Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

The UA grounds were still charred to a lifeless rot of brown. The trees, if they had branches left at all, were leafless and their bark burnt. The lawn no longer gleamed Katsuki’s second favourite shade of green. No students loitered, despite curfew having not yet arrived. It was simply the barren remains of an un-won battle.

This is what his quirk wrought: death.

Dusk neared. Getting Izuku to breathe normally, and then getting to UA had taken up most of the afternoon. Actually getting inside UA had been concerningly easy, a fact which Katsuki chalked up to the knowledge that their traitor principal had no real interest in protecting the school and students. The thought made him so angry that he could very literally explode.

At least it made their lives easier, if only marginally. The real challenge came next.

How were they supposed to explain all this to their peers and mentors?

From the beginning, an annoyingly sincere voice whispered in the back of his head, sounding suspiciously like Izuku. Though he loathed to admit it, Katsuki knew that he couldn’t hope to place faith in his friends without first giving them the truth.

Truth. The word tasted heavy on his tongue. It felt like he’d been lying too long to even speak honestly, except to Izuku. But with Auntie Inko’s life hanging in the balance, there was nothing Katsuki wouldn’t do. Still, his stomach churned at the thought of how his confession was going to be received.

Eijirou would hate him. Murder was most certainly not manly. Katsuki pretended the thought of losing him didn’t feel like a grip around his throat. Mina and Denki may not outwardly scorn him, but he could already picture the revulsion in their eyes. And he’d already lost Hanta. So, he’d lose some of the only people who ever really knew him and loved him anyway.

It didn’t matter. It couldn't. As long as they helped find Inko Midoriya, then it would have to be worth it. Losing Auntie was not an option, not for Katsuki and certainly not for Izuku.

Oh, he’d also be kicked from the Hero program, making all their sacrifices mute in the end. Cool. Fucking whatever. This was all fucking fine.

A rough palm brushed along his arm, breaking his chain of thought, “Kacchan?”

The nerd was holding it together as well as he could. Ever impressive, the only thing that betrayed his inner turmoil was the occasional twitch of Blackwhip – smoky tendrils reaching for someone it couldn’t find. Katsuki knew Izuku like he knew how to throw a right hook though, so he knew that pressure was pushing at the seams. He could feel the undercurrent of angry, nervous energy. He could see the way Izuku's eyes darted around frantically, and how he kept clenching and unclenching his fists.

Fuck. Katsuki needed to stop this self-pity shit. Izuku needed him.

“Into the beast’s belly?” He asked.

“Aizawa sensei isn’t that scary.”

Katsuki raised his brow, you sure about that?

“… Maybe,” Izuku chuckled, still not quite himself, but a semblance of it. Katsuki felt every organ in his body physically flip. His boy was a marvel. His resilience was unmatched. Of fucking course all of this would be worth it. Anything for this boy.

Jerking his head in the direction of their dorm, Katsuki reached out his hand. As always, Izuku didn’t hesitate to reach back, clasping them together.

They managed a single step towards their destination before UA’s alarm started squealing.

Barely suppressing the urge to roar, Katsuki looked over at a befuddled Izuku, who was steadily losing his control over Blackwhip, which shot out and snaked itself around Katsuki’s waist. He swotted at it, and it dissolved into a smoky wisp.

Izuku was still looking dumbfounded, “Did we…?”

“I don’t think so. I mean, we’ve been on the grounds for a while now and nothing happened.”

“But that means …”

Their dorm was only about 600 metres from where they were. 600 metres of scorched land stood between their friends and them. They could cover that distance in no time at all if they had the right motivation.

“It means we’re not the only ones breaking the rules tonight.”

~~~

Izuku would like to say that he was doing his damned best. He had calmed down. He was following Katsuki’s instructions to the letter. He was refraining from outright screaming and tearing down entire cityscapes. Really, he was doing his best.

So, when UA’s stupid security system started up, you’ll forgive him for his immediate reaction. Because his first thought wasn’t his most upstanding.

He did not think with concern for his friends or the other patrons of UA. He was not suddenly possessed with a hunger to hunt down the threat to his school. His first thought came to him clearly, and slapped him silly with its selfishness. It was this: We don’t have fucking time for this.

Worse still was that he stood by that thought. His mother was All Might knows where, possibly hurt and definitely afraid. He was no closer to finding her than he was to being ranked No. 1 hero this year. He was about to say such concerns to Katsuki. Perhaps they should go find her just the two of them. But then they heard a familiar shout.

“You!” The cry tore through air like dagger through flesh. It was wretched and pained and much louder than should be necessary.

Izuku didn’t have the luxury of being selfish anymore, because he knew that voice. Shouto. He wasn’t the only one who recognized the gravelly tone, because Katsuki frowned and said, “Wasn’t that IcyHot?”

Incapable of standing idly by, they ran towards the dorms, the way of the shout. As they approached, it became obvious that something major was unfolding. The telltale noises of a scuffle echoed in the air in bangs and whirs and grunts of pain. Izuku could hear the hiss of flames grow louder with each step they took.

Then, just as they turned the final corner towards their dorm, the distinct yell of their teacher rose above everything.

“Get back! You are not to engage him.” Aizawa was livid, eyes wide open as he glared at his opponent. For a moment, Izuku thought the teacher had been yelling at them, but then he spotted Shouto, Eijirou, Denki and Hitoshi standing behind him, each in a fighting stance, Shouto with blood trickling down his arm.

The enemy was partially hidden in a cloud of smoke, a curtain of cobalt flames. The camouflage didn’t last long though. Dabi emerged, hands by his sides. He didn’t seem concerned in the slightest. Behind him, a small, white shape. Izuku squinted. Nedzu. Their principal stood there, calm as ever, watching the scene. Incidentally, it was he who saw them first.

“Oh look! Young Midoriya and Bakugou have returned to us at last.”

All eyes fell on Izuku and Katsuki. Eijirou and Denki shouted out to Katsuki. Even Hitoshi’s consistently stoic façade slipped a little. The shock must’ve been even great enough to force a blink out of Aizawa, because Dabi was suddenly charging at them, fire dancing around him.

“I wouldn’t,” Nedzu started, but seemed to think better of it, shrugging as Dabi hurled himself at them.

“Ready for rematch, little brat?” Dabi sang, grinning maniacally as he sped at Izuku.

We don’t have fucking time for this, Izuku thought once more, as he darted right. He didn’t check, but he knew Katsuki charged left. Two steps out they shifted direction, and met in the middle, where Dabi waited. Izuku felt the familiar electric current run through his leg as he kicked at Dabi’s knees. Katsuki swung arm forwards at Dabi’s shoulder, sparks igniting at his fingertips.

To his credit, Dabi was fast. He jumped backwards, narrowly avoiding a pair of broken kneecaps, and making space for Katsuki’s explosion to hit Izuku instead. Unfortunately for him, fighting both Katsuki and Izuku at once was not something a person just jumped away from. Before detonation, Izuku beckoned Blackwhip. The tendril shot out and grabbed Dabi around his middle and tugged him back. Katsuki grinned, the split-second delay let him bring his other hand to join the first, and as soon as Dabi was in range … Boom.

“You’re not that hot, blue bastard!” Katsuki screamed.

Dabi scrambled backwards, his melting skin scorched but otherwise unharmed. Aizawa and Shouto were waiting for him. Shouto was entirely enraptured with his brother. His eyes were cold but he moved like coals burned under his feet. Aizawa looked only exasperated.

Before either party could strike though, a black hole rimmed with purple opened in the air near the principal. A moment of hesitation, then Aizawa slung his weapon towards Nedzu instead. The creature stepped aside, the scarf slapping the ground next to him. Before Aizawa could chance another throw, Dabi had slung a wall of flames up between them.

“Kurogiri, you are late,” Nedzu said, as if this were a dentist appointment. He didn’t even spare them a second glance as he stepped towards the portal.

“How could you do this? We all trusted you,” Aizawa asked.

Nedzu looked lazily over his shoulder, “The League and I have a common enemy.” He had his creepy smile on, like he was trying to make the expression look natural on his face and failing miserably. He stepped into the portal. Dabi went to follow.

Seeing this, Shouto screamed again and made a final play. He encased himself in an armour coating of ice and leapt through the fire. Dabi watched him with curious eyes, and as his brother approached him, Dabi flung a fireball at his feet. Shouto dodged, but in doing so allowed Dabi the moment he needed to disappear into the portal.

Shouto dived again, but the portal had vanished with a small pop. A fist of ice and a fist of fire pounded against the dirt instead. Izuku ran over to him, ignoring all else. But certainly not being ignored.

“Problem children!” Aizawa began, “Where have you –“

He didn’t finish, cut off by an approaching stampede of shouts from behind a nearby building.

“The holding cell has been breached!” “Nedzu is gone!” “Is that smoke?” “Over there! By the dorms!”

Aizawa hissed under his breath, “Shit.” Then he rounded on his students. His scarf whipped like a lasso over Izuku and Shouto and tossed them backwards. Then, it similarly snatched Katsuki up too. He dumped the three of them unceremoniously by the other group of students, “Hide them; Keep them quiet!”

Again upright, Shouto snaked his arms around Izuku, one hand coming to rest over his chest, the other pulled lightly over his mouth. Blood smeared across Izuku’s shirt from Shouto’s injured arm.

“Oi!” Katsuki snapped, but before he could do anything, he too had been scooped into Eijirou’s arms, Denki reaching up to cover his mouth with his hands. A little shell-shocked by their sudden kidnapping, the group managed to pull them into the dorm’s genkan and out of sight without them causing much of a fuss. Hitoshi slammed the doors shut behind them.

Ignoring his own ‘captor’ was pretty easy. Izuku was certain he could break Shouto’s hold on him if he tried. In fact, he could feel Shouto’s hands shaking where they touched him. Also, he was pretty sure Shouto would let go on his own accord if Izuku showed any sign of discomfort.

More concerning to him was Katsuki’s muffled protests. He was thrashing in Eijirou’s arms, trying to get loose. Eijirou seemed to have hardened his upper body, not flinching at the errant elbows smashing into him. Still, Katsuki wasn’t one to give up. His face was a deep red, almost the colour of his eyes as he looked – or glared, rather – at Shouto. He shook his head, trying to loose himself from Denki’s hands. Suddenly, Denki pulled away with an offended hiss, “You bit me!”

Katsuki didn’t look apologetic in the slightest. Actually, he didn’t look at Denki at all. His eyes were trained firmly on Shouto’s limbs wrapped around Izuku. Oh dear. He was going to yell. Not a moment later, Katsuki yelled, “Keep your fucking hands to yourself, bastard! Get off him!”

Another time, Katsuki’s little possessive outcry may have flattered Izuku. May have made him blush or squeak. But now … We don’t have fucking time for this.

Denki leapt back towards Katsuki to try and cover his mouth, but Katsuki jerked his head violently back to avoid being silenced.

“Shut up, you moron!” Hitoshi seethed.

Whipping his head around to glare at his newfound enemy, Katsuki replied, “What di-”

A milky white dripped into his eyes and Katsuki fell quiet, his body going limp in Eijirou’s arms. It took a moment for Izuku to realise what had happened, and during that moment, a white hot flash of panic rippled through his body. Then it hit him: brainwashing. Hitoshi had brainwashed him. His panic twisted instantly into rage. A physical grip on Katsuki was one thing, but to take ahold of his autonomy?

Let him go!

Three tendrils of Blackwhip launched out at once, smacking hard into the shoe racks as they raised behind him, cloaking him in shadows. Shouto made a stuttering sort of gasp and dropped him at once. Then, chaos. The arms shot forward, moving almost of their own accord and unstoppably fast. If you looked closely, you could see slivers of green electricity crackling in the mist. The first tendril smashed hard in Eijirou, knocking him back. The grip around him now loosened, the second arm was able to wrap around Katsuki and pull him backwards towards Izuku. The third tendril, a little darker than the other two, pinned Hitoshi to the ground.

The strand holding Katsuki deposited him in Izuku’s arms, bridal style, and then dissolved. Hitoshi’s hold broken, the dazed look in Katsuki’s eyes cleared. Meanwhile, Izuku gently put his feet back on the ground, but kept an arm snug around his waist. Izuku pressed his pointer finger to his own lips, asking Katsuki to stay quiet. Coming back to his senses, he began gulping down air in stuttering gasps, eyes darting around before finally landing on Izuku. The whir of rage in Izuku's chest stilled.

The arm of Blackwhip that had pushed Eijirou slunk back to Izuku's side, and the end of it stroked Katsuki’s cheek absentmindedly as it too disappeared into the ether.

Now, the only sound in the room was the huffs of the six boys, each of whom was breathing heavily for one reason or another. A volatile tension strained in the air, keeping them all statue-still, as theirs minds whirred and hearts beat angrily in their chests. Each looked like they were inwardly screaming, not sure what move to make next.

Shouto was hunched over and finally applying pressure to the wound on his arm. He was undoubtedly reeling after seeing Dabi now that he knew he was his brother. Eijirou and Denki were staring at Katsuki, like they wanted to embrace him, like they wanted to give him a good thump on the head but were thrown off by the spontaneous calamity between them all. Hitoshi was still pinned to the floor by a threatening whip. He seemed to have resigned himself to this fate, and was lying flat on his back, looking annoyed. And as previously mentioned, Izuku had pressed Katsuki close to him, both of their eyes were wide and seeing only each other.

Nobody moved. Nobody spoke. They only breathed.

In the end, none of them breached the bizarre pause. Aizawa sensei approached the door, and they could make out his angry words to who must’ve been the rest of UA’s faculty, “I told you. If Midoriya and Bakugou were here, I didn’t see them. And if you really think that those boys are working alongside the League after risking their lives time and time again to defend our school and students against them, then I think you should reconsider your careers in education. Now, if you don’t mind, I have to get back to my students, who once again have had to face off against an undue threat. Go secure the perimeter.”

Izuku could feel Katsuki’s heart, beating against his chest in time with his own. Their teacher was defending them. Protecting them. Maybe coming back hadn’t been an entire waste of time.

Outside, there was a mumble of disgruntled protests and shuffling feet. Aizawa spoke up again, “Yagi. Mic. With me.”

The moment between those words and the door finally opening felt torturously long. Izuku considered running, despite coming here specifically to talk to these people. Probably, he only managed to stay still because Katsuki was so solid beside him.

The door creaked, and Aizawa, All Might and Present Mic shuffled in, one-by-one so as to keep the door mainly closed.

He locked eyes with All Might first, who sucked in a deep breath and sagged over in relief after taking in Izuku’s and Katsuki’s relatively unharmed forms. He looked even more frail than Izuku remembered him, less of the world’s greatest hero, more a man.

Present Mic stopped mid-step to stare at them all, eyes scanning the overturned shoe racks, Hitoshi on the floor, Shouto’s bleeding arm, Aizawa’s still exasperated but unsurprised glare and finally coming to rest on Izuku and Katsuki.

“What in fresh heavens happened to your hair?” Mic asked.

At that, Eijirou and Denki burst into laughter, and finally the tense energy between them dissolved.

In a blur of red and yellow, Katsuki was tugged from Izuku’s side and into a crushing hug from his friends. Katsuki caught his eye through the mass of limbs and grimaced. Izuku just shrugged back, and with the acknowledgement that he wasn’t getting rescued this time, Katsuki succumbed, throwing his arms over his friends’ backs.

“Midoriya,” Shouto’s gravely voice came from behind him, “Sorry for grabbing you. I’m happy to see you’re okay.”

“I too am happy that you’re okay,” All Might stepped towards him, a little cautious but smiling, “And I believe I have some apologies of my own to make.”

Izuku thought that maybe he ought to feel some sense of solace or joy or comfort in everyone’s lack of hostility. Perhaps he did deep down, but a certain kind of mania had set in since he’d walked away from the Commission’s office, away from his mother. It was all he could do not to lose all semblance of sanity. Niceties would have to wait.

“Hugs and kisses have to wait. The pair of you need to explain yourselves,” Aizawa said, and Izuku sighed a breath of relief that their teacher remained to be one of the only logical people on campus. The man was currently standing by Hitoshi, having helped him up. “Where on Earth have you two been? What is going on with you both?”

Izuku looked at Katsuki, and found him already looking back. They nodded at each other, and Izuku spoke, “It’s a long story.”

~~~

Aizawa had led them through the empty common room and towards the Staff Only section of the building. As they walked, Aizawa succinctly described how Nedzu had been put in UA's holding cells after Shouto had explained to he and All Might what Izuku had seen. Apparently, other members of staff had been less than pleased, given that the only evidence against the then-principal had been the word of a teenage fugitive. Evidently, after the little breakout that the League had just staged, such concerns had changed shape and now there were worries that Nedzu, Izuku and Katsuki were all in with the League.

Katsuki tried to keep himself from spontaneously combusting. He managed. Just.

Izuku quickly explained that his mother was missing and that he suspected the Commissioner. All Might and Mic seemed a little dubious, but Katsuki noticed that Aizawa sensei seemed to immediately believe them. In turn,He couldn’t particularly pinpoint the feeling that evoked in him, but it was warm. Eijirou and Denki flanked him as they walked, grinning each time he caught their eyes. He could name the feeling that that evoked in him. Fear. Fear that it wouldn’t last after this talk.

The group made it to what was clearly a teacher’s lounge, complete with two long couches facing each other, a coffee table between them, as well as a decked out kitchenette. Had circumstances been different, Katsuki would’ve been quite impressed with the teachers’ little haven.

Aizawa gestured for them all to sit, which they did. Hitoshi balanced himself on the armrest of the couch. Izuku took the end near him, and Katsuki shoved forwards to sit next to him. Eiji and Denks squished in beside them. Present Mic sensei had led Shouto towards a cabinet, and seemed to have pulled some bandages out.

Aizawa took a seat on the other couch. All Might joined him. The pair didn’t waste any time. Aizawa looked at Izuku, calmly but extremely serious, “I need you to explain how you’ve reached a point that you think the Commissioner has kidnapped your mother, because it’s very clear to me that I’m missing crucial plot points. What did you know of Aoki before his death? You said you killed him. I need to know why, when, and how.”

His hands were shaking, so Katsuki clenched them into fists and pressed them into the top of his thighs. He looked at Izuku, who seemed to be thinking about how to respond, and he knew in his heart that Izuku would lie for him. Would come up with a story that left Katsuki relatively uninvolved. He wouldn’t even fault Katsuki for staying quiet.

Don’t flinch. Don’t run away. Not anymore. Fight, Katsuki.

“Izuku didn’t kill anyone,” He said, relieved that his voice didn’t shake.

“Kacchan …” Izuku whispered, but Katsuki shook his head.

All eyes on him, Katsuki breathed deeply, and consciously uncurled his fists. He didn’t know where to look. Usually, he’d find his solace in Izuku, but he wasn’t looking for a pardon this time. His eyes finally came to rest on All Might, who looked more confused than upset. His hero. He gulped, trying to wet his dry throat, “I –”

“Wait!”

Denki had thrown his hands out. The surprise nearly made Katsuki jump out of his seat. What could possible possess Denki, of all people, to stop him.

“We should wait for everyone else,” Denki said, “So you don’t have to explain twice.”

For a split second, everyone’s shared confusion kept them silent. Then, Aizawa sensei said, “Kaminari, the only reason I’ve allowed you four to be here is because I suspected we didn’t have time for the argument that would surely follow if I tried to send you away.”

Blinking with such a sweet ignorance, Denki replied, “Well, I wished you’d have mentioned that before..”

“Before what?” Aizawa asked, wariness colouring his question.

Denki opened his mouth to respond, but the door swung open before he could. Mina basically fell over the threshold in her haste to get inside.

“Kats! Mido!” She threw herself onto the couch and over their legs, arms flinging around them in what could only be described as a very uncomfortable hug. “Your hair looks terrible!” She said, and Katsuki realised then that she was crying, her arms trembling slightly.

A sharp pang tugged at his heart, and he rested his chin softly on top of her head, patting her back in what he hoped was a comforting manner, “Calm down… I’ve only been gone two days Pinky.”

“It feels like months!” She released Katsuki as she spoke so she could lean over to squeeze Izuku’s arm. He gave her a tight-lipped smile back.

With the door left open, they could hear the pounding of rapid footsteps coming for them. Not a minute after Mina, Tenya had burst through, engines in his legs smoking, Ochako in his arms, Tsuyu clinging to his back.

The trio cried out when they saw them, and the couch pile-up piled up higher. Elbows and gangly legs jammed into Katsuki’s side as Ochako grabbed at Izuku, crying just as much as Mina was.

“Deku-kun,” she sobbed, “We would’ve helped you!” She said something else, but it was almost entirely muffled as she pressed her face into Izuku’s shoulder. Izuku hugged her back, but his smile was strained, his dimples not as deep as they normally went. He wasn’t okay. Katsuki knew that Auntie Inko’s missing status was the only thing that Izuku could really concentrate on.

He, with great effort, pulled his hand free of the tangle of limbs and placed it lightly in Izuku’s curls. They were a bit knottier than normal, the dye having removed some of natural silkiness.

Before he could say anything, he heard a new sniffling from his other side, and found Eijirou tearing up. A bit delayed, but Katsuki felt his fondness for all of these idiots flare up.

At the door, the rest of the class was shuffling in, a mixture of emotions painting their faces. Hanta trailed near the back of the group, deep lines of exhaustion etched on his face. Katsuki’s felt a stab of regret bury itself in his chest as he looked at him.

“What is going on?” Aizawa asked, sounding more frustrated than truly angry, “How did you know we were here?”

Denki poked his head up from amongst the messy jumble of bodies on the couch, “Oh! I texted Mina.”

“And I texted everybody,” She said, wiping the last of her tears away and forcing a space between Denki and Eijirou on the couch. 

All Might tried to disguise a chuckle as a cough, which started a real coughing fit. Groaning, and thumping the hero on the back, Aizawa turned his gaze back to Katsuki, “You were about to tell us something.”

The class immediately quieted. Katsuki’s short-lived security bubble, built upon being surrounded by everyone again, popped. “Yes, I was.”

He glanced over at Izuku, who shook his head slightly, creasing his eyebrows. You don’t have to do this.

A slight nod was all Katsuki could return. Yes, I do.

A chill seeped through his veins, trickling down his neck, stinging his fingertips and toes, making breathing difficult. When he spoke, his voice was quiet, but again it didn’t shake, “It started this summer.”

Every time he got to a particularly gruesome or vulnerable point in the tale, he could feel the flare of energy next to him; he could see flashes of green twinkling in his periphery; he could sense Blackwhip hover behind him. A hysteric part of Katsuki wanted to laugh. He had his very own guard dog.

His classmates and mentors, as it turned out, were very attentive listeners. As he regaled the saga, nobody uttered a word, though there had been a fair few gasps and gulps throughout. The group had shifted, so they weren’t all over each other. The couch was still overcrowded, seating Ochako, Izuku, Eijirou, Mina and Denki and himself. Hitoshi had relinquished the armrest to Tsuyu, and taken to standing behind the couch listening, joined by Tenya, Hanta and Shouto. The rest of class had made themselves comfortable by the kitchen island, on stools or on the bench itself.

Katsuki told them almost everything, down to the tiniest detail – bar two. He did not mention that it had been Izuku’s idea to hide Aoki’s body, and he did not describe the part Izuku played in the actual disposal. If the aggressive flicks of Blackwhip were anything to go by, Izuku disapproved. Katsuki couldn’t bring himself to care.

Finally, as the story caught up to the present, there was a brief and beautiful moment of silence.

But it was only a moment.

A snarl slithered around the room, and Shouto was suddenly speaking, “And you are just now speaking up?! You were going to let him take the fall?”

“No!” Katsuki protested, though he could see how it looked.

Tenya looked purple, “It was you, all along… You started all this?”

Tsuyu made a tutting noise, “Tenya-kun, we agreed that Izuku would have had his reasons for doing this. We should treat Katsuki-kun with the same courtesy.”

Denki chimed in, twisting himself to face Tenya, “Yeah mate, back off. You heard what he said. It was a rough situation. Baku and Mido did what they thought they had to. It could have been any of us.”

Hisses of dissent and nods of agreement seemed to appear in equal amount. Aizawa remained quiet, watching the class’s reaction carefully. All Might’s hands were clenched together, his eyes downcast. Present Mic’s brow was creased, not in anger, but in thought.

His own mind was racing. He had thought … hoped … confessing might have brought him just a sliver of peace. If the heavy weight clogging the area around his heart was any indication, it had not. A man was still dead. No matter how hard he washed his hands, blood would forever stain them.

Still, it was not the time for guilt. He couldn’t afford to let his own miserable thoughts gets in the way of helping Auntie. He geared up to defend himself further, but before he even had the chance, Izuku glowed green.

“We don’t have time for this,” Though he spoke barely louder than normal, his voice sliced through all other noise. “My mother is missing. I do not give a fuck about who is right or wrong.” He turned to face Aizawa and All Might. “Either help us, or we are leaving.”

There was a quiet, collective gasp at Izuku swearing. Katsuki mentally smacked his hand to his forehead. This wasn’t the time to be making enemies of their allies.

Aizawa quirked an eyebrow, “You think I’d let you leave again?”

The glowing evolved into spurts of lightning, “Do you think you could stop me?”

God damn it, Zu. That’s not how you make friends.

Unfortunately, even if this wasn’t the method Katsuki would have picked to try and garner help, Izuku had committed to the threatening route. Not much to be done about it now. Nobody else needed to know his disapproval. Ride or die, right?

He faced his hands upwards, letting explosions spit out from his palms. He grinned wildly at Aizawa, “Forget him. You’d have to fight me.”

Their teacher looked about ready to thump them, “Oh my go-.”

“Me too!” Ochako said, reaching for Izuku’s hand. Unfortunately, a little spark of electricity inadvertently spurted off in her direction. Barely missing a beat, Ochako instead slid her hand into Katsuki’s, and stared defiantly at Aizawa. She didn’t seem to get the whole threatening vibe because she was smiling sweetly, but Katsuki felt a surge of affection for her nonetheless.

Tsuyu slipped her arm through Izuku’s, ignoring the sputters of electricity. She nodded at Katsuki and Ochako, then turned her gaze to Aizawa too.

The rest of the class seemed to be in a similar mind. Katsuki felt Eijirou’s hand thump onto his shoulder, and when he looked down the line, Mina and Denki were both linked together too. “Come on, Aizawa!” Denki yelled.

Tenya, Shouto and Hanta stood up straighter, chins tilted back. This trio definitely caught onto the threatening aura that Katsuki was trying to sell. They looked absolutely ready to fight. And while Izuku and himself were undoubtedly the most formidable, he certainly didn’t think fighting alongside those brawny three would decrease chances of victory.

Hitoshi had crossed his arms, watching them with an amused smile, “I’m with you both too. But for the record, you’re all idiots if you think Sensei is going to stand against you.”

The sentence caught Katsuki off guard, and his head whipped back around to where Aizawa sat.

The man looked entirely unimpressed. He rolled his eyes at them, “We’re going to help you, Problem Children. No need to be so dramatic.”

~~~

Not long after Katsuki’s confession, Izuku had found himself trapped in the common room amongst all his peers. Six months ago, he was sure he’d have been having a marvellous time. Today, he was one flippant remark away from blowing a hole in the wall.

Aizawa had led them out there, talking all the while. Fortunately, it seemed their trip here didn’t seem to have been a complete waste, because Aizawa was near certain that they would be able to uncover the whereabouts of his mother. As it turned out, Aizawa and Present Mic had been working independently of the Commission for some years now, a feat only the most respected and fearsome heroes could boast. All Might, on the other hand, was still technically in their employ, and they were going to try and use that to their advantage.

Less fortunately, Izuku wasn’t coping well with being told to stay put.

“And we’re just supposed to wait here?” He seethed.

“For now,” Aizawa answered coolly, “I would suggest you take this time to rest.”

Izuku couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Rest? He glanced at All Might, but the man was doing all he could to avoid eye contact.

He felt his grip on One-For-All slip. He could taste static in the air. He could feel the hair on his arm standing at attention. Quite surely, he could bring the dorm down around them with a single blow for his fist if he wanted. The power was delicious. It was necessary. He’d need it to save his mother. He flexed his fingers and green light surged upwards around him.

“Oi Deku,” Katsuki growled under his breath, “You have to chill out.”

Izuku quirked his eyebrows upwards. Chill out? How was he supposed to do that? And why should he? A wind swirled at his feet, pushing Smokescreen and thin, twisting tendrils of Blackwhip into a tiny, harmless tornado around him. His blood simmered with power. He wanted to go. His mother could be anywhere. She could be hurt. Wild scenarios of what could be happening to her galloped through his head, ranging from practical to exceedingly bleak and unlikely. He felt his feet rise slightly off the ground.

Katsuki clasped his hand, tugging him back down to ground. The wind died out.

Present Mic’s voice yelled out over the crowd, “We will be back as soon as we can little listeners.”

Aizawa caught Izuku’s eyes and then jerked his chin pointedly towards the dorm rooms, “I’m not joking. Rest.” He wasn’t willing to concede defeat, so for a moment he stood there, glaring at his teacher.

He was even less willing, however, to surrender Katsuki’s hand, so when Katsuki pulled him away and towards the dorms, Izuku reluctantly followed.

As they walked, he heard Aizawa’s grumbled whisper to the class, “Don’t leave them unsupervised.”

Gritting his teeth, Izuku stomped away.

Ochako and Shouto had tried to demand that they be allowed to join Izuku and Katsuki inside the dorm room, but some shouts from Katsuki, backed by a shroud of Smokescreen and a few errant streaks of lightning quickly put that idea to bed. Nonetheless, Izuku could feel the trail of the class behind him, watching him. They made their way to Katsuki’s room, unsure as to whether the damage in Izuku’s was ever repaired, and slipped behind the door, shutting their friends out with a soft click.

Within moments, Katsuki had pulled Izuku into his arms. His body was warm and trembling slightly. A wave of guilt crashed over Izuku. He hadn’t even stopped to think about how Katsuki was feeling after the confession. Trying to compensate, he pulled his Kacchan closer, coming just short of what would have literally been a bone-crushing hug. Katsuki’s forehead pushed at the crook between Izuku’s neck and shoulder – halfway between a nuzzle and a head-butt.

“We can run.” Katsuki whispered into his neck, eyes closed, face a little paler than normal, “If you want.”

Izuku would love to lie and say his reply had come easy to him, but it hadn’t. He loved his friends here; he trusted his mentors. But everything in him ached to act, and he knew the only person who could match him in that battle was Katsuki.

But they didn’t even know where his mother was, really.

He swallowed his fears, an oversized pill dragging its way down his throat, “No more running.”

The little puffs of breath against Izuku’s throat let him know that Katsuki had fallen asleep. With a feather light kiss to his brow, Izuku manoeuvred himself out of Katsuki’s hold and quietly left the room.

He’d been correct. Stationed outside the room was Tenya, Eijirou and Hanta. Tenya’s back was pressed straight against the wall, posture intensely perfect. The only indicator that he was asleep was his skewed glasses, and the little wheeze snores coming out of his mouth. Eijirou, on the other hand, was curled up in the hallway, arms flung above his head, looking like the world could flip over and he’d sleep right through it. Awake and standing, Hanta’s arms were crossed over his chest. He looked incredibly tired, and his trademark cheeky smirk was entirely absent. Izuku almost felt a pang of sympathy for him. Almost.

His eyebrows raised up as he met Izuku’s gaze. Where do you think you’re going?

“Needed some air,” Izuku said.

“Cool. I’ll join you.”

Izuku frowned and tried to brush past him, “I think I can manage on my own.”

“Aizawa sensei told us you two aren’t allowed to be left alone. Sorry man,” Hanta said, following him towards the stairs.

“And we all know you’re Aizawa’s little pet now,” Izuku grumbled, taking the steps two at a time, not looking back at the hall monitor. He still heard Hanta’s sharp intake of breath. It pleased him. He couldn't help it. He was so fucking angry. Angry that Hanta had gone behind Katsuki’s back. Angry that some people didn’t see the hero in Katsuki that he did. Angry that Katsuki had downplayed Izuku’s role in their crime. Angry that the League had broken into his school again. Angry that his mother was missing, and he couldn’t do a thing to help her.

The ground floor felt deserted. Everyone had probably already called it a night. Izuku stomped into the kitchen, suddenly parched. Smoke seemed to be escaping from his pores, and he wasn’t sure that his feet were touching the ground as he moved.

Hanta was speed-walking to keep pace with him, “Look, if you have something you need to say, then just say it.”

Izuku couldn’t tell if Hanta was nervous, frustrated or simply resigned. But he had too much energy to know what to do with, so he swivelled on his heel to face him.

“How could you do that to him?” Izuku near-wailed, “He trusted you! Don’t you know how precious that is?”

Hanta shrunk back as if Izuku had slapped him, “I was never trying to hurt Bakugou. He’s my friend. You both are.”

Blackwhip lashed out, like violent lashes against the wall, “And you’re ours! That’s why Kacchan never would have done that to you!”

At that, Hanta surged forwards, braving the wild thrashing tendrils, “Yes, he would’ve!” His voice was strained, loud and cracking, “If it was you in danger, he absolutely would’ve done what I did!” He was taller than Izuku and glared down at him as he yelled. His eyes were glassy, hurt.

Too bad for Hanta, Izuku was equally worked up, “No! He would’ve told you that you were being a moron and then he would’ve stayed by your side anyway!” Izuku screamed. Smoke pooled around their feet; a soft, menacing crackling buzzed around them, little stings of static shock kissing their cheeks. A green fork of lightning struck the ground next to Hanta’s foot. He didn’t seem to notice or care.

“Then he’s an idiot! You weren’t even in prison!” Hanta’s bottom lip trembled, “If I hadn’t said anything then we'd all be in even deeper shit.”

Izuku was dangerously quiet as he replied, “Don’t call Kacchan an idiot.”

A third voice entered the scene, “You two need to quiet down,” Tsuyu popped her head up from the couch, “People are sleeping.”

Neither Izuku nor Hanta would be proud to admit that the both jumped near out of their skins at her sudden appearance. Blackwhip instinctively shot at towards her, only for her to duck and for it to evaporate above her head as Izuku’s brain caught up with his racing heart.

Fixing her big eyes back on both of them, Tsuyu said, “We can’t start fighting amongst ourselves. It would be the end of us.”

It felt like a stand-off between the three of them, each waiting for the others to blink. He didn’t want to admit wrongdoing. He didn’t want to see Hanta’s side of the argument. He just wanted to fight. To feel like he was succeeding in protecting someone, even though he’d so clearly failed to protect his mother. Yet, Tsuyu’s calm seemed to bite away at both Izuku’s and Hanta’s calamity, and soon enough, Izuku felt himself blink.

“Sorry Tsu,” He whispered. Pushing Hanta away from him, he stomped into the kitchen and finally poured the drink he was after. He gulped it down quickly and filled the glass again. Then he grabbed a second glass for Katsuki.

As he began to head back to his room, he turned a final dark look to Hanta, “You need to make it up to him.” He turned and didn’t look back again.

He crept back into Katsuki’s room, and even the sight of his boy sleeping there didn’t cleanse the sour feeling from his body. Aizawa, All Might and Present Mic better come back soon. And they had better bring good news, because Izuku would not be collared here for long.

He curled himself back into Katsuki’s side, praying that he’d sleep, and that he’d dream of sunny afternoons with Katsuki, or of dinners with his mother. He needed the respite from the numbing cold his heart was shelfed on. He closed his eyes, and busied his mind with counting Katsuki’s breaths.

He did eventually sleep, but he dreamt of nothing at all.