Omega's Reluctant Alpha

Chapter 13

@BelPaper can you tell which part you inspired?

Nikko

Guilt filled me when I watched Todo's face as Shoyo greeted Yuno, but I quickly squashed it. It wasn't my fault Todoroki hadn't been around to get to know his son. There was no reason to feel bad for him. At least, that's what I kept trying to tell myself. It wasn't working though. I didn't like seeing him hurt, so I hurried to get things moving.

"Dinner is almost ready, so If we could all go into the kitchen. Todo can you help Shoyo wash his hands? And Yuno can you set an extra place at the table?"

I turned and walked into the kitchen, sure that they would follow my direction. I grabbed the oven mitts and reached into the oven to take out the chicken I'd roasted. I didn't realize the mitts had a hole in the finger and almost dropped the pan when I burned myself.

"Damnit!"

I set the pan on top of the stove and yanked off the mitt to examine my finger. Yuno hastily set down the plate he was holding and rushed over to me. He grabbed my hand and held it up so he could look at it.

"It doesn't look too bad. Just rinse it under some cold water and you should be good."

His eyes flicked behind me and back to my face before he kissed my finger. It didn't really come as a surprise to hear Todo's frosty voice, or to suddenly be surrounded by his peppermint scent.

"Am I interrupting something?"

Yuno just smiled and stepped back, making me sigh. I guess there was no way I'd make it through the night without some kind of alpha posturing. Yuno knew we weren't together so I'm not sure why he was acting this way. He leaned down and kissed my cheek, making me blush, then whispered in my ear. The scent of peppermint grew stronger.

"I know you, Nikko. I'm just helping. Make him earn you."

So that was his game. I suppose he was right, though. I didn't want to be hurt again, so I needed to take this slow. The problem was, I didn't know if I could. Every instinct I had screamed at me to just give in. I was supposed to please my alpha. I stiffened my spine and turned to glare at Todo.

"Cut that out! If you're not going to be civil tonight, you can leave. And to answer your question, no, you didn't interrupt anything. I burned my finger and Yuno was just taking a look at it."

He gave me a sheepish look and the room cleared of his pheromones. Shoyo giggled in his arms.

"Mama mad! Papa being bad boy."

I bit my lip so I wouldn't laugh, but it was a near thing. My son was just too adorable for words. I nodded at him.

"And what happens to bad boys, sweetie?"

"Spanks!"

Todorokis eyes locked with mine and I could see the exact moment when his mind went to a place it shouldn't. I narrowed my eyes at him. He wouldn't! But apparently, he would.

"Who gets to spank mama, when he's being bad?"

He was going to corrupt my child. Shoyo frowned, obviously never having considered it. But then he smiled and I knew I wouldn't like his response.

"Papa spanks mama. Like ojichan spank obachan."

Yep. I didn't like it. Todoroki just smirked at me while I tried to stop thinking about the fact that my son had seen my father spank my dad at some point. I guess I'd need to talk to them about PDA. I shuddered. That definitely wasn't a conversation I was looking forward to.

"Not a word!"

Both Todo and Yuno shared a look then looked away from me. Great! Wonderful! They were going to bond over my embarrassment. I rolled my eyes and grabbed Shoyo before placing him in his high chair. I quickly served up his food, making sure to cut it into bite sized pieces for him. Todo and Yuno seemed to have a silent conversation before Todo chose the seat next to mine and Yuno sat across from me. I served the two alphas next and then got my own plate. We all settled down to eat and it actually was fine.

Todo and Yuno had a civilized conversation and both paid equal attention to Shoyo, who was content to eat his food. Both complimented my cooking and offered to clean up afterwards. I let them take care of the dishes and putting the food away while I got Shoyo ready for bed. I'd just finished his bath when Todoroki appeared in the doorway. I jumped an let out an embarrassing yelp, but he only smiled.

"Yuno left. Can I do it? I just feel like I missed so much."

He gestured to Shoyo and his clothes and I could only nod. Tears clogged my throat painfully, and my heart squeezed in my chest. I watched as he got him dressed and then carried him into his room and tucked him into bed. I had to flee the room when Shoyo curled against him while he read him a bedtime story. They should have had more moments like this. It made me realize that forgiving Todo wasn't just a selfish act, it was the best thing I could do for my son.

Todoroki wasn't a bad person. He's just made a stupid decision. I had to forgive him for it. Shoyo deserved to grow up with a father who loved him just as much as mine loved me. And while I knew Yuno loved my son, and had been there for him his whole life, it wasn't the same. Part of me always wondered if he'd treat him differently if we had our own kids. Now I didn't have to find out. I was choosing Todoroki. I'm not sure how long I was lost in thought when I became aware of his presence.

"Hey. Shoyo's asleep. I just wanted to let you know that I was leaving. Oh and thank you for inviting me for dinner and letting me spend time with my son. "

His voice was soft and I was still overly emotional from watching them together, so I didn't want him to leave. At least that's what I tried to convince myself was. The truth was, I wanted to pretend this was a normal night for us. That he'd never left and he'd always been the one to put Shoyo to bed.

"Stay."

My voice was equally soft when I made the request. He stared at me for a while and I couldn't tell what thoughts were going through his head. Then he nodded and closed the door softly behind him. My breath caught as he removed his shirt, revealing a defined, muscular chest and a six pack of abs. My mouth watered. I wanted to taste him. Him clearing his throat, had my eyes darting to his face, a blush spreading over my cheeks.

"I didn't-, I wasn't-"

He just laughed and gently stroked my cheek.

"It's ok, Nikko. I like that you find me desirable. But we're not doing anything tonight. If we do this, it's going to be after we've committed. I want you to be sure this is what you want. Because once you agree, I'm not letting you go again."

"Oh."

He leaned down and kissed me softly, just a brush of his lips over mine, then kissed the top of my head. After taking off his shoes, he climbed into bed beside me on top of the covers. His arm wrapped around my waist and he pulled me back against his chest.

"I'll stay until you fall asleep, then sneak out. I don't want your parents to think I'm taking advantage of you again. When you're ready, we'll tell them. I refuse to sneak around."

"Ok."

His warmth lulled me to sleep and the next thing I knew, I was woken when my door clicked shut. I blinked blearily at the sun peeking through my curtains. It was morning? I heard my sons giggle and then my fathers deep voice.

"Who's in bed with mama?"

Wait.... what?