บท 15: 14th Dilemma

AKI

JUST when I was about to go out with Chihiro today, I got an unexpected call from a person whom I'm very familiar with.

"H-hello?" I answered in a very hesitant and shivering voice.

"Aki? Aki, is that you?" The voice from the other line asked. It belonged to a woman's. "I've been trying to contact you for a while now but I can't seem to reach. How are you doing?"

「Ah. I should be delighted that she sounded worried but why am I having a mental breakdown right now?」 I thought to myself while trying to hide my uneasiness.

"I…" I uttered and subconsciously glanced at Chihiro that was patiently waiting for me to finish my call. "I'm fine… mom." Just calling her 'mom' almost made me want to vomit. I couldn't take any more of this conversation. My parents don't usually contact me like this unless they wanted to demand something for me.

"Good. Your father and I have already talked about some important matters. Aki… it's about time—"

The next words she spouted became a static sound to me as I distanced my phone away from my ear and weakly looked at Chihiro with pure horror marked on my face. He sensed that it was something serious—

—something that could tear us apart for life.

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"Sigurado ka bang kaya mong pumunta mag-isa, Izumi-san?" nag-aalalang tanong sakin ng ina ni Chihiro na si Chidori-san. Kasalukuyan kaming nasa sala ngayon at binanggit ko sa mga magulang ni Chihiro ang tungkol sa biglaang pagtawag ng aking ina.

"I'll be fine. Babalik din ako kaagad," pagsisiguro ko pero tinapunan lang ako ng pagdududa ni Hiromi-san.

"But you're pregnant. Mas mainam kung kasama mo si Chihiro… o kami," he suggested. He sounded stiff and strict but I could feel a little worry from his tone.

"Aki-san, sasama ako! Ipapaliwanag ko sa mga magulang mo ang lahat!" desididong turan ni Chihiro at mahigpit na hinawakan ang dalawa kong kamay.

"Chihiro…"

"Responsibilidad ka na rin namin, Izumi-san," aniya Hiromi-san kaya napalingon ako sa gawi n'ya. "And I'm doing this for my son's sake… and for you, too. Mahalaga ka sa anak ko kaya hindi ko hahayaang may mangyari sa 'yo." How manly! Namana ni Chihiro ang persistence at tapang n'ya!

"Tou-chan~" nagagalak namang ani ni Chihiro at bahagyang napaiyak.

"Sang-ayon ako kay Hiromi, Izumi-san," Chidori-san seconded before smiling at me with such gentleness.

"Everyone… thank you."

「This family is so great. How I wish I also had such family,」 I thought to myself while biting my lip to stop me from crying in front of them.

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I brought Chihiro's whole family to my parents' house. I didn't tell them about having company so I'm pretty sure they would freak out. I have no idea what to tell them and where to even start. But in order for me and Chihiro to keep seeing each other until we sort out everything, I must face my parents and tell them the whole truth that the perfect Alpha son they've always wanted was no near as being perfect.

All I am is nothing but a flaw — a worthless scum who is perverted and wants to be dominated by another guy — that's the Izumi Aki that walked this Earth for 32 years now.

"Aki, wel—?!" My mother's supposed to be delighted smile was replaced with utter confusion upon seeing who I brought with me. Aside from Chihiro's family of giants, they somehow looked menacing right now and I didn't know why. Are they perhaps acting all overprotective?

"They're with me, mom," I said to her. Her expression turned sour in an instant but she hid it with a fake smile and gestured our guests to follow her inside.

Surprisingly, Hiromi-san remained composed and seemed not bothered at all. It's maybe because he's an Alpha so he knew how to deal with other Alphas, as well. But I was also amazed to see Chidori-san looking confident today.

Pumunta kaming lahat sa living room at nandoon ang ama ko at tahimik na naghihintay sa amin. Nagtaka siya nang makita sina Chihiro pero hindi ito kumibo. Sinundan lang n'ya kami ng tingin hanggang sa naupo na ang lahat.

We had two large couches facing each other at sa gitna nito ay may maliit na mesang gawa sa salamin. My parents sat on the other side of the couch, not breaking their stares at us.

「I have to break this tension. But what should I tell them first? We haven't seen each other for years!」 Medyo kabado kong saad sa aking isipan habang panay ang lingon ko sa pamilya ni Chihiro.

"Aki." It was my mom's voice at awtomatiko akong napatingin sa kanyang direksiyon. "Who are they, exactly?"

"Um…" Fuck! I can feel my throat going dry!

"They are the Hanamichi family. There's a reason why I brought them here… so hear me out until the end," I introduced and hoped they wouldn't start nagging or questioning me nonstop.

"You know why your mother called you over, right?" asked my dad who sounded a little bit annoyed.

"Of course," mabilis kong sagot bago napalunok ng laway sa sobrang kaba. Was it because I'm pregnant that's why I couldn't control my mixed emotions right now or was it because I was certain that they wouldn't accept the idea of me having a mate in the future?

"Pardon us. My name is Hanamichi Hiromi. This is my mate, Chidori. And this is our son, Chihiro," magalang na pagpapakilala ni Hiromi-san sa kanilang mga sarili.

"Nice meeting you," malugod na bati ni Chidori-san sa aking mga magulang sabay bahagyang niyuko ang kanyang ulo pati na rin si Chihiro bilang tanda ng paggalang.

"I am not delighted at all," taas-kilay na turan ng aking ina, displaying her straight out disapproval of their presence.

"And what's your reason for tagging them along with you?" my dad asked.

"Tagging… That's—!" Why are they being so rude right now?

"You better not tell us that you have a relationship or something with that guy," my mom inserted, clearly insulting Chihiro in front of everybody. "Aki, we are not getting any younger and so are you. This family needs an heir already and since you're our only hope, you have to fulfill that duty." Napasinghap ang lahat maliban sa mga magulang ko sa narinig.

"Aki-san…" Chihiro whispered so softly and looked afraid of what's going to happen next.

"Listen here," mom started and the Hanamichis looked at her. They didn't show any hostility but they were aware that my mother was clearly underestimating them, "especially you, Hanamichi Hiromi-san. You know very well that producing an offspring between two Alphas is nearly impossible. But if the other Alpha has more dominant traits, it can be successful but can't produce too many successors. Highest successful rate is only two Alpha offsprings. Any more than that, they could produce an Omega child later on. And that means trouble, right?"

"Yes. That's why other couples that are both Alphas tend to carry out their bloodline by impregnating Omegas that serve merely as breeding means for them," sagot naman ni Hiromi-san na may halong pagkadismaya sa kanyang mukha.

My mother then laughed. It wasn't that loud but it was cynical. "Oh, please. Don't act so disgusted, Hanamichi Hiromi-san. That's how it works. If those lowlife Omegas don't have anywhere to go or abandoned by their mates, letting themselves carry the offspring of a high class Alpha is like earning a trophy, don't you think?" she exclaimed, entertained by her own monstrosity.

"Aki knows someone who came from a family of Alphas who successfully had two dominant Alpha sons but they went overboard and thought they could produce one more, only ending up producing an Omega," sabat ng ama ko at napatingin sa akin na may halong pang-iinsulto. "That Omega son of theirs seduced his own tutor and let his tutor fuck him like a slut," he added.

"Kicchan is not a slut!" I finally snapped. Lahat sila ay napatingin sa gawi ko. "And he was a first born! It was his parents that failed to notice that their son was not an Alpha and neglected him after knowing the truth!" sigaw ko sa kanila.

"Aki-san," Chihiro called out to me and tried to calm me down.

"Pinapunta n'yo lang ba ako dito para marinig ang mga pang-iinsulto n'yo sa ibang tao?!" buska ko sa aking mga magulang. They didn't even falter by how I acted. "Wala kayong alam kung ano ang pinagdaanan ni Kicchan bago n'ya nahanap ang Alpha na nakatadhana para sa kanya. Madaling sabihin na isa lamang siyang Omega dahil wala kayo sa posisyon n'ya! Kahit kailan, hindi naging mababa ang tingin ko sa kanya dahil lamang sa hindi kami parehong Alpha. Kung tutuusin, mas lalo akong humanga sa kanya noong lumaban siya hanggang sa huli! Wala kayong karapatan na pagsalitaan ng masama si Kicchan!" I bursted into tears.

「Ah. Come to think it, I think I haven't told Chihiro yet that I was madly in love with Kicchan before he found Okuda. If he knew now, would his feelings for me fade away?」

"Aki!" My mom raised her voice and frowned. "Don't tell me you still like that filthy—!"

"Fuck, that doesn't matter anymore because I've already given up on him a long time ago, mom!" I snapped back at her. "I'm not that dumb to force my feelings onto someone who clearly won't be satisfied if I was with them instead of the person they really like! I am not like YOU!" I shouted. My tears kept running down my cheeks and my vision started to get blurry. I feel like passing out but I'm just so mad I couldn't stop from saying all the things I've always wanted say.

"Aki-san," Chihiro's voice was trembling.

"It's fine, Chihiro," I reassured him and faced my parents one more time. "I am pregnant. Whether you like it or not, I am going to raise this child," I declared and pulled Chihiro close to me, "together with this guy! And for the record, he is an Omega — very kind and responsible Omega! He gets into my nerves all the time, he gives me a hard time at work, he is persistent but—! He loves me! And I'm… starting to fall in love with him and that's enough reason for me to stay so from now on, I will officially cut ties with the both of you! Good luck having an heir because I won't be handling over my future child to you no matter what!" My parents went pale and speechless. On the other hand, Chihiro felt extremely happy for what I did.

"I guess that means we're going home now," aniya Hiromi-san at nagsitayuan na sila maliban sa mga magulang ko na hindi pa rin makapaniwala sa nalaman.

"How dare you do this to us?!" my mother angrily muttered while clenching her fists.

"Thanks for raising me but never did I feel that I belonged to this family," saad ko bago sila tinalikuran.

Akmang aalis na sana kami nang nilapitan ni Chidori-san ang mga magulang ko. Magkasalubong ang kanyang mga kilay na tila galit ito. "Paumanhin pero kailangan ko lang itong sabihin bago kami umalis," he said bago unti-unting nagbago ang mahinahon n'yang aura before pointing a finger at my parents. "You dumbass, Alphas!" he shouted in a whole different attitude and his voice sounded raspier compared to his usual calm demeanor. "You think you can insult us Omegas like that?! Want me to rip your butts off?! For your information, Omegas are not sluts! We aren't filthy either! It's the likes of you that makes us look filthy! You, shitheads! Insult my son or any other Omegas like me again and I'll surely—!" naputol ang pagwawala nito nang hilahin siya ni Hiromi-san upang pakalmahin.

"Chidori, that's enough. Let's go home," Hiromi-san said.

"Huh?! Shut it! I'm going to teach these two bastards some lesson and maybe knock some sense into their empty heads!"

"That's enough," pagpapakalma ni Hiromi-san sa kanya sabay nginitian ang mate. He's so sweet towards Chidori-san. "Let's have sex when we get home. It's been a while since I last saw that side of you."

"Ugh—!" hindi nakakibo si Chidori-san at biglang nanlambot at namula ang mga pisngi nito.

"Tou-chan!" reacted Chihiro while sweating and fidgeting.

「I take it back! They're a bunch of idiots!」

"You are choosing these clowns over us, Aki?!" my father shouted at napahinto kaming lahat at napalingon sa kanyang direksiyon. This was the first time I heard him so furious like this. It was always my mother who always made a fuss over every single thing.

"Yes, dad. And they are not clowns. They may be carefree people but they know how to treat a person better than anyone else," pagtatanggol ko kina Chihiro. "It's not about me rebelling against you or running away from my duty as an Alpha and only heir to your stupid perfect life, but it is me who is choosing my happiness, and that happiness can only be found within this family. I'm sorry… for failing."

"You are throwing away your life, Aki!" mom snarled but I didn't pay attention. Instead, I silently walked away with Chihiro beside me and holding my hand tightly. "You know you're more capable than this! You don't have to step down to their level! You are an Izumi! You are an Alpha! You will regret this! You, ungrateful son!" She went hysterical and kept on shrieking like a mad hag. Her nagging became static sounds in my ear. I just wanted to get away from here as soon as possible.

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Nang makalabas na kami ng bahay na minsan ay tinirhan ko at kinalakihan, awtomatikong bumuhos ang mga luha ko sa labis na sakit at napayakap kay Chihiro nang mahigpit.

"Aki-san," I heard him sniff as he hugged me back.

"They didn't even acknowledge their own future grandchild!" I cried, burying my face into his chest.

"It's okay. We're here," aniya Hiromi-san.

"Hindi kita naipagtanggol nang maayos kanina, Aki-san, pero maaasahan mong hindi kita iiwan," Chihiro comforted.

"I'm sorry for not telling you about Kicchan," sabi ko. "You've already seen him a few times but I was too afraid to tell you that I had special feelings for him because I didn't want you to hate me. I didn't want you to see my ugly side. You admired me so much that it became scary for me to show my real personality," I explained.

Chihiro chuckled so I lifted my head to see his face. "Naiintindihan ko, Aki-san. Pero hindi pa rin mababago ng nakaraan mo ang pagtingin ko sa 'yo. Suki desu… *sugoku [very much]."

"Chihiro…" And my tears welled up again. I couldn't defeat this guy no matter what.

"You're gonna have to bear with my son's persistence. He got that from me, after all. Right, Chidori?" Hiromi-san uttered before throwing lewd glances at his own mate. At tumawa ang mag-ama nang sabay kaming mapangiwi ni Chidori-san.

"Ah! Aki-san, bukas may pupuntahan tayo!" ani Chihiro at nagliwanag ang mukha nito.

"Huh? Where?"

"Secret~"

"What's that supposed to mean?!" inis kong buska sa kanya at binatukan ang dibdib nito pero wala man lang itong epekto sa higanteng kaharap ko ngayon.

On our way home, I kept pestering Chihiro about his plan but he remained shut the whole time. We ended up having sex that night, too. Well, all of us (apparently, Hiromi-san and Chidori-san also had sex) got into the mood and filled the night with lovemaking sounds.

「to be continued」