Waking up to the sound of stray cats fighting in the narrow alley, Midoriya picked his head up from the side of the dumpster that had kept him out of sight of the main street. He'd found the spot after his legs had given out on him and forced him to rest. It hadn't been his intention to sleep, but he supposed it was needed. His stomach churned, unsure whether it was hunger or heartache that left him feeling uncomfortable, Midoriya got to his feet and stretched.

"I should get something to eat at least, it's hard to think on an empty stomach." The slight chill of the late April morning had Midoriya hugging his arms around his chest, the All Might hoodie that had been such a comfort before yesterday seemed less capable of defending against the cold. He was reluctant to get rid of it, partly for its similarity to the one he'd already lost and also because despite it all, Shigaraki's scent still calmed him. Even as the cause of his pain, he was also an unlikely remedy.

The cats that had occupied the alley with him scattered as he walked slowly to the street. Lifting the hood over his mess of hair, Midoriya went looking for the closest convenience store. Fortunately, he had brought some money with him for the market yesterday, so at least he wouldn't have to worry about food for the time being.

Leaving the store, Midoriya went to the nearby park to sit down and eat. Keeping to the more secluded area, he ate his cold katsudon bento while tears slowly fell down his face. It was the same one that he'd eaten with Shigaraki, but not nearly as satisfying now. His stomach still felt uneasy even after eating, so hunger wasn't the cause after all.

Throwing away his trash, Midoriya started to follow the park's trail, finding himself no closer to any kind of plan. Maybe going back to the CCSG and explaining himself would be better than being caught. Though he couldn't imagine them taking his side over the alpha that he'd abandoned. As an omega, he had no way out of his situation. The blue sky and gentle breeze of the spring day as he walked did little to ease his sadness. In his distraction, he hadn't noticed the person following him until they caught their arm around his elbow.

"I knew that you'd surface from your filthy hideout eventually, Midoriya. It'd be wise not to try to get away again, I'm well within my rights to crack your skull open right here on this asphalt path." The alpha that squeezed his fingers tight around Midoriya's arm was seething with angry pheromones, an offending sulfur essence that burned his nostrils and made his legs weak.

"To-Todoroki, it's you!" Midoriya muttered as fear caught in his throat. Had the alpha really survived such a vicious head wound? He was scared to turn around, to make any move that Todoroki would deem offensive. Pulling on his arm enough to bring a shock of pain to his shoulder, Todoroki forced him to turn around and face him. With the exception of the bandage wrapped around his forehead, the alpha looked healthy and furious.

"Surprised to see me again after you and your little fuckboy left me for dead in that alley? You have no idea how much I want to choke the life out of you for disgracing me like that. The only reason I'm not is because reapplying to the mating program is far more time-consuming than ending your miserably worthless life. So don't test my patience, because I really have none left for you or that bastard that hit me from behind like a coward."

Thinking about his situation, about how he'd been fooled into thinking that he had a bond with Shigaraki, perhaps resigning to his original fate was the best he could do now.

"You think I was just going to roll over and let the two of you get away with it? Oh no, I have my sources, I know all about that little omega slut that took you in and fucked you. Once he's arrested and sentenced for his assault on me, they'll be sending him to a relief house. If he wants to fuck so badly that he'd settle for a useless omega like you, then he can make use of his body as a living rut toy."

As pained as he was over Shigaraki's betrayal, the thought of him being subjected to that punishment was too much. He'd seen pictures of relief houses from his father's past attempts to ban them. Visualizing Shigaraki being strapped to one of those breeding benches, his body exposed and open for any alpha with a hard-on to take brought heat to his tears. "Wait!" Midoriya yelled out, stopping the alpha in place. "I-I'll go back with you, there's no need to go that far. I'll do as you wish, Todoroki, so just forget about him. It was my fault for running in the first place, so if someone should be punished, it should be me."

Staring at the teary-eyed omega, Todoroki sneered, "You really think that you can make up for the shame he dealt upon me? I had to cover the whole incident up just so I could save face with my father and the CCSG." He watched as Midoriya slowly dropped to his knees, crouching down and bowing to him, his forehead pressed against the ground.

"I'll take it all upon myself, I swear."

A glimmer raced through Todoroki's mismatched eyes, danger within his glare. "Very well, if you think yourself capable, I'll leave the filth where it belongs. But make no mistake, Midoriya, you've made me very angry, and I will take my aggression out very harshly." He pulled Midoriya up by his collar and jerked his head forward until his lips ghosted over the shell of his ear. "Just because I want to breed you full of pups doesn't mean I won't hurt you. You'll have little use for your legs since you'll stay on your back for me, keep that in mind and enjoy our little stroll back to my estate while you can."

With a nod, Midoriya sniffled and held his composure as they started walking again, Todoroki still holding his elbow firmly. His feet and legs ached from the running he'd done yesterday, which made the journey that much more difficult. Knowing better than to say so, he trudged on, watching his last moments of relative freedom go by.

Same Day, Kurogiri's Bar

"So how are you feeling, Shigaraki? I'm going to need you to speak to me before we can allow you to leave." Kurogiri had entered the room cautiously, since some hybrid alphas tend to be territorial just after they completed the Change. Sensing no threat, he approached the bed where Shigaraki was sitting. He leaned forward, arms resting on his thighs with his head down.

"I've never felt better, Kurogiri. So are we done here or will you have me jumping through literal hoops before I can go home?" He'd endured the pheromone therapy, hormone injections, and a very intimate physical to get to where he was, now it was time to leave and go back to the person he had suffered through all this for. For all his joking, he was grateful for Kurogiri's patience and knowledge as he helped him understand the mindset and behavior of a hybrid alpha.

Kurogiri smiled, half of his face hidden in shadow by his jacket hood, "No, nothing else for us to do here, Shigaraki. You'll have to let me know how things go for you and your mate. Hopefully they'll know what they're getting themselves into with an alpha like you." Kurogiri returned to the door and held it open as the newly studded alpha walked out.

They had just walked outside when Shigaraki was overwhelmed by the numerous scents that hung in the air. Being inside for nearly a week, he'd only had a limited number of people near him and had time to gradually grow accustomed to their different scents. But this attack on his sense of smell was unexpected. Covering his nose with his hand, he looked back to Kurogiri with a puzzled look.

"There isn't much I can do about that, my friend. Your body was used to responding to very limited types of pheromones, but now it can detect them all. Just give yourself a moment to process what's around you. Eventually your mind will learn what to concentrate on and ignore the rest."

Taking Kurogiri's words to task, Shigaraki closed his eyes and focused on breathing through his mouth first, slowly easing the hand away from his face until he was taking air in through his nose, barely grimacing now that he'd found a way to counter the onslaught of pheromones.

"I'd suggest investing in an air neutralizer for your home. They can be pricey, but there's nothing better than coming home to the sweet smell of nothing." Kurogiri's phone began to ring, he raised his finger to Shigaraki to give him a moment to take the call. Brow furrowed, he looked around before calling back out to Shigaraki. "It's for you, you're going to want to hear this."

Taking the phone from Kurogiri's hand, he eyed it suspiciously before bringing it to his ear. "Yes?"

"Shiggy! I can't find him, Izu's gone! I'm totally sorry but we went out to shop yesterday and when I turned around he had disappeared. When I did find him he looked super upset over something but when I asked what was wrong he just took off! I tried to follow him but he's a fast little green bean. What do you want me to do? Are you finished with Kurogiri yet? Why aren't you saying anything?!"

His body felt like it had been set on fire and left to burn. "What were you thinking bringing him outside?! He was at my apartment because he was in hiding . It was dangerous for him to go out in public and you let him go! Fuck, where did you last see him?"

"How was I supposed to know that if you didn't tell me?! We were at the far end of the market street, where are you right now? Should I meet you somewhere?"

"No, go back to my apartment and make sure he didn't go back there first. He has my phone so you won't be able to get in touch with me. Try calling it to see if he'll answer. I'll start looking around here." With nothing else left to think about, he hung up the phone and tossed it back to Kurogiri. "She last saw him in this area yesterday during the market. My mate is gone, I have to find him. He's in more danger the longer he stays outside."

Thinking back to yesterday, Kurogiri wondered if the mate in question had happened to be wandering around the market at the same time he had been moving Shigaraki. If that was the case, he could have misinterpreted the scene and grown upset. Sharing his theory with Shigaraki in this state would come to no good, though he may have a better idea of where to look for him if the omega had run off and decided to avoid as many public places as possible.

"We should start looking around the outskirts of the city. If he knew it was dangerous to be near crowds, he would have opted to take routes with less traffic. There's also a park about two miles from here that has some secluded areas." Nodding in agreement, Shigaraki took off in that direction, keeping his nose lifted to catch the scent of his omega. Kurogiri found it difficult to keep up with the focused alpha, even with his own considerable power and speed.

It was at the edge of the park when Shigaraki stopped suddenly, heavily sniffing the air. "He was here, the scent is weak but noticeable. Do you have it? The honey and mint, it's all distressed and sour, but that's him."

"I've caught it, but we should split up, this park is too big to try to search together. You follow the north trail, it'll cut east near the tree line. I'll take the south trail that'll eventually go west. You're familiar enough with my scent now, so try to focus on it if you don't turn up anything and need to find me."

With a glare in their eyes, the two alphas began their frantic search of the park, following Midoriya's distressed pheromones.