Annnnnnnd now we enter a downward trajectory of me being mean to my poor baby characters :(

Thanks 4 reading!

Chapter Fourteen: Downward Trajectory

Oikawa~

Oikawa rubbed his sore kidneys, that little brat, Nishinoya. Although he was mildly irritated that the pair had beaten him in their playful scuffle, he couldn't help but worry about their well-being. Their trip to the ocean park in the middle of the night left him extremely nervous. Yes, Nishinoya was accompanied by the giant Alpha, but the pair were still very inebriated. The whole thing was just...unwise. He was definitely going to call Nishinoya in a few hours time, just to check in.

He glanced around, the place was strewn with empty bottles, cans, and more than a few sloppy spills- but otherwise empty of life. Tanaka, Keiji, Suga, and Hajime had gone to the liquor store and he wished that he could be a fly on the wall for their conversations. The four of them were an odd and seemingly entertaining match up, especially if alcohol was involved.

Tsukishima was on the front porch with Yamaguchi, and Oikawa was momentarily perplexed when he noticed that his nestmate was sitting unusually close to the Alpha. He filed the information away, he would be interrogating the freckled boy about that later. His glassy eyes grazed over the remainder of the front porch and out into the front yard, where Tobio and Shoyo were out front tossing the volleyball beneath the giant oak tree. At least someone around here had the ability to keep up with the little twerp's energy, he thought to himself. Yachi had made an odd comment earlier...that she could smell Tobio's desire for the ginger Omega. While he was initially skeptical of her remark, he couldn't completely disregard it. The small girl did have the best nose in the house, after all. He narrowed his eyes, watching the pair through a front window- he would definitely be keeping tabs on Tobio from now on.

After a few minutes of motherly contemplation, Oikawa waltzed over to the back door, plucking a few empty cans on his way over to throw in the kitchen trash. Taking a swig of his dwindling beer, he watched the interesting developments unfolding before him- Yuji and Yachi. The two blondes were conversing on the back porch and he was pleasantly surprised to find that his little Omega angel looked...beyond comfortable to be there. He sniffed the air, nearly coughing at the intensity of the the pierced Alpha's scent. How on earth was she comfortable around that? She could barely manage Tanaka's...and Yuji's was in an entirely different league. He steadied himself against the wall, feeling dizzy from the exuberant scent, before sniffing again. It took a bit of effort to sift through the heavy fragrances in air, but when he finally located Yachi's, his heart swelled as its comfortable disposition his nostrils. Then, he saw her laugh loudly at one of Yuji's cheesy remarks. A flood of happy tears pushed forward, threatening to spill over his long lashes- it had been over a year since he had heard her laugh. The blonde Alpha was pulling her out of her shell and he didn't have the faintest idea how...but he was glad for it.

He watched on for a few more minutes, polishing off his drink before placing it on the plastic dining table. The house was a mess. An absolute mess...he might as well clean up a bit while he waited for the party to come back. Pulling a out black garbage back from under the kitchen sink, he began sluggishly collecting up the mess, irritated that he was slowly but surely becoming the housewife of the household.

Yuji~

Yuji sat down on the wooden panels of the back porch. The Omegas had set up tiki torches throughout the yard and the flames softly illuminated the Yachi's delicate face, much to his liking. While he was sad that she was still hesitant around him, he was also grateful that he had been granted with the chance to meet her- it was a grand stroke of luck.

Her smell was absolutely intoxicating to him, but he had realized very early on that she was extremely hesitant to share it...and he wasn't entirely sure as to why. However, her reservations made him want to prove to her that she could trust him or, at the very least, be comfortable around him. He sighed and attempted to reign in his scent once more, but to no avail. He had never needed to do it, in fact, the thought of doing it had never even crossed his mind before today. Luckily, the rosy Omega seemed to be acclimating to its intensity, even if her scent was still clouded with fear.

Yuji had come to realize that her fear wasn't directed at him. It was almost as if there was something, creeping around in the the back of her mind, that had her subconsciously releasing the fragrance. It was a feat that seemed to frustrate her- he could smell her scent warping about, constantly shifting from fear, to comfort, to curiosity, and back to fear...as if she was consciously battling to have control over it. He wanted to ask her about it, really wanted to, but he was smart enough to know that it would be better to let her talk about it of her own volition.

On the few occasions that he had managed to make her laugh, her natural scent blew through the gross anxiety, blasting the air with an intense rosy fragrance that easily snaked its way into his soul. Oftentimes, it was so powerful that he found himself happily drowning in it, but it was always gone as quickly as it had formed. Roses...it was like a drug. Each time the scent came and went, he found himself trying even harder to make it come back- hitting her with joke after joke until he had nothing left. Just one more taste...one more hit of roses.

"So...you like living here?" He asked uncomfortably, at long last breaking their uncomfortable silence. "At, um, the...with the Alphas?" He internally cringed at his awkward tone, maybe the silence was better.

"I didn't at first, but now I...kind of like it," came her soft reply.

At least she had stopped stuttering around him...a small victory.

"I guess it's kinda scary being around a bunch of big, burly Alphas all the time, eh?" He replied, rubbing the back of his head with his hand and flashing a cheeky grin of understanding.

When Yachi giggled at the honest remark, he quickly inhaled to catch the smell of roses before it dissipated. It had become apparent to him that being around Alphas made her very, very nervous. What could have happened to cause such an adverse reaction from her? Maybe Daichi could enlighten him, the captain and his silver Omega seemed to be the parental figures of the house...he probably knew something useful.

"They aren't really that scary. A lot of them are big softies…" Yachi responded after her girlish giggles subsided.

As she reached up to take a sip of her drink, Yuji noticed a deep scar flash out from under her pink blouse. What a violent gash...how far did it run up her arm? Perhaps, he thought in an attempt to lie to himself, it was a childhood accident. Deep down, he knew that it was an Alpha. It had to have been. He wasn't blind to the goings on in the world, but he had never really cared about the Omega condition...until now. Something about Yachi made him feel an level of unchecked guilt that made him immensely uncomfortable in his own skin. At that thought, a quiet, throaty grumble began to work its way into his throat and his instincts began to flicker across his mind- commanding him to pull the tiny girl into an embrace, check over the old wound, ensure that it had healed properly, and kill whoever had caused it.

"I-" Yuji started to ask about the scar, unable to fight back his instincts, but found himself cut short when an unfamiliar set of scents whisked into his nostrils. Alphas.

"Heeeeeeey, how's the party up in here. It smells delicious~" A deep voice called from across the backyard.

He clamoured to his feet and snapped his head in the direction of the sound. Three large men jumped the white fence with ease and walked across the yard towards the back deck...threats? Suddenly, an all-consuming scent of fear exploded into the air with such force that he was physically blown back a few steps. He hurried to cover his nose with his hand and grazed his eyes over to its source...Yachi. Her small figure was frozen in place, all colour drained from the delicate features of her face. He watched in slowed motion as her grip relaxed around her wine and the glass dropped down to the patio boards, sending shards in every direction that tinting the baseboards red with their contents.

"Yachi, are you-" he started to ask, but was cut short when the petite girl keeled over and let out a series of retches that culminated in a staggering amount of vomit.

"Oh my dearest Yachi, it's been a while, hasn't it?"

Yuji whipped his head around to face the source of the snide comment, instincts flaring up in his chest.

"Oh, baby don't cry. I know you missed me," a black haired man said, the tone of his voice a twisted mix of hostility and care- sickly sweet and manipulative.

Yuji took two swift side steps to stand in front of Yachi, ignoring the broken glass that cracked beneath his white Nikes. "What is your business here, gentlemen. This is a private party," he asked with a slight growl of hostility before placing a hand on the blonde Omega's shaking back.

He quickly sniffed the air, trying to sift through Yachi's overwhelming anxiety, he needed to assess the intruders. After asserting that the three Alphas standing before him were all very dominant in their own right, he realized that wouldn't be able to take them on by himself. He might be spontaneous and quick to action, but he wasn't stupid. Plus, his quick analysis had alerted him to an even more pertinent issue- they weren't the only unknown Alphas on the property. There were four more unfamiliar scents mixed in with...Tsukishima, Tobio, Yamaguchi, and...Shoyo in the front yard. He was not going to get any back up. He was on his own. What was the most effective course of action? His instincts were roaring to protect the blonde Omega at his side, and he was going to do just that. Outlast them. Keep the tone of the conversation as light as possible, continue the verbal exchange until his teammates returned. Do not engage in combat.

"You don't smell very strong…" Another Alpha, one with ugly black tattoos, stepped forward and asserted in challenge. "I'd be careful if I were you."

Yuji didn't fall for the chirp, he needed to keep the conversation light. "You're trespassing on our property. I think it would be best for you to leave," he stated with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"C'mon man, it's pretty common knowledge around here that there are a bunch of single Omegas living with you guys. We heard the music and thought we'd stop by for the party!" The final Alpha, one with long blonde hair, sang out in sickly innocent tone. "We mean no harm."

Yuji ignored him, refusing to take his eyes off of the one who had spoken first. The one who was manipulating Yachi. His scent put Yuji on edge, something about him...no, about all of them, was off. The black haired Alpha had spoken to Yachi like an old friend and, judging by her horrific reaction, their past interactions had not been pleasant. The more he pieced together the information, the more his blood began to boil with unchecked fury and deep pang shot through his gut, prompting his instincts to screech in his head. Had he hurt her? Did he give her that scar? Was he the reason she was so afraid? Suddenly, he wanted nothing more than to snap the manipulative Alphas neck and claw into his brain.

When the devious man took a confident step forward, Yuji growled another threat. He knew that he was outranked in dominance, but that had never stopped him from scrapping things out in the past- and he was not about to start now.

"Yachi, why don't you come with me? I'll take care of you," the black haired Alpha remarked in a lighthearted tone, ignoring his hostile scent. "You know I will. It will be just like old times."

When Yuji heard an audible sob roll into the silent air from next to him, he glanced down at Yachi who, much to his horror, shook her head in response. A nod...why would she want to go with him? His instincts coiled around in the deep recesses of his stomach, alerting him that the situation was not what it seemed. She is unable to stand up against the manipulative Alpha on her own, they screeched inside his head, abusive. The scar. Do. Not. Let. Him. Touch. Her.

"Yachi, that's good baby. I'm glad you want to come back to me," the manipulative man continued, fully ignoring Yuji's now continuous snarling. "Come over here so I can protect you. It was wrong of you to leave me, it broke my heart."

At the manipulative words, his instincts grew even louder, crashing into him like a ocean waves. However, inside his logical mind, panic set in. The black haired Alpha knew that he wouldn't be able to take on all three of them in a brawl. He was no better than a yappy guard dog- all bark, no bite. Worse yet, Yachi's acceptance of the manipulative man threw his entire plan of buying time into the gutter. He couldn't fight them, he couldn't verbally keep their attention, and he couldn't stop her from walking off with them of her own accord. He was effectively in check mate.

"I-I'm so s-sorry I l-left, please forgive me," he heard Yachi stutter out quietly from beside him, breaking off pieces of his heart with every tragic word.

When she took a small, hesitant step forward, he followed her movements- he was not about to give up yet. He didn't care if his face got smashed in by the three intruders, he would fight them, head on, with everything he had before letting her go with them.

"What the fuck are you doing here," a vicious snarl called out from the back door of the yellow house.

Yuji didn't turn around to look at the voice's owner. He knew it wasn't an Alpha snarl, it was a very human one. Oikawa. In mere moments, the chestnut boy had moved swiftly across the porch to stand protectively at Yachi's other side. He was relieved to have backup...from what he had heard from his teammates, the beautiful Omega was pretty well-versed in combat.

"Oh, Oikawa!" The tattooed Alpha called back in response. "It's been ages. You're looking as beautiful as ever."

So, Yuji thought to himself, gnashing his teeth in frustration, the intruders knew Oikawa, too...did they know all of the flock?

"Leave. Now," Oikawa barked at the intruders, vicious rage pouring off of him in droves and pooling into the air around them.

"That's no way to treat your long lost friends Oikawa!" The tattooed intruder chirped back lightly with an undertone of hostility...and something else...damaged ego? "I know you miss my knot filling your tiny ass."

Yuji filled the silence that the nasty comment had caused with a growl that was dangerously close to a roar. What the fuck did he say? Oikawa had slept with one of these monsters?

"Fuck off, Kabuto," the chestnut Omega seethed back at forward remark, jabbing a finger at the tattooed man, Kabuto.

Going on Oikawa's reactionary scent...and language...Yuji could tell that it was not a consensual endeavor. The thought of the yellow house Omegas being abused pushed him to the edge of his sanity, even though his logical mind was unsure as to why...he barely knew them. He clenched his fists, drawing blood from his palms, and willed himself to calm down. Even with Oikawa, they were still one person short of an even fight- and Yachi was in no shape to defend herself, mentally or otherwise. Attacking unnecessarily would result in injury or death for him, and likely more than just physical damage for the two Omegas...he could smell the disgusting hints of arousal the intruders were leaking into the yard. Not. Going. To. Happen.

When the black haired Alpha took another step forward, he felt Yachi stiffen next to him and he instinctively snarled out once again.

"Yachi, just come over here baby. If you say that you're sorry, I'll forgive you. I promise."

Oikawa swiftly moved to the edge of the porch, visibly shaking in anger. "Yachi, do not listen to this fucking knothead," he spat at the dominant Alpha through clenched teeth. "He's a monster. He doesn't deserve to walk this earth."

Yuji didn't know what to do- he was torn between verbally backing up the chestnut Omega or doing so with his scent. When his instincts rattled off inside of him once more, his decision was made for him. Better to stand guard. He didn't know the intruders. The Omegas did. Have Oikawa's back. Show them. Moving forward to stand at the porch's edge, he let out another throaty rumble to vocalize his decision.

"I'm sorry, Chaki. I'm so sorry," Yachi mechanically droned, an emotionless response that stirred inside Yuji's soul. "I'll be good, I promise. I'll do anything you want just please forgive me. I'm so useless, I'm sorry."

"Yachi stop-" Oikawa started to command over his shoulder, but was quickly interrupted by the manipulative man. Chaki.

"Baby, you know I could never stay mad at you. Come over here, let me give you a hug. You can make it up to me later. You know that it was wrong of you to leave me."

Yuji wanted to annihilate him, pound him into the ground with his fists, slash out his throat to stop him from talking, rid the earth of his filth. He would silence him. He would kill him, but not yet, he shook his head, doing his best to retain a shred of sanity. He couldn't let his instincts take over, not until the odds shifted in their favor.