Chapter Text
Katsuki paced the tiny room, breaths coming in short pants. He’d already tossed around his limited number of possessions, tearing apart the haphazard nest on the bed. Pillows, torn open with stuffing and feathers spilling out, littered the floor. Blankets rolled into balls and tossed aside. Magazines crumpled and ripped apart were strewn across the cramped room. The blonde ripped at his hair, nails digging into his scalp doing nothing to quell his distress. A low whine tore through his throat, and he dropped to the floor among the disastrous pile.
Having been returned to the omega house again, Katsuki was fed up with the ridiculous rules society put in place to keep omegas from reaching their full potential. He’d actually thought this last alpha was worth something, but he, too, turned out to just be a knothead like the rest of the alphas who’d come before. He was just another liar, using pretty words to tempt him into accepting some fucked up Stockholm Syndrome bullshit. This was the fifth time he’d been returned in the last seven years, and it was becoming more and more obvious that there was something about Katsuki that just wasn’t appealing. The blonde omega knew it wasn’t his looks. He wouldn’t have been picked so many times if he wasn’t attractive. He had the desired body of an omega - wide hips, trim waist, soft facial features. He’d bet it was his ability to be outspoken, or even his unwillingness to submit to anyone, that kept getting him sent back to this fucking hellhole. Alphas hated being backtalked, especially by an omega.
At 26 years old, Katsuki was considered an undesirable omega. Not young enough for all those predatory alphas; the 40 year old creeps that had six mates, all increasingly younger. The third alpha he’d been with was like that. He’d had two other omega mates and the moment Katsuki learned his expected role, he fucking noped his way right out of that situation. When he was featured in the parlor, expected to submit for any interested alphas, the blonde had heard too many of the same comments - “too aggressive,” “he doesn’t smell right,” “not compliant enough.” More than once, Katsuki had applied for any type of job that would allow him some freedom, but without a mate, he was denied every time. It was such bullshit that he couldn’t even make a living without approval from someone else. Just forced to sit in his room at the omega house, no opportunities to further his interests, just fed more conditioning bullshit like homemaker magazines and etiquette classes.
Katsuki curled up on the floor, face nuzzling into the soft material of the balled up blanket. His skin was tingling, sent leaking from the glands at his neck. Pre-heat was taking over and within 24 hours he’d be in a full-blown heat. He hated his heats; they had been incredibly intense since he presented. His mind always turned to mush, skin too hot and uncomfortable like there were a million bugs crawling just beneath the surface. And nothing satisfied him ever. No matter how many times he got himself off, squeezing and pumping his cock, thrusting his fingers in his ass, sitting on a heat aid…nothing felt right. He still felt empty and unsatisfied, the frustration of attempting to reach an itch that he could never reach sending him into a distressed rage. Most of his heats ended with him crying and biting at anything nearby, cock raw and hole loose. He hated heats, hated being an omega. His parents had been betas and Katsuki had never been so damn envious of their fucking luck until his first heat after being sent to the omega house. With so many other omegas in one place, the smell was overwhelming. Katsuki had found out fairly quickly that omegas, when in close proximity for a length of time, synced up their heats. He’d had two heats back-to-back when normally there would be a couple of months in between. It had been literal hell.
A knock at the door grabbed his attention just before a beta caretaker slowly entered. The older woman was annoying but had always been kind to him ever since he arrived eight years ago. She shuffled toward him, a small tray of food and water held in her hands. It was placed on the bedside table, and she frowned as she took in the state of the room. One look at the angry blonde told her everything she needed to know, and she frowned even deeper.
“You need to eat, dear,” she ordered, wrinkly finger pointing at him with force.
“Fuck off,” he snapped, turning his face away and continuing to scent the blanket. “I don’t want to eat. I want to fucking leave this place.”
A defeated sigh reached his ears and he flinched when a cool hand pressed against his forehead. Those spindly fingers stroked his hair, already slicked with sweat at his temples. Maybe he was closer to his heat than he thought. His eyes fluttered closed at the soft attention, his breathing evening out, and some of the itch finally being placated.
“Poor thing,” he heard her whisper to herself. “I wish I could sneak some suppressants in her for you…but Administration would have my head.”
“Tch, I won’t tell if you won’t” Katsuki snorted. Fingers scraped against his scalp and a shiver shot down his spine, drawing out a pleading whine from the omega. He choked on his next breath, “I don’t wanna go into heat again. I c-can’t do this. It always hurts so fucking much.”
“I wish I could help you with that,” the old woman told him, her words genuinely sad. “But I’m afraid the only way you’ll get any relief is if you finally meet a nice alpha who can put up with you.”
A distressed whine was pulled out of his throat as he remembered the most recent alpha that had brought him home. He’d been “nice.” A strong alpha who seemed to enjoy the banter, he’d even courted Katsuki for two months before signing a contract with the omega house. But after almost a month of living with the man, the blonde came to realize he wasn’t as nice as he’d been led to believe. The first time Katsuki talked back with the banter he thought was appreciated and welcomed, the alpha had smacked him around, forced him in a choke hold and demanded he submit like “a good omega.” The ensuing fight ended with the alpha’s wrist trapped between Katsuki’s teeth, the omega twisted painfully beneath the alpha’s body weight. The following weeks left Katsuki feeling betrayed, trapped in a cage and cornered by a wild beast. Luckily, before things got further out of hand, the alpha manhandled Katsuki all the way back to the omega house and dumped him at the front desk stating he was “too aggressive and defiant to be worth any decent alpha’s time.” That had been a few days ago. He still had bruises on his wrists from here the alpha had held on too tightly, keeping him “under control,” he’d said.
“How about I bring you something that will take the edge off, and maybe a heat aid,” the olde woman suggested, her fingers pulling away from his scalp. Katsuki shivered at the loss of touch, and the tingling sensation flooded over his body with a renewed force. All he could do to respond was nod slowly. “I’ll be back in a little bit. In the meantime, you need to eat, and drink plenty of water. And you should start thinking about putting a nest together before you’re too far gone and stress yourself out.”
“Don’t tell me what to fucking do,” he retorted even as he pulled himself upright and started gathering the blankets and pillows closest to his position on the floor. The door clicked closed at the old beta woman’s leave and Katsuki shivered again as a new wave of heat throbbed in his veins. Tears pricked at his eyes. He wished he never had to experience another heat. Everything was tossed onto the hard box bed and his hands arranged everything as best he could. Pillows with half their stuffing missing, blankets that were knotted from being rolled so tightly. Katsuki stepped back and looked at the nest. This was what caused his distress in the first place. Nothing felt right - too lumpy, not enough variety, too bland, the scent of laundry detergent overpowering everything. He kicked the bedframe and growled before collapsing into the half assed nest. Ruby eyes took in the tray the caretaker left behind and he curiously looked at the contents. Black tea, water, white rice, plenty of vegetables, and a few tiny strips of grilled chicken. None of it looked or smelled appealing, but he knew the old lady was right. If he didn’t eat or drink anything now, he’d be suffering for it by tomorrow morning. With a sneer on his face, Katsuki picked up the chopsticks and began forcing rice and veggies into his mouth. He stayed away from the chicken. It didn’t smell right.
He ate as much as he could before he started to feel nauseous and switched to the tea and water. By the time the old lady returned, Katsuki was tossing and turning in his nest, still angry about it not being right and not having the right materials. All the scents were off, so he continued to rub himself all over the materials, trying to get that awful detergent smell out of his sensitive nose. The door opened after a gentle knock and the omega went stiff as a board as a new scent reached his nose. His nostrils flared as he took in the strong scent of rain and greenery. It was both calming and alluring, making Katsuki’s mouth water. He sat up in the middle of the nest and tracked the beta woman’s movements. She had two objects in her hands, a large sweatshirt and an obscene heat aid. Katsuki fought the urge to blush at the large silicone sex toy, instead focusing his eyes on the clothing. It was a thick green hoodie embroidered with some company name. Flaring his nostrils again to take in more of the scent, Katsuki confirmed the sweatshirt was drenched in it.
“That appears to be a good sign,” the old lady chuckled.
“Shut the fuck up,” Katsuki hissed as he snatched the hoodie out of her hands when she was close enough. He bunched up the material against his face and inhaled deeply, a satisfied shiver running over his body and a low purr rumbling in his chest. All at once his breathing slowed, his mind stopped racing, and he had a sense of completeness as he realized this was exactly what his nest had been missing. The hoodie was thrown over his head, the article so huge, the hem reached all the way to his knees. “Where the hell did you find this?”
“Alpha donation box,” she answered, setting the heat aid on the bedside table and reclaiming the tray. “We’ve had some new donations in the past few weeks. Figured after your latest stint away from the house you could use something comforting.”
“Thanks, I guess,” Katsuki mumbled, already lying back down and pulling the hood over his head, effectively cloaking himself with the alpha’s pleasing scent. He hummed in delight and pulled his knees up so every part of him was covered by the sweatshirt.
“I’ll be back in the morning to check on you, and throughout the week to make sure you remember to eat and drink,” the beta announced, taking her leave. His answer was a distracted grunt as he continued to rub his cheek against the inside of the hood.
-----
In the days that followed, Katsuki suffered through his heat. It was still intense, the temperature inside and out nearly unbearable, and the itch still didn’t feel as if it had been scratched no matter what he did. But the alpha’s scent did something to calm his normally frantic mind. He felt safe and there was more clarity through this heat than he’d ever experienced before. Between bouts of hectic need for relief, Katsuki was able to sate his other needs, remembering to eat and drink before another wave of disorientation consumed him.
At the end of his five day heat, Katsuki came back to full lucidity feeling like he’d been pounded into a rocky cliff by a torrential current. His entire body was shaky, every piece of skin sticky with sweat and thighs coated with a disgusting conglomerate of layers and layers of semi-dried slick, lint, and sweat. As he laid in the uncomfortably damp bed, blankets tangled around his ankles, the exhausted omega rubbed his face into the hood of the sweatshirt. His nostrils flared, seeking any trace of the alpha’s calming scent, but all he could pick up was his own heavily spiced aroma. A sense of longing sat heavy in his chest, and he felt his post heat mind beginning to stress, falsely believing his alpha had left him. Tears pricked at his eyes, and he grit his teeth against the overwhelming feeling of abandonment.
“Shut up,” he hissed. “Stupid omega brain. There is no alpha, there never was! You’re f-fine.” A half-sob caught in his throat, and he cut it off with a growl as he dug his face deeper into the hoodie. Try as he might, there was no trace of the alpha left on the garment. A pained whine tore at his chest as his eyes burned. “Stop it! You’re fine, you’re fine, you’re fine.” He chanted the words, willing his stupid mushy brain to believe it. A soft knock broke him out of his thoughts, icy fear running down his spine. He was still vulnerable, too tired to fight off anyone that dared breach his nest. His legs clamped together, trying as best he could to contain his scent.
“Good afternoon, Dear,” the old beta woman said as she entered the room. Katsuki instantly relaxed, recognizing her as a non-threat. “Welcome back to the land of the living.” Her smile dropped as she caught sight of his face. “What’s wrong?” She was immediately on him, hands groping his body searching for any possible injuries before finally cupping his face, thumbs stroking away the wetness that had gathered just below his lashes. “Katsuki, you have to tell me if you’re hurt. I can’t help you if you don’t tell me.”
The blonde sneered and tried to pull his face out of her grasp, but she was far stronger than she looked. Her fingers tightened their hold, forcing him to look at her. He hissed at being held down like this, especially while his stupid omega brain was still panicking. The old woman asked him again what was wrong, and his lip trembled, the dam finally breaking.
“It’s g-gone,” he whimpered as fat tears filled his eyes, a few spilling over and soaking into the hoodie.
“What’s gone?” she asked, startled by his reaction. Katsuki tried to pull out of her grasp again, desperate to get away from the beta. “Katsuki, what is gone?”
“A-Alpha,” he sobbed. And suddenly he was angry, grasping at her wrists and shoving her away. He turned over and screamed into the mattress. “It’s my stupid omega brain! Don’t fucking listen to me. Get out! Get out! Leave me the fuck alone!”
“Oh dear,” the beta sighed. “Maybe it wasn’t the best idea to give you an alpha’s scent just after you came back.”
“No fucking shit!” he growled. “Now my brain’s all messed up. Everything hurts. God fucking dammit!” He inhaled deeply to try to calm down but was only reminded that the alpha’s scent was completely clouded over by his own. A new sense of loneliness overtook him and he screeched into the blankets, body completely curled within itself and sweatshirt drowning him. It was too much; his scent was too much - too spicy, too thick, too syrupy. He ripped the hoodie off, throwing it to the floor with a growl and shivered as the cool air of the room tickled his still overheated skin. Katsuki was well aware he was nude, covered in the evidence of his heat, but he didn’t care, and he knew the old lady had seen so many of the omegas in worse conditions. A gentle hand rubbed down his spine as he tried to focus on just breathing. Her soft voice lulled the frantic beast back into a manageable annoyance. His eyes still stung with unshed tears, and his muscles were sore from how tense he felt, but his brain was finally coming down from the post-heat trauma, comprehending that there was never any alpha, that he hadn’t been abandoned. A shaky breath left his nose and Katsuki groaned into the mattress below him. When he pushed to sit up, the old woman warned him to move slowly. “I know, I know you old hag. I’m fucking fine. I just need a goddamn shower and some better food than whatever that shit is.” He scrunched his nose up at the remnants of whatever meal was on the tray from this morning.
The beta woman chuckled and patted his back, “Go get washed up and I’ll have your room cleaned while you’re away. You can head down to the dining hall for a proper meal.”
“Whatever,” he grumbled, already climbing off the bed to grab some fresh clothes. He threw a robe over his sticky body and stomped toward the door, kicking the sweatshirt for good measure.
-----
The dining hall was sparse. Late afternoon was an uncommon time for meals, but they were required to keep the kitchens open for exactly this reason. Any omega coming out of or just beginning a heat needed food, so the kitchen was open 24 hours. Katsuki had never really enjoyed much of the food provided, much preferring the days when he could cook his own meals. That only happened a few days out of the month, but he always looked forward to them. Cooking was one of the few “omega approved” activities he actually enjoyed. It offered a freedom he seldom experienced in every other part of his life. And even though this was his third omega house, having been dropped to a lower status after he turned 21 and then again after he was returned by an alpha for the third time, this place had a decent sized kitchen. Though the appliances were nowhere near as impressive as the ones at the first omega house, they were still better than some of the horror stories he heard about the lowest income houses with barely working electricity or even no hot running water. It was fucking ridiculous how the government set so many rules in place for omegas. Must be mated before the age of 21 or you’ll be marked as undesirable; don’t ask for too much or you’ll be seen as high maintenance; any omega who doesn’t come from a high social standing gets the short end of the stick and sent to the worst omega houses in the country, picked up by greasy, abusive alphas and forced to carry as many pups as possible for the rest of their miserable lives.
Katsuki picked a seat at a table away from the small group in the center of the room. The food smelled decent, better than the easy to digest shit they gave omegas in heat. His stomach rumbled loudly, and he sneered as the first bite of food made it past his lips. He hummed, mostly from the act of eating and not so much from the flavor. It really wasn’t that great, bland mostly, and the hell hole of a house didn’t have any hot sauce – “it’s not proper for an omega to eat such strong foods. It could mess with your chances for pups,” what a load of bullshit. The sound of giggling had him frowning at the group of five omega females clustered at the table in the center of the room. One of them caught him looking, her dark eyes widening before she ducked down whispering fast and the others started giggling again. Katsuki growled to himself and stuffed another bit of food in his mouth. Out of the 200 omegas at this shitty house, only 11 of them were males. It wasn’t exactly rare for male omegas to exist, but it was far more uncommon than females. Pregnancy was also more dangerous for males as they could carry naturally, but not deliver and so were forced to have cesarean deliveries, which was also considered risky. Another round of giggles broke out and Katsuki stabbed his food with the chopsticks, ruby eyes glaring daggers at the group of women.
“S-Sorry, Katsuki,” the girl with dark eyes muttered when she saw him watching them again.
“Keep it the fuck down,” he snapped. “Other people live here, too.”
“Not for long,” one of the other girls said in a sing-song voice, pulling another round of giggles from the group.
“Good fucking riddance,” Katsuki grumbled and grabbed his tray to move out to the patio. There were more people out there, but if it meant getting away from these fucking bimbos, he’d risk it. With a quick kick, the patio door flung open, and Katsuki stepped into the warm summer sun. The breeze carried a thick humidity, but also the smells of the nearby stream and the many flowers in the gardens. It was far more pleasant than the dining hall, and far quieter, too. A few of the other omegas eyed him for a moment before going back to their own conversations and ignoring the blonde. He found an empty seat and had gotten through a few more bites, when a shadow blocked the sun’s lovely warmth. Katsuki looked up and rolled his eyes at the electric blonde standing before him. “Go away.”
“I heard you were back,” Kaminari said with a small smile. “What happened?”
“None of your fucking business,” he snapped and turned his body away, trying to eat this fucking meal in peace. He had no such luck as the damned idiot sat in the chair opposite him.
“Please?” he asked. “You’re one of the few guys in here I can actually talk to. And I know what it’s like to be- to be sent back.”
“Fuck. Off.”
“Come on, Bakugou!” the other man whined. “I know how shitty it feels to be dumped. It can’t be easy. So just talk to me.”
“Kaminari, I swear to fuck…” Katsuki sighed and rubbed at his forehead before slamming down his chopsticks. “The asshole alpha pretended to be nice and promised he wouldn’t force me to do any of that stupid traditionalist omega bullshit but turned out he was just as shitty as all the other alphas thinking they’re better than us and that we should roll over whenever they wanna get their dicks wet. I told him to fuck off, so he sent me back and then I got one of the worst heats of my life. Fucking happy asshole?” The electric blonde’s eyes were wide, blinking comically at Katsuki’s rageful word vomit.
“Oh.”
“Now fuck off so I can eat.”
Kaminari stood gracefully and walked away without another word. Katsuki snorted and grabbed his chopsticks again only to be interrupted by one of the house nurses.
“What the fuck do you want?!” he screeched at the beta. The man instantly halted, eyes wide and mouth open slightly at the omega’s reaction.
“Lady Chiyo informed me of your…circumstances this morning. She requested I do a health check,” the man explained.
“I’m fucking eating!” the blonde sneered at the man. “Can’t this wait?”
“Oh, of course. I was just hoping to find you before the end of the day.”
“Not fucking hard to find me,” Katsuki scoffed. “Locked in my goddamn room every fucking night. Not like you can’t walk your ass over there and knock.”
“That is quite enough Mr. Bakugou,” a stern voice cracked from behind him. Miss Kayama fixed him with a hard stare, her vibrant blue eyes sending icy daggers in his direction. “I will not tolerate that kind of talk, most of all from a bratty omega like you. Finish your meal and head to the infirmary. No grumbling, no fussing, you hear me?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Katsuki mumbled with a roll of his eyes. The nurse bowed kindly at the matron and set Katsuki with a smug look. The blonde rolled his eyes and finished off his meal, desperate to get all this shit over with quickly so he could just go back to being left alone.
Unfortunately, the health check required him to pee in a cup, have blood drawn, all vitals taken twice, and a stomach and pelvic exam. It didn’t matter how many times he told the jerk that he didn’t bend over for that damn liar of an alpha, he still insisted they had to rule out pregnancy. The whole ordeal took just over an hour, and when he was released, Katsuki practically sprinted back to his room. The flowery scent of laundry detergent and the sharp smell of cleaning agents assaulted his nose, eliciting a loud sneeze. His chest clenched at the sight of the perfectly made bed, the entire room picked up. He’d have to remake a nest, start from scratch and scent everything. Sighing, Katsuki kicked his shoes off and changed into a fresh set of pajamas before crawling onto the bed and grabbing the first blanket he saw, rubbing it all over his neck to coat it in his familiar spicy scent. Most omegas smelled sweet like honey or maple, or sometimes flowery like roses or jasmine. It wasn’t often you came across an omega with a bolder scent, but of course Katsuki went against the norm with his chai tea and wood smoke scent. In his early days at the house, when he was featured in the parlor for interested alphas, he’d made a bad impression just because of the way he smelled, many of the alphas refusing to even acknowledge him because of the spicy aroma. After he’d presented, and his schoolmates teased him about both being an omega and smelling wrong, his mother assured him there would be an alpha out there who would love him just the way he is. Katsuki had held onto that notion through every courting, every first meeting, every signed contract. But now, he wondered if he ever would find an alpha that actually liked him. One that really meant it when they told him they didn’t conform to all the status quo bullshit. An alpha that says they enjoy his scent and prove it by wanting to be close to him. Katsuki tossed the last pillow in the corner where the bedframe met the wall. The nest still felt wrong with its dull cream-colored tones and flattened pillows, but it would do for now. The omega went to his closet to search for anything else he could toss on the bed. He froze as the scent of rainwater and foliage washed over him, a shiver running down his spine at the pleasant aroma. Hanging between his own clothes was a very large, very out of place t-shirt that very obviously belonged to the alpha who had provided the hoodie. Without a second thought, Katsuki snatched the article and drew it to his nose, inhaling deeply. His brain melted happily, his omega sated by the alpha’s familiar cool scent. A low purr rattled his chest as he shuffled his way to his newly formed nest and collapsed in the middle of it, the shirt covering most of his body, a blanket of cool rain filling him with a contentment he’d never really experienced before. Katsuki hummed, eyes fluttering closed as he took in the smell. He hoped one day he’d meet this alpha…maybe they’d even like his scent just as much. Katsuki smiled; it was a good dream.