The pain growing in his right shoulder woke Todoroki from his sleep. Waking in an unfamiliar room, an attempt to sit up ended with more pain as he clutched at the wound on his left side. He'd passed out while defending Kaneki, and even with his injuries, Todoroki's alpha was strangely calm.
"You're still here at Anteiku, in a resting room on the upper floor," Kaneki said, surprising Todoroki since he hadn't noticed anyone else in the room with him. But once he spoke, his familiar omega scent registered and he was further drawn to him and what he had to say. "We took care of your injuries, but you shouldn't move around too much, you may pull the stitches."
He relaxed at the words, letting himself rest where he'd been put, the bed comfortable enough. "The ghoul, the alpha ghoul, where'd he–"
"I fought him off," Kaneki said shortly. "Just rest for now, that's why you're still here. It's only fair to give you aid and shelter after what you did for me the first time Tsukiyama attempted to attack me."
Todoroki found it odd that the smaller man managed to fight back an alpha like Tsukiyama, but his current pain didn't let him dwell on it. "Thank you, you didn't have to feel obliged," Todoroki said through gritted teeth. From their short distance, Todoroki could see that Kaneki's clothes were slightly torn, with light splatters of blood on his white dress shirt. Whether it was his own or Tsukiyama's was difficult to tell.
"Hold on a little longer, I know it hurts, but he'll be back soon with more medicine," Kaneki said. Initially trying to keep his distance, the soft, pained whimpers of the alpha had him inch closer, until he'd taken his hand to reassure Todoroki that relief was coming. Todoroki tried to focus on their joined hands rather than the pain, the warmth of the omega against his cold hand.
Yoshimura rushed through the door, quickly preparing the pain medicine with a syringe. "I apologize for my late arrival, but we'll take care of you. It's the least we can do for protecting one of our own."
The drugs dropped him once again, away from the pain and the present, though he at least got to see Kaneki once more before fading away again.
"It's about time he wakes up, damn idiot!"
"Kacchan, you saw his injuries, don't say that! He's obviously been through a hard fight," a softer, kinder voice said as Todoroki woke up once more, this time with far less pain and more familiar surroundings. He was back at the hotel their agency had placed them for the mission, with Bakugou and Midoriya watching over him.
"H-How did I end up here?"
"Your guess is as good as ours, Half 'n Half," Bakugou said, his anger toned down considerably as he spoke, which was unusual for him in normal circumstances. "We couldn't find your ass and came back here. Next thing we know there was a knock at the door and you were left there like a bandaged up orphan."
Todoroki remembered that he'd been at Anteiku, both before and after Tsukiyama's attack. Kaneki had made sure his wounds were taken care of, he could feel that now as he had more range of motion after the care and rest he had. But why bring him back here when there was still an issue with Tsukiyama? Surely Kaneki couldn't have forced him away on his own, so the alpha must still be a threat.
"Kaneki. I need to make sure he's still safe," he said as he sat up, the wound on his side still biting into him as he moved, though it was more subdued now. The extra time he was asleep must have helped his injuries start to heal.
"That ghoul? Why would you want to check up on one of those Tokyo monsters?" Bakugou said as he offered a hand to help Todoroki stand. He was met with a narrow, angry glare instead.
"He saved me, Bakugou. Don't you dare call my omega a monster in front of me again," Todoroki said, his voice stern and calm, even when his fellow hero partner turned his head at the mention of Kaneki being 'his omega.'
Todoroki filled them in on what happened from when he'd left that morning. The trio agreed that it shouldn't be something to report with their mission, since ghoul and human relations in Tokyo was already a delicate subject. By then, the Tokyo branch of their agency contacted them with orders to remain on standby with further instructions coming soon.
Midoriya and Bakugou took the downtime to read through the mission documents again, while Todoroki took the time to rest and heal from his injuries. Midoriya had found a local nurse with a healing quirk that was willing to treat people after hours, so his injuries were far less severe after her visit.
Even though he felt drawn to seek out Kaneki, Todoroki stayed put and gave his body time to prepare for whatever fight they had in front of them. Wanting some fresh air, Todoroki left his room to sit out on the balcony of their hotel. Whispered voices halted him and kept him close to the wall to find out what was being so carefully discussed.
"You heard him, right? He said 'my omega' and got all protective and shit. How can we be sure he's still able to complete the mission if he's letting his alpha take control is all I'm saying."
"Kacchan, he was clear-headed when he said that. I admit, Todoroki has formed an… attachment to that omega ghoul, but it hasn't interfered with our mission yet. If he's found someone to connect with while we're here, we shouldn't interfere with that."
"Oh, so we should just let Icy Hot get run through every time he gets a crush on someone? Think about it, Deku, the guy is a ghoul. We know jack-shit about their kind, or their intentions. He should sit this mission out, take time to recover and figure out if he's really into that omega ghoul. Either way, he's distracted, and that ain't gonna help the mission."
Midoriya nodded, knowing that any distraction could be the difference in a mission being a success or failure. But he'd never seen Todoroki react to another person as he had during their first interaction with his mystery ghoul.
He certainly hadn't expected Todoroki to wander away from their hotel only to appear later in bandages, knocked out cold from pain meds. Seeing the wounds he'd suffered, Todoroki obviously fought to protect someone or something. He could only assume it was the white-haired omega.
An alert on their phones interrupted their discussion, the Tokyo branch sent them updated intel on their mission. They confirmed Dabi was in Tokyo recruiting for the League, using various clubs and bars to meet potential members and extend the League's reach further in Japan.
Their team was tasked with obtaining photo or video evidence of these recruitment meetings and capturing all involved, including Dabi. Todoroki joined them as they loaded into the agency SUV that drove them to the club. They quickly changed into the disguises provided to them to blend in with the others partying in the club.
"We were told Dabi has a history of preying on omegas, so we should focus our attention on the areas in the club where they gather," Midoriya said as they pulled up to the club. "Two of us can keep an eye on them, while the third oversees and gets the evidence."
"I'll watch the omegas," Todoroki answered immediately, with a tone that made it clear he wasn't bargaining for the spot. Bakugou stared at him, second guessing if Todoroki was ready for the mission. Mismatched eyes narrowed into their staredown, Todoroki not backing down from his partner.
Bakugou glanced over to Midoriya, who nodded in agreement with Todoroki. "Fine, you and Deku stay on the floor and keep eyes on the doors and the crowd. I'll find a spot on the upper floor overlooking the dance floor. Once I get the proof, you two don't let any of them out of your sight until we regroup and take them down!"
Once everyone finished preparing, Todoroki and Midoriya walked in first, each taking a cocktail from a passing waitress. The beta and alpha settled near the back of the dance floor, casually acting like they were a couple making small talk while staying focused on their surroundings.
"Earlier, when you were telling us what happened with you and that ghoul omega, I- I guess I'm asking if you're really serious about him? You seem happy, I'm just wondering if it's more than just instinct motivating you to protect someone you've only met a couple times in as many days."
Sighing as he sipped his drink, Todoroki took a moment to gather his thoughts. "I know it looks like I'm being irrational, but I haven't felt this way before about anyone. His scent is comforting and alluring, it's both familiar and brand new at once. I could sense his fear and sadness, too, and everything I am wants to comfort and protect him from whatever is making him feel like that."
Before Midoriya could respond, the doors opened as Dabi walked into the club, wearing an oversized black hoodie that hid the majority of his scarred skin. As expected, his sights were set on the omegas drinking and writhing their bodies to the music on the dance floor.
Staying put, Midoriya and Todoroki kept eyes on Dabi as they confirmed that Bakugou could see him as well. Keeping with their cover, the two went to the bar to order more drinks. Had the leaders of the mission been given more time, they could have planted an undercover hero to bait Dabi into recruiting them, but now they had to settle with waiting for one of Tokyo's villains to approach him.
The two kept a watchful eye on both Dabi and the crowd of omegas that were energetically bouncing around to the club music. Several times things got heated between Dabi and an omega, leaving the heroes to wonder how long they should let the lewd touching and grinding go on before breaking their cover.
It wasn't until the end of the night when the club announced last call that Dabi had taken a break from partying, briefly taking a seat at one of the booths near the back of the club. They both looked up to the balcony as Bakugou aimed his camera toward Dabi shaking hands with one of the petty criminals they identified from their previous intel as a potential recruit. The blonde gave a quick nod before disappearing.
"Kacchan got the pictures, we should move on them once the bar closes and they're outside and away from civilians," Midoriya said as he set down his drink. As Bakugou descended the stairs two at a time the man with Dabi got spooked and started running and pushing his way through the crowd toward the entrance.
Midoriya followed the recruit, joining Bakugou as they pursued him. In the sudden rush, Todoroki had taken his eyes off of Dabi for a moment to help several club goers back to their feet after they were knocked down. He looked up just in time to see Dabi leaving through the back exit, his ice blue eyes wide and focused on whatever was on the other side of the door.
"Dabi is going out the back!" Todoroki yelled before giving chase, making his way through the crowd as quickly as he could before crashing through the back door. Footsteps echoed through the dimly lit alley as he pursued their target. He caught sight of Dabi as he reached the main street, ducking into a door at the end of the road.
Todoroki knew his surroundings felt familiar before realizing Dabi had rushed into Anteiku. His alpha stirred as the possibility of Kaneki being in the same building Dabi just entered became likely. He rushed to catch up and cautiously opened the heavy wooden door to the cafe to see his worst case scenario before his eyes.
"Did you really think I wouldn't find you again, Ken?" Dabi's voice echoed through the room as Kaneki kept his hands in his pockets, making his presence as small as possible. The scent of fear lingered in the air as Todoroki got closer while Dabi continued speaking.
"I figured you wouldn't go far, so needy for familiar surroundings and all," Dabi said as he made a show of glancing around the coffee shop. "You should have known I'd come back for you. Especially after you did this to me!" Dabi screeched as he pulled back the hood over his head and gestured to the gruesome patchwork of new and old skin, scars scattered across his face and arms.
"It's about time I get to leave my own marks on you, my omega ."