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Once, when they were younger, Akane told Kokonoi he should be careful with his affections or his future alpha might get jealous. Turns out, she had given him the wrong piece of advice because instead of making others accidentally jealous, Kokonoi was the one who suffered from jealousy over his mate.
Inui claimed it was ridiculous; he and Kokonoi shared enough history for them both to be sure their bond would last forever. But he didn’t understand Koko wasn’t scared of Inui dumping him for someone better, he simply didn’t tolerate the audacity some people had to flirt with his mate every day, anywhere.
So yeah, basically Inui Seishu was so beautiful that everyone wanted him: omegas, betas, even other alphas. And there was nothing that Kokonoi hated more than competition.
Not that they were actual competition, of course. In the beginning, Koko even took it with humor, teasing Inui over the attention he got, as well as the gifts and confessions, but people were shameless. He wasn’t exaggerating when he complained about Inui’s suitors. Inui could stink of Koko and those bastards would still ask him out right in front of him, almost as if testing his patience.
“There’s a clear line between those who have an innocent crush and those who are trying to threaten me, Sanzu,” he explained to the blond, making small talk while waiting for Inui outside of their building.
Sanzu, who had become an unexpected acquaintance for Kokonoi after sharing a few classes, barked a laugh. He liked to pretend he was above all that but Koko knew deep down how much Sanzu thrived on gossip.
“Really? Don’t tell me that line only appears when the suitor is attractive”
“Please,” Koko rolled his eyes. “I couldn’t care less about their looks, Inupi doesn’t care. It’s the way they scent him and cling to him and ask him about his ruts and shit. That’s just straight-up disrespectful.”
“I don’t mind when omegas approach me like that,” Sanzu smirked.
“Well, that’s because you’re a whore, which Inupi is not. He’s my mate, we’ve been together for years. If people don’t get the memo is simply because they don’t want to, and I’m not letting them think they can walk all over me.”
“Oh, oh, oh… and here I thought alphas were supposed to be the possessive ones.”
Kokonoi huffed, it was honestly annoying. The dating pool in college was enormous and yet, somehow, everyone always seemed entranced by his alpha. He was tired of it.
“Doesn’t it upset him, though, seeing you pick fights all the time?”
Koko tried to shrug nonchalantly, but the redness of his cheeks told on him. Inui didn’t mind because firstly, Koko never made a scene, but secondly, Inui was a little weirdo who got off from the possessiveness. It was healthy between them or whatever, they’d never fought over it before.
Sanzu laughed and was probably going to crack a joke that would embarrass Koko even further, until he saw something in the distance that made him quiet down with an evil smile.
“What?” Kokonoi asked, turning around to see and- ah, Inui with a young omega by his side, talking.
He felt Sanzu nudging at him and had to slap his hand away so he would stop. Koko didn’t have such bad eyesight, he could see what was happening.
Inui nodded every now and then to the stranger, he was a quiet person by nature and often only opened up to Koko or his friends. Plus, his pretty face made it easier for him to get away with not being polite at all. He appeared to be listening though, as she ranted about God-knows-what.
They had a reasonable distance between them, but she was playing with her hair and rocking on her heels, so Koko wasn’t going to rule out having to intervene.
“Is that the line?” Sanzu wondered out loud when the omega moved her hair to the side, leaving her neck exposed.
Koko saw no patch, meaning she was unmated. Because he was rational enough, he assumed the way she was stretching her neck was accidental, even if he knew most omegas did it as a tempting move. He’s done it enough times in the past to know Inui was basically immune to it though, even if it was getting close to scenting territory. So no, that wasn’t the line yet.
Inui didn’t pull back when she stepped closer – Inui never took steps back, never cleared his throat, or grew uncomfortable. He always remained unaffected, most likely because he was so used to getting hit on –, but Koko felt his nose twitching while his instincts were trying to tell him something.
He was used to listening to his inner omega, so he took Sanzu’s wrist and forced him to walk closer to the duo. From up close, he would at least be able to smell her intentions — literally.
The omega kept on babbling, voice squeaky and nervous, “…but the professor was impressed, really. Maybe we can work together again sometime?”
“Sure, I guess,” Inui answered, not at all matching her energy.
His lack of interest was often confused by confidence, so the girl didn’t seem all that disappointed. However, Koko could sense some sort of anxiety on her, would this be when she chose to ask Inui out?
“You live in this building?”
“Yeah, over there on the second floor.”
“Cool, uhm, I’m not that far from here… you could walk me to my dorm, maybe? I like talking with you.”
Or rather doing all the talking. Sanzu giggled and Koko pinched his arm to keep him quiet. He didn’t want to intrude on their bubble, just see what the omega was up to.
Inui’s face finally cracked in an apologetic smile. “Sorry, I’m meeting with some friends now.”
“Ah, alright. See you in class then.” She smiled, growing red and looking away; ashamed. Inui didn’t say anything and she awkwardly started to create a distance between them, about to walk away.
Then, her eyes shone, and Koko almost groaned. He could see her resolution as if he were in her head. This was where she would take the risk and shoot her shot, right before they had to fully part ways.
“Actually, Inui… you’re so tall, you know? I wanted to ask you what brand of heels you buy ‘cause they seem so comfy and you wear them for hours and, uhm, and your hair is so bright and nice, how do you keep it that way? Do you have a skincare routine by the way? Maybe we could exchange numbers and you could send me some of your tips, yeah?”
Koko almost found it adorable and Sanzu stiffled a laugh. What was next? Can we compare hand sizes? Come on. Koko had to stop the poor girl, but he partially understood; Inui could be a tad intimidating and most omegas weren’t used to being the ones who made the first move.
Sanzu pushed him towards the couple, ruining the smooth entrance Koko was about to do, one of those that characterized him. Instead, he bumped into Inui’s back in clumsy feet, causing his boyfriend to turn back.
“Hey,” Inui smiled softly, always happy to see him.
Koko was used to the devoted looks – at times, he still felt like he didn’t deserve them – however, it still shocked him how easy it was for Inui to leave whoever he was with the moment he saw Kokonoi.
“Sorry, didn’t see you there” Koko lied, grinning. “But what a nice surprise.”
He had the right to flirt with his mate, too. Actually, he was the only one with the right to do so. He ignored the girl, not caring how impolite it was.
“I was waiting for you, what took you so long?” And then he stared at her as if noticing her existence for the very first time. “I thought finance class ended at four?”
“Yes, we just, uh, lost track of time while we were talking,” she excused. “But I’m leaving now, I just- can I give you my number, Inui? I’ll write it down on your phone.”
Koko raised a brow, analyzing her. His omega was never wrong and he knew she was asking to keep in contact for romantic reasons, but maybe he had judged her too early? Maybe she truly wanted the skincare routine? Because she wouldn’t remain interested now that she had seen Kokonoi and smelled him, would she?
Koko liked to keep himself smelling of his alpha. He enjoyed having Inui’s scent all over him since they quitted their gang-related activities, because prior to that it had been dangerous and inconvenient to have such an obvious claim on him, and they had to keep their relationship too hidden for Koko’s taste. Inui liked it, too, so much that he hadn’t cared back then and would parade himself smelling of his boyfriend even when Koko scolded him for it.
Koko’s eyes sharpened on her, seeing the omega type on the phone while biting her lip as if burned by his stare. Good. He could give her the benefit of the doubt but after years with Inui, more often than not other omegas did not care for their relationship enough to respect it.
When she handed the phone back to Inui, Koko caught a glimpse of her name with some heart emojis next to it. Inui looked up from the phone with subtle confusion and found the girl flushed on the cheeks, smiling shyly.
Nope. See? The audacity. Koko was right there, for fuck’s sake. Sometimes he wondered what Inui’s suitors thought of him, if they lied to themselves about Koko being a “very close friend”, thought he was a fuck buddy, or worse, if they believed he was Inui’s mate that Inui had grown tired of.
The idea made him angry, and he didn’t bother with hiding it from his scent. Inui held his hand to appease him, and Kokonoi squeezed, so Inui proceeded to kiss his knuckles as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“Could you tell your friend not to waste your time when your mate and your nest are waiting?” He told Inui, looking down on his classmate thanks to his height advantage, “We’re rebuilding it today.”
Regardless of the snarky attitude, Koko’s anger deflated a bit when Inui’s lips landed on his in a reassuring peck. He couldn’t be blamed for the heat taking over his face at the sudden gesture.
Inui smiled, “don’t get moody.”
The other omega was gone without a single apology and Koko hurried to take Inui’s phone, deleting her number in an instant. “That was rude, the fuck? I’m your mate, we’re basically married,” he muttered under his breath.
“You were rude,” Inui pointed out, entertained nonetheless. “Was mentioning the nest necessary?”
Technically not. He could have called Inui his dear boyfriend and probably gotten the same effect, but it didn’t discourage everyone. The fact that they shared a dorm and a nest and spent ruts and heats together, that was much more telling apparently, evidence that Inui liked Kokonoi and hadn’t just bitten him to drag around like a bitch.
“Was the kiss necessary?” Koko retorted.
“You just look cute when you’re mad,” Inui said. “You scrunch your nose a little.”
Koko hated how Inui could be so obvious with his affection. It still caught him off guard and made Koko far too soft and warm for his own liking, so he dropped his hand.
“Stop, you’re embarrassing,” he lied, rushing towards Sanzu to go to the place the three of them were supposed to be at by now and ignoring the endearing giggle that sounded behind him.
(…)
Kokonoi wasn’t fond of Draken, Takemicchi, or any of the old Touman members. He never said anything because those were Inui’s friends and Inui was his own person who didn’t need Koko’s approval or opinion on everything. Koko also respected them, so they weren’t on bad terms or anything similar, he just never clicked with them and they didn’t with him either.
The one thing he didn’t like the most, though, was attending their social gatherings. Koko was always uncomfortable because he had nothing in common with these people, and had to follow Inui around because he only went there for Inui, so he also felt too clingy after an hour or two.
Kokonoi and Inui had history from when they were children, but there was a long time when they weren’t in contact after Akane’s passing, and while Inui joined Touman, Kokonoi befriended Izana, Kakucho, and the Haitani brothers, joining Tenjiku. They had their own lives and friend groups until they saw each other again in their first year of high school, and they’ve been boyfriends ever since.
Surprisingly enough, Koko wasn’t feeling so out of place this time. Mikey had invited Izana and therefore Koko had someone to catch up with, leaving Inui on his own. The last time he looked for him over his shoulder, he saw Inui laughing with Takemicchi while they helped Draken start the bonfire.
“Uhm, Kokonoi,” Kakucho called him hesitantly, not wanting to interrupt his conversation with Izana.
Koko stopped talking to pay attention to Kakucho. But before the man could open his mouth again, Kokonoi was on his feet, pulling at his collar to see hickeys and bite marks he had not seen before.
“Finally!” He grinned. “I had a bet with Rindou that you two would get together before I graduated.”
“Did you bet on us?!”
“Fair enough,” Izana chuckled. “We were taking far too long, I know. I was kinda stupid about the whole beta thing back then.”
“And the whole unrequited feelings thing, mostly,” Koko reminded him, remembering how stubborn Izana had been of the fact that his feelings were unilateral, thinking that Kakucho merely admired him. Kokonoi still congratulated them, patting Kakucho on the back, “Congratulations on the mating, my friend!”
Izana pulled at his earlobe far too quickly for Koko to avoid it. “We’re not mated yet, don’t push.”
“Ouch! I was trying to be nice… so who’s gonna bite who?”
“Don’t be nosy,” Izana told him, seeing that his boyfriend was growing flustered. “Anyways, Kaku, what did you want?”
“Ah, it’s Inupi.”
Predictable, really. Izana laughed and Kokonoi had to look around once only to find his boyfriend being pestered by a dude. He sighed, the one time he was not all over Inui and even here this ended up happening.
He said goodbye to his friends and went to where Inui was toasting marshmallows and half-listening to the guy eating him with his eyes. Closer now, Koko could hear the beta talking about motorcycles, how original. He must be new in the gang although he probably already knew that Inui was Draken’s coworker.
“We could go for a ride some day,” the beta suggested.
Inui shook his head, never looking away from the flames. “I don’t race anymore.”
“No, I mean, I could give you a ride to the beach of something.”
“But I have my own bike…?”
“I’m asking you out, dude.”
Well, at least this one was much more straightforward. Koko snickered from where he was standing behind them, the burnt smell of the fire covering his presence.
“Ah, I have a boyfriend. Sorry.”
The beta shrugged, Koko was about to leave them alone when he heard him say: “Well, yeah, but do you like your boyfriend?”
Excuse him?
Kokonoi was already frowning, and this time Inui did look at the beta with the most obvious poker face, as if asking if he was being serious. “He’s my mate.”
“Sure, but omegas always ask to be mated, you’re practically obliged to if you wanna keep one around. It’s not like it means much these days,” he went on to explain. “He doesn’t have to know, betas don’t even smell that much.”
Inui gave him another blank look and went back to his marshmallows, sending the clear message their conversation was over.
But the beta didn’t take the hint and proceeded to argue his case. “I’m not trying to disrespect you or anything, by the way. It’s just that most alphas have an omega for their ruts and stuff, and then when the bond expires they drop them. So I’m just saying, why wait until then?”
Not giving a single shit, Kokonoi walked and sat between them, ignoring the beta to talk to Inui. “Bet you don’t know what I just found out, babe,” he said, hand moving to his neck to pull at his collar as if it was too hot in front of the bonfire, and not a move purposely made to show off his bond mark.
Yeah, yeah, it was disrespectful and taboo, sue him.
“What is it?” Inui asked, bringing Kokonoi’s attention back to him.
“Kakucho and Izana finally made it official, so your boyfriend just earned himself a hundred dollars in cash.”
“That’s excessive.”
“It’s Rindou who we’re talking about, he has the money. And if he doesn’t, his brother can borrow him some.”
Inui chuckled. “You’re the worst,” he teased, taking Koko’s chin in one hand and asking for a kiss on the cheek. Kokonoi complied, leaving a loud kiss on his alpha’s face and giving the beta the middle finger while the guy stood at the display.
“What a jerk,” Kokonoi said, not caring if the stranger was still in hearing range.
“Yeah, to doubt I love my omega at all? What type of idiot does that?” Inui hummed, smirking slightly.
“Ugh, me, I get it,” Koko rested his head on Inui’s shoulder. He was not insecure about losing Inui, he believed Inui when the man said he loved him, it had just taken some time to understand that Kokonoi himself was deserving of Inui’s love after all. “Still, is that what everyone thinks? That I begged to be marked or else I wouldn’t let you hit?”
“Who cares…,” Inui shrugged. “I don’t give a shit what any of them thinks, you know you’re my mate for a reason. I love you.”
Kokonoi made a fist and punched Inui’s knee playfully. “Don’t just say it like that!”
“And don’t just go showing people your bite mark, Hajime,” Inui told him, leaving the marshmallows aside to slip his hand around Kokonoi’s waist under his shirt; his touch hot against the skin. “You know it drives me crazy.”
There it was, the effect Koko’s jealousy had on his partner, how it made Inui feel wanted and treasured. Koko was usually just as unbothered by everything as Inui, so nothing was more satisfying for Inui than knowing that he was the one thing that could really press Koko’s buttons.
“Seishu…” Koko laughed, “Don’t make me kiss you in front of all your friends.”
Inui laughed too and Kokonoi kissed his trembling mouth, lips still curved against his as they both smiled into it. Inui held him close, his hand settling on Koko’s hip, and Kokonoi remembered the very first time they kissed – under similar circumstances –, with Koko’s hand clinging to Inui while Seishu confessed he couldn’t wait to mate him one day.
(…)
Because the semester was officially over, Sanzu’s idea of clubbing had seemed perfect for the night. They were now drinking and dancing with a bunch of classmates Kokonoi couldn’t care less about, while Sanzu got shitfaced as he cried over Mikey of all people – how small was the world, really.
Koko was being the best friend in the world and making fun of Sanzu, but also calling Takeomi so that Sanzu could get home in one piece.
Leaving Sanzu safe and sound in his older brother’s arms must have taken Koko a minute or two tops, but when he went back inside, Inui was already out of sight. Unfortunately, that meant Kokonoi would have to go look for him before some random threw themselves on his boyfriend’s lap.
Two people had already flirted with him, fucking hell. Kokonoi’s alpha couldn’t catch a break and his inner omega was a bit pissed about it already, making him cranky for losing Inui in the club. He needed water, or a cig, just something to get his omega nice and under control.
Kokonoi was about to approach the bar when someone bumped into him abruptly. He wasn’t in the best mood so he turned to yell at whoever it was or maybe step on their foot if they were dancing, and he found a tall guy staring back at him.
He frowned. The club was a bit disorienting so he couldn’t even tell if the guy was an alpha or not, but either way Koko was going to force an apology out of the dude’s mouth even if it was the last thing he did that night.
“Hajime,” Inui snapped him out of it, appearing out of nowhere. “I’m going to the bathroom, okay?”
As his omega began to relax, Koko nodded. “Yeah, I think I’ll go out for a smoke.”
“Through the back door?”
Kokonoi nodded again and Inui left. Only then did Koko realize he had forgotten to ask him for a cigarette. He bit his lip, and as he tried to search for someone he knew to ask for cigs, he found that the tall man who had bumped into him seconds ago was looking at his boyfriend’s retrieving back.
Great. Koko rolled his eyes and went to the back door, choosing to at least breathe some fresh air if he wanted his omega completely back to normal. He was about to open his phone to check on Sanzu when the same stranger from inside the club showed up, closing the door behind him.
“Want a cig?” He offered.
Koko eyed him cautiously and finally agreed when the man – now he could sense it, an alpha – showed him the pack he carried and pulled one for him. Koko took it between his fingers and raised a brow to ask for a lighter, then he lit it.
He scrolled through his social media for merely a minute, a little weirded out that the alpha hadn’t left yet. Actually, why had he followed him? Kokonoi didn’t like how the man had been looking at his boyfriend, his mate, and Kokonoi wasn’t in his best senses to ignore the bad feeling.
“What do you want?” He asked straight up.
“You looking for a third?” The alpha said, bluntly.
“What?”
“You and your friend.”
“My boyfriend,” Koko corrected, growing pissed as minutes passed. “Fuck off.”
The alpha didn’t seem fazed by the rejection, Kokonoi just knew he would be one of those pushy assholes.
“C’mon, it’s only natural for omegas to need a knot, let me help you both.”
Koko didn’t know where to start replying to that, “dildos exist for a reason, knothead.” He scoffed.
“Just saying, your boyfriend probably misses the real thing.”
“My boyfriend is an alpha.” Kokonoi threw his cig on the floor and stepped on it. “Believe me, he has the real thing,” he said, sticking out his tongue at the stranger.
It shut him up very quickly, a small satisfied smile tugging at Kokonoi’s lips. He expected the dude to vanish as soon as he had appeared, and the alpha seemed like he was going to, but he just had to be a loser about it.
“Your alpha looks like an omega bitch, then,” he spat.
And alright, in any normal occasion Kokonoi wouldn’t have cared one bit about the comment or misunderstanding. It wasn’t the first time someone assumed Inupi was an omega, and it wouldn’t be the first time some fragile idiot got all hurt that he had thought another alpha was hot. But right now Koko was slightly impulsive because of the alcohol, a bit angry, and he just wouldn’t take anyone calling his mate a bitch in his presence.
So he did something very stupid, like punching the alpha in the face.
It escalated quickly from there. Kokonoi could hold his own in a fight since he was a teen, so he could dodge and he could hit hard. But Kokonoi was also more of the brain of his gang back in the day. He never had to dirty his hands with the Haitani brothers, Kakucho, and Izana having his back, so Koko was a bit rusty at this fighting thing, whether he liked it or not.
He managed to avoid one or two blows and landed a few as well, but then he couldn’t exactly remember how to sneak out of the grasp of someone physically bigger and stronger, and when a hand clamped around his neck, he felt stupid as he scratched the guy’s face.
And a knee to the stomach followed – fuck. Kokonoi fell to his knees and gagged, which turned out to be a big mistake because he was on his back on the floor in a blink, one arm held down by the alpha and the other pinned to the ground by said alpha’s knee. The guy hovered over him, about to crash his fist against Kokonoi’s eye, his lip already bleeding.
Kokonoi could only imagine how disappointed Inui would be at him for getting in a useless fight. He whimpered a weak stupid sound, flinching as the fist went to his face.
But the door slammed open with a furious clash and the stranger’s knuckles barely brushed Kokonoi’s temple as the weight rolled off him. Inui’s heel had impacted right against the guy’s head, catching him completely off guard. The kick had sent him flying.
And unlike Kokonoi, Inui had never lost a one-on-one fight before.
He finished the job of beating the guy up too quickly for Koko to process anything, considering he was a bit too focused on the fact that he had a parted lip now.
“Should’ve gone to smoke by the front door,” he mumbled, at least that way security could’ve handled it before he got his ass beat.
“Don’t you dare lay a fucking hand on my mate again or I’ll kill you!” Inui snarled, kicking the guy again.
“That’s hot,” Kokonoi coughed, trying to lighten up the mood.
Inui did not laugh, he helped Koko up with a dark look and held his face roughly in place, staring at the places that would be swollen tomorrow. Koko hissed in pain when Inui’s fingers dug on his nape, holding him close as they exited.
“Sorry,” Koko whispered once they were stepping into their dorm. “Sorry, Seishu.”
“So much for partying,” Inui groaned. He didn’t demand an explanation, didn’t need one. He would die for his mate and in the same breath he swore he would kill for him, and he was so loyal Koko might cry for being so lucky to have him.
Inui went for the first aid kit and Koko sat at the edge of the bed, taking off his clothes in front of the mirror to see where he could have any bruises or cuts. During his time in Tenjiku, Koko had learned to tend to any type of wound, mostly because he didn’t want the members wasting money in hospital visits for non-life-threatening situations.
“Here,” Inui passed him the kit, and Koko checked everything they had. He swallowed a painkiller with the water Inui gave him, then started disinfecting his knuckles.
Inui came back one last time with an ice bag wrapped by the very same shirt he had been wearing tonight. He looked irresistible with murder in his eyes and a naked torso. Koko had to bite his lip and then flinch at that to let the thought go.
Inui sat behind him and pushed Koko’s hair aside to nuzzle at his nape, leaving a kiss or two on his mate, perhaps trying to scent him as well with how much of his aroma he was letting permeate the room. Koko purred while Inui hugged him, arms settling firmly around his waist.
“Don’t do that again, Hajime. You know you can’t handle fights alone,” his alpha pleaded, sounding more tired than reprimanding.
Koko made a face as he pressed the ice bag against his mouth.
“Well shit, I won’t. Promise.”
“Wanna explain how he upset you?”
“Said some sexist bullshit, I don’t know.”
“And you started a fight over a few comments?” Inui asked, managing not to sound judgmental at all. Koko furrowed his brows but Inui nipped at his earlobe before he could get worked up. “I’m not blaming you for anything, baby.”
“Thanks,” Koko blushed. How did Inupi always know what to say?
“I just don’t like when you get in trouble.”
“I wouldn’t have to if I didn’t have to fight all those idiots looking for your attention.”
“Oh?” Inui smiled. Koko could sense him relaxing and felt more at ease knowing he hadn’t made his mate too distressed. “You’re literally the only thing in my mind all day. Why do you have to pay those strangers any attention?”
Kokonoi remembered his chat with Sanzu and put the bag aside, “I can’t let them walk all over me, what the hell?” He admitted, frustrated. “You’re my alpha, mine. My omega can’t stand others even thinking they have a chance.”
“What a hypocrite, Hajime, your omega didn’t seem to think that before we got together, huh? Always covering my mark and my scent and-”
“Shut up,” Kokonoi turned, pushing Inui onto the bed. His boyfriend laid with raised brows and Koko crawled on top of him, knees settling at each side of his hips. He leaned in so his forehead could touch Inui’s and their breaths could mingle. “That was far too long ago, I can’t imagine myself without you now, Seishu,” he confessed.
Their nest felt soft and full and safe, with Inui under Koko like a beautiful angel. Inui’s hand traced his thigh slowly, blue eyes piercing Koko’s. “I really want to kiss you right now.”
Koko breathed out something similar to a laugh, lip stinging just a little at the effort. “Mate me again?” He proposed instead.
Inui flipped their positions far too easily for Koko’s liking and kissed his nose scrunch away. His mouth soon placed an open-mouthed kiss at the base of Koko’s neck, skin red and bruised after the fight, and he lapped at the place before letting his teeth brush just the slightest. Koko’s breath hitched, earning a chuckle from his partner.
“You don’t think I’m mating you without the fun part first, do you?”