To Kill For Love

Chapter Sixteen

"I don't get it." Katsuki muttered as they boarded the train. He stuck close to his mates, repulsed by the smell of strangers, rotting food, and general anguish. "Why the fuck can't we take your car? This place reeks."

Shouto sniffed the air, brows pinched together. Of course the idiot could not smell it! The hell did he even try for? In his defense, Shouto was still half-asleep, not a morning person in the slightest. He leaned on Izuku to support his head and pouted whenever the taller moved.

Izuku offered them both a small smile. "They know my car and my plate. Using it would risk bringing them to the safehouse." He explained easily. His hand played with Katsuki's hair absently.

After finding their seats, Katsuki sat by the wall then Shouto, then Izuku. The blonde buried his face in the crook of Shouto's neck. He used the winter and campfire scent like a drug. It kept him from inhaling the disgusting scents around him as well as kept him calm. He wanted to freak out. To kick some ass and guarantee each of their safety. Hell, he would give almost anything to not be in this situation.

Shouto fell asleep within the first hour. He rested his head on Izuku's shoulder, knocked out from the exhaustion. Between the panic, the sleepless car ride, the restless night at the hotel, and getting up at the ass crack of dawn to board a train, all three of them felt exhausted. Yet only Shouto could sleep.

Katsuki saw the way Izuku fidgeted. The way his eyes darted around the train car. Luckily, they sat in the very back or Izuku would wake Shouto every time he tried to look behind them. Faintly, Katsuki could pick up on the smell of fear. A distinct scent, only available to the trained nose of an omega. Dealing with a paranoid alpha could be dangerous. If anyone made the wrong move on Katsuki or Shouto, Izuku could act on his more primal instincts. And as hot as seeing Izuku feral seemed, Katsuki knew better than to allow the metaphoric bear to be poked.

After the first hour, Katsuki moved seats. Rather than seating himself in a chair, he did his best to straddle Izuku's lap. The new position briefly woke Shouto, who adjusted then crashed again. "What are you doing, Kacchan?" Despite his harsher tone, his hands carefully caressed Katsuki's body. Arms, legs, shoulders. Anything he could access, he touched. Already, the fear in his scent seemed to dwindle down. Not gone, but dormant.

"I can smell your worries, idiot." Katsuki whispered. He knew he bore an uncharacteristically soft expression, and he hoped his mate would not comment on it. "You reek."

Izuku rolled his eyes. The corner of his lips pulled into a soft smile. "Thanks, baby." He reached up then pulled Katsuki in for a brief, chaste kiss. "Could you stay here for awhile?"

"Mmm... are people staring?"

"Maybe?"

"Only because your bitch ass needs me."

Hours passed then they had to stop. Shouto purchased them some food while Katsuki and Izuku hit the bathroom. Splitting up felt like a crime. It made Katsuki's heart race, made his breathing accelerate. When they finished, they quickly rushed back to Shouto. The omega practically jumped into his alpha's arms.

"We are not doing that again." Izuku growled as he wrapped his arms around each of them. "Wherever we go, we all go together."

After one last train ride, a quick taxi trip, and then a rather long walk, they arrived at the safehouse. Shouto practically crashed onto the couch while Katsuki gunned straight for a shower. He heard Izuku's laugh in the background.

They were safe. No one knew of their whereabouts. They could relax.

~~~