Chapter Text
Senku walked into the building with his head held high.
"I still don't feel comfortable about this. You're too young," Byakuya said again as he trailed behind him.
Senku didn't rise to the bait. They'd had this argument for months now. If the old man hadn't agreed that this was the best option, he wouldn't be here. Contrary to popular belief, Byakuya didn't let his son steamroll him when it came to what was best (or, what he thought was best). Senku gave his name at the counter and took the paperwork covered clipboard from the woman who was glaring at his father.
Byakuya took the paperwork from him and started to fill it out. Senku took out a book and worked on studying his English. He started with the science terms the other students had learned in class today and worked his way around unfamiliar terms from there. He didn't notice his dad go turn the paperwork in and he had to be nudged when his name was called.
"It's highly unusual for someone your age to be in," the woman leading them to a room commented with a frown.
"Byakuya is my only guardian and is going into astronaut training. He will be gone on and off for years," Senku explained to the woman.
"I've got friends to take care of him when I'm out of town, but they can't register him. And the doctor was very clear that he can't go through a prime rut alone," the old man expanded with a wince.
This seemed to appease the woman. "A prime alpha, huh? I understand."
Prime alphas were rare. Only 1 in 1000 alphas were prime alphas. Since roughly 30% of the population was alphas (another 30% were omegas and the rest were betas) they were a very small percentage of the population. Prime alphas were a term for a heightened level of alpha pheromones in childhood. These alphas tended to have both less and more control over their secondary characteristics than the general population. More control in day-to-day life. They didn't need to use their pheromones to control others; their natural state made it so others listened to them and followed their lead. (In other words, they were used to getting what they wanted.)
When their rut hit it threw those natural pheromones out of balance. Normal alphas had to deal with the random mood swings regularly and learned to hold in their scent over time. Prime alphas had little to no practice with these things and it made them highly unpredictable. Some would just gather their pack into one place and scent them (which didn't sound bad, but imagine being trapped in a room with a terrifyingly strong overly possessive toddler) while others would attack random people in the street.
Most societies decided to have primes bonded before their first rut. The omega pheromones in their system would negate the aggressiveness and take all the possessive, protective energy and direct it to their mate.
For most alphas and omegas, first ruts and heats hit in late adolescence. The average person could register themselves if they couldn't find a mate on their own. It had become a trend to not bother looking until a person reached their late twenties. Regardless of gender, it was better to establish a career and learn how to support yourself before taking on the responsibilities of a mate and kids (assuming an omega had the support from their parents or guardians, of course).
A parent of an omega bringing their child here at thirteen would raise some eyebrows. Omegas became property of alphas once claimed. Some parents wanted their child registered so they’d be in the system as long as possible to give their child the best chance of finding a perfect mate. That didn’t happen very often anymore. More often than not, the parents needed money and were willing to sell their omega child to someone who liked their scent.
Behing here at thirteen for an alpha was unheard of. If there was a match in the database the alpha would be expected to meet the omega and possibly claim them. Which would create all sorts of problems if the alpha couldn't take care of the omega. Alphas came of age at sixteen, a little earlier than the general population. However, they rarely had the education needed to find a job to support both themselves and their mate. An archaic holdover from a different time. The laws were different for primes. Senku was free to take his mate whenever he wished. He came of age immediately once bonded. Part of the same law, but was used frequently.
That was the part that Senku was looking forward to most. He hated needed his dad's permission to buy equipment and make travel plans. If Byakuya got NASA funds, Senku didn't want to constantly wait for his dad to answer the phone to put into action all the plans he had.
Byakuya was working hard to keep a smile on his face. He could feel all the workers judgmental stares. He understood, he picked this service to register his son with because they were more progressive than the others. He was willing to endure a few nasty looks to ensure the omega Senku picked was willing to bond with him… not forced.
"Are you sure you won't be able to stop back by in two years? We really prefer the alphas to be at least fifteen in order to get a good sample," the woman said after inviting them to sit. Fifteen was more or less when an alpha finished going through puberty. Second puberty, an alpha’s first rut, hit anywhere from a year to five years after that.
"I can't guarantee it," Byakuya said with a wince. He wasn't sure if he would make this launch or a later one and launch windows could move. The next five years—or more—of his life were unable to be scheduled. He had wanted to give up his spot to someone else, but Senku wouldn't hear it.
Byakuya wasn't sure if Senku refused to allow him to give up his chance because Senku didn't want Byakuya to give up his dreams due to a child that wasn’t even his (yeah, his son had some issues. They were working on it), if Senku wanted the results of Byakuya’s research, or if Senku didn't care about any of it and simply wanted the money.
It was hard to tell what his son was thinking sometimes.
Regardless, Byakuya couldn't leave his son’s health to chance. If he was in one of the early launches it would be over a year before he could come back and he wouldn't be available to take Senku here if he went into rut early. If he went into rut late it might be during one of the later launches. Then there was the possibility that they'd want him to stay in America to do more research or go up again to do further experiments.
He also had an offer from an American college to teach there once he was done with NASA. He hadn't said no after he learned that Lillian Weinberg was going to be part of his training group. He had a bit of a crush on the pop star and wanted to keep his options open. Also, Senku had some caught the interest of some American colleges and being in the same country would be nice.
Senku didn't seem to care for Lillian much, but he didn't say anything either way. And although Byakuya was happy with the way his life was now, he had always pictured something more.
A wife. More kids. He’d always wanted a large family.
"You're just going to take a sample and run it, right? If it's no good he can always come in later to try again without me, right?" Byakuya asked. Maybe they’d get a bad sample and they would have a year before he needed to worry about this again.
"Of course. Your presence is only required at this appointment. There's a form we can have you sign to let your son take everything from here since he's a prime. Your son does have to respond to every match we find on his own, however. Or you'll have to start over from the beginning," the woman said.
"Great. Let's get a move on," Senku said and turned in his seat. He twisted his head to expose his neck and bonding gland.
"I do want to warn you against bonding too early even if you find a match. Bonding too early can affect your development. You need to respond, but I would recommend you pass on everyone until you're at least sixteen."
"Sure," Senku said dismissively. Byakuya knew he wasn't concerned about any of that. He didn't want a mate at all. That he'd been able to scent everyone around him since birth. He'd never found anyone he couldn't resist before and doubted that would change.
Byakuya wasn’t about to start that fight. Time would prove his son wrong.
The woman frowned, but prepared the equipment without further comment. She warned the alpha before piercing him with the needle and despite that he still nearly attacked her.
"Sorry," Byakuya said as he held his growling son.
"It's normal with primes," she said breathlessly. "I will send someone else in to finish the appointment." The woman left quickly with the needle still uncapped.
It didn't take long for Senku to calm once she was gone. Then the embarrassment set in.
"There's no reason to be upset. You heard her say it was normal," Byakuya said.
"I hate this," Senku admitted quietly.
Byakuya knew. His son had put on a brave front, but he loathed everything about this situation. Senku hated that he was an alpha, he wished he were a beta—mostly unable to smell others and had a reduced reaction to pheromones. He wanted to view everything logically. He didn't even understand romance in movies and wanted nothing to do with it in real life. He claimed it made people crazy and illogical. He didn't want to be responsible for another human being. He had once said wouldn't trust himself with the care of a plant and Byakuya hadn’t been able to disagree.
"I can cancel. We can—"
"No," Senku bared his fangs at his dad. "This is for the best. It's not like delaying the inevitable will change anything."
Byakuya nodded as he backed into his seat. He wondered, not for the first or last time, if this was really the best thing.
A beta man came in with a folder of forms. "We normally run your sample while you fill these out but you're welcome to fill them out at home and bring them back in if you'd like."
Senku took the folder and marched back to reception. He confirmed that they had his phone number and that they wouldn't be bothering them for anything else before leaving. Byakuya practically had to run to keep up.
On the train, Senku managed to pull himself back together. Once home he went straight to his room and worked on his experiments. The folder was put to the side.
Byakuya took it and placed it on the counter where Senku would see it when he used the microwave. He decided they'd go out for ramen today and have takeout for the rest of the week until he had to leave. He wrote himself a note to remember to load the fridge and freezer before he left.
He hoped he would be back soon. He knew it would be disappointing if he failed out, but maybe it would be for the best.
Ramen was pushed back until the night Byakuya had to leave. Senku's friends came with them and their parents and guardians made it as well. They promised they would help Senku while he was gone. Senku ignored them and chatted with his friends about the latest email he'd gotten from one of the guys at NASA.
Byakuya made a note of the name and would make sure to thank the man personally when he arrived in America.
Taiju's guardians were less than enthusiastic, but Yuzuriha's parents promised to take care of any problems that arose. Byakuya told his son that the apartment manager would call him if anything blew up and he would quit and come home. His son’s expression showed it was a good threat. Byakuya had done everything he could. Now he just needed to believe that everything would work out.
Senku reigned in all his "worst" impulses. Even though he didn't officially have an omega yet, he was in the system and with Byakuya's releases he was basically an adult. He spent money freely on online college classes and equipment and rented lab space for his less safe experiments. He couldn't take actual courses or leave the country until he actually had an omega, but he had plenty to work with.
He filled out the papers but didn't expect any omega matches. Hard no's on everything sexual and soft no's on anything domestic. He wanted his omega to have their own job, their own life, and their own house and to basically leave him alone. There weren't many omegas who wanted to live their life that way. And the few that might be okay with that probably wouldn't be compatible with a thirteen-year-old.
So, he wasn't surprised that he hadn't had a match in over a year. He delayed renewing his pheromones as long as he could and dragged himself there a little over a year later. The very day the grace period ended.
This time when they brought out a needle there were two other nurses present but they were unnecessary. Senku could tell they were all betas and no threat. And now that he knew what to expect, he was able to repress the knee jerk reaction to attack the stranger piercing his bonding gland.
The nurses seemed pleased. They left him with the paperwork to fill out this time and he entered the exact same answers before leaving the room.
On his way out of the clinic, he was hit with a smell that made his mouth water. He had to force himself not to look around the waiting room. Trying to walk normally took more willpower than he had. He ended up freezing and swallowing thickly several times before he could convince himself to leave.
Thankfully, there was a decent wind today and his head cleared when he was on the street. He tried to put the entire thing out of his mind.
Gen was in hell. Sweaty, horny, miserable hell. He was going to kill that man if he ever saw him again. Selling him fake suppressants! He had been so close. He just needed to make it to twenty and then he'd be free to make his own decisions about his future. Now, his only hope was that his parents stayed away for his entire heat, that the maids would be able to clean up the smell and didn't rat him out.
He made a face as he looked at his sheets. Yeah, he was screwed.
Maybe he could find a mate before his parents could sell him.
The heat was coming back and he scribbled a plan on his arm before it swept him under.
Gen woke up feeling better and stumbled into the bathroom. He glanced in the mirror and winced. He looked like shit. He never wanted to go through that again. Ever.
The note on his arm was illegible, but he remembered what it said. ‘Find a mate ASAP.’ However, any mate would want to use him during his heat. He couldn't trust suppressants from his manager. Ex-manager, now. But a new manager could be just as bad or worse. He needed a trustworthy alpha to sign the release so the doctor could prescribe them legally and one for the pharmacy so he could pick them up.
Maybe there was an older alpha out there whose mate died and wanted some companionship. It wouldn't allow him to stay in show biz, but that dream wasn't going to happen if left to his parents, anyway. Between taking care of an old alpha until they died and spitting out babies until it killed him, Gen would choose the former.
He scrubbed off the worst of the heat smell in his ensuite shower. He sniffed around and noticed his parents hadn't come back yet. Gen didn't know how long it had been since his heat started so he needed to move quickly. He slipped into his mother's office and started up the computer. He searched and found a liberal matching service. He needed to go in person and he had to be nineteen to sign up himself. Otherwise, he needed a parent or guardian.
It was easy enough to find blank guardian certificates online and doctor them with his grandmother's name as his only guardian. His mother's signature wasn't easy to forge but there were enough documents around to practice with and he thought he did a good job. Then he put everything back and streaked down the hall to his parents room. He found an old suit of his father's that fit. It was pretty traditional and would stand out. But he didn't have anything nice enough for an appointment in his own closet. Everything in there was from school, for lounging around the house, or overly formal for when his parents paraded him out to show him off. His stage clothes were too flashy.
Gen went back down the hall and noted that the water was turned off. His room had been stripped down. The maids were hard at work. He didn't have a lot of time. He slipped out the front door and walked out the gate. Around the corner was a group of kids. He paid them to sneak into his house and lock themselves in his room. They could eat anything they wanted and watch anything they wanted on his TV so long as they pretended he was in there with him.
He figured they would find a way over the fence and in the mansion just about the time the maids were done. Kids that age loved drama and would give is parents hell. His family couldn't risk breaking down his door with so many witnesses. It could be days before they noticed he wasn't actually in there with them. No matter how much the maids cleaned, in the time they had, they'd never get the smell out of there.
And it's not like anyone in the house could recognize his voice.
Gen hopped on a train headed south and steeled himself. This was going to be difficult.
He showed up at his grandma's house and rang the bell. His plan was to beg her to go along with his scheme to sign up at the clinic. She could end up in a lot of trouble, so he expected a fight.
When his grandma opened the door, she burst out sobbing.
Gen was wrong footed. He realized during her blubbering that she had watched her omega son be sold off to the highest bidder. That Gen was wearing the outfit his dad had worn during his presentation party. Gen’s mother had won, but treated her omega like garbage. She didn't hit him, but it was clear the omega was property to her. Not a person. He lost his ability to have kids after Gen's birth and his mom had lost all interest in him once it was clear he’d never have another heat. Gen's father had an alpha he had loved, but marrying for love wasn't something that was done in their class.
The two weren’t torn apart or anything so dramatic. Gen’s father had just stopped going to school—or out of the house—entirely from after elementary school until his presentation.
"We can hide you. I have cousins..." she started.
"Grandma, I have a plan."
Despite the risks, Gen’s grandma was fully on board. "I always regretted not encouraging my son to elope when that alpha boy had shown up. I didn't realize society would change. If I'd known that my son could’ve gone to school and have a job then I wouldn’t have insisted on a minimum bid."
Gen held his grandma's hand and comforted her as best he could. Inside, he was conflicted. Was he using his grandmother's guilt to manipulate her? Or would she feel more guilty about not helping him? Maybe it was a terrible idea to get her involved. It was definitely a terrible idea to wear clothing from his father.
Too late now.
Gen tried to put it out of his mind. The clinic said they took walk-ins and with his scent like it was, he thought they wouldn't turn him away.
He hoped they wouldn't. Gen didn't have long before his parents realized he wasn't in the room and started asking questions. If they reported him missing, his plan wouldn't work.
They arrived and the receptionist assured them they had time to see them. "We like to take scent samples from just before or after a heat. It's the strongest and gives us the most to work with. You might have to wait a bit, but we're happy to help."
Gen filled out the paperwork while the receptionist photocopied his guardian certificate and school ID. He had forgotten to grab his birth certificate, but they said they didn't need it.
"I know everyone's a little off after a heat," the receptionist said understandingly.
Gen might have thought it condescending; but the fact that he was in his mother's office where his birth certificate had been stored and hadn't even thought of it... well the woman wasn't wrong.
The paperwork was pretty standard. Sexual preferences, household preferences, other things. Gen put maybe for some of the sexual stuff and hard no's for a lot. He was open for sex outside of a heat, he guessed. He wasn't one of those omegas who only had desire when in heat. But it wasn't a requirement. He was surprised there was a section about working outside the home, schooling and licenses. He realized that maybe more of the people outside of his social standing were traditional than he thought.
He’d have to be extra careful about the alpha he chose.
He was rather aggressive with his pen when he checked the ‘yes I want to have a job’ box on that section.
Seeing the ink smudge made him take a breath to steady himself.
The door opened at the same time and he was hit in the face with a wall of alpha scent. Gen only barely managed to smother a moan. His head snapped up. He looked around, desperate to find the source of that smell. It didn’t take long to identify the source. A child stood stock-still in the room, tense and uncomfortable. Platinum blond hair with the tips dyed green. His body was scrawny and underdeveloped. Was the scent from his alpha? Gen looked away.
What kind of horrors had that kid seen that he was here this young?
Gen swallowed the excess saliva pooling in his mouth and started looking for an escape. There had to be a restroom around here somewhere.
Thankfully, the kid moved on and when the door opened it brought a strong breeze. Gen used his clear head to escape for the restroom. By the time he came back, the scent purifiers had worked their magic and Gen was able to focus on his forms.
The appointment was awkward. His bonding gland was inflamed from his heat and the nurses’ comments about how pretty it is made him wildly uncomfortable. His grandma cleared her throat and the nurses cleared out while twittering like gossipy sparrows.
Gen shifted as he waited and his grandma broke the silence.
"I'm glad you came to me," she said.
Gen nodded.
"You have to choose your alpha carefully. I don't know if your father remembers what I taught him. So, play nice with your parents. Get as much time as you can and come to me. Even a good choice can go bad. I will teach you everything I can."
Gen didn’t get the chance to ask her what she meant. A nurse came in and told him the sample was good and that he was free to go.
His grandma hailed a taxi and with another cryptic reminder to see her, sent the taxi away without getting inside herself.
Gen had the driver drop him off at the corner market and grabbed some soda, candy and snacks.
He sauntered into his house sniffing around.
His parents were home.
Gen hunched in on himself, made himself smaller and put a smile on his tired face.
Time for a show.
"Where have you been?" his mom demanded, appearing before him when he passed her office.
He only allowed his smile to twist brittlely. "I had my heat."
His mother growled. "That wasn't what I asked. And don't even try lying to me."
He held up the snacks. "Corner store."
She narrowed her eyes.
"It sucked worse than you said," Gen said, very quietly. He adverted his eyes and allowed a hint of pain into his scent.
"Don't speak like you're uneducated."
Gen didn’t have to fake his sadness and fear. He did fake his submissiveness. "Let me watch some movies with my friends, please. Then we can discuss... everything."
His mother's expression didn’t soften. It simply twisted into something victorious.
"No more fighting?" she asked, a dark look in her eyes.
Gen swallowed thickly and bowed his head. He allowed a waver in his quiet voice, "I don't want to go through something like that ever again."
His mother snorted. "I can have a list of acceptable alpha families compiled..." she started plotting, turning away from him and Gen bowed his head and slipped past her.
He would work his mom slowly, convincing her to throw the most lavash presentation party ever seen. Bit by bit he would wind her up, convince her that anything less than months of planning and the most lavash decorations in the most exclusive venue would bring shame to their family.
And in the meantime, he would find an alpha and escape forever.
Manipulative. Untrustworthy. Two-faced.
He was a showman above all. And this will be his greatest act.
... It's not like he had any actual shows in the future to distract him, after all.
--Gen Asagiri,
--Here is an initial list of alpha matches.
--You can sort by scent compatibility or by questionnaire compatibility.
--Please let us know if you have trouble arranging a meeting or if you find a mate. We will send out these lists monthly.
--If you would like to change the frequency of these emails, please login to your account or call us at...
Gen logged into his account and changed emails to none after he confirmed that matches were uploaded in real time on the site. He then deleted the email they sent him from both his inbox and from trash and hopped on the train. It wouldn't take long to get to his grandma's house.
He attended online classes for regular school in order to be able to work. He had been doing this since he was twelve, then reusing the forms every year with the dates edited. When he didn’t have a job, he took acting classes, magic classes, learned to sing, did vocal training and trained in the industry. His parents didn't notice. Didn't care. He wasn't worth anything until he presented. Now that he had, he was a pathetic pawn in wealthy families’ games.
Before, Gen had felt bad about how little his parents cared. Now he was thankful for it. He had every skill he needed to get everything he wanted. He hadn't been locked away in a golden cage. He knew how to fly, and he wasn't going to let himself be caught now.