LATE ARRIVAL! I'm So SORRY! And today we'll see the rest of the story, Shinpachi's past revealed! His future with Shinsuke? Let's go see!

I think this one is a little more to the point, on account of time, as well as I have an actual idea for what I'm trying to say.

TRIGGER WARNINGS: MENTIONS/EXPLANATIONS OF DEPRESSION, PAST SUICIDE, HARASSMENT,

I DO NOT OWN GINTAMA.

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OMEGA

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The next several weeks seemed to go faster than ever before.

In accordance with living with Kagura and Okita and learning to support himself, Shinsuke got a job at a small coffee shop. It wasn't hard work, and his employer and the other employees weren't annoying. He liked the smell of fresh-brewed coffee even if he didn't drink it. Bansai, Gintoki and the others would visit every other day, whether to see him or ask if he could finagle a few of the more expensive desserts for them.

"Fuck off," he'd casually answer time after time. Thankfully, the Master didn't think poorly of them for their brief antics or consider firing Shinsuke on account of them.

Between school and his new part-time job, Shinsuke was honestly busy. He didn't have much time to himself to really work through the possibility of Bansai's words that day. Or maybe that was just an excuse to avoid thinking about it.

'Soulmates,' he thought when he lay in bed late at night. 'Shimura and I…'

He wondered how he could have missed something that important. Which made him wonder if it was true. He'd never really believed in 'Soulmates', had never put any stock into the idea outside the scientific explanation. That being said, he and Shimura must have been compatible for children. There was some myth about soulmates having the best children, the true Alphas. Knowing that the teacher was an Omega, therefore fully capable of bearing children—possibly his children—always shorted out Shinsuke's brain.

Bansai kept smiling, likely able to 'hear' his thoughts turning over, but never said anything more about it, content to watch his friend fret.

Shinsuke often wondered why Shimura never said anything. If it was true, he would know about it. Wouldn't he?

'I didn't know,' the young man reminded himself. '…Or did I?'

He had no idea what he knew or didn't know! The first time he had so much as seen the teacher that day in Home Economics, he only knew he had to get out and tear the town to pieces. But his first real conversation with Shimura had also calmed him down. There were so many strange and seemingly impossible things about Shimura, Shinsuke couldn't wrap his mind around half of what he actually knew, as much as he wanted to.

At school, Shinsuke's eyes chased after him. When he was teaching class, when he was walking down the halls, when he sat in the teachers' office grading papers, when he was secluded in the library. He had always been aware of the teacher—during and after his most severe fit of violence—but now it was almost like looking for a lighthouse. When he caught sight of him, he felt calm and excited all at once. If he spotted him only to lose sight of him, he became anxious.

Maybe it just was because he wasn't sure if they were Soulmates. Or maybe it was because he needed some sort of anchor now that he had left home; for all the pain it caused just living there, it was a constant in his life. Maybe he just needed a new constant. Shimura could easily become that, maybe even more than that if he was Shinsuke's Soulmate.

If they were Soulmates.

That was what it ultimately boiled down to.

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"You mean you didn't notice?" Sougo blinked when Shinsuke buckled down to ask him what he knew about it. The Beta's work at the police station kept him busy, he usually worked late into the night; Shinsuke was glad he got the chance to speak to him fairly early in the evening. "I could see it right away, that day he brought you here!"

"Really?" The young Alpha blinked. "But how? Is it a smell? Or a look?"

"Well, I guess smell is usually part of it, but a surprisingly small part for some cases," Sougo replied. "It's not about appearances, either. It's just…not a comfortable experience. Sometimes it's unpleasant, or even nasty."

This didn't match up with what little Shinsuke had garnered about supposed Soulmates. "I thought it was supposed to be this sweet, eye-opening experience. Some…'great and glorious awakening', not this…uncomfortable mess…"

"Maybe it is, for some people," Sougo snickered. "For others it's…I don't want to say 'brutal', but either way, you'd think you'd notice something!"

"Laugh it up, Sougo," Kagura smiled saucily as she passed him a cup of coffee. "If I recall, you weren't so bright about it when it happened to you and me."

That made Shinsuke's eyes widen. "You're actually Soulmates? Not just lifemates?"

"Shinpachi didn't tell you? Huh," the red-haired Alpha laughed. "Well, Sougo and I met when we were still pretty young; I was only fourteen. The minute we laid eyes on each other, we were at each other's throats. Circling each other, snarling, and trying to tear each other to pieces. I can honestly remember wanting to kill him."

They both laughed at the memory, as well as Shinsuke's uncertain frown.

"The very instant I laid eyes on her, I was so unsettled that I was picking a fight," Sougo went on easily as he sat down in the living room with his coffee. "We were like cats hissing at each other. I was hurling insults left and right, picking fights with her at every glance. It wasn't until she was older—" His lifemate elbowed him in the side, hard, "—Okay, okay! It wasn't until we were both a bit older that it actually clicked into place all the way. We were fighting near the river, same as always, when our eyes met and we knew; we just knew."

"Did you stop fighting after that?" The young Alpha asked.

"Hell no!" The pair burst out laughing. "We were so flustered, confused and outraged at the idea, we started fighting harder than ever! Each of us had this 'It's your fault!' mindset and just went at it! What started as a typical bout turned into a rampage that lasted almost two full days! We were chasing each other every which way, throwing more insults, projectiles, punches and kicks than you see in an action movie!"

"Finally, we're so exhausted, we have no choice but to stop. We hadn't slept or eaten or drank anything in over forty-eight hours, we just collapsed on top of each other," Sougo smiled. This time, it was glowing with a soft happiness. "We woke up at the same time. Our eyes met. And we saw each other for the first time."

The Beta looked up at his beautiful Alpha as she sat down on the arm of the sofa, slipping his arm around her waist.

"Even though we'd known each other for years, and we were Soulmates, we hadn't really seen each other before that," Kagura added. She looked at Sougo, her fingers moving through his hair. "The problems we couldn't talk about, the brave faces we put on to hide our real feelings, and the bitterness just piled up too high for us to see. I think we just needed to get through that, clear it away we kept bottled up inside before we saw each other for real."

"It wasn't painless. It was agony," Sougo went on, leaning his ear against her stomach. "It's a pain like…cutting open an old wound and scraping it clean. You have no choice but to admit to everything until you're left bare; raw."

Again, this didn't sound like how the public generally described meeting your Soulmate. It wasn't sweet, or enlightening, or even kind.

But it was exactly like how Shinsuke had felt when he first laid eyes on Shimura, when the man had first spoken to him in the infirmary. Without any power to stop it, all his frustrations at the world and himself had surfaced that day, leaving him painfully exposed. It was exactly how he had felt.

Looking to the pair before him, they were silent but the air felt charged with words Shinsuke couldn't hear. It seemed comfortable. If seemed like a perfect fit. It seemed right.

A Soulmate was something the young man had never wanted before. Something he'd never really believed in before.

'I want to see Shimura…'

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"Are you still smoking?" Shimura asked him, easily able to catch the smell of tobacco lingering around the young Alpha. They usually sat together to eat lunch behind the school when the young man wasn't eating with Bansai and the others. "Do you want me to explain, in explicit detail, what could happen to you if you keep that up?"

"No, thanks. That health video was enough…" Shinsuke tried not to think about it and waste his lunch. It was getting cooler, it would be uncomfortable to sit outside soon, so he preferred to take what time he was given. "I can't just quit cold turkey, y'know. I'd be a nightmare to end all nightmares if I go through straight withdrawal. I know myself well enough to be sure of that much."

Shimura sighed. "Yes, you have a point." But he didn't look happy about it. "How's work going for you?"

"Nothing new to report," the young man shrugged. "I'm staying out of trouble. I promise."

Sougo would have told the teacher otherwise, they both knew that. But as far as they had ruled for their house, Shinsuke was content to follow them. They were not unreasonable and gave the young man plenty of space and freedom.

"I'm glad," Shimura told him just the same.

Once more, Shinsuke fought to keep a weird smile off his face. As he did every time the man expressed his pride in his student's achievements, no matter how small they may be.

He wanted to ask him. If the man knew they were Soulmates for certain, Shinsuke had to ask him. He had to.

"Are you my Soulmate?" One question. Five words. It should have been simple enough.

But he could never get it passed his throat and out his mouth. It just sat in his chest, hot and trembling to escape.

"Do you want the rest of this?" Shimura offered the last of his coffee, yet again.

"No, thanks," Shinsuke replied, yet again. Sighing, the young Alpha accepted yet another failure to speak up as he finished the last of his sandwich.

He was somewhat relieved that the bell started to ring, marking the end of lunch period. Gathering up their things, they moved to return to their classes, only to suddenly come face to face with a girl just around the corner.

Shinsuke had to wonder just how long she had been standing there. She was wringing her hands and sweating, her face was flushed but she looked oddly ill.

'Probably not a confession of love, then,' Shinsuke thought with a quiet sigh.

He had been witness to a couple. Each one irritated him, swiftly and to the point he want to push them away from the Omega that was his…teacher. He didn't have the right to say the man was 'his' anything beyond that. But since the man had no interest in dating his students, as he stated with each refusal, Shinsuke reminded himself not to worry either way.

"Shi-Shimura-sensei…"

The young man felt the teacher stand up straight, but did not smell or see any real interest in his dark eyes as he observed the girl before him. It was all glacial composure and detached scrutiny.

"Sensei, I wanted to say how s—"

"Honestly," Shimura cut in icily, "the more people try to apologize, the more it makes me want to puke. So you can save your breath."

Another attempt to apologize. Another refusal. Shinsuke had witnessed similar such scenes quite a few times now. It was the most Shimura had ever said in times like this, but he still stepped around the girl and continued on as always. The young man had to wonder what it was all about, but looking after the teacher's back as he walked away, and taking in the girl's stricken face before she hid in her hands, the y0ung man couldn't find the courage to approach the subject.

He might never had known, if he hadn't been home to help make dinner that same night.

Randomly, Sougo had ended up buying a lot of potatoes the last time he went shopping, so beef and potato stew was decided on, with each of them doing one part of it. Shinsuke was left to peel said potatoes. He wasn't very good at it, but watching Kagura dice them up unevenly, he understood why she wasn't peeling them or making the actual stew like her lifemate. For being Alphas, supposedly masters of whatever occupation they chose to pursue, neither she nor Shinsuke had any real talent for cooking.

"You mentioned you had a test today," Sougo observed. "How did it go? What class was it?"

"Home Economics, Shimura's class," the young Alpha replied without pausing in his work. He was getting better, but he was still slow at peeling vegetables; he was better at chopping them up. "I'm not great at actually cooking what he teaches us, but I can memorize trivia pretty well. I think I did okay."

"I'm still surprised Shinpachi would take a job there, of all places," Kagura sighed as she chopped up another potato. Even more unevenly than before; one half was way too big.

"How come?" The boy asked offhandedly, but was honestly curious.

"I figured he'd hate it! After Anego—" The redhead cut herself short.

Shinsuke slowed in his peeling. "Your sister?"

Kagura shook her head, biting her lip nervously. "No. She… If Shinpachi hasn't tell you, I…I don't know if he would want me to."

Now he was definitely curious. Stopping entirely, he looked up at the lifemates and asked, "Tell me what?"

Kagura and Okita exchanged a pained glance. There was a completely silent debate between their eyes. They did this a lot. The boy wasn't sure if it was something between Soulmates or they just knew each other so well that words weren't needed. But uncertainty and worry made already hot the air in the kitchen heavy.

"Anego…Shinpachi's sister…"

Shinsuke recalled the photographs in the man's room back at the Omega House. Most had been of a younger, more awkward-looking Shimura and an older girl or woman with a ponytail of dark brown hair. He had only a brief chance to observe the pictures—really, his mind had been other things—but he had figured the stranger was a relative, given their body language was close but not necessarily intimate.

Okita finally spoke up. "Shimura Tae, Shinpachi's older sister was a teacher there two years ago. She probably taught during your first year…"

As for her being a teacher, Shinsuke had hardly paid attention his first, but couldn't recall having a teacher named 'Shimura' before the one he knew. But now that he thought about it, the man often seemed to be correcting or reassuring people with his full name when they seemed to react to just 'Shimura'. He was always ignoring or dismissing apologies from people. So many apologies…

"…What happened to her?" He was almost afraid to ask.

The silence was only disturbed by the slight bubbling of the stew heating on the stove. The air felt hot in the kitchen whenever they cooked, but now it was heavy. Tension actually made his lungs hurt.

Finally, Kagura choked out, "She's dead. She…killed herself. Two years ago."

Shinsuke was frozen. He felt his blood down to the very marrow of his had turned to ice.

"I don't think this is something we were meant to tell you, Takasugi, so I can't say any more about it," Sougo insisted, gently squeezing his mate's trembling hand. "It's probably something you should discuss with Shimura."

"Like hell!" It came out before Shinsuke could even think of holding it back. He didn't really want to.

It's impossible to just drop that on him and expect him not to need to know more. It was far more impossible to ask the person directly related to that bomb shell to know more. That they expected him to be able to actually approach Shimura about it was beyond infuriating.

Dropping his half-finished potato and peeler into the sink. "I'm not hungry. I'm going to bed. Goodnight."

He didn't slam his door, but he threw himself down on his bed with a growl. But his anger cooled in favor of doubt and sorrow.

Shinsuke had lost his mother, but he was still so young he couldn't remember her; she was as much a stranger to him as the rest of his family. Shimura's sister had apparently killed herself. That was different, no, far worse than if she had died to an illness or accident.

Shinsuke reached for his phone, turned it on and found his teacher's number in his contacts, but immediately stopped. Starting at the name for a long while, he finally put the phone back down.

He want to talk to him. He wanted to see him. But like so many other times, he didn't know what he could say. He didn't know if there actually was anything he could say to this.

Shinsuke stayed up all night, turning his phone on and off as he battled between wanting to call Shimura and not wanting to cause him trouble.

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The next day, Shinsuke went to school and sat at his desk in a haze. He was restless, but found himself staying put throughout the day. Even now, during lunch hour, he hadn't moved to so much as get a drink from the vending machine.

He wanted to see Shimura, but he knew he'd mess it up somehow if he went to see him now. He wouldn't be able to keep from asking about his sister. Then, he'd have to apologize for being stupid and thoughtless. Shinsuke didn't think the man needed another apology.

So many people had apologized to Shimura. Teachers, students, even…

Even Sakamoto.

With only that thought in his head, Shinsuke practically flew out of his chair, out the door and down the hall.

It wasn't that late into lunch, Sakamoto was either at the vending machine or with the others. Checking the usual stairs where Gintoki and the others ate lunch first paid off; the group was all there, eating and chatting away.

Zura caught sight of Shinsuke first, waving in greeting. But seeing the stern look on the Alpha's face made him pause before he'd even said anything.

Without warning, Shinsuke caught the collar of Sakamoto's uniform jacket and shirt and pulled him around to look him right in the eye.

"You apologized to Shimura once before. Why?"

The messy-haired boy's eyes widened behind his shades. But he didn't answer.

"Did you have anything to do with what happened to his sister? Why she killed herself?"

"I didn't!" Sakamoto snapped. Only to deflate, his face pinched with pain. "I…I didn't…"

Shinsuke hadn't been angry—at least, he didn't think so—but he did feel his emotions cool at the Beta's reply, so he carefully let go of him. "Tell me what happened. Please."

Sakamoto took off his shades to rub his eyes anxiously. He looked at Gintoki, who lightly shrugged, before trying to meet Shinsuke's eyes. But he immediately lost his nerve and settled with looking at the floor.

"Shimura Tae-sensei…was my Math teacher during first year," he trembled a little, but steadied himself by wiping down the lenses of his shades with his shirt. "She was an Omega, but was really pretty and smart, so a lot of people liked her without caring about that. She was really good with numbers, really passionate about teaching mathematics. She was great."

It wasn't too much of a surprise; since Shimura was an Omega, high chances that his sister would have been one, too. No, there was still more to this.

"But then…" Sakamoto's voice faded to a mumble. "There was this one Beta guy in class who asked her out, but she turned him down. Well, the dude had a girlfriend, and she was pissed that he liked Shimura-sensei, but rather than argue with her own boyfriend, she turned her fangs on Sensei instead…" He bowed his head. "She would openly complain and bully Shimura-sensei right in the middle of class. All of her friends and even her idiot boyfriend joined in. They'd throw things, scream, call her names, attack her designation. The school didn't put much effort into stopping them; most don't bother for an Omega, I guess. And Hinowa-sama wasn't the Principal back then, otherwise…"

Shinsuke clenched his fists, his nails biting a familiar path into his palms. "And?"

"The rest of us did our best to shut them down!" Sakamoto insisted desperately. "We were all serious about learning and we really liked Sensei! There were just…more against us…" He fiddled with his glasses, opening and closing them bleakly. "Eventually, she stopped coming to school. And we were sorry…but we were also relieved…"

That made the Alpha snarl. "Relieved?"

The Beta flinched, but pressed on. "We didn't want to hurt her, but…without her there, the rest fell back in line and stopped acting up in class. They would still crack up about it on their own time, but… We thought things would get better, since we could start studying again…but…then…"

"But then what?" Shinsuke hissed, demanding more.

Sakamoto choked, his trembling returning with a vengeance. "News came…that Shimura-sensei had killed herself…in her room at the Shouka Sonjuku Omega House…"

That halted Shinsuke's thoughts. His eyes immediately shot to Gintoki, sitting nearby with a tired and sad expression drawn across his face.

Shimura Tae was an Omega, so of course she would have had to live in an Omega House. But that she had lived and died in the same establishment his silver-haired friend lived…made his boiling blood turn to ice.

"When word of it hit the school, people didn't know what to do," Sakamoto went on tiredly. "Most of the people that had harassed her shut up; they wouldn't say anything, good or bad. It was like they hoped to gloss over it. I just…I still don't know what else I can say…"

Neither did anyone else, it seemed.

Now that he thought about it, Shinsuke could vaguely recall, towards the end of first year, that there had been the death of a teacher that startled the whole school into silence. That was the same day Shinsuke had first experienced the Heat of an Omega.

His dark eyes once again moved to the silver Omega sitting on the steps. He wanted to ask him what he knew, but found his voice stuck in his throat with fear of the answer.

In the end, Gintoki didn't need to be asked. "She lived in the Omega House. I sometimes delivered her mail to her room, but we didn't talk much," he sighed. "That morning...a neighbor was complaining about how Shimura had left…something on; her TV, her shower, I don't know! Shouyou had to check it out while I was getting ready to go…"

His tired eyes became distant, looking out a nearby window but not really seeing anything outside.

"I remember Shouyou rushing to the phone…the police and ambulance arriving…her body being carried out…" He shivered. "I overheard one of them say she probably overdosed; she combined something with her Suppressants and… I don't know! I freaked out! I didn't take my own Suppressants before I left…I just…I didn't…"

That was why the Heat had suddenly hit. That was why that group had cornered him. That was why Shinsuke had been affected.

Gintoki had been afraid. More afraid than Shinsuke had been. More afraid than any Beta or Alpha ever could be. He was an Omega.

Shinsuke didn't know what to say.

Really, there was nothing he could say to him or Shimura or anyone.

Somehow, he looked back at Sakamoto, feeling weary. "So you apologized to Shimura. How did you know about him?"

"Just once, she showed the class a photo of her hand her brother when they were younger, so a few might know about him," Sakamoto leaned back to bump his head against the wall as he stared up at the ceiling. "But, y'know, I don't apologize so I can be forgiven. I don't even think about being forgiven. That's just…the way things are. For us. For him. For everybody."

Shinsuke's heart hurt. For Shimura. For Gintoki. For Sakamoto. And he knew there was nothing he could say to help or fix anything.

His pain was not like Shimura's.

He had no idea how to approach him about it.

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Days passed. Weeks. The cold settled in. And still, Shinsuke could not say a word about what he had discovered to Shimura.

He still went to class, still spoke with him whenever they met. Their lunches and general time together became less frequent, partially on account of final exams and that the café Shinsuke worked at became busier. But mostly, just because the young Alpha was losing the courage it took to meet the Omega's eyes with each passing day.

And Shimura could tell. He'd speak to him, but carefully, fully aware that his presence put the boy on edge now.

"Takasugi-kun, are you all right?" The teacher asked as Shinsuke pulled on his street shoes to leave for the day. "Are you having any sort of trouble with anything?"

"No, I'm good," the Alpha would answer, trying to distract himself a he got tangled in his jacket and scarf. "Keeping busy. Getting sleepy, cold weather."

Shimura didn't look wholly convinced. But he surprised the young man when he smiled sadly. "Are you upset about something? Do you hate me now, Takasugi-kun?"

"NO WAY!" Was the young man's instant reply, dropping his bag in his urgency to speak up. "I could never hate you! I'm just…in my own head right now. I'm a little mixed up about things. I just…want to figure this out."

Shimura's face was lit with surprise from Shinsuke's sudden and adamant reaction, before slowly softening into a smile. It was a comforting smile that the young man found he could take some measure of strength from.

"Okay, so long as we're clear on that," the man nodded. "I'll leave you to it. But don't push yourself harder than you need to. Take care of yourself."

Shinsuke managed a smile back. Shimura raised his hand slightly, only to catch himself and drop it again. He had probably been about to pat the Alpha on the head; somehow Shinsuke knew that. He could also tell that Shimura felt that would be rude and was always catching himself before following through with the impulse. Shinsuke was always catching himself being disappointed that he never did.

'How childish…!' He thought with a slight burning in his ears.

"See you later, Shimura," said out loud.

"Shimura-sensei," the man corrected, yet again, as he turned and walked away. "Yeah. See you."

They parted ways, neither one particularly eager to go, but both needing to.

Shinsuke had to get himself sorted out soon. There was only so much time left before graduation. He still didn't know for sure if Shimura was his Soulmate, or how to approach him with the truth about his sister's death looming over him.

So he wasn't sure if he would call it random chance or fate that he almost literally ran into Yoshida Shouyou, the owner of the Omega House Gintoki and Shimura both lived in, while passing through the shopping district.

The young man wondered if he would have ever tried to speak to the man otherwise. Something was just so unusual about him. Shinsuke was honestly surprised, yet again, to actually see the black collar around the man's throat, marking him as an Omega. If Shimura was an unusual Omega, Shouyou was otherworldly.

"Ah! Takasugi-kun!" The beautiful man smiled brightly. "Glad to see you're in much better shape than last we met! Shinpachi-kun and Gintoki have said you've been well."

"Yeah, thanks again for back then," Shinsuke nodded politely. "Do you want any help?"

This inquiry was meant to bring notice to the number of grocery bags the man carried in both hands.

"I would, thank you!" Shouyou passed him the four bags from his left hand. "Just over to a nearby bench, since Gintoki should be coming to meet me after he gets out of school. It will also give us a chance to talk."

There was such a bench not far out of the main road of the shopping district. Their breath came out in clouds as they sighed with relief upon sitting down.

"You want to know about Shinpachi-kun."

This wasn't a question.

Shinsuke shivered a little at his assured tone, but nodded. "I heard a little…about his sister. Can you tell me...how did it happen?"

"Though I assumed that would be your question…I'm not certain if it should be shared," Shouyou replied carefully. "If Shinpachi-kun has no wish to speak of it, it may not be my place."

"It's not that. I've just been…too scared to ask him directly," the young Alpha admitted. "Please."

Perhaps there was something the man could see in Shinsuke's face that gave him confidence in his cause. Or maybe he knew about him and Shimura possibly being Soulmates. Whatever it was, he made himself comfortable.

"Their parents died when they were still young. But Otae-san and Shinpachi-kun didn't actually come to the Omega house when she was thirteen and he was eleven," Shouyou explained, his pale gaze drifted to the clouds overhead. "She… She had just been designated an Omega, so she and Shinpachi-kun couldn't stay where they had been before then. They needed a place to stay until some distant relatives could be contacted and figure out what to do for them, and came under my care. They lived in the house for a year and a half before they were taken to live in one of the Omega communities in the countryside."

Shinsuke was honestly surprised to hear this. When the Alpha was just a year old, Shimura had lived here.

"Otae-san came back about five years ago," Shouy0u went on. "She told me that she had taken a job at the local high school while Shinpachi-kun was going to college. She seemed to be doing well; she loved mathematics and the students were accepting of her."

"…Until that mess with that one class," Shinsuke offered.

"Yes," the man sighed heavily, sadly. "I could see that she was struggling. I don't know if she just wanted to sort it all out on her own, or if she felt she wasn't deserving of asking for support, but she didn't want to accept my help or anyone's. No matter how many times I offered it."

The soft sorrow in his voice told Shinsuke he had offered many, many times.

"Eventually, she stopped going to work. And then, she stopped leaving her room. Until one morning…" He took a slightly shuddering breath. "Gure-san, the gentleman in the room below hers, came to complaining that Otae-san had left her shower running all night long. I knocked on her door and called out, but there was no answer. So I had to unlock it myself, and I found her on the floor…" He paused, his gaze becoming distant. Not unlike how Gintoki had been. "I was later told that…Tae-san had overdosed on a combination of Pheromone Suppressants, sleep aids and anti-depressants…so many bottles of pills…"

The young Alpha shuddered. He remembered Shimura mentioning that Omegas had to use a combination of medications just to live their daily lives.

"Shinpachi came to collect Otae-san's belongings perhaps three days afterwards," the man spoke gently. "He didn't say anything the whole time he put everything in boxes. He emptied the room from corner to corner, and left. I would not see him again until a full year later, when he took a room in the Omega House and soon started working at your school."

Shinsuke felt his shoulders fall under the weight of the man's sorrow as well as his story. He wasn't sure what words would suffice. He felt perhaps more lost than before he'd spoken to him. Why couldn't he find the right words?

His deep thoughts were rudely interrupted by the alarm on his phone. He was going to be late for his shift if he didn't go soon. "I'm sorry to leave you, but work is waiting."

"I understand," Shouyou nodded. "Gintoki will be here soon enough. Thank you for keeping me company."

"…Thank you, too," Shinsuke sighed. "For telling me. It'll give me something to think about. Stay well." As he walked away, Shinsuke suddenly stopped and turned back. He felt numb enough to ask one last question. "Excuse me if this is rude, but… Are you really an Omega?"

The collared man blinked in surprise at the question, but then smiled. It was kind and gentle, and maybe just a little mischievous.

"Can you guess my blood type?" He suddenly asked, to which the boy could only blink as the man settled in more comfortably on the cold bench. "Do all Omegas share a favorite color? Do they prefer a certain food or drink? Do Alphas? Do Betas?"

Shinsuke didn't have an answer. Did they? He'd never paid attention to that sort of thing. Maybe they did. Maybe they didn't. He knew he wasn't a typical Alpha. He couldn't say he'd ever seen Shimura scarf down sweets the same way Gintoki did. The way he could drink his favorite Black Black coffee bewildered Shinsuke to no end.

"Even if this society labels people as certain types, I don't think human beings are that simple. They can't be defined that easily…" Shouyou explained. "There are stereotypes that many live up to, mainly because they are given that as the only example to live. Most people don't know any differently or any better. Anyone who might deviate from the norm is usually considered a troublemaker or abnormal, and is immediately shunned and stamped down, so nothing ever changes. But that doesn't mean there aren't differences."

Shinsuke considered his own unhappiness, his own reckless behavior as an Alpha in comparison to others in his family or any he met on the street. He could never say, from day one, that he was like other Alphas.

"You didn't think Shinpachi-kun was an Omega, did you?"

"No," the boy didn't hesitate to answer. "I…I thought he was an Alpha."

Shouyou's smile became warm and kind and happy. "I'm not sure if he would feel proud or insulted if he was told that. But I thank you for it." He then gathered up his bags and bowed politely as he stood up. "Have a good day, Takasugi Shinsuke-kun. And good luck to you."

It wasn't until Shinsuke had turned the next corner that he realized Shouyou hadn't actually answered his question of his own designated rank at all.

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Working his time at the café, waiting tables and mopping the floor, Shinsuke was able to keep his hands busy while his thoughts turned over in his head.

The truth was, he didn't know the truth. About them being Soulmates. About Shimura's thoughts about his sister. Shinsuke was being unfair. He had been dragging his feet, making the man wait and worry.

It was late after he finished his shift, but there was at least one convenience store along the way that still had some hot meat buns, as well as a vending machine he was able to get a can of hot Black Black coffee alongside a tea. Afterwards, his feet couldn't get him to the Omega House fast enough.

Naturally, the gate was locked after a certain hour to keep the Omega inside safe. No other designation was allowed to enter even when it was unlocked; the only reason the young man had been allowed in and out without being arrested was because of Shimura and Shouyou.

Tracing the wall, Shinsuke spotted Shimura's window; still yellow with light. Taking a deep breath of icy air, the Alpha braced himself for every possible outcome before letting it back out in a cloud. Taking a small pebble off the ground, he tossed it at the Omega's window. He waited a moment, and when no response came, he tossed another. After it struck the glass, the curtain moved and Shimura appeared in the window.

Shinsuke was embarrassed that his heart actually skipped a beat at the sight of him, making his breath shudder. He quickly ignored it in favor of raising the bag of meat buns in one hand and the hot drinks in the other in offering.

The man stared a moment before dropping the curtain again.

The young Alpha waited, holding his breath for long intervals, uncertainty making him shiver more from worry than the actual cold. But the sound of a heavy gate opening and closing again, ease his worries, but set his heart pounding. Shimura came around the corner of the wall, his gloves and black, white fur-lined jacket secured to keep him warm.

Shinsuke decided he looked great in fur, and that he himself was becoming rather pathetic to have just that make his heart pound harder.

"Normally, I wouldn't condone this, but I'll let it slide on account that it isn't a school night," the teacher smirked. "There's a small park across the way. We can talk there."

The young man tried not to feel nervous about that. He didn't have to feel like he'd been exposed just because it was so obvious that he wanted to talk; why else would he show up so late at night to bother his teacher?

The park was small, just as Shimura said, and not particularly extravagant at all. Shinsuke pegged it as something the community threw together for the Omega House and any small children that might live there. Just the same, the swing set provided a stable place to sit and dig in the hot bag gratefully while waiting for the right words.

Several bites and drinks later, Shinsuke was still waiting, and so was Shimura. The latter came along to hear what his student wanted. He wouldn't start the conversation.

"I wanted to talk to you. About a couple things! But…" He sighed heavily into the night. "I'm…not sure how to put this delicately…"

"Takasugi Shinsuke-kun, trying to be delicate?" Shimura smiled that rare, but real smile that showed all his teeth. "I must mark this event in my diary!"

It was enough to make the boy smile back and give him some confidence. Taking another deep breath, fighting the butterflies in his chest, he spoke up. "I heard about what happened to your sister."

Amazingly, the man was not surprised. At all. He didn't even blink!

"I figured you would eventually," the Omega replied with a soft sigh. "The rumors or just the people that are constantly trying to say 'sorry' each and every day is enough to at least get someone curious."

Shinsuke felt a little relieved, though a little uncertain. What rumors? "I didn't know her. But I wasn't sure if you just didn't want to talk about it," the young man said, taking a sip of his drink. "But…I wanted to talk to you."

Shimura nodded in acceptance and appreciation. "I appreciate your concern and you wanting to talk, it makes me happy," he replied. "I dealt with the worst of it the first year, I think. Shouyou-sensei kept in constant contact with me while I grieved elsewhere, so I wasn't going through it entirely alone. I sorted myself out, thought things through, and eventually came back."

He noticed the young Alpha's careful stare, waiting to hear what the man wanted to say. Shimura looked abashed and grateful for his attention.

"Aneue stopped our video chats; even a phone call seemed too much for her after a while," the man finally went on. "I wasn't able to see how good or how bad she was doing after we dropped to texts and emails. You can say 'I'm Okay' when you're feeling absolutely terrible; you can type 'LoL' with tears in your eyes. Because once you reach a certain depth of pain, you start to think that it's too much trouble to ask for help from people anymore. You might think you're worthless not being able to fix something that hurts you so badly all on your own. But you're not!"

Shinsuke jumped a little at the sudden rise in volume.

"You're not worthless! And it's not stupid!" Shimura ranted. "I know it hurts! I know the things it makes you want to do! But...!" He seemed to deflate with the sigh he let out. "Asking for help doesn't make you weak…it just makes you human."

Shinsuke's chewing slowed to a stop. The young Alpha wondered what Shimura had experienced to know. Swallowing was harder than before, but he had to speak up. This was something he understood. This was something he knew.

"When I would escape the house to go fight, it wasn't because I liked to stir up trouble," he told his teacher, looking at his long-since healed knuckles. "More than anything, I just needed to feel something. I was always so numb, even if it was all the bones breaking in my hands, I was happy just to feel something cut through the muddled up mess inside. It was those moments that I honestly felt human."

This surprised Shimura. His big brown eyes widened at his student's words, which made the young man flush a little just to be the focus of those eyes. The man smiled, warm and kind. This only served to make Shinsuke all but bury himself in eating his meat bun to hide.

There was only a vague connection between what Shimura had said about his sister and what Shinsuke had said about himself. Maybe he didn't say it right. Maybe it was just stupid to try and say anything.

"I don't think Aneue meant to kill herself," Shimura-sensei suddenly told him. "She hated being an Omega, from the first moment she was designated. Some days, she would just pull inwards, determined to ignore the world even as she longed to be a part of it. Maybe…she was just so desperate to get some semblance of a normal life back, she couldn't see what she was doing to herself…"

Shinsuke sighed, nodded in understanding. "I wish…I could've met her."

"Me, too," the man smiled. "You two would've gotten along. I imagine more than a couple fights would've broken out and I'd have to come save you from her wrath." He laughed suddenly. "But she would've loved you, too…"

Both of them felt a new flush burn their cheeks at Shimura's words. The teacher realized somewhat belatedly that he had let something slip, but attempted to hide it while taking a drink of his coffee.

Shinsuke's tongue felt heavy in his mouth. His throat was dry and his pulse was racing, but he found his words. "Sh-Shimura…"

"Shimura-sensei," the man corrected yet again with a sigh. "Honestly, it's been almost a year, Takasugi-kun. When—"

"Shimura!"

The boy didn't mean to sound so desperate, but he needed to say this here and now. He couldn't help but feel that if he didn't, he would never get the chance again.

"The day we met… No, the first day you came to school to teach, I felt something," he swallowed. "Something about you cut right through the muddled up mess and set me off on a rampage. I was always angry, because I didn't want to admit that I was sad. Something about you, just your standing nearby, made me look at that part of myself. Even when I wanted to ignore it…I couldn't help but look at it after a while…"

His breathing was becoming tight, his eyes started to burn. He didn't know what expression the man was making, but didn't have the courage to raise his eyes and see.

"Looking at myself, I wanted to look at you and know more about you, because I wanted to be sure. But I just couldn't figure out a straight answer, even if everyone else seemed so certain, I just…" He swallowed. "What I wanted to know is… Are we…are you my S—"

"I am teacher, Takasugi-kun," the man cut in sharply. "Before anything else, I always consider everything in accordance with the morals and duties of an instructor. I want to be someone my students can have faith in. That being said, I have never allowed base instincts to interfere with my work or my life."

Shinsuke blinked, but bowed his head in acceptance of this well-known fact. Shimura had told him as much long ago.

"Whether or not something greater, spiritual or genetic, deemed we were meant to be more than student and teacher, I don't date students, Takasugi-kun," Shimura reminded him, sipping from his coffee can. "Graduate, then we'll have something to talk about."

Shinsuke's hopes were no sooner dashed than they were suddenly raised to new heights. His eyes widened and he gaped at Shimura, unable to find the words to respond. But the other did not meet his gaze, seemingly content to sip from his coffee

"There's a little left, want it?" The teacher shook the can in offering, as he always did.

Shinsuke made to refuse, as he always did, when he caught the sideways glance the man was giving him. It wasn't sharp with irritation or cold with disdain. It was careful, calm, and just a little bit eager. This time, Shinsuke accepted the can and took a sip.

While he grimaced at the bitter taste, he felt he'd done something very important. Somehow, that one last sip of coffee marked some great step that separated him and Shimura. But what was it? What was one sip from a can supposed to mean to anyone?

'…indirect kiss…' a distant memory echoed in his thoughts, and his face was suddenly so hot he didn't think he needed his scarf to stay warm.

Glancing at his teacher, Shinsuke was warmed further by the quiet and gentle smile on his lips. Lips that he very much wanted to touch. But so long as they were 'student and teacher', Shimura would not allow them to cross to line into the Soulmates or even 'life mates' they were supposed to be.

So for now…

"I…don't think I can finish this," Shinsuke mumbled, offering the remaining half of his last meat bun. "Would…you...?"

Maybe it was too embarrassing for him to ask, knowing the real meaning behind it. Or maybe he was scared of being wrong, or outright refused. He just couldn't say it.

But Shimura didn't demand any further explanation. Instead, he simply took the offered bun and bit into it without hesitation. Careful to sink his teeth into the same place Shinsuke had.

The two paused for a moment to exchange a glance. Shimura smiled, and Shinsuke couldn't help smiling back.

There, in the cold and dark winter's night, they sat together. Even after the food and drink were all finished, they sat together. Separated by a few inches and never touching so much as a fingertip. Just enjoying each other's company. Being happy together.

It felt good.

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"Congratulations!" Shimura smiled to the boys gathered around him, showing off their grades as they all walked down the hall together. "I knew you could do it!"

"I barely passed!" Sakamoto grinned proudly. "Gin and Zura already ran off to share the good news, but we should all go out and do something to celebrate!"

Shinsuke was only half listening as he stared at his report card. Winter break was starting soon. After that, graduation. After he graduated…

He couldn't help sighing a little happily at the possibilities that lay before him now. To think, this same time a year ago, he had wanted nothing more than to be left alone. Now, he wanted company. Close company. The best kind of company. It's why he didn't mind Sakamoto hanging off of him.

"Right, Takasugi?" The aforementioned Beta grinned. "Karaoke would be perfect! And sensei could come, too!"

"Oh, you might want to exclude me," the man laughed. "Bad idea."

"Do you not like karaoke?" The messy-haired pouted, even as he nudged Shinsuke to make sure he was paying attention.

"I love karaoke, but I know I'm terrible at it!" He chuckled, a pleasant chime to the Alpha's ears. "As much as I love to sing, I know everyone else hates it when I do. I couldn't carry a tune in a bucket."

"Karaoke isn't about sounding good; it's about sounding terrible together!" Sakamoto grinned between Shinsuke and the teacher. "I bet Shimura-sensei would fit in just fine with the rest of us!"

The man would have smiled broader at his praise, had another voice not cut through the air like ripping paper.

"Did someone say 'Shimura-sensei'? Disgusting!" A girl nearby groaned. "We're in our third year already! We're graduating soon! Why are people still talking about that bitch?"

Such vile words, spoken by such a sharp voice, made the boys and their teacher stop walking.

"You shouldn't say stuff like that," one of the other girls urged timidly. "After all…she…"

"The slut offed herself! It's her own fault!" The first girl snapped before spitting. "Oh, god! And I was in a good mood today, too! This sucks!"

Clearly, this is one of Shimura Tae's old class. One of the nastier ones.

Shinsuke couldn't see any shift of emotion in Shimura's face, and his eyes were hidden behind his hair and his glasses. But the boy just needed some small flicker of anger, some spark of disapproval, to turn back around and confront the girls for their words. He wouldn't hesitate to hit them if it eased Shimura's pain just a little bit. He just needed a sign that the man wanted him to.

Suddenly…

"Shimura-sensei!" Pirako came hopping up with a beaming smile. "Suzuran-sensei wanted me to pass you the copies you wanted, and to say thanks for all your hard work! I think…you should…" She trailed off, her smile replaced by confusion and concern at the tension on the boys' faces.

Shinsuke didn't blame the perky-voiced girl for not knowing, but he wished it could have happened somewhere else.

The reaction of that name being spoken was like the first drop in a storm. Everything went still. An odd chill that had nothing to do with the late winter outside rippled through the entire hall, drawing all eyes. There were more than a handful of Shimura Tae's old students in this hallway. The trio was practically surrounded.

"Shimura…sensei?"

Eyes on his back, the man slowly turned. Just enough to look back at them.

They all shivered and drew back.

"Her brother…" One of the girls trembled. "From the picture… You're her brother!"

Rather than answer, Shimura set his gaze back ahead and continued walking.

Shinsuke was so startled, he stumbled a bit in following him. Was the man really just going to leave them with not even a word? Not even an objection to what they said or did to his sister? Was he satisfied to leave it at that? The young man knew he wasn't. So why?

"Your sister was an Omega bitch!"

Disgusting words from an obnoxious voice made them stop again. Shinsuke glared at the same girl as before. She could be considered pretty; with smooth skin and long flowing hair, she looked almost like a fox. The Alpha wanted to break her nose.

"Honestly, she was so shameless! Coming to a place like this without being bonded or having a lifemate, she was desperate to stir up trouble!" She pressed on eagerly. "Or maybe she just liked to whore herself out to younger guys. Omegas are slippery, after all."

Shinsuke had no idea why she was so determined to keep talking. Anyone else would have shut their mouth and hoped no one looked their way. She seemed almost desperate to hear her own voice, for everyone to stop and see her.

Shimura finally turned around all the way, looking at her trembling, smiling form even as she grew tense. His face betrayed no emotion, his eyes expressed no thoughts. He simply stared at her, measured her evenly.

"Y-You-You wanted to get back at us, right?" The girl actually managed a smile, but her trembling didn't subside in the least. "Isn't that why you're here? You wanted to get back at us, but really you should thank us! We got that disgrace out of here!"

A couple of her friends hissed at her, desperate for her to stop, to not stir it up anymore. So it was only natural that they backed up when Shimura walked towards them. The entire hall shifted at his every step, everyone uncertain as he came to a halt before the girl. They had no more idea what Shimura was like than she did, but they didn't want trouble. Not from this, not now.

"You find Omegas so worthless?" He finally asked coolly, making everyone gathered before him shudder.

"Of course!" She scoffed. "You must have been so humiliated, having an Omega for a sister. Growing up with something like her. You should be relieved! You should be thanking us!"

No one else behind her seemed to share the sentiment.

Everyone, however, paled exponentially when Shimura reached up and drew his turtleneck down to reveal the collar beneath. Everyone drew back with a sharp gasp. More than a couple people dropped their things, or fell to their knees. The girl looked like her eyes were going to fall out of her head, even as she looked like she was fighting the urge to throw up.

"I came to this school because it was my sister's last occupation, it's true," the man said, the sound of his voice making them most of them jump. "I loved her, so it's only natural that I would want to keep some piece of her, some memory. But…no. Wanting to 'get back at you', or 'torment you'…never crossed my mind even once."

Even more than the sight of his collar, Shimura's words stunned everyone gathered in the hallway. Even Shinsuke and the others were at a loss for words.

"She is beyond caring, beyond pain," Shimura said. "I will always miss her, because I will always love her. But you, who took such pride and delight driving another human being to death, don't matter to me. Because, by giving any thought to you, even to rail against you in anger, would allow you to occupy a place in my thoughts that you don't deserve."

The girl's surprise gave way to outrage. She shivered under Shimura-sensei's cool gaze and icy words in fear and anger. Shivering easily turned to trembling. And like a ripple, it carved through the third years gathered in the hall behind her. All those who had once been Shimura Tae's students, all those who mocked and belittled her to suicide, were shaking.

"Did you feel justified? Day after day, tearing her down to make yourself feel taller?" He carried on. "Did you feel like you had won some game when she stopped coming to school? Did you feel that you had proven yourself her better when she killed herself?"

She couldn't answer.

"No. You felt threatened," the man said, the sound of his voice making her jump. "You, a Beta, whose lover's gaze wandered to an Omega, felt threatened. So you acted out, against an Omega you blamed for the actions of another. You insulted and belittled her and tore her feelings to shreds. Because it was easier to blame someone else for your insecurities. It was easier, more entertaining to treat someone else like they were nothing. Because they were an Omega."

Shinsuke gaped. This girl was the same once who started it all? She was the cause of Shimura Tae's suicide? Shimura knew that, and he had initially intended to just walk away?

"You and all those who joined you—" he glanced up and past the fox girl, "—in tormenting my sister had the mistaken idea that doing so would immortalize you in some way. But truthfully, everyone in the world hurts and destroys Omegas each and every day. What you did to her, you did out of spite and desperation, to leave some lasting impression on this world. That by tormenting her you might make the world remember you as something significant. It's easy to be cruel and selfish. It takes far more strength and courage to be kind… None of you possessed that strength."

Shinsuke's own breath came out in a shudder. It was so much like when Shimura had confronted his father and house. It meant just as much to hear him say this to this girl, to all these people.

"You will go through your lives, settling in your place in this world, as all people must," Shimura went on. "But ultimately, wherever you go, whatever you do…whether you forget what you did to her or remember it until the day you die…I don't care about you."

With that said, he was done.

He turned and walked back to where Shinsuke and Sakamoto stood waiting for him.

Shinsuke was eager to leave. Despite how composed the teacher looked, Shimura had to be filled with turmoil at finally meeting his sister's tormentor face to face. He wanted to get the man out of here and somewhere safe.

A sudden shriek made everyone turn. But Shinsuke yelled when felt a sudden and inexplicable pain in his arm, like someone cutting him with a sharp knife.

Only a second later, he realized Shimura was barely able to catch and hold the fox girl's hand at bay. Even as she struggled to strike him again with the exacto knife already covered in blood. His blood.

Shinsuke suddenly saw the crimson of life pouring down Shimura's arm, from the large gash the girl had made when she charged him with a shriek. She had tried to kill him.

With only that thought ringing in his head, Shinsuke bolted forward and punched the girl in the face so hard, she actually flew out of Shimura's hold. She hit the nearest wall before crumpling to the floor, blood flowing freely from her broken nose.

The young Alpha might have been mildly amused that he'd been given the chance to follow through with his earlier desire, but Shimura was far more important.

"Shimura!" Even as the teacher clamped his handkerchief over most of the wound to stall the bleeding, the man looked relatively calm. Which served to reassure and infuriate Shinsuke. "Dammit! Somebody get some bandages! Call the police! Do something, you morons!"

Everyone was scrambling around the hall, frantic to escape or follow through with the Alpha's orders.

In the meantime, Shinsuke took a careful look at the injury, relieved that the blade had missed his major artery. Just looking at it made him feel a sympathetic pain for the teacher.

No, he had felt it. A real pain. Like it was his very own, ripping through his arm without any blood or wound to show for it on his own person. Just like…

…just like the stories talked about, Soulmates sharing severe pain with each other.

'Shimura is my Soulmate.'

Shinsuke could privately admit that he was felt a shock—deeper than the pain he shared moments ago—down to his core when Shimura actually reached across the space between them and took his smaller, rougher hand in his own. It was the first time they had ever touched skin to skin. Shinsuke wasn't sure if his hand went numb or was overwhelmed with sensation at the initial brush of fingertips, but despite the pain and blood, he felt an untouched rush of happiness and completion fill him.

Shimura must have felt it, too, because tears rose to his brown orbs, leaving him looking worn but somehow content. Taking off his glasses, he wiped his face on his sleeve, all without letting go of Shinsuke's hand. "Thank you…"

It didn't seem right to return that with a 'You're welcome'. Those words just felt too cheap for the magnitude of what he felt between them at this moment. Saying nothing, Shinsuke sat down beside him, not too close and not too far away, and just gripped his hand tighter while letting his gaze wander to the windows and heavy clouds gathering to the west.

"It looks like it might rain," the boy offered.

Shimura followed his eyes to the same clouds and actually smiled. "I love when it rains," he replied. "And afterwards, the sky is clean blue."

Shinsuke nodded. It was just a normal thing to say. People talking about the weather all the time. Somehow, it was so important that neither one made any moves to leave the other.

Another comforting grip between fingers. "I hope it pours tomorrow."

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The next day it rained.

That girl, sporting a broken nose and looking far less beautiful countenance, came to school accompanied by her father. He confronted Principal Hinowa, Tsukyo and Shimura about the incident, immediately hurling the blame at the Home Economics teacher.

After all, he was an Omega. Clearly, Shimura's pheromones had affected the man's poor little girl, driving her to act irrationally. Then, another victim of the Omega's scent, and Alpha, had come around and attacked her. It made perfect sense that she was not at fault, and that the man needed to be thrown out.

Because his dispute was strictly based around Shimura's being an Omega, the man immediately lost his argument when Hinowa politely showed him the collar around her own throat. The fact that there were several witnesses to the incident, including the girl's own class, very little was able to go in the man's favor.

When Shimura returned to his classroom, with the news he would be remaining with the school until further notice, all the students cheered and bowed to him.

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When the school was released for winter break, Shinsuke spent more time with his friends at Shimura's insistence.

"I am still your teacher, Takasugi-kun," the man reminded him. "I want to be your teacher for a little longer, so play with the others before worrying about me."

Shinsuke still worried. But he gladly accepted the texts and emails he shared with Shimura over the cold season.

He didn't tell anyone about his one trip to a certain jewelry store, but had the sense that Bansai knew anyway and told the others. They kept grinning at him stupidly, but no one dared to say anything that would get them punched.

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On the day of graduation, the sky was sunny and clean blue. The wind was gentle on the blooming cherry trees as well as the flowing clouds overhead. It honestly felt like a blessing.

The container holding Shinsuke's diploma wasn't heavy. The smooth surface of the tube was oddly comforting. He never really expected to make it that far, to be honestly proud of himself for having done that much.

But as the entire school could be heard cheering, crying and celebrating outside, his thoughts were on one person. He let his feet take him to wherever Shimura was supposed to be.

The Home Economics classroom door was partially open. Shinsuke found him sitting atop the desk closest to the row of windows, looking out across the schoolyard. The sunlight, blue sky and blooming cherry blossoms past the teacher made for a pretty picture.

Shinsuke was tickled to find Shimura was as tone deaf as he had promised.

"Shimura!" He knocked as he pushed the door open the rest of the way to enter. "Thanks for everything!"

"Call me—"

"Never have, never will," the young Alpha grinned, tapping his diploma against his shoulder idly. "I've graduated, so I'm not your student anymore, anyway."

The man smiled, his face glowing with his happiness. "That's true. I can't complain anymore, can I?" Not that he had actually put it into words, Shimura reached out for the graduate's hand and gave him a gentle squeeze. "I'm proud of you, Shinsuke."

Hearing his name, once again holding his hand, the young Alpha didn't know if he could make his Omega as happy as he was in that moment. But he want to try.

Shinsuke dropped to one knee before of them knew it. Having gone that far, he pulled the ring box he'd been carrying since December from his pocket.

"Will you marry me?"

Shimura's face lit up with a blush to rival all those to ever come before. Then he laughed. Actually laughed. His hands holding his stomach as he struggled to holding it in and failing in the worst way possible. "You're certainly something, Shinsuke! Proposing before you even ask me on a first date!"

Shinsuke blushed, but held strong. "We've practically been dating!" He insisted. "All those lunches and dinners and study sessions, we were always—"

He cut off as the man finally broke out laughing. He might have been angry, Shimura's face was glowing with happiness as he slid off the desk to kneel before Shinsuke. "What sort of home do you want?"

So happy, he thought he might burst, Shinsuke didn't hesitate to answer. "I don't like living in the city. I'd rather find someplace in the mountains or near the sea. It doesn't have to be big! Just…just enough for the two of us…"

"I think big enough for three or four would be better," Shimura chimed in. "Maybe five; no harm in being a little prepared."

'Four or five, four or five, four or five…'

Shinsuke felt a little faint, but not ill. "Do you want a big family?"

"Not necessarily," the man smiled. "Just enough to no one to feel lonely. To get on each other's nerves and love each other so much, we're all sick of each other.

That sounded nice. Shinsuke liked that.

Taking the ring out of the box, he presented it to the man—offering, not insisting—before Shimura held out his left hand. The ring was just a little bit too big; Shinsuke wanted to die of embarrassment. But Shimura was pleased with it, clenching his fist and refusing to let his Alpha take it back off.

"It's perfect," he told him. "Thank you."

Without hesitation, Shimura leaned forward, catching Shinsuke's lips with his own. It was a soft touch of lips, nothing aggressive or intrusive, yet a surge of warmth and happiness, unlike the young man had ever know, flooded him from his fingertips down to his toes.

Shimura drew back just enough to break the kiss, instead bumping their foreheads together.

Shinsuke wracked his brain for what he was supposed to do now, but nothing came to him. He would have been happy sitting on that floor, watching the sky change colors for days if it meant staying with Shimura…

No.

Not Shimura.

"Shinpachi…"

The man jumped at his name, never spoken by the Alpha before.

"I love you, Shinpachi…" His face burned as the words he had been looking for flowed freely out his mouth. "I love you."

The teacher's smile actually became brighter. "I love you, too, Shinsuke."

= : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : = : =

Down to the wire, yikes! I'm sorry for posting this late! I hope I haven't failed monumentally.

If anyone has any idea or prompts for next years update, feel free to leave a review or PM with suggestions.

THANKS AGAIN!