Chapter Text
Two guys stood facing each other, an unusual aura radiating from them.
Tendo kept smirking at Kenma, while the latter, as usual, frowned.
But suddenly, Tendo's smirk disappeared, his pupils shrank, and for some reason, it reminded Shoyo of cats.
"Is it you who smells so human, kitty, or is there really a human studying in our academy?" he said, pointing a finger at Hinata.
Ushijima, looking confused at his friend, shifted his gaze to the so-called "human."
Shoyo felt trapped in a cage by these two.
The only thing the redhead didn’t know was what Kenma was thinking right now.
It would be so easy to lie now, right?
Kenma didn’t give him much time to think. He grabbed Shoyo by the wrist and began pulling him away from them.
"It's none of your business," Shoyo yelped as Kenma abruptly yanked him closer.
Tendo smirked as usual and started following them. Unsurprisingly, Ushijima did the same.
"Did you know you’re supposed to answer questions?" Seeing Kenma quicken his pace, the redhead clicked his tongue and nearly ran to catch up.
In a second, Satori grabbed the human's hand, almost causing him to lose his balance.
"Stop pulling me by the hands! I’m not elastic, you idiots," Shoyo raised his voice without realizing it, glaring at all of them. They backed off a little in shock. "What, do my hands have honey on them? Don't you have anything better to do?"
Shoyo rubbed his sore hand, still grumbling, but now almost in a whisper.
But only now did he realize he’d yelled at vampires and called them idiots... Were they going to eat him now?
He immediately started apologizing, almost bowing to their feet.
While the guys tried to calm the nervous redhead, a sharp smell of sour mandarin hit the air.
In Tendo’s mind, a trigger flipped—every thought screamed that the one in front of him was an omega!
"An omega’s right in front of you, dumbass, and you’re just standing there."
The only one who tensed up was Kenma. He knew Shoyo had taken his suppressants today—Kenma had even shoved him into the bathroom and made him take them because he kept forgetting. Usually, Shoyo’s pheromones were faint, only noticeable if someone stood very close to him after he’d taken the pills. But for the scent to become this strong—something was off.
And Kenma wasn’t the only one who smelled it.
Just as Kenma was about to grab Shoyo's hand and run, Tendo beat him to it, pulling Shoyo toward himself.
Tendo gently took his hand, pulling him closer and burying his face in Shoyo's neck, inhaling the sweet, intoxicating mandarin scent.
Kenma and Ushijima stood there, completely stunned. Meanwhile, Shoyo, half-alive, just wanted to disappear into the ground...
"What a pleasant smell…"
In the blink of an eye, Ushijima pulled Tendo away from the human.
"Forgive him. He can be a bit too forward sometimes."
Tendo didn’t stay quiet. He began arguing with Wakatoshi, claiming he was never like that.
"Don’t mess with a human omega."
While Tendo and Ushijima argued, Hinata stared at the floor.
"Hey, Kenma," Shoyo whispered, catching his friend’s attention immediately. "My scent… is it the same as usual?" A crooked smile appeared on the redhead's face.
Kenma tensed. Something was definitely wrong.
"No. Your scent has sour mandarin notes... Shoyo?"
The two guys who had been arguing fell silent when the faint bitterness of mandarin filled the air.
When they turned to look at the boys, Hinata was nowhere to be found.
Shoyo had bolted, ignoring Kenma’s shouts.
"For an omega, it’s normal—pheromones and all," Tendo muttered, not fully understanding. Maybe he’d just pressured him too much?
"That’s not it. His pheromones almost never stand out like that. Even if he skips his pills, his scent is faint. And it never changes—not when he’s angry, sad, or anything else. It doesn’t fluctuate like this," Kenma explained, wondering why he was even sharing this.
"Is he... some kind of 'defective omega'?" Tendo made air quotes as he spoke.
Both boys looked at him, not understanding.
"You don’t know about that either?"
Tendo sighed, thinking about how to explain it.
"Let’s go to our dorms, my room specifically. If someone overhears, it won’t end well."
The boys nodded in agreement.
Kenma thought about how quickly the Shiratorizawa duo accepted the fact that Shoyo was both an omega and human.
On one hand, it was good there wouldn’t be any trouble, but it still felt strange.
They quickly reached the dorm, meeting no one from the team along the way. That worked in their favor—no unnecessary questions about why Nekoma’s setter was there.
"So. Everything Kenma said earlier—those are signs of a defective omega," Tendo said, sitting on a chair and continuing. "For such omegas, heats are almost like regular days. Maybe their pheromones increase slightly, but they don’t feel the need to seek an alpha, build a nest, or lose themselves to desire, like regular omegas do."
Kenma listened, deep in thought. Why had things changed so drastically now?
"Such omegas also hardly feel alpha pheromones. Even if a high-class alpha is nearby, it won’t affect them. It’s like waking their inner omega is impossible."
"So something woke Shoyo’s ‘inner omega’ then?" Kenma asked, to which Tendo hummed thoughtfully.
"Maybe. From what I’ve read, the defect can disappear if the omega physically interacts with an alpha. But not just holding hands or hugging."
"Are you saying... that kid slept with someone?" Tendo fell silent, glancing at his captain. Kenma also paused, wondering when Shoyo even had the chance.
"No, Ushi-chan, it doesn’t have to be that extreme. It could be a kiss or, for example, if an alpha bit him."
Seeing Kenma flinch at the last part, Tendo smirked. So he guessed right.
"Kenma-chan, someone bit Hinata, right?" The setter frowned but nodded.
"Besides, this place is full of vampires. If many knew who he really was, wouldn’t it be odd if no one bit him even once?"
The boys silently agreed.
So was that what caused his "inner omega" to awaken? Interesting.
"Does that mean his personality might change too?"
"And not just that," Tendo said with a grin, thinking of the right way to explain. "His play style, body, and thoughts might also shift drastically. The worst part is that he might not even realize it himself, making it hard for him to adapt until his, let’s say, first new heat."
Kenma sighed. So much had already happened to Shoyo, and now this. Maybe he should call and talk to him properly.
"How do you even know all this?"
Tendo snapped out of his thoughts, in which he imagined Shoyo coming to him, asking for his clothes for a nest, and picturing how the omega might change both physically and emotionally. But it was too early for that.
"He’s been reading about this since he was young. I’ve been to his house, and those books were scattered everywhere on the floor."
Kenma tried to stifle a growing laugh at the image.
---
Author's Note:
Pheromones of Emotions in FF:
When a person is happy or nothing unusual happens — a regular pheromone.
When angry, shocked, or scared — a bitter scent.
When feeling guilty or crying — a sour scent.
When aroused — a sweet scent.
Scents (pheromones) of Alphas:
Tsukishima — vanilla.
Yamaguchi — mint.
Sugawara — condensed milk.
Sawamura — dark chocolate.
Kenma — chocolate pudding.
Kuroo — cinnamon.
Yaku — cheese.
Haiba — blackberry.
Oikawa — cocoa.
Iwaizumi — grapefruit.
Wakatoshi — toffee.
Tendou — cherry.
Atsumu — strawberry juice.
Osamu — strawberry juice (the brothers have similar scents).
Kita — mango.
Suna — rose.
Bokuto — coffee.
Akaashi — green tea.
Sakusa — tapioca.