Burning
RegenesisX (orphan_account)

Summary:
There were few things Hajime Hinata hated more than going into heat, but going into heat while trapped on a deserted island with nothing but alphas was definitely the worst.

"The beautiful person who pays attention to me is also an omega. Of course I had considered what this might be like… But my imagination is no good, you know? My silly fantasies can't even begin to hold a candle to your true nature."

...Or so he thought.


Hajime slid down the door of the shower room in the beach house, squeezing his eyes shut against the incessant pounding from the other side. His heart was beating so fast, it was a struggle just to breathe properly. Any longer and he would've collapsed, if he wasn't already sitting.

That had been way too close.

Slipping his fingers under the knot in his tie, Hajime yanked it looser. The stupid thing was practically choking him, and he was so hot… He had to be in a full-body sweat. Even his feet felt uncomfortable.

But it was more than just a mild discomfort. Every inch of his skin was on fire. He almost wished the water in the shower room worked, but he knew it wouldn't help. Nothing would help. Nothing ever did, not in this situation.

For a few blissful minutes, the knocking ceased. Hajime closed his eyes, focusing solely on his breathing. If he could just make it back to his cabin… No, the hotel was the most dangerous place for him right now. The motel, on the third island, perhaps? He could sleep there to wait this out. The others would definitely come looking for him, though… Dammit, was there really no hope in this situation?

The knocking started again.

"Souda, just stay away from me or I swear I'll—"

"Hinata? It's me."

Hajime's skin prickled. Komaeda? On a normal day, he could definitely take that guy in a fight, but in his current situation…

"I know it's very presumptuous of me to think you'd open the door for me, since you have no have reason to trust me, but… I've been aware of your… condition… for quite some time now. Of course, it was always possible I was mistaken, but it seems my suspicions have been confirmed. You're an omega, aren't you?"

The room started to spin. "H-How did you…?"

"I've encountered them before. Of course, you don't act anything like any other omega I've ever met, so I was unsure, but it's indisputable once this happens, isn't it? That nice scent that clings to you amplifies, drawing alphas like flies." Komaeda paused, laughing, and Hajime could hear his hands slide against the door. "I can't deny that I'm the same. Without a barrier between us, I can't tell you what sort of control I'll have over myself. But even if you're an omega, you're still more important to me as an Ultimate. That's why I'm willing to take a chance on myself and offer to help you."

While Komaeda was talking, Hajime's arms found themselves tightly pressed between his legs. Just hearing his voice was driving Hajime crazy. He could barely think. Escape, he needed to escape. "H-Help? What k-kind of help?"

"Anything, Hinata. I will only do as you request."

"If I open the door, d-don't touch me," he said. "Please don't touch me."

"I won't touch you."

"Y-You're sure?"

"Hinata, I am extremely aware of what will happen if I do that."

Hajime sucked in a deep breath, trying to calm himself. Ignoring this eventuality had been a stupid thing to do. Now he was cornered with no plan. Komaeda… was probably his best option for an ally, oddly enough. Komaeda idolized hope and talent, and seemed to have no interest in physical statuses. He was definitely an alpha, but he came off more like a beta.

Relying on the weakest, most submissive alpha in the bunch made Hajime sick to his stomach, but it wasn't like he had any other choice, unless he wanted to stay in the shower room until midnight.

Staggering to his feet, Hajime gripped the door handle with a trembling hand. Komaeda was his friend. Komaeda wouldn't hurt him. Right?

He opened the door.

Arousal rushed him.

Hajime had to grip the door frame to keep from pitching himself at Komaeda. The first time this had happened, he'd been fourteen and out in public with his parents, but the memory was hazy. After that, his mother had kept careful track of when it would occur and he got special permission to take absences from school. Medications were available to dull the effects, but they usually just made him sick instead. Hajime resented being an omega more than anything else.

But he'd never been caught in the stare of an alpha like this. It was almost impossible to beat down the urge to take back what he said a minute ago and beg Komaeda to ravage him. Komaeda was clearly regretting his promise too.

Hajime had never seen him so… intense.

It was amazing.

"Ah… Hinata."

Hajime was sure he was going to die. Komaeda's voice was thick and husky, sending shivers down his spine. And those eyes… He was going to die.

Komaeda wrapped his arms around himself, gripping his coat to kindly make good on his promise, but the raw hunger in his expression couldn't be hidden. "An omega in heat is truly incredible."


It was easier to breathe once they were moving, but only slightly. Hajime wasn't like the alphas, who were turned on and off like a light switch in the presence of an omega. He was stuck on through the entirety of his heat.

It wasn't like just being aroused, either. Alphas and betas always seemed to misunderstand that aspect. He wasn't broken; he was perfectly capable of being aroused out of heat. Being in heat was like having an itch you couldn't scratch through your entire body. It was hot and uncomfortable and Hajime personally felt more like murdering someone than having sex. In fact, he'd never experienced arousal during heat until now.

And here he thought it was impossible for heat to get worse.

They finally made it to the motel, for better or for worse. The room wasn't particularly nice, but it didn't matter. The minute Komaeda left, Hajime would be throwing things and ripping apart bedsheets to get rid of his excess energy.

"Do you plan to hole yourself up here, Hinata?" Komaeda asked, hovering in the doorway. Hajime realized he'd never invited him in, and that was why he hadn't crossed the threshold. That was surprisingly considerate. "You'll need to eat eventually… and someone might find you here. It isn't as if I view you as weak, but you'll be useless against somebody like Owari or Nidai."

Hajime did his best to keep his voice from trembling. "I'll figure something out."

"After you're violated against your will?"

Turning to look at Komaeda was a mistake. Lust flooded him again. "I-It won't… come to that..."

"I saw what happened with Souda."

Hajime's heart skipped a beat.

"You're fortunate it was only just starting. His lack of control was astonishing. Even for me, this is incredibly difficult to endure, but I know my place," Komaeda said. His voice was tight. "You're an omega, but you're an Ultimate. There's no way I can just stand back and allow you to be devoured like a rabbit hunted by wolves. That's why I think you should protect yourself as well, and choose one of them to help you through this."

It was hard to focus on exactly what Komaeda was saying, but Hajime got the gist of it. "Choose… someone?" he said. "Like… like a partner?"

"Yes, exactly! There's a certain amount of respect between alphas, you know? We have ways of telling who belongs to who. If you found a partner among them, your heat could be dealt with."

"I've…" Hajime shifted and immediately regretted it. He could feel it dripping— "...never actually… I've never, um… That's not how I..."

Komaeda's eyes widened a little bit and he hastily put up his hands. "Ah, please forgive my insensitivity—you would've taken medication for it, wouldn't you? That… doesn't exist here, unfortunately."

As if Hajime didn't already know that. He'd checked both the supermarket and the pharmacy.

"What I'm telling you is only a suggestion. I say it to you as someone who cares very much about your well-being." Komaeda's tone softened. "You've been so kind to me, Hinata. I want to do my best to return that kindness."

"Y-You keep referring to the others as them, but you're an alpha too, a-aren't you?"

"...Technically, yes, but only on the physical scale. It isn't as if I possess astounding traits like they do. Compared to them, I'm totally worthless."

"If y-you're an alpha, you can be my partner then."

"M-Me?" Komaeda took a step back, looking ready to bolt. "That's absolutely unthinkable, I'm not at all suited—"

"You are." It only caused the ache in his body to sharpen into a white-hot shock of need, but Hajime forced himself to keep moving toward the door. "There's a reason I'm n-not allowed to go to school in heat, even on suppressants. Teenagers can't control themselves, you even said it yourself. But you… haven't done anything to me… You're not even offering. You're going to refuse. That's why… it's fine if it's you, Komaeda."

But Komaeda just shook his head more violently. "N-No, you should definitely choose somebody else! Nanami or Sonia or Kuzuryuu or anyone would fit you better than me!"

"I'm not changing my mind." Hajime pulled his tie all the way off. God, it was so annoyingly hot. Who were those other people anyway…? "I won't have anyone else."

Now that he was closer, he could tell how Komaeda was being affected. His face was flushed, and Hajime felt the bizarre urge to lick the droplets of sweat running down his neck. Komaeda wrapped his arms around himself again, gripping his jacket so tightly that Hajime was worried the fabric would rip.

"Please, Komaeda, this is unbearable. I can't wait any longer. I need you to touch me, t-to… I need you. Please, I'm begging you..."

"Hinata… Don't make this decision just because I'm the only one here..."

Who else was there? There was no one but them. Hajime closed the distance between them and grabbed Komaeda's arm, dragging him into the motel room. "We're friends," he said. "I trust you."

The breath was knocked out of Hajime's lungs when his back hit the wall, and he didn't have time to catch any air before Komaeda was kissing him. For a second, he was back in the diner, cornered against the window by Souda, but this was not Souda's taste or his scent. This was the partner he was going to invite into his body to finally quell the heat.

"I'm sorry," Komaeda whispered, pinning him more firmly against the wall. "I want to be more gentle… and figure out what I'm doing, but I..."

Hajime rubbed against the thigh that had been forced between his legs, unable to contain the moan that broke past his lips. "N-No, this feels… Is s-sweet even a feeling?"

"I have no idea, Hinata."

"I-It is." Hajime gasped when teeth pricked against his neck. Wouldn't this hurt, normally? "Komaeda—!"

The pleasant weight suddenly pulled away, leaving Hajime to sag against the wall. He focused his hazy gaze on Komaeda, and laughed.

"Barely an alpha," Hajime couldn't help mocking, unbuttoning his shirt. He purposefully rubbed his wrists against his chest as he went, desperate for any sort of contact. "You've got the look of somebody who's lost their mind."

"I have." Trembling, Komaeda raked a hand through his hair. "I don't know what I'm doing. I can't be gentle."

Hajime wanted nothing more for that crazy look to stay on Komaeda's face. He undid his pants, sliding his hand underneath the waistband of his underwear. "Don't be gentle," he said.

It was amazing how quickly Komaeda could move when he was motivated. Hajime barely had time to yank his hand out of his pants before he was hauled off the wall and thrown carelessly onto the bed.

"Is this some sort of harassment, Hinata?" Komaeda asked, shrugging off his coat. "It isn't as if I have no pride at all, you know. Since you've picked me, it's not like I have any choice but to prove myself."

Hajime kicked off his own pants, then shimmied out of his underwear, pitching them across the room. They were soaked and useless now, anyway. "Hurry up," he whined.

Komaeda didn't hesitate, crawling onto the bed to pin him down again. Hajime kissed him greedily, arching up into the hands that explored his body. He was so unbelievably hot; every pore in his skin had to be saturated with sweat. A curious finger suddenly found its way there, and Hajime's body jerked in agonizing pleasure.

Never, not even while getting himself off, had he touched himself there.

Hajime cried out again when the finger pressed into him. He rocked down on it, desperate to get it all the way inside. But Komaeda was pursuing his own curiosities.

"It's very wet," he said breathlessly. "Why is it so wet?"

"I'm an omega. That happens." Hajime moaned happily when the finger pushed all the way in. "Please… Please..."

Komaeda laughed into his neck. "This is too much for me. You're so far beyond my expectations, Hinata!"

"Y-You had expectations?"

A second finger was added, stretching him wider. Hajime gnawed on his bottom lip, fighting off the urge to babble incessantly. If this carried on any longer, he was going to die.

"Can you fault me for being curious?"

A particularly sharp jab set every single nerve in his body on fire. He was dying, god, he was dying—

"The beautiful person who pays attention to me is also an omega," Komaeda purred, rubbing against that spot over and over again. Hajime couldn't breathe. "Of course I had considered what this might be like… But my imagination is no good, you know? My silly fantasies can't even begin to hold a candle to—"

"Fuck me," Hajime yelled, digging his nails into Komaeda's shoulders hard enough to make him flinch. "If you run your mouth like a lunatic for one more second, I'm going to fucking castrate you!"

"Ahh… Yes, I'm sorry. Teasing you while you're in heat is totally cruel."

Komaeda didn't look particularly remorseful when he sat back to remove the rest of his clothes. In fact, he looked deviously pleased with himself. Hajime decided Komaeda was a sadist, and draped an arm over his eyes so he wouldn't start to think that was hot, too.

Hajime's skin was burning so fiercely that Komaeda's hands still felt cool when they spread his legs. He let his arm fall away from his eyes as Komaeda settled against him, reaching up to pull him down for a kiss. It was just as sloppy and desperate as the others, and Hajime felt like he was going to come just from Komaeda rocking against him, but he wasn't hating this. The horrible itch that the heat created was finally being scratched.

"Inside me," he gasped. "Please."

Hajime could barely contain himself while Komaeda entered him. It hurt—it was excruciatingbut the pain only made the fire blaze brighter. He wanted this, he needed this—to be filled like this. No, filled wasn't even the right word. As Komaeda paused, deep inside him, Hajime certainly felt full, but more than that, he was… connected.

He'd never let anyone else touch such a sensitive place. Just the thought of it used to make him sick to think about; the idea of going into heat and becoming the sort of person who spread their legs for anybody. But no one had explained to him that if you met an alpha who desired to possess you, the idea of "anybody" suddenly vanished.

Komaeda's pale, gray-green eyes swirled with madness. "Will I be enough to satisfy you, Hinata? Lowly, incompetent me, with no experience?"

The moment of pain had passed. Arching his back, Hajime ground his hips into Komaeda's as hard as he could from the angle he was at. The itch was back. "Fuck me."

And Komaeda did, with hard thrusts that bowed his back and stole his voice. The heat in his body tightened until it was impossible to hold anymore and he came, spattering sticky fluid between them, but it was like a single sneeze in a fit of sneezes. Hajime was still hard, he still hurt, he still needed Komaeda in him.

He wrapped his legs tight around Komaeda's waist, angling his hips up so the spot that made his toes curl and his vision go white could be touched. A cry ripped from his lungs when Komaeda slammed into it. Hajime jerked violently, digging his nails into Komaeda's back. He might've come again; he couldn't tell.

Komaeda suddenly buried his teeth in Hajime's shoulder, breaking through the skin as his hips stuttered. Hajime flinched from the bite, grinding down hard on Komaeda's dick.

"Hinata—!" Komaeda's voice was breathless, breaking in his ear.

The wetness inside him grew, and Hajime shivered, realizing what it was. His alpha had marked him. "C-Come in me again," he whined, kissing Komaeda's neck and jaw. "Please… I need more. That felt so good, I… I want you to get me pregnant!"

Hajime jerked back in horror at the thing that had just come out of his mouth. Even though male omegas were something of an anomaly, heat was still a reproductive urge, so it wasn't totally insane that he'd said something like that in a fit of passion, but… he still said it. And to Komaeda, no less.

But Komaeda didn't laugh. If anything, the intensity of his gaze increased. "I'll do anything you want," he said, sliding down to kiss Hajime's chest. "If it's a request from you, I'll do anything."

Tangling his hands in Komaeda's messy hair, Hajime moaned softly as one of his nipples was licked and sucked, then the other. "M-Make me so nobody else will ever be able to touch me, so I'll never be able to be satisfied by another person. Make it so I c-can't even please myself anymore… Drive me insane, Komaeda, please…!"

Komaeda sat up, licking his lips. They were wet, as was his chin—probably from Hajime's semen. Hajime keened when he reached between his legs, stroking his dick. It almost hurt, he was so hypersensitive. When Komaeda flicked his thumb across the tip, Hajime nearly kneed him in the gut.

He was going to die. Komaeda was going to kill him.

"Driving somebody insane..." Pinning Hajime's hips down with his free hand, Komaeda continued to rub his thumb over the head of his penis. "That's definitely a thing even someone as worthless as me can manage."

The flames engulfed him.


Hajime's throat hurt as his voice tore through it again. His body seized, jerking, as he came, adding yet another stain to the sheets. Komaeda's teeth found a marked spot on his neck, biting into one of the many fresh wounds there. Hajime shivered, clenching around him. If Komaeda came, he couldn't even feel it anymore. Everything had all mixed together. There was no longer a Hajime Hinata who did not belong to Nagito Komaeda.

His limbs couldn't hold him up any longer and he collapsed onto the bed, panting into the pillow. He'd totally lost track of what time it was, what day it was, and how many times they'd had sex. Every so often, they drifted off, only for Hajime to wake up again, trembling with need.

Komaeda dropped down beside him, pressing against his back. The skin there itched, but Hajime knew that was from the marks on it.

"You'll be finished soon," Komaeda said, wrapping an arm around his waist.

"...How do you know that?"

"If I can tell when you're going into heat, I should be able to tell when you're going out of it, right?" Komaeda sighed heavily against the back of his neck. "I'm suddenly very exhausted."

Hajime blinked. Had the temperature in the room dropped, or had it always been this cool? "Oh… Sorry. I didn't even think about that..."

"Getting placed in front of you during heat is like being in heat myself. As long as an omega needs it, an alpha is capable of satisfying them over and over and over… I never thought of myself as able to do that, but I suppose even someone like me is a slave to that sort of hierarchy."

"It's cold." Yanking the sheet up to his neck, Hajime pulled Komaeda tighter against him. "I wouldn't have asked you to do this for me if I thought you weren't going to… satisfy me or whatever. I mean, you..."

Just thinking back on the way Komaeda looked at him made his cheeks flush in embarrassment.

"You were pretty aggressive, you know. I've heard of alphas who keep their omegas marked, but I think you went a little trigger happy. My neck fucking hurts."

Komaeda laughed, gently kissing some of the marks. "I'm sorry. You could ask Tsumiki to take a look at them when we return to the others..." He trailed off, making an unhappy noise. "Actually, I don't know if I'll be able to let you do that."

"The pharmacy sells disinfectant," Hajime said, turning over to face Komaeda. "I can take care of it."

"Or I can."

It was more than natural to exchange kisses while they spoke, but, much to Hajime's relief, the intense arousal did not return. "Guess that's fair," he murmured. "Mm… Hey, um… Thanks."

"Huh?"

"For… y'know. Having sex with me an obscene amount of times in the span of, like, four days."

Komaeda laughed again. "Isn't that something most people would jump at the chance to do?"

"Sh-Shut up, you know what I mean. You were going to refuse. Thanks for not running off and leaving me with somebody else."

"I wouldn't have done that. As much as much as I wanted to abide by what you told me, if you'd sent me away, I doubt I would've been able to go far. Just the other side of the door, perhaps."

"And you would've waited?" It hurt too much to keep his head tilted up, so he smushed his face back down into the pillow.

"Ah… It's almost embarrassing to think about now," Komaeda said. "Really, I don't know when I got it in my head that I could please you..."

Hajime furrowed his brow, snuggling Komaeda tighter. "But you did."

"Only because you were desperate. Any of the others would've been more desirable to you, had they been present."

"Didn't you see me run from Souda and lock myself in the shower room? I asked you to stay because I appreciated the concessions you were trying to make for me. I've never had to deal with alphas before while being… being in heat. You even knew I was an omega, didn't you? And you never took advantage of that."

"Because I understand my place—"

"We're friends though, aren't we?" Hajime rubbed his fingers over the partially scabbed over marks on Komaeda's back. "Although… now we're a little more than that."

Komaeda exhaled sharply. "I-I thought… you wouldn't want to see me again after this. What I've done is… deplorable. I've defiled you, I—"

"—made me yours." Summoning the last of his strength, Hajime propped himself up on his elbow so he could look down at Komaeda. His hair was gross and matted, and his lip was bruised from where Hajime had bitten it too hard. He was beautiful. "And I made you mine. So we're even."

Komaeda stared at him with a befuddled expression. "You… want to stay together after this?"

"Of course I do, dumbass. After we leave this motel room, after we leave this island..." Hajime leaned down to peck his lips. "We'll be partners from now on."

"Hinata..."

Hajime shook his head. "Call me by my first name."

"Th-That's really—!" If Komaeda's eyes got any wider, his eyeballs would pop out of their sockets. "Hinata, I—"

"Hajime."

"Nn..."

"Say it."

"Hin—"

"Nagito," Hajime purred, sliding his hand over Komaeda's chest. "There's no point in pretending we aren't familiar with each other anymore."

Komaeda gnawed on his bottom lip, looking everywhere but at Hajime. "I… suppose not… Hajime."

A shiver ran down Hajime's spine, making him grin. "Hearing you say that almost makes me want to go back into heat."

"Y-You aren't serious, are you?"

Hajime laughed at his panicked expression. "No," he said. "I think even one more time would kill me."

"It would kill us both."

"Look, it was my first time with an alpha. I got too excited."

"Mm. No kidding." Grabbing him around the waist again, Komaeda pulled him back down for a cuddle. "I want to shower and eat, but I'm afraid I'll pass out before I can do either."

Hajime nodded in agreement. "Everyone is probably losing their minds. I'm sure Usami is pissed, too..."

"Later. Sleep."

Smiling to himself, Hajime closed his eyes. It didn't take long for Komaeda's breathing to slow; he must really have been exhausted. That was fine. Hajime wasn't planning on leaving his side ever again.


After an undetermined amount of sleep, he and Nagito finally managed to get themselves together enough to leave the motel. Hajime was astonishingly sore, and regretted egging Nagito on to be rougher with him. He felt like he'd been tossed inside a cement truck. At least he could walk, though. Although it was entirely possible that his ass actually hurt so much that it had gone numb.

The reached the hotel restaurant right at lunchtime. Hajime steeled himself for the inevitable outbreak of chaos.

As expected, the moment he walked into the restaurant, he was mobbed. There were too many voices at once, too many people vying for his attention. Mioda, Souda, Owari, Hanamura, Saionji, Koizumi, Nidai, Tsumiki, Togami, all wanting to know where he'd been, what happened, was he alright.

"H-Hinata, you look t-terrible!" Tsumiki exclaimed. "You need to be examined immediately!"

"Where the hell have you been, anyway? All sorts of weird rumors have been flying around," Koizumi said.

Togami not-so-gently nudged Tsumiki out of the way with his tonnage. "You had us all worried sick, vanishing like that!"

Hajime stepped back, pressing his fingers to his temples. And here he'd just gotten his headache to settle… "Look, if you just calm down, I'll explain—"

"Whoo!" Owari reached out to roughly yank his collar aside. "Look at those! Vicious!"

Everyone suddenly crowed closer. Hajime wanted to die.

"Ah! Those are clearly the marks of an impassioned lover!" said Hanamura.

"Whose are they?" Mioda demanded. "We'll have to get dental impressions from everyone if Hajime won't tell us!"

Saionji gave him a harsh jab in the chest, followed by an ugly expression. "Something about you is different. I dunno what, but I don't like it. When I figure it out, I'm gonna bop you on the head!"

"S-Something is a bit different about him, isn't it?" Souda said, eyes flitting nervously throughout the group. "Like something off? Something n-not there anymore?"

"Well, Hinata?" Nidai boomed. Unlike everyone else, he just seemed genuinely amused by the proceedings.

Hajime couldn't breathe. He wanted to answer, but he was overwhelmed. There was no clear place to start.

Nagito's voice suddenly cut through the clamor.

"I would greatly appreciate it if you would all keep your hands off him."

It was immediately easier to get air once Nagito stepped in front of him. Without thinking, he fisted his hands in the back of Nagito's coat.

"Honestly, this is incredibly annoying," Nagito said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Seeing Ultimates like you act so desperate over an omega you don't even realize you lost is almost enough to make me lose hope altogether."

"O… mega?" Souda echoed. "Y-Y-You mean Hinata's really…?!"

Mioda let out a distressed wail, pulling her hair. "That's why Hajime always smelled so nice? Man, this is a serious bummer!"

"You guys are such perverted idiots, getting excited over something like that," Saionji said, turning away. "Plus, you're even bigger losers for letting him get snatched up by that creepy ragmop."

"Woo-hoo-hoo-hoo! You mean those are Komaeda's marks?" Owari asked, laughing. "For a scrawny guy, you don't mess around!"

"That's right. Hajime belongs to me. Of course, even against just one of you, I'm woefully outmatched as an alpha," Nagito said. "But I still wouldn't advise trying your luck."

Hajime pressed his face into the back of Nagito's neck to hide his grin. His beautiful alpha was protecting him, even though Hajime could also easily lay him out. "Your luck is better, isn't it?" he giggled.

Grumbling among themselves, the others dispersed. Hajime was starving, but he dragged Nagito out of the restaurant anyway. They could find something to eat at Rocketpunch Market. Once they were in the hall, Nagito staggered a little, rubbing his forehead.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me..."

Hajime pecked him on the lips. "I like this possessive side of yours."

"It's… cruel of you to continue to tease me like this."

"I'm not trying to tease you," Hajime said. He cupped Nagito's face, stroking the alabaster skin with his thumbs. "Telling the other Ultimates off for my sake is a pretty big deal, coming from you, who loves them more than anything else."

"It's more the hope that they embody—"

Taking advantage of Nagito's open mouth, Hajime easily slipped his tongue in for a deep kiss. He pulled one of his hands from Nagito's face, sliding it down over his chest instead. Beneath the thin fabric of his shirt, Hajime could feel his heart pounding.

"But I'm the most important thing to you now, aren't I?" Hajime asked.

Nagito nodded, wrapping his arms around Hajime's waist. "It's something like… our souls are tied together now, isn't it?"

"I'm not complaining. Even if I hadn't gone into heat, I wouldn't have complained." Smiling, Hajime rested his forehead against Nagito's. "I really enjoy spending time with you."

"That… really makes me happy, Hajime."

The world fell away.