Yuichiro sits on the chair in the waiting room feeling oddly exposed. As a beta with a mild scent (or none at all in his case while on the suppressant), Yuichiro had gotten used to the privacy of his emotions belonging to him and him alone. But now that his scent has returned, all of his anxiety and nervousness was being broadcasted to the world.

That's how it always had been, at least since he'd presented. Yuichiro can't even remember a time when he'd been naturally scentless, covered only by his parents' joint scent.

But then he'd gone and gotten a taste of the luxury of keeping his feelings to himself. And now that it had been taken away from him, Yuichiro doesn't know what to do with himself. There were ways to disguise emotions, tricks every alpha and omega learned from friends or from their own experiences. Yuichiro can't seem to remember any of them, though. Or perhaps they just didn't work on pregnant omegas.

Or maybe his whole body was fucked up from using suppressants, being marked, carrying an alpha's child and smelling heavily like a different one. Yuichiro wouldn't be surprised.

Shiho, on the other hand? Shiho was certainly surprising him.

Sitting right next to him with his hand on Yuichiro's knee, Shiho couldn't be further away. It felt like someone else entirely was inhabiting the alpha's body. Shiho might be playing a worried, loving partner, but Yuichiro isn't sure that anyone would buy it with how stoic Shiho's expression was. Or how they've barely exchanged a word since entering the hospital- since they've left Yoichi's apartment, to be precise. Not that anyone would know that just by looking at them.

Still. Shiho's silence wasn't helping Yuichiro's nerves any. He isn't used to being in the same room with the alpha without arguing at least once. The lack of banter was oddly unnerving.

"Aren't you going to tell me to relax?"

Shiho finally turns to look at him and raises a brow.

"Why would I do that?"

"I dunno," Yuichiro rolls his eyes and looks around the empty room before lowering his voice. "Maybe so that I don't blow our cover?"

Shiho shakes his head and looks away.

"Your anxious scent goes hand in hand with our cover story," he says crisply and adjusts his glasses. "By all means, continue to work yourself up."

Yuichiro bares his teeth and jerks his thigh out of Shiho's grasp. The jerk!

Yuichiro might've missed their banter, but this wasn't…this wasn't exactly banter. It wasn't the usual insults and insinuations. Shiho was just being mean and distant.

After what had happened in Yoichi and Gekkoin's bedroom, Yuichiro can't understand how Shiho can afford to treat him this way. On all accounts he should be on his knees, begging Yuichiro for his forgiveness!

…but there was only Yuichiro's account. He hadn't told anyone about the incident, it was still too fresh and confusing and now wasn't the time to dwell on it. He and Shiho have to be convincing and getting into a fight in the hospital was just too risky.

Still. Shiho knows how scary this all is- he's probably scared, too. Why can't they just support one another?

Mikaela wouldn't intentionally put him down when he was so vulnerable. He'd hold him close and whisper reassurances even if they'd just fought. Because he took his duties as an alpha seriously.

Yuichiro feels a pang of guilt and curls his hands into fists on top of his knees.

He doesn't know if he's feeling guilty for breaking Mikaela's trust or for expecting Shiho to act like his alpha when he obviously wanted to be but would never be able to. But he feels guilty all the same.

"Kimizuki?"

Yuichiro jerks out of his morose pondering as the office door opens and a middle-aged beta steps out into the hall with a clipboard in hand. Yuichiro and Shiho quickly stand up and Yuichiro doesn't notice that Shiho had taken his hand until he feels the alpha squeeze it reassuringly.

Was it part of the act, or was Shiho really trying to make him feel better?

"Right this way," the beta steps aside and gestures for them to enter the office. Yuichiro follows Shiho into the room and takes a seat next to the alpha in front of a large wooden desk. The beta closes the door after them and proceeds to sit down on the other side of the desk, wearing a polite smile.

"Thank you for waiting, Officer Kimizuki and Mr. Ichinose. My name is Horn Skuld, and I am the head of the inpatient ward of Seraphim. It's a pleasure to meet you," she extends her hand and both Shiho and Yuichiro shake it in turn. She then sits back and glances down at the pile of papers in front of her.

"I've gone over the forms you've filled out, and so far, everything appears to check out."

Yuichiro nods and swallows thickly. Ichinose was his mother's maiden name, and while it felt odd and a little risky to use it, Yuichiro reasoned that it made more sense than making up a new name entirely. Should the hospital decide to investigate, they'll find that indeed there is an Ichinose family in the small town he was born in.

"However," Horn raises her gaze, "there was no referral from an official Board facility."

Yuichiro sucks in his breath.

"We were told," Shiho clears his throat and speaks up, "that not all cases require an official referral. My connection mentioned that Seraphim is known for its…discretion, when it comes to special circumstances."

Horn gives them both a long look before tilting her head with a small smile.

"I see. And what special circumstances are we dealing with today?"

Yuichiro wets his lips nervously and places a protective hand on his stomach, trying not to be too obvious about his discomfort as Shiho wraps an arm around his shoulders. He hopes he looks convincing.

"As you know from the forms, I belong to the military's urban division," Shiho says slowly, hesitatingly. Yuichiro is impressed- it doesn't sound like he's been practicing this little speech at all. Yuichiro had heard every word of it as they'd both waited for Yoichi and Gekkoin's return, unwilling to make any other conversation.

"The urban division is sometimes sent to help out with manual labor in the countryside, and that's where I met Ichiro. I was stationed in his town for a few months and..."

Yuichiro bites his lip as Shiho places his palm on top of the hand on his stomach. He looks away.

"Well, this happened," Shiho finishes with a nervous chuckle.

Horn raises a brow.

"I see," she says and Yuichiro can feel her heavy gaze on his stomach.

"You've been awfully quiet, Ichiro. May I call you that?"

Yuichiro quickly nods.

"Thank you. But yes, you haven't said much."

Yuichiro's shoulders tense and he raises his eyes from the floor to meet Horn's.

"That's because I'm scared. And nervous. And embarrassed," Yuichiro states, a little relieved to be able to speak some truth in the mix of the lies he and Shiho have been telling.

"I never should've let this happen," he says firmly, "and now I have to go into hiding because we couldn't help ourselves. I'm ashamed," he adds, "but…"

He turns to look at Shiho with a soft smile.

"I won't get rid of our baby, even though it puts us at risk. I love Shiho. And I love our baby."

Yuichiro's face burns and he quickly looks away when he thinks he sees a flash of emotion in Shiho's eyes. He hates that he has to hurt the man who's done nothing but help him. Even when Shiho had violated his trust in the process.

"What special circumstances indeed," Horn hums and leans back in her chair, studying the two of them before addressing Shiho.

"Special circumstances require special compensation in order to make it worth our time," she drawls and reaches for a pen. "I assume your connection has informed you of our fees?"

Shiho gives a curt nod.

"Yes, I am well aware," he says stiffly and pulls out a checkbook from his coat jacket. "I'm prepared to pay full-board for Ichiro for the duration of his pregnancy. His presence will need to be discreet."

Horn finally gives them a real smile.

"Of course, Officer Kimizuki. You've come to the right place."

Yuichiro returns the smile a little shakily as he relaxes into his chair, indulging in a bit of relief. They aren't out of the woods quite yet, but at least the first step has been a success.

After Shiho finishes signing the rest of the forms (and the cheque), they all stand up.

"Now that everything is in order, I'll give Ichiro a tour of the facility and show him to his room," Horn announces and walks over to the door.

"Alphas are not permitted inside the inpatient ward, so I'm afraid you'll have to leave, Officer Kimizuki. Don't worry," she quickly adds as she sees their expression. "Visitors' day is every Tuesday. You'll be able to see each other next week. Until then, I'll give you both some privacy for your goodbyes."

Horn exits the room and closes the door behind her, leaving Yuichiro alone with Shiho.

He doesn't know what to say.

That is, until he sees the security camera in the corner of the room.

"I'll miss you," Yuichiro says loudly, perhaps a little too loud. But he wants to make it clear to anyone who may be watching them that their cover story is real.

Shiho's eyes widen and he looks a little startled as Yuichiro steps forward and raises his arms to wrap around Shiho's neck. Shiho looks down at him in confusion but places his hands on Yuichiro's hips, playing along despite the unspoken question.

Yuichiro is transported back to the alley Shiho had cornered him months and months ago, scaring the hell out of him and forcing him to play along for the sake of the cameras as the alpha told him that he had a death sentence hovering over his head.

Remembering how Shiho had handled it back then, Yuichiro leans forward and presses their mouths together in a chaste kiss. He can taste the shock on the alpha's unresponsive lips. Yuichiro then trails a path of kisses across Shiho's cheek, where he lingers.

"There's a camera," he whispers in Shiho's ear, and Yuichiro can tell by the sudden stiffening of the alpha's body that he understood. A moment later Shiho's body relaxes as he too slips into the act, tightening his grip on Yuichiro's hips.

"I'll miss you too, baby," the endearment sounds unnatural, forced, or maybe it was just because Yuichiro wasn't used to Shiho calling him anything other than his name. Even during the brief period they were assigned to each other, Shiho never gave him any nicknames.

Perhaps Shiho is thinking the same thing, because he quickly draws Yuichiro close into a hug and changes the topic.

"But don't worry, I'll come see you on Tuesday," Shiho promises.

There's a sharp knock on the door and Horn lets herself back in.

"We should really get going, Ichiro."

Yuichiro nods and pulls away from Shiho. For a moment, he wants to grab his hand and beg him to stay. To not leave him here in this new place alone.

But the moment quickly passes.

He's done this before. He'd entered a military base all on his own and created a whole life for himself. He can do it again.

Yuichiro will reinvent himself as many times as necessary.

Shiho gives him one last kiss on the cheek before offering him a quivering smile. Something tells Yuichiro that that wasn't an act.

"Bye," he whispers, and Shiho grunts something unintelligible before turning around and walking out of the room. Yuichiro and Horn silently watch him leave before Horn clears her throat.

"Don't look so sad, you'll see him again soon," she says brusquely and ushers Yuichiro out of the office, locking the door behind her as they step out of the room. Horn then turns back to face him and gives Yuichiro a once-over.

"You're too thin for a pregnant omega. Don't they have food in the countryside?" Horn clucks her tongue and continues, not waiting for Yuichiro to answer.

"Didn't you bring anything with you?"

Yuichiro flushes and shakes his head.

"No. We-I didn't have time to pack."

Horn sighs and starts to walk down the hall. Yuichiro blinks and quickly catches up.

"We have some spare clothes for our patients, I'll send a nurse to fetch some for you later. Come, let me show you around."

Yuichiro follows Horn as she points out the various rooms- the cafeteria, the entertainment room, the nurse station and the staff offices. Yuichiro notes how the visitors' area looked fancier than the rest of the building, but overall Seraphim was just as clean and nice as Gekkoin had promised.

There are a number of pregnant omegas and beta nurses in every room they visit, and Yuichiro feels a little relieved at how happy everyone looks. How…calm everything was. Maybe he'll actually get to relax for a bit before resuming his search for Mikaela. Do some tests, see if the baby was okay after everything they've been through together.

The tour does not include the delivery rooms and nursery; Yuichiro would get to see them eventually, according to Horn. Yuichiro wonders if he'll still be there when that happens. He hopes not. He doesn't want to go into labor without Mikaela at his side.

Horn ends the tour in the patient rooms hall and stops in front of the second door to the left.

"You will be sharing a room with two other expecting omegas," Horn informs him and opens the door to reveal a cozy room with three beds, two of which were piled with things and clearly in use. She shows Yuichiro to the unoccupied bed and gives him a gentle pat on the back.

"This will be your bed. I'll let you settle in- I have a few things to attend to before dinner. Dinner is served in another forty minutes in the cafeteria- you remember where it is?"

Yuichiro nods.

"Good boy. If you ever need anything, just let the nurses know," Horn gives him a wide smile and walks out of the room, leaving the door open behind her. Yuichiro wrinkles his nose in distaste. He doesn't like how condescending the beta was, but he supposes he'll just have to get used to it.

After all, that was just how omegas were treated in general. By all betas. Yuichiro just hadn't seen it as condescending before. But now that he'd spent a significant amount of time as a beta?

…well.

Letting out a frustrated groan, Yuichiro sits down on his new bed and absently notes how soft it feels. Now that was a significant change from the military bed he'd just recently missed.

Maybe staying put in Seraphim wasn't going to be such a bad thing after all. Maybe returning to be an omega was a healthy move.

A familiar scent catches Yuichiro's attention as another omega walks into the room.

Short, petite with a distinct stomach and flowing pink hair. Yuichiro briefly wonders if she and Shiho use the same dye.

Either way, Yuichiro frowns. Her scent is familiar, but he can't place her. In fact, Yuichiro is pretty sure he's never seen this omega before.

"Oh, hello," the omega looks at him in surprise and closes the door after her. "You're the new roommate?"

Yuichiro offers her a tentative smile.

"Yeah, my name is Ichiro."

The omega returns the smile and walks over to his bed, extending her hand.

"It's nice to meet you, Ichiro. My name is Krul- it's an old family name," she quickly adds with an impish grin, "I'm not actually cruel."

For the first time in what feels like years, Yuichiro laughs and shakes her hand.

"Well, it's nice to meet you too!"

Much to Yuichiro's surprise, Krul grabs his shoulders and looks at him earnestly.

"I'm so glad you're here. Alek, the other guy in our room, is ever so dull. I'll be glad for your company."

Yuichiro feels a little unsettled but nods and smiles. As he takes another whiff of Krul's scent, however, his smile freezes on his face and his eyes go wide.

He suddenly remembers where he'd smelled her scent before.

On Mikaela.

And he can smell Mikaela's scent on her as well.

There was no doubt about it-

He's found the Decoy.

A very pregnant decoy.