Chapter Text
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Here you go before we start!
Notes on the A/B/O dynamics of this story.
The society is composed of Alphas, Betas, and Omegas.
Some have Quirks, some doesn't.
There is no hierarchy based on these dynamics, unlike older customs in which Alphas maintained omega harems and stood at the top of the social order.
Alphas: (click here)
Typical traits include being protective, strong, and providing.
Their genetics grant them broader builds, along with more aggressive tendencies linked to higher levels of testosterone.
Ruts: these mark their reproductive periods. A rut can last between 24 and 48 hours and occurs twice a year, in autumn and spring. Sedation can be used to avoid suffering during their rut.
Alphas can mate with Omegas or Betas, even if they are more inclined to find a life partner among Omegas due to the biological responses Omegas elicit.
- 30% of the population is Alpha.
- Of that 30%, around 27% are male at birth.
In the rare cases of Alpha females, they undergo physical changes during the Presentation. Male hormones develop, and their genitalia transform from a vulva to a penis over the course of the 24 hours following the Presentation.
This is a painful and traumatic process, requiring full sedation and close medical supervision. No lasting physical pain or discomfort remains after the transition, though psychological support is provided if needed.
Betas:
Betas don't emit pheromones and are bluntly referred to as “ordinary humans.”
Much like some people who never develop a Quirk and are seen as outcasts because they lack so-called top-tier genes, others no longer develop these so-called “obsolete” dynamics either.
Even though society claims to place everyone on equal footing, this is largely hypocritical. In reality, the most highly regarded individuals are Betas with exceptional Quirks.
Indeed, Betas are generally perceived as “superior,” as their genetics are considered more evolved: they are free from ruts and heats, and unaffected by pheromones (they cannot perceive those of others), they are especially sought after in calmer, more controlled environments.
-A little over 50% of the population is Beta.
Betas can form bonds and choose an Alpha as a life partner. However, studies have shown that a Beta and an Omega are unlikely to be compatible in the long term, as Omegas have a strong need for pheromonal exchange in order to feel fully fulfilled.
Omegas:
Back when social hierarchy was influenced by these dynamics, Omegas ranked at the very bottom.
Typical traits: they tend to value, and often require, a degree of submission. They are nurturing by nature and can show overwhelming maternal instinct.
Their genetics generally give them a more slender build and a remarkably resilient metabolism.
Heats: these mark their reproductive periods. Like an Alpha’s rut, a heat can last up to 48 hours and occurs twice a year, in autumn and spring.
Sedation is also an option, allowing them to avoid the distress of going through a heat alone. Omegas can only become pregnant during their heats.
- 20% of the population is Omega.
- Of that 20%, around 18% are female at birth.
As with Alphas, exceptions exist, and in rare cases individuals assigned male at birth may Present as Omegas. Here too, significant physical changes occur, including a surge in estrogen and progesterone, along with a drastic transformation of the genitalia: from penis to vulva.
The chest does not develop, and these male Omegas are completely infertile, as no follicles are present in the reproductive system from birth.
The body change is generally carried out under full sedation, and male Omegas are closely monitored psychologically, if necessary.
Their inability to conceive runs counter to their deeply ingrained maternal instincts, and emotional crashes or depressive episodes are not uncommon.
-Both Alphas and Omegas have scent glands (on the neck and wrists) and retractable fangs. The 'mating gland' is on the left side of the neck. Coated in poison, Alpha's fangs can claim another Alpha or Omega by biting down on this specific area.
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Scenting: rubbing pheromones against someone or something else. It is a common thing between friends, lovers or family. It helps release tension and pent-up stress, and offers comfort and a feeling of safety.
True mates : typically Alpha/Omega pairs believed to be destined for one another. Sometimes this occurs between Betas, or between Alphas and Betas as well, but the absence of pheromones makes it impossible, for now, to confirm whether these are true bonded pairs.
Sync : what happens when True Mates meet. It doesn’t ask permission, it simply shows what could have been between them. Or rather... what already has been.
A single skin-to-skin touch is all it takes to trigger it, and suddenly, they remember what it feels like to love the other.
Memories that aren’t quite theirs flood in: fragments of a shared past, fragments of a love that feels too real to ignore.
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January 2017, third year at U.A.
Two months after the war.
As long as Katsuki could remember, Izuku had always been there, woven into his life in a way he’d never really questioned.
Yeah. Izuku Midoriya. Deku. His friend.
Their relationship had always been complicated.
Because Izuku, who had always trailed behind him...
Had closed the gap in the span of two weeks, at the beginning of their First year at U.A... by gaining a powerful Quirk and Presenting as a fucking Alpha.
Katsuki had been sick with jealousy. Completely thrown off, because no matter how strong his own Quirk was, he still hadn’t Presented.
He had been a late bloomer... Until a month ago.
Almost two years after Izuku.
The first signs had been easy to miss, because he’d just felt... off.
No appetite, mood in the gutter despite the irritating concern of his friends. More on edge than usual: meaner, ready to snap at anything.
He’d chalked it up to post-war stress. To the aftermath, that uneasy “calm after the storm” that never really let you rest.
Between moving back into the dorms, physical therapy, and helping rebuild the city... yeah, he’d been constantly busy. And he wasn't the only one, everyone was working equally hard.
The pain still lingered in his body and mind.
The fights, the chaos... it all still burned in too deep to just disappear.
It was a rescue simulation, and Izuku was playing the civilian in danger. His job was simple: stay down and wait to be rescued, while two “villains” did everything they could to keep Katsuki and Tsuyu from reaching him.
Izuku laid sprawled on the ground in his blue gym uniform, perfectly still, feigning unconsciousness as thick white smoke rolled in, spreading faster by the second.
If the victim stayed in the smoke too long, the rescue failed and their group would lose Hero points.
Katsuki and Tsuyu weaved a plan, and it was her who had to rescue the victim, while Katsuki acted as bait.
A few meters away, Kyouka Jirou and Ochaco Uraraka were waiting for them to come.
At first, everything went smoothly. Katsuki blasted through the smoke in sharp bursts, explosions cracking through the air, loud enough to make Kyouka flinch. He always kept moving, never letting Ochaco get close enough to touch him.
And then, it went to shit.
Froppy’s foot slipped on the edge of the high rock overlooking the victim. At that, Katsuki’s head snapped toward her, irritation flashing across his face, and that split second was all Ochaco needed.
Her fingers brushed the side of his boot, and just like that... weight vanished.
“FROPPY!” he barked, body jerking as he was suddenly lifted off the ground.
Her tongue shot out instantly, snapping tight around his waist and yanking him back down beside her.
He landed hard, one knee slamming against the rock, a hand shooting out to brace himself.
“Switching!” Tsuyu called, already moving.
She launched forward in a single leap, slamming straight into Ochaco and knocking her flat on her back with surprising force.
"Shit," katsuki turned his head down toward the victim, and with a scowl, froze on the spot.
He remembers one of the last rational thoughts he’d had that day: Screw this damn exercise. I’m not getting close to him.
But Izuku opened one eye, watching what was happening... then looked straight at Katsuki, frowning. Like he knew what he was thinking.
"Kacchan, the points!" he had silently mouthed.
Katsuki coughed as the smoke thickened, curling higher, swallowing the space between them... and something in him just snapped at the words. The competitive fire flared in the blond’s veins from that alone, from the points!
“Tch-!” He had moved right away. With one sharp burst, he lunged forward, grabbed Izuku clean off the ground, and hauled him over his shoulder.
Another explosion, and he launched them upward, cutting through the smoke, scanning for somewhere clear, somewhere safe-
And then Izuku had clung to him instinctively, not to fall down. His bare, scarred hand wrapping tight around Katsuki’s bare arm, right above his long glove.
Scarred fingers digging in firmly.
And from that moment on, time just seemed to suddenly... pause.
Pause...
Pause.
Then, a sharp ringing in his ears-
And it hit.
Midair, frozen in motion, Katsuki's quirk went suddenly off. His body seized, a violent jolt ripping through him as if something were crawling under his skin, locking his muscles in place.
He couldn't move, couldn't breathe, and both of them just... dropped from the sky.
Falling...
Falling, like in slow motion...
But the impact never reached him.
Because Izuku had moved on instinct alone.
He twisted them mid-fall, turning their bodies just in time to take the hit himself... Then slammed into the ground with a harsh grunt, arms tightening as he kept Katsuki pressed close.
One arm locked around him, the other rose to cradle the back of the blond's head, pressing him firmly, safely, against his chest.
Holding him there.
Katsuki, meanwhile, choked on the smoke and on something else, his breath stolen straight from his lungs by the sudden fall.
And when strength came back, slowly... when his limbs answered him again, he pushed himself up on trembling forearms, hovering over Izuku.
Ears still ringing, he lowered his head, looking dazedly down at him... and they locked eyes.
Izuku, who looked just as shaken, just as unsteady beneath him.
The crawling was still there, still racing under Katsuki’s skin, making his body twitch. But now it gathered, concentrated, pulsing low and hot along his jaw.
Right where Izuku’s bare hand had shifted.
Right where he was still touching him.
The palm, the touch... it burned. Seared.
A sharp, thunderous pulse, the thump-thump-thump pounding hard against his temples, making his head ache with it. Pounding faster and faster, until it tore a sharp gasp from his throat.
Their mouths parted, breaths came uneven.
Eyes narrowed against the pain, against the confusion... and still, they didn’t look away.
They just stared at each other in awe, unblinking, utterly stunned.
They were frozen in place, as if the world had narrowed down to that single point between them. That single touch, skin to skin along his jaw.
And when they finally did blink...
Something just snapped.
Like a veil dropping, like the ground giving way beneath their feet... they felt like falling.
Down...
Down...
Sinking and diving into something deep and distant, a trance-like state swallowing them whole.
And that was it.
Katsuki’s head tipped forward, knocking dully against Izuku’s shoulder as his strength gave out. And Izuku followed just as easily, going slack beneath him, boneless against the ground.
His arms loosened... but didn’t let go. Never let him go.
Izuku holded him through the whole ordeal.
Everything went dark. And then... flashes.
Faces. Fragments of something that didn’t belong to him... and yet did.
Scenes flickered past too fast to grasp, unfolding one after another from somewhere outside himself, like he was watching a life that wasn’t his.
Then, voices-
“Love you so much,” Katsuki heard his own voice echoing in his mind. Soft, softer than he had ever heard it.
And suddenly he was there. He saw himself leaning forward, pressing a kiss to Izuku’s lips. The touch so gentle, as he rested his head against his, like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Izuku, who seemed so much older. Izuku, smiling at him so happily----
More flashes, more voices. Always the same freckled face-
"Hey, sweetie," dream Izuku called him fondly----
And more, always more-
Distant laughter... the feeling of being held... being loved... and Katsuki's head was killing him.
At the moment, no one realized what was happening, because the smoke was so thick nothing could be seen.
And then-
"Something is wrong!", It was Tsuyu who raised her voice first, a few meters away, when she realized Katsuki was nowhere to be found. And that somewhere in the haze on the ground, the air seemed to hum with tension. If even a Beta like her could sense it, it couldn’t be good.
A scream followed-
So uncharacteristic from the normally composed Alpha, that everyone snapped into action at once: