Botan hissed, wincing away from your touch. “Are you mad at me?” he asked, nearly pouting. He couldn’t fully do it because his bottom lip was split and it hurt too bad. “I said I was sorry like four times.”

He didn’t mean it, of course. Botan would happily (and he means merrily, with a skip in his step) throw himself at any alpha flirting with you. Partly because he liked picking fights with alphas, mostly to make sure you weren’t being bothered.

“I should—ow—have known you’d get hit on. You’re the most beautiful omega in the world. Who wouldn’t want to steal you from me?” He laughed despite it hurting his chest. That stupid alpha had hit harder than he thought, and Botan had gotten (and been beat up) into his fair share of brawls over the years.

The first time was in elementary school, long before anyone presented as their second gender. Botan had seen some older kids messing with you, so he stepped in. They beat him up, but every time they tried to get close to you he’d grab their ankles or bite their arm. Eventually they got tired of kicking him and moved on. All Botan had asked was if you were okay, face bruised and nose bleeding.

They said alphas and omegas were the only ones that could be bonded, but Botan thought you were his fated mate. Why else would he rush in to protect you like it was second nature? Even when he’d lied about being an alpha all through middle and high school, you stayed right by his side. You were his and he was yours. He didn’t need to be an alpha just to prove that. Plenty of betas and omegas married each other.

Botan was perfectly content with never being an alpha. Obviously.

When he saw that alpha flirting with you, heard him talking about how betas weren’t as good for omegas as alphas, he might have lost it on him. In his defense he had always been an act-first-think-later sort of guy. He punched the alpha, got punched back, and then, well, yeah. Botan might’ve gotten thrown around a little. But he got a few bites in! He’d learned to clamp his jaw shut tight during fights and refuse to let go no matter how many times he was hit over the head. He needed to protect your honor. Alphas loved flirting with omegas, but there was something about you that just attracted them all. It was like he was constantly fighting them off. Did you have an interesting scent? Botan couldn’t tell. Betas weren’t as sensitive to smells as alphas and omegas. Couldn’t they see the bite on the back of your neck? Sure it wasn’t a real bond mark—the kind exclusive to alphas and omegas for whatever horrific reason—but it was very in your face.

“Ugh, I’m sorry, I’m ruining our date.” Which was why you were meeting up. Botan had promised himself not to pick a fight. The world made it so hard to keep himself in check. “I’m really sorry, babe. I promise to be on my best behavior.” He held out his pinky for you, smiling in hopes you weren’t mad.