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The mission went sideways.
Shouto, Midoriya, and Bakugou were assisting the Endeavor agency with searching for a group of villains who were hiding in the mountains. The forecast for that day had been sunny, but an ice storm suddenly appeared. So suddenly, Shouto believes it was one of the villain's quirk. The storm was so bad that they were separated from the group and forced to take shelter in a cave.
Shouto was able to construct a small fire so they wouldn’t freeze to death. They argued about what to do. Bakugou wanted to basically fight the storm but was finally convinced to wait it out. They waited and waited and waited. The storm showed no signs of stopping.
Shouto was freezing. He wanted to inch closer to the fire but didn’t. He simply pressed his back against the cold cave wall. Midoriya was curled up in front of the fire, fast asleep. Shouto watched his chest rise and fall. His scent was strong. Any blockers he was wearing had worn off hours ago.
Normally Shouto did not notice omegas’ scents. Sure he was able to tell the difference between alphas, betas, and omegas. He was an alpha, after all. The difference with Midoriya was that Shouto was hopelessly in love with him. He had loved him since their first year but never found an opportunity( or courage ) to confess. He was not even sure Midoriya was interested in a mate, let alone interested in him.
Even though Shouto knew he had no right, he often felt protective of Midoriya. He would worry about him if he got sick or hurt ( which was a lot ) or if he was safe. He wanted to scoop Midoriya up in his arms to keep him warm.
Shouto tore his eyes away from Midoriya. His eyes met Bakugou’s, who glared at him from over the fire. He was not pressed up against the wall, keeping his distance like a respectful alpha would ( like Shouto) . He was sitting near the fire, near Midoriya.
Intellectually, Shouto knew that Bakugou was not a threat. Bakugou was a friend. Shouto didn’t fully understand Bakugo and Midoriya’s relationship, but he knew how much they meant to each other. Maybe that’s why his stomach burned with jealousy.
“Stop looking at me like that,” Bakugou said quietly ( for him ) so as not to wake Midoriya.
Shouto blinked. He thought he had been keeping his face neutral.
“I wasn’t looking at you in any way.”
“Really, cause it looked like you wanted to fight me,” Bakugou said, leaning back on his hands. After all these years, Shouto could tell that he was teasing. Keeping things light when things got bad. “Don’t think there is room in the cave, but…”
“I don’t want to fight you,” Shouto said, which was both the truth and a lie. He pulled his knees to his chest. He hated this feeling. Hated when he felt his alpha instincts take hold. Hated being stuck in a cave with the man that he loved and the other alpha Shouto was sure had his heart.
Bakugou sighed. “You look like shit. You should get some sleep. ”
A shock went through Shouto’s body. Every cell in his body screamed-
“No,” he said a little too forcefully. Bakugou’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. Embarrassed by his outburst, Shouto muttered an apology. Bakuogu held his gaze. Studying him.
“You don’t trust me, do you?” Bakugou asked more seriously than before. There was an implication behind the question. The omega shifted in his sleep.
“It’s not that I don’t trust you; it's just that-” Shouto stopped. He didn’t want to say it out loud. There were plenty of opportunities for him to get clarity on the nature of Midoriya and Bakugou’s relationship, but he never did.
“What?” Bakugou demanded.
Shouto took a breath and said, “You and Midoriya are close, and I’m… jealous.”
Shouto braced for anger and scorn, but instead, he got confusion.
“Of what?” Bakugou asked.
“Of the relationship you two have.” Shouto could not believe that he had to spell this out.
Bakugou stared at him for a moment before barking out a laugh. “Fuck! Are you serious? So that’s why you are weird around me sometimes. It’s cause of Deku.”
Shouto stared at Bakugou, waiting for him to explode. Shouto had just confessed to liking his omega, so why…
“Halfy it's not like that. You don’t need to be jealous.” Bakugou said after a moment.
“But you are so protective of him, I thought-”
“Yeah, okay, I’m protective of him, but in like I’ve known him all my life kind of way. Of course, I care about him.” Bakugou shifted where he sat. He liked talking about feelings as much as Shouto did. “Don’t ever tell him I said that.”
Shouto took a breath. He understood Bakugou's point. Alpha’s often feel protective of those they love. Shouto feels protective of his siblings and friends.
“So when are you going to stop being a pussy and ask him out?” Bakuogu’s kinda of rude questions pulled Shouto out of his thoughts.
“I-” Shouto had been honest up to this point, so what was the point of stopping now. “I don’t know if he feels the same.”
“Yeah, that’s why you have to ask.”
“He might not trust me like that.”
“He trusts you. He’s asleep right now, isn't he.”
“That doesn’t mean anything.”
“Look, omegas, do not fall asleep just around anyone.”
At that, Midoriya rolled over and opened his eyes.
“Has the storm cleared?” Midoriya asked, sitting up on his elbows.
“No,” Bakugou said.
“Then why don’t you two try and get some sleep,” Midoriya said, stifling a yawn. Shouto thought it was adorable and looked away.
“Icy Hot over there is too cold.”
Midoriya looked at Shouto with concern.
“Come sleep over here. We can share the mat.”
Shouto’s heart skipped a beat. Did Midoriya just ask him that? He must still be half asleep.
“Um, I don’t…” Shouto was definitely blushing. Midoriya stared at him with big innocent eyes like he didn’t understand what he had just asked. Bakugou covered his mouth with his hand, clearly trying not to laugh.
“Come on,” Midoriya said and scooted over to make room on the small mat.
Shouto hesitated. “I’m not sure this is appropriate.”
“Who cares? We are literally trapped in a cave,” Midoriya said. He smiled and looked over at Bakugou. “And Kacchan can be our chaperon.”
“What!? I’m not chaperoning shit.” Bakuogu yelled, which made Midoriya roll his eyes.
“Fine, then you can come sleep too. I don’t need either of you passing out from sleep deprivation when we finally get out of here,” Midoriya said. After a moment, when neither of them had moved, Midoryia looked pointedly between them. Bakugou cursed under his breath and started to move closer.
Shouto decided to stop overthinking. He got up and settled next to Midoriya. The ground was hard but much warmer than where he had been sitting. Bakuogu laid down on the other side of Midoryia with a good half a foot between them. Midoriya shifted closer to Shouto until his back was almost touching Shouto’s arm. He could feel Midoriya’s body heat. It made his heart race. Shouto focused on his breathing. Midoriya’s scent was even stronger now, but it was calming. The cave fell silent. Bakugou’s breath became rhythmic. Shouto was having less luck falling asleep. He was about to give up and return to his post on the wall when Midoryia turned over. He looked up at Shouto and said quietly-
“Oh, if it wasn’t clear. I like you too.”