When the alpha and omega got home, Deku had only one request and that was to be scented. He didn't care if his bags waited in the trunk or if his parents waited for his call, he just wanted what he wanted. It increased the bond between him and his alpha and reaffirmed their relationship.

Katsuki rolled up his sleeves and fulfilled the omega's needs, rubbing their wrists together then their necks. It was satisfying for him too, especially after they'd been apart for so long. When the omega was satisfied, he helped Katsuki bring in the bags and called his parents from Katsuki's kitchen, watching the alpha mix drinks for them. He informed them that he was going to spend the night at Katsuki's place. He figured that he'd tell them tomorrow that he was moving out. It was the best decision for everyone. After all, his mom and dad were adults too and they wanted their own house back after 22 years of sharing it with a child.

"Okay so I'm just spit-balling here but I'm thinking white, natural wood, and organic green accents for the kitchen." The omega said as a short glass was placed in front of him. He sniffed it with interest. It smelled both sweet and bitter at the same time. He sipped it. "What's this?"

"Coke 'n rum." The man answered, sipping his own drink.

"Are you opposed to replacing these cabinets?"

"Very."

"Actually, we could paint them black. It would accent the light color scheme of the room."

The alpha grunted, foreseeing how annoying this redecorating thing was going to be.

"I'll figure it out tomorrow." The omega promised. "So what have you been up to these past few days? I don't hear enough from you in those 30-second-long messages."

"Really not much…" He felt the urge to tell Deku about the one thing that had been bugging him for so long. 'He's not going to be angry, right? It's not like I did anything wrong… Is he going to feel threatened? Less than? Anxious?' Katsuki wondered.

"Your eyes don't match your mouth." The omega noted, watching the worry in his partner's crimson irises.

"I've just been dealing with a client who really annoys me." The man admitted. It was time to tell Deku. Keeping it hidden only made it seem like there was something that needed hiding.

"It's Cutie, right?" He guessed immediately.

The alpha nodded.

"What's going on?" Izuku prodded, a sense of protectiveness making the hairs on his arms stand on end. He sensed a threat to his relationship.

"Since the first session, I've had issues with her being too close. She makes inappropriate remarks, she tries to touch me-"

"Touch you how?" The omega interrupted, growling like an alpha. The danger of his aura shocked Katsuki.

"Deku, take a deep breath. Nothing like you're thinking. Just little things like trying to touch my back or arms."

The omega immediately leaned closer to his alpha, his eyebrows knit together tightly as he sniffed for any evidence of her scent. Now that he was truly focusing, he found a bit of her lingering on the alpha's clothes. He met the alpha's eyes with a scowl. He was angry at the other omega, not Katsuki, but he couldn't hold in his expression of jealousy and irritation. "Go take a shower." He ordered, his voice leaving no room for negotiation.

Katsuki became worried. Deku's face was scary. 'Is he mad at me? I didn't do anything!' He remembered back to what Toga's manager had told him- that there was no such thing as a sexually assaulted alpha. 'Maybe he's right, no one would believe that I was really innocent. Alphas are always the aggressors, they always want sex. Maybe Deku believes that too' he thought. "Deku, I didn't instigate it or anything, I promise. I was acting the same with her as I do with all of my clients until I realized that she was… well, taking it the wrong way. I tried to drop her as a client right after that. I swear, you're the only omega that I look at." Katsuki had never sounded so pathetic in his whole life but now that there was even the slightest chance that he would lose his omega, groveling seemed like no big deal.

Deku quirked his brows. "What? No, Kacchan, I know you didn't do anything. I'm sorry, I know I'm really worked up right now but it's not your fault. I know you. I know you wouldn't act like that."

Katsuki felt a great weight lifted from him. How did he end up with someone so perfect? "Thanks, Deku." He said.

"Shower first, thank me later." The boy insisted. He couldn't stand that his alpha was wearing another omega's scent.

Katsuki nodded and went to the bathroom, surprised to see that the omega was following. "Are you… coming in with me?" He asked, his face flushed.

"I have to check and make sure that it's all gone." The omega wasn't embarrassed at all, he was on a serious mission.

Katsuki, despite his brash and masculine personality, didn't really like being naked in front of people. In the shower room at the gym, other men walked around with their dicks hanging free but Katsuki always wrapped a towel around his waist. He didn't really feel comfortable about just dropping his pants in front of his omega.

Deku sensed the alpha's hesitation. "Here, we'll both shower so it won't be weird." He suggested though the alpha didn't understand how that would be any less weird. The omega easily began to undress. Unlike Katsuki, he didn't mind nakedness. Granted, there were things he didn't like about his body like his knobby knees and obvious spine but when it came to his private parts, he didn't think twice about the alpha seeing them.

When the omega was completely stripped down to his bare, freckled, skin, he started the water and felt as it warmed up. Katsuki was shocked by the boy's bravery. Then again, he saw his naked body the first day they met when he was in the tub.

Katsuki began to undress, assured by Deku's serious demeanor that this wasn't anything sexual. When the omega turned around and saw that his partner was bare, he immediately noticed what was hanging between the man's legs. He blushed slightly and looked back to the tub. 'Isn't that kind of big?' He wondered. 'It's not erect, right? That's just the normal size? I don't think it would fit in me when it's at its full size. Shit… well, I guess I'll leave that problem for future Deku. But seriously, where is he supposed to put that? I better come up with an answer to that before we get there.'

"Kacchan, it's ready," He said, stepping into the shower. The Alpha followed. Surprisingly, once he was in the little space with his omega, it didn't seem so odd anymore. Deku had a pretty body. Of course, he was attracted to the omega sexually but those urges didn't seem to get in the way. He looked at the greenette and just saw a beautiful boy, a boy who was his. It was actually sort of natural to see him like this.

The alpha washed himself thoroughly then turned to the omega for approval. The boy sniffed him all over and told him to wash again. He caught traces of her scent on his shoulder where she often touched him. That annoyed the omega. "You told her you already have an omega, right?"

"Many times." Katsuki confirmed.

"Why is she so persistent? I don't like that. She has too much power, she could say bad things about you and everyone would believe her."

"Everyone?"

"Well not me, of course." The omega said, rinsing the soap out of his thick hair. "I'm always on your side. Still, you should be careful of her. Can't you send her to a different trainer?"

"Not really. She chose me for whatever reason - I think it has something to do with another alpha - and I already signed a contract. Now I'm stuck with her."

"Tell your boss that she's acting like that."

"I did but ultimately, the contract was with me, not the gym so it's just between me and her manager. You don't have to worry about it, Deku. Nothing will ever happen between us and I have cameras in my studio to prove that."

"Let me go talk to her."

"Not going to happen."

"What? Why!?" The omega pouted. "I can take care of it!"

"She's a crazy person with crazy amounts of power. I don't want you within a mile of her."

"You get to protect me from other alphas all the time but I don't get to do the same? Doesn't that sound awfully hypocritical?"

The alpha shrugged, set in his decision.

"I can take care of it!" The boy insisted. "I'm your omega, I have the right to claim what's mine and drive off competitors."

"I'm your alpha, I have the right to keep my omega safe. You can't imagine what a war this caliber would look like."

The omega drained the last of the soap from his hair and left the shower, annoyed. 'He doesn't believe me? Do I look weak?' He wondered. Izuku found that there were no clothes left in his dresser so he put on a pair of underwear and closed himself in his room. 'It's my duty and my right to keep omegas away from Kacchan! That's my job, he can't take it away from me. What a prick. Does he think he can just tell me what to do all the time because he's an alpha?'

Katsuki was not unaware of how the omega was feeling but he didn't know what the solution was. He couldn't just let Deku hash it out with Toga, that was too dangerous. He got out of the shower and dried off. After getting dressed, he sat on the couch for a while and waited to see if Deku would calm down and come out. After two hours of waiting, he decided to knock in the bedroom door. "Deku." He said bluntly, trying not to seem too emotional. "Come on, I'm going to make dinner."

"I'm tired." He lied.

"Just come out. This is childish. I said it's not going to happen and that's that."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize that you were the emperor all of the sudden. Your word is law now?"

"Just get over it! I can handle it myself just fine without you getting involved and complicating things!"

"I'm sorry my affection is so inconvenient for you, Katsuki." The omega spat in a bitter voice.

The alpha growled, frustrated. This was the type of situation he wanted to avoid when he was single. Deku was acting so jealous and unreasonable, it was obnoxious. He returned to the couch and pulled out his phone, texting the relationship guru.

Katsuki: You busy? I've got a question.

Ochaco: Not particularly. What is it?

Katsuki: I told Izuku about that client and now he wants to go beat her up. Obviously, he can't do that but now he's all pissed at me too.

Iida glanced over to his wife in the passenger seat of his car. "Who are you texting?" He wondered.

"Izuku and Katsuki." She answered, smiling at the navy-haired alpha.

"Both of them?"

"Yeah, they're in a little fight. It's their first fight as a couple."

"Oh… Should you really be intervening in that?"

"I'm not getting involved, I'm just helping them to see the issue from a third-party perspective. People go blind when they're upset."

"Don't meddle." He reminded her.

"I'm not!" She protested.

"I know they're your friends but they'll get through this on their own and be stronger because of it." He told her. She huffed and set down her phone, knowing her alpha was right. He chuckled. "Hungry?" He offered as an olive branch.

"Always." She replied. "This baby is going to come out fat."

"Milkshakes or french fries?" He asked. Those were her most common cravings.

"Both." She decided.

The alpha smiled. "Okay, both."

Katsuki growled at his phone in frustration. Ochaco wasn't responding anymore. He needed her to tell him what to do. 'Shouldn't I be able to say 'because I'm the alpha' and have my orders followed? It's not like I'm a tyrant or anything but sometimes, I have to make decisions for him even when he doesn't want me to! God, he's being so annoying! I thought Deku was this completely unique, perfect, omega but I guess all omegas are at least a little obnoxious.'

In the bedroom, the mostly naked boy angrily tidied and organized his things. He checked his phone again but his friend hadn't responded. She always knew what to say. It was like she could see into the minds of alphas. Deku wondered if he'd ever be able to understand Katsuki as well as she seemed to. He looked up from where he sat on the floor when there was another knock at his bedroom door. He was expecting an apology.

"Deku, just come out already." The alpha ordered, his stern tone only further aggravating the omega.

"I'm not a doll. You can't just say 'go here', 'go there', 'do this', 'don't do that'. Have you ever used the word 'please' in your life?"

"Why the fuck are you being like this all the sudden!? It's not cute, Deku. You're acting like every other needy, irrational, omega in the world."

That set Izuku aflame. "Oh, so you've jumped to attacking my whole gender!? Is your head still on your shoulders out there!?"

"My head's just fine, how about yours? Why can't you understand a simple concept!? You want to do something stupid so I said no! That's as complicated as this needs to be!"

There was a long silence before the boy's voice returned, darker and more serious than Katsuki had ever heard. "I'm not stupid."

"Deku… you know I didn't mean it like that."

"Go away, Katsuki." The omega growled.

Katsuki went to the kitchen and poured himself another drink, harder than the first. He threw back his head and swallowed the bitter liquor in one shot. 'Maybe we were too rash when we decided to start living together again' he thought. 'Maybe this is too fast. Couples usually spend time apart to learn about each other before getting this close.'

Just as he thought that, there was a low rumbling that reverberated through every surface in the room. It caught the alpha off guard but he didn't have a moment to collect his thoughts before the real shock hit. The world jerked beneath his feet, making the ceiling lights swing and the cabinet doors smack. His walls creaked with subtle strain. There was a loud noise from Deku's room, the sound of something falling. Immediately, despite the fight, the alpha's only thought was of Deku. His heart raced a million miles an hour.

He rushed to Deku's door, the world still unsteady. "Deku!" He yelled, banging on the door. He tried the handle but it was locked.

The only response he got was a barely audible voice whimpering "Ka-Kacchan…"

Without hesitation, the alpha lifted his leg and broke the door handle. The door burst open, smacking hard against the wall with an incredible bang. The door knob on the other side broke through the wall, creating a fist-sized hole in the plaster.

Katsuki rushed to the omega and lifted the shelf off of the boy. Where it hung on the wall was scarred by the screws being ripped out when the shelf fell. It wasn't heavy or even that big but it was enough to pin the omega down due to his natural panic instinct. Omegas like many other prey animals often froze in response to physical attack, unable to shake their muscles out of the forced shut down.

Katsuki pulled Deku with him under the desk. They huddled together, the omega still frozen. Although the main shock was over, the after shocks would still be coming.

The alpha held his omega so tight, only concerned with keeping the boy safe. Both of their phones chirped as the warnings came in and car alarms started whining outside. As Deku regained control of his body, his fingers grabbed on tight to the alpha's shirt. He completely forgot the fight, all he cared about was that his alpha was there.

They remained under the desk, waiting in silence for another ten minutes as a few aftershocks rang through before finally coming out from hiding. Katsuki went first, checking that everything was fine before extending his hand to his omega and helping him up. Both looked around the room with baited breath, assessing the damage and feeling for more quakes.

The house had faced no noticeable damage other than the shelf falling. Deku had been the one who installed the shelf. He didn't properly reinforce the screws and put too much weight on it. Katsuki gently brought Deku to his bed and laid him down, feeling over his body slowly and carefully to access if there was bone damage. Deku was completely willing to submit now after being so frightened.

Katsuki rolled the boy onto his back and started feeling his ribs. "I'm sorry, Kacchan…" The boy whispered. "I don't want to talk to her anymore. I'll follow your order." That moment of panic reminded him that the alpha is there to protect him. It humbled him. All he wanted was to belong to this alpha. It seemed so stupid now to fight with him. He didn't mind just accepting Katsuki's decision.

Katsuki helped the boy sit up and hugged him warmly, realizing how idiotic the whole thing was. Deku just wanted to follow his nature and protect him out of love. He knew it was wrong to just order the omega around without proper discussion. Yes, he was the dominant one in the relationship but he had to show Deku respect by honoring his wishes. "No… you shouldn't listen to me, I was being a dick. I'm sorry." He nuzzled his nose into the crook of Deku's neck and took in his scent. The most important thing to him was having his boy there in his arms and safe. The earthquake reminded him of that.

"You were kind of a dick…" the omega agreed, "But I was a dick too."

"Are we even, then?" The alpha softly kissed the omega's collarbone. All of the stress that he was still holding onto from the quake dissolved.

"We're even." The boy agreed.

"I have another session with her the day after tomorrow. Why don't I bring you to work with me and you can talk to her."

The boy nodded. "Is she… really pretty?"

"No. Why does that matter?"

"What if I show up and she looks gorgeous and I look…"

Katsuki covered the boy's mouth with his hand. "You're prettier than anyone else. Don't say stupid things anymore."

The boy's heavy lids flickered closed, silently prompting Katsuki for a kiss. The alpha removed his hand and replaced it with his lips, kissing his boy slowly and lovingly. Both men parted their lips and accepted the other as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Katsuki led, choosing the angles and initiating each step but he was also attentive to the omega, listening and responding to the boy's silent cues. The intimacy was finally broken by both of their phones beeping hysterically.

The omega grumbled annoyedly as he got off the bed and fetched his phone. He wasn't living with his parents but he still managed to get interrupted every time he and Katsuki were having a private moment. He read the message. "Tsunami warning." He reported, seeming a little unimpressed. It was mandatory to issue a warning after a large enough earthquake. "It says here that the quake was either a magnitude four or five, it's still being assessed." He looked up to his alpha. "No evacuation warning so… let's watch Total Home Makeover." He suggested.

The alpha rolled his eyes. He hated that show. Each episode was the same. The team of omega designers would victimize some poor alpha who couldn't give two shits about interior design and tear their house apart. "I'm only saying yes because I'm a little tipsy." The alpha agreed. In truth, he felt bad about their fight earlier.

For the rest of the night, the two sat on the couch and watched TV. Katsuki sat upright while the omega stretched out, his head on his alpha's lap and his body strewn across the length of the couch. Deku fell asleep in that position after a few episodes. Katsuki quietly turned off the TV and brought him to his own bedroom. He didn't want to leave the boy alone in the remodeled office until he'd had a chance to check all the fixtures for stability.

He put Deku in his bed and got in on the other side. When he woke up at sunrise, he realized that his body had practically consumed Deku's. He had the boy trapped in his arms, one leg swung over his hips to pin him in place. The omega cuddled into the hold, enjoying the warmth and alphan scent.

Katsuki carefully removed himself from the boy and went to make breakfast. Although Deku preferred to sleep in, the scent of broiling fish and the loss of his heat source drove him out of bed. He tiredly plopped himself down at the table, his eyes barely opening. "Did I wander into your room last night?" He asked.

"No, I put you there. I'll put that shelf back up in your room and check the other fixtures. Then you can move back in."

The omega put this head down on the cool counter top, silently hoping it would take Katsuki a few days at least to fix everything so that he could stay in the alpha's room a little longer. His bed was bigger and softer and he slept so well next to the alpha. "Kacchan, I need coffee." He whined.

"Get up and make it." The alpha said, turning the rice in his rice cooker to ensure it was cooking evenly.

"But you make it better."

"Bullshit. Stop being lazy. If you're going to live here, you have to carry your weight."

The omega grumbled and dragged his tired body to the coffee maker. "Do you know of a job I can do with a degree in Russian literature and English?"

"Sure. You could be a tour guide, you could work at the embassy, you could tutor. There are a million jobs you could do."

"Can you help me write a resume?"

"Do you have any work experience?"

"I don't think so."

"Maybe you should get a seasonal job like as bagger or cashier. That way, you have at lease something to put on a resume."

"But I wanted to go see your parents for the holidays…"

"What?"

"Christmas is really special in America, right? I thought it would be fun to go there for the holiday and meet them."

"When were you planning on discussing this with me? Were you going to go alone?" He asked, narrowing his brows.

"Don't you think it's weird that you never talk about your family? I've never met them, not even over face time. Do they even know that I exist?"

Katsuki served two plates with rice and fish. "What does it matter? You're with me, not them."

"Is there a reason you haven't told them?" There was a twinge in insecurity in the omega's voice as he brought the pot of coffee to the table and poured it into the two mugs.

"Look, it's not like I'm hiding anything, I'm just not that close with my family. Besides, they're weird and they would freak you out."

"I promise I won't be freaked out." The boy insisted. "It's just your mom and dad, right?"

That was a hard question for Katsuki to answer. He sighed and put pressure on his temples. "I…Well, yes. The house in Alaska is just my mom and dad."

"Kacchan? That was a weird answer... I thought you didn't have any siblings." Deku stared the alpha down with a hard gaze.

"It doesn't matter." He replied. The little omega let his fork drop from his hand with a clatter on the table. He hadn't taken a bite yet he abandoned the plate and crossed his arms. He alpha glanced up. "What's that? A hunger strike?"

The boy raised an eyebrow at him challengingly. "You have a sibling." He stated confidently.

"Just drop it. You'll never ever meet him."

"What's his name? Is he older or younger? Is he an alpha too? Do you have a picture?"

Katsuki knew he had to get off this topic. The incessant omega would never stop bugging him. Like throwing a ball for a dog, Katsuki decided to offer something he knew the omega wouldn't refuse. "Wanna go to IKEA?"

Izuku took the bait, his eyes going wide. "Can we?"

"Yeah." Katsuki nodded. "But you've got to finish your breakfast so less talking and more eating." He was glad to be off the subject of his brother. He didn't know how to explain their relationship to Deku. He lived in Hong Kong, Katsuki lived in Japan, and that amount of distance worked well for them.

The boy scarfed down his meal then went to Katsuki's closet to find something that would fit him. "Kacchan, can we go by my parents' place too?" He asked from the bedroom. "I need to pick up my clothes."

"Sure." The alpha agreed. The omega walked out in an oversized hoodie and basketball shorts, making the alpha snort. "Actually, I think this is the best wardrobe for you." He said, unable to hold back chuckles.

"Why is everything you own black and grey?" The boy complained.

"Give me a twirl, let me see your outfit." He said. The naïve boy did as he was told, turning around for the alpha. "It certainly fills you out a little more."

"Are you teasing me?"

"No, you look cute. Funny but cute."

"Kacchan… is this the sort of fashion you like? Baggy and plain?" He asked. He'd been wondering about Katsuki's preferences since his first night in the hotel.

"Those are my clothes. Obviously, I like them."

"I meant on other people. What kind of fashion do you think looks good on other people?"

"This question is getting weird. Just tell me what you really want to say."

The omega took a deep breath. "I want to wear clothes that will make me more attractive to you." The boy blurted out. "Don't get me wrong. I don't mean that I want to be erotic all the time, I just mean that I want to present myself in a way that you think looks good."

The alpha rolled his eyes, smiling just the littlest bit. "What? Do you want me to say something cheesy like 'you always look good'?"

"I want you to tell me the truth. It's something I think about often… I know looks aren't really a big deal to alphas but they are to omegas. I want to make sure you always look at me and think I'm cute."

"Alright, alright. Come over here, let me see you better." The alpha ordered, his voice soft. The omega obeyed, walking straight up to the sitting man so that their knees were touching. He was a little embarrassed. "Th-this isn't really the outfit I wanted you to look at, though. They don't fit at all and-"

Before he could say anything else, he felt two big, warm, hands gently take hold of his waist and pull him in a bit closer. The alpha leaned in too and met the boy's abdomen with a soft kiss over the fabric of the hoodie. He seemed so tame and gentle compared to his usual hot-headed self.

Deku blushed, holding onto the man's arms for balance. "Katsuki…" He whispered.

"You always look good." The man answered, his breath warm against the shirt material. He slowly nosed the boy's stomach lovingly. "Even when you roll out of bed with your hair in a mess, wearing an oversized t-shirt. Even then, I think you're prettier than everyone else. Even when I first met you and you were dirty, bony, and bruised. Even then, you were a hundred times prettier than Toga or any other omega. Wear anything or nothing, you'll still be without competition."

The omegas hands gently slid up the alpha's arms, over his shoulders, up his neck, and cupped his cheeks lovingly. "I love you." He whispered.

The alpha smiled up at him, truly believing that his omega was the most beautiful person alive. "Ditto." He responded with a little chuckle, making the omega giggle too.

"Say it back." The boy pestered, his smile extending from cheek to cheek.

"I just did~"

"No you didn't, Jerk."

"I just called you the most beautiful person in the world and you call me jerk? I'm not the insensitive one here."

The happy omega leaned down and kissed his alpha deeply. This was his first time fully initiating a kiss. Before, he would just give cues and wait for the alpha to act but he couldn't help it this time. He loved this man, he truly did. He loved how he was so kind and loving but at the same time, stand-offish and proud. He loved the alpha's teasing and his jokes just like he loved his praises and caresses.

When the kiss was broken, the two looked into each other's eyes. The cool, organic, green irises fearlessly clashing with the fiery, passionate, crimson ones. "I love you too." The alpha said, speaking the words that flowed over Izuku like a gentle river.

Izuku felt a desire to keep going. He wanted another kiss, this one deeper and more passionate than the last. He wanted to climb into Katsuki's lap and let the alpha lead their actions. He shook the thought out of his head with tinted cheeks and backed up from Katsuki. He grabbed his coffee and sipped it. It was mostly milk and sugar with just a bit of coffee for taste. 'Katsuki has been so patient with me… I need to do the same.' He reminded himself.

"I'm going to get dressed." Katsuki said before getting up and leaving for his room. He pulled off his shirt and looked for one to change into. 'I wonder when it's going to be the right time for that. I mean, it's obvious that we love each other, heat isn't in the way, and there's no inequality between us anymore.' He thought. 'Do we love each other enough? Is this a forever thing? For me… I'd be happy to call him my omega forever. I wonder if he feels the same way. Is he a virgin? Shit, what if neither of us know what we're doing? What if I do something wrong and hurt him? What if he can't relax and enjoy it because of his weight issue? What if I scare him?'

There was a lot to consider. Katsuki changed his clothes and fixed his hair in the mirror. 'Whatever. It'll happen when it happens, right? It's only been a month. Respectable couples wait longer than that. It's not like it's the only way we can give each other affection and even without that, this is still perfect.'

The two men got in the car and drove to IKEA. This time, Katsuki made sure to set a four-hour limit for the trip. That was the longest he could tolerate it. Izuku got busy with his time limit, being sure not to waste a single minute. Katsuki was usually very attentive towards the omega but he was so bored in that store that he found his attention wandering. Sometimes he'd pull out his phone and when he looked up, the boy was already 100 feet away.

One such time when he found himself dozing off, he snapped out of it and looked around for the omega only to spot him further down the isle talking to a stranger. He quickly approached the two, giving the stranger a predatory glare. It was an alpha and he had the scent of multiple omegas on his clothes. Katsuki didn't like that at all. He noticed that Deku was holding a little piece of paper and took it from him, reading it over.

It was a flyer for a company that described itself as a modeling agency. It wasn't any company that Katsuki had ever heard of before. He glared at the invasive alpha with pure danger in his eyes. "The fuck is this?" He growled, holding up the flyer. "Is this from you? What makes you think my omega would be anywhere near a business like this? Do these fake-ass little flyers really trick anyone?"

"We-we're just a modelling agency…" The nervous alpha replied but Katsuki knew better. These companies roped in omegas with one or two innocent photoshoots and treated them like celebrities. Once they had a foot in the door, it was easy to ask for more. They easily pressured the omegas into taking photos without their clothes on and then they moved into movies. Some of the bigger rings took it step further, threatening to send those movies to their school principals and grandparents if they didn't take a few private appointments with strange men. As an omegan self-defense professional, Katsuki knew all about these businesses.

He grabbed the man by the collar, jerking him hard. "Don't ever look at my omega again, got it?" He growled, only one step away from tearing the man's throat out. "Don't even think about him. If he ever gets approached like this again, I don't care whether you know the person or not, I'm going to hunt you down personally and kill you." He let go of the man's collar, his aura still strong and aggressive. "Never come back here."

The man nodded and left immediately. Katsuki watched until he was out of sight before turning his eyes back to his omega. The boy was wide-eyes and trembling. He was scared and confused. Why had his alpha just tried to publicly murder the stranger who told him he was pretty? He couldn't remember seeing Katsuki as being this dangerous before.

"Katsuki?" He asked in a small voice. He was releasing fear and anxiety pheromones. "Why… why did you do that?"

It broke his heart to see his own omega afraid of him. What broke his heart more was having to explain to him that someone saw him as weak and tried to take advantage of him. He remembered how badly hurt the omega had been after learning the truth about Todoroki. He felt venerable and stupid. Katsuki didn't want him to have to feel like that again. He was angry at himself for not protecting Deku correctly. If he had stayed by his side and remained vigilant, that man would have never approached the omega.

Katsuki knew that he had to tell him the truth. Deku had to know what monsters were out there so he didn't get eaten by one. "That's not a real company. I've heard the same story a hundred times. Every year, countless omegas get tricked by those guys." He explained, trying to help Deku see that it wasn't just him who fell for these things. "It's not modeling like the kind on the front of magazines, it's clothes-off modeling." He watched the pain in his omega's eyes and felt his heart sink. For Deku's own good, he had to tell him.

"Companies like this… they trick omegas into taking videos with their clothes off then they force them to spend the night with strangers or they sell them off into marriages with people who already have two or three omegas. That's why I had to act like that. Unless he really believed that I would kill him, he'd keep coming back here. And Deku… it wasn't just an act. I would kill that man if he ever put his hands on you and tried to treat you badly. As long as I'm alive, you will never be treated like that."

The omega began blinking rapidly, fighting away tears that stung his eyes. "So that was a trick… He was trying to hurt me… and I just played along, believing his compliments… I'm sorry, Kacchan."

Katsuki took a step forward and pulled the boy into an embrace so he could cry without anyone seeing. His omega was such a cry baby but he loved that about him. "It wasn't your fault." He assured. "Some people walk around this earth looking for other people's weaknesses. You're trusting and sweet and cute. Some people will recognize how beautiful that makes you and others will see it as a way to use you." He comfortingly played with the boy's rich emerald curls and emitted his calming alpha pheromones. "I'm sorry I left you alone. I won't do it again."

When Deku had calmed down, he pushed slightly against the alpha to indicate that he didn't need to be held anymore. Katsuki released him and looked into his eyes. "Are you okay?" He asked.

Deku nodded. "Will you… hold my hand the rest of the trip? Please?" He requested. As soon as the words left his lips, a familiar hand wrapped around his, fingers intertwining. They walked around the store like that. Although the omega was a little more on edge, he was remarkably calm. After all, his alpha was there. There was no one he trusted or loved more than his alpha.

"Kacchan…" The boy said as they walked along.

"Yeah?"

"Do you think I'm weak?"

"What?"

"Answer honestly, it's okay."

The alpha chuckled. "If I said yes, I'd be completely forgetting the time you kicked my ass. Remember that? I think I still have a headache from that headbutt."

"That was a fluke." The omega dismissed.

"Bullshit. Is it a fluke that you're ready to fight a huge pop star over a little bit of flirting? You're strong, Deku. There's no two ways about it."

The omega managed a weak smile. "Sometimes, I look at myself and think, 'I'm not pretty, I'm not strong, I'm not smart' but then you say I am and I can't help but believe you."

"I don't lie so from now on, you can trust what I tell you, okay?"

"Okay, Kacchan." The omega affectionately squeezed the alpha's hand. There was no doubt in his mind that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with this man.