Chapter Text
Frustrated didn't even begin to explain how Inko felt. It had been a year of this. One meeting every other week, fifty-two weeks, for a total of twenty-six meetings. Well, this meeting would be the twenty-sixth one at least. The car ride had been awkwardly silent. Inko's knuckles were nearly white as they gripped the steering wheel tightly with a heavy frown. The omega woman's scent permeated the car with a sour hint of disappointment. A scent that caused Izuku's soft scent of clove, pine, and tea to sour like someone had dumped a bunch of lemon juice and sour candy powder on him. Emerald optics stared hard out the window as the outside blurred by on this familiar drive.
Izuku hated feeling like a disappointment. It was hard enough growing up for his single omega mother as it was, without having to continue caring for him at the ripe age of twenty-two. She loved him dearly; he knew that. But the fucked up, backasswards society they lived in made it hard for omegas that were independent, actually, to be independent. In Izuku's case, independent, stubborn, and a little spicy were what had kept him from finding a mate, or so his mother said. It wasn't that he didn't have suitors. Prime Omegas were few and far between, let alone one that was also a male. Izuku'd had men and women, alphas and betas. Even a couple of omegas had approached him.
Trying to control Izuku was the quickest way to get your ass rejected. He fought against any alpha commands thrown his way, refused to simply roll over like a good boy, and present himself to some alpha that hadn't actually earned his affection and desire. On top of all of that, he hated musky, sweaty, and smelling alphas. Not in the sense that sweat turned him off, but more so, it just smelt like odor to him for the most part. Then there were the alphas that downright stunk. Those that smelled like they'd been rolling in their sires' cologne drawers. Maybe it was some kinda of cosmic joke because Izuku didn't have the typical sweet scent that most omegas did. He'd heard it from a few of his omegan friends like Ochaco and Tamaki, who had talked about how the musk of their mates/significant others was irresistible. Only Shoto seemed to share, somewhat, the sentiment that Izuku had. It was likely because the poor omega was so emotionally stunted and oblivious that he never realized when he was receiving advances, not until Sero at least.
Without blockers, to Izuku, they all didn't necessarily stink, but that didn't mean he particularly went around trying to smell them either. He briefly thought about Hitoshi, the one alpha friend in their group that he didn't really mind the smell of. Perhaps that was because he smelled like coffee and fresh linens most of the time. Though there was at times a subtle lingering smell that was exactly like his favorite dessert on him, which did interest the greenette, not that he'd ever said anything. The last thing he wanted to do was make things weird since he had no romantic feelings for the other. Shinsou wasn't part of their pack, though, so Izuku could never be sure if it wasn't just a smell from one of his own packmates.
Iida had quickly been named their pack Alpha when their pack had managed to meander together. Unmated at the time, it was Izuku who had taken on the pack Omega status. Even after Ochaco had become Iida's mate, the dynamic had stayed the same. She simply hadn't wanted to take over the position; besides, Izuku was much more the motherly figure in their pack of misfits.
His mind was rambling much like his mouth typically did. A heavy sigh left his lips as the sign for the familiar exit came closer and closer.
Society had come a long way in the last twenty years. There was less discrimination, but that didn't mean there wasn't any. Finding a mate came in one of three ways.
First, one could simply fall in love with someone. The natural way, which seemed to happen less and less these days. Japan was apparently in a procreation drought. Musutafu alone had the lowest birth rate in the country in the last fifteen years.
Second, and most unfortunately, were the shady omega auction rings hidden deep in the underground. Young omegas were often kidnapped just after presentation, sold to the highest bidder, and forced to mate with some abusive piece of shit. Honestly, it was this method that drove Inko so desperately to find someone for him. It was impossible to keep Izuku at home safe because he couldn't stand being cooped up. Pretty little omegas were sought after for these shady deals. But a prime omega? Let alone from that, the fact that Izuku looked every bit the fucking doll. With freckles creating a constellation on nearly every inch of his skin. A compact but toned build with just the right amount of muscle to exude strength, while being tasteful and attractive. He was littered in scars from his middle and high school years, but those only seemed to add to the allure. Along with thick thighs, a round ass, and dimples that dented his cheeks like a carving, it wasn't that he wasn't physically desirable. But between his attitude, and also, there was that one other thing...
"... absolutely not, I need to stop you there, Mr. Akito." Izuku called out. The arrogant alpha grunted out his displeasure as the greenette interrupted him, leveling emeralds with a sickly yellow-green gaze that bordered on the hue of putrid waste. Inko let out a heavy sigh beside him while Ms. Nagant huffed and all but threw herself back against her office chair. The pen in her hand clicked loudly as it was clapped to her desktop. Izuku had made it forty-two minutes in silence until this point. "I have plans in life. I want to stay in college; I am in my second year for social service work. I plan to work with rescued omegas from the trafficking ring busts. I won't give up my dream, not on that or my dream to one day open a bakery." He meant it too. He'd gotten in a lot of trouble for fighting in his later years in school, but he ended up with two amazing supporters, one from the detective program at the local precinct and another who ran a wayward home for troubled youths.
"You will not have the option to choose such things." The alpha responded, Izuku's nose immediately crinkling at the response. Pheromones washed over him, and he shuddered, resisting the urge to gag at the smell of him. It was like it clung to the inside of his nostrils, like sewage, but it's mostly spoiled meat and eggs. "I require an omega that will take care of the home, our pups. Be seen, not heard, and--"
"I'm done here." Izuku cut the man off, not even bothering to wait for the other to finish what he was saying. His form quickly made towards the door for his exit. He wasn't a housewife. He wasn't a good little obedient alpha toy to be thrown in the kitchen with a possession collar and used when needed. Sometimes it bugged him that he couldn't just be good and accept that he was supposed to be this submissive part of a dynamic. He didn't want to be owned. Though he couldn't help feeling guilty at times because of his mother's struggles. He was twenty-two now, still living at home. That's what unmated Omegas tended to do, ones without pups. Typically, the way it went was once an omega was mated, they'd be whisked away to their alpha's home to be cared for. The alpha would not only care for their omega, but often would provide some type of stipend for the parent(s) as well, kind of like a reverse dowry. The guilt came mostly where his mother could really use the money; the small shop she ran in the middle of their small town didn't get nearly enough traffic to take care of more than one person with a whole lot of profit. Of course, that would change if he were whisked away like a princess by his knight in shining armor. What made it harder was that his mother had mated for love. Long before C.H.A.R.M had been founded. Before, the birthrates had plummeted. Sure she'd found someone a few years after his father left, but but he and his mother preferred to make their own way.
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Keigo Takami, a wealthy businessman, of what no one knew, had made a bold proclamation a decade prior; he'd turned eighteen and appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Proclaiming that he knew exactly how to cut down over ninety percent of the issues with omegan abuse-related cases. That's where C.H.A.R.M came to be. Care, Hope, Assistance, Recovery, Mates. A plan of all plans to help Omegas safely find compatible alphas, and vice versa. Assistance programs, recovery programs for rescued, abused, violated, and all around anxiety-riddled Omegas. However, the most profitable side of this was the last part.
That was the third and most common way of finding a mate in these times. Omegas, Alphas, and Betas alike could sign up. Alphas after they reached eighteen, mostly for cognitive maturity reasons. Omegas from the moment they presented. And betas, if they had the desire to find a mate, had no limitations at all. Each person would fill out a questionnaire. Likes and dislikes. A list of characteristics of their ideal mate. It was where all the information would be provided on both sides to as accurately as possible match two people. The omega's family tended to get large donations from alphas after solidifying a bond. As well as each meeting being on the alpha's dime, including the gas needed to get there and back, Izuku felt slightly less guilty about being so picky, as his mother had called it, due to that.
The one thing he'd most hated more than the revolving door of stuck-up alphas wanting him to bend over was the medical exam they'd given him when his mother finally guilted him hard enough to sign up. He'd never felt so violated before. The things that were attached to him, stuck inside of him, or the information asked of him. It was embarrassing as hell, and he hated it. But Inko had been more than generous. Allowing him the time from his presentation at the tender age of sixteen until he'd hit twenty-one to try and find someone on his own. Instead, he'd spent his time helping youth, schooling, baking, and watching reruns of old All Might movies late into the evenings, among other things.
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College was where he'd met Ochaco, Shoto, Tsu, and Iida. His prime Omega status had them quickly shoving him into a lead Omega position in their forming pack. That, along with his incessant worrying over everyone, had quickly earned him that mother title. The number of times he'd fret over a packmate and receive a whined "Okayyy moommmmm" Was rather impressive if he said so. It was in his junior year of high school that he'd heard about the trafficking rings that had prompted him to decide where he wanted to go for his future. Inko hadn't ever been too adamant to keep him inside as it was. She was proud of her strong, outgoing, independent son. Proud of every choice he'd made. That was until a hospital stay due to an attack the summer after his senior year of high school had sent her into the extreme of needing to get her son mated and protected. Sure, he'd been beaten up, hurt, had some broken bones and scars. But he'd managed to do worse to his attacker. So she gave him two and a half years to find someone.
He'd gone on a couple of dates in an attempt to placate his mother and also help with the situation. A couple of college classmates, he'd tried a dating app, and he'd even met one in a cafe.
Yo Shindo had been his first date, though Izuku wasn't sure why in the hell he'd agreed to go out with the man. He was cocky as a typical alpha tended to be. Though he was a little quieter, he had noticed quickly. However, the date had been an absolute shit show. Izuku had been told to dress nicely and was then promptly picked up via moped, awkward as hell. Not that he was judging the method of transport. But it was quite possibly the most "on its last leg" type of vehicle ever, and it took them twenty minutes more than needed to arrive at Torinos. Izuku loved Torinos; that wasn't a problem. The actual problem is why the fuck was he in a pair of slacks and a silk button-down to sit in cracked fifties style diner booths and eat food so greasy it dripped down your arm?
If that wasn't infuriating enough, add in the fact that the whole time this tool of a man talked nonstop about how great he was. Oh, he passed his math exam by the skin of his teeth. What an accomplishment. The date was quickly over, though, once he started to hit on the waitress who came to take their order. Izuku walked out without a word, ignoring the male's call for the omega to reach out later to hang out again sometime soon. Absolutely not. He'd arrived back home pissed, exhausted, and still hungry.
It wasn't until the summer before his freshman year of college that he'd managed to actually find a serious relationship. The two years after high school, he'd spent working in his mother's shop in an attempt to meet new people. He'd had a nice date with a man he met at a coffee shop at that time, but it hadn't really gone anywhere. He didn't dislike him; it was simply that neither of them had felt that spark. But then Ochaco had convinced him to sign up for Primal™. The app was all the rage for Singles who didn't want to go into the system of C.H.A.R.M, those who wanted a little help with finding that special someone.
He didn't expect much, personally. When he looked at himself, he saw someone plain. So he created the profile, and instead of getting his own hopes up by surfing through the plethora of profiles, he let them find him. He couldn't remember how many he'd declined. never for appearance, but there was always SOMETHING in their profile that was just an absolute turnoff. Hating fitness was a big one. Many were rejected simply for their traditionalist rants about wanting omegas that were exactly the kind of omegas that Izuku refused to be. He'd even had a couple of homophobic ones request to meet up, but those were quickly rejected because Izuku wasn't stupid; he wouldn't be a statistic.
He'd nearly given up any hope of finding even one person after half a year in. Then he landed on a request that intrigued him. Kai Chisaki, 24. He was handsome with striking eyes that drew Izuku in. He was fit, but not in the fitness enthusiast kind of way. But he wasn't against it either, and was big on cleanliness. His biggest desire was an Omega that was obedient for the most part, but wasn't a mindless slave to instincts. It was as close as anyone had ever come to Izuku's wants and desires. A hopeful maybe danced across Izuku's mind, and he took the chance.
Kai was everything he'd dreamed of and more. The dates were amazing, Kai was understanding and didn't push him for intimacy before he was ready. They'd kissed from time to time, but it was never more than a quick peck. Touch was limited usually to a brief brushing of their limbs as they moved one way or another. It was great, Izuku was happy. He'd even moved in with the elder male a little over half a year after they'd gotten together.
It was amazing.
Until it wasn't.
It truly had been everything Izuku wanted. Until Kai started spending less and less time at home. Until he disappeared for hours, with no way to get in touch with him. Until he started coming home, going straight to the shower, and then straight to bed. A bed that he soon kicked Izuku out of. Not that they'd ever done anything sexual, of course. Izuku could get over that, though. Kai was extremely OCD about cleanliness. Like, to the point that if he'd known ahead of time, he might've saved himself the headache. Izuku had also grown accustomed to a more lavish lifestyle.
And then Kai put his hands on Izuku.
That was the end of it, full stop.
He hadn't known Kai was on the phone, speaking in hushed voices to whatever employee or whatever for whatever job or whatever that Kai spent his time ignoring Izuku for. He'd just finished their dinner and had come in to get Kai. The snarl from the alpha had startled the living hell out of him. Made his chest clench and his heart race in fear.
"Shut your mouth," The command had come swiftly. The first time Kai had ever dared to do such. One would think, with how easily the command fixed Izuku in place, that it'd been a prime command; Kai was just intimidating, not quite that special brand of ultimate alpha. But Izuku had pressed his lips thinly together. "Every goddamned time I'm busy, I can't do a single thing in this house without your pathetic bullshit," he'd snarled.
Izuku hadn't been able to stop the tears, despite how desperately he fought against the command the other had given. All because he didn't know he was on the phone? It had his chest tightening, heart pounding in his ears as the alpha ended the call and slammed the phone down before storming at him. The alphan command had already snapped his desire to stay, but the moment that hand landed with a resounding crack against his cheek, the moment the action had thrown his form to the ground with how forceful it was, he was done absolutely, wholly, irrevocably, done.
This had been how he met Hitoshi. Because Kai hadn't finished with just slapping Izuku to the floor. He'd spent the next forty minutes throwing him around, commanding him to obey so he could hit and punch and shove and throw. A particularly loud, screamed-out sob had left his lips as Kai sent him careening into the front door of their apartment. The cacophony of screams, crying, flesh on flesh, and thuds had alerted their insomniatic neighbor to the disturbance. Less than fifteen minutes after it had started, an equally insomniac man was busting down their door with a crew of police behind him.
Kai hadn't bothered to stick around, cleanly escaping through the window as law enforcement advanced. A gentle hand had been offered to the cowering Omega. A busted lip, a trickle of blood dripping down his forehead. Bruises littered his body, along with a shirt half ripped off and a tender scalp from being dragged around and held in place by his fluffy emerald locks.
He'd been too frightened to take the offered hand. Aizawa, he heard the men calling him. Izuku flinched away from the offering and curled tighter into that corner. The same happened when Hitoshi offered instead. Izuu simply cried between panicked breaths. They'd assumed it was a fear of alphas, due to the domestic disturbance they were answering to. However, one of the swat members stepped forward, pulling the gear from her head to allow snowy locks freedom. As she stepped forward, it was the first positive response from him. He thought about it for the briefest moment before finally taking her offered hand. At least they knew how to proceed. Alphas seemed fine, so long as they weren't male.
He'd never told his mother that it was Kai; he'd begged them not to tell her when they called her to drop the news that he was in the hospital. Some lie instead that he'd been mugged on the street after he'd gone out to the grocery shop. A half lie about how Kai disappeared, Izuku ended up moving back in with his mother, not too long after. It was a big change in many ways, some quite unique.
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It had all led them here. To the twenty-sixth alpha meet. No matter how Kai had traumatized him, he couldn't let it ruin him forever. He'd be stronger than that; he'd get over that. But there was one more thing that made it a little more difficult for Izuku to fully accept an alpha, a big reason as to why he refused to sacrifice any of his desires in life.
"C'mon, Eri, we're going to the car, and we'll wait for Nana so we can go home, okay?"
"Otay!" The small girl exclaimed, hopping up from her chair to latch her hand to her mama's own. He'd adopted her after Kai had disappeared. He'd left her behind, and Izuku had fought for nearly a year to get custody. He'd expected a big fight, but once the courts proved that she wasn't even Kai's biological child, along with the fact that mysteriously every family member that she actually had had been dead for years. It was nearly open and shut. He had to think about her, too, in this situation.
"Izuku Midoriya, you get back here right now! Oh, I'm so sorry, Mr. Akito, he's such a fiery boy!" Inko apologized on her way after Izuku. The Alpha grumbled, but not bothering to rise from his seat, as he was motioned to stay put by the social worker. The woman snapped out of her seat, heels clicking on the tile as she quickly followed after the Midoriyas.
"Izuku, please reconsider. I can't keep doing this!" Inko pled.
"Mother, I will not be finding myself anywhere near a situation as I was before!" He hissed, just outside the door of the meeting office. His nerves were electricity, figity with the need to flee.
"Izuku, Inko. Please, come back in, and we can maybe see if we have someone else today you can meet. Clearly Mr, Akito wasn't completely honest on his forms." Ms. Nagant offered, said Alpha, letting out a heavy snort, and he was yanking his form up to storm out as well. Not even bothering to stop on his way.
Izuku's lips parted to speak, the sudden opening of a door across the hall had his head snapping over, and it was like someone hit slow-mo on the remote of life. Emeralds widened as tall, blonde, and fucking muscles stormed out much like he just had.
"I'm so fuckin' tired of you useless ass people bringing me the exact opposite of what I fuckin' asked for! Ridiculous, why in the fuck am I filling out five hundred fuckin' pages of information if you're just going to fuckin' ignore it?!" The deep, gravelly octave shot searing white heat deep into Izuku's belly. Still standing there with lips slightly parted, his nostrils flared. A heavy whimper sounded as he fought to keep Emerald optics from rolling into the back of his head at the wash of pheromones.
The sound stopped the alpha's tirade on the spot, gaze snapping over.
Emerald met Crimson, and it was like everything stopped completely.
Ms. Nagant and Mr. Takami's gazes met with high curiosity.
The blonde's nostrils flared right as Izuku's scent pushed out like a soft chai tea. His own lips parted, tasting the air that brushed against his tongue. Drawing the scent deep into his nostrils.
If one could feast upon the scent in the air, Izuku would have been able to do it. It was like a mantra in his mind, Izuku had smelt this scent before.
His favorite dessert was Caramel Cinnamon Crumble Cheesecake.