Tangled in His Web

Part 1

Word count: 4336

Izuku laid on his back, eight legs sprawled out over Ochaco's bed and his head rested on her pillow. He looked up at the book he was holding in his hands, reading out the next question: "Which radiation has the highest frequency?"

"Gamma rays," Ocacho answered confidently as she crossed one leg over the other.

"Yep!" Izuku smiled and put the book down. "That was the last question. I think you're ready for the physics test tomorrow!"

Ochaco smiled, but she didn't look happy. Izuku flipped himself off his back and rested his abdomen and body comfortably on the bed. He looked down at his friend in concern.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I..." she sighed, "can I ask you something? Personal?"

"Uh, yeah. Why?" Izuku tilted his head, all eight eyes blinking, confused.

"Well... you're an omega, right?" Izuku nodded. "So, urm... what does it feel like to— to get knotted?"

Heat instantly rose to Izuku's face, making him turn dark red. When she had said personal question, he didn't expect that. "K-K-Knotted!?"

"I'm only asking because of Katsuki!" Ochaco panicked. "Because, you know, he's an alpha and I'm just a human... I don't know everything about how hybrids work and stuff like that and I'm kind of... scared," she mumbled, picking at the carpet.

"Oh, that makes sense," Izuku said, ignoring the annoying feeling in his stomach. "But I can't say what it would feel like for you. Omega anatomy is different to normal humans."

Ochaco sighed again and pulled her knees up to her chest. "I just feel bad. Like, I can't give him what an omega could because I'm not a hybrid."

"B-But Kacchan doesn't seem like he would mind!" Izuku argued, clenching his fists. "He's a good mate, he wouldn't get annoyed over something like that!"

"Don't lie, Izuku," Ochaco laughed sadly, rolling a piece of carpet between her finger and thumb. "You know that hybrids think more instinctively than humans do, even I could tell you that. Katsuki might not act like anything's up but it's obvious he has to... knot an omega and things like that. He's a wolf hybrid, this is the age he should be finding a mate and bonding them but he can't even bite me because a mark won't stay."

"If Kacchan loves you then he will give that up," Izuku knew he was just saying it for Ochaco's reassurement at this point, even though neither of them believed it.

"I'm starting to think I'm not a good girlfriend for Katsuki..." Ochaco murmured as she lowered her head into the crook of her elbow.

Izuku gasped when he heard the first sob and crawled down from the bed and walked up to her, quickly throwing his arms around her. He pulled his friend into a tight embrace and nuzzled her hair with his cheek. It was a friendly gesture, even if it had no effect on her.

It took Ochaco a while to calm down, but when she did Izuku reassured her with a bright smile that everything would be okay. She still seemed reluctant to accept what Izuku was telling her, but nodded nonetheless.

Over the next couple of days, Izuku couldn't stop thinking about what Ochaco had said. Katsuki did seem more agitated recently, now that he thought about it. If he wasn't able to knot or mark her then his instincts were probably telling him that his 'mate' was broken. That was probably difficult for him to deal with, but Izuku was proud that he had held off. Omegas scents were probably irresistible for him.

Izuku remembers when he first found out about their relationship. It was when him and Katsuki were finally beginning to mend their friendship that Ochaco had happily announced it to him. He'd congratulated her with a sad smile on his face, glad that Katsuki or any other hybrids hadn't been around to smell how his scent soured instantly.