Chapter Four

A/B/O - Cherik x Reader

Really good :)

Disenchanted

The third part of the a/b/o au Cherik x reader fic! This part involves the three of them being oh so very awkward around each other, coming to terms with the fact that things have changed, and R having so many doubts about themselves and about the relationship the three of them have. Charles and Erik talk to some people to understand R better and... a happy ending, perhaps.

It has been a year, but I recently got some lovely comments regarding this fic so I couldn't help myself. There may be some loose ends in this chapter, but that's cause I'm holding some stuff back for the epilogue :) Enjoy!

Masterlist/ Prev Part/ Epilogue

“You think they’ll come back, beta?” Lorna asked as she brought over a mug of tea over to you.

“They’d better.” Darwin muttered out, taking the mug from her and handing it over to you. “You were brave to reach out to them like that when it should have been Erik doing that.”

“That was the… bluebell scented one?”

“Yes.” You answered Remy’s question fondly as you rubbed at the mark on your neck. “I know Erik, Darwin. He wasn’t going to let go of his bitterness and pride soon. He’d mellow out in time, but we don’t have that time.”

“I dunno if I like them.” Peter said, munching on a twinky he somehow suddenly had. You wondered if you had a stash of them at home. You probably didn’t, but you were certain that one of the pups did. “But they’re your bondeds, so I guess I can’t really say anything.”

You furrowed your eyebrows at the silver-haired pup.

‘Do they feel off to you?’

‘It’s not that. It’s just…’ It wasn’t often that Peter’s mind had a lull. And that concerned you. A lot. You straightened your back. ‘They seem too invested in arguing with each other and- don’t get me wrong- I can tell that they both love you, but it kinda feels like you’re a little lower on their priority list.’

You hummed noncommittedly and beckoned for the younger omega to sit next to you on the sofa. With a whoosh of wind and the soft scent of snowdrops wrapping around you, you felt a warm weight settle against you.

You thought that yourself. Both your bondeds were stubborn and prideful, even if Charles would deny it. The future versions of them you had seen in- through?- Logan’s mind were more mellow. Simultaneously sharp and rounded. You wondered though. Was their mellowness and their overall softness towards you due to your death in their timeline? Without that regret, would they still… love you?

“It doesn’t matter if they’re our beta’s bondeds.” Remy said, as he moved to settled at your other. “We were with them longer. I doubt the two of them are the highest on their priority list.” His pink-red eyes regarded you. “Right, cher?”

You rolled your eyes fondly at the younger alpha and released your scent to wrap around him when you smelt the tinge of uncertainty in the Juniper scent he had around himself.

“Remy’s right.” You made a soft ‘oof’ sound when Lorna all but collapsed on top of Peter, and when her legs draped across your lap. You haphazardly handed Darwin your mug before you could spill the beverage all over the younger members of your pack. “I’m a little on the fence about both of them and where I stand with them. I know that I want to try and fix-” you paused momentarily, trying to figure out the best way to phrase things.

“The absolute clusterfuck that it your relationship with then?” Peter suggested.

“The messy divorce?” Darwin added.

“We weren’t even courting-”

“But they bit you, and you bit them?” Lorna asked, eyebrow arching as she looked utterly unimpressed. You could feel- by skimming at her surface thoughts- that she was unimpressed by them. “And then they abandoned you?”

“We were young, stressed, and we connected well.” Memories of the time back at the Xavier estate came back to you, and for the first time since Cuba, you embraced them wholeheartedly. “And we really weren’t expecting to bond, not really.”

Darwin made a disbelieving sound, making you and the others look at him.

“That’s what you think. We had a betting pool going on. About when the three of you would get together. Raven won, of course.”

“Of course she did. She knows Charles more than anyone else.” You sighed. “And as for the abandonment part- It was a mutual thing, I think. And looking back on it, Charles was the one to be abandoned twice over. Once from Erik, and the second from me.”

“Technically speaking though, you did initiate courting by giving them the charms,” Peter mused.

You shook your head.

“It doesn’t count. I’m a beta, and betas can’t initiate a courting ritual.”

You knew that that wasn’t a definite truth. You had done some research into courting rituals and habits of betas before the funding got pulled out. Before you were offered a job from Moira that changed your life. But the research out there said that betas couldn’t properly court an alpha or an omega so that was what you would tell the younger ones.

Darwin looked at you with a ‘look’ that you had be on the receiving end very often. It was a look that was a mixture of exasperation and disbelief-

You waved your hand. This was a problem for you and your bondeds to solve and not for the pups to think about. You were, however, very endeared by their concern.

“Don’t worry about it. All of you. What you should be worried about is whether or not you would like to attend Xavier’s school for gifted youngsters.”

~ ♥~

Erik would be lying if he said that he wanted to stop Mystique from killing Trask. He would be lying if he said that he didn’t enjoy seeing the fear in the man’s eyes as his blue skinned fellow mutant had her gun on him.

But Charles wanted her to stop. Erik didn’t doubt for a second that the reason the alpha wanted her to stop was because he didn’t want her to become a cold-hearted murderer.

“Raven-”

“Don’t, Charles.” Her eyes were on the human, and Erik could feel the metal of the trigger being pushed lightly. “You don’t know what he’s planning. You don’t know what he’s done.”

“We know, Raven-”

This conversation was going nowhere. Charles was too lenient with Mystique and Mystique got too stubborn and bitter with Charles. And as Charles was currently incapable of doing anything, and the mutant from the future wasn’t familiar with the Mystique standing in front of them.

He coolly regarded Trask and stretched out his hand. The gun flew out of her hand and clattered onto the floor.

“Erik!” Her voice was furious. And her natural scent of chocolate turned deeply bitter. “Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten what they’ve done to Emma. To Azazel.”

“Both of whom are still alive.” Erik was speaking to her, but his eyes were trained onto Trask. The man was too dangerous to walk free. If Charles had his mutation, he could have made the man forget them. Forget everything, but unfortunately, that was impossible. “And so are they.”

Though general, Erik knew that Mystique knew who he was referring to. Her eyes snapped away from Trask to look at him. Her gaze flickered to Charles, and although years had passed since she had followed Erik away from her brother, she still looked at him for reassurance.

His own gaze followed hers, and Erik watched as Charles nodded.

“No. They died. With Darwin.”

“They faked their death. Raven, they’re going to come back.”

Erik twisted his hand and commanded for a strip of metal to wrap around Trask, securing him in place whilst Charles and Mystique conversed for longer. His other hand was in his pocket, where the charm you gave him was in. The pad of his thumb brushed against the warm metal.

He had promised you that he wouldn’t come back alone. He had promised that he wouldn’t betray Charles. The inner instinct within him stirred for the first time since he had attended your funeral. His inner omega wanted to please you. Wanted to please Charles too.

A laugh tore through the air, and the scent of something chemical spread through the room. Erik schooled his features to not make his displeasure and discomfort apparent. He twisted his hand once more to cover the man’s mouth with the metal.

“Why did they fake their death then?”

“We all thought they were human, and you remember our hatred for humans.” Mystique nodded at Erik’s words. “They thought that they had no place amongst us. But-”

“Their mutation manifested after they fled.” Charles continued, and Erik couldn’t find it in himself to be annoyed by it. “They can tell us more when we get back to them.” The alpha stared at Trask. “After we do something about him. Logan, would you mind knocking him out?”

Erik paused and took the time to scent the air. Charles’ scent- a mixture of leather and old books- was more potent. Clearer. A hand grasped at his forearm and Erik was quick to shift himself closer to his alpha bonded.

‘Erik?’

Whatever drug that his old friend had taken must be wearing off.

“Charles? Erik, what’s wrong with him?”

‘It’s alright, old friend. I have you.’

“Nothing we can’t fix, Raven.” Charles leaned heavily onto him, and Erik immediately wrapped his arm around the other man’s waist. “Let me just-”

The alpha pressed two fingers to his temple and closed his eyes. In an instant, Trask crumbled in front of them.

Erik didn’t know how the charm of yours worked, but the only ones that could hear his thoughts were his bondeds so he would make an attempt to reach you. The charm you had gifted him was well made. It referenced something intimate that he shared with you. He could let his inner omega admit it. He had missed you dearly. Just like he had missed Charles.

The short time he had spent with you and Charles was more memorable than anything that had happened in the decade afterwards.

‘I agree with you, old friend.’

‘We spent such a short time together, and yet…’

It was your voice, ringing in his mind.

‘We couldn’t move past it.’ Charles continued as he rested his cheek onto Erik’s shoulder. ‘Ignore it, suppress it, distract ourselves from it-’

The marks on his neck flared. It wasn’t the throbbing pain that had haunted him every night. It was… gentler. A renewal of the bond.

‘It didn’t break,’ Erik thought.

“Let’s get out of here.” Mystique said, slipping next to Charles and helping him stay standing. She kicked Trask as she passed him. “Before whatever security forces come for us.”

~ ♥~

Charles fiddled with the charm you had gifted him. He could feel your mind within it. It was weaker than your real mind, of course, but it was close enough. He could connect to you through it.

It was a well-made thing. Smooth to the touch and in the shape of a manta ray. He knew why his was of this shape. He remembered the ambiance of the aquarium where he truly connected to you. He remembered the blue glow of the place and the distinct lack of other minds to distract him.

He couldn’t feel his legs. But he could feel the buzzing of minds within the plane. Erik’s, Hank’s, and yours. Raven had wanted to come, but Charles had tasked her with keeping an eye on Trask. If any governmental authority came to make enquiries… she could handle it. He trusted her to handle it.

Logan had gone off on his own, the future version of himself having been ejected from the past version of his body. Charles could only hope that that meant the dystopian future would not come to fruition.

“It’s your move, Charles.”

Ah. Yes. The game of chess he was playing with Erik.

He moved his knight across the board.

Your mind weighed at the back of his own, and Charles assumed that you did the same to the others you had gifted your charms to. He was simply able to feel you better, with him being a telepath himself. The best way he could explain the feeling was- it was like his mind was being embraced.

His inner alpha was the calmest and happiest since the past decade, and he could feel it just yearning to purr and tuck his bondeds into a bed and curl up between them. His inner alpha was done with licking its wounds and now wanted to keep both you and Erik in the safe boundaries of its territory.

‘I truly am sorry, Charles.’

‘I know, Erik.’

Charles had wanted to hold onto his spite. His grief. The pain of being abandoned and in a state that made him all too vulnerable. But now that he was sober and in the presence of one of his bondeds… he couldn’t. He had spent more time away from them than with them, and heavens above, he had missed them.

“Will you leave again?” he asked as he watched the bluebell scented omega slid his bishop across the board. And he was pleasantly surprised at the way Erik immediately shook his head.

“No, old friend. I’ve got too much to lose now, and I highly doubt that you’d stop me from doing what I want to do.”

Charles huffed out a short laugh and shook his head.

“And I doubt that you’d do anything that crosses the line.” Charles paused and squinted slightly at Erik, who gave him a sharp smile. “You’d tell me before at the least.”

“You’d make me stop before I do anything.”

Charles shook his head. Erik blocked him too well. Besides, he would never take away his bondeds’ autonomy away from them.

“You’d ask and I’d concede, old friend. That’s how it’s always been.”

“Has it?” Charles arched an eyebrow at his omegan bonded. “I remember Cuba very differently.”

“After Cuba. When I came to you.” Ah yes. Charles remembered it clearly. Erik on his knees, dripping in regret and grief as he begged for forgiveness. He half-remembered telling Erik to leave. “If you told me to stay, I would have.”

Charles didn’t quite believe him. The plane dipped slightly.

Erik looked at him, and tapped his temple lightly, silently giving explicit permission for Charles to look into his mind. Voluntarily.

Charles mimicked the omega’s movements and pressed his finger against his own temple.

The flurry of thoughts that hit him made him take in a startled breath. Erik’s mind had always been beautiful to him. But now? Now it was breath-taking. And he was telling the truth. Charles couldn’t explain in words how he knew, but he could feel it.

“Oh, Erik…”

Charles reached to grab at Erik’s hand, feeling the calluses gracing his fingers. He squeezed gently.

“We’re almost there.”

Hank’s voice pulled both him and Erik away from the rather intimate moment they were having, and Charles was not proud to say that he had completely forgotten the Hank could hear them both. And from the frown tugging at Erik’s lips he could tell that he too had forgotten the presence of the younger omega.

It would be more fruitful to continue this conversation with you here, anyway.

~ ♥~

“We could still keep this house, cher.”

You shook your head as you watched Remy shuffle a deck of cards. Darwin stood next to you, the younger alpha’s mossy natural scent tinted with a sense of sorrow. You reached to pat at his back.

This little cottage had been his home as much as it had been yours. It was the first stable place the two of you could call home since the two of you had fled the American continents. And it had been a place that you welcomed Remy and Lorna into. A place that Peter somehow stumbled to when in his time of need.

“It won’t be safe anymore.” You said, a little sadly. “Our scents are too potent here, and if someone found it and linked it to us…”

“Yeah, I get it.”

“Are you sure your… bonded would let us stay where he lives?” Lorna asked as she placed her cheek onto your shoulder.

“Yes, pup. I’m very sure. Charles wouldn’t turn away a mutant in need of a place to stay.” You reached your other hand out to gently brush at her hair. “I’ll come with you too, remember? So don’t worry about it, Lorna.”

“Do you think they’d let me stay too? I’m pretty sure they would, cause I did get one of them out of prison, but you can never be too sure with them.” He nestled next to Darwin and sighed. “I dropped by the estate a couple of days ago and it looks alright. A little worn but it’s very, very big.”

You felt a gentle tug at your mind.

“You’re always welcome to stay, Peter.”

You twisted your head and offered the men coming towards your little group a small smile.

Your eyes, of course, lingered at the wheelchair that Charles was sitting on. Guilt blossomed at the base of your chest. You weren’t surprised to see that the mobility aid was floating above the forest floor slightly.

You raised an eyebrow at Erik, who simply responded with a sharp, knowing smile.

“Why are you all outside?” Hank asked.

“We’re saying goodbye to the house, my dude.” Peter said, suddenly appearing next to Remy with his arms filled with suitcases. “Too much evidence here. And I don’t think we’ll be coming back here, like, ever.”

“Ever?” Erik echoed as he looked at you.

“The main reason why we stayed here was because of the mutation I manifested. Being around people and metal constantly is… hard.”

You would tuck away the fact that you went nearly catatonic during the year or so after the incident at Cuba. But you had completely forgotten that Charles could read your mind just as easily as you could read his.

He said your name.

“Later.” You said, rubbing your temples tiredly. “When we get back to America.”

It was a shame. This place was where Lorna and Peter made their nests. And those nests were the first ones you had been given the permission to enter. It had taken both of them a while to make them, and you had thanked god for your expertise in secondary genders.

‘Shall I, beta?’

‘Go ahead, Remy. The quicker we do this, the less it’ll hurt.’

The juniper-scented alpha flicked his wrists and a couple of cards- all imbued with explosive energy- shot towards the house, and you watched as the place collapsed on top of itself.

There was no going back now.

You cleared your throat and turned to your bondeds and Hank. You made your way over to them, and even without looking back, you knew that the pups and Darwin were following close behind you.

You stopped in front of Charles and offered him a hesitant smile.

‘I need you to help me, Charles.’

‘Anything.’

‘My mental walls aren’t good. At all.’ At your confession, Charles smiled as he gave you an encouraging nod. ‘Could you help me keep all the voices out until we get back to your estate?’

‘Of course.’

“Thank you.”

Erik offered you his hand, palm up, and you were just about to place your hand onto his, but…

The near unnoticeable scent of Lily-of-the-valley invaded your senses and you felt a pair of arms wrap around your waist.

“No.” Lorna said, and you stifled the urge to roll your eyes at the younger omega’s hiss. “I’ll bite you.”

The scent of juniper mixed with Lorna’s and you felt your alpha pup rest his chin onto your shoulder. You sighed when you saw Erik’s eyes sharpen and narrow at the pink-eyed mutant you had invited into your life nearly a decade ago. Your omegan bonded gave you a look.

“I don’t control them.” Was your response to him. “Unless we’re in a dire situation.”

“Leave beta alone, you two.” Darwin was your saving grace, as he grabbed them by the sleeves to tug them off of you. “Their relationship with their bondeds is more complicated than you think.”

Well. That was the understatement of the decade. And you still had no idea what the three of you had with each other.

~ ♥~

You fiddled with the charms of your bracelet as you walked about the estate. You were absentmindedly brushing against the surface of your little group, making sure that they were all content with being here.

Darwin slipped into the estate with a familiarity that reflected his previous time here, and you could feel that he was glad in some way to be back. Peter’s thoughts were quick and curious, and as he had some experience with both of your bondeds, you didn’t worry too much about him. Remy went with the flow often, and although there was a hint of apprehension lingering in his mind, you could tell that he wasn’t too worried.

You worried about Lorna, though. She was fiercely cautious and wary of everyone that wasn’t part of the group you had acquired, and you worried that she would be needlessly tense here.

It appeared as though Lorna took after Erik more than Peter did.

‘What?’

You winced. You had completely forgotten that you weren’t the only telepath here.

‘Don’t ask, Charles.’

‘What do you mean, don’t ask? How could I not?’ A pause. ‘Does Erik know?’

‘No. Lorna and Peter are also oblivious to it, and I’m not planning on telling them any time soon.’ You followed the faint chocolate-y scent that Raven often left behind. ‘It’s not my secret to reveal. And it might be better for all of them this way.’

‘Beta-’

Your inner instinct startled at the way Charles referred to you. Maybe it was expecting bitterness to tint the title. Maybe it wasn’t really expecting to be referred to in such a… commanding tone.

His tone softened as he said your name in your mind instead.

‘Can we shelf this conversation for later, Charles?’ You rubbed the bridge of your nose tiredly. ‘I have to go see Raven, and we have to figure out what to do with Trask. We also have to have that conversation.’

About the bond, the fact that the three of you were bondeds, and how the whole dynamic would work.

‘If that’s what you want.’

‘Thanks, Charles.’

The telepathic conversation ended there, and just in time too, as Raven rounded the corner in her natural blue form, her arms crossed as she regarded you with a coolness you hadn’t even seen from her when you first met her.

You instinctively bared your throat at her, slipping into the role of a beta far too easily when the discontent scent of an alpha hit you. This was Raven, the girl who had hugged you and demanded that Charles take you with them to the estate after Shaw’s attack at the compound, but this was also Mystique, who had spent a decade following the radical ideals of the mutant Brotherhood.

It was similar to how you weren’t the soft-spoken beta professional a decade ago. How you weren’t as… innocent as you were back then.

You didn’t know how to speak to her.

It was a silent standstill, and you didn’t dare to touch her mind. She had shields far stronger than yours up anyway, considering her longer experience being around a telepath.

The chocolate scent sweetened slightly as she relaxed her posture.

“So, you’re a mutant?”

You smiled and allowed the tension to seep away from your body. You nodded.

“I think I had the gene, but that specific criteria had to be met to trigger it.”

“Bonding?”

“To other mutants, yes. But Hank’s planning on running some tests to figure out what’s really happened.”

She reached to grasp at your shoulder, and her yellow eyes gazed into your own deeply. Her fingers dug into your flesh, but you didn’t find the sensation to be uncomfortable or painful. It was simply a reminder- to you or to herself, you didn’t know- that you were here with her.

“I heard what happened from Charles and Hank.” She offered you a smile, just like she had done so a decade ago. “Thank you.”

You smiled back at her.

“We may not have parted in the best of ways, but I consider you a friend, Raven. I couldn’t let you be used and experimented on.”

“You aren’t a friend, beta.” You flinched at her words, opening your mouth to retract your previous sentence, but Raven shot you a look which made you close your mouth quickly. “You’re bonded to Charles- you’re practically family.”

The knot that you didn’t know you had resting within your ribcage loosened. You laughed lightly and removed her hand from your shoulder to hold it in your own.

“Do you want to come and watch as I have a word with Trask, alpha?”

Her smile turned sharp and downright dangerous.

“It would be my pleasure, beta.”

~ ♥~

Charles looked a little absentminded. Erik noted the vacant look in his eyes and the way he startled when he placed his hand onto the other man’s shoulder. When Erik asked, he simply shook his head and smiled at him.

You had been wound up the whole plane trip back to Charles’ estate. Quiet, and fretting about the young… pups. Erik didn’t know what he felt, when he could smell their scents on you more than his and Charles’.

Was it regret or was it jealousy?

“You’re just in time for the show.”

Mystique’s words were rather excited, and that successfully pulled him out of whatever thoughts his inner omega was pushing into his consciousness.

“What show, Raven?”

Erik opted to release his control over Charles’ wheelchair as he walked closer to the one-way glass that allowed the three of them to see you sitting in front of Trask, your back against them.

Mystique didn’t answer Charles, and instead pressed a button, a sharp grin gracing her features.

“-you. You’re the one our security cameras captured. The mutant with so many powers.”

Through the cracking of the speakers, Erik could hear you hum softly.

“Alloy bullets were a nice touch, weren’t they?” The human asked, so vindictive despite the situation he was in. “How many times were you shot with them, beta?”

At the clearly condescending tone of your secondary gender, Charles snarled. Which was rather surprising. Erik hissed lowly and grit his teeth together.

“A couple of times. Nothing too serious though. I was worth more alive, weren’t I?” You shifted your torso slightly. “I saw your files, Trask. I know what you wanted to do with my genes.”

The displeased sounds grew louder, and Erik wasn’t quite sure if that was because of the sound ripping from his throat or Charles’. Maybe even Raven’s.

“A shame. We could have figured out how to apply that gene of yours to other people. Give them power beyond the limits of humanity. You could have been a pioneer.”

‘Breathe, Erik.’

Erik noticed that the metal of the room started to curve and crumple. He took in a deep breath and released his hand, which had unconsciously formed a fist.

You sighed.

“I’m not here to talk to you about what could have beens. Nor am I here to indulge you in your delusional ideas.” You leaned forwards, and Erik watched as the metal within the room started to vibrate. “I’m here to convince you to confess your crimes. To give up your research.”

“How would you do that? The moment I am inevitably released from this place, I will be asking for more funding to eradicate your kind. You did kidnap me, after all.”

“I can make you.”

Charles inhaled sharply, and Erik knew instantly that he didn’t approve.

But Erik did.

“A simple thought planted here, a mental nudge there…” Erik couldn’t see your face, but the morphing of Trask’s smug expression into something of fear made him feel… delighted. “And you’d go to the authorities yourself to confess your sins.”

Erik glanced at Charles and saw that his old friend had his fingers pressed against his temple, his eyes closed and eyebrows furrowed.

“Charles?”

“Hush, Erik. I’m concentrating. It’s been a while since I’ve properly used this aspect of my abilities.”

He looked at Mystique for confirmation that Charles was doing what he thought the other man was doing. She simply shrugged at him.

“Charles isn’t the naïve fool you make him to be, Erik.” She tilted her chin up to refer to said man. “He’s still pack alpha.” Whilst Erik was aware of that fact, it was an entirely different experience, seeing one of his bondeds’ eyes shift golden. “He was worse when we were younger.”

“And you’ll forget everything about us too,” you said as you waved your hand slightly.

And before he knew it, Trask’s face slammed onto the table. You sighed and stood up, stumbling slightly when you took a step. Erik extended a hand and had the metal chair move closer to you.

“Didn’t they say that their abilities are direct imitations of ours?” Erik asked, more to himself than anything.

“For making people forget things and vague orders targeting many minds, they’re very adept. But targeted control and persuasion requires… more experience. More precision.” Charles looked up at him, and Erik noted that his eyes were still golden. “They couldn’t have convinced Trask alone, and neither could I.”

“Trask won’t be an issue anymore?”

“He won’t hurt us. Not now, and certainly not in the future.”

“That doesn’t mean the danger’s gone, though.” You said, and Erik was quick to move by your side. His hand curling around your waist as he truly breathed in your scent. He dipped his face to press it against your shoulder, his inner omega surfacing with the need to smother you in his scent. Your hand reached up to caress his cheek. “Trask’s only… one of the heads of a hydra. There’ll always be something that poses a danger to you.”

“To us.”

“…Right.” You regarded Mystique with an expression that he couldn’t interpret. “To us.”

~ ♥~

A couple of weeks had passed, and despite your promise to talk to your bondeds about things, you found yourself avoiding them for some strange reason. You wanted to talk to them properly. You wanted to grab the promises of comfort and love that the alpha and the omega were clearly offering you.

But your inner instinct clearly wasn’t willing to cooperate with your logical side.

As the school had reopened, students came back and thus the younger pups you had taken under your wing were interacting and forming friendships with other students their age. You didn’t seek them out though, fully knowing that they needed this.

You yourself offered your experience as an expert in secondary gender studies and Charles was all too happy to have you work at the school as a counsellor of a sort. Considering the fact that there was a much higher percentage of alphas and omegas in the mutant population.

You looked at the mirror in your room- the same one you had a decade ago, preserved just the way you had left it before the crisis in Cuba- and sighed.

“What’s wrong with you?” You asked yourself, knowing that your reflection wouldn’t answer. “You missed them, didn’t you? You want to be with them. That’s why you gave them the charms.”

There was something wrong with you. You weren’t normal, not by human standards, not by mutant ones, and certainly not by betan ones.

You felt a graze at your mind, and reflexively, you brought a wall up. You knew that Charles could break through them easily, but this was your way of warning him to not prod at them.

You tore your eyes away from the mirror and found your way over to your desk. Looking at piles of papers of research that you had set aside a long, long time ago. When you were more interested in making the lives of betas easier. To get the rest of the world to see that betas were needed in a pack. That they benefited from pack bonds. That no harm came to the bonded of a beta if a mating bond did form.

You laughed lightly and shoved those papers away. That was the goal of a you that was younger and more hopeful. A you that had dreams and ambitions to change the world.

Not you now, who was doubtful of the beliefs the past you had held.

~ ♥~

“Here’s the thing, Lehnsherr.” Erik turned his attention to where the voice of the fellow metallokinetic who had walked up to him after the last of the afternoon lessons ended, twirling a charm around in the palm of her hand. “You don’t know them.”

His inner omega- coiled and tense from the way it picked up your deliberate avoidance of both him and Charles- made him snarl, but she didn’t flinch. She instead leaned against the wall near him and grinned.

Erik wasn’t quite sure what made her talk to him, considering the actively hostile demeanour she exhibited towards him ever since that charged reunion with you.

“Elaborate.”

“I know them.” Erik knew this, and he had inferred that Lorna in particular was fiercely cautious of anyone that came near you. Which rubbed him the wrong way. “And there’s a couple of things that you either don’t know-” her expression shifted into something colder- “or you know and are ignoring it. For your sake, I hope it’s the former.”

“They don’t think of themselves to be a mutant, but they don’t think that they’re human either.”

Erik tilted his head. But you were a mutant now. That’s all that mattered. You were like him and Charles.

As if she had telepathic abilities of her own, she rolled her eyes and pocketed the charm before crossing her arms.

“I’ve heard of the Cuban crisis. I’ve heard of how you felt- or feel- about non-mutants. It was mainly from them though.”

“What is it that you want to tell me, Lorna?”

“They probably think that you’re only willing to reinitiate the bond only because they turned out to be a mutant. Not because you actually like them.”

His blunt question was answered with an equally blunt answer. But you wouldn’t really think that.    

Would you?

Your scent was as comforting and soft as before, and you hadn’t voiced anything. You avoided both him and Charles, but when you did interact with them, you acted like you had always acted. Teasing, indulging, but firm when it was needed.

He opted to stay silent, not wanting his more personal life to be exposed to a student. Not even one that you were personally invested in. She wasn’t deterred by his silence.

“You confused them, and I don’t think you made anything clear to them.”

“Lorna!”

“That’s just some food for thought. Remy’s calling me, so I’ll leave you with that.”

Erik couldn’t do anything but watch as the green haired omega disappeared from his view.

~ ♥~

“What’s your diagnosis, doc?”

“Beta, you’re a doctor too.” Hank was bluer and furrier than you remembered, but the citrussy scent of oranges remained the same. He flicked through the papers on the clipboard as you rolled your sleeve back down. “You do have the X-gene, and it looks to be very similar to the gene of a copycat’s.”

“A copycat’s?”

Hank nodded, his eyes still on the report in his hands.

“There was an older mutant that could mimic the mutations of others. It wasn’t anything permanent, but his genes had some characteristics that yours show.” He looked up at you. “But unlike his, yours is more stable.”

“So my hypothesis is correct?” You asked, opening a hand to silently ask for the report. The omega handed it to you. “The bonds did change me. Or… they triggered something to kick start it.”

“That seems to be the case.”

You wondered if the gene would have been triggered by any bond or if it had to be triggered by a bond- or bonds- with those with the X-gene.

Your hand grazed at the mark on your neck as you absentmindedly read through the graphs and words on the pieces of paper.

“He missed you, you know.”

“…I gathered.”

“No. You don’t know, beta.” Your eyes immediately landed on Hank when you heard the edge in his tone. When you smelt the chemical burn of bleach overtake the orange. “You really don’t.”

“The… perceived death of a bonded is bound to impact anyone.” Your words sounded clinical, even to yourself. You paused, trying to gather your thoughts, but Hank gestured for you to continue. “It’s just- I didn’t think it’d impact him that much. Or for that long.”

“You’re one of his bondeds.”

Thank God Charles and Raven were out for a talk at a university today. You really didn’t want him to listen in on this.

“He’s an alpha. And his omegan bonded was well and alive. Albeit estranged.”

“Do you think Charles cares about secondary genders?”

You pursed your lips. The alpha was the first one you spoke to about your insecurities about being a part of the ‘group’. And he had been the one to coax you into joining the ‘pack activities’.   

At your silence, Hank sighed.

“I read your work. I rummaged through the cabinets of journals and read your articles that had been filed away and rejected. And I think you were onto something.”

“Those were written by a me that wasn’t bonded.” You were being defensive. You knew you were being defensive. You loved Erik and Charles. You really did. But… you couldn’t help but feel the disconnect between yourself and the two of them. At times, you felt like you were an intruder of a sort. “Sorry. It’s just… I don’t think that my previous research really matters anymore. The pack dynamics between alphas and omegas is something that betas can’t really interfere with.”

“Do you really think that?”

“I don’t know, Hank.” You placed the clipboard onto the table of the lab. “I don’t really know anything anymore.”

“Charles and I are pack. So’s Raven.” A clawed hand gingerly grasped at yours. “And so are you. It doesn’t matter what your secondary gender is. I considered you pack the moment you saved Darwin.”

You noted the absence of Erik, but you understood why. And if you were honest with yourself, you didn’t blame him.

“Thanks, omega.”

“You’re very welcome, beta.”

~ ♥~

“I didn’t get to say this before, but you look like a completely different person when you’re not high.”

“Hello to you too, Peter.”

Charles greeted the young omega who appeared in his office in a flurry of silver and the scent of snowdrops quickly surrounded the room. The younger mutant waved at him from where he sat and fiddled with something on the desk.

Peter’s thoughts were hard to interpret. They went by so quickly and very fleetingly, and he didn’t understand how you were able to communicate with the silver-haired mutant through his mind.

Said omega tilted his head at Charles, a rare serious look crossing his features. In these moments, Charles was truly hit with the fact that, yes, this really was Erik’s son.

“You see, I was speaking to Lorna and Remy and Darwin last night ‘cause we worried about our beta, y’know?” Charles took in a sharp breath. He was aware of your avoidance of him and Erik, and he was well aware of your warnings for him to stay out of your thoughts. But was he being inattentive? “It’s not your fault, Professor. We just pick up on their tendencies better.”

“…I see.”

His inner alpha whimpered at the mere thought of his failure at not being someone his loved ones could depend on. At the fact that he was unable to provide and protect.

Peter scratched the back of his neck as he scented the air.

“You see, Professor… They may not be an alpha, but they were always our pack leader. Even if they don’t really think so. They never really depended on us and we always came to them when something went wrong. I think they just got used to that.”

“They shouldn’t have. Darwin should have taken up the role of pack alpha.”

Peter snorted and shook his head.

“Darwin barely knows how omegas work, Professor. When I went to heat, he asked if a quote unquote service needed to be called. Beta slapped the back of his head and put me on the bed instead. Cuddling does wonders, did you know?” Peter had placed down the object he was fiddling with and was instead tapping his finger on the wooden desk. “It was just a theory they had, but turns out sex isn’t required in heats and ruts.”

Charles’ mind flickered to the articles you had written during your time as a researcher.

“Anyway. Our beta’s confused, I think. They’re the only beta in the school so that might have something to do with it too. They kind of uprooted their life to come here, y’know? And they probably feel a little out of their depth. I think that you and Erik should probably do some pack activities for them to join in with. Make a nest, and cuddle or something.”

Peter was… surprisingly perceptive. And as if the young omega knew what he was thinking, he grinned.

“I’m fast, Professor. My mind works quickly and so does my eyes. I pick up on things about as quickly as I can run. It just doesn’t show with school work.” He stood up. “Just consider what I just said, yeah?”

“I will.”

“We’re planning on going to get some nesting materials in a couple of weeks’ time. Me and Lorna need some new stuff and Remy, Darwin, and our beta’s going to join us. So… if you’d like to join, you can. Maybe Erik too?”

Charles smiled at the offer.

“I’ll ask him. Thank you for offering that to me, Peter.”

“I want beta to be happy. That’s all.”

And just as quickly as he appeared into Charles’ office, he disappeared.

~ ♥~

“Erik. Charles.” You greeted your two bondeds that strolled into your office as you closed the file you were looking at. You smiled at them and gestured at the area in across your desk. “What brings you here?”

“We need to have that talk,” Charles said, rolling his wheelchair next to where Erik took a seat.

Ah. Yes. The conversation your inner instinct was trying to avoid. You urged your unease to settle and nodded instead.

“I bonded with you before your mutation manifested.” Erik said, icy blue eyes holding your gaze with a heat that you didn’t really expect. “When I thought you were human. You having a mutation doesn’t change that.”

You fidgeted with the charms of your bracelet.

“I don’t know, Erik. Would you have been so accepting of the me now- after the faked death and the deception- if I remained human? I was pushed away from your thoughts the moment the missiles targeted you.” You curled up on yourself a little. “Did you really miss me? Or did you just miss me when my mutation came to light?”

You watched as your omegan bonded’s expression twisted into something hurt.

“Liebling-” you recalled the older, alternative version of the metallokinetic who called you that- “I missed you, mutation or not. I have… wronged both you and Charles in the past-”

His eyes flickered to Charles, who was simply listening with a calm demeanour. Erik didn’t continue, but you could feel that his thoughts were bare for both you and Charles to read. You felt the longing. The hope. And the general affection he held.

“Beta.” Charles started, when Erik pulled his walls up once more. “You belong here. With me. With Erik.”

You were taken aback at the blunt manner in which the alpha phrased the sentence. You blinked owlishly at the telepath, who offered you a small smile.

“I know we never established a pack, but you do have a place in it. A very important place.” You felt Charles graze at the surface of your mind, and this time, you let him in. “Where would we be without your attentiveness and your moderating capabilities?”

Your inner instincts stopped telling you to avoid them now. And you reeled at the sudden change of your instincts. It wanted you to purr now. To drown yourself in their scents. Was this what it was looking for? Acceptance from your bondeds and an acknowledgement of the pain you had been in?

You swallowed.

“I didn’t want to hurt either of you. I never expected that my… death would impact both of you to this degree. I’m sorry.” You fiddled with the charms again. “I shouldn’t have made conclusions for myself.”

The purr that rumbled from Charles made you relax. It was a warm, happy sound that made you smile. And when you listened more carefully, you could hear the lower purr coming from Erik too.

And it wasn’t long before your own purr joined them, leading to the cacophony of delighted purring echoing within the walls.

This was a tentative start, but a start nonetheless.

~ ♥~

Erik simply watched as the young omegas you had picked up fleeted about the store, touching at fabrics and stuffed toys and making faces. Peter and Lorna often came back to where he and his bondeds were to ask you for your opinion, which you gave readily.

“Why don’t you go find some things too, Erik?”

He shook his head at your suggestion. Nesting was not something he did.

“Come now, dear.” Charles’ tone was filled with mirth and amusement, and that made Erik shoot the alpha a glare. “Let’s at least take a look at things.”

“I agree with the Professor.” The younger, juniper scented alpha butted in, taking the handle of the cart from you. “Me and Darwin can monitor the younger omegas.”

“But Remy-”

“Go on, cher. Have some bonding time with your mates.”

You reluctantly let the boy take the cart from you and instead placed your hands on Charles’ wheelchair.

“May I, Charles?”

“Always, love.” His old friend turned his head to look up at him. “Where shall we go first, Erik?”

He really didn’t know. But at your coaxing look and the gentle nudging at his mind, Erik reluctantly walked towards a shelf of things that pulled up his inner omega.

~ ♥~

Charles had to admit that watching Erik rummage through blankets and pillows was something that endeared him greatly. The disapproving glare he would give some things and the satisfied hum he would vocalise when he found something he liked made his inner alpha thrum with satisfaction.

He felt your hand at the back of his neck, and he tilted his head back lightly to lean more heavily into your touch.

“He’s very… cute, don’t you think?”

“He is indeed. I think it’s more of Erik’s inner omega than himself, but I’m glad he’s indulging it.” Charles said, smiling when you grabbed at a random plush on the shelf to dump it on his lap. “Is this one for you, love?”

“From the things gathered in Erik’s arms right now, I don’t think he’ll pick up any plushies. But I like them and I think I can endear him to this one.”

Charles looked at the rather large shark plushie on his lap and smiled. Erik would be endeared to anything you picked, regardless of his own preferences. He would also be endeared to anything Charles himself picked, so he too, picked up a plush from the shelf.

“I don’t think he’d mind too much, love.”

~ ♥~

Although you had officially been in a courtship with Charles and Erik for around a month now, there was still a degree of dancing about the three of you were doing. Affections that were cautious and careful. Touches that were more fleeting than anything.

The outing today to the nesting materials shop changed something, and you had telepathically thanked Remy for his interference. The younger alpha took your gratitude with flourish and had teased you, saying that you now owed him a favour.

You had expected to part with Erik and Charles after the outing so that your omegan bonded could set up his nest on his own, but to your utter surprise, the man ushered both you and Charles into Charles’ bedroom and threw the materials on his bed.

So that was how you ended up here, bundled in the arms of your bondeds, wrapped up in the soft scent of bluebells as well as the warm scent of leather and old books. Your neck throbbing from the fresh bond marks your beloved mates gave you once again.

You reached a hand to cradle Charles’ cheek and purred softly at the sight of the blue-eyed alpha nuzzling at your palm.

Pressed at your back, you felt Erik dip his face into the crook of your neck as his hold on your waist tightened.

It had taken a decade, but you were back here. In the presence of your beloved bondeds in the place that started it all.

EWAN MITCHELL as Osferth in The Last Kingdom 5.02

Newly minted ambassador Josephine Montilyet is being shown around the Grand Necropolis by the snivelling nobility. They intend to show her how Mourn Watch take care of the Necropolis as well as boast about their ethically sourced workforce. When they enter, the first thing Ambassador Montilyet notices is a skeleton wearing a flower crown. It's poorly constructed yet surprisingly holds together as the skeleton swings it pickaxe.

They come across another and another until now even the skeleton guards are wearing them. The noble is getting noticeably upset, confused and somewhat angry thinking someone is playing a prank on them and trying to ruin the ambassadors opinion of Nevarra. They decide to take her to the memorial gardens only to find the source of the disruption.

A young Foundling who goes by the name Ingellvar is offering anyone they come across a flower crown, grinning from ear to ear when they take it. Vorgoth assists. The noble intends to take the being aside and lecture them on keeping their ward in check only for Ingellvar to offer Josephine a flower crown.

She accepts.

Twenty years later, Josephine still has that flower crown pressed and safely preserved behind framed glass. It's one of her favorite gifts and a fond memory of a child happy amongst the dead and their eldritch guardian watching over them.

“Stop isolating yourself from reality” well tell reality to stop sucking

Abigail Thorn as Sharako Lohar

House of the Dragon / Season Two Episode Eight

Laura Berlin as QUEEN EMMA of NORMANDY VIKINGS: VALHALLA — Season 3 (2024)

Finan

The Last Kingdom / Season Three Episode Nine

Dragon Age: The Veilguard - all of Rook's faction background surnames

Grey Wardens - Thorne Mourn Watch - Ingellvar Shadow Dragons - Mercar Antivan Crows - de Riva Veil Jumpers - Aldwir Lords of Fortune - Laidir

[source]

Rook Questionnaire

inspired by @cassieuncaged's BG3 Character Development Questions but for Rook instead!

1: Where in the Thedas is your Rook from?

2: What is your character's alignment?

3: Race and subclass?

4: If your Rook was a companion, where would they be found?

5: What emotion did they usually pick?

6: What companion are you platonically close with?

7: Romantically close with?

8: Who are they suspicious of?

9: Does your Rook get along with their chosen Faction?

10: Are they proficient in playing any instruments?

11: Weapon of choice?

12: What is their orientation?

13: What are their thoughts on killing? Is it a necessary evil or do they enjoy it?

14: What hobbies does your Rook have?

15: What NPCs do they like? Which one's do they dislike?

16: Do they have a favorite creature in the Thedas?

17: Do they enjoy life as an adventurer?

18: What would your Rook be doing if they weren't recruited by Varric?

19: How do you think they'll meet their end?

20: Would they side with Solas or fight him?

21: What is your Rook's favorite ability?

22: What languages is your character fluent in?

23: What do they do after the absolute crisis?

24: Does your character believe in the afterlife?

25: What specialization best represents your Rook?

26: What animal best represents your Rook?

27: What was their life like before the events of Veilguard?

28: Is your character the de facto leader of the party? Or do they consider someone else to be the leader?

29: If you could choose a different faction for your Rook, which one would they have joined and why?

30: What's your favorite thing about your Rook?