Chapter Text
“Miwa-nee, why can’t we do a sparring session instead of the tea ceremony?” Tobio sighed, as his older sister ran a comb through his hair.
“I know, I know. But it’s courtesy for potential brides to actually do multiple tea ceremonies with all the suitors.” Miwa grimaced, remembering her own experience of the ceremonies with her omega, Alisa. Courting had been a nightmare, but at least the omega princess’ little brother was good company when she was required to interact with the other suitors. “Fortunately for you, I know what you like to do and have planned accordingly. The training will happen after.”
“Ah, wonderful. Thank you Miwa-nee.”
Miwa hummed and nudged Tobio’s face up to look up at her so she could draw a careful line of kohl onto his eyelids, accentuating the sharp narrow of his eyes. The alpha patted her brother’s cheek and promptly left him to adjust any final things.
The black haired omega leaned forward, adjusting the silver circlet that dripped diamonds along his brow. After rubbing the tint that colored his lips to a subtler rose shade, he stood up and straightened out his dress.
(Tobio decided that whoever made it tradition for omegas to wear formal dresses, he was going to throw his war fans into their face. Dresses did nothing but make him look less omega-like and more like a cheap imitation of one, he decided. Luckily, he didn’t have to be just an omega.)
(He was going to be a King.)
(Of course, Miwa was the reigning regent until then, as he was still a year too young to be considered a monarch.)
A jūnihitoe was the traditional wear with 12 colorful layers of clothing. Luckily for Tobio, it was summer and the layers were reduced to a more manageable number. Paired with an elaborate, hand painted folding fan, he looked every bit of a ruling omega. Even if he looked off. Still, he missed the more casual armored training robes he typically wore. At least when he was training, he could wear proper pants without layers weighing him down.
He sighed, looking at himself one more time, before turning with a sweep of his sleeves. Spirits, was this outfit heavy— it weighed at least several kilograms. At least the weapons hidden in various places under his outfit was a welcome weight.
Tobio’s metal tipped boots made quiet clicking sounds against the marble floor. No one had to know they were his training boots and not his geta, the lacquered wooden, raised sandals. If he just positioned his feet carefully, no one would see.
Honestly, Tobio did not understand why so many suitors accepted the invitations. Yes, his kingdom had multiple mining strips and abundant forest and lakes, but his disposition was a known repellent. Tobio was an omega but he was always blunt, never dancing around and weaving pretty lies into his words. Most alphas from noble families had no tolerance for that, aristocrat omega brides were raised to be the graceful ones that spat poison under a mask of friendly conversation and soft smiles.
Perhaps the advantages of the marriage outweighed the unfortunate side effect of his personality.
When he finally reached the sunny main tea room, where the suitors were arranged around a long table. All ten alphas stood, greeting Tobio and then respectfully bowed towards him at an angle. Tobio softly greeted them before bowing back, his angled bow less deep than the suitors’.
He moved to his position at the head of the table, before kneeling into a seiza, sitting back on his haunches but conscious of keeping his back straight. He clasped his hands on his lap and kept his head up, respectfully meeting every suitor’s gaze as they sat back down, before waving in the servants to serve the tea. Miwa normally would’ve joined him but she had to write a letter to her mate.
Tobio quietly thanked his main servant, Yachi Hitoka, a nervous, jumpy beta girl his age. She was terrified at first, shaking hands and all, and spilled tea onto his boots once, and she almost ran away from the palace, convinced he was going to hang her.
(Which was understandable, his father had not been the kindest ruler and Tobio had taken after him in his temper. But thankfully, not his father’s homicidal tendencies that caused his mother and grandfather to die and his two children to be shoved into roles years too early.)
(But Tobio had already gone through his rite of passage. The mission was to understand his people and their hardships. To not forcefully shove them beyond their perceived capabilities, but gently nudge them higher and higher until they found themselves beyond what they refused to do. To not be shamefully abandoned again.)
Tobio softly smiled behind his teacup, surveying the room, listening to the endless chatter of Hinata Shouyou bothering the other suitor from Karasuno, Tsukishima Kei. Both princes were distantly related but didn’t seem to be as close as Miwa and Tobio. The tall blonde rolled his eyes, subtly cuffing the shorter alpha on his head. Hinata snarled back, but refrained from physically fighting the blonde. That could come after the tea ceremony was over.
(When the real fun began.)
Kunimi Akira and Kindaichi Yuutarou were high ranking nobles from Kitagawa Daiichi, the kingdom that Tobio had frequently visited when he was younger, before he was… abandoned. They were quietly bickering, or Kindaichi was ranting as Kunimi quietly listened. Tobio sipped his tea before placing it back down onto the low table.
It was uncomfortable at first, seeing them seated in his palace. After all, what were you supposed to say to someone who told you that he was going to be a terrible person, a pushy omega that didn’t even act like one was the worst ruler you could possibly be.
Especially when he tried to apologize! Kindaichi had said that they were never friends. Tobio had gone through a whole rollercoaster of emotions in the span of a few minutes. Of course, he was still a crown heir and his etiquette lessons were shoved into his head at a young age. A sudden breakdown was never supposed to take place in the public eye, so Tobio schooled his face into apathy and his scent into neutrally disappointed, as one did when blatantly disrespected by a lower ranking person, and told them to wait there.
They eventually were forced to talk it out when Miwa locked them all into a tea room and forced them too. To refuse the queen regent would shame their kingdom and honor even more than they already had. And for Tobio, his older sister was just scary as fuck. But at least he suffered through actually talking about emotions for a good cause, because now he could talk to them without being constantly on edge of either alphas snapping at him.
He was snapped back to reality when a threatening scent filled the air. Tobio wrinkled his nose, pissed off alpha was always a scent too strong for his senses. He glanced around before narrowing his eyes at Oikawa Tooru, the king of Aoba Johsai, who was glaring at Ushijima Wakatoshi, the king of Shiratorizawa.
(Why were so many kings willing to leave for a month for his courting invitations?)
The two kingdoms weren’t known for friendly interactions in general, with the three year war that happened a decade ago, but the two alphas always seemed to be at each other’s throat. Tobio sighed and stood up, causing all the suitors to look at him instead of the glaring alphas.
“Queen regent Miwa informed that she has told you all about the event after this ceremony, but I figure it’s time to start. Change out of your formal attire and your servants will lead you to the training clearing.” Tobio lifted up his fan to cover his lower face, and subsequently, his impish smile from the suddenly flushed alphas.
(His scent had changed from his familiar, gently calming scent to one of bubbly happiness and excitement. Of course the alphas were suddenly flustered, a happy, rather pretty omega was in front of them.)
Tobio bowed to them in farewell and left with a sweep of his sleeves, shoes clicking just a little faster than probably socially acceptable.
He was going to crush them all.