#rofroy

So in bustles Charles, looking as knackered and stressed out as Erik feels (because he’s been kept awake by cannon fire and trying to talk said idiot sister into coming home with him). He’s not a medical doctor but his father was a great Physician who taught him a lot, and he’s like ‘right! off with your shirt, let’s have a look at you!’ 

And they were just quietly flirting with each other as Charles stitched Erik up, y’know, an unwed omega, alone in a room, with a strange alpha, who is in a serious state of undress; situation would be completely unacceptable and scandalous in polite society but is excusable here because There Is A War On. 

And Erik was peering at him like ‘wow, this gentleman’s got a really good complexion for a beta... and those eyes! and Byron himself would be proud of that mouth! and he smells amazi- WAIT A SECOND- you’re an omega?!’

And after he realised, every time Erik said/did something flirty Charles was just giving him a stern Look and shutting him down or jabbing him with the needle but secretly enjoying himself a bit. 

And there was a bit where Charles accidentally complimented Erik’s body by assuming he must wear corsets to get that shape (which is something men did do at the time and a bunny I’ve had for. ever.)

It went: 

C: Well you’re lucky, it’s a nice narrow slice - your stays must have held the wound closed.

E: ...My stays? 

C: Yes. You know. Your stays. Whatever you wear to keep your body in that ridiculous shape. Honestly! I know you military fellows like to cut a dash, but wearing corsets into battle is carrying it a little far, don’t you think?

And Erik was all like ‘do go on’ and tricked Charles into feeling his abs up for any bruises or pinch marks his corsets might have left, and Charles jerking his hand away in shock when he realised Erik really is that shape, it’s all real, he doesn’t wear corsets. 

And as they were chatting over the course of Charles stitching him Erik realised he was a proper gentleman not to be taken advantage of (like the kind of omega you usually find following the army), and when they went to say goodbye Erik straightened up and became all formal and respectful and Charles was trying to be all disapproving and ‘don’t think you can get round me with that charm I know just what you’re up to buster’ but a bit flustered all the same because Erik kissed his hand and hoped to be allowed to call on him whenever he’s next in London. 

And after Charles left and the rest of Erik’s garrison occupied the town he was like ‘oh by the way Logan just let the fellows know that there’s an omega in town and he is a gentleman to be treated as such and if I hear anyone has been importuning him they’ll be up for a court martial before their feet can touch the fuckin’ ground.’

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And much later down the line they met up in London where Erik spotted Charles across the room at Almack’s. 

(That’s a really-tame posh assembly room in London where the high society went to introduce their daughters to the marriage market -- Erik was only going because one of his superior officers was there with his wife and daughters and he wanted to sneakily speak to him.)

And he spotted Charles across the room, sitting against the wall with all the ‘other’ old spinsters and widows who are NOT DANCING, because no one would ask them, and Erik was just like daaamn because before he’d only ever seen Charles in dishevelled travelling clothes but here is Charles in all his fashionably-bedecked omega glory. 

Oh! Oh! And the fashions! There were different fashions of evening dress for each gender! 

The alphas were in dark colours - the men in breeches, coats, and waistcoats, the women in breeches, coats, and bustiers, or v-neck dresses split to the hip with breeches underneath (because the style is supposed to be demure colours but really good tailoring, to show off an athletic body). 

The betas were like dandies, with more vivid colours and patterns and frills and jewellery (more eye-catching, cuz they don’t have the pheromones to help them be attractive). 

The omegas were all in pale colours, (tho the married ones could go darker/more patterned: the reason Charles was a bit difficult to read as an omega for Erik is cuz he has a touch of the beta-dandy about him; more pattern and colour than you’d expect on an omega, since he’s a widower.) 

The females were in empire-line dresses, as you’d expect, standard Regency fare, and the male omegas were like male alphas only the fabrics were softer and they had no neck-ties, so under the waistcoats the shirts were open to the upper/mid chest (it was all about having the neck exposed, for both kinds of omega, because that’s where the bond-mark goes and all the nice scent-places are) and their cuffs were open, too, to leave the wrists accessible (a bit more like the Georgian fashions, when everything was lace).

So Erik went over to ask Charles to dance and there was all this scandalised whispering going on because in London he has this reputation as a womaniser and Byronic bad-boy and Charles’ friends were all like no Charles don’t associate with him everyone knows Lehnsherr’s an absolute hellion who’s fought countless duels and got a trail of broken omega hearts behind him!  

And Charles was genuinely shocked to be asked to dance like ‘oh! but Mr Lehnsherr! I am eight and twenty!!?’ 

And Erik was like ‘fucksake you actual cherub if you don’t get on that dancefloor right this second I’m gunna to SIT NEXT TO YOU and SEDUCE THE SHIT OUT OF YOU for the rest of this evening’ (but in Regency speak). 

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And the rest of the dream was just about Erik trying to win Charles over despite his bad rep by being a smooth bastard flirting his pants off and being blissed out on Charles’ perfect combination of married-omega worldliness and alpha-like understanding (cuz his father was very progressive and had him educated as well as any alpha heir and Charles is an abolitionist and runs charity schools and studies Botany and agriculture as his hobby to help him run his estates and is pals with William Wilberforce), and unravel the mystery of how Charles has managed not to be snapped up again by some lucky alpha when he looks like that and has a huge fortune, to boot.

(And it turns out that it’s because 1) his step-brother Cain, the blackguard, has been following Charles around seeing off any possible suitors, trying to force Charles to marry him so he can get his hands on his fortune, and it’s only the cleverness of Charles’ father’s will and his late husband’s that makes it impossible. 2) Charles’ sister is so beautiful that she overshadows him and people tend to overlook freckled little bluestocking Charles whenever they meet them - and, really, who wants an omega with opinions?)

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There was a bit where Charles was thinking to himself ‘don’t be fooled, don’t let him win you over, you know he’s trouble’ while Erik was flirting with him, and Erik noticed the change in his face and said ‘you’ve stiffened up’ and Charles said ‘I BEG your pardon! I most certainly have NOT-oh, you meant my demeanour-’ and then went bright pink and Erik was Delighted.

And then there was this really super-romantic bit where Erik brought Charles a bracelet (it was so pretty, it was made of really finely-wrought silver leaves curled together in a little chain; English oak leaves, for his English Charles). 

And he got Charles to come into an empty room with him during a ball so he could give it to him (the bracelet, I mean) and persuaded him to sit down on a sofa and put his wrist on Erik’s knee so he could fasten it for him and Erik ended up doing a really slow seduction-caress thing where he was kissing his wrist while holding his hand and then kissing and sniffing his throat (under the pretence of admiring his necklace; boy’s got game) while Charles swooned. 

(It was a really fucking pretty necklace, too; just a single pearl drop on a blue velvet ribbon).

But then Charles’ mate Moira (who was on cad-blocking duty) burst in like ‘OH THERE YOU ARE CHARLES I’m not surprised you’re fainting it’s so stifling in here isn’t it such a frightful squeeze tonight so I’d best be getting you home you look like you’ve had quite enough excitement for one day GOOD EVENING, MR LEHNSHERRdon’t follow us.’ 

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