Thread by @erisabesu3

#atsuhina omegaverse, sfw

hinata is a beta with a wide range of skills in his repertoire. he can do everything pretty well and lands a gig with an agency that supplies temporary workers to companies to cover the span of days one of their employees is on leave for their heat/rut.

hinata's job is to smoothly fill in the gaps, and he's very, very good at it.

personal assistant out on heat leave? no problem! hinata will field your phone calls and manage your schedule like a champ, all while brewing the best coffee you've ever tasted in your life.

construction worker out for his rut? no problem! hinata shouyou's well versed in mixing, pouring, and polishing concrete, and has all the muscles to prove it.

what about animal grooming? tennis instructor? backup singer? waiter? valet?

hinata shouyou can do it /all/. in fact,

he's the second-highest rated temp employee at his agency every month.

why not the first?

well... there also happens to be this little thing called the "shouyou effect."

he doesn't /mean/ for it to happen, honestly. it's not something he can really control either.

it's just.../sometimes/ when he's on a job, he does so well fitting in and picking up the slack that someone else in the office falls for him and goes into heat! or rut! and then another temp has to be called in to cover /that/ person's work and it's an added cost to the company.

his work is so top notch that his services are in high demand, but the agency's clients also have to consider the "shouyou effect" and its potential impact to their operations. sometimes they choose to go with another temp rather than take the risk.

who can blame them? there was one time hinata filled in for a police dispatcher out on rut leave, and by the end of the week three more officers, two detectives, and the chief were so enamored by his presence they all went into rut too. the station was in /shambles/!

why hinata - a /beta/ - has this unexplained affect on some people is a mystery yet to be solved.

every time hinata gets passed over for a temp job it shows up in his agency's performance statistics and he hates it. he does good work - he should be in first place!

when he happens to get assigned to work at onigiri miya, he whoops in excitement - he loves that place! it's always super packed so he usually picks up a to-go order after his workouts a few times a week. he can't believe his luck - he's going to eat so much good food!

on his first shift, hinata reports for duty fifteen minutes early and the employee at the register sends him through to the kitchen to find some guy named atsumu.

atsumu, it turns out, is a tall, blond, gorgeous dream of a man. hinata's skin prickles all over at first sight.

atsumu also turns out to be the twin brother of the owner, who is out on rut leave. the twins run the restaurant together, osamu in the back of house and atsumu in the front of house, but with osamu out on leave, atsumu will need to shift his focus to manage the kitchens.

hinata's job, therefore, is to run the service floor and oversee hospitality, ensuring staff are performing like a well-tuned orchestra and every customer experience is exceptional.

no problem! hinata has lots of experience and will make sure onigiri miya continues to run well.

the first days go exceedingly well. hinata quickly assesses the positioning and flow of the restaurant's service points and personnel and manages the staff and customers flawlessly.

he's also having fun - the constant stream of people all enjoying their food gives him

a satisfaction he's never felt before. it also doesn't hurt that he gets along splendidly with atsumu, and secretly hopes they can continue to associate after the owner comes back. maybe even become friends? atsumu's so fun he can't stop smiling like an idiot around him.

on the third day, things take a turn. atsumu spends a lot more time holed up in the kitchen, his brows furrowed for most of the day. after closing up, hinata tries to see what's wrong and offer any help, but atsumu snaps at him. it's so out of character hinata isn't sure

how to react. atsumu tries to storm past him, but his legs are unsteady and he collapses right there on the kitchen floor.

hinata rushes to his side, shocked to find him feverish and shaking. he pulls atsumu into his arms and takes off his cap, worried at how much he's sweating.

when atsumu instinctively burrows into his chest and nuzzles into all the scents clinging to hinata's uniform from the day's work, panting heavily and whining, hinata finally figures out what's going on - atsumu's in /heat/.

oh no, no, no. /crap!/ not again!

this is the worst!

but then, why does hinata also feel a little bit... /pleased?/

Hinata tries to help Atsumu to sit up from his lap, but Atsumu clings even harder, hands clenched in the back of Hinata's shirt and knees bent behind Hinata's hips so he can't retreat. If Atsumu had fox ears they'd be flattened in distress.

Hinata strokes through Atsumu's damp hair and pats his shoulder, trying to reassure him. He spots Atsumu's phone in his back pocket and checks the homescreen for an emergency contact on speed dial, finding the name Suna Rintarou and the beta symbol.

A flicker of irritation passes across Hinata's features, curling his upper lip.

If this is the person Atsumu relies on for his heats, Hinata should call him right away… but the idea turns his mouth sour.

There's no other option - he has to help Atsumu - so he swallows down his personal feelings and dials the number. He rubs Atsumu's shoulders and back soothingly while it rings and rings.

The call rolls to voicemail. Hinata leaves a quick message to explain the situation,

saying it's urgent and to call back asap. When there's no callback after 10 minutes he knows he has to figure out a plan B.

Best case scenario, he can slip away from Atsumu long enough to check his locker or the owner's office for suppressants. Once they kick in, Atsumu can

tell him who else to call for assistance while his brother is out of commission and unavailable to act on his behalf.

Getting Atsumu to loosen his grip, even for a minute, proves to be /impossible/.

Hinata's lips press together. This isn't working! He's also unable to get the

leverage to pick Atsumu up in his arms, which is frustrating. He's got the strength to do it, but with Atsumu's bulk pinning his legs he's going to be stuck there for a while. Trying to get up only distresses Atsumu more - he's really going through it, needing body contact and

comfort and intimacy but Hinata can NOT give Atsumu that without consent, and Atsumu's in no condition to make that decision currently.

The only thing Hinata can think of is to borrow Atsumu's thumb to unlock his phone and find the number for the restaurant's shift lead, Yoshi.

Yoshi's also a beta, and he's worked at the restaurant for years so Hinata's pretty sure he can help.

Atsumu resists the process of unlocking his phone, but Hinata's able to get access just long enough to make the call. Yoshi picks up right away - when Hinata explains, Yoshi

agrees to come over to the shop with heat supplies right away. Hinata hangs up, sighing in relief.

Atsumu whines, nuzzling closer, so hot to the touch it's worrying. Hinata tucks his blond head under his chin, holding Atsumu's trembling body in the circle of his arms.

As they wait, Hinata promises Atsumu over and over that everything will be okay, that he'll take good care of him and he'll feel better very soon.

tbc! more asap after i sleep <333

Soon, Hinata hears someone unlocking the restaurant's front entrance gate and crossing the dining floor in a hurry. Yoshi pushes through the kitchen's swinging doors and stops short—eyes wide.

Hinata looks up and beckons him closer, thanking him for coming so quickly and explaining that it's been over 30 mins since Atsumu collapsed. Yoshi kicks into gear, coming over with a grocery sack of supplies and a first aid kit.

Inside the kit there are tablet suppressants as well as a shot, which Yoshi administers into Atsumu’s shoulder while Hinata holds Atsumu tight. Atsumu struggles and whines, but Hinata can tell the shot's relieving some of the pain he's been enduring.

Atsumu’s shoulders slowly relax down from his neck, brows smoothing incrementally. Hinata pushes Atsumu's hair back and Yoshi sticks on a cooling pad. Atsumu lets out a long sigh, tears forming in the corners of his eyes.

He's not yet willing to uncurl from Hinata, but Hinata and Yoshi exchange a relieved look that he's visibly more comfortable. Betas may not have personal experience with the struggles brought on by heats/ruts, but anyone can tell that going into heat so suddenly is awful at best

and excruciating at worst. Hinata traces a fingertip over Atsumu’s brow, carding fingers through Atsumu’s hair, his stomach roiling with guilt.

Atsumu didn't do anything to deserve suffering like this. It’s all his fault. He /knows/ better than to show anyone special attention

when he’s on a job, but he just…/likes/ Atsumu so much. He likes being Atsumu’s partner to run the shop and they were so in sync he just couldn’t hold back.

Yoshi goes to the office to check for instructions in case of emergencies like this, while Hinata holds a bottle of water

for Atsumu to sip from, hoping if they can get through this, somehow they can find a way to remain friends, at the very least.

Yoshi returns with a go-bag, Atsumu’s medical ID and registration card for the prefecture’s respite suites secured to the handles with luggage tags.

Yoshi mentions that there’s a respite suite not too far from the restaurant. Hinata nods, agreeing that getting Atsumu there as soon as possible is the best course. He gently feeds Atsumu small bites of a protein bar from Yoshi’s grocery sack, glad that Atsumu has nearby access

to a respite suite, where alphas or omegas can seek safe refuge in monitored isolation with all the supplies they need to get through their heat/rut alone, or with a mate/heat buddy to stay with them for the duration.

Hinata finds his teeth clenching again, irritated to think

this Suna Rintarou person might fall into the latter category and be allowed to give Atsumu what he truly needs right now—/relief/.

After consuming half the protein bar and a full water bottle, Atsumu’s able to sit up on his own, still flushed and woozy but looking more alert.

Atsumu runs hands through his hair and pulls on the neck of his apron and his uniform shirt where he’s still sweaty and uncomfortable.

Hinata kneels in front of him, asking him how he feels and checking the grocery bag for more snacks to offer. Atsumu waves this off and starts

levering himself to a standing position. Hinata and Yoshi help steady him to his feet.

Suddenly there’s a noise in the dining hall.

Hinata startles, but Yoshi seems to be expecting someone else to come to the restaurant. The kitchen doors swing open as a tall, athletic guy

in sleeveless workout gear comes through, hair parted in the center above striking green eyes. His blank, bored expression doesn’t change despite how thick the omega pheromones in the room must be, revealing him to be a beta. Yoshi greets the newcomer--Suna--who he called on

his way over. Apparently he goes way back with the twins and all the staff at Onigiri Miya were told that if anything should happen to the Owner or the Manager, standard procedure would be to call Suna who would know what to do.

Hinata opens his mouth to question this “procedure” and quiz this guy who showed up with all his /tallness/ and his /muscles/ about his true intentions when to his dismay, Atsumu pushes him away and reaches for “Rin-Rin,” fingers outstretched.

Suna snorts. He takes out his phone

and tells Atsumu they can go as soon as he’s out of his nasty-dirty uniform. The recording light on his phone turns on while Atsumu grapples with his apron, too heat-addled to get the ties undone.

Hinata can’t stand to hear Atsumu whining in frustration and steps in,

shooting Suna a scathing look. Suna snorts again.

Hinata quickly helps Atsumu out of his apron while Yoshi holds him upright. Atsumu starts trying to squirm out of his shirt too. Hinata bites his lip, figuring Atsumu will be more comfortable and cool without the shirt, and he

isn’t likely to get chilled in the balmy summer evening air either. He peels the shirt from Atsumu’s sticky skin, schooling himself not to react

or let his gaze linger in the process. Atsumu’s incredibly beautiful and appealing, even like this, fighting his instincts.

Suna picks up the go-bag and takes out a clean tank top—Hinata swipes it from his hand, baring his teeth. He helps Atsumu put the light garment on, glad he’ll be somewhat decent when they can get him out of the restaurant. When he’s redressed, Atsumu reaches again for “Rin-Rin.”

This time Suna steps right in Hinata’s space, forcing him out of the way. Hinata stumbles backward. Suna smirks over his shoulder as he maneuvers Atsumu onto his back, carrying him like a sick child. He picks up the go-bag and salutes to Yoshi, passing through the kitchen doors.

Once they’re gone, Hinata’s heart squeezes tight in his chest. He knows it's not his place to interfere any further, despite every particle in his body wanting to charge into the night after Atsumu and claim him as his mate--wait.

/Shit./

What the hell is wrong with him?

tbc! thanks for your patience. 💖💖💖

A hush falls over the restaurant. Hinata clenches his teeth, fists at his sides. He picks up Atsumu’s uniform and apron from the counter and squeezes it in his hands, worried sick about Atsumu leaving with that jerkwad douche who’s /clearly/ not capable of treating him right—

Yoshi interrupts his thoughts, passing by to get to the utility closet. Hinata hears the clatter of the mop bucket and the rush of water filling it. Belatedly, Hinata realizes that with Atsumu’s medical situation, the last steps in the closing process weren’t completed.

Hinata puts Atsumu’s uniform with the tablecloths and other restaurant items to be laundered and zips around the kitchen getting everything organized for the next day, while Yoshi sanitizes and mops the floors. When they’re done they move through the dining area into the office.

Yoshi picks up the clipboard with the staff schedule on it, turning concerned eyes to Hinata. He asks how they’re going to do this with both the owner and the manager out of pocket. Hinata’s stomach drops—a moment of weakness—before he slaps hands to his cheeks in determination.

He angles the clipboard so they both can see, and a few minutes later they have a plan. Hinata will work doubles taking care of the front of house, and Yoshi will run the kitchen for the busiest hours as he’s the most knowledgeable about the ingredients and recipes on the menu.

There will be some long shifts but Hinata is optimistic about the two of them holding down the fort with the rest of the staff for 2-3 more days until the owner gets back. He says as much, hoping to encourage his new work partner. But Yoshi’s brows shoot up, his face incredulous.

Osamu won’t be back anytime soon—he’s a /Prime/ Alpha, whose ruts take a minimum of 9 days to run their course, sometimes longer.

Hinata’s eyes bug out of his head—nine days??? Holy crap!

Yoshi asks how long Hinata thought he’d been contracted for, head tilted in curiosity. Hinata admits he hadn’t looked closely at the paperwork since his temp jobs are usually about 5 days, give or take, corresponding with the average timespan needed for typical heat/rut leave.

Yoshi exhales, shaking his head. It’ll be at least another full week before the owner can come back, and now with Atsumu out on leave too… he slumps, looking dejected. Hinata asks what they did the last time both twins were out on leave, maybe there’s a schedule they can review?

Yoshi snorts.

Now it’s Hinata’s turn to tilt his head in curiosity.

Yoshi explains that without suppressants, Prime Alphas like Osamu can send any Alpha or Omega into heat/rut within minutes of contact, but suppressants or not, their rut comes only twice a year, maybe three times if they’re mated and trying for a pup.

While Alphas and Omegas tend to have a monthly cycle, Atsumu’s heat is irregular and comes 4 times a year at most. He’s perfectly healthy (and fertile, as he often boasts) but the doctors theorize his unpredictable heats comes from being a twin. Siblings are born immune

to familial pheromones, of course, but sharing a womb with a Prime Alpha may have given Atsumu /extra/ immunities. He doesn’t respond to most Alphas and only needs over-the-counter suppressants to manage his Omega pheromones.

Osamu and Atsumu so rarely need to miss work that there hasn’t been a single time since opening the restaurant that /both/ twins were biologically incapacitated simultaneously.

This is completely uncharted territory.

Hinata takes this in, eyes wide and jaw hanging open.

For a brief millisecond he sparks with pride that for someone who doesn’t respond to Alphas, Atsumu sure responded to /him/.

But the reality of the situation is the restaurant is in a bind—he and Yoshi will surely make a good team, but can they really sustain one of the most

popular restaurants for a whole week while stretched so thin? Forget heats/ruts, if even one staff member catches a /cold/ they’ll have a hard time keeping the place running without losing any customers, or worse—receiving bad reviews. No /way/ is Hinata going to let that happen.

He and Yoshi go over the plans again. When satisfied, they bump fists, ready to do their best to keep things operating at peak performance. They finish closing up and Yoshi hangs on to the keys so he can come back in the early hours to start the rice cookers and prep for the day.

Hinata will return an hour before opening and take care of the first online orders, then it’ll all be smooth sailing from there.

The next morning he arrives on his bicycle, balancing a carton of fresh coffees for the morning crew in one hand on his way inside the staff entrance.

One glimpse inside the kitchen and Hinata nearly drops everything in shock—

Why is Tsukishima—his /nemesis/—standing there towering over Yoshi and dressed in an Onigiri Miya uniform, apron, and cap?

Hinata squawks, /incensed/.

Tsukishima turns to him, smug and insufferable.

He takes a coffee from the cardboard carrier in Hinata's hand and drinks several swallows before (metaphorically) punching him in the gut.

Hinata won't be needed at Onigiri Miya today. Or tomorrow. Or the next day.

He's been /fired/.

For a split second, the kitchen recedes into tunnel vision brought on by Hinata’s worst fear and he sways, skin breaking out in a sweat. To counter it he fixes his eyes on Tsukishima’s smug smirk and lets his irritation simmer through his veins, teeth grinding in his flexed jaw.

He straightens to his full height. “That’s impossible!” he protests, so pissed his face probably matches the red of his hair. “I’m on a contract, you don’t know what you’re talking about!”

Tsukishima snorts, crossing his arms. “Don’t look at me, I’m just the messenger. Can't say

I’m surprised, though, with /your/ reputation.”

Hinata huffs, ignoring his baiting comments. “Yoshi?” Hinata turns to him, gesturing for answers. “What’s going on? Am I really fired?!”

Yoshi averts his gaze, tucking hands into his apron pockets.

A sliver of dread cuts through Hinata’s stomach.

Oh no… it’s /true?/

No! He /can’t/ be fired, he can still help! He knows all the restaurant’s rhythms by heart and he has to make sure everything’s ok—he can’t let Atsumu come back to angry customers or a single bad review,

he’s got to protect Atsumu’s family’s livelihood!

The kitchen doors swing open and Ennoshita—ranked #3 among Hinata’s agency coworkers—comes through with Kumiko, one of the restaurant’s opening shift part timers, both of them clad in the black uniforms and caps of Onigiri Miya.

“Tsukki, got the online orders here—” Ennoshita waves the printouts in the air and then stops short. “Hinata? What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be meeting with the Boss?”

Hinata waves off these questions and gets right to the point. “Chika, there’s been some kind

of mistake! I can’t be fired right now, they need me! I’ve been totally immersed here and I know exactly how to run things—I’ll even work for free but I need to stay /here!/ Please!”

Ennoshita holds up a palm, shaking his head. “No can do, rules are rules.” He takes the carton

of coffees from Hinata’s hand. “Plus, the Boss was pretty clear about speaking with you first thing. So If you’re here and not back at HQ reporting to the Boss, you’re about to be in even deeper, stinkier shit than you were for sending a client’s top management into a spontaneous

heat while the owner’s on leave—bad, bad news Hinata.”

Hinata flinches. Tsukishima grimaces. The Boss’s wrath is /no joke/.

“But Chika—” Hinata makes one last attempt to argue. Ennoshita silences him with a sharp /chop/ to the forehead with the side of his hand, gaze firm.

/Shit./

Hinata’s all too familiar with the taste of defeat. He rubs the sting from his forehead, lips pressed tight, so frustrated he could scream. To underscore his complete and utter loss, his work phone starts ringing, the name “Dai-san” lighting up the screen.

“Ack!” Hinata holds the phone at arm’s length. Oh god, it’s the Boss. He shivers, pursing his lips and taking one last look around the restaurant kitchen and the people in it before retreating back outside to pick up the call.

“Dai-san, I—”

“You better not be at Onigiri Miya,” Daichi interrupts.

Hinata squeezes the handle of his bicycle, sighing through his teeth. He hears Daichi groan.

“Just get back here to HQ. /Pronto./”

“But Dai-san—!”

“/Hinata./” Daichi’s voice is so stern that Hinata cringes.

“On my way,” he replies.

Daichi ends the call. Hinata bites his lip, looking up at the back of Onigiri Miya, heart heavy in his chest. Tsukishima doesn't even /like/ food service. How could anyone expect his nemesis to be any good at running the kitchen with Yoshi??

Hinata pedals across town, seething the whole way.

At HQ, he locks up his bicycle in the rack and heads to the top floor to see the Boss, intending to plead his case one more time with Daichi.

But one look at Daichi’s face and Hinata knows there’s no use.

Kuroo, the staffing manager, hands Hinata a new client packet with a train ticket clipped to the front. Hinata squints at it, then his brows go up. He looks between them, confused.

Daichi clears his throat. “Hinata. We get that what went down at Onigiri Miya wasn’t exactly your fault, but you have to understand, we’ve had to do a lot of damage control lately with clients of yours and it’s not a good look. The owner was already out on leave, and when the

manager got checked into the respite center too, his next of kin was notified and I’ll tell you this—/nobody/ wants to be in that woman’s bad graces.”

Kuroo snorts. “That’s an understatement. She had quite a bit to say and threatened many threats, so we had only one choice.

For the good of the agency, we had to pull you.”

Hinata frowns, hating that he keeps causing trouble for people when all he wants to do is help. He's sincerely worried about Atsumu, the restaurant, and what’ll happen to both of them now.

“Don’t look so glum!” Kuroo taps the

packet in Hinata’s hands. “Lucky for you, Dai-san’s the best at turning things around with irate clients, and /also/ lucky for you, the perfect job just came in. It’s long term, too, and /no/ chance for the “Shouyou Effect” to, er—take effect.

By the time you’re done there everything will have blown over.”

Hinata looks down at the packet again, frowning. Daichi sighs, coming around his desk to rest a hand on Hinata’s shoulder.

“I know this isn’t want you want, but right now this is the best course for everyone.

You’re still a valued employee that we believe in, and a nice, steady, low-risk job will be a good change for you. Now, you’ve got just enough time to go home and pack before catching your train. Any questions?”

Hinata shakes his head, tucking the envelope into his bag and resigned to his fate. If he had a tail, it would be similarly tucked between his legs.

“No questions, Dai-san. I understand.”

//

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