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Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Your eyes were closed as you rested your head on his pillow but you weren’t sleepy, just bored. You could hear the sound of the heater running, the chatter between Kirishima obasan and ojisan downstairs as they prepared dinner together, the clicking noise that smartphones made whenever you hit the keys while you texted someone.

You nuzzled your face deeper into his pillow, breathing deeply and slowly. It smelled like the citrusy fruit you’d grown up loving so much and you wondered if Kirishima would lay down with you. Opening your eyes, you scoffed softly to yourself, watching as he typed furiously on his phone, the tip of his tongue peeking out of his lips in concentration.

Obviously he wouldn’t. He was too busy talking to Bakugou.

Forcing your eyes shut once again, you activated your Quirk. Feeling your consciousness transfer from yourself to your Black Ghost, you allowed your tensed muscles to relax into the soft surface beneath you. The world turned greyish, the corners of your vision were surrounded by black spots, as you took over Yuurei.

You made your way out of Kirishima’s bedroom, feeling his eyes burn into the back of Yuurei’s head although he remained silent, knowing better than to interrupt you while you were using your Quirk. You slowly walked down the stairs.

Left. Right. Left. Right. Left. Right.

“Eh, (Y/N)-chan, what’re you doing?” Kirishima ojisan chuckled, no longer startled by the appearance of your Ghost. The first time he saw the towering, ghastly figure, he nearly passed out.

“Help… dishes…”

“It’s alright, (Y/N)-chan,” Kirishima obasan tutted, shooting Yuurei a smile. “Eijirou said you two had a tiring day at school, so just rest in his room, hmm? Dinner will be ready in a bit.”

You reached your arms out towards them, careful not to extend your razor-sharp fingers.

“Good… practice… Quirk…”

Obasan sighed, her arms akimbo.

“I’ll let you wash one pan, how’s that?”

Yuurei nodded. She handed you a dirty pan and watched as you turned towards the sink, trying to move as delicately as possible, knowing that any abrupt movement could result in the destruction of their lovely kitchen.

“I don’t think we got to tell you this, (Y/N)-chan,” ojisan spoke as he opened the fridge,
“but we’re really proud of you for getting into U.A. with Eijirou.”

“Re…ally?”

“Mmm,” the older man appeared in your peripheral vision. He plopped down a couple of ingredients on the countertop and began peeling some carrots. “Your parents are, too. They called today while you were at school. Your mother couldn’t stop crying.”

“(Y/N)-chan… do you… hate Mama and Papa? We know we’re not always with you but…”

“No, I don’t. How could I? I know you love me.”

“We do, (Y/N)-chan. We love you so much. Mama and Papa are sorry we’re always away for work.”

“It’s okay, I understand. Eijirou’s parents treat me really well so I don’t ever feel lonely with him, obasan and ojisan.”

“We’re so glad.”

Your eyes shot open, your heart pounding wildly in your chest as cold sweat beaded on your forehead. The sound of something clanging against the ground came from downstairs and you flinched.

“Sorry!” you called out.

“It’s alright! Just rest, okay?” Ojisan yelled back his response in an amused tone. You could hear obasan laughing faintly from the kitchen.

You huffed, flipping yourself over as you threw Kirishima’s blanket off your body. It felt way too hot and stuffy, you needed to cool down. The boy himself peered at you curiously, phone still in his hand although he’s ceased to continue typing. You stared back at him, purposely flashing him a dissatisfied expression. Kirishima pouted slightly.

Stupid Omega puppy face.

“You look upset,” he said matter-of-factly, tilting his head to the side. “What’s up?”

You pursed your lips, wondering if it was worth sharing the weird aching sensation in your chest. You sighed deeply, running your hands over your face.

“Did you shower yet?” you asked, voice muffled from your mouth being partially covered. You already knew the answer—you saw how wet his hair was—but you still wanted to ask anyway.

“Yeah, why?”

You shot out your arms without saying a word.

“What’re you doing?” Kirishima asked, tugging at the hems of his matching elementary school uniform. You stood before him, arms stretched out, an expectant look on your face.

“I wanna hug you.”

“Why?”

“Because I like it,” your tone already sounded assertive despite not having presented as an Alpha yet. Your raised arms slowly began to descend back to your sides, your eyebrows furrowing. “If you don’t wanna then tell m—”

Kirishima tackled you into a firm hug, nuzzling his face into your chest as a soft purr was released from the back of his throat. Your little heart swelled with pride as you quickly returned the embrace, hugging him back so tightly your teachers had to slowly pry you off one another when recess was over.

His bright red eyes stared at you for a moment, confused. Right when you thought he’d forgotten, a wide grin spread across his face before he leapt into his bed, landing directly on top of you. Despite being an Omega, he was way heavier than you due to his muscle mass. Wheezing, you wrestled him into your arms before tucking his head under your chin, a smile of your own making an appearance. Kirishima let out a soft chirping noise as he relaxed against you.

The red-haired Omega chuckled when you started to rub your scent gland against the crown of his head, making a mess of his semi-wet hair.

“What’s gotten into you, (Y/N)-chan?” he asked, wriggling in your hold but not pushing you away either.

“I don’t like how you smelled after school, Eiji,” you answered simply, relentless in scenting the life out of him.

He didn’t smell like oranges anymore, not really. The sweet tangy scent was overwhelmed by another foreign one. It smelled like something sugary that had been burnt to a crisp, it was a sharp and strong smell—an Alpha’s.

Bakugou Katsuki.

You frowned, careful not to show Kirishima your displeased expression as he rambled on about something you weren’t quite paying attention to. You usually loved listening to him talk about anything and everything but today, all you could think about on your way home was how he didn’t smell like himself anymore.

Kirishima hummed thoughtfully and gave in, letting you have your way. Ever since you presented as an Alpha, you made it a habit to scent him every now and then so this wasn’t too weird of an incident. He’d always loved your scent anyway and quite liked the feeling of being scented.

Oftentimes, he wondered how it would feel being scented by his mate—the person he would be bonded to for the rest of his life. Would it feel the same as it did with you? Or would it be significantly different? He hoped it was the former, Kirishima was already too accustomed to the sensation.

“Are you sleeping over tonight?” he asked suddenly, now tilting his head to one side so you could rub the base of your jaw against his bare neck.

You furrowed your eyebrows at his question. It was… strange, to say the least. Usually, no one asked if you were going to stay overnight since you did it often enough that it was a regular occurrence. His family was used to having you around and you were used to making yourself at home.

“Why?” you replied simply, already feeling a twisting sensation in your stomach.

“Well, I might stay up to do homework so—”

“What?” you squinted down at him, putting your current activity on hold, “why’re you doing it so late? Didn’t you do it after we came home?”

Kirishima averted his gaze, a sheepish expression on his face although he knew you weren’t actually annoyed at him. You could never be, and you both knew that well enough.

“Well… I was texting Bakugou.”

He didn’t miss the way your arms seemed to loosen around him, neither did he miss the way you bit the inside of your cheek as your eyes looked elsewhere, suddenly losing all interest in scenting him. He felt his fingers instinctively clutch onto your shirt tighter but he stopped himself before it could become too obvious. The Omega in him whimpered softly.

“I won’t bother you, then,” you said, scooting away from him before you sat up, leaning your back against the wall his bed frame was pushed against. You scratched your scent gland—something he knew you only did when you were upset in some kind of way. “I’ll go home after dinner.”

Kirishima pouted, pushing himself up into a sitting position, his legs tucked underneath him. He clenched his fists as he rested them on either thigh to prop his body up. He was so fit—nearing muscular—that if you just met him today, you would’ve automatically assumed he was an Alpha.

Did he ever wonder the same things about you? Did he ever even think of you, to begin with? Would he have assumed you were an Omega? Would things be easier that way?

“So you were planning on sleeping over tonight?” he asked, leaning closer towards you, big red eyes peering straight into yours. You couldn’t help but return the gaze. It was as if two big holes would’ve been singed into your face if you didn’t acknowledge his staring by looking back at him.

Ugh. You couldn’t even be annoyed. It wasn’t his fault you were an unworthy Alpha.

You shrugged despite knowing the answer to his question. You wanted to ask if Kirishima wanted you to sleepover but from the way his eyes flickered over to his phone—the screen kept flashing with new text message notifications—it was clear he would prefer if you didn’t.

Chapter Text

The sun was beginning to set, casting an orange hue into the 1A classroom, and yet the room was filled with chatter and movement, its students clearly still pumped up from their last lesson. It had been their first ever class with the one and only All Might, after all. Not even the sorest of muscles could stop the adrenaline running through their veins.

That was also perhaps why some of them grew a little bit bolder that evening.

“Your Quirk is so cool, (L/N)-san!” Midoriya’s wide green eyes shone brightly as he stood across you from your desk. He was carrying his bag and could’ve left ages ago but it was pretty obvious to most onlookers that the Omega in him simply couldn’t help but seek your attention. “Seeing it in action was so awesome!”

“Yeah!” the boy whom you remembered introduced himself as Kaminari agreed. He positioned himself adjacent to Midoriya, propping himself up on your desk with his hands as he leaned in closer. His scent just screamed exhilaration. “I couldn’t keep my eyes off of you!”

“I agree,” Yaoyorozu chimed in, her face blushing the deepest shade of red. “Working with you during the Battle Trial was such a wonderful experience!” She stood across from Kaminari, her hands clenched into fists raised at chest level. They trembled slightly from what you could only assume was excitement. “I hope we can be partners—work partners, I mean! In the future.”

As flattered as you were by their compliments and kind words, the combined scents of all three Omegas was almost too overwhelming for you to handle. It was a nice smell but far too strong.

“Oh, um,” you stumbled over your words, feeling your own face grow warmer and warmer, “thank you!”

Never before had so many Omegas approached you in one go like this, especially not three Heroes-in-training whom you were sure could individually whoop your ass any day. Perhaps they were too delirious from their combined exhaustion and excitement to realise that you weren’t exactly worthy of such praise—that was how you felt, at least. There was no way you deserved to be looked at with gazes filled with such awe and admiration—not when the boy whose love you desired wouldn’t look at you that way first.

However, in trying to pack your schoolbag while answering your classmate’s endless barrage of questions, you failed to notice the aforementioned boy watching you from afar, sulking.

Kirishima sat at his desk, his bag already packed in his lap, as he rested his chin on the wooden surface in front of him. His piercing red eyes watching the scene before him intently, the shadow of a pout on his face. He wasn’t sure why but—

You laughed at something Kaminari said.

—he didn’t quite like the way he was feeling.

“St-stay away!” he cried, holding his arms out as he stood between you and the upperclassmen. You were curled up into a ball behind him, your hands cradling your bleeding knee. A deep growl erupted from the back of your throat—an instinctual warning meant for the older students who simply scoffed at your weak attempt at threatening them to stay away.

“Look, Omega,” the leader of the little group snarled, reaching out to shove Kirishima by his shoulder. “We just wanna give (L/N) a piece of our mind about her… evil Quirk. You were there that day, weren’t you? You saw how scary and villainous (L/N)’s Quirk was.”

“Shut up!” he snapped, an almost overwhelming feeling of indignance welling up in his chest. He felt his Quirk activate as his skin hardened while he glowered up at the older Alphas, the immense fear when he first arrived to your aid now starting to slowly ebb away.

You’d gotten into this mess because of him. He couldn’t defend himself and now you were hurt. He had to stand his ground this time. How could he even consider being a Hero if he couldn’t protect his best friend from a couple of punks?

“Hey,” your voice snapped Kirishima out of his thoughts. He felt himself perk up almost instantly and he wondered if it showed on his face. “Are you ready to go?”

Red eyes scanned the room, most of the class had gone—including your three admirers from before. The Omega could almost feel his heart lighten. He lifted his head off his desk and looked up, his eyes meeting yours.

You were on the verge of tears.

“Don’t hurt him!” you snarled, forcing yourself to your feet in spite of the searing pain in your knee. The boys had started to throw punches at Kirishima after he refused to let them even go near you. You clamped your eyes shut, desperately trying to activate your Quirk but your head was too muffled, too messy to concentrate.

All you could hear was the sound of their fists hitting his hardened skin.

He didn’t say a word as you left U.A. but you knew he wasn’t exactly angry at you since he was still the one who reached out to hold your hand. Confused, you simply trailed behind him, wondering if you should say something.

For a while, you remained silent, merely looking at his back. Kirishima was taller than you now and his shoulders were broader. Thinking back, you couldn’t exactly remember when was the last time he was shorter than you. You both had grown up so much over the course of a few years but he always remained the same sweet and kind boy to you. You wondered if he now thought of you any differently than before—did his view of you ever change over the years? Had he ever regarded you as his Alpha? Would he ever?

The fight was broken up by a schoolmate you later learned was called Ashido Mina.

“You two are best friends, right?” she asked and you nodded. “Cool! You can take care of him. You know where the nurse’s office is, right?” You nodded again, still in a slight daze. What seemed like a life-ending incident was resolved so quickly by this girl just appearing out of nowhere, it felt almost unreal.

You recalled hearing her say something about bringing your assailants to the principal’s office but you didn’t really care. You just couldn’t, not when all you could think of was him.

“Are you moody because…” you hummed thoughtfully. You’d been playing this guessing game for a few minutes now but all your guesses were shot down with one-worded, negative responses. “… the cafeteria didn’t serve tonkatsu for lunch today?”

“Nope,” he replied, idly swinging your linked arms back and forth as you stopped at a crosswalk. You could tell his moodiness had subsided a bit but he wasn’t totally back to normal yet.

“Hmm…” you squinted up at him, “is it because your Alpha, Bakugou, left class without saying goodbye?” you asked before you could stop yourself, forcing your tone midway to seem more playful than spiteful. You cursed internally.

What the fuck? Why would you even bring it up? What kind of masochist were you?

“He’s not my Alpha,” Kirishima replied, his voice losing the little bit of cheerfulness he’d gained over past half an hour as he furrowed his eyebrows at you. You felt your heart drop.

Did you strike a nerve? Could he not tell you were joking? Oh fuck maybe he really was upset and now you just made fun of him.

Despite the sheer panic welling up inside of you, your body moved on its own.

You pulled him into a tender embrace, tucking his head under your chin as you gently rubbed the underside of your jaw against his temple. You tried your best to release a soft purr as your scent gland naturally pumped out comforting pheromones.

You felt Kirishima relax in your arms. His Quirk saved him from getting any bruises or broken bones but, for some reason, he couldn’t stop trembling until he felt your touch.

“Thank you for protecting me,” you crooned, running a hand through his soft, dark hair. Without even realising it, the Alpha within you paid special attention to his scent. The calmer it smelled, the more tension melted off your shoulders.

Kirishima didn’t say anything else but from the way you could feel his nose rub against your scent gland as his trembling slowly began to cease, you knew you were doing a good job soothing the Omega.

Your Omega.

You tugged him away from the crosswalk and towards the side of the pavement. Before Kirishima could ask what you were doing, you’d gotten on your tip-toes and pulled him into a hug, gently rubbing your neck against his.

“I’m sorry if I upset you, Eijirou,” you said, one hand rubbing his back slowly while the other played with his hair. You were releasing calming pheromones again.

What? Why were you comforting him? You hadn’t even done anything. He was the one who should apologise for taking his moodiness out on you. But here you were, letting your Alpha instincts kick in as you soothed him the only way you knew how—the way that always worked.

Kirishima pulled his head away to look up at you, feeling his eyes burn with tears when he realised you were more beaten up than he initially thought. Your face had a couple of bruises and your lower lip was bleeding but still, you looked at him with such warm tenderness.

“Hey, don’t cry now,” you said softly, cupping his face in between your hands before you gently patted them. “Everything’s okay already. Besides, now you smell like me! So no one else is gonna mess with you anymore.”

You smiled widely and his heart skipped a beat or two.

He smelled like you now, all he could smell was you, and suddenly everything felt better.

Chapter Text

“You’re pissing me off!” a raspy voice growled. The Villain was coming towards you, you could hear his footsteps, his laboured breathing but your eyes were shut tightly, the only thing you could see was what Yuurei was seeing and not what was approaching yourself.

You willed your Ghost to land one final blow on the Villain you were currently fighting before glancing over to the side. Behind a hazy, black and white screen, you could see Kirishima standing in a defensive stance beside Bakugou.

“Ei…ji…rou…” Yuurei croaked. The last thing you saw from the eyes of your Ghost was Kirishima running towards you.

“Thank you,” you said for the nth time, wincing when you tried to smile only to stop due to the pain in the side of your face. Recovery Girl said the few outermost layers of skin had crumbled completely, leaving behind a large patch of raw flesh that would recover pretty quickly thanks to her Quirk but probably leave behind a scar.

“It’s no problem, dear,” the little old lady said kindly, “remember to keep the bandage on for two more days then you can throw it away.”

You nodded, knowing better than to speak. You stood up, unable to help but gasp sharply when you felt your bruised body ache from the sudden movement. You cursed under your breath, your Hero costume had done nothing to protect you during the attack.

“Language, dear girl,” Recovery Girl teased. She waved you out the door. “Now, go back to class, you should go home as soon as you can.”

You gave her an embarrassed smile before opening the door in front of you as fast as you could. In the midst of your desperate attempt to leave quickly, you failed to notice there was someone standing outside the office. You closed the door behind you and turned around, immediately walking straight into the aforementioned stranger.

Your body screamed in pain as you felt yourself lose your footing, the utter exhaustion in your bones causing all sense of balance within you to be reduced to nothing. You shut your eyes and braced for impact, already prepared to hurt yourself one more time due to sheer clumsiness.

Instead, you felt a warm body and smelled the softest hint of lavender.

“Woah,” a deep voice said. The stranger’s arms still carefully held onto your shoulders as you steadied yourself, already feeling your face burn hot with shame. “What happened to you?”

You glanced upward, your eyes meeting his dark purple ones. He continued staring down at you with a stoic expression although his hands lingered as if he were worried you would randomly collapse onto the ground. It took you a second to realise you hadn’t responded and you let out a cough.

“Oh, you haven’t heard?” you said, cringing internally when you realised how lame you sounded.

Of course, he hasn’t heard, dumbass! It literally just ended half an hour ago.

“My class was attacked in U.S.J during one of our lessons.”

His eyes widened as he furrowed his eyebrows, lips parting although he didn’t say anything after that. His scent had dulled a bit. You could tell he was an Omega even though your first impression leaned more towards Alpha due to his stature, he reminded you a little bit of Kirishima.

“Which class are you from?” the boy asked suddenly, his nose twitching slightly as he sniffed the air. “I’ll walk you back.”

“No, it’s fine—”

“Yeah, yeah, I know, you’re an Alpha and you don’t need help” he interrupted with a smirk, “but I’ll feel bad if you fell down on the way back, so just…” Indigo eyes gazed at you expectedly, his facial expression held a bit more interest than before. He tilted his head to the side, waiting for your answer, and you cursed internally.

How could you refuse the offer of an Omega who looked at you like that?

“1A.” You began walking, passing by him as you headed down the corridor. The boy jogged to close the gap before slowing down to meet your pace when he was beside you. “(L/N) (Y/N).”

“Huh?”

“That’s… my name,” you clarified, glancing up at the Omega. You gave him a small smile—the best you could muster at the moment—and felt the Alpha in you purr in satisfaction. The faintest shade of red formed on his cheeks.

“I’m Shinsou Hitoshi.” His shoulder brushed against yours briefly.

“What class are you from?”

“1C. It’s one of the General Studies classes.”

“Oh, cool!” you replied, finding it strange how the tiniest bit of excitement bubbled within you upon realising you were meeting someone from a different course. “Is it fun?”

Shinsou looked taken aback for a split second as he averted his gaze.

“It’s alright.” He scratched the back of his neck. “1A’s the Hero class, right? It must be pretty exciting.”

“I guess?” you shrugged, wincing slightly from the dull pangs of pain in your shoulders, “I mean, I nearly died today.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t—”

“I know,” you chuckled, amusement dancing in your voice. “I was just kidding,” you continued, gently nudging his arm with your elbow. There was a weird tingling feeling in your chest but you pushed it into the back of your mind.

Feeling your arm touch his, Shinsou felt his body tense up in a way that had never happened before. He felt the greatest urge to look at you once more but decided against it, not wanting to come off as some creepy Omega. Instead, he made sure to walk closely beside you and offered his shoulder as support when you approached a set of stairs. You hesitated for a split second but accepted his help.

As you leaned against him while you made your way up, Shinsou resisted the urge to purr out loud right there and then. Your Alpha scent was overwhelmingly pleasant and your voice sounded so soothing as you rambled on about something he wasn’t quite paying full attention to.

From what he remembered learning in Junior High, it was perfectly normal for Omegas to sometimes react this way to Alphas they just met and vice versa. This type of behaviour wasn’t any indication of growing infatuation in spite of how much it felt that way. The teachers always emphasised that last part and the class would laugh for some reason, every single student secretly believing they would be the exception only to be proven utterly wrong once they grew older.

You understood that, too, and it was what you kept repeating to yourself in the back of your mind as you continued your journey back to class with your new friend. Shinsou walked so closely beside you, his hands always reaching out every time you tripped on your own feet, ready to catch you. His scent had grow stronger over the past few minutes, no longer dulled down since he didn’t feel like he was in the presence of a complete stranger anymore.

The Alpha in you thought he was a sweet Omega and you agreed but—

The sharper, tangier scent of oranges caught your attention. You were now standing outside your classroom, the door was closed but you could hear many voices coming from inside.

“Well, I guess I’ll—” Shinsou said, stopping when the door abruptly slid open before a mass of red tackled you into a tight hug.

Kirishima purred loudly, his chest vibrating and tickling your body. It hurt to be glomped on so roughly and out of nowhere but the pain almost dissipated immediately when you realised who it actually was. His eyes briefly met Shinsou’s before he averted his gaze and proceeded to rub the base of his jaw against your neck, tousling your messy hair even further.

“(Y/N), I was so worried when I heard you had to go to Recovery Girl! I’m sorryIwasn’ttherepleaseforgivemeAlphaIhopeyou’reokaynow—” He rambled, speaking faster and faster as he hugged you to his chest tightly. He lifted you off your feet and swung you side and to side, still lightly purring contently. His red eyes glanced over your head to meet Shinsou’s once again and the latter frowned.

You couldn’t help but smile, the familiar scent of Kirishima calming every nerve in your body and soothing every bit of pain. He was still in his Hero costume, too, so you were basically pressed up against his bare skin. Had he been so worried about you he couldn’t even bother to go change first?

In the midst of basking in the warmth of Kirishima, you were reminded of Shinsou’s presence when your nose picked up his lavender scent dulling drastically. However, before you could even look at him, he spoke.

“I didn’t know you had an Omega already,” Shinsou said, his voice reverting back to the same stoic tone he used before you’d learnt each other’s names.

“He’s not my—” you began before you could stop yourself, guilt gripping your heart immediately when you felt Kirishima’s arms loosen around you. He pulled away, still maintaining a friendly smile on his face that you could tell wasn’t genuine. The smell of oranges nearly disappeared.

You were confused. Were you supposed to say Kirishima was your Omega? What if he didn’t like that and you ruined your lifelong friendship? But then why did he seem so disappointed by your response? Did he—

“Hey, shitty hair!” Bakugou barked from the other end of the classroom. His eyes met yours and he scoffed before turning away. You glowered at him, feeling a growl make its way up your throat but you pushed it back down. Now wasn’t the time to be angry.

Kirishima turned around—a bit too quickly—and you reached out to grab his hand. You weren’t even sure what you wanted to say if you managed to get him to stop and look at you. Fortunately or unfortunately, your fingers could only brush against his wrist as he walked quickly towards the other Alpha.

“Sorry,” Shinsou said, bringing your attention back to the Omega behind you. “I made it weird.” He scratched the back of his neck.

“No, it’s not your fault,” you gave him a small smile that you quickly retracted, the sting from your fresh wound too much to handle now that the scent of oranges was gone. “It’s mine.”

“Well, if it’s any comfort,” he replied, “it seems he wants to be your Omega. I mean, he’d be an idiot not to.”

You simply stared at him, not entirely sure how to respond. Shinsou smirked, turning as he started to walk away. The smell of lavender in the air became sweeter.

“I’ll see you around, Alpha.”

—

Just a lil bonus (i was gonna be like “guess who??” but fuck bich it’s so obvious):

“What’s your deal with ghost girl?”

“Her name is (L/N) (Y/N).”

“Hey, don’t get all snappy with me, shitty hair. It’s not my fault you’re fucking jealous—”

“Dude, I’m not!”

“Yeah, right. You reek of jealousy right now. You and ghost girl smell the same whenever you two get jealous, it’s fucking weird.”

“Huh? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Figure it out yourself, dumbass.”

Chapter Text

The table was filled with lively chatter as you ate lunch with some of your classmates. You would’ve preferred to have eaten in the sickbay since the overuse of Yuurei had taken quite the toll on you but Kirishima was the one who invited you to sit beside him.

“Are you sure?” you asked before you could stop yourself, regretting it instantly when his face fell ever so slightly.

“Why wouldn’t I wanna eat with you?” Kirishima responded with a slight pout, fully utilising his Omega nature to tug at your heartstrings.

You parted your lips, ready to tell him all the reasons why you thought he wouldn’t want to be near you right now. He’d been acting strangely ever since that incident with Shinsou. He smiled at you less and didn’t talk as much whenever you walked home together, looking deep in thought most of the time. You wanted to ask why many times and you had countless opportunities to but you could never do it, opting instead to take the coward’s route: waiting until he returned to normal.

“I—” you stopped, feeling his piercing gaze intensify as you stood by the table in which all the other seats were already taken except for one that was right at the end—the one beside him. You smiled and sat down, your heart fluttering when the Omega purred contently.

Talking about the problem could come later, right now, you just wanted to be with him.

The more time passed, the less lethargic you felt. The exhaustion that filled your bones earlier now nearly nonexistent, erased by the cheerful laughter from those sitting around you and by the sweet scent of him.

Kirishima leaned against you every time he burst out laughing at something Kaminari said and he would gently nuzzle against your neck with the crown of his head before pulling away.

Ashido smirked after several minutes of silent observation, large eyes staring directly at you.

“So, what’s up with you and—”

“Hey,” a deep voice interrupted the girl and all heads turned towards the purple-haired boy now standing by the edge of the lunch table, right beside you. Shinsou ignored all the stares seamlessly, as if genuinely unaware of their accusatory gazes. “You were really cool out there. Your Quirk is crazy strong.”

“Oh! Thanks,” you replied, stumbling over your words, flustered over such praise being thrown your way so unexpectedly. “You’re really cool, too! Congrats on making it to the next round, Shinsou.”

He scratched the back of his neck, ends of his lips tugging upward as a faint blush graced his cheeks. A strong scent of lavender washed over the table and Ashido and Sero both swallowed thickly, overwhelmed by the Omega’s pheromones. Bakugou merely shifted in his seat, continuing to eat whilst ignoring Shinsou the way the Omega was ignoring him.

“Ah, thanks,” he responded, “I wish you made it, too, then we could have the chance to battle one another.” His eyes flickered over to the pair of red ones that had been glaring at him ever since he arrived. Kirishima was gritting his teeth at him, eyebrows furrowed angrily. Shinsou resisted the urge to scoff when his nose picked up a sour, citrusy scent now dominating the air.

“Nah, I would lose pretty quick,” you said, trying to hide the fact that you were holding your breath. “I used my Quirk too much so now I barely have any strength left to continue…”

The conversation continued and the others at the table wondered how the hell you hadn’t passed out yet. The scents of both Omegas grew stronger and more pungent with every passing moment, the two smells challenging one another in a way that clearly reflected the feelings of the respective individuals.

Bakugou scoffed in your direction, now pinching his nose, watching as you talked on and on with the General Studies loser without a care in the world. How oblivious were you as an Alpha? Were you purposely ignoring the Omegas fighting for your attention right in your face? Or were you just some kind of stupid?

Deciding he’s had enough, the blond-haired Alpha rammed his foot into Kirishima’s shin. He felt a little bad for hurting his friend but the obvious relief that washed over everyone at the table was definitely worth it. The Omega’s loud yelp of surprise cleared the air almost instantly as you turned away from Shinsou, directing your attention back to a frowning Kirishima.

“Well, looks like it’s time for me to go,” Shinsou said, placing a hand on your shoulder. You looked back up at him and smiled apologetically. He returned it with a smile of his own. “I’ll see you later.”

“See you,” you replied before turning back to Kirishima who still had a rather displeased look on his face. “What’s wrong?” you asked, furrowing your eyebrows when he merely shook his head and returned to eating his lunch.

The table was now silent and a certain degree of tension had formed in the air.

You sighed deeply and poked at your food, no longer having any appetite left. It was clear Shinsou was the reason why Kirishima acted so strangely back then and was acting so strangely now. The reason was obvious, you could feel it prodding at the front of your brain but—

You noticed Bakugou staring at Kirishima from across the table.

—you refused to acknowledge it.

“Sooooooo,” Ashido piped up, her cheery voice already successfully lightening the mood a tiny bit, “I see you’re pretty popular.” She wiggled her eyebrows at you.

“Yeah,” Sero added, words muffled slightly from his mouth still having food in it, “even people from other classes seem to like you. It felt like that guy was even trying to cour—”

Ashido elbowed him in the ribs, causing him to choke on his food while Kaminari began slapping him on the back. Kirishima remained silent and your worry began to fester. Normally he would react in this type of situation, right? He would either laugh at the way Sero was now telling a sour-faced Kaminari off for hitting him so hard or tell Sero to calm down and that Kaminari was just trying to help, right? The Kirishima you knew wasn’t the type to just not do anything. You wanted to make him feel better but how were you supposed to do that if—

His hand grabbed the hem of your uniform gently.

“Are you okay?” you cried, rushing over to him as quickly as your tiny feet could carry you. Kirishima shook his head, clumsily wiping his eyes with one hand as the other cradled his knee. “Hey, it’s not that bad!” you said, sitting down beside him, your eyes scanning over his wound.

“But…” he whimpered, looking up at you with teary eyes. “It hurts.”

“I know, Eiji,” you cooed, gently pulling the boy into a hug, “but my mummy can help make it better so don’t worry!”

Kirishima sniffled and nodded, one arm wrapping around your body as he nuzzled his face into the crook of your neck. His other hand grasped the hem of your shirt, clutching onto it tightly as he let your scent calm his nerves.

Chapter Text

Bakugou rolled his eyes as he scoffed loudly from his seat. Beside him, a certain red-haired Omega was staring intently in the direction of the General Studies stands, a hand pressed palm-down firmly on the empty seat beside him. It was yours until you left several minutes ago.

“If it bothers you so much,” Bakugou clicked his tongue, “shouldn’t you be making a move already?” The Alpha wasn’t one to care about other people’s business but it was hard not to feel slightly bad for Kirishima as he sulked and stared at you like a puppy desperate for any form of attention. It also didn’t help that, despite having no desire to, he’d already begun regarding the boy as a close friend.

“Shhhh!” the aforementioned sulking puppy hissed, his head spinning around to face the unamused blond. As quickly as the pissed off expression on his face appeared, it faded away, leaving behind the same dull look he’d had ever since lunch ended. “I can’t, okay? (Y/N) probably doesn’t see me that way.”

Bakugou resisted the urge to slap Kirishima and himself. “Bitch, ghost girl scents you all the time. You’re basically already bonded.”

“She’s been doing that since we were children! It’s just a habit that never went away,” Kirishima said, although it was clear there was a hint of doubt present in his voice.

The Alpha didn’t realise his jaw had dropped until he felt it slowly close on its own. Taking his silence as some form of victory, Kirishima returned to staring at you and the other Omega (whose name Bakugou couldn’t be bothered to remember), his elbows now propped up on his knees as he rested his head in his hands. He sighed deeply, eyes flickering over in the same direction as the Omega’s out of curiosity.

Immediately, Bakugou’s eyes met those of Shinsou Hitoshi. For a moment, neither averted their gazes, staring straight at one another as if challenging the other to fight.

What a ballsy Omega, thought Bakugou as he scowled and turned away. The purple-haired boy smirked.

“Hey, your Omega’s trying to kill me with his stare again,” Shinsou said, returning his gaze back to you before Kirishima could realise he’d been noticed. You clicked your tongue, already forgetting what you were about to say next, and lightly punched his shoulder.

“I already told you,” you responded sharply, “Eiji isn’t my Omega. In fact, I’m pretty sure he’s gonna start courting someone else soon.” You swallowed thickly as your eyes flickered down to your feet. You pinched the hem of your uniform between your fingers, you heard Shinsou exhale a short, sharp breath.

“You’re a dumbass.”

Your head shot up as you furrowed your eyebrows and squinted at him. He had a shit-eating grin on his face as he stared down at you with an unwavering gaze. You couldn’t help but feel amused despite having been insulted just a second ago.

“Excuse me?”

“I said,” Shinsou leaned down, “you’re a dumbass.” He’d whispered it in your ear, chuckling loudly when you proceeded to push him away with an indignant “hey!”. “Even an outsider like me can tell Kirishima Eijirou wants to be your Omega.”

Your breath hitched in your throat and you wondered if he was joking. You wished you continued to believe he was joking but you couldn’t, not when he looked utterly and completely serious.

Is it true? you thought to yourself, resisting the urge to turn around, to see if Kirishima had indeed been staring at you and Shinsou this entire time like the boy had claimed.

Even if that were the case, so what? He’s just looking. It doesn’t mean anything.

Your words were your own and yet you didn’t quite believe in them as wholeheartedly as one should.

“You know you’re my friend, right?” you said suddenly, as if the conversation had been naturally leading up to this point. Shinsou’s eyes widened slightly as he raised an eyebrow. “You’re not an outsider,” you clarified with a soft smile, “you’re my friend.”

Shinsou flashed you a smile of his own as he glanced down at his feet almost bashfully. The smell of lavender that had been engulfing you this entire time grew stronger ever so slightly.

A bell went off and soon enough, crowds dispersed as students hurried back to their seats.

“Thanks…” he said, looking at you once again, the smile still lingering on his face. Shinsou sighed, beginning to turn away. “I gotta go get ready for the match. Also, thanks for attempting to give me a pep talk.”

“Hey, I tried my best, okay?” you chuckled, feigning indignance.

“I know… by the way,” Shinsou shoved his hands into his pockets, one foot already on the first step of the stairway leading down to the arena, “if I’m wrong about the Kirishima thing and he does court someone else… maybe we can try at being more than friends.”

You felt your body freeze on the spot. Your lips were parted but no words came as a shiver ran down your spine, sending goosebumps all over your skin. Your heart began racing like mad, it felt as though it was trying to rip itself out of your chest. Shinsou smirked and continued descending towards the arena.

“I’ll see you around, Alpha.”

You merely watched as he left.

—

When you returned to your seat, everyone in your general vicinity fidgeted to some degree. Your scent was pungent, easy to pick up even when one’s breath was being held. Were you upset? Distressed? Sad? No one could really tell and neither could you.

Everything just felt weird. Out of place. Confusing.

“You’re back!” a familiar voice chirped as Kirishima held out his arms, welcoming you back to your rightful place beside him. You sat down and it was almost relieving, the way the tightness in your chest loosened as your shoulders relaxed on their own. Strong arms pulled you into a firm hug before you could even say hi.

“Eiji, what’re you—” your words trailed off, reduced into a confused chirping noise as Kirishima began rubbing his scent gland against yours. You felt your face warm up as your heart did somersaults in your chest.

“You’re kinda upset, right? I can tell.” Kirishima stated matter-of-factly, now proceeding to scent your hair, tousling it into a tangled mess. You couldn’t speak even if you wanted to, everything smelled too nice and all you wanted to do was stay like this, basking in the smell of oranges forever.

Were you upset? You couldn’t even remember.

The Omega purred contently when he felt your arms snake around him, pulling him closer. He’d scented you before in the past but it was always in private and merely just for fun. Now, though, it had a purpose. Kirishima wanted to believe that its sole purpose was to comfort you—it was supposed to be—but he couldn’t help feeling a sense of pride well up in his chest when he realised how other Omegas should be less inclined to approach you now.

“Hey, do you have any Omegas in mind?”

“Huh? What kinda weird question is that, shitty hair?”

“I’m just curious, dude.”

“No, I don’t. I don’t care about shit like that, at least I won’t until I become the best Hero this goddamn country has ever seen.”

“That’s cool! I wish I could have such a strong resolve.”

“Why? You already have an Alpha in mind?”

You paced back and forth in the waiting room while Kirishima observed you silently. He was sat in one of the chairs provided, trying to preserve as much energy as he could before his match with the 1-B guy. You looked more nervous about it than he did, although Kirishima was nervous but for separate reasons.

Your scent was filling the room, the Alpha nature of it had already overwhelmed his own from when he’d scented you a while back. If any other Omega were here, they’d probably be all flustered and sweaty but Kirishima instead felt the opposite. He was too used to the way you smelled to feel nothing but calmness when engulfed by it.

Was that normal for friends?

He noticed you were nibbling on your bottom lip as you continued walking your nerves off, your hands clenching at the hem of your uniform. You were nervous for him; if you were some other Alpha, Kirishima knew he would feel insulted to a certain degree—he can handle himself!—but you were you. He knew your worries came from a place of love.

What kind of love?

“It seems like I’m more anxious than you, huh, Eiji?” you laughed, sitting yourself down cross-legged on the table in front of him. You placed your hand on his head, treading your fingers slowly through his hair. Kirishima instinctively leaned in closer, pushing his head up into your palm.

“Don’t worry,” he crooned with a bright smile, “I’m definitely gonna win.”

“Oh, I know,” you replied, now massaging his scalp gently. The Omega let out a deep sigh as his eyes fluttered closed. “Still can’t help feeling nervous, though. I’d hate seeing you get hurt.”

His heart fluttered as a warmth spread all throughout his body, goosebumps forming over his skin. You leaned forward and buried your face in his hair, pressing your lips to the crown of his head. He could hear you inhale softly and he couldn’t help but smile. It was such a lovely feeling.

But what kind of love?

Chapter Text

You dozed in and out of sleep, your arms locked haphazardly around its neck as it slowly made its way home. You didn’t even need to put any conscious effort into making sure it was going the right way, Yuurei already knew the route. All you had to do was make sure you didn’t fall asleep completely and you did so by recalling the face of the Alpha you’d spent the entire week with: Tatsuma Ryuko.

To say you were surprised when you got internship offers was an understatement: you didn’t even make it past the second round! But, fortunately, it appeared your efforts in cultivating Yuurei shone in the few minutes you appeared on screen for the world to see and a few Pro-Heroes felt you were worthy of being under their wing.

Alongside Ryukyu, you were metaphorically and literally under her wing for the majority of your time with her. Despite how menacing she could become whenever she activated her Quirk, she was a patient and kind mentor who often pushed you and Yuurei to your limits in the form of encouragement rather than punishment.

You smiled to yourself, listening to the pitter-patter of raindrops hitting the umbrella sheltering you and your Ghost from the dreary weather. Yuurei was never able to hold things for so long, now, it had been nearly thirty minutes and the umbrella was still situated firmly above your head. You parted your heavy eyelids slightly and felt a rush of euphoria when Yuurei showed no signs of faltering.

“So, you’re an Alpha, too, right?” your mentor asked after swallowing her food, smiling when you, in turn, choked on your own food. “What? Didn’t think I’d notice?”

“No, I just didn’t think you’d bring it up, Ryukyu-sensei,” you responded truthfully, relaxing when her fond smile only widened.

“Eh, I already told you not to call me ‘sensei’,” Ryukyu tutted, “it makes me feel old.”

“Sorry, Ryukyu-sen—I mean, Ryukyu-san.” you felt your face contort awkwardly when you caught your own mistake and the Hero laughed, leaning back in her office chair. She’d invited you to eat lunch with her in her office since it was your last day of internship.

You both continued eating in relative silence, only occasionally poking the other to get their attention when you came across something particularly interesting on your phones. It must’ve looked weird for the two of you to be doing your own thing while eating together but it’d been a long day so neither of you really minded.

“Any Omegas trying to court you?” Ryukyu suddenly spoke once again as she placed her phone down on the desk situated between both of you. “You must catch some eyes, your Quirk is strong.”

“Nah, it only became strong after I started my internship with you,” you replied and she squinted in your direction.

“If it wasn’t strong in the first place, you wouldn’t even be in U.A.” she said with a firm smile that softened when you smiled back, too embarrassed to say thanks. “So… any Omegas?” Ryukyu propped her elbows on the table and leaned forward, resting her chin in the palms of her hands. Her words weren’t forceful and you knew she wouldn’t mind if you refused to answer but in spite of the short period of time you’d spent under her guidance, you felt a certain kind of safety in her presence that you couldn’t quite find elsewhere—not even with your own parents or Kirishima’s parents.

“An Omega friend of mine confessed during the Sports Festival,” you said softly, already feeling your face heat up. “I think he’s really sweet and I do like him…”

“But…?” glancing up, your eyes met hers and, for some reason, you felt winded when you realised how sympathetic her gaze was.

“But I already love another Omega, he’s my best friend, too.” you couldn’t help the smile that stretched across your face as you spoke. Ryukyu clapped her hands together excitedly.

“So you’re courting him now?”

“No… I think he wants to court another Alpha in my class,” you admitted. You wondered if she could tell that even you didn’t believe your words as wholeheartedly as one should when speaking. You didn’t intend to lie, it just felt as if you were simply refusing to believe in what you wanted to think was the truth.

For a short moment, your mentor remained silent and although your gaze had averted away from her, you could tell she was staring at you with an incredulous expression. Grabbing your chin in between her thumb and forefinger, Ryukyu turned your face to look at her once more.

“Well, then you just have to court him first! What’re you doing sulking around? You’re an Alpha, (L/N)! You have to embrace it.”

Yuurei gently placed you down on your feet before you opened your eyes fully but even then, the towering figure remained standing by your side. You looked up at your Ghost.

“Don’t you wanna rest?” you asked, fishing for your keys in your pocket. The Ghost slowly shook its head. Despite having no face—and thus zero facial expression—you knew that if it had a tail, it’d be wagging like a puppy who just realised its owner was home.

You wondered why but then… you smelled oranges.

Unlocking your door, you were scooped up into a pair of strong arms before you could even take another step after slamming the door shut behind you. The pleasant citrusy smell that you loved oh so much engulfed your senses as you wrapped your own arms around Kirishima in return. He shifted side-to-side as he hugged you.

“Welcome home! My parents left for a trip and I was feeling lonely so I thought I’d sleep over for the weekend and— OH MY GOD,” he babbled excitedly until his eyes landed on your Ghost. “Yuurei! You’re so cool! How long have you been out?”

“Almost two hours,” you mumbled into his ear, tightening your grip around Kirishima’s middle when you felt yourself slipping out of his grasp, legs nearly buckling from exhaustion.

“Wow! Oh, hey! That’s so cool!” he cheered when, on its own volition, Yuurei grabbed your bag and began bringing it into your room. The Omega nearly let go of you to follow after the Black Ghost but you let out a soft whine, clinging onto him even tighter than before.

“I’m tired, Omega…” you murmured, wondering if he could feel your heart racing as your chest was pressed up against his. Your hands behind his back, you realised there was a tied ribbon sticking out from behind him, you fondled the material and deduced it was in the shape of a bow. “Are you wearing my apron?”

“Uh huh,” he replied with a nod, “I’m cooking dinner! At least, I’m trying to.”

You smiled, nuzzling your face deeper into the crook of his neck. With your height difference, his scent gland was so easily accessible to you it was laughable. Most Alphas would hate being shorter than their Omegas—

You bit down on your lip… Your Omega?

Around an hour later, you found yourself resting in bed with a pleasant weight pressing down on your stomach. Kirishima’s hair was still slightly wet but he rested his head on top of your body like a pillow anyway. You didn’t mind since it gave you the perfect opportunity to run your fingers over his scalp. Now that his hair was clean of products, it felt soft to the touch.

The Omega purred lightly as you mindlessly continued to touch his hair, shooting you a quizzical glance every time you slowed down—a silent plea for you to not stop. Too tired to put up a fight, you gave in and continued giving Kirishima what he wanted.

You silently listened to the soundtrack of the game he was playing on your phone, smiling lazily every time a contented hum slipped past his lips as he progressed further in the mobile game. You weren’t exactly sure what kind of game it was but assumed it was one of the more cutesy, peaceful ones since the music was so soothing. Kirishima had a habit of downloading tons of games on your phone, even if you wanted to, you couldn’t blame him since you were the one who let him use it anyway.

Your eyelids growing heavier by the second, you nearly nodded off completely when you heard a familiar noise coming from your phone. The music stopped for a few seconds before resuming and you could feel Kirishima tense up on top of you.

“Did someone message me?” you asked tiredly, reaching out whilst gesturing for your device back. The Omega sat up and held your phone close to his chest, an unreadable expression on his face sent an unpleasant shiver down your spine.

“It’s that guy from the General Education course.”

“Shinsou?” you muttered to yourself, pushing your aching body into a sitting position, still holding your hand out in his direction. “What did he say?”

Kirishima remained silent, a deep frown etched on his face, his eyes now staring daggers at the screen. From a mere glance, you could tell he’d opened the message but he wasn’t trying to type a response: he just wanted to see.

“Eijirou?” you said, dropping your hand. “What’s wrong? What did he say?”

The smell of oranges in your room was no longer sweet but bitter, terribly bitter. The acidity of the scent was so rank, you felt your nose begin to burn. Out of sheer instinct, a loud purr poured out from your lips, the noise reverberating deep in your chest. He was a strong Omega but, for just this once, you hoped he would give in just a little bit.

“He asked if you have any updates on your Omega… you got an Omega already?” he asked, voice trembling, his fingers gripping your phone now whitening from how tight he was holding onto it. His bright red eyes shot up, peering straight into yours with such intensity that your purring stopped abruptly. He was gritting his teeth and there were tiny droplets of tears in the corners of his eyes.

You felt goosebumps form over your entire body as another shiver shot down your spine, except this time, it was different. The boy in front of you had an expression that was unmistakable. This wasn’t the face of a mere friend whose trust was broken… this was…

Shinsou was right.

“No,” you replied, surprising yourself with how calm your voice sounded—a stark contrast to the way your heart was pounding relentlessly in your chest. You felt your hands beginning to tremble. “But I… I’m planning on courting one.”

If you believed Kirishima’s face couldn’t become more heartbroken, you were proven wrong right as the last syllable left your lips. The Omega was crying freely now, sniffling as endless streaks of tears ran down his face.

“Well, then you just have to court him first! What’re you doing sulking around? You’re an Alpha, (L/N)! You have to embrace it.”

You reached an arm out towards him carefully, feeling a sharp sting in your chest when he leans away for a second, now averting his gaze as if he couldn’t bear to even look at you. You let out a soft sigh.

The pungent smell of bitter oranges dissipated in the air, now replaced by the rich scent of dark chocolate. Kirishima had to bite back a loud purr, cursing internally at how easily he was comforted by your familiar smell. The scent was calming—now even more than usual since it was obvious you were making an attempt to console him—and it just felt so nice even though it was the thought of you that was distressing him in the first place.

… No, no, it wasn’t the thought of you that made him this way—thinking of you alone could never hurt him so—rather, it was the idea of you being with another Omega.

Kirishima wanted nothing more than to just disappear. He’d waited too long to reveal his feelings to you, his cowardice now causing him an insufferable amount of regret. He should’ve listened to Bakugou. He should’ve told you sooner. Now he was too late, now he could never—

He didn’t know when scooted towards him. All Kirishima knew was that he was abruptly ripped out of his self-loathing by the feeling of your chin resting on his shoulder. Your scent gland was right by his nose. He inhaled deeply, relishing in the scent that he would no longer have such easy access to once you bonded with your Omega.

“Do you wanna know more about him?” you choked out your words. He could feel a wetness against his neck.

Were you trying to torture him?

Kirishima parted his lips, ready to say no, but he just couldn’t. He wanted—no, needed—to know who it was that stole your heart. A darker part of him needed a face that he could direct his hatred towards so that he wouldn’t end up hating himself instead.

“He smells like…

…oranges,” you repeated, scooting closer to him, sniffing fervently at his neck. He felt his face heat up as he slapped his hand over his scent gland but you were

relentless, nudging your nose against his fingers… it’s getting late,

you can come back tomorrow— “N-no! (Y/N)-chan can stay

a little longer?” Of course.

He hugged you,

nuzzling his face into your scent gland.  He remembered hearing his mother laughing with such joy.

“He’s my best friend…” you wrapped your arms around him slowly, smiling in relief when he relaxed in your embrace as you pulled him closer. “He’s so sweet and kind…” you played with the hair at the nape of his neck, your words muffled slightly from how you were pressing your face against his skin, “he stood up from when we were kids even though he was an Omega standing up against a bunch of Alpha-bullies…”

“St-stay away!” he cried,

You were curled up into a ball behind him, cradling your bleeding knee.  If he looked carefully, he could see the fading scar still on your skin.

You’d gotten into this mess because of him.

He couldn’t defend himself and now you were hurt.

How could he even consider being a Hero if he couldn’t protect his best friend?

“Have you figured it out yet, my sweet Omega?” you crooned.

The last thing you said was so soft he nearly missed it and yet the words engraved themselves into his heart almost instantaneously.

“It’s you… I love you, Eijirou.”

Chapter Text

“C’mon out wherever you are, dear (Y/N)-chan!” the woman purred, “I’ve heard so much about your Quirk! I’m really excited to see it in person.”

Your heart pounded fiercely in your chest, it burned at the same time, begging for oxygen as you breathed as slowly and as little as you could. You pressed your hand firmer against your nose and mouth, swallowing thickly as you wracked your brain for any idea on how to get past the teacher. The last time you caught a glimpse of her, she had your partner laying on her lap, already drifted off into a deep sleep.

Trembling from sheer exhaustion, you slumped against the boulder behind you. How long has it been since Sero rescued you from Midnight’s clutches? You weren’t entirely sure but a twisting feeling in your gut told you you didn’t have much time left.

“Don’t be scared, (Y/N)-chan!” you heard the crackling of a whip and a ripple of goosebumps ran down your body. She was getting closer. “I don’t bite!”

Clenching your fists, you activated your Quirk once more—or at least attempted to.

Fuck! you gritted your teeth. Please, just once more! I can’t fail now, I just can’t!

Your dining table was rather spacious with just enough surface area to cover in the textbooks and worksheets of two people. He could’ve sat opposite you—it would’ve made more sense that way—but instead Kirishima chose to sit right beside you, his thigh touching yours.

“Are you nervous?” he asked, eyes still focused on the practice paper in front of him.

“Quite. I don’t know if I’m ready.”

“I heard it’s just gonna be the same robots from the Entrance Exam,” the Omega chirped, “so we both should do pretty well!”

You smiled and turned to look at him, feeling your heart flutter when you realised his attention was already directed towards you. He was smiling from ear-to-ear with a tinge of red covering his cheeks.

Slowly, you reached out and cupped his face in your hand. He purred loudly, nuzzling into your touch contentedly. Mingling with the adorable sound of his was your own nervous heartbeat. Surely you were imaging it, right? How could you heartbeat be so loud?

“You must be really excited for the training camp,” you said, letting go of his face to brush some hair away from his eyes. Kirishima scrunched his face up, the smile of his never faltering.

“Yeah!” he replied, looking at you with the brightest expression you’d ever seen, “but it won’t be fun if I can’t spend it with you! So, we have to make sure we pass!”

You clicked your tongue and furrowed your eyebrows. Were you really considering giving up? Fuck no, you couldn’t do that!

Shutting your eyes once more, you mustered all the energy you had left. You could feel your Quirk activating successfully but, at the same time, the conscious effort you were making to not pass out then and there was immense. When you opened your eyes, you resisted the urge to gasp aloud.

Somewhere, in an observation room nearby, Kirishima inhaled sharply, unable to tear his own eyes off the screen that showed your practical examination. He’d already failed his and had walked in a few minutes earlier with a heavy heart, wondering how he would handle being away from you during the training camp. But now, he was simply awestruck, his eyes nearly sparkling as his jaw dropped.

“What? What’s wrong?” Uraraka asked worriedly when she heard his gasp, directing her own attention to the same screen. She, too, felt a shiver run down her spine.

“There…” he pointed, “there’re three.”

From the first glance, Kirishima knew which one was Yuurei despite all three Ghosts being nearly identical. It was clear you knew that, as well. He and Uraraka watched in silence as you appeared to speak to the Ghosts. Yuurei seemed to give a nod before dashing out of you hiding spot and directly towards a surprised Midnight. At the same time, the first Ghost clone seemed to glitch before disappearing while the second clone picked you up, covering your face with its hand.

Throwing a punch, Yuurei successfully managed to distract the Pro-Hero, giving the first clone enough time to materialise by Sero’s unconscious body before picking him up. It ran away, trailing after the clone carrying you.

From outside the observation room, Kirishima heard the muffled announcement that you and Sero had passed the exam.

“Well, I need to head back to my office now that (L/N)’s overused her Quirk again,” Recovery Girl sighed hopping off her chair. As she walked past the red-haired Omega, she patted his shoulder. “Your Alpha performed beautifully.”

He felt his breath hitch in his throat.

“It’s you… I love you, Eijirou.”

You were hugging him tightly, your tears now soaking up the sleeve of his shirt. Your body felt so warm and soft, so kind and loving. His heart was racing, pounding wildly in his chest as if it were trying to free itself from the confines of his ribcage. He wondered if you could feel it.

Kirishima slowly wrapped his arms around you—his Alpha—and closed his eyes as he sank deeper into your embrace. He knew that, if he could, he would want to stay here forever.

It wasn’t unusual for him to smell nothing but your scent since he was in your room but this time, it felt different. He could feel the tip of his nose brush against your scent gland. If you were any other Alpha, Kirishima would’ve pulled away, suffocated from the strong smell of your pheromones, but you were you, so he inhaled deeply, your scent calming his racing heart but also, at the same time, making it run even faster.

His eyes fluttered open, his vision blurry from the tears he’d shed just a minute ago. It seemed so silly now, his heartbreak. All the signs of your love had been right in his face and yet he’d been too blind to ever see it until now when it was spelt out for him. He looked at your neck, right where your scent gland should be, and wondered—

—what it would look like after you two had bonded in the future, after you had grown a little older.

His hair still a bit wet, Kirishima decided to sit on the floor by your side instead of laying in bed with you. After returning home, you showered before passing out the moment your head hit your pillow. Now that he thought about it, neither of you ever really cared about going to bed with wet hair so…

Maybe, the Omega simply wanted to watch over you for a little while.

Kirishima felt his face heat up upon accepting the truth and stayed put, his eyes watching over your sleeping form with utmost vigilance. He sat with his knees folded up against his chest, his arms locked around them. The Omega leaned side-to-side, still slightly energetic from the day’s practical exams despite how utterly exhausted he felt.

You must’ve felt worse than him, though. He knew well enough how much energy your Quirk took.

“Mama! Mama, help!” he cried, running as fast as his little legs could carry him. His mother gazed down at him in worry, wondering what could’ve happened that caused him to cry. Her eyes flickered over the fresh scar on his eyelid. Did he hurt himself with his Quirk again? It didn’t seem like it— “(Y/N)-chan,” he sniffled, tugging on her apron, “(Y/N)-chan won’t wake up! She-she used her Quirk and she went to sleep but now—”

Continuing to ramble in a trembling voice, her son pulled her out of the kitchen as he frantically made his way back to his room, parent in tow. He rubbed his face continuously with his free hand. When they reached the opened door, Kirishima let go, his arm dropping to his side. His mother smiled, stifling a soft laugh.

You were sitting upright in his bed, bleary-eyed, your hair tousled as you yawned loudly. You looked over at your friend and his mother, cocking your head to the side in confusion.

“You’re alive!” Kirishima cried, running towards his bed at full speed before leaping right on top of you, tackling you into a firm hug. Mumbling incoherently, the boy continued to cry, nuzzling his face into the crook of your neck, his hands clutching onto your shirt tightly.

He laid down, the upper-half of his body on top of yours, the side of his head on your chest. Your heartbeat was slow and steady, your chest rising and falling in a way that made him feel a warmth growing in his own.

Kirishima purred gently, draping an arm over your stomach as he made himself comfortable. You shifted in your sleep, a hand clumsily making its way up his back before resting on top of his head.

Smiling, his eyelids fluttered closed. He could feel himself being lulled to sleep by the sound of your heart.

Ba-dum. Ba-dum. Ba-dum.

There was a tinge of excitement in his chest, it grew stronger every second, and yet Kirishima felt at peace. He wondered how it would feel being able to stay this way with you for the rest of your lives. He thought about how your future home would look, how wonderful it would be to bond with you, to feel your teeth bite into his scent gland, marking him as yours forever. Would you like the Nests he’d make you? How many times would you scent him in a day? Could you both work in the same Agency together?

So many things Kirishima thought about as he slowly drifted off to sleep, naively unaware of what events were soon to unfold in the near future…

Chapter Text

Aizawa sensei said the man with the scarred skin was a clone and now that another one was trying to get into the classroom, Kirishima truly understood what he meant. No matter how many times the Villain was defeated, more of him would simply come until there was no one left alive in the room. The teachers had left temporarily to help the others—those outside in the forest, in danger of being hurt by the actual Villains themselves—so it was up to the students stuck in the classroom to fend for themselves until help arrived.

This clone’d managed to break down the door that the students tried to barricade with tables and chairs, his grin oozed such malice that it sent shivers down all of the budding Heroes’ spines.

Kirishima stood in front of his friends, Quirk activated as he took a fighting stance. The clone produced a ball of blue flames in his hand before he prepared to fling it across the room but just as he was about to let go, a familiar figure appeared behind him.

“Yuurei!” Kirishima cried, eyes widening in shock. Were you close by? Would he see you again?

The Ghost dodged shots of fire from the Villain almost skilfully, demonstrating moves that you’d learnt from training with Ojiro earlier in the day during the camp. With a strong kick to the head, the clone melted away into a puddle of mud, mixing with the older puddles from before. The Ghost turned its head to face Kirishima whose dumbfounded expression transformed into one of anger.

“What the fuck are you doing here?!” he yelled, lunging towards Yuurei, held back only by Ashido Mina who anticipated that he was about to do so. “You’re supposed to be with (Y/N)! Go back! Protect her!”

Kirishima never liked being mean to Yuurei. One time when he was younger, he cried after snapping at the Ghost and hugged it as it disappeared, slurred apologies falling from his lips. You never told him if Yuurei could feel anything and now his heart ached as if a hand were clasped around the organ, squeezing so hard it could hurt at the thought that he might never be able to ask you that question himself.

“No,” a staticky imitation of your voice rang throughout the room. “I must protect you,” Yuurei said to Kirishima before its head turned slowly as if gazing at each and every face present. “I will protect… all of you.”

Somewhere deep in the forest where the air was thick with smoke, you ran for your life, your lungs and legs burning with an intensity that could rival that of the fire burning the trees around you. You winced, another twig scratched your eyelid, your arms unable to block out everything in front of you as you escaped your impending doom.

A Villain’s eyes had caught yours and he gave chase almost immediately as though he knew who you were.

You could feel the heat approaching as you dodged another ball of blue flames, barely missing it by a hair’s length. You made a sharp turn, tears pooling in your eyes, though you weren’t sure if it was from the smokey air or the fear in your heart.

You were alone when Mandalay’s message reached you and your chest clamped up in terror almost instantly. You went off track during the test of courage, now utterly and hopelessly lost in the huge forest. At first you weren’t too afraid as you slowly navigated your way back to the campsite with the help of Yuurei, dreading the lecture you would undoubtedly receive from Aizawa sensei.

“Yuurei!” you called out and the Ghost jumped down from the trees, standing in front of you, ready for instructions. As it stared down at you silently, you found yourself stuck between two decisions: tell Yuurei to protect you as you tried your best to return to the campsite or… what you actually wanted Yuurei to do.

You knelt in the bush, hands clamped over your mouth as you struggled to steady out your erratic breathing. Your knees were burning, begging you to stand up and stretch them out but you knew you couldn’t do it. At least not yet.

“I don’t think she’s here, Dabi. Yeah, you dumbass! She’s probably long gone by now!”

Three people? No… that sounded like only one person talking to the man who’d been pursuing you before.

“I don’t care. We’re not leaving without this one,” the flame Villain—Dabi?—said. “I saw her Quirk, it’ll be worth taking her back, too.”

You could tell he’d assumed you were an Omega from the way he seemed to be pumping out different types of pheromones endlessly. While the strong scent he was giving off did unease you, you were ultimately immune to his tricks. Subconsciously, you pressed your sleeve up against your face anyway, slowly taking in a deep breath.

Kirishima’s scent still lingered on the fabric and you felt your heart relax for just a moment. During that brief period of relief, you genuinely believed you were going to be okay.

The Omega had been rambling on and on for nearly half an hour now, talking about an array of topics from how excited he was about the camp to how he was really, really excited for the camp. You simply laid down beside him and listened, a fond smile on your face the entire time. You could listen him talk forever if you were given the choice.

“Do you think they’ll let us sleep beside each other?” Kirishima asked, turning to rest on his side, his beautiful red eyes peering into yours, his face just a few centimetres away. The smell of oranges in the air was sweet.

“I don’t think so, Eiji,” you replied, resting your hand behind his neck as you gently pulled him closer to you, the tip of his nose now touching yours. He let out a soft purr. “We’ll probably be split into girls and boys rooms.”

“Eh, but I’m not used to sleeping without your scent, Alpha,” Kirishima whined, stretching out his arms before he wrapped them around you as he buried his face into your chest, his head tucked under your chin.

You rolled your eyes but failed to stop yourself from smiling like an absolute fool. The only thing sweeter than his scent was the Omega himself. You kissed his forehead, letting your lips linger on his skin for a moment too long.

“We can exchange jackets before the camp if it’ll help you sleep better,” you suggested.

Kirishima held your jacket to his chest, hugging it close to his face as he allowed your fading scent to calm him. Ever since Yuurei arrived, more clones had been appearing but since the students had extra help in the form of your Ghost, taking them down was a lot easier.

Yuurei had just landed a final blow to the last clone when Aizawa finally returned, his Quick activating the moment he noticed there was an extra figure present but then he deactivated it just as quickly when he recognised what it was. With furrowed eyebrows, the Pro-Hero’s eyes scanned the room.

“Is (L/N) here?” he asked, looking around once more as if he could’ve missed anything the first time.

“Wait, sensei, you don’t know where she is?” Kirishima took a step forward, his fists clenching around the fabric in his hands even tighter, his knuckles were turning white.

“No,” the older man replied, visibly distraught, “I’ve asked every other person I’ve encountered and no one seems to know where she is.”

It felt… cold.

Very cold.

Kirishima always thought rage would feel hot like fire but all he felt then was nothing but coldness that rivalled that of what even Todoroki could muster. For a moment, the Omega couldn’t move, he wasn’t even breathing. All he could do was stare at his beloved sensei who merely looked at him with such uncharacteristic pity.

Suddenly, Kirishima was on his knees, your jacket on the floor in front of him.

“Aizawa sensei…” he muttered with a chilling calmness, his eyes nearly devoid of all emotion. “Please… please let me find her. I know it’s dangerous—” fuck his voice was cracking… how unmanly… “—(Y/N)’s my… the most important person in my life.” A tear had fallen. “Please, I swear I’ll be careful, just let me—”

“Kirishima, I…” the teacher sighed heavily, “you know I just can’t let you do that. The most I can do is go back out myself to find—”

Your staticky voice was back and all eyes shot over to the Ghost who’d been standing guard at the door. Yuurei turned around shakily, twitching erratically as incoherent words poured out of its mouth. It was walking in Kirishima’s direction but fell to the ground well before it could reach him.

Wreathing as if in immense pain, the Ghost spoke in your voice, “No… no! St-stay back! Don’t touch me!”

“(Y/N)!” Kirishima scurried forward, hands reaching out to grab the Ghost, only for his fingers to slip right through. Yuurei was fading away.

“Someone… someone help! Please, help! Can anyone hear me—”

Your scream echoed in the room as the Ghost disappeared.

Chapter Text

He hadn’t seen them in a long time, now that he thought about it. They looked older, more tired. Was it because of work? Or was this the result of hearing the news about what happened to you? They’d flown back as soon as they could, after all. They must’ve been worried sick.

Did they hate him? It was his fault you got taken away. Did they know that? Should he tell them?

“Eijirou?” your mother whispered, a hand covering her mouth, her eyes red and teary. Your father stood behind her, his hands on her shoulders. He looked like he’d been crying, too.

It was late at night and he hadn’t expected to see anyone on his way to the hospital, so for a moment his throat was so dry he couldn’t say a thing. They stood a few steps away from him, outside your home that was beside his.

“(L/N) obasan, ojisan, I—” Kirishima’s painstakingly-produced words were cut off by the feeling of a familiar warm body colliding into his. She hugged him tightly, a hand holding the back of his head as tenderly as she did back when he was much younger. Your mother’s hugs were always so warm, he’d forgotten how much he loved them until now.

“We’re so glad you’re okay, Eijirou,” she sobbed, swaying side-to-side as he returned her embrace. Kirishima’s hands clutched the back of her shirt with a firmness that felt much like desperation. He couldn’t help but feel his eyes burn with tears yet again as he choked on his words.

A slew of nearly incoherent apologies slipped out of his mouth as he sobbed, apologising for not protecting their daughter, for letting the love of his life fall into the hands of such grave danger. He should’ve been there, he shouldn’t have listened to his teacher, he should’ve looked for you on his own, perhaps then you wouldn’t be—

“No, no, no,” she hushed, “please don’t… Eijirou, none of it’s your fault.” A larger hand patted his shoulder.

“There’s nothing you could’ve done, Eijirou,” your father said, “please don’t blame yourself. We know (Y/N)’ll be rescued. She’s a strong girl, we know she’ll be able to protect herself until then.”

Kirishima nodded, his head heavy and his mind fuzzy. Your mother let him go, wiping away his tears with her hands before she did. It felt so cold when she stepped away. Was it strange he wanted the hug to last a little longer than it did? He wasn’t sure.

“Midoriya… I’m sorry.”

“Don’t say that. I want to do this as much as you do.”

“I just— Are you sure you’re feeling better enough to do this? You were pretty beaten up from the incident. It was scary seeing you all bandaged up when the class first came to visit.”

“Honestly… I don’t know. I just know that I have to do this. They’re my friends, too, and I… I feel like I could’ve saved them, or at least one of them.”

“We might not make it out alive, you know that right?”

“Yeah… but as long as we save them, it’ll be worth it right?”

“Definitely.”

“Don’t stay out too late, alright, Eijirou?” your father ruffled his hair. “And if the hospital’s visiting hours are over, don’t try to sneak in like last time,” he chuckled, a distinct fondness in his voice that only appeared every time he talked about you.

I’m sorry.

“Let us know when you’re home safe, okay?” your mother chimed in, chewing on her lower lip. “Please stay safe.”

“Of course, I’ll see you later, (L/N) obasan, ojisan.”

I can’t promise that.

—

You woke up with a start, your arms aching as they were forced into a weird position you couldn’t get yourself out of. You were sitting in a chair, your legs strapped to the legs of the chair, your hands tied together behind the backrest. You stretched your neck, groaning when it popped from leaning towards one side for the entirety of your unconsciousness.

Speaking of which… how long had you been out?

Your eyes darted around the unfamiliar area. It was a large room that was dimly lit with an industrial feel to it. There were tanks lined up neatly in two rows a distance away. When you squinted your eyes, you could see through the clear walls of the containers and the monstrosities that sat inside them.

You bit down on your tongue, forcing back a scream when you recalled where you last saw these mutated beings. It was in USJ when the League of Villains attacked your class. Why were they here? Why were you here?

You started to struggle against your bonds, your heart pounding heavily in your chest as adrenaline coursed through your veins. Your exhaustion slowly began to melt away but no matter how hard you tried, you couldn’t free yourself like this.

In the midst of your heavy breathing that was the only thing you could really hear, your ears picked up on the sound of slow footsteps. You stopped, feeling a chill run down your spine as your body turned cold. The footsteps were clearer now, louder. Slowly, you peered ahead of you and saw a silhouette of a man grow closer and closer.

Images began to flash through your mind. One moment you saw yourself dead on the ground, blood pouring out of the corner of your mouth. The next moment, you saw your corpse again but now in a greater stage of decay. Your eyes were wide open, staring blankly at the night sky above you. It felt incredibly lonely.

The man stopped when he was a few steps away from you. He had no discernible facial features. It was as though someone had taken his face and covered it with another layer of skin, leaving behind his mouth and two shallow, empty eye sockets.

He took another step closer and you nearly let out a scream. There was something about his presence that ignited a flame in you, one that was fuelled by raw, animalistic instinct that told you to get out. It screamed at you to run away now, even if it meant leaving losing a limb or two. You felt much like an animal trapped, waiting for its impending demise as its predator stalked closer and closer.

But there was another feeling, too.

Yuurei appeared from the darkness behind the man and swung its fist at the back of his head. The sound of bone crunching echoed in the room. The man groaned, leaning forward as if taking a moment to recover. The Ghost sent another jab his way but the man moved so quickly your eyes nearly didn’t catch it. There was a crushing noise and then your Ghost was gone.

“I’m impressed,” he chuckled, genuine amusement lacing his voice, “Tomura might have a use for your Quirk.”

A use for my Quirk?

“You’re gonna steal my Quirk and give it to someone else?” you inferred, speaking before you could even process what you were saying. Your voice trembled but you kept your eyes staring straight into where his were supposed to be.

“You’re a smart one, aren’t you?” he clapped, each one reverberating throughout the room. How big was this place?

“Even so,” you scoffed, the palms of your hands sweating profusely despite the confident front you were trying to uphold, “it took me a damn long time to even use my Quirk without passing out. I doubt whoever you’re gonna play Santa with is gonna pick it up before they die of old age.”

No one’s gonna take anything from me. I’d much rather die!

“Are you proposing a compromise then, young Hero?”

“What kind of compromise?”

“The kind where you get to keep your Quirk—and your life—but you have to work for me.”

A loud laugh forced its way out of your throat, shocking even the man before you as he took a small step back. You smiled up at him.

“Eat my ass!”

He sighed, shaking his head in disappointment. The man cracked his knuckles and then began coming closer, reaching his hand out as if to grab your entire face.

“Not as smart as I thought you were, I suppose.”

You leaned your head back as much as your body allowed it, the back of your neck digging painfully into the backrest of the metal chair. You could feel the warmth radiating from his hand as it came closer, your face tingling with horrified anticipation.

There was a loud noise. An explosion? The building shook. And then, you could see the night sky.

You spotted movement in your peripheral vision and you spun your head around, squinting to see through the thick dust that now clouded the air. There were Ghosts everywhere, nearly tens of them surrounding you. Half of them were pouncing onto the man, he destroyed them with little to no effort but the distraction was all Yuurei needed. Cutting off your binds, your Ghost scoops you into its arms.

It ran in the direction of where the moonlight was shining in. You felt yourself slowly sink lower and lower toward the ground. By the time you saw people, Yuurei was gone and you were sitting on the concrete floor.

“Hey, that’s one of the missing U.A. kids!” a booming female voice said, the sheer volume rattling your brain as you covered your ears with your hands, curling into a ball on the floor.

The world was spinning, the edges of your vision slowly turning dark. Everything moved slowly as if you were watching a video that just couldn’t stop lagging. A figure in a police uniform approached you, kneeling down in front of you. He was saying something but you couldn’t quite pick up on his words. He slowly pried your hands away from your head. A light was shone into your eyes and you winced.

The man inside.

“Th-there’s…” you muttered, tongue feeling the heaviest its ever been your entire life. “There i-is a… a ma- man… in-inside… d-dangerous…” you clung onto the police officer’s arm, spewing out words that sounded incoherent even to yourself. “G-get ou-out… We ha-have to g-go no-now!”

The person you spoke to moved with faint afterimages trailing behind him. You could see his face since he wore a helmet with a visor but you could just grasp the realisation that he didn’t understand a single thing you said.

You tightened your grip on his arm, ready to repeat yourself as your head swayed from side-to-side. Parting your lips, you stopped yourself to listen to the fuzzy voices behind you. More people were talking… talking about a man.

There was a loud noise. An explosion? The building shook. And then, you could see the night sky.

You were going closer and closer to it.

If you reached out your hand perhaps you could take a star and bring it home.

But to who?

For a split second—just a fraction of a singular second—you stopped midair, having arrived at the furthest point you would ever reach. As you began to descend, your body falling helplessly through the air, you caught just the faintest whiff of oranges.

“Stop giving me your food!” Kirishima whined, holding his plate out of your reach.

“But you’re my Omega!” you retorted, stretching out your hand that held a fork with half an omelette stuck to the end of it. You swayed it from side-to-side in his face as you stifled your laughter. “I need to feed you! You must be stronk!”

“I’m already STRONK,” Kirishima snorted, snatching your utensil out of your hand before flinging it back onto your own plate. The egg nearly flew off onto the table but fortunately managed to flop down right onto the edge of your plate. “If I want more food we can just cook it! Don’t give me your food!”

“You’re gonna eat my food and you’re gonna like it!” you huffed, lifting your entire plate off the dining table, ready to push all of its contents onto his.

“NO!” he pushed your face away, now snorting uncontrollably. “Stop it, Alpha!”

The ground was coming closer, closer, closer.

How did that morning end? You couldn’t recall.

What a shame.

“When do you think we’ll… y’know?” he asked. You didn’t quite understand, at least not until you saw Kirishima scratch at his scent gland, fingers digging into his own neck. You felt your heart skip a few beats.

“Maybe after we graduate,” you said, “if you still wanna do it by then.”

“Of course, I do!” Kirishima said indignantly, giving you an over-exaggerated pout as he puffed up his cheeks. “I’ve always wanted to bond with you! The day we do it will be a dream come true.”

You felt a tear escape the corner of your eye.

Was this all you were going to see before you died?

You wished you could’ve seen a little bit more of him.

I’m sorry, Eijirou. I think you’ll have to find someone else—

Nothingness.

Chapter Text

You were standing somewhere—you weren’t entirely sure where—and you could see everything. You could see the inside and the outside of the bus, your classmates goofing around, your teacher trying to sleep in the frontmost seat. Everything was fuzzy though, as if just slightly out of focus. You knew exactly what everything was, you just couldn’t really see it… except for one thing, at least.

You watched the scene before you play out like a movie, fully aware of how strange it was to observe yourself from such an odd perspective. You—the one from the past—were sitting in the seat by the window with Kirishima’s head resting on your lap. He’d fallen asleep soon after the bus left U.A., you remembered that.

You had a hand awkwardly placed by his face, your palm cupping his cheek. Normally, you would’ve pulled it away, the position was far too uncomfortable to maintain for the entire ride, but he was holding it. Kirishima’s fingers loosely grasped yours in his sleep, keeping it by his side, occasionally nuzzling into the warmth of your palm .

You smiled to yourself as you continued watching the memory play out. You could remember hearing him let out a soft whine whenever he, in his deep slumber, deemed you’d moved your hand far too much. The Omega would press his face further into your touch, maintaining a contented smile on his face for the entire ride to the training camp.

You blinked and found yourself in a different place.

It was a familiar location although you could tell some things had been moved around if you looked closely enough. It was his room and there the two of you were: sprawled out on his floor as you both held out your respective envelopes. Despite having received them from U.A. that morning, neither of you wanted to check your results.

There was some movement by the door, your eyes following it instantaneously. His parents were standing there, anxious looks etched onto their normally relaxed faces.

Huh, you never knew they were spying on you that day.

You and the Omega counted down from five together, tearing open your envelopes at “one”. Two identical devices dropped out of the packaging and they simultaneously produced a hologram video.

Welcome to U.A.’s Hero Course!

You couldn’t help but smile as the two of you let out synchronised cheers, throwing your arms in the air. You lunged forward and tackled the boy into a hug, the momentum of which causing both of you to fall to the ground whilst still in the other’s embrace. Your legs were tangled together as Kirishima rolled around his room, bringing you with him.

You heard a stifled sniffle and turned around, seeing his parents standing in the same place as before but now with teary eyes and wide smiles. His father gazed down fondly at his mother and they laughed, pulling each other into a hug of their own.

This time, you didn’t even blink and the scenery before you changed on its own. There was no gradual transformation or transition. It simply went from being his bedroom to being a street you no longer walked down as often as you did in the past. Your Junior High and U.A. were located in completely opposite directions from your neighbourhood, after all.

The black-haired boy walked closely behind you, his head hung low but his eyes peering at the back of your head with much sorrow. You’d been ignoring him for the entire day.

Kirishima tugged at your uniform, lips twitching into a frown, “I didn’t mean to…” he said softly, sighing when you, yet again, refused to even spare him a glance. “I’m sorry, (Y/N)-chan… please forgive me… don’t ignore me like this, I… I don’t like it when you hate me.”

What had you been angry about again? You couldn’t quite remember but it must’ve been bad. Even from where you stood, a distance away from the memory of years ago, you could smell the angered scent coming from your past self.

You furrowed your eyebrows, your frown deepening as your eyes watered up slightly. You tugged your uniform out of the boy’s grasp and quickened your pace, gritting your teeth as he followed right behind you.

You knew Kirishima had lied about something. It was something petty and stupid but it hurt you nonetheless. How stubborn you’d been back then. It was obvious you hated making him upset, too, but childish pride stopped you from forgiving him. You remembered you continued ignoring him for a few more days, only finally giving in when he cried so hard he nearly began hyperventilating.

You smiled to yourself—although this one felt more sad—and peered down at your feet. Everything was still blurry.

When you looked back up, things had changed once more.

Now you were in your bedroom but it looked so much more different than you last remembered it. The walls were painted a different colour—a pale pink—and your bed was smaller, filled with more soft toys, your blanket looked like the one you used as a child.

Ah… this memory.

You were almost completely hidden under your blanket, a wet cloth resting on your forehead. You were beginning to doze off, your eyelids drooping again and again, no matter how much you tried to stay awake. You couldn’t remember why you didn’t want to sleep, you were so sick, after all.

You moved—a little bit—only when you noticed something moving near your window. The glass panel was pushed open slightly by a hand as small as yours before a mess of black hair popped up. Kirishima’s eyes scanned the room cautiously and when it was deemed free of adults, the boy crawled in.

“Eiji! Why are you here?” you wheezed, struggling to even speak at a low volume. He walked over to your bedside with a big smile.

“I wanna be with you!” he chirped, already trying to climb onto your bed.

“No, I’ll make you sick, Eiji,” you said, coughing at the end, as you tried to push him away. You failed miserably.

“I don’t care,” Kirishima declared before plopping down by your side, curling up into a ball as he snuggled closer to you. He gently grabbed parts of your shirt as he slowly closed his eyes, “goodnight.”

You remembered that he did get sick after that. He was rather whiny about it, too. You smiled to yourself, unable to tear your eyes away from the scene in front of you. You were both so young back then, so innocent, with so little worries.

“Who’re you?” he asked and you froze in place, your entire body feeling as if it’s been dunked in a tank of freezing water. Your eyes trailed over to Kirishima, his own red ones were staring straight back into yours. He stretched out a hand and pulled your sleeping body closer to his own before wrapping both arms around you protectively.

“I…” you began, feeling your throat go dry. Kirishima’s eyes widened ever so slightly.

“Shouldn’t you be going back now?” he asked with eery serenity.

Oh, right…

The scene before you changed once more and you had an unsettling feeling that this would be the last time.

Now, you were in another bedroom but it looked like one for adults. It was slightly familiar now that you thought about it however, you still couldn’t quite figure out where this place was.

There were people speaking outside so you took a step back and leaned so you could just see out the bedroom door. Around a table sat your parents and Kirishima obasan and ojisan. They chatted excitedly, each with a mug on the table in front of them. They all looked much younger, too, as if they’d lost fifteen years of ageing just like that.

“It’s such a shame you’ll be moving away!” your mother said, reaching over the table to place her hand over Kirishima obasan’s. They shared a sombre look. “It’ll be weird not seeing you every day.”

“Yeah,” she replied, smiling sadly. “Sometimes I consider not moving at all so we can just stay here together. We’re basically one big family, aren’t we?” she turned and asked her husband who nodded in return.

“I suspect Eijirou might actually like (Y/N)-chan more than us,” he said with a laugh.

There was a moment of silence in which both your own parents looked deep in thought. Your mother tightened her grasp on Kirishima obasan’s hand before looking up, her eyes peering straight into those of her best friend.

“Why don’t we move with you? Into the same neighbourhood?”

You turned around, the conversation going fuzzy when your attention was directed elsewhere. You wanted to continue listening but there was something else. You walked over to the bed and felt your heart melt.

You two must’ve been three or four years old. You were laying down beside a sleeping Kirishima, his mouth wide open as he drooled in his slumber. You merely stayed in place, your own wide, bright eyes looking at him intently as though he were the most important thing in your tiny world.

Baby Kirishima let out a soft whine and shifted in his sleep, wriggling around in discomfort. Suddenly, he coughed and then began to sob softly, eyebrows furrowed as his eyes remained tightly shut.

You reached out a small, chubby hand and placed it on his face, cupping his cheek. You patted him gently. It seemed as though baby-you knew you could potentially wake him up and thus you made an effort to avoid that. The young boy let out a gurgling noise, his lips now forming a smile. His own two hands reached up to hold yours, keeping it pressed against his face.

Both of you fell into a peaceful slumber.

You didn’t want to leave, not before you could savour this moment a little longer. But somehow, there was a twisting sensation in your gut that told you it was time to go. Perhaps if you kept your eyes open and refused to blink, you could stay here for a bit more? You wanted to try but it caught you off-guard: the pain.

A sharp, piercing sensation shot through your skull, from the back of your head to the forefront of your mind. You hissed in pain, hands shooting up to grab your face as though it was about to fall apart.

Your eyes were now closed and you were afraid but, slowly, you opened them. The pain was no longer present although there was a slight throbbing sensation around your head like a rubber band could threaten to crush it by sheer force but didn’t.

You were in the middle of a great nothingness.

It was much shorter than you’d expected: your life.

Everything was dark but it wasn’t scary like you thought it would be.

You always thought you’d be around much longer than this.

Instead, standing there was rather calming and peaceful.

Did you have any regrets?

You noticed a small light coming from ahead of you, in a distance you couldn’t fathom.

Not really.

Your legs decided for you that you would walk towards it—it felt like the right thing to do.

Though, you just wished you could’ve…

You stopped, bringing your hand up to your face. Your fingers brushed away the tears that had begun to fall. Strange, you didn’t feel anything.

You wished you could’ve…

You almost continued walking. Almost. But there was a scent coming from behind you and it was the only thing that felt real.

It smelled like oranges.

You turned around and walked towards that, instead: the familiar scent that you just couldn’t ever get tired of. Before you knew it, you’d begun to run, your legs growing heavier and heavier with every step. It was almost excruciating to even move at that point but, god, something just told you to keep going.

The scent was growing stronger. You were almost there.

You woke up with a start, sucking in a sharp breath through your teeth. Your body felt like it’d been through hell. There was a window by your side, it was dark out.

You felt a weight pressing down on your abdomen. You reached a hand down to touch it before your eyes could see what it was, your head felt too heavy to move normally. Your fingers brushed against soft hair and an overwhelming sensation of relief washed over you instantly.

Your Omega was asleep by your side. He was seated in a chair but had slumped over so that he could rest his head on your tummy. Kirishima’s head was turned in your direction as though he’d been looking at you before he succumbed to exhaustion. He looked tired and his eyebrows were constantly furrowed even while he was unconscious. He looked skinnier, too.

Before you could decide between waking him up or going back to sleep, Kirishima himself work up with a start, his eyes shooting open meet your own instantly. He panted and that’s when you realised his forehead was covered in a thin sheen of sweat. Slowly, you pushed his hair out of his forehead. His eyes widened and he stopped breathing for a moment, his lips began to tremble.

“Hello—” you said, interrupted by the boy suddenly scrambling on top of you, nearly kicking his chair to the ground in the process.

Kirishima collapsed against your chest, pushing himself up against you as much as he could, his face buried in the crook of your neck. His hands had found their way around your body, you could feel his fingers clutching desperately at the hospital gown you were wearing. He was shaking and you could feel warm tears soaking the fabric over your shoulder. Your Omega was mumbling something but you couldn’t understand a word, his speech too muffled by his need to press his face against your scent gland.

You wrapped your arms around him and felt your eyes burn. “Don’t cry, Eijirou,” you hushed, rubbing your hands up and down his back, “I’m here now, Omega, please… don’t be sad anymore.”

Kirishima nodded fervently but continued sobbing anyway.

“I love you,” he said, choking on his words, “I thought you were gone… Please… don’t ever leave me like that again… please… I love you.”

You began crying, too, your heart twisting in your chest like never before. It felt as if it could burst from love but also be crushed by it at the same time.

Pressing your lips to his head, you said, “I didn’t leave, Eijirou. I never left you and I never will, okay? I-I’m sorry I scared you… I love you, too.”

He hiccuped, moving his face away from your neck. You thought he was going to look at you but instead you felt his teeth graze at your scent gland. You felt a shiver run down your spine.

“Can I, Alpha?” he whispered, voice steadier than before.

“Are you sure?” you asked, unable to stop the ends of your lips from tugging upwards into a smile. “I thought we were gonna do it after we graduated.” The Omega let out a soft whine.

“There’s no one else I want to bond with so why should we wait?” he replied. “I want to be with you forever.”

“I wanna be with you forever, too, Eiji,” you said in return, kissing the crown of his head once more.

Slowly, you felt the Omega sink his teeth into your neck as he marked your scent gland. You knew you would have to do the same right after to complete the process but for a moment—just a little one—all you could do was bask in his love and the sweet smell of oranges.