Work Text:
Kenta grimaced.
Ugh, I can't think with all these alpha pheromones.
The gym had few exit points and little to no windows. The gym seemed popular as they were surrounded by many unknown alphas. If a gun was set off, someone would definitely notice and the police would swarm this place.
"Stop making expressions like a puppy."
Kenta blinked out of his thoughts at Babe's statement. His cousin and his boy-toy walked ahead, and Kenta watched as Boy-toy flitted between workout station to workout station.
What was this one's name? Babe went through so many, it is hard to keep track.
"Have you never seen a gym before?" Babe questioned, amused.
Harvey? Harley? Ari? Ali?
"I've seen a gym before," Boy-toy answered. He made direct eye contact, and Kenta narrowed his eyes back. "I am surprised you two work out here. I didn't think you would come to a public gym."
Why not? Kenta pondered. Rich? Famous? Mafia?
"Kenta doesn't," Babe proclaimed. "However, being a racer is more about driving practice, you have to have the physical strength it takes to control the car. You have to train your senses and reflexes. Everything has to be perfect. Drivers from other teams workout here too."
Marley, maybe?
"Yes sir!" Boy-toy chirped.
Kenta rolled his eyes.
His name wouldn't be Finley, would it?
Kenta scoffed at the notion.
Babe spun towards him. His hand outstretched in a purposeful point. "I don't want to hear anything from you. Boxing and racing are completely different sports."
Kenta nodded in agreement, "You've dragged me along for enough late night joyrides in our youth. I have opinions."
Babe rolled his eyes, "Since my trainer told me he isn't coming in today, I was planning on asking Charlie-"
Wait, Kenta thought.
"His name is Charlie?" Kenta questioned.
Babe took a deep breath.
"Out of all the names, your lover is a man named Charlie-"
"As I was saying, I was planning on asking Charlie to spar with me," Babe said, sternly. "However, since you've decided to tag along I figured I'd show him some familial moves."
Charlie perked up, "Really?"
"Don't get too excited," Kenta said. Internally, he sighed. This was why Babe wanted me to come along because he wanted to take his frustration out on me.
"What?" Babe asked, an eyebrow raised. "Are you afraid you'll lose?"
Kenta couldn't help but roll his eyes at the accusation. "No, I am surprised. The last time we sparred, you complained I went too hard and damaged your 'perfect body'."
"Maybe I want to brag about my champion cousin," Babe responded.
"You are a champion boxer?" Charlie questioned, excitement on the edge of his voice.
"He was trained by the best," Babe boasted with a wide grin. "Uncle Pete can wipe the floor with the best of them, including Kenta."
Kenta narrowed his eyes, "I don't have workout clothes."
"I do," Babe responded as he unzipped his gym bag, and handed over a tank top and shorts.
"Fine." Kenta said as he took the clothes. "If you die, I am spitting in your urn."
Unfortunately, when Kenta emerged from the changing rooms, Babe wasn't dead. It was worse, it was picking a fight. Kenta slid up behind the crowd of onlookers, annoyance coursed through every part of his veins. Kenta didn't bother with pleasantries as he moved toward the front of the crowd, to the disgruntlement of the alphas around him.
Ugh, I feel like I'm back in high school.
"If you can beat Kim, I'll pay you double."
Kenta paused in his movements to size up the main attraction.
He scanned the one who proposed the challenge. He was tall with a middle part which did nothing for his large forehead. There was a faint slit in one of his bushy eyebrows, as if he had made the slit but regretted it enough to not renew it. He probably thought it would make himself look intimidating, instead of the horrible misreading of a cultural marking it was, or maybe he couldn't make the commitment. If someone asked Kenta, he would say the alpha looked like he had been run over before, perhaps by Babe.
He stood tall next to a shorter alpha, dyed hair and full lips. He didn't look entirely Thai, perhaps mixed or entirely foreign but he was definitely part Asian with his dark monolid eyes. He didn't seem like he was entirely paying attention, as if he was used to these bouts of posturing, although at the taller ones' challenge a glint found itself into his eyes.
"But if you can't," the taller one said. "Then, I get your car."
Kenta raised an eyebrow. Babe's cars were sacred to him, to the point their wider family knew they were off limits when it came to pranks.
Babe smirked.
It was clear his cousin didn't view the tall one as a threat. Kenta's eyes slid over the shorter one, obviously rearing for a fight. It wasn't like he'd be a challenge for Babe either, but he'd have a fighting chance. Although, both of them weren't the warm body who made Kenta concerned as he watched Charlie bounce on the balls of his feet.
Charlie may or may not have official training, Kenta thought, but if Babe's boy-toy got hurt and was unable to perform his other duties then-
"I'll fight-"
Charlie never finished, as a shadow moved smoothly in front of him.
"I'll be fighting," Kenta proclaimed, eyes stone cold.
Kim couldn't care less for alpha posturing.
As an alpha himself, he found it grating. At best, the performative chest-beating was a light headache. At worst, it was a humiliation ritual for one of the parties involved.
During his time with Red Racing, Kim found Winner was good at humiliating himself.
Kim wouldn't call them friends, friends implied Kim liked the guy, they were simply co-workers with a mutual rival. Although, it would be hard to find any competitor in this racing circuit who didn't have a bone to pick with Pit Babe. Unlike Winner's deep-seated desire to knock Babe down any chance he got, Kim preferred the more traditional method of letting his racing speak for itself. He could play nice, until they battled it out on the track.
Though, Kim would confess, the only reason he agreed to work-out with Winner today was because Winner told him Babe used this gym. After disappointing round after disappointing round with the other regulars, he was about to walk out when Pit Babe finally arrived. He even had a little entourage, one a boy-toy and another of mysterious origin (Kim thought for a moment, but couldn't recall any rumors about Babe taking two lovers at once). Unfortunately, Winner set-up another match before Kim could approach, but one annoyingly easy take-down later found Kim face-to-face with the racing legend.
Kim wanted to fight Pit Babe.
He stepped on the mat against another.
If Kim recalled correctly from Winner's sorry excuse for a pep-talk, his opponent's name was Kenta. A sniff of the air revealed he was fighting a beta, with a scent so weak it was hard to completely discern among the other alphas' body odors. Kenta stood before him with an unreadable face, with an ill-fitted tank top straining against his chest. Kim thought he could pass for an omega with the heft of his pecs.
Kim rolled his neck. This wasn't what I had in mind for my day off.
A whistle blew, and the two started to circle each other on the mat.
It took a bit, nothing but sizing one another up, but Kim made the first move.
Blocked.
Kim withdrew his jab. His eyes narrowed.
Blocked. Blocked. Blocked.
The spectators jeered as Kim's strikes landed nowhere.
This was when Kenta decided to strike.
The beta threw a couple of jabs of his own, but Kim ensured none landed.
Although, he got a feeling they weren't supposed to.
Back in Korea, Kim's family home was overrun with many stray cats. As a young boy, he'd watch as the cats hunted mice, the way they toyed with them before they dealt the killing blow. A young Kim wondered why the cats didn't immediately kill them, until his father informed him the cats took joy in the hunt. They wouldn't end it too quickly.
Kim landed a kick into Kenta's chest, a solid strike, but the beta didn't stumble.
I don't like being a mouse in a cat's game.
He wasn't going to win this match, that much was clear.
He'd have to form his own goal, something other than defeat.
Kim's eyes flickered around Kenta's body. Kenta lunged forward, but something shifted on his neck. Kim dodged, barely, but he noted a scent patch so skin colored it looked like contour.
Kim smirked.
When faced with a cat, why be a mouse when you could be a rat?
Kim lunged.
Kenta ducked.
Kim swept the legs out from underneath the beta, but Kenta didn't even stumble.
The spectators grew louder as the tactics got dirtier.
Kim found himself where he wanted: face to face with the scent patch.
His next move was uncouth, dirty by national standards, but this wasn't a professional match. It was a bet, so he shoved his nose close. He shoved it as close as he could where it was bunched up, and sniffed.
Dogwood blossom.
Honey.
Lavender-
A split second later, a foot was in his chest.
He flew back into the nearest wall, as the viewers dove away.
It might be the ringing in his head, but he swore the bricks cracked behind him.
Kim didn't hear much, but he heard Kenta's parting words and Winner's resulting tantrum.
"I would check who the boxing champion is before placing a boxing bet."
Kim brought a hand to his mouth, hiding his smile.
Kenta was an omega, and he could kick his ass.
"I'm surprised your puppy left you alone."
Babe paused from where he rested against the bar, the scent of cedar, leather, and saffron drifted underneath his nose. His nose crinkled, but he turned around and leaned his back on the counter. "Kim? And here I thought Red Racing would get tired of seeing my face."
Kim chuckled, "Winner, maybe, but I don't need to fight you off the track."
Babe tracked Kim's eyes as they glanced around the space. Eventually, Kim's gaze landed past Babe's shoulder. Babe turned his head, surprised as Kim's focus was on the X-Hunter team. They were all drinking, celebrating their recent win, alongside Kenta. His cousin was conversing with North and Sonic, who were waving a phone in his face, but Dean hovered over Kenta's shoulder no doubt interrogating him. Though Alan, their pack alpha, seemed determined to give Kenta some reprieve as he placed his hand on Dean's shoulder. An unnameable emotion flashed through Babe as he saw Charlie deep in conversation with their newest recruit, Jeff, but calmed down when Charlie flashed him a smile.
"Can I ask you something?"
Babe turned his attention back to Kim, a tease on the edge of his tongue. "What? Need tips for the circuit?"
To his surprise, Kim shook his head.
"What is your relationship to Kenta?"
"Kenta?" Babe questioned. He glanced back to where Sonic and North waved shots underneath Kenta's nose. "He is my cousin. We grew up together under, basically, the same roof. Why?"
"So he isn't one of your boy-toys."
Babe blinked.
He sighed, "Look, Kim, I'm flattered but-"
"Is he single?"
Babe paused, "What?"
"Kenta," Kim said, his ears turning slightly red. "Is he seeing anyone?"
No amount of self-control could keep Babe's jaw from dropping open.
This never happened before.
It might sound egotistical, but Kenta was never approached by others for romantic, or even sexual, favors. Kenta was too cautious, and kept away prospective hook-ups with his dead-eye stare. The last time someone asked Babe about Kenta in this way, it was in high school when the most popular student thought it would be a fun joke to ask Kenta out. Only, they were the one embarrassed in the end by Kenta's blunt rejection.
"No. He's never-" Babe paused upon holding Kim's full attention. "No, he isn't seeing anyone."
"Thanks," Kim said, before he stalked off towards the X-Hunter table.
After collecting the drinks he was waiting for, Babe followed close behind with a raised eyebrow. Kenta watched them both approach with unreadable eyes, and didn't bat an eye when Kim placed himself next to him. By the time Babe passed out the drinks, Kim's phone was out and extended towards Kenta.
Charlie leaned into Babe, and spoke in a low tone. "What did Kim want?"
Babe couldn't keep the shock out of his voice, "Kenta."