Chapter Text
Riku leaned against the wall as he caught his breath, downing the rest of his water and sighing loudly when he saw that the bottle was empty. He looked over at Tenn and Iori, catching his boyfriend’s gaze and nodding at him. “Tenn-nii,” he called out, getting the elder to look at him with a raised brow. “I ran out of water, so I’m going to get more. Do you want any? Iori?”
“A sports drink would be nice,” Iori replied. “Thanks.”
“Same here,” Tenn said. “Non-sparkling.”
“Okay! I’ll be right back!” Riku exclaimed, grabbing his wallet and heading out.
Instead of going down the stairs, where the vending machines were, the redhead turned right and headed for the practice room currently housing Gaku and three members of IDOLiSH7. They'd intentionally arranged it such that the two rooms were separated in the middle by Ryuu and MEZZO’s practice room, lest Tenn overhear what they were discussing.
The rooms were soundproof, but they could never be too cautious.
Knocking on the door, Riku entered the room with a small smile. “Iori’s on it,” he informed them brightly, hoping that he wasn’t showing any unease on his face. He'd told Iori as much, but he really wasn’t comfortable with leaving his omega alone with his brother, not after the last time he’d done so.
Iori had voiced his concerns as well; similarly, he wasn’t quite over what’d happened. But they’d all agreed that he was the best candidate for the job, and Iori hadn’t protested the assignment of this particular role. Riku was close enough to smell if anything was wrong, so Iori wasn’t too worried.
“Are you sure this is going to work?” Gaku asked with a sigh. Yamato and the others had filled him in on the plan once they’d split up from the rest of the group, and while it did sound rather workable, he wasn’t too sure of how they would go about it. “Tenn isn’t likely to say yes, you know. He likes to spend his time off at home reading.”
“Iori will get the job done,” Mitsuki assured. “He’s my little brother, after all.”
The plan was rather simple: Iori was to meet up with Tenn, supposedly to go shopping for Riku’s birthday that happened to be in three weeks. They'd bump into Gaku and Riku there. Then Iori would receive a call from Tsumugi regarding an emergency meeting, and they’d leave Gaku alone with Tenn.
They’d asked Gaku when a good date would be and made arrangements with Tsumugi to reschedule anything they had on, which luckily had been only a magazine interview which would be followed by a quick photoshoot. The one variable they wouldn’t truly be able to control was whether or not Tenn would leave and go home.
“Iori also has a trump card,” Riku supplied, keeping a grimace off his face. Said trump card was, essentially, to guilt trip Tenn into going with him. It was as good a plan as any, but that didn’t mean that Riku wanted Iori to be unnecessarily reminded of that day’s events.
“Believe in us, Yaotome-shi! We will definitely get you a date with Kujo-shi!”
“All you have to do is make sure he doesn’t run away,” Yamato snorted. “And don’t screw it up.”
“Way to pile on the pressure,” Gaku grumbled.
Yamato shrugged in response. “What use is it to be the #1 Most Desired Man if you can’t get the man you desire most?” he asked, not giving Gaku any time to answer before continuing. “Have some faith in yourself, Yaotome. I’m sure Kujo knows just how great of a guy you are.”
“I sure hope you’re right.”
Back in the other room, Iori glanced at Tenn from his spot by the wall. “Kujo-san, I have a request.”
“What is it?” Tenn asked, not bothering to look up from his phone.
“I need help in picking out a present for Nanase-san.”
“…really now,” Tenn said flatly, putting his phone aside and staring blankly at the omega. “I may be his brother, but I haven’t lived with Riku since we were thirteen. What makes you think I’ll know what he likes? Shouldn’t you know the current Riku much better than I do?”
“Of course I know that,” Iori rolled his eyes. “But I wanted to see if there was anything he liked in the past that I could get him. Just inspiration for a gift in general, I guess.”
Tenn raised a brow as he crossed his arms across his chest. “And I should help you because? I don’t have much free time, in case you didn’t know that. Why would I want to spend it on some outing to hunt for Riku’s birthday present?”
“Don’t underestimate me; I already got Manager to check with Anesagi-san for your off day. And to answer your question, I was rather hoping that you hadn’t forgotten about our little run-in from a few weeks back,” Iori said pointedly, though he wore a slightly devious smile. “I didn’t want to have to do this, but what would Yaotome-san say if he knew what you did? What about your company? And your fans, who think that you’re a perfect angel. Wouldn't want to disappoint them, would we?”
“I can’t imagine that’ll put you in a positive light.”
“That’s fine by me.”
If glares could kill, Iori would already have died by Tenn’s hand. “This is ridiculous.”
Iori quirked an eyebrow. “Is it, really?”
The alpha suppressed a groan, not wanting to lose his composure in front of Iori. “Fine. I'll do it.”
A satisfied grin spread across Iori’s face. “Great! I look forward to your insight. I already asked Anesagi-san for your number, so I’ll let you know when and where to meet.”
Tenn clicked his tongue in annoyance at being blackmailed, angrily gulping his water until there was nothing left in the bottle. “Where’s Riku, anyway? He's taking an awfully long time,” Tenn huffed. “Go and look for him. We don’t have all day to practice.”
“Bossy,” Iori muttered under his breath, grabbing his phone and heading out of the room.
Just as Riku had done, Iori turned to the right and went straight to the other practice room. The five idols in the room glanced at him as he walked in, and soon Riku was mirroring the smile Iori wore. “I take it that you managed to do it?” Riku asked, receiving a nod in response from his boyfriend. “What did I tell you? Iori will definitely get the job done.”
“I’m impressed,” Gaku said. “How’d you do it?”
“A secret. Anyway, he told me to get you, so let’s get those drinks and hurry back.”
“Alright. Good luck on the day of, Yaotome-san!”
---
Ryuu wiped the sweat off his brows and walked over to where his bag was, looking over at the two other members of his subunit approvingly. “It’s looking good. Let's take a short break.”
“Yes,” Sougo agreed with a small smile. “I’ll go get drinks.”
“It’s so hot... I’m super sweaty...” Tamaki whined. “Souchan, do you have a spare towel?”
“It’s in my bag. Is a sports drink okay, Tamaki-kun?”
“Yeah. I’ll go look through your bag.”
“Alright. Tsunashi-san, what would you like to drink?”
“I’ll have water-”
Sougo’s eyes widened suddenly, and the omega cursed himself for being so careless. He didn’t even care about the panic that had most definitely seeped into his scent as he shouted, “You can’t!”
Ryuu jumped at the sudden exclamation. “It doesn’t have to be water!”
There wasn’t any time for Sougo to apologise for the outburst and explain that he wasn’t talking to Ryuu; Tamaki hadn’t realised that Sougo was talking to him, and he was still looking through Sougo’s bag. In any other situation, Sougo might’ve felt hurt that Tamaki seemed unaffected by his panic – now wasn’t such a time. “Tamaki-kun, don’t open my bag! Tamaki-”
Sougo paled when he saw Aya’s keychain fall to the ground with a clatter, and Tamaki picked it up with a shaking hand. His scent went from shock to hurt and betrayal in a matter of seconds, and he turned to look at Sougo. “This... this clover keyholder...” Tamaki said, his voice trembling. “I have one too... I got it from my dead mum... She made one for me and Aya...”
“Ah...” was all Sougo managed to say, feeling his chest tighten with guilt. This was the entire reason why he’d hesitated for so long, why he’d hidden the truth from Tamaki for the past several weeks. He’d never intended to hurt his alpha like this, and yet it’d happened anyway.
“Aya... Isn’t that Tamaki-kun's missing younger sister?”
“Why... why do you have this?” Tamaki asked coldly. Sougo bit on his lower lip, unable to come up with a reply in which he wouldn’t directly admit that he’d seen Aya. “No way... Did you meet with Aya...?”
Sougo’s blood ran cold at the fury radiating off Tamaki. The alpha’s scent was oppressive to the point that it physically hurt, though it wasn’t as if Tamaki was in the mood to care. “Tamaki-kun,” Sougo started, biting back a wince at Tamaki’s scent, “there’s a reason behind this-”
“Did you meet with her!?”
“Ta-”
“When!? Where!? Why didn’t you tell me!?”
Sougo shrank back slightly, and Ryuu tried to step in between the couple. “Stop!”
“You met her, didn’t you!?” Tamaki continued, uncaring of Ryuu’s attempt to intervene. “This keyholder is Aya’s, right!?”
A whimper sounded in the back of Sougo’s throat. “...it is.”
Tamaki growled, reaching out to grab Sougo’s hand. Sougo hadn’t even realised that he’d been backing away from the alpha until he was being held in place. “Why didn’t you tell me...!”
“Tamaki-kun!” Ryuu barked, the alpha voice he was using causing Sougo to flinch. The command wasn’t directed at him, but the harshness of it startled him regardless. “Let go of his hand.”
Glaring at Ryuu, Tamaki did as told.
“She told me that she couldn’t meet you,” Sougo said, barely able to keep his voice steady. “There seemed to be some circumstances behind that...”
“So what...” Tamaki muttered, tears of anger welling up in his eyes. “So fucking what!? Why did you hide it from me!? Why didn’t you tell me about this! You of all people should know that I’m looking for her!”
“It’s because I know!” the omega retaliated. “That’s exactly why I didn’t just tell you offhandedly; because I didn’t want to agitate you! If you had abandoned your work, just as we’re in the midst of filming for our drama, then everyone’s opinion of you would drop! That’s why-”
“...so you thought that I’d abandon my work once I heard about Aya?” Tamaki asked, his anger giving way to disappointment. Sougo saw the way the fight seemed to drain out of his alpha, the way Tamaki’s face fell.
It hurt even more to see Tamaki like this than to see him angry. “Is that what you think, Souchan...?”
“...Tamaki-kun...?”
“I... Haven’t I been doing that?” Tamaki asked, his voice suddenly small. “Trying not to cause trouble for you... Trying to be on time... Haven’t I been doing that all this time?”
Sougo felt his heart break, a lump forming in his throat and tears blurring his vision; he’d never heard Tamaki sound so lost before.
“You even praised me. You told me that I was doing a good job...” Tamaki chuckled bitterly. “But... you didn’t actually trust me at all...? You thought that I’d just abandon my work... and stop listening to you... So that’s what you think of me...”
“Tamaki-kun...”
“...screw this. Whatever. Do as you like,” Tamaki said, the anger returning once more. “I’m quitting MEZZO. Team up with someone you can trust. And, fated pair or not, I don’t care anymore. What's the point of being together if we can’t even trust each other?”
Sougo paled – he didn’t want Tamaki to quit, but even more than that, he didn’t want Tamaki to leave him. It was Tamaki who’d made him feel that there was nothing shameful about being an omega, it was Tamaki who’d broken past his walls as well as allowed Sougo into his life, and he could no longer imagine what life would be like without his fated alpha in it.
It didn’t matter that they didn’t often go out together, or that they weren’t as openly affectionate as Riku and Iori were. At the end of a long day, Sougo had always been able to seek comfort in Tamaki’s embrace. His intention had never been to hurt Tamaki like this. All Sougo had wanted was to be able to find a way for Aya and Tamaki to meet properly; it was the least he could’ve done for Tamaki, who’d been doing his best all this while.
So how did things end up like this? “Tamaki-kun, that’s not it!”
Tamaki wasn’t oblivious to the changes in Sougo’s scent, and he most certainly wasn’t oblivious to the panic and hurt now reflected in it. In any other situation, he’d feel bad for making Sougo feel this way, but if there was one thing he hated more than seeing Sougo hurt, it was being lied to. He'd told Sougo before how people used to lie to him, tell him that they’d found his sister. He'd expected Sougo to know better than to hide something like this from him.
It wasn’t that he didn’t love Sougo, or that it would be easy for him to act as if he was no longer attracted to the omega. It was because he did love Sougo that it hurt, all the more, to be lied to. He'd much rather have strangers and acquaintances lie to him over and over again than to have Sougo lie to him even once.
“Where’s Aya!? Tell me that much, at least!” he shouted. “Spit it out!”
Ryuu tried to step in again. “Tamaki-kun! Calm down!”
“...I don’t know...” Sougo replied, after a long moment of contemplation. “I’ve only met her twice outside of the TV station. I couldn’t stop her both times...”
“Is that really all there is?”
“...yes.”
Sighing, Tamaki nodded. “...alright. Let’s get back to practicing.”
Sougo’s eyes widened slightly. “But...”
“I’m not going to abandon my work,” Tamaki told him pointedly. “Because it’s my job. No matter how much I want to punch you!”
“I’m sorry...” Sougo apologised, his voice breaking slightly.
Tamaki paid him no heed, instead walking back to the centre of the room. “Come on.”
“I’m sorry, Tamaki-kun. I'm really...”
“Shut up!” Tamaki snapped impatiently. “This is our job. Hurry up and start.”
“I won’t dance,” Ryuu cut in curtly. “Not with this atmosphere.”
“...Ryuu-aniki...”
“Sougo-kun. Can you step out for a bit?”
“But...”
“It’s fine,” Ryuu assured. “I’ll take care of it.”
Sougo hesitated before nodding. “Yes...”
---
Stepping outside of the room, Sougo leaned back against the wall and heaved a heavy sigh. “I... What have I done...” he mumbled to himself, burying his face in his hands and willing the tears not to fall.
He didn’t know what he was supposed to do. Tamaki had every right to be furious with him; it’d be strange if he wasn’t. He'd become an idol solely for the sake of looking for Aya, and Sougo had met her not only once, but twice. He knew how long Tamaki had been looking for his sister, and it’d been over a year since the two of them started out as MEZZO.
But he also couldn’t take Aya’s threat to throw herself off a building lightly. As terrible as he’d felt for keeping such a thing a secret from his alpha, he also couldn’t imagine what Tamaki would do had Aya really gone through with her threat. It wasn’t as if he could’ve told Tamaki about the threat, either; it sounded ridiculous, even to Sougo himself. He couldn’t expect Tamaki to believe him.
The doors on either side of him opened. “What’s wrong, Sougo-san?” Riku asked.
“We heard Tama yelling from the practice room,” Yamato added.
The omega raised his head to meet his worried teammates’ gazes. “Riku-kun, Yamato-san...”
“A-are you crying, Sougo-san?”
Yamato frowned, not liking the fact that Sougo was on the verge of tears. “What happened...? Tell us.”
“I met Tamaki-kun's younger sister, Aya...” the omega began, only to be cut off by Riku instantly.
“Wait, what-”
“But I couldn’t tell him...” Sougo lowered his head again, this time in shame. “I just... assumed he’d abandon his work again... Even though he’s been trying his best for me...”
“Then... was that Edo Fireman story about Tamaki?” Riku asked hesitantly. He and Iori had figured as much, though he’d still hoped that Sougo had been speaking hypothetically. But then Sougo nodded in response, and Riku’s face fell. “Why... why didn’t you tell the truth?”
Tears threatening to spill over, Sougo replied, “I didn’t want to burden everyone, especially not during a time like this...”
Yamato couldn’t help but heave an exasperated sigh. “Not again,” he said, his words coming out harsher than he’d intended for them to. “What’d you expect would happen? You basically swallowed a ticking time bomb.”
“I’m sorry...”
Sighing again, Yamato asked, “What did Tama say?”
This time, when Sougo blinked, the tears did spill over. “...he said that he’s quitting MEZZO.”
Both Yamato’s and Riku’s eyes widened. “Well, shit...”
“Tamaki...”
“Why didn’t you tell Tama?” Yamato questioned, sounding almost angry. He didn’t want to pin all the blame on Sougo, but there was no denying that this entire situation could’ve been avoided if the omega had just told somebody, anybody, that he’d met Aya.
Sure, Tamaki might still have blown up anyway, but at least there’d have been somebody to help do some damage control in Sougo’s stead. The fact that Sougo couldn’t even reply him only served to make Yamato more frustrated. “Aren’t you guys partners!?”
The only thing Sougo could think of to say was, again, “I’m sorry...”
“Yamato-san! Sougo-san didn’t do anything wrong!” Riku exclaimed in Sougo’s defense. He didn’t agree that it was right to hide such a big secret from Tamaki, and from all of them, but he could also see where Sougo had been coming from. Tamaki was hot-headed, still relatively immature, and Sougo couldn’t be blamed for worrying about his alpha’s reaction to such news. “Sougo-san was just being considerate of Tamaki-”
“Be quiet, Riku.”
Riku frowned, not quite liking the fact that a beta was ordering him around, but he shut his mouth.
Yamato turned back to Sougo. “Sou. Didn't I tell you?” the beta reminded. “If anything happens, tell us. Tell him, tell all of us. Please remember that you can lean on us; there’s no point in taking on everybody’s burdens and stressing over them all by yourself.”
Sougo remained silent, tears continuing to make their way down his cheeks.
“I’m not mad that you didn’t tell us, Sou. I'm sad. Aren't we friends?” Yamato asked, earning a barely noticeable nod from the omega. With yet another sigh, Yamato continued, “You know, Tama noticed you were hiding something. He was worried about you, like maybe something had happened with your family again, or that your stomach was giving you problems.”
Sougo hadn’t thought it was possible for him to feel more guilty and remorseful than he already was, yet the pang of pain that shot through his chest said otherwise. “Tamaki-kun was...?” he asked, his voice no louder than a whisper.
“Tama thinks about you more than you believe, Sou,” Yamato told him. “He doesn’t really have strong family bonds, so even though you two are alpha and omega, he thinks of you as an older brother figure whenever he needs advice. Of course, it’s not like he doesn’t love and see you as his omega; he’s been working so hard to be an alpha who would be suitable for you, after all. He doesn’t say it very often, but he does worry that he’s not worthy to be your alpha, what with the difference in social class.”
“Family...”
“I understand. Sougo-san's really caring and really nice, so he’s like an older brother to me too.”
Yamato raised a brow at the redhead. “How so? Sou's a self-contained only child, through and through.”
Riku blinked in surprise. “H-how do you know that?”
“Because I’m the same,” Yamato explained simply. “I’m not good at trusting people, or letting them trust me.”
“Yamato-san...” Sougo trailed off, knowing fully well that Yamato was right. Even now, he couldn’t be completely honest with Tamaki. He wanted to trust his alpha, he really did, but Sougo had been raised to think carefully about any possible consequences his actions could have. Without the guarantee that Tamaki wouldn’t blow up, Sougo couldn’t risk touching on such a sensitive topic.
“You’re cautious and always prepared, Sou,” Yamato continued. “That’s one of your strong points – and no one else has that. But you don’t have to be cautious towards us... or towards Tama. Especially towards Tama. Before you try to shoulder everything by yourself, come at us at full force and be honest with us. Or are we really that unreliable?”
Sougo shook his head furiously in response. “That’s not it at all,” he assured, almost appalled that Yamato would suggest such a thing; he trusted the IDOLiSH7 members more than he did his own family. “I’m just afraid of causing everyone trouble... of hurting someone...”
So much for that, Yamato wanted to say, but he knew Sougo didn’t need his sarcastic comments right now. “Cause all the trouble you want,” he said instead. “I’d be really happy if you leaned on me. Riku and Tama feel the same way, too. What good is an alpha if his omega can’t depend on him? You're not alone, Sou. You're a seventh of IDOLiSH7 and half of MEZZO, right?”
Sniffling, Sougo nodded slightly. “Yes...”
“Tama will come around. I'm sure of it.”
---
The door slammed shut as Sougo walked out, and Tamaki cursed under his breath.
He went over to the nearest wall, hands curling into a fist as he made to punch the wall. The pain was almost welcome; anything was better than the pain in his chest. He hadn’t been so heartbroken since Aya had been adopted, and even that was better than what he was feeling now.
He hadn’t thought it was possible to be this hurt by someone else’s actions, but a lot had changed since he’d met Sougo. Tamaki had only ever lived for Aya’s sake, and until Sougo came into his life, he’d never thought that he was capable of working hard for anyone other than Aya.
But then Sougo had come into his life and given him a new reason to do his best. He’d started to look forward to being praised by the omega, to the unadulterated joy that’d radiate off his scent whenever anyone else would say good things about him. He’d worked so hard these past months so that he would be able to see Sougo smile more, stupidly thinking that Sougo would be able to confide in him about anything and everything.
Punching the wall again, Tamaki let himself sink into a crouch as he heaved a sigh.
Ryuu approached the younger alpha, reaching out to place a hand on his shoulder. “Tamaki-kun…”
Tamaki shrugged the hand off immediately, not wanting to hear what Ryuu had to say. “S-shut up!” he shouted, looking up to meet Ryuu’s sympathetic gaze. A lump formed in his throat; Tamaki didn’t want to cry, but there was something in Ryuu’s gaze that made him feel like it was okay to pour out his feelings to the elder.
It was only after a few moments that Tamaki realised that that was the gaze of an older brother who just wanted to help his younger sibling. It was a gaze that he himself had looked at Aya with once upon a time.
“Even though I was trying my best… even though I was trying my best… It was all for nothing…! He didn’t even try to understand me! It’s all lies! Fine, then I’ll stop! I’m going to stop trying so hard, stop doing my best… Everything!”
With a sigh of his own, Ryuu said, “Don’t say that.”
“You’re so annoying!” Tamaki bit out. “Just what do you understand!? I woke up after my third alarm! I read my script over, and over again… I tried my damn hardest to memorise it all… And yet…! I didn’t want to cause trouble for him… I didn’t want him to collapse again… What kind of alpha would I be if I let that happen, right? So I did my best… But he wouldn’t trust me. He still thinks I’m hopeless!”
“Tamaki-kun…”
“Why… why didn’t he tell me something as important as this… Why…!” he questioned, looking at Ryuu as if he would have an answer. When Ryuu simply stared back at him, Tamaki let out a wretched laugh. “Screw this… I’m going to stop trying so hard. Everything I do is pointless anyways!”
“Tamaki-kun, don’t say that.”
“I’m hopeless even if I try my best, so I might as well stop trying! I’m going to quit MEZZO. If I meet Aya, I’ll quit IDOLiSH7 too.”
“…what about your fans?” Ryuu asked. “What about your friends? Will you really be able to leave Sougo-kun behind?”
“Fuck if I care! I became an idol to find Aya in the first place!” Tamaki growled, though he wasn’t sure if he was just trying to lie to himself. He knew Ryuu was right, and that he wouldn’t be able to bring himself to leave Sougo so easily. He didn’t know if Sougo would be okay without him around, and he didn’t even want to entertain the thought of Sougo going back on suppressants again.
But so what if he starts taking suppressants again? It doesn’t matter anymore. Nothing matters. “Once I find her, all of this is useless to me!”
Ryuu pursed his lips. “You know, he doesn’t trust you because you say things like that so easily.”
“…Ryuu-aniki…”
“It’s not Sougo-kun, but that attitude that’s putting all your hard work to waste.”
Tamaki stiffened; he knew Ryuu was right about this, too. “I… I just wanted Souchan to praise me… I just wanted him to acknowledge me… Before we got together, and even a while after that, I thought it’d be impossible for me to get along with him, but… he told me about himself, you know? The stubborn, self-sacrificing Souchan let himself rely on me, even if it was only because I’m his fated alpha. He likes to take everything on by himself because he’s the older one, so I wanted to show him that he could share some of his burden with me too…
“Someone told me that he looked up to me, so I thought, Alright, I’m going to do things properly then, so maybe he’ll praise me! I thought, I’ll try even harder! Because he told me that he was watching me… watching me do my best… I figured out that the stuff about him looking up to me was a lie, but I thought that if I just kept giving it my all… Then one day it’d be the truth. I’d be really happy if that happened…”
Ryuu’s expression softened – all Tamaki had wanted was for Sougo to treat him as an equal, to stop hiding things from him as if he was still a kid who couldn’t understand. “Tamaki-kun…”
Laughing bitterly, Tamaki said, “But I’ll always be hopeless to Souchan. He wouldn’t even tell me about Aya… So no matter what I do, no matter how hard I try, I’ll always be hopeless in his eyes.”
“Aren’t you the same, then?”
Tamaki’s brows kit into a frown. “How so…”
“You’re assuming that he’ll never understand you, even though this is just one disagreement,” Ryuu pointed out. “Sougo-kun might’ve been trying his best to understand you. No groups are perfectly compatible from the get-go; they just don’t exist. What happens is, you start understanding each other, bit by bit. And before long, you guys will be the ultimate partners. And, well, in your case, an ultimate couple as well. We used to be like that too.”
“TRIGGER was like that…?”
Shrugging, Ryuu nodded. “Yeah. Off stage, Tenn’s sharp-tongued and harsh. And Gaku is Gaku – he’s hotblooded. They’re both stubborn, even now. It was always tense in our dressing rooms, to the point where I’d sigh everyday. I really missed my friends back home too.”
“…is it different now?”
At this, Ryuu couldn’t help but chuckle. “You know the answer to that. I’ve told you that they like each other, haven’t I? What do you see when you look at us?”
“You guys look like really good friends to me.”
Ryuu nodded, lips stretching into a smile. “They’re my best friends – they’re irreplaceable. And I’m sure you guys will get there one day. Not that he already isn’t irreplaceable, unless you intend on finding another omega in the future.”
“…no.”
“Then it’ll be fine,” Ryuu assured, already walking to the door and peeking his head out. “You can come back in, Sougo-kun.”
Tamaki couldn’t see Sougo from where he was standing, but he could smell the omega’s anxiety. He almost felt bad for being the cause of it. “Tsunashi-san…”
“It’s okay. Come on. Make up with him, okay?”
Sougo re-entered the room, pointedly avoiding Tamaki’s unimpressed stare.
It would’ve been completely quiet if not for Tenn asking, “Ryuu, you’re helping them make up?”
And Gaku, “Oh? Not bad.”
“It’s because I’m used to dealing with interpersonal problems on a daily basis.”
“How come?” from both Gaku and Tenn.
A sigh from Ryuu. “Think about it, guys.”