Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

If anyone asked Kotarou who his most important person one, he’d say “Ryuuichi nii-san” without any hesitation.

And why wouldn’t he?

His sweet, caring, and loving brother had devoted himself to raising the boy ever since their parents passed away and has always made sure that Kotarou never felt lonely or sad. His entire life was dedicated to giving Kotarou and the other kids in the daycare love and happiness. As a result, it was understandable why he had a brother complex. His brother was the best in the world and he would fight anyone who tried to refute that. Anyone who even THINKS about courting his brother better go through him first.

Sadly, it seems like he’s not the only one who recognizes this blatant fact. Currently, his poor naïve older brother was being hit on by a group of alphas who probably thought that omegas were all just good from toying with.

“C’mon~ Let us buy you some coffee!” One of the larger alphas drawled his words, attempting to sound sexy but ended up sounding like he had a nasal infection. Absolute scum.

“Oh, you don’t have to! I only told you the directions to the train station! Besides, I’m waiting for my little brother.” It seems like Ryuuichi hadn’t noticed anything yet. Bless his brother and his dense soul. His ignorance of other’s perception of him was both a blessing and a curse.

Kotarou intended on making his way there at an even and calm pace and scaring the trash clutter away with a glare- until he saw one of the men place a hand on his precious brother’s shoulder.

He saw Ryuuichi wince a little at the force and with that, he saw red.

No one touches his brother with vulgar hands. In an instant, the man was on the ground, blood dripping from his nose.

“W-why you-!”

“Don’t you DARE touch my brother with those filthy hands.” At the age of 17, Kotarou was no longer a small boy who clung to his older brother. Having grown into a stoic but kind alpha, he had far surpassed his brother in height and physique.

But this was not one of those moments to show off his “kind” side- that’s for his brother and his friends.

“K-Kotarou?! Is your hand ok? Is the man ok? More importantly, what are you doing?” Ryuuichi was now panicking and releasing sweet pheromones in an attempt to calm his brother down. Even when in danger, his brother still cared about others. Seems like Kotarou had a troublesome brother to look after now. The group quickly shuffled around a bit and grabbed their fallen friend before shuffling away from the crowd that had formed.

“Nii-san. You ok?” He gently grabbed the omega and carefully inspected where the garbage had grabbed him just now.

“Yes I am-but that’s not the point! They were just asking for directions! Why did you do that?” He looked down at his brother’s worried wide eyes. Knowing him, Ryuuichi probably genuinely believed that all they wanted were some directions. If only his brother cared about himself as much as he did with strangers…

Kotarou sighed, “Nii-san, they were lying. They had bad intentions.” He softly knocked his brother’s head. I wonder who’s the older one between us now. With that said, he grabbed his brother’s hand and led him away.

“E-Eh? No way… Is your hand ok though?” Ryuuichi grabbed his hand to carefully examine the hand that punched the dirtbag’s nose. Kotarou was honestly fine, and he can take care of himself by now, but it never hurts to be pampered by his older brother.

After all, Ryuuichi will always be his precious nii-san.

Chapter Text

Usually, Kamitani could keep his composure. 

It was simple, really. Unless it involved his younger idiotic brother, he was pretty indifferent towards other people’s opinions and thoughts. Honestly, other people could screw off and he wouldn’t give a single shit. 

Except for Kashima. For some reason, he seemed to change into another person whenever Kashima was involved. 

Flustered, rash, immature- a mess basically. 

Like right now. 

He and Kashima were out shopping with Inomata, Yuki, Nezu, Yagi and for some reason, Inui. 

Kashima wanted them to all go together as to buy presents to surprise the kids with for Christmas. Sure, all the kids may be in high school now and all the past babysitters may have jobs now, but it doesn’t stop them from having the old bonds. Regardless, Kashima still doted on each and every one of the past toddlers like they were his own and the kids freaking absorbed that shit like they were a sponge and he was water. 

One of these days, he’d have to teach those brats to calm the fuck down and be independent or something. 

But this scene right here was what made going shopping the day before Christmas eve worth every atom of his body. 

With the snowing gently falling down, he just couldn’t seem to keep his eyes of Kashima: his eyelashes dotted with slight flecks of snowflakes, the small puffs of air from his lips, the scarf wrapped around his neck, his cheeks tinted red, and the way he stood absolutely ethereal with the giant Christmas tree in the background. 

He was pretty sure he was staring for a solid minute until he snapped out of it and returned to his usual self (that’s such a bullshit. He was in no way “usual” around his crus-). 

At that moment, a toddler, about three years old, came tottering towards Kashima with a runny nose and teary eyes. Kinda reminds him of Taka when he was little, not gonna lie. Except this kid wailed less and sniffled more. 

Immediately, Kashima crouched down and picked the kid up, concern and worry evident through his scent and his eyes. 

“What’s wrong? Where’s your parents?”

“P-papa! I miss my papa!” The weird kid then clung to the worrying omega like his life depended on it. 

And oh heck. 

Ohhhhhh heck. 

Was a man whipped. 

Now it was Kashima, with snowing gently falling around him and a child who was gradually calming down in his arms. 

The Virgin Mary may have to scooch over, cause Kamitani honestly thought with his whole being that Kashima with a kid wrapped in his arms in a paternal way could be a whole religion. Kamitani just had to wonder- what if that kid was his and Kashi-

“Oi Kashima- wait what’s that?” Inui chose this very moment to jump into the picture and peered past Kashima’s shoulder. The beta wrinkled his nose at the child- after all these years, he was still a tad bit awkward around children. 

Annnnd there went the perfect picture that Kamitani had envisioned. He wanted to ignore them and pretend like it didn’t bother him-

“Papa and daddy…  you guys look like my papa and daddy!” 

Immediately, Kashima flushed brightly like a tomato, his scent immediately turning embarrassed and Inui looked like a flabbergasted idiot (he was one too). 

And, immediately, Kamitani felt a surge of something he didn’t think he’d feel. Jealousy. Sure, he’s had his bouts of jealousy but nothing like right now. Papa and daddy? Inui and Kashima??? Just the thought of Kashima hugging Inui made him sick to the head. Throwing the kid in there only makes it worse. 

Inui coughed, face slightly flushed, “W-Well, since you said that, we’ll help you, a-as your temporary p-papa and dad-”

“Hand him over.” Kamitani had enough. He had stomped over to Kashima, took the kid from his arms, and placed him on his shoulders. 

“K-Kamitani! Gently-”

“I know, Ryuuichi. How do you think I handled Taka?”

Oh shit. He used his first name. He used his first name. He used his first name. Panic. Uh. Oh, Maybe Kashima didn’t notice- nope he did. He could tell by looking at the widened eyes of the omega and the slightly opened mouth in shock. 

Shit. Kashima Ryuuichi was still pretty.

Quickly, Kashima closed his mouth to pretend like nothing happened and coughed a bit.

“A-Anyways. Do you see your parents from this nii-chan’s shoulder?” Kashima looked at the kid perched on Kamitani’s shoulder. 

Huh. 

He was just called “nii-chan” by Kashima. 

Huh. 

‘ Fuuuuuuck’ Kamitani thought. ‘ I just might be developing a ki- stop. Stop it. This is your best friend you’re thinking about and your own brother calls you that. Stop it you degenerate of an alpha. ’

Luckily, Kashima didn’t seem to notice his flustered state and the kid pointed to a couple in the crowd.

“THERE! I see my daddy and papa!” 

“Great! Let’s go to them then!” Kashima beamed at the kid and grabbed Kamitani’s hand to guide him to the parents. 

Oh.

His hand.

Damn.

It was slightly cold at the tips from the weather but overall still warm at the palm. And now he was tempted to shove Kashima’s fingers into his pockets to warm them up. 

And holy fuck he really needs to calm down.

‘It’s just your best friend who you’ve been in love with for the past fourteen years. No big deal. None at all. I’m fine. We’re fine. Everything’s fine. Yep. It’s all fine.’

During the entire time Kamitani was having a massive gay panic, they had already reached the parents of the kid. The couple profusely apologized for burdening them, with Kashima denying such things. 

The kid then ran back to Kashima to hug his legs in gratitude and pulled on Kamitani’s pants slightly to get his attention.

Kamitani crouched to the kid’s height and the kid then whispered in his ear,

“Nii-san, you like the pretty nii-san right? You kept staring at him!”

Oh fuck was he that obvious? Did Kashima notice? Real question: who didn’t notice? Oh god, was he screwed-

“But don’t worry nii-san! I don’t think the other nii-san knows! He didn’t notice that the weird beta nii-san likes him too! And I think you and pretty nii-san look more like papa and daddy really.”

“... stupid kid. Go to your parents already and don’t get lost.” The kid waved goodbye and left, leaving Kashima and Kamitani alone together to walk back to the rest of the group.

“Thanks for helping Kami-”

“You can use my first name.” 

Was he doing this now? 

Yes.

After all, if he has competition, he might as well get a head start by getting Kashi-no, Ryuuichi to use his first name.

“A-are you sure?”

“We’ve been friends for a long time now. It’s weird that we haven’t used each other’s first names, Ryuuichi.”

“Ok then… H-hayato.”

It’s fair to say that when they went back to the group using each other’s first names, everyone else immediately requested to use Ryuuichi’s first name as well.

Not that it matters, since Kamitani knew that no matter what, he wouldn’t give up till he won Ryuuichi’s heart. 

Chapter Text

It’s not like Inui swung that way, he swears!

If anything, he prefers petite, cute, gentle omega girls who looked nice in skirts and were soft-spoken.

Bonus points if they have a little brother or babysit kids with absolute adoration. 

It just so happens that his ideal “girl” is actually a guy named Kashima Ryuuichi. He remembers the first time that Kashima revealed to Inui that the “cute girl named Inomata from the school festival” was actually him, not the notoriously strict alpha female. He also remembers the worried look on Kashima’s face and the way he immediately clenched his teeth in preparation for Inui’s fist, as if he felt so guilty for trying not to break Inui’s heart that he thought he deserved to be punched. 

Sure, Kamitani had warned him that “ If you ever dare to hit that person when you talk to them, I’ll send you flying to the sky ”, but he also knew that he was the one at fault and just simply couldn’t bring himself to swing*.

Even then, he was so certain that he would grow past his feelings and find someone else instead. 

Instead, he fell even HARDER for Kashima and years later, he’s still a pining idiot who thinks that “maybe I just like the female version of Kashima ha ha me not gay”.

Only exception is that he now also feels like his heart’s beating faster than ever before when he sees Kashima as a male. 

That shouldn’t happen.

He’s supposed to be finding a cute girlfriend, working at his office, and starting a successful life. 

But here he is.

Age nearing 30, and standing outside of the preschool that Kashima worked in, like a creepy stalker.

Kashima and a few other children were currently in the yard, bathing in the sunlight as a story was being read aloud. Inui could hear his soothing voice from where he stood and he could see the children crowding Kashima with faces of admiration and love.

By god he knows how suspicious he seems right now but after seeing Kamitani starting to make moves on Kashima, he knew he had to act fast. 

Ten minutes later, parents started to arrive at the preschool to pick their children up. As usual, Kashima gave warm smiles and bid goodbye to every family before finally cleaning up the preschool. 

It was only when he walked near the fence to pick up a ball that rolled away, did he notice the super-duper-definitely-no-on-noticed subtle Inui hiding.

“Inui-senpai?... What are you…?” Oh crap. There goes his cover. He really felt like just dying on the spot. Just a casual log off of life would suffice. 

But fate was cruel and Inui had a man to impress. 

And so, Inui steeled his heart, prepared his brains, took a deep breath, and opened his mouth.

“I-I- just- ahem! Heat season. Crime high. Danger. Walk… home?...” 

… what the actual fuck Inui. You had a CHANCE TO IMPRESS HIM. And what you do? Speak like a toddler. Someone just end me right now.

Bless Kashima for working with kids. To the lords above, bless this man for knowing what children had to blabber about. Cause with his IQ 3000 brain, Kashima managed to decipher what Inui had been attempting to miserably say instantly.

“Oh! Did you want to walk with me since heat season crime is high? You didn’t have to… but since you’re here, thank you then! Please just wait a moment, I’ll be done cleaning soon!” Kashima beamed a bright and understanding smile filled with gratitude and quickly left to clean up the rest of the preschool, leaving a tomato red Inui steaming and stammering. 

---

The way to Kashima’s house was relatively peaceful. They made small talk and would occasionally fall into a comfortable silence. Kashima had wanted to buy some groceries from the store and told Inui to wait outside. He promised to be quick and went off in a wave and a smile, leaving Inui standing outside to watch the sky and contemplate his life. 

Ahhh how did I fall this low. When did this all start? Damn, if only I never went to the babysitter’s booth that year during the festival… actually no. still would’ve liked him anyways. Am I just destined for this life? Wow… let’s just look at the sky. Look at all the stars. Aren’t they- wait stars?”

Immediately, Inui snapped out of his pensive state and noticed just how dark the sky had become. Twenty minutes had passed and Kashima was nowhere to be seen. 

Maybe he’s just… 

Screw it. Might as well be safe than sorry. Mumbling beneath his breath about how stupid this all was, he quickly jogged into the store only to be hit with the scent of an extremely distressed omega. 

That shouldn’t happen.

Inui was a beta- as a result, he wasn’t able to smell pheromones as well as omegas or alphas could. And yet, he could just tell how distressed this omega was.

It can’t be-

“-t me go!”

And there he saw it. Inui froze when he saw Kashima sandwiched between two drunk men, each one tightly gripping one of his wrists. 

“Just be good ‘nd do as you’re told bitch,” one of the men leered near Kashima’s face, close enough so he could smell the beer in his breath.

Move legs move, just move and go-! 

Inui could feel the adrenaline running through him, telling him to run, to flee. 

“E’re takin’ you wit us,” the other man jerked Kashima’s arm harshly, and Inui felt his limbs snap into motion.

Blood pumping with fear and anger, he grabbed his shoe and as hard as he could, whacked one of the men on the head. 

“WHAT THE-?” The man stumbled and let go of Kashima, then tumbled to the ground and groped at his head. 

“Fucking disgusting pervert. Rot in hell.” Inui spat out in utter disgust and had already begun dialing the police on the man. 

Wait shit. What about the other man?- He rapidly turned around to also whack the other man only to see him groveling on the ground, grabbing at his groin in a desperate attempt to alleviate the pain. 

“Kicked him where the sun doesn’t shine. That’s what he gets.” Kashima was standing over the man, anger evident in his usually passive expression. Oh boy was he proud of Kashima for finding the courage to fight back. Doing so wasn’t an easy task and he was pretty sure anyone in that situation would’ve been justifiably terrified. 

A few minutes later, the police took the two men away and wished the two a safe night. 

As they slowly continued their journey to Kashima’s house, Inui grabbed Kashima’s hand. It was slightly trembling- of course it would be. No matter how strong someone was, that as a situation that could’ve turned for the worse. He didn’t even want to think about the possibilities of what might’ve happened if he didn’t help.

“Hey… thank you.” Inui had to strain his ears a little to hear the whisper that Kashima uttered but he heard it nonetheless. Thank you for what? What he did was something basic that every human should do. All he did was help someone in need. So why was Kashima thanking him?

“They were originally targeting a girl… and I told her to get away. Only for them to turn to me instead. I just froze and-”

“Hush.” Inui couldn’t believe what he was hearing. There was nothing worth apologizing for. Kashima did everything he could and beyond. “You did amazing. You fought back despite being scared. That’s not easy. So hush.”

Inui hated this moment right now. He hated the fact that Kashima felt that he didn’t do enough.

He hated that the two men were just drop in the sea of others scums just like them.

He hated how in that moment when he saw Kashima between the two men, he stood there feeling helpless and useless.

He hated how the only reason he’d gotten closer with Kashima through this day is because of a traumatic event. A traumatic event that could’ve been avoided if people were educated on how to respect and treat others. 

When they finally reached Kashima’s house, Kotarou was already pacing in front of the door worriedly. Only then, did he see Inui tightly gripping Kashima’s hand and Kashima’s downcast gaze.

“Nii-chan! Nii-chan, did this man do anything to you? Why were you so lat-”

“Kotarou, Inui-senpai helped me out in a tough situation just now. I’m a bit tired, is it ok if I just make instant noodles for dinner?”

“Nii-chan… go rest. I’ll make dinner tonight.” Kotarou looked onwards worriedly before entering the house to prepare a bath and dinner.

The two adults were left in front of the house, facing each other.

“Ne, Inui-senpai?”

“Yea?”

“Can you walk me home from now on?”

“You don’t have to ask.”

You don’t have to ask, cause I’ll always be there for you.

Chapter Text

She tapped her feet in impatience as Kashima seemed to be in deep thought.

“Kashima-san, please hurry. We don’t have all day.” She held a dress in each hand, the left hand with a long, frilly, pink one with puffy sleeves and the other a short, blue, and flowy off the shoulders dress. 

Currently, the pair were shopping for gifts to give Yuki Ushimaru, as her birthday was encroaching soon. Inomata, who was holding the dresses that Kashima had selected in front of him, sighed for what seemed to be the eighth time that day. The omega snapped out of his thoughts and sent a bashful smile her way.

“Sorry… I just don’t know which one she’ll like more.” Suddenly, his slightly furrowed brows were uncreased and he brightened. “Oh, I know! What do you think, Inomata-san? Which one do you think she’ll like more?” 

“E-eh?! What do I think… How am I supposed to know?” He has suddenly put the spotlight on Inomata, flustering her. Kashima simply continued to smile at her though, as if he were silently and gently encouraging her to make a decision. It was slightly adora- no. She had her pride as an alpha female, she would not succumb to her feelings like this. 

“Well I figured Inomata-san and Ushimaru-san were close so…” 

“It’s rude to assume someone’s familiarity with others. Please do not make assumptions in the future.” Ah. She had done it again. Inomata knew that she had a penchant for being blunt, but she also knew that sometimes it could be a bit… much . She truly didn’t mean those words but they had just left her mouth before she could- no, that’s not what’s important. Kashima must be hurt now. Inomata cursed herself in her heart- why could she just speak nicely for once? 

Coughing, she corrected herself hastily. “A-ahem. What I mean is, Yuki-chan and I may be close, but there are bound to be differences. I don’t know what omegas like…” 

Immediately, she felt embarrassed at her words once again. Wasn’t she insinuating that alphas and omegas were destined to be different in every aspect with her word choice? Kashima was an omega, would he take offense to her words? Oh great, now she’s done it again! This might as well be a spectacle of “ how many times can Inomata mess up in front of her crush friend who also conveniently makes her blush ”. 

“I-I meant-”

“But Inomata-san, I think you do know Ushimaru-san’s preferences a lot more than you give yourself credit! I mean, you were always making sure she was comfortable in the club back in high school. You’re a very caring person after all!” And right then and there, she was reminded once again of how sweet he was. Kashima always seemed to know what she truly meant in her heart; he always understood her true self. 

Ah… no wonder why I’ve liked him all this time- ah. Wait. What. She shook her head furiously in embarrassment and stammered out a response.

“... the blue one. She’ll like that one more. Let’s go purchase it now.” Kashima’s warm smile and cheerful agreement only made her blush more. 

They had made their way over to the register and chattered a bit until the cashier chuckled upon scanning the article. Inomata raised her eyebrow- what was so funny?

The lady noticed the intimidating gaze and attempted to lighten the mood. “Oh dear customer, I just thought it amusing that you would allow your omega to wear something as ah, suggestive as this, especially with him being a male and claimed.”

Inomata could not believe what she was hearing. Who was she to judge what they bought? 

“That is not for him. Not only are you making false assumptions, but are also rudely prying into customers’ lives. Furthermore, you are enforcing outdated stereotypes and insulting your customers. Please refrain from this ill-mannered behavior in the future.” Despite how harsh she knew she sounded, these were one of the few moments she was deliberate in her tone. The cashier appeared to shrink away for a bit but then grew defensive in her embarrassment.

“Ah… so it’s for you? Perhaps are you trying to appear more feminine with this dress? Dear customer, I suggest looking at other designs to better suit you and your, ah, temperament?” The passive-aggressive tone, the sarcastic smirk, the haughty look- Inomata had enough. She opened her mouth to snap back at her only to be stopped by a gentle yet firm hand.

“Ma’am, that was terribly rude and uncalled for. There is nothing wrong with Inomata-san’s personality. She was simply stating the truth. We’re now in a society where we are moving on from these conventions. Please finish up our purchase. We’d rather not have to cause a scene.” Kashima soft yet strict tone seemed to have impacted not just the cashier, but the people in the vicinity, who were whispering and pointing at the trio. Flushing with shame, she quickly finished the transaction and handed the duo their bag while muttering a quick “sorry”.    

 How could one person hold so much power over her? She had been told her whole life to uphold the dignity expected of an alpha and yet scorned when she wasn’t as soft and obedient as a “proper” female was expected to be. But this one soft-spoken and gentle man, with his small entourage of six children, had managed to break down the iron walls she had built. 

He was willing to overlook the convention and tradition placed upon her, so… why couldn’t she do the same for herself? Those who had enforced these steel chains on her… they could cry about it. But now, she knew she had a goal. To obtain and cherish the man next to her. 

As they left the store, Kashima turned to her, “Inomata-san, I’m sorry that you ha-”

“Wait right here.”

“Huh?” She quickly left the confused man and darted to the nearest dessert shop and bought an assortment of mini cakes, chocolates, and other varying desserts. After instructing the staff to wrap it up in a gift basket, she swiftly headed back to the omega, who was currently sitting on a nearby bench with a slightly dazed and still confused look. 

“Here. As a thank you.” She shoved the basket into his hands, a surprised look settling into his face. 

“Inomata-san you didn’t have to-”
“Maria.” She looked away from him, a bright red blush rising on her face. “Call me Maria. U-Unless you do not wish to that is, then I comple-”

“Maria-san, thank you.” Inomata’s eyes widened and she turned her head to face Kashima’s face again. He had beamed a gentle and bright smile at her, washing away all the anxiety and unease she had previously. “In return, call me Ryuuichi!”

“Y-You!” She spun around rapidly and stomped off. Kashima had followed quickly after her, but he would never see her bright red face and creeping smile.

Ryuuichi. Ryuuichi Ryuuichi Ryuuichi. 

This is bad. She just might get addicted to saying his name. And if they, purely hypothetically, get married and have children, once again completely hypothetically, she was determined to never wear out that name from her tongue. So what if the stupid baseball-obsessed freak got to say Ryuuichi’s name first- she would fight with whatever she could to make that omega hers.