Chapter Text
Hitoshi unlocks his door, steps inside and closes the door, then pauses. There’s a cat on his bed. He doesn’t own a cat. The dorm doesn’t have a cat. What the ever-loving fuck?
“Hello, you furry grey bastard. Much as I’d love to pet you indefinitely, I’m not going to lose my spot in the hero course because someone thinks I snuck you in.”
“Mrrp?”
“Yeah, yeah. Will you let me pick you up?” He asks, and approaches. Carefully he picks the big critter up and holds him? her? against his chest. “There we go.”
The cat just starts purring.
He pets it as he carries it out of the dorm, fortunately not running into anyone until he’s outside and then he almost collides with Aizawa sensei, who looks slightly stressed.
“Shinso? Have you seen a-? Oh, there you are, Ringo. Where did you find him?” Aizawa sensei asks.
Hitoshi blinks. “The cat? He got in my room and was waiting for me on my bed. No idea how, though.”
Aizawa sensei huffs in amusement. “Yeah, that sounds like him. He’s got a quirk and he uses it to find new victims when he’s bored. He loves being petted and carried around. If you flip him on his back, he’ll let you carry him around for hours.”
“So I’m not in trouble?” He clarifies.
“For my cat breaking into your room? Of course not. Do you want me to take him? Or you can carry him back to the teacher’s dorm if you like. Kami knows it won’t be the last time you’ll have to.” Aizawa sensei offers.
“Oh, uh. He seems pretty happy. I can carry him.” Hitoshi just doesn’t want to put the cat down, but it’s not like he can admit that.
Aizawa sensei smirks. “Alright. Follow me.”
~
The common area of the teachers’ dorm is pretty cozy. There’s a tool belt on one end table and someone’s knitting project abandoned on another. And one of the couches is occupied by class 1A’s Problem Child, Izuku Midoriya himself, along with a miniature Schnauzer and two other cats.
Midoriya waves at him cheerfully, before going back to whatever he’s working on, which is possibly Math homework.
“What’s he doing here?” He asks Aizawa sensei.
“Who? Oh. Problem Child? He asked, because he doesn’t have any parental alpha figures and he’s in pre-heat.” Aizawa explains. “I’ve given him a few scented items for his nest for when he hits heat, but for now it’s okay that he’s here. Being around a trusted alpha eases the symptoms.”
“Even though rut hits somewhere in the next week or two?” Hitoshi asks dubiously. Alphas are notoriously difficult to be around once September hits.
“Even though.” Aizawa sensei affirms. “Honestly, you’ll probably get requests for scented items from most of your omega classmates.”
“Huh. No one’s ever wanted my scent before.” He marvels at the idea, sitting on the couch opposite Midoriya, since the cat shows no signs of wanting down yet.
“I do!” Midoriya chirps. “Alpha scents make omegas feel safer and thus less clingy. I know Ashido’s been wanting to ask you, too, but she was afraid you’d say no and didn’t want to get rejected.”
“Oh. Well, it’s fine, I guess. I don’t mind scenting stuff for you and the other class omegas, as long as you and they are comfortable with my scent.” He admits.
“Thanks! I’ll tell the others!” Midoriya says happily. Then looks back at his math homework. “Have you finished your math yet?”
Oh. “Yeah, you can’t solve problem 13 with the proof from this chapter. It’s from a previous one, but I won’t tell you which one.”
“Okay! Thanks, Shinso!” Midoriya immediately starts flipping backwards in his text book.
Yup, called it. If there’s one thing Shinso’s proud of other than getting into the hero course at UA to begin with, it’s his book smarts. That doesn’t mean he’s going to let others cheat off of him, though. If anything, he’s doing them a favor by forcing them to learn the material for themselves. Though, admittedly, he’s given into Kaminari’s pleas to explain a problem to him multiple times. It’s a fair trade, though. Kaminari helps him muddle through the disaster that is English. The language is a menace. Whoever came up with the idea of ‘exceptions that prove the rule’ ought to be shot. Repeatedly. In the arse.
Midoriya giggles. “With buckshot.”
“Wait, did I say that out loud?” Hitoshi asked.
“Yeah. It was fun listening to someone besides me muttering.” Midoriya tells him cheerily. “Oh! Found it! Thanks again for your help, Shinso. It would’ve taken me hours to think of looking at other chapters. I’m not that bright, you know.”
“I think you’re plenty bright.” Hitoshi mutters, thinking of the green haired omega’s smile that can light up a room. Yeah, like the one he’s wearing right now.
“You’re sweet.”
“Ugh. Take that back. Right now.” He groans in protest.
“Nope!” Midoriya refuses. “But I can not tell the others. Not that it’ll stop them from figuring it out themselves.”
Hitoshi groans again and gets bopped on the nose with a curious cat paw for his pains. “What was that for, you furry bastard?”
Midoriya giggles again. “That’s Ringo. The dog is Sadie. The white cat is Fog and the black tuxedo cat is Sunshine. Sushi is probably in Midnight sensei’s room. Ringo’s the friendly one, though. And curious. He’ll try to put his paw in your mouth if you keep groaning.”
“Speaking from experience?”
“Nope. I saw him do it to Mic sensei one day. He stuck his paw and half his leg in his mouth. It was hilarious. Mic sensei squawked and told Aizawa sensei that his cat was trying to choke him.” Midoriya snickers. “Aizawa sensei just told him to stop whining like a little bitch if he didn’t like it.”
Hitoshi smirks. It’s easy to picture.
~
Something tickles his hand, but Hitoshi is comfortable, so he doesn’t move. Until a sharp pain accompanies the next tickle. He yelps and yanks his hand away. The the fu-!? Holy hell. That is a big tarantula. And quirked, if the neon orange fur in hollow, diamond shaped patterns is any clue. Mostly the diamond shaped patterns, really.
He edges away warily, glancing at his rapidly swelling hand uneasily and hoping Recovery Girl can keep him from dying.
“I’m so sorry! I just let him out of his carrier long enough to put fresh food in and he scampered off!” A general studies girl from class F says, looking dismayed as she picks up the big ass spider like it’s a precious baby.
“He bit me. I’m not going to die, am I?”
“Oh, no, I’m sorry again that he’s so naughty! But he’s only a little poisonous, because his venom is mutated to be less harmful. And all his quirk does is make it 50% more likely for you to have a quirk evolution. Worst case, your quirk gets stronger and your hand hurts for a few days.” She reassures him.
He goes to Recovery Girl after the girl hurries off to cage her pet menace. His hand feels like it’s going to fall off.
Recovery Girl looks it over, sighs and kisses it.
It only brings the swelling and pain down a little and makes him dizzy-tired.
“Unfortunately, that’s about what I expected. It’s tricky working with venom. One has to let the body break it down. I’ll talk to Nedzu about getting a general anti venom on hand. Or possibly just banning that child’s pet.” She says. “Go rest. I’ll excuse the rest of your classes for the day.”
“Okay. Thanks.” He says, head spinning.
He’s halfway out of the school when he stumbles into Kaminari and Midoriya.
“Whoa, dude!” Kaminari steadies him. “You okay?”
“Spider bite.” He manages. “Recovery Girl said to sleep it off.”
Hitoshi squeaks as his feet suddenly leave the floor and he finds himself in a princess carry.
“Kaminari, can you tell Ando sensei where I’ve gone? I’m going to take him to Aizawa sensei, so he can keep an eye on him. He shouldn’t be walking in his state.” Midoriya says.
“Sure, man. I definitely don’t think he should be walking or left alone.” Kaminari replies.
“You don’t have to.” Hitoshi mumbles, even though they probably have a point.
“Shh, just leave it to me. You’ll be fine, Shinso.” Midoriya hushes him and starts walking.
He squeaks again at the movement, wraps his arms around Midoriya’s neck and buries his face against his shoulder. “You’re an omega. You shouldn’t be carrying me. I’m heavy.” He protests, voice slurred a little.
Midoriya laughs. “If I can move a fridge with All Might sitting on top without my quirk, which I can, then you’re as light as a feather. If it makes you feel better, though, I can use my quirk.”
“Yeah.” Hitoshi says, even though he loses track of what they’re talking about. A faint hum of static starts up where Midoriya is touching him and he sees green crackles dancing across his skin. He stares at the green crackles until darkness takes over his vision and he passes out.
~
Hitoshi wakes with a dry throat and a mouth that tastes like unwashed ass. He swallows a few times and ends up coughing, a kind of wheezing hack in a bid for air.
“Here.”
Someone presses a glass into his hand and he gulps at the liquid – ah, water – frantically, trying to not inhale it as he chugs it between coughs. When he’s done, the glass is pried out of his hand.
“Do you want more?”
Hitoshi looks up and blearily focuses on Aizawa sensei. “Yeah. Did you arrest the guy who ran over me?”
Aizawa sensei gives him a head tilt in confusion, then barks a laugh. “You’ll be fine. You’ve been sleeping on my couch for the last three days. The Gen Ed student’s tarantula has been banned from the campus. The swelling in your hand has gone down significantly. Recovery Girl said that she probably made your symptoms worse by trying to heal you.”
“Oh.”
“Bathroom’s over there, kid.” Aizawa sensei points with the glass. “I’ll get you some more water.”
Hitoshi realizes that either they’ve been taking him to the bathroom (gross) or he hasn’t gone in three days, and nature’s urge abruptly makes itself urgently known. He totters to his feet and shuffles over to the bathroom as fast as he can manage. He makes it, but it’s closer than he’d like to admit.
After washing his hands, he shuffles back to the couch. He feels rotten, but at least he’s not dizzy still. His hand is sore and stiff, but at least he’s no longer feeling like he wants to rip it off to escape the pain.
“Here, kid. Do you feel up to eating?” Aizawa sensei is standing in front of him, offering another glass of water.
He takes it gratefully and clears his throat. “Soup? Maybe?”
“I think we have chicken rice soup. Can your stomach handle the rice or just the broth?” Aizawa sensei tells him.
“Uh. The broth probably.” He knows he needs to eat, but he also doesn’t want to put food down there for it just to come right back up. Ugh, his throat is so dry and his voice is ugly-raspy because of it. Lifting his glass, he takes a sip and coughs to clear his throat when that only halfway works.
“Alright. Give it a few minutes and I’ll have that ready. Come sit at the table, though.”
Hitoshi nods and pushes to his feet again, almost slopping the water. He carries it carefully over to the table and sits and sips at it until Aizawa sensei places a bowl of steaming soup broth in front of him. It smells delicious.
~
Notes:
I have no idea where this is going, but it’s going to have at least a second chapter. I’m still trying to find places to fit in all the world building.
I do plan on writing more on Scent Hazard and Izuku Dislikes Quests, but between writers’ block and being sick, it’s been impossible to focus on either of them.
Thanks to Wolfpawforever for the initial idea for Beta’s Intervention, which has not come up yet in the story. Mine is a heavily tweaked version of theirs, which they have given me permission to use. Check out their fic if you’re interested in seeing the original version! My version is heavily influenced by the train of thought that I’ve had for several months, searching for an angle to legit give betas something on par with alpha/omega voice abilities. Giving one gender all the power or only having one gender without an ability kind of rubs me the wrong way, because it creates a sharp societal imbalance that is often skimmed over and generally not pleasant at all. It was really neat to run into someone else who had a similar train of thought and actually successfully came up with something to address it.
If you haven’t guessed, the pairing will be Hitoshi/Izuku.
I have yet to decide if Aizawa is paired off. Could pair him with either Mic or All Might. Thoughts?
For some reason the name Ringo reminds me of circuses. Ringo’s an entire circus act sometimes. Sadie the Schnauzer is Vlad’s dog. Fog belongs to Ectoplasm. Sunshine belongs to Mic and bites everyone except Mic. Mic thinks his cat is an angel. Others beg to differ. Sushi belongs to Midnight. The animals get along surprisingly well.
Both the cat scene and the spider scene were twists from my writing chat’s bot. I’ve seen bioengineered spiders and radioactive spiders biting, but not a naturally quirked spider.
Incidentally, it’s specially bred. Originally the quirks in its family were simple mutation quirks involving fur patterns and weaker venom. With select breeding, the venom has gotten even weaker over time (it’s still got a helluva kick) and the spiders have begun to have other kinds of quirks along with the inherited mutations. Please don’t take what happens to Hitoshi as how spider bites/venom works. I honestly have no idea of irl symptoms.
The spider that bit Hitoshi was bought for the Gen Ed girl by a relative, who wanted her quirk to be stronger. It bites strangers, so she got bitten a few times before it accepted her. It did work on her quirk, but that was largely incidental, because she was not so interested as to get bitten on purpose.
She only brought the spider to school because she had to take it to a vet checkup after school. She really didn’t need to take him out of his container to feed him (so he’d be less bitey at the vet’s) but she thought it would be nice to let him sit in the grass for a bit.
Ando sensei is not an OC, although canon doesn’t name her. She’s the computer teacher and her specialty is cybercrime.
They kept an eye on Hitoshi in the teacher’s dorm, because they were a lot more concerned after he passed out. Recovery Girl’s quirk did make the symptoms notably worse.
Should I make his quirk evolve? It’s only 50/50 that it will and I don’t really have any plans for what to do if it evolves.
Fun fact: Hitoshi is an alpha prime. Which means a. no one wanted to tangle with him physically in middle school because alphas are usually the strongest gender physically and b. if potential tormenters refused to answer questions, he could force them to back off anyways. So he got scoffed at and shunned some, but was never abused by schoolmates or teachers.
Additionally, his quirk makes him almost entirely immune to both alpha voice and beta intervention. Omega command can get him, but he has a bit of natural resistance to that too. Really, the only gender voice gift that affects him is an omega prime’s omega command. That doesn’t mean he won’t listen at all, of course, just that he can’t be forced. That means that if he was being stubborn, the best people to force him to listen would be All Might, Present Mic, Kouda and Izuku.
Hitoshi’s alpha voice is supplemented by his quirk, so his alpha voice is actually really strong, even for an alpha prime.
Class 1A has three alphas: Kirishima, Hitoshi and Aizawa. Hitoshi and Aizawa are both primes.
Fun fact #2: Monoma is also an alpha, but his alpha voice is weak. The attention he gains is solely because he’s just that obnoxious with his inferiority complex. He’s gotten a lot of scorn because of his ‘weak’ quirk and because his way of fighting back is to mock others and he really doesn’t have anything to back that up other than the ability to plant his fist in someone’s face, which he considers ‘beneath’ him and refuses to do.
I’m not actually sure if class 1B has any other alphas or not, because I don’t focus on them much, but Kendo is a beta. Just a regular beta.
It’s not a mistake that both classes have a beta for class rep. Betas are encouraged to take more ‘political’ roles, because they’re thought to have cooler heads. Obviously, though, betas are just human and they fuck up out of emotion just as often as anyone else. They just don’t have an entire month every year forcibly fucking with their hormones. Alphas and omegas in politics often take the season off just to prevent incidents. After all, starting a feud/war is one thing. Starting it on accident is another altogether.
Another fun fact: Bakugou’s beta intervention is decidedly on the weak side. Instead, it’s his force of personality and quirk that makes people pay attention to him. He’s strong against others’ beta intervention, though. However, he’s very weak to omega command. One reason he dislikes Izuku, who is an omega prime. He’s okay against alpha voice, but sucks at it if it’s an alpha prime using it. Which is actually pretty average.
There’s a reason so many of the teachers at UA are primes. It’s to help the students build up resistance, so they don’t falter against prime villains.
What? You think I come up with this shit primarily because I think it’s funny? Whyever would you think that? You’re absolutely right. I mean, why even write if you can’t entertain yourself?
~
More Notes:
Alphas: generally bigger and stronger than betas and omegas.
Claiming fangs tend to be a little bigger.
Have September ruts, which can last more than a month, though a month is average. A second rut can be provoked if around an omega who goes into heat in February instead. Ruts provoke stroppy and horny behaviors but don’t interfere with cognition to a recognizable degree. Alphas are slightly more fertile in rut than out of it. They are not excused from rape charges during rut, but may be held less responsible for physical violence done during rut.
Have alpha voice, which is the strongest of the three genders’ abilities naturally and can force physical obedience. Betas and omegas get training in middle school to resist this, because baby alphas can have accidents that can lead to harm. Alphas are trained to not use alpha voice except in emergencies and have it impressed on them throughout schooling that it is never to be used to cause harm to someone. Using it to victimize someone is a crime legally. Alphas with particularly strong alpha voice are considered Alpha Primes.
Often charismatic or have a presence that’s intimidating.
In general have ‘weak’ quirks. Many of them truly do have weak quirks, but some like Aizawa and Hitoshi just have ones that seem weak without effort put in to exploit them to their fullest. From a physical standpoint, they are well respected, but often looked down on from a quirk standpoint.
Most alpha heroes go into underground, support or rescue heroics.
Have the lowest risk of being quirkless. Alphas were the first secondary gender to consistently have quirks.
Make up 30% of the population.
Alphas: Aizawa (Prime), Hound Dog, Nedzu, Fuyumi, Natsuo, Masaru, Hitoshi (Prime), Kirishima, Monoma
Betas: have no set range of size/strength, though often bigger/stronger than omegas.
Claiming fangs vary but largely are average in size.
Do not have ruts or heats. Most of them are extremely glad for this. Also due to this, most politicians are betas, since they’re less likely to seasonally start wars.
Have beta intervention (idea credit to Wolfpawforever), which is the use of a yip or other short sharp sound like a clap to draw attention and a tone of voice that rivets attention once drawn. Much like a tank aggroing the boss in a fight. In no way does it force obedience. They are taught to only use this for mediation and public speaking, or for helping others calm down. It can be resisted, but it does take effort not to listen once attention is drawn. Betas with particularly strong beta intervention are considered Beta Primes.
Betas tend to have calmer presences overall.
They can have the full range of quirks, but often their quirks are stronger than alphas’ quirks and weaker than omegas’ quirks.
Beta heroes go into any of the types of heroism.
Along with omegas, have the highest risk of being quirkless. Betas were the last gender to consistently have quirks, simply because they’re a higher percentage of the population.
Make up 40% of the population.
Betas: Vlad King (Prime), Midnight (Prime), Cementoss, Power Loader (Prime), Enji, Dabi, Inko, Hisashi, Mitsuki, Tomura, AFO, Ojiro, Iida (Prime), Shouji, Hagakure, Mineta, Sato, Jiro, Sero, Aoyama, Katsuki, Tsu, Kendo
Omegas: have a tendency to be smaller, weaker and curvier, but there are plenty who aren’t, including All Might.
Claiming fangs tend to be a little smaller, but can vary widely.
Have September heats, which may last up to a month or more. Some have February heats instead. Heats provoke horny and clingy behavior but do not notably interfere with cognition. Omegas are slightly more fertile in heat than out of it. Are not excused from sexual coercion charges during heat, though may be excused from assault for random non-violent clinging to strangers or kidnapping charges from picking up unfamiliar children.
Have omega command, which instead of forcing physical obedience, compels the listener to wish to obey often with a feeling of doom accompanying it if given forcefully. Omegas instinctively tend to not use this often, although bratty omega kids need to be taught not to use it for their own ends. Kids get no training against it because it’s something omega mothers tend to use fairly frequently with naughty kids. It can be resisted without too much trouble, but it won’t stop the urge to comply. Omegas with particularly strong omega command are considered Omega Primes.
Tend to have a comforting and nurturing presence.
Omegas tend to have the strongest quirks, often flashy emitter quirks. From a physical standpoint they are more targeted, but from a quirk standpoint most people are reluctant to tangle with them.
Omega heroes tend to go into limelight, twilight or rescue heroics. Along with betas, have the highest risk of being quirkless.
Make up 30% of the population.
Omegas: All Might (Prime), Present Mic (Prime), Thirteen, Ectoplasm, Hawks, Rei, Yaomomo, Ochako, Tokoyami, Izuku (Prime), Shouto, Kouda (Prime), Kaminari, Mina
About 60% of all relationships are m/f (male/female) AND a/b (alpha/beta), a/o (alpha/omega), b/b (beta/beta) or b/o (beta/omega).
The other 40% includes m/m, m/m/f, f/f, f/f/m, m/m/m and f/f/f AND a/a, a/a/a, a/a/b, a/a/o and o/o, o/o/o, o/o/b, o/o/a as well as a/b, a/o, b/b, b/o, a/b/o, b/b/a, b/b/b, and b/b/o.
Homosexual usually only refers to those who primarily like their own primary and secondary gender.
Bisexual usually refers to those who like both their own primary and secondary gender as well as some combination of other primary and secondary genders.
Heterosexual usually refers to someone who prefers a different primary and/or secondary gender than their own.
Pansexual usually refers to someone who likes all primary and secondary gender combinations.
There are still prejudices, but it can range from not liking any relationship outside of that 60% to only disliking a specific primary and secondary gender combination or only disliking triads/trios as opposed to pairs, so bigot groups aren’t as homogenous and mainstream.
Pairs are far more common than trios, so trios often face prejudice.
Homosexuals face probably the most prejudice, particularly those in triads/trios instead of pairings.
Bisexuality is actually a lot more common than straight up homosexuality because of the complexity having both a primary and secondary gender brings to the table.
Mixed heterosexuality, where someone likes either the same primary OR the same secondary gender as them, but the opposite secondary OR primary gender is pretty common too.
Pure heterosexuality where someone likes any gender combination that does not include their own primary and secondary gender, is still by far the most common.
Any pairing or trio who cannot, gender-wise, reproduce with each other faces prejudice.
Don’t take my sexuality classifications too seriously. I’m not an expert and a/b/o complicates things horribly.
Primes- It is romanticized in fiction that Primes are more fertile, are more dominant, and are in general sexier, but that’s simply fiction. It only means that their voice gifts are stronger than average. Which has about a 25% inheritance rate.
All three genders have active scent glands (in addition to the baseline three types of odor producing glands that all humans have covering the scalp, pubes and skin in general) and mating/fighting fangs. Fangs are semi retractable and can release either a chemical that kick starts a mating bond or a mid-strength irritant that makes bites more painful and slower to heal. Releasing either chemical is voluntary.
Mating bonds are really only a buzz in the back of the head that lets one know that the other is alive. The bonds constitute a common law marriage and are legal, but some people refuse to acknowledge matings that aren’t accompanied by a wedding.
Nests- Nests generally have a thick under pad that may or may not be attached to a usually circular pillow wall bounding the edges of the nest. There are multiple options for bounding the edges of a nest, if someone doesn’t like the stiff pillow wall version. Over these are placed many scented pillows and blankets, which may be of varying textures according to an omega’s preference. Other scented items may be added as well. Trusted betas and alphas may also have access to the nest. Nests range from single person to large pack size and can be used as an alternate or primary sleeping space. They are also a good place to go if one wants to be left alone or needs comfort.
Individual nests are not limited to omegas. Any beta or alpha can choose to have their own. Since they are comfortable, it’s not uncommon to set them up in a bedroom or in a living room with access to a tv or gamer system. Most floor plans are designed to accommodate a nest.
Pack nests are open to anyone in the pack, outside of heats. During heat/rut, though, it’s a good idea to ask permission first if an omega is already in the nest. Omegas in heat can be hostile if approached unexpectedly, even though most will happily grant permission to pack members if asked. It’s not uncommon for packs to use pack nests for planning projects, keeping crawling babies contained or in the case of younger packs, using them to do homework together. Also, pack bonding time.
Nests are not generally used for sex and if they are, it’s usually the smaller ones that are used, so that the pack at large doesn’t complain about it.
Dorm 1A has a large pack nest in the common room, which has access to both a tv and a gaming system. It is often used for movie nights, game nights and studying together, as well as straight up pack piles. Only a few food items are allowed in the nest, in order to keep it cleaner. Once a week, they are required to go through the nest and clean it, as well as washing any items that have gotten too dirty. Bakugou and Iida usually head up this effort, but all of them get dragged into it.
The individual rooms all have nest space, although a nest base is only supplied if one does the paperwork to get one.
All the dorms are basically identical when it comes to nest accommodations. Hero and Support courses have dorms now, but not Gen Ed.
Ruts and heats- Instead of basing them on the canine model, I’m using the deer model. Loosely. Because betas would probably murder all alphas and omegas if they had to put up with their shit for three-four months straight.
Police dread heat/rut season. It is hands down the time of year where most incidents occur.
It’s the busiest season for pro heroes too.
And also the season where gynecologists and pediatricians brace for the incoming wave of pregnancies, since it’s the horny season for 60% of the population and there’s a slight rise in fertility among alphas and omegas during the season. Alphas and omegas have a slight drop in fertility outside of the season, but like betas, can reproduce any time of year.
The season runs from early September into early to mid-October, depending on the individual. There’s maybe a week and a half range of start dates, but some people have longer seasons than others.