Work Text:
The late afternoon light gently bathed the Pennytree-Targaryen house, warming the walls and windows like a golden blanket.
Aerion pushed the front door open with one hand, the other holding the baby carrier where Dyanna was settled. The little girl was half asleep, her cheeks still flushed from her nap, her tiny fingers curled against herself. She stirred slightly at the change in air, then immediately calmed down.
The silver-haired omega took a soft breath, as if his entire body finally recognized that he was home.
« We’re home… », he murmured to himself.
He had barely stepped over the threshold when a familiar voice echoed from the kitchen.
« You’re finally back ! »
Duncan appeared almost immediately, quickly wiping his hands on a dish towel, his gaze landed at once on Aerion… then on the baby carrier, and his expression shifted in a fraction of a second, his entire exhaustion from the day vanishing as if it had never existed.
He walked over, leaned in, and kissed his husband on the lips, then bent down toward the carrier.
« Hello, my little princess. »
Dyanna let out a small sleepy sound in response, which made her father smile as if he had just received a real official answer and without waiting, he gently picked up the carrier and placed it on the large living room table.
« There. Command post installed. »
He leaned slightly over his daughter, gently touching her hand with the tip of his finger. Dyanna instinctively closed her tiny fingers around his.
« She’s holding me. Again ! I think I’m officially her favorite. »
Aerion let out a small amused breath as he closed the door behind him.
« You say that every day. »
« Because it’s true every day. »
The young omega slowly began taking off his jacket, then his shoes, placing them near the entrance. His body was tired but a strange feeling had been following him since the afternoon.
He frowned slightly while Duncan had already returned to the kitchen. That’s when the smell hit him.
An apple pie.
Aerion froze. His gaze drifted toward the slightly open oven. On the countertop, a golden pie had just been taken out of the oven. Steam was still rising from it, filling the room with its scent. He felt something tighten in his chest.
No. Not now. Not that smell.
His fingers tightened slightly on his sleeve as Duncan returned to him, immediately noticing his silence.
« Oh… I thought that might make you happy. »
Aerion blinked.
« You… made an apple pie ? »
« Mhm. »
« Now ? »
Duncan shrugged slightly, as if it were the most normal thing in the world.
« You were craving it, right ? »
The omega froze a second too long as his heart already began to race. He looked away slightly.
« I… I didn’t say anything… »
Duncan smiled softly.
« You don’t have to say it. »
Aerion felt warmth rush to his eyes without warning. He blinked, surprised by himself.
« It’s… just a pie… », he whispered.
But his voice trembled, his throat tightening further and without really understanding why, he turned slightly, as if trying to escape something he couldn’t name but the emotion rose too quickly and before he could hold it back, a tear slipped down his cheek, then another. He immediately brought a hand to his face, shocked.
« No… no, this is ridiculous… »
Duncan froze, then his expression shifted immediately as he slowly approached.
« Hey… »
Aerion shook his head, laughing nervously through his tears.
« It’s the hormones… after pregnancy… I don’t even know why I’m crying… »
Duncan didn’t answer right away, he simply placed a hand on his back, then pulled him into a firm, reassuring embrace and Aerion immediately melted into him, as if his body had been waiting for that.
A kiss was placed on his forehead.
« Sit on the couch. I’ll take care of everything. »
« Duncan… »
« Shh. »
He gently guided him to the couch, then glanced toward the baby carrier where Dyanna was still sleeping while Aerion wiped his eyes, still a little lost.
« I don’t understand why I’m reacting like this… »
Duncan placed the pie on the coffee table.
« Do you want me to tell you something ? »
He sat down beside him without taking his eyes off him.
« You’re doing exactly the same thing as last time. »
« What ? »
Duncan sighed softly, like someone who had kept a secret for a long time.
« The cravings. The apple pie. The sweatshirt you keep wearing even when it’s too hot. »
Aerion stiffened slightly.
« The nest you make in our bed, the fact that you cry about absolutely everything… »
« I don’t cry. »
« Yes, sorry my love… let’s say you express your emotions more easily. »
Aerion opened his mouth… then closed it, feeling offended by his own husband.
« The Lion King, for example. »
« That was sad ! »
« The yogurt behind the milk. »
« It was alone. »
Duncan smiled despite himself as he gently placed his hand over Aerion’s.
« And the purring at night. »
« …I purr ? »
« Yes my love. »
« Since when ? »
« For about two months. »
The world seemed to stop for a second, and Aerion slowly turned red.
« Duncan… »
« I know you’re pregnant, Aerion », Duncan added, taking a deep breath.
« I was going to tell you tonight… », replied his omega, lowering his eyes, while the young alpha gently squeezed his hand to reassure him.
The father of the family lowered his eyes to their intertwined hands, then looked back up at him, and contrary to what Aerion had imagined… he didn’t seem shocked or angry at all.
« Aerion… »
The omega slightly lifted his eyes as Duncan placed his free hand on his cheek.
« Do you really think I wouldn’t have noticedc? »
« I thought that… maybe… »
A faint amused breath crossed the lips of the blond-haired young man.
« My love… you cried over yogurt behind a bottle… you can’t hide anything in that state. »
Then Duncan looked tenderly at his husband, resting his forehead against his, and continued :
« You’re carrying our child, Aerion. Don’t keep everything to yourself. You mustn’t be stressed unnecessarily, it’s not good for you or the baby… »
Then his hand slowly slid to the lower part of his omega’s belly and they kissed tenderly for a few minutes before Aerion broke the kiss and whispered :
« There’s something else… »
Duncan tilted his head slightly.
« What now ? »
Aerion tightened his fingers slightly, then admitted:
« They’re twins. »
Duncan remained perfectly still, his gaze fixed on Aerion for a very long moment, then, very slowly, he repeated while looking at his omega’s belly :
« …Twins. »
« Yes… »
The family alpha ran a hand over his face and continued :
« So… we have Dyanna… and now we’re going to have two babies… at the same time… »
He stared at the ceiling.
« Alright. I see. That’s just perfect. »
Aerion sat up a little, worried by his husband’s reaction.
« Duncan..? »
The alpha looked back down at him, and panic was now clearly visible in his eyes.
« Wait… that means… three young children… at the same time… »
« Duncan… »
« And you’re still recovering… and Dyanna and… and me and… »
His breathing quickened slightly.
« I’m going to have to organize multiple bottles, oh and rotations… oh no wait… your father is going to kill me… »
Aerion opened his mouth, panicked.
« I can handle it, I swear… »
But the house alpha suddenly stopped, placed both hands on his husband’s face, and kissed him for a long time. When he pulled back, his forehead stayed against Aerion’s, and he simply whispered:
« No, it’s okay… everything will be fine. We’ll handle it. »
Then he added with a small tired smile : « Even if I’m clearly going to have to relearn what sleep means. »
And Aerion let out a shaky laugh as he melted against him.
Bonus 1 : Yogurt
It was a perfectly normal morning in the Pennytree-Targaryen household.
At least… in theory.
Duncan had just left the kitchen after preparing breakfast, leaving Aerion alone for a few minutes with the fridge open.
His mission had been simple enough : grab a yogurt.
Nothing complicated.
Except Aerion remained completely still, and in front of him was a tragic scene.
A yogurt, sitting all alone, behind a bottle of milk.
Completely isolated.
As if abandoned.
The young omega blinked slowly as his heart immediately tightened.
« …Oh no… »
Behind him, Duncan was already coming back.
« What is it ? »
Aerion pointed at the fridge with a horrified expression.
« It’s alone. »
The alpha stopped, sensing his omega’s distress.
« …Who is ? »
« The yogurt. »
« …The yogurt ? » the taller man asked, tilting his head.
Aerion nodded very seriously.
« Look at it. It’s behind everyone else, nobody picks it, it’s going to end up getting lost in there and no one will even know it ever existed. »
Duncan stared at the fridge, then at the yogurt, and finally at his husband.
« …It’s a yogurt. »
The young Targaryen turned to him, shocked by his husband’s reaction.
« Yes, but it has feelings. »
A long silence settled as Duncan ran a hand over his face.
« Aerion… »
But by then, the omega had already carefully taken the yogurt in his hands, as if it were something fragile.
« Come on. I’m putting you in front. »
He proudly placed it at the very front of the fridge, clearly visible, then closed the door with quiet satisfaction.
Mission accomplished.
Duncan remained completely still, utterly lost.
Bonus 2 : The Lion King
It was supposed to be a quiet evening, one of those rare nights when Dyanna was fast asleep, the house was silent and Duncan and Aerion had decided to enjoy a bit of rest in front of a movie.
Duncan had chosen The Lion King with complete confidence.
« It’s a classic. Nothing dangerous. »
Aerion had nodded.
« Alright. »
Mistake.
At first, everything was fine.
The warm colors, the music, the animals… Dyanna was sleeping in her crib beside the couch, and Aerion was curled up against his alpha, perfectly relaxed.
Then Mufasa appeared, and everything fell apart.
The moment the gorge scene began, the young omega froze while Duncan didn’t notice anything at first.
Until a small strange sound was heard.
A sniffle.
He looked down.
Aerion was staring at the screen.
Silent.
But his eyes… were already glistening.
« Aerion ? » Duncan whispered.
On the screen, Mufasa fell.
And then…
A tear.
Then two.
Then a shaky breath.
« No… no… » Aerion murmured.
The family alpha sat up, slightly panicked.
« It’s just a movie, my love… »
But Aerion was no longer listening, his hands gripping Duncan’s sweatshirt tightly.
« He called him… he called him dad… »
« Yes… because he is his father… »
The young Targaryen shook his head, completely lost in emotion.
« And he doesn’t come back… he doesn’t come back… »
Duncan blinked.
« Aerion… »
But it was too late, the dam had broken.
Aerion was crying, at first just a few tears, then his shoulders started shaking and soon he was openly sobbing :
« It’s horrible… it’s a tragedy… he’s alone… a child… a child all alone… »
The blond-haired man tried to keep his composure… really, he did, but seeing his husband cry as if the movie had destroyed the entire universe made him lose it.
« You’re crying over a lion. »
The young omega turned to him, shocked, eyes wet.
« It’s not ‘a lion’, it’s an orphaned child ! »
Duncan sighed, wrapping an arm around him.
« Alright… alright… breathe… »
But Aerion wasn’t done.
« And the hyenas ! Why are they so mean ?! He didn’t do anything ! »
« It’s the script, Aerion… » Duncan replied, laughing despite himself.
« It’s unfair ! »
Dyanna stirred slightly in her crib, as if sensing the emotional atmosphere and Duncan immediately lowered the volume.
« We might have to take a break from Disney movies for a while… »
Aerion sniffled, still shaken.
« I hate this movie. »
Then Duncan added, amused by the situation :
« Then we should probably avoid Bambi… »
Bonus 3 : The Purring
The house was finally quiet, Dyanna was fast asleep in her room and in the marital bed Aerion was already half-asleep, curled up against Duncan, his fingers weakly clinging to the fabric of his shirt as if even in sleep he refused to let him go.
Duncan, however, wasn’t asleep yet. He was watching his omega, as he often did over the past few weeks.
Aerion was breathing slowly, deeply… but not only that.
There was something else.
A soft sound.
Almost imperceptible.
A purr.
The alpha had smiled the first time he noticed it, unable to believe it was real.
But it was there.
Every night.
When Aerion was too exhausted.
Duncan gently ran a hand through his silver hair, moving with infinite slowness so as not to wake him. There was only warm breath against his neck… and that soft little sound vibrating against his chest.
His gaze naturally drifted toward his husband’s stomach.
Still flat at first glance.
But the alpha knew.
He had noticed too many things to ignore what was happening.
The cravings.
The different kind of fatigue.
The clothes being borrowed constantly.
The absurd crying.
The nest in their bed.
Duncan took a soft breath, then, with infinite care, placed his hand on his husband’s stomach and stayed still for a few seconds, as if still hesitating to cross an invisible line, then he whispered very softly :
« Hello… »
No response, of course, while Aerion shifted slightly in his sleep, instinctively moving closer to him, and Duncan smiled.
« I don’t know how many of you there are yet… but I’ll act as if you’re already here. »
He lowered his head slightly, his voice barely a whisper.
« I’m Duncan. »
And he slid his hand a little lower, protective, by instinct.
« I’m your other dad. »
The young Targaryen let out a soft sleepy sound, curling closer to him, as if his body was already agreeing without needing to understand, and Duncan felt his heart tighten gently.
« I’m going to take care of you. All of you. »
He paused, a smile forming in the dark.
« Even if your other dad is completely impossible. »
As if to protest, Aerion slightly frowned in his sleep… then immediately relaxed again and that tiny contrast made Duncan laugh silently.
He stayed there a while longer, his hand resting on that stomach he already knew by heart even though it hadn’t changed yet, then added more quietly :
« And you’ll see… your sister is already very excited to meet you. »
He thought for a moment of Dyanna.
Of his little girl.
Of this family growing too fast, but strangely… it didn’t scare him.
He finally leaned down and pressed a kiss to his omega’s forehead.
« Good night… my love. »
Aerion responded with a deeper purr, as if he could hear him even through sleep.
And Duncan smiled again, then he closed his eyes, his hand still there, protective, on that still-calm stomach.
Without knowing he wasn’t speaking to a future child…
But to two.
And that their life had already begun again, without even asking their permission.
Bonus 4 : 2 A.M.
Two o’clock in the morning.
The house was wrapped in complete silence, only broken by the soft, steady breathing of Dyanna in her room and the faint ticking of a clock in the hallway.
Duncan was fast asleep, until a small movement in the bed woke him, then a second one, and finally a tiny voice, still half-asleep :
« Duncan… »
He immediately opened his eyes.
« Mmh… what is it ? »
Aerion, rolled up in the blanket like a tired caterpillar, turned his head slightly toward him, his silver hair was completely messy, his eyes half-closed and most importantly… That expression Duncan had come to know all too well.
« I want… »
The blond-haired man already sat up, instantly on high alert.
« Yes ? »
The omega thought very seriously, as if his life depended on the answer.
« Mango. »
Duncan blinked.
« …At two in the morning ? »
The omega slowly nodded.
« Yes. Now. »
Duncan ran a hand over his face, but got up without arguing, simply… resigned.
« Alright. »
Aerion watched him get up, slightly confused.
« You’re going ? »
The family alpha grabbed a random jacket.
« Yes. I’m going to find you a mango. »
« But what if it’s not ripe enough ? »
Duncan closed his eyes for a second, then replied very softly :
« Aerion… I’m going to find the best mango of your entire existence. »
« Okay », the young Targaryen replied, satisfied with his husband’s answer, then immediately lay back down as if nothing had happened but still added :
« Be quick. »
Duncan froze for a second.
« Yes, my love. »
And he left in search of the best mango for his omega.
He went to three different shops, crossing nearly an entire half-empty shopping area under the streetlights.
He even asked a very tired employee who looked at him as if he had lost something deeply important in his life.
Which was technically true.
And in the end…
He found one.
Just one.
But perfect.
And he looked at it like a sacred treasure, whispering a simple :
« Thank you. »
When he finally came back, it was almost 3:15 a.m. He climbed the stairs in silence, ready to return to his husband and entered the bedroom.
Aerion was awake, sitting up in bed, his hair even messier, his expression slightly lost, while the young alpha approached, still a little out of breath.
« I got it. »
He held out the mango and the young omega looked at it and replied :
« …Actually, no. »
Duncan froze.
« Excuse me ? »
The omega sank deeper into the blanket.
« I don’t want it anymore. »
The blond-haired man stared at the mango, then at his husband, a tear of exhaustion and despair forming in his eye. He got up and went downstairs to put the mango in the kitchen with a single thought in his mind :
I love him.
I really do.
I love him.
But damn, it’s 3:30 a.m. I’m fucking tired.
Bonus 5 : Daeron Targaryen
It was a perfectly ordinary outing.
Far too ordinary for the Targaryen family.
Aerion was walking peacefully beside Duncan, holding Dyanna against his chest. She was asleep, her face perfectly serene. It was the kind of scene that could have fooled anyone into believing their lives had finally become "peaceful."
Duncan was gently holding his husband's hand, as attentive as ever.
Then they saw him.
Daeron Targaryen.
Leaning against a low wall with his arms crossed, already wearing a disapproving expression.
Duncan immediately felt a familiar tension settle over him.
« …Can we turn around ? » he whispered.
The young omega didn’t even have time to answer before his older brother slowly walked over, his eyes lingered on Dyanna and Aerion with unmistakable tenderness…
Then they landed on Duncan.
And in that instant, his expression changed.
Nothing but judgment.
Pure judgment.
He stopped in front of Duncan, and his younger brother let out a quiet sigh.
« Daeron… »
But Maekar’s eldest son wasn’t even looking at him.
No.
He kept staring at Duncan as though he had committed a crime against history itself.
Then he spoke.
« …You. »
Daeron took a slow breath before continuing.
« You hormonally compromised practitioner of unprotected reproduction. »
Aerion immediately choked.
« DAERON ! »
Duncan stood frozen.
« …Excuse me ? »
The older brother raised one finger.
« Two months. »
He turned his head slightly toward his younger brother before immediately looking back at Duncan.
« TWO MONTHS ! My brother had only just given birth and you decided it was the perfect time to launch another family expansion project at express speed. »
Duncan blinked slowly.
« I… we just have a normal married life… »
Daeron stared at him, obvious disgust in his eyes.
« Normal ? »
He repeated the word more slowly.
« You call it normal to turn my little brother into the biological equivalent of a rugby team production facility ? Just wait until our father hears about this. »
The alpha of the Pennytree-Targaryen family no longer had any idea how to respond.
Then Maekar’s eldest son stepped closer to his younger brother and gently rested a hand on his niece’s head before asking softly,
« Are you alright, little brother ? »
Aerion met Daeron’s gaze and gave him a gentle smile as an Angel.
Duncan looked at the Targaryen family with only one thought running through his mind.
But… Aerion was the one who seduced me…