Chapter Text
Honestly, Tokiya should have seen this coming a mile away. They were roommates for over three years now, and yet, he hadn't known anything. (But he had been going through what Ren liked to called his 'Angst Phase' and hadn't noticed too much around himself. Though Tokiya hated making excuses for anything and he admitted that it was merely his own fault for not noticing sooner.)
It happened during the photo-shoot for the upcoming White Day commercial in the Royal Gardens (dubbed so by Haruka). Their senior (who, for some reason whatsoever, was staying at their home) had already left earlier to meet up with the other members of QUARTET NIGHT. Otoya had looked a little off that morning, but he only answered Tokiya's concerned look with a bright grin. He hadn't touched the breakfast that Reiji left for them, and so Tokiya leaned over to feel Otoya's forehead. He was not surprised to find him burning under his touch.
"It's just a cold, nothing to worry about," Otoya said, brushing it off. He shuffled further from Tokiya, picking up a piece of toast to chew on. That was the end of that conversation.
The photo-shoot went better than he had expected. As much as he liked the white suit, they did not survive the grass stains, nor the dirt that accumulated after. "We'll edit that part out later," one of the staff members reassured after he caught Tokiya frowning at the green patch on his pants.
"You still look handsome, don't worry." Otoya joined them, face shining with sweat despite the layers of powder that the makeup artist had applied earlier. Was he shivering in this heat? "Have you seen the photos yet?"
He shook his head. Really now, Otoya looked like he had been sweating quite a bit. Tokiya moved to wipe the sweat from his forehead, patting it gently with a tissue. His complexion was paler as compared to this morning. "Are you sure you're all right?" he asked, more gently this time. Rarely was he this worried about his upbeat roommate, but Otoya seemed to be struggling to keep his spirits up.
Otoya seemed to consider his options until the director called for him from across the way. "We're taking group shots now, Ittoki-san. You'll be joining Jinguuji-san and Shinomiya-san over by the gate."
"That's my cue. Talk to you later?"
The redhead could be so stubborn sometimes. "All right. Let me know if you're not feeling well, at least promise me that." Otoya nodded, then jogged over to where the other two members of STARISH were.
The thought of Otoya hiding something irked him. Keeping a watchful eye on Otoya was all he could do for now. Tokiya had been so distracted that he hadn't noticed that Syo was right next to him, trying to engage him in conversation.
"Hey, Tokiya? Are you listening to me?" Snapping out from his thoughts, he directed his gaze to the younger male. Syo only sighed at his reaction. "You're pretty distracted today. Well, I can't blame you. There's a strong scent of an Omega in pre-heat, but there's something strange about it."
"Strange?"
"Yeah. It smells like Otoya, but he's a Beta, right?"
Suddenly, his thoughts came to a startling halt at the information. The crease in brow deepened at the additional information, then he put two and two together. Otoya's flushed face, his abnormally high temperature, the struggle to keep up his usual self, not to mention that he had been smelling something sweet all day... Now it all made sense.
The expression on Syo's face turned confused, but before he could say anything else on the matter, an explosion of vanilla and cinnamon flooded his senses.
He whipped his head around, eyes wide, in the direction of where Otoya had gone. The redhead was clutching at his tie, panting heavily, face flushed red. Ren was frozen on the spot with his eyes wide, and Natsuki had bent down to check on him. Without thinking, Tokiya ran over to them. He had to know that Otoya was all right.
The scent was so much more overpowering than he thought. It was so familiar yet foreign, reminding him of the nights where they watched late night movies with Reiji, with Otoya falling asleep on his shoulder, drool falling from the side of his mouth. The vanilla sweetness twinged with a hint of cinnamon spice that belonged to only Otoya. Who was an Omega.
He thanked whatever deity out there that he was on daily suppressants. Otoya had fallen to his knees, eyes squeezed shut, breathing laboured. His forehead was dotted with sweat, his red hair dampened and sticking to his forehead. Why hadn't he told Tokiya that he was an Omega?
Maybe for the same reasons that Tokiya hadn't told him that he was an Alpha.
Natsuki looked glad that Tokiya was there, directing his worried gaze at Ren, who was staring down at Otoya with a dazed haze. His pupils were blown wide, eyes half-lidded, predatory. "Ikki?" Ren called out hesitantly.
Otoya looked up at the sound of the voice, eyes unfocused. His lips formed the word 'Alpha', but no sound came out.
Tokiya felt the rumble in his throat, growling at Ren in warning not to come near the redhead. The other male blinked at him before narrowing his gaze, taking one step closer to them. Natsuki stood up, his full height towering over Ren as he blocked their incoming confrontation. Was he trying to challenge Tokiya?
A gentle wisp of lily pierced through the tense air, and instantly a wave of calm washed over him. "Jinguuji, if you have such a sorry excuse for self-control, you're better off away from here," Masato's clear voice rang through the scene. Ren seemed to snap out of the stupor he had been in earlier, eyes sliding over to the approaching Alpha. Masato stepped up to Tokiya, pressing a glass cylinder in his palm before turning back to Ren.
According to the label, it was an emergency injector suppressant for Omegas. He had only seen the pill suppressants, but he guessed this one was quick-acting. Kneeling down by the redhead, he muttered a soft apology before pulling the cover off and jabbing it into his thigh. Otoya let out an uncomfortable whine, turning over to bury himself into Tokiya. He clutched at Tokiya's jacket, his touch burning Tokiya through his clothes.
"Tokiya...?" His eyes were pleading, clouded over by the heat. "I'm not feeling too good. Can... Can we go home...?"
"You idiot. You should have said so sooner." He slid his arms under Otoya's leg and back, hefting the redhead in his arms. It earned himself yet another whine. "Shush, you can talk later. For now, we have to get you to somewhere safe."
Reiji had run up to them, brows furrowed. "Come on, I'll drive you home," he said. "Let's get him away from the scene before more Alphas come."
-----
Now they were safely back home, in Otoya's bedroom. Reiji told Tokiya to look after Otoya while he was going out to buy a few supplies.
Otoya was now curled up in the sheets, clutching at the white (well, it wasn't white now) suit jacket that Tokiya had been wearing earlier. It became part of the pile on the bed where Otoya was, snuggled comfortably inside.
"Kotobuki-san will be back soon," Tokiya said, tugging off the tie he had been wearing. "Be a good boy and stay here."
The redhead didn't seem to hear him, burying himself deeper into the pile of blankets. "Tokiya," he mumbled, an eye peeking open to look at him. The low whine in his voice made it very hard for Tokiya to leave his roommate in this pitiful state.
He sighed and crouched down beside the redhead. And he had been trying to keep the strange thoughts from invading his mind. "Yes?" he asked softly.
"Can you... stay with me?"
As much as the Alpha in him was swelling with pride at the Omega's choice, Tokiya shook his head, common sense telling him otherwise. "It's too dangerous for me to stay here," he said, avoiding his gaze. "If your heat comes back again, I..."
"Please?" Otoya's fingers dug deeper into the sleeve of his shirt. It was very hard to look away.
He faltered; he could never say no to those eyes. Reaching over hesitantly, he reveled in the touch of Otoya's cheek against his palm, warm and soft. The redhead nuzzled against him, eyes conveying yet another message: just a small touch like this wasn't enough.
Ever since he administered the suppressant, Otoya's scent had been gradually dwindling. It was bearable for him, enough not to lose his conscious thought.
For once, he decided to abandon reason and go with his gut instinct. Otoya shuffled to make space for Tokiya in bed, inviting him into his makeshift nest. Sliding his arms around the redhead, he made himself comfortable, nose buried deep in the redhead's hair. The vanilla-cinnamon mix was the strongest here, a smell that Tokiya couldn't get enough of.
Likewise, Otoya's nose was buried in the crook of Tokiya's neck, inhaling his scent. "You smell nice," he mumbled, "like lavender." Otoya was tired, his eyes drooping shut. Tokiya ran his hand over Otoya's back soothingly, occasionally brushing against the hair on the nape of his head. He repeated the motion, watching as Otoya finally relaxed in his hold and fell asleep.
He couldn't help the smile that stretched out on his face, closing his eyes and taking in the contented scent. But the thought of Otoya not trusting him enough to tell him about his secondary gender made his stomach roll, but then again, he had kept his own a secret too.
Tokiya pushed aside those thoughts, eyes softening at the redhead in his arms. Otoya didn't realise that if Tokiya leaned down a little further, he would be able to mark him on his nape. But he wouldn't, not this way. It wouldn't be fair to the redhead. He deserved a proper courting first.
When Reiji came in to check on Otoya, he was met with a pleasant surprise. He couldn't help but to take a snapshot of both of them asleep in Otoya's bed, cuddling.