Chapter Text
Even when they were toddlers, Kaoru and Kojiro were rarely apart.
Kaoru would pull Kojiro’s arm like a toy wagon handle behind him as he whisked the pair to another part of the small playground and Kojiro would follow easily.
They’d also wrestle constantly after little sparks of fights like who would use the shovel in the sandbox or which would be the chaser in a game of tag. Kojiro would grab at Kaoru’s pink hair with his chubby little hands while Kaoru would grab his arm and bite in retaliation.
Still every tussle would somehow end the same way, with the two hugging or leaning against each other. Exhausted.
Sometimes Kaoru would lean up and nuzzle into the other’s neck subconsciously burying his nose into the scent glands on his neck. It would be a few more years before he could compare the calming scent to the matcha tea Kojiro’s mommy made every morning.
Kojiro would respond while still half asleep by rubbing his plump little cheek over the top of his best friend’s silky head and almost every time they would end up dozing on eachother. Tiny hands linked loosely at their side.
Their mothers always found the sight adorable but it also caused the two kids to smell so strongly of their mixed scent that, embarrassingly enough, on occasion the two had been mistaken for the other and brought home to the wrong house by a distracted and tired mother.
As they grew up, Kaoru presented as an omega and much to his annoyance, Kojiro was an alpha. Meaning the already overgrown boy would probably grow even bigger. Not that Kaoru was going to let that stop him from kicking the alpha’s ass when he deserved it. Which was quite often in Kaoru’s mind.
They were still inseparable throughout their teens. Their fights had escalated as well but although Kaoru didn’t like the weak and gross feeling of needing the alpha’s protection when some creeps would get too close, he never doubted he could rely on the other.
It was still odd to him how Kojiro’s eyes would darken as he snarled at an alpha making a cheap pass at Kaoru.
He was used to the timid child he’d grown up with. The one who’d patiently wait for the cookies to cool like his mother would tell them, while Kaoru would sneak at least 2 the moment she’d turn away.
Even a glance at Kojiro’s menacing posture or a slight sniff of the fury ringing throughout his pheromones, was enough to send a sharp chill down the omega’s spine. But no matter what, after the rude alpha would back off and run (they’d always run) Kojiro would always spin around to Kaoru and stuff his nose in his neck, rubbing his own calming scent into the cherry blossom one of Kaoru’s while the omega melted under the other’s ministrations.
Kaoru had always loved scent marking. Probably more than any other omega he knew.
His family always showered him with attention even if he’d act like he didn’t want it. (They knew)
Even Kojiro’s mom would hug him the moment the two stepped into the threshold and proceed to nuzzle the top of his head while cooing about how big he’d grown within the last 9 hours since he’d seen her that morning.
Still, Kaoru especially loved when Kojiro would mix their scent. He’d grow anxious if their scents started to fade from the other, but he’d never had to ask for any embarrassing favor because the alpha would already sense his unease and mark him immediately.
Even if they did both halfheartedly grumble about it being a pain. They were teenagers afterall.
It was probably because of this scent that Kaoru didn’t have much trouble with other alphas.
Aside from Adam, Kojiro didn’t even let another alpha near him for the entirety of high school. Not that Kaoru honestly minded. He’d rather focus on skating anyway.
But it did slightly upset him when Kojiro would smell like members of his fan club. He’d started spending more time with them shortly after Adam started skating with the pair.
Each time he’d catch a stray whiff of some floozy’s too sweet scent on Kojiro, Kaoru would always immediately start a fight without really knowing why.
He was just angry.
The fighting always resolved the issue quickly, as both parties would end up smelling strongly of each other, so Kaoru just let it be.
When Kojiro left for Italy, Kaoru was a wreck.
His anxiety would spike daily. He’d pace around his room for hours searching for... something.
He’d already dug any old toys of Kojiro’s that he’d happened to leave at the omega’s house over their childhood, out of the attic and placed them around his room, but the scent was stale.
Not enough. Not nearly.
Even though his heats were never strong and he took his suppressants well, Kojiro used to always “accidently” leave something behind right before they started, and the scent would remind Kaoru that he was safe. The alpha wouldn’t let anyone hurt him and he was able to keep his rationality and wits about him easily, even during the time it was most expected to be lost.
Kaoru dreaded his first heat without his best friend nearby. Truthfully he dreaded life without that scent clinging to him. It was like a part of him that had always been there was suddenly gone and he just...didn’t know what to do.
Sometimes when the panic was so strong that he couldn’t care about his dignity, he’d rush out and knock on Kojiro’s family home’s door, where the alpha’s mom would open it and catch a crying Kaoru struggling between breaths as he collapsed into her.
She’d always squeeze him tight and gently shoosh him as Kojiro’s family smell would slowly wash the worry away. Before he left she’d always grab something from her son’s old room to send home with the omega without even speaking about it. To his knowledge Kojiro never heard of these episodes from his mother and Kaoru would forever be grateful to her for that.
Occasionally Kojiro would send souvenirs and each time the item would end up in Kaoru’s bed for days before he’d be able to set it on the shelf only a foot away from him.
There was also that amazing time when Kaoru actually went to visit.
It felt like he was in heaven. He was finally complete again.
He especially treasured the memory of the beach. The two would bask (well Kaoru had on three layers of sunscreen) in the sun and let it warm up Kojiro’s scent until it engulfed him.
The alpha was still a huge flirt with the skimpily dressed women but as much as Kauro would still pick fights with him over it. He knew he couldn’t stop Kojiro from dating or flings.
They weren’t mates.
Kaoru somehow survived those years apart thanks to both of their families and the distraction of his own passions: calligraphy and building an AI named Carla to help with the anxiety that had never gone away.
Kojiro came back and opened a restaurant. The two started making more regular appearances at “S” as Joe and Cherry. Kaoru could finally relax a bit because he could smell that calming scent both day and night as he ate delicious food and skated with his best friend and biggest annoyance.
Then a lot happened.
Adam came back. Suddenly they were responsible for a gang of unruly children. Kaoru got fucking ‘Hit With a Skateboard’ by none other than Adam. Adam found his love for skating after being beaten by one of said kids and became...less of a psychopath. Probably. Maybe.
Through it all, Kojiro was by his side. Strong scent washing over the omega whenever he needed it, and as he got more comfortable with the kids; Kauro would start subtly brushing alongside the young omega Langa or grabbing at the alpha Reki’s hair in annoyance but still letting the pheromones from his wrist mix their scents. Even Shadow’s strong flowery scent had started mixing in with his the longer the group spent time together.
That’s why it was frightening, really, when one day Miya happened to accidentally bump their wrists together during a meal at Sia la luce.
The child shivered severely as Kaoru froze in horror before he, for the first time, took a strong sniff of the air around Miya.
He didn’t smell.