Chapter Text
“Be good, Hanzo. Do right by us.” No invitation to visit. No invitation to call.
Hanzo glanced from his mother to his father, noting the way the man seemed to look through him, not at him, ears pressed flat against his head. He beamed, ears perked up towards his mother, brushing off the empty looks, the eyes full of crocodile tears; tears he knew were more from shame than sadness. Hanzo bowed to his parents, taking a final look before turning away from them, awaiting the move to his new family compound.
As he walked away, he thought back to his treatment after the news had broken. Thought of the way his father’s eyes had seemed to dim when he entered a room. Thought of how his mother’s voice had changed into the one she used with business partners. Thought of Genji trying in vain to have his parents hold a conversation with him, beckon some warmth, some life back into their disappointed faces.
He knew full well he would never be welcomed back with open arms. The thought had crossed his mind once before, when the news had broken. Now he smiled at the prospect, tail swishing happily as he walked in step with his new alpha, ready to start his newly freed life.
Hanzo knew the trouble he would be in if his relationship was found out. He knew the fury and shame the family would feel if they knew the severity of the relationship. He knew the consequences of being found in the arms of this particular man, this alpha from a neighboring clan; the alpha in question not being the oldest son, not holding a position of power in his own standing, lacking title and prestige.
Hanzo didn’t care. He cared not what others thought of him, of his decisions. What he did care about was the alpha he had been meeting secretly for the past few months, the alpha he had fallen in bed with more than a few times. The alpha whose baby he currently carried.
Hanzo took the stripping of responsibility and duty without preamble, respecting the decision neutrally. To the public eye, at the least. He hid his pain behind closed doors, empty rooms in the castle, anywhere he could hide from his minimal guard. He cursed his biology, cursed the fact it had robbed him of his birthright, left him with almost nothing he had been promised. After a week of self-banishment, Hanzo took his first steps outside of the castle as an ordinary member, no longer the Young Master of the estate. as an omega.
Filling his suddenly free schedule with frivolous activities took no time for Hanzo. Leaving the estate each early morning, Hanzo became acquainted with the town of Hanamura, became a regular customer at many of the local shops and eateries, had developed personal relationships with the common folk. It was during one of his day trips to the city he met the alpha he believed himself to wed and spend the remainder of his days with. Before his demotion, Hanzo would not have approached a stray alpha at his favorite ramen shop, proposing they eat together, get to know each other, become acquainted for no business related reasons. Before his demotion, Hanzo would not have chatted merrily with a son of a neighboring clan, an unimportant son at that, for hours. Before his demotion, Hanzo would have counted himself lucky to avoid any unnecessary connections to people and clans.
Hanzo didn’t care. He didn’t care about his breaching of social standards, approaching an unmated alpha unprompted. He didn’t care about the social status or ramifications his new relationship would be subject to. He didn’t care about the prying eyes and thinly veiled whispers and murmurs amongst the town folk. What he did care about was his newfound relationship with this alpha son, became enamored faster than he could imagine; became intimate all too soon.
It was months after their engagement began when the alpha son came for a social visit to Shimada castle for the first time. The meetings ran smoothly, albeit a thin veneer of tension encompassed them. Hanzo’s father, master of the clan, had glared pointedly at one individual throughout the talks, casting his eyes in a single direction every few seconds, frown deepening with each one.
He took his father’s actions as his hint that the clan knew of his escapades, knew of his misdeeds. A quick glance at his beau assured him that the other thought the same. The remainder of the visit brought more security, more guards spread throughout the castle, in particular around Hanzo’s room.
They continued to meet despite this, Hanzo shirking his duties for the first time in his life in favor of falling into the arms of his lover. It did not go unnoticed. By the end of the visit, Hanzo’s father pulled him into his private quarters, his mother in attendance as he demanded to know the nature of this relationship, the word falling from his mouth as if soaked in acid. He demanded to know what his oldest was thinking, what had gotten into him, what he thought he was trying to prove with this little fling, an insult to the Shimada name.
Defying his parents once more, he spoke out of turn to defend the lover they detested so much. He told them of his grievance, of the shame he felt in himself for failing his family and his inheritance. He told them of the source of comfort he had found in his lover’s arm, the sole company he kept that still made him feel worthy, alive. His parents sat through his impassioned plea, ears pulled back and taut as he showed more emotion to them in that moment than he had in his entire life. He poured his heart out to them, arms waving, tail swaying madly, making an utter fool of himself, he thought.
But Hanzo cared. He cared deeply about his lover and their relation, and was willing to do anything to keep it.
His parents ceded, and begrudgingly accepted Hanzo’s new demeanor and its repercussions.
When the news of his pregnancy broke, he should have known it was never meant to stay secret forever. He should not have doubted his parents’ ability to continue to spy on him, even after his removal from the line of succession for the clan. They had eased on his surveillance considerably after his presentation, but not enough to keep any secrets for too long.
He was alone for the confrontation, alone for the decision to send him off to live at the neighboring clan’s estate; alone to enjoy the happiest news of his life. It took a week for all the details to be solidified; for all of the arrangements to be secured; for Hanzo to happily detach himself from the family that no longer cared for him.
Life at the new estate pleased Hanzo. Upon arrival, he met with his future in-laws: parents, aunts, uncles, and cousins alike. They took a liking to him immediately, deeming him the new prince of the compound, claiming he brought with him the future of the clan.
Two months passed surrounded by doting servants, overbearing relatives, and gifts offered in excess. Hanzo believed he had everything he had ever hoped as an omega, but as time passed on, felt something was amiss.
It came to him just after his second month of living in his new home. He had been missing his mate, seeing him only a few days a week due to his responsibilities to the family business. The busy schedule kept them apart, Hanzo grounded at home and his alpha moving from clan to clan to strengthen his ties and power.
Hanzo found out the truth of his alpha’s absence one warm summer day. He had learned to hide from his new relatives, finding various nooks to sneak away to when he became overwhelmed with the attention he and his unborn child garnered. It was during one of his escapes that he came across an occupied room, rowdy voices flowing out easily. He stopped just short of the doorway, moving to turn away when he heard his name thrown out by an unfamiliar voice. He moved closer when he heard a more familiar voice: the voice of his lover who had left for another prefecture the previous day, or so he had said.
With each word from his mate’s mouth, Hanzo’s heart broke more and more. Stories of him were thrown around, claims of his prowess and skills spilled freely from the lips of the man who claimed to love him, respect him, treasure him. Tears welled in Hanzo’s eyes at the admission of infidelity, ice flowing through his veins in response to the jeers and laughter from the other men in the room. His heart all but stopped when his alpha continued speaking, comparing his most recent trysts-- trysts he had had the previous week. The week he had allegedly spent in the mountains, without service or signal. The week he had all but disappeared from Hanzo, for the sake of his clan, his duty.
And there he was, exposing it for the lie it was, admitting to his very recent infidelity, gloating of his conquests and his ability to dupe his naïve, clueless mate. Hanzo stepped away at that, too full of shame and hurt to stomach anymore, to bear to hear the true nature of the man he had sworn himself to before.
Before he had shown himself for what he was: an opportunist, a liar, someone unworthy of an omega’s time, much less Hanzo’s.
He turned away from the room, moving through the hall as quiet as ghost. With every step he took, his heart broke but his resolve settled just as fiercely. He moved to his room, gathering a small collection of clothes, vitamins, and personal items; leaving behind all that he did not buy himself, abandoning the shallow gifts in the same manner as he had been.
Without turning back, he walked away from the place he realized he had never thought of as home.