Hey all! I know I usually don't give much (if any) introductions to my fics (mainly because by the time they get here, it will have been the third time I've gone through the posting process, and I get a bit burnt out). But I felt this one deserved a little bit of an explanation.
This fic was spawned when I asked for A/B/O smut prompts, and I received three different prompts asking for Wolfstar smut: one for Mpreg, one for ABO, and one for a non-magic AU. So I combined the three...but the smut got left in the dust as plot reared it's head. Ooops!
So the plot for this fic was inspired by JK Rowling's statement that lycanthropy was her metaphor for HIV. So I decided to play with that as I write.
Hope you enjoy!
It was hard, some mornings, for Remus to get out of bed. Especially the mornings after the full moon. From the moment his alarm went off at 6:30, every muscle in Remus's body, from his eyelids as they opened, to his jaw as he yawned, would protest movement after such harrowing nights.
But Remus liked to think his will was stronger than his body, so he would force himself to wake up and go about his business just as he would any other morning.
Remus was determined to live his life, and he wasn't about to his diagnosis of being L-positive stop him.
No one could remember when the human race began to develop a third chromosome on the 23rd chromosomal pair of the human genetic code. All that was known that the that extra chromosome redefined the way the world saw gender. Remus had been born with the chromosomes XY-O: physically male, but with all the abilities previously only possessed by females. He had been born a healthy male omega.
But the not all of humanity was able to process the third chromosome successfully. There were some individuals who reacted badly, allowing the A/B/O chromosome to dominate their sanity. The results were near animalistic chaos. Those who suffered from it were more extremes of their gender, but also were prone to reverting to being more wolf than human. It had only been within the past century that the phenomena had been identified and treatment had begun to surface.
Lycanthropic Feral Syndrome, they called it. LFS, or simply L for short.
Remus had been diagnosed when he was four. And most days, he could live his life with very few side affects of being L-positive. Sure, he was smaller than most males, even omega males, so much so that he had often been described as petite. That, coupled with supple curves and soft facial structure, would have been the picturesque omega figure.
But every day, Remus walked a fine like of man and beast. With the advances in medicine, there were plenty of medications that Remus could take to keep his more feral side at bay.
They just weren't effective during the full moon. Those nights, Remus was at the full mercy of his condition. Those nights, Remus was no longer human, but a feral animal.
And the mornings after those nights were always rough. Remus had a tendency to throw his alarm clock across the room when it went off.
But that wouldn't get him anywhere, that morning, as he was working the morning shift at work, and he couldn't afford to be late.
After washing up and brushing his teeth in a cold shower (there was never hot water in his plumbing), Remus made sure to count out all of the pills he would need to take for the day. It was a pain, but it was better than being a wild animal full time. By the time Remus would finish his morning routine, he would only have about fifteen minutes before his 7:30 shift.
The last thing Remus would do before leaving his small studio flat would be to dab a small bit of menthol vapor rub under his nose. With the evolution of the A/B/O chromosomes came the advancement of the human olfactory sense. The world was ruled by scent, from emotions to physical health. Everyone scent was unique, and the attraction game was no longer ruled by sight, but by smell.
Of course, being L-positive ruined that as well. To Remus and others with LFS, the world smelled like raw meat and blood. According to the LFS literature (what little there was), the only scent that would be appealing to an L-positive would be the scent of the specimen that would provide the healthiest offspring.
Some called it soul mates. Remus called it awful body odor, and he'd rather wear vapor rub than suffer through a reeking world as he walked to work every morning. Luckily for Remus, it was a short walk from his small flat to the coffee shop where he worked, and the shop had a wonderful air filtration system.
The Three Teacups was a small coffee shop that always seemed to thrive on the local caffeine addicts and those who couldn't stand to do their work at home. And it was one of the few places Remus could find that would hire him.
The bell on the front door chimed softly as Remus opened the door, and instantly the omega felt like he could breath easy.
"Barely made it, Remmy." Behind the counter, Lily smiled at Remus, preparing two cappuccinos with ease.
Remus returned the easy smile, "Yeah, well I had trouble getting out of bed this morning."
Lily knew about Remus's condition, she was one of the few people he willingly trusted with his secret. As it was, her smile turned more concerned, "Would a cup of hot chocolate make you feel better?"
"You know it would…" Remus chuckled, reaching for his apron.
The redhead chuckled, getting to work on Remus's hot chocolate. As she made her way around the bar, Remus couldn't help but be grateful for his friend, as well as slightly jealous. Lily was a stunning omega, full of vibrancy and grace. She was intelligent as well, working her way though medical school.
And healthy.
"You're thinking too hard." Lily handed Remus a mug, filled with steaming hot chocolate, "Do you want to man the bar or the baked goods?"
Remus smiled softly, "You know I don't like to handle people's food…"
"But you're so good at it." The redhead chuckled, "Let's get going before the breakfast crowd has us swamped.
As Remus washed his hands to get ready for work, he smirked over at Lily, "You might want to fix your collar, Lily, I can see your hickey."
The redhead squeaked, clapping her hand over the bite mark, "Son of a…I'm going to kill James…"
"What did you expect from the alpha who thought it would be a good idea to ask you to marry him before asking for a date?"
"True." Lily smiled softly, rearranging her collar, "And that jerk got a call in the middle of the night, so I had to wake up in bed alone…"
"More information than necessary, Lily."
The two fell into an easy rhythm after that, fixing and serving drinks and pastries to the various customers who would come in for their morning fixes on their way to their nine-to-five jobs. And honestly, Remus enjoyed the gentle rhythm, even if making the same sugary coffee drinks all day got to be a bit boring.
When the breakfast rush began to lull, Lily's phone buzzed in her apron pocket.
Remus raised an eyebrow, "Does Rosemerta let you keep your phone on you while you work?"
"Is Rosemerta here right now?" Lily smiled playfully, checking her phone to read the text, "Oh wonderful! James managed to wrap up his case, he's gunna be stopping by for brunch. Oh…apparently he's bringing Sirius, too."
"Sirius?"
"His partner." Lily nodded, "He's a nice guy, very similar to James…maybe a bit more of a goof."
Remus chuckled, "Oh boy, that's dangerous."
"Especially in law enforcement." Lily laughed, taking a mismatched pair of mugs out to the students waiting for their mochas.
It wasn't uncommon for James to stop by while Lily was working. In fact, that was how both of them had first met the alpha. James had pursued Lily for nearly three months, declaring how divine Lily smelled to him, and how they were meant to be. Lily could only keep the alpha at bay for so long (especially when she admitted to Remus that she thought James smelled like heaven…whatever that meant).
They were marry and share Lily's next heat within the month. And Remus liked James, he was an easygoing alpha, he didn't see Remus's hyper-omega traits as a way to boost his own ego. In fact, Remus suspected that James knew about him being L-positive, whether from Lily or simply being observant.
So when James walked through the front door, Remus didn't hesitate waving at the alpha, "Hey James, heard you had an early morning."
"Sometimes, I think Moody gives us the night calls just to torture us." James joked, running a hand through his messy hair. "I take it Lily's in the back?"
"Oh yeah, we ran out of milk." Remus nodded, "Don't worry, she'll make you your usual."
James laughed, walking in further to allow the other man to walk in through the door. With black hair tied at the nape of his neck, strong, and a well muscled frame, James's partner was most definitely a healthy alpha specimen. Sirius wore a crooked grin as he stepped in passed the shop's fan.
Remus couldn't smell either of the alphas through the vapor rub under his knows, but that didn't stop Remus's temperature from rising the moment Sirius's scent hit the fan, and the hairs on the back of his neck to stand on end. He tried to take a breath, but found that all he could do was gasp.
From across the shop, Remus could see Sirius's nostrils flare as he inhaled, his head turning until their eyes met. They were beautiful, sharp and steely gray.
And it made Remus's heart skip a beat. It was either that or his heart palpitations.
"Remus?" Lily's hand rested on Remus's shoulder, "Are you alright?"
The tawny-haired omega shook his head, "No…" His hands shook, dropping the iced coffee he had been preparing, "I need to get out of here…"
He didn't wait for Lily to answer, simply turning on his heel and running out the back door.
Remus nearly fell head over heels over the trash bin at the back entrance, but he didn't stop. He needed to get home, he needed to get away from the strange situation. He needed—
Strong, rough hands grabbed Remus by the shoulders, spinning him around so rapidly that Remus nearly lost his balance. Once his vision stopped spinning, Remus found himself once again staring into those same bright gray eyes.
It wasn't until Remus felt his back pressed against the cold stone of the wall behind him that he realized that there was an alpha behind those alluring eyes. An alpha that had Remus caged between his arms.
"Why do you smell so fucking good?"
If anyone had asked, Remus would have never admitted that the sound of the alpha's growling voice made him want to bare his neck in submission. He'd deny that the sensation of the alpha's nose and lips caressing his pulse felt like velvet, and that he desperately wished he had a normal sense of smell, just to see if the alpha smelt as wonderful as he felt.
The alpha (Sirius, Remus had to remind himself) pulled back slightly, staring down at Remus with such intensity, it made the omega want to crawl out of his skin (or at least his clothes)
Finally the alpha reached up, a callused thumb brushing across Remus's upper lip. And, he realized belatedly, smearing away what was left of the vapor rub. And through the remnants of the medical menthol smell, Remus's nose was filled with the woodsy musk that was the alpha's scent. After living with a world that smelled of blood and meat, the scent was enough to make his hole spasm and drip with slick…and with Remus's sex drive near non-existent due to his condition, that was certainly a feat.
Before Remus could stop himself, he had buried his nose in the alpha's neck, breathing in the succulent scent like it was the only bit of fresh air he could breathe (and in some ways, it was).
"Bloody hell…are you in heat, or are you always this irresistible?"
Despite the sudden flood of hormones that Remus found himself dealing with, he still had enough mental capacity to snort at the comment, "I promise, I'm not in heat…are you in rut?"
"No…?"
"Are you sure?"
"Well I'm pretty sure I'm going to be if we keep going the way we are." Sirius looked at Remus with a smile, then looked at their surroundings, "Speaking of which…you wouldn't happen to live around here, would you? I have a feeling we shouldn't be getting acquainted next to a coffee compost heap and a trash bin."
Remus chuckled, "'Getting acquainted,' is that what the kids are calling it these days?" he smiled softly, heart fluttering in ways it had never done so before, "My flat's a few blocks from here…"
In all of his years alive, Remus had never led an alpha towards his flat (with the exception of his father during his visits). The thought that here he was, leading an alpha with whom he had exchanged a mere handful of sentences, back to his flat had his mind spinning. Especially since he knew they weren't going back to his flat for a cup of tea.
Was this his real life? Was he really caught up in the scent a handsome new alpha and was being swept off his feet to be carried off into a happily ever after? It seemed more like a scene from a Harlequin romance than a real life event. The small voice of logic was calling for Remus to slow down, but the chorus of his heart (not to mention his instincts) drowned out any negative thoughts.
It wasn't until after Remus opened the door to his flat that the reality of his situation came back into focus. The various pill bottles on his dresser were a reminder that he was not, in fact, in a Harlequin romance, but real life.
The voice of logic was screaming much louder now.
"I'm sorry…" Remus muttered weakly, ashamed at the state of his modest flat.
Sirius looked at the small studio, nostrils flaring as his pupils dilated, "You aren't staying here."
"Um, yeah. I know it's not much but—"
"No. I mean you're not staying here." Sirius growled lowly, his arm moving around Remus's waist, "We're getting you out of this hellhole."
"It's not that bad"
"…"
Remus blushed, unable to look Sirius in the eye, "I don't know if we should do this…"
The alpha looked at Remus curiously, "We don't have to fall into bed right away. I think we've moved fast, but we don't need to keep this pace-"
"No, I mean we shouldn't be doing any of this, whatever this is. I'm not an omega you'd want."
"I know we just met and all, but I honestly think we can make this work. I know you felt the connection between us…" Sirius grinned, "I didn't believe in that whole soulmate thing before this, but I've gotta tell you, you are perfe—"
"I'm L-positive."
Remus hadn't meant to blurt it out, he just didn't know what to say to stop Sirius from talking. He knew that being an L-positive omega meant that the risk of passing his condition to any partner or children was very real. It had been a risk that Remus had never been willing to take, and had thankfully never been faced with.
Until now.
"I'm sorry." Remus whispered, "I'm just…I can't…" He looked down at the ratted carpet that covered his studio floor. To his embarrassment, his vision was blurring with unshed tears. Of all the things to cry over…
Strong, rough hands grabbed Remus by the shoulders once more. But this time, the grasp was gentle, callused thumbs rubbing circles in Remus's shoulders as Remus tried to fight back tears. Sirius even went so far as to maneuver Remus to sit at the foot of his bed, sitting next to him quietly.
"I kind of figured…" Sirius murmured, "You've got the amber ring around your irises…"
Remus nodded slowly. It was a fairly common symptom for LFS sufferers to develop amber rings in the iris, but it was often minimalized though the use of medication. "I'm surprised you saw it…"
"I recognized it from my brother." Sirius nodded, slinging his arm around Remus's shoulders. As the omega gasped slightly at the revelation, Sirius continued, "He had a boyfriend when he was 15 who didn't tell him he was L-positive, and they didn't use protection…my parents kicked him out of the house when they found out, so he moved in with me…"
"You're a good brother." Remus smiled softly, "Is he doing well?"
"Oh yeah, he's doing well." He nodded, "Working as a bank teller and saving money for his own place." He smiled softly, "I guess what I'm trying to say is…I understand what you're going through…and I'm not going anywhere."
Remus blinked, looking at Sirius, "What?"
"I'm not going anywhere." Sirius repeated, "I mean, if you're willing, I think we can make this work, LFS or no LFS."
"But what if I give you, or heaven forbid, any children we have—"
"Then we will face that when we come to it." Sirius nodded, leaning forward to rest his forehead against Remus's, "I know enough to not let a condition define a person. And I want to get to know you…maybe even be your mate…"
Remus blushed, feeling like he was floating on cloud nine. Could he really have his own happily ever after?
"…Alright…"
Sirius grinned, leaning in and kissing him passionately. Their lips battled for dominance before Remus allowed Sirius to take the lead, sinking into the kiss in ways he never thought possible.
As they pulled away, Sirius panted, "I'm Sirius, by the way…"
"I know…" Remus smiled. Seeing Sirius's confused expression, he continued, "Lily mentioned you. I'm Remus, by the way."
"I know. James mentioned you." The alpha let out a bark-like laugh, "So I guess we haven't completely botched this first meeting up."
Remus smiled, "Best first meeting ever."
It was hard, some mornings, for Remus to get out of bed. From the moment his alarm went off at 6:30, every muscle in Remus's body, from his eyelids as they opened, to his jaw as he yawned, would protest movement early in the morning. There were mornings in which Remus simply wanted to ignore the world and never leave the comfort of his bed…
"Babe, we gotta get up."
Remus groaned, "Dun' wanna…"
Warm hands snuck under the covers of the bed to wrap around Remus's middle. Strong, callused hands traveled the expanse of his chest (causing a hitch in Remus's breath as the rough skin caressed his nipples) as a pair of lips kissed the back of his neck, "I know you don't want to get up, but we have to go to the doctor, remember?"
Remus did remember the appointment. And, as the alpha's strong hands made their way to his extended belly to cradle the life inside him, he remembered the purpose of their appointment.
"We're getting the testing done…" Remus whispered, his own hand traveling to his belly, feeling his child press against hist hand.
Sirius hummed into the back of Remus's neck, "Mhm, we're going to make sure we know our little boy is going to be alright. Maybe we can find out if he's going to be an alpha or not."
"And if he's L-positive."
"And if he's L-positive." Sirius repeated. Before Remus could speak again, Sirius continued, "Stop that, I can practically hear you're worrying."
"I can't help it." Remus sighed, "What if he—"
"Then we have an L-positive son, and we'll love him just as much as we would an L-negative son. I told you before, I'm not going anywhere."
Remus knew that. But he still liked hearing Sirius say it.
The alpha yawned, sitting up in their bed, "Alright, are you ready?"
"Ready."
