Pidge woke early the next morning. He had went to bed late the night before because Shiro willingly allowed him to finish the job he had began on his nails, and even asked for his toes to be done in the same way. Pidge didn't want to admit it, but colouring Shiro's nails had kept him from breaking down after taking his first pill. He had never taken medicine before, even when he was sick, and the sensation of the pill sticking to his tongue and throat had him in tears as he hurriedly swallowed it down with water. As he got his bearings, he noticed a strange smell in the room, like old blood mingling with fresh. He scrambled out of bed, fearing his stitches had come undone in the night, only to discover a small, crimson stain where his rump had been. Silence filled the room, before he screamed, checking himself all over, suddenly terrified that he was bleeding out.
The bedroom door flew open to reveal a snarling Shiro, eyes wide and black. He scanned the entire room from top to bottom, shoving things out of the way. Once he was sure no one was there, he rushed to Pidge, checking him all over, growling and instinctively attempting to scent him, nose pressing to his glands at every opportunity. Finally, he grew calm, and looked at Pidge, noticing how terrified he was. He sniffed him from head to ankle, before realizing what was wrong. It wasn't heat, thank god, but the heady, cruel beginner to heat for female Omegas. Shiro slowly picked the chairs back up, picking Pidge up and placing him in one before putting his own rump into the other.
"You're alright, Pidge. Let me explain," he said before Pidge could cut him off. "You won't like it, though. Because your body is still biologically female, it's preparing you for your first heat. Scientists call it a menstrual cycle, a period of time where your body will expel old eggs and begin to fertilize new ones, in small torrents of blood. I've had some lady friends stay with me while they were on what they refer to as their period, and they left boxes of things here in case they return." Pidge finally looked horrified, and without warning, he rushed to the bathroom, promptly getting sick. Shiro went to him, rubbing his back and getting him a cup of water to rinse his mouth out with. Once Pidge was well, Shiro rooted through the cabinets, before placing a big bag of something called pads onto the counter. "I don't know how well they'll fit into your boxers, but you'll unfortunately need them. I didn't want to tell you yet, but I've been looking into getting you a surgery to give you the body you really want. The surgeons can't do anything until you're older, but they're willing to give you a top and bottom surgery. They said when you're sixteen, they'll begin to evaluate you to make sure that you're ready for such a big step," Shiro was knocked back from the force of the hug Pidge gave him. His head hit the floor, and he groaned, looking up at Pidge, who rested on his chest, tears in his eyes. "Thank you," he choked out, wiping his eyes.
Pidge absolutely despised the pad that lay roughly situated in his boxers. It kept sticking to his leg, and it wouldn't stay put! He vowed to never wear another one unless he absolutely had to, for it made him feel absolutely useless and sick. He was a boy, why the fuck was his damn body bleeding?! He kicked a rock from the path he was on, sighing. Looking up, he was surprised to find himself in a lavish garden. All manner of bud bloomed under the watchful sun, minus a strange, snowy white bud that seemed to sleep. Pidge walked to the flower, brushing his fingertips along the soft petals, marvelling at its quiet beauty and grace.
"They're called moonflowers," the voice startled him, and he whipped around, eyes wide. Nestled on a weathered bench, Shiro smiled at him, suddenly looking very old. "I planted them a long time ago, when I was no older than you," he explained, walking over to Pidge, who quietly listened. "That was, oh, about.. eleven years ago." Shiro chuckled, smiling at him, eyes bright. Pidge smiled, looking at the flowers. "They're very pretty," he murmured.
Darkness surrounded Pidge. He shivered and lashed out at the shadows. From the darkness lurked his father, eyes full of malice. Pidge froze, his stomach churning, eyes full of fear. His father sneered at him, before bringing the whip he held down across Pidge's face. He cried out, attempting to get away. "You're a female, you're not a male! I'll beat it into you, one way or another!" Pidge suddenly found himself pinned beneath his father, sobbing and begging as he was punched, beat senseless. Suddenly he felt his clothes ripped from his body, his binder ripped from his chest, freeing the scarred breasts that never felt right. "I'll make sure you remember you're a female, you little cunt!" Pidge thrashed, screaming out. He heard his father's pants hit the floor, felt him climb on top of his small body and...
Pidge woke screaming at the top of his lungs, clawing at his body, unable to quiet his wails, his face soaked with his tears. His bedroom door flew off its hinges from how hard Shiro barreled into it, sending the Alpha to the floor amid the splinters. His eyes were wide, his lips were drawn back, exposing his teeth in the most terrifying, feral snarl that no living animal could make. His black eyes darted about the room, his heart pounded as he took in the scents of the room. Sour was the fear-scent, sour was the blood-scent, but harsh and sweaty was the other smell emitting from the closet. Off came the door, and the man within was slammed into the floor, into the splinters.
"Father?!" Pidge scrambled to the very head of his bed, near the point of passing out. "Pidge, look away!" Shiro ordered, but Pidge shook his head. "I said, LOOK AWAY!" Shiro had never used his Alpha Voice, and he hated how Pidge sobbed but obeyed, turning his head.
Shiro's nails were claws when they found the throat of the man who had caused Pidge so much pain, so much grief, who almost willingly raped him. He almost drove his claws in, but Pidge stopped him with an almost wordless cry. Tears stained the boy's face, and, realizing what he almost did, Shiro slowly backed away, black eyes slowly becoming blue once more. He almost couldn't stop Pidge, who had suddenly launched himself off the bed onto his father, punching him. When the battered man tried to speak, Pidge punched him in the mouth. "Good boys should be seen, not heard," he snarled.
Once Pidge had beaten his knuckles bloody against his father, he couldn't really move. He allowed Shiro to help lead him to the bathroom, grabbing his pills on the way because he had forgotten to take one before he went to bed. He sank onto the toilet lid while Shiro rooted for a wash cloth and a cup. Finding both, he filled the cup and handed it to Pidge, who gratefully drank down his pill, then drained the cup and quietly asked for a refill. Once he had drank his fill, Shiro began to work on his hands. He carefully placed one beneath the running water, watching the stream wash away the blood. Then, he patted Pidge's knuckles softly before binding his hand with gauze, repeating the process on the other hand. "Good news, Pidge," he said, smiling. "You can finally wear your binders. The stitches have dissolved, and you're free to use them." Pidge grinned at that news. For the past week now, he had been using the mandatory gauze to keep his chest wrapped, and it had began to rub his upper torso raw. Using the softer binders would be a blessing.
"What are we gonna do with him?" Pidge asked suddenly, motioning toward his unconscious father on the floor. Shiro scowled. "Personally, if you hadn't of stopped me, I was going to kill him," he replied without shame. "The child services won't do anything to him because you're an Omega. They always spat on Omegas, even when I was a kid. No, the only thing we can do is either dump his sorry ass back at his house, or dump his body in the forest and hope some animal gets a hold of him." Shiro looked at Pidge, frowning. For a long time, the young male was silent. Finally, he spoke, his voice unwavering. "Mother would be happier without him, and Matt can't stand him.. I don't want to watch, but he's useless to society now. Leave him somewhere far from town." He stood up, eyes dull. For a moment, Shiro forgot that his ward was but a child; before him stood a man, brave in the face of adversary, and for the first time, Shiro felt like an Omega beneath the sharp gaze of an Alpha.
For the first time, Pidge felt like an Alpha. For the first time, both men felt like they had finally found where they belonged.