Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Kyoujurou is used to being rejected by prospective mates. 

He doesn’t expect much whenever an interested alpha or beta starts making advances on him - not because they won’t be able to satisfy him. No, never. 

Instead, it is because he is far past his prime. 

All his suitors ask him the same question after a bit of small talk. 

“How old are you?” has become such a constant presence in his pitiful love life that he almost wants to leave the answer printed right across his forehead for all to see, if not to spare them the trouble of pretending to have something else to do once they find out. 

It always begins in one of three ways: a shy “Hello. If you don’t mind, could I have your number? It’s just that you’re rather handsome.”, a confident “If you don’t have a mate, how about giving me a chance?” or a brazen “You’re totally my type. Let’s date!” 

And it always ends in the same way: “Oh! You’re 36? That’s surprising! You don’t look your age…”, “I’m sorry, but I don’t think we’re suited to each other… I was looking for someone around my age. I didn’t think you’d be so much older.” or “That’s a shame… I’d have liked it if you were younger.” 

Kyoujurou has spent many a night laying in his comfortable bed, wondering how on earth he had let himself deteriorate so much that even a simple date could end up unsuccessful. 

He used to be so full of energy when he was younger. There were so many things he wanted to do. 

He wanted to teach! He even reached his lifelong goal of becoming a history teacher at a fairly well known high school in the heart of the city.

His friends always told him that they were drawn to his infectious positivity, even though it was really only a means to cope with losing his mother. 

But as the years flew by and he was overwhelmed with work and prioritising his students, he slowly began to realise that his youth was melting away little by little. 

It wasn’t necessarily that he became weak and unattractive. If that were the case, he wouldn’t be turning at least a few heads while walking along the streets. 

His scent didn’t fade either. It was always present, clinging to him like tightly fitted clothes, hovering around his body like weightless fabric, though he does usually keep his scent patches on for the convenience of his work. 

There wasn’t much about him that changed drastically over the years, but once he turned thirty, and was rejected by an alpha for the first time… 

It didn’t feel good. Neither the sudden jolt of reality hitting him square in the face, nor the realisation that he has yet to find someone to be a permanent fixation in his life.

And the occurrence persisted, only to increase in frequency as he continued to be on the lookout for a mate. 

Truth to be told, he didn’t need to have one. But without a partner, his heats were sometimes unbearable, and it made him wonder how it would feel like if he had someone to coax him through it - take care of him through it - for the rest of his life. 

It wasn’t that romance was completely out of the question. With a friend like Uzui, who has three wives on his arms, it was impossible to escape from scrutiny when he had no relationships that lasted more than six months. 

His father’s love for his mother is something he always and still holds in high regard. He knew what it was like to be the product of such a bond, and the thought of being able to experience such a phenomenon is, really, the main reason why he doesn’t simply give up at his age. 

For Kyoujurou, nearing forty hasn’t hindered any of his body’s functional abilities, but even though he moves around just fine and even keeps up with his thrice weekly gym sessions, there is a gnawing feeling somewhere in the back of his head. 

It grates on his nerves often - that little voice that tells him he is far too old to be considered attractive to any person who is looking for a mate. 

He never told himself to conform to the traditional alpha-omega relationship, and he’s had plenty of time to experiment with different people and conclude that he doesn’t mind what secondary gender his mate has as long as he loves them. But, beta or alpha, no one would want to have him as a mate. 

As a male omega, he numbers one in ten thousand of common folk. And since he spent most of his youth and late twenties teaching and building up his career with little regard for the sheer emptiness of his love life, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that he might be one of the only male omegas still looking for a mate at age thirty-six. 

Despite his father’s nagging, he wanted to focus on himself instead of looking for a reliable mate during his younger days. And while he doesn’t regret the choice he made, it’s been far more difficult for him to settle down with a prospective mate for the majority of his thirties. 

If there is one thing he - and his body - is fully aware of, it is that his ability to conceive is only going down as he ages. 

Most omegas his age would have already had one or two children, whether by choice or duty. It was the same for his mother back then, and it had already been extremely difficult for her to birth Senjurou at the time, even though she was considered young for a mother. 

At his age, Kyoujurou can only imagine how unappealing he must seem to alphas who wish to start a family. 

He might not be able to conceive, even if they tried hard. Or his pups could develop less healthy than they should be because of his age. The chances of him dying during labour, or being forced to choose between himself and his pups are horrifying situations he wouldn’t dare to wish upon anyone, including himself. 

That is why he doesn’t blame his suitors for leaving him hanging. He may still look good to others, but the alphas and betas who have approached him were all younger than him, and thus believed that they would have a better chance of producing healthy pups with someone else. 

He gets it. He really does. 

He is simply past his prime. It happens to many people, and he shouldn’t feel upset about it. 

…Right? 

But once in a while, he will pause to rethink it all, and even if he does arrive back at the same conclusion in the end, he cannot help the small twinge of hurt in the corner of his heart whenever he recalls the looks of disappointment on his date’s face when they find out he is older than he looks. 

Thirty-six…, he thinks to himself one day, while he sips at a cup of coffee before school starts. No one in their right mind would want me as their mate.  

It is a mantra that he repeats to himself on occasion, when things don’t work out despite his meagre hopes.

And perhaps his circling thoughts did end up affecting his spirit after all. Given how long he’s been trying, it doesn’t surprise him when he finds himself unwilling to reciprocate any interest when someone walks up to him with a smile and sweet words. 

Why waste his hope on someone who will most likely leave him for a younger omega? 

If before, he was enthusiastic about entertaining possible spouses, he now provides them with half smiles and politely excuses himself from the conversation. It’s easier than feeling hurt when he inevitably gets rejected. 

The cycle continues for almost a year, during which Uzui makes many attempts at changing his mind. 

He refuses offers to go on blind dates set up for him by his oldest friend, and completely ignores his father’s incessant questions. 

He knows his father means well. No parent would wish for their child to end up alone and unable to depend on someone close to their heart. But there are times when he wishes that his father would stop, if only to spare him the frustration that comes with re-realising his utter lack of appeal.

It is a seemingly endless road of hopelessness, and by the time he turns thirty-seven, Kyoujurou has all but cast aside the thought of finding a mate for himself.

But then someone new walks into his life, and suddenly, he isn’t quite sure how to feel anymore. 

Meeting Akaza was nothing more than a coincidence. It had been a particularly hot day, and he hadn’t been paying attention. The moment he turned his head to catch a glimpse of the train station he was walking away from, his shoulder collided painfully into someone else, and something cold and wet dripped onto his right side. 

At first, he had thought it was blood, and he panicked a little, thinking that he must have run into a child and accidentally broken their nose or something along the lines of that. 

But when he turned to apologise, he was met with fluffy, pink eyelashes. They lined wide, golden eyes that Kyoujurou found to be especially beautiful. And then the scent drifted into his nose. 

An alpha’s scent - strong but calming. A little tangy, but also sweet, which was a surprise. He had never met an alpha with such sweet base notes in their scent. That was usually the sign of an omega. 

It intrigued him in the beginning, because he’s been told by several past suitors that his scent was heavier than most omegas. 

“Smells a bit like an alpha, actually.” is what they sometimes say. He won’t deny it. 

His scent has always contained hints of rainfall. He smelled less flowery and more citrus most of the time - a refreshing change for some of the alphas he used to date - but it was often tainted by traces of petrichor, the aftermath of a thunderstorm. The earthy scent usually signified an alpha, and it certainly was strange that his was tinged with it. 

Regardless, it was the alpha’s scent that pulled him in initially, not that he was planning to do anything further with the knowledge of his sudden attraction. It wasn’t like the alpha would be remotely interested in him.

“I’m sorry about that!” he exclaimed, finding that it was a chunk of ice cream that was stuck to his shirt rather than blood. 

The alpha had stared at him for a while, his eyes unblinking for a few seconds, before he regained his senses and shot him a toothy smile. 

“It’s fine.” he drawled, in a rather smooth manner that Kyoujurou found charming. “I gotta say, I’m rather glad that it happened. Even if I have just lost half of the money I paid.” 

Kyoujurou was speechless at the time, unable to come up with anything to say in reply. But then the alpha handed him some napkins from the ice cream cart in front of them, and he hurriedly tried to wipe away the chocolate stain that was beginning to darken on his shirt. 

And perhaps it was the heat of the summer, but when their fingers touched during the exchange of the napkins, Kyoujurou could have sworn that he felt a spark sizzling down his forearm from his palm. 

He ignored the feeling back then, content to simply keep the alpha at a distance. But then he introduced himself as Akaza, and helped him get new napkins when they ran out. Kyoujurou paid for a new cone for Akaza, and after being pressed for his number so that Akaza could thank him personally for the treat another time, left the area without thinking too much about what transpired between them. 

It was when Akaza called him a few days later to arrange a meeting like he promised he would that Kyoujurou realised rather quickly that the alpha was trying to pursue him. 

The moment Akaza let his scent pour out in intervals as they each sat with a coffee cup in their hands, Kyoujurou knew that he had to cut the alpha off before he got the wrong idea. 

Kyoujurou wasn’t looking for a mate in Akaza. In fact, he wasn’t looking for a mate at all. 

“Sorry kid,” he made use of his best played card as he was getting out of his seat. “I think I’m a little too old for you.” 

His first response to Akaza’s interest was rejection, and he expected him to back off in disappointment like many others had. But Akaza was nothing if not persistent. 

The alpha tilted his neck to the side to show off his unmarked skin. “Even though I look like this, I’m not as young as you think I am. Give me a chance, Kyoujurou.” His scent grew stronger and more insistent, but only just enough that no one else but Kyoujurou would feel it. 

Kyoujurou had to suppress a shiver in the presence of those fragrant pheromones. “Go home, kid. No matter how old you are, you’re going to be disappointed if you expect me to be able to keep up with you.” 

“I’m old enough to date you, that’s all I know.” Akaza threw back at him with a smile. 

His canines were large and looked sharp, just like most alphas’ did. The sight did something to Kyoujurou’s instincts. 

His inner omega purred at the thought of being marked by those pretty fangs. They would leave a nice, permanent scar on his neck, deep enough to draw blood and make him submit. 

Still, he hesitated, wondering if Akaza was only exaggerating when he said he didn’t mind their age gap. 

“One month. That’s all I need to change your mind. After that, if you still think we’re not compatible, I’ll give up.” 

And Kyoujurou must have been weak that day - starved for something intimate - because he gave in and agreed to a date. 

He had thought it wouldn’t last more than once. But after two dates with Akaza, during which he never once inquired about Kyoujurou’s age, a hopeful flame in his chest began to grow, little by little. 

It was only on their fifth date that the topic of age really came up. 

Having been on the receiving end of Akaza’s incessant flirting for a total of a month, Kyoujurou’s heart had been in his throat when Akaza asked in passing, “How long have you been working at your school, Kyoujurou?” 

He had frozen up slightly, before answering with a small smile to hide his anxiety. Such a question was bound to lead to talk about their ages. “I’ve been working there for about twelve years now!” 

“That’s a long time for a teacher. And you never changed schools. How young were you when you first started? As far as I know, people usually start teaching when they’re in their early thirties or late twenties at the youngest.” 

Kyoujurou had fought the surge of pride swelling up in him back then. He was only slightly proud when he said “I started when I was 25!” with a confidence that made Akaza’s lips twitch fondly at the corners. 

“How impressive. You never fail to amaze me, Kyoujurou.” 

When conversation turned to something entirely different after that, Kyoujurou began to wonder if, perhaps, his age didn’t matter to Akaza at all. 

He had spent so many years wondering what it would be like to have someone who didn’t mind his older age, and he had dared to hope that Akaza was going to be that someone. His nerves faded as more time passed, until he grew so comfortable with knowing Akaza never once brought up their age difference that when he did mention it, he was thrown completely out of order. 

“I still can’t believe we’re almost ten years apart. Who would have ever thought that someone as perfect as you would be my partner?” 

Kyoujurou had struggled to contain his embarrassment that day, and his heart sang so loudly that Akaza laughed when he felt it beating so fast against his palm. 

“Kyoujurou,” he had whispered into his ear after they began to spend time together in each other’s apartments. “You’re my favourite person in the world.” 

Back then, those lovely words only served to fuel the disbelief that Kyoujurou harboured in his heart but hid from Akaza. He was happy, really, he was. But he couldn’t help thinking that when they became more serious about each other, Akaza would somehow find him unappealing once the knowledge that he might not be able to start a family with him settled in. 

In their two months of dating, during which Akaza only stole kisses from him often and laid with him to cuddle him to sleep, it was all he could think about some days. And while he knew he hid it well, Akaza could always tell - somehow - whenever he felt discouraged. He would coax him to share his worries.

“Tell me. I want to know what you’re thinking.” he would say while mouthing softly at Kyoujurou’s neck, close to his scent glands. It always makes him shiver with need, but he clamped down on the urge to invite the alpha to embrace him. 

“Sometimes, you are a hard man to read, Kyoujurou.” Akaza’s golden eyes would rake over every single one of his features. “It drives me mad not being able to soothe your worries.” 

And Kyoujurou would feel like crying, because no one has ever made him feel as loved as Akaza does, despite his troubled thoughts. 

He doesn’t want to let him go. Ever. 

If Akaza ever looks at him with the same disappointment as those people who left him, he thinks he might not survive the loneliness and the sorrow. 

His words always felt stuck in his throat when Akaza tried to get the truth out from him, so he avoided thinking about it. He left them forgotten, and instead chose to open up his heart further by offering to share his next heat with the alpha. 

It worked well enough to distract Akaza from prying any more, but he could always feel those golden eyes glued to him, studying him to make sure he wasn’t feeling down. 

The heat sharing was the most intimately he would be letting another person see him in ten years, and the thought of turning off his mate - no, not mate - was near unbearable to Kyoujurou. 

Up until the very first day of his heat, his mind was plagued with nothing but the various ways it could all go wrong. What if he didn’t produce as much slick as he used to? What if he couldn’t take Akaza’s knot, having been unable to keep a relationship going long enough for him to feel comfortable sharing his heat with his partners? 

But most frequently of all, circling around the confines of his head, was his fear of being unable to satisfy his alpha. 

It was one thing if he felt good, but what if, because of his age, he wasn’t able to do the same for Akaza? 

It was only when the beginnings of a fever showed that such thoughts melted away and he started to sweat in his bed. Even though he had already been through so many heats alone and miserable for the majority of his life, this time, it was somehow the worst start to one he had ever experienced. 

When he called Akaza for help, breathless and trying not to whine into the receiver, the alpha wasted no time in letting himself in after rushing over to his house. 

And it was there that Kyoujurou’s anxieties skyrocketed, much to his dismay.

Chapter Text

It starts out with a kiss, as most things in the bedroom start out with. 

The moment Akaza entered his bedroom, Kyoujurou was pounced on by a set of hungry lips.

Akaza has established from the start that he’s an exceptional kisser, for some reason. Kyoujurou suspects it’s because he had too many opportunities to practise and get better at it. 

He doesn’t consider himself a good kisser, but still, he always gives as good as he gets, or, at least, tries to, despite it being ages since he’s kissed anybody like Akaza kisses him. 

Even then, this is the normal part. It’s what they’ve been doing for the past few weeks and things never escalated to anything beyond a long, heated make out, but that doesn’t mean that Kyoujurou never wanted to go further. 

In fact, as he feels warmth start to spread from his aching lower abs down to his core, he vaguely remembers always having to take care of his arousal privately once Akaza left his apartment. 

He would never attempt to admit to Akaza that he came the hardest he’s ever had in his life whenever he thought about him with a hand down his sleep shorts and his fingers buried into himself.

After so many years of nothing, any and all affection that Akaza gives, he swallows up like a starved man. Because he is. He’s been hungry for this kind of intimacy in his life, and he’s only just realised how much he misses being touched. 

His skin burns from the heat fever, and he’s barely aware of what’s happening because of the cramps that roll across his lower stomach. 

It hurts - much more than it usually does. Last month, it wasn’t nearly as bad as it is now, and he stifles a whimper when Akaza swipes his tongue across the seam of his lips to gain access to his mouth. 

He lets him, getting swept away by the slurping of their saliva as his body boils and boils away in agony. Pain lances across his pelvis, radiating from it like an ache that won’t ever go away. 

Teary-eyed, Kyoujurou turns his head away to gasp, his hand pressed to his abdomen to try and soothe the discomfort. 

“Akaza…” he whispers, his voice hoarse already from trying not to make a sound. He feels so utterly disgusted with himself whenever he hears himself moan out loud, but he can’t help feeling overwhelmed by the way Akaza is mouthing at his jaw. 

He exhales shakily when Akaza answers him, his soft lips pressed to his heated skin. “Yeah? What is it, Kyoujurou? Tell me what you want me to do, pretty boy.” 

Kyoujurou’s pelvis rocks against Akaza’s front unconsciously, and he almost apologises, until he hears a small groan from Akaza that makes him flush, pleased. 

At least he’s feeling good…  

Kyoujurou backs away from his bedroom door, dragging Akaza along tentatively at first, and then more confidently, when he feels Akaza hurrying to follow him so he can continue leaving kisses down his neck. 

When the back of his calves bump against his bed, Kyoujurou sits and climbs his way onto it, encouraging Akaza to follow him. “Akaza, I-” he cuts himself off suddenly, feeling mortified when he realises that he doesn’t really know what he wants. 

It’s been so long since he did this with someone else that he can’t recall what he’s supposed to do first, or what he even wants to do first. 

It smells too much like himself in his room, and his sheets are soaked with his sweat. Akaza might find it dirty. He’s also starting to feel the urge to build his nest. But there aren’t many clothes he’d like to use to build one since Akaza doesn’t usually leave his clothes in his house. 

What if Akaza doesn’t like the nest that he builds? What if he walks away from him after seeing how little he knows about being a mate? 

He can’t have that! Not Akaza- 

“Hey, hey. Look at me, Kyoujurou.” Akaza scoots forward and places his hands on his biceps. 

Kyoujurou looks up at him, only just realising that he was starting to hyperventilate. 

“There’s nothing for you to worry about, okay? If you’re lost, you can lean on me. Always.” Akaza bumps his forehead with his, his hands coming up to cup his flushed, heated cheeks. “You were willing to share your heat with me, so I’m here to please you, yeah?” 

Kyoujurou nods hesitantly, his panic settling down some. He bites his lower lip with his teeth, feeling the sharp point of his canines poke at the soft flesh. 

He wants to sink his teeth in Akaza’s nape to mark him. But he shouldn’t. Not yet, anyway. They’ve barely begun to know each other. 

He lets Akaza lay him down until his long blond hair is splayed around his head like a halo. Akaza’s golden eyes are dark with lust as he stares down at Kyoujurou, and his nostrils flare to take in the sweetening scent of his heat. He licks his lips slowly, as though savouring the taste of the air on his tongue - of Kyoujurou’s scent billowing around them. 

“You smell divine.” he comments, leaning down to kiss him again.

Kyoujurou reaches up to tug the alpha down, liking the way Akaza’s broad shoulders and thick torso cover his body. He feels small even though he’s no dainty omega, and he wraps his legs around Akaza’s waist to drag his hips down against his. 

Akaza shivers in his hold when Kyoujurou grinds up to meet his clothed cock, the hardness in his pants making him leak with arousal. He hasn’t seen it before, but he can tell it’s not something he’ll be able to take without some preparation. 

As wonderful as it is to be stretched to his limit during the times he’s too impatient to wait until he can sink down on his one and only dildo, if he’s going to be taking an alpha’s cock, he’ll have to bear with the discomfort swirling in his abdomen until he’s loose enough. 

He really doesn’t want to be torn apart. It would only serve as evidence that he isn’t what he used to be. 

If he was still in his twenties, he likely wouldn’t have worried about it so much. His muscles were in better condition then - firm but not stiff. He was more flexible back then too. 

“Kyoujurou,” Akaza murmurs against his cheek, having left his lips to trace over the jut of his cheekbones. “What’re you thinking about so deeply that you can’t concentrate on me? Hmm? Your scent drives me wild.” 

Kyoujurou tries to answer, but then Akaza rolls his hips down and his hardened cock rubs against the steadily growing patch of wetness at his front. He sees stars in front of his eyes when it happens, because the bulge in Akaza’s jeans slides against his clothed entrance and brings with it a wave of pleasure. 

He whimpers quietly into his palm, hand pressed over his mouth tightly as he fights not to let out more humiliating sounds. 

“Why are you hiding, Kyoujurou? C’mon, lemme hear that lovely voice of yours. Moan for me.” 

Kyoujurou shakes his head, his lips set in a closed, stubborn line that Akaza raises one eyebrow at. “No?” he questions, startling Kyoujurou when he thrusts down again and manages to pull a strangled whine from his mouth. 

He wants to speak, but he doesn’t want Akaza to know why he’s so reluctant to grant his request. 

“What are you so afraid of? Anything you do will only excite me more, Kyoujurou.” Akaza nibbles at his earlobe, catching it in between his teeth and tugging sharply with those canines of his. 

It drives Kyoujurou utterly mad whenever he feels those teeth so near his scent glands. They should be chomping through his skin and marking him - until he’s so thoroughly drenched in the alpha’s scent that no one can mistake him for an unmated omega anymore. He wants that with every fibre of his being, and struggles not to beg for it like some back alley slut. 

His breath hitches when Akaza starts working at his shorts to remove them, and he hastily lifts his hips so that the annoying piece of clothing can be slid from his legs and thrown to the side. 

His cock leaks all over the inside of his briefs, and he cries out when Akaza pulls away the hem of his underwear to swallow him down in one go. “Ah! W-Wait!” 

Akaza’s mouth is so hot around him, he feels like he’s steadily being melted down into a puddle of goo on the bed. 

Sweat drips down his neck as he tilts his head back and moans. He stuffs his fist into his mouth in panic afterwards, his eyes growing misty as he tries not to sink underneath a surge of mind-numbing pleasure. 

Akaza sucks the precum that gathered at his tip, groaning at the taste of it as he bobs his head up and then down. His tongue curls effortlessly around the small girth of his cock, dragging a wheeze from Kyoujurou that doesn’t go unheard even when muffled. 

The alpha pulls off him with a ravenous look on his face, his smile both sweet and dangerous as he pulls off his underwear. “You taste even better than I imagined.” 

Kyoujurou’s face grows red under his scrutiny, and he swallows nervously when Akaza shifts between his legs, his hands coming up to hold one thigh in each and spreading them. 

His hungry gaze moves down to where Kyoujurou aches the most, and he licks at the liquid that smeared across the corner of his lip. “But there’s something else I’ve been wanting to get my mouth on…” 

Before Kyoujurou can protest, Akaza dips his head again and presses his hot tongue flat against the bottom of his slit, before dragging it up to his clit. 

Kyoujurou sees white behind his eyelids instantly, and he gasps soundlessly in shock. His legs snap shut in an attempt to combat the sudden assault of euphoria that spreads from his core, but Akaza simply holds his thighs apart and continues to lick at his cunt. 

“Oh! Ah! A-Akaza!” he cries into his palms, his head tossing this way and that as he fights not to come on the spot. But it becomes a losing battle when Akaza presses his tongue into him and begins to earnestly lap at the slick that pours from his slit in waves. 

It doesn’t help that there are fingers pushing their way into him the moment Akaza feels his tight entrance start to yield. The addition of those calloused fingers opens up a whole new well of sensations that has Kyoujurou biting into his knuckles to stop himself from yelping. 

His hand reaches up and grabs at something to ground himself, and he ends up having to fist the sheets when Akaza’s middle finger curls up and hits somewhere inside him that makes his cock dribble onto his abs. 

“T-There-” he chokes out breathlessly, wanting to feel that sizzle of electricity go down his spine again. 

Akaza’s golden eyes flick up to his face, and he feels those lips curve up into a smirk. Without a word, Akaza’s mouth clamps down over his dripping cunt and slurps hard. His accompanying fingers press against that fleshy, sensitive part of his inner walls simultaneously, earning a loud moan from between Kyoujurou’s tightly sealed lips. 

He’s so close.  

I-If Akaza just fucks him with his tongue a few more times, he feels as though he might come. 

And he does, harder than he can ever remember experiencing. 

He shakes uncontrollably through it, muffling his whines behind his fingers as he pants heavily. He lies flat on the bed, utterly exhausted but still yearning for more. 

His heat is a terrible, terrible thing. It demands so much from his body, despite draining all his stamina out of him. 

All he seeks during those few days is for someone - anyone - to satisfy the churning of his stomach and the unbearable heat under his skin; for an alpha, more specifically, to knot and breed him until he’s sure he’ll grow round with pups. 

It’s always the heat that speaks, he knows. He never deemed himself ready to start a family, despite growing old enough and having a stable income to support one. Partly because he never thought he would get the chance to, but also because he feared the repercussions of being thrown aside while mated and with child. 

It didn’t help that the more he yearned for a family of his own, the more often he got rejected. It hurt not just his self-esteem, but also his pride. 

He would never admit to becoming dejected over such a thing, but now that Akaza has pried away some of the walls surrounding his heart, he cannot help but wonder if he’ll finally be able to reach the kind of parenthood he used to be curious about. 

Akaza’s tongue slides out of him slowly, sensually, and the alpha pulls away from between his legs with most of his chin shiny from the remnants of his orgasm. 

Kyoujurou, peeking through his fingers, lets out a horrified sound when he sees Akaza cleaning the area around his mouth with his tongue. “Mmm. Fuck, you taste so good when you come.” 

Kyoujurou doesn’t even have the brain capacity to protest the show so effortlessly displayed in front of him. 

Akaza kneels in between his legs, the tent in his jeans looking painfully tight and uncomfortable. Kyoujurou glances down at it occasionally, his mouth starting to water for no reason other than the fact that it’s been ages since he’s gotten properly fucked. 

Masturbation and sex can hardly be compared, and he has always been one to prefer the presence of a bed partner to a stiff, cold toy. 

“Getting impatient already?” Akaza drawls, lifting his arms above his head to chuck his shirt to the side. 

Immediately, Kyoujurou’s eyes snap up to study the elegant curves of the alpha’s physique. Despite being slightly shorter than Kyoujurou, Akaza’s shoulders are broader and his chest harder - though it could also be attributed to the fact that he’s at an age where his muscles aren’t as easily maintained as before. 

He’s only been able to slow the inevitable loss of definition with his thrice weekly gym sessions, and even then, he’s still nowhere near what he was like at the peak of his physicality. His abs are less prominent, and his waist has grown just a smidge of fat that wasn’t there when he was young and lacking softness of any kind. 

He never thought it was a shame, but it is clear that Akaza is younger and his body fitter. The alpha’s abdomen is just as chiselled as Kyoujurou’s was, if not more - due to his job as a martial arts instructor. 

Kyoujurou can’t seem to tear his eyes away from each and every dip of Akaza’s muscles, from the bulging flesh of his biceps, to the slender taper of his sculpted waist. 

“Take off your shirt for me, hmm? Let me see how beautiful you are.” Akaza cups the side of his face with his clean hand. 

Kyoujurou follows his request without a word, silently biting his lip in anticipation as he lies back on the mattress, completely bare to the alpha’s gaze. 

“You’re gorgeous…” Akaza whispers in disbelief, making him flush with embarrassment. “I always knew you would be.” 

“You’re not so bad yourself.” Kyoujurou turns his head away to avoid looking at the bright smile on Akaza’s face, inhaling deep into his lungs the scent of their mingling arousals. 

It smells delightful - in the way that mates sharing a roof would smell like. 

He shakes the thought from his mind just as Akaza leans down to kiss him again, this time with sweetness lingering on the tip of his tongue. “Let me make you feel good?” he murmurs against his lips, his eyes glowing dark gold. 

Kyoujurou nods hesitantly, hoping that his fears won’t come to pass. He might cry if he fails to fulfil his part. 

Akaza wastes no time. The moment Kyoujurou answers him, he discards his remaining clothes and shuffles over slowly, crawling over him with a sweet smile that Kyoujurou finds blinding. 

He didn’t manage to get a good look at the size of Akaza’s cock, but that was mostly because he didn’t want to worry himself further by becoming intimidated. 

“Relax, Kyoujurou. I’m not going to hurt you. And if I do, tell me, yeah?” 

Kyoujurou nods again, bringing his arms up to wind around Akaza’s thick neck. The muscles in it tense underneath his touch, as though affected by the mere presence of his skin’s contact. 

The heat in his body and his mind is burning away all of his inhibitions, he realises. His worries feel so far away now that it’s easy not to startle when Akaza presses the tip of his cock against his cunt and rubs at his entrance slowly. 

The alpha reaches down with one hand to gather up the slick that leaked from his slit and coat himself with it. Then he starts to push in, and Kyoujurou has to stifle a soft groan. 

Akaza cradles the top of his head with his free hand as he moves, sliding in inch by excruciating inch until Kyoujurou feels him stop. By then, he’s panting and sweaty and the heat under his skin has subsided into a steady simmering that only jabs at his consciousness uncomfortably. 

It feels good - better than he remembered it to be. After so long, he had thought that he wouldn’t be able to do it, but it seems that he managed to- 

“Kyoujurou-” Akaza says through gritted teeth. “You’ve got to relax a little more. I don’t want to hurt you.” 

Kyoujurou’s relief slowly drains away when the alpha grimaces above him. “I-” he begins, but doesn’t know what to say. 

Haven’t I already…?  

“Is- Is it not all the way in yet?” he asks and swallows down a whine when what’s already inside him pulses almost violently. It feels like he’s completely full, despite the reply he receives. 

“No…” Akaza admits with a sheepish smile. “But fuck, it feels amazing already. You’re so tight even after all that.” 

But instead of playing along with Akaza’s teasing, Kyoujurou only feels dread start to climb up his chest. “Can’t you just- force it?” he suggests, his heart beginning to race as he feels his cunt start to stretch around Akaza’s cock. 

He holds back a moan when Akaza does as he asks and thrusts shallowly. But all it does is cause a bolt of lightning to shoot down his spine. It does slip in a little more, but when Kyoujurou looks up at the alpha hopefully, he is further agitated when he is met with a “I’m only halfway there, Kyoujurou.” 

Horror begins to colour his thoughts. O-Only half? But- But-  

He feels as though he can’t possibly loosen up anymore! 

“Kyoujurou? What’s wrong?” 

The scent in the room changes to include a sour tinge to it, and when Akaza picks up on it, he frowns down at Kyoujurou, concerned. “Are you upset?” 

Kyoujurou hides his building panic, shoving down the deepest parts of himself that are starting to bubble at the surface with hysteria. 

It’s no good. He won’t be able to take everything, he realises. 

“I’m fine.” he lies, hoping to distract Akaza by wrapping his legs around his waist and dragging him down slowly. 

He lifts his hips in an attempt to get the alpha’s cock to slide in further, trying not to cry when he feels pain start to engulf him. He muffles his whimper and tightens his hold on Akaza’s neck, burying his face in it to sniff at his scent glands directly. 

He likes how Akaza smells, especially when it has that comforting sweetness to it that most alphas lack. It feeds his need to have their scents mingle. 

“Kyoujurou, wait- What’s going on with you? Your scent-” 

“Just move. Please.” 

Akaza hesitates. “Is this because you’re in heat? Are you unsatisfied? I promised I’d take care of you.” 

“No! It feels good- I’m not unsatisfied. Not at all!” 

“Then why do you smell like that? Tell me.” 

Kyoujurou shakes his head, tears beginning to prick at his eyes when he tries to press Akaza into him further. 

His scent spikes with pain that Akaza most definitely picks up this time, and suddenly, he’s being pulled away from the alpha’s neck. He protests in dismay, wanting the alpha’s soothing scent back, but when he meets those beautiful golden eyes, all of his worries come crashing down on his shoulders once again. 

Akaza eyes him with a frown, confusion evident in his face as he prevents Kyoujurou from seeking comfort in his scent glands. “You’re in pain.” he states. He doesn’t ask. 

Kyoujurou swallows his anxiety back down. “No… I’m not.” 

The alpha’s face twists into something unfamiliar. “You are. I can smell it on you. Don’t lie to me, Kyoujurou.” 

Akaza’s accusing tone slices at Kyoujurou’s tender emotions. His heat makes them unstable at times, and now that he’s practically a nervous wreck, those words only bother him more deeply. 

His omega whimpers inside him, hurt by the implication of Akaza’s words. It shrivels into a ball, evidently taking Akaza’s words as harsh criticism. 

“I’m really…not.” he turns his head away, feeling the tears in his eyes begin to gather. 

“If it pains you, I’m not going to continue, Kyoujurou. I told you I would never hurt you.” Akaza tries to reassure him - maybe - but it sounds like he’s saying he doesn’t want to continue because Kyoujurou won’t be able to keep up. 

It is, quite frankly, the last thing he wants to hear. 

His walls begin to crumble, and he covers his face with his arms as he sniffles. 

Again. He ruined everything. 

How could he have been so presumptuous? He should have known from the start that this was a mistake! 

He shouldn’t have offered to share his heat with Akaza. He shouldn’t have let himself be deceived by the temptation that things might finally go his way this once! 

As he wallows in self-depreciation, Kyoujurou vaguely hears Akaza speaking to him. There’s an urgent tone to his voice when he sits back on his heels with Kyoujurou’s legs still wrapped loosely around his slim waist. 

“Kyoujurou? A-Are you crying? I’m sorry! I- I didn’t mean to make you cry. Why- Why are you upset? Please don’t cry.” Akaza wrings his hands, his face marred by a disturbed sort of regret.

Kyoujurou sobs harder, knowing that everything the alpha is doing now is out of pity. He pities Kyoujurou for being a poor bed partner. He’s kind only because Akaza is a nice person. 

He shouldn’t have fallen prey to such an easy trap. 

He knew what he was getting himself into when he gave in to Akaza back then. He knew but he still took the risk, believing that it was all worth it as long as he got to keep Akaza. 

But it was all in vain, as it always is. And now his heart feels as though it is tearing into pieces - ripped apart by the harsh smack of a reality check. 

His scent sours even further, turning rancid under the influence of his humiliation. The once fragrant scent of their base notes mixing together becomes pungent - reeking of a distressed omega.

He can’t believe he thought he could reciprocate the effort that Akaza put into pleasing him. He never thought that he would be slapped with the truth of his incapability in such a shameful way. 

Akaza cringes when Kyoujurou’s scent hits his sensitive nose. “Kyoujurou? What’s the matter with you? Why do you smell so- so sad? Have I done something to upset you?” 

Kyoujurou hides his face in his hands, his pathetic cries muffled by his little cocoon. “I’m too old for you.” he blurts in response, completely forgetting about wanting to hide this side of himself from Akaza. “I- I won’t be able to satisfy you. I can’t even take your cock.” 

Akaza goes silent above him, concealed from his eyes by his own arms. 

Then, “Is that what you’ve been worrying about all this time? We can take it slow-” 

“I can’t give you pups!” Kyoujurou interrupts him, crying openly now. “I might not be able to give you a family… Even though I wish I could! I’m just too old to be anyone’s mate!” 

“...That’s not true at all and you know that, Kyoujurou.” 

“But I am! If I had been younger, I could have done all this without struggling. And- And you wouldn’t have to be stuck with someone like me!” Kyoujurou sniffles as he looks up at Akaza. “You could have your pick of any other younger omega. I’m just another in the bunch. You…don’t have to force yourself to stick with me…” 

He’s serious. If Kyoujurou was younger, would he have so many worries about himself? 

At the very least, an alpha as wonderful as Akaza deserves more than to be paired with him. He’s old, nearly considered middle aged, and he’s far past his prime. He knows. He knows. He’s not even remotely appealing beyond his looks. He could never keep an alpha like Akaza around and interested for more than a few months. Eventually, Akaza will grow to find him bothersome to cater to, or he’ll find him horrible at pleasing him, and then he’ll leave him-

“Kyoujurou, look at me.” Akaza says. 

Kyoujurou shakes his head, rubbing at his teary eyes. 

“I said, look at me.” The alpha’s command rolls across his entire body like a shockwave, and Kyoujurou can only obey as an unseen force makes him yield. 

A-An alpha command??  

He thought that ability was supposed to have been considered lost ever since the last of the true alphas died out a decade ago! 

Appalled, but with more important things to focus on, Kyoujurou stares up at Akaza, whose eyes are narrowed in what looks like fury. His golden gaze blazes with intensity that he hasn’t yet witnessed from the alpha. 

“A-Akaza?” he stutters, suddenly afraid of the reason behind those unfamiliar eyes. 

“Who told you all that?” Akaza asks him, his voice sounding like cold steel. 

“N-No one.” Kyoujurou lies on reflex once again, making the alpha growl in his throat - a deep, rumbling sound that sends shivers down his back. 

“I’ll ask you again. Who told you that you’re too old to satisfy anyone? That no one would want you as their mate?” 

This time, Kyoujurou doesn’t dare to repeat his mistake. “There were many others before you…” he admits reluctantly. “They didn’t want me because I was too old…” 

“And why does that matter?” Akaza presses.

Kyoujurou can only reply with speechlessness. “Because. Because I can’t give them pups? I don’t produce as much slick as I used to, and I- I’m past my prime, you know?” 

Akaza’s sudden snarl startles him. “Past your prime?! Ha! What fools they are.” 

“But it’s true. I’m already 37. I’m not young anymore, Akaza.” 

“Have I ever told you that? Did I ever once say that you are unfit to be with me because you’re ‘too old’?” 

Kyoujurou swallows hard. “No…” 

“Then you’d better forget all of those negative thoughts in that pretty little head of yours, Kyoujurou. I’ll make sure you do.” 

“What do you mean- Ah?! Ah!! No! Wh-What’re you-? Ah!” 

Akaza’s thumb presses hard onto his clit suddenly, flicking at the erect bud until it grows swollen with arousal. 

Kyoujurou has to slap his hand over his mouth to quieten the loud moan that escapes his lips. 

Oh-  

Akaza growls his disapproval. “Don’t hide, Kyoujurou. Unless you’d like me to give another command?” 

Kyoujurou, stubborn as he is, refuses to listen. 

“Alright then, suit yourself. Hands by your head. I don’t want to see them covering your mouth again.” 

Kyoujurou begins to cry as pleasure takes hold of his body and projects it all out into the air from his mouth. “No! D-Don’t listen! Please, Akaza! I- Agh!” 

The alpha is merciless with his assault. His fingers work at his clit even as Kyoujurou clenches around the cock still halfway inside him. 

Pain all but forgotten, he tries to protest when Akaza wraps his other hand around his small cock and begins to pump it in time with the calloused thumb rubbing at his clit. It makes him jerk violently, and he writhes like a caught animal being devoured by its predator.

“I’ve been wondering all this time what exactly it is that you’re so afraid of. And it turns out to be the furthest thing from the truth. It drives me mad that those insignificant pests have ingrained such lies into you, and I intend to right all those wrongs starting from now.” the alpha promises him with his lips peeled back aggressively and his eyes glowing a vengeful gold.

Kyoujurou’s mind is reeling. He can’t think beyond the heavenly touch on his cock and his clit. The dual assault leaves him a whimpering mess and he struggles to register Akaza’s words. “W-What?” is all he can say.

Akaza smirks down at him, watching the way his body contorts under his torturous stimulation. “Once I’m done with you, Kyoujurou, you won’t ever be able to say that you’re unfit to be my mate.” 

M-Mate? Wh-Whose mate?  

“You think you can’t take me? Well, you couldn’t be more wrong about that, my sweet little omega.” Akaza sniffs at his neck greedily.

Kyoujurou’s omega purrs at the praise when he looks down to see where they’re still joined. He doesn’t understand. 

What is he trying to do?

Akaza leaves a small, tender kiss at the corner of his mouth, his breath hot against Kyoujurou’s jaw. “Just give it a moment, yeah? I’ll make sure everything fits.” 

And he isn’t lying when he says he will. 

Moments later, Kyoujurou’s tense muscles begin to relax unconsciously while he’s drowning in bliss. It’s as though his control over his own body has vanished, and he doesn’t have the time to panic over that because the heat in his belly spikes suddenly. 

And then the hand on his cock is milking him dry at the same time as Akaza’s first true thrust. 

His only response is shock. “Agh-! Don’t- Don’t move! Please- I’m still coming!!” 

His eyes go wide with shock when he feels the alpha’s cock sliding into him all at once, slowly but surely. His hands twitch as he tries to reach up and push Akaza away, but with the alpha command not yet wearing off, it is a futile attempt. He can do nothing but take it, and it drives him insane being unable to get away from that overwhelming surge of pleasure. 

If it was an appropriate fullness he felt before, it is nothing compared to what it feels like now. 

Kyoujurou’s cunt stretches far more than he thought possible, and he feels a wail lodge in his throat when Akaza sinks into him fully and bottoms out. 

His omega hisses with impatience even after his orgasm passes, and Kyoujurou knows that it’s because he came without being knotted, but he couldn’t care less about that now when Akaza’s cock is pressing up against every part of his quivering insides. 

“Ha… See?” Akaza sits back on his heels and rakes a hand through his short, pink hair, his smile almost gleeful. “Who says you can’t? You just swallowed my cock like a natural.” 

Kyoujurou scrabbles at the sheets above his head, his voice lost somewhere in oblivion as he tries to adjust to the sheer amount of cock he has inside him. 

I-It’s so big! Too big!  

It feels as though his insides are being crushed- It’s too much! 

It’s been too long since he’s properly felt the girth of an alpha’s cock. He completely forgot how difficult it is to get used to such an intrusion. 

More than that, Akaza’s cock is far bigger than any he’s taken before! 

But what comes out of his mouth instead is the heat speaking. And for once, it is the least helpful this cursed cycle has been in his life. 

“Please- M-More!” he hears himself say, aghast by the lapse in his own mind’s control over his body. 

That wasn’t what he wanted to say! He should have been telling Akaza to ease up on the pressure on his insides - to pull out a little so he can adjust to the ridiculous size of that cock. 

Akaza’s eyes darken even further, until they become such a dim shade of gold that they’re nearly brown. “More? Is that the heat speaking, or your own need? Tell me, hmm?” 

The alpha waits as he struggles to get enough air in his lungs to reply. Kyoujurou has to gasp like a fish out of water just to say “H-Heat- It’s the heat!” 

Akaza’s face bursts into a smug grin. “Your omega must absolutely love me to override your own wants and speak for you.” 

He leans down carefully to kiss at the corner of Kyoujurou’s eye, sliding his arms under his knees and pushing them up as far as they’ll go. Kyoujurou feels the ache in his thighs when Akaza stretches them up to guide him into a mating press - an embarrassing position if there ever was one. He stares - wide-eyed when his own body is folded into near half - at the base of Akaza’s cock, which parts his slick folds and keeps him spread despite his previous worries. 

“Luckily for you, Kyoujurou, my alpha has been dying to get a chance to fuck you like this since we met.” he purrs low in his throat, his scent thickening with lust.

Kyoujurou’s gaze shifts up to look at the alpha’s face, confusion evident in his eyes. Since we met?  

But before he can question Akaza any further, the alpha pulls away from him and rises up onto his knees. Then he pulls back and thrusts. 

Instantly, Kyoujurou’s head snaps back against the sheets as he cries out loudly. His moans only grow louder in volume as the unbearable heat in his body quickly gives way to overwhelming pleasure. 

Stars flash before his eyes when Akaza aims for his weak spot with the tip of his cock and slams into it with a smirk. His cock drags along the spongy, fleshy area harshly, making him choke back a shriek as he scrambles not to come again so quickly. 

“Agh!!” His throat vibrates with the sounds being pulled from him. 

Electric wires dig their cruel claws into his spine and force him to tilt his head back, neck exposed. Akaza growls at the sight, licking his lips hungrily as his hips work to bring ruin to Kyoujurou’s mind. 

“So fucking tight, omega. Did you say that you would never be able to take me? Well, look what we have here. I’ve managed to prove you wrong, haven’t I?” 

“Y-Yes! Yes! So please- S-Slow down! I’m gonna come again!” Kyoujurou hurries to answer, his eyes rolling back into his head when the alpha ignores his request and instead slams into him harder - hard enough for him to bury himself deeper still. 

“Ah!! Please- A-Alpha!” 

Akaza shivers at the sweet smell of arousal in the air, his fangs making an appearance as he continues to thrust, his pace merciless. Kyoujurou can do nothing but take it, his arms immobile and permanently fixed to the sheets above his head as he tears at the fabric. 

The alpha command hasn’t been lifted yet, so he can’t cover his mouth when he feels something bubbling in his chest. He tries desperately to stop it, loathing the idea of Akaza - his alpha - hearing him screech in such an undignified way, but fails when Akaza grabs at the dips of his waist and yanks him onto his cock. 

His scream is ripped from him so suddenly that he doesn’t even have the capacity to register that he’s coming. He just knows that everything around him is whiting out - that he’s feeling far too much all at once and he genuinely, desperately needs Akaza to slow down. 

His body jerks erratically on the mattress, his legs pointing straight out into thin air and shaking uncontrollably. He can feel the heat rushing through him, throughout his entire body as he comes with tears streaming down his messy cheeks.

But Akaza doesn’t stop thrusting. He fucks him through his orgasm, leaning down to clamp his mouth around one of his stiff nipples and sucking at it furiously. That brings about a whole new sensation, and Kyoujurou feels a wave of slick gush out from his cunt - to his shock. 

“Ah! W-Wait! A-Akaza!” he garbles, helpless against the onslaught.

His heat clouds his head with impure thoughts that he finds nearly impossible to shake away. He can’t help imagining himself in a different position, a more primal, instinctive need suddenly bombarding his senses. If he could just roll over-

He whines when Akaza’s pelvis smacks against his ass, feeling more than hearing the lewd squelch of their crotches. His face glows with embarrassment when Akaza chuckles at the sound. “You’re so wet that it’s flattering. Do I turn you on so much that your body keeps pumping out slick, Kyoujurou? And what was that you said about not producing enough of it?” 

Kyoujurou tries to defend himself by saying that he didn’t know this would happen, but Akaza still seems to be upset about his self-degradation, because he doesn’t even give him time to answer. He resumes the movement of his hips, having slowed just enough to admire the sopping wet cunt that grips him tight enough to make him come. 

“Such a good omega, hmm? Getting all wet for me. You’re going to keep my cock drenched all night long, aren’t you?” Akaza nuzzles at his neck, suckling at his scent glands with a huff. He doesn’t bite, however, and Kyoujurou mourns the loss of those sharp teeth so close to where a mating mark should be. 

Bite me, he thinks somewhere in the back of his mind, unsure if it’s his own voice or his omega’s.

He nods mindlessly instead, not confident that he can fulfil Akaza’s request but desperate to try and please his alpha either way. His omega trills with delight at being praised, wanting more. And so does he. 

“M-More- Akaza- More!” He speaks truth this time, and Akaza must notice, either from the unbelievably potent scent in the air, or instinctively, because he complies. 

But the moment he does, Kyoujurou wonders if perhaps he should have thought better before provoking his alpha - not that he is in any state of mind to make rational decisions, but shit, he might have just made the biggest mistake of his life so far. 

Akaza’s muscles ripple when he plants his hands firmly onto the mattress on either side of his head. Kyoujurou watches through half-lidded eyes, biting his lip as he ogles the beautiful planes of the alpha’s torso and chest. 

His shoulders are so broad that Kyoujurou’s jaw aches with the desire to mark them as his own. He wants to leave a pretty little bite mark there as well, for everyone in the world to see so that they’ll know this wonderful alpha belongs to him. 

His thoughts are halted rudely when Akaza shifts and thrusts in at a new angle with a grunt. 

A moan catches in Kyoujurou’s throat when it hits somewhere inside him that has his body seizing up and going taut like a wound string. 

He looks down at his tummy frantically, a confused sound escaping from his lips at the strange shockwave it sent throughout him. 

Wh-What was that?  

When Akaza does it again, it doesn’t take much before he figures out what exactly it is that he’s feeling. His eyes go wide when Akaza mumbles a curse and picks up the pace, his thrusts growing powerful and sharp. 

It is when the tip of that huge cock rams into something that gives way under the pressure that he manages to put a name to whatever part of his insides that Akaza is abusing. 

That’s my-  

Sparks burst underneath his skin when Akaza’s cock slams into his cervix, and he moans loudly at the feeling of it being pounded without rest. “Wait- Wait! Akaza, please- You’re going too deep!” he protests in a panic, suddenly gripped by the fear that he’ll burst right open if the alpha tries to fuck him any deeper. 

No- M-My cervix! Not there-! His mind goes haywire with mild horror when he feels the alpha’s cock start to push deeper past his cervix with every thrust. 

This wasn’t what he meant when he said he wanted more!

But Akaza simply tilts his head as though he doesn’t get it. His feral grin is far from puzzled, however. “Too deep? But it doesn’t hurt, right? You worry too much, Kyoujurou. Didn’t I say that I’ll be good to you? Let me make you feel better, yeah?” 

Kyoujurou can do very little when Akaza leans back and pulls him onto his cock using the leverage he has on his hips, and he has to hold back a wail when the alpha thrusts hard enough for his cock to poke through the tiny opening of his cervix. 

“No, please- Please don’t! I-If you do that, you’ll- Ah! Agh!!” 

Akaza’s next thrust comes harder and stronger than before, and it is with little difficulty that the fat tip of his cock bullies open the entrance of his cervix and penetrates into his womb. 

It tears a hoarse, ear-splitting scream from Kyoujurou this time, and his voice echoes around the room that is filled to the brim with their combined scents. 

He scrambles to adjust, trying in vain to push the alpha away as his arms finally move from their position above his head - the alpha command having finally worn off. His hands scratch savagely at Akaza’s biceps as he desperately tries to escape. 

“No no no! That’s my womb! You’re inside my womb! Please- Ooh! Please, pull out-!” he cries, his eyes wide and pleading as he digs his nails in.

But Akaza is ruthless. 

He only moans in response, finding delight in his skin getting ravaged by Kyoujurou’s blunt nails. His hips don’t stop. He doesn’t even bother pulling back. He simply continues to grind into Kyoujurou’s soaked cunt, the front of his pelvis rubbing against his clit in time with his shallow humps. 

Kyoujurou feels all the heat that was tormenting him before draining from his limbs and his head down to his lower stomach. He chokes on his words as he tries to make his plea again, his eyes bulging when Akaza’s cock strokes at the lower walls of his womb. 

It’s- It’s too much! He’s going to come! 

The tension in his belly is soaring to new heights as Akaza buries his face into his neck and licks at his scent glands. Kyoujurou whimpers in response, too overwhelmed to object to the additional stimulation. 

Akaza’s mouth sucks at his jaw before turning to face his reddened ear. “Is it too deep for you?” he asks, sounding like he’s smiling. 

Kyoujurou nods quickly, his voice useless as his mouth gapes around nothing. He scrabbles at the alpha’s shoulders for purchase, trying not to gag when he feels the cock inside him pulsating against his walls - pressing right up against his weak spot. 

Akaza pulls away from his neck with a nasty little smirk on his face that makes dread fill his entire body. “Well, that’s a shame. Because it’s just what I wanted.” 

What…? His poor mind lags behind the alpha’s words.

“You didn’t think I was going to let you off the hook just like that, did you?” Akaza pushes at his legs, spreading them wide on either side of his hips. Drool drips from his fangs in thick strands as he stares down at his prize. 

Kyoujurou tries his best to protest, to no avail. He only manages to let out a strangled little croak that does nothing to help him.

Akaza slips his hands under his lower back, sliding a pillow underneath it to support him. Then his hands migrate back to Kyoujurou’s hips, and he squeezes the flesh there softly. 

The alpha’s scent goes tangy with lust, with something deeper and richer hiding underneath it that Kyoujurou can’t identify just yet. 

His scent- 

Akaza smells so good with his scent glands working double time to pump out comforting pheromones. Kyoujurou wants to bathe in his scent until he’s thoroughly covered with it. 

But then Akaza strokes at the skin of his hips lightly and smiles down at Kyoujurou, his fangs on full display. “You’re gonna be a good little omega and let me fuck your womb, right?” 

Then he moves, pulling out slightly and slamming back in with enough force to push right into Kyoujurou’s womb again. 

“Aagh!! Oh- No! Don’t!” 

Helpless, Kyoujurou can only tilt his head back and scream.  

His throat rattles with the sound of it, his head beginning to spin almost dizzyingly. His back arches against the sheets and his tongue lolls out of his mouth as his orgasm washes over him like a wave, drowning him in ecstasy as his cock spurts and his cunt trembles around the alpha’s ridiculous girth. He can feel himself getting wetter as he comes, enough that slick gushes out from him, displaced by his own release.

“Fuck- Your pussy just squeezed me so tight. It’s gripping me like a vice. Do that again, Kyoujurou. You can do it for your alpha, can’t you?” Akaza grunts, his voice turning laboured.

Kyoujurou shakes his head as he cries, pushing at Akaza’s torso to try and get away from the nauseating pressure of his guts being rearranged so intensely. 

He can’t keep up with this pace! He’s going to break- Akaza’s gonna break him! 

He knew that dating someone nearly ten years his junior would mean that Akaza has more energy than him, but this is too much! He’s too determined to unravel him into pieces!

He doesn’t know how much more he can take before his stamina gives out. Even if his heat isn’t ending anytime soon, if he runs out of energy from just the first few rounds, how will he survive the rest of the week?

Slow down! is what he wants to say but every time Akaza fucks into him and straight into his womb he loses his train of thought and lets out an agonised moan that he’s sure his neighbours will hear. 

And if the thought that he’s letting his entire apartment floor know what exactly they’re doing isn’t bad enough, Akaza has taken to crushing his body to the mattress by laying on top of him to sniff and lick at his neck. 

Kyoujurou tries and fails to hold back a keen when Akaza’s body weight presses down on him at the same time that his cock slams into his sloppy, wet cunt. Liquid squelches between them, and Kyoujurou throws his head back, gasping for breath. “Oh! S’good- F-Feels good-” 

The alpha lets out a pleased growl as he rubs his cheek against his scent glands to spread his scent there. A sense of safety blankets him as Akaza continues to layer his scent atop his bare skin. 

His omega melts under the alpha’s care, filling his head with sweet fantasies as the heat bleeds into his mind and grips him tightly within its clutches. He must be well into the throes of it now if he’s so out of it that he can’t even push back against his baser instincts. 

Alpha… Mate! Akaza takes care of us. Perfect alpha, our alpha.  

His thoughts scatter when Akaza plunges back into him, his cock swelling at the base as his knot grows. 

It should excite him - being knotted is the best feeling while he’s in heat, and his omega knows exactly how it feels from his past experiences. But something in the air gives him pause, and although he can do little but let Akaza ragdoll him back and forth like a toy as he fucks him stupid, the strange scent in the air begins to grow stronger and more potent. 

It takes Kyoujurou a moment to figure out what on earth that alluring scent is. 

Alpha- Alpha is in rut! Rut!  

The instant his omega nudges him with the answer that was on the tip of his tongue, Kyoujurou feels something ballooning at his entrance and trying to force its way into him. 

His eyes widen as he hurriedly tries to get Akaza’s attention. “A-Akaza- Alpha! Alpha!” He taps at Akaza’s broad back with one hand, his core burning away as he feels the growing bulb at the base of the alpha’s cock start to push past his dripping folds and into him. 

“Hmm?” Akaza mumbles into his neck, too preoccupied with scent marking him. “What’s wrong, omega? My pretty, lovely omega… Ugh- It feels so good inside you.” 

Kyoujurou’s cheeks burn hot from Akaza’s praise, but then pain pricks at his consciousness and he grabs the alpha by the shoulders and squeezes with all his strength. 

Akaza grunts, finally acknowledging his panic. He pulls away slightly with confused eyes, his gaze hazy with lust and something else.

“Your rut! You’re in rut!” Kyoujurou reminds him quickly. “Too big- Your knot’s too big!” 

He’s never been with an alpha in rut during his heat. The possibilities of something going wrong are endless! And they’re not even mated! 

His cunt leaks with slick, trying its best to give way for Akaza’s cock to sink in further as he pushes weakly at his shoulder. “Pull out- You have to pull out!” 

But the alpha merely frowns at him, as though he doesn’t understand. His rut must be messing with his head as well because he doesn’t listen. “Pull out…? But why? Kyoujurou, you- F-Fuck. Gonna come-” 

“What?! No! No, wait- Wait! Ah!!” 

Akaza doubles over suddenly, gasping for breath as his hips thrust forward hard and his knot squeezes past the stretched opening of Kyoujurou’s soaked cunt. The alpha’s knot swells even more once it’s in him, growing so quickly that Kyoujurou doesn’t even get the chance to protest the pain before another orgasm tears through him without warning. 

He sobs through it this time, his cunt spasming violently as Akaza’s knot pops inside him and releases his seed in long, hot spurts. 

Th-There’s so much- M-My womb-!  

It’s all he can think about as the alpha holds him through it, and even though he should be in pain from the knotting, all he feels is a delicious wave of arousal as the alpha’s semen pours into his womb. 

S-So…good…  

Kyoujurou’s eyes roll back into his skull as he endures the long orgasm, and he finds that he loves the feeling of hot, alpha cum filling him up from the inside - a fact that he will no doubt deny once his heat is over. He’s never gotten such a feeling from being knotted before, and somewhere in the back of his head, he realises that it’s because he’s never seen an alpha as a potential mate before Akaza. He doesn’t quite know what to do with that knowledge now that he’s in heat.

Kyoujurou’s scent billows around them, the saturated sweetness almost suffocating. Akaza relishes in it regardless, huffing and trying to breathe it in as he slowly comes down from his high. 

The alpha’s cock gives a last, valiant spurt inside him before dribbling to a stop, and it is only then that Kyoujurou gets the chance to sag against the sheets, utterly exhausted and finally, finally sated. 

The presence of that thick, fat knot plugging up his cunt and keeping him stuffed full of semen has his instincts mewling with delight. The urgent need to mate retreats like a calm wave pulling away from the shores of a sandy beach, but he knows that it’s only a matter of time before it returns to bother him again. 

Before his lucidity gets cut off by the sheer power of his heat symptoms, Kyoujurou sighs contentedly, rubbing one of his hands over the slight swell of his belly. His lower stomach looks and feels bloated. 

It never occurred to him that he might get pregnant during this heat sharing, but with Akaza’s sudden rut coming into the picture, he’s starting to have second thoughts, even if he doesn’t believe that his body can conceive so easily.

What he’s really amazed by is the amount of cum needed to get his stomach to swell like this. He once again wonders how alphas have so much to spare. Surely, they’re not meant to come this much, right? 

Akaza’s cock pulses inside him, making him wince, and it takes a while for him to notice that the alpha’s head is pressed to his chest. 

“Akaza?” he warbles, his throat feeling rather parched. His lips feel as dry as a desert when he presses them together. 

Akaza’s head snaps up quickly, an expression of worry flitting across his face. “I-I’m sorry! Did it hurt? I didn’t know that your heat would trigger my rut- I mean, there was supposed to be a week left before it started…” 

The alpha’s hands hover in the air, twitching with the urge to caress his face and comfort him. Kyoujurou can only laugh at their situation. 

Who would have thought that Akaza’s rut would start? If nothing else, perhaps Kyoujurou can dare to say it was fate that their bodies are so compatible with each other. 

“It’s quite alright! I thought you might tear me apart when you knotted me, but I feel rather good right now.” 

His worries haven’t yet slipped away completely, but now that he’s in a good enough headspace to think properly, he supposes that he can put those aside just for the remainder of his heat. He doesn’t wish to be a spoilsport by repeatedly mentioning his inferiority, although his cheeks do grow hot when he remembers how pathetically he was snivelling when he blurted out all his innermost fears. 

Akaza sighs in relief when he glances down at where they’re stuck together and finds no blood. “I’m sorry, Kyoujurou. You told me to pull out, but I just couldn’t at the last minute… My instincts took over for a second because of my rut.” he groans. 

“I-” A sharp gasp leaves Kyoujurou when he feels Akaza’s still hard cock twitching inside him - inside his womb. He swallows down the urge to moan when sparks light up his spine momentarily. 

My goodness. I can’t believe it’s still in there!  

He takes a minute to regain his bearings. “I’m fine, Akaza. The knotting helped with the fever, though I suspect it will return sooner or later. It hurt at first, but it feels quite good now, even if you are a little much to handle. I’ve never had an alpha as big as you.” 

Akaza shivers above him, licking at his drooling mouth almost unconsciously. Kyoujurou eyes those large fangs, suddenly hungry for a different sensation. 

He wishes that they discussed the topic of becoming mates before heat sharing. It would have been marvellous to experience the bite while in heat. He heard that it might make their bond stronger if they did it while their cycles were active and in sync. 

“I recommend taking a picture. It’ll last longer.” Akaza teases him even as his hooded eyes roam over his flushed cheeks and dried tear tracks. 

He reaches up with one hand to wipe away the collected tears at the outer corners of his eyes. 

But Kyoujurou won’t let himself be outdone by some alpha ten years his junior. 

He feels the heat creeping back up from behind, muddling his head with things that he wouldn’t normally say while lucid. 

“I could say the same for you. Why don’t you claim me properly before looking so smug, alpha?” 

Akaza snaps his jaw shut right in front of his face, his teeth meeting with a loud click as he thrusts his hips into him viciously. 

Kyoujurou’s breath whooshes out of his lungs when he feels Akaza’s inflated knot pushing deeper inside him. He can’t even make a sound as he’s shoved up towards the headboard, his back sliding across the slick-stained sheets far too easily. 

Going rigid at the sight of those beautiful fangs so close to his face, his eyes take in just how perfectly grown they are. They’re shiny and slightly curved, rather than pointing straight down like most other alphas. 

His alpha friends told him that their teeth often inflict a lot of pain when they secure a mating bite on their partners, but Kyoujurou’s instincts tell him that the delicate shape of Akaza’s fangs will bring him less agony than other omegas. 

Though, he’ll only find out if they ever decide to move on to the bite. And he really wants to know.

He stares, hyper fixating on those fangs that he’s dreamt about often. He’s never seen such pretty fangs on an alpha partner before. How he wishes Akaza would mark him now. 

But the alpha still has his head screwed on right, because he snarls a very agitated “Don’t test me now, omega. Or I’ll bite you right where it hurts the most. Bad omegas need to be punished, don’t they?” instead. 

Kyoujurou laments the fact that he isn’t currently able to have a proper conversation beyond their pillow talk, but then Akaza shifts a little to put less pressure on his knees, and the heat swallows Kyoujurou up again, almost instantaneously. 

All at once, it’s like that cursed boiling sensation is eating him alive. Something scratches at his organs from the inside, clamouring and slobbering for more even though Akaza’s knot hasn’t yet shrunk enough for him to pull out. 

Kyoujurou unknowingly lets a whine leave his throat, and Akaza growls low in his chest, humping into him as best as he can without pulling at his stretched entrance. Each time he does it, the alpha’s knot fucks him deeper, until the tip of his cock bumps against the lower walls of his womb again. 

The feeling of it fucking the alpha’s seed back inside him has him reeling, and he writhes under Akaza. “Agh! Hngh!! S-So deep- Ah! A-Akaza!” he moans and cries, feeling the tension in his belly flare whenever Akaza punches the air from his throat with a well aimed thrust against his sensitive spots. 

His cock is so big that there isn’t a single inch of his insides that is left untouched. Every slide of his cock inside him presses right up against his walls and threatens to overflow from his stuffed cunt. 

Eventually, the alpha’s knot deflates enough for Akaza to pull out with each retreating cant of his hips. And once he manages to get it out, Akaza is slamming forward again without delay, grunting his pleasure in uneven breaths. 

He prioritises pleasing Kyoujurou this time, his rut scent growing stronger and more delicious as he works hard to fuck him silly. Kyoujurou clings to the alpha’s back, his cries muffled against his shoulder when he buries his face into Akaza’s scent glands to sniff at his wonderful scent. 

He’s so focused on drowning himself in Akaza’s scent that he misses the mischievous glint in the alpha’s eyes, so it makes him yelp when Akaza grins suddenly and sneaks one of his hands down to rub at his swollen clit. 

Kyoujurou can’t help but cry out when those nimble fingers pinch at the little bud, and he feels something new bubbling to the surface when Akaza flicks at his clit. 

Slowly but surely, his belly grows tighter and tighter. It takes him a moment before the speed at which the foreign sensation grows begins to alarm him. 

Wait- Wait!  

He pulls away from Akaza’s neck to pat at his nape urgently, his eyes locked on to the ceiling because his head rolls back uselessly under the onslaught of pleasure. “A-Akaza- Alpha! Wait- S-Something’s- Something’s coming-” 

But Akaza either can’t pick apart the scent of his sudden panic from the dozens of other smells swirling around the room, or chooses to ignore his plea, because his mouth is still intent on leaving wet, purple marks along his collarbone. 

The alpha purrs with delight at the feeling of his cunt clenching around him lovingly. “You’re gonna come? Go on, come on my knot. Good omega…” 

“No! N-No- It’s different- S-Something’s different! Please- Please pull out! I- I feel weird-!” Kyoujurou begs him, feeling terrifyingly out of his element as the tension builds and builds and keeps on building. 

Akaza rubs his cheek against his chest affectionately, completely out of it as he slurs his reply into his skin. “Mhm…” he murmurs gently, smirking when he feels Kyoujurou tightening around him, milking him for a second time. “Feels different, hmm? It’s good different, omega. Don’t be afraid.” 

The alpha thrusts hard, the head of his cock slamming past the tight ring of his cervix, abusing it with his alpha strength and making Kyoujurou convulse around him. 

N-No! Something feels weird!  

His omega preens at the alpha’s comforting words, but when the strange feeling starts to balloon at his very core, his eyes widen in panic and he starts to thrash. 

“Please! Ooh- Please- S-Stop! Stop! I’m gonna- I’m gonna-” 

Kyoujurou’s entire body goes wire tight as he comes, and a scream lodges itself in his throat when Akaza rubs furiously at his sensitive clit without mercy. He topples over the edge so suddenly that he doesn’t even have the time to register that he’s diving headfirst into orgasm. 

He only shrieks as he claws at Akaza’s back, his nails digging in painfully and scratching bloody trails down the flexing muscles lining the dip of the alpha’s spine. His cunt spasms around Akaza’s cock, his insides fluttering and squeezing around it enough that his knot expands in an instant and pops inside him. 

The sudden knotting only prolongs his release, and Kyoujurou’s vision goes black at the edges as his cock splatters all over his chest and his pussy overflows from the violent force of his orgasm. 

His juices squirt messily out of him, coating Akaza’s crotch with his fluids and absolutely drenching them both where they’re joined. Over the sensation of Akaza’s cock pumping out another round of semen into his womb, he can feel his own slick and cum dripping out from his entrance and sliding between the crack of his ass. 

His elevated hips only mean that the pillow under his back must be thoroughly stained by now. 

By the time the rolling waves of his orgasm have waned and he recovers from the intensity of it, Akaza is staring down at his cunt in amazement. 

Kyoujurou coughs wetly, feeling the awareness trickling back into his brain and absolutely mortifying him. 

He- He just- 

Akaza looks up to meet his embarrassed, horrified gaze. “I didn’t know you could do that.”

Kyoujurou covers his face with his hands, blushing a furious red that doesn’t go unnoticed. He wants to disappear into a hole and never come back out. 

He can’t believe that just happened. He really just- 

“Did you just squirt? Ha! Amazing.” 

“Please don’t look at me. This is all your fault.” 

Akaza leans down to kiss at his tear-stained face, grinning wildly the whole time. “My fault? I guess you could say that. But you liked it, didn’t you? Your pussy was gripping me so tightly I thought you were gonna cut my dick off.” 

His face flames even further. “Stop talking about that…” he complains, turning his head away when Akaza tries to kiss him. 

How humiliating. He’s never done that before. 

“Don’t avoid me, Kyoujurou. You have no idea how happy you made my alpha. He’s desperate for a kiss.” 

“Tell him I won’t give him one.” he sulks, too embarrassed to say that his omega is on cloud nine knowing that they satisfied their alpha. 

“Aww, don’t be like that. I know you secretly like feeling so good that you could go insane. I can smell it on you, all sweet and tempting.” 

Akaza mouths at his jaw instead since he was denied his lips. He drags his hot tongue across his jawline, huffing in delight when he inhales and the scent of a content omega floods his nose. “You smell so good, omega… It makes me hungry.”

Kyoujurou squirms away from his ticklish little pecks, determined not to let him have his way any more. He also tries not to show his relief on his face. 

The alpha’s reassurance of his attraction to him, intentional or not, makes him realise that this is all real. That he is wanted in every sense of the word, whether or not he’s an omega past his prime. 

He feels desired for the first time in ages, and the relief that bubbles up in his heart as a result is so soothing that he wants to cry. Tears well up in his eyes as he reaches up to thread his fingers into Akaza’s fluffy hair. 

The alpha leans into his hands, nuzzling against his forearm like a cat. His golden eyes are hooded when he opens them again, staring down at Kyoujurou like he can’t get enough of his face - of him.  

“Wanna eat you. Let me love you more, hmm? Pretty, lovely omega. My omega.” he growls, the sound rumbling through his chest deeply. 

Kyoujurou swallows the lump in his throat, feeling choked up when he scratches at Akaza’s scalp a little. Akaza’s scent grows stronger suddenly, and his purrs grow in volume. 

“Alpha…” Kyoujurou whispers, watching the way Akaza tilts his head at him in curiosity. “Do I…make you feel good? Am I a good omega for you?” 

He desperately needs those words right now. 

His heart trembles, a fragile little thing that has pieced itself back together after countless rejections. 

He wants to hear it. That he’s still got it in him to be a good mate. That he’s still desirable beyond his face. 

Akaza blinks at him, the haze clouding his eyes clearing just the tiniest bit. Drool smears across his cheek when he swipes at his mouth with the back of one hand. He chuffs a little, the puff of air that escapes from between his lips blowing a couple of bangs out of Kyoujurou’s eyes. 

“You do. You make me feel so good. I love how your insides hug me so tightly. Wanna fill you up.” Akaza murmurs against his wrist. “Good omega. Best omega. And you’re all mine. Mine.” 

Kyoujurou yanks him down, making their teeth clack together because he pulled too hard. But he kisses him anyway, his chest feeling lighter than it has in ages and his eyes watering. 

“Thank you... Akaza, thank you.”

After that, time seems to become incomprehensible. 

Kyoujurou has no idea how long they’ve been at it for, but each spike of pleasure he remembers experiencing is accompanied by Akaza’s constant praise and reassurance. 

“You’re squeezing me again, Kyoujurou. Does it feel good? Are you gonna come?” 

He nods mindlessly, gasping when the tension in his belly snaps again and he comes with a quiet moan. His throat feels sore from all his screaming. 

“You come so pretty, omega. Wanna bite you, but I can’t.” 

“Bite me- I want you to bite me.” he wheezes out.

Akaza muffles his pleas with a kiss. “Don’t tempt me with that again. My control only goes so far.” 

He vaguely recalls being forced to eat and drink too - perhaps multiple times. He wouldn’t know.

He had completely forgotten about sustenance when his heat hit, and he remembers whining and crying for Akaza to come back to bed when he went off to find food and water for them. 

He ended up hastily throwing together a nest while he waited, occasionally scenting the clothes scattered around the room and dragging more out from his closet, before arranging and rearranging the blankets that stink with both their scents. 

It wasn’t the perfect nest, but with him sniffling and breaking into sobs every few minutes without Akaza by his side, it was the best he could manage to quell the unavoidable urge. It had developed a little while after he wasn’t being fucked into the mattress every two seconds, like his instincts were only just remembering that he had things other than getting bred to do. 

He remembers his skin itching and his cunt feeling terribly empty without Akaza’s knot stuffing him full. But anything other than that is a hazy mess of memories that he can’t pick apart. 

They must have gone through countless different positions, considering the ache in his joints and muscles, but all he really sees when he tries to rummage through everything that happened is the dark, hungry look on Akaza’s face and in his pretty golden eyes.

“Here, Kyoujurou, drink some water. I should’ve done this earlier, but rut makes it hard for me to think about anything else.” 

Kyoujurou refuses it with a shake of his head, pawing at Akaza’s thigh instead while biting his lip. “Akaza, more?” 

“I’ll give you more after you drink this and finish what I’ve got you. You need to eat something. It’s been ages since you had breakfast.” 

He chugs a third of the bottle Akaza was holding up for him, motivated by the promise, before taking small bites of something sweet from the alpha’s hand. He makes a noise of surprise, suddenly reminded that his belly is starving for food. 

And when he manages to wolf everything down without puking it back up, he grabs at Akaza’s arm again, shifting uneasily on his heels as his cunt leaks slick all over the sheets. 

“Okay. Okay, we’re done. C’mere Kyoujurou.”  

It could have been hours, or days since he was last coherent enough to remember what’s happening around him. All he knows is that it is when he’s on his front, with his ass raised and his face pressed into the sheets, that some sense of lucidity seeps into his consciousness. 

“Ah- Please-” he slurs, the world tilting around him in a way that makes no sense. “Please, Akaza- I can’t anymore…” 

A low growl rises from behind him, and he braces himself when he feels hands tugging him back onto Akaza’s swollen cock again. It’s as if the alpha can’t hear him at all. 

The room is still filled with their scents, but it’s so much more potent than it was before. Kyoujurou’s head spins whenever he inhales their combined essence, and he moans when Akaza’s cock grinds mercilessly against his insides. 

He glances around, noting the absolute mess they’ve made of his crudely built nest. It doesn’t bother his omega as much as he thought it would, though that’s probably because he’s too busy trying to get away from Akaza for now. 

He doesn’t remember much of the events that led up to now, but even with his dulled senses, he can tell it’s been a long time since either of them has left the room. 

“Omega…” The raspy sound of Akaza’s voice sends shivers down his spine. “What’re you thinking about? Am I not enough for you?” 

He punctuates his question with a thrust that knocks the wind out of Kyoujurou. 

He gasps sharply when the alpha’s cock slams against his cervix, his cunt fluttering weakly around it as he comes suddenly with his ass cheeks jiggling. “Oh!! No! Akaza- I- I really can’t-” 

“Hmm? You’ve been saying that for a while, but you’re doing perfectly fine to me. Are you sure you’re telling me the truth?” Akaza hums, sliding his palms over the lewd curve of his back. He admires his handiwork of hickeys with a grunt. “You’re a little looser after a couple of days, but it still feels so good inside you. Ha… I can’t get enough.” 

Kyoujurou’s eyes grow wide when Akaza thrusts again and pushes into his overstuffed womb. “No!! Please- It’s too full! My womb- Y-You’re crushing my womb-! Nothing more will fit!” he cries out, trying to crawl away from Akaza on shaking arms and legs. He twists his fingers into the sheets above his head, trying to pull himself away in vain.

But the alpha isn’t having any of that, and Kyoujurou doesn’t manage to get very far before Akaza is dragging him backward by the hips. 

“Where are you going? Don’t run away, Kyoujurou. I’m not done with you yet.” He snatches up one of Kyoujurou’s arms in each of his hands, using them to yank him back onto his cock. 

It rips a wail from his mouth when he feels that thick, hard cock fuck back inside his womb, and he convulses like he’s being electrocuted, his eyes rolling shut in ecstasy. 

“It’s too much! A-Alpha, please! Please, let me go! Stop coming inside me-” 

A-At this rate, I might-  

But Akaza’s rut brain only knows one thing, and with the smell of a willing omega wafting around the room, nothing else matters. 

He sobs brokenly when Akaza’s knot swells inside him and pops into place again, flooding his insides with his hot, thick seed. The feeling of it pouring into his womb is overwhelming. He can almost feel his tummy ballooning once more, stuffed with cum until he feels like he’s about to burst. His cunt twitches uselessly, unable to do anything but take it until the alpha has finished emptying his load into him. 

He struggles against the hold on his arms, his tears dripping onto the soaked sheets. “Noo… Please- A-Ah!! D-Don’t come inside me… You’re gonna get me pregnant, please-” 

Akaza’s response is a delighted growl. “Oh yeah? That’d be nice. Want me to knock you up, omega? Is that why your cute little pussy desperately tries to cling onto my knot?” 

Kyoujurou shakes his head, his hair spilling over his shoulders as his back arches. 

“N-No… It’s not…” he chokes out, his throat vibrating with a strangled moan when Akaza’s cock digs into his weak spot and causes sparks to fly under his skin. 

The alpha chuckles above him, his grip like iron around his wrists as he uses his arms to fuck him deeper. “But it is. Your insides are so hot and tight around me. Your pussy gets so wet whenever I fuck your pretty womb, and you smell so fertile. Those other alphas who rejected you must have been out of their minds. Your body must have been waiting specially for me, hmm? Just look at yourself, you’re about as likely to get pregnant as any other younger omega, aren’t you, Kyoujurou?” 

Kyoujurou wants to reply, but then Akaza tugs on his arms again and all that comes out is a silent scream. 

“Fuck- You smell so good. Your scent- It drives me mad. Makes me wanna give you pups. Would you like that, omega? Want me to breed you until your womb is full of my pups? I bet you’d look divine with your belly all swollen.” 

Akaza’s rambles do nothing but fuel the fire deep inside his core, and Kyoujurou can’t bring himself to say no. 

For the first time in his life, he feels as though he might really, seriously walk away from his heat with pups growing inside him, and that image in his mind is what makes him come. 

He whimpers as his cunt trembles, his stretched opening gushing with his release and oozing alpha cum. 

His eyes cross when Akaza humps forward again, the tip of his fat cock kissing his cervix firmly once more and making him black out for a second. His head hangs limply even when he comes to his senses, and all he can do is let Akaza continue to fuck him. 

He wrings orgasm after orgasm from his drained cunt, until he feels as though he can’t come anymore. 

He begs him then, desperate for Akaza to let him rest. “Please- Ooh-! Please, stop- You’re gonna kill me- Please, I- I can’t come anymore…” 

His mind is in shambles from how good it all feels. 

H-He’s gonna fuck me to death- 

He doesn’t even have the energy to do anything other than moan. His voice is practically a wheeze as he tries once again to squirm away, exhausted by his heat and the alpha’s persistent attempts to cajole him for more. 

“I’m not gonna kill you. How cute. Is your pussy so tired that you’re making excuses now?” Akaza giggles hysterically. 

“No…” he drools, feeling too good to even bother swallowing. 

It isn’t an excuse. He really thinks he won’t be able to come even if he tries his best to. 

The alpha contemplates his request for a moment, his hips stilling just a little. “Hmm… Then, are you pregnant yet? I’ll let you rest once you are, okay?” 

Akaza drops one of his arms to grope at his front, stroking at his engorged belly with a gentle touch. 

It makes him want to scream when the alpha presses down lightly on the bulge in his tummy, the semen inside his womb threatening to overflow from his plugged cunt. But all he can do is cry a little more and gasp wordlessly.

It takes a while but, eventually, the alpha huffs with satisfaction and releases his other arm, lowering his body to the mattress slowly while he’s still stuck on his knot. 

Kyoujurou lies there, utterly spent and on the verge of passing out, realising that his heat must be nearly over if he’s lucid enough for his instincts to stop gagging for cock. 

He doesn’t know if he should be thankful for that or not. He’d miss being so thoroughly taken care of while he’s feverish and cramping.

Akaza’s mouth brushes over the shell of his ear, startling him out of his hazy thoughts, and he dreads his next words before he even hears them. 

“Give me one more? Hmm? Just one more. Then I’ll let you sleep, yeah?” 

He can feel Akaza grinding against his thoroughly soaked folds, impatient for movement even though they’re still stuck together. 

“I can’t…” he moans into the sheets, his muscles protesting and his cunt pulsing weakly. 

The alpha whines against his cheek, turning his head to guide him into a sloppy, messy kiss. “Please? Please, omega? Wanna see you come again. Just one more?” 

His golden eyes are big and round and so full of hope that Kyoujurou can’t bear to deny him. 

The moment he relents with a reluctant “Okay…”, Akaza’s hand is sliding down to his cunt and dragging feather light touches against his oversensitive clit. 

Kyoujurou has to bury his face into the blankets to stifle the keen that escapes him. His thighs quiver like they’re about to collapse, and he digs his nails into the bedding until his fists are balled up and his knuckles grow white. 

Akaza’s fingers trace back and forth the area surrounding his clit, flicking at the swollen bud occasionally and rubbing it at other times. 

Heat builds quickly under Kyoujurou’s skin, and he can feel the alpha’s cock poking at his cervix inside him, still hard and very much ready to pump another load into him. 

He doesn’t think he can take another round of that, but with the last of his heat urging him to listen to the alpha and relax into his touch, he can’t help but move that concern to the back of his mind. 

“Ah! Y-You promised, r-right? Just- one more?” he stammers, wanting some sort of confirmation so that he won’t constantly be worried about being pushed to the very brink of his limits. 

His stamina is nothing to laugh at usually, but with his heat draining all his energy and Akaza’s non-stop assault, it’s no wonder that he can’t summon any of his regular reserves to make it past another day in bed with this monstrous alpha. 

Akaza huffs against his ear, his hands sliding down to his swollen belly and cradling it almost protectively. “Mhm. I promise, omega. Promise you.” he mutters softly, stroking at his stomach with a purr. 

His scent unfurls like a plume of smoke from a fire, thick and suffocating but smelling of a pleased alpha. 

Kyoujurou’s omega clamours for more, and he struggles not to sniff at the air like a lunatic. 

“Does it feel good, Kyoujurou? Feels good inside you- Ugh- So, so good. Your pussy’s the best-” 

Kyoujurou can’t stop himself from drooling all over the sheets as he tries to answer. He rests his cheek on the back of one hand, crying out when Akaza starts moving his hips again. 

“F-Feels good- Akaza, feels good! B-But-” he cuts himself off with a groan when he feels Akaza’s cock fucking back into him without getting stuck. 

His knot must have gone down sometime in the past few minutes, but it probably won’t be long before it swells again. 

Kyoujurou shivers in Akaza’s embrace, tears sliding down his flushed cheeks as yet another wave starts cresting above his head. “Gon- Gonna come- Hngh!! I’m gonna come again-” 

“Go on then. Come. Come on my knot like a good omega. Wanna see you squirt around it like you did the last time.” 

With an echoing snarl, Akaza grabs at his hips and thrusts, hitting his cervix hard and fucking so deeply into his overflowing womb that Kyoujurou’s poor lungs empty of air while he screams and sobs. 

He comes so violently that it happens again. 

He feels his release spraying all over Akaza’s crotch, soaking them both in his juices as his body jerks and spasms around Akaza’s fully grown knot. 

“Aagh!!” he moans, almost in agony, when Akaza’s knot releases another flood of cum into his spent womb. 

His cervix twitches pathetically around that stupidly big cock, trying and failing to push it out, and it takes everything in him not to protest out loud when what feels like another bucket load of semen is poured into his womb. 

T-Too full… I-I’m gonna get pregnant- With Akaza’s pups- 

His legs kick out uselessly as the alpha’s cock pulses with long spurts, until his womb can’t possibly take a single drop more of cum inside it. 

Akaza nuzzles against the back of his neck, smelling like a sated alpha as he licks greedily at his scent glands. 

“Finally…” he purrs, caressing over Kyoujurou’s bloated tummy with soft, gentle hands. “You’re all mine. And with child. With my pups. Isn’t that right, omega? My sweet omega- My pretty mate.” 

Kyoujurou slumps against the stained sheets, unable to even open his mouth to reply. His head buzzes pleasantly from the aftershocks of his orgasm, but his body is completely limp and exhausted. 

He can feel the last traces of his heat slowly but surely fading away, and when he breathes in, he realises that Akaza’s rut scent is the weakest it’s been since it first started. 

It gives him some semblance of assurance now that he knows he’s out of the woods, but he can’t do anything more than lie on his front and wait for Akaza’s knot to go down so they can start to clean up. 

Maybe later… Or tomorrow…  

He really doesn’t think he can get up, let alone stand and help change the sheets or walk to the showers to rinse off the smell of cum, sweat and sex off his body. 

Akaza manoeuvres them so that they’re both lying on their sides. 

“Don’t wanna hurt the pups.” he mutters under his breath, delusional from being overtaken by his instincts for so long. 

Kyoujurou lets himself be manhandled into a comfortable position, finding that being the little spoon makes his omega trill with happiness. 

Alpha. Alpha loves us. Took care of us during heat. Good alpha. Strong alpha. Strong pups.  

He can’t even bring himself to refute the claim, because Akaza is everything that his omega insists he is. 

“Sleep, omega.” Akaza kisses his neck, licking languidly over the marks his fangs and teeth made. “You’re tired, right? You did so well, Kyoujurou.” 

Kyoujurou’s chest blooms with relief after hearing that. He covers his eyes with his forearm, sniffling as he cries silently. 

He thanks every higher being that exists for gifting him Akaza - for answering his pitiful situation with the most wonderful alpha he could ever ask for. 

Akaza slips his arms around his midriff, hugging him tightly with his hands placed strategically over his distended belly. 

“Sleep.” he insists. “You need rest.” 

Kyoujurou nods. He wipes away his tears, placing his hands over Akaza’s knuckles and squeezing his warm, solid flesh. 

When he falls asleep seconds later, it is with the image of Akaza smiling at him while cradling a tiny, tiny bundle of cloth in his arms.

Chapter Text

Kyoujurou wakes up to the feeling of something wet dragging across his cheek. 

He squints as he tries to open his eyes, cracking them open cautiously to find out what that cold sensation on his face is. 

“Kyoujurou?” Someone mumbles next to his ear, close enough that the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. 

He blinks a few times to get rid of the sleep from his eyes, wondering why he feels like he can’t move a single inch.

When he finally focuses his attention on the person in front of him, his heart thumps loudly when Akaza’s smiling face greets him. 

The alpha looks like he’s glowing. It hurts his eyes, but he can’t bear to close them again when Akaza looks more attractive than he’s ever been. 

Kyoujurou tries to speak, but finds that his voice won’t come out. He tries clearing his throat, and winces when he realises that it’s sore. He must have lost his voice after… 

He pauses suddenly, trying to recall the reason for his lethargy. His memories trickle back into his mind slowly, but with every passing flash of lust-filled eyes and rough, grabbing hands, his face grows redder and redder. 

“Good morning, Kyoujurou. Or, afternoon, really. Did you sleep well?” Akaza’s smile transforms into a smirk. “Did all the fucking damage your brain as well as your body?” 

Kyoujurou tries to speak again, but when all it does is make his dry throat hurt, he lifts up one trembling arm and pushes Akaza’s face away from him with a grunt. 

Akaza laughs as he takes hold of his wrist with a gentle hand. He presses a kiss to his palm, his lips warm and soft. “Welcome back. I missed you.” 

Kyoujurou’s eyes prickle with relief. He didn’t think Akaza would leave, especially after all that the alpha did and said to reassure him of his feelings for him, but it still makes him feel like sobbing when the first thing he sees after surrendering himself to a whirlwind of bodily pleasure is Akaza’s beautiful smile. 

He raises his trapped arm up to Akaza’s face, brushing over his cheek with his palm as though to make sure this is all real. Akaza still wants him. That’s why he stayed and looked after him while he slept to recover his energy. 

“What’re you thinking, Kyoujurou?” Akaza murmurs into his palm, nibbling at his fingers whenever they get close enough. His golden eyes are soft and adoring as he stares down at Kyoujurou’s face. “Tell me, hmm? Just like you did before.” 

The reminder pricks at the self-conscious part of Kyoujurou that hasn’t quite settled down, but he ignores it instead of getting nervous like he usually would. He sighs in contentment when Akaza leans into his hand with a nuzzle. 

The alpha closes his eyes in bliss, chuffing as he lowers himself to his knees so that Kyoujurou won’t have to keep holding his arm up high. He grabs at Kyoujurou’s wrist with both his hands, inhaling deeply from the tiny scent glands on it. 

“I…” he croaks, coughing slightly when he finally manages to get a word out. 

Akaza hands him a water bottle that he can drink from without getting up. As soon as his thirst is soothed and his throat doesn’t feel like a desert, Kyoujurou tries again. He strokes at the curve of Akaza’s cheekbone tenderly. “I missed you too.” 

The alpha’s happy purr makes him flush all the way down to his collarbones. “Are you hungry? I’ll get you something to eat if you are.” 

“Mhm. I’m starving.” Kyoujurou moves to get up, but lifting his arm is a struggle, let alone sitting straight and climbing out of bed. 

Embarrassed by his immobility, Kyoujurou collapses back onto his side, his body flopping uselessly back onto the mattress. 

“Wait here. I’ll bring it to you. I got you something easy to eat.” 

Without waiting for him to respond, Akaza takes off for the kitchen, leaving behind the wet cloth that he had been using to wipe Kyoujurou’s face clean. 

Kyoujurou can do nothing but wait, and while he does, he looks around at his room, biting his lip when he sees the absolute mess they’ve made. 

Akaza must not have had the time to clean up before he woke up, because their clothes are still scattered around haphazardly and his nest is completely ruined. 

He doesn’t mind so much now that his heat is essentially over, but as his memories replay like a video tape, his body shudders from the remaining sensations he felt over the past few days. 

He remembers everything, save for the times when he must have passed out. It had happened a few times, and whenever he came to, he was always greeted by Akaza’s enthusiastic kisses. 

He squeezes his eyes shut tightly, trying to recall the feeling of waking up and feeling Akaza moving inside him. 

Kyoujurou regains consciousness when he’s on his side, with one of his legs thrown over Akaza’s right shoulder. 

In the instant that his eyes blink open, the alpha is smothering him with affection. 

He makes a noise of surprise when he finds his mouth invaded by Akaza’s tongue, and he moans into their kiss when he feels his cunt spasming. 

When Akaza pulls away, it is with a happy growl that he greets him. “Omega… Back. You’re back? I missed you, Kyoujurou…” He whines his complaint, grabbing at Kyoujurou’s thigh and fucking into him slowly as though to savour the feeling of his insides clenching around his cock. 

Kyoujurou gasps sharply when the alpha’s cock drags along his weak spot, his free leg jerking violently. 

“I-” he struggles to say, choking on his words when he tries to clear his throat. “I m-missed you too, a-alpha-” 

Akaza responds with a purr. “Can I knot you? Please? Please, omega? Wanna knot you. Knotting feels so good. Hmm? Please?” he rambles into his ear, huffing loudly as he thrusts forward. 

His hips must be tired from all their fucking, but he still moves as though he has an endless reserve of stamina left in him. 

Kyoujurou never knew that an alpha in rut could be so greedy and considerate at the same time. Perhaps Akaza is just an exception compared to the alphas he’s slept with before. 

The thought makes him feel guilty for even thinking of denying him, and he foolishly gives his permission, completely forgetting that he had passed out not long ago precisely because of this same alpha. 

As soon as Akaza receives approval, he slams into him so deeply that he has to hold back another shriek. He comes hard, his vision going entirely white. 

He can feel Akaza’s knot expanding inside him and plugging up the entrance of his cunt again. The alpha’s release sprays inside his womb with a burst of searing heat, and his eyes roll into the back of his head when it steadily fills up the remaining space in his stuffed womb. 

It’s all he can think about as his mind goes blank and his consciousness fades again. 

Being impregnated by Akaza’s cum is the best thing he’s ever felt- 

“No! Stop that!” 

Kyoujurou buries his face into his arms, willing those nasty, filthy thoughts to fly away and never bother him again. He slaps his cheeks a few times, trying to snap himself out of that lustful headspace. 

He shouldn’t have tried to remember. Even though his heat is mostly over, there’re always some symptoms left over before it ends. 

For now, he can’t help getting random, tempting urges to push Akaza back down onto the bed and sit on his cock until he’s absolutely worn out. But he won’t let those primal, desperate wants dictate his actions any longer. He’s had enough of being a slave to his instincts the past few days. 

The sound of the door hinges squeaking breaks him out of his thoughts, and when he lifts his head to look behind him, all the air in his lungs whooshes out of him. 

Akaza smiles sweetly at him, his eyes crinkling at the corners in a terribly endearing way. “I made pancakes for lunch. I figured something easier to eat would be better than a bowl of hot liquid.” 

He’s carrying a tray in his hands. A plate of pancakes sits in the middle, the pastries set in a stack of five. A bottle of maple syrup is next to the plate, and on the other side is a steaming cup of liquid he can’t quite see. 

The whole picture looks far too domestic to exist in his home, but it is somehow also the most natural sight to ever grace his apartment. 

A lump grows in Kyoujurou’s throat as he watches Akaza walk towards him with slow steps. Each time the distance between them shortens, Akaza’s smile grows more and more adoring. His golden eyes twinkle with mirth when he sees how shocked Kyoujurou must look.

Kyoujurou swallows down the sudden urge to turn back around to face the headboard and present his bare ass to the alpha. 

“What’s wrong, sunshine? Did I manage to make your heart flutter?” Akaza adds cheekily. 

He sets the tray down on Kyoujurou’s bedside stand, his biceps rippling and flexing with strength that makes Kyoujurou want to roll over and beg him for another round, his exhaustion be damned. 

In all of his shirtless, muscular glory, Akaza sits on the edge of the bed, trying to coax him to sit so that he can eat. The moment his warm hand touches Kyoujurou’s skin, his entire body stiffens like a board. 

Akaza pauses, surprise flitting across his face for a second, before a frown settles over it. “Kyoujurou? Are you okay?” he asks cautiously, his fingers hovering just above the hairs on Kyoujurou’s arm. 

Kyoujurou nods dumbly, trying his best to explain away the sudden recoil. “I’m alright. I just-” he stops, his face glowing red once again. 

Akaza leans towards him, settling his palm on the exposed skin of his thigh instead. “You just…?”

There is a concerned look on his face, and Kyoujurou hates that he put that there. There’s nothing for him to be concerned about. 

“I just…feel strange every time you touch me…” he confesses, embarrassment flooding his face. “It makes me want to-” 

-beg you to fuck me again.  

“-do it again…” 

The instant realisation on Akaza’s face couldn’t have been more humiliating for Kyoujurou. He buries his head into his arms again, trying to hide the way his body shivers with muted need. 

It takes a few moments for the silence to be broken, and it is with the sound of Akaza’s low chuckle. 

Kyoujurou startles when he feels the alpha’s breath against his nape, hot and moist. “Is my poor, tired omega still in the mood for more?” 

Kyoujurou’s body is frozen under the influence of that gravelly voice. The hand on his thigh slides up suggestively to his naked hip, tracing lines into his skin and making goosebumps erupt everywhere. 

“What a greedy thing you are. My alpha and I would love nothing more than to relive the events of the past few days, Kyoujurou. How about it?” 

Kyoujurou wants to answer, but then he has to squash down the squeak that escapes him when he feels Akaza’s tongue dragging along the back of his neck. 

The alpha pushes his thick hair to the side to reveal more of his mottled, bruised skin. Then he buries his nose into the crook of his neck to inhale directly from his sensitive scent glands. 

Kyoujurou’s quiet moan doesn’t go unheard, and Akaza quickly climbs onto the bed and smothers his body with his own. 

“Does my pretty mate want another round with my cock?” Akaza murmurs against his heated skin as he presses his clothed hips into Kyoujurou’s ass.

The presence of hardness between his ass cheeks makes his face flush a deep red. 

“Well, do you? Even after all the hours of knotting and coming, you still want more, don’t you? Does your insatiable pussy miss the feeling of my knot plugging all that cum inside your womb? Tell me.” 

The alpha command rolls across his body like an inescapable wave. No matter what he tries, he won’t be able to resist it. 

Akaza had only used it twice throughout the entire duration of his heat, but hearing it again, while the last traces of his heat still linger, makes Kyoujurou’s head go blank with want. 

He obeys the command almost instantaneously, his mouth opening to answer the alpha. “Y-Yes.” he says meekly, submitting to the delicious scent of spice in the air. 

Akaza’s distinct, alpha scent notes cover up the subtle sweetness in his scent, but Kyoujurou can smell it anyway. 

He loves how the alpha’s scent doesn’t hold overly strong scent notes. Anyone could have mistaken the sweetness to be from an omega, but it belongs to Akaza alone - a complete anomaly in the world they’re living in. 

Like my scent…, he thinks, drunk on the intoxicatingly saccharine smell. 

The alpha’s teeth graze the side of his neck, perilously close to his scent glands, and he holds his breath in anticipation for a bite. 

But Akaza doesn’t bite. Instead, he opts to roll his hips against Kyoujurou’s ass for some relieving friction. 

Kyoujurou chews on his lip to keep himself quiet, but it’s futile when Akaza keeps at it until he’s stifling a cry. 

“Hmm… It’s not hard to see why you crave that feeling. I can feel you getting wet again just from my words alone.” The alpha laughs softly into his ears, making Kyoujurou want to nibble on his lips to keep him quiet. 

“But what can I do? You’re going to have to wait a little.” 

Kyoujurou stifles an involuntary whine, but Akaza shushes him anyway, climbing off him with a teasing smirk on his face. 

He grabs the cup from the tray and offers it to Kyoujurou, telling him to drink as he sits up with a shallow sulk. He downs the cup of warm tea despite his instincts begging him to present himself to Akaza to entice him into continuing what they were doing. 

As he resists the frighteningly strong urge, he takes the plate of pancakes from Akaza and begins to eat. The taste of it makes him groan with delight, having gone ages since he had something so good. 

His own cooking is bearable at most, and he’s never been able to improve past the ‘edible’ stage. The pancakes are such a refreshing change that he demolishes the first one and moves on to the second. 

Akaza watches him with laser intensity, as though assessing his reaction to his masterpiece. “Does it taste good, Kyoujurou?” he asks almost hopefully - like a dog awaiting praise. 

Kyoujurou nods enthusiastically in response, which seems to satisfy him. He doesn’t miss the way the alpha’s scent grows warmer, softer. He must feel happy that Kyoujurou enjoys his cooking. 

It’s typical alpha behaviour, but the thought that Akaza cares so much about his well being makes him feel tingly inside. 

In no time at all, Kyoujurou finishes his meal, and he realises with pleasant surprise that his energy has returned. He doesn’t feel as sluggish as he did when he first woke up, and he’s able to move his limbs without them feeling like deadweights. Perhaps Akaza had a point when he said that he should eat before they start anything again. 

But now that he's more lucid and adjusted better to the brightness of the room, he wonders if the mood is even right for them to resume where they left off. 

As he moves to get out of bed and wash his dishes, Kyoujurou finds his plate being taken away before he makes it very far.

“Akaza?” Kyoujurou blinks at him, confused by the sudden spark of smokeyness in the alpha’s scent. 

Akaza has barely set the tray aside before he’s whirling on Kyoujurou and urging him to lie on his stomach like before. 

Kyoujurou’s breath hitches with anticipation, and arousal floods his body when he feels the hefty weight of Akaza’s body pressing down against his back. 

Is he…?  

The alpha cages him beneath his body as he purrs, “Now, where were we?” 

Kyoujurou shivers at the dark undertone in his melodic voice, secretly adoring the aggressiveness that is otherwise subtle beneath the playfulness. 

“Shall we test a theory of mine this time, Kyoujurou?” Akaza asks, nuzzling against his neck with a sniff at his scent glands. 

“What theory?” he questions, half afraid of the answer. 

His womb throbs with every word that Akaza speaks in that deep, lilting tone, and he squeezes his thighs together when he feels slick start to drip from his cunt. 

He should be tired. Eating a meal has only done the bare minimum for his stamina. He should be refusing so that he can recover from his heat. 

But right now, he is consumed by an all-encompassing desire to be filled and loved again. He misses the feeling of Akaza inside him, having gone without some intimacy for so long. 

He had thought that these wants would be placated after sharing his heat with Akaza, but their time together has only strengthened them, much to his chagrin. 

But as Akaza mouths at his neck impatiently, he realises that he simply does not care. All he wants- no, needs is for Akaza to make him feel good again. 

The alpha kisses behind his ear, answering his question with a growl. “My theory that your cute little womb can hold much more than what it did the past few days, of course.” 

Kyoujurou trembles under Akaza, feeling torn between preserving his sanity and succumbing to the wanton desires that have taken root and sprouted uncontrollably within him. 

“Well? What do you say, Kyoujurou?” Akaza nips at his earlobe, making him flinch. “Want me to prove it right to you?” 

All it takes is a hesitant nod. 

And then Akaza is kicking off his pants and guiding the tip of his leaking cock to Kyoujurou’s soaked cunt. “Ha! I can’t believe this. You’re so fucking wet, and I haven’t even done anything to you yet.” 

Kyoujurou bites back a retort, stuffing his fist into his mouth when he feels Akaza sliding into him slowly. 

His cunt stretches around the alpha’s ridiculous girth, used to the thickness but not the length. His insides spasm violently with every inch that Akaza pushes in, and he can barely hold back the garbled moan that threatens to disturb all of his neighbours in broad daylight. 

“You’re doing that again, aren’t you? That thing where you try to hide the dirty noises coming out of your mouth. Heh.” Akaza smirks, continuing to push in as he grabs at Kyoujurou’s wrists and pins them down to the mattress, ripping his fist from his mouth. 

“No-! I-It’s day time! I need to-” 

“Stop worrying so much about things like that, Kyoujurou. You screamed loud enough throughout your heat to let everyone on this floor know you’re being bred like you deserve.” Akaza interrupts him before he can finish his sentence. “I’ll show you that I don’t need a command to dig up all of your delicious moans.” 

With that, Akaza suddenly slams forward, his cock smacking against his sore cervix with an audible squelch. 

Kyoujurou’s eyes bulge when he feels that thick, hot cock sheathe itself inside him so quickly, and the sound that is torn from his throat is akin to a wail. He gasps in shock, his thighs trembling and his cunt clenching around Akaza’s cock. 

“Oh-” he chokes, overwhelmed by the euphoria that spreads from his core to the rest of his body. 

Gon- Gonna come-  

“Go on. Go ahead and come, you greedy little omega.” Akaza encourages like he can read his mind.

Kyoujurou’s body goes stiff as his orgasm swamps him, and he can do nothing but drool against the sheets while Akaza begins to thrust. 

“Ah! A-Ah! Akaza!” he cries out, his body jerking and convulsing when the alpha’s cock pokes through his cervix once again. 

He knows this feeling. This terrible, wonderful sensation. It’s coming, he just knows it. 

A few thrusts of his hips later, Akaza is burying himself impossibly deep, fucking straight into his womb with a groan. “Fuck- Your pussy- It’s so hot and tight around me. Feels so good. Fuck. Fuck! You’re perfect-” 

Kyoujurou claws at the sheets with his wrists still pinned to the bed, his sore throat begging for mercy as he sobs. “My womb!! You’re inside my womb-! You’re too big!” 

So good… Feels so good-

“Akaza! Please, my womb! Agh!!” 

“What about it, Kyoujurou? Is your womb still unsatisfied even after I’ve bred you for four days and nights? Does the slutty little thing want me to fill it up again until you’re bursting with cum?” Akaza grins next to his ear, panting hotly as he moves, speeding up his already ruthless pace into something overwhelming. 

Kyoujurou can’t stop the cry that makes its way out of his drooling mouth, and his eyes roll back into his head as he feels his cock rubbing against the sheets beneath him, while Akaza continues to pound into his womb. 

It’s touching every single spot that feels good inside him, and when the alpha pulls out halfway and slams back in, he suddenly presses right up against that place inside him that drives his mind wild. 

“Oooh!! Yes! T-There! Right there-!” he moans shamelessly, a cocktail of maddening pleasure and agony swirling inside his body as he spasms underneath Akaza’s heavy weight. 

Oh, how he loves the feeling of his insides being fucked into overstimulation - nothing could feel better than Akaza’s cock dragging along the lower walls of his womb and painting them with the sticky fluid his tip leaks. 

Akaza giggles lightly at his demands, smelling every bit the proud alpha he is when he obliges Kyoujurou’s requests and starts to grind earnestly into that spongy, fleshy area that makes electricity shoot down and up his spine. 

“Did you mean here?” he teases meanly, thrusting shallowly on purpose and making Kyoujurou whine at the loss of that heavenly sensation. 

“Or how about here?” He gets it right this time, sparing Kyoujurou the humiliation of having to beg. 

The moment it happens again, his back arches despite being pressed down by Akaza’s chest, and he cries a little more when his sore nipples - having been bitten and tugged on more times he can count over the course of his heat - begin to rub against the fabric of the sheets. 

Tears stream down his face, wetting his previously cleaned cheeks with the salty liquid as pain jabs at his consciousness from his swollen nipples. The raw, pink flesh smarts and stings whenever Akaza fucks into him and pushes him up the bed with enough force for his knees to slide.

“A-Akaza…” he slurs, delirious with pleasure. 

His mind is spinning and spinning in a nauseatingly consistent way, but all he can feel is the sharp spikes in ecstasy that must originate from each brutal thrust of Akaza’s hips into the jiggling flesh of his behind. He can almost feel his ass cheeks bouncing with every savage slam into him, and he gags when Akaza shifts suddenly and bites down hard on his shoulder with enough force to break the skin and leave a deep imprint of his fangs. 

“Aagh-”  

His throat protests the volume of his voice. But he can’t help it. Not when Akaza’s fangs dig into the meat of his shoulder, and certainly not when the alpha humps forward sharply and abuses his cervix yet again. 

Kyoujurou’s hiccuping keen is cut short when something sizzles inside him, like a wire that was exposed to water. He only realises that it’s an orgasm approaching when black dots dance in front of his eyes. 

Not even a second later, he’s coming, and he comes hard.  

Akaza laughs in delight when he feels his pussy gushing with slick and his release. “You came so much that it feels like you’re pissing. Does it feel that good when I fuck your cervix? I can feel it clenching, trying to keep me out of your precious womb. Don’t you think it’s a little selfish, Kyoujurou? After all, your cute little womb isn’t just your body’s property anymore.”

Kyoujurou barely listens to his filthy words, but his cock stirs again, aroused by the alpha’s coaxing. 

“C’mon, Kyoujurou. Let me in, hmm? Can’t you persuade this insolent part of your body to obey and open up? How else will I prove to you that my theory is right?”

With quivering lips, Kyoujurou opts to stammer out his answer. “I- I’m trying- I- I can’t control-” He moans loudly halfway into his sentence, feeling Akaza’s cock pulse against his slippery walls.

“You can’t control it?” Akaza completes for him, sticking out his bottom lip in a poor imitation of a childish pout. 

He looks more like a demon than anything else when Kyoujurou chances a glance back. With those golden eyes dark with lust and hazy with want, Akaza sounds almost disappointed when he speaks again. “That’s too bad, then. In that case, I’ll just have to fuck it open, won’t I?” 

Kyoujurou’s entire body shudders at the proclamation, and he braces himself just in time for Akaza to let go of his pinned wrists and hoist his lower half up into the air. He sits up on his knees and straightens his back.

Kyoujurou squawks in surprise, finding his knees leaving the bed as Akaza lifts his ass up with his hands gripping the curve of his thighs. 

The movement causes a series of squelching noises as his cunt tries desperately to keep Akaza’s cock in him. His ears glow red from embarrassment when he hears those obscene sounds, wishing desperately that he wasn’t so wet and needy. He can almost see the smug smirk on Akaza’s face. 

“Look how greedy your body is. Didn’t you hear it, Kyoujurou? Hear how your pussy was crying for me not to pull out?” 

Kyoujurou immediately returns to clamping his hands over his mouth, ignorant of the way Akaza’s gaze intensifies at the action. 

“It wasn’t…” he mumbles into his palm, hating the way his hoarse voice lacks conviction. 

He can feel his cunt dripping everywhere in this position, with slick staining his inner thighs and sliding down his belly to his chest, and it embarrasses him to no end that there isn’t a single thing about Akaza that doesn’t turn him on. Be it his teasing hands, his magnetic voice, or his lovely, swollen cock - Akaza’s entire existence makes him feel giddy and horny.

His omega croons at the thought of Akaza belonging to them. To him. No one else can have him, he’s all Kyoujurou’s. 

His wonderful, powerful alpha. 

He shivers at the notion of being knocked up by someone so dominant, so alpha.  

Does Akaza like children? Would he love them to bits? From what he’s seen of Akaza’s interactions with the children going to and from his martial arts school, he seems to treat them with the same tender care that he does Kyoujurou. Akaza would make a lovely sire to their pups- 

“Your mind is wandering again, Kyoujurou.” Akaza’s voice startles him out of his daydream. “Perhaps I haven’t been entertaining you enough. I suppose it’s high time I picked up the pace.” 

“W-Wait-” he protests, finding no relief when he realises that his legs are still precariously suspended in midair. Only his feet are touching the sheets as he struggles to balance himself, and even then, he can barely feel anything touching them other than fabric brushing momentarily against the tips of his toes. The only other form of support present is the strength in Akaza’s arms as he holds his lower body up until his back is arching lewdly and his cunt is peeking out from below the swell of his ass. 

The steady drip of slick from his slippery folds makes him gulp, and he tightens his hands over his mouth in anticipation.

“Now, let’s see if you can still keep those pretty lips of yours shut when I’ve got you squirting all over my knot.” Akaza growls behind him. 

Then, without warning, he yanks Kyoujurou backwards with the leverage he has on his thighs. 

Almost immediately, the sting of his nipples being dragged across the too-rough sheets sends him into a frenzy. 

“Ahh!! My nipples- Please, it hurts! A-Ah! My-” 

“Well, that’s hardly something to complain about, Kyoujurou.” Akaza huffs in mock disappointment. “Here, try crying over this instead.” 

With that, Akaza stretches out a finger from where it was positioned on his inner thigh and reaches out to flick at his clit. 

The result is nothing short of a squeal. 

Kyoujurou’s body jerks violently when he feels that terrible finger tweak and swipe at his sensitive clit, and he moans into his palms, feeling tears prick at his eyes again. 

Not my clit- 

“Oh? You’re holding out much better than I thought you would. Let’s try something else, shall we?” 

Kyoujurou frantically tries to shake his head. It feels too good. He can’t take anymore without feeling like he’s going to melt straight into the bed. 

“St-Stop… Please, Akaza-” 

“What was that? I couldn’t hear you, sunshine. You’ve got to speak up for me.” Akaza pretends not to hear him. 

Heat coils low in Kyoujurou’s stomach when he feels Akaza’s lazily grinding cock inside him throb and twitch impatiently. He tries again, repeating what he said before, only to cut himself off when Akaza thrusts hard suddenly, until the tip of his cock is nestled snugly against the welcoming pucker of his cervix. 

O-Oh! My cervix! Not again-  

“P-Please… Akaza…” he chokes out with difficulty, finding it near impossible to focus on his words when the presence of a thick, hot cock is crushing his insides and rubbing at his sensitive walls. “G-Go easy on me-” 

If he can’t escape, his only choice is a compromise. 

But Akaza, much to his horror, seems not to have any intention of obliging this particular request of his. 

The alpha’s scent thickens under his nose, and his eyes widen when he feels Akaza sliding deeper and deeper inside him. His body trembles and shakes with each torturous inch pushed into his drenched cunt, until he can barely breathe when the tip of Akaza’s cock finally succeeds in bullying open the stubborn entrance of his cervix. 

He is simply incapable of doing a single thing as Akaza spears open his cum-stained womb with a gentle tug of his lower body against his hips. 

“Ah- A-Ah-” Kyoujurou gasps breathlessly, feeling his air supply drain as soon he manages to draw in a breath. His voice is lost once again as he tries to adjust to the sudden addition of unbearable volume in his bloated tummy.

It seems that despite Akaza’s best efforts to clean him up before he awoke, he wasn’t able to get all the semen out of him - not that he would have wanted him to do so. 

Akaza must have thought that he didn’t want an accident that they’ve yet to prepare for to happen. But as his mouth gapes and drools around his wordless moans, Kyoujurou cannot help but think that he would very much like to have an accident happen. 

If he really could get pregnant, how wonderful would it be to feel life growing inside him? 

He can almost imagine it - cradling a pup no more than an hour old, exhausted but ecstatic. A pup who would grow up to have mesmerising golden eyes and a wild fuchsia mane. Then, maybe another- 

“Did you come?” Akaza growls, pulling him out from his thoughts once more. 

He must be delirious if he’s been caught daydreaming twice in as many minutes. 

The abrupt shift of the cock inside his womb makes him moan loudly, and it is only then that he finds that his cunt is absolutely soaked. 

Did I…? I- What?  

He must have come. There’s no other explanation for why his core is throbbing faintly, a common aftereffect of enduring a powerful orgasm. But he has no memory or even feeling of it. 

Akaza’s amused laughter pokes at his ears. “Ha! You never fail to amaze me, Kyoujurou. Did you just come from me fucking your womb? You like it so much that you don’t even need my knot?” 

Kyoujurou wants to deny it. It’s not like that. He was just- just… 

A voice that sounds distinctly like his own echoes its sentiments to him. 

But you do, don’t you? You love how your alpha breeds you like a bitch. You love the thought of him knocking you up. You want to be the dam that births his pups. You love the feeling of his potent seed spraying into your-  

“I don’t!” he blurts out his answer to his own treacherous, nefarious thoughts. 

That wasn’t him. It couldn’t have been. He would never speak in such a horrifically indecent manner. 

It’s not him. It’s not. 

Is it?  

Before he can ponder over the truth, Akaza is distracting him with a displeased snarl. His finger goes from the occasional flicks over his engorged clit, to a full blown assault. 

Kyoujurou cries out in panic when he feels Akaza’s thumb pressing down hard on his clit and rubbing furiously. “No- No! S-Stop! Stop, please! You’re gonna make me come again!” 

His nipples! They’re rubbing against the mattress again- It’s too much! 

“Oh yeah? Why don’t you just come, then? Come as many times as I make you, until you’re sick of it and I still feed you more.” Akaza growls, clearly unimpressed by his blunder. “You like to lie to yourself, don’t you, omega? You’d do anything to avert your eyes from the truth that is so clearly staring you in the face. You’d do that even if I spell out to you that I don’t care how old you are, or how much you think you’re not a fit for me. Well, let me tell you something.” 

Akaza fucks him like an animal, his hips merciless against his bruised ass cheeks and his scent dark and smokey. He leans down just enough so that Kyoujurou can hear him without straining his ears. 

“No matter how old or how fertile you are, I’m never letting you go, Kyoujurou. You’ll still be the only omega I’ll ever be with from now on, and you’ll take my knot until the day you die.” 

Kyoujurou’s ears ring with the truth. The sincerity and ironclad confidence in Akaza’s voice leaves no room for doubt. He really does mean to remain by his side until they’re old and grey. 

The thought of growing old with Akaza makes his omega trill with happiness. 

“You belong to me now. And you can never escape me. I won’t allow it.” Akaza promises, shackling him with his words alone, even though no trace of an alpha command can be found. 

All at once, it feels like his remaining hesitance and inhibitions are eradicated, and it is with tears pouring down his cheeks that Kyoujurou howls his agony as he comes. 

He isn’t given any time to recover from it, however, because the alpha is relishing in the sweet sounds of his destruction and thrusting with neither the will nor want to stop. 

“Alpha- Alpha, please! Please, I’m still coming!!” he tries to persuade his frustrated mate to slow down, even for just a second. “Please, my insides-! You’re too deep-” 

Something else is building again, right as the highest waves of his release are waning. If he doesn’t do something, he’s sure he’ll break apart into a thousand pieces when this next orgasm crescendos. 

As his body is rocked back and forth by the brutal movements of Akaza’s hips, he tries desperately to appease his upset alpha. 

Akaza’s scent is tinged with the sour tang of hurt, and also an acrid hint of anger. He knows not how to calm down an angry, post-rut alpha, and it shows. 

Nothing he says or does gets Akaza to let up. He tries begging, tries demanding, tries crying, but none of those work. 

With tears dripping from his eyes and his throat working around his too-loud whimpering and sobbing, Kyoujurou’s mind races as he tries desperately to think of a solution.

What should he do? What would make his alpha feel better? 

He feels horrible for inflicting any sort of pain on Akaza, and worse still for putting that awful scent in his fragrant notes.

Akaza smells of determination and frustration, but he also smells of hurt and blazing fury. 

Kyoujurou knows it is not fury that is directed towards him, but still, he cannot stand the thought of his alpha reaching the sweet bliss of release without peace of mind. 

Fortunately for Kyoujurou, what is left of his higher brain functions manages to piece together a solution. 

When he speaks again, it is with the conviction that he won’t tell lies anymore. He won’t shy away from the truth. If Akaza wants him to admit everything, he will. If only to get him to smell content again. 

Kyoujurou struggles to get his words out. “A-Alpha- Akaza- I- I-” His voice breaks a little each time Akaza snaps his hips against his ass.

Akaza picks up on his intent, and answers, much to Kyoujurou’s relief. “What is it, omega? Something you want to say?” 

His swollen cock slams into his womb after that, and it takes Kyoujurou several moments to find enough composure to reply to him, even if he does have to force down a rising wail to do so. 

“I-I’m sorry- I- I won’t do it again, A-Akaza-” His eyes fill with overwhelmed tears when Akaza’s cock swells at the base, indicating that his knot isn’t far off from forming. 

The alpha huffs, seemingly intrigued. “Why are you sorry, Kyoujurou? What won’t you do again?” 

“L-Lying- I won’t lie again!” Kyoujurou squeezes the words out before he’s cut off by a moan. 

Oh, it feels so good. So good that he wants to bask in this sublime sensation a thousand times over. If he could just submerge himself in this heavenly, euphoric feeling, he would be satisfied for the rest of his life. 

But he doesn’t let those thoughts cloud his mind for long. 

Soon enough, Akaza’s scent lightens. 

“You won’t lie? Not even to yourself?” Akaza questions him sceptically, tugging him back by the hips harshly and making him choke back another squeal. 

Kyoujurou nods, drooling from his mouth like he can never close it again. 

“Then tell me, what do you want? What do you like? Say it, and I’ll give you my knot, omega.” 

Kyoujurou’s omega purrs at the thought of getting a reward for acknowledging their mistakes, and he has half a mind to scold it for giving up a fight so easily, but that can wait. 

With difficulty, Kyoujurou opens his mouth without a single noise coming out of him. His body jolts whenever Akaza’s cock buries itself deep inside him, but otherwise, he does a remarkable job of holding back. 

“I- I want you to love me-” he gasps, inhaling sharply whenever his weak spot is brushed against. 

“And?” Akaza prompts. 

Kyoujurou hiccups his next answer. “I like how you f-fill me.” 

Akaza purrs, a deep, pleased sound that brings music to Kyoujurou’s ears. He attempts a smile, only to fail when Akaza’s knot clips the entrance of his cunt. 

“I- Hngh!! I love-” 

Akaza’s breath hitches behind him. 

“I love when you breed me-” he chokes on his words, determined to get them out nonetheless, before he chickens out again. 

The daydream he had before resurfaces in his mind’s eye, and he knows, without a doubt, that that is something he desperately wishes for. So he tells the truth. 

“I want you to get me pregnant!” he spits it out, going stiff when Akaza’s cock seems to throb inside him. 

“...What did you just say?” Akaza goes still before he questions, his tone suggesting disbelief. 

Kyoujurou has no qualms about taking responsibility for what he just confessed. He wants that. He’s been wanting that for a long time. 

With Akaza so willing and able and eager to grant it to him, why should he waver any longer? The choice is obvious. 

“Get me p-pregnant-” he manages, gripping the sheets in his fists, knowing that he’s only going to rile up his alpha with his admission. “Want your pups, alpha.” 

All of a sudden, there is a thunderous growl, and his hips are being yanked backward forcibly. 

His cunt squelches lewdly from the force of the alpha’s thrust. The feeling of his orgasm tearing through him rips a scream from his sore throat as his pussy squirts like a fountain. His juices make an audible gushing sound from where they’re displaced and splatter onto Akaza’s crotch messily, painting him in translucent white. 

The alpha’s knot squeezes past his cunt and expands inside him, and accompanying the burst of heat that floods his insides is the sound of Akaza’s low moans in his ears. 

Oh-! He’s filling me up- M-My womb- 

Then, as his eyes roll into the back of his head in euphoria:

Feels so good… 

Akaza’s seed drenches his insides with a spray of hot liquid, and he can only slump against the sheets as his cunt clenches and unclenches around that cock in alternating waves, milking it for all its worth and wringing out all that potent semen until Akaza has nothing left to give. 

The alpha’s release goes on for much longer than it did during his rut, and by the time he’s finally done emptying his load, Kyoujurou feels as stuffed as he did the night before. 

He tries to move, but that only results in all the cum in his womb sloshing and overflowing from his plugged cunt. 

“Ooh- S-So full…” he moans softly, as content as he can be as he feels the heat of Akaza’s semen searing him from the inside. 

His womb throbs with delight, sated once more with the sheer volume of cum inside him. He doesn’t think he can get any fuller even if he wants to - Akaza’s knot made sure of that. 

He groans when the alpha slowly lowers his numb legs back down to the bed, and he twists his head with effort to catch a glimpse of Akaza’s face. 

He wants to see the look on his alpha’s face. Is he still upset with him?

Instead, he is smothered by a kiss. 

Akaza slips his tongue inside his mouth, marking his territory and staking his claim. He pulls away with a smirk, his eyes gleaming with greed and unadulterated glee. 

“Oh I’ll definitely do that.” he giggles, referring to Kyoujurou’s shameless request. “Since you begged so prettily, I’ll reward you with more, hmm? I’ll knock you up until you’re sick of it, Kyoujurou. Until my seed takes and you walk away with pups growing inside your fertile little womb. How about that?” 

Kyoujurou can only nod in agreement, knowing that it’s pointless to resist the suggestion when he can barely hold back his desire to be used like a cocksleeve. 

It’s all he needs now - to be bred over and over again by Akaza’s stupidly fat cock and flooded with his cum until his cunt can no longer stand it. 

“Y-Yes alpha-” he slurs, his cunt leaking with cum and slick despite being plugged up. “P-Please- Wanna carry your pups…” 

Akaza hardens inside him again, a jarring presence that invades his senses as his womb gives another impatient throb.

“Then, another round, hmm? I do wonder how many times I can breed you before you get pregnant. Let’s find out, shall we, omega?” he grins smugly, his scent pouring out in waves. 

They end up going for another half a day, and by the time Kyoujurou is well and truly drained, Akaza cleans him up once more, before seating him between his spread legs and feeding him a bowl of porridge that he prepared in advance. 

“Does it taste good? Is it too hot? Too salty?” he fusses over him incessantly.

The concern that the alpha showers him with after they bathe and sit down to eat is heavenly, if not a little over the top. But he closes his eyes in bliss, humming his agreement every now and then, despite the urge to fall asleep with Akaza’s warmth wrapped around him so protectively. 

And later, when Akaza has changed the sheets to clean ones and they lay in each other’s arms, the alpha murmurs against his forehead softly. “Do you regret it?” 

Kyoujurou struggles to stay awake, but he desperately needs Akaza to know the answer. 

“No... Never. I would never.” 

The alpha’s responding chuckle is all that he wants to hear, followed by the tender, “I’m glad, then. And no matter what happens, I’ll stay by your side. Pups or no pups.” 

Kyoujurou greets sleep with tears in his eyes that night, and he can only hope that all this lasts, because even if Akaza were to leave him, he doesn’t think he can ever let him go.

Chapter Text

It is when morning arrives that Kyoujurou finds himself sleepy but awake in Akaza’s arms. 

When he opens his eyes, the first thing he sees is the alpha’s bare chest, and he snuggles closer the moment he registers the warmth radiating from Akaza. 

Akaza makes a soft noise in the back of his throat, his arms tightening around Kyoujurou’s shoulder and waist as he sleeps on, unaware of his fond gaze. 

His heartbeat is so loud, he thinks, as he listens to the sound of blood being pumped at regular intervals. He fell asleep last night with this same sound next to his ear as well, and he can’t help but marvel at the fact that he’s still in bed at this time. 

He never gets to stay asleep for so long. His job requires him to be punctual in the early morning, and while he has never complained about it, it’s still nice to be able to take it slowly once in a while. It’s been a long time since he had the chance to bask in this peaceful post-heat sharing atmosphere. 

Akaza’s scent flares slightly under his nose as he shifts. 

Kyoujurou takes the opportunity to breathe in a little deeper, and he sighs in bliss when the alpha’s unique scent fills his nose. 

“Kyoujurou?” Akaza’s voice is scratchy when he speaks. 

Kyoujurou smiles to himself. “Hmm?” 

Akaza is silent for a moment before he replies. “You’re awake? It’s still early. You should rest a little longer.” 

Kyoujurou shakes his head, burying his face into the crook of Akaza’s neck and inhaling slowly. The pleasant scent wafting from Akaza’s scent glands makes him feel more awake. 

“I’ve had enough rest. My body recovers quickly most of the time!” 

Akaza stretches one of his arms. The fingers on his other hand twitch and stroke softly at Kyoujurou’s side. “Is that so? I should have known that your immune system is exceptional. Heat usually leaves omegas drained for another two or three days.” 

Kyoujurou smothers his grin into Akaza’s chest. He presses his lips to one of Akaza’s pecs, delighting when he hears the sharp intake of breath from the alpha. He murmurs against his warm, pale skin. “Well, I’m not like most other omegas, alpha.” 

His teasing earns him a pinch from Akaza’s fingers, and he laughs breathlessly while trying his best to squirm away from the ticklish sensation of having his sides messed with. 

“Quit it with that. Or we’ll get carried away again.” he warns, the smile evident in his words. 

They lay in bed for half an hour more before deciding that it’s high time they get out. 

The first words that Akaza says when they finally manage to separate long enough to pull on some clothes is a gentle “Do you…want me to go get you some after-heat pills?” 

He asks the question cautiously, slowly, like he’s not sure whether it will upset him. 

Kyoujurou pauses in pulling on his shirt for a second, before proceeding with the movement and smoothing the wrinkles out with a contemplative look on his face. 

Akaza hastily tugs up the shorts he borrowed from Kyoujurou’s closet and rounds the bed towards him, his shirt forgotten. He grabs one of Kyoujurou’s hands, his expression concerned. “Are you okay? Did I upset you?” 

Kyoujurou shakes his head immediately, his face still pensive. His mind is swirling with many thoughts, but there is just one in particular that he’s fixated on. 

He should tell the truth. He promised not to lie anymore, even if it was a vow he made while half delirious and desperate. 

Akaza thumbs at the skin over his knuckles tenderly, his golden eyes soft and bright. “I know you said you wanted pups, but there’s no need to rush. You were still having heat symptoms then, so I understand if you’ve changed your mind-” 

“I haven’t.” Kyoujurou interrupts him before he can continue down that train of thought. 

He doesn’t want Akaza to think that he regrets saying those words yesterday.

Akaza freezes at the sudden declaration, his eyes wide with surprise. 

Kyoujurou settles his gaze on Akaza, the unwavering, steadfast gleam in them making the alpha lose his breath. 

“I still want pups. With you. I-” he stops, choosing his words carefully. “I know you don’t like it when I put myself down. You’ve made it clear that I shouldn’t think that way. But…it’s been a long time since I felt this good about myself, and I fear it might not last.” 

Akaza listens to him quietly, his eyes growing molten under the sunlight streaming in through the blinds. He looks so attentive that Kyoujurou wants to cry. 

His previous suitors never took the time to understand him before casting him aside. 

But Akaza always listens. He never jumps to hasty conclusions. And Kyoujurou loves it when Akaza looks at him like that - like Kyoujurou holds all of his wishes in the palm of his hands. 

Perhaps he does, if the alpha’s yearning for his love is as sincere as his many confessions over the past few months. 

Kyoujurou takes a small breath. “Still, I want to try. I want to try and believe you, and myself. Because you’re-” His ears redden slightly. “Because you’re the first person who makes me feel good about myself. So I want to try being with you. Maybe I can conceive, and maybe I can’t. But I don’t regret sharing my heat with you, and I don’t plan to take any after-heat pills.” 

Akaza’s exhale of anticipation washes over him, the warm puff of air ruffling the ends of his bangs. 

“If I… If I get pregnant…” Kyoujurou swallows the anxiety bubbling on the tip of his tongue, willing himself not to shy away from giving the alpha a chance - a chance that isn’t plagued with notions of ‘what if’ and ‘I’m not worthy’. “Will you still stay with me? As my mate?” 

It is an offer for Akaza - an invitation for him to claim him. 

Even if they might not know everything about each other yet, and even though they’ve only been dating for a few months, he is absolutely certain after sharing his heat with Akaza. The alpha is someone he wants to keep in his life. He can never let him go, just as Akaza has made it known that he will never let him escape. 

He wants to be Akaza’s mate. He wants Akaza to be his. He aches to stake his claim over the alpha before anyone else tries to snatch him away. 

With such a capable demeanour, along with his alpha status, if Kyoujurou doesn’t selfishly want him to himself, someone else definitely will. So he listens to his omega, their intentions aligning perfectly for once. 

He is pulled into a crushing hug the moment he finishes, and he goes with it, letting the momentum carry him into Akaza’s strong arms. 

“Yeah. I will. I’ll stay by your side from now until the day you die.” The alpha’s fingers tremble as they bury into his thick hair. “Let me mark you?” 

Kyoujurou nods eagerly, the elation blooming in his chest feeling overwhelming and suffocating. 

But he cherishes the way his heart sings when Akaza’s fangs press lightly against his swollen scent glands. They’re still a little raw from the hormones produced during his heat, but as he shivers in Akaza’s embrace, waiting for the sting of his bite, he can’t help but lament how long he’ll have to wait until his next heat - until he can feel the bite while they’re both mated and experiencing their cycles. 

He wonders if it’ll feel as incredible as his friends make it out to be.

Akaza’s breath against his neck is hot and moist. He can hear the alpha huffing in excitement. His heartbeat is loud, but so is Kyoujurou’s own.

All it takes is a small prick of pain, and then his knees are buckling, and Akaza has to hold him up so he doesn’t collapse completely and tear at the bite. 

The moment blood is drawn, Akaza is clamping his mouth over the stinging wound and slathering his saliva over it. Pain radiates from where Akaza had his fangs sunk into his flesh, but it doesn’t hurt as much as he thought it would. 

Perhaps he was right when his omega told him Akaza’s prettily-shaped fangs would bring him less pain than most other alphas. 

At first, nothing feels different, but as Akaza laps at the bite to stop the bleeding, something starts to take shape in his mind. 

It’s soft and pleasantly fuzzy, and the slight buzzing it makes in the back of his head reminds him of cicadas in a forest. Something coils and winds itself into a string, and it grows thicker before stopping, completely still but humming with vibrant energy. 

“A-Akaza?” he mumbles, suddenly lethargic. 

He clings onto the alpha’s back, his fingers tight around the curve of his shoulders. He can feel the muscles under Akaza’s skin rippling as he slumps against him. 

Akaza pulls away from his scent glands, smelling thoroughly pleased and downright happy. 

“It’s done. Your turn, Kyoujurou.” 

Kyoujurou blinks up at him in confusion as they slide down to the ground slowly. “My turn…?” 

Akaza repositions him so that he’s sitting in his lap, with his legs tossed over one of his crossed thighs. He hums in affirmation, tilting his neck to show his unmarked scent glands. 

“Bite me. Use those cute little fangs of yours and do it. Leave me a pretty mark so I can show it off to everyone outside, hmm?” Akaza practically vibrates with excitement. 

Kyoujurou realises that he can’t feel Akaza’s presence from the bond that must have formed between them already. The comforting connection must only be half completed. 

He lifts his head with difficulty. “Okay.” 

Kyoujurou noses at Akaza’s scent glands for a while, sniffing and getting drunk on the alpha’s heavenly scent. 

Then, he bites down with his smaller omega fangs, feeling blood trickle into his mouth from the wound. Instinctively, he knows he should lick it to try and stop the bleeding. The properties of his saliva will make the blood clot faster. 

He pulls away with his lower lip smeared with blood, smiling so wide that his cheeks hurt. He rubs the surrounding area around the bite gently, admiring the neat set of teeth marks where his fangs pierced the skin. 

“I’m done too.” he murmurs, hypnotised by the mark. 

Over time, a bruise-like smudge will form to indicate that they’ve solidified their bond. It’ll probably take a few days before Kyoujurou can see the proof that they’re mates. Right now, the only thing present on Akaza’s smooth skin is the imprint of his fangs, mirroring the ones on his own neck, he’s sure. 

How he wishes he didn’t have to wait so long. He wants to make sure that he’s not dreaming this up - that he and Akaza have really, actually become mates.

His mind goes fuzzy and blank at the gradual appearance of someone else’s presence inside it, and as his head lolls forward onto Akaza’s bare shoulder, he struggles to keep himself lucid over the pleasant sensation of cotton candy spreading in his veins. 

“Kyoujurou?” Akaza’s voice is faint and far away, but it still makes him perk up attentively. 

He gives a short, rumbling purr as his response, making Akaza giggle sweetly against his forehead. 

“Feelin’ good?” he murmurs, pressing his lips to Kyoujurou’s temple. He rubs his cheek against the top of Kyoujurou’s head, scenting him lightly. His arms wind around his waist tightly, rocking him back and forth as though trying to lull him to sleep again. 

Kyoujurou refuses to let himself make that a habit. Instead, he blinks slowly several times, before pushing himself up and planting a kiss right smack on Akaza’s lips. 

Stunned, the alpha freezes, his golden eyes wide with surprise.

Kyoujurou laughs at the sight of his shocked face, clambering to his feet hastily and stumbling out of the room with a dopey grin. “Time for breakfast! I’m starving!” 

He pretends not to hear the splutter of outrage from behind him. 

“You- Kyoujurou! Get back here! You can’t just do that and not give me more!” 

Kyoujurou leans against the wall of the corridor leading to his dining room, his eyes twinkling with mischief as he tries his best to run to the kitchen. 

He’s hungry. And happy. Maybe more of the latter, because his veins are filled with caramel and he’d like to have maple syrup for breakfast.

He laughs again, loud and boisterous. “Keep up, alpha!” 

Akaza ends up chasing him around the dining table three times before he manages to catch him. 

“Finally!” he growls, making the hairs on the back of Kyoujurou’s neck stand on end. 

“Took you long enough! I’m famished!” he says instead of turning around to present himself again. 

Akaza studies his face carefully, like he’s not quite sure what’s wrong with him. “Are you okay? I don’t think I’ve seen you so giddy and, well, drunk before” 

Kyoujurou stares at him. “I’m happy.” he smiles. 

Akaza’s face goes soft with affection. He nuzzles his nose against Kyoujurou’s cheek. “Wanna eat pancakes for breakfast again?” 

Kyoujurou nods, blinding Akaza with his grin. “And maple syrup! In a cup!” 

It takes five tries before Akaza manages to convince Kyoujurou that maple syrup isn’t meant to be downed like water, and another two attempts to get him to stop overstuffing himself with food. 

In the end, he distracts Kyoujurou with the promise of a shower. 

“Kyoujurou, how about a bath? Doesn’t that sound nice?” 

His eyes crinkle at the corners as Kyoujurou hobbles around the living room in front of the television. His legs are still wobbly from what happened during his heat, and the alpha seems to find endless delight in the knowledge that he did that. 

Kyoujurou’s face brightens visibly at his suggestion, the urgent need to be closer to Akaza sprouting once again in his instincts.

“Are you going to wash my back for me?” he asks, his head tilting cutely. 

Akaza’s fist slams into his thigh, much to Kyoujurou’s confusion. 

“Yeah... I can if you want.”

“Let’s go then! It’s been ages since I had someone wash my back for me. Senjurou and I last bathed together when we were children!” 

Akaza chuckles as he steers Kyoujurou away from the kitchen and down the corridor to his bathroom. He opens the door and makes Kyoujurou sit down on the edge of the bathtub while he goes to get towels and a change of clothes for them both. 

As Kyoujurou waits, he hums a little song to himself. He focuses on the bond he can feel in his mind, tugging experimentally at it and feeling it flare with surprise. 

Akaza’s voice drifts into the toilet from two doors down. “Kyoujurou? What’s wrong? Did you call me?” 

Kyoujurou finds it fascinating - what he can do with their bond. 

A tug meant that he was calling his mate. He wonders what other things he can convey through it. Perhaps, if he tries to communicate his thoughts, he can get Akaza to realise his intentions through it! 

So he tries. He tries to send Akaza a signal that he’s fine, and that he’s simply testing how to use their newly formed connection. The bond twists a little, tightening until Kyoujurou loses his train of thought. 

It snaps back into place once he’s no longer actively trying to communicate through it, but he can still hear Akaza’s “I see. Play around as much as you want, then!” 

“Okay!” Kyoujurou can’t stop the dopey smile that spreads across his face when he hears that. 

Then he stands abruptly and starts to rid himself of his clothes. He is halfway through tugging off his briefs when Akaza walks back into the bathroom with his arms full. 

The alpha stops in his tracks when he realises what he’s looking at, and his scent turns heavy. Akaza’s eyes glitter with molten desire, even when he plasters a smile on his face. 

“You should’ve waited for me to help you with that.” he says, sounding almost disappointed. 

Kyoujurou tosses his underwear aside and walks up to him completely naked, grabbing half of the things in Akaza’s arms and dumping them on the bathroom counter, balancing them precariously on the edge. Then he turns back to Akaza and waits for him to put the rest of their clothes down before surging forward and wrapping his arms around his waist.

“Kyoujurou?” Akaza wheezes out, going stiff suddenly. 

Kyoujurou answers by tucking his head in the crook of his neck and burying his face in his scent glands. His omega purrs in contentment when Akaza’s scent floods his nose. 

Akaza smells so good. Kyoujurou wants to eat him. 

He cuddles up to the alpha, forgetting for a moment that they’re supposed to help each other bathe. 

Akaza goes quiet for the most part. He lets Kyoujurou take in his fill of his scent, his fingers massaging at his scalp and dancing over the skin of his naked hips. 

Kyoujurou pulls away from him a few minutes later with an infectious smile on his face. He doesn’t think he’s smiled this much since before his mother died. It feels wonderful to be able to bask in happiness that had evaded him for so long. 

“I love you.” he blurts, grabbing Akaza’s hand and pulling it away from his hair. His eyes are honest and bright when he makes the declaration, and he squeezes Akaza’s hand to show that he means it. 

He is absolutely certain about this, if nothing else. 

Akaza makes him feel good about himself. He cares about and for him, and he has never once raised suspicions about whether they’re appropriate for each other purely based on their ages. He never gave up pursuing him, no matter how Kyoujurou tried to convince him throughout Akaza’s proposed one month trial. 

He can still remember the first time they met. Akaza was beautiful in the summer sunlight. There was ice cream stuck to his own shirt. 

He remembers how he rejected him without even giving him a chance to voice his intentions to court him, and still, Akaza persisted. Until he opened up little cracks in Kyoujurou’s iron wall of defence. Until he took down those walls with the promises he never broke, and the reassurances that he always uttered with sincerity. 

They haven’t known each other long, but with all that Akaza has done for him, how could he not fall? 

It scared him before how much he was getting attached to Akaza - to someone who could so easily throw him aside like many others did. But now, having received not countless more empty promises but a single, powerful vow, he falls even deeper. So deep, that he thinks he may not ever be able to claw his way up to the surface. And he’s okay with that. Because it’s Akaza. Because Akaza loves him just the way he is, with or without the label of his age. And he doesn’t want to hold his feelings behind a wall any longer. 

Akaza is his. He’ll be his for the rest of Kyoujurou’s life. 

The alpha’s breath hitches audibly at his words, and his eyes grow a little bigger. He opens his mouth, but nothing comes out. 

Kyoujurou watches as Akaza struggles to respond. Akaza keeps trying, but his eyes look glazed and hazy, as though he’s not really looking at him. 

Kyoujurou’s elation wilts when Akaza continues to stare at him with his mouth agape. His heart trembles, and fear clouds his mind suddenly, souring their bond with traces of darkness. 

“Was I…being too forward?” he asks, afraid to learn the answer. 

Akaza shakes himself out of his daze, the arm that remains around Kyoujurou’s hips tightening. “No. Of course not. I just wasn’t expecting that from you so early.” 

The alpha’s ears are an endearing shade of pink as he confesses. “I spent so much time wondering if my feelings have reached you. I thought that your offer to heat share with me was the biggest step I’ve taken forward since we met, but I wasn’t sure if you were still having doubts about being with me. And when you told me what happened to you in the past, I became even less sure that you knew about how much I cherish you.” 

Kyoujurou feels guilt welling up in him. All this time, he had been worried about being accepted. He had thought that there was a possibility that Akaza would grow tired of him one day - that he would lose interest and leave him for a younger omega. But he never stopped to think if he was hurting Akaza’s feelings by doubting his sincerity. 

All this time, he had been so preoccupied with protecting himself that he failed to see how he was projecting his own preconceptions onto Akaza, and how much that was hurting him. 

His scent shrivels up like a dry weed, their bond curling in on itself and growing darker still. But Akaza pulls him out of it. “Hey, hey! Kyoujurou. Look at me.” 

Kyoujurou lifts his head with watery eyes, an apology on his tongue. But Akaza puts a finger to his lips and shushes him. 

His golden eyes are tender when he speaks again. “It’s okay. There’s no need for you to feel guilty, alright? I’m grateful that you’ve even accepted me after what you’ve been through before. I understand why you were unsure.” 

“But-” 

“But nothing. Those fools left you with scars that are hard to recover from. I get it. I want to help you forget all about them and what they said. Because it’s just not true. But more than that, I want you to know that I don’t blame you at all. You’re insecure, but we can fix that, yeah? I’ll just have to remind you every day that you’re the most lovable person I’ve ever met. It’s easy, because you are.” 

Kyoujurou feels his tears spilling over and down his cheeks. 

Akaza looks at him with hearth fire in his eyes, with cosy, warm affection that he thinks he can drown himself in. 

The alpha cups his cheek with one of his hands, smiling softly at him. “You’re the first person I ever wanted as a mate, and you’ll be in my care from now until the end. I may not be your first alpha, but I’ll make sure to be your last.” He wipes a stray tear from Kyoujurou’s eye, stroking gently over his skin.

“Okay.” Kyoujurou’s voice wobbles precariously. His throat feels like it’s closed. 

After all these years of searching and failing, he’s finally found someone who will treat him no differently after learning his age. And he wants to keep this happiness flowing forever. 

It feels so good to be wanted - to be loved for who he is rather than what he stands for. 

Slowly, his tears dry up and his sniffling ceases, and all the while, Akaza rubs comforting circles into his hip, tracing over invisible lines. The alpha shuffles forward once he stops crying, his smile disappearing - replaced by a rare, serious facade. He brings his face closer to Kyoujurou’s, bumping their foreheads together with a sigh. 

“Kyoujurou,” he starts, his breath warm against Kyoujurou’s lips. “I love you too. From the first day we met. My alpha and I both knew that you were the only one for us. And we still do. I still do.” 

And Kyoujurou has to choke back a sob again, because finally, he gets to experience the same love that his parents displayed so blatantly in front of his curious eyes. Joy floods his chest, and their bond lightens into bright oranges and golds. 

“Okay.” he says, smiling so wide that his cheeks hurt. “I believe you.” 

Later, when they find themselves soaking in a warm bath, with Kyoujurou sitting against Akaza’s chest, they converse quietly, not wanting to shatter the serene atmosphere. 

Akaza murmurs against his temple. “Are you gonna tell your dad?” 

Kyoujurou contemplates his question for a while before nodding. “Mhm. I can’t very well hide the fact that my scent has been smothered by yours while we were together. You alphas have very powerful scents!” 

Akaza chuckles behind him, his chest vibrating and humming against his back. “Yours is smothering mine too, if you’re not aware.” 

“Is it really? My nose is not the most adept at picking out such details. Perhaps I will get better over time now that we are mates!”

Akaza picks up a scrub to wash his back. He gestures for Kyoujurou to lean forward. “Maybe. It’s fine even if you don’t. As long as I can seduce you with my scent, there’s no need for finer details to be noticed.” 

Kyoujurou laughs brightly, his hair flipping as he turns his head to look at Akaza. He shivers when he sees the adoring look in the alpha’s eyes. 

“You do indeed smell wonderful! I’ve always loved the way you smell. It’s rather intoxicating.” 

Akaza’s hand brushes over the dips of his spine as he works away at his back. His smile transforms into a teasing smirk. “You make it quite obvious, Kyoujurou. You kept sniffing at my neck during your heat.” 

Kyoujurou whips back around to the front, his cheeks very noticeably red. “I won’t deny it!” he yells, embarrassed. 

Akaza’s responding giggle is the last thing he hears before they lapse into comfortable silence. 

Then, “Looking at you now, someone would think that you were attacked by a wild animal.” 

“What do you mean?” 

“Well, you might not be able to see it, but I did quite a number on you back here.” Akaza’s hand slides up to his neck. “And here as well.” 

Kyoujurou slaps a palm to his nape, only just realising that his skin throbs whenever he touches it. 

He swallows, recalling the feeling of Akaza mouthing at his neck insistently and pinching at his flesh, of Akaza’s fangs scraping over his chest as his nipples were sucked on. He remembers it feeling good. 

He shakes the thought away, determined not to get carried away a second time. 

“I’ll do your back next!” he replies as a means to divert the topic back to safer, less suggestive territory. 

Akaza relents with a knowing smile, and turns around so they can continue with their bath. 

But the moment he does, Kyoujurou’s hand freezes in mid air, the brush he grabbed from Akaza stalling as he does. 

His mind goes a little blank, and his eyes are as wide as saucers as he stares at the alpha’s back. 

Akaza makes a noise of concern in the back of his throat when Kyoujurou doesn’t move after a few moments. “Kyoujurou? What’s wrong?” 

Kyoujurou can only open his mouth, but nothing comes out of him. 

Did I…do that?  

Akaza turns around with a frown at his lack of response. “Kyoujurou? Why’re you staring? Is there something on my back?” 

There is. Too many things. Kyoujurou’s mouth opens and closes like a fish. 

There, on the skin of Akaza’s broad back, lies angry, red lines that must, in hindsight, have been caused by him. By his nails. 

There are shallow traces of them dragging down the entire length of Akaza’s back. Some go all the way down the curve of Akaza’s shoulders, down to his biceps, and there are obvious marks where he dug in particularly hard to ground himself and not lose his mind. The deeper ones look almost like his skin was ravaged by a weapon, though no blood seems to have been drawn - he cringes all the same when he sees them. 

“Your back…” he mutters in disbelief. 

Did he really scratch that hard? It can’t be! He’s sure that he maintained some semblance of control. He’s never hurt his partners so badly before. Even at the height of his sex life, he never failed to regulate the amount of strength he used, because it could always easily hurt another. 

He has always been proud of his strength, but he ended up having to downplay it so that the alphas and betas - mostly betas - he laid with didn’t get crushed. There’s simply no way that he forgot to control himself. 

But as he wallows in self-doubt, a memory flashes across his mind - of him savagely clawing at Akaza as his insides are rearranged with a vengeance. Of him screaming his lungs out as he comes on the alpha’s knot - having lost count of the hours or days he’s spent swimming in the scent of sex. 

No one has ever made him feel as good as Akaza does. Not outside of his heat, and certainly not during it.

His face explodes with colour at the recollection, the knowledge that he not only felt good enough to forget about being careful, but also completely ruined his alpha’s back into bloody trails causing embarrassment to pool in his cheeks. 

“I’m sorry!” he squeaks out, his voice going up a pitch, much to his chagrin. 

Akaza looks at him, his bewilderment evident, until he reaches back with one of his hands and drags his fingers across some of the scratches on his back. His expression dips into realisation. 

“Don’t touch them! You’re hurt!” Kyoujurou frantically swats his fingers away, wringing his hands in a show of dismay. “I-I’ll go get the first aid kit! Some disinfectant! Or a doctor! Akaza, how about a doctor?” he rambles. He only stops when Akaza begins to laugh. 

It travels across their bond like tremors - little rumbles that make their connection vibrate with energy. Kyoujurou frowns at him, sending back little jabs and twists to convey his concern. 

“Don’t laugh! I’m sure it hurts. I’m sorry…” 

Akaza reaches for his hands, grasping them gently and tugging him into his chest as he turns around to face him. “It doesn’t hurt that much.” he chuckles. 

Kyoujurou peers at him with suspicious eyes, his forearms folding as he leans into Akaza. “You’re lying.” 

“I’m not. It felt so good in the middle of my rut that I popped a knot once.” Akaza admits with a sly smile on his glowing face. 

He looks absolutely stunning like this, with his pink hair wet and swept back, and his golden eyes warm and teasing. 

“I’m just happy that you felt good enough to squirt. And more than once.” 

Kyoujurou’s ears grow hotter, and his cheeks flame redder. “I- I told you not to bring it up!” he splutters, pushing at Akaza’s chest and trying in vain to get away from him. His bottom lip curls into a small scowl as Akaza laughs again. 

“Alright. I’ll stop. But my point stands. It doesn’t hurt all that bad. I’ve had worse injuries. In fact, I’d wear these out if I could - to show them off.” 

Kyoujurou grumbles as he lets Akaza pull him back onto his lap. “You’re unbelievable. Please don’t.” 

The water swishes around them, bubbles forming as they churn it with their movements. Akaza takes the brush from him, his smile tiny but adorable. “Well, you’ll have a harder time than me hiding those, in any case. Perhaps you should focus more on yourself. I dare say you’re worse off.” 

Kyoujurou glances down at his chest, gulping when he sees the numerous teeth imprints and hickeys blooming all the way down to his torso. Even his nipples look red and swollen, the bite marks around his areolas as evident as the countless bruises around his waist and hips and down his thighs. Several handprints are inked into his skin as well, and he grimaces when he realises that walking will be a chore for the next few days. 

He twists his head to try and see his back, but all it does is hurt his protesting muscles. He’ll have to resort to some makeup to cover the marks on his neck. He still has classes to teach the day after tomorrow. He can’t be gone for more than a week, and it’s been about five days already. He has so much to do! 

Kyoujurou sighs, slumping against Akaza with a grunt. He wraps his arms and legs around Akaza, hauling himself higher so he ends up sitting right above the alpha’s crotch. 

He can feel his cock against his inner thigh, soft without arousal to fill it, and so close to where he craves it the most. He shakes his head to rid himself of the sudden urge. 

“These post-heat hormones are messing with my instincts.” he mutters, half in annoyance. 

It’s going to be difficult if it doesn’t go away soon. Kyoujurou can only resist Akaza’s temptation for so long. 

He wonders if it has something to do with their newly formed mate bond. He can feel it humming with delight now, and there are occasional waves of happiness coming from Akaza’s end. 

Akaza presses a soft kiss to his cheek in response. “Mine too.” he confirms, inhaling deeply the scent of their mingling contentment. 

Kyoujurou snuggles closer to the alpha, letting him wash him with the scrub, then with his hands as he massages soap into his skin to clean him up. Kyoujurou fumbles with the soap bottle in his hands, lathering up whatever parts of Akaza that he can reach without disturbing his wounds. 

“Akaza?” he says a while later, when they’re rinsing each other off in the shower, swaying to and fro in a hug. 

“Hmm? What is it, sunshine?” 

Kyoujurou’s heart swells at the affectionate pet name. He’s never had one before, much less one he approves of.

He murmurs into Akaza’s skin, a question from days before suddenly finding its way onto the tip of his tongue. “During my heat, you gave me commands.” 

Akaza goes still against him. Kyoujurou pushes forward, wanting to know more. “How did you do that? I thought all the true alphas disappeared years ago.” 

Akaza is silent for a while. Kyoujurou doesn’t rush him. Perhaps he has a reason for not wanting to reveal this part of his identity. 

Akaza angles the shower head towards Kyoujurou’s back, washing off the suds that cover his nape and his spine carefully. Then, he urges him to step back so he can wash his front. 

Kyoujurou follows his directions, his eyes half-lidded with content laziness as he watches the alpha wash him meticulously. Every nook and cranny that he can’t reach by himself in his weakened state is caressed by Akaza’s gentle fingers, and he closes his eyes in bliss, reaching for Akaza’s arm and rubbing back and forth over his knuckles with a thumb to reassure him. 

“It’s okay if you’d prefer not to tell me. I won’t pry.” he says when Akaza still doesn’t say a word. 

He feels Akaza shake his head, because the water droplets from his wet hair splash onto his face. “It’s nothing like that. I’d tell you anything you want to know about me, Kyoujurou. I guess…I just never had a reason to reveal this part of myself to the world. I was born weak, you know. I didn’t actually have the qualities of a true alpha at birth.” 

Kyoujurou opens his eyes in surprise. “Truly? But you’re so strong now! I simply can’t imagine you otherwise!” 

Akaza chuckles. He brings up the hand that Kyoujurou is holding and taps the tip of his nose with a knuckle. “Really. I was. My family was poor. We didn’t have much in the way of money. But my brother and I made it somehow.” 

Kyoujurou listens to him, a heavy kind of sorrow sitting in the pit of his gut as Akaza tells him his story for the first time. He’s only heard about Akaza’s twin brother in passing, and even then, Akaza changed the topic when he tried to ask more. It rarely came up during their conversations after that, and when it did, Akaza never seemed to want to elaborate. Until now. 

Akaza looks up at the ceiling, his eyes closing as though he’s trying to remember. “It was about a few years after our father died. From an illness. We were in school back then, after Keizo and Koyuki took us in. I told you about them.” 

Kyoujurou nods even though Akaza can’t see him. He remembers Akaza being especially fond when he spoke of them. That they and his brother were all he had before he met Kyoujurou. 

His cheeks had gone pink when Akaza looked at him with adoration in his eyes, but back then, he was too afraid of Akaza’s warmth leaving him to appreciate how much he was giving him. 

Now, though, he can do it. He basks in the knowledge that Akaza found more family in him. In them. 

“Everyone was going through puberty at that age. I was no exception. I presented as an alpha. There was nothing strange about it at the time. It was only when I entered university that I realised something changed.” 

Kyoujurou hums quietly, thinking back to the time when the news reported that the last known true alpha had died of old age. 

In the first place, there weren’t many of them in existence. They were even rarer than male omegas. It was believed by many that true alphas were closest to nature. Or what nature had intended them to be. 

The ability to command, and give commands that no one could refute or refuse, was much like the hierarchy of many animals living in the wild. One couldn’t challenge the alpha, as much as they wanted to. 

Perhaps it was due to the fear that these alphas could bring harm to others without leaving signs of evidence, but when their existence was first discovered hundreds of years ago, a stigma had formed against them - one that frightened the omegas and repulsed the common folk. 

Some refused to report their ability to official authorities and kept it hidden from the eyes of scrutiny after presenting in their teens, but a good majority met the attention of the world - the wealth and prestige that came with it - with open arms and were monitored loosely. 

Still, they were supposed to have been extinct for a decade, at least in Japan. He’s not entirely sure if more have been found in foreign countries. 

But here, before him, stands a true alpha. One that had bloomed late, it would appear. 

Kyoujurou grabs the showerhead from Akaza and returns the favour, washing him clean of soap suds as the alpha continues with his story.

“It’s really nothing special. I found out by accident that I could give commands. A classmate was being annoying, so I told them to go away. The next thing I knew, they turned around and left like they didn’t have a choice. I remember I was kind of shocked when I found out what my ability was online, so I learnt it was better to keep it hidden.” 

“And yet, you used it on me so effortlessly.” Kyoujurou mumbles, more to himself than anything else, but Akaza’s head tilts back down to look at him, and a mischievous smirk plasters itself onto his face. 

“I had good reason. Because my mate was being stubborn and trying to hide all the pretty sounds that he makes. He really shouldn’t do that.”  he says slyly.

Kyoujurou pinches the alpha’s bicep, cruelly twisting the flesh between his fingers, but Akaza only grins at him, as though he cannot feel the pain. 

“Quiet, you! I- I was just trying to spare you from having to listen to those horrid noises.” 

Akaza bumps his forehead against his own, his smile growing wider. “Oh, but I don’t think they’re horrid. Far from it. Every little sound you make gets me harder than I ever was before I found you.” 

Kyoujurou slaps a kiss onto Akaza’s lips to shut him up. “Enough of that.” he declares the conversation over, pink spreading over his face. 

Akaza giggles against his lips, pressing him to the wall as he moves down to his jaw. He leaves a petal soft kiss there - a promise of more to come in the future - his arms wrapping around his waist and his nose buried into his scent glands. 

Kyoujurou pays him no mind, even though his omega purrs in delight. He continues to rinse off Akaza’s back, being extra careful as the water cascades down the lines he drew with his nails. 

He still grimaces when he sees them, but as per Akaza’s request, he doesn’t insist they visit the doctor for an examination. Instead, he makes sure not to touch them or let the soap run over them. He managed to convince Akaza that the scratches need to be disinfected, so he makes a mental note of where he last remembers seeing the first aid kit in his apartment.

Akaza nuzzles into the crook of his neck, chuffing like a pleased alpha as he licks over the bite mark he made earlier. 

“Does it bother you that I’m a true alpha? Did I…upset you when I gave you a command?” He sounds almost hesitant when he asks, as though he’s afraid that it might be the truth. 

But Kyoujurou shakes his head resolutely. “Not at all.” He turns off the water and puts the showerhead back where it belongs. “I was just surprised. But it felt nice in a way. Maybe it’s because I trust you.” 

Akaza rubs his cheek into his skin, his breath coming out hot. Kyoujurou suppresses the urge to shiver. 

“Want me to use it again next time?” Akaza whispers into his ear, his voice dropping low and sultry. 

Kyoujurou flinches at the sudden nibble on his earlobe, his hands flying to Akaza’s shoulders. The alpha groans a little, and Kyoujurou pulls away like he burnt his hand. “I’m sorry! Did I hurt you?” 

Akaza just laughs, hugging him close and kissing his blushing cheek. “Answer the question, sunshine. I wouldn’t be opposed to using a command on you if it’s something you’d like.” 

“I never said I like it.” Kyoujurou quips back. 

It would be bad if he knew how much I want to try.  

“You didn’t. But I can smell the excitement on you. You can’t hide it.” 

Kyoujurou purses his lips in defeat. Okay, maybe he does want to try it again when he’s not caught off guard and can fully appreciate the ways in which Akaza utilises his commands. 

Not every true alpha is compatible with an omega, or has a partner who is willing and susceptible enough to feel good under a command. But their bodies are far more than simply compatible, Kyoujurou has realised, and he’s sure that Akaza knows this too. 

They fit almost perfectly, like two halves of a puzzle. And he couldn’t be happier about that. Perhaps they really were meant for each other, and Kyoujurou has only been waiting all this time to find Akaza, or for Akaza to find him. 

He sighs. “Alright. You’ve got me. Let’s give it a try next time.” 

Akaza’s face brightens, and his scent goes warm and soft. Their mate bond hums with delight, much to Kyoujurou’s amusement. He chuckles. 

“In that case,” Akaza murmurs against his skin. “I’ll have to show you a good time in exchange for your generosity, won’t I, Kyoujurou?”  

Kyoujurou shoves the alpha’s face away from his neck, the bite mark on his scent glands tingling with heat as he yanks at one of the towels from the rack nearby. 

“I suppose you’ll have to!” he exclaims, his cheeks glowing red again as he scurries away from Akaza to prevent him from finding out how his scent becomes tinged with want. 

Akaza laughs loudly from behind him, letting him go without pulling him back. He puts a hand on his waist as he bends over, trying to regain his breath. 

“Oh, trust me, sunshine. I will.” he promises with a drawl.

Chapter Text

Kyoujurou returns to teaching with as much enthusiasm as he did before, and maybe more. 

It’s one thing to mingle with his students amid pleasant small talk, and another thing to teach. Most of the time, he’s more than excited to get started with classes.

He loves his job, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t instances when he feels like he’d rather do anything else besides teach. Saying goodbye to Akaza is one such instance. 

“Kyoujurou,” Akaza chuckles, holding him in a tender hug as he stands in the genkan of Kyoujurou’s apartment. “You’re making it really hard for me to leave, you know.” 

Kyoujurou tightens his grip on Akaza’s slim waist, his omega whimpering pathetically as though it’ll be the death of it if Akaza were to leave them behind and go back to his dojo. 

“I wish you didn’t have to leave…” he hears himself say, very much under the influence of his inner omega as he buries his face in Akaza’s neck and sniffs at his scent glands. He licks at the faint bruise that’s starting to form under the bite mark he left on Akaza’s nape, hoping to retain some of that delicious alpha scent on his tongue and in his lungs as long as possible. He can’t stand the thought of Akaza leaving him alone in his- no, their apartment. 

Having spent his heat with Akaza for a total of five days, and established their mate bond less than twenty-four hours ago, his instincts are screaming at him to keep Akaza at home. Their newly formed mate bond seems to be causing a lot of separation anxiety for his normally docile omega, and he doesn’t know what to do with the fact that he also loathes the idea of them parting ways so soon after sharing their cycles with each other. 

Akaza has been nothing short of the perfect mate the past week - even before they solidified their decision to become mates - and he mourns the fact that they’re not currently living in the same place. 

“I don’t wanna leave either, sunshine. But we’ve been away from work too long to keep staying in.” Akaza breath hitches when Kyoujurou’s thick biceps squeeze him around the waist. “I’ll come back tonight. I’ll pack some things from my place and stay with you, hmm? How does that sound?” he suggests. 

Kyoujurou perks up at the idea, his scent turning pleased and his smile brightening when he cups Akaza’s face with his hands. “Really?” he questions, sending his feelings across their bond and receiving affirmation from the other end. It makes him go tense with anticipation. 

“Yeah.” Akaza’s eyes soften at his reaction. He must be able to smell his relief on him. “I’ll stay with you, okay? I like sleeping with you at night. It’s the best sleep I’ve gotten in my life.” 

Kyoujurou hurries to tell him the same, making Akaza laugh at his honesty. 

“Then, I’ll see you tomorrow.” he says, extricating himself from Kyoujurou’s tight grip around his torso and leaving a quick kiss on his lips. 

Kyoujurou struggles not to follow his mouth like a starving man. He waves goodbye to his mate, mourning the loss of his warmth and the fresh whiffs of his scent. 

His omega curls up in the corner of his mind, upset by their separation. He feels no better, to be perfectly honest, but there’s nothing he can do about it. He has classes to teach today, and for better or for worse, he has to get used to time away from Akaza. 

He never thought about it before, but their schedules have yet to line up in predictable ways due to the nature of Akaza’s job. 

While the alpha does have regular lessons to teach, he also manages a portion of the paperwork involved, since the dojo belongs to him. Kyoujurou recalls Akaza telling him about how he opened it. 

His brother, Hakuji, had inherited their master’s dojo together with his fiancée, and Akaza had aspired to do the same. He moved away from his hometown once he entered university, and opened his own martial arts school after several years of work experience. 

Kyoujurou has no doubt that Akaza is a hard worker, and he knows how much he treasures the techniques he learnt and modified from his master, Keizo. 

He feels proud just thinking about how much Akaza went through to achieve his goal. It reminds him of himself when he was still studying to take his teacher’s license examination. 

Not only is Akaza the ideal mate, he also has an impeccable work ethic. 

By the time he’s back in his office and preparing for his first class of the day, thoughts about Akaza are still running amok in his mind. And he doesn’t know how to make it stop - if he even wants it to stop. 

All the way to his workplace, there hasn’t been a single moment when Akaza left his thoughts. He misses him already, and it shows because the first thing that Uzui tells him when he runs into him in the hallway is “What’s up with your face? You look like someone broke your favourite cat lamp.” 

Kyoujurou’s face brightens momentarily when he sees his good friend. “Uzui! Good morning! I don’t believe I have a cat lamp!” he greets with a booming voice. 

Uzui’s boisterous laughter fills the air as he slaps the small stack of paper in his hand onto his thigh. “You don’t need to have one to look like you’d rather be anywhere but in school!” 

Kyoujurou’s face borrows colour from the ends of his fiery hair - hair that Akaza had helped brush out of its tangled knots this morning. 

Oh dear, he really must be anxious to get back home if every single thing reminds him of Akaza. 

His smile shrinks, much to Uzui’s bafflement. 

“I assumed that it was because of your lingering heat that you’d rather be at home, but is there something else that’s bothering you?” 

Kyoujurou looks up at the alpha’s rather curious expression, his cheeks straining as he tries to rein in the happiness in his scent. 

Uzui raises his eyebrows. “Don’t tell me…” he bends down to whisper softly, his magenta eyes darting left and right as though to make sure no one overhears him. “You finally found a mate?” 

Kyoujurou stares at him, wondering if he should tell him. 

Uzui can be rather overzealous when it comes to the love affairs of his friends. It’s no wonder that he loves poking his nose into others’ business, especially when he has three wives to gossip with and cater to with pride. Everyone knows how much he cherishes them. 

Kyoujurou has met them a few times before, and he must admit that Uzui struck gold with those three kind, beautiful ladies. They fuss over him quite a bit whenever they get the chance to meet, to his endless amusement. 

The two betas and one omega are all so welcoming towards him that he speculates it’s because Uzui told them he was lonely. He should never have admitted to Uzui that he was tired of looking for mates who wouldn’t cast him aside after learning of his age. 

He wrinkles his nose in contemplation at Uzui’s excited expression. He isn’t sure if he can trust him to keep this a secret quite yet. 

For all he knows, Uzui might accidentally announce it to the whole school before he’s even ready for all of his acquaintances to know. 

“I can’t smell you as well as before.” Uzui leans slightly closer to sniff at him subtly. 

Usually, the intimacy of the action would be considered rude, but having known Uzui for almost a decade and been his friend all that time as well, Kyoujurou doesn’t shy away. 

Between friends, smelling each other could easily be passed off as a playful gesture. He doesn’t mind the act at all.

Kyoujurou tilts his head to the side, his owlish eyes blinking twice. “You can’t? Why?” 

He hasn’t got a great nose, and his sense of smell even as an omega is mediocre at best. Akaza would have told him this morning if he smelled off, but he didn’t, so he doesn’t understand how different his scent is to others. 

He sniffs at his own wrist, and then his shoulder. But there’s nothing there that is out of the ordinary. He’s only able to faintly pick out the hints of petrichor in his scent. “I don’t smell anything strange.” 

Uzui clicks his tongue with an amused smile. His mischievous gaze is fixed on Kyoujurou’s covered neck. “Ahh… I see. No wonder I thought you smelled different. Your alpha must have one hell of a possessive streak if they covered your scent with their own.” 

It takes a while for the words to register in Kyoujurou’s head. But when they do, he slaps his palm to the clothed junction where his neck meets his shoulder, where Akaza bit him to secure their bond. 

It stings under his forceful touch, reminding him that the wound is still technically fresh and that he should be careful not to disturb its recovery. 

Sheepishly, he glances up at Uzui. “Do I…smell weird?” 

He never even noticed Akaza scenting him the whole morning. Now that he thinks about it, the alpha was very adamant about sticking close to him while they prepared breakfast together. 

His cheeks grow warm when he recalls how Akaza backed him up against the counter when they waited for their eggs to fry and kissed him breathless with a hand on the back of his neck. He must have rubbed his wrist all over his mating mark then, followed by several other instances where he took the chance to plunge his nose into the crook of his neck and hug him tight. 

He thought those were just affectionate, post-rut instincts, and that Akaza was simply more touch starved than usual. 

He tunes back into the conversation when Uzui shakes his head in front of him. “Nah. It’s just that your scent is being hidden under your alpha’s. It’s really strong.” 

Uzui starts wrinkling his nose the closer he leans forward. He recoils suddenly, as though repulsed by the scent. “Ugh. And really fucking hostile too. Geez, Rengoku. What kind of jealous freak have you mated with?” 

Kyoujurou’s eyebrows furrow. “He’s not a freak! Don’t be mean, Uzui.” he defends, his inner omega hissing and spitting in the back of his mind at the insult. 

He’s not usually so easily worked up, but being newly mated would throw anyone into a fit of protectiveness over one’s mate. It seems that he’s no different. It almost relieves him, if not for his surprise at his omega’s sudden aggressiveness.

Uzui laughs as he straightens and towers over Kyoujurou, his eyes sparkling with mirth. “Well, someone’s gotten feisty over the week. Your mate must have been a good fuck if you’re this energetic after your heat. You normally come back exhausted.” 

Kyoujurou plasters the biggest smile he can muster onto his face instead of blushing like a maiden again. He really should be used to Uzui’s crude way of speaking by now, but it always flusters him to imagine, or in this case, remember how true his words are.

Akaza is a monster in bed - and their first time being when their cycles lined up almost perfectly made the experience all the more intense. 

He shivers involuntarily, the phantom sensations of Akaza’s hands all over him making his body tremble in ways that aren’t appropriate for school. 

He attempts to move past Uzui, determined to get to his class without being reminded once again how much he wishes he was with Akaza. 

“Perhaps!” he exclaims loudly, frightening a bird into taking flight right outside the window next to him. His pace is brisk as he leaves the art teacher behind in his wake. “I shall see you during lunch, then! I really must be going now, Uzui.” 

Uzui waves him off with a knowing smirk, but not before yelling after him with his hands cupped around his mouth. “Make sure to give me all the juicy details later! You can’t just show up one day and suddenly tell me you have a mate when I’ve been working my ass off to get you to see someone all this time!” 

Kyoujurou ignores him, his ears burning hot as he speedwalks to his class and stops in front of it. He supposes he doesn’t actually have much of a choice, but he’ll be damned if he reveals anything beyond the fact that he’s got a new mate. 

All the things they’ve done over the course of his heat can never be shared with anyone else. Not even with someone as carefree as Uzui. 

He glances down at his watch and breathes a sigh of relief when he sees that he’s not late. Then, he takes a deep breath to calm himself and get into work mode, and opens the door to greet his students with a hearty “A very good morning to everyone! I hope you’ve all been responsible students in the time that I was away!” 

And just like that, the tapes continue to roll, just as they had been before the bizarre few days dedicated to his heat. His students are just as lively and rambunctious as he remembers, and it’s not difficult to settle back into the rhythm that he’s used to. 

Everything is as he remembers it to be. 

Kamado is still as attentive as ever, and the two troublemakers, Agatsuma and Hashibira, bicker near the back of the classroom as quietly as they can afford to without getting caught. He shushes them anyway as he walks down each aisle to pass out new worksheets to the students. He plans to have them complete the short few questions he picked out as a test of the week’s lessons, and moves around to the last few tables on the left-most aisle in the classroom. 

But when he passes by Kamado’s table, the sudden flinch that the boy makes at his proximity gives him pause. 

“Young Kamado?” he asks, wondering if he frightened him by coming up behind without a sound. He knows that his footsteps are awfully soft for someone as loud as him, but he thought that Kamado would be able to smell him coming - he is renowned in the school for having an exceptional sense of smell.

“Ah, I’m sorry, Sensei. It’s just…” Kamado’s dark red eyes are wide as he looks up at Kyoujurou. “Your scent…” he mumbles. 

Kyoujurou’s eyebrows shoot up to his hairline. “What about it?” 

Is this about what Uzui was saying earlier?  

Kamado’s face twists into something like discomfort. “You smell like an alpha. A really scary alpha…” 

Kyoujurou’s fists clench by his sides at the apparent unease the boy is exuding. He feels a tad bit worried now. 

Is it really that bad? 

He can’t smell it himself, so maybe he’s been walking around with this scent the whole morning. He wouldn’t know what to do if he’s been inconveniencing everyone he met without even knowing. 

He clears his throat awkwardly, not quite sure what to say in response. “Ahem. I see. I’m sorry about that. I’ll be sure to do something about it so it won’t bother anyone else next time.” 

Before he can move back to the front of the class, Kamado smiles at him while scratching his head. “Uhm, Sensei. Did you…find a mate? Is that why you smell like an alpha?” 

Kyoujurou blinks down at the boy. Then his lips stretch into an expression of resignation. “Did my scent give me away?” 

He doesn’t mind being found out. It wasn’t as though he was planning to hide the fact that he’s no longer single. 

The affairs of a teacher aren’t usually the students’ top priority, but his students have always been curious about his personal life ever since he confessed that he was an unmated omega. They always are, because most of them have never even seen a male omega, let alone interacted with one. 

For some, male omegas remain something of a myth. He’s not surprised whenever students ask him for details about his private life. 

Kamado goes pink with embarrassment under his kind but knowing look. He nods. “The scent. It’s very strong. Most people can only pick up very intense emotions from scents, like anger. But I’ve always been able to smell everything. Like subtle happiness or annoyance.” 

Kyoujurou tilts his head in curiosity. This is the first time he’s heard about this. 

Kamado is usually an enthusiastic but polite boy. So polite that he doesn’t normally pry into others’ business or do anything to trouble someone else. He is the complete opposite of his two friends who sit in the back and quibble endlessly in class. 

Kamado continues without stopping, almost like he’s rambling. His eyes are bright and the earrings dangling from his ears sway whenever he moves. “I don’t usually like to mention it to others, but I couldn’t help it.” 

He peeks up at Kyoujurou to gauge his reaction, and he smiles to let him know he’s perfectly fine with listening to what he’s saying.

“Your alpha is very wary of other people. I can tell from the aggressiveness in their scent. It’s strong enough to ward off another alpha.” he pauses, as though unsure whether to continue. 

Then, “They must worry about you a lot, Sensei.” 

If someone had told Kyoujurou that his student would be the one to give him insight into what exactly Akaza feels about him, he would have dismissed it as nonsense a few weeks ago. But Kamado does exactly that, which both stuns and amazes him at the same time.

He can’t believe that there’s someone out there who can identify intentions from scent alone. He feels almost winded when he tries to respond. 

“Is that so?” he murmurs, more to himself than Kamado. 

“Yes!” Kamado’s face brightens. “It reminds me of the times my father would scent my mother before she went out to shop for our groceries. He’s been very sick lately, so he can’t accompany her like he used to, so he scents her a lot before she leaves, because he’s afraid that others will try to approach her when she’s alone.” 

Kyoujurou’s thoughts are all jumbled up in his head. On the one hand, it could be true that Akaza is worried about him meeting other alphas. It’s only natural for him to be protective so soon after they mated. On the other hand, Kyoujurou has gotten to know Akaza much better during the few days of his heat and Akaza’s rut and, although it shouldn’t shock him, Akaza turned out to be much more possessive than he thought he would be. 

He would whine and growl if Kyoujurou tried to get away from him to take a break from their endless fucking, and he had been nothing short of clingy the moment their cycles ended and they could finally be with each other without the haze of arousal clouding their heads. 

All the rubbing and cuddling never annoyed him. In fact, he was grateful that Akaza was so affectionate with him. 

Physical touch often conveyed feelings that couldn’t be put into words, and Akaza has been very touchy after his heat. 

To be perfectly honest, Kyoujurou isn’t the best at communicating in words. Sometimes, they just refuse to budge from the perpetual space they’ve carved into his voice box. But with Akaza so willing to act on his clingy impulses, he’s found it much easier to let slip his innermost thoughts on occasion. And he suspects that it’ll only get easier in the future, in accordance with how smitten his omega is with their new mate.

He pushes those thoughts out of the way to unpack later on, and instead, places the handout he had meant to distribute on Kamado’s table. 

If there’s one thing he knows, it is that Akaza cares deeply for him, and whether or not his aggressive scenting was based on protectiveness or possessiveness, nothing takes away from the fact that Akaza is his mate. 

He’ll have to have a talk with him about scenting him too much, but that will have to wait. For now, he places a hand on Kamado’s shoulder and smiles his usual smile at him. 

“Thank you for telling me, Young Kamado. I’m sure it is just like you’ve said. I must admit that I don’t have a very reliable nose, so I’m glad you told me about it.” 

Kamado beams at him. “Not at all! If it helped you in any way, Sensei, I’m happy I did!” 

With that, Kyoujurou leaves him to his own devices, reminding him to complete the worksheet by the end of class. He knows he probably took up too much of his time, so he tells the boy that he’ll give him more time to finish it. 

When he returns to his place behind the teacher’s desk, he sighs a little. He settles into his chair to take a look at the study plan he had drawn up for next week’s classes, noting that things will probably start to get busy with the upcoming tests in a few months. 

Occasionally, his mind wanders back to what Kamado told him. 

He sniffs subtly at his own button down a few times, trying and failing to pick up Akaza’s scent on himself. 

If it isn’t from the source, he usually can’t sense much, and he laments the fact that he’ll have to wait until tonight to smell that wonderful scent again. 

He misses him. 

The sound of the bell startles him out of his thoughts, and he hurriedly ends his class, urging his students to submit their worksheets before leaving the classroom. He had thought that Kamado would need more time, but it seems that the diligent boy had finished it anyway. 

He sends them all off before packing his own things, and while he dreads the interrogation he will receive from Uzui during lunch, the proof that time is passing faster than he thought it would gives him enough courage to face that open can of worms. 

He can’t wait until he’s back home. 

The ringing of the doorbell at the clock’s stroke of seven in the evening makes Kyoujurou drop everything he was doing and rush to the front door of his apartment. 

He throws open the door, his heart pounding in excitement he didn’t know he still had the capacity for, and his face splits into a wide smile at the sight of his mate carrying a small suitcase in his hands. 

“Surprise.” Akaza grins, the skin on his cheeks dimpling sweetly at Kyoujurou’s happiness. 

Their mate bond hums with happy energy, flooding Kyoujurou with a sense of relief. 

He throws himself into Akaza’s arms, dragging him through the doorway as the alpha laughs and returns the hug. 

“Hello to you too.” he chuckles, stroking the back of Kyoujurou’s hair and reaching behind him with one hand to close the door and click the lock into place. “Did you miss me?” 

Kyoujurou buries his face into Akaza’s neck, sniffing at his scent glands with a nod. His body, tense from waiting the whole day for this very moment, relaxes the moment he smells Akaza’s soothing, delicious scent wafting into his nose and curling pleasantly in his lungs. 

He sighs in contentment, closing his eyes and letting the moment just stew in silence. It feels wonderful being so close to Akaza after a whole day of being away from him. His omega purrs with delight at their alpha’s return. 

“Mhm.” he mutters against Akaza’s warm skin, rubbing his cheek against his scent glands unconsciously. “I did.” 

He feels a wave of joy from the other end of the bond, and laughs breathlessly when Akaza nuzzles against his jaw with a huff. “I missed you too, sunshine.” 

It takes a while before they separate from each other to put away Akaza’s possessions, and when Kyoujurou sees the foreign items placed so naturally next to his own, whether it be in his bathroom, his bedroom or the living area outside, he can’t help but feel his heart melting in bliss. 

His omega curls up in the corner of his mind, satisfied and mewling shamelessly. He bites his lip to hide how much the sight of Akaza’s traces in his apartment makes him want to beg him to stay forever. 

He shakes himself out of his daze before Akaza can notice him staring blatantly at the spaces he cleared specifically for the alpha, and grabs his hand to guide him to the dining room instead. 

Akaza follows him, his eyes fixed on their joined hands as Kyoujurou walks backwards in the familiarity of his own home. 

“Have you had dinner yet?” Kyoujurou asks, the scent of happy alpha in the air making him almost dizzy with love. 

Akaza lunges forward at his question, his expression soft but cheeky as he steals a kiss directly from his lips. 

Kyoujurou pauses in surprise, his eyes wide and his cheeks pinkening just the tiniest bit from the feeling of Akaza’s warm lips on his. “What was that for?” he eventually musters up enough composure to question, his chest feeling fuzzy and tight with affection. 

He chews on his bottom lip, craving more but keeping silent because he wants to know the answer. 

Akaza’s laughter is bright and chimes like a bell. He tightens his grip on Kyoujurou’s hand, taking the lead when he realises they’ve stopped in the middle of the living room. 

“I don’t think you want to know.” he replies mysteriously, with a twinkle in his golden eyes that Kyoujurou can’t resist following. 

He makes a face to show his displeasure at being kept in the dark. “Why not?” he presses, allowing Akaza to sit him down in one of the chairs at his dining table. 

Akaza shakes his head, the light in his eyes fizzling out into a slowly simmering fire. 

Oh. 

Oh.  

He knows that look. 

Before he can speak another word, Akaza is leaning down to kiss him again. He nibbles at his bottom lip, sucking it into his mouth and licking across the seam of his lips with obvious want behind the action. 

Kyoujurou welcomes it - embraces it even - and Akaza has to put a hand on his shoulder to keep him in place and stop him from following his lips when he pulls away. 

A whine catches in the back of Kyoujurou’s throat, but he swallows it down before the humiliating noise can make its way out. 

“Akaza…” he complains instead. 

The alpha’s golden eyes are dark with hunger when Kyoujurou’s eyelids flutter open again. His breath hitches at the sight of it, his omega roused from its rest by the suggestiveness in that smouldering gaze. 

Akaza stares down at him, his eyes like molten gold as he thumbs at the curve of Kyoujurou’s cheek, his jaw clenched tightly as though to hold himself back. “Because you looked so beautiful that I wanted to eat you again. But I stopped myself with a kiss.” 

Kyoujurou wishes he didn’t.

What’s another night of passion in the grand scheme of things? 

It isn’t as though he has classes to teach tomorrow. His weekends are usually free of fuss. The only things he would have to do are marking papers and planning ahead for his future classes, half of which he’s already completed. 

He closes his eyes and leans into Akaza’s gentle touch. “You didn’t have to stop.” he admits, not expecting Akaza to smack another kiss onto his lips before quickly walking away into the kitchen. 

“Hey!” he exclaims, rubbing the place where Akaza’s hand was on his cheek to try and disperse the blush from his face. 

Akaza giggles from the kitchen, waving a spatula at him as he rummages in Kyoujurou’s fridge for ingredients. “I had to today. Otherwise we won’t get any food until tomorrow morning.” 

Kyoujurou purses his lips to stop the indignant whine from coming out of his mouth. It’s true. But that doesn’t mean he has to like it. 

He sighs instead, resting his head on an outstretched arm as he sprawls out on the table before him. 

Usually, he would be sitting upright on every flat surface his bottom touches. It’s just the way he was raised. His family is so used to teaching the proper, traditional ways of living that he hardly ever got to experience the normality that evolved from ancient times. 

But with Akaza around, the ingrained habits in his body begin to crumble away and he feels almost lazy - drowsy with affection. 

He wonders if this is normal, but decides not to dwell on it when he spies a bicep flexing out of the corner of his eye. He zeroes in on the bulging muscles lining Akaza’s forearm and shoulders, feeling his mouth water just the slightest bit in response to the unwitting show. 

Not even the smell of what seems to be broth wafting in the air takes his mind off the stunning scene of Akaza’s bulky arms moving around swiftly and decisively in his kitchen. 

Alpha is providing for us. Good alpha. Takes care of us. His omega chimes in suddenly, enraptured by the display. 

It makes his scent shift slightly, colouring the petrichor with hints of musk.

Akaza tenses suddenly in his view, to his surprise, and he’s about to ask him if he’s okay when the alpha takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. He turns to him, the pot of boiling liquid on the stove forgotten momentarily. 

When their eyes meet, an electrifying sort of static seems to sizzle in the space between them.

The alpha pauses for a second, as though transfixed by what he sees. And then, his voice dips, turning rough at the edges from the restraint he must be exhibiting. 

“Kyoujurou, don’t look at me like that. Please. Your scent is driving me nuts here.” 

Akaza’s golden eyes swirl with desire, the kind that is liquid fire and scalding hot. “We won’t get anything to eat if you keep that up. Unless you’re happy with becoming my dinner instead.”

Kyoujurou swallows hard, trying to reign in his scent so that Akaza won’t be distracted. Food sounds heavenly right about now, so he refrains from provoking the alpha. 

“I’m sorry…” he murmurs not so apologetically, flustered by the idea that Akaza planted in his head. 

He can’t stop thinking about being manhandled onto his dining table, with his legs spread wide and Akaza’s face buried between his thighs. 

He wouldn’t mind it, to be perfectly transparent. But they’ll have to take a rain check on that if they don’t want to go to bed hungry.

He makes a mental note not to forget to bring it up to Akaza later - in the most roundabout way he can think of, of course. Perhaps a time when Akaza doesn’t need to cook dinner. 

He clears his throat to rid himself of those treacherously indecent thoughts. “Do you need any help?” 

He can’t see what Akaza’s doing from his seated position, but the smell of simmering chicken broth is wonderful. He takes a small sniff and immediately realises how hungry he is. His stomach growls in response. 

Akaza’s pretty smile blinds him for a second. “I’ll manage. Get some rest, Kyoujurou. You’re still recovering.” 

Kyoujurou wants to tell him that he’s perfectly fine. He’s always healed quickly. But he doesn’t. He chooses, instead, to watch as Akaza cooks. 

Akaza meanders about the kitchen with all the grace and patience of a seasoned cooker. Kyoujurou knows that he can cook, but whatever it is he’s doing has his taste buds salivating in hunger. 

When the food is done, Akaza sets a large bowl in front of him, making him sit up with anticipation. His stomach rumbles again. 

Akaza casts an amused glance over at him as he goes back to the kitchen to grab a pitcher of water. “Here,” he says, pouring Kyoujurou a glass. “Drink some.” 

Kyoujurou listens obediently, feeling strangely compliant for some reason. Maybe it’s because Akaza has been pumping out a calming, soothing scent that makes his head feel fuzzy and his limbs go soft. 

“Dig in.” the alpha croons the moment he sits down across from him, watching with adoring eyes as Kyoujurou takes a large bite, chokes a little on the steam coming off the noodles dangling from his chopsticks and proceeds to let everyone in the building know how good it tastes. 

“Well?” Akaza prompts expectantly, not at all fazed by the loudness of his voice and clearly looking for something specific from him. His scent is still comforting, but there is a hint of something in it that Kyoujurou assumes to be anticipation. 

“It’s delicious! Very tasty!” Kyoujurou yells into his bowl, forgetting that he doesn’t need to shout in his excitement. 

Food always tastes exceptionally good when it’s prepared with love. Kyoujurou’s cheeks warm when he looks up and sees the satisfied look on Akaza’s face. He can even smell the pride pouring off him in waves, just like when he cooked for him previously after the end of his heat. 

“That’s good.” Akaza leans his cheek on his palm, studying the way he eats with a smile. His fangs glint under the lights. “I’ll cook for you whenever you want from now on.” 

The domesticity of the whole situation hits Kyoujurou like a ton of bricks. 

Akaza is really here. He’s here in his home and he’s here to stay. 

The thought of them being able to share meals like this together more often makes his throat close up. He swallows his food carefully, feeling an odd sense of elation blooming in his chest. His omega chirps happily in the corner of his mind. 

He forces himself to answer, refusing to ruin the mood by crying his eyes out again. “Thank you! My cooking is subpar at best, but I’ll try to return the favour with something else!” 

Akaza sits back in his chair and laughs. “You don’t have to. Having you accept my courtship is more than enough to make up for a lifetime of meals for you.” 

Kyoujurou splutters in protest. That’s not nearly enough! 

“That’s not true at all! It is I who should be grateful! I- I haven’t exactly been the easiest person to pursue…” he trails off, not wanting to bring up the subject again.

Akaza’s laughter fades, replacing the light-hearted atmosphere with something more stern when he exhales deeply. The conflicted look on his face tells Kyoujurou that they could argue over this a thousand more times and still not have a winner. 

“You haven’t. It’s true. I won’t deny that it was hard getting you to open up to me at first. But,” Akaza pauses, making sure to stare straight into his eyes before continuing. “It was still the most meaningful courtship I’ve ever initiated. I’d never given much thought to being mates with someone until you, Kyoujurou. And I’ll be damned if I don’t tell you how happy I am that you accepted me.” 

Kyoujurou is speechless as he listens to Akaza’s words. A dull ache spreads from his heart to the rest of his body, and the corners of his eyes feel hot. 

“I’ll say this however many times you need me to.” Akaza leans forward in his seat and reaches for Kyoujurou’s free hand on the table.

He covers it with his own, the warmth radiating from his palm somehow burning him. But he doesn’t pull away. 

He watches as Akaza’s lips stretch into a smile, his breath catching in his throat when the alpha seems to glow. 

“Kyoujurou, I love you. And I’ll love you for as many lifetimes as I live. So don’t be grateful that I love you. Be happy.” 

Kyoujurou blinks back tears, his food all but forgotten as he shakily turns his hand palm-side up so that they can hold hands. He grabs onto Akaza’s fingers tightly, his heart full to bursting as he smiles back at him. 

“Okay,” he starts, choking on his words before he can get them out. He tries again after that, his lower lip trembling. “I will. I’m happy. I’m happy that you love me. And even happier that I love you.” 

Akaza’s eyes crinkle into crescent moons. His scent is doused in that subtle sweetness that’s normally elusive and hard to identify. 

“Good. Because you’re gonna be happy for a long, long time.” 

But, as always, happy times never last very long for someone like Kyoujurou. 

It is two weeks after Kyoujurou’s mating mark finally makes its appearance on his neck that something happens. 

Akaza had taken him out on a date, and they were just leaving the restaurant they’d been eating at when someone bumps into him by accident. 

The stranger steps aside politely with a soft apology on his tongue, and Kyoujurou pays him no mind until he speaks up again in an eerily familiar voice. “Rengoku?” 

Kyoujurou pauses, wondering if he misheard. 

“Rengoku Kyoujurou? It’s you, isn’t it?” 

No. He hasn’t. It really does seem to be someone he knows. 

Dreading the face he’ll see, Kyoujurou turns around reluctantly, not wanting to seem rude by ignoring the stranger. 

“Can I help you?” he asks, his eyes widening just the slightest bit when he comes face to face with a man - an alpha - whose name he had cast aside from his memory a while ago. 

The man looks just as surprised as him, if not more so, as he studies Kyoujurou’s face. When he sees the mating mark on Kyoujurou’s neck, his face twists into something unpleasant. 

“Kyoujurou?” 

Akaza squeezes his hand tightly, inching closer to him protectively. His normally lovely scent is tinged with sourness as the other alpha gapes at him with his mouth open. 

“Who are you?” Akaza growls, the hostility in his gaze surely evident. 

The man tenses from the sudden aggressiveness, before squaring his shoulders in defiance. There is a strange gleam in his eyes as he takes a step forward - and Kyoujurou an instinctive step back until he’s partially hidden behind Akaza. 

The clash of alpha pheromones in the air makes him cringe internally, his instincts thrown out of balance in response. His omega whimpers with discomfort, and his spine feels heavy. The hairs on the back of his neck stand on end in the face of the two alphas baring their fangs at each other. 

“Me?” The man growls back, clearly not in the mood to back down from a fight. 

The look on his face triggers a memory that Kyoujurou realises he had desperately tried to forget before:

An outing. A reluctant conversation in a coffee shop. Followed by a nasty scene, where he had to hold himself back from acting on the visceral urge to swing his fist straight into that foul mouth. After that, a hasty getaway as anger and disgust churned in his stomach. Then, nothing, because he blocked it all out after that experience. 

Until now.

Kyoujurou’s free hand balls into a fist as he squeezes Akaza’s hand in a death grip. When he sees the other alpha lift his chin to speak, he dreads what will come out of his mouth next. 

With a contemptuous sneer and his hackles raised, the man answers in a tone that suggests he’s used to picking fights. “I used to date that lousy omega hiding behind you.”

Chapter Text

Akaza’s reaction is a flame crackling into existence - instantaneous and ferocious. 

“What the fuck did you just say about him?”

“What? Can’t stand the thought?” The man scoffs at Akaza, unafraid of his bared fangs. “Him and I used to be in a relationship before. Until he blew it by breaking up with me.”

Kyoujurou’s breath ceases to exist for a moment.

The words that come out of the other alpha’s mouth make his head spin with barely contained distaste. His hands twitch with the urge to tug Akaza away, his scent turning distressed as he tries not to let himself be swallowed up by the memories he had kept locked away. 

He remembers a little more now: The way his stomach had turned when the man standing before them had put him down when he tried to break off their ill-fated relationship. The way he had tried to turn things on him in a fit of bitterness after his pleas to change his mind were rejected multiple times. 

Kyoujurou’s omega hisses in the forefront of his mind, remembering the hurt that pierced his already insecure heart when the other alpha had mocked him with a leering sneer. 

“Whatever. It’s not like I wanted to date you seriously anyway. You’re only good for your face. I bet you can’t even give me any pups at your age. You would’ve been a disgrace of a mate if I had fallen for your coy act. No wonder you keep jumping from one alpha to another. You must have kept refusing to heat-share with them too, you selfish bitch.”  

That day, Kyoujurou came the closest he ever had to punching someone in the face. Usually, he’s not one to resort to violence when confronting others, even when he’s angry. But he just couldn’t help it. 

Those vile words had made his self-loathing rear its ugly head in the moment, and he recalls now how much he had wanted to curl in on himself and cry. 

And then fury rose up, because he hated the way he instinctively wanted to hide - he prided himself on being strong, on not letting those horrid thoughts surface in his mind and bring him down. But that alpha had broken down a part of the walls he built around himself without his permission, and he nearly lashed out in a manner he would have been most disappointed by. 

When he had reigned in his anger, he could no longer stand the nonsense that kept streaming from that alpha’s mouth. He had given one last hardened glare at the man he had thought was a courteous, considerate person and left without a backward glance. 

After that incident, he had given up completely on entertaining other alphas. He had stopped actively looking for a mate, afraid that the moment he tried, he would be faced with the same scorn, derision, and shallow intentions once again. 

It was true that he had never allowed that alpha to heat-share with him. 

For many reasons, he simply couldn’t bring himself to even voice the suggestion. The thought of letting that alpha into his nest, see him at his most vulnerable, or even touch his bare skin while he was in heat had never once crossed his mind during the entire time they dated. 

Over the course of a few months, even when they hugged, kissed, and held hands when on dates, something had always nagged at him in the back of his head - that told him this wasn’t the right person. And his instincts had been right all along. 

He never wanted something like that to happen again, so he pushed every subsequent alpha that came to him away. He shut out everyone and anyone’s advances, hoping that he would make it through the rest of his life without being lonely, resigned to feeling second-rate, undesirable and past his prime. 

At least, up until he met Akaza. 

“So? What the fuck does that have to do with my mate now?” Akaza’s chilling voice cuts through his thoughts. 

Akaza - his alpha - straightens himself to make his already broad frame more intimidating. 

It is typical alpha behaviour, and Kyoujurou has never been more grateful for the wideness of Akaza’s shoulders. He stands protectively in front of Kyoujurou, positioning himself in a way that shields him from the other alpha’s reach. 

Kyoujurou’s heart stutters in his chest when he registers for the first time that he isn’t alone at all in this situation - that Akaza is with him. 

At first, relief accompanies the realisation, but when the other alpha tilts his head to catch his eyes, fear begins to rise in him. 

His teeth sink into his bottom lip as he tries to gauge his alpha’s reaction. 

What would he think? Would he be upset that their date is being interrupted by his ex? Would he be disillusioned with Kyoujurou? What if Akaza decided that he was too much of a hassle to deal with? 

Most of all, he feared what else would come out of the other alpha’s mouth. 

If he repeated those ugly words he told him the day they broke up, wouldn’t that make Akaza see just how little he suited him? What if his words made Akaza believe he was too old, too troublesome, too…lacking? 

What if he doesn’t want to be my mate anymore?  

The idea of Akaza taking back his love and finding a way to break their mate bond makes his head spin, and he feels nauseous at the mere thought of being cast aside once more, left with nothing but a bleeding, broken heart. 

He doesn’t think he can go through that kind of heartbreak again. Not after the love and affection he’s received from Akaza so far. Not after sharing his heat with him, and feeling Akaza love him so deeply that he thought his mind would shatter from the relief and the gratitude. 

His chest feels so tight that he can’t breathe.

Kyoujurou swallows hard, his tightly closed fist opening and inching forward until he’s clutching at Akaza’s sleeve with white knuckles. 

Akaza’s eyes don’t wander to him, but his scent shifts in response to his anxiety. Without looking away from the other alpha, Akaza tightens his hold on their joined hands, and his other hand reaches up to grip reassuringly onto Kyoujurou’s trembling hand on his sleeve. 

It’s as though he’s saying It’s okay. I’m here. And Kyoujurou finds himself letting out a small, shuddering exhale, calming slightly when he realises that Akaza isn’t shying away or ignoring him. 

The other alpha frowns in annoyance at Akaza’s reply. “Mate?” he murmurs, almost to himself. 

Then his eyes dart around, until they land on the base of Akaza’s neck, where his low-collared shirt exposes his scent glands. 

Realisation floods his gaze, and Kyoujurou watches in apprehension as his expression twists into something that is akin to displeasure. “You’re his mate? You mated with him?” 

A rumbling growl begins to vibrate in Akaza’s chest at the disbelieving tone, his patience slowly but surely depleting. “And what the fuck is that supposed to mean? What’s it to you either way?” 

Kyoujurou clutches at Akaza’s sleeve tighter, his hand eventually slithering under his sleeve and gripping at his bicep instead. He squeezes with all his might unconsciously, until Akaza turns to look at him with a comforting look. 

“It’s okay, Kyoujurou.” he mouths.

Kyoujurou nods dumbly, feeling more and more out of his element as the crackle of alpha pheromones in the air threaten to tear apart his calm facade. His knees begin to tremble slightly, and his omega cowers in the back of his head, wanting to be out of the way of the aggressive scents swirling around them. 

But he holds his ground, forcing his instincts to quieten as he breathes through his nose and out through his mouth. 

In, out. In, out. Until the voices in his head that tell him to hide fade away and he tunes back into the conversation. 

The atmosphere is tense when the other alpha speaks again. “That’s impossible.” he mutters, his eyes glazing over for a second. Like he’s remembering. “Rengoku would never let any alpha bite him.” 

Then, he snaps out of his daze, his eyes turning hard and cold as he spits bitterly. “He never even let me heat-share with him, let alone come near his neck!” 

Akaza growls loudly, attracting the attention of passers-by. “Maybe it’s because I’m not just any alpha. You can take your misplaced jealousy and fuck off!” 

His scent flares with a warning, sharp and stinging. Kyoujurou breathes it in despite the intensity of emotions he can scent, relishing in the prickly feeling in his lungs and nose. 

Akaza smells so good even when he’s angry, because he’s angry for Kyoujurou’s sake. 

He wants to yank him away so they can hurry home and bury themselves into his nest. He doesn’t want to be here, entertaining the whims of an alpha whose ego is bruised because he rejected him but let Akaza in. 

“Akaza,” he whispers under his breath, getting his attention with a squeeze of their joined hands. “Let’s go.” 

But the other alpha takes a step forward, making Akaza growl louder, the sound animalistic and coming from deep within his chest. Kyoujurou’s breath hitches when Akaza backs up against him, letting go of his hold on Kyoujurou’s hand around his bicep and spreading it out to shield him. 

“Back the fuck up, asshole. Or I’ll beat the shit out of you.” he warns.

“I’m not jealous!” the other alpha hisses, looking offended at the mere idea of it. “And I ain’t scared of you, tough guy. If your omega whore had just spread his fucking legs when I asked, he would’ve been my mate instead of yours. He was such a pain to deal with, acting like some young virgin playing hard to get when the only thing he’s got going for him is his face!” 

Kyoujurou stops breathing then, the fear looming up behind him again as those same words start tearing at his self-esteem. At what Akaza had taught him to build up again after they spent his heat together. 

Every word of praise, every feather-light reassurance, every single loving, tender moment when Akaza told him he loves him - all of it suddenly disintegrates into pieces. 

Kyoujurou’s face crumples in a flash, as the hurt he had buried with fierce determination comes rising back up to constrict his airways. His scent, usually covered by Akaza’s, sours and turns rancid with his bubbling emotions. 

Akaza responds violently, to both the deterioration in his happy scent and to the revolting words the other alpha spits at them. 

Incensed, he lunges forward, only stopping himself when Kyoujurou holds on to him with a death grip around his wrist. When the alpha turns back to look at him, his eyes dark with murderous intent and his scent heavy with outrage, Kyoujurou shakes his head frantically, pleading with him earnestly not to start a fight, his eyes wide. 

“Don’t.” he says, his lips wobbling with the effort it takes to remain coherent. “Let’s just go.” 

I want to go home.  

He hates this. He hates being a nuisance to Akaza. Hates proving himself right - that maybe they shouldn’t have jumped the gun and become mates. 

Because if Kyoujurou is what Akaza has to be stuck with for the rest of his life, that would mean endless waves of dealing with his rock bottom self-confidence, his burdensome worries, and his complicated past experiences that always seem to drag him down into unfathomable depths. And he would rather be alone forever than have his mate - Akaza - be faced with the mountain of struggles he’ll inevitably put them through. 

He hates everything about this. 

The warmth that their date brought him has cooled and frozen over into a block of ice that chains his heart. It hurts, and he bites his lip so hard that he can taste blood in his mouth. 

He just wants to go home. Back to his apartment, where the air smells like their combined essence and he can let go of his inhibitions and simply live.  

Akaza chews on his bottom lip, fighting his instincts to protect and his need to fulfill Kyoujurou’s wish. Frustration bleeds into his scent, and Kyoujurou is about to open his mouth to convince him to leave when the other alpha suddenly closes the distance with a sneer. 

“What, cat got your tongue? Everything I said was true, and you know it, don’t you, Rengoku?” 

Kyoujurou keeps his mouth shut but glares hatefully at the other alpha. 

He won’t rise to his taunt. He won’t let him see how much his words have affected his fragile heart. 

“Don’t look at him with your dirty eyes.” Akaza’s lip curls up at the corner, deadly. “You’ll soil my mate’s ears with that filthy hole you call a mouth.” 

The other alpha’s eye twitches. “What the fuck did you just say to me?” 

By now, a large crowd has gathered around them, and Kyoujurou can hear them whispering among themselves, wondering if they should break up the argument before it escalates. Someone suggests calling the police, and he knows that it’s time for them to leave so as to not be involved with any legal authorities. That would be horrid. 

Kyoujurou tugs on Akaza’s hand, signaling to him that they should go. Akaza squeezes back, acknowledging it, but not before he throws another mocking jab. 

“Fuck off back to whatever omega who was unlucky enough to fall for your bullshit. No one needs your bitter ass confessing about your failed conquests with your tiny fucking dick, least of all someone you don’t deserve in the first place.” 

Stunned, the other alpha gapes at them. The limited brain cells present in his head must need more than a moment to process the insult.

“Kyoujurou, let’s go.” 

Taking advantage of the other alpha’s shock, Akaza turns to him with a strained smile, trying to submerge his rage as he casually cups a hand to Kyoujurou’s cheek and strokes at the space underneath his eye. 

“Okay.” he answers back, throwing a scathing look back at the other alpha, who is still standing stock still, dumbly, like someone just hit him over the head. 

Kyoujurou hurriedly turns to leave, determined to drag Akaza away by force even if he tries to stay. But then he hears a rush of movement behind, and whips his head around to see the other alpha’s fist swinging right towards his head. 

How he got so close so quickly, Kyoujurou doesn’t know, but he isn’t about to become a helpless victim to some jerk he broke up with before. 

He instantly goes to duck, his instincts pushing him to avoid the hit, but before he can fully go through with the motion, Akaza is there, blocking the punch with a skilled hand and twisting it away with a roar. 

The other alpha is sent stumbling backwards from the force behind the counter, and he staggers to his feet, looking red in the face and furious. He rights himself, winding up for another punch, evidently not finished with his assault. 

But then he goes straight back down, because Akaza is on him, snarling and hissing and striking at whatever part of the other alpha he can reach. 

“Don’t you dare touch him!” his growl reverberates loudly through the air, sending tremors throughout Kyoujurou’s body. His brain rattles in his head, and he takes a step back, feeling woozy from the sheer strength behind his alpha’s rage. 

The other alpha tries to retaliate, growling and snapping too, but Akaza has him pinned beneath his hefty weight and legs as he rains a hail of punches down onto vulnerable, soft skin. He keeps drawing his fist back and plunging it back down, and soon enough, the sound of sickening, squelching thuds becomes the only thing that is heard in the space cleared around them by the crowd. 

Kyoujurou struggles to move, watching in alarm as blood begins to coat Akaza’s knuckles. “Akaza-” he warbles, his voice stuttering in his throat as the alpha pheromones in the air wrap a noose around his neck and make his knees wobble precariously. 

He takes a step forward, frowning in concentration while trying to get to Akaza. “Akaza!” he manages to yell after summoning his strength. 

Instantly, the alpha stops his attack, his chest heaving from anger and exertion and his fist raised in the air, frozen mid-punch. His eyes are blown wide when he turns to face Kyoujurou. 

There is blood on his knuckles, his chin and even his cheek, and Kyoujurou worries for a moment that he might have done irreparable damage to the other alpha, a fact that would no doubt land them in the police station. 

But when he moves closer to where Akaza is, he breathes a sigh of relief when he realises that the wounds are not excessively serious at first glance. 

The other alpha is stunned and barely conscious but still very much alive. One of his eyes must have been hit particularly badly from the bruising evident around it. His arms are littered with cuts from being thrown onto the hard ground and scratched up from shielding his face from the blows. 

Blood flows freely from his nostrils where Akaza must have landed the first punch and caught him off guard, and the corner of his lip is split and smears crimson onto the side of his jaw. Despite the relatively minor injuries he sustained, the dazed look in his eyes indicates that his head might have taken a hit from the fall. 

As Kyoujurou stands above the downed alpha, a strange feeling takes hold of his heart. 

Although never one to mock another’s pain, he cannot help but feel a sense of satisfaction as he absorbs the sight of the beaten up, humiliated alpha who had inflicted deep wounds on his psyche. 

It feels good to be standing above him, knowing that Akaza protected him and his honour at a time when he was unable to stand up for himself. 

As horrible as it sounds, he wishes he could sock him right in the face too, for good measure. But he holds himself back, not wanting to give the alpha any more material to use against them should he come back with complaints. 

The alpha lying on the ground moans in pain when Akaza gets up from where he was sitting on his torso. Akaza glares down at him, his jaw splattered with little specks of crimson that Kyoujurou would say fits the cold look on his face if not for the situation they’re in. 

Wordlessly, Akaza reaches for Kyoujurou’s hand, their palms fitting together like puzzle pieces and clasping tightly. Then he hisses at the pathetic man by their feet, his words venomous and barbed, warning of further retribution. 

“If you ever come near me or my mate again, your face won’t be the only thing that tastes the dirt.” 

Kyoujurou presses closer to Akaza, shivering at the dark undertone in his voice, but finding safety in his presence. Akaza tugs at his hand, guiding him away from the brute who remains on the ground, unable to even stand as he nurses his bloody wounds. 

“And keep my mate’s name out of your mouth. Fucking weakling.” Akaza hurls at him, before barking at the crowd to part for them. 

“Call an ambulance for him.” his alpha growls at someone nearby, who had stayed and watched the fight with their mouth hanging open stupidly. “I better not hear shit about him being the victim here, you hear me?” 

The strangers nearby respond with nods, some with righteous looks on their face as they begin to point their accusatory fingers at the alpha in the middle of the crowd, some pulling out their phones to record the entire exchange. 

Either way, Kyoujurou has no room to care about the actions of their impromptu audience. All he can think about now, tucked into Akaza’s side, is getting back home and away from the toxic mess his ex had created. 

Silent and tense, Kyoujurou lets himself be whisked away. 

He wishes he could ignore the persistent voice in the back of his mind that resurfaced when the fight was over, but already, its traitorous words are digging under his skin and dragging up all his insecurities again. 

He pointedly decides to push them down, feeling his stomach churn at the thought of having to confront them. 

From beside him, Akaza murmurs. “Are you okay, Kyoujurou?” 

Instinctively, he nods. “I’m fine…” 

Akaza looks at him, doubt in his eyes and concern evident in his expression, but he withholds what he must want to say, and only sighs. 

“Let’s go home then.” the alpha smiles softly at him, stroking his thumb over Kyoujurou’s knuckles soothingly. “I’ll draw a bath for you when we get back, hmm?” 

Kyoujurou finds himself nodding again. 

But the entire journey home, with his head full of those familiarly piercing words he heard today, he cannot help but feel that he has made a big mistake agreeing to be Akaza’s mate.

The click of the front door’s lock is deafening in the silence that blankets the space between them. 

Kyoujurou chews on his lip, feeling the sudden urge to pull away from Akaza as they toe off their shoes in the genkan. 

So he does. He untucks himself from the embrace of Akaza’s arm around his shoulder, trying his best to make his smile genuine when Akaza makes a noise of protest in response. 

“I’m alright.” he says. 

Akaza watches him shuffle towards the living room, his eyes narrowing the further he goes. 

“Are you telling me that to convince yourself, or to convince me, Kyoujurou?” 

Kyoujurou stops in his tracks, his smile freezing unnaturally on his face. “But I really am fine!” 

“Again,” Akaza pins him with a serious look. “I didn’t ask you if you’re ‘fine’, Kyoujurou.” 

Then his eyes soften, blunting the physical blow behind his next words without removing any of the intensity. “You’re thinking about it again, aren’t you? About how you’re not ‘fit’ to be my mate.” 

Being seen through is a first for Kyoujurou. No one’s ever bothered to pry into his life enough to uncover all the ugly sides and thoughts he’s hiding. His friends may worry about him, but they know not to dig too deep, for fear of touching a landmine that has laid dormant for years. 

He knows that he should unwind the knot in his chest before anything else. They cannot possibly live a peaceful, domestic life while leaving his insecurities unresolved. 

It would be best if he simply talked about his feelings. But the moment he thinks about what just transpired in public, in front of so many eyes - Akaza’s eyes - he just can’t.

His lip begins to wobble despite his efforts to remain strong in the face of Akaza’s soft, comforting gaze. 

Instantly, he turns away, willing the hard, heavy ball of emotions in his chest to disappear as he deflects Akaza’s question with a well-practiced “No. No, I’m alright.” 

Then, after a beat of silence, during which he knows Akaza doesn’t believe him one bit. “I was just…a bit shocked, that’s all. I never expected to see him again. Ever.” 

That, at the very least, has truth to it. 

Kyoujurou truly didn’t anticipate meeting that particular ex of his again. After the incident in which they broke up in public and he had to erase that horrible name from his memory, he hadn’t looked back once. 

A sigh from behind him makes him want to hide. 

Akaza must be disappointed with him. He promised he wouldn’t lie anymore. But here he is, shamelessly letting his self-confidence get in the way of their communication. 

He feels as though he’s hanging by a thread over a vast, yawning chasm, and that just one more nudge could drop him into an endless void of misery. 

Kyoujurou holds his breath unconsciously, finding it far more difficult to get air into his lungs than ever before. 

If there existed complete and utter bliss before the events of today, there is only dread now. 

His chest begins to heave when his breathing becomes shorter and shallower, and he puts a hand over his heart, clutching at it and squeezing the fabric between his fingers to avoid panicking. 

He can’t breathe. 

He just needs someone to tell him that everything will be okay. That he won’t lose everything that he’s ever wanted in his lonely life to something as stupid as his own inferiority complex. 

If he can’t even get over this himself, how can he expect to stick with Akaza through even greater obstacles in the future? He would doom their relationship even before it has a chance to take flight, just like how he’s doing now. 

Just when he feels like he can no longer stand the ringing in his ears and the fiercely irrational anger that surges up in him at his own weakness, Kyoujurou registers strong arms winding around his waist, and a face pressing into the crook of his neck, where his mating mark sits. 

Akaza presses his warm lips against his skin, a sizzling tingle scattering under the gentle brush. 

“What’re you thinking, Kyoujurou? Tell me, hmm?” he ghosts his lips over the mark on his neck with each word. “I want to know what’s going on in that head of yours. You don’t need to hide. Not with me.” 

There is a certain strength behind Akaza’s voice - something that compels Kyoujurou to listen to him - really listen. 

Akaza’s scent wraps around him, comforting and delicious, but tinged with a hint of sorrow. It settles in his bones, in the crevices of his cracked heart, trying to repair the damage with a loving touch.

I won’t judge, his unspoken words are clear. 

The grounding nature of those thick, reassuring arms around him make Kyoujurou’s legs go weak. He slumps against Akaza, a muffled sob bursting from his mouth as the walls around his heart begin to crumble. 

“Please…” he begs, his vision blurring with tears all of a sudden. “Don’t leave…” 

He turns his body around, dragging Akaza down to his level as he sinks to his knees. “Don’t listen to what he said. I- I never-” he chokes on his words, the pleas tumbling from him so fast that his mouth can’t keep up with his brain. He trips over his sentences like a fool, but he still needs Akaza to know. 

He doesn’t want Akaza to think of him as someone who’s indecisive and easily swayed. He doesn’t want him to feel like Kyoujurou isn’t worth the trouble that he brings him. Most importantly, he doesn’t want Akaza to dwell on the fact that he’s far older than him. 

He’s not past his prime, like he believed before. He’s not. Akaza made sure to drill that into his head. 

But still. Still.  

The idea is so ingrained in his mind that it is near impossible to forget about it so soon. 

Kyoujurou swallows, slows his speech down just a little as he clutches at Akaza’s shirt, tugging at the neckline until it stretches. He looks up at Akaza, his eyes wide and wronged as he implores his mate to believe him. 

“I- I never heat-shared with him. It never felt right. I just couldn’t- couldn’t bring myself to-” 

“I know. I get it.” Akaza quiets his cries with a stroke of his hand over his tear-stained cheek. His golden eyes hold sweetness in them, like honey, as he murmurs softly. “You don’t have to explain yourself. I don’t care what that loser said.” 

With a hard glint in his eyes, Akaza growls, tugging him close and wrapping his arms around him properly, protectively. “I’m not leaving you. Never.” 

Kyoujurou cries into his shirt then, burying his face into Akaza’s sturdy chest and grabbing at his back, clinging onto him like a vice as he pours all his frustrations and anger out for the first time in a long time. 

The dam that was keeping his emotions behind the cracked walls around his heart burst open, and he sobs harder, pulling Akaza closer, closer. Until there isn’t a sliver of space in between them where air can get through. Until they’re so intertwined that no one can tell whose limb belongs to who and who begins where. 

They stay like that for a while. And Akaza holds him the same way throughout, supporting him silently with his steady heartbeat in Kyoujurou’s ear and his arms around his shivering frame.

“I’m sorry.” Kyoujurou whispers into Akaza’s chest when he calms down a little. “That you had to see that- go through that.” 

Akaza huffs against the top of his head, nuzzling into his fluffy hair. His hand cards through Kyoujurou’s thick, blonde locks, massaging the tension out of his neck when it reaches his nape. “Don’t be. Nothing that happened was within your control. I’m actually happy that I got to bash his head in for a bit. I would have done more if you hadn’t stopped me.” 

Kyoujurou lets out a laugh, strained as it is. “If you had done more, I think we would have needed to go to the police station for the night.” 

Then, more sombre, he says. “I hope he doesn’t try to get back at us for that.” 

Akaza scoffs. “He started it. If he knows what’s good for him, he’ll never bother us again.” Then, his voice darkens suddenly. “And if he does, I’ll send him to hell myself.”

Kyoujurou swallows down his worry at the declaration, finding himself strangely amenable to the idea. He has no room to care for someone who hurt him so deeply, least of all someone who tried to assault them in a fit of rage. 

He shivers when he feels Akaza thumb at his mating mark, the touch distracting him from his thoughts. The little bruise tingles deliciously and comfortingly the more he touches it, and Kyoujurou’s body begins to relax, bit by bit, as they sit there together on the floor, cuddling into a ball. 

It takes several more moments before Akaza dares to ask. “Do you feel better now? After crying it out?” 

Kyoujurou hesitates for a second, before nodding into his shirt. “A little.” 

His unspoken feelings are still there, lingering somewhere in the corner of his heart, but now that he’s worked most of his anger out, he finds it much easier to breathe, to speak. 

“Do you-” he cuts himself off, feeling his heart skitter in time with his jumping pulse. His hands are clammy with nervous sweat as he wrestles with himself to find the courage to ask what’s been on his mind the entire time. 

Akaza looks at him with tenderness in his face and gentle patience in his arms. His hands rub comfortingly at Kyoujurou’s lower back, and he leans forward to press a feather-light kiss to his lips. 

Kyoujurou instinctively closes his eyes to receive it, his determination bolstered by the affectionate gesture. 

“Do you…still want me? As your mate?” he asks, tentative in his approach.

Akaza opens his mouth to answer, but Kyoujurou interjects before he can say a word. 

“Even after all the trouble my past gave you today?” 

Akaza’s face slackens, his eyebrows knitting into a small frown as he processes the meaning behind Kyoujurou’s hurriedly blurted words. 

Kyoujurou has to push down his rising panic when Akaza takes more than a few seconds to answer. 

He wants to believe in Akaza. In his mate. In the person who chose him for who he is, and not what everyone else thinks about him. 

Akaza told him that he loves him because he’s Kyoujurou, not because he can give him pups, or because it feels good to roll around in bed with a rare male omega. He wants to believe in Akaza’s love for him - that it hasn’t changed even after today. 

Eventually, Akaza lets out a heavy sigh, his head dropping into Kyoujurou’s shoulder again. His voice is hoarse when he speaks next to Kyoujurou’s ear. “Kyoujurou, no matter what ‘troubles’ you think you’re subjecting me to, I promise you it’s nothing compared to how desperately I want to be with you.” 

Akaza’s arms tighten around Kyoujurou’s mid-section, dragging him closer as he tucks his head into his neck and rests his warm, soft lips against his mating mark again. 

Their bond hums with deep sincerity as Akaza pours out his feelings, vibrating with warmth and unmistakable truth. 

“If I could shoulder all the pain you’ve been dealt in the past, I would gladly do it, even if it means that I’ll be crushed under the weight you’ve been carrying for so long. I would sooner destroy the whole world before I gave up on wanting you- needing you. You are my mate, but you are also my soulmate, do you understand?” 

Once again, Kyoujurou can’t find any air in his lungs. He simply sits still in Akaza’s arms, clutching tightly onto the back of his shirt as he listens to the way his voice trembles each time he draws in another breath to speak. 

He never imagined that this would be the kind of love he would find - unconditional, unwavering and solely belonging to him. 

He adores it.

He nods once against Akaza, feeling tears well up in the corners of his eyes again. His heart aches from how thankful he feels, the gratitude bursting from the seams of his existence until it bleeds out of him in rivers of disbelief. 

Thank you… Thank you for loving me.  

He wants to say it, but his throat closes up, and all he can do is hiccup pathetically. Still, Akaza seems to understand, because he continues. 

“Kyoujurou…” he mumbles against his mating mark, nibbling at it until Kyoujurou is a mess of tears and soft, rumbling purrs. “I love you to the ends of the universe. And nothing you say or do will ever, ever change that. If I ever break my promise…” 

Akaza pulls back, cupping Kyoujurou’s blotchy, red face with large, kind hands. He stares straight into Kyoujurou’s soul, his eyes blazing with an intensity that leaves him breathless once more. 

“If I ever break my promise,” he grips Kyoujurou’s face a little tighter. “Make sure to punish me, okay?” 

Kyoujurou finds that he doesn’t know what to say to that. 

“Hit me, scream at me, ignore me, cuss me out, I don’t care. If I ever stop loving you, you can even kill me if you want to.” Akaza says, prompting a strangled gasp from Kyoujurou. 

“No!” he rebukes firmly, horrified by the thought. “Never. I could never. I won’t!” 

He lifts his own hands up to his face, gripping onto Akaza’s wrists with his blunt nails digging in harshly at the shock radiating from him. “Don’t say that, Akaza. I believe you. I know you love me. And I believe you won’t stop. Please don’t say such terrible things!” 

Akaza stares at him silently, evidently stubborn about his declaration. 

Kyoujurou knows that nothing will change his mind, but still, he cannot bear the thought of Akaza willingly parting with his life on any account. 

He must live for Kyoujurou to survive. Without Akaza, the world would dim back into perpetual darkness, and Kyoujurou would waste away, unable to give up living but too broken to thrive. 

He must get this across, no matter what. 

With shaking hands, Kyoujurou pulls Akaza’s wrists down into their laps, fiddling with his bruised, bloody knuckles and threading their fingers together. 

“You can’t die. I won’t allow it. I can’t-” he stutters, choking on his words. His voice cracks in the middle of his sentence, making Akaza’s face twist with concern when he hunches over to hide the way his tears spill over. “I can’t live without you…” 

There is a brief pause between them as Akaza registers his sniffling. And then the alpha is hugging him tight again, this time stroking a hand over the back of his head as his stubbornness crumbles in the face of Kyoujurou’s sorrow. 

His scent turns anguished, overpowering and thick in the air, as he apologises, again and again. 

“Sorry. I’m sorry, Kyoujurou. I won’t tell you to kill me.” His throat rumbles with a deep, vibrating sound. He pushes out more of his scent, trying to quieten his cries. “Don’t cry, Kyoujurou. I’m sorry. I won’t do it again.” 

Kyoujurou leans up to snag the skin of Akaza’s neck between his teeth, his tears dripping down his temples into his hairline as he tilts his head back. He bites down hard right above his Adam’s apple, leaving a deep imprint there, a mark of admonishment. 

“You’re right. I was wrong. I shouldn’t have said that. I’m really sorry, Kyoujurou. Please, don’t cry. Your tears make me want to strangle myself. It’s my fault for being stupid. I’ll make it up to you, hmm?” Akaza desperately tries to placate him, his voice full of regret.

Kyoujurou huffs into his neck as an answer, soothing the bite he left with a gentle lick. He kisses the spot lovingly, making sure that no blood was drawn in his urgency to correct his mate. 

“You’d better.” he says after a moment, poking at Akaza’s back with a jab of his finger. 

Akaza chuckles a little, rubbing his cheek on the top of his head. It takes another few minutes before the both of them pull away from each other, Kyoujurou with his eyes puffy and red from crying, and Akaza with his shirt soaked and his collar too-stretched. 

Kyoujurou takes a look at his handiwork, wincing internally at how the collar might never return back to its original state. Then he remembers Akaza’s hands, and grabs them to inspect the damage done. 

It’s not as bad as he thought it would be, though that could be attributed to Akaza being used to such activities in his martial arts school. Practicing by himself and teaching his students must have given him some resistance against getting hurt too easily. 

“What’s wrong?” Akaza asks him then, playing with a lock of his hair as he lets his other hand be examined. 

“We should disinfect these cuts.” Kyoujurou says, looking around for the first-aid kit in his house. He put it away several weeks ago after he did the same thing for the scratches he made on Akaza’s back. He can’t believe he needs it again so soon! 

“I’ll be fine. It barely hurts.” 

But Kyoujurou insists. So once again, Akaza is made to sit obediently as Kyoujurou digs out the first aid kit and dabs the disinfectant solution onto cotton pads before pressing them to the shallow cuts on Akaza’s knuckles.

Akaza doesn’t flinch, but he does hiss a little whenever Kyoujurou presses too hard. When he’s done, Kyoujurou packs everything back neatly where he found it, but just as he’s about to stand up with the box to put it away, he’s swept off his feet by a hand under his knees and another behind his back. 

Startled, he clings to Akaza’s neck with a squawk, finding the box snatched from his hands and tossed onto the sofa in the living room. 

“Akaza!” he laughs out loud when he regains his bearings. “What are you doing?” 

Akaza smirks up at him, carrying him in his arms as he begins to walk towards the direction of Kyoujurou’s bedroom, where his nest is. 

“We’re going to cuddle in your nest. I think we could do with a nap, after the shit that went down today.” 

Kyoujurou’s puzzled expression gives way to understanding, and he nods. “Alright! A nap it is! Goodness knows how much we need one!” 

And so, they spend the rest of the afternoon cuddling in Kyoujurou’s nest, transforming his room into a cosy oasis full of their intermingling smells. 

Although far from resolving all of the problems that plague his self-esteem, Kyoujurou lets himself go for the day. Perhaps one day, when he’s grown to love himself just as much as Akaza loves him, he’ll be able to leave the painful roots of his past behind.

But for now, Kyoujurou simply basks in Akaza’s presence and the delightful hum of their mate bond, hoping beyond hope that the time for him to finally be at peace comes sooner rather than later.