Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

IZUKU

Life before his presentation had been so simple. Everyone was equal… more or less. There were no secondary genders to make friendships awkward.

Izuku could quietly be in love. Back then, Katsuki wasn’t completely out of reach. Izuku could hold out his hand without flinching.

Girls matured faster and thus presented first. Ochako said that she presented as an omega just after her eleventh birthday. When others found out, they heaped praise onto her, as if she’d performed a biological miracle. Her family received a small grant from the government to use towards her future. She was introduced to young alphas around her age (mostly females and a scattering of early-presenting males) in hopes of sparking interest in an arranged marriage.

It only served to overwhelm Ochako. Her parents pulled her out of the omega programs at her tearful request. Like her, they’d been swept into the expectations of an omega blindly. Both sides of their family had only ever produced betas. Ochako was the first omega in five generations.

The last program she left was the omega support meetings held at their middle school. She’d only gone for her final one as a formality, and to explain in person that everyone had been wonderful, but it didn’t suit her needs. She’d gotten strange looks for that. As she’d left the classroom, Izuku had been coming around the corner, his nose in his notebook. He yelped in alarm and realized too late that Ochako was standing in the hallway. He’d tried avoiding her, only to nearly fall flat on his face.

A hand reached out and grabbed him by the arm. “Be careful!” Ochako had said. After steadying him on his feet, she added, “It’s a bad omen to trip and fall!”

Friendship instantly blossomed between the two of them. They were both in eighth grade, with Izuku a few months from his fourteenth birthday. Izuku hadn’t befriended an omega before, and chatted Ochako’s ear off, asking her a million questions about her experiences. He only stopped when Katsuki appeared behind them and grabbed him by his collar.

“Will you shut up already?” he growled. “You’ll scare her away.”

Izuku’s heart leapt. “Kacchan! I thought you were at band practice?”

“Shit got cancelled.” He stared at Ochako. “Who’s this?”

“Ah! This is Uraraka. She’s in Class 2-B. She saved me from breaking my nose on the floor.”

“I can’t leave you alone for five minutes without you hurting yourself.”

Izuku’s face grew warm. Katsuki’s fingers brushed against the nape of his neck. Electricity seemingly sparked on Izuku’s skin from the touch. Katsuki had to be unaware of how this was affecting Izuku, because he would’ve let go otherwise. Instead, he kept a tight grip on Izuku’s collar as he spoke to Ochako.

“You’re an omega, huh? You bailed on the meet-up going on?”

Ochako nodded. She pulled down her sleeve instinctively, the one covering her omega mark on her wrist. “It’s too weird. Everyone just wants to talk about finding wealthy alphas or attending the Mating Ceremony when they’re older. I thought it was too old-fashioned, thinking like that, so I quit.”

“Good fucking riddance,” said Katsuki. “That shit’s a waste of time. My parents didn’t need SoulMate to meet.”

“Neither did mine. But they’re both betas, so it’s not like they would’ve been accepted anyway.”

“But SoulMate has been successful with helping alphas and omegas to find mates,” Izuku said. He jumped when Katsuki pinched his neck to try and shut him up. “It’s true, Kacchan! I want to try it out when I’m eighteen.”

He thought of Katsuki, and his heart ached for him, despite Katsuki standing right behind Izuku. “Just to experiment with it, really.”

Katsuki huffed. “You haven’t presented yet. Why are you making all these shitty plans already?”

“Because…” Izuku’s words drifted away. He didn’t know how to explain it to Katsuki and Ochako. He just knew deep down that Katsuki was destined to present as an alpha. Katsuki had the temperament, the strong will, and the protective nature that was common among them. It would be unimaginable for him to be anything else.

But he could also possibly present as an enigma. Katsuki could pull that off by sheer force of will. If he turned out to be one of the chosen ones, then it wouldn’t matter what Izuku’s secondary gender was. He could keep loving his Kacchan without fear of societal rejection.

Betas were common in Izuku’s family, but his mother was an omega. There was a chance that he could become one too.

“It’s good to be proactive,” Izuku said meekly.

KATSUKI

Katsuki had just turned fourteen a week ago. His parents and doctor predicted that he would present his secondary gender any day now. It lined up with how puberty worked; your body changed and adjusted for whatever you were destined to become. Omegas grew wombs, for example. Female alphas grew… a new appendage that they never had before. Bodies were horrifying for everyone, except for betas. They stayed exactly the same.

Blood lineage played a huge role in determining how Katsuki would end up, but everyone agreed that he would become an alpha. His mother was one, and so was his maternal grandmother. Masaru’s side of the family had a healthy dosage of alphas too, with a few omegas like him. As far as Katsuki knew, there wasn’t a single beta to be found in his extended family.

Izuku had been annoyingly insistent that Katsuki would be an alpha. He seemed anxious ever since Katsuki’s birthday, checking on him constantly and muttering new theories under his breath. Katsuki told him to knock it off, and Izuku would… for a few days. Then it was back to speculations that he could barely keep to himself.

Katsuki wished that he would present already, just to get it over with. He was too similar to Mitsuki to not become an alpha, so he couldn’t see himself as an omega or beta. It was ludicrous to even entertain the idea.

Now they had Ochako Uraraka hanging around them, which only made the concept of presenting very real to both boys. They had other omegas in their school, but they were still rare. Most were older students, who didn’t want to interact with their younger classmates. They formed little groups and attended the omega support meetings that were government funded. Ochako had been the only one willing to hang out with the damn nerd, and so she’d been thrown into Katsuki’s life by proxy.

Katsuki didn’t care, as long as it made Izuku happy. He finally had someone to match his energy when Katsuki was too annoyed to deal with him. Ochako was relieved to have friends to talk to and weren’t intimidated by her omega status. A month after becoming friends, she’d confessed to Katsuki that his “delinquent aura” helped keep the other alphas away.

“I’m sorry, that’s not fair to you,” she said, looking guilty. “I don’t want you to think that I’m using you.”

“I don’t give a fuck,” Katsuki said. “I’m used to dealing with assholes.” He was reminded of when he and Izuku were younger, and how the older kids would pick on his nerd. They’d called Izuku an omega because of his meek, kind nature. They’d acted like presenting as an omega was an insult. What they didn’t expect was to have the shit beaten out of them by an enraged Katsuki. Since then, Izuku clung more than usual to him.

“I’m too young to be mated,” Ochako said. “This isn’t going to stop until I have a partner. But I don’t want to get together with someone for my own convenience.”

“If anyone bothers you again, tell them you already have a boyfriend,” said Katsuki. “Say it’s me, and then they’ll back off.”

Ochako laughed. “They’ll run for the hills.” She frowned. “But, what about Midoriya?”

“What about him?”

“Won’t he be upset?”

“Hah?” What was she getting at?

“He gets heart eyes whenever you’re around. He’s not exactly subtle with how much he admires you,” Ochako explained. “I think he’d be crushed if you weren’t single, even it was for a fake relationship.”

Well, fuck.

“We’ll just explain it to him,” said Katsuki. “He’ll understand. He’s not gonna deny you some security against those assholes because of… whatever the fuck you think is going on with him.”

“Uh huh,” said Ochako. She didn’t believe him. Well, she was free to think that Izuku was in love with Katsuki if she wanted to.

It turned out that Izuku was completely on board with the little ruse. “It makes sense to have that protection, Uraraka,” he nodded. “I’ve been reading up on the history of unmated omegas, and it wasn’t like it is now. Their parents would marry them off to wealthy alphas to ensure their safety and to continue the bloodline. There were also cases of domestic violence where omegas were treated as broodmares by their alphas. Have you ever heard about the infamous Shigaraki case from fifty years ago, where Detective Kudou discovered an undocumented male omega who’d been impregnated by his older twin brother and imprisoned in their family’s estate—?”

Ochako turned ghostly pale as Izuku rambled away. Katsuki grabbed him, put him in a headlock and covered his mouth. “Are you trying to scare her into never leaving her house again?” he snapped. “All you had to say was, ‘yes, I agree with you.’ So now you’re gonna apologize to her.”

He released Izuku, who fell to his knees into a clumsy dogeza. “I’m sorry, Uraraka,” he said. At least he sounded ashamed. “I didn’t mean to upset you. I’ll only go into tangents if you ask me to.”

“I don’t want you to stop being yourself,” Ochako said quickly. She squatted down and patted Izuku’s unruly curls. “But maybe warn me next time you talk about true crime, okay?”

Despite her reassurances about being okay, Ochako was noticeably shaken up. Whenever another alpha tried to speak to her, she made up a quick excuse before running away. She had no problem being around Katsuki and his alpha-like attitude, but the others at school now unnerved her.

One Sunday afternoon, the trio went to the bookstore because Izuku wanted to buy the latest volume of a manga series he’d been following for years. An alpha from another middle school (his shitty red hair with black roots made him stand out) spoke cheerfully to Ochako at the end of one aisle. She went white and suddenly exclaimed, “I have a boyfriend!” She grabbed Katsuki’s arm and thrust him forward. “He’s got a bad temper, so watch out!”

“The fuck, Cheeks?!”

Ochako flushed but she stood her ground. “He’ll tear your head off if you try anything!”

Izuku was midway pulling a book off the shelf behind them and froze. He looked between Katsuki and the alpha intently. Katsuki rolled his eyes; the poor fucker was barely exuding his scent. He looked a little confused but not offended.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” he said, bowing his head. “I saw your Sailor Mercury button on your bag and wanted to ask you about it. I’ve been wanting to get into some old anime but didn’t know where to start. My friend Mina told me that I should start with some nineties stuff.”

Ochako’s averted her eyes, embarrassed by her overreaction. “Oh, um… I thought you wanted something else.”

The alpha boy laughed softly. “Oh no, I think I’m a bit too young to be… you know, courting and stuff. Maybe in ten years when I have a good job and can support whoever I end up with.”

IZUKU

Izuku managed to take the book off the shelf and add it to the small pile in his arms. He let out a breath. Ochako apologized for her overreaction and then stepped back to let Katsuki do most of the talking.

The strange boy introduced himself as Eijirou Kirishima. He went to a different middle school than them, the one six blocks away from theirs. He’d just presented as an alpha three weeks ago. Like Ochako, he’d been overwhelmed with the reactions to his secondary gender and needed something to distract him from his worries. Hence, the need for anime recommendations.

“Gosh, I’m so embarrassed!” Ochako said once Eijirou left. She pressed her hands to her reddened cheeks. “I can’t believe I assumed that he wanted to ask me out! I’m really full of myself, aren’t I?”

“You’ve had a lot of bad experiences with them in the past. I would’ve also thought the same thing,” Izuku reassured her. Once he presented as an omega, he would have to deal with similar situations. Strangers always thought that he would be easier to grab due to his gentle nature. Fortunately, Katsuki had always made quick work of those who tried to pull anything on him.

“The fucker was harmless,” Katsuki growled. “Next time, don’t shove me like that.”

“But you agreed to be my fake boyfriend!” Ochako reminded him.

“I did! But give me a warning before you force me to fight your battles.”

“I panicked!”

Katsuki and Ochako argued all the way to the cashier. Izuku paid for his books and placed them into his oversized backpack. He’d made room in it earlier, but he still had to wedge his new manga into it. Izuku wasn’t trying to eavesdrop on his friends, but they were so loud that he heard every word.

He didn’t mind that they got along so well. It was good for friends… just friends… to talk so casually to each other. It would help deepen their bond. It would also make their fake relationship more convincing to those they were trying to fool. That’s all.

Izuku tried buckling the flap down on his backpack, but the manga was too bulky. He had to push down on the top as he struggled to close it.

Stay down, stay down, stay down. Don’t make a big fuss.

“You’re gonna warp your books if you do that.” Katsuki took Izuku’s bag, reopened it—all that effort, wasted! —and pulled out a couple of volumes. He pushed the backpack into Izuku’s arms, who hastily clasped the top. “Just carry the rest, dumbass.”

Spring passed by, and summer approached with flaming ambition. Izuku’s birthday was in a fortnight, and then their six-week summer break would follow shortly after. Most of their classmates had now presented as their secondary gender. As the days crept by, Izuku’s thorny anxiety dug deeply into him. He was hopelessly aware that he and Katsuki would be next. It was rare for children to go into high school without presenting. They were only in their second year of middle school, so there was still time. But something told Izuku that they wouldn’t be waiting long.

He didn’t want it to happen during the school day. Presenting came with physical signs, like profuse sweating, flushed skin, dilated pupils, and then their gender’s mark appearing on their wrists like a brand. It would remain forever, always reminding them about their role in society.

Ochako always hid her mark with either long sleeves or workout bands. Now that it was summer, she stuck with the latter. It made it too obvious about what she was trying to conceal, but she was tired of being treated like a prize to be won. She refused to show Izuku and Katsuki it, despite Izuku’s innocent curiosity.

“You’ll see what it looks like once yours shows up,” she’d snapped after Izuku pried too much. Katsuki had told him off shortly after, and Izuku had gone back to Ochako to apologize.

Now, Izuku frequently glanced down at his wrist, hoping to see some evidence of a mark. He often traced the omega sign with his fingertip over his pulse, as if willing it into existence.

I’m destined to be an omega. I must be. Kacchan is going to be an alpha. Once we’ve both presented, then…

Maybe he could work up the courage to confess.

Izuku could recall the day Katsuki presented as if it had just happened. It was July fourteenth, the day before Izuku’s birthday. That morning, Inko had asked Izuku what he’d wanted for his birthday dinner. She was going grocery shopping that morning and wanted to get everything ready. Izuku hadn’t thought of anything in particular; he requested katsudon. His mind was on other things, like how he’d noticed Katsuki looking off the day before.

It'd been nothing worrying if you didn’t know Katsuki, but Izuku did. During PE, Katsuki had been slower during their warm-up around the field by a mere two seconds. He drank more water between classes, as if he was having trouble retaining it in his body. He glared more frequently at their alpha classmates whenever they tried speaking to Ochako and snapped at one of them when they tried to ask her to sit with him during lunch.

“Fuck off before I rip your head off!”

“Bakugou!” Ochako exclaimed. She’d gotten used to his brazen protectiveness, but today it’d been heightened to dangerous levels. “Cool it, will you?”

Katsuki went stiff, his eyes wide and pupils dilated. “I—” He pressed a palm to his forehead. “Fuck, I’ll be back.”

He left the classroom just as the lunch bell rang. Ochako watched him anxiously. She pulled Izuku aside and whispered, “He’s presenting.”

“What?!”

“Don’t play dumb, Midoriya. All the signs are there. I experienced similar ones, just not the aggression.” She bit her lip. “Go with him. I can’t… I would just make it worse for him.”

Her omega status, her pheromones. They’d already added fuel to the fire. Izuku wasn’t an omega yet, so his scent wouldn’t hurt Katsuki. He was plain as ever, and hopefully that would sooth Katsuki’s nerves.

Izuku left the classroom and headed for the nurse’s office. He caught up to Katsuki quickly and grabbed his wrist. “Kacchan, wait! I’ll come with you.”

Katsuki wrenched free from Izuku’s grasp, hissing in pain. He whipped around to face Izuku, and Izuku’s heart jumped at seeing the sweat pour down Katsuki’s face.

“That fucking hurt, nerd,” he said. He swayed on his feet and stumbled forward. “Fuck, I’m gonna puke.”

Izuku glanced down at Katsuki’s wrist. It was bleeding as red-hot lines cut into it, forming the Greek letter… α.

KATSUKI

Katsuki couldn’t remember what happened after that. He’d blacked out as the agonizing pain from his wrist reached a crescendo. He only recalled the terrified, concerned look Izuku gave him, and the lines of blood that ran down from his alpha mark.

IZUKU. DON’T BE AFRAID. ALPHA IS HERE. STAY.

How could he be so weak as to end up in the hospital? That wasn’t common for an alpha’s presentation. The body responding like it was fighting off a stomach flu should’ve been the worst of it. But according to the doctor, those with exceptionally powerful alpha instincts suffered the most when presenting. Their bodies couldn’t cope with the demands of their emerging inner alpha.

Katsuki’s had been an insatiable demon. It’d emerged due to a powerful, emotional state. It could’ve been caused by anyone or anything, but Katsuki knew what had triggered the mark into finally emerging.

Kacchan, wait! I’ll come with you.

The fucking nerd, his clingy little Deku. He’d been around Katsuki since forever, so naturally his inner alpha would want to come out and claim him. But Izuku hadn’t presented yet. Why would his inner alpha be so adamant about choosing him of all people?

WE KNOW WHY.

Fuck, how long had he been in love with Izuku Midoriya?

When Katsuki woke up again, his father was in his hospital room. Masaru sat at his bedside and sobbed with relief when Katsuki barked at him for sitting too close. His father couldn’t help being worried; his omega instincts made him susceptible to his nurturing tendencies.

“Where’s Mom?” Katsuki asked weakly.

Masaru wiped his eyes. “She’s talking to the doctor. Your fever broke, but they want you to stay overnight.”

Katsuki looked down at his wrist. It’d been carefully bandaged. “I’d rather go home. I can’t stand hospital food. It tastes like shit.”

Masaru laughed softly. “I’ll bring you food from home. What are you craving?”

“…Katsudon.”

His strange request reminded Katsuki that Izuku’s birthday was tomorrow. Fuck, his little nerd was going to be devastated if Katsuki wasn’t there to celebrate with him. Katsuki chuckled softly at the image. His heart quickened.

IZUKU. OUR IZUKU. MATE, MATE, MATE. OURS. WHERE IS MATE?

“Is anyone else here?” Katsuki asked.

“Izuku is in the cafeteria with Uraraka. They should be back soon.” Masaru smiled. “You have wonderful friends, Katsuki. I hope you appreciate them.”

“Hmm.”

“Your mother will go over the details with you. You two are so alike. Both alphas! Well, we always suspected that you’d take after her instead of me. It’s for the best.”

“Hmm.”

Masaru leaned over and ruffled Katsuki’s hair. He didn’t have the energy to swat his hand away. He didn’t want to. It’d been years since Katsuki had let his father coddle him. Now that he was an alpha, Katsuki would need to grow up. This would be the last time.

A few minutes later, his mother returned with the doctor. He checked Katsuki’s vitals and asked him some questions about his physical and emotional state during his presentation. Katsuki didn’t think it was any of this quack’s business how he’d felt during the ordeal, but Mitsuki urged him to be truthful.

So he told them what had happened… for the most part. He omitted the details of how his mark was triggered from Izuku’s presence. It was none of their business about who he loved.

WHERE IS MATE? GIVE US MATE!!!

Goddammit, calm down already! His father already said that Izuku was in the hospital. Katsuki would see him, as soon that this fucking doctor left.

Ten minutes later, the useless asshole finally decided that Katsuki would stay overnight for observation. Visiting hours were almost done, but there was still time for one more visit. Katsuki’s parents left to make room for Izuku and Ochako.

The former’s eyes were bloodshot and puffy. Fresh tear tracks ran down his face. While he rushed to Katsuki’s bedside, Ochako hung back, keeping close to the door.

OMEGA FRIEND. DON’T BE AFRAID. COME HERE.

Beyond platonic protectiveness, Ochako’s presence didn’t cause the usual reaction most alphas had around unmated omegas. Her scent was stronger to him now, but it wasn’t enticing. She was as interesting as unscented soap to him.

Izuku didn’t have much of a scent either, but that was to be expected until he presented. What would he smell like? Probably sunflowers.

Izuku sat down and took Katsuki’s hand. Katsuki let him; the little nerd looked ready to sob his eyes out again. “K-Kacchan, I was so worried! What happened? Did the doctors say why you had such an intense presentation? Did something trigger it? Your parents said you must stay the night, but why? Are you—?”

“Shut up and calm down,” Katsuki said, not unkindly. “Everything’s fine. I’m not dying.”

Izuku sobbed and wiped his eyes. “Oh, okay. I knew you wouldn’t die, Kacchan. You’re too strong and amazing and—”

“Can you stop praising me for five goddamn minutes?” Katsuki looked over at Ochako. “Don’t just hover there, Uraraka. It’s pissing me off.”

“I don’t want to overwhelm your senses,” Ochako said. She took a step back. “I did that to the other alphas.”

“Yeah, but they were weak little bitches who let their instincts control them,” Katsuki said. “I’m better than them.”

Ochako laughed softly. “I guess you’re right.” She walked closer and stood at the end of Katsuki’s bed.

IZUKU

He thought everything would turn out alright. Izuku had been dreaming since they were children that Katsuki would become an alpha, and Izuku would be his omega. His heart ached for Katsuki to love him back, but now that dream had been shattered.

Hours after leaving the hospital, Izuku had barely drifted off to sleep when an agonizing pain torn through his wrist. He snapped awake and grabbed his wrist as white-hot pain engraved into his flesh. He bit down on his lip to muffle his screams, and blood bubbled up from where his teeth punctured them.

But he couldn’t help but be elated. He was finally presenting! Soon, he would see the omega mark on his wrist, and then everything would fall into place—

But as he raced to the bathroom to clean up the blood and sooth the burning sensation, Izuku’s eyes fell upon the mark. No, no, no, no. This wasn’t right, it must be a trick of the light…

It wasn’t the omega mark at all. It wasn’t even the alpha one. Instead, a small, ugly β marred him.

Beta.

Plain. Not special. Not needed. Just a useless little blip in the population.

Unworthy of Katsuki’s love.

Izuku collapsed in the hallway and screamed in misery.

He could still recall the pain the mark had caused him, as if it were yesterday.

The rest of that week had been a blur. His mother had been awoken by his screams and had comforted him as best as she could. She’d tended to his wound and put him back to bed.

Izuku had lost his appetite for days on end. He’d stayed home, drifting in and out of sleep, wanting to die so that his misery could end. He didn’t celebrate his birthday, because what was there to celebrate? His life was over.

He was unworthy of Katsuki. He’d never considered that he would be damned to be a beta. Inko was an omega, and Izuku had received everything from her except his Y chromosome. His estranged father was a beta, so it had to be his fault.

Katsuki had turned up on his birthday to check on him. Izuku pretended to be asleep as Katsuki entered his room and sat on the side of his bed. He reached over to touch Izuku’s bandaged wrist, and Izuku flinched.

“Stop pretending and open your eyes, Izuku. Auntie said that you presented last night.”

Izuku opened his eyes, which only released the floodgates. “Did she say what I was?”

“No, only that you were devastated.” Katsuki traced a finger over Izuku’s bandage. “Are you scared of being an omega? You were always reading up those true crime stories about them. That Shigaraki case had you shook for a week.” Katsuki closed your eyes. “Do you think someone is gonna kidnap and rape you now? Because you know I won’t let that happen.”

Why was there such tender affection in his voice? Izuku didn’t deserve it. Katsuki was wasting it on some loser beta. He deserved someone who could be his perfect match.

“I know you won’t,” Izuku said. He choked down his sobs. How long could he put this off, before Katsuki insisted on seeing the mark? He would be disgusted that it wasn’t omega, like it should’ve been.

His presentation had been painful, but short. There’d been no build-up, no subtle hints that his body was moulding a womb inside him. Izuku should’ve known that presenting immediately after Katsuki was too good to be true.

Without a womb, he had nothing to offer an alpha. He might as well be infertile.

He was terrified, but he needed to show Katsuki. Rip off the Band-Aid, literally. Then, when Katsuki saw how useless he was, he would…

No, he couldn’t lose Katsuki! He was his Kacchan, the one constant in his life. His first love, the only love he had ever wanted. Izuku didn’t care that he sounded irrational and selfish, he didn’t want Katsuki to become mated to an omega.

He didn’t realize that he was panicking until Katsuki’s voice cut through his thoughts, urging him to breath. Katsuki pulled the blankets off Izuku and forced him to sit up. “Hey, I need you to calm the fuck down. Deep breaths, alright?”

Izuku squeaked as Katsuki pulled him into his arms. It was rare for Katsuki to be so affectionate; he even kept his parents at arm’s length. But Izuku had been granted a special gift as he sobbed into Katsuki’s chest until his throat went hoarse.

The horrid mark throbbed and bled through the bandage. He had to show Katsuki, but first, he wanted to enjoy this moment. It would the last time Katsuki would ever love him.

Chapter Text

OCHAKO

Izuku tried to be cheerful and act like nothing was wrong, but Ochako could see through him. He’d returned to school after their summer break, hiding his mark under a wristband. His laughs were hollow, and he grew quiet whenever his classmates tried ask him about his presentation.

“That doesn’t matter,” he would say before clamming up again.

Except that it did matter. Ochako had been bombarded with questions about her omega status to an annoying degree, but she figured out why Izuku was so curious. It was something that he’d desperately wanted for himself. It wasn’t for the privileges that being an omega would afford him, but all for the love of the person he cherished most. Now, reality had ripped away his dream, and he was downright depressed.

He didn’t eat lunch anymore. Ochako suspected he used that time to go and cry in the washroom. His eyes were always red, but he tried to mask it with a smile. This went on for over a month, then slowly tapered off. Izuku still stayed close to Katsuki but shot jealous looks whenever an omega tried to talk to Katsuki. Fortunately, Izuku didn’t try to pull the same shit with her. Ochako had made her stance clear; she wasn’t interested in any of the alphas, especially Katsuki.

Middle school eventually ended, and high school began. Now, everyone in their school had presented, which led to unpleasant interactions with horny alpha students. Ochako was accosted almost daily by them. They wanted to trade phone numbers, take her out to restaurants, arrange dates. Not once did they consider if they were being a nuisance to her.

Katsuki became more aggressive and started fights with whoever entered her personal bubble. They still used their fake relationship as a deterrent, but only as a last resort. It would only hurt Izuku if Ochako kept using it for her own selfish reasons. It didn’t stop Katsuki from fighting other alphas, though. He was born to protect those he cared about.

The trio ended up in Class 1-A, where they met Shouto Todoroki. He was an alpha, which meant Katsuki was ready to sock him if he tried to pull anything. But unlike the others, he never approached Ochako. He didn’t speak to the other omegas, either. Instead, he looked annoyed when any of them tried to chat with him. His weird, standoffish behaviour distracted Izuku from his Katsuki-induced depression. He became curious about their classmate. Why was this guy acting like none of this omega-alpha business interested him? How was he controlling his instincts so perfectly?

Izuku was pushing his luck; he was startled when Shouto coldly told him to back off. Katsuki was ready to jump down Shouto’s throat, but the bloodbath was halted when their homeroom teacher walked into the classroom. The boys shuffled back to their desks, but now Katsuki was shooting death glares at Shouto.

I’ll smooth things over during our lunch break, Ochako thought. The last thing they needed was Katsuki being a loose cannon over some rude behaviour.

Shouto didn’t eat lunch in class but instead went to the school’s rooftop. There were a few small groups hanging out there, but they gave Shouto a wide berth. His death glares prevented any friendly conversations from blossoming.

But Ochako wouldn’t be deterred. She’d told the boys to start lunch without her. Izuku had looked grateful, but Katsuki knew what she was up to. “Don’t go playing peacemaker with that asshole,” he’d told her. “If he causes you any problems, then he’s fucking dead.”

She’d managed to convince Katsuki to stay put and get Izuku to eat something. His appetite had never fully returned to what it used to be before presenting. Katsuki had relented, because her orders were Izuku-centric.

They’re both so dense, Ochako thought. Can’t they just confess already?

Ochako approached Shouto from the front; trying to catch him unaware from the side would only make her wary of her intentions. She was wearing her scent patch, something that she used sparingly. They would eat into her budget if she used them every day. But today, she needed Shouto to see that she wasn’t a threat. She wasn’t here to use her alluring scent to entice him into a courtship. She needed to speak with him, as a classmate.

Shouto was staring down at his phone while he ate a homemade bento. His brow was furrowed, and he rolled his eyes at whatever was on the screen. Ochako coughed into her fist to make her presence known, and Shouto looked up reluctantly.

“What.”

Wow, rude. Way to make a good first impression. “I’m Ochako Uraraka. We’re in the same class. See my patch on my neck? I did this for you. I’m not here to seduce you or whatever it is you’re thinking. I just need to talk to you before Bakugou tries to kill you.”

“Who?”

“Bakugou. Spiky blond hair, red eyes? Super pissy when another alpha tries to talk to me? He’s not impressed with you, and he’s extra pissy today because you brushed off Midoriya so coldly. Bakugou saw that an insult to Midoriya, so he wants to kill you.”

There, message delivered. It would be up to Shouto if he wanted to take it seriously or not.

Shouto scoffed. “Of course, another alpha so easily offended when things don’t go his way.”

“He’s not like that at all.”

“Really? Because that’s what I’m hearing. They’re all the same. They think they’re better than everyone else because of their status.”

Ochako paused. She’d dealt with a lot of alpha peers who did act like they had a right to interrupt her day or ask her out because of this. She was just another omega, a challenge to be broken down and defeated. “Most of the ones I’ve met so far have been like that, yes. But not Bakugou.” Ochako raised an eyebrow. “But aren’t you acting like them too? You’re always being so anti-social with our classmates, like they’re beneath you.”

“They don’t want to talk to me.”

“Seems like they do.”

“No, they learn my family name and that’s all they focus on. It’s all they care about.”

Todoroki, Todoroki. Now that Ochako thought about it, that name had come up a few times during her omega meet-and-greets. The rumours of the youngest son who’d presented at the startlingly young age of ten. It had caused quite a stir.

But Ochako hadn’t paid attention. To her, it was just another alpha name to be wary of. She’d completely forgotten until Shouto had brought it up.

“Okay, so there are shallow people out there. But Midoriya was only curious about why you were acting the way you were. He’s not used to seeing an alpha like you.”

“I’m not a zoo animal for him to gawk at.”

Ochako scoffed impatiently. “Yes, I know. And he came on too strong. But he didn’t mean to offend you. And Bakugou cares about him, so if he sees you pushing Midoriya around, he’s gonna try and punch you.”

This conversation was going on longer than she’d intended. Shouto had too much baggage, that much was obvious. But Ochako couldn’t help but be empathetic. Her omega status was all anyone cared about, much like his name and status drew unwanted stares for him.

Still, he didn’t need to be so rude.

“Try and play nice, even if it sucks,” she said. “I’m gonna go have lunch. I’ll see you in class.”

SHOUTO

He’d been thrown off by her scent patch. She’d used it to make him feel comfortable. Why? Most omegas would’ve used it as a siren’s call to lure in and trap him. It’s what his shitty father wanted them to do. Enji hoped for Shouto to be mated by the time he graduated high school. All his father ever wanted was an enigma; Shouto was his final chance to produce one.

Produce, like his children were studs and broodmares to be sold to the highest bidder. Much like how he’d treated his omega wife. Enji would’ve kept going with forcibly impregnating Rei, if Shouto’s birth hadn’t damaged her womb beyond repair.

Touya said that, in a twisted way, Shouto had saved their mother. But she lived in a hospital permanently, thanks to him.

Now Shouto had met this blunt omega who didn’t play at flirtation or meekness. Shouto couldn’t wrap his head around it. Not only that, she had an alpha on her side, but they weren’t dating. Was that allowed, platonic friendship between the secondary genders? It sounded too good to be true.

DON’T BACK DOWN. DON’T LET HER GET THE LAST WORD IN. CONFRONT. ANALYZE.

Shouto gave it a few days before he approached Ochako. Katsuki’s red-hot glares were annoying, but Shouto let it slide for now. He didn’t apologize for his apparent rudeness towards Izuku, but he tried to tone down his own dismissive energy.

ANALYZE.

Katsuki and Izuku were… interesting. Shouto couldn’t get a whiff of a distinctive scent off Izuku, which either meant he was wearing a scent patch or was a beta. It turned out to be the latter; Shouto caught a glimpse of his bare neck while the boys changed in the lockers for PE. Izuku covered up his wrists with sweatbands whenever he wasn’t wearing their school uniform’s jacket.

Why did he feel the need to hide his beta status? Izuku had no stakes in the alpha and omega societal games. He was perfectly safe from being taken advantage of. It made no sense.

All these newfound questions were irritating him. He needed to speak to Ochako.

He approached her at her desk at lunchtime. Katsuki was on the other side of the classroom, but his gazed narrowed in on Shouto. He looked ready to jump across the desks and rip Shouto’s throat out.

JUVENILE ALPHA. PRONE TO VIOLENCE. PROTECTIVE OVER UNMATED OMEGA FRIEND.

Shouto ignored him as he focused on Ochako. “I have questions for you,” he said. “Let’s go somewhere private to talk.”

Ochako laughed. “Wow, you’re awfully forward. Usually, you’d ask someone if they would like to go somewhere with you.”

“I did ask.”

“No, you tried to order me around just now.” Ochako’s expression hardened. “You better watch yourself. My guard dog will strike if I give the signal.”

CHEEKY OMEGA. DOESN’T FEAR ALPHAS. COMMANDS ENEMY ALPHA. HAS POWER, HAS FREEDOM, HAS CHOICES.

UNLIKE OMEGA MOTHER.

Shouto closed his eyes. ALTER STRATEGY. "May I speak to you for a few minutes? No guard dogs allowed.”

“That’s better.” Ochako stood up. She beckoned Katsuki over. Shouto couldn’t help but be amused as he obeyed her.

ENEMY ALPHA IS WHIPPED.

“I’m going to the rooftop with Todoroki. We’re going to have lunch together.”

Katsuki glared at Shouto. “Why? What’s he trying to do? He better not be hitting on you.”

Ochako rolled her eyes. “If he did, you would’ve sent him to the nurse’s office by now.” Her expression softened. “Look after Midoriya for me, okay? I’ll see you in class.”

Shouto was stunned. With a few words, she’d put the ENEMY ALPHA at ease. He still wore a suspicious frown, but he backed down as Ochako grasped his wrist, her thumb stroking the pulse point.

“I’ll text you if he tries anything funny,” she added.

CHEEKY, MANIPULATIVE OMEGA.

Shouto followed Ochako out of the classroom. As they walked through the crowded hallway, he asked, “How did you do that?”

“Do what?”

“Command an alpha.”

Ochako snorted. “Command? Hah, as if Bakugou would let himself be ordered around. He doesn’t even listen to his parents most of the time.”

“You called him your guard dog.”

“Because he acts like one, which can be annoying some days.” She looked at Shouto. “That’s what friends do. They tease each other.”

The concept was entirely foreign to Shouto. He’d been raised in isolation, far away from his “failure” siblings, and was sent to alpha etiquette classes and an all-boys academy. He’d finally put his foot down last year, demanding to go to a co-ed high school. Shouto had used the flimsy excuse of needing to find an omega, and Enji had stupidly fallen for it.

But now he was in over his head. Nobody was following protocol and acted bizarrely. Omegas and alphas acting like they could be friends? That was impossible—

“Is your brain short-circuiting?”

Shouto blinked. He hadn’t noticed that they’d arrived on the rooftop. Ochako gave him an odd look. “This is all new to you, huh? Were you homeschooled or something?”

“I might as well have been,” Shouto said. “My father didn’t want me mingling with others until I learned how to control my alpha instincts.”

“You were ten when you presented, right? I remember hearing about a young alpha when I first went to omega meetings.”

“Unfortunately.”

Ochako’s eyes softened. “It’s not easy being young and having your secondary gender thrust upon you.”

What did she mean by that? “How old were you, then?”

“Eleven. I know it’s normal for girls to mature faster, but I felt so alone. It’s too much to handle; there’s a lot of expectations. Middle school was bad enough, but now that everyone has presented, alphas love harassing me. It’s just a game to them, and it sucks. I try to act tough so that I don’t worry Bakugou and Midoriya, but some days I just want to stay home and hide.”

Shouto had completely forgotten why he’d asked Ochako here. Now he was curious about what she’d gone through.

“Hiding won’t change anything.”

“Geez, you think I don’t know that?”

“You’re here, making an effort to defy your destiny.”

Ochako shrugged. “I guess? It’s more like I have friends who see beyond my status.”

Shouto found himself pulled into Ochako’s small but (mostly) friendly social group. Katsuki and Izuku were her best friends, but she’d made room in her heart for some of their classmates: Tenya Iida (BETA FROM WELL-KNOWN FAMILY; OLDER BROTHER IS ALPHA), Tsuyu Asui (BETA, ELDEST DAUGHTER OF THREE), Momo Yaoyorozu (ALPHA FROM PRESTIGIOUS FAMILY), and Kyouka Jirou (BETA AND ALPHA FRIEND’S UNMATED GIRLFRIEND). It was quite the mixed crowd, something that Shouto wasn’t used to. Katsuki was initially aggressive with Momo (ENEMY ALPHA ACTS OUT IN PRESENCE OF OMEGA FRIEND) until she made it clear that she and Kyouka had been an item since middle school; they were simply waiting until they graduated before Momo claimed her. She had no interest in Ochako whatsoever.

Izuku had given Momo and Kyouka strange, almost envious looks before masking them with a smile. They were dull and fake, much like the ones Fuyumi had when she wanted to pretend that everything was alright. But Shouto could always sense the underlying panic; she feared being sold off to the highest bidder. Even though she was considered a failure, Enji could still use her omega status to curry favour with interested alphas. Already, she was being escorted to the annual Mating Ceremony, as well as other elite functions that were used to find a mate.

That bastard would never learn. He was stuck in the past. Shouto refused to become like his SHITTY ALPHA FATHER.

Maybe that’s why he’d let Ochako drag him into her ragtag group of friends. He wanted to learn how to mingle among his peers, where secondary gender politics were mere flavour text. He stuck close to Ochako, literally, and was told off by both Katsuki and Momo for it.

“You look like you’re challenging other alphas when you stand so close to her,” Momo told him.

“Piss off, freak.” Katsuki always had to add in some uncouth response. Shouto merely elected to ignore him, unless Ochako urged him to make amends.

Shouto could see why ENEMY ALPHA and DEPRESSED BETA deferred to her on nearly every decision. Ochako Uraraka was blunt, bold, yet considerate and caring towards her friends. She didn’t let anyone push her around, especially Katsuki. But she was also vulnerable and scared. The alphas didn’t bother her when she was among her friends, but practically chased her down when she was alone. There were days where she’d hide in the washroom during lunch and only allowed Momo to comfort her.

“I’m fine,” she told the others. “I can handle this.”

But Shouto had heard Fuyumi utter similar phrases before. His sister would blot away the tears, pat down her swollen eyes with a cool cloth, and carry on with her day. She cried silently when she thought nobody was around.

Shouto didn’t know how to comfort Ochako. Would she want him to, or would she be angry with him for noticing her moments of weakness?

Shouto pulled Izuku aside one day in June. It was the end of the school day, and their classmates had been assigned their cleaning jobs. Shouto and Izuku had both been placed in charge of sweeping their classroom, which gave Shouto the perfect opportunity to speak to him.

“I want to do something nice for Uraraka,” he said. “What does she like?”

It took Izuku a moment to realize what Shouto was asking of him. “Are you trying to court her, Todoroki?”

“No. I merely want to repay her for her kindness.”

“You’ll need to be careful about how you go about it,” Izuku said. “Uraraka’s been suspicious of gifts lately. She probably won’t accept anything from you, even if you have good intentions. And if Kacchan catches you, then you’ll be lucky to get away with only a black eye.”

“I’m aware of his violent hostility.”

ENEMY ALPHA THINKS HE OWNS OMEGA FRIEND WHY DOES OMEGA FRIEND LET HIM GET AWAY WITH IT HE’S NOTHING MORE THAN A BRUTE. HE’S JUST LIKE BASTARD ALPHA FATHER.

Izuku gripped his broom. “I don’t mean to boss you around, Todoroki. I can’t smell your scent that well, but I can see the anger in your face. I’m not telling you to not be friends with Uraraka, but please be considerate of the position she’s in.”

“I am,” said Shouto shortly. “Which is why I’m consulting with you. I don’t want to screw things up with her.”

Izuku eyed him. “Are you sure this isn’t a courting thing? Because it’s coming off like it.”

“I wouldn’t dare do anything to make Uraraka uncomfortable.”

Shouto thoughts returned to his ill, weakened mother. Rei would have health problems for the rest of her life, thanks to him. Enji’s brutish beatings had only worsened it until she’d landed in the hospital. Unfortunately for his shitty father, the staff were pro-omega health and had done everything in their power to break their loveless bond. Nothing worked; the bond was airtight. The best they could do was drag the courts into their family’s mess and placed a restraining order on Enji.

How could an alpha treat their omega so horribly? The person who brought life in this world and gave them children? Alphas and omegas were supposed to be the perfect pair, complement each other in every possible way.

Enji Todoroki didn’t see it that way. He was stubbornly stuck in the outdated, toxic mindset that omegas were to be broodmares and nothing more. If he’d also aligned with the Himura family’s traditions, he would’ve forced Touya and Fuyumi to mate already.

Izuku watched Shouto carefully. “Okay, I believe you.” A beat. “Uraraka loves mochi.”

“Mochi?” That didn’t seem special.

“Yeah, we get them every year during New Year’s, but she loves daifuku mochi the best. It’s all she asks for on her birthday, but Kacchan and I always get her other things she wants—”

“Such as?”

“Well, new socks and manga, but don’t you dare buy her anything like that. That’s something you need to learn from her, or otherwise she’ll know that you spoke to me about her.”

“But the mochi is fine.”

“She’s not exactly subtle about how much she loves it.” Izuku gave Shouto a pleading look. “Please don’t do anything to upset her.”

Shouto could admit that his social skills were lackluster, but he still wanted to approach this without making Ochako uncomfortable. Handing her the pristine box of handcrafted mochi (he’d asked Fuyumi to help him make them, and his sister had been overjoyed to share quality time with him) in public would only mortify her. Such grand displays would be perceived as courting her, the last thing Ochako needed. Then there was the matter of her growling guard dog always being within ten feet of her. Katsuki Bakugou needed to be distracted for a few minutes, and Shouto had fortunately discovered his weakness.

Shouto might be dense, but even he could see that there was something going on between Katsuki and Izuku. They were always sharing intense, longing looks. Izuku grew quiet and radiated jealousy whenever an omega tried talking to Katsuki. Katsuki, in turn, barked at them to piss off before shooting a look at Izuku.

They needed to get together, but they were too stubborn to admit their feelings. But for now, Shouto could use that to buy some time with Ochako.

“I’ve noticed that Midoriya is popular with the alphas,” Shouto said to Momo. It was lunchtime a few days after his chat with Izuku. Katsuki was within hearing distance, which was what Shouto wanted. “That foreign exchange student, Shield, was talking to him.” He hoped he sounded like he was making a neutral observation and not simply rage bait for ENEMY ALPHA.

“He’s easy to talk to, although he’s quite the chatterbox,” said Momo. “But it’s what makes him endearing to everyone. Maybe Shield is going to ask him out.”

Katsuki stiffened predictably at the words.

“It wouldn’t surprise me,” said Shouto. “Midoriya is single, as far as I know. You’d think someone would’ve snatched him up by now.”

Katsuki’s shoulder collided into Shouto’s as he stomped past them. Momo called out to him about his rudeness, but Katsuki was already out the classroom door.

“Why must he be so brusque all the time?” Momo sighed. She smiled apologetically as she added, “Kyouka is waiting for me in the music room. I’ll see you later, Todoroki.”

Shouto managed to mask his smile as he glanced over at Ochako. She was eating her bento, which was nothing more than a heap of rice. That wasn’t enough, and he suddenly wondered if Ochako was always skimping on food like this. He recalled previous lunches with her and the others, where Momo would sneak extra onigiri and meat in front of Ochako while she was distracted. Would he be allowed to do that, or would it only offend Ochako? She didn’t seem to mind when Momo doted on her, but Momo was also an alpha with a mate. There was no fear of being courted or tricked into dates.

Shouto’s bastard father would urge him to use this opportunity to stake his claim on Ochako. Alphas were meant to trap their broodmare into a cage, breed them, and lock them up again until they were of no further use.

BASTARD ALPHA FATHER NEVER LOVED OMEGA MOTHER. WE WON’T BECOME LIKE HIM. MUST BE BETTER SO THAT OMEGA MOTHER CAN BE PROUD OF US.

The mochi was in his bag. He couldn’t pull it out now; there were too many witnesses still in the classroom. Shouto took a deep breath, exhaled, and then walked over to Ochako’s desk.

She looked up as he approached and smiled. “Hey, Todoroki. Was Bakugou giving you a hard time again?”

“I’ve gotten used to his violence.”

Ochako frowned. “You shouldn’t have to get ‘used to’ him. I’ll talk to him later and tell him to chill out. He acts like you’re a threat.”

Maybe he was. Shouto had been strategizing on how to give her a platonic gift, and it had involved manipulating Katsuki’s affections for Izuku. Some days, he was no better than the average alpha.

“He’ll learn to behave himself... maybe,” said Shouto. It was now or never. “Uraraka, maybe I speak to you privately? It won’t take long.”

Ochako paled. “Todoroki...”

“I know I should make myself plain. I’m aware of our positions here. This is not a courting matter.” He closed his eyes, imagined his mother’s fragile smile, and continued. “I would never do anything like that. I don’t want to upset you or lose your friendship.”

Ochako scanned his face. She breathed deeply, detecting the sincerity in his scent, and finally nodded. “Okay, I believe you. Lunchtime’s almost over, so we’ll have to be quick.”

Shouto’s shoulders relaxed. “Of course. Thank you.”

IZUKU

Something was happening between Ochako and Shouto. It wasn’t like they were dating, but the day that Ochako told Izuku that Shouto had made daifuku mochi for her, he knew that their dynamics were shifting.

Shouto’s eyes softened whenever he looked in Ochako’s direction. He’d become more approachable thanks to her reminders to be friendly to their classmates. He didn’t scoff at Izuku’s questions, but still refrained from answering anything related to his family. Apparently, he’d told Ochako about it but asked her not to divulge it to the others.

“He’s had a rough time,” was all Ochako said when Izuku begged to know more. “There’s a reason why he acted like a jerk before, but he’s coming around. So don’t push your luck, Midoriya.”

Izuku reluctantly backed down; Ochako was rarely angry at him, but he didn’t want to push his luck. If Ochako got irritated, then Katsuki would react poorly to the change in her scent.

Speaking of Katsuki, his hair would stand on end whenever Shouto hung out with them. Unlike with Momo, Katsuki couldn’t tolerate Shouto sharing alone time with Ochako. “What’s his game, Angel?” he demanded when he learned about the mochi. (Izuku’s heart squeezed miserably from the sudden and new pet name. Angel.) “He’s trying to court you, isn’t he? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“How can I tell you something that’s only happening in your head?” Ochako rolled her eyes. “Calm down, Bakugou. He made it clear that it was only a friendly gift.”

“No, there’s always an angle with bastards like him.”

“Excuse me? What did you just call him?”

“A bastard! That’s what he is! He’s pretending that he’s too good to court other omegas just to make himself look humble and shit. Don’t let him trap you, Uraraka.”

Ochako puffed out her cheeks and blew out an annoyed breath. “Do you think I can’t see through a ruse? If Todoroki was trying to deceive me, then I would end our friendship right then and there. He understands what I’ve gone through from… personal experience. That’s all you need to know.”

Izuku couldn’t smell Ochako’s scent as well as an alpha or omega could (the downfalls of being a common, plain beta) but his nose twitched at the faint notes of sour peaches wafting off her skin. Katsuki was pushing his luck; if he kept accusing Shouto of using Ochako, then she would give both him and Izuku the cold shoulder.

Sometimes, Izuku wished that Katsuki realized the influence Ochako had over him. He was allowing himself to get aggravated over nothing. If he kept this up, then Ochako would only double down. Maybe she’d start dating Shouto just to spite Katsuki.

But would she? No, Ochako wasn’t some petty girl. She was tough on Katsuki because she cared about him. But she was also defensive for Shouto’s sake. It wasn’t easy, when two of your friends had clashing personalities.

“Let it go, Kacchan,” said Izuku.

He was exhausted. He wanted to be special, for Katsuki to go insane over defending his honour. But that’s not how their world worked. The alpha must protect their omega…

But Ochako wasn’t Katsuki’s. Katsuki belonged to him. Izuku didn’t care how absurd that sounded.

Just look at me, only me. Please, please, please, Kacchan.

SHOUTO

High school was freeing compared to his schooling before. Shouto had friends he could talk to, he joined the cooking club with Ochako during their second year (he swore that it had nothing to do with wanting to make Ochako delicious food), and his university prospects had improved. His bastard father didn’t approve of any of the schools he’d chosen, but Shouto threatened to run away if he tried anything.

He was pushing his luck, but Shouto didn’t care. For the first time in his life, he had something that was beyond Enji’s control. His father couldn’t bribe and intimidate his classmates, not without being banned from the school grounds. He had to keep up appearances of a well-adjusted alpha, despite harbouring unspeakable crimes in his past. If he showed even a fraction of his true beliefs regarding omegas, then he would quickly lose the vast influence he had.

Shouto had gone over his post-secondary prospects with Ochako. He trusted her to be frank with him. “I want to work with omegas on child custody battles,” he told her. Although it was too late for his mother to choose how her children were raised, he could help other abused omegas avoid the same fate.

Ochako teared up, and Shouto was taken aback when she wrapped her arms around him. “I’m so proud of you,” she whispered.

She was so warm.

They still had more than a year before graduation, but many alpha and omega students were already discussing the Mating Ceremony. Shouto’s insides squirmed whenever he was within earshot of these conversations, and recalled the veiled threats that Enji made. His bastard father wanted him to participate once he turned eighteen, just like Fuyumi. His sister had been “participating” for nearly six years at this point and had met many alphas willing to court her. But something always happened, and Fuyumi would come home unmated.

“I want someone who’ll love me,” she’d told Shouto. “I don’t think they exist.”

“Don’t believe that, Yumi-nee. You’re too wonderful and kind; those assholes who attend these things don’t deserve you.”

Shouto had tried asking if Katsuki’s parents wanted him to attend too. Katsuki glared at him and said, “They didn’t need that corporate propaganda to meet each other. And why would I want to mate with one of those elitist freaks?”

Shouto caught the quick glance Katsuki shot in Izuku’s direction. Izuku, however, was too distracted talking to the girls about their upcoming winter exams.

ENEMY ALPHA NEEDS TO COURT BETA. THIS CHARADE IS EXHAUSTING.

Before Shouto could say anything, Katsuki stormed towards where Izuku sat and grabbed him by the collar. “Let’s go,” he growled. Shouto noted the happy flush in Izuku’s cheeks as he was dragged out of the classroom.

“There’s no need for him to be so brusque,” Momo sighed. She had Kyouka sitting her in lap and was resting her chin on her shoulder. “Midoriya should also speak up and tell him that he’s being inappropriate.”

“They’ve always been that way,” said Ochako. “Bakugou loves hogging Midoriya’s attention, even when it’s for the wrong reasons.” She glanced over, saw Shouto watching her, and waved him over. He didn’t realize how eagerly he came to her beck and call, but he wouldn’t deny any chance to see her smile.

“Bakugou isn’t going to like this, but I want you to come to my birthday dinner next week,” Ochako said. “It would just be you, me, him, and Midoriya.”

“Of course,” said Shouto. “But what about everyone else?”

“Iida’s family is going to Mount Fuji for the New Year. Tsu’s looking after her siblings ‘cause her parents will be out of town that weekend. Yaomomo and Jirou can’t make it, either.”

“Which we deeply regret,” said Momo. Her cheeks went red. “Kyouka and I bought tickets to Kyoto back in the summer. We’re attending an event for teenage unmated couples who want to strengthen their bonds before their alphas claim them.”

“Momo’s parents are paying for the whole thing,” Kyouka said as she squeezed Momo’s hand. “They’re treating me like I’ve already married into the family.”

“Mother adores Kyouka.”

Shouto looked at Ochako. If his mother got the chance to meet her, would she approve of Ochako? Rei didn’t want him to feel compelled to find a mate. In fact, she’d actively discouraged it whenever Shouto brought it up during his Sunday visits.

I want you to marry for love, she’d told him. What your father did to us was only for his ego. He wants you to be like him, but you’re a kind boy, Shouto. I want you to be the kind of alpha who protects his loved ones and their happiness.

Shouto didn’t know what romantic love was, not really. He understood the concept of it. One of those aspects was one’s heart rate accelerating in the presence of the person they cared for. Much like how his heart thudded unexpectedly whenever Ochako held his hand and smiled…

Oh.

Katsuki was predictably suspicious about Shouto attending dinner. “He knows that we’ll be there, right? He’s not going on a date with you,” he said to Ochako, loud enough for Shouto to hear from his desk.

Ochako rolled her eyes. “When are you going to stop accusing him of trying to court me?”

“When he stops hanging around us.”

Shouto elected to ignore him. ENEMY ALPHA NEEDS TO GET A LIFE.

“Ha, fat chance. I’m keeping him forever.”

Ochako defending him only added to his heart rate. What was he supposed to do about these feelings? He didn’t want to confess and ruin their friendship. He also didn’t want to fight with Katsuki.

He never had to deal with this stuff before. Enji tried to force him to find a mate, yes, but this was natural, wanted, precious. Ochako’s smile made the stars above look dim in comparison. She made him feel safe.

But he didn’t dare drag her into his family’s hell.

Shouto wanted to keep her close but asking her to date him would only lead to trouble. His father would eventually find out and demand that Shouto claim her. But before that, Enji would investigate Ochako’s lineage in his attempts to deem her worthy of Shouto. He wouldn’t let that bastard in the same room as Ochako, but Shouto had to be careful.

For now, he would accept the small graces that Ochako gave him. She wouldn’t want anything extravagant for her birthday, but he wanted to get her something she’d love.

Chapter Text

IZUKU

Ochako’s seventeenth birthday was the catalyst for Katsuki’s decisions post-graduation. Maybe if Izuku had gone to help Ochako, had confronted Yoh Shindou instead, then maybe Katsuki wouldn’t have reacted so rashly. If Izuku hadn’t encouraged her to go to that restaurant, then everything might’ve been okay.

For the most part, the dinner had gone swimmingly. Ochako had been nervous going out in public, but she’d covered up her scent glands with patches and a high-collared dress. She sat next to Katsuki, across from Shouto, who looked visibly annoyed that it wasn’t him by her side. “It’ll make it easier to talk to her this way,” Izuku whispered to him. This also allowed Izuku to take in Katsuki’s profile and memorize how handsome he was tonight. He didn’t need a camera; Katsuki’s face would be etched into his mind’s eye forever.

“Midoriya promised me that the desserts were amazing,” Ochako said. “I wanna look at those first.”

Katsuki snorted. “Thinking with your second stomach already?”

“I need to prepare! Every dessert pairs best with certain dishes! And if I can’t eat them all, then you guys will need to help.”

“No need to,” said Shouto. “Order everything that they have. You can take the leftovers home. My treat.” He tapped the black credit card on the table’s surface.

Izuku smiled. “If Todoroki’s offering, then maybe I’ll try their matcha ice cream.”

“Are you paying for everyone?” Katsuki asked, immediately suspicious of his generosity.

“Of course. I want Uraraka’s birthday to be special.”

Ochako blushed at this declaration. “Well, these desserts are pretty pricey. Are you sure?”

“My father said to use this card for necessary purchases. I considered this highly necessary for us to have fun tonight.”

Katsuki rolled his eyes. “Show-off.”

“Be nice, boys,” said Ochako. “How about this? We’ll buy all the desserts, then sample each of them together. Then we’ll vote for which one’s the best!”

“What’s the point of that? It’s all sweet shit,” said Katsuki.

“If you don’t want any, then there’s more for me,” Shouto said.

This got Katsuki fired up. Everything had to be a challenge with him, but this time it had nothing to do with being an alpha. Katsuki couldn’t stand to lose. He hated cake, but if it meant that he would win, then he’d literally swallow his pride and do it.

“You need to help me too, Midoriya,” said Ochako. “I need your analysis skills to help with the tiebreaker.”

Between the four of them, they ended up polishing off every dessert. Shouto ordered a second round to be packed up, and Ochako went red as she thanked him. She glanced over in the direction of the restrooms and said that she’d be back in a few minutes.

The boys sat around and waited for her. Everything had gone well; even Katsuki managed to behave. Nothing had raised his hackles for once—

But then Katsuki’s body jerked forward. He grabbed the table, and it scraped noisily across the floor, nearly pinning Shouto and Izuku to their seats. His red eyes gleamed, the irises becoming pinpricks as he breathed heavily.

Izuku reached across the table and touched Katsuki’s arm. His body heat had risen, only muffled by his shirt sleeve. “Kacchan? Are you feeling okay?”

No, he was anything but okay. Izuku had seen this wild fear in Katsuki’s eyes before, paired with his tensed shoulders and fangs ready to dig into another alpha’s flesh. His inner alpha had been activated, much like it’d emerged during moments of their childhood. Bullies would pick on Izuku, harass him for his gentle, omega-like qualities. Katsuki would always find them, hunt them down, and leave them with bruises.

Katsuki didn’t speak. Instead, he shot to his feet and dashed in the direction of the restrooms. Shouto stood up as well. “Someone is going to get hurt.”

He was proven right when Katsuki returned with a sobbing Ochako minutes later. She was shaking like a leaf in Katsuki’s arms.

“Kacchan, what happened?!”

“Some piece of shit tried to hurt her,” Katsuki was seething. He looked ready to kill someone. There was fresh blood on his knuckles. “We should go.”

Katsuki didn’t leave any room for arguing. Shouto left to go pay for their tab and get their desserts packed up. Katsuki pushed Ochako into Izuku’s arms. She grabbed him around the stomach and hid her face in his shoulder. Her tears quickly soaked his shirt, but he didn’t care. Izuku rubbed his knuckles up and down her back, and Ochako settled.

He shared a silent look with Katsuki. It startled him to see the raw terror shining in his eyes. Whatever had happened had been serious.

Shouto returned with a take-out bag. He held out his hand for Ochako. Izuku gently nudged her towards him. “Do you want to go home?” Shouto asked her.

Ochako wiped her eyes in her sleeve. “No, not yet. I don’t wanna worry my parents.”

“Then somewhere where we can have some privacy.”

She took Shouto’s hand and let him lead her out of the restaurant. Izuku and Katsuki followed close behind.

“That fucking asshole,” Katsuki growled.

“Is it really necessary to call Todoroki names at a time like this?”

“Not him! That alpha who cornered Uraraka. Acting like he was hot shit, then insulting her when she wanted nothing to do with him. If we weren’t in a public place, I would’ve torn his face off.”

“Kacchan, be careful saying things like that.”

“Why the fuck should I be afraid?” Katsuki snapped. “It’s that asshole who should be begging for mercy.”

The cold December air hit them as they exited the restaurant. Shouto and Ochako walked ahead of them. Ochako had a death grip on his hand, but Shouto didn’t seem to mind. He leaned in closer as she said something to him and nodded.

“There’s a hotel a few blocks from here,” he said, loud enough for Izuku and Katsuki to hear. “Uraraka wants some privacy. Are you two okay if I rent us a suite for the night?”

“O-of course!” said Izuku. He glanced over at Katsuki. “Let’s end Uraraka’s birthday on a high note.”

“Hmph, he better not try and pull anything funny.”

“Kacchan!”

When they arrived in the lobby, the receptionist was initially reluctant to give a room to four teenagers, but with a glance at the name on Shouto’s credit card, she immediately obliged. “My bastard father’s name comes in handy sometimes,” he said as the manager rushed over to speak to him.

“Will you and your friends need any additional services? Room service ends at eleven, but we can offer complementary drinks and snacks for you.”

“Bottled water and glasses. We just ate dinner.” Shouto glanced down at Ochako, who was hiding her face in his shoulder. “Anything else, Uraraka?”

“Pyjamas. I don’t want to go home tonight.”

Shouto bought them each their own set of pyjamas, as well as toiletries from the gift shop. Katsuki and Izuku carried the bulging bags to their suite. When they arrived, Izuku was shocked by how large it was. It was the size of his family’s apartment, with two bedrooms and king-sized beds.

“I’ll sleep on the couch,” Shouto said. “Uraraka can have one of the beds. You two,” he nodded at Katsuki and Izuku, “can use the second room.”

“Don’t order me around, dick,” Katsuki said, but not with his usual bite. He was still shaken up by his encounter at the restaurant. He looked at Izuku. “You fine with sharing a bed?”

Izuku’s face went red. “Oh, yeah, of course. They’re big enough, so I won’t get in your way.”

“I’m not worried about that. Calm your ass down.”

Ochako wiped her eyes in her sleeve. “Todoroki, it’s not fair for you to sleep on the couch while we hog the beds. You’re staying with me.”

Shouto stilled. “Uraraka, after what you went through, I don’t think that’s appropriate.”

But Ochako was already shaking her head. “No! I don’t want to be alone tonight. And like Midoriya said, they’re big beds. Plus, you paid for the room.”

“Daddy’s card paid for it,” Katsuki muttered.

Ochako shot Katsuki a warning look before returning to Shouto. “Please… Shouto? I trust you.”

None of them could argue with Ochako, especially when she gave Shouto her puppy eyes. Saying his first name also cinched it. His shoulders sagged, and he nodded. “If it makes you feel safe.”

Izuku grabbed Katsuki and dragged him to their room before he could start a fight with Shouto. “He’s not going to do anything, Kacchan. He was going to sleep on the couch.”

“If he touches her—”

“Then Uraraka will tell you. Just leave them alone.”

KATSUKI

“I was only giving her a history lesson. Omegas used to be subservient to their superiors, until the new laws screwed us over. Now we have to ask their permission to sire their children? Come on, how pathetic is that?”

Katsuki remembered where he’d seen the little shit stain before Ochako told him. Yoh Shindou was an alpha, one of the most arrogant cockroaches Katsuki had ever met. After Katsuki had presented, Mitsuki signed him up for an alpha meet-and-greet to get acquainted with other alphas his own age. Shindou had been one of them, and his views on omegas were archaic.

From the little Shouto had told Katsuki and Izuku about his father, it reminded him of Shindou’s fucked-up beliefs.

All he could see was red. His knuckles still ached from when they collided into that smug bastard’s nose, and then the sound of Ochako begging him to stop. If she hadn’t been there, then Katsuki would’ve really fucked him up.

Mitsuki always lamented that Katsuki should’ve had a sister to ground him. Well, she’d gotten her wish. It’d taken until middle school for him to meet Ochako, but now he had one. He couldn’t say it in words, but he loved her fiercely. Anyone who dared to mess with her would regret their choices once Katsuki got involved.

As much as he didn’t want an ENEMY ALPHA near her, Ochako insisted on Shouto staying with her. Katsuki reluctantly left them alone and focused his attention on Izuku. It’d been so long since they’d been alone. Sure, Katsuki had dragged him away during their lunch breaks to spend time together, but it wasn’t the same. Ever since Izuku had presented as a beta, he’d been emotionally distant. He insisted that everything was okay, that he’d settled into his secondary gender, but it was all bullshit. The idiot was suffering and refused to let anyone help him.

But now they were alone, sharing a bed. It was massive, big enough for three people to sleep comfortably in it, but Katsuki wasn’t going to let Izuku get away. If he tried to skulk away to his side of the bed, then Katsuki would drag him back to the middle.

He was terrible with words; he was more of a man of action. Show, not tell. He needed Izuku to understand that Katsuki was crazy about him.

“It was nice of Todoroki to buy us pyjamas,” Izuku said. He pulled off his clothes and grabbed the ones from the bag. “Look, it has the hotel’s name monogrammed on the breast. I guess people buy these as souvenirs.”

“I hate this silky shit,” said Katsuki. He threw the pyjamas onto the ground. “Fuck that, I’ll sleep in my boxers.”

Izuku’s cheeks reddened. “Won’t you be cold? It’s been freezing all day.”

“Then I’ll use you as a hot water bottle, nerd.”

Izuku turned away from him and quickly got dressed. He hopped into the left side of the bed and threw the covers over his head. “After all that craziness, I’m exhausted. I’ll talk to you in the morning, Kacchan.”

“Izuku,” Katsuki growled. He wasn’t going to escape him so easily. “Stop hiding from me.”

“I’m not hiding, I’m really tired.”

He was a sad little lump who was about to roll off the edge of the bed. Katsuki got in from the other side but crawled towards the centre. He slipped underneath the sheets and grabbed Izuku around the middle. Izuku yelped in alarm as Katsuki pulled him towards him, Izuku’s back now pressed against his chest. Katsuki hooked his chin over Izuku’s shoulder and breathed him in.

Barely a scent, but it was still Izuku.

MATE.

“Kacchan! What are you doing?!”

“It’s cold in here, nerd. I need your body heat. Weren’t you listening to me?”

He could feel Izuku’s heart thudding like a hummingbird’s. “W-We can turn up the thermostat or get extra blankets from downstairs.”

“No need.”

“Then use the pyjamas Todoroki bought!”

“Fuck no. I don’t need his pity.”

“You’re so stubborn, Kacchan.”

They laid there silently for a moment. Katsuki listened to Izuku’s quick little breaths before they settled down. He pressed his hand over Izuku’s heart. Thud-thud-thud. Why was he so nervous, unless he felt the same way that Katsuki did for him?

“What happened in the restaurant, Kacchan?” Izuku finally asked. “I’ve never seen you so scared.”

“He followed me to the door and stopped me from going in. I told him to move, but he wouldn’t listen. They never listen.”

“Why would I need to listen to you? You’re just some bitch who acts all high and mighty just because you’re an omega. If this was happening fifty years ago, then you’d be the one begging for my forgiveness.”

“This asshole alpha blocked the door to the restroom and tried to coerce her into spending time with him. She rejected him, and then he got fucking mouthy. He threatened her, so I acted on instinct. I broke his nose, but a prick like him has enough money to drop on cosmetic surgery.”

“I’m not mad that you protected her, but you need to be careful, Kacchan,” said Izuku. “What if he learns who you are and tries to get revenge? I don’t want you to get hurt because of him.”

“If he ever tries to pull something, then I’d tell his defenders exactly what he was trying to pull with Uraraka,” Katsuki said. “He was breaking omega protection law. He would be ridiculed and blacklisted from the Mating Ceremony shit. Assholes like him depend on that to find someone to put up with them, so he won’t try anything.”

Izuku squirmed in his grasp and rolled over to face Katsuki. “What if you’re wrong? He could’ve told someone at the restaurant or called the cops already. You’re not someone who blends into the crowd. What if he had a photographic memory and described you perfectly and now, they’re looking for you—”

Katsuki slammed a palm onto Izuku’s rambling mouth. “That’s not going to happen. Stop getting worked up and relax, you damn nerd. Or are you trying to get me riled up?”

Izuku shook his head. Katsuki released him and stared at him. Red eyes met green, and Katsuki had the urge to kiss him.

Fuck, he wanted him so badly.

They were in a hotel room, had a bed to themselves, and it’d be easy to keep quiet if they wanted to take the next step. But trying anything would only scare Izuku away. The little nerd needed words of affirmation, and right now Katsuki was all about action. He hadn’t tried to talk Shindou down, only punched him until blood exploded from his nose.

As much as he wanted to, Katsuki would wait. He would wait an eternity, as long as Izuku came to him. For now, he would protect his friends from the reality of their society. Ochako wasn’t safe, and after graduation, it was only going to get worse. Izuku… Izuku was safe. Katsuki prayed that his beta status would be enough to deter alphas and other betas from preying on him.

ONE DAY, YOU’LL BE MINE.

IZUKU

Ochako started calling him ‘Katsuki’ after that night. It’d hurt when he’d called her ‘Angel’ in those rare moments of endearment, but this was too much.

Izuku’s heart was breaking.

This was his fault: he’d failed to present as an omega, he’d been too afraid to be open with his affections, and he’d selfishly hoped that Shouto would court Ochako, especially after they shared a bed on her birthday. Izuku wanted Katsuki all to himself, but that was never going to happen now.

Katsuki had been overprotective before, but after breaking Shindou’s nose, something wild had awoken from within him. He became more aggressive and snarled at “enemy alphas” (he managed to not murder Shouto thanks to Ochako’s pleas) like they were about to hurt Ochako. He was glued to her side, and she allowed it.

Well, within reason. Ochako urged Katsuki to seek alpha counselling to rein in his anger. Izuku backed her up, but it was only for his own selfish reasons. If Katsuki learned to calm down, then he’d stop hanging around Ochako, have more free time for Izuku…

He wasn’t jealous of Ochako, but he wasn’t allowed to act like Katsuki belonged to him, either. It was just his teenage hormones overriding his sensibilities. An alpha didn’t need romantic motives to protect the omega in their life. Katsuki loved Ochako, but not in that way.

Right?

“I thought he was bad enough when he was stealing your attention,” Kyouka said one day at lunch. Ochako had left the classroom with Katsuki at her heels. She was only going to the front office, but Katsuki had decided that it was too dangerous for her to go alone. She told him he was being ridiculous, but didn’t stop him either.

“Kacchan never did that…” said Izuku.

Kyouka raised an eyebrow. “Are you serious? He was always taking you away for lunch. I think this is the first time in months that we get to have you to ourselves.”

Izuku’s chest tightened. “Oh, I guess it’s been a while.”

Momo and Kyouka had returned from their Kyoto trip, their bond stronger than ever. In a little over a year, Momo would officially claim her. Izuku had asked them about what they’d did, hoping to get pointers about grabbing an alpha’s attention. If the girls knew what Izuku’s true motivations were, then they were too polite to say anything.

“I wish that he would let us help out,” said Momo. “Todoroki and I are here too. Between the three of us, Uraraka is well protected.”

“Kacchan doesn’t want to share her.”

Kyouka rolled her eyes. “He’s like the big brother who hates anyone who tries to date his little sister. Poor Todoroki.”

“I’ll survive his little tantrums,” said Shouto as he worked on his bento. “Besides, he has nothing to worry about. I’m happy having Uraraka as a friend. I don’t need anything more than that.”

“That’s not fair to you,” said Momo. “And what about Uraraka’s feelings? Maybe she’s just as interested in you as you are in her.”

“Impossible,” said Shouto. “She deserves better.”

Kyouka and Momo gave each other a look. They clearly didn’t believe him.

Their final year of high school flew by. Everyone was focused on getting into their dream schools or planning their future careers. Izuku had applied at the local university to major in English and Creative Writing. The past year, he’d poured his anxious energy into writing short stories. He didn’t share them with anyone, believing that they were too personal. Many of the stories were about unrequited love, but Izuku hoped to work his way towards happier endings.

Ochako wanted to work right after graduation. There was a job she was eyeing that paid well for those with a high school diploma. “I might go to school later,” she said. “But right now, I wanna figure out who I am. I’m not as decisive as you, Izuku.”

She’d started using his first name. It’d softened the blow of her acting so familiar with Katsuki. Izuku tried to rationalize it in his head that they’d been friends long enough that it was acceptable. He hesitantly started calling her “Ochako.” To his relief, she wasn’t offended by it. In fact, it made her smile.

Shouto, meanwhile, had been frowning more. His older sister had met an alpha at the beginning of the school year during the Mating Ceremony. Shouto claimed he didn’t hate Keigo Takami, but he certainly didn’t like him. He thought that he was trying to use Fuyumi to get closer to Enji, since apparently Keigo was a big fan of his work before meeting her.

“Nee-san says that he’s harmless, but I don’t believe it,” Shouto said. “If he does anything to make her cry, then he’s a dead man.”

“Don’t let your instincts take control,” said Ochako. “We already got one alpha who’s already an overprotective guard dog.” She glanced over at Katsuki.

“Didn’t she spend years rejecting every offer she got at the Ceremony?” Izuku asked. “I mean, if she was going to settle for the first alpha who was nice to her, then she would’ve done so years ago. Maybe she sees something in Takami that makes her happy.”

“Easy for you to say,” Shouto muttered. “You don’t have to put up with him every time you go home.”

“He’s already moved in?” said Tenya, aghast at such an idea. “Goodness, all this before claiming her properly? How brazen of him!”

“There’s still time for me to get him kicked out.” It didn’t sound like a joke.

Graduation finally arrived. The March air was crisp, and the skies were bright. Izuku was eager to get away from high school and start university. There was a two-week break in between, which would give him time to move into the dorms. He wanted to be on campus and start his life anew.

Katsuki had other plans. He was going to take a gap year and work full-time. Mitsuki wasn’t happy about this, but the two explosive alphas managed to come to an agreement, thanks to Masaru. He would go to university next year, but in the meantime, he had to volunteer to bulk up his resume. Katsuki only agreed to it if he could move out and get his own place. His parents then insisted on paying rent for the first year so that he could focus on everything else.

He wanted a two-bedroom apartment, but the second room would be used by Ochako.  

Katsuki brought it up to her a few weeks before graduation. “It’s close to your new job, so you won’t need to take the train all the way from your parents’ place every day,” he said.

Ochako was startled by the bold offer. “Katsuki, you shouldn’t…” She looked at Izuku, who was sitting at the desk across from hers. Their classroom had divided up into mini study sessions for their final exams, so the trio had clumped together. Izuku hoped that his expressions were encouraging, but his face hurt from faking his smile.

“Did you ask Izuku first? Izuku, did something not work out with your school?” Ochako bit her lip. “This… this is a lot to ask of me. I don’t know.”

“Kacchan did talk to me about it,” Izuku said. “But the train ride would be too long, and I’ll need to stay late at the university every night. It’s better for me to get a dorm room instead.”

It wasn’t a lie; originally, Katsuki had looked for a three bedroom for all of them, but when Izuku brought up how he’d want to experience the college campus life, Katsuki had been taken aback. It was like he’d never considered that Izuku would be doing his own thing. He had to; Katsuki was now an adult alpha with new responsibilities. It only made sense that he would want to take Ochako in. It was to protect her.

An unmated alpha and omega living together wasn’t that unusual these days, but many people still raised an eyebrow and made nasty assumptions. Katsuki was taking on so much, and he’d nearly burdened himself with Izuku on top of all that.

“I don’t know,” Ochako repeated. “I was going to stay with my parents and save up before getting a place with a roommate.”

“You wouldn’t need to worry about rent for the first year, Angel. My stubborn hag insists on paying for it.”

Ochako’s eyes widened, and she shook her head furiously. “No, I can’t let her do that! Tell her that it’s out of the question!”

Katsuki rolled his eyes as if she was being ridiculous. “When she heard you were part of the roommate equation, she demanded that you didn’t pay a single yen. And if you refuse, she’ll get pissed at me and say that I’m a dumbass who can’t even provide for his friends.”

It was a cheap shot, Izuku knew that. Ochako wasn’t one to accept charity, and something this enormous would be incredibly suspicious to her. Not even Shouto asked her to move in with him, and Izuku could tell that he’d been tempted to ask Ochako to go out with him for months. But Katsuki had always been brazened. He wanted to protect her by keeping her close. Spiting Shouto by beating him to the punch was just a bonus.

“Auntie is just looking out for us,” Izuku said. “She’s disappointed that I’m going to live on campus, but she still wants to help out. She spoke to my mom about helping pay for my dorm rent, so it’s not just you that she’s being aggressively generous to.”

This seemed to settle Ochako somewhat. “If it’s really okay…”

“Of course it is,” Katsuki scoffed. “Now you don’t need to stress about money and can focus on work. My new job is about four blocks from yours, so I’ll come pick up after work whenever I can.”

He knew it was to protect Ochako from alphas like Shindou. Katsuki didn’t half-ass anything, and he would’ve done the same thing if Izuku had presented as an omega. But even now, as they discussed their futures beyond high school together, Izuku’s heart was shattering.

Chapter Text

IZUKU

His heart was broken. Now he had to try and pick up the pieces before life got worse.

Katsuki was physically out of reach for the first time in their lives. The train ride from the university campus to his apartment was about forty-five minutes. It was manageable, but not every day. Izuku used that time to study at the library instead. He dove into his courses headfirst, and with all the essays and tests piling up, it gave his heart the distraction it needed.

It got easier during his first year, and by the end of it, he had a pretty good grasp of how university worked. The second year arrived, and Izuku’s heart ached a little less. Then, life decided to throw him a curveball in the form of an enigmatic foreign student.

Rody Soul had come to the university on a paid internship. He was the same age as Izuku but had already graduated last year due to skipping several grades and taking on summer courses to speed his way towards a degree. He’d come to Japan to work with the engineering department, with his main interest being air travel. Everyone who encountered Rody became interested in him, mostly because he was an omega with an exotic scent.

Rody had discovered Izuku studying late into the night, with the librarian coming around to kick him out. He’d made excuses to escape the engineer students and had slipped into the library for a breather. He saw Izuku, a beta, seemingly uninterested in anyone around him. His scent was neutral, practically non-existent, and Rody claimed that it was a relief to be near him.

“All those alphas are so cloying,” he’d said. “They’re trying way too hard to seduce me. But I’m married to the sky. If they think they can outdo a Cessna 150, then they’re sorely mistaken.”

A strange yet comfortable friendship bloomed from that moment. Rody always found a way to slip away from his work just to bother Izuku. He tried to annoy Izuku with questions about his courses, but it backfired on him: Izuku was all too happy to gush about his lectures. Then Rody would act like he wasn’t interested in listening but would bring up certain aspects of Izuku’s lectures the next day.

Rody spoke about aircrafts and his little siblings constantly. They were being looked after while he was gone, but he was eager to return to Otheon to be with them. “If I get a permanent job here in Japan, I’ll fly them out and get them citizenship,” he said. “Their Japanese isn’t too shabby, but they’ll become fluent faster if they live here.”

“What about your parents?” Izuku asked. “Won’t they want your brother and sister to stay home?”

Rody shook his head. “Mom’s gone, and my old man is nothing but a useless lout who promoted me to legal guardian when he went to jail. I didn’t want them to end up in the foster system, so I pulled some strings to keep the three of us together. They’re both betas, so they’ll be fine here.”

Izuku scratched at the cursed mark on his wrist. “Yeah, nobody will bother them as betas. Japan is more concerned with marrying off alphas and omegas.”

“I heard about that. Some grand scheme to create enigma children, right?”

Izuku averted his eyes. “You heard about that?”

“Uh yeah? You blathered on about your Secondary Gender History course last week. It’s hard to forget when you kept flapping your tongue about it.”

Izuku ducked his head. “Jerk.”

Rody smirked. “I heard that.”

“I never had to wear these patches back home,” Rody whined as he slapped another scent patch to his neck. He and Izuku were in the canteen eating lunch. They’d gotten there before the big lunch rush and managed to snag the best melon bread and green tea before the rest of the hoard arrived. “People in Otheon don’t really care about dynamics, but it’s like winning the lottery here.”

“Japan suffers from a low birth rate,” Izuku told him. “We have Mating Ceremonies to help alphas and omegas connect. It’s a big social status thing, so betas rarely get involved.”

“Mating Ceremony?” Rody grimaced. “Ah, one of the gearheads mentioned it the other day. They asked if I was staying long enough to attend the next one.”

Izuku stomach twisted. “Don’t go. Kacchan says it’s an elitist club for alphas to flaunt their wealth.”

“Who’s Kacchan?”

Izuku turned away, his face burning. “Um, my friend. He’s an alpha.”

“Hmm, I see.”

Rody looked like he wanted to ask for more details but then got swarmed as a group of male betas and alphas from the engineering department spotted him. He managed to lie his way out of another invitation to a campus party happening that night. He threw the engineer students into confusion when he announced, “Actually, I have plans tonight. I got a date with Midoriya over here.”

Midoriya went bright red and hid his face in his arms. The alphas and betas gaped, as if they’d misheard Rody.

“Wait, him?”

“Who is he?”

“Some guy from the English courses.”

“Uh, I think I’ve seen him in the library a few times.”

“How do you know him, Rody?”

“You never mentioned that you had a mate!”

“What’s so great about him? He’s so plain.”

Most of them couldn’t mask their seething jealousy. Rody tried to defuse the sudden tension he’d brought upon them. “We did this weird thing where we started as friends and got to know each other first. The dating part came naturally. Why, is that a foreign concept here?”

Some of the betas looked around nervously. “Is he courting you too? It can’t be that serious, right?”

Izuku shot to his feet. His chest hurt, and it wasn’t from the melon bread. He collected his backpack, his hands shaking as he zipped it up. “It’s getting too crowded in here, Rody. I’ll see you later.”

The other students protested as Rody ditched them and caught up with Izuku. “Hey, wait. What’s going on? I know that was out of pocket to lie like that, but I didn’t think it would upset you.”

“I’m not upset.” But his eyes betrayed them as they burned with unshed tears.

What’s so great about him? Finally, everything that everyone around him constantly thought about had been verbalized. It’d taken them long enough. He’d always been a plain, boring beta to them.  He was nothing extraordinary compared to an alpha, and he was unwanted unlike his omega classmates. He has nothing to offer a guy like Rody, much less the world. Izuku had tried to recover from that dark time when his presentation had ruined everything, but now it was coming back to haunt him.

He couldn’t have Kacchan. Rody deserved an alpha who’d love him for who he is.

There wasn’t an easy way to tell Rody all the complicated, sickening feelings that whirled inside him whenever he gave himself five seconds to ponder his status. His stories helped him escape from reality, but once he stopped typing, Izuku was reminded that life wasn’t fair.

“Those guys were out of line,” Rody said. He grabbed Izuku’s arm and stopped him from running into the nearest bathroom. “Look, they’re great in their courses, but socially, they’ve flunked out. I keep telling them that back in Otheon, we don’t care about these dynamics. We tend to do this crazy thing where we date people for their personalities. And man, they acted like I’d grown a second head.”

“You would sound crazy to them,” Izuku murmured. “That’s just not a thing here. You’re not the first omega friend who’s suffered from unwanted alpha attention.” In that moment, Izuku missed Ochako terribly. He’d seen her last weekend. Katsuki had been working, but Ochako had still invited him to their apartment and made him dinner. Izuku loved their place; it felt like home. The university was comfortable, but it didn’t have them.

It didn’t have his Kacchan.

“I can handle it,” said Rody. “But what I can’t handle are others brushing you off like that.” He frowned, which was such a foreign expression for him. “They’re so full of themselves. And the betas are hypocritical. I don’t know where they get off like that, thinking they’re better than you.”

“They just are,” said Izuku.

“Well, you’re wrong.” Rody grabbed his arm and stopped him. “None of them make me feel at ease, like I can be myself, or let me go on tangents about my siblings without rolling their eyes. You don’t make me feel insecure about my secondary gender.”

“I’m just trying to forget my own,” said Izuku.

“Seriously, you need to visit Otheon one day. Get away from all this bullshit for a few weeks.” Rody grinned. “I’ll make you a VIP on my plane once I get my license.”

He steered Izuku down the hall and through the double doors. He led him across the campus, away from the buildings and library, and back to his own dorm. There, Rody pulled out his favourite tea blends native to his home and boiled water in the kettle. His internship had given his own one-bedroom apartment, a luxury among university students. His omega status also had a part in this; he needed his privacy for his monthly heats.

Izuku went to the bathroom and pressed a cold, wet cloth to his eyes until the puffiness went down. His eyes were no longer burning, but now he felt exhausted from his outburst. Rody didn’t need to be kind to him, but he’d decided to whisk Izuku away from his classmates.

“Now, let’s just forget about those dumbasses and chill tonight,” Rody said once Izuku returned to the kitchenette. He handed him a mug of tea and showed him to the small living room. “You told me about that WWII aircraft documentary that you found the other day. You wanna watch it with me?”

“Sure, sounds good.”

It made for a great distraction. Throughout the documentary, Rody spouted trivia and excitedly pointed out the planes that inspired the ones in Studio Ghibli films. Izuku winced whenever Rody went on an unbiased rant about every country’s war crimes during WWII, but at least Rody wasn’t glossing it over.

As it neared midnight, Izuku smothered his yawns into his hands. “I should get going,” he said. He tried to stand up, but Rody grabbed his wrist.

“Do you have to?”

“Well, I need to get some sleep.”

“My bed’s big enough for two.”

Izuku’s mouth went dry, and pinpricks of nerves tingles his hands. “Um, well, I don’t think that’s appropriate...”

Rody shook his head. “I’m not trying to coerce you into something scandalous, Izuku. I’d like to spend the night with you. After tonight, I’d feel better knowing that you’re here and not wallowing in self-doubt like I know you’re planning to do.”

Izuku hated how accurately Rody could read him. Katsuki would’ve acted the same way, but more aggressively.

He really did have a type.

Rody stood up, still holding onto Izuku. “So, no more moping or thinking that your silly status had to dictate everything in your life. Ah, ah, ah, shut up before you even dare protest. You need a fresh new perspective, and luckily for you, I’m handing mine out for free.”

“You’re too carefree,” Izuku said.

“Heh, thanks.”

“It wasn’t a compliment.”

“It sounded like one.”

Before Izuku could say anything else, tell Rody he was being unreasonable, Rody had pressed his lips to Izuku’s, sealing away his words.

He didn’t know who to tell first. Rody has been a surprisingly gentle kisser. He hadn’t pushed Izuku to do anything beyond that but was eager whenever Izuku made the first move. The culture shock hit Rody when Izuku got all embarrassed about them holding hands in public. “You guys just walk next to each other? Geez, in Otheon, everyone holds like they’re otters about to drift away.”

“PDA isn’t a big thing here,” Izuku said. He’d consumed plenty of Hollywood films due to his fascination with American culture and had been appalled at the amount of public kissing in them. Western alphas and omegas were built different; it’s like they wanted to brag about how much action they were getting behind closed doors. Sure, there were alphas and omegas who’d get cuddly at times, but that was still considered weird to do in public.

Not that Izuku hadn’t once dreamt about holding hands with Katsuki… but that was in the past. He was moving on.

He had to move on.

Eventually, Izuku confided in Ochako about Rody over their monthly lunch date. She was wearing Katsuki’s hoodie, and Izuku’s dull beta nose could detect his caramel scent. Ochako and Katsuki had been scenting each other for months to keep other alphas away from her. Katsuki had insisted on it, and Izuku wondered how much of it was to protect Ochako and to spite Shouto.

“We’re not really dating, but it’s not like he’s seeing other people, either.”

Ochako was gobsmacked. “You’re not pulling my leg, right?”

“No, of course not.” Izuku hid his burning face in his hands. His strawberry milkshake was melting in the metal cup it’d been served in. “It’s just been hard since we graduated high school. I don’t get to see everyone all the time, and Rody is kind of chaotic and weird, but it’s… nice. He’s always gushing about his little brother and sister—he took care of them growing up ‘cause their dad was out of the picture—and he’d got a big heart. He wants to be a pilot once they’re grown up, so right now he’s working in engineering. He loves Miyazaki films, especially The Wind Rises because of all the planes—”

Ochako was laughing. She held up a hand to halt the flow of words. “Okay, I get it. You’re smitten. He sounds like a great guy.” She tilted her head, and Izuku felt like Ochako was trying to read his mind. “But are you happy, Izuku?”

“O-of course.”

“Reeeeeeally?”

“Ochako…”

“Okay, I just want to be sure.” She paused. “Does Katsuki know?”

His heart thudded guiltily. “No, you’re the first person I’ve told.”

“You should tell him. He’ll want to hear it from you.”

Why? Katsuki was his best friend, but he would never care for Izuku in that way. Alphas and male betas weren’t a thing. Romance between them would be counterproductive to society.

Izuku liked Rody. He wasn’t a rebound, because Izuku and Katsuki had never been together. So why did he feel like he was using Rody?

“I guess I could tell him,” Izuku finally said. He looked at Ochako. “How are you and Kacchan?”

“The same as usual? What kind of question is that?” Ochako sipped her milkshake. “Well, he isn’t happy with me spending time with Shouto, but he’s always been a sourpuss about him. Shouto’s father is demanding that he attend the Mating Ceremony, but Shouto isn’t interested. So, I’ve been helping him out by being his date to events to help get his dad off his back. It’s been working… for the most part. But now, Shouto’s brother-in-law is being nosey and keeps asking when Shouto and I are gonna move in together.” Her cheeks turned pinker than usual. “Shouto doesn’t want to inconvenience me. That’s what he says, anyway. But I know he’s scared for me. He doesn’t want me to get involved.”

“He’s always been fond of you.”

Ochako smiled sadly. “And I care about him too. He’s… wonderful. It’s just a complicated situation. It’s not as easy as us getting a place together. That won’t appease his dad. He would keep pushing for more. He’s so invasive.”

They talked for a while about school and work (Ochako brought up SoulMate’s dating app, and how she debated on whether to use it or not), but Izuku’s thoughts still lingered on what Ochako had said about Shouto. She’d been more eager to talk about him than Katsuki. There’d been unspoken plans for her and Shouto to be together, in a matter of speaking. Ochako showed no interest in being with Katsuki. She treated him like he was her overprotective older brother. He certainly acted like it when it came to Shouto.

Maybe he was getting his hopes up. What if Katsuki’s overprotective nature towards Ochako remained platonic? They lived together, but nothing had come of it.

Then guilt pooled in his stomach. He was seeing Rody… sort of. He should talk to him, see where they stood, before Izuku’s stupid heart got him into trouble.

He wanted to be free, but Katsuki’s visage always clouded his mind. Always reminding him that his feelings couldn’t be so easily erased.

KATSUKI

IZUKU:

I have something to tell you

Don’t be mad

Katsuki didn’t know what it was, but now his hackles were raised. Something had happened, because why else would Izuku send him this cryptic text? It left him on edge all day, and he was snappier than usual.

“You don’t even know what he wants to tell you yet,” said Ochako when Katsuki griped about it. “Maybe it’s not that bad.”

“Then why is he telling me to not get pissed at him?” Katsuki growled. “Do you know what’s wrong with him? Is some asshole threatening him at school?”

“He never mentioned harassment the last time I saw him,” said Ochako. She stood up from where she’d been sitting at the kitchen table and halted Katsuki’s incessant pacing. “You might not be happy with what he has to say but try to be understanding.”

“It sounds like you know exactly what he’s going to tell me.”

Ochako smiled guiltily. “I told him that you needed to hear it from him. But he’s not being bullied. The alphas don’t think much of him, but that’s about it.” She pulled Katsuki into a tight hug. Her scent overwhelmed him as she tried to calm him down. “He’s scared that he’s going to disappoint you. Try and reassure him. Okay?”

Instead of texting him back, Katsuki drove over to the university. He knew Izuku’s entire schedule and where he liked to study after his final class. He found him in the corner of the third floor of the library, taking up an entire table with his laptop and books. He yelped in surprise as Katsuki came into view, earning annoyed looks from the other students studying nearby.

“Kacchan, what are you doing here? Are you okay?” Izuku whispered.

Katsuki sat down next to him. “You said you had something to tell me. So, spill it.”

Izuku averted his eyes. “Well, I do, but I was waiting for you to text me back first. When you didn’t, I thought that you were mad at me.”

“Fuck yeah, I am. Who the fuck writes that and expects me to not be on edge?”

“I didn’t know how else to say it,” said Izuku. Little panicked breaths were escaping him. “I told Ochako first, but that doesn’t mean I was never going to tell you.”

“Tell me what?”

Izuku took in a shuddering breath. “I’m... seeing someone.”

Katsuki couldn’t hear anything but ringing static after that. He could see Izuku’s lips moving and the guilty look in his eyes, but his other senses were malfunctioning.

BETA IS DATING SOMEONE OTHER THAN ME

HOW THE FUCK DID THAT HAPPEN?

WE FUCKED UP; SHOULD’VE CLAIMED BETA MATE BEFOREHAND

MUST KILL ENEMY

Katsuki bit back the selfish, venomous words. He wanted to tell Izuku that he was making a mistake. Whoever this punk was, they didn’t deserve Izuku.

NOT LIKE US

WE’RE THE ONLY ONES WHO’D LOVE HIM THE WAY HE DESERVES

MATE, WHY? WHY AREN’T YOU WITH US?

“Kacchan?” Izuku’s voice was hoarse. “Are you okay with this?”

“I’ll have to be, won’t I?” He couldn’t manage a non-accusatory tone. This was too much for him to handle.

Try and reassure him.

Reassure him of what? That he wasn’t wasting his time with some loser extra? Boy or girl, omega or alpha, Katsuki already hated them.

Izuku hid his face in his hands. “I’m sorry, Kacchan. I’m burdening you again. You’re already taking care of Ochako, and now I do this to you. But you don’t have to worry. Rody’s not an alpha. He won’t hurt me.”

Do you think someone is gonna kidnap and rape you now? Because you know I won’t let that happen.

Oh, maybe that’s why Izuku had been scared to tell him. Katsuki had made that promise back when Izuku had presented. Even though he wasn’t an omega, there were still alphas who’d try to harass betas for their sick thrills. Katsuki would protect Izuku from any asshole who tried to hurt him, but he couldn’t be around him twenty-four/seven. It’s why he made those living arrangements with Ochako and had tried to convince Izuku to join them.

MUST PROTECT MATE AT ALL COSTS.

But Izuku didn’t need him that way. Right now, he wanted Katsuki’s approval to date someone else. But his alpha screamed in protest. This wasn’t how things were supposed to be.

“Whoever this fucker is, they better not break your heart,” Katsuki growled. “Or I’ll break their everything.”

Izuku laughed softly at the declaration. He eased up, foolishly thinking that he’d gained Katsuki’s approval. But Katsuki would never approve of some random asshole stealing his Izuku away from him. He didn’t care how insanely selfish he sounded; Katsuki couldn’t change the fact that Izuku belonged to him.

“If that happens, then you’ll be the first to know,” said Izuku.

IZUKU

Summer vacation was ending, and so was Rody’s internship. In a few weeks, he’d be heading back to Otheon. He talked about gaining permanent citizenship a few more times, with Izuku hastily agreeing to it.

He liked Rody, but was that enough? He felt like his heart was constantly cheating whenever he thought of Kacchan. It wasn’t right; Rody deserved someone who’d be loyal to him.

And Rody, bless him, knew something was up. He wanted to pry but held back until his final week. Finally, he asked Izuku what was going on.

“I’m just worried about being in a long-distance relationship,” Izuku said. “It’s my first serious relationship, and I don’t want to screw it up.”

It wasn’t a lie. Izuku had heard from his college classmates the struggles of keeping the spark going while their mates studied overseas. They had their bond to keep them strong and faithful, but it still wasn’t easy. Izuku couldn’t claim Rody like an alpha could, and that had added to his own doubts of whether their attraction was legitimate.

Rody cocked an eyebrow. “Is that really everything? We wouldn’t be the first ones to have a partner living in another country. There’s plenty of American alphas who date omegas in foreign places. It makes them look sleazy and desperate, but the West is already weird.”

Izuku looked down at his hands. “But I’m not an alpha.”

“The so-called rules work differently for us.”

What rules? Betas shouldn’t be “stealing” omegas from worthy alphas. Izuku was only ruining Rody’s future by staying with him. He’d stolen his first kiss—his first time—and there were jealous alphas out there who’d punish Rody for giving himself away so freely.

“Hey, hey, hey. I see the gears turning in that overthinking head of yours.” Rody grabbed Izuku’s face to get his attention. “You’re worried about a bunch of silly things that shouldn’t matter. I keep telling you, in Otheon—”

“But we’re not in Otheon,” Izuku protested. “And I don’t think I could ever go there. If I do, I’ll see how wonderful it is and start to forget my place. I’ll delude myself into thinking –”

“You’re already deluded,” said Rody, not unkindly. “You think you’re worth less than everyone else around you. Fuck, what does that say about me? Are you implying that I settled for you or lowered my standards? That I chose you out of pity or to stick it to the man like some spiteful asshole?”

“No, of course not!”

“With that crippling self-depreciation, you are.” Rody sighed. He pressed his brow against Izuku’s. “You need to work on that self-love, Izuku. You’re worth more than a hundred alphas. I need you to believe that.” He kissed him, and tears pricked Izuku’s eyes. As Rody drew away, he said, “Look, you’re always going to be my first love. But I know that I’m not yours.”

Izuku’s heart seized, and he shook his head. “That’s not true! I’ve never been with anyone else—”

“You’ve never been with this Kacchan guy ‘cause you think you’re beneath him for some godawful reason. But I’m not stupid. You love him as much as I… well, like I said, you’ll always be my first love.” Rody smiled sadly. “But I can’t be selfish and keep you all to myself. From the way you described him, he’d be pissed if I stole you away before he could throw his hat in the ring.”

“No, that’s not true. We’re just friends.”

“People who claim to be ‘just’ friends are always more than that.” Rody kissed him again, and Izuku sobbed into his mouth. It felt like a farewell. “My offer still stands. When I get my own plane, I’ll whisk you away to Otheon. That gives Kacchan ample time to sweep you off your feet. It’s only fair.”

But Izuku, too greedy and scared to let go of him, grabbed Rody and pushed him down onto the couch. He hovered above him, and Izuku’s fresh tears splattered down onto Rody’s cheeks.

“It’s not fair,” he cried before hiding his face into Rody’s chest. “It’s not fair. I’m sorry, Rody. I’m sorry that I’m so fucked up.”

Chapter Text

OCHAKO

Break-ups were difficult, especially when both parties genuinely cared for each other. Ochako was there for Izuku when he and Rody broke it off. All Izuku said was that things were too complicated, and Rody was destined to return to Otheon anyway. Ochako knew that there was more to it than that but didn’t pry. She hoped that Izuku would take time for himself and focus on making himself happy for once.

She recalled how violently miserable Katsuki was after Izuku told him that he was seeing someone. He was seething, and his scent was overpowering. Ochako couldn’t breathe, and she ended up staying at Kyouka and Momo’s apartment for a week. Their place reeked of Katsuki’s anger and insecurities. He was beating himself up for not speaking up sooner when it came to Izuku.

But then Rody left, and Katsuki couldn’t help but be smug when he thought Ochako wasn’t looking. “Serves that bastard right,” he said when Ochako told him about Izuku’s romantic troubles.

“Katsuki!”

“Not Izuku, fuck no! He did nothing wrong. It’s all that exchange student’s fault.” He cracked his knuckles. “Fucker is lucky that he left before I could get his hands on him.”

“He’s an omega,” Ochako reminded him. “Do you want to get arrested for punching him out?”

“Feh, since when did we care about secondary genders here?” His scent dulled and soured as he dropped his arms down to his sides. “Fuck, that’s what ruined everything in the first place. Izuku gets all wound up about stupid shit like that. I thought he’d finally start loving himself, but now that little fucker sent him back to square one.”

Ochako didn’t have all the details; she didn’t know how far physically Izuku and Rody had gotten, but she knew more than Katsuki. She’d met Rody once, and he’d been an odd but endearing young man. They’d instantly bonded over their devotion to their families and providing for their futures. Their omega statuses hadn’t been on their radars at all. But right now, Katsuki didn’t want to hear about how relationships could end for mature reasons. He wanted a scapegoat for Izuku’s latest bout of misery, and Rody fit the bill.

“We need to be there for Izuku,” said Ochako. “We’re not going to play the blame game with Rody, because that’ll only make Izuku feel worse. Instead, we’re going to spend time with him whenever he’s not studying and get his mind off things. Do NOT bring up Rody unless Izuku does first. And try to be civil, okay?”

“I’m always the perfect gentleman,” Katsuki growled.

Ochako laughed. “Ah yes, you’re the epitome of tranquility.” She squealed as Katsuki suddenly grabbed her around the waist and carried her to her room.

“It’s past your bedtime. You have an early day at work tomorrow,” he said as he threw her onto her bed.

“Yes, Mom.”

Katsuki muttered something incoherent under his breath before slamming the door shut. Ochako laid on her side, watching the door.

alpha brother is so bashful

IZUKU

When May arrived, nearly a year since Rody returned to Otheon, talks about the Mating Ceremony were at an all-time high. Izuku’s omega classmates were gushing about what they would wear and what kind of alphas they were looking for. Every omega who applied were instantly accepted to the gala. Alphas, on the other hand, were brutally scrutinized by SoulMate and the other sponsors. They needed proof of their annual income, family trees, blood type, current occupation, estimated average time of their ruts, and so on. According to the Mating Ceremony, every omega deserved an alpha, but not every alpha deserved an omega. Alphas needed to be of the highest quality to even be considered for a standard pass. Those from old money could afford the platinum passes, but alphas who came from middle-class families weren’t as fortunate.

That’s where forged paperwork came in. Izuku knew all about it. He had classmates who were the first alphas of their families in generations, and thus didn’t have the credentials for the Ceremony. They would scrounge up the money to hire a forger and pray that their skills were enough to get past SoulMate’s detection. Most succeeded and wormed their way into the Ceremony to find a mate.

Katsuki could easily get in. His mother’s side was brimming with multi-generational alpha genes, and his father had that omega edge that was appealing to SoulMate. But whenever someone brought up the Ceremony in Katsuki’s presence, he would spit verbal acid at them and call it “a fucking waste of time.”

Once he started smelling like Ochako, the questions died down. Those who didn’t know Katsuki would think that he already had an unclaimed mate. Unfortunately, that created more interference from strangers, who demanded to know why he hadn’t claimed her yet.

“None of your fucking business,” was the standard response.

Shouto, on the other hand, was constantly hounded by his father to attend. He refused, and always made sure that he had plans for those weekends. This year, Shouto had “no choice” but to attend an omega protection seminar for school. It’d been conveniently set in Canada, and he wouldn’t return until a week after the Ceremony. Ochako had accompanied him for that trip, which left Katsuki on edge until she’d returned home.

Every day during her absence, Katsuki became aggressively sociable with Izuku. He picked up Izuku once his last class of the day was done and drove him back to his apartment. He made dinner while Izuku worked on his papers. After a couple of hours, Katsuki snapped about Izuku “melting his brains” and demanded that he took a break. He let Izuku choose the movie and tried to pretend that he hated it, despite being engrossed the entire time. It was one of their childhood favourite films: All Might vs. The Demon Lord. It’d been made a decade before they’d been born, but the plot and special effects held up remarkably well. The actor who’d played All Might in all nine theatrical films, Toshinori Yagi, had been forced to retire after a stunt had gone wrong on set nearly ten years ago. Katsuki complained viciously about how the director had fucked up and hadn’t worked out the kinks for that stunt.

It made Izuku feel warm inside. Katsuki cared so much, even for an older actor that he’d never met. It took his mind off school, Rody’s absence, the Mating Ceremony, and even his own gender.

In moments like these, he allowed himself to be greedy. It was easy to believe that Katsuki could love him the way he was.

The week went by too quickly, and Izuku’s blissful time with Katsuki came to an end. He went to the airport with Katsuki to pick up their friends. As Ochako and Shouto walked through Arrivals, Katsuki’s nostrils flared, and he immediately shot death glares at Shouto.

“Why the fuck does she smell like you, asshole?”

Ochako stepped in between them before Katsuki could fight Shouto. “Katsuki, we spent a week together. I wore his jacket while we were out so that alphas would leave me alone.”

“That’s what my clothes were for. You packed them into your suitcase for that reason.”

Ochako huffed impatiently. “It’s more convincing to smell like the alpha that I was constantly around. It made us look like a couple enjoying our vacation. And it worked, okay? It also helped that Canadians have the highest percentage of beta population in the world. Shouto’s scent helped with keeping the rest away.”

Katsuki jabbed a finger in Shouto’s direction. “If you tried to pull some shit while I wasn’t around—”

“Katsuki, stop it,” Ochako snapped. “We just finished an eleven-hour flight. I have serious jet lag and all I wanna do is grab my bags and sleep. I don’t need your brotherly bravado right now.”

Katsuki opened his mouth, but then snapped it shut when Ochako gave him a warning look. “Fine, I won’t kill him today.”

“Oh good, my execution’s been postponed,” Shouto said dryly. He looked away from Katsuki, who was ready to explode, to Izuku. His features softened. “It’s good to see you again, Izuku. It’s been a while. I brought you back souvenirs.”

Something had changed between Shouto and Ochako. There’d always been that natural progression since their high school days. Because of Ochako, Shouto had went from cold and abrasive to warm and friendly. His crush on her had been obvious to everyone in their friend group (which unfortunately, pissed Katsuki off to no end), but he’d held himself back due to personal reasons. Only Ochako knew the full extent of Shouto’s family situation, but Shouto had gradually let Izuku and their other friends know about his father’s “old fashioned values” regarding alphas and omegas.

Shouto was always spiteful towards his father and would get back at him in small ways. The seminar in Canada had been his biggest middle finger so far. And Ochako, who’d always despised gender roles, had encouraged him further when she accepted his invitation.

Now, Ochako seemed more, ah, demure whenever Shouto was mentioned. Her pink cheeks grew pinker whenever she received texts from him. She would excuse herself to answer his calls and return with weak excuses of having to leave suddenly.

“He finally asked her out,” Kyouka said as Ochako rushed out the door of the café they’d been hanging out in. It was the middle of June now, and Izuku had taken the night off from studying to see the others. It was difficult to get together with Tsuyu, Momo, Kyouka, and Tenya often, due to going to different universities. Kyouka had decided to forego post-secondary altogether; she had recruited members for her goth metal band and was working on their EP now. Momo, being the doting alpha that she was, had funded the entire project, going as far as buying Kyouka her own recording studio.

“It’s about time,” Momo sighed. “It’s unbearable to see someone in love and keep their feelings pent up for so long.”

“I’m surprised Bakugou didn’t kill him yet,” said Tsuyu. “He must be able to smell Shouto all over her. Unless they’re being sneaky.”

“Ochako can be five steps ahead of Bakugou when she wants to be,” said Kyouka.

Izuku looked between the girls as he sipped his latte. “They’re…. really? No way. Ochako’s been acting a bit different, but Shouto seems the same.”

“His scent was overwhelming when I saw him the other day,” said Momo. “I nearly keeled over. It was like he’d won the lottery.”

“I hope he doesn’t get carried away,” Tenya said sternly. “Uraraka is strong, but I don’t want her to feel pressured to make him happy.”

“Do I need to remind you about who has THE Katsuki Bakugou wrapped around her pinky?” Kyouka snorted. “Believe me, she wouldn’t be hooking up with Shouto if she didn’t want to.”

Tenya sputtered at the raunchy implications. “Uraraka would never—!”

“This is the twenty-first century, Grandpa,” said Kyouka. “Unmarried folks are screwing each other all the time now. Let them have their fun.”

“Well, um… A-As long as they’re using protection…”

Izuku didn’t know if Kyouka was just making an educated guess or trying to mess with Tenya’s mind, but he didn’t want to assume anything until Ochako told him. When she was ready, she would confide in him.

It didn’t take long for Ochako to confess to Izuku. Not even three days after his cafe outing with their friends, Ochako had asked him to meet up with her at their favourite takoyaki stall. It served ten different flavours, as well as cheap beer. Ochako offered to buy, insisting that Izuku was a “broke college student” and that she was craving octopus. It should’ve clued him in that Ochako was nervous about telling him something, since she was usually so careful with her money.

Once they got their food, they found a nearby bench and sat down. Ochako drained half her beer quickly and glanced over at Izuku.

“I’m only gonna tell you this, Izuku. Not even Katsuki knows, so don’t you dare tell him,” Ochako said. “Last month… Shouto and I slept together.”

Izuku nearly choked on his beer.

“W-What?”

“Are you really that shocked? I know that the others figured out what we’re up to. Shouto hasn’t been subtle since high school about... you know, having a crush on me. I never said anything because I didn’t want to embarrass him. And other people would think that I was full of myself. Maybe I am.”

“You’re not, Ochako,” Izuku said. “Shouto probably didn’t want to pressure you into accepting his feelings, either.”

Ochako nodded. She took a sip of her drink to compose herself before continuing. “Remember that seminar in Toronto? Shouto begged me to go, and it wasn’t just to get his dad off his back. Mr. Todoroki thought that it was for the entire week, but the actual seminar was only a two-day program. The rest of the time, Shouto and I had a mini vacation. He said he saw how stressed I’d been about SoulMate and my coworkers harassing me about not attending the Ceremony, so he thought it’d be best to get out of town for a while.”

“By going to Canada? That’s a bit extreme.”

“The perks of having a petty, fake boyfriend,” Ochako said.

“Boyfriend? But I thought you guys decided that you weren’t meant to be?”

Ochako bit her lip. “We did, but… we can’t help but love each other, just not romantically. Well, on my end, anyway. I know how he feels about me. And Shouto never wants a mate. He’s scared about what would happen when his father gets involved. But we decided in the moment to exchange our V-cards.” Her face went red. “He’s a generous lover.”

“O-Oh, you don’t need to say anything else—”

“We did it in our hotel room. A lot. Like, every night. There were two beds, but only one got used the entire week.”

Izuku’s face burned. “Ha ha, I get it.”

Ochako finished the rest of her beer. She speared her takoyaki with her toothpick and popped it into her mouth. “God, the way he went down on me. You’d think he’d been starving all his life.”

“OCHAKO!”

SHOUTO

He was experiencing pure bliss. He didn’t know he would ever be this happy. He didn’t think that he deserved to have someone as wonderful as Ochako.

They were careful with scenting, and Ochako had back-up plans and excuses invented to give them alibis. She was living with Katsuki, who had always resented Shouto, so she’d found ways to get around his detection. For one, she kept freshly linen overnight clothes in her bag, sealed within a Ziploc bag. They didn’t smell like Shouto, so Katsuki wouldn’t suspect that Ochako had been with him. The clothes she came in—the ones Shouto promptly peeled off her—were sent to a dry cleaner to rinse off any lingering traces of Shouto’s scent. They had a few close calls where Katsuki demanded to know why she’d gone out without his scented clothes for protection, but Ochako pacified him with beautiful lies.

If ENEMY ALPHA hadn’t been so violently stubborn, then Ochako wouldn’t have to deceive him. Shouto could see the guilt gnawing away at her. She didn’t like lying to Katsuki like this.

Shouto knew that it was sibling love that they shared. He’d seen how Touya would protect Fuyumi during their younger years, despite being a “beta failure.” While Shouto disliked Keigo, Touya had been ready to tear his head off when he saw the bite mark on their sister’s neck. Katsuki’s reactions were no different.

Shouto didn’t mind accommodating for Ochako. In his eyes, she was giving him the greatest gift, one that he still thought he wasn’t worthy of: her unwavering love. It wasn’t romantic, but rather a mix of sexual and platonic that would’ve upset any other alpha. But Shouto soaked it in, craving more while also patiently waiting for Ochako to take the next step.

Any stolen moment of affection, every kiss in a dark alleyway, every moment of her moaning wantonly beneath him, was precious to him.

He knew it couldn’t last forever.

Keigo, the nosy traitor, had caught Shouto and Ochako visiting the temple together at New Year’s. They’d gone to the one that was furthest away from the Todoroki estate, but Keigo had had the same idea.

“Well, well, well, is this the little omega who’s got you shirking your duties at home?” Keigo said casually. His eyes were glimmering like he’d just won a bet. “You insisted that she was only your casual date for all those get togethers last year, or were you lying to your dear sister for fun? Very naughty, Shouto. This will break her heart. Not to mention Enji…”

Shouto stepped instinctively in front of Ochako. “Why do you care? I don’t owe my bastard father anything. If he’s complaining to you about me, then he truly has nothing better to do with his time.”

Keigo held his hands up. “Hey, the man barely talks to me, unless it’s to badger Fuyumi and I about giving him grandchildren. He has been grumbling about you avoiding the galas, but he thinks that this year, it’d be best for you to settle down. But maybe I should tell him that you already have.”

Ochako gripped the back of Shouto’s coat. Her hands were trembling.

BASTARD ALPHA FATHER, RUINING EVERYTHING. CAN’T LET ENEMY ALPHA REPORT BACK TO HIM ABOUT OMEGA LOVER.

Keigo gave Shouto a knowing look. “Hey now, I can see the gears turning in that rebellious brain of yours. Is it really so wrong for Enji to know that you have an omega?”

“Are you seriously asking me that?” Shouto hissed. “If you say anything to him, then I’ll make Nii-san’s threats a reality.”

Touya had been dreaming about castrating Keigo all year. Shouto would offer to hold Keigo down while his brother finished the job.

Keigo blanched. “Yeesh, I was only joking, Shouto. There’s no need to get violent. I won’t tell your father, but I can’t lie to my wife. It should be fine if Fuyumi knew at least.”

“We’ll tell her ourselves.” Ochako stepped around Shouto. She took his hand. “Please, stay out of this, Takami.”

“Hmmm, I’ll give you two a week. After that, I’m spilling my guts to Fuyumi.” Keigo waved lazily as he turned and walked off, leaving Shouto utterly devastated.

BASTARD ALPHA FATHER WILL HURT OMEGA LOVER. CAN’T LET HIM MEET HER. OMEGA SISTER WILL TELL HIM. SHE TELLS HIM EVERYTHING. WHY DOES SHE STILL TALK TO HIM.

DON’T WANT TO LOSE OMEGA LOVER. CAN’T LOSE HER. BEST PART OF MY LIFE.

ENEMY ALPHA RUINED EVERYTHING.

They were back at the hotel that they’d stayed at for New Year’s Eve. Shouto sat on the bed, stony-faced and hands gripping his knees. Ochako was with him, her head resting on his shoulder.

“He’s lucky that you didn’t murder him,” said Ochako.

“I can hold back. I’m not Bakugou.”

Ochako rubbed her hand up and down his arm. “I can’t believe he threatened us. Does he think that just because he’s family, he can boss you around?”

“Nii-san was right,” Shouto muttered. “He’s a parasite. What does Yumi-nee see him in?”

“She didn’t settle for him, because she would’ve done that for any alpha during her first Ceremony. But she needs to tell him off for being sneaky.”

“She won’t. She always turns a blind eye to his bullshit.”

Shouto turned and kissed the top of Ochako’s head. “I’ve been so selfish, Ochako. I want you all to myself. But then something like this happens and I’m scared of losing everything.”

Their friends thought they were dating. Shouto let them believe that wonderful fantasy, but he could never truly ask Ochako to choose him as her alpha. She was incredibly strong, but the Todoroki Hell would swallow her whole. Enji would destroy her, like he destroyed Rei. She would be trapped in the inescapable cycle of pain and abuse and would come to hate Shouto for it.

When he said he didn’t want a mate, it was a lie. He desperately wanted Ochako Uraraka, only her, but claiming her was also condemning her happiness and freedom.

He didn’t notice the hot tears streaming down his face until Ochako wiped them away with her fingers. She pressed a palm to his cheek and tilted his head down to look at her.

“I wish I could save you, Shouto,” she whispered. “You deserve everything you want.” She kissed him slowly, lovingly, as she pushed him down onto the bed. “I know what you’re thinking. Even if we stop this arrangement, I won’t stop protecting you.”

“That’s my job.”

“No, we protect each other. That’s what mates should do.”

And yet, they couldn’t be together, not that way. Like his mother, Shouto would be denied happiness thanks to his BASTARD ALPHA FATHER.

If you love her, let her go.

Not tonight. Shouto would allow himself to be selfish long enough for dawn to break. And from the way Ochako’s tears fell and splattered onto his face, she was thinking the same thing.

They gave their friends (sans Katsuki, who’d remained as ignorant as ever) an “official” explanation: Shouto and Ochako had decided to break up. They were still friends, fiercely so, but they didn’t dare appear intimate in fear of another New Year’s incident. Before the week was over, Shouto had told Keigo that they’d ended things; there was no need to tell Fuyumi anything.

But the bastard had other plans. On the morning of Shouto’s twenty-first birthday, Fuyumi asked if Ochako would be joining them for dinner. Shouto froze as he ate his breakfast and put down his chopsticks. He glared at Keigo, who was drinking his miso soup, avoiding his gaze.

“My friends and I are going out tonight,” he said stiffly. “Ocha—Uraraka will be with us. Why would she ever come here?”

On her birthday a few weeks ago, Shouto and Ochako had had a private get together after having dinner with everyone. Katsuki had sat between them, like the irritable cockblocker he’d always been. But that didn’t stop Ochako from shooting Shouto longing looks whenever Katsuki was focused on Izuku. After bidding everyone a goodnight, they’d headed off to a love hotel. Ochako had been insatiable that night.

Before Keigo had ruined everything, Ochako had promised to return the favour on Shouto’s birthday. Now, all Shouto wanted to do was punch his brother-in-law in the face.

Fuyumi’s face fell. “Because she’s your girlfriend? Don’t you want to introduce her to the family properly? Keigo and I have seen her at the parties last year, but you never said that you two were going steady.”

“Yeah, Shouto,” Keigo said casually. “Fuyumi’s been so excited to invite her into the family. We thought you’d sworn off omegas, but now you chose a cute girl. It’s not fair to hog all her attention.”

“I don’t want to hear another word out of your goddamn mouth,” Shouto seethed.

“Shouto!” Fuyumi gasped.

“He went behind my back and told you everything. He was supposed to keep his fucking mouth shut!” Shouto shouted. Fuyumi flinched, and Shouto felt a pang of guilt before resuming his rage. It wasn’t her he was mad at, but her traitorous alpha.

“Ochako and I would’ve told you, but we… I won’t have her join this family while our father is still breathing. He would ruin everything.” Shouto stood up. “Yumi-nee, I’m sorry. I can’t. Don’t bother saving me a plate tonight. I can’t be here right now.”

He hoped that he’d hid his panic as he stormed out of the dining room.

IZUKU

Izuku was just finishing his morning class when he received a text from Shouto.

SHOUTO:

Can I hide out in your dorm room for a few hours?

Things are tense at home

Shouto rarely asked Izuku for help, so he easily agreed. Both Ochako and Shouto had been noticeably depressed since their break-up. Maybe Shouto needed a friend to talk to. Izuku knew all about heartbreak. Hopefully, he could give him some advice.

Shouto was waiting outside of the dorm building when Izuku arrived, his backpack bulging with textbooks. Shouto’s shoulders were stiff, but they relaxed as Izuku approached him.

“Ah, happy birthday, Shouto! I bought you a gift; I have it up in my room—”

“You didn’t have to go through the trouble, Izuku,” said Shouto. “But thank you. Right now, I needed to see a friendly face.”

“Is it your brother-in-law again?”

Shouto scoffed. “Was it that obvious?”

“Ochako said that he was being a nuisance.”

“Yeah, that’s one way to put it.”

Izuku blushed. “She, uh, told me what you guys were up to. Everyone else thinks it was just dating, but she stressed to me that Kacchan shouldn’t know the, um, explicit details. Well, not anything at all. He would’ve been… angry.”

Shouto sighed. “Right now, I would welcome his brutal honesty. He would’ve decked me and told me that Ochako was out of my league. Keigo played dirty and told my sister that we were together. He didn’t have a right to blab to her.”

“You’re right. She should’ve heard it from you, not him.”

They rode the elevator up to Izuku’s floor. Unlike Rody’s one-bedroom suite, Izuku shared an apartment with three roommates: two betas and an alpha. Eijirou Kirishima was one of them. He remembered meeting Izuku, Ochako, and Katsuki at the bookstore back in middle school, and asked how the others were doing. Eijirou had a girlfriend, a beta girl named Mina, who happened to work at the same office as Ochako. It was a small world, after all.

Fortunately, nobody else was home when Izuku and Shouto stepped through the door. Izuku dropped his backpack off into his room before making tea. Shouto sat on the couch, still tense and brooding. He accepted the steaming mug graciously and drained it within seconds.

Izuku sat next to him, warming his hands with his own mug. “I’m sorry about you and Ochako, Shouto,” he began. “From the way Ochako explained it to me, it wasn’t easy. She seemed reluctant to let you go.”

“We couldn’t be together, not in the way I wanted,” said Shouto.

“Because of your dad?”

Shouto’s eyes darkened. “He never cared about how many people he hurt in his quest to create enigma children. He’s already demanding that Fuyumi get pregnant. I couldn’t bear to have the same thing happen to Ochako, no matter how strong she is. He would break her down, make her life a living hell. I just wanted to protect her.”

Shouto pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes. “But I was so thoughtless and greedy. She made me so happy, Izuku. I got so caught up in that happiness that I forgot what our reality was. I just wanted it to go on forever. But then, that asshole had to ruin everything.”

Shouto pulled his hands away. His eyes were noticeably red. “I’m sorry, I’m trauma-dumping on you.”

“No, it’s okay!” said Izuku, waving his free hand frantically. “She still cares about you, and that won’t ever change. Well, we all care about you, but you and Ochako always had that special bond. That always made Kacchan upset, but you never listen to him anyway—”

“Speaking of Bakugou,” Shouto interrupted. “How’s he been? You two had a whole week to yourselves while Ochako and I were in Canada last May. Did anything happen?”

“No, just the usual stuff.” Why was Shouto asking him this suddenly? It was usually Ochako who asks these sorts of questions. Did she talk about them to Shouto?

There was nothing to discuss, anyway. Izuku and Katsuki were on good terms, as usual. Katsuki had been hoarding all his free time ever since Rody left, but that was because they’d known each other all their lives. He’d been considerate of what Izuku had wanted to do, but it was only to cheer him up.

As long as Izuku didn’t become delusional like he’d been before his presentation, then they would be okay.

“Hmm, whatever you say,” said Shouto.

“First Ochako, now you,” said Izuku. “We’re the same as always.”

“I notice that he doesn’t attend the Ceremony or other galas. I would’ve thought that his mother would’ve pushed him to do them by now.”

Izuku sipped his tea, his mouth suddenly feeling dry. “Auntie is hard on him, but that’s because they’re so alike. She asked him a few times to go during high school, but he shut down every invitation.”

“A parent who backs down? I didn’t know they existed,” said Shouto dryly.

“Well, you’ve met my mom. She’s not pushy either. She’s just anxious because I’m not living at home anymore.” Izuku finished his tea. “I’m sorry, here I am talking about myself when we should be talking about you. It’s your birthday, after all.”

Shouto shook his head. “No, I prefer this. It’s taking my mind off my own problems.”

“Do you want to stay the night? We have an extra futon in the closet for guests.” It’d been Eijirou’s idea, since he preferred that Mina had his bed whenever she stayed the night.

“If it’s okay with your roommates, then yes,” said Shouto. “I wasn’t planning on going home tonight, anyway.”

Izuku didn’t have his next class until three. He usually studied in between classes, but today Shouto needed him. He was ahead of all his assignments. Even if he wasn’t, Izuku wasn’t going to let his friend wallow in his misery alone.

SHOUTO

Despite Keigo ruining his morning, the rest of Shouto’s birthday went well. He visited Rei at the hospital for lunch, where he finally told her about Ochako. “I didn’t want to hide it from you, Mom,” he said. “But after everything that’s happened this month, you can guess my reasons why.”

Rei was understanding and hugged him when he was too shy to ask for comfort. “Things will work out, Shouto. You two are still friends, and that shows how strong and kind you are. I’ve met too many alphas who try to ruin their exe’s good name out of spite. You’ve shown how much you love her by letting her go.”

But Shouto knew that it wasn’t over. Now that Fuyumi knew, it was inevitable that she’d tell BASTARD ALPHA FATHER. She couldn’t help it; even now, she feared Enji. She was lucky that he hadn’t forced her to marry the first prominent alpha who proposed to her during her first Mating Ceremony. But because of this, she believed that she “owed” him for this reprieve.

Natsuo would’ve never blabbed. Touya would’ve just tormented Shouto and Ochako with sexual innuendos.

He would need to talk to Ochako and figure out how to handle Enji. Fake dates for galas wouldn’t suffice anymore. His bastard father would soon demand that Shouto claim Ochako officially.

Ochako suggested that put on a front with the fake dating, as they did after graduation. “Your father can’t be pushy in polite society, so it’ll save you from being pressured at public events,” she said.

Shouto quickly agreed to it, although he knew that it would only work on Enji for so long. He’s already hired private investigators to dig into Ochako’s family tree to find out how “pure” her omega genes were. It was inevitable that he would discover her living arrangements and accuse her of infidelity.

“If he tries barging in, then I’ll unleash Katsuki on him,” Ochako said. It wasn’t a joke; Katsuki wasn’t afraid of Enji like Shouto was. Mitsuki would back Katsuki up and could use her own lineage and reputation as a power move against Enji. Shouto prayed that it wouldn’t come to that. Katsuki would fight to protect Ochako, but then retaliate against Shouto. The worst thing he could do was convince Ochako that Shouto wasn’t worth it and lose her forever.

Their scheme managed to work for a few months, or so Shouto thought. Keigo still pried and asked about how intimate they were. Fortunately, he would back down whenever Fuyumi was in the room, as it upset her. Apparently, he only knew the definition of “none of your fucking business” whenever his wife was around.

May had come around once more, and Shouto relived his wonderful memories of Canada. If only they could fly and get away from Enji’s increasing pressures to claim Ochako. If only Shouto wasn’t a spineless coward, as Katsuki often called him.

IF ONLY BASTARD ALPHA FATHER WAS DEAD

Shouto shook away the dark wish and focused on his studies. The new semester brought new courses related to secondary gender, omega protection rights, and other laws that pissed Enji off. Shouto made a point to loudly discuss his classes with Fuyumi whenever their father was in earshot. Fuyumi seemed fascinated by how much Shouto was learning, but also hesitant to show too much enthusiasm.

Fear of their father didn’t disappear with the passage of time.

Two weeks before the Mating Ceremony, the organizers had sent out invitations to the Todoroki household. These ones were meant for the “alumni” who’d attended before and had found a mate through their services. Fuyumi and Keigo were going to show moral support for the newcomers. Enji had received a similar invitation but had decided that his time was better served elsewhere that night.

“Well, it’s settled then,” Fuyumi said as she collected the breakfast dishes. “We’ll get a limousine together. That’ll give you and Ochako time to settle your nerves before the Ceremony.”

Shouto grabbed the rest of the bowls, deliberately snatching up the one that Keigo offered him. “That won’t be necessary,” he said curtly. “Ochako and I never go to it.”

Fuyumi hesitated. “But you’re going this year, right? Why change your plans now?”

Shouto didn’t want to scream at his sister, but he was feeling particularly testy that morning. “When did I ever say that I was going? I never signed up for it, anyway.”

Fuyumi traded worried glances with Keigo, who was trying not to laugh. WHAT’S SO FUNNY, ASSHOLE?

“You… didn’t?”

“Of course not. The whole thing is a sham.”

Fuyumi walked quietly into the kitchen. Shouto followed her. She carefully placed the dishes into the sink, and gripped the lip of it, bowing forward. Shouto was about to open his mouth, then snapped it shut as Fuyumi began to cry.

“He said… He said that he’d convinced you to go. But he lied again.”

Shouto stomach dropped. “What are you talking about?”

Before Fuyumi could say anything else, Keigo had crept into the kitchen. He sidled up to her side and tried to pull her into his arms, but she’d become rigid with fear.

“Yumi, we should’ve known it was too good to be true.”

Fuyumi shook her head, refusing to look at either of them. “F-Father said that you were joining us this year. He showed me the paperwork that you signed.” Fuyumi slipped down to her knees before Keigo could catch her. “The pass was in there and everything. It looked like your handwriting. But he lied again. He—”

Keigo crouched down in front of her and cupped her face gently. “It’s not your fault, Yumi,” he said. “He preyed on your good heart. Hell, he tricked me too.”

ENEMY ALPHA, GET AWAY FROM OMEGA SISTER. YOU’RE A HORRIBLE MATCH FOR HER

As if knowing what Shouto was thinking, Keigo looked over at him and shook his head. “If you wanna yank my spine out from my ass, then get in line. Touya said he got first dibs. But I’ll explain what’s happening here.

“Fuyumi found an envelope from the Mating Ceremony this morning when we woke up. She confronted Enji about it, since it had your name on it, because you never mentioned signing up for it. He said that you’d submitted your paperwork to attend months ago, but it’d gotten lost in the mail until today. He opened the envelope—yeah, yeah, it’s illegal to open your mail—and showed us the forms. It was photocopied, since SoulMate keeps the original, but it looked strikingly like your writing.

“Looks like Enji pulled a fast one on us and hired a forger. I didn’t expect him to sink that low, but he’s getting desperate.” Keigo helped Fuyumi to her feet. Her eyes were puffy and bloodshot.

“I’m sorry, Shouto,” she sobbed. “I just… all I ever wanted was for you to be happy. I was an idiot and believed him.”

Shouto shook his head. “You did nothing wrong, Yumi-nee.”

“I just wanted you to find a mate to be happy with.”

“That’s impossible,” Shouto said. He thought of Ochako and missed her desperately in that moment. “I already lost the only one I’d ever wanted.”

BASTARD ALPHA FATHER RUINS EVERYTHING

RUINED OMEGA MOTHER

RUINED OMEGA SISTER

HE WON’T RUIN OMEGA EX-LOVER

NEVER

IZUKU

It was now less than two weeks until the Mating Ceremony, but his classmates were already acting like the event was happening tonight. It also lined up with the month that Izuku’s depression was at its worst. Every year, the constricting dread of elite alphas like Katsuki being lured into the Ceremony grew deeper. Izuku would become paralyzed with fear that this time, Katsuki would give in and sign up for it.

Every time he thought it would be best to discuss this with Katsuki, Izuku would clam up. He didn’t want to ruin the precious time they shared whenever he wasn’t studying, and Katsuki wasn’t working. He loved sleeping over at Katsuki and Ochako’s (and before their breakup, Ochako was always conveniently “busy” those nights and gave free reign of the apartment to the boys), where it always felt like home. Katsuki had tried staying the night at Izuku’s dorm once, but nearly strangled Denki when he annoyed Katsuki with his questions. Katsuki had then decided that it was easier on his nerves to just pick up Izuku from campus and be done with it.

One of Izuku’s omega classmates, Toru Hagakure, was currently showing off photos of her dress and shoes to anyone who’d listen. “I’ve always felt invisible at those ordinary meet-and-greets,” Toru said. “But now—I get to be the star! Ooooh, I’m so excited!”

Izuku forced himself to smile. “I’m happy for you, Hagakure.”

“Eeeee, thank you! Aoyama has this sequined suit that he plans to use to lure alphas over to our corner. We got this whole strategy planned too! We want to have a game of speed dates to get an idea of who’s the best alpha to take home, and then—”

Toru’s spitfire rambling was interrupted by Izuku’s text alert going off. He peered down and saw that it was Katsuki. “Sorry, I got to take this. But, uh, let me know how everything goes for you two.”

KATSUKI:

I’M GONNA FUCKING KILL HIM

Izuku went out into the hallway and immediately dialled Katsuki. This wasn’t the first time that he’d threatened to end Shouto’s life, but somehow Izuku knew that the situation was more dire than usual. Katsuki usually listed his reasons for hating Shouto first, then devised his premediated murders. But his text had jumped straight to seething homicide.

“Kacchan, what’s wrong?” Izuku asked before Katsuki had a chance to say hello. “Whatever it is he’s done this time, there’s no reason to jump to murder.”

This earned him a few weird glances from passersby, but they left quickly enough.

“I don’t need a reason. He’s dead fucking meat. The fucker’s gone too far this time.”

“What did he do?”

“He fucking guilt-tripped Ochako into going to that fucking Ceremony! I knew he would do it one of these days. If that fucker thinks he’ll be safe there to trap her into his marriage scheme—”

“Shouto would never do that to her,” said Izuku. “It’s the last thing he wants.”

“How do you know that? Did he say something to you?”

Izuku pressed his lips into a thin line. He couldn’t let it slip that he knew about their relationship. He’d promised Ochako to never tell Katsuki, knowing how he’d react. But keeping this secret filled Izuku with guilt. One day, Katsuki would find out, and Izuku couldn’t stand to see the betrayal in his eyes.

“All Shouto ever told me was that he refuses to find a mate and claim them. He’s been pretty stubborn about not ending up like his dad. They’ve only gone to those other parties as fake dates, which Ochako suggested.”

“That was a fucking lie. He only said that to lower Ochako’s defenses.”

“Ochako is capable of looking after herself. I think she’s smart enough to spot a trap like that.”

“I know she is but, fuck, why is she doing this? That Ceremony is a den of wolves, and it doesn’t matter how strong she is. They’ll eat her alive. What the fuck was that asshole thinking?!”

“He’s scared, Kacchan.”

“Scared of what, his shitty dad? He needs to grow a fucking spine already.”

There was no point in trying to convince Katsuki that Shouto’s intentions were pure, especially not when he was as wound up as he was. Izuku wondered if Katsuki would’ve reacted the same if an alpha had invited him to the Ceremony.

Chapter Text

KATSUKI

He hated this. He hated Shouto. And he especially hated how Ochako indulged the spineless little shit instead of telling him to fuck off.

For the two weeks leading up to the Mating Ceremony, Katsuki tried to get Ochako to cancel her plans. Fake an illness, visit her folks, flee the country, anything. But they were more alike than he’d realized; Ochako was just as stubborn and refused to budge.

“It’s just one night, Katsuki,” she reminded him. “And no, you’re not allowed to murder him just to prevent all this.”

“Fuck.”

Ochako shook her head. “Isn’t it time that you two learned to get along?”

“Why would I do that? He’s an asshole.”

“He is not, Katsuki. I’m sick and tired of hearing you call him that all the time. He’s also Izuku’s friend, or have you forgotten?”

“Feh, at least he’s not trying to bang Izuku.”

Ochako flushed. “The accusations need to stop. This is... character defamation. You’re lucky that Shouto hasn’t done anything to stop this, but if any of his family heard the things you say about him—”

“Then they’ll can suck it up,” Katsuki snapped. “I’m not gonna grovel for forgiveness just because they come from old money.”

“That’s not how that works,” Ochako said desperately. She grabbed Katsuki’s face as he rolled his eyes. She was being dramatic, but it was Shouto causing this hysteria. “You don’t get it, Katsuki. Your parents are so lenient with your alpha status, but Shouto’s father isn’t. He’s so envious of you; Shouto wishes he could be free to love whoever he wants without dragging them down.”

“He’s not even trying to break away from his shitty father,” Katsuki growled.

“Katsuki! Just stop, please!”

He was alarmed as tears bubbled up in Ochako’s eyes. Fuck, he didn’t mean to make her cry, but his brain always rang alarms whenever she defended Shouto. In his darkest moments, he feared that Shouto had already seduced her and now she had no choice but to hide her relationship from Katsuki. He couldn’t blame her; he was highly volatile whenever her safety was threatened.

“Please, let me do this for him, Katsuki,” Ochako sobbed. “You’re always going on about having to protect Izuku and I. Well, I’m the only one strong enough to protect Shouto. You don’t understand how guilty he feels whenever we put on a front at some stupid party or family gatherings. He just… he needs time to collect his courage.”

Katsuki hated this, seeing her cry for some moron who didn’t deserve her tears. But he also hated being the cause of her anguish. He pulled her close and rested his chin on top of her head.

“Fine, he gets one final chance,” Katsuki said through gritted teeth. “But I’m still gonna bitch about it.”

Ochako laughed wetly as she hugged him. “I know. And I’ll keep pushing back.”

“That’s my girl.”

Despite restraining himself from hunting down Shouto and castrating him on the spot, Katsuki’s inner alpha couldn’t be so easily quelled. He griped incessantly and drilled every omega safety lesson into Ochako’s head until the night of the Ceremony. He was annoying her, yes, but he didn’t want her walking in unprepared.

Still, he could stop the seething hatred for ENEMY ALPHA when Ochako walked into their living room, all dolled up and completely out of Shouto’s league.

“You reek of him.”

“Katsuki…”

“Why do you have to go along with his shitty plan?”

Ochako sighed, like he was the one who was being unreasonable. “This isn’t any different from what we do.”

“There’s a huge fucking difference: I do it to protect you from shitty alphas. He’s just too chickenshit to tell off his family. Now he’s roped you into it.”

“It’s just for one night.”

Katsuki scoffed. “Yeah, it better be, or I’m beating the shit out of him.”

At that moment, Ochako’s phone buzzed. She looked down at the screen. “That’s Shouto,” she said. “He’s already here. I should go.”

Katsuki grabbed her arm, and Ochako halted. “You don’t have to do this,” he said. “Be fucking selfish for once and say no. It’s his problem, not yours.”

“Despite what you think, I’m not a doormat,” said Ochako. She pulled out of Katsuki’s grasp, which wasn’t difficult. Despite his immense alpha strength, Katsuki would never use it against her. The idea of alphas trapping their omegas through physical intimidation made him sick. It reminded him of that shitbag Shindou, who was lucky to still be alive. “It’s up to me whether I go home with him tonight. If I wanted to, I could make a scene about how he’s a horrible alpha to me.”

Katsuki perked up, which didn’t amuse Ochako.

“I’m not going to do that, so don’t get your hopes up.”

“Goddamn tease.”

Ochako patted Katsuki’s head. He grumbled, but his words died on his lips when Ochako placed a finger under his chin. She lifted it up until they were making eye contact.

“Instead of worrying about me all night, why don’t you go see him?”

Izuku.

(BETA BETA BETA BETA LOVE OF MY LIFE BETA BETA WHY IS SHE TALKING ABOUT HIM WHAT DOES SHE KNOW OH FUCK OMEGA FRIEND HAS ALWAYS KNOWN)

“What the fuck are you—?”

Ochako rolled her eyes. “Katsuki, I love you, but you’re as subtle as a hurricane. Tonight is already stressful enough, but I think it’s worse for Izuku. Go see him, please.”

Katsuki didn’t bother to call or text Izuku. He knew what the result would be: lame excuses about how Izuku “needed to study” tonight. Bullshit, he could take one night off. He was going to burn himself out at this rate. Auntie Inko was worried about him and had asked Katsuki to drag him away from campus occasionally. That was doable, especially on the night of the Mating Ceremony.

Izuku must have classmates who were attending it tonight. It was the only thing those morons had talked about for weeks. It’d been aggravating enough when he had to endure the idea of Ochako going with the ENEMY ALPHA, but for Izuku, it would’ve been worse. Ever since he’d presented as a beta, he’d behaved like his life was over.

And it’d been Katsuki’s fault. He’d acted like Izuku was safe, but that’d only made things worse. Izuku, who’d always tried to hide his jealousy for omegas, who tried to act indifferent to when Katsuki’s status was brought up. He’d always had a shitty poker face. Katsuki should’ve talked to him, instead of assuming that Izuku understood that nobody else was on his fucking radar.

It would’ve prevented that foreign student from waltzing in and taking Izuku away from him. He didn’t know who he hated more: Shouto, for trying to sleep with his sister, or Rody, for stealing Izuku away.

Katsuki pulled up to the campus thirty minutes before the end of Izuku’s final class. He sat outside on the bench opposite of the tall building and glare holes into its well-worn bricks. As he waited, some alpha students walked by, lamenting that they’d been unqualified to attend this year’s Ceremony.

“How did you not qualify, Kirishima?!” one of them said to a boy with a shock of dyed red hair.

“I might have, but I didn’t apply for it,” said Kirishima. “Why would I?”

“To find an omega, of course!”

Kirishima stopped and turned to face his classmate. His frown displayed his blatant disapproval, which Katsuki couldn’t help but admire. “Let me repeat that: why would I? I’m dating Mina.”

The moronic alpha shuffled his feet nervously. “Well yeah, but I thought it was only casual. She’s just a beta—”

“Something wrong with being in love with a beta?” Katsuki growled. He shot to his feet, stomped over to the alarmed alpha and grabbed a fistful of his shirt. “Are they suddenly beneath us? The world would’ve gone extinct centuries ago without them taking pity on us shitty alphas. Let me guess, some beta rejected your advances once, so now you think they’re worthless to you?”

“Hey, what the fuck?!” the alpha hissed. He tried to yank himself out of Katsuki’s grip but failed miserably.

Kirishima—why did that name sound familiar?—grabbed Katsuki’s wrist. “I’ll deal with him. Just let him go.”

“Not until he apologizes for calling your girl a second-class citizen!”

“I didn’t say that!”

“Shut the fuck up! Take responsibility for your word vomit.”

Katsuki’s eyes blazed with unsung rage. This SHITTY LITTLE FUCKFACE ENEMY ALPHA had the nerve to run around and spout anti-beta propaganda without facing repercussions? Katsuki should end his life right here and now—

“Hey, stop. It’s time to cool your jets, man.”

Kirishima managed to pull Katsuki and the alpha apart, with the latter scrambling away and up the path. Kirishima sighed and turned to face him. “Just leave him alone. He’s not worth getting into trouble with campus security over.”

“So, it doesn’t piss you off how he talked about your girl just now?” Katsuki snapped.

Kirishima shook his head. “No, it did, but I can’t start a bloodbath every time someone makes an ignorant comment.” He sized Katsuki up and nodded. “You’re Bakugou, aren’t you? Yeah, you must be. I’m Midoriya’s roommate. He talks about you all the time. We all, uh, met once back in middle school, but you probably don’t remember that.”

A vague memory of the bookstore and Ochako claiming Katsuki as her violent boyfriend out of panic returned to him. “Sort of.”

“Well, it’s a small world,” Kirishima said. “I’m guessing you’re waiting for Midoriya? He should be done class soon.”

“I know his damn schedule,” Katsuki growled. “I’m gonna catch him before he locks himself in his dorm all night.”

“Yeah, he’s hard to pull out of his room once he decides to study all night,” said Kirishima. “He’s been down lately. I think it’s the same reason why Mina is.”

“That fucking Ceremony.”

“Bingo.” Kirishima frowned thoughtfully. “It bugs her that she can’t go with me, even though you wouldn’t catch me within a hundred miles of that party. I’ve told her all month that I don’t need it, anyway; I’ve already found my soulmate.”

It annoyed Katsuki how the two of them were on the same wavelength when it came to that shitty Ceremony. “Izuku acts like a little bitch this time of year. I’m fed up with his pity party, so I’m kidnapping him from school tonight. He needs to get a grip and get over being a beta already.”

“You’re pretty harsh, man,” said Kirishima. “But… I see where you’re coming from.” He smiled gratefully at Katsuki for some reason. “Look after him tonight. I’ll let our roommates know that he’ll be gone this weekend. And hey, try to say all that to him but more gently, okay?”

“Don’t try and tell me what to do,” Katsuki said, but Kirishima was already walking away.

IZUKU

Izuku shoved his laptop into his backpack as he stumbled out of the classroom. He always typed his notes, but today they were a mess. He would need at least an hour to reorganize them and add supplementary material from both his textbook and the articles that his professor advised them to read. He was so preoccupied with his mental task management that he ran right into Katsuki.

“Kacchan!” Izuku gasped as Katsuki expertly grabbed him by the shoulders. “What are you doing here? I thought you were busy tonight.”

“I have the night off, nerd.”

“Really, tonight of all nights?” Izuku was sure that Katsuki was busy with stopping Ochako from attending the Ceremony. She was going to go regardless of what he tried, but Izuku was sure that Katsuki would’ve been home with her. The two were close, closer than Izuku would want them to be, but he couldn’t let his own jealousy stop them…

Izuku glanced down at his phone and saw the time. Oh, right. Shouto had planned to pick her up early, giving Katsuki enough time to drive down to the university before the end of the evening classes. But why was he here, anyway? There was nothing exciting going on, just study sessions and more essays.

“Yes, tonight of all nights,” Katsuki growled. “You’re not studying tonight. We’re going back to my place. No excuses.”

Izuku yelped as Katsuki grabbed him and hoisted him into a princess carry. “Kacchan!” he squeaked. His face bloomed red as Katsuki marched them back to the parking lot. Students of all genders watched and murmured curiously as they passed by. Izuku covered his face, wondering why Katsuki was acting so insane right now.

“I can walk, Kacchan!”

“No way. If I let you down, you’ll just run back to your dorm.”

“Why are you talking like you’re trying to kidnap me?”

“’Cause I am, nerd.”

“Don’t admit that out loud! What if campus security heard you say that?”

“Then I’ll fight them to death.”

Katsuki could be so shameless in public. But his arms and chest were so warm, so Izuku ceased his struggling.

As they reached Katsuki’s car, Izuku managed to scramble out of his arms. He already missed their warmth, but he had to at least attempt to be assertive. “But really, Kacchan, you shouldn’t be wasting your night on me. You should’ve gone with Ochako.”

Katsuki scoffed. “Even if I wanted to go, she wouldn’t let me. Apparently, I’m ‘too homicidal’ in Todoroki’s presence.”

Well, Ochako wasn’t wrong, but she shouldn’t have phrased it like that.

“Besides, your brain is going to overload if you don’t give it a damn break,” Katsuki continued. “I know you; you already have your entire semester mapped out and are already ahead of three of your essays. You’re taking a fucking break, or I’ll kill you.”

That was one way to say “I care about you” but Katsuki only meant it in a platonic way. Even now, Izuku’s heart ached for his actions to mean more than that. But it was too late. Izuku had already given himself away to another. Katsuki knew that. When Izuku had asked Ochako how Katsuki reacted, it hadn’t been a glowing statement.

His heart had taken too many hits since his presentation. And yet, Izuku kept leading himself on, foolishly believing that he and Katsuki had a chance. Maybe tonight, he could just end this fantasy and convince Katsuki to search for happiness at next year’s Ceremony.

“I guess I could take tonight off,” Izuku said hesitantly. His eyes were already burning from his inevitable declaration. “But I want to pick up some food first.”

“Fine, we’ll get sushi. My treat.” When Izuku tried to protest, Katsuki added, “You’re a broke-ass student and I just got paid last week. I’m buying.”

“Okay, Kacchan.”

KATSUKI

Why was Izuku being all weirdly tense tonight? He never had a problem coming over to the apartment before, but maybe it was because Ochako wouldn’t be there. Was he worried about her being at that godawful Ceremony? In that case, Katsuki could relate to him. If Shouto didn’t bring her home safely, then his family would find his body pieces scattered across Tokyo Bay.

But even though Izuku sometimes had a hard time meeting Katsuki’s eye, he was averting them more than usual. He stared out the passenger side window as Katsuki drove them to the sushi place near his apartment, where Katsuki had already called in their order. He bought all Izuku’s favourite pieces, as well as boba. Katsuki made sure to hide the receipt in his wallet before Izuku could whine about how “pricey” their meal was.

Next stop, home. They would have the place to themselves for hours. Ochako had mentioned that she and Shouto would be leaving before everyone else, but she also didn’t want to rush and barge in one the boys’ night. Katsuki checked his phone, saw a couple of texts from her, then placed it back into his pocket. If he tried calling her, Ochako would only scold him and tell him that he was supposed to be focused on Izuku tonight.

Instead of worrying about me all night, why don’t you go see him?

She’d always been too damn perspective for her own good. Ochako must’ve been fed up with Katsuki pussyfooting around his feelings and wanted him to have no excuses to be with Izuku tonight. Treat (BEAUTIFUL NERDY BETA MATE) to a good meal, help him relax, keep his mind off stupid shit like the Ceremony, and maybe… Katsuki could finally get Izuku to listen to him without running away. He didn’t want to chance it and let another (ENEMY OMEGA) like Rody steal Izuku away from him again.

Katsuki was going to confront his own damn feelings and confess, even if it killed him.

“Thank you for dinner, Kacchan,” said Izuku as Katsuki collected the takeout containers and tossed them in the trash. “I’ll buy it next time.”

“With what money?”

“Well, I’m thinking of getting a part-time job this summer,” said Izuku. “I’ll have more time to work. That’s why I’m getting ahead of my studies, so it doesn’t get in the way.”

“And burn yourself out?” Katsuki said. “You’re already loaded up your semester. Why add more stress?”

Izuku followed Katsuki out of the kitchen and into the living room. “Because it’s not fair that you’re always paying for me. I should be able to treat you and Ochako once in a while.”

“But that’s my job,” Katsuki argued. “I take care of shit like this.” Why couldn’t Izuku figure it out that Katsuki wanted to provide for and take of him for the rest of their lives? Why was he being so goddamn dense?

“It makes sense to do that for Ochako,” said Izuku softly. He sat down on the far end of the couch. “But not for me.”

“Hah? Why the fuck do you say that?”

“Because she’s an omega. She deserves to be cherished.”

Katsuki’s hackles raised. “She’s an omega who’d kick my ass if I got out of line, and she has. And if she heard you talking like this, you’d be next on her list.”

Izuku wiped his eyes into his hoodie sleeve, sniffling, and Katsuki deflated. Fuck, why was he crying?

“I’m sorry,” Izuku said. “It’s just… I’m sorry. This last month had been so stressful, and not just because of school. All my classmates have been talking about the Ceremony, even the betas, and it’s been hard to listen to. And I know Shouto will look after Ochako, but still, I’m… worried about her.”

Katsuki sighed and plopped down next to Izuku. “Ochako will be fine. She’s tougher than the both of us.”

“I know.”

Katsuki tried to catch Izuku’s eye, but Izuku was too busy staring down at his wrist. His hoodie’s sleeve had ridden up, revealing the beta mark.

That fucking little mark. It’d made Izuku so depressed and insecure ever since it had marred his skin. Katsuki wished that he’d reacted differently when Izuku had finally showed it to him when they were younger. He should’ve been firm with Izuku and told him that his secondary gender didn’t matter to him: Katsuki had always wanted him. But instead, he’d fucked up and had shown relief that Izuku wasn’t an omega. He’d thought that being a beta would keep Izuku safe, but Izuku had tied his entire identity to that mark. Now, he was burning himself out because he thought he had nothing else to offer.

Katsuki reached over and grabbed the hem of Izuku’s sleeve, pulling it down. Izuku looked up at Katsuki, showing how red his eyes were.

“I thought I would be over it by now,” Izuku said. “It was… I wasn’t expecting it when I presented. I thought I’d be an omega like Mom. But then that didn’t happen and well… you and Ochako remember how I reacted. But it really was the end of the world for me.

“School keeps me distracted, and I love my courses. But then the Ceremony comes around every year and I just revert to my fourteen-year-old self. I don’t want to burden you with all my angst, Kacchan.”

Izuku squeaked as Katsuki pulled him into a rough hug. “Stop talking like that, dumbass. It’s nothing but a shitty party for elitists frauds. Why would you want to go there and suffocate in their fucking egos?”

Izuku’s answer was muffled by Katsuki’s shoulder. Katsuki refused to let go of him, hoping to squeeze the self-doubt out of his body. He already knew the lame excuse that Izuku wanted to say: Katsuki should be at the Mating Ceremony to find an omega. Ha, fat fucking chance of that every happening.

After a few minutes, Izuku pushed himself away from Katsuki. “If you hug me any harder, you’ll get your scent on me,” said Izuku.

“Maybe that’s what I want,” Katsuki growled.

Izuku ducked his head. His neck flushed from embarrassment, and Katsuki was nearly driven to instinctively rub his face against it.

“You shouldn’t say things like that,” said Izuku. “People will get the wrong idea, and we’ll both be in trouble.”

“In trouble with who?” Katsuki demanded. Ever so slowly, as annoying as it was to drag the truth out of him, Izuku would give him an answer tonight. Was this all one-sided, or did Izuku want him too?

“Everyone.”

“I don’t care about everyone else.”

“What about Ochako?” Izuku asked. “I don’t want to make her uncomfortable in her own home. I like visiting, but if I smell like you, she’s going to get the wrong idea.”

Katsuki could help but roll his eyes. “It was Ochako who insisted I steal you away from campus tonight.”

“What?”

“Why do you sound so damn shocked?”

“Because… I don’t know…” Izuku stood up and paced around the living room, hugging himself as he tried to articulate his thought. “I thought she was, uh, only helping Shouto tonight, but that maybe you two… you two had started seeing each other…”

Katsuki’s brain short-circuited. Izuku thought—of all people—he and Ochako were—?

“HAAAAAAH?!”

IZUKU

It was a stupid, irrational fear. Ochako and Izuku had had many talks and get togethers, where Ochako had been horrifically blunt about her love life. Not once had she ever mentioned being interested in Katsuki. If she had, she would’ve told Izuku.

But ever since they’d moved in together at the end of high school, Izuku couldn’t help but be envious of her position. Ochako was always close to Katsuki, got to see him every day, and spend time together when they weren’t working. And people who lived together, especially if they were the opposite secondary genders, well, it was possible, right?

He hated this sick, burning feeling that seared through his heart. Ochako would never betray their friendship like that, but if she had, Izuku had no right to be angry with her. She was an omega, she had perfect chemistry with Katsuki, and he’d always been her protector. Izuku recalled how easily she used the ‘fake dating’ card whenever they’d met other alphas their age. She had stopped using it sometime before graduation, but that didn’t mean it had expired.

Ochako could give Katsuki a family. Izuku was just a male beta and utterly useless in that way.

Hot tears burned his cheeks as he worked himself into a panic. Ochako wouldn’t take Katsuki away from him! She wasn’t like that. She’d been with Shouto, and if it hadn’t been for Shouto’s father, they would’ve worked out. Izuku knew this, but his heart was emotional, irrational, and cruelly reminded him that what he wanted most was just a stupid fantasy.

He couldn’t afford to lose Katsuki, but he didn’t deserve him either.

“HAAAAAAH?!”

Izuku was startled out of his self-torment when Katsuki jumped off the couch and grabbed Izuku by the shoulders. He shook him, and Izuku was shocked to see him looking so mortified.

“Ochako and I, dating?! Where the fuck—how the fuck—where did you get such an insane idea like that?!” He looked like he was ready to vomit.

Izuku tried to work his dry mouth into coherent sentences. “Because… well, you live together and you’re always angry at Shouto for spending time with her… And anyone else would think it’s jealousy, Kacchan…”

“I’m angry because I think he’s going to hurt her,” Katsuki seethed. “And he’s a cowardly little shit who doesn’t try to change anything about his situation. I’ve said this a million times, but she keeps defending him! How would feel if some scumbag was constantly trying to seduce your sister?!”

Izuku heart stopped. “Sis…ter?”

“Yeah, dumbass! I love Ochako, but not in the way you’re thinking.” Katsuki’s hold on him was a death grip. “I’ve always thought of her as my little sister, which is why I’m trying to keep her safe. It’s not just her status that makes me want to fight off every alpha. It’s a brotherly, protective thing, and most days it drives me batshit.”

Katsuki loosened his hold on Izuku by a fraction. “But I’ve been so focused on her that I let you think that you’re not as important to me.”

“I know you care, Kacchan,” said Izuku softly. He reached out carefully and cupped Katsuki’s cheek. “And you have a lot on your plate. I don’t expect you to prioritize me.”

It was pathetic how relieved he was that Katsuki didn’t want Ochako. It was sending him false hope, because even though Ochako wasn’t an option, there were still countless other omegas out there.

“No, you’re wrong,” said Katsuki. “You should’ve been my top priority all these years.”

“Why?”

Katsuki looked ready to rip someone’s head off in frustration. “Fuck, do I need to spell it out for you?! Fine, since you’re so goddamn dense. I’m in love with you, dumbass!”

What?

Izuku’s hearing muffled with sudden static. Katsuki’s lips were moving, but Izuku couldn’t hear a word. He must be going crazy from the lack of sleep. That must be it, because how else did he hear the one thing he’d always wanted Katsuki to tell him?

Izuku shook his head. “No, you’re not. I’m just hallucinating.”

“Are you fucking serious right now?!”

Izuku laughed weakly. He tried to pull away from Katsuki, but Katsuki only pulled him closer. “No, no, no. I’m dreaming this. It’s a lucid dream, and I’m just controlling what you’re saying. Because… why else would you tell me this? No, I need to wake up now.”

“Ha, as if your nerdy brain had the power to force me to do or say any of this, even in your dreams.”

KATSUKI

Katsuki was going to lose his goddamn mind. He was pouring his heart out here, and Izuku thought he was lying to him. Katsuki was many things, but he wasn’t a fucking liar. He was too goddamn honest to spin up some story just to make Izuku feel better.

But… didn’t that mean that Izuku also loved him? Why else would he think this was too good to be true?

There was only one way to confirm this theory. As Izuku continued to babble out weak excuses, Katsuki grabbed his face and smashed their mouths together.

There were teeth hitting each other and lips missing their mark, but Katsuki could hear the small whine of happiness coming from Izuku. Katsuki refused to let go as his fingers dug half-moon welts into Izuku’s cheeks. He needed to mark him, both physically and emotionally, and shred any lingering doubts Izuku had. Right now, Katsuki was so delirious with relief to be able to finally kiss Izuku that he didn’t care if he was rejected afterwards.

Ochako knew, the sneaky little shit. She was too insightful for her own good and probably exasperated from years of Izuku and Katsuki’s mutual pining. And yet, why didn’t she say anything? Did she really think that they’d figure it out without her help? She must’ve given up on subtlety tonight when she practically ordered Katsuki to kidnap Izuku from school.

No, it was Katsuki’s fault for not saying or doing anything for years. He had to make up for lost time and (CLAIM CLAIM CLAIM TAKE BETA MATE AND CLAIM HIM) before Izuku had a chance to slip through his fingers.

They finally broke apart, with Izuku gasping for air. He tried to push Katsuki away, but Katsuki wasn’t having it. “I’m not letting you go until you give me your answer,” he growled. “I proved that this isn’t a dream, so tell me now: do you love me or not?”

“Kacchan, you can’t just spring this on me!” Izuku said. His face was flushed, and he was still panting. “I just don’t understand why you think you’re in love with me.”

“Well, I think it’s because I am in love with you,” Katsuki snapped. “Why are you trying to make this more complicated than it needs to be? I’m not losing my mind and it’s not like basic pheromones would work on me, anyway. I’m better than that. If I was so fucking weak to fall for some random omega, then your fears about Ochako and I would’ve happened the moment I presented.”

Izuku twisted in a panic, but he couldn’t escape Katsuki’s steel grip. “But that’s just it, Kacchan! I’m not an omega, like I should be!” His breathing grew rapid, and his eyes widened with unshed tears. “I was supposed to be one, I was so sure of it. But I failed, and I can’t…”

“So, that’s it? You think we can’t be together because you’re not the ‘right’ gender?” Katsuki nearly laughed at the ridiculous logic but quickly shut his mouth as Izuku sobbed and nodded frantically.

“I—I can’t give you children—”

“Did I ever say that I wanted any?!”

“But—what about your parents?”

Katsuki rolled his eyes. “Even if they forced the issue, which they haven’t, it wouldn’t change my mind. You’ve been hanging around Todoroki too much if you think all families want to churn out offspring.”

But Izuku didn’t believe him. “It’s still not fair to you. You’re not thinking this through. One day, you’ll regret being with me and wished that you found a good omega—”

Katsuki shook him again. “Do you think you’re worthless because of some biological thing? What about everything else you bring into my life, huh? Did you ever think that maybe, just maybe, I fucking love you for everything else?!

“The moment I presented, my alpha was screaming to be with you. It didn’t even know how you’d present later, just that I needed you to be my one and only. And then—all that presentation bullshit fucked your brain up. I should’ve tried to break you out of it. But I didn’t, and it doesn’t matter what I do to make up for it now, I still failed to protect you from yourself.”

Katsuki didn’t realize he’d begun crying until Izuku wiped the hot tears off his cheeks.

“Kacchan…”

“So, who gives a fuck if I want to be a sire later? There are ways around it. There are beta surrogates we could find or adoption. Fuck, why does everyone forget that’s an option?”

There were omegas from abusive homes who gave up their babies in secret all the time. Just another ugly fact in their so-called progressive society. Didn’t they deserve a loving home with an alpha and male beta as their parents?

Izuku hid his face in Katsuki’s chest. The panic had finally fled his body, and he went limp in Katsuki’s arms. “I… I’m so stupid, I never thought of it that way.”

“So much for all those shitty Secondary Gender History courses.”

Izuku laughed weakly. “My brain blocked out those lectures, I guess.”

Katsuki gave him a moment to process it. Maybe now, Izuku could give him a proper answer that only involved them and not society’s rigid expectations. “Do you love me or not, nerd?”

Izuku sobbed. “I do, Kacchan. Since we were children.”

Relief flooded Katsuki.

“But… I dated someone else. I betrayed you.”

“Yeah, and now he’s gone,” Katsuki growled. He didn’t want to be reminded of that shithead Rody, not when he was finally getting what he’d always wanted. “And fuck, you didn’t ‘betray’ me,” he added quickly as Izuku’s eyes misted over. “I should’ve been blunt with you instead of letting this happen.”

Izuku rubbed tears out of his eyes. “How did Ochako put up with us for this long?”

“She’s resilient as fuck, that’s why.” But she’d clearly reached her limit today. This had dragged on for too long. Now, Katsuki was ready to play catch-up.

CLAIM CLAIM CLAIM BITE BITE BITE BETA MATE MAKE HIM OURS

Fuck, lemme make him come first.

HURRY HURRY HURRY

Back off, you needy fucker! We deserve to take it slow. We’ve waited our whole damn lives for this moment.

They would take as long as they needed. They had all night. There was plenty of time to bite Izuku, claim him, but not for at least a few hours.

END