Katsuki Bakugou

"So, are you going to tell me what you're really doing here?" Denki asked me finally after I had been hiding away at his house for the last 4 hours. I had originally had come here to have a talk with Denki about the allegations Izuku made before he ran off, but I never did. I had been so conflicted over the damn kiss to really talk about anything, so the Omega just let me come inside and chill.

His parents were rarely home. Both were doctors and worked long shifts, leaving Denki alone most of the time. Denki was a loner for the longest time until he began opening up to me about his home life after that night back in high school when Denki asked me out for coffee. It took time, but he eventually told me about being alone at home -- and how he was lonely all the time.

Of course, I told him he was welcome to come over to my place any time. Our group of friends seemed to always be together anyway, so this was nothing new. But I figured telling him out loud that he was welcome over anytime made him relax some.

Denki latched onto me as I became the one person who he trusted more than anyone. He was a sweet kid growing up, but recently he had become angry that it's been months without finding his mate since he turned 18. His birthday was a good 6 months before mine, and to make things worse, he hasn't had his first heat, meaning he hasn't even laid eyes on his mate yet.

It was eating away at him, and I knew that. I was upset and emotional when I found myself driving to Denki's house after Izuku had run away after our conversation. I was worried about Izuku so I followed his scent to his mother's house, just to make sure he was somewhere safe --and then left for my friend's house.

I planned to confront Denki, but as soon as I saw him, I felt bad for being so angry at him without even knowing the truth. I have been friends with him for years, why should I believe Izuku over him without even getting Denki's side of the story? So, I calmed myself down and just told him I needed some time away from the house, and he obliged and let me inside.

Denki knew something was wrong, I could see it in the way he kept glancing at me with a worried expression. I had been quite, mulling over the events of today in my head while trying to figure out what the hell was happening. Now, Denki and I were sitting on his bed watching a movie and he seemed to be tired of my silence.

"You've been here for hours, are you even going home tonight?" Denki asked and I rolled my eyes at him.

"Why, are you going to kick me out?" I asked with a raised brow, knowing damn well he wouldn't kick me out. He chuckled and shook his head.

"No, of course. You're welcome here anytime, it's the least I can do." Denki sighed and leaned back against his pillows. "But you should tell me what's wrong. You never just show up like this without warning." I never did, he was right about that. I closed my eyes and shook my head.

Denki may be clingy and attached to me, but I knew why. I understood. He was upset about not having his mate and almost being 19 years old. I am the only Alpha around that he had attached to; he took comfort in my presence. It had always been this way since we were 16 and I confessed my intent to make them all pack members one day. I never cared about his clinginess, until now anyway. Izuku's presence in my life was only mucking up my routine and lifestyle more and more.

"I wanted to ask you something," I admitted after a few moments of silence. I needed to know what was going on between Denki and Izuku. They didn't speak to one another and then today Denki called him a slut out of nowhere. I knew that I had told my friends about Izuku and how we both had been friends when I was really young. But I never told them about the accident.

No one knew about that other than my parents, and I didn't plan on anyone else ever finding out. I didn't understand why Denki could hate him so much with only a little information about how Izuku disappeared from my life suddenly.

"Sure thing, what's up?" Denki sat up again and looked at me with a small tilt of his head as I try and formulate my question.

"What happened today?" I questioned before looking at the slight red mark on his jaw from where Izuku had punched him -- and then Kirishima had smacked him. " Does that hurt?" I pointed to the mark, making him reach up and touch it with a frown.

"No, it's fine." He replied quietly, looking down at his lap with a sigh. I knew being put in his place like that must have hurt his ego, especially coming from Kirishima as he never raised a hand to anyone.

"That's good, I'm sorry that I let things get out of hand like that." It was my responsibility to keep order between my pack members. The Alpha was supposed to protect them and dispute fights -- keep the peace. At least until the Alpha's mate showed up. Then the mate would help with those things.

"It's not your fault," Denki replied quickly and shook his head. "It's mine, I should have never called your mate a slut." He added quietly with a sigh.

"Well, that's kind of what I wanted to talk to you about." I took a deep breath and released it slowly. "Izuku claims you've been taunting him over the past few days. Is that true?" I looked him in the eye, honestly curious to hear what he had to say. I wanted to believe Izuku, and I did at the moment. But looking back, I realized that my judgment could have been clouded by the fuzzy feelings the mate pull was creating between Izuku and me.

Izuku was still new in my life, Denki had been here for years while I was getting over the lost friendship I had with Izuku. I wanted to believe Izuku, but I trusted Denki. Looking over at the Omega beside me, his head was hung as waves of shame rolled off his body. I tensed up as I realized something was wrong. He was hiding something from me.

"Denki?" I asked, looking at him with confusion. Denki's lip wobbled as he peeked up with misty eyes.

"I'm sorry... I was jealous." He whimpered and shook his head, blinking back the tears as I watched him with growing confusion. Denki and I had made it clear that we had no romantic feelings for each other. I had asked on multiple occasions when Denki started getting really attached to me. He confirmed each time that he was just close to me and there was nothing romantic there. Did he lie all those times?

"Jealous of what?" I asked, needing him to clarify right now. Denki swallowed and took a deep breath.

"Of Izuku. I know he's your mate and I know you two aren't on good terms. I thought..." He trailed off and my body tensed in confusion and pain. Denki had been taunting Izuku these few days and I didn't believe Izuku. I didn't believe my mate.

"You thought what?" I snapped, my anger bubbled up inside. Izuku and I might not be close to each other, but Izuku needed me to believe him today, and I did for a moment. But I let my own doubts get in the way. Hell, I even kissed him and then let him run off without chasing him.

"I thought that... if I made him upset with you, that he'd go away. I was scared he would take you away... You're all I have..." Denk whimpered and stared up at me with a tear-stricken face. The worry that was once hidden behind his eyes now shown clearly.

"What the hell are you talking about?" I growled with frustration and Denki whined lowly while he hung his head in submission.

"I love you like my own family! Izuku hurt you and now he's back and you're going to leave us behind! I was mad at him for upsetting you. You were my alpha before you were his!" Denki shouted loudly, his tears rolling down his cheeks as he frantically tried to explain.

___________________

The man that I had just knocked off of Izuku's half-dressed body growls at me as Izuku trembles on the floor, staring at me with wide eyes.

Before I could say anything, the man was lunging at me, sneering loudly as his hands shot out to grab me. My eyes widened as I quickly stumbled back right as Izuku jumped up from the ground and stood in front of me.

I looked up carefully and see Izuku, with his pants still hung low on his hips from where they had been yanked down just minutes prior. My stomach twisted at the thought of Izuku being hurt by this man. If I had hadn't heard him shouting, I could have been too late.

Izuku has the man's wrist clutched in his small hand as his body shakes. He panted, his scent suddenly so thick in the air that I choked and stumbled back some. Izuku's eyes flashed to me looking me over as if to see if I had been hurt, then his gaze shot back to the man.

I had never seen Izuku so angry, his jade-colored eyes were dilated and almost black, his lips curled back over his teeth as he struggled to stay up on his feet.

"Don't touch my Alpha."

________________

Gasping, I jumped back as my eyes open and Denki was perched over me, shaking my shoulders while his lips move frantically. But I can't hear anything other than the ringing behind my ears. My heart was hammering harshly, painfully, behind my rib-cage as I struggled to catch my breath.

I haven't had one of those flashbacks in a long time, and still, it hurt just as bad as the day it happened. Izuku was suffering his first heat and I just happened to be collateral damage. Yet somehow he managed to defend me as that man planned to attack me.

Izuku called me his Alpha, and for the first time, it dawned on me that that night was the first time Izuku had realized I was his mate. I was so young and he was in so much pain, yet he defended me against the man that tried to rape him. The man was going to force himself on Izuku and I had no idea that the Omega was in the home of his mate while another man touched him. I felt the anger pool in my core at the thought.

"You were my alpha before you were his!" Denki had said, yet had never been so wrong in his life. I was Izuku's alpha, his mate, long before I really got to know Denki.

"Fuck." I gasped and shook my head as Denki rubbed my back. He watched me with worried eyes that I tried to ignore. My mind was flooding -- I didn't have the energy to stop Denki's worries from overflowing. I was stuck. My heart hammered harshly in my chest as I remembered that day all over again. 

I had been so pissed at Izuku for so long for something he had no control over. I was stupid for thinking he left me for his own selfish desires -- or that he touched me out of some kind of perverted lust. I had been ignorant and angry. So much so that it clouded the reality of the situation.

Iuku left for me, to protect me. I was a child when everything happened and he was being a responsible adult. He told my parents what he did to me. I could only imagine how scared the Omega was in the moment. I wasn't even home. My parents sent me to my grandparent's house while they were at home interogating my mate. My parents told me that on my 18th birthday, they told me that Izuku had left to keep me safe and that my father almost killed him because of what he did to me.

Izuku suffered through my father's attacking him and then left. He stayed away from home for four years just to protect me from himself. I'm sure my dad would have killed him for real if he showed up again before I was 18.

Literally, everything that Izuku had done, he did for me, and I showed up and tried to reject him without letting him explain himself to me. Hell, he didn't need to explain things to me, not anymore at least. I had been selfish for weeks, only hurting and confusing him more and more while he tried to win my affections.

Izuku had been respectful, keeping his distance, never touching me or even looking at me for long periods of time. I have ignored him, pushed him away, and now confused him by kissing him today. My stomach churned with discomfort and I looked up at the ceiling, blinking and breathing deeply to calm myself. I needed to go home and talk to Izuku.

"Are you okay?" Denki asks as my attention blinks back to him for a second and I feel myself getting angry again. He had been pestering Izuku just to make him upset, Izuku has been plenty upset without his help. I start to say something but I hold my tongue, realizing that I had been doing the same thing. I had been cold to Izuku for weeks, playing hot and cold, some days looking after him while others ignoring him completely.

My own confusion and selfishness had blocked me from seeing the truth of the situation we are in. I may not love Izuku, but I could no longer deny the attraction there. I couldn't keep pushing him out when everything inside me screamed at me to bring him closer and fix this mess. I didn't love him romantically -- I just didn't yet. However, I needed to fix this. I wanted this to work out.

"I need to go," I murmured and Denki reached out to hug me. I shot him a glare and he froze. "I want Izuku," I stated mainly to myself but also to Denki who pulled back with wide eyes. I looked at him and watched as a soft understanding -- mixed with sadness -- coated his expression.

"I know -- I know. You can't fight the mate pull forever. He is your other half," Denki whispered sadly, a bitterness tainting his words that I knew were born in jealousy over the fact he hasn't found his mate yet.

"I need to go," I stated, quickly getting up and pulling my shoes on and hunting for my jacket. Denki got up slowly and grabs my car keys, walking over to me and handing them out towards me once my jacket was on and my shoes are laced. "Thank you," I mumbled before pausing and looking at his remorseful eyes. I wanted to scream at him for trying to fuck this up. I wanted to hit him as Izuku had. But I couldn't. Instead, I leaned down and placed a kiss on his head. I ruffled his hair and then smirked as he gave me a tiny smile.

"Go get 'em," Denki said shyly with a nervous laugh as he pushed me out the front door making me chuckle. Nodding, I rushed out to my car and speed off towards my house. It was really late at night and there were hardly any cars on the road, making my drive simple and easy as my mind raced with thoughts of Izuku -- my mate.

He was hurting. I could feel it in my chest. It seemed that when I finally accepted the situation, it opened myself up to him in a way. Our bond had strengthened and given me access to him in a more intimate way. I could feel the ache inside his chest, making me rub a free hand over my chest. Damn, I needed to fix this. Now.

Izuku had been suffering for so long, both of us dealing with our pain in different ways. I shut people out and became cold-hearted, only caring about my small group of friends -- clinging to them when I had no one else. My flashbacks only made me hate Izuku instead of ever trying to sort out my messed up feelings towards him. I chose to be angry and let my hurt fester.

Izuku was alone for four years. He only had a few friends as well but he managed to finish college and get a job. He suffered four years of heat cycles and pain and I was sure he felt our bond weaken over the years that he spent away from me. I had no clue how he survived that. The drugs maybe? Fuck. I slammed my hands on the steering wheel and growled.

Pain erupted within as I thought of Izuku being on drugs to cope with the pain of the situation. The pain I caused him. I needed to fix this before I lost him for good. I lost him once, I couldn't do it again. Izuku was weak enough -- only now getting a little better since I was around him more. But his body was still thin and weak. I could feel his spine under my fingers when we kissed.

Speeding down the road, I turned into my neighborhood and spotted my house. It was time for the pain to end. I didn't want to be angry anymore. I didn't want Izuku to hurt anymore. It had been too damn long. Too much time where both of us had been confused and hurt over something we just needed to fucking talk about and try and fix. Izuku was my mate; he had done nothing wrong. My chest still ached and I groaned, rubbing my hand over my sternum again.

"I'm sorry, Zuku -- I'm gonna fix this, I swear," I mumbled to myself as I pulled into my driveway and jumped out of the car. Racing to the front porch I dug for my keys. "Please," I whispered to myself as my keys jingled in my unsteady hand. "Fuck, please," I begged to myself.