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Once upon a time, there was a bustling community called Hasetsu. Located near the coastal edge of the kingdom, it served as the gateway to the rest of the world and a bustling port town in its own right. Hasetsu was known to visitors for its natural beauty and by locals for its most famous resident.
There were few among the people of Hasetsu who didn’t know of their Songbird, even if they hadn’t had the pleasure of meeting him directly. Born as the town’s first male omega in generations, Yuuri was one of a kind. Male omegas were rare and precious, treated as an omen of good fortune and a blessing upon their villages and cities where they grew up.
Frustrating as the entire situation could be at times, with endless fawning when he was spotted, Yuuri considered it a necessary evil. The interest had kept customers flowing through his family’s onsen even when crop yields fell in some of the harsher years. They plied their guests with hot meals and a warm hearth through the colder months, and threw the doors open during the summer heat to coax in the sweet sea breeze.
Then again, even without the Katsuki family’s boundless hospitality, even without Yuuri’s status as a male omega, Yuuri was certain their business would be just fine. After all, the waters of the hot spring were enchanted with curative properties.
There were few enough who knew the truth, of course. It was a closely guarded secret. But those who bathed in its waters swore their health improved dramatically. Illnesses abated, and wounds wouldn’t grow infected while they healed. Even emotional hurts could be mended by the magical waters, and those who bathed there were healthier in nearly every aspect.
The potency of the water’s magic was something of a miracle. And yet, despite growing up in the enchanted springs, Yuuri’s own curious malady never lessened or improved. Despite every effort, he could not speak. He could only whistle, which was how he had earned his nickname of Songbird.
He and his family enjoyed an idyllic life in their port town, otherwise. Nothing interesting ever happened, nothing more than the usual ships coming and going with their burdens loaded with cargo. At least, nothing ever happened until a strange guest arrived.
Yuuri heard the whispers first. A handsome and extravagant stranger had just arrived in town. It caused quite a stir, with a carriage drawn by silver horses pulling to a stop within the city walls, letting out a person of incomparable beauty. At least, that was how the rumors said it had all happened.
Yuuri snorted silently, rolling his eyes. There was always talk of interesting strangers, and no shortage of gossip in a town like this.
“Some people just can’t resist spreading around the latest story,” the shopkeeper said, shaking his head. “None of their business who comes and goes, and none of mine, neither. Got everything you need, Yuuri?”
Yuuri smiled and whistled an affirmative, nodding. The shopkeeper’s eyes crinkled with a warm smile.
“Good. Tell your parents I’ll be getting some fresh spices next week, if they need to stock up on anything.”
Yuuri whistled again. He bowed, the shopkeeper waving goodbye as Yuuri gathered up his basket and headed out, heading for his next errand. The shopping was soon finished without issue.
Yuuri allowed his thoughts to wander as he picked his way back home. What was it about this newcomer that had everyone so stirred up? Gossip often spread with particularly remarkable strangers, but Yuuri had never heard the same whispers in every last store he visited before.
Distracted, he didn’t notice his collision course until it was too late. He bumped into someone hard enough to nearly knock him off his feet. As Yuuri steadied himself, clutching his basket and ready to apologize, he felt his every thought vanish from his mind.
Never before had Yuuri seen someone so lovely, so graceful. Eyes of the clearest, brightest blue gazed at him with a measure of embarrassment. The man’s long, platinum hair was tied back in a velvet ribbon. His clothes were finely made and clearly expensive.
“Oh, I’m so sorry. I wasn’t watching where I was going, was I?” the man said with a laugh. Even his voice was beautiful.
Yuuri felt his heart beat a little faster. He gestured with his hands, trying to say that it was okay, and then offered the man a weak smile and a deep bow of apology. It had been Yuuri’s fault, after all.
“You wouldn’t happen to know where I can find… ahhh…” He trailed off, as if trying to remember a name. “Yu-topia Katsuki, I believe?”
Yuuri had to process that for a moment before he understood that the stranger was headed for the same place that Yuuri was. Who allowed this man to be so handsome? Suddenly, Yuuri understood why it was that the gossip was spreading like wildfire through town. The man was inhumanly beautiful.
Yuuri smiled widely, unable to stop himself from feeling a tiny bit giddy. He nodded quickly, gesturing for the man to follow him. His whistle was a little excited trill. Warmth bled into his cheeks when he realized how easily he had betrayed his eagerness.
The man laughed in relief, seemingly not noticing Yuuri’s tiny panic. “You can show me how to get there? Oh, thank goodness. I’ve been lost all morning.”
Yuuri dipped his head apologetically again. It was a fairly large town these days, and much easier to get lost now that it had in past generations.
For many years, the population had been declining and many businesses had being going out of operation. Then the crown had built a port along the coast, creating both a glut of jobs and trade going through the town. It had revitalized the dying businesses and gave fishermen a venue to sell their extra catch. If it made people get a little turned around, well, it was a small price to pay.
Yuuri waved for him to follow, and he continued on the road home. A thousand questions buzzed under his skin. He was insatiably curious about the gorgeous stranger, though he doubted that he’d have had the courage to voice them even if he could speak. Heat burned through his cheeks.
“You’re not a very chatty person, are you?” the stranger commented as they walked.
Yuuri blushed deeper, looking away shyly. With a low whistle, he pantomimed speaking, but no sounds escaped his lips.
“Are you cursed?” the man asked, cocking his head.
Yuuri shrugged. If it was a curse, it wasn’t too bad, as far as these things went. His life was otherwise idyllic. There were times when Yuuri struggled to communicate when it was necessary, but for the most part, it wasn’t too bad. It was simply a thing that occurred in his family from time to time.
Yuuri wondered if it was related to the magic in the water, if his silence was a pact that served as a trade off for the good fortune of the water. His grandmother had been mute as a girl as well, a songbird by her own right, and her great grandfather before her. As far back as the Katsukis could recall, it had been in their family. If it was a curse, it was a mild but persistent one.
The man paused, studying Yuuri closely. “Fascinating! Can you speak at all? Or is it total silence?”
Yuuri held up two fingers to indicate the second one, trilling twice.
“Is it magical in nature? I’m so sorry for all the questions,” the man added quickly. “I’m just fascinated by the effects of magic. I don’t think it’s studied well enough.”
Yuuri mimed speaking again, and then seemed to consider it for a moment, and nodded. He suspected it was magic. He could still make sounds from time to time, even grunts of pain and groans of displeasure, but words escaped him.
“Magical, then? I’m sorry, I should introduce myself before asking so many questions. My name is Victor. Uh, not that you can… say it. But, is there someone who can tell me your name? I’d like to thank you for your help! But I feel terrible that I don’t know what to call you.”
Yuuri waved it off. It was fine, he could see the appreciation on the man’s face. Even as well-dressed as the stranger was, it was clear that his travels had taken their toll on him. He looked a little careworn, and the smell of the road clung to his skin, though not in an entirely unpleasant way. Yuuri didn’t need a personalized thank you from him to know that his help was appreciated.
He guided Victor all the way to the onsen, gesturing to the entrance as they approached.
“It’s lovely,” Victor said. He was wide-eyed with excitement. “I really appreciate you showing me the way.”
Yuuri dipped his head and waved Victor into the building. He whistled a little tune, one his family knew well: Yuuri had brought a new customer. His mother appeared first, beaming wide. “Welcome, welcome, come on in. I can get you checked in. Oh, Yuuri, darling, thank you for fetching those. Can you set the basket in the kitchen for me? Thanks, love,” she said, beaming at Yuuri.
“Yuuri! Thank you!” Victor called, waving as Yuuri carried the basket off. Yuuri flushed. Oh, hearing his name in that voice did things to his heart. Yuuri hid in the kitchen until his pulse stopped racing.
“You’re sure blushing a lot,” his sister said. “Did something happen?” Yuuri shook his head, sticking out his tongue. He quickly whistled a little three note melody that was an affectionate ‘piss off’. At the sound, Mari snorted and ruffled his hair. “Fine, I won’t tease you yet. Dad says the towels need to be restocked. Can you get that?”
Yuuri nodded. He went through each bathing area and freshened up the towels, exchanging the old linen for fresh ones and carrying them. He worked his way to the alpha baths, where Victor was just settling into the steaming water with a sigh.
“Yuuri!” he called. Yuuri nearly jumped out of his skin in shock. “Yuuri, do you have a moment?”
Yuuri looked around. For once, the baths were quiet and nearly empty. He approached slowly, confused, and then cocked his head inquisitively. His whistle was a puzzled little trill.
Victor looked around, as if to confirm the baths were empty. He leaned forward, dropping his voice. “Is it true that the water here is magic?”
Yuuri froze. It was a question he had heard on occasion, a rumor that was joked about but never treated seriously. Yuuri shook his head, acting confused. Of course it was treated as a silly story, like fairies and lost princes. The health benefits were due to the natural minerals in the water. Any magic was a proprietary secret.
Victor pouted. “I’m being serious here! I’m not talking about the mystical stuff in fairy tales. I’m talking about real magic. The kind of magic that seals off your voice. The kind of magic that gave my mother a second chance at life. I know it’s somewhere in this town. I… I need it...”
Yuuri frowned slightly. This didn’t feel like someone chasing a rumor. This was more like… somehow, he knew more than just what rumors would say. That wasn’t good. No one could know the truth, especially not a mysterious stranger from who knows where.
Victor was still sulking. “Maybe you don’t even know. It was a long time ago, and she was just a little girl when it happened. But I know this is the place. I know this is the town. And this… this is the only spring left, right? It has to be it.”
Yuuri sat on the stones beside Victor. He looked into his eyes, saying nothing, just letting his attention say what his words couldn’t.
Victor sighed. “I won’t tell anyone, I promise. I’ll keep it a secret for as long as I live. Longer, even. I’ll even tell you a secret, too. I need this water to cure me, if it’s possible. If I don’t, I won’t survive.”
Yuuri’s eyes went wide. Victor looked quite healthy, hale and strong with clear skin and eyes. How could he be dying? Victor could see his confusion.
Victor looked away. “It’s… complicated. I know you’re wondering what’s wrong. I can see it on your face.”
Yuuri placed a hand on his shoulder. Victor offered him a small smile.
“My… seasonal rut is more intense than most. More than it should be. My last rut nearly killed me, and it took me weeks to recover. My heart almost gave out. I wasn’t myself. I couldn’t even calm down enough to let my family’s doctor close.”
Yuuri winced sympathetically. He had never heard of a thing like that, but Victor seemed to be genuinely distraught by this.
He narrowed his eyes in thought. Victor’s family had a doctor? It was true that Victor appeared quite wealthy, but keeping a doctor on retainer was prohibitively expensive, even for wealthy families… Yuuri made a low, impressed whistle, rubbing his fingers together like rubbing coins together. Victor laughed sadly. Yuuri cocked his head, and Victor shook his own head in answer.
“No, even with all that money, they couldn’t find an answer. Which is why the springs are my last hope. My mother was dying of a terrible illness when she was sailing to this country to first meet my father. She wasn’t going to survive the journey. But when she bathed in the waters here, her ailment was cured. It was a miracle. It was magic.”
Yuuri sighed. He took a little scoop of the water in his hands and shrugged. He tapped his chest. He hoped Victor was cured, but he couldn’t promise anything. He thought for a moment, and then he stood. There was at least one person he could ask.
His mother wasn’t a doctor per se— she had never received official training or formal education. She did, however, have a knack for fixing up what the waters couldn’t cure, and she knew more about these springs than anyone. Victor seemed like a nice person. Yuuri wanted to help him, if he could. It wasn’t because Victor was charming and handsome. Certainly not.
Yuuri stood and hurried off.
“Eh? Yuuri?” Victor said, though he stopped short of calling Yuuri back. “Where are you going?”
Yuuri paid him no mind, quickly finding his mother. His whistle couldn’t convey such complex questions as Victor’s, but he had enough in place to outline his situation. His whistle was one of questioning, non-urgent, the kind that could wait until his mother was finished with her task. She smiled at him to acknowledge she had heard.
Satisfied, he hurried to take up a few more tasks, working enough ahead to allow his mother some time away from the desk. By the time she was finished, Victor had emerged from the springs looking baffled.
“Yuuri? Is everything alright?” Victor said. He had exchanged his road-dusted finery for a comfortable jinbei.
Yuuri looked to his mother, tugging on her sleeve. This was the question he had for her. “Oh? What is it dear?”
Yuuri nodded to the back room. It was a private matter, after all. Victor looked confused, but his mother gamely smiled and followed him back. Yuuri gestured for Victor to follow as well. He whistled a little song that told his mother that they were on the right track.
She smiled. “Alright, Yuuri, Vicchan, what is it you wanted to talk about?”
Yuuri looked at Victor and gestured to his mother. He nodded very seriously. It was safe to speak here. Victor looked uncertain. Yuuri nodded again.
At last, after the silent exchange, Victor sighed. He told his story to Yuuri’s mother, who sat back and listened with a small nod every so often.
“I see. It’s possible that our spring can cure what ails you, but it’s just as likely that it cannot touch it. As you can see with Yuuri, there are some things that no amount of bathing can wash away. With an issue like yours, only time can tell. We wouldn’t know until your next rut.”
“I was afraid of that,” Victor said softly. “I knew this was a long shot. My family has already written my life off as forfeit. They would rather I died at home, of course, but I’d rather not be treated as an invalid waiting for my rut to come. They understand why I left. If this ends in failure, I have already come to terms with it.”
Yuuri looked to his mother, desperate for good news.
“Well, there are many things we can never understand or predict. Hold onto hope, Yuuri. The water may yet prove calming for his soul. This isn’t an inn, Victor, but you’re welcome to stay here all the same. We can clean out the old banquet room for you if you have nowhere yet to spend the night.”
“I would deeply appreciate it,” Victor said.
The following days and weeks settled quickly into a comfortable routine. Things were different with Victor, though not in an unpleasant way. Once Yuuri and Mari had finished cleaning out the banquet room, there was plenty of space for their new houseguest.
Victor spent his time in the mornings and evenings soaking in the water, hoping that the alpha in his soul would be soothed. When he wasn’t in the water, he often tried to help around the onsen, though he was so terrible at domestic chores that he was more of a liability than an asset.
Yuuri had never seen someone so unused to simple labor, even something as simple as washing dishes or wiping a table clean. Sometimes it made Yuuri laugh. When Yuuri laughed, Victor always stopped sulking and he laughed, too, unable to stop himself.
Mari helped teach him the meanings of some of Yuuri’s whistles. Yuuri showed him the secret treasures of the town, the places that travelers didn’t know about and only the locals knew to visit.
One day, Yuuri took Victor to the beach, where they watched ships sweep up and down the coast, tossed by the wind and waves. They chased each other across the sand and laughed, carefree as children. As the sun set, Victor told Yuuri more of his family— three elder brothers, a stern father, and a mother who kept herself busy with the minutiae of her social life.
Yuuri started to suspect Victor was more than just wealthy. Some of his stories felt more like the intrigue of royalty, lords and ladies and the like. Though Yuuri kept his mouth shut, he couldn’t help but wonder just where Victor came from. With his eldest brother set to inherit “the family business” from their father, Yuuri was formulating suspicions.
Still, Victor made Yuuri happy in a way Yuuri so rarely got to be. Never before had Yuuri felt so giddy to wake up and spend the day with someone. Never before had he spent hours listening to someone talk, when he himself could barely do more than whistle his little message songs. This was unexplored territory.
They walked along the edge of the water, the sky bleeding crimson and purple. Victor slowed to a stop, his face troubled. Yuuri lingered at his side. He looked up at Victor, letting out a soft, inquisitive whistle.
Victor shook his head. “It’s nothing.”
Yuuri tugged on Victor’s sleeve, repeating the whistle more firmly. It clearly wasn’t nothing.
Victor looked to Yuuri, and in his gaze, Yuuri could see hints of fear shimmering in the depths of his blue eyes. Victor looked away. His head dropped and shoulders sagged.
“Can I ask you a personal question?” Victor said. Yuuri nodded. “Are you… an omega?”
Yuuri nodded. He was surprised Victor had never mentioned it before. Then again, Victor was born in the much larger cities further inland, so perhaps male omegas were more common there. Yuuri had simply assumed Victor found it unremarkable.
“I see… So… you know what it feels like when your cycle is drawing near, right?” Victor said. He sounded uncertain.
Yuuri nodded. He touched his joints, wincing. He always felt sore leading up to it. Then his forehead, he touched with the back of his hand, like he was checking his temperature.
Victor nodded. “Yeah… I start to get a little warm, too… Yuuri…” He looked Yuuri in the eyes again. Diamonds clung to his silver lashes. His hands trembled. “I’m scared. I’m so scared. I don’t want to die.”
Yuuri reached for Victor’s hand. He closed his eyes, breathing in deep with his nose an inch above Victor’s wrist, where the scent gland was. The scent of rut was faint but present. Victor had only days before it broke, at most. Yuuri leveled his gaze at Victor. There was little else he could do to reassure Victor now.
They just had to hope the enchanted water did its job.
Victor shook his head, squeezing Yuuri’s hand. “Knowing you’re here, though… Somehow, I feel just a little bit better. Maybe it’s silly.”
Yuuri smiled weakly, squeezing his hand back. Victor just needed to believe.
The final days came all too quickly. The banquet room was treated with herbs to help neutralize the scents going in and out. Victor was visibly uneasy as he went to bed the final night. Yuuri squeezed his hand and their foreheads touched.
“It’ll be okay,” Victor whispered to himself. He looked into Yuuri’s eyes. Yuuri was terrified, but he had to be strong for Victor. Someone had to hold it together for them both.
There would only be so much they could do if Victor started to take a turn for the worst, and Yuuri had to hold onto hope that the worst wouldn’t come to pass.
Victor’s voice trembled slightly. “If something happens… if I don’t make it… the rest of the money I brought with me is in that bag over there. Could you use some to send this letter to my family? The rest is yours—”
Yuuri shook his head, squeezing Victor’s hand even tighter. Only Yuuri could worry. Victor wasn’t allowed to think like that.
Victor cracked a weak smile. “Even so. Will you send it for me?” Yuuri solemnly took the letter and nodded. Victor’s smile widened slightly. “Thank you.”
Victor was lucid now, but once he fell asleep, he would wake up without any sense of self. There would only be the rut burning through his veins. Yuuri pushed his hair back from his face, and then whistled softly, quietly, a tiny goodnight sound that made Victor smile again.
“Goodnight. I’ll be okay. I will. Whatever it takes, I’ll make it.”
Yuuri nodded. Victor would make it. Yuuri pressed a tiny kiss to Victor’s knuckles, his cheeks burning. Victor’s eyes widened slightly. Before he could say anything, Yuuri slipped out of the room, his heart hammering.
He could still smell Victor’s scent on his clothes. It made him feel a little better, even as he fretted through the night. Yuuri fell into a fitful sleep that ended too early in the morning.
The sun had barely broken the horizon when Yuuri climbed from his bed. He could hear Victor already moving around. He must have woken in the night, body burning with the fever of his rut.
Yuuri filled a bucket with cool water and quickly hurried it upstairs with a damp rag. He was cautious as he peeked through the door. The scent hit him hard and fast, an overwhelming rush of rutting alpha, though sweetened and softened by Victor’s natural scent. Yuuri forced himself to look in.
Inside the converted banquet room, Victor writhed in a pile of sheets and blankets. His eyes were half crazed as he looked toward Yuuri. “Hurts,” he whined. He threw his head back with an animal snarl. “Haaa, mmn…”
His cheeks were flushed a feverish red. Yuuri had been worried about this. He slowly approached with the damp cloth. He whistled softly, the same greeting he used every morning when he first saw Victor each day.
Victor’s twisted snarl softened slightly. “Yuuri…” Though his eyes were still pained and unfocused, a hint of lucidity began to bleed through. “Hurts so bad…” he panted. His knuckles were white where they held fast to the blankets. Yuuri smoothed the wet rag over Victor’s sweaty temple, trying to leech some of the heat from it.
The water had been pulled from the enchanted spring and poured again and again between two buckets until it had cooled. It had to help. It had to.
Yuuri dutifully aided Victor, watching for any sign of Victor’s control to waver or snap. Though he panted like a labored animal, he seemed at least in control of himself enough to not lash out at Yuuri for now.
Victor’s every breath came with a low, keening whimper. It was as if even taking in air was excruciating for him. Yuuri’s heart broke. He had never been so close to a rutting alpha before, and had no baseline comparison, but it was clear something wasn’t right. He purred low in his chest, trying to soothe Victor.
It helped, if only a little. The set of Victor’s jaw relaxed slightly, his expression softening further. “Yuu…ri…” he rasped. Yuuri whistled softly for him. He smiled through the pain. “Pretty… songbird…”
Yuuri smiled, pleased that Victor had enough sense to speak, even if it was nonsense. He refreshed the water in the cloth and laid it back over Victor’s face. For several quiet minutes, his fingers picked through the tangles in the long, silver hair, gently combing it through. Yuuri hummed a quiet song. Victor’s spasms settled into faint trembling.
Victor could do this. He could survive his rut. Yuuri would buy him more time, however he could.
Yuuri heard the soft slip of skin on skin. The scent deepened, and Victor groaned. He was stroking himself, hand working over his cock to bring himself to completion.
Yuuri felt his cheeks warm. He gently brushed the hair back from Victor’s face once more and stood. Victor seemed stable, so Yuuri would allow him some dignity to finish his rut in peace.
Victor whined low in his throat as Yuuri stepped away.
Yuuri sank to his knees in the main room, leaning against a table. The smell of Victor’s rut clung to his clothes. Even the other patrons, sitting in clusters and chatting, could clearly smell it on him, giving him curious looks. Yuuri trilled softly.
His mother soon sat beside him, two cups of tea in her hands. Yuuri gratefully drank from the one she offered him. “Is he alright?” she asked.
Yuuri nodded, though he couldn’t hide the concern on his face.
“Will he need more attention, or is he stable?”
Yuuri considered it for a moment, and then whistled once. Victor seemed okay for now, but it could change quickly. He pointed to himself.
His mother smiled softly. “Of course, I’ll leave it to you. My sweet boy. It isn’t like you to be so concerned for someone’s well being.”
Yuuri flushed red and clucked his tongue.
His mother laughed, as only a mother could get away with. She stroked his hair and smiled. “Give him some time to burn through the next wave, and we can check on him again. If he stays stable, he’ll make it through just fine.”
Yuuri nodded.
She hummed at him, thoughtful now. “I admit, I was a little worried to send you in. Vicchan had mentioned he hadn’t allowed anyone in during his past ruts, not even his doctors or family. Even service omegas couldn’t gain entry. But he behaved for you, didn’t he?”
Yuuri nodded, guarded, unsure what his mother meant by that. He glanced toward the doorway that led out to the springs. His mother smiled.
“It might be the water, perhaps. Or maybe it’s something else. It’s hard to say just yet,” she said. Yuuri squinted at her, suspicious. She laughed and stood. “Give him a few hours. I’ll have some food ready. If you can convince him to eat something, I’ll consider it a good sign.”
Yuuri nodded. He threw himself into odd jobs around the onsen, trying to distract himself from the muffled sounds coming from the banquet room. It didn’t work well. The hours slipped away at a snail’s pace, and Yuuri’s anxious thoughts kept turning back to Victor.
He would be okay. He had to be. Yuuri just had to believe, right?
“Relax, Yuuri, that counter won’t get any cleaner,” Mari said. Yuuri jumped. He had been scrubbing the same span of counter for ten minutes, the surface gleaming. “I think mom’s almost finished fixing lunch, if you want to eat and take some upstairs.”
Yuuri nodded and scrambled to the kitchen. “I’ve almost got Vicchan’s meal ready,” his mom said. She passed him a bowl of rice and fish with a smile. “Eat up, and I’ll have it ready for you when you’re finished.”
Yuuri nodded, quickly eating the delicious food prepared by his mother. True to her word, Victor’s portion, made of tiny, tightly packed rice balls with various ingredients inside, was ready when Yuuri returned. Each one was bite sized, hopefully easy to cajole Victor into eating even if he wasn’t particularly hungry.
Yuuri hurried to Victor’s room.
He could hear labored breathing through the door. The rut scent was sour and unpleasant. Yuuri felt his heart sink in his chest. Victor. Something was wrong with Victor.
He ran inside, a fresh pail of onsen water in one hand, the bowl of food in the other. Victor was twisted in the bedsheets, face frozen into a snarl. Yuuri froze in place.
Victor’s face was impossibly red, his breath coming fast and harsh. He didn’t seem to recognize Yuuri at first. Victor snarled, furious, head whipping up to look at Yuuri. Just as quickly, he froze. His eyes, unfocused and a hazy blue, seemed to focus on Yuuri. Victor’s breath hitched.
“Y…Yuuri…” Victor panted. His eyes glittered. “Help… me…”
Yuuri ran closer, immediately laying a cool, wet rag over Victor’s temples. He cooed quietly, unable to say the words that might soothe Victor. The smell of distressed alpha was nearly overwhelming. Yuuri let his hand rest on Victor’s cheek, trying to breathe through the heavy scent. Victor tipped his head to kiss Yuuri’s thumb. His body suddenly spasmed, wracked by pain.
Yuuri leaned in. He couldn’t disguise his worry. Victor looked up at him with wide, pained eyes. Yuuri touched Victor’s pulse. It fluttered like a hummingbird’s wings, far, far too quickly than was safe. He looked up at Victor with worry in his eyes.
“Don’t… look at me like that…” Victor panted. “I… ah!” He gasped sharply as another spasm of pain ripped through his body. Yuuri could smell how badly his body needed something, something that Yuuri couldn’t put into words. He leaned in, and Yuuri suddenly knew what it was that Victor needed.
Guilt rose like bile in his throat. He couldn’t do it. He had no right to do it. But… if it would save Victor… Yuuri let his hand linger on Victor’s shoulder, thinking.
Victor held Yuuri’s gaze, even as his body trembled from the terrible pain. “You… I need… you… Yuuri…” Victor said through harsh breaths. His hands clutched white knuckle at the sheets, as though desperately trying to hold himself back. His want was almost palpable, the flood of pheromones on the air like a siren’s song trying to seduce him into Victor’s bed.
Yuuri felt his legs go weak, and he fell onto one knee. He looked to the door, then back to Victor. Was this Victor’s way of giving him permission? Of asking, no, begging Yuuri to join him in his bed? Would it be enough to stay the rush of the rut flowing through Victor’s veins?
He cautiously whistled, an unsure little sound that he wondered if Victor even understood. Victor slowly blinked. “Please…” Victor breathed. He nuzzled Yuuri's open palm, rubbing his cheek against Yuuri’s scent gland. Yuuri’s chest was tight.
Yuuri set both the food and the water aside, transfixed. He leaned in. His breath caught in his throat. The air wavered with the promise of something happening, something that Yuuri needed more than he could describe.
Impulse seized him. He closed his eyes and leaned down, kissing Victor’s lips. The moment burned like an ember against kindling. Suddenly the roaring heat consumed him, mind, body, and soul. Victor embraced him like a dying man, and maybe he was. He drank Yuuri’s kisses like the sweetest ambrosia.
Victor’s scent sweetened, the pain ebbing. It was helping. Yuuri felt his guilt war against his desperation to save Victor’s life. He remembered how scared Victor had been of dying. He closed his eyes. He couldn’t let Victor die to his rut. Not when it seemed salvation was in reach. Not when there was something Yuuri alone could do.
Victor held him with a grip bordering on desperation. Impulsive as it was, Yuuri felt he didn’t have much of a choice at all. He pressed a gentle kiss to Victor’s temple, gauging the reaction with a careful look.
Victor sighed happily. His muscles went more lax by shades, easing back into the bed. His breath was a little less harsh with Yuuri nearer. Yuuri sat at the edge of the bed. Victor threaded his arms around Yuuri’s waist, tugging him into the tangle of sheets and blankets. Yuuri cast one last look toward the door, his heart in his throat.
When Victor had first arrived in Hasetsu, Yuuri’s desire to help had been something born of a combination of pity and awe at the person Victor seemed to be. But as the weeks has passed, Yuuri’s feelings had changed. He still wanted to help Victor, but the yearning settled deeper in his chest. It burned hotter, flowing through his veins like molten fire.
His heart raced faster around Victor, his chest tight when he was away. He liked being around Victor. He liked the way Victor talked with him, even when they couldn’t properly exchange words. He liked the way Victor smiled at him, a kind of smile that Yuuri only ever saw when they were completely alone.
Yuuri was in love.
The choice was actually extraordinarily easy, once Yuuri realized this. He took a breath, and he let himself fall into Victor’s nest. The rut made Victor’s skin feverishly hot, almost painfully so. Yuuri would have soothed the heat away with cool, damp towels, but Victor’s kiss was intense enough to leave Yuuri dazed.
He let himself lay back, pushed against the edge of Victor’s rough nest. The naked skin of Victor’s chest gleamed with sweat. Fingers clawed at his clothing, trying to pull it free. Yuuri hastily stripped between open-mouthed kisses. His body grew hotter.
The air was dizzyingly sweet, heavy and musky but colored with the floral overtones of Victor’s unique scent. Yuuri couldn’t help but let out his own pheromones in answer. Every inch of his body radiated soothing feelings, trying to calm Victor’s wild rut.
He was pinned down with his wrists above his head. Victor paused his greedy kisses to rub himself against Yuuri, every inch of him as contented as the cat that got the cream. Yuuri purred low in his chest.
It made Victor purr in answer, a happy little sound that made Yuuri’s heart race faster. When Yuuri was thoroughly blanketed in Victor’s scent, the kisses returned, roaming hungrily over his lips, his jaw, his neck. A collar of dark bruises bloomed on his throat. Yuuri could feel his body stirring in answer.
Victor’s hips rocked in slow motions. Yuuri could feel the thick length of Victor’s erect cock grinding against his pelvis. His own cock stiffened in answer. His body reacted faster than he had ever expected, rocketing from worry to arousal in minutes. The force of Victor’s rut left any room for doubt in Yuuri’s mind, anyway.
His touch was as searing as an open flame in the summer heat, a roaring bonfire kindled in Yuuri’s heart and belly. Pleasure tied his insides into knots until Yuuri could feel his senses falling to the wayside. Suddenly there was just the two of them, the roar of blood in Yuuri’s hears and the rush of Victor’s heavy breath.
Slick dampened Yuuri’s naked thighs, stripped bare now after their combined efforts. The wetness drove Victor impossibly wilder than before. He buried his face between Yuuri’s thighs, his tongue making greedy swipes from Yuuri’s hole to his cock. Yuuri couldn’t hold back his voice.
His breathy moans slipped out, rising higher and higher in pitch as Victor began to devour him. Teeth scraped against the skin just hard enough to send shivers rocketing up and down Yuuri’s spine. Victor’s tongue thrust inside Yuuri’s body with every pass, eating him out with all the fervor of a man dying of thirst.
Yuuri’s cock twitched in interest, slapping his stomach while he sobbed from the pleasure. Too quickly, Victor had brought him right to the edge. Yuuri let himself slip right over. He breathed Victor’s name as he came, his release spattering his stomach in short, hot bursts.
Victor didn’t stop licking and tasting Yuuri until Yuuri had finished spasming in pleasure. Only then did he drag his tongue up the juncture of thigh and pelvis, licking up the spill. “Yuuri, Yuuri,” Victor panted. His voice was rough with desire. “My dearest Yuuri…”
Victor moved a little more slowly now. His skin was still warm, but the intensity of the fever didn’t feel nearly so worrisome. It felt comforting, a reassuring heat that Yuuri needed inside him. He spread his legs, making a small sound in the back of his throat. Victor didn’t need to be told twice.
He slotted his hips against Yuuri’s. The first thrust was clumsy, the second missing by a slightly narrower margin than the first. Victor huffed impatiently. The full head of Victor’s cock butted up against Yuuri’s hole, the first inch or two pushing inside easily.
Yuuri’s head fell back with a soft cry as he was penetrated for the first time by his beloved, by his Victor. Oh, fuck, it was good. It split him open, thick and heavy and full. In only a moment, Victor was buried as far in as he could get. Their bodies were connected on the deepest level Yuuri could imagine. Rapture threatened to tear him apart at the seams.
Yuuri moaned heavily in desire as Victor began to move. Their thrusts were relentless and driving. Yuuri couldn’t look away from Victor’s piercing blue gaze. The look in his eyes was almost unnerving, single minded and focused, though completely corrupted by lust. Yuuri could have drowned in the intensity of that gaze.
Victor bit down hard onto Yuuri’s neck. The spike of pain was almost too intense for words, but it mixed with a drug-like euphoria to leave him clutching at Victor’s silken, silver hair. Victor sucked bruises and bites all along the skin there, marking up whatever he could reach.
Their kiss was downright filthy. Yuuri had never felt anything like this before in his life. Was it intense because of the rut, or because of Victor? It was impossible to say.
What mattered was this: as they writhed in the throes of ecstasy, the overwhelming, all-consuming fever lessened by degrees. Yuuri could feel it under the tips of his fingertips, a steady improvement as he clawed at Victor’s back from the pleasure. Victor’s ragged breaths became sharper, his voice growling hungry and low.
“Close, close,” Victor said. Yuuri let out a broken cry. He was close too. He left desperate little butterfly kisses to Victor’s skin wherever he could reach, trying to say without words just how much Victor meant to him, how close Yuuri was right now, how good it all felt.
Victor locked eyes with Yuuri. He bit his lip as he came, groaning softly but never looking away, not even for a moment. The intensity was almost too much. Yuuri closed his eyes, his cock pulsing and his body clamping tight around Victor’s cock. Their orgasms were not perfectly in sync, but perfectly wonderful all the same.
Victor didn’t slow down after his first orgasm. Yuuri whined softly as Victor continued fucking him. He’d cum twice already in quick succession, and even Yuuri’s impressive stamina was hard pressed to keep up with the sudden, frantic rush outside of his heats. Yuuri was obsessed with the feeling all the same.
Victor held onto Yuuri like a lifeline, clutching tight and rutting his hips for so long that Yuuri could feel himself losing all sense of time and reality. There was only Victor’s touch, Victor’s scent, the gauzy silver of Victor’s hair falling in rivers around their shoulders, and the piercing blue of Victor’s eyes. Yuuri drowned in it.
It was hard to say how long the first wave lasted. The angle of the sun had changed by the time Yuuri felt Victor slow inside of him, the thick spill of cum ending with Victor sagging against Yuuri’s body.
Victor let out a deep sigh, his eyes a little clearer than before. “Yuuri, Yuuri, it’s you,” he whispered, half marveling at the sight of Yuuri in his bed and half stunned beyond belief.
Yuuri yawned. He was exhausted, but Victor was finally coming back to his senses. Yuuri just needed to reassure himself that Victor would truly be okay before he let himself sleep. Feeling a little hazy, Yuuri reached to cup Victor’s cheek gently, offering him a tired smile. Victor laid his hand over Yuuri’s, speechless.
“You helped me?” Yuuri nodded. He almost hadn’t expected it to help, but the fact that it worked made it worth it. Victor’s eyes took on a pained look. “I didn’t think I was going to survive,” Victor whispered.
Yuuri let his thumb caress Victor’s cheekbone. He whistled softly, a little reassuring sound that made Victor smile. The smile wavered “Yuuri, I don’t understand something. I’ve had omegas try to aid me before. In my rut state, I didn’t even allow them close, let alone help. I was beyond anything like that. I… I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
Yuuri shook his head. Victor had been a little rough in his passions, but no more than any alpha would be in a state like that. He grinned wider. In fact, it had felt very nice, even the bites. Victor glanced at the teeth marks and bruising with a wince. Yuuri caressed them with his fingers, and then started to stroke Victor’s silver hair.
Victor fell silent for several minutes. Yuuri could see the thoughts racing, and he gave Victor plenty of time to understand. No matter how Victor reacted to this, Yuuri refused to let himself feel anxious about this. Saving Victor’s life had been his utmost priority. Everything else was incidental, and Yuuri would take whatever scorn or suffering Victor dealt him as a result of his actions.
Victor looked unsure of himself. Beside Victor’s nest, the food had long since gone cold. Yuuri tried to stand, only for Victor to catch him by the wrist. Almost as soon as he did, Victor let go, shocked at himself.
“I- sorry, I just… I didn’t want you to leave,” Victor said lamely. Yuuri looked at the food again, and then to Victor. He used his fingers to whistle loudly. Victor looked properly bashful when Yuuri’s sister stuck her head into the room a couple moments later, frowning.
“Everything alright in there?” she said, glancing between Yuuri and Victor.
Yuuri whistled to her about dinner, and she sighed. “Oh, fine, you brat. I’ll get you two some food. Is everything going alright?”
“Thanks to Yuuri’s help, I think I’ll be okay,” Victor said meekly. He couldn’t look Mari in the eye. Yuuri laughed at his shyness. Yuuri gave Mari a thumbs up.
Mari scoffed and shook her head. A little smile followed. “Well, I’m glad you two are okay. I’ll tell mom. Try to keep from fucking until after I bring you food.”
Yuuri whistled another affirmative and laughed. Victor couldn’t help but laugh too, snuggling against Yuuri. It seemed Yuuri’s laughter had broken the stress of the moment, and the tension bled from Victor’s shoulders.
“I guess I should thank you,” Victor murmured. He let his forehead rest against Yuuri’s, their breath slowing as they relaxed. “If not for your help, I wouldn’t have survived.”
Yuuri looked up at Victor. Even if he could speak what would he have said? The simple truth was that he couldn’t bear the thought of losing Victor in any sense of the word. He touched Victor’s chest, right above his heart, and then his own. Victor was too important to him. It was that simple.
Victor was silent for a moment. “I think I understand,” he said softly. “The water bought me time, but I only lived because… because I care a lot about you, Yuuri, and… I think you care about me, too, right?”
Yuuri nodded. His cheeks flushed red. It was his turn to look away, feeling shy now. Cheeks burning hotter, he drew a small heart on Victor’s chest with his fingers. Victor’s eyes went wide.
“Yuuri, do you… I mean- Yuuri!” Victor said with a giddy laugh. “Is this a love confession? Because I love you, too! I love you, Yuuri! I’ve loved you for months, but I’ve been so afraid that you didn’t feel the same.” The words all poured out in a rush, and Victor pulled a laughing Yuuri into his arms.
Yuuri whistled a little, agreeing with him.
“I’m such a fool!” Victor said. He smashed his palm to his forehead. “You can’t speak, but I have no excuses! I should have confessed to you weeks ago, really, how much of an idiot am I-”
Yuuri clapped his hand over Victor’s mouth, blushing harder and still laughing. He shook his head. And then, still smiling, he placed a kiss to Victor’s lips.
In the aftermath of the rut, the truth came out: Victor was born a prince. However, he had surrendered his title and right to the throne to his siblings. With the weight of his death looming before him, his future had seemed so uncertain, and he had turned to this adventure to find a cure for his rut.
After Yuuri learned all this, he encouraged Victor to send a letter to his family, telling them he survived and that he had fallen in love. He stayed in Hasetsu, unwilling to leave Yuuri, unwilling to leave the onsen and Hasetsu, which he had come to love.
Seasons passed, and they eventually married. And though the hot spring had failed to cure Victor and Yuuri of their respective curses, it had still led them to each other. And with that, they lived
Happily Ever After.