Chapter Text
Bakugou Katsuki was an Alpha, the Alpha of Alphas. At least, he was gonna be, when he was older. And bigger. Right now his mom was the Alpha of the house and Katsuki barely reached her hip so he grudgingly allowed it with a scowl.
It didn’t matter if he was only 6 years old and could barely run without tripping over his own feet, Bakugou Katsuki was an Alpha and he didn’t know if it was instinct or if it was his developing mind that managed to understand the words that his parents said around him.
But Bakugou Katsuki was an Alpha.
And that meant that he needed an Omega. Well, he didn’t actually need one. But all great Alphas had Omegas as their mates. Katsuki shouldn’t be an exception. Not like his Alpha mom who had settled for his Beta dad.
But he loved his gentle dad, who would rub his head after his mom hit him one time too hard. He loved his dad’s musky scent that reminded him of home-cooked porridge and safety. And despite their daily yelling matches, he loved his mom, who protected their family with a fierce tenacity, baring her fangs at anybody who dared to cross her warpath. He wanted to be strong just like her. Not that he would ever admit it out loud.
He got distracted. Of course, his parents were awesome. They made him after all.
He knew he loved his family. His parents knew that they loved him. That’s not the problem here. The problem was that Katsuki was an Alpha and he needed an Omega as a mate. So he could be better than his mom. Better than every other Alpha out there.
There was only one problem.
Omegas were rare. Rarer than rare. In the tiny backwater town that he lived in, there were only two omegas that he knew of. And one of them just had to be stupid Deku. The other was stupid Deku’s mom, who was not stupid because she always gave Katsuki his favorite cookies whenever he came over. Except he hadn't gone over in a while. Huh, he should really change that.
But stupid Deku was the only other Omega in this stupid town. Deku who had the prettiest green hair he had ever seen and that extra stupid big smile. Deku who had soft cheeks and soft hands and soft everything. Deku who smelt like pine trees and Spring and other soft shit that’s also kind of green and pretty and STUPID.
Deku who kept being pushed down in the dirt. Dirty, stupid, useless Deku. Dirty, stupid, useless Deku, who had a beautiful smile that made it hard for Katsuki to breathe. Stupid, stupid Deku who had a smile so bright it felt like the damn sun was burning Katsuki’s retinas.
Deku, who looked at Katsuki like as if he had the sun shining out of his ass. Deku, who called out “Kacchan!” with that stupid stupid smile on his face and his stupid stupid STUPID bright green eyes.
Deku who didn’t assume that Katsuki was going to be the greatest hero - just because he had a great quirk as everyone else did. Deku already knew that Katsuki was going to be the greatest hero because he was Bakugou Katsuki.
Like it was a fact.
As if Katsuki could have been given any quirk in the world and he would have still been a great hero. Because Deku believed in him. And not just his awesome powerful quirk like everyone else did.
It was a fact.
Like how Deku had the prettiest smile in their entire kindergarten. That was also a fact. No matter what that shithead Tsubasa said about some other girl in their class. What’s-her-face Something-something.
But Deku was an Omega, of course, his smile would be prettier than the Beta What’s-her-face. Tsubasa was probably blind or that bat-winged loser needed glasses. And needed a new nose because Deku smelt the best out of everyone in the whole damn class.
Deku who he kept pushing away. Deku who was too stupid to realize that he didn’t have what it takes to be a hero. Because that’s all that Deku had wanted to be since they were both in diapers.
A hero.
Deku who was quirkless.
Quirkless useless Deku, who wanted to be a hero more than anything in the world.
Deku, who still tried to help him when he fell into the stream. Quirkless, useless Deku, who couldn’t have done anything since he didn’t have a quirk. Who didn’t have a way to pull them both out of the water.
Deku would probably die along with him in this godforsaken stream because Katsuki had been careless. Deku would probably die and it was all Katsuki’s fault. And suddenly the pain of almost dying didn’t hurt as much as his heart clenching in his chest.
But they didn’t die in the godforsaken stream. They weren’t even hurt from being in the godforsaken stream. Katsuki was coughing water out of his lungs but he was otherwise fine. He was too wet to spark any explosions. He was too wet, too cold to use his sweat to utilize his quirk.
Bakugou Katsuki was alive and wet, with a sore throat.
Bakugou Katsuki who was practically quirkless because he was alive and wet, with a sore throat. He was no better than Deku right now.
Because Deku had saved them. Deku was a hero.
Katsuki had been the idiot that had fallen in the godforsaken stream and nearly killed them both.
Deku had been the one to save them both from that stream. Without a quirk.
At that moment, Deku was an even bigger hero than Katsuki could ever be. A boy with stupid pretty eyes and a big smile and the scent of pine trees and safety.
Because Katsuki always felt safe as long as Deku was by his side.
Did Deku feel safe around Katsuki?
Katsuki who pushed Deku around because stupid useless Deku didn’t know how to stay down. Deku who could have gotten hurt by things more dangerous than Katsuki. Not that there were many things more dangerous and powerful than Bakugou Katsuki.
Deku who had gotten hurt more than once whenever he was around Katsuki.
Deku who was already a hero. Even though he was useless and had a stupid smile. Deku also had a stupid face. He was dumb and useless, shy in front of anyone new, flinching back every time someone tried to touch him. Deku who still hadn’t said a word to his mom about Katsuki pushing him around.
Deku who had soft hands, soft face and soft everything, roughed up because he was around Katsuki. And his heart hurt everytime a new burn or scrape or bruise appeared on the soft skin. The previously perfectly clean and pristine skin that Katsuki had ruined.
Katsuki had seen it, after a day at the playground and Deku had new scrapes and bruises, courtesy of Katsuki and his lackeys - they weren’t his friends, Deku was his only friend. Deku was the only one good enough to be his friend. Stupid Deku’s mom had worriedly looked over her son. Her precious omega son. Her omega son who had no quirk to defend himself with.
Deku had looked at her straight in the eye and lied. Katsuki hadn’t known that Deku was such an amazing liar. The little omega didn’t even have the tell-tale scent of unease or distress that Katsuki, shamefully, still admitted when he tried to fib. Fibbing only got him in bigger trouble with his mom.
And because there had been nothing that was physically amiss, Deku’s mom always reluctantly believed that her son had gotten hurt falling in the playground. Or tripping over his two feet. Or he had accidentally bumped into the metal bars of the jungle gym. But Katsuki knew she suspected. Especially when there were burns that Deku couldn’t explain.
There was a hard look in her eyes when she searched for Katsuki in the playground, assessing the small blonde for similar injuries. Katsuki would always reflexively hide his hands behind his back and look away. He always missed the frown on Deku’s mom’s face.
Bakugou Katsuki was many things but he wasn’t a coward. He wasn’t a liar either, so he could admit it when he was scared. Not that there were many things that scared the great Bakugou Katsuki.
It’s just that Deku’s mom who was always nice, always gentle, always kind. In that split second, she looked a lot like his mom when something bad happened at work. A momentary look of a predator. Hunting for its prey. Hunting for the one who dared hurt her child. Which shouldn’t be possible since Deku’s mom was an Omega.
She shouldn’t have been so frightening.
But she was and Katsuki wasn’t brave enough to face her. Not when stupid Deku was saving his ass once again. His mom was scary, but he had never seen Deku’s mom mad. Katsuki didn’t think he wanted to.
Bakugou Katsuki was ten when he realized he wanted to do more than just push Deku down to the ground. Where he should stay down, and away from Katsuki. But stupid shithead Deku, with the same smile and the seriously ridiculous hair, still followed after him with a bright grin and a cheerful, “Kacchan!”
It sucked because Katsuki wasn’t going to stop the green doofus from using that stupid nickname. Though he had blasted What’s-his-face when he tried. It was a name that only Deku was allowed to use.
Katsuki was ten when he realized that there was blood on Deku’s cheek from a tumble. The soft, so very soft, the skin had scraped open and a trickle of blood followed the soft curve of freckled cheek. Katsuki wanted to know if it was as soft as it looked.
And the way those soft, soft lips call out his name. Soft enough to kiss, he thinks. Katsuki slaps himself in the face, startling Deku who yelps and starts to fuss over him. Katsuki was already a whole inch taller than Deku.
Deku’s fingers were soft as they gently traced Katsuki’s stinging cheek. Deku was probably talking about something stupid, but Katsuki could only concentrate on the way his lips move and how soft they were.
His hand instinctively raise to strike himself again but the blow didn’t land. Katsuki blinks and sees Deku holding on to his hand with tears in his eyes. His really pretty eyes. The color of leaves that dance from their branches. In another life, Katsuki would have believed that Deku was a freaking Druid.
But this Deku, his Deku. His Deku was soft and flighty, scared of his own shadow. Stuck to Katsuki like glue and was so soft. So very soft. A flash of pain crosses Deku’s face and he looks down to see him clinging on to the omega’s hand in a vice grip.
His hand was so soft.
Deku was soft lines, and gentle curves and the fluffy curl of his green hair.
Deku belonged to him.
“You’re mine,” Katsuki says as he intertwines their fingers. Deku only looks at Katsuki with wide eyes and mouth gaping. “W-w-w-what K-k-Kac-ch-chan?”
“You’re stuttering too much, idiot.” Katsuki rolls his eyes and starts walking. Tugging Deku along to settle comfortably by his side. Where that stupid shithead was meant to be. Except that Deku didn’t allow himself to be pulled along.
“Kacchan,” He starts and Katsuki blinks in surprise to see tears pooling.
“K-Kacchan… I can’t” And suddenly it was hard to breathe.