"—I walked into that one.

"What I mean is... Look, I'm not gonna dance around it, I'm a slut. Remember that black-haired alpha that came with me the evening we met? We're fucking. I sleep around a ton."

(He does not, actually, remember this person.)

"Okay... Why is that my problem? Do you have an STD?"

"What? No, obviously not! —and I assume you don't either, didn't you get tested sometime this week?" He doesn't mention the fact that Inori was a virgin before that, but it certainly is difficult to acquire STDs in those cases.

"Yeah. Along with the pregnancy test. All negative."

Oh thank fuck Tōkan was wondering how to broach the subject and was kind of scared Inori had failed to do it for Inori reasons.

"Okay. Good, even. Anyway... you told your dads we're boyfriends. Are we?"

"...dunno."

So fucking enlightening.

"Do you want to be boyfriends?" Because goddamnit Tōkan kinda does and this is all new to him and he's not sure how to deal with it.

Shrug. "Dunno."

Talking to this omega is like pulling teeth.

"So what do you want?"

"I want you to fuck me when I'm in heat. When it gets that bad. And I don't want it to get that bad and don't want to get that weak again and lose to two dickhead alphas."

"...you can always come over. If you want. If you're in heat and you, you want me to help you deal with that."

And wow haha what the fuck Tōkan you're actually down bad for this omega when that sounds like a meagre compromise that feels like it'll make you miserable, huh?

"...yeah. Sounds good." Pause. "I want a shower. This is disgusting."

Sure, Tōkan can show him to the bathroom.

"May I join you?"

Inori is already under the water and grabbing the soap. He looks at Tōkan—there's more than enough space for both of them there—and shrugs. "It's your house, do whatever you want."

But Inori proceeds to just not want anything else with Tōkan while they're both naked in the shower and he's not gonna lie he was getting horny again and was a bit hopeful, but apparently Inori only wants him when in heat.

(Except, no, Inori said a bunch of stuff that suggested otherwise... which gives him a lot of dumb hope that he's holding onto like an idiot. He's just as bad as Subaru, god, hoping Inori will fall for him if they fuck enough. He's in so much fucking trouble.)

Inori is quick and efficient about it, and only pauses for a second to appreciate just how soft and fluffy Tōkan's towels are before drying himself off and making his way back to the living room to grab his stuff.

Tōkan only takes a minute or two longer but when he's in the living room Inori is already dressed and masked.

"Later," he says with a two finger salute, but then he stops and adds, "and thanks," before fleeing out the door.

This is stupid this is stupid this is stupid this is so stupid he's going to get his heart broken just like the dumb stupid teenaged alpha he is and he'll deserve every second of it.

Inori's heat subsides after that, at least for the following month. He's sure of it. So the fact that he still finds himself thinking about Tōkan absolutely fucking sucks and makes no sense. There was that kiss, too, and Inori still doesn't understand what the fuck the dumb alpha was saying before—at the start—he barely remembers it, it's all a fog of heat, that whole day. Something about how Tōkan gets horny for him even outside heats? Well, that's alphas for you, they're always horny. Inori doesn't care.

But he's at the Kokonoe High school gates after a few weeks again.

Tōkan was already in full-blown panic thinking that Inori would just disappear from his life, just like that. And he can't tell Subaru about it because it would just be salting the wound. So he's actually delighted to see Inori there.

"Inori-kun."

"Hey. Come with me."

And he starts walking.

...okay. He'll do his best to not slip into a great impression of an excited labrador puppy.

Also, he notes Inori is not in heat, which implies that the heat probably ended around the last time they fucked and that's why Inori vanished like that, so maybe he's just... decided that the relationship they have mostly only exists when he's in heat? And otherwise they're at best friendly acquaintances? Which, ouch.

"Where we going?"