"How does it look?"
Natalia turned back to face Arthur, her long fingers brushing lightly over the obsidian triangle now resting flush against her collarbone.
They stood together in the quiet, filtered light of her bedroom, the air between them still thick and heavy with unspoken emotion. Arthur couldn't stop staring. He was utterly entranced, his artistic eye and his hopelessly smitten heart colliding into a daze.
"B-Beautiful…" he murmured, his voice barely rising above a breath. His large eyes were wide, glassy, and completely focused on her.
Natalia smiled, the corners of her lips curling upward as she took a slow step closer. She had already known what his answer would be, he was an open book, after all, but hearing the raw sincerity in his voice sent a sudden, distinct ripple of warmth through her chest.
"The necklace?" she teased, reaching out to lightly squeeze his hand.
Arthur swallowed hard, his throat dry as his cheeks bloomed into a vivid, glowing red. "E-Everything."
Natalia couldn't help herself. Giving in to the greedy pull in her chest, she slid her arm securely around his narrow waist, drawing him back into her personal space. He came to her easily, entirely without resistance, like a paper kite caught in a steady, welcoming wind.
"You're remarkably talented, Arthur," she whispered, her gaze dropping to his lips for a fraction of a second. "The necklace is beautiful… so let me give you something proper in return."
Before his racing brain could formulate a response, she gently hooked her fingers under his chin, tilting his face up. She placed a soft, lingering kiss directly onto his left cheek.
Arthur stiffened in her arms, his lips parting in a quiet gasp of surprise.
Then, she shifted, pressing another kiss against his right cheek, just as softly, just as warmly. She could feel the frantic, hummingbird beat of his heart fluttering against her own ribs, his entire body trembling as he desperately tried to remember how to breathe under the weight of her attention.
Finally, she stepped back just enough to look at him, a small, thoroughly amused smirk playing on her lips.
"Starting tomorrow morning," Natalia announced casually, as if discussing the weather, "I'll be driving you to work."
Arthur, still entirely dazed from the kisses, blinked at her blankly. "W-What?"
"You heard me." She gestured toward the comfortable armchair in the corner of her room. "Sit down. And I'll be picking you up from the school when your lessons are over, too."
He practically sank into the cushions, his knees giving out under the sudden lack of adrenaline. "You're going to… drive me? To school?"
Natalia chuckled quietly, crossing the room to sit in the chair directly opposite his. "Yes. Every single morning."
"But… what about Uncle Kevin?" Arthur asked, his fingers twitching anxiously against the armrests. "He always drives me. It's our routine."
"Don't worry about my father. He'll survive the change," Natalia countered smoothly. "And even if he throws a tantrum about it, I'll deal with him."
Arthur's expression instantly spiked into a look of sheer panic. "W-What if he suspects something?"
"Suspects what, exactly?" Natalia raised a sharp brow, leaning back. "It's not like we're committing a crime. An Alpha and an Omega spending time together? Sharing a commute? That's perfectly standard behavior."
Arthur looked down at his lap, his nervous habit returning as his teeth found the edge of his thumb. "B-but… it's not just that…"
He trailed off, the sentence dying in his throat.
Natalia's teasing expression softened. She stood up, walked across the small space between them, and knelt directly at his feet.
Gently but firmly, she reached up and pulled his hand away from his mouth, her thumb stroking over his bitten knuckles to soothe his nerves.
"Arthur," she said softly, her voice grounded and serious. "What is really bothering you?"
He opened his mouth to offer another deflection, but looking into her steady, unyielding eyes, he clamped it shut again. The words were piling up behind his lips, heavy and suffocating. He wanted to tell her, he desperately wanted to lighten the burden, but a mixture of deep-seated shame and fear held him back.
"Nothing," he whispered, his eyes darting away. "It's really nothing."
Natalia's expression hardened by a micro-fraction. It wasn't anger, but a firm, unyielding boundary that brooked no argument. "Arthur. I don't tolerate lies. Especially not from you."
Arthur's gaze shot back up to hers, a wave of intense guilt flooding his features.
"I'm not angry with you," she added quickly, her tone melting back into tenderness as she reached up to cup his flushed cheek in her palm. "But if something is eating you up inside like this, I want to help. I need to know what it is."
Arthur hesitated, his thoughts spiraling into a chaotic mess. I wish I could just stop worrying about this, he thought miserably. I should be the happiest person alive right now, so why am I like this?
But he knew she was right. If he kept hiding his anxiety, the stress would only grow until it choked him. They had to lay it out on the table.
"I…" His voice trembled, raw and fragile. "Am I… am I really good enough for someone like you, Natalia?"
Natalia's breath caught slightly. Of all the things she had expected him to say, this hadn't been on the list.
"I'm just an Omega," he continued, the words tumbling out in a breathless, painful rush. "I'm someone who was abandoned, who was completely broken, and your family took me in out of pity. If we ever… if we actually become something real, do you truly think your parents would be okay with it?"
His voice cracked on the final words, his throat burning. "I feel like I'm betraying them. Like I'm disrespecting the incredible warmth and safety they gave me. I'm taking their daughter after they saved my life."
Natalia listened in absolute silence, her dark eyes never leaving his face as he confessed the dark, tangled logic of his anxiety.
"Arthur," she said gently, after letting the silence settle. "How many years have you lived under the same roof as my parents? Do you honestly not know the answer to that question?"
"I do," he whispered, a tear threatening to spill over. "I know how kind they are. I know they love me unconditionally. They treat me like I belong to them. And that is exactly why I am terrified."
He bit his lower lip, his voice dropping an octave. "Auntie Kelly always boasts to her friends that she has the best children in the world. And whenever she says it… she looks at me. It sounds like she's talking about both of us. Like I'm… her son, too."
Natalia tilted her head, the final piece of the puzzle clicking into place. The root of his fear wasn't a lack of love; it was an excess of it.
"Oh," she murmured, a soft, understanding smile replacing her serious line. "So you're terrified that they view us as siblings? And that us dating would feel wrong or disruptive to the family they built?"
Arthur nodded miserably, dropping his chin, feeling a profound wave of shame, but also an immense, sudden lightness. Finally, the monster under his bed had been dragged into the light.
But then, to his utter confusion, Natalia let out a low, melodic chuckle.
"W-Why are you laughing at me?" Arthur blinked, his cheeks flaring as he tried to pull his hand back.
In response, she tightened her grip on his fingers, her eyes dancing with pure amusement. "Arthur. Don't you think my mother has been acting incredibly strange for the past twenty-four hours?"
"Strange?" he echoed, his mind stalling.
Now that she explicitly mentioned it… yeah. Auntie Kelly had been acting entirely outside her usual parameters. She was unusually cheerful, aggressively encouraging every time Natalia entered the room, winking like she had something caught in her eye, and practically radiating a scheming, mastermind energy.
Arthur's eyes widened to the size of saucers.
"She's been acting like a poorly written matchmaker in one of those old, low-budget romantic dramas," Natalia teased gently. "Do you honestly think that woman would be surprised if you and I ended up together?"
Arthur blinked, his brain trying to process the implication. "You mean…"
"She isn't trying to keep us apart to preserve some sibling dynamic, Arthur. If anything…" She gave him a knowing, definitive nod. "I am entirely certain she is the one orchestrating the whole thing. She's rooting for us."
His mouth fell open.
Natalia's voice softened, her thumb sweeping across his cheekbone. "Neither of my parents view you as my sibling, Arthur. You are profoundly important to this family, but that doesn't mean they would ever object to us dating. I know their character. In fact, if we walked downstairs right now and told them, I think they'd both be utterly thrilled."
Arthur stared at her, the word dating echoing through his mind in a dizzying, intoxicating loop.
"You just have to trust me on this," Natalia murmured. "You don't need to carry this fear anymore."
Arthur watched her, his internal processor finally shifting away from the negative, worst-case scenarios. He began to analyze the data logically.
Auntie Kelly... actually wants us together? And she only started dropping those bizarre hints the exact moment Natalia came back from her trip. His eyes brightened, the crushing weight in his chest dissipating like mist under the morning sun. It actually makes perfect sense. Natalia is right!
If Auntie Kelly approved of the match, then Uncle Kevin was a non-issue. The fierce Alpha would seamlessly follow his wife's lead; he always did when it came to household matters.
Natalia watched as the Omega in front of her suddenly perked up, a breathtaking, radiant smile tugging at his lips. His glassy eyes finally met hers with an unforced, genuine expression of joy.
"I… I'll trust your judgment on this, then," Arthur said quietly, his voice finally losing its ragged edge.
Natalia reached up and affectionately ruffled his styled hair, laughing softly as he shrank back into the chair with a small, embarrassed giggle. He was, without a doubt, the most endearing creature she had ever encountered.
One moment he was sulking in the deepest shadows of his own mind, and the next he was glowing with shy, helpless delight. He was a pure bundle of joy when he simply allowed himself to be.
"Arthur, can I hug you?" she asked, her voice dropping into that low, warm frequency, laced with a quiet authority that made it clear he could refuse, though she deeply hoped he wouldn't.
He blinked, his pink cheeks darkening into a deep rose, but he offered a quick nod.
Natalia didn't waste a single second. She gripped his hands, pulling him smoothly up out of the armchair and directly into her chest, folding her arms completely around his frame.
Arthur melted against her instantly, his body turning soft and pliant as if all the residual tension had been scooped right out of his bones.
They stayed like that for a long time, trapped in a comfortable, unhurried embrace. There was no pressure, no demands, just pure warmth and the quiet hum of their matching heartbeats.
Then, Natalia spoke, her chin resting against the crown of his head. "So… there is one more logistical detail. And this is entirely your choice. Are we going to keep it a secret from the household for now, or do you want to tell them?"
Arthur hesitated, his fingers lightly bunching the fabric of her shirt near her shoulder blades. "...Can we keep it a secret from Auntie and Uncle? Just for a little while? Just until… until I'm a bit more settled?"
"Until we can't hide it anymore?" she finished the thought for him, her voice calm and entirely steady.
He gave a small, bashful nod against her shoulder. "Y-Yeah... I'm sorry for being difficult."
"You have absolutely nothing to be sorry for, Arthur," Natalia said immediately, pulling back just enough to force him to look her in the eye.
"Like I told you before: I will do whatever it takes to make you feel safe. If you want to keep this between us for now, then it's our secret. And when you feel ready… we will walk down those stairs and tell them together. Clear?"
Arthur looked up at her, a fresh glaze of tears appearing over his eyes, but this time, they were born entirely from overwhelming gratitude. "Yeah... thank you, Natalia."
"Remember our agreement," Natalia continued, her tone serious but incredibly gentle. "You don't ever have to be perfect for me, Arthur. You just have to be honest with me. Always."
Arthur nodded rapidly, the final remnants of his anxiety dissolving into the warm atmosphere of the room.
So… we are officially a couple now, right? his inner Omega cheered, his brain spinning at the sheer velocity of the development. Damn… that went incredibly fast.
But as he felt her hand slide down to rest comfortably against the small of his back, Arthur realized he didn't have a single complaint left in him.
I just hope, he prayed silently, closing his eyes as he rested his forehead against her collarbone, right beside the necklace he had made, that everything in our future will be just as joyful as this moment right here.