William & Bernard: An Omegaverse Mpreg Romance (Winter Wonderland Book 1) Read online

  WINTER WONDERLAND

  William & Bernard

  Charlie Tran

  Contents

  1. William

  2. Bernard

  3. William

  4. Bernard

  5. William

  6. Bernard

  7. William

  8. Bernard

  9. William

  10. William

  11. Bernard

  MAILING LIST

  Chapter 1

  William

  So much dust had gathered across the top of the fireplace. It had been so long since I paid my medals and trophies any attention, I let the filth get out of hand. I grabbed one of the silvers I'd won years ago in my prime. Now everything surrounding it was thick with dust bunnies and cobwebs. It looked more like Halloween props rather than a display to showcase the achievements I had made in the past.

  But maybe it was fitting. This was the past after all, I couldn't win anything anymore. I huffed onto the surface of the silver medal, raising the lower hem of my shirt to give it a nice scrub. Even still, my reflection seemed oddly blurred in it. The metal was tarnished and would never properly clean. I had all the time in the world to do so, and yet I couldn't be bothered.

  I ran a fingertip over the wood of the mantle and stared down at the thick caking of dust on my digit. With a sigh, I brushed it off onto my pants, staring at the other trophies I'd won. Most were gold, first place in ice skating. Several were silver, and just a few bronze winnings. But they were all important to me, despite what place I came in at whatever competition I had competed at. Bronze, gold, silver, they marked who I was, who I used to be.

  I couldn't stand looking at them anymore. I turned away, kicking at the bit of ash that had blown across the carpet of the living room from the recently used fireplace. Just another thing to clean, and another thing I didn't care to do. With a wince, I managed to wobble over towards the couch and take a seat. My leg was starting to hurt now that it was getting so cold. Now that made me feel old, even though I was only in my thirties.

  Reaching down, I grabbed my jeans and raised them up to the knee to check on the thick scar running down the side of my calf and knee. The small scars left on the sides from stitches and bolts being placed inside my leg were still visible. After the surgery, the doctor said that they would go away. But they were here to stay it seemed. Just another reminder of how I had messed up my skating career.

  Although it's not like I had to work. I was on disability as it was hard to spend more than a few hours without my leg starting to ache. But I wouldn't let that stop me from having a good time. I stared down at my watch, noting the time. Well into the afternoon, but before school got out. There wouldn't be many people down at the rink to laugh at me as I tried to skate around and pretend things were how they used to be. That I could still move around the ice like I was floating-like I was flying.

  I missed how that felt. I cleared my throat, It was starting to tighten up as I saw the photo frame on the mantle, looking back at me. My late mother, and all of the foster kids she cared for. She liked to take care of the sick, trying to help them out as best as she could before they went on to their permanent families. She was a saint. And for her to see me like this... I knew it would break her heart.

  I turned away from the photo with a heavy sigh, forcing myself off of the couch that wanted me to melt into it, to not get up and do anything which was typical for me. I couldn't even bring myself to watch television anymore, or interact on social media. It was all just a constant reminder of the upcoming local winter games, the ads they would play during commercial breaks. The pictures of me and the fans I'd disappointed. I grabbed my keys from the hook next to the living room door and made my way outside to head out and embarrass myself for the day.

  There were quite a few people out here, actually. Much more than I had originally anticipated. Again, I checked my watch. It was still too early for all the school kids to be out skating, and yet there were several children around with their parents towards the far end of the rink. The other side was reserved for people training for the games.

  I took a seat on a bench, removing the skates I'd brought in my duffel bag. My old faithfuls. I exchanged them on my feet for my slightly ragged sneakers, enjoying the tightness as I strapped myself into them securely. I had to will myself to get up, to ignore the stares from a few of the other skaters as I shakily approached the wall surrounding the rink and used it to balance myself out.

  "You can do this," I said to myself, dragging my bad leg in front of me to give me something to push off of as I placed my other skate onto the ice. Still guiding myself onto the rink with the wall's help. With a grimace, I pushed off, propelling myself forward across the ice to the other side. The small tingle in my leg was easily ignored once I crossed to the other wall. Again, I turned myself around, pushing off and leaning forward to slowly make it back to where I had started. I bent on my left leg, testing out how much weight I would be able to support that day.

  Forward and back, I slid to and fro on the ice, until I felt steady enough to try something a bit more advanced. This time on my way across, I made sure to twist, balancing on the right foot as I forced myself to twist to the side. My arms wrapped around my chest and stomach as I turned into a spin. I wasn't able to get myself off of the ground much. I attempted to throw myself forward enough to go into a death drop spin, but barely managed to spin several times before hitting my left leg with so much force I dropped to the ice again.

  "Shit, did you see that?" I heard someone say, followed by a few chuckles. Great.

  "Why is he out here?"

  "Big oof, man. He should go home and take care of himself."

  Before I could make a comment for them to mind their own business, I heard the sound of skates coming closer from behind me. I turned, glancing over my shoulder to see him. Bernard. The person who basically took over my title as an ice skating champion here in town. I eyed the hand he extended toward me with caution. It's not as if I was resentful, not entirely, that he won the day I hurt myself so badly. But the fact that everyone fawned over him like he would've won if I hadn't gotten hurt was frustrating. He was good, I'd give him that. But they got over me so quickly after the accident, it was like I didn't matter to them anymore.

  "You need help or not?" His tone was aggressive, but I still accepted his hand. Bernard pulled me back up to my legs, placing a hand on my back and watching me carefully as he led me back to the wall until I leaned against it.

  "Thanks," I mumbled, refusing to make eye contact with him.

  "No sweat. You don't really come out here much anymore, everyone's surprised to see you."

  "Yeah, I could hear them laughing."

  William clicked his tongue, leaning against the wall next to me and staring out to the mountains of snow surrounding town. "They're just teasing you. They got two fully functioning legs and they're still nowhere near your skill level. Ignore it."

  "That's easy for you to say. You're the big hero." I shrugged.

  "You were too, you know. People still look up to you."

  "Jealous of what, a cripple who can't skate anymore?"

  He didn't have anything to say to that, this time. Maybe I had made it awkward. After a few moments of silence, he finally cleared his throat, raising his arms high above his head and stretching his back out.

  "So, how have you been? I’ve seen you out here a few times in the last few months, but never seen you skating. Leg feeling better?"

  "No. Just trying to recapture my youth, I guess. There's us
ually nobody out here, or just a few people. Not this much of a crowd."

  "It's because of the winter games coming up."

  I sighed. "And you're gonna be there to win gold again, aren't you?"

  "I hope so. Why aren't you competing too?"

  "Are you serious? Did you not just see me almost break my ankle just now?"

  "You just need some practice. That's all. You still have your name, people still know who you are. Why not just get a sponsor to fund a trainer?"

  I waved him off now. I couldn't tell if he was just bothering me for the fun of it, poking at me and my insecurities, or if he was being genuine. It was more than likely the former.

  "This is the most we've ever spoke since you took gold last time I competed. Why do you even care?"

  It was his turn to shrug, turning around to lean his back against the rink's wall and watch his friends start skating, doing triple axels and scratch spins.

  "Just thought it'd be nice. It's not like I enjoy watching people laugh at you."

  "Oh! So you do agree they were laughing, not just teasing me?"

  "You caught me." He elbowed my side, pushing himself off the wall and skating back off towards his friends. I turned, watching him glide around the small group of men to do a flip, landing easily on both his legs, his knees buckling enough to take the impact and skate past me again and again.

  The guys and even the kids out there hooped and hollered in approval, giving him a light applause as he slid to a stop in front of me, ice grinding up against the blades of his skates.

  "You wanna skate again or not?" he asked.

  "Of course I want to skate again, but the competition is only for people who've been invited. And they have professional trainers and sponsors. I can't get any of that."

  "Why not? You can get anything you want if you try."

  What was he, a motivational speaker now? Was I going to start seeing his face on the box of breakfast cereals?

  "All right, I can see through these games. You're just trying to look good by helping me out, aren't you? You don't have to pretend anymore."

  "Why are you being such a downer?"

  There were plenty of reasons. I was a joke. I can't skate anymore. I don't do anything but sit at home all day and stare at the wall. I was going to lose my home.

  "Why are you being so helpful?"

  "Because, it sucks seeing you like this. You used to be great, why can't you be great again?"

  "We're just talking in circles at this point. Just let me skate in peace, please?" I asked him, but he didn't seem like he was going to back down at all. What more did he want from me?

  "Come on, why don't you stop by at the ski lodge next Wednesday. I have someone who could help you."

  Help me? "In what way?"

  "Like maybe he could sponsor you, get you back into the games before the competition comes up."

  I rolled my eyes, "And why now? You said you've seen me out here before, so why are you trying to be so nice out of the blue? It's been years since I messed my leg up."

  "Maybe I just like taking on charity cases." He winked.

  "Seriously?"

  "No, idiot. I just think it's time for you to come back. Holding your title for you was a lot of pressure, so why don't you take it back?"

  I eyed him for a moment, and the extended hand he offered. With a groan I grabbed onto it, giving him a firm hand shake. "Fine. Just don't fuck me."

  "Come see the sponsor, then we'll decide." He laughed, giving my shoulder a hard pat before skating off again, leaving me to my own this time. He was going to give me time with a sponsor, probably one of his. But the whole thing seemed fishy to me. Why was he really helping me out? Like he said, he held my title for a long time. Why did he seem so keen on giving it back to me?

  Chapter 2

  Bernard

  "Why not?" I asked, leaning on the table and staring at Gerald with a frown. He had been giving me the run around the past few days, and it was like pulling teeth trying to even get him here.

  "Why not? The real question should be why should I? He's out of the game, Will. He's getting up there in age too."

  "There's plenty of people older than he is getting in the competition. Come on."

  "Why are you helping him? You're like his predecessor, don't give up your crown just because you want to help out that bum. You're gonna be just fine for at least a few more years. Your whole career is on the up and up."

  What did he know about it? The worst could be coming in the next few months, for Will. Everyone knew about him losing his home. But either way, it didn't matter. I wasn't going to be skating forever as a career, and William was perfectly capable of getting back into it. He was the best, and he could be the best again if he just had someone there to support it. In a way, I felt like I owed it to him, to help him get back on top after I took it from him. And I owed it to Mary...

  I only got to where I was because he got hurt. It should go back to him. Before I could continue to argue with my sponsor, the blast of cold air drew our attention to the entrance of the ski lodge.

  "Hey, you made it." I smiled at William as he came closer, tossing a side glance to Gerard, who I noticed was staring rather blatantly at Will's slight limp.

  "Sorry I'm late." He unwrapped the thick, oversized scarf from around his mouth, allowing to rest over his shoulders. The tassels on the ends hanging low enough that they grazed the dampened wood of the floor.

  "No problem. We haven't even gotten into the main topic yet," Gerard said, taking a sip out of his coffee cup. I slid the drink I had bought for William over towards him, which he scooped up quickly. He allowed his fingers to rest onto the outside of the drink, letting them warm up for a minute before taking a sip.

  "Oh, cocoa. Thanks. I like it."

  "I remember reading an article that said you didn't like caffeine." I smiled. The corner of his mouth turned up at the mention of it, but he didn't give a full on grin in return. Why did I feel so disappointed at that?

  "All right, gentlemen. Let's get down to the brass tax of the situation. Will, Bernard here tells me that I should sponsor you for the winter games. Now tell me what in the hells are either of you two thinking?"

  "Hey, take it easy, would you?" I whispered, giving his shin a swift kick underneath the table. "Can we start off with proper introductions?"

  "I already know who William is. Everyone knows who he is. Or should I say, who he was."

  I tried to kick him again, but he was ready for it, his legs moving to the side and avoiding the sting of pain I was trying to give him.

  "Yeah, let's just get right to the business." William took another sip of his hot chocolate and rested his elbows onto the table. "Bernard said you might be interested in sponsoring me, if I remember right."

  "Maybe. Maybe not. What I need to know is what you can bring to the table. It's hard not to notice your... condition." Gerard nodded toward Will's leg.

  "Yeah, hard not to miss that. I've been practicing this year though. Kind of."

  "Whatever you've been doing, there's no way it's been on the same level as professional training, I'm sure."

  "Gerard, take it easy," I warned him.

  "No, he's right." Will raised his hand, keeping me from standing up for him. "It hasn't been. But maybe with the right coach I can get back to where I used to be. If only I could afford one."

  "There's not much time to train, as you would both know."

  "Hey, he knows all the basics. It's not like we're starting from scratch here. He has years of experience." I made a face at my sponsor, but he totally ignored it, solely focused on William and his down turned eyes. He didn't look very confident. It broke my heart.

  "What would a sponsorship even include, if we ever cross that bridge?" Will spoke up.

  "The pay is good, at least. You'd get a salary, which we can negotiate with your lawyer-if you have one. On top of that, your training would be paid for, not to mention full coverage health insurance."

 
"That sounds like a dream." William sighed.

  "It is the dream. Don't forget companies that would want to work with you. Even more money on top of the salary already paid. But I don't sponsor just anyone. And I know you aren't just anyone, but you've fallen off."

  I felt like hiding my face at the comment, but Will didn't look defeated. In fact, he seemed even more amped up, and much more energetic than I'd ever seen him at the skating rink the past few months. At least the defeated look was gone.

  "And is this for like a year? On top of the competition or...?"

  "No. This isn't for the competition. Right now, where you are, I can honestly say I wouldn't sponsor you for the winter games. There's not enough time for me to sink money into a loss. But afterwards, who knows? Maybe I'd sign you on."

  "I thought we were here to talk about getting him into the winter games, though." I snapped to get Gerard's attention, but he ignored what I had to say.

  "We are. But I could see from the way he walked in here with that limp that he wasn't anywhere near competition ready. Maybe another year of training, maybe even half a year, he could get to a decent spot where I'd feel comfortable putting money into his training and get him a spot for the next winter games. But now is not that time."

  "You haven't even watched him skate, you'd see his potential if you did. If we could just go to the rink..." I tried to defend Will, but Gerard was not having any of it.

  "Look, this is a business. As much as I enjoyed you, Will, at your prime, only you know if that time is officially over. Go practice. Compete next year when you're better."

  "Then how am I going to get into the competition? They already did their invites, and Bernard seems to think I should try for these games. Not next years."