Chapter Text
It had been a while since Rei had felt genuine fear. The cold slither of adrenaline along his bones that made his nerves shiver. But there he was. Sitting in his bathtub, water dripping into his eyes as he stared up in shock at the omega glaring back at him with shower nozzle in hand.
“Strip,” Kazuki ordered.
Rei’s brain struggled to process the command. “What?”
“Strip,” Kazuki repeated, strongly popping the P at the end of the word. He kept the shower nozzle aimed at Rei as if it were a weapon he was more than willing to fire. “Or you can keep them on while you bathe. I don’t really care.” Rei continued to stare, and Kazuki loudly sighed. “Look man, ya stink.” He stated bluntly, “the whole apartment stinks. It’s filled with trash and who knows what else.” Kazuki’s tone softened slightly. “Both need to be cleaned.”
“…You want me to take a bath?” Rei said.
“There we go,” Kazuki grinned in triumph, “you finally understand. Now get your ass out of the tub so I can fill it with water.”
Rei complied. Not because he agreed with Kazuki (maybe he did a little bit. The apartment was trashed) but because he was still terrified. The alpha had been sound asleep when Kazuki had sprayed his face with water. This meant that Kazuki had entered the bathroom, stared at Rei for whoever knows how long, and unattached the nozzle from the wall all without alerting Rei to his presence. The trained assassin glanced over at Kazuki who was busy filling up the tub with hot water. His back was to Rei, guard completely down and bare nape exposed to the alpha. It was like he didn’t consider himself to be in any danger. Why would an omega trust a stranger so much?
Who the fuck was Kazuki Kurusu and how was he able to so easily ambush him?
Rei’s body was on autopilot as he stripped and sat on the stool to rinse himself off, mind whirring with all the reasons his defenses had been so easily breached. He’d taken out plenty of targets that were alpha, omega, or beta. He’d been trained to withstand pheromones and to utilize his own as a weapon. Kazuki’s scent wasn’t strong, but that shouldn’t have mattered. Even if Rei didn’t smell him, he should’ve heard him enter the bathroom. Hell, Kazuki had even turned on the bathroom lights and somehow that hadn’t even been enough to wake Rei.
Once again, Rei’s defenses were easily avoided as hands were suddenly in his hair. “You aren’t scrubbing nearly enough!” Kazuki barked harshly, clearly frustrated. “And after I’m done cleaning the apartment, I am going to finally give this tangled mess a trim! Or maybe I’ll just shave you bald,” he threatened. Yet this threat was nothing compared to the disarming softness of Kazuki’s touch. Despite his grumbling, Kazuki’s hands lathered shampoo gently into Rei’s mop and for the first time in his life Rei felt his muscles completely relax. Rei leaned back into the touch, eyes closing. An unfamiliar tremor started in his chest as Rei’s throat released a content rumble.
Kazuki’s hands stilled at the sound. A light scent of vanilla permeated the air along with just the barest hint of cinnamon. The smell just further tugged Rei into a drowsy calmness. “This shampoo smells really good,” Rei mumbled.
“The what? OH, y-yeah the shampoo,” Kazuki laughed a bit too loudly, “yep. Good to know you like it.” The omega’s tone was suspicious, but his hands had started moving again, so Rei continued to be at a disadvantage. His bones felt like they had melted into a warm goop that made it impossible to move. Rei had never encountered such a terrifying technique.
And then Kazuki started to hum.
Rei never stood a chance. He transcended his human form and became a limp noodle, nearly toppling over when Kazuki finished rinsing the suds out of his hair and went to move out of the way.
“Whoa now,” Kazuki quickly grabbed his shoulders to steady him, “you okay? Did you fall asleep?” Kazuki took in Rei’s hazy expression as a yes. He chuckled as he helped Rei stand up, guiding the alpha into the tub. The hot water swallowed up Rei and his jelly bones. “Alright. I’m gonna let you soak while I start cleaning up the apartment.” Kazuki gave Rei’s forehead a flick. “No falling asleep in the tub!”
“…I’m not a child,” Rei grumbled, rubbing his stinging forehead. The door clicked shut behind Kazuki. The air was humid from the heat of the bath, and Rei could feel his senses return to normal as the sluggish warmth beneath his skin gradually dissipated. He suddenly became all too aware of the hard weight of his bones and slid further into the water.
Something was wrong.
His defenses were slowly slotting back into place, and he could feel that there was a gap somewhere. A weakness.
If he thought about it too much, Rei was sure it’d only make it worse. So, the alpha pushed the sensation off to the side and told himself that it would just fix itself on its own.
~oOo~
It did not fix itself. It got worse.
Rei found himself immobile as he stared down at the cat. It stared back at him with big innocent eyes, and he literally felt the chink in his walls like he’d been stabbed. “No…no more strays,” he told himself, voice cracking from the strain as he pulled his hood over his head and forced himself to start walking away. He didn’t get far before the cat released the most pitiful cry in existence.
An undertow of protectiveness forced him back to the box. Crouching down, Rei’s hands hovered just above the cat. He was unsure of how to proceed when the cat leaned up to nuzzle his palm. The cat’s touch was soft and warm, gently pushing itself into the alpha’s heart with barely any effort. Rei carefully scooped the cat up and cradled it to his chest. His fingers scratched an ear, and he was rewarded with a purr. Rei felt his muscles begin to relax as a sweet fuzziness overcame his brain.
Kazuki may have gotten rid of all the previous strays Rei had brought home, but this time it’d be different. Rei would buy some cat food and prove that he was able to take care of something. This time Rei would be the one to surprise Kazuki and catch him off guard.
And then they would raise the cat together.
Rei’s brows pinched together as that thought came to him. He frowned. “I don’t need his help,” Rei said aloud, assuring himself and the cat. “I don’t want his help.”
He absolutely didn’t…right?