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Unlike his son, Leto Atreides never needed his father to explain to him why he was supposed to hate the Harkonnen. He had entered into personal conflict with Vladimir Harkonnen countless times. His best men had been victimized by the Beast.
And yet, the one he hated the most was the Baron's younger nephew. Not because he was psychotic and cold and had supposedly killed his own mother. Not because of the way he heartlessly killed drugged men for entertainment at Giedi Prime's arenas. No. It was because he was insane enough to think he could have anything to do with Paul.
And, sometimes he made Leto feel like a terrible father.
The first incident happened when Paul was six. It had been his first off-planet experience, his official introduction to the rest of the noble houses. And then he went immediately missing for three hours.
It took several efforts, for his men, allies and the hosting house, to look for him. The political incident it could've been. Paul had been such a small child, even for his age. The trouble he could get on on his own, what enemy houses may have done to him... his only heir, so young and vulnerable. Leto thinks half of his white strands came from that day alone.
To his surprise, without fanfare, it was Vladimir Harkonnen who begrudgingly appeared at his doorstep. A pouting child at his stended arms. He held his son up as someone would a misbehaving cat, fearing its claws. Instead of presenting his defense, he stepped to the side, revealing a young child who had been hiding behind his legs. "Boy."
The child looked at Leto angrily, before lowering his head. "I am sorry."
The Baron lowered a large hand to pet the top of his head. "Atreides, I am afraid I must apologize for this...misunderstanding. I would have given him back sooner if I had suspected your son had been around House Harkonnen's designed quarters. It was in no way my intention."
Leto squinted his eyes at him. "What could my son be doing inside your quarters?"
The man rubbed his fat face with his hand. "I believe it was due to an unfortunate comment Piter made about the possibility of meeting his future wife, as my nephew had been unwilling to socialize with his peers... Turns out he took it as an opportunity to go out and have a pick himself. Child stuff."
Leto did not believe the man's words for a single moment. If he had hurt Paul in any way, if there was a single hair out of place... And yet, even if he was telling the truth, the Duke felt offended. He looked down at the child, who held his gaze, full of anger. Before Leto himself could turn to anger, he took a step back, ready to slam the door on their faces, mumbling a dismissal between his teeth.
Paul wiggled in his arms. "Bye, husband." He waved.
"He is not your husband." Leto said firmly.
"Maybe when you are older." The Baron chuckled, just to mess with him. Leto did slam the door in his face.
The second time, Paul was nine. Another Great House meeting. A party for the Emperor's wedding anniversary. There was a commotion in the garden, where his heir had been playing with a couple of other kids his age.
He found them away from the other children, his son on the floor with the Harkonnen boy on top of him, trying to violently wriggle himself free. Leto saw red. But Paul laughed and, when he noticed him, he smiled.
"Get off of my son." He spat.
"It's alright dad, we are playing sparring, see?" His son said, uncaring. "Dad!" He exclaimed, when Leto yanked the boy away from him by the upper arm.
"I don't want you playing with this boy. He is older than you, bigger, and he could hurt you. He is a Harkonnen."
The boy does not seem to mind the manhandling. "I would never hurt my omega."
At that, Leto paused. "What makes you think my son is going to be an omega?"
The boy shrugged. "Everyone in my family is an alpha, so I am going to be an alpha. Paul is my fated mate, so he is going to be an omega to match me."
The AUDACITY of that boy! To even think... When had it even been the last time a male omega was born in nobility? But he could still assume his son would be one, just to bend to his whims...
When Paul was eleven, he was led my hand into their quarters by an infuriatingly familiar boy. Leto got up from the couch, where he had been sharing tea with Jessica and Thufir. He was ready to scold both of them, but his son looked as if he was about to pass out, face red, dripping sweat.
It was the Harkonnen boy who spoke. "Paul is going into heat. Are you capable of looking after him?"
"You little..." Paul whimpered in pain. Leto softened, just to be outraged again immediately when the other boy kissed him on the mouth. "Out!"
There was no time to be angry then or to worry about where Paul had been and what he had been doing. The whole household went into disarray. No one had been prepared for the fairly unlikely chance that Paul could've been an omega. The guards had to be moved. Nesting materials had to be arranged. And a long and uncomfortable conversation had to happen between the parents and the Doctor.
Of course, Feyd-Rautha wasn't done trying to give him a heart attack, because the next morning, after he dismissed the night guards from his son's door, he found the Harkonnen inside, his Paul curled on his lap.
Both of them were still clothed, thankfully, although Paul had been disheveled from sleep and from the fever. Feyd-Rautha looked back at him in a challenge, petting his son's hair. Paul shifted on his sleep, prompting the Harkonnen to hold him closer.
"It's all right, beloved. Sleep." He said, kissing his forehead.
"It's not "all right"! What do you think you are doing, Harkonnen, breaking into my son's room when he is..."
The boy interrupted. "If I could do it, anyone could, which means you aren't capable of protecting him. I am not going to leave my omega unguarded."
"Paul is not yours. If you think I would ever give my son to a Harkonnen...over my dead body."
The Harkonnen boy merely blinked. "Then I guess you are going to die."
Those works stuck with him for years, even though he hadn't laid eyes on that evil boy since. Despite Paul's presentation, he never made a move on him, to court, to take him away or to harm him. In fact, if anyone else got to know about his son's status after that day, it never got to his ears, or those of his spies. For the longest time, he hoped the boy got over it, grew over that childhood infatuation in over to sate his teenage urges, especially once the na-Baron presented as an alpha. And yet, Leto was no fool and he knew the Harkonnens weren't either. Those same words were the mantra that went through his mind when he woke up on the cold floor of an underground cell, wondering how could he still be alive.
"Poisoned tooth, huh? Nice touch. Did my uncle some damage." He heard the voice from above, deeper, raspier, more dangerous.
"You."
Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen was easy to recognize, altough he was different from what he remembered: broader, taller, bolder. He had put up some muscle and now his teeth were stained black, showing their sharpness. Full alpha, just as promised.
"You know, you disappointed me again." He said, spinning a knife in the air just to catch it again. "Have you grown weak, Atreides? Paul is an omega in your household, supposed to be under your protection. But here you are. What kind of alpha are you, unable to look after his own? What is preventing any others from thinking they are entitled to take liberties with him?"
Feyd-Rautha leaned in closer. Now that he was fully conscious, the scent of him hit him like a bullet. The other alpha reeked of sex. The scratch marks on his neck did not let him lie.
"You!" He coughed. He almost fell again, too weak to do much, not with the poison still in his system.
Survive it and for what? For the knowledge that this man had defiled his son? His last effort felt selfish now. This was a plan from before he knew Paul was an omega. Before Feyd-Rautha had laid his disgusting eyes on him. It was clear that the na-Baron would not lose the opportunity to make the heir of House Atreides into his personal war trophy. Leto tried killing himself, forgetting the fact that if Paul lived, and he would, he was cursing him to a fate worse than death.
Still, it was better to die blind and deaf than to survive to have a Harkonnen shove his conquest on his face. He was still going to die, but die with the knowledge that House Harkonnen had won, that his son's future had been set in stone: to be tied up to a monster's bed to be used again and again until the other lost interest.
"Someone will be down in a short while to mend your injuries." The man sighed.
At that, Leto laughed, bitterly. "For what?"
He doesn't even know what he is buying time for. Why give this man the opportunity to brag about the ways he plans to torture and humiliate him, his men, his Paul. Would it be better to know?
Feyd's opened a big sharp smile. "I would enjoy the honor of keeping you just to bend your precious son in front of you." Leto bore his teeth. "But that would upset my mate, so I guess I am going to have to send you back to Caladan with a tail between your legs, of course. I still have to find out where the concubine ended up, since she seems to have been misplaced."
"What?"
"Don't worry. I am pretty sure she is not dead, just hiding somewhere." He waved his hand dismissively. "Rest, Atreides. I don't want you all roughed up and sullen at dinner. Paul wouldn't like that."
What.
He turned his back on him. "I know what people say about having a hard time with their in-laws, but, grow up, would you? Doesn't my mate deserve an auspicious wedding? Don't you want to have contact with your grandkids?"
"You are not going to kill me...?" He blinks.
Feyd-Rautha rolls his eyes. "I am not my uncle, I don't give a shit about you and I don't give a shit about kanly. If you wish to be stupid, oppose me, and die, feel free. But I would not purposefully do something to hurt my omega, I told you that. Paul is upset enough with the whole attack thing. So that you know, it was not my idea, I just came along to make sure my wife would be safe. I don't know what you did to displease the Emperor, but, you should see to that I guess. After the wedding, of course, you will leave Paul out of your problems."
What.
His communicator lit up twice and he stopped to check it.
"Good news. They found the concubine. You can get out of my sight sooner than expected." Feyd-Rautha said, betraying no emotion,
What.
"Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen." He grumbled once more. He was not even sure what he wanted to say anymore.
The man turned his back on him, walking away. Probably to his son. His Paul. "Dinner is at eight. Be there. I am not asking."
Leto Atreides slid back to the floor. Why does it feel like he is the one in the wrong