Chapter Text
It was late in the evening when Shane Hollander walked into his apartment balancing a plain brown package, his morning coffee thermos, and work bag in his arms. He toed off his shoes and pushed them under his entry bench. He was a mix of nerves and excitement at the prospect of opening the package which he’d waited several days for. At twenty two, Shane had finally decided to use the services of the SGA (Secondary Gender Assistance), a tax funded organization that assisted citizens in finding complimentary matches based off a list of datapoints - but primarily scent and secondary gender compatibility.
He grabbed a pocket knife from his extremely organized kitchen junk drawer and set to neatly cutting the brown tape sealing the box. Its contents included a sealed scent capture kit, a folder containing the questionnaire he had already completed online, and an instructional pamphlet on how to complete this next step in the SGA matching process. The first step was to confirm the information in the questionnaire was accurate. Shane was meticulous by nature and knew there would be no errors - but opened the folder anyway.
Name: Shane M. Hollander
Sex: Male
Secondary Sex: Other
(If other - please elaborate): A3O2 gene mutation
Ah - the crux of Shane’s dating woes: the A3O2 gene mutation. Shane was considered secondary intersex but the gene mutation itself would be enough for the SGA to understand the exact nature of his secondary sex presentation. Shane looked like an alpha, standing at six feet tall and able to gain muscle very easily. When he presented at sixteen (a perfectly normal age for secondary sex presentation) his family and friends were shocked when he went into heat. Shane took it in stride. There was nothing wrong or shameful with being an omega. But there were deviations from a typical omega presentation. He first became aware of them when a hockey teammate tried to use alpha command on him.
The locker room was a mess of newly presented and mostly alpha teenagers trying to assert their dominance over anyone they could. When a particularly ego driven and overcompensating kid named Dallas got in an argument with Shane over a play they’d been working on, the alpha decided to try and use command on Shane. It was no secret Shane was an omega, his scent was soft and sweet. Dallas voice got deep and swelled with command.
Give this up, Hollander. Leave now.
Shane didn’t budge. Didn’t bat an eyelash. He looked down at Dallas Kent, because he stood a few inches taller than the alpha, and scoffed at the pathetic display of attempted dominance.
Shane thought that the entire encounter reflected more poorly on Kent than himself, but instead it had ostracized him. An omega that wasn’t affected by alpha command at all? That was what his teammates were shocked by. Soon the student body had heard of what happened and Shane had never forgotten that feeling of being othered.
He kept his head held high but, in the privacy of his home, broke down to his parents. Both betas, they didn’t have first hand experience with what their son was dealing with. David soothed his son’s worries with words of support and affirmation while Yuna went into problem solving mode. Within ten minutes Shane had an appointment with the doctor to discuss if there was any indication of something that was detrimental to her son’s health.
A few tests revealed the genetic mutation which had been well documented. Shane fell on a spectrum between alpha and omega. He would have heats and could become pregnant (although people with an A3O2 mutation were more likely to have children with lower birth weights and needed more screenings during pregnancy). His scent would remain identifiably ‘omega’ and he would have urges to nest, but his muscle tone and overall stature would be more similar to an alpha. He would probably be sexually attracted to alphas (this was actually where the research deviated a bit - some people with an A3O2 mutation were actually attracted to omegas and could even get an omega pregnant). At some point - Shane would develop a knot and his fangs would drop. These were typically alpha secondary sex characteristics. And, lastly, he would not be affected by alpha command.
Seeing his basic identifying information laid out like stirred another flurry of nerves in Shane’s stomach. What if no one wants me? What if I get zero matches? Shane pushed those thoughts aside and continued to review the paperwork.
Gender and Secondary Sex Preferences: M/Alpha
Shane had tried valiantly in college to figure out his preferences. There was no guidebook on his secondary sex presentation. He primarily got attention from omegas given his physical appearance so he took it as a sign that perhaps he should be giving his attention to omegas. He wore scent patches and did his best to date around. After a disastrous attempt at sex with his now best friend Rose, he was able to ascertain that he was not attracted to women but also probably not interested in sex with an omega. He rode out his heats alone in the discomfort of his single dorm or apartment with a vivid imagination and a knotting dildo. He had tried to go on a couple of dates with alphas he’d met on apps but it was difficult. Shane had trouble opening up about his intersex status and knew he often came across as aloof or flighty. He’d met a nice older alpha named Scott his junior year who actually liked dating other alphas. Shane had thought that it was a great match until Scott confided that he was not attracted to omega characteristics and felt like a fish out of water the one time he tried to help someone through their heat several years ago. Shane had ghosted him after that date.
So here Shane was. Twenty two, basically a virgin, and relying on the god damn government to get this ball a-rolling. The structure of the SGA matching would put all of Shane’s worries in the open. A prospective match would see Shane’s insecurities while Shane got to remain anonymous. If an alpha was amenable to meeting after reading the info and testing Shane’s scent - that would be amazing. It would be further than Shane had ever gotten on his own.
Rose said it was brave for Shane to do this. She was his best friend and knew that Shane felt very vulnerable entering this process. He was glad to have her in his corner but had kept his decision to use the SGA services private from his small circle of friends and family. He was mostly worried that it would be futile and he would be back to where he was right now: alone and going through the motions.
He had a job he liked well enough as an auditor for the Treasury Department of Canada. He liked to work out, spend time outdoors, and have cozy nights in. But he was lonely. He craved the companionship that his parents shared. Or that his friends Jackie and Hayden had.
He reviewed the rest of the paperwork and unsurprisingly had to make no modifications. The second step in the instructions was to complete the scent collection.
The kit was straightforward. Shane was to wear the clean-sealed t-shirt overnight (at least 6 hours) and then reseal it in the second bag included in the kit. The last step in the instructions was to mail the kit back to the SGA using the same box and pre-printed label in his information folder. Easy enough.
Shane had gotten dinner with Rose that evening so all that was left to do was shower the day off, watch tv or read a book, and then probably fall asleep by 9:30. He took the scent capture kit to his room and proceeded with his nightly routine.
As he lay in bed at 9:30 exactly, lights turned off and the light pitter patter of rain audible from outside his window, Shane worried the hem of the plain white shirt he would be mailing to the SGA tomorrow. He rolled around trying to get comfortable, unable to help imagining what kind of alpha might pick him.
The next week passed with little event. He had lunch a few times with his favorite coworker JJ, they mostly talked about hockey. He had a game night with Hayden and Jackie planned for Saturday night and dinner at his parents on Sunday. He had to catch up on laundry, basic household chores, squeeze in a lifting session at his apartment’s gym, and meal prep. He was also going to go on a five mile hike with Rose if the weather permitted, otherwise they’d just watch the great British bakeoff on her couch.
The point is - Shane was staying busy. Busy was good. It was a vain effort to keep his mind off the matching process. Shane pulled up his grocery shopping note and methodically added the items he’d need for his staple dinners and lunches for the upcoming week. But maybe he’d be crazy and try to make quinoa and sweet potato bowls he saw on his favorite recipe site. Really get wild with it.
Automatically, he pulled up his email and saw an unread notification from the SGA near the top. It was sent that morning.
“Expect a package with your first …” the preview line read.
Shane felt his anxiety spike as he opened the email.
Please expect a package with your first round of scent trials and profiles to review. There will be three clearly labeled samples and profiles in the package. Please use the following link to fill out the questionnaire regarding these samples. If you have any questions about the scent trial stage of the SGA matching process please use the contact link attached to the signature of this email.
Why didn’t they include an exact time of delivery of this package! Shane would spend the weekend in a state of anticipation over this next stage. He intentionally left his Friday evening free so that he could decompress after the work week. So that he could grocery shop when the store was the least crowded and make himself steak and a salad for dinner. He’d watch the Birds of Canada documentary his dad had told him about at length last weekend. Now all he’d be thinking about when the damn package would arrive.
He went back to the list view of his email and scrolled through his other notifications and saw that he was wrong. Shane would not spend his entire weekend in clenched anticipation because his building admin had emailed that a package was waiting for him at the mailbox downstairs.
When his dinner dishes had been washed and his kitchen cleaned, Shane stood in front of another plain, brown, cardboard box sent from the SGA. Three samples of alphas that were at least, on paper, open to scenting Shane. Based off his research and hearing others speak about their matching experience, three was a pretty small number of profiles to be sent. It stung, of course. Shane knew it would be like this. Maybe some alphas didn’t even know enough about the intersex spectrum to even be bothered with selecting ‘other’. He tried to channel some of Rose’s optimism when he opened the package.
He decided to read the profiles first. Then he’d scent the samples. The first round of the process had pretty minimal information. If there was a match, further information would be shared, eventually ending with shared means of contact.
Profile 1:
Sex: M
Secondary Sex: Alpha
Age: 27
Height: 5’6
Weight: 180 lbs
Location: Montreal
Profession: 8th grade science teacher
Shane closed his eyes and exhaled. He was a shallow bitch. This alpha was tiny. Would every profile be like this one? He felt dread settle in his stomach and the urge to call the whole thing off. Put the folder back in the box and chuck in down the garbage chute. But he had two other profiles to get through. With some lingering hope, he set aside Profile 1 to read the next one in the small stack.
Profile 2:
Sex: M
Secondary Sex: Alpha
Age: 32
Height: 6’0
Weight: 165 lbs
Location: Ottowa
Profession: Personal Trainer
Okay! Okay. Profile 2 was looking really good. They lived in the same place and obviously had some shared interest if this guy was a personal trainer. Ten years older but honestly that was a pro rather than a con in Shane’s book. He was attracted to older men. He liked the idea of someone who was established and experienced. From a practical standpoint but also…sue him. It was hot.
Profile 3:
Sex: M
Secondary Sex: Alpha
Age: 28
Height: 6’3
Weight: 240 lbs
Location: Ottowa
Profession: Prefer not to say
Jesus Christ. This alpha was huge. Which was good. Great. Hot. But what about his profession? Was he in the mob or something? Probably not, because he was using a government associated social service, but it was weird nonetheless. His height and weight stats might be enough to ignore the missing profession though. Definitely enough that Shane would at least smell the scent of Profile 3.
He pushed aside the profile sheets and peered into the box. There were three labeled and sealed samples. Small pieces of fabric which had clearly been cut from white t-shirts. He put aside the sample that read ‘Profile 1’, not bothering to open it. He felt a little guilty but reminded himself that the man behind Profile 1 would never know.
With shaking hands he picked up the package that read ‘Profile 2.’ He peeled back the plastic at the corner and pulled out the small piece of fabric. It was no bigger than the palm of his hand. Tentatively, he brought it up to his nose and inhaled.
Shane grimaced. He knew that this scent wasn’t bad, per se. Like all alpha scents, it was warm and masculine. But there was something about it that made Shane’s head hurt and nose itch. This alpha smelled a bit like praline, Shane realized. Shane hated praline or marzipan or anything almond flavored. There was no way he would be compatible with this alpha.
He placed the offending square of fabric back into the opened plastic sleeve and set it aside. Hoping he had saved the best for last, he reached for the sample from Profile 3. Maybe this absolute refrigerator of a man would be Shane’s cinderella slipper. There would be other opportunities, other rounds of scents and profiles Shane reminded himself before he opened the plastic enclosing the fabric of sample 3.
Shane didn’t know if it was in his head, but he felt like he could already smell alpha 3’s sample. It was also warm and masculine but it was good. Really good. He brought the slip of fabric cup to his nose, inhaled, and groaned out loud. It smelled like Cardamom and something he couldn’t name. It was heavenly. Why had the SGA only sent this scrap? Why not send the entire t shirt so Shane could wear it and be surrounded in the scent.
Was there really a 6’3, 240 lb, alpha out there in Ottawa who smelled like this? What would it be like to scent this alpha in person? To press his face up against the crook of this mystery man’s neck and inhale. To rub his face against the other’s scent glands? Maybe even lick -
Shane’s thoughts were interrupted by an unfamiliar tingling feeling on his upper teeth. He ran his tongue over his canines but the pressure in his upper jaw grew and grew. He could still smell alpha 3’s scent in the air but there was a sharpening pain at the roots of his canines. The pain quickly crested and Shane let out an involuntary noise of shock and discomfort.
Blood. The coppery tang of blood coated Shane’s tongue as he rushed to his kitchen sink to spit. He ran his tongue over his newly popped fangs and cursed.
The doctors had told him that it was a possibility that he’d start to display more of the alpha secondary sex characteristics as time went on or he became more sexually active. Embarrassingly, all it took was a few inhales from some alpha’s hanky to push him over the edge.
Shane had filled out the questionnaire stating that he would be open to any and all further steps with Profile 3. He tried and failed to watch the Birds of Canada documentary, his mind unable to focus on anything but the mystery alpha. As he lay in bed he kept thinking of the square of white fabric in its plastic on his dinner table. What was the harm of smelling it again? Maybe it would help him sleep…
It did help Shane sleep. Shane always slept particularly deeply after a good orgasm.
He spent a couple of minutes inhaling his alpha’s scent and then another few minutes pressing his fingers inside his already wet hole. Would his alpha do this for him? Work him open before pushing inside him? Shane reached for his dildo and unnecessarily covered it up with lube. His thighs were already wet with his slick. With his eyes closed he imagining getting fucked by the bigger alpha. He imagined himself sinking his newly popped fangs into the side of his alphas neck, surrounded by this scent.