Chapter Text
"It's going to be okay honey, I promise," Inko says through tears, cupping her son's face in her hands and squeezing his cheeks. Izuku smiles at her. She seems to be the one more in need of comforting.
"I know mom, I know. Everything is going to be fine. Don't worry about me," he answers. He rubs his hands over his mother's then reaches out to wipe some of her tears away.
"Izuku's one of the toughest kids out there, Mrs. Midoriya. And he'll have Hanta and Denki watching out for him. He's going to be just fine," Kirishima adds, walking over to the pair and ruffling Izuku's curly green hair. Contrary to his words, he also has tears threatening to spill from his crimson red eyes.
"Of course, that's right," Inko mutters to herself, wiping her tears away on her apron.
Bakugo stands up from the couch and crosses his arms, staring angrily at the floor.
He doesn’t make eye contact with Izuku when he speaks. "C'mon, the ceremony's gonna start any minute. We gotta get going."
Izuku nods solemnly. He goes to move, but Kirishima holds onto his arm tightly.
"Kats..." Kirishima sighs, shaking his head, "stop being like that. Get over here."
At first Bakugo looks like he's going to ignore his mate, then sniffles once and bolts over to Izuku, wrapping him in a lung-crushing hug. Kirishima joins in on the hug, enveloping the two smaller men in his large arms.
Izuku melts into their arms, feeling safe in the embrace of his best friends. Both of their heartbeats can be felt through their chests, and Izuku wants to burn this feeling into his memory. This is what he wants to remember of his last day with his family, his friends, his clan: the happiness that he has been blessed with for 18 years, not the sadness of seeing it lost.
Izuku takes a step back and smiles at the 3 people around him, the 3 most important people in his life. Not being able to see them everyday will be like a knife in the heart, but he'll survive. He has to. He has no choice.
"You know Ei would claim you if he could, right?" Bakugo says.
"I know, Kacchan," Izuku giggles, "but I think you guys are good as two."
"What? You don't want to be my sister-wife? Too good for us, nerd?"
Everyone laughs and Izuku is incredibly grateful at Bakugo's ability to lighten the mood with his sass.
A knock at the door draws everyone's attention.
"That must be your friends," Inko says, hurrying to open the door. Sure enough, Ochako, Yuga, and Neito are all anxiously waiting outside the door, donning the same silky white dress that Izuku is wearing. Izuku knows they're both sad and excited: sad to know Izuku will be leaving when no one claims him, and excited to receive claims from their own alphas.
Of course the three already have their alphas picked out. It's only been the topic of all their discussions for months. Ochako is going with Tsuyu, since they're already dating and decided ahead of time to be mates. Yuga is going with Iida, because they've only been pining for each other forever. And Neito is going with Shinsou, who...isn't actually aware he's been decided as Neito's mate, but if he doesn't claim Neito, Neito will kill him. Kill. Him.
"Hi everyone, we're here to pick Izuku up," Yuga says, poking his head through the door and waving at the older couple. Kirishima waves back and Bakugo just snorts.
"Guess that's my cue." Izuku squeezes Kirishima and Bakugo's hands in each of his own.
"We'll be in the audience. Just look at Ei's big dumb face if you get nervous up there," Bakugo says.
Kirishima nods proudly.
"And we'll be here when you get back. We're by your side til the very end, little bro," Kirishima adds.
Izuku thanks them again, gives his mom one more hug, and heads out with his friends to the claiming ceremony.
...
The stage isn't very large. Just a small, circular, wooden platform in the center of the village where the chief made announcements. It is barely big enough for the 8 young omegas and the chief to all fit without stepping on each other's toes. Somehow they make it work.
What is large, is the crowd. Everyone in the village turned up to see the claiming ceremony. Especially this year, since this is the year Izuku, the poor broken omega, will be put on display for a sick humiliation ritual.
Izuku searches the crowd for Kirishima and Bakugo, but among all the faces he can't find them. The feeling of being left all alone makes his stomach churn even more.
The chief steps in front and holds his hand up. Quiet falls on the murmuring people.
"Welcome to the claiming ceremony. We have 8 of age omegas this year. Today, alphas will lay claim to them, and they will choose which suitor will become their mate. All omegas must be claimed by an alpha. We have no use for an unclaimed omega."
Izuku clenches his fists. He knows this is personal. He knows the chief would have had him drowned in the river as a baby if he could have. All over a few body parts.
"We will begin. May our first omega step forward."
Yuga, with his family name being Aoyama, is the first to be presented. Izuku is 4th, Neito 5th, and Ochako 7th.
"Any alphas interested in claiming Yuga Aoyama, raise your hand and say 'I'!"
Multiple hands go up in the crowd, a solid cheer of "I"!'s going out. Almost all men, many older than him. As impressed as everyone else is at the number of interested alphas, Yuga doesn't really care. There is only one hand he's desperately searching for.
"Alright, let's start going through—"
"There!" Yuga shouts. He points into the crowd. Everyone's eyes follow his finger onto...Iida. a very embarrassed Iida, his hand standing rigid in the air.
Iida looks around helplessly, not used to having so many eyes on him at once.
The chief clears his throat. "It's customary to allow all alphas the chance to—"
"No need, I've made my choice, that's my alpha," Yuga says.
"Alright then, you may go join your alpha."
Yuga saunters off the stage and through the crowd to make his way beside Iida. He stands beside him confidently, holding onto his arm. Iida's face goes beet red.
When everyone finishes clapping, the chief begins again.
"May our second omega step forward."
All the faces of the crowd blend together into some strange type of painting Izuku has only seen in the city when he's gone to visit Hanta and Denki. The voices around him start sounding like a language he doesn't know how to speak. His skin starts feeling like its separated from the rest of him and about to float away any minute like a bed sheet taken off the clothing line by an especially strong gust of wind. He's not sure how he's still standing.
"Midoriya."
No response.
"Midoriya?"
Still nothing.
"Midoriya!"
Izuku jerks back to the present when the chief yells his name. He looks around himself and sees that the last two omegas have been claimed and he's up next. His friends are watching him with worry. The crowd is murmuring loudly.
"Sorry, chief," Izuku says.
"Let's try that again," the chief sighs. "May our fourth omega step forward."
Izuku steps toward the front of the stage and looks out at the crowd. The people watch him like he's a circus exhibition.
"Any alphas interested in claiming Izuku Midoriya, raise your hand and say 'I'!"
The silence is painful. Izuku can hear his own blood rushing in his ears it's so quiet. He looks down and closes his eyes. He can't cry. Not in front of everyone. He can't give them the satisfaction of making him cry. Can't give them that power.
The chief sighs and turns to Izuku. As he's about to speak, there's a rustle in the crowd.
"I."
Everyone's head turns to the source of the sound. There, in the crowd, is a lone hand in the air.
Izuku doesn't know who looks more surprised, himself or the chief. This can't be right, surely? There's no way this is real?
The chief clears his throat and schools his features.
"What is your name, alpha? I can't see you all the way back there."
There's silence for a beat, then:
"Tomura Shigaraki."
The crowd erupts in whispers. Izuku is even more sure he's imagining things. Shigaraki is three years older than him, the same year as Bakugo and Kirishima, and they have only once interacted, when Izuku gave him medicine for a flu he caught a couple years back. The only thing he knows about Shigaraki is that he's really good at killing, and according to the rumors, he enjoys it a little too much. The man also never smiles. All in all, he's terrifying.
"Izuku Midoriya, do you accept Tomura Shigaraki as your alpha?" the chief asks.
This is his one chance. If he accepts this, he can stay here with his family and friends. What Shigaraki wants with him he has no idea, but it cant be too bad, right? He has to take this. This is his saving grace.
Izuku smiles. "Yes, I accept."