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“I’m sorry, you want me to do what?” Izuku asked, sure he just hadn’t heard the other correctly. There was no way that Kacchan, Bakugou Katsuki, Alpha Prime extraordinary and successful Pro Hero had just asked Izuku what he thought he had heard.
“Move in with me and be my fake boyfriend for a while.”
Izuku blinked. So he hadn’t misheard him after all. Huh.
“But… why?” he wanted to know. He couldn’t give in to the hysterics that lurked just at the back of his head just yet. He knew Kacchan must’ve had a good reason for asking Izuku something like this. Maybe it was a plot to capture a villain? Maybe it was a cover for a mission?
“To stop the old hag and her nagging.”
“Because of your mother?!”
“For what else, shitty nerd? She’s been on my case about finding a mate for years now and I need a bit of peace and quiet from her constant phone calls and screaming about grandchildren. I can’t concentrate on my job this way!”
“But why me?”
“You know her! And even if you’re a shit liar” At this point Kacchan gave him a pointed look. Izuku, who had already opened his mouth for a retort to that claim, closed his mouth again in concession. “you’ve known her the longest and have the biggest chance of fooling her.”
All of these points were true and Izuku couldn’t really argue with them. It wasn’t that he wanted to deny Kacchan his help, it was just a few personal problems that made Izuku want to say no. For one the public opinion of them. Even if they were to keep all of this low profile, sooner or later someone from the media would catch wind about Izuku living with Katsuki. It hadn’t been easy as an unmated Omega hero, but Izuku had managed to keep his career mostly scandal-free up to now, and for the sake of his sanity, he had hoped to keep it that way.
But the second and even bigger problem was Izuku’s giant crush on his childhood friend. There was no way that he could live with Kacchan and pretend to be in a relationship with him without letting it slip how he felt about his friend.
And that was the point: Friend. Kacchan was his friend again. More even. They were working together most of the time, a successful hero duo in all but name. They were the Wonder Duo, the rising stars in the hero community and the public loved them as much as the villains feared them. Izuku finally had almost everything he ever wanted and if that meant giving up on the last small wish his heart had harbored since childhood he was more than happy to do so.
He had resigned himself to being alone for his life, watching and supporting Kacchan and his relationships from the sidelines. As long as he could be near him and Kacchan was happy that would be enough for Izuku.
But if Kacchan found out how Izuku felt about him all of that would be destroyed. He didn’t think Kacchan would stop being his friend, but there would be an awkward barrier that they wouldn’t be able to cross and Izuku was sure that would be the first step for them to drift apart.
“Also” Kacchan continued talking and ripped Izuku out of his glum thoughts “she likes you. She would be thrilled if we started dating and that would shut her up for at least a year, if not longer.”
Izuku felt himself blush at that notion but he forced himself to not fall for the flattery and try to reason with Kacchan.
“But won’t she be sad if we break up?”
“Who cares about that, huh? As long as she leaves me alone for a while it’s all good in my books.” Izuku was sure that everything wouldn’t be as easy as Katsuki had planned it out in his head but he chose not to say anything. His friend was one of the most stubborn people he had ever met and when he decided on something there was almost no way to stop him. Still, he needed to try.
“Are you really comfortable doing this with me? I know you like your personal space and to make this work it would take longer than a few days. Do you want to share your space with me for so long? One of us will probably have their Heat or Rut in that time and that’s going to be problematic too.”
At the mention of their cycles, Katsuki frowned. The two of them had never really talked about their sub genders, at least not after graduation. Heats and Ruts were only mentioned in passing and most of the time it was just to tell that one would be missing work for a few days.
“That’s why it’s gotta be you,” Kacchan said and Izuku could swear he could see a faint blush on the other’s face. “You know me and are smart enough to respect my privacy. I don’t think I could stand to spend that much time with anyone else in close quarters without murdering them. And don’t worry about the cycle thing, we’ll just get some reinforced doors and those scent neutralizers. It’ll be fine.”
And how could Izuku say no to that? Not when Kacchan looked at him like that, not when Kacchan had said there was no one but Izuku that he would rather do this with, not when it seemed so important to him.
With a heavy heart and a bad feeling about this Izuku nodded.
Katsuki was pleased with how smooth everything worked out. He had known asking Deku to do this would be his best bet for success. He knew the other could never say no to him and he was the most likely to fool his mother. Their schedules were similar enough to not get in the way of this and they worked at the same agency, making this another bonus for Izuku because Katsuki’s apartment was closer to it.
It didn’t take long for Katsuki to turn his office into a second bedroom for Deku. He installed a few movement-activated scent neutralizers around the apartment and in front of their bedroom doors to ensure their privacy and he switched out the doors for sturdier models with better locks.
The biggest hassle was the move itself since Katsuki didn’t want to involve their friends in this. He knew they would ask too many questions and he couldn’t throw them out while they were in the middle of helping move Deku’s stuff so the two of them had to do everything alone. And Deku had a ton of merchandise that needed to be carefully wrapped and packed before it could be transported, so that alone took up a lot of their time.
Even though, if Katsuki was honest it wasn’t all that bad. Deku did have a lot of crap but some of his merch was so rare that even Katsuki had only heard about it in passing and they spent hours talking about different versions of a Silver Age All Might figurine who had different capes due to a manufacturing mistake.
And he hadn’t been lying when he had said he couldn’t imagine doing this with anyone but Deku. In the past years, they had mended their friendship again and now Izuku was the person Katsuki trusted most in the whole world. He was his partner in everything, so why wouldn’t he be convincing enough in this role too?
Katsuki had faith in the strength of their friendship and knew this wouldn’t break them. And it would give him the much needed breathing room from his nagging mother. It wasn’t as if he didn’t want kids at some point in the future but right now he didn’t have the time to think about that. He needed to become the number one hero and show the world just how great Bakugou Katsuki was.
After the move was done it was time to put his plan into action. He called his parents and told them he would come to visit them over the weekend. His mother had been suspicious but pleased nonetheless and so he and Deku took the train down to Musutafu Saturday morning.
Deku was a nervous wreck and that just wouldn’t do. With a quick look around to make sure no one had recognized them, Katsuki threw an arm over Deku’s shoulder and pulled him closer to his body. The Omega let out a small ‘Eep!’ before he stiffened in Katsuki’s grasp.
“Relax, shitty Deku,” Katsuki said and let out a few calming pheromones. “If you’re already freaking out at this there is no way we can make my parents believe we’re dating.”
“S-Sorry, Kacchan,” Deku said and made a visible effort to try and relax his muscles. “I’m just not used to it yet, I guess?” He let out a burst of nervous laughter and avoided Katsuki’s eyes.
Katsuki rolled his eyes but didn’t remove his arm from around Deku’s shoulder. The other needed to get used to the contact after all and it helped in scent-marking him. After a few minutes, Deku managed to relax in Katsuki’s hold and they stayed that way for the rest of the train ride. Katsuki found he rather liked how well Deku fit into his arms. He had bulked up considerably over the years but he was still short and his forehead only barely reached Katsuki’s chin when they were standing face to face.
This close Katsuki could get a good whiff of Deku’s unfiltered scent, something he hadn’t smelled in years. Sure, he knew how Deku’s sweat smelled after a hard day of work and he remembered what it had been like back when they were children, but it had been years since he had gotten to smell this kind of peaceful, relaxed, and happy scent on Deku. It was intoxicating and Katsuki found himself inhaling deeply, his own shoulders losing some of their tension in response.
They left the train and took the familiar route to his parent’s house. Katsuki thought about holding Deku’s hand but out here it was even more likely to be recognized by people and his hands were always kind of sweaty. He couldn’t imagine it would be nice to hold them, so he stuffed them into his pockets and kept on walking. He didn’t notice the longing look Deku sent his way.
The look on his mother’s face when she opened the door to Katsuki and Izuku was confused but pleased. That alone let Katsuki know that he had made the right decision in picking Deku for his plan.
“Izuku! Katsuki didn’t tell me you were coming too! Are you here to visit Inko?”
“Hello, Aunty,” Izuku said with a smile. “I’ll go over to say hi later, but Kacchan asked me to come with him first. I’ll leave you alone after a bit.”
“Nonsense!” his mother said and ushered the two of them inside. “Don’t feel like you’re intruding, you’re always welcome here! Masaru! The brat and Izuku are here!”
“Izuku? How nice to see you!” his father said, his head appearing in the doorway to the kitchen. “Katsuki didn’t say you were coming too!”
“It’s called a surprise,” Katsuki said while rolling his eyes. That promptly earned him a smack on the back of his head by his mother.
After a bit more bickering they finally managed to make it into the living room. The two of them sat on one of the couches and Katsukin noted pleased that Deku had sat down a lot closer to him than usual. It seemed the shitty nerd had finally managed to get his head into the game.
The lack of distance between them wasn’t noted by only him if Katsuki interpreted the glances of his parents right. It was now or never.
“Deku isn’t just here to visit his mom,” Katsuki said and very deliberately took Deku’s hand in his. “We’re dating. Are you happy now, old hag?”
For a few seconds, there was only silence before Mitsuki let out a blood-curdling scream.
“Happy? You shitty little brat, you have the worst timing! Couldn’t you have waited till at least after Christmas with this?” From all the reactions Katsuki had imagined this hadn’t been one of them.
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” he screamed right back. His mother ignored him and turned to his father.
“Who won?”
“Let me get the book real quick,” he said and left the room.
“What book?” Katsuki demanded to know, jumping up and pointing an accusing finger at his mother. “What the fuck is going on with you two?”
His mother jumped up too and pointed her finger right back at him. “I was counting on you, Katsuki!”
“I have no fucking idea what you’re talking about!”
Between them, Izuku still sat on the couch, a completely confused expression on his face and frankly Katsuki couldn’t blame him.
“Are… are you angry that Katsuki and I are dating…?” the nerd asked hesitantly and Mistuki’s face cleared instantly.
“Oh god, no! Never, Izuku, we’re thrilled!”
“Doesn’t seem like it,” Katsuki growled before plopping back down onto the sofa and taking Deku’s hand again. For the ruse of course, not because he liked holding his hand or anything like that.
At that moment his dad came back, a small notebook in his hands. It was leather-bound and seemed older. He sat down again, pulled out a pen, and opened the notebook.
“Let’s see here,” he said while leafing through the book. “Izuku and Katsuki get together… ah, here it is! The last update was after they both started at the same agency, so one year ago.”
“What the fuck,” Katsuki mumbled out. Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see Deku nodding faintly and he squeezed his hand out of reflex.
“Okay, here I have it,” his dad said while fixing his glasses. “You bet they would get together just after Christmas, my bet was somewhere around Katsuki’s birthday which is already over and Inko’s bet was shortly before Izuku’s, so right around now.”
“Urgh!” Mitsuki growled and threw her hands into the air. “Why is INko always right about these kinds of things?” She pointed an accusing hand at Deku.
“Are you in cahoots with your mother?”
“Am I in what now?” Deku asked, beet red and confused. But Katsuki couldn’t spare too long staring at him.
“You bet on when we would get together?!” he asked, only barely able to hold back on his complete rage.
“Of course we did,” his mother said nonchalantly. “With your history, what else were we supposed to do?”
“To be fair,” his father said with a small smile. “We’ve bet on many things between the two over the years. But this particular one started when Katsuki came home from kindergarten one day and declared that he had found his mate and would have no other.”
Katsuki felt his mouth fall open in shock and he stared at his father, uncomprehending. His mother nodded in agreement.
“We updated our bets over the years whenever all the dates we three had set were passed. Things did look a bit tense while you were in middle school but we kept the book, just in case. And what do you know,” and now she was grinning again, a certain glint in her eyes “now you two are a couple! So, when can I expect grandkids?”
“What the fuck, old hag?!”
All in all the whole visit with Kacchani’s parents had gone better than Izuku had expected in the beginning. It had been kind of mortifying to find out their parents had been betting on them, had been for years actually, but it could’ve been much worse.
He refused to think about the almost fistfight that had broken out when Mitsuki had asked for grandchildren.
In the end, they hadn’t been able to visit Izuku’s mother because she had come over after Masaru had texted her. Izuku hadn’t known that Kacchan’s father was such a gossip but he figured it had to be kind of expected. He did work in fashion after all.
Now the two of them were on their way back into the city. They sat side by side on the train and Izuku felt his eyes drooping a bit after the tumultuous day they had had.
Next to him, Kacchan was still fuming.
“I can’t believe them,” he grumbled, his arms crossed over his chest and one foot tapping away angrily.
“I think it’s kind of cute,” Izuku mumbled out, his head swaying gently in the rhythm of the train.
“Nothing about this is fucking cute, shitty Deku!” Kacchan answered, but Izuku noticed that he had stopped yelling.
With a quiet chuckle, Izulu let his head fall onto Kacchan’s shoulder. There had been so much touching between them today that his heart begged to indulge in it for a bit longer and his sleepy brain couldn’t find a reason to say no. Kacchan was very warm after all and Izuku’s head fit on his shoulder perfectly.
“You’re cute,” Izuku said, his eyes already closing and breaths slowing. That way he didn’t see the blush that crept up on Kacchan’s face or the startled look he received. He was almost asleep when he felt a hand comb gently through his hair.
“Shitty nerd,” Kacchan said but to Izuku it sounded almost like an endearment.
Katsuki had a problem.
Said problem was running around his apartment in his most comfortable clothes and trying to stealthily collect all the pillows and throw blankets he could find. It was very apparent that Izuku was about to enter his heat in the next few days and he had started nesting. He had already stocked up his room with food and water bottles and now he was trying to collect as many soft things as possible.
Katsuki had expected this. After all, they had talked about this before they moved in together and this was the reason why he bought those scent neutralizers and the enforced doors. He had done that to assure Izuku that everything would be fine. He hadn’t thought they would need them because Katsuki had never been interested in Omegas before, be they in heat or not.
He had also never been interested in Deku before. At least not like that.
But apparently, none of that was true anymore.
Now he caught himself preparing snacks that Deku could easily eat while in heat. He noticed that he had left a few of his workout shirts out in the living room instead of in his clothing hamper and he had been ridiculously pleased when he noticed those shirts had ended up missing. When he stepped into his room to go to sleep he hated how the scent neutralizers washed away the lingering traces of Deku on him and left him bereft and cold. He wanted his den to smell like mint mixed with his own spicy scent.
He tracked Deku’s hunt through the apartment, his eyes glued to the swell of his ass and the sway of his hips and he couldn’t stop himself from wanting .
Wanting for Deku to spend his heat with him, wanting to be able to join him in the nest he had constructed after moving in that Katsuki hadn’t even seen yet, but the most burning want was for their little ruse to be real.
He found he wanted to be Deku’s boyfriend, his Alpha, his mate .
The weeks since their visit to his parents had been eye-opening. Having Deku in his home and spending even more time with him outside of work had shown him just how well they worked together. Not just as partners or friends but also with the potential to be so much more.
There was no other person but Deku that Katsuki felt comfortable enough to show his weak sides to, to spill his secrets, his frustrations, and his fears because he knew Deku would never betray his trust and would never respect him any less for it. And in turn, he knew he was the same for Deku.
That’s the way it always had been. Deku and Kacchan. Even if it had taken him a while to understand it and even longer to realize what it could become if he just let it.
Now the only thing left for him to do was to convince Deku of that fact. He knew there had to be some kind of attraction or else his Omegan instinct wouldn’t have let him take Katsuki’s shirts. And he was pretty sure it wasn’t just a pack scenting thing either.
“Oi, Deku,” he called out from where he was leaning against the kitchen counter, his chin propped up on his hand. “Have you ever spent your heat with someone else?”
He needed to know if he was up against any kind of competition. The best-case scenario would of course be if Deku had never shared his heat with someone but even if he did it wouldn’t matter in the end. Katsuki would make sure there would never be anyone else for Deku ever again. He would be the only one who would see Deku like that.
The Omega flushed a deep red and didn’t meet Katsuki’s eyes as he slowly shook his head. A slow smile spread over Katsuki’s face and he knew it had to look downright predatory. His whole body was itching to claim simply from hearing that.
Mine .
“How come?” he continued.
Deku just shrugged, still not meeting Katsuki’s eyes.
“No one ever offered,” he said after a while.
“Bullshit,” Katsuki said, almost offended on Deku’s behalf. There was no way someone like Deku hadn’t been getting offers since he hit his second puberty.
“Well, at least no one I would’ve wanted to ask has.” Deku’s voice was so quiet that Katsuki had almost missed it.
“So there is someone you would want,” he concluded, his eyes slightly narrowed. This could go either really good or really bad for him, depending on Deku’s answer.
“Why are you so interested in this all of a sudden?” Deku asked while pressing the pillow he had just stolen from off the couch to his chest. “This has never mattered before.”
“Well, you haven’t been my boyfriend before,” Katsuki countered and carefully watched Deku’s reaction.
“I’m not your boyfriend now,” Deku said with a frown.
“Aren’t you?”
“Don’t make fun of me, Kacchan,” the Omega said while hiding even more behind the pillow. “That’s not fair.”
Troubled, Katsuki came out from behind the counter and stepped closer to Deku.
“Why do you think I’m making fun of you?”
“What else could this be?”
“What do you think it could be, shitty nerd?” Even though Katsuki was annoyed at Deku’s obliviousness he couldn’t help but notice how fond the name sounded. Deku seemed to have noticed too since he peered up at Katsuki with a questioning look in his eyes.
“Kacchan?”
“What?”
But Deku didn’t continue. The two of them simply gazed into each other's eyes and Katsuki could feel the tension between them rising. He needed for something to happen or he knew he would go insane.
When he couldn’t stand it anymore, Katsuki tentatively reached one hand out and placed it carefully against Deku’s cheek. The eyes of the Omega widened but when Katsuki’s hand slid further down to rub the scent gland of his wrist against Deku’s neck his eyes fell shut again and he let out a content purr that made Katsuki’s heart beat faster.
Slowly he stepped even closer until his chest was pressed against the pillow too. He wrapped his other arm around Deku’s waist and pulled him closer. The heady scent of the Omega’s pre-heat filled his nose and Katsuki inhaled deeply. He wanted to roll around in this scent.
“Kacchan,” Deku sighed out, his eyes still closed and he went a bit lax in Katsuki’s grip. Seeing him so completely relaxed and at ease did something to his Alpha. He could feel his chest swelling with pride at having satisfied his mate so thoroughly. The instinct to crawl into the Omegas nest and cuddle was overwhelming.
Katsuki had expected the hunger this heat would bring out in him but these soft feelings were a surprise. He wanted to protect, to provide, to see his Omega sated and happy in his arms.
“Deku,” he said and the green eyes in front of him fluttered open and stole Katsuki’s breath for half a second.
“I want to spend your heat with you,” he said. Deku’s eyes widened but before he could say something Katsuki continued. “I want to spend this heat with you and the next and every heat after that. I asked you to be my boyfriend out of convenience but I wasn’t lying when I said there was no one but you who could do that for me. Now I finally understand why that is. You’re it for me Deku and if you’ll have me I’ll stay by your side for as long as you’ll let me.”
Deku’s eyes filled with tears and cold dread spread through Katsuki’s stomach. Had he read the signs wrong? Was all of this just in his imagination and Deku would reject him now? But before he could spiral any further, Deku had dropped the pillow and wrapped his arms around Katsuki in turn.
“I want that too!” Deku said, his face pressed against Katsuki’s neck. “I never want Kacchan to leave. I love you.”
For the second time, Katsuki felt breathless. But at the same time, he felt invincible. There was nothing that he couldn’t do, nothing that he couldn’t face because Deku had said that he loved him.
He pulled the Omega closer and lifted him straight off of his feet. Instead of screaming Deku only giggled and wrapped his legs around Katsuki. For a while, neither of them moved, completely content standing wrapped around each other and scenting their partner. Then Katsuki started moving in the direction of Deku’s room, careful not to dislodge the other from his perch.
“Come on nerd, let’s finish your nest.”
At that Izuku perked up and slid down to his feet. With a brilliant smile, he took Katsuki’s hand and pulled him through the door. The scent neutralizers sprayed them and for a second Katsuki lost Deku’s soothing mint scent. Before his Alphas whine of distress could make it past his mouth though they entered Deku’s room and he was practically assaulted with the scent again.
He couldn’t say he minded much. Especially as he picked out traces of his own scent coming from the giant pile of pillows and blankets that formed Izuku’s nest on top of his bed.
Shyly, the Omega dropped his hand and climbed into the nest. Katsuki waited with patience he hadn’t known he had until Deku had found a comfortable place to lie in and gestured for him to join him. He knew after all what could happen to Alphas who entered an Omegas nest without invitation, even if the two of them had been mated for a while.
Carefully, he climbed into the nest, taking care not to dislodge anything from where Deku had placed it. He laid down next to his partner and was quick to pull him back into his arms. Deku came all too willingly and started to purr again as soon as his nose was buried against Katsuzki’s neck. Katsuki answered with a purr of his own, feeling more content than ever before in his life.
But there was one thing he still needed to do. He had never said it out loud but he would never forgive himself if he let Deku one-up him in this situation. He pressed a gentle kiss against his Omega’s forehead.
“I love you too,” he said softly and he could feel Deku’s smile against his neck.
Katsuki knew he wasn’t ready for the commitment of pups any time soon, but suddenly the thought of a mate wasn’t as horrible as it had been only a few short months ago. Not as long as he had Deku by his side.