#ofwingsandclaws

men were shouting, glasses were clinking & laughter filled the hall on a fine friday night. after a long week of hard work, most villagers would find themselves needing to relax & blow off some steam to transition to the weekend in a much more relaxed mood. weekends weren't any less stressful for many, mates, children, friends - there was always something to do.

silas was in a similar position, as he could leave sam in the nursery during the week, but when he had no shifts on the weekend, he’d be watching her. he didn’t mind, not at all - he loved her, but sometimes he felt like he wasn’t allowed time to himself. it was either work, helping in the village, run extra errands or take care of sam. he was tired, he was frustrated - so he’d asked the caregivers to look after sam until morning, which gave him the evening off to do as he pleased.

so, he was sat in the tavern with a few guards, but also others - they were having fun & he was starting to feel lighter with every emptied mug of ale. one thing he couldn’t ignore though, not even after several mugs was dante. fucking dante di cesare stood for everything silas hated in alphas **& ** the worst was that he was proud of it, too. mother nature knew silas hated his guts. just hearing him talk across the table from him filled him with rage. he just couldn't shut his damn mouth.

"we’re trying to enjoy a night out, how about you keep your ridiculous opinions to yourself? nobody gives a flying fuck what you think.“

could he have worded it better? for sure. did dante deserve everything he just said? for sure. they always clashed, it almost felt like dante wanted them to.

@ofwings-andclaws (*screams* first fucking ride !!!!!)

silas knew dante was working on a project at the shop. he'd ...been late to a handful of dinners, had missed a few semi-dates (it wasn't that, they didn't date) & drove silas mad. dante wouldn't know, because silas didn't carry his heart on his tongue, so the alpha would be in the dark about the omega's level of annoyance. for the time being. it was fine, though. they lived together because it was easier, they lived together, because dante would come find him regardless of where silas lived & because the alpha ...bonded with silas' youngest over the weeks they spent apart. he wasn't mad that they did, quite .. the opposite.

it wasn't so much that prince was nosey, or that he poked his head into issues that didn't really concern him - or shouldn't concern him... really. not unless they concerned patrick, which was when prince decided that secrets shouldn't be secrets & instead be shared knowledge, especially after he'd seen nathan ....with someone who wasn't patrick & that definitely had been more than just .... a random, meeting.

patrick didn't say a lot about how things went with his fiancé but ...did they have issues? was what he'd seen something else & there was a really good explanation for it? he'd tried to get more information from patrick, but ... he refused. why? they looked happy together... usually & they worked together, too. man, he didn't get it.

"has anyone ever told you that you shouldn't keep secrets from your little brother? because he'll find out anyway." & he wouldn't stop until he did. nathan & his brother were the best couple he knew. ever since he was little he knew they were meant to be together & whatever was happening... shouldn't be. unless he was imagining things? was he so blind trying to find love himself that he let his own sadness taint their relationship? no. no no. nate used to be over a lot, but now he isn't anymore & he hadn't seen them... really cozy in a long while. "you can tell me... you know? i'm not a child anymore."

new haven was a fantastical place in its very own, very unique way. its system surely was unique across the world - at least as far as they knew & it was quite efficient, if nathan was one to judge. communism sparked with a reward system and sprinkled with capitalism. but exactly that system meant that nathan could be the workaholic he was raised to be. being a district attorney - or as they called him here lovingly, a prosecutor was good work, but the cases he got were ... tame most of the time. new haven was, funnily enough, a rather peaceful place to live. if trenton's existence was ignored.

nathan liked to ignore him until he ...barged into his office. at which point in time he definitely couldn't ignore his existence anymore, unfortunately. still. nathan did more than just his normal lawyer work, given that he chose the rarest form of cases in new haven to be his profession, he spent the remaining time doing simpler work. property cases, family cases - nathan took on most he found. it was trivial work, but he didn't mind, so long as it kept him busy.

soft knock on the door before it opened a little. "your four o'clock appointment is here. want me to let him in?"

he.. thought he had a little longer, but .. sure. nathan gave a little nod in return, "yeah, i'm good. thanks." setting aside the papers of a case that wasn't this one, nathan fixed his tie & sat up straight & had his smile ready for his client's arrival when ... the man he sees is .. definitely an unexpected sight. "zed? that you?" wait. he was back? "hey, hi. uh, sit."

@ofwings-andclaws (you know why, smexy stuff also below, beware)

silas thought it was over. he thought that after last time he'd never see patrick again & for quite some time he didn't. he .. wasn't feeling as ... good about it as he hoped - knowing that he made the right decision & yet, it felt wrong. not because he loved patrick & wanted to be with him instead of dante, because ... no. he didn't. he.. wished he did, truly, he wished he could give himself to the alpha & they'd live happily ever after. mother nature knew he'd deserve it.

but that just .. wasn't the truth. it wasn't what silas' heart desired - or his body, although he couldn't deny his... intimacy with patrick had been amazing. he wasn't the one silas dreamt of, he wasn't the one whose face silas woke to every morning - or scent. no. patrick was.. a memory. he was a what if, only that silas had lost the ability to choose long before they were brought to new haven in the first place.

& so he accepted that. silas didn't push patrick away because it made him feel good. no, quite the opposite, but it was the right thing to do. he'd never be the one for him. couldn't be. it wouldn't be fair to lie. patrick.. would understand that one day, he hoped.

it seemed like it was too early for that still, because patrick was definitely drunk & they were definitely more or less the only people left at the station at this time of night & he knew that patrick... knew his shifts - knew when he was in or when he wasn't. so, when he saw him, his tie undone, hair disheveled & red, dark circles around his eyes... he knew patrick came for him.

"jus' me.. here." he shouldn't have said that. inebriated shark would most likely think he had to read between the lines. but silas didn't mean it like that - he didn't mean to make it seem like he.. was available. he wasn't. it happened once, but he couldn't... it wouldn't happen again. if dante knew... no, no. he couldn't go there now.

but patrick just ... he just looked at him, his step.. unsteady at best - he could see him shift from one foot to the other as if he was thinking, debating... wondering what to do. then he strutted closer & silas wished he wasn't such a fuckin' overachiever, because then he wouldn't be alone in the goddamn archive with pretty much nobody within screaming distance in the middle of the fuckin' night. not that he was afraid of patrick, no. gentle soul, he couldn't possibly hurt him.

pain wasn't silas' biggest concern. glancing left & right, he .. didn't exactly see a lot of options. he could listen to him... right? silas.. owed him that. or something. folders & files set aside, his uniform definitely not made to be worn inside, silas leaned back against a desk as he waited, but patrick had no words for him. he kept strolling closer & closer until their noses almost touched - he'd leaned down, of course while silas had glanced up to meet his eyes.

a big hand reached around to grab at his jaw, but not... violently. thumb brushed across his cheek like he was trying to soothe him. but it wasn't about soothing. it was about fuckin' patrick trying to ... trying to.... do... something & silas... couldn't stop but melt into the touch. always so gentle.

silas would soon realize he'd made a big mistake, but when he did.. it was already too late, because patrick had a death grip on his face in seconds, had smashed their lips together, had pushed a leg between silas' & ground his knee against the omega's crotch. soft moan in response, because - whether he'd planned this or not, he wasn't unaffected. at all. chemistry between them had never been a problem - they had plenty. when their lips part, silas was breathing hard, but not hearly as hard as patrick, but he raised his arms to shove between them - hoping distance would calm them patrick.

"patrick... stop, wait." where was his brain right now? this.. wasn't like him. but patrick didn't listen, he tugged & tugged until silas' shirt gave in, buttons practically flying & there he went, latching onto his neck, teeth sinking into his skin. no, no, no. he shouldn't... once had been bad enough. patrick... didn't seem to think the same or he wouldn't be spreading love bites across silas' neck, shoulder & tugged on his shirt further to open the lion's chest for attention as well. he.... was leaving marks. deliberately? probably. fuck.

the alpha wasn't rough... per se. not in a scary way - not rougher than dante was, okay maybe a little, but silas was still not afraid. just... not in a good spot. clearly, patrick agreed because he pulled him off the desk, held him close against his chest for a moment while he ...sniffed him, taking in the omega's scent & something.. more than that, because silas had no fuckin' self control when it came to patrick.

he.. wasn't sure how he got there, but silas found himself bend over the same desk he'd sat on prior, with his belt somewhere ..not on his hips & his pants around his ankles with a hungry shark spreading even more bites across his skin, all across his fuckin' ass - how the ever-lovin' fuck was he supposed to explain those to dante? his fuckin' alpha-to-be.

"i need to get you out of my system."

the words .. didn't mean the same to patrick than they did silas - clearly, because this was the exact fuckin' opposite of what they should be doing to fix him. but patrick said his piece & before silas could even protest he felt warm breath against his ... against... where ... patrick really shouldn't be. fingers curled around the edge of the desk, his thighs twitched as silas tried to hold back a moan & failed miserably.

another followed & more joined soon, because ... well, because. patrick was good at this & silas .. didn't hate him, so when the alpha slid a finger inside him alongside his tongue & that finger expertly explored until it found that sweet, sweet spot of sin within him, he... was done for. he tried to hold on, tried to pull himself together & kick his ass, but... fingers trembled against the sturdy wooden surface instead & his breaths came in soft little pants mixed with strained gasps & that... only fueled the shark in his endeavors, moving quicker, more thoroughly, adding another finger.. switching between kisses to the omega's heated skin to bites.

it was... he couldn't.. "please alpha... please."

silas tensing around him when he came seemed... to do the trick, because he'd pulled them out faster than the fuckin' police & silas could swear he felt the atmosphere shift between them. he was drunk, it was fine. after letting himself take a moment to calm down, the omega pushed himself off the desk to pull his pants up, his shirt was tugged until it at least somewhat covered his chest again & he held his belt in one hand, the other came to rest upon patrick's chest when he was ready to spin around & look at him.

@ofwings-andclaws

silas knew that this had been wrong from the start. he knew that he never should've indulged - not even emotionally. he'd ... needed a positive influence, had needed someone to distract him from the pain dante didn't understand - or chose not to. silas just needed someone to blow the doubts away, because even after all this time silas still wondered if he didn't deserve everything that happened to him. he knew that - logically, that was stupid, because he'd barely been born when the great mother spat on his grave already, but some days he couldn't help wonder.

she seemed to only take lately. silas... had accepted his fate, had given himself to the alpha she so vehemently threw in his path, had let himself be molded & formed to appease, had - if unwillingly opened his heart when he swore he had none prior, had ... even accepted that he would again gift a child to this world, only for her to take it from him. why? what had been the meaning of this? was she trying to tell him he wasn't supposed to? but dante ... wanted it, didn't he? when he found out, silas could see his eyes glimmer. he'd .. not dared looking at them since, because he knew what he'd find there & he knew it was his fault.

even if dante didn't admit it, or said it, or ...spoke of it .. at all. no, their his loss was not a topic at home. not since silas had recovered & no longer needed watchful eyes on him. but silence was not a privilege silas' brain granted him when he needed it the most. or ever.

& then she put patrick in his path. to laugh at him, to spite him, to punish him. sweet, loving - wonderful patrick. the alpha (nobody was perfect, alright?) silas always deep down thought he deserved even if that nagging little voice in the back of his head - planted there by sindra himself, didn't agree. he came to him, to silas. he came & he was just .. easy, simple - appreciative. not that dante wasn't, but he wasn't easy & he definitely wasn't simple.

silas tried to keep it casual, he tried not to fall for those gentle blue eyes & the softest smile he'd ever seen besides sammy's. he tried not to feel himself drawn to the shark, because he knew that he had no heart to give away. his heart was owned already, he couldn't give it away a second time & he knew dante's stance on sharing. not that silas ever considered ...sharing.. himself. he'd been shared enough for many, many lifetimes, had to endure sindra smelling of others while taking him. he was done being a plaything. he was more. he deserved more. he knew patrick... would give him that.

but patrick wasn't ... & silas hated everything about this, because he wanted to want him. he did want him in a way, but ... he didn't. not really. he wanted dante to... to be more like him, which wasn't the same & not fair on patrick. patrick deserved better than him. he deserved the damn world & silas was sure that the omega he ended up snatching off the market would be the happiest the world had ever seen. if not, then they'd be stupid.

& now here he was. chasing him. like silas was worth fighting for. not because he owned him - like sindra, no. but because he wanted him. out of all the omegas, patrick felt like silas was worth his sweat & effort. just like that. silas hadn't even done anything. sure, they'd had sex, but patrick had been on him even before that. like he knew something silas didn't. it.. was confusing, especially because he thought he ... messed it up by running away the next morning. not that it should matter, silas didn't plan to make... anything work between them. a friend, if anything, but he had the feeling it was too late for that. just... looking at him made him smile, it was a reflex he couldn't suppress. patrick just.. made him feel warm & light, like he was floating. comfortable.

"....i'm.. sorry i ran." yes, silas could apologize - for the right reasons. sometimes. even if it was difficult. patrick didn't deserve to be left the way silas left him. "but... we can't. i... i'm..." you're too good for me. i'm not free. you're too late. so many options. silas couldn't look at him, guilt a heavy crown he wore on his head. "i shouldn't have .. let you. it wasn't ... i'm not ..free." patrick should know. he deserved to know, because silas could string him along, sure - but what for? where would it lead them? he'd just break his heart, because silas knew that ... perfect or not, brat or not, dumbass or not... no matter how much it hurt sometimes...

@ofwings-andclaws

nathan never thought he'd find himself dating a jock, the kind of guys who used to make fun of him in school - who'd cackle & point fingers when nathan found himself overwhelmed by the voices. god, school time had to have been the worst. but... here he was, head over heels for that kind of boy whose main goal in life was to ... well, he didn't know what it was patrick wanted. other than becoming a lawyer of course. they were at law school after all.

honestly? he didn't mind in the slightest. patrick was wonderful, he was nothing like those kids who tormented him growing him. not that nathan spent a lot of time thinking about them anymore, but ... sometimes - in cases like this, it popped up in his head & the urge to share with someone was ... quite big. he didn't, though. what happened in school... would die with him. well, if patrick ever asked he might tell him, but the selkie had no reason to.

it didn't affect nathan much at all, he'd ... been through so much worse & had come to find his worth... in himself. at least partially. patrick by his side only enhanced that feeling. the alpha was wonderful to him & he couldn't really complain - so he didn't.

they were supposed to go out, eat in a fancy little restaurant, have a good time, maybe.... he could stay at patrick's place. he'd like that a lot. but first he had to show. he was late. which was... strange. it was usually nathan running late because he had too many assignments, too many extra courses, too many teachers & too much family shit to juggle, but no... he was here.

hands folded in his lap, nathan had sat down on top of a half wall, feet dangling just a few millimeters above ground, feeling slightly bored in his wait, but it didn't take too long until he caught a scent, too. he glanced up when he heard footsteps approach & shot the other the softest of smiles.