Chapter Text
Bakugou was never particularly good at following orders. In a messed up way, whenever extras pushed him to do something, that only made Katuski recoil and do the exact opposite, just to spike them.
Like he would let some stupid idiots walk all over him. His old hag used this tactic when she wanted to indirectly order him around. When he was still at school, just to be sure, she made a habit of occasionally screaming at him something in the line off “you are too stupid to finish first in your class“ and “even if you open up your agency it will go bankrupt in a month brat“. It worked surprisingly well, considering he did finish with top grades and his agency is more than one month old and still kicking. Thankfully, Mitsuki didn’t apply this method when it came to buying an Omega.
It wasn’t uncommon to see Omegas obediently following their Alphas, like God himself. It didn’t matter if an Omega was bought or matted beforehand; they all were disgustingly sweet, gentle, and small, perfect suck-ups. In most cases you can always tell which kid in class will present as an Omega and after they do, weaklings have approximately a month to find an Alpha or they will be placed in an Omega Training Center and sold off at the auction. In the government's eyes, they are both too weak and too powerful to be left alone. After presenting the Omega loses his quirk, but gains the power to drive both Alphas and Betas alike mad with only a whiff on their pheromones. It says nothing about the same Alphas attacking all Omegas within a mile radius under the effect of those pheromones though.
It’s not like Bakugou specifically hated Omegas, but the idea of being followed by a drooling weakling just grossed him out. He prefers being worshiped because he deserves it, not because he paid good money to become someone’s master. Despite everything, Katsuki was painfully aware that other self proficient 27 years old Alphas already had at least one Omega. His old hag didn’t allow him to forget this fact either, flooding Bakugou with meaningful glances and not at all subtle comments about her dying before having grandchildren as soon as he comes over for a visit.
Not only his parents but the whole damned country is interested in his productive abilities, even supposedly hero magazine interviews test his patience limits with more questions about his ideal partner than a recent rescue operation. The more they pressure him the more time Bakugou spends considering blowing their faces off, hero or not. Or hugging them very tightly and “accidentally” choking them to death.
“You? A hug? Well, that’s new.“ Round face met his eyes with a slight grin on her face, the cool glass of whiskey pressed against her cheek.
It was their Monday tradition. Every Monday he and Uraraka went for a drink or more likely a couple of drinks after their patrol. Bakugou would never openly admit it, but they practically opened HIS agency together and while he didn’t straight-up hate his other colleagues, she was the most tolerable of the bunch.
They ended up spending every Monday together after their fight during one of the classes that left her bedridden for a day. The girl probably had a major concussion, because every sane person would have run off in the opposite direction to avoid him, but she came out of the hospital and stuck to him like glue, all beaming and happy.
She dragged him to amusement parks, arcades, coffee shops, and all that unnecessary shit. It was like taking care of an annoying overgrown dog that you couldn’t get rid of. Ochaco claimed that these kinds of Monday outings made start off the week less horrible and he was fun to be around. Fucking lies. If he had a choice Katsuki would choose to not deal with his grumpy ass attitude, there’s no fucking way anyone else would be bothered. However, when they graduated from coffee shops to bars (legal age I swear) first few trips were accompanied with Bakugou spending the whole fucking night listening to a Round face drunken speech about how everyone thought she was an Omega and didn’t take her seriously and how happy she felt that he treated her like a worthy opponent. Bakugou didn’t lie saying that she indeed was and still is a worthy opponent. Hell, he experienced enough of her punches to know that despite her soft girlish appearance, she was as capable of an Alpha and a pro hero as any other.
“We have that check up on a Training Center tomorrow-“Chubby cheeks mumbled, head on a bar counter “-and then you have a couple of days free, right? Ahhh, lucky bastard, I already used up my free days so that leaves work, work, and more work until holidays.“
“Fuck, is it tomorrow?“ that was an unpleasant reminder, “And I won’t add extra days if you keep complaining, we have a fucking schedule.“
„Mhh… Whatever. Like I would want to miss an opportunity to visit Yamanashi's Center” a familiar tone of dread in the girl’s voice resonated all too well with Bakugou.
Round face was another rare example of an Alpha without an Omega. Their single asses hated the mandatory checkups on training houses.
Every year around December end Police and hero agencies split up to check on Omega training institutions between them, so Bakugou couldn’t just straight up ignore it. He was a pro hero and the head of an agency after all. Alpha also couldn’t ask Half-and-Half bastard, Pikachu, or Pinky to do it since they already have their arms full. And he for sure couldn’t let Uraraka go there alone. He wasn’t that kind of an asshole. It sucked enough to go there together; going alone meant slow death.
Bakugou never felt that hopeless in a fight with the strongest villain as he felt in an Omega Training Center. There was nothing they could do. Their job was to check Omegas living conditions, in other words, make sure they are fed at least twice a day and have a bed. Nothing more, nothing less.
Round face drowned another glass of whiskey. The girl drank like a champ. Both of them were tired after Monday’s job, dreadfully aware of stupid tomorrow's task. Drowning their worries in alcohol wasn’t the correct solution but it will do for now.
Monday left him with a slight headache. Nearing thirty took a toll on his body’s alcohol intake abilities. He should ask Ochaco if they could visit a library instead of a bar sometimes, just for varieties sake. It’s all fine and games until he can’t focus on patrol due to hangover anymore. Those will be sad times.
For now, he still managed to roll out of bed ignoring blooming headache and drag his ass to work. Their morning patrol went smoothly, with only one small robbery with no casualties. Those kinds of criminals are just an extension of his morning workout. Paperwork was also dealt with rather painlessly. He was on the roll until Round face had the audacity to burst into his office reminding Katsuki to print document files they have to fill out about Yamanashi's Center. Like she couldn’t do it.
Bakugou cursed but copied the files anyway and put on an extra pair of socks and his most trusted possession and savior – a big puffy winter jacket. It wasn’t officially hero work so the costume wasn’t required, meaning that Bakugou was free to bury himself in as many layers of winter clothing as he wants. Winter is the worst villain there is. Thank God for a dude who invented heating. For some fucking reason, he always ends up waiting for Big Cheeks to show up even though she’s the one that keeps reminding him about appointments and festering Bakugou to hurry up. He, differently from her, is a punctual creature, thank you very much.
Round face took her sweet time exiting the building casually chatting with a Pink monstrosity, completely unbothered by the fact that Bakugou was waiting for her in the car. Dog girl made sure to hire Pinky against all of his complaints. And now he has to suffer daily doses of teasing remarks, high pitched noises, and a horned idiot who has no understanding of personal space.
A shudder of annoyance shot throughout his body as the girls finally reached the car, Pinky waving at him like a maniac she was.
“Hey, frown face. Looking charming as ever,“ teased she, opening car doors against his obvious displeasure, lightly punching him in the chest covered with isolating layer of a big winter jacket, that seemed to be swallowing him alive.
“Shut it, before I blow your head off, Pink Floyd.“
“Soooo terrifying! I can’t handle that, save me, Lord! “Raccoon eyes almost shrieked as Bakugou pushed her away, „Anyways, good luck with this lovely task you two. Go pick up some Omegas while you’re at it!“ She squeaked sending them air kiss with unnecessary sound effects. Bakugou wished ou so much he wouldn’t go to jail for driving her over, that would be truly wonderful. He took Urarakos facepalm as approval.
The ride itself wasn’t long and still, Ochaco managed to complain about the unnecessary heating two fucking times. Finally shutting up as he pulled over in front of a modern building that could be mistaken for a fancy hotel if not for the big golden letters engraved over the entry, naming it a place made for training and selling Omegas.
The front lobby gave off even more of a hotel vibe. It wasn’t that surprising actually, most of these places wanted their Alpha guest to feel as comfortable and privileged as humanly possible and a high ceiling with chandelier, golden details along the walls did the trick.
Centers staff also played a big role, with their extreme politeness trying to lure rich Alphas to bid for the Omegas even before the official auction. Many paid good money for the “preview” show. And Bakugou will most probably snap if they offer that to them. Centre was informed about their visit and as always, almost instantly they were met by an overly happy receptionist who didn’t stop smiling even when he talked. That must hurt.
“We are so glad to have an opportunity to meet two of the most prominent heroes in Japan. I hope the inspection goes smoothly and rests assure we will cooperate fully. I can proudly say that our establishment is in a perfect condition and always follows the set rules,“ the man, possibly a beta, bowed still faking a smile „Sir Taima will show you around. Feel free to ask any questions.“
In an instant, Taima flew to the other man's side and joined in the bowing party.
If the receptionist had told them that their guide was a big potato Bakugou wouldn’t have questioned a thing. The man was bold and tannish with a precisely groomed mustache above his upper lip. He even smelled like wet ground, a musky Alpha sent.
Potato man led them to one of the elevators, mesmerizingly flashing rows of white teeth. Maybe it was the same sort of a trick meant to distract the opponent with a dentist-approved smile.
The man pushed the basement button. For work purposes, all heroes are required to wear scent patches, but Bakugou didn’t need a scent to understand the mutual discomfort of the party. Three Alphas sweating together in the cramped elevator, unable to fight for the territory - that’s a recipe for an uncomfortable situation. Blonde Alpha caught a glance from Uraraka as the elevator slowed down. She showed a document file and a pen into his hand before stepping out of the elevator following Taima. She was rushing to get things over with.
“In this room, we keep Omegas that are on different training categories. To your right there is a section for the Omegas that are waiting for the auction on Friday, well, of course, some extra polishing is still needed,” the man looked at them hoping for approval before gesturing to the other side of a room, “the left side is reserved for newcomers. We found that placing them on the opposite side from already well-behaved Omegas encourages kids to do well. Every Omega has a separate place as cohabitation leads to small rebellions. “Taima giggled from his clever explanation.
The basement room looked and smelled just like Katsuki thought it will. The Alpha felt Uraraka lean towards him. He couldn’t blame her. The first thing that met them was a reeking, overbearing sweetness of Omegas scent mixed with dominant bitterness of an Alpha, making their instincts curl.
Both sides of a seemingly endless corridor were filled with prison bar cells filled with Omegas, scenting this place freely. He couldn’t decipher which side of the room made him angrier.
The cells on the left were filled with kids. Fuck, he knew that most of the newcomers would be around 13 -14 years old; most of the brats presented their secondary nature around that age. Still, every time it got him by surprise. Whimpering lines of small bodies crunched in various parts of their tiny pens. Ripped from their homes, probably bullied until then for being too Omega-like brought here just to be properly trained and sold. What a wonderful life.
A couple of Omegas looked up at the group of passing Alphas, big, teary eyes combined with baby faces resembling Round face in her cuter days, making Bakugou wonder what would have happened to her if she was indeed an Omega. All of them stumbling to lower their gazes in submission if one of the Alphas as much as glanced at them.
Other kids didn’t even bother looking at the guests. It seemed like their biggest wish was to become one with a shadow and hide in the places where light couldn’t reach, becoming invisible, hoping their tightly shut eyes meant they couldn’t be seen either. Katsuki caught himself holding his breath, sweaty palms squeezing the document file.
The right side of the room was somehow even more unsettling. As the guide man mentioned those there the experienced ones. They knew what to do. They knew how to please. A happy grin spread across Taima's face as right side Omegas jumped to their feet welcoming the Alphas, each spreading their pheromones. Some tried to reach for them wiggling their barely covered asses sweetly praising the Alphas they knew nothing about.
“Good boy” potato man reached over to ruffle blond head of hairs through bars. Maybe this Omega boy, not much younger then newcomers were his favorite. Boy purred to the praise of an Alpha melting into the man's palm, closing his deep blue eyes at the pleasure. Just for a second, Bakugou though he saw looming sadness behind the wish to please, now hidden behind closed eyelids.
Katsuki wanted to explode someone, specifically all of these Omegas. For not fighting back, for making their peace with all of this, for making him feel irritated and hopeless. This place made him feel in a way he wished he didn’t know-how. Putting a positive mark on good enough living conditions won’t change anything for these Omegas. They will still be sent here, trained until human beings will be replaced with a price tag and hollowed eyes hiding wish for all of it to be over.
With Bakugou not registering anything at all (or simply caring too little), Uraraka took the rains asking questions about their feeding schedule and other bullshit they need to ask for them to be done with it.
Their companion, answering a couple of questions took them to the training hall, filled with another set of Omega cages, the smell of flowers, sugar, vanilla, the sweetness of scents that are not his Omegas, flooding Bakugous senses. The Alphas scent was stronger in this part of the basement, scents that belonged to trainers bowing as they passed filling his instincts, urging Bakugou to fight, to protect his status of an Alpha in front of the Omegas.
He felt Round face stiffen; this part was most painful for her. Overwhelming smells weren’t the only problem, the sound coming from the cages were just as distracting as the smell. Trainers casually chatted with each other; one man was even giving a pie recipe to his colleague, watching two outsiders walk between cages in complete silence. So out of place, not used to the shallow whimpering of Omegas, their moans cutting through the air, mercilessly reminding the lack of power they have in this institution. Hearing breathless sobs made heroes jump to action trying to relieve any pain or danger experienced by the victim, here, however, they stayed still, locking eyes with Omegas performing commands or being punished for failing. The training sessions were in a full swing.
A muffled cry accompanied by the sound of a whip meeting skin was heard from one of the cages. Harming the Omegas physically in a way that left permanent marks was the last resort for the trainers. The goal was to prepare obedient Omegas without imperfections. The future state for these unblemished bodies was for their master to decide. Scars weren’t delicate; they were landmarks of the previous suffering, of life without Alpha who bought that body. Scars were frown upon. Bakugou felt sick to his stomach, he needed a strong drink after this. They were half they done, only another 25 or so dead pair of eyes they have to meet.
Bakugou couldn’t help but feel like this job, this “check-up” is completely pointless, no comfy bed or extra rations of food can’t help them. Katsuki wasn’t so sure anyone can help them.
30 minutes passed until they reached doors leading to a small corridor ending with heavily protected metal doors.
Bakugou almost forgot about the Potato man's existence, clenching his jaw involuntarily upon hearing the man’s voice beside him “It saddens me to say it, but there are some extreme cases. It’s rare but a handful of Omegas just don’t respond well to the training no matter how hard we try,“ Taima shook his head unlocking the metal door. Some idiot might be fooled with the man’s performance, but Bakugou wasn’t stupid, even wild Omegas earned good money, “We do what we can, of course… but sometimes it feels…well, a bit hopeless if I being honest with you. “
The man opened heavy doors to reveal a small dimly lit room. Katsuki had to squint to make out only six cages, three on both sides. Potato man rushed to turn on extra lights, letting both heroes in. The added light helped only a little, the room remained swallowed by shadows, outlines of the pens now clearly visible, but the residents themselves hardly seen from where the group of Alphas was standing. The last Omega Centre Bakugou has been in didn’t have a separate section for problem kids and this room differed from previously seen.
Just from the look of it “apartments“ were a tad smaller than usual and seemed completely unoccupied. No sounds were coming from the cages, no one jumped to meet them. The whole place smelled like dirt, blood, and metal, but the air was deprived of the sweetness of Omegas, like the residents, forgot how to use their scent glands. Or maybe they couldn’t release their pheromones due to how fucking cold this place was. Bakugou nuzzled in the warmth of his jacket, battling freezing temperatures. He thought they were here to check on the Omegas not popsicles.
“Does their amm status have any implications on their living conditions? “ Ochaco stepped closer to the first cage on the left. Frowning as she pointed to the plain mattress supporting the weight of utterly unbothered girl playing with locks of black hair, “Beds shouldn’t be directly on the ground. “
Taima stumbled near Uraraka „We weren’t informed about that. Rest assured it will be fixed in a couple of days.“ The man grimaced as she scribbled something on the file form.
Round face squatted near the bars, hoping to gain the Omega's attention, “Hello there, can you tell me about your meal situation? “Asking resident of that pen directly, ignoring Taima who grew more impatient by the minute, fidgeting beside her.
Utter annoyance was written on her face as girl sighted, shifting slowly, movements restricted by a metal collar with an attacked chain in front of it, connecting the Omega to one of the bars. The girl opened her mouth slightly, seemingly lost in thought, forming her replay that was interrupted by a loud thud as Potato man banged on metal bars, silencing the Omega immediately.
“Since these Omegas are quite the troublemakers, we do give them smaller portions,“ Man answered hastily, eyes drifting to the Omega girl “They still eat plenty, but limited rations help to maintain them easier.“
There was a raw sound of laughter coming from the second cage on the right, closer to Bakugou. The lonely laugh echoed in a quiet room.
"Ou no dude no, we eat like kings. Yesterday, in my dream, I had pancakes. “
Taima went red with anger. With a twisted scowl, the man stomped towards the laughing Omega, yanking the chain installed on the side of the cage, dragging the culprit into the light. Omega's manic giggling changed to low grunts as he struggled to hold his end of a chain, refusing to be choked and dragged to face a furious Alpha.
“Mr. Taima!“ Uraraka jumped to her feet as both she and Bakugou rush to the Alpha. Bakugou reminding himself that a hero shouldn’t send a random man flying.
“Brave today aren’t we?“ Potato man spat into the boy's face.
Judging by the look on the Omega's face he would have spat right back at him. Broad shoulders, lines of muscles on not so petite figure compared to the other Omegas, the boy gave the impression that before the Centers regime he was quite strong.
Even with his current malnourished body, Omega stood his ground, feet refusing to budge an inch, saving him from facepalming into the metal bars. The Alpha didn’t even manage to stop the Omega's laughter, it still danced in his blood-red eyes, lurked on boy's lips, chin lifted to help breathe, the Omega looked anything but submissive. It send a shiver throughout Bakugous body and for once, the cold had nothing to do with it. To both hero's satisfaction, Taima, clearly annoyed at resistance released the chain resulting in a loud thud as the boy hit the floor, falling from the lack of force.
“Funny huh?“
The seemingly unfazed Omega lifted his face, forming a wide grin “Dude, totally,” his voice rough and breathless from the fight with a collar.
Katsuki felt something sink in his stomach. Bakugou never thought that a hunched man who hasn’t seen a proper shower in a while, casually sitting on a dirty floor would be the most captivating thing he has ever seen.
The Omegas eyes were almost the same color as Bakugous but the Alpha's lacked the shining amusement visible in them as the boy stared at his trainer defiantly. He looked like a little wild animal with messy, black hair tangled into a bird's nest. He looked like all mistreated Omegas with pale lips and sunken cheeks, but at the same time, he didn’t match this place at all. An honest smile was a rare sight with Omegas, but this one… With one grin he expressed everything he wasn’t allowed to say. One, ridiculously wide grin glowed in the dark like a mini version of the carry-on sun.
Bakugou, drawn by his instincts to seek warmth, took a step forward, halting when two pools of crimson met his own. Eyes lingered on him for a good minute before the boy broke off their staring match, putting arms under his head to lay on the cold floor like it was the warm sand on the beach in Hawaii. Katsuki took a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. Somehow it was clear that tonight, instead of dead eyes belonging to the nameless Omegas, Bakugou will be haunted by another set of eyes filled with red and bursting with life.
Taima turned to a shocked Round face, “They had porridge this morning.“the man claimed still obviously angry as he answered her already forgotten question. To that, the Omega only huffed in amusement sitting straight up once more.
“Tetsu,“ the black-haired rascal called out, pretending to sound as offended as he could, “did you ate my breakfast? How dare you…“
It seemed like Potato man was a better comedian than a trainer. The Omega broke off his act with another burst of wild giggles, joined by other residents, puffs of laughter intensifying when an annoyed growl possibly belonging to that Tetsu guy came from somewhere in the back.
Taima was about to lose his shit, clenched fists ready to tackle the Omega's face when both Bakugou and Uraraka stepped forwards blocking him with their arms. Bakugou had to fight an urge to set off small explosions in his palm resting on the man's shoulder.
“It’s hard to count but…“ Taima clenched his jaw shooting a threatening glance to the Omega, who just by addressing Uraraka without lowering his head was digging his own grave, “Haven’t seen food for two days now. Don’t worry too much about it Dear.“ The man added with a gentle smile upon noticing Ochacos eyes going wide.
Potato man radiated murder.
“This is a harsh violation of the rules,“ Round face wasn’t happy, sharpness in her voice cutting Potato man in half, “All Omegas are supposed to have two meals a day per minimum, no exceptions.“
For now, THE Omega was safe behind bars, but if Potato man wasn’t a professional he would be reaching for boy’s throat right now as he watched Uraraka scribbling something in her report. The man was doomed to answer to his superiors, both he and the Omega had their heads on a chopping block. Now, at the cost of the black-headed Omega's wellbeing, they can pass documents for further inspection of this institution. However, not in time to save the boy from a couple of beatings.
Bakugou tensed at the thought of the Omega's laughter being replaced by screams.
“What will happen to them if they continue to refuse training? “ Bakugou could physically feel their entire attention shift to him.
It took a short pause for Taima to collect himself, "Usually the rut houses will purchase them. “
Katsuki expected that the Centre couldn’t skip over the possibility of getting paid one way or another. Rut houses were just as lovely of an institution as this one.
Bakugou had the honor of visiting a rut house before. Well, every teenage Alpha finds a way into a rut house eventually. Technically, underage kids are not allowed, but practically, well, the establishment didn’t care about where the extra cash was coming from. If you looked mature enough or at least had a fake ID you’re golden. For an Alpha going to a rut house was like a way of passage, a fun story of how most of them lost their virginity.
However, one visit was enough for him. Raping half-dead people, tortured and fucked into submission was never his thing. The image of black locks tainted with dried blood, hands held in place by rope and nails digging into hips with a rut crazy Alpha between the Omega's legs crossed his mind. A scream caught in the throat, crimson eyes wide with terror and pain staring back at Katsuki.
Fuck, no. Omegas are bound to suffer but this one shouldn’t. Only at the mention of a Rut house, his inner Alpha was already more than willing to rip apart metal bars if that meant he gets to go home with that idiot.
"100000“. The number fell flat on the silence of the room. The only sound was loud breathing in the next cage and the clunk of metal chain as the Omega boy leaned forward with a raised eyebrow.