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There was something in the air today.
Not that the thought made any sense. He often spent his time on the outskirts of his little village, much preferring the company of his plants and journals to the company of the villagers. It had been like this for nearly his entire life, but especially since his mother died a few years ago. He didn’t realize just how much she had shielded him until she was gone.
He never quite…fit in with the people he lived with. He had always been a bit of an odd one; much more concerned with plants and animals and nature rather than talking with others his age, drinking and making merry as they usually did. He was kind, of course, his mother would’ve accepted no less, but after one too many times hearing him muttering about the clotting properties of beetle bile they eventually labeled him ‘too creepy’ to hang around. Not that it stopped them from running to him whenever they needed a remedy, raiding his potion stash and paying the bare minimum for his hard work only to go back to ignoring him afterward. He never voiced a word of complaint (perhaps he was raised to be too kind); he was always happy to help, and they paid him enough to earn a living.
There was also the fact that he was an unmated omega, which would normally be something to draw others in rather than push him away, but again, it seemed like the rules were different for him. This was a relatively small village, with small-minded people, and they had their image of what an omega should be. Small, soft, sweet, compliant. Izuku wasn’t taller than his alpha compatriots but he wasn’t as small as any of the other omegas in town. Whereas he might’ve been soft in his younger years, once his mother died and he had to learn to provide for himself he began stacking lean muscle since he had to hunt and chop wood for himself. He considered himself sweet, but most sweet omegas aren’t covered in nicks and scars from their self-taught education in the woods and they don’t have their hands stained with any nasty number of herbs.
As for being compliant, well. Izuku had always marched to the beat of his own drum. He saw no reason to do anything other than precisely what he wished to do, which is why he took to alchemy rather than a more common trade or waiting around to be mated.
Having a mate would be nice, maybe a few pups to run around and dote over, but those weren’t the only things he wanted. Thus, he was the closest thing to an outsider there was in their town.
He was only thankful that their ignorance of him didn’t turn to outright hatred. Sure, maybe he took a few rough shoves whenever he lingered around the tavern too late, a few wandering hands when the local alphas were a bit too drunk to care that they were feeling up the local outcast, but things could be much worse. He was thankful that the townsfolk mostly left him alone.
Until today.
Maybe he should’ve expected it. It was springtime, after all, and for all they were civilized as humans, their base natures still ranged closer to that of animals, including the mating cycles. Alphas were always much rowdier in the springtime, shaking off the sluggishness of winter and gearing up to peacock and wrestle for the attention of omegas.
Omegas, who would be gearing up for their most intense heat of the year right around this time. Omegas had heats every month, usually lasting for about three days at its worst, and they were leaking scent and desperate enough to cause discomfort but not enough to make them insensate. Or at least, he was never usually insensate during his monthly heat. He was a bit sweatier, a bit hornier, but it didn’t keep him from working.
The Spring Heat, as it's known, was considered ‘the big one’. It usually lasted for a week and left omega’s near delirious if they didn’t have an alpha or, at the very least, a mate. They were usually only conscious for long enough to eat and drink a few times a day before being dragged under an unrelenting tide of lust. Suffice it to say, it was usually Izuku’s least favorite time of year.
Not only did it render him useless for a week, but he also had to take precautions and prepare. He would mix up a scent-blind potion he would take himself to keep him from running after any whiff of alpha he might catch while under. He also had to brew a scent blocker to rub over every entrance to his cottage to keep his own scent from leaking out and drawing noses like a beacon, saving a bit to also rub on himself as a last precaution. He also needed to make sure he had plenty of water and non-perishable food stocked to keep himself fed since he wouldn’t be able to drag himself out of his nest let alone out of his house.
It was an exhausting time for omegas unless one had a mate to soothe and care for them.
That’s not even to mention how alphas get at that time of year.
Omega’s scents go into overdrive as the spring heat approaches, bleeding through even the most potent of blockers or blinders, and it sends alpha senses into a frenzy. It was a scramble to, if not find a permanent mate, then to find someone to pass the season with. There was even a festival held a few days before spring hit for the sole purpose of pairing the unmated.
So he really should’ve expected it when he ventured into the tavern only a few days before the festival to deliver a poultice to the bartender.
The bartender was a large, gruff beta by the name of Sakamata. Izuku supposes he used to be a soldier of some kind because he regularly supplied him with poultices to ease the ache of an old wound. Sakamata usually never said a word to him, merely grunting his thanks or ignoring his questions (though, to be fair, he was like that with everyone) but he always paid Izuku fairly for his services and never said scathing things behind his back, so it was safe to say he was one of Izuku’s favorite customers.
Tonight he was swamped by workers looking to wind down after doing preparations for the festival all day, so he tucked himself into a corner of the bar and waited for the man to have a spare moment. He didn’t want to distract him during his work. He fiddled with the wrapping on the poultice while he waited, and he blamed the loudness of the room and the nauseating combination of scents for the way he didn’t notice someone coming up behind him.
“Well hello there.”
He would’ve assumed that the man was talking to someone else if it hadn’t been for the heavy hand coming to rest on his back, a bit too low to be considered proper. Izuku squeaked at the familiar touch, turning to see a man that looked just familiar enough for Izuku to know he lived in the village despite having never said a word to him. The man was an alpha, he could tell by the smell of braised meat and lemon, and had already had more than a few drinks with the way his cheeks were flushed.
“Um, hello.” He whispered, trying to pull away from the touch as politely as he could manage.
“I’ve seen you around, y’know.” The man said, leaning in close enough that Izuku got a whiff of his acrid breath.
“D-did you, uh,” He swallowed, trying to stop himself from shaking. He really needed to get out more if someone just talking to him in a tavern turned him into a nervous wreck. “Did you need something? A-a poultice or p-potion?”
The man laughed, deep and rough like Izuku had said something riotously funny. “Oh I need something, omega. Nothing you can put in a bottle though.” The man swayed closer, leaning so close to his neck that his nose nearly touched skin. Izuku trembled, fingers beginning to shake as he looked around desperately for Sakamata. He wouldn’t say the man liked him but he never let alphas get too handsy when they were drinking.
He couldn’t see him anywhere.
“You smell so…” The man trailed off, making a growling sound deep in his throat that had frightened tears springing to his eyes. He was wearing a scent blocker but the spring heat was only days away, and he knew his scent would be escaping and heavier than usual.
“Please let go of me.” He whispered. A rough hand landed on his thigh, squeezing the meat tight enough that he gasped in pain.
“You should be grateful, omega.” The alpha sneered into his ear, hiking his hand higher on Izuku’s leg. He felt sick to his stomach. “It’s not like anyone else wants you.”
Izuku grabbed the man’s hand, trying to keep him from taking even more liberties, but the alpha's other hand came to grip his wrist. Izuku wasn’t small but the man’s hand dwarfed his wrist, squeezing hard enough that he knew there would be a bruise.
“Get off.” He wheezed, panic taking a tight grip on his throat, only for his other hand to be encapsulated in a bruising grip. He knew by now his scent must be turning sour and he fruitlessly pulled against the man, stumbling off his stool to try to back away.
“Stupid bitch.” Evidently, he had reached the end of the man’s patience. “Be a good little omega and stop fighting.”
“No-” He gasped. There were tears streaking down his face now, hyperventilating and panicking in a tavern full of people that didn’t seem to notice. He wasn’t naive enough to think no one had caught sight of them by now, or at the very least smelled Izuku’s distress. The sour scent of an omega was able to cut through the thickest of crowds, so there was just no way. It seemed like it was just that no one cared.
“Sanji.”
The tavern noise screamed to a stop at the sound of a hoarse, deep voice from behind the bar. Sakamata had lived in Mustafu for nearly seven years now, and no one had ever heard him speak. It was enough to draw everyone’s attention, including the alpha-Sanji-who had yet to let go of him. Every eye in the room went to them and his fear turned to humiliation so fast it made his head spin.
“Let him go.”
Sanji made furious, drunk eye contact with Sakamata for a few moments before scoffing, finally releasing the brutal grip he had on Izuku’s wrists. He stumbled back until he hit the wall, shaking and cradling his arms to his chest. “Little tease was asking for it” He grumbled, stumbling away to wherever he was before setting sights on him.
Having to be saved by someone else wasn’t even the worst part. The worst part was the way most of the room snickered as he walked away. Suddenly all he could feel were a dozen cruel eyes on him, laughing now where they were ignoring his distress before. What would’ve happened if Sakamata wasn’t there? Would they have continued to ignore what was happening to Izuku no matter how much he struggled? Would they have turned their eyes away as Sanji dragged him out and back to his den? Would they have ignored his screams?
He had always known the villagers didn’t much care for him. It was another thing entirely to experience just how little they cared when he was being assaulted.
All of a sudden it seemed like there wasn’t enough air. He could still smell Sanji’s sharp scent, even though he was on the other side of the room and acting as if Izuku no longer existed. The whole room was acting as if he no longer existed. These people wouldn't care if he died tomorrow, would they?
He couldn’t even bring himself to thank Sakamata. He left the man’s poultice where it sat on the bartop and ran out the door.
He didn’t stop running until he reached his cottage, tucked just inside the woods that bordered Mustafu. His home wasn’t far from the village, but the trees blocked it from view in the low light and it was enough to reassure him. His cottage was close enough to a river that he didn’t break stride as he ripped his clothes off, barrelling into the still-chilly water with a primal need to wash Sanji’s scent off of him. He couldn’t bear to have the unfamiliar smell on his skin for a moment longer.
He used his hands to scrub at his arms, accidentally catching the skin with his nails a few times but too overwhelmed to care. He didn’t stop until all traces of meat and lemon had been washed away, until only the scent of the forest that matched so well with his own was left. He didn’t stop until his nose was overwhelmed with fresh pine and honeysuckle, his own scent finally able to calm his racing heart.
He stumbled out of the river, yanking his clothes over his still-damp body as he hurried into his cottage, pre-heat instincts demanding a nest to soothe his frightened omega. He barely had the presence of mind to close the door, not daring to try to block his scent with a new potion now that he was finally home safe. He usually only gave in to the temptation to nest when he was in the throes of his heat, not wanting to rely on his instincts to feel comfortable and usually too busy with his own work and studies to have time to build one besides. But he knew a nest was the only thing that would calm him.
In no time at all, he had a large, comfy nest sprawled on the floor where his bed usually was, now stripped of sheets and shoved into the corner of the room. He burrowed under the blankets, wrapping himself up in the softness in a desperate attempt at comfort. His tunic and pants were too restricting, especially with how damp he still was, so they were tugged off and arranged into the nest in short order. He rubbed his legs together under the soft blankets, trying to ignore the crushing loneliness at his nest being empty, void of any scent but his own. His instincts were soothed for now, but he couldn’t ignore the way his omega cried out for a mate, a pack. Omegas weren’t made to be alone, but with the way the village shunned him and how he was too afraid to venture out on his own…
He was starting to think he always would be.
~
He didn’t quite know what woke him at first.
He had whined upon returning to consciousness, not very surprised to find his skin hot with fever and his thighs wet with slick. It made sense that all the emotion of the day pushed him further into preheat; at this rate he would start the spring heat a day earlier than the rest of the village omegas.
He didn’t quite want to leave his cozy nest, brain more animal than human as he kicked the furs covering him to bare his sweaty body to the air, rolling around and refreshing his scent now that it was more potent with his arousal. He resisted the urge to reach down and sink two fingers into his aching cunt, knowing that would undoubtedly send him into the thick of it and not wanting to be insensate just yet.
The windows were dark and his hut was silent, cool enough to balm his aching body without a fire roaring in the hearth. Only one of his windows was propped open, allowing in the sweet spring breeze with a hint of…smoke?
He blinked, trying to wrestle his brain back to something more human as he sniffed the air again. He didn’t bother to emerge from his nest once he checked his fireplace again to make sure it wasn’t burning. He also wasn’t feeling any outside heat, so whatever was burning it wasn’t anywhere near here.
The villagers had been known to hold bonfires occasionally, especially in the spring, so it must be that. Not that he had ever been invited to one, but he had seen the remains the morning after whenever he had to venture into town.
Eventually he shrugged, letting the human side of him rest when he declared it no danger to himself and returned to languorously rolling around in his nest. His arms brushed against a rougher pelt and he hissed in discomfort, not remembering they were injured until now. He brought them up into the light of the moon, studying the hand-shaped bruises now wrapped around his agile wrists. If he had been a bit more lucid earlier he would’ve slapped a salve onto them and they’d be yellowing by now, but it had slipped his mind as he made his nest. Now they were the purple-blue of a fresh bruise and even though his omega rumbled in discontent at the injury, he was feeling too lazy to do anything about it now. He probably had at least another day of preheat so he would deal with them tomorrow. His mind was too delightfully hazy right now to bother dragging himself from the nest.
He allowed himself to drift off again, too cozy to hear the snatches of yells and metal clashing that drifted in with the breeze. He paid no mind as the smell of smoke got stronger, luxuriating in the softness of his nest and the light of the moon that danced over him from the window above. He was on his stomach, in a relaxing stretch and letting out a rattly purr when his door slowly creaked open.
He wasn’t facing the entrance of the cottage, somehow having convinced himself that he locked the door earlier when he hadn’t. His head was resting on his arms, eyes half-shut in a doze with his freckled back facing the intruder.
The intruder he didn’t even know was there until leather boots moved into his vision.
He knew he was deep in his omega mindset when he tracked his eyes up the stranger's body, dancing over faded scars and hard muscles and his only reaction was his purr getting stronger. If he was lucid right now he’d be screaming, jerking out of the nest and running for his life from the strange man invading his home. He still felt a vague inclination to do so, some vestigial survival instinct at the sight of the bloody sword in the man’s hand, until he stepped closer and got a whiff of his scent.
Oh. The man was an alpha, and he smelled divine.
He smelled like cinnamon and wood smoke, like a comforting fire on a chilly night. There were traces of dirt and blood that he easily ignored, letting his eyes slip shut as the alpha smell washed over him. His purr tapered off into a whiny coo, far beyond words when that perfect scent wafted into his nest.
Mate. Strong mate. He’ll protect us, protect our pups.
His scent was nothing like the scent of the lousy alpha who tried to have his way with Izuku earlier. This scent was perfect; he wanted to reach up and yank the alpha into his nest, rub his furs and clothes over him until they were drenched in it. He wanted to climb into the man’s lap and get drunk off of nosing into his neck. He wanted to bare his scent gland to this stranger and let himself be claimed, and he didn’t even know the man’s name.
He thought back to when he was small, what seemed like a thousand years ago when his mother used to tell him fanciful stories at night to keep the nightmares away. Tales about what was known as ‘True Mates’, those that find each and know right away that they were meant for each other. He had never actually believed it as he grew older and wearier of the world, but there was nothing else to explain the way this alpha’s scent was drawing him like a moth to a flame. The way all of his survival instincts were suspiciously quiet like they knew instinctively this man would never hurt him.
He looked up, up that strong body into fierce red eyes, blond hair that glowed white in the moonlight, and, wordlessly, he reached for his alpha.
A calloused hand caught his own, brushing their wrist glands together before he brought Izuku’s up to his mouth. He licked over it, letting out a throaty purr at the taste that burst over his tongue and Izuku had to bite back a whimper at the feeling. His body shuddered without his consent as hot breath tickled over his gland before moving down, caressing the dark bruises on his wrists. His purr turned into a growl but Izuku still wasn’t afraid.
“Who did this to you?” It was the first words either of them had spoken, and Izuku felt himself slick up even further at the sound of his alpha’s voice, deep and rough. There was cruelty in him, but he knew it would never be pointed at him.
Izuku swallowed around his dry throat, dragging human words to his tongue with some difficulty. “The villagers…don’t like me.” He ended up saying, grabbing the only words that made sense floating through his head and giving them like an offering. The alpha’s hand skated up his arm, but where the lousy alpha’s touch made him cringe away, this one made him arch closer. He wouldn’t be able to take it if the stranger stopped touching him now.
“Then they are bigger fools than I thought.” He growled, cupping a hand around the back of Izuku’s neck. He felt the last of his senses leave him and he fell forward into the man’s open arms.
“Alpha,” He mewled, rubbing his face across the man’s bare chest and nosing under the fur mantle of his cloak to reach his neck. He didn’t hesitate to rub their neck glands together, something normally taboo for anyone but established couples. “Mate.” He purred.
A great breath left the alpha, and thick arms wrapped around his midsection. “So you feel it too.” He sounded relieved beyond measure, sinking down to sit on the floor with his legs crossed. Izuku went willingly into his lap, legs still tangled in his nest but his upper body slumped into his mate. His strong arms held Izuku gently, and he never wanted to move.
"Alpha," he sighed, perfectly content, nosing at the other man's collarbone.
"Katsuki." His alpha replied, starting to groom Izuku's hair. "Katsuki Bakugou."
"Kacchan…" he slurred, going boneless under the attention of his mate. He couldn't remember ever feeling this safe. There could be a war outside and he knew Kacchan would never let it touch him. “M’zuku.”
“Deku…” He huffed, snuffling into his hair as Izuku melted against him. One of Kacchan’s arms slipped away and Izuku let out a whine, only to return to purring as his alpha slipped off the heavy cloak from his shoulders and wrapped Izuku in it, enveloping him fully into that magic scent.
He didn’t know how long they sat there, curled together on Izuku’s floor and scenting each other lazily. He knew that, at this point, no one would be able to tell them apart scent-wise. They were mulled wine on a winter night, and he knew in a distant part of his brain that he should be worried about the brawny warrior with a bloody sword walking into his home so close to his heat, but his head was swimming and his body was more relaxed than it had been in years. It was similar to a feeling that he had when he was sleeping in the same bed as his mother when he was young. His mother was an omega like him but she was fierce in her defense of her son. He felt completely safe and content, knowing Kacchan would do whatever it took to keep him that way.
Could anyone blame him for sinking into it?
Izuku was halfway to scent-drunk when his door creaked open again, barely jostling against his alpha’s chest as a growl rumbled out.
“Woah woah, calm down Katsuki. We’ve been looking for you. Raid’s over.” He cracked his eyes open, glancing over at another warrior who had walked in. His chest was just as bare as his mate’s, but he had shaggy red hair and black horns jutting from his head. A shifter? He had never seen one in person. His alpha was still much more interesting than the newcomer so he eventually turned back to his scenting.
“Stolen supplies?” Kacchan rumbled, tucking Izuku’s body closer to his own now that the scent of a newcomer had invaded their area. The shifter was a beta, but it seemed his alpha was protective of anyone coming near him, dynamic aside. His omega preened at the care their alpha was showing them.
“Recovered. Only a few villager casualties in all; most of them surrendered when I touched down.”
“I’ll fuckin’ bet. None of these small-town idiots have probably ever seen a dragon before.” So he was a dragon shifter. He was sure he’d have a million questions for the man when his mind wasn’t addled with preheat and his body wasn’t nearly melded to his alpha’s.
“Not many treasures to be found here but, uh…” The man trailed off, letting out a chuckle. “Looks like you found one.”
Kacchan snapped at him. “Watch how you speak of your future Queen.”
“Of course, my king. We’re ready to leave when you are.”
Queen? King? Curse his heat-addled brain, he could barely make sense of anything right now.
“Deku.” He looked up, forcing his bleary eyes to focus on the sharp edges of his mate’s face. “How close is your heat?”
He blinked, yawning with a little squeak in the back of his throat. He heard Kacchan mutter a curse but ignored it, trying to focus enough to give him a response. “I have another day in pre.”
“Good.” In a fluid, effortless motion Kacchan stood, sweeping him into his arms as if he weighed little more than a feather pillow. “I’ll have time to settle you in our den before it hits fully.”
“Our…?” He murmured, snuggling further into Kacchan’s neck as they swept past his subordinate, walking out into the dark woods around his cabin.
“You’re mine, Deku. That means you’re coming home with me.” Kacchan’s chest puffed with pride. “Is there anything you want to take with you?”
Izuku cast his eyes back to his little cottage, the only home he had ever known, and found that it wasn’t as hard to say goodbye as he thought it would be. What was waiting for him here, after all? A town full of people who never cared about him beyond what he could do for them? Alphas who think they could do as they wished with him because he seemingly didn’t have another choice?
But he did. He had a choice. A choice he had made as soon as Kacchan touched him, as soon as he knew down to his bones that they were meant for each other. If he stayed here, it would be more of the same. He didn’t know what awaited wherever Kacchan was taking him but he couldn’t deny the tenderness of his embrace, the gentle way his alpha cradled him against his chest, his words to his subordinate earlier.
”Watch how you speak of your future Queen.”
Whatever awaited him, his nest would never be empty again.
“My books.” He sighed. “My potions, poultices, and ingredients.”
Katsuki nodded as they walked through the edges of the town. There were a few fires that more people dressed like Kacchan were working to put out, scared villagers shying away from Kacchan’s people keeping them in one place, and one of the storage buildings had been reduced to nothing but rubble.
“I’ll have one of my men pack them for you.” He muttered into his hair, hefting him higher as they approached a black stallion. “Don’t worry about anything else.” Kacchan placed him in the mount in side-saddle, still swamped in his cloak, and swung up behind him. He was tucked against that warm, spicy-smelling chest again and he let out a content sigh.
“You’ll want for nothing, my Queen.”