Work Text:
No. No no no no no. This was wrong. Wrong. The paper crinkled and began to rip in his fingers. It was his first name at the top. INGO, not EMMET. He hasn't accidentally been given Emmet's test results.
“My, my! Such a charming young gentleman! He'll surely grow up to be a fine alpha, just like his mother.”
Maybe it was still wrong anyway. Maybe the lab had accidentally duplicated Emmet's results? Maybe his own test results were sitting, forgotten, in a printer tray somewhere in an office?
Everyone had been so certain. They'd all told him he'd be an alpha. You're just like your mother! they'd all said. Ingo smoothed out the paper and read it once more. Carefully. More carefully than the previous dozen or so times. Scrutinising each and every letter. The words on the page hadn't changed, still printed in the same black ink on white paper. His hormones clearly sat quite comfortably within the range of a beta.
Of course, there was an accompanying paragraph that stated presentation may fluctuate and not settle until primary puberty stabilised. While testing could be performed with relative accuracy, it still wasn't a hundred percent until the body had settled into a steady rhythm.
He'd just get another blood test, then, once he was eighteen. Just to confirm it. To make super duper extra damn sure. He was an alpha! The results were just…muddied. For now. In a few years he'd subject himself to another needle and get his confirmation.
Ingo stared at his reflection. His reflection stared back. Unblinking. No changes. The same as always.
Ingo lightly pressed his fingers to his throat and growled. The first few seconds were always wrong. It always took him a moment to drag the sound from the back of his mouth down into his throat. He scowled at his reflection, receiving a scowl back. I know! He was being taunted by himself.
Ingo growled again, his throat rattling against his fingers sooner this time. The sound was still wrong - he didn’t quite have the proper anatomy - but it was good enough. An unusual growl was never scrutinised in the moment. All the individual pieces came together, after all - the careful frown, the meticulously perfected authority conveyed by posture and confidence…
Ingo rolled his shoulders back and puffed out his chest, then slowly let out his breath, relaxing into a more comfortable yet still commanding posture. Tall, straight, chin tilted ever so slightly up, a subtle frown tugging his expression down - how could he be perceived as anything except an alpha?
“Mmnughhh…no matter how early I get up…you beat me…” Emmet's sleepy voice startled Ingo from his careful practice, tension springing into his form. “That is just your reflection. You know that, right?” Emmet yawned, loud and unashamed, shirt lifting as he stretched his arms above his head.
“It's rude to intrude on private time, Emmet.”
Emmet doesn't miss a beat, “do not take that tone with me, brother.”
Ingo's frown deepens, but he doesn't bite back. “How long have you been waiting?”
“Seen you puffing out your chest. Can I shower?”
Ah. Good. He hadn't seen much.
“Oh, umm…yes, of course! I'll go get everyone's breakfasts underway.” Ingo stashed his comb and razor back in the drawer, then picked his xtransceiver off the sink. “All yours. Don't take too long or I'll come drag you out myself this time.”
“Yes, mister alpha, whatever you say,” Emmet rolled his eyes and shooed him from the bathroom, door clicking shut behind him.
Ingo slowly let out a heavy sigh of relief, feeling the tension drain from his shoulders. Good.