Title: Origins of Sweet and Sour
Pairing: Starjun x Coco / Boogie Woods x Takimaru
Toriko Family AU, MPreg, Omegaverse, Multi-chapter
Author: Akuma Zakura
~I do not own Toriko. This is a fandom that needs more love, and I'm prepared to supply it.
Starjun couldn't remember when he started falling in love with the Heavenly King who was labeled as an S-class dangerous creature. Couldn't remember when feelings of interest and lust went deeper. He didn't even know if he was capable of being an Alpha worthy of an Omega of Coco's standing. But here he was, married with a diamond ring in a gold frame on his finger, similar to Coco's, and with 11 children to showcase that love.
The ages of their 11 children were relatively spread out, that way there were at least two in the house before he and Coco decided that just one more couldn't hurt. If only to avoid empty nest syndrome- a phenomenon that inflicts both himself and Coco with a sense of loss and sadness. Although they encouraged their 11 children to leave home, it was a painful experience to actually watch them grow into capable Gourmet Hunters and Chefs, which no longer need their parents' protection.
Of course they were always welcomed back home, for whatever the reason may be, but as the years go by, and the more children they have, the more they dread the feeling of an empty house. Especially since Coco is usually forced into isolation due to scientists and doctors chasing him. Yes, this empty house would hurt Coco more than heal him. And Starjun was more than willing to help his mate whenever he could.
He took a long drink from the tea in his hands. A black tea that was bitter, but refreshing and warm. He set the cup down and sighed lightly. The thought of his large family, a family that he never could have imagined he would have, was a dream come true. The compatibility of he and Coco sang in every child they had; the thrill, the laughter, the love! It was everything Starjun could hope for, and would never give up on.
Starjun thought back to all the Alphas that he could have…. should have destroyed for the sake of his mate's mental health.
The doctor that wanted to dissect Coco in a perverted way. The same doctor that had killed several people in order to perfect his craft. To dissect someone without them feeling the pain… the act might have impressed him if it weren't for the obsession he had for Coco. The desire that promoted his actions.
Starjun was more impressed with his mate in this case, as Coco had no other option but to confront him for the murders. Stood there like a statue as the doctor gently memorized Coco's face with his hands, drinking in the color of his eyes, confessing his obsession! Explaining his perverted actions.
He took another long drink of his tea before releasing he was out. He stood up in order to make some more. As he heated the water, another Alpha crossed his mind.
The Gourmet Casino in the Gourmet World was a hot-spot for hot-shot gamblers. And Coco was one of the best. It would have been an easy hunt for himself and the others. Coco was the only one who could reliably gamble, of course. But his mate had nothing to do with the place, and it wasn't difficult to find out why once Starjun met him. The owner of the casino, an Alpha who was cursed- unable to eat his food without using someone else's stomach acid to digest the enzymes in his meal for him to eat it at all.
And according to him, Coco's stomach acid was the best he ever had. So much so that he created a Full Course Meal of foods that were negatively compatible with Coco in order for him to get sick enough to throw it back up.
He and Coco gambled before, years before they ever met, and he forced Coco to eat and eat, to the point where his body couldn't handle it anymore. The very thought of him, or being in the location, was enough for Coco's body to reenact the trauma.
The casino's owner even went as far as to make sure Coco would return. He gathered information, intel that Coco would love to have. He gathered ingredients, ones that he knew would make Coco's Gourmet Cells sing when eaten.
Again, Starjun found himself impressed by Coco. He kept his cool, and unlike his siblings, refused to give into his Gourmet Cells' desire for the food he offered. Ice Oranges, Viper King's Venom Soup, Tomato Rice, Vita-D Swan Eggs. Everything that Coco hasn't consumed yet, everything that could have evolved Coco's Gourmet Cells due to their potent nutrients and vitamins…. and Coco didn't even pass a glance to them. Didn't bother to reach for them. His stomach growled, starved itself in order to get him to consider it, but Coco's self control was legendary.
"I don't think you understand. I'm the older brother. It doesn't matter what I want, it doesn't matter what I desire. I am duty-bound as the oldest to ensure the safety of my baby brothers. To ensure they eat first and foremost. If there is none left for me then I've done my job. I am also forbidden as the oldest to act on my emotions. I'm not allowed to throw a tantrum, nor act on desires. I don't care if all the food here makes my Gourmet Cells wish to devour them, I'll make sure my siblings eat first- and even then I won't eat a single bite from here."
Midora praised Coco heavily for the amount of self-control. And just as he said, Coco refused to eat despite his Cells aching for the ingredients. The thought of the food being collected to draw him in was just too much to forget about the past.
It was only until Midora ordered him to find an Ice Orange, a rare fruit eaten only by the nobility, and give it to Coco was when he realized that, yes, he was in love with the Omega, and seeing him suffer was unbearable.
Starjun boiled the tea leaves and added some extra ingredients to sweeten the drink with an additional flavor. He realized later that it was the same tea that Coco made for him when he was in a sour mood. He sighed heavily, wishing he was holding his mate by the waist while he talked sweetly into his ear. Coco would relax in his embrace and cuddle into the warmth he gave off. The safety Starjun guaranteed when they were together was addicting.
But alas, his mate was in a world meeting at the top of the Gourmet Summit and wouldn't be back until the law was passed or vetoed. Which could take all day or last a whole week. Which left him alone with 2 of their youngest children.
Which in itself was nerve-wracking. Their baby boy, Saicin- nicknamed Cin, was lethargic by default. Despite the Gourmet Cells that danced in his body he hardly ate much, if at all, and that he was prone to falling asleep in random places. Just the other day he was hiding behind a couch cushion and Starjun only found out about it because he sat on the couch and leaned back into it, promptly squishing his son awake.
Then there was their youngest daughter Paprika who had a boundless amount of energy! To tell the truth he didn't know where in the Gourmet World she gets the energy from. She also has no sense of fear, and therefore she will walk up to a random animal or stranger without the caution required by all living things to survive.
With the way things are going, with this drop in their children's health and loss of self-preservation, despite them being the only two who have such a limitation, worries Starjun greatly the more he and Coco have them.
He hopes that with age his two youngest will have a chance. And their development will decide whether or not 11 is the golden number, or having another won't hurt.
He took a sip of the tea and moaned in content. Perfect.
But the peace of mind it gave him didn't last long, as the thought of another Alpha obsessed with his mate came to the forefront of his mind.
He ran an organization that filtered deep into underground illegal trade, poaching, and everything under the dirt. It even included internal organs, narcotic foods, exotic pet trades, and "exotic" pet trades. He growled as he remembered the Alpha that caused Coco to experience PTSD- being locked into a cage, possibly to be auctioned off as a pet to another Alpha that collects S-class dangerous creatures. Or to a specific Alpha who doesn't care about compatibility, and only wanted Coco in order to take care of him, to love him as if he were a beloved pet.
The very thought of his beautiful mate locked in a cage, chained as a pet, made Starjun wish he burned down the whole castle he planned to keep Coco in.
Starjun took a deep breath, held it, and then released it in a heated sigh. He had to do it again in order not to break the glass in his hands.