Untitled Part 41
Chapter Forty One: The Snake
Hajime~
Hajime watched as Oikawa descended the large stone steps in front of the biology building. His chestnut hair was perfectly quaffed, as per usual, and his dark joggers swayed across his narrow hips as he moved. Behind him, various students meandered in front of the large, brick building, as they finished their afternoon classes.
"Hajime~~" Oikawa called with narrow eyes, gritting his teeth in irritation. "Stop looking at me like you're going to eat me!"
"I'm not," Hajime grumbled, turning his head to the side in embarrassment.
No matter how much time passed, his lust for the Omega's slender figure never seemed to go away. It was always present, stirring his instincts from their slumber any time he was near the boy. The first time he slept with Oikawa, or perhaps even before that, he felt a possessiveness that was now ever-present. After the incident with Kabuto, the feeling had only exacerbated-- growing even more personal with the physical reminder on his Omega's pale face.
"You are," Oikawa chirped as he swiped at a few stray autumn leaves, fluttering around in the afternoon breeze. "It's weird."
"Yeah, well," he started in response, shuffling from side to side on his white converse. "I can't help it."
"You're meeting Yuji, right?"
"Yeah, after I walk you home."
"That's stupid."
"What is?"
"You're going to walk me all the way home," Oikawa remarked, raising a manicured eyebrow. "Then walk all the way back here to meet blondie? I'll just walk home on my-"
"No," Hajime interjected with a subconscious growl-- possessive instincts of protection coiling around inside his gut. "It's fine. I'll walk with you."
Oikawa rolled his head back and let out an obvious sigh of frustration, his eyes fluttering closed in annoyance. Hajime scrunched up his nose at the agitated scent, but refused to back down. He hated being away from his Omega and he had no qualms with putting in a bit of extra work to keep them together-- at least, until they formally mated and his permanent scent could ward off all manner of Alpha predators.
"Seriously," Oikawa said softly, taking an inviting step into his personal space. "I'll be fine. It's the early afternoon! I've made this walk multiple times before, I don't need a personal bodyguard now."
"I understand that, but I don't-"
"Hajime..." The chestnut Omega continued, grazing his nose along Hajime's cheek. "Meet up with Yuji. I'll text you when I get home, okay?"
Hajime felt his body melt into Oikawa's oceanic scent and an unwitting groan escaped his lips. He nuzzled into his Omega's scent glands and inhaled deeply, feeling suddenly at ease. The various students, going about their late afternoon classes faded away, leaving only the soft autumn breeze to rustle his brown hair.
"You worry too much..." Oikawa whispered as he playfully nibbled at his ear. "Such a tense Alpha..."
"I worry because..." Hajime tried to reply, but his words trailed off as Oikawa softly kissed up his neck.
Was this heaven? He felt like he was submerged in a deep and pleasant ocean-- blind to everything but his Omega. What were they discussing again? Something about...Yuji? Walking...somewhere?
"Go and meet Yuji..." The chestnut boy murmured before gently kissing him on the lips. "I'll see you later..."
With those final words, Oikawa turned on his heels and walked away, leaving Hajime stunned in place. His mind was foggy, glazed over by the Omega's perfect scent that lingered in his nostrils. For a few moments, he stood there on the cobblestone with a lovey dovey look plastered on his face before he was able to gather the disoriented corners of his mind and regain his senses.
That little shit, he mused with a sly smirk, using scent warfare to get what he wanted. While he greatly liked Oikawa's ability to seduce him into submission, he couldn't squash the feeling of panic that was setting in his stomach-- a feeling he was becoming well acquainted with lately.
He had scented Oikawa...his Omega wasn't walking around unprotected like before...but it wasn't enough. Perhaps, he should go and--
"Oi, Hajime!" A familiar voice called out, jerking him out of his internal stewing.
Hajime glanced towards the sound as Bokuto bowled through a few unsuspecting Alphas. He received a few grumbling growls, but nothing more than that. It was no surprise to Hajime that other Alphas shied away from his hearty fragrance. His resting scent was both powerful, overtly obnoxious, and in a near constant state of happy challenge-- begging for a brawl.
Like some trigger happy lunatic...
"Hey, hey, hey!" Bokuto yelled as he came to a screeching hault in front of him and shoved large hands into the pockets of his jeans. "I just ran into Oikawa with Keiji and-"
"Is Keiji walking home with him?" Hajime interrupted with a low growl, adjusting his black backpack on his tense shoulders. "They're together?"
There was safety in numbers. The Omegas had really drilled that into his head.
"Yeah," Bokuto replied with a wicked grin, wiggling his eyebrows in understanding. "I was going to skip class to walk Keiji home, but he put up a pretty good fight against me so..."
Oh, on that, he could relate.
"Buuuuuuuuuuuuuut," the owl continued, rolling his head back to look up at the cloudless sky. "I resigned when we ran into Oikawa. At least they're together...makes me feel a bit better...I guess..." He trailed off, then snapped his neck down to look at Hajime with quizzical, yellow eyes. "Wait, aren't you done class? Why aren't you walking Oikawa back?"
"I'm meeting Yuji for some stuff," Hajime droned as he pulled out his phone to check the time.
"Uh..." The owl huffed, raising an eyebrow in disbelief. "You...meeting with...Yuji... "
"Yeah."
"You...and...Yuji?"
"What exactly are you questioning here."
"What you are doing, meeting with Yuji."
"I'm meeting with a teammate. What's so-"
"Uh, yeah," Bokuto chirped, prodding Hajime in the shoulder with a fore finger. "The only time you hang with us is to get-"
"Drunk," Hajime said with an irritated nod. "Yes, Bokuto, I know."
He wanted the plan to stay between him and Yuji. The more people they involved, the higher the chance that certain others found out. It was crucial for them to keep both Ukai and the Omegas out of the loop.
Well...more the Omegas. Suga would slit his throat in his sleep-- for better or worse, the silver boy was distinctly attached to his freedom. Hajime was certain that their plan would leave him furious. Yachi would be upset as well, and Oikawa, god, Oikawa would chop his balls off.
"Oi," Bokuto chirped as he heavily sniffed the air. "What the fuck are you guys planning...you smell...sneaky."
Man, Hajime grumbled to himself, ever since meeting Keiji, he's really been using his senses better.
"If you don't tell me, I'll just follow you," Bokuto challenged, smirking as he leaned in close to Hajime's face. "I have alllllll the free time in the world."
Fine. Perhaps, an extra Alpha, especially a dominant one like Bokuto, would be useful. Plus, the owl did have a personal connection to the ordeal-- even if he didn't know the whole story behind Keiji, Oikawa, and the disgusting Alphas.
Ukai~
Ukai was watching the colourful images on the television when he was suddenly struck with an intense, heavy fragrance that stirred up his insides in a twisted sort of glorious arousal. He snapped his gaze across the room to the office alcove, darkening eyes landing on Miyo's quivering figure. She slowly whirled her chair on its axis to face him, her emerald eyes heavily clouded with an instinctual fog while her pink lips parted in a quiet pant of sudden need.
"Miyo..." He mumbled, his throat growling in a subconscious thunder. "Are...you..."
The raven Omega rushed to stand, but her legs quaked and she crumbled to her knees, panting into the wooden floor boards. Her fragrance blew out, blasting towards him with unchecked fury-- a sickening combination of Sonny and her own, rainy scent. Ukai scrambled to his feet, his cock suddenly constricted beneath his jeans at the sight of her flushed face and her confusing smell.
"Just. Hang. On." He snarled out as he hurried to flick on the various fans throughout the large room. "One. Second."
"Ukai..." Miyo whimpered over the noise of the spinning blades, arching into the floor boards. "Please...come...please...I need you..."
Ukai's feral nature roared inside his mind at her lustful pleas, bashing against the inside of his skull in furious desire-- egged on by her overbearing fragrance. He moved towards her, fingers fumbling with the nose plug on the glass coffee table. As he notched it in place, he shoved down his instincts with every ounce of his conscious strength. Their presence would only make things more difficult. He needed to keep them in check as long as possible.
Be quick, be quick, he repeated in mantra to himself, closing the gap between them. He could do this. He would do this.
Miyo clawed at her clothing, furiously shoving off her cotton shirt, then moved her shaky hands down to her grey shorts. Sonny's scent radiated off of her milky skin, blanketing him with its toxic, angry energy. Mine. She is mine, it cried out in furious possession as it seeped into Ukai's closed sinus' through his panting mouth. He swallowed a heavy lump of bile at the challenging scent and he stalled in place, a few feet away from the heat-filled Omega.
"You took your birth control," he growled out in question, the words coming out in a flurry of deep rumbles.
Why hadn't he asked before? Did he need to ask? Why was he asking?
"Yes," Miyo gasped. Her skin was flushed, but her irritation with him for asking was plainly housed in her eyes. "Do...you...think...I'm-"
"Not. Stupid," Ukai barked as he took a few hesitant steps forward. "Just. Nervous. I'm. Avoiding."
He was avoiding. He was...frightened by Sonny's claim.
Miyo chuckled at his choppy admission. "I'm on...fire. Get...over...it...and...come."
Do it. Just do it, Ukai internally commanded with clenched fists-- feeling stronger with Miyo's verbal faith in him. Logical thoughts were becoming difficult with the thunderous roars of Sonny's scent, rolling off of the Omega's trembling form. His shoulders began to bristle against his sweater as his own feral nature leapt to the forefront of his mind.
He had been worried that, when his instincts took control, they would shy away from Miyo's marked scent and force him to flee...but the opposite happened. They were absolutely delighted with the challenge. Eager to make the raven woman theirs. Maybe he was an adrenaline junky? He smiled to himself at that ridiculous thought and stepped forward.
His opportunity had finally come.
Hajime~
"Yo, how did you find their residence anyways?" Bokuto drawled to Yuji. His large hands were shoved carelessly in his pockets as they strolled down the evening street.
"I used my amazing senses!" Yuji declared with a wry smirk, tapping the tip of his nose.
Yeah right, Hajime mused as he rolled his eyes. Yuji was as close to an airhead as a person could get...was what he used to think...but now? The blonde Alpha had proven himself as more than just a scrappy punk in his eyes-- especially after witnessing Chaki's pummeled form in the upstairs hallway of their house.
"Takeru got it for us," Hajime answered as the group rounded the corner of a dark park. "He nabbed their file from the residence office this morning during his volunteer hours."
"Little Takeru?!" Bokuto chirped. "Stealing files for a slimy thug like Yuji?! Yeah right."
"Hey," Yuji snapped back, giving the owl a playful shove to the side. "We're childhood friends, alright? And I ain't slimy. I'm scrappy."
Hajime tuned out the bickering of his teammates, his stomach churning with anticipated anger. While it was still early in the evening, there were very few students wandering around-- Wednesdays were always quiet. Nobody liked hump day.
When the residence in question came into view, the air around the boys quickly shifted from playful to a quiet seriousness. The large house was covered in dark green siding and the unkempt lawn was strewn with empty cans and bottles from past parties. Hajime briefly wondered how they were able to get away with such an unkempt residence, then shoved the question away. Alphas seemed to get away with a lot of things these days, there was no point in pondering it further.
He and his two teammates had only briefly discussed their plan of action. They were there to give the assailants a friendly reminder. No violence. No deaths. Nothing that could screw up Professor Ukai's hearing with the Disciplinary committee the following Saturday. Just...a reminder to stay away.
On his right, Bokuto's throat rumbled with his eagerness. "You think they're home? No lights on."
"We only need one of them to be inside," Yuji asserted with a nod-- likely hoping that Chaki was the one who would answer the door.
Each of the teammates held savage anger for a different Alpha-- a fact that Hajime had only just realized, and was thankful for. It decreased the chances of a bloody brawl. They could keep each other in check.
Hajime hopped onto the porch and an automatic light promptly lit as he rapped a hard knuckle on the door. For a few minutes, the three boys were left in tense silence on the veranda-- other than the deep rumblings from their throats. He lightly sniffed the air as he knocked again, cringing away from the old scent of intoxicated, unknown Omegas.
Finally, the black painted door swung open. Beyond, Kabuto stood with a familiar, dark haired Alpha, a few paces behind.
"Can I help you?" He sneered, his large hand white knuckling the edge of a door. His face was still marked with yellowing bruises, but there was no swelling-- aside from the angry, raised skin around a deep cut near his left eye.
Hajime's instincts coiled inside him-- urging him to launch into the tattooed man who had harmed his Omega. When he made an unwitting step forward, Yuji placed a hand on his broad shoulder to hold him back. At the touch, he took a deep breath to relax his instincts back into submission. When did the scrappy kid become so level headed?
"How are your injuries?" Yuji remarked to Kabuto, over Hajime's shoulder. His words were soft, but the tone beneath them was as cutting as shards of glass-- a sneaky reminder of the damage that he and his teammates had unleashed upon the green house Alphas.
"Healing," Kabuto snapped back, his body stiff with agitation. "How are your Omegas?"
Scarred, Hajime thought with a low snarl, in more ways than one. He clenched a fist at his side, willing himself to not fall for such an obvious chirp. He was plainly aware that Kabuto was a master at verbal manipulation and there was no doubt in his mind that the man was aware of the benefits of a baited fight-- the Disciplinary Committee would dismiss the entire case as a common turf war between Alphas and all hope of expulsion would be lost.
"Healing," Bokuto said, using Kabuto's own response as a chirp. The owl's entire disposition was loose and casual, but Hajime could smell the dark rage, seeping off his skin.
For a moment, there was only tense silence between the surly men. The dark haired one, who Hajime recognized as Nishinoya's attacker, moved to stand next to Kabuto, blocking their sight of anything inside the green house.
"What do you want," Kabuto barked at last through narrowed eyes as he ran a hand across his own jawline. Up close, his knuckles held slow healing scabs from their vicious altercation.
"A friendly warning," Bokuto remarked with a shrug before leaning back casually on the porch railing. "For you to stay away."
Kabuto laughed at that. A stomach churning, rage inducing, laugh. "Stay away from your sweet, sweet Omegas? That's a heavy request, owl."
Again, Hajime moved forward to unconsciously attack, but Yuji's hand increased its grip on his shoulder. "Yes," the blonde Alpha seethed through clenched teeth-- his lean body vibrating as he fought his own instincts. "It is a heavy request, snake."
"Here's the deal," Bokuto remarked as he pushed off the railing and moved to stand beside his teammates. "If we hear or smell that you've been near any of our Omegas, then we'll have a problem."
"You trying to threaten us?" The dark haired Alpha finally spoke in a deep, husky voice. "A bunch of fluffy volleyball players? Really?"
Hajime bit his tongue to stop himself from speaking. His instincts had already moved him to attack. Twice. It was now very obvious to him that it was in his best interest to stay quiet, for now, or the entire conversation would devolve into a physical altercation. The one thing they needed to avoid above all else.
For the first time in his life, he found himself willing to let Bokuto to take lead-- more than a little impressed with the owl's casual body language under such tense circumstances.
Bokuto chuckled darkly and narrowed his eyes. "Our little altercation proves that we're the more fit group. Or did you already forget who won? Did we beat your brains so hard that you've lost your memories?"
Kabuto's lips curled back in a snarl. "I think you're overstepping a bit with your perceived victory."
Yuji growled to speak, but Bokuto was quick to cut him off. "Oh really? I seem to remember that you guys attacked with the notion that we were out of the house," he put forth, yellow eyes twinkling with dark humor. "Or am I overstepping with that, too?"
Kabuto lunged forward and grabbed Bokuto by the collar of his grey hoodie, shoving him back against a heavy wooden post on the veranda. In a mere moment, Hajime's instincts flared up at the sudden attack on his fellow pack member, but as he moved to intervene, he caught Bokuto's golden eyes and stopped short.
Don't, they said, in more warning than command. Hajime stiffened and glanced over his shoulder at Yuji. His blonde friend's eyes were glued to the dark haired Alpha, stiff as a board at the edge of the front doorway-- innately trusting that Bokuto knew what he was doing.
"I'll take that as a no, then," Bokuto said in near whisper and made no struggle to push back against Kabuto's hold.
Hajime met the owl's flickering eyes once more and the owl's scent pooled inside his nostrils. No violence. Warning. Calm down. The words rang out from his packmate's scent, doing well to cool his roaring instincts like ice on a wound. "We're not here to fight," he growled, dark eyes glued to Bokuto-- the strange lifeline for his sanity. "Don't initiate something you can't finish, Kabuto."
Kabuto's gaze darted to his face and he remained silent for a moment before dropping Bokuto's sweater from his hands. His jaw worked furiously, grinding his teeth as he stepped back towards the siding of the house. "Terms," he snapped out at last, crossing his tattooed arms over his chest. "What are they."
"Your pack doesn't come near our residence. You don't come within smelling range of our Omegas. You don't send other Alphas to do your bidding, either," Hajime rattled off with a hot snarl as he moved closer to Bokuto's now tense form. "We smell you and you're done."
"We'll have to talk to Chaki," the dark haired Alpha growled in reply, but his hazel eyes flickering over to Kabuto-- looking for direction.
Hajime and Bokuto both rolled their eyes at the words-- annoyed by the rigid pack hierarchy that the green house Alphas, and most other Alpha friends, employed. Hajime and his teammates never fell prey to such an outdated, animalistic notion. Both Daichi and Ukai had always been adamant that hierarchy should be as fluid as situations were. No single Alpha was equipped to make decisions for everyone else-- and the current affair was clear evidence of that ideology.
Hajime had one of the most, if not the most, dominant scent in the yellow house, but he was rarely the one to take charge. The current circumstances, with Bokuto and Yuji, would normally have him as lead, but he was too emotionally involved with Kabuto present. Bokuto was in a much better state than he was. The owl was more detached and able to use his playful nature to hold his instincts in check. Hajime knew that it would be idiotic to use his domineering scent to make Bokuto back down. Right now, he was the weak link, and he was all too aware of that fact.
"Oh, don't play that card," Yuji snapped at Kabuto. "Don't try to jerk us around. You and I both know that you're the boss around here."
Bokuto's yellow eyes slightly widened at the sudden accusation and Hajime's brows furrowed slightly. Oikawa and Keiji had made it very clear that Chaki was the Alpha of the shitty group. Had something shifted since their altercation? No. Yuji was implying that Kabuto had always been the leader...
Kabuto laughed again at Yuji's audacity and his body language relaxed slightly. "You think I'm the head Alpha around here? What, Chaki is just a willing figurehead or something?"
"No," Yuji retorted with his own smirk. "I think you're just using him and he's too stupid to see it. For whatever reason, you aren't a fan of the spotlight."
Kabuto...using Chaki? Hajime took a moment to piece things together, but came up short. From the wide eyes on Bokuto's sharp face, he wasn't the only one lost in what Yuji was insinuating.
"You're right. I don't like being the center of attention," Kabuto replied with a slight nod at the blonde Alpha-- a strange nod of respect. "You're the only one out of your little pack who got a good sniff at both of us, eh? I pegged you as an idiot, but you're sharper than I thought."
Sniff at both of who? Hajime thought as his eyes darted between the tattooed man and his smaller lacky in the doorway. Then, everything snapped together in his mind. Chaki, the loud mouth with obviously violent tendencies. Kabuto, coy and manipulative. The drug deals that Keiji had mentioned. Oikawa's underground lifestyle where he had met the green house group.
"He's your fall man," Hajime declared, nearly laughing at his sudden realization. He hated that he was impressed with the tattooed man's sneaky ploy-- hated it more than anything that he admired the snake. "He's the perfect fall man. He's proud and stupid."
"Jacky," Kabuto remarked without tearing his gaze from Hajime. "Go and watch the block for Chaki. Call when they're within a block."
Without another word, Jacky pushed forward, brushing past Yuji, and hopped down onto the front lawn. Bokuto snorted at the dark Alpha's willingness to obey and leaned back against the wooden post.
"We'll stay away from your Omegas, you have my word. I never intended to attack them in the first place," Kabuto stated with a heavy sigh-- one that seemed to be full of...regret. "Sometimes, Chaki can be a pain in the ass to handle. Especially when the other dumb pack members agree with him. Gives him more power than I'd like to admit."
Hajime's hot instincts flared up again. Lies. Manipulative lies. Kabuto not only gravely injured Oikawa, but used rampant emotional abuse against his Omega, as well. That was Hajime's truth-- not this convenient little story.
"Liar," he snarled, feeling his lips curl back over his teeth. "You manipulative liar."
Kabuto didn't flinch. "Hajime, I like you. You're hard edged. Actually, all of your Alphas are, but you, you're tough to the bone. You'd be a good second in command."
Hajime's feral nature momentarily froze in confusion at the unwitting compliment. "Excuse me?" He retorted, flabbergasted.
Bokuto put a large hand on his shoulder, sensing Hajime's renewed desire to attack. "Why did you hit up our place, then," he asked through narrow eyes. "I find your claims hard to believe, with the damage you caused to our Omegas, and my teammates."
Hajime nearly went wild at the owl's remark on the Omegas-- his fractured mind was already crawling with instinctual fury. Oikawa's damaged face flashed inside his mind and he felt a roar curl inside his throat, but it quickly dissipated when he saw Kabuto shift his stance. The tattooed man slouched down his shoulders and angled his neck slightly to the side, exposing soft skin covered in black tattoos. A posture that submitted to Hajime's Alpha instincts. It was purposeful. Done out of respect...or manipulation. Hajime's head swirled around with more confusion and his feral nature calmed.
"If we wanted to take your Omegas, why the fuck would I hang around in your backyard and converse with Oikawa until you guys got there?" Kabuto questioned with bright eyes.
"Who knows about it?" Yuji interjected. His questioning tone was suspicious, but open to debate.
"About my little operation with Chaki?" Kabuto asked and, when Yuji nodded, he continued. "Jime and Jacky. That's it."
"How many in your pack?" Yuji pushed on, asking things that Hajime had never even thought about.
"More than in yours. More than you saw last weekend," Kabuto replied with a casual shrug.
"So, you're saying that your emotional manipulation of my Omega was, what, to help us? You were buying time for us to return?" Hajime said with a quiet, seething snarl.
He was confused beyond belief and did not want to accidentally fall into Kabuto's snake trap-- but was it trap? When did their simple plan of threatening the disgusting Alphas turn into a Nancy Drew novel?
"Alright, look," Kabuto said with a sigh as he rolled his neck to loosen the muscles. "You want me to explain everything?"
"Yes," Bokuto commanded, but his yellow eyes shone with the same interest that Hajime hated himself for feeling.
"Is it going to be a waste of my time?" The tattooed man scoffed. "Are you even going to believe a word out of my mouth?"
"That depends on the nature of what you say," Hajime rebuffed.
He didn't want to be here-- giving the benefit of the doubt to the monster who had manipulated, and physically damaged, his Omega. He had heard Keiji's recount of Oikawa's past. He had heard the emotional abuse on the chestnut boy with his own ears. What was there to question?
"Keiji says that there are always two sides to every story," Bokuto leaned in to quietly growl in his ear-- likely smelling his conflicted scent. "Understand your enemy's motivations...right?"
Good advice, but it struck a guilty chord inside of Hajime's heart that left him slouched.
"You gonna explain now, or what?" He grumbled, upset with himself for even standing there, in front of Kabuto. Standing in front of the snake, and not attacking.
Kabuto jerked up a manicured eyebrow, but ignored Hajime's hostile tone. "Chaki's a monster. I think we can all agree on that. I use him because he's unapologetically violent. And he has that type of unearned pride that, if things with my...operation...were to go south, would make it easy to turn the blame on him."
"Operation, meaning drugs," Hajime said, in more statement than question.
"Yes," Kabuto replied through gritted teeth-- obviously unhappy to be divulging the precious information to outsiders. "He's mostly easy to manage, but sometimes, I have to bend my plans to suit his stupid whims."
Yuji's throat rumbled and he clenched his fists at his sides. "Yachi."
"Yeah, I don't know what the fuck his deal with her is. He's obsessed, and not in a good way. I also...don't approve of his treatment of her," Kabuto said with a hard growl that seemed oddly genuine, but Hajime ignored it with ease-- remembering the terrible things the tattooed demon had done to Oikawa. "The shithead burned down their house with a couple of the other boys. Not my orders, believe me. It was a fucking mess for me to clean up."
Not his orders, Hajime mused as he ground his teeth, seriously?
"Ask your Omegas if I was there that night," Kabuto stated after inhaling Hajime's challenging scent. "You know how much of a pain it was to fucking bribe the Committee? It's a lot of money, and I don't like spending my hard earned cash on such inconsequential things. Plus, the nest was mostly innocent...aside from Oikawa. He kicked into Chaki pretty good."
Bokuto snorted, but remained silent and Hajime couldn't think of anything to say. Had that been...admiration...in Kabuto's tone? Admiration for Oikawa...beating the shit out of Chaki?
Kabuto shook his head, as if remembering a humorous event, and looked past them into the front yard. "I've learned, very recently, that, when it comes to Yachi, Chaki is impossible to reason with," he recalled before flashing Yuji with an apologetic look that rattled Hajime's conviction. "So, when I found out that he was actually using his brain to raid your house...to attack you when the house was most exposed...Jacky and I decided that we could, maybe, stall things a bit. I know you might find it hard to believe, but I don't condone unnecessary violence against Omegas. My best option was to throw a wrench in his idiotic plan and throw our lot in with the inevitable discliplinary meeting and yet another fucking bribe."
"Yeah fucking right," Bokuto barked with a roll of his golden eyes. "If you're the real leader here, you could have stopped it if you really didn't want it to happen."
"No..." Hajime said in nearly a whisper-- internally frightened that he could understand Kabuto's twisted perspective. "Is...your pack is what, thirty members?"
Kabuto rattled a hand in the air to indicate, around there, and Hajime continued.
"All thirty are involved in your drug ring, then?"
"Yes. At various levels."
"And only two know about you being the mastermind behind everything?"
"I don't trust easily."
"So, if you openly assert dominance over Chaki, your little drug ring goes to hell," Bokuto asserted, casting Hajime an understanding look. "Or, you lose face and its game over anyways."
"I wouldn't say little, and yeah, the pack would probably split into messy factions," Kabuto reckoned with a sly shrug. "Or, I say nothing and just assume that Chaki's actions will drag us through the Disciplinary Committee again. Both situations were not ideal, but one option was slightly better than the other. Higher success rate, at least."
"Oh, poor you. What a tough situation," Yuji said, his tone liquid sarcasm.
Hajime inwardly groaned. It was a difficult position, with very few options. Why...why was he sympathizing with this monster? Kabuto was a drug kingpin. A manipulative snake. Violent towards Omegas, even if he denied it. Just like Hajime's own family...
Kabuto...reminded him of his own father.
He shivered at the realization and shoved away the flurry of banished memories it brought forth. He hated his father. He could hate Kabuto, too.
"I'm not trying to convince you that I'm a fucking saint, Hajime," Kabuto cautioned. "I am the monster you think I am. I've hurt Oikawa, in more ways than one, but he's not the first and he won't be the last. I am well aware that my actions are cruel. Sometimes, it's necessary."
Stop, Hajime thought as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, stop talking, please. The words were all too familiar-- he had heard them many times as a boy.
"I grouped up with Chaki and made sure that Jime was with us out back to help me keep an eye. And I was fucking pleased that you," Kabuto paused, nodding at Yuji's tense figure. "Were kicking around in the backyard. And that you were attached to Yachi. It helped us stall. A lot."
Stop talking. Hajime didn't want to listen any longer. Rage against Kabuto was easier than trying to understand his sociopathic perspective-- and it frightened him that he even could.
"Jime and I stalled as long as possible by, admittedly, dragging Oikawa through the ringer. Jacky didn't really have a leg to stand on out front, but, we knew that Morio and Emon would be mouthy enough to drag things on for a while. So any actions Jacky made against your Omegas were to save face with our pack. Nothing more," he paused, chuckling under his breath. "As I said, we were always going to be fucked with the University Committee. Sure, we might get expelled, but I can keep my pack together if that happens."
"I did find it weird," Bokuto mused, then clenched his shoulders at his sudden thought. "That you guys never picked up a few of the Omegas and slipped away before we got there...but still," he paused, growling under his breath. "If I see Jime again, I'll slaughter him for what he did to my Omega. I don't care that he's one of your little supporters."
Hajime growled at that and Kabuto showed his neck once again, calming him with another submissive stance.
"I can't speak for what happened out front," Kabuto said pointedly, bright eyes fixed on Hajime. "But, I apologize for what happened out back. And for Jime's actions."
Apologize? APOLOGIZE? He sliced up Oikawa's face...nearly killed him.
"You're a liar," Hajime seethed and took a booming step forward to grab Kabuto by the front of his black shirt. Then, he shoved the snake hard against the siding, receiving no fight in return. "Do you know what you did to him? You nearly killed him. You slashed his face. YOU THREW HIM AGAINST A METAL FAUCET!"
Hajime could feel his insides squirming with possessive anger. His shoulders rose and fell with large breaths of vengeful air. He snapped his teeth at Kabuto's impassive face and gripped the edges of the shirt tighter. They were the same build, the same height, and their scents were so close in level of dominance-- it shook Hajime to the core.
Oikawa certainly had a type...
No, he commanded to himself, his relationship with Oikawa was not fueled by drugs. There was nothing to compare.
"I know," Kabuto stated quietly without looking away. "But nothing I say will change what you think about that."
There was a subtle tone of...regret...in the soft admission that Hajime did not like. But he pushed the subject further-- desiring the truth.
"Why," he snapped at the man in his grasp, body shaking with white fury. "Why did you...fuck...why did you..."
"It was...unintentional."
Unintentional...was he fucking kidding? Hajime's entire body tensed, ready to attack, to kill, but Bokuto grabbed him by his jacket and yanked. He stumbled back into his teammate's chest and snarled as he regained his footed. Then, he shoved the owl in the chest, his nostrils flaring with resentment. As he turned on his heels to renew his attack at Kabuto, Yuji stepped in between him and the tattooed man. Kabuto's eyes remained fixed on him, but they danced with a subtle surprise at Yuji's sudden movement.
"Move," Hajime snarled at his blonde teammate. "Move, or I'll tear you down, too."
"No violence," Yuji reiterated with his own growl. "Warning. Only. We agreed."
"YOU DEFEND HIM? AFTER WHAT HE'S DONE?" Hajime roared. His mind was a storm of crimson thoughts that all ended with Kabuto's head on the end of a spike.
"Stop your little hissy fit," Bokuto chirped, slapping him across the back of the head-- like a father scolding his child. "Aren't you supposed to have super human control over your instincts? Get it the fuck together."
Hajime turned and swiped at empty air where Bokuto's hand had just been. "You fucking think that-"
"Listen to me, Hajime," the owl implored, his mouth set in a hard line. "You have a lot of control over your instincts, so maybe you can't relate. But...look...we all lose...control...sometimes. Especially when our own life is on the line."
Hajime regarded his friend, searching his golden eyes for the honesty beneath them. "You really believe that shit? You think the he accidentally smashed Oikawa's head into a metal spout?!" He snapped out-- enraged the Bokuto would give the idea merit.
"I honestly don't know. I'm just telling you that it's possible. Take it from someone who... knows. Who's been there..."
Hajime's throat rumbled, angry that the idea wasn't as far-fetched as he would have liked. Had Kabuto really gone into survival mode? Did it even matter?
Kabuto moved forward and bumped Yuji out of the way, receiving a threatening snarl from the blonde Alpha in return. "My pack won't threaten you any longer," he affirmed through a clenched jaw, eyes locking on Hajime once more. "On campus, or off. You have my word."
"And what good is your word?" Hajime barked, body visibly shaking from head to toe.
"Good, if you find yourself believing even a tiny part of what I've divulged to you."
There it was. Kabuto's stupid, frustrating, guilt-inducing, impeccable logic. He knew that the tattooed man had no reason to spill any of this information-- other than to reach an understanding with the yellow house Alphas.
Only, Hajime didn't want an understanding, he wanted blood .
"The...unwanted events at your residence have...proved to me that it's time to switch things up," Kabuto added, pausing to find the correct words. "I will give you a...friendly warning...though."
"Oh?" Bokuto spouted with a raised eyebrow. "Not a threat, I hope?"
"No. Not a threat," Kabuto assured with a small, genuine smile that churned Hajime's gut. "I cannot speak for Chaki. My takeover will have to be slow and methodical, so I can't guarantee that he won't attack again before I've ousted him."
Hajime snorted. Convenient. 'You have my word that my pack won't attack...but also...they might attack!'
"But, I will give you an early warning if he's planning anything," Kabuto continued.
The snake's bright eyes were still fixed on Hajime. He met the steady gaze, searching for deceit in their icy depths, but found none.
"How," he asked through clenched teeth-- frustrated that the manipulative man had, once again, thwarted his anger by offering to warn them.
"Text," Kabuto offered up, but the tone wasn't a suggestion. Another speck of proof that Hajime and his teammates were not the masters in the conversation.
Yuji pulled his phone from the pocket of his joggers and clicked it on. "My phone. I have the most to be concerned about."
"Agreed," Bokuto chimed in with a nod.
Hajime could feel the owl's gaze boring into his back, watching for another attack. As much as he hated it, he had to admit that Bokuto was the champion of the evening. Hajime would have slit Kabuto's throat the moment he opened the door and, while he regretted the missed opportunity, he knew that it was for the best.
He was still very wary of Kabuto's divulged secrets but, if he couldn't attack right now, he could at least keep the snake close and wait until he could.
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