Chapter Text
The first time Yuu saw Mika, he felt a new feeling he now know as "longing". They were eight, Mika was the tallest and the oldest boy from all the children in the orphanage. They instantly clicked, though Yuu wouldn't admit it. He liked the proximity and warmth the blond boy emitted.
Often than not, Yuu would climb into Mika's bed and sleep there, snuggling or kicking the blond off. Only to feel shy and cover his embarrassment with a brat attitude. And they stayed together like this for almost four years, until Mika got adopted.
And he only got adopted because he suddenly presented as Alpha.
Yuu never cared about Sex. Ed. or their secondary sexes, he was a kid after all. So whenever classes with the subject popped up, he made sure to sleep through it and cheat on all the tests. But when Mika presented, he suddenly felt very ignorant to what was happening to his best friend and felt guilty for not learning a single thing to help.
They were twelve and going home from school. Yuu used his shoulder to support Mika, he was burning up and shivering, a soft sweet scent coming off of him. The blond held onto Yuu's shirt with a tight grip.
"We're almost there, Mika." Yuu said, trying his best to carry the sick blond back to the orphanage. "You should've stayed home if you're sick."
Mika only grunted, eyes closed and sweat dripping from his skin. When they arrived, one of the caretakers eyes got so big Yuu thought it would pop out. She called another person, a man this time and he wrinkled his nose to the smell.
"Let go, Mika." He said, noticing that the boy held onto him strongly. The man also tried to make the boy release his hands. Mika shook his head.
"No! Mine!" Mika growled and turned to hug Yuu, trying to protect him from the man in front of him.
"I can put him to bed." Yuu looked at his friend's face. His pupils were blown wide, the only visible part of his eyes were a thin blue ring. "C'mon, Mika, let's go to bed."
The black haired tried his best to climb the stairs and open the door to their shared bedroom, the staff cautiously behind them. The orphanage nurse was already there with a warm wet towel and some medicine. When inside, they both flopped onto the bed, Mika holding onto him as tight as it could be. His sweet scent made his head a bit dizzy.
"Yuu, can you move?" The man asked approaching the tangled boys, his hands up in surrender.
"I think so, but he's squeezing me." Yuu wriggled, trying to soften Mika's embrace. At some point, the blond let go, and both the man and some other caretakers held him back on the bed.
"Leave the room now, Yuu!" The headmaster was already there, pushing the black haired boy out of the room and locking the door behind her. He could hear some commotion and after a while, there was silence. Soon after, the headmaster, and the caretakers left the room, the sound of the door being locked again sounded and the tall woman held him by his shoulders with a soft squeeze.
"Come with me, please." She smiled, guiding the twelve year old to her office.
"What's going on?" The boy questioned, the people acted like Mika had a zombie virus or a contagious disease. "He's not going to die, is he?"
"No, he's alright." She opened her door and waited for him to get in. "Did he bite you?" and when Yuu shook his head, she continued, nodding her head. "That's good. What you experienced just now was an early presentation of his secondary sex. The nurse is examining him, but he'll be alright in a couple of days."
Yuu nodded jerky, he vaguely remembered one of his teachers explaining the presentation and how it felt like a "second puberty during puberty". He knew there were two major sexes that divided the world into groups, the Alpha and the Omegas. There were also Betas, but they were whatever. His school also had segregated classes for both of them.
"That means he'll have to go to a different facility after he calms down." She looked down. "I'm telling you this now because you've witnessed it and is his best friend. You'll still meet him in school…" the headmaster softened her gaze. "I know you'll be sad, but that is the rules. I'm sorry."
Yuu was speechless. Mika will have to leave the orphanage? Leave him? For how long? He had so many questions, but nothing was said. The headmaster hugged him and sent him away to his room, telling that he'll be able to see the blond in a few hours. He stared at his bed, it's been a while since he had to sleep alone and now, he'll sleep in alone everyday.
He plopped onto his bed, inhaling the bedsheets. It smelled like nothing. He liked Mika's smell. Yuu managed to sleep, holding his shirt where Mika held onto.
He woke up later at night, the place was very silent. He opened his door and walked the same path he's been doing for four years. He knocked softly on Mika's door and waited.
"Mika?" Yuu whispered, trying to peek under the door. "Open up."
"No…" He heard the blond mumble. "They said you can't get in."
"The director said I could. Open the door." His head perked when he saw the door being unlocked and a sliver of blond peeked from it. He excused himself when went inside.
The smell hit him immediately. The soft sweet he felt earlier now is a bit too concentrated and nauseating. Yuu ran to the window to open it up. The room was a mess, clothes everywhere, cotton pads and tissues. He saw movement and caught a glimpse of Mika getting into bed again, covering himself up to the head.
"How're you feeling?" Yuu walked back to bed and sat on the edge, the scent clearing out. "The director told me you've presented. Did they tell you what you are?" He was very curious, in fact.
"Alpha." He shivered under the blankets. "The director said I'll be relocated to another orphanage until I showed any more characteristics, but they were pretty sure I'm Alpha." Mika sighed and peeked from the covers.
"That's bullshit." Yuu muttered, not because of the Alpha part, but because of the unnecessary relocation. He laid beside the shivering blond, looking into his face. His hair was messy with the curls sticking on all sides, his pupils slightly less blown than earlier, and his cheeks still flushed. He looked cute. "I hope I present soon too, so I can go there and be with you as well."
"Hoping to be an Alpha too?" Mika laughed, and something bubbled inside Yuu's stomach.
"Well, of course I am an Alpha, what else would I be?" Yuu pouted, poking the blond through the blanket. He never actually thought of it, if he would present or at all. Since Betas are the most common secondary sex, he expected to be one. But to Mika be an Alpha, that means he would also be something different.
"I hope you're an Alpha too." The blond yawned then rubbed his eyes. "Let's sleep, Yuu." He scooched closer to the other boy and enveloped him with the soft fabric of the blankets. Inside, the scent of pure vanilla filled the confined space. Strangely, Yuu didn't mind as much as earlier. Mika rested his face into the crook of Yuu's neck and evened out his breathing.
Yuu stared right ahead, letting himself feel the warmth and the smell his friend emitted. Nuzzling the blond locks, he made himself comfortable and drifted to sleep.
"You're much better now, Mika!" The cheery nurse voice woke Yuu up. She was holding a thermometer and looking with proud eyes. "Oh, sorry, Yuu. Good morning!" They all knew Yuu and Mika slept together ever since day one.
"It's alright. He's better then?" The other boy asked, rubbing his eyes.
"Very much, I guess you being here also helped him calm down. Thank you." She smiled and stood up, gathering the aid kit. "The director told me to send you to her when you get better. Get ready and go." And left, leaving Mika and Yuu alone again.
Mika sighed and walked to the bathroom that is attached to the room. It was the only room like this and was used by Mika for some reason. Yuu asked once why they gave him a room while the others shared, the blond just shrugged and said "I don't know, the director that made this arrangement for me", and nothing else.
He heard the shower turning on and laid back into the soft mattress, waiting for the other to finish up. He glared at the ceiling.
Both Mika and him were the same age, almost the same height with the exception of a couple of centimeters (Mika would say he's taller because his big brain added to the height), both were athletic, and yet… Only Mika got his secondary sex confirmed. And now they're dispatching him to whatever place they put Alpha kids.
He tried to remember even a little of the class he slept through. Alphas had two genetic characteristics: recessive or dominant, and they only appeared after… some age, he didn't know. Yuu looked back at the bathroom door and wondered which one Mika was. But that is as far as his knowledge could go, the definition of any of those words meant nothing to him.
The door got pushed open, Mika emerged from the foggy bathroom with hair wet and already dressed in a simple T-shirt and pants. He looked refreshed at least.
"I'll be right back." The blond announced and left the bedroom, although he stopped at the door frame and looked back to Yuu, who was now sitting on the edge of the bed. He opened his mouth to say something, but ultimately decided not to. He gave the other boy a last glance and left.
Yuu felt something drop inside him, a feeling he never felt before. He felt an urge to go with him. Instead he just stared at the door and waited. He would wait, right? He would not go and eavesdrop, right? He felt the seconds slip by faster and faster, an agitation brought him to his feet and guided him to the corridors of the headmaster's office.
He got closer to the hardwood of the door and tried to listen.