Chapter Text
Urokodaki Sakonji is not easy to surprise.
As a former pillar of the demon slayer corps, he still retains those sharp reflexes provided by arduous training in the trade. That special sense of smell he possesses also makes it easy for him to distinguish what is moving around him.
From a small rabbit hiding in its burrow under the snow, to a demon that has managed to sneak behind the wisteria curtains and prowl around his mountain.
Urokodaki is especially attentive to his surroundings; his reputation as a demon slayer and alpha precedes him even if he doesn't want to admit it.
However, one thing that did surprise him was seeing Giyu Tomioka, the last of his students, bursting into his house at dusk with a sick omega in his arms.
The clatter of the door opening makes him spill the tea he was holding in his hands. The liquid splashes all over the table and his haori, and Urokodaki immediately becomes alert with a scowl under his mask. He wastes no time in getting up and grabbing the axe that rested next to the pile of firewood in one of the corners of the room.
He takes a long breath as he turns toward the hallway leading to the entrance of his house, but stops short and takes a few seconds to rationalize who is standing under the doorway.
It's Giyu.
He seems abnormally agitated; his frown, stoic most of the time, is furrowed and one might even say worried.
Being a pure alpha, Tomioka has always had a somewhat strong scent compared to other people or pillars, but now the smell of petrichor begins to fill the place strongly as the seconds pass, and it's hard not to notice the bitter hint of anxiety and, Urokodaki would dare say even distress, that clings to him.
"Giyu, what is the meaning of...?" the alpha begins urgently, but the question is not quite completed when Urokodaki finally notices the trembling body huddled in Giyu's arms.
A boy - an omega to be more precise - who is soaking wet, covered in blood on his clothes and dirt on his hands and face. The pale of his skin is alarming and makes Urokodaki frown much more if that's possible and a grimace appears on his lips that his mask doesn't let it show.
Because, despite the spasms of his body and his weak appearance, the boy has one of his hands clenched tightly to the red fabric of the alpha's haori and his frowning face nestled into his chest.
Urokodaki turns his gaze back to Giyu, and at last he can see, behind the deep blue of his eyes, a silent plea; words the alpha would not say aloud.
'I'll explain later, just help him now, sensei.'
The older alpha is incapable of refusing and drops the axe to the ground with a thud, before hurrying Tomioka inside and releasing orders to leave the boy by the fire.
It's almost midnight when things have settled down. In the small hut, nothing can be heard but the clatter of burning wood and the rushing of the wind outside. The scent of Tomioka's pheromones is no longer as thick as it was a few hours ago, and Urokodaki finally feels like he can breathe easily.
"Care to explain why you show up unannounced, after so long with an omega in your arms?" the older alpha finally asks already fed up with the silence they've been kept in.
He is kneeling on the other side of the fire/stove on the ground with a porcelain cup and hot tea cradled in his hands. His voice is steady and his gaze is locked on the profile of the Pillar.
Giyu has been silent all this time. He hasn't moved from his spot; kneeling beside the sleeping body of the omega. His frown has relaxed and he has returned to his usual stoic air, but his eyes, fixed on the figure lying on the futon on the floor, seem to hide too much.
But Urokodaki couldn't say for sure what it is; he stopped being able to read Tomioka long ago.
Tomioka says nothing for what seems like minutes too long, but just as Urokodaki was about to insist in a more annoyed tone, he sees the alpha raise his hand and bring it parsimoniously to the omega's face. Giyu strokes the boy's cheek with his knuckles; it's too gentle, almost as if he could break it if he did it only a bit harder.
Any more words die in his throat as he watches as, even unconscious, the omega tilts his face ever so slightly towards Giyu. Seeking his touch. Looking for him.
But before Urokodaki can even get a clue as to what is going on, Giyu finally speaks.
"He is my fated mate."
Tomioka finally moves and turns to face Urokodaki. He moves his hand away from the omega's face, but the omega doesn't seek him out as he did a moment ago, perhaps unconsciously aware that the alpha is still beside him.
The stoicism in Giyu's expression has returned, but his gaze is mortified, completely unhinged on his face, causing the older alpha to understand, if he hadn't already, the weight of the situation.
Giyu then parts his lips and takes a breath, giving himself courage to begin speaking, finally telling what had happened hours before.