Work Text:
The hospital is quiet at night.
Izuku feels like a bull in a china shop the way he's hurrying through the halls. Probably looks it too. He tries to reign in his scent so he doesn't actually scare anyone, because he's Deku, always smiling top of the charts, but right now he's just 6 foot 5 of tense shoulders and grinding teeth and he hates it but he can't really stop himself. Not until he finds him.
'Can you meet me at the hospital? I just don't want to be alone for this.'
Shouto's voice had sounded so small over the phone. He hadn't explained what this was, had just said it wasn't life threatening and that Izuku didn't have to if he needed sleep. But Shouto never asked for things like this, so of course Izuku came. 12am, 1am, 2am, whenever he needed it, Izuku would be there.
It takes a little more wandering and a few more directions to find where he's going, but finally he gets to the right ward, the right room, and there's Shouto.
He's standing by the chairs instead of sitting, shoulders hunched up around his neck and eyes staring blankly at the ground. He looks... fine, physically. No bandages or casts, still in his hero suit. The only thing giving him away is the towel gripped tightly in his fists, held up around his head. It's dappled with dried blood.
"Shouto?"
Izuku calls out softly at first, not wanting to startle him, but Shouto doesn't seem to hear him in the slightest. He looks worse the closer Izuku gets, eye bags revealing themselves as a proper black eye, flecks of blood around his nostrils that haven't been properly cleaned off. It's an active effort to change his scent, focusing on letting out the calm cut grass smell that's been making Shouto melt against him since high school. (Our omega, his instinct always tell him. He's always been ours.)
"Shouto," he says again, a little louder. He should be able to smell it by now, but Shouto's eyes are distressingly vacant still, until they suddenly close, fingers clenching up around his ears,l and towel pressed hard against his neck. "Shouto, hey." He can see the indents he's leaving in his own skin, the subtle tremble of his hands, and that's enough that Izuku gives up on caution. When he grabs Shouto's hand with his own, the omega startles violently.
"Don't-"
"Hey, hey it's just me." Izuku leans down a little, putting them face to face. Shouto's eyes are still shut tight, so Izuku takes his face in hand, rubbing a thumb up and down his cheekbone. "Shouto, it's Izuku. I'm here."
Shouto's face crumples, then wearily, his eyes blink open. "Izuku?"
"Yeah, Shou, just me."
Shouto doesn't seem comforted, shaking his head slowly. "No, no, why are you here?"
His scent is sharp and distressed. Izuku frowns. "You called me? You asked me to come."
"I did?"
Izuku nods gently, rubbing soothing circles against his wrist like he's already doing on his cheek. "Yeah Shou, it was about twenty minutes ago."
"Sorry, I..."
"Nothing to be sorry for," Izuku says, bringing both hands up to cup his face. Shouto has a fair bit of height to him, especially for an omega, but Izuku is overall bigger, tall and broad and soft around the middle. His hands envelop near on Shouto's entire head, fingers brushing at his temples while Shouto rests his chin in his palms. "I'm always gonna be here, Shouto."
The other man nods, just the slightest movement from his heavy head. Izuku holds him gently, taking all the weight Shouto is willing to give him. He keeps one hand steady, and with the other reaches for the towel to try pull it away from his neck, only to have Shouto suddenly startle away from him with a whimper. It's such a small sound, not one he thinks he's ever heard from the other man. Even on their latest nights, even in other hospital rooms laid out on too hard beds with bandages covering every limb. Shouto has always preferred to take pain silently, if he could help it. Even one whine is enough to make Izuku’s stomach curdle.
"Shouto... what happened?"
He shakes his head. "I don't... I didn't want..."
"Shouto." It's not a command. He could never do that to Shouto, knows how harshly those had been used against him as a child, but he speaks with clear intent. "Tell me what happened."
The omega's head hangs low, like a kid being scolded, like he's ashamed. Izuku holds himself back, soothing his inner alpha down from a fight while he gives Shouto the time he needs. He asks again after a minute has past, says his name over and over again like a prayer, a lifeline to keep Shouto with him. Eventually, finally, Shouto moves his other hand up to take his own wrist, like he needs the extra strength, and moves the towel aside.
The bite mark is a violent stain on his neck, a ring of teeth clearly printed on his skin. It's no longer bleeding, the wounds scabbed over and dormant, but it makes Izuku see red. Shouto's fear, the weak sound of his voice, a mark on his neck when it should be Izuku's, should be mine, mine, mine-
Shouto whimpers again. "I'm sorry, I didn't want it, I didn't-"
Izuku realises how violent his own scent has turned and reels it back in an instant. "I'm not mad. Not at you Shou, never."
"I didn't want it, I didn't–"
"I believe you." He croons gently, turning his scent as calm as he can make it. "I'll always believe you Shouto. Can you tell me what happened?"
Shouto takes a deep, shaky breath. "I don't know who it was. I was chasing someone else. I shouldn't have let my guard down, I should have seen him."
"Okay." Izuku pulls him into his arms. It's clear he isn't going to get anything but a spiral of panic, so he drops it for now. This is more important. "I've got you, it's not your fault."
It comforts Izuku as well, how easily the omega falls into him, nuzzling needily at his neck. At least, until Shouto wrenches himself out of Izuku’s hold with a distressed snarl.
"You don't smell right anymore," he moans, frantically rubbing at his nose. His own scent is awful, distressed and panicky and there's nothing Izuku can do about it, because he's not Shouto’s alpha. He should be but he isn't, because he waited too long and some scumbag took that from him by force and he doesn't even know who it is so Izuku can't hunt him down and rip his throat out with this teeth–
"Mr Todoroki?" A doctor is standing in the doorway, doing a respectable job of not making a face at all the pheromones flooding the room right now. "I'm Doctor Hanamura, I'm here to discuss your injuries."
He looks pretty pointedly at Izuku, a request for privacy without saying it aloud. Izuku wants to bite back, because of course he's not leaving, not now, not when his omega is so distressed, but–
"He's staying." Izuku looks back at Shouto, whose hand is now gripping at the hem of his shirt, expression schooled flat again. "Midoriya is going to stay with me."
The doctor nods, taking a seat at the desk and gesturing for them to do them same. "Alright then. I believe you've already been seen by our quirked healer, so we're mainly here to discuss the matter of your mating."
It sets Izuku’s teeth on edge to hear it referred to like that, but Shouto just nods numbly.
"Ideally, a mated omega shouldn't be too far from their alpha during the week or so following their mating. I know you're currently unaware of their identity, but if they are caught I would have to recommend staying near to where they're being held."
Shouto nods.
"Otherwise, you should expect to feel rather nauseous per the coming month, likely accompanied by headaches."
Another nod.
"Absent of a relationship, the mark itself and the claim attached should fade within half a year, at most."
Nod.
"From what little you've told us, I take it your encounter didn't turn too sexual?" Izuku tenses. Shouto doesn't nod, body completely still. "In the best case, you would have been scented and knotted soon after biting. Even after some time, that would still likely clear up most of these symptoms-"
"That isn't happening," Izuku says firmly. 'In the best case.' Izuku was seeing fucking red. One look at Shouto told him that any ground they gained when Izuku arrived had been lost again. He was just... gone. He didn't smell afraid anymore, didn't smell like anything. Izuku hates that he can do that, pull himself back to nothing on a whim.
"I figured as much," the doctor says, unapologetic. "I just want to cover all his options."
"Isn't there a way to undo it?" Izuku asks bluntly. He doesn't want to hear anymore about what Shouto should do with 'his alpha', and he doesn't want Shouto to hear it either.
"Unfortunately, no, there's too much volatile endocrinology at work, no one's found a safe way to fade mating bites faster." He shuffles through his papers for a moment, then looks thoughtful. "Do you have an alpha, Todoroki?"
Shouto startles at the sounds of his name. "Um." His eyes flick between Izuku and Doctor Hanamura, still slightly hazy.
"Why do you ask?" Izuku asks, stepping in (not wanting to hear the answer).
"I don't mean to pry," Hanamura assures them. "Just, while it isn't possible to remove a mating bite, but it is possible to contest it."
Shouto looks up with maybe the first bit of real hope Izuku’s seen since he got here. "What does that mean?"
"If you have another Alpha bite you while the first bite is still fresh, their claim will contest with the other. Whichever alpha has the stronger bond with you, their mark will stick."
(Izuku’s alpha preens. He could still have him. He could take him back. He could–)
"I do have to emphasise, you would still have to live with the new bond for as long as it lasts," Hanamura continues, eying Izuku specifically. "And if you choose someone close to you, that bond will last for much longer. I would recommend choosing someone you trust but aren't especially close to."
He says it with such seriousness that Izuku almost growls. Where was that concern when suggesting he let some predator knot him? That maybe things would have been better if he had been raped? It takes so much restraint for Izuku to remain just seething, clenching his fingers into the arm rest instead of the doctor's neck.
"Right," Shouto nods again, a bit more aware now.
"I'll give you some leaflets about the effects of bonding." Hanamura grabs a few from the display at the back of the desk. Izuku accepts them when Shouto makes no motion to move. "As well as the contact information for an Omega Welfare organisation. Due to your status, they may be able to find a trustworthy alpha stranger for you to bond with temporarily."
That's not going to happen, Izuku thinks, but he accepts that paper as well, folding it up with the others. "Thanks, we'll deal with it from here," he tells the doctor firmly. Hanamura leaves quickly after that, and maybe Izuku hadn't been controlling his scent as much as he could of, but he doesn't feel sorry for it.
"Shouto?" The omega hadn't moved in a bit, staring at the far wall in seemingly deep thought, but he looks up at Izuku’s voice. "I'll drive you home, yeah?"
Shouto stares at him, silent just a bit too long, but finally he nods. "Okay."
He lets Izuku pull him to his feet, let's him put his own jacket over his shoulders, collar right up around his neck, even when his nose crinkles from the scent. When Izuku takes gentle hold of his arm, Shouto wraps his own around it fully, clinging to him.
Ours, his alpha preens. He knows it, he wants it too.
But Izuku, despite all his anger… he can't.
He knows the doctor is right, the responsible thing to do would be to choose someone more distant. Iida, maybe. Or someone further still. Shouji or Tetsutetsu-
Thoughts immediately jump to mind of punching Tetsu's face in.
He scrubs a hand over his face as they walk, Shouto a warm weight on his arm. He's always wanted to do the right thing, be a hero, to everyone but to Shouto especially. The omega deserves that much at least, someone to listen to him, to hold him like he always should have been, to put him first. Izuku broke his fingers for the boy before he even knew him, and god knows he'd do so much more now.
But he doesn't think he can do this. This might just drive him crazy.
They're both silent the whole way to the car, through Izuku opening the door for Shouto and watching him fold himself inside. He doesn't manage to wipe the pained expression off his face by the time Izuku takes the driver's seat.
"Sorry," he mutters, putting his key in the ignition. "We can open the windows as we drive, it'll help with the smell."
He starts the car, hand going for the window switches, when Shouto grabs him.
"Bite me."
Izuku tenses. His fingers grip and release the steering wheel. "Shouto-"
"Please." Shouto holds his arm tight. "I don't want this. I don't want to think about him. You'd contest it, you'd win. Please."
Izuku forces himself to shake his head. "I would, but it would– you heard the doctor, it would last a long time."
Shouto's eyes are wide and bright. "I know."
"You'd be stuck with me– I could control you Shouto."
"But you wouldn't," Shouto replies, as easy as breathing. "I trust you."
Izuku can feel every tooth in his mouth. "It… would last so so long if it were me, Shouto, I…" I don't know if it would ever fade.
None of that seems to deter him in the slightest, his perfect omega, wide eyed and wanting. Clumsily, Shouto climbs over the centre console, falling heavily in Izuku's lap.
"Please." Shouto tugs the collar of the jacket aside, presenting his marred neck for the taking. Face to face, Izuku can see the tears welling in the omega's eyes. He hadn't cried all night but apparently the thought of this, of Izuku saying no… "Alpha, ple-"
He sinks his teeth before he has a chance to think. Shouto cries out, but all he can think about is how good it feels, how he didn't even realise how much his teeth were aching until they suddenly weren't. He feels the bond take hold, clicking in place like it was always meant to be there. He hopes Shouto feels it too, feels that bastard Alpha's hold on him snap like brittle bone under Izuku’s own claim.
When his teeth finally stop aching, his lathes his tongue over the wounds, licking up the warm blood. He's tasted a lot of blood in his time, but this feels different, feels addicting. He drinks like a man dying and hopes this won't make a monster of him, make him take Shouto’s pain for his pleasure.
When the bleeding stops, when the haze finally leaves him, Shouto is slumped in his arms, boneless and limp, tears caught in his lashes.
He's beautiful, and still. Izuku has a moment of panic. "Shouto?"
The omega hums, small and sweet, shifting to press his face into Izuku’s collar. "Smells good," he mumbles. His own neck is still messy with smeared blood, but for the first time that night, his scent smells sweet. Izuku lowers the seat back and lays Shouto on top of him, keeping him close, and Shouto goes easily. He fits like he belongs there, like he always has.
It hasn't fixed everything. That bastard is still out there, and he knows there's more hurt hidden away in Shouto's chest than he's let show tonight, that he won't ever show if not coaxed. They're going to have to tell people, and they're going to have to do... something, to keep this bond from harming Shouto too.
But for now, his alpha is quiet, and Shouto is purring. Everything else can wait.