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It started with one of Katie’s shirts.
It was one of her favourites, a white cotton blend that she wore under her suit jacket and that she swore had been at the top of her laundry pile, only to find it gone when laundry day finally came around. She looked in every corner of her house and under all her furniture, but it was nowhere to be found.
She doesn’t think much of it. Why would she? No one would describe her as an organized person. It was probably sitting somewhere in her HQ, or forgotten on the ground somewhere after falling out of one of her backpacks. When two more shirts disappeared over the coming weeks, she was more annoyed at herself than anything. She never noticed how the disappearances coincided with visits from Nacho, and subsequent pickups by Multi.
It was the disappearance of her suit jacket that started making her suspicious. She’d taken it off at the Polish Caves (she didn’t like wearing it in Multi’s lab; the scent of chemicals took forever to wash out) and when she got home, it was gone from her backpack.
She emailed Multi to ask if she’d left it there, and got a curt “no” in response. She didn’t press him on it. Multi kept that place neat and tidy; he would’ve noticed. And why would he lie? He complained endlessly about how she didn’t wear scent patches. He probably would’ve emailed her about it before she even got home if he had it, telling her to come get it immediately before it stunk up the building.
She tore her house apart looking for it, even searched Schlatt’s house (despite his objections), but it was gone. She had to endure the next week jacketless before a replacement arrived.
The shirts were one thing, but she knew she hadn’t misplaced the jacket. She swore she remembered folding it up and putting it in her backpack, and she hadn’t opened it once on her way home. It was like it disappeared into thin air. Something had to be going on.
But what? Why would anyone want her clothes? Multi already had her DNA, and the Federation had no use for it that she could think of, nor anyone else for that matter. She was taller than everyone else on the server save Foolish; no one could even wear them.
She kept a better watch of her clothes from then on, and it didn’t happen again for a few weeks. She almost forgot about the curious case of Katie’s vanishing clothes.
And then her lab jacket disappeared.
She took a shower at the Polish Caves, and when she got out it was gone, straight off the hook and into the aether. Thankfully she still had enough clothes to preserve her dignity, but that was enough for her to think she was losing it.
She rushed back to Multi’s lab, hair still dripping. “Did someone go in the bathroom while I was in there?”
“How would I know?” Multi asked, holding two empty beakers. “I did not watch you.”
“There’s no cameras?” Katie asked.
“Cameras?” Multi repeated. “In the bathroom? We are poles, not pervs.”
“Well, maybe you should be, because somebody stole my lab coat!” Katie yelled.
Multi put down the beakers. “Are you sure?”
“What do you mean ‘am I sure?’”
“You are forgetful.”
“Not that forgetful!” Katie stepped closer to him, close enough to practically drip water onto his face.
“It is not a big deal,” Multi looked up at her. Katie didn’t notice how his cheeks were slightly red. “I can give you a new one.”
“No, yours are too short,” Katie huffed. “I’m going to go look for it.”
She stomped out of Multi’s lab, missing the breath of relief that escaped him when she slammed the door closed.
She searched every inch of the bathroom, but the lab coat did not re-appear. Then she trapsed around the halls, trying every door, but they were all locked until she stumbled into Nexe’s room and was subsequently chased out of the Cave. She tore at her hair once she was outside, feeling like she was losing her fucking mind.
She said as much to Schlatt later that day, while they were drinking on his dock.
“You’re only now realizing that?” He asked. “Why?”
“I think someone’s stealing my clothes,” She said, kicking her feet in the water below them.
“Why the fuck would anyone do that?” Schlatt asked between swigs of beer. “You smell terrible.”
“Trust me, Multi tells me that enough,” Katie rolled her eyes.
“Who?” Schlatt took another swing of his drink.
“Multi! You’ve met him!” Katie said. “He’s my baby mama! He’s here all the time!”
Schlatt shrugged. “Doesn’t ring a bell.”
That conversation, unsurprisingly, did not help at all. But Katie took precautions. She put a lock on her wardrobe and her laundry basket, and showered with her clothes slung over the shower rod. Weeks passed with all her clothes accounted for, and Katie felt smug, feeling sure she’d thwarted the clothing bandit, whoever they were. The only way she’d feel better is if she caught them in the act and put the whole thing behind her for good.
It was the last thing on her mind when Nacho came over to hers for the weekend. She took him for a walk around the island, but when bedtime finally came, he resisted going to bed.
“Dada, I want us to sleep in Mama’s nest tonight,” Nacho said.
Katie snorted. “That’s not going to happen.”
“Why not?” Nacho asked petulantly.
“First of all, you’re at my house, and second of all, I’m not allowed in Mama’s nest,” Katie said. “He’s never invited me in.”
She was surprised he even had one. Multi didn’t strike her as the type of omega who nested. Hell, she was half-convinced he didn’t sleep at all.
Nacho stomped his foot. “But your scent’s in it!”
“No it’s not,” Katie said, brows furrowed. “He’s never asked me for anything.”
A lot of omegas felt awkward asking for items from alphas they didn’t want to court, but it wasn’t entirely uncommon. She’d scented a few blankets for Tina’s nest, and she was pretty sure her scent made up half of Mike’s. But Multi had never even suggested he wanted her to scent anything for him, let alone ask for it outright. He shouldn’t have anything of hers in his nest.
”You’re wrong!” Nacho insisted. “It’s all over it. He’s got your shirts, and your suit jacket, and your lab coat!”
Katie was an idiot. Holy shit, Katie was an idiot.
Multi had been around every time she’d lost something, especially the last two times. He was an omega. An omega she spent a lot of time with. Who was raising a child with her. Whose scent sweetened when he saw her and who looked away very quickly every time she “jokingly” flirted with him. How the fuck had she not connected the dots?
“Does he now?” Katie asked.
Shit, Multi’d had a heat recently. She’d had to look after Nacho for a week because of it. He must’ve spent it in his nest, right? The thought of Multi in heat, her suit jacket tangled up in his arms, with his nose pressed right to the fabric and his hand between--calm down, Katie. Your kid’s in the room.
Nacho nodded furiously.
“Alright, Nacho,” Katie said. “Let’s go visit Mama.”
They warped to the Polish Cave. Multi was in his lab, fiddling with some massive machine. His eyes widened at the sight of them. “I thought you wanted to spend the weekend with Katie, Nacho.”
“We want to sleep in your nest!” Nacho declared.
Katie didn’t think it was possible for Multi’s skin to be any whiter, but he noticeably paled. “What did you tell your father about my nest?”
“Some very interesting things,” Katie said. “Nacho, how about you go play with your toys for a bit? Mama and Dada need to talk.”
Nacho looked between them suspiciously, but if there was one thing Katie’s pup loved, it was avoiding bedtime. He took off to play with his racecars, leaving his parents alone.
Multi wasn’t meeting her eyes. “Katie--”
“So all those times you complained about my scent, that was what?” Katie stepped closer. “Trying to throw me off-track?”
“I can give them back,” Multi said, stepping backwards.
“You don’t have to do that,” Katie stepped forward again. Multi bumped into a table behind him. “You could’ve just asked me, you know.”
Multi crossed his arms, but it was hard for him to look defiant when Katie had him practically caged in against the table. “That would be inviting you to court me.”
“No it wouldn’t,” Katie said. “Not inherently. I’ve scented things for other omegas’ nests.”
Multi’s face darkened. “You’ve what?”
“Yeah, a few times,” Katie prodded. “I bet your nest isn’t even the one that smells the most like me on this server.”
That pissed him off, like she knew it would. His lemon-and-chemicals scent soured till it was bitter on her tongue. It emboldened her.
She put her hands on his waist, pulling him closer to her. His hands tightened on the table as he looked up at her, shocked. She pumped her scent out as strong as she could, until they were wrapped in root beer and amber. It was a clear invitation.
She didn’t have to wait long for him to accept.
He wrapped his arms around her neck and pulled her head down, and then he was kissing her, hard. Katie was more than happy to lean into it, until she was hoisting him onto the table so she could kiss him harder. His lips were surprisingly soft against hers, far more so than she’d imagined. His hair, however, was just as scraggly in her hand as she’d thought it’d be when she pulled his head back to drink him in even more.
“Katie?” Multi breathed when they finally pulled apart for air.
“Yeah?”
“Do not scent anything for another omega again,” Multi ordered. “Ever.”
“Will you let me into your nest if I agree?” Katie drew her hand up the small of his back, making him gasp.
“Deal,” Multi nodded, before pulling her into another kiss.
Katie lost a lot of clothing that night, but nothing ever went missing again.