long as you need,” Sophie says. Dan had only been given a little time to clear his things out of the room he’d shared with Dodie, but he hadn’t had much he’d wanted to take anyway. His bag sits in the corner of the room now, the baby clothes he’d bought just a few weeks ago safely tucked away at the bottom.

“We’ll figure it out,” Phil says. Dan sort of wants to break something.

“You keep saying that,” he mutters. He’s sick of figuring things out. Why can’t just one thing be goddamn easy?

“We will! We have plenty of time.”

“She called me a slut, did you hear about this? His mother called me a slut,” Dan says, waving his arm in Phil’s direction. “Right to my face!”

“The Queen called you a slut?” Sophie asks.

“Right to my face!” he repeats.

“Well, yelled it at us while I pushed you out the doorway,” Phil says matter-of-factly.

“Jesus fuck, Phil, can you at least pretend to be on my side here?” he explodes. It’s suddenly infuriating, how little Phil seems to care. It is a major step back, going from Phil’s guards turning a blind eye to Dan practically living with him, now to this. The way Phil had rushed into the conversation with his mother without even thinking how it would affect Dan.

“I am on your side! I’m always on your side!”

“Well, can you fucking defend me, then?”

“We’re going to-” Sophie says quickly, shoving at PJ to get them to stand.

“Uh- see you later,” PJ says, and Dan watches them hurry out of the room.

“Dan, I don’t know what you want from me,” Phil says calmly, once they’re alone.

“I just want you to talk to me, Phil! I’m fucking dying to figure this out and you keep waving it away like it’s nothing!” Dan says. He hates fighting with Phil, but sometimes it seems like the only way to get him to do anything.

“You want to talk about- my mum?” Phil asks, frowning.

“I’d love to talk about your mum! That, and- fucking baby names, I don’t know! We haven’t talked about any of it, and I love you but you drive me crazy, because- yeah, maybe I’m too cynical, but you’re too- not.”

“Tell me what you need, Dan, and I’ll do it,” Phil says, standing up so they’re level. “I don’t know what more you want from me.”

“You asked me to fight, I need you to fucking fight! I want you to want a life with me, Phil, like a real proper life together, and you just- you have this idealized version in your head where you can have it all without really trying, and you can’t. You have to pick.”

“I have to give up my family for you, is that what you’re saying?”

Dan sighs, reaching out to take Phil’s hand. “Of course not,” he says. “I want you to have everything you want. It’s just- she called me a slut, Phil. That really fucking hurt, you know? You haven’t even asked me how I’m feeling about all of this.”

It had been Dan’s worst fear, truly. Every bad thing his dad had ever said about him, and every bit of gossip in the palace, coming from a woman he had badly wanted to impress. He really had wanted to be able to make it work the way Phil wanted it. “You didn’t even defend me,” he says quietly, because that really is the worst part. His mate had just watched it all happen, keeping the peace at the expense of Dan. They’re quiet for a long moment, their joined hands hanging loosely between them.

“Madeline,” Phil says finally.

“What?”

“You wanted baby names. In my head, she’s Madeline. And we- live on a farm, not a big one, just big enough to get by. Not too far from the city, but quiet, you know? And there’s a piano, in the farmhouse, and you teach her. That’s it.”

Dan swallows hard, taking Phil’s other hand to pull him closer. “Yeah,” he says, choked up with longing for it.

“Dan, I’m sorry, really. I didn’t even think- I’ve been so sick, and it’s all I can do to get through one day at a time. I do want a future with you, but I don’t actually know what to do.”

Dan nods, reaching up to run a hand through Phil’s pretty blonde hair. “You need to talk to me, love,” he says. “You want a farmhouse, I’ll get you a farmhouse. I’ll fight your mum. I just need you to back me up.”

“I’ll tell her off, promise,” Phil says, leaning into him. Dan lets him press his face into his chest, curls an arm around Phil’s waist.

“Don’t do it if it’ll make it worse,” he says.

“You just said you wanted me to fight,” Phil reminds him.

“I didn’t mean- I don’t want you to fight with your mum. I just want you to be on my side.”

“I always am.”

PJ and Sophie’s spare bedroom is small, but Dan doesn’t need much space anyway. They leave the door cracked open when they curl together in the bed, and eventually Fuji wanders in and settles down by their feet, watching them.

“I don’t want to leave Martyn and Cornelia to do it alone,” Phil says.

“It’s killing you, love. I know it is. You keep it all so close to your chest, but you hate it.”

Phil groans, closing his eyes and nosing at the hollow of Dan’s throat. “I don’t know what else there is,” he admits. “The farmhouse thing- I’ve never fucking been to a farm.”

“Princess,” Dan sighs, petting his head affectionately. “Don’t worry, I’ll look after the farm.”

“Well then, I’ll handle my mum. I’ll tell her if she wants to see her grandbaby she’ll have to come visit us in the country.” Phil says, smiling up at him, big blue eyes bright. Dan laughs, kissing the top of his head.

“Wait, so- seriously, is that the plan? Do you- want to leave?” Dan asks, running a hand down Phil’s side to rest on his stomach.

Phil hums, kissing his collarbone. “I think- not just yet, but I don’t want to raise my child like this. Maybe- if Corn gets pregnant next heat, mum might calm down a bit. I don’t know. I’m so fucking tired, Dan.”

“No rush just yet,” Dan says gently. He horribly wants that life with Phil, but they can’t rush into anything. He wants it all to be perfect, as much as possible. He wants Phil to have everything Phil wants. “Besides, it’ll take time to find a place like you want. I’ll make it just right, I promise.”

“Just a small house,” Phil says.

“A small one,” Dan agrees. “Just enough space for us and the bub.”

“With a piano.”

“Of course.”

A few days later, Sophie takes Dan out to spar while PJ and Phil go to announce the end of their engagement. “It’s better for us not to be there,” Sophie reminds him as he glances over in the direction of the castle. “It’s a bad look for Phil to have his lover in the crowd. Pay attention to your stance.”

“I just want to support him,” Dan says, adjusting his feet. “But I know you’re right, I’m the seducer in all of this. I need to keep my distance for awhile, until he’s ready.”

Sophie laughs, lunging at him with her sword. He slides out of the way, knocking it aside. “You’re getting a hang of this politics stuff,” she says. “And the sword fighting, actually.”

“Well, they’re pretty similar,” he says. “Slip up, and you’re dead, right?”

“These are fake swords, but I see your point,” she says.

Dan laughs, dropping his sword to grab his water skin and take a long drink. It’s the middle of March, and one of the first truly nice days they’ve had since the long winter. It makes it hard to be really worried about anything, not with the sun on his face like this. For the first time, it feels like him and Phil are moving in the same direction, like they’ve got a plan. Or at least, something to shoot for.

Him and Sophie are collapsed in the dirt together when a pair of shadows looms over them.

“Well, this looks cozy,” PJ says. Dan cracks his eyes open, peering up at the two men standing over them. “Should I be jealous?”

Phil’s wearing a baggy sweater, the better to disguise his condition, and from this angle Dan can see practically the whole way up his chest. He reaches out to grab the hem with no real aim, grinning up at Phil. “Never,” Dan concludes. “How’d it all go?”

Phil sighs, sitting in the dirt next to Dan’s head and tugging at his sweat damp curls. “Mum’s not pleased,” he says. “I think she thought I wouldn’t really go through with it.”

“I’ve been told to be prepared for a new posting,” PJ says, laying down with his head on Sophie’s stomach. “I’m sure it won’t be a pleasant one.”

“Well, I go where you go,” Sophie sighs, propping herself up so PJ’s head slides further down onto her lap. “Is the seaside too much to hope for?”

“I’m happy to mind Fuji in the meantime,” Dan says, sliding up so he’s leaning back against Phil’s chest.

“Thank you Dan, that’s very generous,” PJ says.

“I mean, just until I find a nice farmhouse. You know.”

Phil laughs, sliding an arm around his waist and pressing his nose to the back of Dan’s neck. “You better watch out, I think he’s trying to steal your cat.”

Dan grins, tangling his fingers with Phil’s. “Cats are very useful on farms, Phil. This is one of those things you’re going to have to learn.”

It gets a bit chilly in the afternoon to stay there, so they wander back to PJ and Sophie’s. Phil doesn’t even suggest going back to the Palace, which pleases Dan’s possessive side greatly. This bit of distance feels like progress. No guards outside the door or worry who might see them, just the two of them and their closest friends. Soon enough, it’ll be their own place, but for now, Dan thinks, they’ve come out on top for once.

Chapter Text

“It just feels like I’m not really with you yet,” Phil says, on a quiet morning not too long after his engagement ended officially. They’re curled up in bed together, naked from how they fell asleep after sex the night before. “Like, I need to face it for real?”

Phil’s been staying over ever since Sophie and PJ left on their latest mission with the Cavalry, but they’re both aware they’re pushing their luck. They are still, very technically, within the Palace grounds, which means Phil’s parents are well within their rights to make him leave.

“You’re sure?” Dan asks, tracing a line up and down Phil’s bare side with his fingertips. Phil, always ticklish, grabs his hand, lacing their fingers together to get him to stop.

“Not really,” he admits. “I don’t know what the right thing is. I just don’t want you to be upset with me anymore.”

“I won’t be upset,” Dan says, lifting Phil’s hand to his mouth so he can kiss his soft skin. “I just want to know what you’re thinking.”

“I still want my parents to be a part of my baby’s life,” Phil says, voice soft and a little sad. Dan’s written a letter to his family, but he hasn’t sent it yet. He’s not sure how much he wants them to know. He doesn’t understand, really, the way Phil feels about his family, but he knows it’s important to Phil. And he knows he never wants his baby to feel unsure about telling them anything this important.

“If you want that, I want that,” he reassures him, sliding a hand over Phil’s stomach. At almost four months along, it’s starting to round out properly. Soon, they won’t have the option to keep it secret. It’s terrifying, knowing that this thing that was just theirs for so long is about to become a matter of public speculation. “I’ll follow your lead.”

Phil nods, his messy blonde hair tickling Dan’s face where his head is tucked into Dan’s shoulder. “We’re mated,” he says softly, reaching up to run his fingers over the almost healed scar on Dan’s neck. “So they can’t actually keep us apart.”

“Phil,” Dan says, sitting up straighter so he can look him in the eyes properly. “What if I proposed to you?”

Phil laughs, light and gentle, always Dan’s favorite sound. “You already have.”

“No, like publicly. What if I courted you? Went to the King and Queen and asked permission, and all?”

“It’s never been done before,” Phil says, frowning. “Two omegas.”

“Like you said, we’re mated and having a baby, it’s just a formality,” Dan says. “It might go over better if we did it the right way.”

Phil sighs, leaning up to kiss Dan very softly. “Okay,” he says. “But- we might not be able to see each other much, until it’s all official. We’d have to be very proper, chaperones and all.”

“You’re already pregnant, the damage is done,” Dan points out, rubbing his thumb gently on the swell of Phil’s stomach. Phil laughs, setting his hand on top of Dan’s.

“The point is to be seen doing it properly, even if everyone knows it’s a farce,” he says.

“Okay,” Dan agrees, leaning down to kiss him. “Then that’s what we’re doing.”

“Okay,” Phil says against his mouth. Dan loses himself in the kiss for a moment, the way he always does when he’s touching Phil. But then, he remembers the pinard horn tucked away with the baby clothes in his drawer,

“Wait,” he says, pulling back from Phil. “I want to try something. If we won’t be alone together for awhile.”

“Dan, what are you doing?” Phil whines, propping himself up on his elbows to watch Dan rifle through the drawer.

“I want to see if I can hear it,” he says, showing the horn to Phil. Phil rolls his eyes, but he leans back to give Dan full access to his stomach. Dan presses the horn against his skin and the other end to his ear, moving it around gently to try and hear the heartbeat.

“It might still be early, love,” Phil says, running a hand through Dan’s hair.

“Shush, I’m trying to concentrate,” Dan says. Phil is silent for a moment as Dan works. When he doesn’t hear anything, Phil scratches at his scalp very gently.

“We can go back to the midwife,” he suggests.

“No, I want to do it,” Dan says, moving the horn again. He doesn’t hear anything at first, then- there. A gentle thumping, barely there. It’s the most lovely thing he’s ever heard. “Oh.”

“Oh?” Phil sits up on his elbows, eyes wide.

“It’s-” Dan grins up at him, ear still pressed to the horn. “Yeah. It’s there.”

“Our baby has a heartbeat?” Phil’s voice is breathless, awed. Dan fumbles for his hand, not willing to pull away from the sound of their baby, alive and well, and Phil grabs it and brings it up to his mouth.

“We have a baby,” Dan confirms.

They stay like that for a moment, silent and still, soaking in the moment. The last moment they’ll be alone together, for now. Then, Dan’s hand twitches, and he loses it. He frowns, repositioning the horn again. There’s a strange sort of echo happening, like the small heartbeat is out of sync with itself. “I think I’m doing this wrong,” he says, pulling back finally. “I lost it.”

Phil laughs, pulling him up for a kiss. “That’s okay,” he says. “I’m sure she didn’t go far.”

“Oh, we’re having a girl?” Dan laughs, pressing Phil into the mattress.

“Well, just a hunch,” Phil says, curling an arm around his neck. They don’t talk very much after that, except for whispered pleas of more and right there and love you.

Phil leaves back to the Palace the next morning. It makes Dan feel strangely unsteady, not knowing where Phil is or when he’ll be back. And now that he’s actually heard the baby, he finds he doesn’t want either of them out of his sight. He’s nervous and pacing all day, at a total loss for what to do. He’s meant to be looking for work in town, looking for a farmhouse they can buy, but he decides it can wait another day. They have months yet to figure it out. Fuji follows him around the house, butting at his legs. Dan finally settles on the couch so she can lounge in his lap, and he wonders idly how Phil would feel about having a cat around the house.

Someone knocks at the door that evening, and- it can’t be that easy, can it? He can’t be back already. It’s too much to hope, but Dan does it anyway, breathless and wanting. He’s let down instantly.

“Oh. Hi, Martyn,” he says, deflating. That can’t possibly be a good sign.

“Can I come in?” the Prince asks.

Dan makes a pot of tea, because that’s about all he learned of hospitality in the finishing school. He hadn’t, strictly speaking, been attending his classes by the time he got kicked out. “Is he okay?” Dan asks.

“Yeah, fine!” Martyn assures him, stirring some sugar into his tea. They both know neither of them are going to drink it- like his brother, Martyn prefers coffee- but it’s the thought that counts. “He asked me to deliver something.”

He slides a letter across the table, and Dan picks at the wax absently. “What happened today?” he asks.

“Phil- agreed to a period of three week’s seclusion. It’s traditional when an omega is rejected in heat.”

“But he wasn’t!” Dan protests. He’d spent his last few heats with Dan, and Dan would never reject him.

“We all know that. It’s the story they could both agree on,” Martyn assures him. “After that, once he’s eligible for marriage again, he’s free to accept or reject any proposal he likes.”

Dan feels all of the tension go out of his body at once. Phil’s actually worked it out, just like he said. Less than a month, and they’ll be together for real. “So that’s it? Three weeks, and we can-”

“That’s the idea,” Martyn says. “I just want you to know- she’s not a bad person. She loves us, and she just wants the best.”

“Yeah, well, hard to forgive someone who thinks you’re just a little slut who seduced her kid,” Dan grumbles, swirling the teaspoon around the cup. Martyn winces.

“She’s-” he starts, and Dan raises an eyebrow. “Yeah, I get it. It’s just, she had one job, and she kind of failed. Everyone thought, two sons, strong alpha dad, all set, right? But- the thing is, everyone knew. When we were little. Neither of us were ever really the type. Me, they had hopes for, but him- no chance. By the time they realized I actually wasn’t, it was too late. They sent me off so no one would know, and I met Corn, and that was that. She’s hoping we do better, you know?”

“Yeah, real sad story,” Dan rolls his eyes. “I guess I’m the last straw, then. Her last hopes of at least one alpha to carry the bloodline, gone.”

“Me and Corn still could,” Martyn says. “Less likely, I guess, but we’ll see.”

Dan frowns, staring down at his tea. “She still hasn’t-” he says, and Martyn shakes his head.

“Midwife says it takes awhile. After a loss.”

“I’m sorry, by the way,” he says softly. He’s never really had a conversation with Phil’s brother, much as he’s friends with Cornelia. Martyn shrugs.

“We’ll get there,” he says. “When it’s our time.”

“For what it’s worth,” Dan says, “I think you’d be a fine King. Don’t know why they’re so set on an alpha.”

Martyn smiles, holding up his teacup. “Welcome to the family,” he says. Dan grins, clinking his against it.

“Thanks.”

“And congratulations.”

Dan waits until he leaves to pick the wax seal off of the letter. It’s Phil’s own emblem, his initials with a pigeon nested in the hollow of the P, so he’s careful not to break it, just peels it off carefully and sets it aside. It’s not a long letter, but it’s enough.

Dear Dan,

I’m sorry. I know this isn’t what you hoped or expected, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t know it was a possibility. Please understand this is the best way to ensure our freedom and our future. I know you don’t think highly of the protocols that dictate my life, but I hope you can accept their place in this. I hope you see me not as a child cowing to his mother, but as a parent trying to secure the best possible life for my child.

I already miss you terribly and will be impatiently waiting until we can be united again, for good this time. Love forever,

Phil

Chapter Text

Dear Phil, 

I don’t understand but I trust you, of course I do. I only ever want what’s best for you and bub. Do what you need to do and I’ll be here waiting. 

All my love, 

Dan. 

“Will you sit down? You’re making me nervous,” Cornelia says. She’s splayed out a soft chair tucked in the corner of Phil’s room, watching him pace the floor. They’re bending the rules a bit, but seeing as the whole thing is a ruse, Phil doesn’t quite care. At least he has company. 

“It’s so short,” he says, waving Dan’s letter in his hand. “Why is it so short?” 

“What do you want him to say, love?” Cornelia sighs. 

Phil groans, collapsing to his bed. He’s moody and petty and lovesick, and he has no one to blame but himself. Dan would have run away with him weeks ago, if he'd asked. Or even if he hadn't- Dan's been chomping at the bit to run away with him.

He’s also just plain sick, all the time. Everyone’s said that would pass by this point, but he’s still been sick at least once a day. He doesn’t want Dan to know that, though. He doesn’t want him to worry. He covers his eyes, blocking out the light. He's got a headache, as well as being sick. Lucky him. 

“You’re not helping,” he mutters, closing his eyes and folding his hands over his stomach. Almost as if in response to his touch, his stomach does a little flip. It’s a barely there sensation, a gentle flutter. “Oh!” 

Cornelia sits up straighter. “You okay?” she asks, half rising out of her seat. Phil waves her away with his hand. 

“No, it’s- I think the baby moved,” he says, heart in his throat. He feels as if he could float away with it, happy and hopeful. And all he wants in the whole damn world is to tell his mate about it. So, really, he’s fucked.

Dear Dan, 

Thank you. You don’t know what it means to me to have your support. We will be together before you know it. 

I do miss you terribly. I think our baby does too. Corn has been keeping us company, so you shouldn’t worry about us, but I’m counting down the days. I confess I’m bored to tears stuck in this room, so I beg of you to tell me something interesting about your day. I want to know everything you’re doing, love. Us, there’s not much to tell. Corn is still very impatiently waiting for her heat, so I think we are driving one another slightly crazy. 

Love, 

Phil (and baby) 

Dan feels weird going to see the midwife on his own, but he’s not sure where else to go. It’s not like he knows that many people in town, and not many people are willing to hire an omega, especially not one with a mating bite. A single omega, that's different, but one with a mate, looking for work outside the home? That's a harder sell. 

But he does have a family to support, so he goes to see Midwife Susan.  

“Sorry to bother you,” he says, once he’s settled in the sitting room with a warm cup of tea in his hands. 

“You’re not a bother,” she assures him. “It’s my job to see your baby safely into the world, but it’s also my job to make sure they have a safe place to land once they’re here.” 

“I’m trying to buy a house,” Dan says. “A farmhouse. Outside the city. That’s what he wants, anyway.” 

The midwife nods. “I’ve heard the Princess is in seclusion,” she says gently. Dan shrugs, taking a sip of his tea. It’s slightly too hot, and he’s taken slightly too big of a sip, so it goes down unpleasantly. 

“I want to find a house by the time that’s done,” he says, once he’s recovered. “I want to be settled when I ask the Queen for his hand.” 

“That’s a very short time frame,” she says. 

“I want to prove I can take care of them. I don’t want him to worry.” 

She nods. “Well then, we’ll see what we can do.” 

Dear Phil, 

I’ve found work with our midwife. Just helping her out with whatever she needs. She’s said I can train as a midwife, but I’m not sure I’m suited to that work. Still, the money is good, so there’s that. 

Something interesting? What do you want to know? 

Well, when I was walking today, I saw some blue flowers, the exact color of your eyes. I picked some for the vase in the kitchen here, but I’ll send some along for you, too. Midwife Susan says you should be feeling bub moving soon, and by the time I see you they should be kicking. Oh, and the best news- Susan has got a piano, and she’s said I’m welcome to play it any time. I have to practice so I can teach our baby, after all. 

Tell Cornelia I’m rooting for her and Martyn. They’re both welcome to come by any time, by the way. I’d love to see them. Not as much as I’d love to see you, though. 

Love, 

Dan

Phil nearly starts crying when Cornelia comes in with the little bundle of blue flowers. Being loved by Dan is- so much. He's so much. He's everything. He drives Phil crazy, and they fight all the time, and Phil could never, never love anyone more. And what hurts the most, Phil thinks, is that Dan doesn't see it. He doesn't understand how crazy Phil is about him. And maybe Phil has been slightly uncareful with Dan, hasn't done enough to prove that he really does want this. He wants the farmhouse, and the flowers, and the piano. Dan does so much for him, and what is Phil doing? Selfish, that's what he is. 

“Are you okay?” Corn asks, concerned. Phil busies himself with filling a little jar with water, finding just the right place on the windowsill for the precious flowers. The same color as your eyes. 

Phil has had a great many people calling him beautiful in his life- that's not him being vain, it's a fact. But this- these fragile flowers, picked because they remind his lover of him- this is the most beautiful, the most cared for, he's ever felt. It's a bit sad, really, but Dan cares for him so well. 

“I miss him,” is all he says. Corn nods, taking his hand gently. 

“You know,” she says, “I've been thinking of seeing a midwife. I mean, I've spoken to the Palace physician, but I don't think an alpha can really tell me what's wrong, you know?” 

Phil frowns, struggling to connect the dots in his head. “Okay,” he says. “That sounds smart?” 

“I think it would be good to have someone visit me here, for privacy.” 

“So- get a midwife, then,” he says. 

“Phil,” Corn sighs. “Give me the name of your midwife so I can write her.” 

“My midwife?” 

“I'm going to invite your midwife,” she says slowly, “who currently employs your mate, to the palace.” 

“Oh!” Phil laughs, leaning over to kiss her cheek. “Yes, that is a good idea!” 

Midwife Susan- 

Princess Cornelia has requested a midwife to ease her mind after failing to conceive on her first mating heat. This is a matter that requires utmost discretion, and as you are trusted by Princess Phil your presence has been requested to examine both of the Princesses. 

-Her Majesty Queen Kathryn

Dan is in the middle of playing through a piece of music he's found in the piano bench when the door opens and Susan walks in. 

“Oh! I forgot you were in today,” she says. “I've just been with a new mother across town.” 

“It's fine,” Dan says. “I just organized your office and grabbed the mail, and then I figured I'd just wait to see if you needed anything else.” His hands twitch where they're still on the keys, but not with enough pressure to make a sound. He's not sure why he's nervous, but keeping this job is important to him. 

Also, he'd seen a letter with the official royal seal in the stack he'd set on Susan's desk. He doesn't think the Queen is vindictive enough to find out where he's working and get him fired, but you never know. 

He watches her break the wax seal on the letter. “Oh!” she says, glancing up at him. “I've been asked to come see the Princesses. Apparently, The Prince's wife is quite nervous about conceiving and requested me personally.”

“Cornelia's had a misscarriage and her heats haven't come back,” Dan says. “It makes sense Phil would recommend you, I guess.” 

“Hm,” she says, folding the page back up. “Well, I know you don't usually come with me to see patients, but I think I may need you if I'm to see them both.” 

“She won't let me in,” Dan mumbles, pressing one key down. It's on the lower end of the scale, a single depressing note. 

“Let me handle that,” Susan says. “I'm perfectly entitled to bring an assistant.” 

Your Majesty the Queen- 

I would be pleased to see Princess Cornelia, and check in on Princess Phil. However, as I will be seeing two patients, I shall be bringing my assistant. He is a hard working young man and his discretion is assured. Thank you for your trust. 

Your humble servant, 

Midwife Susan

“Phil, again with the pacing,” Cornelia says. Phil can't help it. It's the day the midwife is coming on Cornelia's invitation. 

“What if he's not with her?” he asks. 

“She requested to bring her assistant,” Cornelia says. 

“But what if she doesn't let him in?” he asks. He does want  to see the midwife, to check on the baby, but the possible inclusion of Dan is making him nervous and twitchy. 

“It'll be fine, Phil,” she sighs. 

But what if it's not? What if Dan doesn't come? What if Susan can't find the baby’s heartbeat, and Dan isn't even here to hold his hand? 

There's a knock at the door, and as Cornelia goes to open it, Phil's stomach rolls unpleasantly, and he runs to empty his stomach in the basin that's been left there for just that purpose. 

–

“I can't believe they actually let me in,” Dan mumbles, fidgeting with the sleeve of his shirt nervously. 

“I told you it would be fine,” Susan says, hitting his hand. “Stop fidgeting.” 

The guards knock at the door, and Dan just sees Cornelia's soft red hair over their shoulders. “Midwife Susan and- Daniel, Princess,” the guard says. 

“Well, let them in!” Cornelia says. As soon as the guards step aside, she throws herself at Dan. “I can't believe it actually worked,” she whispers in his ear. “Phil's been a mess.” 

“I need-” he starts, and then Phil steps up behind her, and Dan only feels a little bad when he pushes Corn aside to hug him. Phil lets out a little strangled laugh, clinging a little too tight to Dan's shirt. 

“I'm sorry,” Phil gasps, nosing at his mating gland. “Love, I'm so sorry.” 

“No, no, you're fine,” Dan says, kissing the side of his head. “You're fine. It doesn't matter.” 

Chapter Text

“I'm sorry, I'm so sorry,” he mumbles into Dan's neck. 

Phil barely knows what he's apologizing for. All he knows is that he needs Dan to know- needs him to know that if it was truly up to him, they'd never be apart. Needs him to know that their family, him and Dan and their baby, are the most important to him. That he was scared before, but now he's sure. And Dan, his Dan, always steady, understands. Of course he does. He rubs Phil's back gently, murmuring soft words into his hair, and Phil relaxes entirely for the first time in days.

Dan smells like fresh dirt and rain, heavy and comforting. It’s Phil’s favorite smell ever. He loves that he can smell it on himself, more and more every day. 

But he has to pull back, because Corn and Susan are both watching them, and he’s a bit embarrassed to be so enthusiastically scenting Dan in public. 

“Susan,” he says, clearing his throat. He can’t even look at Dan if he wants to focus on anything. He can still smell him though, close enough to touch. “So lovely to see you again.” 

“You as well, Princess,” she says, patting his face. “How are you  feeling, dear?” 

“I've been- well,” he says, casting a glance over to Dan. “Tired.”

“He's been a mess,” Corn says, rolling her eyes. Betrayer . 

“Well,” Susan says. “Separation from your mate during pregnancy can be stressful. Let's go and make sure your baby is well, yes?” 

  They go back to Phil's bedroom, where Susan has him lie back so she can examine his stomach. “How long is it now?” she asks, pressing against his stomach gently. 

“Uh- eighteen weeks?” Phil says, glancing over to Dan. Dan reaches over to grab his hand, warm and comforting. 

“I think that's right,” he says. 

“Right,” she says. “You're a little bigger than I'd have expected, but nothing to worry about. Let's see if we can hear baby.” 

“Madeline,” Dan says automatically, and Phil squeezes his hand gratefully. 

Madeline. He doesn't even know she's a girl, really. He'd be happy either way, he thinks, but- he has a feeling. He's always been perceptive like that. 

Those awful early days, when he was too scared to tell Dan about her, sick and mortified and scared, he'd needed desperately to have something to hope for. So he'd named her, of course he had. His little secret. It had taken longer to give up the name to Dan, to let him in properly. He has nothing to be really scared of now, though. Dan has proved that again and again. 

“Right,” Susan says, and she has the decency not to sound surprised. “Madeline. Let's see where she's at.” 

Phil watches her press the horn into his stomach, gripped with fear. Dan had just heard her, before he'd gone into seclusion. She's been moving like crazy, she's fine. He still doesn't quite breathe until Susan ushers Dan over to hear. 

“She’s very strong,” she says approvingly, and Phil preens. Not that he has anything to do with her heartbeat, but- he made her, and she's growing. He’s kept her safe. 

“I heard something kind of weird the other day,” Dan says, and Susan nods. 

“Could be all kinds of things,” she says, moving the horn around again. “Right. Come here.” 

Dan nods, pressing his ear to the horn again. “What do you hear?” she asks. Dan frowns, brow furrowed, and Phil sits up as far as he's able. 

“Is something wrong?” he asks. 

“That's her heartbeat,” Dan says, and Susan nods and moves it again. 

“And now?” 

“Uh- wait,” Dan says, gripping Phil's hand hard. “Is that-” 

“What do you hear, Dan?” Phil begs, glancing from one to the other. “Is she okay?” 

“It's- another heartbeat,” Dan says, frowning at Susan. “Is it?” 

“Congratulations, Princess,” she says, smile wide and genuine. “You've got twins.” 

Susan leaves them alone when she goes to speak with Cornelia, which Phil is grateful for. He feels as though he's in shock, his hands shaking a bit as he pulls Dan next to him on the bed. Dan nuzzles into his neck, and Phil grips tight at his shoulders. 

“Dan,” he says, scratching at Dan's back a bit, desperate and nervous. “Did you really?” 

“Yeah,” Dan says, settling a hand on Phil's stomach. “Two of them. I thought I messed it up the other day, but I heard it then too.” 

Phil nods, kissing the top of his head. “I don't know what to think,” he admits. He'd gotten used to the thought of his Madeline. He loves Madeline. And of course, of course he loves both of his babies, how could he not? It's just that the entire world has shifted just a little bit in the last few minutes to make room for a baby he hasn't chosen a name for yet. Oh god, they don't even have a name. And how could he have two babies growing inside of him and not know it?

His breathing goes rough and panicked, and Dan just holds him tight, steadying him. “I don't either,” he says quietly, kissing Phil's face over and over again. “We'll figure it out.”

Then, he slides down the bed to press two gentle kisses to the small swell of Phil's stomach. In response to their father’s touch, the babies flip in his stomach. Phil smiles, tangling his fingers in Dan's curly hair. His babies will have that hair, he hopes. Not like his fine, straight hair, but thick curls and dark eyes. Yeah, that would be nice.

“Love you both,” Dan whispers against his skin, so quiet Phil can barely hear. He closes his eyes, blinking back tears, and scratches Dan's scalp gently. 

“You have to pick a name,” he decides. “I named Madeline, you have to pick the other one.” 

“Okay,” Dan says, leaning up to kiss Phil. “Yeah, I'll name them.”

They hold each other for as long as they're allowed, and Dan hums a half familiar lullabye into his hair. They'll be fine. They'll be absolutely perfect. 

Dan leaves too soon, and Phil almost runs after him. Almost gives up the whole silly game, just leave and never look back. But- there are two of them now, and as much as she's been driving him crazy lately all Phil wants is his mum. He knows Dan still doesn't really get it. It's fine, really it is. He doesn't need Dan and his mum to get along, but he selfishly and horribly desperately wants them both in his life. Wants his kids to have everything. So he invites her to tea a few days after the midwife's visit. 

“Hello, mother,” he says, kissing her cheek. 

“Child,” she says. “You look pale, are you well?” 

“It's the pregnancy,” he says. “Midwife gave me herbs for my stomach, but I've not been able to eat much.” 

His mum nods, taking her seat and watching the maid she's made him rehire pour them both tea. “And what did Midwife say?” she asks. Phil cups his hands around the warm tea, staring into his own pale reflection in it's surface. 

“She- found two heartbeats,” he says quietly. “They're both strong. Healthy.” 

“And Daniel?” she asks, raising an eyebrow. Phil cringes, not looking up from his tea. “That was a clever trick. I thought we agreed.” 

“Three week's seclusion, I know,” he says. 

“And you did a week and a half, if we don't count Cornelia, and then you had your- lover snuck in under the guise of concern for your sister.” 

“Mate,” he corrects. “And I didn't know for sure she'd bring him.” He sips at the tea, which is bland, but that's exactly what he needs right now. Maybe it won't turn his stomach as bad, at least. 

“But you thought she might?” 

“I knew he was working there,” he admits. “He's trying to support us, mum. You should be happy.” 

“I'd be a lot more happy if you just did as you were told for once in your life, Philip,” she sighs. Phil frowns, settling a hand on his stomach. It's hard to wrap his head around, becoming a parent to two little lives and sitting here being scolded like a child at the same time. Years of being a Princess have him wanting to bend to his mother's will, but it's not exactly about him anymore.

“You didn't even congratulate me,” he says quietly. “I told you I'm having twins, and you were too busy telling me off to listen.”

His mum sighs, setting her tea down. “What do you want me to say, honestly? I love you, but my omega baby pregnant out of the mating bond with another omega? I worry about you, Philip.”

“I am mated,” he argues. And that's the root of the problem, really. She doesn't see the bond as genuine. She never will. “And I'm scared, mum,” he admits for the first time. “I'm scared, and I need you, but- I need him more. And if it comes down to a choice, I'm choosing the father of my children every time.” It rolls out of him without him quite meaning it to, but it's true. Dan is more important. Madeline and her sibling need him. Phil needs him. 

“But you're my baby. Can't you see I'm just trying to protect you?” she says, reaching out to take his hand. Phil pulls back, folding his hands into his lap so she can't see how they want to fidget.

“Well, I don't need protecting. They do. I'm a grown omega, and they're tiny and helpless and they have to rely on me, they haven't got any choices! I have to make the right ones.” 

“Well. I think you're going to be a good mum, I really do. But children need an alpha.”

“They don't have one! They have me, and they have Dan, and we're all they need. I don't know why you can't see that. I can't keep going around in circles with you forever.” He stands up too quickly, nearly overturning his tea. “If you're not going to be happy for me, or at least helpful, I don't know why we're even doing this! Christ, did you expect I'd fold the second you got me away from him and pick a proper alpha?” 

She's silent at that, and Phil groans and runs a hand through his hair. “You did! You thought I'd give it up if I couldn't see him! He's my mate , mum! My babies’ father!” 

“I just wanted you to realize you've got options,” she sighs. 

“I don't want options! If I wanted an alpha I'd already be married, I've made my choice!” His stomach rolls, the all too familiar sickness settling over him. “Can you- I need you to go,” he says, covering his face with his hands. “I've got a headache. I need to rest.” 

“I love you, Phil,” she sighs, putting a hand on his shoulder. He shakes it off. 

“Please, I need to be alone,” he says. 

Dear Dan- 

I thought it would be easier if I got to see you, but I miss you even more terribly now. I've just had a rather unproductive conversation with my mum, and all I want is you. I don't know what I'm doing this for anymore. I can't wait for us to be a proper family. I can't stop thinking about you hearing their heartbeats. It's strange, now that I know there's two of them, how I can feel them moving separately. Or maybe I'm making it up, I don't know. Remember about the name, we're all counting on you.

Love you forever, 

Phil and the twins (Madeline and who?) 

Chapter Text

Dearest Daniel, 

I was very pleased to receive your happy news. Know that we love and support you no matter what, and your and the Princess’s coming child will be a blessing to the family. 

Also- I seem to have misplaced a book I was hoping to read, did it slip into your bags? If so, put it in the post to me, or I can gather it when I come to meet your family. 

Much love, 

Veronica

Dan- 

Congratulations on your happy family. I knew your going away was the best thing, as there could be no such happiness for you here at home. 

Your father was very displeased when he heard, and was only cheered somewhat when he heard that your intended mate was the Princess. Please, do not send money- anything he says or asks of you is not genuine, and only serves himself. I love and miss you, and your grandmother and I would very much like to come and visit once your child is born. 

-Mum

Daniel-

If you had to mate with another omega, I suppose you’ve done well to pick as you have. I am sure the Princess has a suitable dowry, which in place of a proper alpha mate can be sent along to your family, who suffer so in the fields of Winnersh. Remember you have a brother who has not been so lucky as you and will need your support. 

The letters come all bundled together in one envelope, and he tosses his father’s straight in the fire. As it happens, Phil does have a dowry, but they’re determined to use it for their own children. Besides, the Howells have not offered up any dowry, if they had anything to offer, so Dan doesn’t really owe them anything. 

He would like to have his mother and grandmother up to stay once the twins are born, but first he has to find a place to live- challenging, for an omega without much to his name. Until they’re married properly, the Queen isn’t going to give up any money, so Dan is quite on his own here. 

He’s in Susan’s office, counting out how many days he’ll have to work to buy even a modest country home and despairing over the number, when a familiar looking omega walks in, baby swaddled to his chest, a pleasant looking beta man at his side. 

“Here to see Midwife?” Dan asks, and then- “Oh! I bought your knitting at the market.” 

“I remember,” the omega says. “We’re here for our well baby check.” 

“Right,” Dan says, shifting through the appointment list. “She’s expecting you. Congratulations, by the way. She’s beautiful.” Dan was never really into the whole baby thing, but now he can’t get enough of them. Every baby who comes through Midwife Susan’s care has him melting, his parental instincts kicking in. It won’t be too long now, before he has two of his own- and Susan’s said twins often come early, so he’s moved the date up in his head to sometime at the end of summer. 

“Thanks,” the omega says. “Uh- I don’t mean to pry, but last time I saw you, you were- expecting? I’m sorry if something happened.” 

“Oh! No, that’s my mate,” Dan says proudly. “He’s still expecting. Twins, actually.” 

The omega’s face brightens. “Congratulations!” 

“Yeah, we’re so pleased,” Dan says. Well, he’s pleased. Phil had seemed- worried. And that makes Dan worried, especially because he can’t see Phil right now. He has no idea how he’s doing other than his little notes and Cornelia’s word. “Actually- I was wondering. I only bought the one sweater, could you possibly help me make another?” 

“For sure,” the omega says. Susan comes bustling out a moment later, and the little family is swept back into the back room. Dan, cheered as always by talking about his family, goes back to his budgeting with a renewed fervor. He’s got one sheet of numbers, and another of names- as many as he can think of, ones which sound good paired with Madeline. He’s not as sure of the gender as Phil is, so he’s hedging his bets. Abigail or Arthur, Joseph or Josephine? None of them are quite right, but he’s narrowing it down. Phil had asked him to pick, so he’s determined to find one that’s perfect. 

“I just don’t think I’m making enough,” he tells Susan, after she’s finished her appointments for the day. “We’re almost halfway through, I’m running out of time.” 

“Does he not have a dowry?” she asks, pouring him a cup of tea. 

“He does, but I’m not sure when we’ll get it, if we get it,” he sighs, wrapping his hands around the warm mug. “The Queen could choose to withhold it, if she doesn’t approve. And she doesn’t.” 

“Well,” Susan says, considering. “If you needed a little more, my son has just sent me some money to hire a laborer for a little cottage we’re fixing up to sell. I’m too old to be making the trip out, and none of my children have much interest in the house, so better to go to some young family.” 

“Yeah, that would be great!” he says, gears turning in his head. If he fixes up this house for Susan, if he learns how, maybe he’ll be able to buy an older house and do all the work himself to save money. Maybe he’ll buy it off her, if the price is good. If it’s suitable. Now he knows they’re having two, he’s not sure any of the ones he’s been eyeing will be the right size. They’ll need their own space, when they’re older.  

“Good. It’s about half a day’s walk from here, not too far from the city for you to manage it. I’d like it done as soon as possible, so take as much time away from the office as you need.” 

The day before he’s meant to go see Susan’s house, Dan goes into town to get supplies for the journey. It’s not a very long one, but he’s planning to stay a night or two at the house so he doesn’t have to make it too often. He’s standing at a market stall, considering whether or not he strictly needs new boots- it's summer, but it may still rain, and his are developing holes in odd places-  when a familiar voice calls out to him. He turns, half-shocked, and scoops Dodie into his arms with a laugh. 

“You rascal, we all thought you’d left the city!” She says, smacking his arm. “You couldn’t write a letter before you disappeared into the night?” 

“I did not disappear, I was asked not to return,” he says. “The Queen was not best pleased with my behavior.” 

“Well, the rumor is,” Dodie starts, and this is why he loves her so- she’s a natural gossip, but she’s so kind about it no one would dare accuse her of any wrong-doing. “Sir PJ caught you with the Princess, and that’s why you both left town in such a hurry. You in shame, and he heartbroken, and the Princess meanwhile left alone and pregnant.” 

Dan winces. “Well- that’s not exactly it,” he says.  “They still think he’s pregnant? Why is that?” 

“Well, he’s been quite ill,” Dodie says, a bit hesitant, like she’s afraid Dan will be upset. “And- he’s sort of- I would never say it, you know, but the other omegas- they think he’s looking a little rounder, generally.” 

“I wish they would stop talking about him like that,” Dan grumbles. 

“And then there’s- have you heard about the ball?” she asks. Dan has not heard about the ball, possibly because he was never intended to be invited. The world shifts around him, and he leans against the market stall for balance, suddenly sick and confused. 

“Tell me,” he says. Dodie frowns, reaching for his hand. 

“Are you well?” 

“Just- tell me what’s happening,” he says, squeezing his eyes shut. 

“The Princess is- re-entering society,” she says, “once his seclusion is up. There’s to be a ball, to find him a new mate. We all think it’s rather hasty, and what other reason but to cover up an inadvisable pregnancy?” 

“The Queen is still trying to find him an alpha,” Dan sighs. So that’s it, then. They’re never to know peace, if she can help it. Here he is, picking out names and saving up for a house, and Phil will never be free of his mother’s disapproval. “Dodie- I need you to get me in,” he says. “I presume you’re all going? If there’s to be eligible alphas in attendance?” 

“It’s a masquerade,” she says, “If I can get you an invite, you’ll get in the door.”

Chapter Text

Dan spends most of the time before the ball at the little cottage in the country. It's not strictly in the countryside, he supposes, more on the outskirts of town, but it's far enough from the city that he can feel himself start to relax a little bit. It really is a lovely little house, with a chicken coop in the back and a little stream running through the garden. It's all a little overgrown, and there are serious problems with the actual structure that have to be dealt with before he can even begin that work, but he sees it's potential. He starts mapping it out in his mind- which of the little rooms could be Madeline's and which will be her sibling's, whether or not they can fit two cribs alongside the bed in the bigger room, where they would put a piano. It's not their house yet, though, and he doesn't want to get his hopes up. But he does start to work on the tiny sweater in the evenings when he isn't working or rushing back to Susan's or trying to get a masquerade costume in order. 

His knitting isn't as neat as the one he'd bought, but he's very careful with the tiny stitches, and it's coming along okay, he thinks. He badly wants to show Phil, but he wants it to be perfect. Phil is so stressed out by this pregnancy, Dan just wants to make everything right. 

By the time the ball arrives, Dan feels like he hasn't seen Phil in ages. It's been less than three weeks, but every day counts when it comes to the twins, and Dan hates how much he's missing. But his costume is in order and Dodie has his invite sorted, so if all goes well he'll be with Phil by sundown. He fiddles with his mask as they approach the Palace, and Dodie slaps his hand down.

“Act like you’ve been invited,” she says, looping her arm through his. “She won’t even notice an extra omega, she’s too focused on the Princess’s suitors.”

“I should be his only suitor,” he grumbles. Dodie squeezes his arm, and he catches a whiff of her comforting lemon scent. He really has misses her. Dan hadn’t quite enjoyed his time at the finishing school, but Dodie had always been a true friend and supporter.

“Is it true?” she asks, after a moment. “About the baby?”

“Babies,” Dan corrects automatically. “Yeah. They’re mine,” he hurries to clarify. “I mean, even if they weren’t, he’s mine, so. We’re doing the thing.”

She laughs, squeezing his arm again. “That’s sweet,” she says. “So- what’s the plan?”

Dan shrugs. “I thought the plan was to get engaged right after his seclusion- I mean, he said that was the plan, but now I’m not sure. His mum isn’t making it easy.”

“Why is it up to her, though?” she asks.

“I’ve been asking that the entire time,” he sighs. They’ve come to the Palace gates now, and Dan holds his breath as Dodie produces their invitations. And then they’re through the gates and into the party, and Dan immediately starts peering over everyone’s heads- it’s easy to find Phil when they’re both taller than most people in the room, even masked, even when there are hundreds of scents muddling the air between them.

He spots a blonde head looming above the crowd, the anonymity of the cat face mask he’s wearing somewhat spoiled by the tiara nestled in his hair. Phil tilts his pretty head back to laugh at something Cornelia is saying, and Dan’s breath catches in his chest. He’s so, so pretty, and he looks so regal at official events, and Dan loves him endlessly. He pushes through the crowd without shame, and the closer he gets the clearer Phil’s scent cuts through everything else. With how infrequently Dan gets to see him lately, the changes in his scent are even more evident, and it makes him a little bit dizzy with wanting. Phil frowns a little, glancing around the crowd, and Dan pinpoints the exact moment he catches Dan’s scent, his face breaking into open joy.

“May I have this dance, Princess?” he asks, bowing low and holding one hand out. Phil giggles, bright and happy, and slips his hand into Dan’s.

“I would be honored,” he says. Dan grins, sweeping him to the far edges of the ballroom where the crowd is a little thinner.

“You smell so nice,” Dan says, and Phil giggles.

“Well, you would think so, they’re your babies,” he says, beaming at him in the low candlelight. “I wasn’t expecting you to be here,”

“I’m crashing your party, Love,” he says, placing a hand on Phil’s waist gently. “I can’t let just anyone make you an offer.”

Phil frowns, pressing closer to him- closer than propriety admits for a waltz, but not nearly close enough for Dan. “Mum still thinks if she just finds the right alpha-”

“I really am sorry,” Dan says, leading him through the dance steps. “I know how badly you wanted it to work out.”

Phil chews on his bottom lip, eyes glued to their feet. “I just don’t know what’s the right thing to do,” he says.

“Hey, seriously,” Dan says, squeezing his hand. “How are you doing?”

Phil shrugs. “I want to be happy, and proud to be doing this with you, but- Dan, I’m sick all the time, and I’m so tired, and I don’t want anything else to change.”

Dan drops the hand from Phil’s waist so he can tug him further away from the dance floor. They make their way out to the gardens, where the light doesn’t quite reach, Phil’s face cast in shadows. Dan pushes both of their masks up to kiss him gently, resting a hand on Phil’s stomach. Phil smiles, placing his hand over Dan’s.

“They moved, just then,” he says quietly. “They recognize their dad.”

“How are our babies?” he asks. Phil hums happily, tangling their fingers together.

“Good, I think. Moving a lot lately, I think I can tell the difference.” He slides Dan’s hand over a bit to demonstrate. “This is Madeline, she’s so wiggly. And- oh! Have you thought about what I asked you?”

“I have,” Dan says, grinning. “It’s a big decision, I’m taking it very seriously.”

He’s aware they were just having quite a serious conversation, but he wants to keep Phil smiling as much as he can. Susan says stress is bad for the twins, and being apart from his mate is stressful enough.

“But you’ll tell me as soon as you decide?” Phil asks.

“Of course,” he promises, kissing Phil’s cheek. “So this is Madeline, where is the other?”

“Right- here,” Phil says, moving his hand again. Dan can’t quite feel the babies move just yet, but it’s enough to know that Phil can.

“I need to tell you,” he says, grinning, “I think I found a house.”

Phil beams, squeezing Dan’s hand where it rests on his stomach. “You did?”

“I still need to work out a few things, but it’s not too far from the city, and there’s enough room for four, and land for a garden and maybe some chickens,” he says.

“And a piano,” Phil reminds him.

“We’ll get one,” Dan promises, wrapping an arm around Phil’s waist to pull him close. Phil giggles, wrapping his arms around Dan’s neck. But then, quite suddenly, his smile falls, and he hides his face in Dan’s neck.

“I know what has to happen,” he whispers, “but I’m so scared.”

Dan sighs, kissing the top of his head. “Take your time,” he says gently. “The house isn’t ready yet, we have time.”

“If I wait too long I’m afraid she’ll do something to ruin it all,” he mumbles. Dan just holds him tighter, swaying to the music he can almost hear from the ballroom.

--

Phil can’t stay out in the gardens forever, much as he wants to. He’s a bit too close to asking Dan to take him away right now, but it’s not the right time. He’s afraid, deep down, that it will never be the right time. There’s always something, and it’s all so overwhelming. Dan disappears into the crowd when he spots the Queen, leaving Phil to handle his mum on his own.

“There you are, dear child,” she says, fixing his mask. “How is the party? Met anyone nice?”

“All of the alphas are terribly dull,” he sighs, twitching away from his mother’s hands. “Mum, no one wants a pregnant omega.”

“Don’t be silly, it’s not like anyone knows.”

“Of course they do,” he grumbles. “Everyone knows. Everyone talks.”

She frowns, reaching up to tuck a lock of his hair back under his tiara. “You smell like him,” she says.

“Well, mother, they’re his babies,” he says, taking a half step back and folding his arms over his stomach nervously. “I always smell like him.”

“Is he here?” she asks, raising an eyebrow.

“Mum, I’m doing everything you ask. I haven’t sneaked my mate into the ball where you’re insisting on introducing me to other men, I promise,” he sighs. He’s exhausted, deep down to his bones. All he wants is Dan, all the time. He hasn’t been able to sleep properly since he came back home, and he horribly regrets ever leaving.

His mother tuts, displeased. “Well. I have someone I’d like you to dance with, in any case,” she sighs, ushering him back towards the dance floor. The alpha she introduces him to is some Lord or other. He’s terribly dull, with an unremarkable face and a smell Phil can’t quite place.

“Pleasure,” Phil mumbles as the man makes his introductions and leads him onto the floor. He’s distracted, he knows he is, keeping an eye out for Dan. The alpha’s grip on his waist is a little too tight, his touch making Phil squirm.

“I take it the Queen is hoping for a quick engagement, before anyone notices you haven’t had your time,” the alpha drones, and Phil’s blood turns to ice. He tries to pull away, testing the alpha’s strength subtly. “Of course, Princess or no it’s hard to sell a spurned omega.”

“I was not spurned,” he says curtly. “And I believe this dance is over.”

“You have to know what they’re all saying about you,” the man says forcefully, and suddenly his scent hits Phil stronger.

“Please let me go,” he says calmly, trying to tug his hand free. His stomach rolls unhappily, no doubt his babies reacting to the unfamiliar scent.

“Tell me, little Princess, are you bad in bed, or just flighty?” he asks. “Of course, I’ve heard the other rumors- did the good Knight leave you because you can’t get it up for an alpha?”

“What the fuck did you say to him?” Dan demands, and suddenly there’s a familiar body shoving it’s way between them. Phil gasps, stumbling back. “You should be ashamed, talking to a Princess like that!”

“Ah, you must be the omega,” the man sighs. “I can smell you all over him. I would consider taking you both on, for the right price.”

“If you think I’m going to let you touch him-” Dan says.

“Dan,” Phil whispers, grabbing his wrist. “It’s okay, please-”

Dan turns, taking in Phil’s face. He imagines he looks quite pale, because Dan sighs and cups his face gently. “Are you okay?” he asks. Phil nods, eyes slipping shut. He sways into Dan’s body, warm and familiar and comforting. His head goes suddenly light, and there’s a terrible moment where he knows exactly what’s happening before everything goes black.

Chapter Text

Two days before Dan turns nineteen, less than a year since he’s left home, his babies are the size of an ear of corn- probably smaller, Susan said twins come smaller- and they might be dying, and Dan can’t fucking breathe. He’s choking, and it might as fucking well happen, because shortly after Phil passed out in his arms for the second time in his pregnancy, he’d started bleeding. If Phil- he can’t think it, can’t even conceive of it. He doesn’t want a world without Phil. He’s barely had Phil for any time, and it’s not enough.

And the babies- he hasn’t had them at all. For months Phil has been feeling their every movement, feeling them grow, and Dan has been kept at a horrible distance. He hasn’t even named them, the one thing that has been asked of him. The one thing he can control in this whole shitty situation.

It’s too soon. Two ears of corn. He could lose all three of them, and that would be the end of him. The end of everything. “Susan, please,” he begs, gripping her hand hard. Too hard, but she doesn’t even wince. “Please, you have to- I can’t lose anyone. I just can’t lose them.”

“No one is dying today, Dan,” she says, squeezing his hand back just as hard.

And then she hurries in to save everything in the world that Dan loves. And he’s alone, in the silence of the corridor. He can hear his own ragged breathing, his heartbeat. Please, let them be okay.

He’s not sure what amount of time it is before he hears the soft clicking of shoes, and the Queen rounds the corner. Her face is pale and nervous, and it almost makes Dan take pity on her. He stands, unsteady, bracing himself against the cold stone wall.

“Is he-”

“I don’t know.”

She nods, crossing her arms tight in front of her. She’s still made up for a ball, dripping in jewelry and fine silk, and it’s so out of place in this terrible moment she doesn’t look real. “And the-”

“I don’t know ,” he says, forceful and wounded. “Midwife is- I just don’t know.”

She nods, just once, and they stand like that in silence for a long moment. Dan’s heart is beating unsteadily, and he has no idea what’s going to happen, and suddenly he’s so fucking angry he can’t stand it. Months of standing by, waiting for this woman’s acceptance, waiting for the life he’s been trying to build all on his own, following other people’s lead, and look where it’s gotten them.

“Do you even understand what you’ve done today?” he bursts out, pushing off the wall to get closer to her, all six feet something of him looming over a woman who seems so tiny in this moment, shrinking away from him.

“I was trying to do right by my child,” she says. “You wouldn’t understand, you’re-”

“A parent? Was that what you were going to say? I’m not a parent? It’s my children who could be dying in there, too, do you realize? God, he’s been so sick, this entire time, and you haven’t even noticed. We could both lose our children today, because you wouldn’t give up your fucking ego.” He doesn’t care anymore, about any of it. Anything but Phil, and Madeline, and- they don’t even have a name, and he has no idea what could happen.

“I couldn’t have known!” The Queen cries out, voice broken.

“Yeah, well, any midwife- no, any omega could have told you that separating a pregnant omega from his mate for weeks on end and then forcing him into a room with dozens of alphas who want nothing more than to fuck him was going to end poorly.”

“ How dare you speak to me like that!”

“Honestly, I don’t fucking care about you right now. And you should know- as soon as he gets out of that bed, if he gets out of that bed, I’m taking him away, and then it’ll be your choice if your grandchildren know you.” And then he turns and walks away, leaving her alone in the cold hallway. His anger bleeds away, and he feels nothing at all.

He runs through the names in his head as the time bleeds away, the clock chiming somewhere in the distance. If he’s going to lose it all, his child is going to have a name.

Eventually, the door opens, and Susan slips out. Dan and Queen Kathryn both stand at attention, unsteady and nervous and sick as they wait for her to speak.

“Deep breaths, Dan, the news is good,” she says gently, and he takes in a ragged breath, covering his face with his hands. “Phil has- lost a lot of blood, so he’s out, but he should be coming to any moment. And both heartbeats are steady, if a bit slower than I’d like. They’re going to be fine.”

“Thank God,” the Queen says, voice wavering.

“Can I- can I go see him?” Dan asks. Susan nods.

“He will need to be on strict bedrest until he gets his strength back, and I’m recommending his mate not leave his side. He needs your scent right now.”

Dan nods, and Susan steps to the side so he can go into the room.

“Daniel-” the Queen says, grabbing his arm as he opens the door. “I didn’t mean for this to happen.”

“I believe that,” Dan says. Now that it’s all over, he’s so exhausted he’s shaking with it. He has no strength left to argue with her, or do anything but curl up with his mate and sleep. “I just don’t know if there’s any way to come back from this.”

He goes into the room, where Phil is laying out on the bed looking much more pale than usual. But he’s warm and he’s breathing and he still smells like Phil, and Dan slides into bed next to him and curls in close and begins to cry. It’s two days before Dan’s nineteenth birthday, and he suddenly feels so young and so alone.

When he wakes up later, there is faint sunlight streaming through the window and gentle fingers combing through his hair. “Hey, Love,” he whispers, curling an arm around Phil. “How are you feeling?”

“Like shit,” Phil sighs. He looks slightly less pale now, and his eyes are bright and alert, so the rest of the tension in Dan’s stomach relaxes. “But Dan- the babies?”

“They’re good, they’re fine,” he assures him, resting a hand on Phil’s stomach. “Midwife has prescribed you with strict bedrest and lots of mate cuddles.”

“But can you-” Phil grips his hand hard, closing his eyes. “I can’t feel them. Please can you make sure.”

Dan nods, sliding down the bed to press his bare ear against Phil’s stomach. Susan had said this might work, the further along Phil gets, and he wants to try. Phil is silent, one hand in Dan’s hair, as he concentrates. He picks up the first tiny heartbeat and grins up at Phil. “Who is this?” he asks.

“Hmm, I think Madeline,” Phil says. “She’s moving now, I think she likes your voice.”

“Hi, Madeline,” he whispers, kissing the skin of Phil’s stomach. He moves to the other side, where he had heard the second heartbeat for the first time. It’s still where he remembers it being, their two babies curled up facing each other. “And- there’s our Beatrice.”

“You-” Phil says, sitting up a little to stare down at Dan.

“I was so scared, Phil,” Dan says seriously, sitting up so he can lean his forehead against Phil’s. “If- if we were going to lose anyone, I wanted them to have a name.”

Phil hums, tipping his head forward to kiss Dan. “And if we have a son?” he asks.

“Do you think we’re going to?” Dan asks. Of course, he has another name picked, but he wants to know what Phil thinks.

“Nah,” he says. “Identical girls, I think.”

“Yeah, me too.”

“M sorry I scared you again,” Phil whispers, tucking his face into Dan’s neck.

“I yelled at your mum last night,” Dan responds, stroking his back. Phil laughs a little, breath hot against Dan’s skin. “I know you wanted to try, but I don’t think it’s good for you. Staying here.”

“Me neither,” Phil whispers.

They spend the morning curled up together like that, slipping in and out of sleep and picking at food brought by servants. Dan makes sure Phil eats a little, though he’s been far too unwell to feel like eating much. As soon as he’s well, they’ll leave. As soon as it’s not a risk for the babies. For now, they’re left more or less alone, a needed respite from the stress and tension.

Chapter Text

The next day, still bedridden and weak, Phil instructs Dan on the precise way to arrange his bedding into a nest tucked in the corner of the room, between the wall and the heavy wooden wardrobe. He sheds out of his on clothes, still his ball clothes he’s been wearing for nearly two days, and tucks them up around Phil’s things. He wishes he had the little sweaters out of the drawer in the house, but he can’t leave Phil for as long as it would take to get there and back. They’ll rebuild the nest in their own space soon enough, Dan knows it. Phil just isn’t strong enough, and Dan isn’t going to risk him and the twins again. They have time.

Once the nest is perfect, he helps Phil up and out of bed so they can resettle on the floor. It’s tight and a little dark, and they’re not visible from the door at all. Perfect.

“Feeling any better?” he asks, nuzzling into Phil’s throat. Phil hums, tugging idly at Dan’s hair.

“A lot,” he says, “Really. You being here helps.”

“I wanted to be here more,” Dan says, hand drifting down to Phil’s stomach. He hasn’t gotten much of a chance lately to really take note of the changes to Phil’s body, but the weeks they’ve spent apart have made them more pronounced. The extra fat around his hips and thighs, the stretch marks running up his stomach, which has turned into a proper baby bump while Dan was away. He feels all the lost time like an ache in his chest.

“I’m sorry,” Phil says quietly, nuzzling further into him. “It’s my fault.”

“No, love, you wanted to try and it didn’t work. I don’t blame you.” It’s hard to be mad at Phil when he’s so soft and lovely under Dan’s hands, his smell so familiar and beautiful. When he’s so, so grateful Phil is alive. “I’m just happy you’re okay.”

Phil hums, tangling their legs together. He’d woken Dan up early to find the twins’ heartbeats, voice so small and fearful it had made Dan afraid something had happened. They had both waited in silence, holding their breath until Dan had confirmed Madeline and Beatrice both safe and sound. “I felt so sick when you weren't here,” Phil says. “I was- tired all the time, and my stupid pregnant omega brain kept looking for an alpha, and when you're here I know I don't want one, but I get all confused when I can't smell you. When you're here I know you're their dad and you'll take care of us.” 

“I will,” Dan says quietly. It makes him feel oddly proud, that he's superseded Phil's omega instincts. “We don't need any alpha.” 

They fall into silence again, dozing in and out of sleep. All of the fear has drained out of Dan, and all he feels is deeply tired. Tired, and relieved, and determined. They're going to leave this place, and soon. He'll talk Susan into letting him work off the cost of the house, and Phil will give birth safe and sound in their own home, and everything will be just fine. His mate is alive, he's heard the two tiny perfect heartbeats getting stronger even over the last few hours, and they're finally both on the same page. 

Some amount of time later, someone knocks at the door. Phil huffs in sleep, gripping Dan tighter as he tries to stand up. “I'll be right back,” he promises, pressing a gentle kiss to Phil's pale forehead. “You sleep.” 

Cornelia looks slightly flushed on the other side of the door, wrapped haphazardly in a dressing gown. “Were you in heat?” Dan asks, letting her into the room. 

“Finding out my brother almost died killed the mood,” she says, wrapping one arm around Dan and letting him kiss the top of her head. “You guys doing okay?” 

“No, don't end your heat on my account,” Phil calls out from their corner. “Go and make a cousin for my babies, I'm fine!” 

“Your brother is a wreck, Philip,” she responds, crossing the room to kneel in front of the little nest. “Besides, your mum pulled him away on some business. What she needs done when you've almost died, I don't know. Oh, Midwife Susan is here, she said she wanted to talk to Dan first.” 

Dan nods, leaving Phil and Cornelia to it. He's nervous to close the door between them, but Phil's a little better today, and besides he's got plenty of Dan's scent around. Susan is waiting in the hall, medical bag slung over her shoulder. 

“You checked on them yet today?” she asks, patting his shoulder. 

“Yeah, they sound good. Better than yesterday already.” 

She nods. “I'm glad to hear it,” she says. “But I had an ulterior motive for coming here today.” 

Dan frowns, running through whatever is so important she needs to tell him alone. She's sold the house, or she's letting him go since he's so focused on his own mate, or- really, that's all he has. “Is something wrong?” 

“No! No, of course not,” she assures him. “I wanted to give you something, that's all.” 

She pulls a slim key out of her bag and holds it out for him to take. “What's this?” he asks, running his fingers over the cool metal. 

“That's the master key,” she says, closing his hand gently around it. His mouth falls open, but there are no words. He's sure he's missed a step and she's not really- giving him the key. 

“I was- going to pay,” he says dumbly.

“And I know you don't have any money, Daniel,” she says, not unkindly. 

“Well- I was going to work it off, at least,” he mumbles, staring down at the key in his hand. Really, it's symbolic- he's had the spare for weeks. 

“And I'm telling you that you don't have to worry,” she says. “My family is grown. It's time for a young family to make use of it.” 

“I can't take this,” he says, voice small. He wants it. He's spent weeks dreaming about taking Phil to the house, decorating the twins' room, saving up for a piano. He wants it so badly, but he can't just accept such a big gift. 

“Dan, you're a good, hard working omega. That will serve you well in your life. Take whatever time you need to be with your family, and come back to work when you're ready.” 

Dan swallows back tears and apologies and refusals. He's not got much of a family to speak of, certainly not one who could gift him a house, and they're not going to get Phil's dowry any time soon. This isn't about him, it's about the babies. It's about Phil, being comfortable for the last half of his pregnancy. “Okay,” he says finally, tucking the key into his pocket. “Thank you. Really.” He knows he's going to find a way to make it up to her, once they're settled. He's going to be the best midwife in training ever. “Did you- I mean, when you sent me to fix the house, was this what you planned?” 

“Now, you won't begrudge an old woman her secrets,” she says, patting his arm. “Let's go check on your babies, shall we?” 

Susan doesn't say anything about the nest, just kneels on the floor next to Phil and opens her bag. Cornelia is sitting on the bed, gaze vacant in a way that is familiar to Dan- she's fighting off the last of the heat, too worried about Phil to stay with Martyn. Dan sits next to her, and she leans her head on his shoulder. 

“Congratulations,” Dan says, teasing, and she slaps his side. 

“We don't know there's anything to congratulate yet,” she says. 

“I meant for getting laid, but I guess there's that too.” 

“Daniel!” She shrieks, and he shushes her. 

“Don't interrupt Midwife, Corn.” 

Phil gets off with a mostly clean bill of health and orders to keep resting and let Dan take care of him for a few more days at least. 

Corn spends a bit more time with them, and then slips off to report back to Martyn. When Dan asks why Martyn didn't come himself, Cornelia calls it “omega business,” which Dan thinks is code for not wanting to see his brother ill. Or be teased about his mate being in heat, possibly. 

“Dan, I haven't asked how you've been doing,” Phil says, once they're truly alone again. 

“What? I'm fine,” Dan says immediately. Phil frowns, tangling their fingers together and kissing Dan's knuckles. 

“No, really,” he says. “I'm asking. Are you okay?” 

“I'm not the one who almost bled out.” 

“Yeah, and it was scary, and I feel like shit, and every time I think my legs feel wet I'm worried my babies are dead, but I have an amazing mate who can find their heartbeats any time I ask, so it's going to be fine. I want to know how you are.” 

“You scared me,” Dan says. “And I've been so worried for months about whether or not we can do this, and right now I just want to be with you and not have to think about anything else. I'm fine.” 

“Dan,” Phil says, drawing out his name as he leans up to kiss him. “I missed you so bad.” 

“I'm here,” Dan says, running a hand up Phil's back under his shirt. 

“Wanna make you feel good,” Phil whispers against his mouth. Dan grins, nipping at Phil's bottom lip. 

“Hey,” he says, grabbing at Phil's hips and pulling him closer. Phil purrs happily, settling into his arms and nosing at the bite on his neck. “My heat is soon. We can- go to the house? And then maybe stay?” 

“Yeah,” Phil agrees, grinning. Dan can feel his hard dick against his own hip, the wet spot further back, and he doesn't want to think anymore. He just wants Phil, always. “Yeah, we can do that.” 

“Good,” Dan says, tipping him backwards so that he can push Phil's shirt off. “And I'm going to bite you. I'm going to make you my mate, for real.” 

“ Yeah ,” Phil agrees, staring up at him with eyes so dark and needy they're barely blue. 

They may not get the big royal wedding, the proper courtship and mating ceremony, but they have their own home, and they're going to have a family, and at least Dan can make Phil his permanently. Everyone will be able to look at the bite on his neck and the swell of his stomach and know he's taken.