Chapter Text
Mother opened the door so softly, Sasuke wouldn’t have noticed her if not for the scent of sugar drifting into the room.
Kakashi had only just left, but Sasuke didn’t move from the floor. Fever left his skin damp with sweat. He kept his head pressed to the cool wall of the den.
Mother knelt in front of him. He kept his eyes on the floorboards.
“How did it go, Sasuke?” Her voice was almost a whisper.
He shrugged. His mind was blank.
She settled back on her heels, close enough he could feel her breath against his hair.
The moment she opened her arms, his body folded into them, and warmth settled beneath his skin. He closed his eyes as she drew his head to her chest. “Talk to me, sweet boy.”
Sasuke let out a shaky breath and swallowed against the tears that prickled at his eyes. He couldn’t tell her the whole truth. Kakashi deciding not to claim him wasn’t part of the deal. If Father found out, he’d call it off and ask someone else.
“He said he’d come get me tomorrow.”
Her fingers curled tightly in his hair, cradling him the way she had when he was little. He didn’t know how long it’d been since she held him like that.
Maybe it was the last night she ever would.
They didn’t move for a long time. She stroked his hair rhythmically, and his head rose and fell with her breath. Sasuke was dozing off when she finally spoke. “Let’s get you ready for bed, sweetheart. You have a big day tomorrow.” She kissed the top of his head and let him go.
He rubbed his eyes with one hand and held onto her arm with the other.
She led him by the hand, up the stairs, and into the bathroom. He sat on the toilet lid while she ran a bath and pulled a fresh towel. He should have been embarrassed. He should have told her that he could bathe himself.
But he didn’t.
He held still as she gently tugged his shirt over his head and unwound the bandages from his neck.
He glanced in the mirror. There were puncture marks where Itachi’s teeth tore through his skin. His scent gland was swollen and warm. Standing felt hard. His limbs were stiff, as though every muscle had calcified. He pushed himself up anyway, and Mother held his arms as he stepped into the tub.
“Tilt back,” she instructed softly as she took a cup from the counter. He closed his eyes and faced up. Warm water soaked his scalp. A groan escaped his throat as soapy fingers worked through his hair.
“It doesn’t smell like anything,” Sasuke mumbled with a frown.
Mother hummed. “It’s a special soap I use sometimes. It cleanses you of all scents but your own. It has enzymes that help your glands produce scent.”
Of course, even his shampoo had to be omega-approved. At least he wouldn’t smell like Itachi anymore. Maybe it would wash away the feeling of being watched, too.
Mother dressed him in cotton sweatpants and one of her night shirts that hung loosely around his shoulders. Sasuke paused at his own reflection. He looked younger, with his mother standing behind him and her clothes on his back.
She placed her hands on his shoulders and rested her chin on his head. Her gaze met his in the mirror. “I was sixteen when I was paired with your father… that was common, back then.”
Sasuke’s eyes widened. He didn’t know his parents had an arranged marriage.
Of course they did.
“Times have changed,” she said, her voice cracking. “But not enough. I never imagined you’d have to leave home younger than I did.”
Tears fell down her face. Sasuke didn’t move at all.
“It was scary for me, moving in with an older man I didn’t know.”
“How old was Father?” he asked.
She sighed. “Twenty-four.”
Kakashi was twenty-six. That was the kind of age gap that made everyone pity the omega and hate the alpha. Was that why he refused to claim him, for his reputation? Was he only saying yes out of pity? Would he regret it?
“I’m so sorry, Sasuke. I didn’t protect you as I should have. I couldn’t stop this cycle from repeating.” She wrapped her hands around him fully, pulling his back to her chest. “But you do have a choice where you go… Are you sure he’s the one you want, Sasuke?”
He didn’t answer right away. He wasn’t so sure anymore. Kakashi was old. But he wasn’t smelly like other alphas were. He was always so controlled. He always knew what to do.
She waited patiently, still holding him tight.
He looked at his mother and back at himself. They had the same nose.
Kakashi didn’t touch him when he presented. Not until Sasuke asked him to. He stayed close, brought him water, and checked his temperature. He explained what was happening in a way he understood while fighting a fever and splitting organs.
“He’s the only one I trust,” Sasuke finally answered. There wasn’t anyone else he could have picked.
She smiled, but it looked forced. “That’s more than I could say about Fugaku when I left home.”
Sasuke let out a deep breath. He couldn’t imagine how scared she must have been.
Or, maybe he could.
Living under his roof meant you needed to be perfect. Sasuke had felt that more than anyone in that house, being the weaker son.
“Of course, you’re an omega,” Father had said with a shake of his head. “I shouldn’t be surprised. You’ve always been emotional.”
Even if Kakashi didn’t want to claim him, he agreed to get him out of here. Maybe Sasuke was a fool for running to an alpha twice his age. But anything would be better than his father’s scrutiny. Anything would be better than Itachi’s roaming hands at night.
He was really leaving.
Sasuke wasn’t surprised when his mother followed him into his bedroom. She fluffed his pillows, scented his sheets, and pulled the blanket back for him.
His legs didn’t move towards the bed, though. He just stared at it.
He was in his bed when it happened. Itachi had come into his room in the middle of the night and locked his door. He screamed the moment Itachi got into his bed, but they weren’t fast enough. Itachi already had his teeth in his neck and his hands under his clothes by the time Father dragged him off.
Itachi wasn’t there. Not in the village. Not in the house. But Sasuke’s body still froze at the edge of the bed.
“Would you like me to stay with you, Sasuke?” Mother asked softly.
He nodded and rubbed his eyes. “Yes, please.”
She kissed his forehead. “I’m going to get changed and say goodnight to your father. I’ll be back in just a minute, okay?”
“Hn,” he replied sleepily.
Sasuke didn’t get into bed when she left. He sat at his desk and looked around his room, taking in the sight of his childhood bedroom for the last time. The walls were plain. He was never allowed to put things on them. His bed set was black. His desk was clean. He didn’t have much to pack, aside from his clothes. There wasn’t much to be sentimental over, at least.
The door creaked, and the scent of camphor and black tea spiked through his senses. His chest tightened.
“‘Tachi?” His voice cracked.
“No, sweetheart, it’s just me,” Mother called from the hallway. She came in holding a large basket. Sasuke’s shoulders fell with relief. The moment she set the basket down, her hands cupped his face. “It’s just me,” she repeated softly.
He let her hold his face for a breath or two before slowly pulling back from her touch.
“I brought you some things to take,” she said as she pulled a blanket out of the basket. It was the orange throw she used when knitting in the living room. Beneath it was one of her sweaters, a pillowcase from their bed, and one of Father’s robes.
“This is your stuff,” he observed, clearly confused.
She chuckled. “It's yours now. You might want it when you start nesting in your new home.”
Nesting. Right. Heat flushed his cheeks.
“Thanks,” he muttered.
She folded the blanket and put it back in the basket.
Sasuke held his breath as he crawled into bed. Mother dimmed the lights and followed. He flinched as the mattress dipped. His neck pulsed with a hot throbbing pain that made him gasp.
Mother brushed his hair from his face. “It’s just me, Sasuke.”
He knew that. But black tea was in his nose, and his heart was racing against his ribs. His body anticipated Itachi’s return, his neck throbbing with every breath. It was supposed to be Itachi. He needed Itachi.
That thought made Sasuke shiver. He buried his face into his mother’s neck, breathing in the smell of sweetened citrus as if it might save him. His fingers curled into her shirt, gripping her back. “I’m gonna miss you,” he mumbled against her chest.
“I’ll miss you too, my sweet boy.” She ran her fingers through his hair. “I thought I’d have more time to guide you.”
He sniffled. “Guide me?”
“As an omega,” she clarified. “Your body is going to send you signals you won’t understand. You’ll crave closeness, touch, affection, reassurance, softness. All the things you were told not to want as a shinobi, your body is going to need. And that’s okay. I promise you, it’s okay.”
She pulled back just enough to look at him. She ran her thumb over his cheek. “It might feel wrong, at first, to nurture your omega. But it’s so important. For your health, for your happiness. You understand, Sasuke?” She pressed her forehead to his.
“Yes, ma’am,” he whispered.
“Good. I love you so much, my sweet boy.”
“I love you too, Mama.”
She didn’t make a sound, but he felt her tears in his hair as she cradled him against her chest.
His body still braced for the door, but her heartbeat anchored him enough to close his eyes, and the rise and fall of her breath guided him to sleep.
Kakashi’s feet sank into duff as he approached the old, creaky house on the edge of the village. Years of neglect had left the yard buried in leaves and the fence rotting at its edges. It looked smaller than he remembered. Or maybe he was just older. It was almost the same as he left it, save for the chipped paint and overgrowth.
The house sat just on the edge of the Nara woods. It wasn’t technically in the district, but it was close enough to be blanketed in the shadow of the canopy.
His father was an eccentric man. He spent his life collecting oddities and tools from across the Shinobi Nations, and his home was strange enough to house such a collection.
Wooden porch steps creaked beneath his feet. The banisters were decorated with hand-painted flowers and ferns. Next to the front door was a massive circular window: a stained glass mural of the sun setting over the ocean that left the kitchen table glistening with a mix of oranges, reds, blues, and pinks.
Rust coated the key, but it clicked into place all the same. He stopped at the entrance, half expecting to hear his dad’s laughter as the door swung open.
The smell of old parchment engulfed the space. Beneath it was a hint of mildew. The front door led into the small but heavily decorated kitchen.
The tiles were checkered blue and yellow, and the table was a round, red booth taken from a diner. His old man couldn’t stand to see a “good” piece of furniture thrown away, which left the house cluttered with mismatched styles in every room.
A soft ringing sang from down the hall, and Kakashi froze as though a ghost had whispered in his ear. He’d forgotten about the chimes.
Wind chimes from Uzushiogakure were hung at every window. They were inscribed with fuinjutsu to store the chakra of the wind, allowing them to continue their song without a breeze. Kakashi ran his hand along one, waking them from their slumber. The sound was as soft as they were in his memories.
He made his way into the living room.
Dusty scrolls were piled into corners, and colorful rugs fraying at the seams sprawled along the floor. An old tapestry of white wolves prancing in a circle, sun-bleached and curling at the edges, hung above the staircase to the attic.
There was the kind of quiet in the walls only dead things left behind.
He sat down on the couch and a cloud of dust puffed from beneath him. He coughed once and put his head in his hands. There was no way he’d be able to clean this place up in time.
Would Sasuke even want to be here? He was about to bring a frightened omega into a house that felt like a mausoleum. But Kakashi didn’t see any other option. He couldn’t possibly house Sasuke in his one-bedroom stock apartment.
His father’s home had been legally his since he died, but Kakashi hadn’t set foot in it since before he joined ANBU. When he packed up and left, he always told himself he’d come back eventually. Clean it up. Go through his dad’s old things.
But the years kept flying by, and he never did come back. Until now.
Between the daunting task ahead of him and the grief in his bones, getting started felt impossible. He knew himself well enough to know he couldn’t do this alone.
Luckily, he knew just the man who hated to tell him no.
Kakashi whistled aimlessly as he approached the apartment complex, trying to drown out the dread in his throat. He didn’t let himself think the decision through very hard. By the time he was at the omega’s doorstep, he still didn’t have a plan.
He knocked anyway.
The door creaked open a sliver, then opened wide. “Kakashi!” Iruka stepped aside and gestured for him to come in. “What brings you by so late? Everything okay?”
Kakashi kept his hands in his pockets as he strode into the apartment.
“Just dandy. I need a favor, I’m afraid.”
Iruka chuckled. “I’m sure you do. Have a seat, I’ll make tea.”
Kakashi nodded and sat in the living room. Iruka’s apartment was filled with his scent: wet stone and oregano. It soothed something in Kakashi’s chest, reminding him there wasn’t anything he couldn’t tell Iruka.
“Okay!” Iruka said cheerfully as he set two cups of tea on the table. “Let’s hear this favor of yours.” He picked up a cup and cooled it with steady breaths.
Kakashi rubbed the back of his head. “Maa, you’re not going to like this. But I need to clean up my dad’s old place. It’s kind of urgent.”
Iruka’s brow furrowed. “Why is it urgent?”
“There’s been a situation…” Kakashi studied the steam coming from his cup, pointedly avoiding Iruka’s gaze. “I’m taking Sasuke in tomorrow afternoon. I need more space.”
Iruka set his cup back down, his scent spiking into something sharper. He didn’t hide the confusion on his face.
“Sasuke is an omega.”
“Yes.”
“And he’s moving in with you?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Kakashi sighed. He wasn’t supposed to tell anyone, but he couldn’t bring himself to care about that clause right now.
“Itachi bit him. Sasuke wasn’t in heat, so it’s not permanent, but he’s already having separation withdrawal. The Hokage is demanding his immediate relocation.”
Iruka went very quiet. Even his breathing stalled. “Is he safe right now?”
“Yes. Itachi is out of the village. Sasuke is with his mother until tomorrow.”
“And when Itachi gets back?”
“He’s being told to stay away from Sasuke, but he’s staying on the roster.”
Iruka covered his mouth with his fist. “Gods… Sasuke must have been so scared.”
The image of Sasuke clutching his mother’s sweater, his neck wrapped in white, flashed through Kakashi’s mind.
“He still is.”
“No offense,” Iruka said as he let out a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose. “But why you? Surely they don’t expect—“
“They do expect it. The Sandaime handed me paperwork already drafted in my name. Sasuke chose me…. And they knew I’d say yes.”
“You signed it?”
“No,” he shook his head. “Not yet. But they won’t let me take him home if I don’t.”
Iruka’s jaw tightened. “He shouldn’t have to go with an alpha at all.” His voice shook with anger, a sound Kakashi rarely heard from him. “Why didn’t they ask me? He’s just a child. He should be with his mother. Or at the very least another omega.”
“I know,” Kakashi agreed. “That’s why I’m not going to claim him.”
Iruka’s eyes snapped up. “You’re going to lie?”
“Yes.”
“How?” There was no judgment in his voice, only urgent curiosity.
“Sasuke will hide his neck. He already wears collared shirts most of the time. I’ll scent mark him often, and no one will know.”
Iruka couldn’t hold back the single sharp laugh that escaped his throat. “You can’t fake the smell of a matebond… can you?”
Kakashi shrugged. “I guess we’ll find out.”
Iruka picked his cup back up and leaned back in his chair. He kept his brow pinched in thought as he sipped it. His expression shifted from confusion, to anger, back to deep thought, and finally settled on determined but calm. Kakashi waited patiently for the man to sort his thoughts.
“Sakumo’s house is gonna freak him out,” Iruka said dryly. “We'd better go get started.”
“You’d know better than me what he needs.” Kakashi stood and stretched his arms over his head. “Thank you, Iruka.”
Iruka rolled his eyes. “Don’t thank me yet, we have a long night ahead of us.”
Iruka brought everything but the kitchen sink. He’d probably would have brought that too, if the house didn’t have one already.
The moment he stepped through the door, he was mumbling “Oh, no, no, no…” and finding a spot to roll out his packing scroll. From the scroll puffed out a broom, mop, bucket, various soaps, scenting oils, gloves, and sponges.
“I think I saw a rake on the side of the house,” Iruka said as he slipped on the gloves. “I’ll get started in here. You go clear a path to the front.”
“Aye, aye, captain,” Kakashi replied.
The two worked mostly in silence. Kakashi followed Iruka’s lead, hauling old boxes and sweeping dust from the floorboards.
Within just a few hours, the air had shifted. The dust was gone. The windows were open. And for the first time in years, it smelled like people lived there again.
Iruka oiled the wooden tables with lemon and sandalwood and hung fresh rosemary in the windows. “It’ll help orient him to the space to have scents to latch on to,” he explained.
Kakashi felt his own shoulders soften at the calming smells.
“Where is he going to sleep?” Iruka asked.
“There are two guest rooms. I was going to let him choose.”
Iruka walked down the hall to inspect them, and Kakashi followed close behind.
The one closest to the living room was cluttered. Massive shelves covered one wall. He shook his head. “There’s no window in here. No go.”
He moved to the next one, just beside the master bedroom. Less cluttered, but not clean. One small window looked out into the woods beside the house.
“This is the one,” he nodded. “Get rid of this,” he said, pointing at the old dusty mattress on the floor. “We’ll go get him a nesting bed in the morning.”
“A nesting bed?” Kakashi asked. He thought omegas made nests in regular beds.
“It’s round and has slightly elevated edges. It’s designed to be comforting, especially during heats.”
Kakashi nodded. “Right. And you know where to buy one of those?”
Iruka rolled his eyes for what might have been the millionth time that evening. He didn’t bother replying. “Go get the broom, Hatake.”
It seemed he had a lot to learn.
By dawn, every room was livable again. The kitchen was ready for groceries, the master bedroom was dusted, and the couches in the living room were steam cleaned with a hot water jutsu he’d never seen utilized that way before. He had some shopping to do to stock the house with essentials and get Sasuke’s bed, but for the most part, it was ready.
Kakashi sighed as he plopped down on the couch. Iruka followed, collapsing into the chair across from him.
“Gods, remind me to never say yes to one of your favors ever again.”
“Hmm, I think you said that last time.”
“You didn’t remind me, bastard.”
Kakashi let out a low chuckle, barely audible through his exhaustion. “Can I thank you, now?”
“Yeah, yeah. You’re welcome. I’ll buy the bed, consider it a housewarming gift, but you better tell him it’s from me. I’ll have it delivered.”
Kakashi closed his eyes. “You’re a saint.”
Iruka ignored the praise. “If he needs anything, send me a bird. I don’t care what time it is.”
“Understood.”
Iruka nodded. “Good. Get a couple hours of rest, at least. He probably won’t sleep tonight. Which means you won’t either.”
Kakashi rubbed his eyes with one hand. “Alright, I will.”
“Later, Kakashi!” Iruka called out as the screen door slammed shut behind him. The rattle of it echoed through the kitchen.
Kakashi took another look around. The wolf tapestry caught the morning light as the sun peered through the windows.
“Sorry it took me so long, pops.”
In his exhaustion, the wolves almost looked like they were moving, prancing and circling each other.
He closed his eyes again. “I hope the kid doesn’t hate it here,” he whispered to himself.