Chapter Text
Izuku Midoriya sighed as he walked through his home once again. He’d been attempting to straighten up the apartment before his mother’s arrival, but he always seemed to miss something. He hoped he was doing a passable job at least, because he was tired of watching his mom find stray articles of clothing and giving him that look.
Izuku made one more pass through the living room and found another one of Todoroki’s sweaters under a throw pillow. Izuku couldn’t help but smile as he gathered it into his arms.
For such a level-headed alpha, Todoroki was incredibly forgetful.
The omega brought the sweater to his face and breathed the alpha’s scent in deeply. His muscles relaxed on pure instinct as the faint scent of spice and smoke washed over his senses. Izuku only wished the lingering scent was stronger.
Todoroki smelled like an intoxicating combination of woodsmoke and mint. It was quite possibly Izuku’s favorite scent in the entire world, and it never failed to make him feel safe and warm. He adored that feeling, even if he was more than capable of protecting himself.
At twenty-six, the pro-hero Deku was regularly ranked within the top ten. He was hardworking and well-established at his agency. Deku was also the only omega male ranked within the top fifty, and the media seemed to love him for it.
Izuku was proud of where he was at in life. He lived in a comfortable, two-bedroom apartment that allowed room for guests, and his usual visitors were the finest group of friends anyone could ask for. Most of the old 1-A class lived on the other side of town, and it was well known that Izuku was happy to provide a place to crash when a job took them to his area.
Todoroki slept over more often than anyone else.
The alpha was a workaholic, but he made time to visit Izuku at least once a week. Todoroki had his own key, and showed up whenever his hectic schedule allowed. Izuku was always glad for the company. His home would have been lonely without Todoroki’s regular visits. Many of the other heroes had roommates for that very reason.
Izuku straightened his throw pillows, then carried the sweater to the closet to hang it with the others. He now had three sweaters, a light jacket, two scarves, and a pair of gloves that belonged to Todoroki in the entry closet alone.
Izuku shook his head and hurried to wipe down the already clean and cleared kitchen countertops. The cleaner it looked, the better. He liked to at least pretend that he had his life together when his mother came over.
A pot of water was already on for tea when there was a knock at the door.
Izuku answered in a hurry and grinned widely at the sight of his mother. Inko Midoriya matched his bright smile and stepped into a tight hug. The pair had remained incredibly close for all Izuku’s life, and they still tried to visit every Wednesday.
Inko stepped inside and led the way to the small, kitchen table. Izuku quickly went to prepare their tea while his mother got settled.
When he turned around with their cups, his mother was giving him that signature knowing look. Why was she giving him that look? His house was impeccably clean this time. Izuku frowned in confusion, and his mother raised a lovely eyebrow - as though she wasn’t buying Izuku’s feigned innocence.
“You smell like him again,” Inko suggested. Her voice was warm with affection, but there was a friendly accusation in her tone. Izuku tilted his head. He didn’t quite understand what she was implying.
“When am I going to meet this lucky guy?” Inko questioned. The younger Modoriya continued to blink slowly at her in confusion. “Honey, you can’t keep hiding a boyfriend from me if he’s going to start moving in.”
Izuku walked over and took a seat with his mother at the table. He wrapped his fingers around the comforting warmth of his ceramic mug while he regarded her. “Mom, I do not have a boyfriend.”
“Izuku, you’re not as subtle as you think. You seem happier, your apartment always smells like an alpha, and I’ve seen the second toothbrush in the bathroom,” Inko suggested. Her cheeks were rosy with excitement. She wanted to know all about this young man in Izuku’s life.
Well, what she’d said was certainly true.
Torodroki had left the second toothbrush there a while ago. He’d brought it with him on an overnight stay and forgot it, or, maybe he crashed there so often, he’d left it on purpose. Either way, Izuku hadn’t minded. It was a nice reminder that he wasn’t alone.
“There is no boyfriend. Those things belong to Todoroki. He stays over sometimes, and he’s incredibly forgetful.” Izuku narrowed his eyes with affection as he spoke. He leaned over his steaming mug as he thought about it. Todoroki’s forgetfulness was endearing, and Izuku liked the little reminders that his stoic friend willingly chose to spend more time with him despite the hassle.
“No one is that forgetful, son,” Inko stated simply. The smug, knowing look never left her face as she sipped her tea.
“What do you mean?” Izuku questioned, brow furrowing with thought.
“I mean that he’s marking his territory,” Inko answered. Her smile was becoming fond with gentle exasperation as she explained.
“What?!” Izuku hadn’t meant to say it so loud. He quickly closed his mouth. His thoughts racing as he tried to process the implications of that. There was no way that was the truth.
“Izuku, he’s trying to leave signs to let other alphas know you’re taken,” Inko paused to gesture around the room. “The man left an extra toothbrush in the bathroom, and everything you pull out of the entry closet smells like alpha. You’re wearing it around, and you’re telling me you haven’t noticed?”
Inko sounded equal parts amused and exhausted with her son’s naiveté. She knew Izuku could be a little dense, but, as far as she could tell, the boys were practically dating already. Her son blushed up to his ears as he listened. At least her words were making it through to him.
“T-That can’t be true,” Izuku muttered under his breath.
Izuku had that dazed expression on his face. Inko could tell that he was running through the implications of her words at a mile a minute. He must be incredibly embarrassed if he was somehow keeping himself from muttering his thoughts out loud.
“Todoroki would just tell me if he was interested… Right? We’ve been friends a long time. H-He could tell me anything,” Izuku argued. He was looking down at his tea with tremendous focus, because he definitely didn’t have the confidence to look up and lie to his mother’s face.
“I’m telling you, Izuku. That boy has a thing for you, and he must have it bad if he’s trying this hard,” Inko suggested kindly. She reached out and gently pat her son’s arm. Thankfully, she changed the subject after that, but Izuku couldn’t seem to stop thinking about it.
Later that evening, Izuku lay sprawled over his couch. He couldn’t get his mind off what his mother’s words. Now that he was really thinking about it, she hadn’t been the only one to imply that something was going on between him and Todoroki.
A few of his friends had prodded him about his “part-time roommate,” but Izuku had assumed that they were just amused by Todoroki’s forgetfulness.
Were the two of them closer than friends? It was hard to say.
Izuku had spent several nights tucked up against Todoroki on this very couch. The omega closed his eyes and tried to remember how it had felt to lay half sprawled over Todoroki’s muscular body with his face buried in the alpha’s shoulder.
That had been nice, but not as nice as the few times he’d gotten brave and pressed his nose right into the sweet smelling scent gland on Todoroki’s neck. Maybe that had been a little intimate. Izuku fidgeted at the thought.
Izuku had always assumed that a difficult childhood had left Todoroki touch-starved. The alpha seemed to be making up for lost time by being extremely affectionate now. Of course, it had taken them a years to built the initial foundation of trust that made their comfortable cuddling sessions possible.
Izuku knew Todoroki didn’t have that relationship with many people, and Izuku had always thought that was why he was Todoroki’s chosen partner. It had felt natural for their close friendship to progress into something more physical after years of friendship.
Was that a sign of love instead? Did other friends scent each other like that? Izuku supposed that he and Ururaka were very physically affectionate, but snuggling with her had never left Izuku with the bone-deep satisfaction that came from being close to Todoroki.
Izuku was willing to admit that the thought of being with the alpha made him want to purr. Sex sounded so much less embarrassing when he thought about the man he trusted most hovering over him, but he couldn’t even guess what the alpha’s feelings were.
Did Todoroki cuddle with anyone else? Had the alpha ever shown signs of being interested in him? If so, when had it started?
They’d known each other since they were fresh-faced teenagers, and Todoroki had been intense while they attended UA. The alpha made direct eye contact, and, though his touches were rare, he always touched with reverence. Every contact with Todoroki had felt special, and it was hard to tell if he’d ever meant anything by it.
There had been a moment though, shortly after graduation.
The two of them had been partners on a large-scale mission. They were meant to hit an enemy compound deep in the mountains. One of villain’s quirks had created a series of tunnels within the earth, and several heroes had been brought together to search the tunnels.
They’d split the larger group into pairs so that they could cover more ground. Each pair had been asked to set up camp within their designated areas, and everyone was meant to commence the operation at the same time in the early morning to prevent any quick getaways after the villains registered the attack.
Todoroki and Deku had been paired together for the mission, and both of them had been nervous for their first big mission following graduation. The two of them had made camp in tense silence among the trees. The air was frigid, but no one was allowed a fire to avoid alerting their targets.
It began to snow a few hours into the evening, and Izuku had been unable to hide his shivering.
That had been the first time that Todoroki dared to pull Izuku against his chest. Izuku had been completely pliant in Todorki’s quirk-warmed arms. The young hero had arranged Izuku against his chest, and Izuku had shamelessly buried his face in Todorki’s warm shoulder.
The tension broke, and the two spent a few hours talking in hushed voices. It was the most Izuku had ever heard Todoroki speak at one time.
He’d never forget the moment that Todorki’s fingers first brushed through his green curls as they lay curled up together. Todoroki’s warm fingers had caressed his scalp with purpose and affection, and Izuku had known then that something was shifting in their dynamic.
Their mission had been grueling. The mountain erupted in chaos as tunnels collapsed and villains fought to escape their own hideout. Both young heroes had been pushed well passed their limits, but Izuku felt relatively certain that it was in that moment that their friendship deepened into something more tangible.
On their way home, Todoroki had asked Izuku to call him by his first name for the first time.
It had felt too intimate then. It felt too intimate now, but Izuku did it anyway… When they were alone. Todoroki, on the other hand, hadn’t called Izuku “Midoriya” since the morning before that mission.
Later that night, Izuku brushed his teeth, combed his hair, and then reached into the cabinet for his suppressants. He took them every night around the same time.
The suppressants reduced someone’s scent output, prevented heats, and included a mild contraceptive. Izuku was on a stronger, secondary form of birth control, but controlling his heats was essential to his work as a hero.
An omega who didn’t suppress went into heat approximately four times a year. They were difficult to predict, even if there were usually indicators. Because his hero work was equally unpredictable, it was essential that Izuku knew when he was going to be out of commission.
Suppressants weren’t meant to be taken forever. Izuku’s current formula recommended that he stop taking them for at least two weeks every year so that his body could go through a regular heat cycle. That worked out well, as long as his agency knew ahead of time and could provide coverage.
Izuku paused, turning the box of medication over in his hands.
Could Todoroki really be marking him?
Izuku shifted anxiously from foot to foot as he thought about it. He wasn’t sure why he’d never thought about the two of them together before. He could already feel a hint of slickness between his cheeks as he thought about it now.
Izuku swallowed nervously and put the box away without taking one of his regular pills. He needed his scent to come back in full force if he was going to test this theory. He would be brining on his heat just a little earlier than usual, but he was sorely in need of a vacation anyway.
Maybe, if his mother was right, he would ask Shouto to be his heat partner.