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The scale in his hands is bright red and glimmers pleasantly in the firelight. Izuku almost doesn’t know what to do with it.
Almost.
He looks up from his hand to the blonde omega standing in front of him and smiles as gently as possible. “Thank you. Which species of dragon is this from?”
Bakugou grunts and Izuku gets a face full of his nervous scent. “The Crimson Crushers. One of the whelps shed it’s first scale yesterday. Thought you might find a use for it.”
Izuku’s smile grows. “Oh, thank you! I’ve been meaning to gather more data on the Crimsons.”
Bakugou frowns, his face twisting with dull distaste. Izuku tilts his head to the side and tries to rely on his alpha instincts to parse the situation.
“Did I say something bad?” Izuku asks when his instincts wield no results.
“Yes,” Bakugou answers tersely. “They're called the Crushers for short. No one refers to them as the Crimsons anymore.”
Izuku grimaces. “Ah, yes. I apologize. I’ve been buried in the old texts all day, I guess my brain-to-mouth filter just isn’t in tip-top shape at the moment.”
Bakugou mutters something that makes Izuku flush pink. He decides to act like he didn’t hear it though and tries his luck.
“Sorry, what was that?”
“Nothing,” Bakugou bites out. “Let’s go eat.”
Izuku brightens. “Okay! Just let me put a few things away. I’ll be right out.”
Bakugou huffs and storms out of the tent but Izuku knows he’ll be standing by the entrance with his arms crossed over his chest and a sour expression on his face. It’s tradition by this point that Bakugou will enter his tent, bearing a gift of some kind, then drag him out to eat somewhere.
When Izuku first arrived at the dragon enclosure, Bakugou glared at him like he meant to kill Izuku right then and there. Of course, he hadn’t but that did nothing to diminish Izuku’s need to be careful around the blonde man and his explosive personality. Izuku was only here to gather more research on dragon scales and their healing properties anyway, not to get murdered by a pretty blonde omega who couldn’t stand the sight of him.
Except, that isn’t quite true anymore.
Two weeks after Izuku had joined them, one of the Emerald Emerger whelps went on a rampage and stomped hard enough to make multiple holes and flatten tents into the dust in the enclosure. Izuku had watched it all unfold with a quiet sense of horror until the whelp came face-to-face with him and Izuku reached out to it without thinking.
Maybe it was because their eyes were the same shade of green or because even as an alpha, Izuku couldn’t for the life of him emit any kind of threatening vibes, but the result shook up most of the camp. The whelp allowed him to curve his hand across its face and settled down, huffing and puffing like this was the last thing on earth it wanted to do. It curled itself around Izuku and growled at anyone who came close before it eventually fell asleep and Izuku was able to step away as the handlers rushed forward.
Kirishima was the only handler to turn back to him and check that was he was unharmed, but Izuku could feel Bakugou’s eyes on him nonetheless.
The day after, Bakugou barged into his tent while Izuku was in the middle of healing the food poisoning Sero had fallen ill with. He waited until Izuku was done before he presented him with a scale and explained that it came from the whelp Izuku had helped calm down and then left.
He came back later with dinner and sat with Izuku at the back table, grunting and humming as Izuku buzzed with conversation.
Now a month later, it is pretty normal to find Bakugou in his tent whether he needs to be healed or not. Izuku doesn’t mind it, he likes having company as he reads over his research and conducts experiments. Plus, having a dragon tamer and pseudo-expert present means he can ask almost any kind of question that may come to mind and get an accurate answer in response. He cross-references Bakugou’s answer with texts and known dragon facts, but even if he didn't it wouldn't be so bad since Bakugou is always right.
If he knew any better he would probably say that Bakugou likes him but really, he sees it more as the omega grudgingly accepting him into their midsts after he had proven himself worthy to be there. He doesn’t mind it though, he can only guess how hard it is for Bakugou to make any kind of acquaintances since people would easily be scared off by his grumpy demeanor. Not Izuku, he has dealt with worse people, so Bakugou’s prickly exterior only pales in comparison.
Izuku finishes tidying up his journals and makes sure his equipment has been put away in the correct places before he exits the tent. Bakugou is standing by the entrance exactly how Izuku predicted him to be. He smiles at the omega and blinks in confusion when Bakugou flushes light pink in response.
He pushes that image out of his head as he follows Bakugou through the camp. They leave the grounds through one of Bakugou’s many secret passageways and walk quietly side by side. Izuku almost startles when Bakugou’s fingers suddenly interlace with his own, but one look at his blushing face keeps him from asking any questions.
Instead, Izuku swings their hands between them and grins when Bakugou doesn’t comment on it like he usually would.
They come upon the main path to the nearby village and Izuku hesitates, glancing over at Bakugou again to examine his reaction. The blonde omega is tense and stiff, but his grip does not loosen.
It loosens something in Izuku's chest though, wiping a certain thought he had been having earlier away with a sense of realization. Was he wrong before? Is he denser than he thought? That would be pretty pathetic if he is. However, the best way to figure anything out is to ask and see what response Bakugou gives him.
So with that, Izuku stops swinging their hands and steps to the side, pressing himself closer to Bakugou. “Hey, I’m curious about something.”
Bakugou glances down at him, a blank expression on his face. “What.”
Izuku bites his lip, tilting his head up to meet the red, fiery gaze. He has always known that the omega is pretty attractive with his broad shoulders, tiny waist, and muscled arms. Izuku would have to be blind to not know that honestly, but with their faces so close together, he realizes that Bakugou is ultimately a lot more attractive than he initially thought. Startingly attractive.
He pushes that away though, not wanting to be distracted and returns to his earlier train of thought.
“Have you been courting me?” Izuku asks, amping up the amusement in his grin when Bakugou raises a brow at him. “It seems like you have been, but I don’t know you well enough to guess if you have been or not. So, are you?”
A tense silence follows. Izuku half wonders if Bakugou has ever courted anyone before and is surprised when the alpha in him roars at the mere implication.
“Yes.”
Bakugou glances away after another moment, jaw tight and shoulders stiff. Izuku frowns and steps even further into Bakugou’s space, guaranteeing the omega’s attention on him again.
Izuku nods his head once Bakugou has met his gaze once more and continues to walk forward. “Good. Should I court you in return?”
Bakugou huffs, but there’s the barest hint of a smile on his lips too. “Fuck no.”
“Okay!” Izuku replies, smiling once more as he leans his head on Bakugou’s shoulder. “This okay?”
“Yeah,” Bakugou mutters. “S’fine.”
Izuku hums. “Good.”
They walk in silence the rest of the way, the sun shining above them and the roar of dragons fading away behind them.