“Rindou~” Ran sings.
The call snaps Rindou out of his focus, looking over to his brother. He tilts his head, curious.
“What's up aniki?” He asks, straightening up his posture slightly.
“Still staring at them I see,” Ran teases with a smirk, sitting beside him on the bench. They lean back against the table, watching the pair with lidded eyes.
Rindou rolls his eyes, crossing his arms and mimicking their pose. “And?” He asks, tilting his head back and closing his eyes.
“You know the whole pack knows, right?” Ran asks, nudging him with their knee.
Rindou can feel his scent slightly sour. He opens his eyes, eyes narrowing at his brother.
“Knows what, aniki?” He inquires, voice full of venom.
“Oh, don't act like that,” Ran drawls, stretching. They reach their wrist over, rubbing it gently against his neck gland. Ran doesn't smell as potent as him, being a beta, but they still smell comforting. Copper and perfume shouldn't smell good together but somehow it does. At least to Rindou.
He relaxes, scent evening out. Sour mint turns back into metallic mint.
“There you go~” Ran lilts, moving closer to rest their head on his shoulder. Rindou relaxes even further, feeling safe beside his brother and packmate. “Now, tell your aniki about your feelings.”
Rindou rolls his eyes, closing them again. “Not like it matters,” he replies automatically.
Ran sits up straight at that, which causes Rindou to open his eyes back up. He sits up, looking his brother in the eyes. They stare at him, aghast.
“What do you mean it ‘doesn’t matter’?” They ask, turning to face him fully, looking pissed.
“Well, Kaku and Izana and already the perfect omega alpha couple,” Rindou starts, staring at Ran incredulously. “They’ve known each other since they were kids, their heats and ruts have synced up and-” he starts to list off, but Ran cuts him off.
“None of that sh*t matters, Rindou,” their normal lilt to their words is gone, instead placed with genuine seriousness. “You like them, hell, you love them. You want to mate them, we all can f*cking tell. What you need to get through your thick skull, Rin, is that they like you too.”
Rindou’s world is flipped on its head with four simple words.
-
Rindou somehow skipped a big part of the dating and went straight to getting mated. Not that he’s complaining; he knows (now) that he had (apparently) had a will they, won’t they thing with Kakucho and Izana for a while. The ages were kind of scuffed but Ran trusted Izana and Kakucho, and Kakucho and Izana had known each other the longest and had no adults in their life to keep them apart. Also, they were delinquents so they didn’t f*cking care.
The first heat they spend together after that is after a particularly grueling day watching a gang fight. Rindou doesn’t remember much. Too many people there had overwhelmed his and Ran’s scents, making it hard for him to concentrate. However it did help hide his slightly feverish scent, he was near his pre-heat. Or had it already started? It was hard for him to think throughout the day and it got worse after the murder happened.
By the time they make it back to the house he’s overheating despite the cold weather. He forces his shirt off, then Ran’s, then forces them on the couch. His heat is nearly there, something in the day must have triggered it, but he can’t go into heat yet. Not without his mates.
Ran comforts him, scenting him as they attempt to call someone on their phone. Rindou doesn’t make it easy but he can’t help it with his heat. He whines, hiding his face in Ran’s scent gland. He nuzzles it, feeling tears prick his eyes. His brother, his packmate, is here, but his omega wants his mates. He whines again, trying to stifle it but not managing to.
“Shhhhh,” Ran comforts, letting out calming pheromones. They plaster themself to him, trying to send comfort with skin on skin contact. “They’re nearly here, Rin, it’ll be okay,” they soothe, before they start humming. It’s an old lullaby that they would sing to him when they were younger and their parents got too loud.
Rindou calms down. He doesn’t whine anymore, but he does start to silently cry. He breathes in Ran’s scent, trying to keep calm. His heat is making him more emotional and, without his mates safe, he can also feel his omega grow anxious.
Some people called omegas when they got upset or angry ‘feral’, which was an offensive term. It was like calling a woman too emotional. They couldn’t help their biology; not that they were inherently soft but they had big emotions that clouded their brain, all types of emotions. People tended to see love, care, or sadness, so when people saw the anger, they called it inhuman, feral.
Rindou ends up smelling his mates before he sees them. Without prompting he’s rushing to the front door, opening it without a care in the world. He realizes he’s still shirtless after he’s already in Izana and Kakucho’s arms, but he can’t care. Not with his mates there. He quickly nuzzles into their necks, wanting to smell them, have it consume him.
“I see your heat has hit hard, huh?” Izana asks as Kakucho gently guides them inside.
All Rindou can do is whine in response. Now that his mates are here his tears have stopped but it’s still not enough.
“Nest,” he insists, taking the lead to drag him to his room. Normally he wouldn’t be this demanding, nor would he put all his cards on the table, but he needed this. His inner omega was going crazy over not having his mates safe in his nest.
Kakucho manages to wave to Ran before they enter Rindou’s room and all Ran does in response is grin lazily. As soon as they’re inside Rindou enters his nest, purring. There’s, of course, his comforter, other blankets, pillows, etc, as well as articles of clothing from all of their pack. Some of Mucho and Shion’s shirts, Mochi’s gang jacket, Kakucho and Izana’s normal casual wear, and, of course, Ran’s leftover clothing. It was his main nest and he had them contribute things that smelt like them every time their previous contributions lost their scent. Kakucho and Shion were the same with their nests. It made them feel like home, having it smell like their pack.
Kakucho and Izana are quick to shed their layers, keeping themself shirtless at most. Both are uncharastically quiet as the task is done as well, being quick and efficient so they can get to Rindou. As soon as they’re ready, they enter his nest, knowing that they need no permission at the moment.
Rindou purrs as soon as they’re with him in his nest, pulling them both close. He hides his neck in Kakucho’s neck, his wrist finding Izana’s to soak in their scent and throw his around as well. My mates, safe, warm, comfortable, safe, his inner omega chants, thoroughly pleased. He’s still a bit feverish and parched but that can wait for the moment.
“Feeling better?” Kakucho asks, his voice gravelly and making his throat vibrate. His scent is thick and reminds Rindou of the sea, salty yet refined.
Rindou’s purring intensifies and he hums out a yes.
“My pretty omega,” Izana runs a hand through his hair, smiling gently. His scent is tinged with the metallic scent of blood, just like Ran and Rindou, but instead of mint or perfume he smells like baked bread. Unexpected, but he loved it.
“So pretty, we’ll take care of you, don’t worry,” Kakucho affirms, his own purr building up in his throat. Rindou can feel it and it just makes his purrs worse.
He feels safe and content, and…
“My mates,” he murmurs before falling asleep.
-
Rindou is distressed. Soured metallic mint permeates the air, and tears flow down his cheeks. He had- he felt as the bond broke with Izana’s death. And Kakucho’s bond was faint even if it was still there. He had- Kisaki had-
f*ck-
Panic fills him, heartbreak making his chest ache. He can’t stop whining, even as the officers bang on his cell, he just can’t stop. He whines and whines, tears clouding his vision, panic making it hard to breathe. Izana- His alpha-
He doesn’t hear the cell door open, and doesn’t even smell his pack until they’re right up in his face. He can’t focus and can only vaguely feel a wrist on his neck. Everything hurts, his alpha’s bite burns on his neck and he can’t feel his alpha-
Rindou only comes back to it when he’s enveloped by coppery perfume. He blinks, wondering what that sound is and then realizes it’s him. He’s still whining and there’s still tears falling down his cheeks, but now he can focus. His breathing has slowed, even if it’s not back to normal, and he finally realizes his pack is here. Ran, Mochi, Shion and Mucho are there with him, in his cell.
“Rindou?” Ran asks, pulling their face away from his neck. They search his eyes and breathe a sigh of relief, burying themself back into his neck.
“What happened?” He manages to croak after he stops his whine, feeling how rough his voice is.
“You nearly dropped,” Shion informs, hand in his, the scent of grass and hay wafting up to mix in with Ran’s scent.
Rindou whines again at that, realizing why. Tears prick his eyes again.
“They should be okay, Rind-” Mucho starts but Rindou shakes his head and cuts him off.
“Izana’s bond broke,” he explains, his scent starting to overpower their efforts. He can feel the panic edge in again and he can feel the tears start up again.
“No,” Ran breathes, eyes wide. “Kakucho?” They ask urgently, their own scent turning sour.
“Faint, but there,” he reassures despite the tears. “But Izana’s, he’s-” he can’t say it, hiding his face in Ran’s neck this time.
His omega nearly died, and… their alpha is dead.
-
“f*ck him.”
Rindou is seething. He paces around the living room, hands clenched. It was one thing to fight their generation; Ran and Rindou were a package deal, Mucho and Mochi were capable alphas who weren’t deterred by f*cking biology, and Shion wasn’t really a fighter. The fight was over before it began, South defeated them, that was that. They had to join his stupid gang at that point.
But going after Kakucho? Yes, he protested, because no one would have his loyalty the way Izana did (same with the rest of them), but it was all just f*cking bullsh*t. South was stronger than them physically, they all knew that, and he beat Kakucho to a pulp. But he didn’t stop there, oh no, he did more than just fight.
Terano South tried to bitch Kakucho.
And, not only that, he did it right in front of his mate.
The room oozes the scent of blood, metallic, enough so that anyone else would taste it. The pure unfiltered rage in the room would be terrifying to most, but not for Tenjiku since they know it’s not about them.
It’s about him.
Kakucho whines, curling up with a wince. It’s an unfamiliar sound to most of them, even if they were pack he had never been one to whine. Before the Kanto incident, they didn’t even realize it was a sound he could make. Outside of Rindou, of course, who’s rage is instantly put into a little box at that sound. Mint fills up the space near instantly and he’s at the younger’s side quickly. He nuzzles his face and then his neck, scenting him, before resting their foreheads together. Kakucho calms down at this, his sea scent evening out with his mate at his side.
Kakucho had nearly dropped again. A third time this year. Well, technically the second near drop. He had dropped after Izana died and he nearly died.
It was a miracle he hadn’t dropped today, honestly. If Rindou hadn’t been there, hadn’t felt the distress through their bond, he’s not sure he would’ve survived. And- he can’t lose another mate. Both of them lost their alpha, they can’t lose each other too.
Of course, South couldn’t bitch him. It was unwilling and since Kakucho had already had an alpha as a mate, it wouldn’t stick. The use of his pheromones, no matter how potent, couldn’t break that, especially since he still had a mate. However it didn’t change how f*cking wrong it was for him. He probably didn’t see it as anything else besides getting Kakucho to listen and the rest of his pack to follow, but it didn’t change what he did.
Rindou was going to kill him.
“We’re still a part of his gang,” Shion speaks up after a moment, hating to disrupt the moment between the omegas but needing to.
“No,” Rindou snaps, holding Kakucho closer. Not squeezing, he doesn’t want to hurt, but still close.
“Rindou, he’s stronger than us-” Mochi starts, arms crossed.
“He tried to bitch Kakucho, are you insane?” The mint sharpens, the scent of blood starting to become potent.
“Rindou,” Ran cuts in, moving closer. Rindou is growling in an instant, muscles tightening, his inner omega screaming. That makes them freeze, eyebrows furrowed. Shock and surprise permeates the room, even from Kakucho.
Rindou had never seen his brother as a threat, even for a second, and especially not for long enough to growl at them.
Ran’s frozen in place, staring at their brother. They knew Izana’s death had been hard for all of them but especially his mates. Because of that, he and Kakucho had naturally grown near inseparable at times. The longest they could go without each other was a day and that was only on good days. They had lost their alpha, their other mate, so it was only natural. Both of their heat cycles had been f*cked up as well due to the stress and the drops. Ran was aware all of that was taking a heavy toll on Rindou; he hadn’t gone this long without his alpha since they got mated plus, while they personally didn’t understand what it felt like to lose a bond, they’d heard about it before and overall it sounded f*cking painful.
But they had never expected to get here. None of them wanted to work for South; he was an asshole and not in the way they appreciated with Izana. Izana had been their leader, their pack alpha. Kakucho, naturally, had been their pack omega because of it. South had seen that and had tried to bitch him to take control of them, not because he wanted to mate him or anything, but it was still f*cking cruel and inhumane and disgusting. None of them agreed with it, and even if he had managed to they wouldn’t let him f*ck with their pack omega like that.
And now Rindou’s inner omega was probably growling, getting protective, refusing to let Kakucho near the alpha who tried to hurt him. Even without any sexual intentions it’s still f*cked and it had f*cked with their youngest's head. Especially since he had just been beaten to a pulp and it was from an alpha who was stronger and older, even older than Izana had been when they got mated. Since they were trying to get him near him, even if not willingly, Rindou was lashing out.
Even at Ran.
“Rin,” Kakucho speaks up, reaching his hands up to cup the blond’s face. He forces the omega to look at him, resting their foreheads together. “It’s okay,” he reassures.
Rindou whines, hands going to grab at the other’s shirt. “Hurt you. Tried to bitch you,” he protests, hands shaking even clasped onto his shirt.
“I know Rin, but he’s stronger than all of us,” Kakucho sighs after the admission. “You did good, my sweet omega, but this isn’t something we can run from,” he smooths the blond’s hair, smiling ruefully. “He’s powerful. I’ll listen to him and he won’t do it again. And if he does, you can beat his ass, okay?”
Rindou whines but nods, burying his face in Kakucho’s neck. The younger one holds him close, eyes closing with unshed tears. It was a hard decision, one that made him shake even though he knew his pack would protect him, but it had to be done.
For his safety and for theirs.
-
It’s happening again.
Except this time he doesn’t have the time to drop. The bond was- it’s faint but still there. Kakucho’s still there. Invincible Mikey, Kantou Manji vs Toman 2nd Generation, all of it be damned. Rindou is frantic as they rush Kakucho to the hospital, and he’s still frantic as they wait. He is, of course, the first to know when Kakucho dies.
The bond snaps and, like that, so does he.
He doesn’t know what happens after, not truly. All he knows is that he dropped and only survived due to his pack and how they were already at a hospital.
It hurts. When he wakes up Ran is at his side, curled up asleep in a hospital chair. Mochi and Shion have made space for themself on the couch. His mating bite burns, but it’s not something that can be cured physically. His mind feels achingly empty, losing Izana had been one thing (which also hurt like hell), but now Kakucho too? Both of his mates are dead… and then there was Mucho who was killed after getting out of juvie…
Tears prick his eyes and he whines. He covers his face with his hands, trying to prevent himself from hyperventilating. He’s not going to drop again, he knows, but f*ck does this hurt right now.
He’ll never see either of his mates again.
-
It’s a week after his mate dies and he’s been released from the hospital that he finds out who killed his mate.
Sanzu Haruchiyo.
He had never trusted the bastard. He had killed Mucho, and back then Kakucho had forbidden all of them from going after him. They'd all wanted to; Mucho was family, he was pack. Even if it wasn't proven Sanzu did it, they all f*cking knew. But they wouldn't do anything, Kakucho was their pack leader since Izana died and he had been their pack omega.
Now? Now he had also killed their leader and there was nothing holding him back anymore.
The smell of blood permeates the Haitani’s apartment days after he learns. The rage inside him is never quelled, it just burns and burns. No one outside his pack is allowed in the apartment and only Shion and Ran are even allowed in his room and nest. No amount of scenting or anything calms him down.
His mates are gone. Sanzu killed a packmate, someone he considered a sibling and who helped him all throughout life, someone his nest had pieces of, and then he went and killed his mate. There's no way he stays alive. Rindou won't allow it.
Not after losing everything.
-
He feels so hot it hurts. He whines, rubbing his face against his nest. All of Mucho's things had been split between their pack, most of it going to him and Shion so they had extra pieces for their nests. Nearly all of Izana's belongings had been given to Kakucho, which he had shared with Rindou, and since he was now gone too, everything went to him. He, of course, shared some of it with Shion for his nest, and kept the rest in a secure place so they wouldn't lose their scents.
His nest smells of his pack, but it’s fainter than usual. It's been awhile since he's replaced their belongings. He does it sparsely now since he doesn't have too many things that smell of Kakucho, Izana and Mucho. It makes the feeling worse.
His heats were never this bad. Even after he lost his alpha, Kakucho had been there so they were never this bad. He still had a mate, someone that his inner omega wanted to spend his heat with. But now? He’s mateless and he’s in heat and it burns.
He whines when he smells coppery perfume. His eyes find Ran’s, tears pricking them. They’re quick to shed their layers until they’re shirtless before entering the nest. Rindou is so hot he’s burning but he curls up in their arms as soon as it’s offered. He hides his face in their neck, feeling as their unshed tears fall. Their inner omega is whining, just like he is. It hurts so bad. His mates are gone. Yes, his brother and packmate is here but it’s different. His omega wants his mates, wants them safe and so that they can keep him safe. He wants them so f*cking bad but all he has now is Ran. He’d gotten so used to Kakucho and Izana for his heats, since none of them thought they’d both die. But now they’re gone and-
It burns.
-
When Rindou awakes, he’s enveloped in a comforting warmth. A purr builds in his throat and he nuzzles into the nearest person, who just happens to be Izana. He can feel the alpha run his fingers through his hair, scratching his scalp just right. His purrs intensify, especially when he feels another body envelop him from behind. Kakucho buries his face in the back of his neck, purring as well.
He feels at home.
Izana laughs, giving his hair a gentle yank. Rindou whines at that, looking up, his eyes snapping open. He pouts, confused. The man doesn't say anything yet, just takes his hand and gently yanks Kakucho's hair as well, making him whine. Kakucho un-buries his face, giving Izana a confused look.
“We can’t sleep in,” he explains, detangling himself.
Rindou instantly whines, his pout deepening when Izana leaves their nest. Kakucho behind hims sits up, and they both take their warmth with them, making Rindou feel cold.
“Right, Micchi's wedding is today,” Kakucho leaves the nest as he speaks, stretching. It gives Rindou a wonderful view however…
“Kaku~ Zana~” He makes grabby hands, whining.
Izana chuffs, raising an eyebrow. “We have to get ready, Rin,” he replies, but he moves closer. He runs his hand through Rindou's hair again, leaning down to kiss his forehead.
“30 minutes?” Rindou begs. He's lethargic and he just wants to be with his mates.
“And then you promise to get ready?” Kakucho asks, moving to stand beside Izana.
“Yeah, yeah,” Rindou nods, making grabby hands again.
“Why are you so clingy today?” Izana asks as he crawls back into their nest, wrapping himself around him.
“Our heats are soon,” Kakucho replies in his stead, laying on Izana's other side. He reaches his hand over Izana to hold Rindou's.
“Just love you guys,” Rindou replies, burying his face in Izana's chest. “And I might've had a nightmare. Where you guys died. And Mucho.”
Kakucho starts to purr and Izana chuffs again. The arms around him tighten and Izana's face moves to his neck, starting to scent him.
“We're right here,” Izana reassures, chuffing. Kakucho purrs his hand moving so their wrists rub against each other.
Rindou smiles gently at the affection, eyes shutting gently. “I know. I know.” He purrs, curling into the affection. “I love you.”
“Love you too, Rin.”
“Love you, my omega.”
