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The neighborhood they grew up in was less of a neighborhood and more of a small farming village. It was easy to spot the only other boy, in dirty overalls and no shirt, barefoot and throwing rocks in the creek.
Suguru didn't have any friends. Not because there was something wrong with him or anything. He was a perfectly normal seven-year-old! There just weren’t any other kids around, like at all.
The other boy wasn’t paying attention to him. His white hair was streaked with dirt and he wasn’t very good at skipping rocks, if that’s what he was trying to do. He was pretty bad at it, actually. It looked like he needed help. That was the only reason Suguru approached him that day.
Satoru was very prickly about not being able to skip rocks. Like those cactus ma’ had warned him not to touch. But when Satoru smiled, Suguru forgot about his new friend's bad attitude. Nothing else seemed to matter at all, not with a smile that radiant directed his way.
They spent a lot of days after that down by the creek, and Satoru eventually figured out how to skip rocks. He could make them sail all the way to the opposite bank now. Farther than Suguru. He was kind of a show-off about it.
It was annoying. But Suguru found that he kinda, maybe, actually liked annoying things.
At night, Suguru would sneak over the fence to Satoru’s house and lay in the grass with him, staring up at the stars. One time a giant spider crawled over Satoru’s arm and it was pretty funny the way he danced under the moonlight.
“It’s just a spider,” Suguru said. “This is their world too.”
Satoru scowled, sitting back down on the blanket, hugging his knees to his chest. “They're gross.”
Suguru pushed him, making Satoru sway and swat him back. This quickly devolved into a swatting match and they were soon laughing under the starlight.
Satoru got a bike for his 9th birthday, which was an impractical gift in December, but the boys were determined to take it for a ride anyway.
It was a cold but dry day and the dirt roads were still packed tight. They both bundled up to ward off the chill. Satoru looked quite ridiculous with his oversized yellow hat that kept falling down over his eyes and his purple polka-dotted scarf. Suguru probably didn’t look much better, but at least he matched in royal blue.
Satoru’s mother was a fussy woman, but eventually let them leave the house after checking them for the hundredth time. She stood on the porch watching them as they walked the bike to the end of the driveway.
And what a fine bike it was. Green with silver spokes that caught the rays of the sun. It had black pegs on the back that Suguru could stand on while Satoru pedaled. At least that’s how Suguru assumed it would go until Satoru stood there staring at him, waiting for him to take the front position.
“But it’s your bike,” Suguru said. “It’s only fair that you get the first ride.”
“I want to stand on the back so I can raise my hands to the sky and feel like I’m flying,” Satoru said with a brilliant grin.
And Suguru couldn’t really say no when Satoru smiled like that. It made his chest feel funny just to think about saying no.
So, Suguru took the front and pedaled down the dirt road as fast as his feet would allow, while Satoru gripped his shoulders and laughed, his voice ringing out and scaring the chickens.
The wind whipped at their faces and the cold burnt their cheeks with its heavy bite, but the feel of Satoru’s hands on Suguru’s shoulders kept him warm. And when Satoru finally let go and raised both hands to the sky like he wanted, they both laughed. Suguru knew then that he loved Satoru.
They stayed close like that until they both turned twelve. That was when their parents sat them down for the talk. The secondary gender talk.
Satoru and Suguru weren’t idiots. They did pay attention in school, after all. They knew all about alphas, omegas and betas. And the two of them were going to be alphas. Obviously.
Their parents weren’t appreciative of their attitude, trying to instill the importance of bonding, finding mates and forming pack bonds. But they were twelve, so neither of them really paid attention. Maybe they should have given their parents more respect, but it was a boring conversation.
Suguru presented shortly after his fifteenth birthday, and nobody in their small village was surprised. He was already taller than half of them, strong enough to carry a hurt calf across three acres and fiercely protective.
He was everything an alpha was supposed to be.
Suguru kept waiting for his friend to catch up so they could stay together forever. They were going to go off to the big city and live out their dreams. But the older they got, the less Satoru was like him. Satoru was delicate where Suguru was strong. They were both tall but while Suguru had a broad frame with strong shoulders, Satoru’s was leaner. Long legs and a slender waist.
Satoru was even mistaken for a girl one time when they were swimming together down at the creek. It was an honest mistake. From the back, with his long white hair, nobody could really tell. But Satoru was furious and refused to talk to Suguru for the rest of the day. Like it was his fault. When Suguru saw him again, Satoru’s hair was cut short and he never grew it back out.
Looking back, Suguru should’ve seen it coming. The mood swings, the emotional sensitivity, the general softness of his best friend. The truth was staring them both in the face. It was just that neither of them wanted to look at it. When Satoru got intense hot flashes in school after his sixteenth birthday, they couldn’t ignore it anymore.
Satoru was an omega.
Everything they knew. Everything they’d been told. Every book they had ever read had told them the same thing. They could no longer be friends. Alphas and omegas weren’t friends. Alphas and alphas could form packs. Alphas and betas could be in the same social circles. But alphas and omegas? They mated.
Friendship was unlikely for an alpha/omega duo for a multitude of reasons. Their pheromones could unintentionally affect each other. They could accidentally bond and be tied to each other for life. They could hurt or violate each other without meaning to.
It was too risky and just wasn’t done. Omegas had their own corner of society. They socialized with betas but otherwise avoided alphas unless they were being courted or wanted to be.
It was as simple as that.
But it wasn’t simple for Satoru and Suguru. Satoru was Suguru’s most important person. He would never bite him without permission. He would never scent him or try to influence him with his pheromones. The thought was completely absurd. Suguru wasn’t an animal! He could control himself.
Still, Satoru avoided him for a month after the change. It hurt so much that Suguru keened at the moon. He thought then maybe he was wrong. Maybe he was an animal.
Eventually, Satoru came out of hiding. They made a pact to avoid each other during their heat and rut cycles. They would also wear suppressant patches so their pheromones didn’t affect each other too much.
People asked questions and made assumptions, of course. Everyone along their dirt road waited for the day they would announce that they were mated. Nobody was surprised when they went off to the city together, although a few elders shook their heads, calling it improper.
But the two boys, now young men, didn’t care what anyone else thought. Their bond was more than genetics and biology.
Nobody could make Suguru laugh like Satoru. Make him double over and his chest hurt until his breath wheezed out of him. Nobody could understand Suguru’s silences like Satoru. The way Suguru would clam up when upset or tilt his head in mock confusion when someone annoyed him.
Satoru was his best friend. Always had been and always would be.
This weekend was their annual camping trip with a group of alphas that they were both friends with. The elders would call them Suguru’s pack, but he only called them friends. They’d also adopted a couple betas that helped keep all the dominant pheromones from going crazy.
There were no omegas. Except Satoru. He was the only exception to the rule. Suguru didn’t even see Satoru as an omega. He was just Satoru. And maybe that was where all their problems truly began.
Suguru gripped the wheel of the old pickup truck he was gifted for his eighteenth birthday. It was blue and rusted in some places, but he loved it. It had served them well in the four years since.
They were cruising down an old dirt road, hitting bumps every few minutes that made Satoru scowl at him from where he sat in his usual spot as his one and only passenger princess.
That whole side of the truck was Satoru’s. The only thing of Suguru’s was the first aid kit in the glovebox. Next to the kit was a bag of Satoru’s toiletries, a few different flavored lip glosses, three pairs of sunglasses, a vibrant pink scarf and a small stuffed capybara that Suguru had won in a machine outside a grocery store.
Satoru was currently digging through it looking for gum, chirping unhappily every time they hit a bump.
Suguru loved Satoru’s chirps. The first time he did it, they were swimming in the creek back home and Suguru surprised him with a yellow jasper stone he’d found under the thick mud.
The sound came out and Satoru quickly cupped his hand over his mouth, a look of horror on his pretty face.
“What was that?” Suguru said, mildly amused.
“I don’t know,” Satoru said. Then he dunked himself underwater and didn’t come up for a full minute.
Since then Satoru had gotten a lot more comfortable with the different aspects of being an omega. He chirped when he was happy or especially excited about something. He also chirped when he was unhappy, but the sound was slightly different. Like a specific note change that Suguru had become very in tune with over the years.
When Satoru was especially content, he would purr like a cat. Suguru had only heard it a few times and it felt like a gift every time. The first was after a very long day. Satoru had been fighting with his mother. She was pushing him to find a mate. Nobody wants an over-age omega. But they were barely twenty-two. Still, his mother worried Satoru was ruining his chances by always being around Suguru.
Satoru was so upset that it took hours to soothe him. When Suguru finally got him to sleep, Satoru’s head was resting against Suguru’s shoulder and that’s when he heard it. The soft, rumbling purr vibrating from Satoru’s chest.
“How do we not have gum?” Satoru complained, snapping the glovebox closed.
“There might be some in my bag in the back,” Suguru said.
Satoru chirped unhappily and crossed his arms. He didn’t stay unhappy for long. The truck bounced around the corner and the dirt path opened up to a meadow full of wildflowers flanked by mountains in the distance. Suguru could see other camp sites and the facilities like bathrooms as they continued towards their site.
Two trucks were parked along a large clearing, and Suguru could see his friends already setting up some of their gear. Two tents were half pitched and half loose, blowing in the wind. Sukuna was busy digging a fire pit with a shovel, his shirt off and sweat already clinging to his back.
Haibara came out of the woods as they parked, his arms full of sticks and bulky pieces of wood.
“Yay,” Satoru said, and was out of the truck before Suguru had even turned off the engine.
Suguru smiled as he watched Satoru greet Haibara, his best friend shifting and stretching as they talked. Haibara was a beta that they met after moving to the city. He lived three apartments down from them, and one day they found him lamenting over his dying plant on their shared rooftop balcony.
Since the two best friends had grown up in a farming community, they were both pretty good with plants and gave Haibara a bunch of tips on ways he could revive his dying friend. They stayed close after that, bothering each other for small things like moving furniture around or borrowing milk. Eventually they gravitated from excuses to genuinely wanting to spend time around each other.
With Haibara came his alpha friend Nanami, who Satoru immediately hated. Nanami was uptight and rude, although Suguru was sure he didn’t mean to be. He was just easily annoyed and didn’t like to be teased. Two things Satoru was especially good at doing.
In time, the hostility dissolved into a friendship, even if it took Nanami a bit longer to accept Satoru as their pack omega. As much as Suguru told them they weren’t a pack, it didn’t matter. That was how everyone else saw it.
Suguru met Sukuna at work. He was brash, loud and kinda awful, but Suguru liked him anyway. They almost had an incident the first time Suguru invited Sukuna over, though. Satoru was sleeping on the couch in a cropped T-shirt and shorts like he normally would. Blissfully safe and comfortable in the home they shared.
In hindsight, Suguru should’ve warned Satoru that he was bringing an alpha over.
Sukuna’s pheromones went crazy just at the sight of an omega lying so open and beautiful on the couch. Completely vulnerable and ripe for the taking. Suguru did not miss the way Sukuna was staring at him.
Satoru startled awake at the spike in scent, overpowering diesel flooding their apartment, overriding the soft scent of honey and evergreen forests.
Suguru could feel both Satoru’s panic and Sukuna's arousal. Suguru instinctively stepped between them.
“You didn’t tell me you had an omega,” Sukuna said, his voice slightly breathless.
“He’s not my omega,” Suguru said. “He’s Satoru.”
Behind him, he could hear Satoru taking measured breaths. Suguru wanted to do more to soothe him, but didn’t dare take his eyes off the alpha standing in front of him.
Sukuna took a deep breath.
“We’re going to be cool about this,” Suguru said. “Satoru is my roommate and best friend.”
And he wouldn’t tolerate any disrespect. This moment would determine whether Sukuna would be able to remain his friend. Any movement towards Satoru and Suguru would have to let Sukuna go.
Sukuna took another deep breath, reining in his pheromones. “Shit, sorry. Yeah, we can be cool.”
Sukuna took a few steps backwards to emphasize his words and give the omega more space.
Suguru quickly turned and crouched in front of Satoru. “I’m sorry. I should’ve told you in advance.”
Satoru gave him a small smile, his hand cradling Suguru’s face. “It’s okay. It just scared me.”
Suguru leaned into the palm on his cheek for a moment, soaking in the comfort it provided him.
“Satoru, this is my friend from work, Sukuna.”
Satoru stood from the couch. Pale skin and long limbs. He gave a small two fingered wave.
“Hi, thanks for the heart attack,” Satoru said. “It’s good to know the old girl is still working.”
Sukuna chuckled and everything calmed. The three of them had dinner together.
Now he was a part of the pack too.
Sukuna grinned at Satoru, leaning on his shovel as Suguru stepped out of the truck.
“You sure this isn’t too much for you, princess?” Sukuna mocked. “Might get cold and need a strong alpha to warm you up.”
Satoru pranced over to him and got right in Sukuna’s face. He poked a slender, pale finger into his chest. “Well if I did need an alpha, it wouldn’t be you.”
“Burrrnnnn,” Shoko said from where she sat at the table unpacking supplies.
Sukuna put his hand on his chest. “You wound me, moon sprite.”
Satoru shook his head at the silly nickname and wandered over to Shoko.
Shoko was a beta who worked at the veterinary clinic Satoru volunteered at. They got close over the summer when Satoru found a dehydrated dog and brought it in to be rescued. Satoru visited every day as the dog recovered and kept coming back, volunteering his time once the dog had been adopted.
Suguru always felt like Satoru and Shoko had some inside joke that he wasn’t aware of. They always had their heads together, whispering and giving Suguru long, knowing looks.
Suguru helped set up the tents with Nanami and Haibara, the three of them making quick work of it. Three total, one for the alphas, one for the betas, and a smaller tent for the omega.
Pack or not, these were the people that it was easiest to be with. They all laughed and teased each other, but there was no animosity between them, and Suguru could let his alpha instincts rest.
He’d always been a little protective over Satoru even though he would deny it if anyone ever said it to his face. Satoru could take care of himself. He didn’t need an alpha to help him stand on his own two feet. But Suguru’s chest still clenched and his pheromones still flared any time the omega was in a vulnerable situation.
But here, Suguru didn’t have to worry. He could relax and enjoy the nature around them. He’d missed it a lot since moving to the city. Being a country boy with dirt under his nails was in his bones, down to his very marrow. If he didn’t remind himself every now and then, it felt a little like dying.
Once camp was set, they all gathered around the fire telling stories and making plans. Satoru sat next to him on a fallen tree as he always did. They circled each other like a moon circled a planet, never straying too far, always staying within reach.
Satoru leaned his head on Suguru’s shoulder, both of them staring into the flames, watching sparks fly into the sky. The faint scent of honey drifting past Suguru’s nose.
The pack roasted sausages and toasted marshmallows, the fire crackling and illuminating their faces.
Sukuna was the designated fire bender for the evening, throwing on more wood and poking the fire with a large stick, sending more sparks up into the darkened sky. Stars twinkled overhead and Satoru was warm pressed against him, trying to steal as much warmth from Suguru as he was from the fire.
Haibara sat to their left in a camp chair, with a skewer full of marshmallows toasted lightly brown. He was arguing with Sukuna about cooking duties. Since their camping trips started three years ago, the alphas caught the fish and the betas did the cooking. It was an agreement that was decided over a game of Uno where Haibara had lost horribly. When Sukuna laid down his final card, Haibara was still holding twenty-six cards.
So it was a pointless argument, and Suguru let his mind wander while his friends bantered back and forth. The beer in his hand was sweating from the fire and leaking down on his pants. He wasn’t really interested in getting drunk. It’d been a long drive to get to the camping spot, and they had a full day planned for tomorrow.
Satoru seemed equally distracted, poking a small stick into the fire with his free hand, his other hand curled in Suguru’s hoodie for warmth. He was quieter than he would usually be, and if it wasn’t for the subtle shift against Suguru’s shoulder every few minutes, Suguru might believe Satoru had fallen asleep.
Haibara finally gave up when Sukuna suggested they play Uno again with higher stakes.
“I am not doing your laundry, Sukuna,” Haibara said, throwing his empty stick into the fire. “That’s ridiculous. I’ll cook the stupid fish.”
Sukuna laughed. “Good, because we’re going to catch a bunch of them, right boys?”
“More than you,” Nanami said, his voice a bit harsh.
“Ooooo, don’t be mad I was arguing with your boy toy Nanami,” Sukuna said.
Nanami scowled. “He’s not my boy toy, he’s my friend. And you’ll be lucky to catch a fish that isn’t a bottom feeder, like yourself.”
“Damn,” Shoko said, laughing. She nudged Suguru in the shoulder. “What about you?”
Suguru shook himself out of his thoughts. “Huh?”
Everyone turned to him.
“Sorry, I was spacing out,” Suguru said.
Sukuna groaned. “I swear you can’t pay attention to shit when a pretty omega is snuggled up to you like that. He’s lulled you into complacency, like some simp!”
Satoru shifted against him but didn’t say anything.
Suguru shrugged. “It’s just Satoru. He doesn’t even smell like an omega.”
“That’s because he’s basically an alpha like us. One day he’ll transition and we’ll all just forget all this awkwardness ever happened,” Sukuna said.
Satoru shifted against him again, and his hand let go of Suguru’s hoodie. He lifted his head off Suguru’s shoulder, eyes narrowed. It was just a joke. Sukuna said dumb shit like that all the time.
“Fuck you guys,” Satoru said.
“Not a chance, moon sprite,” Sukuna smirked, throwing his poking stick into the fire.
Satoru rolled his eyes but didn’t go back to resting on Suguru’s shoulder. Sukuna had started calling him moon sprite after last year's camping trip when Sukuna swore Satoru was communing with the moon. He was staring up at it, talking to himself, but he did look pretty magical that night, with his white hair catching the full moon's glow.
The fire had died down enough that it was starting to get cold, or Suguru just missed the warm body that would normally be pressed against him. They were always affectionate with each other. It wasn’t an alpha/omega thing. It was a Satoru/Suguru thing.
Suguru loved Satoru. He’d always loved him. He’d be lying if he said he didn’t sometimes think about it, about being mates, about bonding deeper. But how much deeper could their bond really go? They already lived together, spent most of their days together and cared about each other more than anyone else. Suguru wouldn’t give that up for a more physical relationship that he wasn’t even sure he wanted.
Suguru treasured Satoru. He never wanted to do anything to hurt him, but the longer he sat there with Satoru stiff and quiet next to him, the more he couldn’t help but think he had already upset him. Suguru just wasn’t sure what exactly he did.
Nanami finally called it, as the fire burned down to embers. “If we’re going to fish, that means we’re up at first light. I’m heading to bed.”
Haibara was kicking dirt on the fire while Shoko stood from her chair stretching. The betas wandered over to their tent together after a quick goodbye. Sukuna and Nanami had already disappeared into the alphas tent.
Suguru stood, staring up at the stars for a minute, holding his hand out for Satoru to take. Satoru’s palm hit his, cold already from just a few minutes without the warmth of Suguru’s hoodie. Suguru walked him over to his tent like he did every year.
Satoru stared at him with a frown on his face. “You’re not going to sleep here with me?”
It had always been hard to say no to Satoru. Hard to look into his brilliant blue eyes and not give him everything he wanted. Hard to see the curve of his smile when he was happy or to hear his little pleased chirp and not want to hear it every moment of every day.
“We live together,” Satoru whined. “We cuddle next to each other all the time.”
“Just make your omega happy, Suguru,” Sukuna barked from his tent. “Don’t be a dick.”
Suguru sighed. He stared down at Satoru’s pouty lip. “You know it's different here.”
“But I’m not in heat or anything,” Satoru said. “I’m wearing my stupid patches. I’ll get cold as fuck out here by myself.”
He wanted to just say yes and slip inside Satoru’s tent, but Satoru was not his omega and it wouldn’t be proper for them to share a tent.
“It’s not a good idea,” Suguru said. “You know how it looks.”
Satoru scoffed. “I don’t care how it looks.”
Suguru brushed a strand of Satoru’s pale hair out of his face. “Yes you do. I brought extra blankets for you and you have my zero-degree bag in there. You’ll be fine.”
Satoru frowned. “Fine. Go snuggle up with your alpha buddies then.”
Satoru turned and zipped the tent behind him before Suguru could say anything else. Suguru sighed, standing there long enough to hear the sound of Satoru shifting around in the pile of blankets. Then he left his side and slipped into his own tent.
Sukuna was already tucked into his bag, his arms behind his head, stupid mischievous smile on his face. Nanami was closing all the flaps and windows on their tent that they’d left open during the day.
“Poor little omega needs his alpha,” Sukuna teased.
“Shut up, Sukuna,” Suguru said, sitting to remove his boots.
Nanami snorted as he slid into his own bed. “He’s got a point, though I hate to admit it. The two of you are close all the time, what does it matter?”
Suguru adjusted his bag, shifting his toes as far down as they would go and trying to ignore the rock poking at his thigh. The tent smelled like a mixture of diesel, leather and pine needles. All three alpha scents mixing in a way that nobody would find appealing. So basically, no arousal or chance of it in sight. Nothing like the sweet honey of the omega’s tent.
“It’s different,” Suguru said. “I’m not waking up with morning wood because my omega best friend is cuddled next to me.”
Sukuna barked out a laugh. “At least you can admit you're attracted to him.”
“Have you seen him?” Suguru said. “Please. I’m not blind.”
“So just stupid then,” Nanami said with a snicker.
Sukuna laughed.
“Fuck you guys,” Suguru said. “Go to sleep.”
“Aww big bad alpha mad because his omega is freezing,” Sukuna said, his voice still threaded with laughter.
“I’m going to drown you tomorrow,” Suguru said, rolling over to his side.
Sukuna laughed but let it drop. Nanami clicked off the lantern.
Satoru wasn’t his omega. How many times did Suguru have to say it before they all understood it? He listened to their breathing even out, the call of an owl ringing through the night. He’d made the right decision. It wouldn’t be a good idea for them to sleep in close quarters. Cuddling while fully conscious and coherent was a completely different thing than sleeping together.
Suguru didn’t want to make any mistakes. Satoru was his most important person. The one he loved more than anything. He wouldn’t risk losing control and letting his alpha instincts take over. He lay there for several hours listening to the sounds from the woods before he finally fell asleep.
The cold had seeped through the tent overnight, chilling Suguru to the bone. Even with his heavy sleeping bag and the heat from the two other alphas, his fingers still felt numb as he unzipped and wiggled out of his bag.
Sukuna was snoring loud enough to scare away the morning birds, and Nanami had pulled his sleeping bag over his head. Suguru slipped his boots on without tying them and unzipped the tent flap, welcoming the grey-blue dawn.
Frost clung to the meadow grass and dew dripped down the edges of their tents. His breath fogged enough in the air to remind him of when he used to smoke. He pulled the camp stove out with trembling fingers, starting a kettle of coffee.
A chipmunk came to greet him as he worked, staring at him curiously before scampering off the rock and back into the woods surrounding the meadow. He smiled and thought of Satoru. He would’ve liked to see the little critter.
Once he had a steaming mug of coffee, with three sugars and a splash of cream, Suguru walked carefully over to Satoru’s tent to wake him. Suguru crouched at the entrance with steam curling up from the cup into the cold morning.
“Satoru,” Suguru called softly. “I brought you coffee.”
A muffled groan was his only reply. Suguru smiled, imagining his friend untangling himself from the mess of blankets. After a few minutes, the zipper dragged up and Satoru looked out. His white hair was a mess, sticking up in every direction and he squinted his eyes, white lashes brushing his cheeks as he blinked rapidly.
He still had the sleeping bag tucked around his waist and it looked like he’d just scooted forward to the entrance.
“It’s freezing,” Satoru whined.
Suguru couldn’t help but smile as he held out the steaming mug for his best friend.
“Forgive me?”
Satoru pouted but took the coffee, letting the steam curl up into his face before taking a drink.
“Sweet talking me with coffee,” Satoru muttered, but took another drink.
Suguru stayed crouched in front of him, watching his best friend as warmth filled his chest. Satoru was always a little whiny, but something about seeing him like this in the morning, out in nature, was adorably endearing.
“We’re doing the fishing competition today,” Suguru said. “You’re going to cheer me on, right?”
Satoru narrowed his eyes. “I want salmon.”
Suguru laughed and stood up. “Come join us. Haibara is up and started breakfast.”
Satoru smiled. “I am hungry.”
Suguru returned his smile, then went back to help Haibara make breakfast. Despite Sukuna’s declaration that it was beta work, Suguru still liked to cook and he knew Haibara enjoyed the assistance.
By the time the whole group was awake and sitting around the picnic table, the betas were already grumbling and trying to talk themselves out of their inevitable fate. The alphas were going to catch a lot of fish and the betas were going to have to clean and cook them. Until one of them challenged Sukuna and won, that was just the way it was.
“Alright losers,” Sukuna said when they were done with breakfast. “What’s on the line this year?”
Suguru pulled a stack of notes from his pocket and threw them on the table. “Pony up boys.”
Sukuna and Nanami grumbled but threw in their own piles, while Shoko collected it all and counted it. She whistled. “50,000 yen goes to the winner.”
“Nice pot,” Sukuna said, rubbing his hands together.
Haibara cleared his throat for attention. “Alright, rules. Fish are calculated based on inches. Anything under four is thrown back and counts as minus 1. Bottom feeders are minus 3. Winner takes it all. And since Satoru is the only omega he’s the tie breaker.”
Sukuna scoffed. “That’s not fair. He’ll just pick Suguru if the scores are tied.”
Satoru recoiled, his brows pinched. “I will not. I am a fair and just ruler.”
Suguru, Haibara and Shoko laughed. Sukuna and Nanami scowled.
Without another word, the alphas grabbed their gear and headed down the winding dirt path towards the river, everyone else following behind them. Suguru glanced next to him, at Satoru bundled in Suguru’s hoodie and hat instead of his own, his cheeks slightly pink from the brisk morning. Suguru’s heart could burst from all the cuteness so he focused on the path ahead instead of the man at his side. He had a salmon to catch.
The river rushed along the rocky bank, swift further down the river and calm and deep where the alphas had set up their equipment. Suguru stood thigh deep in the water, rubber waders keeping most of the frigid water from sinking into his skin.
Sukuna was downstream right before the rapids started picking back up, already talking shit and boasting about the amount of fish he would catch. Nanami was upstream, casting his line, a determined look on his face.
It was one of their favorite parts of the trip. A chance for the alphas to show off a little and a chance for everyone else to relax on the bank with beers and snacks. Then later tonight, they’d sit around the fire with fried fish and memories they could hold onto for years.
Satoru, his good luck charm, sat on a large flat rock a few feet out from the bank. Suguru had to carry him there because the omega didn’t want his feet to get wet. Now he perched there, chirping happily as the sun started warming their skin.
The betas sat in folding chairs on the bank keeping score and yelling insults like it was their job. Each alpha had a stringer tied around their waist where the fish would be kept until the competition was done. Last year, while trying to put a monster trout on his stringer, the fish slipped out of Nanami’s hands and swam away. That was how Suguru won.
Now, he had to defend his champion status.
Sukuna caught the first fish, a good-sized trout that was barely above their inch limit. He held it up for the betas’ approval.
Haibara nodded. “It's small but it counts.”
Sukuna grinned and quickly hooked the fish on his stringer where it swam its last life away around his feet.
“Good catch,” Satoru said and clapped his hands.
Suguru scowled. Satoru was his good luck charm dammit. The competitive fire lit inside him at the sight of Satoru cheering for another alpha. Or it was just that Suguru was finally getting more into the flow of casting.
Nanami caught the next fish, a solid ten-inch pink-bellied salmon. He held it up for the betas’ approval and Haibara cheered. Satoru joined Haibara, singing Nanami’s praises over the beautiful fish, and Suguru’s scowl deepened.
The next one was his. Nanami was in the lead with that catch but he wouldn’t stay there if Suguru had anything to do with it.
“C’mon, Suguru,” Satoru cheered.
Suguru turned to grin at him. Satoru sat cross-legged on the rock, the water swirling around him. He looked like a mermaid or a mythical creature and just the sight of him seemed to fuel that fire inside Suguru.
Like magic, Suguru’s next cast bit fast, the line tugged immediately, and he reeled in a tough fish that fought him every step of the way. But Suguru won in the end and held up a beautiful twelve-inch trout for the betas.
Satoru scowled. “Where’s my salmon?”
Suguru laughed. He was in the lead now and his next cast would catch Satoru’s fish. He had a good feeling about it.
Sukuna barked from downstream. “I need a good luck charm too. Where’s my pretty omega to cheer me on?”
“Get your own omega,” Suguru shouted.
A pretty pink blush bloomed on Satoru’s cheeks, and the betas on the shore laughed.
Sukuna’s next catch was a large brown sucker fish with big pouty lips.
“Ha! You caught a pout-pout fish,” Satoru called out, doubled over with laughter.
“Your omega is being mean to me,” Sukuna whined, holding up the sucker before throwing it back into the water.
“That’s minus three to your score, Sukuna,” Haibara called. “Suguru leads with twelve, then Nanami with ten and Sukuna with three.”
Sukuna cursed and cast his line again.
Suguru and Nanami caught a couple more trout to add to their scores. Sukuna caught another salmon and Suguru cursed under his breath as Satoru cheered. Could Suguru not catch one measly fish for his best friend?
Nanami’s next catch was a tiny carp, yellow-bellied with little cute whiskers.
“Awwww,” Satoru said from his rock.
The betas erupted in laughter and Haibara started chanting. “Carp, carp, carp.”
Nanami groaned as he threw the fish back in the water. Carp came with their own special rules and now Nanami was getting wet, whether he wanted to or not. Shoko pulled out the super soaker water gun with a blinding grin on her face.
“Don’t try to run,” she called as she walked towards the edge of the water. “Trash fish get the hose.”
Nanami sighed and held his hands out in surrender. And then he was drenched as Shoko unloaded the water gun on him. Nanami wiped water off his face once the gun was emptied.
“What's the score?” Nanami called.
“Nanami is still in the lead with twenty-six. Suguru is hot on his heels with twenty-two points. Sukuna needs to step it up, sitting at eighteen, bud,” Haibara said.
The sun climbed higher as they continued to fish, passing overhead as Shoko pulled out the small cooler they’d brought and started preparing sandwiches for lunch.
The alphas took a short break to eat, but the competition wasn’t done until one of them officially called it. They set their stringers on the hook by the bank, silver fish glistening in the water like little trophies.
Once Suguru had his stringer hooked and dropped off his pole, he trudged through the water to Satoru’s rock to collect him. Satoru was standing on the rock waiting for him like the princess he was. As soon as Suguru got close enough, the omega wrapped his arms around his neck and Suguru carried him back to the bank.
They all ate and took bathroom breaks and then they were ready for the final round.
“Don’t think because I’m behind that I can’t make a comeback,” Sukuna said as he waded back to his previous spot.
“Do you want to go back to your rock?” Suguru asked.
Satoru smiled. “No. I’ll stay here with Shoko and Haibara. Go catch my salmon.”
Suguru grinned and waded out into the water. This was it. The final stretch. Suguru wanted to win more today than he ever had before. Every time Satoru cheered for one of the other alphas it fueled Suguru’s desire to win even more.
They all caught a few more trout, and a couple good sized bass with Sukuna talking shit the whole time. Nanami had gone completely silent, hyper-focused on his win.
“Last cast,” Nanami finally called as the sun started to travel back down in the sky.
They’d been there for at least four or five hours so neither of the other alphas protested. Suguru clenched his jaw. This was it. C’mon salmon. He had to catch one for Satoru. He could not allow the other alphas to be the only ones that had caught Satoru a fish. Over his dead body.
His heart was pounding as the fish tugged on his line. Please be a salmon. Please be a salmon. Suguru didn’t even care if it was big enough to win the contest, he just wanted to make Satoru happy. The fish gods were on his side. He sent a quick prayer to Hatmehit even though he wasn’t one of her faithful. But it didn’t hurt to give thanks as he pulled a beautiful pink-bellied twelve-inch salmon out of the water.
Suguru beamed as Satoru stood up and danced along the bank, cheering and chirping for him.
They’d all been so loud for hours that it was no wonder that they’d attracted attention from other campers. As Suguru made his way back to the bank with his final fish, a small group emerged from the trail. Three omegas and two betas. He could only tell because three of them were not masking their scents and any alphas Suguru would have picked up on immediately. They were clearly camping nearby since they were also dressed in outdoor gear and looked a bit messy.
One of the omegas, a short brunette, approached first. “Well, hello there. We heard you all down river. Weren’t sure if you all were partying or fighting.”
Sukuna smirked as he approached the bank, a nice trout hanging from his hook. “Just having a little friendly competition.”
Nanami gave a nod from where his line was still cast out into the water. Depending on the size of his last fish, it was between him and Suguru for the win.
The three omegas were all attractive and they were not being subtle about letting their scents float through the air as they checked out the handsome alphas. One of the betas with them, a guy with black hair tucked under a baseball cap, held up a bottle of whiskey.
“We come in peace,” he said with a wink at Satoru, who was fuming on the bank, his arms crossed tight over his chest. “Our camp is not far from here and we were just wondering if you all wanted to join us tonight.”
One of the omegas with long blonde hair that flowed down her back in a thick braid stepped forward. Her eyes lingered on Suguru. “Especially you,” she said. “It would be nice to have some strong alphas around to keep predators away.”
Suguru was sure the only predator here was her, and maybe Sukuna.
Sukuna grinned. “Hell yeah, sounds fun.”
Shoko rolled her eyes, and Haibara flicked his gaze towards Satoru, but none of them said anything.
The brunette omega laughed and tilted her head towards Satoru. “Who’s with the omega?”
Everyone looked at Satoru, who was still scowling and holding himself tight. Irritation flowed through Suguru at the sight. He hated that these interlopers were making Satoru feel uncomfortable.
“He’s one of us,” Suguru said.
Tension hung between them like a tightly coiled spring. Nanami broke it when he exclaimed from the water, holding up a trout big enough to secure him the win, with a huge smug smile on his face.
Suguru groaned. Satoru stepped closer to him and patted his arm. The three omegas watched, all of their gazes calculating.
The blonde stepped closer to them, her scent, fresh-cut roses wafting through the air. Satoru scrunched his nose.
“So,” she said, reaching a hand out to brush against Suguru’s arm in a bold move. “You going to join us later?”
Satoru stepped in front of her, his hip knocking against her rudely, almost making her fall over.
“We’ll think about it,” Satoru said. “Now if you’ll excuse us, we have a champion to crown.”
The blonde omega didn’t push her luck. She glanced back at her friends with a dramatic roll of her eyes. Then she rejoined her friends and the five of them meandered back down the path, their laughter echoing through the trees.
Haibara coughed in an attempt to ease the tension. “And the final score is, Sukuna in third place with thirty-six. Suguru, you fought hard but your final score is forty-eight. And Nanami is the winner with fifty-four points.”
Satoru and Haibara danced a little jig and Nanami laughed.
Sukuna was in a surprisingly good mood as they walked back despite coming in third place. And Suguru knew it had nothing to do with fishing and everything to do with that invite.
The betas grumbled since they had to stay at the shore to clean all the fish. Nanami decided to stay with them so he could help carry the haul back to camp. Suguru walked with Satoru, a bit behind Sukuna. Satoru was so quiet that Suguru could only focus on the sound of his boots crunching over the pine needles.
“We don’t have to go party with them,” Suguru said.
Satoru huffed but didn’t answer. His hands were tucked in the front pocket of Suguru’s hoodie and his gaze was focused on the forest floor.
“Everyone wants to,” Satoru said.
“Well yeah,” Suguru said. “It sounds like fun. You like meeting new people and they might be cool.”
Satoru’s steps slowed. Suguru glanced at him, at the hunch in his shoulders and the way he wouldn’t meet Suguru’s eyes. He wished that he could read minds because sometimes his best friend refused to share what he was thinking about. And right now it was clear that something was bothering him.
“Yeah,” Satoru said finally. “I do like meeting new people.”
Sukuna glanced back at them. “Let's go, loser,” he said. “Hot omegas wait for no one.”
Satoru grinned. “Does that include me?”
Sukuna matched his grin. “Hell yeah it does.”
Satoru skipped ahead to walk with Sukuna, and Suguru felt like his heart dropped out of his chest onto the forest floor.
When they got back to camp, Sukuna went straight to the tent to crash out for a couple hours stating that he needed to be in prime shape for wooing omegas later.
“I think I’m going to lay down for a bit too,” Satoru said, making his way to his own tent without even glancing at Suguru.
Suguru stared after his best friend wondering what the hell was going on with him. He knew one thing for sure, whatever it was, Suguru wasn’t just going to ignore it. That was not what they did.
He walked over to Satoru’s tent and scratched at the entrance like a big cat. “Satoru?”
The zipper opened enough for Satoru’s head to poke out, looking tired and a little sad. Suguru didn’t wait for an invitation, pulling the zipper down the rest of the way and ducking inside, his feet hanging out and he shucked his boots off. He closed the flap behind him, sitting beside Satoru in the small space. The whole tent smelled like honey, warm and inviting enough for a queen bee to make a home there.
“Oh, it's fine to come in my tent now, huh?” Satoru said with a raised eyebrow.
Suguru sighed. “This is different. What’s going on with you?”
Satoru pushed back from the entrance, pulling several blankets onto his lap. A makeshift nest in the middle of the woods. Suguru would smile if he wasn’t so concerned by the omegas behavior.
For several minutes, they stared at each other. Molten metal and blue skies. They could hear the betas and Nanami arriving back to camp and the rustling of the alpha preparing the fire to cook their dinner.
“It’s stupid,” Satoru said finally.
“Nothing you say is stupid. Not to me,” Suguru said.
Satoru took a deep breath, staring down at the blankets in his lap. “I just… sometimes it's easy to forget what I am. Like I can just be…” He swallowed and lifted his face. “But then they show up and it's like…”
Suguru waited, not interrupting.
“I don’t know,” Satoru said. “It’s dumb. I’m fine, okay? I’m just tired. I didn’t sleep great last night.”
Satoru lay down, curled in his sleeping bag and his blankets, turning away from him. Suguru reached out and brushed the messy pale strands out of his face, his fingertips lingering on the soft skin of Satoru’s cheek.
“Get some rest,” Suguru said.
Suguru slipped back out of the tent, zipping it closed behind him. He stood outside Satoru’s tent, a sinking feeling in his stomach. The fire was crackling behind him, the betas already hard at work preparing the fish. He wandered back to the fire, grabbing pieces of firewood as he went, an ache in his chest he was only just beginning to understand. A few trout were cut into pieces and stuck on sticks roasting over the fire. Several more were wrapped in foil and laid on a small grill rack over the coals. The ones roasting were already golden with crispy edges and sending their wonderful smell through the camp.
Haibara looked up from where he was brushing sauce on one of the salmon fillets. “Trouble in paradise?” he asked.
Suguru sighed. “He’s being weird and won't talk about it.”
Shoko rolled her eyes from where she was sprinkling spices over fillets laid out on a long piece of foil. Suguru got the impression again that she had some kind of insider information about Satoru that he wasn’t privy to. Most of the time he just let it go, but he was irritated and not at her. But she got the brunt of it anyway.
“If you have something to say, just say it,” Suguru said, glaring at her.
Shoko put the spices down on the table and walked over to him, poking him in the chest. “Okay, I will. Just because you don’t see Satoru as your omega doesn’t mean he sees it the same way.”
Suguru took a step back. Shoko was three heads shorter than him but was still intimidating when she got riled up.
“What do you mean?”
Shoko scoffed. “You know damn well what we mean, Suguru.”
Haibara intercepted before the situation could escalate. “I think those other omegas showing up reminded Satoru how easy it would be to lose you. All it takes is one thing, and you run off with some omega that’s not him.”
Suguru frowned. “It’s never been like that between us.”
Shoko walked away from him with her hands in the air like he was a hopeless idiot. Even Nanami frowned at him.
Haibara sighed. “For you, maybe. But Satoru is still an omega and you're still an alpha. He probably doesn’t like outsiders sniffing around his pack regardless of how you see it.”
The betas went back to cooking, leaving Suguru to mull over their words. The pack. Is that what Satoru was upset about? He didn’t want other omegas coming in to steal what was his? Not Suguru personally, because that was frankly absurd, but the group. His friends that he saw more as family? The more Suguru thought about it the more it made sense to him. Threats against the pack were serious. Both alphas and omegas could be extremely territorial. Even betas sometimes.
Suguru stared at the afternoon light filtering through the trees. He’d just have to make sure Satoru knew he was irreplaceable.
Sukuna crawled out of his tent a few hours later looking refreshed and hungry. Satoru emerged shortly after him, quieter and complaining about walking to a bathroom. Haibara left with him to the public bathroom about a five minute walk from their camp. The fish were well cooked and the betas had also prepared some turmeric rice and steamed vegetables to go with it. There were little flakes of burnt ash from the fire but it was still good and they were all starving. Satoru and Haibara returned and they all sat at the picnic table to eat. Satoru sat next to Suguru, but didn’t say much.
Sukuna, of course, couldn’t keep his mouth shut for long.
“We’re definitely hitting up that camp tonight,” Sukuna said, sucking fish grease off his fingers. “Those omegas were fucking hot. I wouldn’t mind pushing one up against a tree and…”
Nanami coughed, his eyes narrowed.
The betas rolled their eyes, used to Sukuna. Haibara muttered “dog” under his breath.
“Do you have to talk about them like that?” Satoru said, pushing his plate away.
Sukuna shrugged. “Like what? I’m just saying they’d make a good fuck. That’s what omegas are good for, fucking and housework.” He waved his hand in the air like he was making a grand proclamation. “Don’t blame me, that’s just how it is.”
Satoru’s jaw clenched and he stood up from the table. “Fuck you, Sukuna.”
He stormed off towards the line of trees, leaving his food behind.
“What the hell,” Sukuna said. He looked around at everyone. “I didn’t mean you, Satoru,” he called after him.
“You suck,” Shoko said.
Suguru’s stomach dropped, curdling like the food was sour even though he knew it wasn’t. He stood up to follow his best friend, nervous about him wandering off into the woods alone in a heightened emotional state.
“Satoru!”
Satoru didn’t stop moving, his shoulders rigid as he wove through the trees.
Suguru broke into a jog to try and catch up with him. Once he was close enough, he reached out to grab his wrist, forcing Satoru to stop.
“Hey, just slow down. He didn’t mean it like…”
Satoru whipped around so fast all Suguru saw was a blur of white. “Fuck you all,” Satoru said, tear tracks sliding down his cheeks, his eyes red rimmed and glassy.
Suguru had hardly ever seen Satoru cry. Maybe three times total in all the years they’d known each other. His hand dropped as a helpless feeling crawled up his throat.
“Why do you even care?” Satoru said, wiping under his eyes. “You’re not my alpha. Just leave me alone.”
Satoru turned and walked off again. Suguru felt like his feet had been glued to the forest floor.
You’re not my alpha.
The words looped in Suguru’s mind as he watched Satoru walk away. Any words he wanted to say were stuck in his throat and his heart was beating at a rate that would alarm anyone with a medical degree.
He walked back to the campsite in a daze. The pack was still sitting around the table in awkward silence.
“Do you want me to go talk to him?” Sukuna asked. “He knows I didn’t mean it like that, right? Satoru is the exception.”
Suguru sighed. “Just let it go. He needs a minute.”
He didn’t understand what was happening in Satoru’s head. The two of them had always been more than their biology and now it seemed like their status as alpha or omega was the most important thing about them. Suguru hated it. But he hated the look on Satoru’s face more. Crystal blue eyes wet with tears. Fuck. He wanted to pull his hair out in frustration.
Nothing made sense anymore and he just wanted to go back to being two carefree kids playing in the creek.
The pack eventually started cleaning up dinner and getting ready to head to the other camp. It felt like they could all use a shift in dynamic and maybe some new faces would help. Suguru wasn’t sure about anything anymore, but he wasn’t going to hang back at camp by himself like a loser so he agreed to go with them.
Satoru returned to camp after about an hour, acting like nothing had happened. His eyes were dry and there was no trace of the desolation that Suguru had seen in the woods.
“Hey,” Sukuna said, walking over to him. “I’m sorry. I was being an asshole. You know you're the exception, moon sprite.”
Satoru gave him a small smile. “Yeah. I overreacted. It's fine.”
Sukuna smiled. “Good, because I’m going to need a wing man over at the other camp.”
Satoru rolled his eyes. “I’m not helping you get laid.”
“Oh come on!” Sukuna said, following Satoru around like an overgrown dog.
And just like that, the issue was forgotten. Like it had never happened. Like the words thrown at Suguru in the woods weren’t important. Suguru was still thinking about them, but maybe Satoru wasn’t. Maybe they were fine.
He continued with that line of thought until Satoru emerged from his tent ready to go to the party, wearing an oversized jacket. Suguru’s hoodie that he’d commandeered since waking up this morning was nowhere to be found. It felt more profound than fabric somehow. Like Satoru had left more than just a hoodie behind.
You’re not my alpha
And he wasn’t. So why was Suguru so upset that the omega had removed something with Suguru’s scent? He didn’t know, and followed the rest of the pack, the sinking pit in his stomach grown to a chasm.
The other campsite was twice the size of theirs. It had a wide clearing and four large tents. A roaring fire was set up and about a dozen people were already congregating around it. Music played from a portable speaker and woodsmoke filled the air. As they approached, the three omegas from earlier adopted Satoru like he was always supposed to be a part of their camp.
“Ugghh,” the brunette said. “How can you stand being around so many alphas? I’m Utahime by the way.”
The blonde hooked her arm over Satoru’s shoulder like she’d known him forever instead of almost fighting with him earlier that afternoon.
“You smell like an alpha,” she said as she took a big whiff of him. “Which one is yours?”
Satoru shook his head. “None of them. We’re just friends.”
All three of their eyes lit up. The sole male omega leaned in. “Tell us everything.”
Before any of the pack could say a word, the omegas were steering Satoru toward a large blue tent, chattering like a bunch of birds. Suguru stood there watching him go, the hollow place in his chest gnawing at him. It wasn’t long before soft laughter drifted from the tent, Satoru’s musical laugh mixed in with the other omegas.
The beta from before with the baseball cap wandered over to them, arms full of beers that he passed out.
“My name is Yuta,” he said. “Don’t worry about your friend. Uta, Mei and Megs are alright.”
Suguru nodded, accepting the beer. It was fine for Satoru to make friends. That’s what he’d said earlier right? That was the whole point in joining the other camp. Meeting new people. He just had to get over whatever the sinking feeling in his gut was.
They all gathered around the fire in an assortment of camp chairs and stumps. Suguru found a stump large enough for him and Satoru. While he waited for him to return, he was introduced to the rest of the group. Another beta named Miwa who had bright blue hair and seemed attached to the stern-faced guy at her side.
Two other alphas that immediately set his teeth on edge. One of them was the size of a tree, muscles bulging out of his chest like he was in a strongman contest. His name was Toji. The other alpha was probably the most un-alpha alpha that Suguru had ever met. His hair was bright pink, he had freckles on his cheeks and smiled at everything anyone said. His name was Yuji.
There was another beta named Miguel who immediately started talking to Sukuna about the fish they caught earlier. And a beta named Nobara who looked like she’d been roped into camping as some kind of punishment.
He nodded politely when they all made their introductions, stamping down the territorial instinct anytime one of the alphas got too close to someone from his pack. The omegas finally rejoined the rest of them after what felt like an eternity of waiting. Suguru expected Satoru to come sit next to him but instead he sat between the blonde, Mei, and the black haired male omega Megumi. All four of the omegas shared a blanket, whispering back and forth to each other like they were their own pack.
Suguru hated it. Satoru had sat next to him for as long as he could remember. At home, at school, the park, wherever. It never mattered. They were together. A pair. Now there was just an open space next to him and he swore he’d growl at anyone who tried to sit there.
Sukuna was already the life of the party, telling jokes and stories that had everyone laughing. Suguru couldn’t stop looking across the fire at Satoru. The flames illuminated his face, catching on the sapphire glitter of his eyes.
The omegas were all smiling and laughing, passing a bottle of red wine between them. Utahime kept leaning in and grabbing Satoru’s arm. Mei kept leaning her head on his shoulder. Yet despite all the physical contact from people Satoru didn’t even know, he didn’t seem bothered. He looked happy. The happiest he’d been the whole trip.
Suguru shoved down the stupid jealousy he felt at being excluded. Was that how Satoru always felt? Like the odd man out? Suguru hoped not because he’d always tried to make Satoru feel included. And the feeling curling in Suguru’s chest as he stared across the flames at his best friend's smiling face… well, it wasn’t a good feeling at all.
“We should play a game or something,” Yuji said as he rocked on his heels.
Everyone quickly agreed and a deck of cards materialized out of nowhere.
“Okay,” Utahime said. “The rules are simple. Draw a card. Do what it says or drink. I’ll go first.”
She took the top card. “Kiss the person to your right. Oh that’s easy.” Utahime leaned in and planted a kiss on Mei’s cheek.
She passed the deck to her left, where Yuji was standing, too restless to sit down. He took the deck and pulled the top card. “Stand on one foot and hop in a circle.” He huffed. “Alright.”
He passed the deck then hopped in a circle on one foot while everyone laughed.
Haibara took a card from the middle. “Run around the room three times clucking like a chicken.” He laughed and passed the deck to Nanami. Then he did as the card said, being as dramatic as possible, the night filled with the sound of echoing clucks. The whole group was laughing so hard that one of the betas, Miwa, had to leave because she was afraid she was going to pee her pants. The silent guy sitting beside her, accompanied her to the bathroom.
Nanami went next and had to say the alphabet backwards. Of course he did it flawlessly which was super annoying and made half the group groan and the other half laugh.
Sukuna had to hold a plank for thirty seconds. The alpha next to him didn’t pick a card and chugged his beer instead.
Suguru pulled a card next. “Spin in a circle like a ballerina. Oh I got this,” he said as he stood up.
He didn’t take dancing lessons with Satoru years ago for nothing. He’d gotten an A in that ‘dancing around the world’ class. Suguru held Satoru’s gaze for the first time that night as he struck a pose and twirled like a damn ballerina. The small chirp he heard as he finished was louder than the jeers and clapping from everyone else around them.
Cards continued around the circle. Everyone doing something ridiculous or taking a drink instead. The distance between them felt wider with every round they played. Suguru’s stomach clenched and unclenched so much he was sure he’d have stomach pains for weeks. He wanted Satoru’s warmth by his side. He’d never longed for him like this before. He’d never had to. Satoru had always just been there, ever since that day Suguru saw him skipping rocks at the creek. They’d always just been together, two peas in a pod.
The cards kept going around and everyone got looser. The alcohol flowed and inhibitions sank. Toji finally decided to draw a card after Sukuna called him out for skipping four rounds in a row.
“Kiss the prettiest person in the room,” Toji read.
Toji smirked and walked over to the omegas. The group cheered him on. He kneeled in front of Satoru and took Satoru’s pale hand in his own, then pressed his lips to Satoru’s knuckles. Satoru’s eyes widened, his mouth parted in shock but he didn’t look upset. Just surprised. The group whooped and laughed at the display. Sukuna called him a simp, and Toji went back to his seat.
Suguru was fucking seething. He clenched his bottle of beer so hard that it felt like he could shatter it.
The game continued. Shoko sang an old nursery rhyme. Haibara danced. Nanami had to admit a secret and nobody was surprised when he said he was in love with someone. Except maybe Haibara.
Mei pulled a card. “Pick someone you wouldn’t mind getting stuck on a deserted island with.”
She smiled and looked over the fire at Suguru.
“Definitely Suguru,” she said with a wink.
Suguru forced a smile while the group cheered him on. A hot omega was into him. He couldn’t find an ounce of excitement in his bones. The only omega here, the only person here, that he had any interest in, would barely look at him.
The game had slowed down and everyone was talking more than drawing cards when Mei stumbled over to him.
“Walk me to the bathroom?” she asked, her smile big and face flushed.
Suguru quirked an eyebrow. “You want me to come to the bathroom with you?”
She laughed then stuck her lips out in a pout. “It’s dark and scary. Please?”
Suguru hesitated, looking around the camp. Surely there was someone else that could walk with her. But everyone else was occupied and some deep part of him felt uneasy about letting an omega walk alone into the woods.
“Yeah, okay,” Suguru said.
She hooked her arm through his and leaned against his side as they left the warmth of the fire behind. The path towards the campground bathrooms was dimly lit by a few solar lights set far apart. The woods whispered around them as they walked. Mei talked, slurring her words, about how fun the night was and how glad she was that their group had come to hang out with them. The whole time Suguru’s attention was elsewhere, worried about Satoru now that he could no longer see him.
Suguru waited outside the small building while she went inside, staring up at the stars through the gaps in the trees. The camp felt far away, muffled voices carried away by the wind. Mei stumbled out a few minutes later, and walked right into him. She caught herself against his chest, both of her palms flat as she laughed and gazed up at him. Her scent wrapped around him, roses, cloying and heavy. Not the sweet honey that comforted him. Before he could step back or say anything, she leaned in to kiss him.
Suguru had a moment of bewilderment. This was a situation many alphas would kill to be in. A beautiful omega throwing themselves at him. But instead of arousal all he felt was revulsion because this wasn’t right.
She wasn’t who he wanted.
Suguru turned his face away at the last second and her lips brushed against his cheek.
“Oh,” Mei said as she pulled away. She suddenly seemed a lot more sober. “I didn’t see a mark. I just assumed.”
Suguru froze. She wasn’t wrong. He was single. He didn’t have a mating mark. He was not claimed by anyone, at least not in a way that other people could see.
“I’m in love with someone,” Suguru said, the words finally released from where they’d been stuck in his throat.
Mei smiled and stepped away from him. “Well, lucky them.”
They walked back to the fire together in silence. Suguru couldn’t speak if he wanted to. His heart was beating too loud again, an arrhythmia.
He was in love with Satoru. That was his omega!
Mei gave him one last smile as she went to sit back with the omegas. Suguru sat back on his stump, his mind reeling.
He really was an idiot.
Suguru tried to catch Satoru’s eyes from across the fire but Satoru wouldn’t even look at him. He was avoiding him like Suguru might turn him to stone if they made eye contact. It was making him feel a little crazy. Was Satoru jealous because he’d walked Mei to the damn bathroom? Nothing happened! Suguru was just trying to be a decent human being.
Nobody was surprised when Sukuna lured Megumi from his safety among the omegas. It was only ten minutes later before they both disappeared from camp.
Haibara finally stood, yawning and declared that he was going back to their camp. Suguru, seeing his way out, quickly agreed. Shoko was half asleep already and leaning on Nanami.
Suguru started to walk over to where Satoru was sitting with the omegas when Toji stopped him with a hand on his arm.
“I can walk him back if he wants to stay,” Toji said.
Suguru’s blood boiled. Nobody would be walking his omega anywhere.
“No thanks,” Suguru said. “I got it.”
Suguru approached where the three omegas were still sitting and laughing together.
“Satoru, we’re heading back. You ready to go?”
His best friend looked up at him. Finally. Sky blue, slightly bloodshot eyes and pink cheeks.
“Yeah I’m ready,” Satoru said.
And although he stood up, Satoru didn’t take Suguru’s offered hand.
The walk back felt twice as long as the walk there. Suguru stayed in the back, flashlight pointed to the ground for the rest of the pack. He couldn’t stop replaying the night in his head. How had everything gotten so cosmically screwed?
When they finally got back to their camp, it seemed desolate compared to what they’d just left behind. The moment they arrived, the mask Satoru had been wearing all night finally slipped. He looked tired, miserable and freezing in the light jacket he’d worn instead of the cozy hoodie he’d normally choose.
Nanami disappeared into the alpha tent with a quick goodnight. Shoko and Haibara followed suit, zipping their tent closed as well. Satoru headed for his small tent with his shoulders hunched and a frown on his face.
“Move,” Suguru said, stepping in front of him to pull the zipper open.
He pushed himself inside the small tent before Satoru could protest. Satoru followed and grumbled under his breath.
“I thought we weren’t allowed to share,” Satoru whined, his eyes half closed.
Suguru opened Satoru’s sleeping bag and slipped inside. Holding the flap open for Satoru.
“Do you want to be warm or not?”
Satoru stared at him, biting his lower lip. He sighed and crawled in next to Suguru, wiggling until he was comfortable. Their legs were tangled and Satoru’s head was resting on Suguru’s chest. The bag wasn’t zipped but Suguru always ran hot so it wouldn’t matter. He was almost asleep, comfortable and happy when Satoru started wiggling against him again.
Suguru tried to ignore it but Satoru elbowed him so hard in the side that he winced. Suguru sat up, rubbing at his side.
“What is up with you? Just go to bed,” he growled.
Satoru chirped unhappily.
Suguru sighed. “Will you please just talk to me?”
Satoru chirped again. “You smell like her.”
“Huh?”
“You smell like her,” Satoru repeated. “I hate it.”
Suguru’s heart thumped in his chest. He stared down at the shadowed outline of his best friend. His omega. Maybe? Definitely.
“Nothing happened,” Suguru said. “She tried to kiss me but I stopped her.”
“Why?” Satoru whispered.
Suguru lay back down, turning to face him so their noses were almost touching. He could see the faint brush of freckles, like angels kisses across his nose. Suguru had always loved them. Suguru had always loved Satoru. It had always been there just beneath the surface of every lie he told himself to try to keep the distance between them. But there had never been any distance. It had always just been them, together.
“I think you know why,” Suguru whispered back.
Satoru’s eyes went wide. He blinked them closed. “Tell me,” he said.
Suguru’s fingers brushed over Satoru’s closed eyelids. Over the feather soft eyelashes that he’d always loved. Over the perfectly pointy nose that scrunched like a bunny when Satoru was upset or being cute. Over the blush that he knew was forming on Satoru’s pale cheeks even if he couldn’t see it.
“Because I love you, Satoru,” he said. “More than friends and more than I could ever put into words.”
Suguru’s heart beat wildly in his chest as he stared at the face he knew he could look at forever and never tire of its beauty.
Satoru opened his eyes and closed the distance between them. Their lips crashed together in a clumsy kiss that was more teeth and spit than tender. Satoru’s hand fisted in Suguru’s sweater, pulling him closer. Suguru kissed him back with everything he had, finding their rhythm. Their kisses changed from urgent and sloppy to slow and sensual.
Satoru made small chirps each time their lips broke apart and Suguru wanted to bottle each one to decipher it later. To compare the sound against those he’d already heard.
It felt like Suguru had been waiting to kiss him since that first day when Satoru smiled at him and his heart glowed with warmth. And every time after that, the same feeling grew and grew. God, Suguru was such an idiot for not realizing what it was.
They finally broke apart for breath and Satoru let out a shaky laugh.
“Took you long enough,” Satoru said.
Suguru smiled and placed another soft kiss on Satoru's lips.
“I’m sorry I made you wait,” Suguru said.
Satoru smiled and curled against him. As he did, the full weight of what was happening settled over them both. But it wasn’t scary like Suguru thought it would be. He just felt a little silly, like maybe if he’d acknowledged his feelings earlier they could’ve already been doing this.
Suguru pulled Satoru’s mess of blankets back over them, repositioning them so Satoru could lay with his head on Suguru’s chest again. They were both so exhausted from the day and the drinking. There was a lot they needed to talk about but it could wait. They had tomorrow. As many tomorrows as they wanted. And Suguru wanted all of them.
Suguru woke up overheated with Satoru still cuddled up next to him, his face tucked into Suguru’s neck. Suguru blinked his eyes awake, the soft morning light filtered through the green of Satoru’s tent. Satoru stirred as Suguru adjusted, trying to poke a leg out of the inferno of the sleeping bag and pile of blankets. Satoru made a soft, grumpy chirp then nuzzled closer, his nose brushing against the patch over Suguru’s scent gland.
Suguru wasn’t in any hurry to get up and once his leg hit the cold air and relief flooded his body, he relaxed again, his arms curling around Satoru’s waist. He’d been so stupid before. Of course Satoru was his. Of course he was Satoru’s. It was the only thing that had ever made any sense and he cursed himself for taking so long to figure it out.
But he wouldn’t waste any more time. He vowed right there, cuddled in a sleeping bag with the only person that had ever made a home in his heart, that he would cherish that love. He’d make sure Satoru never doubted it, never questioned that Satoru was right where he belonged, with Suguru.
Suguru would take care of Satoru’s heart because he knew how precious it was. His best friend. His love. His omega.
They finally crawled out of the tent when the sun had warmed it enough for it to be uncomfortable. Satoru pulled on Suguru’s hoodie, his white hair sticking straight up like he’d been electrocuted.
“What?” Satoru asked.
Suguru smiled. “You’re cute in the morning.”
Satoru scrunched his nose and chirped. “Tell me more after breakfast.”
Suguru laughed and led the way out of the tent. Most of the morning chill had already been baked away by the sun and Shoko was packing up some of the camping gear. They would be heading back home after breakfast.
Sukuna was sitting at the table with his face pressed to the wood, a forlorn look on his face.
“What happened to you?” Satoru asked as he took a seat across from him.
Haibara passed him a plate of eggs and smoked fish.
Sukuna flicked his gaze up at him without lifting his head. “Your new friend is evil.”
Satoru smiled and popped a piece of fish in his mouth. “Megumi? He’s great. What happened?”
Sukuna mumbled something under his breath and Satoru laughed.
“What was that?” Satoru teased. “I didn’t hear you.”
Sukuna lifted his head looking absolutely miserable. “He’s making me court him. Wouldn’t even kiss me. We spent all night… talking.”
Satoru threw his head back laughing. Suguru took the seat next to him.
“Finally met your match, huh?” Suguru said.
“And what about you, Mr. can’t share a tent with my pretty omega bestie. Change of heart?” Sukuna said, scowling.
“Something like that,” Suguru said while Satoru leaned his head on his shoulder.
“Uggghh you guys are so gross,” Sukuna complained. “Shoko, tell me you’re almost ready to hit the road.”
Shoko grinned. “You alphas still need to break down the tents and load everything. I cooked. I cleaned. I’m done.”
She sat down in one of the camp chairs with the look of someone that would wait forever if that’s how long it took. Haibara grinned and joined her.
“Yeah, betas are out,” Haibara said. “Satoru, come sit with us and spill. We want details. Let the brutes clean up camp.”
Satoru cleared his plate and kissed Suguru on the cheek before getting up from the table and taking a chair next to Haibara. The three of them sat whispering and laughing while Nanami, Sukuna and Suguru got all the tents broken down and equipment loaded into the truck.
“It’s about time you pulled your head out of your ass,” Nanami said once all three trucks were loaded.
Suguru leaned against the tailgate, Satoru already in the front seat flipping through an old CD case looking for the perfect driving home music.
“Yeah, yeah,” Suguru said with a grin. “Now it's your turn.”
Nanami glared at him. “You mind your own business,” he said as he walked to his own truck, Haibara, waiting for him in the front seat.
Suguru laughed and stared up at the blue sky. They would figure it out eventually. Sukuna’s red pickup backed out while Suguru was still standing there. Shoko rolled the window down.
“Get my friend home safe,” she said.
Suguru gave her a little salute and Sukuna peeled off down the dirt road leaving a trail of dust in his wake. The animal. Suguru shook his head and hopped into the driver's seat.
“Ready to go home?” Satoru asked.
Suguru took Satoru’s hand, lifting it to kiss his palm. “Yeah, I’m ready.”
They followed Nanami’s black truck down the dirt road, heading back to the big city. Still the same two boys that once stared up at the stars wondering what mysteries the future held. And now they knew. Friendship. A pack. And love. So, so much love.