A/N: the next chapter is going to be pure, romantic, raunchy smut. strictly. just a heads-up.

"Hey baby." 

Katsuki ultimately ignores Touya; he doesn't even offer a glance in his direction to acknowledge his presence. It doesn't leave Touya feeling any less nervous or any more hopeful about the situation at hand. How is he supposed to comfort and assist his tiny lover if he can't even communicate with him? 

The raven sighs, discouraged but not quite ready to give up just yet. He shuts the door behind him upon entering the bedroom. He debates opening the doors to the balcony since it's a bit stuffy in there but he decides against it, assuming that Katsuki's attempting to keep his scent as well-trapped in their bedroom as possible. 

There's a nice, plush nest made upon Touya's sizeable bed that seems to have had a great deal of effort put into it, certain clothing items and towels meticulously placed with purpose. It's impressive, to say the least, and large enough to fit the both of them in it without any issues. That alone leads Touya to believe that Katsuki did, in fact, expect the alpha to help in the throws of his heat. That's a good sign, at least, right? 

Curious fingers reach out to brush against the nest but the loud and feral growl he receives has Touya recoiling as if it had burned him to the touch. 

He's never heard such an aggressive noise come out of Katsuki's tiny little body before and he's certainly never seen him look as if he'd rip Touya's eyes right out of their sockets if they even so much as looked at his nest again---Touya finds himself tucking his hands against his chest in fear. His wide and frightened eyes are held by Katsuki's own sharp gaze from where he's crouched on the other side of the bed, having been digging through the very bag they'd kept all of their 'toys'  in up until Touya had gone to reach for the nest. It's almost as if Katsuki could sense when he was getting too close to it---had to have been able to since Touya had basically been invisible to him up until that point. He's unsure of how long Katsuki holds him there with his scrutiny before the blonde relaxes a bit and turns away, continuing to dig through the bag. 

"N-Not ready. Not yet." He says, "Not ready for alpha." 

Touya is mildly confused but stays still lest he somehow incur upon Katsuki's wrath once more. 

"...you mean that the nest isn't ready, baby? Or that you aren't ready?" He's sure to keep his tone as gentle as he can. He imagines that Katsuki is probably a bit confused and a little frightened as well, simply following what his instincts tell him to do with no real understanding of what's happening to his body. It's best that Touya continues to be patient with him. 

"...Nest. Nest not ready." 

He hadn't expected a verbal response.

Fuck, he hadn't expected a response at all. 

"Okay, babe, I understand. I'll ask permission before I touch you or your nest next time, okay? Alpha is very sorry." He manages to relax a bit, sinking down to sit on the floor at the foot of the bed instead. "Is there anything that I can do to help, angel? Anything you need in particular. Food? You have enough water?" 

He can see the tension in Katsuki's back and shoulders slowly begin to ease away. That tells him that he's at least doing something right. Katsuki eventually quits rummaging through the bag and instead dumps it into the middle of the nest, condoms and vibrators and plugs strewn about. He seems satisfied with that, much less angry when he makes eye contact with Touya again. 

He's entirely flushed from the neck up---the chest, too, from what Touya can tell. His pupils are red rimmed, blown wide enough to nearly block out the lovely bourbon color of his eyes. Touya's unsure how he hadn't noticed it before now, but he's glad that Keigo said something when he did or he may not have realized until it was much too late. He's lucky that Katsuki's pre-heat is merciful to him, at least. He's lucid still, able to move freely without being crouched over in agonizing pain. 

Going into full blown heat? It would not be as generous to him. Touya was well aware of that much, despite his admittedly miniscule understanding of the biology of an omega and how their heats work. 

He wishes he'd paid more attention in school.

"Cookie." Katsuki says after a long, drawn out silence. Touya assumes he'd been going over a mental checklist of all the things he'd need to make the first few days of his head bearable. Touya would be there to get whatever he needed during his lulls, of course, but nothing beats being prepared. 

Touya's head slants curiously. 

"Cookie?" He parrots. 

"Cookie." Katsuki repeats himself, mirroring Touya's curious expression as he crouches down again and begins to carry himself towards his lover on all fours. Touya tenses at first, worried that he's done something else wrong and that Katsuki might be planning to pounce him and claw his eyes out but all that he does is climb into Touya's lap with a low rumbling purr. 

Well...it's more of a hum than a rumble, vibrating against Touya's skin as Katsuki begins to nuzzle and nose against his scent glands. The initial apprehension Touya had felt leaves him with a smile, arms circling around Katsuki's slim waist to pull him closer. 

"Hm. You want alpha to get you some cookies, kitten?" 

"Mhmmm~! Cookie~" 

"Does my angel need anything else?" 

"Alpha~" 

Touya tries and fails to hold in an amused chuckle, peppering sweet and gentle kisses along Katsuki's face. 

"Fuckin' adorable little babe, you are. What about anything other than alpha? You have me, baby, you always will." He assures him but the shake of Katsuki's head leads him to believe that it's not the answer that he was looking for. He begins to paw at Touya's clothing, trying his best to get it off. 

"Want." He purrs, tugging at Touya's shirt as he looks up at him through dazed and lidded eyes. Touya hums in thought. He's got no intention to deny Katsuki---not in the slightest---but he's torn between which requests he should follow through with first. "You want them off? Want to feel me?" 

A fevered nod. "Touch. You. Feel ."

Touya feels a rumble in his own chest, his pheromones seeping out to permeate the air around them and, ultimately, overpower Katsuki's own as it begins to stick to the roof of his mouth---it's so thick that he can taste it. 

"Okay, kitty Kat. Whatever you need, baby. Just let me up for a second to get your cookies and then---" 

" No! Alpha stay!" He screams, clinging to Touya so tightly that his nails dig into his skin through his t-shirt. Touya hadn't been expecting such a violent reaction---especially when Katsuki had been the one to ask him to get the cookies for him---but he calms him with gentle whispers and lays his scenting on a bit thicker than before. "Okay---shhh, it's okay, angel. I'm not going anywhere. I won't do that to you again, I promise." He could just as easily ask Shouto or his mother to get the cookies for him but having another omegas scent so close to Katsuki's nest is probably a bad idea so Touya abandons that idea the moment he comes up with it. Would Katsuki leave the safety of their room for a bit instead? He'll get him fed with a nice meal, get him a bath and then bring him back up with the cookies he asked for---the final preparations before they're locked in the bedroom for the next five to seven days or however long Katsuki's cycle is going to last. He'd heard Shouto call himself lucky before, saying that his heats lasted four days maximum and that his menstrual cycles were usually three days or shorter. 

It's unlikely that Katsuki would be struck by the same bout of luck seeing as this is his very first heat cycle, but Touya hopes that it's at least not nearly as horrible as everyone expected it to be. He's going to have to mentally prepare himself to be able to handle the emotional and mental strain that it's sure to put on them both. He's going to have to step up and be a proper alpha. 

If he fails Katsuki at this then he wouldn't deserve to be calling himself Katsuki's alpha. 

"Will you come downstairs with me for a little while, baby boy? I promise you can stay stuck to me just like this, I'll hold you the entire time. We'll get you nice and full, get you a nice, warm bath, and then we'll come back up with all your cookies and snacks, okay? How does that sound?" 

"W-With you…" Is the only response that he receives. He takes it as an affirmation, testing it by standing up from the floor with Katsuki still tucked tightly against his chest. He doesn't scream or object again, not even when Touya begins to walk towards the door and open it so he assumes getting Katsuki to settle down isn't going to be as difficult as he first assumed it would.

He makes it downstairs without difficulty where his mother and Shouto seem to be cooking together. He almost feels bad for intruding on their time together; they seem to be enjoying each other's company. 

"Hello beautiful~" He greets his mother upon entering, pecking his lips against the redhead's temple before he reaches over to ruffle Shouto's hair. "And Shouto." He adds with a teasing grin, dodging Shouto as he swats at Touya's hand with an irate smack of his lips. "Whatever, stupid." He retaliates, double-taking as an overwhelmingly sweet scent floods his senses. He swallows thickly, finally noting the small blonde wrapped around Touya's middle like a koala bear. 

"Hi, angel. Are you okay, sweetie?" The dual-haired teen pauses in stirring whatever it is on the stove to reach over and check Katsuki's temperature with the back of his hand but he quickly offers the blonde his palm when he leans into Shouto's touch with a hum. He's purring still, appreciative of the physical affection. Touya rubs at his back with his free hand to keep him sated. 

"He's goin' into heat. I just came down to get him fed and get him a bath before we shut ourselves up in my room." The alpha offers in explanation. "Any advice? I'm kinda nervous." 

Enji is visibly confused. "Oh...oh, honey, is this your first time helping someone through their heat? I could have sworn---" 

"I've never helped anyone through their heat, mom. It's embarrassing enough without you saying it out loud---why is everyone so hung up on that?" He grumbles and Shouto responds with a snort of laughter. 

"Because you're a whore." 

"Former whore, firstly. And secondly, fuck you." 

"Ew, attitude." 

"Shut up. I've only ever had someone over during my ruts, not the other way around. This is pretty new to me and I don't wanna screw this up cause this is Katsuki's first heat, too. Wanna be good to my baby, you know?" 

Enji then puts down his knife to dump the finely chopped vegetables into the pot and give his son his full attention. "Of course, sweetheart. I'm sorry for teasing you, I can see that you're honestly at a loss here. Didn't your father tell you about any of this?" 

"He purposely avoided giving me any useful advice at all and then laughed at me on his way out." 

That seems to get his mother peeved rather quickly. 

"Interesting. When I noticed that Katsuki was showing signs of going into his heat, I specifically told your father to make sure that you were prepared and he assured me that he had it under control." He says tightly and Touya, not even the slightest bit surprised, figures that his father would be the one to sabotage him. 

Or, at least make him sweat before finally deciding to help him. Touya assumes it's the latter; he knows that his father rather enjoys pulling annoying little pranks like that. 

"Dad's fucking annoying." 

"Really? I think dad's pretty cool." Shouto chimes. 

"Of course you do; you're a fuckin' spoiled brat." 

"I am not. " 

"Liar. Everyone knows dad had a soft spot for you that he didn't have with the rest of us---his cute wittle pwincess. " Touya counters mockingly, to which Shouto simply shrugs. "I'm the only omega out of the four of us; all you guys turned out to be alphas and let me tell you that being raised in a house full of fucking meatheads was hardly tolerable. I deserved to be spoiled." 

"Sure, whatever, runt." 

"Touya. Be nice to your brother." 

"He's being mean to me." 

"Goodness, you two are still such children." Enji chuckles, shaking his head fondly. "To think that Natsuo and Fuyumi ran off to go be doctors and chemists and teachers but my two youngest pups have hardly matured enough to live without their mother's cooking." 

"My feelings, mom." Touya whines, hand at his chest as he feels a jab at his pride. Enji just smiles and waves him off dismissively. "Oh, sweetie, I didn't mean it like that. I'm happy to still have you two around. I hardly hear from your brother and sister anymore and I'm sure they still resent me for the way things went all those years ago. I'm just glad that you two didn't grow up and...decide you didn't need me anymore." He sighs and Shouto, regretting that he'd ever brought his estranged siblings up in the first place, grimaces remorsefully. He hates that talking about them makes his mother so sad. 

He's resentful towards them for abandoning their mother when he needed them the most. Like it was his fault that their sire left them. Like it was his fault that Rei abandoned them the same way that they abandoned their mother. 

He wonders if they knew about all of the horrible things that Rei has done. 

He wonders if they'd even care. 

"Now. Touya, I assume I don't need to add the 'birds and bees' talk to this discussion? Not for you, of course, since I know that you're a very...ah... sexually mature young man. I just want to make sure that Katsuki knows...if he's even coherent enough to understand me." Enji begins and Touya, feeling embarrassment seep into his pores for having to have this conversation with his mother at all, is red up to the tips of his ears. He bets that this is what his father was aiming for, making Touya do the one thing that he was trying to avoid. 

"Mama Inko and I had the talk with him when he first got here. He knew a good bit about reproduction but only before the mutation era so we went through mating cycles with him." Shouto supplies and Enji considers it with a nod. "That's good! At least he isn't completely in the dark then and that makes this a lot easier. Have you and Katsuki been having sex before now?" 

"Mom." Touya groans, pinching at the bridge of his nose. "I mean, no, not really---" 

"Lie again." Shouto snorts and Touya growls at him, threatening him with a pointed gaze. "Can you get the fuck outta here? I'm tryna have a conversation with my mom." 

"He's tryna help you, stupid, stop lying about it." 

"Fine! Have we had penetrative sex? No. Oral sex only and I may have used my fingers. Happy?" 

"May have?" 

"Shouto, I swear to God---" 

"Sho, honey, can you go upstairs and get mommy's phone, please? I need your father to pick some things up for me while he's out." Enji interrupts them, almost as red in the face as Touya is. 

Good to know that he's not the only one having a horrible time. 

Shouto picks up on the hint fairly quickly, sighing as he turns and heads upstairs to give them a moment alone. 

Touya sinks down into the chair across from his mother with a groan. 

"Thanks." 

"You're welcome. I should have known better than to start this conversation with your brother around anyway; you two never seem to pass up an opportunity to pick on each other." Enji chuckles, cheeks still flushed even though Shouto is no longer there to make the situation more uncomfortable. "A yes or no would have sufficed very well. But it's good that you are at least a bit familiar with Katsuki's body." 

"I-I...guess so, yeah." 

"Listen, honey. The best advice I can give you is just to give him as much of your attention as you can, and you're already a pro at that." Enji begins once more, trying to make it as cut and dry as he can so as not to drag either of them any further into embarrassment. "His scent glands are going to swell often; make sure you're scenting him as often as you and massaging them so they don't hurt him so bad. Scenting is going to be just as important as making sure he's sexually satisfied. It will help keep him calm and keep him aware of your presence; he's going to be in and out of lucidity and a majority of the time, things are going to be hazy for him." 

Touya nods in understanding, grateful for someone to finally tell him something useful for once. 

"Right...okay, thank you. I'll keep that in mind. Anything else I should know? Things I shouldn't do?" 

"Hmm. Touch is important. Intimacy is important---even outside of sex. If you're planning on using toys to get him through instead of having sex then it's even more important. Make sure that you encourage him and tell him that he's doing well---and always be patient with him, alright? He's going to be sensitive---even more so than most omegas are during their heat. Be delicate." He pauses, giving Touya a moment to absorb what he's saying. He doesn't continue until he sees Touya nod. 

"Delicate. Got it." 

"He's going to have lulls. Do you know what those are?" 

"Yeah, I think so. The few moments throughout the duration of his heat that he's lucid, right?" 

"That's right. During these lulls, you need to make sure that he's eating, staying hydrated and getting him clean. I know that you're probably thinking that it wouldn't make sense to clean him up when he's obviously going to make a mess of himself again but---" 

"I can imagine he wouldn't want to be constantly rolling around in the same filth for a week, yeah, that makes sense. Is that why Masaru brought those weird towels?" 

"Yes. You don't have to dress him again; clothes will be uncomfortable for him. With his permission, change the towels in the bottom of the nest out. It's for hygienic purposes but remember that he made that nest for you. Taking it apart without his permission is just like telling him that his nest isn't good enough; it'll devastate him. That's the biggest no-no here." 

Katsuki's squirming in Touya's lap, pawing and tugging weakly at the alpha's shirt and laving over his mating gland with his tongue. Touya tries to settle him down with a firm hand on his waist but it does little to nothing. 

"Hey, baby boy, what's the matter?" 

Katsuki's response is unintelligible. Touya only gets him to calm down by scenting him more but then he feels something wet seeping through his jeans and realizes that it's Katsuki's slick. 

"Oh, fuck, okay---shit. Sorry, mom, I didn't know it was gonna hit him so fast---" 

"It's okay, sweetie, he didn't either. It's coming a bit faster than most other's do. Go on, take him up to get him a bath and maybe help ease a bit of the pain that he's feeling. I'll bring dinner up to you when it's done and sit outside your door. You can just slide the dishes back out when you're done and I'll take care of them. Did he make a mess?" 

"Not on the floor or the chairs, no. Just on me." Touya says hurriedly, trying to focus his attention on Katsuki once his squirming begins to get a little more urgent. He stands from his seat, assuring Katsuki that everything would be fine. "Shh, shh, it's okay, babe, I've got you." 

"Want---"

"I know, baby, I know---gimme just a sec, okay." He hurriedly begins to make his way towards the stairs, mouthing a short thanks to his mother who waves him off and urges him to get moving. 

"Oh, and one more thing!" He calls after him, "Whatever you do, please don't mark him during his heat!" 

Touya doesn't respond verbally and all that Enji hears after that is a door closing behind them---presumably the bathroom door. 

Poor thing. He's going to be so embarrassed when the week is over and he remembers that he nearly made a mess all over the kitchen. If Keigo had just done what Enji asked of him to begin with, Touya could have had this information before Katsuki had begun to spiral into full blown heat. His little pranks on Touya are fine and he knows that Keigo does them in good fun but when they begin to affect innocent people---specifically by putting the dignity of an omega close to heat at risk---then it isn't good fun anymore. 

He'll have a talk with him when he comes home. He owes Katsuki an apology. 

A/N: to those who may be confused by "marking", Enji is referring to giving Katsuki a mating mark, not marks like hickies. :)