Chapter 10
Izuku approaches Iida the next morning, telling him that he'll accompany him into the empire for as long as it takes his wrist to heal.
He couldn't bear to look him in the eyes—that awful red unnerves him to the point where he feels sick—but the grin that crosses Iida's face is so ridiculously optimistic that it rubs off on him a bit too. It's in his best interest to remain hopeful even if everything else hurts right now.
Just as the sun begins to rise over the hills, they begin their journey. Izuku is forced to don nothing but Bakugou's cloak because Iida's clothes are several sizes too large, but since the hem reaches his thighs it's not all that revealing. He's barefoot as well but since they're following a dirt path it hurts much less than the sharp rocks and thorns that he had to tread through earlier.
"The nearest town is a day's walk from here but it's big enough to have a place where we can get you some proper clothes," Iida says, as if he knew precisely what Izuku was thinking. "I also left my horse at a stable there, since they act up if they whiff alpha pheromones. But he's strong enough to carry us both and we can travel much faster with him."
"Where are you headed, exactly?"
"A city near the capital. It typically takes a few months to get there on horseback because the terrain can get rough in some places, but there's several places to stop on the way there."
Izuku grimaces at that: it's a bit too close for comfort if Bakugou ever decides to come home. But on the other hand, he has a head start and there would
probably be rumors of the prince's return which would give him time to escape to another city further away. It's unfortunate that he might have to spend the rest of his life on the run but it's a better fate than whatever Bakugou had in store for him.
"The capital is very beautiful though, and the architecture is gorgeous," Iida continues with a nostalgic smile. "It's really large so it can take a couple days just to get from one side of the city to the other. There's so many districts and shops and businesses, I'm sure you'd love it there."
Doubt it... "It sounds like you've lived there before."
"I did until I moved to the outskirts, and I might move again sometime this year."
"Where to?"
"Maybe a town by the ocean. I've always wanted to live in a place like that, since there's fresh seafood and nice weather."
Before Bakugou, a day never went by where Izuku wouldn't spot the most beautiful view of the ocean outside his window. He still has memories of playing on the beach as a child, making sandcastles and wading in the water. It feels like it's been so long since he's been there and suddenly he misses that more than anything.
Is this what homesickness feels like?
"That's the kind of place I'd like to live too," Izuku says, tugging the cloak a bit tighter around him. "I used to live by the sea with my mother so it reminds me of home."
Iida seems thoughtful for a moment. "Maybe we can pay a visit to a few coastal towns on our way to the capital. After all, we're pretty close to the ocean anyways."
That's right, isn't it? Bakugou must not have gone too far to set up camp once he reached the mainland. In fact, it explains the storms that hit when he had escaped: that type of heavy rain is usually only present in jungles and areas where the land meets large bodies of water. Maybe he was just too focused on getting away from Bakugou to connect the dots.
"I'd like that a lot, I think."
Several moments pass after that short conversation and silence hangs between them as they walk. Izuku keeps his eyes on the ground but takes the occasional glance towards Iida just for paranoia's sake. Despite the fact that nothing happened the last few days, he can't help but feel tense and high strung just from the alpha's scent. It just reminds him too much of Bakugou and that association kept him awake for most of the night.
It's like his mind was trained to stay vigilant whenever Bakugou was around and now he can't break the habit. His brain remains active at all times and he feels like he has no time for rest, especially with his main priority being watching for danger. Somehow, Iida seems to be the threat he's defined.
If Iida moves too fast or too suddenly, a spike of anxiety fills him at once and settles in his gut as he starts to get antsy. Being too close to him can also make Izuku's hormones erratic as a strange, familiar feeling prickles his skin. Even as they walk he tries to keep at least three feet between them, because if he gets any closer, his body instinctively begins to produce slick. The shame that follows is unbearable.
And there's no doubt in his mind that Iida can smell it too, which only adds to his embarrassment. Eventually it gets to the point where the alpha decides to break the silence to ask a question that's obviously been burning in his mind for a while now.
"I'm sorry if this is too personal, but... did you go off suppressants
recently?" There it is, of course. It was only a matter of time, even as Izuku tried to hide how self conscious he felt about the fluctuating hormones and the way his body was developing.
"Yeah, I did." The answer is short and concise but it feels exposing to say aloud.
"Did you wean yourself off them at all?" "It wasn't a choice I got to make."
The implications of his words sink into Iida's brain faster than quicksand and he turns away. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry about something like that. I only asked because your hormones seem to have very abnormal patterns." "Trust me, I know," Izuku mutters.
"However, your scent glands are really inflamed which means there could be something really wrong."
Fuck, now Iida is staring at the damn things. Izuku shrugs on the cloak a bit tighter around his neck to cover them.
"I'm fine," he replies, a bit more irritation in his tone.
"Hormones are very delicate," Iida insists as he furrows his brow. "If you were taking the suppressants for a really long time and then cut them out of your life so suddenly, I think we should really start monitoring that part of your health as well."
"I'm not letting you do those sorts of checkups," Izuku growls. "Your eyes don't belong between my legs."
"If you're more comfortable with a beta or a female doctor, I can probably arrange
that." "I don't want anyone's hands on me. Not you, not a beta, not a woman."
Iida grimaces but he seems more worried than frustrated. "You collapsed because of a very violent tear in your muscle, apparently done by your mate. It's also accompanied by very strange slick discharge so there's something wrong with your reproductive system. Left unchecked, it could lead to more severe problems—"
"Listen." His tone is firm now, eyes narrow. "My health is my own business. I would prefer not to spread my legs so someone can see a part of me that I don't want exposed."
The alpha remains quiet for a few moments but eventually nods. "I'm sorry for pushing it. I'll try to help in ways that you're comfortable with."
Izuku doesn't reply to that but he feels deeply relieved from that response. His body started to tighten with fear, as if he was expecting to be attacked for some reason. It's a ridiculous thought because despite not knowing Iida for very long, he's never shown a single violent impulse towards him.
They travel the rest of the morning in silence.
Around noon, Iida offers some of the food he packed.
It's a sandwich with lettuce, tomato, salami, and soft brie. Izuku feels spoiled honestly, since the first thought he has is something along the lines of 'it's been over
a month since I've had cheese like this.' He'd have it smeared on crackers or slices of fresh bread, as it's a delicacy for the upper class.
And in mid-bite, he has a realization.
"Iida," Izuku says, and the alpha immediately turns to him to listen. "You're not any normal doctor, are you?"
"What makes you say that?" "This cheese isn't anything cheap... also, the quality of the ingredients is very high. I guess my assumption is that high quality foods equal a high quality taste. Also, not just anyone has the money to purchase a house in the middle of the woods just for their own rut."
Iida shrugs as he swallows down his bite. "I was born into a family of legion officers and admirals. My parents were always very busy but you're right, they were wealthy and paid very well."
"How does an alpha from a military family become a doctor?" Izuku wonders aloud.
"A man with a vendetta against the government decided to start taking out guards in the capital," Iida explains. "My older brother was stationed at the wrong place and time, so he almost died. I tried to hunt down that man but because of my recklessness, he permanently damaged my coordination."
Ouch. Izuku grimaces as Iida lifts his left hand to demonstrate: as he curls his fingers inwards, they won't pull all the way in towards his palm.
"My other shoulder also has some coordination issues from the fight, and without being able to use both my arms to their full capacity, I couldn't be a soldier like the rest of my family," he continues. "I decided to be a doctor instead since it quickly became a newfound interest after tending to my
brother during his recovery."
"If you were from a family of legion officers, I'd think that you could easily take on the man who hurt your brother," Izuku says. "He must have been very skilled."
Iida makes a sound of agreement as he takes another bite. "He was, most definitely, but I was also a very proud teenager. My unwavering loyalty to the law led to me being very... straight laced, and I'd act like a know-it-all. When someone had hurt my brother, however, my own worst traits combined and led to that failure: I felt entitled to my own revenge and I also thought I was coming from a place of moral superiority."
"It sounds like you've thought long and hard about what happened."
"Well, it's difficult not to introspect about things that completely change your life, right?"
Izuku thinks back to all the times Bakugou had been on his mind and soon enough he catches himself nodding absentmindedly. "Yeah, I agree."
"You pay a lot of attention to detail, you know." Iida sinks his teeth into the sandwich again, swallowing another bite. "But I'm guessing that you were born in an upper class family as well, especially if you had access to suppressants. Those aren't cheap." "I never actually found out how much they were. My mother would always give them to me and I would just take them, no questions asked," Izuku says with a frown.
"The ingredients used to make suppressants are normally extracted from alpha glands mixed with certain herbs that regulate omega hormones. I'd say each dose is worth half as much as a house."
The moment he hears those words, his heart falls. That means it should be
impossible to ever have access to them again, especially since everything he owned was taken by Bakugou and his empire. But his mind also drifts to the cost: he started taking suppressants when he turned ten and then proceeded to take monthly doses for the next decade. It doesn't take much mental math to calculate the total according to Iida's comparison.
That could be as much as an entire district and his mother had used those funds to preserve his reputation and mental state. All of it is completely wasted after everything that Bakugou had done, and ultimately, if his mother had spent that much then it probably means she would hate what he's become too.
The tips of his fingers slide against the swollen scent gland on his right. Both of them are still pink and whenever he gets too close to Iida, they feel hot and start to ache. It's like they want to be bitten and the only thing that could relieve them is licks from an alpha to calm his body down. Anyone having that much power over him feels disgusting.
"Do they hurt?" Iida asks tentatively.
"Yeah," Izuku confesses with a grimace, pulling his hand back and wrapping the cloak tighter around his neck to hide the glands and the bond mark. "I don't know what's wrong with them."
"They're growing pains and they typically happen to omegas during puberty. It seems like you have to go through it now that you're off the suppressants."
The explanation just makes the glands seem much more awful. They make him feel dirty, like he's a walking advertisement that screams 'cheap fuck.' In fact, the more he thinks about it the louder he hears Bakugou's words in his mind.
You can't accept that you're an omega even when it's blatantly
obvious.
Well... it is obvious, isn't it? These damn glands are so swollen that it makes him look like he's begging for it and he can't even get near an alpha without slick dripping down his thighs, even if he consciously feels repulsed with the thought of sex. His hormones are going haywire and it feels like there's no proper solution to any of this.
As if Iida can sense his distress, he leans forward a bit to offer him more food. Izuku nods mutely and takes another sandwich even if he feels queasy.
"We should get a move on after this," Izuku says as he takes a quick bite.
"Your feet don't hurt?"
"Only a little, but it's not going to stop me."
"I like your enthusiasm but if you need a break, just ask," Iida says with a faint smile.
To be honest Izuku thinks his feet have a few blisters but the pain is nothing compared to his dying urge to put as much distance as possible between him and Bakugou. And although he won't admit it to himself, deep down he feels as if running will also ease the plaguing thoughts in his mind—the ones that call him dirty, filthy, disgusting—because those are all the things that Bakugou had said and the further he gets from him, the further those things will be from the truth. That's his logic, anyways.
Izuku has been to marketplaces in the past, but his kingdom was small so the
activity was as well. He didn't know what he was expecting but it definitely wasn't something like this.
The town center is brimming with stalls selling various foods and merchandise ranging from sacks of grains to carved jewelry. Others overflow with vegetables and fruits, and few carry fresh meat hanging from hooks. Rich scents flood the air until his mouth waters, leaving him glancing about as merchants and farmers holler out their deals and weekly specials. There's so many people and so much noise and so much happening at once, honestly he's a bit overwhelmed.
And while he's relieved to finally arrive, the feeling is quickly extinguished by the sharp realization that he draws a great deal of attention.
The tattered cloak doesn't help and all he can do is keep it tight around his frame to avoid showing his glands, even if he reeks of omega slick and pheromones. He's forced to stay close to Iida, brushing against him every now and then which makes his hairs stand on end. The alpha can very obviously sense Izuku's mild distress as unfamiliar eyes carefully scan over the two of them. However, they seem to quickly register Iida's presence and are apparently smart enough not to stare too long.
While it's disappointing that his safety relies entirely on Iida, he figures he has no right to complain about such a thing at the moment. But the fact that there's so many people watching him makes him sick, which is ridiculous because it's nothing he isn't used to as a prince, but he thinks that it was different then and it's different now.
"Iida," Izuku says with a grimace, "are we almost there?" The alpha gives him a curt
nod. "Just a little further."
After a bit of weaving through the crowd, it seems he was right: at the very
edge of the marketplace there's a shop, windows dimly lit with lamps. There's a sign that reads "APPAREL" on the door and Izuku wastes no time following Iida inside. Anything to get away from the public eye is worth it.
The shop's interior is lined with racks and racks of a variety of clothes ranging from shoes to pants to gloves and coats. A short woman approaches and asks if they need anything in particular and before Izuku can reply, Iida tells her that they'll find everything by themselves. She dips her head and returns to the counter, and for a moment, Izuku remembers that's how most people pay their respects to an alpha.
(It's embarrassing because his first thought is she had done it for him, but obviously that was not the case.)
"What should I get?" he asks, trying to take his mind off the fact. "I don't want to spend too much."
However, the alpha gives him nothing but a shrug. "Just take whatever you like and I'll pay for it."
Izuku opens his mouth to respond but a cold pit starts to form at the bottom of his stomach. He hadn't realized it before because too much has been on his mind, but nothing in this world is for free so it doesn't make sense that Iida would give so much. Medical services, a place to sleep, food to eat, company while traveling, and now clothes that cost money... what is he getting at?
Is Iida really doing this out of the goodness of his heart?
Or is there an ulterior motive?
His pulse starts to drum in his ears as he scans through the shop's selection. Maybe it's just paranoia but could Iida be working with Bakugou? Is this all
some sort of test to see if he'll escape? No, that's a bit much. But his memory blackout was a bit suspicious and it was strange how he just woke up in a place like that. Iida also keeps asking about omega anatomy which is uncomfortable at best and terrifying at worst. "How about this?"
Izuku jumps at the sound of the alpha's voice, spinning around to see him holding up a dark green cloak. There's thick black stitching and it seems to fit his stature.
"The material is a little rough but it's essentially waterproof. I also found some shirts that might fit you but... I could be wrong," Iida says with a frown, holding up a few other garments. "Hold it up against your chest and we'll see."
With his previous thoughts still pumping through his brain, Izuku carefully takes one of the shirts to check out its sizing. It'll probably work but he checks the tag out of curiosity, and to be honest he can't really tell if it's cheap or expensive. As a prince it's kind of hard to tell when he's never had to look at the cost of anything he's wanted.
"I think they'll work," Izuku murmurs as he rubs the fabric with his thumb.
By the time they finish shopping, he has a couple cloaks, pants, shirts, and boots built for hiking. Iida pays with a handful of coins he fishes out of his bag and they pay a goodbye before starting towards the inn where he apparently stabled his horse for the time being. Izuku takes a few suspicious glances towards the alpha before he's finally confronted.
"Is there something bothering you?" Iida asks point blank and it catches him off
guard. "What? No, no it's nothing," he says, instinctively rubbing his neck. "You're
fidgeting now. Averting eye contact too." "So what?"
"I trained to be in the city watch when I was sixteen, you know. That means I can tell when people are lying."
Damn guards. Even when Izuku was a child, he could never get away with anything when they were around. But there's no point in trying to hide it any longer so he decides to meet Iida's gaze head on. It's the first time he's ever done so, especially with that horrible red, but it'll at least assert how serious he is about the matter.
"Some things happened recently where I've lost myself, and although I'm grateful for the things you've done to hep me, it just doesn't make sense. Do you buy things for every stranger you know?"
"Well no, but I like to help people out when I can," Iida says as the corners of his lips turn up into a small smile. "It's what a doctor is supposed to do."
"Not every doctor works overtime."
"Overtime? Helping people is a full time job. It's just who I am." Izuku narrows his eyes. "I don't believe you."
"That's entirely valid," Iida continues. "You look like you've been through some things so it makes sense that you have a lot of distrust. But I'm not going to do anything and I'm assuming it will just take time for you to understand that."
"It'll take forever."
"Then in the meantime, I can help you out with necessities like food and
clothes and a place to sleep during cold nights. Nothing is stopping you from leaving at any time, but I suggest that you don't because your wrist isn't in good shape."
Depending on yet another alpha is unbelievably irritating but going off on his own isn't beneficial. His highest priority is getting as far away from Bakugou as possible and he can't do that without Iida's help. It doesn't mean that this is a safe place for him to be, though, and as soon as a red flag pops up he'll find a way to deal with the situation... but still, the feeling continues to nag at him.
"Tell me one thing."
"What is it?"
Izuku pauses as he clutches the bundle of packaged clothes tightly against his chest. "When I woke up in your cabin, did you bring me there?"
"I found you in my bed and that's the truth," Iida says with a frown. "If I really did find you collapsed in the woods, there'd be no reason to omit that piece of information. It doesn't benefit me."
That's... true, actually. It really wouldn't make much of a difference either way. But it also doesn't hurt to keep a watchful eye on the alpha to make sure he doesn't do anything, since he does have the power and strength to do so at the moment.
"So to summarize, you're giving me all these things and I don't have to pay you back at all?" Izuku asks dryly.
"I never said that," Iida says, raising a brow. "You said you felt lost, but that which has been lost can be found again. If you find yourself, consider that payback."
"That still seems too good to be true."
"Would it put you more at ease if I said that you also remind me of someone?"
Izuku's eyes slide downwards. "Admittedly, yes."
"Then that's another reason why I'm helping you out," he replies. "Meeting you felt like an opportunity to redo some things that I regret. It's kind of selfish, isn't it?"
"I don't think I'm in any place to call you selfish after you've helped me this much and are currently planning to help me more."
"You can if you want."
"I won't," Izuku murmurs with a frown. "I appreciate you persistently trying to do what's best for me. I'll try to repay you in the future." Iida smiles at that but doesn't reply, and to be honest, Izuku doesn't think he has to. There's a silent exchange of words that takes place and he knows that he has to take every single tool he's been given to succeed. This is a golden opportunity and it's a miracle that he just so happened to land in a place where he can thrive and learn and grow.
Everything he once knew is gone: his title, his status, his kingdom, his mother, his home. But maybe Bakugou was right: if he wasn't born with it, he probably doesn't need it.
And that's the case, then all he has to worry about is building himself back up again. Izuku really hadn't realized how spoiled he was as a prince until this point.
When he arrived at the inn with Iida, he'd been looking forward to a hot bath, soft towels to dry himself with, and a warm place to sleep. Somehow it never
crossed his mind that these were upper class luxuries that he couldn't afford anymore, and when he stepped into the room, he saw nothing but two bedrolls and a few folded blankets.
And a bathroom of course, but he soon realized that there was no such thing as heating in a place like this and he had no choice but to bathe in cold water. It felt like liquid ice, freezing him to the bone. No scented soap, no lavender body wash, and definitely no alpha cologne to spray himself with afterwards. It was the shortest bath he's ever taken in his life and the towels he used afterwards were coarse and a bit grimy.
As he dries himself off he catches a glimpse of himself in the mirror and he nearly jumps at the sight.
It's... kind of shocking, actually.
Izuku actually never had a good look at himself after Bakugou first captured him, since of course he didn't have access to a mirror. How long has it even been? A month? Two months? He completely lost track but seeing his features for the first time in so long feels strange.
His eyes look tired and exhausted, jaded and pale like a washed out green while his hair seems to have gotten much longer than he realizes. Meanwhile, his wrist is naturally crooked instead of straight since he removed the brace before bathing. The scent glands are less swollen and pink after the cold water cooled them down, but really the most noticeable aspect is the bonding mark. He's not sure why he was even shocked when Iida knew that he had a mate because the bite is so disgustingly obvious: it manifests as a large purple bruise that creeps up his neck and shoulder, like a disease.
The longer he stares into the mirror, the more unfamiliar his own reflection seems to feel. Is that really him? His newer omega features are so off putting that he feels disoriented just looking at himself. There's no home for him in his body anymore and it's uncomfortable.
Izuku tears his eyes away and settles on the pile of new clothes that Iida had just bought for him. Maybe they'll help cover the flaws? It's worth a try, at least. So he steps into his pants and shrugs the shirt over his head before sliding the cloak over his shoulders. It covers the glands but the bond mark is still too high and too large to hide, blooming purple against his neck and creeping up the side. He throws the hood over his head and that at least hides it with a casted shadow.
It's perfect besides the fact that it looks suspicious, but while traveling in the woods it shouldn't make a difference. Besides, the comfort is amazing and the quality is surprisingly nice. Iida was right about the texture's roughness but if it's waterproof then it's worth it.
And really... Izuku looks like himself with these clothes. Despite his previous malnourishment, he still has toned thighs and lean, muscular arms that are visible despite the cloak. They make him feel confident and strong despite everything.
It's the boost he needs to make him realize that maybe there's hope after all, because he still has himself and that's what matters most.