Archive of Our Own ^beta

The first snow of winter was a light one, sparingly dusting the trees and the dirt of the woods.

Kiyoomi had opted to take the long way home, admiring the serene quiet as he winded through the forest. It had been a busy day at the clinic— one pregnant omega in for his regular checkup, two children with coughs, sure to spread to the other pups of the village soon enough, an alpha who had had an…incident involving his mate and an arrow stuck in his back (Kiyoomi did not ask the details). The hour was growing late as Kiyoomi made sight of his cabin in the distance, the crunch of the snow under his boots with every step he took.

Some of the village elders said it was a bad sign that the weather was turning so early in the season, but the omega didn’t pay them too much mind. No one could truly foresee what was to come that winter.

Still, Kiyoomi headed their warning, already beginning to stock up on vegetables to store in his root cellar and meat to dry and cure when the animals became scarce and hunting became difficult.

His heat was due soon, and the omega didn’t want to get trapped at home with no supplies if a blizzard blew through the forest.

Though Kiyoomi knew he would never starve, if things came to that, there was one person foolish enough to brave the elements and tromp through the snow to bring him food and make sure he was alright.

One alpha.

Kiyoomi shook all thoughts of the man from his mind, huffing as he childishly kicked at a pile of snow along the forest path.

Atsumu was a bother, thinking Kiyoomi was incapable of caring for himself. He constantly brought the omega fish he had caught, root vegetables he had dug up, and mushrooms he had found in the forest. New pelts from animals he had killed and skinned himself. Gifts that Kiyoomi did not ask for and did not want. Gifts that he often redistributed to others in the village, even to the ire of the alpha.

“That was for ya,” Atsumu growled in his ear as he stepped in line with the omega, pointing towards a mother wrapping her baby in a deerskin throw.

The omega and her pup were two of his patients. Her mate had died last winter. He caught a cold that he just couldn’t shake, his sickness beyond healing by the time he came to see Kiyoomi. And though the other villagers helped her when they had extra food and supplies to share, Kiyoomi knew she was still struggling on her own.

The guilt of not being able to save him still weighed heavily on his mind, the memory of the heavily pregnant omega sobbing in his arms and the thick scent of her grief when Kiyoomi told her her alpha was gone.

Kiyoomi ignored Atsumu and his aggressive posturing and kept walking, picking up the pace a bit. He had patients to see and didn’t have time to deal with Atsumu and his overgrown temper tantrums.

“How many times must I tell you I have enough furs?”

Kiyoomi was going to be late for his first appointment of the day, Atsumu jogging to catch up with the omega as he stepped in front of him.

Kiyoomi let out a small growl at the alpha now blocking his path.

“Move.” Kiyoomi hissed.

Now it was Atsumu’s turn to ignore Kiyoomi’s outburst.

Atsumu’s eyes were dark as he brought his hands up. He looked as though he wanted to grab Kiyoomi's shoulders and shake the omega, but changed his mind at the last second, letting his arms drop back down by his sides.

Kiyoomi watched the way the alpha’s fingers twitched, his hands curling into tight fists as his body shook.

“I’ll stop,” Atsumu’s voice was tense, and Kiyoomi refused to meet his gaze, refused to give in to the alpha’s silent demand to look at him, “If ya promise not to give away anything else.”

Kiyoomi only tutted, sidestepping the alpha as he scurried past him, leaving Atsumu to stew alone.

Atsumu was a cocky, obnoxious, loud-mouthed alpha.

One that Kiyoomi could not seem to shake and had no interest in.

None at all.

Zero.

Koushi had teased him when he stopped by the omega’s home after closing his clinic for the day.

“Expecting company?” The omega had looked knowingly at the bottle of wine he handed it over.

Everyone in town knew it was Atsumu’s favorite, the alpha making a fool of himself when he drank it during the village festivities. He would stick close to Kiyoomi and keep watch over him, growling at any alpha who even looked in his direction. It was only when Osamu stepped in and told him to cut it out and stop embarrassing himself, dragging his brother home to sleep it off, that Kiyoomi would get a moment of respite.

Kiyoomi would pretend his red cheeks were from the alcohol he had drank and the warmth of the firepit. Not from Atsumu.

Never Atsumu.

“No.” Kiyoomi lied, staring down Koushi with a blank expression on his face, the other omega’s smile teasing, “I’m simply trying a new recipe for dinner tonight.”

Koushi laughed at his expense, loud and long, as the door shut behind Kiyoomi as he stepped outside.

The wine would pair well with the rabbit Kiyoomi had found in one of his traps that morning before he had left for the day.

Atsumu had no bearing on his purchase. Had no bearing on the fact that Kiyoomi was already planning to prepare a meal for two.

He had no bearing on any of Kiyoomi’s decisions.

Ever.

Kiyoomi was decidedly not thinking of the alpha at all, nor of the fact that he would inevitably make his way to the omega’s secluded home, uninvited, that evening. Atsumu would undoubtedly bully his way inside, putting his filthy boots on top of Kiyoomi’s table, and laughing maniacally when the omega shoved them off.

“What’s for dinner tonight, Omi?”

The alpha would straighten himself out after Kiyoomi’s fussing, follow him into the kitchen area of his single-room cabin, and scrub his hands in the wash basin, just to Kiyoomi’s liking. Atsumu would take the knife from his hands, knowing how much Kiyoomi disliked the feeling of the raw meat on his skin, begin to hack at the rabbit for him, and prepare it for the stew. The two would work together in tandem like they had many times before. The wine would be half drunk by the time they sat down to eat, Kiyoomi’s rosemary scent leaking out and his eyes glazing over as he stared at Atsumu in the candlelight.

“Delicious.” Atsumu would tell him as he took his first bite, his alpha teeth shining, his eyes starving.

And Kiyoomi would not be sure if it was hunger for the stew or omega himself.

Inevitably, the hour would grow late, the candle burned down to almost nothing, and the food and conversation ran dry as the alpha stumbled his way to the door. Atsumu would lean in close, his scent surrounding and dominating Kiyoomi’s own, tinged sweet from the plum wine they drank together.

But Atsumu would never touch him.

“Be safe.” Kiyoomi would whisper, secretly wishing the alpha would just stay the night, worried about him walking home alone in the dark.

Wishing the alpha would stop their neverending back and forth and just kiss him already.

He didn’t dare voice his desires aloud.

“Always am.” Atsumu would let out a low chuckle and smirk back before he departed, pulling away from Kiyoomi and taking his evergreen scent with him.

The alpha always sauntered out the door after teasing and shamelessly flirting with him all evening.

As if it was just a game to Atsumu.

Kiyoomi had to always lean against the door when he left, catching his breath before he cleaned up their dishes, his heart pounding in his chest, a wetness between his thighs.

No.

He didn’t care for the alpha at all.

Not one bit.

Kiyoomi was only three and ten when the Miya twins first arrived in their village.

Kiyoomi had gone to town with his mother, a normal outing to stock up on food, candles, and other essentials before one of their neighbors came barreling up to them, their scent thick with fear.

“Healer Sakusa! Please, come quickly!”

Kiyoomi had to cover his mouth when he saw the scene in the town square, nausea bubbling up in his gut.

The twins looked emaciated, mostly flesh and bone, likely due to years of starvation.

And there was blood.

So much blood.

Atsumu lay on the ground, deep wounds across his chest and stomach, an ocean of red.

Kiyoomi could only watch as Osamu cried over his brother’s body, his mother shouting out commands to anyone who would listen.

“Run to the clinic and get my needles! Bring me cloth! And boiling water!”

Atsumu’s eyes had been closed the entire time, his breath coming out in slow rattles.

Kiyoomi had heard it before when his father had taken him out hunting. It unnerved Kiyoomi then, and it unnerved him now. His father had explained that that was just the way of things. Every life has a beginning and an end. There was nothing we could do about it, but accept it, and be grateful that the animals who gave their lives would now help others to flourish.

But Kiyoomi had still let out a silent sob when his father took out his knife and shoved it into the deer’s flesh, ending its misery. His arrow had not been enough to kill the animal, and the noises it made as it took its final breaths scared Kiyoomi to his core.

The sounds of a creature close to death.

Too close to come back from.

Atsumu suddenly let out a frightening gasp, his eyes shooting open.

He didn’t even look at Osamu, ignoring his brother’s pleas and prayers to live. He paid no mind to Kiyoomi’s mother, ignoring her warnings to stay still, to let her bandage him and sew up his wounds.

Atsumu’s eyes tracked towards Kiyoomi, boring into him. He felt frozen under the intense gaze. Kiyoomi’s breath was caught in his throat, unable to speak or even move, unable to look away as the chaos surrounding them faded into nothingness. It was as though Atsumu had him under a spell, possessing him and ensnaring him there.

Atsumu grinned, a large, feral one, before his eyes slipped shut once more. Osamu’s wailing started up again, and his mother quickly got back to work.

There was smoke coming from his chimney and a drop of blood on the ground on the short path outside of Kiyoomi’s home, the omega’s defenses immediately rising, warning bells ringing in his mind.

More and more blood, a small puddle of it on his front porch, a smear across the door itself and on the handle.

Who would be out here alone, in winter, this late at night?

Kiyoomi lived just outside the village, enjoying his peace and calm, away from the bustle of the main square. None of his neighbors lives close by, and no one should be here. It could be a stranger who had gotten lost in the woods and happened upon his home, a shelter from the poor weather outside.

Were they injured? Was it their blood?

Or someone else’s.

A hundred different scenarios ran through his mind as Kiyoomi moved as quietly as he could, setting down the rabbit slung over his shoulder, and the bottle of wine he carried in his knapsack.

His ax was still lying by the stack of firewood piled up near his front door. Kiyoomi was suddenly grateful Atsumu had not put it away after he had come over the chopped wood just the day before. Despite his fussing about the alpha’s sloppy behavior, and Atsumu constantly doing chores he did not ask the other man to do, Kiyoomi said a silent thanks now.

Kiyoomi took a stealing breath as he wrapped his fingers around its handle, and slowly pushed the cabin door open.

Idiot.

The ax made a horrible clunking sound as it hit the floor.

The blood outside was nothing compared to the mess inside. A trail of blood was splattered all across his wooden floor, pooling on the white wolf pelt in front of his fireplace.

Miya Atsumu sat upon it, his left arm dangling uselessly by his side, a piece of cloth tied haphazardly around his bicep, and what was surely to be a deep gouge. The pressure was doing little to stop the bleeding.

“Hey, sweetheart. Yer late for dinner.”

He was sweating and shivering, and he looked extremely pale from the blood loss. But still, he smiled at Kiyoomi with one of his obnoxious, cocky grins before promptly passing out.

The stupid alpha.

Kiyoomi stood awkwardly at the back of his mother's clinic, watching the alpha at work.

Atsumu had woken up that morning.

Osamu had refused to leave his side, barely nibbling at the food and water he was offered the day before, dirt and his brother’s blood still caked onto his skin. Eventually, the exhaustion set in, and his twin fell asleep in a chair at the bedside, one hand wrapped around Atsumu’s ankle. He likely feared his brother would disappear whilst he slept if the contact was broken.

“Come, Kiyoomi.” His mother beckoned him forward, “Help me change the dressings.”

Atsumu had refused anything for the pain when he woke up. He had told Kiyoomi's mother that he didn’t want to fall asleep again.

The old bandages were bloody and soaked through. His mother had done a fine job stitching up his wounds, and Atsumu had made it through the first night alive, the hardest of them all.

But even Kiyoomi, still in training, knew there was a long road ahead for the other boy before he would be fully healed.

“Are you ready to tell us what happened?” His mother asked in a soft voice, dropping the dirty linen into an awaiting bowl, and accepting the clean ones from Kiyoomi’s hands.

With the blood wiped away and the bandages off, Kiyoomi could now clearly see the wounds.

He wasn’t sure how Atsumu was still alive.

Atsumu gritted his teeth as he sat up in bed, leaning forward as she wrapped the new dressings around his torso and stomach.

“A bear.” Was all Atsumu offered, eyes focused on Osamu’s sleeping form, relaxing a bit as he had his brother in his sights.

His mother hummed, asking no further questions, as she finished her work.

“Kiyoomi.” His mother’s stern voice now directed at him, “Stay with him for a bit while I tend to the others.”

The line outside the clinic was bustling.

Some people with real illness and injuries, waiting to be seen.

Some nosey individuals came by only to see the mysterious newcomers, hoping to catch a glimpse, gossip already spreading far and wide throughout the village.

Kiyoomi looked down at his boots, the silence tense as his mother drew the curtain closed. Only the quiet rise and fall of Osamu’s sleeping form, his calm breathing, filled the air.

“Kiyoomi.”

The omega’s eyes snapped up, Atsumu staring at him again.

Kiyoomi shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

It unnerved him, the way the boy was looking at him. He had no scent, unlike Kiyoomi’s sweet omegan rosemary one, likely still unpresented due to malnutrition. His cheeks were gaunt, and his brown hair was brittle and dry. But his eyes were bright, two honeyed stars peeking into him.

“Do you need something?” Kiyoomi cleared his throat, feeling uncomfortable, hoping his mother would return soon and dismiss him, “Water? Another blanket?”

“Nah,” Atsumu winced as he relaxed back against the pillow, eyes looking up at the ceiling as he smiled to himself, “Just wanted to see how saying’ yer name felt.”

Kiyoomi wasn’t sure what to say to that, something warm and new bubbling in his gut.

So he said nothing at all.

It had been fall when the twins had first arrived in their village, and it was spring now, Kiyoomi aged four and ten.

Osamu and Atsumu were almost unrecognizable from the boys he had met a few months prior. Their cheeks filled out, and their muscles as well. Their brown hair grew, healthy and wavy, nothing like the mousy, dirty color it had been. Both boys had shot up in height, the two constantly sporting pants a bit too short for them, their ankles caked with mud as they stomped around town in their boots.

Osamu was the quieter of the two, mostly following his brother around the village, eager to make himself useful in any way he could.

Atsumu was—

“Omi!”

Kiyoomi almost face-planted into the wet ground as he dropped the books he was carrying, Atsumu half jumping on his back, the omega shoving him off just before he tripped.

“Where are ya off to?” Atsumu grinned like he hadn’t just tried to tackle the other boy.

He had long since recovered from his injuries, his energy boundless and never-ending.

It was exhausting.

“What do you want, Atsumu?” Kiyoomi growled, bending to pick up the books Atsumu had knocked from his hands.

They were ruined.

“Just wanted to spend time with my best friend today.”

Kiyoomi’s bad attitude never seemed to deter Atsumu, the boy endlessly pestering him and sending smiles his way, following him around like a stray animal.

Atsumu didn’t share the same kindness with others in the village.

He wasn’t outright cruel, but he didn’t try to make nice with anyone either. Osamu and him were opposites in that regard. While his twin was happy to help with the harvest and gathering berries in the forest, jumping to assist before anyone had to ask, Atsumu had to be dragged along by his ear, fussing and pouting and growling the entire time.

Kiyoomi wasn’t sure why everyone liked to push the two of them together. Maybe it was because they were similar ages. Or because Kiyoomi’s face was one of the first Atsumu had seen after his injuries when arriving in town, and his mother had saved Atsumu’s life. The twins were both still a little wary of strangers, cagey about where they had come from, refusing to elaborate on what happened to them in the forest that day, and how Atsumu’s injuries had occurred.

Maybe Atsumu enjoyed his company because Kiyoomi never pestered him for details, letting his secrets lie.

Sometimes Atsumu went very quiet, staring off into the treeline as he rubbed at the scars on his chest and stomach.

But even then, Kiyoomi didn’t ask, content to get a break from the boy's constant chatter and just sit together in silence.

Kiyoomi could understand wanting to keep things to yourself.

The omega had never been the most outgoing, mostly minding himself outside of a select few. But the elders all smiled at him now when they saw the pair walking through town.

“It’s nice to see that Atsumu has brought you out of your shell, Kiyoomi!”

Kiyoomi’s lip curled into a frown.

He begged to differ.

But part of him, a part he would never voice aloud, lest he never hear the end of it from Atsumu, enjoyed his company.

Atsumu groaned as he rolled over in Kiyoomi’s bed, mumbling in his sleep, a word that sounded vaguely like his name.

Kiyoomi ignored the way it sent heat to his stomach.

The wolf pelt was ruined.

After he had assessed the damage, he carefully cleaned and stitched up the deep cut on Atsumu’s arm. The alpha was covered with enough nasty scars as it was, and he didn’t want to add to them. Kiyoomi had barely been able to lift the man and drag him over to the bed, the alpha solid muscle and even heavier than he looked. Kiyoomi fussed around with the pillows and blankets, tucking and retucking, ensuring everything was perfect. He hoped to minimize Atsumu’s pain while the alpha rested. Once he was finally happy with things, Kiyoomi stepped back and admired his work.

It rather resembled a nest.

Kiyoomi was glad Atsumu was still asleep and could not see the pink in his cheeks when the realization dawned on him, the alpha sure to tease him about it had he been conscious.

Once making sure Atsumu would be alright, his breathing calm and his skin no longer clammy, Kiyoomi took the fur out to the stream outside his cabin, scrubbing it in the moonlight, the frigid water making his fingers go numb.

The stain wouldn’t come out, faded to a light brown instead of a bright red, but refusing to wash away completely.

Kiyoomi ignored the way his heart thudded in his chest, the fear coiled deep in his gut. Anxiety and adrenaline hit him all at once, and his worried scent stunk up the air now that he was alone and the danger had passed.

Atsumu was okay.

He’d been through far worse before.

Kiyoomi repeated those words in his head as he scrubbed.

He’s okay.
Atsumu’s okay.
Alpha is okay.

He stayed outside until his omega calmed once more, the forest quiet in the night aside from the twinkling of the stream, the light snowfall, and his slow breathing.

Something began to change when Kiyoomi was five and ten.

Atsumu had followed him home the night before, talking his ear off the whole way.

He’d grown a lot in the year and a half that Kiyoomi had known him. Though Kiyoomi had grown more. Their height difference was negligible at most, but still, the boy liked to joke around and stand up on his tiptoes in an attempt to look taller than Kiyoomi.

“The view for ya is so amazing up here, Omi!”

Atsumu deserved every punch in the shoulder he received from Kiyoomi.

The other omegas in the village were beginning to grow interested in the alphas now, gathering in groups, and giggling as they walked by in the town square.

Kiyoomi didn’t see what all the fuss was about.

Koushi had tried to reason with him.

“You don’t take one look at them and just want to fall to your knees and present?” The omega sighed dreamily and giggled, making mooney eyes at Shuugo as the alpha almost walked into a wall, too busy staring back at Koushi to pay attention to where he was going.

“No,” Kiyoomi grumbled, watching Atsumu as he laughed at Shuugo’s expense and slapped him on the back. The long expansion of his neck when he tossed his head back, the way his muscled arms and chest flexed and shook, his–

Kiyoomi felt his cheeks heating up, kicking at the dirt where he and Koushi sat together.

“Oh.” Koushi only giggled harder when he saw who Kiyoomi was watching. “I see.”

If Koushi was less fragile and more stocky like Atsumu, he would have punched him too,

Kiyoomi had to hide the disappointment when he woke up alone on his birthday.

His siblings were older, long since moving to other, nearby villages with their mates. It was planting season, and his father rose with the sun to tend to the fields. His mother very scarcely had a day off as the village healer, a position Kiyoomi would one day take over. Kiyoomi understood why they were busy and couldn’t be there.

But Atsumu had promised him they would spend the day together.

He had feigned annoyance when the boy had told him the night before of their plans.

“I found the sweetest berries in the forest! It’s still so early in the season, I could hardly believe my luck.” Atsumu had smiled at him, their shoulders knocking as they walked, “I’ll take ya to them tomorrow!”

“Are you sure they aren’t poison this time?” Kiyoomi glared.

He swore Atsumu had a death wish at times, running fearlessly through the woods and eating any and everything that looked edible, despite Kiyoomi’s warning to not eat strange things he came across.

“It was ONE time, Omi,” Atsumu whined, “Are ya ever going to let me live that down?”

Atsumu had thrown up all night and day. Kiyoomi’s usually calm mother even tossed her hands up in frustration, making Kiyoomi sit by Atsumu’s bedside and care for his foolish friend. He had grimaced as he held out the bucket for Atsumu as he wretched, the boy muttering his apologies between waves of vomit. But still, Kiyoomi stayed with him, dutifully changing out the wet rag on Atsumu’s forehead, caring for him until his sickness ceased.

“No,” Kiyoomi had to hold back his laugh as Atsumu groaned.

Kiyoomi was in a petulant mood as he stomped through town, politely muttering his thanks to the other villagers as they wished him a happy birthday.

If Atsumu was nowhere to be found, at least Kiyoomi could make himself useful at the clinic. If he helped his mother out, she might be able to finish her work quicker, and they'd be able to still celebrate together that evening.

A wall of thick evergreen hit his nose as pushed open the door to his mother’s clinic, an even louder growl ringing in his ears.

“Kiyoomi! You need to leave.”

Atsumu was sweating and bearing his teeth, barely being held back by his mother and Osamu, desperately trying to break out of their hold, his eyes set on Kiyoomi.

“Omega.” His voice was low and throaty, Kiyoomi whining and dropping to his knees at the overpowering stench of alpha.

“Kiyoomi.” His mother was an alpha as well, older and more in control, but even she struggled against Atsumu’s writhing form. “Go home. Now.”

She had never used her alpha voice on him before, and Kiyoomi didn’t like the way it felt. He stood up to his feet on her command, unable to resist her words.

As soon as the clinic door slammed shut behind him, he ran.

He ran all the way home, tripping over the ground, branches scratching at his arms, his breath tight in his chest from the exertion of it all.

Only when he was inside the safety of his home did the spell break, and Kiyoomi once again in control of himself.

Atsumu was an alpha, then, Kiyoomi thought, as he once again fell to his knees and took heaving breaths.

He had never smelled one in rut before.

Kiyoomi now understood Koushi’s words from before.

His inner omega was whining at him, only the command from his mother keeping him in his place, despite Kiyoomi wanting to go back to town and seek out that scent once more.

Back to Atsumu.

The cloth between his legs had grown involuntarily damp.

Kiyoomi had dozed off in the chair by the fireplace.

He had stayed up late into the night, ignoring the way his stomach rumbled, stoking the fire, watching the slow rise and fall of Atsumu’s chest while he slept.

Atsumu shifting again in bed woke him from his rest, the morning sun now beginning to shine through the windows, Kiyoomi’s omega on full alert again at the alpha’s movements.

His neck was aching from sitting up all night keeping watch, his eyes drooping and exhaustion set deep in his bones.

But Atsumu would be alright, Kiyoomi noted to himself as he gently brushed the back of his hand against the alpha’s forehead.

No fever.

Kiyoomi could catch up on sleep another night.

He was cautious as he went to put the kettle on to boil. Kiyoomi laughed quietly to himself as he prepared the herbal tea, picturing the way Atsumu’s face would pucker in disgust when Kiyoomi made him drink it. But it would be good for him, to help Atsumu to heal faster, and the alpha would be sure to chug it all down with one stern look from the omega.

Kiyoomi was always telling him that he ought to be more careful. Atsumu always whined like a pup when he came to Kiyoomi with bumps and scratches, howling as the needles pushed through his skin.

“If you weren’t so reckless,” Kiyoomi would grit out, forcefully stitching him back together, “I wouldn’t have to do this.”

“Are ya this mean to all your patients, Omi?” Atsumu would grimace as Kiyoomi put in the last stitch, carefully tying off the thread.

No.

“Yes.”

Sometimes, Kiyoomi swore Atsumu hurt himself on purpose to spend more time with him, an excuse to drop by the clinic and see the omega. They were both adults now, too preoccupied with their work to run around town as they had as children, goofing off and getting underfoot when their chores were finished.

But that would be ridiculous, even for Atsumu.

Kiyoomi was seven and ten when it happened.

It was a horribly wet spring, the rain pouring down endlessly from the sky, muddy puddles everywhere in the village. Even the forest floor soaked through, the tree cover doing little to stop the water.

Kiyoomi would never forget the way his father had screamed, waking him from his sleep.

It was an animalistic sound, one so horrible and inhumane that it would haunt him for years to come.

His mother had been in good spirits just the night before, the three of them laughing over dinner and discussing their plans for the next day. His father had even snuck him a small glass of wine.

“You’re old enough now.” He had said with a wink, “Almost eight and ten. I can scarcely believe my boy is almost grown!”

His mother had turned the other cheek, disapproving of the behavior, but silently allowing it nonetheless.

“I’m sure you’ll be off on your own soon enough.” His mother had told him before bidding each other goodnight, “Finding a mate and moving out!”

Kiyoomi had blushed when Atsumu’s figure popped into his mind, his mother smiling knowingly, as if she could read his thoughts.

“But not too soon, I hope,” She kissed his cheek and ruffled his hair. “Promise me you and Atsumu will stay close by and not move away like your siblings.”

“Mother!” Kiyoomi had growled at her, his scent thick with embarrassment.

Him and Atsumu? Mates?

That would never happen.

Kiyoomi would never hear her voice again.

The burial had been a somber affair, the sky still pouring down as Kiyoomi made his way back home alone, his hair plastered to his forehead, and his clothing soaked through.

Everyone in town had come to offer their condolences, his father beside himself with the pain of losing his mate, leaving Kiyoomi to do most of the talking.

He just felt numb.

Kiyoomi almost didn’t see the figure on his front steps, looking down at his feet as he walked.

Atsumu was soaked to the bone as well. He looked like he had been sitting out there for a while, his brown hair almost black, his clothing just as drenched as Kiyoomi’s.

The omega didn’t know if Atsumu’s face was wet from the rain, or tears, as the alpha looked up at him, smelling Kiyoomi’s rosemary scent as he approached.

He had been wondering why he hadn’t seen Atsumu at the burial, wondering if he had just missed the alpha in the crowd of people.

“Kiyoomi.”

Kiyoomi had been so strong for his father these past few days, the alpha incapable of making any decisions, his scent faded away to almost nothing in the wake of his mother’s death. Kiyoomi had simply gone through the motions, picking a nice plot of land for her final resting place, accepting gifts and food and prayers from their neighbors, not yet letting it sink in that his mother was gone.

She had passed peacefully in her sleep.

She was fine one moment and just gone the next.

Kiyoomi opened his mouth to respond to Atsumu, but no words came out.

His mother was gone.

Kiyoomi gasped as the tears hit, falling to his knees in the mud as he wept, realizing just how cold he was as he shivered, the rain continuing to fall from the sky.

Atsumu was quick to jump up from the porch, sitting on the ground with Kiyoomi as he pulled the omega into his arms.

“I’m sorry, Kiyoomi,” Atsumu whispered, his voice barely audible over the loud thunderous sound of the rainfall.

Kiyoomi sobbed against his chest as Atsumu held him close, gently rubbing his hands up and down his back as he pulled the omega from the mud and brought him inside the warm house.

He was almost comatose as he let Atsumu remove him from his soaking garments, the alpha gently drying him off as he helped Kiyoomi change into clean ones. He continued to cry as Atsumu dried his hair, careful with his curls as Atsumu laid Kiyoomi down in his bed, pulling the blankets up to his chin.

Atsumu’s hair was still wet when he climbed onto the bed behind Kiyoomi, his dry clothing borrowed from the omega, his rosemary scent clinging onto the fabric.

If Kiyoomi could laugh right now, he would. Atsumu looked ridiculous piling him with blankets and squishing pillows alongside his body, an alpha’s poor attempt at building a nest.

It only made Kiyoomi sob harder.

“Atsumu,” Kiyoomi tried to speak, his voice wavering and choking on his words.

“Shh.”

Atsumu wrapped his arms around Kiyoomi once more, cocooning him from the outside world, his chest strong against Kiyoomi’s back.

“I’m not going anywhere.”

Atsumu’s voice was gentle, more gentle than Kiyoomi knew him capable of.

Kiyoomi didn’t realize how utterly exhausted he was, falling asleep to the rise and fall of the alpha’s breath and his steady heartbeat. Atsumu’s evergreen scent was the warmest and most comforting blanket of all.

He slept all night and into the next day, the sun shining through his window when he finally awoke.

The rain had finally stopped.

Kiyoomi could hear his father in the kitchen preparing breakfast.

Atsumu was gone, and he was alone.

Kiyoomi almost felt it all a dream, if not for the lingering scent of evergreen in his room.

“Yer not gonna make me drink that shit again, are ya?”

Kiyoomi jumped at the sound of Atsumu’s voice.

The alpha had been so silent when he got out of bed, that Kiyoomi didn’t realize until he was right behind him.

He looked ridiculous. His hair sticking up in every direction, and red marks on his cheeks from where his face had been smooshed up against the pillows.

At least one of them felt well-rested.

Kiyoomi ignored Atsumu’s pouting as he poured him a cup of tea and handed it over to the alpha. Atsumu let out a low grumble but accepted the mug nonetheless.

“You already know I am. There’s no use in arguing.”

Kiyoomi nodded towards his small dining table.

“Now go sit. I’ll make you some food.”

The rabbit had probably gone bad by now.
If an animal hadn’t gotten to it already.

Kiyoomi snuck peaks at Atsumu as he prepared them a simple breakfast, the alpha taking slow, long sips of his tea as he stared out the window. Kiyoomi didn’t have much, just some wilting vegetables and a few eggs. But it would have to do for now. He refused to let Atsumu leave his sight, lest the alpha sneak off and pretend he was fine while Kiyoomi’s back was turned.

It wouldn’t be the first time.

“Eat,” Kiyoomi told him as he slammed the plate down on the table.

“Ya really need to work on that bedside manner of yours,” Atsumu winced as he tried to lift his injured arm to cut his food, dropping it back down again quickly.

The alpha was too proud to ask for help, but he let Kiyoomi take the cutlery from him, silently cutting his breakfast into more manageable bites.

“Ya need to eat, too,” Atsumu told him gently after his first swallow, “I’m sure ya skipped out on dinner. Ya look dead on yer feet.”

Kiyoomi scoffed but still stood up to grab another fork.

The two ate in relative silence, Kiyoomi not missing the fact that Atsumu pushed most of the bites to his side of the plate, even though Atsumu was the one who needed the food more.

Stupid alpha.

When the last piece had been swallowed, Atsumu cleared his throat, looking almost sheepish.

“Sorry ‘bout the rug.”

Kiyoomi didn’t care about the damn thing.

Not even a little bit.

He was just thankful Atsumu was awake and talking.

Alive.

“It’s fine,” Kiyoomi sighed, exhaustion creeping up again now that he had eaten, ready to cancel all appointments for the day and fall into bed.

“I’ll get ya a new one,” Atsumu winced as he attempted to lift his arm again, “Soon as this arm of mine is all better. Ya did a good job, by the way, sewing me up. I’ll get ya something even bigger, and–”

“Atsumu!” Kiyoomi raised his voice, slamming his hands down on the table.

He knew he was shaking out of fear and not anger, but he couldn’t stop the venom from leaking out in his voice.

It was easier that way.

“I have enough things,” Kiyoomi hissed, “I’ve told you time and time again. When will you get it through your head?”

Atsumu rose to meet him, his eyes dark and his scent thick.

Kiyoomi refused to bow his head in submission, even as his omega whined inside.

“Never.” Atsumu’s voice was low. “I promised to take care of ya. Always. What kind of alpha would I be if I didn’t?”

He was choking on evergreen.

“Don’t.”

Kiyoomi closed his eyes, not wanting to remember that horrible night.

Atsumu let out another frustrated growl as he ran his fingers through his hair.

One of the stitches popped, blood seeping into the bandage.

Kiyoomi only watched as Atsumu stomped over to the front door and swung it open before slamming it closed, the door rattling on its hinges from the force. He moved so fast that Kiyoomi didn’t have time to stop him.

He didn’t even try.

Kiyoomi let out a scream, picking up the half-drunken mug of tea and chucking it against the cabin wall. He watched as it shattered into shards, the liquid splashing out and staining the freshly cleaned floor.

Another mess he would have to clean up.

Kiyoomi was nine and ten when Hitoshi moved to their village.

“I don’t like him,” Atsumu had said shortly after their first meeting, eyes narrowed like slits as he glared at the other alpha, Hitoshi laughing and joking with the other townsfolk across the firepit.

All Kiyoomi could do was roll his eyes.

“You don’t like anyone.”

Kiyoomi had moved into his own home after his mother’s passing.

His father eventually recovered. The light never showed quite as brightly in his eyes when he smiled, but he was okay, and Kiyoomi felt it was time to set out on his own. Kiyoomi was okay too. As okay as he could be.

It had been too hard to keep living at home. Things were difficult enough at the clinic, with reminders of his mother everywhere. Little notes she had written for herself, and all her old supplies and her patient logs.

Her scent was all but faded from the linens and beds.

Being at home was far worse, though. Where his mother had lived, and where she had died.

His new cabin was better. It was small, but it was his.

A fresh start for him.

Kiyoomi tried not to think about it. He was too busy most days, thrown into prematurely taking over as the village healer. He still had so much left to learn, and his mother was no longer there to teach him.

Hitoshi’s father had been the healer of his old village. And though the alpha didn’t want to follow in his footsteps and become one himself, he was still knowledgeable, offering to teach Kiyoomi everything he knew and help to bridge the gaps in his education.

It would be nice to have someone else around the clinic to assist on the busy days.

Kiyoomi felt his cheeks pinken as the alpha looked his way and sent him a smile and a wave.

Atsumu huffed beside him and said he was going to get another drink.

Atsumu avoided Kiyoomi for a while afterward, ducking his head down and walking away when he saw the omega around town. Osamu would at least give Kiyoomi a sympathetic look, one that said, “I know he’s an idiot, but he’s trying.”

Kiyoomi refused to approach Atsumu first, the arrogant, stubborn alpha.  He didn’t want to give him the satisfaction. Even with his omega prodding him, demanding he go make things right, Kiyoomi stood his ground.

“Trouble in paradise?” Koushi laughed, adjusting his daughter on his hip.

“He infuriates me,” Kiyoomi grunted out, grinding his teeth together.

It was easy for Koushi to say. Things between him and Shuugo had always been simple. The alpha had shown up at his front door with a bouquet he’d picked himself on the day the omega had turned eight and ten, asking to court him. Straightforward and to the point. Everyone knew the two of them would get together, the way they flirted as pups. It was only a matter of time.

Atsumu had been notably absent on the day Kiyoomi turned eight and ten, much to the omega’s bitter disappointment.

“You think Shuugo never makes me mad?” Koushi looked at him, frowning. “I want to wring his neck some days and never speak to him again. Make him sleep outside in the dirt even if he even breathes in my direction one more time.”

Kiyoomi scoffed. He found that hard to believe. Shuugo had only ever had eyes for Koushi, and the omega for the alpha. The two of them seemed so in love, already expecting their fourth pup in just six years.

“But that’s love, isn’t it? You feel everything so strongly. The excitement, the anger, the jealousy, the annoyance,” Koushi continued knowingly, “The worry.”

Kiyoomi felt all he did was worry about Atsumu, a constant pit in his stomach wondering if the alpha’s next injury would be his last.

“Why bother? That seems like more trouble than it’s worth.”

Sometimes it felt easier, not being Atsumu’s. Kiyoomi would never forget when his mother died, and how excruciating it was for his father.

Maybe it was better that Atsumu and he just stayed friends. He would never have to experience that same pain if something happened to the alpha.

“Because I chose him, and we promised each other forever when we mated. Our life together is worth it. He’s worth it. ” Koushi broke into a feral little grin, his daughter babbling away on his hip as he rubbed his stomach, “Plus, the makeup sex doesn’t hurt.”

Kiyoomi felt his cheeks heat, pushing past Koushi as he entered his clinic and they parted ways, the omega laughing maniacally at his expense.

Trust his friend to not stay serious for too long.

Kiyoomi took a deep breath as he organized and counted his supplies and got ready for the day. Winter always brought about more sickness, and he would need to send someone for a supply run to a neighboring town soon, before the snow got worse.

“I’ll be with you shortly,” Kiyoomi called as the door opened behind him.

The clinic wasn’t ready to open yet, but that didn’t stop people from stopping by, and Kiyoomi would never turn someone away if they needed his help.

“I think the stitches are ready to be removed.”

Kiyoomi shoved down his annoyance. He was shocked the alpha hadn’t attempted to take them out by himself. Kiyoomi took his time to finish what he was doing before turning to look at Atsumu. He knew he was being petty, Atsumu finally waving the white flag and setting aside his pride to come to see him.

But maybe he wanted the alpha to sweat a little.

Atsumu was already sitting down, his shirt sleeve rolled up, when Kiyoomi finally approached him. At least the alpha had taken care of the wound in his absence. It had healed nicely, aside from the one ripped stitch.

It would leave another nasty scar.

Kiyoomi was silent as he began, carefully pulling out the old thread and disposing of it. Even Atsumu was quiet, his usual whining absent as Kiyoom worked, staring down at the floor.

His evergreen scent was muted, and he looked ashamed.

Serves him right.

“If that’s all,” Kiyoomi told him as the last stitch fell away, “I have other work to do, so I’ll bid you good day.”

Kiyoomi moved to stand, hoping Atsumu would leave quietly for once.

But he expected far too much of the alpha.

“Kiyoomi.” Atsumu’s hand shot out to grab his wrist, his eyes pleading as he looked up at him.

He could have easily shaken him off, but Kiyoomi didn’t want to, his omega clawing inside and his wrist burning hot from the touch.

Atsumu so rarely touched him these days.

Kiyoomi didn’t want him to stop.

“I’m sorry,” Atsumu continued quietly, “I shouldn’t have lost my temper.”

“You’re right. You shouldn’t have.”

If Atsumu expected for Kiyoomi to forgive him so easily, he was even more arrogant than the omega thought. It would take more than mere words for Kiyoomi this time.

“I know it’s no excuse but, I saw it again.” Atsumu’s brows furrowed together and his grip on Kiyoomi’s wrist tightened, his evergreen scent souring.

“The bear.”

Kiyoomi should be ashamed of the thoughts that he had about Hitoshi. The alpha was respectful of him, always praising his intelligence and his work ethic, laying on the compliments as he watched Kiyoomi in the clinic.

He was a handsome man, a few inches taller than Kiyoomi, his eyes a deep brown and his hair jet black. Kiyoomi couldn’t help it when heat pooled in his stomach when their fingers accidentally brushed when working alongside one another, or the way it tickled his neck when Hitoshi bent over him as he worked, talking gently in his ear.

Atsumu’s annoyance only grew as the weeks passed. Kiyoomi didn’t understand what his problem was. Hitoshi was a fine man, a good alpha, one any omega would be happy to call theirs. Even shortly after his arrival, he was already well-liked and respected by the other villagers. Only Atsumu seemed to hold any sort of disdain for the man.

When Kiyoomi asked him why he hated the alpha so much, when Hitoshi had done nothing to warrant such disdain, Atsumu’s eyes only darkened.

“I just do. Call it alpha instinct. Something is off about him, Omi. I just know it.”

When Kiyoomi recounted the whole affair to Koushi, the other omega just stared at him.

“Atsumu dislikes him because he’s jealous. You realize that, yes?”

Kiyoomi dismissed his friend. Atsumu had had plenty of time and plenty of opportunities to declare his feelings towards Kiyoomi, if he even had feelings at all. Kiyoomi couldn’t deny the way it had stung before, the two of them so close, and yet Atsumu making no move to become more.

Maybe it was time Kiyoomi gave up his foolish, childish crush and moved on.

Even if sometimes, Hitoshi’s gaze lingered uncomfortably and a little too long on Kiyoomi. Even if sometimes, the feel of his touch had his omega retreating and wanting to push the other alpha away.

Hitoshi could make him happy.

Even if he wasn’t really the alpha that Kiyoomi truly wanted.

Kiyoomi sat and listened as Atsumu recounted his tale. He had been on his way to Kiyoomi’s house when he spotted the bear in the forest. It was fattening itself up, feasting before the winter months began. Atsumu had kept his distance, the animal too busy eating to notice him, when he cut his arm on a jagged branch, eyes too focused on the bear as he retreated to pay attention to his surroundings.

“How do you know it was the same one?” Kiyoomi's brows furrowed as he sat beside Atsumu, the clinic door locked and the sign flipped closed, lest they be interrupted. “There are a lot of bears in the woods, Atsumu.”

“I just do,” Atsumu’s glare was harsh, his scent souring further, “I could still see the scar on its back from where Osamu drove in his knife.”

Kiyoomi didn’t know what to say to that, his heart thumping in his chest.

“What–” Kiyoomi had never asked him before, but he wanted to know. Needed to. “What happened that day?”

Kiyoomi held his breath as Atsumu began to speak.

“We were lookin’ for someplace safe,” Atsumu began, “Somewhere that piece of shit father of mine wouldn’t find us. Ma woke us up in the middle of the night, and told us we had to leave right then, or we’d never get another chance.”

Atsumu fiddled with his hands, looking down at the floor.

“But we got lost. It felt like we were walking in circles, our food running out. Osamu and I thought we’d be smart and try to find something for us to eat while our mother still slept. But the bear…it saw me first.”

Atsumu’s knuckles turned white as he dug his nails into his legs.

“I didn’t even have time to move when it attacked me. Osamu stabbed it with his knife and tried to scare it off, but it wouldn’t stop. All the commotion and screaming woke my Ma up. She distracted it, I don’t know how, but just enough for Osamu to pull me out from underneath its claws. She yelled at him to take me and run. And when I looked back, I–”

Atsumu stopped, his breath coming out in shallow gulps, a few tears dripping onto his still-clenched fists.

“I lived, but at what cost? If I hadn’t been so stupid–”

“It wasn’t your fault,” Kiyoomi whispered, peeling one of Atsumu’s hands off of his leg, interlinking their fingers as he squeezed.

How long had Atsumu been carrying around this guilt? Kiyoomi wanted to weep alongside the alpha. He had only been a child, trying to help his family. There was nothing he could have done.

“It doesn’t matter now.” Atsumu let go of Kiyoomi’s hand, brushing away his tears as he swallowed and reeled his scent back in, his moment of vulnerability over.

Kiyoomi wished he had the right words to say.

Hitoshi and Kiyoomi only grew closer as the months passed.

Atsumu continued to act like a petulant pup.

“Why won’t you just give him a chance?” Kiyoomi asked him as the alpha sat down at his desk, fiddling nervously with the papers as Kiyoomi slapped his hands away.

Atsumu had given Hitoshi a nasty glare as he entered the clinic that afternoon, the other alpha greeting him pleasantly as he said his goodbyes to Kiyoomi, ignoring the way Atsumu only grunted at him in return.

Kiyoomi didn’t want to get his hopes up, but Hitoshi had been giving him signs that he might start an official courtship soon. Just last week the alpha went to see Kiyoomi’s father. He was an adult now, and Hitoshi didn’t need to ask his permission to court Kiyoomi, but it was still a sign of respect.

Kiyoomi ignored the small voice in his head that still yearned for Atsumu.

“Ya ready for tonight?” Atsumu ignored his question entirely as he rocked back in the chair, smiling up at the omega as he finished cleaning up the clinic for the day.

The end of summer festivities. A night to celebrate the bounties of the harvest and to gather together. A night for family. For friendship.

For love.

“I will be,” Kiyoomi growled, snatching another paper from Atsumu before he could read its contents, “If you stop messing around and let me finish.”

Atsumu chuckled, “I’ll come pick ya up round sunset, and we can go together.”

Kiyoomi couldn’t stand how hopeful Atsumu looked, how he was about to crush that hope, something bitter and regretful stirring in his gut.

“I can’t.” Kiyoomi hated the way Atsumu’s smile dropped, the way the alpha’s evergreen scent curled in on itself, “Hitoshi already asked if I would accompany him. And I said yes.”

“Oh.” Was all Atsumu said as he stood to leave, not looking back at Kiyoomi as he walked towards the clinic door, “Well. Guess I’ll see ya there, then.”

The second the door closed, Kiyoomi wanted to chase after him. Wanted to take it all back, cancel on Hitoshi, and attend with Atsumu instead. But he felt frozen in place, his feet unable to move, his omega whining at him as he watched the alpha he loved leave.

He’ll be fine, Kiyoomi lied to himself as he finished cleaning up and locked up the clinic for the day. Atsumu is an adult, and he’ll get over it.

Hitoshi would be a good mate.

Not as good as Atsumu.

Kiyoomi didn’t dare dream of more, squashing down all thoughts of it.

Things went back to normal between the two of them.

Or whatever their version of normal was.

Stuck in a limbo between friends and lovers, destined to dance around one another in a losing game.

But Kiyoomi didn’t miss the way Atsumu was hush-hush with Osamu or the bags that began appearing under his eyes. The alpha was restless and combative, picking fights with people around town, up before the sun and out far beyond the time it set.

“What is your problem now?” Kiyoomi hissed at him as he rubbed salve onto the alpha’s knuckles.

“Nothing,” Atsumu glared back.

Just this morning he’d gotten into an argument with Shuugo and punched a wall. It would have been Shugo’s face, had Osamu not been there to grab hold of his brother and stop him, yelling at his twin afterward to calm down and take a walk.

The blood was congealed by the time he made it to Kiyoomi’s clinic, Atsumu’s evergreen scent still tinged with aggression as Kiyoomi applied the medicine.

“Winter is approaching and there are preparations to be made. We don’t have time for immature scuffles,” Kiyoomi went to rinse the salve and Atsumu’s blood from his hands, “Whatever Shuugo said to you, get over it.”

That was the wrong thing to say, Atsumu’s scent spiking again.

“I won’t,” Atsumu growled, the back of Kiyoomi’s neck prickling at his tone, “Not when he questions my character, or who I am as an alpha. Especially not when he calls me a coward. Or when he speaks about ya.”

Kiyoomi had to hide an eye-roll, spinning around as he jabbed a finger into Atsumu’s chest. Whatever the alpha thought Shuugo said, Kiyoomi was sure it was a misunderstanding, Atsumu only reacting this way because he wanted to pick a fight.

“I don’t care what he said about me. I can handle myself.”

Atsumu's voice was low. “I care.”

Kiyoomi felt his own temper rising, his muscles beginning to shake.

How long had he waited for Atsumu to grow up? How many times had he defended the alpha? Bandaged him up? Cared for him after preventable accidents?

“What could he have possibly said to you that would warrant fist fighting like pups?”

How many days had Kiyoomi spent sick with worry, biting his nails down to nothing, when the alpha was off on a hunt? How many nights had he stared at Atsumu across his dining table, waiting for him to make a move? How many heats had he spent alone, thinking only of Atsumu, wishing the alpha was by his side?

“And insulted your alpha?” Kiyoomi yelled before Atsumu could begin to defend himself, tossing his arms up in frustration, “Don’t make me laugh. When have you ever cared what people thought about you?”

Kiyoomi stomped his way over to the clinic door, ripping it open as he gestured outside.

“Go on then! Go fight the entire world if you must. Go prove yourself. Prove you aren’t a coward!”

Outside, the other villagers were staring and beginning to whisper and point, but over the rush of the blood in his head, Kiyoomi couldn’t find it in him to be embarrassed.

Kiyoomi was quiet as he spoke again, so only the alpha could hear him.

“But don’t you dare come crawling back to me when you get hurt again, expecting me to fix it all. I’m done, Atsumu.” Kiyoomi hissed. “Do you understand?”

Atsumu hesitated for just a second, opening and closing his mouth as his fists clenched, his scent giving away nothing before he stepped outside.

Kiyoomi slammed the door shut behind him.

Kiyoomi was drunk. Drunker than he had ever been before.

Despite promising to say hello later, Atsumu had been avoiding him all night long. He’d taken one look at Kiyoomi and Hitoshi when they arrived together, Koushi and some of the other omegas fawning over the pair, and turned his back.

If Atsumu wanted to ignore him, then Kiyoomi would ignore him right back.

“You might want to slow down a bit, Kiyoomi,” Hitoshi chuckled, trying to take the cup from the omega’s hands.

“I’m fine,” Kiyoomi grunted, taking another angry sip of the wine as he stared at the back of Atsumu’s head, trying to will the alpha into paying attention to him.

Kiyoomi couldn’t stop the growl from escaping as he watched Atsumu laughing on the otherwise of the fire, an omega putting her hands on the alpha’s arms as she stared at him and giggled.

How dare she touch our alpha.

“Maybe we should get you home,” Hitoshi wrapped his arm around Kiyoomi’s waist as he swayed on his feet, knocking the thought from his mind.

Maybe Hitoshi was right. Kiyoomi felt so dizzy, bitter jealousy surely leaking out into his scent. He didn’t want to sit here and watch Atsumu flirt with someone else right in front of him. He couldn’t bear it.

Kiyoomi let Hitoshi begin to lead him away from the celebration, nobody pairing the pair much mind as they walked past the other villagers, each looking just as inebriated as Kiyoomi felt.

“Hold on,” Kiyoomi slurred, stopping suddenly in the middle of the path. “Take me to my clinic.”

He was sure to feel terrible in the morning, but he had some herbs he could grab to bring home with him. Kiyoomi had brewed the tonic for Atsumu before, and the alpha had always claimed it fixed him right up.

Atsumu, his omega whined.

Kiyoomi hummed as he dug through jars, trying not to think about big strong hands and soft brown hair, looking for ginger and mint, when Hitoshi suddenly grabbed him and turned him around.

“Sneaky omega. I like the way you think.” Hitoshi grinned, before kissing him.

Kiyoomi gasped as Hitoshi walked him backward, his back hitting the clinic wall. My first kiss, Kiyoomi thought, as the alpha licked against the seam of his hips and slid his tongue inside.

His breath was bitter like the ale he had been drinking, and Kiyoomi didn’t care for the way it tasted. His omega was whining inside as he brought his hands up to Hitoshi’s arms, his brain moving slower than his body.

Kiyoomi had thought he liked Hitoshi, thought he wanted to be courted by the alpha and maybe even mated to him one day. But as Hitoshi continued to kiss him, Kiyoomi didn’t feel any warmth or butterflies or love.

He only felt disgusted.

It was all wrong.

Hitoshi was too tall, towering above him, and Kiyoomi had to crane his neck to kiss the alpha back. His jasmine scent was putrid and too floral, making Kiyoomi’s nose itch. His fingers were too long and skinny as he wrapped them around Kiyoomi’s waist, his shoulders too narrow as Kiyoomi grabbed hold of the alpha.

Kiyoomi didn’t want this. Didn’t want him.

“Stop,” Kiyoomi whispered, digging his nails into Hitoshi’s shoulders as the alpha kissed down his neck, his fangs nipping against his scent gland.

Kiyoomi thought he was going to be sick.

“It’s okay,” Hitoshi told him as he continued to lick at his scent gland, “No one will find us here.”

Kiyoomi pushed Hitoshi away, stumbling forward in his drunken state as he did.

“I said no,” Kiyoomi growled. The room was spinning and he felt like he couldn’t breathe, the sickly lavender smell all around him. “I changed my mind.”

Hitoshi looked taken aback for just a second, his eyes darkening as he stared at Kiyoomi in disbelief.

Then he slapped Kiyoomi across the face.

“You whore.” Hitoshi laughed, sharp and cold, “You omegas are all the same. Every day you tease me and tempt me, and now you tell me no?”

Kiyoomi was stunned, his cheek stinging and his eyes watering.

“I’m sorry,” Kiyoomi whispered, his mind foggy with confusion.

What was happening? This wasn’t the Hitoshi he knew. That alpha was respectful and kind and–

“You will be.” Hitoshi hissed, “Kneel. And don’t move.”

Kiyoomi felt a string snap inside of him, dropping to his knees at the alpha’s words.

“I should have known you were no different from the others,” Hitoshi’s tone was venomous as he tugged Kiyoomi’s pants down and shoved the omega’s face into the floor.

“Please. Stop.” Kiyoomi croaked as Hitoshi spat against his hole, shivering in disgust.

“Be quiet,” Hitoshi told him as he ran a finger alongside Kiyoomi’s cunt.

It was excruciating, Kiyoomi crying silently as the alpha pushed one finger inside dry, his rosemary scent bitter and acidic. Bile was rising in his throat as he wept. Kiyoomi wanted to scream and kick and fight back, but he was helpless against an alpha’s command, his omega at the mercy of Hitoshi.

The clinic door suddenly slammed open.

“What the fuck do ya think you’re doing?”

Kiyoomi only sobbed harder as Atsumu’s scent invaded the senses and he made eye contact with the alpha. Kiyoomi opened his mouth, trying to speak, but no words came out. He tried to move to cover himself, but he was frozen in place.

He didn’t want Atsumu to see him like this.

“We’re just having some fun,” Hitoshi laughed cruelly, “Do you mind–”

Hitoshi didn’t finish his sentence.

Atsumu punched him in the face before he could.

“Did ya command him?” Atsumu growled. Realization dawned on him as he watched Kiyoomi’s unmoving form, grabbing Hitoshi by the collar. He was shorter, but he was stronger than the other alpha, his scent dominating and drowning out Hitoshi’s own lavender one.

“What’s it to you?” Hitoshi’s nose looked to be broken, blood dripping down to his lips, a cruel smile still plastered on his face.

Atsumu looked horrified as he glanced between Hitoshi and Kiyoomi, yelling in frustration as he shoved Hitoshi back to the floor.

“Ya can speak,” Atsumu told Kiyoomi as he pulled his pants up, grabbing a blanket from a nearby bed and throwing it over the omega’s shivering body, “and move.”

“Atsumu,” Kiyoomi gasped as he wrapped his arms around the alpha’s shoulders and buried his face in the Atsumu’s neck, trying to inhale his evergreen scent and erase all traces of jasmine from his nose.

“I’ll fucking kill ya,” Atsumu’s voice was deadly as he held Kiyoomi tight against his own chest. “Just wait til I tell everyone what ya did.”

Kiyoomi’s stomach dropped.

No.

He didn’t want anyone to know.

“And who would they believe?” Hitoshi chuckled, “A hot-headed alpha like you, or a respectable one like me? Besides, Kiyoomi practically threw himself at me. He was asking for it.”

“Don’t say his name,” Atsumu growled again, his body tense against Kiyoomi’s own. “Don’t come near him ever again. Don’t even fucking look at him. Ya understand me?”

Kiyoomi wasn’t sure how he even made it home, clinging to Atsumu as the alpha carried him through the woods back to his cabin. He had to stop once to throw up, heaving over and over again as he vomited up all the wine. Atsumu stood by his side as he gagged, until nothing more was coming out, his stomach finally empty.

Once they were inside, Atsumu wiped Kiyoomi’s face with a cool cloth, wrapping him in blankets as Kiyoomi continued to shake and sob. Atsumu furiously scented him until Kiyoomi could no longer detect his own rosemary scent, evergreen filling the cabin as Atsumu tried to calm the omega.

“He’s not gonna touch ya ever again,” Atsumu's voice was quiet and serious. A promise to Kiyoomi as he looked into his eyes, “I’m gonna take care of everything. Take care of ya.”

Kiyoomi could only nod, his tears continuing to flow.

Kiyoomi shouldn't be out right now.

It had started to snow again that morning, the flakes like a thick white blanket all across the village and the forest. Kiyoomi could tell his heat was just days away, and he had closed the clinic the night before in perpetration, passing out medication and remedies to his patients, and warning them to be cautious during his absence.

The whole town was busy, people trading meat and vegetables and grains. The snow was light for now, but it was only worsening as the day progressed. There was a nervous energy throughout the village, and something gnawed in Kiyoomi’s gut.

He hadn’t seen Atsumu in a few days, not since their fight, but he couldn’t shake the sinking feeling that something was wrong.

Kiyoomi was still angry, but as he stood outside the house that Atsumu lived at with Osamu, knocking loudly on their door, he only felt worried.

He just needed to see Atsumu, see that the alpha was alright.

That would calm his omega.

“Kiyoomi,” Osamu looked surprised when he opened the door, a frown on his face, his nose pinching at the scent of Kiyoomi’s preheat. “Can I help ya?”

“Is Atsumu home?” Kiyoomi said, “I need to speak to him.”

Osamu’s frown only deepened.

Something wasn’t right.

“Just…wait here,” Osamu closed the door for a moment, returning with a letter sealed in wax.

“He said to give ya this if he didn’t come back.”

Kiyoomi was shaking as he reached out his hand to take the parchment, his heart rate beginning to speed up.

“Where has he gone?” Kiyoomi looked at Osamu, his eyes pleading.

“Just,” Osamu sighed, his own scent bitter and angry, “Read the letter.”

Kiyoomi raced home, dripping in sweat under his winter clothing by the time he made it back to his cabin. He could barely open the letter, his hands trembling horribly as he cut away the wax.

Kiyoomi

I wanted to come see you and tell you in person.

But maybe I am a coward after all.

If I told you my plan, you would have told me no, and I don’t think I would be able to leave. I hate to see you angry, and I hate it even more when you cry.

You can be as angry as you want with me, but I hope you aren’t crying right now.

You’d laugh at me if I told you, that cute little blush of yours on on your face, but the first time I saw you, my life changed forever. I didn’t think I would make it. The pain was so awful. I just wanted to close my eyes and never wake up again. My ma was dead. I was halfway dead myself. What was even the point of it all anymore? At least Osamu was safe, and I could go knowing that he would be okay.

But then I opened my eyes, just for a moment, and I saw you. The most beautiful boy I had ever seen in my life. I could hardly believe you were real. It gave me the push I needed, the will to hold on, if only for just a moment longer. I wanted to make sure you were real, and not just something I had imagined while on death’s door.

I love you, Sakusa Kiyoomi.

I think I have from the moment we met.

I fought with Shuugo because he asked when I was going to finally admit and do something about it. I got angry, but he was right.

I want to prove to you that I can provide for you and take care of you. Prove that I was worthy of an omega like you. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.

I almost told you, before.
Almost blurted it out so many times that I’ve lost count.

But it was never the right time. After your mother passed away. After that bastard Hitoshi…

I could tell you weren’t ready. Or maybe it was me who wasn’t ready.

I feel like a fool now.

Maybe I was scared you would tell me no, tell me you didn’t feel the same way.

So maybe I am a coward and an idiot and every other mean name you want to call me.

But I’m gonna tell you soon, whether you reject me or not.
I can’t hold it in any longer.

I’m going back to the forest to find that bear that killed my Ma, and I’m going to kill it.

But don’t worry about me. Please don’t cry, Kiyoomi. I won’t lose, because I have an omega waiting for me, and he’ll kill me if I don’t come home.

Forever yours,

Miya Atsumu

Kiyoomi felt as though he was walking around in a daze. He could barely sleep at night, even with Atsumu sitting outside his front door and keeping watch, scared of the nightmares he might have when he closed his eyes. Food tasted like ash in his mouth and had him running outside to throw up if he tried to swallow anything.

Atsumu kept bringing him tea and broth.

“Please, Kiyoomi. Just drink a little. Ya don’t have to finish it all.” Atsumu would beg him.

The alpha was always cautious when he handed it over, his voice soft and gentle, careful not to let their skin touch.

It made Kiyoomi want to scream. He didn’t know if he wanted the alpha to take him into his arms and hold him close, or throw the food in Atsumu’s face and tell him to get out.

But it was the only thing he could stomach, Atsumu nodding and smiling as he watched Kiyoomi take small sips and swallow.

He couldn’t stand being treated like a child, so fragile, Atsumu so afraid of making the wrong move or saying the wrong thing, like Kiyoomi would crumble completely if he did.

“Ya should tell someone, Omi,” Atsumu would tell him, his scent so thick it made Kiyoomi’s eyes water, “He deserves to be punished.”

Kiyoomi just shook his head. He just wanted it to all go away and pretend like it never happened.

He wanted to forget.

He felt like such a fool, trusting Hitoshi. If he hadn’t been so nice to the alpha. If he hadn’t been so touchy. If he hadn’t gotten so drunk.

It was all his fault.

The hunting party was docile when they returned to the village, the mood somber and quiet. Usually, the alphas were excited, cheering loudly and posturing about and they ran up to their omegas to show off their catches.

Kiyoomi was sitting in the town square, Koushi’s toddler bouncing on his lap, the omega feeding his newborn beside him. Even the pup sensed the tension in the air as it stopped eating and began to cry, the alpha’s sour scents upsetting her.

Kiyoomi counted the hunting party. They had left with ten men, but now–Osamu, Atsumu, and Shuugo were amongst them.

Hitoshi was not.

He watched as they unloaded a wagon usually preserved for deer and other heavier animals. The alphas grunted as they lifted a body tied in a cloth.

Kiyoomi thought he might be sick again, acid burning his throat as he swallowed.

“Shuugo,” Koushi looked up at his mate, trying to calm his fussing newborn as the alpha approached them, “Who…? What happened?”

Shuugo took his son from Kiyoomi’s lap, holding the pup close to his chest. Kiyoomi hated the way his skin crawled when the alpha’s arm accidentally brushed against his own.

“There was an accident,” Shuugo said quietly, the villagers all gathering around the wagon to see what had happened.

“Hitoshi, he–” Shuugo looked back and forth between the two omegas, struggling to find the words.

Kiyoomi’s mouth was so dry. He could feel his body begin to shake.

“We all split off once in the forest. And I don’t know how it happened, but he must have slipped. Maybe he wasn’t watching where he was going.”

Kiyoomi looked up, feeling eyes on him.

Atsumu was staring straight at him, even as the crowd of villagers around him began to shout and cry.

“Atsumu was the one who spotted him at the bottom of a ravine. Heard him calling for help. But by the time Atsumu found me and we found a safe path down to him…it was too late. He was already gone.”

Kiyoomi swallowed.

“I’m so sorry, Kiyoomi. I know the two of you were close.”

Atsumu nodded at him once as the crowd engulfed him, his face stony and serious.

Kiyoomi took a deep breath, what felt like the first one in weeks, as he began to cry in relief.

The snow came, hard and fast, just as the village elders had predicted it would. The worst winter the village had seen in years, maybe even decades.

Atsumu had been gone for two weeks now.

Kiyoomi’s heat was one of the worst he had ever had. He didn’t even want to touch himself, didn’t feel the desire to, his omega crying out for an alpha that couldn’t hear his pleas and begging.

Atsumu was tenacious. Headstrong and brave, tougher than most men he knew.

But even he would struggle. The snow was unforgiving, coming down in troves as it piled up outside Kiyoomi’s cabin and throughout the village and the forest. The temperature had dropped as well, and if one didn’t make shelter, survival was unlikely.

Kiyoomi’s heat had finally ended that morning, but with the snow still coming down outside, there was nowhere to go. He prayed the other villagers were doing okay in his absence, everyone hunkered down in their homes. He had no way of making it to town. He would try in the morning when the sun came out and hopefully melt some of the ice and snow away.

But as night fell once again, Kiyoomi’s worry only increased again.

It would take a miracle for Atsumu to survive.

Kiyoomi said a silent prayer as he lit a candle and settled back into his nest, shivering even with the fire going and the blankets and furs surrounding him.

He thought he was imagining things at first, the quiet knock on his door. Kiyoomi ignored it as he pulled the blankets over his head. It was likely just the wind, his mind playing tricks on him.

But he heard another noise, louder and more insistent this time.

Kiyoomi held his breath as he threw the covers off, listening for the sound again.

A third knock.

Kiyoomi didn’t dare get his hopes up as he got out of bed, his heart beginning to race as he made his way to the cabin door. His palms were starting to sweat, and Kiyoomi had to pull hard to wretch it open, ice freezing the door and making it stick to the frame.

Atsumu was breathing heavily, his nose bright red and his lips blue from the cold temperature outside, little icicles stuck to his eyelashes and brows.

“You.” Kiyoomi didn’t care about the snow on the ground as he stepped onto the porch with bare feet, punching Atsumu in the chest, “Idiot.”

There were already tears welling up in his eyes, relief flooding his body as he began to cry.

“I know.” Atsumu had the decency to at least look a little sheepish and apologetic. He grabbed Kiyoomi’s hand before he would wind up and hit him again, lacing their fingers together.

“Do you know how worried I was?” Kiyoomi sobbed as he wrapped his other arm around Atsumu’s thick shoulder, squeezing the alpha’s hand so tightly it must have hurt.

“I know,” Atsumu whispered into his curls, pulling Kiyoomi close to his body as his evergreen scent wrapped around the omega, the comforting smell detectable even through the layers of clothing and the thick jacket that Atsumu was wearing.

“It’s not that I’m not happy to see ya too,” Atsumu chuckled, “But can we go inside? I can’t feel my toes.”

Atsumu didn’t complain as Kiyoomi pulled him inside and made the alpha take off his soaking outer layers to wash himself. Kiyoomi dug through his closet, handing the alpha dry clothing and ordering him to sit by the fire. He pulled a blanket from his bed, still tinged with the scent of his heat, and threw it over the alpha’s shivering shoulders. Kiyoomi would have been embarrassed before at the way Atsumu sharply inhaled his scent, firelight dancing in his eyes as he tracked the omega around the cabin. But now he only felt excitement and relief, his omega crawling inside now that his alpha was home.

Kiyoomi joined Atsumu on the wolf pelt by the fire, passing him a mug of tea, something to warm his hands and body after being out in the snow for so long.

“I read your letter,” Kiyoomi whispered, still in disbelief that Atsumu was sitting in front of him, praying it wasn’t all a dream and the alpha would still be there in the morning when he woke.

“Ah, damn Samu,” Atsumu chuckled lowly as he looked away, his cheeks beginning to pink up a bit.

“Is that all you have to say for yourself?”

“Well, I killed it, if that’s what yer wondering.” Atsumu grinned to himself, “I was planning to bring it back and skin it. But that bastard weighs a ton.”

Kiyoomi watched as Atsumu sat the mug aside, moving closer towards him, shadows from the fireplace dancing across the alpha’s face. 

“I got caught up in the storm, stuck in its den with its corpse, weighing my options and my chances of survival.” 

Kiyoomi fell back to his elbows as Atsumu crowded over him. 

“When I thought to myself, how stupid is this? Dying out here in the cold, all alone, when I could be at home with my omega instead?”

“Atsumu,” His face was so close now that Kiyoomi could feel the alpha’s breath on his face. 

“Kiyoomi,” Atsumu’s eyes flicked between his own and Kiyoomi’s lips, “Can I?”

“Please.” Kiyoomi threaded his fingers through brown hair, “Don’t you think you’ve made me wait long enough?”

Atsumu chuckeled heartily and low, as Kiyoomi fell all the way to his back, pulling the alpha on top of him in the process. 

“I’m sorry for making you wait, darlin’.”

This was what had been missing, what he had been craving, what his omega had always desired , Kiyoomi thought as he pulled Atsumu’s head down and their lips connected. 

Atsumu was hesitant, his movements slow, as he planted one hand next to Kiyoomi’s head, the other gently caressing his cheek. Even now, he allowed Kiyoomi the opportunity to push him away if he wanted to. 

Kiyoomi had been waiting years for this, maybe his whole life, his omega bursting with satisfaction inside. He would never push the alpha away, never let Atsumu go, now that he was finally in his arms. 

He gently nipped at Atsumu’s bottom lip, the alpha opening his mouth with a low groan as Kiyoomi ran his tongue along his fangs. He tasted like the chamomile tea Kiyoomi had brewed for him. He tasted like his. 

Kiyoomi let out a whine as Atsumu broke off their kiss, his lips trailing down the omega’s neck to his scent gland. He shivered as Atsumu placed a gentle kiss against it, and Kiyoomi felt his cock begin to stir. 

Atsumu had seen him naked before, but never like this. The alpha sat up as he slowly unbuttoned Kiyoomi’s shirt and began to slide his pants down. The alpha had always kept his gaze elsewhere in the past, mindful to give Kiyoomi his privacy, but now Atsumu’s hungry eyes were jumping all over Kiyoomi’s body like he didn’t know where to look first. 

“Yer perfect,” Atsumu breathed out, Kiyoomi turning his head as he felt himself blush and try to cover himself. 

“Don’t hide from me,” Atsumu mumbled against his neck, kissing down to Kiyoomi’s chest, “Please. Let me see.”

He let Atsumu move his hands, gripping the alpha’s strong back as he kissed Kiyoomi’s nipple before gently sucking it into his mouth. He gasped, feeling his cunt grow wet with slick, his rosemary scent bleeding out. 

Kiyoomi closed his eyes as Atsumu kissed him all over, his breath hot against his skin as the alpha traveled further down. He was surely dripping slick onto the rug below his body as Atsumu got closer to his center, leaving his mark all across Kiyoomi's stomach and one on every mole. 

“Pretty,” Atsumu’s voice was rough as he bypassed Kiyoomi’s center, continuing down his legs as he worshiped him. 

It tickled as Atsumu kissed and licked at his thighs, pushing his leg up to lay a kiss on the back of his knee. Kiyoomi could feel himself flushing at being so exposed, but he didn’t want Atsumu to stop. He was willing to show the alpha everything if it meant he would keep touching him. 

“Atsumu,” Kiyoomi warned as the alpha softly caressed the bottom of his foot, curling his toes in at the feeling. 

“Sorry,” Atsumu grinned, a boyish thing, before making his way back up Kiyoomi’s body. 

Kiyoomi had to fight against his instinct to close his legs as Atsumu kissed the crease of his thigh. His cunt was soaked now, his little cock hard and dripping against his stomach, anticipation hot in his gut. 

He whined as Atsumu hesitantly licked his cunt for the first time. He would have clamped down on the alpha’s head, if not for strong hands holding Kiyoomi’s thighs open. Atsumu moaned as he tasted Kiyoomi, the vibrations sending another wave of slick to his core. Kiyoomi had daydreamed about it before, during his heats, what it might feel like to have Atsumu touching him instead of his own hands. He could never have imagined it would feel like this. 

Kiyoomi tossed his head back with a groan as Atsumu moved to his cock, gently licking the sensitive tip before sucking it into his mouth, one finger at his entrance as he slowly slid it inside. 

He was so wet that he felt no pain, only pleasure, as Atsumu slowly pumped his finger in and out, drawing even more slick out of Kiyoomi in the process. Atsumu followed Kiyoomi's lead, listening to the way his breathing changed and his moans got louder, curling his finger in as his thighs began to shake. Kiyoomi felt on the brink already, a string inside him about to snap, as Atsumu slowly withdrew and slid a second finger inside.

He didn’t want it to be over.

“Stop.”

Atsumu pulled away immediately, his scent souring slightly and looking apologetic.

“Are ya okay? Does it hurt?” Atsumu’s voice was strained as he sat back. Kiyoomi could see the outline of his hard cock through his pants, and he realized how much restraint Atsumu was showing.

“Come here,” Kiyoomi pouted as he pulled Atsumu back up to his face, drawing the alpha in for another kiss, tasting himself on the alpha's lips.

Atsumu groaned into his mouth as Kiyoomi reached a hand down to feel him through the thin fabric. He wasn’t as brave or as bold as the alpha was, but he wanted to see him and touch him.

“Don’t,” Atsumu grabbed his hand and pushed it away, “Ya don’t know how difficult it is. I’m trying to hold back.”

Kiyoomi grabbed Atsumu’s face with both hands, making the alpha look him in the eyes so he wouldn't misunderstand him.

“Maybe I don’t want you to.”

Atsumu growled, his evergreen scent spiking again, as Kiyoomi helped him to shed his clothing. He ran his fingers along all the scars, the small notch on Atsumu’s bicep, and the twisted, gnawed ones on his chest and stomach. They had faded over time, a light pink instead of their once dark red. They would always be there as a reminder of what Atsumu had been through and everything he had endured. But also as a sign that he had lived, despite it all.

Kiyoomi laid one hand against Atsumu’s chest, feeling his heart beating steady and strong. Atsumu was looking down at him with such devotion that the words tumbled out of Kiyoomi’s mouth before he could stop them.

“I love you, Miya Atsumu.”

Kiyoomi had been scared to voice those words aloud before, but it now felt like the most natural thing in the world. He swore the alpha’s heart skipped a beat as his breath drew in sharply, his smile so wide that Kiyoomi couldn’t help but grin to match it.

Kiyoomi wrapped his legs around Atsumu’s waist as he felt his cock against his entrance, the alpha slowly pushing inside. It didn’t hurt, despite how huge he felt.

There was barely any space between them, but Atsumu felt too far away. Kiyoomi grabbed his shoulders and pulled him in closer, until their chests and stomachs were touching, his cock trapped between their bodies.

“Atsumu,” Kiyoomi gasped as the alpha slid in further. 

It was nothing like his tongue or fingers, much larger, but Kiyoomi’s body readily accepted the alpha. Atsumu slowly pushed until his entire length was enveloped in Kiyoomi’s heat, moaning as he bottomed out.

Atsumu kissed him again as he steadily pulled back and began to fuck him. Despite the snow still coming down outside and the chill throughout the cabin, Kiyoomi felt as though he was on fire. Atsumu was like the thickest fur on top of him, sweat already trapped between their bodies as the alpha slowly made love to him. He kept his pace steady and controlled, only pulling back a few times to smile at Kiyoomi before kissing him again. Rosemary and evergreen flooded the cabin, the herbal scents melding together as one.

Kiyoomi whined as Atsumu brought a hand down between their bodies, grasping his small cock in his hand, stroking it in time with his thrusts. Kiyoomi couldn’t stop his orgasm this time, his entire body trembling as Atsumu pleasured him inside and out. He cried as he felt himself come, his cunt releasing another wave of slick as his cock kicked in the alpha’s hand, making a mess between their stomachs.

Atsumu looked as though he was going to pull away, but Kiyoomi tightened his legs and refused to let the alpha go. He felt a bit sensitive, but he could feel Atsumu’s knot beginning to form, hitting his entrance with every thrust.

“Gorgeous omega,” Atsumu mumbled against his neck, Kiyoomi tightening down on his length, “How did I get so lucky?”

As Atsumu continued to fuck into him, Kiyoomi couldn’t stop as his mind began to wander. It was pure luck that Atsumu didn’t die out there in the storm. His grip tightened around the alpha’s shoulders. Just how close had he come to losing Atsumu forever? Only some furs and a letter to remember him by?

“Don’t–” Kiyoomi choked on his words, tears beginning to form in his eyes, the fear creeping back in.”Don’t you dare leave me again. Do you hear me, Miya Atsumu?”

Atsumu looked stunned as he looked into Kiyoomi’s eyes, brushing the sweaty curls off his forehead.

“I won’t.” Atsumu rasped,  “Never again. I promise.”

Atsumu had done many foolish things in his life, but he had never broken a promise. The alpha was true to his word.

The wind continued to howl outside the cabin, battering snow against the walls and windows, but Kiyoomi tuned it all out. There was only him and Atsumu, the rest of the world falling away.

Kiyoomi’s scent gland was throbbing as Atsumu’s knot only grew larger against his entrance. Sweat was dripping down his face now, the alpha’s cheeks pink as he grunted, his thrusts growing sloppy and losing their pace. Atsumu must have been close.

In an act of submission, Kiyoomi turned his head to the side, his scent gland on display.

“Make me yours”

Kiyoomi closed his eyes, expecting to feel teeth on his neck. But instead, Atsumu gently cupped his face, turning the omega to look at him once more.

Atsumu’s breathing was heavy as Kiyoomi gazed up at him, his eyes bright and true in the firelight.

“You’ve always been mine.”

Kiyoomi gasped as Atsumu’s fangs sank into his scent gland, his knot pushing in at the same time. He came again as Atsumu released inside of him, crying out in pleasure as the alpha marked him.

Kiyoomi was Atsumu’s. And the alpha was his.

The log in the fireplace was beginning to burn down, its light fading from the cabin. But Kiyoomi didn’t feel cold, clinging to Atsumu, refusing to let the alpha go now that he had him. Even after his knot released its tie and he gently pulled out, they laid their together, basking in each other’s presence.

Kiyoomi touched the new mark on his neck, sure to form a scar in time. Atsumu was covered in imperfections, marks, and scars all over his body. But this was Kiyoomi's only one. 

A scar he would proudly display.