Work Text:
Snow:
years of anger following
hours that float idly down —
the blizzard
drifts its weight
deeper and deeper for three days
or sixty years, eh? Then
the sun! a clutter of
yellow and blue flakes —
Hairy looking trees stand out
in long alleys
over a wild solitude.
The man turns and there —
his solitary track stretched out
upon the world.
— Blizzard
William Carlos Williams
❄️❄️❄️
With cold comes the desire for warmth; the need to seek shelter in the silent world filled with flurries of white. Snow dampens an already quiet forest, with nary a footstep to be heard. Everyone sleeps, tucked into their hovels and burrows, curled around their loved ones for comfort. Almost everyone, at least.
Katsuki looks back to see the trail he's left in the snow. If he weren’t so damn cold, he would do a better job at covering his tracks. Last night's blizzard caused his den to cave in, and he spent the majority of the day in search of a new home. The snow is too thick and the ground too cold to dig, so he's left seeking shelter elsewhere. Each space he comes across, that is large enough for him, is occupied. He got kicked in the face by a stupid rabbit earlier and if he weren’t his paws off, he would have eaten the freckled thing just to prove a point. One does not kick a fox in the face! Even if they are just trying to defend their home.
It's late afternoon and the sun is beginning to set. A gust of wind passes through the forest, rustling the barren boughs and causing Katsuki to shiver. He hugs his arms closer to his body and rubs his hands against the exposed skin. His clothes were soaked from trying to dig himself out of a caved in home, so now he only has on the barest of essentials. It's not enough to stay warm after nightfall. Desperation clings to his movements and he trudges through the snow more rapidly. The weight of the semi-frozen water makes him sluggish, and he trips into a particularly large snowbank.
Katsuki curses, picking himself up and wincing at the bite of the cold against his hands. He brushes himself off. The snow falls loosely at his feet and as he lifts his head, Katsuki spots the mouth of a cave. It's half buried in snow, but the entrance looks large enough for proper shelter. He glances around, but the forest is still disturbingly quiet. Katsuki gives himself a resounding nod, then trudges forward.
He kicks the snowbank around, clearing a path into the cave. The light of the setting sun casts shadows on the walls. He'll be surrounded in darkness soon. Having learned his lesson from earlier, he calls out, "Is anyone here?" He waits, but there's no answer. Katsuki wets his lips and creeps into the cave, reveling in the warmth it brings him. It's roomier than his burrow, and he can feel a draft leaking in from the entrance, but the wind that nipped at his skin and fur when he walked through the forest can no longer reach him. He rubs his hands together, then breathes on them for added warmth.
A snore catches his attention and he freezes, hair puffing up at the sense of danger. He glances around as he quietly ventures deeper into the cave, and there, tucked into the back corner, is a bear curled on a bed of furs, fast asleep. Katsuki takes a step back, then another. He steps on a twig, snapping it, and his breath catches in his throat. With wide eyes, he waits, expecting the bear to react, but he remains blissfully unaware in his hibernating state. Katsuki exhales, tension seeping from his body.
He should leave. This cave is occupied—by someone higher on the food chain than him, no less—but the sun begins to dip below the tree line, bathing the snow outside the cave in hues of orange and pink. He has minutes before night seizes the sky and then he'll be wandering blindly through the trees. He's tired, cold, and hungry. There's no stamina left in him from the day's endeavors. He looks back at the bear. Drool clings to the corner of his mouth and his nose twitches in his sleep. He looks ridiculous, and entirely harmless. He's not, obviously, but maybe it's fine for just one night. Katsuki will refresh himself with a night's rest, then set out again in the morning in search of a new place to live.
He can manage one night.
Quietly, Katsuki strips out of his wet clothes and shivers against the cold. He sets them on a rock to dry. He'd like to start a fire, but with the drooling bear only a few feet away, it seems like too much of a liability. He doesn't know how easy it is to wake a hibernating bear and he doesn't exactly want to find out. Instead, he spots some unused furs on the ground near the bear. He must have rolled off them at some point in his sleep. Katsuki carefully reaches for them, wrapping the soft pelts around his body and relishing in the warmth they provide.
He sits on the ground; knees tucked to his chest with his arms holding the pelt firmly against his body. He watches the bear, studying the sleeping beast before him. Glossy black hair covers most of his face, but Katsuki can just barely make out the faint line of a scar near his right eye. The bear's ears twitch atop his head and his lips curl into a smirk. Whatever he's dreaming about must be good because a soft chuckle escapes him. Curiosity draws Katsuki closer. He doesn't mean to close the gap between them, but the sleeping bear's scent smells inviting and he radiates heat.
A yawn pulls itself from his lips and Katsuki's eyelids flutter, heavy with exhaustion. He curls into the bear's side, slipping beneath the furs that cover his large frame. Katsuki's tail flicks back and forth a few times before he tucks it around himself, clinging to it like a lifeline. The bear is scorching compared to the outside world with its frigid temperatures. Katsuki presses his cheek into the bear's exposed chest, feeling how thick it is with muscle and stored fat. This is the worst possible decision, but he's too tired to care. The bear wraps his thick arm around Katsuki, holding him snugly into the space he now occupies. He yawns once more then drifts off.
When morning comes, Katsuki carefully extracts himself from the bear's hold. He was careless the night before, spurred on by a desperate need for tepidity. A quick sniff tells him that not only did he enter the den of a predator, but one that is also an alpha. He's never been so reckless before. Katsuki tucks the strong arm that had been wrapped around him into the bear's side. He watches the bear roll over and mumble something unintelligible as he readjusts in his bed. It's cold outside the furs, and Katsuki shivers, hugging his tail to his body.
His clothes from the day before are still wet and cold, which leaves him with nothing to wear. He needs to find a new place to stay, but he can't go out into the forest naked in this weather. Invading an alpha's den is grounds for death and he doesn't want to stick around to see how angry the bear will be when he inevitably wakes up. With the light of the morning sun peeking into the cave, Katsuki looks around. He spots a pair of trousers and a red tunic in a crumpled pile on the floor. His gaze flicks to the bear then back to the clothes before he ultimately decides to commandeer the items. The pants are too long and the waist too wide. The bear, with all his muscle and fat, dwarfs Katsuki. He rolls up the pant legs and bunches the waistband, knotting it to stay around his hips.
Katsuki goes to pull the shirt over his head and breathes in the earthy scent. The bear smells of juniper, like the snow-covered evergreens that fill the forest. The red tunic swallows him once it rests on his shoulders. Katsuki lifts the collar to his nose and breathes deeper, feeling content at the sleeping bear's scent. He's never felt this at ease before, especially not from an alpha. He releases his hold on the shirt and nods to himself.
"I'm borrowing these," he says softly to the bear, not actually trying to wake him. His tail pokes up from beneath the shirt's hem and snatches one of the pelts, wrapping it around his shoulders to keep warm as he braves the forest outside of the bear's cave.
The sun shines with the morning light and the forest comes to life once more. Winter birds sing songs high in the trees and a rabbit hops across the forest floor—not the same rabbit as the day before, a regular, less annoying one. Katsuki darts after the rabbit in search of breakfast. He catches the fuzzy gray creature with his teeth. A nearby deer stops her grazing to look at him, dark eyes watching curiously as she decides how to proceed. Katsuki turns away from her. He only ever bothers with small game and taking down fellow hybrids is too much work. The doe ascertains that she's safe for now and goes back to digging in the snow for the grass buried beneath the layer of frost.
Katsuki tears into the rabbit with his teeth as he walks, searching for the best place to call home. All the while, enjoying the scent of juniper and the warmth of the rich, brown pelt that encircles his body.
He tries and fails to find a new place to live, which leads him back to the bear's den. Going back is assinine, but it means shelter. He'll just stay for one more night and search again the next morning. Katsuki gathers wood, building a small fire at the mouth of the cave, far enough away from the bear to not wake him. He sits at the fire with his arms outstretched, soaking up the heat into his hands that the flames put off. Occasionally, the embers crackle and pop, and Katsuki checks over his shoulder to make sure the sound hasn't disturbed the sleeping bear. If the bear wakes up, he'll either be dead or worse, back out in the cold. When the bear shows no sign of having been woken, Katsuki breathes a sigh of relief.
"I'm just borrowing your cave for one more night," he says to the fire, pretending the bear can hear him. He moved his clothes from the day before to where he started the fire to help them dry. They're still damp, but now they are a damp and warm from the heat instead of frozen, so it shouldn't be long. Not that he really cares. He still has the bear's clothes on, and they make him feel safe. It's foolish.
He falls asleep by the fire, but when the flames burn out and the cave grows cold, Katsuki crawls his way over to the bear's bed once more, curling into his side like he did the night before. The bear seems to readily welcome him, hugging Katsuki to his chest once again. His hairy arms and large hands ensure Katsuki can't get away, not that he's trying. The bear's paw-like hands have thick digits, and an intrusive thought briefly crosses Katsuki's mind as he drifts back to sleep, wondering what it would be like to have those fingers inside him.
His search for a new place to live bares no fruit. He tries, he really does, but each evening he comes back to the bear's den; until a week goes by, and then he stops searching entirely. The bear is clearly not going to wake up, so Katsuki will just occupy his space until the snow begins to melt in spring when the ground is soft and the air is warm. Then, he'll dig himself a new foxhole. He just has to be out of the cave before the bear's hibernation cycle ends. No big deal.
He gradually starts to make the den his own. Katsuki isn't used to having such a large space in the forest and he intends to take advantage of it. He has his own set of furs for a bed, though he still curls up next to the bear night after night. The nest he makes for himself in the cave is otherwise untouched. He moves the campfire further into the cave, filling the space with heat and the smokey scent of burning logs. Katsuki hangs up a rather large pelt at the cave's entrance to reduce the amount of chilly air that leaks in, and he has his own stash of food for when he's too lazy to bother hunting. As the winter nights grow longer and the days grow shorter, that seems to happen more often than not.
He likes staying nestled in the cave where it’s warm and the bear's juniper scent envelops him. Katsuki finds himself absently talking to the bear. He hasn't lived with anyone since he was a kit and left his parents' burrow, so there's a strange sense of contentedness having another person nearby. Even if that other person is a sleeping bear. He takes time to better acquaint himself with the den and his new denmate.
The bear smiles a lot in his sleep, his nose often twitches at the smell of the campfire, and when he snores, it's loud enough to be heard outside in the forest. Whenever the bear rolls around on his bed, Katsuki uses the opportunity to snatch any freed furs to take them to the river to be washed. He hangs them up in the cave when he gets back, letting them dry by the fire. The bear continues to mumble in his sleep, though Katsuki can never quite make out anything he says. When Katsuki inevitably snuggles up to him at night, the scent of juniper grows stronger as the bear unconsciously lets his pheromones out. It makes Katsuki's insides twist into knots and heat pools in the pit of his stomach. He rubs his thighs together and resists the urge to touch himself. The softened girth pressing against the cleft of his ass isn't doing him any favors either.
"Stupid alpha," he mutters to himself, though he doesn't move away.
The solstice passes, the nights grow shorter, and the new year heralds in the coming spring. With each passing day, the air grows warmer, the temperatures rise, and the snow begins to gradually melt. Katsuki knows he needs to leave, but he's made a home of the bear's den over the last few months and the hybrid in question has yet to wake up. He's surmised that the bear most likely won't rise from his annual slumber until after the last of the snow melts.
And melts it does…
Spring is here. And spring means mating season. Mating season means the first heat cycle of the new year. Which means, when Katsuki inevitably goes into heat, he finds himself buried in the nest of furs he made months prior. He felt the early signs of the oncoming heat, but with the bear still asleep, he decided not to venture into the woods in search of a new home. The first cycle of the year is always intense, and spending it in an unfamiliar home makes it worse. In the cave, it feels less so with the earthy scent of his—the alpha's scent nearby.
Katsuki's been bathing in the scent for months but that doesn't mean the sleeping bear is his alpha. Instincts be damned! They are screaming at him to call the bear his.
The bear's shirt hasn't smelled like him in many moons, but the cave still smells of juniper and so do the furs. Katsuki buries his face in the soft pelts, stroking his cock as he ruts against the nest, wishing to be filled by the bear's massive cock. Yes, he did in fact peek behind the bear's trousers to see exactly what he was packing. That alpha cock had been pressed against him many times as he tried to sleep. Confirming the size was his right. He needed to see it for himself!
Now, visions of that same thick, veiny dick swim through his mind as he fucks his own hand, slick leaking down his thighs with his ass in the air. His tail swishes back and forth as he cums and he moans loudly into the furs, eyes rolling back. His toes curl, nails digging into the bed for support. With feverish skin and sweat dripping off his brow, he passes out, body going slack until the next time he wakes in need of release.
Eijirou wakes in a state of confusion. His cave is significantly warmer than it normally is at this time of year, and the air is thick with the scent of lust. He throws the unusually clean pelts off his body and jumps to his feet, a low growl tearing through him. His chin quivers as the sound escapes his throat and the hairs on the back of his neck rise, hackles up. Someone's been in his cave while he slept and he vaguely remembers a story his mother once told him about bears and a sleeping human. Not that it's important.
The scent permeating every inch of his home is strong enough to confirm that the invader is still present within. Eijirou whips around, ready to tear the invader's throat out with his bare (ha!) teeth. He lets out a roar, then spots a nest directly behind him. Someone had the audacity to make a nest in his den while he slept! Eijirou takes two heavy steps forward, rips the fur pelt off the nest and tosses it over his shoulder. He's about to sink his claws into whoever is sleeping in the nest when his breath catches in his throat. His arm hangs in mid-air, poised to attack, but unable to bring himself to do so.
Curled into a ball in the nest is a sleeping fox. Pointed ears twitch at the loss of the pelt, and Eijirou is hit with the overwhelming scent of arousal. This fox didn't just have the audacity to make himself at home in Eijirou's den, but he felt comfortable enough to go into heat in it. However, there's something about the sweet, omegan scent that feels familiar. The anger Eijirou felt over having his den invaded is replaced with a need to protect, to covet. His claiming fangs ache and saliva pools in his mouth. There's a whole meal directly in front of him and he can't decide which form of hunger he's feeling right now.
Waking up from hibernation always makes him famished. He could easily eat the male hybrid and then he wouldn't need to forage or hunt for at least a week. However, his cock throbs as desire pools in his groin. He's not one to normally fuck whatever random hybrid in heat he stumbles upon, but this omega is in his den. His scent is everywhere. He's wearing Eijirou's shirt. Those are his pelts being used as a nest.
Mine, his thoughts scream loud enough that he's surprised the birds in the forest can't hear him.
He should find food, hunt for a meal before he does something he regrets. Or even better, he should kick this intruder out of his home, but the thought of turning away the omega in heat doesn't sit right with him. Who knows what kind of trouble the fox could get into out in the forest, alone and exposed like that. He chews on his lip and his cock, now half-erect, guides him to the bed. Eijirou breathes in the sweet scent as he crawls into the omega's nest. It smells of release, which only makes the ache in Eijirou's dick stronger.
The fox, now awake, welcomes him into the nest, which has Eijirou's heart fluttering in his chest. A pleased scent escapes the fox, enveloping Eijirou in his desire. The fox buries his face in Eijirou's chest, ears tickling his chin.
"Finally awake," he slurs, voice vibrating against Eijirou's chest. The gentle hum sends electricity coursing through his body. "Been waiting so long for Alpha…"
He should be yelling at the fox, kicking him out of his den, not carding his hand through silken blond hair, and hugging him close to his body. The fox ruts against him, humping his growing erection into Eijirou's thigh. "How long have you been here?" he asks. His voice cracks, overwhelmed by the scent that floods his nostrils and tastes thick on his tongue.
"All winter," the fox manages to say, though his eyes are half-lidded and his voice is floaty. It takes a long moment for him to find the words through the fever of his heat. "Blizzard—burrow caved in…" He tilts his head back, meeting Eijirou's eyes for the first time. The fox's are red like his. "Didn't mean to stay," he says, then a lazy smile tugs at the corner of his lips. "Wondered what Alpha's eyes looked like."
Eijirou draws in a breath. There's a lot to discuss and he's hungry from hibernating all winter, but this fox is in heat, and it is spring. The sooner he's released from the haze of his heat, the easier it will be to speak with him. He did say he's been waiting for Eijirou to wake up. "Smell familiar," he says, voice dropping an octave. Eijirou presses his lips against the fox's neck, just below the shell of his ear, and the fox moans in response.
"Slept together," he manages to say with a gasping breath. "Alpha warm," he purrs.
It's hard to be rational when one is hungry, aroused, and falling prey to the desires of an omega in heat. This fox seems to want Eijirou, and who is he to deny someone that took comfort at his side for an entire winter? He knows these pheromones. He's imprinted this scent into the recesses of his brain for the last several months. Now he wants to memorize the source of the scent. He rolls over, propping himself onto his knees. The fox gazes up at him expectantly, red eyes black with arousal.
Eijirou stands, kicking off his trousers and tossing them somewhere across the cave. He dives back into the nest, ridding the fox of his tunic. He's so small compared to Eijirou, with lithe muscle and toned biceps. His calves are sculpted for running, and his dick is a pretty, flushed shade pink. Eijirou's all thick muscle and soft fat. There's a layer of pudge over his stomach from the months spent sleeping. A single, large hand completely covers the fox's stomach and his fingers touch when he takes him by the hips.
The fox lifts his hips off the ground, giving Eijirou access to his already dripping wet hole. He wonders for a moment if he can even fit inside the man beneath him, but then the fox reaches between his legs to stroke Eijirou's cock, guiding him to his waiting hole. "Need," he breathes. He tries to push his hips down against the head, but Eijirou has significantly more strength than a fox on a good day, not to mention one that's in heat.
"Not yet," he says. The fox pouts and it's unfairly cute. The corner of Eijirou's lips tug together as he fights the urge to smile. As much as he would love to bury himself to the hilt, there's no way he will be able to push his cock in as it stands currently. He hunches over the fox, peppering kisses to the column of his throat and licking a long strip behind his ear. He shivers, which makes Eijirou's cock twitch with satisfaction.
He presses a tentative finger against the rim, feels how wet it is with slick leaking from the waiting hole. Eijirou swirls his finger against the ring of muscle, coating the digit in the fox's natural lubricant. He slides his finger in, up to the first knuckle, which has the fox gasping and keening. His head tilts back into the furs and he spreads his legs wide.
"More," he begs. His pert and pointed nipples draw Eijirou in. As he presses his thick finger in deeper, his lips find purchase against the areola, sucking on a defined chest flicking his tongue against the hardening bud. The fox moans, burying his fingers in Eijirou's hair. "Yes," he says. "Alpha," he gasps.
Eijirou thrusts his finger in deeper, pumping it in and out to the cries of the needy fox. Foxes are supposed to be cunning and clever, yet this one walked willingly into a trap. He doesn't seem the least bit bothered, only disappointed that they aren't going further quicker. Eijirou wants to. Gods, does he want to! But even with how wet the fox is because of his heat; his hole is still so very tight around Eijirou's one finger. He strokes the fox's cock with his free hand and nips at his inner thigh, anything to help relax him enough to take in more.
"Alpha, please," the fox whines and Eijirou sucks in a sharp breath, groaning at the way his own cock betrays him. If he doesn't hurry, he's going to cum without ever entering the desperate omega, and he can't let that happen. No seed can be so carelessly spilled. He needs to fill up his mate—er, the fox—and get him nice and stuffed.
"Killing me," Eijirou groans, then shifts to add a second finger, crooking the digits to rub against the tight, muscular walls that threaten to expel him. "It's never gonna fit if I don't stretch you properly."
Something snaps in the fox and his brows knit together in a glower that screams, 'challenge accepted.' He hooks his legs around the back of Eijirou's knees and locks his hands together behind Eijirou's neck. Then, with a very surprising amount of strength for an omega in heat, he lunges forward, throwing Eijirou off balance so that he's now flat on his back. The fox straddles him, looking pleased with himself as he grinds his ass against the length of Eijirou's cock. "Make it fit," he says, lining up his hole with the cockhead.
"That's a terrible idea," says Eijirou. He reaches to stop the fox, then hisses at the tight heat that struggles to engulf the head of his dick. Strong thighs tremble against his hips as the fox struggles to seat himself on Eijirou's large cock. A bead of sweat drips down his brow as he sinks his teeth into his bottom lip. Eijirou moans as the fox works to take him in deeper. He wants to stop him, keep stretching him, help him adjust, but he looks so adorably determined atop Eijirou's lap that all he can find himself doing is taking the fox by the hips and gradually easing him down his length.
The fox grips Eijirou's chest for support as his legs shake and his breath comes out uneven and labored.
"Should I stop?" Eijirou asks, not wanting to do that exact thing. The fox shakes his head.
"Deeper," he groans. "Ah," he gasps as Eijirou does as instructed.
They don't stop until Eijirou is fully sheathed within the fox, asscheeks flush against pelvis. Eijirou holds him there, allowing the fox the needed reprieve to adjust, though it's so difficult. He feels so good. He just wants to pick him up and slam him back down on his cock, splitting him open and burying his fat knot into the deepest recesses of his body.
The fox moves one hand, resting it against his stomach. "So full," he says, and whatever shred of sanity Eijirou had left is frayed in that moment. He lifts the fox, pulling him almost completely off his cock before sinking back into him. With every thrust, he punches the air out of the omega's lungs and earns a satisfied moan in reply. Tears stain the omega's beautiful rosy cheeks as he cums, painting Eijirou's stomach white. His cock bounces in place, untouched and still fully erect, as he rides out the high of his orgasm.
Eijirou flips them again so that he's back on top and spins the fox around without dislodging his cock from his ass so that he's face down in the furs. He buries his fist in blond hair, fucking mercilessly into that tight ass, cheeks clapping with every thrust. His balls are heavy from the months of sleep-filled celibacy, and they tighten as his knot expands. Eijirou thrusts harder, ensuring that it locks into place, fully buried into that sweet hole. "Mate," he murmurs as it takes effect.
He hears the omega garble out a broken cry as he cums again, and then Eijirou's body seizes, knees quaking as he joins him in release. He holds the fox to his chest, feels his cock against his hand from inside the fox's stomach. He's so deep. Warmth trickles down his thighs, a combination of slick and whatever cum manages to leak out. He sinks his teeth into the fox's shoulder and struggles to catch his breath.
Eijirou brushes blond bangs out of the fox's face as he watches him sleep. His brows smooth into a look of contentment, peacefully at rest in the nest. Eijirou's stomach growls, a stark reminder that he hasn’t eaten since he woke up. With a sigh, he pushes himself to his knees, then stands, climbing his way out of the nest. The fox rolls over, occupying the space Eijirou just vacated, and he resists the urge to crawl into the bed. Food. He needs food. Preferably enough food for two people since he's not alone anymore. Having sex with an omega in heat as soon as he wakes up from hibernation leaves him feeling famished. It was a foolish decision, but one he does not regret.
He reaches for his pants, pulling them up his legs and tying them around his waist. He thinks about grabbing his shirt, but he already spends most of his time shirtless. His hair feels greasy from the months spent asleep, so he grabs the bar of soap he keeps in the den and stuffs it in his pocket to take with him. He'll go to the river, wash up, and fish for salmon while he's at it. It's the perfect meal to satisfy his hunger.
It takes two more days for the fox's heat to finally break. In that time, Eijirou loses count of how many times they have sex. Eijirou's body is thoroughly ravished. There are scratches all down his back from the fox's sharp nails, and he's covered in bite marks on his shoulders from small fangs. He wears them as a badge of honor. Most of the forest already avoids him given he's the apex predator of the area, but now they give him an even wider berth as they see the marks on his body and smell the omegan scent that wafts off of him.
"I'm so sorry," says the fox, prostrating himself at Eijirou's feet. He's still naked and his tail is tucked between his legs with his ears tipped down. "I never meant to stay here this long," he says into the stone floor. "It was only supposed to be for one night, but I couldn't find a new place to live because of the blizzard, and then I promised myself I would leave before you woke up. I never meant for all this." He waves his hand at the current state of the cave but does not lift his head.
Eijirou opens his mouth to speak, but the fox beats him to it. "I'll go," he says. "If you want me too…" he adds carefully.
"No!" Eijirou blurts out, which has the fox lifting his head finally to meet Eijirou's gaze. "No," he repeats, softer. They mated. That's his mate! He can't just let his mate leave. The fox waited by his side for months for him to wake up. That's dedication, and it's manly as hell. Eijirou needs to reciprocate the same level of dedication to his mate. He's an alpha and he has to make sure he does his job as an alpha. He's gonna breed the fox so good. If he hasn’t already succeeded, then they need to try again, and again, until his belly is swollen with their unborn kit or cub.
"Stay," he says softer yet, then inclines his head to the cave. "You've already settled in. No reason to go."
The fox’s eyes go wide with surprise, then his expression quickly morphs into a cheeky grin. "I mean, if you want me to stay that badly."
"I do!" Eijirou urges. He hooks his hands in the fox's armpits and lifts him to his feet, pulling him tightly against his chest. "Mate has to stay," he says, then he pushes the fox away just enough to see his face. "But first, you need to tell me your name."
"Katsuki," says the fox, looking proud of himself.
"Katsuki," Eijirou repeats, tasting it on his tongue. It's a good name, a strong name, a manly name. "I'm Eijirou," he says, cheeks burning at the incredibly late introduction.
"Bout damn time," Katsuki says, though the wagging of his tail gives away how he really feels. And then he seems to remember that he's still naked. "I suppose I should get dressed."
"No," says Eijirou, feeling feral and possessive. There's a glint in Katsuki's eye as a smirk tugs at the corner of his mouth. He scoops Katsuki into his arms and carries him the short distance to his own bed, spreading him out on the furs and sending up a prayer to the bear in the sky at the view of his mate splayed out before him. This time, he will devour Katsuki properly without the effects of the heat influencing their behavior. "So pretty," he mutters to himself. Katsuki spreads his legs and waggles his finger at Eijirou, beckoning him forward, and he doesn't need to be told twice—diving into the welcoming arms of his new mate.