RECOMMENDED SONG: HYPNOTISED BY YEARS AND YEARS
Oikawa and Kuroo walked through the forest as stealthily as possible, avoiding stones, fallen branches, and roots sticking out of the frozen ground. An absolute silence reigned in the air, only their soft breaths or the faint crunch of wild grass were heard with each footstep.
They walked side by side, the backs of their hands brushing from time to time, silent caresses that quickened their hearts and led to discreet glances out of the corner of their eyes. None of them said anything or showed any other sign of having felt the friction; pride and stubbornness prevailed when it came to being honest, so they kept quiet. But they both knew that such friction existed, even if they didn't mention it aloud.
"Why are you so silent, Oikawa-kun?" Kuroo asked with a smirk.
"Because I have nothing to say," Oikawa replied, giving him a furtive glance. "And you, Kuro-chan? Do you have something to say?"
"Hm... Nah, I don't think so."
Oikawa snickered wryly, shaking his head as Kuroo looked at him discreetly with a small smile trying to play on his lips. They kept walking, listening for any sounds and trying to ignore the brushing of hands and the glances that did not stop flying between them. But the place was so lonely that they soon stopped worrying that someone was hiding to attack them or their packs. No experienced and intelligent hunter would dare to tread Sakusa's territory, and members of Sakusa's pack or the alpha himself would gain nothing by attacking them from behind when they could have done so when they had met hours earlier.
"Oh, Kuro-chan," Oikawa called. Kuroo looked at him. "Actually... I do have something to say. That hunter... The one from the other day... The one who attacked you."
"It was him, right?" Kuroo asked. His voice was sad. "The one who accuses you of killing his family."
Oikawa lowered his head to look at the ground. He was biting his lip in a nervous and desperate gesture, and Kuroo could smell the sadness that was emitting from his skin.
"His name is Iwaizumi Hajime," Oikawa muttered. "I've known him almost since I was born. He was my best friend when we were kids and then... everything went wrong. We spent our days together, we went to the same class... All of that was before I had to run away.
"I know my mother would never kill a human, least of all him or his family. My mother was very fond of them, she treated Iwa-chan like her own son."
"I'm sorry," Kuroo lamented, placing a hand affectionately on Oikawa's arm, "it shouldn't have been easy."
"No, it's not easy," Oikawa whispered. "That's why I want to investigate the death of his parents. To show him that we had nothing to do with that tragedy. That's why when you came with Bokuto-san's message... Joining you and bring down the Hunters Guild can help me find the reports of the attack. Forensic reports. As the werewolves allegedly killed them, the hunters keep the reports in their possession. But I'm going to get them. I want Iwa-chan to see that neither me nor my mother would kill anyone."
Oikawa ran his fingers over the jewel that hung from his neck, trying to remember his mother's smile and the love she had given him until the last moment of her life.
"I'll help you with whatever you need, Oikawa-kun. Count on me."
"Thank you, Kuro-chan."
"No problem."
Silence made its way into the air again. As they progressed, the trees grew closer together, and the little starlight that had previously seeped through the leaves had now practically disappeared. Their steps were slow to avoid stumbling, and only their alpha status gave them an advantage in the dark. His eyes, red at the time, weren't as useful as they might have been during the day or anywhere with light, but at least his sight was more developed than that of humans and they could be guided almost in the complete blackness of the forest.
"Thanks for saving my life," Oikawa muttered out of nowhere.
Kuroo looked at him and smiled. Even though he could only see the reddish glow in the dark, it was enough to make his heart feel at peace.
"Don't mention it," he replied, looking back to the front. "You would have done the same for me."
Oikawa stopped, grabbing his arm and yanking the young man around on his heel so that they were both face to face.
"Yes, exactly, Kuro-chan. I would have done the same for you."
Oikawa pulled Kuroo towards him until their chests touched, until their faces were so close to each other that they could feel each other's breath. Their red eyes were lost in those of the other, their gazes collided with intensity, like two stars devoured by the flames. In a sinister location in the middle of a dark and unknown forest, the situation offered the mysticism of a fairy tale, the intimacy of a silent and secret night that only belonged to the two of them. Kuroo seemed to want to say something, staring at Oikawa's red irises, but the spell of the moment kept him silent, delighting in just Oikawa's presence, without having to put it all into words. In fact, it wasn't necessary.
Kuroo caressed Oikawa's cheek with his thumb and Oikawa dropped his head to get closer to that slight contact, resting his face on Kuroo's palm, letting the warmth of his fingers spread over his skin. Kuroo took a deep breath and narrowed the few inches between their faces until their lips touched. The smell of Oikawa's skin was driving him crazy, because he knew exactly what his pheromones transmitted. Oikawa, anxious, could not wait: he leaned in until his lips collided with Kuroo's. He wrapped his arms around the other's neck, wrapping his arms around him and breathing through his nose as Kuroo wrapped his arms around Oikawa's waist and held him firmly, his lips moving so slowly that it was both ecstatic and exasperating. They could feel the other's heart beating against their own chest, so close that it almost felt like they had been merged into a unique and only being. They did not know where one of them ended and where the other began.
Suddenly there was a rustle in the leaves of the trees around them, and the two of them separated quickly, moved by a spring, as if they had suffered an electric shock. They turned around, looking around. They listened and then they heard the creaking sound again: bats flapping out of the trees or hanging from branches, moving the dry leaves that were there and making again the same sound they had just heard.
"It was just a bloody bat," Kuroo grumbled.
"I don't know whether to be happy because they interrupted us or not," Oikawa said with a sigh, continuing to watch around him.
"We can't do this here," Kuroo admitted running a hand over his face and patting Oikawa on the shoulder. "Hopefully we can settle down soon, I miss not having to do guards, I miss sleeping in a bed..."
Kuroo started walking again, and Oikawa followed him, feeling that something important had been left behind when the moment had been broken.
"Yes, it would be nice to rest somewhere other than the ground. Although by mentioning the bed I was thinking about something other than sleeping," Oikawa commented, throwing Kuroo a look of circumstances in the dark.
Kuroo chuckled.
"Yeah, I also miss having a private place where we can do whatever we want. The escapes to the forest are not safe enough, if they catch us we're screwed."
"I still think that the hierarchy of the packs in the 21st century is stupid. Who cares what we alphas do?" Oikawa growled.
"The entire species, Oikawa-kun," Kuroo said. "If alphas don't give heirs, the species will be extinct. It sounds cold, devoid of feelings, but it's the truth. The continuation of the species depends on the alphas doing their job by impregnating omegas."
"I find it cruel and unpleasant," said Oikawa, disgusted.
"What do you mean?"
"Atsumu-chan said it. Omegas aren't just for that. That their only mission in life is to give birth to the children of alphas seems disgusting to me. I'm incapable of thinking that from an omega of my pack. I'm not going to get Shoyo, or any other omega under my command, pregnant. Nor Hana-chan, even though she belonged to Teru-chan's pack. They're friends and companions, not baby-making machines."
Kuroo was silent, and Oikawa said nothing more as they walked back to the camp after checking that there was nothing suspicious in the surroundings.
But then Kuroo spoke.
"What do you think will happen now? With Atsumu, I mean."
"He may get what he wants," Oikawa whispered. "He seems determined to do so, and it's clear that he's right, at least from my point of view. Not all omegas are weak. He has shown that he's not... Nor people like your mother." Kuroo looked at him gratefully before he continued speaking. "Nor do I believe that all alphas are strong or invincible. It's clear that we all have weaknesses," he added giving Kuroo a sideways glance.
Kuroo noticed, but made no mention of the look. He only lightly brushed Oikawa's hand before speaking.
"We all have people we want to protect. It's normal... We're still half-human, after all," he said with a small smile.
***
The atmosphere was heavy and solemn, silent and charged with sadness. No one said anything, they just watched the moving scene with a heavy heart and feeling the deep sorrow of the beta despite the fact that he did not emit pheromones.
"You sure, right?" Osamu asked again.
"Yeah, don't repeat the same over and over again," Atsumu said rolling his eyes. "I'm sure of this, I've always been."
"Then there's no time to waste," Bokuto intervened. "Come on, Sakusa must be waiting."
Atsumu nodded and looked at his twin with glassy eyes; Osamu returned a sad look. Atsumu lunged towards him and caught him in a tight hug. He wanted to cry, he felt sad to be separated from his brother for the first time in 20 years without being sure if they were going to meet again, if they were even going to see each other again. They had been together since before they were born, even when their parents had run away and left them behind, even when Bokuto's father had taken them in and raised and educated them as if they were his children. And for the first time Atsumu realized how much he loved his brother, despite the fights, despite the estrangement since he had shown his omega status. He was his twin brother, his other half, and he had a connection with him that he would never have with anyone else. They knew each other too well, and living without each other was going to hurt.
Atsumu silently sobbed, holding Osamu even more tightly in his arms.
"Don't cry," Osamu whispered in a trembling voice, on the verge of tears, "you're the older one. You have to set a good example for me."
"I'm sorry I distanced myself from you, I should have never done that," Atsumu muttered through tears. "You were not to blame for my condition."
"You did what you had to do. At least I can say that I am proud of my older brother," said Osamu, finally letting the tears flow from his eyes.
Atsumu let a broken sob escape his lips before pulling away from Osamu. He wiped the tears from his cheeks and grabbed his brother by the shoulders.
"Stay safe. Don't let them hurt you," he almost begged.
"I promise you," Osamu agreed with wet cheeks.
Atsumu turned around and slung the bag over his shoulder. He approached Bokuto and they both began to walk towards the place where they would meet Sakusa, quickly moving away from the place between the trees where the rest remained hidden and safe. They quickened their pace, walking through the trees carefully but quickly, with a fixed aim that avoided distractions.
Bokuto didn't say a word. Everything he had to say was said by the pheromones, his skin was like a huge mouth that spoke the words that he himself did not dare to say. He was sad, devastated and anguished, not only for losing a member of his tiny pack, you could almost say that he did not care about that. Rather, he felt that a very close friend was leaving him. He couldn't even imagine how Osamu must have felt when it was his twin who was leaving but he knew it hadn't been easy.
The immense bravery Atsumu was displaying, however, quelled all other emotions. Bokuto could feel the anxiety and hesitation in his heavy breathing, the fear of failure in his racing heart, which Bokuto could hear thanks to his fine hearing. But despite the pain, the fear of leaving his loved ones and embarking on a dangerous mission with someone unknown who only wanted him on a whim, the decision he had made demonstrated Atsumu's relentless determination and mental toughness. And Bokuto couldn't help but feel relieved that Atsumu was such a tough and headstrong boy.
Before they knew it, they reached the clearing where they had met Sakusa three nights ago. This time, a tiny wedge of moonlight slightly illuminated the treetops and the grass at their feet. The breeze carried with it the threads of mist that coiled between their legs. It was cold and each breath generated a small cloud of fog in front of their faces.
Sakusa was already waiting for them. He was alone, standing there, staring into the forest, the same melancholy look as last time. The piercing in his eyebrow gleamed slightly. He was still wearing a mask and black leather jacket, but this time it was not stained with blood.
"Sakusa," Bokuto greeted without a hint of joy in his voice.
Only when Bokuto spoke did Sakusa become aware of their presence. It seemed like his mind had been so lost that he hadn't heard the footsteps approaching or smelled the scent of the alpha and the omega. Or maybe he had noticed it but he had decided to ignore it until Bokuto did something to get his attention.
"The omega," Bokuto said. "Miya Atsumu."
"Good. I'll talk to you soon, then," Sakusa replied looking at Bokuto.
"When? Where?"
"You won't need to know beforehand," Sakusa replied. "Come on," he added looking at Atsumu and turning around and walking in the opposite direction from which the two men had come.
Bokuto and Atsumu looked at each other.
"Take care of Samu," Atsumu said with a lump in his throat.
"Take care of yourself," Bokuto replied, giving him a brief hug. "You'll always have a place among us. If you decide to return, you'll be welcome again."
Atsumu nodded and tightened his hand on the strap of the bag he carried over his shoulder. He took a deep breath of icy air and walked away from Bokuto to follow Sakusa... his new alpha.
***
Sakusa guided Atsumu through the empty and misty streets of the Takefukuro neighborhood until they came to a small one-floor house in a classic Japanese style. It was made of sturdy but aged dark wood and white brick, with upturned roof corners and paper and wood windows. It was surrounded by a garden full of tall, unkempt grass. The entire enclosure was surrounded by a stone wall with two huge wooden doors with a small roof. The interior was dusty and the air stale after being closed for so long, but everything was luxuriously furnished, with vintage, almost collector's furniture, elegant and well cared for.
It was a classic house, and despite the neglect, it would probably cost a fortune.
"You'll live here, if it's okay with you," Sakusa said without turning to look at him.
"H-here?" Atsumu asked open-mouthed, looking around with wide eyes. "It's too much for me, this place must cost more than my life."
Sakusa stopped and Atsumu almost collided with his back. He did not turn and did not look at Atsumu, but the omega was ready in case Sakusa attacked him. Although he doubted that it would be of much use, he would be no match for the Beast. However, Sakusa did not move.
"Nothing is worth more than a life, not an object, not a house, not a car. Nothing," Sakusa said harshly.
Atsumu gulped and watched as Sakusa moved between the rooms of the house again, unbothered as if nothing had happened. He followed him without knowing very well how to interpret his silence, without knowing where to look, without stopping to think about the luxury that opened before him.
"I cleaned this room so you could sleep today," Sakusa said, opening the sliding paper and wood door, "but the rest of the house will have to be cleaned by you."
The room was spacious, with a large paper and wood window that was currently closed. There was a large closet that covered the left wall of the room and there was also a futon lying on the floor with a pillow and blanket.
Sakusa turned to Atsumu with his hand extended towards him and the omega shrugged in on himself in a reflex act. Sakusa didn't react to the fear emitted by Atsumu's pores, he didn't grimace, nor did he seem bothered by the reaction.
"Relax, I'm not going to touch you," he said approaching Atsumu a little more.
Atsumu looked at him suspiciously but didn't move. Then he looked at Sakusa's outstretched hand: a simple metal keychain, a ring with two keys on it.
"They're the keys to the garden door and the door of this house. They're yours. Here, take them."
Atsumu reached out a shaking hand and grabbed the ring, still unable to believe that those keys were his. Atsumu raised his head again to look at Sakusa, but Sakusa had already turned his back on him and started walking towards the exit, without even saying goodbye.
"I-I'm not going to live with you?" Atsumu asked in a trembling voice, looking at Sakusa's back.
"No, you'll have your own home," Sakusa replied, turning to look at him.
"And what did you want me for if not to mark me and have me with you?" Atsumu asked stunned, with a frown and an expression of uncertainty on his face. "I thought you would take me to your house and keep me there."
"I won't," he said simply.
"Why did you ask Bokkun for me, then?"
Sakusa looked around the dark house, lingering on the ceiling for a few seconds, as if he were thinking about what to say. After a few moments, he spoke again.
"Because I know the smell that your body gives off. It's subtle, and right now it's underneath the smell of fear and sadness of the pheromones that you're emitting. But it's there. I smelled it from the first moment you showed up in front of me three nights ago. You didn't want to be there. So I got you out of there."
"W-what do you mean?" Atsumu asked, feeling helpless.
"I've been through that," Sakusa replied.
It seemed that he wanted to avoid the question that Atsumu had asked, as the omega did not understand the answer he had given; it seemed elusive and ambiguous. But something inside him told him that the answer Sakusa had given was more accurate to that question than he thought, so he did not insist.
"But that means... that I'll only be a burden to you," Atsumu pointed out thoughtfully.
"We'll see how this war progresses," Sakusa said with a shrug.
"So you will join us?" Atsumu asked unable to contain the excitement in his voice.
"You seem surprised. A deal is a deal. Your alpha has agreed to give you to me, now it's up to me to do my part."
Sakusa's voice was soft, containing no aggressiveness or any other emotion. It was a neutral voice, monotonous and devoid of expression beyond that offered by the words themselves, and Atsumu was stunned.
"That was easy," he murmured, more to himself than to Sakusa.
Although he had said it quietly, the alpha's ears had perfectly heard what he had said. Sakusa chuckled and, amused, briefly shook his head. Atsumu widened his eyes and stared at Sakusa, as if it was the first time he had seen him. It was like looking at a strange and unknown being. In fact, it was the first time he had heard him laugh, so it could almost be said that he was indeed a strange and unknown being.
"I don't break my deals," Sakusa said.
"I didn't expect you to be like this," Atsumu said without thinking.
Then, when he was aware of what he had just said, he covered his mouth with wide eyes, scared that he had angered Sakusa. However, the alpha only raised an eyebrow and looked at him questioningly.
"Like this... How?"
Atsumu closed his eyes and dropped his head forward in defeat. How could he be so stupid and bigmouthed?
"I-I'm sorry, it's just that... I thought... I thought that the first thing you would do when having me under your command would be..."
Sakusa saw how Atsumu shifted uncomfortably in his place, how he held the sleeves of his sweater shyly, how he avoided his eyes by looking at the ground. He looked embarrassed, and Sakusa had no doubt what the omega was thinking. Sakusa looked away before speaking.
"There's one thing you should be clear about, Miya," he said. His voice was still not harsh, but now it sounded sad, even hurt, and again Atsumu was perplexed when he heard an emotion that was not anger, bloodlust or killing instinct coming from Sakusa. "I'm not going to touch you if you don't want to. What's more, I may not even do it even if you want to. I've never marked an omega, I'm not interested in that, at least initially. I have other goals."
"I-I'm sorry, I... I-I just thought you wanted me to..."
"I'm not going to rape or kill you either," Sakusa said.
Atsumu raised his head and looked at him, but he only met Sakusa's back, now he did not see his eyes. He must have turned while he looked at the ground, and he felt a prick of guilt that he had hinted that Sakusa would hurt him. Not that Sakusa was innocent of the crime of murdering and devouring hunters, but no one was certain that he had done such a thing to one of his own. Although he did not hesitate to threaten Osamu and Bokuto and the others, Atsumu felt that he had been unfair in his judgment.
"Sorry, I-I didn't mean that," he tried to apologize.
"Let me tell you something," Sakusa said.
Atsumu's nostrils filled with a strong smell: the smell of sadness. And that surprised him. Smelling the immense sadness coming from Sakusa was something he hadn't expected. It made him feel trapped, scared, and cornered by the grief Sakusa was conveying to him. Tears welled up in his eyes without knowing why, but he didn't speak. He wanted to hear what Sakusa wanted to tell him, he wanted to know why Sakusa felt such deep sadness.
Sakusa inhaled, taking a heavy breath before speaking again.
"I wasn't born a murderous monster," he said. "They turned me into one."
With that said, and without waiting for an answer as was usual for him, he left the house with a firm and fast step, leaving behind a lonely, tearful and confused Atsumu.
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HEY GUYSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!
Here's the new chapter. You expected a sexy Oikuroo moment but not so soon, not in the middle of the forest 🤣🤣🤣🤣 But I promisse you'll love the smut when it comes, just wait a bit more 🥰
Emotional chapter, yes it is
Anyway, see you in two weeks, love you allllllll
NAZ, OVER AND OUT!