Chapter Text
It didn’t hit him all at once.
Instead, it trickled in slowly. The beginning symptoms gradually showed up, and Shiro could have just pushed them away without even thinking twice about it. It was much easier to forget and ignore them than face them head on for what he knew they alluded to.
It was when the paladins had just finished liberating another planet from Galra rule that Shiro felt especially feverish. Him and his other teammates had just landed their lions back in their separate hangars and were heading towards the control room. Allura’s voice was chipper on the intercoms, echoing throughout the empty halls.
“Great work, paladins!”
“Yes!” Coran agreed eagerly. “I shall make you all the famous paladin feast tonight!”
“No!” Hunk, Pidge, Lance, and even Keith yelled back in unison.
Shiro couldn’t even bring himself to speak. His mouth was dry, as though he had just spent the afternoon eating sand. In stark contrast to the dryness of his mouth, his skin was moist. He was covered in a layer of sweat, and not the ‘I just destroyed an entire fleet of enemy Galra’ kind of way. It was the kind of sweat that was accompanied with a high fever. Like a heat fever.
The realization hit Shiro like a punch to the gut.
Back in the garrison, all Omegas had been given a form of birth control, a suppressor implant. It wasn’t anything grand, just a small hormone regulator inserted just beneath the skin of the upper arm to suppress any upcoming heats. It was for the best, considering how tightly packed everyone was in the garrison. It wouldn’t do anyone any good to have Omegas be in heat in such close quarters with Alphas and Betas alike. The regulator was extremely effective, practically negating any offending Omega scent and giving them a neutral smell. A Beta smell.
Shiro had eagerly accepted his new scent change, as did most other Omegas he had known at the time. While times were changing and the Omega class had been gaining many equal rights in the past couple years, there was still a stigma among the older folks about the gender roles of Omegas. They were still looked down upon, as though they were an inferior class meant for nothing more than breeding and raising kids.
While Shiro didn’t hate being born as an Omega, he didn’t like the stigma that came with it. Besides, being seen as a Beta wasn’t bad at all. He never felt as though he was a true Omega as he didn’t fit the typical Omega stereotype. He wasn’t small or lithe or beautiful like the Omegas in movies or magazines. No, Shiro was large and broad-shouldered, and held himself with authority. Many would have assumed him to be an Alpha with the way he acted, though his scent told otherwise. Being regarded as a Beta was almost a relief. As Betas were a majority of the population, being a Beta was considered ‘normal’. He was easily able to gain recognition for his efforts and no one treated him as less than he was. An able cadet that deserved to be selected for the Kerberos mission.
There was only one problem with the implants.
They were only a temporary solution, meant to last for around two years. After that, they would ‘expire’ and need to be taken out or replaced. Otherwise the effects would gradually wear off until the Omega went back into a heat. And their heat would be a particularly strong one, the body’s way of fighting back against the hormonal implant to try and get the body back to a properly functioning Omega standard with regulated heats.
Which is exactly what Shiro’s body was trying to do.
It had been just over two years since he had gotten this implant, having already replaced his first. One year spent on the Galra ship fighting as the Champion (and he had never been more thankful for his suppressor then than ever before) and a year for the Kerberos mission. He and the other paladins had been in space with Allura and Coran on the Altean ship for nearly two months now. Definitely enough time for his implant to have filled its use.
Absently he reached up with his metal arm, feeling over the small, barely noticeable bump in his left bicep. While it never ceased to amaze him that he could actually feel with his cybernetic arm, Shiro grimaced as he rubbed his index finger over the implant, thin and no longer than an inch. It was useless now. He would have to get Coran to remove his regulator later.
In the meantime, he had to figure out what to do about his upcoming h–
“Shiro!”
A hand clapped down on his shoulder and Shiro startled slightly from the touch. The scent of a giddy Alpha flooded his senses. Lance.
“Good work out there today!” The Cuban was all smiles today, and with good reason. The liberation of an entire race was definitely something worth celebrating.
Shiro dropped his robotic arm back to his side, trying not to shift uncomfortably. “I should be saying that to you,” Shiro remarked slowly, tongue heavy in his mouth.
Lance frowned immediately, obviously noticing something strange. Shiro stiffened under his watchful gaze. As Lance leaned in slightly and gave a deep inhale, Shiro felt his blood run cold. “Are you alright, Shiro? Your scent is kinda off.”
Shiro cleared his throat, taking opportunity in the other’s confusion to back away a few steps. With his impending heat, it was unwise to be in such close contact with Alphas. “Fine,” he said, though his voice came out just a touch weaker than he would have liked. Licking his lips, Shiro tried again, “Fine, just a little under the weather.”
“You should definitely get some sleep then,” another voice sounded from behind them, and they turned just in time to see Hunk come into step with them.
“Yeah,” Shiro rasped. His throat was killing him. “I’ll meet you guys for dinner later.”
As Shiro practically fled down a separate hall towards their sleeping quarters he heard Keith and Pidge’s questioning voices join the others. Damn. Now he had them all concerned. He would have to do something before it was too late. Even if that meant revealing to them all that he wasn’t the strong Beta he let them believe he was.