Chapter 6

A Common Thread

It had been another week since their mission at the beta ring. Each day was filled with meetings to discuss the intel that they had collected with each new detail holding immense weight of changing the original plan for the raid. Each member of the small group was stressed, the board at the front of the room full of markered ideas and issues that needed to be integrated.

The cervailence team was up in arms with the news that there weren't many ways into the building without getting sighted, all their plans now resolving to Shinso’s entrance on the roof. Even the intel team was cranky, having to go back to square one so they would injure an omega with any of the weapons they planned to send in to incapacitate the villains. They hadn’t expected for someone so ‘fragile’ to be in the building.

With hours of bickering, and a specific blonde almost raging in the room over the word fragile being thrown around so freely, their team leaders decided to send the two underground heroes back. Aizawa was able to snag two more tickets for the next event, this only confirming to Shinso that even the Hero Commission thought something more sinister was happening behind the scenes to allow another bucket load of money to be thrown in to solve some problems.

So the two alphas were now waiting in the VIP waiting area just outside of the ring, both men dressed to blend in with the higher class audience. Bakugo had insisted on better pants that weren’t as restrictive and demanded that he didn’t need to wear loafers. After constant yelling and Aizawa complaining about a headache, the dressing department finally conceded. Shinso had just rolled his eyes at the behavior with no care to what clothing he was forced to wear. He watched the blond dress, that ever present smug grin on his face as he was handed black boots from a pissed off redhead.

Shin’s assignment for the night was to keep an eye on those that ran the ring. Last week he was too far away to make out any identifying features from his perch in the attic. Aizawa knew of his ability to remember faces and was essentially putting that to good use tonight. Though he didn’t know if he would succeed since everyone that seemed to be working had full face masks on. The masks were a bit weird, making them look like deranged birds, but who was he to judge.

As the two sat in the padded seats, wine within arms reach from one of the ladies that were dressed in tight dresses and stilettos, the dark haired hero couldn’t stop his knee from bouncing as he tried to get comfortable. Shin and his inner alpha had been impatient the past couple of days as they planned for this event. He hadn’t stopped thinking about the small omega since he and Bakugo parted ways that rainy night. His curiosity about the small male had surprisingly became more perdinate than anything else with each meeting that they had.

His inner alpha was concerned for the fighter, the poor omega had gotten physically destroyed despite winning the match. The wounds were obviously more than superficial when he layed in his comatose state. Shin wondered if he would even have the strength to fight this week with how little time there was between the matches for him to heal.

All of this stress had the hero on high alert as he scoped out the building and everyone in it. Both of the alphas made idle conversation here and there, nothing serious or worth real conversation. These were the parts that came easy to Shinso, but it seemed to be the opposite for his partner, his replies were more of updates than anything else. Though Shinso didn’t complain, he still didn’t know what to do about their last conversation, so this was well within his realm of control. Thankfully it helped them not stick out too much amongst the boisterous crowd.

His partner’s assignment for tonight was to talk with a few of the patrons to find a better foothold within the spectators of the ring. Shinso had noticed that Bakugo’s communications with him throughout the night were becoming less conversational but rather more direct and harsh as they approached the time for the first match to start. One would think in their situation he would keep his persona on point, especially with the amount of underground trades happening around them.

From what the blond had said in short passing was that there was nothing valuable that came from the few interactions he had, most just surface level bull shit. Though Shinso didn’t really blame the blond for his shift in attitude; he too was getting worn down and it was still early in the night. They both weren’t ones for small talk, but their quick reporting was slowly turning into something like wrestling an alligator.

So, inevitably the violet hero decided to leave his partner to his own whims until they were directed to their seats. As they sat in their seats, the purple haired alpha noticed that his partner wasn’t as figgity this week as he was the one before. His attitude now turned more stoic and firm, no longer any indication of what was swarming underneath the surface.

Shin paused for a moment to contemplate what could have happened to make the blond be quick to stifle his emotions. Had he resolved some of the inner turmoil that he hadn’t spoken about in the car, cause there was a lot that was clearly consuming him while he dazed off during their report with Aizawa.

Or was this another incredible facade that the explosive blond had mastered over the years to keep any sign of weakness hidden? At one time, very recently at that, Shinsou would have assumed the latter. Concluding that the blond alpha was just burying everything deep down to fake confidence. Shin wasn’t dumb, the blond’s anger was an evident result of those emotions leaking through that so-called stoic ‘nature’. It was all a lie to make others believe he was the best.

Yet, now Shin was curious whether that was true to what he was witnessing next to him. This didn’t seem like an over cocky display, but rather a calm determination that was a foundation for something more ominous. It was like watching a storm build out over the ocean while he stood on the shore. He could feel the wind, sense the static in the air but nothing more besides what he saw from afar that indicated the chaos that was forming.

Shin had watched the alpha break down in front of him days prior, the layers of anger and protection had thinned away to show the raw and confused state that had been rumbling inside. There was no way Bakugou was that good at pushing everything back down while he sat here waiting for the omega to step out. No, even the great Katsuki Bakugo couldn’t contain and hide his emotions that well.

Shin noticed over the week that Bakugo had been interacting with him, more than what was previously normal, to discuss different aspects of the mission. He even asked him for his opinion on multiple occasions, which was a surprise to the purple haired hero. The blond alpha wasn’t known for working well with his teammates unless told to do so, yet here he was proving everything that Shin had known about him wrong.

He had never asked for input or gave ideas without obvious distaste toward the person he was talking to. But over the 6 days that they prepared for round 2 of their mission the hero had openly discussed different theories of why the omega was here. Though the vulgar language and hot attitude was still very prevalent, there wasn’t very much arguing and the insults were half assed at best, nothing more than a casual retort.

All of this confused Shin, the small changes in behavior were like witnessing a baby say their first word; unexpected, shocking but weirdly exciting for something so small and insignificant. This behavior was something that Shin was well versed in doing and never thought twice about. Yet, how could he deny this when he could actively see the blond alpha display the same actions, it was like witnessing a developmental leap despite how small and inconspicuous it might be to others.

It wasn’t too long after they were seated before they noticed movement in the ring. The green curls were an obvious indicator to who was taking their place. Izuku’s eyes scanned the VIPs with a quick glance, not paying much attention as he started walking the perimeter. It was the same thing he had done the previous week, and Shin wondered if this was something he did before every match.

Shin noticed large bruises adorning the omega as he walked with a slight limp. His exposed back was adorned with a rainbow of colors, each showing the different stages of healing they were in. The omega rolled his shoulder, wincing as he tugged at the sling that supported his arm.

“They must have a healer for him to have so few injuries.” Bakugo said with a low rumble in his chest. Shin side eyed the alpha, watching as his eyes narrowed to examine the omega. This was considered ‘few injuries’? No, not to Shin, this was more of a showcase that his injuries weren’t as bad as they should be.

“They may not have an experienced healer, or care much for his physical state.” Shin said as he watched the omega stopped for a moment and kicked a section of the hard dirt to form a small divot.

“Na, these fuckers wouldn’t be that careless when it comes to the large bets that they could win.” The blond alpha explained. He shifted in his chair to lean closer to Shin as he continued with his option.

“Deku was a long reigning champ, he couldn’t have won so many matches without some kind of intense healing in between fights,” he continued. “No omega would be able to sustain that many injuries and be able to continue for as long as he has.”

Shin nodded his head, the explanation made plenty of sense until he thought more about it. “Yet, he is still obviously injured and they still put him in the ring. So either the healer can’t heal him to the extent that his injuries need, or…”

Shin paused as realization came to him. When would a prized fighter lose the privileges of getting above average medical care? If the omega’s master was smart, they wouldn’t question any chance to heal the male completely. How else would the omega have kept competing if not for intensive care each week.

“He is losing value in the eyes of his owner.” Bakugo concluded with a growl. “In the standard of society, Deku’s only value is his second gender, yet he is here. I believe there was a reason he was sold to a fight ring and not kept in sex trafficking. And now that you mention it, we may be seeing why right now.”

Shin looked to the alpha, his eyes widening before he looked back into the ring. “Do you think he fought himself out of the sex trade?”

“No, I think his handlers got tired of trying to control him. From what I know of that omega, he doesn’t do kindly to being trodden upon and will eventually retaliate. He is as defiant and hard headed as they fucking come. I’m not sure exactly why he was traded here, but from what we have seen, his instinctual and feral nature might have interested his current master.” Bakugo slid further into his seat, propping one of his feet on his knee as he glared down. His hand rubbed at the side of his face as he was lost in thought for a few seconds.

“So, if they are refusing him the advantage to heal completely between fights. That would mean that his omegan instincts are losing value to his master.`` Shin concluded, more to himself than to the alpha beside him. His eyes followed the omega for a moment longer before he looked back at the blond alpha.

Bakugo grunted in reply, his thumb pressed against his teeth as he chewed on the calloused skin. “I have less time than I fucking thought I did.” Bakugo grumbled before a groan escaped him.

“What do you mean?” Shin asked, confused by the statement. He watched the blond closely, waiting for any shift in his face. “You don’t mean you have ulterior motives besides what was indicated from Sensei?”

Bakugo didn’t move, his attention focused on the green hair that had made its third lap around the fenced enclosure. Shin took the silence as a confirmation. The blond alpha wouldn’t ignore their mission. No, that wasn’t anything like Bakugo, but he would add another layer to it. That layer seemed to be rescuing the omega before indefinite harm was placed upon him. If that was what his partner had decided to do, it was going to make their mission increasingly harder to complete.

Shin looked back into the ring, the omega now removing the sling that had kept his arm strapped to his torso. As he watched, he could understand why Bakugo had settled on this decision. How could Shin stand by and watch this omega be beaten and harmed every week? There were obvious signs that he was losing the footing he once had in this place. How much longer would he find protection before succumbing to his master’s hand. Shin had tried to ignore his alpha’s insistent demands, the whines giving him continuous headaches as he reminded himself over and over that protecting any of the fighters wasn’t part of the plan.

“I will help you.” Shinso stated quickly, his voice low as he crossed his arms over his chest. The alpha next to him only grunted in response, before he nodded and let out a deep breath.

“We will need to get an audience with him if we are to perform the mission to a standard that is required with the short timeline the omega has.” Shin stated, his mind already going through different plans to get to the omega.

“I’m sure getting an audience will be the easiest fucking part. It’s not drawing suspicion to us by the increased visitation that will be the hard part.” Bakugo’s eyes closed for a moment as he rubbed his temple. His agitation becomes more apparent the longer they talk. “I am curious how possessive that brown haired alpha really is, or if his attentiveness is only present when the omega performs well.”

“Hmm, that would deduce that the omega isn’t claimed or in any way used for sexual manners by that alpha. That is hard to believe.” Shin started with an obvious gesture of his hand.

“Ya, but that fucker doesn’t seem to be an alpha that would damage his prize for the sake of getting his dick wet. No, if that omega was mated he wouldn’t be in the ring, he would be filled with pups and bred until he couldn’t any more.” Bakugo growled quietly for a moment before taking a deep breath.

The conversation ended there as the ring doors opened. Another beta entered onto the dirt floor, his teeth already on full display as he glared at the omega. Izuku was quick to throw his wrap over the fence, his body showing how haggard he was as he turned to face his opponent. The poor man looked like he was about to pass out, his arms dangled at his sides as he met the beta in the middle of the circuit.

“Welcome to tonight’s events!” The commentator announced in his high pitched drawl. “Tonight we have another interesting matchup. The first fight will be with Beta Hypno. His quirk works as stated on your tablet; Hypno Gas.”

The beta fighter lifted an arm up into the air, his fist balled into a fist as a way to introduce himself as the announcer continued with his introduction. He exuded confidence, his back straight and chest puffed out and his head held high. Even with his posture, he held himself differently than the opponent from last week. This fighter didn’t let the crowd distract him, he kept his attention on the omega.

Hypno was saying something to his opponent, the omega’s response brought a loud laugh in reply. He took another step forward, using his height to tower over the small omega. The beta wasn’t as tall as the average of his second gender, maybe 5’6. His long silver hair was pulled back into a high ponytail, with the strands interwoven into a braid that fell down his back. He didn’t have as much defined muscle that was expected for a fighter, so the prospect that he relied heavily on his quirk was high.

Bakugo furrowed his eyebrows as he watched the two interact while the announcer started to introduce Izuku. The omega straightened his back when his name rang through the megaphone, an motion that went against what his body wanted. The deep breath he took was evident even from the VIP seats. He was shaking his injured hand out by his side, flexing his elbow slightly in preparation for the match.

It only took another few minutes before the buzzer sounded loudly. Katsuki held his breath as he watched, stress building in every muscle as they clamped up.

Hypno unexpectedly stepped back, a smile growing as he watched his opponent. He kept his hands out from his sides as he did so, the motion an obvious show of mockery to his opponent.

It took Bakugo a moment longer than he would have liked to notice the slight shift in the air around the beta fighter. From his seat, his eyes could barely see the swirls that hovered in the air. Izuku didn’t seem to be threatened by the beta-activated quirk, instead he dug his foot into the hard dirt. The quirk was becoming thick around the beta, a misty cloud of silver and blue slowly formed and expanded away from his body.

The omega didn’t make any move to attack the beta, instead he knelt down with his eyes still on his opponent as he cupped a bit of dirt into his hand. The dirt wasn’t as finely grounded as one would expect, mostly large chunks that became brittle with pressure. Izuku shifted the clumps in his hand before lightly tossing the handful at the beta, the chunks barely getting close enough to the man before falling through the thickened haze and back to the ground.

Izuku nodded to himself as the dirt fell without interference through the mist. He slowly got to his feet, the effort to do so evident as his back muscles strained under the stress. The omega said something in a low voice, the beta laughing loudly in reply. The taller fighter practically yelled back at the omega. His words confused the blond alpha as to what the omega had originally said.

“You think you have the right to ask me to concede, you breeding bitch?!”

A low rumble vibrated next to the alpha, his attention shifted to his partner as he realized that the other alpha was now leaning forward. His purple hair fell slightly over his face as he examined the ring with a keen eye.

The alpha was on higher alert than would be expected as a spectator. Though his body was still slouched in he seat, his hands fisted his pant leg in a death grip. The scowl on his face morphed into a threatening glare, all directed it at the beta who stood in the ring. Bakugo smiled to himself, amused by his partner’s change in attitude. He was confident that Izuku would win, no one defeated his omega without paying a very heavy price for it.

Izuku walked forward, his back slightly hunched and his hands in fists as he kept an eye on his opponent. The mist had become a dense fog, it rolled and twirled like smoke as the air around it shifted. Izuku hesitated just outside the cloud, taking a final breath before stepping forward.

Bakugo was surprised that the omega would willingly walk into an obvious sensory quirk. He may be quirkless, thus not having an effective way to combat it directly, but he is an omega; sensitive to pheremones and the like. How did he expect to handle a direct attack with nothing to protect himself?

It took a moment before his body showed any obvious change. His back muscles tensed slightly as the mist swirled around him. Shin held his breath as he stared in fear, his alpha rearing at the prospect of the omega getting harmed. Yet, as he watched he didn’t understand what was going on. The omega just stood there, his back slowly straightening into a high stance, his head now lifted higher in almost a defiant manner.

What the hell was happening? The omega should be on the ground with the amount of the beta’s quirk that was around him. Even if the green haired male held his breath, he wouldn’t be able to do it for much longer. So, what was the point for him to just stand there and do nothing?

“Deku…” Bakugo whispered.

Shinso ignored the man next to him, his mind reeling at what the plan was. Just as he was about to conclude that the omega had just held his breath in an attempt to intimidate the beta; he was left with more confusion than before.

The omega began to laugh, his shoulders shook as it seemed to become a whole body ordeal. Hypno looked stunned, his face pinched into an almost angry expression as the mist became even thicker around the omega. Deku raised his head, hand extended for a moment as if to catch his balance.

Within seconds, the beta face shifted from one of confusion to horror. The man stumbled back as the omega followed each step with his own. It seemed like the omega had taunted his opponent, and it seemed to work. A laugh still resonated through the room as the short fighter followed the horrified beta.

“What the…”

Just as Shin was about to express his confusion to his partner, every thought died away when the omega lunged forward. His good arm grabbed the beta around the neck and thrusted him back. Their height difference did little to deter the omega as he dominated the other.

The momentum of his body threw the beta onto his back, a loud uff could be heard before soundless groans. The beta seemed to be struggling to breath, his chest shaking with inconsistent attempts. He watched the omega with wide eyes, a hand on his chest as he curled into himself.

The omega stood above him, his lips moving as he spoke to the beta, but no sound was audible to the purple haired alpha. The beta shook his head, his face drained of any color as he seemed to say the same thing over and over. Shin couldn’t make out his words, but it seemed to be a beg of some kind.

The omega nodded in answer before he took another deep breath. His body shifted suddenly into a side step before he kicked the side of the beta’s head. The action shocked the alpha, his body jumping slightly at the impact.

Izuku stood above his opponent for a second, his breath heavy before he knelt down and placed a hand on the beta’s neck. He examined his opponent before getting up, head lowered as he walked away to the door he had come from.

The room was silent, everyone still trying to process what had happened for this kind of conclusion. A pin could drop and be heard for what seemed like forever before the sound of creaking from the side gate of the ring jared everyone back to the present. The omega was already gone, the beta laid out on the dirt with no indication of getting up. The announcer picked up his megaphone, stuttering for a moment before announcing the conclusion of the match.

“Y-yes, Hypno has been incompasitated. Deku is the winner of this match.”

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More is on the way…

Word Count: 4089

A shorter chapter, but the next one has a lot happening. I need more time editing it and making sure it all makes sense. So hopefully this chapter wasn’t too boring. I guess not every one can be top tier 😆
Thank you for reading and please comment your thoughts.