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Chapter Thirteen: kairos

kairos: the perfect, delicate, crucial moment; rightness of time and place that creates the opportune atmosphere for action, words, or movement

Chapter Summary: Oikawa travels to San Juan and Iwaizumi might get a roommate.

Pairings: Alpha!Iwaizumi x Omega!Oikawa

Word Count: 4272

Chapter Warnings: Mentions of alcohol, anxiety,

Rating: 18+

A/N: I’m sorry it’s been so long since the last update. My pregnancy was exhausting but good news is Peanut is here and doing well (he came on 9/18 and was a tad early) - still trying to get back into the swing of things.

Various Locations – Early March 2022

San Juan, Argentina – Saturday, 1pm

“Toooooruuuu!!!!” Mateo rushes over towards his former teammate, crashing into him as he wraps his arms around the Omega.

Oikawa takes in the familiar and missed tangerine pheromones, finally able to relax since he first got to the airport to leave Japan. He hates flying now, the intense mix of various pheromones makes the task more difficult than it already was, but his shoulders drop as the citrus scent slowly surrounds him.

“Give him some room to breathe, ‘Teo.” Pablo rolls his eyes, getting a smile from Oikawa, who is glad to see that they are still the same after he left.

“Don’t act like you didn’t miss him!” Mateo teases the Alpha, squeezing Oikawa once more before reluctantly stepping backwards.

Pablo tries to rebut before giving up, awkwardly looking around, unsure what to really do. He reaches out to take Oikawa’s backpack but is surprised when he’s pulled into a hug by the Omega.

“I missed you too.” Oikawa beams his signature smile up at the Alpha, who can’t seem to say anything coherent before the Omega lets go.

The three of them head to the baggage claim, Pablo grabs his suitcase before either Omega could. Mateo eagerly catches Oikawa up on the team, old and new teammates, about the coach and mostly just about how things have been in their friend group since he left. It’s a bit bittersweet really, listening to all the things he’s had to miss out on, but on the other hand he appreciates that his departure didn’t cause any issues with his friends.

* * Irvine, California – 9am

The blonde watches his phone – the blue-eyed man on the other end is frantically moving around the apartment. They’d been on video call for nearly 30 minutes and at least 25 of them were him watching the other man arrange and rearrange the living room area over and over.

“I think the khaki pillow looked better on the left cushion of the couch rather than the right.”

“Really?” Santiago reaches for the pillow before stopping, an unamused expression on his face as he turns towards his laptop. “I don’t appreciate your sarcasm, sir.”

The blonde feigns innocence, “I have no idea what you mean.”

He sighs, flopping down on the bar stool in front of the bar where his laptop is sitting, running his fingers through his hair, an adorable pout on his face. “I’m sorry. You’re busy and here I am wasting time by moving furniture.”

“No time spent with you is wasted.” He laughs watching Santiago cringe at the corny comment, “but I do need to get going – warm-ups will be starting soon.”

The dark-haired Alpha poked out his bottom lip, “shouldn’t college athletes be old enough to warm-up without their coach?”

Someone calls for the blonde, pulling his attention from the pouting Alpha. After a few minutes, his attention is redirected, “I really need to go, Santi. I’ll try to call tonight if you haven’t partied too hard, I know how you get.”

Santi rolls his eyes, “I drunk call one time and it never gets let go.”

“Never.” He smirks, “alright, I’ll talk to you later.”

“Bye, Col. Good luck today.”

“You too. Oh – I’d move that pillow before he gets there!”

“BYE!” Santiago hangs up in the middle of Colin laughing. Shaking his head at the other Alpha’s behavior, no matter how ridiculous he is, he always seems to calm Santiago down.

** San Juan, Argentina – Saturday, 1:45pm

Oikawa has spent the entire elevator ride fidgeting with his phone, nervously wondering where the campfire scented Alpha is. There’s a thought, a quick one, but it settles deeply in his stomach and that’s that maybe the Alpha doesn’t want anything to do with him anymore. Maybe over the last few months he realized Oikawa was just too much to deal with.

“Honey, we’re home!” Mateo calls out when he unlocks the Alpha’s apartment. The three of them shuffled into the doorway, Pablo still refusing to let Oikawa carry his own luggage.

A panicked Alpha looks over at the door, khaki-colored pillow in his hand as his dark hair falls slightly in his eyes. Oikawa squeezes between Mateo and Pablo, a cautious expression on his face as he searches Santiago’s for any clues on his feelings, hoping that it’s all in his head, that his former teammate wouldn’t just abandon him like a certain other Alpha.

It happens in a blur. Strong tanned arms wrap around him, pulling him into a broad chest as he feels the other man nuzzle his face into the curve of his neck. His nose brushes gently against his scent gland – ones that Oikawa covered with scent blockers and now feels awkward having done – trying to take in the Omega’s pheromones.

“I missed you so much.” The Alpha finally speaks, voice a bit huskier than he remembers and suddenly all the stress that has been knotted up in shoulders, all the negative thoughts about Santiago wanting nothing to do with him, just evaporates as he wraps his arms around the Alpha.

** San Juan, Argentina – Saturday, 11pm

“Since when do you only drink two beers?” Oikawa teases the Alpha, getting a sleepy chuckle out of Pablo, who is half-asleep in the armchair closest to the door.

“It’s because of blondie.” Mateo adds, tossing a wink to whomever.

“Blondie?” Oikawa raises an eyebrow as he turns to Santiago, curiosity tangling into his scent.

He rubs the back of his neck, clearly trying to come up with something to say, but unable to. “J-just a friend.”

Oikawa watches as the Alpha looks down at his ringing phone before excusing himself down the hall. The Omega looks over at Mateo, who just waves him off, reassuring him that Santiago wasn’t upset, but maybe a bit embarrassed.

The brunette gets a bit impatient, tossing his phone beside him after absentmindedly scrolling through various apps. He looks over to see both Mateo and Pablo passed out before he heads down the hall to see what Santiago is up to, but stops when he hears the Alpha talking.

“How was the track meet?” Santi follows up with a congrats, leaving Oikawa to suspect things went well for whomever was on the other end.

Oikawa’s eyes widen slightly, watching a new side of the Alpha appear – one he’s never seen before. He watches the usually confident and boisterous Alpha turn into a docile, shy-like pup and Oikawa is sure if he had a tail, it’d be wagging excitedly.

“Ya know,” his voice becomes soft, bashfulness slipping into his pheromones, “I was looking at my schedule and I think I can get some time off at the end of next month.”

Oikawa knows he should leave, that obviously this was a private conversation, but he’s captivated at just how Santiago is acting. How tamed he seems to be with whoever is on the other end of the line.

“No, no, no…I can come there. Maybe even see you in action as the best track coach.” There’s a pause, “best coach in my book.”

The Omega smiles, slightly jealous of the interaction, wishing he had an Alpha like that. Wishing for just a moment the Alpha who marked him acted that way (damn his stupid instincts) and for just a moment, he wonders how he ever let Sanitago go, why he never gave him a chance.

Santiago amusingly hums at something said to him before finally noticing Oikawa in the doorway, looking apologetic. He holds up an index finger – signaling for him to wait.

“You’ll call tomorrow when you get back? Be careful please.” The Alpha lowers his voice as he turns away from Oikawa, but the brunette swears he hears: ‘goodnight, I love you.’

“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop.” Oikawa quickly defends himself when Santi turns around, the call now ended.

“No worries.”

“I guess that was blondie?” Oikawa watches the Alpha run his fingers through his hair, turning away slightly as if he was embarrassed and suddenly it all clicks. “You don’t have to tell me.”

“His name is Colin. We met at the Olympics, he was on the USA team.” Santi motions for Oikawa to sit next to him on the side of the bed. He tells the Omega how it was a complete coincidence that they had even met: that he had gone to the vending machines and saw Colin and his friend, Ty. Then later that night, he ran into the blonde again outside the hotel which led to them talking well into the morning.

“Aww. Santi, that's adorable.” The Omega purrs.

The Alpha rolls his eyes, “we just clicked and exchanged numbers, but it’s nothing official or anything. Not to mention the huge distance.”

Oikawa picks up on the slight distress coming off Santi, “I think any Omega would be lucky to have you, regardless of the distance. You’re worth making it work, ya know?”

Santiago smirks when the pang in his chest he’s waiting for never comes. There was a time when he’d read into that, assuming the brunette Omega felt the same way about him, but he guesses this is what you call growth. He hums, “I’m pretty sure I’m more lucky to have him.”

** San Juan, Argentina – Thursday, 10am

“Stay.” Mateo clings to Oikawa, whining repeatedly, “just a couple more days or forever. My apartment has a spare room.”

Oikawa chuckles, “I would, but I promised my mom I’d be home for dinner.”

The other Omega just rolls his eyes, shooting a glare at the two Alphas who found Oikawa’s remark hilarious. He knows this goodbye isn’t forever, that Oikawa has already promised to be better at keeping in contact, trying to visit more once things get more settled with his mark and he figures out what he’s going to do with the rest of his life now that volleyball is over.

“Do you need help carrying this?” Pablo asks. “I got it from here.” Oikawa takes his backpack and suitcase from the Alpha, who once again refuses to let him carry his own bags. “I won’t have any strong Alphas back home to carry them for me.”

“You know you really can stay. My place has an extra room and is a lot nicer than Mat’s.” Santiago offers.

“Hey!”

“I appreciate it and would like to stay, but –” He stops, unsure of what really is keeping him in Japan. There are doctors in Argentina and it isn’t like he’s attending college or working which would keep him in his home country. The only thing he can think of is Iwa, but things with him were still so up in the air.

“But your mom is waiting.” Santi finishes, picking up on the very slight distress coming from the Omega.

Oikawa just smiles, once again thankful for the Alpha who always seems to just know. “Colin is really lucky to have you.”

He says one final goodbye to his friends before heading towards his gate, feeling a weight lifted from his shoulders because this time, leaving feels like it’s his choice instead of the only one he has.

* * Tokyo, Japan – Late March 2022

Iwaizumi is exhausted. Somehow the exercise physiologist that was hired four months ago has led him to having even more work. The charts have all recently been digitized so that at any time an employee can sign into the charts and add notes and such to the players’ charts. However it seems the new guy likes to just jot notes down in a personal notebook and not input them into the charts meaning Iwaizumi has to hunt the information down. He understands handwriting notes, he too has a notebook he keeps things in, but at least he makes sure to make it accessible to the rest of the staff. So much for teamwork.

But Iwa’s irritation towards the other Alpha goes deeper than missing chart notes and always taking the coffee mug Iwa likes to use. There’s just something about him that rubs Iwaizumi the wrong way like a shirt tag that scratches against your neck. Maybe it’s the fact this guy refuses to use scent patches and his almost suffocating pheromones fill whatever space he’s been in. Or maybe it’s the annoying way the leathery scent seems familiar, but he can’t place it.

He scrunches up his face as he places the mug of now cold coffee back on his desk – mood further souring. Rolling his shoulders he looks over at the wall clock in his office: 5:45PM and he knows that he won’t be leaving anytime soon.

Ding! Ding!

Oikawa: Are you coming to Mattsun’s?

Oikawa: Oh! Sorry to bother you at work!

Iwaizumi: Don’t be! No bother at all.

Iwaizumi: I can’t tonight – paperwork.

Iwaizumi sighs, his irritation toward the newly hired Alpha grows. Things between the pair had been a little off after the reunion and before they could meet back up in person, he took a trip to South America. Iwaizumi assumed that he’d have a lot of people to catch up with, so he limited his replies even though it drove him crazy to know he could talk to the Omega whenever he wanted. He knows Oikawa is having a tough time and even if it means swallowing his feelings down, he just wants to be there for him, to be the one he can lean on. But this stupid, leathery smelling bitch of an Alpha continues to stand in his way.

** Oikawa: Boo you whore!

Oikawa lets out a deep sigh, dropping his arm to the side while his fingers brush against the carpet. The only thing that had gotten him through this shitty week had been the thought of getting to see and talk to the Alpha.

The pair have been texting a lot, almost everyday ended with a phone call to the other, and things have started to feel more normal than they had been since his return to Japan. But texts and calls weren’t the same as being face-to-face, to being able to smell Iwa’s earthy pheromones and pretend he doesn’t notice how he’s the only Alpha that doesn’t trigger his instincts into thinking he’s betraying the one whose mark he wears.

Bzzt! Bzzt!

Iwaizumi Hajime: Blame the new guy

Oikawa: Maybe I’ll come by and give him a piece of my mind.

Iwaizumi Hajime: And tell him what? To leave your Alpha alone?

Oikawa squeals, tossing his phone towards Makki who gets hit in the shin due to not paying attention to the Omega’s antics. The pink-haired Beta quickly shoots a confused look at the brunette before picking up the cellphone by his foot.

“Who are you talking to that has you acting more of a dork than usual?”

“...Iwaizumi.”

The Beta perks up, trying a few password combinations before locking the Omega out of his phone for five minutes. Both men groan as they can only sit and watch the phone slowly and painstakingly count down – both silently thankful Makki didn’t disable it for any longer or permanently.

Oikawa experiences several emotions while reading the six unread messages from Iwa that all came in during the last five minutes. From the bashfulness that heats up the tips of his ears and fills his chest with warmth to the defeated feeling that runs a chill across his shoulders when reality slaps him in the face, taking away the short illusion that his life isn’t what it is.

Iwaizumi Hajime: I meant friend

Iwaizumi Hajime: Ya know, like ‘leave your Alpha friend alone’

Iwaizumi Hajime: That makes even less sense…

Iwaizumi Hajime: Oikawa? Hello?

Iwaizumi Hajime: I’ll talk to you later…paperwork, ya know?

Iwaizumi Hajime: I’m sorry for that message…especially since you’re…well ya know…

“At least he didn’t text you ‘I was hacked’ or something lame like that.”

Oikawa gives Makki a ‘what the fuck’ expression before locking his phone. “I thought you were going to help me search for an apartment, not pick on me.”

“I don’t even think ‘hiro has ever searched for an apartment in his life.” Mattsun remarks as he walks into the apartment, having just got off of work. He presses a quick kiss to Makki’s temple before properly greeting the Omega.

“I did too! I went with Ryuu–” the Beta quickly bites his lip, eyes focusing on the ground because he doesn’t want to see the look that could be in Matsukawa’s eyes.

Mattsun clears his throat, it does nothing to alleviate the thick tension that’s in the air around them. “Why the sudden itch to move? I’m sure your parents love having you there.”

“They do and I enjoy being there. But…uh…well it’s getting harder on me to be exposed to so many pheromones and the train takes a huge toll on me. I figured finding a place close or at least closer to my doctors would be the best.” He knows that he’s rambling a bit, but he can’t help it. The clear tension in the room has him slightly on edge. “Plus I should really think of getting a job or maybe going to college.”

Matsukawa hums before walking down the hallway towards the master bedroom. Once the door clicks, Oikawa practically breaks his neck turning towards Hanamaki, who already knows what’s going to come out of the Omega’s mouth.

“What the fuck was that? Who is Ryuu? Why did Mattsun look so…dejected?”

Makki glances down the hallway, their bedroom door still shut, but he keeps his voice low anyways. “Ryuuji was an…uhm…Alpha I saw for some time.”

“Before Mattsun?” His words come out slowly and he doesn’t like the look on the Beta’s face. “While you were together? Makki…did you che–”

“No!” He yells in a hushed tone. “It was before we were together or at least serious. Back when we just hooked up from time to time, I happened to meet Ryuuji while waiting for Issei to meet me at a bar. We actually stopped talking for a while, Issei and I, so it’s just kind of a sore topic.”

“What happened? I mean with Ry–that Alpha?” Of course Oikawa knew Mattsun and Makki were essentially fuckbuddies. Hell, anyone with half a brain cell could see that, but the Omega never knew they stopped talking, that someone drove them apart.

“He did what Alphas do.” Hanamaki’s words are laced with venom, “he marked an Omega.”

The brunette’s hand moves on its own, covering the bite mark that’s already hidden behind his charcoal gray turtleneck.

* * Tokyo, Japan – Early April 2022

Iwaizumi watches in confusion as Hanamaki looks around his apartment, walking around like he’s scoping the place out.

“Would you say it’s fairly priced for the location? How far from K University? Do you like the area?”

The Alpha glances at Matsukawa who just throws his hands up, he’s just as confused and lost as Iwa is with his partner’s behavior. “It’s within my budget, so I’d say yeah. It’s about a ten minute walk and I don’t really go out much due to work, but my coworkers enjoy the local shops and such.”

The Beta hums, walking down the hallway. “How many bedrooms?”

“Uh…two.” Iwa looks at Makki when he returns to the living room area, “why so many questions? Mattsun finally kicked ya out?”

Makki scrunches his face and sticks his tongue out, “funny, but no. I know someone who is looking for a place. Do you use your second bedroom?”

“What? Uhm, not really. It was going to be an office, but I never work from home.”

“You know, they say having a roommate makes you happier.”

“Who says that?” Iwa asks just as Mattsun remarks, “do they really?”

“It was in an article.” Makki shoots a glare at his partner, “anyways, think of how fun it would be! More money in your pocket, someone to help around the place, no more lonely nights in silence.”

“When did I say my nights were lonely?”

“You’re 28, live alone and don’t even have a plant. They’re lonely.” Makki tilts his head with an amused look on his face.

“Wait wait wait. Who do you know that needs a place?”

“Oikawa. He mentioned it a few weeks ago when he came over.”

This certainly catches Iwaizumi’s attention. The two of them have talked plenty within that time frame and the Omega never mentioned it to him. “Why out here? Wouldn’t it be easier to stay close to his parents?”

Makki rolls his eyes, annoyed that those two still haven’t gotten their shit together, before telling Iwaizumi briefly what Oikawa had told him. The train rides were beginning to take a huge toll, he spent more time at the various doctors than at home anyways, and he was thinking of getting a job or going back to school.

Iwaizumi realizes there’s a lot that Oikawa doesn’t include in their conversations and he tries not to feel so rejected by that realization. An Alpha had hurt him, so of course opening up to another one, especially one with a rocky history, would be difficult. Not to mention, Iwaizumi could start asking deeper questions instead of just ‘how are you’ and ‘did you have a decent day’ and waiting for Oikawa to lead the conversation.

“Even if I wanted a roommate, asking Oikawa to move in would be disrespectful.”

Matsukawa runs his hand down his face, “what the hell are you talking about?”

“It’s distasteful to live with a marked Omega who isn’t bonded to you.”

The two Betas share a look, one mixed with exhaustion and annoyance, those two really did know how to stress them out unknowingly.

“That’s such a traditional way of thinking.” Mattsun tells the Alpha.

“Yeah, did we wake up back in the 1800’s.” Makki teases, “plus the hell with tradition. There’s nothing traditional about his whole situation. He’s been home for what…six months now? And not once has that Alpha appeared or even been mentioned.”

Hanamaki did make good points. It would be different if the bond was complete. It would be different if Oikawa was just blatantly choosing to live with a different Alpha. Hell, it would be different if the Omega wasn’t bonded at all. But he is and the only saving grace that calms Iwa’s thoughts is that that Alpha isn’t in the picture. Well at least he assumes said Alpha isn’t.

“Yeah, I suppose you’re right.” Iwaizumi rolls his eyes when he hears Makki squeal.

The strawberry-haired Beta jumps up, immediately announcing that he’s calling Oikawa before either of the other men in the apartment can object.

“But only if he can’t find a place first!” Iwaizumi calls out, knowing the Beta doesn’t hear a word he’s just said.

“Looks like you might get a roommate, eh?” Matsukawa smirks when Iwaizumi chugs the rest of his beer.

* * Miyagi, Japan – Mid April 2022

“Are you sure about this? It’s not really…it might look…” Miyeko struggles to find the right way to phrase her thoughts.

“No matter what I do, things won’t look good to some people.” Oikawa chuckles, knowing his mother means well, but he’s used to this. Used to the awkward stares he gets from new nurses and receptionists, to the curious looks when people realize he’s covering a bond mark, something most wear with pride. He can’t say that he likes or enjoys the feeling of shame that he gets or the way he wants to crumble at their judgment, but his parents have done so much and the least he can do is act like it doesn’t get to him.

“I think this will be good for Tooru,” Daisuke gives his wife’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “Maybe he’ll be able to spend less days stuck in bed from pheromone overloads and even go back to lower doses of his medicine. Things may get more stable and he can start the next chapter in his life. Plus we know Hajime will look after him.”

Miyeko still doesn’t look all that convinced and her tone solidifies that, “but…maybe we should ask your doctor again or get a second opinion.”

“Dr. Frye thinks it will be a good thing and so does Dr. Arimura. I promise if it gets too much I’ll rethink things and bring them up at appointments.”

“If it gets too much, Tooru knows he can come home or we can help him find a different place.”

“Let’s just get you a single apartment now.” Hints of distress start to taint his mother’s lavender scent causing his dad’s woodsy scent to fill the room.

“Mi, I’m worried about this too, but I think we can both agree we’d feel a bit better if we knew someone was with Tooru, right?”

“It’s just…he’s an Alpha…”

“But before that, he’s just Hajime, Tooru’s childhood best friend. We know his pheromones don’t affect Tooru as badly as others do and this way there’s someone there just in case.”

“He’ll be my roommate not my keeper.” Oikawa huffs, feeling more like a teenager than he did back when he actually was one.

“And you’re sure he’s okay with you living with him?” Miyeko turns her attention back to her son.

“Yes, Mom. I’ll have him tell you himself when he calls tonight if you want.”

“Well, if you are both sure this is a good idea…” “I’m already poorly bonded, what’s the worst that could happen?” Oikawa jokes, causing Miyeko to state he was going to cause her to have a heart attack before walking off and getting a head shake from Daisuke.

But honestly, what was the worst that could happen?

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