His grey eyes fly open, darting around wildly as adrenaline surges through his veins. Everything feels foreign. He doesn't know what's going on, but he's laying down; not in a bed but a… counter? The surface underneath him is hard and he's shivering. There's a strange scent in the air too, like overly ripe fruit. He's never smelled anything like it before and it feels oddly out of place for this musty looking room; it's small, borderlining on cramped, and there are several boxes sitting around as if the room is primarily used for storage. There are no windows; the only light comes from a bare bulb on the ceiling, missing the glass covering that usually keeps a space looking more put-together. Akutagawa's eyes catch movement in the corner and he breathes a sigh of relief.
Dazai-san is here.
His body relaxes slightly onto the counter and he brings an arm up, holding a palm to his damp forehead.
"What's going on?" he asks, his own voice sounding strange; hoarse, almost.
"Oh, you're awake."
The tall man dressed in a black suit that hangs off his slim frame turns around, his bandaged expressionless face coming into full view. He had been fiddling with something on another piece of counter behind him.
"Nothing to worry about, you just fell ill during one of our training sessions, so I brought you here for treatment."
Akutagawa still isn't quite sure where 'here' is, but he infers that it must be one of the lesser used medical rooms at headquarters. There looks to be a few telltale supplies sitting out on other parts of the counter, like blood collection tubes and rolls of gauze. If he wasn't so blinded by admiration, he might have asked himself why he was brought to this room, specifically. There is a main hospital area where he could have been placed in a bed and given proper medical attention. Dazai knows best, though. He is his idol. His savior. Akutagawa trusts him with his life.
Falling ill during training could mean almost anything, but Akutagawa assumes he's probably injured. He gets injured a lot during training; Dazai says it makes him stronger. Says it's his fault for not being better . And who is he, a mere street rat, to go against the word of the youngest Port Mafia executive in history? It makes sense that he's injured with the way his gut aches and his body trembles, seemingly unable to decipher if he's too hot or too cold. He's wearing his regular clothing, a high collared shirt and black jacket, and he can feel the cloth sticking to his skin uncomfortably.
"Here, take these pills, they'll help," Dazai closes the distance between them with a couple long strides.
He never says with what .
Akutagawa sits up slightly, just in time for Dazai to tip a couple small pink pills into his mouth and nearly drowns him afterwards with a glass of water to help wash them down.
"What are they for?" Akutagawa chokes out when he's done sputtering.
"It seems that your lung condition is worsening, the boss says that you need to take these pills twice a day indefinitely. The deterioration can be stopped from progressing with this medication, but you have to be diligent." There is no sympathy in Dazai's words. There never is.
OK, so he's not injured.
An orange bottle of pills is handed to him, and he turns them over to read the printed label. The name on the container reads 'teridone'. He's never heard of this drug before, but he slips the bottle into his pocket regardless.
The voice of reason in Akutagawa's mind says that something is off about this, like he's trying to figure out directions using the wrong map. He must have passed out (it wouldn't be the first time) because he has no idea how he ended up here; God only knows what happened during that period of time. Dazai isn't likely to tell him. It doesn't matter, though. It's his job to follow orders. He will take the pills, regardless of this faint wisp of suspicion.
"When you run out, just come get more from this room. We export a lot of this particular drug so you don't need to waste your time getting a prescription." His tone never changes, it's the same way he always gives orders: dull and lifeless.
"Thank you, Dazai-san," Akutagawa replies, pulling himself up to a sitting position so he can bow his head in respect. His head swims as he rises, and the bow ends up also serving as a way to quell the vertigo.
"Wait a bit before you leave this room. Those pills should take about an hour to begin working."
Akutagawa nods again.
"You're lucky that you're just a useless beta, you don't have to worry about medications interacting with your hormone cycles," Dazai says, almost as if he's disappointed.
It's a wonder how his mentor manages to bring a somber tone to even the best of news.
A faint grin appears on Akutagawa's thin lips. Yes, he does feel grateful for that. He has gotten the short end of the stick for most things in life, but being born a beta is one of the few kindnesses the universe had the grace to offer him.
A useless beta.
Dazai loves calling him that. It's one of his favorite insults to throw at him. And he's not wrong, betas are useless in a lot of ways in the eyes of the Port Mafia. Akutagawa can't be used in the brothels like the alpha and omega apprentices occasionally get thrown; nobody wants to fuck a beta badly enough to pay for it. He also can't be dressed up all pretty and used to lure the enemy into compromising situations, nor use commands to control those around him. Dazai is always looking for what use he can be, and Akutagawa does feel ashamed that he can't serve his mentor in those ways. However, even with these inadequacies, Dazai's favorite insult has never struck him particularly deep.
It's hard to be offended when you don't feel like you're missing out on anything. Akutagawa has never felt even a shred of interest in sex or romantic relationships. Of course, betas can engage in relationships just as well as alphas and omegas, but they don't have the hormones driving them to breed. And without those biological drives, Akutagawa has simply decided to forgo it altogether. The whole thing feels… complicated, messy, time consuming. Overall, not worth it. So while he may not be particularly useful to the Port Mafia in this way, he can't help but feel subtly relieved to remain uninvolved.
And it's even harder to take the insult seriously when the one who is delivering it shares his fate: Dazai, too, is a beta. No matter how disdainful his mentor is, it feels special to have his secondary gender in common with the man he respects so much. The fact that the two of them aren't susceptible to pheromones or commands, nor do they experience the weakness of heats and ruts, it only adds to their power. Akutagawa hopes that he can become as powerful and feared as the Demon Prodigy himself one day.
"I expect to see you back in the training room once you are feeling better, then," Dazai says as he exits the room, closing the door firmly behind him without a second glance.
Akutagawa lays back down on the counter. It's uncomfortable but there's nowhere else for him to lay in this small space. He focuses on his lungs for a moment, normally he tries not to, but he's curious what effect the medication will have on them. They have the same feeling as usual: tight, slightly itchy; like one wrong breath will set off a coughing fit. He considers the sensations in the other areas of his body as well: he aches from within, sweating and shivering. He hopes whatever this is, it passes quickly. He doesn't want to disappoint his mentor.
When the hour is up, his lungs feel the same but his body feels back to normal.
Odd.
He obediently returns to the training room, where Dazai continues to work him just as hard as before. Akutagawa isn't allowed to sleep until Rashomon can reliably block every attack his mentor throws at him.
Perhaps it was all the merciless strikes to his abdomen that had him feeling so terrible in the first place.
4 years later
Akutagawa coughs into his hand a couple times. His cough seems like it's been worse the last several hours, perhaps from all the concrete dust or-
Oh fuck.
He pulls out the familiar orange bottle and begins to open it.
"What are those for?" The annoying silver-haired alpha he's being forced to work with asks.
Atsushi Nakajima, the alpha in question, is naive to the point of stupidity. They just finished a job that took three times as long simply because the man had insisted on helping every civilian they came into contact with along the way. Their only orders had been to neutralize one ability user that was threatening to demolish the building with everyone still inside. Ridiculous. The injured could have waited.
"What right do you have to ask about my business?" Akutagawa spits, trying to suppress the urge to continue coughing.
He slips the bottle back into his pocket. He will take his medicine after he loses this idiot.
They're walking through a thin alley, keeping out of sight on their way to the extraction point. The rush of air of cars whipping by can be heard from the nearby streets as they walk over aged pavement. The only other life on this backstreet is a black cat lounging on the wooden railing of a back porch; its golden eyes follow them as they pass.
They were the only two that were sent to the location due to the delicate nature of the situation. A Port Mafia driver is parked a few blocks away waiting for them to return. Akutagawa still has no idea why his old mentor thinks they make a good team. Atsushi, with his silver hair and kind heart, is the polar opposite of him, dark and full of spite. He supposes that under the right circumstances their abilities do work well together, but that's a big 'if'. If Akutagawa had to quantify it, there had maybe been five minutes where they seemed to be in sync with each other, while the rest of the time was spent bickering and getting in each other's way. Still, they did get the job done in the end.
"Well, we've been working together for a while now and you don't seem to be in very good health. Is there anything I can do to help?"
Yes, this boy certainly is naive. The fact that this alpha actually seems to be worried about him makes him want to puke. He hates having others pity him.
"Don't be ridiculous, I just have a bit of a cough. I'm not sick."
"Oh… right." Atsushi looks a bit sheepish as he brushes the longer side of his hair out of his face.
It pisses Akutagawa off that he can hear disbelief in Atsushi's tone. If a subordinate spoke to him like that, Rashomon would slice them in half without a second thought. His black coat rustles a bit at the notion, having already gotten a taste of the tiger's blood on previous occasions.
The job had gone relatively smoothly other than the unnecessary amount of time they spent at the site. The ability user was able to create a forcefield around their body that only Atsushi's claws tipped with Rashomon were able to cut through. He had been waiting for a signal from another group member, and Akutagawa only has the gods to thank that the signal didn't come before they managed to make it to the top of the building.
"You know you ought to grow more of a spine," Akutagawa says bitterly. "You're never going to make it in this line of work being so soft .
"I've made it just fine so far!" Atsushi fires back, wiping at the dust on his face.
His white collared shirt and black pants are covered in grey cement dust, making him look like he just stepped out of a fireplace. Although the building didn't collapse, they had still brought down a couple walls during the fight. Rashomon managed to save Akutagawa's clothing from a similar fate, but his black hair is dusted grey and his face also has some streaks across it.
"And besides, Dazai-san doesn't see it as a weakness…" Atsushi continues under his breath.
The audacity to bring him up.
"Dazai-san…" Akutagawa says, savoring the name on his tongue. "Is only kind in order to get what he wants. He doesn't do things simply because they are good ."
"Then why does he work for the Armed Detective Agency?" Atsushi continues to argue.
"Why don't you ask him that?" Akutagawa sneers. "I'm sure he will have a well-scripted response at the ready."
"You know what, I will! Oh… but I can't for a few days. He's still off work right now."
Dazai is off work ? Akutagawa had never seen him take a day off in the two years they worked together. It's been years since then, but he can't help but cling to every new piece of information he learns about the man, like saving clippings of your favorite celebrity from magazines.
"Is he ill?" Akutagawa asks.
"No… well, not really."
"...not really?"
"He's taking some time for his heat." Atsushi scratches the back of his head, looking a bit awkward. "Look, I would never tell the enemy something like this normally, but we have a truce right now. And I know you care about him. I'm trusting you to not use that information against-"
"Hold on." Akutagawa sputters. "Why would Dazai be taking time for a heat ? Does he have an omega partner?"
"An omega partner? What? No. It's for his heat."
"He's not an omega, though."
"Uhhh…" Atsushi is looking more uncomfortable as this conversation progresses. "Are you sure about that?"
"Of course I am. He's a beta ," Akutagawa says indignantly.
Dazai can't be an omega. How would Akutagawa have never noticed that? He never took a day off work so he couldn't have had a heat. Akutagawa can't really smell pheromones like alphas and omegas can, but he thinks he would have noticed something .
"Do you think he maybe… kept it from you?" Atsushi says gently. "He definitely smells like an omega to me."
It's true, Dazai does lie to people, but Akutagawa can't help the way his chest constricts at the thought that he lied to him . It wouldn't be the first time, but he doesn't have the same thick skin to Dazai's unkindness that he used to. It stings. And the fact that the weretiger, of all people, just delivered this information to him, he sees red for a second.
He stops walking and grabs the front of Atsushi's shirt, hauling him so their noses are almost touching. He doesn't even know what he's going to do; he can't start a fight here on a public street in Yokohama, that would be idiotic.
"You're fucking with me," he spits.
"I'm not."
He stares at the alpha for a few moments, taking in his curiously colored irises; violet and gold. Atsushi doesn't look away. He looks frustrated, annoyed, but not deceitful. Akutagawa releases his shirt dismissively.
"Give me his number, I want to talk to him."
Maybe he's tricked the ADA into thinking he's an omega. But if that's the case, what purpose would that serve? And why would he admit that to the enemy?
"I'm… not sure if it's a good idea for me to give you his number. Dazai-san was very clear that he didn't want his number given out."
Akutagawa could murder this alpha right here and now. The only reason he doesn't is because a small piece of him knows it's for the best; he can't hit that low again.
"Fine," he says tightly. "Then call him on your phone and let me speak to him."
"I don't think he will like it if I call him during his heat…"
"It's important. Please ." Akutagawa lets his anger soften to something more palatable. Something more desperate.
He needs answers.
Atsushi seems reluctant but after a few seconds of hesitation he brings out his phone and pulls up Dazai as a contact. Akutagawa can't help but feel jealousy crawl over him when he sees his old mentor's name under the 'frequently contacted' list. Atsushi taps a button to put the call on speaker.
It rings several times, sounding like it may go to voicemail, but it gets picked up at the last second. A bit of shuffling is heard on the other end before-
"Who the hell is calling right now?" A husky voice that Akutagawa would recognize anywhere comes on the line.
"I'm so sorry to bother you, Chuuya-san. I just- I-" Atsushi starts panicking immediately.
"Well? Out with it!"
"I-is Dazai-san there? I need to speak with him."
An irritated sigh can be heard through the speaker.
"He is… I guess this isn't the worst time you could have called. Make it quick, though."
The speaker makes sharp clacking sounds as the phone is presumably passed over.
"Mmm hello?" Dazai sounds extremely tired, his voice doesn't have its usual lightheartedness to it.
"Dazai-san?" Akutagawa says.
"Akutagawa-kun…?" Dazai replies. "Why are you calling from Atsushi-kun's phone?"
"Because I need to speak with you and Jinko wouldn't give me your number."
"Ah! Much appreciated, Atsushi-kun. Akutagawa-kun has a bad habit of calling me crying. He kept filling up my voicemail before I switched numbers."
Atsushi raises an eyebrow at Akutagawa as if to say 'I knew it'.
"I did not!!" Akutagawa's face burns.
"Aww, are you embarrassed? But you told me you loved me! Did those words mean nothing to you?" Dazai says dramatically, seeming to perk up a bit.
Atsushi is looking at him like there's something wrong with him now.
"Dazai-san, are you an omega?" Akutagawa gets right to the point, redirecting the conversation away from the fact that he was once that desperate for the man's validation.
Dazai lets out a snort of laughter into the phone.
"Why are you laughing!?"
"Are you just finding out now?"
"So you are an omega??"
"Yeah, Akutagawa-kun, I am. It wouldn't have been a good idea for the Port Mafia to have that information about me."
Great, now he looks like an idiot in front of the weretiger for this too.
"But- But! You never had a heat!"
"Mm, I used to just take a lot of suppressants. The mafia had those really potent black market ones. You know, those ones I gave you."
Wait…
"Dazai-san… why would you give me suppressants?"
"Don't tell me. Are you still taking them?" There is another cackle of laughter on the other end of the phone. "Akutagawa-kun, it's been four years. How did you not notice?"
"Notice what ?"
"Damn, I guess I should have told you before I left. I assumed you'd just work it out on your own eventually…"
"Notice what!?"
"So the thing is… you're also an omega. I was suppressing your heats just like mine with those pills."
Akutagawa's mouth falls open and he feels faint. This conversation is not going at all how he expected it to. He certainly wouldn't have agreed to have it on speakerphone in front of the weretiger if he knew that his mentor was about to tell him that his entire life has been a lie. Not to mention the fact that his superior can hear all of this playing out on the other end of the phone.
Akutagawa looks up and immediately makes eye contact with Atsushi. The alpha's expression has softened from one of skepticism to one of pity. This cannot be happening.
"So those pills you have are-" Atsushi begins.
" Don't. " Akutagawa cuts him off sharply. The word pulls at his vocal chords, sending him into a coughing fit. He chokes and gasps for several moments before he regains composure.
"You said those pills were for my lungs," Akutagawa says breathlessly when he finally finds his words again.
"I did say that, didn't I? Haha, you were so gullible back then!" Dazai says cheerfully.
"Are you KIDDING me!?" Akutagawa roars. "I TRUSTED YOU!"
"Yeah… I don't know why! Ahaha, oh! If you've been taking those suppressants this whole time you should probably stop. They aren't very good for your body. Make sure you find a good heat partner first, though; your first heat after four years on suppressants is going to be rough ! Erg…"
Dazai makes a weird groaning sound and there is a bunch of rustling and clacking on the other end of the phone.
"Times up." Chuuya's deadly voice comes back on the line.
Click.
Akutagawa just stands there for a couple seconds in disbelief. Finding out about Dazai being an omega was a shock to his system, but nothing could have prepared him for that secondary piece of information.
He wishes this was one of Dazai's elaborate pranks, but somehow it doesn't feel like it; not this time. The questions he never had answers for seem to be falling into place a little too well for this to be fiction.
"I-"
"Not a fucking word . You hear me, Jinko? If I come across anybody who suddenly knows about this, I'll turn you into a rug."
They walk the remaining distance to the extraction point in dead silence.
Upon returning to headquarters, Akutagawa debriefs his mission to Mori robotically, his mind essentially on autopilot. He numbly finishes up a few other time-sensitive tasks before having a driver take him back to his apartment.
The car ride gives him a bit of time to think. Being an omega is not a challenge that he ever expected to have to deal with, but he supposes it's not the end of the world. It brings him the barest whisper of comfort that Dazai is an omega too. They are still alike, at least. Though it's not like he can rely on him for any type of support; he doesn't have any way of contacting the man. And even if he could, Dazai would probably just find some way to torment him about it. It pains him that the one he idolizes most treats him like filth. No, he will need to figure this out on his own.
The first thing he does when he gets back to his apartment is sit down at his kitchen table and pull out his phone. He starts by pulling up a web browser and searching 'teridone'.
Teridone: an industrial strength omega suppressant, not available for public medical use due to high risk of infertility. Can completely suppress heat symptoms as well as other characteristics associated with the secondary gender, including scent, slick production, susceptibility to commands and pheromones, sense of smell, and sex drive.
Fuck.
Dazai was telling the truth.
Akutagawa has been attacked by dogs in the street while he was cold and starving, watched his friends be murdered before his eyes, and been beaten relentlessly by the man he looked up to the most.
Somehow this feels worse than all that, the fact he went four years wrapped in this lie. And the fact that a simple internet search could have remedied the problem. God, he really is an idiot.
The irony that Akutagawa had wished for his mentor to be truthful so many times in the past only to have been desperately hoping he was lying this time is not lost on him.
Fuck.
He pulls the bottle of pills out of his pocket and turns it over in his hands. The bottles are the standard orange clear plastic that pharmacies fill. That way they aren't immediately identifiable as something more sinister. He grits his teeth as he eyes the small pink pills.
How could he be so stupid?
Making an impulsive decision, he stands abruptly, clenching the bottle so tightly in his fist that the plastic groans quietly as he storms into the bathroom. Akutagawa rips the cap off the bottle and dumps the contents in the toilet before hurling the container at the wall with all of his strength. He yanks open the mirror over the sink next and pulls out the additional bottles he keeps there, adding each to the growing mound of pills collecting at the bottom of the toilet.
These pills are nothing more than a symbol of what a failure he is. He hates it. He hates them . His mentor had expected him to figure this out for himself, and he should have. Dazai is never going to acknowledge him now, not after learning how truly useless he is. He finds every bottle he's kept tucked away in his cupboards and watches as the pink pills swirl before disappearing down the drain. He stomps the leftover orange plastic under his feet and when that doesn't seem to quell his rage, he throws a punch at the mirror over the sink hard enough to fracture his reflection and bloody his knuckles.
Flicking his wrist as if to throw off the self inflicted pain, he takes a couple steps backwards and slumps down the wall, putting his head in his hands.
It's always like this. First he gets angry, so angry he can't even think straight, and once that anger dries up, all he's left with is sadness. He sits there for a long while, not doing much of anything but breathing heavily as the reality that nothing will ever be the same after this sets in.
Akutagawa brings his head up abruptly as a realization hits him a moment later.
Oh, shit.
In his fit of rage, he has just put himself on a time limit. He never took those pills earlier, meaning he hasn't had a dose of suppressants in over twelve hours. He will likely begin to feel some of the effects setting in within the next several hours. But that's not even the worst part.
Akutagawa knows nothing about omegas.
As a beta who was uninterested in sex, he never bothered to learn omega anatomy, nor any information about their cycles. He had no interest in ever being with an omega (nor an alpha or beta, for that matter), so why would he bother? He returns to the kitchen, snatching his phone back off the table. This time he stands restlessly as he types more keywords into his browser.
He starts with heats.
Omega heat: An omega heat occurs approximately once every six months. During this time an omega will feel a strong desire to stay close to their nest and mate. The most common symptoms of a heat include sweating, brain fog, fatigue, extremely high sex drive, painful cramping, and the production of large amounts of slick. Proper hydration is critically important during this time as dehydration is one of the leading causes for omegas to be admitted to the hospital. While an omega can choose to have anyone as a heat partner, it is recommended that they either choose an alpha or have a knotting toy available. The process of knotting is vital for an omega to feel relief from the negative symptoms associated with heats. As a substitute for an alpha, a piece of material that's been scented by an alpha can help an omega in heat feel more comfortable.
There are quite a few terms in there that he's not sure he fully understands. So he continues on by searching 'knotting' next.
Akutagawa's thin eyebrows raise further with every line he reads.
He has to do what ?
There's no fucking way. That has to be the wrong definition. He begins pacing back and forth as he continues to assault the search bar. He types a few variations and feels a bit more panic set in every time he gets a similar result.
Oh my god.
This day keeps getting worse and worse.
So his options are to suffer immensely, or have something shoved up the ass and suffer marginally less? Great. Fantastic.
He thinks on Dazai's suggestion from earlier. Should he find a heat partner? He can't ask anyone at the Port Mafia, otherwise they'll know . He will likely need to tell them at some point, but he can't think about that right now. Everything is too fresh; he's still having a hard time believing that this isn't just a bad dream. Who else does he even know? He is not asking the weretiger, he can't take being humiliated in front of that alpha a second time in such a short time span. But he also isn't about to be seen in public shopping for a dildo. Perhaps he should take a page from his old mentor's book and avoid everything by jumping off the bridge, but that doesn't feel right either. Suicide may have appealed to him more in his younger years, but he has things he need to accomplish now, staring with getting Dazai to acknowledge him (and after today he's basically starting from square one on that front). In the end, he chooses the former option. He will just deal with this himself. It's not like he's never suffered before.
The internet had mentioned that omega's need nests during their heats, but Akutagawa isn't familiar with what a nest actually is. He browses around on his phone and finds some example pictures. OK, so it's just a bunch of blankets and pillows? That's easy enough. He walks down the hall to Gin's room and takes the blankets and pillows off their bed. Normally, Akutagawa doesn't like it when his sibling is away on missions as he worries about them, but he's never been more relieved for them not to be here. They aren't due back until next month; Akutagawa hopes to have eliminated all traces of what's about to occur by then. He will buy Gin some new bedding once his heat is over if need be.
…and figure out how to break this news to them.
He shakes his head as if to rid himself of that thought: my heat.
He's going to have a heat. Because he's an omega.
There is a sinking feeling in his gut as he realizes that this is beginning to feel real.
He tries not to think too hard as he works to pile the additional blankets and pillows onto his bed. Akutagawa hopes that this makes more sense when his heat actually hits, because right now this just feels stupid. The next thing he does is call Mori and tell him that he is having a health emergency that requires him to take a few days off work, making sure to play up his usual cough as he explains. It seems to go well enough, but he has to make several phone calls afterwards to ask subordinates to cover tasks that he would usually handle himself. He hopes they don't set anything on fire too badly in his absence, but he can't worry about that right now. Lastly, he makes a quick trip to the store to buy some groceries that will be easily accessible to him while he's delirious.
Several hours later, Akutagawa has changed into sweat pants and a t-shirt (all black) and is crawling into his nest. Can this thing even be called a nest? It's just a heap of bedding. He gets into it anyway, shuffling around getting comfortable. There is an odd type of satisfaction in being hugged by the soft materials, but Akutagawa can't tell if he actually feels any different than he would normally. He's always preferred soft comfortable materials now that he thinks about it.
He lays in the nest for quite some time, on and off reading a book before he starts to feel… tingly. Certain areas of his body suddenly feel extra sensitive. There are spots on his wrists, neck, and groin that he can feel the most. He searches around more online and learns that those places he can feel are his scent glands. There is also a slightly different scent hanging in the room. It smells a bit sweet but it's not really placeable as any specific aroma. It's oddly comforting, though, like inhaling over the first sip of jasmine tea. Akutagawa brings his wrist up and smells the area that's tingling; the scent is definitely coming from him. He licks the gland. It doesn't really taste like anything but the wet friction of his tongue running over the gland is rather intense. It feels good in a strange sort of way. Almost comparable to when he touches himself… down there.
Akutagawa's hand travels down and dips into the waistband of his sweatpants. He palms at his soft cock. It feels different. More sensitive. He's always found masturbation to be a bit awkward, but he knows he's going to have to get used to it. If he doesn't have a heat partner for what's about to come, he's going to need to be able to take care of himself. He runs his fingers over the tingling glands on either side of his groin and shivers at the sensation. It's strange how good that feels. Delicately, he takes himself in a hand, stroking his cock slowly to full hardness. It feels a little different than usual, maybe slightly better. But, just as usual, something about this doesn't feel right.
He's having a hard time focusing. His mind wanders back to the mission today. There was one moment in particular that's been bothering him. Akutagawa had tried to hide a civilian he had come across out of the way before Atsushi caught sight of them. He hadn't been intending to kill them or harm them, but the alpha had come around the corner before he could finish the task and the next thing Akutagawa knew he was being pressed up against a wall, claws at his throat and a dangerous snarl filling his ears.
His cock throbs in his grip as he recalls how he felt the low rumble of the growl in his chest and hot breath against his neck.
Ah.
The heat must be coming on. He knows he was only bothered because the alpha had dared to put his hands on him. Why is he remembering that moment now like he's the heroine in a romance novel?
Pathetic.
Akutagawa shakes his head, pulling his hand out of his pants. Granted, the weretiger is the alpha he is closest with, even if it is only due to circumstance. He may have to get used to these types of fantasies. God, he's never going to be able to look the man in the eye again after this. Perhaps he should just lean into this, though. The article he read on omega heats did say that having an alpha scented item can help ease heat symptoms… He'd rather walk over broken glass than ask Atsushi directly, but it probably wouldn't be too hard to get ahold of a piece of his clothing. But if he's going to do that, he had better do it now before his heat fully sets in and he's incapacitated. He makes the decision quickly and gets up.
He does lament having to leave the comfort of his nest just a little bit. Maybe there's something to this, after all.
Akutagawa has always had a good sense of direction, remembering how to find his way back to locations he's only ever been to once. It was the only way for him to survive growing up, to remain hypervigilant. The skill is serving him well currently, as he gives succinct directions to the cab driver. The drive only takes twenty minutes before he's stepping out a block away from the Armed Detective Agency's dorms, not wanting to accidentally stumble into one of the members immediately.
"Wait here, I only need to grab something," he says to the driver.
The man nods, sliding the gear into park and relaxing back on the seat. Akutagawa steps back from the car, manipulating the fabric of the black sweatshirt he's wearing to form a hood that covers his head, hiding his face in downcast shadows from the streetlights.
The night air smells strange as he makes the short walk, head down and hands stuffed into his pockets. There is still the usual smell that comes with the night, moisture and cooling concrete, but there's other scents mixed in that he can't place, some of them pleasant and some of them not. It's a little overwhelming. He can't say he's feeling overly well right now, there is an ache in his gut coming on and he feels overheated; better to get this over with quickly.
He approaches the dorm through the alley that runs behind it. Akutagawa has done enough infiltration to go about this the right way, even if his mind isn't as sharp as it normally is for missions. He identifies a window that looks to be one within Atsushi's dorm, using Rashomon's tendrils hooked onto the overhang of the roof to silently pull him up next to the window. He peers through the glass to find a plain room, the only furnishings are a futon laid out on the floor and a simple dresser sitting against one wall. There is also a closet next to the dresser. The light to the room is turned out, but there is light trickling in from the hall. Akutagawa assumes that Atsushi is likely at home right now, given the time of night.
Carefully and soundlessly, he slides the window open. Their dorm is on the second floor so Atsushi must not have bothered to lock the window. This is going to be easier than he thought. Using a few more tendrils, he climbs through the window like a spider. He's immediately hit with a scent he's never smelled before. It's rich and musky and makes him feel a bit strange inside: comforted and restless at the same time. It tempts him to abandon everything and run directly to the source. This must be what pheromones are like. He can hear sounds coming from the other room: the scraping, stirring, and clacking of pots and pans as some type of food is prepared. Good, that will make it harder for him to hear. Akutagawa creeps across the room and opens the dresser quietly. The top drawer is full of brightly colored kimonos.
What?
The scent that comes from this drawer is wrong too, it's not that deeply tempting scent that's still hanging in the air, this one is lighter and more floral, almost just like a regular perfume. He moves on to the next drawer and finds underclothes that are clearly meant for a female. This is definitely not Atsushi's dresser. Suddenly he can hear footsteps coming towards the room and he flings himself into the nearby closet.
OK, this is where the scent he wants is. A wall of it hits him as he jumps in and he has to stifle a whimper at the way his body begins to tingle and heat up in response.
"Who's there? I can smell you, you know," he hears Atsushi's voice in the room a minute later before the ceiling light flicks on.
Akutagawa internally cringes at his continual idiocy.
As a 'beta' he was the ideal man for infiltration jobs, never having any scent on him or being affected by the pheromones of others. The fact that that isn't the case anymore completely slipped his mind when he left his apartment.
"Show yourself."
Soft blue light filters into the closet, Atsushi evidently activating Beast Beneath the Moonlight.
Shit. He really doesn't know what to do. He can keep his hood down and maybe Atsushi won't recognize him, but he won't be able to fight him off without his ability. And Atsushi will know who he is immediately if he uses Rashomon. He quietly pulls himself up to lay flat against the ceiling, held in place by a tendril in each of the four corners. A minute later a tail sweeps the clothing out of the way.
A head of silver hair is stuck into the closet a moment later, and it only takes Atsushi a second to look up.
The tendrils are a dead giveaway.
"Akutagawa…? What are you doing in my closet? You uh… know I would have let you in if you came through the front door, right?"
Akutagawa's cheeks burn. This is fucking humiliating. He drops down gracefully, trying to maintain what little dignity he has left.
Nope, nevermind, he can't do this.
He hits the man with an arm of Rashomon, forcing him backwards as he darts out of the closet and dives towards the window. Unfortunately, Atsushi is faster, shredding through Rashomon and grabbing him around the middle. Akutagawa is hit with a heavy wave of alpha pheromones immediately. And it's good . It's so good. God, he has to force himself not to melt completely into this hold, instead trying to wrestle the man off of him. His legs feel weak and it's not only pain he's feeling in his core now.
What the fuck? Why do his pants suddenly feel wet?
He hears the alpha take a deep breath, easily catching his scent in the air.
"Get the fuck off of me!" Akutagawa spits.
"Promise me you won't run and I'll let you go."
"Fine!"
The alpha releases him and Akutagawa has to suppress a full body shiver. They both stare at each other for a moment, panting heavily from the short-lived tussle.
"Are you in heat right now?"
"Why the fuck would I be in heat?"
"Do you think I'm stupid? I was right there when Dazai told you that you're an omega earlier. I'm assuming you stopped taking those suppressants; my entire place smells like omega. Did you at least find a heat partner first?"
"..."
"So you don't have a heat partner, and you came here…" Atsushi is putting the pieces together painfully slow.
God, he's so punchable. Akutagawa would love to string him up with Rashomon so he can't move a muscle and put some bruises on that pretty face. Leave his mark on him. Run his tendrils all over his body and-
Wait. No.
"It's none of your business."
"Akutagawa, you're in my dorm. You've made it my business."
He needs to get out of here right now. Fuck the clothing, he will just suffer.
"Coming here was a mistake. I'll be leaving now."
He takes a couple steps backwards, towards the open window.
"Wait," Atsushi steps forward, reaching out to grab one of his hands. It's warm and Akutagawa lets out a whimper that he prays the alpha doesn't hear at the sudden contact. "You clearly came here because you need help. Please. Let me. I'll be your heat partner, if you'll have me."
The idea of spending the next week with Atsushi sounds completely overwhelming. Akutagawa enjoys being alone, but deep down he's known the whole time that it's not the best idea to be alone during a heat that could very well land him in the hospital. He stays silent, unable to distill his thoughts into something decisive.
"Just stay for tonight," Atsushi continues after Akutagawa stands there looking conflicted.
"I… can't stay here," he eventually answers. "I need my… nest."
He has a nest. He just told his enemy that he has a nest. If he could die on the spot right now, that would be ideal.
(The idea of Akutagawa, at one point his sworn enemy, cuddling up happily in a sea of soft blankets and pillows like any other omega is hard to take in. But Atsushi can't deny that the mental image he is getting is rather enticing. He looks forward to exploring the man's omega instincts.)
"Shit, right, of course," Atsushi replies. "Why don't I come to your place?"
"Tch."
"Look, I understand that this is weird, but I don't think you realize how much you will regret turning me down. I've been with omegas in heat before. It's intense and being alone for a heat after going years without having one is dangerous. And, no offense, but you don't have the best health to begin with."
Ah, yes, he has to go for his weak point.
"What the hell do you know about my health?" Akutagawa can't help but become defensive.
Atsushi simply raises an eyebrow at him, as if to say "really?"
He's sick and they both know it.
"Fuck, fine, whatever. But you're only staying one night. Once I get this thing under control I won't need you anymore."
"Alright."
It only takes around ten minutes for Atsushi to gather what he needs. He had just finished making Oyakodon, so he quickly throws it into a container and grabs some sleeping clothes that he doesn't imagine he will be wearing much. He also closes the window Akutagawa came in through. They exit the dorm together, Atsushi locking the door behind them and Akutagawa keeping his hood pulled over his head. The cab is still waiting a block away, and they ride back to Akutagawa's apartment in silence.
…is this really about to happen?
When they enter Akutagawa's apartment, Atsushi looks around the space. He's never been here before and he's not sure what he was expecting. Akutagawa's usual style is rather… vampiric; there is maybe a small part of him that was expecting the space to look like a Victorian castle or some other dwelling that doesn't allow much natural light in. In reality, the space is rather basic. The walls are left plain and there's a few pieces of black leather furniture sitting in the living room. Atsushi supposes it makes sense given that Akutagawa came from poverty just like him. The man would probably kill him (or at least try) if he knew that Dazai had told him the story of how they met, but he's thankful for the insight that gives him.
God, it really smells like him in here. Atsushi couldn't help but notice how tempting his scent was back at his dorm; the way it had hit him like a ton of bricks, tugging at his sanity more than any pheromone he's ever encountered. Most omega scents are alluring to some degree, but there is something different about Akutagawa's; something special. If he's being honest, he's always liked how he smelled even when on suppressants, but this is an entirely different level. Atsushi had the chance to mull it over on the way here. Sure, it's sweet, but the saccharine note is cut with something almost bitter, making it even more enticing. Like sweetened matcha tea. It's almost addicting to his senses, making his head spin with want. The thought of having this omega all to himself has the alpha part of him quite pleased.
"Well?" Akutagawa turns and looks at him after closing his apartment door and locking it.
"We should probably shower first," Atsushi suggests.
"I'm not showering with you."
Atsushi has to hand it to him, his willpower is impressive. The heat evidently hasn't set in entirely; not even the strongest of omegas are immune from turning into a quivering mess during their time. However, the fact that Akutagawa's heat scent is so potent already and he's still managing to act nonplussed with an alpha close by, it really is something.
"That's fine, you can go first, then," Atsushi replies kindly.
There will be time for them to get familiar with each other later.
Akutagawa has some time to unpack what just occurred while he lets the water run through his hair, darkening the white-kissed tips. His body is really starting to ache now, not just in his gut but the pain seems to be radiating down his legs as well, making standing fairly uncomfortable. He runs a cloth over his skin as he wonders if all alphas smell as good as Atsushi. His scent seemed to be doing some unsettling things to his body during the ride over. Twenty minutes in an enclosed space with an alpha and nothing to distract himself with may have been a bad idea. He felt lightheaded and his pants were nearly soaked through when he took them off to shower; he had quickly hidden them in the laundry hamper. Now that he's under the water, however, he feels a bit more grounded.
He changes into a new set of casual clothing before returning to the main area of his apartment. The alpha is sitting at the kitchen table eating out of a bowl. There is a second bowl sitting next to him on the table, and Akutagawa finds it full of Oyakodon when he gets closer.
"You should eat while you're still lucid," Atsushi says. His eyes fall over the clothing Akutagawa has changed into and his lips twitch a bit.
"Still lucid?"
"I know you haven't experienced a heat before, but have you never even seen an omega in heat?"
"..."
"Trust me, you need to eat this. Even if you don't feel hungry."
Akutagawa grumbles, but sits at the table and begins picking at the rice. The alpha also brings a glass of water to him and ruffles his damp hair before taking his leave to shower.
That was… odd. He essentially just pet him. Like a cat. The odd part, however, isn't only limited to the casual affection, but the fact that his body craves more .
It must be the heat.
He supposes he's going to have to get used to this.
Akutagawa takes a bite of the food. Huh. It's actually pretty good. He slowly makes his way through about half the bowl before he starts feeling ill. He's pushing around the remaining food with his chopsticks when the alpha returns from the bathroom completely naked with a towel over his head, rubbing at his hair. Akutagawa finds himself incapable of looking away. Atsushi has great muscles, lean and well defined, but when his eyes drop lower he gasps.
He's huge.
Is that even going to fit inside of him?
"What the fuck," Akutagawa mutters, and when Atsushi pulls the towel off his head his eyes snap up to meet the alphas. "Put some clothes on," he hisses.
"Why?" Atsushi says lightheartedly. "I'm just going to have to take them off again."
"Tch." Akutagawa can feel his face burning as he holds eye contact with the alpha, not wanting him to see his eyes fall lower.
"OK, OK, I'll put something on if it makes you feel more comfortable."
Atsushi disappears and reappears a few minutes later wearing a dark blue jinbei.
"How are you feeling?" He asks.
"Like I've just lost a fight. Badly. And I can't decide if I want to throw up or pass out." Akutagawa pushes the bowl away from him on the table and leans back in his chair, dropping his head back in defeat.
"OK, well, let's start off by scenting you. That should help somewhat with the pain."
Atsushi walks closer to him and offers a hand. Akutagawa hesitates for only a moment before taking it. Atsushi's hands are warm and surprisingly large compared to his, even though they are both similar in stature.
"It would be better to do it in your nest where you can be comfortable."
Akutagawa nods, he makes a small effort to take his hand back, but when it becomes obvious that the alpha isn't planning on letting go, he simply leads him by the hand instead. Akutagawa's bedroom is plain, just like the rest of the apartment, but he made sure to spend a bit of extra money on a proper bed, and he's never been more satisfied with that decision as he climbs into it and feels himself sink into the soft materials.
It feels like heaven. Just being in his nest alone has him feeling a bit better.
"Let's get one thing straight," Akutagawa says acidly, staring up at the alpha standing at the foot of his bed. "I don't like you, Jinko. I'm grateful for this, but I still don't like you."
He can look past the irritating naivety, but what he can't get past is the fact that Dazai chose this man over him. Dazai never lied to Atsushi about who he was, never played with his mind the way he toyed with Akutagawa's. And for that, he despises him: Dazai's perfect little alpha. Thinking about that makes him sick.
"Uh huh," Atsushi's tone is dismissive as he begins to crawl into the nest.
It makes Akutagawa want to strangle him, to cast Rashomon aside and squeeze the life out of him with nothing but his bare hands.
"Let's start by getting you out of those clothes." Atsushi kneels next to him and starts to tug upwards at his sweater.
A wave of panic hits Akutagawa, tearing him out of his violent fantasy. For some reason it completely slipped his mind that he would probably need to be nude for this. Apart from showering (with the door locked), he never goes without clothing. It's his highest form of protection, his greatest weapon.
"Wait!" Akutagawa gasps. "C-can we just do it with my clothes on?"
Atsushi releases his sweater, a frown of confusion on his face.
"That might be kind of hard. How about you leave the sweater on, but the pants come off. I think you know as well as I do how dirty they will get."
Akutagawa gives a hesitant nod and Atsushi begins to slide his sweatpants and boxers down.
It feels a little patronizing, to have someone undress him like he's a child, but at the same time it feels oddly nice to be taken care of in this way. Still, he can't stop himself from throwing out a scathing remark anyway.
"I bet you love seeing your enemy like this," Akutagawa says, words dripping with disdain.
Atsushi pulls the clothing over his feet, tossing it onto the floor.
"I, uh, I don't really consider you my enemy…" He says, sounding almost hesitant, as if he is letting Akutagawa down. "Not anymore."
And it annoys Akutagawa that he actually does feel a little disappointed. If Atsushi isn't his enemy, then what is he? He doesn't know what to say, so he turns his head to the side, focusing on a nearby wall as he presses his lips together in a pout.
"Right now, you're my omega. That's all you need to think about," Atsushi continues, receptive to the change in body language.
Akutagawa is nobody's property; never has been and never will. The idea of someone referring to him as theirs is grounds for execution. So why did that make his chest flutter? Why does his body feel so hot?
Atsushi's heady pheromones wash over him more heavily and Akutagawa feels his mind become a little foggier. Despite his resistance, he can feel his sharp edges softening. He feels safe here. Protected; like he can let go.
Atsushi picks up one of Akutagawa's hands, pushing up his sleeve a bit before gently rubbing their inner wrists together.
A moan is dragged out of him before he can stop it.
"What the fuck? What did you do?" He chokes out, completely taken off guard by how good that outwardly innocent act felt.
It's like he's swapped bodies with another that feels entirely different sensations.
"I'm scenting you. By rubbing our glands together, I'm mixing my pheromones with yours. It helps calm omega's down when they are in heat," Atsushi explains warmly.
It's doing a lot more than calming him down.
When he finishes the other wrist, he moves on to the glands on the sides of his neck, just below his jawline. When his wrist runs over this spot, Akutagawa lets out an even more urgent sound and he feels the wetness between his legs return. Those glands are even more sensitive than his wrists. He feels like he could come just from this and realizes he's already embarrassingly hard, cock flushed and twitching against his stomach, for which the alpha kneeling over top of him has a front row seat because he's not wearing pants . How did this happen from just a few touches? Granted, Akutagawa has never actually been touched before. Not like this. And though he's never really cared much for what people assumed about his sex life, the thought of Atsushi knowing he is a virgin is suddenly making him feel a bit shy. Perhaps it's the fact that the alpha is quite obviously experienced that is leaving him feeling a bit inadequate.
"You're doing a good job," Atsushi praises as he works. "All you need to do is focus on feeling good. I'll take care of you."
Akutagawa preens, running a hand through his damp black hair. God, why are those words just as good as the intoxicating slide of the wrist against his neck? He can feel himself beginning to slip, starting to dissolve into the needy omega that's been unknowingly locked away inside him all these years. He's fighting a war within himself between pride and want.
"Are you ready for me to touch you down here?" Atsushi begins sliding his hand down Akutagawa's abdomen, still safely wrapped in his black sweatshirt. The look on his face is compassionate and determined, pupils blown wide.
Akutagawa nods profusely, want overtaking pride immediately upon seeing the effect he is having on the alpha.
The hand trails lower, taking hold of Akutagawa's cock and giving it a few lazy strokes. Atsushi's gaze is palpable on every exposed part of him. His face, his hands, his legs, and every piece in between. It sets him on fire, ignites desire within him. Even so, he doesn't anticipate the alpha to shimmy down the bed to come between his legs and run his tongue up his length experimentally. The hot, wet friction has Akutagawa bucking his hips wildly.
"What are you-?" He whines breathlessly.
"Do you not like it?" Atsushi doesn't continue licking, instead hovering over the omega, his breath hot against the nearby scent glands.
He did like it. He does like it. But-
"It's just… isn't that kind of gross?"
"Not at all. Omega's taste good to alphas," Atsushi says lightly. "And you taste especially good. Can I keep going? I want to."
Akutagawa feels heat in his cheeks as he nods passively. When he puts it like that, how could anyone say no? Atsushi takes him fully in his mouth, causing him to squirm at the sudden stimulation. Akutagawa's cock is small and fits in Atsushi's mouth perfectly, the tip just pressing at the back of his throat when he's pressed his lips down to the base. It feels fucking amazing. Otherworldly. Better than any time he's ever touched himself. Is it because he's in heat or is it because it's an alpha touching him? Or is it because it's Atsushi touching him? The alpha hardly manages to suckle at him for more than a minute before he can't stop himself from coming. He's barely ready for it when his body arches in ecstasy before melting into a quivering mess. Atsushi licks him clean with devotion, as if he were savoring something truly wonderful, and Akutagawa watches with reverence in his semi-lucid state. The alpha finishes by licking at the scent glands in Akutagawa's groin, causing him to shudder violently in a combination of pleasure and overstimulation. He can feel himself leaking a puddle onto the blankets underneath him.
It's all downhill from here.
That orgasm was simply a taste of what he wants. What he needs. Though it seems to have made him feel a bit more relaxed, a bit more pliant, it's made him much more aware of another fact: he's empty.
"Do you want to rest or do you want to keep going?" Atsushi raises his head to ask a few moments later.
"More. Please. More!"
He feels desperate. Ravenous. Insatiable.
"OK, have you ever presented before?"
Akutagawa furrows his brows in confusion. He wants to be good for him, but he can't do that if he doesn't know what he's asking.
"Don't worry, I can show you. I'm going to move you into a different position, alright?"
Akutagawa nods and Atsushi gently guides him up onto his knees, pulling a pillow from nearby and pressing Akutagawa's face and chest onto it. Akutagawa's hips remain in the air and Atsushi presses a hand between his thighs, guiding him to spread them wide. Akutagawa's back falls naturally into an arch before Atsushi gets the chance to press a hand to the omega's lower back. His sweatshirt slides up his back, exposing his midriff, belly undulating quickly. This feels oddly natural, good even, for something he's never done before, and through the haze Akutagawa wonders why he doesn't feel even a trace of shame about being put on display in this way.
"God, you look so good like this." Atsushi says, running a hand over one of his hips. "How does it feel to be presenting for your alpha?"
"M-my alpha?"
"That's right, I'm your alpha for this heat."
Akutagawa melts further into presentation. He likes the sound of that. A lot. He has an alpha. An alpha that's going to take care of him and-
And fuck him. Atsushi is going to fuck him. Quell this frustrating sensation within him that's begging to be filled.
He feels himself grow wetter at the thought, slick beginning to run down his balls and inner thighs.
"I'm going to start getting you ready now," the alpha says, seeing how Akutagawa's body is responding to this.
Akutagawa feels a finger begin rubbing at his drenched rim, circling his opening languidly. It feels like he's teasing him when he aches so badly to be filled. He presses his hips back into the finger.
"Have you ever put anything inside yourself before?" Atsushi asks gently.
"No…" Akutagawa hides his face in the pillow he's laying on.
"Ah, OK, well… It's pretty normal to start out like this to help loosen you up. So you can work up to… bigger things. It can hurt if you don't ease into it."
Bigger things , the words echo in his ears. Right, Atsushi is somehow going to fit that inside of him. The fear he felt when he first saw the alpha's cock seems to have dissipated, and now all he's feeling is impatience. God, he's so desperate to have something inside him.
A moment later he feels one of the alpha's fingers breach him and he whines at the odd sensation. It's not necessarily uncomfortable, but it doesn't really feel like he thought it would either. The slick his body is producing has allowed it to happen quite easily, however, and soon after Atsushi retracts the finger only to push in two. The additional digit makes him feel a little more complete, pleasure beginning to slowly mount within him. It's strange how this can feel good even though his cock is hanging between his legs untouched. He can tell the alpha is moving his fingers but he can't place exactly how they are being moved inside of him. He's completely unprepared a moment later when his muscles contract and he empties onto the blanket underneath him with something between a yell and a moan. His second orgasm hit so quickly that it feels as though he skipped past the climax and went straight to the part where he's quivering with oversensitivity. The alpha doesn't pull out, but his fingers stop moving.
"Ugh.." Akutagawa groans. "W-what was that?"
He didn't even know he could come from just that.
"That was your prostate. I, uh… I didn't realize you'd be that sensitive. Are you OK? Do you need a minute?" Atsushi asks with concern.
Akutagawa has no idea what he needs. He feels tired, sweaty, overstimulated, yet his body is still screaming at him for something. Although he's already came twice, something still feels like it's missing.
"Don't stop. Please ."
"OK, I'll be more careful this time."
The alpha continues fingering him open, taking care to avoid his most sensitive spot. Now that Akutagawa's body is getting used to the sensation, it feels amazing. Akutagawa holds the pillow he's laying on tightly with his eyes glazed over, a bit of drool darkening the fabric as Atsushi works. He doesn't come again, but he feels as though he's right on the cusp. He's completely at Atsushi's mercy and that fact feels so innate, like this is exactly where he's supposed to be.
"I think you're ready. How do you feel?" Atsushi asks, his voice lower and rougher than usual.
Akutagawa can barely form words at this point. His mind is so hazy, body so pliant with want. Their mixed pheromones hang heavy in the air, and the only thing he wants in the entire world is to please his alpha.
"Please, I need it," he pants, hardly recognizing the tone his voice has taken on. Desperate and needy.
"Come here." Atsushi guides him out of the position and moves back on the bed until his back is leaning against some pillows stacked in front of the simple walnut headboard. Akutagawa crawls obediently along with him and the alpha turns him around so he's straddling his hips facing away from him.
"Let's start out like this, that way you can work at your own pace. This is going to take some getting used to." Atsushi explains as he shoves down the front of his shorts, finally pulling out his cock.
Akutagawa looks over his shoulder, eyes straining to keep the alpha within his view.
"I can help guide you easier like this," he explains when he notices the omega looking a bit put out. "God, look at you," he growls, grabbing at a hip and rubbing the tip of his cock against Akutagawa's soaked ass.
He feels a hand on a cheek, spreading him open and guiding him down just a bit. The pressure on his rim increases and Akutagawa bites at his lower lip at the promise of being filled.
Finally.
"I want you to sit down nice and slow for me," the alpha orders. "If it hurts, stop. I only want you to feel good ."
Akutagawa nods deliriously, using Atsushi's thighs for leverage as he lowers himself down experimentally. He feels even more pressure as he's stretched wide, but it's not painful so he continues to work his way down. He feels so full, so much more so than with Atsushi's fingers. It quenches some of the insatiable ache within him. He whines, head tilted backwards as he continues to slowly sink onto the alpha. It's game over when the head of Atsushi's cock drags over his prostate; he stops for several moments, whimpering and twitching as thick droplets of semen run down the underside of his cock before dripping onto Atsushi's shorts.
"Fuck… You feel so good," he hears Atsushi mutter softly, the hand on his hip tightening. He glows at his alpha's praise, managing to move down a bit further. He must have most of Atsushi inside of him by now, it feels like so much . He looks over his shoulder to find that he's only made it a few inches onto his cock.
Fuck.
"It's OK," Atsushi's voice is like warm fabric fresh from the drier. "You're doing well so far."
His other hand comes up to grab onto the opposite hip, pulling him apart further to ease some of the tension, and Akutagawa can't help but melt down a bit further onto him as he holds on firmly.
"Good. So good. See? I knew you could do it."
With every word of praise, he makes a bit of progress.
By the time Akutagawa actually makes it to the base of his cock he feels as if he's eaten a three course meal. He whines as Atsushi guides him back to lay against his chest, stroking his hair back out of his eyes and pressing a kiss to the shell of his ear that makes him shudder in delight.
Nobody has ever kissed him like that before.
"Akutagawa…" Atsushi sighs, running a hand up under his sweatshirt to run over his sensitive chest.
That name feels wrong coming out of his alpha's mouth. That's the name that his boss calls him; that his coworkers call him. It feels… sterile, impersonal.
"Ryuu," he half moans. "Call me Ryuu when we're like this."
(Though Atsushi knows that the language is only practical, they will be like this again and again tonight, he can't help but grin at them anyways. When we're like this : the promise that they'll be this way again.)
He hears a small huff of amusement against his ear.
"Alright, Ryuu," Atsushi smiles.
The nickname tastes sweet on his lips. Atsushi doesn't move at all yet, simply allowing his omega's body to adjust to his size. His hand trails back downwards to run over Akutagawa's belly, feeling the bulge of his own cock through the man's thin body. He growls softly at the sensation. It's beautiful. This man is beautiful. He has to fight off the urge to begin pounding into him mindlessly, to breed him so thoroughly that he's nothing but a quivering mess, to claim him so completely that he never thinks of another as long as he lives.
He shakes his head. That's a dangerous thought.
"Still OK?" He asks instead.
"Yeah, just, fuck- it's so much," Akutagawa squirms a bit, trying to get more comfortable on his lap.
Atsushi picks up one of Akutagawa's wrists and runs his own over top of it, causing the omega to relax into bliss as he's scented for the second time of the night.
"Good boy," Atsushi says into his ear. "You took it all so well for me."
When Atsushi runs his wrist over the scent gland on his neck, Akutagawa comes immediately, his body clenching tightly around the alpha as white-hot pleasure rolls over him; he spills onto his own stomach with a sob. He hears Atsushi's breath catch at the sensation before he begins muttering more words of praise into his ear. It's wonderful. It's everything he's ever wanted. Akutagawa was slightly more prepared for the orgasm that just tore through him, but the ache within him still hasn't been quelled, he realizes with frustration. He whines, pressing himself down harder onto Atsushi.
"Hey, Ryuu?"
"Mmm?"
"You've never been knotted before, have you?"
"No…"
"OK well, it can be a bit scary for omegas the first time. You have to try and remain calm or else you could end up hurting both of us. I'll try to keep you calm as well."
Akutagawa is getting impatient at this point. Even though he's already come four times, his body still feels restless, like there's something itchy inside him that he hasn't quite been able to scratch. He's tired and wants relief.
"Hurry up," he pleads.
"I'm going to get you to turn around."
When Atsushi guides him to lean upwards, pulling him off his cock, Akutagawa can't stand the empty ache that hits him now that he knows what it's like to be so full. It only takes a moment for him to turn around and sink back onto the alpha, mewling and burying his face into Atsushi's scent glands. Atsushi's warm hands run up and down his body, sliding up under the sweatshirt, and he wonders how he's ever going to be able to live normally again after this; this type of touch is habit forming. Even without the pheromones, Akutagawa so rarely lets people touch him, and of those that do, none have ever dared to touch him like this . Every part of him, marked and cared for, inside and out.
When Atsushi takes hold of his hips and starts thrusting up into him, his eyes roll back in his head immediately. That's it. He's ruined. His fingers aren't long enough to hit whatever spot is being perfectly drilled into right now. It's rapturous. It's earth shattering. His only options are going to be to put himself through the humiliating process of buying a massive dildo or-
Or beg the weretiger for his cock.
Akutagawa sucks instinctively at the alpha's scent glands, moaning and whimpering into the warm skin as the alpha continues to fuck him. He rocks his hips down to meet Atsushi's thrusts, greedy for every inch of him. Each time the alpha's hips meet his flesh, he bleats at the added intensity of being completely and utterly stuffed. Atsushi is reaching so deep inside him, Akutagawa wouldn't be surprised if his organs were completely rearranged after this.
"Ugh, I can't get enough of -ah- the way you feel," Atsushi growls into his ear.
The realization that he's making his alpha feel just as good as Atsushi is making him feel has his cock trapped between their bodies throbbing. Atsushi feels like he's getting even larger within him, pressing relentlessly against his walls, and the omega part of him sings with joy and relief. He wants it all; wants every space inside of him filled.
More. More. More.
"'m gonna… gonna knot you now," Atsushi says breathlessly.
"Please! Please-" Akutawaga begs.
Atsushi keeps his pace consistent but has to shorten his thrusts to more of a grind, keeping the omega entirely sheathed on his length. Akutagawa can feel the additional pressure on his rim as the knot begins to fill out, pressing into sensitive spots he had no idea even existed. It feels good, but distantly also a bit strange.
"It's OK, you're doing so well, everything is fine." Atsushi's words are strained as he runs a hand through Akutagawa's hair, his other hand still gripping one of the omega's hips tightly.
His hips still, pressed flush against Akutagawa's ass. Atsushi growls as his knot swells to its full size and he begins emptying inside the omega. The additional pressure sends Akutagawa into another orgasm immediately, clinging to the navy cloth covering the alpha's chest. The intensity of it practically sends him to another dimension. His vision blurs as his eyes roll back in his head and his senses are entirely taken over by pure euphoria. He basks in it; soaks up every wave of ecstasy, a string of broken words and feral moans tumbling uninhibited from his lips.
Akutagawa has tried his fair share of drugs: cocaine, heroin, amphetamines, the usual suspects within the drug trade. He's always found it odd how people end up reliant on them, never finding himself craving them in the days after use. He already knows he won't be feeling the same way about Atsushi. This is a different sort of drug; this is everything .
As he comes down from his peak, he's vaguely aware of the fact that warmth seems to be spreading within him; Atsushi is still coming, softly snarling as he continues to grind into Akutagawa. His belly presses against Atsushi's, putting additional pressure on his softening cock and making him whine with overstimulation.
And still, he feels himself grow fuller.
Pleasure dissolves into discomfort and fear. He can't move, stuck in place on this alpha who seems intent on filling him until he bursts. He needs to get away before-
Akutagawa jerks in sudden alarm, but Atsushi is equally quick, bringing his hand to the back of his neck and stroking at something that makes his body relax against his will. He melts back onto Atsushi's chest, the alpha's hand moving upwards to stroke at his hair.
"Shhh, just relax. You did so well." Atsushi croons in a strained voice.
It only lasts another moment before the pressure inside him stops building. Atsushi relaxes his grip on his hip, rubbing tender circles into his flushed skin. The hand slides up his body, slipping by the swell of his belly and coming to rest across his back. The alpha shifts his hips slightly, adjusting his body, and Akutagawa mewls at the sensation of connectedness.
"We have to stay like this for a bit, until it goes down," Atsushi says gently. "Can you do that for me?"
Akutagawa nods, glad to hear that; he wants to stay right here, pressed against his alpha's chest, lips latched to his scent gland. Encompassed by his heady pheromones. Filled with his seed. He feels so content, so warm, so utterly satisfied. His whole body is tingling in the aftershock of pleasure, his symptoms quelled for the time being.
Wait.
There is a sound coming from his chest. A thrumming. Oh god, is this purring? He can purr? Akutagawa doesn't even know how it started or how to stop it. The sensation feels nice, though, adding to the blissful aftermath of being knotted. A few moments later, Atsushi begins making some type of sound in response. They resonate perfectly together, singing him into a peaceful sleep. The last thing he feels before he is entirely unconscious is lips pressed to his forehead.
Akutagawa doesn't sleep for long before he wakes up sweating and panting. He keeps his eyes shut, expression scrunched in distress. Atsushi must have cleaned him up because he feels a lot cleaner than he otherwise should. He's also wearing lighter clothing, a t-shirt from the feel of it; he can't bring himself to be outraged about that right now. He whimpers loudly at the aching pain that's returned to his gut, rolling onto his side and curling into the fetal position. He feels just as awful as before, possibly even worse. His head swims with half-thoughts he can't quite get a grasp on.
"Ryuu? Are you awake?"
The tone of his alpha's voice, deep and rumbling, comes from nearby, taking the edge off his distress. His scent is encompassing him as well, now that he focuses on that. It's a comforting realization.
"I-I- need-" Akutagawa struggles to get a coherent sentence out.
Atsushi doesn't ask this time before he starts in on his work again. Four orgasms and one knot later, he's fighting to force some water into the omega while he hisses and tries to curl up under the blankets in his nest. He ends up having to grab him by the mating gland on the back of his neck to calm him down while he carefully tips a small amount of water into his mouth at a time. Food might be asking too much at this point.
It's going to be a long night.
"Ryuu," Atsushi runs his fingers over the man's forehead, tucking a strand of black hair behind his ear.
The omega is curled against his side, legs wrapped around one of Atsushi's and face tucked into his chest. The jinbei has long since been removed and the sweater Akutagawa had initially fought to keep is off now too. Akutagawa had eventually cracked part way through the night, becoming too desperate for skin on skin contact. It feels nice to be pressed together like this, cradled by the comforting mix of pheromones.
"Mmm," Akutagawa stirs a bit in his sleep.
Atsushi feels bad about waking him when he looks so peaceful, these moments will be rare over the next several days, but he's left this as long as he possibly can; the sun is beginning to come up. Light trickles in around the black out curtains that were never properly closed.
"You said you wanted me to leave in the morning… I'll leave if you want, but I don't think you should be left alone. Can I ask someone else to come here instead? Or I could take you to the hospital."
"Nooo…" the omega's voice is thick with sleep and the deliriousness that comes with a heat.
He really should have talked about this with him before the heat fully set in, but he already knows that Akutagawa would have just told him to leave in the morning no matter what. He is the most stubborn person that he's ever met in his life. Atsushi shifts slightly on the bed, only needing to adjust himself, and the omega's arm that was draped loosely over his waist suddenly becomes a death grip.
"No-no-no- Please!" Akutagawa's eyes fly open wide and quickly begin filling with tears. "Don't go! Please don't go!" He begs, beginning to run his wrist over Atsushi as if putting more of his scent on him will keep him here. As if he wasn't already hoping to stay.
"Whoa, hey, no, I'm not going anywhere. If you want me to stay, I will," Atsushi soothes him, grabbing his wrist and bringing it to rub affectionately against his neck.
"Stay!" Akutagawa clings onto him for dear life, burying his face into the crook of his shoulder as if he were trying to become part of him.
A grin forms on Atsushi's lips. He didn't expect Akutagawa to be so… endearing like this. Omegas don't always submit willingly, some of them stay feral, all teeth and claws and fury. He had expected as much from Akutagawa, preparing to come out of this with wounds to lick. Akutagawa seems to have taken to him well, though, even with the initial resistance; he doesn't seem to be fighting the instincts anymore. It's soul-stirring, to witness a man so out of touch with himself be vulnerable. On top of that, he's relieved that he can stay for the duration of his heat, it would go against his alpha instincts to care for and protect his omega otherwise. Atsushi squeezes the omega tightly to his body with the arm he has wrapped around his back, Akutagawa whimpering in response.
"Alright, I'm staying, but I need to let my boss know that I can't come to work. OK?"
Akutagawa nods into his shoulder and Atsushi begins to wriggle out of the embrace, grabbing his phone off the nightstand and dialing a number.
"Hi, President, I'm sorry to bother you so early in the morning. A, uh, friend of mine has fallen ill and I'm the only one available to help them. Am I able to use some of my sick days this week? I'm so sorry, this was really unexpected. No, thank you, I appreciate the offer but we will be OK."
When he tosses his phone back off to the side, Akutagawa curls back around him immediately and Atsushi can't help but appreciate the way they fit together so naturally. He wonders if the man will end up asking him here for future heats; it's certainly easier to ask past partners for this kind of care versus finding someone new. And the fact that Akutagawa literally broke into his dorm tells him that he doesn't have a lot of other options.
Later in the morning, after he feels as though he's performed a miracle by getting the omega to shower with him and eat something, Atsushi checks his phone as he's walking out of the bedroom to see that he missed a text message.
[10:46 AM] April 12, 2013
Osamu Dazai: I didn't think he'd have the balls to actually ask you. Have fun~
He panics and throws his phone across the room, face burning. The phone bounces across the floor before sliding underneath the couch. It can just live under there for a while, he thinks.
It's not like he'll need it for a few days, anyway.
Notes: