Chapter Text
Twigs and leaves scratched his skin as he ran.
Wind whirled past his ears.
His lungs burned and burned.
He needed to get away.
He needed to go.
It was happening.
He couldn’t control it.
Everything he touched withered around him. Turning the same ash grey that haunted his dreams. And his life.
He ran and ran.
The moonlight shone in his eyes as he broke through the tree line.
There was eyes on him. He felt it. He knew it. They were swarming him.
No matter how fast he ran.
No matter how fast he ran.
He collapsed to his knees.
Why did he collapse?
He wasn’t tired.
He could run farther.
Couldn’t he?
His head whipped up as he heard them.
The smell of death was everywhere. It filled his senses until all he could breathe was death.
The ground around him wilted, dark lines of grey ash stretched out around him.
His hands were frozen on the ground.
His bones felt heavy in his body.
His breathing was ragged.
He tried to surge forward, rip himself out of the ground and keep running, but he couldn’t.
His world stopped as he felt their presence around him.
The only thing he heard was his own scream.
--
He shot out of bed, gasping in breaths as his vision was full of dark spots.
He brought his hands up to his face, they shook as he tried to see through the spots.
They were grey.
His breathing quickened once again; they were grey.
He tried to steady himself.
He needed to run.
His eyes darted around the room, panic fueling each of his movements.
He paused when he met a set of leaf-green eyes.
Fruit.
He looked ack down to his hands as warmth enveloped them.
Two pale hands wrapped around his own. His grey, withering hands.
He ripped them away, scooting back as far as he could.
“Don’t touch me!” he screamed, his throat burning in pain.
“Illu-“
“Don’t touch me!” he commanded, the beta before him faltered, sitting back onto his feet once again.
“Illumina? It’s me, Fruit. You’re okay, it was a nightmare.”
A nightmare?
His vision cleared, his eyes darting down to look at his hands.
They weren’t grey.
It was a nightmare.
He looked up to Fruit once again. The dark honey haired boy looked filled with worry. His shoulders hunched slightly and hands twitching.
Instantly the man darted forward, pummeling into the beta and holding onto him tight.
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, Fruit.” He whispered into Fruit’s neck; the other smiled softly and wrapped his arms around Illumina’s center. The scent of pears and after-rain filled his senses. Much better than death in his opinion.
“You’re okay.” The alpha froze at the tremble in the other’s voice. He pulled back to see Fruit’s eyes were glassy with unshed tears.
“Fruit? What’s wrong?” the beta shook his head, tilting it down and trying to press into Illumina’s chest.
But the alpha pressed a hand to the other’s cheek, bringing it up to look into his emerald eyes.
“Speak to me.” He said, the soft yet firm tone of his voice making Fruit squeeze his eyes shut.
“You- When you yelled at me it- it scared me.” The beta admitted, “I have a- a bad history of alpha’s commanding me. But I’m sorry, this is about you not me.”
Illumina shook his head, bringing the other’s head into his chest.
“No, no, don’t apologize. I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”
“Hypocrite.” The other mumbled and Illumina let out a huff of laughter.
He hated seeing his beta hurt. Whether it was emotionally or not. Fruit was his to protect, and the thought of another alpha forcing him into submission angered him to no end. He growled under his breath and under him, Fruit let out a breath.
“I think we should both take a walk.” Illumina whispered into Fruit’s ear, making the other shiver.
“Where?” he asked.
“Anywhere.” He concluded, pulling the other one with him out of the bed. The beta smiled, linking their fingers together as they went out of the door.
Despite being in their sleep clothes, they walked barefoot out into their meadow that surrounded their house. Fruit was silently thankful that 5up wanted to spend the night with Eret.
As soon as they were 15 steps into the moonlight, Illumina let his hand drop as he shifted. His midnight coat gleaming in the white light of the moon. Fruit smiled, shifting into his wolf as well.
He took a few steps forward, coming up to Illumina’s head and sniffing him before running his head under Illumina’s pressing it there as Illumina pressed his head down a bit.
A loving gesture that the two shared.
Fruit then pulled away and Illumina huffed, nipping at the shorter wolf’s ears before taking off down the hill. The blonde wolf let out a yip and followed after.
They raced each other down the hill, leaping beside them and bumping their shoulders. Illumina snapped his jaws at Fruit’s feet when he ran in front, proving to the other that he was faster.
When Fruit lost his balance on a rock, Illumina had slammed into him, both of them beginning to tumble down the hill.
Grass and twigs and flowers caught in their coats. Wind rushed past their fluffy ears. The moonlight framed their figures as they became increasingly tangled together.
They ended up at the bottom of the hill, the blonde wolf on top of the black one.
The beta smiled, nipping at the other’s neck as if he was actually attacking him. The black one growled playfully, pushing his feet up and rolling back on top of the other.
Pure black eyes that collected all of the light from distant stars stared down into verdant ones that had wide-blown pupils.
Illumina stared at Fruit’s figure. The blonde wolf’s head was tilted into his neck, staring up with large, analyzing eyes. His paws were a few inches away from the black wolf’s shoulders as he trapped the dusty-gold wolf under him.
He let out a noise at the back of his throat at the beauty of the other beneath him, if he shifted he swore his skin would be on fire in a blush.
He slowly brought his head down, maintaining eye-contact with the other, and gently nipped at his furry neck, chittering his bottom teeth as he did, making the other work squirm slightly under him. The golden wolf whined quietly, and Illumina pulled away.
The other took his chance to lick his face, slightly stunning the other while he pulled away.
Fruit slipped his head under his neck, letting out a soft purr before sprinting off again. The alpha huffed and chased after the beta once again. The tree line came upon them and they weaved through the trees, jumping over stumps and letting out soft howls into the forest.
Then the wolf in front of him disappeared into the thicket. The black wolf slowed, looking around before sniffing the air around him. The scent of pear clung to everything around him as he followed the trail.
His nose was stuck to the ground until the thicket thinned and he was met with the Earth lifting into a large hill.
His breath caught at the sight.
Sitting above him was the same golden wolf that he felt such a strong bond with.
His body was framed by the moonlight reflecting off of the waterfall in the distance. Golden fur sparkled as he shifted to sit down at the peak. His tail wagged slightly as Illumina walked up; he trailed is nose from the other wolf’s spine to his ears, huffing out a breath and watching as his brown ears twitched.
Then he laid his head on top of the beta’s, flopping down next to him with another huff. Fruit let out a low purr, lowering his head in what other alpha’s would call submission, but what Illumina would call his mate’s love.
“I’ve always loved it up here” Fruit said through their link. Whether it was pack or mating sort of bond, Illumina didn’t question.
“I can see why, it’s so beautiful.” Illumina said. Then the weight under his head disappeared as Fruit shifted back, lying against his side and slowly weaving his fingers through the fur.
They sat in silence, simply admiring the world around them as wind combed her own fingers through their hair.
“You know, I guess I never really told you my past.” Fruit said into the air, stuffing his face deeper into Illumina’s side.
The black wolf looked back at him, eyes gleaming with curiosity, but slowly turning to concern and comfort as he felt sadness wash over him that certainly wasn’t his.
“I used to be in a bigger pack.” Fruit said, his voice soft, “but I never liked it.”
“I hated it actually.” He said, Illumina felt a tug of anger.
“All the alphas there… they saw us betas and omegas as fucking pieces of dirt. Nothings that were only there to serve them and their fucked-up ways.” He mumbled, voice firm with held-back anger.
“There was this pup. He had the same color eyes as 5up. He was a good kid, managed to learn to hide his scent in his first years. I would always sneak food to him whenever the alphas weren’t around.”
“I remember the first time he let me sniff him. Lavender and after-rain. I never knew such a nice scent could come from such a horrible place.” Fruit said and Illumina picked his head up, looking back with dark eyes full of care and concern.
“Purpled was his name. His mother died when giving birth, but he was healthy. There was one omega that fed him for the first year, but then he was given to me by him. He knew he would be killed next since he protected him.” Fruit was silent for a moment.
“He was only a few years younger than me, but I treated him like he was my pup... even though I was still a pup. Barely fucking 14.” The blonde growled and Illumina felt rage tug at him from somewhere deep inside of him.
“I managed to escape a year later, a few months before I found you guys...”
The air around them stilled.
Fruit went silent before Illumina felt his side become wet. Fruit dug his face into the black coat, hands curled in the fur as he let out an angry sob. Illumina watched his world shatter. He scooted his head closer, nuzzling it to sit on Fruit’s lap as he cried.
“I- I don’t know where he is… or if he ever got out of that place.” He said, and Illumina watched as pale green eyes flitted down to meet his own charcoal ones.
They were full of sadness and hurt… anger was somewhere in the mix, and Illumina had never felt more anger surge through his body. Not at Fruit—it could never be at Fruit—but for those who ran that terrible place.
A pale hand slowly unfurled from his coat, the blonde bringing it down to slowly brush his fingers over the fur between his eyebrows and on top of his head, dragging his nails back to scratch on the side of his neck.
They both sat there together, underneath the stars and moon. Twinkling lights that looked down upon them from above. He couldn’t help the powerful urge of just wanting to protect Fruit from everything in the world, and then heal him of his bad memories.
The bond in both of their hearts tugged and Fruit sent a smile down to him.
“I’m glad you aren’t like those other alphas. At first I was so… weary of you. But now, I could never imagine you hurting me… in any way.” Fruit laughed out, it was a wet laugh and Illumina felt his heart slowly being put back together.
Illumina then shifted back, raising himself to sit in front of the other, staring into watery eyes.
“I will never, ever hurt you Fruit. Despite what this world may tell us, or the gods, or whatever the hell is out there… you’re my mate. You were made for me, and I was made for you. And for as long as I may live upon this earth, I promise to always, always protect you.” He said, letting a small smile fall onto his face. It was full of trust and love.
The beta let out a whine and fell forward into his arms, engulfing him in the scent of fresh pears. Illumina stuffed his nose above Fruit’s scent gland, making sure to let some of his own calming pheromones out.
The blonde immediately relaxed into his hold, whispering a few soft words that would be engraved in his mind forever.
“I never could’ve asked for a better mate.”