Chapter Text
You carefully walked down a back alley. Moving on the streets was dangerous and you weren’t a big fan of danger. There could be the undead roaming the streets or even worse, people. The very last thing you need while in Miracle territory is to be spotted by them. You had to cross their lands to get to where your secret orchid was. You had to collect food and to do that you needed to pass through them. They had been on the hunt for you since they spotted you, and you weren’t about to give in to them.
You were fast. You had always been fast. You used to be on your school’s track team back in high school. Back to when there was school. Back to before the world turned to shit. You kept your hood on as you kept in the shadows. It was getting darker which had its pros and cons. Zombies were livelier at night and reminded you of predators stalking their pray at night. Yet on the plus side, at night it meant a lesser chance of running into people or Alphas specifically.
Before the world ended, society was already run by packs and high-strung Alphas. Everything was about power, dominance, money. That’s just how the world worked. With quirks everything just turned worse especially if you were an Omega. Omegas with good quirks were seen as commodities. A good asset. One packs would kill over. The world was changing with Omegas having more rights and freedom and being protected especially by the Heroes.
Heroes. What protected you in the past. The idols children looked up to and the people adults swooned over. The Hero commission ran society. They knew everything on anyone without even having to bat an eyelash. They had their top heroes, and they easily manipulated the public to act in their best interests. From having the first ever Number One hero being an Omega. All Might. He was what every Omega looked up to as inspiration and the commission used him like a well-placed piece on a chess board. Heroes protected people.
They saved people. They were justice and were a concept you would feel safe thinking about.
Now?
Now you didn’t even know if the famous Hawks was alive. After the first month of the apocalypse when the government started to fail and couldn’t help keeping normality, anarchy reigned. It didn’t help that there was a deadly virus, and the government was a bust, everything was in panic. That’s when the hero commission stepped in. Heroes were said to be keeping communities safe. Said to be having colonies safe from the zombies and non-cooperative people.
Said.
Now everything was just about territory. About packs becoming bigger and stronger. About food and about staying alive.
Which is what you were doing and why you were trying to stay alive. Alone. You had a pack. Not a very good one but family was family. You were the only omega and thus protected like a million-dollar diamond. But then again. It wasn’t a very good pack.
Which is why you were now here, trying to stay quiet, get food, get suppressants, and survive another day. You reached a back door of a building. The door was locked shut and had chains keeping it close. Lucky for you, you weren’t going to use the door. You jumped up some of the big boxes next to the door. From your placed atop them you could jump up and climb in through a window onto the second floor of the building. You carefully landed on some pillows you had placed there so you wouldn’t make a noise.
The low moan and groan of zombies and their clumsy movements made their way to your ears from the floor below. You watched your steps as you moved out of the empty room you were in and into the hallway. It was an old office building but not a very big one, which was perfect for you. You knew you couldn’t take the lift nor the stairs which were crawling with stragglers. Which was why holes exist. You headed to the right far corner of the large open cubicle filled space of the building. It only had around ten of the cubicle spaces. There you had placed a makeshift ladder to let you up a hole in the ceiling. You crawled up the hole and headed up the third and final floor. It was warm and dark, but you could see just fine. Lining the walls of the room were garden beds. In them, growing were plants of all kinds. There were tomatoes, grapes, spinach and even a small apple tree in the middle of the room. You had spent months on this project and with your quirk it made everything easier.
You had a vegetation quirk. You could make any sort of plants grow but something can’t come from nothing. You needed seeds. You needed old fruits and when you had enough energy you could grow a whole tree if you wanted to. It was very helpful quirk especially now in the apocalypse, which is why you kept to yourself. If people knew of your quirk and your second gender, you would be the most hunted person in the city. Well most hunted living person in the city.
You shrugged off the sack on your shoulders and went to work picking all that you could. As much as you wanted to tend to your plants and to help them grow more you didn’t have time for that. No doubt he was already waiting for you, and you didn’t want to wear down his patience. You grabbed all the ripe ones that were big enough to consume. In your bag were fruits and vegetables. You winced when you looked down. They weren’t nearly as much as you agree on, but it was all you had left. You hoped you could reason with him and maybe he would leave you alone for another week.
You quickly left the way you came in, halting at the window to check for any signs of zombies. There was one, down the alley and far enough away from you that if you jumped down it wouldn’t hear you. You carefully sucked in a breath and exited the window. You had never been more grateful for scent patches. They were the most detrimental to your survival right now.
Omegas were the first of the general population to die off. Bitten, eaten, hunted, whatever it was there were barely any left. You hadn’t met another Omega in months and who knows when you would meet another. Scientists, the ones that were still operating, had said that it was due to their desirable scent. The sweetness attracted the dead like feral Alphas.
You were lucky you worked for a pharmacy and could get all the necessary items you needed before people started raiding.
You exited through a break in a fence that led into the woods around the city. The woods. Dark, crawling with zombies in hidden corners and also the one place where you could let lose for a few seconds. You had to run it. Walking caused you more attention. Walking meant probably meeting up with a dead friend from HR who doesn’t remember you giving them that pack of gum that one time even when you said you weren’t sharing. Walking meant a higher chance of dying and you didn’t want that.
You set off in a fast sprint through the path you had marked discreetly. The feeling of the cool night-time wind on your face and nothing but the sound of your fast footsteps was all you had to focus on. The plants were your friends and kept you surrounded, the night was your mask and kept you hidden. Running always revived something in you. Something in your second gender too.
The omega hunt. Something that still happens. To deem an Alpha worthy an Omega would run away from them or fight them until eventual submission or rejection.
Running to you wasn’t about that. It was about control, and it was about freedom.
You saw up ahead the small river that separated two parts of the woods. With a burst of strength, you jumped over it like you normally did. Your hood of your zip up jersey fell back due to the air resistance leaving you for a second, in full visibility of moonlight. Then as soon as that second came it left with you back in the shadows across the river running through the dense woods. The woods were silent, as the zombies there didn’t announce their presence unless in the day.
You slowed your movements as you came to where you were heading. A shed in the woods. Hidden and had plantation and overgrowth growing up the walls. You were by the back door which you knew would be open. You entered the one room building as quietly as you could. You stepped into the darkness and closed the door behind you. The stuffy air never seemed to put you to ease like where your garden was. It smelt of burning wood, of smoke, which told you that he was here. The only light came from a dusty window to your right which fell upon a man that had been waiting for you.
Your one fatal mistake led you to where you are now. Being made to pay for your freedom. You had run into a man you shouldn’t have and in exchange for your life and freedom, you offered him food and supplies. At first, he thought you were lying, till you showed him your pack.
The man was leaning back in the chair by the window. He blew out smoke from the cigarette he was using. One would think he would hate smoke by how much he was surrounded by it. His relaxed posture was the opposite of yours. His scent was the same, all smoke and destruction that sent shivers down your spine in fear. His chilled blue eyes locked onto your own eyes, they glowed in the moonlight outside. A smirk spread to his lips and he chuckled lowly. “You made it, little bunny.” He blew out a stream of smoke up into the air. “I was afraid you had forgotten about me.” He tilted his head to the side and raised an eyebrow. His white hair shown making him look like a creature of the night.
Your heart was racing in your chest. You were scared of him, and you had every right to be. He held your life in the palm of his hand. He was a powerful Alpha and was a powerful villain as well. “Dabi.” You kept your voice low in fear of being heard from the outside. “You know I wouldn’t do that.”
He shrugged. “Who knows. You might have found some other Alpha to protect you away from the League.” He knew that wasn’t possible. Not with how the League of Villains ran things. You had heard rumours and by passes of what they had done to other packs that didn’t comply with their orders. It was horrifying enough as is. Luckily they didn’t reside in the city. The else you would have to worry about more than just the Miracles. He motioned for you to come forward with one burnt hand.
You took two steps forward and threw the pack over to him. He caught it effortlessly and placed it in his lap. He squished out the flame of his cigarette on the window ceil beside him and turned his attention to the bag. You took a few hesitant steps back hoping and praying he didn’t realise. Your hoping was short lived as he shook his head in disappointment. “Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk.” His natural indifferent emotionless face had a shadow of disagreement. “Your short.” His blue eyes flicked back up to you.
You nodded. “I know, but it was all that they could give me. I’ve been running low on plant food and the autumn plants are slowing down their harvest. Winter is coming and-”
“Please Y/N this isn’t Game of Thrones. Don’t tell me that bullshit.” He pushed up from the chair and that’s when you felt yourself become fearful. You didn’t want to feel this way, but you couldn’t help it. He saw your slight shiver as you kept yourself against the wall away from him. It made him lick his lips in desire. Dabi walked over to you and stopped right in front of you. He lifted his hand and carefully dragged his unburnt knuckles down your cheek. His surprisingly soft knuckles dragged down the plush of your cheek making you shiver. “I thought we agreed that as long as you keep on giving me at least two kilograms and a half of all your harvest each week…”
His knuckles dragged lower and over to your shoulder. He gentle traced over your scent patch that needed to be replaced once you got back to base. That’s where your claim mark should be. Where he could have bit you if he really wanted to. But don’t get him wrong. He really wanted to. But you were more beneficial to him complain then him forcing you into submission.
His ice eyes went back to look you dead in the eye. His knuckles turned into a whole hand as he grasped your neck. You gasped at the sudden movement. “And I let you go.” You withheld a squeak at the feeling of his warm hands on your neck. His hands weren’t a comforting warm. They stung your skin like a hot plate and reminded you just how powerful of a quirk he possessed. “I won’t claim you as my own. I won’t tell the League about you or your little garden you have hidden. I keep you safe.” He leaned down to your ear as he reminded you. “So, tell me little bunny, why are you not holding your end of the bargain?”
“I’m sorry.” You apologised. You felt his palms heat up making you feel sweaty. The light glow of blue flames making his palm the same shade as his eyes. He felt your pulse pick up. You gasped as the heat slowly started to become unbearable uncomfortable and there was less and less oxygen making it to your lungs. “I-I-I’ll make it better. I promise. I just need time.” Dabi was silent for a moment and didn’t do anything. He let go of your neck making you gasp and quickly move to clutch your neck where he held it. Your skin was still warm from his hand. “You see…” He went back to his seat. “I like that about you little bunny. You don’t do stupid shit like threaten me. You give me results. Sometimes they aren’t what I want but results are results.” He threw another empty material bag over to you. You barely caught it. It was the same bag you gave him last week to give him more of your harvest. Dabi looked out the window. “You have three days to get me double what you just gave me.”
Your eyes widened as you turned to him shocked. “But that’s not fair. You know I can’t-” You stopped talking the moment you noticed the flames he had on his fingers.
“Life isn’t fair, Omega.” He turned his head to look at you. “You should be grateful I don’t just force you to take me to your garden and I take everything for myself.” You wanted to argue with him, but you didn’t want him to reduce the time you had to get him more. Dabi was powerful. He was strong and he was a force to be reckoned with. You were smart enough to respect that and keep your mouth shut. Maybe then he would be merciful later down the line. As much as he was an asshole, he also rewarded good behaviour. If you played your cards right, maybe you could benefit from your harvest more than you thought. Dabi took your silence as an agreement. He folded his fingers back into his palm, extinguishing the flames. “Great. I will see you in three days’ time.” He held up three fingers that had tiny blue flames hovering over them. “Same time, same place.”
You nodded your head and placed your hand on the doorknob. “Dabi…” You voiced out his name quietly.
He perked up at the use of his alias. He raised an eyebrow. “Yes?” He asked you.
You hesitated. You turned your head to look at him. You had to be careful how you worded this. You couldn’t sound too greedy or entitled. “They’re looking for me. The Miracles.” You specified. “They’re making it harder for me to go to my garden and to get the harvest to you. They always have alphas monitoring that part of the city.” You informed him. It was silent for a while, and you prayed you made the right decision by telling him that. Your stomach was already in knots and twisted from just being in his presence.
Dabi nodded his head. He thought for a moment. “Move to live wherever your garden is. Saves you time and energy. I’ll see what I can do about The Miracles.” He closed his eyes as he leaned back.
You nodded. “Thank you.” Without another word, you left.
“Midoriya it isn’t like you to lie.” Shoto Todoroki spoke as the two of them stood in the shadows of some trees in a forest far away from their base. They had been sent on a diplomatic mission to the other nearby city and for any useful items they see on their mission too.
Izuku Midoriya stood with his green, emerald eyes wide open. “I know what I saw, Shoto.”
He told the other ex-Pro Hero. Midoriya was standing behind a tree, his eyes waiting and trained on the river. Minutes ago, while they were wondering closer to the city Midoriya saw a person jump across the river like a fast rabbit on a chase. The movements reminded him of a certain dynamic, but he wasn’t so sure. He balled his scared hands together as he hoped he would see them again. “Just give it a moment, Shoto. Watch and keep quiet.” He glanced back at his friend for a moment before turning his attention back to the river.
The tall man with a burn scar on his left eye frowned. He leaned against a tree not even a meter away from the curly green-haired man. “That’s what you said last time.” His emotionless voice let out. “I don’t get i-”
Midoriya raised a hand up to stop him from talking. Midoriya could hear it. The sound of running footsteps. They were fast but clearly weren’t as clumsy or as heavy as a zombie. They weren’t intense or trained either, not like an Alpha. Before Todoroki could comment on how it was rude to interrupt people, his heterochromic eyes caught on it.
If he had blinked for a second, he would have missed it. Jumping over the river was a person. Their hood flew back due to the wind resistance and both men could see their neck. It was like watching a film and it stopping for a second. Both men could feel their second genders make way to the forefront for that second. Whoever that was, had a build unlike an alpha and carried themselves in a way they hadn’t seen in a while. Todoroki blinked and they were gone. The sound of running and descending footfalls was lost to the sound of the water of the river.
Midoriya released a breath in relief as he realized he wasn’t crazy after all. “I told you, Shoto.” He whisper-shouted at the bi-coloured haired man. “I told you I saw something.” He motioned back to the river as he turned his attention back to where they had just saw the person.
Todoroki was speechless. Normally seeing another person wouldn’t bother him but it was the way they moved that left him questioning. “Scent patches.” He managed to let out.
“Alphas don’t wear scent patches.” Midoriya re-laid as he stepped closer to Todoroki. Midoriya put a hand to his chin and started to mutter. “Betas don’t wear scent patches either because normally their scents aren’t strong enough to be picked up. Which means that they only possible reason for wearing a scent patch would mean that they are…” Midoriya stopped talking and stopped pacing. He couldn’t get the words out. He turned to his friend who seemed just as hesitant to say it.
“It’s impossible Midoriya.” Todoroki’s eyebrows furrowed slightly.
The other Alpha shook his head. “I disagree. Impossible no. Rare… Unlikely…” He tested the words. “Definitely so.”
Todoroki looked back at the river where they had just witnessed something they never thought they would see outside their community again. “We have to call it in.” Todoroki voiced without looking at Midoriya. The wind picked up, carrying their scents along with the river.
Midoriya heard groaning from nearby. Approaching them. The zombie probably heard them talking in the dead of night, that or it caught a whiff of their scents. They were both dressed in dark clothing for the mission and looked like how their old police force would dress in, without all the legal badges. “Are you sure?” He asked the other Alpha. “Should we not investigate further?” He asked as green electricity flashed across his covered arms. His quirk automatically activated once sensing danger. He was glad he wore a long sleeve today; it was getting chilly.
Todoroki nodded as he turned around to face Midoriya. His eyes caught on an unwanted guest making its way to them. The zombie had half his face looking like it was melting off as he limped over to them, fast enough to notice but not fast enough for immediate action. “It changes the itinerary of the mission. Call it in. I’ll handle the corpse.” He spoke. His right hand had frost particles falling from it as he made his way closer to the groaning zombie. Unlike Midoriya, Todoroki didn’t catch cold easily and even if he did feel the chill, his left side would warm him back up.
Midoriya nodded and the electricity around him died down. He unzipped a pocket in his combat pants and pulled out his phone. The dim light of the screen flashed on his face. He went to his contacts and called in back at the base. He brought the phone to his ear as he leaned back against the tree. The sound of ringing went to his ear. He watched as Todoroki conjured up an ice stake and pushed the undead walking corpse against another nearby tree.
“You better have a damn fucking good reason for you to be calling at this time of day, you damn nerd.” The grouchy voice said hostile.
Midoriya scoffed and rolled his eyes. He was used to the hostility. “Don’t worry Kacchan you can get your beauty rest soon; we just found a complication.”
“What complication. Is it The Miracles?”
Midoriya watched as Todoroki stabbed the zombie in the head with the ice stake, rendering it motionless. Dead for the second time. “No.” He released an anxious breath. “It’s a code O.” He described it indirectly.
The line was silent for a moment. There was talking in the background. “Izuku.” A different voice answered, the voice was slightly deeper and was laced with a slight bit of concern.
Midoriya knew he wouldn’t be sleeping, he always put the pack first before himself. Even though the man wasn’t in front of him, Midoriya still bowed his head briefly. “Head Alpha.” “Are you sure?”
Todoroki was making his way back over to Midoriya he flicked his hand to the side to let the blood droplets leave his hand. “Scent patches were on their neck, and they didn’t move like an Alpha.” Midoriya relayed. “We didn’t get a good look on them, but they were heading back towards the city.”
For another moment it was silent. “Continue on as scheduled with The Miracles. It could be one of their people.”
“And if it’s not?” Midoriya asked.
“… Then you call back in and we approach it from a different route.” Midoriya glanced at Todoroki to see if he heard what their head alpha had said. Todoroki nodded. “I want you to proceed with caution, the last thing we need is to overstep but keep your eyes peeled.”
Midoriya and Todoroki both nodded. “Got it.”
“Otherwise, any trouble?”
Todoroki motioned towards the direction of the city in which they were headed. Midoriya kicked off the tree and followed the youngest son of the Todoroki family. “None other than the usual.” He replied.
“Good. And Izuku…”
“Yes?”
“Be careful. You and Shoto.”
Midoriya smiled. He couldn’t help it. Their head Alpha was always worried about them. Midoriya couldn’t see but the ends of Todoroki’s mouth moved a smidge higher. “Don’t worry about us. We’ll be fine. We’ll keep in touch. You should head to bed.”
“Alright. Soon then?”
“Soon.” Midoriya ended the call. He put away his phone and continued following Todoroki. The two walked in the dark of night but could see just fine. The only sounds made were the sound of their footsteps and far distant groaning of the undead. It was a sound they had gotten used to but still found unsettling. “Do you think…” Midoriya started, his voice quiet and hushed. “Do you think it’s actually one of them? A real omega?” He asked in worry and wonder.
Todoroki didn’t answer for a few moments. “It’s best for us, if they are.”