Subordi-Mate

out of his shirt, pulling on the one from Heath. It hung loosely around his shoulders, clean and dry, probably three sizes too big. It smelled like soap and clean laundry.
Then he realized it was Heath’s shirt he was wearing, and, well. That was intimate, too. Blushing, Daniel pulled it snug around his chest.
Heath’s eyes darkened. “Why’d you freak out when I stepped into the conference room?”
Daniel flinched. “Do we have to talk about it?”
“Yes. If we’re to maintain any sort of relationship beyond this, professional or otherwise, I need to know.” Heath seemed serious, but not threatening. Not like Tim.
Despite how impossible this situation was, and how much he wanted to flee, Daniel gave in. “I have bad memories. Of... Of my ex-boss.”
Heath narrowed his eyes. “Why?”
Daniel’s face burned. “He—He was my alpha. And he fired me. In front of a whole conference room of people.”
Heath swore. “What kind of alpha is that?”
Daniel shrugged. “Not a good one.”
Heath clenched his fists. He seemed to hesitate, and then he touched the small of Daniel’s back, leading him over to one of the leather couches. Daniel blushed at the memory of another couch, the one in Heath’s living room.
Heath huffed. “No, we’re not doing that today.”
“Thank heavens,” Daniel said.
“Why? Was it bad?” Heath’s eyes locked onto him.
“No! No. I just... It’s awkward.” Daniel blushed. “I thought you were just a singer. Not the owner of Alpha Foods. Or my boss. In hindsight, I should’ve figured it out.”
Heath’s lips twitched into a tiny smile. “Well, good. I’d rather you didn’t know who I am. For all I know, you could’ve been someone a competitor sent to seduce me.”
Daniel stared in horror, his stomach flipping again.
“No, I’m not firing you.” Heath reached over, setting his hand over Daniel’s. “Stop worrying about that.”
“You barely even know me.”
“I’ve known you for three months.”
“We haven’t even spoken before this,” Daniel said. “You were just... singing at me.” About taking my pants off.
Heath grinned. “Singing with the Phantom Growls is something I do for enjoyment.”
“Is that why you’re always at that dumpy bar?” Daniel asked, wincing at the way the words came out.
Heath laughed, and Daniel’s heart skipped. This alpha was handsome. He could have any omega he wanted.
“The other Phantom Growls guys have day jobs, too. We aren’t going anywhere,” Heath said. “Singing in dumpy bars is definitely our thing. Although, in my opinion, it isn’t a dumpy bar. It just has character.”
Daniel snorted, unable to help his amusement.
“Were you thinking of attending a gig again?” Heath raised his eyebrows. It almost seemed like an invitation, and despite him being Daniel’s boss... maybe it was okay to have slept with him. Maybe Daniel really wouldn’t be fired today.
“Do you want me there?” he blurted.
“That depends,” Heath said, his eyes gleaming. “Are you still gonna be watching me?”
Daniel’s cheeks grew hot. “I would.”
“Then you’re very welcome at the bar.” Heath’s smile grew.
Daniel couldn’t meet his eyes. “I just... it’s a crush. That’s all.”
And Heath sighed. “There’s something else I need to speak with you about. The other night.”
Daniel swallowed. From Heath’s grave expression, it wasn’t anything sexy. “What about it?”
“The condom broke.” Heath looked him straight in the eye. “I only found it when I woke up. Did you notice it?”
“What?” No, Daniel hadn’t noticed. He’d climbed out of bed, but Heath was no longer inside him at that point. “It... It broke?”
Heath winced. “I didn’t grab a picture of it. Threw it away. I’ve been trying to look you up in the phone directories, but there’s a million Daniels. You weren’t answering your phone. I’d just about given up trying to contact you, short of putting Wanted ads on the streets.”
“Oh.” Daniel checked his phone, glancing at the list of missed calls. “I ignore unfamiliar numbers.”
Heath sighed. “So yeah, that was what I needed to tell you. You might be—” He leaned in, sniffing deeply at Daniel. Mahogany eyes sharpened. “You smell sweet.”
Daniel had interacted with pregnant folk, and he’d had pregnant friends.
But to think of himself as pregnant—he’d never anticipated this. He wasn’t even sure what he’d do with a child. Be a single dad? He was living from paycheck to paycheck right now. He hadn’t even passed his probation period.
“I just... I thought I was feeling unwell today,” he said, his mind spinning. “I can’t be pregnant.”
All of this—Heath as his boss, him puking on Heath, him carrying Heath’s baby... It was too much to digest.
“I’m too old to be pregnant,” Daniel said, tendrils of panic whispering up his spine. “What do I do?”
“I don’t know.” Heath squeezed Daniel’s hand. “But you’re the one carrying the child. If you choose to keep it, or if you choose not to... I’ll be responsible for the costs.”
That didn’t sound right. “It was my fault, too,” Daniel said, his heart thumping. There’s a baby inside me.
Heath slid his arm around Daniel’s back, pulling him close. At a loss, Daniel pressed his face into Heath’s shoulder, and just breathed. It felt like everything was moving too fast for him to keep up.
“It’ll be okay,” Heath murmured. “You don’t have to do this alone.”
“I shouldn’t be dragging you into this, too.”
“I seduced you,” Heath whispered in Daniel’s ear. “It’s my fault.”
How many other omegas had Heath seduced in the past? And how many more would he go on to seduce?
It shouldn’t matter, anyway, Daniel told himself, his heart sinking. That hookup was all lust. I don’t want him to fire me in front of everyone, too.
“I’ll think about it,” he said. “Is that okay?”
“Sure.” Heath leaned back, warm eyes raking over Daniel’s face. “But in the meantime... do you want my marking on you?”
Daniel’s heart thumped with longing. Tim had never wanted to mark him. “No,” he said. Too risky. I’m not falling in love again. “I can manage.”
“All right.”
Heath looked torn—kind of relieved, kind of unhappy. Daniel didn’t want to think too much about why that was. He eased away from Heath, standing. “I should get a new