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The whole place was buzzing. Music thumped against the walls, bottles clinked in cheers, and the celebratory energy practically hummed through the air. Pete’s Bar usually dim, warm, and quiet on regular nights had been flipped into chaos tonight thanks to X-Hunter’s big win.
Babe had taken first place as always.
Charlie secured second.
North slid into third.
The top three finishers were all from X-Hunter. It was a clean sweep.
Glasses were raised. Shouts rang out. Someone (North) had already spilled beer on the carpet. Twice.
Kim sat at the bar with a quiet drink in his hand, fingers wrapped around the cool glass.
He wasn’t part of the team anymore, hadn’t been since last year, but nobody questioned his place tonight. No one had blinked when Alan insisted on inviting him to the celebration. Family, Alan had said. And no one argued with Alan. Especially not with Kenta perched beside him, close enough that their shoulders brushed every time someone passed behind them.
If Kim was the flame the team missed, Kenta was the shadow people weren’t sure about yet.
Still, they tolerated him. Some even liked him.
Dean had even offered him a tequila shot earlier. (“This is a peace offering. You freak me out.”) Kenta blinked, said nothing, and took the shot.
Kenta, however, looked like a black cat dumped into a dog park.
His eyes flicked around the room with unsettling sharpness. His posture was stiff, even curled slightly inward as he sipped his soda. He wore all black, of course—hood up despite the heat, sleeves long enough to hide his hands. But every so often, Kim would press a kiss to the curve of his temple or lean in to murmur something in his ear, and the tension in Kenta’s shoulders would ease, if only a little.
Pete gave a chin nod from across the room when their eyes met. Kenta didn’t smile, but his posture eased slightly.
They’d been sitting in comfortable silence, until Sonic slammed down next to them in the booth, growling.
“I swear to GOD, if that bitch touches North again, I’m gonna rip her damn arms off and use them to repaint the walls,” he spat.
Kenta didn’t even blink. “Who?”
“That omega in the silver crop top. Keeps brushing up against him like it’s a game and North’s too nice to shove her into a wall. You ever seen that dumb smile he gives when he’s uncomfortable? I’m gonna lose it. I’m gonna get us banned.”
Kim raised an eyebrow. “Maybe just talk to him.”
Sonic ignored him and leaned toward Kenta, pupils blown wide with jealousy. “You get it, right? That possessive twitch in your brain like ‘that’s mine, mine, mine, I’ll kill for it.’”
Kenta nodded slowly. “Yes.”
Sonic laughed a little uncomfortably at the flat delivery, then stopped. “Wait. Wait, you’re serious.”
Kenta pulled out a pen from his sleeve pocket, then flipped over a napkin and started jotting numbers.
“…Kenta?”
“Look. Their weight’s probably 62 kilograms. Assuming average bone density, we’d need approximately 38 newtons of force for a break at the radius. With the right angle” He began scribbling formulas with frightening speed. “we can dislocate their shoulder, make it look like a dance-floor accident. Or I can push them down the bar stairs.”
Sonic’s jaw unhinged. “Oh my god.”
““I can help you hide the body if it comes to that. Storage room out back has space. I memorized the layout on the way in.” “Okay, now I’m aroused and scared,” Sonic whispered. We could go at night,” Kenta continued calmly, “wrap the body in tarps, dissolve the teeth in bleach to avoid dental tracing. I have a chainsaw at home, but I can borrow one of Kim’s quieter—”
“Kenta,” Sonic whispered, equal parts awed and horrified. “I was joking.”
“I wasn’t.” Kenta met his eyes. “I don't joke.”
Sonic blinked. Then slowly grinned, wide and feral. “You’re terrifying. I love you.”
“Don’t,” Kenta replied immediately
Kim chuckled behind him, brushing a kiss to Kenta’s temple. “He’s efficient. And deadly. That’s my omega.”
“I’m not your anything,” Kenta muttered, but he didn’t pull away.
*
The night wore on. Shots were passed around. Babe and Charlie made out in a corner booth like horny teenagers.
Alan and Jeff were huddled near the counter, whispering and laughing, Alan occasionally throwing a look Kim’s way.
Kim met it with a shrug. He knew what was coming.
“I want you back,” Alan said bluntly when Kim stepped away to grab a drink.
“This team misses you. I miss you. Jeff misses you, even if he won’t admit it.”
Kim sipped his beer, eyes flicking to Kenta across the room. “I’m happy where I am.”
“I’ll double your salary. I’ll give you back your car.”
“No.”
“I’ll give Kenta a job too.”
Kim paused. “Doing what?”
Alan grinned. “He’s scary good with numbers. I saw the napkin math earlier. I’d kill to have someone do the accounts, taxes, logistics. That boy is smarter than half my staff.”
“He’s not a boy.”
“No, he’s a fucking wolf pretending to be a cat. But I mean it. He deserves stability. You both do. Think about it.”
*
Things started going downhill the moment that omega showed up again.
Not just flirting with North this time but laughing too loud at Kim’s jokes, leaning too close at the bar, their hand casually drifting across Kim’s chest like they owned the right to touch him.
Kenta, seated on a stool just a few paces away, went utterly still.
The ice in his drink cracked sharply.
Kim, as usual, noticed too late. The omega’s hand was still trailing across his bicep when Kenta rose silently to his feet, his expression unreadable, his eyes cold.
“You have three seconds to move,” Kenta said.
The omega blinked, smile faltering. “Excuse me?”
Kenta’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Three.”
Kim stood immediately, alarm flashing across his face as he stepped between them.
“Two.”
“Kenta,” Kim warned. “Don’t.”
But it was already too late.
The omega gave a theatrical scoff then shoved him.
The push wasn’t even hard. But it was a mistake.
Kenta barely moved, but the contact was enough. Kim reached out to grab his mate, but Kenta twisted and threw a lightning-quick punch that grazed the omega’s jaw before Kim pulled him back by the waist.
The shove had triggered a spark. The punch lit the fuse.
And then all hell broke loose.
Across the room, Sonic had already seen everything and he pounced.
“Touch him again, and I will REARRANGE your face!”
The omega yelped as Sonic barreled into them, sending both crashing into a bar table. Drinks scattered. Glass shattered.
And in an instant
The entire bar exploded.
Jeff launched himself at one of the omega’s friends who’d stood up too fast, muttering something about “supporting trash behavior.”
Dean swung at the same guy and missed, fist connecting squarely with the poor bartender’s jaw.
The bartender shrieked and retaliated by smashing a tray over Dean’s head.
North ducked a flying beer bottle. “Can we NOT do this today?!”
Someone threw a chair. Someone else ducked too slow. Glass shattered. A stool flew.
Babe caught it mid air and hurled it like a discus.
Charlie grabbed one of the strangers by the collar, dragged them across a table, and hissed, “You touch anyone on this team again and I’ll rip your teeth out and use them as dice.”
“Holy shit,” the guy whimpered. “You’re crazy!”
“Yeah,” Charlie grinned. “So’s my boyfriend. Wanna meet him?”
Babe waved from the bar, bloodied knuckles gleaming under the light. “Hey, baby!”
Alan shouted something unintelligible from across the room, shoving people aside like a man possessed.
Jeff disappeared under a pile of limbs.
North leapt off a booth and landed with one foot on someone’s back. “Your perfume is cheap and your punch is weak!”
Pete stormed in from the back and flipped on the overhead lights like a war god summoning judgment.
The music died. The room flooded with harsh brightness.
Still the chaos raged.
Kim still had Kenta pinned to his chest, holding him in a firm grip, but it was like trying to cage lightning. Kenta’s breathing was ragged. He wasn’t struggling anymore, but he was vibrating with the need to move.
“I wasn’t going to kill them,” Kenta growled, low and sharp. “Just maim them. A little.”
“I believe you,” Kim murmured, pressing a kiss to the side of his head. “But I think you overestimated your restraint.”
Kenta made a low noise of frustration. “They touched you.”
“I know.”
“With their hand.”
“I saw.”
“They laughed at your joke.”
“I heard it, babe.”
Kenta shoved weakly at Kim’s chest. “I hate this place.”
Kim kissed the top of his head again. “I know.”
Behind them, Sonic yelled, “I BITE WHOEVER I WANT!”
And North shouted back, “STOP BITING PEOPLE, SONIC!”
“DON’T TELL ME WHAT TO DO, YOU’RE NOT MY—okay maybe you are, BUT STILL!”
Pete didn’t even try to stop it at first. He just watched, deeply unimpressed, taking a swig of his beer.
Alan, bruised and exhausted, grabbed North and Sonic by the scruffs and dragged them backward like unruly cats.
“For the love of god, sit your feral asses down before I tranquilize you both.”
Jeff reappeared from the bar with a fire extinguisher. “Everyone chill out!”
He pressed the handle. Foam exploded everywhere. The bar went quiet.
“…Effective,” Pete muttered.
Eventually, the fight broke apart.
Pete banned five outsiders on the spot, muttering about lifetime blacklists. One of them tried to protest until Charlie handed them their own chipped tooth in a napkin. They left quietly after that.
The silver crop-top omega was escorted out with a bloody nose and an angry friend trailing behind them. The team was bruised, scattered, a little dazed.
Dean apologized profusely to the bartender.
Sonic licked blood off his knuckles and smiled like it was a snack.
Charlie had somehow ended up on Babe’s lap, whispering, “You were so hot back there.” Babe just groaned and reached for ice.
Kenta finally let himself be led away.
Aftermath
Pete’s private lounge was a haven of dark leather couches, dim lights, and thick walls. The noise of the main bar faded behind them, leaving only the low hum of exhaustion and adrenaline.
Kenta sat curled on the sofa, hoodie torn at the shoulder, knuckles raw. His legs were tucked beneath him like a cat bracing to spring.
Kim knelt in front of him, gently pressing a cold compress to his jaw.
“You good?” he asked quietly.
Kenta blinked at him. “I don’t feel guilty.”
“I didn’t think you would.”
“I want to finish what I started.”
Kim smiled faintly. “Let’s call that impulse... postponed.”
Kenta leaned forward until his forehead rested against Kim’s shoulder. “They touched you,” he repeated.
Kim wrapped an arm around him. “You really don’t like that, huh?”
“They don’t get to touch what’s mine.”
“You know I’m not a thing,” Kim said softly.
“I know.” Kenta looked up. “But I’m still not sharing.”
Kim brushed a thumb across his cheek. “Good.”
Pete dropped onto the ottoman with a dramatic groan, ice pack pressed to his temple. “Well. That was... something.”
“Hey, Kenta,” Alan said, clapping him on the shoulder carefully, like one might approach a sleeping tiger.
“I already talked to Kim about this but, you ever think of doing something a little less… stabby? I need someone to handle our accounts. The taxes. Books. You’re good with numbers.”
Kenta blinked. “I like numbers.”
“They don’t bleed when you touch them,” Kim muttered.
Alan ignored him. “It’s flexible hours, I’ll pay well. And we need someone I can trust.”
Kenta hesitated. “You trust me?”
“I’m offering you access to my finances. Of course I do.”
Kenta looked away, clearly shaken by the unexpected trust. “Okay.”
Kim smiled at him, eyes softening.
“and you kim are you coming back?” Alan asked with hopeful eyes
“okay, yeah, fine I'll come back” Kim said trying to seem annoyed but smiling.
*
Later, after the team had scattered and the lights dimmed again, Kim and Kenta stepped out the back door into the alley behind the bar.
The night air was cool against flushed skin, the scent of beer and sweat still lingering faintly on their clothes.
They stood quietly under the moonlight.
“You were really going to fight that omega for me?” Kim asked after a beat, voice low.
Kenta didn’t even hesitate. “I didn’t like the way they touched you.”
Kim turned to him fully, expression softened. “Jealous?”
Kenta looked up, his eyes gentler now. “No. Scared.”
Kim’s brows drew together. “Scared?”
“Of losing you,” Kenta said simply.
Kim stepped closer, fingers curling under his chin. “You won’t. Ever.”
Kenta’s voice cracked slightly. “Even if I’m... broken?”
“You’re not broken.” Kim kissed him, slow and sure.
“You’re mine.”
Kenta kissed him back, fierce and soft all at once. His fingers curled into Kim’s shirt, and he pulled him in like he was drowning. There wasn’t a smile on his lips.
But there was something close.
Bonus Scene – The Next Morning
Alan’s garage was a mess of oil stained floor tiles, car parts, and two cracked monitors on a desk. Sunlight slanted in through the blinds, dust catching in the golden light.
Kenta sat at a small desk near the back, glasses perched on his nose, calculator in hand. His hoodie sleeves were pushed to his elbows. He tapped through a series of old receipts and invoices, his brows furrowed in intense concentration.
Jeff leaned in and whispered, “Is he... enjoying this?”
Alan stood next to him, holding a coffee with both hands like it was sacred.
“He balanced three months of overdue invoices in fifteen minutes,” he whispered reverently.
“And he found a tax loophole I didn’t even know existed. He’s terrifying.”
From the back of the garage, Sonic called, “If he tries to do my taxes, I’m running away.”
Without looking up, Kenta said flatly, “You’ve committed three counts of evasion. I already filed them.”
There was a pause.
Then
Sonic screamed.
Kenta didn’t even blink.
But as the scream echoed down the garage...
He almost smiled.