About Our Parents

Gilbert's hand was smaller than his.

Ludwig wasn't going to let it go, not when everyone was staring at them so coldly.

Everyone knew what mating season was.

Everyone knew what they had done the previous night, it wasn't a strange thing, their brothers and sisters had done the same thing with their mates. Ludwig wasn't happy to show what he and Gilbert had shared, it was an intimate thing, it had to belong only to his brother and him.

But it was practically impossible to hide it for a wolf.

It was part of their laws: a young wolf could lose his virginity only during the mating season and only with the wolf that intended to be its mate until the end of their life. It was a safe thing, maybe. No one could be forced to do it.

But Gilbert was an exception.

Gilbert had always been an exception.

He wasn't supposed to be chosen by another wolf freely.

He wasn't supposed to become the favorite son's mate.

He was supposed to be forced to mate with a predestined wolf, he was supposed to lose his virginity with someone who wanted only his body and Gilbert couldn't accept it. He wasn't a sex-toy, he was a person, he didn't love that wolf, he loved Ludwig! Ludwig could have everything of him, Ludwig could touch him, Ludwig loved him and Gilbert loved his little brother. But when Ludwig and Gilbert appeared in front of their parents holding hands, they understood immediately that there was nothing to give to their enemies, anymore.

The Grey Wolves didn't want a violated, dirty whore.

They didn't want a wolf who could be already pregnant with the pups of someone else.

Ludwig and Gilbert had done nothing wrong, they had chosen each other, they had waited for the mating season to begin and they have made love for the first time under the stars giving their bodies and their souls to each other.

They weren't traitors, they had just followed the rules.

"This isn't your home, anymore!"

"This isn't your family, anymore!"

"You're not our sons, anymore!"

"Be damned! You two and the little bastards that will born from you!"

Ludwig had been the favorite son.

Gilbert the unwanted one.

They weren't supposed to fall in love with each other.

"But we did…"

Gilbert didn't know what Ludwig was doing.

"Well… One, two, three, four and five. Good!"

He had just opened his eyes to see his little brother focused on Friedrich's small hands, he stared down at the right one and then at the left one taking them between his fingers delicately. He muttered something and then he lifted the pup-blanket's hem to take a better look to the small feet, Friedrich moved in his sleep but he didn't wake up. Gilbert didn't say a world while Ludwig wrapped the warm blanket around the little body again, his mate didn't notice that he was awake and he continued his inspection with Maximilian.

Gilbert heard him count again and he had to bit his lower lip to not laugh: Ludwig was counting their son's fingers to be sure that everything was at its place. He couldn't believe it! It was so awesomely fun!

"West?" He called gently while his little brother was taking a look at Maximilian's right foot.

The younger wolf looked down at him and blushed immediately, "I… ehm…"

"Good morning…" Gilbert whispered lifting himself on his elbow to kiss his mate's lips, "you've protected us for the entire night, right?"

"It's natural…" Ludwig answered staring down at the sleeping pups, he hadn't stop to stare at them not even for a minute. He was a father, Gilbert was his sons' mother. They were really parents! He still couldn't believe it, everything was absurd and splendid at the same time for Ludwig. Maximilian and Friedrich were there, between them, they were alive and they were real.

Ludwig remembered when he and Gilbert had felt them move inside the belly for the first time. It had been almost a shock for Gilbert but Ludwig was almost fainted, it was so incredible for him. it was different for Gilbert, he had had them inside him for nine months but Ludwig… Ludwig had felt a little useless, sometimes.

Yes, he had taken care of Gilbert properly. He had fed him, he had protected him and loved him.

Ludwig had adored him, to be precise.

It didn't sound very manly but Ludwig couldn't help it. His dear brother, his beloved mate and their greatest wish hidden inside him had been the most divine thing he had ever seen. Ludwig didn't have words to say how much he loved Gilbert right now, how much he loved those beautiful few-hours-old creatures.

Ludwig didn't know how to express it, really.

Gilbert deserved much more after what he had done all alone for both of them.

Ludwig felt really useless but he would had died for them. For Gilbert, for Maximilian, for Friedrich.

One night and their life had changed forever. One night and he just couldn't imagine their life without Max and Fritz. Ludwig knew that for Gilbert was the same, his brother had felt like this since the first day of his pregnancy. Happiness… That word was so simple, so strong, so dangerous sometimes…

Ludwig stared silently while Gilbert tried to sit up but he failed because of the sudden pain that crossed his body. "Gilbert!" Ludwig was immediately behind him supporting his brother's back with his chest, "Gilbert, are you fine? Gilbert?"

Gilbert laughed briefly, "calm down, West. My body doesn't feel so awesome today, but it's natural, I guess…"

Ludwig nodded but he didn't stop to worry so easily: Gilbert was older than him but he was younger than the most of the wolf mothers he knew. It had been his first pregnancy, his first puppies and he had been very lucky to have given birth only to two pups. Ludwig had been the only pup that day of twenty year ago, it had been the same for Roderich, their older brother. It was rare, but not numerous litters were part of their DNA.

Gilbert had been the only exception.

"Can you help me with them?"

Ludwig helped Gilbert to place Maximilian on his lap and the albino picked up Friedrich who had begun to whine loudly, "Shhh…" Gilbert whispered kissing the pup's forehead, "good morning, Fritz!" He smiled brightly unbuttoning his shirt, "it's your first morning and it is your first breakfast."

Ludwig rested his chin on Gilbert's shoulder while his brother guided the pup to his nipple: Friedrich calmed down suddenly and Gilbert relaxed completely against his chest. "He is born yesterday and he does it better than you," Gilbert commented brushing his fingertips against the soft cheek of his son. "Sh-Shut up…" Ludwig muttered and then he placed a kiss on his lover's neck.

Gilbert chuckled, "we'll have to start to work for the next one very soon…" The albino turned his head kissing his mate's lips briefly, "we can try to have a girl the next time."

Ludwig stiffened and Gilbert didn't fail to notice it, he stopped to smile staring at his mate confused, "what's wrong, West?" The blond sighed deeply staring down at the little one in Gilbert's arms and the other one on his lap, "It's not a good idea to think about another litter, now."

Gilbert blinked two times looking down at Friedrich who had stopped to suck and had fallen asleep in his mother's arms, "I thought you wanted to have a numerous pack," he said coldly. "I want to have a strong family, it's different," Ludwig replied.

"It's not…" Gilbert rested Friedrich on his lap gently picking Maximilian up to feed him like his brother.

"Gilbert, please, you've given birth to them yesterday," Ludwig said gently, "we have to learn how to be parents, no one is here to help us and we weren't supposed to be alone in this story. You meant to be an Alpha's lover with a numerous pack and older wolves ready to teach to you what to do with your pups. It's the same thing for me, I had to take our father's place…"

"He is yourfather," Gilbert replied, "I'm the son of nobody, do you remember?"

"Gilbert, please…"

"Our mother hated me, Roderich hated me, I was a mistake for them nothing more. The others called me bastard, monster, bad omen. They wanted to give me to Ivan only because they wanted to get rid of me, not because they needed someone to seal the peace between our families," Gilbert held Maximilian closer stroking his soft black ear, "Before the mating season, Roderich told me that, because of my… Malformation, I could give birth to nothing."

"Gilbert…"

"Our mother knew that there was a high risk but he wanted to sale me to Ivan, anyway…" Gilbert smiled sadly at Maximilian, "do you know what happens to infertile mates?"

Ludwig shook his head kissing his lover's neck again, "I would have never done it to you, never."

"I didn't believe to him…" Gilbert admitted while Maximilian let him go to fall asleep in his arms like his brother, "I continued to say that I didn't want a family, you already know it. But during our first year together I was terrified about the possibility to not have pups…" Gilbert placed Maximilian and Friedrich on the soft straw and Ludwig helped him to rest next to them. Gilbert wrapped an arm around his beloved puppies and Ludwig took a seat behind him holding his mate against his chest and kissing his cheek.

"I did an awesome job, right?" Gilbert asked kissing those four small fists: Maximilian stirred and Friedrich curled up against his brother's back to get more kisses, "I wish to show Max and Fritz to those bastards, to make they see how much our sinhas been blessed."

"Don't think about it…" Ludwig massaged Gilbert's belly in an automatic gesture and Gilbert stiffened involuntary, "does it hurt?" The blond asked. Gilbert nodded weakly, "I really want to give another pup to you…"

"Don't you dare to think about it, now," Ludwig said coldly, "it's an order, Gilbert. Don't pretend to be a birth-machine, you're not like this and I won't impregnate you only because you have to fix your pride!"

"Does it mean that we won't make love until the next year?" Gilbert asked.

"I didn't say that…"

"It can happen every time from now on, West."

"This is only your theory," Ludwig commented, "your body won't accept another life inside you if it won't be ready and I can come outside of you to be more sure."

"Don't you dare!" Gilbert exclaimed, "I won't let you ruin our sexual life only because you're a paranoid mate, Ludwig!"

Friedrich didn't like to hear his mother scream and he began to cry loudly waking up Maximilian, too.

"Great…" Ludwig muttered.

"Shut up!" Gilbert shouted and then he looked down at the little things next to him, "calm down, puppies, Mama and Papa didn't want to scare you, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Gilbert placed his lips against Friedrich's forehead because he looked scarier than his brother, Maximilian hid his face against his mother's chest whining.

"Come here, little one," Ludwig sat up holding out his hands to take Maximilian in his arms.

Gilbert smiled sweetly looking at his boys and then he cuddled Friedrich sweetly humming a sweet lullaby to calm him down. Maximilian was the first to fall asleep again, safe and sound against his Papa's strong chest. Friedrich threw a tantrum until he got enough kisses from his Mama and then he curled up against Gilbert's chest while his parent's smell surrounded him.

"They need a crib…" Ludwig murmured placing his lips on the little blond hear, between the two little black ears.

Gilbert nodded kissing Friedrich's forehead, "Only one, they are still small and they didn't like to stay away from each other, I guess…"

Ludwig looked at pup in his arms, "Max didn't look so nervous."

"Sure, his Papa is holding him in his arms but he will be alone inside his crib," Gilbert looked up at his lover, "they had been with someone else since the start of their life, they won't be happy to be alone, I guess…"

Ludwig smiled down at his mate nodding, " and inside one crib they will be warmer."

"Ja…" Gilbert murmured.

"Gilbert?"

Those gorgeous red eyes looked up at him again, "we have only to be happy, now. Don't get obsessed with the idea of another litter and I… I… I will make love with you like I used to do. If it will happen again we will think about it but we have Fritz and Max, now. We have to try to live our life like we needed nothing else, if another pup will arrive soon or later it will be just a gift but we don't need to suffer because of loneliness anymore. Don't think about our parents, don't think about their litters or their words. We've given birth to two beautiful pups, they're already wrong. We don't need thousands pups to prove to them that our love is the rightest thing in the world. Just one of our son is enough, Max and Fritz together are more than enough."

It wasn't awesome, it wasn't awesome when Ludwig acted like the wise one because it made Gilbert admit how much his little brother was right: they didn't need something else. They had their happiness, they had just to live their life day after day.

"Ludwig Beilschmidt, I love you…" Gilbert said casually and Ludwig sighed deeply placing the pup boy next to the smaller one again. Gilbert couldn't help but kiss Maximilian's chubby cheeks, "I can't wait for them to open their eyes," He admitted with a bright smile.

Ludwig wrapped an arm around his waist, "they have two weeks to get ready but they have your eyes, I'm sure."

"Nein, nein, they have blue eyes. We have a lot of blue eyes in our family."

"My father's eyes are brown."

"They don't have brown eyes!" Gilbert replied firmly, "they are blue."

"Red…"

"Blue!"

Ludwig chuckled and Gilbert pouted childishly while the snow continued to fall outside their cavern.

"Aldric?"

The black wolf didn't turn back and the other one wrapped an arm around his waist, "Aldric? We have to think about the next litter, my love," a kiss on his naked shoulder. "You old pervert, you know that we've stopped to have litters years ago," the black wolf muttered.

"You're right but it doesn't mean that we don't have to have sex…" Romulus replied kissing his lover's neck.

"We did it the previous night."

"I want you, again."

"You pervert!"

"Don't punch me!"

The black wolf sighed deeply trying to calm himself, "not tonight."

"Why not tonight?" Romulus asked curiously and disappointed at the same time.

"I'm thinking…" Aldric answered absently.

"About?"

"About our son and Gilbert."

Romulus stiffened and the smile on his face disappear, "it's the first time you talk about them since that day, Aldric."

" I know…"

"It was your decision to punish them, I didn't allow it," Romulus continued a little too coldly.

"I know…"

"Well, stop to think about them if you're not going to take them back."

Aldric turned towards his lover with wide open eyes, "I can't do it after more than two years!"

"Do you want to know a thing?" Romulus asked staring at his lover, "Ludwig is my son, too. I've the right to take him back to home and Gilbert is his mate now, I'm going to welcome him in our family, as well."

"Romulus if we take them back, Braginski will do a lot of bad things and we have sons and daughters outside in this forest and they are going to have pups or they have already a litter, I'm not going to risk their life. Do you understand?" Aldric was right, Romulus knew that Aldric was right. He had driven out their son and Gilbert to save them in a way or another, "Do you really think that I don't want them back? Ludwig is the only pup we've given birth to together, I didn't forget that."

"I'm happy about it," Romulus said with a brief smile.

"And Gilbert…" Aldric closed his eyes, "I teach nothing to him about the world, he wasn't supposed to live without a real pack."

"I'm not worried about that, Ludwig can take care of him properly."

"But Ludwig can do nothing if Gilbert will need help during… a childbirth, for example."

"Gilbert is stronger than you think, my love."

"I don't know if they're fine, I don't know if they're alive of if they are still happy together."

"Why don't we go to find them Aldric?" Romulus proposed happily, "we won't take them back, but we can see them, we can try to forget what's happened two years ago and if they've had pups, we'll see our grandchildren!"

Aldric rested his cheek against the soft straw with a sigh, "Gilbert will never forgive me."

"He will forgive me, instead!"

"Selfish…"

"Come on, Aldric!" Romulus was smiling brightly, "Gilbert doesn't hate you, he would do everything to make you proud of him, you know it!"

Aldrich thought about it for a while: if Gilbert and Ludwig had started a family, he would have done everything to see their children. The last time he had seen his sons, he had damned them and their future progeny and he had spent the last two years regretting those words. If Gilbert had been able to give birth to another life, he would have been happy to know it, to know that Roderich's theories about Gilbert strange look were wrong.

To know that Gilbert had had his chance to be happy with the love of his life.

Gilbert deserved it.

He had received nothing in his entire life but then Ludwig had found the right way to fix his broken soul and they had fallen in love without his permission. They had almost condemned their entire family because of their forbidden feelings.

But Aldric hadn't asked the permission to Gilbert when he had promised him to the Grey wolves' Alpha.

He closed his eyes sighing deeply, "I don't want to talk about it anymore, Romulus."

Thanks to senorflamingo for the fan art! This is the pixiv link with the name of the author and his\her gallery: member_ ?mode=medium&illust_id=23506512

In this picture Ludwig has light brown ears and tail. In this story Ludwig (and Max) has black ears and tail because it's more awesome for me (take a look to Germouser, girls!). And yes, I saw the third puppy but I'm not going to reelase spoilers about it, yet ;)! I like to be cruel...

Puppies-Note: baby wolves need 2 weeks (more or less) to open their eyes (like a lot of puppies in the world),

Story-Note: to make it a little clearer, Ludwig and Gilbert have the same "mother" (Aldric) but only Ludwig knows his father (Romulus). Ludwig is their only child together, their other children have different fathers or mothers (their story will get clearer later, I promise)

Thanks for your comments, they are love for us, poor authors :)!

See you soon!