Work Text:
A keening noise and the already dizzying smell of saltwater and citrus with unmistakable undertones of ash somehow deepened even more. Aemond bit his lip hard, grip around the body in front of him tightening.
“Keep yourself together,” he hissed. “This is shameless, even for you, taoba.” The scent spiked at that last word and Aemond cursed the way his own body noticed immediately. Where were the damned servants or guards when you needed them, Aemond thought wildly.
Another desperate whine and the needy, squirming thing in front of him increased its efforts to get closer to him.
“Please.” The wanton pleading of an omega in the throws of a heat. Staring up at him with glassy lust-filled eyes. Smelling like pure desperation.
Pathetic, Aemond thought and bit his tongue hard enough to taste blood.
Pathetic, he sternly thought again and forced his hands to still as he kept him at arm’s length, kept his mouth away from his own neck where it kept straying towards.
Pathetic. “Please,” Lucerys whispered again.
Aemond swallowed around the blood still pooling in his mouth, copper taste suddenly turning bitter. “Open your eyes,” he snapped. “Your heat cannot have blinded you this much, nephew.”
It had though, Aemond thought. Had pushed this weak-willed fool into the arms of the first alpha around and they were close to the training yard, too damned close for any omega close to a heat but especially a royal one.
He took a deep breath as Lucerys’ hand helplessly tried to reach for his robes once again, to pull them off, to pull him closer, but all it did was fill his nostrils with the smell in front of him.
Seawater and lemons, a scent at this point both familiar and haunting. He had made a disparaging remark about their younger nephew stinking up the place to Aegon back when their sister and her brood had returned to King's Landing all those years ago to prepare for her ascension to the throne. When the smell of salty and sour and Targaryen ash suddenly seemed to permeate every inch of the Keep. Aegon had thrown him an odd lock. “He doesn't smell very strongly,” he’d said with a frown and Aemond had not brought it up again.
He had put his brother’s unresponsiveness down to Aegon’s omega nature. Had put his own strong reaction to Lucerys down to their past. Had tried and fail to ignore that he could smell Lucerys no matter how large the crowd, how big the space between them, how far away his own rut was.
“Want you, need you,” Lucerys mumbled, voice as feverish as his eyes. Managed then somehow to force his hand free from Aemond’s grip, never as weak or innocent as he’d like the court to think. He might spent more time watching the training yard than sparring in it but Aemond was no fool. “Stop it,” he hissed, tried to suppress the shudder as Lucerys’ hand clumsily fumbled with the buttons on his robe. “Do not act like the fool you are.”
Dimly he was aware that this would be useful later. Once he had managed to find somebody to return Lucerys to his chambers, one he had awoken from his heat stupor, once Aemond could with a snide smile and a veiled comment remind him how his nephew had run to the first alpha around, even his despised uncle. Once his hands had stopped feeling over Aemond’s now bared chest.
“Wanton little beast,” he growled, letting go of Lucerys’ shoulder to grab his hand. A brief flash of something dark and hot when Lucerys just whimpered at the insult. “Throwing yourself at any alpha because of your heat,” he continued. Not even Aegon was that brazen. But then he did not lack for company, neither during nor outside his heats. Lucerys could be accused of many things if one were to ask Aemond but licentiousness had not been among the many flaws Aemond could count against him.
“Please, touch me,” Lucerys begged though, voice shaking and Aemond had to close his eye, unable suddenly for some reason to keep looking at the man in front of him.
Pathetic. “Let me touch you.” Without the hand on his shoulder, Lucerys suddenly pushed forward, burying himself against Aemond’s neck, letting out a satisfied growl.
Aemond froze. He could feel Lucerys taking a deep shuddering breath and surely, he thought, heart pounding painfully, this would be enough to make Lucerys realize just who he was accosting here, which alpha he was begging to touch him.
Nothing though. Only a satisfied sound, something dangerously close to a purr and he was this close to calling for help. He had not deemed it necessary before. Had only been slightly surprised by the shadow of his nephew stalking the hallways towards him as he had finished his morning training, salt and lemon trailing behind him, had prepared himself to engage in a few sharp words with him as had become their custom. Had maybe looked forward to it, knowing Lucerys would not hold back with neither their mothers nor siblings around.
Only with him he showed how much of the sweetness was a mask, Aemond thought. But instead of a verbal duel, Lucerys had grabbed him by the robe and pushed him against the wall.
Only then had he realized just how strong Lucerys’ scent was. Had realized what it meant.
“Smell so good,” Lucerys mumbled. His breath was hot against Aemond’s throat, against the small swelling on his neck where his own scent emerged from. He did not shudder. He did not react.
“Stop it.” His voice did not shake. He ought to call for a guard already. “You do not want this.” Have them remove his nephew, usher him to his chambers, return to his own and…
“Love your smell,” Lucerys muttered. “Like a thunderstorm. Like rain and lightning.” “Stop it,” Aemond whispered. “Qȳbor,” Lucerys said softly and then finally moved away from his neck only now Aemond realized how close their lips were and he was getting even closer and…
“Aemond, hadn’t thought you had it in you!” Never before had he been both so relieved yet weirdly disappointed to hear his brother’s voice. He ripped Lucerys away by the collar of his overshirt, glaring at Aegon who had the most faux-scandalized expression imaginable on his face.
“And who’s the poor little omega that you big bad alpha seduced and were about to … Luke?!” “He’s in fucking heat,” Aemond hissed. Aegon’s expression had shifted from exaggerated shock to something resembling actual surprise. “I can smell that,” Aegon then said. “It’s not exactly subtle.” He remained a few steps away, eyes shifting down the hallway behind him. Lucerys paid no attention to him, just weakly struggled in Aemond’s grip.
“There’s an empty storage room just down the corridor,” Aegon then said. “The two of you can probably get a good romp or two in before anybody smells you.”
Aemond stared at him aghast. “Are you as out of your mind as he is?” he said. “He needs to get to his rooms if he’s throwing himself at the first alpha in his way. He’s completely heat-drunk.”
“Luke?” Aegon said, a frown appearing on his face. “Heat-drunk? Are you sure?” A step forward, a blatant sniff of the air in front of them and Aegon’s eyes widened. “Shit, you might be right,” he said.
“Jace,” he then yelled, loud enough for Aemond, still trying to keep Lucerys from getting his nose against his neck again, to flinch. “I found him!” He heard the sound of steps coming down the hallway and then Jacaerys turned the corner. His scent, usual an inoffensive and bland smell of dry wood, grew heavy upon seeing them, brown eyes darkening.
“Get him away from me,” Aemond said through clenched teeth, in no mood to get into a fight with Jacaerys playing protector for his little brother. It would not be worth the scolding from either their mothers.
“He’s in heat,” he added, needless it may be. “Fool went to the training yard. I have been trying to get him to his chambers.”
Have you now, some voice that sounded too much like Aegon, whispered inside him. “Get him off me already,” he repeated, more forcefully as both Aegon and Jacaerys stood seemingly frozen to the ground.
It finally spurred them into action. Aegon marching over to them, followed by Jacaerys. “Let’s get you to an alpha that actually knows what to do with an omega in heat,” Aegon said, reaching for Lucerys’s shoulder. Jacaerys threw him a displeased look and Aegon rolled his eyes. “Joking, joking, nobody here gets my humour,” he said and then touched Lucerys’ shoulder.
Only to immediately rip his hand away when Lucerys let out a loud warning growl. “Oh,” Aegon said, voice surprised. “Calm down, I don’t want this alpha, trust me. I have actual taste.” Now it was Aemond’s turn for a disgruntled look towards Aegon who just shrugged.
“You do it,” he said to Jacaerys. “Being his brother and an alpha and stuff.” Jacaerys made a move to touch Lucerys, only to be met with an even louder growl.
“No.” Lucerys’ voice somehow was several octaves deeper. “Leave,” he said, voice grumbling. “Luke,” Jacaerys said, his own voice steady and a clear attempt to calm him down. “You don’t know what you’re saying, you’re drunk on your heat.”
“Want him,” Lucerys said and there was a possessiveness to his voice and words that made some part of Aemond stand to attention. “Will have him.”
A long moment of heavy silence. Then Aegon laughed. “Come on now,” he said, reaching out to Lucerys once again. “While this is highly amusing, you should go to your chambers and ... ouch!” Aegon let out a sudden loud yelp of pain, cutting himself off.
“He bit me!” he wailed. Aemond who instinctively had pulled Lucerys back towards him when he had moved towards Aegon stared at him in shock. There was no blood though, only a slight red mark on wrist. A warning bite, Aemond thought and some part of him couldn’t help but be slightly impressed with the willingness for violence Lucerys was displaying.
“You madman,” Aegon hissed. “Mine,” Lucerys said, baring his teeth and Aegon quickly moved away from him. “Believe me, I don’t want him!” he yelled. “Aemond get him under control!”
“Me?” Aemond said. “This isn’t my doing!”
“Luke,” Jacaerys said, voice even more intense now. “You need to let go of Aemond. You need to go to your chambers.”
“Won’t,” Lucerys replied flatly.
“Truly mad,” Aegon mumbled. “You keep him then.” “Aegon!” Jacaerys yelped. “What, do you wish for us to lose our hands?! Let him, if he’s for some reason this intent on having Aemond.”
A happy growl coming from Lucerys and Aemond flinched when he suddenly felt him burrowing himself against Aemond’s chest, throwing a cautious look over his shoulder towards Aegon and Jacaerys.
Mouth still slightly open, ready to bite again should either of them dare come closer and oh, Aemond had always known there were teeth inside that mouth, sharp and unforgiving. He had not considered though that they’d be willing to come out for and not against him.
“Nonsense,” he still said loudly. “Complete foolishness.” He tugged at his nephews shoulder, somehow forced him and his own legs into moving. “Tell the maesters to prepare something to ease his symptoms,” he said and Lucerys was willingly walking with him, clearly more than happy to get away from Jacaerys and Aegon and anywhere Aemond was going.
“I will get him to his chambers.” He could see Jacaerys open his mouth, upcoming rebuke clear on his face but Aegon’s hand shot up, planting itself over Jacaerys’ mouth.
“You do that, dear brother,” he said, voice sweet and Jacaerys’ eyebrows shot up, any protest muffled though by Aegon and then dying completely when his eyes fell on whatever expression Lucerys was wearing.
“Do it quickly so I can get rid of this one,” Aemond ordered and then the two of them stepped around the corner and out of sight, Lucerys somehow still willingly following him. There’d be little time to do much of anything once they had reached his chambers, Aemond reasoned. If he got lucky, he’d open the door, throw Lucerys inside and then quickly close it again.
Against his arm, Lucerys hummed happily, scent of lemony saltwater mixing with the smell of an approaching storm, the ash underneath both their smells indistinguishable. And if he didn’t, Aemond thought silently, well then. It would be more ammunition for afterwards.
Nothing more. Pathetic, Aemond thought and tightened his grip on Lucerys’ arm.