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“I’ve had enough of this, Atsumu,” King Miya of Inarizaki cried, “You are getting married by the end of this year, whether you like it or not!”
Osamu Miya sighed as he shook his head at his immature brother. “I told you not to push your luck,” he chided Atsumu.
Queen Miya looked down at her son disappointedly, keeping mum but her shaking head said enough.
Miya Atsumu, the first prince of Inarizaki and not the heir to the throne, had been condemned to the fate of an omega since he was in his late teens. As such, his life is less than he would like it to be as he suffers at the hands of what society deems to be proper and in line with what the gods would have wanted.
Which means omegas have no voice or power.
While that’s not entirely true as most omegas have equal opportunity, there was still a law, written by alphas, of course, that decreed no omega shall ever rule Inarizaki, and that was enough for Atsumu to think he was doomed.
Because if he were the heir to the throne, Atsumu knew with no doubt in his mind he would not be in this position right now.
Atsumu pouted childishly, folding his arms across his chest as he sneered, “You truly wish to send off your only omega son like cattle? Having all my suitors kill each other for my hand?” The blond stood up abruptly and slammed his hands on the table in front of him as he snarled, “I’d rather die!”
Queen Miya finally had enough. “How dare you say such blasphemous words, Atsumu!” Atsumu only held his mother’s gaze as she also stood and said, “You are not cattle, but this behavior of yours is beginning to get ridiculous! First, you embarrass us with your temper tantrums in front of our friends, the Itachiyama royals, and then you deny every single suitor your father and I have tried to set you up with. You are neither agreeable nor accommodating with the marriage tour we wish to set up for you and we are now at our wits end!” She gestured a hand to Osamu, the real heir, and said, “Look at your brother, he’s picked a respectable beta son from a noble family and enjoys his engaged life. What’s so wrong with you doing the same?”
With the comparison made between the two brothers, the hair on the back of Osamu’s neck stood up, and he knew it was about to get ugly. “Ma—” he started, but Atsumu beat him to the punch.
A startling, rasping laugh erupted from Atsumu, so ugly it felt like nails on a chalkboard. Once he calmed himself, earning incredulous looks from both of his parents, the omega said, “Very well, I’ll agree to this tourney. At least if I get all the suitors to kill each other, I’ll only have to end up dealing with one myself.” His face twisted into a cruel smirk as he said, “It’s much easier to poison one suitor rather than a hundred.”
“Atsumu!” his father screamed after him, but the blond had already turned away, stomping through the door and shutting it harshly behind him. The omega fumed as he walked away from the hall, maids and servants careful to keep their distance from the raging omega.
The walk did him well, however, and by the time he reached his recluse in the library, only embers of his anger remained. With a sigh, he collapsed in his preferred corner in the library, a place in the palace that only he and his brother, along with Aran and Kita, knew off. It was a small alcove deep within the grand library, books lining three of its walls (one acting as a faux door), ancient and dusty, with a small bay window on the last wall. Atsumu seated himself in the bay window, and since he visited the place so often knowing that it was left undisturbed, there were quite a few of his scented items already there. The knowledge that no one would likely come after him anytime soon had the omega relaxing.
Atsumu had long since known this day was coming. It was inevitable his family would demand he does his “duty” to his people by strengthening the friendly relationships between kingdoms or throughout the kingdom through marriage. It was an unfortunate truth he has had to come to terms with since his presentation as an omega.
Atsumu looked forlornly out of the window at the thought of his tourney. If this mating tourney were to be conducted in the way most mating tourneys in Inarizaki were, there would be three rounds of elimination to determine Atsumu’s most “deserved” match. First, the match of wits, then the match of laws, and finally the match of life. It sounded brutal and, in a way, it was. The idea was to find the smartest, strongest, and just alpha among all of Atsumu’s suitors, because if Osamu were to die or pass off his throne before he had heirs, Atsumu’s husband would be the new king of Inarizaki.
That, Atsumu thought, was the most disappointing fact. This mating tourney didn’t even concern finding a male suited for Atsumu, but a male suited for the throne. Should that male be greedy and have the right people backing him, Atsumu may be caught in the crossfire between his husband and brother for the throne. Such was the dangerous game of mating with an omega prince.
If only it weren’t for that blasted alpha. The bane of his existence, the reason for his misery.
Atsumu whimpered as he tucked himself into an upright fetal position, hugging his knees tightly to his chest, his tunic in great disarray, rumpled beyond belief, from the day's events and arguments. He didn’t know how long he sat there in silence, contemplating his life and his no doubt miserable future from this day on when Osamu finally found him.
Osamu didn’t say anything and Atsumu didn’t bother looking up to see what his brother's facial expression was, but he did feel the alpha sit down at his side, not making a move to touch the omega but merely giving him company. Atsumu could understand, his outbursts today were rather shocking and… vulgar.
Perhaps fifteen or thirty minutes passed before Osamu finally spoke up. “How are you feeling?” His voice was quiet, but not meek, as if he did not wish to mess with the silent ambiance of the alcove.
Atsumu finally sat up, keeping his knees to his chest with his arms wrapped around them as he said, “Fine, or normal, rather. I knew this day was coming.”
Osamu hummed, looking down at his hands where he fiddled with the edge of his tunic. Atsumu tried not to read too closely into his brother’s behavior. Osamu only fiddled mindlessly with things when he had something heavy on his mind, it was the same behavior he displayed when he was declared heir and when he was debating asking Suna Rintarou for his hand. Both times, Atsumu had been the one to shake Osamu out of his head, making him talk through his worries and anxieties until there were none left.
He contemplated asking what was wrong but Osamu took a sharp breath as if finally making up his mind about something and turned his head to Atsumu. “Listen, ‘Tsumu, there’s something you need to know. Now rather than later.”
Atsumu narrowed his eyes, finally letting his legs down. “What now? Don’t tell me Father has chosen to forgo the tourney and make my match for me?”
Osamu let out a half-hearted laugh that looked more nervous than comedic, “No, no definitely not. This news is much worse.”
Atsumu only raised his brows, eager for his brother to finally spit it out. It wasn’t like this day could get any worse.
Osamu gave his brother a conflicted and sympathetic look as he said, “The Sakusas will be attending your mating tourney and ceremony.”
And it was then Atsumu knew he had, once again, spoken too soon.
The kingdoms of Inarizaki and Itachiyama have long since been friends.
There is much more regarding how their long-standing bonds of friendship came to be, but it’s never been too read into considering how loving and blossoming the two countries always treated each other. Sister nations in the truest of meanings, such a relationship also carried into the bonds between the royals of the two countries.
Hence, it was not so unusual for the twin princes of Inarizaki, Miya Atsumu and Miya Osamu, to find themselves spending cool summers in Itachiyama with another royal child their age, Sakusa Kiyoomi, prince of Itachiyama, and vice versa.
It had always been a great joy for the Miya and Sakusa families to finally raise their children together, and they used every opportunity to bring them together as if they were one family.
Their children, however, had their own opinions on the matter.
Kiyoomi and Atsumu have been rivals ever since they were children. They have never gotten along, as Atsumu was too brash for Kiyoomi’s taste and Kiyoomi was too stuck up for Atsumu’s taste. The juxtaposition was cute to the adults but the children were quite adamant about their dislike for each other. Osamu, perhaps, was the most annoyed, as his entire childhood, including his vacations away from home, was spent listening to his friend and brother argue over everything and nothing at all.
Whenever the poor gray-haired boy complained to his parents, they only laughed and assured him the two would grow out of their rivalry one day. At the time, Osamu accepted the explanation. Itachiyama and Inarizaki had always been friends, so there was no way little, scrappy Atsumu and lanky, awkward Kiyoomi would tear that down. Soon or later, they would have to concede to each other.
Except they didn’t.
The two fought relentlessly into their teen years, all the way until they presented actually. Whether it be pertaining to horse riding or academics, the two were always at each other’s throats, ready to tear the other to bloody ribbons in some ridiculous challenge. Things never got past the verbal arguments, but almost everyone in the Inarizaki and Itachiyama castles has heard the two yowling at each other like cats and dogs do in the slums.
It was disgraceful and stupid, Osamu often thought.
Yet, it was tame enough that their parents still laughed it off, believing their children would one day grow up and learn that the two were better off friends than enemies. Truth be told, their arguments had always seemed shallow, and even though Atsumu never listened to how Osamu scolded him for causing a ruckus with the Itachiyama prince, the gray-haired knew it was never so serious.
And then, Kiyoomi presented as an alpha, and Atsumu, the eldest prince, presented as an omega.
All hell broke loose the day Atsumu presented.
Osamu vividly remembers his brother fighting through an agonizing first heart and he screamed and cried to his mother, cursing the Itachiyama prince to hell, claiming his presentation was the reason why Atsumu became an omega.
It is said that some children who grow up together, if they are well-matched in tenacity and tendency, have presentations that represent their connection. Perhaps it was the angst that Atsumu could no longer be heir due to his presentation, or maybe his bubbled rage toward himself for what he could not regain control over, Osamu watched as his brother vehemently scorned the prince of Itachiyama, blaming the alpha for the hand the blond had been unfairly dealt.
Osamu never minded being heir, and truthfully, he had no issues with Atsumu taking the title. However, as an omega, Atsumu could never rule by the laws and the strong denial from the Council, so Osamu was stuck with a title he never truly wanted and Atsumu was knocked from the pedestal he had always desired.
Atsumu never went back to Itachiyama. Osamu knew Kiyoomi had sent Atsumu various letters over the years, but it was as if Atsumu was reminded of his poor disposition every time he saw a letter from the prince that the omega burned every one of them without even reading them.
It was an ugly time.
Atsumu had shut everyone out, even his own twin, and Osamu couldn’t help but be disappointed in his father. Even as his son wasted away from having his life stolen from him due to a presentation he couldn’t control, the twins’ father did nothing to advocate for his child. Their father didn’t love Atsumu any less for his presentation, but he didn’t fight for him either. Osamu thought such a thing was just as bad.
Osamu had also received various letters from Kiyoomi and kept the alpha up to date on Atsumu over the years. He supposed he felt guilt for the Itachiyama prince as he was receiving the brunt of Atsumu’s anger. While Kiyoomi and Atsumu had never gotten along, it was never this bad, so Osamu could understand the whiplash the raven-haired alpha was going through. From what he understood, after Atsumu had gotten through his first—and most miserable—heat, he had written a scathing letter denouncing Kiyoomi as his “friend” and stating he would no longer be treating him as a “friend of the crown” along with cursing him down to the Seven Hells for what he had “done” to Atsumu. The Sakusas had come to Inarizaki to congratulate Atsumu for his presentation and settle the bad blood, but the omega had stayed in his room the whole time and merely cried.
Osamu could only see his brother's pain as his parents tried to diffuse the situation, seething in embarrassment. Kiyoomi had even cornered the alpha twin, desperate for news about his "rival" for some reason, but even Osamu couldn’t say much as his own twin brother was shutting him out as well. Osamu knew in his heart that Atsumu would never blame the alpha twin for having the title of the heir, but he understood that Atsumu needed time to process what had all happened. No matter how dramatic he thought his blond twin’s reaction was, Osamu would never abandon him.
The Sakusas returned to Itachiyama without much fanfare after Kiyoomi made Osamu swear to keep him updated with Atsumu’s disposition. While, at the time, he didn’t quite understand, Osamu now knew Kiyoomi’s desire to keep up with Atsumu was due to his feelings for him. The gray-haired twin found it silly that the raven chose to flirt with his brother through insult-throwing but figured he’d best leave it alone. Osamu was sure that Kiyoomi regretted his method now more than ever.
And so, such a charade went on for years. Soon the twins were twenty-three and Kiyoomi was twenty-two. The raven-haired alpha still beleaguered Osamu for information about Atsumu from time to time but seemed to have mostly dropped. Perhaps he had finally realized Atsumu would only reveal as much of himself as he wanted to and that Osamu would never betray his own flesh and blood, no matter how childish.
Though, now, the heir to Inarizaki was curious to see how the heir to Itachiyama would make his move once and for all, lest it becomes too late.
As it was his mating tourney, there were certain parts of the process that was imperative for Atsumu to participate in. He did so mindlessly, feeling an overwhelming sense of doom and a desire to rage across the world and fight himself within his heart. Not only was he making preparations for his own “Battle to Win My Hand” but he also had to prepare to see Sakusa Kiyoomi after all these years.
The reason for his sorry disposition is all because of that blasted alpha, and he has the nerve to attend with his parents to see Atsumu peddled off like some breeding mare? Kiyoomi is the reason he was turned into a mare in the first place, after all! How dare he!
So, in style with his attitude, Atsumu was not present when Kiyoomi arrived with his family. His brother did report to him thereafter that the raven-haired alpha had been looking for the blond during the entirety of the welcoming banquet. Atsumu had only scoffed when he heard that. Did the years of burning the alpha’s letters and deigning him no response not say enough? What more does the alpha want from him?
Atsumu could feel Osamu judging him when he snarked such words. He remembered the time Osamu had muttered how childish the older was being but Atsumu didn’t care. Atsumu had always been at odds with Kiyoomi, but to think the alpha would stoop so low as to expect his presentation was unacceptable, so no, he would not be seeing Sakusa Kiyoomi during this tourney at all.
It took Kiyoomi, however, a mere three days to track down Atsumu in his private alcove in the grand library. Atsumu had smelled him first, the scent of bergamot and citrus, ripe and sharp, but it had been so long since Atsumu had scented such that he thought he had been imagining it. The shock that had run through the omega at the sight of the alpha in such a place that was sacred to him was enough to have him keel over and die. Atsumu had a sneaking suspicion this surprise attack was not only masterminded by Kiyoomi but Osamu as well. Faced with his greatest adversity, Atsumu could only square his shoulders and put on his best glare.
The alpha didn’t look any better, his curly hair in a frenzy and his tunic and cape askew. It seems as if he had run here from a meeting or gathering within the castle. He huffed and puffed as Atsumu carefully assessed him.
Despite his disheveled appearance, it was obvious to Atsumu that time had been kind to Kiyoomi. The last time they had seen each other, they were both still teenagers, lanky and awkward in their bodies. Kiyoomi was always the most awkward. He was tall with limbs too long and not enough muscle. Atsumu used to rip into him about the state of his gangly body, bragging that at least he didn’t look like a poorly drawn stick figure, but now… such insults would just be the worst farce.
Kiyoomi had grown even taller, his stature broad and solid, as if he had spent a great deal of time sharpening his sword skills, which wouldn’t be wrong to assume considering he was an heir to the throne. His limbs had gratuitously filled out from what Atsumu could see, with obvious signs of maturity. The blond wanted to curse the chiseled jaw, carved brows, and straight nose as Kiyoomi looked him dead in the eyes, face bewildered and yet somehow awed. Kiyoomi looked every bit the part of an alpha heir; tall, well-built, and demanding . It infuriated Atsumu as much as it made him feel worthless. That was supposed to be him .
And yet, those blasted moles and dark orbs haunted his dreams.
“Cease this childishness once and for all, Atsumu,” Kiyoomi started, his voice filling the room achingly. Atsumu absentmindedly noted that Kiyoomi’s voice was definitely deeper than he remembered, but that was to be expected, no matter how much it made his knees strangely wobble. “It has been years. I did not force your presentation and you know it.”
Atsumu snarled so loudly it reverberated throughout the entire library and was talked about by the servants for the rest of the day, much to Atsumu’s parent’s dismay.
The next few days were strange. There was still a week before the tourney began, but every day Kiyoomi was trailing after omega, endlessly arguing with him as if he must take away Atsumu’s dislike for him this instant. In a way, Atsumu could not understand it. Kiyoomi and Atsumu had always been at each other’s throats, so why was the alpha so torn up over Atsumu’s resentment? Besides, Kiyoomi was weird… he bickered with Atsumu, but there seemed to be something more in his tone. His body language betrayed a softer tone than what he spoke to Atsumu, which the omega was bothered by. It all came back to the question of why? Why was Kiyoomi acting like this? What did he hope to gain?
Osamu was of no help either, even though the omega knew his twin brother had been exchanging letters with the other alpha heir all this time. If Atsumu didn’t know any better, he’d think this was just an elaborate prank set up by the two to trick Atsumu. However, the way Kiyoomi acted… strangely around him, and Osamu’s constant pained expression when he was around the two, was enough to set the blond on edge.
There was something the alpha prince of Itachiyama was planning, and Atsumu did not like being in the unknown. Not one bit.
It all came to a head a day before the tournament.
Atsumu was exhausted. Between the finishing touches and greeting the suitors who were arriving to attend the tourney tomorrow, Atsumu was further pushed to the edge by Kiyoomi’s incessant need to stick by his side while he did so.
Despite the alpha’s best attempts, neither he nor Atsumu had a fulfilling conversation regarding their rocky relationship. Atsumu refused to engage with him no matter how hard Kiyoomi tried and made himself scarce where he could. The omega did have dinner with the Itachiyama Royals, but even Kiyoomi’s parents knew not to push the omega, something the determined Kiyoomi should've realized.
Atsumu was beyond decorum by now. If anything, he was glad the tourney was tomorrow just so Kiyoomi could finally return to his homeland and leave the omega alone for good. He really didn’t know where the alpha got the audacity to bother him so. His rejection was clear enough, his hatred had been clear enough. Yet, Kiyoomi still put in his best efforts to have, at the very least, a conversation with the omega.
It kept Atsumu on edge.
So when Kiyoomi once again tracked him down at the library, Atsumu was at his wit’s end.
“This is the last time I will tell you, Sakusa. Stay away from me. You’ve done enough .” Atsumu snarled at the alpha from across the little table within the alcove, barely large enough to be considered a coffee table.
Kiyoomi’s brows furrowed, “And how many times will I have to tell you I only wish to have one conversation? Even if you hate me, you can at least hear me out from afar.”
Atsumu flapped his hands incredulously, his scent spiking in anger and frustration, “And what part of ‘I don’t care, leave me alone’ do you not understand?!” He fixed a hard glare on the alpha as he said, “I don't care what you have to say, Kiyoomi. Isn’t it enough that I am suffering the fate of a pitiful omega, due to be sold off by tomorrow? Aren’t you satisfied yet? Or at least ashamed?!”
“I have done nothing to you, Atsumu! ”
Kiyoomi’s voice—yell, outburst —bounced off the walls of the library alcove, creating an echo that tore at Atsumu’s ears. The silence that followed was deafening but Atsumu could barely register it over the beating of his own heart.
Softly, quietly, the omega said, “And yet, here we are, aren’t we?”
Kiyoomi only looked pained, hands cringing as he paced in short steps, “I do not recall doing anything to trigger your heat, Atsumu, I swear.”
But Atsumu had long since grown weary. Not only has he been beleaguered all this week, but every time he saw Kiyoomi’s face, he was reminded of what he lost. His crown, his throne, his self-respect.
All of it was taken away because of a presentation he couldn’t control. All because the law demanded it, all because he could bear children.
After he had presented, his mother had tried to soothe him by saying the ability to birth and child rear was a gift. How could she say that when Osamu and Atsumu had been pawed off to wet nurses? How could that be when Atsumu was discriminated against by law because of his womb? What kind of gift had such damnation tied to it?
So the omega hissed, “Your words mean nothing to me, Kiyoomi. I have said what I wished to say to you and it is that I no longer wished to engage with you. We were never friends when we were children, so why would we start now? There is no reason for you to concern yourself with me.”
“How could you say we weren’t friends?” Kiyoomi started, sounding desperate to most likely get the situation back in his control. “Sure, we argued like children our age did, but we were still friends, weren’t we? And as my friend, you do concern me, and I want to be concerned about you!”
Atsumu felt his patience snap right then. How dare he say that? Can’t he just leave the omega alone?!
“Oh, get over yourself, Kiyoomi! You’re being ridiculous! When has anything I have ever done concerned you ?” Atsumu pushed forward into the alpha’s personal space, his snarl vicious and daunting for such an omega. “I don’t care what you think of yourself, of us, but don’t force me to believe in your delusions as well!”
The words struck Kiyoomi right where Atsumu thought they would, and he grinned cruelly, victoriously. It was about time someone finally put this alpha in his place—
“Then, I suggest you watch me carefully at your marriage tournament, omega,” Kiyoomi growled, eyes hungry, “and ready yourself to be my mate.”
Atsumu’s mating tourney consisted of three rounds: the trial of wits, the trial of law, and the trial of life.
The trial of wits consisted of a test of the suitor’s knowledge. In some records, it has been written exams, in other records, it has been an oral exam or test of speech. The idea is to ensure the suitor is well-spoken and can address a crowd. After all, this tourney isn’t exactly about the omega, but a possible future king. What good is a contender for the throne if he cannot even read? For Atsumu’s tourney, his father had given him the choice to choose the test for this round, and so the omega decreed that there will be an oral exam, by which each suitor must write a poem for his beauty. Of course, Atsumu did it out of vanity, but his father accepted it as the intricacy of the poem would determine how well-spoken the alpha was.
Next was the trial by law. This trial consisted of a political problem the suitor would be asked to solve. As Atsumu is an omega and presumably has no knowledge of politics in his own country, his father and the Council decided on this test. The blond didn’t exactly mind. No suitor would dare step foot into the case unable to delegate, much less be illiterate. Of course, the only voice Atsumu had in his own tourney was the first round. Once again, a rather useless test for choosing a suitable alpha partner for an omega, but a perfect decider for the throne, no?
Lastly, there was the trial of life. The test is exactly as it was stated. As a king—and a mate, apparently— an alpha must know how to defend his country—and his mate—from the threatening danger that jeopardizes the kingdom's—and their mated love’s—stability. The last of the suitors will engage in a sword fight and be demanded to kill or make all the other suitors yield to finally be crowned the victor. A spectacle of a lifetime, Atsumu’s father had said one night, wine-drunk and exhausted. Atsumu could care less, as he had already proclaimed to kill his surviving suitor. After all, could the Council really force a grieving omega to take another mate so soon?
Atsumu had known what his tourney would consist of for a long while now, and he was never very concerned about it. For someone like him, who was conniving enough to get himself out of situations he didn't want to be in, he figured he would find some way to jack the system.
Until Sakusa Kiyoomi. The same jackass who always destroys his plans!
Tragedy would befall them all if the Itachiyama Royalty found out Atsumu had poisoned their precious son.
Not that Kiyoomi would win the tournament.
Atsumu was almost completely confident Kiyoomi did not have what it takes to win. Sure, he is an heir and all parts of Atsumu’s tourney technically apply to him, but he is an heir to Itachiyama. Atsumu considered it highly unlikely that Kiyoomi would defeat all of the high and noble in Inarizaki.
Additionally, Atsumu wholeheartedly believed there was no way Kiyoomi would go through with his plan to join his mating tourney, much less win it. However, the omega would take it to his grave that he had prayed right after his argument with the raven-haired alpha for his loss.
Kiyoomi was prideful, Atsumu knew that especially now, but he would never put his pride on the line for Atsumu, of all people. The only way to keep his honor as a Crown Prince alive in such a tournament was if he won it.
Atsumu knew Kiyoomi would not risk it all just to prove a point.
Right?
Except, the omega prince was in for a pleasant surprise when Kiyoomi wiped out nearly all of his competition in the first round. With simply a poem describing Atsumu’s eyes. Of course, Atsumu got no sympathy from either set of parents, as they have always, secretly, wanted their children to be together.
God, even just the poem infuriated Atsumu. The way Kiyoomi addressed him regarding his “golden pools of honey orbs” or his “enticing scent of lavender and apple”. Just hearing the praises sounded as if the alpha were mocking him, and yet every omega spectating swooned at the flowery words. Atsumu wasn’t sure whether to implore Kiyoomi to continue or to rip his own ears out and take Kiyoomi’s tongue out along with it.
The trial of law was a free pass for Kiyoomi. Atsumu knew that already even though he had secretly hoped Inarizaki and Itachiyama politics were vastly different, different enough to deter Kiyoomi. Even as a Crown Prince of a foreign nation, such a study of politics and governance was a given, but Atsumu still rolled his eyes when he succeeded. Atsumu still made sure to pray right before the trial of life. God had already taken away his throne, must the Lord steal away his dignity as well?
It was just Atsumu’s luck that all of the knights in Atsumu’s tourney were all so shitty, that Kiyoomi ended up being the victor by a long shot, and the two finally realized how fucked they truly were.
Because as it stands, the competition was imbued with magic, meaning that the alpha male who won must become the omega’s mate. This was primarily so that Atsumu couldn’t back out last minute, but now it means that the omega was stuck with the one he loathed the most. Since he won, Kiyoomi’s prize, besides Atsumu’s hand in marriage, is a night with the omega.
A night.
With the omega.
"Congratulations, alpha! You got what you fuckin' wanted, huh?!" Atsumu yelled as soon the doors to his bed chambers shut. He didn't care if everyone in the castle could hear, anyone with a bit of common sense and a pair of eyes could tell just how angry Atsumu felt about this arrangement. It definitely didn't help that he could feel the pressure of his heat trickling down the back of his neck.
"That is enough, Atsumu," Kiyoomi snarled, collapsing on a couch situated against one of the walls, coarsely ruffling his curls as he did so. "It's not my fault all of your suitors were shitty," he grumbled after.
"Maybe you shouldn't have joined the damned tournament at all, then neither of us would be in this predicament!" Atsumu shouted.
Kiyoomi threw his hands up in the air, "And leave you to be mated to one of those piss-poor alphas?! As if!"
Atsumu scoffed and folded his arms from where he was standing in front of his bed, guarding his nest. "Like you actually give a shit who I mate with."
Kiyoomi shot up from the chair, growling at the insinuation, "You think I don't care, Atsumu? You think I don't fucking care?" He gestured wildly around the room, "Do you think I'd travel all the way here because I don't care? Do you think I'd constantly send you letters, knowing you'd burn them, if I didn't care? Do you think I'd chase you around like a damn dog if I don't care?" He hissed angrily, more frustrated than he'd been all this time, "Get your head out of your ass and use it, Miya!"
The use of his surname and the vicious words from Kiyoomi's mouth had Atsumu taking a step back and reevaluating his next words. It was obvious Kiyoomi cared but only about his pride. Hence why Atsumu couldn't understand why Kiyoomi wanted to risk his pride in this mating tourney. Wouldn't that just be useless?
But Atsumu only knew how to defend. As an omega, he could never attack and win, it was ingrained into his very blood and soul now. So he said without sparing an ounce of venom, "Real mature, Sakusa, using my surname for probably the last time. Are you enjoying taking that away from me, too? First, you take my chance to be an alpha, claim my birthright, and now you're taking my name?"
"I DID NOT MAKE YOU AN OMEGA! "
Utter silence followed. That was perhaps the most emotion Atsumu had ever seen the alpha make, as if he had finally reached his breaking point. As if the frustration and anger he had shown Atsumu so far was just the tip of a sword.
Atsumu wasn't sure whether he should admire or cower at it. After all, as an omega, there was nothing he could do against a hot-blooded alpha—
Kiyoomi panted slightly, before cursing to himself and turning away from Atsumu. His voice was still crystal clear as he said, “I have borne the blame for your presentation practically all my life. I have begged and pleaded with you to hear my words just once before you pass judgment.” The alpha heaved a sigh, “You say I am a horrible alpha, riddled with pride, but you fail to see that you are the very same. You are so caught up in what you cannot have, what you believe to have been stolen from you, that you do not see what you do have.” Kiyoomi turned back to Atsumu, his facial expression not pleading, but still imploring. “You are still a prince despite your presentation, Atsumu. You still have a right to your own pride, to your own dignity. Yes, it is foolish and stupid that you cannot be heir, but—”
Kiyoomi looked around as if scrambling to make before he paused. The moment held pregnant a beat too long before the alpha was moving. He rushed to Atsumu and fell to his knees in one motion.
Atsumu stepped back less in fear and more so in confusion as the alpha looked up at him and said, “But you have me, now. I can make you a queen, Atsumu. I could give you as much power as you want, I would throw all my titles, crowns, and riches, away for you and your desires.” He looked down briefly and licked his lips anxiously before he said, “The world is cruel, yes, and it has taken what was rightfully yours, but it is also giving you another chance. Let me make you a queen, Atsumu, let me make your dream finally come true.”
“Wha—” Atsumu felt as if he were in a daze, “What are you saying right now, Sakusa?”
Kiyoomi huffed, “I’m saying I have always wanted to be your mate. I’m saying I joined your tourney not out of pride but out of jealousy and possessiveness because I would never give you up, especially without a fight.” He shuffled a bit closer on his knees, as if trying to make the distance between him and the omega as minuscule as possible, no matter how compromising the position looked. “I’m saying I want to give you everything you deserve and more, even my love if you are willing.”
“What?” Atsumu said breathlessly. Kiyoomi had always been his enemy, a point of contention, a reason for misery. He was a rival and Atsumu had long since gone past the point of feeling guilty for dumping all of his anger onto the alpha. So why… Why is Kiyoomi ruining everything? Why must he say things like this? Why…?
Why why why
“You… love me?” Atsumu breathed. It felt like a fever dream to say those words, like a poorly written fantasy. Kiyoomi, Atsumu’s sworn enemy, has just professed his love for him. He must be dreaming.
Kiyoomi finally stood up, pressing so close the entirety of their bodies were almost touching. “I have since we were children, Atsumu, yes. And even though you have ripped my heart out time and time again in these past few years, I have still remained colored in your shadow and your beauty. Your mating tourney made me realize I had let your anger toward me go on too long, and if you weren’t going to forgive me so that I could propose to you, then I was going to win you the hard way. And so I did.”
Atsumu clutched his hands on his chest, his face distorting into one of disbelief. “How could you ever love me? I hated you.”
Kiyoomi only gave a weak, pained smile, “The heart is a fickle thing, isn’t it?”
Atsumu’s mind was reeling, working relentlessly to overanalyze every single interaction he had ever had with Sakusa Kiyoomi. Where did he miss the signs? Had he been too deep in his anger to take note of how Kiyoomi had received his lashings?
Kiyoomi sighed, as if he could see inside Atumu’s mind, and backed away. “I digress. Even if I have won the tournament, I am not an alpha that fancies forcing himself onto an omega. If you do not wish to have me after all this time, then I will concede and break the magic tying us with my forfeit. I just—” he sighed, chuckling bitterly, “I suppose I am just glad to have finally told you this, even if it is too late to change anything.”
He began to turn away, making a line directly towards the door when Atsumu caught his sleeve. “W-wait!” The omega called out, voice and body trembling. He felt as if he would faint. He could plow himself right into the ground right now, right into this moment. Maybe he'd hit his head so hard it'd crack open and—
Kiyoomi turned to the omega with a hopeful look, and suddenly Atsumu couldn't think.
“I—” Atsumu started, at a loss for words for all he saw dancing in Kiyoomi’s eyes. “I— ah, um— Kiyoomi, I—”
Kiyoomi grabbed the omega by the shoulders gently, giving him a kind smile, “Do not force yourself, Atsumu. I did not tell you my feelings for you because I wanted to guilt you. I merely wished to finally get it off my chest and to end our feud once and for all.” He stepped closer, his eyes sincere, “I am sorry you presented as an omega, Atsumu, and I am sorry I spent our childhoods picking on you when in reality I admired you more than anything. So much so that my admiration became love. I have not once regretted loving you, no matter how painful it may have been. You are a good person, Atsu, even though you have had all you deserved stolen away from you. Just because I want you to be mine does not necessarily mean I deserve you nor that you deserve me.” Kiyoomi softly brushed his hand over one of Atsumu’s ruddy cheeks. “In fact, dare I say you deserve even more than my riches and crowns, even more than I. I simply and selfishly wanted to set you free, just like I thought you wanted.”
“And if I think spending the rest of my life with you isn’t so bad, now?” Atsumu asked softly, eyes teary but determined with his mouth set in a firm line.
Kiyoomi was silent for a moment, taken aback by the question before he said, eyes hard and expression firm, “Then I would ask you if you would still think that when I mention that I’m glad you’re an omega and that regardless of whether I am the reason you presented so or not, I am glad you are an omega so that the world can let us be together.”
Atsumu felt his heart pounding wildly, his mind still reeling from all of the revelations Kiyoomi had laid at his feet, in his candlelight room before his nest. Kiyoomi kept his hands on the blond’s shoulders, perhaps absentmindedly or on purpose, but Atsumu would be a fool to not notice the loving expression that he finally recognized had been on the alpha’s face since he told Atsumu he loved him.
“You will really offer me a crown, anything I desire?” Atsumu asked in wonder.
“Anything,” Kiyoomi said in promise and Atsumu knew in his heart the alpha was not lying.
Atsumu kept his gaze on the alpha, his eyes briefly flicking to the raven’s lips before flirting back to his eyes. He took a shaky deep breath as he stepped closer, their upper bodies pushed chest to chest as Kiyoomi’s bergamot and citrus flooded the omega’s nose gratuitously.
The hands Kiyoomi kept on his shoulders squeezed. “Atsu— Don’t force yourself. You do not owe me.”
Atsumu just gave the alpha a hard look, “Don’t try and fight it, Kiyoomi. Whether we like it or not, the magic will pull us together sometime tonight no matter what.” He chuckled to himself before he said, “I know just as well as you that consummating our arranged relationship will do little to soothe our wounds, but this is an inevitable part of the tourney we must complete.” Atsumu carefully put his hands on Kiyoomi’s chest as he looked up into the alpha’s obsidian orbs. “We’ll finish this now, and talk it out later.”
Kiyoomi’s eyes conflicted and searched Atsumu’s, most likely tortured by the decision he was being forced to make. Atsumu didn’t let him think any further as he sealed his lips over the alpha’s. While he had never been with an alpha before, he had been slipped erotica by his favorite librarian over the years, just for fun. It seemed that such knowledge would finally become useful now.
Kiyoomi’s reaction, while hesitant, was still welcoming and his arms and hands slowly left Atsumu’s shoulders to fully encase the omega around his hips and waist. The blond could feel the way the alpha marveled at his small waist, hands eagerly exploring the expanse and then trailing to what was below and above. It was an odd sensation, being felt up, especially since Atsumu had never experienced it before, but he knew that would be the least of his worries soon enough.
The omega tugged Kiyoomi to him with a sharp jerk, letting the both of them finally fall onto the bed.
As Kiyoomi leaned over Atsumu with lust-filled eyes, knowing what Atsumu’s permission into his nest truly meant, the omega closed his eyes and let his body go.
“Kiyoomi,” Atsumu sighed, winding down from the exhaustion of the day and night activities in order to control his panting, “You do know that I… do not yet love you.” He turned tentatively away from where the alpha was rearranging some parts of the nest for more comfort, a bit embarrassed, as he said, “I have spent many years bitter and angry over my disposition, finding it easy to blame laws I couldn’t change on you. One night is not enough to erase all of the pain I have caused you and me because of it.”
Atsumu heard Kiyoomi stop momentarily, and he bit his lip hard in anticipation before the alpha was moving again, leaving the furs and blankets alone to join Atsumu back on the bed. He gently pulled the omega to him, pressing the blond’s back to his chest and his voice rumbled, “I am well aware, Atsu, rest assured I do not fault you for it.” He hummed before he said, “I have waited years for you, even through your torment, for you to do as much as look at me much less share a bed with me.” Atsumu couldn’t control his giggle as Kiyoomi's hands drifted across his belly, turning the omega to lie on his back so the alpha could see his face. Kiyoomi gave Atsumu a gentle smile as he said, “ What’s a little more waiting?”
Atsumu smiled but he knew Kiyoomi could see his morose expression beneath it. “Is it not painful, or at least unfair?”
But Kiyoomi only shook his head, ever patient. “The heart is a fickle thing, isn’t it?”