All the whatever for bighookenergy

[redhoodedgirl]

Being an Alpha and a Guide at the same time wasn't unheard of, but it was rare. That (potential) level of possessiveness and aggression combined with that (potential) level of empathy would be enough to fry a person's system with the amount of drugs needed to balance them both.

Which was why Ruby was glad that she'd gotten one of the few available positions at the Academy, where neither mood stabilizers nor hormone blockers were mandatory, and were only administered forcibly in an actual emergency situation. Mostly because they didn't hold to old beliefs that an unchecked heat or an unbroken fugue were as likely as not a death sentence for the afflicted party. Certainly it wouldn't be comfortable, but both were survivable.

She'd had aggression problems when she was younger, to the tune of having been kicked out of three schools before she was ten and homeschooled thereafter, but she'd grown out of it, and had learned to self-regulate (for the most part) but the problem was that was still a pretty big mark on her record and most colleges wouldn't accept her unless she had a doctor's note and a standing prescription order. She had been surprised, and pleased, and relieved that the Academy hadn't required anything of the sort. Though she'd learned during the application process that it was because they specialized in rare cases like herself.

And now, here she was, six weeks into the school year and finally starting to feel like the metaphorical rug wasn't going to be yanked out from under her at every turn.

She was taking advantage of a long break between classes to enjoy the weather, perched on a dividing wall, hoodie on, but hood down, not feeling the need to be invisible for once, eating a snack and attempting to lure one of the campus squirrels close enough to touch.

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[bighookenergy]

Harry didn't like school in general. A waste of time, he figured; as an omega the general opinion was that he wouldn't need it anyway, as a sentinel they mostly figured it wouldn't stick, and while sure, he might have gone the other direction, chosen to prove them all wrong, but that was never Harry's way.

No, he always picked the hard way, either by accident or on purpose, and in this case he didn't like school because he just didn't like it. 'If you take the blockers you can fit in, be whatever you want!' people who thought they were being helpful pointed out, but he knew what they didn't.

He'd be whatever he damn wanted anyway. He didn't mind the heats, or the idea that being a sentinel might mean he could lose control some day. He was a reckless little shit on a good day, a chaotic mess of impulse no matter what designation he ended up, and he enjoyed the hell out of it.

By the time he got pushed into the Academy it was because he didn't have many options left. He wouldn't fit nicely into either box, but the Academy promised a way through so that's where he got shuttled to, a last-ditch effort to turn him into something halfway functional so he could Contribute.

Not that he much cared about that.

But a few weeks in and he'd started to settle. No preset expectations, just the understanding that he was potentially volatile at baseline, and open-ended promises. Room to breathe. He didn't like school but he went anyway, and it wasn't as bad as he'd expected. He didn't need to bite as sharply, didn't need to try to prove anything, so he just Existed.

Which was how he ended up coming across the girl squirrel-watching on the campus.

He wandered over out of curiosity, strode his way over with all the bravado that wasn't supposed to be any of his claim, and dropped down in front of the wall without ceremony, legs outstretched as he leaned back against the bricks, scaring off the squirrel in the process.

"Persistent little buggers."

[redhoodedgirl]

"Yep." She agreed, vaguely amused, because she was fairly certain he'd startled it off on purpose, but truthfully she didn't mind, she'd always been warned not to pet the wild animals, she'd just been curious to see if she could. She flicked the bite of granola bar she'd been tempting it with out in a low arc into the grass where it could be found later, either by that squirrel or another one, or perhaps one of the other various critters.

She debated for a moment before fishing another, still wrapped, bar out of her bag and offering it down to him, "Hungry?" She didn't feel the instinctive need to defend her newfound space from the intrusion, which she suspected meant that he wasn't an alpha even despite the solidity of his presence. She was pretty sure she'd seen him in passing now and again, though she didn't think they shared any classes, she felt like if they did she'd know it.

[bighookenergy]

Instinct said to accept, reflex said to refuse. His heat was at least another few days off, no need to lean into anything yet, but he'd long since stopped being embarrassed either way. So he leaned back, craning his neck back to look up at her. She was an alpha, through and through, no doubt about it.

He took the bar. No telling if it was the 'right' answer, but that was a decision that was beyond him anyway. So he peeled it open and took a bite, toasting her with it from his position.

"Didn't your mum tell you not to feed strangers?"

[redhoodedgirl]

"Nope." She replied, taking around another bite of her own, finding herself just a little distracted by the arch of his neck, "Mine always told me I should get to know my neighbors." Which strictly speaking he wasn't, but that was rather beside the point at the moment.

Mostly because he made her curious, she was sure that word had gotten around about her being some kind of ice queen, which was laughable, really, it was just that she had already tidily shut down three different people who thought her Guide status should outweigh her Alpha status, and that she'd just roll over and do the work of stabilizing them if they just pushed. The last one had actually been taken to the infirmary for a sprained wrist and a dislocated elbow, along with whatever bruises he'd taken when he hit the floor. She'd happily taken her reprimand on that one, because she knew he would at least think twice before trying again.

It didn't surprise her to find traditionalists of some kind or another here, those people did tend to get everywhere, even otherwise progressive places, "So what's your deal?" For a question that was usually some kind of judgmental, from her it just sounded curious, and deliberately open-ended, because she'd accept the answer of why he was talking to her specifically, or why he was at the Academy, or, really, any other possible answer to the question.

[bighookenergy]

"Mine never had to teach me that lesson," he quipped, a roguish smile on his lips. Hadn't needed to, quickly learned it wouldn't go anywhere, either way it wasn't really relevant. He could feel her eyes on him, and generally it made him a little nervous but not so much at the moment, in this instance.

Her question didn't hurt. Open-ended, but then he'd never been much for beating around the bush. He took another bite of the bar, deliberating on exactly how to frame it, and then just went for it anyway.

"Omega and a Sentinel. Universe is a hell of a drug."

[redhoodedgirl]

She made a half-curious sound of agreement at that, regarding him again, surprised by the openness to the point of being blunt. It was something she could appreciate, being too polite often got in the way of things in her experience.

"Alpha and a Guide. First one on record in thirty years, so I've been told." She shrugged, stuffing the last of her own bar into her mouth, talking surprisingly clearly around it even despite the chipmunk cheek, "But records aren't everything, and if this had happened even five or ten years ago, I'd definitely understand wanting to just run off into the woods not to have to deal with any of it."

[bighookenergy]

"Oooh, aren't you special. First in 30 years, what an accomplishment."

It was a tease, but a good-natured one at least. He could understand the wanting to run off and not be involved with any of this though. Lot of pressure and whatnot.

"How'd people here take it?"

[redhoodedgirl]

That first response got a choked little laugh out of her, mostly because her response had been much the same when they'd told her, even asking 'oh, does that come with a plaque?'.

The actual question, however, had her raising a brow, "Take it you haven't heard about what happened to Declan." Just in case he hadn't, or had only heard in passing, she explained: "Jackass thought my being a Guide was a bigger factor, thought he could get me to level him out if he pushed hard enough and now he knows better." She shrugged, "He was the worst of it though, everyone else hasn't really made a big deal out of it."

[bighookenergy]

"That was you?"

It prompts a grin as he cranes his neck to better look at her, and a laugh a couple shades towards unstable.

"Yeah, I heard about Declan, just didn't know who did it. Color me impressed. Bit of a dick anyway."

[redhoodedgirl]

That neck really was a distraction, but the laugh made her smile, bordering on unstable or not, "Not that much of one if you're wondering." Because that was absolutely the kind of thing that needed to be said, "Guess he had to make up for it somehow. But yeah, that was me. At least anybody else has had the sense to ask instead of just making assumptions."

She settled, head tilting slightly again, "And you? No horror stories, I hope." It surprised her a little to find that she actually meant that.

[bighookenergy]

The stare was only encouragement as far as Harry was concerned.
Maybe he should have been smarter, but he's never put much stock in thinking first anyway.

"Speaking from experience or just a theory?"

Not that the answer made much of a difference either way. He finished his bar and tucked the wrapper away like he was saving it for later.

"I liked the work. Anybody gets put in their place it's a good time."

The actual question was harder to answer, although not really. He was an omega, of course he had horror stories.

"Of course I do, hot piece of ass like this." He gestured at himself, like it needed clarification. "Once a month all the alphas around want a taste. But I usually give 'em a nastier bite than my bark when I'm not interested, and I'm rarely not interested anyway. Sentinel helps the lesson stick if they don't like 'no'."

[redhoodedgirl]

"Limited experience." He'd had enough sense to sneak up on her from behind, but not enough sense to not sneak up on her at all.

She snorted, stifling a laugh at his actual answer, "Wow, someone's full of himself." It wasn't an argument, really he had every reason to be because he was definitely attractive, and the fact that he knew it but it -apparently- wasn't his entire personality was strangely endearing, which was what had her nodding at the rest, "Speaking on behalf of my kind, yeah, some of us need a more solid discouragement, and if the biting doesn't work, a good swift kick usually does." Another soft snort, this one a little self-deprecating, "I say, as if you haven't figured that one out on your own."