Chapter Text
“Denki Kaminari, this is your new partner, Hitoshi Shinsou.” Denki’s boss gestured to the tall, purple haired man who stood before him. “Hitoshi Shinsou, meet Denki Kaminari.”
“Hi!” Denki gave the man a big, phony smile and a wave.
“Hey.” Shinsou’s voice was muffled by the mask he wore over his face; he gave Denki a nod.
“Don’t let Mr. Kaminari’s cheerful disposition fool you,” his boss continued, placing a hand on Shinsou’s arm. “He’s not only a tenacious son of a bitch who’s worked extra hard for every accolade he’s earned, but a top hero in our agency. If you utilize your time with him properly, he’ll be the one to help you create a very successful career path for yourself.”
Shinsou blinked, almost looking drowsy. “Understood.” He turned to Denki. “I look forward to my time with you. Please take care of me.
“Same!” Denki laughed.
“Good.” Denki’s boss nodded. “Now, get the hell out of here.”
Denki and Shinsou set out onto the dark city streets for their first patrol; it seemed decently quiet that night, but looks can be deceiving.
“Did you get stuck with the night shift, or did you want it?” Denki looked around the street as he spoke.
“I wanted it, but they strongly implied I do it before I could say anything.”
“Yeah. Nobody likes the night shift -- except for us weirdos, huh?”
“Yup.”
//Oh, /great/. He’s a friggin’ /corpse/.//
“So,” Denki broke the silence, “wife?”
“Nope.”
“Mate?”
“Nope.”
“Kids?”
“Nope.”
Denki laughed. “Perfect nightshift person.”
He could tell out of the corner of his eye that Shinsou had looked at him. “How about you?”
“None of the above -- or more, /never/ of the above.” Denki shuddered. “I don’t buy into that stuff -- not one bit.”
There was a sigh. “Finally, somebody with a brain.”
Raising an eyebrow, Denki looked at him. “What do you mean?”
“The whole ‘mating for life and have kids’ thing is just a giant scam to keep people in their ‘place.’” Shinsou made finger quotes around the last word. “They’re all mindless zombies, doing what they think they ‘need’ to do, and never think about why they even want it.”
Mouth hanging open, Denki stared at him for a moment. “Really? You think that, too?”
Shinsou nodded.
“That’s /exactly/ what I’ve been saying since I was in middle school! Everybody thinks I’m ridiculous for it!”
Shaking his head, Shinsou looked at him. “People who have their eyes open often get told they’re ridiculous. Don’t worry about it; they’ll come to realize you’re right in time.”
“You /honestly/ don’t want kids?”
“Do I look like the type of person who’d be interested in changing diapers and singing lullabies?”
Denki cackled. “And you don’t want a mate -- ever?”
Shrugging, Shinsou looked forward. “I haven’t completely decided against that one. I guess if the right person comes around, I’ll see how it goes, but I don’t think having one is a mandatory component of life.”
“See, that’s where you and I differ.” Denki shook his head. “I think having a mate is a person’s grave; it slowly sucks the life out of you, and takes away your independence.”
Shinsou blinked. “Who do you have to thank for that opinion, and how many of them?”
Eyes going wide, Denki laughed. “None. I learned by example. I’m going to be single for the rest of my life, and focus completely on my career.”
Swiveling his head, Shinsou sighed. “Fair enough.” They walked in silence for a moment. “So, you like Dark Wave?”
It’d been around two months since Denki and Shinsou started working together, and they actually got along pretty well; even their quirks seemed to compliment each other.
The boss had a habit of putting the new people with him to train until they learned the ropes, then distributed them into more appropriate roles -- something Denki was sometimes a bit /too/ eager for, but...he kind of liked Shinsou.
He kind of wanted him to stick around.
You know...at least long enough to know what he looked like under the voice changing device.
Who else was he going to chat about music and movies with when things were slow?
And when they were busy, Denki would always laugh himself silly after a rally, reflecting on how much chaos and distrust Shinsou could cause with that voice changer. He /especially/ loved it when Shinsou’d make it talk like Denki and roast the fuck out of him.
He kind of /really/ liked Shinsou.
...Maybe.
OK. He did. Even with having never seen his whole face before.
So, what? He didn’t need to know what he looked like; it’s not like he’d ever tell him how he felt.
The feelings would go away, eventually, right?
He couldn’t deny that work had become noticeably more pleasant but, at the same time, he kind of hated getting close to people.
That’s just the way some omegas were.
Being an omega was something that was decided /for/ Denki; he had no control over it. But living a typical omega life was something he /did/ have control over, and wanted nothing to do with it.
Being a hero was the only thing allowed to bite on /his/ neck.
The thunder had been rolling in the sky, growling like a dragon.
Denki had to rush to get to work before it started raining, and he spaced on a few steps while getting ready.
So what if his hair wasn’t perfect for once?
At least work gave them ponchos.
But, on the rush to work, he...well, he felt a bit...different? Maybe even kind of off?
But he ignored it.
It was probably nothing.
Unfortunately, the ponchos they’d been given for patrolling in the rain met a bitter and shredded end when he and Shinsou had gotten into a particularly hard scuffle with some villains, close to where Denki resided.
They’d emerged victorious -- cold, wet, and miserable...a bit beaten and battered, but victorious.
And once Denki’s boss came to the scene, he told Denki and Shinsou to just go home for the night.
Denki pointed down the street. “My apartment’s literally less than a block from here; you want to come over and dry out for a while?”
“I’d love to be able to refuse out of politeness’s sake, but,” Shinsou nodded, “yes. I really, really do.”
Giving him a laugh and a smile, Denki motioned for him to come along, then took off down the street.
“Oh my God, oh my God, oh my GOD!” Denki shimmied his shoes off in the foyer. “I feel so gross, I can’t /take/ it!”
There was a laugh from under Shinsou’s mask as he patiently untied his boots. “It’s just rain.”
Bracing himself on the wall, Denki pulled one of his socks off and smiled. “You’re not uncomfortable?”
Eyes rolling to the ceiling, Shinsou nodded. “OK, yeah, I’m really uncomfortable.”
Denki laughed, taking off his other sock. “I’ll go get a laundry basket; we can throw our clothes in there. I’ll get them washed on the quick cycle.”
“Sounds good.”
Denki dashed into his room, stripped off his clothes to toss them into an empty plastic laundry basket, then pulled on some pajamas. He then dug deep into his drawer, and giggled to himself when he found that for which he was looking.
//Oh my God, this’ll be /so/ funny.
And it’ll actually fit him, too.//
Smiling to himself, Denki grabbed the basket and the ‘present’ for Shinsou, then met the purple haired man back at the foyer; he’d stripped off his over shirt and jacket, and only wore his mask, his binding ropes around his neck, a black wife beater, and a pair of black pants.
//...Huh.
His arms and chest are a bit more muscular than I thought they’d be.//
“OK!” Denki dropped the basket in front of him. “Toss ‘em in!”
“OK.” Once Shinsou tossed the stuff he’d already taken off into the laundry basket, he carefully removed his binding ropes, which he placed on the floor, then finally removed the mask.
Denki blinked at him.
//He’s...actually cute.
Cuter than I thought he’d be.//
But right after that thought, he caught something in the air.
//...Wait.//
That smell.
The height.
The muscles.
There was a drop through his middle -- a gross, nauseating drop like betrayal.
“I had to get my gear off before trying to get my shirt--”
“You’re an alpha?”
Shinsou stared at him for a minute, like he was hesitating, then looked to the side and nodded.
They both went silent.
Brow furrowed, lips parted, Denki shook his head. “I didn’t know that.”
“I didn’t think it...mattered.” Shinsou’s right hand came to his right shoulder, and he looked him over. “You’re an omega, huh?”
Denki just closed his mouth, his brow remaining pinched.
Heaving a sigh, Shinsou looked down. “I guess I can see why it’d matter to you, then.”
“Oh, you’re /damn/ right it matters.” Denki grabbed Shinsou’s pile of gear, and shoved it at him. “Get out.”
His hands closed around the gear. “Can I at least have my ja--”
“NOW!”
Not saying another word, Shinsou knelt down to grab his boots, then opened the door.
It didn’t even dawn on Denki that he was nearly panting until he saw the pathetic sight of his partner, half-dressed, no socks, and dripping wet, stepping over the threshold.
//I’m doing the right thing here.
...Aren’t I?//
His lips quivered; there was a sinking sensation in his chest.
//Then why does it feel so wrong...?//
“Wait.”
The man stopped and looked at him.
//Please don’t let me regret giving the benefit of the doubt to somebody for once in my life.../please/.//
“I’m sorry.” Taking a breath to calm himself, Denki grabbed the bridge of his nose and shook his head. “Come back, Shinsou.”
Raising an eyebrow at him, Shinsou just stood there for a second. “Are you sure? Or are you going to wait until I’m down to my skivvies, then throw me out the window?”
Denki rolled his eyes. “Ha ha.” He motioned him back, and Shinsou obeyed, closing the door behind him. “But I will tell you this much: don’t.../try/ anything with me. Do you understand?”
“I thought you were supposed to be able to trust your partner.” Shinsou set his gear back on the floor of the foyer.
“There’s only one person I trust in this room, and it ain't you, buddy.” The sentence came out like a knee-jerk reaction, and he kind of regretted it afterwards.
...Kind of.
Shinsou pointed a thumb at the door. “I can leave. I just want my jacket, first.”
Again, Denki rolled his eyes. “I said you can stay.”
“Just be honest:” that sleepy gaze bore into him, “you /don’t/ want me here.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“You didn’t have to.”
Crossing his arms, blotting his lips, Denki looked to the left. “You just...don’t understand.”
“How could I, right?” The words were wrought with sarcasm.
“I was rutting, officer.”
Shinsou looked at him.
“That’s all you’d have to say, and /everybody/ would excuse you from ruining my entire life; you realize that, right?” Denki stared at him for a moment. “Everything I’ve spent years building could be flushed down the toilet in one moment because the little omega was dumb enough to let an alpha into his apartment.”
A snide smile came to Shinsou’s lips. “You mean, having somebody strip away everything you’ve earned, based purely on preconceived notions and stereotypes about their gender?” He peeled the wife beater off of himself. “Perish the thought.”
Denki sighed. “Shinsou--”
“I can’t believe you think I’d do that to you.” He tossed the wet shirt into the laundry basket. “If you and I didn’t know each other, it’d be one thing, but it’s far worse coming from somebody I think so highly of.”
“Real classy of you to lay a guilt trip on somebody else when you’re the one with nothing to lose.” Denki just stared at him.
Shinsou opened his mouth to say something, then just closed it again, looking away from him. “I’m sorry. It just hurts to hear it.”
The muscles in Denki’s chest contracted and his arms went cold. “It hurts to say it.” A stuttered breath tripped over his bottom lip.
“If it makes any difference to you at all...I actually thought you were a beta.” Shinsou shook his head. “My first impression was that you were an alpha, but you seemed a bit too...short.”
Denki gave him a little smile. “I thought you were a beta, too -- mainly because you weren’t an arrogant asshole.”
Shinsou let out a laugh. “And then, you heard my guilt trip.”
Smiling a bit wider, Denki shifted in his spot. “I’m sorry I referred to you telling me how you felt as a guilt trip. It wasn’t fair to you.”
“And I’m sorry for asking you to choose between my feelings and your entire life.”
Releasing a sigh, Denki dropped his head back and shook it. “This is so /fucking/ dumb, isn’t it? Us, acting this way the minute we find out each other's genders.”
“Throwing everything we took the time to cultivate out the window because society arbitrarily decided I’m a predator and you’re some helpless victim? I’d say ‘fucking dumb’ is an understatement.”
“Agreed.” Denki pointed at him. “But what I said still stands.”
“Same here.” Shinsou gave him a nod.
“Look, let’s just...be ourselves, OK?”
“I can do that.” Shinsou offered him his hand. “So, we trust each other again?”
And Denki took it. “Yes.”
“Come here, Senpai.” With that, Shinsou took a step forward and drew Denki in for a hug, but he resisted.
“Shinsou! You’re all wet! Shin--”
But it didn’t stop the taller one from smushing Denki’s face into his wet chest. Despite his protests, Denki burst out laughing; it was totally his kind of humor.
Once Shinsou released him, Denki used his own shirt to wipe at his face. “You’re gross!” He snickered.
“But you like 'gross.'” Shinsou grinned.
“I wish I could deny that.” The blond laughed. “You should get your pants in the basket, and go dry off; take a shower.”
Unbuttoning his pants, Shinsou blinked at him. “What am I supposed to wear while my clothes are drying?”
“Ah-ha.” Grinning to himself, Denki leaned down and grabbed the article of clothing he’d found earlier. “I got this as...well, kind of a gag gift when I graduated high school, but I’m sure it’ll fit you.”
Looking up just as Shinsou lifted a leg from his pants, Denki caught a glimpse of the huge bulge in his boxer briefs, and quickly averted his eyes.
//...HOLY SHIT!
I’ve heard the rumors about alpha junk, but Christ-o-MIGHTY!//
“Gag gift, huh? Looking to knock me down a peg?” Shinsou tossed his pants into the laundry basket.
Making sure to only look him in the eye, Denki grinned. “You know it.” He tossed the garment at Shinsou, then picked up the basket. “I’ll get these in the wash.”
“Thank you, Senpai.” Shinsou gave him one of his crooked smiles, then stepped into the living room.
“First door on the left!”
“Got it.”
Laundry basket in-hand, Denki jogged over to the washing machine, which was in a closet off of the kitchen; as he opened the lid and started placing each item in, one at a time, he could smell Shinsou’s scent wafting off of the clothing.
It was a salty lavender kind of smell that left one with a faint musky retro-nasal olfaction.
The imagine of that bulge came to mind.
Holding Shinsou’s jacket by the shoulders, he shook his head, trying to get rid of the image, only for it to be replaced by the memory of his face being pressed against that hard, sweaty chest.
“Stop!” he whispered to himself.
//What is /wrong/ with me? I don’t thirst over fucking alphas -- especially coworkers. I don’t thirst over /anybody/.//
Again, that bulge came to mind...followed by an impulse to just face-plant into the center of it. The next thing he knew, the jacket was pressed into his face, and he was taking a long, deep inhale that left his hands quaking.
“Oh my God...” Eyes closed, Denki’s head lulled back; he was positively reeling in desire. Erection pushing against his pajama pants, his backside becoming slick, he looked toward the door.
//He’s right down the hall.//
Eyes going wide, suddenly realizing where he was, he started choking on his own shame.
“Stop it.” He dropped the jacket into the washing machine, then finished loading it as fast as he could. “Stop it, stop it, stop it!”
//But, you /did/ get to see his face for the very first time.
And he was--
...No.
Just...NO.//
It was almost a bit painful, but he poured the detergent onto the clothes, closed the lid, and set the machine.
//All gone.
Bye-bye.//
Denki was busy in the kitchen once he finally heard the bathroom door open; thankfully, he’d managed to pull himself together while Shinsou was in the shower, and felt back to normal.
“Was I right?” Denki called. “Does it fit?”
When Shinsou stalked into the kitchen, Denki turned to look and clapped a hand over his mouth: the garment was a giant, oversized yellow nightshirt with a Pikachu face in the middle. It reached Denki’s ankles, but on Shinsou, it reached his knees.
“I'm going to throw you into a fucking river.”
Screaming, Denki doubled over in laughter, catching the ledge of the counter to keep himself from falling. “I cah-I cah-I cahaha!” He sank down to his knees. “Shinsou, I’m gonna pee!”
Shinsou made a little snort of laughter, himself. “Where’s the laundry room?”
Still a useless jiggle of laughter, Denki pointed at the closet, then felt Shinsou move past him; he heard the sound of the washing machine lid being opened.
“The clothes just finished; you want me to put them into the dryer?”
“Ye-he-hes...pleeeeeas-haha!”
“You want me to wash my dirty towel?”
“No!” Denki tried to will his laughter to die down. “I'll p-put it in with another load! Just throw it on the floor for now; haha!” He wiped tears from his eyes, finally starting to calm down.
A few minutes later, Denki had gotten back to his feet, and a moment or so after that, Shinsou emerged from the laundry closet, still looking thoroughly degraded.
“So,” Shinsou leaned against the kitchen wall, “did you manage to hold your water?”
Denki nodded, all smiles. “JUST barely!” He looked at the purple haired man. “I’m sorry,” he wheezed, “it’s just...such a juxtaposition.”
Shaking his head, Shinsou couldn’t help but laugh. “You absolute bitch. Though, I'm impressed with the five-syllable word.”
Taking two plates from the counter, Denki cackled. “Will you accept a peace offering?” He handed Shinsou a plate.
“...Damn it.” The taller one took the plate. “I’m too hungry to say no.”
Waving a hand at him, Denki giggled, then led him to the dining table; they both took a seat.
“So. What’s on this peace sandwich?” Cocking his head, Shinsou held the plate up and examined it.
“OK, so it’s turkey,”
“Yeah?”
“lettuce,”
“Mmhm.”
“mayonnaise and mustard,”
“And...?”
“Doritos.”
Shinsou lowered his plate and deadpanned at him. “You’re a monster, you know that?”
“J--” Denki dissolved into laughter again. “Just /try/ it, OK? It’s really, /really/ good.”
“Yeah. Just like you told me to try this shirt--”
“HAHA!” All Denki needed to hear was the word ‘shirt’ before he was laughing too loudly to even hear the rest of Shinsou’s sentence. “I promise you won’t regret it /this/ time, OK?”
Shinsou just stared at him with a blank expression.
“I thought we were supposed to trust each other,” Denki reminded him.
Shinsou sighed. “When you say ‘trust,’ I’m compelled to bring this yellow monstrosity up again, in earnest, but I’m decently certain you lose two minutes off of your life every time I do, so I’ll refrain.”
Denki snorted, then slapped the table. “Just eat your damn sandwich!”
“Fine.” Taking a moment to gather the concoction in his hands, Shinsou pressed the edges together, then took a bite, the Doritos crunching as he did.
And for some reason, Denki found it hilarious...but he managed not to laugh. Instead, he took a bite of his own sandwich, then just stared at his coworker.
Shinsou looked up at him as he chewed, then back down at the sandwich, then back at Denki, again. “...You don’t know how much I hate admitting this, but...it’s...actually decent.”
A wide smile on his face, still holding his sandwich in his hands, Denki bounced, doing a little victory dance in his chair. “Told you, motherfuckah.”
A little smile on his lips, Shinsou nodded at him. “Thank you for taking care of me today.”
“Don’t worry about it. You’d do the same for me.” Denki smiled back.
“That’s true.” He took another bite of his sandwich.
The night went off without a hitch.
Everything seemed pleasant and, most importantly, normal.
Denki and Shinsou talked about music and movies and made fun of each other, like nothing had even happened earlier, and before they knew it, Shinsou was dressed in his normal clothing and standing in the foyer again.
“Thanks for all of your hospitality.” Shinsou adjusted his hold on his gear, which was under his left arm.
“It was fun, right?” He smiled.
A partial smile on his lips, Shinsou nodded. “Yellow shirt and all.”
Denki snickered. “We should do it again, sometime...without the shirt, though.”
“Pink frilly frock, then?”
“Haha! You know it!”
“Thanks, again.” Shinsou turned to open the door.
“Be careful.” Denki stretched his arms over his head and yawned. “See you tomorrow.”
The purple haired man stopped in his place once he stepped into the hallway. “One thing.”
Denki cocked his head at him.
“I didn’t want to say this earlier, as I didn’t want to freak you out, but...you know you’re in heat, right?”
It felt as though somebody had dumped a bucket of ice water over him. “N--what’re you talking about? I take pills to preven--” Except for the hand that came to his mouth, he froze, eyes locking with Shinsou’s. “Oh.../shit/.”
“What’s wrong?”
“I--” digging the fingers of both hands into his hair, his mouth dropped open, “I missed my pill today...i-it was raining, a-and I was rushing to get to work...and I--” He crossed his arms over his stomach. “SHIT!”
“It’s not such a big deal, though, is it?”
“Not a big deal?” Denki glared at him, and Shinsou put a calm hand up in front of him.
“That’s not--” Shinsou shifted, “what I mean is, it’s natural. It’s something you’ve dealt with before, right? Your gender goes into heat, and mine goes into ruts: it happens.”
While Denki understood where Shinsou was coming from...he wasn't buying what Shinsou was selling. “You don’t understand. I haven’t had a heat in /five/ /years/.”
Shinsou’s eyes went wide. “Five?”
Denki nodded. “YEAH. And the longer you go without one, the more brutal the subsequent heat will be. It was like my body was just lying in wait for me to fuck up, and, low and behold...!” Denki dragged a hand down his face. “And my boss...my boss probably doesn’t even know I’m an omega, and,” he shook his head, “I can’t take off of work for a heat cycle!”
Putting his hands up, the gear still tucked to his side, Shinsou took a step forward. “First things first: calm yourself.”
“I can’t!” he shrieked. “I mean, look at me! I’m /already/ hormonal and weird, and it’s day fucking /one/!”
“I’m going to help you, OK?”
Denki gave him a look. “And /HOW/, pray tell, are you going to do /that/?”
Shinsou rolled his eyes. “Oh, yes, Kaminari; I’m about to show you how my cock can solve /all/ of your problems.”
“You know I love your snide remarks, but now is /not/ the time!”
“We’re going to tell the boss you got sick from running around in the rain all night -- that’s why you’re not at work. Nobody’s going to blame you for missing a few days because of that, right?”
“Mm...” Denki eventually nodded. “I-I guess you’re right.”
“And I’ll be your link to the outside. I could put some groceries outside your door if you need them, or...well, I don’t know what the hell omegas do or need during heat besides the obvious, but if you tell me to do something, I’ll do it.”
They both went quiet.
“You...OK?”
“I’m scared, Shinsou.” His voice was soft and tiny and he hated that it’d come out of him like that.
After hesitating for a moment, Shinsou walked back inside, closed the door, dropped his gear to the floor, then wrapped his arms around Denki. “You’re going to be just fine; I promise. If not for any other reason, than to stop scaring me because it /really/ fucking weirds my shit out, hearing /you/, the ass-kicker you are, say that.”
Despite his better judgement, Denki wrapped his arms around him, as well. “What if this changes me, somehow? What if I...ugh, I don’t know.../think/ differently, or it makes me into a different person?”
“Don’t be stupid. You’re stronger than some hormones.”
Rolling the thought around in his mind, Denki eventually nodded. “I am, aren’t I?”
Exhaling a laugh, Shinsou rubbed Denki’s back. “You are. At worst, you’ll put on some Cronenberg movies and masturbate yourself stupid for a week.”
Even though he wasn’t quite certain he believed Shinsou’s assessment, Denki nodded. “Doesn’t sound too bad when you put it /that/ way, huh?”
“To the point that I’m /actually/ jealous of you right now.”
“Oh, shut up.”
“So, I’ll get you a case of Gatorade, and you get your shit together.”
Denki took a deep breath; all he could smell was Shinsou’s scent, and it made him want to just hold onto him even--
“You’re not about to rut right now, or something, are you?”
“I’m always in a rut.”
Denki pulled back from him to give him a look.
Shinsou deadpanned on him. “It’s a joke.”
Glaring at him, Denki shook his head. “Not the time, Shinsou. NOT the time.”
After dropping his arms and giving Denki’s head a rub, Shinsou collected his gear. “Call me if you need anything.”
Denki nodded. “I will. Thanks.”
“And,” he stepped out of the apartment, “to answer your question?” He pinched his forefinger and thumb together.
Eyes as big as an owl’s, Denki just stared up at him.
“If I can manage it, so can you.”
Denki pulled one side of his mouth. “I hope you’re right.”
“I know I am.” Smiling, Shinsou gave him a nod. “Good night, Kaminari.”
“Good night, Shinsou.”