Shoto and Eijiro curled up around each other in Shoto's room. They said a quick goodbye to Fuyumi before they took the last train back to school. Now they exchanged soft kisses as the crickets chirped in the night air, and a gentle breeze came in from the open glass door. However, even with the fresh air coming in, Eijiro noticed how the room was becoming thicker with the smell of smoke the longer they kissed.

"Sho?" he asked between kisses.

"Mmm.." Shoto trailed his lips along Eijiro's jaw, then nipped at the scent gland that sat just below the alpha's ear.

A sensitive spot for Eijiro, and it made him shiver all over from the sensation. "Your scent…" he whined when Shoto licked down his throat and pulled skin into a small bite. "It's getting stronger. … Are you going into rut?"

The scent of smoke had been increasing since before they left the Todoroki home. On the train, Shoto had let out the tiniest snarl when an alpha stood too close to Eijiro, and it reminded him of when he would start to pre-rut.

"Probably. My heats and ruts are typically close to each other. The heat probably triggered my rut," he said against Eijiro's throat.

Shoto slid a hand under Eijiro's shirt, his fingers dancing across the alpha's abs then up to his chest, taking a nipple and giving it a slight tweak.

"Fuck," Eijiro gasped as Shoto kept working his body. "Do … Mmmm … you want me to join you for it?" Eijiro let his head fall back, eyes closed while Shoto continued to kiss and leave purple marks along his neck.

The question stopped Shoto, and the gamma pulled back, getting Eijiro's attention.

"You want to share my rut?"

Eijiro wondered if he had overstepped, but wasn't about to back peddle. "Of course I do."

"But, won't it make your alpha feel threatened?"

Eijiro had to wonder what kind of home Shoto grew up in that he would assume that.

"No. Because when one goes into rut, any other alpha in their pack will instinctively go into protection mode. Not to protect people from the rutting alpha, but to protect the alpha from aggressive alphas outside the pack. If we were strangers, then I would feel threatened, but we're pack." Eijiro softly kissed Shoto. "And I want to share your rut. But only if you want," he added.

Shoto rolled on top of Eijiro and pressed him down into the bed, siding a knee between the alpha's legs. Eijiro spread his legs giving his boyfriend room to slide between them.

"I really want," Shoto purred as he pressed down. He kissed Eijiro once, twice, then nuzzled into the alpha's neck. "I'm going to want to knot you," he said into Eijiro's throat.

"I'm going to insist you knot me," Eijiro whispered, his hands running along Shoto's back, tilting his neck to give his boyfriend more room to leave even more marks.

Eijiro whined at the thought. Getting knotted had been a fantasy of his for a while. When he ordered his first rut aid, his curiosity had gotten the better of him, and he clicked over to heat aids. The knotted dildos had looked interesting, and, maybe he stroked himself hard to compare. He had decided to research other knotted dildos and fell down a rabbit hole of links. It brought him to a website he knew he shouldn't have been on because when he clicked on what he thought was a review on a heat aid, it was an omega getting fucked by a large alpha that ended with him getting knotted.

Eijiro watched the alpha knot the omega three times, and by the fourth, he realized he was more interested in what it would feel like having a knot shoved up his ass rather than knotting someone else's. Since then, it's been a fantasy of his.

Shoto pressed down, his hard cock digging into his hip as Eijiro arched up into his lover's touch.

"I want to knot you now," Shoto rolled his hips, capturing his lips in a bruising kiss.

Their bodies pressed and ground against each other as their kissing turned heated. Eijiro worried that Shoto would catch his tongue on his sharp teeth, but the way he explored the alpha's mouth and coaxed Eijiro's tongue to dance with his, made him melt even more. Eijiro didn't want to wait until his gamma's rut and worked his way up Shoto's shirt, then slipped it over and off. Once it was on the floor, it was only a matter of minutes before both men were naked and back to grinding against each other.

"I need you," Eijiro whined as he pushed his groin against Shoto's.

A low growl and a spike of lust scented smoke was his response from his lover.

A heated kiss and then Eijiro was unceremoniously flipped over onto his stomach, and the alpha laughed as Shoto positioned his body how he wanted it.

"You have lube?" Eijiro asked with a gasp when Shoto massaged his ass cheeks, rolling the firm muscle in his hands.

"Behind the tissue," Shoto answered as he slowly glided his hands along Eijiro's back, from waist to shoulders and back down again. "Fuck, you're sexy," he murmured.

Eijiro pushed the box of tissue aside that sat on the shelf of the headboard, and behind it sat a bottle of silicone, omega slick. "You buy fake omega slick?"

"No, I fill it with my own," Shoto responded, and if Eijiro didn't know any better, he would swear the gamma was telling the truth.

Before he could ask, two fingers slid deep into his ass. "Oh shit, warn me next time," Eijiro gasped as his head landed on the pillow.

"Sorry," Shoto said as he stilled his fingers, giving Eijiro time to adjust to the sudden intrusion.

"S' okay, just give me a minute." Eijiro pulled the pillow and bunched it in his arms under his head as he leaned his upper body down with his ass high in the air.

When the initial sting gave way to pleasure, Eijiro pushed back signally for Shoto to keep going. This time, a little slower, he pulled his fingers out and slid them back into Eijiro's tight hole. The alpha moaned quietly into the pillow; the more Shoto kept fingering him. Two fingers soon turned into three until Eijiro was actively humping back onto his boyfriend's digits.

"I'm ready, please," Eijiro begged, turning to look at the gamma.

Except, instead of lust and want, Shoto looked almost lost in thought. "Sho?" Eijiro asked, turning to his side.

"Eijiro," Shoto locked his gaze with the alpha. "I want to bond with you."

Eijiro's eyes widened. Unlike a claiming mark given by aggressive and controlling alphas, bonding was more intimate.

Claiming bites happened when the alpha injected their alphan venom in the space between the neck and shoulder. The venom mixed with the omegas bloodstream and gave the alpha complete control over them with their alpha commands. Bonding was different. The bite was less severe and in the scent gland beneath the ear, and unlike a claiming bite, was exchanged between partners and not one-sided.

Also, bonding traditionally happened after marriage; it was the original means of declaring a lifelong commitment with someone. The ceremony of marriage began when people wanted to be in a binding relationship with the option of getting divorced. Nowadays, people who considered themselves to be soulmates would exchange the bonding bite. Which in modern times was a lot less than it used to be. Only those who wanted to commit to each other forever bonded.

Eijiro quickly turned and sat up, taking Shoto's face gently into his hands. "Shoto, that's a lifetime thing. We would be bonded forever," Eijiro reminded him. "You would be stuck with me for the rest of your life."

"I love you." Shoto's eyes never wavered from Eijiro's. "I have never felt this way about anyone. I know I never will again."

"You can't say that. You might get tired of me, or you could meet someone else and fall in love with them," even as Eijiro said the words he hated them. He hated the idea of Shoto ever finding anyone else,

"Could you fall in love with someone else?" Shoto asked.

Eijiro knew his answer without having to think about it. "No. There's no one else for me," he admitted.

"My father won't just give up because I used his beliefs against him. And you saw that omega's reaction when she found out I was a gamma." Shoto moved forward as Eijiro pulled him into his arms. "You're the only one who has ever seen me and accepts me for who I am. I love you, and I know you love me."

"I do love you," Eijiro whispered; it was the first time the words ever came from his mouth.

"See, I knew you did. Which is why I want to bond with you. … If it doesn't work out, I'll pay for the reconstruction surgery."

"That never works on bond marks, Sho." Shoto laid his head on Eijiro's shoulder as the alpha held him tight. "Plus, I would never ask for it."

"I'm completely positive; it's what I want."

"Then, … okay. Yeah." Eijiro kissed the top of Shoto's head. "Are we going to tell your father?"

"I don't think that would be a good idea; he'll have the surgery done right away before we would have a chance to heal,"

"So, we're eloping then. We'll just keep it secret until after graduation," Eijiro laughed a wet laugh, as tears formed in his eyes. He felt so happy.

"If it's okay?" Shoto pulled back just enough to look up.

"It is." Eijiro nodded. "Once we're out of school, Endeavor won't be able to do anything. … I mean, legally, he can't now since we're eighteen, but I don't want him pulling you out of our last year."

They looked at each other for a moment before they both broke out into huge grins.

"So, um…?" Eijiro started to feel a little nervous.

"Do you still want me to knot you?" Shoto asked.

"Fuck yeah, and we'll bond during?"

"I've read that is when it is easiest and hurts the least."

"You've read up on it already, huh?" Eijiro teased.

"My father has a lot of books about old traditions," Shoto deadpanned, and Eijiro couldn't help but laugh.

"Come here," Eijiro pulled Shoto into a deep kiss, hoping to get the mood back.

Quickly they found themselves exchanging heated kisses as they rubbed against each other. Shoto leaned Eijiro onto his back and slid a hand under the alpha's thigh, slowly bringing his leg back to slot better between his muscular legs.

"You could suffocate me between these thighs, and I would die a happy man," Shoto said into Eijiro's mouth as he squeezed the thigh.

"That's so fucking cheesy."

"You love it," Shoto said with a smirk, and Eijiro could only nod and smile. "I'm going to use my fingers again to make sure you're ready," Shoto warned this time.

Eijiro bit down into his bottom lip as Shoto slid two fingers back in easily. Within minutes he got up to four, and Eijiro was panting and quietly moaning whenever they brushed across his prostate. When he cried for more, Shoto slid them out and made sure to lube his cock well before lining up.

Just as he was about to push in, he locked eyes with Eijiro. "I love you," they said in unison, and with a push, the head of Shoto's cock breached the first rings of muscle.

Eijiro's eyes fluttered shut, and a throaty moan escaped him the more Shoto slowly pushed in. Shoto wasn't as big as he was, but he wasn't exactly small or even average. Being half alpha gave him extra length and girth, and Eijiro was loving every inch of it. Once Shoto bottomed out, he stilled to provide them both with a moment to breathe or else risk having the whole thing over too soon. When they were both ready, Shoto pulled back slightly and pushed back in, with each drag going farther and pushing back in a little harder and faster. When he pulled out to the tip, he slammed his way home, and Eijiro cried out in pleasure.

"Moooreee!" the alpha begged.

Shoto didn't disappoint. He pulled back again and thrust hard. He continued like this until he found a rhythm they both enjoyed. The sound of their breathing echoed in the room, along with the slapping of skin. Eijiro was sure his eyes were going to be rolled to the back of his head permanently. They seemed to stay there as a pleasure he had never felt before pulsed through his body. All the time he'd experimented with his fingers and the few toys he owned, it had never felt this good.

His left arm wrapped around Shoto's shoulders along with his one leg. He pulled his other leg back with his right as Shoto kept slamming into him. When the gamma shifted his hips, the new angle hit his prostate dead-on, and he nearly screamed with how good it felt.

"I'm getting close," Shoto huffed, and Eijiro whimpered how he was also.

"Me too."

Shoto gathered Eijiro into his arms and pulled the alpha up into his lap to face each other. Eijiro bounced on his gamma's cock, riding it for all he was worth when he felt himself begin to push against the knot.

"Need you. Need your knot," Eijiro begged.

With every drop, he pushed down harder, wanting his lover's knot to pop inside. He was dying for it. His thirst for his gamma's knot was real, and he slammed his ass down harder and harder, willing his body to accept it.

"Relax," Shoto whispered in his ear. "Let me make you cum."

Shoto licked and nipped at the sensitive gland on Eijiro's neck, and just like last time, the sensation caused him to shiver from head to toe. When Shoto put a little more pressure into it, Eijiro felt the tightening in his core, and his moans got louder.

Shoto pulled Eijiro's head down and onto the scent gland on his throat. He tried to kiss and get it ready as his body was near its completion. With a final thrust, Shoto's knot popped inside, and Eijiro's whole body tensed with pleasure while Shoto filled him with warm cum. He barely remembers biting into the soft gland under his teeth, and he only felt a slight pressure against his neck as his whole world turned white with stars and he had the most intense orgasm of his life.

When his senses came back to him, he immediately checked his mate's throat for the damage. His biggest concern was his shark teeth and what they might have done. Thankfully, his subconscious must have been alert because instead of the massive, ugly gouged type of mark usually left by a claim, his teeth only pierced the skin enough to leave a light scar. The venom still injected from his canines and would bond them, but because they both received the marks, they would be equals.

They sat there, with Eijiro in Shoto's lap, seated on the gamma's knot. Each other's heads were gently resting against the other as they brought their breathing back to normal.

"We did it. We're bonded," Eijiro sniffed. His emotions were running high, and he knew over time he would eventually pick up on Shoto's feelings now that they were bonded.

"How do you feel?" Shoto asked against this neck.

Eijiro took a second just to feel before he answered. "Perfect."

The arms that encircled him and held him tightened as his mate nodded. "You are perfect." Shoto agreed.

"So are you," Eijiro laughed with a kiss and a smile.

~Ά/β/Ω~

The entire student body of class 3A and friends had decided there needed to be a celebration for the rescue mission that saved hundreds of omega lives. Including Midoriya and Todoroki.

With the help of Akiro, who gave up as many names and locations as she could, the pro heroes and police were able to shut down not one, but three omega rings around the world. Omegas from dozens of illegal omega houses were rescued, and they were able to arrest many of the people involved.

As a treat, and because they only had a couple of days before their summer training would begin, the class wanted to relax and have some fun. They decided that heading to the festival set up in some of the streets would be the best, and then to a local park for a picnic dinner before heading back.

Bakugo and Midoriya held hands as they walked through the busy streets filled with vendors and people looking for something to do.

"Have you seen Shoto and Eijiro, I think they're hiding something," Midoriya said as they stopped to watch a few people try to catch goldfish.

"Tsk. They're just a couple of idiots. They ain't hiding anything," Bakugo pulled his boyfriend along.

"Who wears scarves in the summer?" Midoriya argued.

"Idiots. And they're not winter scarves, just stupid silk ones. Probably for the festival or some shit."

"I think they're hiding something," Midoriya mumbled anyway.

Bakugo just rolled his eyes instead of answering. He glanced over at his boyfriend and slightly smiled at what he saw. Midoriya wore the necklace he gave him, and it made his heart feel like it might burst from his chest.

When Bakugo decided he wanted to court the nerd, he convinced himself that Deku would never want him back, and he almost chickened out when he knew he gave the omega more reason to hate than to love him. But he also wasn't the type to back away from a challenge, and the greatest challenge was to change himself to be a better person. Especially if it meant giving him a chance with the only other person who has ever caught his interest as a mate.

For a while, he thought he was broken. He has been around plenty of omegas who have accidentally gone into heat, and he's had plenty of people of every primary and secondary gender throw themselves at him. But none of them ever caused his alpha to stand up and take notice. Eventually, he assumed he was demisexual and would just need time, but none of his pack mates ever piqued his interest either.

It was the last time Deku went into heat before the whole ordeal with the Yakuza. Bakugo had gone to the second floor to return something to Tokoyami when the smell hit him. Midoriya had gone into heat the day before and was locked up in his room. Usually, descentilizer strips line the doors to all rooms, but a corner had come loose on Midoriya's, and some of his scent was escaping.

He had smelled Deku in preheat on occasion, when it was closer to his actual heat and the patches were too saturated to contain all the oils, so he knew what the nerd smelled like. But he had never smelled him like this. So, uninhibited. It was the first time his alpha had ever reacted to an omega in heat. And it freaked Bakugo out.

He rushed back to his room and locked himself in for the rest of the night. He never slept. He spent the entire time going over every interaction with Deku throughout their lives. That's when he realized what a complete asshole he had been to someone who had done nothing but showed kindness and friendship to him even when he didn't deserve it. And thoughts of the past eventually lead to imagining the future.

What if he and Deku had never met? What would his life be like without the mumbling nerd always in his shadow?

What if they met, but never became friends because even little Bakugo had been a shitty kid. What if Deku took him up on his horrible comment and did jump off the building? That thought nearly made him vomit, and it put a lot of things into a different perspective.

What if he lost Midoriya at any point since they joined U.A.? Staring down at a headstone with Midoriya Izuku etched in granite. What would his life be like without the nerd mumbling away, or praising him, or just being Deku? Bakugo had slid down and sat on the floor against his bed as scenario after scenario ran through his mind. Tears streamed down his face.

What if Deku ended up hating him. The idea made Bakugo mad. Not because Deku would hate him, but because he knew he deserved it. What if he and Deku lost touch with each other after they graduated? Would he be able to live a normal life, never seeing Deku again? He knew he could, but he also knew it wouldn't be nearly as exciting or even fulfilling. What's the point if he can't have his rivalry with the one person who has always pushed him to do his best and give him the best challenge?

What if they became friends again? What if they could hang out as he does with the squad, or like Deku does with the other nerds? Bakugo felt a burst of something he couldn't name bloom in his chest when he imagined them being friends. Thoughts of doing all those fun things with the nerd that he does with Kirishima or the others put a smile on his face.

What if … what if they became more than friends? What if Bakugo could prove to Deku he would make the best mate? He knew that Deku wasn't looking for courtship, but he also knew people sometimes change their minds. He understood why Deku refused all courting offers, and he couldn't blame the omega. But he wasn't about to stop Deku from being a hero or even striving to be number one. Fuck, a part of him, wanted to see the omega reach the top spot. As long as he got to stand there next to him.

Because he knew, he just knew the moment that Deku finally got to a point in his life, when he was standing there in the top five, the nerd might start thinking about taking a mate, and the concept of any other person trying to win his heart made Bakugo furious.

He felt so torn. He wanted to be the one that Midoriya would accept over all others; he wanted those green eyes on him and no one else. But he also knew he had to respect Deku's wishes of not courting. It made his alpha roar with frustration.

In the end, he decided he would secretly court the omega. This way, it would give Deku the choice to refuse him without destroying the friendship he was determined to rebuild. Yes, he was a greedy man. He understood this. But it was all he could think of. He wanted to show Deku how much he was beginning to care about the nerd and hoped that someday it would pay off. … He just didn't expect it to be so soon. Not that he's complaining.

The epiphany of that night turned his world on its head, and he was extremely grateful for it.

They continued to walk until they met with Sero and Kaminari, trying their hand at a shooting game.

"You need to work on your aim," Sero was laughing as Kaminari kept missing the targets.

"How are you bad at this?" Bakugo asked.

"I don't know!" Kaminari laughed along with everyone else.

Eventually, Sero won a giant panda and gave it to Kaminari, who pouted about losing so badly.

The festival was exactly what everyone needed, and as the sunset, the class sat on the soft grass of the nearby park, eating their dinners talking about the upcoming training.

Bakugo and Kirishima were having a good-natured argument over what was a better vacation activity, camping or surfing, as Midoriya and Todoroki watched on, laughing when a short woman with brunette hair walked up to them. Kirishima was the one who recognized her as the omega he saved during the Hunt.

"Oh, hey! How are you?" Kirishima jumped up, Todoroki and the rest joining him.

"Better. I wanted to say thank you for rescuing me. My name is Mari," she offered her hand, and Kirishima shook it.

"Kirishima Eijiro and this is my m… boyfriend, Todoroki Shoto," Kirishima smiled.

"I'm sorry I hit you," Todoroki said as a means of greeting.

"Don't worry about it. The whole ordeal was crazy," she waved him off. There was still a bruise on her cheek where Todoroki had punched her, but she paid it no mind as she wiped away the tears that ran down her cheek.

"Hey, are you okay?" Kirishima asked, noticing the strange scent of jasmine in the air.

"I'm sorry, I'm just really emotional right now. I never thought I'd be free again and …" Mari hiccuped as she kept crying.

Kirishima didn't know what to do, generally, with one of his pack members, he would hug them, but with a stranger, he was lost. Instead, he tentatively placed a hand on her shoulder and was about to ask if he could help when she lunged at him and pulled him into a tight embrace.

Kirishima's arms went up, and he looked over to Todoroki for help when Mari reached out and grabbed Todoroki by the shirt and pulled him into the group.

"Okay, we hug then," Kirishima said.

The couple did their best to soothe the weeping omega, and it only took a moment before she gave them both a squeeze then pulled back.

"Sorry, sorry, I'm just really overwhelmed right now."

"It's okay; it's completely understandable." Kirishima smiled.

"Oi! What's with this red string all of a sudden," Bakugo barked from behind them.

Pulling back, Kirishima and Todoroki found thin, glimmering red strings hovering around them. And also one string tied between them. One linked to Kirishima's ring finger, the other side tied to Todoroki's.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry. It's my quirk. It tends to happen when I'm really emotional." Mari exclaimed, hands over her mouth in surprise.

"What the hell is it?" Bakugo said, holding up his hand, a red string tied to his ring finger that leads to Midoriya.

"It's the red string of fate. The string ties soulmates together," she explained.

There was a gasp as many people from the class realized what she said because Bakugo and Deku, Kirishima, and Todoroki were not the only two couples tied together by the string.

Kirishima's smile grew wide as he gazed at his mate. Todoroki smiled back as their hands slipped into each other's. The red string was only a confirmation of what they already knew.

~Ά/β/Ω~

"Kacchan," Midoriya whispered as he held up his finger, a shimmering red string tied to it.

"Tsk. Did you seriously doubt we were soulmates?" Bakugo said, his voice held confidence, but the pink across his cheeks and the surprise shining in his eyes spoke the truth.

Midoriya had always known, no matter what, he would hold a special place in his heart for Bakugo, even if they eventually went their separate ways. And yet, the past month has shown him that the universe had other plans for them, and this was proof of it.

"I never doubted it for a minute, Kacchan," Midoriya said sweetly before giving his alpha a small kiss.

Bakugo pulled Midoriya in for a deeper kiss as their classmates around them freaked out.

"Denki? … My string leads to you?"

"What if you have more than one?"

"Holy shit! WE'RE SOULMATES!"

~Ά/β/Ω~

Later that night, as Katsuki and Izuku laid in bed, sweat glistening on their bodies as they caught their breath.

"That was amazing, Kacchan," Izuku said while he laid against Katsuki's side. "Maybe next time I'll top you and do that," he teased.

"Go for it," Katsuki said right before he heaved a massive yawn.

"Really? You'd let me top?" Izuku popped his head up, eyes wide in surprise.

"Why wouldn't I? You think I can't handle your dick?"

"What? No, of course, you could, I just didn't think you would want to."

"Tsk."

Izuku laid his head back down against Katsuki's chest, listening to the heartbeat beneath his head.

"I'm going to bond with you someday," Katsuki whispered, as he shifted his body so he could look Izuku in the eyes.

"Mmhmm," the omega agreed—a small smile on his lips.

Katsuki pushed a strand of sweaty hair behind his lover's ear.

"Going to press my teeth right here and make you mine forever," he said quietly as his fingers tenderly brushed against Izuku's scent gland beneath his ear.

"I'm going to do the same for you." Izuku smiled back, his heart full of emotions. Some familiar, some new and kind of scary. He looked forward to the new ones.

"Damn right, you are," Katsuki smiled. "Then we'll be bonded like those idiots, Eijiro and Shoto."

"What?"

"Heh, shitty hair can't keep a secret like that to save his life."

"He told you?"

"Only after I saw him trying to hide it in the showers. Dumbass."

They stayed silent for a moment before Izuku smiled. "I'm happy for them."

"Yeah, I guess I am too," Katuski said with a yawn.

They laid in silence for a few minutes, Katsuki's eyes closed as Izuku watched him rest. When he figured his lover had fallen asleep, Izuku leaned close and placed the tiniest kisses on the alpha's nose.

"I love you," he whispered.

Katsuki wrapped an arm around Izuku's waist and pulled him in close. "Love you too, nerd."

Izuku gasped in surprise. Red eyes opened to meet green. Lips met in a loving kiss, and without another word, they drifted off to sleep.