Izuku Midoriya

"S - Stop, Shoto!" I gasped while backing away. The Alpha couldn't hide the mischievous glint in his eyes or the grin that covered his face as he approached slowly. I had told him to cut it out once before, but he had been making a habit of ignoring my distaste for this type of behavior.

"How do you expect me to stop when you're making those faces?" He grinned while I backed up until I hit the kitchen counter. I had nowhere to run now and as the Alpha stalked towards me I began to feel my adrenaline kick in. I really hated it when he did this to me. I had been living with him for two weeks now and Shoto had begun doing this almost every night.

"Seriously, I - I don't like having to clean the mess afterward," I whined and watched him. My eyes widened when he chuckled and stepped closer. He really didn't care, did he? Shoto shook his head softly until he was standing right in front of me, caging me in with my back to the granite countertop. I had turned my head to the side to avoid his oncoming attack. The last thing I wanted was for it to get in my mouth again.

"You're no fun," The Alpha huffed but stepped back to give me some room. I felt him retreat so I turned my head to face him. But just as I moved back around, Shoto threw his hand out, pushing his icing coated fingers all over my face. 

A loud and shockingly unmanly scream left my throat while he doubled over in laughter. Shoto gasped and bellowed out more of his loud belly laughs while I grumbled under my breath. He inhaled sharply before breaking into another fit of deep laughter while I stormed over to the sink to wash the thick sugar paste off my skin. I cursed lowly under my breath while he slowly calmed down.

"Damn, stupid man-child. You're always messing around like this," I muttered and turned just in time to see Shoto leaving the kitchen, still laughing with a satisfied grin on his face.

"This is why I don't let you help me cook!" I screamed in his direction as he walked away, only for me to hear more of his satisfied laughter as he retreats to the living room. So much for trying to be nice. I wanted to bake him a cake for his birthday tomorrow and that is how he repaid me? I wanted to be more angry with his childish acts, but it made me smile the more he let that part of him shine.

We both had fallen into a new routine of living together. The first week was the hardest without Katsuki. My scent was still changing, going back to normal after being mingled with his, and it was emotionally exhausting. However, after that first week, my scent had returned to normal and Shoto began scenting me every other day. It helped keep my emotions at bay and it was nice bonding for the Alpha and me.

Shoto had been great, honestly. We ate dinner together every night. He let me cook if I wanted to and on nights that I didn't feel like it, he would take over dinner duty. If we both were tired, he would take us out somewhere nice. I got back to my work as well and began feeling more like myself as the days passed. It was nice having some normalcy in my life again, even if Shoto was a bit of a tyrant sometimes.

I busied myself with the cake that had been cooling over the last hour. I couldn't do much for him considering he had almost everything he needed or wanted. He was a professor at a university now and made good money. I, however, stayed at home and worked from my laptop. It was a blessing that I worked from home now that I technically lived in Canada with Shoto. I had been furious at first with my friends for dropping me in another country unprepared. But turns out they had been prepared. They got my Visa worked out and everything. All I had to do was go with Shoto to the embassy within the first 72 hours of arriving and check in with the international affairs department.

As I iced the cake carefully with thick buttercream frosting that Shoto had so graciously dipped his fingers into already, I rolled my eyes with a fond smile. I covered the cake in the sugar paste before adding some multicolored confetti sprinkles on all sides. The dessert ended up looking delicious. It was coated in pastel-colored sprinkles and the vanilla cake smelt divine.

"Don't touch the cake until tomorrow afternoon, Shoto!" I called while covering the cake and placing it inside the refrigerator. Knowing him he would come to grab a fistful of the cake I had spent all afternoon slaving over if I didn't warn him away.

"Sure thing," Shoto came up behind me and looked into the fridge at the cake. I quickly shut the door and huffed.

"No peeking, okay?" I glared at him but smirked when he pouted .he nodded and turned to leave with that same dishearted look on his face. So, I did the one thing I could think of to even the playing field and turn his attitude around. I scraped my fingers inside the bowl that I had used to make the icing .there was just enough left to form a nice glob.

With less than a second of hesitation, I pounced in his direction with a huge grin plastered on my face. The Alpha heard my sudden speed and turned around at just the right moment to receive a loud frosting-covered smack in the face. I yelped at the force behind my attack but it didn't seem to bother Shoto. He looked stunned for a moment and I couldn't contain myself. His wide eyes and slightly parted lips that were covered in buttercream frosting had me doubling over and clutching at my stomach.

"That wasn't very nice, Izuku," Shoto said calmly and I sobered up quickly before peeking up at him again. He was grinning and I chuckled softly, realizing he wasn't mad.

"Oh?" I teased and watched as the Alpha licked some frosting off his lips with a chuckle.

"Yummy," He smirked and scooped a glob of the paste off his cheek before popping it in his mouth. I reached out quickly, smearing the icing all over his face just before Shoto could jump back with a low growl. My eyes widened as a series of laughs slipped past my lips. Shoto rumbled low in his chest and the Alpha lunged at me. I whirled around with a scream that turned into a laugh while sprinting out of the kitchen with an amused Alpha chasing after me.

***

"Are you done now?" Shoto huffed as he finished wiping his face clean of any leftover sugary concoction. He had chased me around the house until we were both out of breath. Neither one of us seemed to be in enough physical shape to keep the chase up. Although it was thrilling while it lasted. Having an Alpha chase you around tugged at our ancestor's instincts. The chase, as they called it back then, sparked our animalistic tendencies and had us both grinning from ear to ear as Shoto chased me around.

The chase only ended when Shoto had grabbed me after trapping me in a corner of the house. He had a huge smile on his face but his eyes were dark and dilated letting me know that his instincts were taking over.

I had been surprised when he threw me over his shoulder and tossed me onto the sofa. However, it only succeeded in making me bubble up with more laughter as he stalked off to wash up. Now he seemed back to normal and fully in control again.

"I don't know -- Are you done starting food fights every time I am using the kitchen?" I hummed while Shoto came out of the bathroom with a clean face. He smiled but rolled his eyes playfully.

"You're getting quite demanding, Omega; you know that?" He grinned and I just snorted. Shoto never called me an Omega. This was a first. I raised my brow at him, challengingly.

"Yeah, so what?" I had just got myself back to a point where I was not sulking over Katsuki all day. I felt good and liked that I was coming out of my depressive shell. Just because I am an Omega shouldn't mean that I can't joke around. Shoto came up to me and pushed his fingers through my hair, easing the tension that was rolling off me in waves.

"I didn't mean it like that," He smiled at me and I relaxed under his touch. His scent was relaxing even if it wasn't the one I craved. I huffed but smiled back as he tucked a loose curl behind my ear.

"I know," I mumbled and pushed him out of my way roughly but playfully as I brushed past him. Shoto grunted at my shove and followed behind me with a soft chuckle.

"Yep, super bossy, little Omega," He teased and I growled before whirling around on him. He stopped in his track before he could run into me and I laughed at his shocked expression.

"Did you growl at me?" He raised an eyebrow and I bit down on my lip to suppress any more laughter from escaping. I cocked my head to the side arrogantly and backed away slowly until I saw the spark of the chase in his eyes again.

"I did -- What are you going to do about it -- Alpha?" I drew my words out teasingly and grinned when his eyes dilated. Another surge of energy coursed my veins as Shoto growled lowly.

"Maybe I should go get the icing again," He smirked and my eyes widened. I hadn't put the mess in the kitchen up yet and Shoto knew it. I shook my head, really not wanting to get all sticky from the frosting -- again. However, the Alpha grinned and wiggled his fingers out at me.

"Better run, Omega." He cooed and lunged at me. I yelped when I couldn't dodge and he tossed me over this shoulder again. I was dangling over his back while he held my legs to his chest.

"P - Put me down!" I ordered but it landed on deaf ears as Shoto marched into his bedroom and threw me down on the mattress. I landed with a bounce and started laughing as Shoto stalked closer, crawling onto the springs. The mattress dipped under his weight and I stifled another laugh at the humor dancing in Shoto's eyes.

"I think you need to learn a lesson," Shoto grinned and grabbed my ankles. I squealed when he suddenly yanked my feet towards him until he was hovering over me with a wolfish grin.

"No - No, I don't!" I laughed and wiggled back some but Shoto only clicked his tongue while shaking his head at me.

"Yep, you definitely do. You're too sassy for your own good, mister." Shoto teased, his fingers digging their way into my sides and I let out a high pitch whine followed by unintelligent strings of complaints and laughter.

Shoto tickled me, skimming his fingers along my flesh until I was tearing up and writhing on the bed. I couldn't stop laughing and Shoto was chuckling as well while I thrashed around. I could have easily escaped if I really wanted him to get off. But I didn't. I was having fun for the first time in years. I was 23 years old and laughing like a teenager.

"Forfeit?" Shoto asked, his fingers taking a break from their attack. He rested his hands on my stomach and I panted heavily, still trying to catch my breath. My cheeks were hurting from smiling so much and Shoto's eyes danced with excitement. I was lucky to have met him back in high school.

He had been taking good care of me and helping me stay busy to keep Katsuki off my mind. Although it normally worked well, his distractions, some days I couldn't help but wish for Shoto's presence in my life to be replaced with Katsuki's.

I missed my mate, and though I was feeling better mentally, physically I could feel the pain within me from our separation. It was a deep nagging in my head from our separation.

It was a deep nagging in my core that told me something was wrong. However, Shoto masked it by scenting me and comforting me when I was feeling down. Moments like this make me wish it were Katsuki whom I was laughing and running around with.

Nonetheless, I was getting better. For once in a long time, I was feeling like myself. Before the mate drama and before I really discovered what pain was. I felt like a kid again, only a lot more emotional and tired that I had been in my early teens.

Katsuki still haunted my dreams, but I was glad to have Shoto. He was a good friend and cared for me on days when I didn't care for myself. Katsuki hadn't tried to contact me again after I blocked him. My mom told me that he called a few times but she told him what I had told her to say. I didn't want to be found. I was alive, but I didn't want to be found.

"You good?" Shoto whispered and I broke out of my thoughts only to find the Alpha still hovering over me, watching me with a concerned gaze. I blushed and nodded quickly. Shoto sighed and poked his fingers into my sides one last time before rolling off me. I squeaked at the jab and giggled softly.

"Thanks," I whispered to Shoto and he gave me a small smile that said everything would be alright. One that told me I didn't have to tell him what was really on my mind. He knew that I was not 'good' yet he never pressured me to talk about it. He gave me that soft smile that told me all I needed to know. I wasn't good. But, hopefully, one day I would be.

"Thanks," I whispered again before lying back on the bed in comfortable silence.