Work Text:
Katsuki moves in on Saturday.
By Wednesday, there’s a knock on his door. He expects some well-meaning, overly-friendly neighbor with a housewarming gift, not—
Not the prettiest omega he’s ever seen, so pregnant he looks like he’s about to pop, holding a small empty plate and blushing bright red when he says, “Um, could I have some of what you’re making? It smells really good.”
And, because that’s clearly a very normal thing to ask a pregnant omega, Katsuki blurts, “You got an alpha, princess?”
“Um,” says the pretty omega. “No? This is, uh, my sister’s. I mean—I’m, you know, for my sister and her husband?”
So that’s why there’s no mating bite on his neck. And he smells all sweet, too. Makes Katsuki’s teeth itch.
“I’m making katsudon,” he says. “Can you handle your spice, pretty boy?”
“Oh,” the pretty omega pouts. “Not really?”
Katsuki laughs. “Alright,” he says. “Don’t worry, it’s just the broth, I’ll make you a regular one.”
“I’m not—I hope I don’t impose,” pretty boy says, “I really only wanted a little bit.”
“Nonsense,” Katsuki huffs. “You’re pregnant. What kind of alpha would I be if I didn’t feed you properly?”
Even if he isn’t pretty boy’s alpha, exactly. Still. He could stay right here and let Katsuki take care of him. Katsuki definitely wouldn’t complain about it.
“You’re sure?” says pretty boy. “You don’t mind?”
“Come on,” Katsuki says. “Nobody likes eating alone.”
“Hm,” pretty boy says, nose scrunching. “I suppose that’s fair. My name’s Shouto, by the way.”
“Bakugou,” Katsuki says, pointing to himself. “Bakugou Katsuki.”
And, because pretty boy is obviously not even a little bit aware of what he’s doing to Katsuki, he says, “It’s nice to meet you, Bakugou,” and smiles so wide his eyes scrunch.
“Just Katsuki’s fine,” he says. “Don’t worry about it.”
“Aright then.” Shouto smiles. “Katsuki.”
For the first time in his life, Katsuki wonders if he’s gonna make it through cooking dinner in his own home in one piece.
...
“You’re good at this,” Shouto says, eyebrows furrowed. “Nee-san shows me a lot of recipes, but they never turn out as good as hers. She jokes that whoever mates me definitely isn’t going to do it because I’m good at keeping house.”
“Well,” Katsuki says. “Good alphas should take care of their omegas anyway. Don’t settle for less, pretty boy.”
“Are you always going to call me that?” Shouto asks. “You know my name now.”
“Why?” Katsuki asks. “You mind?”
Given a choice, he’d prefer not to chop his own finger off in front of the pretty omega he’s still gotta feed, so he looks back to the onions he’s dicing, and he can’t see what face Shouto’s making behind his back anymore, but he guesses his cheeks have gone that soft, pretty pink again.
“I don’t mind,” he says. “I just—is it really okay if I call you Katsuki if you never say my name? Doesn’t seem fair.”
“Alright, alright,” Katsuki says, huffing out a laugh. “Shouto. There. Happy now, princess?"
“This is embarrassing,” Shouto says. “You just moved in, and I’m in your kitchen making demands.”
When Katsuki turns to look at him, he’s got both hands over his face, and he peeks out through his fingers just in time to make Katsuki’s heart skip a beat.
Fuck, Katsuki wants to bite him. He wants to get Shouto round a second time the old-fashioned way. He wants to hear him say please for it, wants to make him happy enough that it comes out of his mouth real easy.
“You’re real selfless, aren’t you?” Katsuki says. “Doing all this for your sister?”
Shouto shrugs. “I guess?” he says. “Nee-san really wants kids. And I don’t mind. It’s just nine months. She’s the one that’s going to be looking after my niece the rest of her life.”
“Niece?” Katsuki asks. “It’s a girl?”
Shouto nods, and his smile gets even softer. “Yeah,” he says. “I’d like a girl too, I think, if I ever, um... did this again for myself?”
“You like it?” Katsuki asks. “Being pregnant?”
And then his own face flushes, because truly what a thing to ask an omega you just met, but Shouto just scrunches his nose in consideration and says, “When the morning sickness went away, it was nicer. I guess—I don’t mind it, and I like talking to her before bedtime. I’ve been reading all the baby books too, just in case. I just—”
“What?”
“Ah, it’s silly.”
“What is it?” Katsuki asks. “Come on, princess. You just met me. I’m not gonna judge you. Do you miss the sake or something?”
“No,” Shouto says. “Of course not. I barely drink anyway. I get tipsy really easily. It’s embarrassing.”
And that just has an image of a flushed and giggly Shouto tucking his warm face into Katsuki’s neck flashing uninvited inside his head, and, because Katsuki might very well end up blurting let me mate you before the katsudon is ready to eat, he still opens his mouth just to say, “What is it, then?”
“Oh, um,” says Shouto. “I just wish I had an alpha around, I guess? My oldest brother is one, and he’ll scent me a lot, and it helps, but it’s not the same, you know? Besides, there’s, um, the other stuff an alpha is good for when you’re pregnant.”
Oh, Katsuki thinks, very unhelpfully.
Other stuff.
Other stuff like—
Does pretty boy get all needy for a knot, alone in his apartment across the hall? Because Katsuki could definitely help with that.
“What?” Katsuki laughs. “Too shy to ask your big brother for a foot massage?”
Shouto somehow gets even redder. “It’s not just that,” he says. “Ah, this is so embarrassing in front of an alpha.”
“It’s fine,” Katsuki says. “Don’t worry about it. Sorry for teasing you, princess.”
Shouto looks up at him and pouts. “That’s rude,” he says. “Don’t you know pregnant omegas are sensitive? What if I cry?”
“Then I’ll go dice the onions somewhere else,” Katsuki says. “Is that fair enough?”
Shouto pouts some more. “Did you offer to cook for me just to tease me?” he asks. “That’s not very nice, Bakugou-san.”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Katsuki says, both palms up. “You’re just so cute and round, you know? Makes me wanna—”
“What?” Shouto interrupts, head tilted the slightest bit to the side.
“Bite you,” Katsuki blurts. “Shit, princess, I know that’s bad, I’m sorry—”
“You could,” says Shouto. “Just—maybe later?”
“You offer to let all the alphas who cook for you bite you, princess?” Katsuki asks. “Or am I special?”
Shouto blinks. “You’re the only one cooking for me,” he says. “And I haven’t—with an alpha, you know, since a while before the, uh, pregnant thing.”
“So I’m special?” Katsuki says, can’t help it.
Shouto nods. “Mm,” he says. “Your katsudon smells really good.”
And Katsuki could just bite him right here and take responsibility for it, but instead he says, “Guess you’re really hungry, huh?”
Shouto nods. “Yeah,” he says, eyes all scrunched from his smile again. “Guess I am, alpha.”
...
Katsuki puts the bowl in front of him, and Shouto digs in before he’s sat down in front of his own bowl.
“This is delicious,” he slurs through chipmunk cheeks. “Thank you.”
It makes Katsuki’s chest warm, watching Shouto eat his fill. “There’s more if you want,” he says. “Or you could take some leftovers with you?”
“Could I just come over again tomorrow?” Shouto says sheepishly. “I know it’s a lot to ask, but I guess I’ve gotten lonely. I didn’t mind it before, but now there’s all these new instincts, and the hormones, and I—I really could cry sometimes, you know? Maybe some company for dinner wouldn’t be the worst thing.”
“Hell, princess,” Katsuki says. “Move in if you want, I don’t mind.”
And maybe he’s an idiot, and maybe he should know more than Shouto’s name and that he’s nice enough to go through the whole ordeal of pregnancy just because he loves his older sister and that he looks damn cute eating katsudon before he says anything else, but still.
Maybe it’s just dumb alpha instincts, but they haven’t led him astray so far. He wants to do it. He wants to take care of Shouto.
“I can’t do that,” Shouto says. “My cat will get lonely.”
“Well,” Katsuki says. “In that case, tomorrow I could come make dinner at your place. That keeps your furball happy, right?”
He doesn’t expect Shouto to blush. Not over this, out of everything. “Like,” he says. “Like a date?”
Fuck, he’s precious.
“Yeah,” Katsuki says. “Like a date. Am I allowed to ask you out in front of your niece, or...?”
Shouto finishes chewing a bite of his rice. “I don’t think she’ll mind,” he says. “Don’t tell, but I think she likes you already.”
“Yeah?” Katsuki asks.
Shouto nods. “Mm,” he says. “I think she likes you a whole lot.”
...
Shouto insists on helping with the dishes. He’s on drying duty, and he’s only a little horrible at it, and he lasts a respectable ten minutes before Katsuki tells him to sit down because he’s got it.
“I’m pregnant,” Shouto huffs. “Not an invalid.”
“Yeah, well,” Katsuki says, “sue me for thinking pregnant omegas deserve to be spoiled.”
Shouto blinks, long eyelashes fanning over his face. “You want to spoil me?” he asks. “Really?”
“Cute,” Katsuki says. “Are you always like this? You got alphas tripping over you or something?”
Shouto shakes his head. “I don’t think so?” he says. “I don’t go anywhere without my scent patches.”
“You’re not wearing them now,” Katsuki points out.
And his pretty boy smells sweet. All pleased and warm. Like strawberries.
“Oh, um,” Shouto says. “That’s because I was really hungry, I guess? So I forgot them? I was home, so—”
“It’s fine,” Katsuki says. “You’re fine, princess. I like your scent.”
“You do?” Shouto asks. “Even now that I’m... like this?”
“Mm,” Katsuki says. “I do. Can’t imagine you smell any sweeter when you’re not all round, either.”
Shouto pouts. “Are you saying I’m fat?” he says. “That’s mean, alpha.”
“Nah,” Katsuki says. “You’re pretty. Gonna bet you’d make a good mom, princess. Get all the other kids at preschool asking why their mommy isn’t that pretty.”
And that just makes Shouto put his hands over his face to hide again. “Ah,” he says. “I barely know you. Shouldn’t you wait a little before saying stuff like that?”
Katsuki considers it. “No point,” he says. “I always know what I want.”
“So... you want me, then?” Shouto asks, all cute and round and clueless.
He’s genuinely asking, too. God. He’s adorable.
“Knock it off,” Katsuki says, “or you’re gonna have to explain to your sister how you ended up mated with her baby still in you.”
“Oh,” Shouto says, all soft. “I don’t think she’d mind. She’s always telling me to find a nice alpha. She makes me go on these blind dates with boring ones from her work.” His voice lowers to a secretive whisper, and he gives Katsuki this guilty little smile before saying, “The one with her vice principal was really, really bad. I almost told her to change schools.”
“Yeah?” Katsuki laughs.
“Yeah,” Shouto says. “He showed me pictures of his pet tarantula all evening. And then he tried to grope me.”
Well—
Katsuki can definitely do better than that.
A lot better.
A growl slips out of him. “You know what?” he says. “You should definitely move in so I can keep you safe from your sister’s bad judgment in alphas.”
Shouto laughs, all light and happy, and then he says, “My cat has to like you first, okay?”
“Deal,” Katsuki says.
Winning over one furball can’t be that hard, after all.
...
(The next evening, Shouto’s furball—Soba, the nametag says—snuggles up to him on the couch unprompted, and Shouto’s eyes genuinely sparkle, and then he snuggles into Katsuki too, face tucked into the curve of Katsuki’s neck, warm and fed (homemade soba, because apparently that’s his favorite, and apparently Katsuki is going to give him anything he wants if he pouts for it, vegetables and protein intake be damned.)
Shouto’s happy, so it’s worth it. It’s really, really worth it.)