Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

My fingers brush along the soft and warm skin of his flushed pink cheek. If it weren’t for the slight pink colour he would look as if he were only asleep. My best friend. Fiercely strong. Brave. His motionless body on the infirmary’s bed scares me. I’m sure that something is really wrong here. Even though it’s not because of a villain attack this time, your own body turning against you is even more frightening. I want to do something to make him feel better. I want to hug him, hold him close. I want to protect him from whatever illness got to him. I really hope Recovery Girl can heal him as quickly as possible. Where did she even go? Can’t she see that Bakugou is in a really bad shape?

When I look around I find her talking to Todoroki in the other end of the room. Todoroki is wearing his usually calm and stoic expression. Then suddenly they both look at me at the same time. My mind automatically checks if I block the view to Bakugou’s bed enough.

"Thank you for bringing him in. Now please leave.” Recovery Girl starts to walk towards me, towards the bed Bakugou is lying on. Her strict gaze confirms that something is really wrong with my best friend. 

"I’m staying." I’m not leaving him here! Why would she want me to leave my friend? 

"No." Recovery Girl motions for us to get out of the infirmary. Her tone is firm, she almost looks like she is accusing us for Bakugou’s current state. But that’s just absurd! I would never harm him!

"But… Why can’t we stay here?” My legs are rooted to the ground next to Bakugou's bed. I’m not leaving him!

"I won't have the two of you exposed to any more Omega pheromones. I can’t believe your teacher let you come here with a newly presented Omega."

"Omega?" What ? 

Bakugou is an Alpha. Or he will be, I’m sure. We are the best Alpha bros after all. I’m sure Recovery Girl just got something wrong here.

I look at Bakugou’s sleeping form again. I cannot see anything different on him. His cheeks are still a little too pink, but maybe he overworked himself or got the flu or caught a cold and now he has a fever.

“Kids, you have been inhaling the Omega's scent too long. Get out now!”

An Omega... The word echoes in my head and I lean closer to properly smell him. His usual smokey caramel scent is more on the sugary sweet side this time. I would know if my friend were an Omega! Are my observation skills and judgement so bad that I wouldn’t notice? We have been together almost everyday in the same building, often in the same room, for more than a year already! Why didn’t I notice? I lean closer because I need to make sure it’s true. He has never smelled this sweet before. The refreshing sweet smell washes over me and I need more. Why didn’t I notice this smell on him before? 

My nose brushes against his neck. His scent makes my body buzz with energy-

A tight grip yanks me away. The force of the pull makes me stagger a few steps back. I spin towards the person. Todoroki looks back at me with disapproving serious eyes. What happened?

“What were you about to do, Kirishima? I didn’t take you for someone who would bite a defenceless Omega.”

“What? No, I wasn’t-”

“Kids, if you don’t want me to call Hound Dog, get out now.” Recovery Girl impatiently orders us out again and Todoroki pulls me with him by the arm.

The infirmary’s door gets shut in my face. I try to open the door but it’s locked. Why can’t I go back? Why do they want us to leave Bakugou alone? I need to go back! I can’t leave him alone! I need to be by his side! 

Let me in!

***

I grab Kirishima’s arm before he can land his fist on the door. "Kirishima, it's locked. Recovery Girl cannot be disturbed during the examination." I try to pull him away, but he does not move. His gaze is zeroed in on the door. As he reaches for the door handle with his free hand, I grab it. “Kirishima! What are you doing!” Kirishima flinches and looks at me surprised. My voice came out harsher than I wanted. It reminded me too much of my father. I didn’t want to shout at him.

“I need to go back.” Hardening cracks along Kirishima’s skin. “I don’t want to leave him alone.”

"I know you’re worried and it is completely understandable. However, he is in the best hands at the moment. Let’s sit down and wait for Recovery Girl to finish the examination, alright?” 

Before I can pull him to the nearest chair, he leans his head against my shoulder. "He looked so lifeless. His body was so feverish… He even fell on his shoulder." Kirishima sounds so sad, my hand automatically pats his back. 

“Recovery Girl will heal him. She said it’s normal for an Omega during their presentation to be feverish and lose consciousness. All we can do right now is wait.” 

Kirishima nods against my shoulder, then he straightens up. His teary eyes look at me as if I could change anything that just happened to Bakugou. “He really is an Omega, isn’t he? Like an Omega-Omega? A real Omega?”

“It seems so. Why wouldn’t he be a real Omega?”

“No, I meant…” Kirishima shakes his head. “Of course, he is a real Omega. It’s just… I was so sure he would be an Alpha. Why didn’t I notice?” He bites his lips and looks towards the infirmary’s door again. 

“Is that really such a big problem?” I tighten my hand around his before he could attack the door again.

“No, of course not. Every secondary gender is manly.” He nods to himself, then he suddenly turns his head to the side. His eyes narrow, his lips reveal his sharp teeth. His defensive growl makes me also spin towards the direction of his glare. At the end of the corridor stands Haund Dog.

I grab Kirishima’s cheeks and stand in front of him to block his view. If he attacks a teacher, let alone Haund Dog, it would end badly. With Haund Dog it would mean a bloody end of the worst things that could happen. “Kirishima, just take a deep breath, he is just here to see that everythings is under control.” I concentrate on my wrist, it is a risky try, I don’t know if my scent would make Kirishima just more defensive or calm him down, but Midoriya said my scent is calming, therefore, I try it. I hope my scent is strong enough to take effect, a calming effect. 

I hear the steps come closer, Kirishima’s eyes go past me as he glares at Haund Dog. “Kirishima. Let’s sit down.”

I’m surprised when Kirishima’s eyes turn towards me. His growling stops. “I’m not moving from here. I’m not leaving Bakugou alone.”

“There are chairs next to this door. We won’t leave the building. Come, let’s sit down. Maybe he will let us be here if we just wait.”

This time he lets me pull him to the nearest chair right next to the door of the infirmary. Kirishima’s shoulders are hunched with his eyes glued to the floor. He seems to get smaller and smaller as Haund Dog walks closer. I can see the worry in Kirishima’s posture, in the slight trembling of his hands as he is grabbing the side of his chair. I sit next to him and put a hand on his shoulder. Haund Dog walks past us, I greet him, then he disappears at the other end of the corridor. I hear him say something about the situation being clear before he disappears from my sight. Kirishima sighs in relief and leans against me. His weight presses against my shoulder, his knee brushes against my thigh. Since Kirishima presented, he didn’t really change anything. He is still a very tactile person and always worried about his friends. I’m sure Bakugou will still be Bakugou, too, after he has presented as an Omega.

“You don’t need to worry. Haunt Dog probably just came to see if everything is in order. And it really is.”

Kirishima nods against my shoulder, his arms pull me close. His scent is still on the agitated side. What else could I do to make him calm down? 

“Todoroki, I’m sorry.” Kirishima murmurs into my shoulder. 

“For what?”

“I think my Alpha took over my brain. I’m sorry for making you stay here with me. I made you skip the training.”

“I wanted to stay. I wanted to make sure that you do not disturb Recovery Girl.”

Kirishima nods, then he leans away. His arms let me go and his eyes go back to the floor with a worried and regretful expression. “I’m sorry. I don’t really know what happened, I just want Bakugou to be safe.” He turns back towards me and looks me in the eye as if trying to emphasise how important this is to him. “I don’t want to leave his side. In the infirmary I really didn’t want to bite him. I just wanted to make sure I smell him correctly, which is a lame excuse, I know, but I would never bite him against his will. I probably acted like crazy. I’m sorry. Oh!” His eyes go wide in panic. “I growled at our teacher and our classmates! I was ready to attack them. In the training room if they came any closer, I… I… Shit. I didn’t hurt anyone, right?”

“No, you didn’t. Aizawa ordered us out and we took Bakugou to the infirmary.”

Kirishima looks a little relieved. “Thank god! I wouldn’t dare to look at them in shame if I attacked them.”

“You don’t need to worry about it.”

“It’s weird to have my actions taken over. But it really didn’t feel like someone taking over my body, it was like I really wanted it myself. To hurt anyone who gets too close. I just lost all the reasoning somewhere. It seems I’m still not used to this Alpha thing…”

“It has been only a week. Give yourself time.”

Kirishima hums in agreement. “Did you experience the same? I mean, after you presented…”

The question is unexpected. “No.” I cannot give him a longer answer than that and Kirishima doesn’t ask anything more. He looks regretful when I glance at him. I put my palm on top of his hand to try to comfort him. “Every experience is different from the other. So don’t feel bad about losing control. No one got hurt.”

He nods and smiles slightly. He turns his hand, our palms are touching, then he curls his fingers. He chuckles slightly, his smile is wide, while looking at his hand holding mine. “Thank you for staying here with me. Even though it was just for safety reasons.” He laughs. I don’t understand what’s funny.

A long time later, which turns out to be only 20 minutes when I glance at the clock in the corridor, the lock turns on the other side of the door and Kirishima perks up. He releases my hand and almost knocks over the nurse as he rushes inside.

The nurse quickly composes herself and looks at me. "You can come in. The examination is over. Your friend is alright." I wonder what the nurse means by ‘alright’. Bakugou did not look alright just a few minutes ago. He really didn't look alright.

I almost collide against Kirishima’s back as I walk into the infirmary. He is just standing near the entrance door keeping a tense eye contact with Bakugou. Why is Kirishima still worried?

Bakugou, however, is sitting on the bed, his back leaning against the wall, looking confident and calm, as if he didn’t just collapse in the middle of combat training. He keeps a long silent eye contact with Kirishima. Then he just clicks his tongue and turns his head away. He looks out of the window, his eyes glued to the blue sky.

"Omega?" Kirishima whispers as if afraid of Bakugou’s reaction or afraid of the word itself. 

Bakugou flinches slightly, his shoulders tense. I expect an outburst. Shouting. Something to snap inside of him and blow up both of us. However, instead, he slowly turns back to us with a determined expression. “Got a problem with it?" It sounds like a challenge, the same way Bakugou usually does everything - fight, study, work… - everything with a certain amount of challenge and confidence.

“No!” Kirishima’s answer is too quick and urgent. He waves his hands defensively, taking a half step back. “How come you’re so calm about this? I thought we are like the best Alpha bros!”

“Can’t you be ‘bros’ with an Omega?”

“Of course, I can!”

“Then stop looking at me with pity. Nothing has changed. I’m going to be the number one hero and no one can stop me!”

Kirishima nods and it seems he is finally out of his stupor because he walks to Bakugou and reaches out his hands to hug him. “First I thought you overworked yourself again or caught a cold or something… I was obviously wrong.”

“Obviously.” Bakugou presses his left palm against Kirishima’s face before he can put his arms around him. “Do the others know?" The question sounds unexpectedly vulnerable, the answer should be obvious though. Usually everyone knows everyone’s secondary gender because that is the safest thing to do when twenty people live together - and yes, we still do live in the dorm. So the logical answer is if they don’t know now they certainly will very soon.

“You don’t need to worry. I’m sure no one has a problem with it.” Kirishima keeps trying to hug Bakugou. Now some sparks appear in his palm and Kirishima’s face cracks with his Hardening. 

Bakugou still does not tell Kirishima to keep his distance. Instead he looks at me. “So they know.”

"You collapsed during training.” I answer automatically under Bakugou’s curious eyes. “We didn't know what was wrong. You fell on your shoulder and couldn’t stand on your feet, so we took you here. Just the two of us. You had a stronger scent than usual, but the others were further away. Therefore, I assume they don't know."

"Are you sure? Shitty Hair, you said I smelled weird." Now Bakugou takes his palm off Kirishima’s face, which results in Kirishima finally being able to wrap his arms around Bakugou. Kirishima reminds me of a happy puppy with that wide grin on his face. “Kirishima! Stop this and answer the question!” 

"Hm?" Kirishima loosens his arms around Bakugou but does not let him go.

"Do I smell weird?"

Kirishima sniffs the air. "No, it’s not weird. It's the same sweet refreshing smell. I can barely smell you now, though." He stares at Bakugou’s neck and automatically reaches towards it. “Are those-”

Bakugou hits the hand away and sends a warning glare towards Kirishima. “Yes, scent patches. Don’t touch them.”

Kirishima bites his lower lip and averts his eyes. “Sorry.” He mutters in embarrassment while forcing his fists to his thighs, away from Bakugou. He doesn’t try to hug Bakugou again. “You are still our friend. It doesn’t change a thing.” Bakugou just huffs in answer and looks towards the window again. His blond locks move with the gentle breeze coming through the open window. It’s interesting to watch. “Is your shoulder alright?"

Bakugou shrugs. “Yeah.”

“Is presenting as an Omega always so intense?” I hope my question does not offend him. You can never know with him. His eyes are on the sky or the trees… I really cannot tell. But he keeps his gaze turned away. Is he ashamed? Embarrassed? 

"I'm fine. My head is not dizzy anymore. My shoulder is fine. My arm is fine. It was just scent overload… The hag said I need to get used to the heightened sense of smell. It sounds bullshit… But you all smelled awful during Hero Training."

"You kept clenching to Todoroki… You couldn’t even stand on your feet." Kirishima fumbles with his hands nervously. His eyes do not leave Bakugou’s neck.

Bakugou’s ears turn red, he still avoids looking at us. "Sounds bullshit…"

"You don't remember?"

Kirishima’s worried question makes Bakugou turn towards us. He shudders and pulls the blanket higher against his hospital gown.

Kirishima instantly moves to close the windows.

"Don't!" Bakugou orders with urgency.

"But you're cold." 

"It helps me to deal with the smells."

"Oh…" Kirishima bites his lower lip again. He does that often.

"Do you need us to leave?" I decided to ask because Bakugou still seems to be sensitive to the scents and he does not like unwanted company.

"Bakugou, you can go back to your dormitory. You cannot get used to the scents if you keep avoiding them." Recovery Girl walks to the bed and checks Bakugou’s temperature and blood pressure. "Just don't go to physical training till your heat is completely over. The scents are much stronger there with the sweat and your arm still hasn't recovered. As we have been telling you: take it easy."

"Yeah… yeah… I'm fine." Bakugou shrugs away from Recovery Girl’s touch.

"Your sense of smell will be the strongest starting a few days before your heat until the end of your heat. Due to the vulnerable state every Omega experiences during their heat, I would suggest you stay at home for a week. I highly recommend you do that."

"I don't want to stay home because of some bullshit like this! I'm not skipping school!"

"You cannot come to school in that state. I don’t think you understand how dangerous and irresponsible that would be. But you can stay in your dorm room of course, if you feel comfortable there. There are also a few emergency rooms here. But as I said, they are for emergencies and not for stubborn teens who refuse to go home."

Bakugou huffs and gets out of bed. "I’m not going home. Where are my clothes?"

"Your hero costume has been taken to the laundry."

"Do you want me to bring you clean clothes?" Kirishima offers, radiating with eagerness to help out.

"No! Yes…" Bakugou admittes in defeat.

"Alright. Just a sec. Anything else you need?"

“No.”

Kirishima marches out of the infirmary. After he has left, Bakugou looks at me expectantly.

"I will give you my notes, therefore, don’t worry if you need to leave for a few days.” Bakugou narrows his eyes. He seems to be offended but does not tell me not to give him my notes. I take that as an agreement. “If you’re comfortable with Kirishima helping you, I will go back to the remaining part of the training. I’m sure the others are also worried and they want to know how you are."

"You can leave. Just tell them I’m fine and if they pester me with stupid questions I will blow them up." Bakugou sits back on the bed and turns towards the window again. I want to tell him something else, something more, but I don’t know what would reassure him. 

Therefore, I decide to follow Bakugou’s request and leave the infirmary. While I’m walking towards the door, I can hear Bakugou’s unusually quiet and soft voice.

“Halfie, thanks.”