Chapter Text
Bakugou’s fingers brushed slowly through Midoriya’s sleep-mussed hair as the alpha nosed gently at his omega’s throat. Warm breath puffed over the Midoriya’s collar while they basked in the sleepy contentment that came with long, uninterrupted sleep.
“I want to mark you,” Bakugou’s voice came surprisingly soft and even.
He’d always wanted to mark Midoriya, but he felt the need like an ache in his bones now. The urge to keep his family safe and close to him was primal and ancient. The alpha’s gums ached and throbbed around his fangs while he waited for the chance to initiate their bond.
“I-I want you to,” Midoriya stuttered. He was flushed a beautiful shade of red that had Bakugou rumbling again.
Bakugou leaned in and slide his tongue over the bonding gland. Midoriya’s head tilted further back in sweet offering. Bakugou aligned his fangs over the spot. Almost as soon as he touched it, Midoriya went boneless with a sweet sigh under him. Fortunately, Bakugou was still supporting the little omega’s head, or he’d have lost his place.
He was about to sink in when Midoriya’s soft whine stopped him.
“W-Wait,” Midoriya whispered. “N-Not yet. I just… You’d really do it?”
The omega fidgeted in his hold. He looked away nervously as Bakugou obediently removed his fangs. The familiar ember of anger was ready to spark into an inferno of frustration, but Bakugou managed to quiet it. Everyone was nervous about bonding. It was permanent.
Having a kid together didn’t mean they had to bond. This had to be Midoriya’s choice.
“I want you, Izuku,” Bakugou settled on instead. His rumble shifted into a low growl as he crawled off of his omega and settled down beside him.
“You’re not testing me. You’re teasing me,” Bakugou warned. He tucked his fangs away and settled into the pillows on his side of the bed. He usually liked to rest against the hollow of Midoriya’s throat, but that didn’t feel like an option this time.
“S-Sorry,” Midoriya whispered.
The omega’s eyes were narrowed with a nervous sort of affection as he turned toward Bakugou. The beauty’s fingers found their way into Bakugou’s hand and began to brush sweetly over his palm. Bakugou felt some of the tension leave him as he relaxed into his boyfriend’s touch.
“I love you, Deku. I want you in every possible way, and I want you to start remembering that,” Bakugou muttered.
Slowly, he turned his body back toward the omega. Midoriya’s eyes were still lowered as he considered Bakugou’s words. The alpha reached out and gently hooked a finger under his mate’s chin. He guided the beauty’s face upward so that he could stare deeply into brilliant, green eyes.
“Ground Zero’s chosen mate should have a lot more confidence,” Bakugou tried instead.
He leaned down to rest their foreheads together and relished the way his omega’s purr returned at full force. Bakugou tried to match his rumbling. It wasn’t easy through the lingering frustration of his situation, but his concerns melted away as his fingertips found Izuku’s stomach.
The alpha grinned widely. He kept forgetting. Well, no, he’d never forget, but every few minutes something would bring the news fresh to his mind. The thrill that came with the thought made him feel like he was learning the news all over again.
Mate or not, Bakugou was going to be a father.
As soon as they found the ambition to drag themselves from bed, the pair sat together at Deku’s worn, kitchen table. Bakugou stared at its surface and thought about how they’d reconnected for the first time in this very place only six months ago.
“We should figure out what we want to do before we tell our parents,” Bakugou suggested.
“What do you mean?” Deku asked. He was looking at Bakugou with wide, nervous eyes. The omega’s hands fidgeted against the table top, and it didn’t take a fucking genius to see just how nervous he was.
“They’re going to ask a lot of questions, Izuku,” Bakugou reminded. He reached across the table and took the omega’s hand in his. The fidgeting stopped as Midoriya’s attention refocused on Bakugou.
“O-Okay… What’s left to decide?” Deku questioned. His scent was still sour with anxiety. Bakugou gently squeezed his fingers and ran his thumb over the omega’s knuckles.
“If we’re going to bond, when do you want to do it?” Bakugou started. He hoped he’d just imagined the way his lover stiffened.
Maybe Izuku didn’t want to bond with him after all? Bakugou loosened his hold on Deku’s hand. The omega seemed to be thinking deeply, and the alpha didn’t want to interrupt - not when the topic was so fucking important.
“How about after we get married…?” Midoriya answered. He blinked innocently at the alpha, as though he hadn’t just suggested something that was blowing Bakugou’s mind.
“You want to get married?” Bakugou muttered. The alpha was dumbfounded.
Marriage was often considered overly traditional and outdated. Most young couples ended at bonding or a bonding ceremony. It was almost the same. Sometimes marriage came with a few additional legal protections for spouses, but they were also restrictive. It made separating difficult, which was often the goal for more traditional families.
“I mean… D-Did you not want to?” Midoriya offered nervously.
“If you want to get married, we’ll get married,” Bakugou interrupted.
He grinned widely at his stunned partner. He’d do anything for Izuku. He just hated that he was going to have to ask Kirishima to be his best man after all. He could already envision the wholesome pride on his best friend’s face.
“Will you marry me, Izuku?” Bakugou tried again. His eyes softened with affection as he watched the blush rise in his omega’s cheeks.
“T-That’s not very romantic, Kacchan,” Midoriya complained. He crossed his arms nervously while he considered it.
“Do I fucking have to be? Let me do it this way, and you can pick out the ring yourself,” Bakugou offered. His eyes narrowed with a smug challenge as he leaned over the table so that he could better look into the beauty’s eyes.
“So… Are we engaged then?” Midoriya asked. His face was completely red with the strength of his blush.
“We are if you say ‘yes,’” Bakugou rumbled back. Midoriya relaxed into his seat. The omega’s expression softened adorably as he began to purr.
“And, hypothetically, if I said ‘yes.’ We would be engaged to be married, and, after the wedding, we would bond?” Midoriya concluded.
“Izuku, if you say ‘yes’ now, I will call my publicist,” Bakugou began. His eyes narrowed further and his jaw set as he attempted to portray exactly how serious he was about this. “I will tell the entire world that I intend to bond with you. They can assume that you got pregnant following our engagement. We’ll have the wedding in a couple of months, and move in together to prepare for our kid.”
“You meant it…?” Midoriya’s eyes were filling with familiar tears. His lower lip wavered. His fingers shook.
Bakugou wondered if the idea was enticing because it would hide their whirlwind decision process. It was always inevitable that they would end up here as far as Bakugou was concerned, but he knew public opinion was going to be a consideration.
How much stress was Midoriya carrying that Bakugou hadn’t seen yet?
Bakugou tugged on Midoriya’s hand until the omega got up from his chair and resettled in his lap. Midoriya pressed close and pushed his head under Bakugou’s chin. The alpha leaned over him and rested his cheek on Midoriya’s curls.
“I mean it, Izuku. I love you. No one else will ever be good enough,” Bakugou promised. His chest rumbled sweetly under Midoriya’s touch. “If you tell me it’s what you want, I will seal the bond now, and we can show off our new marks when we announce it.
A sniffle warned him that he may have said something wrong. Was he pushing the bonding too hard? Maybe Midoriya didn’t want it after all. Midoriya began to sob softly, but his arms wrapped tightly around Bakugou’s neck. He was still purring - assuring his mate that the tears were happy ones.
“I-I want to tell our parents before we announce anything,” Midoriya managed to force our between his whimpers.
“Done,” Bakugou assured. His fingers brushed in slow, deliberate strokes along the length of the omega’s back. “We’ll go ring shopping tomorrow. You can get whatever you want, and you can show it off when we tell our parents.”
The omega turned to putty under his hands. He nearly melted into Bakugou’s solid body.
“Is this really happening…?” Midoriya whispered. His fingers tangled in Bakugou’s shirt. “I love you so much, Kacchan.”
Bakugou’s palms trailed down the length of Midoriya’s back. He warmed them with the barest hint of his quirk to further sooth his mate. He could feel Midoriya beginning to calm under the attention.
“You really want me…?” Midoriya whispered. His voice was still quiet and breathless with disbelief. The omega’s fingers drifted upward into Bakugou’s hair.
“Why won’t you believe me, Izuku?” Bakugou lifted his head, pulling back so that he could look into Midoriya’s eyes. The alpha lifted a hand a hand to tug down the collar of his shirt and expose his neck to Midoriya.
“Bite me,” Bakugou suggested. He gently rested their foreheads together.
“Bite you first…?” Midoriya whispered with no small amount of wonder.
“Yes. Right now,” Bakugou offered. His grin spread wide - exposing his fangs. “If you want me, I’m yours. I don’t even need to return the bite if you’re not ready yet, but you should know that it’s this or nothing for me.”
Midoriya’s breath caught. Bakugou watched him closely as the omega took a few shaky breaths and moved to rest his lips against Bakugou’s throat. Midoriya pressed a few tender kisses there before latching onto the gland and beginning to suck sweetly.
Bakugou curled his fingers around his lover’s nape.
“I’m yours, Izuku,” Bakugou promised. His rumbling was so loud that it felt alive in the air between them.
The omega continued lazily caressing the area with his tongue for a moment. Bakugou closed his eyes and focused on the sensation as omega fangs aligned over his gland. For a moment, Bakugou thought he might pull away, but then he bit deep.
Bakugou felt no pain, but he groaned with profound relief. The grip on his mate’s nape tightened in a show of possession.
“Fuck… Deku. I love you so much,” Bakugou breathed. He tilted his head back and hummed as his mate pulled away and licked his lips. When the alpha managed to open his eyes again, the sight that greeted him was completely new.
Instead of fear, he saw confidence and pride. Midoriya was beautifully flushed and smiling. He could see the hint of dimples in his mate’s bright, adoring face.
“May I…?” Bakugou asked. He lifted a hand to cup Midoriya’s cheek.
Some part of him felt like he was dreaming. There was no fucking way. He must have died that night with fighting the villains just a few streets down from Deku’s apartment, because how could this be real?
Midoriya’s head tilted back. His eyes fluttered closed as he offered his throat. It was the most beautiful sight Bakugou could imagine.
Forgiven. Loved. Mated.
Bakugou leaned forward and rested his teeth over the gland. It was warm and pulsing under his fangs. He paused for a moment to wonder if he really deserved this - deserved to stand by Deku’s side.
Then his mate whined softly. Bakugou’s eyes narrowed with affection. It wasn’t about what he deserved. It was about what Deku deserved. Bakugou was ready to spend the rest of his life in service to his mate.
Bakugou bit deep. His omega keened in pleasure. His body arched into Bakugou’s harder body. Bakugou growled low in his throat as the bond snapped into place. It felt like coming home. It covered his senses in a wave of comfort.
Everything faded away as Midoriya settled into the back of his mind.
The omega was excited. He was reverent and awed. He’d wanted Bakugou so badly that it felt impossible. His feelings were a near perfect echo of Bakugou’s own. His growl returned to its adoring rumble to match his omega’s purr.
Bakugou removed his fangs and licked the wound tenderly.
“Yours, Izuku.” Bakugou whispered against his mate’s collar. “I was always yours.”
“I know,” Midoriya answered. It was spoken with an awed soft of certainty.
The alpha glanced up at his Deku’s face, and he wasn’t at all surprised to find the beauty’s eyes full of tears. His mate had always been a bit of a crybaby, after all.
“I can feel it… And so… You can feel it too, right? That I’ve always been yours,” Midoriya purred. His eyes narrowed with unveiled delight. Bakugou lifted his head and began kissing those beautiful tears away.
“Yeah, Izuku. And this is just the beginning.” Bakugou’s answer was a promise.
- Epilogue -
Katsuki’s eyes were red with lack of sleep and his entire body dragged with exhaustion. It didn’t stop him from picking his sleeping toddler off the ground. He cradled her against his shoulder, but she didn’t stir. Kasumi slept like the dead, and thank fuck for that.
She was otherwise a fucking handful. Kasumi was Katsuki’s mirror in every way save for the brilliant, green eyes. She ran about with boundless energy despite her small size, and she had an uncanny ability to shift from a fierce glare directly into apparent innocence.
She gave her babysitters whiplash, and Katsuki was terrified for all the people she would ultimately lure into a false sense of security.
Her little fingers already crackled with the early signs of developing Bakugou’s quirk. She was experimenting and terrifying her poor mother with every scorched toy, pillow, or plate.
On the upside, Kasumi was a girl, which meant that Katsuki could claim that she inherited her temperament from her grandmother. Mitsuki didn’t seem to mind. She was a doting grandparent, and was fond of reminding Katsuki that Kasumi also inherited all of her good looks from her grandma.
Katsuki sighed and shifted his daughter’s weight against his shoulder as he carried her to her bedroom. She still didn’t care for sleeping alone. Crashing literally anywhere else in the house was her rebellion, but there simply wasn’t room for her in her parent’s bed anymore.
As mischievous as she was, Kasumi wasn’t what was keeping Katsuki up at night either.
Izuku was heavily pregnant with their second child. He couldn’t seem to sleep more than a few hours at a time, and, if he was up, Katsuki wanted to be up with him. He spent a lot of late hours rubbing his omega’s back, making him tea, and soothing his anxious mind with little talks about their future plans.
Izuku always had an eye on their future, but Katsuki found himself thinking more and more about their past.
Their parents had been even happier than Kirishima when they announced their engagement, and that was really saying something. Kirishima had jumped up so fast at the news that his pointy head had dented the ceiling.
Mitsuki and Masaru had been thrilled to welcome the Midoriya’s even further into their family. Well, Inko Midoriya anyway. They were much happier to welcome Izuku Bakugou.
Inko had cried and blubbered for days after finding out about the pregnancy. She called several times a week and never talked with Izuku for less than and hour. As it turned out, those calls were not unique to the pregnancy. If she wasn’t visiting, she was calling. Izuku and Inko were close, and Katsuki only hoped that his kids would be just as eager to hear from him one day.
Midoriya had a little bump already when they had their wedding ceremony a few months after the official announcement. They’d already moved into the new house by then, and Izuku was positively glowing with excitement.
The wedding was large but private. No press had been invited, but the place was fit to burst with pro heroes eager to see who’d tamed Ground Zero.
Their honeymoon was local. Katsuki couldn’t stand to be too far away from the hero scene - just in case. They’d set up a full nursery almost as soon as they were back, but Midoriya had been too anxious to use it after Kasumi was born.
The crib had never moved out of their bedroom, because neither of them could keep their eyes off their little girl for very long.
Perhaps the biggest surprised for Katsuki had been how enraptured the public was with their story. Everyone wanted to know about the childhood friends who’d drifted apart and then came back together. Pictures of their early coffee dates surfaced along with the sweet story of incognito rendezvous.
Katsuki had always assumed that mating would be bad for his rankings. After all, they’d always marketed him as an explosive, sexy bachelor.
He should have known better. Endeavor had been known to have a large family, and so had several of the other heroes who ranked within the top twenty. The new marriage had been just what Ground Zero needed to climb the ranks. It had softened his image considerably, but it was nothing compared to what Kasumi’s birth had done for his popularity.
At first, they’d done their best to keep Kasumi and Izuku out of the spotlight.
They’d agreed to a new parent photoshoot to keep the press from camping outside their home. At the time, neither of them had known it would the one of the best selling spreads of the year. Katsuki’s agency kept trying to warn them, but the little family was still overwhelmed by the response.
Offers for Katsuki and Kasumi to model family products flooded in overnight.
Izuku was still opposed to too much spotlight, but they’d appeared in a few choice advertisements. The omega was quick to approve anything linked to charity fundraising. Charity runs from major brands concerning children had grown significantly in the last few years as a result.
Those efforts shifted public opinion on Ground Zero wildly. He was ranked 1st for the first time when Kasumi was a little over two years old. Of course, by then, he couldn’t even count it as the best day of his life so far. It probably didn’t even make the top ten.
It wasn’t even as good as the day that Izuku had casually mentioned that he might be ready to try for a second child. It definitely wasn’t as good as the day he’d found out they were pregnant again, or the day he’d seen his son’s sonogram for the first time.
The future was exciting too, of course.
Kasumi already claimed that she was going to be the next in a line of explosive heroes. Izuku had even helped her come up with the name ‘Dynamight’ - a sweet combination of her dad’s branding and a nod to their shared hero All Might.
She still had plenty of time to change her mind. Katsuki would always be proud of her - no matter what she chose to do with her life.
The alpha yawned even as he tucked the little girl into her bed. He wrapped the Ground Zero bedspread around her little body and pressed a quick kiss to the top of her head. Katsuki rubbed his eyes as he stumbled out of the bedroom and went looking for Izuku.
This level of exhaustion always reminded him of the night he’d first stumbled into Izuku’s apartment. He’d been too exhausted for conscious thought, but he’d still managed to choke out the apologies that led him here.
Now that he thought about it, that had definitely been the best night of his life.
