The Day of the Subway
"We should kiss.
Not because you passed my way by chance
but because you stopped
and I haven't been the same since."
Courtney Peppernell, "Pillow Thoughts"
Waking up had never felt this… disgusting before.
Shota's head hurt. His arms hurt. His eyes felt crusty as hell.
His throat was parched. And what was going on with that foul taste in his mouth?
Had he broken his on oath to never go on another bender with Mic, Midnight and Vlad?
Under great difficulties the hero peeled his eyes open… to stare blearily at an unfamiliar white ceiling.
Where the hell, was he?
"Thank god, you're awake, Aizawa…"
Shota slowly turned his head to the loud noise.
Mic was sitting next to his bed.
A hospital bed. Shota catalogued this as another piece of information.
"You woke up quite a bit faster than expected." Nemuri added.
Yamada and Nemuri were there.
Both of his Beta friends, with their hair up in buns and in their street clothes. Both of them looking worried and glum as fuck.
Shota blinked. Trying to clear his head. To remember.
In his listless staring, Shota raised his aching hands… arms, and noted for the first time the bandages there. On autopilot he inspected the injuries. The dressing went up to elbows.
In some state of numb curiosity, he poked his arm.
It hurt.
How had this happened?
Why was he in a hospital?
What the fuck had happened?
He hadn't been injured when he had run after that dealer…
Green.
Wry smile.
A particular accent
"Hero-san… Eyes on me."
What did he d…?!
Shit! Shit! Shitshit! Shitshitshitshitshitshitshit!
Shota snapped in an upward position, staring horrified at his friends.
Fuck!
The dealer. The subway…. The drug.
And oh my god, that Omega.
The Omega…
He had…
"Aizawa, are you alright?" Nemuri sounded worried.
Shota didn't answer her. He couldn't even see her anymore. He was staring blankly at his white hospital blanket. Bits and pieces of what had happened in that subway station coming back to him...
*** Flashback****
It was late March evening in 2249. The new school year was about to start in a few weeks and with it would come a bunch of new brats and problem children. A new hero curse and class Shota would have to evaluate… Time would tell if any of them would last or if they would fall in line with all the other idiots, Shota had expelled over the years.
Aizawa Shota was 30 year old Alpha, a pro underground hero and a teacher at U.A., one of Japan's best hero schools.
He had never been a typical Alpha, though. Despite his secondary gender he was mostly quite composed. Sure, he was a grouchy, brooding ass a lot of the time, but he had never great trouble controlling his aggressions, like other of his peers. Instead, logical and calm contemplation had always been his strong point. In general, his Alpha seldomly acted out at all. Beside of his bi-yearly rut, this part of him didn't affect his daily life and even his ruts were tame compared to what those could be like. Suppressants and scent blocker took care of the rest.
He was thankful for that. It meant less distractions that way.
Shota was dictated to his work. He was already sleeping way less than anyone should and Nemuri and Yamada wouldn't stop bothering him about his terrible eating habits… that very often consist of jelly packs. In the last years he had started to tentatively build closer relationships with his friends and colleagues again to the point that he had accepted Nedzu's offer to teach alongside them.
Besides that, he still kept mostly to himself. Although there would be the odd one-nightstand every now and then. Shota held no desire for anything more meaningful.
He liked his life like that. He had found some kind of inner peace in the last years. Hard won after what happened to Oboro.
And he certainly didn't need any unruly Alpha instincts messing up his routine.
Shota didn't like messy.
Point.
The underground hero knew, he should be taking a break before school started for real… He could have caught up on a bit of sleep… But he wasn't the type to rest, not really.
And that's why he had been chasing some low life criminal with a really annoying glitch quick through the whole town. Shota had nearly captured him a least three times by now but the bastard had always managed to free himself from the scarf by glitching through the material whenever Shota blinked.
Tsukauchi had already warned Eraserhead that this dealer was a slippery guy. The criminal was a known to sell a lot of shit. The last they had heard was that he had taken to dealing heat and rut inducing drugs to brothels and probably to some underground sex rings that offered Omegas on the menu and catered mostly to Alphas. Catching that asshole wouldn't just take a dealer off the streets, it could also mean a valuable lead for some bigger cases.
So, here he was, running after a criminal, who had just decided that a subway station was the perfect location to hide at. A subway station with civilians…
Motherfucker!
Cursing under his breath, Shota hurried after his target, hoping that this wouldn't end in a freaking disaster.
In the station were just a few people, as far as Shota could tell. He counted 15 persons. A small group of high school girls giggling, a few punks laughing, a small bunch of business men and one conductor.
In another attempt to finish this as fast as possible, Shota activated his quirk and shot his scarf out.
And he finally got that asshole!
Around him, he heard the girls squeak in alarm.
"Oh my god what's going on there?"
"Woah dude, is that a pro hero?!" One of the punks called out.
"No way he looks like a freaking hobo!"
"Oh fuck, he's totally going after that guy! Chiaki, quick your phone!"
"Someone should call the police!"
Shit, Shota hated fights in front of civilians! It meant putting other people in danger and there were always videos and photos of him afterwards!
And that meant the vultures would have new food.
All underground heroes hated the media. It was poison for their profession.
And then it happened – literally in a blink of an eye… again…
Fucking shit!
Shota's eyes already burned uncomfortably under the constant strain of the night. The chase had given him little chances to use his eyedrops.
The erasure on the dealer's quirk ended and the bastard was already half out of the capture weapon before Shota had him again. Fuck, he needed to knock that asshole out if he ever wanted to blink again.
Shota propelled himself forward, ready to deck the desperate looking dealer in the face. And just as he was about to strike the criminal pulled something out of his pocket and threw it in the hero's face.
Three packs of pink powder exploded right under his nose.
Completely stunned Shota made two grave mistakes.
He blinked and he inhaled…?!
The dealer used the opportunity to glitch away again and sprinted off as fast as he could. But instead of running after the bastard, Shota had dropped to his knees, coughing and gasping.
The effect of the drugs hit him with the force of a truck. Unforgiving and fast things were spiralling out of control.
His heart was hammering against his chest cavity, blood was loudly rushing in his ears. Panting like he had run a marathon, Shota tried to get to get his breathing back under control.
Shit, why he did feel so hot all of a sudden?
His vision was beginning to turn hazy. Desperate blinking, did nothing to clear his vision.
What the fuck had that ass drugged him with?
Shota groaned as his whole body seemed to burn from within… almost as if…
A painful cramp in his stomach had him gasping for air again.
Fucking hell!
He was going into rut!
The drug was burning straight through his suppressants… That realisation was accompanied with another wave of panic and an unbearable heat rushing into his groin.
Fuck, he was already rock hard.
Through the haze in his head, he heard nervous muttering.
"How lame."
"Oh my god…"
"What's going on?
"… ambulance?"
"Shit! What's up with that smell?"
So, they could smell his rut already. The underground hero groaned in painful arousal. He needed to get out of here.
Fast… before…
He caught the scent of roses and sugar.
His Alpha had her located before Shota could form any conscious thought.
It was one of the high school girls who emitted that smell. Probably already in response to his own pheromones, leaking from his feverish body.
Shota wanted to howl in despair.
Why the hell was an Omega here?
It took all of his remaining willpower not to move in her direction.
"Everyone, back away! Right now!"
A strong voice cut through the chaos, surrounding Shota.
Peering through unruly tresses of black hair, the underground hero saw that one of the business men in a suit had stepped forward and was trying to bring order to the situation.
There was an air on calm confidence around him as he addressed the conductor.
"Sir, you need to escort everyone out of here and it's essential that you start with that Omega girl. That man has just been drugged with a strong aphrodisiac. He's about to go into a feral rut."
That was a fast analyse of the situation.
The conductor had paled dramatically, stuttering and babbling in shock. The suit guy all but shoved the panicked man in the direction of the school girls. If Shota had been himself, he would have been relieved to see the Omega girl go…
But as it was, his Alpha was growling in aggression, getting ready to pounce and fight for his chance to mate.
Why was it so hard to hold back? Shota had never experienced something like this before. Controlling his Alpha nature had always been easy for him. His second gender had never overwhelmed him like this.
That girl… she smelled really sweet. Too sweet for his taste… normally. But nothing was normal right now. His Alpha didn't care, if she didn't smell right…
Everything was so hot, burning. Shota was gritting his teeth. Everything hurt. This was unbearable… His cock was straining against his confinement.
Shota needed relief. He was losing himself… was going crazy.
The Alpha needed to mate.
Anything to make this stop.
He couldn't…
He couldn't hold himself back any longer. With an animalistic howl he got ready to hunt for his mate.
"Stop!" Again, a strong command.
The Suit pushed himself in Shota's line of sight.
He was young with dark, wavy hair in stylish cut and bright green eyes behind frameless glasses.
"You're a hero, right?" The young business guy was trying to distract the agitated Alpha.
Dangerous
Shota managed a nod, grateful that he was able to focus on something else, even for a second. He knew that his control was slipping fast and every moment he was stalled was important right now. It would give the civilians time to escape…
Dark, blood-shot eyes zeroed in on the Omega girl. Again.
"You really don't want to do this, Hero-san. You need to stay here." The Suit was speaking so calmly.
Why wasn't that man moving out of his way? Why hadn't Shota just pushed around him?
It would be so easy…
Shota was growling softly, but he was hesitating.
"You're doing great, Hero-san. Come on, keep your eyes on me." The Suit was glancing nervously over his shoulder and cursed under his breath.
People had started to panic… shoving at each other to get out of the station. They were blocking the exit for the girls…
Fuck!
For a moment green meet black.
Shota and the Suit had apparently come to the same conclusion.
They were fighting an uphill battle here.
And they were losing.
"Okay… Shit!" The Suit was grinding his teeth, throwing Shota a contemplating look, before straightening his shoulders.
"Okay. And for the record: I'm sorry, but I don't see this ending well otherwise…."
With a new determined expression on his face and deft, slender fingers, the young man quickly loosened his tie and unbuttoned his shirt.
Only to reveal an Omega's collar.
The Suit was an Omega!
What were the chances?! Omegas were rare. Male ones even more so… What was he doing here, in a suit no less? Usually, Omegas would end up mated shortly after school, living as housewives and mothers. In the worse cases they ended up in the sex industry, sold to the highest bidder. Very seldomly the achieved some kind of higher education…
In utter fascination Shota observed how the male Omega in front of him peeled the scent blockers of his neck, going even so far to rub over hidden gland under the collar.
The effect was immediate.
A rich smell of Japanese camellia and lemongrass filled the space between Alpha and Omega.
This new scent was amazing. A beautiful mixture of sweet, flowery and herbal. Sensual and inciting. The kind of smell, Shota preferred to the overly sugary odour most Omegas emitted and even some female Betas used as perfumes to incite Alpha partners.
And as if this delicious smell wasn't enough, was the male Omega was going as far as bowing his head in a show of demure submission.
The Alpha in in the underground hero howled in excitement. The heat of the rut seemed to intensify even more. Shota was breathing harshly.
"Do you like that, Hero-san? Hmm… do you like my scent? Come on, follow me." The green-eyed man was cooing encouragingly, while taking a careful step backwards.
The Alpha keened softly, following.
"Yes, like that. Let the girls leave, Hero-san… Eyes on me." Knee green eyes were observing Shota's reactions very carefully and calculating, as the Omega took another step back.
"You're doing good. So good. Such a good Alpha. Come to me." The Omega was purring audibly.
An embarrassingly high pitched sound of impatient excitement left the Alpha's throat.
The heat was melting his brain. He felt confused and overwhelmed. His Omega was praising him. He had submitted to him. He wanted him.
Right?
But why wasn't he stopping? Where was he going?
There was no way he was going to let his Omega leave… mate… he would mate with that wonderful smelling Omega.
Breeding him.
Making him beg for his knot.
A terrifying and loud growl ripped itself from the Alpha's throat, causing the Omega to flinch a little.
For a second everything stilled and nobody seemed to dare to even breathe. Shota could hear someone whimpering somewhere in the background.
And then the Omega in the suit composed himself again.
"Shh, shh… no need to growl, Alpha. You're doing so well for me. I'm not running away, just going somewhere more comfortable." He tried to sooth the upset Alpha, pointing to something behind him.
The conductor's cabin.
A small enclosed space.
A place with a sturdy door and far away from the station exit - concluded the barely lucid part of Shota's hero brain in relief.
A nest. A safe nest to mate the Omega - the Alpha concluded in untameable excitement and desire.
Whatever control Shota thought, he still had over himself, how little it might have been… was rapidly slipping away. Who was he kidding?
His meagre control was literally burning away under the heat the forced rut and under the painful, throbbing pressure in his groin.
Another sniff of that alluring scent of camellia and lemongrass was enough.
It had become a siren call the Alpha couldn't withstand any longer.
He pounced.
A widening of startled green eyes and a shout of alarm were the only reaction of the Omega as he was pushed into the conductor's cabin.
The door fell shut behind them with an audible click.
"Shit!" The young man cursed, as he glanced around quickly, clearly taking stock of the cramped little cabin.
There was little to no space for any big manoeuvring… something that would be essential to get past the tall Alpha, blocking the exit.
The nearly feral Alpha howled at the idea that the inciting smelling Omega in front of him might even try to leave him. Not when he was already so close. Smelling so good…
The Alpha only had to stretch out his arm and grab him…
The inferno raging through his gut was burning him from the inside. Shota could barely see straight any longer. Heat clouding his vision. Pulsing heat pooling in his loins.
Everything hurt.
Shota needed…
He needed…
The normal, lucid and rational man and hero in Shota cursed, it was obvious that getting trapped with the feral Alpha in here, had not been the Omega's plan. He really wanted to shout at the brave stranger to run as fast as he could to get away before…. Shota wanted to be able to let him leave.
But everything that he managed was a soft grumbling sound.
Apparently, that was invitation enough for the Omega to try and slip past him. But as the young man came close, so was the smell.
Fuck!
Shota snarled aggressively, pulling the Omega close to him, ending effectively the escape attempt.
"Darn…" Frustrated green eyes peered up into tired grey ones.
The Alpha growled again and snapped his teeth threateningly, when he felt that the Omega tried to test the strength of his hold.
Did Omega seem more flushed than before? Pupils dilated?
Was the scent of camellia and lemongrass a bit spicier… a bit more sensual than before?
In the enclosed space the Omega was totally exposed to the rut pheromones and it was starting to take an effect.
Sensing an opening, the Alpha rumbled soothingly as he released more of his own pheromones. Oranges and mint.
Surely, the Omega just needed a little more encouragement to mate…
Pulling the green eyed man closer, the Alpha pushed his aching arousal against the slender body, desperately seeking some kind of relief.
A breathy chuckle was his answer.
"Okay. Okay, big boy…" The Omega patted his chest, sounding distinctively huskier than before. "I've got the message. Got it! No need to stink up the whole place." Laughing wryly but finally relaxing his posture into the Alpha's possessive embrace.
The young man was clearly giving up on the thought of running away.
Half-lid green eyes peered up at him, while a slender hand softly caresses Shota's scrubby cheek.
"Ahh… shit! That bastard got you real good with that stuff, didn't he?" The Omega hummed kindly. "Honestly, I'm quite amazed that you even held out to this point… you must be hurting quite a bit by now. You did good. You hear me? Whatever happens next, you've done your best." The Omega cooed softly.
The smell of arousal had become incredibly thick in the small, enclose cabin. Shota could practically taste it on his tongue, the fragrance of their mingling arousal.
Very slowly the Omega took a step out of the hold under the sharp eyes of the Alpha.
Shota's breath hitched as he watched the slender male plugging his glasses of his nose and shrugging out of his jacket, unbuttoning his shirt…
"Well then Hero-san, might as well get the show on the road…" The Omega purred.
The last of Shota's highly praised rationality flew right out of the window, along with his last conscious thought.
The Alpha pounced.
**** Flashback end****
Nausea was churning in Shota's belly under the flood of hazy memories and sensations.
Some of it must have shown on his face because the moment the underground hero started coughing and hacking, Yamada was already there with a bowl.
"Oh my!" Nemuri exclaimed alarmed. "Should I call a nurse?"
"No…" Shota groaned pitifully in between his vomiting, acid bile burning in his throat.
"Let's give him a moment, ok?" Mic muttered softly to the heroine, before leaning down to Shota.
"Breathe, Shota. Easy. Let it out. Sh…Sh… It's ok. It's going to be ok… I promise." Shota allowed himself to be lulled in by Yamada's gentle words, while his usually loud friend was holding his wild black hair back so he would puke on it. Nemuri was on his other side, patting his back comfortingly as he retched up the content of his stomach.
None of his friends commented on the tears pooling in his eyes or the fact that at some point his dry heaving had turned into sobs.
At some point even the tears dried up and Shota simply felt lost. Yamada was still sitting next to him, offering silent comfort despite his usually very loud nature.
"Here, Aizawa. Drink some water. The nurses told us that you'll need lots of liquids. It'll help to settle your stomach, too." Nemuri pressed a glass into Shota's hands.
"The doctors said that you'd be quite out of it when you'd wake up. The rescue team had to sedate you to extract the both of you from the scene. I'm afraid, they needed twice the recommended dose. You had quite the drug filled day, darling." Kayama's teasing was quite lost on Shota's shocked and numb mind.
Endless tired, he looked at his friends with bleary eyes.
"I fucked up, didn't I?!"
After this epic breakdown, Shota had been able to calm down a bit and Mic and Midnight had carefully filled him in.
As it turned out someone had indeed called the police to the subway station, who in turn had been woefully unequipped to deal with a feral Alpha, who was in the middle of a drug induced rut and had taken a random Omega hostage for that.
It had taken some time to get someone with a tranq gun and strong sedatives to the scene. Time, that Shota had spent out of his mind and… violating the civilian.
After both the Omega and the hero's tranquilized ass had been recovered, they had been both brought to the next hospital.
And right now, the police and the hospital were working through the usual rape protocols for such cases. It was procedure in such cases that the privacy of the Omega victim had to be protected at all costs to keep overzealous Alphas from staking claims, which meant that even Shota's friends hadn't been able to inquire about the green-eyed man's wellbeing.
At all.
With no information available, sour guilt was eating away on Shota's stomach.
A sudden knock disturbed the sombre mood.
"Hello my friends." Tsukauchi Naomasa's head peeked into the room.
The detective took in Shota's sorry state with an empathic wince of sympathy.
"Eraserhead, I'm glad you're awake. The doctors said, it might still take some time until you'd come around. You look…" A vague hand gesture was made. "You look like shit."
Shota glowered at his blanket.
He felt like shit.
So yeah, if the shoe fits…
"Are you sure you should be up yet?" Tsukauchi asked worriedly.
"Woke up on my own and I don't feel like going back to sleep. And if you're here then there's stuff to do, isn't it?" Shota managed to grumble, trying to cling to the rational part of the situation.
Going through the motions of a normal case might be his only chance to find a semblance of stability and control in all this chaos.
"Have you come to read me the charges? You must have collected most statements by now…"
"Indeed, my colleagues have already collected all statements, except yours. That will be my job now."
So, Shota started to recount the events of the hunt up to the point that that dealing scum had drugged him.
"… my memory is hazy after that. I think that there was an Omega girl… I almost… I remember that I smelled her. I would have…" Shota dragged a hand over tried eyes. "If that male Omega hadn't intervened… I am sure that I would have gone after her. I'm not sure but I believe that the guy lured me away from her on purpose… and then I…" Here the underground hero had to stop.
Yamada was there to press another glass of water into his hand.
Tsukauchi sighed and rested his elbows on his knees, a pensive look on his face.
"All other witness statements confirm what you've said so far. You tried to apprehend a drug dealer who dosed you with an unhealthy amount of a strong aphrodisiac that induced a feral rut. The young Omega in the suit had been the first to recognize the signs of your impending rut and told everybody to keep away from you. The conductor said that he even ordered him to get the Omega girl out of the station as fast as possible. When that didn't happen, he used himself as bait. He wanted to lock you in…"
"… the conductor's cabin."
"Yes. But the plan didn't work out in the end. He ended up in there with you instead…" Tsukauchi was clearly trying to be gentle here.
"I shoved him in there." Shota deadpanned.
"… yes…"
Shota growled in frustration.
He had been out of control. He was never out of control. Never. Shota had made a point in his career and his personal life to be always level-headed, pragmatic and rational. To the point that he tended to borderline rude to people at times. Fuck, he had expelled more students than any other teacher. He had crushed the dreams of some nice kids… who had simply lacked potential for the reality a hero's lifestyle would push on them.
He usually wasn't an ass about it but he hadn't sugar coated anything either. Because he was in control of his feeling and his actions.
It made him the hero he was today. The hero, Oboro had thought he could be.
This today… It changed everything.
When the Omega pressed charges, Shota would lose his licence for sure…
"I interviewed the Omega." Tsukauchi's calm voice interrupted the underground hero's brooding. "He said that he won't press charges."
Shota's head snapped up to stare wide eyed at his friend.
"Are you sure? That's great news!" Yamada half shouted. For the first time today, there was some of his usual up-beat and hopeful nature shining through.
"Nothing he said registered as a lie. So, yes. I am sure." The detective smiled slightly.
Midnight and Mic, both heaved big sighs of relief and slumped in their chairs.
"Thank god!" The heroine mumbled.
Only Shota was still staring at Tsukauchi, unable to comprehend.
"Why?"
Now it was the detective's turn to look slightly uncomfortable. Tsukauchi was scratching the back of his neck awkwardly.
"He insisted that he gave his consent."
Naomasa had left shortly after to finish his report on the incident. In his wake he left almost as much questions as his visit had answered.
Nemuri and Yamada had needed to leave as well. His friends had made him promise to rest some more and to call them if he needed anything.
Shota had agreed, a little impatient to get them of his back, because he wouldn't be able to do what he needed to do as long as they hovered around him.
Yamada and Nemuri would be appalled and more than a little bit worried if they could see him now. Sneaking past several nurses through hospital corridors and peeking randomly into various rooms to find the Omega.
He wasn't about to do something creepy. Shota tried to tell himself that he only wanted to see if the Omega was alright…
Nothing more.
Maybe say sorry.
That was it.
This was…
This wasn't good.
The procedure to separate Alphas and Omegas after assault cases was in place for a reason. And as much as Shota wanted to deny it… part of his own agitation was probably cause by the forced distance between him and his potential mate.
Spending a rut with an Omega… had consequences. Shota could feel the restless yearning of the Alpha in his guts.
It made him anxious. Needy. Irritable.
And apparently reckless as fuck…
And then he could smell it. Through the sterile odours of a hospital… There was a tiny hint of Japanese Camellia and lemongrass.
Feeling his stupid heart speed up in something close to anticipation, he followed the smell to its source, room 344.
Fuck, there had to be something seriously wrong with me… Shota thought with a little disgust for his own lack of composure and restrain.
He was essentially sniffing out an Omega, he had violated. If this wasn't creepy as hell… the nurses should have restrained in his room, like any other rut-crazed sex offered.
Swallowing the sour taste in his mouth, the underground hero took a few calming breaths, making sure that no one was looking in his direction… before knocking.
"Come in."
It was really him. Shota recognized the accented Japanese easily.
Swallowing heavily the hero gathered all his bravery and push the door open.
Inside, the young man sat on his bed. Pale and dark-haired.
He was probably in his early twenties… and despite his colouring, clearly of Caucasian descent. Something Shota hadn't really registered until now…
Combined with the accent, the underground hero concluded that the man was most likely American or British… Mic would probably be able to tell.
The Omega was no longer dressed in a suit. Now he was wearing a lose hospital shirt and the Omega collar sat still firmly and intact around his slim neck. His previously styled hair had become wavy and somewhat unruly, as small locks of dark hair curled around his ears and against his nape. With the glasses still gone, wide, almond-shaped, green eyes blinked in surprise at the unexcepted visitor.
"Oh hello, Hero-san. What do I owe the pleasure of you company?" The Omega's sensual lips smiled teasingly.
It sounded like a nice greeting but didn't quite manage to divert Shota from the slight tightening around the Omega's eyes. The young man was cautious. And suspicious.
He was carefully taking in the underground hero's rumbled and slightly ragged appearance. Shota knew with his black track suit and unkept long hair, that even on his good days, he looked more like a hobo than a real hero.
The underground hero cleared his throat awkwardly.
"I… I know that you might not want to see the man who assaulted you…" Dark eyebrows raised themselves in a show of sceptic surprise. "But I'd like the chance to apologize and to tell you that I am deeply sorry for everything that happened! Please, accept my apology." Shota stiffly bowed; eyes clenched shut.
Beneath his calm demeanour and monotone voice, his heart was racing.
"No."
Shota flinched.
Of course, the Omega wouldn't forgive him… how could he?
"Please, stop bowing…" The Omega was smiling but there was a hint of something sharp in his voice, that had Shota looking up.
The young man was resting his head against his probed up knee. There was a particular expression on his face while he regarded Shota. It was strange.
The soft almost sensual smile should have been more reassuring, but that wasn't the case… Ah… it was the eyes. They didn't fit. While the friendly curve of the mouth seemed to say 'Come closer', these calculating-green eyes gave another message entirely… 'Stay the fuck away from me!' – They screamed at Shota.
The underground hero had to stop himself from fidgeting under that scrutiny… He could almost feel his Alpha anxiously whinging.
A single sweat drop was about to run down Shota's temple.
"You know that in this situation you're probably even more of a victim than me, right?" The Omega huffed out, taking pity on him.
"What?!" Shota croaked.
He… He really hadn't considered himself a victim in all of this…
Intelligent green eyes softened a little.
"Out the two of us, I wasn't the one drugged out of his mind…" The Omega huffed. "The stuff that shitty guy threw in your face was a potent synthetic pheromone with a strong bonding agent meant to induce a rut. That stuff is usually used in illegal Omega houses and sex trafficking, Hero-san."
Shota felt his breath hitching. He knew these things… of course… but…
He hadn't allowed his mind to analyse that knowledge until now and what that meant for him.
"On top of that, that fucker clearly overdosed you. Very little of what happened in the subway, happened because of your own conscious decisions. And while I gave my consent, you were in no state to give yours. So no, apology not accepted, it was an accident." The Omega smiled carelessly at him.
Shota was shaking his head in denial.
"That criminal was my responsibility! I wasn't able to capture him. It was my fault that I had to chase him into the subway to begin with. I should have been able to keep all civilians out of harm's way. It was my job as a hero to keep you safe! This is… this is why I need you to know that I am sorry."
For a while they starred at each other. Neither really willing to give in, until finally the Omega threw his hands up.
"Okay, I accept your stupid apology! It's still not really needed, but okay. Your concern is appreciated, Hero-san." The green-eyed young man huffed in a slightly mocking tone, but despite everything Shota felt relieved.
A small triumph after this shitty night. He felt a smile pulling at his lips.
"Thank you. My name is…"
"I don't care." The interruption came fast and a little coldly.
And it stung.
The underground hero blinked, stunned.
"What?"
The Omega was regarding him with carefully polite expression, that fake sweet smile gone.
"I said, I don't care what your name is, H.E.R.O.-san. You came to apologize, I accepted… as unnecessary as it was. We're good." The Omega shrugged.
There under the politeness and a terse smile was it again… that mocking exasperation.
But Shota's attention had been called to something else. The shrug had caused the young man's shirt to slip somewhat and revealed part of his shoulder. The skin around the leather choker had been patched up with white band aids… Shota could already guess that if he were to peel the plaster off, he would come face to face with the deep, bloody marks. The kind that the bite of an Alpha would leave behind.
Shota's bites.
As Aizawa's eyes travelled, he discovered more half-moon shaped bruises that hadn't broken through the skin. Along the Omega's neck and shoulders.
"But… I… you… Fuck, I bit you?! I hurt you, didn't I? Shit! I… I'm ready to take responsibility. I'll cover the hospital bill and anything else you might need." Shota was horrified, as he gritted the words out. Shame rolling through him in in huge waves.
Green eyes widened in alarm, hastily covering himself up again, before ruffling through untidy raven locks in a nervous gesture.
"Would you please calm down? We already talked about that! And I am sure that nice Detective has already told you, I could have run away the second I noticed that you had gone into rut."
Shota was shaking his head.
Fuzzy images of the green-eyed Omega ushering other people away and coxing him with sweet words to the conductor's cabin refaced in his mind.
"Why didn't you run then?" Shota bit out. "Why did you stay?"
"Would you have rather gone for the little high school girl?" The Omega deadpanned.
"No! No, of course not!" Shota glared at the green-eyed young man in front of him for even insinuate that he would have wanted to hurt a teenage girl like that.
His answer was a slightly sardonic smirk.
"Well, I thought so, too, Hero-san. Better me than her. Believe me had this gone wrong, you'd be in a lot more trouble now."
Shota frowned.
The Omega chuckled.
"If it had been the girl…"
"You mean she would have pressed charges."
"Oh no. I don't think that would have happened… I rather think, that at this moment you'd be right on your way to a shotgun wedding. To be defiled in such a public way…" Sharp green eyes took note of Shota's sweating with a dry laugh. "It would have destroyed all her lucrative future prospects. Omegas are rare… and highly sought after. In the best way, they marry well in the best circles, as trophy wives. But for that they need to be intact… pure as possible. Their reputation unblemished." There was an open distain for that practice in the young man's voice even if his expression hadn't changed from his soft teasing smile.
Another uncomfortable double bind.
"An underground hero would probably not have been on her parents wish list…" Shota started.
"… but under such circumstances you'd have to do." The Omega finished.
Ouch…
Shota glowered. A logical observation.
"The alternative would have been an uncertain future. It's hard to find a husband and protector… even harder to find legal work as an Omega and all the more likely that she might have fallen in the hands of shady people." There was something grim and bitter in the Omega's eyes as he summed to situation up.
The hero cursed under his breath. He was no fool the reality of discrimination against Omegas and certain quirks. He saw that shit almost every day and it never stopped that bubble of anger forming in his chest.
But the Omega's words forced another big question to the front of his mind.
"What does this mean for you?"
The Omega barked out a short laugh at that, before cooing at Shota.
"Aww, that's very sweet of you, Hero-san." A big smile was now directed at the underground hero. "But I promise you, I am a special case. The odd Omega out if you so will. As you can clearly see, I am not a teenager anymore and I do have a stable job."
"Are you bonded to someone?"
The question left a bitter taste in Shota's mouth… And after what he had just heard he didn't know which answer would be worse. Either he might have destroyed this Omega's future chances at finding a mate or he had sex with a bonded man.
Both scenarios didn't sit well with him.
And the Alpha in him squirmed in discomfort at the thought that the Omega could be already taken, making him feel somewhat sick.
The Omega snorted.
"No, I am a free Omega and I never was what most people would consider bonding material. So, I'm not worse off than before." There was another wry smile directed at Shota, while green eyes gleamed mischievously.
"And for your peace of mind, I can assure you that this wasn't my first rodeo. Not by far, Hero-san. And to be honest, it wasn't even the roughest ride I've ever had, either. Your Alpha was surprisingly gentle considering the situation, but maybe that's just your nature. You even prepped me a bit…" A soft chuckle left a sensual mouth, accompanied by a batting of lush eyelashes.
Embarrassment burned hot on Shota's cheeks.
Fuck!
But his bashfulness earns him the most earnest smile from the Omega, yet. It transforms his already handsome face into something bright and beautiful.
There are even some small dimples showing as the Omega ginned. Clearly laughing at the pro hero.
Cute.
"Let's be clear here, Hero-san. The fact that you held onto your rationality long enough to decide to go after me rather than the girl… or in the worst case on a wild trip through town… That was a fucking wonder in itself. You did well." The Omega added not unkindly.
"I still bit you."
"Well, you tried, but you only broke through the skin two or three times." The Omega agreed simply. "Didn't manage to chew through the leather of the collar, though. And after the first knot you started biting yourself instead of me." There was a disturbing nonchalance to his words, as the green-eyed man nodded pointedly at Shota's bandaged hands and arms.
What was probably meant to be reassuring, brought another bout of guilt, shock and nausea for the hero.
"I… shit! I knotted you?! More than once? Oh my god! You... you could be pregnant! What if you're pregnant?"
The Omega was laughing again.
"Aww honey, of course, you knotted me. Three times, I think. Things got a bit hazy to the end. You were in a feral rut. That's how it works… don't they teach health education classes in Japan?" Green-eyes were twinkling teasingly.
"How can you be so… so damn blasé about this?! You could be pregnant!" Shota felt sick.
He wasn't ready for children. He couldn't…
"Isn't that what Omegas are made for?!" The expression on the young man's face was overly lecherous when he said this… A challenge and a trap if Shota had ever seen one.
The underground hero scowled heavily, shaken his head mutely.
The Omega snorted at his stiff response but he lost some of that fake sensual attitude.
"So uptight, Hero-san." He cooed, before shrugging carelessly. "And again, health education! Even if my suppressants haven't made it unlikely that I conceived… You know that there is this little thing called morning-after-pill, exactly meant for situations like these." There was now a clear amusement in the Omega's voice.
Shota was being laughed at… again.
He knew, he was being an idiot…
Of course, the pill… it was the logical solution. Any irrational feelings of regret, that the Omega wouldn't carry his offspring after a successful coupling, were viciously stomped down on.
"Morning-after-pill… sure. Oh, damn it. Yes, of course… So, not pregnant?" The pro hero managed to clarify, his mind still a mess of hormones and instincts.
"Yep!" The young man smirked a little laconic, letting the "p" pop. "Definitely not pregnant, don't worry. I can promise you that this is going to be a no-strings-attached kind of scenario."
Relief and surprisingly a twinge of disappointment rattled through Shota's chest. The Alpha in him was still quite unsettled by all of this. He could still feel it in the back of his mind, raging and yearning for the Omega that he had shared his fake rut with just a few hours ago.
Damn, those drugs! And this damn Alpha brain!
"So, that was just sex to you…?" Shota couldn't help but ask.
"Yes, Hero-san. Just sex. You were quite good at it, too." That terse but teasing smile stretched over the Omega's lips again.
What an infuriating person that Omega was. All those subtle mood swings were giving Shota quite the backlash. In the last 20 minutes the man had went from sickeningly sweet, to stone-faced politeness and nonchalance, to calculating cool, to mocking teasing, to seductive sexy…
And now crude humour that was clearly a thinly veiled attempt to sooth and push him away at the same time.
Shota didn't know how to keep up with that.
"Please, don't joke about that. I am a pro hero and a teacher… I violated a civilian! I…" Shota groaned through clenched teeth.
"We already went over that." The Omega waved the hero's words away. "You were in an artificial, totally overdosed rut – in pain, and about to lose control. I chose to stay and take the heat, because I knew that I could handle it. Helping you out, was a calculated risk."
"And it was incredibly reckless and dangerous! I could have irreparably damaged you." The hero growled, still feeling the weight of responsibility. He had been trained to do better than that… To need saving from a civilian meant, he had fucked up.
Big time.
"Well, since I didn't use a quirk to help, I didn't do anything illegal and it seems a little hypocritically of you, Hero-san. It's practically part of your own job description to put yourself in danger. Throwing yourself in front of quirks, knives and bullets, if necessary, as long as you protect innocents." The Omega snipe back.
"I was trained to do so. I chose that job and got a licence for it!" Shota pointed out with a frown.
"If you chose to be a hero then surely, I am allowed to decide to throw myself in front a cock too. I don't think, I needed a licence for that!? Let's book this as me doing my civic duty, offering relief to the pillars of society and helping a girl to keep her innocence. " Defiant green eyes were mocking Shota him, as the underground hero was busy choking at the crude comment.
But the young man was relentless in his teasing provocation, as he leaned forward with half-lid eyes, wetting his lips with a quick sweep of his tongue .
"But then I always found that being an Omega was always the ultimate excuse for any kind of debauchery. Since our bodies make it so easy to enjoy a good fucking. So sensitive and fast to react to pleasure." The Omega breathed out huskily.
Aizawa wanted disagree, he knew he was being baited.
He really did. He wanted to tell the young man in front of him that just because his body reacted a certain way, didn't mean he no right to be cherished and protected.
Instead, his mouth had went dry and he shuddered visibly.
Keen green eyes catalogued all of his weakness immediately and with a coy smile the Omega leaned a bit forward, sniffing.
"Hmm… still feeling the effect of the drug, Hero-san?"
"I… Yeah…"Shota managed through clenched teeth.
Whatever game they had been playing here… Shota had obviously lost, considering the self-satisfied triumph gleaming in the Omega's eyes.
Shota was starting to smell himself, again… He shuddered. Oranges and mint. He noticed that it became harder and harder to look away from the beautiful Omega… he was so close. The tv remote nearly hit him square in the face, only years of training and sharp reflexes saved him from a nasty bruise.
The underground hero blinked from the remote in his hand to the Omega on the bed… Much closer than before…
Fuck! Without noticing he had somehow slowly closed the distance between them…
"You really should be going, Hero-san. Take a cold shower and sleep the rest of the drug off." The Omega offered him a kind smile, as he leaned over to pat the underground hero's head and to retrieve the remote he had thrown at the pro.
A clear dismissal.
"Can you at least tell me your name before I go?" Shota gave it a last try, hoping that getting the Omega's name would appease the unrest inside him.
"No, Hero-san. We met, we fucked and now we're each going our merry way again. We simply exchanged body fluids, nothing more. Really, no hard feelings. But whatever it is you're try to achieve right now, is probably just an after effect of the rut and the drugs."
Rejected.
And didn't that hurt a bit.
Plain and simply. Rejected.
He should be glad that the Omega was this composed and unattached to him, but…
With a heavy sigh, Shota forced himself to stand up, burying his face as deep as possible into his scarf.
"I… okay. I'll leave you alone. Take care." He nodded at the green-eyed man.
The underground hero was tired, his eyes seemed to itch more than usual and his head was a mess. He really should sleep. Maybe then he would get back to normal. Right now, his fucking Alpha refused to settle down.
"Hero-san."
Shota stopped, a hand already on the door knob. He turned back to the bed and its occupant, who was eying him with a soft look on his face. It was the first expression that seemed genuine to Shota.
"I meant what I said, it was an accident and I do think that you're a good person. Probably even a good hero. Get some rest, really. And sleep! And then put this behind you."
Shota just nodded.
After a very cold shower and a long nap Shota felt a bit more like himself.
His mouse-dog-bear boss had apparently been already informed about the incident and had sent Shota a message to tell him to take the next few days off and to recover properly. As well as clear instruction to meet with recovery girl as soon as possible.
The underground hero was pretty sure that the damn rodent wanted a blood sample and the data the hospital had uncovered on the drug…
This was already a headache and a half.
One of the doctors came just a few minutes later with his release papers, as well as an extra sheet.
"Aizawa-san. These are the blood results. We did the usual for cases like yours… normally we only inform the victim but since… Well since you were drugged, the hospital decided to hand out the results to both parties involved. So, congratulation. You and that young man are definitely free of any STDs."
"Thanks." Shota grumbled into his scarf. This didn't feel like being worth a congratulation.
"Oh yes, you can never be too careful when an unbonded Omega that age is involved. His type just screams indecent." She said, screwing up her nose.
Shota couldn't help but feel annoyed by her attitude towards the Omega. She didn't even know him, for fuck's sake! To imply something like that..
"But then I always found that being an Omega was always the ultimate excuse for any kind of debauchery…"
The Omega's suggestive taunting was ringing mockingly in his ears. To keep himself from saying anything unnecessary, the underground hero scanned the paper little disinterested, when a little detail caught his eye.
"Hey, what does this mean?" He pointed it out to the doctor.
"Oh, that's the standard with assault cases. If the assaulted has taken the morning-after pills then it's documented there."
"But there's nothing documented here…" Shota felt the need to clarify.
"Oh yes, that's because he hasn't taken it."
"WHAT?!"