Back in the day, Tokio had read a slightly erotic manga and wondered how people breathe while kissing, running simulations in his head. However, there was no time to test that theory now as something entered his mouth.
—It’s a tongue…!
With his face tightly held in place by both of Ikuto’s hands, Tokio couldn’t push him away or turn his head. The tongue pulled back briefly, only for Ikuto to nibble sweetly on Tokio’s lower lip.
“Tokio… I love you… I love you,” Ikuto mumbled between kisses, sounding feverish. Tokio felt like the heat was spreading to him, making his ears burn.
“S-stop…”
“I won’t stop. You’re making that face and saying that? If you really hate it, punch me and run away.”
“This is… I’m just not used to it—”
Even when Tokio managed to turn his face away, Ikuto continued kissing his cheek and ear, intentionally making a soft chu sound each time. The places where Ikuto’s lips touched felt warm.
How can he say “I love you” so easily?
I could never say something like that, even if I felt it.
Not that I feel it, though.
A question briefly crossed Tokio’s mind: What would happen to me if I decided to love this person? He glanced at Ikuto, who caught his eye and smiled, leaning in for another kiss.
Just then, Ikuto suddenly stiffened, his body trembling as he froze in place. He stood up, looking around in fear.
“W-what’s wrong?”
Ikuto, hugging himself tightly, muttered with a shiver, “There’s an Omega in heat nearby…!”
Ikuto’s face turned bright red, and he began making a low growling sound, like a wolf about to howl.
“No… I don’t want to go into heat… I don’t want to give in to this savage Alpha instinct…!”
Ikuto curled up, trying to fight off his body’s reaction. Tokio’s heart pounded wildly in his chest. Ikuto hated his Alpha instincts, and he was reacting to someone else’s pheromones—not Tokio’s. He didn’t know whether to feel relieved, hurt, shocked, sad, or angry. A mix of emotions overwhelmed him.
“There you are, Ikuto-sama… I’ve been looking for you.”
A figure emerged from the shadows. It was a slender, beautiful young man with lily-like features. He wore an Omega-exclusive collar, a device meant to prevent forced mating. In his hand, he held a used syringe, which fell to the ground.
“You… are still doing this kind of thing—”
Ikuto let out a deep growl, like a wounded wolf baring its fangs.
An Omega in heat, a used syringe, and Ikuto trembling in fear—it reminded Tokio of when they first met.
‘I was forcefully exposed to Omega pheromones during their heat and ran away,’ Ikuto had once told him.
“Heat-inducing drugs…! You’re the one from back then—”
Tokio stood protectively in front of the crouching Ikuto and glared at the Omega.
The Omega smirked and said, “Minagawa Tokio, right? You’ve done a fine job of seducing my Ikuto-sama. We were destined to be together, but you kept getting in the way. But hey, drama needs obstacles, right? It wouldn’t be dramatic without a little flair. I’ve been polishing myself for ten years, trying to win Ikuto-sama’s favor—”
Speaking so fast that it was hard to follow, the Omega removed his collar with a smile. “I’ll show you right now that a low-spec Beta like you is just a side character.”
Once the collar was fully off, Ikuto groaned and clutched his mouth. The sudden surge of pheromones was overwhelming, making his body react uncontrollably.
“No…! I don’t want to react… to the scent of someone I don’t love… I’m not an animal…!”
The word scent made Tokio’s eyes widen in realisation.
The Omega, clearly hurt by Ikuto’s words, shrugged his shoulders with a sad expression. “You’re still saying things like that? Alpha and Omega are destined to be together, just like we were taught in school and stories. Come on, let’s become mates, Ikuto-sama. I even got my hands on a powerful heat-inducing drug just for you—”
The Omega stepped forward slowly, and Ikuto, drawn to the pheromones, swayed as he tried to resist.
No way.
The idea of Ikuto being forced to embrace this Omega—it was unbearable.
Tokio made up his mind.
Looking into Ikuto’s trembling eyes, Tokio whispered, “I won’t let him have you.”
With that, he pulled a small spray can from his pocket and sprayed it directly at Ikuto’s face.
“Ugh!”
Ikuto covered his face with both hands, overwhelmed by the smell. The spray was a defense tool that only worked on Alphas. Its strong odor dulled their senses and slowed down their reaction to heat.
“What…?”
The Omega stopped in surprise, and Tokio tossed the spray can at him.
“Sorry to disappoint you, Miss Heroine Omega.”
Just as the Omega caught the spray, Tokio’s knee slammed into his gut. With a soundless gasp, the Omega collapsed to the ground.
“Ow, ow… it hurts…”
“Shut up, you little bitch. Go home and jerk yourself off.”
Tokio wrapped his arm around Ikuto’s shoulders and helped him stand, heading toward the scooter parking lot. He glanced back at the Omega and said, “You’re still in heat, so take the spray and use it.”
The Omega curled up on the ground, clutching the spray while sobbing, “It hurts, it hurts.”
“Hold on tight!”
Though the peak had passed, Ikuto’s heat hadn’t fully subsided. Tokio rode through the streets of Tokyo with Ikuto clinging to his waist, trembling and resting his head on Tokio’s shoulder. Ikuto kept softly murmuring, “Tokio… Tokio…” as they sped along.
When they arrived at Ikuto’s hotel, Tokio helped the exhausted Ikuto inside. As soon as they entered the lobby, they were surrounded by about ten reporters.
“Hey, they’re here! Both of them! Give us a comment!”
“Yanagi-san, what’s your response to this scandal—?”
“SHUT UP!”
Tokio, who had always lived quietly as a side character, probably shouted louder than he ever had in his life.
“Stay out of our business! We’re not hiding anything, so show up at a reasonable time if you want to ask questions!”
The reporters were momentarily stunned into silence. Then, one of them quickly asked, “So, is your relationship going well? Is marriage in the cards?”
Tokio, supporting Ikuto as they made their way to the elevator, pouted and replied, “I don’t know! But—”
He hesitated for a moment, then steeled himself. With a small smirk, he added, “I’m pretty sure I love him.”
The reporters immediately erupted into murmurs, with cameras flashing and cheeks flushing. Just as the elevator arrived on the first floor with a soft ding, the atmosphere changed.
Suddenly, Ikuto, who had been leaning heavily on Tokio, seemed to regain his strength.
“…?”
Before Tokio realized it, Ikuto had wrapped an arm around his shoulders, his face blooming into a radiant smile.
“I love you too.”
Ikuto leaned in and kissed Tokio right there. Resigned, Tokio wrapped his arm around Ikuto’s back—right in front of all the cameras and reporters.
As they broke the kiss, Tokio muttered in frustration, “…You were faking feeling bad, huh?”
“I felt better the moment I heard you.”
Laughing and teasing each other, they stepped into the elevator. Ikuto pressed the close button, then winked seductively at the reporters still lingering in the lobby.
“We’re a bit busy now. See you tomorrow.”
“Don’t act so cool!”
As the elevator doors closed, the two kissed again, fully aware that the cameras were still rolling.
As soon as they entered Ikuto’s room, Ikuto scooped Tokio up into his arms.
“Whoa!”
Ikuto’s light brown eyes gazed up at him, still moist with emotion. For a moment, Tokio thought he might be about to get intimate, but—
“Please, just let me hold you for a while. I won’t do anything else…”
Ikuto sat on the bed with Tokio on his lap, hugging him tightly. He gently kissed Tokio’s neck, his breath coming out in ragged bursts, indicating that the heat hadn’t fully subsided. It seemed like it was painful for him to endure.
Tokio thought for a moment. Maybe if Ikuto embraced him, it would help calm his heat. However, when he suggested it, Ikuto shook his head.
“I don’t want to hold you when I’m in heat because of someone else’s scent. I want to make love to you as myself, not as an Alpha driven by instinct…”
“…Ikuto…”
A soft noise escaped Tokio’s throat, something he had never experienced before—a lump of emotion that made his throat catch.
Two guys being together is gross. —That’s a lie. I’ve never once thought it was gross.
An Alpha and a Beta don’t match. —So what? No one’s going to die from it.
We live in different worlds. —If I said that, it would make Ikuto sad. I’m me, and Ikuto is Ikuto.
All the “×” marks that had restrained Tokio melted into “○” as his true feelings broke free.
The invisible shackles that had bound his hands and feet seemed to fall away. Maybe they had never been there in the first place.
The two of them fell asleep while still hugging each other. When Tokio woke up, Ikuto’s peaceful, handsome face was the first thing he saw. The bedside clock showed it was past 3 AM.
I should head home…
As much as he hated to leave, Ikuto probably had work in the morning, and Tokio had a part-time shift at the convenience store starting at noon. Slowly, Tokio tried to get out of bed without waking Ikuto.
“No.”
Ikuto’s hand reached out and grabbed his. He was awake.
“But… it’s so late.”
“—What time did Cinderella have to leave by?”
“Huh?”
Tokio blinked in confusion, wondering why Ikuto was suddenly bringing up a fairy tale.
“What time did the fairy godmother tell Cinderella to leave the ball?”
Ikuto kept pressing the question, so Tokio sighed and answered, “Midnight.”
At that, Ikuto yanked Tokio back onto the bed and pinned him down.
“That’s right. After missing her curfew, Cinderella never went back to the convenience store. She became the prince’s wife.”
“What a story with no proper ending.”
They both chuckled and kissed.
“You sure you’re feeling okay now?”
Ikuto nodded slowly, a mischievous smile on his face.
“Yeah, the heat’s gone. But I’m still excited.”
He ground his hips against Tokio’s thigh, and Tokio could feel the heat and hardness between Ikuto’s legs. He couldn’t help but gasp.
“Whoa, it’s… huge…”
Ikuto pouted playfully, “Could you stop teasing me?”
They kissed again as they started undressing each other. Tokio, who had an average build, felt self-conscious stripping in front of the well-built Ikuto, but there was no escaping Ikuto’s gaze, and the lights stayed on.
“D-don’t look…”
“Why not? You’re cute. You were so bold earlier, but now you’re getting all shy.”
Ikuto was probably referring to the time Tokio had kicked the Omega earlier.
“That was… because I had no choice.”
“To me, you looked more like a prince on a white horse than Cinderella.”
“Technically, it was a scooter.”
They laughed and kissed again. Ikuto’s large, warm hands explored Tokio’s waist, stomach, hips, and chest.
“Mm…”
NSFW part available at my Discord
Three months later…
The soft, cheerful jingle of the door chime echoed through the convenience store late at night.
“Welcome.”
At the sound of the door, Tokio reflexively smiled at the customer.
Three months had passed since then. The worldwide scandal involving Yanagi Ikuto had completely died down. Their public love declaration and passionate kiss, along with Ikuto’s smiling comments during the press conference the next day, seemed to have done the trick.
“The person I fell in love with just happened to be a Beta. Even if Tokio were an Alpha or Omega, I’d still have fallen for him. But thanks to all the drama, I ended up with him as my boyfriend, so I guess I should thank everyone for their help.”
With that, the media circus lost interest, and Ikuto’s fans became even more devoted to him for his lack of prejudice. His image skyrocketed—
“You said your schedule was booked for the next five years, didn’t you?”
Standing in front of the register with a bouquet of flowers was none other than Yanagi Ikuto.
“It is. But I plan to spend the next ten, twenty years with you, Tokio.”
With a wink, Ikuto pushed the large bouquet of roses toward him. “Once you’re off work, let’s go on a date,” he said with a playful wink.
Tokio shrugged and accepted the flowers, sniffing them before telling Ikuto his clock-out time.
“Wait for me until midnight.”
(End)
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