Chapter Text
The forest pressed suffocatingly around them, the air thick with mist and the heavy scent of damp earth. Bakugo scowled; his sword secured in his scabbard, his sharp eyes scanning through the dense trees, and his trained nose trying to sniff out the prey that had escaped their hands.
His friends close behind him, securing any possible blind spot, a formation they had very well ingrained due to the various excursions they had gone to ever since they’d turned 16.
Kirishima fastened his pace to get close to Bakugo. “We’re getting too close to where the savages lands are supposed to be, man.” He murmured, voice tense.
Denki let out a nervous laugh, scratching the back of his neck with the back of his dagger, “Yeah well, as long as we don’t cross it, we’re good… right?”.
Bakugo snorted, “Cowards”.
He pushed forward through the bushes, guiding his group through the thick forest. They had been hunting and looking for supplies for a whole week, they were finally planning to go back to barbarian land but their last prey decided that it wanted to be a survivor. But Bakugo Katsuki decided that he will not lose to a wild boar. No, they would find that fucking boar and then make it back to their land.
A crack of branches snapped to their left.
They all went into full defense. Bakugo unsheathed his sword, expertly holding it In front of him. Kirishima and Mina half-shifted, their dragon claws already out and their scales acting as armor. Sero and Denki both drew out their daggers and crossbows, getting into a fighting stance.
From the bushes emerged a big creature. Grotesque and muscular in appearance, its skin a grayish tone. The creature’s arms almost reaching the ground from how long they were. But even more disturbing was the exposed brain on the top of the creature’s head.
“This fucking thing,” Bakugo murmured under his breath; angry eyes trained on the approaching creature.
A couple of months ago, back in their land, they had two attacks from some creatures similar to this one. They had no idea of what they were or where they came from, but still, they had been able to overtake the creatures back then. Sure, they had been with the rest of their tribe but taking out one of these fuckers was no problem for them.
Or at least that’s what they thought.
Behind the first creature, a couple of figures hidden by the fog were approaching. One turned to two, two turned to six, and last thing they know, they are completely surrounded by these things.
“Motherfuckers!” Bakugo screamed before charging, the others following suit. The first creature lunged, and the other followed it. Bakugo easily took the first one down, plunging his sword into the exposed brain, but, before he could react, the second one had already been charging and it smashed his massive, grotesque arm against the blond’s side, the force of the blow sent him flying, crashing into one of the nearby trees.
“Bakugo!” he heard someone, probably Kirishima, scream.
Chaos.
More and more of those creatures erupted from the shadows, each one more vicious than the previous one. He could see his friends trying to get to him, but those creatures kept getting in the way. Katsuki tried to get up, using his sword to stand up. As soon as he was able to stand up, another creature attacked and sent him flying even further away, chasing him with the other three on its tail.
He could hear what he thought were his friends calling his name, but everything was blurry and muffled. All he could see were the approaching, horrifying figures of those things getting closer to him. Punching, kicking, and swinging him farther and farther away from the other.
He managed to blow a couple away from him, but by the time he had gotten rid of one, a different one appeared too fast for him to properly react. But still Katsuki fought. He fought like a demon, rage and adrenaline carrying him through the fight. Until a heavy strike clipped the back of his head, sending him down. His vision blurred, pain washing all over him.
He stumbled, tried to stand-
Last thing he could see was a figure standing In front of him, stance almost protective.
Then he crashed down. Darkness swallowed him whole.
· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·
Up in the trees. Three figures clad in animal skin and faces covered by wooden masks watched the whole thing. From the moment the barbarians had arrived close to their lands — ready to attack, if necessary — to the moment the creatures arrived and attacked the unsuspecting group.
They had followed the unfamiliar scents of the strangers for miles. Foreign alphas and betas stalking way too close to their territory.
They hadn’t expected to watch a battle unfold.
Down below, a blond warrior covered by nothing more than a red cape and leather pants fought fiercely against a pack of the creatures. Despite his obvious strength, his explosions tearing through the air, he was losing. His movements slowed down. Blood seeped from the deep gashes on his arms and legs.
He went down.
The creatures closed in, ready for the kill.
“Should we…?” one of the figures whispered, voice unsure. Her deer-shaped mask in place.
“They are strangers,” a second figure voiced, a mask resembling a cheetah in place. He rested his hand on the hilt of his blade. “We owe them nothing”.
The third figure watched silently, an intricate dragon design carved on his mask. His eyes, not hidden by the mask, blazed with something fierce and undeniable.
Without a word, he leapt down from the branch he was standing on. Graceful, silent as a ghost, and stood in front of the blond alpha. Spear in front of him.
“Izuku!” the two figures hissed, but followed after. The decision had been made.
The three attacked with calculated expertise. Not giving the creatures a second to react before they were taken down. The three masked figures worked silently, but there was no doubt that they had fought together before. They each stayed out of the other’s path, aiding only when necessary.
The fight was quick, brutal.
When it was over, the beasts lay scattered, bloody and broken. Some of them getting away mid-fight.
The three figures walked over and stood over the blond, unconscious warrior. Bleeding heavily.
There was a silent moment, a choice to make.
They exchanged glances. Without needing to say anything, they understood each other.
Izuku knelt first, sliding his arms under the unconscious alpha, mindful of his wounds. “Let’s take him back.”, he said firmly. The other two figures simply nodded and followed the green-eyed boy into the shadows of the wilderness, toward their hidden village.
· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·
The scent of herbs and smoke filled the air.
Katsuki’s body ached, sharp, burning aches deep in his muscles and bones, but his instincts screamed louder than the pain.
He didn’t know where he was. He didn’t know who was touching him. All he knew was that, right now, he was vulnerable.
And Bakugo Katsuki did not do vulnerable.
With a feral growl, he surged upright from the woven mat. Crimson eyes wild and sharp. Bandages tore, his body screamed in protest, but he didn’t care.
Two figures in strange clothing stepped forward, a tall woman with long, black hair tied in a ponytail and a broad-shouldered boy with some sort of framed crystals on his face, both with hands raised in peace.
“Please calm down!” the woman said urgently. “You haven’t healed yet; you’ll re-open your wounds!”
Bakugo bared his teeth at her words, explosions sparking in his palms, ignoring the obvious pain.
“Calm yourself,” the man said, trying to grab the blonde’s extended arm.
“Touch me and you’re dead!”, the blond alpha said, now both hands raised and pointing to both alphas.
He stumbled to his feet, swaying dangerously. But even injured, his presence was fierce. Too fierce for even the two alphas to contain, mostly not wanting to aggravate the blonde’s wounds.
The room buzzed with tension.
Then…
The door slipped open, and a small figure entered. A lean masked figure clad in animal skin, moving with predatory grace that commanded space.
The stranger’s eyes — glowing green behind the mask — locked onto Katsuki.
The blond snarled at the newcomer. But the snarl tuned out almost instantly as soon as a heavenly smell hit his nose. Something primal inside him, something stronger, froze.
The masked figure walked closer, unhurried, fearless.
Bakugo growled lowly, ready to fight if needed — but then.
The stranger removed his mask and Katsuki almost forgot that he had to breathe.
Before him stood a boy — younger than him, probably — with green hair in wild, untamed curls and the most stunning, vivid green eyes he had ever seen. A true emerald gifted by the spirits of the forest. His face a constellation of freckles, beautiful in a way that mocked the stars themselves, as if the heavens had knelt to kiss his skin and left a mark behind.
An omega.
A radiant, mesmerizing omega.
But there was no submission in his eyes. Only strength.
Calmly — almost gently — the omega approached, stopping until he was right in front of Katsuki. Who was trembling, instincts flaring in all directions, all over the place.
The omega placed a firm hand on Katsuki’s shoulder. Not asking, not pleading. Commanding. “Calm yourself, alpha,” the omega said, voice low and sweet. “You’re safe here, we will not harm you.”
Something in his tone, sweet and assuring, forced Katsuki to listen. Slowly, his trembling stopped. The explosions died in his hands.
He stared, wide-eyed and panting at the boy. This impossibly gentle and strong creature. And for the first time in a while he felt —
He felt safe.
The omega smiled at him, a soft, ruinous thing. Bright as sunlight itself, a smile that cracked something open in Katsuki’s chest.
“We’re sorry if we scared you,” the omega said, sincere. “We truly just wish to heal you, if you would allow us to.”
Katsuki opened his mouth. He wanted to curse, to shout, to deny everything… but nothing came out. He just…
… stared.
He stared as the beautiful omega, with arms and hands heavily bruised but still soft, called for herbs and bandages. Could only follow the instructions to lie back down as the omega promised to make him whole again. Could only lie there as darkness consumed him once again, except this time he felt safer than ever.