Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Frank saw his face for the first time when the Admiral gave him the wanted poster.

Chapter Text

Matt stood in the crow’s nest. He could see best from there. His senses reached the furthest, with nothing to obstruct them. He saw endless stretches of ocean and nothing more. He closed his eyes and surrendered to the wind for a moment. It felt amazing when he let his hair out of its ties.

He was still surprised that Castle had agreed to help him.

Matt was...conflicted about the deal. It didn’t feel good to use a prisoner for something like this. It was wrong. It was beyond wrong. But Castle was an Alpha. Yes, Matt’s crew of Betas and Omegas, they were all willing to help and as a pack-family, they could, in their own way. But this heat... After years of herbal remedies suppressing the intensity of his heats, going without would be a shock. He was so used to his heats being weak, and short. A day or two of a fever, of his whole body itching and aching, his cock never-endingly hard, his hole pouring slick, it was easy to deal with. With the pack-family to support him, it was easier still.

The crew couldn’t help with this one. With a heat as strong as this one would be, only an Alpha would be able to help settle things in him.

Lucky he found such a good Alpha. Big and tall and strong. He could fight and lead and protect. He smelled like a man should, like an Alpha should. Matt couldn’t wait to taste him and feel him and take his knot and be big and fat with his pups.

A chill ran down Matt’s spine.

Fuck. It was already here. He thought he’d have a few more days. A little more time than a day, to settle himself into this disgusting deal they had made.

“Foggy!” Matt shouted.

He swung down from the crow’s nest with ease, landing running. Foggy, his dear friend and quartermaster, met him on the main deck.

“What’s wrong, Matt?” Foggy asked quickly.

Matt stumbled. He grabbed at Foggy’s arm to keep his footing. His stomach went tight in a moment. Oh, Lord, this was already worse than expected. It felt like a punch in the gut.

“It’s here.”

*

Frank could smell the change in an instant.

As soon as the scent changed, he felt it. It changed, so quickly, from Omega to unmated Omega in heat. Frank was unprepared for this. For how strong it was. Heats usually built up. They started slowly, mild for the first days, then peaking for another few days, before declining again. This, though...this was like an instant peak.

The blood rushed to Frank’s cock. His body pulsed. He could feel his knot begging to swell already. He rushed to stand, to press himself to the grate, to get as close to the scent as he could. He inhaled it with deep breaths, let it fill him. He knew it was wrong, it was Murdock, he was supposed to hate him, but he smelled so good.

He whined and cried like a distressed pup, at his inability to get closer to the scent. But the scent was getting stronger, it was getting closer. The door opened and Frank let out a roar. He smelled the Omega in heat, and three Betas, Betas who were all over the Omega, his Omega, the Omega he was going to claim and mate. He reached his hands through the grate, batting after the Betas to get rid of them, get them away from his Omega. They ignored him. One of them even stomped over and caught Frank’s wrists in a set of shackles. Frank roared in anger. He roared and pulled on the shackles and how they trapped him against the grate.

They unlocked the cell door. They had to hold the Omega, Murdock, back from running to Frank. Another Beta hurried into the brig. She dragged a mess of pillows and blankets into the cell, something to keep their Captain a little more comfortable. She hurried to make an improvised den for them; she piled the pillows and laid the blankets out, and tried her best to make it as decent as she could.

Murdock was crying, almost screaming, and fighting meekly against the Betas who held him back. The anger boiled in Frank’s chest. The notorious Alpha rage burned hot in him at the sight of a distressed Omega, one in heat at that. He saw the big wet spot on the back of Murdock’s britches, as the front tented. The slick leaking from his hole soaked through the fabric. The smell was torture. Frank wanted it. He wanted to taste it and slide his cock through it and feel it drip and slide over his knot when it pushed into Murdock. Fuck, this was ruining Frank’s head.

*

Why wouldn’t they let him go to the Alpha? The Alpha was so close and he smelled so good and he wanted Matt too, it was obvious, why couldn’t they see that?

Matt tried to fight them but the heat made him weak. He burned with embarrassment. This was horrible. He could feel the slick leaking, soaking his clothes, his scent permeated the air. Even the Betas around him were getting affected by it, their hearts raced. They were too scared to act, though. The Alpha’s rage was enough to make them quiver in their boots. Good. This Alpha was a good mate. He would protect Matt, keep him safe.

Finally, they released him.

Matt ran into the cell. He threw himself over the Alpha, clinging to him, clawing at him, pulling at all these annoying clothes that covered his body. The gate slammed shut. The shackles rattled, then the Alpha’s hands were on him too.

*

Frank grabbed at Murdock’s clothes. He ripped the shirt open, Murdock shrugged it off and tossed it aside. He pulled his coat off and his shirt, they ripped at their britches to get out of them. Murdock’s mouth found Frank’s, and wow, he tasted like perfection. Sweet wine, perfectly aged. Pastries, fresh from the oven. The Omega smell was intense.

They ended up on the floor somehow, Frank couldn’t say how. He was on top of Murdock, Omega, Matt, mate. They were naked. Their bodies fit together. Matt clawed at Frank, tearing up his back, moaning. Frank grabbed at Matt, feeling his soft, shivering skin and tugging on his hair, revelling. His fingers touched the wet slick, it had run all down Matt’s thighs. Frank wanted to slip into Matt’s hole, feel his warmth, but his body screamed at him to taste the slick. He brought his fingers to his mouth, lapping up the creamy substance.

Fuck, it tasted good. Good and healthy, ready for a litter, ready to take his knot and have his pups.

“Alpha, Alpha, please, Castle.” Matt panted, spreading his legs to show his hole, as if to entice. “Castle, we- fuck, we had a deal, get to it!”

Frank couldn’t bring himself to deny the plea. He kissed Matt again, sharing the taste of the slick, as he buried his cock inside him.

Matt screamed into the kiss. He dug his claws in further, legs locked around the man. He wasn’t going to let him go any time soon. Frank didn’t want to be let go. His knot hadn’t risen yet but he could feel it coming. If not during this ‘round’, then the next. Matt was tight and hot and the slick made him soft and pliable, easily swallowing up Frank’s cock. Frank didn’t want to move a muscle. He was buried perfectly deep inside Matt and he never wanted to be anywhere else in the world.

But the Omega whined for him. His body called to Frank, called for completion, called for being gifted with his knot. Reluctantly, Frank moved. He thrust into the Omega’s warmth, fast, hard.

*

Matt’s entire body quivered at the power of Frank’s thrusts. He pushed so deep and so hard, he reached inside Matt and set fire to him. His mouth was as dangerous as his cock. He could swallow Matt whole and Matt wouldn’t mind at all. He could only lay there and take it and love it and beg for more.

His blood burned. He came in just moments. He came so hard he could swear he went unconscious for a few seconds. His chest was covered in cum when he came back to himself. Frank pounded into him still and it still felt good beyond belief. He cried, he clawed at Frank, held him close.

Frank stilled, a long growl making Matt shake under him. One thrust. Two. He groaned, he held Matt so tight Matt almost thought he’d break apart in his hands. But Matt held him tight too. He held him as he came, as he filled Matt up with cum.

Chapter Text

Matt shivered.

Frank put another blanket over him, despite how much the Omega was sweating. He needed to stay warm. Heats had a tendency to make Omega’s temperatures plummet. Frank pet his head. He ran his fingers through his long hair. He was...handsome. When he wasn’t talking.

The door opened and a man, one of the Betas from before, stepped inside. Frank covered himself quickly. He did have some decency, after all.

“If I open this to give you food and water, you gonna give us trouble?” the Beta asked.

Frank shook his head. “Man of my word.” he said lowly.

The small Beta unlocked and opened the gate. Frank didn’t move. The Beta put a bucket of water, with a ladle and two mugs, and a big plate piled high with food just inside the cell. He closed and locked the gate again, but he didn’t leave. He lingered for a moment, watching the shivering Omega as he slept.

“You take good care of him.” the Beta said.

“’M tryin’.” Frank said.

“I’m his quartermaster. Foggy. I’m in charge while he’s... unable.” he said in a soft voice, though Frank could hear the attempt at a threat in it. “If you step one toe out of line, I’ll hang you from the crow’s nest and let you dangle ‘til the birds have picked your bones clean.”

*

Matt was in a haze. Everything was a little blurry. His senses were scrambled and nothing made sense.

Someone lay beside him, wrapped around him, holding him, protecting him. Matt inhaled the scent. Alpha. Castle. Frank. This was strange. There Matt lay, in the worst heat of his life, with only his worst enemy to comfort him and ease his pain. Well, at least Matt couldn’t say Castle wasn’t a man of his word. He said he’d care for Matt and caring for him he was.

“Water...” Matt groaned.

Frank let go of him, gently tucking him in with the blankets. Metal clinked and water splashed. Frank helped to lift his head, his hand on the back of Matt’s neck, and held the mug to his lips. Water had never tasted as good before in his life. Frank let him rest on the pillows again once he finished off the water.

“How’re you feelin’?” Frank asked as he laid down next to Matt again.

“Like I’m dying.” Matt said.

God, he had to be dying. The heat between his legs, it was like a constant stabbing of a red hot blade. The slick and cum poured out of him like an open wound gushing blood. His whole body hurt.

The smell of Alpha helped, though. It was a calming salve. When he inhaled it, the pain died away from the briefest moment.

Frank wrapped around him again. His touch soothed Matt. The crying Omega inside him was calmed by the presence of a worthy Alpha. Frank lifted Matt’s leg to lay over the man’s hip. He eased his cock into Matt’s needy hole. Matt gasped at it. He curled into Frank’s chest. Frank held him close, letting his cock push deeper into the Omega. He rutted his hips, fucking Matt with small, quick movements. It wasn’t for pleasure; it was to ease Matt’s misery, and nothing else.

He grunted in Matt’s ear. “Shit, my- the knot...” he said.

Matt whined. He clawed at Frank’s body, using the leg around the Captain to pull him closer and push his cock deeper.

“Give it to me...” Matt begged. “Gimme your knot, Alpha. I want it, Alpha, please.”

Frank hesitated.

Matt didn’t care. He couldn’t think straight. His brain screamed and begged him to allow the mating. The Omega in him wanted to be mated, to be filled up with a knot and claimed, pumped full of cum and given a litter.

He felt the swell of the knot against his rim. It pushed for entrance. Even with all the slick leaking out of him, the knot was too big. Frank fucked him still, the knot hitting a solid stop at Matt’s rim.

“Please...”

“Fuck no, I ain’t gonna be mated to you. I said I’d help you through this but I’m not gonna take you for a mate. Fucking pirate scum...”

“Please!”

He grabbed at Frank again. He pulled the man to him and pushed himself on him. Matt let out a pained cry as he forced Frank’s knot inside himself. Frank swore, Matt whined and quivered.

“Dammit, you stupid, fuckin’ idiot.” Frank bit. “What the fuck’s wrong with you?”

But even he couldn’t resist it. Matt’s hole wrapped so tightly around his cock, around his knot, it was too much even for him. Matt could feel him pulsing, pumping cum into him. Yes, yes, this was good, this was perfect, a good, strong Alpha mated him, gave him a knot, he could only hope he’d get a litter of pups along with it.

*

Anger bubbled in Frank’s gut even as he came. Murdock, fucking Murdock, that fucking idiot! He forced the knot, he forced it in! Frank couldn’t believe this. He was... He was mated. He was mated to Matt fucking Murdock, because that idiot couldn’t keep his fucking heat-brain in check.

The Alpha instinct revelled in the mating, though. A part of Frank’s brain screamed with satisfaction. He had been mated, he was mated, he had found a good mate that could take his knot and have his pups and carry on his blood.

His mouth closed over Matt’s throat and bit into the man. The mate mark, the Alpha demanded its Omega have it. The knot was one thing, the mark was another.

Chapter Text

Frank glared at Murdock as he slept.

The knot was still big and swollen, trapped inside the pirate. The deep bite-mark on his throat was scabbing up nice. He couldn’t believe he let this happen. He should’ve just made his peace and accepted death, let Murdock deal with his mess on his own.

Now they were mated.

Him and a piece of scum like Murdock... If any of his superior officers found out, they’d have him executed for treason.

But to be honest, he couldn’t blame Murdock too much. It was the heat, he knew that. The Omega instinct drove Murdock to want the knot, to crave it more than anything in the world. Frank himself had come close to falling victim to his instinct, as well. When Matt pleaded for the knot, the Alpha in Frank raged and wanted nothing more than to give it to him. It took everything he had to keep from giving in and give that final push and force his knot inside. Matt hadn’t been as strong. The heat had weakened him already, and when the knot presented, the instincts had taken over.

Matt opened his eyes slowly, looking up at Frank.

“I’m sorry.” was the first thing he said. “I...I’m so sorry.”

Frank nodded. “Yeah.”

“What’re you gonna do?” he asked. “After...”

Frank sighed. “I have to go back.”

“They’ll execute you for my mistake.” Matt said. “You can stay with us. As... As my mate, the crew’ll have to accept you into the pack-family.”

“I have a duty. I promised myself to the Navy long before you promised me to you.”

Frank pushed his torso up from where they lay on the floor, taking care not to jostle his hips too much and cause Matt more discomfort, and could reach far enough to get at the big plate of food they had been given. He chose a few pieces of hard tack and some salted meat. He lay down again.

“You need to eat.” he said, placing the food on the blanket, between their chests.

Matt nodded. He ate slowly. He drank, when Frank managed to get him a mug of water as well.

*

The days passed, covered in a strange mist.

They talked when Matt’s head was clear enough for it. When it wasn’t, Frank fucked him in any way Matt asked him to, giving him his knot more times than Matt could count.

It was Heaven and Hell.

Being with his mate, doing nothing but consummating their mating over and over and over, it was beyond good. But it made guilt stab in his chest. He had forced Frank into mating. It was wrong. It was so wrong. He hated how good it felt, how fulfilled it made him feel.

*

“So then David, drunk off his ass, insists that he needs to show me his ‘moose cock’ because obviously I’m not taking him seriously-“

Matt snorted out a big laugh at Frank’s story.

”-and he may be my friend but I don’t need to see that, so I had to practically tackle him to get his hands out of his own damn pants!”

Frank laughed too. Watching Matt laugh and be happy made his chest warm.

*

“And then, Jessica just picks Luke up! Like he weighed nothing!”

“What?!” Frank burst out, a disbelieving smile on his face. “What the hell?”

“Yeah, I know! And she carried him all the way back to the ship and dumped him in his cot to sober up. Misty and Claire had a few choice words for him when he woke up.”

Frank snorted. “Yeah, I bet. How much did he drink?”

“Three barrels of wine. On his own.”

“What?!”

Chapter Text

The end came sooner than Frank liked.

He didn’t want to admit it, and he never would in his life, but he had...enjoyed this. He had come to enjoy it, at least. At first it was a misery. But...after they mated, they actually started talking. And Matt wasn’t as horrible as Frank had been lead to believe. He was actually kind of...sweet.

His crew was made up of Betas and Omegas, ones that had been cast out of society for a variety of reasons. Outsiders. People who had nowhere else to go. They only stole to survive, because there was no way else for them to live. They only fought, when they had to defend themselves. They meant no harm, unless harm was done to them. If Frank and his Navy left them be, there would be no violence. There was only ever violence when the Navy instigated it.

Matt lead them justly. He took in all who had no place else to turn. He made certain everyone was safe and happy. He only wanted to protect his people. His pack-family.

Frank wanted to stay.

But he couldn’t.

Like he said, he had a duty. He had made a commitment to the Navy. They were his pack-family. He couldn’t leave them behind.

When Matt’s heat ended, Foggy let Matt out of the brig. Frank sat quietly and made no trouble. He had made a deal and he planned to stick to it. Matt left for a while, but returned soon, freshly bathed and wearing clean clothes.

“We’re circling around an island with a naval base. We’re flying a British flag so we won’t attract any trouble.” Matt told him. “You’ll be permitted to take a bath. Wash off my scent. Someone will mend your clothes while you bathe. We’ll sail a little closer to the island then you can row ashore in one of the lifeboats.”

Frank nodded, keeping his eyes down. “Sounds good. My things? My cutlass, my pistol?”

“You’ll get them back.”

Matt unlocked the cell.

“Follow me.”

Frank shrouded himself in a blanket, then did as he was told.

The crew eyed him with disgust and hate as he passed. He ignored them. The next time they saw each other they’d all have nooses around their throats and Frank would be giving the order to let them dangle.

He bathed quickly. He scrubbed himself as thoroughly as he could. He hoped he at least got the worst of the heat stink. So long as it wasn’t too strong he could come up with some lie believable enough.

One of the crew delivered his clothes to him once he finished. The pants had been ripped in the thick of things and the shirt had split, but as promised, they had been repaired. Beside the neatly folded pile of clothes lay his cutlass and his pistol, untouched and unharmed. He put the cutlass back on his belt and checked the pistol. Hm, still loaded?

An idea came to him.

He unloaded the pistol. He removed the bullet, hiding it into one of his pockets, and poured the gunpowder out on the floor, brushing it away with his foot. He slipped the pistol into the holster on his hip. Now he could only hope that Matt hadn’t heard, and that Matt was as sentimental as Frank had been lead to believe.

Frank emerged onto the main deck. The crew worked as crews did. A lifeboat waited, ready to be lowered into the water. Matt stood beside it, waiting as well. Frank moved over to stand beside him. He could feel the crew’s eyes on him. They were watching him. Making sure he made no undesirable moves.

“The offer still stands.” Matt said. “You can stay.”

“No, I can’t.” Frank said. “I have to go home. Call off a wedding.”

“What?”

“I was betrothed. An Admiral’s daughter. A Beta. Her name’s Karen. She’s...nice.”

“But now you’ve been mated. You couldn’t mate her even if you wanted to. What will you tell them?”

“I don’t know. Perhaps I’ll let her catch me fucking a boy-whore. She’d be too horrified to ever speak to me again. She’d make her father cancel the wedding. It’d hurt her feelings but...it’d hurt her feelings more to tell her the truth.”

Matt nodded slowly.

He walked away. Frank turned to watch him. He drew his pistol.

He put the barrel to his own head.

Matt froze. He turned again, to face the sailor.

“You know what’ll happen if I die. It’ll break you.” Frank said. “The kinda broken that you can’t come back from. Quartermaster, bind Murdock’s hands.”

No one moved.

Foggy, who stood not far away, looked to Matt. The Captain, a stony look on his face, held his hands out to be bound. Foggy took the silent order. He found a length of rope. He bound Matt’s wrists together. Frank watched closely, assuring that the quartermaster couldn’t play tricks. A foul look covered the Beta’s face as he threw the other end of the rope at Frank.

Frank caught it easily. He tugged on the rope, pulling Matt to himself. Matt stumbled forward. Frank moved the gun from his own head, to Matt’s.

But damn it all, Matt was a quick one.

He stomped his heel down on Frank’s toes. As Frank shouted, Matt snatched the pistol out of his hand, levelling it to the sailor’s throat. Frank didn’t care, the pistol wasn’t loaded. He pulled on the ropes, pulling Matt closer still. Matt’s elbows impacted with Frank’s chest, the gun to Frank’s cheek, Frank grabbed at the tail made of the pirate’s long hair.

“I’m already broken, Captain.” he hissed. “What’s another few bruises?”

“Why don’t we find out?” Frank replied. “Take the shot.”

Matt didn’t hesitate.

The pistol clicked.

The crew jumped to aid their Captain.

Frank let go of his hair and drew his cutlass. The crew froze again. With the blade to Matt’s throat, they couldn’t move an inch.

But as seemed to be his natural state, Matt didn’t give a shit about the Alpha.

With bound hands, he grabbed Frank’s wrist, of the hand that held the sword. He stepped out quickly, twisting Frank’s arm. Frank shouted again. Matt gave him a kick. Before he knew it, Frank was tumbling over the edge of the ship and plummeting into the ocean below.

He landed with a big splash. He was disoriented for a second, before getting his bearings again and swimming to the surface. He broke the surface just as the lifeboat hit the water too. He treaded water and looked up to the ship.

Matt was there, dead eyes looking down at Frank. The pirate smiled and waved.

“Let’s get outta here!” he shouted.

The crew responded with a joyous roar.

Frank climbed into the lifeboat as the ship began to move towards the horizon.

Goddamn pirates...

And they didn’t even throw him his cutlass.

Chapter Text

Six years later...

Frank stared out the windows of his office. He could see the beach from there.

He wondered where Matt was. He often did. He had never gotten word of his capture, or his death. Then again, if he died, Frank would know as soon as Matt’s heart stopped. The mate bond would snap and Frank’s heart would break beyond repair.

He wondered in Matt was out there, on an island somewhere. Settled in for the quiet life, having abandoned piracy. Maybe he had found an honest profession. Maybe a place to call home.

He wondered if he ever thought about Frank.

There was a knock at his door.

“Come in!”

Someone stepped inside.

“Admiral Castle, they’re awaiting your inspection of the troops.”

“I’ll be there in a minute.”

“Yes, Admiral.”

The door closed again.

Frank almost wished he’d stayed.

*

“Dada, why don’t I have another dad? Or a mom? When Uncle Foggy taught me about Alphas and Betas and Omegas, he said it takes two people to make a baby pup. But...I only have you. Right?”

Matt’s heart clenched at his son’s words. “Um, well...you do have another dad. He’s just...very far away.”

Francis tugged on his father’s shirt. “Like...on another ship? Or on land somewhere?”

Matt sighed lowly. He picked up the child and sat him on one of the cannons on the top deck. They looked out at the horizon. Francis looked, at leas; Matt closed his eyes and listened to the water beat against the ship’s hull.

“He might be on a ship. Or on land. I don’t really know. He’s...not like us. We’re pirates. He’s a...a Captain in the Navy. He hunts people like us.”

“But he didn’t hunt you, dada.” Francis said, almost like a question.

“He did. But then he didn’t. We... We were mates. For a little while.”

“What’s he like, dada?”

Matt smiled. He wrapped his arms around Francis and rested his chin on the boy’s shoulder. They watched the sun dip slowly beneath the horizon. Matt could feel the heat of day waning, giving way to the chill of night.

“He was...stubborn. And brave. Strong. Handsome. Gentle. Kind.”

Francis hummed. “Did you love him, dada?”

“I...think I might have.”

“Then when I get big, I’ll find him!” Francis promised. “I’ll bring him back to you, dada!”

Matt hugged his son tight.

“Yeah. I think I’d like that.”