Feeling Home

by Homumaus

Alpha/Beta/Omega!AU & Modern World!AU Living in a world, where everything gets dictated by sheer gender roles is hard. But going to work, when you're an Omega almost seems impossible. Rei Hino is lucky, that she's working at a place with a sustainable world-view. If people would just stop eyeing her friendship with another Alpha less malicious. Eventual Reinako (mentions HaruMichi

A/N:

I don't know why, but I have a tendency to write about weird tropes it seems. Or just crazy AU's. The following story is probably a tiny bit kinky and weird and if you aren't into a/b/o stuff, you shouldn't read on. Still, if you're liking my writing style, you could give it a try I guess. 😅

Warnings: Smut, Alpha/Beta/Omega Stuff, G!P (because female Alphas)

Rei has her 'original' height in this, where she's as small as Usagi, according to Naoko's draft notes. Felt better to me in this.

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---

Her butt had barely touched the cushion of her office chair, when the voice of her boss rang out.

"Hino!"

She bit back the urge to sigh, when she glanced up into dark blue eyes, waiting for the imminent continuation in the form of additional work. Haruka only ever requested her humble self when it regarded overtime, and if Rei was honest, which – by ill luck – she mostly was, since she couldn't conceal her annoyance, those additional tasks became rampant lately.

"Aino still hasn't graced us with her presence. Can you undertake the job and conduct Kino-san around?"

The urge to scowl at her sadly won this round, as much as she wished to look impassible, but Rei wasn't what you'd call a chatterbox, which had been the main reason why touring around employees wasn't part of her daily schedule. Heck, it wasn't part of her work day at all.

"Why can't you-" Her temper acted prematurely again, not waiting till her brain caught up to her mouth, but it wasn't like her boss wasn't used to backtalk already.

"This wasn't a plea. I have a conference in less than five minutes, which defines you as the only available person of this morning shift. You're part of this department for almost five years, Rei. I'm sure you can manage one tour."

Not waiting for further replies, the woman with the wind-swept hair already strode into the next room, slamming the door shut like she was the breeze herself. It left Rei seething, her frustration tangible, but she wouldn't have the time to boil now.

Serenity Int. Corp. was a company known for equality and comprehension. They fought for Equal Rights in all groups, providing support for individuals who went under abuse, mutilation or discrimination. For them it didn't matter, if you were an Omega, Beta, or an Alpha – they treated you like the human you were – and this had been the prime reason, why Rei had fought so hard to become a part of this.

Unbalanced rage wasn't the most charming first impression she could make – should make really – especially when you were an Omega. Even if back chatting was one of the few daily fares she valued since starting here.

Rei had always been a bit of a pighead, and society demanded her to subordinate. It was unnecessary to narrate these two things didn't go well together.

She desired to change the world-view, wished it would finally accept people as people and not assign professions due to your gender performance, when you hit puberty. Did it really matter what dangled between your legs, when you ruled a company? Did it grant you some special proficiency? Wisdom? Skill?

Rei had never stumbled across an article that had proven the exceeding capacity of an Alpha brain in comparison to an Omega brain. Intelligence and capability weren't working like that, and she really hoped one day, the government would approve of the program they'd established.

Staring a few more seconds at the closed door, she sighed and accepted her fate for the day, before getting up and walking towards the elevator, making her way down to the reception.

Every thought about the cause – or rather the person who'd got her into this mess – was discarded for the moment, when she tried to stop her pounding heart from taking over.

She talked to employees all the time, it wasn't a great deal – at least she tried not to make one of it – when it regarded work topics. But Rei didn't know this colleague, didn't know if she wanted to chat or wanted to pry and overstep boundaries. The possibility was always there, no matter how much she tried to convince herself of the opposite.

Haruka wouldn't hire someone with a compromising world-view, it wouldn't fit into the company ethics. But the fear would sit persistently in the back of her mind, waiting for a chance to take over. It was a defense mechanism, the part of her brain that made Omega's submit and sidestep confrontations.

So, as much as Rei fought to be different, overplayed it and tried to fit into a world, that wasn't fully built yet, there was the tiny part in her, regarding her gender, that sadly collided with her principles and annoyed her incessantly.

Exiting the elevator, her eyes settled on a woman, who refused to sit down like any other individual, instead she walked around, probably trying to fight the boredom that came with extended waiting. Rei couldn't help but survey her, while making her way over, heels clicking against the polished marble floor.

And the moment this woman turned around, attention obviously gained over the sound of Rei's shoes, she realized she'd never been more grateful for choosing this footwear this morning, otherwise Rei wouldn't even reach her shoulder. This woman was a giant, patently an Alpha with every signed cliché.

Rei didn't need to take a whiff of her scent, she could already tell from her posture alone. But when it hit her nostrils anyway, she pressed her lips together, forcing herself to meet her eyes in a motion that she hoped looked fearless. "Kino Makoto?"

The other woman nodded immediately, a slack smile grazing her face. "Yeah, that's me."

"Great." Rei had a hard time to swallow her sarcasm down, already turning around towards the elevator. "Follow me."

She heard footsteps behind her, albeit rushed ones with the tendency of confusion. "And you are?"

Rei pressed the upturned arrow at the side of the elevator, ignoring the rising annoyance over the bold demeanor of her newest colleague. It was obvious Makoto didn't just look like an Alpha, she behaved like one also. "Hino Rei."

The mood quickly collapsed towards something, that could only be described as constrained, when it was blatant how much Rei sucked at small talk. Instead she added for courtesy reasons only "I apologize for the long wait. Haruka's secretary is currently-"

She stopped mid-sentence though, because well. Where exactly was she?

Pulling her iPhone out of her pocket, she gazed briefly at the screen, witnessing she had a few new messages but none were from her. Scrunching her nose in irritation, hoping said secretary hadn't overslept again, Rei stuffed her phone back where it belonged, before she realized Makoto had watched her odd behavior a tiny bit too interested.

"So you aren't Tenou-san's secretary?"

"No," Rei sighed, stepping into the elevator that finally had arrived. "I worked for her longer than she did though."

Rei had the urge to avert her eyes and end this awkward conversation, that already stretched her boundaries too much, but the chance for a misunderstanding, in which she might come across wrong – meaning servile – scratched vehemently against her ego, so she kept her eyes on Makoto.

Who currently presented her a smile, that looked more sneering than what was proper, so Rei couldn't help her mouth, being more than irritated. "What? Something on my face?"

"No, I just," Makoto shrugged, still grinning over whatever was so amusing. "Never met an Omega, who held my gaze without backing down. Is everyone here like this? Ignoring the bullshit of society?"

Rei couldn't quash her expression of confusion. "Didn't you inform yourself before lodging an application?"

"Nah, my friend recommended this company."

Bafflement overwhelmed her at Makoto's honesty, rendering her speechless. She didn't know what to reply to that, rather grateful when this uncomfortable ride finally came to an end, as the elevator gave the signal of arrival.

Rei left it quickly, stepping out onto the 13th floor without gazing back. She assumed the other woman would follow her anyway. Her annoying Alpha scent fulfilled the job already abundantly.

"This floor contains Haruka's office as well as most of the conference rooms. I assume you'll stay your first days with us, before you'll get assigned to a department specifically," she explained while walking through the area, showing her the toilets and relishing in the current silence, knowing it would be over soon enough, when their ongoing conference came to an end.

"Cafeteria is on the 4th floor, opening hours are from 7 to 7, though we don't have fixed lunch hours. If you'd rather bring stuff from home, feel free to do so, but don't expect me to join you." Rei better made that clear from the beginning, not desiring at all to spend more time with people than she needed to.

Much to her surprise, Makoto just laughed at her. "Antisocial Omega, huh? Don't worry, I won't bother you. Had a hard time dealing with lots of them throwing themselves at me, back at college. This feels refreshing."

Her glare came faster than any insult could, not believing her ears, or rather what Makoto tried to imply. This was the main reason, why she despised Alphas so much – they continuously assumed the world pivoted around themselves. "I hope your obsolete philosophy better not-"

But Rei's incipient insult never got the chance to finish itself, when a chipper voice – more like it had completed a marathon – overran them both. "I can't believe that bitch had a fifty bucks purchase. They have pre-ordering for that! How 'bout using that instead of assuming everyone knows how 'Caitlin' is spelled. This name has like fifteen variations. It's ridiculous."

The agitated woman balanced her items on the sideboard – variations of Starbucks mugs and bags – before pushing a paper bag into Rei's hands. "She took the last Chocolate Chip Muffin, so I got you a slice of Sakura Chiffon Cake instead. I know it's not your favorite, but it has like 30% less calories, and the color reminded me of your backyard, not to mention how pissed you get, when your cholesterol level drops, so-"

"Mina." Rei was the first who'd found her voice again, cutting straight through her rambling, before she pointed to their new companion beside her, hoping she would get the hint.

"Oh, hi."

Turned out Minako did not.

"Anyway, I know, the queues on Tuesdays shouldn't be this long but-"

"It's Monday." Rei didn't even like chiffon cake, but they had more important things to focus on. "Didn't you notice when you've set your alarm?"

"Forgot charging my phone." And she looked from Rei to Makoto anew, probably really registering her presence for the first time since leaving the elevator. "Shit, it's really Monday?"

"I'm honestly amazed you've managed to get up without an alarm, but yes..." Rei sighed. "It's Monday."

At least now she had an explanation, why she hadn't received any messages from her, before Minako's pretty – and way too baby blue – eyes dilated for a moment, realizing her mistake instantly. "Fuck, Kino Makoto, right?"

And it was amazing how quickly she could shift from funky into business mood, shoulders straightening, and face loosing its prior openness and goofiness, that was obviously saved for only one person.

"Forget you heard anything. I'm normally not this tangled," she tried to clarify, and Rei resisted the urge to tell her she should stop referring to Disney movies, if she ever wished to be taken seriously.

Her eyebrow arched without her permission though, knowing for an unhealthy amount, that Minako was the most eccentric person she'd ever met, but her insolence was also somehow part of her charm. Providing that tackiness was charming at all.

"I have to convey these to Haruka and then I'm all yours." Nodding to the waiting coffee mugs on the counter, Minako quickly gathered them, before striding towards the meeting rooms. Leaving Rei alone with Makoto once again.

"Is she..." Makoto started, albeit still blinking after her, having a hard time to process and find words.

"Haruka's secretary?" Rei tried to help.

"No, I was gonna say your Alpha. But wow, that's Haruka Tenou's secretary?" She sounded really astonished.

"The one and only yes."

The first part of Makoto's statement didn't immediately register, but the moment it did Rei looked horrified.

"Minako isn't-, god, we're not-, I mean..." Stuttering only worsened this awkward misconception, so she took a deep breath, albeit flushed, before trying another attempt. "We went to elementary school together. She's..." special. "...my best friend."

Or closest, really. Since she didn't have any friends, only workmates.

Rei was unsure, how she should describe her allegiance towards Minako – or if it even needed a depiction – since it went back through her whole childhood, long before Rei's first heat. They hadn't known, that society would eye their friendship skeptical one day.

"But she's an Alpha," Makoto replied persistently, pointing this small detail out like it was accountable for everything. Like this reason alone should forbit a friendship.

Rei bit her lip, swallowing every bubbling anger down, before it could overtake. She told herself Makoto was new and inexperienced, maybe even asking out of curiosity alone. Snapping wouldn't bring her further, until she wanted a dismissal handed to her for misbehaving.

"How could you tell, she's an Alpha?" She asked instead, her inquisitiveness winning out, since Minako was rather small for the expected body size. It was one of her traits, Rei secretly enjoyed, as it let them exchange eye contact almost horizontally, even if Rei required heels to maintain that. But it was achievable.

"She's pampering you," Makoto grinned. "Quite acutely to be honest. You sure, you're not together?"

Rei rolled her eyes at the overused term, another predication she had faced to the point of sickness. "Why can't an Alpha and an Omega just be friends? Our company tries vehemently to implement such friendships as mundane. We are the prime example, that it works. Still, everyone has to question us like mad."

She was fed up with it, really.

Rei's bubbling outrage didn't go unnoticed, when some of the remaining employees on this floor turned their heads, feeling the shifting mood in the atmosphere, thanks to her pheromones. Such comments shouldn't affect her anymore, being stronger than this, totally certain she had it under control, still reality told her otherwise.

Glaring in Makoto's direction one last time, who currently watched her back, perhaps realizing she had overstepped a line with her last comment, Rei intensified the grip she had on the paper bag, before taking off towards her section.

She needed to distract herself, if she wanted to survive the next hours, aiming to calm herself down.

Opening the paper bag, she dared a glance inside, her facial expression relaxing, when she noticed the faint smell of cinnamon and vanilla, that still lingered on the bag, knowing it had nothing to do with the cake inside.

---

It wasn't long before Minako returned from her delivery job, looking quite surprised to find Makoto all alone beside the counter. One whiff of the air was enough to tell her something had gone wrong though, recognizing Rei's distress a mile away.

"What happened?" She cut straight to the point.

Makoto looked guilty, eyebrows knitted together before turning her head in her direction. "I believe, I've overstepped a line."

Considering, this could apply to anything with Rei, she requested more clarity. "What did you do?"

Makoto's hesitation was suddenly smell-able, posture wary if she should tell the truth and risk repercussions on her first day, but Minako softened her face muscles then, offering a scent of trustfulness, which did the trick in the end.

"Compromising how you two can be friends."

At Minako's staggered gaze, she quickly added with raised hands. "I'm not sayin', that it couldn't work. I was just surprised how'd you handle that." She took a deep breath before asking the part, that bothered her the most. "I mean... how are you surviving her heats? Without mounting her?"

The question wasn't baseless, still she found the extent of Makoto's interest rather daring – if not impressive – to pull something like this on her first day. "Rei doesn't get heats."

Minako ignored Makoto's perplexed mien in this moment, when her own turned melancholic, reluctantly remembering the day when it had ceased. "She..."

Uncertainty overwhelmed her, if she should really share details of Rei's past with a bowing acquaintance, but Makoto looked quite afflicted herself and further insight might help her coping. "They stopped the day her mother died. Her body underwent a shock and then..."

Everything stopped.

Fragments of 'fuck off!' and 'I don't need you!' and 'stop shutting me out!' went through her mind like an old videotape, rattling and flickering before it died. It raised goosebumps on her neck, evoked the fear in her heart anew, until she realized this wouldn't transpire anymore. Rei wouldn't shut her out like this again.

Licking her lips, she stopped her tearfulness from spreading, not wanting to startle more colleagues today, but she knew Makoto got the hint, when she smelled her guilt. "Oh."

"It's a difficult topic for her. Just be careful and keep this private."

And with this, their chatter was over and she entrusted Makoto her first task today.

---

"How's she doing?"

"Who?" Rei didn't have the vigor to raise her head today, knowing whom the voice belonged to anyway, and she wanted to get this email out before the clock reached closing time.

"Your new babysitter."

She was capable to smell a sarcastic remark miles away, but it would never stop the eye-roll from happening. "Aren't we funny today."

"We both know, whom I'm asking about."

Rei stopped typing for a moment, just to raise her head and look Haruka in the eyes. "Why waste your time with stupid shuffling then? If you could just ask directly?"

She got a smirk in return, eyes glimmering playful. "I might have missed hearing your sarcasm, Hino."

"Hardly."

Her subsequent snort didn't go unnoticed, though it also wasn't worth commenting.

Somehow Rei could never truly categorize, what she felt in Haruka's presence. Her gaze wasn't intimidating, nor pulling and it lacked the provocative undertone, most Alphas carried around. She wasn't smelling, so far that Rei might nearly say she was comfortable. Almost.

"Why aren't you asking Mina, if you desire a report?" And nearly if on cue, her phone vibrated, the flashing display showing her the mentioned name.

Unwavering, the smile on her boss' face stayed in place. "I would, if that had been my intention. But I'm asking you."

Why? Because she was the only Omega on this floor?

"You're observant. Sensitive. Aino has a sharp eye, but I'd never offer someone a contract, if it makes one of my employees uncomfortable. This company is democratic and I'd like to keep it this way."

That was one way to downright say, it was because of Rei's gender.

"And?" She felt her annoyance rise again, before her intuition told her, this couldn't be all of it.

"And I need you to partake in a recruitment gathering for me this weekend, since I'm impeded to go."

Had she said, how much she loathed it, when her intuition was right?

"Your daughter's birthday?" Rei guessed with a sigh.

"Yep."

She resisted the urge to grunt, it wouldn't change a thing.

"You can take Aino with you, if it soothes you. She's good at winning people over," Haruka offered, almost sounding concerned about her well-being, but she could easily spot the reason behind the offer was mainly for company gainings.

"When had you originally planned on telling me this rescheduled task?" It prompted Rei to cancel her whole weekend again. Not that she ever had plans, besides locking the humankind out, but actually knowing the score would have been nice.

Haruka just smirked at her, before reaching over and ruffling her hair, which really made her shoot a death glare in her direction. Just because she was small – scratch that, Rei would never admit this out loud – didn't give people the permission to-

"Keep your pecker up, shortcake."

Oh, her boss should seriously worry more about her life right now, if she intended to use this nickname ever again.

When she was finally out of sight, Rei grabbed her phone, ignoring the upcoming flip-flop in her stomach, when she considered the most efficient wording to convince Minako to reschedule plans with her. Some part of her felt bad for ruining her weekend as well.

---

Retrospectively, the party wasn't a complete disaster.

Rei made it through the power point presentation alive, only mildly glaring at Alphas, who tried to hold eye contact for longer than 3 seconds with her, and afterwards she dedicated Minako to answer their persistent questions to make a dive for the bar.

Getting drunk wasn't on her agenda, not when she was surrounded by way too many strangers, that tried to squeeze past her personal boundaries – because stupid Alphas loved a stupid chase – but the glass of champagne gave her something to do with her hands, that wasn't fidgeting – a nerve-wracking Omega habit she couldn't fully shut down, not when she felt suffocated by odors of people.

Rei tried to spot Mina in this overstuffed room, only with her eyes, because Rei had sworn she wouldn't cling to her best friend's coat-tail like the oppressed Omega in her begged her to. She wasn't a coward. She can make it through an evening full of people unscathed.

At least, that's what her thoughts told her, when she took another sip of her glass.

When her raisin colored eyes finally found her, it was next to a girl with chestnut curls, talking agitated and laughing over whatever brain fart Minako deemed to tell her to keep their vibes light and pleasant. It had always been effortless for Mina, talking and bonding with people, gaining their trust in mere minutes, even if they'd never see each other a second time.

The sound of her laughter would invade you, unbeknownst, filling your body with warmth, making your soul tingle and ache for it. But once her attention was caught on something else, would you realize, you missed the sound.

Rei took another sip of her glass before she stopped watching them.

There were days, when she wondered, when Minako would claim a partner. Would introduce them to Rei.

She wondered if their dynamic would change then, and if she needed to rely on someone else. Did she even want to rely on someone else? It was a selfish act to assume, Minako would always have time for Rei's pitiful problems.

This thought alone was pathetic and she needed it to stop. Rei downed her first glass of champagne, hand already aiming for another one.

---

"So, this is your plan for the rest of the evening? Watching your totally platonic Alpha flirt?"

Rei almost spit her third drink out, when her newest colleague decided to join her, trying in vain to stop the surprise from overtaking her face. She hadn't known Makoto was invited as well.

"Besides getting drunk," she added, glancing at Rei's hands.

"I'll gladly remind you, that Minako is my totally platonic friend." God help her for using the exact same phrasing as Makoto. Rei blamed the alcohol for that.

"Who are you tryin' to convince? Yourself?"

Rei chose not to answer, but she also didn't negate it, like she should. Maybe. "I didn't know you were invited," she tried instead, stopping drinking for a moment. With Makoto, chances were too high to choke again.

"Our big boss figured it'd be wise to join you. Learning more about politic gatherings, stuff like that. So far it's really boring, besides the jealous glances you're sending each other."

Glaring at Makoto obviously did nothing to stop her from imagining things, where nothing existed, so Rei sighed instead. "Minako doesn't like me like that."

When Makoto opened her mouth to interfere again, Rei beat her to it. "No, listen. She's always there for me, always offering her time, but I can tell it frustrates her. She wants to go out, establishing a family of her own, while I retain her. I'm more than aware of my selfish behavior, but it isn't like I haven't told her. She feigns indifference, but I know she craves to date someone.

"Rei..." The way she spoke her name almost sounded caring to Rei's ears, but it didn't overshadow the fact, how the alcohol turned her into an unstoppable, talkative monster.

"It hurts me to watch her like this." Referring to Mina's position across the room, nodding adamantly to whatshisface. "Knowing she wants to be independent, but can't because I'm there. People are shooting weird glances in our direction more than enough, since my neck is bare, but she still aims for my hand."

It was the reason why she'd stopped touching Minako altogether some while ago, not allowing herself the humiliation anymore. It didn't matter, that Rei enjoyed holding her hand. Missed the safety, that came with it.

It didn't matter.

Makoto's gaze turned sympathetic by the point she'd ended her rant, Rei could smell her guilt for sticking her nose into a topic she knew nothing about, but Rei wasn't miffed about it. Not this time.

Maybe the alcohol had really destroyed her intercourse with feelings.

---

It took her a while to convince Makoto, that she didn't need an Alpha-babysitter, especially not one who'd follow her inside her own toilet cabin, when the housing clearly provided 'Omega-only' toilets.

"I won't drown myself down the drain," she had to promise her, as Rei turned somewhat depressive after her fourth glass. Makoto seemed pleased by that and turned around to talk to some pretty Beta, her attention finally on someone else.

Sitting on the toilet lid, Rei removed her shoes, massaging the ball of her left foot for a while; the four inches heels taking a toll on her toes. But she'd never come to a convention without them. She wasn't suicidal.

Her phone told her 10:34 pm, which made her consider, if it would be rude to call it a day already. She was obviously buzzed enough, if her flushed skin was any indication, and Rei didn't feel the urge to exaggerate further. She had lingered around for appearances only anyway, they probably wouldn't notice if she'd just slipped out.

Ignoring her looks in the mirror, she slipped her shoes back on to leave the small safety of this room behind, only stopping short to wash her hands. Thousands of smells hit her again, even on this empty floor and it wasn't the first time, that she wondered if alcohol could really amplify your perception.

Heading for the coat check, she remembered her drive had been accompanied by Minako, insisting they'd ride together in Rei's car, since the Omega hadn't been in the mood for drinks, assuring her more than twice, that they wouldn't need to take a cab back. Well, see how that had gone.

Rei considered to hand Minako her car keys. Her best friend hadn't performed the same drowning act, that Rei had pulled off, since her hands had been set to touch every new acquaintance all evening. Thereof, they had been empty, no drinks in sight.

It was alarming to consider, how precise she had studied her friend all evening, unapologetically analyzing her behavior to the point of obsession. Maybe not all of Makoto's statements were complete garbage, seeing as Rei's gazes hadn't been-

"What's Takashi Hino's bitch of a daughter doing at such a high-bred gathering? Kaidou's dick not huge enough for you, that you have to look elsewhere?"

Of course they had to be here. Of course. How could she ever contemplate anything different?

Rei smelled the biting mixture of alcohol with testosterone, before the insults reached her ears, but instead of turning and giving them the honor, she just closed her eyes, counting till ten and wishing her fathers colleagues out of existence. It'd been just sheer luck, that she didn't run into them earlier. Sheer luck and nothing else.

"Hayate, you really shouldn't-"

"Your womb not decent enough to carry his children? Thinking you're better than us, aren't ya? Getting off on the headlines, that you ruined him. Spat him in the face, after taking your grand exit. But you know what I think?"

Rei bit her lip to keep herself from moving, knowing any commotion caused by her muscles would rile them up further. She looked for the exit, only a whisker away, but her chances were precarious, she couldn't risk it.

"Kaidou just wasn't man enough to fuck an arrogant bitch like you. You shrugged him off and he cowered, but I won't be like him." His steps were fast and too neat for someone, who was intoxicated, grabbing Rei's arm to spin her around, showing her the face of someone, who'd thought he was the best Alpha in the whole universe.

His body reeked of vodka and smugness, his stance hovering in false glee, when he discovered his advantage over her small posture, but she glared at him nonetheless, despite her wobbly footing.

"My history is none of your business," she spat at him, taking a step back, only to feel his fingers tighten, causing a bruise on untouched skin.

He cackled at her, breathing his musk in her face. "Oh, but I'll make it my business." His hand left her arm, to grab her waist instead, making her shudder in disgust, when she felt the touch through her dress. "You'll be a moaning, wet mess, once I'm done with you."

And then he pushed his pesky, awful-tasting pheromones in her direction, aiming to overpower her brain and forcing her into submission. Rei's body convulsed immediately, before she remembered to hold her breath in a weak attempt of self-preservation.

He obviously desired to start a heat with his violent behavior, pushing and pushing and pushing, until she'd eventually break, grabbing the hem of her dress already. Rei bored her heel into his foot, making him wince and loose his grip on her, but she hadn't reckoned he'd slap her in the face seconds later, sending her flying to the ground.

The world was spinning, ringing for a sheer eternity, but her hand went to her face and not her ears, the skin hot and bruised, throbbing beneath her fingertips. And Rei had to breathe. She had to, or else she'd faint without oxygen, enduring the tremors through her body with rising fear of continuation.

It were moments like these, that made her hate her origin. That caused her to despise being an Omega with her heart and body and soul. Moments like these, when every intake of air made her retch, fighting against her own necessities, wishing for the umpteenth time to live in a world, where she couldn't be turned into a whimpering mess.

She laid her burning cheek against the cold tiles, closing her eyes when her body continued its silent dance against nature, mind too occupied to question why her chaser had stopped pursuing her. Why he wasn't violating her further.

Only when soft hands tried to pull her into a sitting position, shifting her around to envelop her into a soft cocoon of warmth and cinnamon and pomegranate, did her brain provide her at least one information.

Minako.

She'd notice this smell anywhere.

"Rei!? Rei! Are you with me? Are you hearing me?" Her voice was rash and worried, posture shaking, but Rei doubted Mina was the actual cause of the quiver.

She could smell her fear – Minako's fear – severe and present, overshadowing any other scent in this room, eliciting a whine from Rei's throat, when it merged with her own anxiety, redoubling the effect.

The other woman went rigid as soon as she heard it, Rei's trembling form the only movement in this room, until suddenly the atmosphere shifted and she felt something calming swept over her mind, like a gentle breeze, causing Rei to close her eyes, when soft hands encouraged her face further into the space of Minako's neck.

"Shhh, it's fine, I'm here. They won't harm you again. I won't let them."

Minako had never been so soft before, had never smelled so good before, making Rei drowsy and sleepy and she stopped fighting it. Not that she had any control of her body anyway, but even sober, she doubted she'd be able to resist this sweet opportunity of this soft embrace.

She felt safe. Protected in the arms of her best friend, and the trembling stopped altogether. Minako stroked her back, petted her hair and she wanted to purr. She wanted to give in. To be closer to this Alpha, that had rescued her.

Rei crawled onto her lap, boundaries nonexistent as long as she breathed this scent in, completely clueless of the alarming expression on her friends face, when she eliminated any resisting space between them. Cloud nine would absolutely pale in comparison.

---

"There was an incident- she's unharmed, but can you-" Minako shifted her phone against her ear, careful not to stir Rei, but it was hard when your best friend breathed against your neck like that. "She's- yes, in my arms. Never letting her out of my sight again. Those fuckers-"

She should never have passed the task to Makoto. She should have done it herself, watching Rei's back all evening. The guilt built to another extent already, but she needed to take care of the perpetrators first.

"Give me ten minutes. We'll handle this," were the last words of Haruka, before she cut the line.

Minako leaned back to take a deep breath, having the urge to massage her temples, were her hands not preoccupied. She hadn't wanted to ruin her boss' evening as well, she knew how important Hotaru was to them, but it was the most efficient option, not to mention the fastest.

She continued to stroke Rei's back, listening to her even breathing and the occasional movement of her fingers, when she clung to Minako's blazer anew. The Omega wasn't fully asleep, just resting and passing the control of the situation completely into Minako's hands.

It was barely 8 minutes later, when she heard rushing footsteps, Haruka's wife entering the picture with an iron glare on her face, that only softened when she caught sight of the cuddling bundle in the foyer – aka Rei and Minako themselves.

"Get in the car. Haruka is waiting outside."

Minako had never really been involved with Michiru Kaiou before, despite her managing the department just one floor above them, but each time she caught a glimpse of her, she had always been polite. Friendly even. Though she had a scent to the air around her, that told Minako to keep her distance.

But nothing quite like this.

She looked dead pissed, speaking in calculating manners, demanding their location from Minako, before taking off. Minako assumed, this was, what Haruka had meant as taking care of it.

Stepping outside with an over-cuddly Omega wasn't the easiest task Minako had faced in her life, but there existed worse. Besides, Rei smelled pleasant, of cherry blossoms and lavender – a fact she shouldn't linger on too much, if she wanted to stay civil with her. There was already a lump forming in her throat.

They stumbled quite a bit, until she had enough and kicked Rei's shoes off, not caring about the loss, as long as they'd get forward. But she regretted her choice, the moment her best friend got face to face with her chest, being so petite in Minako's arm, that her heart flip-flopped, throat suddenly parched.

Rei was so small, delicate even. Soft.

And all she could think about, were the dozens of times, when Rei had announced how much she despised to be reduced to her height. Never leaving the house without heels since high school, that Minako forgot about this mere fact.

Somehow she understood the necessity of them now.

"Having your hands full, I see." Haruka greeted them, glancing in the rear-view mirror, while they climbed in, and Minako had like two seconds to herself, before soft arms encircled her waist once more, challenging her self-control to the limit.

She struggled for a sheer eternity with the seat belt, accepting grudgingly, that it just couldn't reach over two people, so she sighed and gave up. Haruka had started to glide seamlessly into the midnight traffic anyway, not caring one bit.

Just when Minako had adjusted to the fact of transmitted body heat – because Rei was working like a furnace, and unfortunately, smelled better like any living pastry – was the silence broken yet again by their driver.

"I believe, I've never seen Hino this clingy."

Minako tried not to grimace at her wording, though she would gladly take any distraction, that didn't remind her of the cuddling blanket in her arms. "She was trembling. I panicked and tried to calm her down, but then-"

"You overdosed her."

Minako blinked in confusion, not understanding at all.

"Her defenses were down, brain turning into default mode. When she breathes the scent of an Alpha in – in that condition – she turns affectionate and clingy. It's typical Omega behavior." Haruka's eyes returned to the road for a moment, before glancing back at them. "It's just untypical for her."

Her words evoked another fear in Minako, as if the permanent guilt wasn't enough already. "This... it won't stay permanently, right?"

God, she had drugged Rei.

She had drugged her, while she had already been bruised enough. Minako tried not to panic a second time, but it was hard to stop her feelings from overflowing.

"Not that I know of." Haruka gave her an encouraging smirk, just when Rei moved and sighed into Minako's ear, making her almost forget about any existent conversation at all. "Knowing her stubbornness, her walls will be intact again tomorrow morning."

Rei's breath was hot against her skin, making her weak in the knees, if she wouldn't be sitting already, but she had a hard time keeping her face neutral. She didn't need to give Haruka another topic to tease her about.

Licking her lips, she tried to conceal her quiver when she adjusted her grip around Rei, pushing her away from her ear, to lay her on a safe spot against her shoulder instead. "Aren't you afraid something similar might happen to Michiru as well?"

At the greeting silence, she assumed it was the wrong topic, being at a place where she shouldn't question her boss' relationship, but she did it anyway. "Sending her into this Lion's cave with four Alphas."

Haruka's half-smirk irritated her, eyes sparkling entertained, until she had mercy and clarified her relaxed behavior. "I would, if Michiru had been an Omega."

Minako's saliva stopped mid-way in her throat. "S-She's not!?"

Michiru Kaiou was an Alpha? Minako couldn't stop her jaw from toppling down. That explained the strange aura at least.

"You- you're having a relationship with another Alpha?" How was that even working? Strange world-view's were their daily bread, sure, but she'd never assumed Haruka would go this far herself.

"I think you misinterpreted some things, Minako." Her tone was nonchalant, almost amused when she set the blinker for another turn. "I'm not the Alpha in this relationship."

---

Recovering from the shock she'd felt during their drive, was easier than Minako thought it'd be, when they entered Rei's apartment, still tangled in each other.

She dropped their bags in the hallway, noticing their lack of jackets but not caring, before she followed through with her spontaneous invented plan, taking Rei by the hand and guiding her towards her bedroom, knowing a snatch of sleep was the only thing, that would help her best friend out of this.

Minako tried not to linger on the contact too much – the softness of Rei's fingers for example, how perfectly they fitted – it wasn't voluntarily and therefore created a dejected mood, the longer she pondered about it. No matter how much her body seemed to like their increasingly shared contact, Minako couldn't shake her solicitude, nor the guilt that came with it.

She shouldn't feel these things about Rei. Rei wanted to stay independent, without an Alpha by her side. It was the reason, why she'd stopped holding Minako's hand altogether. That she could resume said action was nothing, but an exception. A necessity. Born out of this weird situation of distress.

"Minako..." a soft voice pulled her out of her thoughts, guiding her eyes back to the problem at hand.

She hadn't wanted to look at Rei. Studying her features without inventing an ulterior motive, was already hard enough at work, but now? With her eyes as dark as the night sky, begging her to listen.

She swallowed hard, feeling a tingling in her lower regions, that she'd better ignore.

"Please, can you..." Rei struggled to find words, holding her gaze without breaking eye contact, giving her the chance to notice the remaining rim of amethyst in her eyes. Or was it reverting? Giving her suddenly a reason to wonder, how much of Rei's actions were still genuine. "May you... stay?"

Again, it was whispered so softly. Her attempt to form a full sentence more than endearing, since Minako knew how important it was for Rei to not speak in one-syllables.

She made the mistake and gazed into dark eyes anew, obviously dilated, but something in them looked definitely more sober than an hour ago. Minako knew it was quite safely just her brain playing tricks on her, trying to convince her to stay.

And yet she couldn't find it in her to turn her down. Not when Rei whispered a begging "Please."

It left her shuddering and wanting, so so much, while the hazard of sleeping in one bed flashed so brightly, almost blinding at this point, that it should have been enough to keep her distance. Never mind that Minako ignored her own set boundaries almost daily.

Nothing of this mattered, when she was on her way to ignore them yet again.

The smile and following hug – and god when was the last time she'd truly hugged Rei? – left her breathless, but made every risk worth it, as long as Rei was happy and kept on smiling like this.

Minako couldn't remember what rhythm her heart had tried to mimic, when they stumbled into Rei's bed; the Omega clearly devoid of any prior modesty, when she removed her dress in one go, slipping underneath the covers in just her underwear. Leaving Minako with a dry mouth and the first time ever to reconsider her own sleeping habits – aka if she should just leave her own clothes on for safety reasons only.

But Rei was quite demanding, shuffling closer and insisting they could spoon, even though they never did that since middle school anymore. But as anything else, Minako couldn't find it in her to deny her these wishes. If it helped Rei's brain to find comfort, so be it. She'd hold Rei for a fucking lifetime, if it chased away her anxieties.

The other woman's reaction came immediately, responding with a sigh, before she pressed closer to Minako, her breath evening out. It was such an innocent gesture as it was dangerous. And Minako hated herself for interpreting too much into this.

Rei sought safety, needing something stable more than anything right now, that she shouldn't linger on her amazing smell. Or how soft her skin felt in her arms. Or how right it felt to hold her, letting her heart invent a new verse of Taylor Swift's 'You belong with me.'

Against her inner alarms, she pressed her face against Rei's back, feeling this comforting warmth a little longer, drowning herself in this mindful bliss that would soon carry her into dreamland. And that at least in this short moment, she could experience how it would feel if Rei was hers.

---

When she opened her eyes, the first thing she noticed were a couple of warm arms around her middle. She was lying in a bed, her own bed, if the lavender colored walls were any indication, before her brain decided to recall the happenings of last night. Or rather, she tried to.

Rei wasn't keen on remembering their faces, didn't know if they got away or collared, but she hoped so. She remembered Minako's voice, right before everything became blurred and then her eyes, widened and filled with tears – and so maddening blue – until everything smelled of vanilla and cinnamon, and she couldn't remember anything else.

She couldn't remember how they got here. There were snippets of a car, but they were just that – snippets.

Just when she had enough of staring and contemplating, when she could also just ask her friend for details, Rei acknowledged those arms once more, as one of its hands sneaked down to the seam of her slip. Absentmindedly playing with its lace, but never crossing a line.

The short trimmed nails were orange, because of course they were. Minako had always had a thing for ridiculous colors, giving Rei an easing of tension, since she'd notice those hands anywhere. Making cognition so much easier.

Rei sighed into her soft pillow, amazed that she didn't freak out over their shared closeness at the moment, before she felt Minako shifting, pressing more against Rei's back, and this was the instant when everything inside of her froze.

She knew it only happened when female Alphas were aroused. She knew Minako was – must be – capable of this behavior, since she was against all odds, an Alpha. But Rei had never encountered it. Had never seen it. Had shoved it as far from her consciousness as possible.

So when she felt something poke into her lower back, at the peak of her buttocks, Rei forgot to breathe.

She also stopped moving, everything really, that would lead to acknowledging this more – or even worse – would wake Minako up, was forbidden right now. Silent panic crept over her body, before she started breathing in short, agitated sniffs.

Fuck fuck fuck.

What had she done last night? Had she tried to seduce Minako? Was Minako aware of this? Had she willingly agreed to this?

It couldn't be possible, that Minako found her attractive enough to make this happen. It just couldn't. Rei didn't believe in this.

She tried to convince herself, it just had to be this time of the month, since everything else didn't make any sense. But then, did Alphas even have clocked ruts? Didn't they just get them, when an Omega in heat was around?

These thoughts certainly didn't help Rei, when all she felt was this penetrating anxiety to get as far away as possible, before she did something they would both regret later.

Moving her head in the sneakiest way possible, she could still hear Minako's steady breathing, giving Rei enough confidence to just slip out of this bed unseen. Just when she'd lifted their shared duvet five inches in the air, did she feel those arms harden, caging Rei in place and she couldn't stop the panicked cry from her lips.

She couldn't tell how loud it had been, not with her heart pounding in her ears, but it presumably had been enough, when she felt Minako stir. Blonde eyebrows scrunched up confused, before her lashes fluttered and blue met amethyst again.

Rei stopped breathing anew, just as much as blinking when she prayed Minako's bleary mind was still too tired to process things.

"Hey, how did you-" Turned out those higher powers had to hate her, when Minako's raspy voice filled the silence. "Fuck."

And she perceived it just as fast as Rei, if not faster, when she jumped out of bed like being burnt, taking all of Rei's sheets with her, which left the Omega shivering on her empty mattress. Apparently not from the cold.

"I just- fuck. I'm sorry Rei. I didn't mean to- I mean, I didn't know how this happened. It wasn't intentional. Oh god, fuck. I didn't want to trigger you. I'm really sorry!" Minako immediately somersaulted into apologizing, trying to ease the tension, when all of her words just made Rei even more uncomfortable.

Because now they had to talk about it. Now they couldn't just ignore it.

Her cheeks heated up, when she glanced in her direction, quickly averting her eyes, when this obviously wouldn't work and – why was she only in her underwear? This information didn't help at all, made everything worse when Minako just wouldn't stop apologizing.

Rei closed her eyes, tried not to breathe Minako's filling scent in this room in too deeply, already making plans to fumigate this room later on, if she wanted to survive in this flat.

"Minako-" She tried to reach her, tried to gain her attention through all these excuses, but her best friend just wouldn't listen.

"I know, I should go. You don't have to ask. I'll just..." And she turned, pointing towards Rei's bathroom, before turning around again, grabbing what looked like her dress from yesterday, throwing it on without thinking, before heading out of the door.

It didn't take Rei five seconds, before her panicked heart decided to follow her, racing after her really, because as uncomfortable as this was, letting Minako walk out like this was even worse.

"Minako wait!"

Her best friend was already putting her shoes on, when she halted in her way.

"You don't have to say anything." She looked down in an attempt to search her purse, but it felt more like she avoided Rei's gaze. "You also shouldn't come closer."

Rei didn't know how often her heart wanted to stumble today, but it obviously wasn't done yet. "I can't get into heat. You know this."

It was a weak attempt of soothing. A weak attempt of safety, and Rei knew she had fucked up when Minako sneered "A heat isn't what I'm worrying about, Rei."

Minako held her gaze for two seconds, before she pointed at herself, huffing frantically. "Rutting Alphas can't start a heat in you, no matter how hard they're forcing themselves on you. But you can start a rut in us, ok? You-" Her shaking hands went desperately through her blonde hair, messing it up, while she searched for words. "You're literally starting one right now."

And then she grabbed her bag, throwing it over her shoulder, before heading out.

Leaving Rei dumbfounded in her foyer, half naked and vulnerable, with an empty feeling in her chest that felt bizarrely like longing.

---

Monday came faster than she thought, but it wasn't until Tuesday, that she became appallingly worried.

Minako had called in sick. And Rei knew it was pathetic to think, she was the reason for her absence. Especially, when there existed hundreds of other reasons – like her relapsing migraine or perhaps just some flu.

But all her efforts of convincing herself of the contrary were futile. Not when she was still peering at a blank inbox on her iPhone. Not when she was still waiting for the familiar vibrations.

Minako would have texted her, if she'd caught the flu. She always had. And Rei had gotten no messages these last two days.

This abrupt feeling of helplessness was what really sucked. Staring at her empty phone screen for another two minutes, in which nothing happened, took her wretchedness to a renewed level.

She turned it off, not planning to take another hold of it until closing time. With her best friend absent, Rei had a double schedule. She couldn't afford to stare into nothingness all day. No matter how much her heart wished for the familiar vibrations to return.

Rei sighed and assigned the devoid feeling to her stomach, apparently already missing the unsolicited delivery of candied breakfast. It was just a habit. Something she convinced herself of all the time.

There wasn't a deeper reason for her, to miss Minako's breakfast delivery. Just as there wasn't a deeper reason, why she ate and enjoyed it.

Rei was a bad liar.

One, that couldn't even convince herself of things.

---

"Do I really want to know what you've done, to sent Aino into a rut?"

The hot liquid of coffee definitely missed Rei's esophagus, when her boss approached her with a comment like this, causing her to cough like a dog.

She blinked back the tears. A rut?

"That's what she told you?" Rei croaked out, still shaking with the urge to get coffee out of her lungs, but at least it burned the feelings of jealousy down, when she realized that Minako had contacted her boss, but not her best friend.

"Did you think, I'd accept her absence for a whole week, without demanding a reason?" Haruka's grin was jubilant, more annoying than usual and Rei prayed for her to just leave.

She had no urge to talk about any of this further, didn't want to share her weekend experiences with her boss. Not when her body decided it was overdue to ache with agony again.

"I can smell your suffering from here, so I'll assume it wasn't intentional."

Rei's answering glare told her everything she needed to know. Haruka didn't back off though.

"If you want some advice – and heaven forbid, I know you don't – you should talk to her. Watching your ridiculous mating dance for half a decade, isn't as entertaining as you'd thought it might be."

She was immune to Rei's death glare by now, but something about the harsh exchange looked oddly vulnerable today, and it caused Haruka to soften her expression. "She refused to let me carry you, Rei. Right after she'd punched an Alpha in the face. I didn't even know Aino had it in her, but she does. She cares about you a lot."

Rei swallowed hard, her stoic expression not really easing, but she also couldn't find the courage to tell Haruka 'caring' wasn't 'loving'.

Her throat became suddenly too dry. Her mind too occupied to recall events, she still couldn't remember. But she doubted it would make a difference, if she could.

"Your lack of back-talking tells me everything."

This induced Rei to raise her gaze, wondering not for the first time, how much her colleagues really gossiped about her and Minako. Was she really that obvious? She still doubted Minako's feelings were on par with her own.

"I'll clear your schedule for the afternoon."

Rei's eyes widened at Haruka's direct allusion, which wasn't subtle at all. "I'm not- , you can't-" Her tongue feels too big for her mouth, numb and heavy. This was too soon. Too abrupt. "You can't force me to confess!"

She felt panic rise, heart pounding erratically, when her mouth admitted words she wasn't ready for yet. The urge to curl up and die for her current wording afflicted her immediately, flinching, before her eyes darted across the room, bile rising in her throat.

Only when she felt a soft, grounding weight on her shoulders, stroking back and forth, and stopping the room from spinning, did she realize the hands belonged to Haruka. Rei's gaze returned to her boss' and for the first time ever did she spot some real concern in them.

"You have to breathe. In and out, ok? Everything is fine. Nothing has to change, if you don't want to."

It was a weak attempt to soothe her, when Rei was certain that nothing was fine, but she took her advice anyway, breath evening out.

Haruka squeezed her shoulders one last time, patting them, before letting go and ruffling her hair instead. "It'll turn out fine, shortcake. I'd suffocated as well, before I asked Michiru out, and look where we're now."

Rei's mouth opened in silent wonderment, but whatever she wanted to say was forgotten, when a third party interrupted them.

"Ara, I think you're twisting some particulars, Ruka."

Haruka jumped back from Rei like a child from a burnt dish, the voice of her wife gliding over her skin like hot, melted butter, causing Rei to sniff, when she could feel it even from here.

"Michiru..."

Manicured hands slipped over Haruka's biceps in a proprietorial way, the skin underneath already adjusted to muscle memory, before they settled where they truly belonged. She smirked at her wife, entrancing Haruka in a way that nobody else had managed, and somehow it was sweet to watch.

It distracted Rei from her own problems, when she viewed how Haruka's cheeks tinted, her wife mumbling some embarrassing stories into her ear, turning Rei's boss into putty. It was obvious whom of them had asked the other out first, but they still managed to make Rei smile, albeit wistfully.

She knew she had to face her feelings some day, if she ever wanted to have what they had. Rei knew, some squeamish sorting was overdue.

Still, it didn't stop the dread she felt, when she recalled Minako's expressed guilt, less than a week ago.

Was the thought of being with Rei really so horrible? Was this the reason, why she'd fled?

---

Rei didn't find her courage for another few days, but the truth was, she needed answers.

And she missed her best friend. Which was enough to motivate her, to carry her ass in front of Minako's apartment.

She sighed, telling herself that no matter the outcome, she at least wanted her friend to know that she didn't hate her. Not for her nature and something out of her control. Even if their relationship might be strained after this talk.

Raising her hand, Rei pressed the doorbell, waiting for the familiar tone of chiming, but it kept unsurprisingly silent for a while.

Then, after a sheer eternity, the speaker rustled and through it came the winded voice of her best friend. "Who's there?"

"Minako-" Rei stumbled over her name, heart stuck in her throat, when the words in her mind toppled over. "Can we please-"

"Go away." It was hissed, cold and harsh, in an unemotional alpha-tone, similar to an order. One that any other Omega would have been keen to follow.

But Rei bit her underlip, swallowed the urge to bolt down, before she took a deep breath. "We have to talk, Mina. Please-"

"When will you finally get it into your head, Rei? You shouldn't be here!" Minako interrupted her another time, more agitated than before, but at least this time her voice carried some emotion. "It's dangerous for you to be near me. Heck, I don't even want you to see me like this. You hate Alphas in this state, remember? This is insane."

Her statement got oddly vulnerable in the end, frantic even. Leaving Rei speechless for a moment. She blinked, pondering hard, when Minako's words incited her mind to put some x-rated pictures into her head, making her tremble, but she swallowed any distraction down.

"I still have the spare key, you've given me".

The greeting silence told her, Minako had already forgotten about the time, when she'd locked herself out, and they had to call the locksmith, who've made them two keys, just in case.

"Dont make me use it," Rei sighed. "Just open the damn door."

"Why?"

Because I want to be with you.

Rei knew she shouldn't say this. She knew the hidden meaning in these words. But to her own surprise, it didn't scare her like it used to. For the first time in a decade, Rei didn't have the urge to run away.

"I just..." She closed her eyes, pressed her forehead against the cool glass beside Minako's intercom and breathed in, unsure what to say. "I'd just like to be with you right now."

It was honest, a reflection of her inner-most's desire, but Rei still couldn't stop the freezing anxiety from taking over. Waiting for a reply was agonizing, the fear of not being heard at the back of her mind.

And then the intercom went silent, like the conversation was over. Line cut.

Sadness bubbled up in Rei, but it lost to the never-ending feeling of rejection, as soon as the guilt and frustration set in. Minako didn't even have the decency to grant her a reply. Really any response would have been better than this.

She felt the tears coming and with it the queasiness, that this would really be the end. Why couldn't they just talk and reconcile like humans did in any other novel?

Why was Rei incapable of realizing her feelings sooner? Had denied everything beforehand? And acted like a kicked puppy when rejected.

She didn't want to sulk in public any longer, swallowing the tears down, before she turned her body around, already trying to soften the blow in telling herself this had been inevitable anyway.

Just when she was two steps away from the building, a buzzer went off and with it the door to the apartment complex. Rei didn't know what to think for a second, but coincidence or not, she was inside within the next heartbeat, taking the awaiting staircase in a rush of emotions.

Two floors later, her courage to hammer on Minako's door was still intact, not caring if she thought Rei was insane or self-destructive. She didn't deserve to be treated like this. Fuck, they were friends for almost two decades.

"I can't believe you're ignoring me!" Rei shouted at the wooden door. "For fucks sake, Minako. I may have a pighead, and yes I hate Alphas, but this had never applied to you!"

She didn't care, if the neighbors heard her. Minako was somewhere in this apartment, and even if she refused to answer, she at least had to listen.

"I'm sorry, if I've accidentally done something to trigger this rut! And that I'm apologizing too late! And... I'm sorry that I've never addressed my feelings before."

For you.

The strength left her with this last apology and Rei slumped forward, brows pressed against the doorplate. She felt miserable, her mind filled with anxiety of the unknown future again.

And then she heard some dulled shuffling, like a body that uplifted itself behind closed doors. Erratic breathing, until its voice broke through the recurring demeanor.

"I'm sorry about a lot of things too, Rei. But I won't apologize for thinking you're pretty." Minako's voice wasn't more than a quiet whisper, but Rei's sensitive ears caught everything.

She stared astonished at the old wood in front of her, mouth dry. "You... think I'm pretty?"

Rei was unsure if the following snort was an imagination of her mind, but it would underline Minako's next statement perfectly. "I seriously can't believe you have to ask. Like-" another grunt. "-have you seen you?"

Rei's saliva got stuck in her throat somewhere, mouth agape in shocked bafflement. But none of this stopped Minako from continuing.

"You're every Alphas living dream. Small and delicate and soft. And witty. And your self-control is admirable."

"It's not." Rei knew, she should probably be smitten over such compliments, heart beat increasing and cooing, but all she felt was mournfulness.

"What?" Minako sounded just as puzzled over this reply.

"It's not admirable. Fighting a constant war against your own happiness. I'm tired of it, sick even." Too many emotions flooded her repeatedly, part of her sounding defeated, but nothing in this moment could have stopped her. "And it scares me how much I truly want to be with you."

Deafening silence greeted her and with it came the anxiety of not being heard again. But then she registered Minako's swallowing through the door, and Rei knew her words had delivered through it.

"Being with me as in-"

"Claimed." Rei couldn't help but clarify this to the utmost. Even if it sent an abrupt shiver through her body, making her skin heat up.

"God Rei. I'm- fuck- Are you sure?"

"Yes." She could hear the craving in Minako's voice through the door, making her decision even more certain. "Will you let me in now?"

Rei only had time for another intake of air, her nerves singing, before she heard the key in the door-lock turned, and the next thing she registered was being pulled inside, door closing shut behind her in the same second, until Rei's back joined said door.

Minako's body invaded her space proximately, pressed her spine even more into the hard wood, but she wasn't bothered by any of it, not when she felt warm and wanted and her nostrils filled with the mind-blowing scent of her best friend's arousal.

It felt overwhelming and cloudy and her alarm bells still chimed massively, but she also told herself it's ok, she wanted this.

"Rei."

She couldn't smell Minako's vanilla-scented body-wash anymore, assuming it must have faded over these last, stressful days, taking the last straw of familiarity with it. Rei might have been naive, but even she knew what Alphas did through a rut.

"Rei, hey... look at me." Minako's voice pulled her out of her increasing panic attack, and she met dark blue dead on, ignoring that she needed to tilt her head back a bit to elicit eye contact. "You don't have to do this. We can still stop."

Her voice was quavering, obviously from the toll it took her to repress the brutish urge to mount Rei any second. It was concerning as much as it was endearing. And it made Rei shake her head, before she wondered how much deeper she could fall for this woman.

Her petite hands found Minako's shaking ones, and she had to stand up on her tiptoes, wearing sneakers for the first time in years, to finally close this gap between them.

Rei had fantasized about these lips in her dreams, multiple times, never addressing the evoked longing in the morning, when she woke up from them. It were the kind of dreams you wouldn't talk about, the certain kind someone like her shoved down into nonexistence.

But like a balloon underwater, everything surfaced again if you'd let it free.

Kissing Minako was unlike anything she'd ever experienced. It was sweeter than pie, but with a spiciness that burned her throat, creating a parching thirst, that could only be quenched if she pressed forward. Rei dropped the hold on Minako's hands to wrap them around her neck instead, removing any space between them, which granted her an approving hum from her counterpart.

She opened her lips next, wanting to taste more of Minako, but without any hurry. Rei wanted to relish in this, was already relishing it, when her tongue found Minako's soft one, causing her to sigh from the contact.

To Rei's astonishment, Minako let her lead the kiss. Her hands dropped to Rei's waist, pressing the small Omega even more against her body, but nothing of her posture implied to take the upper hand again. It confused Rei a great deal, as much as she enjoyed this.

Breaking away from her lips, she searched Minako's eyes once more, the ever-present drive to please an Alpha sitting at the back of her mind, afraid of consequences for her disobedience. But there wasn't a demand in them, nor annoyance or anger.

Rei spotted mirth, as well as desire, followed by some amused wonderment, when Minako tilted her head in confusion. "Something the matter, cupcake?"

She tried not to blush at the silly nickname, but lost the battle against her rising pulse anyway, afraid to say something wrong and end their not-even-started entanglement with each other.

"Shouldn't you lead in this?" Rei said it quickly, averting her gaze to Minako's shoulder, waiting for some bomb to go off.

But there wouldn't spark any.

The only sparkling thing was the hand against Rei's chin, guiding her gaze back to Minako's, who fought hard against a laughing fit. Rei didn't understand what was so funny about her question.

"You're really lacking expertise with Alphas, aren't you?" Rei wanted to roll her eyes at this question, knowing full well it was rhetorical and teasing, but she assumed misbehaving in such a situation would only have the opposite effect. "As opposed to what they say about us, some Alphas do have self-restraint. I can let you lead for a while, it doesn't kill me."

"But secretly, you yearn to take control of me." Rei swallowed hard at her own words, dreading the answer, but she didn't pull away from Minako's grasp, maintaining eye-contact.

"I yearn to devour you, introduce things to you, you've never felt before. Showing you, how sweet and hot and delicious sex can be, until you're a moaning mess of gibberish. I long to touch you for years now, Rei. But I don't seek to take control over you."

Through her whole speak, Minako let her hand graze Rei's chin, letting her fingers press and touch and play, until her thumb stroked Rei's underlip. Automatically, the Omega opened her mouth like an unspoken command, breath hot against Minako's fingertips, but she wouldn't dare speak. It seemed the Alpha wasn't done talking anyway.

Pressing the tip of her thumb into Rei's soft, pink lips, making her crave more but not granting her anything yet, Rei could watch how a soft sliver of sky-blue returned to her eyes. "I've thought, you'd enjoy to be in charge for a while. Since I could never forgive myself, if I would've forced myself on you."

Rei was speechless, the thumb still caressing her lip, but it wasn't due to the touch that hindered her. Rather that Minako's words commenced another shiver down her spine, one that gathered at some point below her navel, a place she hadn't addressed in years. But she also hadn't had a reason to.

And the weird thing was, how thoughtful Minako truly was, even during a fucking rut. How considerate of Rei's feelings, so much that even a flicker of her emphatic self pushed through her clouded mind. But that in itself wasn't the weirdest thing.

No, what startled Rei more than a drop tower was how much her body craved the opposite of it, chest purring at the thought of being taken. She was on the verge of giving in.

Her heart drummed harder and faster in her chest, almost in sync with the throbbing between her legs. And suddenly, she couldn't think about anything else anymore, but Minako's touch on her body.

In her body.

An abrupt whimper left her throat, one that caused them both to jump.

"Rei you-"

"S-sorry, I just-"

They spoke simultaneously, neither catching what the other tried to phrase, but they could smell it anyway.

Rei had the urge to avert her gaze anew, biting her lip without disturbing Minako's finger on it, contemplating her next move. But as much as she hated typical Omega behavior, she settled for a mixture of honesty and boldness, taking another step forward. "What if I want you to do all of that? To me?"

She watched how Minako's pupils dilated, eliminating the blue of her irides again at Rei's muttered plea. Bestowing them both with a whiff of her pheromones, before she also leaned forward, their noses touching. "You want me to take control? Of you?"

And Rei didn't know why, but she had to laugh a bit breathlessly, albeit shakily. The pheromones getting to her head. "Bizarrely, yes. I want you to take care of me."

I want to be yours.

Rei closed her eyes, when her body trembled in sheer anticipation, breath accelerating, but they shot open again, an unfiltered squeak leaving her lips, when Minako grabbed her ass, lifting her body up to settle Rei around her waist.

Her arms had never quite left Minako's neck, but she held on for dear life anyway, causing her best-friend-slash-lover to laugh into her neck, hot breaths of chuckling ghosting over Rei's skin. They tickled her a bit, and she felt quite offended to be laughed at, though a part of her knew, her behavior was ridiculous.

Minako wouldn't let her fall.

"Stop pouting!" Minako told her in between laughs, causing Rei to do the exact opposite, because how the heck did she know? "I just never surmised you could squeak so adorable."

It were mere seconds before the blonde kissed her again, still smiling while she sneaked her tongue into Rei's mouth, hot and abrupt, and their kiss got suddenly so messy, that the Omega was afraid to stop breathing.

She felt her nipples harden beneath her thin cotton shirt, pressing against her bra, begging to be freed, but it was nothing in comparison to this amplifying heat between her legs. She had the urge to press her center further against Minako's middle, legs already wrapped around her, when it soaked her underwear more and more.

Rei was ashamed to admit this, to accept her own arousal, but the bigger part of her would die soon, if they'd remained any longer in this foyer.

Almost like they were telepathically linked, she got carried around suddenly, registering the change in scenery only when Rei's back hit the mattress, and Minako climbed on top of her, pressing her body into her, claiming her lips once again. It teased a moan out of Rei's throat, one that Minako swallowed eagerly, before she parted Rei's legs with her own, slipping one of hers between them, dead against Rei's center.

It caused the Omega to break their kiss, groaning surprised and ashamed, but Minako wouldn't let her have any of it, pressing her full weight on top of her, melting into her, before she grabbed Rei's shirt and lifted it over her head.

Rei shivered from the variance in temperature, but couldn't focus on it much longer, when she felt a hand at the button of her jeans, opening them one-handed, including the zipper, and the next thing she felt were diving fingertips right into her soaked panties.

She forgot to breath for a moment, eyes falling shut when she couldn't handle the shiver that violated her senses, but when she opened them again, they gazed into amused dark ones. "I'm-"

"Wet?" Minako chuckled, moving her fingers to empathize it further and Rei lost whatever thought she had, when those fingertips stroked from her entrance to her clit, coating it in her own juices, before she put some pressure on it.

Rei couldn't help but buckle forward, straight against Minako's chest, hearing the Alpha laugh over the intense reaction of her body. "Too intense, love?"

Almost like an apology, she slipped her fingers lower, back to her soaking entrance, gliding over the rim before daring to push the tip of her index in. It felt awkward and dirty, considering she was still halfway clothed, but it didn't seem to bother Minako one bit.

She had this never-fading smirk on her face, eyes glinting from adoration, almost like she had everything planned in advance, and somehow Rei doubted this thought was far from the truth.

"Minako-" She moaned, rest of the sentence going down the drain, when the Alpha pressed a full finger into her dripping cave, making her walls clench for a moment.

"Yes, honey?"

"Can you-" Fuck, she added a second finger to the first, testing how far they'd go when they pushed through her hymen. Minako's whole hand was dripping from her juices at this point, she could feel it, even though she couldn't focus on it. Rei couldn't focus on anything else anymore, but this throbbing need to be touched deeper.

"Clothes," was the only thing she could manage besides gasping, eyes semi-lidded and unfocused. Her pelvis pressed into Minako's fingers on its own, pushing them deeper, which caused both of them to huff in surprise.

Minako seemed to get the hint though, removing her hand from Rei's center, begrudgingly, to grab her jeans instead, pulling them down to her knees, before she discarded them completely. Rei's underwear was fully soaked at this point.

Minako hummed approvingly, when she climbed back between Rei's legs, kissing her belly button, before her lips went lower and hot breath grazed her center. She could watch how Minako's eyes fell shut in pure bliss, inhaling her scent and kissing her clit through the damp fabric, before a growl slipped out of her throat and Rei's breath hitched.

She was freed of her underwear within seconds, though Minako's trembling posture revealed how much she was still holding back for Rei's sake. The Omega was inexperienced like a pubescent teenager, but even she could tell that Minako's behavior caused herself more harm than she could ever hurt Rei.

Taking the risk of a tantrum, she pushed herself up into a sitting position, before Minako's mouth could touch her cunt. Rei guided her bewildered gaze back to her face, kissing her chastely.

"You're sweating alarmingly," Rei murmured, stroking Minako's soaked bangs out of her eyes. "Don't focus on my pleasure, if your rut is at this stage. It's hurting you."

Minako winced in reply, as she was trying to depict the opposite, like outright conceding her pain would offend Rei in a way. Rei believed it was rather the Alpha's ego, that forbid her to admit anything close to vulnerability, but it was also obvious how much the Alpha died to touch her again.

It gave her no other choice, but to climb onto Minako's lap, sitting herself where she was most needed, wet cunt against this still clothed bulge. She got rewarded with a groan, before Minako's arms encircled her waist, and her face disappeared into Rei's neck, licking and nibbling the skin, finding the spot that would tie them together for a lifetime.

Rei shivered in her arms, from lust and anticipation, and maybe the thought of belonging somewhere, until Minako's hips thrusted upwards and she got reminded, that she should have undressed her partner first.

Like reading her mind, Minako's hands dropped to Rei's hips, lifting her just enough to remove her own sweatpants down her ass – wearing unsurprisingly no underwear beneath – and Rei gained the chance to see an aroused Alpha-female for the first time ever from a close-up.

She couldn't help but stare, mouth and throat dry, breath paused, while her pulse quickened.

Automatically, her hand reached out, touching the most sensitive part of Minako's body with curious, but hesitant fingertips, and as soon as she made contact, Minako's eyelids fluttered and she sighed in relish.

It was kind of fascinating, and soft, and so different from her own body, throbbing and pulsing beneath her hand like it had waited all this damn time for Rei's touch alone. Existing for this purpose only. To pleasure Rei, to fill her up, to make her hers, bestowing her with sweet offspring.

The thought set something off in her, something huge and terrifyingly longing, and she felt her own arousal seeping down her thighs, staining the sheets beneath her. She didn't know if this counted as a heat yet, if she was capable of receiving them anymore at all, or if this was the closest she could get to one.

All Rei knew was that she wanted this, badly. And that her body gave her all the signals, showing her how ok it was to want this.

She got shifted again, this time onto her back, gazing up into dark eyes that still held so much sympathy for her, that loved her body and soul, and Rei's entire being with every single fiber of her own, needing nothing more than a smile and a nod and a kiss, before she melted into her, becoming one with her.

And Rei felt nothing else but love, inside and out.

And when she climaxed, both of them, she had never felt so content all her life.

She belonged.

---

"Shouldn't we've used protection?" Minako pillowed herself beside her, posture tired but happy when she pulled Rei into her arms, stroking her hair away from her face.

Rei needed to lean a bit away to see her eyes, spotting some real concern in them for a moment. But against all odds, it made her smile. "I don't think you'll need it with me."

And clearly Minako didn't understand her message, when her expression turned into a frown, pulling further away from her. "But- you were dripping Rei. How in the world-"

"Because I wanted you! Not because I'm in heat!" Rei hated that she had to tell her directly. She hated that she blushed over her own words.

"So, you won't get pregnant? Like ever?"

"I don't know." Rei averted her gaze again, back to their entwined hands, feeling awkward and flustered, when some odd weight settled inside her heart. She didn't know what to make of it.

But Minako obviously did when she embraced Rei again, chest against her back and something about this position felt oddly grounding. She settled their hands on top of Rei's belly, before kissing her neck, licking over the mark she had left at the peak of their ecstasy. "Do you want to have kids someday?"

Rei's breath faltered for a second, before she swallowed and acted nonchalant about it. "I don't know." Giving the same, nondescript answer.

"Liar. You adore them." And Minako kissed her shoulder and Rei thought, that maybe creating a family of her own, where children were loved, and wanted and cared about by both parents, wasn't the most frightening thing in the world.

It was the thing she'd wanted most, when she was little.

"You'd make a great mum. The kids at the shrine always adored you." Minako's breath tickled her ear, but that wasn't the reason, why she had to laugh suddenly, tense posture gone.

"Yeah, but they hated you! I never understood why, your goofy self should've practically put you on equal footing with them." Remembering the times of their high school felt oddly calming and the weight on her chest subsided.

"I was a stranger to them. Mii always thought I'd take you away from her."

"Because you did!" Rei laughed delighted, turning around in her arms to watch the frown on Minako's face soften, when she felt Rei's mood lifted. "She was a lonely child. Only confiding in me, when her mother left for work. She would have coped better, if you'd been willing to share me."

"Never," Minako deadpanned, but her merriment was blatant in her voice, and Rei wondered how her teenage-self had overseen all these signs, when Minako had practically flung herself at Rei every single day.

They held eye contact for a while, listening till their combined chuckling died down, and before Rei knew it, Minako kissed her again. It made her sigh, and her heart sang, and she closed her eyes, before the thoughts decided to somersault inside her head anew.

Kissing Minako still felt like oxygen underwater. Like some burning compulsion that needed to be accomplished to survive, setting every single nerve in her on fire.

They parted sooner than she'd thought they would, but it was to sparkling eyes, and Rei got reminded once again, that they were only this clear because she'd helped Minako through her rut. Because they were bonded now.

For a lifetime.

"I think, I kind of love you..." Minako's whisper broke the silence, plain and simple, but with so much guarded feelings in these words, that Rei couldn't help but chuckle.

"You think?"

And Minako laughed with her. "No, I'm actually pretty sure."

Rei contemplated her for a moment, amethyst staring into blue again, heart pounding loud inside her ears, before she decided to be brave and honest this time.

"I kind of love you too..."

---

The wall inside the ascending elevator were still familiar, yet not when she hadn't stepped a foot inside of them in these last few months. It had been years, since she'd last seen her desk. Years in which lots of things had changed, and though they were better and worse, most of them had been worth it.

Her most important reason sat currently on her waist, curious blue eyes staring at the environment, before they returned to her, and the doors opened and she stepped out into her former department.

Despite her absence, she found the way without respite, heading straight towards her goal, not addressing the curious glances, that were thrown in her direction. It wasn't daily fare that someone brought their child with them, former employee or not.

She rounded another corner, when her eyes found her destination simultaneously with her daughter's, and she started wiggling out of her arms, signaling her to be let down. "Mama!"

"Don't run inside here, Risa!" she called after her, but little-Risa was too occupied to reach her other mother's arms, running and jumping right into them, and Rei thought, maybe she should make an exception for once, when her reward was this picture of domestic love exchange, melting her heart just a tiny bit more for her family.

"Hey pumpkin," Minako greeted their bundle of energy, kissing and blowing against her cheeks until she giggled. It was a sight she never grew tired of. "Wanna sit on mummy's big executive chair?"

Risa giggled even more, nodding enthusiastically, when Minako showed her the big screen, letting her touch toddler-safe things. Every fear she had about, not being fancied by children, not being good enough as a mother, failing in a role she never had to tackle before, faded to nothingness when Risa had been born.

It became obvious after the first week how much their daughter adored both of her parents, how she stopped crying when Minako dandled her, how she got sleepy when Rei read something to her. How she started humming, when they sang to her, trying to imitate her parents spoken words, yet not being educated enough for it.

Rei had made an album, trying to retain these first few years, clutching at these memories with her entire being, but in moments like these, she got reminded that there was no need to hold onto something she would see every single day of her life. When she just had to open her eyes to see their unconditional love for each other on full display.

"She looks so much like you," Haruka interrupted her silent staring, prodding her to turn towards her ex-chef for a moment.

"Just the hair," she heard herself mutter, when really everything she saw in Risa reminded her of Minako. She had her eyes, her nose, the same laugh, the same energy.

Their daughter was curious and chipper, and Rei would have to lie, if she wasn't relieved over that. She just prayed Risa would inherit Minako's gender as well, but they had to wait another ten years, in order to confirm it.

"Thinking about making another one?" Haruka grinned at her, and for a moment she was unsure if this was an additional joke, or a serious question.

Howsoever, Rei rolled her eyes, which prompted Haruka to widen her grin and she believed it must have been a jest. "I could ask you the same thing."

She knew Haruka and her wife adored Hotaru. Somehow it was strange, they'd never wanted a second one.

"Wouldn't have been possible with both of our jobs. I wanted to be there for her, witnessing all of her milestones in life, and it's already stripped-down as it is."

Rei watched how her expression turned from joking to serious to pensive, undergoing all three stages in a rush, before her eyes settled back on Rei. "She's the best thing that ever happened to me, alongside Michiru."

"Ditto..." Rei muttered to herself, the sentiments slipping out through her voice, albeit its quietness. It was strange how smoothly she could compare her life to Haruka's now, when it had been drastically different, and the idea more than surreal years ago.

When she'd been persuaded to stay alone her entire life, never mind having a child.

"You could have your own compartment as well – even next to hers – if you want. When she's older," Haruka offered without further ado, causing Rei to turn her head again.

"Already missing my sarcastic remarks?" Rei huffed amused, hiding her surprise behind well-disposed mockery.

Minako had gained her promotion just this month, it was unlikely someone obtained an advancement offhandedly. Not to mention, someone who was on parental leave for years.

"Mizuno excels at her job," Haruka deadpanned, before a tiny smirk erupted on her face. "But she's also very quiet. Even more than you."

"Bet she's irritated, since you don't have a filter," Rei scoffed back. She didn't comment the fact, how irritated she'd been herself.

"Possible, but at least she doesn't talk back."

"Sounds boring."

"Maybe it is," Haruka openly grinned at her at this point, and Rei couldn't stop her own laugh anymore. She shook her head over her ex-boss.

"Hey," the voice of her wife interrupted their pleasant conversation then, walking over hand in hand with Risa to kiss Rei on the cheek.

She was just about to greet Minako back, when Risa laced her tiny fingers with Rei's, and it was such a simple gesture – holding both her parents hands, working like a linkage between them – but the words got stuck in her throat regardless, heart seized with love, turning her speechless.

"Mama has the Odaiba Beach picture on her desk, mum. The one, where your foot got stuck and we both landed in the sand. Can we go there again? Sometime? Please?" Risa babbled on, clueless about her mother's current inability to function.

"Of course honey. Whatever you want." Her voice was gentle, laced with fondness, when her eyes met Risa's and then Minako's, and she found clean understanding in them.

It wasn't like they'd ever needed the additional boost after being bonded. It had always been there, and in moments like these she got reminded how lucky she'd been. Still was. Having a friend, and lover, and wife like Minako.

A family.

And when Risa got bored and tucked at both their hands, she realized how it felt to finally be home.

---

A/N:

Being honest, I'm not really a fan of g!p stories, as they have the tendency to never explain, why its there in the first place. I'd really take any explanation like Omegaverse, magic cock, being trans, being born with it, etc, as long as there is an explanation. Why is it so hard to just explain things?

Nevertheless, I kept the description to a minimum intentionally, as some of you might still find it weird