Chapter Text
Heavly panting Midoriya looked behind them. No shadow or shape chasing after them in sight, at least not visible to the eye. Had they not noticed their disappearence? He hoped so, because he no longer had the energy to keep up the fast pace and would have been grateful for a small break. However Todoroki kept going, unyieldingly pulling him further and further, determinded to keep them moving. The grip he had on Midoriya wasn't a gentle one, as tight as possible without causing any severe pain, to not lose him. They had to stay together, had to get away as far as they could.
To keep up with Todoroki was a difficult task with how weak he felt and the uneven ground beneath his feet caused him to stumble more than just a few times. Branches and other scrubs obscured his view, making it almost impossible to look where he was stepping and running even harder. It wasn't that Todoroki was oblivious to his fatigue, but he couldn't have consideration for it at the current moment. And Midoriya knew that and tried his best to not slow them down. After all they were on the run. And no way did he want to go back to that place. Never again.
His sides ached and his lungs burned from the lack of oxygen. Midoriya wondered if Todoroki was just as exhausted as him, but dismissed the thought. They had lived different lifestyles. Todoroki had been a hunter in their clan, buff with great stamina and the ability to defend himself from danger, whereas he had played the typical role of an omega. He was in no way athletic or fit. Shaking his head, he banished the memories and images forcing their way back into his mind. At the clan he hadn't been allowed to go out, neither to collect grapes or herbs nor to take a bath in a lake close-by. Let alone to go out hunting, which, to be true, he had often dreamed of. To step outside was forbidden, at least for him, and would have been severely punished.
Thus he had never had the opportunity to build up as much stamina or muscles as Todoroki. He wasn't at fault. It hadn't been some lack of reslove or laziness, he had never been one to be lazy. But omegas were supposed to be fragile and tender, soft to touch and easy to control. Midoriya was meant to submit, to obey an alphas' every command without questioning it. He didn't need to be muscular or have stamina, for he was meant to stay at 'home' and had his alpha to protect him. So the almost non existent exercising up to now had him struggling to keep going.
Midoriya knew they had to, that Todoroki was simply trying to protect them both, but therefore had to get them to a place safe enough to rest. His body wasn't playing along though, legs giving out underneath him as he suddendly tripped, pulling Todoroki with him. Neither of them hit the ground, the alpha swiftly caught Midoriya, stabilizing him with a firm hold. He frowned, looking down at the exhausted omega clinging to him. Midoriya looked far more drained than he had expected. The omega, barley able to keep himself upright without holding on to Todoroki for support. His eyes were closed, looking as if he'd pass out any second now and would certainly not make it much farther than this. If he was being honest with himself he wouldn't be able to go on any longer either.
"Midoriya, do you want to rest?", Todoroki asked breathless.
The omega looked up at him, eyes full of relief and gratitude and seconds later Midoriya collapsed to the ground, leaning against a nearby tree to catch his breath. The twinge didn't subside immediately, however the rest of his sapped body thanked him, a comforting numbness strickening his limbs and soon enough his senses as well. With his heartbeat slowly settling and his body coming down after suddenly having an enormous amount of adrenalin pumping through it, after years of never having experienced such a rush, Midoriya felt deadbeat. If Todoroki chose to continue walking that day he'd have to carry the knackered omega, for he couldn't move, let alone feel his legs or any other part of his body for that matter.
Forcing himself to look up, Midoriya watched the alpha look out for danger, be it animals, enemies or the people of their own clan. He scented the air, tensed as he scanned their surroundings until his posture finally changed to a more relaxed kinda state, if only a little. Concurrently and unaware of the action Midoriya mimicked the movement, a lot of tension leaving his body. If Todoroki deemed them safe, Midoriya would trust that decision. Since the alpha had the experience and the trained senses, he had no reason to question it. After all, they couldn't rely on his own senses.
Todoroki stared into the distance for a little longer, but there was nothing to be seen. Hopefully the clan head hadn't found out that they were gone, yet. Midoriya hadn't smelled anybody following them as they had fled. Had thought the cracks and rustling of bushes were normal, just animals. Had he been wrong? Had somebody else followed them? Was that the reason why Todoroki had urged him to go faster? There must have been something, a scent, a noise, anything. And it had caused him to panic, for Todoroki wasn't one to get emotinal easily. The alpha still looked worried, not happy about their break, even though Midoriya could clearly see the other was groggy as well. It was obvious he needed to rest too, the question was if he'd allow himself the break he so obviously needed.
Feeling the need to care for the alpha, he pulled on Todorokis's sleeve to get his attention and offer or better request him to sit down. He deserved a pause, even if Todoroki wouldn't allow himself such a luxury until they were farther away and safe, Midoriya would ensure he'd rest. It took the alpha some time to understand what the omega wanted and even longer to follow the invitation. Todoroki would have preferred to not lose sight of their surroundings, not trusting himself to fend off a surprise attack after the adrenaline left his system. However Midoriya didn't relent, eyes practically begging. Todoroki held back the sigh that wanted to escape his lips and dropped down next to his companion.
He didn't want to admit it, but as soon as he was sitting next to Midoriya he felt a lot better, even the hard forest floor underneath them felt extremely comfortable after the long run. And Midoriya was right, he did need a break. Beaten and tired he wouldn't be able to protect them, wich included being hungry, but he'd take care of that later. If Midoriya wasn't too hungry that was. He cast a glance at the omega, finding him staring right back with an uneasy smile. The attempt to creep a little closer didn't go unnoticed either, the relucant gesture very amusing to watch. He felt their shoulders touch and fingers slide over his cheek. Warmth spread where the omega touched and even though he was still sweating the touch was very welcome. At least as long as he ignored the palpable tension.
Stretching himself Midoriya came even closer, nose pressed against Todoroki's neck and hands resting on the alphas' shoulders. He could feel how awkward Midoriya felt. The situation was comfortless for both of them. Hesitantly Midoriya moved to sit in the alpha's lap, lapping over a certain spot on his own skin. Todoroki watched him attentive, wondering what to do himself. Was Midoriya asking for permisson to groom him?Todoroki nuged him slightly, giving his silent approval. He felt way too insecure about the whole submisson thing to even consider using human language. He received hums in return, but could sense the uncertainty behind every move of the omega. Midoriya was very careful to not touch in a more personal, intimate way. Always waiting for Todorokis' approval and acceptance. Alphas had to indicate any kind of intimate body contact or give the omega permission to do so. Other behaviour was disrespectful and had to be punished. It was a very difficult rule to deal with, miscommunication on a regulary basis a huge problem. In Midoriya's case it had always been his compulsion to help people that had caused him problems. There were various reasons, their clan head had said, that such a law had to be launched. They had been ludicrous. ' It taints an alpha. Their honor and-..', he had said.
Midoriya was concentrating solely on his current task to please the exhausted alpha. Maybe it wasn't the best idea, distracting Todoroki from their surroundings, whereby he wouldn't be able to sense any danger either. But there was nothing else he could offer as a sign of his gratitude. Furthermore the alpha had deemed them safe, thus Midoriya felt comfortable enough to let himself relax a little. Cleaning the alpha properly was his priority, thanking him for his efforts. He felt how Todoroki relaxed more and more, head lolling back, eyes closed and body going completely slack. He was almost done with grooming, relieved to be able to put a certain amount of distance between them again. . It wasn't only the alpha, who began to drift off, but Midoriya was getting tired as well. He felt Todoroki shift and found himself being scooped up in the others arms. It made him feel warm and protected, but also unwell and pressured. Todoroki hadn't asked, he hadn't consented to such an interaction, had he? Was it even needed,his consent?
Hands went to rest on his hips and Todoroki returned the favor of grooming, lazily licking a trail up Midoriya's throat. The omega froze up, shivering slightly at the mellow contact. For a moment Midoriya paused, turning the action over in his mind. He liked it, the feeling of being groomed. However, again Todoroki hadn't asked and it was so surprising, that he felt uncomfortable. Scared that the touch might turn more demanding. Without any warnings Todoroki pressed the omega's nose into the crook of his neck. Midoriya protested, but couldn't bring himself to avert his head and stop taking in the intoxicating scent of alpha. He couldn't fight of the heavy weight of slumber as it nested on his shoulders.
It wasn't long until Midoriya had drifted off to sleep. Todoroki wasn't happy with that at all, not aware that it had partly been his own fault. In the end he came to the conclusion that, if he'd let the omega rest , he'd be able to keep up at a decent pace. Of course they needed food and some water too, but sleep seemed to be Midoriya's body's priority at the moment. How much it comforted him to just have the omega in his arms was still unbelievable. For outsiders they'd probably look like a stray pair, an omega and alpha without a clan. Wich kinda was what they were now. Only they had had a reason to leave. Which wasn't the usual way one became a stray. Often strays were people that had been banished by their clan, never allowed to come back. In their case, Todoroki would do anything to protect Midoriya from ever having to go back.
It had almost gotten dark already, the sun disappeared behind the trees and only small rays of sunshine made their way through. It would probably get chilly soon and if they had no luck, a cold breeze would try to rob them of their sleep. Todoroki would've rather moved them to a better shelter, but wasn't rejoicing to wake the omega up, who was sleeping so peacefully. He cradled Midoriya closer, running his fingers through the green mob of curly hair. They'd keep each other warm during the night and at dawn he'd go out to hunt. After searching a place for the omega to hide, that was. No way would he leave Midoriya vulnerable as he was, alone somewhere out in the open for everybody to see. And then he'd have to think about a plan, where they could go and what to do next.
Beneath him Midoriya squimerd a little, soft whines escaping his mouth followed by a whimper, causing Todoroki to instinctivly tighten his grip. Carefully he moved them onto their sides, arms securely wrapped around the other's waist, one hand massaging the omega's stomach. He didn't quite understand how the thing worked, but hoped he was doing the right thing as he emitted soothing alpha pheromones to calm the omega down. Midoriya shifted closer, another sound leaving his lips before he turned quiet and motionless.
Todoroki was still stiff and unsure wether it had worked or not, as his ears caught the sound of Midoriya mumbling to himself in his sleep. And even in the dim light Todoroki could discern the tears running down his cheeks. He didn't understand every single word the omega was whispering, but immediately knew what Midoriya must have been dreaming about. The alpha tensed up, unconsciously grabbing Midoriya with a bruising grip, causing the smaller boy to hiss. Apologetically Todoroki stroked over Midoriya's forehead, then pressed his nose into the wild, green hair. A weak try to calm himself, yet, it worked. Gently he nosed behind Midoriyas' ear, his voice so faint and soft, that it was almost inaudible.
"I won't. I swear"