Chapter Text
Life could be so dull.
Sure, Mahito was a famous artist, rich, could pretty much get anything he wanted. But at the same time, life as a whole was just, well, dull. The only saving grace was that he was creative enough to always be finding new and exciting ways to liven things up. Mahito was sure he would’ve died of boredom by now if he didn’t.
Art had been the first thing he’d turned to, back when he’d been capable of being satisfied by smaller-scale things. And while he had really only gone into it at first to bring some of that much-craved excitement into his life, as luck would have it, his unique materials and methods had quickly propelled him into elite status. Before Mahito had known it, he was a millionaire, and all at the tender age of fifteen.
From there came exhibitions, socializing, networking, fancy parties, and then even more money. By the time Mahito was nineteen, he’d become a billionaire, able to get whatever he wanted whenever he wanted it.
A penthouse, professional cooks and cleaners, a huge studio, nice furniture, and plenty of entertainment. He’d even paid to have a gigantic pool with a bunch of water slides installed at his apartment complex, because why not?
Except… okay, maybe saying he could buy whatever he wanted was a bit of an exaggeration. Because, as he’d found out through the endless art shows and networking, no matter how rich or successful or talented people got, they were still just so horribly dull.
Everyone was the same, all of them just living according to their assigned stations in life. The wealthy, the famous, the alphas, the men, and the full-blooded Japanese were at the top; the middle class, the mainstream, the betas, the women, and the mixed-race Japanese in the middle; and the poor, the unknowns, the omegas, the gender-queer, and the immigrants at the bottom. And when those people weren’t living the lives that had been chosen for them, they were desperately trying to claw up to a higher station—trying to become rich, famous, hiding their omega or mixed-blood status, whatever they could do to be “better.”
Most never made it to that “better” place, but those lucky few that did would just… sit back and conform to their new station, as if they had always belonged there.
And sure, maybe Mahito could be accused of the same, but he’d only gained money as a side effect of his art-making, not because he’d been trying to become rich and famous. All he’d done was take what was given to him because why not? In his ever-growing effort to make life less dull, he’d given himself a quest to find at least one person who wasn’t completely uninteresting. And if the fame allowed him to meet more people to potentially fulfill this quest, and if the money also helped him branch out his art more, then why not accept the change?
Unfortunately, even after how much networking and people-watching he’d done, Mahito had not found anyone besides himself that was truly interesting. All the rest were looking for status and conformity, while he was looking for fun, self-expression, and… someone else to bring into his life that wasn’t just so damn dull.
That was why Mahito kept doing art shows and fancy parties. It gave him a chance to examine people, to figure out what made them tick and try to see if anyone caught his eye. He wasn’t looking for a mate, exactly. No, Mahito was not someone who felt the need to find one just because it was expected of him as an alpha to take an omega. Truth be told, he wasn’t even really looking for a comrade. More than anything, he just wanted someone to entertain him, someone he could study, maybe make art of, someone who could inspire him.
So far he had basically come up empty.
Sure, there were plenty of beautiful people he found to use for his art, but they were nothing besides visual inspiration. What Mahito was really looking for was mental and emotional inspiration.
Who would’ve guessed that that inspiration would come to him in a convenience store of all places.
— — —
It was a crisp Saturday afternoon, the fall weather proclaiming the beginning of coat season. Young children were crunching leaves on the sidewalk, couples were buying chestnut-flavored desserts and roasted sweet potatoes, and college students were shopping for Halloween costumes.
They were all just so boring.
Everyone fell into their roles like it was nothing, wearing the same fashion as everyone else, doing the same fall activities, alphas walking with straightened shoulders and upturned chins, betas laughing and having casual conversations (so much less aware of the world compared to their strong-nosed counterparts), and omegas keeping out of people’s ways with their shoulders hunched and heads lowered.
Despite his wealth, Mahito usually ran his own errands. He liked to use them to people-watch. But he was getting so tired of these carbon-copied sheep that it almost didn’t seem worth it anymore. Lately even his visual inspiration had felt lacking, let alone the mental or emotional inspiration he craved.
With a sigh, he walked into a Family Mart. All he needed was some disinfecting wipes, so he went straight for the aisle with toiletries and other essentials.
The clack of an item falling to the floor drew his attention before he’d had a chance to even glance at the other person standing in the aisle. Normally someone dropping something inside a shop would not be at all interesting, but Mahito's eyes were subconsciously drawn to the item regardless.
It was a scent-blocking nasal inhaler. They were used by alphas to keep themselves from going into rut when they smelled an omega in heat. Most of the more conscientious alphas always carried one on them. That way, on the off chance an omega went into an unexpected heat around them, all they needed to do was spray the inhaler into each nostril and they would be incapable of smelling anything for a good hour.
Alright, so still not incredibly interesting. But what did catch Mahito's interest was the reaction of the man who dropped it.
As soon as it hit the floor, the tall, sturdily-built blond was scrambling to pick it up, nearly letting his other items topple out of his shopping basket.
Now why would that be something he would need to hide? Most people applauded alphas that carried nasal inhalers on them. Mahito even carried one on him himself (though he didn't particularly care if he traumatized some unprepared omega that hadn't calculated the day of their heat correctly; he just didn't like losing control of himself unless he was choosing to do so).
His nostrils flared, and that was when it hit him. This man did not have an alpha scent—he didn't have any scent at all.
In other words, a beta.
So then was he purchasing the nasal inhaler for an alpha he knew? But if that was the case, why was he so eager to hide it? The only explanation Mahito could think of was that the man was getting it for an alpha partner; betas having relationships with non-betas was slightly frowned upon.
How boring, being so eager to fit in that he couldn't even let people find out he was partnered with a non-beta.
Unless...
Unless, there was the possibility that this man was not actually a beta. What if he was an alpha using scent-blocking cream on his glands? But what alpha in their right mind would rather be a beta in public? He would intentionally be giving his social status a downgrade.
Now that would be interesting.
The man scooped the item up off the floor and quickly put it into his basket, moving a package of disposable masks on top of it.
Mahito used that moment to take him in. He was indeed tall, probably around 180 centimeters. Not only that, but he was large, muscular with a sturdy build. While at a glance he looked like he might be a foreigner, considering his large stature and blond hair, on closer inspection the man’s eyes were definitely east Asian. Although his face was still broad and chiseled, unlike the rounder faces that were common among the Japanese.
So he was likely mixed-race then? That would make it even stranger for him to willingly give up his alpha status.
The man didn't bother to look in Mahito's direction, instead turning away and heading out the opposite side of the aisle.
That was probably for the best. Because Mahito had every intention of following this man around for a while and learning more about him. He wasn't quite ready to have his face recognized yet.
— — —
It wasn't long before Mahito was smitten.
This was by far the most interesting person he had ever observed. His name was Nanami Kento. From what Mahito had learned so far, he was indeed mixed-raced, possessing one Danish grandparent, but otherwise having been born and raised in Japan up until junior high. At that point, Nanami had gone and lived with his grandparents in Denmark, before coming back to Japan for high school.
Even more interesting, this man was indeed an alpha. Mahito had paid for an in-depth background check on him, and while it hadn’t given him answers on why this alpha was pretending to be a beta, it had, perhaps just as importantly, helped Mahito learn other details about Nanami.
The man was honestly so fascinating that at this point Mahito would take whatever he could get. This was the most alive he had felt in ages.
Every little bit of information, even the mundane things, just seemed so exciting. Nanami was twenty-seven, born and raised in Meguro Ward in Tokyo, graduated with a business degree under relatively high honors from Tokyo Institute of Technology, and had been working as a salary man for a prestigious investment firm ever since.
Those were the major points of the background check, but of course Mahito had gotten his own hands dirty learning about Nanami too. He'd followed him all around town, observed his apartment and work place (he’d of course planted cameras and bugs in both), plus the shops and restaurants he frequented. From watching him through bakery windows to sitting in dark corners at bars and restaurants, Mahito was always there, wearing various wigs and always using makeup to cover up his tattoos.
You see, Mahito was quite unique-looking himself. He kept his hair dyed a light blueish-gray color while also keeping it long, something uncommon for men, particularly alphas. He also had tattoos of stitch marks all over his body, including his face. He’d adopted these unique features as a means of embracing his natural defects: Since he'd begun going gray in his teens, he’d decided to dye all of his hair gray at once and grown it out, so he could show it off. Apart from that, he had heterochromia, one gray eye and one blue. Mahito liked the aesthetic of this, almost as if he had parts of two different faces stitched together. So to accentuate this, he’d first gotten the stitch marks tattooed to his face, to separate it into sections. From there, he'd decided he liked the tattoos enough to add them to the rest of his body.
And so Mahito had relied on wigs and makeup to hide his stand-out features. At least the heterochromia was subtle enough not to be noticeable from far away.
Through his observations, it wasn’t long before he’d learned that Nanami had quite the taste for bread. The man would often stop at various bakeries during his lunch breaks or other free moments. He also seemed to enjoy alcohol, almost as much as much as bread: It wasn't uncommon for him to stop at a liquor shops either, and on most of the nights that he was not staying late at the office, he would go out to izakaya with his coworkers, always drinking everyone else under the table.
Beyond his culinary tastes, Nanami would also stop at the gym nearly every morning, maintaining a pretty robust workout routine. Based on what Mahito had learned of him so far, he had a feeling that the man was more interested in keeping off the pounds from all of the bread and alcohol he consumed than in building muscle, but that didn't stop the muscle from building up regardless.
When he was at home, Nanami would spend most of his time cooking, cleaning, reading, and sleeping. He seemed to have very little time to relax, spending most of his time at work.
On the surface, it almost seemed like Nanami was exactly the type of person Mahito had no interest in: someone who worked hard to conform to his role in life and earn the respect of his peers.
But what made Nanami more interesting was how much he seemed to completely loathe this song and dance. Every time Mahito was able to get a closer look at him at work or out with coworkers, the guy looked miserable, like he was barely keeping it together. He only seemed to truly be content when he was alone in his apartment.
It was almost like Nanami was longing to be rid of his social restraints. Now all he needed was someone to help break him free.
At present it was a Saturday evening. Mahito had heard Nanami telling his coworkers that he was taking Sunday off. A rare occurrence. Apparently he had fallen behind enough on errands and other non-work responsibilities that a day off had become necessary.
Mahito had been following Nanami for a little over four months now, and he was finally at the point where he felt it was time. At this point he was completely convinced that Nanami was the most interesting person in the world, and watch him without interaction just did not feel like enough anymore. He needed more from him, to meet him, to talk to him, to touch him, to free him from his bindings. Not to mention Mahito was still desperate to know why he was pretending to be a beta in the first place.
This Sunday would be the perfect opportunity.
— — —
"Excuse me, do you need someone to spot you?" Mahito was himself now, finally, standing before Nanami in all of his gray-haired tattooed glory.
They were at Nanami’s gym.
Mahito smiled warmly as he approached his target. He'd joined the gym weeks ago (and thankfully it did not have any policies against tattoos), but had always avoided getting near Nanami while he watched him work out.
Currently the older man was standing next to the bench press, glancing around the gym. He normally did not use the bench press at all, always just going up to it, looking around to see if there was an employee, or occasionally another gym member, that would offer to help, before giving in and moving on to something else. It was cute how shy he could be in comparison to his often stern demeanor. Nanami would never just outright ask someone for help.
That was where Mahito came in. "I saw you eyeing the bench press."
"Ah, yes, I would greatly appreciate that." Nanami bowed his head down, "If you would like, I could also spot you after."
"That'd be great. It's nice to meet you." Mahito bowed his head back, "My name is Mahito. I just joined this gym."
Kento tilted his head slightly, "Just Mahito... San?" He pursed his lips, eyes moving over Mahito's face and hair. It seemed he’d only just fully noticed them.
"Yeah, I've abandoned my family name." Mahito said this as if it were the most normal thing in the world. And why shouldn’t it be? He had no respect for his parents, and he was rich and famous enough that he only needed to be known by the name he’d chosen for himself. He moved to help Nanami get set up at the bench press.
"I see..." Nanami cleared his throat, "But yes, it is nice to meet you. I hope you enjoy the gym. My name is Nanami Kento." He moved to get set up too.
Mahito watched Nanami lay down on the bench, "Oh, I'm sure I will. Do you come here most mornings at this time?" He waited on helping get the barbell out of the locked position, wanting to finish the conversation first.
"I do." Nanami replied, "Not every day, but most."
"I can really see it in your physique." Mahito purred, letting his eyes trail over Nanami's body. Just for a couple of seconds. He had never gotten to see him this close before after all.
And to his surprise, Nanami blushed a bit. "Er, thank you."
Oh, that was adorable. The man always seemed so stoic, that that was not something Mahito had been expecting to see so easily.
He continued, "Don't mention it. I definitely wanna start working out more, so I'm gonna try to be here every morning too. I honestly wouldn't mind a workout buddy, or at least someone to trade off spotting with." He squinted his eyes, a sweet smile plastering itself across his face.
There was some hesitation on Nanami's part though, eyes darting down, mouth opening for a moment, then closing again. That independent streak of his coming out. That desire to be alone when he wasn't having to deal with coworkers or clients.
But Mahito knew. Mahito knew that deep down he was desperate for companionship. He avoided it for whatever reason, but Mahito could see that desire when Nanami got drunk and became friendlier than usual. When he went out of his way to help a junior worker with a difficult project. When his eyes lingered on lovers in the street and groups of friends sitting together at the park. When he cooked too much food for one person and would stare at it and sigh before putting it away. Mahito knew.
"I... suppose if we both happen to be at the gym at the same time." Nanami finally said.
Mahito wondered to himself then if Nanami would start changing the time he came to the gym in order to avoid him. But it was easy enough for Mahito to "happen to come by" at a different time as well. Nanami wouldn't get away that easily.
He smiled wider. "Wonderful! I'm excited, I've never had a gym buddy before." He was finally helping Nanami move the weight out of the locked position.
The two were quiet for a while after that, Nanami doing his reps, eventually switching places with Mahito so he could do the same. Once they had finished and were cleaning the bench press though, Mahito decided to bring back the conversation. "You really are so strong. I couldn't believe how many reps you could do at that weight."
"Ah, thank you... it just took many years of building up to that." Kento was staring hard at the bench as he wiped down the top of it.
"I'll need to work hard then." Mahito hummed, finishing up with the barbell.
In truth he’d had every intention of asking Nanami his plans after the gym, of saying he had nothing to do so could help him with errands and such. But the older man was acting so reserved, so unsure about this new gym buddies thing, that Mahito was starting to worry he’d scare him off. So instead he decided to hold himself back for a while. Not just from joining Nanami on the rest of his errands for the day, but even from opening the conversation beyond small talk.
Perhaps he’d been too optimistic, too eager. After all, from Nanami's perspective they had just met. Mahito was nothing but a stranger.
Well no matter, they could build up to more in-depth conversation after a few more gym sessions, and progress to hanging out from there.
And so, as difficult as it was, Mahito kept the conversation light for the rest of the workout, before politely bidding Nanami goodbye at the end of it.
He had already been so patient getting to know Nanami. What was a little longer?