An arm poked out from behind the corner and pressed directly to the back of the cobra's skull, followed shortly after by the body of a badger hybrid with tired, bloodshot eyes, a loose looped scarf that shielded his nose and a mop of frizzy hair.
"Put the rabbit down," Aizawa ordered, "Gently."
Overhaul shakily lowered Izuku to the floor.
The badger ground the gun into the cobra's head. "Hands up, and if I smell another whiff of your pheromones I'm shooting without hesitation."
Overhaul obliged without complaint. The approaching footsteps of backup rounded the opposite corner and Aizawa beckoned with one hand. "Hey! One of you come cuff him, I already used mine."
The badger handed off the hybrid to another officer and knelt beside Izuku.
He didn't need to survey the rabbit for long to determine he needed immediate medical care. His green fur was matted, most bandages were dirty and bled through, and minor bruises and scrapes covered most visible skin. He was beat up nearly beyond recognition, but the detail that infuriated the badger the most was the double set of finger-shaped bruises, tattooed deep purple in the rabbit's throat, claw marks leaving gashes at the end of each point.
The scent of a distressed omega permeated the air, but when the police raided the club they'd found countless masks capable of shielding most or all pheromones from the environment, his scarf being one of those devices, so it didn't affect the badger beyond the knowledge of knowing it was there.
He acknowledged the other alpha in the room. A wolf, about the same age as Izuku, with a plethora of injuries, both old and new, eyebrows set in a hard line over glowing crimson eyes. He didn't move when Aizawa waved at him, just continued to stare at the green rabbit by his feet. The badger glanced down at the wolf's hands. The blonde didn't try to hide them, but they were clawed and caked in blood.
He didn't have time for that.
"Somebody question the wolf, I've gotta bring Midoriya up to the ambulance." Aizawa grumbled.
Below him, the rabbit stirred. "No, please, let Katsuki take me. He's hurt too."
By the excited twitch of the wolf's ears when Izuku muttered the name, Aizawa was willing to bet the blonde's name was Katsuki.
"If he has serious injuries they'll receive the proper medical treatment." He assured.
But that response didn't sit right with Izuku. As a detective, he knew what would happen if the police found out about what Katsuki had done in the Ring. More likely than not, the wolf would be delivered straight from one type of prison (the club) to another. It wouldn't matter if he hadn't wanted to do it, because thousands of eye witnesses had seen him slaughter seemingly for fun--completely unaware the wolf was drugged and threatened. The only person in his defense would be Izuku, who was covered head to toe in custom injuries from the wolf's claws. He needed to get Katsuki out of there.
The one person he might be able to convince was staring down at him.
"Aizawa, let me take him with me. He's innocent--just a victim, like me." The rabbit pleaded.
The badger glanced over the rabbit's injuries, completely unconvinced.
"I'll tell you the whole story later." Izuku bargained, weakly clasping his hands in the air in front of his face.
"Fine, but it better be good." The badger huffed.
He leaned back and cupped his hands over his mouth to increase his volume without needing to yell. "Change of plans," he announced, "the wolf is coming with me."
A pair of officers who'd gathered around the blond with clipboards withdrew and Katsuki casually padded over to Izuku and Aizawa.
Without asking, the blond shuffled around Aizawa, squated, and fixated the velcro mask over the omega before hoisting him against his chest.
"Which direction?" The wolf asked, a distant flatness to his voice.
Aizawa pointed down the direction he came with a thumb and Katsuki took off without further conversation. The badger trailed a few steps behind, cautious of the mysterious hybrid.
When they reached the surface--something that Katsuki hadn't seen in months--the wolf didn't stop. The air was bitey, a soft layer of freshly fallen snow reflected the first sliver of dawn as it peaked through the city rooftops. The flashing lights of police cars, fire trucks and ambulances disrupted the delicately rising sun, countless bodies swarming like ants around various stations as the police collected hybrids from the depths of the club.
He pulled the rabbit closer to conserve body heat, lifting until the soft green fur of the omega's head brushed his chin. The scent of wildflowers and honey dew caressed his nose, relaxing the tension in his muscles and soothing his mind.
"Over there," Aizawa motioned to an ambulance located at the very end of the line, situated several yards behind the one before it. "I'm sure you'll appreciate the privacy--"
Katsuki didn't need to be told twice. In seconds he's crossed the courtyard and appeared at the back of the vibrantly colored truck. The doors were closed, so he resorted to shifting Izuku to one arm and pounding as hard as he could against the glass with the other.
The door to his left flew open.
"Jeez, man, a simple knock would do--" the electric blond EMT's slightly annoyed features snapped into focus upon seeing the battered state of the hybrids standing in the slush. "I'm so sorry, I thought you were Kiri messing with me again."
The hybrid disappeared for a moment, then the other door slid open and Katsuki stepped inside. It was a fairly cluttered space, with loose papers and medical instruments haphazardly strewn about. The EMT slid a stack of documents off of the stretcher and turned to aid the wolf in positioning the rabbit. When his hands went to reach under the omega, Katsuki growled, stepped around him, and placed the omega down himself.
"Now, now dear. You're going to have to let us touch him if you want our help."
A small turtle hybrid shuffled out of a swivel chair and walked over to Izuku. She was elderly, with eyes that barely stayed open behind thick glasses and a neatly netted grey bun on top of her head. She grabbed the rabbit's wrist and the wolf's tail twitched in agitation, but she raised a challenging eyebrow and he didn't object.
"Hello? Can you talk? Please tell me how this happened." She asked as she meticulously checked each of his vitals.
"Fight." Izuku stated. His eyes were sharper than before, more coherent.
She didn't seem surprised by the curt answer.
Her hands hovered over the omega's mask, but Katsuki caught her wrist. "It stays on." He demanded.
She sent him a skeptical look, but decided not to push. Her attention moved to other areas along the rabbit's body.
"Kaminari, would you be a dear and check the wolf's injuries for me?"
Katsuki's eyes flashed to the blond EMT. He looked pretty young, probably somewhere around their age. He had fins instead of ears, painfully yellow hair, and a black lightning mark design in his obnoxious bangs that Katsuki couldn't determine if it was dyed or natural. A stupid smirk twitched his face.
"Touch me and you're dead." The wolf threatened.
The EMT held his hands up in surrender, eyebrows raised in an annoyingly exaggerated expression.
Katsuki focused his attention back to Izuku. The woman had removed most of his bandages, leaving a dirty, tangled mess on the floor of the ambulance.
"You must be built like a sack of juice, because all this blood leaked out of you and your blood pressure is only slightly below normal!" She exclaimed. "Whoever stitched these cuts knew what they were doing--such neat seams--but a couple need to be disinfected and redone. Hmm...you didn't treat these wounds very kindly." A sorrowful expression slid across her face, but it was gone in an instant. "I should be able to patch it up here and send you on your way… " She peered inquisitively through her glasses at the wolf. "Unless you have injuries that need attention?"
"Nah, I'm fine." He said, crossing his arms in a false display of relaxation.
She motioned towards a chair for him to sit in while she tended to the rabbit, but he elected to stand.
It didn't take her long to patch Izuku up.
"Alright now, try to stay off that leg as much as possible." The turtle hybrid advised. She slid open one of the many cabinets, pulled out a small juice box, and held it out to the rabbit. "Drink plenty of fluids and eat well."
Izuki gave her a bright smile. "Thank you so much, Recovery Girl!"
She waved a hand dismissively at him. "I told you that's just my silly nickname, it's Chiyo to you, boy. Have a safe trip home you two."
Kaminari waved as they exited the ambulance and Kastuki gave a brisk nod in exchange.
As it turned out, Izuku was prone to bodily Injury and that duo was his go-to team. The rabbit knew them well, catching up on things as the old lady stitched him up. The wolf learned that Kaminari was not in fact an EMT at all, just an electric eel hybrid who could deliver a shock powerful enough to restart a heart--basically a walking defibrillator.
He chuckled at that ridiculous situation.
"What are you thinking about, Katsuki?" Izuku questioned, his forest green eyes reflecting yellow pools of the morning sunshine.
"That electric eel guy has a really dumb job." He confessed, laughter wrinkling his eyes.
The rabbit returned the smile. "I think Chiyo just likes the company."
Blanketed footsteps approached from the side. "Oh, you guys are done."
The hybrid pair turned to the source of the voice, a familiar, horribley tired badger face.
"Hi, Aizawa!" Izuku beamed. The hop in his step was returning, despite the bags under his eyes that could rival a raccoon.
"I was just getting off duty. Would you like a ride home? The train is pretty far from here." The badger asked.
It was clear from his tone that the invitation was not open to a certain blond spiky-haired boy, but Izuku either didn't notice or didn't care.
"Sure!" The omega turned to Katsuki, "Would you like to come? You can stay at my house until your situation is all figured out."
The wolf peered between the rabbit's ears to see a seething badger, glaring at him with murderous eyes.
The wolf grinned. "I would love to, Deku."
The rabbit's cheeks dusted pink at the use of his childhood nickname, "Don't call me that, Katsuki, it's embarrassing." Izuku complained.
"Would you prefer cotton tail?" The alpha pressed, ears flicking playfully in the air.
"NO" Izuku deflected.
"Just get in the damn car you two." Aizawa grumbled. He was too tired to deal with that crap. The police had worked all night trying to decipher Izuku's message and plan a break in, so he'd been running on nothing but coffee and anger for the past 48 hours. He would have to tell the rabbit in the morning how crucial he was in cracking this case.
It was an incredibly short walk to the cruiser. As the first one on scene, the badger had selected the parking space closest to the entrance. Katsuku kept a hand hovering behind Izuku in case the rabbit's leg gave out in the slippery snow, but besides being a little shaky, the omega didn't seem to have any issues.
The badger led Izuku to the passenger side door and promptly took the wheel, leaving the back for the wolf. When katsuki got situated, he noticed the badger had snapped the small security door separating the back from the front shut, effectively cutting off all communication and lowering him to the level of a criminal.
Izuku could hear the wolf pounding on the glass for most of the way home. "Is that really necessary?" The rabbit asked.
"He annoys me." The badger shrugged.
The pair sat in silence most of the way home, but Aizawa held the disappointed look that most parents wear just before giving their child a lecture.
Thankfully, they reached Izuku's apartment complex before the said lecture ever came.
The rabbit gingerly hopped out of the car. Cold air slapped him in the face, but the discomfort was nothing compared to what he'd gone through the past night.
"Thank you so much, Aizawa!" He said, gratitude running deeper than for the ride home, encompassing the badger's efforts to save him and his willingness to trust.
"Call me in the morning." The badger ordered.
The back door locks clicked open and a frazzled looking wolf launched out of the vehicle.
"What the hell was that for?" The blond reeled, but Aizawa had already floored it out of the parking lot, automatic door sliding shut on the way.
"Let's just get some sleep." Izuku offered.
The sky was a washed out baby blue, with strips of clouds decorating the horizon and morning doves, early despite the cold, singing their melodies off in the distance.
The steps up to his apartment were slick with snow and ice, so the rabbit leaned heavily on the guardrail and took it one step at a time. He expected Katsuki to protest, but the blond alpha waited silently behind him until they reached the door. The omega turned the knob and pushed it open without needing a key. The wolf raised a judgemental eyebrow, but Izuku's back was turned, already unloving his shoes.
Katsuki lingered at the doorway.
"You're letting cold air in!" The rabbit lightheartedly scorned.
The alpha cautiously shut the door and inched into the apartment. The space was small, but cozy. There was a central living room, equipped with a coffee table, TV, beanbags, and a sizable couch. Lushly carpeted floors turned to tile at the open concept kitchen, compact and practical, a few cups and dishes still in the sink from the rabbit's last meal.
Izuku disappeared into what the wolf concluded was his room, and came back out moments later carrying a puffy comforter that looked like it weighed more than the rabbit. The omega draped it over the back of the couch, then turned to Katsuki.
"Sorry, I'll have to get you freshly cleaned sheets in the morning, but I have five more on my bed, so plenty to spare if you want another."
"Thanks." The wolf said and moved over to the couch to situate the blanket.
"D-Don't worry! I washed them a couple days ago, so they're not too dirty." The omega insisted.
"This is fine." Katsuki ensured. Without further thought, he collapsed onto the couch, immediately shutting his eyes, the sudden release of tension melting the pain away.
He let out a content sigh and brought the blanket closer to his nose. The faint smell of wildflowers flowed into his lungs, days old but just as sweet.
Then his brow wrinkled.
He hadn't thought of it till now, but wasn't bringing an alpha into his home a rather… dangerous decision for the rabbit?
"I know the suppressants wore off, are you doing okay?" Katsuki asked, his eyes still loosely shut.
"It isn't as bad when I'm not actively breathing in pure alpha pheromones." Izuku responded, his voice distant, he was probably in his room. "It should be fine if I keep the mask on."
The conversation died there, a small confirmation enough to satisfy both of the exhausted hybrids.
Katsuki drifted off, dreaming of starlit skies, vibrant green forests, and sun-swept meadows filled with wildflowers.
To the people who like plot, here's your food . To the people who want smut? You'll be happy soon u3u
Thank you my_macaroni_hurts for beta reading! Ily!!
Also please vote if you like the story! It's free, you can always undo it, and really helps me out. (I sound like a YouTuber now)