A/N: couldn't help myself 🙂

Shota had expected bruises. Several of them, in fact. From Masaru's back to his shoulders---maybe even his hips. 

What he hadn't expected was to find Masaru's body littered with scars and gashes that leads Shota to believe that the poor thing was near mauled to death by some sort of wild beast. There's absolutely no way that Mitsuki did this with her bare hands. 

Still, he keeps quiet about them and decides to focus his attention on the freshly made cuts and bruises on the skin of his legs and back. 

Masaru doesn't even flinch, content with drinking vodka right out of the bottle as he sits in his underwear on Shota's kitchen counter. Not the most sanitary place to clean bloody wounds but it was definitely the least awkward one. 

"You said you fell down the stairs?" 

"No, no. I said I took a tumble down the stairs." 

"...she threw you down the staircase." 

A shrug. 

"Threw. Pushed. Kicked. Dragged. Does it really matter how? Besides, it's not a big deal; I'm used to it now. She gets like that when she feels like I'm being defiant." He responds, raising his free hand to mimic open quotations with a roll of his eyes. It unsettles Shota---how casual Masaru is about being repeatedly physically and (undoubtedly) emotionally abused.  

"Just because you're used to it doesn't mean that it's not a big deal. That's...incredibly alarming." 

"Did I make you uncomfortable?" 

"What business do I have being uncomfortable when it's you who's been dealing with her for this long? That would be incredibly selfish of me. It does piss me off, though. If I'm honest." 

Masaru smiles down at him, reaching out to offer him the bottle. A harmless drink, it would seem. 

The little voice in the back of his head is a bit skeptical of whether or not this is a good idea but Shota takes the bottle anyway and turns it up at his lips. His brows pinch together at the burn of it, pulling back to wipe at his mouth with the back of his hand with a grunt.

"God, alphas are fuckin' horrible." He breathes and Masaru snorts out a giggle, tipsy grin still on his face as Shota climbs up to sit on the counter next to him. "I mean, you've got a few of them who are genuinely good but it's like that stupid superiority complex is bred into them, lying dormant until you least expect it and then---" 

"And then they turn into these holier-than-thou, know-it-all jerks who would step on us in a millisecond if it meant keeping their pride intact." Masaru finishes and Shota points as if to tell him that he's spot on. "I tried my best to raise my son better than that but his father didn't make it easy---trying to drill toxic masculinity into my boy. I give that Todoroki brat a lot of flack but he's a good man." 

"Mm...you mean Touya." 

"Yeah. You've met him?" 

"Mhm. I was staying with his folks for a while. He's definitely strong-held in his beliefs. Such a sweet boy. He treats my Katsuki so well. I'm happy that he has so many people who love him." 

Shota passes the bottle back to Masaru and hops down to grab another. 

"He's very easy to love. My Hitoshi isn't the friendly type but he's very fond of your son. He even calls him his friend." He chuckles. 

"Are they? I imagine they're around the same age then?" 

"Sort of. Hitoshi is twenty-three. He and Touya are the same age. I have another pup too---a three year old named Eri." 

"That's lovely. I used to think I'd want another pup." 

"You don't anymore?" 

"By Mitsuki? Not at all." 

There's a pause, as neither of them seem to want to take the conversation from there---neither of them really want to keep talking about Mitsuki but somehow the conversation seems to steer itself back to her every time. 

Figures an alpha like her would demand attention even when she isn't in the room. 

Shota eventually breaks the silence by popping the cork on a bottle of wine, propping himself back up onto the counter. 

"Are...are you still with your pup's father?" Masaru asks and Shota isn't sure of what a proper response to that would be. He can tell that Masaru was a bit apprehensive in asking---probably not wanting to offend Shota with such a question---but the truth of the matter is that Shota doesn't actually know what terms he and Hizashi are on at the moment. 

Something tells him, however, that even if they work things out this time...they won't last another five years. Not with the way their relationship is going. He feels guilty, knowing that he should lament. He should feel...trepidation? Sorrow? Something. But Shota doesn't feel anything at all, knowing that he and Hizashi would inevitably come to an end. 

No…

He feels relief. 

And that is what makes him feel more guilty than anything. 

"I...guess? We've been married for twenty-five years but the last eight or so have put our relationship in a state of decline. It's really shitty because I've tried everything I could think of and it still isn't enough. I don't understand what I'm doing wrong." 

He doesn't shy away when Masaru's head lands to rest against his shoulder. He can't remember the last time he's done something like this---sit up with a friend at the late/early hours and vent about his problems over wine. 

Hell, he can't quite remember making a friend like this. 

He didn't really spend much time with other omegas and while he values his teammates at the SPD, he doesn't quite think this would be nearly as therapeutic if he'd been doing it with Kayama or Thirteen---both betas who don't quite understand the struggle the most omegas go through in their daily life.

Masaru gets him, he thinks. It's a nice feeling. 

"What makes you think you're doing something wrong?" 

Shota shrugs. 

"I dunno. He's constantly accusing me of cheating even though he knows that I'm not. I work my ass off---not just for my family but for the sake of this city and kids like Katsuki too, you know?" He explains and Masaru nods, letting him know that he's listening even as he takes the wine bottle being passed to him. "It didn't start off as bad, maybe a little suspicious of who I was texting or talking to at different points in the day. Then, by the time I was pregnant with Eri, he started accusing me of fucking my coworkers. He even said Eri wasn't his kid. I mean...he's never said it to her face but I don't know if he actually believed me when I told him that she was." 

"A DNA test would have shut him right the hell up." Masaru grumbles and Shota huffs out a chuckle. "Yeah, but when I offered to get her tested he told me to drop it and we never brought it up again. This week, he thinks I'm fucking Yagi." 

"Yagi?" Masaru parrots incredulously, lifting his head to give Shota a look that says quite clearly that no one in their right mind would believe that. 

"Yeah, tell me about it. He pretty much dumped me and told me to get out so I've been staying at my sister's place for a while---" 

"Lemme get this straight. He just randomly accused you of cheating out of the blue. For no reason at all..." 

"Yup." 

"And then...and then he broke up with you and made you leave your own house and your pups to go and stay with your sister..." 

"Mhm." 

"...without any real explanation." 

"Just about sums it up. Oh, let's not leave out that he wanted to yell and scream and break things at the ass crack of dawn---scared the shit out of the kids." 

"I dunno. Obviously I'm not an expert on marriage but it sounds to me like he's the one who's guilty." 

That one sentence alone is enough to sober Shota up a bit. 

"...what makes you say that?" He asks and Masaru shrugs, setting the half empty bottle down onto the counter next to them. "Just...I know that whenever Mitsuki starts to feel guilty about things that she does to me, she starts to blame it all on me. Like tonight. She beat me and then she...you know. She said it was because I needed to be reminded of 'my place'. But she was mostly just pissed because I wouldn't let her bully me." 

There's a lot within that explanation that Shota has to unpack---mostly because he starts to realize that Masaru is making a hell of a lot of sense. 

But what would Hizashi have to be guilty about?

"Can I tell you something though, Shota?" 

"...hm?" 

"You deserve someone who appreciates you more than that. I mean...you're stronger than most of us, you know? You don't have to take that from an alpha." 

Stronger. 

Shota's unsure if there's any truth to that. He's unsure, really, if he'd be able to survive the sorts of things he's seen other omegas endure. If he had been in Tomura's situation, would he have been nearly as strong? Would he have been able to make the hard decisions? 

If he were ever in Katsuki's situation, would he have survived? 

Shota doesn't think that he's stronger at all. Just that he's been more fortunate than others. 

"You deserve someone better. More than anyone that I know. I mean...I get that Hizashi and I are probably going into a divorce soon but I'm gonna be okay without him. I think...maybe I emotionally checked out of this relationship years ago and I just wanted to stay together for the kids. For Eri. 

"Katsuki went through a lot but now he has a family that loves and cares about him. He has Touya, too. Even Touya's mom was able to get out of a shitty situation and find a happily-ever-after. Everyone has. Everyone but you." 

Shota doesn't understand. He doesn't understand why Masaru chooses to stay with her when he could leave and be happy and be safe while they finish this investigation. 

"I want one. More than anything." Masaru says but it only serves to frustrate Shota. 

"Then why won't you leave her?" 

"...to protect Katsuki." He says, as if it was supposed to be obvious and even then, Shota still doesn't understand. "If I'm not there with her, then I won't know what she's up to. I won't be helpful to you lot or to Katsuki in any way. I don't want her scheming behind my back to get her hands on him again---not when I know that she's the reason why I spent nineteen long years without my baby." 

"Masaru…" Shota sighs, "That isn't your job---" 

"I'll be damned if it isn't my job; I'm his mother."

"You're not helping him any by putting your life in danger." 

"Then what am I supposed to do?" 

"Trust in us." Shota turns to face him, rather abruptly if the apparent shock in Masaru's expression is of any indication. He's no idea what's gotten into him, hands raising to take Masaru's face into his palms and hold him there so that he's looking him right in the eyes. "Trust that Yagi and I won't fail you or Katsuki. Trust that we're not going to stop or give up until we win---until justice has been served for both of you. You can't do this on your own, Masaru, and you won't make a better future for Katsuki or yourself if you're not around to see it. Will you let us help you?" 

Will you let me help you? 

Masaru swallows roughly, unshed tears sparkling under the dim lighting of the kitchen. 

"...okay. What should I do?" 

"File a report and file for a divorce. I'll make sure a restraining order goes through and that you don't walk away from that sorry excuse of an alpha empty handed---I swear. You just have to trust me." 

Masaru goes to pull away with a shake of his head. "And go where, Shota? You know she's going to find me; you know she's going to make this hell for me---"

"Then stay here. With me." Shota says---keeps pressing so he can't give himself a chance to second guess it. "I'll be right by your side the entire time. Mitsuki might think she's scary but there's no way in hell she's gonna survive the several rounds I'd put in her for even thinking she's okay to come step foot in this house." 

"Y-You'd shoot her for me?" 

"In a heartbeat. Just understand that no matter what happens, it won't end well for her." 

Whether it's in prison or in a casket is completely up to her. 

Masaru leans in closer and Shota can barely keep his beating heart from racing right out of his chest, flooded by Masaru's scent as he's sure the older omega has gotten an involuntary nose full of his. His eyes look so heavy, forehead rested against Shota's temple. 

"...why do you care so much about me? Why are you willing to do so much for me? I don't get it…" 

Neither does Shota. 

But that doesn't change his resolve.

"...do I need a reason?" 

He noses down Shota's neck and inhales him. 

Shota feels like he's going to melt. 

"I guess not." Masaru whispers against his scent gland and Shota, feeling a bit dizzy, has to steady himself with a hand on Masaru's hip. 

This feels...wrong. 

Only because it feels so right .

Is this cheating? They're not actually doing anything---anything other than scenting one another at this point but it's innocent, isn't it? 

The tingle rising up Shota's spine leads him to believe that he's in denial. 

"Y-You...are you stayin' with me?" He slurs---is it the alcohol or is Masaru simply scenting him that heavily? 

A giggle in his ear. 

"Sure. Even if only for a little while." 

"Why a little while?" 

"You'll sober up eventually." 

Shota pulls away if only to look Masaru in the eyes, brows pinched in frustration as his forehead presses against Masaru's. 

"You think 'm just doin' drunk talk?" 

Masaru shrugs. 

"Guess I'll find out in the morning." He says, sliding down from the counter with a hiss. Shota reaches out, a scolding on the tip of his tongue for him to be careful with those bruises but their noses are suddenly ghosting against one another and Shota feels his breath catching in his chest. 

Masaru's hands are gripping at his thighs. 

"I'm tired, Shota. Do you...want to go to bed. I miss being scented by another omega. I guess Enji and Katsuki had me spoiled." 

This is a dangerous game. 

"M-Mmm. Hitoshi and Eri might be back pretty early...maybe in the next six hours…" 

"You don't want them to get the wrong idea." 

"N-No---I mean, that's not…" 

Masaru tilts his head curiously, sly grin playing at his lips. 

"You don't want them to get the right idea." 

Shota huffs. "Maybe. I just don't want to make things complicated with this whole mess I'm in with Hizashi, you know? But if you want...once Hizashi and I are officially over...we can...I dunno. Explore whatever this is?" 

He wants to be honest but he doesn't want to hurt Masaru's feelings or run him off. 

Shota just doesn't quite understand what the fuck is happening. It's happening rather quickly, whatever it is, but he doesn't want it to stop. Shota hasn't felt like this in years, butterflies in his stomach and near breathless just having him stand so close. Is it because it's been so long since he's had such attention from someone? 

He doesn't know for sure, but he's not going to waste the opportunity to see it through and find out for sure.

Masaru's smile broadens. 

"I understand. I wouldn't want to make things difficult for you." He says, resting against Shota's collarbone and sliding his hands up to wrap his arms around his waist instead. "Is it bad that I don't feel even a little guilty about this? That I don't care about cheating on Mitsuki?" 

So...this is cheating? 

Shota doesn't know anymore. 

"You're not cheating. You're being held hostage by her; your marriage is void as far as I'm concerned." He reassures him, fingers carding through Masaru's hair. 

A hug. 

An innocent, comforting hug. 

Shota wishes he could sit like this all night. 

"You can take the bed. I don't mind sleeping on the sofa; it's actually really comfortable." 

"And sleep on the sheets where your husband lays his head?" Masaru is sardonic in tone. "That's alright. I'll be fine here on the sofa." 

"You're not going to leave while I'm sleeping are you?" 

Masaru lifts his head, leaning forward to press his lips against Shota's jaw. 

The raven short-circuits almost immediately. 

"I want one of those when you get up in the morning. I'll wait here until you come to give it to me. How's that sound?" 

A dumb nod in response. Shota is left chasing as Masaru pulls away, nearly toppling off of the counter. Masaru's giggling sounds like bells in his ears. 

"Goodnight, Shota." 

Shota finds himself biting into the skin of his bottom lip as he watches him leave. 

"...night…" 

For once, Shota's not at all disappointed in how he's spent a Saturday night.