Chapter 13

Iida is good at doing what he is told. His parents, his brother, his superiors. They've always given his orders and he's always been expected to follow them. For a long time he's never had a problem with it either. He used to be a bit of a zealot when it came to the law and if any sort of authority told him to do something, he'd keep his head down and honour their judgment.

Maybe that's why, in the midst of all this chaos Iida allowed Izuku to shove him into a closet. Maybe that's why he let Izuku run with a feral Alpha close on his heels. Iida hadn't thought before acting, he just stood by and allowed it to happen because when someone told him to do something, he does it, no questions asked.

And it's entirely possible that falling back on old habits saved his life. Perhaps he should be glad that Izuku is so quick to think because otherwise he could have been murdered in cold blood. But that doesn't mean he isn't capable of feeling regret, a deep pit in his stomach that keeps him immobilized several moments after the cabin is empty.

That alpha is long gone now and so is Izuku, he heard several guards give chase and Iida only guesses why. Maybe that man is a noble or some member of the royal court, which would make him a very dangerous enemy. But know matter who he is there's no way Iida can retrieve Izuku, not now, not with all those soldiers. All he can do is the one things he's best at. Follow orders.

In this case it's Izuku's orders.

Once Iida regains even a bit of his composure he pushes open the closet door. It makes an awful creaking sound but he steps out anyway eyes darting around the room. He cant taste any other scents besides Izuku's and that

alphas, which comes off smoky and strong but it means that there's know one else around. Still Izuku said that there was the possibility at someone could be watching the place, or some gaurds could be sent back to investigate once Izuku is caught so he needs to move fast.

'When he chases after me, you need to go to my room and take my dagger'. Izuku's voice echoes in his mind. 'Then you're going to use it to arm yourself when you get out of here.'

Iida takes a deep breath to keep his hands from shaking more than they already are. Clearing his mind he moves straight towards the hallway to Izuku's quarters and keeps his jaw slack. Still he cant taste anything except Izuku's heady omega scent, but the silence is unnerving especially after the mayhem that occurred moments before. All he can hear is his own footsteps on creaky wooden floorboards. Eventually he pushes open Izuku's door. The shades are draw shut and it's mostly empty besides the pack that Izuku's always carries with him. Iida quickly searches around inside it and fishes out that dagger; its wicked sharp and he quickly realizes that Izuku's been honing it on purpose, probably, maybe he was afraid that a day like this would come.

Just thinking about loosing him makes Iida's stomach churn, but he doesn't have time to waste. He has to get out of here and then construct a plan to find his way back to Izuku, somehow. His head is swimming and he feels dizzy with panic. Its hasn't worn off yet and he's still trying to process everything that just happened. But before he leaves he catches a glimps of Izuku's cloak on the bed.

Iida could have sworn that he saw Izuku wearing on before, but it looks like he must have bought another one for himself. It's a dark shade of green and the fabric looks softer, so Iida decides to bring it with him. He shoves it in Izuku's bag and pulls it over his shoulder gripping the dagger tightly in his hand as he pries open the window. It would be better to leave through here rather than the doors for the sake of stealth.

Once he hoists himself out he take a cautious survey of the surroundings. The sun is just starting to set, trees towering above him with long shadows that hang over the cabin. It makes the forest ahead look much darker than he's ever thought possible though its probably just a trick of the eye. When he slacks his jaw to taste the air again there's nothing but the mild scent of alpha guards that passed by earlier.

Still something feels off. His gut tells him that he's being watched even if there's know real evidence. Though its entirely possible that the lack of it is what's strange about this, the would seems to still to calm after everything that's happened.

Iida heads into the forest a quick pace at first but it eventually turns into a jog. He tosses a few glances behind him every now and then, but there is still know sign that anyone is pursuing him. The forest is mostly quiet besides the sound of leaves crunching beneath his boots. There's no birds singing no animals rustling in the underbrush. Nothing can relieve the uneasy feeling in his stomach because he's worries, terrified for Izuku. Maybe he should go back? Is there still time to go back?

Izuku said that the man wouldn't kill him. He seemed certain so Iida feels inclined to trust him, but just remembering those screams of rage from the kitchen, they were truly chilling and Izuku looked so afraid too his eyes were wide and panicked and nearly every drop of blood had drained from his face. It looked like he had just seen a ghost and maybe that's exactly who that man was.

A ghost from the past, someone Izuku thought he would never see again. There's a snap of a twig behind him and Iida whips around, gripping the blade as his eyes search for the noises origin. Still there's nothing but quiet forest and his muscles tighten with apprehension. Should he call out and ask if someone's there? Maybe it was just an animal? Or maybe he's just hearing

things? Either way he should probably get moving again because no matter what it was, he needs to get out of here.

But as soon as he turns back around, something slams into his temple so hard, his vision blurs and even blackens for a moment. He stumbles but keeps his hand on the knife, swinging it blindly in hopes of reaching a target. It hits nothing, though, but almost immediately after there's a swift kick to his groin. A spike of pain shoots up his abdomen and he nearly collapses completely.

Who the hell is this and why are they so fast?

Iida doesn't even have a chance to breathe before another punch aims straight for his face. He barely manages to catch it from muscle memory alone: it's been months since he's fought anyone, but his reflexes are still there. However, the figure quickly wraps their hand around Iida's, and before he knows it, his body is twisting and he's crashing down to both knees as his arm protests in pain. It's locked tightly behind his back and suddenly, this person is pushing all their weight into Iida to ride him straight into the ground.

The wind knocks out of him as his chest slams into the forest floor. His dagger flies from his hand and he tries to reach out to it, but the grip on his arm shifts to lock it tighter behind him. He growls because it hurts, and although he knows he's bigger (and possibly stronger) than whoever is above him, they're so fast that they'd be impossible to beat if they managed to break his arm.

Iida tries to look back but there's a hand in his hair, pushing the side of his head into the ground. They painfully grip the strands until he groans.

"Don't struggle."

The voice... it's feminine. When he tastes the air he realizes it's the scent of an alpha female: it's very faint, however, and he thinks it must be

suppressed by willpower alone. That should be impossible but she must be trained adequately.

There's a knee pinning his wrist against his back, tugging it back further and he winces with pain. Even as he tries to squirm beneath her, she's actually heavier than he initially thought. But now that she has one hand free, it curls around his temple and tentatively presses against his brow.

He's not sure what he expected.

He's not sure what in the world he thought would happen, but without a single ounce of warning, two fingers slide straight into the socket of his eye and he screams. There's a sharp spike of agony that throbs and spreads across half of his face, the sensation of something squirming inside him as a sudden bout of nausea rises in his throat. Iida thrashes with a pained shriek but he's held down against the ground, forced in place as a sudden burst of panic locks in his throat.

There's a numbness icing the flesh around his eye and it still hurts, fuck, of course it hurts but it's a cold type of pain. He's breathing heavily and there's black spots littering his vision—whatever's left of his vision through his other eye—but he can't see anything. There's something rolling down his cheeks, something wet and slick and he thinks it's blood but it's hard to tell. It feels like his brain is frozen with shock and he doesn't even realize that the weight has lifted off his back until he's instinctively reaching to touch his eye.

Or, rather, lack of one.

Something that once felt full is now hollow and it aches. His nerves in his empty socket are screaming and he writhes against the ground, pulling himself to his knees as he tries to feel what is no longer there. The entire right side of his face is entirely dark and it's horrifying.

There's a loud thump on the ground next to him and he glances towards it, catching a glimpse of... his bag. It's his medicine bag, the one he dropped when he first entered the cabin and saw Izuku standing there with red burns on his hands, a man pounding against his kitchen door while threatening murder. His mind was so scrambled, he must have never picked it up when he headed out.

"Thank you," she says.

Iida looks up when he hears the voice again. It's a woman dressed in leather armor, a dark red strip of fabric tied around her waist. Her gloves are dark and worn and spattered with blood as she holds Iida's eye in one hand, a few stray nerves tattered from the edges. The alpha has a tall ponytail as well, barely taming a wild mane of hair as a few stray locks frame her face.

"You just... you just..." Iida swallows weakly, his only eye fixed on its matching pair in her palm. "That's mine."

"Yes, so thank you for giving it to me." Her tone is frosty and her eyes are sharp shards of ice. There's nothing there, nothing at all.

"Who the hell are you?"

But she doesn't reply to that. She simply steps past him and he gives a feral snarl, though she doesn't seem fazed. Nothing about this makes sense... he was supposed to die, right? Izuku thought that it would happen, but it didn't. So who is that woman? What did she do? Why did she do it? Why isn't he dead?

Katsuki knows Izuku is gone.

He disappeared to protect himself, to shield the broken shards of his mind from further harm. Now all that's left is Deku, a completely useless and brain dead omega who can't seem to think outside of taking alpha cock. Maybe it's just because he's in heat but after the fourth or fifth load of cum, he's turned into a drooling, purring mess who whines like a dog every time the knot pops inside him.

It's good, though. Katsuki's men now know that he's taken back what's his, so there should be no further issues or doubt. But he keeps them there regardless, even if they aren't watching anymore. It's important to have them guard the clearing since Katsuki doesn't plan on leaving it for the next few days. Once he goes into rut, he knows he'll be more... vulnerable.

Clouds rumble ahead and Katsuki ends up ordering his men to fetch their tents to set up camp. But as soldiers work around him, he finds his rut already starting to kick in. He can feel it since his gums start to ache and salivate as he's starting to think less tangible thoughts. No words, just urges and instincts to act. It takes all his willpower not to attack them as they dig their stakes into the soft ground, building the tent he'll reside with his mate. Thankfully they're smart enough to keep their own tents several meters away, otherwise Katsuki could possibly try to kill them.

When it's finally time to move, he grips Deku by the back of his neck to drag him inside. The omega whimpers a bit but doesn't protest, especially since it's warmer here and he seems to appreciate the soft furs that carpet the ground. He rolls against them, nuzzling to mark his territory as cum drips between his

legs. In only a matter of moments, the entire tent reeks of heat and Katsuki can taste the heady scent of slick in the air.

It's fucking intoxicating.

"Deku," he growls, giving his cock a few pumps. "Come here."

The omega blinks a few times but obeys, crawling towards Katsuki and kneeling beneath him. When he glances upwards he almost looks worried, as if he did something wrong. But Katsuki only slides his hand around the back of Deku's neck, bringing him forward as he guides the tip of his cock against the omega's lips. "Suck."

Deku's eyes grow darker as his pupils widen at the taste. He wastes no time holding the cock with both hands, feeling its heavy weight as he gives a few tentative strokes. Katsuki purrs and rolls his thumb over the small, budding scent gland at the base of his neck. It makes Deku moan softly as his lips wrap around the head of the alpha's cock, milking it with his hands for even a taste of precum.

Warmth engulfs his length, hot and tight since Deku's mouth is painfully small. But the omega works his way down the shaft, bobbing hungrily as one of his hands squeeze the knot. It makes a spurt of pre hit the back of his throat but he immediately swallows it without even gagging, sliding his tongue along the underside of the cock and lapping at every vein.

"This is what you're meant for," Katsuki assures him, kneading the scent gland. Deku's thighs tremble in response as more slick drips from between his legs and onto the carpeted floors. "You're not a person without me. Do you understand that?"

The omega nods a bit as tears collect in his eyes, but he continues to swallow

down the cock as far as he can. In fact, he's halfway down the length with the tip of it starting to edge down his throat. Running fingers through Deku's hair, a low alpha purr rumbles in Katsuki's chest. There's warmth blooming in his chest and it feels heavy, like love or something akin to the feeling. But it's dark and possessive as well and all he wants is to claim and own his mate entirely.

Deku seems to sense the slow change in the alpha's demeanor, salivating around the cock in his mouth as he sucks it greedily. A feral instinct begins to rise within Katsuki, growing and boiling over until he swears he feels his canines aching with the need to break omega skin. Even as he tries to swallow it down it presses on, unraveling thoughts and urges iron-pressed into his blood.

It's in his DNA: there's always been this urge to breed and fuck and kill burned inside him. It was only a matter of time until it reached the surface as he suddenly and impulsively tightens his grip on Deku's hair, yanking the omega off his cock.

Deku whines at the loss, a string of saliva hanging between the head and his lips. He tries to lunge forward and suck again but Katsuki holds him back, giving a warning growl that goes straight through the bond. It awakens that energy once more and Deku immediately slackens, soft apologetic whimpers escaping him.

Katsuki throws Deku into the floor and drops to his knees, hooking his arms around Deku's thighs and dragging the omega beneath him. He yelps as Katsuki immediately mounts him from behind with a deep, satisfied purr. The alpha doesn't hesitate for a moment, cock lining up only moments before it slides straight inside, filling him to the top of the knot. Deku moans softly and salivates as Katsuki's hand grips the back of his neck to possessively pin him against the floor. Spreading his legs a bit, he keeps his back in a perfect arc once Katsuki starts to thrust. He's so, so beautiful beneath him, fuck, this is exactly where he belongs. Omegas like him are just

dumb fucking holes after all.

Slick dribbles insistently between his legs, dripping down his thighs as warm walls cling to Katsuki's cock. Deku is wet and snug around him, and as soon as he tries to adjust his hips slightly, Katsuki gives another threatening growl. It's actively malicious this time and Deku whines in response as the knot smacks against his puffy hole. Raw and abused, it's stretched tightly around Katsuki's girth and the alpha feels pleased with the knowledge that he's taking a virgin heat.

Even if Deku is fertile, he's just as tight as he would be if he were a young teenage omega. Just as submissive too, it seems, since he actively keeps his head pressed flat against the floor with his rear presented upwards for Katsuki. Occasionally he'll drool and whimper or spread his legs a little further but besides that, he seems appeased as long as he's getting fucked. His skin, however, is hot to the touch and it feels like he's burning up from the inside out. Maybe it's making the idiot delirious.

Finally, Katsuki pops his knot inside and comes with a deep, heavy growl. Seed pumps from his cock and fills Deku again as the omega's eyes roll with a whine. Katsuki has already come inside him a few times, so even while Deku is knotted, cum begins to leak around his cock regardless.

It's so warm and tight, it's starting to drive Katsuki a little crazy. His self control is waning and he hates it, he doesn't want to go into a rut because he knows he'll be nothing but a slave to instinct. But his thoughts are already becoming mush as the impulse to breed grows stronger, fuck, he wants to mount Deku like a dog and fuck him until neither of them can think. The scent of pheromones makes his mouth water.

When the knot deflates just enough to tug it out, a gush of slick and alpha cum following to drip over the floor. Deku whines insistently and he wriggles his hips, eager to be knotted again and Katsuki feels happy to oblige. But this time, he flips Deku over on his back and yanks the omega beneath him

again, pressing the tip of his cock against his wet entrance before sliding in to the top of the knot.

Hairs rise on the back of Katsuki's neck and he shivers: he can't tell if his cock feels more sensitive because he just came or because of the rut, but Deku's insides feel twice as hot as before. The omega gives a pleased moan as Katsuki holds his wrists for leverage, fucking into him at an angle that makes him drool. The knot gives wet smacks against Deku's ass as the omega's legs fall apart, allowing Katsuki deeper access. Fuck, it feels so, so good that it makes Katsuki vicious. His grip tightens to the point of bruising and Deku whimpers, his small, untouched cock bouncing between his thighs as it dribbles precum against his stomach. There's the sweet scent of omega cum rising from him—white ropes of it are smeared across his chest, probably from when he was knotted—and it makes him look like a slut.

He's finally the mindless, brain dead omega whore he was always meant to be.

Katsuki may not have broken Izuku yet, but he's halfway there and seeing Deku like this makes him unbelievably aroused. They both wear the same face and the same body so it's easy to fantasize of Izuku's inevitable downfall. Someday, Katsuki wants to melt Izuku's mind to the point where it's nothing but clay, easy to mold in his hands. Shaping him into a perfect omega wife, pumped full of cum and heavy with a litter of pups... it'd be a dream come true.

Suddenly, Deku shudders as seed shoots from the tip of his useless cock, painting his chest with a few spurts. Katsuki must have been projecting his intent through the bond to make him come quicker, since Deku stares up at him with eyes so full of love, it's obvious that he wants that life for himself. He knows he belongs beneath an alpha, living a submissive existence as a cocksleeve for his mate.

It will only be a matter of time until Izuku follows suit.

Katsuki growls again, sinking his knot within that tight heat as it swallows him up. Deku whines and precum drips from the head again as a dry orgasm wracks his body. Alpha cum fills him once more and he purrs loudly from the fit, possibly drunk on his own pheromones. Maybe he'll even lose his ability to think.

And if he hasn't yet, Katsuki knows a way to do so. He releases Deku's wrists and as they weakly fall to the floor, he reaches forward to pin Deku by the throat. The omega continues to purr and his vocal chords rumble against Katsuki's palm—he doesn't squeeze just yet, instead choosing to firmly hold Deku in place—but with his other hand, he pinches one of Deku's scent glands. Just like magic, walls immediately slacken around his cock and the knot slides out instantly, a trail of hot slick following.

Playing with the glands always makes Deku soft and pliant so Katsuki gives a feral grin, pinching it between his fingers as he kneads it. Deku whimpers quietly, but as he tries to cross his legs, he finds his knees caught on both sides of Katsuki. He's rendered paralyzed as every muscle in his body goes slack, cock dribbling with precum again as slick pulses around Katsuki's cock.

His glands are so beautiful: they're dark pink after being off suppressants for this long, and they're so sensitive that Deku is clearly dripping just from being touched. He moans as Katsuki shifts his hips and slides back inside him, purring again as he's filled to the brim with alpha cock. The girth of it stretches him wide once Katsuki begins to thrust, the length sliding easily up his prostate at a better angle. The tip, however, presses against that bundle of nerves closer to his womb and Deku writhes and whines.

Katsuki can't think. He just fucks into that tight, wet heat as every fiber of his body feels desperate to breed. His grip tightens around Deku's throat and he

holds him down against the floor, releasing a possessive, hungry growl that rises from the deepest part of his chest. The sound is heavy and dark, like a large cat towering above its prey. It goes straight through the bond to force it open for the first time in months.

Deku's pulse drums quicker against his hand and Katsuki can feel him. Every part of the omega is meshed and tangled with so many feelings, so much warmth and adoration for Katsuki that it's almost suffocating when it floods him. He shivers, muscles twitching as he allows the bond to envelop him completely. It burns like acid but he's encountered worse sorts of pain and right now, in the middle of a rut, the only thing he wants is to feel completely synced.

And it feels... good.

There's no words to describe the shock: his thoughts are twisted and he can't form language, necessarily, and his brain can only process these feelings with colors and intangible concepts. Right now this feels like diving off the edge of a cliff, drowning in blood, clawing his way out of a grave. It feels like a supernova in suspension within his chest, tearing him to shreds. Every emotion pumping through Deku's brain perfectly collides and coexists with his own, melting together like yin and yang.

Katsuki has experienced everything this world had to offer except for this. Nothing could compare to this sort of intensity, the way this feels. Every inch of him feels like it's on fire and it's getting hard to breathe.

He hears a whimpering sound from below and when he snaps out of his thoughts, he realizes he's gripping Deku's throat so tightly that the omega has tears in his eyes. But there's something so powerful about this and he feels drunk on that control, a laugh bubbling from his lips as Deku squirms beneath him. Of course Deku is not Izuku and Izuku is very obviously not Deku, but they look the same and air locks in Katsuki's throat as he realizes this is the very thing he's fantasized about for so long.

Deku's eyes roll back as Katsuki forcibly slams his knot inside, filling him with alpha seed once more. The omega releases a thin whine and his body shudders with a dry orgasm, clearly too spent to produce more cum by himself. His cock is too useless to breed anyone anyways, so it's not like it matters. And even if he was on suppressants, he was always built to be nothing but a cocksleeve for someone like Katsuki. The alpha is far, far too impatient to wait for his knot to completely deflate, but even when he tries to pinch the scent gland, Deku has gotten far too tight to remove it easily. His body is probably entering a stage where it wants to conserve all the cum it gets to conceive, but Katsuki's urges are getting too strong. He growls and forces Deku on his side, hoisting his leg over Katsuki's shoulder and lifting his hips off the floor with both hands. Now that Deku's throat is released, he can finally breathe and he purrs at Katsuki's touch.

The omega seems pleased with the new position, at least for the first few moments. But once Katsuki begins trying to yank the knot out, he curls his lips into a threatening snarl of all things. Just seconds ago he was submissive but Katsuki feels something pushing back against him through the bond, warning him not to remove the knot.

He's reaching the point where his fertility is at an all-time high and he wants to stay knotted, most likely, and Katsuki can feel it through the bond as well. His alpha instinct to mount Deku again is pushed to the side temporarily as he complies, pressing his hips flush against Deku's. It earns him a soft purr as the omega presses his cheek against the furs, nuzzling them as he's continuously pumped with cum. Katsuki's knot has gotten bigger during the rut as well, so this time, not a single drop leaks out.

There's no doubt that when Izuku finally returns, he will have already conceived.

It lasts for a full week.

If God created the world in six days before resting on the seventh, then Katsuki expects that their first litter will be stronger than Earth itself. Omega heats typically stay until their wombs are full of enough alpha seed to induce a surefire chance of pregnancy. Then, they release a pheromone to end their alpha's rut and calm them down which explains why Katsuki feels so dead fucking tired once it's over.

He's not even sure how conscious he was during the ordeal, since all he can remember are flashes of images. But he knows he didn't sleep much and the vast majority of his time was spent mounting Deku in various positions and pumping him with enough cum to last a lifetime. Unfortunately, due to this being Deku's first heat, his womb is rather small and didn't allow for as much as a mature omega's would. His heat hadn't actually stopped until a few days afterwards, and though he leaked plenty, he's still full enough to ensure conception. Katsuki feels groggy when he awakes, chest pressed against the omega's back as he sleeps. There's bruises and bitemarks littered across his neck and shoulders and it's satisfying, really. But Katsuki is still inside Deku, knot lodged for good measure, probably. Also, Deku has gotten much tighter within the last day and it will probably be impossible to pull out until the knot deflates entirely. It's not like Katsuki minds much, though.

The tent is very warm and he still feels hot. In fact, he thinks he might have become a bit delirious during that time, since he does partially remember a few of Uraraka's nurses trying to give Deku water during the times Katsuki was passed out. But when he'd awake, a deep growl would set in his chest

and he'd lunge towards them with full intent to kill. They were lucky to escape from the tent so quickly, especially since Katsuki would usually find himself still lodged in Deku. It's probably the only thing that kept him from his chase response.

Well... the knot, and his mate. Before he could pursue the nurses, Deku would begin to whine and the urge to breed and possess would overcome the urge to protect and kill. So Katsuki would mount the omega again, hips rolling as his knot smacked against wet skin. Clearly that was much more important than anything else, for obvious reasons.

Deku moans softly in his sleep, probably still riding out the high of pheromones. There's slick dribbling around Katsuki's cock and it might be enough to slide his knot out, so he holds Deku's hip in one hand and uses it as leverage. Sure enough, as soon as he moves Deku, the knot pops out and a gush of cum follows. Katsuki purrs at the sight and spreads Deku's ass to watch it drip from between his legs, even if his cock hasn't pulled out completely.

Finding his mate was so worth it. Even if it was time consuming, this reward is everything he's ever wanted. But just remembering that alpha who was with him makes his stomach churn with jealousy, leaving a sour taste in his mouth.

Izuku is his mate, his omega. He belongs to Katsuki and the fact that Izuku was living with another alpha... it's just disgusting. Even though Katsuki didn't smell much of the man on him, there's no way Ingenium didn't mess with Izuku even a little. His scent is too alluring, too tantalizing. It'd take iron willpower to resist him.

Katsuki spent a lot of time brooding with rage, admittedly. Hearing that Izuku was with another alpha made him so angry, he'd have visceral nightmares of flesh and blood. But as time moved on, he hardened and cooled like lava because revenge is a dish best served cold. He may not know everything

about Izuku, but he knows what Izuku hates—feeling humiliated, degraded, and below others—so naturally the best payback is forcing him to conceive. There's nothing in this world that will hurt him more than this and Katsuki knows it. Beating him, slapping him, screwing him... it won't do much in the long run. But Izuku will break beneath this even if it's a slow process. It'll eat him up and ruin him beyond repair and ultimately, that's what he deserves for fucking up Katsuki's hand and running away like he did.

"Your highness."

The voice comes from the entrance of the tent and Katsuki catches a glimpse of Yaoyorozu standing quietly. He's not sure when she returned but it must have been recently.

"Yes?"

She holds out her hand and a single eye dangles from a long nerve. It's kind of cute, like she's a cat bringing home a piece of prey. "Here is the proof you requested."

Katsuki lifts his brow and pulls Deku a bit closer to him. He's still sleeping but Yaoyorozu doesn't seem concerned with his presence. It's surprising, since nearly everyone else has had some sort of opinion on him by now.

"So he's dead?"

"Yes," she replies easily. There's no shift to her tone or even her expression but that's rather typical of her. "I assume you wanted to show it to your mate."

"When he wakes up." Katsuki looks down at Deku for now, the omega's chest rising and falling with each breath.

"As you wish. I will leave it with Kaminari."

"No, I think you should be the one to show it to Izuku."

Yaoyorozu only nods. "Yes, your highness."

It's quiet for a few moments and Katsuki glances back up at her. She's still standing there, which must mean that she has something else to say but she usually can't bring herself to speak unless she's spoken to first. It's out of politeness.

"Well, what is it?" he mutters.

"Your mother is disappointed in you."

He shouldn't care, but the suddenness of the statement feels like a punch to the gut. His eyes narrow but her expression is still perfectly even.

"Why?" "She doesn't understand why you decided to claim an omega. A male omega of all things," Yaoyorozu says, clasping her hands behind her back respectfully. "She believes that you met many alpha female suitors and they should have been perfect for you."

"I didn't want them," Katsuki growls. "They were fucking boring."

"I know. I am simply telling you that she is dissatisfied with your choice."

"She can't do anything about it."

"Of course. Only you know what's best for yourself, your highness."

"And what about you?" he asks, growing irate. "Are you going to challenge me too?"

Yaoyorozu keeps her gaze still, like the surface of untouched water. Her lack of expression unnerves him sometimes, honestly. "I am only here to serve the royal family and more specifically the queen."

"But you're an extension of my mother and I know you think the same shit she does."

"That might be somewhat correct. I don't think, actively at least. But I do serve as a vessel for her thoughts," she says. "I want what she wants but I exist to protect and carry out her desires."

"Everything isn't about her," he hisses, curling his lip into a snarl. "And when she dies, I'll become king and Izuku will be your new queen."

"I understand."

"So do you agree with her?"

"I'm not sure, admittedly. I must pledge my allegiance to your mate due to his newfound status, but your mother does not approve. I'll have to speak with her about this dilemma."

Katsuki's skin prickles with the heat of growing frustration. "Fine. But if you really do serve the queen first and foremost, understand that Izuku will be the one who will come into power after my mother even if you don't serve him at the moment. Nobody else will replace him."

"I do understand, your highness." Yaoyorozu says smoothly.

"Now get the hell out of here. You probably don't even have the right to

see my mate naked." "I don't, and I will take my leave, but I'd like to clarify that my eyes have not even touched his body. Unless a queen states they want to be looked at—"

"Just go, I don't even fucking care what you have to say at this point," Katsuki hisses.

Yaoyorozu dips her head into a respectful bow before leaving the tent. Fuck, he swears he can't ever read her because half the shit she spouts doesn't make sense. There's no way to even tell if she even cares about him sometimes since she seems much more intent on defending and protecting the matriarchy of the damn empire.

But what he doesn't know and won't find out for a long time to come is that Yaoyorozu pledged her loyalty to Izuku the moment Katsuki bonded to him. She served him then and she serves him now, first and foremost.

Not that it had anything to do with her assigned task, of course.