Chapter Text
Good.
It felt so good.
They were on the couch; a lithe young man of two-toned hair straddling the lap of the hard-bodied man of snow-white hair sitting beneath him. The younger, an omega, was rocking his hips into the other, eager to mold himself to the alpha holding him firmly with one large hand on his back and another on his ass.
How their evening of quiet book-reading turned into a hot make out session was a blur, but neither of them seemed to be complaining.
“Mmmm…” Haise moaned dreamily into their latest kiss, hot and wet and encompassing. The kiss of his lover, his mate, was delicious, more delicious than usual. The urge to have more was threatening to overwhelm him, just as much as the thick, pheromone-packed air was doing on its own.
“Kishou...” he said with slight pleading in his voice. He ground his hips into his lover insistently, silently requesting for more. Always needing more, more friction, more touch, more attention, more of everything. He wanted it all and needed it all. Why wasn’t he getting it faster? He hoped his mate would catch on without him having to explicitly say anything more.
Without warning, Haise felt the air ripped from his lungs, his balance with gravity overturned. Arima had switched their positions and slammed the other down to lie his back flat on the plush couch.
Haise felt the lower pit of his stomach give a pleasant flip of arousal, his body happily agreeing with the literal turn of events. Arima gracefully nudged Haise’s legs apart so he could fit his large body between them and press his weight down just the way other liked. It only took a second for the mates to meet each other’s lips to once again share a smoldering kiss. Haise gave a delighted mewl through the kiss when he felt his lover sneak an arm underneath his waist to pull him in. In response, Haise wrapped one leg around Arima’s waist in return, wanting to be even closer to his lover.
Of course, their current level of closeness wasn’t enough.
Arima smoothly went to work on unraveling Haise. Piece by piece, button by button, he slowly exposed his lover’s chest, whose light pink nipples teased in and out of view through the shirt opening each time Haise shifted below him in want. Arima lingered his latest kiss on the other’s reddened lips, then began the hot, wet trail downward, placing kisses over his throat, then down the other’s neck, then off to the side of it. Haise’s glazed eyes slipped closed, purring in contentment as he relished in the attention, arching into the one above him.
Then, Arima did something he hadn’t done before: he started gently gnawing on the juncture between Haise’s neck and shoulder, as if for some reason he was trying to mark it.
“Ahnn -- !” the omega cried out in pleasure at the new sensation, releasing more pheromones into the air. Arima let out a low growl, pressing more insistently into the areas their bodies were touching as he let out more of his own pheromones in response, to which Haise moaned louder in agreement. He turned his head to his side to allow the alpha more access, yearning for him to just bite down on the area receiving attention, though somewhere in the back of his mind he was unsure why he wanted such a thing.
When Arima ground his pelvis harshly into his own, Haise’s body gave him the answer.
Suddenly his body was flaring into overdrive. Haise felt a liquid hot spike of arousal surge throughout his entire being, pooling in his stomach and physically leaking into the pelvic region Arima was rocking into. Haise’s mind finally blanked out, desire overtaking all thought until one remained: he wanted to be fucked by Arima. He wanted his mate to fuck him, fuck him now, whip out that flushed, gigantic alpha cock he knew his mate was packing and take him hard right there on the couch. Ravage him, fill him over and over again with all the power the alpha had, all the way until Haise was screaming for mercy. Take him, so thoroughly and relentlessly, all the way, all the way until together they made --
Then rationality in Haise broke through.
Oh God. It was happening again.
He untangled his hands from Arima’s silky hair and brought them down to his lover’s shoulders. He squeezed them urgently, an unspoken request to pause their actions.
“I’m sorry, Kishou,” Haise panted as he pulled his face away from his lover. This was not good; it was seeping through again. He forced his arousal and omega pheromones down through fierce will, trying to regain clarity in his pheromone-clouded mind until he could finally formulate a coherent sentence. “I’m...too tired t-to do anything more than this tonight.”
Arima didn’t meet his lover’s gaze immediately, something he would have usually done. Instead, he decided to nuzzle his face back into the side of Haise’s neck. He tightened his grip almost possessively around Haise’s waist for a brief moment, bringing his lover flush against him again while he burrowed his face deeper into the side of the other’s neck, inhaling the heavy sweet scent emanating from there. It smelled so good, so inticing, fueling him with some sort of power through his bones it threatened to make him dizzy with want. How it mingled with his own scent perfectly, entwined just as how their bodies were both in sync right now, as if they were ready, ready for -- something, something more than just the usual sex they have, he couldn’t explain what --
He remembered what Haise said; he wanted Arima to back off now. Finally realizing this, Arima made a brief swallowing sound to gather himself before sitting up.
“There is...no need to apologize,” he finally said after breathing some, his voice carrying the faintest trace of instability. He was careful to remove his physical contact from the omega. “I’m the sorry one. We don’t have to go all the way every time we get worked up.”
Haise bit back a small whine, mourning the loss of the alpha’s touch as he watched the other slowly pull away and leave him alone, a hot mess melted in the corner of the couch’s softness, even though it was Haise himself called who for them to suddenly part.
He definitely bit back another whine when his eyes trailed down his lover’s larger figure and noticed the impressive bulge still straining in his pants. “I can help with --” he began.
“Don’t worry about it,” Arima said, the slight break in his composure smoothed over. Then, with slight laughter in his deep voice, said, “I will make it disappear through my pure strength of will.”
Haise laughed softly at that, the atmosphere of the room slowly lightening up. However, it was still full with pheromones dancing around them: he could still smell Arima’s heavy scent in the couch corner, on his disheveled shirt, and especially on his skin, reminding him of the burn that was still festering from his insides out. Haise needed to suppress his desires now or else he’ll be tempted to touch Arima again...and he couldn’t guarantee he would stop himself next time. “I’ll make it up to you sometime, Kishou. But for now I need to head to the bathroom.”
Arima nodded his head in agreement, but his gaze at Haise remained strangely unwavering, as if challenging him to leave. “I should probably look through the work documents for tomorrow anyway,” Kishou said. A rational conclusion, but somehow seemed out of place to both their ears.
Haise gave a closed-eyed smile, lightly scratching his chin to hide his slight unease. “Sounds good. I’ll be right back,” he said as he rose from the couch.
Suddenly, a tight grip on his wrist stopped him.
Haise swiftly turned around and let out a soft gasp. His surprised eyes were caught in Arima’s ice-hot stare.
It was bordering on predatory.
It sent hot shivers of arousal right through him.
Just as fast as it stole Haise’s breath away, Arima’s intense stare quickly dissolved into an equally-candid expression of shock. “I’m -- sorry. Again,” Arima stated. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion over his own actions. “I’m...not sure what came over me.”
“Ahh, i-it’s ok,” Haise breathed. He felt paralyzed; Arima’s alpha pheromones were back again, but slightly different from their heated session moments before; this time it was like a thick wall surrounding him, like an invisible prison locking him in place, unable to move. Arima never acted like this before, being this level of assertive, and this was the second time this behavior displayed itself in a matter of minutes.
Yet something like this was oddly difficult for Haise to resist, though he buried this admission even to himself.
They both gulped as they felt the heat between them rising again, each clueless of what to do but both too aware of the buzz of pheromones mingling around them.
Then, there was a brief flash in Arima’s eyes; an unspoken moment of uncertainty and longing.
Haise felt something in his heart tug, an instinct of understanding he couldn’t put into words. “You can let go of me now, Kishou,” he said softly. “I’m heading across the way to the bathroom, it’s only a few footsteps away. I’ll come right back to you when I finish.”
Something seemed to click in Arima’s mind. Slowly, he released his grip on the other. “Yes. Right.”
And just like that, the spell of pheromones was broken.
“I’ll just...get ready for bed,” Arima sighed as took off his glasses, rubbing his eyes. His eyebrows were still slightly knit in concern. “Maybe I should rest for a bit myself...”
“That sounds like a good idea. I’ll meet you there soon,” Haise assured. He gave one last look at his mate --why did he look somewhat downhearted that made his heart ache?-- then walked somewhat stiffly toward the guest bathroom of their apartment.
The omega opened the bathroom door and took a deep breath of the room’s neutral smell.
He breathed out in relief. He needed this time to breathe.
After a moment, he closed the door softly.
Once he heard the safe click of the self-lock, Haise released a small, shuddering cry. In no time at all, the heat within him flared back with intensity, surging once again through his limbs. It was as if his brief suppression didn’t even exist: his skin was back to a light sweat, a liquid, slick-like substance pooling in his lower regions that threatened to trail down his legs, and his need to be run back into his alpha’s concerned arms and be smothered in Arima’s scent returning tenfold. The room was so suddenly saturated with his omega scent, so thick and heavy and needy that it started to make his own head spin.
Haise threw himself at the sink and tore open the guest bathroom medicine cabinet, frantically pushing past the various bottles and packages of bathroom essentials to reach a certain prescription bottle hidden somewhere in the back. He winced, his hips starting to feel weak with each second that passed and increased his panic.
Soon he found what he was looking for. Immediately Haise twisted open the bottle and jammed a pill into his mouth, swallowing with it no water to aid in its journey down his dry throat. He braced his hands on the sink for support, knuckles as white as his clenched teeth. Through his nose he breathed in and out, waiting.
Waiting,
waiting...
Slowly but surely felt the searing heat burning throughout his body withdraw and concentrate into a low burn at the pit of his stomach, then dissipate completely into nothingness.
Haise let out a sigh of relief.
He braced the sink for several moments more, making sure his strength and rationality returned. Then, he put his head in his hands, finally releasing a small sob in distress.
He had to get this sorted out tomorrow. There was no more waiting.
-------------------------------------------
“Thank you for meeting with me on such short notice, Dr. Chigyo.”
“It’s no problem at all, Mr. Sasaki,” A doctor with a bowl cut covering the majority of his forehead and eyes replied. He spoke reassuringly to his nearby patient as he opened the door to his office to sit down. Shortly after he stepped in a young man with two-toned hair followed him inside and closed the door behind them. Though the two were settled into a casual office instead of a medical room, the doctor continued to wear his white laboratory coat over his dark underclothes, and the younger man in pinstriped business attire. It certainly was an odd combination for a suddenly odd circumstance that day.
Haise took a seat in one of the chairs facing the front of the desk while Dr. Chigyo laid his forearms atop it, fingers laced together. The doctor spoke: “I must admit, however, that I am a bit surprised you were able to take time out of your busy work schedule to come here.”
“I have plenty of vacation and sick hours from work that I save for emergency purposes like this,” the younger replied with a light chuckle and apologetic smile on his face. He would have preferred not to make a visit outside his annual checkups, but he had waited long enough in diagnosing the issue that was bothering him.
Dr. Chigyo smiled softly. “Let us not waste any time then. What brings you here today, Haise?”
Haise shifted slightly in his seat. He controlled his voice to sound cheerful, but his tense posture said otherwise, “I think...we may have to increase the dosage of my omega suppressants.”
The doctor raised his eyebrows, though Haise couldn’t see. “Oh?”
“Nothing in my routine of taking it has changed,” Haise explained. “I take my heat suppressant pill once every evening. I have not missed a single day for almost a decade now, ever since I started the omega cycle as a teen. I haven’t had any side effects while taking them. Not once.”
Haise then looked to the side, his soft cheeks developing a slight blush. “However, these past few weeks I’ve been experiencing some --” he hesitated for a moment, “physical reactions I haven’t had before while on them.”
Dr. Chigyo nodded his head, acknowledging that he was listening to Haise with neutrality, silently encouraging him to continue. Haise pushed forward.
“Lately, when I’m with Kishou -- ah, my mate,” Haise quickly corrected himself, “I feel too many things at once. I feel myself getting sluggish but highly sensitive and reactive at the same time. The scents are becoming too acute, I start getting too warm, and there’s more --” he gulped, “natural lubrication than usual, almost like heat slick. I’ve been with intimate with him before, but never with these reactions. It’s too much.”
“I-t’s almost as if my heat is trying to break through or something,” He scratched the back of his head sheepishly, eyes cast down. “I-I’m not sure what to do...”
Dr. Chigyo thought for a moment. “That is a bit concerning,” he concluded, to which he added quickly when he saw his patient’s eyes go wide in fear: “But not unheard of. And nothing too horrible to worry about, depending on your priorities.”
The two-toned young man gave a small sigh of relief, but still remained a bit uneasy. He looked to Dr. Chigyo for elaboration on his statement.
“Haise…you mentioned you had a mate,” the doctor said, slowly. “May I ask what lifestyle changes you may have recently made?”
“Ahh, yes,” Haise began. “Since the last time we met for my suppressant replenishment, the same person I was with then -- we’re now mates. We actually moved into our first apartment together just a few weeks ago.” He smiled to himself, “My diet and sleep schedules have remained the same, though I can already tell that with my home cooking my mate’s diet is improving. He definitely won’t need instant ramen anymore, that’s for sure!” Haise laughed, then thought for a second. “Though it does make one wonder how he’s been able to function so efficiently all these years without a balanced diet…”
Dr. Chigyo chuckled lightly. “And this mate of yours -- they are an Alpha, correct?”
“Yes.”
“I see. And how old is your alpha?”
“He’s in his early to mid-thirties,” Haise stated. “I’m in the equivalent range, just a decade younger.” In a society where there were alpha, beta, and omega categories on top of classifications of male or female in finding compatibility with someone, age differences were not high on the list of concerns. For Arima and Haise, their ages even seemed to fit perfectly together.
With those specific facts confirmed, Dr. Chigyo gave a smile that Haise could sense was genuine despite not being able to see his eyes through the thick bowlcut hairstyle. When the doctor spoke, it was with a warmth Haise did not expect:
“Haise...Have you perhaps thought that the omega in you is finding the time right to start a family?”
Haise’s heart skipped a beat, his face warming up. “I -- !”
He cleared his throat. “I...have thought about it before,” the omega admitted, more composed. He was pretty good with kids, even helped raise his brothers when they lost their parents. “If it were possible to have one, I mean. I’m assuming I can since I’m an omega? But I’ve heard that some other male omegas can’t. And I’ve also heard there are male omegas who go into heat but don’t get --” Haise cut himself off, his nerves making him ramble again. “That’s why I haven’t taken any chances and just stayed on the suppressants, even though I,” -- he blushed -- “I wouldn’t mind a family of my own.” He sighed. “The whole thing for male omegas seems so confusing and varied at times, though, I’m not sure what would work for myself…”
“I understand the confusion, Haise,” Dr. Chigyo replied. “Let me try to break it down for you.”
The doctor pulled out a diagram from the side of his desk, sliding it over to the center and in the direction for Haise to read. “As you are well aware, the biology of we humans are not just classified as male or female. While we do have these initial classifications, each individual can be further categorized as an alpha, beta, or omega.” He pointed to the center of the diagram. “The majority of the population are beta, an equal ratio of female-to-male,” he then pointed to the left of the page, “next we have alphas, whose female-to-male ratio tips more toward male,” he pointed to the right of the page, “then we have omega, who are overwhelmingly female in the ratio.”
The doctor then slid his pointing finger toward the corner of the page, where an image smaller than the previous classifications and description was displayed. “But the rarest of all combinations --male omegas--make up a very small percent of today’s global population.”
Dr. Chigyo raised his head to face his long-time patient.
“You, Haise Sasaki, are part of that small population.” he stated. “This is also where it gets tricky to determine what will happen to you next, no matter what decision you make.”
Haise nodded, concerned but listening intently.
The doctor continued: “Since male omega are rare in general, not enough conclusive research has been made about them. Thus, medication for taming heats --which is by an extent birth control-- has varied results.” He pulled out three bottles of pills from a nearby shelf and placed them on the desk between himself and Haise. “Currently, there is only one medication of heat suppressant pills, in the form of a low, average, and maximum dosage, as represented by these bottles in front of us. The suppressants are used by both female and male omegas, but for scientific reasons we have yet to fully determine, only covers the full range of benefits for female omegas. This could be because they are naturally more fertile. For male omegas, the amount of suppressant coverage differs on a case by case basis based on how their body receives the pill.”
“Generally the middle dosage is the safe level given to male omegas. For you, Haise, this mid-range dose seems to have done the trick in warding off your heats and potential procreation without giving you side effects, just as how it would work for female omegas. You’re one of the lucky ones,” the doctor gave a small smile. “That is, until you most recently settled into a more permanent lifestyle with your alpha mate.”
Dr. Chigyo returned to his serious professional expression. “It appears that this mid dosage is not strong enough to hold back the pheromones you both are sending and feeding off of each other, especially since you two are now in close living and work quarters.”
Haise blushed, slightly embarrassed how his doctor could say such things with a straight face, but more concerned over the use of the word “both.” His eyebrows turned upward in worry. “You mean, this is affecting Kishou, too?”
“Yes,” Dr. Chigyo said. “If you notice him becoming more possessive, protective, or needy over wanting you near, that is an alpha’s way of making sure you are safe and no one steals you away. This is much more apparent when they have a mate, and can stress their body the more they cannot fully please their mate through the heat,” he explained. “You can say it is an instinct of theirs, something naturally ingrained into them from long-lost history, just as you have your own version of instinct within you.”
Haise recalled the moments with his mate the previous night, remembering Kishou’s oddly possessive behavior and the alpha’s own confused and guilty expressions after he realized what he did. Haise suddenly felt a pang of guilt wash over him. He was prepared to endure this issue on his own, but didn’t realize it would get this unintentionally tangled with Kishou, so much so that it was clouding his mate’s usual behavior.
“It won’t just...pass on its own after a while?” the omega said meekly. Perhaps they could walk a middle path, just limit interaction with each other for one more week or so while symptoms appeared and then carry on with the current suppressants when the heat decided to stop being pushy.
The doctor shook his head. “Now that you have found a mate and are both reacting at this level, the heat symptoms you experience around each other will not stop, for both your bodies recognize your alpha as a perfect choice for mating and you as an omega a perfect home for procreation. The biological imperative will not let this opportunity subside, will continue to push until something extreme happens. The symptoms can only be stopped by either maxing out the suppressant dosage or going off them completely and deal with the heat.”
Haise deflated. There goes the option of having his cake and eating it, too.
“You could choose to carry out your current lifestyle of taking both suppressants and letting pre-heat symptoms break free, but there is no research available detailing what happens to the reproductive cycle when it is tricked into thinking it can into heat but the remaining medicine prevents the cycle to finalize and settle into fertilization,” Dr. Chigyo said in afterthought.
“If I chose to...go off the suppressants,” Haise began, his voice serious. “What are the chances of it producing anything?”
“Hmm…” Dr. Chigyo thought for a moment. “While it varies some, the general chance of conception for male omegas is about 6.45 percent,” he said. “However, from the way you respond successfully to the regular suppressants exactly as female omegas do --who have almost 100 percent chance of conception-- and the way you respond to your mate so strongly it is prompting heat despite regular suppressants...you may have a higher chance of conceiving than other male omegas do,” the doctor said. Then, reflecting on his history of working with omegas, “I have had a small handful of other male omegas as patients throughout my career as a doctor, and none of them have been as receptive to their mate as you are. Certainly not the point where their heat is overtaking the actual medicine.”
Haise blushed again. He didn’t know whether to be proud of his personal insistent biology or not.
“I understand this is a lot of information thrown at you at once for a very important life decision.” Dr. Chigyo said, giving his patient a moment to breathe. “Do you have any questions so far?”
“...Just one,” Haise asked. He figured he should discuss the entirety of his options before committing to one immediately. “You mentioned there was a ‘safe level’ of dosage for male omegas. What exactly do you mean by that?”
“As perceptive as ever, Haise,” Dr. Chigyo said, backtracking. “And with perfect timing you ask that as well. It brings us to the next issue of concern: your option of increasing the suppressant dosage to suppress the heat that is trying to break through.”
He continued: “While once again the research isn’t definitive, the studies we have suggests that a male omega’s handling of the maximum dosage will have less side effects if he has a high body mass index. For those with smaller, more lean frames such as yourself, the outlook does not look good.”
Haise gulped, but continued to listen in silence as he absorbed the new information.
“There is an ongoing study by a doctor named Kanou --we call it the ‘T-Owl Experiment,’ named after its first subject-- where male omega volunteers have been put on maximum suppressants for years at a time,” Dr. Chigyo explained. “Their bodies on average are able to handle the constant heavy dosage for the first decade and a half with no severe symptoms. Once they pass this general length of time, however, the reactions are deeply troubling.”
The doctor laced his fingers together. “Subject T-Owl is the first case of a now growing problem among smaller male omegas who display erratic behavior after continuous exposure to the maximum suppressants for an extended period of time.”
“What...what is exactly happening to him?” Haise inquired. He didn’t like where this was going.
“Simply put...” Dr. Chigyo replied, “Instead of suppressing the heat, he is in an endless heat-like state that causes immense pain and violent, unpredictable behavior. There is no apparent desire to mate nor any trace of him being able to procreate at this point. He only harms others, especially himself. Essentially, the suppressants have broken his biological system.” The doctor had a slight frown on his face. ”Researchers are calling this phenomenon the ‘Death Heat.’”
“‘D-death Heat’?!” Haise exclaimed, “why would they call it that, it’s an ongoing experiment, isn’t it -- “
“He was just recently declared deceased.”
Haise sat back in his chair, speechless. He didn’t know how to process all this information.
There was a brief moment of silence between them, the last words spoken by the doctor hanging thickly in the air.
Endless heat-like state, immense pain.
Violent, unpredictable behavior.
Death.
“I did not mean to scare you, Haise,” Dr. Chigyo explained gently, bringing Haise out of his repetitive thoughts and back into the present conversation. “Dr. Kanou’s reports are new. While the findings do reflect the maximum dosage reactions of male omegas of your size type, they also only reflect it for those patients who have only taken it in long term. You have no history of this exact heavy exposure, and you may not even partake in it in your lifetime. The studies of long term average exposure have shown no drastic negative effects.”
Then, he added: “I only share this information with you because you are open to the possibility of starting a family sometime in the future, which could be put at risk should you choose to increase your suppressant dosage.”
“I’m...glad you told me about this, doctor,” Haise finally said. He felt unsettled. But even though they were discussing his own life options, he couldn’t help but have his mind wander to other omegas out there who may not know about this, particularly the ones he knew in his family. “Is this information...released to the public yet?”
“It’s set to be printed in publications sometime this year. Why?”
“Is it alright to tell my siblings of this? I’d like them to know,” Haise sat forward, his hands firmly placed on both his thighs, concern and determination in his light grey eyes. “They are all male omega like me…”
The hair around Dr. Chigyo’s covered eyes moved upward, suggesting his surprise. “Oh? That is quite another genetic fascination from you!” he replied. “Yes, please let them be aware of their options and consequences of heat suppressants if you can’t get them into an appointment with a doctor. There needs to be more awareness of omega health; our current society, as advanced and we like to believe, is just not doing the trick in providing widespread information on this subject.”
Haise nodded in agreement. “At least there are doctors like you trying to turn things around by giving a head’s up on the latest news.”
“I’m just doing my job,” Dr. Chigyo said modestly. “I would hope every doctor does the same,” he smiled. The two shook hands.
“Oh, and Mr. Sasaki,” the doctor called as his patient turned to leave through the office door. “Give yourself some time to think your options over. Definitely talk things over with your mate if you consider starting a family. If you want to return to your natural omegan cycle, simply stop consumption of the suppressants and wait for your heat to resume. If you would like to increase your dosage, just give me a call like you did for today and I can meet with you again.”
Haise gave his doctor one of his classic cheery smiles. “Thank you, Dr. Chigyo.”
He closed the door.
-------------------
Haise wasted no time; he decided to video call his youngest brother about the warnings of suppressants first before contacting the others. Maybe if he was lucky he could even catch a glimpse of the second youngest hanging out with the former and educate them simultaneously.
Haise stepped out of the medical building and reached the main street, walking along the sidewalk of shops as he waited for the call to go through. He didn’t even have to wait past the first ring; a young male with dark, groomed hair in the process of putting on an kitchen apron already popped up on the screen with a small wave and shy smile.
“Big Brother!” Ken greeted pleasantly on the other line as he propped up his mobile device on some vertical surface and used his free hands to finish tying his apron. “You called at the perfect time; I just got home from school. About to start preparing an early dinner, too. You can watch as I prepare the meal you taught me last weekend!”
Haise felt his heart swell at the endearing introduction scene before him. His baby brother, Ken, was the youngest of the four of them and possibly the sweetest thing next to a cinnamon roll. He never caused trouble, excelled academically, and was on top of maintaining the apartment he shared with their second youngest brother, Shiro. Shiro was also intelligent and cared for their home, but was a bit of a troublemaker, which put a damper on his other record of talents. Still, Haise was very happy that those two were growing up with the support and normalcy of life that himself and their eldest, Kaneki, didn’t have when they all lost their parents as kids. Haise was glad that he could easily read Ken’s happiness, too.
“Make sure you stir the pot early before adding the rest of the ingredients. We want the noodles to emerge with the perfect softness,” Haise said offhandedly, scrutinizing what he could see from the video. “How is school going? It recently started up again, yeah?”
“Yeah,” Ken nodded his head, stirring the pot in front of him. Wafts of steam could be seen disappearing in and out in pixels onscreen. “My favorites are the literature and language classes, but I guess we could have all guessed that, hehe.” Though just a second year in high school, Ken displayed prowess in literature. It reminded Haise of Kaneki, who currently used said skills to be an editor, and who he also looked most similar to.
Haise smiled warmly. “Glad school is off to a great start.” Then, he delved into a more personal topic. One good thing about being the general domestic figure among his brothers? They all confided in him when it came to their omega problems. “And how are you doing biologically? Has your body started the omega heat cycle yet?”
“Oh, I --” Ken blushed deeply, looking away shyly, but not completely embarrassed. “I haven’t started yet.”
Haise blinked. “Oh?” he said, intrigued. His baby brother was still so pure. Bless.
Ken continued in his soft voice. “I’m not in any rush, really. The longer it takes for it to start, the less I have to worry about containing it routinely in the present, right?”
“That is true, to an extent,” Haise thought his brother’s statement over. He had personally started in his early teens, at pretty much the middle age compared to their other brothers; Their eldest, Kaneki started the earliest, though Haise couldn’t remember exactly what age it happened at for him since he was too young; Shiro started his roughly a year ago, though in comparison to when Haise was a teen, Shiro got it a bit earlier. It looked like Ken was the late bloomer once again.
At least he could prepare his last brother a little bit before the inevitable.
“Well, just in case it starts anytime soon,” Haise cautioned, “Do you have any friends who you can contact when the time comes? Just in case you can’t reach any of us at work.”
“Ah, well Hide is always looking out for me,” Ken said. “He’s an alpha, and he’s been respectful to me since we were little. We look out for each other, no matter what.”
Haise remembered said alpha. He was a spunky kid, that one, but meant well. And Ken was right about their consistency of friendship; he’s seen them play together since they were toddlers, and Haise never sensed Hide asserting his alpha on Ken. He could most likely be trusted; hopefully it stayed that way even if he had to escort a heat-stricken Ken to the nurse or another suitable adult in the future. “Hide is a good option. He also has my contact information specifically for emergencies so he can let me know where to get you when you need me, ok?” Ken nodded.
Which reminded him.
“Where is Shiro? I need to tell both of you something if he’s also home,” Haise asked. “He answers my calls less than Black Reaper does, and that’s already kind of low in odds…”
“He’s actually home right now,” Ken said, looking from the modest dining room table to his side offsceen with a small smile, as if he was also talking to someone else. “He may be even better off than me in terms of omega life.” Haise took a moment to look behind the boy to see if Shiro’s bedroom door was open from the hallway. With a breath of relief, it was. So he was there indeed.
Haise felt some weight lift off his shoulders. He couldn’t believe his luck; he could actually inform them both of the suppressant news.
Just as he was beginning to relax, Haise saw a tall, violet-haired young man emerge from Shiro’s bedroom, yawning politely with a hand covering his mouth as he headed casually into the nearby bathroom.
Any relief Haise felt dissolved and tensed up again. Who -- ?!
“Actually, I think he may have found an alpha mate already,” Ken said with a hint of excitement in his voice, turning the camera more toward himself as he walked back to the kitchen, blocking view of the bathroom.
Haise was starting to freak out. “Ken, move the camera back -- “
“He’s not my mate,“ a voice suddenly deadpanned from offscreen. After a moment, a white-haired young man appeared, pulling the screen toward him with one hand and carrying another plate of food for their overall meal in the other. So Shiro was there cooking with Ken the entire time and didn’t say anything? Not even a ‘hello, I’m here existing in the corner’? Haise could not with this boy sometimes.
“Who is that guy, then, Shiro?! He just strolled out of your bedroom like he owned the place!” Haise was starting to freak out.
“Yes, do tell us what Tsukiyama-san is to you then, Shiro,” Ken asked, slight tease in his voice as he took out three plates to set on the dinner table.
“He’s no one,” Shiro said quickly, furrowed his eyebrows. “I just -- use him -- for things --” he started. “He’s a convenient tool when I need relief ok?”
“You can be honest with yourself, mon cher,” the violet-haired stranger from before said smoothly as he appeared by Shiro’s side. “Your favorite tool of mine is my sword, is it not?”
“Ohmygod, please go back through the door I locked you in,” Shiro pushed the camera away from himself in embarrassment.
“If that is the kind of game you prefer, mon cher. I am Shuu Tsukiyama, by the way!” the violet-haired man called to Haise from out of the visual range of the video call. “I do hope I get to formally meet you one day, Sasaki-kun; I’ve heard wonderful things about you from this blushing one standing here -- “ There was the brief sound of a muffled voice, followed by an askew angle of Ken’s patient, pitying smile as he watched Shiro do something to Tsukiyama before the phone tumbled out of Ken’s hand and the screen turned black. The call ended abruptly.
In a moment of irritation and protective maman mode turned on, Haise wasted no time in video-calling Ken again. When the call was thankfully accepted again, Haise immediately ordered all three of them to sit in a row so he could see them clearly. He was not going to accept any more nonsense.
“Ok. Now that all of you are all here and not messing around, I need all of you to know something very important,” Haise stated firmly. All three nodded, not daring to interrupt him.
“If either of you decide to go on heat suppressants in the future, do not use the maximum dosage,” Haise began. He then went on to recite all the information he learned from Dr. Chigyo earlier that day.
By the end of it, Ken looked horrified and Tsukiyama a downcast sympathetic look, head turned ever so slightly toward Shiro, as if considering his hardships as an omega. Shiro, however, looked only mildly concerned.
“Thanks for the warning, Haise,” Shiro said. “But I don’t have to worry about that. I don’t use suppressants at all and don’t plan to.” Then, with a bit of hesitance, “Besides, Tsukiyama-san has helped me through several of my heats. Nothing comes close to signifying us as mates, or me even being someone who needs to protect against unwanted circumstances.” He laughed hollowly. “I think...I think I’m one of the male omega types that just don’t...catch, you know what I mean?”
Tsukiyama turned more toward Shiro at this, concern hardening his furrowed brows in seriousness. “Mon cher, there is no need to say such untrue things about yourself.”
“...I’m leaving now,” clearly irritated, Shiro rose abruptly and headed to his room. Tsukiyama’s eyes followed after his figure, standing up himself and immediately following the upset omega.
“Please excuse us.” Tsukiyama gave a respectful bow to Haise before following Shiro out of the video screen and audibly closing the door, leaving Ken alone on the camera.
Haise felt his heart lurch. This information was tough on everyone, he knew. But even though Shiro had a tough exterior, he still had feelings as did any other person. He was sensitive.
Suddenly Haise realized Ken’s face was occupying the entirety of the video screen. “Thank you taking the time to inform us immediately of the suppressants, Big Brother,” Ken said quietly. He had a sympathetic, yet reassuring smile on his face. “Don’t worry about Shiro, Tsukiyama-san and I will take care of him. As for me, I’ll be very careful with what range of heat suppressants I choose. I will let you know when the time comes.”
“Thank you, Ken,” Haise said.
Ken smiled, showing Haise a view of the side of his face with the dining table in the background. “I’m going to put some of the cooked food in the fridge until Shiro comes back out ready to eat.” He flashed a quick peace sign. “Tell Arima-san we say hi! Does he know about the new suppressant warnings?”
Haise shook his head, his small smile masking his anxiety about their inevitable conversation. “Not yet, but I will tell him later.”
“Alright, make sure to tell him,” Ken said. “As your official mate, perhaps it’d be good to at least let him know what you’re going through and what decisions he can help you with to make it easier for the both of you. I’m sure he’d want to help you, too, even when he doesn’t explicitly say it,” He looked up thoughtfully. “What troubles you have the other shoulders as well, because you are both each other’s strengths. At least, that is my understanding of mates.” He gave a soft chuckle. “Maybe I’m idealistic and sappy, but that’s how I see it.”
Haise gaped at his youngest brother. To have such a mature stance at his age, to understand what it takes to emotionally bond with a mate before he even started his own heat…Ken was going to be a wonderful mate to someone one day.
Haise flashed a quick peace sign in return, in lighter spirits now. “You definitely are on the right track, little brother. Take care!” Then he quickly added a “Don’t forget add some water to the noodles before you heat it up again later!” before hanging up.
--------------------
Two brothers down, one to go. It was difficult telling them some portions of --even more so seeing their live mixed reactions-- but Haise knew they all needed to be told the real medicinal and biological dangers male omegas faced.
Haise took a moment to look at his surroundings; he was almost at a plaza in the distance with a fountain toward its center. He could probably take a seat around it. He looked at his phone and once again clicked on the icon that led him to his list of contacts.
Haise easily found the contact he was looking for under his “Favorites” tab, chuckling a little at the custom contact name:
-book emoji- Black Reaper -skull emoji-
He waited patiently on the line while it rang. His older brother --Kaneki, the eldest of the four-- was always busy working night and day as an editor for famous novelist Sen Takatsuki; he might not answer the phone right away, or even at all. But it was worth a shot.
After another ring, there was the relieving sound of a click.
“Hey,” a flat, worn-out voice spoke unenthusiastically. The voice echoed slightly; Haise guessed he must be on the speaker phone option. There was also the vague crackle of papers shifting from the other line. He definitely called while they were in the middle of sorting out a manuscript.
“Hello, Black Reaper-san,” Haise greeted warmly. “It’s been a little while! I hope I’m not bothering you.”
As if on cue, Kaneki immediately snapped back at the nickname. “All of you need to stop calling me that.” His eyebrows furrowed ever so slightly. “Especially Shiro. I know he says it behind my back.”
Haise joked, “Aww, but he looks up to you so much, Reaper-san.” He thought for a moment, “Ken gets a free pass, though?”
Kaneki hesitated. “...Ken is allowed to. Only because he says it cutely.”
Haise had to agree. Their baby brother could honestly do no wrong. Each brother felt a sort of protectiveness over him, but Kaneki would only acknowledge such a feeling in subtle ways, similar to how he reacted now. Shiro was the one to watch out for in keeping those around Ken in check, however. Even Haise had to admit their second youngest brother got a little too aggressive in wanting to preserve Ken’s wellbeing. Well, as long as incest didn’t happen Haise supposed he could let Shiro’s behavior slide; he seemed to be physically focusing on that Tsukiyama-san man anyway. (Which Haise would definitely investigate more out of from Ken to make sure said Tsuki-san was a positive influence on his troubled younger brother, by the way.)
“Ooh, Editor-san, your brothers call you ‘Black Reaper’?” a new voice suddenly sing-songed from somewhere on the other line. “That fits even better than the ‘Boss’ nickname I gave to you!”
Another voice chimed in, more feminine, and equally as enthusiastic as the first: “My dear Kaneki, you never even told us you have a brother, let alone multiple! Are they all as endearingly savage as you?”
“Ughh,” Kaneki grumbled, rolling his eyes as he turned his phone off speaker. In one swift motion he brought the device to his ear and swerved his chair to face away from the other two. “Now look what you’ve done, Haise. This fruit guy and psycho lady won’t let me hear the end of that name now.” He took a quick glance over his shoulder to see what said coworkers were up to behind him:
His black-haired, moley co-editor was trailing behind their tiny seagreen-haired author, who pranced about the flat that served as their workspace, pretending to act like the mythological reaper ghost. Both had their hands raised, flexing each digit as they made mock-ghost sounds to each other.
Kaneki turned back around, his disappointment in their behavior unsurprising to himself.
“Hahaha, I’m sorry,” Haise laughed. “You have to admit the name fits you, though. You wear the black trenchcoat and clothes all the time. Your unrelenting editing pen can even represent your scythe!”
Kaneki was not in the mood to get a critique on his personality or fashion choices. “I know you sometimes call to check up on us like the mom you are,” Haise gave a small pout on the other line at the tone of this comment, “but I feel as if you had something more important to tell me than the usual hello.”
“Err, yeah,” Haise scratched the side of his face, remembering his purpose of the call. “I know it may be kind of personal, but I wanted to talk to you about…” he briefly hesitated, then whispered, “the suppressants you take.”
Through that moment of hesitance, Kaneki sensed Haise was serious. “Let me head somewhere more private.”
Kaneki stepped out onto the metal fire escape through the flat’s window and sat with his legs hanging over the edge of the metal flooring. The sky was in its early stages of the turning into the evening, coupled with a slight breeze. He sighed.
“What about them do you want to know about? Don’t you take them, too?”
Over at the plaza Haise had now walked to, he sat down on the thick marble ledge hugging a large fountain. He glanced at some people nearby, the wind blowing their scents his way; alpha with an undercut walking next to a tan, green-haired beta with an oddly muddled scent; a family with a child focusing on every effort to walk holding their parents’ hands. He smiled at the scene while he prepared the question for Kaneki.
“What dosage have you been taking?” he asked.
Kaneki thought back for a moment, mentally flipping through timelines. “I’ve been taking the maximum dosage ever since my heat cycle started at...age 12.”
12 years old. Damn. That was younger than Haise thought, especially when he added the 15 year mark from the study to that age. Which meant:
“Kaneki, you’re approaching the age where it’s dangerous to keep taking the maximum amount.”
“What do you mean?”
Haise explained to his older brother the latest news on omega suppressants, from the T-Owl Experiment to other options and measures he learned from Dr. Chigyo.
“Great,” the Black Reaper’s tone turned light in sarcastic happiness at the new information. “Life already sucked as an omega; now I can die as a childless, rampaging one. The end is even better than I envisioned.”
Haise furrowed his eyebrows in slight confusion and worry. “So you don’t mind that the suppressants have a high chance of permanently ruining your body? Even to possible death?”
An audible sigh vibrated through the phone. “Look, brother,” Kaneki explained. “I may be born an omega, and eventually, by the sound of it from that case study, will succumb to a fate related to it,” he sighed again, briefly skewing the glasses on his face from rubbing his tired eyes. “But that doesn’t mean I have to endure the heats that were biologically forced upon omega like us. I found a way out of that hell through the suppressants. With it, I don’t need an alpha to make me ‘feel whole,’ as those romantic phrases from our society’s childhood stories go, and” --he took a look through the large flat windows to observe his coworkers still moving about mimicking ghostly figures --”I definitely don’t have any desire to procreate.” He sighed once again. “For once, I can control my own body for my own interests.”
“If the price to pay for this freedom, however brief it may be, is a chaotic, stylish death, then so be it.” Kaneki said. His voice was hollow. “This is the path I’ve chosen -- and I’m sticking with it.”
Haise felt his eyes water slightly. He knew his brother was dark -- worse than Shiro -- but he didn’t know his death wish went this far. Couldn’t he see that his life had so much value in itself, no matter his biological status? He had people who cared about him, and he was so talented in the literature world; he couldn’t just plan to let it die out --
“You don’t have to have the same outcome as me, though,” Kaneki cut in before Haise could gather a counterargument.
Haise blinked in surprise.
“You have him, right?” Kaneki said. “The one you’ve brought over to our old home for dinner when we visit Ken and Shiro. That massive alpha who’s built like a god and could destroy everyone with one sadistic glance.”
Haise laughed out loud at his brother’s description of Arima. People always had such an intimidating impression of Kishou, but behind that poker face and strong muscles, his mate was a peaceful, selfless man. Minus yesterday’s slight anomaly.
“I understand you are concerned about the long term effects of the suppressants, and, conversely, what could happen to you if you were to avoid said effects by going off of them completely,” the Black Reaper said. “You’re in a good place, though, Haise. A kind of dream place, really: You have a job and financial security from your individual hard work. You have a new roof over your head. You’ve also found your mate, who is strong, respectable, just as well-off as you and shown his dedication to you for the several years you’ve been together.” Haise blushed as his brother marked off the list of stabilities. “There is no guarantee that you will go into a full-on heat once you are off them, and by extent, even have any of it go through to the more permanent life step if you were to ride it out.”
Kaneki concluded with, “But there is the relief that every day you are off the suppressants you will be further away from the confusing tension between you and your mate. And especially that unsettling ‘Death Heat’ result.”
Haise was silent on the phone for a moment, considering all the reaper had said.
“That is true…” he admitted. “But I go off the suppressants, the doctor can’t tell how for sure how my body will truly react if Kishou and I still, we -- chances are my odds of it happening are higher, I could -- “ he cut himself off.
“Even more fitting for you if it actually does happen,” Kaneki smirked knowingly, about to open the door back into his work flat. “You were always the most mothering out of all of us, after all. Now you’ll just fulfill the role with an actual kid of your own.”
“I-I’m not -- !” Haise flushed, quickly trying to gather a defense. How could his older brother be so blunt about this sasarious issue?!
“Haise.” the Black Reaper said, his voice a bit softer now. “It’s your decision what you do with your body. If you forego the suppressants to let things take its natural course, that is alright. If you decide to increase them to ensure you have no heat but risk the drawbacks, that is also your choice. Whatever you decide, you have the support to handle whatever comes your way.” Then, even softer, “Even from your brothers.”
“Kaneki…” Haise said breathlessly, amazed at his brother’s levelheadedness and care.
“GOODNIGHT HAISE,” Kaneki said loudly to cover his brief moment of softness, which quickly transformed into an irritated groan as cheers of ‘the Black Reaper has returned!!!!’ burst in the background upon him entering the workspace flat. The phone line went dead.
Haise let out a long sigh himself, feeling closer to his final decision. There was only one person left to talk to now.
His actual mate, Arima Kishou.