help me / bakudeku omegaverse /

part 4

Sero cut in before Bakugou could speak again, his tone quieter than usual. "Just get him something soft to eat and drink... he hasn't had a proper meal in over fifteen years." The last part came out as barely more than a whisper.

Bakugou clenched his jaw. Of course. Omegas in trade rings were never cared for. At best, they got scraps. At worst, nothing at all.

"Well," Bakugou exhaled, adjusting his grip on the small figure in his arms, "Let's go then."

He turned without another word and exited the room, carrying Izuku gently down the long halls of the castle. The boy's head was tilted down, his expression unreadable, gaze fixed on his lap. His shoulders trembled ever so slightly.

Bakugou glanced down at him, a mischievous thought crossing his mind. Something to break the tension.

As they neared a set of descending stairs, Bakugou tightened his hold around Izuku's torso with one arm and suddenly let the other arm drop away from beneath his legs. Izuku's limbs fell for a split second in free air before he let out a startled squeak, melting into heavy breathing as he looked down at he stairs in front of them, and clutched desperately at the soft fabric of Bakugou's cloak.

He didn't fall, of course. Bakugou caught him effortlessly with one arm, holding him steady. He chuckled. "You awake now?"

Izuku looked up, face pale as a sheet. "I-I was n-never asleep..." he murmured, breath still shaky.

Bakugou scratched the back of his neck, suddenly sheepish. "You just looked out of it, and I thought-hell, I don't know. Figured it'd be funny to scare you a little."

"L-like a... prank?" Izuku asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Yeah. Guess so," Bakugou shrugged.

There was a pause before Izuku looked down, expression shifting to something conflicted. "My v-village used to p-pull pranks too," he admitted, his voice cracking, "but th-they always h-hurt..."

Bakugou's smirk faded immediately. Whatever "pranks" those villagers pulled weren't the harmless kind.

They walked in silence the rest of the way to the castle kitchen, both lost in thought. When they arrived, the entire kitchen staff turned and bowed immediately.

Bakugou gritted his teeth. Formality. He hated it.

A chipper chef approached them-Yaoyorozu, one of the head cooks. "Good afternoon, Your Highness. What brings you here today?"

He gestured to the small boy in his arms. "He needs a meal. Something soft. Gentle on the stomach."

The chef's eyes softened as she looked down, but then widened in surprise. "Wait-is he a male omega? Or are you joking?" she asked, clearly astonished.

Bakugou nodded stiffly. "Yes. Now can we focus on the food?"

"Right! Of course!" she said, already turning back to her workspace, grabbing ingredients with practiced ease.
Katsuki took that as his cue to head toward the dining room. He carried Izuku into the quieter space just beyond the kitchen, placing him carefully into one of the chairs at the long wooden table before sitting down beside him.