A/N: Here it is; chapter 3! gosh, I think I it's best to first thank all of you for the favourites, followers and reviews, you are all actually amazing! Sorry for taking so long to update, though, was trying to finish another story at the same time and had the dreaded GCSEs T.T Well, all I have left to say is enjoy!
Alfred adjusted his tie awkwardly. He only ever wore one for formal events and this event was one of the biggest in his life, only second to his birth. He absolutely despised of such clothing, and years of wearing soft, loose robes didn't exactly help. The alpha prince continued shuffling awkwardly on the spot and trying to make himself come off as being strong and confident. Which he most definitely wasn't. In fact, he was getting more and more nervous the longer he had to wait for his omega to get to the room. Yet again, he adjusted his tie's position and length.
The door slowly opened and he looked up. Arthur's eyes were locked on the floor as he approached his future King and stood with his back perfectly straight in front of him. A smile played on Alfred's lips as he watched. "Ready to start?" he whispered softly as he took the omega's hand and gently pressed his lips to the back of it. He gave a slightly uncomfortable nod, and the alpha kneeled in front of him, stroking the hand delicately. He cleared his throat and took the small box out of his pocket, opening it.
"Prince Arthur James Kirkland, would you perhaps do me the honour of being my husband, my Queen, my everything?" Arthur gave the slightest of nods and watched contently as the silver band was slipped onto his finger. It was as described; hand crafted, intricately designed, and the single band split off into three thin bands in a way that looked as if it would have been difficult to make. Five stones decorated them. The outer ones were a tanzanite and an emerald, likely to represent their eye colours, the inside ones were a ruby and an aquamarine to represent their birth months, and the middle one was a tourmaline to represent the month of their wedding.
It was... beautiful. He mused contently as the light caught the stones and glanced up towards his new fiancé as he stood. The other man was definitely thoughtful and generous. They smiled softly at each other for a long moment as Alfred obviously tried to build up the courage to lean in. When he finally did so, their lips gently touched for a moment in a sweet, chaste kiss. Nothing special, no fireworks exploding, just a gentle kiss. Their eyes met again as the deal was sealed, their hands touching and soon clasping in a light hold. Another smile was exchanged between the two as they left the room in silence. Arthur felt himself being led towards the alpha quarters of the building and was slightly confused until Alfred opened the door to show their room.
Unsurprisingly, it was rather plain. There was minimal furniture with a beige and cream colour scheme. Arthur honestly would have been more surprised if it was decorated. Yet, the room was pleasant, warm and rather homely. It actually looked like a room that he would choose as his own. Alfred's arms wrapped around him from behind. "Is it to your liking, my Queen?"
"Most definitely." He turned to face the other male and gave the slightest of smiles as their lips touched again. This time it was much more sure, rather than a shy first kiss in front of a reporter and a guard. It was deepened gradually, and their tongues were soon acquainted. Tangling and exploring and dancing.
Arthur was soon lifted onto his future King's waist and carried to the bed, where his robe jacket was slipped off his shoulders just before he was pushed to lay back against the soft sheets. His dress shirt was unbuttoned rather quickly to reveal his milky white chest and softened nipples. He felt his heeled boot being slid off his calf, then the gentle lips kissing up the lower half of his legs until the material of his trousers got in the way. Hands found their way to his trouser button, but he quickly stopped them with both of his own, earning a somewhat confused look in response.
"I want to save myself until our wedding night." Alfred snorted and pulled away harshly.
"I think you've already been taken at least once before, Buzzlebee." The omega's eyes widened and he quickly grew silent. Only one person had ever called him that, one person around two or so years ago. The mysterious prince whom he had given his virginity to. Could this be him? No prince would want to admit that he had given up his first time to someone he wasn't married to, or at least intending to marry, so there was a high chance that this beautiful being was his mystery bachelor.
"We need to go back so that it isn't suspicious," he had mumbled on that night, his eyes drooping slightly as he felt the desperate urge to sleep and replace all lost stamina. The mystery bachelor let out a soft chuckle and kissed his forehead affectionately.
"Not tonight, Buzzlebee, I'll tell your mother that you felt sick and needed some assistance. I promise I'll be back in a few minutes. Just play along with it in the morning." He was audibly tugging his clothes on as Arthur slipped into a deep sleep.
Questions whirred through his mind. Why would a man reveal it so early on in a relationship? Why now of all times? "Sire, I-I..." he managed to stutter.
"Yeah, I know. You whore yourself out at the balls and disallow your fiancé this one time when your scent is almost driving him crazy." Arthur's entire face turned bright red from embarrassment. Not a single person had ever implied that he slept around before and it wasn't going to start any time soon.
"It's funny. I thought for two years that if I ever found you, I'd recognise your sweet attitude and fall in love with you once more. Seems I couldn't be more wrong," he whispered in an unusually calm tone as he gathered his clothes and exited the room in the most graceful manner that he could possibly do so.
Alfred regretted saying it as soon as the words had slipped out. It was a natural retaliation habit; to say the cruelest thing that came into his head at any give moment. Quite honestly, he adored the omega and wanted to kick himself for offending him in such a way, but the start of the heat filled him with so much lust that he couldn't even think straight. There were only two heats per year for most omegas, each lasting anywhere from one to three weeks. Only during the heat would most allow their mates to touch them in the bedroom, and chances are the British prince would continue the tradition. That would also mean that they were barely given time to see each other, as he would occupy himself as not to try to get his partner in bed. They would constantly be working to make their kingdoms as strong as physically possible, so there would be little time for them to behave like any other couple.
It was also the young alpha's first encounter with a pre-heating omega. He had smelled such scents before (although not quite the same one) but had never laid his hands upon anyone producing the unmistakable scent. Even when he and Arthur had slept together for the first time, it wasn't really a pre-heat scent, just a weak human pheromone that was intended simply to cause sexual attraction rather than the arousal that was caused by the animalistic one. Even though his raging hormones were the cause for the severe impatience and irritable attitude, he still felt completely guilty about hurting Arthur in such a way.
Arthur, on the other hand, was more angry than upset. It was his duty to marry before his first heat and he had managed to choose the biggest asshole in the world. His kingdom was now run alongside the land of the asshole, he would have to sleep with the asshole, his children would be fathered by the asshole. The omega sighed softly and curled up into a tight ball on his bed. How could he have even fallen for such an idiot? Anyone else would have made friends prior to the marriage and then married one of their friends, but being the loner he was, he had never made friends. Instead, he dressed in vintage gothic and steampunk clothing through his early teenage years and had dyed his hair bright green until his mother demanded that he grow up. Even so, his visual appearance put off a lot of others so his only friends were his books. It seemed as if that would be the case once again.
The next day was pure torture for the alpha. Each time he attempted to apologise, the omega turned his head away and continued to walk in a way that caused his hips to sway slightly like a pendulum. Not that Alfred took much note of it. He was too busy trying to get his fiancé's attention, like a deprived puppy. He only had to open the door to a room and the stubborn prince stopped talking. He didn't know whether it was from the years of being alone or some sort of horrid gene that allowed him to stay completely silent as long as he was in earshot, but Alfred quickly found himself getting provoked by it.
The worst part was when they first went to bed. The night before the wedding was traditionally the night that they were both due to get accustomed to sleeping in the same bed before their big day. Arthur had removed all of his clothes spare his boxers as if to tease, yet didn't say a word to his fiancé. Alfred attempted to kiss his shoulder apologetically but soon heard the menacing growl and moved away slowly. "Look, Artie, I'm really sorry and I didn't mean to say that. It was just a natural reaction..."
"Not listening."
"Your scent is driving me crazy, I just want to show you that I can be better."
"Not. Listening," he repeated in a somewhat hushed tone.
"I love you, Arthur James Jones-Kirkland and I'll never have feelings like this for anyone else, ever."
The omega prince turned over to face him, his eyes slightly pained but also loving. "It wasn't what you were saying, it was the manner in which you said it," he said quietly as he stared into tearful blue orbs. He had no idea whether they were real or fake tears but part of him didn't really care at all. Strong arms embraced him and he accepted the gesture despite the natural urge to tug away harshly. There was something about this prince that meant that although he tried, he couldn't stay mad at him for long. Perhaps it was the way that he stroked his hair in that affectionate way, or how he gently kissed the tip of his nose, or even how his response to the latter being returned was scrunching up his face in an utterly adorable way and wriggling his nose from side to side.
He finally got over it by the time that they had fallen asleep together, and had naturally buried his face in the warm, hairless chest of his partner. He smiled occasionally in his sleep, dreaming of his future with the soon-to-be King.