Chapter Text
Eijirou was contently sitting on his knees with his arms folded over the dresser, watching the outside world blow by. He had been sitting there for hours; it's all he could do between meals. But he didn’t mind; it was more than he was able to do for years.
There was a knock on the door, and Eijirou’s defenses were up in an instant. He scurried into the corner, pressing his large frame as far as he could into the plaster. His eyes landed on his blanket still spread on his bed, going to reach for it, but the door opened, and the therapist came walking in, causing him to retract back into the corner. His one form of comfort was a foot away and just out of reach.
Her cold, calculating stare nailed him in place as she sat down on his bed, a corner of the blanket just under her thigh. It made Eijirou’s heart thunder and his jaw tighten as he stared wide-eyed where she sat.
“I have some difficult questions I need to ask you today, Eijirou. Are you going to be able to answer them for me?” She questioned.
Eijirou just sat frozen, his eyes flickering up to the therapist's eyes, his hands clenching into fists as possession and rage built up in his chest.
She cleared her throat, looking down at her paper, “Are you doing well today, Eijirou?”
He just swallowed hard as his breathing picked up. She’s going to ruin it with her scent. She’s going to wash away Katsuki’s smell.
He tore his eyes away, staring at the floor, pulling himself closer to the wall. He had to calm down; he didn’t want to hurt her, he didn’t want to get punished, he had been so good.
“Are you still happy here?” She pulled his mind away from his spiral just for a moment.
He nodded as she hummed, “Do you still feel safe?”
He nodded again.
“That’s very good. Do you have anything you wish to talk about before I ask my questions?”
Eijirou shook his head. He didn’t want to talk at all; he didn’t want to answer anything unless Katsuki was here.
“Okay, firstly, I heard that the omega had marked you. Is that true?” She questioned.
Eijirou’s breathing quickened as his fingernails dug into his palms. He gave a small, curt nod.
“I’m sorry that happened to you.”
Eijirou closed his eyes tightly; maybe if he didn’t see her on his blanket, it would be better. But it wasn’t, he couldn’t trick his mind into thinking about anything else other than the fact that the omega was sitting on the blanket scented by Katsuki. Staining it with her sweet scent that made him sick.
“Do you still feel his scent on you?”
What kind of question was that? Of course he did. It was embedded in his skin, haunting his every moment. Waking him in the night, panic and fear seeping through him as soon as the scent melts from the inside of his thigh and into his nose, past the muzzle.
His eyes met hers once again, glaring as her face gave no inclination to her emotions.
“A nod would suffice if you don’t want to use your words.” She seemed unfazed by Eijirou, but she should be afraid. He was the most dangerous one there.
Eijirou barely nodded, eyes still locked onto her. His body was rigid and suddenly cold with adrenaline.
“Do you believe you still belong to him, even now?”
Eijirou growled low, body shaking. He bared his teeth behind the muzzle as she shifted slightly. Switching the position of her crossed legs.
The truth was, he did. He did feel like he still belonged to him. His mark was seared into his skin; all he had ever known was his master. How could he belong to anyone else? But he didn’t want her to know that.
“Do you not want to answer that one?” She questioned, arching a brow.
Eijirou nodded.
“Very well. Did he ever make you feel weak? Less than an alpha? Or did you enjoy being below him?” As the last word left her lips, she jumped back slightly. Not from the continued rumble through Eijirou’s chest, but the spike in his scent, even over the neutralizer being pumped into the room. The usual scent of honey and leather that softly wafted to where she sat on the bed was now powerful and rancid, like rotting flesh.
She looked into his eyes to see that his pupils were pinpoints in his irises, wide and looking right through her into something only he knew.
In that moment, it wasn’t the therapist sitting in front of him; it was his master. Eijirou saw him sitting there, tainting the scent of Katsuki, smiling down at him. Eijirou was weak; he was nothing but a mutt. A disgusting creature made to kill and maim.
“Eijirou?” The therapist's voice wavered ever so slightly.
The growl that bounced off the walls of the room grew in volume as Eijirou slowly rose to his feet, still shaking, still afraid. But this room was safe, and his master wasn’t allowed there. This therapist wasn’t allowed to sit on his bed, touch his blanket, or say his name.
He slowly removed his muzzle, baring his teeth at the omega on his bed. She clutched her clipboard close to her chest, her face riddled with fear. The scent of it wafted off her skin, leaking through her scent patches. It made Eijirou’s adrenaline spike; it made his stomach roll. It was like being in the ring again, where he killed and ate human flesh.
When Eijirou took a step forward, it wasn’t to attack her; the very last sliver of his control barely hanging on as he reached for his only prized possession. But then she stood. Too fast, and his instincts took over, his alpha taking the reins of his mind.
When she stood, Eijirou snarled. He lunged at her, pinning her to the ground, his left hand pushing her head into the wooden floor. His large body kept her in place while his other hand had a hold of her wrist, keeping it pressed into the floor. His eyes were wild, the scars across his face making him look like a wild animal as the therapist tried to push against him.
“Help…” her voice squeaked out, her omega struggling to fight against the overwhelming scent and power of the alpha, “Help…” She tried again, her voice louder, “Help!”
She finally screamed while Eijirou’s face drew closer and closer to her neck, drool dripping from his teeth.
He wanted to bite, he wanted to crush her throat in his jaws, he wanted to suffocate her on her own blood. Her right hand sprang up, pressing against his face and against his teeth.
A vicious, animalistic snarl crawled out of his throat as he sank his teeth into her hand, the crunch of bones and tendons all too familiar in his mouth as she screamed from under him. The sound pierced his ears. She kicked and struggled, but he wouldn’t move. He couldn’t move; he had to make her quiet. The only reasonable way to do so in his mind was to kill her.
Suddenly, the door flew open and two alpha security guards burst through the door along with a nurse. The two guards were barely able to rip Eijirou away. Could barely unclamp Eijirou’s jaw from the therapist's hand. They had to pry his jaws open, risking their own hands in the process.
Spit went flying from Eijirou’s mouth, snapping and snarling as a collar with four bumps along the inside was clamped around his neck, when they finally managed to pin him against the wall. The bumps pressed against his scent glands and further back against his neck, putting him in a pseudo-scruff meant to calm him down. While one guard attempted to forcefully extend Eijirou’s arm, it was of no use.
The nurse, approaching with a needle and syringe, sent him further into a panic. He snapped his jaws, dug dull fingernails into the arms that restrained him.
The nurse shook her head, “We’re not going to be able to sedate him, he’s just going to keep fighting. We need to just get out of here and lock the door!”
The guards nodded in agreement, bringing Eijirou to the other side of the room, furthest from the door. They waited for the nurse to exit before they dropped Eijirou to the ground and rushed out of the room, locking it behind them.
~~
Katsuki was just starting his shift, sitting in his car, enjoying a cup of coffee, when dispatch came through his radio, “Sergeant Bakugo, be advised. Protected witness involved in an assault on staff. Musutafu Psychiatric Hospital, room 134. Code white in progress. Your presence has been requested.”
Katsuki nearly spat out his coffee as he quickly turned on his lights and sirens, replying with a quick, “10-17,” indicating he was en route. He drove as fast as he could through traffic until he reached the familiar building, an ambulance already outside.
When he arrived, he quickly jumped out of his car, siren off, but lights still blaring as he took in the scene before him. Mina and Denki were the first responders on site, already treating the victim's hand, soothing the crying omega as they cleaned the bloody, shattered appendage.
Katsuki made eye contact with Mina, who looked at him, worried, before he rushed inside. He ran to Eijirou’s door, pushing past staff as they whispered and huddled around the closed door, “Alright, everyone, back up. Is he still in there?”
A security guard with red scratches down his arms nodded, “He’s locked in, he hasn’t really made much of an attempt to get out, though.”
“Unlock it, let me in,” Katsuki demanded.
“Don’t you want to wait for backup?” A nurse piped up from beside him.
“He knows me, now let me in.” He glared, a snarl barely leaving his lips as the guard who spoke unlocked the door. Katsuki knocked before slowly creaking the door open.
The scent hit him first, putrid and rank. He nearly gagged as he entered the dark room, shutting the door behind him.
When he looked toward the corner Eijirou would usually hide in, he saw him looking over his shoulder at him. Bright red eyes, wide and scared.
“Eijirou,” his name came out soft and comforting from Katsuki’s mouth as he approached the alpha.
Eijirou’s shoulders shook, his breathing ragged, “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean- Katsuki…”
He fully faced Katsuki now, blood on his hands and smeared over the muzzle on his face. He pushed at the collar around his neck, the pressure uncomfortable and tight.
Katsuki knelt on the ground, hands open and soft. Waiting for Eijirou to come closer on his own. Eijirou hesitated for a moment, uneasy as he stared at Katsuki’s hands, but then he remembered how they combed through his hair, soft and gentle. Bringing him comfort and warmth.
So he slowly crawled to Katsuki, careful to stay below him, careful to show he wasn’t a threat. Katsuki’s fingers were quick to get rid of the collar once Eijirou was close enough. The alpha shuddered in relief as it was placed on the floor.
He refused to look up at Katsuki, his head bowed and body low, “I-I’m sorry… I tried… I t-tried to be g-good, Katsuki.”
Katsuki reached for Eijirou’s hair, carding his fingers through it slowly, “Shh, it’s okay, Eijirou. You’re okay.”
“Please… please take me with you, I don’t want t-to stay here,” Eijirou begged, tears streaming down his face, and under the muzzle, dripping out from the bottom.
Katsuki sighed, lifting Eijirou’s head to look at him, “You know I can’t…”
Eijirou pushed forward, leaning his head on Katsuki’s shoulder, his body shaking as he tried to suppress his cries.
“P-please… I’ll be good. I-I’ll keep my muzzle on.. I w-won’t bite,” he choked on the words as Katsuki continued to massage his scalp, unsure of what to do.
“You are good, Eijirou, it’s okay. Mina is outside, remember Mina?”
Eijirou nodded against his shoulder, relaxing at the subtle scent against Katsuki’s clothes, though there was another scent over it that made it difficult to fully relax.
“Good, do you want to see her? I’ll tell Denki to wait in the car; she can get you cleaned up so I can talk to my chief, okay?” Katsuki needed to talk with Aizawa about this. Surely the hospital won’t want to keep Eijirou now, and there wasn’t anyone willing to take him before due to the sheer amount of alphas admitted the night of the raid.
“Chief?” Eijirou questioned.
“Yeah, he’s my boss. He’s here to help you, too,” Katsuki reassured.
Eijirou nodded again, “I… I want to see Mina.”
“Alright,” Katsuki said, gently prying Eijirou away from him, standing slowly, “Come on, I’ll stay right by you until we get to Mina, okay?”
Eijirou stayed on his knees, head bowed, his body shaking uncontrollably. He stared down at his hands, refusing to look up.
Katsuki saw that the blanket was on the bed and moved to gather it in his hands.
“P-please,” Eijirou’s voice cracked, looking at the fabric in Katsuki’s hands, “Please get rid of her scent…”
Katsuki sniffed at the blanket, bringing it close to his nose, his brows pinched as he smelled nothing but Eijirou and him. His alpha began to preen and cause warmth to spread into his chest at their combined scents, but it was cut short. At the edge of the fabric, there was the barely there subtle scent of an omega, the therapist.
Katsuki was quick to smother the smell with his wrist, not giving a second thought as he discarded his scent patch.
“There, it’s gone,” Katsuki said softly, draping the blanket over Eijirou’s shoulders.
Eijirou wrapped himself tightly, his breathing evening out as he finally looked at Katsuki.
“Come on, Eijirou. Let's stand up and get you to Mina.” Katsuki urged.
Finally, the other alpha stood to his feet, waiting for Katsuki to take the lead.
Katsuki opened the door to see only the two security guards. He turned to Eijirou, reaching out a hand to him, “Come on, it’s okay.”
“Where are you taking him?” One guard asked.
“EMS,” Katsuki glared, as Eijirou took his hand.
Eijirou looked around frantically, staying close to Katsuki as he led him down a hall, past a front desk where several nurses stood by, watching. Some faces were familiar, others were not.
When they reached the lobby, Mina was standing there, talking with the hospital director and Aizawa. All eyes shifted to Katsuki and the large blood-stained shadow trailing behind him.
“Mina, he wanted to see you. Do you mind cleaning him up?” Katsuki asked, the beta smiling as she waved Eijirou over to her.
Eijirou hesitantly let go of Katsuki’s hand, looking at the other alpha for approval. Katsuki nodded, and finally Eijirou separated from him. Sitting at one of the chairs in the waiting room, while Mina set her bag on the ground, talking softly and sweetly to the alpha.
“He can’t stay here,” The director stated, not even gracing Katsuki with his name.
“Why the hell not?” Katsuki tore his eyes from Mina and Eijirou to glare at the director who stood with his arms crossed.
“He attacked our only therapist, her hand is shattered, we can’t afford any more attacks like this,” He huffed, pinching the bridge of his nose with a forefinger and thumb.
“So where is he supposed to go? No one could take him before, and no one will take him after this,” Katsuki growled. Aizawa gave him a look, though. Telling him to calm down without saying anything at all.
But Katsuki was on high alert; he wouldn’t be able to rest unless he knew Eijirou was safe. His alpha wouldn’t let him settle unless Eijirou was taken care of.
“That’s what your chief and I were talking about; he had an excellent idea, but only if you’re willing,” the director gestured to Aizawa, allowing him to speak.
“The only thing we could think of is if he goes home with you,” Aizawa sighed.
Katsuki’s jaw dropped, “You’re fucking kidding me.”
“Language, Bakugo,” Aizawa sounded exasperated, but Katsuki couldn’t ignore the fact that he had just mentioned the most ridiculous thing on the planet.
“You know why that can’t happen,” Katsuki glared, speaking through clenched teeth and pointing an accusing finger at his chief.
“May we speak privately?” Aizawa asked the director, who nodded and moved to speak with the receptionist.
When the director was out of earshot, Aizawa turned back toward Katsuki, “Listen, I know it's not the most ideal situation-”
“That's the fuckin understatement of the century,” Katsuki’s voice was low but angry.
“Just listen to me.” Aizawa’s voice became sharp, making Katsuki shut his mouth, but he kept his frustrated posture and expression.
“Hitoshi will have a fit, I know he will, but Hitoshi can stay with Hizashi and I, or his friend Monoma. Eijirou has nowhere else to go. It's you or no one else, Katsuki.” Aizawa’s voice softened. He was talking to Katsuki like a father rather than a chief at that moment. And as much as Katsuki hated the idea of Hitoshi being upset, he hated the idea of abandoning Eijirou even more.
“My home isn’t really stable… not a great place to try and help him,” Katsuki hung his head and bit his lip, “I fight with Hitoshi almost every damn day. I work twelve-hour shifts. He needs someone better than me.”
Aizawa placed a hand on his shoulder, “I’ll grant you paid leave for a few weeks. I will do your report for today’s incident. Don't worry about work. Just- Eijirou trusts you. Trust is worth more than perfect circumstances.”
Katsuki slowly nodded, the anger simmering out of his body as he looked over at Mina and Eijirou. He saw the way he relaxed, and Mina held his hand as she talked to him. Eijirou deserves to be with people he trusts, not locked in a room. He finally breathed out, “Okay.”