slouph:

‘The Catch’ by Xyriath [read on AO3] for @sheithbigbang

Alpha Keith x Omega Shiro AU

Decades ago, a disease that rendered the majority of humanity infertile swept through the world. Now, a generation later, governments are taking action: national systems provide significant incentive for those who have children, offering them stipends, tax cuts, and other opportunities the average person might not be able to afford.

Shirogane Takashi has been avoiding these expectations for a few years now, despite frequent attempts by the government to court him. He has impressive genes, or so he’s been told, with a body of remarkable childbearing capability. But he’s always had his own goals, his own ambitions, and raising a family didn’t fit into that.

But everyone has their price, and Shiro is eventually offered his. Though nervous, he has to admit that he’s more than a little excited, too—biological instincts don’t go away, after all, and it’ll be nice to have someone during a heat.

The catch: he’s spent so long declining that now he’s expected to report to the local breeding center to verify that he’s playing along. The second catch: he’s as far from the stereotypical omega as you get, and he’s learning that most alphas don’t enjoy that.

The third catch: he wasn’t expecting to fall in love.