Chapter 17
Katsuki is beginning to think that Izuku isn't crazy.
It was his first assumption, which was quite wrong of him. They're mates and he should have trusted the omega's instincts, especially now that he's pregnant.
Katsuki is starting to notice movement in his peripheral, a presence that lingers and shifts in the darkness. Catching a glimpse is another story, however: whoever it is disappears into thin air, no trace left behind. Not even a hint of a scent.
Katsuki is very fond of both his privacy and the safety of his mate, so he'll have to kill whoever's responsible for compromising it. In the meantime, he's delivered new orders to Yaoyorozu and told her to stay by Izuku's side at all times, no exceptions. She's also been tasked with making sure the omega continues taking his prenatal supplements because Katsuki won't have much time to spend with him this week. He has to figure out what to do with the military, especially since Kirishima will be leading it from now on.
It's around noon time when he knocks on the door to Kirishima's quarters, though surprisingly, only half a moment passes before it swings open. Katsuki isn't sure if it's just because he hasn't seen Kirishima in a while, but he looks a bit different: the roots of his hair are deep black, since he must not have had the time to dye it again. There's dark circles under his eyes too, but Katsuki figures that it's probably the stress from his promotion. "Did you need something?" Kirishima asks, and for the first time, he doesn't seem very happy to see him.
"I wanted to talk about what we're going to do about the military," Katsuki says, gaze flicking past Kirishima. His room is a mess of maps, papers, open books, and clothes thrown everywhere. Typical. "Because of Izuku and the pups, I won't be around for a while."
Kirishima presses his lips into a thin line, but he takes a step back and allows Katsuki inside. Clearly he's not happy about Izuku's presence in the castle and he previously disproved of Katsuki pursuing his mate. But once Izuku was confirmed to be conceived, Kirishima seemed to have cooled down at least a little. He's become much quieter and Katsuki can't tell if he's brooding or just being passive aggressive.
Either way, Katsuki doesn't think that Kirishima would ever actually do anything to challenge Izuku. He might have had bad experiences with omegas in the past, but a queen is a queen and there will be problems if he doesn't bow down and show Izuku the respect he deserves.
"Your room is so... disorganized," Katsuki sighs, trying to get to the desk without stepping on anything. "Are the maids not doing their jobs?"
"They try their best," Kirishima says as he picks a map up off the floor. "My schedule is always crammed these days, even if we've paused our war efforts."
"It'll get even busier pretty soon. I expect you to handle it well. It would be a shame if I had to hand the job over to someone else."
"You won't have to. I promise that my best will be enough."
The beta rolls out the map on top of the desk, pinning the edges with other large books. Over half of the continent is shaded in green and it makes Katsuki feel all too satisfied with his work. It's taken him years to take over
this much land and now, it feels so worth it. The name of his empire strikes fear throughout the world and he's finally been able to achieve so much.
"Are you going to keep your promise to Prince Todoroki?" Kirishima asks. "Granting him an independent colony makes matters a little complicated."
Katsuki nods slowly. "Our deal was that he would hand over a large percentage of his earnings to the kingdom. In fact, I was thinking about installing other colonies instead of just killing everyone."
"That would be better for the empire, since you won't be out on the field for a while. But I suggest that we replace the other leaders with our own people rather than allowing them to rule by themselves," he suggests, tapping on the southern edge of the map.
"The situation with the Todoroki family was something I won't do again," Katsuki says. "It was an exception, but I won't go back on the deal."
"It would be easier if we did."
"If I cared about things being easy, I would have enslaved the whole kingdom after Todoroki gave me the information I wanted."
"But this essentially means you've gifted him a seat in our government." Kirishima frowns, taking a glance towards him. "Maintaining ownership of a kingdom that large means that we should probably discuss some important ground rules."
"Then invite him to the castle," Katsuki orders with a shrug. "I'll discuss what he can and can't do, as well as clarify everything in between."
"Discuss things? With a prince?"
"Sure. Why not?"
Kirishima pauses for a moment, choosing his words carefully. "Have you gotten... calmer?"
"I don't think so." It's possible, though. After Izuku's heat, it's been very difficult for others to anger him. Maybe it has something to do with the pups, because just thinking about them makes Katsuki's heart warm.
"You haven't raised your voice since we've returned," Kirishima points out. "Or at least I haven't seen you do so. You've become much more patient."
"Izuku is a good influence on me, if you can believe that," Katsuki says, a grin creeping on his face. "He's everything I could ever want."
He doesn't reply to that and Katsuki wonders if Kirishima thinks he's going soft. If so, he'd be wrong: Katsuki would utterly destroy whoever tries to take this away from him. He'd tear them limb from limb without a second thought and he has a feeling that Kirishima will need to learn that eventually.
If love is powerful, then it's strengthened Katsuki in ways he never thought were possible. One afternoon, Katsuki returns to the bedroom to find it in disarray.
The wardrobe is wide open, and so is every drawer in the dresser. All of the clothes have been packed together in the very corner of the room, a makeshift nest that Izuku lies curled upon. There's also a silk sheet pinned from the nightstand to a large, propped up cushion, creating some sort of 'roof' that resembles a miniature den.
Yaoyorozu stands at attention nearby with both hands clasped behind her back, protecting Izuku as his chest rises and falls. The scent of pregnant
omega is so thick and heavy, Katsuki briefly considers opening a few windows.
"What happened?" he asks Yaoyorozu, keeping his voice soft.
"I'm not entirely sure," she replies with a whisper. "After his bath, the queen began pulling clothes out of the closet. I had asked him if he needed help deciding what to wear, but he built this... tent, instead."
Nesting, then. Maybe Deku was brought out because he can't imagine Izuku doing something like this. It would be the first time since the heat so Katsuki can't help but wonder how in the world it happened. The alpha kneels down to peek into the artificial den, nudging him until he wakes. Surprisingly, the eyes that meet his own are annoyed, so this must have been Izuku's doing.
"What do you want?" the omega mutters, curling up further.
"This is a very nice nest you've made," Katsuki says. "I think there's enough room here for the pups once you deliver them."
Izuku rolls over and scoots a bit further into the den, which was ultimately a mistake as it allows Katsuki the space to climb inside with him. It's just large enough for the two of them, though Katsuki has to compress his size by tucking his chin over Izuku's head. He wraps his arms around the omega to press flush up against him, and Izuku soon stiffens with discomfort. The sweet scent of omega is almost ten times more powerful here and it makes Katsuki a little dizzy.
"It's very cozy in here," he murmurs, a purr rumbling in his chest. He slides his hand across Izuku's belly, and his heart soars as he finds a faint bump there. "And our pups are growing."
"They are," Izuku says dryly. Katsuki nuzzles his cheek against the side of the omega's head to scent him.
"Are they kicking yet?"
"It's only been two months." "Have you been taking the prenatal supplements?"
Izuku sighs. "I don't think I have a choice, so yes."
Katsuki can't help how protective he feels, even as he absentmindedly starts licking and grooming the scent gland. It smells like omega milk and Izuku slackens a bit at the attention, though not willingly. The faintest scent of slick blooms in the air and Katsuki's mouth waters.
"I want to fuck you," he whispers against his ear. "I can't take waiting anymore."
There's a spark of fear in the bond but Izuku keeps his composure. "You'll hurt the pups."
"I'll be gentle."
"I don't think you're even capable of that."
Katsuki cocks his head with interest. "Is that a challenge?"
"It's an observation," Izuku says, narrowing his eyes. "Backed up by my own experiences."
"Then I'll prove you wrong," Katsuki murmurs. His hand slides up the hem of
Izuku's silk robes to push them up to his waist, revealing a thin trail of slick running down his thighs. Normally he'd prep with a finger, but he's far too impatient and the scent is making him dizzier by the minute. As Katsuki unbuckles his pants, Izuku tenses at the sound.
Still, he doesn't say a word. Maybe he's accepted his fate, or he's too tired to put up a fight. Either way, it doesn't really matter: Katsuki gives his stiffening cock a few pumps before pressing the tip against Izuku's twitching hole. The omega whimpers with pain and his walls pulse around him, squeezing so tightly that Katsuki can't help but groan.
"Relax," he growls, hooking his arm under Izuku's thigh to spread his legs apart. Katsuki laps at the scent gland and Izuku grits his teeth, a sudden gush of slick following.
"Be gentle," Izuku warns again, though his voice comes out thin. His presence is waning in the bond and Katsuki feels it, so he stills for a moment instead of beginning to thrust. While Deku is very entertaining, he wants his mate right now. Not a stupid, brainless whore of an omega.
"Talk to me," Katsuki says suddenly, and Izuku blinks a few times.
"What?" "I don't want you to go, so talk to me."
Despite Izuku's confusion, he seems to understand what Katsuki is saying. After all, the reason why he wants the alpha to be gentle probably has nothing to do with the pups. He just doesn't want to lose his memory again.
"Okay," Izuku mutters, a bit irate as the tip of Katsuki's cock hovers above his prostate. "What happened to you when you were a child?"
Katsuki's heart grows warm at that. Izuku is so clever, so manipulative. Of
course he'd bring up something like that during a time like this. If Katsuki doesn't answer, Izuku might just disappear and allow Deku to take over.
"Why are you such a bratty omega?" Katsuki asks, sliding his cock further within. The angle pushes against Izuku's prostate and he shivers, but the look in his eyes doesn't bend or break.
"It's not being a brat," Izuku says. "It's being strong."
"And you are so, so strong," he purrs softly.
"Answer the question, Bakugou."
Katsuki, just like many alphas, takes great pleasure in dominance. But something about Izuku flicks a switch within him, because despite Katsuki having complete control over Izuku, some part of him actually likes it when the omega acts like this. Maybe Izuku was right and Katsuki has no idea what he wants, since it fluctuates so often.
"Ride me," Katsuki says, breathless.
Izuku bares his teeth. "Answer my question."
"I will if you fuck me," he whispers. "You said you would a long time ago."
The omega pauses for a moment, like he's wary. But Katsuki is already rolling on his back and pulling Izuku along with him, forcing him to straddle his hips. Izuku nearly topples over but he keeps himself upright by bracing his hands on Katsuki's chest, pushing down on leather armor. His muscled
thighs tremble a little but he takes the new position quite well, leaning back slightly. The curve of Katsuki's cock pushes right against Izuku's prostate and it makes him a little shaky, but despite his discomfort, his eyes harden with determination.
Just the way Katsuki likes.
Izuku looks absolutely beautiful above him. Katsuki tries to hold Izuku's waist, but he smacks his hand away. "Don't touch me like that," Izuku growls. Clearly the omega has already caught onto his advantage and it makes Katsuki's mouth water.
"Yes ma'am," he purrs, keeping his wrists on either side of his head. Surprise shifts in the bond and Izuku's eyes narrow, though it's obvious that he hadn't expected being addressed as such.
"Yes sir," Izuku corrects him.
"Yes sir."
"Now answer the damn question I asked you before."
It's sort of hard to think, especially when he's this painfully horny. Nothing thus far has made him weaker than this and he has no idea why. But Izuku's impatience gets the best of him, and he grips a fistful of Katsuki's hair to yank back hard. The alpha chokes out a moan and a spike of pleasure goes straight to his cock.
"I don't know," Katsuki finally says, eyes half-lidded.
"You don't know?" Izuku asks, though he's clearly annoyed now.
"Well technically I do," he replies with a pained smirk. "But you just told me
to answer the question. You didn't say that my answer had to be honest."
That earns him a firmer, harder yank to his hair that makes him groan. Izuku slides a little further down his cock and Katsuki's brain melts on the spot.
"Now you're the one acting like a brat," Izuku growls. "Tell me the truth."
To say he loves this would be an understatement, but Katsuki might as well humor Izuku since he doesn't want this to stop.
"Yes sir," he murmurs under his breath, staring up at his mate as a purr rumbles in his chest. "I guess the honest truth would be that I don't know what sort of answer you want, since I'm assuming that you want me to tell you all the bad parts."
"I do."
"And the problem with that is I wouldn't know what the bad parts would even be."
Izuku presses his lips into a thin line. "Because you don't know what's good or bad."
"Exactly," Katsuki says, a giddiness rising within him as Izuku's walls twitch. "You know me so well."
"In that case, just tell me the things that brought you pain." Katsuki raises an eyebrow, but Izuku easily keeps his gaze as he continues.
"You love pain, whether it's inflicted on others or yourself," Izuku says. "It must have come from somewhere."
"Not necessarily," Katsuki replies, but Izuku leans in, wrapping both of his hands around the alpha's wrists to pin him against the floor. It makes him feel breathless.
"Why do you keep dodging the topic?" Izuku asks, sharp eyes boring into Katsuki's.
"Why do you even want to know about the past?" he scoffs, though it melts into a moan as Izuku sinks down to the top of the knot. The tip of his cock presses up against something more firm and Izuku winces a little. It instinctively makes Katsuki want to hold his hips to keep him from hurting the pups, but Izuku's grip is surprisingly powerful and Katsuki can't move an inch.
Izuku has always been a tough omega, but it seems like he's almost gotten stronger. Is he channeling energy through the bond?
"I used to not care," Izuku says. "I wanted to avoid learning more about you because I thought it would make me empathize. But after you killed someone I loved for no reason at all, after I finally understood that the death of my people was your fault and not mine, I realized that I can't possibly feel a damn thing for you."
A giddy smile slowly spreads across Katsuki's lips. "Is that so?"
"I just want to know why you would do this to me," Izuku continues coldly, ignoring his words. "To my friend, to my kingdom. I want to know why you destroy everything you touch, because when I kill you, I feel like I might not be totally satisfied."
"You're still on about that?" Katsuki asks, but he can't stop grinning. "Where will you go once you've killed me?"
"I'll run."
"And assuming that my mother doesn't send someone to find you and kill you, how will you survive in this world as an omega?"
"I'll find a way to live without you," Izuku insists. "I can live on my own."
"Why would you choose a life like that when you can have this one?" Katsuki's cock twitches within Izuku as slick drools over the knot. "You would live in this beautiful palace with three or four wonderful, healthy pups. We have chefs here to prepare any dish you'd like, there are hot baths for you to enjoy, gorgeous gardens and lavish clothes for you to wear. Out there, an alpha would tie you up and keep you constantly pregnant."
"Stop it," Izuku growls, but his voice cracks.
"He would fill you with cock day after day until you were nothing but a mindless slut," Katsuki says, tilting his head. "And he'd sell you to his friends for a little extra money if he needed it. Probably sell your pups off too. Is that really better than all of this?"
"I was out on my own before—"
"No, you were still with an alpha. Depending on him, while he supposedly didn't fuck you as payment."
"He would never," Izuku snarls. "Also, you changed the topic again."
Katsuki flashes him a cocky smile. "I did, didn't I?"
"If you don't want to talk about it, why even string me along like this?" he asks, even more frustrated than before. His grip tightens on Katsuki's wrists and the alpha already knows it'll bruise later.
"I just thought it was fun," Katsuki admits. "But since you're so honest about your motives, I'm more than willing to talk about the past if you want me to."
Izuku seems skeptical but Katsuki is simply confident that the omega will never be able to kill him. He's rather smart and he should be able to figure out that this palace is the best quality of life he'll ever get. It might take some time to sink in, but Izuku will have to submit and take his place eventually. Even if it takes years.
"Don't screw with me like that again," Izuku growls, and there's a threatening edge to his voice. Katsuki actually thinks Izuku might do something... distasteful if there isn't a level of cooperation. He almost wants to act up to get his hair pulled again, or maybe a fresh slap across the face. But if he doesn't reward Izuku somehow, it's likely that he'll be too pissed to play along.
"Yes sir," Katsuki says through his grin. "I promise I won't."
Izuku pauses for a moment, sitting up and resting his hands against Katsuki's chest. Thick leather is the only thing that separates them and Katsuki is actually thankful for it, just in case Izuku tries anything. Warmth engulfs his cock completely and wet walls cling to his length, twitching and milking it. It's torture to be unable to fuck Izuku senseless.
"Tell me how the fascination with pain started," Izuku says coolly. It's a safe demand, and much less vague than simply asking Katsuki to tell his life story. He's possibly catching onto the fact that it's easier to get the information he wants if he's more specific.
"Well for one, I wouldn't call it a fascination," Katsuki begins, allowing his wrists to stay fixed on either side of his head. "It's more like a tendency. A habit, or a trait."
Izuku is thinking now, and Katsuki can almost hear those gears turn. "A part of you?"
"That sounds about right," he confesses. "I like it when people hurt, and sometimes, I like it when people hurt me. The former started when I was young, but the latter came later."
"How young is young and how later is later?"
"Young as in a small child, later as in my preteen years."
"You don't know the exact ages," Izuku assumes, and Katsuki tilts his head.
"No, I don't," he says. "I didn't really keep track. The situation was a little complicated."
Izuku seems like he wants to ask about that, but he's too determined to keep himself from getting off topic. "What made the urges start?"
"I began with animals. Mice and squirrels, since when you're a child, deer can be too big to mess with. I would hunt rodents for food but they were too easy to toy with," Katsuki sighs. "So I would mess around with them before bringing them back."
"Bringing them back where?"
"To Father."
Izuku frowns and narrows his eyes. "You're lying."
"I said I wouldn't lie," Katsuki says, a little offended by the accusation.
"You didn't come back to the palace until you were seventeen," Izuku murmurs. "You had no contact with your father or mother until then."
A fuzziness fills Katsuki's chest. "Have you really been asking around about this?"
"It wasn't that hard to find out." "Well, I'm still not lying. I said Father, not my father," he explains with an eye roll. "My father is the one who made me. Father is the one who raised me."
Izuku doesn't seem very convinced. "And how did Father feel about you bringing the prey back?"
"Oh, he loved it. Praised me lots and said that I was a natural." Katsuki misses those days. Maybe he should start bringing mice back to Izuku. He'd probably understand it better than his mother did.
"Did he know you liked hurting things?" Izuku asks cautiously.
"Most definitely," Katsuki replies. "He would always say that I had a lot of untapped talent and he was going to help me reach my full potential. I like to think that I'm at my strongest now."
Izuku pauses to process it. He seems unsettled, but Katsuki can't imagine why. There's nothing wrong with parents encouraging their children to do their best, right?
"And just how did he help you?" Izuku pries a little more.
"So many ways," the alpha says, almost happy to explain. "Father was the one who taught me how to fight, how to take care of myself, how to survive from nothing. He said that he could make me perfect and I think he's done a very good job."
"What about liking pain? How did that start happening?"
Katsuki tilts his head. "Father didn't like distractions at all. He thought that anything that appealed to my subconscious would ruin me, so I didn't know about a hierarchy until I was on my own. Father was an alpha and I was an alpha, but I had no interaction with anyone else. I didn't know that betas or omegas even existed."
"He kept that knowledge from you...?" Izuku asks.
"I suppose so, but it made ruts confusing to deal with," Katsuki says, slightly annoyed. "I got my first rut when I was eleven. I didn't know why I wanted to be balls deep in any hole I could stick my dick in, but Father was so pissed about it that he'd beat me until the rut ended."
Izuku's eyes widen at that. "What?"
"Every rut after that was the same," he continues, bored. "Once Father smelled that it was coming, he'd tie my hands behind my back and lock me in my room. If I made too much noise, which I usually did, he'd just beat me. In his defense, I was a very horny preteen alpha and I would get pretty aggressive." "I guess that solves the mystery of your masochism problem," Izuku
mutters.
"You can imagine how irritated he was once I could come just from a hard smack to the face," the alpha says with a grin. "That didn't make him stop doing it, though. Maybe he thought something would change, even if it never did."
"But if you're saying you didn't know about a hierarchy until you were on your own, does that mean you had no idea what sex or relationships were?" he asks.
"That sounds right. I was actually nervous around attractive people when I came back here. Teenage hormones and all that." Katsuki says it absentmindedly, since it was so long ago, he almost forgot what he used to be like. "But Father always said that the pursuit of love was something really special. Unnecessary, but special. Romance is something to cherish."
"Yeah," Izuku replies bitterly. "You really did something with those lessons."
Katsuki laughs at that, though it melts into a rumbling purr as Izuku slides a hand around his throat. A soft, satisfied sound escapes him as Izuku's grip tightens. Firm and dominating, though he isn't choking him yet.
"I have a theory," the omega says. "About all this, but I don't know if I'm right."
"Why don't you share it, then?"
"Because if I am right, you might tell me I'm wrong just to throw me off."
Fuck, Katsuki is so horny right now. Having a hand on his throat does something to him. "I won't do that."
Izuku seems a little distrustful, which is understandable. But he's too curious to give it a rest and Katsuki is well aware that he's smart. Very cunning, very crafty. He'll find the truth eventually, once he's given enough time to figure it all out.
"If you had no idea that betas or omegas existed, that meant you assumed that you weren't even aware of having a second gender. You were just you, and Father was just Father," Izuku begins quietly. "But it would have been beneficial to disclose that to you. There's also no reason to teach you a language that dead... unless that language was all he knew, but I find that difficult to believe."
Katsuki quirks an eyebrow, though he doesn't interrupt him.
"So that makes me think that it was done on purpose," Izuku continues. "To strategically and methodically isolate you in a way that made it impossible for you to relate to anyone. It would create a language barrier, because even if you did leave or meet someone besides Father, you wouldn't be able to talk to them. If you don't know anything about a hierarchy, then you don't know anything about social norms or expectations."
"That is a pretty good theory," Katsuki says. It takes everything to keep himself from grinning like a madman because Izuku is just too damn attractive when he thinks. "I can't tell you if you're right or wrong, because I don't even know myself. I will say that it seems very plausible."
"But if he did something like that, I would have to ask why. Why would someone do that to you?" Izuku asks, catching on. "If he taught you how to fight, that means he expected that you would be fighting someone or something eventually. That means he was planning for you to go out into the world instead of staying with him forever. If you can't even speak to people,
what's the point? What are you supposed to be doing?"
A small smile curls across Katsuki's lips as he watches the sudden realization fall on Izuku. It's beautiful how his mind works, how quickly he can connect the dots.
"He was making you a perfect killer," Izuku whispers.
"Again, very plausible."
"Did he ever make you kill for him?"
Katsuki purrs softly. "I decline to answer, but if that hypothetically happened, he wouldn't have to make me do anything. I would have wanted to do it."
"Because he conditioned you to like it," Izuku growls. "That's warping and manipulating a child's mind to make them attracted to violence, and I just don't understand why he'd do that—"
But before he can finish, the walls around Katsuki's cock suddenly seize and tighten at once. Izuku gasps with pain and holds his belly, and soon enough, the smile fades from the alpha's lips.
"Izuku?"
The omega doesn't reply and Katsuki doesn't wait for one. He carefully slides Izuku off his cock and sits up, holding Izuku against his chest as he's seated on the alpha's lap. His eyes are screwed shut with pain and his breathing is labored, and he doesn't relax even a bit as Katsuki rests his chin on Izuku's head.
"Yaoyorozu!" Katsuki calls out, and the bodyguard peers into the makeshift den.
"Yes your highness?"
"Bring Uraraka right now." "It's fine," Izuku mutters. But Katsuki smells something dripping against his thigh, and when he reaches beneath the hem of Izuku's robe, it feels like very thin slick. In fact, it's almost like water.
"Something's wrong," Katsuki says, pressing his palm against Izuku's forehead. "You're burning up. Are you sick?"
"I don't know, I haven't noticed anything," Izuku murmurs. He's shaking and Katsuki leans back against the wall, lowering his head a bit so it doesn't touch the roof of the nest. "This hasn't happened before."
"Let me take a look," Katsuki demands, though he doesn't wait for permission before opening the front of Izuku's robe. Izuku doesn't resist when he touches his belly this time, and soon enough, Katsuki realizes it isn't firm. If he pushes on it even slightly, even more slick drips out and this time, and it's tinged with dark red.
Katsuki's blood immediately runs cold.
"Uraraka!" he yells even more urgently this time. Izuku leans his head against Katsuki's chest, seeming lightheaded. There's panic in the bond and Katsuki knows that Izuku didn't do this on purpose. He's too scared for that.
"Am I bleeding?" Izuku whispers, sounding a little woozy. "I feel like I am."
"It's not much," Katsuki assures him. But when he reaches back to check, he finds that the slick has become a deeper red. Katsuki's pants are wet with blood and slick and for the first time in a long time, he feels afraid.
At least he thinks this is fear, since he's almost forgotten what it feels like. There's the familiar buzz of adrenaline pumping through his veins but he's genuinely terrified. For the pups, for Izuku, for the future of his family. He doesn't think Izuku would die and he's probably catastrophizing but he admittedly has no idea how omega health works. What if this is a bad sign? What if this means he's going to die? And the pups? What about them?
"I'm here, I'm here!" Uraraka says, bursting into the room with Yaoyorozu hot on her heels. Katsuki feels a little relieved at the sound of her voice, but he's so worried for Izuku, it's completely negated.
"He's bleeding," Katsuki blurts out as Uraraka kneels down beside the nest. She tosses the blanket off the top and the spare cushion topples over. "It started only a little while ago."
"Lay him down," she tells him, and he obeys. Hoisting Izuku up, he allows the omega to curl back up in his nest. Izuku whimpers a bit, trying to roll over on his side as his back presses against the wall. The clothes are already smeared with blood and it makes Katsuki's breath catch. "What's wrong with him?" Katsuki asks as Uraraka inspects his belly, touching the slick to check its consistency.
"I don't know yet," she says, and despite her panic, she stays focused. "Were you mating with him?"
He grimaces. "Sort of."
"With all due respect, sir, I advise that you don't do it again." Uraraka pulls a few of the clothes out of the nest to press between Izuku's legs, trying to stop the bleeding. "With a whole litter in such a small womb, you have to be very careful. I would abstain from mating at all."
"Are you saying this is my fault?" Katsuki growls, and Uraraka shakes her
head.
"No, but that's general advice. He's running a high fever so I doubt it has anything to do with what you were doing."
"Can't that just be from arousal?"
Uraraka takes a deep breath and she pauses, as if she's trying to think. "I doubt it. Did he eat anything today?"
"Only regular meals," Katsuki replies. "Why?"
"Because right now, all signs point to him being poisoned."
That... that can't be possible. Katsuki shares almost all his meals with Izuku, since they eat the same food. Except breakfast, of course, but—
And right then, everything falls into place.
He is never around in the mornings, as he usually returns to Izuku at noon or later. Yaoyorozu is the one who stays with Izuku when Katsuki is away, making sure that he eats. But Yaoyorozu can't think for herself: she's just an empty vessel who carries out the will of his damn mother. If Mitsuki wanted him killed, she would just have to assign Yaoyorozu the task.
Rage boils beneath his skin and his hands curl into fists. Izuku is his mate, and these were his own pups. Mitsuki was probably precise enough to deliver a lethal enough dosage to at least kill off the litter, and possibly Izuku himself. Maybe she's doing this to get back at him for killing his weak, pathetic father, and just thinking of it makes him positively livid.
"Flush the poison out," Katsuki orders coldly, and Uraraka nods. He shoves past Yaoyorozu on his way towards the door, picking up both of his blades
propped up against the dresser. There's no fucking point in killing the bodyguard for this, since he knows Yaoyorozu would never kill a queen. The moral limit must stop at the pups though: if Mitsuki wanted Yaoyorozu to kill Izuku, she would have done it already. His mother settled on the pups.
Katsuki feels so violent, so vengeful, so unbelievably furious that he can hardly think straight.
Every fiber of his being aches to kill. No one gets between an alpha and his mate, and especially not an alpha and his pups. It doesn't matter who, it doesn't matter for what reason. After all his kindness, it's infuriating that his mother would repay him like this. He didn't have to let her live. He could have dumped her in the grave right next to his father's, but he didn't. This is what he gets for having mercy, and he will end his mistake here.
But Katsuki is so deep in his rage, so consumed by it, he doesn't catch the passing, faintest flash of red on his way to the throne room.
It's easily dismissed, just like all of the other warning signs.