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toseehowthestoryends · 6 years

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A Different Fate - Chapter 29

Summary: Rumplestiltskin is the Dark One, but Fiona knows that his fate was meant to be different. When she learns what has become of her son, she grows determined to restore the destiny she cut away—whether he wants her to or not. When Belle makes a deal to become the Dark One’s maid, she never expects to find his mother encouraging her growing relationship with Rumplestiltskin.

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Chapter 29—“Nothing Like the Rest of Us”

“You want to come with me?” Tink asked Mulan after they’d been in the Dark Castle for a few days. Tink didn’t particularly dislike the place, even if watching Rumplestiltskin and Belle moon over one another was getting old, but she could tell that Mulan felt like a fish out of water. “I think you’d like my friends. They’re a bit rough around the edges, but—”

“No, I think I need to stay here.” Mulan looked distant again, and Tink couldn’t escape the feeling that there was something wrong.

“Are you okay?”

“Of course I am.” Mulan’s smile looked a little empty, though.

Tink studied her closely. “You sure?”

“I said I’m fine.” Without warning, Mulan turned to stalk out of the great hall. Tink made to follow her, only to stop cold when the doors suddenly opened, revealing a gaudily-dressed young woman.

She smelled like magic, dark magic, but Tink supposed that shouldn’t be a surprise here in the Dark Castle. Really, she was surprised that there wasn’t more of the horrible stuff in this place, but this woman more than made up for it. There was something off about her, too, something that made Tink’s fairy instincts want to run away. It wasn’t dark fairy dust—Fiona had shown her some of that—but there was something abnormal about this deceptively beautiful young woman. On the surface, she had long blonde hair and brilliant blue eyes; Tink had known more than a few men who would swoon at the sight of her. Underneath that, however, seemed to be something much nastier.

“Who are you?” she asked before she could stop herself.

“I am Madam Faustina.” A glare. “And you are not the Dark One.”

Tink snorted. “I’m most definitely not, thank you very much.”

“Then where is he?” Faustina snapped, looking at her imperiously. Tink barely managed to resist the urge to roll her eyes.

“I’m not his keeper. I can introduce you to the Black Fairy if you want, though. I know where she is.” She smiled sweetly when Faustina scowled.

People were as afraid of Fiona as they were of Rumplestiltskin, but this ‘Madam’ Faustina seemed to be more annoyed and impatient than frightened. Too bad. I wouldn’t have minded siccing Fiona on her, and Fiona would probably have enjoyed it. Immediately, Tink felt guilty for the thought; a good fairy and a nice person didn’t fantasize about using the Black Fairy to frighten people. Yet Faustina was hardly some innocent young woman. She stank of dark magic and there was something about her that made Tink’s skin crawl.

“Then stand aside and I will find him myself.” Faustina’s answer was almost a snarl, but Tink got to see her confidence waver when a new voice cut in:

“There’s no need for that, dearie. I’m right here.”

Rumplestiltskin stood in the doorway to Tink’s right, his expression frightfully eager. He does love his deals, Tink thought with a silent sigh. She supposed there was nothing that would change that, not while he was the Dark One. But if his mother has her way…well, everything will change. Tink couldn’t blame Fiona for wanting to save her son; in fact, it was something she could definitely get behind. Ridding the world of the Dark One was a noble goal, particularly if you could actually save the person who was the current Dark One in the process. Thinking of him as the victim of a curse made Tink fear him a lot less, too, so she just shrugged Rumplestiltskin’s way.

“You’ve got a visitor.”

“Yes, thank you, I can see that.” He scowled at her before shooing her out of the room, but Tink thought there was little bite in that scowl.

Yeah, Belle was right. There was someone very human beneath the mask of the monster, and his bark was a lot worse than his bite.

“I thought you were going to Avonlea to act against the Dark One, not to mildly annoy him.” Killian snarled the words before he could think the better of it, and then added a belated “Your Majesty,” to soothe Zelena’s ego.

Not that it worked; she sniffed, clearly offended. “My plans are my own, Captain. I don’t need you second guessing me.”

He glared. “I allied with you for revenge on Rumplestiltskin. Not to play little war games against Snow White and her friends.”

“If you think you can do better without my help, by all means, go ahead and leave.” Zelena laughed. “But I assure you that your fantasies of waltzing into the Dark Castle and stealing the dagger are just that: fantasies. You’ll die if you try.”

“Better than dying of boredom while waiting for you to act.”

“Tsk, tsk, Captain, do you really think I’m doing nothing?”

“From where I’m standing, it doesn’t seem like much.” Killian had seen Zelena curse men for saying less to her, but he’d also noticed that she enjoyed it when people stood up to her. Unless they knuckle under, like Gaston did. Then she never respects them again. He would not be such a fool.

“Then you’re not paying attention. It’s a good thing that I’m the one with a plan, unlike you.” She smiled mysteriously, but Killian had had it with mystery. He’d had it with waiting. He wanted his revenge, not to sit around and play lapdog for a notoriously envious queen.

“I had a plan. I allied with you because our interests were in concert, not to be your lackey.”

“Oh, don’t let me stop you if you want to run off and play the avenging lover.” Zelena waved a hand. “I won’t get in your way. In fact, I’ll even give you a little bit of help: ask dear Gaston about his former fiancé—and about how Rumplestiltskin has stolen her away.”

That got Killian’s attention. “He what?”

“You heard me. Do have fun. Come back when it fails, if you want. I never mind having another pretty face around.”

“Love, you can’t handle a face as pretty as mine.”

Her delighted laughter echoed in his ears as Killian left the queen’s presence. He did have the feeling that there were worlds of information Zelena wasn’t sharing—she was certainly the type to send him off on a suicide mission just for her amusement, or to keep Rumplestiltskin distracted while she worked on her own plans—but that wasn’t the point. Rumplestiltskin had stolen Gaston’s fiancé? The irony was staggering. He never would have thought that the coward-turned-Dark One would have the gumption to steal a woman, not in a million years.

Aye, and I bet she’ll be properly grateful when I rescue her, too. Killian smiled to himself, heading towards the measly rooms Gaston had been given now that he was out of favor. This could be an interesting adventure.

He’d heard of this little witch. Rumplestiltskin folded his hands, watching “Madam Faustina” closely. He knew that wasn’t her name, but for all of his efforts, he’d never been able to find out this Madam Faustina’s name. He knew that the first one had been named Dacey Clearwater, and she’d been the fifth daughter of some merchant around his own birth, but that woman had been replaced by this one at some point since then. She seemed fairly confident, despite his antics, and that was interesting. There could be a good deal here, and it had been weeks since he’d had one of those. Every deal he’d made in Avonlea had been a piddling little thing, barely worth his time. But staying made Belle happy, so it was worth it.

Oh, please. Do you realize how stupidly lovestruck you sound? Zoso’s voice was a whine, and Rumplestiltskin slapped him aside easily.

Shut up.

“Well, dearie, now you’ve met the famous Dark One,” he trilled, wiggling his hands eagerly. “Do you like what you see?”

“It is more a matter of if you like what I can do for you.” She straightened, looking him right in the eye. “I understand that you have an inconvenient young maid here at your castle.”

“Do I?” Rumplestiltskin cocked his head curiously, not allowing any of his sudden alarm to touch his face. How many people knew about Belle? What did they know about her? How had this so-called Faustina shown up within a week of Belle’s return to the Dark Castle?

Zelena. It has to be her. He’d deal with the witch later, and she wouldn’t enjoy it.

“I hear she is young. If she is under twenty-five, I can relieve you of the problem.” An eloquent shrug. “I imagine you are quite tired of her by now.”

Rumplestiltskin let his eyes narrow. “And what exactly would you do to ‘relieve’ me of that ‘problem’, hmmm?”

“I shall take her off your hands. I have uses for someone young and beautiful.”

“Do you now?” This was sounding more ominous by the moment; Rumplestiltskin considered incinerating the obnoxious little witch, but worry was starting to gnaw at his gut. What kind of use could someone like Faustina have for Belle? He knew little of what she’d done to keep herself young and beautiful over the years, but no one managed to do that for two centuries without the use of dark magic.

Dark it must be indeed if it lets her continue to look like this, Nimue whispered in his mind. Usually, we wear our curses in our complexion. Not a curse, then. This was something else.

“I do.” Faustina folded her hands, looking supremely confident. “I can acquire a magic bean for you in exchange for your maid, if that is something that you desire.”

A bean. Rumplestiltskin’s heart dropped. He had been looking, searching, scouring the world for—

“There are none left,” he spat, trying desperately to mask his fury. Failing.

“I know of someone who has one. Say the word, and I will get it. Provided you will give me your young and beautiful maid in exchange, of course.”

Oh, he was going to kill Zelena. Slowly and painfully. After he found out where Faustina was going to get the bean from. Assuming she has one. The very thought made him short of breath, though. To get a magic bean, to not need the curse, to find Bae… The thought was so tempting, and the chorus of voices egging him on did not help. Forget the girl, Nimue whispered, all logic. You can always find another. Your boy is another matter, isn’t he?

You know you want to, Zoso added. Just agree. It’s so easy. Then you’ll have everything you wanted, your boy back, your mother, your family intact—

Except he wouldn’t have Belle, and that thought left him cold, no matter how fiercely the darkness coiled around his heart.

“Well?” Faustina demanded impatiently when his internal war kept Rumplestiltskin distracted. “Do we have an agreement?”

Rumplestiltskin forced himself back on balance. “Now what makes you think I’m interested in a magic bean, hmm, dearie? Did a certain queen tell you that?”

“I have no idea what you are talking about.” But Faustina flinched, ever so slightly.

“That’s what I thought,” Rumplestiltskin purred, and then bounded forward, closing the distance between himself and Faustina faster than she could move away. She twitched slightly, but held her ground. She was nothing if not brave, this two centuries’ old merchant’s daughter. Still, he leaned in close, whispering: “So, the next time you see our dear queen, do tell her to stop trying to manipulate me. And tell her to do her own dirty work.”

Faustina swallowed audibly. “I will.”

“Good!” Bouncing back, Rumplestiltskin gave her a wide smile. “But do come back and see me after you have the bean, dearie. Then we’ll talk. There may be another deal in the making here.”

He wasn’t going to discount any opportunity to find a magic bean, after all. Rumplestiltskin had no intention of betraying Belle like that, but he wasn’t going to ignore the opportunity to get a magic bean, either. Belle probably wouldn’t let him find some useless young beauty to foist off on Faustina, but he knew magic users like Faustina. They always wanted something, and this would give Rumplestiltskin time to discover Faustina’s weak points.

He watched her leave, wearing a satisfied smile. The curse was on track—even if his curse caster was a little distracted by her silly little time travel spell—Belle loved him, and his mother was being typically annoying. Life was all right.

“Can I ask you some advice?” Regina waited until she and Robin had a moment in private. She didn’t know who else to turn to. Snow was too biased where Zelena was concerned—not to mention spending every waking moment with Charming—and Tink had run off to do who knew what. Her father would be against the idea of her mother coming back, too, but even Regina knew that Henry wasn’t entirely logical where Cora was concerned. Robin, however, was a good friend, with no preconceived notions about her mother. And…she trusted him.

Zelena killed Marian. I can’t forget that. Still, she knew Robin well enough to know that he’d try to put that aside for her sake.

“Of course you can.” His smile warmed her to her soul, and Regina lowered herself to sit on the log next to him. Even now that they’d conquered more than half of George’s kingdom, Robin seemed to crave the wilderness. He wandered off periodically to find a quiet spot in the woods, and today she’d gone with him.

“My…sister came to see me. She needs my help with something.”

Robin’s eyebrows shot up. “Your help? I dread to think with what.”

“She wants to travel back in time and save my mother from what killed her. Our mother.” Regina took a deep breath. “But she needs my help to do it.”

“Can that be done?” His frown was thoughtful. “I don’t know too much about magic, but I thought time travel was impossible.”

“Apparently not.” She sighed. “Zelena says she can do it.”

“Do you believe her?”

Regina shrugged helplessly, picking at a leaf. “I think so. Otherwise, why would she come to me? It’s not like we like each other, but I’m the only other one who might want Mother back.”

“I guess then the question becomes what she wants you to do. And if you can trust her at all.” Robin didn’t have to list all the reasons why none of them trusted Zelena; they hung heavily in the air between them.

“I know she’s done terrible things. She’s tried to kill me almost as many times as she’s tried to kill Snow, and she has killed countless others. Innocents.” Regina saw the pain flicker through his eyes, despite the way Robin tried to bury it. “I can’t condone that, but I can’t ignore this opportunity, either. I never really knew my mother…”

“And you want to.”

“Yeah. Is that so wrong?”

Robin’s smile was gentle. “Of course it isn’t. If I had the chance to bring my mother back, I’d do it in a heartbeat.”

“Zelena wants my magic for it,” Regina admitted after a moment. The very thought left her uneasy, even though Zelena’s explanation had seemed to make perfect sense.

“You have magic?” Robin blinked in surprise, staring at Regina like he’d never seen her before.

“I guess. I’ve never learned to use it. It never seemed important.” Academically, Regina knew that she’d inherited magic from her mother, but she’d never needed it. Even on the run with Snow and the others, she’d found ways to get things done without the magic that had corrupted her sister’s soul. But that same magic might save my—our—mother. Didn’t she want that?

Robin’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Wait a minute here. What exactly does Zelena want from you?”

“She wants me to put my magic into some gem so that she can use it for the spell. She says it’ll take too long to teach me how to help with the spell myself.” Regina thought that sounded logical; her father had made sure she’d never learned much about magic, but she knew enough to know that it was hard.

“And what happens to you?”

“I won’t have magic anymore, but it’s not like I use it, anyway.” Regina shrugged. “I can’t miss what I don’t know, right?”

Robin nodded thoughtfully. “But can you trust Zelena not to turn it against you once she has your magic?”

“This is going to sound kind of ridiculous, given the kind of person that she is…but I think she’s telling the truth.” Regina wished she knew, but she hadn’t met Zelena until they’d already become enemies. “I think she really does want to save our mother.”

“And you want that as well.” He gave her a reassuring smile. “Understandably.”

“Yes.” Regina was almost afraid to whisper the word. “I don’t think Daddy would approve, though.”

“Why not?”

“It was…an arranged marriage. Daddy tried more than she did, I think. He told me once that Mother had a lover before him that she never really got over.” Regina had always felt sorry for her father on that front. Who wanted to marry someone when they loved a different person? But she couldn’t imagine her grandfather having accepted anything less; once King Xavier had decided on the marriage, that was that. And both her parents had been stuck.

“Ah. The old curse of royalty.”

“Yeah.” Regina surprised herself by laughing. “I guess it’s a good thing that I ran away from that, huh?”

Robin’s eyes met hers with an intensity that took her breath away. “Yes. Yes, I do believe it is.”

Several long moments passed as they stared at one another, the feelings they’d been dancing around almost out in the open. Months had passed, and Robin had become one of the best friends Regina had ever had, but she’d never spoken of her growing attraction to him. Even when she played with Roland, she was careful to do so as Robin’s friend. She hadn’t wanted to push him, not while he was still grieving for Marian, but now…

Figure this out first, Regina. Then the rest will follow. She sucked in a deep breath. “Do you think I should do it? Give her my magic?”

“I think you should do what you feel is right.”

“I think you owe me another story, Rumple.”

The words made him jump. He and Belle were sitting by the fire in the great hall, comfortably side by side. She’d been reading to him—he loved that, even if just to hear the sound of her voice and the way she was so excited by a new book—but Belle had closed the book firmly at the end of the chapter. Racking his mind, Rumplestiltskin tried to think of what Belle wanted him to share; he’d told her about Baelfire, and that was the only story he’d promised, wasn’t it? He’d even told her a little bit about Cora, although he had no intention of sharing the details of that disgusting tale unless forced to. Could she have overheard his conversation with Madam Faustina? That thought made his heart beat fast in terror, but no, Belle wouldn’t have cuddled up next to him if she thought he might trade her away.

“A…a story?” He swallowed noisily.

Belle turned to meet his eyes. “Zelena mentioned a curse that you need her for.”

“Oh.” That was better than Belle thinking he’d ever trade her away, but only by a little. What would Belle think about the curse? A strange knot of guilt bubbled up within him; Rumplestiltskin had never focused on the consequences of the curse, of the families he would tear apart to find his son. It had never mattered to him.

So why did it matter now?

“Rumple?” Now it was her turn to swallow uncertainly. “It’s something terrible, isn’t it?”

She’ll leave you if you tell her, Zoso warned him. You know she’ll hate you for it. She’s too good to want something like this. The feeling of guilt quickly turned to a feeling of terror; Rumplestiltskin couldn’t lose her, not now when he’d just gotten her back! Lie, Spinner. Use your clever little tongue to get out of this one.

I was meant to be more than this. The inner voice almost sounded like Belle, but Rumplestiltskin knew that it was his own, long-dormant conscience.

“Yes,” he said after a long moment. “Yes, it is.”

Belle seemed to steel herself. “Tell me about it?”

“It, uh…it’s the only way to get to my son.” The words came out in a rush, and much to Rumplestiltskin’s surprise, Belle squeezed his arm. But he still felt like breaking. “He’s in the Land Without Magic, and there’s no other way to get there.”

It was all wrong. Even as the Dark One, he knew that facilitating the casting of the curse was wrong, but what else could he do? He would not give up. He could not leave his son alone in the Land Without Magic. Not after everything. He had sworn to get back to him, and Rumplestiltskin would keep that promise, no matter what it took.

Belle let out a breath, her eyes steely. “You had best tell me everything.”

Against his better judgment, Rumplestiltskin did. For the second time, he told Belle everything, even the fact that his mother did not want the curse cast—but had offered to cast it herself if everything did not work out according to plan. Belle was not happy, and demanded many promises that he ensure the curse do as little damage as possible, that he see that families were not separated, and that no one was harmed unavoidably…and then she still wasn’t satisfied. She had walked out. To think, she said.

Part of him was certain that he would never see her again.

Port Mystic’s annual fair turned out to be a good time to learn more about his father. Flynnigan wasn’t the only one there who knew things about the Dark One, and Bae was able to talk to several other people. The general consensus was not what he had been expecting, even after talking to Flynnigan: Rumplestiltskin made deals, and he never broke them. There were no stories about him hunting down people and hurting them, no tales of great and terrible deeds. People even said that he had helped the rebels fighting against Queen Zelena in the kingdom to the north—for a price, of course, but Bae had learned the hard way that almost nothing in life was free. He hadn’t even heard of anyone being turned into a snail for offending his father, and that was odd. Surely people would talk about that if it was happening?

Tiger Lily was waiting when he returned home—was the healers’ house home? Bae wasn’t sure. Home had always been a peasant hovel plainer nice than this. Even in Neverland, that had been the place he dreamed of, sometimes with the wealth and trappings his papa had added to it after becoming the Dark One, sometimes without. This place was nice, and he liked Tiger Lily and Beans both, but they weren’t really family.

I guess that’s how you know you’ve really got a home: When you leave it, there’s that feeling that you can’t shake. You just miss it.

“Hey, you.” Tiger Lily gave him a smile, but there was something behind it that made Bae’s hair stand on edge.

“Hi.”

“Everything all right?”

There it was. The leading question that said she expected him to spill his soul out to her. Yep, no thanks on that front. “Yeah. Everything’s good. I was just at the fair.”

“I heard.” There was a finality in her voice that reminded Bae painfully of the way his papa used to be. Papa had always sounded like that when he knew Bae was keeping something from him.

You’re not my parent, he wanted to snap at her, but didn’t. Tiger Lily was his friend, and she wasn’t trying to be his mother. Even if she had been, she would have done a better job than his real mother had, anyway. And he was willing to bet that Tiger Lily wouldn’t have run off with a pirate, either. So, Bae took a deep breath and just got it over with. “You gonna say what else you heard, or are you gonna make me guess?”

“Clank told me you were asking people about the Dark One.” Tiger Lily looked like she was trying a little too hard not to frown.

“So?” Bae made himself shrug as casually as he could. “I was just curious.”

“And there’s nothing wrong with curiosity. I just…I just want to make sure that you’re not looking to make some sort of deal to get to the Land Without Magic.” Her crooked smile was worried. “Or something else.”

“Oh.” A surprised laugh wormed out of Bae, even as cold misery welled up in the pit of his stomach. “Don’t worry. I don’t want to make a deal with the Dark One. Not for anything.” Last time didn’t work out so well.

Tiger Lily studied him closely. “You don’t want to go back to the Land Without Magic?”

“Nah. Everyone I liked there is dead by now, and it wasn’t really everything I thought it was gonna be.” He missed the Darlings, but they’d lived a couple of hundred years ago. What was he going to do, find their descendants? That would be creepy.

“Oh, good.” Now her smile was more open. “I’m not against you leaving if you want to…I just want you to be safe, all right?”

“Yeah. I get it.” And he did, really. It wasn’t like he had anywhere else to go, anyway.

“Were you really asking about the Dark One out of curiosity?”

“Course I was. Why else would I ask?”

Tiger Lily didn’t look like she quite believed him, but she stopped asking questions. Bae almost asked her why she cared, or why she got that extra-cautious look in her eyes when she talked about the Dark One, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to know. Bae wasn’t exactly certain how old Tiger Lily was or how a fairy became an ex-fairy, and he really didn’t want to find out that his father had somehow been involved in that. He didn’t like Pan, though, so he probably never had anything to do with Neverland.

His papa had been right about Pan, hadn’t he? He went to a place called Neverland. He betrayed me, Bae. He can't be trusted. That sounded about right. His papa had talked about Pan’s dark soul, and Bae hadn’t believed him until he’d seen it for himself. Yet Rumplestiltskin had been the Dark One when he’d said that…and that meant at least a little of his soul had survived. Could it still?

Bae just didn’t know, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to find out.

A/N: Thank you to everyone who is still reading! Hearing from you makes my day.

Stay tuned for Chapter 30—“Ever Just the Same”, in which Zelena conspires with an ally, Belle tries to understand Rumplestiltskin’s plans for the Dark Curse, Tiger Lily comes to the Dark Castle demanding answers, and Rumplestiltskin encounters an old enemy—and threatens Zelena for good measure.

#rumbelle fic #rumbelle angst #a different fate #zelena as the evil queen #madam faustina is more than meets the eye #poor baelfire #(I use that last tag way too often for the poor kid)#tiger lily is going to be pissed next chapter #oh and poor mulan #the girl really does deserve better

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dammitadolfnomorecake · 7 years

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A Mildly Depressed Teen - Ao3

It seemed Marco and Jean had been busy while he'd been sleeping. Eren awoke to find himself alone, but could hear the two talking softly outside the door. His head was throbbing and his eyes burning, he had the feeling he'd fucked up, but if he was honest, the previous day was a blur after he lost his cool at Levi. At the thought of the alpha, his chest began to ache and he buried his face into one of Jean's pillows, trying hard not to cry. He was surprised he even had any tears left to cry. He heard a door open, then close and the place went quiet. Now would be the time to leave, but his body felt so heavy and just couldn't move. The next time he woke up, Jean was yelling something to Marco and Marco was yelling something happily back. He had no idea what they were so happy about, but he didn't wish to interfere and destroy the moment, so he stayed hidden away until the door opened "Eren? Are you awake?" The bed dipped and Jean's cool palm came to rest on his forehead "''m sorry..." Eren's throat was still tender and the short sentence left it burning "It's alright, we were wondering you were hungry? You didn't really eat anything when you were here and you haven't eaten anything since we brought you back yesterday" Eren shook his head and Jean sighed "Marco made chicken soup, he's seriously gifted in the kitchen. Your throat sounds sore, it might help" Eren could see what the alpha was trying to do, but he hadn't expected Macro to pipe up from the doorway "Is he going to come eat with us?" "He says he isn't hungry" Eren heard Marco sigh "I don't care if he's hungry or not, he really should eat" Jean lifted him easily enough and Eren let out a small cry of pain, embarrassment and surprise all rolled into one "Sorry, you heard the man" "Does this mean you two finally told each other you loved each other? Or is it because you both hate me" Eren felt Jean tense and heard Marco cough, the alpha carried him into the living room and dropped him down onto the sofa slightly more forceful than necessary "I can't believe you told him" "I can't believe you haven't" Jean let out a sigh as he covered Eren with a thick blanket "Sit here and eat your soup. I've got to make sure Marco isn't upset" Eren hummed, but made no effort to move, Jean picked the bowl up and forced it into his hands "You better eat it all" The alpha left and Eren eyed the soup, he had to admit it smelt really good, and it tasted even better. He managed to slowly empty half the bowl in Jean's absence before placing it back down on the coffee table with shaky hands. He drew the blanket back around him and was dozing lightly when Jean dropped down onto the sofa with a sigh "Thanks for that" Eren hummed, not bothering to open his eyes "Eren, Marco and I did some talking while you were sleeping. Given you wanted to move, and given the fact that Marco is going to be up at his parents for the next month, he wants you to stay here while he's gone" Eren immediately began to shake his head and Jean nudge him "You... you can't say no. We kind of already moved all your stuff in" Eren's eyes flew open and he looked to Jean, hoping it was a joke. Jean's face was serious and Eren felt like he was going to vomit the soup right back up "It's just for a month, while you find somewhere to live and... if I'm honest... I'm worried about leaving you alone in that apartment..." Eren clenched his fists "You had no right" "Probably not, but if seeing Levi gets you that upset, then isn't it better he doesn't know where you are?" Eren's anger shifted slightly to confusion "Levi?" "He changed your dressings, which means he had to have visited in the short time between Marco dropping you off and us picking you back up..." Eren didn't have a reply. He just shifted lower into the sofa cushions. It wasn't like Levi would care. Once the realisation of what he'd said to the man set in... the omega let out a small whimper "What is it?" "He hates me..." Eren didn't understand. He wanted Levi to hate him, to stay away... but saying those words hurt more than any cut ever had. His lip trembled and he looked to Jean sadly "I... I did something really bad... so I doubt he'll ever talk to me again" Jean didn't question what he'd done, he just guided Eren into his lap "Well, Marco and I don't hate you, and we'll help you get back on your feet" * Living with Jean turned out easier than expected. The alpha never asked him what was wrong, or why he needed space or tried to smother him. He had, however, insisted that Eren sleep next to him on the nights he didn't have work, which usually mean laying in Jean's arms until the alpha fell asleep, and then slipping into Marco's room afterwards. Marco had only been around a few days before leaving and Eren could feel how much Jean missed him. Being out of his apartment has done more for his headspace than he'd expected, or maybe it was because he didn't want to drag Jean down into the depths of his self hatred. He wasn't good, but he he'd actually tried to eat lunch and dinner, which he was silently proud of himself of. Given he knew that eating a full meal would have him vomiting, he'd only have a couple of bites at a time. Jean could eat like a pig, and Eren was quietly envious. The man could devour a pizza and a half and then drink himself stupid, but wake up the next day ready to do it all over again. Given it was Saturday night, Jean was scheduled to work, and for some reason the alpha had begged Eren to come with him. Eren didn't want anything to do with Underground in the slightest, but he felt he owed Jean and found himself agreeing, despite the unease in his stomach. He hadn't set foot near the place since that night, and was terrified of it. Even though Jean insisted that he was working the bar and Eren could just hang out at the end while he worked. Sliding the face piercings into place after so long felt uncomfortable and unnatural, even though Jean gave him a wolf whistle when he walked out wearing what had once been his favourite work outfit. His heart was racing and he was struggling to remember how to breathe by the time they reached Underground, and Jean ushered him through the staff entrance and straight past everyone, finally forcing him to sit at the end of the bar. Eren couldn't help but glance around self consciously, half expecting Ivan to jump out and start screaming at him. Instead he found Jean grinning at him from the other side of the bar, a drink already poured "Liquid courage. Don't worry, it's only single shot" Eren nodded like he knew what that meant, he took the drink and Jean winked at him. Over the course of the night, he found himself relaxing, but that may have been the alcohol. A few alphas had come up and flirted with him, but Jean had scared them all away and Eren found himself smiling like an idiot at his friend. He wasn't stupid, Jean had his own certain attractiveness, and he scolded himself for thinking about the alpha that way. No, Jean was Marco's and that made him happy, but he couldn't deny that at that very moment he was feeling lonely. He slid from the stool carefully and looked up when Jean called his name "Eren! Where are you going?" He had to lean back onto the counter to reply "Bathroom" Jean's eyes widened "Give me a minute, I'll walk you" Eren hadn't thought to be scared, but the moment Jean mentioned walking him, he found himself terrified of the thought. Still, his friend kept his arm around his waist as he lead Eren carefully over to the bathrooms. A new sign warned people the halls outside were now monitored and Eren was relieved, but also a little angered. He pushed the door open and immediately walked to the counter, he leant heavily against it and let out a long breath "Are you alright?" Looking up, Eren could see the concern in the alphas eyes. He didn't know what to say, and Jean crossed the room to hug him close "It's alright, they're not here. They can't touch you" Eren nodded against his friend. Tears prickled at his eyes "Hey, you don't need to cry" Jean guided him up so he was sitting on the counter and stayed between his legs as the alpha reached and grabbed a paper towel "Let's get you cleaned up, then you can pee or whatever Eren snorted, he took the rough paper towel and dabbed at his eyes "Sorry... I... I didn't want to come tonight, and maybe I shouldn't have... I keep waiting for them to walk in... I can still feel them..." Jean nodded, his eyes more understanding than Eren had expected. More tears spilled out and the alpha took his face in his hands, gently wiping the tears away "I know, I was hoping it'd help in some small way... but I guess I was wrong. I can take you back home if you want?" Eren shook his head "It's fine. I just need a minute" "Sure" The alpha kept a hold on Eren's face, Eren sniffled slightly, trying to calm back down. Both men jumped when the door opened and Eren's eyes widened. Levi looked confused and hurt and angry as fuck and the alpha growled "Eren, do you know him?" Eren nodded quickly "Jean, this is Levi. Levi, this is Jean" Jean released Eren's face and Eren let out a small whine "Come on, let's get you back to the bar" Eren nodded and Jean helped him off the bench, given his intoxicated state, he tripped over his own feet and the alpha caught him easily. Once again Levi growled "Levi..." "Levi what, Eren?" Eren couldn't understand why Levi was so mad and Jean stood to his full height "Levi, leave him alone" "Why? So you can claim him? Eren's my omega. I've known it from the moment I saw him" "Levi! Jean has his own mate" "Then why was his hands all over you?" "Because Eren was crying. Or are you too self centred to see that?!" Both omegas were now stinking of anger and Eren whimpered as he sank to the floor. Levi rushed to kneel in front of him "Leave us alone" Levi's voice was firm, and Eren looked up to Jean and gave a small nod "Eren, I'll be at the bar. Levi, make sure you walk him to the bar. If you don't, I'll hunt you don't myself" The door opened and closed a Jean left and Eren tried to take a few breaths, but fuck Levi smelt amazing and his body started responding despite the fear "Are you alright?" Eren jumped at Levi's voice, and nodded quickly "Sorry... Jean's not usually this bad" Levi shook his head "No, I'm sorry. I jumped to the wrong conclusions" "You kind of did" Levi gave him a small smile and Eren's heart skipped a beat "Do you think you can stand?" Levi's arms came around his waist and Eren's senses were filled with the alpha's smell, causing him to slick further and he let out a small whine "Eren?" Looking at Levi, he could feel his face burning, his gaze dropped back down and the alpha looked away for a moment, before tugging him by the hand onto the closest bathroom stall. The moment the door closed, Levi's lips were on his and Eren whined into his mouth "I don't care if you put it down to being drunk, but god" Levi rutted up against him and his knee slid between the omegas legs, rocking gently as he claimed Eren's mouth desperately. Eren knew he should stop, he wanted to push Levi away, but the alcohol had stripped away his ability to refuse the alpha and he whined into Levi's mouth as he ground harder. Levi's hands came to tug on his pants and Eren couldn't even protest, he didn't even think to. He was drunk on Levi's touch, and moaned when the alphas hands finally slid into his underwear "God Eren, you're so beautiful" Levi's words were wasted on him, all he could think about was the alphas touch. He'd never felt anything like this. He felt Levi's hand slid back off his already leaking erection and let out a long whine "It's alright omega, I'm hear" The alphas breath was warm against his neck and Eren shivered in need, he felt Levi turning him and obeyed the alpha without hesitation. Behind him Levi's hands slid to massage and grope at his arse, the pressure right to be erotica and he felt his slick begin to roll down his thighs "Fuck Eren" His mew echoed as Levi's tongue licked at his slick entrance, the sensation had been so unexpected, he'd cum across the stall door, and still Levi insisted on teasing him further "You taste so amazing, so sweet, so perfect..." And yet the alpha had pulled back and Eren's intoxicated mind couldn't figure out why until he felt the blunt tip of Levi's erection rubbing against his loose and twitching opening "Let me know if you want to stop" Eren shook his head quickly and gasped as Levi began to sink inside of him. His eyes rolled back and he found himself pushing his hips back so the man would sink in faster. Levi's moan only spurred on his need to be fucked senseless by the alpha and he rocked his hips, hoping Levi would he the message. It was only seconds before the wet sound of Levi slamming into him echoed in the bathroom, along with their pants and moans, Eren's toes were already curling in anticipation and his fingers desperately tried to find some kind of purchase on the door, as Levi thrust into him over and over until his knees could barely hold him up. He mewed again as Levi's knot began to swell and drove in so hard that Levi's hold on his tender hips was the only thing holding him up. A second orgasm hit midwave and he felt Levi pulsing as he came inside him, his own third orgasm for the night had his eyes slipping closed and drool running down the side of his mouth. Levi pulled him back with him, until Eren was sitting limply in his lap and the alpha nuzzled his neck "God, that... fuck... you're amazing..." When the euphoria had passed and he realised Levi was firmly knotted inside him. An alpha firmly knotted inside him, in the same bathroom... he couldn't stop the tears or the panic. He tried to move from Levi's lap, but the pull of the knot had him whimpering and Levi wrapped his arms around Eren's waist "Shhh my love. You're safe..." Eren just shook his head as the tears fell. He felt so scared, he needed Jean, Jean would know what to do. He sobbed silently in Levi's lap until the alphas knot had gone down enough for him to escape. He stumbled forward, awkwardly pulling his pants up as he went. He needed to get out of there. He had no idea that Levi was following him, but Jean came running from behind the bar the moment he saw him, practically launching himself forward to wrap his arms around the terrified omega "Shhh... Eren, you're alright. Come on, deep breaths. You! What did you do to him! Don't tell me..." "It was consensual, he was fine until I knotted him... I know you don't know me, but I love Eren. I wouldn't have slept with him if he hadn't consented" Hearing Levi tell Jean they'd just fucked made him feel like a slut. He whimpered softly "Eren, is he telling the truth" Eren nodded weakly against Jean "You're lucky he says it was. But stay clear of him, he needs space at the moment and time for himself" "Eren, I'm sorry..." "Levi, just go. I'm taking him home for now. You should go home to" Jean kept a firm hold on him as they left the Underground, the ride back to Jean's was quite and the alpha helped him inside. Eren couldn't even look at Jean, but the alpha said nothing about Levi and he was grateful for that. The omega fell into his bed, and Jean sat on the edge "You can't fall asleep with all those fake piercings in" Eren rolled over with a groan, his thighs and arse were still sticky and he desperately wanted to shower, but it seemed like too much effort. He jumped when Jean pulled the first fake piercing off "We'll take these off and then you can go to sleep" Eren nodded and Jean carefully removed all the piercings. Once done Jean let out a sigh and tugged Eren's boots off for him "Will you be alright if I go back to work?" Eren nodded as he yawned, his whole body felt numb, but his mind was full of Levi, when Jean went to stand, he reached out and grabbed the alphas arm "Jean... do you think I'm a slut?" Jean did something unexpected, he leant in and pressed a kiss to Eren's forehead "No, I don't think you're a slut and you shouldn't either. It's clear Levi's your alpha, I could feel it the moment you two looked at each other" Eren nodded again, he was so tired that his next words came out mumbled "I... don't... want him to hate me..." He felt Jean tug out of his grasp and then the heaviness of his blanket being put over him "Eren, he most certainly doesn't hate you" * Waking up the next morning, Eren's body was drenched in sweat and his body filled with an aching need that he didn't understand. He staggered from his bed and out into the living room, the whole world was spinning and fine tremors ran though his entire frame. Scared and confused, he knocked on Jean's door, the smell of the alpha was so tempting, but he didn't know why and that only compounded the confusion. Jean answered the door sleepily, mascara and eyeliner were smeared across his face, but the signs of sleep soon disappeared and his eyes widened instead "Eren!" Half falling, Jean caught him easily and the alphas hand came to his forehead "You're burning up" "Jean... I feel funny..." He heard Jean take a deep breath in through his nose "Shit. Eren, you're in heat..." He was in heat? This didn't feel anything like his first and wasn't it too soon to be in heat again. He let out a whimper as his stomach cramped and Jean lifted him easily, carrying him the few steps to the his bed and carefully laid him down, Eren immediately curled into a ball, his arms crossed over his stomach as he let out another whimper "It hurts..." "I know..." Eren could smell Jean's arousal in the air and his body cried out to be touched. Between his legs was growing wetter by the minute and his underwear was sodden with slick and semen "Eren, stay here for me. I need to call Marco and see if he has any suppressants" Eren wanted to nod, but instead he whined yet again, forcing one arm to release his stomach and grab for Jean "Alpha... it hurts" Tears rolled down his cheeks and Jean hushed him gently "I know, that's why I need to call Marco before I loose control and do something you'll regret" Eren shook his head "Don't leave..." Jean hefted a sigh, but didn't reply and Eren squirmed trying to get some friction against his throbbing erection. He was too far gone to even feel embarrassed when his hand slipped down and began to rub through the fabric of his jeans. He mewed at the sensations, and his whole body shook with the need to cum, it only took a few seconds for him to be so close, but he just couldn't cum. In the background he could hear Jean talking and wanted the alpha to hurry up and touch him. His hand slid up and he fumbled his jeans undone before sliding his hand down into his underwear and jerking himself harshly. He was so very close and mews and pants poured from his lips "Shit Eren. Hold up" It was a few seconds before he felt the alpha tugging down his jeans and Jean rolled him onto his back "Marco doesn't have any suppressants here, but he does have toys you can use..." Eren shook his head, they weren't what he needed "He also gave me permission to help you with your heat... Eren I need you to focus... do you want me to help you? Knowing that means sex or do you want me to leave. Or option three is I track Levi down for you" Without the confines of his jeans, Eren's hand was free to move much more easily and he shook his head "Alpha..." "Eren! You need to answer me" Pushing down his underwear the best he could, Eren spread his legs and heard Jean growl in response. He moaned as the alpha pulled off his underwear and felt Jean's breath against his erection "You should start to calm after you've cum" Eren nodded and the bed dipped as Jean moved away "Alpha?" "It's alright omega, I'm here... just need to grab a condom" The idea of being knotted and not filled had him whimpering in shame. His omega felt like it was a rejection and he let out a sob "Shhh... it's alright... here..." Jean's hand came to his thigh and squeezed firmly, the bed moved again and Eren felt his legs being moved by Jean "It's alright, you'll feel better soon" His back arched as Jean pushed in, his body was upset and confused why it wasn't Levi, but the feel of the alpha inside him still had him mewing. It didn't take Jean long to have him cumming and Eren had no way to describe his orgasm, it was like he literally couldn't stop cumming. The alpha hushed him as he fucked him hard Eren's whole body went into overdrive with every touch. He screamed as his body weakly convolged when Jean knotted him and the painful aching need back to subside "Eren?" He hummed in answer, unable to do much else and Jean leant into kiss his lips. The alphas mouth was so warm and welcoming the he couldn't help but deepen the kiss. He pouted as Jean pulled back and looked down at him smiling "You feeling better?" Eren nodded and Jean moved to nuzzle his neck, rocking his hips as he did and Eren let out a breathy moan "God Eren. You have no idea how beautiful you are" The omegas chest tightened and Jean continued to nuzzle against him "When I heard you'd had sex with Levi, I was so jealous... I know he's your mate and he loves you, but I think I've fallen for you as well..." Eren frowned, his senses were slowly calming and he finally found his voice "But Marco..." "I know... but I can't help it, I love both of you, and it's not fair on either of you" Eren shook his head "I'm not worth loving" Jean moved to take Eren's face into his hands and pressed a deep kiss to Eren's lips "You are. You really are" Jean pulled back and buried his face yet again in the crook of Eren's neck, while Eren did the same to the alpha, he sniffled as the tears fell not knowing what to say or do. They stayed like that until Jean's knot lessened and the alpha pulled out. "I'm going to call Levi, he's the one who should be here for you" Eren shook his head "You don't even have his number and I doubt he'd want to see me..." The alpha sighed deeply "He waited last night, even though he didn't know if I was coming back, he waited at the bar because he wanted to make sure you were ok. I have his number..." To hear that Levi was concerned and still wanted to see him made his heart leap, the idea of his alpha wanting him pleased his omega side more than he could say "I'll call Levi now, and you can shower while I do, we kind of made a bit of a mess" Jean carefully supported him into the bathroom and close the door when he left. Eren turned the shower taps on before sinking down onto the shower floor. The aching need had filled him again and he weakly tried to finger himself to orgasm, but the feeling just wasn't the same and he whimpered in need. He had no idea how long he stayed on the shower floor, only that he couldn't move, even if he'd wanted to.

#omegaverse #omega eren #Eren Yeager #jean kirstein #Levi Ackerman #snk #ao3fic #aot fic #alpha Jean #alpha Levi

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