Chapter Text
Sirius took a deep breath and adjusted his collar, a thin chain looped tight around his neck with the Black Family Insignia etched into the charm. Dictating his family and his rank as an unmated Omega. Of course, that was the point of tonight, the two newest Omegas of the Black Family being presented.
Sirius knew the charm also held his price. He had not been allowed to see it. He didn’t want to know what the appraiser thought of his worth. He felt Regulus come stand next to him. His slender hand carefully closed over Sirius’ wrist for a single moment before his arms folded demurely behind him.
They were dressed similarly tonight, barely nine months apart, demonstrating their family’s ability to have many babies right after each other. No one talked about the fact that carrying Regulus so soon after Sirius had nearly killed Walburga nor that she had been unable to carry another baby to term despite many efforts afterward. All anyone cared about was Sirius and Regulus, both presenting as Omegas and being raised as such.
The Black Family had a good reputation. Sirius thought the reason for the disproportionate amount of Omegas born and raised in the Black Family was simply centuries of inbreeding coming to bite them in the arse. Nature stepped in and prevented them from continuing to marry cousins by cutting out the Alpha gene. Sirius folded his hands behind his back as well and lowered his eyes when the door opened.
Walburga materialized behind them, and Sirius felt like a show dog as she took one arm of each of them and led them through the doors firmly. They were led into the middle of a very bright room. Sirius worked to keep his face from scrunching. The bright light felt painful against his eyes and skin. He’d been standing in the dark hallway for far too long. The cold air of the large room cut easily through the thin fabric they were ludicrously calling clothes.
He and Regulus were dressed in thin cotton shifts. Pretty embroidery along the edges kept them from being too plain, but the point wasn’t the clothing. The point was showing off their thin forms and as much skin as chaste Omegas could get away with. Bare arms freshly waxed at their mother’s insistence were displayed with only thin straps at the shoulders, the ivory silk only a shade off from the pale skin.
Well bred Omegas were pale. Sirius was sure he hadn’t felt the sun on his skin without a veil or parasol since he had presented at fifteen, a whole year before he was supposed to. Another thing about the Blacks, their Omegas presented early. It was considered a good sign. It simply meant Sirius had been miserable for about a year because no heat suppressant was tested for a fifteen year old.
The shift hugged torsos, highlighting slender figures and small hips. This was the one thing that the appraiser had warned them their reputation would have to cover. Slender hips were not usually considered good for breeders. Sirius hoped this would keep them from being claimed too quickly. He doubted it. He could already feel eyes tracing over the thin fabric that would be translucent in the bright light.
Walburga was speaking. Sirius could have tuned in but didn’t really care to. He knew what she was saying. She was introducing them, going over their birthdays and their skills, despite the main focus being on Omega duties; ie being sexually pleasing (Sirius hated those lessons but Regulus had literally gotten sick with nerves nearly every time that tutor had come by), child bearing and rearing and basic homemaker skills they had also been trained with glittering social manners, multiple languages and the arts. Sirius had won a few awards for piano until he had been removed as his achievements should be to the betterment of his Alpha. Regulus was a skilled artist and talented singer in his own right, though Wlaburga hadn’t ever allowed him to demonstrate this skill in public, likely trying to avoid another ‘scandal.’
Once she was done speaking, Regulus and Sirius were expected to bow to their receiving public. Sirius was grateful when the bright lights clicked off and they could see the crowd again. His eyes flicked off to the side and caught Regulus’. He rolled his eyes and sighed, not loud enough to be heard but enough that Sirius could see it.
They were led away, Walburga’s sharp acrylic nails scraped against skin slightly as she led them away. Sirius knew from experience that if they weren’t being pawned off, she would have gripped tight enough to leave bruises. They reached the front table and were deposited by Orion. Normally, they wouldn’t be allowed to eat at the same table as their father, but the front table kept them in view.
The party was mostly for Regulus and Sirius to be paired off. There were a few other Omegas from lower families who were also of age. A few younger people were also being presented simply in name so they could be watched to see what their presentation would be. Sirius hadn’t bothered to brush up on most of it. He wasn’t expected to know any of it. He was an omega. He was expected to be a pretty piece of arm candy. He would dance with the Alphas who had the money to afford him, say a few charming things, and then return to his mother while his father negotiated his price.
Sirius knew the idea of not being paired off was a ludicrous one. He was a Black Family Omega. Even if he had tested with fertility issues like his brother, he would still be paired off. Hence, the still very expensive tag on Regulus, though marginally cheaper than Sirius, simply because it would be difficult for him to get pregnant.
Walburga had been furious when the results had come back. Sirius remembered the beatings Regulus had taken for something he’d had no control over. Sirius remembered him being locked in his room, forced to fast, and pray for penance. Not that the faith was real, Sirius knew they were pious because it made them more desirable. He knew his mother’s faith was fake, as fake as her hair color, dyed frequently to hide the encroaching grey.
Still, Regulus had been forced to kneel in the middle of the room for hours, hands clasped in fake prayer. Occasionally, when the parents remembered his existence, he would be subjected to new welts over his shoulders. It had taken Sirius a full fortnight to finally do something bad enough to make them forget about his brother’s fertility issue. He knew the dark pawprint inked on his wrist had knocked off a sustainable chunk of his value. It had only been Orion reminding her of the party that had kept Sirius from getting more than bruised and bloodied. Had it not been for his presentation in the next month, he was sure she would have broken bones. She’d done it before.
As it was, he still had bruises on his knees from scrubbing the entire floor of the entire house with a toothbrush. He’d been doing it as late as this afternoon and knew he would continue to do it until he was moved to his Alpha’s home. He knew if not for the presentation, he would not have been given the gloves that protected his hands from the effects of the lye soap in the water. He didn’t really pay attention to the food on his plate, mostly just ate as he knew was expected. Occasionally, his mother would snap at one of them, and they would tip their faces up, eyes kept down. Sirius knew they were being appraised in those moments. It made his gut churn.
He would have been grateful to be done eating if not for what he was expected to do next. Convince these people that he was worth it. At least the appraiser had asked male, female, or both. Sirius had no interest in birds. It would have been announced that he was only available to male alphas during Walburga’s introduction. Regulus had answered similarly.
His mother led him and Regulus down to stand with the other Omegas, other painfully thin 18 year olds shivering in similarly scanty outfits, all bare polished skin of varying degrees of sunlessness. Hair curled up to cradle cheekbones or define a jawline. Regulus and Sirius’ curls had been left mostly alone and brushed carefully back to show off their faces. Sirius’ curls brushed his shoulders. Regulus had always kept his shorter curling just slightly around his ears.
Sirius felt like cattle as Alphas approached the group, looking them over and picking out one they liked. Regulus was claimed immediately by a man older than their father. Sirius could feel the reluctance as they danced. He shot a quick glance at their parents. Walburga was the picture of Omega submission to her husband, but Sirius could see she was giving a veto, one his father agreed with.
Sirius danced with one man who had bad breath, and when he tried to steal a kiss, he was removed from the hall. Sirius was a chaste Omega, all of his firsts belonged to his Alpha, it was half the reason his price was so high. A few others danced with him and several with Regulus.
The night was bland small talk and really bad dancing. “My feet hurt,” Regulus hissed at a low volume when he was returned. Sirius felt sympathy. He’d danced with the same man earlier, and he did have a tendency to step on feet.
“My head hurts,” Sirius whispered back. The small talk had him bored, and he was tired of keeping his mouth shut. He wanted one person to talk to him like he was a person and not a pretty doll.
The lights flashed off of various accessories on the dancing couples. They shone off the collars glittering on the Omega’s necks and the flashy expensive watches on the male Alphas wrists or the diamond pendants prominently displayed by the female Alphas. The air was still chilly in the room, but at least moving about kept them from shivering.
“Ah here they are,” Walburga’s voice had them both straightening immediately. “Mr. Lupin, Mr. Potter, my sons Sirius and Regulus.” Sirius wished he could look higher than the slightly crooked bowtie of the man being introduced to him.
“As lovely as their mother,” a deep voice with a Welsh accent complimented sweetly, and Walburga tittered in an appropriate manner. “Will you join me?” A large tan hand appeared in the frame of Sirius’ vision. He took the hand reluctantly. It was warm and slightly rough. It made Sirius’ hand look tiny. It carefully curled around his delicate fingers.
There was no tug to get him to immediately move, he was allowed to follow at a sedate pace. There was a distinctive lack of Alpha pheromones around this man. He smelled like an unscented scent suppressant, just the slightest hint of a chemical mixed with soap. “Your mother failed to clarify which of her sons was which. What’s your name?” was asked as they reached the floor.
The arm that went around Sirius was warm and firm. They fell into easy steps together. “I’m Sirius. She also failed to clarify if I was dancing with Mr. Lupin or Mr. Potter,” Sirius answered back, keeping his voice lilted slightly. It apparently made him sound more submissive. He hated it, but he knew if any part of his behavior was reported as inappropriate, he would face correction not just from his mother but any Alpha who took offense.
“Remus, please. Mr. Lupin is my father,” the man answered. His voice was low, just loud enough to be heard over the music. It made Sirius think of sunshine, true bright sunshine not softened by fabric.
Sirius swallowed and briefly considered his next words. Still, his reluctance could be noted as disobedience. Perhaps Remus had forgotten the propriety of the evening. “I’m not allowed to call you by your first name,” Sirius reminded him softly. Remus let out a breath. It tickled against Sirius’ hair and over his face even tilted down as it was. It smelled like mint, like he had just brushed his teeth before being in close proximity with Sirius.
“It’ll be our little secret,” Remus told him. Sirius swallowed again, and his breath was shaky as he filled his lungs. The pungent mix of scent suppressants and others not bothering made the air in the room heavy. “Am I allowed to ask you to step outside with me?” Remus asked when Sirius’ nose wrinkled.
Sirius glanced around, looking for his brother or mother. “You have to ask my mother. She’ll insist on a chaperone,” Sirius explained. Remus’ hand stayed wrapped around his as they made their way over to Walburga.
“Do you mind if I monopolize Sirius? I would like to take a short walk,” Remus explained.
“You have to understand that reputation is everything. You’ll have to take a chaperone just to avoid the rumor of impropriety,” Walburga’s voice was mild. She didn’t care about Sirius’ honor, just that it kept his price high.
“Mr. Potter could join us along with your other son Regulus,” Remus suggested, and Wlaburga glanced over to where Sirius assumed Regulus was getting on with Mr. Potter. Sirius knew in the past she would have insisted on a servant or a cousin, but Sirius could tell on her face that she was glad to have them so interested.
He wondered who these men were to have gotten his mother so beside herself. All he could think was the dollar signs she was seeing. “Of course. Just try to return before the curfew. They need plenty of beauty rest.” Remus gave her a small bow and led Sirius away. Again, he didn’t tug. He moved so Sirius could easily follow.
“We have permission to take a walk,” Remus greeted his friend.
“Oh,” another deep voice said. Sirius peaked at Regulus, who had a secret little smile dancing around the edges of his lips. “Would you like to go for a walk?” the voice asked, and after a beat of silence, Regulus frowned.
“Are you asking me with an actual desire for my consent?” Regulus asked, his voice soft but disbelieving.
“Umm… yeah. I mean, if my company is objectionable or your…outfit is too thin to be comfortable,” this Mr. Potter chatted on. Remus' hand suddenly brushed over Sirius’ waist again. Sirius was already thinking of how to step away from the grope he assumed was coming when Remus’ hand moved off him.
“A walk sounds lovely if it will get you to stop spiraling,” Regulus answered. He was always a little more sassy than Sirius was comfortable with. He looked younger than Sirius in a lot of ways, not just by nine months, but the appraiser had triple checked his paperwork because Regulus looked like a newly presented sixteen year old. Sirius was convinced this was how he got away with so much, a young face.
They stepped out into the cold air, and Sirius fell in closer with Regulus as the cold night cut through their light cotton outfits. Before the shiver could set in, a warm jacket was draped over him. Mr. Potter was a little slower in offering his jacket to Regulus. “Thank you,” Sirius spoke genuinely, his fingers curling into the silk lining of the warm jacket. It offered coverage and helped Sirius chase away the goosebumps. His legs were still freezing, but at least he could hold onto some heat. The jacket swamped his form.
“Is she always so defensive over you?” Remus asked when they had left behind the lights of the party. Sirius was leading just slightly toward the hedge maze; he had lost his tutors many times in the maze, hiding easily in the routes he knew by heart.
“Wouldn’t you be? The appraiser told her as we presented that if she turned us over to the pleasure dealers, she could make a pretty penny immediately, but the chaste lot was currently skyrocketing in value. Unfortunately, the same thing that would have made us a hit with the pleasure dealers made keeping us chaste a near impossibility,” Regulus stated following behind easily.
Sirius wished he could be as easy to chatter on as Regulus. He was so busy watching his every word and motion. It meant when he messed up, it was deliberate, usually to draw the attention away from something Regulus had done. He didn’t think things through and was constantly out of line for an Omega. “I probably would have made some proper comment about such things,” Sirius nudged an elbow against Regulus. “However, Regulus is correct. She wants to make sure the advertising is accurate.”
“I don’t honestly think I care. The pretty face drew me in, but there’s a fire here that I’ve never seen in an Omega before,” Mr. Potter stated. Sirius glanced carefully through his lashes. Regulus was blushing and looking away, finally a proper response.
“I don’t have the same pretty manners as Sirius. He always was better at the whole thing,” Regulus commented. Sirius felt his own face warm as he could sense it was barbed.
“Don’t listen to him, he has James snowed, but I can see your own fire buried under this act you’ve been trained to put on,” Remus muttered close to Sirius’ ear. Sirius swallowed as the four of them stepped into the hedge maze.
“We’re going to get lost, and your mother is going to eat us,” James complained. Sirius grinned slightly, and his eyes flickered to the flowers growing along the top edge. He didn’t actually need the flower guides anymore, but they were still nice to have.
“Sirius and I grew up in this maze. We could never get lost…. At least not unless we’re doing it on purpose,” Regulus hinted. Sirius actually shot him a glance full of warning. Regulus frowned but sighed. He knew Sirius was right. It was slightly inappropriate, and then there was something that could get him in trouble.
“Why intentionally get lost?” Remus asked as Regulus started leading them through the maze easily.
“Running from tutors,” Sirius answered immediately.
“Running from parents,” Regulus supplied.
Remus’ hand was warm around Sirius’ as they walked through the maze. Regulus followed the path easily while Sirius occasionally checked the flowers, wishing he could just keep his eyes up. Keeping his eyes lowered made him a bit blind. It was either hide behind veils or keep eyes on the ground, Sirius already hated it. He had hated it since he presented. He had never considered his Alpha having the same rules.
“Were you late to the party?” Sirius asked, remembering his mother introducing them specifically to the men.
“Yeah James got a late start,” Remus answered, and the other man, James groaned.
“I told you I misjudged the time. It wasn’t me running late, I was on time but with the wrong time,” James complained immediately. The light bickering kept up until the center of the maze. It opened into a wide circle with many pathways opening and branching off. Only one led out, and the others led to deadends. Sirius knew one of the paths very well. It was long before it deadended. And it was narrow so some people couldn’t even find all the turns. If they did get all the way to the final turn, he could wiggle under the bushes and into a nearby parallel path and disappear before they ever realized they got close.
He was glad the gardeners had never found the thinning roots and cut off his escape; he'd been confounding people for ages with his way around the maze. Regulus moved to sit on the bench, and Sirius joined him. “They brought us here, and now they’re sitting,” James told Remus.
“You’re an Alpha, prove yourself and find the way out,” Regulus taunted with a flippant wave of his hand. It was over the line, and everyone in the small clearing knew it. Instead of being offended, James laughed. James walked to the path directly across the way and glanced in. He glanced back at Regulus, who was admiring the rose bushes by his feet.
Sirius glanced at Remus through his lashes and looked back down when that handsome face turned toward him. He swallowed as shoes crunched over gravel, and a warm body settled on the bench next to him. A hand slipped under his chin and tipped his face up.
“You keep hiding your eyes from me,” Remus commented as Sirius kept his eyes down. He didn’t want to. He wanted to look at Remus’ face and see if he was as handsome as his voice suggested. Sirius had never had that impulse before. Alphas made him uneasy, and he hated the feel of their eyes on him. Remus made him feel different. Maybe it was because Remus didn’t seem to expect him to be a typical Omega. He kept drawing Sirius out of the perfect polished behavior. “I know you’re not supposed to, but I would love it if you would let me see your pretty eyes.”
Warmth flooded through Sirius, and his eyes moved up before he had fully given himself permission. His eyes met Remus’ and his breath caught. He was right, Remus was handsome. His face had an open kindness to it with bright peridot eyes that once again had Sirius in mind of deep green grass under a summer sun. Skin was beautifully tanned and lightly freckled. He was clean-shaven and had sandy brown hair combed carefully. It was slightly messy from the light breeze.
Sirius drew in a deep breath and immediately dropped his eyes. He wasn’t used to that sensation at all. “Are you going to tell me the secret to the maze?” James demanded, and Regulus laughed.
“What do I get for giving you the answer?” Regulus asked.
Remus' hand was still under his chin. “Sirius, I want…” Remus hesitated. “Since there is no way around what your parents are doing. I want you in my life but I won’t ask your parents unless you want me in your life.” Remus was so quiet in comparison to James and Regulus shouting at each other, happy and loud.
Sirius took a deep breath again and forced his eyes back up. It was still just as amazing to meet those deep eyes. He was so used to getting scolded or even hit for meeting the eyes of his mother or father. Meeting Remus’ so easily was intoxicating. “You’re the only person to treat me like Sirius and not simply an Omega tonight. Thank you for asking me before just walking up to my parents.” Sirius whispered, his hand slid briefly over the hand still under his chin.
Remus’ hand slipped from under his chin and closed over the charm of his collar. Whether he was surprised by the price or not, he didn’t show. He let the charm swing free. “You are worth so much more than that,” Remus assured him. Sirius actually smiled at that assessment. “How do I get you back?”
“The flowers on top of the maze. Roses lead the way, and violets lead to a dead end but a very pretty angel statue. The ones without flowers lead into various warrens so complicated that someone unfamiliar with the maze, say a maid sent in to gather the Black brothers, could get turned around for a whole day,” Sirius answered innocently.
“You were a menace,” Remus assumed, touching his nose.
“Regulus was a menace. I was always good, I stayed in the manor and did my lessons,” Sirius commented.
“Are his eyes turning brown with the shit spewing out of his mouth?” Regulus commented. The light tease told Sirius that neither Regulus nor James would rat them out for this. Sirius hadn’t been worried, but it was nice to have confirmation. He continued to admire the handsome features and amazing eyes as James and Regulus bantered over the maze.
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