#sheith thread

a/b/o, scenting, sfw?, mentions of war

Shiro just got back home for the first time in five years. He had visited at first during the summers at the Air Force academy, but those visits dwindled to phone calls and then letters to only his grandpa.

He loves the Air Force. That’s why he joined. Sure, it was hard to eventually lose contact with his friend group, especially that sweet unpresented omega kid, and his best friend Matt.

But Shiro has always longed to fly, and the Air Force gave him that chance.

He doesn’t attribute his quick rise through the chain of command to his status as an alpha, but he knows it probably helped. All he cared about was being in the sky, regardless.

Once he was deployed, his love for flying didn’t diminish, despite everything that came it.

But neither his love for flying nor his high rank kept his plane from getting shot down six months ago.

Then, everything stopped having meaning.

While he languished in the military hospital in DC, his arm replaced, he thought of his lost connections.

It was lonely in the hospital, even with all the nurses and physical therapists. They didn’t have any scent, because of their blockers, so it felt like there was no one there with him.

His grandfather was too old to visit him across the country, and wrote letters slowly, so after the first month of near constant pain and then numbness, Shiro reached out tentatively to Matt.

He slept easier after hearing his friend’s voice, even after all this time.

Shiro is lucky that he didn’t have a rut in the hospital. It would have been awkward and uncomfortable, especially with his right hand out of commission.

His rut is regular, twice a year. He hasn’t had much of a rut for years though, because of the military suppressants.

But once he was honorably discharged and left in the hospital, they had to slowly ease him off the strong suppressants onto something civilians use. It made Shiro wish even more for a familiar scent, even without his rut.

After his physical therapy was over, Matt flew to DC to check him out of the hospital. Shiro tried not to cry as he held his old friend close and pretended not to smell him.

Betas don’t have much of a scent, but it was nice regardless.

Matt acted like no time passed at all, as if the seven years Shiro was in the academy and then deployed didn’t matter. He only commented on the new arm to say how cool it looks. Best yet, he’s happy to open up the second room in his apartment to Shiro.
He’s so glad he has Matt.

Now, Shiro is trying to settle in at Matt’s (and his, he has to remind himself) apartment.

Matt hasn’t changed a bit; the place is covered in technology and unfinished projects. Shiro thinks that’s a Gundam robot behind the couch but he’s scared it’s AI and evil, knowing Matt.

Shiro’s room is bare. Not just because Shiro is used to military cleanliness (well, maybe it’s a little of that), but because he doesn’t have any stuff.

There’s the charging port for his new arm, his spartan bed, a small dresser, and a laptop. That’s it.

Of course he had some stuff left over at his grandpa’s house, but most of it feels too childish, and the poster of a glorified fighter jet is a little too much to bear right now.

So, blank walls and empty room it is.

But, it is getting a little boring.

Shiro’s only been back a week, but he’s feeling antsy. Matt has been doing a great job of reintegrating him into society by having small groups of friends over and visiting the cleanest bar with the least noise. But Matt does have a job.

When Matt is working, Shiro has taken to walking around the little park a few blocks away, and going to the gym. He got a membership as soon as he moved in; all that PT isn’t going to waste, definitely not.

He’s been to the library three times and the local Gap seven times.

He doesn’t do anything really but walk around and have small conversations with people. He honestly just likes being able to be able to do nothing, with no pressure.

...

That’s a lie.

He needs to do something more. He can’t just WALK and SIT!

That evening, when Matt comes back from his high tech job downtown, Shiro barely reacts. He’s busy applying to any available jobs that he’s qualified for.

(Surprisingly enough, piloting doesn’t give you the skill sets needed for a lot of civilian jobs.)

“Uh, Shiro, what are you doing?”

Finally, Shiro turns around, eyes sparkling. “Getting a job!”

Matt laughs, and claps Shiro on the back. “That’s awesome. Come eat this Chinese food with me though.”

“You had me at ‘eat’.”

Biting into his crab rangoon, Shiro moans.

“I missed this. Matt, you’re the best.”

Matt flips his hair with the end of his chopsticks, making Shiro mock-grimace. “I know, I’m fantastic.”

They eat in silence for a few moments before Matt speaks again.

“So... what kind of jobs are you applying for?” Shiro can’t quite parse the tone his friend is using, so he ignores it.

“A small editor job at the Herald, a mechanic one, and some others I can’t remember.” Shiro takes a bite of his lo mein. “And I got an interview tomorrow!”

Matt balks. “Tomorrow?”

“Yeah! I can finally get on my own feet again!”

Matt tsks. “Man, you’ve only been here a week. I don’t mean to be a Debbie Downer, but don’t you think you’re rushing it a bit? Also, isn’t your rut coming up?”

Sitting up straight, Shiro pouts. “My rut’s not for a few weeks, I can do this interview no sweat.”

Matt puts down his chopsticks and looks at Shiro seriously. “It’s not just your rut. You need more time to adjust, man.”

Shiro huffs a sarcastic laugh. “Because I got shot down in my jet six months ago after being unable to protect three other jets from fire? Yeah, you’re right, I’ll wait for a few more weeks for that to go away first.”

Matt looks at his food, then looks up with emotion.

“You know what I mean. But you do you, dude. I’ll support you however I can.”

Shiro glances away, coloring. He puts on his best smile, and tells his best friend, “Thanks.”

Matt smiles a bit ruefully back. “I’m here for you man. Remember that.”

Shiro goes to bed that night determined to make this interview a good one. Now, even more than before, he needs to be a good roommate and a better friend to Matt. Even after Shiro basically ghosted the guy, he still is here with Shiro through thick and thin.

Shiro needs help pay for rent off of something more than his veteran’s money, at least. He wants to show Matt, and his grandpa ... and himself ... that he’s worth it.

He’ll make up for getting his arm blown off. For leaving his friends and family. For being a shit pilot.

He goes to sleep, the usual nightmares swirling in his head and an uncomfortable heat twisting in his gut.

Maybe it was the crab rangoon.

Shiro doesn’t sleep well.

[[[[[[[[ okay I’m stopping there for now! I’ll pick it back up tomorrow! I swear we’re almost at the keith part, really! ]]]]]]]]

The interview goes terribly.

Shiro doesn’t know what happened. It was fine, he greeted them properly and everything, but when he shook the interviewer’s hand ... his prosthetic is fully functional, but for some reason ... after that, he couldn’t concentrate.

Throughout the whole thing Shiro was just in his head. He doesn’t even know what he said. At the end, he thinks they said they’d contact him if he got the position, but their faces said that’s the end of that.

Shiro’s waiting for the bus now. It’ll come in three minutes.

Actually, Shiro’s having a difficult time focusing on the numbers on his phone. And that feeling in his stomach from last night is back. He’s downtown, and suddenly the amount of people around him is too much.

Why isn’t the bus here yet? And could these people not be so close to him, please?

Why did Shiro get his jet shot down? He had never taken a hit before. Why couldn’t he protect everyone else?

Oh so this is a panic attack. Shiro’s had those before. But the smells are so oppressive, and everyone needs to BACK OFF.

He’s sweating through his clothes, and are people looking at him? Where the hell is the bus?

He shouldn’t have done this. Too many people, too much at once, he was stupid. What is he even doing here? He should be in the hospital in DC, atrophying. Matt shouldn’t have come picked him up. He doesn’t deserve it.

WHY is everyone LOOKING at him?? And why do they all smell SO BAD?? Shiro needs to get home right now —

Rut.

Shiro is in rut.

He’s never had a rut that felt like this. He can’t breathe, he’s sweating so MUCH, and he can’t stand anyone being so close to them with their SMELLS and —

Why did he let the doctors take him off his suppressants? He should have told them it was a medical necessity.

Except, he didn’t know he could have a rut this bad! In high school, it was no problem at all.

In the military, he didn’t have ruts. The suppressants took care of that, they would have gotten in the way of his duty.

It’s come back with a vengeance, and Shiro is floundering.

It’s getting worse. WHERE IS THE BUS? This is bad, he could lash out unintentionally to some random person. All he wants to do is RIP and SHRED and RUN and FUCK. Oh god, is someone on the phone? Are they calling the cops? A feral alpha in public is dangerous.

That’s what he is, isn’t he. He’s a feral alpha in rut, in public. It’s not TIME for his rut yet, what’s happening?

He should call Matt, he can’t get on the bus like this —

Are people backing away from him? He smells fear. Fuck them. Screw people. Where’s his PHONE?

He doesn’t know where his hands are even, did he take his coat off? Wasn’t his phone in there? Shit, is he growling? People won’t like that. But FUCK people, he’s itching to PUNCH something —

That’s a nice smell. It’s right next to him, surrounding him.

Where did that come from? Blindly, Shiro pushes his face towards the scent and lands in a soft embrace. He vaguely realizes that it’s a person holding him, and that this person is talking, but he doesn’t recognize words anymore.

People are murmuring around him and he starts to growl as a few try to approach, maybe take this soothing scent away from him. He feels more than hears sharp notes said in anger towards the people approaching.

He wraps his arms instinctively around the omega. He knows this is an omega, that’s what the scent is, and it consumes his brain. SoftsoftwarmsweetPROTECTgood.

Strong but thin arms wind around him as he growls softly into a faded red shirt, and he becomes aware of the voice.

It’s a low voice, rough, and beautiful. It’s repeating something ... his name.

“Shiro. /Shiro/.”

After a few moments, he’s able to stop growling and look up in cage confusion. Why is the omega trying to get his attention? He’s in the perfect prison right now.

He looks up, and ... he sees dark blue eyes and a mop of wavy black hair. He sees ...

“Keith.”

The omega from high school. He had had a crush on Shiro, right? He hadn’t presented fully yet, he had been a freshman when Shiro knew him. But now ...

The boy, now a man, blinks back tears and runs his fingers through Shiro’s sweaty hair.

Keith smiles, shakily. “I heard you came back.”

Shiro isn’t listening anymore. This day has turned from the worst thing into the best thing.

He doesn’t quite remember what the problem was in the first place, actually. He buries his nose into Keith’s neck and revels in the shiver that goes through the body he’s holding.

“Omega.”

Keith breathes, and shiro stops paying attention to anything but the soothing scent.

He blinks, coming to in indeterminate amount of time later. When did he stop paying attention to his surroundings?

He’s on something sort, completely surrounded by the best scent in the world. He’s ... on top of Keith, I’m Keith’s room. On Keith’s bed.

It’s Keith’s room? That soothing /scent/ is all around him. It’s amazing.

He’s on TOP of Keith, who he had last seen at his graduation years ago.

He’s still in full rut, mind coated in cotton, or else he would jump up and start apologizing.

He knows he should, in the back of his brain. Instead, he rubs his nose into Keith’s chest and then scoots so he’s hovering over the boy’s sleeping face. He stares, wide-eyes, at this beautiful man below him.

He was a freshman when Shiro was a senior. Shiro tutored him in general science during his free period, and even though Keith was standoffish at first, they became close.

The kid was a highlight of that last year in high school, but he was focused on getting into the academy.

After Shiro started college and training for the Air Force, he didn’t reach out to Keith at all.

Why did he let this connection fall to the wayside? Same with Matt, and even his grandfather to an extent. Shiro was so focused on his education and training that he stopped living.

And Keith ... Shiro can’t resist leaning down to inhale at the boy’s — man’s — neck. Keith grew up. He’s clearly still smaller than Shiro, at least by a head. (Shiro can’t tell while he’s on top of him.) But his soft face has turned into something more angular, so beautiful.

Shiro wishes he could have seen the transformation. What had Keith’s first heat been like? That would have been around his sophomore or junior year, years ago now. What does Keith look like, in heat? Shiro bets — NOnono wait, that’s the rut talking, shut UP Shiro.

Shiro buries his face in Keith’s neck ostensibly to hide his shame, but really it’s just so he can smell the man underneath him deeper. A hand brushes over his back. Shiro shivers.

“You awake, big guy?”

Shiro growls at the pet name, and rakes his teeth against sensitive skin.

Keith gasps, and shivers. This is Shiro’s favorite reaction, ever. He wants more.

He nuzzles into soft flesh with his nose, squeezing thin hips (thank god his prosthetic lets him FEEL). Just as he opens his watering mouth to /bite/, Keith jerks and pushes him off.

Shiro doesn’t go far, torso displaced but hips still on Keith’s. He whines, deep in his throat. Keith /smells/ amenable, so why did he push him off?

Keith stares at him, blushing, and then breaks into a little giggle. Okay, so /that’s/ Shiro’s new favorite sound.

Keith smiles and runs a finger down Shiro’s jawline. Shiro’s eyes flutter shut and leans into the touch.

“You’re not all the way here right now, are you, Shiro.” There’s laughter in Keith’s voice.

Shiro grunts. Just keep touching his skin like that, please.

“I called Matt, after I got you away from that crowd. I live closer, so I just brought you to my place, I hope that’s okay.”

Keith is talking. Maybe Shiro should kiss him to make him stop, but he also loves the sound of his voice.

“You’re heavy, dude. You ...”

Keith sucks in a breath through his teeth, and Shiro opens his eyes enough to see Keith’s pupils flare.

“You bulked up.” Keith’s face is more flushed than before. Is he in heat? Shiro sniffs, excitedly. He droops a bit when he realizes it’s a blush, but that’s pretty good too.

“Keith,” he mumbles. He’s still awkwardly half-on half-off Keith, but he’s so happy right now.

“Yeah?” Keith breathes.

Shiro realizes he should say something, maybe. Uh.

“Mate.”

That’s what they are, aren’t they? They’re so compatible. Shiro remembers how well the got along in high school, and now that Keith’s presented, he can tell their scents mesh perfectly. It’s almost like fate. But he doesn’t know how to say that right now.

Keith goes as crimson as his tee-shirt, which Shiro is just now realizing is coated in sweat.

... His sweat. Oops.

The men stare at each other for a moment, Shiro debating trying for a kiss, but he doesn’t want to rush his omega.

“... Shower?” He asks.

Keith laughs, a little choked, and his eyes crinkle in the most gorgeous way.

“Yeah, we should do that. You’re completely gross right now.” Shiro smiles, because Keith is smiling. He’s happy.

Following that energy, Shiro shifts off the bed and holds his hand out for Keith.

Confused but clearly still enjoying himself, Keith chuckles and reaches out to take the offered hand.

Shiro pulls, and lifts Keith with ease into a bridal-type carry. Keith squeaks, and holds on to Shiro’s neck. Shiro barely notices how the sweat there sticks to Keith’s hands.

All he focuses on is the perfect smell of his omega, in his arms. Perfect omega. He finds his way to the bathroom easily, scenting it out from the coconut smell that’s on Keith but isn’t from his skin.

In front of the shower, Shiro strips shamelessly, and then bats his eyes.

Keith laughs, obviously trying not to look at Shiro’s half-erect dick, and then starts stripping himself. Shiro takes care to look at every piece of skin that Keith reveals, but doesn’t touch. That can happen later.

Keith turns on the shower, and steps in.

He half-turns, wet hair starting to plaster to his broad back, leading Shiro’s eyesight to his perfectly round bottom. And his /legs/. A chuckle leads Shiro back to Keith’s face, and finds his eyes twinkling.

Shiro chuffs softly and steps in the small shower after his omega.

They both get their hair wet, not touching each other intentionally, but their damp skin keeps brushing and Shiro is on fire. He’s happy with this as it is, though. Keith is beautiful and Shiro could spend his whole rut like this if asked.

After Keith washes his own hair, suds cascading down his curved back, he chuckles and squirts more shampoo in his hand to wash Shiro’s.

Shiro was just standing and staring, wasn’t he.

As Keith’s fingers weave through Shiro’s military-short cut, Shiro sighs in bliss.

Keith smiles back, and then looks at his feet.

“I’ve always loved you, you know.”

Shiro stares at Keith’s eyelashes, which are catching water droplets and look like stars.

“Ever since I met you. You’re amazing, Shiro. I ...” Keith’s fingers tighten in Shiro’s fringe.

Shiro growls, low, and tips his head into Keith’s hands.

“I missed you so much, Shiro. I’m glad you’re back.”

Shampoo rinsed off, Shiro gently puts his arms around the lithe body in front of him, and pushes his nose into Keith’s neck.

Laughing — Shiro can hear some tears in the sound — Keith buries his own nose into Shiro’s scent gland and they stand there, holding each other and scenting each other until the water goes cold.