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Chapter Text

“Ugh” Izuku, scratches off another day into his journal. It's now been four weeks since he's been sent to retrieve the head of an apex predator.

He shuffles with the small amount of belongings on his back and starts walking into the lush and vast jungle, the humidity clings on to him and makes the heads of his sweat heavier on his neck

I hope I find something good. Like a crocodile, or a wolf, maybe a bird of prey. 

Regretting not bringing a lighter pair of clothes and more food, he takes out a knife with intricate detailing of different flora and sharpens his pencil 

Wood shavings litter the tangled ground of roots and plants. He sets the knife back into the sheath 

If it were any other day back in his village he would have hummed himself a tune, but not wanting to alarm any animal, he holds it in

Trying to dampen the sounds of twigs crunching beneath his feet, struggling to strain his ears for the sound of a water source 

While he walks aimlessly toward an unexplored area he goes over a mental checklist that he's rewritten over and over 

Step 1. Find an apex predator. Make sure it's something awe-inducing. Don't die in the journey following it. 

Step 2. Kill it.

Step 3. Become a warrior. Train every day when you're away from home. Nothing from here is going to be easy. If you think you're done training, add an extra 50 reps.

Step 4. Become the greatest.

A small smile forcefully shoves onto his face. The mere thought of becoming a great warrior pumps his heart!

Adding a certain skip to his step, he almost catches himself singing a tune reminiscent of home. 

CRACK

He stops

Looking around the overlooking trees and vines. Analyzing every leaf, looking to his surroundings for a trace of anything fauna. He feels his pulse slightly quicken and he tries to drown it 

Ok there's nothing there in that tree, maybe a frog or two and a bug crawling on the bark. Nothing else has made a noise yet that's a lie the jungle is never quiet. Ugh- I wish I could hear over all these noises. The bugs and the wind are nonstop-but I got this! I'll check once again around me. Tree. Tree. Bug. Flower. Tree. Tree. Ok, everything is checking out…

But let me look around just one more time. Tree. Tree. Bug. Flower. Water. Tree. Wait. Water? WATER!

He whips his head around to a perfect crystal clear creek of water! Nearly crying tears of joy he carefully walks towards it. With a little desperation in his steps, of course.

It almost seems too good to be true. Lily pads and flowers decorate it like a carefully painted vase. The sun shines in it and the water looks like it has diamonds and other precious jewels scattered on top of it. Glittering and shimmering an appetizing color. It looks a little bigger than a creak, he mentally notes that it could lead to a river.

Pushing his knees into the moist ground, cupping his hands, and lowered them into the water. It almost tastes sweet as he gulps it down, he chugs a gallon or so before sighing in relief 

The best flavor is the absence of substance, being so dehydrated made him so grateful to the body of water. He grins happily to look around some more

Tree. Rock. Water. Water. Water. 

With a sense of security, he takes his canteen and fills it up. In the back of his mind, he regrets not bringing a bigger sized bottle 

With a grunt, he pushes himself back up. The slight orange hue on the water and scenery signaled to him that night was coming upon him

I might as well set up camp here. The best course of action is to follow this water and look for animal tracks. 

He moves a little further upstream and sets down his backpack. It's made of a worn down leather and layered with different fabrics and goodluck charms from his mom. He grabs the thin blanket he brought with him and places it neatly on the ground. 

I guess I'm sleeping on the moist ground tonight. At this point, I'll take it over the dry and unforgiving desert. I can do this. I can do th-

He accidentally jams his knee into a rock.

Son of a-

It's fine. Let me just find a comfortable position and lay down already. I'll just put my leg over here and-

Ouch. Who needs an ankle anyways…

Readjusting himself and trying to find the optimal sleep position, Izuku settles on one where only a few body parts are jammed into rocks. The pain in his muscles sets in nicely and makes a home of his body. A light hunger aches his stomach.

Too tired to care, he drifts to sleep. The air hums a tune of bugs croaking and leaves whistling. It's not what he had hoped for, but it's what he'll have to work with

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“Eugh..” he wrinkles his face, skinning a fish is an easy task, but it is not a pleasant one. The scales are sticking to him and lightly knicking his skin. The organs are discarded to the side. Quickly finishing up and piercing it on a stick, it adds to the collection of small fish in the fire.

Without meaning to, Izuku has been at this water source for a couple of days. Two to be exact.

He mulls over in his mind

I should be moving right now and being productive! Yet I'm cooking fish in the same place I've been these past few days. I have to get moving, and soon

The crackle of the fire mocks him.

He takes the fish on a stick off the heat and takes a big bite. 

Small carp has never been tastier. The rest of the fish meet the same fate as he scarfs them down 

Let's get moving!

With his supplies all gathered his best course of action is to move upstream and follow the water

He trudges along the ground which teeters the line between mud and most soil. Admiring the vastness of the jungle he sets a steady pace of walking. His back aches and his muscles are sore from relentless training, his mind moves faster than his body

It is just a force of habit but he can't help but scan the same scenery he's walking through, looking across his point of view again and again. 

Ok so there's water to the right of me, try to keep my balance to the left side. Remember to clean the mud off my shoes when I can. The sun still has a couple of hours to fall. There is leftover carp wrapped in a cloth in my furthest left pocket to eat later. 

A slight overcast, the plants still have dew from the morning rain. Trees, trees, trees, and water. There is water to my right, so stay clear. Dont forget to clean mud off-

His eyes stop scanning over the scenery and focus on what seems to be…

…faint marks of red tainting the water? His eyes follow the source, to the opposite side of where he's standing.

The red is seeping from one area

White fur, black stripes, striking green eyes

And a puddle of blood.

His breath tangles in his throat, and he can feel the blood in his veins pumping. Everything is so loud yet it can’t reach him.

..That's a white tiger. 

What.

WHAT.

So much training has led to this exact moment. Yet, without thinking his body starts to move and he sprints toward the tiger. He can’t feel his legs, the feeling is indescribable. The aforementioned soreness is suddenly gone and the adrenaline is pumping throughout. A weird numbness replaces the pain he had 

The harsh temperature drop from jumping into the stream fails to register in his brain. The jagged rocks try to deter him and his lower legs are soaked 

He catches his breathe as he is mere feet away from the tiger

A semblance of sense finally reaches him

WAIT WHY AM I DOING THIS?

A once-calculated 16-year-old has now reverted to pure thoughtlessness. A jumble of green hair on a head that, at this moment, has no rational thinking 

Inching closer and closer the predator struggles to get up and pin its ears backward, a growl emanating from deep inside it. Its back leg is soaked in blood. Izuku is still sprinting at full speed towards it and at the last minute-

He runs past it.

Hiding behind a tree the turmoil in his head is being accompanied by loud thumping from his heart. The pain and wetness start to become more prevalent to him. His ankles are soaked and his pants are clinging to his legs. The back of his neck is most with sweat and his hands are still shaking from the rush

Stay calm stay calm stay calm, what do I do? Is it immoral to just kill it now? No one told me it was gonna be like this! 

The only thing he feels like doing right now is breaking into tears or to keep running. He puts them both off for now

The tiger limps further away, dragging a broken hind leg. 

He shuffles through his mind to find any answer that could assist him at this very moment, 

The carp.

He quickly pulls it out. The fish with only a length of about seven inches is in his hand. 

The tiger is still looking diligently at the tree he is standing behind, ears pinned back and claws in full display.

Izuku takes a deep breath in. 

And throws the carp.

Why did I do that???

It lands a few inches away from the tiger's head. The tiger uses its last bit of power to shuffle two more feet away. It doesn't have the strength to move any further away, and in desperation, it fights to move its hindleg. 

A roar pierces through Izuku’s ears sending chills down his spine. The jungle around him once busy with noise, stutters into silence for a few moments. Every living creature could feel a haunting sense of doom and terror, just from one creature.

Woah.

This is an apex predator. 

 I wish I had more time to bask in how impressive it is, I should worry more about the chance of me dying right now. 

The tiger starts and maintains a low growl.

It sounded different than the one before, more desperate and repetitive. As if it was pleading to itself to keep moving. Another good look and its clear bugs are landing on the hind leg. Mosquitos and flies and god knows what other pests accompany them. The tiger swats its tail to keep them away, but it is futile. To the bugs, the tiger is nothing more than rotting

A heavy feeling weighs him down

But he doesn't move just yet. 

Staring one another down, neither moves. The tiger's eyes are a clear green, a true natural green. The most precious emerald was irrelevant compared to the tiger's eyes. 

Izuku realizes how dirty the underside of the tiger is. Almost as if it hadn't moved from that spot in a while. The blood on its legs is matted to the fur, grotesque and still freshly flowing. The surrounding area is covered in claw marks

The attempts of a dying creature, its last fight to live. The ground remembers each claw, and the soil greedily drinks the blood seeping out. His brows furrow.

After what felt like forever, the tiger sniffs the air and points one ear to the carp. It takes a deep breath in and stops growling

Breaking eye contact, it looks to the carp on the ground.

And stops.

A moment passes.

It lowers its head, straining its aching

body towards the ground

And eats it. 

Oh my god

Chapter Text

Izuku runs his hands through his hair, attempting to calm down

What am I doing? Shouldn't I kill it? This doesn’t seem fair-

A shuffling sound emerges from the tiger, laying its head between its two front paws. Laying there, waiting. A beautiful patterned tail curls into the rest of it. Taken aback, Izuku silently stares for a couple more minutes. 

The sun is still blazing midway through the sky, and clouds start covering the vastness of blue. This is the perfect setting for rain, which Izuku predicts will start in just an hour or two. 

I should help it, it would be weak to kill a dying creature. Then when it heals I can take its life with respect. Yea– that sounds good, definitely more warrior-like than just ending it now

 Making up his mind, Izuku inches toward the tiger.

It immediately perks its two fluffy ears up. Yet it doesn't move its head towards his direction, only its piercing green eyes. 

Only when Izuku is just a foot away does he realize just how large this creature is. It easily was two feet taller than Izuku or slightly more. Its beautiful fur coat was woven with stripes of black interlocking and cutting through the white. Its eyes still followed him, for some reason it just stayed perfectly still. Wondering at this point if he was just dreaming, Izuku crouches down and reaches towards its hindleg

The tiger growls, but only faintly. The slash was inches deep and bloody. Bugs had started crawling towards it and Izuku grimaced. 

He pulled out his canteen and took a deep breath in. As soon as the cold water met with the wound the tiger growled and swatted towards him. Flinching away just in time, he tries to make reassuring noises. The wound was sanitized as well as it could be with just water. Izuku pulls out his knife to cut a bandage from the rolled ad in his backpack. The tiger snarls and shows its canines. Face scrunched up in a fear-inducing way. “Ah- I'll put it away.” Izuku settles on a piece of fabric ripped from his backpack to tie tightly around the leg. 

The tiger doesn't attempt to swat again but still flinches and growls with even the slightest touch. Admiring his work Izuku looks down at the bandaged leg. The slash seemed almost impossible to a natural injury from any animal here, it was clean and precise.

What type of creature could make such a wound? 

Luckily it had stopped bleeding, but now Izuku’s hands were doused in blood. The water washes away the deep dark red. He looks over his shoulder, the tiger's eyes have yet to leave him.

I suppose I should give “it” a name if I’m going to heal and then kill “it”.Hmm “stripes”? Kinda fitting, but a cooler name would be better… “Yagi” is a cool name, after the coolest warrior that ever lived. Yeah! That's the name I'm going with.

Izuku hummed a tune, now that he knew the deadliest predator was behind him. No other animal would dare to get so close, even a wounded tiger could kill. 

Pondering in his mind the next best course of action, he settled on hunting for his next meal. His journey was nearing its end, with finding the target and all, so it should be a celebratory one. Plus, he wanted to give Yagi something good to eat for the last time. 

It's settled, he waves a quick goodbye to Yagi as he heads further into the jungle. 

Everything from here on out should be easier, his main mission is complete. 

Finding a decently sized animal in a jungle is hard. Birds are far too small to satisfy the appetite of both Yagi and Izuku. So he sets his sights on a deer or boar.

Thanks to the seemingly eternally moist ground, animal tracks are easy to spot. Identifying them is a harder task. He recalls that prey animals have hooves or distinctly shaped feet. 

So he keeps his eyes mostly pinned to the ground, using his hearing to make sure nothing is afoot.

Along the way, Izuku picks berries and roots that he knows are edible to dampen the sounds of hunger his stomach unwillingly makes. 

After an hour and a half, Izuku is regretting not sticking to fish

After two hours he's considering going back

The gods above answer his prayers after two hours and fifteen minutes, deer tracks! 

If it was even possible, he stifles as much sound as he can that comes from him and silently follows the tracks.

The terrain is rough, moist, and ever so expansive. To the earth, Izuku is nothing and he's never felt smaller. The trees are hundreds of feet tall, and birds he can't see make chirping noises.

Straining his ears for the sound of anything he looks around analytically. 

snap

There it is.

He turns around swiftly, and standing next to a Kapok tree is the deer. It stands tall and scared. 

Without leaving a second to spare, Izuku throws his knife at the target.

It swiftly lands behind the shoulder and the deer starts running. Hard and fast. 

Immediate Izuku starts sprinting after it, maintaining energy and not running at his full speed. 

Sweat beads off of him and his legs start to strain in pain. The surrounding scenery turns into a blur. An invigorating feeling fills him as the rush of adrenaline registers in his body

Jumping over a rock the deer starts to slow after a couple hundred feet. Izuku's breaths are sharper and louder than he wants them to be

Just as his legs start throbbing in pain from hurdling over the uneven ground, the deer missteps and falls. A loud thud is slightly echoed, and two hooves are in the air wrestling to get back up.

Izuku takes this as a chance to use his remaining energy to run and catch up to it. He grabs the neck of the deer, retrieves his knife, and humanely stops the writhing of the deer with a stab to the jugular. Its head drops and its eyes are void of light

Whew. That was easier than I thought

He smiles to himself 

Yagi is going to enjoy this so much!

Collecting the deer and placing it on his back, he heads back to Yagi.

The sun is slightly kissing the horizon as he sees the stream and Yagi, who perks their ears up and gives their undying attention to Izuku.

The head and most of the bones are given to Yagi. Who scarfs them down, finally giving his attention away from Izuku. The fire flickers and crackles as the meat is cooked. 

Who was I kidding, this deer tastes way better than any carp. Maybe it was the chase that made it taste so good, but if I think too much this deer leg won't taste so delicious 

Yagi watches on as Izuku slightly chuckles to himself, and the two meet eye-to-eye again. 

I'll kill him tomorrow 

A bright and shining sunrise wakes Izuku up. He groans and rubs his eyes. Something underneath him is soft and furry.

Furry?

He briskly got up and looked underneath him. Yagi is underneath him, acting as a pseudo pillow.

Well, I'll finish the job tomorrow. Today I'm too sore to do it honorably.

He tries to pet the fur of the tiger, who growls in rejection.

Day after day, Izuku finds a new excuse not to end Yagi’s life.

Their leg isn't healed enough 

Yagi is too dirty, the fur won't be good enough 

After the eighth day, Yagi’s hindleg is stable enough to put some pressure on. Thanks to the continuous and daily efforts of Izuku monitoring and caring for the wound.

On the tenth day, Yagi can walk! Slightly, Yagi walks with a terrible limp and not for a long period of time. Izuku smiles from ear to ear. “That's so awesome Yagi!”. 

The two set out to look for dinner which has become a daily routine. Using his keen sense of smell Yagi listens and looks intently, and then paws towards the direction of where they locate prey. While Izuku goes running to catch it, Yagi stays behind and waits for him to return with that day's dinner in his arms.

“Ah, I'm so full. My body has never been more thankful.” Yagi flicks their ear in return. 

Their days are slow together, finding company in the nonverbal replies to his words Izuku yaps away. “I always dream of being a warrior, my mom says it's dangerous but still supports me. She's scared but I'm grateful she cares.” Yagi yawns, canines in full display and claws flexing outwards. Izuku smiles. “I knew you'd understand” 

The back of his mind tells him to stop.

He doesn't.

Yagi is now walking well enough to not need long breaks and walk for hours at a time. Izuku talks about meaningless stories while they explore the surrounding areas. 

“And then I feel right on my face! Can you believe that Yagi?”

Eventually, they find a beautiful lush body of water. It's a greenish blue that glimmers with the sun. Flowers and lilypads are sitting atop the water. Petals from the flowers decorate it adoringly.

“Ah, I can finally wash myself! I know you don't care so much about my smell but I do. Well at least I hope you don't!” Izuku laughs, setting his clothes to the side as they both step into the water.

Izuku shudders “Eek! It's a bit cold haha.” Yagi takes the lead and fully submerges themself. The temperature change is a bit jarring at first, but Izuku quickly gets accustomed. 

Small marks of red slightly follow behind Yagi, the dried-up blood finally washing off. Yagi swims in circles around Izuku. He smiles and splashes water towards Yagi. In retaliation, they flick water at Izuku’s face with their tail. Izuku giggles in response, shoulders shaking slightly. The water now feels like a pleasant temperature. Izuku hums himself a tune as he scrubs the dirt off his arms.

He swims towards Yagi and reaches out to help get the dirt off their fur. Yagi recoils away. It's okay, the sun is gleaming off the water and it's okay. His body is relaxed in the water, soreness, and exhaustion just washing away. His fingers fiddle with the flowers as he looks toward Yagi

In an almost regal way, Yagi is swimming as if they had no pain in their body. 

The afternoon is quickly over as they play in the water. 

After fully drying off and making a small fire to keep warm, the two get ready for the night.  By accident, Izuku accustomed himself to sleeping on Yagi. Laying his head on Yagi’s furry body. It was way better than the harsh and cold floor. They didn't seem to mind, and the stars overhead were reflected in their eyes. It was as if the universe itself was living in those emerald-green eyes. Izuku lays his head on their fur and inhales deeply. Yagi smelled like the essence of the jungle. Musky and natural scents, which were easy to take comfort in.

“Goodnight Yagi.”

A few days later, following their usual routine Izuku gets a pang of worry. It's been a long time since I've found Yagi…

He glances towards Yagi, who blinks slowly in response.

Oh 

Building up his courage, Izuku lightly pets Yagi’s head. Expecting a rejection that never comes, he quickly pulls his hand back.

Yagi in return, shoves their head into Izuku’s palm. Nothing would ever compare to how soft Yagi’s fur was. Precise detailing adorning their head. Izuku smiled. 

He continued petting the tiger, who purred softly.

Oh no

Yagi licks his hand when it gets close to his mouth. 

I can't do this 

Izuku flinches his hand away.

Yagi rubs their head on Izuku's torso, still purring.

Izuku's eyebrows furrow and his arms go limp. With the dreadful conclusion.

I have to kill Yagi. 

He clenches his fists. His eyes burn with the beginning of tears. His nose started to become runny. Yagi paws at him in worry. And the tears fall.

Izuku's knees meet the ground as he starts crying uncontrollably. It's a dangerous predicament, he's making himself known to everything in the jungle. His body can't seem to stop shaking, and his eyes can't stop crying.

Yagi curls around him in reassurance which makes him cry harder. Snot and tears wet his face, and he starts hiccuping in despair. His hands are shaking, raising them up to pitifully try wiping away the moisture. Thoughts of his mother fill his mind, and the people in his village. If he returned empty-handed, it would be a great disappointment. 

His heart wrecks itself trying to find any excuse not to follow through, but his brain knows. It knows it was never supposed to be like this. An opportunity so rare, a creature so mystical and extraordinary would never be seen again in his lifetime.

Izuku wasn't supposed to save the tiger, letting it die would've been easy. Loving and caring for it was only going to lead to pain. He knew. 

He always knew it was going to end like this. 

Izuku wrapped his arms around himself, every touch of Yagi’s fur burned.

He tries humming a tune. Something his mother sang, a last plea to himself to stop

A painful jab in his heart reminds him that the hope he feels will only end with one of them living. A thought of just running away crosses his mind. And another of dying interjects it. 

A calloused sob escapes from his throat

Through tear-ridden eyes, he hazily looks up at Yagi. 

Who lays down.

Claws put away, eyes closed, and ears neutral.

Izuku's breath hicks, he scratches at the dirt beneath him. His whole body is shaking now, in defeat of love. Every action he has taken was a result of a foolish desire to be happy in the moment. 

Yagi is still lying defenseless on the ground. As if already dead, their most vital organs pointed up to the sky. 

Maybe Yagi knew

That this was never supposed to happen as well

Izuku pulls out his knife. 

It shakes, his palms are sweating and his vision is blurry from the tears. 

It is hardly the look of a warrior. It is a pathetic attempt to correct his mistake. He knows a wiser man would've done the right thing. But how right it felt to love wrongly.

The knife is just lightly grazing the fur above Yagi’s neck. The same knife he used to cut their dinner, the same one his mother used to carve wood.  The black of Yagi’s fur dances with the white. Swirling and dancing together to make the ever so beautiful pattern on their neck.

“I'm sorry– I'm so sorry. I'm–I'm sorry” Izuku's breath tangles in his throat “Please– I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, im-”

A harsh cry rips out from this throat. “Don't forgive me–please– I'm so sorry Yagi”

Izuku takes a deep breath in 

Yagi looks at him, the stars in an emerald sea

Izuku pierces the jugular.

Yagi’s head drops

It surprised Izuku. How fast a precious jewel filled with the vastness of life turns into a muted green.

Fur the color of winter snow, turns a deep red

He screams  

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Izuku is greeted with his mother's arms wrapped around him.

“Oh Izuku! How I've missed you.” His mother cries into his ear. Izuku smiles half heartedly. 

The tiger's hide is wrapped around him. White and black fur preserved as thoroughly as he could

“That is such an accomplishment Izuku! I'm so proud of you son!” Inko exclaims with a grin. Izuku nods slightly. “Well you must be hungry, let's tell every one of your return!”

The two head into the village.

Excitement and praise fill the air

“How did you get such a beast to befall you?” An acquaintance asks, in an almost mocking tone. 

Izuku looks at him and walks away

Chapter Text

Through the rustling leaves and light snowfall, Izuku runs a small errand to fetch water from a well. A heavy coat adorns him, with black and white fur. The light snowfall peppers his multiple layers of clothes with specks of white. 

Crunch

Izuku whips his head towards the faint noise of a twig snapping. Sure enough, at a distance, a figure is standing there. Izuku inches closer, the person is wearing clothes unnatural and unknown to this region. They are not dressed for the cold climate and have red jewelry and body paint. The contrast between the person's warm-toned apparel and the surrounding scenery is jarring.

Izuku feels reasonably strongly that this person is an intruder, not a local. He's been a warrior for two years now and a warrior must protect his people. So, he gets closer enough to see that the intruder is a blonde man, 5’7, and armed.

The most obvious thing he notices is the lion's head on his shoulder. This intruder is a warrior who clearly wants to start something bad with his territory. Izuku hides his face with his mask and draws his sword.

He takes extra precautions to ensure not a single sound is made. The only thing that can be heard is the sound of the wind rustling the trees.

 He places the blade’s tip at the nape of the intruder's neck, whose shoulders rise in response to the coldness of the blade

“Who are you?” Izuku questions.

The intruder doesn't turn back; his shoulders move distinctly enough for Izuku to realize he's taking a deep breath. In the back of his mind, Izuku wonders how he isn't freezing, noting that most of his torso is uncovered.

The man suddenly turns to face Izuku, in a sudden blow, Izuku’s sword is sent drifting through the snow. Izuku squints at the figure

“Like hell I'm answering that”

Spikey blonde hair, a mole under his right eye, and permanently angry eyebrows.

“Kacchan?”

Looking closer to admire the intricate parts of his outfit Izuku notices the red eyeliner around his eyes. The red bodypaint on his lower right torso mimics claw marks. His neck, wrists, and ears are so decorated in jewelry that Izuku wonders if it hindered his movement. 

Balugo’s head tilts slightly to the side. “The fuck does that mean?”

“You don't remember me?” 

“Nope.”

“What! We used to be childhood friends! We used to play warrior all the time, remember?” Izuku exclaims while vaguely gesturing to himself 

“I can't see your face, dumbass.”

“Oh.” Izuku reaches to take off the mask. The tiger mask stays connected to the hood of his coat. Izuku's face is in full display, the freckles which peppered his face. Dashing green eyes, the color of grass during spring. His green hair was lightly sprinkled with the falling powdery snow.

“It's you…”

“Yes! It's me Izuku–”

Bakugo tackles Izuku to the ground, cold envelopes Izuku and he shudders as the snow gets into his clothes. More importantly, Bakugo’s hand is pinning his head to the snow, and his legs pushing down his own.

“I don't care. You're the fucker who's supposedly the best around these parts. I'm here to warn you that I'm going to be the greatest around, so you might as well give up!”

Izuku's brows furrow. Yup, he was just as badly tempered as he remembered. It's good on him that after all these years, not a thing has changed apparently.

“That's not true, we're in my homeland. And if anyone's going to be the greatest, well you're looking at him. I've already sworn to be the best”

Izuku puts his full weight on kicking off Bakugo and sending him sliding through the snow. Bakugo is covered in the cold snow. “How's that taste?” Izuku mocks

Bakugo snarls and runs right for Izuku. In a second, Bakugo's fist is just an inch away from his face. Izuku ducks and kicks at his legs

Bakugo trips again on the uneven snow but quickly regains balance and swings for Izuku’s jaw.

He swiftly dodges. Aims for the torso again, but is countered. Bakugo swings again towards Izuku, who turns to escape

Bakugo pants out between hits “You still punch weakly.” Izuku stumbles enough to get a blow to his arm, a throbbing pain accompanies it. 

“What do you mean still” Izuku kicks toward Bakugo

“You think I'm dumb enough to forget you?” Bakugo grunts out

Izuku grins “Yea” and punches Bakugo hard enough to push him back a measurable distance

Bakugo lets out a frustrated groan. “Says the loser who couldn't skin a fish.” Izuku's eyebrows rise in surprise, he quickly sputters out

“Well, at least I'm not the one who was afraid of the dark.”

“THATS IRRELEVANT”

“SO IS THE FISH THING– you’re just as hot headed as I remember”

“Yea? You're still weak as you were years ago”

“Says the one who couldn't block my punch”

“At Least I have a cool spiritual. What type of dumbass goes for a white tiger? A baby could kill it, it has no sense of camouflage–”

Bakugo is pushed to the ground suddenly. He shivers when his bare skin touches the freezing snow. Izuku’s eyes are just inches away from his. For the first time in this whole fight, his face is showing real signs of malice. Izuku's emerald earring dangles from side to side from the sudden movement.

They both pant out labored breaths, which the cold highlights and turns into white puffs of air

“Careful with what you say” Izuku leans over to whisper in his ear “or I won't take it easy on you.” Izuku's grip tightens on Bakugo's face and arms. 

Bakugo grins “I'd like to see you try.”

Izuku snorts in disbelief,

and promptly knocks out Bakugo with a punch.

✦•······················•✦•······················•✦

Bakugo is woken by a sharp pain in his face. His eyelids fight to flutter open. His vision is hazy for a second or two before he registers where he is located. Around him is a dimly lit room with traditional decor strewn about. And too close for comfort is Izuku, cleaning a cut he obtained on his lip. He is back to wearing his tiger spiritual over half his face, so only his lips are visible.

“Not gonna kill me? Weak.” Izuku sighs and his lip twitches. He wants to respond with a mocking retort but bites his tongue to hold off. He finishes cleaning the wound and stands up.

He calmly retorts, “I looted your stuff.”

It takes a moment before Bakugo processes what he just heard, and then his eyes widen. He looks down to his body, and sure enough half of his things are missing. His bag, his weapons, his cape, and worst of all his lion spiritual. 

“GIVE IT BACK” He goes to attack, only to realize his hands and legs are tied to the chair he is sitting on. Izuku’s lip curls up into a slight smile, and he crosses his arms.

“I’ll return it all, as soon as you learn some manners.” Bakugo glares at him. His blood red eyes burning holes through him

“Tough luck, if you think you’ll succeed you're dumber than I thought” Izuku hums in acknowledgment

“I guess I’ll burn it all then.” Bakugo retaliates in his chair, chair moving as he's trying to escape. “NO WAIT– whatever ass face, ill go along. Just know I'm going to make this hell for you.”

Izuku smiles, “I know

“Well first, you're going to have to dress in the apparel of my people. Unless of course, you want to freeze.”

Bakugo spits back “Fuck no, I’ll be fine.” He would rather die than wear any stupid coat from that moron. He would much rather stick to his clothes, which looked way cooler.

“Alright, but if you're freezing later it won’t be my fault.” 

Bakugo groans “Just untie me already!” 

“Ok, but if you make any attempts to escape, I’ll hunt you down.”

Izuku carefully undoes the knots in the rope. He then grabs Bakugo’s wrist and quickly ties it to his. “What the fuck–”

Izuku chuckles, “I'm just taking precautions.” The two arms are now tied together with a rope spanning two feet. 

Stepping into the cold brisk air Bakugo almost regrets not taking up the offer of a coat. Out of pure reflex, he tries pulling his arm to cover himself but is deterred by the rope “Tch.” 

Izuku ignored his negativity and explained his routines “Usually I wake up and greet people throughout the town. I already did that, so we're just gonna patrol around and help the people”

Bakugo just groans. It's nothing like what a warrior does in his territory, but he'll have to go along with it.

The town is seemingly covered in intricate patterns, every person has layers of carefully procured fabrics with beautiful patterns and the markets are covered in dangling jewels. Hues of blue, green, and white paint the whole province. Out of eyesight, Bakugo hears a few musicians plucking their stringed instruments to serenade. 

It would all be quite relaxing if the two didn't catch a few questioning stares, which Bakugo assumes is for him. Izuku just waved and smiled at them “Good morning!” They continue walking down a cobblestone path.

Everything is unreasonably bright, the pure white snow surrounding them illuminating everything. Bakugo strains his eyes to see.

The smell of food cooking wafts to their noses and Bakugo’s stomach grumbles. Izuku snickers “Let's eat something first”

 He takes them to a local restaurant

Arrays of small bowls filled with various vegetables and broths are introduced in front of them. The soups are steaming and the air mixes to a pleasant smell. 

“What is the vegan bullshit” Bakugo remarks, eyeing the food warily 

Izuku ignores him and indulges in the food. 

Bakugo reluctantly puts a mouthful into his mouth. And then another, and then another. Soon enough, he is scarfing down most of it. Izuku feels the rope tug as Bakugo greedily takes most of it to move his arm freely. 

Izuku just smirks knowingly, when they finish he pays for the food with a few brass coins and thanks the owner for the food. 

A light snowfall starts and Bakugo’s eyelashes start to collect specks of white. Izuku takes a deep breath of cold air, a frigid sensation fills his lungs and it freshens him up. 

Bakugo’s arm slightly shivers. Rope imitating the movement.

Izuku turns to see Bakugo. His nose is red and slightly runny, his face is in his usual scrunched-up anger, and slight goosebumps litter his arms. 

Without a word, Izuku leads him to a nearby market. The sounds of haggling fill their ears, people crowd to the various stands, and displays of products span up to seven feet. Various vegetables litter the floor with pricetags drawn on wood. 

The two stick out like a sore thumb, eyes are drawn to the two warriors and people turn to whisper. Bakugo keeps his head high and only occasionally turns to glare at them. 

“What the hell are we doing here?” Izuku only smiles as he leads him further into the market.

Finally, they stop at a stand dowsed in fabrics that range from silky to leathery. The entrance is hidden away by the fabrics. Bakugo’s eyebrows raise and he tilts his head to the side, he doesn’t question any further. 

A wrinkled greets them when they step in “Hello travelers.”Her voice is gravelly and croaked. Izuku gives her a wave and starts pursuing the coats on display. 

Bakugo finally pieces it together.

“I'm not cold.” He deadpans.

“I never said you were”

He finally picks out a coat that is a cool red and is in alignment with the fashion tastes of the region. It has accents of black, orange, and green. Most importantly, it is very warm.

Before Bakugo can stop him, Izuku lays out two golden coins in the saleswoman’s hand. She thanks him for his business, and Bakugo is dragged back outside. 

“Take it.”

“No.”

The sun is setting, the once grayish-blue sky turns deep hues of purple and pink. Rays of light peek through the surrounding trees. Izuku is still holding up the coat, smiling. A cold shiver runs up Bakugo’s spine, it disperts through the rest of his body. 

He furrows his brows and snatches the coat from Izuku’s grip. 

“How am I going to put it on with this rope, nerd.”

“I never tied it tightly, just pull it off.”

With a slight pull to the knot, the rope falls to the floor. He scowls at Izuku while putting on the coat. Never once has Bakugo felt as warm as he did with the coat on, shivering limbs are now cured with the simple fabrics pressing against him. He relinquishes in the warm.

Izuku’s grins and turns to walk back towards his abode.

Bakugo follows closely behind.

“I'M NOT SLEEPING WITH YOU!” Bakugo yells.

“What? All I said was I only have one bed.” Izuku explains, motioning towards his humble bed. Thick sheets of blanket and furs are haphazardly thrown onto it. A small fireplace to its opposite sides crackles in the background. 

“Sleep on the floor, I'm the guest after all. It's just proper etiquette and manners bitch.” 

“Ok first of all– you can't say that and then call me a bitch. Second of all, you're not a guest you're technically my hostage, which doesn’t sound sane saying it aloud but I'm warranted in this situation. “ Izuku takes off his mask “Lastly, it's either you sleep on the floor or you share the bed with me. I’m not giving my bed to my hostage.”

Izuku continues taking off his layers of clothing and placing them into his closet. Bakugo glares at him.

Izuku settles himself on his bed, leaving a space next to him. Green hair illuminated with orange hues from the fire, emerald earrings laying flat on his pillow. 

Bakugo scoffs and debates the pros and cons. Pros, there aren't any and he can only think of the cons. 

 “Move over.”

Izuku rolls his eyes, but obliges.

The glowing flame dims, and only snores can be heard.

Chapter Text

Bakugo wakes up to a loud noise

He is sprawled over the bed, most limbs falling off the frame. He groggily blinks his eyes open, the sun is peeking through the window and pouring the room with a blinding light.

Over the wooden floors is Izuku's slumped over body. He is still lightly snoring, the fall did not deter his sleep at all. Bakugo quietly giggles.

This would be a great time to look for his stuff, he quietly gets up to look around. There are multiple shelves of books and papers scattered around.

Now that he takes a closer look, it's kind of a mess.

He slightly shudders, the fire had gone out during the night and the cold morning air was sneaking in.

He's grateful for the coat he was given. He'd rather freeze to death than say it aloud though.

Continuing his journey he sifts through some drawers and the wardrobe. This guy owned a lot of clothes, most of which were heavy winter coats. All ranging in cool toned colors, Bakugo was mildly impressed. At least he had taste in clothes.

Growing more and more frustrated he keeps digging around. Carefully placing everything back where he found it. He didn't know why, if he were to find his items he would leave. There was really no need to keep it tidy.

He looks over the room a couple more times, where could the items be hidden? He scans over the bookshelves again. 

The books are wide and vintage looking. Amongst them, there was a particularly peculiar one that piqued an interest in Bakugo. It looked more like a journal than a book and looked way newer than the others.

He reaches out to grab it, standing slightly on his tippy toes to reach the shelf 

Behind him he feels a disturbance in the air, it feels as if a hair landed on the back of his neck. 

“Don't do that.”

Bakugo whips his head behind him, his nose almost clashing with Izuku’s. He stumbles a little but manages to catch his balance. He's slightly shocked, how could Izuku move so quietly? Even in the silence of the morning, Bakugo didn't hear any signs of movement.

“Or what.” Bakugo scoffs, he's more annoyed than in disbelief with Izuku. He wants to leave this stupid town and its ridiculous weather. The only thing standing in his way is the green haired buffoon.

Izuku’s face makes a couple of expressions before it lands on the fakest smile Bakugo has ever had the misfortune of seeing 

Izuku reaches for his wardrobe “Let's get the day started then.” He pulls out the rope from yesterday. “I'm not wearing that again, I'll cut off my wrist if you tie it on me.”

Izuku hums, he tilts his head slightly to the side. “Then I trust you won't run away.” Bakugo reluctantly nods his head, as if the action itself hurt him greatly.

Izuku smiles, a flash of sincerity shining through. He continues to pull layers out of his wardrobe and puts them in a bag. 

“We're gonna start the day off with a rinse.”

Bakugo slightly perks up at that, he would not be the one to deny a warm bath. He was already savoring the thought of a nice refreshing cleanse.

“What the fuck.”

Izuku laughs. He's currently not in a bath but in a small body of water in the woods. The. Woods. Denying the laws of nature, the water is surprisingly not frozen. It has a slight layer of steam floating over it, making it all the more suspicious. Bakugo is standing on the edge, trying his best to not shiver in the cold. 

“Relax Kacchan, it's a hot spring!” Bakugo flinches at the nickname but makes no comment on it. “You better hope it is.” At this point, his mind is so focused on not freezing he doesn't spare another thought on quickly joining Izuku.

His body tingles at the sudden change from cold to warm. His muscles are quickly soothed by the warm water that teeters on the edge of too hot. He suppresses a smile, it just felt so good feeling warm again. His eyes close in enjoyment. 

“See? Perfectly fine.” Bakugo rolls his eyes at Izuku and dips his head into the water, soaking the rest of him. His red body paint is washed off, but he could reapply it later. If he got his stuff back from Izuku.

Too busy hating In his mind he doesn't notice Izuku turning away to wash off, but when he does he's yet again surprised. From the nape of his neck down to his lower back… are tattoos?

Black stripes are placed so precisely, that it resembles the markings of a tiger. Around his left bicep is one stripe that wraps around the whole bicep, it almost looks like a bracelet. He stops the weird urge to touch them, shunning that part of his mind.

It was not anything the Izuku he knew as a kid would ever get. The wimpy, teary eyed, scrawny kid has nothing comparable to the one in front of him. Defined muscles, and a sense of pride that could almost be compared to Bakugo’s.

The stark contrast between Izuku and his tattoos left him speechless. He continues staring for a couple of moments more. 

Izuku looks back, muscles moving the tattoos with them. With every breath and movement Izuku took, the tattoos stretched to follow. Izuku gives him a slightly puzzled look but turns back to continue his rinse.

Bakugo furrows his eyebrows and turns around as well. Doing his best not to sneak another look at Izuku's back.

The two finish their morning rinse and Izuku quickly steps out to get changed, putting on his mask again. Bakugo only brought the clothes he wore yesterday, which compared to the weather didn't seem like enough.“I brought you some of my clothes, I don't want you freezing to death.”

“Tch, whatever.” Bakugo snatches the clothes from Izuku’s grasp. His body screams not to leave the warm water, but he pushes ahead. He hastily pulled on layer after layer. His wet hair sends beads of cold water down his back and he shudders. He grits his teeth to avoid chattering them.

A cloth is placed on his head, he yanks it off. “I don't need your pity.” Yet, he quickly dries off his hair as well as he could with shaking hands. He sniffs in annoyance and wipes away the snot begging to drip from his nose. He hates the cold.

He is drowning in layers of fabric that weigh him down comfortably. The shirt he was given is tight on his chest, and other than a few ill-fitted areas the clothes fit relatively well. 

Over the course of the day, Izuku forces Bakugo to aid what seems like the entire town. They help the local cavalry in cleaning their stables, help a farmer with his pests, and deliver a package to a vendor at the market. With each job he builds up a light sweat but as soon as he's done the cold chills it.

It's not excruciating work, if anything the thanks the two receive are from the heart. He's not cold hearted, the appreciation from the people warms him up.

Everyone in the town recognizes Izuku and wants to stop and talk to him. His genuine smiles and polite talk almost sickened Bakugo. He can't believe how much has changed in the years they were separated and decided not to dwell on that thought for too long.

After what seemed like forever, Izuku finally takes him to eat something. At this point, his body felt so tired that even eating felt like a drag. The cozy atmosphere of the restaurant made his head feel warm. Izuku lips contort in a way that seems like he's going to say something, but says nothing and continues eating.

Izuku is practically dragging him back to his house, he is coughing and feels particularly terrible. It's as if someone snuck weights into his shoes.

He is flopped down back onto Izuku’s bed. He coughs loudly a few more times, his lungs feeling scratchy and dry. 

Izuku places a cool hand on him, which he fights himself not to lean into. He vaguely hears Izuku mumble something under his breath. Izuku takes off his mask and walks away into another room.

While Izuku is gone Bakugo takes off layer after layer, his body burning now. Stupid Izuku got him sick, and now his body felt like it was thrown off a cliff. There are hard plans of revenge brewing in his mind when Izuku enters the room again.

He's holding a tray with a cup of something steaming and a bowl of water next to a cloth. Izuku sets it on his bedside drawer and dips the cloth into the bowl of water. The cool sensation of the damp washcloth sends a wave of relief over him.

“Here, drink this.” Izuku holds the cup near his lips, lightly frisking them. The remedy is slightly bitter but it's not super unpleasant, it's warm but not warm enough to make his fever feel worse. All in all, it was actually pretty helpful.

“Bitch.” Izuku looks away bashfully, setting the cup to the side. He scratches the back of his head guiltily, “Ah- I'm sorry. Your body isn't used to these temperature changes.” If his vocal cords didn't feel like they were shredded apart he would yell at Izuku for being stupid. Actually, scratch that, he was going to do it anyway.

He opens his mouth to yell at Izuku but is stopped by a cool hand on his cheek. Izuku frowns and furrows his brows, he looks genuinely worried. It pisses him off more, but he decides not to voice it. Just expressing it with his face gave him satisfaction. 

The wind howls against the window, he wondered if it ever stopped snowing in this stupid town. Izuku's cold touch leaves as he goes to light the fireplace. He feels his eyelids grow heavy. 

The last thing he hears is a faint shuffling at his side before he is lulled to sleep.

Bakugo groggily opens his eyes, blinking slowly to take in the light. He's lying on his side, in a cold sweat. He coughs when he feels the cold air down his already dry throat. 

Izuku is sitting down in a chair next to the bed, a journal is under his limp hands and a pencil is balanced on his ear. Bakugo wondered why he didn't just sleep in the same bed again. 

Curiosity is picking at Bakugo and he decides to peek at what the journal contains. With closer inspection, he sees it's the same one he saw on the bookshelf. A hard leather cover with yellowed pages. The page has a drawn map with notes all around it

What is even more intriguing is the places marked off with red Xs. Bakugo notes that his hometown is not yet marked off.

He hears a soft grumbling noise from Izuku, who shifts his head into a more comfortable position. He nuzzles his head towards Bakugo, and in response, he cringes.

What would Izuku need to do with all those notes? He lightly pushed Izuku’s head to the side, trying hard not to stir him awake. The action was successful, and he retrieved the journal and flipped the page. 

It's a detailed drawing of a sword encrusted in gold, which looks almost ethereal. Light pencil marks resisted an eraser with previous sketches of the sword. Even more notes and quips are scribbled on the page with urgent yet legible handwriting.

An inscription to the side reads “Toshinori’s sword’ and it finally clicks in Bakugo’s mind. A tall tale every kid aspiring to be a warrior is told, a tale of the symbol of peace. It's widely recognized to be just a myth, a story, a fable. This wide eyed fool really believes it was real?

His fingers motion to flip to another page but he is hindered by a hand grabbing on to his wrist. A disheveled Izuku glares at him for a split second, ruffles his hands through his disheveled hair and sits up. He snatches the journal back into his grasp. 

“What did you see?” He's holding the journal like it holds all his life's secrets. Bakugo quickly thinks of his next best course of action, he's intrigued enough not to make fun of him immediately. All might was a legend he loved as a kid, and still a little to this day.

“Nothing.” Izuku gives a disbelieving look, eyes filled with caution. “Do you really believe Allmight existed?” 

Izuku's eyes fill with stars, and his smile bares his teeth

“Yes! There's so many stories of encounters people had with him and– and his sword is said to be left for the next greatest warrior to find. There's too many points leading to the fact that he– he was real! Far too many wars and battles he fought in for them to be fake–” Izuku pauses to breathe in “so um– yea. There is no doubt in my mind.” 

Bakugo blinks slowly in bewilderment. Izuku was practically shaking with excitement, and he wanted to ask for more information. He concludes that the map was his list of places, and the red Xs marked off the lands the sword wasn't in. 

The nerdy Izuku he remembered was starting to shine through, eyes full of childlike wonder. It faintly hurt to reminisce what was.

“Well if that's the case… then I'm going to find the sword before you do.” Izuku's face contorts “No you won't! I've done so much research on this.” His words go against his face, which screams excitement 

“Wanna bet Deku?” 

Izuku grins like a madman 

“You're on."

Chapter Text

Izuku feels the wind slapping against his face.

 He didn't expect Kacchan to be so eager for their journey. After a few days of preparation, the two waved goodbye to his town and set for their trip. 

His saddle beneath him squeaks with every pace the horse underneath him takes. The harsh up-and-down movements took their toll on his lower abdomen and thighs. While galloping through a harsh, cold, and barren climate, Izuku searched for general directions toward their destination. He looked to his left. Kacchan was on a tall draft horse adorned with multiple bags filled with rations and supplies. He was still wearing the clothes he had given him, which filled Izuku with a small huff of pride.

The snowy tundra soon turned into long fields stretched into the horizon. Long flowing grass manipulated by gusts of wind, swaying it in every direction. They are still days away from the nearest sign of civilization. 

Izuku slows down and turns towards Bakugo. “Let’s stop and rest” He takes his right foot out of the stirrup and swiftly plants both feet on the ground. He pats his horse's neck and takes the reins to lead the horse with him. 

Bakugo scoffs “Don't tell me what to do.” but follows in pursuit. Light traces of snow cover yellowed grass, still too cold to take off layers but warm enough to be comfortable with the wind slapping them in their faces. Izuku opens a bag on his saddle to look for rations, only to be met with a sad excuse for food. Dried fruits weren't going to fulfill his growing appetite.

His stomach rumbled in agreement.

“Shut up.” Izuku looked back at Bakugo. Izuku had given back the items previously hidden away. Including his spiritual lion and Bakugo’s personal belongings. Bakugo looked almost regal with his regalia and red makeup. “I didn't even say anything,” Izuku said dejectedly, trying not to fuel a fight. 

“Your stomach did, it's annoying.” 

Izuku looks at him with a shocked face but bites back to not say anything, this journey would be hard enough if they didn't hate each other. He sighs, “I'll scour for something to eat.” Izuku makes sure he still has his pocket knife with him. 

“I could do that myself.” It was tough to be patient with Bakugo, and even harder not to play into his competitiveness. Izuku retorted “Then do it.” 

Bakugo smirked and stepped close to Izuku. “The first back with dinner wins.” 

Izuku smirked and tilted his head to the side “You're on.”

What followed were sounds of scuffling and branches snapping. Izuku felt his heart pump faster with every step brashly pushed forward. The cold air hitting his face only enhanced the thrill in his bones. It was hard saying no to Katsuki Bakugo, especially since he ignited a thrill of something new in Izuku’s heart. 

His steps slowed to a halt, scaring away any prey at the bottom of his to-do list. All he heard was the pounding of his heart and his rasped breaths until he calmed down. He surveyed his surroundings, nothing to the naked eye. 

Izuku slowed down his breathing, a technique he learned to help with hunting. Not one sound escapes him, or everything is put in jeopardy. Only the howling of wind can be heard for a few split seconds, light rustling from the trees scattered around, and the slight crunch of snow from his feet. 

Over the years he's accustomed to training his other senses, focusing on his hearing. What he can hear he can see. He stood there frozen, straining every muscle to not move. 

A slight crunch emits to the right of him.

A pause, and then another crunch, and a pause. 

It sounds like a small creature, possibly a rabbit. He peers to the right of him, and at a distance, he sees a speck of white fur peek from a dried bush. 

He hasn’t hunted any animal since his trip for his spiritual, and memories start to creep back into his subconscious. His village mainly ate green vegetables and some farmed poultry products, so hunting was unnecessary. He tries to forget the hazy memories of white and black fur.

The hunt following was uneventful, the rabbit was fast but his throwing knife was faster. 

He trudged over to the body, a trail of blood started streaming down from the metal lodged into soft skin. Eyes glossed over, looking to somewhere that doesn’t exist.

Izuku lightly places his hands under it, shaking slightly at the touch of the soft fur. He stands motionless, the smell of blood hindering his train of thought. He tries to recollect himself but fails as a tear drips onto the fur. 

He can't put a name to the feeling spread throughout his body; shame? Disappointment? Embarrassment? Something akin to guilt and remorse is more close. His guilt did not make him less of a killer, it did not justify to the rabbit his intentions, it did not purify the blood on his hands.

He shakes his head to try and stop the spiral of his brain, he focuses on taking deep breaths. 

He grounds himself by focusing on what is around him, the cool wind helps refresh his mind. The cold air singes his lungs and calms down his nerves.

What was he doing out here again?

Oh right– he had a bet to win.

He quickly gathers himself and pushes back every thought to focus on Bakugo. When he reaches the camp, he finds Bakugo sitting beside a lit fire. 

“Took ya’ long enough nerd.”

Izuku sputtered “How-How long have you been here?” 

“Long enough to cook dinner.” 

Izuku gave a little chuckle, he started preparing the rabbit to cook it. The meat is lean and tender with a slightly sweet taste. It was a fulfilling enough meal to get them through their day. 

They let their horse graze the few patches of green grass for a while longer before getting back on them. As warriors, they are trained to endure the lack of sleep and continue their journey as night falls. Izuku looks over to Bakugo, he is looking sternly at the horizon. Izuku presumed that's his resting face, getting anything but a scowl from him was challenging. But the stars shining in red eyes made his breath hitch, and he looked away.

Eventually, dawn turns into dusk. The blinding sun overpowers a once star-filled sky, and the morning dew starts to settle in. Izuku noticed the grass looking longer and greener, and the cold no longer nipped at his skin. Flowers start peering through the grass, and at a distance, he sees silhouettes of shapes too blocky to be made from nature.

“I think I see the city over there Kacchan”

“No shit, I have eyes too dimwit”

Izuku kicks and squeezes his legs, kissing at his horse to start a canter. Bakugo follows suit and the two barrel towards the city. The wind slaps at his face and he greedily breathes in the fresh air, the light fabrics on his body flow freely. With every stride his horse takes the city silhouettes turn into visibly intricate buildings. 

A cobblestone arch is the entry point, vines and small weeds fill the gaps of stone. The city is certainly larger than Izuku’s, if he had to guess he would estimate this city had five times the population of his. Once they cross the arch, he immediately feels multiple eyes land on the two.

At this point it's usual, the constant stares and awes. Izuku waves at a small kid, no older than eight years old, he smiles and waves back excitedly.

“We should park these horses in the Inn nearby” Izuku explains, he looks towards Bakugo, his eyes pointed toward the boy. “Whatever.”

On the way to the Inn, Izuku makes sure to scan every nook and cranny he sees. He studies the foundation of the buildings, every alleyway, and scans every person in the near vicinity.

The Inn is relatively small, Izuku dismounts and ties his horse to a post outside. He quickly checks in with the front desk staff. After leaving their horses at the stables and storing their belongings in the room the two head back out.

“So what actually is your plan?”

“I-um…” Izuku looks dejectedly to the side, he is not used to elaborating on his ideas to other people. Especially when it came to this dream that may not actually be attainable.

“Fuck don't tell me you just ask around like a loser? “

“...”

Bakugo sighs loudly, he groans in utter annoyance. 

Izuku crosses his arms “Well it's not like you have a better idea!”

“Literally anything would be a better idea! Going to the library for their archives, consulting a local cartographer–” Bakugo sputters in anger “I forgot how naive you are.”

Izuku inhaled sharply, he wanted to be petty in retaliation, but if they were to do this together a neutral relationship should suffice. “Fine let's do that then. What way should we head first?”

“Let's start towards the left and we should finish in a circle, leading us back into the Inn.”

Bakugo takes the lead. Izuku doesn't mind too much, he’ll trust they won't get lost for now. He's happy to just observe the people of this city. Bakugo doesn’t continue their conversation, only looking ahead. 

Izuku doesn’t know where Bakugo is heading, he never elaborated. He let it go, for now, there was no time limit for this mission. Their tolerance for each other will determine how long it lasts. 

He adjusts his sleeves to fit above his elbows, the warmer air finally settling in his body. He looks towards Bakugo, red did fit him. His brash attitude coincided well with the color. Instead of surveying the area as he's accustomed to, he takes a better look at the blonde in front of him. 

They are about the same height, Bakugo’s hair added an inch or two. He was covered in jewelry made from varying materials. His spiritual is a lion, placed on his shoulder. It has yellow eyes and incredibly soft-looking fur. He wondered if Bakugo combs it himself.

Izuku is busy thinking about Bakugo’s habits when he hears a small cry. He immediately turns back to the area it came from, halting his whole body. He pauses for a moment, and another yelp comes from an alleyway behind him. He hurriedly follows the cry, not stopping to think.

Entering the alley he sees a man who's struggling to stand straight, feet stepping from side to side. In front of him is a small girl, tears streaming down her face. The man slurs his words “Give me my damnn money kid. Or I'll show ya’ what happens to kids who– hic– don't behave..” The child flinches away from the man “But-but it's my moms.” The man raises his hand

Izuku interjects, stepping in front of her.

 “Step away.”

The man laughs harshly to his face, his breath wreaking of beer. 

“Ya’ don't scare me”

Izuku turns his head towards the girl, motioning for her to flee. She nods and tries to scurry away, but trips on the uneven stone. She lets out a cry of pain, Izuku notices the blood starting to drip down her knee. Yet, she gets back up to continue her escape

The man makes an ugly expression of anger, he shouts “Hey come back here!” Reaching for the girl, Izuku grabs his arm stopping the movement. “Let go of me–” the man reaches for something in his pocket. Izuku looks back to see if the girl has made it a safe distance away when suddenly the man pulls back his arm rashly, and Izuku loses his grip enough to let go. 

The man lunges towards the girl and Izuku, again he attempts to grab the man’s wrist. He misplaced his grip and accidentally grabbed a knife. A hot burning sensation floods through his hand, He hisses in pain and tackles the man to the ground. He's still holding the blade roughly, forcing the man into a position where Izuku can use his foot to shove the man's unarmed hand into the ground. 

With his left hand free Izuku grabs the man's neck sharply, just enough for him to start to choke on the air escaping him. Izuku wrestles his hand free from the knife, blood splattering onto the ground. Izuku let out a pained groan

He lets go of the man's neck, and he coughs violently for an intake of air. Izuku reaches for one of his pockets and grabs a piece of rope. Tying the drunkard's hands together behind his back. 

Only then does he let out a sigh of relief, wiping the sweat off his forehead.

“YOU FUCKING IDIOT-”

Izuku whips his head back. Bakugo is standing next to the girl he saved moments before. He’s huffing for air, his shoulders rising and falling dramatically.

Izuku questions “Wha-” but again is so rudely interrupted

“How fucking stupid do you have to be? Charging in without informing anyone?!”

Izuku smiled nervously, at least it was nice to know Bakugo cared if he lived or died

“I'm fine, let's just get this guy to the King’s guards.”

“Shit- let's take care of your hand first you dumbass”

Izuku looked down, and sure enough, his entire right arm was dripping with his blood, the adrenaline wearing off let a sharp and burning pain settle in between his thumb and pointer finger. 

“Oh… yeah that sounds good.”

Bakugo ripped off the sleeve of his shirt with his sharp canines. He kneeled beside Izuku and quickly wrapped the fabric around his hand, tying it tightly. The girl hovered nearby, looking nervously at Izuku. He smiled at her and gave a thumbs-up with his left hand. “That's the best I can do here. We should head back to the Inn so I can properly bandage it.”

The girl's frown deepens and her eyes gloss over, she sputters out “I-Im so-sorry” before another cry escapes her mouth. Izuku gets up and squats in front of her. “I'm ok!” he lifts his bandaged arm and smiles “See? Thanks to Kacchan it's all bandaged now, don't cry, it's not your fault.”

She nods shakily. Izuku pats her on the head. “Now, where's your mommy?”She looks from left to right, up and down. Then behind her. When she meets Izuku’s gaze again, she starts wailing. “Wheres-hic- my mommy–”

“Ah it's alright we’ll find here soon, right Kacchan?”

“Whatever.”

He takes her small hand with his left, leading them out of the alley. “Kacchan can you take care of him?” Bakugo smirks a dark grin and nods, he walks faster. It's best she doesn't see what Bakugo will do.

“When did you last see your mom?”

She stops to think, hand gripping his slightly tighter. “Over there!” She points to another alleyway, doubt begins to creep in his mind. He takes her there, making sure she's behind him.

Vines crawl over the walls, hardly leaving any stone peeking behind. Weeds and flowers peak out from the crevices untouched by the sun, as they venture further less and less stone is visible.

At the end of the alleyway is a small home, covered in an arrangement of what looks to be medicinal herbs their poignant scent couldn't be mistaken for anything else. The girl's grip lightens and she untensed her arm. 

Izuku hears footsteps behind him and quickly grapes the girl into his arms, bracing for an impact. The culprit has a long cape with a hood covering half their face, two strands of blonde hair peek out from beneath the hood. They quickly put their arms out, showing they have nothing in their hands.

“Mom!”

The stranger speaks “I told you not to call me that kid.” He has a low voice, deep with mystery and certainly unfit for his tall slender frame. 

“She's your daughter?” The man sighs “No, just taking care of her for a friend. I dunno why she insists on calling me mom.”

Izuku slowly lowers onto the ground, out of his grip. It's hard to say the man is lying, but if he was Izuku could easily overpower him. The girl runs to hug the man's legs, he stumbles back a little. 

“So why are you with her?”

“Well she was alone in an alleyway, I couldn't leave her alone.”

He hums in response.

“What happened to your hand?”

“Just a little scratch, it was an accident.”

He walks towards the house and yanks a yellow flower from the ground. With further inspection he sees it is made up of multiple small yellow flowers. He offers the flower to Izuku

“Crush these and put them on the wound before you bandage it with proper gauze”

“Thank you”

The man takes off his hood, the rest of his hair is short and he has prominent cheekbones with sunken eyes. The pointed features with skinny limps made him look like a dead man walking. 

“I'll be on my way now, I would keep a closer eye on here haha”

Izuku makes his way back through the alleyway, feet crushing the plants beneath him

The whole time he feels a pair of eyes burning into his back.

✦•······················•✦•······················•✦

“I can't believe we wasted a whole day in this fucking town”

The two are in the room they had booked that morning. Bakugo is cleaning the slash in his hand, carefully dabbing the dried blood off with a wet rag. His words are harsh but his touch is surprisingly light

“You can't feel success without a little adverisi-OUCH” Izuku yelps, Bakugo had grazed the gash intentionally. Reigniting the pain to a higher degree than before.

Izuku mumbled “That hurt…”

The blonde reached to start applying the gauze, Izuku motioned for him to stop. He quickly rummaged through his pocket with his left hand and pulled out the flower the man had given him. He crushed the flowers in between two fingers and delicately applied the juice to his wound. He hissed in pain but continued

“Where the hell did you get that”

“I got it from the little girl's mom”

Bakugo resumed applying the gauze, he was close enough to his hand that Izuku could lightly feel each exhale. The warm air made his skin shiver

“There. It's done.”

“Thank you so much Kacchan!”

Izuku never mentions he could easily wrap it himself, he studied wound healing years ago as it seemed vital to being a warrior.

 But he couldn't turn down the offer from Katsuki.

Chapter Text

“I think we should leave this fucking village.”

They are two and a half days into exploring this village. Countless hours of researching old dusty books that haven't seen the light of day in decades. Resorting to scanning the fields of long grass outside the village, desperate for anything that could lead them somewhere new.

After a couple of hours, a much-needed break has been established, and the two now lay in the flowing grass. 

Izuku sighs “You're right Kacchan.”

“Of course I am”

But neither moves, Katsuki chalked it up to laziness. Although he knows they both have trained relentlessly not to waiver even after days of no sleep. It's just the sun kisses their skin so softly, and the breeze is just light enough to freshen their lungs. Paralyzing their sore muscles to enjoy the relief of soft grass against them. 

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He watches as Izuku gives enthusiastic goodbyes to the people of the village. A crowd begins to gather around them, people of all ages and backgrounds. It fulfills something in the back of his mind, something that craves approval. He waves back; he knows he looks angry, but he continues like that anyway. 

Izuku looks so natural, waving to the people, an imaginary spotlight on him. The people's undivided attention was on the green-haired warrior, his hand in the air still injured and bandaged. He looked so in place there, in front of everyone. Like he was born to be there. He scowls further, an inexplicable hatred bubbles in him. 

A tall figure goes up beside Izuku, everything hidden away except two strands of blonde hair. He vaguely sees Izuku mouthing a greeting and lowering his head to listen to the figure speak. Nodding to every word the figure whispers, Izuku laughs a bit and thanks the man. Reaching to give him a handshake, he is almost shocked to see his right hand still bandaged up tightly. And though he tries to hide it, he can see Izuku wince when his hand interlocks the figures.

Izuku looks back at him, and he almost startles but tries to keep a cool demeanor. And by that, he means glaring harshly at Izuku.

They give one last goodbye to the village and trot away.

His curiosity burning inside him forced him to grit out a question.“What did that guy tell you?” Izuku smiles, and oh, how he wishes to rip it off his face. “Nothing much, just thanking me for the other day.” He nods and looks away, but Izuku opens his mouth again to speak “He recommends we stop by the village near the sequoia forest.”

“That so fuckin’ far though, almost two months on horseback.” That forest was revered for its vast and ever looming trees, so large and ancient that they are almost considered a religious site. The trees transcend mankind itself.

“We’ll never know if we don’t try.”

He clenches his jaw, and the undeniable urge to tackle Izuku rises within him again. He would act on that feeling if he weren't on horseback. 

“Where the hell is your map taking us now Deku?”

He hates sounding so unsure of everything, his pride screaming at him to stop asking pitiful questions. Izuku shuffles to grab his journal out of the bag on his saddle, opening it up and flipping the pages with one hand as the other holds the reins. He wonders if it hurts to do that, the slight wince coming from Izuku confirming that it does. 

“Hmm, the nearest civilization seems to be yours actually Kacchan, mind if we go there?”

He quickly considers the possibilities of that decision. His mother would no doubt embarrass him, and what was the point of visiting it if he knew the sword wasn’t there? Exploring the land for hours as a kid, every nook and cranny. He knew the savanna like the back of his hand. No doubt he would've found the sword back then. A memory of his mother's firm hugs floods back to him, encouraging his journey and nagging him to visit her every once in a while.

“Whatever.”

He inches closer to Izuku, looking over the map in his hands. They are days away from the savanna. The closer they got to the biome, the warmer they would get, the winter apparel they wore would be unbearable in that heat. Concluding that they should change as soon as they got there, it would be nice to dress from his culture again.

But for now, he should focus on the steady beats from his horse and the endless horizon in front of them. Day turning into dusk, pink and purple swirling over the setting sun. Cascading a light of warm orange on everything the eye could see. 

The bags on their saddles have everything they need for the journey and then some, remembering to resupply at the previous village. They would only have to stop occasionally to let their horses rest and to catch in a quick sleep.

He let an easy silence settle on them, but it was clear to see Izuku did not feel the same. Fidgeting limbs, occasionally picking at his nails or biting at his lip. It annoyed him, seeing how uneasy and restless Izuku got because of him. Izuku should feel inferior and scared towards Katsuki, not nervous.

He doesn't care enough to start a conversation and doesn't expect Izuku to start one. Always overthinking his next actions. So when he hears the beginning of random murmurings and mindless blabber, he looks to Izuku, irritation once again pricking at his skin.

He's muttering something about blonde hair and red makeup…clear as day that he was thinking of Katsuki.

“Shut the hell up.”

“Ah-Sorry Kacchan.”

Izuku has his left hand holding the split reins, his right hand still flinching away at the contact of everything else. He still can't believe how stupid he was to help that kid without telling him. He could've been injured way worse. Maybe he could believe how stupid Izuku was. Even back then, he'd do everything he could to help. Even if it was just small things, like carrying a basket of fruit for an elderly person or helping a mother by consoling her crying baby.

It ticked him off.

He still remembers the first day Izuku and his mom visited his village, looking for goods that could only be found in warmer clients. Fruits, spices, jewelry. He fights off a smile as he recalls when Izuku had first tried a red pepper, his face flushed and he cried at the burning sensation.

The past Izuku and the present one were so different, yet so alike. He was determined to figure it out, to see how his way of thinking had changed. Or if it had even changed at all.

The dusk turned into a deep blue sky, Izuku led them to a small creek. Water trickles down a stream outlined by the occasional rock or weed. The horses dip their heads to greedily drink the water. 

He stretches his back unceremoniously, bones cracking.

He wonders how much longer he can stand being with Izuku

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Long flowing grass has turned into coarse dirt with the occasional patch of shriveled up yellow grass.

Small trees litter the flat fields, everything visible to the naked eye. The familiar scent of dirt and singed wood filtered through his nose. Like a comforting hug, he inhaled in the dry, hot air engulfed in his lungs. He figured they were just a few hours away from his home village, known to him as ‘Shizuoka.’ 

He could feel the beads of sweat build at the nape of his neck; he had already taken off a couple of layers of outerwear, yet the unpleasant heat started to settle in. After a couple of weeks in colder climates, his body is trying to acclimate to the different temperatures. 

Izuku is also visibly worn down by the heat, yet he hasn’t shed any of his thick coats. A blatantly stupid move on his part, from here, it would only get hotter. 

They arrived at Shizuoka to the sight of houses made of clay with straw roofs. A couple of the citizens recognized Katsuki, waving at him but not rushing to swarm him like others had previously done. They did however widen their eyes to the man beside him, unlike anything they are familiar to.

Seeing him in this context, Izuku looks so out of place in his village. Pale skin, although he had been getting slightly tanner day by day, and the heavy clothes weighing him down. A spiritual on his head, a predator not native to anywhere near here. 

Izuku waved his hand, smiling, and continuing further into the village. Katsuki scanned the village ferociously, looking for the blonde spiky hair of his mother. “So where should we stop by to leave our things?” Izuku asks, not knowing left from right in this village, unfamiliar territory to Izuku.

He rolled his eyes but signaled Izuku to follow him. He could've led him blindfolded if he had to, every dirt road and dried bush still where he had left them years ago. He hears Izuku breathe heavily behind him, the heat finally pushing its way into his skin. Crawling all over to make him a sweaty and worn-out mess of a man. 

Towards the middle of his village is his mother's, the noticeably bigger and more lavish abode. No doubt, the leader of the village would enjoy a more grandiose home. He dismounts his horse, walking to the house with a horse in hand. Izuku mirrors the action

They leave their horses tied to a post outside and enter the house. A wave of relief washes over him with bittersweet feelings of nostalgia. The furniture is still where it used to be, every speck of dirt still in the same spot. Everything he used to know, except for the clear absence of his mother. 

Izuku looks like he took a plunge in water, skin glossy with sweat. “You reek.” He shuffles inside a drawer, pulling a variety of apparel out “Wear these, your panting is ticking me off.” He throws the clothes at Izuku, who catches them with urgency. “Thank you?” He looks away to give Izuku a sense of privacy, but he is mainly looking for the whereabouts of his mother.

Being the leader, she's likely with her followers and making sure the place is running smoothly. It's something he admired greatly, her sense of leadership and pride within the village. Though he'd never admit it aloud. He assumed they would quickly find her in the markets of the village or with his father.

He hears Izuku’s layers of fabric drop to the floor as he shuffles around to get changed quickly. His impatience grew, just how many layers did Izuku have on?

After an eternity he hears him stop and looks back

Izuku has no shirt on, which is expected in his village, showing off his tattoos. Red beaded jewelry clinging onto his neck and wrists. He looks to the side, slightly embarrassed of the notion of having no shirt on. He could see every breath, every small movement on his freckled pale skin. His pants were loose and lightweight to deter the heat.

He could feel his shoulders tense when Izuku positioned himself to look at Katsuki head on.

“I suppose it feels more comfortable to someone who's used to it…I don't think I pull it off very well.” He gestures to his unclothed torso

“Whatever let's just get a move on. I just didn't want to hear you complain about the heat.”

“But I never complained-?”

“Just shut up and follow me.”

They spend about thirty minutes just wandering through the village. He gets stopped a couple of times by people who were familiar with him as a child; he hurries them along. He also tries to ignore the gazes that fall on Izuku. 

They reach a bustling market filled to the brim with an array of native goods. Over the bunches of voices he hears a familiar tone, loud and full of spirit. He whips his head to follow it, and from here he can see blonde spiky hair amidst the crowd. He doesn't bother to look back to make sure Izuku is still following, giving him a taste of his own medicine for last time.

He sees his mom standing next to his dad, chatting it up with on of the local vendors. She is covered in jewelry, fur, and red makeup. She has the same signature eye makeup, with a few of her scars from past injuries painted with red. A reminder of the significance of life, and a trophy of her strength. She's laughing loudly and brashly, his dad smiling serenely beside her. He’s glad they are doing well.

That was all he needed to see, he prepares to leave and only makes it a few steps before he hears

Izuku’s aggravating voice “Hey Kaccha-” he looks back to see Izuku’s hand on his moms shoulder. She has a confused expression, and Izuku’s jaw drops to the floor.

He’s never wanted to punch anyone so badly before. Izuku manages to surpass all his expectations on just how much one person could annoy him.

He groans and makes his way over to the group of three.

“Im so sorry- I thought you were someone else! You too just looks so alike-” He's interrupted by Katsuki walking over. “I thought you were him” Izuku points at Katsuki “Don't fucking point at me” he swats down his hand, Izuku draws back his arm. Holding it like he broke one of his bones

“Katsuki?”

His moms eyes widen even further, in disbelief.

“Yeah what?”

“You fuckin’ brat! Not giving your mom a hug?” She reaches to engulf him in her embrace which he fights greatly, but she just grips on tighter. He hears his dad laugh beside him, and he places a hand on Katsuki’s shoulder. Its the first time he's been hugged in…god, he cant remember the last time someone hugged him. Because if they did they wouldn't be alive to tell the story.

“That's your mom?” Izuku asks stupidly

“What the fuck do you think.” He answers, still trapped by his parents.

His mom disengages the hug after an egregious amount of time, and smacks him on the head. “Why haven't you visited us? Or hell, written a letter home? We were worried sick Katsuki.”

“Tch. I didn't feel like it.”

She playfully smacks him again, and she puts her arm around his dads shoulders. “So why are ya’ here anyway? And with this handsome fella too I might add, is he your boyfriend?” 

“FUCK NO!”

His mom laughs and he can see Izuku flush slightly at the assumption, he feels his own face feel hotter. It was because of his anger,yeah, that's why he felt his face flush. With an unpleasant mixture of embarrassment. “So answer me, why are you here?”

“Stop prying momm!” He groans in a childlike manner, she snickers more at his expense. He felt aggrieved, this is exactly why he wanted to avoid her. There was no time for sappy stuff. (Although there kinda was, they never did set those rules.)

“So as I was saying, who is this fella’?” She looks at Izuku who stiffens under her gaze. He pathetically stutters out “I-Im uh- My name's Izuku Midoriya, I'm a warrior from up north.” She nods her head “I could tell that much, we don't get too many people wearing a dead cat on their head” 

“Yeah…It's a pleasure to meet you” He slightly bows his head

She laughs again, as if Izuku is the funniest thing in the world.“Well let's get some food in you two, you must be starving!” He groans but doesn't make any attempt to start another argument. If he kept challenging her he would end up with a concussion by the end of the night. 

He might just do it anyway.

✦•······················•✦•······················•✦

His mom is preparing a medley of dishes to eat from freshly slaughtered gamer and local hot peppers. His dad being sous-chef and helping her make the array of food.

They set the table, with a big portion of meat in the middle. Only a few side dishes, and cups of juice made from fruit. 

His stomach was growling, he never realized just how much he missed his mother's cooking. Izuku is practically drooling on the table, the journey took quite the toll on both of them, and they were nowhere near done.

His mom and dad sit down at the table, Izuku pulls back his mask to eat. “I didn't expect ya’ to be so handsome! Quite the looker, aren't ya?” Izuku flushes and sputters like a damned idiot “Oh-Thank you!” His dad laughs nervously “Mitsuki dear you're going to scare him away-” She laughs boisterously “I'll say whatever I want, it's not hurting the lad”

He scoffs and his mom shoots him a look. He can't believe his mom believes that Izuku looks…handsome. He had the urge to throw up from the thought. He shakes the unwanted disgusting thoughts of Izuku from his mind and looks to the food in front of him.

He quickly sets his plate up and scarfs the food down greedily, taking deep inhales between big bites. He could practically melt at the taste, if he were alone he'd probably cry from just how good the food tasted.

He hears pained coughing from Izuku, whose face is flushed and his eyes teary. Now what's this fuckers problem? Izuku coughs out “Spicy-” before he desperately reaches to gulp down the juice in front of him

There's full on tears now streaming down his face, snot running. He holds back a laugh, the sight reminding him of all those years ago.

Then Izuku spits out the juice, “WHY IS THE FRUIT SPICY??”

He can't hold it in and he lets out a laugh, loud just like his mother's. He clutches his waist, shoulders bouncing with amusement. His mom snickers, his dad is trying to be nice and stifles a giggle.

Izuku looks at him funny, face still a mess from the supposedly hot pepper. He also lets out a chuckle, and wipes the tears from his face.

Deep down, he was glad they had visited.

He really did miss his family, he probably wouldn't have visited if it weren't for…

Whatever.

Chapter Text

A plain white linen shirt was placed in Izuku’s hand.

The fabric is light and airy, so sheer it is transparent enough to see the faint tan of his skin. “Thank you, Mrs.Bakugou-” Katsuki’s mother's laugh is strong and hearty, her grin takes nearly the span of her face. It's a highly contagious sound, it could make anyone feel at ease. Izuku faintly wondered if Katsuki’s would look the same; the two of kin had the same beauty mark beneath their right eye. “Well, you need something to beat the heat. I know you're not too fond of our customs.” Referring to the ever apparent lack of torso-covering fabrics. Izuku smiled and bowed his head again.

  After a few days in this village and some looking around, they had concluded to move on to the next. Most of that time was spent preparing their supplies for their journey. Trying to pack light and not carry too many unessential items, Izuku parted ways with some of his heavier winter clothes. Where they were heading wouldn't be anywhere near as cold as his homeland. Although Mitsuki reassured him he was welcome to come back any time

After a slightly awkward hug between him and Mitsuki, Izuku waved goodbye. A slight pang of something sharp is lodged between his heart. He vaguely wonders if he would ever take the offer if he would ever return to the village. If the dry and hot air would ever touch his skin again

He looks once over his horse again, checking his mental supply list religiously. Checking the saddle, girth, bridle, supplies, stirrups, and overall health of his horse. Everything seemed to be in order, and he lightly scratched at her neck; she was lightly nibbling at his hand. Which earned her the honorable title of ‘Kisses.’ A reliable, slightly short horse from an unassuming pedigree. A warm brown, the color of a well-brewed tea, with a black mane and tail. She was sturdy and well muscled from the long journeys they'd had together.

He looked over to Katsuki, his horse not yet named. He should ask if he had plans on naming his steed. The horse is a striking chestnut color, an opinionated mare with a white face marking. She's as daring as her rider and often finds herself in some curious situations. Katsuki places his foot in the stirrup and expertly mounts onto the saddle. He follows suit

A couple of heartfelt goodbyes later, the melodic sound of hoofs on the dry ground is the only sound filling the air. It stays like that for a while. He knows that Katsuki won't start the conversation unless he's ready to argue or degrade Izuku in some sort of fashion. It's ok, he’ll chip at the ice until it's malleable enough for his calloused hands. He did it when they were kids, surely he could do it again

He attempts an experiment, a conversation starter. An icebreaker, if you will. “Ah, the heat is killing me today. I can feel my skin roasting.”

“Not my problem.”

Yup, chipping away at the ice…

Let's hope he isn't seventy by the time he does

✦•······················•✦•······················•

The sweltering sun is relentless on his skin. He can feel the sweat cling to the fabric of his white shirt, a slight red blush on his skin from the sun. He's gotten noticeably tanner, and his skin is no longer as pale. Kisses is likely hot as well, they need to cool down before they get heat stroke. He tries wiping the sweat from his brow, but it's useless; the sweat just begins to build up again

He's sure he looks like a rat drenched in water; he feels like one. Katsuki, however, looks infuriatingly the same, not one hair astray. Now he was debating also shedding off more layers…anything to escape the unrelenting heat.

Looking into the distance to find any solace, he spots a small creek. Ok, not anything definitive for his problem, but he could work with it. It could lead to something larger, something swimmable. The thought of plunging into cold water was tantalizing, and at this point, he would do anything to experience the feeling. 

He steers Kisses towards the creek, applying light pressure on her reins. It seemed she knew too, moving with a more desperate pace. The grass here was too dry to properly hydrate, she must be looking for another option to quench her thirst. 

He doesn't have to wait long for kisses to reach the creek. He quickly dismounts and reaches for his canteen, desperately lodging it open. The sweet sound of water trickling into his canteen is enough to make him drool, Kisses is greedily drinking up whatever she can. He lets out an airy giggle, which Kisses nickers at—cupping his hands to let the cool water enter his hands. It's satisfying to finally indulge in the feeling. He pours some water on the back of his neck and splashes it on his face. Oh yeah, that hit the sweet spot.

He was practically bathing when the clip-clops of a horse came sneaking up behind him. In his quest for water, he'd left Katsuki. He's harshly reminded by the blonde, as he spits out, “If you keep running off like that, I'm going to kick your knees in, Deku.” 

“Err…ok?” He wants to fight it; argue with him. But the tension is already so palpable, thick enough to cut with a knife. Just looking at Katsuki gave a sense of impending doom, or more specifically, Izuku felt awkward around him. There was no one really near his age in his village, and people always condemned him to a higher position. Now, there was someone cut from the same cloth but so excruciatingly different.

Katsuki just huffs, looking around for something more. He joins Izukuu on the ground and starts replenishing his dehydration. His way of doing it is clearly different from Izuku's because Katsuki pours water all over himself. He looks like a wet cat, sharp point eyes squirting a grimace at the cold water. Izuku stifles a laugh, the analogy so comically correct. 

Katsuki glares, Izuku assumes he wants to start a tussle. Exemplified by Katsuki looking him up and down, probably searching for any reason to pick on Izuku. Finally, a quite devilish grin lands on Katsuki’s face, and Izuku quakes a little. For one, Katsuki actually looked quite good while grinning, but he should probably run for his life right now.

With one hard shove, Izuku is face first in the water. He clenches his eyes shut and tries hard not to choke on any of the water. His hands reflexively catch him, with a slight jolt of pain in his right hand as it catches on a rock. He quickly recovers and sticks his head out, he's on all fours now panting like a damned dog. Katsuki is grinning like a madman, triumphantly crossing his arms and giving Izuku a smug look. “Oops”

Izuku didn't spare a second to lunge at him, pulling his arm and practically throwing him in the creek. Katsuki lands on his back, the water just deep enough to cover a little more than half his body. Izuku misplaced his hands, so he's awkwardly lying next to Katsuki. The two are soaked, their clothes drenched and their faces wet. Izuku starts laughing and splashing water towards Katsuki, who repays the action by splashing more water.

Izuku can’t contain his amusement and is holding his stomach from laughing for so long. It was contagious because a sound he’d hardly heard came out from Katsuki. He's slightly chuckling under his breath and trying his best to hide his face from Izuku, it's a wonderful sound. He doesn't make any notion to comment on it, instead choosing to grin towards the sky. 

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. 

✦•······················•✦•······················•

Slowly, and unnoticeable to the bored mind, the grass turns greener. Soil becomes richer, plants become more abundant. The terrain a rich green with rows and rows of trees. Birds call to their mates, whistling melodies only known to them. 

Izuku's legs are sore, and his back aches from the saddle. Ankles started to pulse with pain, if he didn't get another break soon, he might just fall over. Learning his lesson, he tells Katsuki of his plans. “I'm gonna hop off, stretch my legs, and give Kisses a break.” Katsuki ushers his horse to the side while Izuku gets off, and he slightly loosens her girth to make her more comfortable. “Are you also gonna get off?’

“Don't tell me what to do.”

“I wasn't trying to-”

“Tch”

Another failed conversation; it's frustrating him just a little. If they simply communicated more, they would get much further and work better together. Katsuki refuses. He can work with this, though; he just has to be patient.

Izuku walks up to Katsuki's horse and earns a glare from him. Lightly petting her neck, scratching gently with his nails. She's a fan of this and leans into his touch, shaking her head in contentment. “So, any plans to name her ?”

“It's none of your damn business.” 

Izuku forces himself to take deep breaths, planting his feet in the ground so he doesn't accidentally push Katsuki off his high horse. Literally.

“Well, whatever you choose, I'm sure she’d be happy to have a name.”

Katsuki just makes another unintelligible yet angry noise. That basically summed him up as a person. “Fine shitface. Her name is Great Explosion Muder Queen.” Izuku is baffled, dumbfounded even. “What?! You can't just name a horse that” 

“Why the fuck not?! Who cares anyway? She doesn't understand what we're saying!”

“B-But-”

“Shut it! You asked for a name. There you go. It's a perfect name.”

Katsuki pulls on the reins to move the horse's head away from Izuku’s grasp and to walk somewhere else. He lets out a small sigh. Well, a name is a name. If that's what Katsuki wanted, he would have to put up with it. It's strangely fitting, a brash name for a brash horse and rider. It was funny in retrospect, how that was probably the only name Katsuki would come up with on the spot. Reacting explosively before even thinking about the logistics of a name. 

“-yric.”

Izuku turns back, “Hm?”

Katsuki makes no move to look towards him, instead repeating what he had said just a smidge louder.

“Lyric.”

Izuku nodded; he had to be careful. One wrong word or sentence and he'd lose his progress. As to why Katsuki chose this name would likely forever be a mystery to Izuku, but that's ok. He didn't have to know everything about him, just most things.

“That's a lovely name, Kacchan.”

“Damn right it is.”

✦•······················•✦•······················•

They've passed the narrow woods, they'd no doubt know they are close to their destination when the forests become more dense. As of now, the forests are still sparse and small. A field long and flat, with grass flowing like soft silk. Butterflies flapping around, lighter than air. With a gleaming sun and the bluest sky he'd ever seen, he could almost cry. He didn't think he could ever get used to how beautiful the sky could be and how gentle the breeze could be in his ears. 

It was about time to let the horses out to graze. If they work them non-stop, it could be very harmful to Lyric and Kisses. Izuku took off the saddle and gear off Kisses so she could roam around freely. He trusts her not to leave, the two are a team. Her reliability preceded her; she rubbed her head on his torso and nibbled a small fray of the hair on his head in her way of saying she'd come back. 

Katsuki had done the same to Lyric, and the two horses were now running around the pasture. Wind tossing their manes in crazy directions, Lyric reared. Not in an aggressive way; she was being playful. Kisses tried, but she wasn't as skilled and only slightly reared up, hooves in the air. The freedom wore off quickly, and their appetite took over. As if the grass was running from them, they hastily got to eating. Pulling their heads from the blue sky into the soft green grass. 

Izuku and Katsuki munched on dried jerky. If they had been in a better biome, they would have opted to hunt for their meal, but this would suffice. They sat by their gear, careful that nothing got ruined or stepped on and that their horse didn't run off into danger. The weather made the silence enjoyable, comfortable even. 

Kisses walked over to Lyric, nibbling at Lyric's coat and grooming her. Lightly using her teeth to release the tension in Lyric and scratch her in the places she couldn't reach. It was so cute, it was nice to see the two being so friendly. He was glad they had good chemistry and an even greater bond between them. 

Lyric whinnyed and started running again. She ran from Kisses, in hopes she would catch up and play with her. Which she did for a while, with the two running after each other in a horse's game of tag. 

It was only later in the afternoon, when the two horses were leaving their heads hanging so close together, replacing nature's air with each other's breaths, did he realize that… the horses might be…

Lesbians.

✦•······················•✦•······················•

“Hey Kacchan, why did you name her ‘Lyric’?” The four were on their way to a lake in the distance. The bright blue waters glimmer with invisible diamonds, shimmering from the sun. It was tantalizing. Small mountains were starting to appear on the horizon, comparably looming over everything else. “I don't have to answer shit.” 

“Please, Kacchan, even if it's a silly reason, I'd like to hear it.”

“If you ask one more time, I'm lighting you on fire.”

Izuku huffs and pouts. He’ll know one day. 

The edge of the lake has a few scattered rocks and shrubbery. Small trees and mountains line the outskirts. Once again, the gear is stripped off the horses, but with a twist. Izuku hops back on Kisses. No saddle, no bridle, no stirrups, no nothing. He carefully leads Kisses into the water. She hesitantly took one step into it, and Izuku reassured her with whispered affirmations that she would be just fine. Lyric had already taken the plunge with Katsuki, the two waiting for Izuku and Kisses. 

Only when she had all four hooves in the water did the connection in her brain register, water safe. Water good. With that, she had taken the lead and happily let herself go deeper. It's hard to explain how odd it felt to be on a horse that was swimming; it could be compared to sitting on a buoyant log. But much more complicated. 

Kisses swam up to Lyric, almost bumping into her. Letting off a sort of grunt, a weird and deep noise. It could be off putting to anyone else, but the horses were simply just releasing the tension in their bodies. The water made them feel weightless as if they were flower petals gently falling from the pistil. Their joints, for the first time in a while, were completely relieved. 

Izuku moved himself off kisses, floating beside her. She was in heaven, grunting and enjoying the water. He laid his head on her and followed her gentle swims. She was following Lyric, deeper into the crystal clear water.

Katsuki was still on Lyric. He looked slightly unsure of himself, peering at the water. It was clear enough to see that they were in deep waters. Katsuki was holding on to Lyric's mane like it was his lifeline, clenching his jaw so tight Izuku worried he'd break a tooth. He wanted Kacchan to join him, it'd be fun to tease him a bit.

“Why don't you get in the water, Kacchan?”

“Cuz’ I don't fucking feel like it.”

“Well it feels really nice”

“I didn't ask”

“Is it because you can't swim? I can help you with that”

“Of course I can swim!”

“Ok. I believe you.”

“I CAN SWIM!”

“I believe you!”

“Y'know what fuck this”

Kacchan pushes his legs over Lyric but still holds on to her once in the water. “See? Now fuck off”

Izuku giggles, “Ok, I'll just be over here then. Swimming. Just because I can”

“I can too!”

Izuku swims away from Kisses like it is second nature. He's staying afloat, he feels a fish breeze by his leg. He understands the horses in their weightlessness, he feels as light as a feather.

Kacchan is still clinging to Lyric, who wants to join Kisses but is being held back by a certain blonde.

He's still close enough to catch and help Kacchan if need be. Speaking of, with the help of multiple curse words spoken under his breath, starts letting go of Lyric. 

It's clear he's struggling, but he's swimming nonetheless. Izuku gets closer, closing the gap between them. Kacchan trips on, well nothing, you can't trip on water really. Still, he manages it and panic spreads across his face. 

Izuku is quick to catch him. Placing his hands above Kacchans waist, his skin is slippery and hard to get a grip on. It's not generally considered an easy task to hold up a bulky grown man, but to him it was. 

“I don't need your fucking help put me down right now before I beat the shit out of you, you fucking bitch ass-”

“Shh just calm down, you're floating so why are you so unsure of yourself?” 

“Who said I was unsure, I'm as sure as the sky is blue”

“Ok…then I'm gonna let go”

Izuku begins to loosen his grip ever so slightly, in response Kacchan digs his nails into Izuku's shoulders. Stiffening up, eyes going wide. Internally Izuku cries out in pain but he keeps it undercover. Kacchans hands are sweaty, Izuku had never realized how clammy his hands could get  

“Shit- wait, just- fuck”

“Just breathe, I know it looks deep but I'm here. I got you”

Surprisingly, Kacchan takes his advice. He forced himself to halt the panic by clenching his eyes shut and inhaling deeply. Izuku can feel each deep breath he takes, and Kacchans palms no longer feel as sweaty, and slowly the tension is released. 

“See? Nice and easy”

“Shut it before I scalp your skin off with my teeth”

✦•······················•✦•······················•

“What the hell are you doing?”

Izuku looked up from his journal, which he had been concentrating on profusely for the last thirty minutes or so. “Um, I'm just- just…” Izuku looked down, lifting his pencil from its position; he couldn't tell Kacchan what he was drawing. He wouldn't live to see another day, or maybe he would but he'd be horribly disfigured. He had been innocently sketching his travel companion, making sure to get every detail right. Every mole, necklace, and strand of hair is perfectly portrayed in his notebook. Along with a few quick notes on his habits and what he likes to eat. 

He lied “I'm rerouting, there should be a town nearby. We're getting low on some things… plus they-they uh-”

He fiddled with the pencil, twirling it between his fingers

“They have a festival, it looks pretty cool. I think we should check it out.”

It wasn’t a total lie. Around this time of year, the fairly large city threw on a widely known festival. They were lucky enough to be around to visit in time. 

Kacchan huffed, rearranging himself to be more comfortable. “As long as it's not a fuckin’ snooze fest, if it is I'll kill you Deku” 

Izuku chuc

kled nervously and went back to his journal. Kacchan sure liked threatening him. 

He didn’t mind.

Chapter Text

Crowded.

That was Katsuki’s first thought when he entered the town. He held the reins on Lyric tightly and maneuvered her through the wave of people. The streets were utterly embellished with countless banners, flyers, and the odd decoration. It was… strange. All the decor was stark white, unusual to the utterly colorful town around them. The voices, footsteps, vendors, and street performers were starting to overwhelm him. In any other circumstance, he would've been fine, but going from the middle of nowhere to a busy city was certainly a rude awakening for his nervous system. 

“Hey Kacchan, could you check in at the hostel while I run to get some supplies for today?” Katsuki wanted to respond with a harsh no. He would rather die than carry out a favor for Deku. But the thought of taking a long, warm bath and having the privacy of a room was looking all too pleasing. “Tch. Do it yourself.”

“Oh, I didn’t mean it like that! It's just that uh- I was actually planning a surprise for you.. I need to go find some things first, though..” Deku sputtered uselessly, gesturing with his hands nervously. Katsuki, in all his graciousness, decided to agree; he might as well let Deku do this. He snatched Kisses’ reins from Deku’s grasp and walked away with both horses, evading the swarm of passersby around them. 

Now that Deku mentioned a surprise, he was a little antsy about it. He wasn’t completely sure what Deku was capable of. It seems that every day spent with that bumbling mess of green hair and splattered freckles was a game of roulette. He couldn’t read Deku, not just because of the tiger’s head covering half his face. His manners, his demeanor, his attitude never seemed stagnant. But his passion remained solid, standing its ground, and through glimpses, he saw it burn within his eyes. Katsuki had to remain on guard.

After a grueling process of checking in at the hostel, he flopped onto the bed. Who would've thought it would be difficult to check in at one of the busiest times of the year, he chuckled dryly to himself. The bed was cheaply made, he could tell instantly. He’d rather a bed than the cold ground, so he pushed his complaints to the side. After a few quiet moments of decompression, he forced his body off the bed. The feeling of grime was starting to settle in, and he hated the feeling. 

He grabbed a few products from his bag. He had to travel rather lightly, but he indulged himself in a few quality cosmetic products. He reached for an outfit he deemed worthy to wear at a festival, not including a shirt of which he owned none. He removed his makeup with a damp rag and settled into the bath. He sighed with relief. The muffled noise of the streets was far away, and the warm water was all too close. Perfect.

Thereafter dressing himself and embellishing his body with layers upon layers of jewelry, he grabbed his red makeup. He applied rather carefully today, making sure everything seemed tidy and flawless. He added a few extra details, something he rarely does, given how his makeup often smudges from his journeys. He even painted his nails, which are often neglected and used for practical purposes. 

Even though his routine seemed to be slow and precise today, Deku still hadn’t shown up. It’s not like he was waiting for him anyway. He was just passing the time and giving himself a needed spa day. At least that's what he kept repeating in his mind. He organized the hostel room and rearranged everything neatly. Making sure his bed looked better and more comfortable than the one he decided was Deku’s.

After all that, Deku still hadn’t shown up. He huffed. That nerd had the nerve to seemingly forget about Katsuki. It ticked him off to his wits' end. He was going over his plans to terroize the twat when he heard knocking on the door. The shuffling of items could be somewhat heard: “Kacchan, can I come in?”

The door wasn’t locked. How helpless could Deku be? He opened the door to Deku, holding a big cloth bag, fumbling with other miscellaneous items they needed. “Woah- You look great, Kacchan.” Deku gaped like a fool, he wanted to laugh in his face. He realized quickly why he had spent so long getting ready, and the laugh died in his throat. He would never admit to anyone why he spent so long getting ready. Why he put cologne on, and why he styled his hair carefully. His awareness sent a shiver down his spine, and he almost wanted to run away. The little routines of making himself look and feel better for De-. He quickly stopped the thought from completing. His pride swelled at the thought of looking good, but something else coated it; he felt weirdly uneasy

He stepped to the side, letting Deku in. Who fumbled a few moments more before getting his things in order. Deku swallowed hard and looked more like a scared deer than a grown man. Wide eyed and tongue tied he hesitantly asked, “So for the surprise, I want you to close your eyes until we get there…Is that okay with you?” The sheer audacity of that green eyed freak kept on surprising him, seriously, who does Deku think he is? If it were anyone else he would've rocked their shit and throw them out the building. But the anger didn't rise this time. He wanted to get this over with, and though he’d never admit it, the anticipation was running through his brain like a crazed ferret. 

“Hell no!”

“Please, Kacchan, I promise it's worth it!”

“I seriously fucking doubt it”

Deku barged into his personal space, completely forgetting what boundaries were. He looked like he was on the verge of tears, and small slivers of guilt crept into his brain. Well, that was great; now he felt like the bad guy. 

He let out a long sigh

“Whatever.”

Deku’s watery eyes dried instantly, making him question how real those tears were. Deku flinched forward, arms extended like he was going in for a hug, but stopped as soon as he started. 

“Well, we have no time to waste! It's going to start soon.” Deku grabs a bag from the bed and ties it to his belt. “Please close your eyes.”

He begrudgingly obeys and closes his eyes. His senses heighten to balance out the important and newly lost sense. He can hear Deku shuffle a couple more objects and open the creaky door. 

And then a calloused hand takes his own.

“Let go of me you shitty nerd-”

“But how are we going to get there otherwise? I’ll be careful, don’t worry!”

“Don’t undermine me! And you don’t have to worry about me either, ill hold your fucking hand but don’t expect me to keep going with your weird antics”

“Thank you so much, Kacchan”

He's pulled forward and out of the room.

He already regrets saying yes. 

✦•······················•✦•······················•

“Shit your hands are clammy Deku”

“Sorry! It's just- uh, just hot out today”

They were pushing their way through crowds, or at least that's what he could figure out without actually seeing anything. Straining his hearing and having to rely on Deku was proving to be difficult. Various times, he has bumped into people, including Deku, who really isn’t good at this. Constantly apologizing for every mishap or misstep. Through the sounds of the crowd bustling, he can hear musicians play an upbeat song.

Deku mutters out a couple more apologies as he pushes the two deeper in the crowd. Katsuki occasionally stumbles, and Deku barely reacts, pulling him up quickly like he had already foreseen his actions. 

They probably looked insane, he was glad they weren't wearing their spirituals, which Deku was adamant they kept in the hotel. Everything about this so called surprise was strange, and he couldn’t quite piece together what it could possibly be. Suddenly, Deku lets go, and for a split second, he's left alone. All too quickly, he feels the same calloused hand cover the upper half of his face

“Ok, we made it!” 

Deku takes one of his hands and places what feels like a cloth bag in it. Then he slowly removes his hand from Katsuki’s eyes. He's momentarily blinded by the bright sun, and blinks harshly a few times to readjust his vision. 

The first thing he sees is Deku’s dorky smile.

“Open the bag! The festival starts in a few minutes.”

Inside the bag are multiple pouches of brightly colored powders, colors he's only seen in newly born rainbows. The dots still aren't connecting, and it's apparent Deku can sense that too. Deku smiles reassuringly and pulls out his own bag.

“These were really hard to get today! That’s why I took so long, everyone here was looking to buy some for today and-”

Someone shouts something celebratory in the distance, and in the blink of an eye, a beautiful cloud of purple powder is in the sky. He looks over in concern, but no one else moves. He sees another dust of powder thrown into the sky, this time it was white. And then red, then yellow, and before long, the blue sky turns every color imaginable. He could feel himself gape in awe, he stood. 

An airy substance hits his torso. A splash of green makes its home on his scars, he hears Deku laugh. Who is standing with his pouch of green powder open. The people around him dance around and throw the powder, laughing as their skin turns into an art piece. The once pristine white decor turns into mosaics of all the people throwing the powder. The streets turn vivid, and the ground becomes a painting of people's colored feet dancing around. He tries to force down his smile but can’t. It was beautiful, all of it. 

Deku giggles as he tries to take it all in. Of course, he can't let Deku go out unscathed after throwing at him first. 

The next half hour is a blur of green, orange, red, and every other color under the sun. Laughing so hard they can't help but clutch their stomachs. Deku’' laugh is warm, he can't help but be reminded of canaries in the summer, of soft rain landing on skin, it felt natural.

His makeup, his hair, and his outfit were all ruined. His clothes no longer clean, and he could feel the powder settle in every soft crevice of his skin. Mere hours ago he would've been pissed, and angry the whole day. Now, he can't help but to think the colorful stains would make a great addition.

Dekus' hands are blue, green, and white.

His are yellow, blue, and red.

Flashes of green, teal, and pink flood his mind.

✦•······················•✦•······················•

The initial hype of the festival had dwindled down. Although people were still throwing the powder at each other, most were off exploring what else the town had to offer. Sitting on a bench, the two enjoyed a dessert, looking at the passersby. Not a single person unscathed by color.

“I also got you this-” Deku fumbles to bring out a pouch no bigger than his thumb. “It was the hardest color to get, but I wanted you to have it.”

“The fuck?” He raised an eyebrow and tentatively took the pouch. Opening it up, he was met with the most gorgeous shade of royal purple he had seen in his life. To see the color was an unimaginable rarity, the shade only made by crushing snails of scarce population. It was deep and rich and breathtaking. Specks of glitter were in the powder. 

“I think the makeup you wear is- well, I think it's special. I was thinking you could use it for that, or you don't have to! I just want you to have it.”

He dips a finger in the pigment, it's soft. With his finger coated, he reached for Deku’s face. Who flinched slightly, but stared in silence. Katsuki ran his finger down Deku’s cheek, smearing a purple streak on it. 

Deku’s eyes crinkled with his smile.

✦•······················•✦•······················•

“Cmon Kacchan! Join me!”

“I will kill you!”

Deku was adamant about joining a dancing crowd, and bringing him along. The music was fast, catchy, and joyful. Deku was already dancing, joining the crowd in moving their limbs to the rhythm. It didn't look choreographed at all, just people with a desire to dance. Sloppy movements with smiling faces, couples hand in hand.

While he stood his ground, Dekus kept on dancing, a small boy of about eight years bumped into him. His face quickly went from annoyance to awe, he had to strain his neck quite harshly to look Deku in the eye. 

Deku grabbed both of the boy's hands and danced with him, spinning and laughing like nothing else mattered. 

It reminded him of leaves falling from tall trees, swaying with every soft whisper of wind, but when there are multiple, their independent movements link and for a moment they all answer to the air's melody. 

His foot was the first to betray him, tapping along to the beat. Then his shoulders, the rest of him, was quick to surrender to the serenade of the music. 

Deku was elated to see him give in, moving over as close as he could to him 

The painted pair danced until their feet could no longer carry their weight, until their smiles hurt their cheeks, until the sun cast a golden glow to everything it touched.

✦•······················•✦•······················•

“Kacchan, I'm glad you said yes.”

“Hm?”

Katsuki was drifting off to sleep, his mind and body tired from today. The murmurs of owls hooting, the trees tapping on the glass slightly, the lullaby of nature outside their windows carrying him heavier into exhaustion.

“Well, according to the map, this is our last stop before the Sequoia forest. And I'm just glad we get to enjoy it.”

“...”

“Just, whatever happens when we reach it I'm just-” Deku sucks in air “I'm happy. If you find the sword before I do, don't forget about me.”

Katsuki pretends to sleep. Not daring to make a movement that suggests otherwise. He didn't know what to say, what to think of what Deku was spewing. Did he want the same? His journey as a warrior has been lonely and angry, but it didn't feel that way anymore. 

He had devotion, a goal, and ambition. He had something to work towards, someone to surpass.

…

He didn't want it to end either. He wanted to keep running

To keep reaching milestones 

To compete so closely together

The thrill of the chase 

Who else but Deku?

Chapter Text

 Some things are born monumental.

The oceans and seas are taking up more space than one can feasibly imagine. The sky so vast and expansive, it's almost sickening to think how one could never get close to even touching the very beginning of it. Mountains that jut out of the earth, huge even on the edge of the horizon. 

But none of those things are living. Really, how could anything living possibly be so monumental that it almost hurts to think about it? It's an imprudent concept Izuku has never pondered…before now. 

“Woah..”

They had reached the beginning of the forest, and it was unlike anything either had ever seen before. The treetops so high and mighty, the leaves looked like desperate hands reaching for the light of god. Trunks so wide and full of history that they might have predated the ocean itself. It made him feel inconsequential, small, and utterly aware of just how young he was. Even in his bones, he could feel the magnitude and importance of this place. It's a sight that turns one religious or, at the very least, makes them rethink their entire life

“I guess we made it..” Izuku gapes in awe

“No shit…”

Kacchan starts pushing forward, entering the forest. Izuku was uneasy; he knew it was stupid, but he couldn't shake the feeling that the trees were looking down at him. The endless branches of them pointing at him. His nerves began affecting Kisses, who started getting antsy as well. Pinning her ears every which way and stumbling a little from the nerves. He tried reassuring her, but the slight quiver in his fingers wasn't convincing to either of them, and his heart squeezed a little when she continued despite her fears. 

“Why aren't ya’ saying anything?”

“-Huh?”

Izuku snapped from his thoughts with a frantic jolt

“You usually ramble about a million things or facts, you never shut up.”

Ah, Kacchan was worried about him. It warmed his heart, maybe he did care if Izuku lived or died. That's good enough for him. 

“Sorry, I'm just taking in the sight of the forest. These trees are so huge, it's almost too much to take in, y’know?”

“I guess”

The conversation faded into silence. While it didn’t bother Izuku as he was busy overthinking, it seemed something still bugged Kacchan because he tried to spark conversation again. Something quite rare, but he wasn't going to complain. 

“That damned sword better be here.”

“I don't know… we only came here because we managed to get hearsay from one person.”

“Sure, but if he gave us misinformation we could always kick his ass.”

Izuku giggled, and he saw the small wrinkle of a smile starting to creep up on Kacchan’s face. Although their journey was based on a fable, he couldn't help but feel the anticipation of something great. 

With every step Kisses took, an uncertainty filled him. For his future, if he did find the fabled sword, what would he do with it? Being the best warrior to live… how could he live up to that? He tried to imagine finding the sword and parting ways with Kacchan. It was hard to conceptualize a future without him, it was exponentially more difficult to even come to terms with it. Now that he could think of stretching this journey farther than it had been, he was being selfish. Greedy in taking Kacchans time and fate, but the thought of leaving him again was becoming unbearable to his conscious. 

A sharp pain hits Izuku’s left arm, and he winces. What the?

“Oi, get yer’ head out of your ass. You're thinking so hard, steam is coming out.”

Kacchan dismounted and had thrown a rock at him.

“Oww, I'm sorry, Kacchan.”

“Ya’ better be”

Izuku gets down as well, wanting to follow in Kacchan's footsteps. He tries to avoid thinking about the future, just for today at least. 

Lyric nudges Izuku’s arm, scratching her head and waiting to be petted. He obliges and smiles softly. Her name was still a mystery to Izuku, and though it's silly, he still really wants to know how Kacchan ended up with that name. Maybe it was based on an old family pet, or maybe he just really liked music

“Are you ever gonna tell me why you named her Lyric?”

“I don't owe you shit.”

Izuku laughs, “Cmon, don't you think I deserve to know?”

“Not really.”

They're walking around aimlessly, reins in hand, just surveying the area while keeping up the conversation. It was silent in the forest, so the only thing to be heard was their footsteps

“I’ll tell you why I named her Kisses.” He gestures to Kisses, “It's because she likes to give Kisses, she likes nibbling and pecking things with her lips. It's cute! Now your turn.”

Kacchan pauses and scrunches his face, resultantly he begins to speak.

“Fine. I chose it because the mark on her face looks like a music note.” 

Izuku smiles. It was amusing to see how simple the reason was, yet Kacchan refused to tell him. How much pushing and prodding it took to squeeze even one truth from him. It was a game they played every time they had a conversation, and Izuku was starting to enjoy it just a little

“Well, I think it's a very fitting name then, Kacchan.”

“... I don't care.”

✦•······················•✦•······················•

It wasn't right. 

What wasn't right? Izuku couldn't tell you. A gut feeling that weighed him down, he couldn't ignore it. Something was going to happen, he hoped he had the strength to stop it. 

Kacchan and Izuku had separated a little, trying to cover more ground. He desperately wanted to avoid staying here overnight. He's slept in terrible conditions, but even now, blinking scared him as he couldn't see for that split second.

He kept a constant eye out for Kacchan, watching for his every move. He's just being paranoid. The whole time they've been here, it's been quiet, not even a single chirp from a bird or the idle sound of crickets. 

He continued forward, and the base of the trees was massive. He was looking for anything that caught his eye, really, a sliver of silver or a peak of gold. 

They had tied Kisses and Lyric to one of the smaller non-Sequoia trees. They wouldn't be gone for long, so he wasn't too worried about them. They were smart gals who could just relax for a few hours. 

He tried to ground himself with every step he took, just when he was about to suggest returning to the outskirts of the forest was when he laid eyes on what could very likely be the biggest tree on the entire Earth

It was wider than anything living he'd ever seen before. One could probably carve a house or even a tower from the tree alone. He couldn't wrap his head around the sheer size; the weight of it must've been incomprehensible 

It was odd that he hadn't seen it from further, how could he miss that behemoth of a tree? 

As if it couldn't get any weirder, there was a hole right in the middle of the base of the trunk. Forming an arch that shielded whatever lived inside. 

Curiosity overtook him, and he rushed to see what was inside. he was being magnetically pulled by his wonder. 

He shoved away the small ferns and bushes that littered the entrance, it looked like something had detonated to make that hole. It looked man-made, the roots of the tree supporting it with all their might 

The thought of it possibly collapsing crossed his mind, and he shrugged it off as he tried not to overthink it. 

Then the sun got caught in a feather that was lying on the ground, making it gleam iridescently. He tried picking it up, but it was connected to a red string with small jade beads 

He wiped the dirt off the string, which led to…. A handle! 

He hastily wiped off as much dirt as he could, and it revealed a handle. 

He couldn't believe it.. it couldn't be this easy, right? This was just a weird dream he's had since he was young, it can't possibly be this easy to achieve, right??

He tried pulling on the handle, but it was lodged well and deep into the ground. After a few minutes of struggling and a couple of muttered curse words, more of the sword was revealing itself. More than half of it was wrapped in roots, entangling themselves around the silver.

He took a slight break and hyped himself up mentally before getting his teeth and using all the strength he could muster. Pulling like his life depended on it, he could hear cracking emerging from the ground and the ripping of wooden fibers 

Pulling harshly with all his weight, he heard a loud rupture, and the momentum from the sword loosening, and his pulling made him stumble over and fall

He accidentally let his grip slip off the sword, which flew a couple of feet away 

Although dirty, the sword was made by a master of their craft. It was long, with intricate detailing on the body. The feather and a big red tassel hung on the very top of the handle. While it wasn't anything flashy like modern swords, it was historical looking and definitely unlike anything that could be bought today

He reached for it, but the sound of footsteps stopped him. Kacchan was a few hundred feet away

Izulu desperately wanted to show him the sword, like a kid showing their toy to their classmates or a dog presenting its ball to its owner

He yanked it off the ground, and dear God, it was heavy. He practically dragged it to even get a little ways closer to Kacchan

“Kacchan, look!”

He bit down and lifted the sword above his head, letting it bask in its glory. Even from under the sword, he could feel the reflected warmth of the sun the sword gave off. He was ecstatic, grinning from ear to ear. The rush of dopamine made him euphoric.

Then he caught Kacchans eye

It was..

Well, he didn't know what he was expecting. 

But the look of hatred Kacchan showed almost made him topple over right then and there. He had his brows furrowed and his mouth twisted into a frown, Izuku recalled from his pre-teen days. The worst part, he didn't say anything

He didn't cuss him out or even tackle him. Kacchan just stared at him like he'd gutted him. Like, Izuku was the worst thing he could look at in the moment. 

His breath hitched 

His arm began to give out, and he harshly stabbed the sword into the ground with a cruel cracking of the rock. 

He still had a harsh grip of the handle, but all at once his back grew heavy, and a stabbing migraine filled his head. At first, he thought it was mild whiplash 

Then a wave of pain starting from his head down shocked through him. He yelped in pain, and in his grasp, the sword began glowing. The intricate detailing lights up slightly

He must've been hallucinating, but before he could question it any further, a chilling rumbling grew from the earth and started spreading 

The ground itself, always certain and ever steady, started shaking. Earthquakes weren't uncommon, but he's never felt like this before. In the distance, a loud, terrifying echo of Earth cracking apart washed over the area, the trees shaking from the vibration. Leaves began to fly everywhere, as if they were being tossed astray by a tornado 

The sword began glowing even more harshly, it was blinding at this point. Kacchan stared in disbelief as he tried holding himself steady, feet planted into the ground 

The light grew so blinding that he couldn't bear opening his eyes

A loud and powerful shockwave of energy catapulted out from the sword, and everything in its vicinity was thrown off balance and sent collapsing. He was growing more and more nauseous, and he could barely recognize that he was on the floor. He lurched off, trying to stand 

Wait-

Where's Kacchan?

He pushed through the mind numbing pain and saw Kacchan. Unconscious, groaning in pain. He held his abdomen like he'd been hit. 

“KACCHAN-” 

Izulu tried crawling towards him, but he was sure his leg had just been cracked open, a sharp aching wave of pain running through him. He could feel his heartbeat pulse from his ligaments, and it then reached the other leg. He began tearing up from the agony 

A deafening ringing had begun in his ear, and he quickly checked his ear, but his hand was met with the warm spilling of blood. All at once, he could hear every little sound imaginable, the sound of his blood pumping, his heartbeat, even the worms inside the earth

He could hear Kacchan's heartbeat, thank the heavens, it was steady and beating. The reassurance alone almost made him collapse, but a ripping pain from his back and arms began. It was horrifying to be able to hear his skin tear. If he had control of his body, he would cover his ears

He could hear everything in the forest. Tears were pouring from his eyes, and though it hurt him more, he couldn't keep in his screams of pain. He didn't care what creature heard him; all he wanted was the solace of the pain to end. He looked at his legs to try and assess what could possibly be causing the pain

His only theory thus far has been that he was actively being ripped apart alive. His legs had long, precise cuts on them that oozed warm, dark blood. He screamed in horror because immediately after they had begun forming and meshing back together. Healing themselves, leaving long scars behind, he shuddered in terror

It all started merging into unbearable torture and anguish, and every passing moment, he could feel his body break itself and form back together. The sound of his bones cracking and muscles ripping is something he might never get out of his head again. His nose began bleeding, and just like his hearing, his smell had enhanced tenfold. Though at the moment, the only thing he could focus on was the smell of warm, metallic, crimson blood. 

Without looking, he knew Kacchan had awoken, his heartbeat growing faster as he rushed over to Izuku. His breath was rough and fast. He could hear Kacchan's teeth clench and his pulse rising, it was appalling to listen to every part of Kacchan

He hissed in pain when Kacchan attempted to help him up, he couldn't bear it. Opting to collapse back onto the floor. The unmoving ground helped keep him stable mentally, and shifting any part of him felt like an endless purgatory 

“Get the hell up D-Deku!” Kacchans screamed at him with a slight wavering in his voice. It felt like an arrow had pierced Izuku's eardrum, the scream making him cry out

Kacchans held him the best he could, but his touch was fire to Izuku's skin, and everything was beginning to really make him crave the relief of just giving up. 

“Damn it don't fucking dont do this right now or I’ll kill you dead!” 

Through clouded vision and after a few sobs ripped out of his body, Izuku tried muttering what mattered at the moment. He had noticed a different smell, one he couldn't pinpoint at this moment, but he knew it wasn't theirs. It was foreign, woody, and slightly flowery. Not a wild animal, but something or…someone else. 

He could tell it was far away, but it inched slightly closer with every passing minute. 

He pulled Kacchans closer, his voice barely above a raspy whisper 

“We... we aren't alone”

Kacchans horrified expression was the last thing he saw

before it all turned to black