He should be ashamed. 

He would be, had he not been so incredibly stricken with heartbreak. The burn of bourbon spreading through his chest like fire is oddly comforting. He can't remember the last time he'd had an actual drink---he had sworn the stuff off since he'd found out that he'd been pregnant with Eri. He was one of those moms that preferred breastfeeding over making bottles for his pups so until he was sure that he wouldn't be nursing anymore, he hadn't wanted to taint himself with shit like alcohol. He'd thought that he was ready to wean Eri by the time she was two but she had decided she wasn't ready so he didn't try to force her. He'd been so careful about the things that he consumed; he had to make sure the milk he produced for his pups was the best that he could offer, after all. 

And now here he is. 

Alone at a bar at ten in the morning to drink his problems away. 

He couldn't bring himself to come into the precinct upon leaving his sister's place that morning, worried that Toshinori would have found out about this entire ordeal and that it would turn into an even bigger scene. He's been blatantly ignoring what he assumes to be the concerned texts and phone calls from the blonde alpha, unable to find the strength to even engage in a conversation about what was happening. How could he when this is all so embarrassing? 

This whole ordeal is a mess. 

And what's worse is that he can't explain it all to Hizashi. He knows that things have looked really bad within the last week or two---he gets why he would assume that he and Toshinori were having an affair---but he hadn't been lying when he said that he and Toshinori hadn't been doing that sort of thing. In fact, everything that he and Toshinori have been up to for the past few weeks or so has been closely related to Katsuki's case. 

The case that he can't tell Hizashi about because it's highly classified. 

He's unsure if it's the best of ideas to just let him think that he and Yagi are fucking each other. It was enough of a struggle when Eri was born and Hizashi swore that she wasn't his---accused Shota of sleeping with Vlad. Shota doesn't understand his insecurities. He wasn't wild or promiscuous in his younger years at all and the only partying that Shota does is when he goes out with his co-workers for a bite after leaving the precinct. 

What the hell is he supposed to do? 

The barkeep comes to refill his drink but he politely declines with a slight raise of his hand, reaching into his pocket for his card to pay his tab when the woman tells him that his tab has already been paid for. He lifts his head, brows pinched in obvious confusion when the bartender points to the end of the bar. 

Shota's heart jumps right into his throat. 

It's a little difficult to tell with the amount of alcohol that Shota has consumed but mask or no, he's fairly certain that he's come face to face with one Chisaki Kai. 

He's wearing dull, regular clothes that seemed to have helped him blend in with the regular morning crowd---which happens to be incredibly sparse. Shota mutely wonders how long Chisaki had been there watching him and paying for his drinks. 

He also wonders why he hadn't noticed that he was being watched. 

Most of him is in complete awe over the fact that their target seems to have fallen into his lap from thin air. 

He panics a bit internally, tensing when the alpha breaks eye contact to finish his own drink and stand from his stool. He's making his way over to where Shota is sitting in confident strides and Shota wars with himself as to what he should do. Arrest him? No, no. He'll make a scene and he doesn't actually have a warrant for Chisaki's arrest---just allegations. Should he call Yagi? Maybe but then what happens when Yagi gets here? How's Shota supposed to distract him for that long? The greater part of him encourages him to simply beat the everloving shit out him right where he stands---once for Katsuki and another for Tomura. 

"You can relax; I'm not here to harass you." Chisaki's voice yanks him out of his frantic, drunken thoughts and startles him in the process. He's standing so close that their skin is touching and it's all the Shota can do but swallow around the lump in his throat and play it cool. Maybe he can use this to his advantage. "I didn't say anything." He counters, turning to face the counter again as the alpha sits down onto the stool next to him. He chuckles from behind his mask, eyes glued to Shota's lips as the omega's tongue darts out to wet them in his anxiousness. "Maybe not but you quite literally reek of panic." 

Shota winces. Maybe he's a bit more tipsy than he'd first realized if he'd lost the ability to conceal his scent without being aware. It's embarrassing but he reminds himself that he's not drank a single drop of alcohol in several years. 

On any other day, he'd cut himself some slack and blame it on having such a low tolerance but on today? 

Today, he may have just gotten himself into a mess. 

"Sorry. Hadn't even noticed." 

"I can tell. You seem like you're having a much tougher morning than I am. Least I could do was pay for a drink or two." It sounds genuine but Shota's wary of alphas like him---manipulative and cunning right down to their last bone. It's obvious he's not here to do a random act of kindness and shoot the breeze. He wants something. 

Shota's willing to play along. 

"What gave it away? Other than the fact that I've had five shots of vodka before eleven o'clock." He entertains, obvious sarcasm in his tone that amuses the alpha into another airy, quiet sort of laugh. He's not loud and obnoxious, at least. "I'm not sure. Either I'm really good at reading people or you do a fairly poor job at hiding it. I'll let you decide." He says, turning to watch the barkeep go about wiping the counters as an awkward silence falls upon them. 

"But it's mostly because I know heartbreak when I see it." 

Shota intends to break his heart, alright. Break it beneath his boot after he fills it with twenty rounds of lead. 

"Can you really?" Shota says, obviously disinterested as he slides the shot glass to his side without ever turning to face him. Still, the alpha doesn't seem all that deterred. "Of course. That forlorn look in your eyes. The way your brows pinch together in frustration---the sorrow so deeply engraved into the features of that lovely face of yours…" 

He pauses, a smile curling at his lips as he shrugs. 

"Well...that as I noticed that your boyfriend isn't here with you like he is most nights. It wasn't difficult to piece together." 

Shota stiffens. 

He's unsettled by the knowledge that Chisaki has been frequenting the tavern for God knows how long, watching him. They've been here almost every night looking for him after getting tipped off that he comes to meet with the owner once every month and yet he's been here several times within the last few weeks---enough to remember Shota's face and, apparently, Yagi's as well. He thinks that Toshinori is his boyfriend. He could play that to his advantage as well. 

"Oh...I didn't notice the ring on your finger. He's your husband, then." Chisaki points, once again pulling Shota from his self-induced suffering. The omega thumbs at the band on his fingers, sighing when he is reminded that he and Hizashi are currently at odds. 

"Yeah. He claims I'm having an affair." 

"Are you?" 

Shota scoffs. "No. And it's ridiculous to even assume that I was." 

"Well, your husband is quite a handsome fellow but when compared to yourself...I could understand his insecurities. Had I been a lesser man, I dare say I'd react the same way if my beautiful wife was so freely available to the public eye." 

Shota has quite a mouth full to say to a response like that, but he focuses on the mention of Chisaki's wife instead. 

"You're married?" 

"Yes. Well, once upon a time. I suppose my love was much too overbearing for him. He ran off some years ago. At least, that's what I tell myself to keep from tormenting myself with the idea that much worse has become of him." 

It's so convincing but for a split second Shota almost---almost---begins to wonder if Tomura lied to him but the more he thinks about the look in Tomura's eyes and the way that the evidence has stacked in his favor time and time again, he knows that Chisaki is being exaggerative and dishonest. 

"I'm sorry to hear." 

"It's quite alright. It's been almost twenty years now. It's long past time for me to let go." 

"Did the two of you have children?" 

Chisaki hums, gloved fingers tapping at the counter. "No. Poor thing was infertile. It drove him to pieces. We'd never gotten the chance to adopt so I was left alone. What about yourself?" 

If by 'infertile' you mean that you had his pups snatched from him after each time he conceived then I believe you, you sick bastard. 

It's best that he not divulge too many personal details about himself. Still, he has to make it convincing. 

"Nori and I don't have any children together." Which isn't a lie. "Suppose that should make this breakup a little easier, no?" 

"Not at all. Not if you love each other." 

"You loved your wife?" 

A smile. It's oddly distant. 

"I had many feelings for my darling Tenko." 

The atmosphere shifts uncomfortably and Shota feels incredibly uneasy. 

"A hopeless romantic, then. I hope you're able to find someone who makes you as happy as your wife once did." 

"Yes, I suppose. Though I doubt it would be possible in this day and age. The wives of this era don't seem to understand the benefits of staying in their places. I don't have the time or patience to train and discipline hard-headed little Jessabelles when it was the job of their sires. My Tenko was so perfect. Until...I suppose...he wasn't." 

There's a drastic change in Chisaki's attitude and Shota's beginning to wonder if the alpha knows that he knows. That he knows the truth.

"Every omega seems so obsessed with the idea of being their own person---of being independent. It's as if staying home to be a good wife and mother has become too much to ask of them. Can you imagine how very inappropriate it is for them to want to be teachers ? Firefighters? Police officers? To be teaching children and then suddenly be struck with the urge to be bent over, fucked, and emptied into like the little cum dumpsters they are? It's incredibly---" 

"Excuse me. I really do have to get going. I'm supposed to be at work. At my job. Where I clock in every day to help people." Shota shuts him down abruptly, standing from his stool to drive home his finality. He grabs his coat from the back of his stool and goes to step down from the platform when he bumps into Chisaki's chest and stumbles backwards, alarmed by how close he'd been and how quickly he'd been able to block his way. It's like Shota blinked and Chisaki simply manifested at his side. 

"What---"

"I have offended you with my drunken rambling. Forgive me. I suppose I'm just a bit old fashioned." 

Shota huffs out a cynical laugh. "You and nearly every alpha on the face of the Earth. But I'll give you this one bit of wisdom. Half of you want submissive wives when you're not worthy enough to be honored in such a way. Stop blaming us for your lack of self-control and start raising your pups to be less shitty alphas." He pushes past him with an obvious air of distaste and hopes that he gets the hint and properly fucks off. 

"Oh?" He sounds so amused, like Shota is some sort of child to be placated. "You're quite spirited. I like that. You remind me a lot of my Tenko." 

"Shame. You certainly didn't deserve him." 

A hand around Shota's wrist has him turning on his heels with a snarl only to be shoved against the wall nearby---he's trapped between Chisaki's chest and the wall. His scent is incredibly overwhelming and makes Shota's stomach turn, tightening uncomfortably as he fights against the urge to empty the contents of his stomach. He can't make the mistake of allowing this asshole to think that he's afraid of him, choosing instead to glare right up into his eyes. 

"Get. Off." 

"Oh, come now. This little game of hard to get has gone on long enough, has it not?" 

Is that what he thinks this is? 

"You're incredibly delusional if you thought for even a moment that I was interested in a disgusting pig like you." 

"Am I? You accepted my gifts of drink without even so much as a thank you, telling me about some supposedly non-existent affair you've had that seems to have ruined your marriage. You came here without him, reeking of another. You mean to tell me that I am to believe that this isn't what you wanted?" 

"I don't give a shit if I walked in here ass naked; if I said no then I mean no. What, are you insinuating that I owe you for doing something I never asked you to? I can afford my own drinks, you misogynistic bastard ." He hisses, able to shove the alpha off just enough to reach into his pocket and throw a hand full of bills in his face. "So why don't you take your gift and go fuck yourself with it. Unhand me." 

He snatches his hand away from Chisaki, glare intensifying as he slides away from the wall and out into the parking lot. 

He's not sure if it's the adrenaline or what but he feels like he's going to puke any moment. He needs to get to the station quickly. 

#

Toshinori is at a loss for words. 

The idea that he would dare do such a thing as awful as cheat on his wife and tear apart a family is not only ridiculous but incredibly offensive. Surely they don't think so lowly of him, do they? He's unsure of when Hizashi grew such a distaste for him---and of why. Whenever they'd see one another, it was always cordial and pleasant. Was all of that just a facade? 

"Don't get me wrong, Shota is incredibly beautiful and charming. I love him as a friend; he's an amazing partner. But I would never even dream of doing such a thing. I'll admit to a bit of flirting but it was all in good fun---simple innocence." He defends both himself and Shota, blushing in embarrassment that he'd ever even be in a situation like this to begin with. Thank God that Touya was here to help him and not to harass him. 

The young alpha feels sympathy for his friend, arms folded over his chest from where he's sprawled in the chair in front of Toshinori's desk. "This is a mess. Hitoshi seems to have gotten it in his head that his family is falling apart because of you."

Toshinori pales. 

"Did he---" 

"Yes, he said something to Izuku. In fact, they got into it pretty badly. Izuku might have a broken nose about now. I don't think he went to say anything to Inko, though. He seemed pretty adamant that you'd never do that. Although…" 

Hitoshi was very insistent that he would. 

"Where would Toshi get an idea like that? Tell me the truth, Nori." 

Toshinori throws his hands up in frustration. "I-I don't know! Perhaps it was something that his father said? Shota and I have been spending quite a lot of time together outside of the office so that may have something to do with it." 

Touya raises a curious brow and Toshinori groans with a shake of his head. 

"Not like that. It's case related. And we think we're really close to ending this damn nightmare. We can't afford to let something like this take us off of our game." 

"Case related? You mean Kat's case?" 

"Yes. We have all of the leads. All of the suspects. We have testimonies for Christ's sake. We just need the evidence. If you can convince Masaru to come on down and file a domestic violence report, we can go ahead and arrest Mitsuki under those charges. We've almost got everything we need to charge her with kidnapping and child sex-trafficking so it would be better to have a hand on her." 

"About that. Masaru suddenly left in a panic the other day to go back to Mitsuki. The risk of trying to lock him in the house to keep him there was too great so we had to let him leave." 

Toshinori feels one hell of a headache coming on. 

"You didn't tell me. How's Katsuki? He hasn't been home in a while so I had just assumed that he wanted to be close to Masaru but---" 

"That was the case at first, yeah. I had to lie and tell him that Masaru had to go away for business. If they're gonna be throwing this weird ball, then Masaru will still be there. I didn't see any harm done in a little white lie." 

"He's keeping in contact so we know that he's alive?" 

"He texts my mom and Katsuki every now and again. Not often---I assume it's because of Mitsuki." 

"That's better than nothing at all." 

A loud, awful wretching noise tears Toshinori's attention away from Touya, eyes darting towards the desk not far from his just in time to see a dark head of hair duck into the trash bin. Kayama isn't far behind, pulling the unruly mane of hair back just enough for Toshinori to make out that it is, in fact, Shota. 

"Jesus, Shota." Kayama sighs, rubbing the omega's lower back as she holds his hair out of the way. "Are you pregnant again already?" 

He turns just enough to glare up at here, biting down on his tongue to avoid saying something harsh. It isn't her fault. She doesn't know anything about the shitshow he's had to endure for the last thirty-eight hours. Instead he just sighs, taking the cup of water that Vlad offers him to wash his mouth out. 

"Sorry, guys. Gimme a sec and I'll get rid of this mess---" 

"It's fine. We can handle it. You're obviously not well; maybe you should take the off?" Thirteen offers, already tying the bag in the bin to dispose of it. Shota shakes his head but he doesn't have the energy to try and wrestle the bag from her. 

"No. No, I need to talk to Yagi. It's important---" 

"Then come and sit down." 

He startles at the gentle hands on his shoulders, nearly giving himself whiplash as he looks up to see Touya standing behind him. 

"You're obviously not okay so don't push yourself. Nori's over at his desk; come have a seat and try to relax while you talk to him. I'll get you come coffee. Sound good?" 

Shota relaxes a bit, replying with a singular nod and allowing Touya to lead him over to this desk. He feels a bit weak in the knees—and not in a good way. 

Touya doesn't linger around, seeming to understand that it's important. Either that, or he's heard about the situation that's happened between him and Hizashi the night before. 

Either way, his silence is greatly appreciated. 

Toshinori is the first to speak. 

"Listen, Shota. I'm sorry if I've somehow caused a strain between you and Hizashi---" 

"You didn't. Hizashi's insecurities existed long before you came along. Don't worry about it, okay?" He breathes out, hands curling and uncurling anxiously on top of the desk. "That's not what I needed to talk to you about. I ran into Chisaki this morning." 

Yagi's eyes widen and he leans forward, a tense feeling in his gut. 

"W-What? Where?" 

"The tavern. I was there this morning and he---shit---he's been watching us this entire time. He knew about you, about us coming in every night. I had to tell a few lies to cover our tracks but something was definitely off about him." 

Other than being a disgusting pig. 

"I told him you were my husband. He spilled some shit in return for casual conversation and told me offhandedly that he had been married to Tenko. Said he ran off some twenty years ago." 

"The timing definitely adds up. I wonder why he hadn't said anything before now if he's been there every night…" 

"I think it's because you were there. I was alone this time and he made several passes at me." 

"I see. We should relay this to the captain and see what he thinks our next move should be. At this point, our every decision has to be calculated. We need a solid plan; we just can't flail on this one." 

"I agree." 

A pause. 

"Maybe you should take a day, Shota. I'm worried about you." 

Shota snorts at that. 

"Worry about yourself, Yagi. It's your shitstorm, too."