Setting: T H E P A L A C E O F A R M O X I A
Read this with caution.
It was a quiet afternoon with the three kings and the little prince lounging around in a sitting room in the palace. Himori was playing with Kixo who sat on his lap, sometimes giggling when the pet would try to nibble at his fingers. When Kixo ran away, probably to go and rest, Himori pouted but quickly engaged in conservation with his blonde Alpha father about other pet animals.
Everyone was comfortable. Hitoshi had his hands pressed against the armrest, writing out a few things that had been brought into the kingdom today. As for Katsuki, Izuku's swollen feet were in his lap and he was massaging them to help the Omega feel a little less agitated.
There was also music coming from the headset that was placed over Izuku's stomach as he read his book. Hitoshi had gotten it specifically from a neighbouring kingdom and Izuku was using it since. Sometimes, he would read and talk to the baby but the music was what he turned to most of the time since his time span to stay awake was shortening.
It was good until suddenly, a familiar yet strange sound rang throughout the entire kingdom. The sound was that of the horn that signals to every single person in the kingdom that a war was on their hands. What made the sound so strange was that there was no war for about two going on three years. That was because everyone heard about the chained beauty who was one of the Kings of Armoxia and they wanted nothing to do with having a war with the said kingdom.
Until today, that was.
Both Katsuki and Hitoshi were quick to get up after hearing the horn, the ink pen and paper dropping from their seat and the headset falling from Izuku's lap and from over his stomach when he stood as well. Their ears were pricked but they were confused as to why a war would be happening at this time. They could only go and find out what was happening.
"You're fucking kidding me," Katsuki muttered under his breath while frantically moving. "Damn it. Fuck! Hitoshi, go and make sure that our men are already out there and that our people are staying in their homes," The purple-haired Alpha didn't have to be told that twice. He was quick to remove his jewelry with a simple swipe of the hand as he rushed off to do what he knew that he had to. They were trained for this and were still training for something like this, even though they thought that it would be many more years before war was to befall them.
"Come on Deku and Himori. Gotta get you two to the safe room," Katsuki said while lifting the little prince in his arms. The safe room was a place that was added a year after the big war. It would be for the servants and the others who were staying in the palace to remain in until the other horn had been sounded which meant that it was safe to roam freely.
"Kacchan, I don't like how it's sounding out there. You should go, I can get Himori and me there," Katsuki didn't like the idea of having to leave his pregnant mate and their very young son to get to the room on their own. He knew that Izuku wasn't helpless but there wasn't very much that he could do in this state. That was what made him so vulnerable right now.
Izuku was also in the stage of his pregnancy where any amount of stress can induce early labour. He had two weeks left until his due date and Katsuki would be damned if he had to be put in danger's way.
"Deku, I'm not gonna be okay if I don't know that you two are safe," said Katsuki as he helped them along the way. Izuku sighed deeply and then pinned his lips. As he passed by a window, although the kingdom wasn't that close to the palace, he could still see the many men rushing further along the way. Some guards were rushing to usher the Armoxians back into their homes.
"Then at least let us go to our room. It would be faster for both of us," Katsuki huffed but muttered a fine, turning left to go to their room. That could work for him. Once they were safe, he was fine.
Once in the room, Katsuki placed Himori down on his feet and was quick to pull across all of the curtains and close all of the doors. Outside was still bright seeing that it was the afternoon so there was enough light peering through so that Izuku would be able to see.
"Alright, I'm going to go down now," Katsuki said, pulling his mate into a hug as best as he could. He pecked Izuku on the lips and with a nod, he stooped down to Himori's level to talk to the boy who looked frightened out of this world.
"I want you to listen to me, alright Himori?" Himori's indigo eyes stared into Katsuki's crimson ones and with a pout, he nodded. Katsuki averted his eyes to Izuku for a split second and then focused back on the little Alpha prince.
"You gotta protect Baba, okay? Daddy and I have to help fight off the bad men that came to hurt us. You remember what we practiced?" Himori looked like he was thinking for a while but then he nodded. "Then I know that you can protect yourself and Baba," Katsuki showed the little boy a smile that made him give his own in return. Another sound of the horn had gone off which meant that he had to move now, so with another kiss to Izuku's lips and the few words of 'I love you', Katsuki was leaving the room, making sure to lock the door behind him.
Izuku felt like his heart had dropped the moment his mates were gone. The palace was stationed away from the residents in the kingdom but he could still hear faint shouts from the people. He couldn't do anything about it, only stay back and hoped that this war wasn't as bad as it sounded and that his kingdom came out victorious.
Twenty minutes after he and Himori were in the room, Izuku could feel his stress levels spiking. For some reason, the Omega felt like something was off...
Out of instinct and ignoring his swollen feet, Izuku was up from the bed. "Stay put Himori," He told the little Alpha who was ready to follow him. Izuku was barely pulling across the curtain to peek outside when a loud noise from the opposite side of the room frightened him. His head had snapped toward the loud commotion and for a different kind of reason, Izuku's heart had skipped many beats.
Izuku stared at the now broken down door of his and his mates' bedroom, wondering exactly how anyone at all knew that someone was in here. He didn't stay on that for too long, however, because as the stranger stalked forward with a menacing look on their face, Izuku was slowly making his way over to Himori who had begun to cry. The trembling but snarling Omega was pushing the boy behind him and out of danger's way as his eyes followed the person who closed the door even though there was nothing to close and was roaming around in the room like they knew what it was like already.
"Woah, you're real and actually not a myth!" The person didn't sound like anyone who had lived around the area or from any neighbouring kingdoms. If Izuku had to assume, they sounded like they were from a different country altogether.
"I- We heard about the great things that the chained beauty did for this world but I thought it was a lie. I mean, it sounded all so fake but to actually see how they described you to be in the flesh is all so surreal! Like, you're here, and wow!" Izuku didn't speak, only listened. He had to play it safe or he could end up hurt or the person could use Himori against him.
"Oh, and you're pregnant. Congratulations!" This person had to be crazy but Izuku didn't dare voice that out. He remained still with his hands behind his back and Himori behind him.
"Baba, mm scawed," Himori whispered from behind Izuku. Izuku shushed him quietly, not taking his eyes from the stranger who had lowered his eyes a bit lower to the boy who was behind the Omega's back. The man's menacing smile grew larger when he flickered his eyes back up to Izuku.
"Your kid?" He questioned with a tilt of his head. "That just means that we hit the jackpot. Two beauties in one, well three," He shrugged off as if obvious while pointing to Izuku's stomach.
He was now slowly stalking forward and Izuku was going back. However, there wasn't anywhere else he could go since he was already standing by the window. There was nothing that Izuku could think to do without putting himself in danger. He barely had enough time to register how the man got into the palace.
"All you have to do is come with me, little Omega," He hummed playfully, causing a small growl that eventually grew louder to rumble in Izuku's throat. The stranger tilted their head to the side again in questioning, looking deranged as if they were wondering if Izuku was challenging them. They didn't like that and without words, they were quick to pull a throwing weapon that was in the waistband of their pants, throwing it in Izuku's direction. The weapon struck Izuku in his arm and the Omega fell to the floor with a pained cry. That gave the man enough space to roughly grab Himori and pull him to his side with a chuckle.
Just hearing his son cry out from seeing him hurt and also him getting roughly pulled was more than enough for Izuku. The chained beauty knew the consequences but he couldn't afford to have his son die. Izuku didn't hesitate when he used his powers, his chains shooting out to hold the man into the air. With sheer strength, Izuku had his chains squeezing the life out of the man, and he watched through slitted green eyes as his life left his eyes.
The chains were gone as soon as the enemy died, leaving Izuku in more pain than before. He could feel it everywhere. In his head, stomach and arm but he was barely putting it past him and calling Himori over to make sure that he was alright. Not that he had to since Himori was already by his side, not batting an eye at the man who fell beside him.
"Baba?" Himori asked with trembling lips and teary eyes. Izuku nodded to the best of his ability, pulling him down and having him sit beside him.
"Baba's a-alright, Himori," But Izuku was anything but alright. He could feel piercing pains in his stomach and his hand was throbbing with the knife still lodged inside. He didn't want to remove it but he knew that he had to. He couldn't maneuver if anyone else had to come with a knife lodged in his arm.
The Omega brought his other arm up and tore the fabric off. He turned away from Himori, placing an item that was on the ground in his mouth when he pulled the knife out. Izuku tried his best not to scream from the agony that he was experiencing as the bloody object fell to the floor with a clank. He was wrapping the cloth around his arm and using his free hand and teeth to tie it tightly together to at least stop the blood flow.
Izuku held down his head and let his pained sounds come through gritted teeth. He was hitting his fist on the bloodied carpeted floor while sobbing quietly away from Himori. Everything hurt and he just wanted it to stop.
He had to stay put for a moment, to at least catch himself and to think about what he should do. He thought about hiding Himori in their walk-in closet but then thought twice about it. He wasn't going to leave the child alone. Also, if it was that they were looking for Izuku and they happened to find Himori first, that wouldn't be a good thing either.
Izuku called Himori over to the bed, gritting his teeth when he had to move his hand to help the little boy up. Himori was still crying over what happened and Izuku was trying his best to comfort him. Added to it would be the blood that was soaking through the cloth that he was wearing that the prince could see as well as the blood on the palm of his hands.
The Omega had to pause for a moment, taking deep breaths in and out to at least try and calm himself. The pains in his stomach were getting worse and he could only hope that they weren't what he thought they were. It would be better if the baby could hold on a little longer but if he was being realistic, he doubted that would happen. He knew what would happen when he used his quirks and as he was almost at the end of his pregnancy, it only made things less easy.
"Baba hurts," Himori mumbled and he moved so that he could look at Izuku's hand. Izuku just smiled at him as if letting him know that he was alright but as expected, that wasn't working at all. He never knew how but most things couldn't fool the little boy.
"I'm alright Himori. We just have to keep quiet, okay?" Izuku whispered and when Himori nodded, Izuku did as well. Their bedroom doors were now on the floor and broken down to pieces. It was locked the first time but because of the person who wanted to come in before, they couldn't get in so they destroyed it.
Izuku wanted to take another risk to at least fix them using his powers but then he thought twice about it. He knew that he already induced early labour, he could feel it and if he was to do something so reckless, it would surely put the baby at further risk. He wasn't going to do that. The first time, he needed to do it but now, he just couldn't.
"Come Himori," Izuku called him as he got off the bed as best as he could. They had to at least go to where their oasis was, out of open eyes' way. It wasn't a good plan to stay in the room but the commotion heard on the outside was telling him that they shouldn't go out there either. Staying here was their best bet.
Izuku placed a hand under his stomach, breathing exercises coming into play when the pains increased. Goddess, he knew exactly what was coming and there was nothing that he could do right now to stop it.
He held onto Himori's hand as he opened the oasis door and then locked it back. "Not yet, not yet, not yet," he mumbled through gritted teeth as he stumbled over to the decorative rocks that surrounded the pool of water. It was only when he was about fifteen steps away from the water that he felt exactly what he knew was on the way. He heard Himori gasp and the little boy had pulled out of his hand just when he paused in his tracks and looked down.
"Baba, you're peeing!" He shouted and pointed to the liquid that was dropping on the floor. Nothing but horror was displaying on Izuku's face when he looked at the puddle that was between his open feet. The pain had followed directly after.
"Oh my Goddess," Izuku was rushing toward the oasis in a frantic manner. His water just broke and he was about to give birth and had not the slightest idea how he was going to do this if he and Himori were being targeted right now. He was afraid but if he had to, he would do it on his own so that his baby could come into the world safely.
Izuku stepped into the water and sat down as best as he could, bringing Himori on the other side of him in the case that something else had to happen. Izuku had automatically parted his legs in the birthing position, breaths coming out rapidly and hands rubbing his stomach when that first contraction hit. The Omega was groaning in pain but trying his best not to keep that much noise to alert the little Alpha beside him. Himori had seen enough for one day and it was inevitable that he wouldn't be exposed to such things but if he could for about five more years, Izuku wanted to keep his son away from such a graphic experience.
When another contraction came, Izuku's voice rang out so loud that it frightened Himori. Izuku was in the middle of comforting him and trying to calm his breathing pace which wasn't an easy task. He had thrown his head back with a loud shout, tears running down the sides of his face as his feet trembled. Izuku knew so very much that it was because he used his powers that the pain of the contractions multiplied.
"Kacchan, Hicchan!" Izuku cried in his head, wishing that that would be enough for them to hear but he knew that would never happen. Izuku knew that he was way too vulnerable right now to do anything more.
He wasn't even aware that the door to the oasis was broken down, too stuck in hearing his own painful cries to focus on anything else or anyone else but Himori. Himori was the one who alerted him, patting his Baba on the hand and telling him that bad guys were coming. Nothing could get as worse as Izuku having to protect his son, birthing his baby, and then dealing with three enemies who had broken their way into their safe spot.
Izuku could only look and cry, keeping Himori as close as he could keep him as another contraction racked through his body. The three strangers realised what was going on and saw it as a plus. The chained beauty was about to give birth to another beauty which meant that there would be three on their hands. They cared about nothing else.
"Leave Baba 'lone!" Himori had pulled out of Izuku's grasp and shouted when they came closer. He had stepped out of the water but Izuku had grabbed him back to pull him away. The strangers were taunting Himori with their laughs, ignoring how Izuku was keeping the prince close and holding onto his green curls to drag him out of the water. The Omega screamed and tried to get their hands out of his hair as they roughly pulled him and began to trail him across the room.
Himori had run toward them and did his best to hit them but they were pushing him away harshly. "Grab the kid," One of them said and the other was complying with his wishes. Izuku couldn't do anything at all. Even if he wanted to, his powers were out of reach now. His body knew that he was undergoing his birthing process, locking them from him to give his body enough energy to successfully birth the baby.
He was so scared that the baby or even Himori would die. He tried to get away but it was hard to do so.
It was only when Izuku heard the men cursing and felt hands leaving his hair was when he had enough strength to look up. He also couldn't believe what he was seeing and had to admit that he was also a bit scared that something would happen to his son.
Himori was backing him but Izuku could clearly see the purple sparks lighting around his body. He looked like a walking zombie, stalking toward the men who were surprisingly frightened by a two-year-old kid but anyone would be if they saw the state that he was in.
"Himori!" Izuku called out, not wanting him to get any closer to the enemies even though they looked more scared by him than the opposite way around. More contractions were coming and each one was getting closer, stronger, and longer but Izuku was still attempting to drag himself closer to get his son away. Bloodied hands were stretching out and Izuku had barely grazed the boy's hand with his fingers when chains came flying from out of Himori, gently lifting him into the air and back into the water.
Izuku wanted to get back to him but when the most painful contraction that he had yet hit him, he was screaming out in pain. His head was tilted toward his son and through blurry eyes, he was watching as the chains from Himori wrapped around the men's necks. This was what Izuku was afraid of. It was said that his offspring would carry half of his power but what he was seeing wasn't something that a beauty as young as Himori could do, even one who would hold his power. Himori was only two and never showed signs of having a quirk, although the symbol had appeared.
It went on like that for what could be said for as long as two hours. Izuku was in labour all of that time and no matter how many times he called out for Himori, he made no effort to respond which was something that never happened. Himori was simply sitting now and clapping his hands and giggling like the toddler that he was, reminding Izuku of his innocence despite what was happening. The chains were only loosening and tightening now as if he was playing a game. It looked almost as similar to a game that Himori would play with his Alpha fathers.
Izuku could feel his body telling him that he had to push and that was exactly what he was doing. His head had rested back on the decorative stone behind him and he yelped when the aching continued. He barely noticed that Katsuki was running toward Himori to try and stop what was going on.
"Kacchan!" Izuku shouted, catching the blonde's attention. If for another time, Katsuki would be more than thrilled to see that Himori was finally able to use his powers but for now, his mate needed him.
"Shit Deku gotta get you to the doc-," Izuku was shaking his head while he was breathing rapidly, hands rubbing his stomach when he answered.
"N-No Kacchan, no t-time. I have to pu-ngh!" Katsuki was torn between getting Himori and comforting his mate. Himori didn't seem to be getting hurt so his best bet was to help Izuku.
"Alright Peach, breathe for me," Katsuki was standing in a position with his hands under the water so he would get the baby when it came. He was running his hands through the damp green locks occasionally and letting out some of his scent to help calm Izuku. Just seeing the bandaged wound and the three men that Himori was basically playing ping-pong with was getting to him. If that wasn't enough, then the small bruise that was on Izuku's stomach was pissing him off to the point that he wanted to kill.
Izuku was pushing, again and again, trying his best to get the baby out of him. He wasn't sure but somewhere in his hazy mind, he could hear Katsuki say that he was doing well.
"K-Kacchan," Izuku breathed through a groan. "I f-feel so tired and it hurts. It h-hurts so much, Alpha," Hearing those words from his mate did nothing to please Katsuki or to calm his beating heart. He had never seen Izuku looking this way, even when he had to fight the enemy almost three years ago.
The Omega just looked plainly drained, blood running down his arm and sweat coating his forehead mixed with the water from the oasis. His scent was going haywire, alerting his mates that something was wrong and that he was unable to help himself out.
Katsuki could only do so much and he would do the damn best that he could to let Izuku know that he was here with him. "Come on, breathe and push again," Izuku gulped with a strained nod, lips parting in a shrilling scream when he did as he was told. All of a sudden, he felt empty and heard his Kacchan praising him while petting his hair. Nothing was coming as clear thoughts anymore and Izuku had no idea what was happening. Did the baby born safely? Was Himori still magically dealing with the three enemies who were after them? Izuku wasn't sure even though he tried so hard to focus.
With a baby in his arms, an injured mate, and a two-year-old son who was possibly out of control, Katsuki could only watch through the screams of the baby in his hands as Izuku's head slowly lolled back.
"Izuku? Izuku!" Katsuki rarely called him by his first name. The Alpha was bending down, the baby still crying as he used his free hand to tap at his mate's face. Izuku was responding in a hazy manner and even as the blonde begged him to stay awake, it wasn't even enough as his eyes slowly squinted close. All Katsuki could see was the amount of blood that his mate was losing and for once in his life, nothing could compare to the amount of fright that the blonde was experiencing at this moment.
This was by far the best yet worst day of his life.
⬾♔───𝙹𝚄𝚂𝚃𝙵𝙾𝚁𝚃𝙷𝙴𝙵𝙰𝙽𝙵𝙸𝙲───♔⥇