Chapter Text
The slowing of the car pulled Kenma from his nap, but he couldn’t bring himself to be disappointed, as his thoughts were quickly consumed with the pressure in his bladder. He unfurled his stiff legs, causing a small avalanche of candy wrappers and soda cans as he stretched out in his seat. His movement startled the sleeping calico, who shot underneath the seat, eliciting a disgruntled sigh from Kuroo.
Kenma blinked sleepily up at his alpha, “You know me so well.”
“Yeah yeah,” Kuroo chuckled, ruffling Kenma’s hair, “You drank like six cans of that stuff, I was starting to worry that you were just going to piss yourself.”
Kenma fished his hoodie out from under the pile of trash at his feet. “Such a doting alpha,” He teased.
“Would you hurry up and pee? I’m gonna need your help to get the harness on Jiji.”
“Kuroo,” Kenma slid out of the passenger door, “I refuse to believe that there is nothing psychologically wrong with a man who insists on walking his cat.”
Through the cracked window Kenma could hear his alpha’s protests of, “She needs her exercise!” Kenma giggled softly, ducking his head into his oversized hoodie, although the rest stop was close to deserted, so there was really no one to conceal his delight from. But with his nose tucked into his hoodie, he felt enveloped with pheremones. His own scent mixed with Kuroo’s inspired a wave of confidence. Before bonding, Kenma had been so anxious that he would never dream of using any bathroom other than his own. If he had known how safe and untouchable being bonded would make him feel, if would have insisted on bonding with Kuroo during his first heat.
The rest stop was nothing more than a decrepit playground, a covered area for vending machines, and a small brick building advertising bathrooms. Kenma resisted the urge to jog towards the facilities. He was uncomfortable from needing to pee, but he knew being out of breath would be even worse. He technically had two more hours of vacation, and he wasn’t going to spend it doing anything close to exercise.
Kuroo worked a conventional job. The chemistry lab provided a stable salary, health insurance, and PTO was one request – placed six weeks in advance – away. Getting time off in Kenma’s line of work wasn’t quite as simple. Whenever his or Kuroo’s parents asked what he was “up to” nowadays, Kenma always shrugged gave some vaguely mumbled response about consulting for the police department. A quiet, unassuming title, deemed appropriate for an omega. Worried in-laws could form their own mental image of the perfect housewife, answering a few emails while preparing dinner for the dominant breadwinner to come home to.
He had been lucky this time around. This particular vacation had been on the calendar for months in pencil, and miraculously, nothing had come up. Kenma’s laptop stayed packed away in the back of the car, no calls came through, and he had actually managed nine days of genuine relaxation on the beach with his Alpha.
Kenma pushed open the door of the rest area and immediately stumbled back as though shoved. The smell in the lobby hit his nose like a wall, curling in his lungs like a toxin. He coughed gently, attempting clear his insides of the assaulting pheromones, and forced his body forward despite his instincts begging him to run. Alphas. Two of them, huge and menacing, sat on a bench on the far side of the room. Their scents filling the air with so much pressure, Kenma was surprised that the whole building didn’t explode.
The alphas were angry.
A female beta sat at the counter, pamphlets advertising different Tokyo attractions were displayed on the wall behind her. Kenma envied her obliviousness to the scents pounding at his skull, but could tell that she was still on edge from the men’s presence.
“Um,” Kenma dug his fingernails into his palm, trying to gather his nerve, “I need the omega bathroom key.” It was all he could do to hold back a cough.
She sized him up, “Go on ahead, there’s already someone in there.” Kenma resented the fact that she didn’t request his ID, but was also far too eager to leave the smell of these alphas behind him. He would take the smell of piss and disinfectant over this sensory assault any day.
Only when the bathroom door thudded shut behind him was Kenma able to breathe. It was as if the pheromones had replaced as the oxygen in the lobby, and his head was still spinning as though he had held his head underwater for too long. Soaking in the scents wafting up from his hoodie, Kenma steadied his breathing and made his way into the first stall. Because the rest stop was segregated by secondary gender, there were no urinals available. He sat down to relieve himself, not trusting his shaking hands to allow him to aim properly. Plus if he sat, he could make some progress on his online chess game with Fukunaga.
A muffled sniff echoed through the bathroom.
Kenma almost dropped his phone in shock. He had forgotten, the woman had said there was someone already in here, how had he missed them? The only other stall had been open when he walked in. The uncertainty was making him sick to his stomach. What was going on in this place?
Kenma secured his phone and pulled his pants back up, and as quietly as he could, eased the stall door open just enough to poke out his head.
Kenma flinched back on instinct at the sight of the bathroom’s other occupant, but once he got past the initial shock, Kenma reasoned with himself that there was little to worry about. The other omega was smaller than him, younger too, by the looks of it, and rail thin. He stood against the wall, in the path of the door, so he had been blocked from view when Kenma entered. The boy was positively filthy, dressed in an oversized t-shirt and shabby worn-out sweatpants, a tangled mop of bright orange hair peeking through the grime. If it was possible, he seemed to be shaking more than Kenma.
Kenma’s immediate thought was that this was a homeless man, waiting until he was at his most vulnerable to get the jump on him. But that didn’t quite add up, omegas rarely carried anything of value, knowing they were easy targets, and that would do nothing to explain the fuming alphas outside. And moreover, why did this boy look more frightened of him?
Kenma clutched the stall door, holding it as a barrier between himself and the boy.
“Um,” Kenma gulped, “I don’t have any money.”
The boy pressed himself flush with the wall. His voice came out with a squeak, barely pitched above a whisper, “Please help me.”
Kenma’s stomach clenched, “Are you with those alphas out there?”
The boy nodded.
Kenma’s grip on the stall door loosened, “Are they hurting you?”
The boy’s nod was barely perceptible.
Kenma sucked in a breath, trying to steady himself and control his nerves.
He froze, took in another deep breath, this time though his nose, and then another. He scrutinized the boy in front of him. Something else was off. Why hadn’t he noticed the boy when he first walked in? Where was his scent?
His anxiety crept back in, curling in his gut. He sized up the boy, surely someone this small was an omega, right?
“Where is your scent?”
“What?”
“Why can’t I smell you? Are you working with those guys?” Kenma fumbled for his phone. What if those Alphas were already blocking the door? Would Kuroo be able to–
“Wait. Please.” The boy’s voice cracked. “I – I had a scent.” He straightened up, “I have a scent but… it’s just…” A trembling hand reached for the collar of his t-shirt, pulling it to the side to reveal his scent gland.
Scars. Bite marks. Overlapping, one newly scabbed over, shiny ruts of skin marbling the boy’s neck and shoulder. There was hardly any unmarred space. His entire gland was obscured by the layers of thick skin. His lip trembled, and as the boy blinked, a single tear fell to the tiled floor.
Kenma felt a surge of anger pulse through his chest. He released the stall door and let it swing shut behind him, beholding the boy and his truly damaged state. His anxiety was washed away, overpowered by a strong wave of protectiveness. Someone had hurt this omega, poor defenseless omega, like him, but with no alpha to love and protect him. Kenma didn’t know where he’d be without Kuroo, but he knew he wouldn’t be happy, and certainly would never be safe. Omegas were so easily taken advantage of, it made Kenma sick. But he was always safe, he never had to worry about any of that because of his alpha.
But who would worry about this boy?
“Can I call the cops? Would that be alright?” Kenma approached the boy slowly, aware of how he shrunk back at his approach.
The boy sniffed and shook his head, “The police would give me right back, they have the papers, I belong to them.”
Kenma gulped, “Do you have anywhere you can go?”
The ginger shook his head again.
His mind was racing a million miles a minute, but he couldn’t focus with the rage that was pounding in his ears. What were those monsters doing to this boy?
He whipped around, taking stock of what they had. There were two windows, one above each of the stalls. Small, and close to the ceiling, but even with how thin this boy was, Kenma doubted he would be able to get him up that high. There was a metal trash bin, but nothing else that could be picked up. Kenma would have to make do.
He pulled his phone out of his hoodie, and clicked the center icon on his home screen, his speed dial for Kuroo.
The phone rang three times, and the boy began to look more nervous by the second, “What are y–“
Kuroo’s voice blasted out of the phone, “Kenma, you owe Jiji a huge apology, she’s absolutely terrified, I can’t get her–“
“Kuroo, start the car.”
Kuroo’s voice dropped an octave, “Kenma what’s going on? Do you need me to come–“
Kenma cut him off again, trying to project assertiveness, “Start the car, stay put, I’ll be right there.” He hung up, praying to the gods that his alpha would for once in his life listen to him.
The boy looked just as confused and Kuroo had sounded, “What are you going to do?”
“Stay behind the door,” Kenma ordered.
“What?”
“Behind the door.” Kenma hefted up the metal trash bin onto his shoulder, towels spilled onto the floor as he spun to look at the boy, “Get ready to run. Red convertible. I’ll be right behind you.”
Kenma nudged the stall door open with his hip. He carefully placed a foot onto the toilet seat, and grunted with the effort of hoisting up his own body plus the trash bin.
The boy squeaked, “Won’t they hear?”
“You’d better stay behind the door then.”
Kenma took a deep breath, One shot Kenma, you only get one shot.
He smashed the can through the window.
Shouts immediately rang out from the lobby. Kenma heard the poor beta form the desk plead, “Wait, I can’t allow you to go in there.”
One of the Alphas roared, “Shut up bitch!” And Kenma heard a soft thud. He ducked down, still balanced precariously on the toilet seat, as the door was flung open.
“That little whore!” The Alpha’s scent alone almost knocked Kenma from his perch. “He went out the fucking window.”
“Where’s that other little slut?” The stall door was ripped open, and the two alphas both surged at Kenma.
Kenma swung the metal can, connecting squarely with the first alpha’s jaw. But the second one dodged his comrade’s falling body and fisted a handful of Kenma’s hair.
“Kid run!” Kenma cried, stumbling as he was yanked to the floor, tears stinging at the corners of his eyes as his scalp felt like it was lit on fire.
The door creaked and then slammed. The alpha with a death grip on Kenma’s hair spun towards the noise. He considered his current prisoner, and abruptly hurled him headfirst at the floor. Kenma smashed down, narrowly missing the toilet with most of his fall broken by the unconscious alpha’s body. The door slammed again as the second alpha took off after the boy.
Kenma’s head spun, and his vision was blurred, but he managed to drag himself to his feet. He stumbled out of the stall and hefted open the bathroom door. The beta woman was cowering behind the desk, but besides a cut across her eyebrow, she seemed okay. Kenma lurched forward, pushing the glass door open, gasping at the fresh air.
He spun towards the sounds of shouts. The Alpha was closing in on the boy, roaring profanities and threats. And Kuroo, the idiot, was standing outside the car, eyes darting between the two men, searching for his omega.
Kenma screeched, “Kuroo! Get the boy!”
Kuroo’s eyes found Kenma, safe for the moment, and jumped into the car, yelling for the boy to climb in. Both doors slammed, and the car wheels screeched as Kuroo threw the convertible into reverse, narrowly dodging the second alpha lunging at the car. The car lurched as it was thrown into drive, and the engine roared as it came barreling towards Kenma at top speed. Kuroo slammed on the brakes, nearly sending the redhead through the front window. Kuroo reached across the kid’s lap, throwing open the door. Kenma nearly dove in head first, yelling for Kuroo to go.
“What is going on!?” Kuroo spun the wheel violently, swinging the car back onto the highway.
“Just drive.” Kenma gasped, his heart thudding violently against his ribcage.
“Kenma–“
“Kuroo please,” Kenma whined, “Just drive.”
Kenma wriggled to the side, he was on top of the smaller omega, and he wasn’t quite convinced that he wouldn’t crush him. Luckily they were both small enough that they could fit side by side on the passenger seat. The boy’s breaths were coming in quick gasps now, close to hyperventilation.
Kenma tried to emit some calming pheromones, but it wasn’t one of his stronger skill sets. He’d never had many friends, certainly none that would come to him for help in this kind of situation. He reached to stroke the ginger’s hair, like Kuroo would often do for him when he started to panic, but at the sight of the approaching hand, the boy flinched violently.
Kenma floundered. They needed this boy to focus. They needed to know who was chasing them and why, so they could figure out how to help. If the boy dissolved into a panic attack, they might have to pull over, and then those alphas might catch up to them, and –
“Both of you,” Kuroo’s voice boomed, shaking Kenma from his spiral, “Take a deep breath and hold it. Ten seconds.” At the sound of his alpha’s command, Kenma’s instincts took over, and his mind couldn’t help but blissfully obey. A command from his alpha. That’s all he needed to do. If he could listen and obey, then everything would be okay.
He turned his head to check on the boy, there was still a wild panic in his eyes. Kuroo noticed as well, ordering the boy, “Again.”
The boy repeated the breath, again and then again. And as his panic faded, tears began to flow freely down his face. Kenma reached for one of the boy’s clenched fists, slowly, so as not to startle him again. The boy looked up at the touch. In one move he wrapped his arms around Kenma’s neck, and released a strangled sob into his hoodie.
“Thank you.”
Kenma clutched onto the boy as though his life depended on it, and for the smaller boy, it was quite possible that it did. He rubbed circles on his back like his mother used to, gently, with just the tips of his fingers. Kuroo’s face radiated concern and confusion, but he kept his eyes on the road, racing to get them home.
Notes:
You ever been to a rest stop in the midwest, where they have posters all over the walls about what to do if you see or suspect human trafficking? Just a hint, it ain't whatever that was. Please call the police, or the hotline on those flyers. And please try to enjoy our boys and their adventure regardless.
Feel free to drop a kudos or leave a comment, let me know if you like what you see!
Chapter Text
The rest stop had been two hours away from their home in Tokyo. Kuroo made the drive in an hour and fifteen minutes.
Kenma could hardly sit still the entire ride. Clutching the small omega to his chest made it hard to maneuver, but every time another car approached them, he whipped around. Kuroo seemed just as antsy, but still mingled with an air of confusion. Kenma could not thank his alpha enough for his trust in this moment. They just needed to get somewhere safe. Once they were behind locked doors, they would figure everything out.
When the car pulled into the parking garage under their high-rise, Kenma finally released a breath he had been all too aware that he was holding, but couldn’t quite bring himself to release. The boy in Kenma’s arms jerked awake as the car shuddered to a halt, eyes wide and panicked. He yanked out of Kenma’s grasp, banging his head on the roof of the convertible.
“Hey! Watch the car dude!” Kuroo whined. The boy’s frantic gaze shifted to Kuroo, his breaths coming in sharp gasps again.
Kenma grabbed the boy’s face, pulling his gaze from the alpha, and staring into his eyes. “Relax. Kuroo is not going to hurt you. And neither will I.” The boy’s breathing slowed, but the fear remained. “Can I bring you inside our apartment? I think we both would feel a little safer there.”
The boy nodded slowly.
“Kuroo can you find the cat?” Kenma asked, already guiding the shaking boy out of the car.
“Yeah yeah, I’m on it.”
Kenma started off for the elevator, but quickly realized that the boy was not following. Turning back, he saw him right where he left him, next to the car, dazed and trembling. Kenma walked back, slowly extending a hand to the boy, but he barely seemed to notice even as Kenma grabbed his hand and practically dragged him along, not letting go until the boy was seated on his sofa.
Their apartment was small, but certainly not humble. The kitchen was big enough to be functional, and the breakfast bar was their only formal dining area. All of the furniture and decorations were the original staging furniture from when they toured the place. Kenma liked the modern, monochromatic look well enough, and he couldn’t be bothered to pick out his own furniture, so he’d handed the relator a blank check and told her to figure it out.
The only part of the apartment he really felt attached to was the window. On that first tour, as soon as the door opened, Kuroo immediately ran up to the two story tall pane of glass, mouth agape and eyes full of delight. Kenma would have signed the lease right then if he could. Through the window, you had a bird’s eye view of the southern half of Tokyo. On foggy days, it felt like you were alone amongst the clouds. Kenma would have bought the whole building just so his alpha could stay perched right there, on top of the world.
Kenma wrapped the boy in their fluffiest blanket, and clambered on his hands and knees to retrieve one of their more well-behaved cats out from under the sofa (Kikki, who was allowed to be left home alone, unlike the terror that was Jiji). He plopped the lazy lump into the boy’s lap, smiling as they both lazily regarded each other.
“I know…” Kenma struggled to address the other omega, “I know, today has been… a lot. But, we just want to ask you a few questions. You’re free to stay here, but… I feel like we need a few answers…”
The boy’s dazed eyes met Kenma’s, and he nodded slowly.
“Just stay here… for a second. I need to go help Kuroo with the bags.”
No sooner did he utter the words, than Kuroo burst through the front door. A suitcase under each arm, three bags gripped in his left hand, and a writhing cat gripped in his right.
“One trip!” The alpha exclaimed, allowing everything, including the cat, to clatter to the floor in the entry way.
“My hero,” Kenma mumbled.
Kuroo climbed over his mess, and settled into their recliner, attempting to pull Kenma into his lap.
Kenma pulled back, earning a pout from his alpha, but he couldn’t shake the notion that the boy was going to bolt at any second, so he remained standing between him and the door.
He fidgeted with his arms, trying to find a non-threatening stance, and settled for shoving his hands into the front of his hoodie. Kuroo smirked, but the boy hadn’t looked up from the cat in his lap.
Kenma tried to clear his throat, but it came out as more of a half-assed cough.
The boy still didn’t look up.
“What’s your name?”
The boy stayed frozen.
Kenma gulped, “My name is Kenma Kozume, and this is my mate Kuroo Tetsurou.”
The boy seemed to be holding his breath.
Kenma crossed to the boy, dropping to his knees in front of him, humbly averting his eyes.
“Please. I want to help you. We want to help, but I need you to meet us halfway. We can’t protect you if we don’t know what we’re protecting you from.”
The boy swallowed.
“Hinata Shouyo.”
Kenma let out a sigh of relief and allowed himself to sit back gently on his feet, not wanting to startle the boy and revert their progress.
“Okay,” Kenma tried to smile reassuringly. “Okay. I don’t mean to pry. I don’t want to make you uncomf –“
“An omegahouse.” Hinata shifted his unfocused gaze to the ground. “Or a brothel. Whatever you wanna call it. I was a whore.” His voice cracked, “I was causing too much trouble, so they were moving me. I think I was sold. I’m still not sure. I’d never met those two alphas before, but I told them I needed the bathroom. Once I got away from them for a second, I prayed for a miracle.”
The boy’s eyes met Kenma’s, wide and brown and intense. Kenma felt a shiver run down his spine, but he refused to look away.
Omegahouse. Brothel. Whore. The words pounded at Kenma’s brain, making his vision blur. His hands shook violently, and his breaths were coming more rapidly. Kenma was angry. He was furious. His blood was boiling in his veins, and he couldn’t identify what it was he wanted to do. He wanted to fight. He wanted to find those alphas and make them pay. He wanted to track down any alpha who had ever touched Hinata, and throw them off of a bridge. He wanted to singlehanded take down the entirety of the Tokyo underground. He wanted to gather up Hinata in his arms, and make him believe that no one would ever be able to hurt him again. He wanted to protect this boy, no matter what the cost.
“Kenma, are you alright?”
Kuroo shook Kenma’s shoulder, and Kenma jumped. He hadn’t even noticed his alpha rising and crossing the room. Kuroo stared down at him, stifling a cough, eyes watering. Kenma drew in a shuddering breath.
Oh.
Kenma broke into a coughing fit as well. Pheromones. His pheromones. His scent, filling the room like a thick smog. Normally his scent was gentle, nothing very distinctive, but Kuroo usually said it reminded him of smell before rain. Mixed with Kuroo’s powerful alpha pheromones though, it was rarely ever distinguishable. Now the room seemed to crackle with energy, the hair on kenma’s arms stood on end at his own scent, as if lightening were about to strike.
Kuroo’s hand was still on his shoulder, gripping him, almost as if he was holding him back. But when he opened his mouth, he addressed the boy.
“Hinata, Kenma’s office doubles as a guest bedroom for when my parents visit. There’s a pull out couch, and a bathroom if you want to get cleaned up. I can bring you some of Kenma’s clothes to change into if you’d like.”
Hinata nodded slowly, obviously still nervous around Kuroo.
“Kenma, I’ll take care of putting everything away, if you wanna just go get ready for bed.”
Kenma nodded solemnly, carefully rising back onto his feet. He held out a hand to Hinata. “Come on, I’ll have to introduce you to Fish.”
“What?” Hinata’s fearful gaze melted and was replaced with pure confusion. Kenma smiled, he liked that look on the boy much more.
He led Hinata into his office, and gestured to the fat gray lump, religiously settled on the sofa. “That’s fish. He’s twenty-three years old. He moves twice a day, once to eat in the morning, and once to shit before bed. Sometimes we have to flip a coin to see who pokes him to make sure he’s still alive.”
“I love him.” Hinata beamed, and Kenma had to work to stifle his giggle.
Kenma scooped up Fish and dropped him unceremoniously into Hinata’s arms, and then bent down to address the feline directly, “Please be nice to your new roommate.” He scratched behind Fish’s ears, relieved when he finally opened his eyes, silently thanking the gods that he hadn’t chosen this moment to kick the bucket.
Kenma starting making his way towards his own room, “The bathroom is out here, and there are sheets in the closet. I can toss some PJs down the stairs.”
“Wait.” Hinata had averted his eyes again, hyper focused on Kenma’s trashcan. His voice dropped to a whisper, “Thank you.”
Kenma’s heart clenched. “Sleep well… Hinata.”
And with that breathtaking proclamation, Kenma turned and scurried up the stairs to their room.
Collapsing face first on the bed, Kenma reached out, trying to capture a squirming Jiji and failing miserably. He heard Kuroo (or a murderer, he really was too exhausted to roll over and check) stumble up the stairs. Kenma unceremoniously flopped onto his back.
“Did you finish unpacking?”
Kuroo sat carefully next to Kenma’s head, “Gods no. But I made tea!”
Kenma scrambled into Kuroo’s lap. “You’re so fucking perfect,” he mumbled as he snatched the piping hot mug from Kuroo’s grasp.
Kuroo chuckled, running his fingers through his omega’s hair. “So do I get to ask my own questions now?”
Kenma cringed, he’d known this moment was coming all day, and he still had no idea what his defense would be. He had been stupid, and reckless, and impulsive, and he could have gotten himself and maybe even Kuroo killed. But for the first time that day his hands weren’t shaking. The boy was safe, his family was safe, and he didn’t regret a thing. That still didn’t mean he wanted to be interrogated about his choices though.
Kuroo smiled and pinched Kenma’s scrunched up nose, “I’m not going to torture you,” He teased. “I just want to make sure you’re okay. This isn’t some disguised cry for help is it? Because reckless and impulsive is usually my thing.”
“I’m fine Kuroo.” Kenma slipped from the alpha’s lap onto his feet and waked around to his side of the bed.
“See, those are the words of a man who is decidedly not fine.” Kuroo slid into his spot next to Kenma.
“Kuroo, I’ve never met a person like him before. I… I hate people. People are horrible. I feel like I’ve spent my whole life trying to avoid them, just… keeping my guard up all the time, you know? But with him, the moment I saw him, I wanted to protect him. He’s just so pure. I can’t explain it, but he seems precious, like something you have to treasure and hide away. I just… I can’t believe someone could look at him, and want to hurt him. And that is making me so mad. I wanna fight someone or something, and I don’t understand why. Why am I so angry? Is… is this what it’s like to be an alpha?”
Kuroo spluttered out his tea, his laughter being choked out between coughs, “Damn, should I be jealous?” He taunted with a wink.
Kenma reached over to shove the alpha’s arm. “Shut up Kuroo,” he grumbled, rolling to face away.
“Nooo come back!” Kuroo pulled him back, gathering his omega into his arms. “I’m sorry. Today has been stressful for me too you know.” Clutching the struggling omega close, he buried his nose in his scent gland, breathing in their mixed scent.
Kenma’s hand found its way up, gently carding through Kuroo’s hair, scratching his scalp.
“You know,” Kuroo breathed into his shoulder, “You sound like a worried mother.”
Kenma grumbled and tried to wiggle away again.
“No. I’m serious.” Kuroo held his lover close, “Like, with you, I wanna protect you sure, but I also know how strong you are. I trust you, and I know when it comes down to it, you’ve got my back too. You’re my partner. When it comes to him though, I feel like I need to lock up all the sharp objects and PG-13 movies or something.”
Kenma giggled, “Alright, but don’t go phoning your mother. This in no way implies that I am interested in having kids.”
“Noted.”
“So you’re not mad?”
“Mad? Kenma I am so unbelievably proud of what you did.” Kuroo kissed the top of his head. “I can only pray that one day if I end up in the same situation, I’ll have half the guts that you showed today.”
“Let’s not end up in this situation again.”
“I wholeheartedly agree.”
<<<<>>>>
Kuroo awoke, to the sound of his alarm, freezing cold and blanket-less. Kenma, who was surprisingly cuddly while awake, revealed his true colors in the dark of the night, stealing everything remotely soft, and on several occasions, physically kicking Kuroo out of the bed. At least on this occasion he had been granted the privilege of one single pillow. He shall have to remember later to thank the master for his generosity.
Being smart enough to value his life, Kuroo switched off the alarm quickly and vacated the premises before the sleeping beast could be awoken.
Light streamed through their massive window, and Kuroo stopped at the top of the stairs to soak in the morning glow. Southern Tokyo sprawled out below, bustling along as a Monday morning would call for, and on the very edge of the horizon you could see the twinkling of the sea. Their window never failed to make him smile.
Turning away from the window to traipse down the stairs, Kuroo just about leapt out of his skin. Peeking out of the door at the bottom of the steps were the largest brown eyes he had ever seen. The boy.
Hinata.
Kuroo tried to disguise his surprise, but knew the boy had seen his panic, as he had immediately ducked back into the guest room.
Kuroo couldn’t turn back now though, as his body had caught a glimpse of their Keurig. It was coffee or die at this point.
Stumbling down the stairs, he bee-lined for the Holy Grail of kitchen appliances, and within 90 seconds, he had a steaming hot cup of liquid ambrosia. He plopped down at the breakfast bar, trying his best to keep his half-asleep body balanced on the stool.
The lack of a dining room table was only partially his fault, but if anyone asked, he would lay the blame entirely on his mother-in-law. It had been a particularly nasty family dinner, that had ended with Kenma’s parents accusing him of not utilizing Kenma for the only thing he was good for. Pups. Breeding. A fucking incubator. Kuroo had been so enraged that he smashed the table in half. It was the only time he had ever seen Kenma cry.
They don’t talk to Kenma’s parents anymore.
Halfway through his mug, he noticed the guest room door slowly creak open again. He waited, holding his breath, with a smirk already prepared on his face.
A bright orange crop of hair, freshly washed, popped through the crack in the door. The boy was clearly looking up the stairs for any threats from above, but his gaze slowly swept across the downstairs, finally landing on Kuroo’s waiting form in the kitchen. With a yelp the door was quickly slammed shut again.
Kuroo couldn’t contain his laughter, but he managed to pull it together enough to call out to the boy while wheezing, “Hinata. Get out here.”
The color in Hinata’s face seemed to have drained away, and his steps were so cautious, you would think that he was navigating a mine-field.
Kuroo tried to wipe away his grin, but to no avail.
“Would you like something for breakfast?”
“N-n-no, I’m fine. Thank you.” The boy bowed quickly.
Kuroo rose to his feet, “Okay, that wasn’t so much a question. We’re not going to let you starve, and since you already look like you’re halfway there, skipping breakfast is not really an option. Would eggs and salmon be alright?”
“Yessir. Thank you sir.”
“Good God, drop the sir’s kid.”
The boy bowed again, panic flashing through his already intense eyes, “Sorry, sorry.”
Kuroo ran a stressed hand through his hair. He really needed some backup here.
He started bustling about, making more noise than was strictly necessary, but he was really hoping Kenma would wake up from the racket and offer him some freaking support. When he turned to grab the eggs from the fridge, he noticed that Hinata was still frozen in place.
“Jesus kid, sit.” He gestured to the stools.
“Sorrysorrysorry.” Hinata scuttled onto a stool, perched so precariously, Kuroo was afraid if he breathed to hard the boy might topple off.
He’d probably apologize for it too. Kuroo was really starting to feel antsy around this kid.
He scrambled the eggs and fried the fish, started another cup of coffee on the Keurig, and prepared three plates. One was placed straight into the fridge for his sleeping beauty to retrieve later, and he slid the second across the counter to the shaking boy, and glared pointedly, “Eat.”
Hinata complied.
“Would you like some coffee?”
Hinata nodded slowly, not raising his eyes to meet Kuroo’s.
“Here, take this one, but be careful it’s ho–“
Hinata’s fingers flinched, and the mug tumbled to the floor.
Porcelain and coffee shot across the floor, and Hinata was close behind, on his hands and knees, grasping at the shards.
“I’m sorry, I’m so so sorry.” He moaned.
“Hinata wait.”
Terrified eyes shot up to meet Kuroo’s gaze, but quickly averted.
“I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry.” Tiny hands grasped at the shards.
“No Hinata, those are sharp, I don’t want you to–“
Kuroo reached to stop the boy, but as his hand approached, Hinata flinched violently. Kuroo stumbled back in shock.
Tears were streaming down Hinata’s face, “I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry. Please don’t. I’ll be good. I can be good alpha. Alpha please don’t. Please.”
His tears fell to the floor, mixing with the coffee and Oh God was that blood?
“Hinata stop.” Kuroo dropped to the floor, and Hinata flinched again, gripping tighter to the mug fragments he’d already collected, digging them into his flesh even further.
Kuroo grabbed Hinata’s hands, trying to force open his fingers and pry away the pieces.
Hinata was gasping for air between words, “I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry.”
Kuroo freed the last shard from Hinata’s grasp, “Hinata, listen to me.”
“I can be good. I can be good. I’ll listen. I’ll listen. I’ll be good. I’m sorry.”
“Hinata.” Kuroo placed both his hands on the boy’s shoulders, ignoring the flinch again, “I need you to take a deep breath.”
The boy obeyed, sucking in a deep, hicuppy breath, and blowing it out. He sank forward with his arms extended straight, bowing his head so low that it touched the ground, but tilting it to the side to expose his scent gland.
A bow of submission.
His voice came out less panicked now, but still riddled with fear, “P-p-please. Please don’t alpha. I c-can be g-good. I p-p-promise I can be good.”
Kuroo’s heart seized. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t fix this. He was an alpha. Good intentions aside, he was an alpha. The very thing this boy feared. The very thing that had beaten and abused and tortured this poor boy time and time again. Why should he be any different?
“I can be good.”
Kuroo grit his teeth. No. He would be different. For him.
He scooted closer, through the mess, and reached for the boy. He pulled the stiff, trembling body into his lap, clutching him tightly. His hand made its way into his red hair, stroking gently. He spoke before his nerves got the better of him.
“You are good. You are good Hinata, and I will never hurt you.”
Notes:
Aaaahhhh!!!!!! You guys are so wonderful! Please know that each one of your comments is a precious treasure that I hold near and dear to my heart. You all are so freaking sweet!
I always scoff at writers who apologize for for their shitty update schedules, but here I am, grovelling for your forgiveness.
My laptop got this super terrifying virus this week where the cursor would start moving on its own and uninstalling files. It was straight out of a horror movie, I almost threw my computer in the garbage, but alas, I am committed to my craft. But I figured out as long as I saved every fifteen seconds, I was pretty much fine.
Not an excuse, just a fun anecdote. Please be assured this update took forever solely because I am lazy as hell.
Thank you so much for the response as well!!!!! I love each and every one of you
Chapter Text
“Oh my God. Kuroo, Hinata, what happened?”
<<<<>>>>
Kenma sat at his desk, knees pulled up to chest with his chin perched on top. He typed away at his computer, the light of three separate monitors burning his retinas, but he had given up on accomplishing anything hours ago. He responded to the bare minimum number of urgent emails from Yamamoto, and browsed through a few case files that had been sent his way, but nothing managed to catch his interest. His focus was elsewhere in the room.
Kenma had dialed down the brightness of his screens, creating a makeshift reflective surface, and had angled the left monitor to give him a semi-perfect view of the omega sat on his sleeper sofa.
Hinata.
He had missed the commotion by a landslide, Kuroo had always said he slept like the dead, but the sight that had awaited him at the bottom of the stairs provided him with more than enough panic for the day. His quota was all used up.
He didn’t know if the blood would ever come out of their rug.
Kuroo had practically run out the door to work once Kenma was on the scene, and with Hinata’s penchant for sharing information, Kenma resigned himself to staying in the dark. The cuts on Hinata’s hands bled a lot, but they weren’t very deep. Yaku had given them a first aid kit every year for Christmas since they had moved in together, so bandaging his hands had been an easy task.
Hinata still had not spoken though, and Kenma’s comforting experience was limited to what he knew would work on himself. So Hinata sat, wrapped so tightly in a blanket burrito he could barely move, with a Nintendo switch six inches from his eyes. All else aside, at least he couldn’t escape.
Kenma spun around in his chair, “You hungry for lunch?”
Hinata sat frozen.
Kenma didn’t know what he had expected.
“Come on, I know you didn’t get any breakfast,” Kenma got up and dragged the reluctant burrito into the kitchen, steering him towards a stool.
“You really don’t have to cook for me…” Hinata mumbled.
Kenma smirked, “Fine then,” he dumped a stack of colorful menus in front of Hinata, “You pick.”
Hinata tentatively poked at the brightly colored takeout images, and his stomach let out a thunderous gurgle.
“So you are hungry?” Kenma smiled.
Hinata mumbled something else incoherent.
“What?”
“Pork buns. Could we have pork buns maybe?”
Kenma felt a wave of relief wash over, one step at a time, he could do this.
He shuffled through the menus, selecting a wrinkled one, “This one’s my favorite, ‘cause you can order online.”
A small flash of a smile lit up Hinata’s face, “Sounds good to me.”
Kenma pulled out his phone, and the two ordered quickly as the website already had Kenma’s credit card number and address saved. Kenma would be the first to admit that he had a bit of a takeout problem.
No sooner had he hit place order than a knock sounded at the door, echoing through the apartment and causing Hinata to jump five feet into the air, toppling the stool and landing with a blanket padded thud. He looked dazed, as always, but uninjured, so Kenma made his way for the door.
Tsukkishima Kei stood in the doorway, an apartment key dangling off of one finger, and an ugly brown cat tucked firmly under his other arm. Kenma stepped to the side to allow his neighbor to walk in.
“I’ve got your mail back at my place, I forgot to grab it as I walked out.” Tsukishima extended his arm, dropping the cat into Kenma’s clutches. “Princess Diana here wouldn’t stop crying. I could hear her through the wall. The only way to get her to shut up was to take her back with me.”
“Oh, thanks.”
“She destroyed my bonsai.” Tsukishima drawled, disinterest oozing out of every syllable.
Kenma matched his enthusiasm, “Send me a bill.”
He waved the omega off, “Just tell Kuroo that this gets me out of this month’s bowling night.”
“Your absence will be mourned.”
Tsukishima smirked at Kenma’s deadpan, but was quickly distracted by the trembling omega on the floor.
Shit. Tsukishima was an alpha.
Kenma cursed pheromones for what felt like the millionth time in the past twenty-four hours, and tried to release enough of his own to overpower their guest’s sweet aroma. For someone so salty, he really didn’t know what kind of joke the universe was playing by making this man smell like a goddamn candy store.
It was too late though, Hinata was back to borderline panic mode.
“Hinata, this is Tsukishima. He’s one of Kur– our friends from high school. He watches our cats when we’re out of town.”
Hinata held Kenma’s gaze, clearly focusing on avoiding looking at the strange alpha in the room.
Tsukishima, thankfully, took the hint. “I’ll go grab your mail,” He turned, dropping the key on the counter, and made his way back into the hall.
Kenma rushed to Hinata, dropping to his knees, “Hey, hey,” He clutched the omega’s face with both hands, “Deep breaths. He looks scary, but he just needs a serious attitude adjustment. He wouldn’t hurt a fly, and I would never let him hurt you. Okay?”
Hinata whispered back, “Okay.”
“You can go hide in your room if you want, I’ll get rid of him in just a minute.”
Hinata nodded, and scrambled back to the guestroom, tripping over his blanket as he went.
Kenma sighed. The road ahead of them was looking more daunting by the day.
Tsukishima shuffled back in a moment later.
“So is Kuroo starting a harem or something?”
Kenma snatched the mail from Tsukishima’s grasp, and had to fight the urge to smack the alpha with it.
“Touchy subject?” Tsukishima smirked.
“You can go now.”
“You’re welcome. It was no trouble. I hope you had a lovely getaway.”
“Go. Please.”
Kenma shut the door behind Tsukishima, and leaned back against it.
Fuck.
It wasn’t just Kuroo, Hinata was afraid of any alpha. Was it going to be like this forever? Could they ever have friends over? What if the delivery guy was an alpha?
Kenma threaded his fingers through his hair, sinking to the floor.
Was he cut out for this?
The obvious answer was a big fat no. Kenma could barely take care of himself. When his anxiety got out of control, he would just shut down and play video games and then take an eighteen hour nap. Thank goodness Kuroo didn’t seem to have a single flaw, Kenma was sure he caused enough strain in their relationship all by himself.
He wanted to call Kuroo, but decided against it. He had already dealt with his fair share of trouble today. It was time for Kenma to pick up the slack. This was his problem after all. Unfortunately his problem solving abilities seemed to be limited to the level of a fourteen year old.
He called out to the other room, “Hinata, the idiot’s gone! Wanna come play Smash Bros?”
An orange crop of hair popped though the door, nodding furiously.
Predictably, Hinata mained Kirby. And once he figured out the controls, (he had apparently only ever played on an old game cube before) he employed the classic beginner strategy of floating away from all the conflict. Still better than Fukunaga, but a little too symbolic of their current situation for Kenma’s liking. Eventually Kenma started to get bored with only battling the CPUs, and he was relieved when the doorbell rang.
He opened the door to find their food resting on the door step. God bless contact free delivery.
The two omegas settled back in at the breakfast bar with their pork buns and an awkward silence hanging between them. After opening and closing his mouth several times, always deciding against whatever pathetic conversation starter had been on the tip of his tongue, Kenma slipped out his phone and turned to the almighty Google for answers. He clicked on the first article to show up for his search request.
How to Calm a Stressed Omega
Any good alpha can tell when their omega is beginning to get stressed out. The world can be a scary place for our delicate companions, and as their protectors, we have the responsibility of keeping them happy. A stressed omega can cause many bad side effects in the home. Their pheromones can change and cause discomfort for their alphas, and if they are stressed for too long, it can affect their ability to produce strong pups.
Kenma had to stop himself from gagging. In the big city, it usually felt like attitudes were changing. Anyone could be anyone in Tokyo, regardless of gender. But Kenma often had to remind himself, that even in some parts of Japan, omegas were still banned from holding jobs. It had only been two years since omegas were legally allowed to drive in Tokyo. Legislators argued that their fragile emotional states might make them more dangerous drivers, and their smaller stature might prevent them from seeing over the steering wheel appropriately. Omega rights activists were constantly under fire, and rarely stayed in the limelight long. They were easy to overwhelm in a fight, powerful alphas using their pheromones to force them to submit. It was a disgusting battle, with still so much to overcome.
Kenma did his best to ignore all of it. He had what he needed. He didn’t want to go to rallies, or sign petitions, or get into long debates that circled around and around until both parties left with their pride wounded but their opinions still intact. It all seemed exhausting. If Kenma was happy, why go out of his way for a fight that he really wasn’t passionate about?
He turned his thoughts back to the article.
#1 Mount them
Fucking your omega is one of the best ways…
Kenma scrolled on, grossly disinterested in the rest of that particular suggestion.
#2 Nesting
Nesting is a common Omega behavior, related to the desire to produce and protect pups. However it can also serve as a form of stress relief for the lesser sex. Some phycologists believe that because of their inferior nature, omega’s brains never fully matured from their infantile state and thus can still be comforted by the primal security offered by a nest. Plus for many alphas, the comfort and proximity offered by a nest can lead a couple back to suggestion #1…
Kenma shut off his phone. Despite the borderline vulgarity of the article, his brain was still whirring. Nesting could work. He knew nesting was popular, but he had never personally felt the need. Kuroo always provided enough comfort for him. But he still knew the basics. Pillows and blankets, right? Even without omegan instincts, those were comfort items.
He dropped his half-eaten pork bun and rushed up the stairs to his room, much to the bewilderment of Hinata. In the corner of the bedroom room was a huge stack of decorative pillows that had been gathering dust basically since they moved in, since neither he nor Kuroo was put-together enough to actually make the bad on a regular basis. He tossed a disgruntled Jiji to the side, and scooped up the stack of pillows, carefully balancing the few stragglers on top of the load. He carefully felt his way down the steps, his vision being totally obscured at this point, and padded into the guestroom without a word to Hinata.
Kenma opened his arms, allowing the pillows to tumble onto the bed, and he made quick work of arranging them around the edge. He stepped back to examine his work, and found himself a little disappointed. In his defense, he had no idea what he was doing.
“Umm, Kenma?”
Kenma jumped, Hinata had managed to sneak right up behind him.
“What are you doing?”
Kenma scratched at the back of his head sheepishly, “I was trying to make a nest… for you. To help you feel safe?” His voice rose, questioning himself as much as the boy.
“You know it doesn’t have to look like a bird’s nest, right?” Hinata didn’t smile, but there was an air of teasing to his voice. “C’mere, I can show you.”
He took Kenma’s hand, pulling him to the spot next to him on the bed. Then Hinata pulled a blanket around them and began to pull the pillows closer to them, cocooning them tightly to eachother. As a finishing touch, he yanked a blanket over the top of the whole structure, closing them in.
Kenma laid back into the soft nest.
Whoa.
The pillows surrounding him were soft, and the air was beginning to warm. He was surrounded, but not in an intimidating way, in a manner that meant nothing else could reach him. Everything bad and scary was out there, and there was no room for it here. He could feel his heart slowing in his chest, and he felt his mind going blank. Quiet. Warm. Safe.
“Kenma?” Hinata whispered.
Kenma turned to face the other omega, a gentle smile crossed his lips. “Where did you learn to do this?”
Hinata shrugged and turned away, “We used to do it back at the– where they kept us.” Silence pressed around them as Hinata took a shaky breath, but a gentle and safe silence. Kenma placed his hand on Hinata’s, giving him a reassuring squeeze, “We didn’t have many pillows or anything, but there were more of us, so it was warm.”
“Us?” Kenma probed.
Hinata turned back to face him, a shadow of joy sparked in his wide eyes, “My pack. My family. Not my real family of course, but… Yes! They’re my family now. We were there together a long time. Well Yachi is pretty new, but she’s great. And Suga and I were together at our old house before we were brought here. And Tadash–“ Hinata stopped mid-word, his eyes glazing over.
Kenma froze as well, and he was starting to worry that Hinata had stopped breathing all together in his panic. He wrapped his arms around the omega, pulling him close to his chest.
Hinata let out a sob, “I’m sorry.”
“You have nothing to be sorry for.”
They lay quietly. Hinata’s breathing quickly became controlled within the confines of the nest though, and he pulled back to make eye contact with Kenma.
“It’s much nicer, with you. Nesting I mean… Because you have a scent I mean. It’s comforting.”
Kenma frowned, “What happened to yours?”
“I mean, it’s probably still in there. My scent, but I have so many scars…” Hinata rubbed at his scarred neck, “I can’t share it anymore. It’s like it’s trapped y’know?”
Kenma’s hand drifted up to follow Hinata’s, tracing the lines across his collarbone to his shoulder, and all the way up to almost his ear. “How? Why?”
Hinata’s brow creased, “Alphas. They like to think that they own you. Even if they’ve never seen you before. For some reason if they can get their knot in you, they think that they have some claim to you. They’re like dogs, all of them, marking what’s theirs. Even if you’re not. Even if you’re a person, a human being. Even if you say no. They’re horrible. They take and they take and once you think you have nothing left, they leave you with a scar, so that you can never forget it. You have nothing left but a reminder of them.”
His voice is steady. His eyes are dry. His pain is a pain that cannot be expressed.
How can Kenma hope to reach this boy through all that?
He holds the boy close. He tries to keep his scent from souring. He tries to keep his breathing even and his rage under control.
He has no idea how long they lay in the nest, time seems to stand still. If he can keep him here, Hinata will be safe.
“Kenma?” Hinata lets out a strangled whisper, “Could you stop squeezing me?”
Kenma gasps, “Sorry, sorry, I didn’t mean to.”
Hinata smiles, it’s small, but it seems to light up the room, or at least their little corner of it. He tentatively slides arms around Kenma, resting his nose on his scent gland and breathing deeply.
“Kenma?” Hinata’s voice is muffled as his face is smushed against Kenma. The hot air tickles, and Kenma again falls victim to the nest’s comforting atmosphere.
“Yes?”
“Is one of your cats named Princess Diana?”
Kenma groans, “Yes, and I do not want to talk about it.”
“Oh.” Kenma can feel Hinata retreating at his obvious displeasure.
“I’m kidding.” He pulls Hinata closer, “It was Kuroo’s cat. He got it in college, before we were bonded. I think he was drunk when he named her.”
Hinata giggles softly. “I never owned a cat, my dad was allergic. But there was a crow that lived in a tree down the street from me. I used to bring it nuts and rice as a treat. I think I liked how big it was, and that it wasn’t completely scared of me. So I kept coming back, until it would eat out of my hand. It took forever, I think I went there every day for a whole summer. I was probably four or five years old. But then, once it got cold, my mom wouldn’t let me outside on my own anymore, since it got dark so early. I think that he thought I got sick or something, because a few days later, he was pecking on my window. He brought me a nail, I think he probably ripped it straight out of someone’s house. And he came back every day, and brought me something new every day. I kept it all in a box under my bed. And then when spring came around I started bringing him treats again. I don’t remember what happened to him. I’m pretty sure my mother told me that he had to move to a farm upstate or something. But the box of stuff is still under my bed... I hope.”
Kenma presses his lips to the top of Hinata’s head. Even a bird was able to realize how precious this boy was.
<<<<>>>>
“So you uncovered what was most likely an omega human trafficking ring, and your first response was not to call the police?”
“Would a simple it’s complicated suffice?”
Yaku placed a tray of test tubes in front of Kuroo, “You know, most of the time, I really can’t decide which one of you is the bigger idiot. Doesn’t Kenma like work for the police?”
“It’s complicated.”
“I should make you a t-shirt. Or get you one of those talking buttons. That way you never have to answer for any of your terrible descisions ever again.” The omega readjusted his safety goggles, “Are you done titrating over there? I swear to God if you say it’s complicated.”
Kuroo smirked at his partner. He had known Yaku since high school, and he knew he was the best at giving advice, mostly because he did not give a fuck.
“Yaku, you know going to the police wouldn’t get us anywhere.”
“I mean yeah, know.”
“There are hardly any laws protecting omegas in these situations.”
“I know.”
“The courts will call him a whore who was asking for it.”
“Kuroo, you don’t have to tell me that the whole world is against omegas. I know. I just think you might be able to get him some help you know? It sounds like he’s going to have some serious issues recovering from this.”
Kuroo turned sheepishly back to his work station, “…Yeah.”
Yaku hopped up on Kuroo’s counter, narrowly avoiding sitting on several hours worth of work, “I mean, you said he basically has a panic attack every time that he sees you. It sounds like some Pavlov type shit.”
“You’ve lost me.” Kuroo pulled off his goggles, giving up on titrating his latest solution.
“Pavlov? The guy who rang the bell every time he fed the dogs?”
“I know who Pavlov is idiot, I just don’t see the connection.”
“Think about it. Every time that kid saw an alpha, he got raped. And now he’s just supposed to see them on the street and be fine with it?”
Kuroo pulled off his gloves and ran his fingers through his hair, “Well what do you propose we do wise one?”
“You know the omega shelter?”
“No.”
“It’s right down the street from here.”
“Absolutely not.”
“Kuroo, they have resources, they’ll be able to help him. What’s your game plan exactly? Keep avoiding him? Keep him in the spare bedroom with the rest of your cats for the rest of his life?”
Kuroo turned for the door to their lab, “Okay Yaku. I get it. I’ll talk to Kenma.”
“Good.”
“But I’m not promising anything.”
Notes:
Hey Hey Hey! I'm back, and I brought fluff. Or at least my meager attempt at fluff, that is overshadowed by my incessant need to make my characters suffer. I do not apologize.
Also, please forgive Tsukki! He knows not what he does! He hasn't yet learned to love!!!!
Also also, Thank you THANK YOU to all my commentors, Kudosers, and just plain readers. All I have to offer you are empty compliments of your beauty and my hastily written words. Arrivederci!
Chapter 4: Start
Notes:
Whelp, time for a trigger warning. I literally did not realize how dark this would get, but before you know it, I'm crying. I'm so sorry.
TW: Referenced abortion, implied character death, blood
Again, so sorry.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
When Kuroo came home from work to a quiet, dark apartment, he immediately assumed the worst. However upon throwing open the guest room door his fears were quelled as Kenma’s scent coursed through him. It was as if he had been washed clean by the very essence of Kenma. Quiet, calm, levelheaded Kenma. He wanted to curl up and sleep, the evils of the world being single-handedly held at bay by his mate.
He was pulled from his reverie by a stern glare from his one and only, head popping out from a cocoon of blankets, finger drawn to his lips in a silent shhh. Upon closer inspection, Kuroo could just barely see the carrot-topped boy, clinging to Kenma even in his deep sleep.
Kuroo mouthed, “Can we talk?”
Kenma looked down helplessly at the omega in his arms, trying for a moment to free himself, but freezing up the second the boy stirred. He looked back to Kuroo with a shrug.
Kuroo silently chuckled, sliding into Kenma’s desk chair, propping a foot on his opposite knee.
He began mouthing dramatically at Kenma “I was talking with Yaku –“
Kenma rolled his eyes.
“No, hear me out.” His voice rose just above a whisper, earning a stern glare from his omega. “Sorry!” He mouthed throwing up his hands. “And he mentioned a shelter –“
Kenma’s glare turned downright murderous, as he thrust a finger towards the door.
“Out.”
“Kenma –“
“No Kuroo, I will not.”
“Okay but –“ Kenma emphasized his gesture to the door. “No just listen, Yaku’s aunt works at one.”
“Kuroo, I will not abandon him like a dog at the pound.”
“It’s not like that.”
Kenma whisper had turned to a hiss at the point, “A battered omega shelter. That’s where you want to drop him off?”
“It’s a homeless shelter, that only accepts omegas for their protection.”
“He has a home. With us.”
“They have resources Kenma. Counselling. Doctors. Other omegas like him, who’ve been through what he’s been through.”
“So?”
“Kenma, will you listen to yourself? We have no idea what we’re doing. He’s half starved. Every time he sees me he thinks I’m going to rape him. We can’t just hide him away pretending that we’re helping him.”
“Kuroo. No.” Kenma’s volume had risen with his anger, and Hinata stirred again.
“Fine.” Kuroo stood and headed for the door, “But you’d better wake him up, Daichi and the rest of the squad are coming.”
“Kuroo. What did you do?”
“No. Kenma, we witnessed a crime. Human trafficking. We can’t just not report it to the police. There are other omegas trapped in the same place he was, we can’t do nothing. I already told Yamamoto the gist of it, so there’s no wriggling your way out of this one.”
“Dammit Kuroo –“
Kuroo shut the door before he could hear any more of his omega’s protests. He knew he had acted rashly, but he also knew that he was right.
<<<<>>>>
Kenma groaned as soon as the door was shut. He shimmied his body back into the safety of the nest, and the comfort of Hinata’s arms. His hand found its way into the mop of orange hair, and he began to gently play with a strands. Hinata moved, pulling back and looking up at Kenma, his eyes red and swollen.
“Are the police going to send me back?” His voice is scratchy and weak, but his words don’t waver. He had accepted fates far worse than this in his life.
Kenma cupped Hinata’s cheek, “No. I will never let you go back to that place.”
Hinata gulped, “But I still have to talk to them?”
Kenma nodded, “I’ll be there the whole time, you don’t have to tell them anything you don’t want to. They’re cops, but they’re also my friends. They won’t pressure you.”
Hinata pursed his lips and nodded. He threw back the blankets, and carefully climbed out of the nest, so as not to disturb the pillows. Kenma watched in awe as the normally terrified boy steeled himself and strode out of the room.
Kenma flopped backwards into the nest, refusing to give up this newfound comfort. He squeezed his eyes tight, holding in the tears that were threatening to overflow. He didn’t want to send Hinata away. Talking to the police was one thing, and they probably should have reached out sooner, but the thought of sending him away completely felt devastating. It had been exactly a day and the boy had already carved out a place in his heart. He was so small and fragile, but when he smiled, it was almost overwhelming, like looking at the sun. Kenma wanted to protect him and keep him safe so that he never had a reason not to smile again. But would a shelter be able to do that?
Kenma pushed himself up, and rolled off of the sleeper sofa. He may have wanted to curl up and sleep for the rest of the week, but his boss was on his way over, and he had to at least pretend to be a functioning adult. Not that Daichi was ever under the impression that Kenma was mature in the slightest.
He dragged himself out into the living room and made his way up the stairs, grabbing Hinata by the collar and tugging him behind. The omega was still wearing his pajamas from last night. Kenma made a mental note to take him shopping tomorrow (and by take him shopping, Kenma of course meant browse Amazon), but figured they were close enough in size to get through at least one evening.
What he figured incorrectly was how much time they had before the squad arrived. Poor Hinata had just pulled off his shirt when the roar of Yamamoto announcing his arrival, echoed through apartment. Hinata instantly paled, clutching his shirt to his chest. His wild fearful eyes met Kenma’s with a silent plea for an out. But Kenma had nothing to offer but a reassuring nod. They needed to do this.
Hinata turned around to finish changing, and Kenma emerged from the closet to face the wolves that prowled below.
“KENMA!” Yamamoto roared as Kenma made his way down the stairs. He attempted to beeline for the safety of Kuroo’s shadow, but was cut off and lifted into a bear hug by the overzealous alpha.
“Little dude, I haven’t seen you in forever. You gotta admit that you missed me.”
Kenma groaned as the air was squeezed from his lungs, “I’d rather die.”
“That could be arranged,” Daichi smirked from across the room.
Kenma finally free himself from Yamamoto’s grip, and dropped into a low bow. “Sawamura-san, it’s so nice to see you.”
“Cut the nonsense Kenma, I know you’re up to no good,” Daichi stood in the kitchen watching Kuroo prepare tea with crossed arms, but he offered Kenma a sly wink. Kenma couldn’t help but smile slightly in reply. Daichi was a good man.
Their third guest made no introductions. Shouhei Fukunaga had settled on his knees in front of the sofa, and was currently engaged in a one sided staring contest with Kiki. The cat rolled over, stretching out her paws to bat at the Beta’s nose, and he cocked his head curiously. He extended an arm to awkwardly pat the top of the cat’s head.
Kuroo snickered evilly, “Has he ever seen a cat before?”
Daichi scratched the back of his head awkwardly, “He really doesn’t get out much.”
Fukunaga fiddled with the hairs on the top of the cat’s head, as if he was trying to style it into a mohawk, “Kozume-san, we will need your assistance with a case in the next few days.”
Kenma turned to Daichi for confirmation.
“Well I wasn’t going to say it outright like that, but yeah. We’re circling in on a huge fentanyl distribution center, and we will probably need you on site for backup.”
“You mean to run the operation?” Kenma drawled.
“Something like that.”
“Where is Kenma going?” A small voice inquired.
Hinata appeared at the top of the stairs. The omega was still ghostly pale, and his eyes were wide with fear. He locked his gaze onto Kenma and made his way down the steps.
Kenma shuddered as he did a mental headcount, three alphas, one beta, himself and Hinata. Even without any emotions running high, the smell was sure to get a little overwhelming at some point.
He jumped to draw the omega’s attention away from the alpha dominated kitchen, “Hinata, this is Fukunaga, he is one of Tokyo Police’s top –“ Shit, he shouldn’t say interrogator, “Interviewers…”
Hinata briefly glanced at the beta on the floor, but his gaze quickly shifted to the two strange alphas standing between him and the exit.
Daichi stepped forward, extending his hand to the omega, “My name is Sawamura Daichi, I am the captain of the Twelfth Division of the Tokyo Public Security Intelligence Agency, and the constipated looking one in the corner is Yamamoto Taketora, my deputy.”
Yamamoto let out a betrayed wail from his seat at the counter, much to Kuroo’s delight.
Hinata ignored the offered handshake in exchange for a reverent bow, “Thank you for coming to meet with me.” He turned his head to Kenma and whispered, “What exactly do they want from me?” He nervously wrung his hands.
Kenma reached for Hinata’s hand, “They’re just my co-workers, they don’t really want anything. I think they’re mostly here to see if they can help you.”
Hinata nodded solemnly.
Fukunaga swiveled around to face Hinata head on, crossing his legs on the rug. “I think you would be more comfortable speaking with me privately. Perhaps in another room?”
Hinata nodded again, “Could… Could Kenma come too?”
“More than one means double the fun.”
“What?”
“Please ignore him,” Daichi groaned, pressing his head into his hands, “I promise he’s good at what he does.”
“Um… I’ll tell you anything you want to know. I want to answer your questions… I want to help. Can I ask one first though?”
Daichi smiled reassuringly, “Of course.”
“What does Kenma do?”
Kuroo barked with laughter, “Ain’t that the question of the century.”
Daichi grinned sheepishly, “It’s actually kind of a funny story.”
It was Yamamoto though who stepped forward to answer the question.
“So, a couple of years ago, I was working on a case. Yakuza. Murder-for-hire. The whole shebang. It was my first big break, and my ticket into the big leagues. And I had squat. Dead-end, for months. No matter what we tried or where we looked, the trail had run cold.” He looked at down at the ground sheepishly. “Then, all of a sudden, things just started showing up. Evidence I mean. It just started appearing in our files. I followed up on it of course, but it was all legit.
“It kept happening too. Two months later, kidnapping, high-profile socialites. A set of coordinates just appeared on my screen while I was typing an email. It took us about a year and a half to figure out who was behind it, and only because he decided to reveal himself.” Yamamoto looked at Kenma in a way that could only be described as proud.
Hinata scrunched up his face, “That doesn’t explain anything.”
Kuroo chuckled, wrapping his arms around Kenma’s waist and resting his chin on the smaller man’s head. “Kenma might not look it, but he is definitely one of those people who goes looking for trouble. I mean, look at me.” He gestured to himself dramatically. “When we were in high school, he got into hacking. Don’t ask me how. But he got addicted to getting into places he wasn’t supposed to be. Never caused problems, just liked to prove he could do it.
“The news was doing a special on that Yakuza case, and we were watching for God only know what reason. Before I know it, he’s telling me what the news got wrong. He hacked into the police files in less than a half an hour, just to do some casual reading.” Kenma was blushing furiously in Kuroo’s grasp at this point. “By the next day, he had found a complete list of the murderer’s clients, victims, paychecks, you name it. For lack of anything better to do with the information, he leaked it to the police.”
“More like dumped it on our heads.” Daichi smirked. “Unfortuntely, everything Kenma finds, he finds illegally. Japan has privacy laws, they protect citizens from the government just rifling through their business. So whenever he hands us the lead we’ve been looking for, we have to find a way to make it look like we procured the information through the correct channels.”
“It also means he’s not eligible for payroll,” Kuroo winked at Daichi, who rolled his eyes.
Hinata was still wearing his familiar look of confusion, “So how do you make money?”
“Same way I always did,” Kenma smiled mischievously at Hinata, “Just without fear of prosecution.”
“He hacks into company’s financial reports before their released to the public, and adjusts his stock holdings appropriately.” Daichi grumbled.
Hinata nodded slowly, but his eyebrows were still furrowed with confusion.
“Basically, just about everything this little sucker gets up to is illegal, but he has such great friends,” Yamamoto puffed out his chest, “He gets away with it.”
Daichi crossed his arms, “He’s saved countless lives, with little cost to the department, other than our pride.”
Fukunaga spoke up from his spot on the floor, two cats now crowding his lap, “Could we get started?”
Hinata’s face paled again, but he offered up a strained nod.
The cats tumbled to the floor as Fukunaga rose and led the way into the office. The beta sat in Kenma’s desk chair, gesturing dramatically to the sleeper sofa, “Please make yourself comfortable.”
Kenma rolled his eyes, Fukunaga was a weird one.
Kenma climbed into the nest, pulling Hinata to sit with him. He wrapped his arms around the other omega’s waist and rested his chin on his shoulder. Hinata’s eyes were closed as he took steadying breaths.
“We can start with your name and age, if that’s okay.”
Hinata squeezed Kenma’s hand, “My name is Hinata Shouyou, and um, I’m twenty.”
“Where are you from?”
“Miyagi.”
“And did you go to school Hinata?”
“Um, yes, it was called Karasuno, I went there until halfway through my second year…”
“And then?” Fukunaga innocently questioned.
“I was taken.”
“I see. Do you remember who took you?”
“Not really....” Hinata mumbled noncommittally.
“That’s quite alright.” Fukunaga’s blank stare had shifted from unsettling to curious, devoid of any trace of judgement. Hinata had even relaxed slightly into Kenma’s arms.
“Where were you taken to?”
“Well, I only ever saw the insides… But I was alone for a long time, and then Suga was with me for a little while there too, at the first place. After about six months though they moved us both to a new place and I met my whole pack.”
“Your pack, is that what you called yourselves?”
“It was Kiyoko’s idea, to make it official. She was raised in a pack, instead of just by her parents I mean. She said that we were closer than a real family anyways, so we agreed to stay together forever, as a pack.”
“Would you mind telling me about your pack?”
Hinata nodded enthusiastically, any trace of fear now gone, “So we always joked that Suga, Sugawara I mean, we joked that he was our pack mother, even though I think Kiyoko is older than him, and you know, a girl. But he’s just so sweet, and… motherly, it’s honestly annoying sometimes, but we still love him. And Kiyoko, she’s really quiet, but really pretty. And then the other girl there is Yachi, she only came to us about a month ago, she’s pretty too, but like cute pretty. Kiyoko is like pretty pretty.
“And then there’s Nishinoya. He’s small like me, but he’s loud. But he’s so much fun, I think he’s the only reason that I didn’t lose my mind from boredom. He made up this game called Bucket Head, but Suga said we weren’t allowed to play it anymore because we accidentally knocked out Tadashi –“
Hinata’s rambling stopped abrubtly. It was the second time, Kenma noted, that he had been stopped in his tracks by the mere mention of this particular pack mate.
What had happened to Tadashi?
Fukunaga managed to keep the conversation flowing though, changing the subject and clinging to their momentum, “How long would you say you were kept at this location?”
“Probably two years.”
“And how did your imprisonment come to an end?”
“I escaped. Well Kenma helped me escape, and Kuroo. They found me at a highway rest stop and helped me get away. They saved me, and protected me, and please don’t make me leave them.”
Fukunaga smiled gently, “We have no intentions of taking you away Hinata. More than anything, we want to help you, and if possible your pack that was left behind.”
Hinata nodded in quiet acceptance, relaxing again into Kenma’s arms.
“Hinata, could describe to me the nature of your imprisonment?”
“Um… cold?”
Fukunaga chuckled, “I guess I was too vague, what was expected of you? Were you made to do anything that you did not otherwise want to do?”
Hinata’s volume dropped, and he began to fidget, anxiety becoming evident, “I… I was a whore. That’s what they called us anyways. I don’t think you could call us prostitutes, because… we never got paid for… what we did.”
“Which was…?” Kenma knew that Fukunaga wasn’t allowed to ask leading questions, in the interest of an honest investigation.
“Sex. Getting fucked. Being used… I don’t want to do this anymore.” Hinata stood, stepping over the pillows and blankets, “I don’t see how this can help.”
Fukunaga did not move from his seat, “Hinata, rest assured, everything that you tell us can be used to find and prosecute your captors. What was done to you was illegal. It will be difficult to prove though, so anything you can tell us will be a big help.”
Hinata stood next to the door in silence, his fists balled at his sides eyes squeezed shut. A tear streaked down his cheek and fell to the floor.
“They killed Tadashi.”
He opened his eyes to reveal an intense stare. There was no fear or sadness in his gaze, only anger.
“He got pregnant, we don’t know how since they force fed us birth control. But he was probably four months pregnant before they found out. He said he could feel it moving sometimes. But they said… they said nobody wants to fuck a pregnant boy omega. So, they took him away, and when they brought him back he wasn’t pregnant. We don’t think they brought him to a doctor, but he wouldn’t talk to us at all when he came back, and he wouldn’t stop bleeding. He kept getting weaker and more tired, and they couldn’t send him to clients anymore. He got so weak, he couldn’t eat or drink… and then one day he wouldn’t wake up… and they dragged him away.”
His eyelids drooped, and his body visibly sagged with the weight of his story.
Kenma moved towards the boy slowly, carefully reaching for his hand.
Hinata did not pull away, but he didn’t meet Kenma’s eyes either. He simply allowed Kenma to pull him to the nest closing his eyes completely once Kenma started to tuck him in.
Kenma and Fukunaga crept out of the room, carefully shutting the door behind them.
Daichi and Kuroo looked up expectantly, Yamamoto seemed to be completely distracted by a ball of mochi.
Fukunaga sighed, “We don’t have much to go off of. Without a lead to the captor’s identities or whereabouts, we might be at the end of the road.”
Kuroo deflated, and Daichi patted him on the back, “That’s what I figured we’d be looking at. We won’t write it off completely, but we’ll need a big break to make anything happen.”
“Unfortunately, that’s supposed to be my specialty,” Kenma groaned, turning for the stairs.
Daichi called out, “Kenma, will you be able to help us with our raid, it could be as soon as tomorrow that we –“
Kenma waved noncommittally, “Whatever you need. I need to go to bed now.” He reached the top of the stairs and crawled immediately under the covers. Curling into a tight ball, he released a sob.
Moments later Kuroo was next to him, arms holding him tightly, scent strong and comforting.
“It’s going to be okay.”
“Kuroo, I really don’t know if I believe that anymore.”
<<<<>>>>
Kenma fell asleep with tears still on his face, and when he awoke, he could feel where they had dried. His face was puffy and though the windows were pitch black, there was light streaming into his room from the open doorway, burning his already strained eyes.
But he didn’t look away from the figure standing at his door.
Hinata padded over to his side of the bed cautiously, head ducked forward as though ashamed.
“Kenma, I think I’m starting my heat.”
Notes:
Oh no. I'm so sorry. I really am. Do pay attention to the tags though, all is not as absolutely fucking miserable as it seems;)
I did finally outline the rest of the story though! So most of the major details should be set in stone, and boy oh boy am I excited. Buckle your seat-belts baby, it ain't over yet.
You know that meme where you push aside all the main characters to find your one favorite "some gremlin" in the back? Fukunaga is my gremlin. I love that little bastard.
Also please find it in your hearts to forgive Kuroo for his brashness. I honestly think I was channeling my own frustrations through him. I know that I wrote this story, But how could they be so Stupid?! Gotta love 'em though
Thank you to all my lovely commenters, it fills me with inexplicable joy to read your sweet words, especially those of you who have been coming back week after week. I treasure you dearly, and if your user names weren't so absurd I'd name my children after you.
Chapter 5: Heat
Notes:
Okay. I swear this started as an attempt to do something nice for y'all
I woke up this morning and said to myself, "I put my readers through a lot yesterday, I'll surprise them with a next day update, it'll be great."
Moral of the story, I'm starting to worry that I might be a sadist. (But hey at least I didn't pretend to kill anyone in this chapter)TW: The big italicized section is some pretty serious dissociation/panic attack stuff, feel free to skip, it won't affect the plot
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
“I really think it would be better if I stayed here with him.”
Kenma dropped his newly packed overnight bag onto the bed with a scowl, “And I really know that that is not going to happen. You are two weeks from your rut, a photograph of a baby would trigger it early for you. You want to be in the same house as an unbonded omega in heat?”
Kuroo grumbled a response that Kenma figured he was better off not hearing.
”You’re coming with me. Just think of it as a shitty vacation in the world’s sketchiest hotel surrounded by cops.”
“This is absurd. You’re kicking me out of my own house.”
Kenma snorted, “Don’t test me, you know I will. Are you ready?”
“Let me grab my charger.”
“The car will be out front any minute now.”
“Yes mother.”
It took all of Kenma’s willpower not to slam the door on Kuroo. He’d cool off once they were around the unit and Kuroo would be able to leave for work soon anyways. But for now, he was being a whiny pain in the ass.
Hinata’s door was shut tight. There was a stack of water bottles outside the door, in addition to the stack on the counter, and the stack on the desk in the room. Kenma had offered up his own, real bed, but the omega had refused.
“Hinata, you okay in there?”
“’Mm…’M fine.” The omega’s strained voice called through the door.
“Kuroo’s leaving with me now. There’s food in the fridge, you don’t even have to heat it up. Just promise me you’ll eat when you can.”
“Y-y-yep.”
“I’ll come back to check on you as soon as I have a chance. And the extra phone is in the kitchen on the charger.”
There was no reponse this time. Hinata was now just over one day into his heat. They had been handling it fairly well, with Kuroo and Kenma mostly sequestered to their room, and Hinata in his own. That was until Kenma received word that the raid was a go. He was needed at an old hotel halfway across Tokyo, across the street from what was hopefully one of the largest Fentanyl packing and distribution facilities in the city.
In the past, the police would gather surveilance for months. Keeping track of the comings and goings, meticulously planning their final move so as to put as few police lives at risk as possible. But now, they had Kenma.
It had technically been Yamamoto’s idea. After a particularly nasty raid had led to a relatively minor gunshot wound to the ass, Yamamoto had spent hours lamenting to Kenma that it wasn’t fair, because the bad guys had cameras covering every inch of their property. They had followed each of the cops movements remotely, and were able to pick them off one by one. Wouldn’t it be cool if we could do that too?
Thus, Kenma had three suitcases of hacking equipment already packed next to the door, so that he could be the Police’s eye in the sky, from inside their target’s HQ.
He was the best at what he did, and he was proud of it. But it had taken Daichi repeatedly threatening jail time for his side-hustle, to convince him to leave Hinata behind.
His phone beeped with a message from a blocked number.
“Kuroo the car is here!” He shouted up the stairs.
Kenma’s hand hovered above the door handle to Hinata’s room. He knew he was being ridiculous though, Hinata was an adult, he could handle a heat on his own. So why did Kenma feel like something was very, very wrong?
<<<<>>>>
Tsukishima Kei liked structure. Some had called it an obsession, but he didn’t appreciate the connotation, so he ignored it. He loved living by his routine (Even though the word put a sour taste in his mouth, as it reminded him of high school cheerleaders or something equally unsavory). He reveled in the way each of his daily tasks led straight to the next. It had been meticulously planned out by him to do just that.
Some people (His mother) had implied that he needed some excitement in his life (a dog), but the idea disgusted him. His routine, his structure, his silence were sacred to him. It would take much more than meager loneliness for him to give all that up.
With his second cup of coffee clutched in his hand, he surveyed the remains of his poor, poor bonsai tree. It was a seven year old tree, he had grafted microcarpa leaves to make it a ficus microcarpa ginseng. For an indoor bonsai, it was a masterpiece.
Was being the keyword in this particular situation.
He had no idea if he could salvage it. He knew if he turned to the online forums, he would be torn to shreds for allowing a cat near his precious tree. So for now, he stood in silence, mourning the loss of a plant.
Maybe his mother was right.
Skipping the water and prune portion of his morning, he moved to the kitchen to take out the trash. The bin was nowhere close to being full, containing only the scraps of the last twenty four hour’s meals, but he could not stand the idea of foodstuffs stinking up his apartment for any longer than that.
As he pulled the drawstrings of the bag, his nose was assaulted by the repulsive odor of rotting citrus. He recoiled, but his frown quickly morphed to one of confusion as he surveyed the contents of the bag. He hadn’t eaten any citrus. He hadn’t even put lemon in his tea last evening. He wanted to ignore the smell, but it was downright foul. Upon entering the hallway, he was disappointed to discover that it was far worse out here. At least it wasn’t his fault, he relished blaming other people for his discomfort.
As he passed Kuroo and Kenma’s door, Tsukishima was unable to inhale. The stench was so potent, he found himself holding back the urge to vomit.
Once he was safely closed off in the elevator, trash in hand, he shot a text to Kuroo.
‘Something is wrong in your apartment’
<<<<>>>>
Kuroo loved Kenma, he really did, and he would do anything for his omega, or at least that’s what he told himself. Right now though, he was being tested by the gods, he was sure of it.
There were twelve cops (plus Kuroo when he wasn't at work) sequestered in this small, single bed hotel room, going on twenty-four hours. There was one questionably functional bathroom, a definitely not functional mini-fridge, and a small AC unit that was teetering precariously between the two states.
Kuroo and Yamamoto were huddled in front of the shuddering machine, silently offering up prayers for its survival. Unfortunately, they literally had nothing better to do, as their phones had been confiscated on arrival at the scene. Everyone in the room was waiting on Kenma to do what he did best, albeit about as exciting as watching paint dry.
Kuroo was becoming more irritated by the second, as he was supposed to be at work right now. Unfortunately, his cab was extraordinarily lost, and his beautiful, beautiful car had been left behind at their apartment. Bright red convertibles weren’t the most covert vehicle on the market…
Yamamoto groaned, “I wanna shoot stuuuuff,” He leaned over to lean on Kuroo.
Kuroo shoved the alpha to the floor, “And I wanna shoot you, we’re all in agony here.”
Kenma smirked, and by God, with his hair tied up like that, and that focused look on his face, Kuroo was now hot, and hot and bothered.
“Congratulations you’ve now managed to make everyone uncomfortable jackass,” Yamamoto crinkled his nose as the smell of Kuroo’s pheromones.
“Oh please, you always smell horny. You’re just jealous that someone would actually consider sleeping with me.”
“Consider is a strong assumption,” Kenma quipped, eyes still glued to his screens.
“Kenma babe, I really need your support when I’m being antagonized by the goddamn police.”
“Until there are charges placed against you, I am under no legal obligation to do anything of the sort.”
Yamamoto keeled over with laughter, leaning against Kuroo again and earning himself another shove.
“Have we considered, and I know this might be a controversial opinion, silence?” Daichi stood behind Kenma, clearly not quite as adept at tuning out the bullshit as his counterpart was.
“The motion has been submitted for consideration, but the council has requested a period of two to five business days to reach their verdict.”
Inuoka whined from the bed, “Could we move for an expedited hearing?”
“I can propose the motion, but it will take four to ten business days to process.”
“Kenma, why is your mate even here?” Narita piped up from his seat by the door, “I didn’t realize we were bringing dates on official police business now.”
“Nothing I do is official police business,” Kenma concentration did not waver as he responded, years of living with Kuroo had conditioned him well, “We had some personal matters pop up, I didn’t want to leave him at home.”
“At least it’s not his cat again,” Yamamoto grumbled.
“Kuroo your taxi is here,” Kenma noted, “Everyone else, it’ll be a few more hours.
There was a collective groan, and Kuroo couldn’t help but cackle as he rushed out of the room, forgetting to retrieve his cell phone from the sealed box next to Daichi.
<<<<>>>>
The raid had been a mixed bag. Once Kenma hacked into the security system, they had made quick work of taking everyone in the building into custody. Unfortunately, none of those people appeared to be anyone important to the smuggling operation as a whole. Fukunaga would of course spend hours interrogating them, breaking them down to get whatever information they knew, but nobody had high hopes.
On the plus side, they had confiscated twelve pallets of powdered Fentanyl, the largest bust in over twenty years. Yamamoto had not shut up about it for hours.
Standing outside Kuroo’s work, waiting so they could taxi home together, Kenma couldn’t help himself from enjoying the silence.
It felt good, to be good at something. Really, truly, unequivocally good at something. He relished the small bubbling of pride that welled in his stomach. It washed away his uncertainty from the past few days, and filled him with quiet reassurances that everything would be okay.
Kuroo bounded down the steps of the lab, scooping up Kenma and spinning him around. Kenma giggled at his alpha’s enthusiasm and nuzzled his face into Kuroo’s scent gland, soaking in his scent.
“How’s my favorite Public Security Intelligence Agent?”
“Yamamoto? I’m sure he’s fine, a little disappointed that he didn’t get to use his gun, but he’ll recover.”
Kuroo set Kenma down, “The raid went well?”
“As well as could be expected for something thrown together so quickly, If I’d had more time I could have –“
Kuroo squeezed his omega tightly, “I’m so proud of you Kenma.”
Kenma mumbled a quiet thanks, but couldn’t hide the blush that was spreading across his face quick enough. “Here, you left your phone with Daichi.”
Kuroo held down the button to restart his cell, the chime reflecting its return to life.
Kenma leaned against his alpha, ready to go home, happy the raid hadn’t taken more than a day, and looking forward to ordering takeout and cuddling for the next twelve hours.
“Oh no.”
Kuroo turned back to the lab, practically at a run.
Kenma mourned the loss of his warmth, but also felt a wave of concern, “Kuroo,” He called after his alpha, “What’s wrong.”
Kuroo didn’t stop running to respond to Kenma, “Something’s wrong with Hinata, we need to get back now.”
Kenma broke into a full out sprint.
<<<<>>>>
Yaku dropped them off right outside their building’s front door. Kuroo launched out before the car had stopped moving, Kenma right on his heels. The elevator took longer than it ever had, and they had to stop at three other floors before reaching theirs.
Nothing could have prepared them for the smell.
It was like nothing Kenma had ever experienced. Citrus permeated the walls. It was soaked into the carpet, and seemed too drip off of the ceiling. It was sour. The smell alone made Kenma’s jaw clench his stomach gurgle.
When they approached their door, Kenma could hear the scratching of trapped cats against the wood. Kuroo was able to open the door after several seconds of fumbling with the keys, and three furry blurs shot past them down the hall. Kenma did not pay them a second glance as he shoved into the apartment, desperately searching for Hinata.
He was knocked to his knees by the intensity of the smell inside. He gagged violently, his body rejecting the air around him as if it were water or sludge flooding his lungs. Kuroo pushed on, eyes watering.
The door to the guest room was locked.
Kuroo backed up for a running start, slamming his body into the door and crashing to the floor along with it. Kenma scrambled to his feet, unable to breathe, blood rushing in his ears, chasing after his mate.
He caught himself at the threshold of the guestroom, clutching the splintered doorframe for support. Kuroo was on his knees beside the bed, reaching out a tentative hand to Hinata.
Hinata.
The omega was white as a sheet, dressed only in his boxers. His hair plastered to his forehead, soaking wet. On the bed around him was a complete ring of sweat. His eyes were closed, and his breathing was ragged and weak. His hands trembled even in his unconscious state. He clearly was not aware of their presence.
Kuroo dropped his hand before it reached the omega, his eyes met Kenma’s, searching desperately for an answer, “What do we do?”
Kenma couldn’t move. Couldn’t think. Couldn’t breathe.
Hinata was hurt.
Sick.
Something was wrong.
Something was so very wrong.
He needed help. Hinata needed real help. Not two men playing hero. He needed a doctor. He needed to be taken somewhere. Anywhere. He needed to be cared for. Treated. He needed Kenma to do something.
But he couldn’t move.
Couldn’t breathe.
He was vaguely aware of Kuroo brushing past him.
He heard Kuroo’s voice.
Minutes later there were other voices. Strong, calm voices.
How could they be so calm?
People pushed past him.
There was noise. Voices. Equipment. A heartbeat.
Was it too fast? Too slow? Too quiet?
How would Kenma know? He wasn’t fit to help anyone. Why was he even here?
He should leave.
It was the only tangible thought that crossed his mind. It was the only thing he could do that would help anyone. None of this would have happened if he was gone.
He should leave.
No one was watching him. He would feel their eyes. He always felt their eyes. But now, all eyes were on Hinata. All eyes were on the mess he had caused. No one needed him right now. Hinata did not need him right now.
He broke into a run. He hated running. But he hated being here. The door was open. Like it knew he needed to go. Not even the door wanted him here.
He ran down the stairs. He hated stairs. What floor did he live on? How many stairs were there? They just kept going. They were empty. Like his head. The only sound was his breathing. His breathing and his heart. Stupid, stupid heart. The stairs stopped. There was no more down to go. His breathing was loud. But his heart was louder. Stupid, stupid heart. His heart had hurt Hinata. If he had listened to reason. Listened to his brain. Listened to Kuroo. Hinata would be okay.
All he could hear was his heart.
Stupid Kenma. Who had listened to his heart.
He didn’t want to hear his heart anymore.
He screamed.
He screamed and screamed. Louder than the pounding in his ears. Louder than the thoughts in his head. His stupid, stupid thoughts.
He drowned them all out.
Until there was nothing.
<<<<>>>>
Hinata was moved to a stretcher. The paramedics assured Kuroo that he was stable, but that he would definitely need to spend some time at the hospital. At the very least he was extremely dehydrated, but there could be more going on that would require some testing to figure out.
Kuroo followed the paramedics the whole way, never once leaving Hinata’s side. Down the elevator, into the ambulance, out of the ambulance, and then behind a curtain where he was swarmed by doctors and nurses.
They took his blood. They took so much that Kuroo was starting to worry, Hinata was already so pale. Then they hooked him up to fluids, three enormous bags that looked like they weighed as much as the small boy. They tried to get Hinata to talk, but he wouldn’t open his eyes. They took him to get a scan of his brain, but they promised Kuroo that he would be back in ten minutes.
Kuroo wasn’t sure if he breathed even once while the omega was out of his sight.
Once Hinata was back, he didn’t fare much better.
A doctor came and sat next to Kuroo.
“Are you his mate?”
Kuroo was startled out of his daze, completely taken aback, “What? No.”
The doctor chuckled, “Sorry, we tend to make assumptions, it can get kind of embarrassing sometimes.”
Kuroo smiled politely.
“So you’re his brother then? Don’t tell me you’re his father.”
“… Brother… Yeah.” Kuroo stared at the young omega searching for any resemblance. He came to the conclusion that this doctor might be blind, which didn’t bode well for his diagnostic abilities.
“So it looks like something went wrong with your brother’s heat here. Was recently on any heat suppressants that he might have stopped recently, or maybe switching birth control?”
“Um… I don’t really know.”
The doctor smiled again, “Makes sense that you wouldn’t keep track of that right?” He winked at Kuroo.
Kuroo did not return the gesture.
“Anyways, we’ve sent off some labs that should give us more conclusive answers on what went wrong. For now, we’ll treat what we can see. His initial labs showed that he was critically low on potassium, and his sodium was sky high. These are common imbalances related to dehydration. We are working to correct those electrolytes as you see here,” He gestured to the fluid rushing into Hinata’s tiny little arm. “Unfortunately, these imbalances have been known to cause seizures. It’s possible that while he was alone, for his heat, that he may have suffered a seizure and is now in what we call a post-ictal state, which is why he won’t respond to us. We’ll hook him up to a continuous EEG to make sure he isn’t still having seizures, but he should be awake and responsive by morning.”
Kuroo wanted to vomit.
“Thank you, for coming to talk to me. Is it alright if I stay with him?”
“Of course. We should be moving him up to a room here soon, so that we can watch him overnight. You are more than welcome to stay with him there.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
And Kuroo was left alone with Hinata.
His color was slowly returning, and he had stopping shaking. If you didn’t look too closely, you might almost believe he was sleeping.
<<<<>>>>
Kenma awoke on his sofa with a start.
His memory was fuzzy, but he knew he was not responsible for wrapping himself up this tightly in a blanket.
Jiji was nuzzled up next to his head though, so he was tempted to accept his fate. If he was to die by strangulation by blanket, so be it.
There was rustling in his kitchen, which he soon realized was not his kitchen. How interesting.
Tsukishima shuffled into view, and Kenma made no effort to disguise his disgust.
Tsukishima smiled though, albeit snarkily, and offered a steaming cup of tea.
“Kuroo’s at the hospital. With the omega.”
Kenma nodded, still dazed.
“I found all your cats.”
Kenma nodded again.
Tsukishima took a seat.
“Kuroo says he going to be okay.”
Kenma doesn’t nod this time.
“Are you going to be okay?”
Kenma finally looks up to meet the alpha’s eyes.
“I don’t know.”
Notes:
Ten points to the person who can figure out what my day job is!
Sorry about the medical terminology, in addition to being a nurse, I am also a nerd.Real talk, I am sorry for scaring the crap out of all of you with the last chapter, I have since added the HAPPY ENDING tag, probably should've done that sooner. I know I seem mean, but you can trust me on this. And if you came for the Tsukkiyama tag, just keep holding on, it'll be worth it.
Thank you everyone for your time spent looking at my work, we passed 500 and 600 hits in the last 24hours, I can't even fathom how's that's possible. So thank you to each and every one of you for stopping by.
Chapter 6: Next
Notes:
I'm starting to worry that my roommate has been sneaking crack into my coffee or something, because I am writing like a goddamn machine lately. I will be slowing down I think though, I work the next few days, so I won't have much time.
This one's a little shorter, but I had to get us back on schedule with the outline. Wouldn't want to sabotage any of my dramatic cliffhangers now would we?
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Hinata didn’t wake up until four in the morning.
And even then, Kuroo labelled his performance as a little lackluster.
His nurse came into the hospital room every two hours to shine a light in his eyeballs and yell his name at the top of her goddamn lungs. The only person it seemed to be annoying more than Kuroo, was Hinata’s roommate; a cantankerous old man named Yutaka, who swore that if the two of them made it out of that room alive, he was adding Kuroo to his will.
Hinata at this point looked like he was being experimented on by aliens. A crabby old beta waddled into the room and used the world’s most rancid smelling glue to adhere about fifty different colored wires to Hinata’s head. She then pushed a monitor with a camera attached into the corner of the already cramped double room, but not before running over both of Kuroo’s feet in the process. Because of the camera, every fucking light in the room had to be left on, on the off chance that Hinata would have another seizure. Kuroo was not the happiest camper, but he was certainly doing better than Yutaka.
But when four o’clock rolled around and the nurse bustled in with her high-pitched baby voice, Hinata’s eyes popped open. He took ten seconds to glare at the nurse, with obvious distain, before burying his head in his pillow.
Kuroo couldn’t help but wheeze at the display.
When the six o’clock check rolled around, the nurse was joined by a hoard of doctors, and Kuroo felt a shiver go down his spine, but not for his own sake. For Hinata’s. Five of the six physicians were alphas.
As soon as the nurse shook the omega awake, his eyes bulged with fear, darting around the room. His gaze finally settled on Kuroo, fixated on him as though he were a lifeline. Kuroo reached forward for the omega’s hand, and could barely contain the jubilant dance his stomach displayed when he didn’t pull away.
Hinata stared at the contact point between the two of them, either unwilling or unable to look away from this anchor. Kuroo took it as a cue to field the doctors’ questions himself.
The nervous looking beta who had led the group in, cleared her throat, “Preliminary results are in on his bloodwork send outs, and his estrogen levels were astonishingly high.”
“Okay,” Kuroo studied her face for any clues, “what does that mean?”
The oldest looking alpha in the back of the group stepped forward, “An omega’s estrogen levels fluctuate with their cycle. During their body’s resting phase, when they are not in heat, estrogen in the blood is usually no higher than 10, especially for male omegas. When the heat comes around the body floods with hormones, throwing everything it’s got at increasing fertility, so at the peak of a heat estrogen can reach about 250.”
“And Hinata’s is?”
“Hinata’s is 1400.”
Kuroo reeled from the shock. He knew a little bit about anatomy from his biochem degree, and he knew being that high on anything was a very bad sign.
“Kuroo-san, we need to know the nature of your relationship with this omega.”
Kuroo’s eyes shot to Hinata, and saw matching panic in his eyes. “Wait wait wait. What does that mean? What exactly are you implying?”
The doctor’s voice was calm, but his stare was unyielding, “Kuroo-san I have only seen numbers this high a handful of times. Most recently was with another young omega whose estrogen was artificially elevated to keep him consistently in heat, or close to it. This is a very common practice for sex traffickers, to keep their workers compliant, and even willing to be raped again and again.” The man’s glare shifting to downright menacing, and pheromones flooded the room, raising even the hairs on Kuroo’s arms, “So I will ask you one more time, what is your relationship to this omega?”
The air froze in Kuroo’s lungs. His grip on Hinata’s had fell slack. They thought that he had done this. They thought that he had hurt Hinata. They thought –
“Are you guys stupid or something?”
Every eye in the room swiveled to Hinata, and for the first time since Kuroo had known him, he did not shrink away under the attention.
“Kuroo saved me. Why else would he be here with me right now?” Hinata crossed his arms, “And if you’re going to keep implying things like that then I’d like another doctor.”
Silence fell. Hinata did not back down though. He kept his eyes glued on the alpha before him, daring anyone to try to contradict him.
Yutaka spluttered with laughter from the other side of the curtain, and Kuroo was inclined to join in. The look on the doctor’s faces was priceless. Two of the taller ones actually had their mouths gaping open. The beta with the clipboard cleared her throat, clearly trying to regain whatever rapport they had previously established.
“Assuming the patient ceases taking any supplemental estrogen in the future, his estrogen levels should fall. However we have no way of knowing if his body will resume producing its own estrogen in the future.”
“So you’re saying I won’t be able to have a heat.”
“Most likely not.”
“Which means I won’t ever be able to get pregnant, which honestly is fine by me. Can we be done here?”
Kuroo was having a very hard time keeping his composure. He was really starting to like not-terrified-Hinata.
The beta nodded, her colleagues filing out behind her, “If you have any more questions, you can direct them to your nurse, and she can get ahold of us.”
“I’ll be sure to do that.”
The door closed with a click.
“Where the hell did that come from?” Kuroo spluttered.
Hinata fell back onto his pillow, burying his face again, “Shut up Kuroo.”
Yutaka called through the curtain, “No no, I agree with Rooster Top. That seemed like a lot coming from a squirt like you.”
“Mind your own old man,” Hinata mumbled into his pillow.
Yutaka burst out laughing again, “Kuroo I changed my mind, you’re out of the will, this kid gets everything.”
“How do your children feel about all this?” Kuroo called.
“Eh. Fuck ‘em.”
Kuroo leaned close to Hinata’s ear, gently touching his hand again. “Hey,” he kept his voice low, to avoid the attention of their very bored roommate. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
Hinata wiggled around, peeking one eye over the fluff of his pillow to meet Kuroo’s, “Yeah, I will be.”
“Are you sure?”
Hinata rolled his eye, “Honestly I expected worse.” He propped himself up on his elbows, “I thought I was gonna have Alpha AIDS or something.”
Kuroo spluttered, and Hinata smiled in response.
It was a beautiful, innocent smile. It spread all the way to his eyes, and seemed to light up the whole room. Kuroo’s heart lifted. It had been hiding somewhere in his lower intestines, but now… now it felt free.
Hinata looked around the small room for the first time. “Where’s Kenma?”
Kuroo awkwardly scratched the back of his head, “Um well…”
Hinata shot up in bed tearing several of the wires glued to his head out of their sockets, “Is he alright? He’s not hurt –“
Kuroo pushed Hinata back down into the bed, “No no, he just… he couldn’t really handle seeing you hurt like that. He had a panic attack. But he’s fine, he’s at Tsukki’s place with all of our cats, actually I probably should go check on him, but I wanted… I needed to make sure that you were okay. I couldn’t leave you alone.”
“You didn’t have to Kuroo, I’ve been through way worse on my own before.”
“I know, but you shouldn’t have had to.”
Hinata suddenly became very interested in his finger nails.
“Listen, I’m gonna run home just to say hi and change my underwear. Your hospital issued breakfast should be here soon, and since I’m really invested in you not starving, I’ll pick you up some pancakes on the way back, sound good?”
“Can I get some too?” Yutaka hollered.
“Obviously.”
Hinata smiled, nodding gently. He turned to gaze out the window as Kuroo gathered his things and left him behind.
<<<<>>>>
Tsuishima’s apartment had the exact same layout as Kuroo and Kenma’s, but on entering, Kuroo found himself doing a double take. It was much cozier than their sparsely decorated abode, with poofy green sofas, several bookshelves, and a large terrarium with no immediately obvious inhabitants. Kuroo didn’t know if he should be concerned about that fact or not.
At the moment, all of his concern was focused on his omega, huddled on the sofa and wrapped in a blanket. Kuroo immediately scooped him into his arms.
“Kurooo,” Kenma hummed, still halfway asleep.
“Good morning love.”
“Can I please have my apartment back now? Or would you like me to just make a copy of my key for the both of you?” Tsukishima drawled, still standing by the open door, clearly ready to shut it behind them on their way out.
Kuroo winked, “Bold of you to assume that I haven’t already had one made. You should be more careful when you fall asleep at my movie nights.”
“Please for the love of God leave. If I have to get a restraining order I will.”
“I’ll buy a frame, we can hang it above the toilet.” He turned around to face the room at large and called out, “Cats! Assemble.”
Tsukishima waited, giving the comment time to settle, before dignifying it with a response.
“Did you actually think that would work?”
“It would’ve been cool if it did.” Kuroo winked again.
“I locked all the cats in my bathroom.”
“Saboteur!”
“The only one sabotaging you, is yourself.” Tsukishima opened the door to the bathroom, and with reflexes that could only be explained by a night job as a crime-fighting vigilante, snatched each cat as they bolted out of their solitary confinement.
Kuroo carried Kenma back into the safety of their apartment, and straight up the stairs to their room, trusting Tsukishima to shut the door on his way out. Kuroo laid Kenma down on their bed, and climbed over top of him. Caging the omega in with his arms and legs, he peppered his nose and cheeks with soft kisses. Kenma’s eyelids fluttered and he smiled softly up at Kuroo, reaching his arms to wrap around Kuroo’s neck and pulling him down into a real kiss.
Kuroo’s lips tingled at the contact. He couldn’t help but break into a toothy grin as well.
Kenma released his hold and whispered, “Hi.”
“Hi.”
“Missed you.”
“Missed you too,” Kuroo rolled them over, clutching Kenma to his chest and reaching to play with his hair. “How was your sleepover with Tsukki?”
“Quiet.”
“Sounds about right.”
They lay in silence, Kenma’s head pressed to Kuroo’s chest.
In a barely perceptible whisper, Kenma asked, “Hinata’s okay?”
“Yeah, he is. Great even.”
Kenma nodded solemnly.
“Kuroo?”
“Yes love?”
“We have to let him go.”
Kuroo sat up, jostling Kenma from his position, “What are you talking about?”
“We can’t keep him here. You said it before. We don’t have any way to help him, we’re just delaying the inevitable.”
“No wait Kenma,” Kuroo was scrambling, “The doctors said he should be fine now. His hormones are a little off, but it won’t be anything unmanageable.”
“And what about the next problem Kuroo, or the next? What about psychologically? We can’t help with any of that.”
“We can get him doctors. We can find a shrink,” He laughed nervously, “We all three could probably use one after all this.”
“And what if we have to leave him again Kuroo?”
“We won’t.” Tears stung at the corner of Kuroo’s eyes.
“Kuroo. We are not what’s best for him. No amount of hoping and trying is going to change that.”
Kuroo shut his eyes. If he didn’t look, he wouldn’t have to see reality. The reality that Kenma was right.
“He gets out of the hospital tomorrow?”
Kuroo nodded.
“He doesn’t have any belongings here, we can take him to the shelter straight from there.”
Kuroo bit his lip. He wouldn’t respond. If he said it out loud, it would be like he was already saying goodbye.
Notes:
Thank you to all my commentors!!!! One day I shall tattoo all of your kind words onto my shoulder, so that all who see it may remember that there is good in this world.
Chapter 7: Go
Notes:
I have returned!! Armed with nothing but a cursed laptop and a crippling addiction to italics, I have create this absolute monstrosity of a chapter. Buckle the fuck up.
Disclaimer: All depictions of police work and hacking, are complete and utter horseshit, based on a very casual viewing history of Dexter and Criminal Minds. On the flipside, all hospital scenes are disgustingly accurate. I cannot hide who I am...
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Kuroo flung open the door to the hospital room with a flourish, “I brought pancakes!”
Hinata clapped his hands excitedly, and Yutaka made a show of tipping his hospital issued breakfast into the garbage can beside his bed. The two omegas had flung the curtain between them open and were watching a volleyball match on Yutaka’s television. Kuroo was more than happy to shove a recliner into the space between their beds to enjoy breakfast.
They hooked up the Nintendo Switch to the hospital tube television, which might have been the funniest looking thing Kuroo had seen in a while. Yutaka actually proved to be quite competent at Mario Cart, which was more than could be said for Hinata. Kuroo concluded after several embarrassing losses, that he was probably a little more focused on supplying his own sound effects, than playing the game. With a considerable amount of begging, Hinata actually convinced their nurse to join in for a round. A mistake really, because she wiped the floor with all of them.
At lunchtime, the nurse snuck Kuroo an extra tray of the taco salad that the patients were being forced to stomach. He couldn’t help but smile at the obvious attempt at flirtation, unfortunately there wasn’t a lot for her to work with in the current setting.
Hinata noticed the display as well, and thankfully kept his mouth shut until she left.
“Where is Kenma anyways?”
Kuroo suddenly became very interested in stirring his leftover sour scream, “… At home.”
Hinata voice dropped, worry evident in his eyes, “I didn’t make him mad did I?”
“No no, nothing like that.” Kuroo searched for a way to breach the subject he had been avoiding all morning, “He just felt awful about everything that happened to you. We both did.”
Hinata scrunched up his face, “I don’t know why you would. It was my fault, I haven’t had a heat without an alpha in years. I should’ve known it was going to be bad. I’m sorry that I couldn’t handle it myself.”
Kuroo jumped in, “Hinata, there is no way you could have known what they had done to your body. Those people poisoned you. It was our fault for not getting you help sooner.”
Hinata studied Kuroo’s face carefully, “I’m not going home with you tomorrow am I?”
Kuroo immediately felt tears well up in his eyes. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to shove the tears back where they came from.
“No.”
“Are you sending me to the omega shelter?”
“Yes… Hinata I –“
“Kuroo, it’s okay. I know I need help.” Hinata offered up a sympathetic smile, as if Kuroo were the one who needed reassurance, “You guys have offered me way more than I ever could have hoped for, but I know my issues are… complicated.”
Kuroo grasped Hinata’s hand, “I don’t want you to think that we’re just abandoning you.”
“I don’t think that at all Kuroo, I appreciate everything you guys have done for me. But the shelter can probably help me more, in the grand scheme of things I guess.”
“Hinata, I just… I can’t –” Kuroo struggled for the right thing to say, clearing his throat. “I am sorry that every other alpha in your life has failed you, but I will not allow you to be hurt again.”
Hinata squeezed Kuroo’s hand and looked up at the ceiling, trying to stop a single tear from rolling down his face. He failed.
“I will get better, I promise.”
Kuroo laughed softly, “I feel like that’s a promise you need to making to yourself.”
“No. It would mean that everything you’ve done for me had been in vain if I don’t get through this. So I will, for you and for Kenma.”
He understood. He agreed even. So why did Kuroo’s heart ache so badly?
Without skipping a beat, Hinata reached for his controller, “Come on, wake up the old man. I will not lose to you again.”
Despite it all, Kuroo couldn’t help but smile.
<<<<>>>>
Yamamoto yawned for what felt like the two hundredth time that morning. The bullpen was stifling on a good day, and today, when it seemed like everyone was here catching up on paperwork instead of out in the field, the heat and the smell were bordering on nauseating.
Yamamoto thanked the gods on a semi-regular basis for the fact that his desk-mate was a beta. Sure, Fukunaga was weird as all get out, but at least he wasn’t a pressure cooker full of pheromones, unlike everyone else on the force. The corner of the precinct was close to a window as well, making a full day of work almost tolerable.
That is, if he wasn’t so fucking bored.
Yamamoto tried and failed to stifle yet another yawn.
Fukunaga chuckled, “Tired?”
“Bored.”
Fukunaga’s smile morphed to a mischievous smirk, “What’s a dragon’s favorite type of steak?”
Yamamoto groaned, “Nooooo.”
“Just say what.”
“No.”
“Say it.”
“What?”
“A flaming yawn,” Fukunaga leaned back in his seat, kicking his feet up onto his desk, and snickering at his own joke.
Yamamoto flopped forward, smacking his head on the desk.
“I just can’t focus on anything,” he moaned, “When did the most exciting job in the world get so tedious?”
“You can’t stop thinking about him either, can you?”
“Huh?”
“The boy,” Fukunaga continued matter-of-factly, “Kenma’s mystery omega.”
“I mean of course not, how could I?” Yamamoto hadn’t been able to stop thinking about the omega. The boy reminded him of the Sun itself, and the fact that someone had hurt him and gotten away with it was a testament to all of his failings as a cop. How could he claim to be bettering the world, when evil was still out there, hurting kids like Hinata. The whole ordeal made him sick to his stomach.
And then that night at Kenma’s, the boy had been petrified of him. Yamamoto wanted to cry just thinking about it. But that wouldn’t be very gutsy of him.
Yamamoto was a proud Alpha. He was the first one in his family. His parents were both betas, but his two older sisters were omegas. They had always had it rough. From the day he presented, he had been straight overjoyed. He could finally protect them. He could finally stand in the way of their tormentors and have it mean something. He was a force to be reckoned with, and he was proud of it.
To have Hinata fear him, cut deeper than he was aware he could be cut.
“Me too.” Fukunaga kicked his feet off of the desk and spun his chair around. He flung open the bottom drawer of his filing cabinet and pulled out a comically large stack of papers. He dropped the stack onto the desk with a thunderous thump.
“Good God man, how many trees did you kill?”
“I’ve been doing some research.”
“No wonder we’re so behind.”
“I’ve been trying to figure out how we could prosecute,” Fukunaga fidgeted with the mountain of papers, “Y’know, if we do manage to bring them in.”
Yamamoto smirked, “Not exactly our job, but I’m listening.”
Fukunaga’s fidgeting got more uncomfortable, “It might be harder than we may have anticipated.”
“Harder than tracking down an entire human trafficking ring, that has been apparently operating right under our noses undetected for years now, without any more leads than the knowledge that they are probably in Tokyo?”
“Unfortunately, even if we do track them down, it will be difficult to prove they were doing anything illegal…”
Yamamoto’s mouth gaped open, “What the Hell is that supposed to mean?”
“The sexual abuse of omegas is not for the most part illegal.” Fukunaga began sorting through the stack, pulling out long copies of various statutes and several court transcripts. “The law still upholds that omegas are inherently promiscuous. The court cases I’ve found have perpetuated the belief that omegas are asking for it. It makes it very hard to secure any sort of conviction, when the victim is seen to hold all of the blame. The courts always side with the alphas, in every case I’ve found. And in Hinata’s case, there is really no way to prove that any sexual intercourse was non-consensual.”
“What? But… but he was raped. They whored him out.”
“It’s his word against theirs.”
“They kept him prisoner.”
“Stewardship Laws allow for an alpha to take whatever measures they deem fit to protect their omegas. The letter of the law still defines an omega as inferior to their alpha, basically one step above a child, and subject to the wishes of their bond-mate. If they have the paperwork that states one of them is bonded to Hinata, regardless of whether or not it is true, they will be able to defend any argument of imprisonment as a means to protect him.”
Yamamoto pressed his palms into his eye sockets. Fukunaga was talking circles around him, the legal jargon pounding into his skull over and over again that this was hopeless. The monsters were going to get away with torturing this omega, and probably dozens of others, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.
“There may be one thing we can do to stop it.”
Yamamoto’s head shot up.
Fukunaga spoke slowly now, carefully selecting his words, “Kuroo mentioned it in passing, but if it proves to be true, it may be what we need to topple the dominos.”
“Are you gonna make me beg, what the hell is it?”
“Hinata claims that he was sold.”
“Okay… of all the things we’ve brought up, that seems pretty tame.”
“Not in the eyes of the law. The bond between and alpha and omega is still one of the most sacred cornerstones of our culture. If someone were to tarnish that by selling that bond, we’d have every court in the country on our side.”
“So how do we prove that? It’s not like they’d keep a receipt.”
“Ohhoho, I’d wager that it’s exactly like that. Organized crime is notorious for being organized. It’s in the name Tora.”
“And how do we get our hands on these mysterious receipts?”
“I think it might be time to call in our secret weapon.”
<<<<>>>>
Kenma stood, frozen to the spot, outside the hospital, waiting for Hinata to be wheeled out. He didn’t want to be here. He didn’t want to do this. He hadn’t even seen the omega since the incident with his heat. What if he looked even worse now? What if he had been irreparably damaged, all due to Kenma’s stupidity? How would he ever forgive himself? How was he ever going to forgive himself as it was?
He had made a million mistakes in the last couple of days. Today he was going to make all of them right. He just had to push through and do it.
But by God was Kuroo making it hard.
His alpha had barely spoken to him. After Kenma announced his decision to bring Hinata to the shelter, Kuroo had packed up and sequestered himself at the hospital without a word to Kenma all night.
At six in the morning he received a text.
‘Getting discharged at 8’
Without any further instructions, Kenma had called himself a cab, and after waiting two hours (What was with the cabs in this city?), had finally made it to the hospital doors.
He waited outside the cold white building, hand shoved deep into his hoodie pockets. He rocked back and forth onto the balls of his feet, impatience getting to him.
An old woman was wheeled out in a wheelchair by a nurse, she was quickly wrapped into a hug by a tearful young woman, and whisked away into a minivan. An alpha and omega couple pushed a stroller, both cooing over what was probably and brand new baby. The omega looked exhausted, and her alpha gently placed a kiss to the top of her head, before running off to the parking lot. A young man stumbled through the doors, still in his hospital gown with a leather jacket over top. He pulled out a cigarette, and with the first inhale, Kenma could see the tension melt from his shoulders. Kenma was tempted to ask for a puff.
He hated this. He’d never set foot inside a hospital, and he’d certainly had no intentions to. And yet he’d left Hinata to brave it alone. Would he ever be able to forgive Kenma?
The sliding glass doors flung open, and Kenma’s ears were met with the most beautiful sound he had ever heard.
Hinata’s laugh.
Kuroo was pushing him along in a wheelchair, but the two seemed to be trying to see if it was possible to get it to roll on a single wheel. It looked incredibly precarious, and Kenma was barely surprised when the whole thing toppled over. Hinata let out an ear piercing squeal of delight, and was met with a deadly stare from the new mother, who was still waiting for her ride. The two quickly scrambled away from their mess, Kuroo locking his eyes onto Kenma and bolting straight for him, Hinata in tow.
Kuroo planted a kiss on Kenma’s head, and his anger and apprehension melted away, “Sorry love. Apparently getting discharged from the hospital is a bigger deal than being released from prison.
Hinata nodded vigorously in agreement, “I think I might have accidentally signed my soul away. There was just so much freaking paperwork.”
Kenma wrapped the omega up in a hug, burying his face into his shoulder to hide the tears stinging at the corner of his eyes, “I’m so glad you’re okay,” he whispered.
Hinata pulled away, grinning, “No sweat.” He looked around, sizing the three of them up, “So are we all cramming into the convertible again?”
Kenma gulped, Kuroo had told him right? Were they going to break the news to him here, in front of the hospital? What if he had another panic attack? What if –
“Actually, the shelter is right around the block.” Kuroo grabbed for Kenma’s hand, “I figured we could walk and maybe pick up some street food for breakfast.”
Hinata practically beamed, “Sounds great!”
Kenma clung to Kuroo’s hand like a lifeline. What the hell was going on? Was this actually going to be okay?
They walked along the Tokyo sidewalk, Hinata breaking away to chase pigeons, Hinata grinning at the taste of some unidentifiable meat on a stick, Hinata glowing, like the sun.
Kenma forced himself to remember, it wasn’t always going to be like this. If they wanted to keep that smile on his face forever, they were going to have to make sacrifices.
This is the right thing to do.
And then, the group rounded the last corner.
The shelter loomed like an impenetrable cement fortress. Despite the sweltering heat, Kenma felt a chill run up his spine.
This is the right thing to do.
The lobby was sparsely decorated, plastic chairs lined the walls, and outdated magazines were scattered across a flimsy folding table. A crotchety looking female beta sat at the front desk, barely looking up from her tabloid to acknowledge their entrance.
This is the right thing to do.
“Two surrenders?” She croaked out, raising an eyebrow.
Kuroo gulped, “No no, just… just one.” Kenma could hear him fighting to keep his voice steady, and was infinitely grateful that he wasn’t expected to do any of the talking, he knew he would not fare as well.
“Fill this out. Once you’re done we can meet in my office for processing. Then I can send for someone to show you around.” Her words were directed to the room at large, as if she really didn’t care which of the omegas went home with Kuroo and which one stayed here.
The three of them settled in the corner of the room. It was a single form, with a disclaimer at the top:
If you are unable to read or write, someone can be appointed to assist with the completion of this form.
Hinata smirked, “That seems like an interesting note to write on the form.”
Kuroo spluttered, and Kenma didn’t fight to hold back his smile.
This is the right thing to do.
Hinata started scrawling away on the form, pausing only to ask completely unrelated questions.
“Do you think I’ll get a roommate?”
“I wonder if they have a ping pong table.”
“Are they gonna make me get a prison haircut?”
Kenma appreciated the attempts to break the silence, even if he was physically unable to contribute. There was a choking feeling rising in his throat, and he feared what would happen if he were to open his mouth. Kuroo seemed to be a little more relaxed, but Kenma noted how is eyes discreetly darted about the room, searching for any hint of a threat.
Hinata finished the form and practically skipped up to the desk. “Do you think a lonely bald billionaire will come adopt me? I have the right hair color for it, and I could probably learn to dance if you gave me enough time.”
Kuroo practically cackled at Hinata’s misplaced enthusiasm, but the lady at the desk remained impassive, “We don’t offer our shelter inhabitants up for adoption. The only person who can remove you from our care is your legal bond-mate, or yourself of course, if you feel that you are prepared.”
Kenma breathed a sigh of relief. At least the shelter wasn’t going to try and sell him off like an unwanted puppy. Hinata would be able to stay here until he was ready.
The old lady slid to her feet, Kenma grimaced as several of her joints popped from the movement, and she beckoned for Kuroo and Hinata to follow her. The trio traipsed through a door, through which Kenma could see down a long a hall, office doors lining the way until the door slammed, cutting off Kenma’s field of vision.
And then Kenma was left alone.
Kenma allowed his gaze to slide lazily around the room, finding nothing that would be considered remotely entertaining. After about a half an hour of waiting, he was considering curling up for a nap, when a lanky omega burst though the far door, skidding to a halt and apologizing furiously.
“Sorry sorry sorry. Am I late? I just got the message, you must be so scared. I’m sorry.” A pink blush rose on the omega’s cheeks, highlighting his freckles.
Kenma recoiled, the noise and the attention catching him off guard.
“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to freak you out, My name is –”
“TADASHI.”
There was a squeal, an orange blur, and a thud.
It was the new omega’s turn to look terrified, but the look was quickly replaced as he managed to identify the orange blur. Skinny fingers cupped Hinata’s face and tears welled up in both sets of eyes.
“Hinata, I thought I’d never see you again,” The omega’s voice cracked.
Hinata wrapped his arms around the entirety of the other’s head, as if he were attempting to suffocate him, octopus style. “Tadashi I thought you were dead!” Hinata openly sobbed, “We all did. Tadashi you were dead. How are you not dead?”
There were some muffled grunts from within Hinata’s grasp, but nothing comprehensible.
The old beta emerged from the ominous hallway with Kuroo, contempt flaring in her eyes. “Yamaguchi. Is this really how you’re choosing to behave? Rolling around on the floor like a child?”
Tadashi managed to shake Hinata off, all trace of joy drained from his face as he scrambled to his feet. “No ma’am. Sorry ma’am.”
Hinata stood behind his friend, his pack-mate, still clutching his hand and unable to hide the jubilation on his face.
The beta grunted, “Do you have any belongings?”
Hinata shook his head.
“Then Yamaguchi can lead you to where you’ll be staying.” She turned on a dime and waddled back to her desk.
Kenma stood, feeling so suddenly like he didn’t belong, like he was the intruder here. He shuffled his feet anxiously, “So I guess this is –“
His halfhearted goodbye was cut off by a cross between a hug and a Jiu Jitsu tackle from Hinata. The omega was immediately in tears again, and Kenma felt himself moments away from joining in.
“Thank you,” Hinata whispered, only for Kenma’s ears, “I owe you everything.”
Hinata pulled away and proceeded to engage in half secret handshake half dance routine with Kuroo, before being pulled into a bear hug by the alpha. Kenma was grateful that all the attention was on that audacious display, so that he could wipe away his tears undetected.
And then, just as suddenly as he had entered their lives, Hinata was gone.
<<<<>>>>
They walked back to the hospital in silence.
It had been so surreal, and now it was over, like a dream or a sad movie. A sad movie, where the most wonderful thing in the world comes into your life, and then gets whisked away. Kenma shook his head, no one would make a movie that cruel.
They sidled into the convertible, closing their doors, buckling their seatbelts, and then they sat. The silence was deafening. Silence had never been a problem for Kuroo and Kenma before, it was comfortable, safe, a testament to years spent building a stable relationship that didn’t need to be upheld with frivolous conversation. But now… Now it roared at Kenma ears. Something was missing. Had they made a mistake?
Kuroo sighed, finally turning the key. “I’ll drop you off at home, but I really need to get to work. Yaku will have my head if I take another personal day.”
Kenma nodded.
“Don’t forget to order yourself something to eat.”
Kenma nodded.
“I love you.”
Kenma nodded.
The silence continued.
The car stopped right in front of their building, Kuroo leaned over and placed a kiss on Kenma’s forehead, “Don’t forget, it’s your day to make sure that Fish is still alive.”
Kenma slid out of the car and then made his way back up to their apartment, alone.
The smell was back to normal, and Fish was still alive, so why did it feel so wrong?
<<<<>>>>
Three days.
Hinata had been gone for three days, and Kenma had barely left their nest in that time.
He ignored countless calls from Yamamoto, ate only when Kuroo force fed him, and slept.
The apartment felt dark, and Kenma didn’t know how to fix it.
His cell phone began to buzz.
He wanted to ignore it. He had been for days and he really tried this time, but it was somewhere in his mess of blankets, and the vibrations seemed to be shaking the whole bed. He tried in vain to locate it in the mess he had accumulated over the past three days, but it was futile, and the buzzing eventually stopped.
Kenma flopped backwards, exhausted. Why was everything so hard?
The buzzing started up again.
Kenma groaned, tossing around the tangled mess of blankets to no avail.
The buzzing stopped, and then started right back up again.
Kenma growled, leaping upright in the middle of the nest. He grabbed at a pillow and threw it at the far wall. It fell with a soft, unimpressive plop. Kenma wanted to scream. He threw another with equally disappointing results. The phone continued buzzing. Kenma ripped the blankets up from the bed, tossing them to the floor, kicking another couple of pillows down along with them. He flopped back on the mostly bare mattress. The buzzing had stopped.
Fish looked up from his perch on the far corner of the mattress, and offered up a strangled mew.
Kenma crawled over to the cat, scratching behind its ears.
“You know, you’ll leave me too, one day. Everyone will. We’re all just fighting off the inevitable loneliness, one day at a time.”
Fish seemed unperturbed at the prospect of eternal solitude, and fell back asleep.
The phone started buzzing again.
Kenma rolled off the bed. Plopping onto the floor, he shook out the blankets one by one until he heard the smack of his cell phone on the hardwood floor.
Fukunaga’s contact photo lit up the screen.
“Hello?”
“Did you get my text?”
Kenma rolled his eyes, pulling his phone away from his ear and scrolling through what looked like hundreds of notifications.
There was a single text from Fukunaga:
‘We need to talk”
“Yep I got it.”
“Well you didn’t text me back.”
Kenma groaned, “Want do you need Fukunaga?”
“Assistance, the type that only you can provide.”
“Way to clear things up,” Kenma considered hanging up the phone and then sending it down the garbage disposal.
“It’s about your omega.”
Kenma sat up, “Is he alright? What happened?”
“Nothing I presume… Shouldn’t I be asking you that?”
“Oh… right,” Kenma sighed, rubbing at his forehead, “He’s not staying with us anymore.”
Fukunaga pressed on, completely oblivious to the pain in Kenma’s voice, “Shame, I thought he seemed sweet. So we’re going to need you to track down physical records of his sale between brothels.”
Kenma heard a muffled ‘What the fuck dude’ from the other end of the line and was inclined to agree with the mystery speaker (presumably Yamamoto).
“How do you propose I do that?”
“Unclear,” Fukunaga sounded frustratingly nonchalant, “I just wanted to keep you up to date on where our investigation was at. Right now, we need proof that he was sold, so that when we catch these guys, we can send them away for a long time.”
Kenma tried to hold it together as Fukunaga pressed on, “It’s fairly likely that his captors kept documentation that he was bonded to one of them, forged or legitimate, it wouldn’t really make a difference, in case their operation was to be found out. If we can prove that they switched the name of his bond-mate, at any point in time, we’re golden. Evidence of a financial transaction would be beneficial as well.”
“Fukunaga, where the hell am I supposed to find all this? We have no idea who these guys even are.”
“Noted.”
“I can’t just go hopping between IP addresses, hacking into every computer in Tokyo, hoping I bump into the right person’s personal account.”
“I mean, you definitely could…”
“Fukunaga I… You guys can’t just expect… I’m not… I’m not a goddamn miracle worker here,” Kenma blurted out.
There was silence on the end of the line.
Kenma almost thought that Fukunaga had hung up, when he heard a soft mumble, “I’m worried that might be our only hope.”
“What?”
“A miracle.”
Kenma hung up the phone.
He rose, stepping over his mess, he crossed to his desk, and booted up his computer for the first time in a week.
He stared at the screen, head rattling with ideas on how to begin his impossible task.
His phone buzzed once.
A text from Kuroo:
‘Hey love! I love you so much, don’t forget to eat tonight. I’m gonna be here super late tonight, we have this super unstable compound and only one shot to get this data, so don’t wait up.’
Kenma clicked through to open his conversation with his mate. There were dozens of unread texts from the past couple of days. It looked like Kuroo had sent just about every thought that had crossed his mind, and then some. There were several random I love you’s and way too many details about the people in front of him in the lunch line. One thought caught his eye though.
‘What do you think about donating to that shelter?’
The thought made him furrow his brow, but in a good, thoughtful way. He had way more money than he knew what to do with, and he loved procrastinating when he had a big project ahead of him. Especially one as impossible as the one Fukunaga had pulled out of his ass.
He opened google and typed in:
Tokyo Omega Shelter Donations
But as usually occurs when one is procrastinating, Kenma quickly became sidetracked with a news article advertised off to the side.
Shelters, Who Exactly Are They Helping?
So of course, he had to click.
Omega shelters in Tokyo are in crisis, and the government is offering nothing in the way of solutions. What is advertised to the public as a safe haven for society’s most vulnerable, has actually become an important piece in the chain of omega trafficking.
There are a suspected nine hundred brothels operating out of the Tokyo area alone and most of these are suspected to be holding their employed omegas against their wills. However these numbers are gross estimations, as most omegas do not survive to tell their tales. Omegas who do escape are often branded as whores and cast aside by society, ended up battered and unwanted in aforementioned omega shelters.
Here, they are easily reintroduced to their old lifestyles. Pimps are often in possession of paperwork stating their workers to be legally bonded to them, and in the eyes of the law, that is enough to remove them from the care of the shelter and to bring them back right where they started. Sexual servitude.
Kenma’s heart stopped. It wasn’t a matter of if, it was a matter of when.
He threw back his chair, bolting out of the room he had been hiding in for days. What if they’d already found him? What if Kenma was too late?
He scrambled for the car keys, only to remember, Kuroo was at work. Even if he did have the car, Kenma couldn’t drive.
He mentally slapped himself across the face. Why hadn’t he ever learned to drive? It would have been so simple. And yet after all these years, he still found himself stuck in the trap that society had set for him.
Alphas are here to protect you. You don’t need to learn to fight on your own.
But who would fight for Hinata?
Kenma considered a cab, and then quickly unconsidered it. He needed to find Hinata now, not next week.
He considered running, and then realized he would probably rather die.
And so twelve seconds later he found himself down the hall, knocking on Tsukishima’s door.
”I need your help. Grab your keys.”
“No?” Tsukishima had already begun to close the door in Kenma’s face.
Kenma jammed his foot in the crack, biting back his curses, “Please.” He tried and then failed to push through, his voice cracking, “Please, I have to get to the shelter.”
“The omega shelter? No.” Tsukishima crossed his arms. “I am not getting involved in this lovers quarrel or whatever.”
“Tsukishima. I will owe you everything. I will never ask for another favor again in my life, anything, please.” Kenma felt hot tears stream down his face, but he couldn’t find it in him to be embarrassed. There was nothing but fear coursing through his veins.
Please let him still be there. Please let him be safe.
The alpha sighed, “Let me grab my keys.”
Kenma had already begun his sprint down the hall to the elevator.
Tsukishima complained for the entirety of the car ride, but the ringing in Kenma’s ears was too loud for him to process any of it.
He had fucked up again. Again. Hinata had trusted him, and he led him straight into their trap. How many more times could he sabotage this boy, before it finally caught up to him? How much more would the universe permit him to fuck up?
And then the shelter was before them.
Kenma leapt out of the car at a red light, two intersections away from the building. He couldn’t be bothered to waste the energy required to process Tsukishima’s protests as he ran.
He crashed through the front door hard enough, that if it hadn’t been bullet-proof, it probably would have shattered.
The lobby was empty, no secretary, no Tadashi, no nothing. Kenma tried to convince himself that everything was fine. No one had managed to come for Hinata in the last five minutes, he was in the back with Tadashi, his pack-mate. Everything was fine.
He tried to wait patiently at the front desk.
Tsukishima entered behind him
“Well this is just thrilling,” the jackass drawled.
Kenma tossed his ugliest scowl towards the alpha, but quickly felt his impatience returning.
He tried the door that led to the offices.
Locked.
He turned, and rushed to the door that presumably led to the rest of the shelter, which was also, unsurprisingly, locked.
He started banging on the door.
Tsukishima cursed, “Shit, have you lost your mind?”
Kenma couldn’t be bothered to dignify him with a response, he simply continued his violent knocking.
A small boy opened the door, long brown hair fell into his wide eyes, he barely looked old enough to have presented.
“Do you need help?” He rubbed his eye sleepily.
“I’m looking for Hinata.”
The boy cocked his head to the side, confusion mixing with sleepiness.
“Shouyou, Red hair?”
The boy smiled, “Tadashi’s friend. I can take you to their room.” He reached out a hand for Kenma, and the omega allowed himself to be dragged along.
There was a comfortable looking central room, with pillows and blankets galore. About a dozen rooms circled the area, each was decorated with streamers and construction paper and with colorful name tags all across the front.
They stopped before a fairly sparse door. Only two labels adorned it. A star shape bearing the name Tadashi and a sun labelled Hinata.
The boy pushed open the door.
Kenma was met with an empty room.
<<<<>>>>
Tsukishima had a very sensitive sense of smell, even for an alpha. And from the moment he entered the shelter, he could tell something was off.
The logical part of his brain dismissed the notion, reminding him that a place like this was bound to have a distressed omega or two. The smell was probably nothing out of the ordinary. But when Kenma took off into the inner workings of the shelter, he knew the particular smell that was nagging at his instincts was not coming from the general population.
He turned to the door behind the desk. Through the tiny slit of a window, he could see a line of doors. Offices.
He eyed a ring of keys set squarely on the desk. How fortunate.
The third key he tried opened the main door, and once he was through he was more clearly able to identify and follow the scent of distress. It practically called to him, pulling him down the hallway, straight to the third door on the left. It took him two tries to get the right key this time.
The office was devoid of any technology or personal effects, it contained solely a desk and a chair.
And a sobbing omega.
The boy looked up, long brown hair barely obscuring his freckles, eyes fixed on Tsukishimas’.
Tsukishima was trapped. He could not pull his gaze away from those deep brown eyes. The sadness in them sent a shiver down his spine. They radiated intensity. He worried that he might be stuck forever, unable to break away, spending the rest of his life gazing into those eyes, searching for the secrets of the universe. Would that really be the worst way to go?
“Hinata.” The boy’s voice was scratchy, weak from crying, “Did they take Hinata?”
Tsukishima fumbled for his words, “Um… I don’t know.”
The omega rushed to the doorway, looking desperately down the hall, “The lady from the front desk, is she still down there with them?”
“I didn’t see any lady –“
The omega shoved past Tsukishima, running towards the far end of the hall, but then stopping on a dime. “Shit shit shit,” he muttered. He rushed the other way, blowing past Tsukishima, muttering the whole way, “Shit shit shit.”
Tsukishima rushed to follow the omega back into the lobby. He had stopped in the middle, looking around the small room desperately, “Shit shit FUCK.”
The omega ran trembling fingers through his hair. He bit his lip. And then he slammed his hand down on the fire alarm.
The walls started screaming, as the ceiling began to pour.
There were shouts, angry shouts coming from all directions, but the omega was focused on the hallway door.
It was flung open, and a monstrous alpha stood in its wake, sopping wet, and fuming.
Nervous omegas streamed out from the other doorway, and the smell of fear began to overwhelm Tsukki’s nose again, but he couldn’t look away from the force in the center of the room, facing down what shaping up to be his doom.
An orange crop of hair appeared behind the alpha.
Without breaking his focus on the beast before him, the brown haired omega with eyes that contained the secret to the universe screamed out, “HINATA RUN!”
The orange haired omega bolted.
Tsukishima felt his arm being yanked, and out of the corner of his eye recognized Kenma’s bleached ends. He wanted to stay. He wanted to protect. That boy… But he was still so in shock that he allowed himself to be dragged away.
He barely registered the return trip to his car. He barely registered the drive home. He barely registered the two omegas trembling at his side. His mind whirled with… worry. Worry over a man he had never even met.
Notes:
HE'S BACK BABY, Oh and did I forget to mention? He's kind of a badass. But in like, a cute way. Also, is Kenma spiralling? Probably. But who cares?(me,probs) Tadashi's back!!!!!!!
Did my legal nonsense make sense?? There were two main points that it is critical you grasp:
#1 The alphas who imprisoned Hinata had paperwork that said one of them (doesn't matter which one really) is legally bonded to him, which would allow them to take him from the shelter
#2 They sold him, which is like supes illegal, and if we can find proof of that, we can bring everyone to justiceAnd now is where it starts to get good;)
But first, a flashback?
Chapter 8: Streets
Notes:
Oh No. I'm so sorry. This one is a doozy. Please find it in your hearts to forgive me.
AND THANKS FOR ALL THE COMMENTS, you are all sooo sweet, they make my day, especially those of who have stuck with me from day one, and the newbies, and everyone in between. I love you all! Please note that this chapter is not a direct reflection of that love, sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do.
Trigger warning: Rape, nothing graphic, just the immediate aftermath. Skip from "Alphas were pigs" to "He'd made his way to a nearby park"
Also this whole chapter is borderline whump with how dark it gets, if it's too much for you, just skip it. There's really nothing that affects the plot, and I promise it's gonna get so cute after this!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
The first person to ever call Yamaguchi Tadashi a whore had been his mother.
In context, it hadn’t seemed too out of place.
His siblings were all alphas, three older protectors, or so they liked to think of themselves. Tadashi presenting as an omega had been a surprise to the whole family, especially with his height. The surprise to Tadashi had been how embarrassed they were of him. Suddenly they stopped coming to his volleyball games, his mother put him in charge of dinner three nights a week, their father took the three older siblings on a hunting trip, and left their youngest at home. They stopped asking for his opinion at the dinner table, why should anyone care what he thought? He started cleaning up every night by default. Haru had football practice, and how was Kaori supposed to get into a good college if she didn’t study right after dinner? Everyone else was doing important things, and what could an omega do that would be considered important? It felt like he was being punished. Punished for existing.
So he started going out on his own. Even when his heat wasn’t near, it was easy to find a companion for the evening. Football games, house parties, anywhere testosterone was high, you could find alphas, eager to prove their dominance.
If that was what he was built for, why should he be ashamed?
He made alphas feel good, hell it made him feel good. Sex was fun. Why should he suffer through a heat alone when there were alphas tripping over themselves get a piece of him? What was so bad about being a whore?
His mother never answered that question for him, rather she kicked him out. But at that point he really didn’t mind. By sixteen, he was with a different lover every night. Alpha, beta, even the occasional omega. There were no labels when it came to feeling a little bit lonely, just wanting someone else to warm their bed at night. Tadashi felt desired, lusted after even, how could he not chase that feeling? No one at home had ever appreciated who he was, his bed at home had been forgotten long before he was forbidden from returning to it.
After he was out on his own he headed to the city, and his lovers got a little rougher. They were paying for his body, so they had license to do whatever they pleased. Tadashi still didn’t mind. It just felt good to be wanted. Plus, a night in a stranger’s soft bed was a night not spent sleeping on the streets.
Tadashi didn’t mind the night-life. The clubs were dark, so no one would guess his true age, and the booze was usually free to cute little whores like him. The loud music thrummed at his ears and pulsed through his veins, but it wasn’t all fun and games. Alphas didn’t always feel the need to compensate him for his time. A cute little whore like him should be grateful for the attention. Sometimes his job was dangerous. The population he catered to wasn’t necessarily known for their restraint. Tadashi got good at tending to his own wounds, he learned to protect himself, but it wasn’t always enough.
He had a frequent flier, older alpha, who liked to take it slow, and paid extra to film their nights together. Tadashi bumped into him at a diner one morning, he’d had a hankering for pancakes after a week-long dry spell. A week of sleeping in a dumpster. The man offered him a job.
A place to sleep, a steady flow of customers, and a job doing just what Tadashi did best. The only thing he was good for. The only catch was a locked door.
Tadashi was in no position to refuse.
<<<<<>>>>>
The second time Tadashi found himself living on the streets, he was a little less prepared.
He woke up in a dumpster, and for one brief moment, he feared that it had all been a dream. The brothel, their prison cell, his pack. But a pain in his abdomen brought him back to reality. It had all been real, it still was, but he had lost it.
He clutched his stomach and scrunched his eyes, trying to hold in the tears. Tears for the pain, and for his pack. Everything had been taken from him, wrenched from his hands. His first real home, his first real family, his baby.
The sob that wracked his body hurt. His insides felt like they’d been run though a blender, and realistically, that wasn’t too far off. They didn’t want him to be pregnant, and yet somehow against the odds, there had been a baby inside of him. He didn’t know what he was going to do with the little bastard, but he knew he needed to protect it. When he failed at that, that one simple task, he realized that everyone in his life had been right. He really was only good for being fucked.
He lay on the bed of garbage, sobbing despite the pain, feeling like he deserved every jolt that shot through his body. He was too weak to move, he had lost so, so much blood. He had heard Suga calling his name, Hinata begging him to wake up, felt Kiyoko gently stroking his hair, but he hadn’t been able to hold on to them.
They had thrown him in the garbage, where he belonged.
The sky grew dark, and he lay shivering, waiting for death to wrap him up and take him away into the night. But death never came for him. It seemed to have forgotten about him, just as his parents probably had, and his pack probably would. The sun rose high above his head, and then he heard voices.
“Who the hell left the dumpster open? No wonder this whole street smells like crap.”
“Are you sure that’s not just because you live here?”
“Holy shit dude.”
“Nah, that’s just your B.O. –“
“No dude, there’s a kid in there.”
Funny, he had been called a lot of things in his life, but he had not been called a kid in a very, very long time.
After a couple mumbled what the fucks, the duo made their way into the dumpster with Tadashi. Two tentative arms hoisted Tadashi up, and with a flash of pain, Tadashi’s vision went black.
<<<<>>>>
The hospital didn’t quite know what to make of Tadashi. He was pale and weak from the blood loss, but soon other symptoms developed that couldn’t be explained quite as easily. He was constantly shaky, even in sleep, and his skin, it itched. He couldn’t keep food down, and had to be fed through a tube which was brutally shoved down his nose. The doctors asked him if had been using any illegal substances. Tadashi didn’t know what to tell them.
The omegahouse had given them a small cup of pills every morning. The pack always figured that one of them was birth control, and one of them definitely made their heats come more frequently, but the rest could have been anything.
Tadashi was so scared. How could they still be hurting him, even after he had left?
They took vial after vial of his blood, which seemed like a rather unwise decision after all he had lost, but each vial stolen offered the weak promise of answers. Hordes of doctors shuffled in and out of his room. Cardiologists, Endocrinologists, OBGYNs, Nephrologists, Gastroenterologists, Omega Health Specialists, Psychologists. Tadashi realized that even after all his years as a prostitute, he had never felt so on display. The physicians and scientists ogled him, whispering to each other as if he couldn’t hear, or maybe they just didn’t care if he did.
His body had been destroyed by his back-alley abortion. Due to the severity of his injuries, and the state he had been found in, the doctors assured him that no charges would be placed against him. Omegas weren’t legally allowed to decide the fate of their own bodies, especially when the child they were carrying could potentially be an alpha, out-ranking them.
Tadashi was warned not to try and get pregnant again.
“Your body has healed, but a fetus or even a knot could irreparably damage your internal organs. You would likely not survive.”
And then finally his symptoms stopped. Whatever he had been withdrawing from, had finally left his system, and his body had readjusted. He was stable and safe for discharge. He was given recommendations for outpatient clinics to follow up with, but he doubted he would ever follow through.
Tadashi knew what was wrong, he was a whore who had finally gotten what was coming to him.
<<<<>>>>
The shelter was kind to him. They provided three meals a day and safe beds, there was even a library with several half-decent books. Most of the residents were far older than him or much younger. The older crowd had maybe been cast aside from their alphas in favor of younger options, or left destitute after the death of their mates. The younger reminded of him of himself, just having been cast out after presenting. Maybe this could have been him, if he hadn’t been so fucking horny. He could have finished high school safely, and actually built a life for himself, not be scrambling at twenty to pick up the pieces left over from his shitty choices.
Maybe that was why he gravitated to the younger crowd. He found himself spending time with two brothers, Yuu and Hiroki Ogasawara, whose parents had basically abandoned them when their little sister presented as an alpha, and began her path as a gymnastics prodigy. Tadashi went out of his way to compliment them, reminding them day after day that they still had worth. They still could be somebody. They tried to turn the compliments back on Tadashi, but he knew they were empty. There was nothing good left in him.
He spent week after week helping however he could, serving meals, cleaning the common spaces; he didn’t know how he’d ever be able to leave this place, so he tried his best to make it into some semblance of a home.
And then Hinata showed up.
His family that he thought he had lost the right to, suddenly found him again– at least one of them- but it was more than he ever imagined that he deserved.
They shuffled some roommates around, so that he and Hinata could share, and despite the bunk bed, Hinata slept wrapped in Tadashi’s arms every night.
Slept was an overstatement, as Hinata still seemed to have boundless amounts of energy and talked long into the night, even after Tadashi’s breathing slowed beside him.
“ –And then they have Princess Diana, who Kenma thinks looks like she crawled out of a gutter, but I think she looks more like some kind of forest beast, on the prowl for her next kill. And then they have this huge window and you can see the whole world through it! And Kenma works for the police, or sort of, I don’t really get it, I just nod and smile when they start talking about it, but I got to meet a ton of cops. Isn't it kind of pathetic that my roommate in the hospital was better than me at Mario Cart? But I don’t really care, I just kept getting distracted by all the bright lights and stuff, you know? Kuroo has got the coolest car–“
“Hinata?” Tadashi gulped, his question had been burning at his throat for the past two days, but he was finding it impossible to hold back his curiousity. “How’s everyone else? Our pack I mean…”
Hinata seemed to still, his constant energy halting abruptly as his eyes cast downward, “Probably the same I guess…” Hinata nuzzled his face into Tadashi’s chest, “We all thought you were dead.”
Tadashi could do nothing to stop the tear that rolled down his cheek and soaked into his pillow, as he clutched Hinata as tight as he could and whispered into his hair, “I’m so sorry.”
Hinata sat up straight, a feat he could only accomplish in the lower bunk due to his shorter stature, staring at Tadashi like he had just revealed like he was part fish, “What do you mean you’re sorry?”
Tadashi fidgeted, “I didn’t… I wasn’t strong enough. I could’ve held on –“
Hinata lunged at Tadashi, pushing him back on the mattress with an oof.
“You’re perfect Tadashi. Don’t forget it.”
They both fell asleep like that, Hinata seemingly trying his best to strangle Tadashi in his sleep, but Tadashi didn’t mind. It felt so nice to not be alone.
Breakfast was a loud affair as always, with Yuu and Hiroki practically climbing over each other for Hinata’s attention. New omegas didn’t come very often, and certainly not ones as fun as Hinata.
“ –And then Kenma karate chopped the guy in the neck like HiYAH, but the bad guy was so strong that it bounced right off him. So Kuroo swoops in with his convertible like fWOOSH, and hits the alpha with his car. He goes flying and crashes into the other ninjas. I grab Kenma and pull him into the car, and Kuroo drives away at 200 miles per hour!”
Tadashi had heard several iterations of this story. He knew that know of them had been accurate, but he deemed this one the least likely.
The two brothers on the other hand, seemed to have no reservations about accepting every word that came out of Hinata’s mouth.
“Whoah Hinata! Is Kenma like a ninja too or something?” Hiroki asked, eyes bulging out of his head.
Hinata puffed out his chest with pride for his new friend, “Actually he’s a secret agent with the Public Security Intelligence Agency.”
Yuu still hadn’t managed to pick his jaw up of the floor, he turned to Tadashi, “Do you think I could be a secret agent?”
Tadashi smiled at the little boy, “If you want to. You can be anything if you put your mind to it, but first you have to study for your English test. All secret agents have to be able to speak English, in case they have to go undercover,” He tickled the young omega, eliciting an ear shattering squeal.
A brisk cough sounded from just behind Tadashi’s head. He straightened up immediately, recognizing the disappointment from Miss Takeuchi without her having to say a word. She was the care manager here at the shelter, and over the past couple of months she had become quite tired of Tadashi’s antics, Hinata’s presence was not helping the problem.
“Mister Yamaguchi, if you would kindly refrain from encouraging these young children from inciting chaos at the breakfast table, I would be most appreciative.”
Tadashi scrambled to his feet, sinking into a low, apologetic bow, “I beg your forgiveness ma’am.”
Miss Takeuchi grunted, and then turned her attention to Hinata.
“You have a visitor Mister Hinata.”
Hinata perked up, “Kenma?”
Takeuchi shrugged and waddled off towards the front lobby and office areas.
Hinata beamed, shoving the rest of his breakfast down in three quick gulps, “Hurry up Tadashi, I want you to meet Kenma! You barely got to talk to him last time.”
Tadashi smiled and slid the remainder of his breakfast over to Hiroki – thirteen year old boys really could never get enough to eat – and followed a vibrating Hinata out into the lobby.
Tadshi’s heart stopped.
Sadao. One of many men who haunted his nightmares. A man who he prayed every day that he would never have to see again. Here he was, standing in their shelter, their safe haven. He was going to tear Tadashi from his family yet again, and he would be too weak yet again to do anything about it.
Sadao wasn’t in charge of their omegahouse by a longshot, but he was strong, which meant that he was sent to deal with their little pack on a regular basis. He was heartless. Even Suga said that he was evil.
A cruel smirk crossed his face as he laid eyes on the two omegas, “If it isn’t our little Baby Boy, and the bitch who loved getting fucked so much he got himself pregnant.” The alpha waved a stack of papers out menacingly, “Unfortunately only one of you little whores gets to come back with me today.”
Tadashi’s whole body shook, he clenched his hands so tightly that he was sure his nails were going to break the skin of his palms. But his body didn’t matter, it was already trashed. Hinata was still good.
“You are not taking him,” Tadashi managed to squeak out.
“Tadashi.” Takeuchi barked as she emerged from her office, but she was waved off by Sadao.
The alpha advanced on Tadashi, gripping his chin in his grimy, meaty hands, whispering in a scratchy voice, low enough that the words only reached Tadashi, “I bet you wish we would come take you back. Do you miss getting fucked every night you little slut? Too bad your weak little body got so fucked up. No, no one would want your pathetic hole now. The only way you’re getting any cock now is in your little dreams.”
Tadashi felt the tears coming on, and he silently cursed them. Sex was the only thing he was good for. These past few months he had been floundering, there was nothing else for him to do with his life. He had nothing left.
Sadao dropped his grip on Tadashi, reaching to ruffle Hinata’s hair. Hinata was frozen to the spot, his eyes had glazed over with something beyond fear… utter terror.
“Come on Baby Boy, let’s get you home,” Sadao guided Hinata along with a firm grip on his shoulder.
Tadashi was only jolted back to reality by the slamming of the office suite door. He was alone in the lobby.
He bolted after them, throwing open the door like a madman. Takeuchi whirled on him with a scowl that could cut flesh. She ushered Hinata and Sadao into the furthest office and then advanced on Tadashi.
Surprise was mostly what knocked Tadashi to his knees as the old lady cuffed him upside the head. She threw open a door to one of the many empty offices, and kicked Tadashi’s shaking body into it.
He begged, “Please, please don’t send him back. Please. You don’t understand.”
“An omega belongs with their mate, a little whore like you could never understand something like that.” She slammed the door on Tadashi, leaving him alone in the dark.
<<<<>>>>
Life on the street came back to Tadashi quickly the third time around.
The shelter had predictably kicked him out after his stunt with the fire alarm. He didn’t care though, he was able to sneak by the bus stop to say a proper goodbye to Yuu and Hiroki on their way to school, and any of his belongings at the shelter had been passed from omega to omega before reaching him. It all meant nothing to him.
His was out on the street with nothing but the clothes on his back and a fresh black eye from Sadao.
Things had technically been worse for him before.
The clubs he used to frequent had changed hands, but the attitudes remained the same. The bouncer allowed him to slip in uncarded, and the music was still loud enough to drown out his thoughts. He allowed the chaos to consume him.
Bodies ground against him in time to the music, and hands held him tight. He was nothing, a leaf blowing through the wind. Faceless bodies surrounded him, and he begged the universe to become like them. No more thoughts, no feelings, let him be empty. He would give up the meager joys of life, if just meant he could be free of the pain.
He found himself at the bar with a drink he hadn’t paid for. A greasy, hulking alpha leaned towards him, licking his lips at the prospect of his next meal.
“You’ve got the most adorable little lips. Do you know you have a freckle right there?” A sweaty finger brushed past his mouth.
A shudder shot up Tadashi’s spine, but the smile that he forced to cross his face hid it well, “For fifty bucks I’ll put those lips wherever you want them.”
The alpha’s smile widened.
Bingo. Tadashi was getting pancakes tomorrow.
<<<<>>>>
Alphas were pigs.
He had always known that, from the first time he’d allowed himself to get fucked for cash. But somehow, somehow he’d managed to forget.
Tadashi tentatively dabbed at the blood running down his leg.
He had told the alpha that he wasn’t up for getting fucked. He’d suck him off, nothing more. Apparently the pig taken that as a challenge. After me baby you’ll never want to be fucked by anyone else again.
Well he was right about that. The beast had held him down, ignored his screams, and had knotted in him. After that he had been so grossed out that he left Tadashi on the ground behind the club.
Tadashi washed his hands again. There was too much blood.
He’d made his way to a nearby park. It was a nice part of town, and the outdoor bathroom was clean. His jeans were ruined, they were light-wash, and the blood would be visible from a mile away, but there was nothing to be done. After all that, the alpha hadn’t even paid. Tadashi was left again with nothing.
He peeled off his jeans and tried his best to wash them clean in the sink. All he succeeded in doing was making them colder than they already were.
He wandered out into the park. There was nowhere left for him to go.
He sat down on a bench, not allowing himself to lie down. He wasn’t ready to fully morph into a bum who slept on park benches, he figured he had a few more years before he sank that low. On the flip side, he also worried that if he closed his eyes now, he would never wake up.
The sun was rising and the park bench faced east, with only a couple buildings obstructing the horizon between there and the ocean.
Tadashi soaked up the warmth of the sun. He felt like his brother’s lizard, from when they were in primary school. The creature would slink out of its cave to bask first thing in the morning, before retreating back into its hole and hissing at anything that moved. Tadashi wished he could have a pet lizard, if he wasn’t homeless that was. No, maybe that would work, he’d seen a panhandler or two with dogs before. People sometimes had more pity on them because of their pets, a lizard would probably work the same right?
“Um, are you okay?”
Tadashi was pulled from his reverie, but his vision swam violently as he tried to turn to look at this new arrival. A jogger, how quaint. Who would be jogging at this hour? Someone who wanted to get murdered by a serial killer probably. What a shame, he was just starting to like this faceless voice.
“Is that blood?”
Tadashi looked down at his stained pants and his bloodied hands and giggled, “Whoops.”
He keeled forward, and the jogger was somehow already there to catch his useless body.
Tadashi could barely hold up his head as he tried to focus on his impromptu rescuer.
Blond hair and shining golden eyes, Tadashi weakly reached up to touch, whispering softly, “Pretty, so pretty.”
The last thing he saw was those golden eyes grow sad, before everything faded to black.
Notes:
Before you all go losing your minds again, no he is not dead, I'm just dramatic.
Next chapter will be cute and fluffy as hell, thanks for sticking with me;)
Chapter 9: Safe
Notes:
Well here's a baby chapter to tide you all over, after the absolute angst-orgy from last week. There was one more plot point that I was going to throw into this one, but it didn't really fit, so it got bumped to next chapter. Prepare yourselves for another Behemoth of a chapter, not angst-wise, but length lol.
And enjoy my weak-assed fluff in the meantime.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Kuroo got home later than expected that night, and he was lucky that he braced himself as he entered their front door.
He expected to have to guard himself against Kenma’s overwhelmingly depressed scent. His mate was beyond distraught at the loss of their visitor, and Kuroo had been struggling just to keep both their heads above water. Kenma wasn’t eating unless forced, and was making no other effort to take care of himself. Kuroo didn’t know how much longer he could allow it to go on, or what he would even do once that time was up.
What he didn’t expect to have to guard himself against was a high-pitched shriek of laughter, and smile so bright, it almost blinded him.
Hinata.
He was here. He was safe. He was smiling.
Kuroo stood in the doorway, gaping.
The omegas on the sofa turned towards the noise, and on seeing Kuroo, both smiles faded.
“Kuroo, I can explain. I had to. They came for him, I couldn’t leave him there. I barely made it in time, you have to understand –“
Kuroo’s shock melted into a smile, pure relief washed over him.
Hinata’s smile returned as well as he stumbled out of the tangle of blankets on the sofa and launched himself into Kuroo’s arms.
“Oh my god I missed you.”
“I missed you too Kuroo.”
Kuroo beamed. He was confused as all get out, but he was happy regardless. He clutched the ginger head of hair to his chest, breathing in his scent. None of the harsh citrus of the other day persisted, in fact there were no pheromones left at all, just Hinata. And that was good too.
<<<<>>>>
Tadashi awoke slowly. His brain was exceedingly muddled, and he found himself forced to wake up each body system one at a time.
Arms? Check.
Legs? Heavy, but still intact.
Midsection? A little worse for wear.
Eyes? Mmmm Nope. Too bright. Come back to that later.
Smell? Something strong, but oddly sweet.
Alpha.
Fuck.
Tadashi shot up. Everything in the room spun, his head feeling like it weighed a thousand pounds. Tadashi was filled with pressure, head pounding, stomach roaring. He keeled to the side, heaving up a burning stomach full of bile onto the floor.
The pressure in his head was marginally relieved, and he was able to consider his surroundings. The apartment was small but intimidating, a huge window looming before him, the sun was low in the sky and his legs felt even weaker at the sight of how high up he was. The rest of the room was, for lack of a better word, cozy. The sofa he was laid on was an ugly shade of green and overstuffed, and there was a thoroughly worn recliner across the room. Tall bookshelves lined the walls, taking advantage of the vaulted ceiling, and there was one of those book-shelf-ladders that you only ever see in movies. Potted plants covered just about every surface, and a large terrarium was lit up, but appeared empty.
There were three bottles of pills and a glass of water on the coffee table next to his head. A note with some times and doses scrawled was placed carefully next to the bottles, but Tadashi knew better than to trust anything from an alpha. Guard your drinks, watch out for needles, under no circumstances should ever accept a pill, especially from an alpha.
The smell in this apartment was definitely alpha, but with no clear owner present, Tadashi felt a little safer. As long as the alpha hadn’t heard his vomiting, he should be able to make a break for it before anything was expected of him.
Tadashi attempted to move from his spot on the sofa, only to find that he had been wrapped in towels like some kind of terry cloth mummy. Upon further inspection, it appeared most of his bleeding had pretty much stopped before he got here, as only one of the towels had any staining on it. Apparently the towel cocoon had been a little overboard.
Tadashi stood on wobbly legs, and locked his sights on the door. As per the usual for Tadashi, it was locked, but in an unexpected turn of events, it was locked from the side that Tadashi was on. He surged forward, feet barely following his commands, head on the verge of flopping forward and taking his body down with it.
He made it just past the edge of the sofa before his whole body crumpled and he smacked down on the hardwood floor.
He heard rustling from upstairs.
Tadashi scrambled, pulling his useless body out of the open and under the dining room table. He pulled his knees to his chest, and willed his breathing to slow. The effort, plus the burning in his lungs, and the overwhelming scent of alpha caused his eyes to well over with tears.
He couldn’t do this. Not again.
Long legs strode down the stairs and across the room to Tadashi’s terrible hiding spot. The owner crouched, tilting his head to get a good look at him.
The alpha let out a disappointed huff, and extended a hand to Tadashi.
Tadashi flinched.
The alpha’s brow furrowed, “Did you take the pills?”
Tadashi gulped with fear, refusing to answer.
The alpha rose, walking across the room, away from Tadashi. He heard the rattling of the bottles and the clink of the glass of water as they were retrieved from the coffee table. The long legs returned, this time settling in a crisscross-applesauce position so they could see eye to eye.
And oh those eyes.
Gold, almost yellow like a cat, but harsher. Like a bird of prey. Tadashi shuddered under their glare.
The alpha lined up the bottles, laying a finger on the first one, “This one is Oxycodone, it’s just for the pain. This one is called Erythropoietin, it tells your body to produce more red blood cells, and this is just some high dose iron, so your body has the materials to make more red blood cells.”
Tadashi stared down the bottles, still not trusting a single one.
“I took you to the emergency room, but they said you luckily hadn’t lost enough blood to need a transfusion, you were probably just in shock due to other factors.”
Tadashi turned his attention to his socked feet, nervously rubbing them together.
“They ran the whole rape kit on you, and gave you emergency contraceptives. I figured you wouldn’t mind.”
Tadashi sniffed, wiping away his stray tears.
The alpha hefted himself back up, and made his way towards the kitchen, “You’re welcome to stay under the table if that’s what you prefer, but I did leave some sweatpants and a clean shirt in the downstairs bathroom if you’re interested.”
There was rustling in the kitchen, and then the long legs strode past the table and back to the stairs. He paused at the bottom, and Tadashi’s whole body froze up again.
“My name is Tsukishima Kei. You don’t have to tell me yours if you don’t want to.”
He stayed at the bottom of the steps for a moment, giving Tadashi a chance to volunteer his name, before proceeding up the steps, without another word.
Tadashi waited for an eternity before sliding out from under the table. He didn’t trust his body to hold himself upright this time, and braced himself on the furniture as he made his way around the downstairs, searching for the elusive bathroom. Once he was inside, with the door locked, he struggled to peel off his clothes, crusted with his own dried blood.
The shower water came out blissfully hot, and Tadashi couldn’t help but crank it up as high as it would go. He scratched at his skin, the blood washing away quickly, but the bruises refusing to fade, and his scars whispering silent promises to never leave his side.
Tadashi awoke to loud pounding on the bathroom door. The water was running icy cold over his body, which had sunk to the floor in the shower. As he shifted, a small river of blood flowed out from underneath him. He quickly tried to rinse it down the drain, when suddenly the door flung open with an ear shattering crash. Tadashi scrambled to the back corner of the shower, as Tsukishima cursed and flung open the curtain.
Tadashi stared up at the alpha, eyes wide and heart pounding, clutching his legs to try and hide his pathetic naked body.
The alpha breathed a sigh of relief.
“I thought…” He gasped for breath, “I thought you tried to slit your wrists.” Tsukishima stilled, sizing up Tadashi’s body.
Tadashi gulped, but quickly accepted his fate. The alpha’s scent was pulsing throughout the bathroom, getting stronger by the second, it smelled angry. Tadashi had allowed this to happen though. He’d let his guard down, Hell, he’d taken off his own clothes, he’d might as well bend over now to make it easier –
“Who did this to you?”
Tadashi shifted, trying to shield his scars from view, silently thanking the shower for disguising his tears.
Tsukishima knelt, reaching through the freezing rain to cup Tadashi’s cheek.
His voice was low, strong and commanding, but it washed over Tadashi like a breath of fresh air, “I am not going to hurt you, but right now, you need to let me help you. If you can do that, I can promise that no one will ever hurt you like this again.”
Tadashi looked up into those golden eyes, wanting more than anything to believe him.
<<<<>>>>
They all three sat squished on the sofa, uncomfortable but too tired to care. Their empty takeout containers from dinner were strewn about the living room, and the switch controllers had long since been abandoned, as there was not a single game that Hinata was remotely passable at. Instead a brightly colored children’s movie played softly on the television.
Hinata mumbled softly along to the music, eyelids fluttering downward, on the verge of sleep, wedged between Kuroo and Kenma, but refusing to nod off completely.
Kenma smiled at his family. They had spent the day together out and about in Tokyo. While he normally hated being outside in the heat, seeing Hinata in the sun felt like the difference between seeing a lion at the zoo, or out on the savannah. When he was running through the streets, smiling and waving at passerbys, he looked happy. Happy to be free.
They had spent most of the day in the park, as being in close quarters with alphas still made the omega nervous. Kenma couldn’t help but notice the swell of pride on Kuroo’s face though, when Hinata had gotten spooked by a burly alpha biker and had hidden behind him, clutching Kuroo’s hand. It filled Kenma with pride too, they were happy together, his little family.
Hinata finally slumped over onto Kuroo’s lap, sleep overtaking him. Kuroo grinned stupidly at Kenma, reaching over to scratch his mate’s scalp.
“I’m glad he’s back.”
Kenma groaned, “I know, I know, I was an idiot. You don’t have to tell me.”
“No I’m not, I promise,” his alpha tried to pull him closer without disturbing Hinata, but failed as the ginger stirred.
Kenma smirked, “Do you think we could tell my parents that we adopted him?”
“Isn’t he like, only a year younger than you?”
“My mother’s vision is really bad, she might not notice.”
A loud crash sounded through the wall to Tsukki’s apartment.
Hinata shot up, his eyes wide and panicked. Kuroo abandoned stroking Kenma’s hair to pull him closer, rubbing circles into his back as he fell back to sleep against his chest. Kenma wriggled across the sofa to snuggle with Hinata and Kuroo stretched his arms to wrap up both of them.
Kuroo whispered into Kenma’s hair, “Do you think Tsukki’s finally embraced his kinky side, or did he actually just break a limb or something?”
“Maybe he fell off that stupid-ass pretentious ladder on his bookshelf.”
“God I hope so.”
Notes:
Aren't they so cute!! Oh be still my heart.
So I tried to sit down and determine what day of the week this story was on. Don't think about it too hard, you will end up with the same headache I did. Fact is, it doesn't add up, basically I had Kuroo working like a million days in a row without a weekend. I made some minor edits, I think I fixed it: Story starts on a Thursday, Friday we build the nest and talk to the police, Saturday Hinata's heat starts, Monday we find him after his heat and take him to the hospital, Tuesday is day one of the shelter, he comes home on Friday, and now both sets of characters are caught up to Saturday and everything should be Kosher. Did I spend valuable writing time finagling everything so that it fit in a 7 day calendar, of course! Who needs updates, when we could have painstaking accuracy! But I digress.
THANK YOU TO ALL MY COMMENTORS!!!!! You really cannot fathom how happy it makes me to see your kind words in my email. I feel like a kid on Christmas:)
Chapter 10: Dynamics
Notes:
Two disclaimers:
#1 The views and opinions expressed concerning the value of psychiatric help, do not necessarily reflect the views of the author. The author loves therapy. Go to therapy you freaks.
#2 I will not write smut. If you're looking for that here, prepare to be blue-balled big time. Don't come to me in the comments begging for it, lest I refer you to disclaimer #1
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Kenma woke up slowly in the comfort of the nest. He didn’t know how he’d ever be able to sleep in a regular bed ever again. The warmth cocooning him filled his brain with a soft fluff. There was no room for anxiety in his head, only peace.
He stretched out his fingers across the mattress, reaching out to pull Hinata closer.
His hand was met with empty space.
Kenma shot up, dislodging their carefully crafted wall in his panic. He hands upturning the blankets in a desperate search. Where was Hinata? What if he had gone out on his own and been taken? What if the alpha from before had followed them here and taken him in the night? What if he’d gotten sick again and crawled off to –
The door to the guest bedroom swung open, and Kuroo peered around it, concern creased his face, “Hey, you okay?”
“Hinata. Did you see him? Did he tell you where he –“
Kuroo surged forward, kneeling on the bed and cupping a hand to Kenma’s panicked face, “Babe, Hinata’s right outside. He’s making pancakes.” Kuroo’s fingers traced along his cheekbone, his eyes probing Kenma’s face with concern. “Did you have a dream or something?”
“No I…” Kenma looked back at the nest, running his hand over the empty spot, as if to assure himself that it wasn’t going to slip away in the night as well. He looked up into Kuroo’s worried eyes, “He wasn’t here.”
“He’s okay. He’s safe.”
Kenma raised his hand to hold Kuroo’s against his face.
He took a deep breath, letting his system flood with Kuroo’s pheromones, which had flared up protectively. They had been spending so much time apart that Kuroo’s scent had become more potent, smelling more like he had when they were in school. Dampened less by Kenma’s soft omegan scent, Kuroo smelled very distinctly alpha.
Kenma allowed himself to sink into Kuroo’s hand, his alpha supporting him and the weight of the world. His head fell to the side, subconsciously begging his alpha to scent him.
Kuroo obliged, leaning in and nuzzling against Kenma’s scent gland with his own.
Kenma’s body surged at the contact, arching his back to get closer to his love. Kuroo wrapped both his arms around him, pulling his omega into his lap. Kenma’s breath caught in his lungs. He had almost forgotten how much he desperately needed Kuroo’s touch, Kuroo’s strength, Kuroo’s scent. He felt the world melt away, as if the only real, tangible thing anymore was his mate. Kuroo.
And the smell of pancakes?
Kenma pulled back abruptly, scrunching up his face in confusion. He had temporarily forgotten that anything else existed outside of the two of them. The smell of frying batter was almost as disconcerting as it was grounding.
His stomach growled.
Kuroo chuckled, gently poking the tip of Kenma’s scrunched up nose, earning himself a scowl.
The alpha stood, clutching Kenma close to his chest and carrying him out into the kitchen, setting him on the countertop, so he could comfortably pepper his nose and cheeks with kisses.
“Could you both keep your nasty away from my art here? I am trying to create.”
Hinata stood, hands on his hips, spatula in hand, with a scowl that wasn’t fooling anybody.
Kenma giggled into Kuroo’s shoulder. He slid off the counter to take a look at Hinata’s creation.
His laughter wasn’t as easily concealed this time.
Hinata was calling them Mickey Mouse pancakes. Kenma appreciated the effort, but was pretty sure that the omega was just overzealous when it came to spooning batter into the pan, and had no control over the oversized conglomerated beasts that formed in his wake.
Kuroo already had a syrup covered plate at his spot, but seemed to be chomping at the bit for another as he watch Hinata hungrily.
“Hinata, there is so much sugar in this, I’m not gonna sleep for a week,” the alpha teased.
“Good, here’s another!” Hinata plopped another one in front of the alpha, who dug in ferociously.
Kenma was given a much more manageable portion, which he scarfed down with almost as much enthusiasm as Kuroo.
Between shovel-fulls of pancake, Kuroo turned to Kenma, “By the way, I’m going on a date with Yaku tonight.”
Hinata slammed his spatula down and spun to face them, “What!?” His eyes darted back and forth between the two of them.
Kuroo barked with laughter, “Calm down, mommy and daddy aren’t getting a divorce.”
Hinata frowned, turning to Kenma still unconvinced.
Kenma rolled his eyes, “Kuroo’s friend from work Yaku is an omega. Whenever he goes on dates, he likes to have Kuroo tail them, for whatever reason.”
Hinata’s frown remained, but he nodded understandingly, “Can I go too?”
Kuroo’s face lit up, “Yeah, can he mom?”
“Kuroo, you shut up. Hinata, I’m sure Kuroo would like the company. He’s always begging me to come along, but honestly I’d rather bang myself in the head with a rock. Kuroo can be really embarrassing.”
<<<<>>>>
Tadashi awoke to the quiet click of the front door, and the subsequent clunk of the lock. He woke up with a fraction of the panic from the last time. He quickly remembered who had dressed him in the fluffy robe, why there was a smear of blood between his legs, and why his head spun like he had been drugged. Remembering everything didn’t quite quell the nerves that went along with his current situation, but it did help.
Tadashi carefully rose from the sofa, happy to see that he was able to hold up his head without too much trouble. The clothes that Tsukishima had left out for him were still folded in the bathroom, although they were comically baggy once on his body.
He made his way back out to the living room, folding all the blankets and towels into a neat stack on the coffee table. He made sure each of the pillows were placed symmetrically on the sofa, before carefully seating himself on the far end.
He sat in silence, focusing on controlling his breathing.
Tsukishima returned about an hour later, sweat glistening on his pale skin. He nodded to Tadashi as he passed, taking the stairs two at a time. The upstairs shower started moments later.
Tadashi shifted awkwardly in his seat, cocking his head curiously at the terrarium, straining his eyes to identify any inhabitants.
He jumped when the shower shut off, focusing his gaze straight ahead, as if he’d been caught doing something he shouldn’t.
Tsukishima shuffled back down the stairs, and made his way into the kitchen. Tadashi braved a glance over, and saw the alpha filling up a cute little watering can at the sink. He quickly returned his gaze to his spot on the wall.
He heard the alpha move back into the living room, and let out a disapproving “Tch.”
Tadashi slowly looked over at the alpha, gulping nervously when he beheld the judgmental smirk that had crossed the alpha’s face.
“Are you just going to sit there all day?”
Tadashi leapt up, nervously stammering, “I – I – I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to take advantage, I just wasn’t sure. I didn’t know.”
Tsukishima cocked an eyebrow, smirk still intact. If Tadashi didn’t know any better, he might think the alpha was mocking him.
“Sit back down please.”
Tadashi obeyed.
“Will you tell me your name?”
Tadashi felt his panic rising again, he felt like an idiot, “Yamaguchi Tadashi. I’m sorry, it was so rude of me not to –“
“Tsk.” Tsukishima lowered himself into his armchair, “Please don’t grovel. It’s really unbecoming.”
Tadashi swallowed.
“Now, will you tell me why you are so afraid of me?” He leaned back in his chair folding his hands, “I have my suspicions, but I’m curious what you will admit to me.”
Tadashi couldn’t help but scowl, “Are you some kind of fucking shrink?”
Tadashi slapped a hand across his mouth. His stupid fucking mouth. Now he’d really done it. He’d be back on the street within the hour.
A vicious grin crossed Tsukishima’s face.
“Not a fan of shrinks?”
Tadashi didn’t dare open his mouth.
“Me neither.” His grin softened, “I’m a research analyst for a major psychiatric publication. I personally uphold the belief that all shrinks are biased little pricks with savior complexes.”
Tadashi pursed his lips, trying to hold back his smile.
Tsukishima leaned back, projecting an air of arrogance that Tadashi was upset to admit suited the alpha quite well. “Now, I know you were raped at least once,” Tadashi flinched at the brashness, but he couldn’t help but appreciate it, “But I’m starting to suspect that that isn’t new territory for you. Am I correct?”
Tadashi nodded.
“I also figure that you’ve suffered abuse for a considerable amount of time, seeing as after everything I’ve done for you, you still act like every time I approach you, will be the time I snap.”
Tadashi opened his mouth to apologize, but was cut off by Tsukishima raising a finger.
“Please note, I do not take offense. I want to impress upon you that I do not expect anything from you. You are free to leave at any time.”
“Why did you even bring me here?” Tadashi frowned, “If you don’t want me for… something, why not just leave me at the hospital?”
Tsukishima smirked, “When we left you at the shelter, I believe I was fully aware of the consequences of your actions that day. My judgement may have been clouded by the adrenaline of the moment, but I usually uphold myself to a much higher standard of accountability.” The alpha leaned forward, his voice dropping the pretentious bravado as his golden eyes bored into Tadashi’s, “I could have saved you. I could have prevented this,” He gestured to Tadashi at large, which didn’t exactly inspire confidence. “When I found you in the park, I thought you were dead. And I knew in that moment, that I was the one to sign that death warrant… but maybe that’s just the shrink in me.”
Tadashi shifted his focus to his bare feet, nervously rubbing together.
Tsukishima rose from his seat, retrieving his floral watering can and bustling about the room, addressing each plant in turn, “Pick out a book, don’t just sit there staring at the wall. I’ve got some work to catch up on this morning, believe it or not, I was a little preoccupied yesterday.”
<<<<>>>>
“Anything yet?”
“I can’t see a damn thing.”
“Hinata, you’re holding them backwards.”
“No I’m not.”
“Give ‘em here.”
“No! Give it back.”
“You idiot, the lens cap was still on.”
“How is that my fault? This is all your stupid idea, now give it back.”
To any outsider, the rustling, shouting bush would have appeared a little concerning, but rest assured, to Yaku, who knew exactly what was going on, it was equally concerning.
Kuroo’s phone rang in his pocket, distracting him just long enough to allow Hinata to steal away the set of binoculars, cackling victoriously.
Kuroo grumbled, but was quick to answer his phone, “Yawning Yak, what’s the status report?”
“Would you two stop dicking around? You’re gonna get us kicked out of the restaurant.”
“Don’t you worry your little self about that, me and the manager have an understanding.” Kuroo pulled a roll of ones out of his pocket.
Hinata snickered, “What is that, like twelve dollars?”
Kuroo smacked the ginger upside the head, stealing back the binoculars.
Hinata grumbled, raising himself off his stomach to sit with his legs crossed, picking twigs out of his hair, “What are we even gonna do if he tries something? You can’t just fight him in the restaurant.”
“Can and have,” Kuroo smacked the top of the binoculars, trying to get them to focus.
“You’ve gotta be kidding. Really?”
“The guy was a total creep, kept taking pictures of Yaku’s crotch under the table. So I kicked him in his.”
“Ouch.”
“Yeah,” Kuroo chuckled to himself, “But if it’s more your speed we could just pull the fire alarm.”
“Very funny.”
“I try.”
“Oh my god Kuroo, is that him?”
“Where?” Kuroo whipped the binoculars around frantically.
Hinata pushed them away from Kuroo’s eyes, “Dude, you will not be needed those.”
Kuroo looked up, “Holy shit. Yaku can get it.”
The alpha that strode into the restaurant looked be about ten feet of pure intimidation. Silvery foreign hair, and legs for days, Kuroo felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up in an unconscious challenge. This new alpha was intimidating.
That was, until he spoke.
“Yaku-san! Nice to finally meet you.” The behemoth waved a comically long arm over his head like he was trying to flag down a rescue plane. His incredibly average voice echoed across the restaurant patio, causing every head to turn, and Yaku to sink low under the table, face beet red.
Kuroo cackled, drawing the attention of a waiter and getting them both shooed from their hiding spot. The two shimmied backwards out of the bush, landing oh-so-gracefully in the parking lot behind the restaurant, laughing all the way.
“Well I think the Yaku protection squad has nothing to worry about for the rest of the evening.”
Hinata giggled, “That guy looked like he got stretched out in Willy Wonka’s taffy pull.”
Kuroo wheezed, “Come on, you wanna get some ice cream?”
“Oh.” Hinata looked back at the restaurant, “We should probably stay close by… Since we promised Yaku.”
Kuroo placed a reassuring hand on the omega’s shoulder, “We will. There’s a place right across the street. We can just stake out the exit.”
Hinata nodded slowly, “Okay. That works.”
Kuroo could not ignore how lost in thought Hinata remained, even in the midst of the most ice cream either of them had ever seen. Kuroo indulged in about four different flavors, and ordered the lady to scoop several mystery flavors into Hinata’s bowl. The omega could thank him later.
They settled on a bench outside the ice cream parlor, with a clear view of the restaurant door. Kuroo looked down at Hinata, who was absentmindedly toying with his spoon.
“Whatcha thinking about?”
Hinata jumped, as though he had completely forgotten that Kuroo was even there, “Nothing.”
Kuroo raised an eyebrow, elbowing the omega playfully.
Hinata couldn’t help but smile, “It’s just… You’re a really good friend. To Yaku, and everyone I guess. I wish I had a friend like you.”
Kuroo cocked his head, “Well you do? Please tell me you’ve figured that out by now.”
“I know… I just meant, before.” The boy set down his ice cream, “That’s how I was taken.”
Kuroo waited, afraid the boy would melt away like ice cream if he made any move.
“I was on a date. This guy I’d met online.” Hinata chewed on his lip nervously, “He seemed really nice, we talked all the time, facetimed even. He let me pick the spot for our first date. I made sure it was before dark, busy place, nice part of town… It didn’t matter. I still wasn’t careful enough.
“He offered to walk me back to my car. On the way, a van pulled up, he shoved me in, and then there was nothing I could do.” Tears clung to his eyelashes, and he sniffed weakly.
“I was alone. Tied up in his basement for six months. At first it was just him, but I guess he started charging his friends to use me too. I had no one to talk to. I almost started looking forward to their visits, because it meant I wasn’t alone… I hate being alone.”
Kuroo wrapped the boy up in his arms, “You’re not alone now Hinata.”
Hinata pulled back, smiling bright, the only way he knew how, “I know.”
“Oh!” Kuroo scrambled for the binoculars around his neck, “We’re on the move.”
“God, he looks like Gumby’s cousin,” Hinata said through a mouthful of ice cream, jogging to keep up with Kuroo who had taken to ducking behind lampposts and trashcans in his pursuit.
They followed along for several blocks, Yaku shooting back death glares at every available opportunity.
When they finally reached their destination, Kuroo’s jaw dropped, “Holy Shit.”
Hinata jumped, trying in vain to see over the fountain they had hidden behind.
“Dude, we’re at Yaku’s place. Yaku’s gonna get boned by Gumby!”
Hinata squealed, “Good for him! I bet he’s fucking huge.”
“Hinata!” Kuroo spluttered.
“What? I can’t appreciate a good cock?”
“When we get home you’re grounded.”
Hinata pouted in protest, but it fell on deaf ears as he was dragged along behind Kuroo, “Come on, it’s time for phase two.”
“What’s phase two?”
“I don’t quite remember, I’ll have to check my notes. We haven’t made it this far in quite a while.” Kuroo stopped, pulling out his phone. He looked around at the buildings, “That one there,” He pointed, “If we stake out on that roof, we’ll be able to see through his living room window. Yaku will send us a text every fifteen minutes to check in, if he misses one or sends us the SOS, we can head down the fire escape and apprehend the assailant!”
Hinata looked up at the rooftop suspiciously, “Seems foolproof.”
They settled in next to each other on the rooftop, Kuroo had reclaimed sole ownership of the binoculars. Hinata was left in charge of the cell phone, a responsibility that quickly left him bored. Yaku sent check in messages every fifteen minutes as promised, but obviously too enamored with his date to write anything interesting. After an hour, the omega had curled up at Kuroo’s side, breathing slow and even.
Kuroo’s hand settled on his head, stroking red hair as he slept.
Yaku sent two final texts after three and a half hours,
leg staying the nite
see u at wrk
Kuroo wasn’t quite sure what that meant, but he was able to tell when he was no longer needed. He scooped up Hinata from the ground, smiling as the omega wrapped his arms and legs around him. He didn’t set the boy down until they reached their own front door, and he had to fumble around in his pockets for his keys.
The omega smiled sleepily up at Kuroo, turning and immediately crashing into the doorframe. Kuroo steered the boy to his room and tucked him into his nest, before slowly closing the door behind him.
There were rose petals on the steps.
They started about halfway up, so that they weren’t immediately visible from ground level, but there were more as he went up, and a couple of small candles, that unfortunately seemed to have already burnt out.
The sight that awaited him on his bed couldn’t be more perfect.
Kenma was shirtless, wearing the matching pajama pants that Kuroo had bought the two of them for Valentines, hands cuffed behind his back with red leather cuffs, and fast asleep. He looked angelic, with his knees curled to his chest and his hair lightly covering his eyes, and it was causing a stir of energy in Kuroo’s lower abdomen that he hadn’t indulged in quite a while.
He leaned against the doorframe, wanting to soak in this image for as long as possible. A couple of the candles still flickered weakly, illuminating the rose petals scattered all about the room.
He didn’t mean to laugh at his omega’s expense, but when they purchased the cuffs online, their main complaint had been that there was no emergency release. Kenma had probably put the cuffs on hours ago, and had had no way to release them on his own. The thought of Kenma restrained turned him on more than he’d like to admit. The omega was very careful about giving up control, only allowing it under the most particular of circumstances. To have presented himself like this, all for Kuroo, made the alpha’s heart surge. He loved Kenma more than the omega would ever know.
<<<<>>>>
Kenma didn’t know what he had been thinking.
Those stupid fucking handcuffs. He knew they didn’t have an emergency release, but they were the most comfortable of the ones him and Kuroo owned. Kenma hated being uncomfortable. Of course he hadn’t really thought that the lock would be an issue.
Yaku’s dates never lasted more than two hours. The poor omega hadn’t gotten in years, and it was entirely due to his own stubborness. Whoever this alpha was tonight, he must have been one hell of a heartthrob.
And now, Kenma was uncomfortable. He had struggled with the cuffs for quite some time, once he had determined that Kuroo wasn’t returning any time soon. But they only unlocked with a stupid fucking heart-shaped key, and his stupid fucking little fingers couldn’t reach to get it in the stupid fucking lock. Eventually he passed out, half from exhaustion, and half out of frustration.
He awoke to the smell of pheromones. Kuroo stood in the doorway, leaned up against the frame with his arms crossed. Eyes positively ravenous.
Kenma blushed. Partially from the situation, but mostly from the attention.
He never exposed himself like this.
His eyes met Kuroo’s but the alpha didn’t move. He stood in his place, scouring every inch of Kenma’s body. The omega rolled over, but there was nowhere to hide from Kuroo’s gaze, and he could still feel it burning into his back.
He turned his head with a scowl, whining, “Sto-op.”
Kuroo broke into a grin and pounced. He held himself up above Kenma, devouring him with his eyes from above, where there could be no escape.
Kenma’s blush deepened, “Kuroo, will you please just let me go?” He groaned, “I just wanna sleep.”
Kuroo sat back on his ankles, still straddling Kenma’s legs, holding his hands out in surrender, “If that’s what you want, we can stop.”
Kuroo’s face was still full of wonder, all directed at Kenma. Now it was Kenma’s turn to undress his mate with his eyes. The alpha was sitting there looking so innocent, when Kenma knew how much of a lie that was.
“Just… Can you prop up the pillows for me? Lying on top of the cuffs hurts.”
Kuroo surged at his mate’s consent. He stood, gathering the remaining pillows and arranging a throne for his omega. Walking back to the foot of the bed, he scooped up Kenma.
Kenma wrapped his legs around Kuroo’s waist, grinding down as Kuroo squeezed at his ass.
His lips finally found Kuroo’s.
The gentle touch shot a shiver down his spine, fueling his hips to grind again against Kuroo.
His mate growled as he kissed Kenma deeper.
Kenma was all but dropped to the pillows as Kuroo descended upon him. His lips left Kenma’s, and traveled down. With his shirt already off, Kuroo was free to explore the small expanse of Kenma’s chest with his mouth, trailing his tongue straight down the middle, leaving goose bumps in its wake. The handcuffs pulled his shoulders back slightly, stretching his chest and exposing him to his mate.
Kuroo sat back for a moment to stare. Kenma was usually self-conscious of how undefined his bodywas, especially compared to his alpha. But under Kuroo’s gaze, he felt like a God.
Kenma arched his back further, desperate for more contact. The cuffs still dug into his wrists, preventing him from pulling Kuroo closer. He couldn’t get enough.
Kuroo leaned over him, careful not to touch. Holding himself up with one hand, fingers gently twisted their way into Kenma’s hair at the base of his neck. Kenma keened as electricity shot through the touch, lighting his whole body aflame from the smallest of caresses.
Then Kuroo pulled.
Kenma’s head snapped back, pulled by his hair, exposing his neck.
And then he began to panic.
He wasn’t home anymore. He wasn’t in his bed, surrounded by his pillows, and his mate and their scent.
He was in a cold white bathroom.
The burning pain to his scalp was dangerous.
And the only smell was alpha.
Kenma flew back, writhing to get out of the grip on his hair. He kicked out a foot, connecting and successfully pushing the alpha back.
He scrambled, pushing back to the headboard, feet raised defensively.
The alpha spoke, but the words were obstructed by the ringing in his ears. He had to find an escape. He had to get out of here.
The alpha stood. Tall, towering over Kenma. He tried to reach for him, there was something metal in his hands.
Kenma kicked out again and then rolled away, curled up against the headboard, breathing fast. He struggled against the handcuffs, but it was no use.
The alpha made a move for his hands again. Kenma slammed his head back, connecting with the alpha’s face. A spurt of blood shot across the bed from the alpha’s nose.
The beast finally retreated.
Kenma was alone. His whole body shook. The smell of alpha still filled the room. It pounded at his head, turning his brains to mush. Weak, pliant, omegan mush. He didn’t want it anymore. He wanted to stand proud. He wanted to defend himself. He could protect his family too.
And then Hinata was at his side. Hinata stroked his face and hair gently. Hinata spoke. Kenma couldn’t hear it, but he knew it was gentle. He knew if he could hear, the words would tell him that he was safe.
His hands were freed from the cuffs. His whole body was sore, stretched out from being in the cuffs so long.
His eyes were heavy. His head nodded onto Hinata’s shoulder, happy to be held. Maybe just this once. One last time, he would allow himself to be saved by someone else.
<<<<>>>>
Kuroo stood at the top of the stairs. He didn’t dare cross through the bedroom door.
He didn’t know what had happened, but he knew that he had never scared Kenma before in his life. And he had scared Kenma just now. His beautiful dark brown pupils had constricted so tightly and stared at him like he was a monster. He had done something wrong. He didn’t know what. He certainly didn’t know how to fix it. Was he a monster?
Hinata padded past him, down the stairs, and then a moment later back up, carrying their multitude of pillows with him. The nest.
Kuroo sat on the floor outside the door, leaning back against the railing, watching Hinata surround Kenma with the pillows. Protecting him.
Tears finally broke through Kuroo’s defenses, and as they fell, he was overcome with sleep.
Kuroo awoke with a jolt to a slight kick of pain. He heard a thump and a muffled oof, and he sat up in a daze. Hinata was on the floor next to him, looking equally dazed and disheveled.
“Did you just trip over me?”
“I think so,” The ginger rubbed at his head, eyes still unfocused with sleep.
“Where were you going?”
Hinata grumbled sheepishly, “I didn’t want to use your bathroom.”
Kuroo smiled, and helped Hinata to his feet, steering him into the master bathroom, “Here you go, weirdo.”
Kuroo turned to leave, but took pause, catching a glimpse of his omega.
Kenma was curled up in the nest, sleeping as peacefully as ever, as if nothing could ever be wrong with the world.
He jumped when Hinata reappeared behind him, taking his hand.
Hinata tried to pull him towards the bed, turning back with a gentle smile when Kuroo resisted.
“Come on. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
Kuroo didn’t respond, and the omega tugged at his arm again.
“Let’s go to sleep.”
Kuroo allowed himself to be pulled onto the bed and then into the nest. He was pressed up against Kenma, his love, and his hand was still intertwined with Hinata’s.
Kuroo fell asleep easily after that.
Notes:
This is my favorite chapter I've written, by far. I was straight cackling writing the date scene, and then with Kenma's panic attack at the end, I've been plotting those two scenes since I came up with this story. I'm so glad it's out of my head and in the world!!!! Does anyone else get emotional whiplash reading my shit? Or is that just me...
Chapter 11: Fear
Notes:
DO YOU KNOW HOW ABSOLUTELY DEVASTATED I WAS WHEN I FOUND OUT THAT ONE OF MY FAVORITE LINES THAT I HAVE EVER WRITTEN HAD A TYPO IN IT???? very. I may never recover. So here for your viewing pleasure:
The behemoth waved a comically long arm over his head like he was trying to flag down a rescue plane.
I FORGOT TO WRITE THE WORD arm, LIKE WHO TF DOES THAT????
Anyways, this chapter was technically done on time, and then I realized that if I was THAT bored writing it, it probably wasn't going to read much better... So we did some major plot work-shopping, I sprinkled a little bit of angst on top and VOILA!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Day two in Tsukishima’s apartment, Tadashi was still uneasy, but decidedly less terrified. He still wanted to do something for the man, as a thank you for saving his life and whatnot, but apparently sucking his dick was off the table, and that pretty much cleared out Tadashi’s repertoire. He felt like an annoying zit, one that gets right in the crease of your nose, you can try to ignore it, but it will still be there when you look in the mirror at night.
The omega spent the morning glued to his spot on the sofa, rising once to quickly select a book as he had been instructed, and then regretting that decision for the next several hours as his backside ached and his vision swam before his eyes. He went through one more towel, and ruined the sweats he had been lent. But Tadashi figured as long as he never stood up ever again, no one would have to see his butt and the whole situation would be a non-issue.
After allegedly finishing his work in the downstairs office, Tsukishima emerged and offered to make Tadashi some food. With his fresh vow to never leave the sofa again, Tadashi was all too eager to accept.
He couldn’t help but lick his lips, even though the meal that was handed to him was very obviously microwaved.
Tadashi was more than a little surprised at the revelation that Tsukishima was a frozen meal person. But if you squinted you could see how it would fit. Everything was prepackaged and could be thrown in the microwave, ready to eat in two minutes and forty-five seconds. A perfect way to keep your day on schedule.
After eating, the alpha settled back into his recliner with a book, and the two fell into a comfortable silence.
Tadashi had never in his life used the word comfortable in reference to an alpha, but the rest of the evening could not be described as anything else. Tadashi dozed in an opioid induced haze, casually skimming through The Moral Animal: The New Science of Evolutionary Psychology whenever he awoke, which led to some fairly wacky dreams about orangutan sex that he’d rather not revisit. Tsukishima had promised that he didn’t expect anything from Tadashi, and despite refusing to truly believe those words, it was getting easier and easier to pretend.
The sun went down with a splendid display of colors visible through the monstrous window. Tadashi couldn’t help but to smile. Somehow he’d lived to see another day, despite his truly disastrous life choices. When he looked over he saw that Tsukishima was watching him, equally lost in thought. Tadashi blushed and curled back into his spot.
<<<<>>>>
Monday morning, Kenma got to work.
He was up before both Kuroo and Hinata, extricating himself carefully from their nest, so as not to disturb them.
His equipment needed a little bit of dusting off, but the computers humming to life stirred something inside of Kenma. Something excited and a little bit mischievous, but mostly determined. Hinata was his family now, and he was going to find his pack.
The cats quickly settled into their positions around Kenma. Jiji stretched out on the computer tower, purring as it warmed up underneath her. Kiki settled in his lap, and Princess Diana started crowding the keyboard, doing her best to foil his work, getting repeatedly shoved away, but mistaking the touches as affection and always coming back for more. Stupid sewer monster. God he loved her.
The internet is an easy place to hide in plain sight. Anonymity can be anyone’s, for a fee, and finding illegal marketplaces has never been the problem. It’s getting past the mask, past the disguises and the covers. Tracing the evil to its source is the real hunt.
Today, Kenma came armed for the kill.
It wasn’t long before he found himself in the depths of the underworld, sending out feelers to old contacts, hitting up forums and auctions. His gut balked at the filth he uncovered, some of it he forwarded on to the precinct to be investigated further, but most of it would be ignored, left to sink back into the murk.
The sun rose, and with it came the sound of his mate, stumbling down the stairs for his morning coffee.
The alpha paused in the open doorway, Kenma didn’t look up, but he could tell Kuroo was standing further back than necessary, avoiding blocking the exit.
Kenma continued typing, “You can come in.”
Kuroo’s apprehension persisted, “I didn’t want to –“
“Kuroo, I don’t really want to talk about it.”
“Okay. But you need to,” Kuroo advanced carefully, “I mean you know I won’t make you talk about it, but… it affected me too.”
Kenma stopped working, spinning around in his chair. Kuroo was seated on the now folded up sleeper sofa, hand running nervously through his hair. He peeked up nervously at Kenma, before quickly averting his eyes again.
Kenma chewed on his lip.
He had had plenty of panic attacks, but they were personal, an internal struggle that only hurt him. A battle with an army of one, the only casualty was himself.
This time he had scared Kuroo. He had hurt Kuroo. Gentle, sweet, amazing Kuroo who had never raised a hand against him. He had treated him like a monster.
He hadn’t done it on purpose.
So why did it feel like the only step forward was to apologize?
“Maybe we can talk when I get home from work? Just the two of us. I can bring sushi from our old spot?”
Kenma didn’t know what would change between now and then, but he nodded anyways.
Kuroo rose, crossing to his mate and kneeling on the floor in front of him.
“I love you.”
Kenma cupped his face and whispered against his love’s lips, “I love you too.”
Kenma held onto to Kuroo for a moment longer than necessary, breathing in his scent. The scent of Kuroo, just Kuroo, no one else. Decidedly alpha, but also his alpha.
Kuroo leaned forward for a quick kiss, “I have to get ready for work.”
Kenma nodded, the ghost of a smile crossing his lips, as Kuroo spun his chair back around so he could get back to work.
He was quickly immersed, allowing his work to consume his thoughts, forgetting about everything around him, his cats, his mate, breakfast. If all had gone according to plan, he probably could’ve worked continuously for the next 48 hours.
Unfortunately, Hinata got bored very quickly.
The sound of the omega flopping face-first onto Fish’s sofa spooked Kenma more than he would like to admit. He spun around to glare at his newest intruder, but was ignored.
The boy let out a torturous groan into the sofa cushion, “Kenmaaaaa, I’m booooored.”
Kenma returned quickly to his work, not wanting to lose his train of thought, “The Switch is in the living room.”
“But I suck at video games,” Hinata whined.
“Practice makes perfect.”
Hinata trudged out of the office, mumbling barely offensive curses under his breath.
Kenma opened an email from Fukunaga, disappointed to find a brief list of non-specific leads and several bad puns, but nothing of real use.
He turned back to the web, his stomach churning as he delved deeper.
It barely felt like ten minutes before Hinata was back, breathing down Kenma’s neck, bored out of his mind.
“Can I help?”
“No.”
“But –“
“Hinata.”
“Ugh.”
The door slammed as the boy left.
Kenma breathed in slowly, focusing his mind. He had to find the pack.
He turned his attention to the sidebar of the chatroom he was digging through. Ads flashed along the side as he scrolled. Some advertised pills that would do lord knows what to your lord knows where, but others were more worrisome.
Omegas in Your Area
Hot Singles Dying to Meet You
“Hey Hot Stuff! You free tonight?”
Kenma cringed as he opened each one.
Most were scams. Thank God. But his heart sank as he looked at the photos of the omegas they used. The links might be bullshit, but those omegas, those people who were just like Hinata. They were real. Kenma scrunched his eyes shut, praying that those omegas were safe right now, not wanting to think too hard about the reality of their situations.
He had to find the pack.
He found a particular chat room that piqued his interest. There was no conversation, just the same user posting different obscure words, once per day.
Passwords.
Or at least Kenma assumed. He traced the user’s IP address, and within an hour he was remotely accessing the computer the passwords were posted from.
He’d never been so disappointed to uncover a strip club.
He didn’t find any evidence of outright prostitution, or imprisoned omegas for that matter. So he allowed himself to hope that the omegas who worked there got to go home at the end of each night.
One down. 13 million to go.
Kenma found a few more compelling users and websites. Hacking into most computers was relatively easy, finding the right one to hack into was the challenge. He didn’t mind the work, but he wished he had a little more direction.
As time went on, his head started to pound. The sheer amount of suspicious activity was overwhelming. To sift through it to find one specific case felt impossible not only on a physical level, but emotional as well. His nerves were already frayed, he didn’t know how much more stress he could take.
Kenma pushed back from his desk. Slumping forward, he allowed his head to rest between his knees. His blood rushed to his ears, and sound of his pulse filled the silence of the room.
Wait. Silence?
Kenma leapt up from his chair, sending poor Kiki flying as he sped out of the room. Skidding to a halt in the empty living room, he locked his sights on the light streaming through the crack in the bottom of the bathroom door.
Kenma threw the door open, preparing for the worst and causing an unsuspecting Hinata to topple from his seat on the bathroom counter top.
Looking down at the dazed omega, Kenma tried to piece together the scene before him.
“Were you cutting your hair?”
“Maybe.”
Kenma sagged again the door frame, his heart still racing, “Kuroo was right, we should have locked up the scissors.”
“He-ey. I’m actually pretty good you know. I used to cut everyone’s back at the whorehouse, and we didn’t even have a mirror.”
Kenma spluttered, “Is that so?” Hey surveyed the mess of orange hair scattered around the bathroom, and Hinata’s fairly decent undercut.
He clambered up onto the counter, crossing his feet in the bowl of the sink.
“Do me.”
Hinata’s grin spread across his face at the speed of light, “Really?”
“I mean… yeah? I like it long, but it could use a trim, and Shouyo please stop making that face, you’re scaring the crap out of me.”
Hinata’s smile only broadened, as he approached Kenma’s head with the scissors.
<<<<>>>>
“He’s so gorgeous Kuroo.”
“So I hear.”
“Like, is it even legal to have legs that long?”
“I mean, technically yes.”
“He was so tall. Kuroo, he’s so much taller than me, I couldn’t even be on my knees when I sucked his –“
“Dear GOD Yaku, If you don’t shut up.”
Yaku pulled down his safety goggles in an attempt to hide his blush, “I think he broke my brain. I don’t think I’ve ever fallen for someone this hard.”
Kuroo smirked, “What is he like a super-genius or something?”
“No! That’s the most ridiculous part. He’s a complete moron. Like, the dumbest person I’ve ever met. He’s a model for god’s sake. With a face like that, you’d think I’d be able to curb my overwhelming desire to sit my ass right over his–“
“I think I need to quit this job. Immediately. I’m moving to Australia.”
“I doubt that I’ll even notice you’re gone.”
“I’m touched Yaku. Does this mean I can rescind your invitation to game night on Friday?”
“As if. I’ve already texted Kenma, and I’m bringing Lev.”
“That’s not fair. You know Kenma doesn’t read his texts, he just replies yes to everything.”
“You should’ve thought about that before you married him.”
“How am I supposed to look your Russian in the eye, when I am this intimately familiar with the specifications of his genitalia?”
“Jealous?”
“Suck a dick Yaku.”
“Oh I intend to.”
Work was long, but luckily Yaku was sufficiently preoccupied with tales of his very successful date to notice that anything was off about Kuroo.
Their old sushi place had been right down the street from Kuroo’s college dorm. It was one of those small, hole-in-the-wall joints that only locals knew about, and they guarded the secret with their lives. The man who ran the place was rumored to be over a hundred years old, and possibly related to a Japanese emperor. Kuroo was fairly certain those rumors were false, but him and Kenma were thoroughly convinced that the old chef was in fact blind.
The shop had been shut down shortly after Kuroo’s graduation due to some alleged health-code violations, but the old man was now employed at a local grocery store’s deli/bakery/sushi counter. He couldn’t ice a cake for shit, but he still rolled the best sushi known to man.
Kuroo found his way quickly to the back counter, waving at the familiar old man, who continued to stare off into space. Kuroo selected enough sushi to feed a small army, and then a little more because Kenma needed to eat too.
Happy with his choices, he made his way over the other end of the store, where there was a short line of people waiting for the pharmacy. The old man in front of him grumbled about his back pills going up in price, shambling off without purchasing anything.
Kuroo approached the counter, nodding politely at the pharmacist.
“Hi, could I get a seven-day rut suppressant pack?”
“Of course. Could I see your ID please?”
Shit.
“Here you go ma’am”
The pharmacist started entering his information, but Kuroo’s stomach had already twisted into knots.
“Oh sir, I’m so sorry. According to our database it looks like you’ve already purchased a rut suppressant in the last 30 days. Unfortunately FDA guidelines restrict the sale of long-term rut suppressants due to their potentially dangerous adverse effects. Perhaps I could offer you a heat-stimulant for your omega?”
Kuroo could not bring himself to dignify the pharmacist with a goodbye as her turned on a dime and strode out of the store.
Now was not the time for a rut. Not that any time was truly ideal. When he was in middle school, nothing sounded better than three straight days dedicated to sex. But somehow, that doesn’t really factor all that well into adult life. Suppressing his rut last week had seemed like a good plan, between Hinata’s heat and Kenma spiraling. And yet somehow, this week felt like even worse timing. He couldn’t lose his control at this point. Especially after last night.
He knew Yaku wouldn’t buy the meds for him. The omega knew just as well as he did how bad the side-effects could be. Tsukishima would ask too many questions, and then probably tell Kenma just to spite him. Maybe his mother could mail him a pack?
A young mother walked past him, omegan, pushing a stroller with two new babies, dragging a truly ferocious looking toddler on one of those child leashes behind her.
“Excuse me miss.”
The omega nearly leapt out of her skin, scrambling to stand between Kuroo and her children.
Kuroo threw up his hands in surrender, and took a step back, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…”
The toddler on the leash snapped his teeth and growled. His mother scooped him up, “No no, it’s okay.” She ran a trembling hand though her hair, “Can I help you with something?”
Kuroo’s mind scrambled as he tried to fabricate an excuse. He tucked his hands in his pockets, shrinking back, attempting to appear smaller and less threatening, acutely aware of how ridiculous he must look.
“My omega is a week past her due date. We’re having a daughter,” He clenched his fists as he faked a timid smile, “The pharmacy won’t sell me another week of rut suppressants. But I can’t miss the birth over my stupid rut.”
Kuroo knew he looked as pitiful as he felt.
The omega smiled kindly, and she lowered her feral child to the ground.
Kuroo scrambled for his wallet, handing over a hundred dollar bill, “You can keep the change.”
The omega blushed, before corralling her small gaggle of children into the store. Kuroo waited awkwardly, tentatively taking a seat on the bench outside the store usually reserved for panhandlers. His leg bounced up and down nervously, as if he had committed some crime and was awaiting sentencing.
The omega emerged ten minutes later, one of her twins was screaming, and Kuroo wasn’t entirely convinced that the feral one hadn’t bitten it.
When she handed over the pack of pills, Kuroo pressed another hundred into her palm.
She smiled sweetly, “Don’t take them any longer than you have to okay? Those things can really mess you up. And good luck with your little one!”
Kuroo all but ran away from the conversation. He popped one pill, and then pocketed the rest of the familiar box as he hurried back to his car.
Kuroo had been taking the suppressants for the past five weeks.
At first it had been because of their vacation. He couldn’t take any time off work beforehand because if he didn’t get ahead, he’d be behind by the time he got back. Then it was their trip, he didn’t want to ruin his and Kenma’s first vacation in over a year with his feral, hormone-enhanced libido. And then, with Hinata in the house, there was no way. By that point he had run out of his stash, and had to buy more. But bribing someone to break the law for him was a new low.
As the guilt curdled in his stomach, Kuroo repeated to himself over and over again.
Just one more week.
Just one more week.
Just one more week.
Unfortunately, repetition did nothing to make his wishes come true.
At the end of the day, by nature of his biology, he was someone, something to be feared.
He would take the pills as long as he had to, consequences be damned, as long as it meant he didn’t have to make his family cry.
Kuroo was barely surprised that the omegas were asleep by the time he got home. He carefully stacked the sushi in the fridge, lamenting that the rice would lose its freshness by tomorrow’s lunch.
Arriving at the threshold of his bedroom, he saw Hinata and Kenma curled up next to each other in their nest.
He carefully settled himself on his back around the outside of the wall of pillows, staring straight up at the ceiling in an attempt to keep the tears from rolling down his face.
<<<<>>>>
Tadashi ran along the river bank. His feet carrying him along at near-impossible speeds. Tears were flowing down his face, landing in the river, adding to her torrential power. The water seemed to glow, reflecting the night shy.
Stars swirled above Tadashi’s head. Comets. Whole galaxies. But no moon.
That was always the tell. There was never any moon when he dreamed.
He was running. Chasing. A small basket rushed down the river.
They had taken his baby.
He heard her crying. She was scared. He was the only one who could save her.
He would never be fast enough.
Tadashi threw himself into the icy water.
If he could just stop crying, the river would dry up and he could reach her.
Stupid. Pathetic. Can’t stop crying even to save his baby.
A wave rocked the basket, and Tadashi caught a glimpse of his child.
Blonde curls, and piercing golden eyes.
Tadashi shot up, his body coated in an icy sweat, gasping for breath.
He was alone, on the sofa in this strange alpha’s apartment.
The moon shone faintly in the quickly brightening sky.
He needed to leave. Tadashi couldn’t allow himself to hide out here anymore.
What was his plan exactly? Play house with this attractive alpha? Seduce Tsukishima into tucking him away like a good little omega?
Wouldn’t that be so fucking cute? The perfect little house, white-ass picket fence. God his mom would have a fucking orgasm at the thought.
Rustling from up the stairs caused Tadashi to jump. He quickly re-situated himself on the sofa, forcing his breathing to slow down.
The alpha made his way down the stairs, and out the door, the lock falling into place with a familiar clunk.
Tadashi made up his mind in an instant. He would have to be gone before Tsukishima returned, there was no other way.
He rose slowly from the sofa, surprising himself with his ability to stand upright. He carefully folded the blankets, and changed back into his old jeans and shirt from the other night. The blood had been washed out, but the stains remained, although anything could be considered fashion nowadays you tilted your head and squinted.
He didn’t have any other belongings to gather. He didn’t have any goodbyes to make.
At the end of the day, he could write this off in his memory as one hell of a one-night-stand.
The door shut silently behind him and he offered up a quick prayer that no one would try to rob Tsukishima in the hour before he got back from his jog.
“If you wanted to come on a run with me, all you had to do was ask.”
Tadashi let out an ungodly shriek.
Tsukishima was leaning up against the opposite wall, headphones pulled down around his neck, smirk plastered across his face.
“How did you– Why did– Why?” Tadashi spluttered.
Tsukishima chuckled softly, “I knew you were pretending to be asleep. I just wanted to know why.”
“What– How?”
The alpha’s annoying smirk persisted, “You drool in your sleep. When I came downstairs this morning, your mouth was shut,” He shrugged, looking far too pleased with himself.
“You’re such a fucking shrink.” Tadashi turned on his heel and headed for what he hoped was the elevator. He hadn’t actually been conscious when he arrived, but he had immense faith in his Walk of Shame abilities. He could find any exit in the pitch black with a blood alcohol content of 0.16 in under five minutes.
Tsukishima followed after him, keeping stride with his hurried pace thanks to his disgustingly long, ethereal legs.
“Where you headed?”
“None of your business.”
“Back to that bench? Or is your lease up there?”
Tadashi spun around, “What is your deal?”
Tsukishima cocked an eyebrow, “Is my deal the one we really need to be concerned about right now?”
Tadashi spun back around with a huff, “I’m headed to a friend’s.”
“Where does this friend live?”
“Far away.” Tadashi slammed the down button to the elevator.
“I’ll drive you.”
“No.”
“Because this friend doesn’t exist?”
“No. Just– Fine.”
“Fine.”
The elevator door slammed shut, closing them both in.
They rode down in silence. Tadashi’s blood was boiling. Who the hell did this guy think he was? You wanna talk about savior complexes? Why couldn’t he just let Tadashi go out on the streets and die like a fucking man? What was he trying to prove? Stupid jackass.
Tsukishima led Tadashi to his car. A fucking Honda Accord. Of course he’d own a practical, fuel-efficient, yet still top performing vehicle.
“Where to?”
“I would like to stop by the shelter, make sure my kids are okay.”
Tadashi was pleased with how quickly that comment knocked the smile off of the alpha’s face.
He allowed the comment to settle, just for dramatic effect, bathing in the glow of his small victory, before correcting, “Not my children, just some kids I looked after while I lived there.”
Tsukishima still seemed to be reeling as they drove off, and Tadashi could barely contain his mirth.
They pulled up just in time to see Yuu and Hiroki standing at their bus stop with the other children from the shelter.
“Tadashi!” Both boys called out, the few other children looked on with indifference, obviously jealous when Tadashi ran up and spun his boys around.
Tadashi was breathless, and he busied himself with straightening up Yuu’s messy hair, “Are you both doing alright? You’re still in school right? Is anyone being mean to you? I’ll fight them, just tell me who, and I’ll do it.”
Hiroki giggled, “Tadashi you’re not our mom.”
“Nope,” Tadashi winked at the older brother, “I’d like to think that I’m little less of a bitch.”
Hiroki burst out with laughter, but Yuu looked up at Tadashi with a trace of sadness in his eyes, “I wish you could come back,” he mumbled softly, only for Tadashi to hear.
Tadashi wrapped up the smaller boy in his arms, “I miss you too bud.”
Hiroki began poking Tadashi violently in the side, “Hey. Hey. Hey. Is that your alpha?”
Tadashi spun around to see Tsukishima standing a ways off, appearing for the first time in his life not to have a smirk Gorilla Glued to his face.
Tadashi scrunched up his nose with disgust anyways, “He is an alpha, but I’ll be damned if he’s mine.”
Yuu all but cackled at Tadashi’s expression, “That’s the exact same face Hiroki used to make at Hime,” He stood on his tippy toes to whisper in Tadashi’s ear, “But I heard she kissed him behind the school on Friday.”
Tadashi turned on an already cowering Hiroki, “I leave for three days, and you start kissing girls? Next you’re going to tell me she’s an alpha.”
Hiroki turned such a deep shade of red, Tadashi worried he might pass out.
He wrapped the boys up in one final bear hug, soaking up their gentle scents as their bus screeched to a halt, “Be good okay?”
Both boys mumbled a muffled reply into his shirt, before pulling away and rushing to catch their ride.
Tadashi stood alone, refusing to turn around to face the alpha who was waiting for him.
Shit.
Maybe if he just ran? No. He had the endurance of a fifty year-old lady, Tsukishima jogged every day, that plan would end terribly. Maybe if he ripped off all his clothes and then ran? God his mother was right, he was a whore. Although he was pretty sure they offered three meals a day in prison, so that plan could probably be bumped to the top of the list.
“So, to your friend’s house?” The alpha seemingly materialized behind Tadashi.
“Jesus! For someone so freakishly tall, you sure are pretty fucking sneaky.”
“I’ll add it to my resume. Now are you going to admit that you have nowhere to go, or do you want to keep wasting my time?”
“Ooh! Second option please. I know this great pancake joint that’s only a couple blocks from here.”
The alpha’s smirk returned, but Tadashi couldn’t help but notice that it was softer, less… condescending. And then realized, that he really didn’t mind the smirk either way, as long as Tsukishima was smiling.
“What would it take for me to convince you that I will be okay on my own?”
Tsukishima dropped his smile, “I think I’d need to see in your eyes that you believe it too.”
“I don’t know if I’ve believed that in years…”
“Then come home with me,” All façade was dropped from his face, and for the first time, Tadashi felt like he was truly seeing the man before him. “I know you don’t trust me, I wouldn’t either. But if you come home with me, at least one of us will be able to rest easy. Even if you refuse to believe it, at least I will know that you’re safe.”
Notes:
Your comments feed my soul, and let me tell you, I have been FEASTING.
Really though, to each of you who took the time to tell me your thoughts, I am sooooo grateful, you have no idea
Chapter 12: Slip
Notes:
I can't really put my finger on why I hated the last chapter SO much, I think it was just because I stared at it for so long. Rest assured, THIS ONE IS WAY BETTER, I hope you enjoy.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
The crisp morning air flooded Tsukishima’s lungs like a tidal wave.
He normally harbored some resentment for mornings when the temperature refused to rise. It was summer after all, his breath had no business being visible thank you very much. But today he desperately needed the cold.
He needed to clear his head.
Tadashi was still there, in his apartment. Safe.
He needed some sort of emotional cold shower.
His mother was right to worry about him moving to the city by himself. Less than a year unsupervised, and he had invited a vagrant into his home. Like some sort of serial killer/pervert hybrid that ends up on the news.
Or maybe Tadashi was the serial killer. That would make more sense actually, what with being found in a puddle of blood and all…
Tsukishima stopped running and took several deep breaths. The lack of oxygen to his brain was making him sound like Kuroo.
He continued his morning run, the only part of his routine that hadn’t had a Tadashi shaped wrench thrown into it. It had definitely been a little jarring to have the omega around. Now when he watered his plants, he had eyes boring into the back of his skull. When he prepared meals, he had to double the prep time. He almost felt like he needed to announce when he was headed for the bathroom, just so he didn’t startle the guy. His sanctuary had been invaded.
And yet it didn’t make his stomach curdle with discomfort; like he’d always assumed it would. Everything with Tadashi felt… fine. Not perfect, certainly not the big-city whirlwind romance his brother would probably go nuts over, but definitely good.
After their dramatic stand-off in the middle of downtown Tokyo the day before, he had taken Tadashi home. And the omega proceeded to take a six hour nap.
Sometimes it was nice to be right about things.
Tadashi was sweet, obviously terrified, constantly on guard, but he could defend himself. At the very least he could hold his own against Tsukishima’s verbal assaults, which was a talent very few possessed. And never before had Tsukishima met someone who so eagerly came back for more. His wit could be bruising, to have someone snap right back was invigorating.
His run was over much quicker than usual, and he blamed his lapse in pacing on Tadashi, not that he was upset about it.
He shifted from one foot to the other as the elevator brought him up to his floor, trying to keep his blood flowing. When arrived at the threshold of his apartment however, he froze in his tracks.
The smell of bacon hit him first, but it was quickly overshadowed by the scent of something sweet baking. There was fresh fruit on his table, and place settings that he didn’t quite remember ever purchasing.
Tadashi was humming to himself as he flipped over the strips of bacon, oblivious to Tsukishima’s return.
Tsukishima couldn’t tear his eyes away. He had never seen the omega looking so relaxed, and he had certainly never considered how stunning that state of being would look on him. His long hair flowed with his carefree movements, and his smile was intoxicating.
His scream on the other hand, that left a little to be desired.
“What the hell is wrong with you? Do you even know how to make noise? Were you raised by ninjas? Good God,” The omega slumped dramatically against the countertop.
It was only thanks to years of practice protecting his image as a detached narcissist that Tsukishima was able to contain his laughter.
Tadashi rolled his eyes at his stubbornness, and it was almost enough to crack Tsukishima’s resolve.
“Where did you get all this food?”
“The store,” The omega resumed his work, apparently satisfied with the extent of his explanation.
Tsukishima cocked an eyebrow, willing his glare to increase in intensity as it bored into the back of Tadashi’s head.
Tadashi turned back to face him with a sickly sweet smile, “Your wallet is on the coffee table.”
Tsukishima turned away with a smirk, as if he had been the one to win this confrontation.
After securing his wallet, he settled in at his own table, transfixed by the confident omega before him.
Tadashi laid out a stunning spread of scones and a sizzling platter of bacon, before settling into a seat next to Tsukishima.
“So is there an occasion? I don’t think we know each other well enough for me to be held accountable for missing your birthday…”
“Nope!” Tadashi smiled brightly, almost knocking Tsukishima from his chair from his beauty alone. “I don’t…” The omega seemed to ponder his words for a moment, “I don’t have a lot that I can offer, especially now that my body has essential been fucked past the point of no return.”
“Am I supposed to have a heartwarming response for that?”
“If you even tried, I’d have to punch you in the face.”
“As long as we’re on the same page.”
Despite having gone from zero to ten on the morbid scale in no time flat, Tadashi was still smiling bright, which was good enough for Tsukishima.
“Alright, my turn for a question.”
Tsukishima eyed the omega suspiciously, “Okay, shoot.”
“Who’s Kuroo?”
Tsukishima reeled, “What?”
Tadashi stole the alpha’s signature smirk as he produced his cell phone.
Tsukishima made a mental note to invest in a safe for his bedside table.
“Fourteen missed calls, and over twenty-five text messages,” the omega leaned forward, propping his chin on his free hand, “Is Tsukki trying to hide a secret lover from me?”
Tsukishima tried desperately to compose himself, but with the accusations and that goddamn nickname whirling around in his head, all he could muster was a moronic, “Uh… No.”
Tadashi cackled, “Oh Tsukki, this is just too good.” He tossed the phone back to its slack-jawed owner, “Not only are you hiding me away like a dirty little secret, but you’re hiding me from someone? I don’t know whether I should be flattered or –“
Tsukishima slammed a palm on the table, rising up to his full height over the omega, “Are you done?”
Tadashi instinctively recoiled, but refused to break eye contact as Tsukishima towered above him.
“Kuroo is my neighbor, he’s trying to invite me to a game night, I am grossly uninterested.”
Tadashi lost it.
Tsukishima tried to glare as the omega howled with delight, and yet he couldn’t think of a single thing that made him happier than watching Tadashi be so carefree.
“Do you want to go?”
“Hm?”
“To the game night? We could go if you want.”
Tadashi cocked an eyebrow, not quite done teasing the alpha, “Even though you’re grossly uninterested?”
“Well, I usually try to avoid these things like the plague, or at have some sort of scheme in place so that I can leave as early as possible,” Tsukishima felt his smirk return naturally, as if it had never been gone, “But with you there we could make things even more interesting.”
<<<<>>>>
Kenma was vaguely aware of his tendency to skip meals when he was absorbed in a project. He acknowledged that it probably wasn’t the healthiest habit, but also respected the fact that if he skipped a few meals here and there, he wouldn’t ever have to go to the gym, and he definitely liked that idea.
He was also acutely aware of Kuroo’s disdain for this particular habit of his.
Normally this combination of facts would lead to Kuroo aggressively presenting Kenma with more and more of his favorite foods, and occasionally forcibly removing him from his office, so that he would have to join his mate for a meal.
That was before Kuroo acquired a very bored and equally chaotically minded side-kick.
Hinata added a whole new layer of complexity and an additional three layers of mischief to any and all of Kuroo’s schemes.
Kenma was often their unfortunate victim.
After a full work week spent sequestered in his office, the two had mastered the art of distracting Kenma so well, that they could reliably get him to set aside his work and interact with the real world for ten minutes at a time. The all-time record was twenty-three minutes.
The official process was a two man job, and didn’t technically involve any animal abuse.
They started by opening the door. This was the most time-consuming aspect of the operation, as it had to be executed slowly and quietly enough that Kenma would not notice, otherwise he would slam the door, and the two would have to reconvene in an hours’ time.
After the door was opened came the synchronized portion of the act.
Kuroo had weighted the edges of a blanket so that it could be cast over Kenma’s monitors like a fishing net. But the real trick of it all was getting the food in front of the omega. They had discovered through trial and error that leaving food on the ground inside the door would allow Kenma to completely ignore it, and give the cats easy access. No, the food needed to be placed directly in front of the omega, and there was only a single moment in which that could be accomplished.
As the blanket settled over the workstation, the first cat to be disturbed would be Jiji, whose spot was always on the computer tower. She would bolt for the door. In doing so, she would startle Princess Diana, who reliably leapt to Kenma for protection. In that moment, a plate of food could be placed in front of the omega, without the risk of bodily harm. But it was all a delicate balance.
Hinata squealed as he sped out of the room, ignoring Kenma’s protests as Kuroo slammed the door shut behind him.
It was only Kenma’s gratitude of their dedication that pushed him to eat, and even then he still ended up feeding half his meals to Princess Diana. He smiled gently in response to the chorus of giggles that sounded through the door.
His family was happy, Kenma intended to keep them that way.
Setting his food to the side, Kenma uncovered his computer screens, vowing to eat the food after just a little more work.
Six hours later the doorbell rang, startling Kenma out of his concentration.
Through the door, Kenma heard Hinata’s muffled shriek and the thuds of his feet going up the stairs.
Kenma emerged from his office, blinking in the light of the setting sun from the window.
“Well good morning Starshine,” Kuroo leaned across the kitchen counter, wearing a shit-eating grin and a little bit of guac on his face.
Kenma frowned, “Is Hinata alright?” He turned to look up the stairs, concerned.
Kuroo chuckled, “Yeah, his shirt was covered in flour from rolling out tortillas. He went to go change for our company.”
“Company?”
“Kenmaaa,” Kuroo whined, a playful glint to his eye, “It’s our Game Night Fiesta Extravaganza. I slipped an invitation under the door for you.”
Kenma slid onto the sofa, stomach curdling at the prospect of company, “I must have misplaced it.”
“Well the good news is,” Kuroo finished wiping up the counter and made his way for the front door, “you didn’t have too far of a drive.” He flung open the door, “Yaku-san! You found it!”
“I’ve been to your house before idiot,” Yaku jabbed Kuroo in the stomach.
“I know, I know, but I worry. Especially with this one allegedly fucking your brains out.”
The alpha who had been waiting in the doorway behind Yaku paled, and Kenma felt himself follow suit. Obviously unsure of what else to do, The alpha bowed respectfully to Kuroo.
“Um, Hello. My name is Lev Haiba.”
Kuroo struck an absolutely horrifying seductive face as he took Lev’s hand, “Oh I’m aware.”
“Dear God Kuroo,” Kenma stormed towards the front door, rescuing his newfound guests from whatever demon had possessed his mate, “Have you ever interacted with humans before?”
Yaku scratched at the back of his neck sheepishly, “Actually, I kinda think I deserve it. I’ve been making Kuroo’s life at work a living hell this past week.”
“Ya’ don’t say!”
“Kuroo, shut up.” Kenma bowed reverently towards Lev, “I’m sorry for whatever that was. I’m Kenma Kozume, and this is my soon-to-be-single mate Kuroo Tetsurou.”
Kuroo squawked indignantly as Kenma led their company past him into the living room. The couple settled on the sofa, Lev still looking around awkwardly. Kenma grabbed his laptop and curled up into the recliner, hoping against hope that he wouldn’t have to rise again for the remainder of the evening.
A second knock sounded at the front door, and Kenma groaned as he heard Kuroo fling it open.
“Tsukishima-kun you came! I didn’t even have to call your mother this time.”
There was a snicker that Kenma couldn’t quite believe that Tsukishima would ever be capable of producing.
Kuroo confirmed his suspicion with a shocked, “And you actually brought a guest?”
Kenma twisted around in his seat, and felt his brain shudder to a halt as it struggled to compute the scene before him.
Standing tall behind the alpha, frowning with a slight trace of confusion, was Tadashi.
Kenma breathed a soft, “Tadashi?” But was overshadowed by the absolute squeal of delight that sounded from the top of the stairs.
“TADASHI!”
“Hinata?” The omega gasped.
Kuroo anticipated the disaster first, “Oh shit.”
There was a series of thuds as Hinata tumbled, head over heels, all the way down the stairs.
Kenma made to leap to the omega’s aide, and out of the corner of his eye saw Tadashi preparing to do just the same, but as the small body settled at the bottom of the stairs, Kuroo held out his arms to hold both of them back.
“Just wait…”
Sure enough, after a moment’s pause, Hinata popped back up, shaking his head gently to refocus his vision, but otherwise unharmed.
Tadashi lunged past Kuroo’s outstretched arms, tackling Hinata back to the floor with a crushing hug.
Tsukishima, never one to tolerate being forgotten, spoke up, “What the hell is going on?”
Kenma’s brain clicked back on, but it still wasn’t running at full capacity, “Did you adopt Tadashi?”
The alpha scowled at Kenma, “What, like a puppy or something? Of course not.”
Tadashi popped up from the floor, “Nah, He found me on the side of the road in a puddle of my own blood. But he didn’t tell me you guys lived next door,” He shot an award winning scowl at Tsukishima, who didn’t hesitate to send one right back.
“Sorry for not disclosing the identities of all my neighbors, if I had realized it was relevant information I might have prepared a slide-show of the whole neighborhood.”
“Wait. Weren’t you there when we rescued Hinata?” Kenma joined in, never able to turn away from an opportunity to antagonize Tsukishima.
“I can leave, if that’s the consensus. I can just go home. I’m sorry that I’m apparently the worst.” Tsukishima turned for the door, but was stopped in his tracks by an adorable whine.
“Tsukkiiii,” Tadashi called, “Please don’t leave me.”
The alpha turned back with a glare, but it lost all its venom as he beheld the pouting omega.
As he grumbled assent, Kenma had to work to hold back his grin.
Kuroo clapped his hands once from the kitchen, a truly dangerous smile on his face, “Sooooo, Mexican anyone?”
<<<<>>>>
Tadashi yawned from his place on the sofa. He leaned his head back, considering the unnecessarily high ceiling, wondering how this family or Tsukki would ever catch a spider should it take up residence. His arm that was draped around Hinata was constantly jostling as the boy moved around in his seat, apparently guessing charades was a full body activity.
“An octopus? A Squid. A Giant Shark?”
“Hinataaa,” Yaku groaned from across the room, “We’re guessing movie titles.”
“Oh.” He scrunched up his nose, momentarily stumped, then nearly leapt out of his seat, taking Tadashi with him, “Jaws!”
Tsukishima, who was the current charadee, exhibited a dramatic, albeit silent groan.
Tadashi caught his eye, and offered a subtle wink, which seemed to brighten his spirits.
The alpha resumed his vague, non-committal floundering of the arms, face red as a beet.
“Dying! Drowning!”
“Movies Hinata!”
“Saving Private Ryan!”
“What the Hell do you think that movie is about?”
“I dunno…” Hinata’s face was about as red as Tsukishima’s, “Lifegaurds?”
Yaku practically screamed with delight, tears streaming from his eyes.
Tsukishima broke his silence, “That’s Baywatch baywatch.”
“Ah ah ah, he talked.” Kuroo jumped up, pointing like a madman, “That’s our point. Kenma did you write that down?”
Kenma, who was seated at the breakfast bar, face nearly pressed to his laptop screen, uttered a nearly silent mmhmm, or possibly just a regular breath. Their scorekeeper for the evening hadn’t been super participatory, but Hinata kept insisting that the omega was working on a really tough case at work, and Tadashi wasn’t overly concerned with the identity of the evening’s victor.
Kuroo-san, on the other hand, was very concerned.
“Where is Lev!?” Kuroo howled, frantically looking for their third team member.
“One second!” Lev’s voice called from the office, earning a confused glare from Kenma.
Hinata grumbled beside Tadashi, “We didn’t even get to know what the movie was…”
Tsukishima plopped down on the floor next to Tadashi’s legs, “It was Ponyo you cretin.”
Tadashi didn’t get a chance to chastise Tsukishima, for the moment the alpha’s back leaned against his legs, his brain dissolved into fluff.
Tsukki was warm. Was it just from the charades? Or was he just one of those warm people? Tadashi loved those people. Being close to them was like having your own personal furnace. Is that where all the buzzing noise was coming from? No. That had to just be inside his head…
“LEV GET OUT HERE!” Yaku squawked, yanking Tadashi back to reality.
Lev padded back into the room, a decrepit looking gray cat nestled into his arms.
“Yaku! I found another cat,” he held out the cat with outstretched arms, displaying his prize.
A grating scrape sounded from the kitchen as Kenma pushed back his stool. He stomped up to the alpha, wrenching the cat from his outstretched arms, turned on his heel, and stomped off into the office.
The door slammed, leaving the apartment in silence.
Except for Tadashi’s brain, which was still filled to the brim with happy buzzing.
Hinata’s face scrunched up, like he’d just witnessed a dog pooping on the sidewalk, “Lev, what were you even doing in Kenma’s office?”
The alpha let out a frustrated sigh, “I got a call from my sister. We’re doing a fashion week in Sendai, but our stylist was double booked. Stupid Miya twins,” he grumbled. “Now we’re going to have to drop out of the show, either that or our mother is going to have to do our hair…”
“I could do it!” Hinata jumped out from under Tadashi’s arm, “I love doing hair! I did my own, and Kenma’s. I could totally do it for you!”
Lev crinkled his nose, studying Hinata’s hair with only a slight frown.
Tadashi felt the need to chime in, “Hinata used to cut my hair all the time too. He’s actually really good!”
Kuroo shot Tadashi a scathing look, causing him to recoil back into the sofa.
The alpha started, “Now hold on a second –“
“I think that’s a great idea,” Lev beamed down at Hinata. “Alisa and I are new to the Japan fashion scene ourselves, so it’d be cool to bring in an unknown stylist.”
Hinata seemed to vibrate with excitement, “I used to live near Sendai! I could take you to all the best spots there.”
“It would also be great to have someone to get some shots of the both of us for our Instagram.”
“We could –“
“Now hold on just a second,” Kuroo’s voice boomed through the apartment. “Hinata are you sure about this?”
“Please let me go Kuroo, I’ve been so bored just laying around here,” the omega pleaded, “It would be so much fun. I’d be safe, I’ll have Lev with me.”
Kuroo’s scowled as he slowly sized up Lev, obviously not impressed with what he saw, causing Tadashi to let out a snort.
All eyes turned to him.
“What?” Tadashi threw up his hands defensively, “Hinata’s an adult. If he wants to go then he should go. I don’t see why you would have to run a background check on his chaperones, he can take care of himself.”
Kuroo’s glare seemed to shoot through Tadashi like daggers, but Hinata had already puffed up his chest in defiance.
“Lev this is gonna be so cool!” Lev grinned back in agreement.
The alpha plopped down in defeat, “Fine, but you get to explain where you’re going to Kenma.”
Hinata froze, staring down at his feet sheepishly, “We can do that later…”
Tsukishima stood from his spot on the floor, sidling towards the kitchen, “So am I the only one who was expected to embarrass themselves at charades, or are we going to keep playing?” He grabbed a bottle from the breakfast bar, poured and then downed a shot of tequila without flinching.
“Yeah!” Hinata shoved Lev into the designated acting spot, before jumping back into his seat next to Tadashi.
“It is not fair that I have to be on a team with Yaku’s boytoy,” Kuroo grumbled.
Yaku stuck out his tongue, “Well I wanted him on my team, but somebody said no.”
“No way!” Hinata squealed, “I will not compete against you all and your sexy lovemaking telepathy nonsense.”
“Hinata, I think you made that up.”
Tadashi smirked, “If having sex made you telepathic, I would have taken over the world years ago.”
“No,” Hinata’s mouth bobbed open and shut, “I just mean… It’s not fair for me to have to play against all couples!”
Tadashi’s heart damn near stopped, and a quick glance revealed that Tsukishima’s probably had too, along with all higher brain functions.
Did Hinata think… Did everyone think that they were a couple?
Tsukishima recovered quickly, pouring one more shot for himself. He caught Tadashi’s eye again just for a moment, just long enough to send a completely straight-faced wink.
Tadashi’s stomach dropped, and he desperately tried to mouth No Tsukki back at the alpha without alerting Hinata to his panic, but the man was already in motion.
Lev had started his turn, miming something that clearly implied explosions, but with no other context. Tsukishima grabbed one of the extra folding chairs that had been brought out for the party. He set it down dangerously close to the other alpha’s dramatic performance, straddling it backwards with his arms draped over the back.
If Tadashi wasn’t so concerned, he might have found it in him to be turned on.
Lev’s flailing continued, and Tsukishima appeared to be completely enthralled. He scooted forward in the chair, then he slid the whole chair forward.
No one seemed to be paying him any mind as Kuroo (and Hinata who had forgotten that it wasn’t his team’s turn) shouted out guesses.
“Fast and Furious!”
“The Avengers!”
“James Bond!”
“The Avengers Two!”
Tsukishima was now mere inches from Lev’s swinging gorilla arms, seriously, this guy had to have a medical condition or something. With a final smirk shot at a silently pleading Tadshi, Tsukishima slid in.
The swing of Lev’s arm was stopped mid-arc by a dramatic FWAP as it collided with Tsukishima.
Tsukishima flew back off his chair, clutching his face where he had been assaulted.
Lev let out an ungodly shriek as he stumbled back.
Hinata jumped up, and Yaku and Kuroo both spat out their own strangled variations of What the fuck?
Red streamed down Tsukishima’s chin, and as he drew back his hand he spluttered out a weak cough.
Something small and white clattered onto the hardwood floor.
Hinata instantly collapsed. Tadashi tried to support his fallen friend, but found his arms had gone weak as his body trembled.
Tsukishima wiped the blood off his chin with the back of his hand and rose to his feet, “I’ll be going home now. Tadashi?”
Tadashi deposited Hinata’s lifeless but still breathing body onto the sofa, before scuttling out behind Tsukishima, squeezing his hands into fists and using every bit of his willpower to hide the violent shaking that had started coursing through his body.
Stunned faces barely tracked their progress as they rushed out of the party, but Tadashi managed to make it all the way back to Tsukishima’s apartment before he dropped his death grip on his composure.
Tadashi dropped to his knees, clutching his sides as his jubilation bubbled up in his stomach, boiling over and releasing in the most indecent howl he had ever heard, more or less produced.
“THAT WAS SO FUNNY!” Tears were streaming down his face, and as he desperately tried to draw in breath he caught sight of Tsukki’s fake blood soaked shirt and snorted so violently that snot shot out of his nose.
“YOU– AND THEY– AND– AHHHHAHA!”
Tadashi rolled onto his back, kicking his feet out as another wave of laughter overcame him.
Tsukki’s plan had gone flawlessly. His cruel sense of humor coupled with his indignation at being forced to do things or attend parties he didn’t want to had apparently led to several of these stunts over the years.
“Listen, he may be a smooth talker, but he’s an asshole first and don’t you forget it,” He had told Tadashi as he laid out his plan. "And if all else fails, we can always pull the fire alarm."
Hinata being there had thrown Tadashi’s resolve into turmoil, but the end result… That had been priceless.
Tsukki was cruel, and Tadashi was learning that he loved cruel.
Tadashi’s laughter could have gone on indefinitely, and might have too if he hadn’t caught a glimpse of Tsukki as he rolled on the floor.
The sight stopped him in his tracks.
The alpha stood at the sink, shirt off, as he tried to rinse out the fake blood. The expanse of his back rippled with hidden muscles, defined and firm. Tadashi silently thanked the gods that his back was turned so that he couldn’t see the gaping mess that was Tadashi’s face.
Plus he didn’t think he could mentally handle seeing the front of Tsukki shirtless too.
Tadashi quickly scrambled to the bathroom, rushing to splash could water on his face. He had not been prepared for that, and with that casual touch earlier, how was he even expected to hold it together?
He clutched at either side of the sink, knuckles white with the tension, and he stared into his own stupid, love-struck eyes.
Get it together Tadashi.
This isn’t something you can have.
The universe had made it very clear, Tadashi had had his time. He had gotten all the sex he could handle, and now he had gotten what was coming to him. His body had learned firsthand that karma could be a bitch.
As much as he may have wanted to, as much as his instincts screamed for him to, he could never love Tsukki properly. He could never fuck him like he so desperately wanted to. He could never be his mate. He could never give him a family.
It felt like a cruel curse from a fairy tale, have sex and you die.
True love’s kiss wasn’t going to be able to break this spell.
He shimmied out of his borrowed party clothes, and into his borrowed pajamas, checking one last time to make sure his expression was back to normal, before returning to the living room.
Tsukki turned to greet him, seated on the sofa wearing an oversized sweater, one hand clutching a mug of tea, the other extending a cup out to Tadashi.
“Jasmine?”
Tadashi accepted the mug, and settled on the far side of the sofa, turning sideways and poking Tsukki with his outstretched feet, “I had fun.”
“Me too.”
“No you didn’t.”
“True,” the alpha tried to hide his blush by sipping his tea. The steam fogged up his glasses. “I’m glad we went though.”
Tadshi cocked his head curiously.
“It was nice to see you smile.”
It was Tadashi’s turn to blush, he pulled his legs back, curling them up to his chest.
He couldn’t have Tsukki the way he wanted him, but he could have this. And this was good too.
<<<<>>>>
“Get your fucking hands off of me.”
“Shut up bitch.”
“Take this bag off my head and we’ll see who’s the real bitch around here.”
“Listen whore, we can either do this the easy way or the hard way.”
“Let me think… Eeny meeny miny m–“ Nishinoya struck out a leg, aiming for the sound of the alpha’s voice.
He missed.
A solid shove sent the already unbalanced omega crashing to the floor. A kick landed squarely in the soft of his abdomen, and Noya curled up in a useless attempt to protect himself. His hands were still cuffed behind his back, and with the bag over his head, he was at the mercy of his captors.
A voice called out from further down the hallway, “Nishinoya!” It was Yachi, currently being led into a different room of the hotel, “Can you please try not to get yourself hurt again?”
“No promises babe –“ Another kick collided with his gut, knocking his breath out of his lungs and sending him sprawling.
The bag was violently ripped from Noya’s head, the narrow opening catching on his chin, jerking his face upward. Rough hands twisted into his hair, yanking him up from the floor. His scalp seared with pain, but Noya was experienced in the art of holding back tears. It was almost second nature now, swallowing to hold back the lump in his throat, thrashing to hide the sight of the water running down his face.
He was brought face to face with his oppressor, sour breath mere inches from his own mouth.
“Just do what you’re fucking told Whore.”
Noya spat in the alpha’s face.
His body was launched face-first to the hotel room floor.
A healthy mix of tears and minor head trauma blurred Noya’s vision, but he could hear the keys to his handcuffs being passed over to his client for the night.
“Let us know if he gives you too much trouble, we’ve got others who can be much more… agreeable.”
“I think this one should be just fine.”
At the sound of the alpha’s voice, Noya burst out into a grin.
The door closed, leaving him alone with the alpha.
“Noya my man, what the hell was that all about?”
“Just keeping ‘em on their toes, thought I’d spice things up tonight.”
He felt the handcuffs release, and was helped to his feet. Standing, he was now face to face with Tanaka.
“Well if I’d know it was just going to be you, I wouldn’t have risked internal bleeding,” Noya beamed, he hadn’t seen his friend in months, and with the rest of the pack being eternal bummers, it was nice to see a smiling face.
“I mean, you looked badass. That guy was like twice as big as you.”
“I know right!” Noya hopped onto the bed, stealing all the pillows for himself, “Movie?”
“We can.” Tanaka brought the TV remote over to Noya, who quickly flicked though the channels, as if he was trying to test how fast the TV’s reaction time was, “Nothing good has come out lately though. I ordered food, you wanna just catch up?”
Noya grumbled, “I mean… there’s nothing really to catch up on. Hinata’s still gone, Tadashi’s fucking dead, and everyone is super fucking depressed. And now, all we do, all day long, is mope about it.”
“Kiyoko?”
“Still pregnant. We don’t know if they know yet, but Suga thinks they’ll let her carry it to term. People don’t think pregnant girls are as gross as boys, maybe they’ll be able to charge extra for her. Like some kink shit or something.”
Tanaka grimaced.
Noya felt a pang of regret for his bluntness, “Shit, I’m sorry dude.” He paused his channel surfing to consider his friend, “It’s different when you’re living it you know?”
The alpha tentatively smiled, “I know, I know. You don’t have to apologize. It’s just kind of an extra kick in the pants for me to get you guys out of here.”
Noya perked up, “Any updates?”
It was Tanaka’s turn to pout, “My partner still wants to just raid the hotel on a business night, and settle for rescuing just two or three of you –“
“And you can tell him that that’s off the table. We’ll just refuse to go.”
“You can’t refuse to go with the police.”
“Fucking watch me.”
“It hardly matters, our department barely lets me investigate here as it is, they say it’s a waste of resources.”
Noya burst out laughing, “Damn, did you hire my dad to run the department?”
Tanaka rolled his eyes, “Is there ever a night they bring all four of you to work?”
“They always leave someone behind as insurance. Too many brothels have lost their whole stock in one night. They’re very careful.”
Tanaka plopped on the bed next to his friend, “I wish I could just figure out how they get you in and out of the building. Then we could follow you back and raid the headquarters.”
“You know, I think they know that you’re a cop, but they’re so sure that you wouldn’t settle for rescuing half of us that they keep letting you see us. Plus… money is money. Even if it comes from an undercover cop.”
“Does it make you feel special that I take you on dates with tax-payer money?”
“Like the prettiest girl in the world.”
Tanaka crossed his arms, staring out the window. Noya knew he was trying to hide his frustration from him. The cop had been working tirelessly to rescue their little family for the past couple of months. But with a lack of resources, and most of his co-workers having an attitude of disgust towards omegan prostitutes to begin with, it had been an uphill battle for the alpha.
“I’m going to get you guys out of here,” Tanaka mumbled.
“I know buddy,” Noya squeezed his hand, “I know.”
Notes:
Oops, my hand slipped. It was getting too fluffy up in here and I WILL NOT tolerate it;)
You know that feeling you get when your crush finally texts you back? That's what it feels like when I get a comment in my inbox. I feel like a giddy twelve year old girl. You all wield too much power. I fucking love it.
Chapter 13: Help
Notes:
Sorry about the wait! I think it'll be worth it though;)
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
“Alright do me next!”
Hinata clambered up to straddle the railing of the bridge, wobbling as he turned to face the camera.
Alisa Haiba giggled as she focused the screen on Hinata’s face. He might not have the face of a model, but his smile was certainly photogenic.
“Lemme see, Lemme see,” Hinata leapt back off the railing, barreling down Lev as he stole the phone back to inspect his work. Nodding his approval he returned the device, “Could you send that to Kuroo?”
“What about Kenma?” Alisa asked, her frown looking out of place in contrast with her stunning features.
“Kuroo will show him, he never checks his phone anyways,” Hinata yelled, already barreling off towards the next photo spot in the Aobayama Botanical Gardens. Alisa, in all her glory, chased off after him.
Lev laughed out loud at the display, and hurried after the two of them.
The duo found a tree with dramatic, low-hanging limbs. Hinata was already perched on one like a small bird, and was helping Alisa up to join him. Once situated, they both turned and flashed Lev with wide cheesy grins.
He whipped out his phone and quickly snapped a few pics, grinning profusely as well.
Despite their pleas, Lev made no move to rescue Hinata or his sister from the tree, choosing instead to laugh his ass off as they barely avoided death on their descent.
Lev scrolled through their collection of photos, of which there were hundreds. They had started taking them almost immediately after leaving Kuroo and Kenma’s, on the train, in the street, in the hotel lobby, outside the bathroom as they waited for Alisa. It had only taken about ten photos for him and his sister to drop their joy-less, model faces. Hinata’s grin was so infectious, they had started smiling along with him almost instantly.
Lev gently touched his face. Was he going to develop wrinkles from all this smiling? He might have to tone it down a notch.
But scrolling through the pictures, he found that the big cheesy grins suited his sister quite well. Alisa was softened, less angles and intensity, and more of the beauty he’d always known she was.
Lev himself looked like an photo in a word document that got stretched too much in the wrong direction, so maybe he would back off on the smiles, if he could manage it.
“Levochka!” He heard Alisa’s voice ring out across the gardens, and only then realized how far ahead they’d gotten. He broke into a run, scattering pigeons and earning glares as he cackled into the Sendai sun.
<<<<>>>>
Kenma had no right to be fuming. He did it anyways, but he knew deep inside that it was his own damn fault.
If he had emerged from his office even once over the course of the weekend, he might have noticed the two strange alphas in his living room, practicing hair and makeup with Hinata at the reigns. But he did not do that. The only reason that he emerged Monday morning to find Kuroo sneaking Hinata out the door at the ass-crack of dawn was because Hinata had fallen down the stairs again in his attempt to be discreet.
If it hadn’t been for that, he might have never even noticed that Hinata was gone.
He’d yelled, he’d pouted, but in the end he succumbed to Hinata’s charms and allowed him to go. Not that he trusted Lev to protect the omega in any way, shape, or form, but his sister did seem remotely competent. Plus Kuroo had assured him that he’d finally bought the boy a cell phone and hidden a police tracker in his shoe.
Kenma would be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy the quiet.
He hadn’t moved from his chair in three days now. He dozed occasionally in his spot, and ate when forced, but any time he felt like quitting, he would look to his monitor on the left, where Hinata’s tracker was illuminated on a map of Sendai, blinking as he moved about the city. He was free, and his pack would be too. Kenma just had to keep working.
His mind had gone numb. His job was all-consuming.
He had infiltrated countless computers. Hacked into account after account. Traced so many nameless faces back to their personal desktops.
His only reminder that there was any good left in this world was a little dot blinking off to his left.
He scrolled through another chatroom. Every user spoke with complete faith in their anonymity. Spewing slurs and vulgarity without any fear of repercussions.
Kenma wanted to destroy them all.
And then, he saw something that made his heart stop.
Along the side of the screen an ad flashed.
A close-up of an omega’s face, eyes rolling back slightly, mouth hanging open, hair yanked back as some blurred figure did lord-knows-what behind him.
The image was old, slightly pixelated, clearly stolen from some other source, but the face…
The freckled face was unmistakable.
<<<<>>>>
Tadashi bustled about the kitchen, cleaning up a failed attempt at making bagels from scratch. Everything had completely fallen apart and turned into a slimy goopy mess. He wasn’t taking the loss too hard though, the recipe was stupid anyways. Who boils dough? What the hell was that even about?
The kitchen had quickly become his domain, not that he’d ever admit that to his mother. It was mostly due to Tsukishima’s overwhelming presence in the rest of the house, the kitchen was really the only room left. Beggars can’t be choosers.
He enjoyed having the freedom to create, and Tsukishima didn’t mind footing the bill as long as he got to eat the results. Unfortunately he currently didn’t have much to show for his new hobby, as he had never actually paid attention to his mother’s attempts to turn him into a picturesque kitchen-bound housewife. He could do cookies, he could do biscuits, he could do scones (which were basically just biscuit with fruit in them), but that was really it.
Today was confirmation that he could not add bagels to his repertoire.
“No go on the bagels?”
“Don’t speak to me, I’m still in mourning.”
Tsukishima smiled, taking a seat on the barstool to observe Tadashi’s pouting, “It smells good, are you sure they won’t turn out?”
Tadashi tipped the pot so that the alpha could observe the carnage.
A crinkled nose and a scowl confirmed it.
Time of death 1630.
Rest in peace Bagels.
Tadashi turned to the sink to clean up his mess.
“Does this mean I’m allowed to order takeout?” Tsukishima asked.
Tadashi sighed, “Do what you must.”
Tsukishima chuckled, tapping at his phone to order their dinner, “I do like it when you cook you know.”
“You don’t have to flatter me Tsukki.”
“Trust me I’m not. Your cooking is at best a five out of ten.”
“Ouch.”
Tsukishima smirked, “The truth hurts.”
Tadashi really couldn’t argue.
Tsukishima continued, “But honestly, I think I like it because it’s closest I’ve gotten to detecting your scent.”
Tadashi turned back to the alpha, frowning slightly, but received no acknowledgement as Tsukishima had suddenly become very interested in picking at a spot the counter.
“I’ve only ever actually been able to smell you when you’re sad, and I’ve got to be honest, it’s not my favorite. But when you cook… I can imagine that that’s what it would smell like if you were happy.”
He refused to meet Tadashi’s gaze, scraping at the non-existent blemish.
Tadashi surged forward, leaning on his forearms on the counter, tilting his head so that he could squeeze into the line of sight in between Tsukishima and his imaginary spot. Only after moving did he realize the close quarters he had forced them into. He was frighteningly close to the source of the sweet, sugary scent that haunted his dreams, and knew he would be unable to pull away even if he wanted to.
He looked up into the alpha’s eyes and his breath caught in his throat as he was once again struck by how piercing and golden they were.
But despite their intensity, he wasn’t afraid.
He released his held breath in a gentle sigh, as he allowed himself to stare.
Tsukishima stared right back.
Tadashi’s breathing came slow and easy, as if this were something he was allowed to be doing. He’d have to return to reality soon, “Can I ask you a question?”
“Hm?” Tsukishima didn’t blink as he continued to stare into Tadashi’s eyes.
“What’s supposed to be in that terrarium?”
Tsukishima leaned back, holding onto Tadashi’s gaze as if it were a competition.
He was winning.
“Don’t you mean What is in it?”
“Tsukki,” Tadashi dropped his head to rest on hands with a lazy smirk, “I’ve been staring at that tank for like a week straight. There’s nothing in there.”
Tsukishima’s smile regained some of its bite, the smirk settling easily onto his features as he rose and led Tadashi over to the massive tank.
The lid slid off, and Tsukishima reached straight into the substrate, overturning several dead leaves and scooping up a handful of dirt. Except it wasn’t just dirt.
“Ew Tsukki, what the fuck?”
“They’re isopods,” he grinned, picking through the dirt and pinching a small bug in between his fingers. It was bright orange, no larger than a fingernail, round shaped and armored with way too many tiny wiggling legs.
“I’m going to be honest, I really don’t care what they are.”
Tsukishima cocked a judgmental eyebrow, “Oh come on, you’re going to tell me that you’re afraid of a couple little bugs?”
“A couple? Tsukki, there’s like a hundred of them,” Tadashi shivered dramatically. He’d been sharing a room with these little fuckers for days.
“Yeah but,” Tsukishima poked at the little bug in his palm, spooking it into rolling into a small ball, “Look at how cute they are.”
Tadashi looked up into Tsukki’s bright eyes.
Cute. That was a good word for it.
“Didn’t you ever play with roly poly bugs as a kid?”
Tadashi snapped back to reality. Cute guy. Significantly less cute bugs.
Tsukishima turned back to the enclosure, “So in this one I’ve got these orange Porcelio scabers, Armadillidium klugii here with the stripes and spots, and then–“ He reached back to mix around the dirt, squinting as he searched. He pulled out and single white speck pinched between his fingers, no larger than half a birth control pill. “This little guy is a Trichorina tomentosa.”
Tsukishima was still grinning, not obnoxiously, just slightly. Enough to soften his features, making him look younger, kinder.
Not that Tadashi ever had any doubts.
“Why?”
“Hm?” Tsukishima was distracted by the little bug crawling up his finger.
“Why? How the hell do you end up with a tub full of bugs and manage to pretend that you’re not upset about it?”
“Oh, well I started breeding dubia roaches to feed to my frog, but there was a mix up with the shipments and then I got–“
Tadashi perked up at the prospect of something not disgusting, “You have a frog?”
Tsukishima cracked a grin, “Yeah, he’s upstairs. This used to be his tank, but he really isn’t that active of a species plus it was a little difficult to regulate the humidity in such a large enclosure what with the size and the screen lid, plus this is a really high traffic area so it–“
“Tsukki.” Tadashi wasted no time cutting off the man’s ramblings, “I’d like to see the frog now.”
Tsukishima released a low chuckle, “Give me a second.” He returned that nasty little creepy crawlies to their pile of dirt and dusted off his hands, carefully returning the enclosure to its original state. He spun with a little too much enthusiasm, beckoning for Tadashi to follow him up the stairs.
They stepped into Tsukishima’s bedroom, another line that Tadashi was not allowed to cross anymore, and yet would anyways.
There was a much smaller terrarium on the bedside table with a lamp suspended over it. Tsukishima crossed to the tank and sat of the edge of the bed, staring lovingly at his little pet. Tadashi followed, dropping to a crouch and hugging his knees as he looked in at the little guy.
Yep, it was a frog alright. An ugly one at that. Tadashi had been expecting one of those cute little green buggers from the cover of national geographic, but this little guy looked more like a potato.
“What’s its name?”
“Potato.”
Nice.
“Can I hold him?”
Tsukishima pursed his lips, “Just for a minute. You have to be careful because the oils on your hands can mess with the pH of their skin and they–“
Tadashi smirked, “I don’t have to hold it.”
“No no, here.” Tsukishima removed the lid and delicately lifted the frog, carefully settling in Tadashi’s cupped hands.
The frog did not look impressed.
Tadashi lifted it up to his eyes, glaring as he tried to telepathically glean what positive karma this frog had come into that he should be so lucky as to sleep next to Tsukki every night.
He came up empty.
A puzzle for another day perhaps.
Tadashi shifted the frog to one hand, and lifted a finger so he could boop it on the nose.
“Be careful, he bites,” Tsukishima warned.
“What the hell?”
“Little known fact, frogs actually do have teeth, and his pack one hell of a punch.”
“I’d like to be done holding the frog now please.”
Tsukishima took the little frog away, smiling as Tadashi continued to eye it suspiciously.
“You can go wash your hands, my bathroom’s right behind you.”
Damn, Tadashi was really tempting the fates today.
Tsukishima’s bathroom was immaculate, as was to be expected. Nothing incriminating laying out on the counter, much to Tadashi’s dismay.
He washed his hands obediently, and tried to straighten up his flushed appearance before he had to face the alpha again. His hands caught in his hair, which had gotten completely out of hand in the last few months. He tried in vain to twist it up into some sort of knot, but was left with nothing to show for it.
Tsukishima appeared in the doorway behind him, scaring the living daylights out of him.
“You know one day I’m gonna be holding a knife or something when you sneak up like that.”
Tsukishima’s lazy, biting smirk had returned, “What a tragic way to go.”
“I hope you have someone lined up in your will for all those creepy crawlies, because I will not be accepting custody.”
“Noted.”
Tadashi turned back to the mirror, he really should just wait for Hinata to get back but… “Do you have any scissors?”
“Didn’t we just determine that you’re not allowed to have any sharp objects?” Tsukishima crossed into the bathroom.
“I need to cut my hair.”
Tsukishima was now standing just behind him, and Tadashi suddenly felt the whole room get warmer.
“Why would you want to cut it?”
“Occupational hazard,” Tadashi tried to smirk at him through the mirror, but suddenly found that his smile had lost its confidence. He twisted a piece of his own hair awkwardly, “More hair means more to pull on. It was never really my favorite part of the job.”
And suddenly Tsukishima’s hand was at the base of his neck. Long fingers carded through the locks of hair gently, nails scraping against his scalp. A searing bolt of electricity shot down Tadashi’s spine, standing every hair on his body on end. He clenched his fists to avoid a full body shiver, focusing instead every fiber of his being on Tsukishima’s slow moving hand.
“That’s a shame.”
Tadashi didn’t dare open his mouth. He had no idea what sort of vulgar moan would escape his lips if he did. He felt his head lean back into Tsukishima’s touch against his will. It was as if his entire body had simultaneously decided to give up, handing all control over to the man pressed at his back.
“It’s a shame that after all that time, you never found someone brave enough to treat you right.”
Tadashi’s breathing had stopped completely.
Tsukishima’s voice was soft and breathy, blowing past Tadashi’s ear like a summer’s breeze, “You have so much to give, but that doesn’t mean you have to allow it to be taken from you. You’re allowed to take in return.”
Tadshi closed his eyes, unable to face what he couldn’t have, “I have nothing left to give now.”
“Does that mean that I can’t give you anything?”
“You don’t have to do anything for me Tsukki.”
“Oh, but I want.”
“Tsukki I–“
The doorbell rang.
Tadashi jumped, his body already a live wire on the verge of combustion, but Tsukishima stayed calm and collected. He slid his hand out from Tadashi’s hair, beckoning for him to follow, “Dinner’s here.”
“Tsukki, I can’t–“
“Come on, you need to eat.”
Tadashi was alone in the bathroom.
His hands began to tremble and he shoved them into his pocket to hold them still.
He wasn’t allowed to have this.
He’d done the crime. And now the universe was now making absolutely sure that he served the time.
So why did this feel so right?
<<<<>>>>
Today. Today he would tell Kenma. It had to be today.
Hinata was out of town through the weekend. Kenma’s work had been going nowhere for over a week. They had nothing on the calendar.
And Kuroo hadn’t slept in three days.
He wanted to believe it was because he was alone in the nest. Kenma was downstairs and Hinata was across the country. How was he supposed to sleep without his family beside him?
But as he lay awake night after night with his ears ringing and his skin burning, he knew that he was lying to himself.
Today he dozed off three times at work, and once at a red light on his drive home.
Waking up suddenly to the blare of car horns, Kuroo realized that his time was running out.
He needed to stop.
He needed to have his rut.
He needed to tell Kenma what he had done.
The trek up to their apartment took him longer than usual. Kuroo’s stomach grumbled the entire walk, and knew he knew he could only partially attribute it to the medications.
He was so distracted, head spinning slightly as it had been all day, that he didn’t notice the scent until he had dropped his keys on the counter and actually started to look for his mate.
The fresh smell that normally accompanied Kenma, was tainted.
It was weaker, watered down, crying out for help.
Unease.
Sadness.
Fear.
Kuroo’s brain switched into high gear. His omega needed him. Nothing else mattered.
All the haze and sickness of the past few days was flushed from his system as he rushed into Kenma’s office, throwing open the door. The omega was missing from his desk, and if it hadn’t been for his scent, Kuroo might not have spotted him.
Kenma was seated on the floor, squeezed between the sleeper sofa’s arm and the wall, eyes trained ahead blankly, unblinking.
Kuroo surged forward, dropping to his knees and reaching out to pull Kenma to him. He was stiff as a board, not fighting Kuroo scooping him up, but not helping either.
Kuroo ran worried hand through Kenma’s hair, trying to pull his gaze.
“Love, what happened?”
Kenma looked up, the movement dislodging tears and allowing them to roll down his cheeks. His hand rose weakly, pointing to the computer screen.
The screen showed a timed-out video. Around the playback window flashed the ads and logos of a porn website that Kuroo wasn’t exactly proud to say he was familiar with from his high school days. It was an amateur site, one that let you post your own videos and gave you a portion of the profit. Unfortunately there was little to no regulation, which meant that if you weren’t careful, you could end up stumbling across fairly questionable content– You know, for a porn site…
Kuroo turned to his mate for an explanation, but Kenma ignored his questioning look and curled up tighter into his blanket, sliding down off of Kuroo’s lap.
He approached the darkened screen, wiggling the mouse and pressing reload on the video. The site flashed an un-skippable ad that was already vulgar enough for him to instinctively turn away.
Kenma’s eyes had found his again, tears flowing freely, “I– I found a photo… I reverse searched and found the source video but…” His whole body shook with the force of his sob, “Kuroo, there’s so many of them.”
The video loaded.
An older man, an alpha if his smirk was any indication, was seated on a sofa. His eyes were focused on someone who moved quickly into frame. The omega who joined him was small and rail-thin, and moved quickly to straddle the alpha’s lap. He tossed his long hair out of his eyes, leaning his head back and offering a sly wink to the camera.
At the sight of his freckled face, Kuroo’s heart dropped.
Tadashi.
He was younger, years younger by the looks of it, but that didn’t seem to phase the alpha underneath him. The man was rough, yanking Tadashi’s hair and shoving his face into the side of the sofa. Tadashi put on a great show for the camera, his smile staying plastered on, but Kuroo couldn’t pull his gaze away from his vacant eyes.
“I can’t… I can’t Kuroo. I don’t know what to do.”
Kenma was still curled up on the floor, eyes pleading with Kuroo for help. But there was nothing the alpha could do.
“Did you trace it back to the source, maybe we can use it to find–“
“It’s a dead end Kuroo. The video was posted from Natori in Myagi. It’s nowhere near Tokyo, it’s nothing…”
“But maybe–“
“There’s so many videos Kuroo. And there’s so many omegas. And they’re all out there. And there’s no way to know if they’re safe. It’s not just Tadashi, or Hinata, and it’s not just the pack. There’s so much awful shit out there Kuroo and I… I can’t stop it all… I can’t, I can’t…”
The tears flowed over and Kenma’s body shook. His hands were twisted in his hair, his breaths were wracked with sobs.
Kuroo could do nothing. There was nothing. He could take Kenma in his arms, he could hold him close, but it would do nothing to keep the monsters at bay.
At the end of the day, he could do nothing against the evil of the world. He was helpless.
He couldn’t even offer Kenma hope.
Kuroo sank to the floor. The sounds from the video seemed to be growing louder, combing with the constant ringing in his ears from the past couple of days. He slapped his hands over his ears, squeezing down, trying to block everything out.
His phone started to vibrate in his pocket.
Hinata’s smiling face shone up at him from the screen as it rang.
<<<<>>>>
The music thrummed so loudly, that Hinata was unsure if it was anything more than just a beat at this point. Each pulse of the bass seemed to smack into his body like a hammer hitter a gong. He felt the beat so deep in his chest that he was a little concerned it was causing him to have palpitations. Could those hurt you? He’d have to ask the doctor when he went for his follow-up, also he’d have to remember to go to his follow-up. Maybe he should write that down somewhere. Did he have any paper with him? No. He was at a fashion show and– shit! Alisa was already on stage! How did she move so fast? Must be those stupid long-ass legs. Gosh she’s so pretty.
Hinata rushed around the back of the hall, trying to find a spot without so many tall people so he could actually see the runway. He had only just barely finished Alisa’s hair before she was shoved into her first outfit and out onto the stage.
The lights on the runway looked blinding. They were so bright that it was impossible to look anywhere else without seeing spots for minutes on end. But Hinata couldn’t imagine why you would want to look anywhere else. Alisa seemed to almost float as she moved down and back, spinning as gracefully as an angel in a stunning purple gown.
He managed to spot Lev, seated in the very front row watching the first round of women’s fashions, towering over everyone around him even seated.
There was literally no way that Hinata would be able to shove his way down there.
He settled for jumping up and down to try and follow Alisa path as she left the catwalk.
Once she was out of sight, he became acutely aware of how badly he needed to pee. The jumping had not helped that situation any.
With no idea where he was going, Hinata set off in search of the bathroom.
Everyone here was gorgeous beyond belief, and tall, and intimidating. Hinata couldn’t stop grinning. It was all so amazing. He snapped a few more pictures to show to Kenma, he couldn’t wait to share with him everything that he saw.
“Oof.”
Hinata smacked straight into the back of another man as he turned the corner.
“I’m sorry!” He squeaked, bowing quickly, “I didn’t see you there, my apologies sir!”
The man loomed over him, a hand settling on his hip as he took in the view, “Well well well, if it isn’t the little Baby Boy”
Hinata’s blood ran cold.
“Ran away from home to whore it up in the big city, and yet here you are. Fancy little city boys not giving it to you good enough?” He leaned in close to Hinata’s ear, “Come back home to get fucked by some real alphas?”
Hinata vaguely recognized the man, no names came to mind, but there was no doubt in his mind where he knew him from.
The only people who called him Baby Boy were–
“You know, when we heard you left our favorite little omegahouse, me and the boys considered taking our business elsewhere, but your friends can be quite persuasive.” The alpha’s fingers had found their way into Hinata’s hair, twirling and lightly tugging at the unruly strands, “And there’s just something about the way that other little guy fights, really gets me going.”
Hinata shrank back. The hallway to the bathroom was a dead end, there was nowhere to run, and everyone was in the main hall watching the show.
The alpha watched as Hinata’s eyes darted around, waiting patiently for him to realize that there was no escape. When fearful eyes returned to the alpha’s, he broke into a slimy grin.
“But there’s something to be said for how those girls can whine, they really are something special. But God we’ve missed you around here, the boys will be so happy to hear that you’re back,” His arm dropped to Hinata’s ass, squeezing and pulling him flush against him.
Hinata’s breathing stopped.
His panic, raw and intense, was easy to shove down. It always had been. Things were always worse when you fought back.
Stay calm. Let it happen. Don’t let them smell your fear.
He took one measured breath, meeting the alpha’s eyes, steeling himself for what was bound to come.
“Oi!” A voice shouted down from down the hall, “What the hell do ya think yer doin’?”
The alpha growled, slowly relinquishing his hold on Hinata as he turned to face the intruder. Hinata trembled, peeking his head around the alpha slowly, all too aware that this situation could quickly devolve into more trouble.
A man. Two men. The same man? Twins.
Before Hinata had a chance to collect his thoughts and fucking run, the alpha’s hand was on him again, clamping down on his shoulder with a bruising grip.
“Oh hello boys, I was just catching up with a dear old friend of mine. We haven’t seen each other in quite some time and we have quite a bit of catching up to get to.”
The grip on his shoulder was like iron, fingernails digging in, and if it weren’t for his jacket they might have drawn blood. Hinata’s eyes watered up against his will, and his lip trembled despite his best efforts to remain emotionless.
Stay calm. Let it happen.
The twins advanced, “Listen here ya scrub, it doesn’t look like your buddy is havin’ a very good time there. Why don’t we all just head back to the show?”
The hand pulled him back a step, “Oh, but we were just getting started.”
“And I’m tellin’ ya, it’s time to finish it.” The twin who was speaking started to roll up the sleeve of his button-down, the other beckoned to Hinata.
“C’mere bud, let’s getcha outta here.”
Hinata took a tentative step forward, and then broke into a run wrenching away from the alpha’s grasp.
The calmer twin grabbed Hinata’s wrist with one hand and his brother’s with the other. As all three barreled away, the angry twin a little more begrudgingly, the alpha hollered after them, “I’ll see you later Baby Boy.”
They didn’t stop until they were in the lobby, which still had several people milling about despite the show going on inside.
Hinata allowed himself to be led to a bench.
“Hey bud,” careful hands straightened out his suit jacket, and a slightly warm carton of milk was pushed into his hands, “He didn’t do anything to ya did he?”
Hinata looked up, wary of these strangers’ kindness, “Nothing I haven’t dealt with before.”
“I’m gonna fucking kill that creep.”
“’Tsumu, sit the fuck down,” a kick collided with the twin’s midsection, forcing him to double over, “I don’t know if it’ll be safe for ya to stay here, do ya have someone you can call?”
Hinata nodded pulling out his phone, trying to steady his hand long enough to just call Kuroo.
“Come hang out in our dressing room until they get here alright kid? We won’t let that fuckface get anywhere near ya.”
Notes:
DUN DUN DUUUUUUNNNNNN!!!!!!! I am SOOOOO excited, this story in hitting the final stretch, it's gonna be so fucking good we're soooo close Eeeeeek!
Thank you everybody for reading!!!!! 50k words, is that not insane???? I didn't even think I knew that many words.
My beautiful beautiful commentors, this one goes out to you <3
And click here if you'd like to learn more about isopods https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHqy03rp3fs&t=556s or Tsukki's frog https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yATgJUIThes
Chapter 14: Plan
Notes:
Hey Everyone! Long time no see...
Yeah sorry about that, I somehow managed to keep telling myself that it had only been two weeks... Shoutout to @LovePotato for making me realize it had been literally a whole month since my last update. On the plus side, this chapter is almost 10K words! Which is like obscene
Actual conversation between me and my roommate:
"Just cut it in half!" "NO!" "You're allowed to increase the chapter count, no one will yell at you!" "BUT 18 IS SUCH A PRETTY NUMBER" "WHAT?" "THINK OF THE OUTLIIIIIIIINE!"Also can we discuss the train system in Japan???? Because it literally makes no sense to me. How can Sendai be four hours by car and /TWO/ by train???? That doesn't even track in my brain. Trains in the US are soooo slow, you only take them if like your's and everyone you know's car has broken down and the state you're in is literally on fire. But I digress
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
“Here, I brought you another two weeks’ worth.”
“Thank you Tananka-san.”
“I also threw in a couple of anti-nausea meds, in case your morning sickness comes back again. They’re just the little pink pills.”
“Thank you, really. You given me more than I ever could have asked for,” Kiyoko smiled meekly.
Tanaka turned away as the omega tucked the small baggie of pre-natal vitamins into the side-lining of her bra.
If the brothel owners caught Tanaka smuggling the omegas anything, he’d be blacklisted for sure, but they’d all agreed the health of the baby was worth the risk. Without access to a doctor, vitamins were the only thing they could really do for it.
It wasn’t close to being enough. Tanaka wanted to give Kiyoko and her baby the world. He wanted to whisk them away, keep them safe.
Instead, all he could do was smuggle her half a bottle of pills.
It was crushing him.
Kiyoko slid closer to Tanaka on the bed, leaning her head against him and taking one of his hands into her grasp.
“You know you’ve done more for me than I ever would have asked.”
Tanaka felt her eyes on him, soft and caring, incapable of hating him the way she should.
He should have saved her by now.
There was no excuse.
“It’s not enough.”
“Maybe not for you,” Kiyoko lifted her head to look at him, and Tanaka was unable to keep his face turned away from her, “But for me, you have given me everything.”
Her head fell back to his shoulder. Tanaka slid his hand out from hers and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close.
“I will save you.”
<<<<>>>>
It was the first time Kenma had ever watched the train ride from Tokyo to Sendai. Or any train ride really. Usually he was absorbed in his phone, or his game or his work. But not today.
Not with Hinata’s words ringing in his ears.
“I wanna come home.”
They had dropped everything. Left Kuroo’s precious car at the train station, in favor of time. The time between them and Hinata.
Kuroo was pressed up next to him, foot bouncing nervously. Obsessively. His face was stoic, and for the first time since Kenma had known him, his scent… his scent was angry.
When they finally arrived, it took every fiber of his being to force them to wait for a cab. Kuroo was ready to run across town and Kenma was almost right there behind him.
The doors flew open with a bang, startling everyone in the lobby. Kenma didn’t give a shit, and neither did Kuroo.
Kuroo straightened up to his full height as he approached the ticket seller, all traces of his nerves from the train now gone. His pheromones billowed out around them. His dark earthy scent took hold of the room, strong and oppressive, leaving the impression of an impending earthquake. The alpha behind the pane of glass shrank back.
“The Miyas. Where are they?” Kuroo’s voice boomed and sent a shiver down even Kenma’s spine.
The attendant attempted to shake his head nervously, but it looked more like a shiver as he cowered under Kuroo’s glare, “Sir I really can’t–“
“Then find me someone who will.”
They were led below ground by a pair of nervous security guards, passing several formal dressing rooms for the bigger names, and makeshift corners set-ups for the lesser known. At the end of the hall, a solid wood door loomed, marked with a brass name plate, Miya.
Kuroo all but threw open the door.
Hinata stood next to Lev’s older sister, hands in the middle of a braiding a simple plait down her back.
“Hey guys!”
Hinata smiled. It was bright, blinding even, as if behind it all, there was something to hide.
“What happened?” Kuroo growled, low and threatening.
Hinata’s face paled as he stared up at Kuroo, “Nothing!” he seemed to force his smile to stretch even wider across his face as he squeaked, “Nothing really happened! It was all a misunderstanding.”
“Bullshit.” Kuroo spun Hinata to face him, hands fretting like a worried mother, but with a detached, angry glare Kenma had never seen before. “I heard your voice on the phone. Someone hurt you.”
“It’s fine, really!” Hinata continued to force out his smile, “I just got a little freaked out, I think my flirting game is a little off. And you know how some alphas can be. No means yes, and yes means take me I’m yours, am I right?” Hinata’s rambling was punctuated by nervous laughter, “It could have happened to anyone, don’t worry about it.”
“Who did this?” Kuroo’s voice was steady, and as he glared down at Hinata, Kenma saw the boy begin to tremble.
Kenma swatted his mate’s shoulder, “Kuroo calm down,” trying to diffuse the situation, but unable to curb his own suspicison. “Hinata, will you tell us what happened? You sounded awful on the phone.”
Alisa piped up from her corner of the room, “The Miyas said some alpha tried to make a move on him.”
Kenma frowned, that couldn’t be all.
“They said that the guy had him cornered,” Alisa mumbled, not meeting anyone’s eyes, “I’m so sorry Hinata,” She sniffed, “I promised we’d keep you safe.”
“No Alisa, don’t worry about–“
Kuroo snarled, “Fuck that,” he whirled on Alisa, “We trusted you. Now tell me who did this.”
Hinata jumped in between the two alphas, eyes wide and panicked, “I swear it was nothing, I promise Kuroo. I was fine. Nothing happened.”
“Like Hell nothing happened. Now for that last time,”Kuroo grabbed Hinata by the arm, “Who did this to you?”
“Kuroo That’s enough!” Kenma barked, ripping the alpha’s hand away from Hinata.
Kuroo whirled on Kenma.
Kenma flinched.
Kuroo froze, and with a look of abject horror, allowed his arms to fall to his sides. He turned to look back at Hinata, and Kenma watched as all the fight drained from his mate’s body.
Tears streamed down Hinata’s cheeks.
Kuroo stumbled back, his face blank. The terrifying force that had filled the room not moments ago shrank in on itself. Kuroo wrapped his arms around his midsection, his eyes slid out of focus, and he bolted from the room.
Kenma stared after his mate, watching the door swish closed quietly. Confusion wracked his body, what the hell was that? He knew that wasn’t his Kuroo, whatever that outburst was. Something was wrong, but another sniffle from Hinata reminded Kenma that he could barely handle the problems at hand right now. Kuroo might have to take care of himself for just a little while longer.
He turned slowly to Hinata, gently wiping his tears from his face. He tried to catch the omega’s eye, but they were firmly downcast. He chose his words carefully, not wanting to upset him anymore. “Where are the Miyas? They were here when you called us, they promised me that they’d watch you.”
Hinata started to mumble, tugging at the hem of him shirt, “It was their turn to go onstage. For the menswear portion. But Alisa stayed here with me, and there was really nothing to worry about anyways Kenma. We can just go home now.”
“Who was it?”
“What?” Hinata looked up, eyes wide and still wet with tears.
“You knew him didn’t you?” Kenma did his best to breathe through his rage, not wanting a repeat of Kuroo’s outburst, but unable to walk away from the situation before him, “He scared you Hinata. Whoever it was. You weren’t just scared that it was an alpha, you were afraid of him.”
Hinata reached out for Kenma’s hand and scrunched his eyes closed.
“Hinata.” Kenma floundered for words, desperate for anything from the boy, “I just want to find your family,” Kenma’s voice cracked, “Please. Let me help.”
Hinata was still frozen to the spot, trembling, squeezing Kenma’s hand like his life depended on it, “He was a client. Just a client, I didn’t really know him, but he recognized me. Nothing happened though Kenma I promise. I just want to go home.”
And everything clicked into place.
It wasn’t Tokyo. It had never been Tokyo. They had found Hinata at a rest stop coming into the city, not leaving it.
He had been looking in the wrong place this whole time.
But now, now they knew exactly where to look.
“Come on, we need to get back,” Kenma dragged the omega behind him.
Hinata yelped, “Wait, what’s going on?”
“We have to get back to Tokyo.” Kenma’s jaw was set, his body ready for action, his mind, focused. “I need my team.”
<<<<>>>>
This was not how Tadashi imagined his first time a police station would go down.
When he was younger he wanted to be a cop. Actually he wanted to be a lot of different things, as so many kids do, and police officer was really just a passing fancy. A particularly loud, rambunctious phase of his childhood that faded away the moment he realized that train conductors got to blow that giant horn.
Tadashi was never one for commitment.
As he got older, the police became someone to fear. They weren’t on the side of justice anymore. They were on the side of money and power, luxuries Tadashi would never know. A cop car didn’t signal safety anymore. Their flashing lights were his cue to run.
As he was led into the Tokyo Police Headquarters, Tadashi’s brain shuddered to a halt.
The officer who appeared at Tsukishima’s door had seemed genuine enough, but kind and cop didn’t quite compute in his head, in the same way alpha and safety would never do either.
He was caught in the midst of a lot of contradictions lately.
Speaking of which…
The cop, Yamamoto, an alpha, led them both to an elevator, swiping his badge and entering a code to summon it. He was loud, boisterous, and despite introducing himself as a friend of Kenma’s, Tadashi hadn’t decided if he believed him yet.
Tadashi could feel Tsukishima’s heat radiating just behind him as they waited. He stood close, towering behind him and blocking him from the view of everyone else in the lobby, shielding him. Tadashi allowed himself to lean closer, relishing the warmth and the safety it implied. Even if it was a contradiction.
They emerged on the top floor, or close to it, if the dizzying view through the window was any indication.
But what was more dizzying than the view was the stench.
Alphas. Their voices called out and boomed around the room, and their scents… If they hadn’t been arguing with words, their smell would get the job done.
It was a bullpen. Tadashi had seen the layout on TV crime shows before. Desks crowded the room, and paperwork overflowed throughout. He just never could have been prepared for how loud it was. On TV everyone shuts up so that the cameras can hear the main character, a bit of an issue if everyone thinks they’re the main character.
Amidst the sea of alphas, Tadashi found himself clinging closer to his own. Not his own obviously, but still safer than the alternative. Tsukishima didn’t pull away. Tadashi was grateful.
“I’m gonna go grab my partner,” Yamamoto pointed to a door off to the side, “Conference room’s right down the hall, Kenma’s been set up in there.”
Tadashi nodded solemnly and followed Tsukishima into the conference room.
The room was barren, starkly quiet in comparison to the uproar outside. A long, empty table stretched across the room, and seated at the head, was Kenma.
The omega didn’t seem to notice their entrance, his eyes transfixed on the laptop in front of him. The harsh glow of the screen hollowed out his cheeks and emphasized the circles under his eyes, and Tadashi wondered how someone so serious could have ever carved out a place for Hinata in their life.
“Um… Hi?” Tadashi’s voice cracked.
Kenma’s eyes flicked up momentarily, but then returned to his computer with a frown.
“Ooo-kay.” Tsukishima rolled his eyes and plopped down into one of the seats noisily.
There was a gasp, and an orange crop of hair popped up from the other side of the table.
“Tadashi! You made it!” Hinata beamed, and twisted around to get up from his seat. He appeared to have attempted to engineer a bed out of wheeled office chairs, an endeavor that revealed its shortcoming as Hinata failed to stand from it, instead tumbling to the floor, taking two of the chairs down with him.
Tsukishima huffed with laughter as Kenma jumped at the noise.
Hinata popped into view for a second time, grin still intact, “I’m okay!”
Tadashi rushed over to help his friend. As they righted the chairs, the door swung open again, a wave of noise filled the room from the outside, and was immediately silenced as it swung shut. Yamamoto and a bug-eyed beta strolled into the room. The beta carried what appeared to be several arm-fulls worth of paper, the stack leaning precariously against his face.
“What is all that Fukunaga?” Kenma groaned as the beta dropped the stack with an unceremonious thud.
“My research.” Fukunaga’s lips pressed into a smug grin, “Not all of us were born with a USB adapter for a belly-button.”
Tadashi couldn’t help but snicker at Kenma’s scowl in response to whatever that joke was supposed to be.
With a dramatic eye roll, Kenma turned his attention to Tadashi, “So, I have a couple of questions, this should only take a sec –“
“Hold on,” Tsukishima interrupted, “He’s not answering anything until you tell us what’s going on. Do you work for the police or something? Why did you drag us all the way down here? We live right next door.”
Kenma sighed, gently closing his laptop, but it was Hinata who spoke up and answered Tsukishima.
“Kenma works for the Public Security Intelligence Agency as their computer guy or whatever. He’s going to find our pack!”
Tadashi whirled on the omega, “You know where they are?”
“I have my suspicions.”
Tadashi eyed Kenma’s stony face, questions whirling around in his head, “Have you been talking with Tanaka? Have you heard from them? Is everyone else okay? How did you find where they keep everyone?”
Kenma frowned, speaking far too slowly for Tadashi’s liking, “We haven’t located the brothel as of yet, but we will be reaching out to this Tanaka?” Kenma eyed Tadashi for confirmation, and then cast a look to Fukunaga to confirm he was writing the name down before continuing. “Our investigation has been slow going, but I think you might be able to help point us towards an important lead.”
Kenma reopened his laptop, pressing play on a video as he spun the screen to face Tadashi.
Tadashi’s felt his heart stop in his chest.
He remembered the night well, and he remembered the alpha even better.
As he looked into his younger self’s eyes, so desperate for love and acceptance, he remembered the feeling of being lost clearer than anything, and it hit him like a gunshot to the heart.
“Do you recognize the man from this video?”
Kenma’s voice sounded distant. Even though the video was muted Tadashi could hear the alpha’s words roaring in his ears. Slut. Whore. Bitch.
He hadn’t been called those things in a long time.
It was a good reminder.
Tsukishima stared at him from across the room, face not devoid of concern. He couldn’t see the screen from where he sat, but Tadashi was sure that his scent had to be flooding the room at this point, radiating downright misery. He tried to shoot a reassuring look to the alpha.
Based on the reaction, he was not successful.
“Tadashi.”
He snapped his attention back to Kenma, trying to hold back the torrent of emotions coursing through him. He felt Hinata’s hand settle on top of his own and tried to focus all his nervous energy on that point, centering himself to that anchor.
“He was a client of mine, before I was taken to the brothel.” He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to ward off the memories that were rushing back all too quickly. “He… he introduced me to the owner.”
Kenma frowned, studying Tadashi’s face carefully, “Did he sell you to the brothel Tadashi?”
“No.” Tadashi gave Hinata’s hand one last squeeze before settling both his hands into his lap. “I came to that omegahouse of my own free will.”
Tadashi glared at his hands. He judged them, as if they personally had sealed his fate.
Everything that had ever happened to him. Losing his freedom. Losing his baby. Losing his body. It had all been his fault. At the end of the day, he was the only one to blame. It was a fact he had accepted long ago.
But it still stung.
There was a familiar hand at his back. A low voice rang out, commanding the attention of everyone in the room.
“We’ll be leaving. Now.”
<<<<>>>>
“I have an address. Do you think you can get the information we need?”
“Hey, whaddya take me for?” Fukunaga flashed Kenma what he considered to be his signature smile, “We’ll have a contact by the end of the day.”
“Take Yamamoto, see if he can find this Tanaka and figure out what he knows.”
“Rodger that!”
The duo hopped onto the train not twenty minutes after the meeting with Kenma. Fukunaga settled for bringing only what paperwork he could fit into his personal backpack. Combing through legal documents was tedious, but it was the kind of work that helped to calm his nerves, and with Yamamoto’s ramblings in the background, it was easy to stay on track.
“I’m just so proud of her y’know? Only other alpha in the family. Not that I ever doubted her. If you’d met her you get it. Alpha through and through. And she wants to work for the Agency when she gets out of school. Do you know how cool that would be? Two Yamamotos! We’d run this town. Daichi and his father can suck it. Not that I mean any disrespect to Sawamura-san. You should have heard how happy my mom was when she called to tell me Akane had presented…”
If left uninterrupted, Yamamoto could talk about his family for hours. Fukunaga had tried to time it a couple of times, but there were always confounding variables to be considered. He had hypothesized that in a controlled experiment, the result would be greater than four hours.
As the train neared Sendai however, Yamamoto grew increasingly quiet. After five minutes of unprecedented silence, Fukunaga felt the urge to intervene.
“Are you ill?”
“What?” Yamamoto spluttered, “No. You are.”
“Hm,” Fukunaga returned to his work.
“That’s it?”
Fukunaga turned to face his partner again, “You went quiet, which usually means you ate something that didn’t agree with you, or you’re nervous.”
Yamamoto pressed his lips together, “I’m glad you came with me,” the alpha began to fidget with his badge, “I’m always nervous when we do anything based on Kenma’s far-fetched hunches.” Yamamoto’s eyes went wide, “Not that I’d ever doubt Kenma –“
Fukunaga raised a hand to silence his partner, “I know what you mean. He’s not a real agent, and yet sometimes it feels like we work for him instead of him working for us.”
“Who are we kidding?” Yamamoto smirked, “We work for Kenma.”
Fukunaga smiled back.
“I just hope this pans out,” Yamamoto’s nervous look returned, “I don’t want to come back to Hinata empty-handed.”
The train began to slow as it neared Sendai.
“We won’t.”
The police had sent a car to meet them. A long-haired, grizzled looking officer drove them, barely saying a word as his eyes darted around nervously. That was fine with Yamamoto, back to spewing his normal level of noise, filling the silence quite comfortably.
They pulled into a parking spot at the precinct, the car shuddering to a halt. Yamamoto prattled on.
“…but the whole time Kenma’s in my ear, bitching that I’m breathing too loud into the mike. Like as if. How can someone breathe too loud? It’s a silent function. What do you want me to do, breathe through my ass? Also are we gonna go inside?”
The officer’s face blanched, they had been sitting in the parking spot for several minutes now. He stuttered as he unbuckled, “Sorry sorry, I didn’t want to interrupt.”
Fukunaga snorted, “Please don’t flatter him.”
“May I ask one question before I take you inside?”
“Shoot.”
“You asked to meet with Tanaka Ryunnosuke, right?” The man refused to meet Fukunaga’s eyes.
“That’s one of the purposes of our trip, yes.”
“Is it about the omegahouse?”
Fukunaga could feel Yamamoto’s eyes boring into his skull, but he couldn’t be bothered to return his confused look, too focused on extracting whatever information was making this officer nervous.
“We’re not authorized to reveal the nature of our investi– ”
“He cares about them.” The officer turned to face Fukunaga in the backseat, “No matter what anyone else tells you, he’s not fucking around, and he’s certainly not taking advantage of those omegas.”
Yamamoto growled, “We wouldn’t think that for a second.”
“Everyone mocks him for it, but it’s the reason he hasn’t moved on career-wise. He was a shoe-in for the Agency but he refused to leave Sendai – refused to leave them – behind.”
The officer slid out of the car, and Yamamoto and Fukunaga followed into the shiny glass precinct. A far cry from the stuffy, outdated Agency headquarters in Tokyo, with plants and modern furniture. Everything felt bright and warm inside, including the alpha that bounded up to them as they briefly settled into the waiting room chairs.
“Sorry I couldn’t come get you from the station, I was finishing up my night beat. Tanaka Ryunnosuke,” He dropped to a low bow, still flashing a bright smile.
“I’m Fukunaga Shohei, and this is my partner Yamamoto Taketora. You worked last night?” Fukunaga frowned at the full grown man before him and his apparent boundless enthusiasm.
“Yeah,” He scuffed his shoe on the marble floor sheepishly, “I had to trade a shift so that I could meet with you guys today. I’m not supposed to work on this case on the clock, but I’ve used up all my PTO.”
Yamamoto balked, “This isn’t a sanctioned investigation?”
“Nah, our captain shut it down once I tried to push the idea of not arresting the omegas involved.”
“Why would they be arrested?” Yamamoto’s voice was entirely too loud for the small lobby.
Tanaka smiled sheepishly, “Look, Tokyo might be living in the future and all, but omegas still have a long ways to go out here. Not everyone is quite so open-minded. We cling to our morals with a deathgrip out here.”
“No kidding huh?”
“I’ve already told you that dumbass, realistically they’d be arrested in the city too.” Fukunaga huffed as he hefted his bag back onto his shoulder, “This whole thing isn’t just as simple as rescuing them and sending them on their way.”
“Here, let me show you what I’ve got so far,” Tanaka beckoned for them to follow him into the precinct, “It’s not much, but I don’t quite have the resources you all probably do…”
Fukunaga waved him off, “I’m sure whatever you have compiled will be invaluable.”
Tanaka snorted, “Please try to remember that you said those words.”
They were led down a brightly lit hall, past several offices and into a stairwell. As they traveled down not one but two flights, Fukunaga began to realize why so little progress had been made.
The sub-basement was poorly lit, and barely passable with all the clutter that had accumulated. Tanaka had to physically climb over a desk to flip on the lights, and once they were on he immediately wished that they weren’t. The dust that hung in the air was illuminated, making Fukunaga wish he’d remembered his subway mask. They followed unnecessarily close behind Tanaka, unwilling to be lost in the gloom.
A creaky door opened into what a child might refer to as a secret hideout. Red and green Christmas lights were taped to the wall, and the only seating was several deflated beanbag chairs. Fukunaga was immediately distracted by a dusty bookshelf, displaying several miscellaneous odds and ends. There was a stuffed rabbit that he assumed must be one of those old nanny cams, but then why would it have a press here button?
He realized his mistake too late.
The other two men spun at the noise, staring transfixed as the stuffed rabbit’s mechanical hips swayed side to side, singing a gratingly high pitched rendition of Nikki Minaj’s Super Bass.
And yet somehow the silence that fell after the song screeched to a halt was even more awkward.
Tanaka threw back his head with a bark of laughter, “Believe it or not my partner un-ironically got me that for my birthday.” He settled into one of the bean bags, “I guess I said something about liking that song and it stuck with him. He’s a weirdo, but I couldn’t do this job without him,” He winked.
Yamamoto flopped down, “You wanna talk weird partners? Do you even see who I’m working with?”
“How do two handsome men like us even cope?”
Fukunaga set his bag down, kneeling as he sorted his work out around them. “Tanaka-san, how did you come to find out about the omegahouse?”
The alpha’s eyes widened nervously, “Well, it wasn’t on purpose believe it or not. I was tracking down a suspect in a convenience store robbery. I got a tip that he frequented a hotel on the outskirts of town, and assumed he was having an affair. I was only half wrong.”
“So the brothel works in conjunction with a hotel?”
Tananka nodded, “I don’t know if the owners are involved, but the manager definitely is. He coordinates their arrivals and departures from the inside.”
Fukunaga frowned, “They don’t keep the omegas onsite?”
“Nope,” Tanaka leaned back, running his hand over his short cropped hair, “That’s why it’s been such a struggle to get them out of there.
“Of the four omegas they have right now, they will only ever bring three to work on any given night. They always leave one behind at wherever they keep them as insurance.” He smiled sheepishly, “They know me too well I guess. They know I’d never leave one of them behind.”
Yamamoto frowned, “They know that you’re investigating?”
“They suspect,” He pulled out a hand drawn map and set it on the floor between them.
A string of six rooms at the end of a crudely labelled hallway were outlined in pink highlighter.
“There’s a staff elevator in this back area here, you need a badge to get down there,” He slid an ID card out of his breast pocket, “But, they have a guard stationed inside it in the evenings during business hours. Kageyama found that out the hard way.”
Yamamoto snorted, “Been there buddy. But I don’t understand, why don’t you just raid the facility that they’re kept at during the off hours?”
Tananka’s face fell, “I… I don’t know where that is…”
“You can’t just follow them out once they leave?”
“Not really. Once they go down the elevator, I don’t know where they go.” He pulled out another drawing of the outside of the hotel, “The elevator lets out on every guest floor, the kitchen, and then the staff parking lot beneath that. There’s no secret button that takes you somewhere else, no back exit.” He points to the garage exit, “The only cars that come out that door after midnight are the manager’s, two cooks’, two housekeepers’, and three laundry vans. I’ve randomly searched all of them, I’ve got hidden cameras in the garage, I stake out the perimeter more nights than I spend at home. I’m just… I’m just at my wit’s end.”
Fukunaga’s brows creased together, he had a plan, a good one too, but he knew that Kenma would never approve.
“Have you ever tried to send someone in undercover?”
Tanaka looked up in shock, “No! I mean, not that’s it’s a bad idea, but we don’t have any omegas on the force, and I already touch base with the four they have there on a regular basis. I just don’t know what good it would do, plus I’d have no way to ensure their safety.”
“If we could send someone in with a tracker,” Fukunaga chewed at his lip, “We could figure out where they’re all kept and have everyone out within twelve hours.”
“Wait, really? Wait, what? No, but how would we get someone in?”
Fukunaga cracked a sly smile, “While I don’t quite have the answer for you yet, I hoping our next stop for the day will.”
<<<<>>>>
As they made their way out of the building, it took every fiber of Tanaka’s being to keep him from screaming Eat Shit at the top of his lungs. Luckily he had always been a rather expressive person, and as they passed the other officers desks on the way to grab his car keys he knew that each and every one of those fuckers got the message. He was flanked by two Public Security Intelligence Agents, he literally could not have looked any cooler.
His actual desk that he shared with Kageyama was a mess, but he didn’t really care to straighten it up and neither did his partner, so the mess stayed. Luckily the agents didn’t seem to mind as they shot death glares at any fellow officer who glanced their way. These two were literally the coolest.
Kageyama looked up with a forwn, or just looked up normally, you really couldn’t tell with the guy.
“Are these the guys who are here about your whorehouse?” He grumbled.
Tanaka cuffed him upside the head, “Don’t call it that you idiot, and yes, they are.”
“Hmph.” Kageyama turned back to his work.
Tanaka grabbed his keys and turned to usher the agents out.
Yamamoto grumbled under his breath, “You weren’t kidding about their attitudes around here.”
Tanaka blushed, “It’s not that bad, a lot of the guys understand where I’m coming from, they just aren’t brave enough to do anything about it. It’s the older crowd who won’t stop calling me a whoremonger.”
“Shit, really?”
“It doesn’t bug me.” Tanaka smiled wide, “At the end of the day I rather have the respect of my little gaggle of prostitutes than those jackasses anyway.”
Fukunaga continued to stare at him blankly, but Yamamoto looked close to tears.
“You’re so fucking cool man.”
The comment shot Tanaka straight through the heart, and he felt himself tearing up too, “Nah, you guys are.”
“Can we please move on with our investigation or do you two need a moment?” Fukunaga raised an unimpressed eyebrow.
Tanaka straightened himself up immediately, but apparently Yamamoto was not so desperate for the bug-eyes man’s approval, as he wiped away his tears with a flourish.
They all three clambered into Tanaka’s patrol car, and he felt himself flush with embarrassment for the thousandth time that day. He remembered all too late the scantily clad hula dancer stuck to his dash. Before he could come up with a wild distraction so that he could hide it away, Yamamoto reached forward and flicked the grass skirt, cackling as she swayed.
The agent giggled in response, “Nice.”
Tanaka grinned as they pulled away.
He had been terrified when his captain announced that two Public Security Intelligence Agents were coming to work on his case, his case that he had been ordered to abandon months ago. Everyone in the precinct, including Tanaka, assumed that the agents were coming down to accuse him of soliciting prostitutes. He spent enough time there, they would have no shortage of evidence, he would lose everything he’d ever worked for in the blink of an eye.
He’d been staring blankly at this computer screen, not bothering to pack any of his belongings. They probably wouldn’t let him keep any of them in prison anyways, and Kageyama had made zero effort to personalize their desk. He would need something to distract everyone from what a psychopath he was.
And then his mouse started to move on its own.
It moved quickly, opening a blank word document and beginning to type.
Tanaka had made no move to fight it, his days were numbered, might as well enjoy the show.
You can trust the agents. They are two of my best men.
Tanaka frowned, before testing to make sure that he was still able to type as well.
akfjvlhqe That sounds like something someone I shouldnt trust would say.
The words resumed typing on their own.
Touché. We could use your help. Any information you have. We’re basically starting from scratch here. But I think that you want to free the Pack as much as we do.
Most people accused Tanaka of being too trusting. They were probably right. But hearing the ones he loved referred to as a pack, instead of just whores. He would have handed over his life’s savings right then and there.
Tell me what you need. I’m in.
“Turn here.”
Tanaka’s tires screeched as he barely made the turn. The mountain roads weren’t too intense this close to the city, but it still took a fairly experienced driver to avoid certain death.
He grit his teeth as they all recovered from the sudden jolt, “A little warning would be great.”
Yamamoto snorted smugly, “Try following his directions in Tokyo traffic. I’ve almost been shot cutting people off the way he has me maneuvering.”
Fukunaga did not respond to either man’s jabs.
Tanaka grumbled to himself, neither man had deemed to tell him where they were heading or why, and after almost an hour of driving he was starting to feel a bit like a glorified taxi. Except that he wasn’t expecting any sort of tip.
“We’re here!”
Tanaka slammed on the brakes, sending his two passengers flying forward.
Yamamoto griped, but Fukunaga took it in stride, zipping up his backpack and sliding out of the backseat. The alphas clambered to catch up to him.
They had stopped by a small farmhouse, which was surrounded by a large expanse of strawberry fields. Instead of making for the house, Fukunaga traipsed off into the field, leading them in the direction of three barely visible figures.
Tanaka leaned in to Yamamoto as they walked, still out of earshot of the beta.
“Who exactly are we looking for out here?”
“Honestly, I’m not quite sure how he’s connected,” Yamamoto admitted, “Nobody explains anything to me.”
Tanaka trudged onward, taking solace in the fact that he wasn’t the only one hopelessly lost.
The group of farmers looked up as they neared, but made no move to close the gap.
An older father, and two teenagers, boy and a girl, all three reeking of pheromones under the heat of the noon sun, both alpha and omega. Tanaka tried to hide his hesitation as they came up on the group. What could these farmers possibly have to do with his omegas?
The father rose to hit feet, dusting off his knees and wiping the sweat from his brow. He dipped into a low bow as they stopped in front him. “Afternoon. Is there something I can help you with?”
Fukunaga smiled, pulling out his badge from his pocket, “Good afternoon sir. Kimura Yasuda?” The man nodded, “My name is Fukunaga Shohei, these are my partners Yamamoto Taketora, and Tanaka Ryunnosuke. We just like to ask you a couple of questions if that’s alright.”
“Of course.” Kimura looked nervously back at his children, who had both paused their work as well.
“We were wondering if you could tell us how you were acquainted with this omega?”
Fukunaga slid his bag around to his front, pulling out a color printed photo that made Tanaka’s heart sink.
Tadashi.
He couldn’t imagine where the photo of him smiling like that had come from.
He had only met the omega once before his death, and Tanaka considered it one of his greatest failures that the boy had died before he could be rescued. A million empty promises later and he still hadn’t prevented the others from falling victim to the same fate.
And to think, now he was putting all his faith into the hands of these men he’d only just met.
He clenched his fists, digging his fingernails into his palms, as they waited for a response.
“I can’t say that I’ve ever met him, gentlemen,” the farmer smiled back at the group.
Tanaka scrutinized his face, searching for any crack, any weakness.
If he had so much as laid a finger on Tadashi.
“Oh, that is a shame. However we might be in luck, let’s see if I remembered to grab it…” Fukunaga dropped his bag and began to rifle around. Yamamoto stood over him menacingly, holding Kimura’s gaze as Fukunaga made a big show of searching each and every document in his bag.
“Ah! Here it is. I knew I remembered it!” He pulled out a second print with a flourish, “Perhaps this will remind you?”
Tanaka’s stomach dropped.
It was a photo of Tadashi again, younger, skinnier, if that was at all possible, but there was no smile in this photo. His eyes were scrunched shut in pain and his neck was bared as his hair was yanked from behind.
Looming over his shoulder, clear as day, was Kimura.
It took every ounce of Tanaka’s willpower not to launch himself at the alpha before him. His intentions must have been made clear though his rampant pheromones too, as Yamamoto shot him a stern glare. Stand down.
What was these two’s plan?
“I think that I’ll ask one more time.” Fukunaga’s sickeningly sweet grin had returned in full force. “How do you know this omega?”
Kimura’s face faltered for a split second.
And there it was. A crack in the façade.
“Listen here, it’s not what it looks like.”
Fukunaga cocked his head, feigning surprise, “And what exactly does it look like Kimura-san?”
“I don’t know what you think is going on –“
“You should know that I’m not asking out of curiosity.” Fukunaga returned both the photos to his bag and zipped it up, slinging it over his shoulder, “We already have more than enough evidence to put you away. I just enjoy some pleasant conversation now and again.”
“I haven’t seen that kid in years, so whatever trouble he’s gotten himself into –“
“No.” Fukunaga slung his bag over his shoulder, “I do believe it’s the trouble that you got him into. Tanaka-san, would you please take Kimura-san here into custody?”
Tanaka surged forward fumbling with the cuffs on his belt.
Kimura shot his children a pitiful look, “I wish you wouldn’t do this in front of my family.”
“You should have thought of that before you attacked mine,” Tanaka growled in his ear, slapping his cuffs around the man’s wrists, relishing in his grunts of displeasure.
Fukunaga’s face had fallen blank, large empty eyes stared at their prisoner, sending a shivered down even Tanaka’s spine, “If we find that your cooperation with our investigation has been satisfactory, you should find yourself back here in three to four days tops, with all charges against you dropped.”
Yamamoto leaned in close to the man’s face, barely avoiding the droplets of sweat falling towards the ground, “Ever been to Tokyo pal?”
<<<<>>>>
Kenma stood in front of the two-way mirror, probably entirely too close for the glass to truly hide that he was there, but he didn’t care.
The man seated in front of him had basically sentenced Tadashi to death.
Fukunaga had done some effective intimidation out in the field, but upon their return to Tokyo, Kenma called-in a long overdue favor.
Standing in front of Kimura Yasuda now, was none other than Sawamura Daichi himself.
The alpha’s voice boomed through the small room, causing the glass between them to vibrate and Hinata to cower behind Kenma. “And how did you come to know the owners of a brothel, if you were so fond of street hookers as you claim?”
Kimura’s voice trembled as his testimony dragged on, “My farm grew poppies for them, to make opium, to keep their omegas docile. Our barn burnt down with an entire years’ worth inside. I tried to work off my debt, but I wasn’t built for breaking kneecaps.”
“And so instead you condemned another, a child the same age as your son, to a life behind bars.” Daichi’s growl shook Kenma to the bone.
The man’s face was dripping sweat onto the table between them, “I didn’t… He was already a whore, he slept in a dumpster. I couldn’t let them take my son.”
Tadashi had been a stand in.
It wasn’t even supposed to be him.
“You’re pretty fucking lucky that my agents already promised you pardon for your cooperation,” Daichi spat directly into Kimura’s face, “Because if it were up to me, your ass wouldn’t seeing the light of day for the next fifteen years.”
Kimura choked back a sob, straining against the cuffs that pinned him to the table, “Please, I never meant for any harm to come to him. He’s a good kid.”
“Well do you know what became of that good kid of yours?” Daichi reached forward, gripping the man’s chin so that he had no choice but meet his eyes, “Three months ago they found his body in a dumpster. So you’d better watch yourself, because if you step one toe out of line, no promise under the sun is going to save you from a charge for accessory to murder.”
Kenma looked over to where Tadashi stood now. He had asked to hear Kimura’s testimony, but up until now, he still had not opened his eyes. Tsukishima stood next to him, eyes trained down as well, but Kenma could smell the anger pouring off of him in waves.
“I want names.”
“I don’t… I don’t remember –“
“My agents have already hacked into all your accounts, so all I need from you are names. Then you can go back to lying to everyone you love.”
Kenma watched as the man’s shoulders sagged with defeat.
It wasn’t enough.
He wanted to watch him suffer.
Fortunately, he was not the only one entertaining that line of thought.
“I’m going to kill him,” Tsukishima’s growl sent a shiver down Kenma’s spine. Both he and Hinata jumped out of the way as the alpha stalked toward the door.
“Tsukki wait.”
Tadashi’s voice came out as a strangled sob.
“Don’t take it out on him.” His eyes were still squeezed shut, “Just, let me leave him behind okay?”
Tsukishima made his way back to Tadashi in two long strides, pulling him into his chest.
“I don’t want you mixed up in any part of my past.”
Daichi rapped a knuckle against the glass, sending Hinata flying into the air in shock.
“I’ve got enough to start with,” Daichi made for his own doorway, “But I think I’ll leave you here for just one more night. Just to make sure you didn’t forget anything.”
The Captain sagged against the door as their little viewing party rushed to meet him.
“You better get something out of this Kenma.”
Kenma practically ripped the list from Daichi’s hand, “I’ve got it from here sir.”
Kenma could barely contain himself as he rushed towards the conference room, throwing the door open with a bang.
“Tanaka!” The alpha in question jumped up from his seat between Fukunaga and Yamamoto, “Do you recognize any of the names from this list?”
Tanaka’s eyes scanned quickly, there were only two names.
“Yes! Wada Hiroto was one of the old managers, and Matsui Ichiro is the manager in chief now.”
Kenma felt his heart soar.
After so long, after all this time, he finally had something. All he had needed was an inch, and he could take this the rest of the way home.
The cluster of borrowed computers around him whirred to life, but this job was so straightforward, he only needed the one. As he hacked, he allowed himself to listen to the bustle of conversation around him.
The reunion with Tanaka had been sweet and entirely unexpected. Kenma couldn’t remember inviting the alpha on as a full-fledged member of their team, but he wasn’t one to complain about extra hands on deck, as long as they weren’t too loud.
The three Sendai natives chattered away at the end of the table. Tanaka still gushing over the fact that Tadashi was in fact alive, but the two omegas were desperate for news of the rest of their pack.
“Kiyoko’s Pregnant!?” They screeched in unison.
Even Tanaka looked taken aback but their surprise, “Yeah, Hinata, didn’t you know that?”
Hinata groaned, “They never tell me anything important.”
Tadashi threw back his head with laughter, “Um yeah. Because you blab secrets at every chance you get.”
Hinata’s grumbled, “I’m not that bad,” was overshadowed by Kenma’s outburst.
“I’m in!”
Everyone in the room swiveled to stare at him, even Tsukishima looked intrigued.
“I’ve got everything we need, email, phone number, hell if we wanna drop a letter at his doorstep I bet I could find it in another two minutes.”
Fukunaga’s face slid into a positively devious grin, “Then let’s get to work.”
The beta stood, pulling a small box out of his never-ending backpack.
He opened it with the gusto of a magician pulling bouquet of flowers from thin air, “This my friends, is a little trinket I had sent over from my friend in IT.”
Hinata leaned across the entire table to press his face right up against the box, peering over the edge like a mouse, “What is it?”
“While it may seem unassuming,” Fukunaga removed three minuscule somethings from the box, “These three pieces combine to form a tracker that can emit a signal up to 50km.”
Tadashi raised his hand as if they were in a classroom, “Why doesn’t it come pre-assembled?”
Fukunaga chuckled as if he were plotting the downfall of the Japanese government, “You see, when separated into these three components, the tracker can be easily hidden almost anywhere on the body,” he parted Hinata’s hair and clipped the piece into place. “They emit no signal until assembled, and are small enough on their own that it would take a military grade metal detector to locate them.” He gave Hinata’s hair a playful ruffle, and the boy became distracted with trying to located the piece again.
Yamamoto piped up from his seat, kicking his feet up onto the table, “Essentially, we could send someone into North Korea with one of those set-ups, and odds are it wouldn’t be found.”
Tanaka’s eyes lit up, “We send someone in with that, we could have everyone out by the next morning!”
“Bingo!” Fukunaga shot a wink to his partners.
“Hold on a second,” Kenma stood, the plan coming together in his head just a second too slow for his liking. “What do you mean, send someone in?”
“Like undercover,” Fukunaga cocked his head at Kenma, like he couldn’t see a single flaw in his fucked up excuse of a plan.
“Like Hell I’d let you –“
“I’ll do it.”
All heads spun to Tadashi, who stood at the far end of the table, jaw set like he was expecting a punch to the face.
“I’ll go undercover. I don’t care what they do to me, they can’t fuck me up any more than they–“
“No.” Tsukishima rose to his full height, towering above everyone else in the room.
“Tsukki, this isn’t about you.”
He continued to glare down at Tadashi, fire raging behind his eyes, his scent borderline toxic as it flooded the room. “I said no Tadashi.” He took the omega’s wrist, “We’re leaving.”
“Tsukki let go of me,” Tadashi flailed, but the alpha’s grip was unyielding.
“Stop.”
The command rolled over the room like a blanket, Fukunaga dropped the tracker he was holding and even Yamamoto’s pencil clattered to the table.
“Let’s go.”
And with a slam of the door, they were gone.
All eyes turned to Hinata.
The omega shrugged, “I’ll do it.”
“No! Absolutely not.” Kenma’s voice commanded none of the power that Tsukishima’s had.
“Why not? It seems pretty simple to me,” Hinata finally succeeded in finding the tracker hidden in his hair. “It’s like Tadashi said, what’re they gonna do to me that they haven’t already done?”
Kenma’s hands shook and he braced himself against the table, “We’re not going to give them the chance to do anything, because you’re not going.”
“Would you do it for me?”
Kenma froze, he stared at Hinata, trapped in that captivating gaze.
“What?”
“Would you do it for me?” His head tilted to the side, as his eyes seemed to grow wider, searching Kenma for the answer he already knew.
“Of course,” Kenma’s voice came out barely above a whisper.
“Then let me do this for my family.”
Kenma sat, looking down at his still trembling hands. Then he returned to Hinata’s entrancing gaze.
He nodded.
Plans were laid out. Yamamoto would assume one of his many Yakuza identities. He would place a call to Matsui Ichiro tonight, negotiate a price, and then setup a meeting time to hand Hinata over.
Kenma’s ears were filled with fuzz. How could he let them take Hinata away from him? Even for one night. How could he knowingly allow Hinata to step into danger’s way? Right back into the belly of the whale.
Hinata’s laughter ringing through the conference room brought Kenma back to reality.
“I’m so excited to see the pack again!”
Not even worried for one moment about what was in store for him.
Focused entirely on his pack. His Family.
So Kenma would too.
“Tanaka, where’s going to be the best spot for us to stake out?”
The planning dragged through lunch, and almost through dinner, if the alphas hadn’t started complaining so much.
“Okay, we’ll break, but we need everyone beck in forty five minutes if we want to stage this phone call tonight.” Kenma rubbed his temples nervously, “And no one breathe a word of any of this bullshit to Daichi.”
With a quick salute, Yamamoto and Hinata shot off through the door. Kenma jogged to catch up, but found that he had immediately lost the two of them in the still crowded bullpen.
“Kenma?” He jumped at the whisper, spinning around to find Tanaka and Fukunaga still hovering in the conference room doorway, “Could we have one more word with you?”
“Um… Sure? Hin –“ Fukunaga’s hand clamped down over his mouth before he could call out.
“I don’t know if Hinata will like what we have to say.”
Kenma studied Tanaka’s equally grim face and followed them both into the conference room.
Fukunaga settled into a chair, and Tanaka hopped up onto the table. Kenma remained standing.
“I don’t know what you’re worried about. We’ve been over the plan a thousand times, Hinata should be perfectly –“
Fukunaga cut Kenma off, “Do you think you would be able to teach him some hacking basics before tomorrow?”
Kenma briefly recalled their botched attempt at playing Mario Party and let out a wholly undignified snort, “Not super likely, why? What’d you two break?”
Tanaka and Fukunaga exchanged looks, before Tanaka cleared his throat nervously.
“Omegas aren’t necessarily the most protected group of individuals.”
Kenma felt his eyebrow rise against his will, “Well that’s news to me.”
Tanaka blushed profusely, “I mean obviously, but I mean, that was one of the reasons that my investigation never got anywhere. Legally, there wasn’t much to go after an omegahouse for…”
Fukunaga butted in, “In the eyes of the law, omegas are not seen as much more than baby-makers with an unbridled sex-drive.”
“Ouch.”
“Prostitutes are usually viewed as such, deserving of any harm that comes their way as comeuppance for their less than virtuous way of life.”
Kenma felt his nose scrunch up, “In Japanese please.”
“We may get them out of there, but in the eyes of the law they are still guilty of prostitution.”
Kenma’s stomach sank, “In other words…”
“In other words we might be rescuing them from one prison, only to have them sent straight to another.” Fukunaga’s words hung above them with an air of finality. “We need concrete evidence of the sale of the omegas. It’s the only way we can convict the people behind this of any crime.”
“Wait, so what can we do?” Kenma’s heart started beating uncontrollably. He couldn’t do that to the pack, not after everything they’d already gone through. “I can’t do anything from here, we still have no idea where they’re being kept. Even with a reduced search radius –“
Tanaka seemed to be feeding on his panic, looking to Fukunaga for answers, “What do you think the chances are that they will delete all hard data the moment we set foot on their property?”
Kenma’s heart was beating in his throat, quickly cutting off his ability to breathe, “Of course they will. The second they realize something is wrong we’ll lose everything. There’ll be nothing –“
“Then we’ll just have to get someone in there before they do.”
Fukunaga’s eyes locked onto Kenma, projecting a feeling of calm no pheromone could replicate.
“How? What can I do?”
“Tanaka,” Fukunaga rolled his chair over to one of the stacks of paper along the table, pulling a sheet out from the middle of the stack, as if he’d known exactly where to find it, “This testimony from Yachi Hitoka, it’s from right after she was brought to the omegahouse?”
“Yeah,” Tanaka’s eyebrows creased as they pressed closer together, “She was sold from some smaller operation in Tokyo. They brought her in after Tadashi… Anyways, she was the first new perspective I’d had in a while, I was hoping she would have some insight as to where they were being kept. But I never ended up finding anything.”
Fukunaga slid the sheet in front of Kenma, “Yachi said that after she arrived, she was brought up to the main office for a physical. They checked her for STDs, pregnancy, and photographed her for prospective clients, the whole shebang. Point is…”
“…Direct access to the main hard-drive,” Kenma finished. “Perfect how do we get me in?”
Fukunaga grinned, “Luckily for you, we should have a phone call with the owners in about an hour.”
<<<<>>>>
“How dare you!”
“Tadashi I–“
The door slammed behind them, “No. How dare you try to tell me what to do. I am not your possession Tsukishima Kei.”
“Look I’m sorry but–“
“No. No no no.” Tadashi lunged at Tsukishima, planting both hands firmly on his chest and shoving him away, “You do not get to come into my life and tell me what I can and cannot do. That is not how this”," he gestured between the two of them wildly, “works.” He hit the alpha with another firm shove, forcing him into a chair, “In fact, this is over with, I’m going to stay with Kenma and Kuroo. You can’t control me anymore.”
Tsukishima rose, reaching for Tadashi's arm, “Tadashi, please don’t go.”
The omega batted him away like a bug, “Stop it. You do not get to call me by that name. You do not get to pretend that this stupid fairy tale is something real. Because it’s not. So stop fucking dragging me back in. Nothing can ever happen between us.”
Tsukishima threw himself between Tadashi and the door, “There is so much more to love than that.”
“Is that what you think this is?” Tadashi stumbled back, his glare almost mocking, “Do you honestly think that after two fucking weeks, you’re in love with me?”
“No.” Tsukishima ran his fingers through his hair, looking anywhere but the man before him. “But I think that I could. I think… I think that I finally found someone I love being with more than I love being alone.”
He looked up to see Tadashi staring him, slack-jawed with disbelief. He continued on, “I won’t let your flawed belief that you’re worthless affect the worth that you already have in my eyes.” He reached for the omega’s hand, genuinely shocked when he was allowed to continue holding it. “So what if I can’t fuck you? Does that mean that I’m not allowed to see your smile every day until I die?”
His pulse rushed in his ears, drowning out the rest of the world. The only thing left, the only thing that mattered, was Tadashi.
“I know which one I won’t be able to live without.”
Notes:
And now, it is my time to come to you, head bowed, as a beginning writer and admit my mistakes...
If you recall back in chapter 8, when Tadashi is thrown out onto the streets of Tokyo, he states that some bullshit about how things used to be when he was on the streets of Tokyo before... Which obviously he wasn't, because he used to live in Sendai.
AND THEN BEFORE THAT when he somehow magically transports from a dumpster in Sendai to a hospital in Tokyo... Yeah, whoops.
My solution for that one is very tentatively that he was airlifted from a hospital in Sendai to Tokyo, because he needed a higher level of care, which happens at my hospital all the time.
I'm not going to try to change it though, because I feel like it shows my growth or whatever....THANK YOU COMMENTORS, you were all integral in getting me through my month long writers block. This chapter is all you guys.
Chapter 15: Inside
Notes:
Well, apparently I have haphazardly launched my laptop at the ground like six too many times. My internet is now running way too slow, ad for some reason none of my Italics came through. How will you know when I am being /more/ dramatic than usual. Update: fixed it, but I had to acquire a flash drive and my roommate's computer, it was a whole ordeal...
I'm just going to thank you guys for your AMAZING comments up here, because I don't think you'll be in the mood for any of my antics once you reach the end.
*SMOOCHES*
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
“Who is this? How did you get this number?”
“So nosy. And here I was, ready to do you a favor.”
Silence.
“Not interested? Shame–“
“I’m listening.”
“I’ve come across something that belongs to you.”
“And?”
“For the right price, I can see to it personally that he finds his way back home.”
“I think you’ve got the wrong number–“
“C’mere kid, why don’t you say hello?”
“No!”
“Aw, feeling shy?”
“Let go of me. Get off!”
“How much?”
“Oh, so you do miss your little boy…”
“We just wouldn’t want him to fall into the wrong hands.”
“No, no. We wouldn’t want that.”
<<<<>>>>
Kuroo didn’t take the train home.
It would be too dangerous. Not for him, but for everyone around him.
His time was up.
His body was wracked with tremors, and before he knew it, his clothes were drenched with sweat.
There was nothing else that he could have done to stop it from being triggered. He’d taken the double dose of his meds that morning, and he’d actually gotten a little bit of sleep last night.
But the moment that something threatened his family, he couldn’t hold back his nature anymore.
And he’d hurt them in the process.
The fear in Kenma’s eyes.
Hinata’s tears.
He’d done the one thing he’d swore he’d never do.
He’d done all this to protect them.
And in the end, he had come so close to actually hurting them.
He sat outside the convention center steps, knees to his chest, curled up into himself. He didn’t dare risk entering a confined space, especially around omegas. The way he’d yelled at Hinata. The way Kenma had flinched. What could he do to those who weren’t his family?
He considered calling the police.
Alphas triggered their ruts in public all the time. Most cops were trained to diffuse such situations while keeping everybody safe. But he didn’t want to answer questions about where he’d gotten all those pills.
He considered calling an ambulance.
But the shame that rose up at the thought of admitting what he’d done. The sheer amount of medication he’d taken, fully aware of the consequences. He didn’t want to be treated like a petulant child, scolded for acting out despite knowing the rules.
He called a cab.
He offered to pay triple the already astronomical fare back to Tokyo if the company would send a beta driver.
It was a painfully quiet ride home as Kuroo struggled, channeling all of his energy into holding himself together just a little longer. His head pounded at the effort. As they pulled up in front of the high-rise, Kuroo found he didn’t remember the four hour drive at all.
Everything was fuzzy. He swayed with the slightest breeze.
The elevator ride was nauseating, and Kuroo was gasping for breath by the end of it.
He tried and failed to text Kenma.
He wanted to tell him to stay in Sendai with Hinata, to have a good time, not to worry about him. He found he couldn’t get his eyes to focus long enough to unlock his screen.
The apartment lights had been left on. They’d been in such a rush to get to Hinata, that Kuroo was surprised they had even remembered to lock the front door.
Not that Kuroo could remember any of that now. His body was weak. He was floating in a fog, barely able to move forward, more less drag himself up the stairs to the bedroom.
When he did finally make the ascent, he realized his mistake right away.
But he was already too far gone to do anything about it.
Here, surrounded by Kenma’s things, Kenma’s scent, lying face first in Kenma’s nest…
No drug in the world could have held his nature back now.
The heat slammed into him like a wall, burning hotter than any oven. His whole body felt scorched from the inside out, his shoes and clothes and skin all suddenly too tight.
Tearing himself free from his clothes did nothing to ease the agony.
He writhed, his limbs moving without reason or purpose, fighting a monster that was hidden inside. Clawing at his skin, Kuroo barely cringed as he came closer and closer to drawing blood.
He was overwhelmed. There was too much to feel, all of it so very, very wrong. His limbs jerked as they pulsated with electricity and heat. The feeling was far past arousal, venturing more into the territory of overstimulation and beyond. If anyone were to touch him, he feared that might scream out. He was a live wire, ready to ignite.
He needed Kenma. Needed cool hands and soft whispers and steadfast love.
Instead, as his burning hot hand wrapped far too tightly around himself, he was met only with pain.
And with a roar of anguish, his conscious mind faded to black.
<<<<>>>>
It was simply a matter of slipping outside unseen.
They were gathered in a commandeered office space in Sendai, Tanaka had been all too pleased to usher the previous occupants out of the way. He had gathered a few of his trusted coworkers, and Kenma had hand selected the rest of their backup from the Agency. The group of sixteen, mostly alphas, loud beyond belief, were grating on Kenma’s ears and his patience. But there was safety in numbers, and he would put up with anything if it meant getting Hinata in and out of that place unscathed.
Oh, and himself.
They had elected to keep Kenma’s involvement in the operation secret until it became absolutely necessary to disclose. He wasn’t technically employed by the National Security Intelligence Agency, if things went downhill, his involvement could make the entire situation particularly sticky. Plus if Hinata knew what Kenma was volunteering to do, he would most definitely put his foot down. Yamamoto had only agreed to the plan begrudgingly, and had been even more stubborn when asked to keep it a secret.
Kenma was not-so-secretly glad that he didn’t have to take charge of the uproar around him, perfectly happy to curl up with his phone as Tanaka ran through the details of his plan in front of the group.
The operation was a-go in twenty minutes.
Hinata sat pressed right up against Kenma, his head draped across his shoulder and his bright hair impeding Kenma’s view of the room. Kenma didn’t mind. The setting sun shone through the window and illuminated Hinata’s orange mop. His body was warm, pressed up against Kenma, but he could feel the boy’s frantic heartbeat, and wouldn’t be surprised if his own was just as noticeable.
“Okay!” Tanaka clapped his hands together, signaling the conclusion of the four-thousandth run through of the plan, “Officers to your stations. Once we have confirmation that everyone is in position, we can send Yamamoto and Hinata into the field. Any questions?”
“No Sir!”
“Move out!”
Hinata nuzzled closer to Kenma, wrapping his arms around him and squeezing.
Kenma whispered into the top of his head, “I’ll see you in the morning okay?”
Hinata pulled back and nodded, “See you in the morning.”
He rose and hurried off to join Fukunaga, who began the process of securing the pieces of the tracker in Hinata’s hair.
Kenma took to his feet slowly, not wanting to draw attention to himself. He deposited his phone on Tanaka’s desk, not too concerned about it being stolen here at the police station.
He had fired off one solitary text to Kuroo before taking off.
I love you
Anything more, and he would invite in the torrential downpour of guilt he had been staving off for so long.
Kuroo’s Family Sharing showed that he was still in the apartment. Regardless of what was wrong, nothing could hurt him there.
One more day. Then they could fix everything.
He slipped out the side door of the station, appreciating the sunset over the city sky-line. He briefly checked his surroundings for onlookers as he crossed to the vehicle Yamamoto would be driving. It took ten seconds to pop the trunk and hop inside, pulling the trunk lid down over himself and plunging into darkness.
The back of the car was hot. That, combined with the darkness, found Kenma breathing far faster than necessary. He tried to focus up. There was a set of handcuffs in his pocket. He snapped them open and finagled them around behind him, accidentally cinching them a little too tight in his haste. There was no turning back now.
A lifetime later, Kenma heard voices approaching the car.
Hinata’s unmistakable chatter had an instant effect on Kenma’s heartrate, clearing his head and calming his nerves. He could do this.
The doors opened and slammed shut, and the engine hummed to life.
Hinata was in the backseat, where Kenma could hear his voice clearly, “I’m so excited to show everybody Tokyo, they’re going to love it! And I can’t wait for them to meet Kenma and Kuroo, and to see Tadashi again, and to meet all the cats. I bet Yachi will love the cats, girls like cats right?”
Yamamoto laughed and said something back that Kenma was unable to hear as the car picked up speed.
They drove out of town first, so that if anyone was paying attention, it would look like they had just made the drive from Tokyo. They still didn’t quite have a handle on how large of an operation they would be infiltrating. It was very rare that a criminal organization wouldn’t have their hands in multiple pots, scrounging up profits in any way possible. It wasn’t likely that they would have eyes across the city, but it never hurt to be too careful.
He had time to think, time to prepare mentally.
Which translated quite easily into time to worry.
But Kenma trusted his team, he trusted the plan, and was glad that on this particular mission he wasn’t on the outside looking in. For Hinata, he needed to be close as possible. He was going to save his family.
The car began to slow to a stop far too soon.
Yamamoto spoke again, his words far too loud for them to just be aimed at Hinata.
“Just remember, they expect a certain persona of me. For me to make this believable, I won’t be kind.”
“I know how it is Yamamoto,” Hinata’s words were bright, without a trace of fear, “You don’t have to apologize to me.”
“I know,” the alpha took a deep breath, “Just, please don’t allow it to affect your impression of me, you know I would nev –“
“Yamamoto, it’s okay. Let’s just go save my pack.”
“Right.”
A door opened and shut. Footsteps circled the car, and then the rear door opened, and Hinata let out a squeal of pain as he was pulled from the car.
Kenma was left alone. He could barely hear a thing. There were other voices besides Hinata’s and Yamamoto’s, which was a good sign. They hadn’t been blown off or led into a trap, at least so far. Hopefully they’d take the bait and be open to more. Their whole plan rested in Yamamoto’s hands for the time being.
It felt like an eternity before he could make out any words again.
Yamamoto’s voice came into focus as he approached the car. Kenma almost laughed at the ease with which he spun his next lie.
“ –you know, if you’re interested, I may have one more deal for you this evening.” A fist banged on the trunk of the car, making Kenma jump.
Despite straining as hard as he could, he couldn’t make out the response.
Please take the bait.
The hatch flew open, and Kenma was blinded by a flashlight to the face.
“We’re not asking as much for this one,” Yamamoto’s hand twisted into Kenma’s hair, yanking him upright, “He’s not much of a trouble maker, but he’s a little sickly for our clientele’s taste.”
Thanks Tora.
Two unfamiliar alphas leered down at Kenma. A calloused hand gripped his chin, forcing his head to one side.
“I think we could work out a deal.”
Kenma was forced from the trunk, tumbling onto the pavement with no way to protect his face from colliding with the ground. He grit his teeth, fighting every instinct in his body and somehow managing to not cry out.
“Scrawny little fucker ain’t he?”
Kenma was yanked to his feet by his elbow, his arms screaming in their sockets.
“We could probably make some good headway marketing him as a femboy,” rancid breath came way too close to Kenma’s face, “Bet we could find him a nice little skirt. I know I’d pay extra to fuck that.”
Kenma cast his eyes down. He didn’t necessarily want to look his captors in the eye. But he knew there was no way he’d be able to face Hinata.
The boy was being held in place by another alpha over by a nondescript building. Kenma could see him struggling out of the corner of his eye, but they must have already gagged him, or he was sure he would be able to hear his protestations from a mile away. At least they were vindicated in their decision to keep him in the dark. Hinata would never have gone along with plan if he knew Kenma was going to be in danger too.
Too late now.
The alpha gripping Kenma spoke to Yamamoto, “If you’d like to step inside, we can start working on the payment.”
Yamamoto cocked an eyebrow, his lazy smirk and confidence fitting his assumed Yakuza identity to an almost frightening degree. “I think I’ll wait outside with the merchandise. No reason we can’t conduct our business right here.” His reached out and squeezed Kenma’s other arm tightly, “Plus, I haven’t had a chance to say a proper goodbye.”
The other hand gripping Kenma slowly relinquished, the alpha flashing an equally cocksure grin, “Of course, I will return in just a moment.”
They waited in the darkness silently, the other two alphas remaining outside with them. Hinata’s struggling had become more vocal, his muffled cries falling on Kenma’s ears like a knife. Cutting straight to his heart.
Yamamoto was pressed close to Kenma, and he whispered with a barely audible breath, “Good luck.”
The alpha returned. Money was counted out and exchanged. Kenma was shoved forward, and a bag was slipped over his head, plunging him again into darkness.
He was patted down and searched, rough hands pulling his clothes out of the way and then haphazardly returning them, without the slightest regard for modesty. He was then herded inside roughly, tripping every other step. The sounds of Hinata’s had mostly stopped as he was moved along ahead of Kenma, but he still heard the occasional scuffle break out. Kenma couldn’t help but smile under the bag.
Kenma dipped his head low, allowing himself to be pushed forward obediently. He shrank in on himself, all the fight gone from his body.
But on the inside.
He muscles didn’t shake. His breathing was steady. His thoughts were clear.
For the first time in weeks, he could see the path before him clearly.
And he was not afraid.
He couldn’t quite figure out where they were headed, but he tried to memorize the pattern of turns they took. The meetup spot had been around the backside of the hotel, but the building itself was still massive, and the still had no idea how the omegas were smuggled in and out.
They moved through one silent hallway to another and then were herded into an elevator, which Kenma was fairly certain traveled down, but it couldn’t be sure if it was one or two floors. When the door opened, they were met with the sounds of a bustling kitchen in full swing around them.
The noise died down almost instantly, a few isolated shushes could be heard, but they were quickly met with an eerie silence.
This must be a normal occurrence.
They were moved forward, Kenma still managed to trip twice, even across the level kitchen floor. The floor suddenly sloped down, sending Kenma sprawling. He was hoisted up and thrown over an unseen shoulder, and carried onward.
His body was deposited a moment later.
Kenma thrashed his legs, anxious to find Hinata, and kicking the poor boy in his panic. He scooted closer as the sound of heavy-duty hinged screeched, closing them in.
“Hinata, are you alright?” The boy’s breathing was uneven and shaky, “Hinata, can you hear me?”
He received a strangled sob as a reply.
Kenma scrambled to his feet and turned around so he could pull the bag off of Hinata’s head with his cuffed hands.
He plopped back down, “Can you get mine?”
Hinata made no sound as he turned and slipped off Kenma’s bag.
The sight of Hinata’s face made Kenma’s gut clench. His eyes were red and puffy, and his cheeks were streaked with tears. A nasty strip of fabric was tied too tightly through his mouth, stretching out his lips and digging into the skin of his cheeks.
Kenma made to turn and removed the gag but was nearly knocked over by the force of Hinata lunging at him. The boy buried his nose in Kenma’s shoulder and gasped out a horrifying sob.
Kenma’s breathing caught in his throat. He couldn’t hug Hinata, or wipe away his tears, or smooth out his hair, do any of the millions of things he’d learned that Hinata loved. He was trapped, supporting the full weight of the boy who had collapsed against him.
Words were never his specialty.
“Hinata, please don’t cry. Please,” He tried nudging Hinata away with his nose, but was unsuccessful. “I had to come, it was the only way to get the information we need to keep your family free forever. Please don’t –“
Hinata pulled away, a questioning look in his eye, extending his chin as a gesture towards his gag.
“Right,” Kenma stood again, turning around as Hinata did the same. He fumbled with the knots for a moment, trying to avoid yanking out Hinata’s hair in the process.
The gag fell free, and Hinata was on him in a heartbeat.
“What the heck are you talking about? Kenma, why are you here?” Tears streamed down his face, “Why would you come here?”
“The same reason as you.”
Hinata stilled, “I never wanted you to have to see this, how they treat us.”
Kenma knelt down slowly, “We need evidence. The kind of stuff that criminals know to destroy the moment cops bust through the doors. We had to get someone in here before that happened.”
Hinata frowned, considering Kenma’s face in earnest, “Are you sure you’ll be okay?”
“I could say the same thing to you.”
Hinata’s smile flooded through Kenma’s body like a match taking to flame, and he couldn’t resist throwing himself at the boy again.
“So what now?”
Kenma looked around warily, “Well, I guess we wait for the rest of your pack to get off work?”
Hinata bit his lip nervously, “It’s still early in the week, so they’ll probably have only one or two here.”
“Where do you think we are?”
Kenma surveyed the space. It was tall enough to stand in with insulated plastic walls, but it had an unfinished wooden floor. The width was consistent with a semi-truck trailer, but the length only extended about three feet. The hinges on the door were on the inside, so that the door could only open towards them.
Hinata shrugged, “I dunno, it’s looks like the same truck they’ve always used.”
“Hmm,” Kenma rolled up onto his feet, studying the walls and the small, square light on the ceiling above. “It looks insulated,” He frowned, thinking, “We came through the kitchen, so this must be a refrigerated truck, for food deliveries. That would explain how it came in and out everyday without arousing suspicion.”
“But didn’t Tanaka say he searched every vehicle that came in or out at some point?”
“Yes, but look at how small this compartment is,” Kenma kicked at the wall experimentally, “I’d be willing to bet that this truck is long enough for this to be a hidden room at the back, that no one would ever suspect unless they were actually measuring the lengths and comparing. It’s probably just a very convincing false wall.”
Kenma flopped back down next to Hinata.
“Kuroo’s going to kill you, I hope you know that.”
Kenma shoved the boy with his shoulder, grimacing at the thought. “Do you think there’s any way that he won’t find out?”
“Sure! We can just tell everyone that we got lost at the grocery store for a week.”
“Perfect.”
“Kenma?” Hinata’s eyes bored into Kenma’s skin, he didn’t like it, “Do you think Kuroo is okay?”
Kenma squeezed his eyes shut, “I don’t really know. Sometimes he gets a little moodier before his ruts, but I don’t think he’s due to have one for a while. It’s not time for his fall rut and his summer one was…” Kenma opened his eyes, trying to remember the last time his mate had even had a rut. Coming up blank he shook it off. “We’ve both been stressed. I’ve… I’ve actually been pretty awful to him. We just…” Kenma took a steadying breath, “We just need to get everyone home safely. Kuroo and I will be fine.”
Hinata’s expression had fallen, and he curled back into Kenma’s side.
“I sure hope so.”
They waited in unnerving silence, jumping at each other’s slightest moves in their edginess.
“We should put the bags back on,” Hinata whispered, “For when they come back.”
Kenma nodded.
The door to their compartment was flung open with a bang.
Hinata and Kenma both flew back against the far wall, out of sight of the doorway. A body was flung down onto the floor and kicked to the opposite side, to make room for the closing door.
With a slam, they were left alone again.
The body, head trapped in a bag, tried to rise and then sagged against the floor again.
Hinata surged forward, “Are you alr –“
The body let out an ear-splitting squeal.
“OH MY GOD. WHO’S THERE? WHO’S THERE? PLEASE DON’T EAT ME!”
Hinata cocked his head at the figure, “Yachi. Why would we eat you?”
She perked up.
“Hinata? HINATA IS THAT YOU?” The girl’s head swiveled wildly, making it very difficult for Hinata to remove the bag.
“Yachi. Hold. Still. I cant.” The bag finally came off.
Yachi looked up, “Hinata it is you.” She smiled.
“Duh.” Hinata dropped to his knees, hooking his chin over Yachi’s shoulder in an armless hug. The girl did the same.
She made eye contact with Kenma.
“AAAAHHHHH! WHO IS THAT?”
“That’s just Kenma, don’t worry about him.”
Kenma snorted at the introduction.
Hinata spluttered, “I just mean that he isn’t going to hurt you, I didn’t mean –“
The door flew open again, the next captive walking in and taking a seat obediently. The door closed without hesitation.
“SUGAAAAA,” Hinata tackled the newest arrival to the ground.
“Is that?” Hinata removed Suga’s bag from on top of him with his teeth. The omega gasped, “Oh my god it is you.” He nuzzled at Hinata’s scarred scent gland and pressed a kiss to his forehead. Tears glistened in his eyes, “I thought we’d never see you again.”
“Me too! I missed you all so much, but you’ll never guess where I’ve been!”
“Where have you been Hinata?” Suga hoisted himself out from underneath the boy.
“I was free.”
Suga caught sight of Kenma, eyeing him curiously and then with a slight air of suspicion.
“What are you talking about Hinata?” Yachi chimed in.
“I got away. Kenma helped me escape,” He nodded towards Kenma who shied away at the attention, “Kenma works for the police. And now we’re all going to get out of here, together.”
The engine rumbled to life, their little compartment shuddering around them. Hinata fell over onto his face as the truck lurched forward.
Suga seemed as unconcerned with Hinata’s clumsiness as Kenma had learned to be, although he still seemed unsure about Kenma, “Is this true?”
Kenma nodded sheepishly, “That’s the plan. But I can explain everything once we get back to the rest of your pack.”
He softened at the use of the word pack, “Okay. I would say as long as Hinata trusts you, but that tends to be a fairly low bar.”
“Heyy.”
“What? Just being honest. Now scooch back I wanna take a look at you, see how much you’ve grown.”
Hinata complied with a groan, while Yachi fawned about how good he looked.
“I’ve been eating a lot more.” Hinata babbled, repeatedly trying to talk with his hands and forgetting about the handcuffs. “We got so much cool food in Tokyo, Kenma knows the best place to get everything, and Kuroo can cook really well. Have you guys ever had Mexican? Kuroo made Mexican for–”
Hinata’s eyes lit up, darting to look at Kenma, and then back to Suga and Yachi.
“Tadashi’s alive.”
Suga’s jaw dropped.
“What are you talking about?”
“Tadashi. He’s alive. He survived. And we found him.”
“OH MY GOD!” Yachi’s squeak pierced Kenma’s ears.
Hinata nodded furiously, matching her enthusiasm.
He was sandwiched in between the two of them, Suga attempting to fret over him even with his hands behind his back, and Yachi clinging onto Hinata’s every word with wide, captivated eyes.
They snuggled close, their time spent apart having no effect on their bond. They were a family, a pack. A month in the city wasn’t going to change that.
Kenma stayed put in his corner of the compartment, watching as Hinata was enveloped by love.
“Are you alright?” Suga slid closer to Kenma’s side.
Kenma nodded a little too vigorously for the situation at hand, but Suga’s smile was understanding.
“Thank you for taking care of him,” Suga stared at Hinata fondly, “And for bringing him back to us.”
Kenma pulled his knees to his chest and buried his face.
The ride took probably three hours to get back. Kenma tried to keep track of the turns again, but they must have stayed within the city because the turns were all too frequent. There were several times, when the truck stopped completely, waiting for fifteen or twenty minutes before continuing on.
Yachi tried to explain, “We assume that they’re watching for any tails, from the police or other criminal organizations. Waiting long enough so that anyone following thinks they’ve completely stopped.”
Kenma furrowed his brow, “That’s probably half true,” he paused to think, “But if this is really a food delivery truck, what better cover than to actually stop and make other deliveries? They might even be legitimate businesses, the driver just transporting you guys as a side hustle.”
Suga threw back his head with a light carefree laugh, “That would be pretty fucking great wouldn’t it? We’re not even the main attraction.”
They did eventually make it back though, a loud thump on the side of the trailer signaling that it was their turn. Hinata and Yachi, who had fallen asleep against each other mid-conversation, both blinked groggily, mumbling dissent as Suga dropped their bags back over their heads.
“Almost home,” he said brightly, dropping a curtain over Kenma’s vision yet again.
They were bustled out in an extremely dazed huddle, and Kenma fared even worse now that he had actual people to trip over. He was too tired to pay attention to their surroundings anymore. The promise of anything other than a truck bed to sleep on was the only thought spurring him forward.
The other omegas knew the trek from this point forward, Yachi even had the foresight to whisper “stairs” right before Kenma inevitably tripped and almost died. Luckily their captors seemed to have the barest regard for Kenma’s wellbeing, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt and giving him whiplash. Still better than death by step.
The air around them grew cooler. Kenma smelled unmistakable mildew of a basement. The bag over his head was ripped off yet again and their prison came into view.
A cellar was probably a more appropriate term for what lay before them. The walls and floors were unfinished cement, and there were no windows of any sort, just several fluorescent lights lining the ceiling. The whole space was bisected by honest-to-God prison bars, like in an old western film.
On the other side of the bars, two more omegas lay in a nest of blankets on the floor.
At their approach one of them, a beautiful dark haired girl, sat upright, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
Catching sight of their group, her face broke into the gentlest of smiles.
“Hinata,” She breathed.
The barred door was unlocked and their group of four was shoved inside. Suga and Yachi turned and stuck their hand through the bars, to be released from their cuffs, but Hinata streaked straight for the nest.
“Kiyoko!” He buried his face in her chest as gentle hands pulled him close. The other body in the nest didn’t stir.
Kenma joined the other two to get his cuffs removed, rubbing at his wrist the moment they were freed, bruises already apparent. He leaned to Suga, “Is he alright? Noya, right?”
Suga nodded slowly, “He’ll be fine. He got a concussion fighting with a client a few nights ago, and Yachi made him stay awake for twenty four hours.”
“What?” Yachi squeaked, “That’s what you do when you get a concussion!”
Suga smirked, “It’d probably have been more useful if we knew why we were keeping him awake.”
The girl became even more flustered, “I don’t know, that’s just what you do!”
“Hey!” The only alpha left, the one with the keys yelled, “Baby Boy! If you want those cuffs off before tomorrow night you’d better getting your fucking ass over here.”
Hinata scrambled up to the bars, apologizing furiously.
Yachi ran over to embrace Kiyoko, running her hand over her slightly swollen belly, “Any more kicks?”
Kiyoko shook her head.
“Well that’s okay. Babies need their sleep too. And also, Tadashi’s alive!”
Kiyoko’s eyes darted up to Hinata, and then Kenma.
“Is that true?”
Kenma nodded.
Kiyoko beamed up at him, clutching Yachi close.
She extended a hand out to him, her face radiating kindness, “You must be terrified. Come try to warm up.”
Hinata bounded up behind him, “Actually Kenma is –“
Suga slapped a hand over the boy’s mouth, “ –From a brothel in Tokyo.” He peered over his shoulder suspiciously, where the alpha could still be heard ascending the stairs. “He just got sold here with Hinata.”
Hinata’s eyes went wide with realization, and then he shot Suga a thumbs-up.
“Idiot,” Suga pulled him into the nest.
Kenma continued his walk of the space. There was a small bathroom, consisting of a toilet, a shower head and a drain in the floor, and in the opposite corner of the basement a sink and a rickety old card table. There were small folded stacks of clothes, and a few bowls, spoons, and cups. Aside from the nest, nothing exuded any semblance of warmth.
The nest was a hodge-podge of blankets, most sporting the ugly floral patterns that Kenma associated with hotels, but there was also some fleece tie blankets, and one crocheted afghan. The omegas were all spread out in its confines, lazily draping over each other in a tangle of limbs. The last omega, Noya, was sleeping soundly, his head resting in Kiyoko’s lap. She gently stroked his wild hair, all the while batting Hinata away so as not to wake him.
Kenma hovered near the edge, watching the pack awkwardly. Kiyoko pulled Hinata into a one-armed embrace, as Yachi rested her head on his lap. Suga curled next to Noya with his head propped on his hand, smiling as he stared at Hinata.
Kenma felt a sudden pang in his chest. Watching their obvious love for Hinata, for each other, he wondered if he and Kuroo had ever come close to offering that to him.
That was why he was here though, to save Hinata’s real family.
All of this was for Hinata. This was how he was going to show his love for him.
So it was time to get back to work.
Kenma knelt at the edge of the nest, placing his hands on his thighs and bowing his head with respect, “Thank you for welcoming me into your home.”
The group turned on him with questioning eyes.
Suga sat upright, “You said that you had some sort of plan?”
“Are we really going to get out of here?” Yachi asked, squeezing Hinata’s hand.
Kenma looked back at the stairs nervously, but Hinata pulled his attention back. “They don’t listen to us or film us or anything. Honestly it’s a miracle they remember to feed us.”
Kenma took a steadying breath, “I work with the Public Security Intelligence Agency in Tokyo.”
“Noice,” Suga whispered, sending Hinata and Yachi into a fit of giggles. Kiyoko smacked him upside the head.
“Please go on.”
Kenma couldn’t help but smile. “Our original plan was to send Hinata in with a tracker, and pull you all out as soon as he activated it. But, we need evidence. The courts will look at you all as whores and prosecute you as if you were acting of your own volition. So I came too.”
Kiyoko frowned, clutching Hinata and Noya close, “And how will you get this evidence?”
“Our plan relies mostly on Yachi’s testimony she gave to Tanaka.”
“ME?” Yachi squeaked, but Hinata shushed her.
Kenma nodded, “You told Tanaka that before they would let you work, you were brought up for a physical. Into the main office here.”
“I mean yeah, but what if –“ Hinata shushed her again.
“Well, assuming they do the same for me, I should have access to their main computer and can find all the evidence we need to secure a conviction.”
Suga let out an amused snort, “So they’re just going to let you onto the computer?”
“Well, that’s where I might need your guy’s help.”
<<<<>>>>
Tadashi covered his ears with his hands.
He was hidden around the back side of the sofa, but it did nothing to block out the noise.
He tried to rationalize with himself.
It’s just Kuroo. He’s in a whole other apartment. He can’t reach you.
But the sounds he made. The roars of anguish. The shattering of furniture. The cries of pain.
Tadashi had been on that side of the wall before.
Ruts weren’t meant to be spent alone. Especially when someone was mated. Their body yearns for their other half.
Tadashi had faced his share of rutting alphas. It was always the worst when they were mated. Any number of things could separate a pair, but ugly divorces were the most common. Being hired as a substitute for that missing person was always the worst. No matter how much he moaned, or how long they tried, or how rough they were, he could never truly satisfy them. And yet they would still try, with no concern for the body underneath them.
Tadashi shuddered as another roar echoed through the walls.
Kuroo wasn’t going to hurt him, but the memories of those who had refused to go away.
Tadashi tried to measure his breaths. Three seconds in. Three out. Or was it supposed to be five seconds? No, now he felt like he was suffocating. Oh god he needed more air. Now he was starting to feel light-headed. Why wasn’t that making him calmer?
“Tadashi.”
He raised his head slowly to see Tsukishima at the foot of the stairs.
Tears streamed down Tadashi’s face.
Tsukishima approached carefully, his movements cautious and calculating.
He extended a hand out to Tadashi.
“Please come with me.”
Tadashi’s breath caught in his throat.
“Let me keep you safe.”
Tadashi curled in on himself tighter.
“Please.”
Tadashi fell into strong arms, and was lifted from his spot on the floor. His limbs and his back ached from his sobbing, but Tsukki kept him supported as he carried him up the stairs into his bedroom.
He was settled gently into the bed, the spot still warm from where Tsukki must have been sitting.
He draped the blanket over Tadashi’s shivering form, keeping hold of one hand and kneeling at the side of the bed.
“You can lock the door behind me, please try to get some sleep –“
Tadashi clenched his hand tighter.
“Or I can stay right here for a while.”
Tadashi shook his head.
He pulled on Tsukki’s arm, looking into his golden eyes with earnest.
“I don’t ever want you to go.”
Tsukki moved slowly, rising without tearing his eyes from Tadashi face, studying him for any sign that he might pull away.
Tadashi could only sigh as his arms wrapped around him again, this time pulling him close to stay.
“As long as you’ll keep me, I will never leave.”
<<<<>>>>
Kenma awoke on a hard basement floor, covered by a thin tattered blanket, more at peace than he had ever been in his life. Surrounding him, curled together tightly for warmth, was Hinata’s pack.
Kenma was pressed against Hinata, as he had become used to, but on his other side was Suga, who had an arm draped over the both of them. Yachi’s breathing seemed nervous even in sleep, as it gently rustled through Kenma’s hair from somewhere above him. Kenma’s toes were tucked underneath another warm body at his feet, who had also just begun to stir.
It was warm. It was safe. He was wrapped up in a tangle of limbs and bodies and warm hearts. Nothing would ever be able to hurt him again.
“What the actual fuck?” The warmth over his feet disappeared. “Who? Hinata? Holy Shit!”
The air in Kenma’s lungs was violently squeezed out as a body landed on top of him, seemingly intent on murdering Hinata, undeterred by anyone taken out in the process.
“Noooyaaa, what the hell?” Hinata groaned.
“When did you get back? Also, what the actual fuck?”
“Both of you shut up.” Suga flopped over top of everyone, pinning them all in place.
Kenma heard Kiyoko giggle softy from across the room.
Yachi whispered into the fray, “Wait until he hears that Tadashi is alive.”
The ungodly shriek that followed was enough to convince Kenma that the nest was no longer a place of comfort, and if he valued his life, he should get out while he still could.
Squirreling out of the nest, Kenma trotted over to Kiyoko. The pieces of the tracker lay in the center of the table on a plate, in almost a place of honor. Kiyoko stood at the sink, seemingly trying to make some sort of porridge out of a can. Kenma’s stomach growled for Kuroo’s cooking.
“Sorry if it doesn’t look too appetizing.”
Kenma blushed, but he held out his hands in an offer to help her stir. “I’m not one to talk, my mate does all the cooking.”
“You’re lucky.”
Kenma looked up into Kiyoko’s earnest eyes.
“Having someone who loves you is a special thing.”
“Don’t sell yourself short,” Kenma looked over at the pile of idiots wrestling over nothing, “You’ve built an amazing family here.”
Kiyoko placed a hand on Kenma’s shoulder, and he turned back to see a fire burning deep in her eyes, “Don’t you dare let them down.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.”
The pack settled around the table, Noya in Hinata’s lap hugging him fiercely, and Suga squeezing alongside Kiyoko, mocking her complaints about her pregnancy hips.
“So Kenma,” Yachi spoke up, fingers fretting with a dent in the cheap table, “You said you needed us to come up with a distraction.”
The commotion stilled, turning to their newfound leader.
Kenma gulped.
“That would be ideal, yes.” He pulled his feet up onto the chair, nervously hugging his legs, “If and when they come for me, I’m sure I’ll be surrounded the whole time.” He took a deep breath, “I can handle a one on one, but I’m not that strong, getting the muscle out of the way is they only way I’ll stand any chance.”
The group nodded solemnly.
“How much time do you need?” Hinata asked.
“Ten minutes. That should be enough time to get me into the office, but not long enough for everyone to be settled so much that they won’t run off at the sound of trouble. If you all can cause a big enough distraction, I can handle the rest.”
Yachi drew the attention of the table again, “Well, while Noya is notoriously the master of distraction, I think my scream has the highest decibel count.” Suga reached over and pinched her cheek, but she took it in stride. “Plus the only thing they really care about is whether or not we stay alive, any other disturbance really wouldn’t cross their radar.”
“Okay?” Noya asked.
“How long can you hold your breath Noya?”
“Not to toot my own horn, but probably ten minutes.”
Suga smacked him upside the head, “You moron, if you did that then you really would get brain damage.”
“Fine,” Noya grumbled, the wind taken out of his sails, “Definitely longer than any of you though.”
“Well,” Yachi’s eyes twinkled with something a little more than conspiratorial, “They know you’ve a head injury. Let’s give them a show.”
Kenma turned to Hinata, “You can handle the tracker for us?’
“Mmhm,” he nodded, eyeing the plate where it sat. “Fukunaga said the second I assemble it, it will start transmitting.”
“Let’s maybe time that for five minutes after I leave.” Kenma paused to think, “I’m not sure how close to the city center we are, but I don’t think we’re really that far out. It’ll probably take the team twenty minutes or so to find us and assemble. Let the troops swoop in right in the middle of the chaos.”
“Rodger that,” Hinata answered with a smile.
“This is really happening?” Kiyoko asked to no one in particular, her eyes misted over.
“You’re all getting out of here, today,” Kenma stood from the table, “I promise.”
They came for Hinata first. He’d been gone long enough, with no advocate for his whereabouts, for STDs to be a concern. He was only upstairs for about ten minutes total, before being dragged back down.
“Alright, get over here city boy.” Kenma rose and approached the bars, turning so he could be cuffed. He cast one last glance over the room, one night being long enough for him to relish bidding it goodbye. Noya feigned sleep in the nest, or rather, feigned a head-injury induced coma. Suga was braiding Yachi’s hair, so she could, in his words, look cute for the policemen, and Kiyoko stood at the sink, washing their mismatched dishes for the last time.
The metal door swung open and Hinata was pushed back inside, landing on the hard cement floor.
He twisted around and his eyes locked onto Kenma’s.
Hinata was panicked.
He tried to mouth something, but Kenma was being dragged away too quickly. The all-too familiar bag was dropped over his head before he could make out the words.
Kenma was dragged along by the arm, putting undue strain on both of his shoulders due to the handcuffs. Hands forced him to sit on a small metal chair. He heard typing a computer, which was a good sign. He just had to wait for the distraction. Only nine minutes to go.
What had Hinata been trying to say?
What had scared him?
He took a deep breath through the bag, trying to settle his nerves and plaster the appropriate look onto his face for this situation at hand.
The air froze in his lungs.
He smelled alpha. That much was to be expected. Four or five different scents. That was fine, the omegas downstairs had a big enough distraction planned to draw most of them away.
What Kenma didn’t account for, was recognizing two of the scents.
And the memories that came with them.
A highway rest stop.
A terrified omega.
Running for his life.
Someone spoke.
“I’m sure he’ll do just fine. The money’s been in your pockets now for weeks. My client’s been waiting long enough for this delivery, I’m sure that they’ll be willing to make do.”
“Are you sure that you don’t want the original merchandise? We won’t ask anything more for retrieving him.”
“Forgive us for holding grudge against that little bastard, but I think we’d much rather take the fresh meat and be on our way.”
Kenma was frozen to the spot. His brain processed the conversation around him in slow motion.
They were here. They were back. But this time they didn’t want Hinata.
They were going to take him instead.
He barely registered the prick of a needle in his side. Flinching at the pain belatedly, as if the drugs had already hit his system. Panic holding him hostage.
“Well, not that we didn’t love doing business with you,” Kenma head swirled as he was hoisted into the air, his limbs already too heavy to do anything about it. “But I think we’ll be on our way.”
He was carried from the building, and launched aggressively into the truck of a car.
The hatch to the trunk didn’t have to slam down to muffle his cry, the heaviness of his tongue prevented even a whimper from escaping.
And as the engine shuddered to life around him, Kenma’s thoughts faded to black.
Notes:
Big oof
But on a sidenote, what did you think of the pacing??? It just didn't quite sit right with me, but I'm really at a loss for how to fix it. Was there enough fluff? I am not opposed to making some edits here, HMU fam
I lied, THANK YOU AGAIN AGAIN AGAIN FOR ALL THE COMMENTS I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH
Chapter 16: Behind
Notes:
Yes, I know it's been a month. Luckily for you all if this unfortunate pattern does happen to continue, at least the story will be done by the end of the year right? (For my sake I hope this finishes before then...)
Shout out to me for just spinning the POV wheel with such reckless abandon. But I feel like my specific portrayal of angry!Daichi will be fairly relatable to all of you, based on the last chapter’s comment section;)
Also just FYI, I snorted a SOLID line of italics and barfed it all up into this chapter, consider yourself warned.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Daichi’s powers of observation were often considered to be world class.
He had been invited on several occasions to teach courses at the university for up and coming agents, and had even co-authored a book with his father on how to distinguish the tells of a liar. Despite his father’s standing with the agency, Daichi had gotten his job based on pure ability, shattering his competition on all fronts, combat, agility, but where he really shone were his powers of deduction. Nothing got past Sawamura Daichi.
But arriving at the office at 0900, it would not have taken the mind of a great detective to determine that something was wrong.
It would have been pretty hard to miss that half of the office was missing.
The usual uproar that was so often the direct cause of Daichi’s daily headaches, was eerily missing. Those who were still at their desks spoke quietly, aware of the absence, but unsure what to do about it.
Daichi was not so easily thrown off.
He hurried to the first conference room, already fairly confident in his working theory, but years on the job had taught him the value of a solid investigation. Leave no stone unturned. Sure enough, his suspicions were confirmed. The conference room had been cleared out. All signs of Kenma, and whatever agents he had poached from Daichi this time, were gone.
He knew calling subject in question would garner no results. Kenma was notorious for not carrying his phone, and, even when he when he did, ignoring Daichi’s calls anyways. Yamamoto and Fukunaga were wedged so far under Kenma’s thumb, that calling them would be useless as well.
No. Daichi needed someone green. New, still with enough stardust in their eyes that they’d tell him exactly what he needed to know.
“Captain Sawamura Sir!”
Daichi had to hold the phone away from his ear for a second, startled by his agent’s enthusiasm so early in the morning.
“Inuoka. Where are you?”
“Well, sir…”
“I don’t want excuses. I want answers. I know you’re with Kenma.”
Inuoka did not speak.
“I would urge you agent, in the interest of your career, not to disobey a direct order.”
“We’re in Sendai sir. Kenma sent his omega friend undercover. We’re awaiting a signal so we can move in and raid the brothel sir.”
“He sent a civilian undercover?” Daichi didn’t bother to suppress his growl of anger.
“Yes Sir.”
Daichi wanted to ram his head into a wall.
He settled for a sigh.
“Send me your location. Don’t move without me.”
“I don’t know if I can promise that sir.”
“Just,” deep breaths would never be enough to quell the rage that roared within Daichi like an inferno, “God Dammit! Just don’t… Fuck. Ennoshita!” The captain slammed down his phone, ending the call without issuing any official orders. There was really no point in doing so anyways, as apparently Kenma had decided that he outranked him. And who was he to question the decisions of a superior?
“Yes Captain?” Thank God for Ennoshita, poking his head through Daichi’s office door with an appropriate amount of hesitation.
“Grab, I don’t know, some coffee… or a gun? Who the Hell knows. We’re going to Sendai.”
“Yes sir.”
Daichi banged on the roof of the parked vehicle, hopefully scaring the ever-living crap out of the agents inside. Although, Inuoka and Shibayama were both fresh out of the academy, his disappointment was really better aimed at himself than these new recruits.
If he couldn’t stand up to Kenma, why should anyone else even bother?
Ennoshita rolled his eyes as he slid casually into the backseat of the vehicle, and Daichi was quick to join him.
“Captain Sawamura Sir!” Inuoka scrambled into a rigid, seated salute. Shibayama joined him, maintaining furious eye contact with Inuoka. A fresh coffee stain seeped across his uniform.
Daichi smirked. He should pour one onto Inuoka as well.
“What’s that status of the operation men?” Thank God for Ennoshita.
“Well sir, we are still awaiting coordinates… I think.” Inuoka said.
“What do you mean you think?” Daichi was ten thousand percent done with this day.
Shibayama spoke up, “Sir the plan was for the omega to be sent in with a tracker, to be activated when he reached the headquarters.” His eyes darted nervously to Inuoka.
“…And?”
“Sir it’s been almost twelve hours, and we still have not received a signal.”
Daichi groaned. A true, deep, earth-shattering groan. He was too old for this.
“Give me your radio. I need to find Kenma, so I can kill him.”
“ALL UNITS. SIGNAL RECEIVED. COORDINATES BEING TRANSMITTED NOW. ALL UNITS REPORT TO COORDINATES. I REPEAT ALL UNITS TO COORDINATES.”
Inuoka looked like he was about to pass out, still holding his outstretched radio, “Um... do you still –“
“Just drive.”
“Sir!”
They didn’t have far to go. Say what you want about Kenma, and Daichi intended to, but he never half-assed a mission. All units had been assigned stations adjacent to major highways, localized to rougher parts of the city, with standard traffic patterns taken into account. All agents arrived on the scene, an innocent looking storefront, within fifteen minutes of the transmission being sent.
Inuoka pulled the car to a stop, reaching for the door handle, and then hesitating, “Sir, would you like us–“
“Just go.”
The agents scrambled from the vehicle.
Ennoshita chuckled, “Where do you want me sir?”
“I’m not worried about the tactical team, Kenma literally took all my finest men. Let’s just make sure that they remembered to have medics on standby.”
“I’ll just call for an ambulance now, I think we both know the answer to that question.”
Daichi emerged from the vehicle, pride somehow swelling in his stomach despite the overwhelming anger. His men did well, even without him or any clear leader, they knew how to get a mission done right.
The agents, and several officers, formed ranks quickly and efficiently. Daichi caught a glimpse of the officer Tanaka leading a group around the back, and made a point to glare at Yamamoto, the alpha practically scampering off to his squad with fright. Good. Keep ‘em on their toes.
Five minutes of hushed rushing around, and then Yamamoto gave the signal to advance.
Daichi couldn’t be bothered to worry. His men had it all under control.
He sidled over to where Ennoshita stood, an ambulance fresh on the scene. His second in command made quick work of explaining the situation and possible triage needs, the paramedics standing at rapt attention. A surveillance truck was parked near the edge of the whole scene. Fukunaga’s stupid head popped out the back door surveying the scene. Daichi steered clear. His money was on the source of all this mess being holed up in that van, and despite the ever-present inferno of rage he kept well kindled on the inside, Daichi wasn’t quite ready to tell off Kenma. Mission first. Yelling later.
It didn’t take long for a commotion to break out. Shouts could be heard from inside clear as a bell, but thankfully, there were no gunshots.
Two suspects were forced out, hands already cuffed. Then were shoved to their knees and roughly searched. One more followed quickly behind, thrashing and giving the agents a run for their money. This one was slammed against the hood of a nearby car, just rough enough to stop his struggling. Daichi didn’t flinch.
Then came the omegas.
Tanaka emerged first, carrying a dark-haired girl bridal style. His head turned as Ennoshita called to him, and he rushed to set the girl on one of the cots, hovering close as the paramedics assessed her. Two more were carried out just behind, a boy and a girl, both were rushed over to the paramedics as well.
Another alpha was marched out. This one put up no fight, the picture of calm, silent resignation.
Fukunaga appeared next to Daichi’s shoulder, nervously chewing on his lip.
Good he should be nervous.
Kenma’s omega was easy to spot from a distance, orange hair shining in the sun, in stark contrast to the pale almost sickly look on his face. He twisted in the arms of the officer carrying him, with no apparent regard for the distance between him and the ground. His eyes darted about nervously, flooded with panic.
Something was wrong.
Daichi moved for the building. Had one of his men been hurt? Did one of the suspects get away? Why did Hinata look so scared?
Daichi barely made it four steps.
With a flurry of commotion, the final omega burst out of the door, making quick work of shaking off the officer assigned to him as he surveyed the scene.
His eyes landed on Daichi.
Daichi cursed his luck, he was literally the only uniformed officer on the scene. Of course this omega would assume he was in charge. He almost staggered back as the omega stomped towards him. Why was that stressing him out so much? He was in charge. He tried to steel his expression, but it was proving difficult as he felt a flush crawl up his cheeks.
As the omega approached Daichi’s vision tunneled, as if with every step, the omega grew larger, drowning out the rest of the world. His silver hair practically shimmered, and his brown eyes swallowed Daichi’s stream of consciousness whole. He was swimming in them, drowning, but without an ounce of regret.
“What the fuck are you standing around for? We need to go.”
Go where? As far as Daichi was concerned he could stand right here for the rest of life.
The word slipped out of his mouth like an unconscious moan, “Why?”
“He’s not here. They took him in Hinata’s place. They’re probably halfway to Tokyo by now.”
Daichi’s brain was buffering, his ears rang and he only seemed to be registering every other word. “What are you talking about? Hinata’s right over there.”
The omega’s face morphed into one of pure disgust, before turning away to race towards Tanaka.
Daichi’s heart dropped as what was left of his brain pleaded. Wait, come back. I can be better.
The omega conversed with Tanaka, and the alpha rushed back into the house, calling for Yamamoto to follow. The omega called after them, “You’re wasting time! They already… Fuck!”
Daichi frowned. He hadn’t paid too close of attention to the case, sparing himself the stress of trying to keep Kenma under control by just divorcing himself completely from the situation. But he knew the barest of details and was fairly certain that there were only four omegas to be rescued. Who was missing?
He made his way to the surveillance van, if anyone was hurt, it was Kenma’s responsibility to answer for it. No more excuses.
Daichi straightened up, lecture on the tip of his tongue, and threw open the van door.
Empty.
That little shit. Where was he hiding?
Daichi turned to see Yamamoto running towards him, Fukunaga and Tanaka trailing sheepishly behind.
It didn’t take the mind of a great detective to figure out who was missing.
“Shit.”
<<<<>>>>
Tadashi found, that if he sat far enough back on the bench, his feet would dangle just above the floor. It felt appropriate, kicking his legs back and forth like a child. It reflected about how useful he felt in this moment. His family was upstairs, being thoroughly questioned by the cops, and his friend was missing, gone now for almost twelve hours without a trace. And he was here, on a bench, in a big empty lobby full of big important people, waiting to be useful.
Useless useless Tadashi. Couldn’t go undercover, couldn’t find his friend, couldn’t –
Tsukishima placed a firm hand of his knee, bringing a halt to his nervous kicking, “Stop it. Everything’s fine. We are right where we need to be.”
He looked into those earnest golden eyes, and with the effort of a thousand suns hoisted himself out of his depressive spiral. Not today Satan. Not today.
He leaned his head against Tsukishima’s shoulder, his new favorite spot, and watched the hustle and bustle of the Agency lobby around them. He tried to focus his mind, not hiding in the corner being useless. I’m right where I need to be.
The elevator dinged for the thousandth time, failing to draw either of their attentions. The shriek that rang out across the lobby however, that earned a sideways glance.
“TADASHI!”
He could sense Tsukishima’s scowl as he leapt from their seat, but Tadashi couldn’t bring himself to care. His family was here.
Surprisingly, Yachi made it to Tadashi first, leaping into his arms and burying her face in his shoulder, but Nishinoya was not far behind.
“~You’re alive you’re alive you’re alive~” Noya danced about, bracing himself on Tadashi’s shoulders and jumping into the air.
Sugawara rushed with tears streaming from his eyes, and Kiyoko waddled slowly behind him.
Tadashi felt a pang in his chest as he saw the bump in her stomach, but swallowed it down quickly, allowing himself to be squeezed from all sides by his pack.
Suga pinched at his cheek, “You’ve put on some weight, you look fucking hot.”
Tadashi blushed furiously, “As opposed to the verge of death?”
“It was not the best look on you I’ll admit,” Suga smirked in that mischievous sort of way that only he could pull off without looking like a jackass.
Yachi leaned in close and whispered loudly in Tadashi’s ear, “Is that your new alpha?”
“Why does everyone keep asking that?” He turned to throw a wink back at Tsukishima, who very much looked like he did not want to be here.
Yachi’s face burned bright red, but Noya and Suga burst out laughing, and even Kiyoko flashed a sly grin.
Tadashi felt like his heart was rehydrated, no longer shriveling up in the hot desert sun like a neglected succulent. He was for just a moment, filled with all the love in the world.
And then Hinata emerged from the elevator.
He recoiled with disgust.
“Where’s Kuroo?”
His voice was scratchy and weak, and his swollen eyes looked dangerously close to spilling over with tears at any moment.
“He made the decision to pursue a decidedly ill-timed rut.”
Sometimes Tadashi understood why there were so many people lined up to punch Tsukki’s lights out.
Hinata’s scowl deepened.
“We have to stay with you?”
“Sorry to inconvenience you.”
“Both of you knock it off,” Tadashi lowered Yachi to the floor and moved to stand between Hinata and Tsukishima.
It was Kiyoko who managed to cut the tension. She reached for Hinata’s hand and pulled him to her side, and then turned to Tsukishima in a low bow.
“Sorry for the intrusion, and thank you for your generosity.”
Tsukishima’s cheeks flushed a light pink and he grabbed for Tadashi’s hand as a distraction, “We’ve got a cab out front that can fit all of you. Figure you’ve probably had a long day and just want to get some rest.”
“That would probably be best.”
Tadashi allowed himself to be dragged along by Tsukishima, all too aware of the possessive nature of his grip, settling into it all the same.
The pack bundled into the back of the large taxi, while he and Tsukishima climbed into their car, driving behind the taxi the whole way back to the apartment. The pack had no luggage to unload, but Yachi had fallen asleep on the ride and Suga took it upon himself to clumsily unload and carry her upstairs.
The omegas looked lost in Tsukishima’s apartment. Even Hinata stood awkwardly in the doorway, hands tucked into his pocket, eyes cast downwards.
The tension was stifling Tadashi, and he all but ran behind the kitchen counter to hide himself away. He threw open the fridge just to relish in the refreshing blast of the familiar cool air. It was too much. His family was free, they should be happy. But there was still a huge weight bearing down on them, and it seemed to be dragging them down harder than their years of captivity ever had.
He studied the contents of their fridge. At this point he had acquired enough ingredients to whip up anything his heart desired, but a thought occurred to him stopping him in his tracks. He had no idea what his family liked to eat. He had lived in their underground bunker alongside some of them for almost three years, and yet they’d never had a proper meal together.
Tadashi sighed, pulling out the ingredients for Tsukki’s favorite curry, seeking solace in what had quickly become his favorite as well.
The pack awkwardly settled in around the apartment in silence, and Tsukishima disappeared upstairs like the little social butterfly he was. Hinata stayed near the door, sliding his back down the wall and sinking to the floor. But even crippling social anxiety couldn’t keep Nishinoya at bay for long.
“Well don’t you look cute in the kitchen.”
Tadashi yelped with surprise, sending his spatula clattering across the floor. Noya picked it up and licked it clean.
“You seem to have settled down pretty quickly.”
Tadashi scoffed, snatching back his spatula and rinsing it in the sink.
“He’s right,” Suga called from the sofa, still holding Yachi’s sleeping form on the sofa, “This guy must have a magic dick or something, because our old Tadashi wouldn’t have been caught dead in an apron.”
Kiyoko cuffed Suga upside the head, and hefted herself upright, her sights aimed at Noya. He scurried away, cackling.
She grabbed a spoon and took the pan for Tadashi, browning the pork while he added in vegetables.
“It looks good on you,” she whispered, soft enough for only him to hear.
“What? The apron?”
“No,” her smile slid easily into place, “Happiness.”
Tadashi felt his face heat up, and had to stop himself from leaning directly over the steaming pan to disguise it.
Tsukishima clambered back down the stairs. He seemed to have collected any and all of his lose fitting and pajama-like clothes. He spilled them onto the table with a grunt, “Obviously I’m a little bigger than… all of you. But I figure we can probably make something work for tonight at least.”
Noya rushed over, Suga woke Yachi, and even Kiyoko looked over longingly at the prospect of clean clothes.
The only one who didn’t move was Hinata.
He was still seated, back against the wall, next to the entryway. His knees were pulled to his chest, and his head rested atop them, facing the door, as if he were waiting for it to open.
Tadashi quickly turned back to his cooking.
The pack showered one by one and pieced together mismatched outfits for each other out of Tsukki’s clothes. In no time, Tadashi produced a steaming hot serving dish of curry. They settled around the table, and Tadashi couldn’t help but smile along as they engaged in slightly awkward, but joyous conversation.
And then the roaring started back up.
Every head snapped over to the shared wall. Fear seeped through the room. Tadashi’s hand shot to grab Tsukki’s. The alpha rose.
“You all can sleep in my room. I’ll be down here, but the door locks. You all have nothing to worry about.”
Noya was the first to make terrified eye contact with Tsukishima, nodding tentatively and grabbing for Suga. The group filed upstairs quickly and silently.
Hinata stayed by the door.
“Hinata?” Tadashi approached the boy carefully.
Hinata sniffed.
“Hinata, let’s go to sleep.”
“I can’t…” He looked up with eyes still swollen and puffy, lip trembling, “Tadashi, I need to go to him.”
Tadashi’s jaw went slack, “Hinata–“
“No. I know what you’re going to say but… Kenma is gone, and he is hurting, and I need to be there with him.”
Tadashi quietly gasped for breath, words completely escaping him. His eyes searched for Tsukki, but the alpha was pointedly scrubbing at dishes and avoiding eye contact.
“Hinata. He’s having his rut. He won’t be able to control himself.”
The boy’s gaze turned downright murderous.
“You don’t know him Tadashi.”
“But –“
“No. Kuroo won’t hurt me. He’s not a monster, he’s my family now too. And right now he doesn’t even know that is mate is missing, he needs me to be there with him right now.”
Hinata stood, despite Tadashi’s desperate flailing.
“Tsukishima. Can I have the key?”
Tadashi spun on Tsukki, but the alpha already had the key in hand.
He spluttered uselessly, Tsukki refusing to meet his eyes as he helped Hinata to his feet.
“I’ll leave the door unlocked.”
Hinata nodded once and disappeared down the hall.
Tadashi was not done with Tsukki, “What the hell–“
“Go to bed Tadashi.” Tsukki was done with Tadashi.
He stormed up the stairs, relieved to find the pack already settling in to the enormous bed.
Yachi cocked her head curiously, “Where’s Hinata?”
Tadashi groaned, flopping face first onto the mattress, “Probably getting himself killed.”
“Sounds pretty par for the course,” Noya hopped onto the bed, inches away from Tadashi’s head, earning him a scowl.
Suga did a quick headcount of the group before settling in and pulling a blanket over the whole group, “Alright, everyone shut up and go to sleep. We have our first full day of freedom ahead of us tomorrow, and there will be no time for taking naps.”
“Don’t we have to go to like a million doctor’s appointments or something?” Noya asked.
“Exactly. But I think if we hurry, we can still make it to the Sky Tree too.”
Tadashi knew after an hour, that there was no way he’d ever be able to sleep. The heat around him was less comforting and just more stifling, and he was all too aware of how Yachi’s arms around him were the wrong arms. He didn’t feel like a stranger per say, but lying here feeling so absolutely wrong, he became acutely aware of how much he had grown. He knew the pack would always be his family, but they were no longer his home.
He extracted himself from the nest carefully, the bodies around him quickly settled in together, effortlessly sealing the gap he left behind.
He made his way down the stairs, suddenly eager to return to the sofa he’d been stranded on for so long. It now strangely beckoned to him through the darkness, but it was also quite possible that the feeling could be attributed to the man sitting there.
Tsukki was stretched out under a blanket, his back up against the arm and his head tilted back at an awkward angle, one Tadashi knew from experience would not feel good in the morning.
He hovered behind the sofa, studying his prey before pinching his nose shut.
Tsukki jolted, awaking with a snort and a desperate gasp.
He glared around suspiciously before eyeing Tadashi and yanking him over the back of the sofa and into his lap, wrestling to clamp a hand over his nose and mouth.
Tadashi squealed at the assault, playfully batting away Tsukki’s attempts at murder.
“You want to know why I felt safe sending Hinata over there?”
Tadashi settled, resting his head on Tsukki’s chest, right over his rapidly beating heart, “Desperately.”
“I have known Kuroo for a long time. Dspite hating him with every fiber of my being, I trust him, almost as much as I trust myself.” He wrapped his arms around Tadashi, cradling him tight, “And I know that if the roles were reversed, there would be no way I would ever hurt you.”
<<<<>>>>
The apartment was dark, but not silent.
As he swung open the door, he was greeted by Kiki and Jiji. The two cats whined at his feet, seemingly torn between begging for attention or food. Hinata grinned at the sight of them, crouching to pet them both, while scanning the room for the obviously absent party.
Princess Diana was at the top of the stairs. Her eyes briefly met his, but she made no move for him as she continued her watch. Seated right outside the master bedroom door, she occasionally pawed at the wood. Crying for Kuroo.
The alpha’s moans echoed throughout the space.
His roars of aguish that had permeated the walls earlier had subsided, but it was clear that he was still in agony. His exhaustion was evident with each breathy moan, and Hinata had to fight back his instinct to run as it became clear Kuroo’s arousal was mounting.
The sounds that reached Hinata’s ears were far from disturbing. More than anything, they just seemed sad.
Heats and ruts are a reaction of the body, and they take little direction from the wants and needs of the heart. Kuroo’s body didn’t care that he was alone. His rut would take its toll on him regardless of his wellbeing, and he would just have to suffer through it.
Hinata did not consider himself to be smart by any means. But he was well aware of the dangers to himself if he were to venture upstairs right now. So he busied himself with the care of the cats. He refilled their water and food, and cleaned out the litter boxes, and prepared himself mentally for the possibility that Fish might be dead.
After a few aggressive nudges, the old cat’s eyes finally cracked open, and Hinata let out a huge sigh of relief. That was not something he needed to deal with right now.
He lifted the cat into his lap, relishing the way the cat’s deep purr settled into his bones. It steadied his breathing and allowed him to slow his thoughts. It’s just Kuroo. He’s not going to hurt me.
The noises upstairs slowly worked their way to a crescendo, exhaustion be damned. Hinata attempted to cover his ears, but even that couldn’t protect him from Kuroo’s final anguished wail.
The silence that followed was hardly a blessing.
Hinata bit his lip to stop it from trembling. He did not have time to be afraid right now.
He nearly forgot about Fish, just barely managing to stop the cat from tumbling to the floor as he rose. After returning him to his spot, Hinata didn’t even allow himself a moment breathe before moving to the stairs. Before he was ready, he was at the top of the steps knocking at the door.
It swung open at his touch, exposing a sweltering heat mixed with spoiled pheromones, and at the center of it all, was Kuroo.
He was curled up on himself, on top of the covers, shivering as beads of sweat collected and rolled off his body. His breaths were deep and labored, bordering on a desperate gasp. His gaze was unfocused and cast towards the ceiling. Tears flowed in a constant stream down the sides of his face. He made no sign that he had noticed Hinata’s arrival.
Hinata was frozen. This was no ordinary rut. Judging from the amount of sweat, Kuroo’s body was desperately trying to rid him of something. Hinata had seen something like it only once before, although it had been a little difficult to observe when it had happened to him. But after being told off by all those doctors, he knew exactly what Kuroo needed now.
He slipped into the master bathroom. After removing several cat toys from the obviously unused tub, he started running warm water into the tub. He filled up the glass by the sink and moved back out to get Kuroo.
Kuroo barely reacted as Hinata maneuvered his naked body off of the bed. His skin was ice cold and uncomfortably damp. He offered no resistance, but also barely any help on the short trek to the tub. Getting him to lift a leg proved almost as fruitful as reasoning with a rock, and Hinata almost considered dunking him into the water headfirst just to speed things along.
Once he was settled into the warm bath, his vacant eyes fluttered shut and he finally managed to let out a breath that didn’t sound pained.
Hinata settled in a crouch at the head of the tub. He was too afraid to try giving Kuroo a drink when he was this out of it, so he settled for running his fingers through his sweat-drenched mop of hair.
Kuroo relaxed into his touch, his breathing evening out and his shivering subsiding. With a weak grunt of effort, he turned on his side, craning his neck and attempting to look at Hinata.
His voice came out in a strangled whisper.
“Kenma?”
Hinata choked on a sob, desperately fighting to keep his emotions bottled up, like he had been all day.
“Kenma’s not here right now Kuroo.” Hinata struggled for words, “But don’t worry. I’ve got you.”
Hinata lifted the glass of water to Kuroo’s lips and found himself smirking a the speed at which he guzzled away the entire glass. Once it was empty, Kuroo let out a tormented moan. He rolled over fully in the small tub and pushed himself up just enough to bury his face in Hinata’s shoulder.
He mumbled something unintelligible.
Hinata let out a nervous laugh, pulling Kuroo back so that he could look him in the eyes.
“What was that big guy?”
Kuroo groaned, “You shouldn’t be here Hinata. I could hurt you.”
Hinata tried to smile and found his lip trembling again, he pushed ahead anyways. “You won’t hurt me Kuroo.”
Kuroo looked downwards, his shivering had started up again and Hinata worked to rub his back to try and warm him up.
“I scared you,” Kuroo said. “I never wanted to hurt you or frighten you or make you cry, and then I did. Someone threatened you, I couldn’t hold myself back, but you were the one I ended up scaring. I was so sick and couldn’t stop myself from doing the one thing I was afraid of. Hurting my family.”
“I was never afraid of you Kuroo.” Hinata ran his fingers through Kuroo’s hair, attempting to draw him back to the present, “I mean, maybe a little bit at the beginning there, but that was mostly stranger danger.”
Kuroo chuckled weakly.
“But I wasn’t afraid of you then, and I’m certainly not now.”
Kuroo took a shaky breath, “Does Kenma hate me?”
Hinata pulled Kuroo’s head back his chest. He didn’t want him to see the tears that were now pooling in his eyes. “No no no. Kuroo, Kenma would never hate you.” He tried to rock Kuroo against his chest but the water in the tub started to slosh. Hinata lowered Kuroo’s head to rest on the edge of the tub and sank down to his knees, cocking his head so that he could meet his gaze again. He gently brushed away the hair that had fallen into Kuroo’s eyes. “Kenma could never hate you.”
“I just…” Kuroo’s body started to tense up again, “I just feel like everything between us is so fucked up right now.”
Hinata’s heart clenched in his chest, he couldn’t tell Kuroo that Kenma was missing right now. It would break him.
He settled for nodding noncommittally.
“It’s like…” Kuroo took a deep breath, “It’s like the world has been trying it’s hardest to rip us apart from each other, and I don’t know if either of us has the strength left to pull us back together.” Kuroo lets out an unrestrained sob, too tired to fight anything anymore. “What if the two of us aren’t strong enough to fix this?”
Hinata leaned forward, pressing his forehead to Kuroo’s and staring deep into his broken eyes.
“But it’s not just the two of you anymore.” He smiled, a real genuine smile this time, “You have me.”
Notes:
So, surprise to all of you, not me, I knew the whole time, There's only one more chapter of all this nonsense!!!! Plus an epilogue, which I'm hoping will bring me back into all of your good graces. But we're finally going to circle back to Kenma's point of view and wrap this bitch up!
I can't even imagine making it this far without my amazing commentors. I promise all of you, I'm going to work so hard to get you all to forgive me, because without your support this never would have gotten this far and would have died alone inside the confines of my mind. You all make my heart soar, I fucking love you all!!!
Chapter 17: Free
Notes:
Shout out to the three people who read this chapter last Thursday before I had a major freak-out, took it back down and rewrote just the whole fucking ending.
Also, topic of major debate in my household now: There are two main components to a computer (not a laptop, an old fashioned computer), the Screen AKA the monitor and the Tower AKA i don't really know what else to call it... My one roommate says it's called the desktop, but that opinion just isn't valid. If any one else has an idea I am not above making some edits, there's some real clunking ass wording near the end here.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Kuroo rose suddenly from sleep.
Hinata was pressed up against him, warm and peaceful, with his small arms tightly wound around his torso. But Kuroo’s head was finally clear. In the dark of the early morning he reached out for what he already knew he wouldn’t find.
The rest of the nest was empty.
Hinata roused at the movement, looking up at Kuroo with eyes clouded by sadness and the last vestiges of sleep.
“Hinata, where is Kenma?”
The tears were already spilling down Hinata’s face, but Kuroo was frozen in place unable to wipe them away, doing everything in his power to hold back his own sob.
“I don’t know.”
<<<<>>>>
Kenma awoke slowly, and with enough of a pounding headache that he immediately regretted the decision. He kept his eyes shut tight in the hopes that sleep would reclaim him. Kuroo’s fingers combed softly though his hair, so it was hardly a challenge to sink back into the deep embrace of unconsciousness.
The next time he awoke, he was alone in bed. That was fine by him, he had always been a bit of a blanket hog, but he did worry about Hinata running off and getting into trouble. He wasn’t able to fall back asleep this time, but the bed was warm and softer than he had remembered it ever being, so he was content to relax for a while, silently hoping one of his cats would come by offering just a little extra warmth and an excuse to not get up.
It was the whispering that tipped him off that something might be off.
The memories came leaking back in slowly. Kiyoko’s smile, Yachi’s warmth, Noya’s…. Noya, but none of it felt wrong. They had been hopeful, happy even, Hinata was by his side the entire time, but he couldn’t quite remember how he’d gotten home.
He sat up too quickly, the lights of the room blinding him, and his head spun violently, but he couldn’t shut his eyes. Not when his surroundings were so viscerally unfamiliar.
It was a mostly white room, set up like a hotel room with two beds and a sofa. There were four strange men, scattered about the room. Two were playing cards, while another seemed to be watering plants. The fourth was seated in a chair at the foot of Kenma’s bed eyeing him apathetically. They all wore white silk robes and upon closer inspection, Kenma found that he was dressed the same.
He stared back at his bedside observer, trying to remember if he’d ever met the man before. All of the men in the room had soft appearances, allowing Kenma to relax slightly under the impression that he was surrounded by omegas.
His observer spoke, “Hey guys, the newbie’s awake.”
And it all came back.
The crash was overwhelming.
All of the fear and uncertainty flooded Kenma’s mind, the comfort of the pack completely washed away. That scent. Those alpha’s from the rest stop. They’d found him. They’d found Hinata. Oh God they found Hinata.
Kenma leapt up from the bed, rushing towards the door. He crashed into it in his haste, tugging at the handle and kicking at the base. He heard a surprised yelp and a “What the fuck” from the omegas behind him, but he didn’t care. None of them were Hinata.
He turned and darted into the bathroom, slamming and locking the door. He leaned back against it and sank to the floor.
Panic. Raw Panic. It flooded his system. He wound his fingers through his hair, and pulled. He pressed his face into his drawn-up knees.
He couldn’t breathe.
He’d fucked up everything.
He tried to remember that morning. Something thick and cloudy floated around in his brain, preventing him from organizing his thoughts. It was like trying to look past a brick wall.
He heard voices outside the bathroom door.
“Will you just chill? Of course he’s freaking the fuck out.”
“I thought he came from another omegahouse.”
“Maybe the drugs are giving him a bad trip.”
“Come now. He has every right to be terrified. You all should be ashamed of yourselves.”
“Where’s Hinata?”
Kenma’s own voice sounded foreign to him, floating to his ears from across the room instead of his own mouth. He was so disoriented, and lost, and his head was pounding, and he just needed to know that Hinata was safe.
“Who?”
Kenma felt the air freeze up in his lungs. He couldn’t breathe in, but he couldn’t breathe out either. His anxiety coiled up, holding him hostage in his own body. He didn’t know what he needed, but he couldn’t break himself free.
“Is he okay? I need to know if he’s okay.”
“Honey. You came here alone, I promise. So would you please open the door?”
The vice on his lungs released. Hinata had to be okay, right?
He thought back to the morning, the air flooding his lungs was clearing out the dense fog. He remembered voices.
‘I’m sure he’ll do just fine.”
‘Are you sure you don’t want the original merchandise?’
‘Fresh meat.’
Cruel voices. Intent on hurting him. But as long as it wasn’t Hinata.
Kenma reached up and twisted the lock, the click of the mechanism silencing the whispers outside.
His head pounded.
He curled tighter on himself, still unable to move. The door at his back was pushed open slowly, and he felt himself slide across the tile floor as it moved.
One of the omegas slid through the crack in the door, dropping to his knees with a flourish of his silken robe. He clutched Kenma in his arms, preventing him from falling back as the door closed again.
Kenma’s face was pressed into the omega’s scarred scent gland, a sure sign that he was indeed where he thought he was. The omega rocked his limp body, whispering softly into his hair as he stroked it gently. The fingers combing through his hair were oddly familiar. Not Kuroo’s, but he recognized the touch from before.
“Shhhh. It’s going to be alright.”
Kenma tried to imagine that the fingers in his hair were Kuroo’s anyways. Sweet perfect Kuroo.
Kenma pulled back just enough to look at the omega’s face. Soft brown eyes and hair, and a gentle, but sad smile greeted him.
“Can you tell me your name?”
He didn’t want to.
But he remembered asking that certain question of a different omega all those weeks ago.
He didn’t so much care for being on the other side.
His voice came out as a croak, “Kenma.”
The omega smiled again, this time allowing it to reach his eyes, “Well Kenma, my name is Oikawa Tooru. Those idiots out there are my pack, and we’re going to take care of you alright?”
Kenma nodded, closing his eyes to prevent the tears from welling up.
“Can you stand?”
Kenma didn’t respond, but allowed himself to be guided to his feet anyways.
The other omegas parted as Oikawa led Kenma back to the bed, settling down next to him and drawing him back into his arms. His long fingers continued combing through Kenma’s hair, and Kenma was somehow able to be soothed by the action.
Everything else in his body was numb. His thoughts were racing to quickly for him to make any sense of them. As his anxieties and fears whirled around in his head, he chose to let it all blend together into one indiscernible mess, allowing himself instead to focus on the comfort Oikawa provided.
The whispering from the rest of the pack started back up, and another hand settled on Kenma’s arm, drawing his gaze.
“Do you know what’s going to be expected of you tonight?”
“Yahaba!” Oikawa smacked away the omega’s hand, “Leave him be.”
“And what? Let him be blindsided when they come for him? Oh what a fun little surprise that’ll be.”
“Yahaba.” Oikawa growled againh, “I’m sure he’ll be fine.”
“Oh please, you can’t see it? You can’t smell it?” He crouched back down to Kenma’s level, “How long have you been a whore for?”
Kenma’s voice caught in his throat, “I… I haven’t –“
Yahaba’s eyes narrowed as he reached for Kenma’s arm again, pulling him away from Oikawa and to his feet, yanking at the opening of his unfamiliar silk robe.
Kenma’s bond mark was revealed, and the room fell silent.
Oikawa’s face paled, eyes darting across Kenma’s otherwise unblemished skin.
“Shit.”
<<<<>>>>
“Unfortunately, this operation was not sanctioned by the Public Security Intelligence Agency. While I can assure you that the officers involved will be disciplined, there is no avenue of legal litigation available for you to pursue against the agency at this time.”
Kuroo’s rage boiled inside him, threatening to cook him alive. But this time, his rage was not some irrational force manufactured by hormones. His feelings were real, tangible, and at this moment directed at the other side of the room.
He sat at the end of a long table, sandwiched between Daichi and Hinata, staring down Sawamura Senior and some dumb-fuck lawyer on government payroll, desperately doing damage control on Kenma’s disappearance.
The only thing keeping Kuroo seated was Hinata’s hand clutched in his own, squeezing for dear life. He had not stopped crying since he had delivered the news of Kenma’s disappearance, a steady stream of tears that he had given up on wiping away. Kuroo longed to hold him close, wipe away his tears and assure him that everything would be okay, but his mate was missing. Kenma was gone, and Kuroo would not rest until he was safe.
“Does it look like I am concerned about some lawsuit or financial compensation? I want to know what you are doing to find Kenma.” His voice came out steadier than he had expected, but he knew that he was still moments away from losing it.
“We have agents assigned to his disappearance. But as a civilian, his case will be treated with the same diligence as any other missing persons.”
Kuroo dropped Hinata’s hand in preparation to launch himself at the prick before him, “What the fuck do –“
Daichi grabbed at his wrist under the table, “Understood sir. Thank you for your time.” Daichi dragged Kuroo to his feet, and by extension Hinata. He led them in a stiff bow and then pulled them from the room, the heavy door slamming in their wake.
Kuroo was grateful for being pulled away before he could commit murder in the second degree, but now he was left with nowhere to direct his rage but Daichi.
“And what the fuck are you doing to find Kenma, oh great leader?”
“Kuroo, please understand.” Daichi’s voice was a steady as ever. “Myself, Yamamoto, and Fukunaga have all been placed on suspension without pay –“
“So what–“
“–So, that’s means the three of us will be able to offer our undivided support in the effort to find your mate. Now, if you’ll follow me, the others are waiting in the garage.”
Daichi strode to the elevator, and Kuroo lifted Hinata into his arms before following sheepishly.
The elevator was quick, making no stops as it shot straight down to the basement garage. Stepping out into the cool underground air, Kuroo had to do a double take.
A crowd of at least twenty officers jumped to attention, saluting their captain.
Daichi’s face showed a moment of panic before he regained his steady veneer, solemnly nodding to the group, “At ease men.”
Fukunaga moved forward, beaming, “Several of the cops from Sendai were also placed on probation and have volunteered their services as well. Plus some of our own guys volunteered their time off to pitch in.”
Yamamoto moved up behind him, “The alphas have all been assigned several suspected or known omegahouses to attempt to solicit tonight –“
“–And the betas have all been given police scanners to try to track any suspicious activity.” Fukunaga finished.
Kuroo frowned, lowering Hinata to the ground so he could run off to hug an unfamiliar alpha, “What kind of suspicious activity?”
Fukunaga smirked, “I think you know Kenma just as well, if not better than I. If has a chance to get word out to us, he will. And I intend to be out there listening.”
Hinata rushed back over, lacing his fingers through Kuroo’s again, and giving him a firm nod.
“Get me one of those scanners too.” Kuroo squeezed Hinata’s hand back, “We’re in.”
<<<<>>>>
They came for Watari first.
According to Kunimi, he had a regular client who liked to visit before he had to be home to his wife for dinner.
They had tried to come for Kenma last night, but whatever amateurs had transported Kenma from Sendai had grossly mis-dosed the tranquilizer, and apparently almost stopped his breathing. He’d slept for a full twenty four hours and had missed the previous business day entirely. Oikawa had had to service four customers to make up for his absence.
“All in a day’s work,” he had chuckled, with a smile that came nowhere close to his eyes.
Yahaba tried to comfort him.
“I was mated too before I came here. As far as I’m concerned, the bond still exists.” He stared longingly out the window, into the darkening Tokyo sky, “I’ll go home one day, the other scars will fade, and he can make me his again.”
Kunimi scoffed, “Like any alpha would want us after this.”
Kenma took Yahaba’s hand though, and squeezed it tight.
Oikawa sat him on the bed and helped him to braid back his hair, “There’s nothing worse than choking on your own hair and a cock.”
Kenma couldn’t quite imagine the idea of being with another alpha. The only touches he had ever known were Kuroo’s. How could he prepare for something he couldn’t even comprehend?
They came for Oikawa next, and shortly thereafter Yahaba.
Tension wound in his chest. He felt like he was preparing for a punch in the darkness. He knew it was coming, and when it did finally connect, he was afraid the flinch would hurt more than the blow itself.
Kenma lay alone on the bed, spread-eagled staring blankly at the ceiling, Kunimi on the bed next to him, mirroring his pose.
“Are you gonna be okay?”
Kenma pursed his lips, taking in a deep breath before responding.
“Yep.”
They lay in silence for another moment.
“Yeah, I never really believe it either.” The sheets rustled as Kunimi rolled to face Kenma, “But I’m still here, and you will be too.”
There was a banging on the door.
“Alright, both of you, time to work!”
Kenma clenched his fists, rolling over and landing on his feet, Kunimi shuffled lazily behind him.
“Be careful,” Kunimi mumbled half-heartedly, “They don’t cuff us or anything because this is a fully operational hotel. If you pass anyone in the halls, just keep your head down. They all carry knives, and they won’t hesitate to use them.”
Two alphas waited at the door, Kenma’s mind whirred.
A large knife glinted in the hand of one of the alphas, and the other moved to pull out his own as well.
Better now than never.
Kenma charged the currently unarmed alpha, catching him off-guard as he looked up just before Kenma’s head collided with his stomach. He fell back onto his ass with a grunt, as Kenma stumbled back from the impact.
He lost a moment of precious time.
The other alpha was behind him in a second, knife glinting at his throat.
“Why you little slu–“
Kenma slammed his head back into the alpha’s face, pushing his whole body back on top of the alpha’s and away from the knife. The alpha flailed as he fell, and the knife jerked away from Kenma’s throat. But he was still on top of his attacker. He rolled off, towards the side without the knife in hand, quickly rising to his feet and taking off in a sprint. The most important factor in a knife fight is distance. If they can’t reach you, they can’t stab you.
“Kenma!”
Kenma whirled around.
They had Kunimi.
A knife was pressed to his throat.
Kenma’s eyes darted around in panic. The hotel halls were empty, no decorative plants, no trashcans, no weapon in sight.
Kunimi’s eyes glinted with only a slight hint of nerves, despite the weapon pressed up against his airway. His voice was still level, and quiet enough to be appropriate for a hotel hallway, “Just do what they say.”
It only took a moment for Kenma to find his target, and without a second thought he shouted.
“No!”
And then he slammed his hand down on the fire alarm.
<<<<>>>>
“We have a manually triggered fire alarm at the Sakura Hotel on Choma street. I need four additional police units to respond. Confirm when in route.”
“That’s him.” Hinata launched forward from the backseat of the car, nearly hitting his head on the roof as he leaned over the center console.
“What?” Daichi spluttered, “How on earth could you know that?”
Hinata only stared at Kuroo, his face set with conviction.
The realization hit Kuroo a little slower.
“He pulled a Tadashi.”
Hinata smiled back, “He pulled a Tadashi.”
<<<<>>>>
At first there was just the noise.
An ear-spitting shriek that was amplified as it echoed down the long, empty hallway.
The sprinklers were a welcome surprise.
The alpha not holding Kunimi surged forward with an inaudible curse.
And then the doors opened.
Nervous and annoyed guests began to pour into the hallway. They barely paid the already present parties any mind, but the alphas concealed their knives all the same.
In the moment of distraction, Kenma took off again.
His pulse pounded in his ear. Every cell in his body was screaming at him to run. He could get away right now, they would never find him. He could go home, be in Kuroo’s arms in less than an hour.
But his family wouldn’t be complete without Hinata.
Despite his every instinct leading him towards the doorway, he couldn’t leave just yet.
The jumble of people all moved towards the stairwell, and it was easy for Kenma to get caught up in the current, ducking and weaving to gain ground. He stopped at the crossroads. Halls stretched down the left, right, and the center. Kenma’s eyes combed through the grumbling tourists, straining for his targets. They had to be on this floor, right?
Bingo.
Three alphas, all wearing suits, moving with no air of urgency and eyeing the alarms with pointed suspicion.
Kenma quickly ducked into the stairwell, and rushed against the crowd, up a single flight.
He peered over the edge, down the dizzying center of the stairwell. The two alphas holding Kunimi captive were the first to enter, moving quickly and shoving the hotel guests out of the way.
Oikawa passed behind Kenma, draped all over a customer as they made the trek out of the building. The omega did a double take, twisting his head as he was moved down the stairwell, trying to catch Kenma’s attention, but his focus was resilient.
The three suited alphas entered the stairwell next, and Kenma jumped back from the railing as they looked around with suspicion. When he leaned back to peek again they had moved on, and he rushed back down the steps to his original floor.
The hallway was nearly empty now, few stragglers yelling at spouses to hurry, or corralling unruly children.
Kenma rushed to the left, bee-lining for the room he had seen the men exiting.
The door had closed, but as he had hoped, the fire alarm had disabled the electronic key-card locks. The handle turned with no problem.
The hotel beds had been removed. A large stately desk stood at the far end of the room. And on that, a computer.
Kenma slammed the door, sliding the deadbolt into place and rushed up to the computer, kicking the chair out of the way. It had been logged out, but not shut down, saving him the time of booting it up. He set to work, fingers flying across the keyboard, eyes darting to the door and back again. The fire alarm was still blaring, screaming even louder in the enclosed space.
The computer wasn’t well protected, only a few easily hacked passwords before he was in, finally at the threshold of what he had been searching for all this time.
A few poorly hidden email conversations. A list of customers. A PDF of a bonding certificate with Kenma’s name at the top.
The doorknob jerked.
Kenma’s eyes shot up, his hand jerking on the mouse and almost deleting one of the precious files. He listened to the muffled voices, barely audible over the alarms. His stomach sank, certain that it had to be the suited alphas. He tried to discern what they were saying, but his adrenaline had tunneled his vision as he tried to focus on the task at hand.
The door shook in its hinges as a body crashed against it with an aggressive thump.
Kenma shook his head in an attempt to clear his thoughts. He rifled through the desk drawers, desperately searching for a flash drive, or CD, or even a floppy disk, but to no avail. He had no way to take the evidence with him. He heard the sirens pull up outside as there was another crash against the door. The door was going to come down. And he was still here.
Kenma grabbed the whole computer tower, yanking the cords out from the wall.
There was a third crash against the door. The deadbolt creaked as its screws strained in the doorframe.
Kenma had nowhere to run, but he didn’t have time to be afraid. Not before, not now, not ever. He had gotten halfway there on his own, and he was going to finish the job.
There was a closet next to the bathroom. While there was no bed in the room, there was a thick duvet tucked on the top shelf next to some pillows. Kenma had to jump to pull it down.
He flinched as his pursuers crashed into the door again.
He grabbed the discarded desk chair, and dragged it across the room, placing it close but still off to the side of the door’s inevitable path. He was careful to keep the computer tucked under his arm as he climbed up onto it. He awkwardly clutched at the edges of the duvet, shaking it out.
The room seemed to vibrate with the next crash.
The sirens continued to blare.
He saw the doorframe splinter before the sound reached his ears.
He resisted the urge to flinch, holding steady.
The door crashed forward, bringing with it his three, unbalanced attackers.
Kenma threw the blanket in a high arc, and bracing his foot on the arm of the chair, he jumped.
He twisted as he flew, protecting the computer, but he felt the satisfying impact of two of the alphas as they fell too, hopelessly swinging at him through the thin barrier. The third stumbled back into the hall, dazed and clutching his sore shoulder, reeling with shock.
Scrambling to get to his feet, Kenma clutched the computer to his chest, nearly tripping as his foot tangled in the blanket. The two alphas under the blanket shouted curses, but were adequately incapacitated as Kenma climbed over their struggling forms, through the doorway, to freedom.
A hand seized at his hair, grabbing at one of the braids. Kenma yelped as his head snapped back. He whipped the computer around, cracking it against the third alpha’s head.
And then he ran.
If the hallways still screamed, Kenma didn’t know, nothing could be louder than the alarms inside his head.
They were following him. Their legs were longer, their endurance higher, Kenma didn’t stand a chance. But also didn’t have time to consider any of that.
He flew down the stairwell, jumping the last couple of steps of every flight and narrowly missing smashing into the walls with every turn. The numbers couldn’t tick down fast enough. He’d started on seven, and made it all the way to three before his pursuers managed to catch up to him, only a hair’s breadth behind him.
Kenma clutched the computer closer to his chest and scrounged for any final burst of adrenaline he might still have inside of himself. He had been on the edge for so long, it was harder to keep going, but his desperation outweighed his fading panic. He had to get home. He would not let them take him again.
The door at the bottom of the stairs was open. His lungs screamed at the promise of fresh air, and his legs pumped harder than they ever had in his life.
The lights outside were blinding.
Several firetrucks were lined up along the curb, but Kenma ran straight past. Beyond that was a throng of disheveled and wet hotel guests. Despite catching a glimpse of a familiar white robe, Kenma didn’t dare stop.
A police car had parked on the opposite side of the street. The driver had stepped out and was leaned against the hood, talking into a walkie. Kenma didn’t recognize the cop, but it didn’t matter, he’d left his door open.
Kenma flew across the street and dove into the open door, twisted immediately he slammed the door shut and slapped his hand down on the locking mechanism.
The sound of the click was overpowered by the sound of the alphas reaching the car. The whole vehicle shook as the beasts crashed into it, punching at the glass and screaming profanities.
Kenma clamped his hands over his ears, pulling his knees to his chest, shaking.
His head whirled and his heart raced, as he gasped for air in the enclosed space, it was a miracle that he didn’t pass out.
The alphas were dragged off of the car at some point, and Kenma couldn’t tell if he could actually still hear them or if the voices would be ringing in his ears for the rest of his life.
The officer whose car he’d commandeered pulled out the key, but after a desperate look from Kenma, frowned and called for backup.
Kenma collapsed around the computer, still clutching it for dear life, but unable to do anything else, no strength left to prevent himself from falling apart. He was utterly spent, every last ounce of energy used up, the only thing left to do was cry.
There was a tap at the window, followed by another when Kenma refused to look up.
Captain Sawamura peered in through the glass. He glanced quickly at the handle before looking back to Kenma, asking silent permission.
Kenma nodded.
The lock clicked as Daichi turned the key, but Kenma instinctively pulled back as the door swung open. Daichi crouched down in the open doorway and extended a hand to Kenma.
Kenma shrugged off the help and passed off the computer instead, the look in Daichi’s eyes proving that he knew how important it was. Once he had been relieved of his cargo, Kenma slid out of the car by himself onto shaky feet.
Kenma’s eyes drew to them like magnets. They were off to the side, behind a line of police tape, but still illuminated by all of the flashing lights. There was arguing from the officers on the scene, obviously a little upset that Kenma had commandeered their vehicle, but Kenma knew he would never find it in him to worry about it.
Not as he ran to his family.
His legs felt like lead, but Kuroo jumped the tape and met him halfway, catching Kenma’s body as he fell willingly into his chest.
Strong arms surrounded him, clutched him, pulled him close. His hands weakly grasped back, trembling as he tried to cling to his mate, but he didn’t worry. Kuroo had him now. He wasn’t going anywhere.
Hinata appeared at his side. His voice running a million miles a minute, his joy palpable, and Kenma had no choice but to smile back. As he looked into Hinata’s glowing eyes, he knew every moment had been worth it.
He was back. He was safe. And so were they.
Notes:
Whelp. Holy shit. I really have only two words, and those are Thank You. Let's get to the epilogue shall we?
I'm not the proudest of my action scenes, but obviously something had to happen... Banter with a side of fluff anyone?
Chapter 18: Family
Summary:
Three years later
Notes:
You know what's better than mediocre action? Pointless fluff. Let's fucking do it.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Tucked in the back of Kuroo’s parents’ garden, Kenma cursed the weather. It was a beautiful day. The warm blue sky seemed to mock him and the sun seemed to be drying away his silent tears, as if they had never fallen at all.
The same could not be said for Hinata. The omega was curled up against Kuroo’s side, a strong arm around his back the only thing keeping him standing, audibly bawling.
Kuroo cleared his throat, glaring at Hinata for interrupting his speech.
“As I was saying, Twenty six years was a long life for a cat.” Kuroo’s voice boomed loud and dramatic across the garden, “And while Guinness failed to return any of our phone calls, you were the cornerstone of a highly successful advertising campaign for our local veterinarian, and that is something to be proud of.”
Kenma checked his watch nervously. At this point he was physically incapable of being annoyed by Kuroo’s antics, but they were on a time crunch today. While he was loathe to admit it, Fish had really chosen an inopportune time to die. Kenma had proposed putting the cat in the freezer, so they could bury him later. But that suggestion had resulted in such a show of hysterics from Hinata that they’d been left with no choice but to hold a funeral service within the hour. Luckily everyone had already been in their suits.
“ –the hole you have left in our hearts with forever be warmed by the joy you provided to us through your life–”
Kenma frowned as he tried to decipher Kuroo’s roundabout speech, but schooled his features as Hinata stared him down.
“ –And with your passing we will try to seek joy from our connection with each other, stronger, now and forever because of you.”
Hinata sniffled, pulling away from Kuroo to kneel before the pile of upturned dirt.
“I’ll miss you buddy.” He hiccupped out a dry sob, “You were my first real family member, I’ll never forget you for that.”
Kenma’s tears flowed more freely after that.
They said their goodbyes to Kuroo’s family, his mother slipping even more cookies into Hinata’s pockets, and hopped into Kuroo’s new car for the drive back to the city.
<<<<>>>>
The weather was perfect, and it was pissing Tadashi off.
If the sky could get its shit together, why couldn’t he?
“They’re going to hate it. We need to move again.”
“Okay, so, we’re not going to do that.”
Tsukki stepped over the pile of empty boxes that had accumulated in the hall. His smirk only served to infuriate Tadashi more.
“Nope. We can’t let them see any of this, they’ll turn around and head right back to the shelter.” He flopped onto the bottom bunk bed dramatically, “I want to die.”
“Same. But we don’t have time, we should have been on the road ten minutes ago.”
“Shit! Sorry Tsukki,” Tadashi sprang up from the bed, eyeing Tsukki’s suit. It made him look like a sexy college professor, something they were going to have to have a long discussion about when they were alone tonight. He scrambled to run back down the hallway to their bedroom, “I still need to find my tie! Are we going to be late?”
Tsukki followed behind, stupid smirk still intact, “Depends, is the tie a clip-on?”
Tadashi upturned an entire box onto the bed, groaning as his extensive sock collection bounced off the bare mattress, without a tie in sight, “Forget it, I’ll draw one on with a sharpie in the car.”
Tsukki was grinning now, a full Cheshire grin that could only mean trouble.
“What are you hiding?”
“Oh, you mean this?” Innocent as a lamb, Tsukki pulled the tie out from behind his back and dangled it just out of reach.
Tadashi lunged across the bed with his hands outstretched, missing his target and flopping down face first into the mattress. He rolled onto his back to glare up at his tormentor “Why you little –“
His words were cut off with a kiss.
Soft and upside down, with not near enough tongue for Tadashi’s taste, he melted into the kiss all the same. When Tsukki pulled back, his face was scrunched up with concentration. Tadashi looked down to see the tie already around his neck, the final knot being straightened out over his shirt.
Tsukki turned and walked out the bedroom door, “Fix your collar.”
Scrambling behind, Tadashi muttered something under his breath about showoffs, much to Tsukki’s delight.
The drive to the courthouse from their new house was just over forty-five minutes. Tadashi had fallen in love with the suburbs, and their little house couldn’t have been any more perfect. But as they drew closer to the city, even with Tsukki’s steady hand on his knee, Tadashi’s knee bounced up and down incessantly.
Even with their late start, they still pulled up before anyone else. They elected to wait leaned up against the hood of the car, the cool breeze steadying Tadashi’s racing heart.
The unmistakable rumble of the van announced the arrival of the pack.
Yachi was the first to bound out of the car.
“Tadashi! Tsukishima!” She squeaked as she collided into both of them with a hug. “You two must be so excited! Congratulations!”
Tsukki grunted at the collision, but Tadashi was quick to pull her away and into a full hug.
Tsukki stepped away to help the rest of the pack.
Kiyoko was pregnant again, and appeared to be on the verge of bursting. This time around she had been blessed with twins. Her boy had already wriggled out of his carseat and taken off running, only to be caught by Tsukki before he could barrel into traffic. Kiyoko mouthed a thank you as she tried to take him back, but Tsukki waved her off, trying to hide his disgust at the little monster.
The boy had the face of a stranger, but had been blessed with his mother’s eyes. That mischievous smile however, could only be attributed to his father.
Tanaka jumped down from the van, having only just extracted himself from the backseat, flashing his matching grin as he took back the boy. “You know, you two are missing out on the wonder years. You can’t buy this kind of love.” The boy bit him on the ear.
Tadashi rushed over to Suga as he slid out of the car slowly, the baby that Daichi placed into his arms only a week old.
Tadashi couldn’t hold back his sigh, “She looks just like you Suga.”
The omega batted him upside the head, “She looks like a squashed tomato Tadashi. Daichi love, could you beat him up for me?”
“Maybe later hun,” The couple had dark circles under their eyes, but their wide smiles almost wiped them away.
“Where’s Noya?” Tadashi asked.
“Still undercover. Yamamoto too.” Tanaka held his squirming child out at arm’s length as it swung violently, “Fukunaga says we should be ready to extricate them before the end of the week though.”
“Fucking badass.”
“Please don’t teach our child curse words. He knows too many as it is.”
“Where are Kenma and the Brat Pack?” Daichi asked.
Yachi piped up, waving her cellphone around, “I got some kind of text about a cat funeral.”
Tsukki appeared behind Tadashi, whispering so only he could hear, “This really is turning into the best day of my life.”
Tadashi tried to swat him away, but was too slow, “Come on, let’s get inside.”
They met their lawyer in the hallway, and settled into the front row of the courtroom. Tadashi didn’t have to turn his head as the pack made their presence known in the row just behind them, leaving a single spot on the end of the row for Tsukki’s mother, who probably hadn’t stopped crying once in the past week. Kuroo, Kenma, and Hinata all shuffled in at 10:00 on the dime and begrudgingly took their seats further back, to not disturb the start of the trial.
The boys were brought in from the front by the bailiff. Yuu and Hiroki had been required to meet with the judge beforehand, meaning Tadashi hadn’t had a chance to see them that morning, and it showed. Yuu’s bowtie had been turned completely perpendicular, and Hiroki had apparently tried to gel down his hair using an entire bottle of gel.
They looked perfect.
Yuu practically jumped up and down to wave once he saw them. Tsukki waved back with just as much enthusiasm as Tadashi.
Their parents hadn’t deigned to make an appearance. Their little sister had been invited to one of the Olympic training camps in the mountains, and the drive was too far for what would inevitably be a quick hearing.
Once the judge terminated their parental rights, Yuu and Hiroki would be free to move in with Tadashi and Tsukishima while the rest of the adoption was finalized.
They all rose as the judge entered.
There was only one closing argument to be made.
The boy’s parents hadn’t even hired a lawyer.
Their lawyer made to stand, but Tsukki threw out a hand to stop him.
The judge nodded with a picture perfect I’ll allow it.
Tsukki rose and walked to the center of the courtroom, clearing his throat.
“There’s a misconception that after you grow up and move out, you get to pick your own family. Lord knows that that simply isn’t true. The universe throws them at you in the same way you were delivered to your parents. Blink and you’ll miss it. Let go, and you may lose your shot.
“Our only hope is that once we find the people we belong with, we cling on for dear life. Fight for them, never let them slip away. Just because you didn’t choose them, doesn’t make them any less yours.
”I didn’t go looking for my family. I was never even remotely interested. But life brought them to me anyways, and regardless of your ruling today your honor, I will not rest until I have brought them all home.”
Tadashi didn’t remember much after that.
<<<<>>>>
Hinata couldn’t sleep.
His head was still spinning after the adoption trial, and the amount of cake he’d had at the after party was still wreaking havoc on his digestive system.
He’d snuck out of the master bedroom to use the downstairs bathroom, so that his incessant flushing wouldn’t wake Kenma and Kuroo. Between trips to the toilet, he settled down on Fish’s newly vacated sofa and Kiki had joined him, but it wasn’t the same.
He leaned his head back and stared at the ceiling, a familiar sight, but one he hadn’t really considered in a long time. His first night here, he had been so scared, he was unable to do anything but stare at the ceiling. Nowadays his life was filled with anything but fear. Between his family and the pack, the love he was surrounded by drowned out the rest.
The door swung open just a hair.
Golden brown eyes met his own.
“Can’t sleep?”
“Stomach troubles.”
Kenma moved to join him on the sofa, “I told you not to eat so much cake.”
“Those are the words that killed Marie Antionette.”
“I think you’ve got the story wrong,” Kenma settled under Hinata’s arm, his head pressed up against his heart.
“Agree to disagree.”
Kenma giggled, “I can hear your stomach rumbling from here.”
“Ungh, I know, I feel like shit.”
“Did somebody say my name?” Kuroo leered through the open doorway.
“Quick, he found us, we have to leave the country,” Kenma mumbled.
“Sorry, it was getting a little hot up there without your popsicle feet.”
Hinata flexed his bare toes, “I consider my poor circulation to be an art form, perfected over centuries of evolution.”
Kuroo moved forward, grabbing the base of the futon and lifting. Both the omegas sprawled as their seat was upheaved, before the whole thing flattened out into a bed. Kuroo slid in between them in the chaos, wrapping them both up into his arms.
“There, room for everybody.”
“There was plenty of room before your fat-ass got greedy.”
“Kenma shhhh,” Hinata reached across Kuroo to hug them both, “You’ll ruin the moment. I’ve only got about five more minutes before I have to violently shit again.”
“Then we’d better make every moment count.”
Notes:
Oh no. I might actually cry. It's done...
I will never be able to put enough thanks out into the universe for the amount of support I've received. I've never written anything before, and I know this project would have shriveled up and died long ago if it weren't for the legitimately overwhelming amount of support I received from you all. Every Comment, Kudos, Bookmark, and Hit. They all mean so much to me, I could cry. And who knows, I still might, the night is still young.
I am so passionate about this story. Like, I just love to stare at it. I did that. Me bitch. I love that I can see my writing get better as it goes, like a fucking time capsule. I can't wait to get even better. How cool is that???
If you're interested, stay tuned for a KenHina college AU from yours truly, I think it's what the world needs.