Chapter Text
Kakyoin presented early as an omega at two months over ten years old. He hadn't been allowed a few years of hopeful speculation like most, he'd gone straight to purgatory as soon as he had been introduced to the silent undercurrents of their society. During the following fourteen years dealing with his secondary sex, and the pleasure of following the devil himself straight to hell, Kakyoin had refined his social personality into something resembling a normal person. On the inside, however, he was only jagged pieces.
Male omegas were a quarter of the omega class, which was already only five percent of the general population, so being open about his sex was not a viable way to live for Kakyoin. There were virtually no protections for someone like him. Kakyoin's mother had been strict on that point from the beginning. He'd always been studious and serious, so he had taken her words to heart.
"You mustn't show it , Noriaki." She'd emphasized, not vocalizing what ‘it’ was at the time but Noriaki figured her strangled tone meant serious business. It was the same voice she had used when she explained how careful he had to be with strangers in the park. "Omegas are the lower partner in a mating, so you have to hide it ."
Kakyoin had dutifully told her, 'yes, mother' but hadn't understood fully. Not until his first heat. He'd been sixteen. Up until that point, being omega had simply meant he hadn't bulked up like the alphas in his class but could smell their stink. Kakyoin's body had begun to show the signs that day, but he thought it was only a touch of hay fever from the blooming elm tree beside the front gate of his high school. He had struggled through his last class of the day with watering eyes and a stuffy feeling before he stumbled towards home. Full heat hit him suddenly, the world grew foggy and indistinct, the route he walked two times a day since he started school was a wild forest trail, and an unbearable itch grew in the pit of his stomach.
The man had appeared out of thin air while Kakyoin had been so unbearably weak and confused, he had not been able to even try to fight him off. Luckily, he was close enough to home that his mother had sensed his distress and saved him from the stranger's hands. But that only made her anxiety about his 'condition' worse.
After that, Kakyoin’s mother’s language towards him was more explicit. It wasn't just that an omega was lower standing, an omega was submissive. An omega was seen as an object. An omega had to never tempt an alpha, even unintentionally. She gave Kakyoin a graphic book that explained the 'fog' he'd felt had been his body giving out pheromones, and the ‘itch’ was his body's urge to mate. The man had been an unmarked alpha drawn to him by instinct alone. Kakyoin's mother also gave him pheromone suppressants as soon as his first heat abated, on the very earliest possible day after it was over. She already had him wear chemical sprays to hide his sex whenever he went out, making him so sterile that his classmates were basically repelled. The blocking patches and the heat suppressants made him pretty much invisible. That lack of interaction was both a curse and a blessing.
Looking back in a row, sometimes Kakyoin saw the clear path his parents had made for him. But it had been unintentional. Both of Kakyoin’s parents, as betas, had no idea how to deal with him. Betas had pack senses, but they couldn't smell pheromones, so when Kakyoin had taken it upon himself to be proper and follow his mother's wishes, they'd praised him. That approval was something he craved desperately after their pity, but they were the only ones who meant it purely, in the end. That first social mask wasn’t much different from the one he used now, only it was more earnest.
But two years of repressed heats brought on terrible side effects at the time. Kakyoin forced himself to do well at school, but he made no friends and had no extra curricular activities to his name. There was no leftover energy for them. Kakyoin also learned how to seem calm and reflective, but he never submitted to anyone. He maintained his solidarity. No one in his class knew he was omega at graduation and Kakyoin thought that fact, despite the cramps and headaches, was worth it all. But, his mother didn't tell him what the doctors had said. That pheromone blockers and heat suppressants had to be taken in moderation, that an omega had to have at least one heat a year or the body would overcome the drugs forcibly. That an omega body would betray its owner.
Kakyoin made it through high school, but he hadn't made it through Dio.
The lessons he had been taught by a moment of vulnerability at age eighteen and the subsequent relationship had left indelible marks on Kakyoin's body and his heart. Once the former healed, he sealed up the latter and decided he couldn't risk ever breaking his mask ever again. Like his parents, lost to him during those two years he had been under alpha coercion, he learned to keep every other person at a distance. To be polite to women and children, to posture with other men, and to keep his sex completely hidden. He used chemicals that burned his nose and skin, makeup to cover the blocking patches on his neck, and meticulously planned his yearly heat. A period of a week where he locked himself away and became what he despised. Weak. Vulnerable. Aware of his sex.
Kakyoin could feel that time approaching, like the spring, and he would again miss the cherry blossoms in that time of terrible necessity.
There was no one on the planet who could ever understand the life Kakyoin lived, and that was fine with him, because Kakyoin had enough other people. Kakyoin was fine alone.
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Office work was tedious and repetitive, but Kakyoin saw that as a boon. He could mindlessly crunch numbers while the assigned work spaces kept people tidy. He'd been laid off after his last heat in a similar company, that was always how it went for omegas, but this company was progressive.
Speedwagon Foundation, Inc. was a multibillion dollar corporation that was widely diversified, to the point that it was impossible to pinpoint exactly what the company did, and was one of the first employers in Japan to implement sex-based paid leave. The SBPTO program was offered to every employee once they passed their six-month evaluation, and Kakyoin was due to have his benefits instated in a week's time. He had his evaluation sometime this week, and once his performance review was filed, he'd be able to stay employed through his biological shortcomings. Omegas didn't have rights in most workplaces since they were too emotionally unstable to be independent according to the meatheaded alphas that made policy. Although it was usually an alpha who was the problem, the omega at fault was the one with the blame. Most places just fired suspected omegas outright, but SWF was part of a small social movement to change that. The only problem as far as Kakyoin was concerned was that he would have out himself to draw on the SBPTO, and he hadn't said as such out loud for at least four years to anyone who wasn’t a medical professional.
The budgetary document Kakyoin was adjusting was interrupted by a scheduling popup for his calendar, the jarring chime an indication that there was an accompanying email from human resources. Kakyoin clicked on the notification.
"Mr. Kakyoin, your six-month evaluation has been finalized for February 12th at three pm. It will last until the end of your shift, please finish up any work you have been assigned that day before the evaluation. Your interview will be conducted by a senior management executive on the eighth floor and the receptionist on duty will direct you to the right office on the day. Bring your jitsu-in hanko for your signature, along with your evaluation paperwork. Failure to appear at this evaluation will conclude with an immediate nullification of your Speedwagon Foundation, Incorporated contract. All the details can be found in the company handbook issued to you when you were hired, or in the digital version available on the Speedwagon Foundation, Incorporated website.
Signed, Director of Human Resources, Muhammad Avdol."
A low whistle pulled Kakyoin's eyes away from the screen.
"It's that time already?" Polnareff was shamelessly reading Kakyoin's email from over the cubicle wall.
The silver haired man was the only person in the office who was immune to Kakyoin's clear disinterest in interpersonal relationships. His flat top and flair for wild suits was borderline unprofessional, but Polnareff apparently knew most of the upper management. Including the head chair of the board of directors, which ran the entire company worldwide from this branch. Polnareff himself said the only reason he was in the accounting department was because he was too dumb to be allowed a higher position. Kakyoin had corrected enough of the Frenchman's mistakes to think he should be positioned lower, actually. It was a wonder Polnareff wasn’t in sales with the other narcissistic idiots.
"I can't believe you've worked here six months already and I barely know a thing about you!" Polnareff exclaimed.
"You know enough." Kakyoin dismissed the fishing attempt and returned to work.
"It's not just me, either." Polnareff continued, "No one in the department knows about you outside of work, not even the gossips."
Polnareff was the gossips.
Kakyoin had learned how to tune the man out in his first few weeks, so while Polnareff droned on about lord knew what, Kakyoin focused on his work. If he let himself, he’d obsess over the upcoming assessment. SWF called itself progressive and welcoming to all, but upper management could still be old fashioned bigots. There was no way of knowing until Kakyoin sat down with the person he was assigned. He’d have to make sure his blocking patch was airtight that day and apply a fresh dose of chemical blockers to his daily lotion. His regimen was really strict already, but he wouldn’t look like a flighty, or heaven forbid flirty , omega to whoever it was he had to tell. Kakyoin wanted to have a stable job for once, and despite the guy in the next cubicle, he liked working at SWF.
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The eighth floor was a lot different from lowly accounting on the fifth, Kakyoin noticed the air was fresher up here as soon as the elevator doors opened ten minutes before three on his assigned date. He’d only visited HR when he was hired, so he took everything in. Instead of hard carpet and open cubicles with the floor boss sitting at a large desk on one end, management had marble floors, a front desk with a receptionist and private offices. Everything was decorated with cooler colors instead of the warm ‘homey’ tones of the work floors. Management got paid well enough that they didn’t have to pretend to make the place welcoming. Kakyoin doubted they were studied for optimal work performance, either.
The woman at the desk took his ID and checked him in for his appointment.
“Mr. Kakyoin, you’ll be interviewed by Mr. Kujo in office seventeen.” She told him, “He will be waiting for you, go right in.”
Kakyoin took his company ID, slipped it back into his lanyard case, and headed to the interior of the floor. The offices were all identical with the doors shut, the central hallway an echoing torture chamber as Kakyoin strode down it. The doors were labeled with names and numbers almost blending into the solid wood, and seventeen was the last office before the end. Kakyoin forced himself to pause and make sure his clothing and hair was in order before he knocked on the door and entered. The dress code wasn’t overly strict here, either, so Kakyoin could keep his favored bangs ungelled. Another reason he liked the place.
Inside, the office was very traditional with dark wood furniture and a neutral carpet. The biggest piece was a polished desk for the work area, but there was also a lounge area to one side with a leather couch. Inexplicably, there was a large fish tank custom fitted into the wall behind the couch that was full of tropical fish. Kakyoin wondered callously how often those had to be replaced, tropical fish were delicate pets. The windows that made up the wall opposite the door showed the city, but the afternoon sun was reduced down to just the outer panes while the two directly behind the desk were shuttered.
The executive chair turned as Kakyoin entered, and the man there made him swallow against his nerves. His dark hair and weathered skin gave the executive a severe countenance. Even with a billed hat covering part of his expression, the angled cheekbones and the lines on either side of his full mouth shouted humorless. The studs in the man’s ears sparkled like real diamonds, his cufflinks weren't jeweled but they were platinum. His necktie was tasteful and, if Kakyoin wasn’t mistaken, Armani. Yes, this was a ranking alpha in a glance. Kakyoin had prepared for it, but all the same, Mr. Kujo was hard to look at. Kakyoin wanted to bow his head and agree to anything the man would say instead of looking him directly in the eye.
“Noriaki Kakyoin.” The man stood and he was six five at least.
“Yes, sir.” Kakyoin stepped closer.
“I am Jotaro Kujo.” Mr. Kujo came around the desk to shake Kakyoin’s hand.
Up close, Kakyoin felt much too small. Polnareff was big, too, but he was only a little older than him and in no way intimidating. Mr. Kujo seemed somewhere in his forties or fifties and muscular in an old hand way, like he never had to try for the bulk. Kakyoin had been taller than his parents, but he was still under six feet. Kakyoin thought a touch of his fear of being overpowered would surface, but Mr. Jotaro somehow didn’t trigger the reaction. When he shook Kakyoin’s hand an unconscious puff of alpha pheromone did come off him, though. His scent was mostly covered by a warm, earthy cologne that stuck in Kakyoin’s nose and made his head swim, but the pheromones were not aggressive, explaining why Kakyoin hadn’t been scared. Most alphas were immediately aggressive with any stranger, but it was lucky this guy had a more laid back aura to him. Maybe laid back wasn’t the exact feeling, it was more tired. The bright teal eyes under the brim of his hat startled Kakyoin with how intense they were despite that slower feeling to him.
“This interview shouldn’t take too long.” Mr. Kujo released Kakyoin’s hand, “Sit down and we’ll start. Tea? Water?”
“I’m fine, sir.” Kakyoin was too nervous to drink anything without spilling it on himself, this interaction had to go well.
Mr. Kujo gave a grunt, an acknowledgment, and returned to his side of the desk. Kakyoin sat down in the chair facing the alpha, settling his overcoat over his knees and getting out his paperwork with eyes still averted. He slid the papers across the desk unasked. Mr. Kujo looked over the packet and tucked it into the folio before him, apparently finding it adequate.
“I have to start with a prepared company statement.” Mr. Kujo began, settling a pair of reading glasses on his grecian nose, “I’m just going to read it off this paper.”
Kakyoin nodded.
“Speedwagon Foundation, Incorporated is an equal opportunity employer and the individual being interviewed is to understand that the company complies with all governmental regulations regarding employment practices. Evaluation interviews are an unbiased and uniform procedure and denial of continued employment will only be judged by work performance alone, not by any personal standard set by the conductor of this interview. If the individual finds fault in this interview, they are welcome to file a complaint with the SWF human resources outreach director up to two months after the completion of their termination.” Mr. Kujo read in a dull tone, his deep voice almost trance-like, “Do you, Noriaki Kakyoin, as the individual mentioned in this disclaimer, understand these terms?”
“Yes, sir.” Kakyoin declared. He’d read up the procedure in the handbook just the night before, so he really did.
“Then, let’s begin.” Mr. Kujo set aside the cheatsheet, “Your initial hire report says you took the general assessment and applied through the basic hiring pool, but you seem to be well trained in accounting. Is there any reason why you didn’t apply to the accounting department directly and mucked around in the secretary training program for your first two months here?”
Right out of the gate with questions! Kakyoin wasn’t expecting that, this Mr. Kujo was a straight to the point type. His deep voice had a gravel of authority to it, and that made Kakyoin tense, but he wasn’t posturing like most alphas did. Kakyoin thought he might make it through without making an idiot of himself, which would be nice.
“I don’t have a formal degree in accounting, I did not think I would be hired to the department and would have to work my way up.” Kakyoin answered in an even tone.
He’d practiced many answers so he could keep up his confidence in such a closed-in area against an alpha. He’d avoided such encounters for years, but he felt like he’d hold up against Mr. Kujo so long as the man didn’t get agitated. Mr. Kujo was even bigger than Dio, so Kakyoin knew that could easily overwhelm his senses. Kakyoin had been making good progress lately, but that could never be the same as having his issues gone, he knew well, and had his defenses up.
“I know the job listing said a degree isn’t required if the applicant has work experience, but I didn’t have the confidence to be hired based on my experience alone. To be honest, I didn’t expect to be assigned to the secretary pool, however, and I thought I would be reassigned quickly once my personal skills were noticed lacking.” Kakyoin finished.
“We were short staffed at the time for secretaries.” Mr. Kujo mentioned, “Your work was never bad, your supervisor vouched for you.”
That old hag had? That was news to Kakyoin.
“But you did have accounting experience before this?” Mr. Kujo asked for clarification.
“I worked in several small companies in different provinces, but wasn’t able to request a copy of my latest employer’s records before the company filed for bankruptcy.” Kakyoin answered, “Not the accounting’s department’s fault, the vice president there embezzled the profits.”
And was a huge lecher.
“I see.” Mr. Kujo shuffled a few papers, “Well, whether you lied on your resume or not, your work says you’re proficient so I won’t bother asking any more than that.”
Kakyoin hid a smirk. As a matter of fact, all he was hiding was being fired at all the other jobs, and the dubious way he’d gotten his education. Dio had not allowed Kakyoin to leave his house often, so Kakyoin had taken free online classes whenever and wherever he could. He probably could get several degrees if he applied to a college, but that would require money he didn’t currently have. That Mr. Kujo suspected him wasn’t surprising, most people found Kakyoin suspicious because of how private he was anyway.
“In your four months in the accounting department, your record is flawless. Your supervisor describes you as the fixer of the floor. If sales sends up a flawed report or someone’s numbers just won’t balance, you’re the one given the task on top of the standard workload of everyone else.” Mr. Kujo continued, “Without complaint, no less.”
“Some people are just good at being good drones, I guess.” Kakyoin shrugged.
“Indeed.” Mr. Kujo commented, not giving away whether he registered Kakyoin’s slight sarcasm, “Your ethic is applauded, but that carries a connotation of possible burnout. If I decide to approve your employment, I will recommend the extra work become your regular work and the overflow be redistributed among your colleagues. Now, there are a few marks against you, Mr. Kakyoin, and judging by your comment about your personal skills you probably understand where they lie.”
“Yes, sir.” Kakyoin straightened, making sure his posture was still firm but not aggressive.
“Being antisocial isn't a fireable offense, you don't have to worry.” Mr. Kujo bluntly stated, “At least, not in accounting. Secretaries have it rough.”
Kakyoin remembered that hellish first two months and agreed. He hadn’t minded the organizing and running around, but the receptionist shifts were what got him in trouble. People were much too comfortable with harassing a secretary. Kakyoin hadn't even gotten what was considered the good assignments, but he'd almost quit a dozen times during busy shifts and was threatened with firing several times for yelling at assholes.
“I was not cut out for that department.” Kakyoin said.
Mr. Kujo sat back in his seat and studied Kakyoin, “As COO, I am the highest rank in charge of personnel, so I take a personal stake in the company’s employees, you see.”
This guy was chief of operations! That was a big name, second from the top not including the board of directors. Kakyoin didn’t know that high of management worked on these interviews. They sure were hands-on here. Kakyoin forced himself to not even sweat, if his imperfections were seen this may go badly. He had to be confident. An omega was nothing if they couldn’t care for themselves, just an object.
“So, I would like to know, honestly, why do you want to work here?” Mr. Kujo asked, the musk of his cologne winding around Kakyoin.
Kakyoin had a prepared answer for this, too, no company didn’t ask this sort of question at the end of an interview. He’d been asked a similar question during his initial interview, too. On a strange whim, he deviated from his practice.
“I would be lying if I didn’t say the competitive pay and unprecedented benefits weren’t a big part of it.” Kakyoin admitted.
Mr. Kujo hummed, and it felt like maybe some approval shone in his eyes.
“Still, good pay and benefits are all well and good, but I felt like I could simply work here permanently.” Kakyoin continued, “Steady work is what I wanted, what I was looking for, when I applied. Security is something I’ve been missing and has become increasingly important to me and I’m looking for that. The Speedwagon Foundation seemed like a company that wouldn't fold unexpectedly, and the hiring policies looked like they wouldn’t fire me unexpectedly, either, so long as I worked hard.”
“I understand.” Mr. Kujo nodded and went silent for a long time, looking through the paperwork.
Kakyoin watched Mr. Kujo’s hands. He had been expecting a domineering type who would dig into him relentlessly, and he’d been ready with his excuses and veiled answers, but so far it had just been a couple of questions from a calm man. Kakyoin wasn’t fooled, but he was surprised. His experiences with alphas led him to believe no normal one existed in their entire gender. Alphas made up a third of the population and there were always stories of alphas going berserk or feral, even beyond Kakyoin’s limited experience. Kakyoin thought they had to all be monsters since his first heat, and hadn’t been proven wrong yet.
“It’s all in order, Mr. Kakyoin.” Mr. Kujo abruptly spoke, “If you’ll sign and stamp the contract, I’ll send it for approval.”
The paperwork slid across the desk. Kakyoin was suspicious there wasn’t more to the interview, but he wasn’t going to risk employment to question it. If this man was busy or careless, Kakyoin didn’t care so long as he got a steady paycheck out of it. Kakyoin scanned the document, finding it basically the same as the one he signed six months ago, only this one showed him what the pay scale was going forward and that quickly put his pen to the page. The first pay bump was in six months after only a year at the company. Mr. Kujo checked the contract over once more and signed it himself when Kakyoin slid it back. He looked up as he removed his reading glasses.
“One more question,” Mr. Kujo said, "Do you have anything to declare?"
"Yes." Kakyoin lifted his chin against the fear of what came next, "I want to apply for the SBPTO program if my employment is approved."
"Mn," Mr. Kujo hummed, "Easier to add it to the contract now before it's filed."
"Yes, sir." Kakyoin agreed. That was what the SWF handbook said, too.
"I have to read a disclaimer again." Mr. Kujo said, finding the document he needed and beginning in the same bored monotone from the start of their meeting. He didn’t put his glasses back on, and clearly had to squint. "The Speedwagon Foundation, in compliance with governmental regulations, cannot coerce any employee to divulge their secondary sex or sexual orientation. The opportunity to take advantage of the Speedwagon Foundation's sex-based opportunities is purely optional and should not be construed as anything more than company benefits, the same as any health-based benefit offered by the company. Is this understood?"
"Yes, sir." Kakyoin answered for the standard liability statement.
"The information given to the authorized representative of the SWF- that's me, in this case. All management has sensitivity training for this." Mr. Kujo interjected before continuing, giving Kakyoin a glance with those bright eyes, "Your information will not be recorded in any file, nor will said representative use the personal information for any untoward means."
Not recording the information was a bit of a surprise. Kakyoin thought for sure the company was using it for data collection in some way. The government already did, even if it was restricted information. The handbook did say betas could also ask for the benefits. Kakyoin hadn't believed that, either, but maybe it was true. Betas were often treated as the plain population, but some had mixed instincts and health issues, too. It was rare, but beta males were known to rut and beta females to nest. Not to mention that any combination of sexes in a mate had their own unique pitfalls.
"So," Mr. Kujo finished, "Why do you wish to apply for sex-based paid time off, Mr. Kakyoin?"
"I'm an omega, I'll need it for heat cycles." Kakyoin hid his cringe at having to admit so.
"You're an omega?" Mr. Kujo asked for confirmation, giving Kakyoin another assessing look.
Kakyoin briefly played with the idea of asking the man what he presented as. There was no way he could be mistaken for an alpha, not with his quiet demeanor, but if he didn't ask he could play pretend that it was an option, so he just nodded.
"You'll be told the procedure for applying for leave when the contract is filed. It will be a short meeting with either me or another person in management, so you don’t have to deal with everything in writing. We share responsibility on sex-based matters like we do for these assessments, to remain unbiased." Mr. Kujo moved on as simple as that, "Keep working well, Mr. Kakyoin, and you'll find SWF will indeed be a secure place to be employed."
"Thank you, Mr. Kujo." Kakyoin stood and bowed.
"You're dismissed. It's a little early, but there's no reason to make you go back to your desk." Mr. Kujo said, "Go celebrate your permanent employment with your mate, or whatever you wish to do with the extra time."
Kakyoin didn't know why the man assumed he was mated, but he just blandly agreed and shook his hand. When Mr. Kujo stood to see him out, his cologne made Kakyoin dizzy again. A sensitive nose was a sure sign of his heat being put off long enough. Alphas tended to wear strong colognes that supposedly accentuated their natural musk, but typically Kakyoin just found them obnoxious. Luckily, Mr. Kujo's wasn't stinky, only a little overwhelming. An older alpha like him high up in a good company, he probably already had a family, societal pressure would just about ensure he followed all the typical rituals. It could be that Mr. Kujo’s scent was particularly strong because he had an alpha mate, which could also explain Kakyoin's reaction to the smell. Kakyoin was just happy it wasn’t giving him a panic attack. Mr. Kujo didn't walk Kakyoin to the elevator, so the scent faded quickly.
Kakyoin found himself unexpectedly granted two extra hours of free time. With the weekend facing him, he decided to celebrate like suggested. He bought himself beer and whatever snacks caught his eye at a convenience store close to his apartment. On another out-of-the-ordinary whim he bought a small bottle of mid-range shochu alcohol as a splurge. Then, he locked himself in his apartment like he always did to spend the rest of the weekend alone.