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I woke with a jolt, disorientated and groggy. I was still exhausted, which is why I didn’t immediately notice why my heart was beating painfully hard in my chest. It wasn’t until I tried to move and realised I couldn’t that the panic started to make sense.

I felt smothered, trapped and helpless -- all emotions I absolutely abhorred. I caught Steve’s scent and lifted both of my hands, relieved they were mostly free. I could hear his sure, even breaths and realised that yes, I was pinned and yes, Steve was lying half on top of me, smothering me, but he wasn’t trying to hurt me. He was just a sleep snuggler. Go fucking figure.

“Steve,” I hissed, attempting to wriggle free. I wasn’t really surprised when he didn’t budge. He was a hell of a lot bigger than me, taller and heavier, and it wasn’t as if I’d been getting a regular amount to eat recently. “I can’t -- get off me.”

“Go back to sleep, Tony,” the alpha muttered sleepily. “You’re safe. Just sleep.”

“I can’t breathe,” I hissed, struggling harder. It was true too. I felt like his weight was pressing down on my lungs. I couldn’t seem to get enough air.

“It’s early.”

“You’re not hearing me, asshole. You’re crushing me. Get off!”

Steve grunted unhappily but finally seemed to get the message. He lifted himself up enough to let me squirm out from underneath him but didn’t let me get very far before wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling me into his side. The shithead was trying to make me the small fucking spoon! “Sleep. We’ve got a long day ahead of us.”

“Yeah, except I’m not tired,” I growled, squirming. “Jesus Steve, it’s like a sauna in here. Will you at least give me some space?”

“No,” the younger man growled, not letting up. “Sleep.”

I was convinced I was about to have an aneurysm. “Tell me to go to sleep one more time and I’m going to track down my old knives and, I swear this to you, I will stab you in the face. Just try me.”

Even though his eyes were still closed, Steve’s mouth twisted into a half smile. The dick thought the whole thing was funny. He was laughing at me.

So I punched him in the motherfucking eye.

That finally woke him up! The larger man grabbed my fist with lightning reflexes before I could take a second swing at him and sat up, dragging me with him.

“Don’t do that again,” he said, tone deep and authoritative.

I snorted at him. “Yeah, OK -- except if you’re going to push me down and not let me get back up again you’re going to have to resign yourself to being punched in the goddamn face!”

Steve cocked his head to the side and studied me with unnerving intensity. His nostrils flared, blatantly inhaling my scent. In the good old days that sort of behaviour would have been considered hella rude. He looked like he was thinking very carefully about his response. “You’re scared,” he finally noted, frowning softly.

I bit down my initial response, which was to mock and pretty much tear him apart. I was still angry and he was still holding onto me. I wanted him to let me go and nothing I had tried so far was making him back off. I wasn’t an idiot -- I knew when it was time to change tactics. “I want you to let go of me,” I said, taking a deep breath and instantly regretting it when I realised that the tent, beneath Steve’s strong alpha scent, absolutely reeked of my distress.

“You won’t punch me again?”

“Why?” I sniped. “Did it hurt?”

“Only my pride,” Steve muttered, smiling at me again as he rubbed at his jaw.

His teeth were straight and perfectly white. I couldn’t help but fantasise about knocking them out one at a time. “It must be embarrassing, being hit by an omega.”

He seemed to realise his mistake pretty quickly. “I didn’t mean -”

“Yeah,” I said, turning my wrist is his loosening hold. “You did. So, you going to let go?”

He opened his hand and I quickly pulled free. Steve then proceeded to sit back and just...watch me.

I was used to people looking at me. Before, when my world wasn’t nearly as shit at is was now, I’d enjoyed the protection and admiration that went hand in hand with being the son of one of the most important men on the planet. I knew how to deal with scrutiny. Only -- spending so much time with just Pepper for company must have made me rusty because I could feel the tenuous hold on my temper start to fray. “What?” I eventually snapped, unable to take it any longer.

Steve seemed to come back to himself with a start. He had the decency to look a little embarrassed. “I’m sorry! I don’t mean to stare. It’s just that...I’ve never met anyone like you before.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” I asked, genuinely perplexed.

“You’re not…” Steve ran his fingers through his hair, struggling for the right words. “Normally, when we find an omega on the road, they're so broken down and, well, wrecked that they’re too terrified to even speak to us. I mean, you’re dirty and a little on the thin side, but you’re -- you’re not…broken.”

What the fuck was I supposed to say to that?

“Is it easier for you, if they’re broken?” I eventually asked, my eyes locked on his. I was a little surprised by the venom in my own voice. I’d not come across another omega in a very long time, but I could easily guess what sort of shit they’d experience if they were alone and didn’t have a way to defend themselves. Hell, most of them would have been born to a life of pain and humiliation, all because they were the weaker, rarer gender. They never stood a chance.

“I hate it,” Steve rasped, reaching out to touch me but seemingly thinking better of it when I glared at him. “Some of them can’t be helped. No matter what we try to do for them, they’re broken beyond repair. Some of them can be brought back to some semblance of normality, but they’re almost always terrified of alphas.”

I gritted my teeth at him in a mean smile. Look, I’ve got teeth too! “I think we’ve already established that I’m afraid of you, He-Man.”

“Yeah, I can smell it. You’re scared, panicked and anxious,” Steve got a weird look in his eyes as he leaned closer. “But you’re still rational. You’re not so completely, mindlessly out of your mind with terror that you can’t think. You’ve shown me your throat -- what is it -- once? The whole time we’ve been together, after everything that’s happened and you’ve only shown me your throat one time. It’s remarkable.”

“That’s me,” I said, flashing him the most insincere smile I could muster. “Remarkable. I can speak without screaming and have the balls not to show my throat everytime an alpha looks at me. I’m a king among my kind.”

“I didn't mean that,” Steve said, looking a little lost. Poor dear really was trying to be kind. It was a pity I wasn’t feeling particularly benevolent . “I’m not trying to degrade you.”

“No?” I asked, cocking an eyebrow. “Because telling me how special I am because I’m not a blithering idiot isn’t exactly a compliment. Omegas aren’t morons, Steve and I’m not special for being able to string a sentence together.”

“I know that! I do -- I -”

“Look,” I interrupted, wrapping my arms around my waist and willing him to hear me. “I’m not going to sleep anymore tonight. I’m restless and I need a piss. Can I please get out of this tent and get some fresh air?”

The other man looked like he wanted to say more but he wisely swallowed his words and nodded once. “OK, let’s go,” he muttered, reaching for the zip and letting in some blessed fresh air.

Freedom at last. Thank fuck!