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Katsuki was exhausted. After the absolute shitshow that happened in Kamino, she just wanted the chance to sleep for a couple of days. But the good doctor and his benefactor wouldn’t give her the chance to recharge. Day in and day out, she was being forced to push herself, but she didn’t see the point of it. Her quirk was already strong, and versatile enough to handle anything the League or the Pros threw at her, but even she had her limits. She yawned widely as she followed two scientists into another room.The door clicking shut didn’t alarm her, nor did the voice coming through the speakers. “Ms. Bakugou, I must say I’m deeply impressed by your abilities. No one has ever lasted this long against my Nomus in any of my tests. And you’re suffering from sleep deprivation on top of that. Bravo, young lady, bravo.”Katsuki sneered while listening to the doctor. Out of everyone in the institute, she hated him the most. “Save your bullshit for another day. What do you want from me now?” The two scientists that had escorted her to the room turned together as one. Fear along with a deep feeling of uneasiness began to creep up Katsuki’s spine as she finally spied the full cart of instruments. Her palms started sparking as one of them approached her. “Surely you know this will be much easier if you just cooperate with us?” The doctor’s voice filled the room over the intercom.The second scientist began inspecting the tools before stating, “You’ve done a remarkable job of giving us data up to this point. But now, we need biological samples.”Katsuki backed away from both of them. Small explosions erupted from her hands. Her legs felt weak and trembles wracked her body. She panted while looking around the examination room. She was trapped, cornered like a wild animal. ‘This is just like that day.’ Her heart started racing as blood pumped loudly in her ears. A terrified shriek was building its way up her throat as she screamed, “No, no, no!” The first scientist picked up an elaborate set of restraints and began to approach her, while the second smirked and the video monitor flared to life against the wall. Dr. Garaki’s amused face came across clearly. “Silly, naive girl. Did you honestly think we would stop at just recording your fights and testing the limits of your quirk?” Katsuki shook her head while stumbling backwards. Her legs knocked into the table behind her, but it didn’t hurt. She was quickly losing herself as the first scientist lunged. She hopped on top of the table and slammed her palm into their face. A tiny explosion ignited against their skin, causing them to cry out in pain. She didn’t have the strength to kill them, but she had enough to stun them. If she reached deep down, she could probably even maim them. She crouched on the table while growling at the other scientist, as they rushed her too. He was trying his hardest to get the restraint system on her. Katsuki was hissing and spitting the entire time. She drove her right fist into the man’s eye, but it hardly deterred him as he manhandled her back onto the table. She tried biting and clawing him but none of her efforts were stopping him. Pieces of his skin were torn open and sluggishly bleeding, but the scientist had a job to do. Katsuki, however, wasn’t about to let them torment her any longer. As soon as the scientist tried to strap her to the table, she kicked him in the stomach as hard as she could then raced for the thick steel door. She started throwing explosions at the door and, when that didn’t work, she started pounding on it as she screamed, “Let me out! Let me out of this damn room!” Dr. Garaki’s gruff voice came through the speakers again. “You’re proving to be quite a problematic child, aren’t you?” Katsuki ignored him and kept clawing on the door. Her hands ached and her chest hurt. Her head throbbed as her distressed scent filled the room. Behind her, both scientists were back on their feet. They exchanged an annoyed look with one another before they both grabbed her arms and legs and forcefully slammed her back on the table. Katsuki had just enough air left in her lungs to scream for her partner, “EIJIROU!” She poured every single ounce of panic and fear into her call as the restraints cut into her skin. Her caramel scent had turned incredibly rotten, and her tormentors quickly pulled up their masks to block the smell. The entire exam room went quiet finally as the second scientist went back to the cart of instruments. He was reaching for a needle when heavy footsteps suddenly grew loud outside the room, before indents and cracks started appearing in the door.“What the?” One of them cried. The other scientist hurriedly dashed over to the cart and picked up two needles. “We can’t get distracted. We need those samples now!” Just as the scientist scurried back over to Katsuki, the previously reinforced steel door broke apart and Eijirou barreled through the entrance with at least several other scientists clinging onto her. “What are you doing to my mate?!” She snarled angrily. Katsuki whimpered once before crying out, “Ei, it hurts!” Eijirou’s hard, ruby eyes landed on the scientists near Katsuki and promptly lost it. Her own lavender scent switched to burning gasoline as she threw off the numerous people holding her and ran to the ones who dared to hurt what was hers. She lifted both men off the ground, squeezing their throats tightly. The needles fell from their slack hands as Eijirou’s quirk activated all along her body. Katsuki weakly lifted her head, but she was stunned. Instead of Eijirou’s usually soft expression and wild hair, she looked completely different. Her skin was jagged, sharp teeth bared in a grimace as she flung men away from her. She wasted no time coming to the table and ripping the bindings off of Katsuki, who sat up slowly while Eijirou turned back around to glare at the other nine scientists now in the room. All of them looked worse for wear but Dr. Garaki simply made a small noise of disapproval before the video monitor went dark. Eijirou crouched into a protective stance in front of Katsuki. She spread her scent throughout the room while growling at the other people. Katsuki hesitantly touched her neck, her arms, and then her legs before focusing her attention on Eijirou. The bond between them was still strong but a new feeling had entered their mental connection to one another. Katsuki had a strong suspicion on what it could be, but she held her tongue as she wrapped an arm around Eijirou’s waist. She laid her head against that strong back before murmuring, “Eijirou.”The one word wasn’t enough to break her mate out of the state she was in though. Her long red locks were oily and greasy, while her arms bulged with barely concealed fury. Katsuki knew Eijirou had been taking the brunt of the experiments, but this was the first time they actually tried to take her instead of Eijirou. https://x.com/k_eefers/status/1814703956150411513The head scientist glanced over at the two before announcing, “This is a complete failure. All of you pull back immediately.” One by the one, the scientists backed out of the room until only the head scientist was left. She gave them a cool and disinterested look before muttering, “You two have been nothing but headaches since you’ve got here.” She walked out of the room then, leaving the two mates alone.
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Eijirou was struggling to come back to awareness even as she lifted Katsuki from the exam table and carried her back to their room. Physically she looked fine, but Katsuki knew better. She knew Eijirou just as well as she knew herself and right now, the bond between them was horribly tangled. One hand reached up to grip Eijirou’s shirt as she walked them down the quiet hall. Where the building was once filled with workers, now it was silent. But that didn’t worry Katsuki. She was more concerned about her mate. The woman was holding her gently, but her embrace felt wrong. Her fingers dug into Katsuki’s skin as she forced her way into their personal chambers. Eijirou slammed the door and checked to make sure it was locked from the inside before moving over to their bed. Not wanting to let go of Katsuki just yet, Eijirou sat down on their shared bed and buried her face in Katsuki’s hair. “Red?” Katsuki questioned softly. Eijirou was breathing through her nose hard but wouldn’t talk. Katsuki was restricted by Eijirou’s tight hold but she could still move her arms, and one hand clutched a fistful of Eijirou’s tank top. “I know you’re angry, but I need you to come back.” Her mate wouldn’t open her eyes or acknowledge her presence. Instead, her previously soft scent of honey-infused roses and floral tones now smelt spicy, with hints of bitterness. Katsuki released her own scent, which consisted of orange blossoms and faint notes of jasmine. She let one wrist rub against Eijirou’s neck glands as she murmured, “Whatever you’re thinking… Whatever it is you see? It’s not real. I’m here and in your arms. Come back to me Ei.”A painful shudder of breath was the only warning Katsuki had before Eijirou was on top of her and kissing all over her face. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry I wasn’t strong enough. I knew they were planning something. I was almost too late again.” Katsuki kept her wrist next to Eijirou’s throat. The soft kisses being placed over her skin felt nice, but she knew her task of calming her alpha wasn’t done just yet. Hard, crimson eyes softened while she took her other hand to pull Eijirou close to her chest. “But you weren’t. You came for me just like you promised you would.”“They were going to hurt you. Or worse!” Katsuki shook her head. “It wouldn’t have happened. Not as long as you’re around. Now, I want you to listen to my heartbeat and just focus on that. I’m still alive and safe because of you.”Eijirou whimpered before doing as told. The larger woman curled up while listening to Katsuki’s heart but it was barely doing anything to help her. She wrapped her arms around Katsuki as she said, “We have to leave. We can’t stay here. Not with them.”Katsuki kept rubbing her wrist against Eijirou’s throat. “And where would we go? We’re villains. Nobody would ever help us, let alone protect us from the League.” Eijirou’s skin rippled for a moment before settling somewhere between hardened and soft skin. She couldn’t bear looking up into the eyes of the woman she loved so dearly. For Katsuki, this wasn’t acceptable. She kissed Eijirou’s hair before tilting her head up so they were face to face. “I just want you to be safe, Katsuki. That’s all I want.”“And I am. As long as I’m with you, no one can hurt me. But I need to know. What did they do to you?” Eijirou curled up even more, which shouldn’t have been possible. ‘It’ll break her heart. She can never know what happened before I tore those doors apart.’ Katsuki whined while nuzzling Eijirou. “You’re my mate. Please tell me what happened.”Eijirou refused to say a word, forcing Katsuki to try one last thing to get Eijirou to open up to her. ‘I know you can feel me. I’ve never pushed you out of my head or heart, so don’t start shutting me out now. Come on Red, let me see what happened.’ Eijirou whimpered again while pulling up every mental defense at her disposal. She couldn’t let Katsuki see, or experience, the pain. She quickly shut off their mental connection which had Katsuki whining in distress. Eijirou scampered from the bed and went to stand by the closed door. Her fists were balled up by her sides before she raised them and slammed them into the steel door. “I know you mean well but some things are better left unknown.”Katsuki wasn’t scared in the least bit when she saw indents in the door. She got up from their bed and came to stand behind Eijirou before she wrapped her arms around her waist. She rested her head against her back. “If you won’t tell me, that’s fine but if you really think we need to leave, then I’m with you all the way.”Eijirou finally felt some of the tension leave her body, but she still felt a little guilty for choosing to keep Katsuki in the dark about what happened to her. She grit her teeth while her skin rippled again, this time her skin remained hard and jagged while she stared ahead. Behind her, Katsuki began to purr lightly. ‘I know they hurt you and for that, I’ll never forgive them. I’ll find a way to destroy them for daring to cause you pain.’
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Several scientists watched cautiously, hidden out of sight, as their leader paced back and forth. She was clutching a thick folder in one hand, and everyone chose to remain silent as she stalked around the room. “We were so close! We just needed a sample. Just one tiny sample! It could have been her saliva, blood, skin, even a hair follicle, but no!!!! You let that overgrown brute ruin everything!” She slammed the folder down on the large mahogany desk before collapsing into her seat at the head of the table. Her colleagues reluctantly crept closer and took their seats as the overhead projector came to life. The unimpressed visage of Dr. Garaki filled their line of sight. “Instead of blaming your failures on the red-haired girl, why don’t you tell us what you’ve learned from your research instead?” The head scientist adjusted her blue rimmed glasses before a cruel smile graced her face. “Subject 1’s quirk, Hardening, has undergone an awakening. We were in the middle of testing the limits of it before she broke her bindings and nearly killed half of my staff. She was quite desperate to get to Subject 2.” Dr. Garaki rubbed one hand against his chin. “And why is that? You didn’t find anything remarkable in the samples you took from her.”The woman’s smile turned cold. “That’s just it. Her samples might seem unremarkable, but after combining them with traits from several of the Nomu… Well perhaps it’d be better to show you what I mean.” Another projector cut on, but this time the light from it shone against the wall. A large image appeared of Eijirou looking monstrous. She was much taller than normal, with wild, scattered red locks. Her teeth were much sharper too and her skin looked as dark as the night. Tiny little cracks appeared throughout her arms and legs and across her chest was a jagged scar that covered most of her skin. Her short nails were long and ivory with an opaque liquid dripping from them. All eyes were drawn to the ground where holes could be seen growing underneath her nails with each drip. But the most frightening part of the image was the deranged look in her ruby orbs as she made quick work of the scientists in the room with her before the video shut off abruptly. Another scientist slammed one hand on the table. “How long have you been sitting on this information?!” A third abruptly stood from their seat and began leafing through the documents in the folder. “Incredible! People said we would never be able to combine, let alone splice, human DNA with Nomus but you’ve done it! Haven’t you, Dr. Sakura?” The lead scientist folded her hands and placed her chin on top of them. “You’re thinking too small. I didn’t combine, splice, or even alter her DNA. I simply upgraded her quirk through other means.” “You mean Project Exodus is finally starting?!” Hushed murmurs broke out amongst the crowd until Dr. Garaki interrupted their chatter. “Now, now, I’m sure you’d all like to exchange theories and hypotheses. Dr. Sakura, we can’t very well start that project unless we have OFA in our possession.” “I had a feeling you would say that.” Dr. Sakura was completely calm as she stated, “Send Red and her little Bombshell after him. Once they’ve acquired the target, we can extract his quirk and proceed with Exodus as planned.” An awed hush fell amongst the scientists, except for Dr. Garaki who smirked. “I’ll have to tell All for One that he was right. In the meantime, make sure our esteemed guests are ready to leave in the morning. They’ll need to be in top form if they’re going to be fighting the 9th holder of One for All.”The screen clicked off as Dr. Sakura glanced over at her coworkers. She may have looked cool and collected but inside, she was seething. ‘I don’t care if those fools die, as long as Exodus comes to fruition. That’s all I care about.’ “Dr. Ito, Dr. Yu, and Dr. Aoi, since you three were nowhere near our lab rats, you’re in charge of patching them up and making sure they’re fit for the job.” The three men nodded before standing and leaving the room. Only one of them remained behind. “Dr. Sakura, do we have permission to use extreme force if they disobey?”“No need. Red will fall into line if she knows what’s best for her.” The door closed quietly as the last handful of scientists began eagerly discussing the next course of action. Dr. Sakura, however, kept her gaze glued to the door. ‘I might not have what I need from the blond yet, but there’s more than one way to get what I want.’
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Two days after the failed attack on Katsuki, Eijirou refused to let Katsuki out of her sight. She followed her everywhere. Katsuki should have been annoyed by her mate’s behavior, but she found her actions endearing. It reminded her of simpler times, where the only thing she needed to worry about was whether or not she could beat her classmates and how much training she needed to do. But those days were long behind her. Katsuki hated thinking about that time in her life, but she needed to focus on something else besides the quiet rage simmering in her blood. She didn’t care about what nearly happened to her. She was more concerned over her mate. Eijirou’s skin wouldn’t go back to normal. Even more worrisome was how irritable she had grown, and it was taking Katsuki longer and longer to get Eijirou to respond or recognize her voice let alone her scent. Just today, she’d spent hours trying to help her break out of her pensive mood, but nothing was working. Soft kisses, caresses, and reassurances did little to help Eijirou but Katsuki wasn’t at her wits end yet. She could still hear water running from the shower in their bathroom, which gave her an idea. Even though she’d already taken her shower, and this idea would surely ruin the good work it had done, she was just a smidge desperate to have her mate back. Her sweet, docile, bashful mate who blushed easily and laughed at her dry sarcasm. “This is the least I can do for you, Ei.” Katsuki took off her black tank top and shimmied out of her gray sweatpants. Then she unhooked her bra and removed her panties too. The cool air from their room had her shivering a bit as she climbed back into the bed and laid still right as the water shut off. Carmine eyes drifted over to the bathroom door as it slowly opened. A gust of steam rushed out as Eijirou walked forward while toweling her hair. Bits of water clung to her arms and legs, but Katsuki’s attention was drawn to the visible curves of her mate. While she was much bulkier than the average woman, her muscular stature wasn’t a turn off to Katsuki. She licked her lips in appreciation. “Gonna give me a show Red?” Eijirou froze, looking over at her mate. Her brain stalled for just a moment before she cracked a genuine smile. The towel fell from her hands as she strolled over to the bed. She straddled Katsuki’s hips while the blonde wrapped her hands around Eijirou’s thick waist. “We’ve got work to do; you know.” Katsuki dug her hands into Eijirou’s new, rougher skin texture. “Like I give a shit about that.”“You totally should.” Eijirou’s scent didn’t smell rotten anymore, and a pleased grin came to Katsuki’s face when she detected a whiff of arousal in the air. “They can fucking wait. You’re more important. What do you say we test this new body of yours?” A fleeting look of apprehension crossed Eijirou’s face before Katsuki’s sweet scent was suddenly surrounding her. “None of that. You won’t harm me. You didn’t do it then and you won’t start now.” “But Katsuki--”Katsuki sat up so she could stare into Eijirou’s eyes, their breasts almost touching as she murmured, “You’ve already shut me out of your mind. I want to feel connected to you. You know that. Give me this much and then we can focus on the mission. Please, Ei?” Eijirou bit her lower lip, torn with worry and concern for her precious mate. The blond was looking at her with complete devotion, but it didn’t fill Eijirou with confidence or happiness. She gently removed Katsuki’s hands from her body before capturing her lips in a tender kiss. ‘As much as I love you, I still can’t risk hurting you.’ As Eijirou began to pull away from Katsuki, she was caught off guard by Katsuki grabbing her chin, forcing her to look into her eyes. “I know you’re trying to protect me, but this goes both ways. Why won’t you let me protect you?” Eijirou blinked a few times in confusion before she let one hand cover Katsuki’s. “Because you don’t have to worry about me. I’m unbreakable, remember?” Katsuki narrowed her eyes when she heard those words. “And when you’re not? It’s my job to piece you back together. But if you’re so stuck on being stubborn, then fine. Let’s get dressed so we can get this shit show on the road.” The blonde tried shoving her partner away but didn’t have much luck. The other woman was bigger than her and wouldn’t be moved unless she chose to get up. She cracked a tiny grin while nipping at Katsuki's jaw. “Oh, stop that. You’re pouting because I won’t sleep with you.”Katsuki swiped at Eijirou before blowing out an exaggerated puff of air. “No, you dumb alpha. I’m pissed because of our situation. I hate being the league’s lapdog and you won’t trust me with your burdens. I really do want you to fuck me but...”Eijirou kissed Katsuki in an effort to stop her angry rambles. The kiss worked a bit too well though as Katsuki bit her lips hard before letting go. A few drops of blood-stained Katsuki’s mouth. “Damn tease.” “Tell you what. If we manage to snatch OFA, I’ll give you the best fucking of your life. Now, are you going to stop pouting and get dressed?” “Just for that, you can’t touch me when my heat comes around.” Katsuki stuck her tongue at Eijirou while she got out of the bed.Eijirou gasped playfully while clutching her chest. “Anything but that. How will I ever live without your touch?”“You’ll live. Now quit running your damn mouth and throw some clothes on. The sooner this is done, the sooner we can…”Katsuki cut herself off while looking around their room. Their room was very sparse and only had the bare minimum such as their bed, a nightstand, a closet and the attached bathroom. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but Katsuki knew the league was always watching. She gave Eijirou what she hoped was a calculating look and was instantly relieved when she saw Eijirou’s scarlet eyes twinkling in mischief. The large woman winked at her before walking over to their closet and pulling out their uniforms. “Are you ready to spill some blood and guts?” Katsuki’s smirk came back but this time, it was downright nasty as she growled, “Thought you’d never ask, Red.”
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Several hours later, under the cover of darkness, both women had successfully made it to Musufatu. Neither had any trouble blending in with the civilians since they chose to wear dark jackets, clothes, and shades. Eijirou was walking in front of Katsuki. She wasn’t on high alert just yet but she was still on guard for any possible threats that could harm them. Unlike yesterday, her skin looked a bit better but there were still rough patches on her body. To avoid anyone possibly recognizing her, she wore a black mask over her mouth. Underneath her heavy jacket, she was wearing her cut off black top with dark red pants. Her black boots completed the look. Her long hair wasn’t restricted by a hair tie and trailed down her back, while her scent was covered up by the patches placed against her throat and wrists. Katsuki was behind her. Her coat came down to her knees and while she hadn’t needed to wear a mask, she chose to wear a vermillion ribbon in her hair with her lips painted black. Her hands were covered with black gloves while her throat and wrists were covered as well. Underneath her coat, she was wearing a red tank top with tight black pants. Her heeled boots were soundless as she followed Eijirou. No one blinked an eye at the two. Everyone just assumed the two were normal people.“You know we’re being followed right?” Katsuki muttered, coming up beside Eijirou. Eijirou grinned a little while grabbing Katsuki’s hand. She brought it close to her lips before pressing a dainty kiss against her mate’s skin. “Then we’d better give them a show.” Katsuki returned her grin before pulling Eijirou into an alley. She stood on her tiptoes, giving the taller girl a long kiss before muttering against her mouth, “Don’t go crazy without me okay?” Eijirou stole one more kiss before she backed up and began to shed her jacket, shades and mask. Next, she tore off the scent patches from her wrists and throat. Her skin rippled, then settled into hard and jagged lines. Her smile was menacing and showed off her sharp teeth. “And risk getting caught? As if. I’ll see you in a bit, firecracker.” Katsuki watched her mate sharpen her hands and then leap high into the air. She dug her hands into the side of a building and began her ascent. Katsuki grabbed her abandoned clothing and tucked them under her arm while she tugged off a glove. She bit on the glove to keep hold of it as a weak explosion came to her hand. She poured a little concentration into the explosion to help it grow bigger then she gazed around her surroundings to make sure she was completely alone before she walked over to one of the smaller trash cans, stuffed the clothes inside the bin, and lit it on fire. Tiny flames licked at the contents before they began to engulf everything. She could feel the beginnings of a twisted smile itching to break free as she strolled out of the alley. “Time to do my part.” Confidence flowed through her body as she walked through the crowd. Every so often, her gaze would go up to the sky, watching for any sign of her mate. Logically, she knew Eijirou could take care of herself in a fight but a small part of her couldn’t silence the worry gnawing at her heart. Her mate was still hiding something from her and the last thing she wanted was for that secret to come back and bite them in the ass.
‘She’s tough and can handle anything. She’s always been that way. But if tonight goes wrong, I’ll have to pick up the slack.’
Just a few feet behind her, Toga, Spinner and Magne continued to tail Katsuki. They all assumed she was following orders, but none of them knew that she was actually leading them away from Eijirou. She didn’t trust the league, or anyone associated with them. As far as she was concerned, tonight was going to be the final time the league would push either of them around.
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“This should be good enough.” Eijirou flexed her hands for a bit then let her gaze roam around the building. She could see the top part of an air conditioning unit as well a door which presumably led back to street level. She walked over to the ledge and peered down to check her surroundings. On the side of the building there was a rickety fire escape, but her attention was drawn to something else. She came away from the side and walked over to the front of the ledge and instantly started chuckling. “Yeah. This’ll do just fine.” She peered over the side once more and grinned in delight when she saw all the people down below. She walked back over to the air conditioner and quickly ripped it from its place then trotted over to the ledge again. She looked back and forth for just a moment before she spotted what looked like a heavy-duty vehicle. Leaning over the edge, she did a quick count down in her head and then flung the destroyed piece of equipment at the vehicle. She didn’t bother checking to see if it landed. She went back to the door and tore it completely from the ground and flung it over the ledge too. She could hear screams and wails which made her laugh in glee. “Just what I wanted.” More cries went up as she jogged over to the fire escape and began pulling it from the wall. While she worked on that, three rookie heroes were trying to do damage control, but it was hard when debris kept raining down on them from above. “Do we know what’s going on?” Deku shouted over to Momo. She was too busy to respond, trying to keep the people calm and herding them away from the danger zone. Iida zoomed through the wreckage easily, satisfied that no one was hurt. “Not yet. But this is strange. Everything was fine until--”Iida cut himself off and snatched Deku out of the way right as a large chunk of twisted metal landed where he had been previously standing. Momo turned to them. “We’re not safe here! We need to move!” Deku stepped out of Iida’s hold and gazed upwards. “Can you make sure no one else is around? I’m gonna see if I can’t figure out what’s happening.” “Be careful, Deku.” “Yes, we can handle everything here. Please be careful!” Deku broke away from Creati and Ingenium and started looking up towards the row of buildings. Bits of green lighting raced up his arms and legs. He kept watching, hoping he could spot another piece of debris but all he could hear were the people’s cries.All around him were destroyed vehicles, cracked pavement and broken glass. He raced through the worst of the damage, trying to piece together what could have happened. “Everything was fine a few moments ago. Nothing came in on the comms, so what’s happening? Is this a random attack? Or maybe this has something to do with the league?” Deku continued muttering to himself as he looked for any sort of clues. He had full faith that Momo and Iida could handle themselves without him, but he couldn’t help thinking that something was off about the night. “What’s the motive or purpose behind this? What do they want?” He was getting lost in his ramblings and almost didn’t notice when another piece of debris came flying at him. It zoomed close by his face as he jumped backwards. The nearly fatal weapon crashed into the ground and Deku frowned in anger when a subtle scent wafted towards his nose. He looked up right as Blood Riot came into view holding two broken signs. She smiled darkly before tossing both items at Deku, who dodged them. “Hold it right there!” Eijirou disappeared from the rooftop as Deku ran up the side of the building. He leapt the rest of the way and landed on the roof, searching for the elusive woman. All he could see was her form in the distance growing smaller. He bore his fangs while shouting, “Traitor!” He launched himself towards her but up ahead, Eijirou was filled with joy. She loved the thrill of a chase, but she usually preferred to be the one hunting her prey. She jumped to the next rooftop but couldn’t resist throwing some choice words at Deku. “What’s the matter, Midoriya? Still mad about what happened eight years ago?” The shouted words lit a fire under Deku. One for All surged through him as he pursued Blood Riot. The two were in the middle of a twisted game of tag but Eijirou made sure to stay away from him. She knew if she slipped up even once, it would be game over for her. She jumped from the last rooftop and landed on the ground below hard. Cracks and splinters appeared beneath her feet, but she didn’t stop. She took off running again. Her part in the assignment was almost finished. All she had to do was lure Deku towards Katsuki, who was waiting nearby, and then they would finally be free from the league. A horrible sense of foreboding, however, crawled up Eijirou’s spine as two black tendrils blocked her path. Instead of running into them, she slid underneath it and then scrambled back to her feet. “Gotta be faster than that Midoriya!” An angry snarl sounded close behind her. ‘Shit, I gotta speed this up!’ Eijirou ducked into a nearby alley. She was panting hard, but her body began feeling more at ease as she caught a whiff of nitroglycerin in the air. She straightened up as Deku rounded the corner. He made for quite the sight. Black whip curled around his arms and his eyes were completely white. His muscles bulged underneath his uniform. “You've had enough fun for one night, Kirishima! Or should I say Blood Riot?!” Eijirou wiped some sweat from her brow. Her eyes took on a demented glint as she quipped, “Oh we’re just getting started!” Deku continued to approach her, but he was wholly unprepared for an explosion to slam into the right side of his body. The attack hadn’t harmed him, but his sense of danger started blaring to life as another explosion was launched at him. He jumped away as Katsuki flew in front of Eijirou. She landed silently and sneered, “Nice to see you, Izuku.” Deku recoiled and almost lost his footing. He shouldn’t be hearing her voice. Not after he was told by everyone that she was gone. “Kacchan?” He asked weakly. His childhood friend was standing in front of him, completely unharmed. He couldn’t see any traces of the fierce and headstrong girl he once knew though. Her face was much harsher, and her form was different than he remembered. Her once small figure was ripe with just enough muscle to look menacing, and her eyes were cold. The form fitting tank top and pants accentuated her form nicely. Deku was at a loss for words though when he heard her gruff voice address him. “You don’t get to call me that anymore. The name’s Ground Zero and I’m here to kill you.” Little traces of red energy surrounded Katsuki’s arms as she powered up explosions in both hands. Eijirou took her place beside her as her nails grew long and her hair became like rocked spikes. “Any last words hero?” Deku was frozen with fear. He couldn’t force himself to move or even utter a word. All he could see was a vengeful ghost from his past. He could only stare straight ahead while his mind went back to the day, he lost Kacchan forever.
“Stay back, Deku.”
“Give her back to me! Give Kacchan back!”
The night where everything went horribly wrong for Class 1A marked the beginning of the end for two budding heroes. For Bakugou Katsuki, it served as the day she lost faith in the justice system and heroes. She trusted them to save her and yet no one came. For Kirishima Eijirou, it was the day she turned her back on everything she knew so she could be with the other half of her heart.
“Guys, come on! Bakugou needs us! We can’t just leave her with them!”
“Kirishima, we understand your frustrations and your concerns, but we can’t disobey direct orders.”
In his hospital bed, Izuku kept his head down. All he could see in his mind was Kacchan’s frightened gaze and her parting words playing on loop in his mind. “Stay back, Deku.”
“Midoriya, come on! Back me up here! Tell the others that we need to help the pro’s rescue Bakugou!”
Izuku stayed quiet.
Kirishima’s gaze traveled amongst her friends. Each one of them looked just as upset as her, but none of them could meet her eyes. A slow and terrible understanding began to creep into Kirishima’s soul. “None of you want to break the rules, do you?”
“Kirishima, it’s not--”
She backed away from Momo. Panic filled eyes shot over to Shoto, whose back was turned to her. “Todoroki?”
He didn’t answer her.
“Iida?”
The class president kept his gaze elsewhere.
“Momo, please!”
The vice president’s eyes filled with tears before she looked away in shame.
Kirishima’s heart wanted to break but she fought against the feeling. She clenched her fists. “Cowards. You’re nothing but cowards. You know Bakugou doesn’t stand a chance against them.”
Kirishima fled from the hospital room, and six pairs of eyes watched her leave. If her friends had known it would be the last time they would see her, they might have fought harder in their efforts to support her.
“What do you mean, I should trust the professionals?!”
Aizawa pinched the bridge of his nose. “Look Kirishima, we’ve been through this already. You are a student at UA. You do not have the authority, or clearance, to participate in such a high stakes mission.”
“Bakugou is my friend! She needs me!”
“And I understand that, but rules are rules. You can’t disregard them just because your friend is in danger.”
A low growl slipped from Kirishima, but Aizawa pretended not to hear it. He knew all too well what was running through the girl’s head. He hated the position she was in, but he had to nip this in the bud now before it became an even bigger problem down the road. “We’ve already dispatched our top heroes. They’ll be the ones leading the rescue effort. But you’re under house arrest.”
Kirishima’s scent turned bitter. “On what grounds?!”
Aizawa gave her an uninterested stare. “You’re barely keeping yourself in check. Do you really think I’d let you go out there alone and unattended? Not in this lifetime kid.”
The doors to the teacher’s lounge slammed in Kirishima’s face but she was still determined to save Katsuki. Her agitated scent flooded the hallway as she marched back to her room so she could start packing. “They don’t wanna help me, that’s fine. I’m strong. I can get Bakugou back on my own!”
Deku had barely snapped out of his own thoughts as Ground Zero and Blood Riot began their assault. He refused to fight back as they worked in tandem to pin him down. He simply dodged their attacks and, when that failed, he used Smokescreen hoping that would be enough to confuse them. Thick, dark smoke surrounded the trio, but Katsuki wasn’t fooled for a minute. Her palms lit up the area as Eijirou charged after Deku and slashed at him with sharpened nails. “Give it up, Deku! You’re never going to win against me!” Deku jumped out of Eijirou’s way, but it did little to help as she spun on her heel and grabbed him by the collar. She tossed him towards Katsuki who let out two devastating explosions. The first one slammed into Deku’s stomach, causing him to spit up blood, as the second one enveloped his body. He crumbled and went down instantly but Katsuki found the sight wasn’t nearly as satisfying as she hoped as she nudged him with her boot. Eijirou came over and hefted him up without breaking a sweat. “Do we kill him?” “No, killing him is the easy way out. I’ve got a better idea. Leave him there.” Eijirou stared at her lover in confusion. “But I thought--”Katsuki looked over her shoulder at Eijirou, who was still holding Deku. “The league wants One for All. They wanted us to do the dirty work, but you know what’s going to happen if we go back.”Blood Riot fought back a full body shudder. “They’ll be unstoppable. And we’ve probably outlived our usefulness, or something stupid like that.” “Exactly.”Eijirou dropped Deku onto the ground and came to Katsuki’s side. She cupped her face. “Have I ever told you how much I love you?” Katsuki raised an eyebrow but there was no mistaking the grin on her face. “You mean other than the couple thousand times you’ve said it over the last eight years? Come on, Red. Let’s get out of here before something actually does go wrong.” The words had barely left Katsuki’s mouth when Eijirou’s body went stiff. She quickly snatched her mate and ducked out of sight. Katsuki went along with it as Eijirou whispered, “He must have called for backup.”Katsuki discreetly sniffed the air and nearly gagged at the assortment of scents floating on the wind. Eijirou wasn’t bothered though. She held Katsuki close as she peered from behind their hiding spot. At the moment, the coast was clear, but she knew she had to get them out of there. “Do you trust me?” Katsuki stared into Eijirou’s eyes and nodded. There was never any doubt what her answer would have been. Eijirou peeked at the scene one more time before she clutched Katsuki close and bolted from their hiding spot. Katsuki held onto her lover, but she couldn’t resist looking back at what they left behind. Deku’s crumpled form was sprawled on the ground while three of his allies could be seen approaching. Her carmine eyes narrowed as she thought she spied familiar pink curls. ‘I’m imagining things. That’s not her.’ “Deku?!”
MOODY on X: "2/3)when Eijirou’s body went stiff. She quickly snatched her mate and ducked out of sight,, Eijirou whispered, “He must have called for backup.” Katsuki discreetly sniffed the air and nearly gagged at the assortment of scents floating on the wind. . @QuirkyRose85 @Meteor_Bang https://t.co/srrz2W85Dd" / X
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“That bitch! She gave us the slip!” “What are we supposed to tell All for One? You know he won’t be happy about this.” Oddly enough, Toga chose to remain quiet tonight. She idly twirled a knife in one hand while her friends argued. “But they don’t have anywhere to go, so that should work in our favor.”“Plus, those quirks of theirs are too noticeable. And when they’re fighting, they don’t know when to quit.” Toga stopped playing with her knife. “Leave them to me and go back to base. I’ll be sure to find out whether or not they succeeded.” Spinner was still angry and clearly wanted to argue, but Magne understood what Toga was implying. “If you need backup, I can have Twice or Mr. Compress--”“Don’t worry. I got this.” As Toga was leaving, Spinner grumbled, “They’d better not have screwed us over.”“We’ll find out eventually, but we’d better leave. No sense in sticking around.” Toga smirked while formulating her plan. ‘First, I’ll need proof they did as they were told.’
______
Eijirou dipped into another alley and placed Katsuki back on her feet. She rubbed her face tiredly before learning against the wall. Katsuki was in her space instantly. “Are you hurt? What’s going on?” She opened and closed her mouth, but nothing would come out. Her skin started rippling again and her arms bulged, ripping the sleeves of her shirt to reveal midnight-colored skin. Her pupils shrank in size as the rest of her eyes turned entirely red. Katsuki grabbed Eijirou by the face. “Red, listen to me. I know you’re in there. I’m safe and so are you.” Eijirou grabbed onto Katsuku’s shoulder. The touch wasn’t gentle by any means, but Katsuki stood her ground. She kept her hands on her partner’s face. “Ei, please, it’s alright.” Her breaths were ragged as she stared at Katsuki. Recognition flickered in her face as she finally choked out, “Kat.. Katsuki.” Tears pooled in Katsuki’s eyes. “Eijirou, snap out of it. The job is done!” One more harsh touch to her shoulder happened before Katsuki felt herself being pulled towards Eijirou and smashed against the woman’s larger body. Katsuki wrapped her arms around her as Eijirou finally spoke, “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” “We’ll talk later. We’re still too close to them.”Eijirou reluctantly let go of Katsuki, who kept one of her arms around Eijirou. She walked slowly while being sure to support her girlfriend. She looked both ways before emerging from the alley, but no one paid the two any attention. Luckily, Eijirou’s skin was no longer darkened, but if anyone got too close, they would be able to tell that something was wrong. Her scent was obnoxious and off-putting while her hair still resembled spikes.Katsuki didn’t like their current situation. They needed to find shelter immediately. ‘Alright we’re not going back to the League. I’m pretty sure they figured out part of our plan, but what’s the next step? We can’t go to the police. We left Deku for dead and none of the heroes would be willing to help us.’ As her mind raced with possibilities, a pair of gray eyes watched her. The man honestly thought he was seeing things when he saw the couple dart out of an alley, but he would recognize the wild blonde hair and rough voice anywhere. The communicator in his ear buzzed repeatedly, questions coming from all different directions, but Best Jeanist needed to concentrate. He shut off his com and started following the women from a safe distance. A small part of him was still hoping that he was wrong. ‘She would have been my greatest pupil. She had so much potential, but I failed as her mentor.’ He shoved his hands deep into his pockets as he continued following them. But one particular memory came to him as he heard who he believed to be Bakugou angrily muttering to her friend, “You can’t pass out on me!”
“You shitty old man. What exactly does this have to do with training again?”
Best Jeanist watched the feisty young girl walk around his office. She inspected some of the awards on the wall before turning her attention to the glass case in the far corner. She stomped over to the display and silently read the words engraved on the casing. “Tch.”
“Bakugou Katsuki, you have the makings of a great hero. Your impressive display at the sports festival--”
“Tell me something I don’t know! Get to the damn point!”
The pro hero sat back in his seat. He steepled his hands underneath his chin. “Direct as usual I see.”
“Stop wasting my time!”
Best Jeanist leaned back in his chair. “How would you feel about becoming my protege? As I’ve stated, you have potential, but you need to be molded properly. Under my guidance, you would truly flourish. You might even be able to surpass that rival of yours.”
Katsuki folded her arms across her chest while glaring at the hero. There was a tiny part of her that wanted to believe the man’s words, but a traitorous voice whispered harshly in her ear, ‘Like he’s telling the truth. He may be the fourth ranked hero but what does he know? He’s not All Might and he’s not like Eraserhead. What’s he got that makes him so special?’
A mean smirk pulled at her lips. “It’s gonna take a lot more than words to convince me to be your student. Cause if you forgot, I’m around stronger and better heroes than you all day.”
Best Jeanist chuckled briefly. “That may be true, but heroics isn’t all about strength and power. But if you’re determined to learn the hard way, be my guest.”
Katsuki knew the subtle dig was meant to irritate her, but she was never one to back down from a challenge. She gave the pro hero an unimpressed look before turning on her heel. “After summer training is done, you’ll have my answer.”
The man fought hard not to smile as he watched her leave his office. The door closed with a soft click. and Best Jeanist was feeling hopeful as he muttered, “You’ll be a fine hero yet.”
He was pulled from his thoughts when he heard several swears up ahead, forcing him into action. He ran to the couple, quickly taking one look at them before making up his mind. “Here, give her to me.” Katsuki flinched before staring up into the eyes of Best Jeanist. Her stomach started churning. “You!” She clutched Eijirou closer to her chest. “We’re fine. We don’t need your help.” Best Jeanist crouched low to the ground as people began to stop, whispering as they stared. “Isn’t that Best Jeanist?” “Is she seriously turning down help from a top hero?” “I mean something’s gotta be wrong with her.” “He's the 4th ranked Pro Hero. Who turns down help from Best Jeanist? Seriously?”He leaned close to Katsuki and spoke in what he hoped was a soothing tone. “I mean no harm. Please, allow me to assist you.” Katsuki continued clutching onto Eijirou, who weakly gripped her wrist. Dazed ruby orbs glanced at her, but Katsuki was fighting against her surging anger. Her heart throbbed in her ears as she ground her teeth together. Eijirou’s touch was supposed to be calming but it was doing very little to ground her at this moment. Bits of flame began licking at her arms as she growled at Best Jeanist, who whispered harshly, “Now is not the time for this. Truly, I understand your frustration and anger but if you lash out at me, your cover will be blown. Do you want that? Knowing that your partner isn’t in any shape to handle a confrontation?” Another squeeze to her wrist, but this time, Katsuki was able to tear her eyes away from Best Jeanist. Eijirou refused to let go of her. “It’s okay.” Katsuki took one more look at the man before reluctantly letting go of Eijirou. Best Jeanist had no trouble getting back to his feet while supporting her. Katsuki paid no mind to the people surrounding them as she got on her tiptoes so she could glare into Best Jeanist’s face and muttered, “If you try anything funny, I’ll kill you.” Without waiting for a response, she went to Eijirou’s other side and lifted her arm so she could bear some of her weight. Best Jeanist let out a quiet breath as they walked away from what could have been a messy altercation.
________
“How is he?”The emergency worker finished cleaning the last cut on Deku’s face. “He’s going to be fine. He’s got some nasty bruises, a couple of scratches, and he’ll probably be sore, but he just has to take it easy for a few days.” Deku’s eyes were unseeing as he stared ahead. Creati suspected something terrible must have happened. When she came across him, he was lying face down on the ground and unmoving. She hadn’t let fear take hold of her though, and acted quickly by using her communicator to get in touch with all available heroes while Iida surveyed the scene before running off to get help. Afterwards, she’d assessed him and provided light treatment until more help arrived. It was pure luck that Pinky and Chargebolt had been near the area and showed up as well. Iida came back swiftly with police and medical help, but she couldn’t shake her feelings of unease as she sat near Deku in the back of the ambulance. “What happened?” Deku continued to gaze ahead, but Creati felt deeply sympathetic when she saw tears well up in his eyes. She activated her quirk, producing a small quilt and wrapping it around his shoulders. “I’m worried. Whatever you witnessed couldn’t have been good, but if you talk about it, I’m sure it’ll help you process everything.” He clutched the fabric tightly, then whispered, “Kacchan.” That one word felt like a bomb had just detonated in the area. All noise stopped while the air grew tense, until Chargebolt laughed loudly. “No way, Midoriya. There’s absolutely no way!” Pinky stayed quiet while Creati studied Deku’s face. He was crying but she knew the look of heartbreak well. Even Ingenium stopped talking with the police officers and turned towards his friends. “Are you sure, Deku? It wasn’t someone--”Deku interrupted her with a wet, disbelieving laugh. “I would recognize her anywhere. It was Kacchan.” Chargebolt’s nervous laughter abruptly stopped. “Shit.” “Now hold on Midoriya, are you absolutely certain it was her? No one ever confirmed if she was--”Deku snapped his head in Ingenium’s direction. “If I said I saw her, then why can’t you believe me? Isn’t this proof enough?” He dropped the quilt from around his shoulders to point at the burnt area of his uniform. The top was singed and black, but everyone was looking at his bruised skin. His entire side also looked red and swollen. “What other quirk could cause this kind of damage?” “If it really was her, then why are you still alive?” Pinky’s question seemed innocent, but the sinking feeling grew stronger in Creati as she watched Deku turn to address their friend. “What are you trying to say, Pinky?” No one missed the coldness in Deku’s voice, but Pinky deliberately ignored the silent warning in his tone. “I said if that really was Bakugou, then you shouldn’t be alive. Something isn’t adding up. We never got confirmation on her status and now, years later, you just so happen to find and fight her alone?”“Pinky, now might not be--”Chargebolt and Ingenium were on Deku in moments. Ingegium tried to hold onto Deku without hurting him while Chargebolt aimed his pointer finger at him. Bits of electricity jumped from his hand. “Come on dude, let’s just calm down.” “Midoriya, I know you might be stressed, but please don’t take it out on others.” Creati took just a moment to assess the situation before she jumped into the back of the ambulance and came back out with a needle. She nodded at Ingenium before quietly saying, “I’m sorry Deku.” She jabbed him in the arm and watched as he stopped flailing in Iida’s arms. The medical workers and police were stunned. None of them dared to move until Creati said, “I apologize for what you’ve just witnessed, but I think it might be a good idea to admit Deku to the hospital.” “And to ensure nothing else goes wrong, we’ll go with you.” Chargebolt put his hand down and walked over to Ingenium. He felt uncertain as well, but he gave everyone what he hoped was a reassuring smile. “It’ll work out. Once we get Deku stabilized, we’ll get to the bottom of everything.” The paramedics kept quiet as they loaded Deku into the back of the vehicle, then stepped away so Ingenium and Chargebolt could get in. Creati, however, was not looking forward to what she needed to do. “Officers, thank you for responding so quickly. We’ll follow up with you, but if you need anything, please feel free to contact one of our agencies.” The lead officer tipped his hat to Creati and Pinky. “Thank you for your hard work. We’ll be in touch.” The ambulance drove off first, then the small group of police officers left the scene as well. Civilians hadn’t been able to get close to the commotion, but no one seemed to notice one of the officers hovering at the edge of the crowd, making no move to leave with the rest. Toga grinned happily before leaving the scene.“Looks like they didn’t double cross us after all. They were outnumbered and couldn’t finish the job, so where could they have gone?” She slipped into an abandoned building and threw off her clothes as her skin melted. She changed into a white t-shirt and black jeans, then ran a hand through her hair. To complete her look, she threw on a pair of silver shades and darted out of the building. “I guess I’ll let them live another day. Now, what do I tell All For One?” While Toga made her way back to the League, Katsuki was barely holding it together. Best Jeanist upheld his words and got them away from everyone, but she was struggling not to lose her mind while being forced to sit still in the backseat of his vehicle with Eijirou in her arms. Her partner was too quiet, and her skin felt wrong again. “Can’t you drive any faster?” She snarled while keeping her eyes on Eijirou. “There is a speed limit for a very valid reason.”“I don’t give a fuck about speed limits or the law, you shitty hero!” Best Jeanist refrained from sighing or responding to her sharp words. ‘She must be under a tremendous amount of pressure.’ Katsuki kept a light hold on Eijirou whose face was sweaty. Her bangs stuck to her forehead and her skin rippled uncontrollably. Katsuki’s heart sank to her stomach when she saw her girlfriend’s arms turn completely black again. “Oi, go faster!” “But--”Katsuki raised one hand which quickly ignited with a small explosion. She aimed it at the back of his head. “Don’t argue. Just drive.” The pro hero gulped, then reluctantly obeyed her. The car lurched forward, picking up speed. He gripped the steering wheel tightly, but he did let his eyes flicker towards her before he focused back on the road. ‘And to think I could have guided you on a better path, if only I hadn’t waited so long to approach you.’
______
The few people left in the agency knew to give Creati a wide berth. She didn’t look pleased as she walked towards the conference room with an unusually quiet Pinky following behind her. Only once the doors were slammed shut did one of the sidekicks mutter, “We’d better make ourselves scarce.” “Right.” Creati went to the first chair and sat down while Shoto’s cool gaze swept over both women. Pinky remained standing, but she looked entirely too defensive. Her arms were folded across her chest while she kept her eyes averted. “While the others are with Deku, I think it’s high time we address something very important.” Pinky gripped her arms. “Here we go,” she muttered angrily.“Ashido, you weren’t there the night we failed Bakugou and Kirishima. We chose to trust in our teachers and mentors, but that night was a complete failure.” “I might not have been there, but I know what happened afterwards. All of you felt guilty but it was her choice to go after Bakugou. None of us forced Eijirou to do that. And it’s not our fault what happened to Bakugou. She was doomed the minute they targeted her.” “Ashido!” Momo chose to remain silent. She knew how Shoto felt about everything, but Mina had chosen to keep her distance and refrained from opening up to anyone. She clenched her fist while fighting the urge to inject. ‘This needs to happen.’ “I don’t want to hear it, Todoroki! The four of you were never responsible, or to blame, for what happened! It would have been better if we’d moved on with our lives instead of hoping for them to come back. Now look where we are! Deku is headed to the hospital because he really believes he saw her when we don’t even have concrete proof that it's actually her!” Shoto slammed his hands on the table. “That’s where you’re wrong. We’re to blame just like the heroes who failed to rescue Katsuki are.”Mina stopped holding onto her arms. “And why is that? None of you have actually explained why you’re at fault. Bakugou needed to be brought down a peg or two, but did you guys force Eijirou to chase after her? She abandoned us for someone who didn’t even care--”“Ashido, you’re wrong!” “How?! How am I wrong?! Bakugou didn’t give a damn about anyone other than herself. She rejected all of our attempts to befriend her.”“Then how do you explain Eijirou? You can’t just brush aside their bond, can you?” Mina opened and closed her mouth before she turned to glare at the door. “Bond? Bond? Their relationship was one sided from the start. Eijirou was always bending over backwards for Bakugou. So, tell me, why should I care about Bakugou? My priority was Eijirou. She could have been saved, but there was never any hope for Bakugou.” Shoto rubbed the bridge of his nose as Momo spoke up. “Instead of looking at everything in a rational manner, you’re placing the blame solely on Bakugou, who is just as much a victim as Kirishima.” Mina scoffed. “I wouldn’t call Bakugou a victim. If we’re to believe Deku, then she did what she had to do to survive. Now, are we done?” “No, as a matter of fact, we’re not done.” Momo kept her gaze on her friend. “As your colleague and friend, I’m sorry I didn’t take the time to reach out to you, but if you’re planning something--”Mina stopped glaring at the door and turned to stare at Momo in disbelief. “And just what do you think I can do against Bakugou and Eijirou? They’re not the same people we once knew. Besides, what good would it do to go chasing ghosts?” With those parting words ringing in their ears, Mina left. Momo placed one hand on her forehead, torn between anger and concern. Shoto felt the same way, but he pushed his feelings aside in order to assess their situation properly. “Ashido harbors a great deal of resentment and bitterness from what happened. How do we move forward when we don’t know how she’s going to act?” “The bigger question is how do we keep this from spiraling out of control again? Only a few of us know the true events of that night.”This time, Shoto was the one who felt lost. He spared one glance at Momo, who didn’t look like the confident and capable leader he knew she could be. “Then maybe it’s time we right our wrongs.”
_____
At an undisclosed location
Katsuki’s entire body felt taut, like a bowstring ready to snap. Having someone other than herself tend to Eijirou was stirring up old, ugly feelings inside her heart. Best Jeanist had taken Eijirou to the back of the safehouse, however, Katsuki didn’t like the idea of being separated from her mate. The scent glands on her wrists and necks started to swell and itch, while her eyes flickered between flashes of red and silver. Her heart throbbed in time with the snarls of her inner omega. ‘Mate. Mate needs us. Get to mate!’ She stalked towards the room where she knew her partner was, but her sense of control vanished entirely when she caught a whiff of distressed pheromones in the air. She ran the rest of the way and kicked the door in. Her blood froze in her veins as she took in the sight of Eijirou sprawled across the bed. Her skin had taken on a much darker hue, her eyes were only partially opened, and her clothes were ripped. Her claws grew in length before shrinking back down to normal right before Katsuki’s eyes. Her hair looked stiff as well. Best Jeanist was nowhere to be seen as Katsuki’s eyes narrowed to mere slits. She was pissed that Eijirou’s hands were cuffed to the headboard. She stomped over to the bed and ripped the cuffs from the frame. She knew she should have been gentler, but her mate didn’t flinch as she heated the metal just enough for it to melt before she ripped the rest off. She threw the destroyed remains on the floor and grabbed her partner’s face. “Eijirou?” She kept her hands on her face as she rested her forehead against Eijirou’s skin. “This is what you were hiding from me, wasn’t it?” Every so often, she could feel Eijirou’s skin shifting from her quirk. Her anger cooled considerably though when the realization of just how much Eijirou must have sacrificed to save her dawned on her. She laid on top of her girlfriend and fought back sobs as Best Jeanist walked in from the connected bathroom. His arms were full of towels, clothes, and a large first aid kit. He placed them in the chair closest to the bed and quietly left the lovers alone.
_____
For once in her life, Katsuki felt absolutely helpless. Her mate couldn't talk, her body had been changed against her will, and they had nowhere to go. To compound things, they had been found by someone she once thought she could trust and respect but was now just as likely to turn them in as he was to help them. She buried her face in Eijirou’s neck as a sob broke free from her.Underneath her, Eijirou struggled to come back to herself as she could feel something wet splashing onto her skin. Her eyes flashed black before flickering to her normal ruby hue. Her skin puckered again while her hair fell around her. She swallowed twice before forcing out, “Katsuki?”The low timbre to her voice should have been shocking to her but she was more worried about her mate, who wouldn’t move or answer her. ‘She's crying. Why is she crying?’ Eijirou laid perfectly still as a tiny voice inside of her laughed cruelly. Her hands hovered uselessly over Katsuki’s body. ‘Those tears. They're for you. She's always crying or hurting because of you.’ Bloody oil started to seep from the scent glands on her wrists and necks. She growled in frustration as that voice kept talking to her. ‘You weren't strong enough to save her. You were so sure you could rescue her but look how that turned out. You both ended up being captured and used and for what? You let them do this to you, but was it worth it? Was your failure really worth your mate’s suffering and pain?!’ Her growls turned louder as she grabbed Katsuki by the waist and hugged her tightly. Her body abruptly stopped changing as jagged pieces of skin fell from her arms and legs and her eyes glowed black momentarily again. Katsuki still wasn’t moving though, which didn’t sit well with Eijirou, who squeezed her feisty mate’s waist before bringing her hands up to cup her face. She was sure to be as gentle as possible as she guided Katsuki’s face towards her. “Firecracker?” Eijirou waited patiently for Katsuki to respond to her nickname. She kept a watchful gaze on her lover, whose eyes were filled with tears. She wiped a few stray tears away while waiting for Katsuki to speak, but she didn’t have to wait long. Her stubborn and proud mate whined against her throat. “Ei, why? Why did you think it was okay to hide this from me? I thought we were a team.” Hearing the defeat and misery in Katsuku’s voice grated on Eijirou’s nerves. That nagging voice was growing loud again. ‘Look at your precious mate. The one you swore to love and cherish! You’ve hurt her. When are you going to stop punishing her?’ Her larger hands retreated from Katsuki’s face, but the wetness against her neck was still there. Her throat burned and her wrists felt like they were on fire, but she ignored the pain. Nothing else mattered except for Katsuki. She rested one hand on Katsuki’s hip while capturing her lips in a tender kiss. Katsuki didn’t pull away from her lover, but she also didn’t respond to her affectionate gesture. Eijirou refused to let go. She kept giving her small kisses until that same voice whispered, ‘Show her everything.’ Eijirou gathered every ounce of her willpower and shoved the voice deep inside the back of her mind as her mental bond with Katsuki roared back to life. Katsuki whimpered as if she were in pain, but Eijirou was there holding her steady as their connection struggled to reforge within their minds.
“I hid from you because of my own cowardice. But just like you once asked-- Please don’t shut me out.”
The small, red string that normally kept them tied to one another pulsed weakly before gaining some of its vibrant shine back. Katsuki’s voice wasn’t in her mind yet, but Eijirou knew she could feel her presence. She was curled up in a ball, lying on the ground, but it wasn’t because she was in pain. Rather, they were sharing the memory of the night she almost failed Katsuki.
“Get your hands off of me! Let go! Let go of me!”
A younger version of Katsuki was being pulled through the League’s headquarters. Her clothes were ripped and stained, while quirk canceling cuffs could be seen on her wrists and ankles. Just the sight of her being manhandled by Dabi, Mr. Compress, and Twice had Eijirou curling up even more. She couldn’t stand watching them hurt her mate again.
A heavy door was thrown open and Katsuki was shoved inside of the room while All for One rose from his seat. Near his vacant seat was a large container filled with water and Katsuki’s eyes widened when she saw Tomura Shigaraki floating in the chamber. “What the--”
“Now, now, you’re probably wondering why you’re here and what’s going on with Tomura, but no need to worry yourself with those questions.”
Katsuki was still standing but her legs were shaking slightly as the full weight of her situation began to settle on her shoulders. ‘I don’t have access to my quirk, I have no backup and I’m surrounded by several strong opponents. There’s no way out. How… How am I going to get out of this situation?’
All for One smiled gleefully while walking towards Katsuki, who was desperately trying to keep her fear in check. “Oh, I know what you’re thinking. You’re trying to convince yourself that you can get out of this unharmed, or perhaps you think the heroes will come for you?”
Katsuki gulped but remained silent. Her adversary, however, chuckled before clapping his hands together. “Allow me to show you why both options are wrong.”
Another door swung open and this time, Eijirou was dragged in by her hair. Toga skipped ahead of Magne, who dropped Eijirou onto the ground then dusted off her hands. “That one tried putting up a fight, but she was pretty easy to subdue.”
Toga giggled while spinning in a circle around Eijirou’s fallen body. “She wasn’t prepared for both of us. Her blood’s kinda tasty.”
Toga stopped moving to lick the edge of her knife which was coated in blood. Katsuki couldn’t bear to hear or witness anything else. Recklessly, she charged towards them while trying to forcefully activate her quirk. Only tiny sparks erupted from her hands as she blindly swung at Magne and Toga. “What did you do!? I’ll kill you!”
Toga dodged the uncoordinated attacks while Magne grabbed Katsuki by the scruff of her neck. “Kid, you might wanna knock it off. Boss wasn’t done talking to you.”
Magne forced Katsuki to her knees as All for One easily gilded towards her. He appeared behind her and clapped a heavy hand onto her shoulder. “What happened tonight in Kamino is your fault. My protege was gravely injured and may never recover fully, so I need another vessel to take his place. You don’t have a choice in the matter, but if you think you do…”
A ball of fire materialized in the man’s hand. Carefully, he aimed it towards Eijirou’s prone form. Katsuki swore she heard someone screaming but she didn’t know who it could be. Her face felt wet as jeers and mocking laughter surrounded her.
“This is your life. You obey my every command, otherwise, she’ll die. I can assure you; her death won’t be painless either.”
Eijirou flinched as the next thing that flashed before them was her being strapped to a table. She was wearing a tank top and shorts but her hands, arms, legs, and even her throat were heavily bruised. Her hair was tangled and matted while blood coated her forehead. Dr. Sakura calmly approached the table with a clipboard in hand. “You’re either insanely brave or just plain stupid. Why would you willingly give me samples?”
Eijirou blew out an agitated breath. “None of you are going to hurt Katsuki. I’m unbreakable and can take anything you dish out. So do your worst. It won’t break me!”
Dr. Sakura’s blank face transformed as a creepy light entered her eyes and her smile turned sinister. “We’ll see about that.”
Another scientist pushed a large cart toward Dr. Sakura, who picked up a pair of gloves and snapped them on before picking up a syringe. She made sure to rid the needle of any air bubbles before she stabbed Eijirou in the arm. The room was deathly silent for a moment before Eijirou suddenly lurched upwards. Her skin instantly turned hard as her eyes grew black and her nails grew long. She bit her lip while throwing her head side to side.
“Don’t worry, subject one. This is just the start of our fun.”
She turned toward her ensemble of weapons and eyed them carefully before settling on a machete. The rest of her subordinates were absent except for the two who had the unfortunate task of documenting, as well as recording, the experiment. Dr. Sakura’s smile grew large with mania as she swung the weapon down on Eijirou repeatedly. The blade shattered against Eijirou's hardened skin. Bits of it fell to the ground as she dropped the broken remains, turning to grab a mallet next. She smashed it against Eijirou’s face, chest and stomach but it too broke apart.
Katsuki couldn’t watch the rest and turned her back on the scene. She covered her ears while shaking her head back and forth. “No, no, I don’t want to see this!”
Eijirou uncurled herself from her ball and stumbled over to Katsuki. She hugged her from behind, but she was crying as she said, “It’s okay. Firecracker, it’s okay. We survived what they were planning.”
Abruptly, both women snapped back to awareness as Katsuki surprised Eijirou by kissing the damaged scent glands on her neck before moving on to her lips. Katsuki hoped her mate could feel all of her love in the kiss, and she wasn’t disappointed as Eijirou eagerly returned her affections. The mental connection between them flared before settling back into its usual quiet hum. ‘Are you back with me Ei? Please tell me you’re back with me.’ A low rumble surrounded Katsuki’s body before she finally felt, as well as heard, Eijirou’s normal speaking voice seep into her heart again. ‘I’m here Firecracker. I’m finally here.’
____
Time meant nothing to Eijirou. She wasn’t too concerned with their failed assignment regarding One for All, but any time the television was on, she purposely avoided the news channels or talk shows. She wanted to remain ignorant to the outside world since she finally felt like her old self again. She didn’t have that annoying voice screaming in her head anymore, her skin didn’t ripple uncontrollably, and she wasn’t having trouble recognizing Katsuki or her surroundings. She felt a bit hopeful and wanted to believe their reprieve from the League would never end. Especially since she got to wake up every morning with her mate tucked against her side. She propped one elbow up in the bed and studied her mate’s peaceful profile. Her wild hair covered her pillow, and a tiny smile was stuck on her face. Eijirou smiled softly while gazing at the fresh mating mark on Katsuki’s neck. Not only was she feeling better, but she’d also given in to her desire to renew her bond with the blonde. She loved how great it felt to be connected with Katsuki again. She pulled her mate close and began kissing her face and neck. Katsuku’s nose scrunched up a bit before she groggily mumbled, “Too early for affection.” Eijirou giggled but kept kissing Katsuki, who weakly shoved Eijirou’s face away. “It’s never too early to be affectionate to you.”Katsuki groaned then nipped Eijirou’s throat. She let her nose stay buried in her mate’s skin as she inhaled her natural scent. She nearly whined when she smelled soft, floral notes and not the burning gasoline or bitterness that normally clung to her mate. Eijirou had an idea on what Katsuki was probably feeling as she let her head rest on top of Katsuki’s. “I’m really back and I’m sorry for scaring you.” “Should be mad at you,” Katsuki grumbled against Eijirou’s throat. The alpha snickered when she heard the pout in her mate’s voice. “Nope, you love me way too much to be mad. Plus, I’ll grovel and apologize until we’re old and gray if I have to.” Hearing the sappy words from her mate had Katsuki growling as she tried to turn onto her side, but Eijirou wouldn’t let her get away so easily. “Oh, come on Firecracker, don’t be like this.” “You're a shitty alpha. I thought--” She cut herself off as a polite knock sounded on their door. She frowned heavily before shouting, “The fuck do you want old man?” Eijirou pinched the bridge of her nose before going back to her original plan of attack. She started kissing Katsuki’s shoulders. The blonde was trying not to give in to Eijirou, but the low chirps and purrs that slipped from her mouth gave her away. ‘Don’t think you’re off the hook just yet, Ei.’ “Good morning. I’ll be leaving. Will you two be alright?” The two lovers grew excited at the idea of having their temporary home all to themselves. Katsuki reached back and grabbed Eijirou’s thigh tightly, while her alpha started rubbing her wrists over her hips and lower back. Katsuki’s eyes closed when she got a whiff of Eijirou’s aroused pheromones. “Yeah, we’ll be fine!” “I’ve restocked everything and there’s no rush to leave this place. I won’t share your location with anyone either.”Eijirou smiled widely when she heard the words from Best Jeanist but her heart started thumping fast when she realized that they would be alone together for the first time in ages. She listened closely for his footsteps to disappear and once she was absolutely certain the man had left, she maneuvered a very pliant Katsuki onto her back in the middle of the bed. She straddled her hips and smirked at her beautiful mate. “You’re not in heat, but I did promise you a very thorough fucking.” “Didn’t catch Deku though.” Katsuki muttered. The petulant tone drew another amused laugh from Eijirou. “Doesn’t matter. We fucked over the league and got our freedom. I’d say that’s something worth celebrating.” “Mmmhh.” Eijirou looked at her mate, who almost seemed to be scent drunk. The blush on her face and dazed look in her eyes were definitely giveaways. The redhead grinned when she noticed Katsuki’s scent was downright sugary, different from her orange blossoms and jasmine scent which normally drove Eijirou wild. Now her mate smelt heavenly. The alpha couldn’t resist breathing deeply as a sudden feeling wrapped around her heart. ‘Is she blooming for me?’ Katsuki’s arms snaked around Eijirou’s waist. Her eyes began to dilate as she alternated between chirps and purrs. ‘Don’t you like what you see, Alpha?’ Eijirou rumbled gently as her own honey-infused rose and floral tones filled the room. Her nostrils flared as the realization hit hard. “You’re so damn perfect. I love you, firecracker.”All she got in response was a satisfied purr, but that was more than enough for Eijirou, who captured Katsuki’s lips in a tender kiss. The two began to get lost in one another, finally thinking that their plight was over.
_____
True to his word, Best Jeanist left Katsuki and Eijirou alone. He upheld his end of the deal and never revealed their location, or the fact that he was technically harboring two very wanted criminals. He was sure to cover his tracks well whenever he went to drop off supplies, but some of his colleagues, like Fat Gum, had been growing suspicious of him. But he’d made a promise, and he swore this time, he’d be successful no matter what he had to do.The younger generation of heroes didn’t have time to be suspicious of him though, as the bonds between them were being severely tested. Deku wouldn't let go of the notion that he saw Kacchan on the night of his attack. Creati, Shouto, Ingenium, Chargebolt, and Cellophane believed him, but Pinky refused to believe. The rest of their former classmates were torn on what to do. Some of them sided with Pinky, while the others believed Deku.Everything came grinding to a halt one day, however, when Eijirou made the terrible mistake of turning on the television. “We're reporting to you live in front of Pro Hero Deku’s agency, where the number five hero is expected to speak publicly for the first time since he was attacked under mysterious circumstances.”Eijirou shot a quick look at Katsuki, who quickly sat up in her arms. Previously, she'd been resting in her mate’s embrace and enjoying having her all to herself. Her pleasant scent and mood quickly shifted to bitterness now. “We’re not watching that crap.”She started flicking through channels, but every station seemed to be covering Deku’s impending speech. Katsuki snarled in frustration, “Fucking Deku. I thought I was done dealing with that damn nerd.”Through their bond, Eijirou could feel the rage, disgust, annoyance, and tiny bit of regret coming from Katsuki. She kept one arm around her in a show of support. “We are. We don’t need to watch TV anyway.”She cut the device off and kissed the top of Katsuki’s head. “You know, we could always pick up where we left off. I don’t think I've gotten my fill of you yet.”Katsuki smacked Eijirou’s arm lightly. “I won't be able to walk if we go again, let alone keep up with you. Plus, I haven't exactly adjusted to your newest changes yet.”A teasing smirk danced along Eijirou’s face. “Liar. I've had you on nearly every space in here and you've yet to tell me to stop. Admit it, you love my body, don't you?”Katsuki growled playfully. “Trying to get me addicted to you won’t work, since I'm already there. Like I'd want someone else when I've--”Sudden pounding at the door had Katsuki trailing off, while Eijirou raised an eyebrow. “It's not time for Best Jeanist to drop off stuff.”Katsuki stared at the door as whoever it was kept hammering at it. Her hand shot out to clutch onto Eijirou’s bicep. “Don't answer it.” She whispered. Eijirou nodded as the person kept knocking. Both of them watched the door intently, but neither of them was prepared to see acid melting the doorknob. Katsuki leapt up first, fighting back the urge to growl and snarl, while Eijirou hardened her body. She got in front of Katsuki right as the door creaked open. Pinky stepped inside the room and coolly glared at Katsuki before cheerfully greeting Eijirou. “Kirishima, I'm not here to fight. I just want to talk.”A warning growl came from Katsuki, but Eijirou wouldn’t move. She stood her ground. “How are you here and what do you want?”Pinky cooked her head to the side. “So hostile. Aren’t we friends? I really do want to talk. Privately if that's alright?”Katsuki’s scent turned rotten instantly as she stepped around Eijirou. She bared her fangs and claws at the hero. “You got shit to say then spit it out or get the fuck out.”In an effort to appease the irate blonde, Pinky released her strawberry-infused, bubblegum scent, but it was the wrong move as Katsuki’s eyes turned a darker shade of crimson. One of her fangs caught her lip by accident, causing blood to trickle down her chin as she snapped, “Bitch!”Eijirou grabbed Katsuki, knowing she was mere moments away from lunging for their former classmate. She glared at Pinky. “Why would you do something so stupid? Katsuki’s always been--”“Jealous? Possessive? Overprotective?”Eijirou kept glaring. “Sensitive to certain smells.”Pinky ignored the coldness in Eijirou’s voice. “We'd like you to come back home.”Katsuki’s growls grew louder as she thrashed in Eijirou’s arms. Eijirou, however, chuckled darkly. “Both of us? Going home to what? A group of people who gave up on Katsuki and me. Beyond that, Katsuki doesn’t have anyone. Her mother is dead, and her dad is in a hospital, comatose. What's your game Ashido, because I'm starting to think I should let Katsuki free.”Pinky stomped her foot in anger before schooling her features into a neutral expression. “Look, I wasn’t there the night you two got abducted, but that's all in the past. And unlike her, you've still got a shot at being a Hero. Why would you pass on that opportunity?”Katsuki was beside herself. She was clawing at Eijirou’s hardened arms and doing her best to get loose. She slammed her foot on Eijirou’s and elbowed her in the stomach, but her mate refused to let go. Her frustration was rapidly building as she howled, “Because her place is with me! She was always meant to be mine!”The barb didn't go unnoticed to Pinky who muttered, “Only in your wildest delusions. Ei was supposed to be with me.”Eijirou mulled over the blatant insult to her mate. Her scent started leaking traces of burnt gasoline as she murmured, “You want to repeat that, Ashido?”This time, Ashido boldly said, “You gave up everything for that ungrateful harpy; your chance to be a great hero, a happy life, and friends who loved you! Bakugou never appreciated or loved you as much as we did! She despised everyone, hated any attempts to befriend her, and wouldn’t even accept the idea that there was more to life than being the number one hero! You chose her over me! Why? What does she have that I don't?!”Eijirou started breathing heavily as something from her past finally clicked into place. The shy looks, the bashful smiles, the hesitant touches, and the failed confession right before she set out to rescue Katsuki.
“Kirishima, wait, please! Please!”
The sturdy hero in training stopped at the school gates to stare at Mina, who was running toward her. Eijirou shifted nervously. “Can you hurry up? I'm kinda in a rush.”
Mina made it to her side and looked her up and down. She hissed quietly when she realized that her friend was wearing her hero costume. “What are you doing?! Are you insane?”
“I’m going to do what the pros won't.”
Mina grabbed Eijirou’s shoulder. “Forget about her for just a moment. Think about your future!”
Eijirou shrugged her hand off. “Katsuki is my future. What do you need, because I've gotta go. She's waiting for me.”
Mina looked at the ground, her bangs hiding her eyes which started filling with tears. “You're never going to see me, are you?”
Eijirou looked over her shoulder. Confusion danced in her gaze. “What are you--”
Mina lunged at Eijirou and hugged her tightly. “Don't go. Please don’t go. Stay here with us. With me!”
“Ashido--”
“We’re enough, I'm enough! Please don’t leave!”
Eijirou gently pried Mina’s arms from her body and stepped through the gates. Mina wasn’t crying, but she didn’t regret her actions either. She started jogging away from Mina, but she did call out, “I'm glad to have met you Ashido, but you'll be happier with someone else. My heart's spoken for already.”
Eijirou barely had time to process Pinky’s words before Katsuki slashed the scent glands on her wrists. Eijirou let out a pained yelp as Katsuki charged Pinky. “I'll never leave Eijirou or give her to anyone else! Especially not to the likes of you!”The alpha took a few shallow breaths, then quickly inspected her wrists. Beads of blood were on each gland, but they were still intact. The cuts weren't bad, but Eijirou knew she didn't have time to treat them. Her head snapped up just in time to see Pinky throw a large amount of acid at Katsuki, who dodged the attack while unleashing large explosions. The reaction was immediate. Pinky was flung backwards through the door while Katsuki chased after her.“Shit, shit, shit!” Eijirou scampered after them, but she’d barely made it through the wrecked remains of the door before her nose was assaulted by the smell of burnt flesh. Her panicked eyes flickered around outside before landing on the other women. Pinky was clutching her chest, which was bleeding, while Katsuki was heaving and clutching her side.“Do you see now? This is who you chose! An unstable, bloodthirsty woman that was always too dangerous to be a hero!”Eijirou’s eyes narrowed. She watched Katsuki straighten back up, but she knew something was seriously wrong. Her mate’s scent was no longer rotten or laced with aggressive pheromones. Instead, it was completely filled with murderous intent. The alpha glanced at Pinky briefly before dropping her own quirk. She folded her brawny arms across her chest. “Go wild, baby.”As soon as Katsuki heard the words, she raced over to her enemy and punched her as hard as she could. Stunned by the hit, Pinky staggered backwards, but Katsuki was on top of her in seconds. She grabbed her arm and threw her to the ground, then dug her boot into the wound on Pinky’s chest. Bits of blood spurted from the injury as Pinky slung acid at Katsuki’s ankles and legs. The blonde omega hissed in pain but didn’t move her foot until she noticed a silver gleam on Pinky’s shoulder. She stomped on her chest harshly, which had Pinky moaning in pain, then reached down to inspect the woman’s shoulder.Cold fury raced through her body when she realized what it was. She crushed the small device with an explosion and let the remains fall on Pinky’s body. “Fucking whore. Bet you weren't expecting me to figure out your plan.”She kicked Pinky and had no remorse as her body rolled away from her. The hero shakily pushed herself up onto unsteady feet and wrapped herself in a thin layer of acid. Her golden eyes were partially open as she groused, “I'm not done!”Katsuki grinned savagely and crooked a finger to her. “Bring it.”Pinky slid toward her, flinging globs of acid at Katsuki. The blonde was light on her feet as she avoided every strike. Eijirou continued to watch the fight between them, ready to jump in if needed, but she trusted Katsuki.In an effort to keep nosy bystanders away, however, she let her pheromones spread far and wide. The smell was potent and would choke anyone but her or Katsuki. She may have not needed to intervene in the brawl, but she didn’t mind tipping the scales in favor of her mate.Pinky was winded and running out of options. None of her attacks were working and she was starting to feel lightheaded from Eijirou’s pheromones. Her entire body was still dripping acid as her scent soured. Her gaze roamed over Bakugou’s smug visage. She sported minimal injuries, which infuriated her because she was fighting at full strength and yet she was more wounded than Bakugou. Her eyes then shot over to Eijirou, who looked wholly disinterested. Her attention was sorely on Bakugou. The dismissal, coupled with the look, stirred old feelings in her heart. “Don’t-- Don’t look at me like that!” She screamed while spinning around Katsuki and running straight to Eijirou, whose eyes widened as she activated her quirk. Pinky wound up her arm and threw a large amount of acid towards the redhead, but Katsuki was already there, shoving Eijirou out of the way. The acid splashed onto her back, drawing a pained scream from Katsuki, who went down to her knees. Eijirou stumbled as well before catching herself and scurrying back to Katsuki’s side. She tried to pull Katsuki toward her so she could look at her back, but the omega only hissed while getting back to her feet. Her eyes, if possible, grew even darker as her fangs grew and her nails began to extend. She growled, “You’re about to learn a very important lesson, bitch.” Pinky was breathing hard. The gash in her chest hurt, as did her head and body. She wasn’t a slacker by any means when it came to using her quirk, but she never did well in prolonged fights. She knew how to work with teammates and could often be counted on to get in close to deliver striking blows, but being up against someone with raw strength and power like Bakugou was pushing her to her breaking point.She applied more acid to herself as she leapt backwards to create some distance between her and Bakugou. ‘Why didn’t I pay more attention in class when they were talking about strategies and analyzing your opponents!’ Eijirou’s gaze turned downright frosty. She stood carefully before hardening her full body. Instead of her skin rippling like in the past, it was jagged. Even her hair looked rough. But Katsuki threw out a hand and placed it on her chest. “I got this, Red.” The alpha’s voice sounded thunderous as she grumbled, “Make sure there’s nothing left.” “With pleasure.” Katsuki’s body started heating up, which had Pinky’s eyes widening in fright. She stopped producing acid and turned to flee, but Katsuki launched a hefty explosion toward her then blasted forward and rammed both of her fists into Pinky’s back. The hero shrieked, coughing up flecks of blood. Katsuki wasn’t done just yet and grabbed Pinky by the hair while bringing a smoking hand close to her face. She yanked on her hair, drawing another pained moan from the hero. “You would have been better off never coming here. Any last words?” The deadly, reserved tone of Katsuki’s voice had shivers racing up her spine as she gulped. Her heart beat wildly as her scent became downright terrified. Her scent glands started leaking oil as she cried, “Please, please no. Don’t do this. Let me go and I’ll never bother you again. I swear!” She started crying hysterically as Katsuki yanked her hair again. Her scalp throbbed in agony as Katsuki’s burning hand appeared directly in front of her face again. The sizzling heat alone terrified her, but the strong smell of nitroglycerin along with the scent of rotten jasmines seared itself into her psyche right as Katsuki’s hot hand grabbed her face. A muffled scream was torn from her throat as she started clawing at Katsuki’s arms. Tears streamed down her face as Katsuki began letting out a series of small explosions before gradually increasing their size, until the last one silenced Pinky. Katsuki dropped her body onto the ground and smiled cruelly. The horrific smell of burnt flesh drifted on the wind as Eijirou’s pheromones continued to keep everyone away from them. She made her way to her feisty mate who took one last look at Pinky before spitting a wad of blood onto her body. “You won’t be bothering us anymore.” Katsuki turned to address her mate, but never got the chance to do so as her body began shaking uncontrollably. Her mouth dropped open as her eyes rolled into the back of her head. She dropped to the ground like a puppet whose strings had been cut. Eijirou ran to her and scooped her up, glancing around to see if there were vehicles nearby. When she didn’t spot any, she swore under her breath then dashed back into the safehouse. At least three blocks away from the safehouse, Best Jeanist shivered while Fat Gum muttered, “Something really bad just happened.”
_____
Epilogue
Several Months Later
Like clockwork, Katsuki was the first one up between them. And like every other time, she kissed Eijirou on the cheek before getting out of bed and wandering to their kitchen, grabbing the paper from outside on the way. Her baggy gray shirt slipped off her shoulder revealing her bruised throat and a small sliver of her chest that bore love bites. Her wrists and arms were covered in teeth marks as well. She stopped admiring her alpha's handiwork and smirked while pulling out various pots and pans. She wanted to start breakfast now, before Eijirou woke up. Her smirk turned into an amused smile while her pleased scent drifted around the room. “At this rate, Ei’s gonna turn me into her own chew toy,” she muttered fondly, “Not that I mind, but it’d be nice to wake up without having marks all over me.” She grumbled. She stayed near the stove while trying to decide on what to fix for breakfast. She actually had a taste for curry, but she knew Eijirou hated eating really heavy meals in the morning. She tapped her chin while thinking about what they had on hand. ‘I could probably do a western style meal. Maybe an omelet, or I could probably make some sort of sandwich. Long as the dummy eats something edible.’ Having made up her mind, Katsuki walked over to the pantry and started grabbing her spices, but she stopped moving altogether when her favorite scent tickled her nose. She smirked again when large hands wrapped around her lithe waist, before she was pulled against Eijirou’s chest. When she felt feathery kisses being placed along her nape, her smirk turned impossibly soft. “Shitty alpha, I thought you were planning to stay in bed.” Eijirou nuzzled her before rumbling softly. “Bed’s too big for just me. My pretty little firecracker is supposed to keep me company.” Katsuki refrained from laughing at her mate, but she couldn’t pass up a chance to tease her alpha. “So not only am I your personal toy, but I’m also supposed to stay within your line of sight at all times? Anything else I’m missing Red?” Eijirou paused playfully, glancing around like she was thinking. Her eyes landed briefly on the morning paper and its headlines. “Shocking Discovery: Two Famous & Well-Known Pro Heroes Retire Suddenly.” Underneath the caption was a blurry photo that may have been Best Jeanist and Fat Gum, and underneath the image was another caption, “Pro Hero Deku Remains on Sabbatical.” She turned back to her mate and growled playfully, then gently bit the scent gland on Katsuki’s neck. Her fangs brushed against her skin while her hands cupped her stomach. “The part where you’re supposed to admit you’re madly in love with me and how you’ll never leave me.” That got an amused snort out of Katsuki. She stayed put while Eijirou continued nuzzling her. She even let her hands cover Eijirou’s. “I tell you that every single day. Gonna let go of me so I can cook, or are we starving?” “Oh, I’m not starving. I’ve got a delicious meal right here.” Eijirou’s fingers slipped underneath Katsuki’s shirt and pinched one of her thighs, Katsuki’s amused demeanor disappeared as she leaned back into Eijirou. “Then you’d better eat quickly. Unlike some people, I’d like to eat real food.” Her alpha snickered then kissed her bare shoulder. “As you wish, my firecracker.”