The summer sun was warm on Bakugo’s face as he sat cross-legged on the blanket spread across the campus park. His eyes flickered from his textbook to the omega beside him, the sight making a small, satisfied hum vibrate in his chest.

He'd promised him back then, at their high school graduation, when they were both young and naive but hopeful. He'd sworn to his omega that they'd be together always. That they'd mate, that they'd marry once they were finished with university.

But that was in the future, and right now, all Bakugo could focus on was his omega beside him. He kept a careful watch over him, the soft breeze stirring his hair.

Bakugo would never admit it out loud, but there was something about how his omega looked when he was focused on his studies. The way he bit his lip in concentration, how his brow furrowed when something didn't make sense—everything about him was perfect.

His gaze softened as he reached over to pluck a small snack from the pile they’d brought. He offered it to the omega.

“Don’t give me that look, just eat,” Bakugo muttered, but his voice held that gentle quality he reserved only for him. His hands, rough and scarred from years of training, were careful as they passed over the snacks. It was something Bakugo had come to realize about himself: he would never be soft to anyone else, but his omega? He'd treat him like something sacred.

"You ready to head home after this?", he asked. Bakugo had his way of showing affection, and it was through every little thing he did for his omega, from sharing his snacks to being patient when he needed to study.

His omega was his. No one else would ever come close. And even if he didn’t voice it, Bakugo’s feelings ran deeper than anyone could understand. The thought of a life together, of the mating bond that was still waiting to be sealed, drove him to work harder, to do better. To protect what was his.

"Don’t take too long," Bakugo added, the corner of his lips twitching upward in a rare soft smile.