Chapter Text
There were laws to prevent this.
So many damn laws.
Omega’s weren’t even supposed to be unmated by this age. Izuku should have long since found an alpha either through natural means or through the government arranged marriage candidates. But he’d managed to slide his way out of them, wriggling around to stretch his freedom as long as possible.
And now, looking at the very important, legal jargon filled letter in his hands, he wished he put in just a little more effort to find someone on his own. Inspecting the package full of scent samples he would need to go through immediately, Izuku grimaced. He closed the box and shoved it aside. That would be a problem for later, preferably with a glass of wine.
The Federal Mating Association monitored this shit. Every omega and alpha were kept in a database. A yearly mandated doctor visit gave them a suppression shot, a high dose alpha’s and omega’s couldn’t get anywhere else. It kept them nice and suppressed for fifty-one weeks, only to have their rut or heat at the end of the year. The cycle then repeated.
It also served to get samples of their scent and to get vials of blood drawn. They said it helped find compatible mates in the system.
Izuku called bullshit.
The government just liked to fear-monger secondary genders, wanted to keep them under control. Izuku didn’t quite understand the problem. However, if the history books he read were any indication, when secondary genders first appeared, it caused quite the stir.
Baser instincts were running rampant, alpha’s were assaulting omega’s, and the entire thing was just a shitshow.
But Izuku didn’t get why there couldn’t be a happy medium. Suppressants were great, rut and heat sharing could be consensual, and everyone could win without interference. Surely it couldn't be that hard to loosen the noose a little?
Instead of rampaging against a government he couldn’t win against, Izuku reluctantly scribbled down a time and a date for his appointment. Instead, Izuku would have one chance to meet the man who would potentially be his alpha.
He sighed, dropping the pen on the table and pushing his hands through his hair, scrubbing through his fresh undercut.
Izuku hung the notice on his fridge with a sense of impending doom, swiping his phone off the counter where he left it. Unlocking the screen, he scrolled through his contacts to search for his best friend.
The line rang several times before the perky voice of Ochako greeted him. “Izuku! What’s up?”
With a long, disappointed noise, Izuku replied quietly, “I got my notice today.”
Silence greeted him, not that he expected much else.
Ochako had been telling him for the better part of the two years to start looking for an alpha, to look for someone he connected with naturally. She enjoyed her freedom until she turned twenty and then began looking.
It worked out in the end. Ochako met Tenya and they made a fantastic pair. The alpha was so disgustingly doting. Ochako wanted for nothing and he even made sure her parents were well off and taken care of. Tenya apparently came from money and a lot of it.
It almost made Izuku jealous.
Almost.
“When’s your appointment?”
Blowing out a breath of air, Izuku looked at the calendar again. “It’s in three weeks.”
Ochako whistled. “Yikes. With your birthday two months away, they must really want to make sure you’re taken by July.”
Yeah, that’s what Izuku figured as well.
Only one of his friends ended up having to go through the program. Kacchan didn’t fit most expectations of ‘omega’, which made it increasingly difficult for him to find a mate. Eventually, he received his notice and met with several alpha’s.
None of them could handle his attitude. Kacchan was explosive on the best of days, a fiery personality. He cared, of course he did. Kacchan didn’t do anything by halves and that included his skills in the kitchen and housekeeping. He took care of his apartment immaculately and his ability to meal prep delicious but healthy foods always impressed Izuku.
Finally, an alpha with a sunny disposition and a chronic inability to take care of himself toddled along. Kacchan snapped him up before another omega and the rest was history.
Eijirou made a really good addition to Kacchan’s life.
But this left Izuku to his own devices. His friends were moving on in life, following along with the governments whims and now it was his turn.
He wished the age limits for omegas were similar to an alpha’s. Alpha’s didn’t have to be mated until they were thirty and it was a constant source of irritation for Izuku. It stemmed from some bullshit about omega’s needing to be cared for through heats and it would be far too distracting for the rest of society. Omega’s couldn’t be left alone, apparently. And once they were mated, suppressants would not longer be necessary. Though, omega’s could still get them with their alpha’s permission.
What if the alpha he got saddled with didn’t care for his thirst for knowledge? What if he just wanted to pup Izuku up and call it a day? Would he even care?
A headache began to form between his eyes. “Ochako, I’m scared.”
“I know,” she soothed, best as she could from across the prefecture. “I can’t guarantee everything will be okay. But you’ll have us! We’ll make sure you’re alright during all of this, okay?”
Easier said than done, Izuku thought bitterly. If his new alpha wanted to keep him away from his friends, he would have no choice.
And with his mother gone, Izuku had no family left to make a fight or case for him if things went sideways.
“I appreciate that, Ochako,” is what he actually said, the words acidic on his tongue. “We should get dinner together in the next week! Send me off with a bang.”
Ochako laughed. It sounded a little forced, but Izuku appreciated the effort. “Of course! I’ll get Tenya in on it and we’ll make a party of it.”
The call ended on a positive note and Izuku gripped his phone tight, knowing he would need to make this next phone call.
Steeling himself, Izuku once again scrolled through his contacts and pressed call.
The line didn’t ring nearly as long as it had with Ochako, nor the greeting as friendly.
“The fuck you want, nerd?”
Izuku pinched his nose, trying to relax. “Hey, Kacchan.”
“You normally don’t call me first. What’s going on?” Despite the gruff way of speaking, Kacchan did actually care. Not mention being with Kirishima smoothed over some of the rougher bits of his personality. Kacchan was still Kacchan, but Izuku could see the cracks now, could see how he showed affection.
Izuku just really had to look for it.
“I got my letter,” he finally said, huffing. He opened his fridge, pulling out a bottle of water before moving to his living room. He flopped onto the couch with a groan. “What am I gonna do, Kacchan?”
For once, Kacchan didn’t give him a verbal beatdown. “I’ve been telling you to start looking for someone, nerd,” he replied, voice uncharacteristically soft. “When’s your appointment?”
“Three weeks,” Izuku’s voice was small, timid. It reminded him of his childhood, constantly making himself smaller to avoid bullying. Kacchan used to be one of Izuku’s tormentors. But in first year of high school, Kacchan seemed to think banding together as omega’s instead of being on opposite sides would serve them better.
Kacchan let out a soft curse, pots and pans banging in the background. “The good news is they should be sending some scent samples soon. Any potential candidates that match your questionnaire should be sending in something.”
“Jokes on you - a scent package came with my letter,” Izuku snarked. And then paused, having forgotten about the questionnaire. It came across as disingenuous, a way to make omega’s think they had any choice in the matter.
“Do they even take that stupid thing into consideration with all of this?”
He could almost hear Kacchan’s eye roll. “How am I supposed to know, dumbass? The first three fuckers before Eijirou couldn’t even stand to be in the same room as me. And he’s definitely not what I imagined getting hitched to,” the other omega admitted.
“Fifty-fifty shot, then. I’ve been against worse odds,” Izuku replied, defeated.
“Listen, I need to finish making dinner. I’ll text you later, okay? Don’t freak out, Izuku. I doubt it’s going to be the hell you’re making it out to be.”
Big talk from someone who found his alpha through the program after meeting absolute assholes, but Izuku didn’t mention that. They exchanged goodbyes and Izuku dropped his phone on the couch cushion. He pressed the palms of his hand into his eyes, feeling the burn of frustrated tears.
There was still so much he wanted to do, wanted to see. Twenty-one years old and being sold off to the highest bidder. Maybe not literally, but metaphorically. Izuku finished high school, managed to get his basic education in. But he couldn’t go to college. He couldn’t afford it, for starters. Omega’s were chronically underpaid compared to alpha’s. Izuku had a roof over his head and food in his cupboards. That was pretty much all he could handle.
Sure, if his alpha let him go to college, he absolutely would be allowed.
But his life would be on the whims of his alpha, whoever that may be. And after years of deciding his life on his own terms, it would be a huge adjustment. Groaning, Izuku stood up from his couch, meandering into his bedroom. Peeling off his shirt and shucking his pants, Izuku tumbled into his nest, grabbing his pillow and hugging it to his chest as the scent of his friends surrounded him.
He really hoped whoever he got stuck with wouldn’t cut him off.
Izuku had heard the horror stories. While not explicitly stated as such, omega’s were nearly just property for alpha’s to acquire. And not all of them were nice about it.
Heavy emotions took root in Izuku’s chest, pressing down and crushing him under their weight.
He didn’t lie to Ochako. Izuku was scared, terrified even. His entire life would be uprooted in just a matter of weeks, potentially shutting him off from society in a way that would be devastating.
Izuku wished his mom were still alive. He wanted her warm hugs, her calming voice, and the easy way she reassured him. Izuku always knew she could soothe and calm him. And she’d done it all alone.
Inko Midoriya had to be the strongest woman Izuku knew. She was a beta, with no real scent to speak of, no instincts. But she did her absolute best to make sure Izuku procured the knowledge about his secondary gender. She signed him up for the Omega Welfare classes, the works.
His mother did everything she could to ensure Izuku would be okay in a world designed to be unfair to omega’s. And he wanted her there now, to walk with him through this terrifying and unbalanced point in his life.
But Izuku would just need to make due with his scented blankets, and dinners with his friends. He would make it through this trial, just like every other omega.
He really didn’t have a choice.
*
He’d been getting the damn letters for weeks now.
Most of them were sent with scent catching pieces of fabric, instructions clear. Scent the hell of the fabric and return it.
He would be thirty in six months. And in that time, Shouta would need to find an omega or be saddled with someone he didn’t even know. He supposed it would be easier to just let the government do it’s job. In the end, he didn’t plan to be a super present figure in the omega’s life.
If they were still alive and functional by twenty-one, then no doubt they were capable of continuing the trend.
The truth was, Shouta just didn’t feel the need for companionship. Hizashi consistently mourned his idiocy, lamenting the way Shouta worked nights for the most part. They both knew damn well he loved the silence it brought. And even more than that, Shouta loved knowing few people were awake to bother him.
It’s not that he didn’t care at all. But Shouta didn’t have the capacity to baby another human being. Combine that with how the alpha thought the government programs were full of shit and his lackadaisical approach made sense.
So as Shouta stared down at the death knell to his current lifestyle, he wanted to crumple it and throw it away.
But the damn thing had a date on it. The others were suggestions at best. But this one? He would be attending a government mandated meeting with an omega in three weeks. Brushing a hand through his hair, Shouta tossed the offending notice on his counter, choosing to turn his attention to his cat.
It was a mangy little thing he found on the way home one night. His one ear had a large chunk missing and it’s tail must have been broken at one point. The bend suggested an unhealed injury and Shotua couldn’t heal it now. But he took care of the little shithead despite the scratches and bites.
Because in moments like this, Shouta liked to scoop up the little brat and cuddle him close. “This is an actual nightmare,” he grumbled, petting down the cats back and pushing his face into its fluffy back. The affection was allowed for a few moments longer before the cat began to wiggle, claws extending. Shouta let him drop from his arms and scurry off to whatever dark corner it deemed safe.
With a sigh, Shouta dropped onto his bed. Eyes closed, his hand thumped along his comforter searching for his phone. When his fingers finally caught it, he opened his eyes to unlock the screen. He searched for the one person he wanted to talk to and hit call. The phone fell to his chest and he returned to his closed eyes, half nap.
“Yo, yo, yo, what’s up, Sho?”
Hizashi could be obnoxious on the best of days. But he had not one, but two people involved in his relationship and they were found au naturale. Oboro and Nemuri were great and how they managed to share Oboro between the two alpha’s was beyond Shouta’s reach.
Sharing was not caring in this sort of situation. At least not for Shouta.
And maybe Hizashi wouldn’t understand Shouta’s current predicament, but he would be a listening ear at the very least.
“I got my letter.”
A hiss through teeth and a click of the tongue. “Damn. How soon?”
“Two weeks until the meeting. I was given one name. Which means I didn’t get too many matches. I’m basically stuck with whoever this…” Shouta grabbed the letter scanning for the name again, “Midoriya Izuku is.”
“Maybe it won’t be too bad,” Hizashi reasoned. A door shut, a quiet murmur, and a soft smack of lips. One of Hizashi’s mates apparently came in. “Not every match up ends in tears, you know.”
Shouta scoffed. “I can guarantee this omega already hates me,” he argued. “The Federal Mating Association force feeds a huge line of bullshit down the throats of omegas. He probably thinks I’m some sort of dictator.”
Soft laughter met his ears from the other end of the line. “Sho, my man. You are way overthinking this. And showing your prejudice in the process.”
Discomfort slinked it’s way through Shouta’s body. “Meaning?”
“You’re complaining this omega already has your number? You’re not exactly giving him the benefit of the doubt either.”
Shouta had a way of giving in to the panicky side of himself, especially where matters of mating were concerned. He’d avoided searching for an omega on purpose. The constant concern of whether or not people were being real with him, or if they were just avoiding a worse fate. The Mating Matches were the worst and Shouta knew they were coming but…
“I didn’t want it to be like this,” he mumbled, arm thrown over his eyes.
“Hate to tell you this, babe, but you knew this would happen,” Hizashi gently but unhelpfully pointed out. “I don’t understand why you haven’t found someone before this?”
“I’m busy!” he snapped. “I like my job. I’m focused on it and the idea of having to change my entire life to fit someone I didn’t want in the first place feels…wrong.”
Shouta’s job generally happened at night, with a few emergencies thrown in during the day. He handled server security at a large corporation and the biggest issues tended to happen overnight. Plenty of people trying to hack, thinking it safe. Of course, there were IT personnel who took care of cyber security during the day.
But Shouta didn’t care about them. He didn’t need to worry about their problems. He had his own to be concerned over.
“I know you like your job, but -”
The line exploded with sound, Hizashi’s speaker getting handled directly, and Shouta pulled his own phone away with a wince.
“Darling, I understand your reticence,” Nemuri’s voice came in and Shouta rolled his eyes. He loved his friends, he did. But sometimes he wanted to strangle Nemuri with the kinky shit he just knew she kept in the drawer of the coffee table.
“You do, do you?” Shouta drawled. He swung his legs off the bed. He’d dawdled enough. Dinner time approached and he still needed to scavenge for something to eat before his shift.
Nemuri sniffed her disapproval of his tone. “Well, of course I do. Mating is a rather hefty responsibility. Such an undertaking being thrown upon you so quickly can be jarring, to say the least.”
Shouta could feel his shoulder’s relax, just slightly. “You’re not going to bitch at me about how I could have done this sooner?”
“Of course not,” she replied easily. “I, like many people, wish the FMA would keep their nose out of our business. Alas, that is not the case and so we must suffer. But, now that you’re at this juncture, you’re going to have to suck it up.”
He should have known. Rubbing his forehead, Shouta padded into the kitchen, opening his fridge. “Do you think I’ll have to move?” He quite liked his apartment, thanks. A half eaten sandwich sat on the top shelf and he pulled it out. It was still fresh, so he closed the fridge and set it on the counter. “Hopefully the omega still lives at home so he’ll wanna leave,” Shouta muttered, biting into his food.
Silence met his words and he frowned, pulling the phone away. No, the call was still going.
“I know you don’t mean that as cruelly as you did, Sho.”
Shouta winced as Oboro’s voice filtered into his ears. “I mean…I just don’t - ”
“And what if this guy does have his own life, hm?” Oboro fired, irritation coloring his words. “What if he has an apartment and a cat and hobbies? What if his job is just within walking distance and he loves where he lives?”
Food tasting like sand now, Shouta dropped the sandwich onto it’s wrapper. “Oboro, you know I didn’t mean it like that,” he said quietly.
“Then how did you mean it, Shouta? Because you’re not the only one with a life to lose over this.”
The words dropped like a condemnation, and Shouta sighed, leaning against his counter. “I’m really nervous, okay,” he told Oboro. The omega came into their lives early on, right out of high school. They were all the same age and naturally clicked. Hizashi and Nemuri knew Oboro was theirs and Oboro knew they were his. But Oboro had a life, one Hizashi and Nemuri worked to fit into their own. They wanted him to be comfortable and happy and they didn’t have to wait if they didn’t want.
Shouta didn’t know if he would be able to be that for anyone.
“I know,” Oboro replied, gentler. “But you aren’t the only one who’s nervous. Before Nemuri and Hizashi decided the three of us could be together, I was terrified. There are absolute assholes out there, dude.”
And Shouta knew that. Of course he did. The amount of horror stories, the way alpha’s would almost brag about how their omega’s were under their thumb. It made Shouta’s skin crawl. No one deserved to be with an abuser.
And while Shouta realized he wanted to be a good alpha, what if he wasn’t? And there went the kicker.
“Okay, then you agree he’s going to be wary of me? Already assuming what I am?” Shouta countered.
A loud, exasperated sigh met his question and Shouta could almost see Oboro rolling his eyes. “You are so full of shit,” he complained, managing to sound both fond and over it. “He’s going to be wary. That’s obvious. Prove to him right off the bat you’re not a dick or thinking with one.”
And, fine, that made sense. But he didn’t know how. He said as much, earning a bark of laughter.
“Did you even look through the packet they sent?”
Shouta did not. He took one look at the letter and tunnel vision set in. Carrying his phone over to the pile of mail, Shouta picked up the large envelope his letter came in. He didn’t really register it before, but it was kind of heavy. Papers were inside, what looked to be an itemized list and a biography of the omega Shouta would be meeting. No pictures were provided, only lines and lines of information.
Taking a seat at his small kitchen table, Shouta thumbed through the pages. “What’s all this from?” he asked, surprised. “This is a lot of detail.”
“Omega’s are required to take a questionnaire when they’re old enough to be registered with FMA,” Oboro told him. “Alpha’s don’t have the same issue.”
The irritating discrepancies were piling up and Shouta ground his teeth together, continuing to read through the very detailed profile.
Midoriya didn’t seem all bad, to be honest. He liked animals and enjoyed reading. Comic books seemed to make up a large part of his personality and if the profile was to be believed, Midoriya wanted to create his own comic book series.
There were no further details on the books, but Shouta imagined FMA wasn’t interested in Midoriya’s hobbies. He snorted, flipping the page. No major allergies, no major health issues and…
Shouta paused, swallowing around an acute swell of sympathy.
No living relatives.
The small bit of hope that Midoriya would be more than happy to come live at Shouta’s place, the desire to leave the nest overwhelming common sense, died out immediately.
If he had no living relatives, Midoriya would already have a life set in place. He would have friends, a job, a home.
And now, Shouta was expected to come in and ruin that.
“Shouta, you still there?”
The phone seemed to have been switched to speaker, the cacophony of noises in his friends home bursting from his speaker. Oboro sounded concerned though.
“Yeah, just…processing.”
Someone made a noise of sympathy. And then, “I think you’re catastrophizing this,” Nemuri said gently. “You won’t know until you meet him so, just…relax until then. As best you can, at least.”
Huffing, Shouta flipped the small packet closed and shoved it in the envelope again. “Yeah,” he replied faintly. Just relax.
He would need to die for that to happen.
*
“I think this one is pretty!”
“Fuck no, cheeks. What, you wanna completely wash him out?”
Izuku sat numbly on his bed, watching two of his best friends duke it out over his wardrobe. Kacchan and Ochako were digging through his closet, clothing getting flung across his room in a comedic fashion as they fought over what he would be wearing the next day.
In what felt like no time at all, three weeks had passed.
Izuku had dinners with his friends, went to work, and came home with boxes to pack up his life. While nothing fancy, Izuku liked his little apartment. The walls were painted a charming blue color, the windows were large and spacious. Natural light flooded the space and though on the small side, the light made up for it. A trick of the light, making the apartment larger than it actually was.
Izuku had created a comfortable space, doused with his scent, and the nest he’d been perfecting in his bedroom was a work of art.
And it would all be stripped in just a couple of weeks. With his birthday coming up within the next thirty days, the FMA started to breath down his neck about this appointment. They sent him at least one reminder each week (as if he could forget his life was over) and he had to acknowledge the notices.
Sighing, Izuku watched Kacchan snarl at Ochako.
“Put. Down. The. Red. Pants. Where the fuck did you even find those?” Kacchan pulled out a lovely coastal blue shirt Izuku completely forgot he owned and laid it out. Digging through his dresser drawers, he tugged out a pair of black bootcut jeans. “Try this shit on,” he instructed without heat. Kacchan pulled out his phone, saying, “You still a size 9.5?”
“Yup,” Izuku replied, grabbing the clothes and stepping into his bathroom to pull the items on. He could still hear Ochako and Kacchan talking outside and smiled.
The two initially hated each other and fought like cats and dogs. But over the years, they settled, forming a trip of unbreakable bonds.
Izuku would miss them.
Swallowing down the well of sadness, Izuku checked his reflection in the mirror, pleased with how it looked. Exiting the bathroom, he held out his arms to his sides. “Well?”
Ochako grinned, giving him a thumbs up. Kacchan snorted, looking back to his cell phone screen. “It’s about time you put effort in, nerd.”
Izuku made a mocking face and Kacchan flipped him off. “I have Eijirou bringing a pair of my boots and some jewelry over. You have nothing here,” he said scrunching his nose.
With a shrug, Izuku started fussing over his hair, trying to figure out if he would be able to tame the mop on the top of his head the next day. “I’m not a big jewelry guy,” he reminded them. “I don’t want to be over the top.”
“You wont. Promise,” Kacchan said carelessly.
“We just want you to look your best, Zuku,” Ochako piped in. “This is important and making a good first impression will go a long way.”
“Maybe I don’t want to make a good first impression,” Izuku mumbled petulantly. And it wasn’t entirely a joke. He sat on the bed between his friends. “We all know I don’t really get a choice in this,” he said dryly, fingers twisting around each other in a nervous habit he never got rid of. “If this alpha decides he wants me, then…”
Izuku shrugged, casting his eyes down. “Then that’s it. Regardless of what I want.”
The silence spoke volumes and Izuku fought down the burning in his eyes. “What if he won’t let me see you? Or if he tries to lock me away forever? I don’t…I want to live, not just exist.” Looking back and forth between Kacchan and Ochako, he continued, “You were both so lucky. Tenya and Eijirou are amazing and I’m just…so worried about this. I know this guys last name and that’s it. No pictures, no facts. Because why would an alpha need to fill out a goddamn questionnaire?”
The last bit of his tirade was hissed out, fury replacing fear for a brief moment.
A nudge to his side broke his anger and he looked at Ochako with a furrowed brow. She nuzzled against his shoulder, grabbing his arm and scenting him. Kacchan followed her example, less gooey about it, but caring all the same.
“It’ll be okay, Izuku,” Ochako told him quietly. “Go into this positive. Someone like you will get someone great.”
Izuku forced a smile and leaned against her, head dropping onto hers.
Sitting between his two best friends, a weight pressed on his chest, unnamed and unwilling to budge.
Izuku just wished he could believe her.
*
“We could fake my death.”
Shouta stood in front of his mirror, Hizashi standing in his doorway, leaning casually with his arms crossed. His hair was cooperating for once. Though, it must have been due to the product Hizashi came over with. He always was better at this sort of thing.
“It’s going to be fine,” Hizashi replied with a shrug of his shoulders. He wandered over, fixing something Shouta couldn’t see wrong with his hair and straightening the tie. “Don’t stress about it.” A pause, head cocking to the side. Hizashi ripped the tie off of Shouta and popped the top button of his shirt. “Too formal. Now you’re great.”
Shouta took a long, steadying breath. He had good reason to be concerned. After doing his research, if he chose to keep Midoriya Izuku (ridiculous - as if he were a pet and not a human) then their union would be sealed in just a week.
Midoriya would move in, Shouta’s life would be forever changed, and the goddamn FMA got another couple under their belts.
Walking through his apartment, Shouta took stock once more. He emptied the spare room, dispersing the items stored inside throughout the rest of the apartment and giving it a good clean. He didn’t know if Midoriya would be bringing his own bed or not, but kept the old bed just in case.
Shouta tried to keep his cool about the whole thing, deciding to treat this entire charade as something of a roommates agreement. He would explain to Midoriya only the perfunctory actions were necessary.
They would not need to go out of their way to be friendly with each other.
“Ready?” Hizashi asked, dangling his keys.
Frowning, Shouta followed him out the door, locking it behind him. “Remind me why you’re coming along?” It seemed illogical. Shouta didn’t need to be babysit. He would go to the damn appointment.
“Did you even read what would be happening today, dude?” Hizashi gave him a look so disappointed that Shouta felt something in him wither. For Hizashi of all people to level him with such a look…
“I did not,” he replied stiffly, getting in the passengers side of the car.
Hizashi dropped into the drivers seat with a burdened sigh, getting the car started. “You’re getting a shot to flush out your suppressants when you arrive,” he said, looking over his shoulder to pull out onto the street. “It’s going to throw you a bit. They advise someone come with to make sure nothing bad happens to you or anyone else.”
Shouta dug his fingers into his pants. Fuck. He categorically did not want to go off his suppressants for any amount of time.
And especially not when they were about to dangle an unmated omega in front of him. He knew exactly what the Mating Association was doing. The worst part had to be knowing he couldn’t stop it.
No matter what, they would be getting the match they so desired. Shouta wanted to throw up and he could only imagine how the omega in question felt. “Do…” he took a deep breath, looking out the window. “Do you think I can make them happy?” he asked quietly.
Silence stretched between them as Hizashi contemplated his answer. And Shouta nearly gave up, almost told him to forget about it when Hizashi replied, voice soft.
“I think it’s going to be an adjustment,” he said carefully. “I think in the beginning, you’ll step on each others toes and get under each others skin.” Hizashi pulled up to a red light and smiled at Shouta. “But I think you’ll eventually make them very happy. It’s just going to take time.”
Time. And considering they would be hitched until the end of their lives, time seemed to be all Shouta and Midoriya had.
Hizashi eventually pulled into the parking lot of a large, modern looking building. An infinity symbol with the character for alpha and omega on each end hung above the door, large and imposing. Beneath it read, Federal Mating Association.
It looked more like a matchmaking website than a government building. But Shouta supposed it was supposed to look that way. In the end, the FMA essentially were matchmaking couples.
Just against their will and with very little time to acclimate.
Perfectly normal.
Once Hizashi parked the car, Shouta followed him through the glass revolving door at the front of the building. The inside was just as sleek and modern as outside, all smooth tiles and uncomfortable looking furniture.
Shouta approached the front desk, where a beta woman tapped away at her computer, headset firmly attached.
“Of course. We can reschedule your appointment, but this will be the only time. Please choose wisely.” A few more taps. “Yes, that date is available. I’ll send a rescheduling notice to the omega you’ve been matched with. Have a wonderful day.”
She hung up and turned her cool gaze to Shouta. “Good morning, how can I be of service?”
“I have an appointment,” Shouta replied, forcing himself to stand still.
She turned back to her computer, clicking away with the mouse. “Name?”
“Aizawa Shouta.”
“Birth date?”
“November 8th, 20XX.”
She went silent, clicking, typing and manipulating her screen with the confidence of someone who had been ruining lives for a long time. He tried real hard to not be bitter.
“Alright,” she said at length. She pushed a pen and clipboard across the counter. “Please fill this out for me. It looks like your match has already arrived and is currently preparing. Once you’re finished with these forms, bring them back to the desk. Once it’s been processed, you’ll be escorted to your acclimation room.”
Shouta grudgingly took the forms and moved to sit next to Hizashi, who already had his phone out and playing some game. There were a handful of people in the room, including a young woman with short brown hair and pink cheeks. She looked nervous and Shouta wondered if she was meeting her match. So many lives being upended and on such a strict schedule.
Shout ignored Hizashi as he sat down and carefully answered all the questions. It read more like a medical examination, which sure this whole thing reeked of medical examination, but he didn’t like it.
It took about twenty minutes to fill the entire thing out and by the end of it, Shouta wanted to go home.
The woman took the clipboard, informing him to have a seat once more, and that they would call for him shortly.
Shouta did as asked, plopping down next to Hizashi again.
“Sit up straight, dude. I took an iron to your clothes for this. Be grateful and be on your best behavior,” he intoned, not bothering to look up from his phone.
Shooting his friend a dirty look, Shouta sat up straight. Not that it mattered because he immediately heard his name called.
A man stood at a door next to the front desk. He looked relatively friendly, in the way most people not holding a knife look friendly. Shouta stood, glancing down at Hizashi who gave him a thumbs up.
Nerves suddenly taking hold, Shouta followed the man into the back. Dispute his worries, the walk was not long nor awkward.
“Alright, a nurse will be by shortly to administer a shot to flush the suppressants from your system. The process should take about an hour.” Unlocking a room on the left hand side of the hall, the man waved him inside. “Press the red button if you need anything.”
And then he left, gone to another couple most likely. Or maybe he went to check on his match to make sure he was ready?
Grimacing, Shouta dropped into a chair nearby, feeling cagey already. He bounced one leg in a bid to rid himself of nervous energy. It didn’t work.
God, he didn’t even have the shot yet and he already wanted to claw his way out of the room. Spacious as it was, clinical style interiors were designed to be uncomfortable. At least Shouta thought so.
Shouta closed his eyes, frown lines on his forehead as he waited for the nurse to come in.
Luckily it didn’t take too long and a soft knock made Shouta look at the door. A small woman entered, not a shred of worry about the shot she was about to inject.
“Good morning, Mr. Aizawa,” she said conversationally. She probably mentioned her name as she swabbed his arm with alcohol, pressing the needle into his skin with a sharp prick.
He swallowed the urge to growl, clenching his jaw instead as he turned away. The entire time, she babbled away about the weather outside, like Shouta really gave a damn.
She finished in what he considered to be record time. After disposing of the needle and gathering her supplies, the nurse left without much fanfare.
Logically, Shouta knew he wouldn’t be able to feel the changes immediately. Fuck, if he didn't wish he could though. At least it would give sitting there on a hard ass chair some sort of meaning. He could at least feel something in that instance.
But no. Instead, Shouta stood, pacing the boundaries of his room. A door sat on the far right wall and he assumed his future mate would be behind it. If not directly, than a room where they would meet.
Shouta should have listened more when people told him about these things.
But he didn’t think it would be an issue.
There were so many groups protesting the close monitoring, protesting the infringement of rights the FMA liked to dabble in so much. Shouta didn’t think it would ever be an issue for him.
Listening to the same, repeated diatribe seemed ridiculous to him.
Oh, how he regretted his choices now.
About thirty minutes in, he started to really feel it. Instincts and feelings he tried to keep neatly tucked away were beginning to show themselves.
Nothing dangerous, just just enough to feel his alpha prowling under his skin.
He wondered his match felt something similar, if omega instincts were beginning to take over. Would their secondary genders even like each other?
There were a limited amount of variables in this instance. They would either sign paperwork today, or they would go their separate ways, only to try this again in a few weeks.
It would just be one after the other and if Shouta were being honest, he hoped this one worked out. He had no interest in doing this again.
The door opened again and another woman stepped inside, smile on her face. “Good morning, Mr. Aizawa. I’m Takeda Misaki. I’ll be your case manager. Can we go over a few things?”
With a sigh, Shouta nodded. His gaze caught on the stack of papers and groaned.
As if it weren’t bad enough…
More paperwork.
*
Izuku paced the length of the room he’d been brought to. The nurse left fifteen minutes prior, all finished with her task of giving him a shot.
From what he understood, whatever medicinal cocktail they put in the syringe was meant to flush his suppressants out of his system. It would make his scent more potent and ensure the alpha waiting in another room would get hit with the full brunt of his smell.
A way to improve the odds of them leaving together, he imagined.
Izuku could already feel the way his suppressants were leaving, becoming less potent. His skin felt one size too small. Too itchy and too tight. Not heat, but a distinct feeling of losing something important.
The omega instincts, which were so dull the rest of the time, became razor sharp and crystal clear. He started to really get why they flushed the suppressants out. If Izuku’s omega and his matched alpha were taking the wheel, things would go so much smoother than if just Izuku and the other man were in charge.
With a sigh, Izuku settled into the plush, oversized chair. A small stack of reading materials sat on the end table and he grabbed an outdoorsy magazine off the top.
At least, he thought it was. Instead, the the pretty landscapes and retreats were all considered exotic and sought after honeymoon destinations.
Izuku grimaced, closing the magazine and placing it back on the pile. He closed his eyes, pulling his legs into the chair and curling up. He grabbed a pillow, clutching it to his chest as he tried to relax. The fabric was fluffy, soft and cushy. It made something unclench in Izuku’s chest and that sort of pissed him off.
They clearly knew what they were doing, creating a space omega’s would find comforting. A part of him wondered if the alpha holding room was just as tailored to their tastes.
It struck Izuku then that he didn’t have a clear concept of what alpha’s needed to feel good. Did they ever have the same kind of hangups that omega’s did?
Izuku frowned and stuffed his face the pillow, unhappy with the revelation and the direction his thoughts took. Izuku shouldn’t care about this alpha about to ruin his life. Not on a deep level, anyways. He needed to keep emotionally distant. Though, it would be tough with his omega at the helm.
Footsteps came down the hall at that point, distracting him from his own train of thought. The door beeped, making him sit up properly and at attention. An unfamiliar face came inside, all smiles and good cheer.
“Good morning, Mr. Midoriya. How are you feeling?”
“Like I’m unsuppressed,” he replied dryly.
She startled and then smiled. “Trust me, I know the feeling.” She rolled her eyes. “The cleanse is so off-putting after they chug you full of suppressants.”
Sitting down in another chair, she said, “Takeda Misaki. I’m your case manager. I’ll be observing your interactions, making sure you’re both safe, and I’ll be the one to sign off on all the paperwork.”
Takeda looked through some forms, placing one in front of Izuku. “This is an extra layer of protection for you. Please read it over, but if you don’t feel up to it, it’s basically saying you do not consent to a mating bite today. In addition, if you initial on this dotted line here,” she pointed it out to him, “then you aren’t even required to discuss the future, including any talk of signing papers. You still can, of course, but we give this as an option in case ou want more time to think. Not everyone does though.”
Izuku pursed his lips. It seemed like a good idea for the mating bite at the very least. But the future plans? It seemed to Izuku that the faster he got this over with, the better. He chose not to initial on the dotted line, but gladly signed on what axed the mating bite.
Handing the paper over to Takeda, she looked it over real quick, and then signed at the bottom. The paper was stuffed in with the rest of the pile. “Alright, you have about,” Takeda glanced at her watch, “Thirty more minutes until your flush is complete. Would you like any water or snacks while you wait?”
“A water would be nice. No snacks, though. I feel sick enough as it is.”
Takeda nodded, giving him a reassuring smile. “Of course. I’ll have the nurse bring you in a few things. Good luck today, Mr. Midoriya.”
The smile he gave her was tight, and Izuku burrowed into his chair. Plenty of time to stew over his predicament.
It pissed him off a little. The alpha probably knew everything about him. His birthday, his blood type, his hobbies. Odds were the alpha even knew what Izuku looked like.
Izuku had none of that.
Alpha’s weren’t generally subject to the same idiotic rules omega’s were. A bunch of sexist bullshit, if he were being honest.
The minutes ticked by, leaving Izuku with every weird omega urge coming back up to the surface and beating him across the head. With every moment that passed, Izuku wanted to crawl out of his own skin.
By the time the full hour passed (and then some, what the hell?) Izuku was pacing the room.
The door opened and Takeda stepped back inside, the door left ajar. “Mr. Midoriya, are you ready?”
She held the door open further, smiling. It was meant to be reassuring. But it fell way short of the mark and instead made Izuku want to to punch her in the face. Instead, Midoriya plastered a smile on his own face and followed her through the open doorway.
A short hall connected it to another door and Izuku figured the meeting room was on the other side. Takeda stopped, hand on the doorknob. “If you feel uncomfortable at any point, Mr. Midoriya, just let me know and we can clear out. Even if you want to keep seeing him, just know you can leave. Okay?”
Izuku nodded, steeling himself.
The door opened and Izuku entered the room.
There was a small table, two chairs and what looked like two way glass.
Takeda closed the door behind them and said, “I’m going to get your match and bring him in. Go ahead and have a seat.”
She left through a door on the other side of the room and Izuku took the chance to sit down. He folded his hands and put them on the table, staring at the wood. Several minutes passed before the door opened again and Izuku looked up.
Only to immediately look back down.
Nope, nope, nope.
This could not be happening.
“Mr. Midoriya, this is Aizawa Shouta. Mr. Aizawa, this is Midoriya Izuku. We’ll be observing the interaction from the other side of the window.”
The door closed again as the man and his case manager entered. Izuku just stared at the floor.
The weird tension in the room grew, with Izuku shifting uncomfortably as the alpha stared at him unflinchingly. Izuku tried to look anywhere but him. Unfortunately, the stupid alpha was really good looking.
Lean and muscular, hair pulled back into a low bun sitting at the base of his neck, Izuku tried to not find him attractive.
He failed miserably.
Truth was, Aizawa Shouta ticked a lot of boxes. Most likely due to combination of the suppressants being flushed out and that damn questionnaire. Tilting his head to the side, he wondered if the alpha needed to do something similar.
Did he tick off boxes for the alpha? Did Aizawa look at him and think, ‘Hell yeah, that one’?
Izuku couldn’t say for certain.
"I'll let you two have some privacy to get to know each other. There are emergency buzzers on both sides of the table and I'll be on the other side of the glass." She gave them both a smile before leaving the room. The sound of the door clicking shut sounded like a bomb going off to Izuku.
He stared down at his hands in his lap, unwilling to be the first to speak.
"So you enjoy drawing?"
The voice was so much deeper than he expected, a gruff quality to it that made instinct perk up. Izuku peeked through his lashes, brow furrowed. "I'm sorry?"
A raised eyebrow. "Your questionairre?" the alpha clarified. "You put down as a hobby that you enjoy drawing."
"Oh," Izuku completely forgot he put that down. He didn't expect his match to even remember considering there wasn’t an actual hobby section. Izuku just manages to shoehorn it in. "Yes. I love it. I've..." he hesitated, unsure of how far he was allowed to take his thought process.
Izuku didn't know much about this alpha. Maybe he just wanted the base question answered. He didn't need an elaborate response, did he? Or want one for that matter. Kacchan always said Izuku could be a motormouth when he got going to maybe -
"You what?"
Izuku cut himself off, looking at the alpha. "Huh?"
"You cut yourself off. Tell me about your hobby.
Tongue thick in his mouth, Izuku swallowed and slowly nodded. "I've been drawing since I was little," he said, the words slow and purposeful. He chose them carefully, trying to convey how important it was to him. "Before my mom died, I would draw her comics. One's with superheroes and villains. I created this character All Might." Izuku smiled, a fleeting thing but genuine all the same. "He was the greatest hero of all time. He gave his all, never losing, never going down without a fight."
"Sounds like one hell of a hero," the alpha commented.
Izuku nodded. Then paused. "So...I get the impression you know my name. But I don't know yours."
The man looked like he bit into a lemon, the frown intense. He sighed, head tipping back. "Of fucking course, they didn't tell you." He rubbed a hand over his forehead, crossing his arms and leaning back. "Aizawa. Aizawa Shouta."
"Midoriya Izuku." Aizawa knew his name, but the reflexive need to give him name in return was just too strong. Izuku didn't want to be rude.
The corner of Aizawa's mouth quirked up for a moment. "Noted. So...drawing is more than just a hobby, it seems."
Izuku nodded. "Yeah. I wanted to take courses, but..." he rubbed his fingers the way to indicate money, shrugging. Izuku wanted to pretend it didn't matter, but...well, it did.
And with the way Aizawa's eyes drew together, he noticed. He hummed non-committally, looking down at the table. The pause stretched between them and Izuku tried to not let it get to him. Of course the alpha wouldn't want him to have hobbies outside of homemaking.
"You could, you know," he said slowly.
It took a moment for the words to settle and when they did, Izuku's head popped up. "What?"
Aizawa wasn't looking at him, eyes on the table, jaw clenched.
"If...if you want to take the courses. You can."
Izuku's eyes were wide, heart pounding in his chest. "I...could?"
Aizawa shrugged in a careless way. "It wouldn't be difficult," he told Izuku. "There's a college near where I live. I could make sure you have a quiet space to practice and study. Not to mention, money really isn't an issue for me."
A disbelieving scoff left Izuku. It didn't surprise him Aizawa had money. Most alpha's were able to secure great jobs. But it surprised him this alpha he just met was willing to spend that money on him.
The surprise must have shown on his face because Aizawa chuckled. "I'm not filthy rich by any means," he admitted. "But enough that you could pursue art. It wouldn't be an issue."
The wildest thing was playing out right before Izuku's eyes. This man was dangling a future Izuku only dreamed of having right in front of his face. The entire situation felt too good to be true.
"And?" Izuku asked suspiciously.
"And what?"
"What do you get out of this?" Izuku elaborated, waving a hand through the air.
"This," Aizawa gestured to the room with a flippant gesture, "all goes away," he said simply. "The notices, the meetings, the FMA breathing down my neck. Honestly, a permanent arrangement like this is a small price to pay."
it sounded far too good to be true.
"Then...what now?"
Shouta sighed, looking to the ceiling. "Well, I think they have a handful of procedures they need to take care of. Little things like consent forms and signing off of living arrangements. I'll be getting a home inspection to ensure I've made ample space for you in my life and then," another shrug of the shoulders, a resignation of their lives.
"Then we just...move in together?" Izuku asked quietly. Shouta nodded and Izuku took a deep breath. "What about my job?" he pressed. He probably wouldn't need the job in any way, to be honest. If Shouta was willing to put him through college, the chump change he made would be offensive at best.
But he wanted to know, wanted to see how far this alpha would be willing to go for him.
Shouta raised an eyebrow. "If you're confident in your ability to get through your courses with a job on top of it, you have my blessing. Hard work is something to be proud of."
A shudder of relief went down Izuku's spine and for the first time since he stepped into the building, he marginally relaxed. His instincts were relatively quiet, the omega hindbrain letting him make a rational decision.
Truth be told, it meant that his instincts and his rational mind were in agreement. Izuku and his omega were on the same page, that this alpha would be a good one. The odds of Izuku finding another alpha willing to let him have so much freedom would be...abysmal.
So he swallowed around the lump in his throat, asking one more question. "Can I get a cat?"
Shouta's face softened and the corner of his mouth quirked up. "Absolutely," he said, serious and without hesitation. "Cats are always welcome in my home."
Izuku bit at the inside of his cheek to keep his emotions at bay. The stress of the day, the stress of the last few weeks melted, pooling at him feet.
"Okay," he finally said, pinching the bridge of his nose to plug his tear ducts.
"Okay?"
"I'll be your mate," Izuku said with finality.
This would be the best option. At the very least, they could be roommates. At the best, maybe they could be friends. Izuku could very easily see himself becoming friends with someone so casual and calm, so collected and sure of himself.
Shouta would keep him safe, would help his achieve his goals, and would do it hands off.
Izuku didn't know how he could tell. But he just knew Shouta would be a great partner.
"Well, then." Shouta cleared his throat, sitting up straight and clasping his hands on the table. His squeezed until his knuckles turned white. "I guess I should tell you about myself then."
The next forty-five minutes of their allocated time was spent with Shouta and Izuku trading bits of information about their lives, information that couldn't be found on a piece of paper. Shouta told Izuku all about his job, about his friends.
Izuku reciprocated, regaling Shouta with the story of how Kacchan and Eijirou became mates and how he's known Kacchan since they were kids.
By the end of the first meeting, Izuku was confident in his decision. His apartment wasn't perfect, but it was his. Breaking the lease would be easy once he showed his paperwork about the pairing. Rentals couldn't charge extra if a lease needed to be broken for something like this. Izuku would even get his deposit back, a little extra pocket change for getting art materials.
Yes, this would be a good decision, the smart decision. Even if it didn't feel like a decision.
And before they left the meeting room, he signed the dotted line consenting to pairing with one Aizawa Shouta.