Chapter Text
Being the alpha son of two betas meant that Yaku had always pretty much marched the beat of his own drum. Their secondary gender made it difficult for Nagito and Hana Yaku to discipline their son. The day he presented as an Alpha was the day they lost control of him. At first, he found it a blessing- he could stay up late, eat all the candy he wanted, say all the swears he'd heard, and watch whatever movie he liked. Then, he realised a kid that didn't need their parents was lonely and cruel. Yaku loved his parents and after the initial excitement had worn off he gladly handed his juvenile life back over to them.
But there were some things a Beta parent couldn't do for their Alpha child. Unfortunately, for deep sleeper Yaku, one of those things was waking said Alpha up. His mother tried her best, vacuuming and smashing pans together in a symphony of commotion, but by the time Yaku was coherent, it was already too late. He was going to be late for practice.
Yalu swung his legs out from under his covers and glared at his flashing alarm clock, it had failed in its duties by being so quiet. His legs worked faster than his brain could in getting ready, he shoved his laces into the side of his shoes, not ready to go through the mental stimulation needed to tie them.
"Morning, Ma," He grumbled when his legs had brought him into the kitchen.
Hana Yaku was the same size as her son, it was still unclear if that was a bigger insult to her or her son, but she could still wrestle with the best of them. She had been a veterinary nurse since she graduated from college and Yaku was always surprised just how much muscles a job like that generated. Hana strongly believed the day she couldn’t hold down a raging bull was the day she would be retiring. And that day was not close.
“You’re going to be late darling.” She was upset at him, but mostly herself. When she presented as a Beta at 12 years old she had no idea what was coming next. When she turned 14 her entire family- her Mother, Father and two sisters- were killed in a car accident. The pain of the incident, and the trauma she went through to raise herself, made her Alpha-like in her behaviour. She would not have survived as an average Beta, she had to become the top dog. But no matter how she behaved she still had the genetics of a Beta, those could not be changed. Only manipulated.
As Yaku marvelled over his mother's strength he noticed a fluffy mess on the couch generating a disgusting odour. "Who is that?" He asked.
“That’s Gerald.” She handed him a bento box with no other information.
“Why is Gerald here?”
“Oh well his owners didn’t want him, darling, and he’s so well behaved. He doesn’t do much other than sitting on the couch.”
“The cats won’t like this.” Yaku warned her. Nalia, Maggie, Juno and Kizzie were obese and grumpy cats surrendered to the vets by an old woman who thought food equalled love. Yaku, an avid dog hater, fell in love with them all instantly and refused to allow a dog the opportunity to harass them. They had been through enough and deserved to have a dog-free home- and so did Yaku.
“The cats love him, he’s staying Mori.” She told him, her tone stiff and strong. He knew he could force her hand. If he wanted the dog gone all he had to do was order it and his beta Mother would comply, Gerald would be on the streets urinating elsewhere within minutes. But despite the rumours, Yaku wasn’t a monster.
He kissed his Mother’s cheek and stuck his finger up at the stinking German Sheppard on his way out.
Being a libero on a high-ranking volleyball team meant Yaku had enough leg power and stamina to turn a 15-minute walk into a 5-minute sprint. But even that didn’t stop him from being late. After changing into his uniform in an empty changing room Yaku joined his teammates in the gym hall. Kuroo pointed at his watch in case Yaku hadn't realised he was late to practice. After the sprint he performed, Yaku didn’t have the strength to completely pulverise the idiot.
“Good morning team- fuck you Kuroo.” Yaku mumbled as he surveyed his surroundings. Something smelled and looked a little wrong and it came in a very large packaging filled with the scent of toothpaste. He nudged Kuroo with his foot before whispering, “Who’s the titan?”
“New kid. He's half Russian and half Japanese, never played before but he'll make a good blocker.”
“Does he have a name?”
“Lev Haiba, omega,”
Yaku flinched back. “That giant skyscraper is an omega?”
“As omega as you are alpha, half-pint,” Kuroo said before letting an obnoxious cackling laugh out of his stupid mouth. Yaku used what little energy he had left and stomped on his friend’s foot. Kuroo yelped for a moment but then continued to laugh.
“You’ve just earned yourself the joy of doing the omega talk.”
“Um, no, I gave it to Inokua!”
“Tough shit, you were late and then you injured me. Plus, Yamamoto can’t do it, he’s only a second-year and a bit of an idiot.” Kuroo shrugged. No doubt pleased with himself and the dictatorship he was running.
Yaku resisted the urge to commit murder, a thing he was doing far too often, and instead let his body drag him away from his potential, deserving, victim. As he made his way towards the new guy the massive sack of omega suddenly perked up his giant body in either fear or excitement. Inokua, who had been conversing with Lev, raised a brow for a moment before making his hasty exit- he’d had to deal with the omega talk already and no doubt couldn’t face the embarrassment again.
“You smell like an Alpha, but you really don’t look like one.”
Yaku took a moment to process what he was seeing and hearing. There was no way the sight in from of him had just spoken those words. It was impossible- a giant omega with a shitty personality could not be speaking to him in that way. After quick surveillance, he was forced to admit that the omega in front of him had just insulted him in front of his team. It wasn't exactly new to Yaku, due to his size he had been insulted a lot. It hardly bothered him anymore, he knew who he was and didn't care who they thought he was. But something about the teen titan in front of him rubbed him the wrong way.
He took a few steps forward to find a perfect target, then took his foot and jammed it into the back of Lev’s knee’s, sending his large body crashing to the ground. Yaku stood over the fallen omega. “Rule number one, don’t disrespect me, omega.” He snarled
Yaku felt horrible with himself for saying the word omega like it was a dirty word. Some of his closest friends were omegas and he didn’t think any less of them because of it. Secondary gender was a complex web of insecurities hung together by arrogance and habit. Most of the time it meant absolutely nothing to Yaku, but sometimes he felt like he deserved to act superior. After all the world had thrown at him- all the teasing over his size, the rumours that his scent was simply the scent of an Alpha that had fucked him- he felt like he deserved to be an Alpha who took rank over an omega.
He was raised well enough to know his feelings were cruel and stupid. So he reached a hand out to what was inevitably going to be his unbecoming.
Lev took the hand and used it to pull himself up from the ground. He looked down at Yaku as he spoke. “I’m sorry Yaku-san!”
“How do you know my name?”
Lev grinned, his teeth were pearly white and shiny. Yaku hated them. “Kuroo-san said you would be giving me a talk today!” He sounded far too excited for what was to come.
Yaku sent a glare towards Kuroo, the scheming captain had planned to make Yaku do the talk from the beginning. With Kenma being Kuroo's unofficial mate he had guilted Yaku into doing the talk with the young omega. He said it wouldn't have been safe or fair to make Kuroo do it, and Yaku had fallen for it. When Inokua and Shibayama appeared they didn't want to have the talk together- it was awkward and embarrassing for two young omegas that didn't know one another yet- and so Yaku and Kuroo took one each to separate rooms. After the talk Shibayama seemed to have questions that he was only comfortable asking Yaku, it had felt like a great honour for Yaku to be specifically trusted but now he was starting to think Kuroo had forged it that way. As team captain, Kuroo was taking all the best moments for himself and giving the touchy, uncomfortable ones to Yaku.
Lev was always going to be his responsibility and a massive one at that.
They decided to talk in the clubroom, it wasn’t fair for the other omegas to have to hear it all again and Yaku expected Lev to ask many embarrassing questions.
Lev threw his gangly limbs onto the sofa but Yaku decided to stand so that he could be face to face with the omega, hoping it gave him some dignity. Now that they were out of the gym Lev’s scent attacked Yaku in higher doses. He had never smelt such a strong scent from an omega. At first, Yaku had thought the omega smelled of slightly washed away toothpaste but now he knew the smell was much more complex. Lev Haiba smelled of a fresh mint leaf but as the smell was inhaled by Yaku it spread the feeling of ice all over him. Lev was arctic.
“First of all, just listen, and then if you have any questions...ask someone else.” The omega laughed as though he had just heard an amazing joke and the sound made Yaku want to dig a screwdriver into his ear until there was resistance. “Okay, so, are you mated or currently being courted?”
Lev shook his head, struggling greatly not to speak.
“Whilst you’re on the team if anyone wants to court you they’ll need permission from one of our high ranking Alpha’s. That would be Kuroo, me or Yamamoto- but I’d suggest not bothering with him since he’s a second year. You’re going to have to give one of the coaches or the captain, which is Kuroo, some insight into your heats so our Alpha’s can be prepared. I imagine the school’s already told you that as we’re a mixed-gender school you need to take suppressants. This is important not just for you but the Alpha’s on the team as well. We have a good anti-heat air conditioning system but if there’s ever an issue with it you’ll need those suppressants as an extra precaution.” Yaku took a big gulp of air whilst he let Lev digest the first half of the talk. The omega talk was equally hated by both Alphas and Omegas, it reminded them how much easier life would have been had they presented as a Beta, but it was needed for the team to function with different secondary genders. “If you ever feel like an Alpha on the team is being unfair to you due to your secondary gender then you should either tell the school's omega rights leader or the highest-ranking omega on the team- which is Kenma. Lastly, when we go to tournaments you need to be in the eyesight of an Alpha, a beta, a coach or at least two omegas at all times. Got it?”
Lev nodded his head but his eyes were blank and unresponsive. No doubt he would take nothing in and become a large problem for the team- mostly Yaku, the teams acting Mother hen. He raised his hand and waved it in front of Yaku’s bored face. Once Yaku nodded permission he burst out into a yell, “What if I want to court someone on the team?”
Yaku laughed, “You’re an omega- you don’t court.”
“I’ve never really cared about my secondary gender.” He shrugged. Yaku could sympathise with that.
“Well, if someone on the team wants to court you it’s the same rules, they’d need permission from me or Kuroo.” He said. Team relationships weren’t uncommon, Kuroo and Kenma were practically married, but Yaku had a hard time thinking of a teammate who could safely match Lev’s energy. Perhaps Inokua, but a relationship with two omegas could be messy and often ended in tears.
Lev scrunched his face up. “But, Yaku-san how would you give yourself permission?”
Yaku scrunched up his face. He would not dignify that with a response. He had never found jokes like that amusing, so he cut it off before it could even start.
“I’m serious!” The boy protested.
Yaku already had limited energy and he wasn't willing to waste it on his newest problem, so he decided to ignore it. Ignoring would be hard due to the problems size, hyperactivity and general striking appearance, but it was his best choice. The giant puppy was tilting its head on the sofa as Yaku exited the room. Kuroo raised his eyebrows at him as he re-entered the gym alone but he didn't comment. He must have known that Lev would test his patience to new levels. Yaku made himself busy by continuing his training with Shibayama, the young omega was to be next year's libero and Yaku had high hopes for him.
When Lev burst through the doors, a skip in his step and smile on his stupid face, Yaku readied himself for more annoyance. Instead, he flounced over to his new captain and began an animated chat with him. Lev threw his arms around and he spoke and the smell of mint wafted towards Yaku. It made him nauseous. Kuroo's characteristic hyena laugh bounced off of the walls as he clapped Lev on the back before sending him over to Kenma. The second-year omega seemed just as impressed with Lev as Yaku was, and just as excited to be near him.
The training was short due to Yaku’s lateness on top of hurricane Russia disrupting them. Yaku knew he would have a restless day without his usual abundance of exercise so he stayed behind with Kuroo and Kenma to help clean up. It was a two-person effort considering Kenma sat in a corner with his games console.
Yaku grabbed one side of the net pole and Kuroo grabbed the other. The pole jerked as a laugh built up in Kuroo's chest.
“The size of this pole reminded me of the new kid,” He chuckled. Yaku didn’t disagree but didn’t want to talk about the headache of Lev. “He asks if he could court you!”
Yaku’s instinct reaction was to jab forward and push the pole into Kuroo’s jiggling stomach. The laughter was replaced by a yelp immediately. “What did you say to him, Kuroo?”
“I told him he couldn’t have permission because you needed to be the one to ask me.” Kuroo groaned as he rubbed his injured stomach. For an Alpha, he was a massive cry baby.
“That idiot,” Yaku grumbled.
“Well, aren’t you going to ask me?”
“Ask you what, you rooster headed bitch.”
“Aren’t you going to ask me if you can court Lev?”
Yaku threw his half of the pole into the pile of others and attempted to talk his foot out of shoving itself up Kuroo’s butt. “I don’t want to court that bean pole!”
“Since you were rude to me, permission denied, you’re not allowed to court him.” Kuroo pouted. He threw his own side of the pole and shook peeled paint off of his hands.
“Good.”
“Ask me again next week and my answer might change.” Kuroo squeaked as he began to run away. He knew Yaku well enough to know a beating was coming. It was how they became friends after all. Kuroo had insulted his Alphaship, as many already had, and Yaku had sat on his chest until the taller boy tapped out. From that moment on they respected one another and not long after, they loved one another. Yaku couldn't have gone through high school without him and feared how alone he would be in university.
Yaku caught up to his friend and tackled him to the ground. Kenma grunted his approval from the sidelines like the loving omega mate he was. “I will never court that skyscraper so don’t you dare tell him I will!” Yaku growled as he pulled Kuroo’s arms back behind him. As two strong Alphas’ they roughhoused often without ever having a clear winner but after being ridiculed Yaku was willing to play dirty.
He pulled Kuroo’s underpants up until the captain surrendered.