Archive of Our Own ^beta

For as long as he could remember, Iwaizumi had loved Oikawa. It was one of the great truths of his life, something he’d never needed to question. That didn’t change when Oikawa presented as an alpha at fifteen, nor when Iwaizumi did the same a few weeks later.

Iwaizumi was aware that some people found that strange – in some peoples’ minds, alphas weren’t supposed to love other alphas the way Iwaizumi loved Oikawa – but Iwaizumi’s alpha had never had a complaint about it. His scent was welcoming and calming, much more appealing to him than many of the omegas he’d smelt before. They protected each other, looked out for each other.

When they’d first presented, his and Oikawa’s parents had refused to let them go up to each other’s rooms, despite there being no evidence to suggest they would do anything to hurt each other. It had taken Oikawa’s mother walking in on them one day after work, curled up together and fast asleep on the sofa, in no way ripping each other’s throats out, for the rules to change. After that, both sets of parents simply rolled their eyes and accepted their children were a little strange.

At eighteen, Oikawa’s room was as familiar to him as it had been when they were seven. He’d recently gotten a kotatsu in there, making his space much more appealing than Iwaizumi’s, protecting them from the winter chill that seemed to creep its way into every crevice. Oikawa was sitting next to him, their sides pressed together, as they read through the chapter of a book ready for their English exam the next week.

If he was being honest, very little of the text Oikawa was reading to him was actually entering his brain. As was too often the case, he was distracted by the heat of Oikawa’s body next to his, the smell of sandalwood and sage. He blamed it on the late hour. Usually, he had more self-control, but Oikawa had always told him he grew soft when he was tired.

“Iwa-chan?” Oikawa said quietly when Iwaizumi’s head dropped onto his shoulder.

He allowed himself a moment more to rest against his boyfriend before forcing his eyes open (when had they shut?) and pushing himself upright. “I should go. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Okay. Text me when you get home.” Always protective, even when he didn’t have to be.

Thankfully, it was a short walk back to his own house, and Iwaizumi dragged himself up the stairs after letting his parents know he was back. He wasn’t sure why he was so tired. Maybe he worked harder than normal in practice. Whatever the reason, he was glad to be wearing comfortable clothes already, because he didn’t bother to change, simply brushed his teeth and collapsed into bed.

It wasn’t till the morning that he realised what he’d slept in.

His first hint was the smell. Oikawa, he thought as his alarm clock blared, frowning when he opened his eyes and realised he wasn’t actually there. Immediately, he reached to stop the harsh noise and grab for his phone, and his confusion cleared when he noticed the hoodie he was wearing was definitely not his own.

Back cracking as he stretched, he didn’t think much of it, throwing the hoodie on the floor as he dressed for the day and forgetting about it. Oikawa would come and get it later.

It was a slippery slope after that.

---

“I’m just saying, if I put enough power into my serve when Ushiwaka isn’t looking, I could definitely take his head off with a volleyball.”

Iwaizumi sighed. Oikawa was being ridiculous. They were sat in Iwaizumi’s room this time, watching Shiratorizawa’s latest match in preparation for their own, and Oikawa was channelling all of his nervous energy into saying stupid shit to get a rise out of Iwaizumi.

“Even if he just stood there and took the hit, which he wouldn’t, the worst you could do is give him a light concussion.” He sat up as Ushijima smacked down a particularly deadly spike, breaking through a triple block with ease. One of the defenders tried to save it, but the combined spin and power made it, as usual, a completely pointless endeavour. “Shit, did you see that? I’ll dig those one of these days, I swear.”

A low growl brewed in Oikawa’s throat. “Don’t talk about him like that, Iwa-chan. He’s not impressive. He’s just a massive meathead who thinks he can get through anything with brute force. I hate that guy.”

“Our team is strong this time. We’ll get them, I’m sure of it,” he said before Oikawa could begin work himself into an ‘I hate Ushijima’ rant, or worse, a spiral of self-doubt.

Slamming the laptop shut, Oikawa left out a frustrated hiss. “I don’t want to watch anymore right now.” He pushed his face into Iwaizumi’s neck, running his nose along his scent gland. Iwaizumi shivered. “Iwa-chan. Distract me.”

Iwaizumi leaned his head back just slightly to give Oikawa better access, and Oikawa moved into the space immediately. He sucked at the skin, grazing his teeth against it, pulling away at just the right moment to make sure Iwaizumi wasn’t uncomfortable. His alpha preened under the attention.

It was always the same with Oikawa. To begin with, Iwaizumi had worried about his lack of desire to have sex, like he was depriving Oikawa of something, but Oikawa had never been anything but satisfied with what Iwaizumi was willing to give.

When Oikawa had ensured that no one who caught a whiff of him would be sure where his sent ended and Oikawa’s began, Iwaizumi started to scent his neck in return. Soon, the room was thick with them both. Their lips pressed together sweetly, then Oikawa pulled away to rest his head against Iwaizumi’s shoulder. Iwaizumi ran his fingers through his hair.

“I should go. Okaasan’s expecting me home for dinner,” Oikawa said, but he made no attempt to move. Iwaizumi hummed noncommittally. “Want to come with me?”

“No. I gotta finish that assignment I was supposed to do last week.” It was a common occurrence in school subjects he didn’t care about, but it didn’t make him regret his life choices any less when it got to the night before an assignment was due and he still had two thousand words to write. He went downstairs to kiss Oikawa goodbye, then made his way back to his room to start the monstrous task.

However, just as he was getting to work, his attention was caught by a pile of fabric down by the end of his bed.

Of course, it was Oikawa’s – one of his sweatshirts this time, with ‘Area 53’ on the front in bold letters and a UFO in the background. For a moment, he considered running it across the road back to Oikawa, but something made him pause.

Without permission, his eyes glanced over at the hoodie from a few nights ago, still on the floor where he left it. Oikawa must not have noticed it, or he definitely would have taken it back with him, calling Iwaizumi a thief all the while. He glanced back at the sweatshirt in his hands, his mouth suddenly dry.

He could take them both back straight away. Forget any thoughts of what he could do otherwise.

Fuck it.

He took the one in his hands and picked the other up off the floor, moving to the far corner of his room. At first, he just dropped them down on the floor and hoped that would satisfy the strange itch in his brain. However, he knew almost immediately that it wasn’t enough. He began to move them this way and that, eventually adding one of his own pillows and blankets to the pile, until he was satisfied they were positioned correctly.

Something inside him said it wasn’t quite finished, but he’d done enough that the need subsided enough for him to go back to what he should actually have been prioritising. He worked on his assignment and tried to forget the little pile in the corner existed.

---

Iwaizumi wasn’t an idiot. He knew what he was doing.

He also knew it wasn’t normal for an alpha to want to nest. That was behaviour expected of an omega. Even his mother gave him an odd look when she poked her head in to talk to him one evening, though she merely shook her head indulgently and left him to it. While he’d never been particularly bothered about what he was and wasn’t supposed to do as an alpha, he couldn’t deny that the new development left him feeling slightly embarrassed.

Especially when Oikawa started to notice his clothes going missing.

As for what exactly he took, it was anything he could get his hands on. Shirts, jerseys, jeans. A pair of socks. A blanket. Anything that would fit in his bag.

This habit of his had turned him into a thief. The first time, it was an almost thoughtless act. Iwaizumi had gone upstairs to grab a text book he’d left on Oikawa’s kotatsu, and seen the shorts lying in the laundry pile. He’d picked the text book up off the table, and quickly swiped up the shorts off the floor as Oikawa called up to him, “Quick, Iwa-chan. We’re going to be late!”

Pushing the clothing to the bottom of his bag, he’d refused to give them a second thought until he was home at the end of the day, and was able to add them to his little nest.

It wasn’t until the next time when he truly started to consider his actions. He’d been eyeing up another hoodie he’d seen balled up at the foot of Oikawa’s bed. When Oikawa had gotten up to use the bathroom during their study session, he seized his chance. Heart beating and shame settling heavily in his stomach, he bunched the hoodie up in his hands and shoved it into his bag. Looking Oikawa in the eyes once he’d returned had been hard that evening.

“Iwa-chan?” Oikawa said about a week after Iwaizumi had started guiltily squirreling away his possessions. He was rooting around his drawer, then his wardrobe, for something he couldn’t seem to find.

He looked up from his phone. “Yeah?”

“Have you seen my shirt with the blue and white stripes? I can’t find it.”

His shoulders tensed, and he forced himself to relax. “Uh, no.” Yes. He looked back down at the screen, but his attention was still on his partner on the other side of the room.

Oikawa pushed the door to his wardrobe shut, a different shirt in his hands. Iwaizumi wanted it. “Huh. Oh, well. I guess this one works just as well. I hope it turns up soon, though. I like that shirt.”

Iwaizumi was going to hell.

Then, on the way home from school one day, Oikawa decided it had been too long since he’d been to Iwaizumi’s house. To which Iwaizumi responded with a blunt, “No.”

“But Iwa-chan,” Oikawa moaned, pulling on his hand until Iwaizumi came to a stop. He widened his eyes, his usual tactic when there was something he wanted. “I haven’t seen Obasan in ages! What if your room doesn’t smell like me anymore?”

No chance of that happening any time soon, Iwaizumi thought sourly. He imagined bringing Oikawa back up to his room, Oikawa seeing his imperfect nest, all his clothes spread across Iwaizumi’s floor in amongst the blankets and pillows. Oikawa would want his stuff back, might even take it, destroying Iwaizumi’s hard work without a second thought. As much as he couldn’t bare lying to him, in that moment, that was worse.

“She and my dad literally came to yours for dinner yesterday. And I still smell like you, so obviously my room does.” He pulled Oikawa back into motion, ignoring his protests.

After a little while, Oikawa went silent. This was almost never a good sign. But, instead of starting an argument or pouting the rest of the way home, he simply said, “Fine. But whatever you’re hiding up there, you’re going to have to show me some time,” before moving on to a completely different topic of conversation.

Not if Iwaizumi could help it, he wouldn’t.

---

Newly emerging nesting habits aside, he wasn’t usually one to let his instincts take over, but sometimes, it was inevitable.

As a general rule, the volleyball club room was a safe space for the whole team, whether they were an alpha, beta or omega. Even those like Iwaizumi and Oikawa who had already paired off kept their love lives separate from the club. The club room was for tactics and pep talks and banter.

Although the air was crisp, he thought he was a little warmer than usual. It wasn’t time for his rut though, so he put it down to his rush to be on time to training and the thick winter coat he was wearing. Iwaizumi was just walking through the door when he saw Hanamaki bending down to pick up a scarf that had fallen on the floor. As he straightened up, he called, “Hey Captain, isn’t this yours?”

He froze.

Oikawa’s scarf. In Hanamaki’s hands.

Every part of him rebelled against it. As quickly as he’d stopped, his body was thrown back into motion, his brain and sense overridden. A snarl ripped through his throat, and he was across the room, tearing the scarf from Hanamaki’s grip.

“Woah, dude!”

Ignoring the words, Iwaizumi took a sniff of the fabric in his hands. Nothing but Oikawa, and maybe the faint scent of himself; a lot of their possessions ended up smelling of a combination of the two of them. Thankfully, Hanamaki was a beta, so Oikawa’s scent hadn’t been tainted by his hands.

Someone’s hand reached out to do something, he didn’t know what, and he snapped his jaw at them. He was hot, so hot, and he needed…he needed–

“Iwa-chan?”

It was the only voice that could make it through the adrenaline rushing through his veins. All he could smell was sandalwood and sage, and his mate sending out waves of calm, of safety. He settled enough to notice the white-knuckled grip he had on the scarf, to look up into the familiar face that had appeared in front of him. “Tooru,” he said through gritted teeth.

Protect mate.

“Hey,” Oikawa said softly, waving his hands around to signal the others to move back. While Iwaizumi’s gaze never left Oikawa, he took in the room in his peripheral vision, making sure the exit route was clear. “Forget about training today, okay? Let’s just go.”

He didn’t want to skip practice. This shouldn’t be happening, but he could barely think straight, and it was only going to get worse. Even if he wasn’t supposed to be, he was going into rut, and every person in the room could surely tell. He forced his eyes away from Oikawa to see the wary faces of his teammates on the other side of the room.

“Hey,” Oikawa repeated, bringing Iwaizumi’s full attention back to him. His fingers found Iwaizumi’s face, cool against his scorching skin. “Focus on me. Let’s go home, okay?”

Home, safe. Take mate home.

Grabbing Oikawa by the wrist, he pulled him towards the door, making sure it was shut behind them so no one would follow. He may have been walking slightly too fast, his grip on Oikawa’s wrist a tad too tight, but Oikawa kept up easily, just like he had always done.

The walk home was nothing short of agonising. There were people everywhere, threats around every corner. He held back the urge to snap and growl at everything that moved, that even looked in Oikawa’s direction. The soothing whispers of Oikawa in his ear reminding him it was alright and the feeling of his skin against Iwaizumi’s palm were just about the only things that kept him feeling even a little sane.

Somewhere in his brain, in the part that hadn’t quite descended yet into the madness of the rut, he knew he was being ridiculous. The people on the street were not trying to hurt Oikawa. This was the same path they walked down to and from school every day. If only that knowledge was enough to stop his body reacting to every detail.

His hands were shaking with the exertion of keeping himself under control by the time they reached the front door to his house. He let go of Oikawa’s wrist for long enough to fumble around in his pocket for his key. When he failed to fit it into the lock for the second time, Oikawa took it from him gently. “You got us all the way here. Let me do this for you,” he said, and Iwaizumi let him pry the key from his fingers.

Once the door was open, Iwaizumi jumped straight back into action, pulling them through the genkan without taking their shoes off and towards the stairs. “Hajime?” He heard his mother say, followed by a more panicked, “Tooru-kun.”

Iwaizumi didn’t answer her, couldn’t, and Oikawa managed to say, “Don’t worry, Obasan. Iwa-chan won’t hurt me,” before she was out of sight. The words set Iwaizumi on edge; of course he wouldn’t hurt his mate. Was somebody threatening to? He would rip out their throats if they tried. But soon, Oikawa would be safe. He would keep him safe. If they could just make it to his room–

As they reached the threshold, Iwaizumi was met with the first sign of resistance from his partner. Oikawa’s feet were planted to the floor. Iwaizumi pulled at his wrist, but there was no movement. “In,” he insisted.

“You know I can’t, Hajime,” he whispered, voice full of regret. “Not while you’re in rut.”

On some level, Iwaizumi understood. He dropped his eyes to the floor. Even with a relationship like theirs, two alphas spending a rut together was unheard of, dangerous even. This wasn’t about him. Still, knowing that logically didn’t stop the feeling of rejection coursing through his addled brain. His mate didn’t want him. He must not be a very good mate.

Sensing his misery, Oikawa freed his wrist and pulled him into his arms, pushing Iwaizumi’s face into his scent gland. It was impossible not to be soothed by the love he could smell there, the desire to stay, to look after Iwaizumi the way Iwaizumi wanted to do for him. Iwaizumi grasped at the back of Oikawa’s volleyball club jacket. “Hey, no. You know that’s not why. We don’t know if it’s safe.” In spite of his words, he could hear Oikawa’s resolve wavering.

Iwaizumi clutched him tighter. “Won’t hurt you. Mate. Keep you safe.”

Oikawa held his ground for a moment more before ultimately giving in. “Okay. Just for a little while, baby,” he said, though he must have known there was no ‘little while’ when it came to ruts. Even if Oikawa wanted to leave, it was likely his alpha wouldn’t be able to, knowing the distress it would cause.

The second Oikawa stepped through the door, Iwaizumi was shutting it behind him, twisting the lock. Immediately, he felt better. When he turned to look at Oikawa, he was staring at Iwaizumi’s nest, his jaw hanging slightly open. If Iwaizumi had the capacity, he would have remembered to feel self-conscious about that. As it was, he could only feel pride at himself for being so prepared to make his mate comfortable. “For you. For us. Safe.”

“We are having a conversation about this later,” Oikawa said, but his words contradicted his actions, and he planted himself in the middle of the nest. Seeing him there made all the stress of stealing and lying about it almost worth it. “So. Now what?”

Iwaizumi blinked. During his previous ruts, he’d felt out of his mind, overwhelmed by need to find Oikawa, knowing he couldn’t. This time, he almost felt…not calm. Focused. He was hard, but he ignored it. His body may have thought it knew best, but Iwaizumi knew what he wanted, what he needed, and that was Oikawa, safe and happy and warm. As long as they stayed in his room, in his nest, it felt like nobody could touch them.

He planted himself protectively in front of the nest, his back to Oikawa to ensure a full view of the door and window. “Sleep. Rest. I’ll protect you.”

A sigh. “Iwa-chan, it’s four-thirty. I can’t even do my homework because my bag’s still in the club room. Can you at least get me your laptop so I can practice my Spanish or something? I’m going to text both our moms to explain.”

Iwaizumi glanced towards his bed, where his laptop was resting against the frame. No threat. He leaned over, reaching for the laptop and handing it to Oikawa. Soon enough, his ears were filled with Oikawa’s beautiful voice, though he had no chance of keeping up with what he was trying to say. The room smelled of calm mate. He returned to his position in front of the nest to make sure it remained that way.

From time to time, when the energy in his body got the better of him, he stood up to pace the small space, to peer out the window and down the corridor, but everything remained the same. After a while, Oikawa was beginning to shift like he was uncomfortable, and Iwaizumi looked down at his watch. It was gone seven, and they hadn’t eaten since lunch.

Food. He had to find some food for his mate, should have done so long ago. There was an emergency stash of food and bottled water under his bed for his ruts; he had never touched it before, never been in his right mind enough to, but he was suddenly grateful for it. Oikawa thanked him as he handed over a protein bar and a bottle, munching on the bar as he watched videos on his phone.

In the meantime, Iwaizumi texted his mother to ask for a plate of food to be sent up for dinner. She left two outside the door, though she must have known Iwaizumi didn’t usually eat when he was in rut. Taking them both inside, he gave one to Oikawa, leaving the other on the desk. He felt satisfied watching Oikawa take hist first bite, his alpha feeling fulfilled from successfully providing for his partner. Then, he turned back round to take watch once more.

“Wait,” Oikawa said, sounding less content. “Isn’t Iwa-chan going to eat?”

“Not hungry,” he grunted, not turning round. “More for you.”

“I don’t need two plates of food, Hajime. Come and eat yours or I’m not going to eat mine.”

That gave him pause.

The food smelt good, and since his mother had made it, he knew it would taste good, too. But the idea of actually eating it was unappealing. Still, he looked to Oikawa, proudly sitting with the plate on his lap and the chopsticks abandoned, and knew he only had one option. Grumbling, he crawled over to where Oikawa was sat, taking the extra food and balancing it between his crossed legs. He took an exaggerated bite.

Thankfully, Oikawa began to eat once more. Iwaizumi had been right – he wasn’t hungry. He was ravenous. He shovelled the hot food into his mouth, only pausing briefly to check Oikawa was still doing the same.

Once they finished, Iwaizumi took the plates and left them where he’d found them, then did a quick sweep of the room. Of course, it was exactly the same as it had been before, but that didn’t stop his instincts compelling him to keep checking. He was about to take up his normal guard spot again when he felt fingers curl into the back of his sweat-dampened shirt.

“Why don’t you come and sit in here with me? You can still see the door and the window here. I’ll be safe, I promise.”

Iwaizumi couldn’t see a reason to disagree. In fact, curling up with his mate in his nest sounded like a highly appealing idea. He crawled back over and Oikawa curled up in his lap, letting Iwaizumi rub his wrists and neck all over his hair and clothes despite the fact that Oikawa was already covered in his scent. Oikawa set up a movie on his laptop that Iwaizumi ignored in favour of watching the space and listening to his partner’s contented purr.

The biggest issue of the night came when Oikawa attempted to get up. Iwaizumi was alert instantly, searching for the danger. “I’m just going to the bathroom. I’ll be back in a minute.”

All of the nerves in his body screamed out that he couldn’t let his mate out of his sight. He grabbed onto his hand, and Oikawa turned. “You can’t.”

Oikawa sighed, but rubbed his free wrist over Iwaizumi’s face, trying to appease him. “Iwa-chan, I can’t just go the whole night without going to the bathroom. Stop thinking like a gorilla for two minutes. I need to brush my teeth.”

A growl began to form deep in Iwaizumi’s throat, but he let go, and Oikawa promised he would be back soon.

It was an impossible wait. Iwaizumi paced the length of the room. Picked up his phone, put it back down. Stuck his head out into the hallway to see if Oikawa was done yet; he wasn’t. Went over to his nest to move some things around, make sure it was perfect for when Oikawa returned. Pace some more.

As soon as Oikawa was back, Iwaizumi was on him, nipping at the scent gland on his neck, enjoying Oikawa’s shiver of pleasure. He leaned in for a kiss, but Oikawa moved away. “Nope. You’re turn now. Go and wash up.”

Iwaizumi looked at the door, then back towards Oikawa, weighing up his options. He didn’t want to leave him, but Oikawa wanted him to do this.

Seeing the conflict in his face, Oikawa tried again. “Come on. Be a good alpha for me?”

Good alpha. Iwaizumi would be a good alpha. He was a good alpha. So he killed two birds with one stone. He dragged Oikawa back to the bathroom and sat him on the rim of the bath while he scrubbed at his teeth more aggressively than perhaps was required. Despite being safe in his home, the whole process put him more on edge than he’d been since they returned, and he was glad to be back in his room for the remainder of the night.

Soon, it was late enough that Oikawa was yawning with every other breath. Iwaizumi gently pushed him down into the pillows. “Sleep. I’ll protect you.”

“My big, strong boyfriend. Nobody’s gonna get past you.” He felt like he was being teased, but Oikawa was curling up on his side, his forehead resting against Iwaizumi’s thigh, so he could have been threatening him with murder and Iwaizumi didn’t think he would have cared. “You try to get some sleep as well, okay?”

Grabbing Oikawa’s hand and placing a kiss onto his knuckles, Iwaizumi decided it was best to lie. “I will. When you are. Sleep now.” In reality, there was no chance that he was going to be caught asleep if something happened. No, he would stay awake and protect his mate.

Oikawa’s eyelids fluttered shut, and Iwaizumi straightened up, preparing himself for a long night.

---

By the time Oikawa woke up the next morning, Iwaizumi was flagging.

Of course, nothing had gone wrong during the night, but Iwaizumi had made sure that Oikawa had food and water nearby for when he woke up, and he’d piled on an extra blanket when he noticed him looking a little cold during the while he slept. All in all, Iwaizumi was feeling pretty accomplished. As long as he could keep his eyes open.

Normally, though his ruts were never very long, he spent a large amount of that time sleeping, trying to get it over with. This, combined with the fact that he almost always stuck to his sleeping schedule, meant that by seven in the morning, his could feel himself starting to nod off once in a while. He forced himself to keep it together. He would not leave Oikawa vulnerable.

Oikawa stirred behind him, and he turned to see him sit up, pushing the water and protein bars towards him. “Eat.”

Though he took the offered bottle, he blinked up at Iwaizumi. “Have you slept at all?”

Of course he knew. Oikawa always knew. Iwaizumi turned away.

“Come here.” His tone was sweet, but Iwaizumi could hear the danger behind them. He didn’t respond. “Iwa-chan,” he complained, grabbing Iwaizumi’s arm, threading their fingers together. “I want you over here, with me. Please?”

In his overtired state, he couldn’t imagine saying no when Oikawa was asking like that. He took one last look around the room before turning to Oikawa and moving into the space between his arms. Oikawa took advantage of this position straight away, rubbing his neck into Iwaizumi’s hair, then threading his fingers through it instead. Almost instantly, Iwaizumi felt his eyelids drooping again. They felt like they were being glued shut, but still he fought it.

“Hajime, baby,”  Oikawa started, scratching at his scalp in the way he knew Iwaizumi loved. “You’ve been so good for me. Looked after me so well. But you need rest too, otherwise you’ll be too tired to keep me safe. Let me protect you for a while?”

Iwaizumi struggled to find a flaw in his logic, but it made perfect sense, and he was about to fall asleep at any moment. He finally let his body collapse, his alpha proud to have such a perfect mate, ready to look after him when he needed it. A sound started to rumble through his chest. Distantly, he knew what it was, but chose to ignore it. He did not purr.

One arm locked around Oikawa’s middle. “Stay,” he said, already drifting off to the feeling of long fingers running through his hair.

“I’m not going anywhere.”

“Don’t go.”

“I won’t, I won’t.”

Trusting that promise, Iwaizumi finally let himself succumb to the draw of sleep.

---

The next he knew, it was hours later according to the clock in his room, and his rut had passed. He was glad to be able to think coherently once more.

Oikawa was sat at his desk, reading one of the books he’d left there for when Iwaizumi was trying to work and he was bored. His glasses must have been in his school bag, because he was squinting down at the book instead of wearing them. When Iwaizumi shifted, he looked up over the pages and smirked at Iwaizumi. “Oh, you’re back with us! Can you communicate in more than grunts and single word responses now?”

Iwaizumi sat up, scratched his back. “I need to piss.”

“Charming,” Oikawa said, rolling his eyes and turning his attention back to his book. Iwaizumi dropped a kiss to the top of his head as he walked past to go to the bathroom. After another thought, he grabbed some clean clothes so he could shower off the remainder of the rut.

When he was done, he felt much more human, and threw himself onto his actual bed. “You can go home now if you want. Sorry for keeping you here all night.”

Oikawa scoffed, standing and stretching out his long limbs. His joints cracked. “Don’t be sorry for that. Be sorry for taking my favourite jacket without permission.” He walked over to the nest and bent down as if to take the jacket back, and Iwaizumi’s blood ran cold.

He pushed himself upright, clutching at his bedsheets. “Don’t.” Oikawa looked up, surprised, but drew his hand back. Iwaizumi forced himself to relax, looking down at his bed sheets. “I know, okay? Just…don’t take it. Please.”

Suddenly, the bed was dipping by his side, and a palm settled against his thigh. “Hey. Look at me?” His voice was quiet. It was impossible not to listen. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realise how much it meant to you. But you realise you can’t just keep all my clothes to nest in, right? I’ll have nothing to actually wear. Half of that stuff doesn’t even smell like me anymore. Can’t we come to a compromise?”

His face burned. He turned to look out the window instead. “You don’t want me to take it apart? Alphas aren’t supposed to build nests. We don’t need one.”

“Hajime. We aren’t exactly in a conventional relationship. I don’t love you because you’re what I’m supposed to want.” Oikawa ran his hand through the hair on the side of Iwaizumi’s head, leaving it there to cup his neck. When Iwaizumi glanced over at him once more, his face was soft, open. “Anyway, I disagree that we don’t need it. It made you happy enough that you actually purred. I’ve never heard you do that before. Didn’t think you knew how.”

It seemed the embarrassment was never going to end. He scrubbed his fists over his face, then sat up. Back to business. “Fine. You can take stuff as long as you bring me something else to put back. But don’t just take it, let me get it and put in whatever you bring.”

“Alright. Bossy Iwa-chan.” He looked around the room, then stood up. “I should really go if you’re actually okay now. I should still be able to make it for practice after school. But…can I sit in the nest when I’m here? I kind of like it in there.”

Iwaizumi blinked at him, baffled that this was even a question. “Obviously you can. Whenever you want. It’s for you.”

The smile that met his statement was blinding, like it was the best gift in the world.