***With the holidays, I'm usually very booked and very busy, which doesn't always leave me time to write at my regular pace.
***Warnings: Language, mild smut (only on A03), mpreg, suspense, angst, drama
***Please read on and enjoy!
Chapter 11: A Dark Twist
Izuku slowly opens his eyes to the sun peeking in through the curtains. He sat up and stretched, unable to remember the last time he had such a good nights' sleep. Beside him was Bakugo, still sleeping, on his back. Izuku leaned down and kissed him on the lips, making the alpha mumble a bit but remained asleep. He decided to leave Bakugo sleeping to use the water closet, putting on the heavy robe and soft slippers provided to him. Izuku quietly squealed to himself at the luxurious feel of the garments. Then, he had a moment of guilt for feeling so happy when he knows so many do not have this luxury. But the room was cold, and he did have the baby to think of, so he kept the robe.
As he exited the water closet, there was a knock at their chamber door. Izuku looked to the bed to see if Bakugo had woken from the sound, but he was still asleep. Quickly, Izuku hurried to the door and opened it, expecting to see a servant. Instead, it was the Young Lord, Shoto Todoroki, standing tall, regal, and handsome with extravagant clothes. Izuku couldn't stop staring at the shining omega. He would have said 'good morning' or 'what do you need,' but then remembered he is not allowed to speak to Shoto. Instead, he quietly bowed and waited.
"I see you are just getting up?" Shoto spoke.
"Y-Yes, sir- I mean- My Lord," Izuku sputtered a little.
"Your eyes are to be cast downward when you speak to me," Shoto reminded him, frowning in disdain at the commoner dressed in finery after his argument with Bakugo.
Izuku quickly lowered his eyes and repeated what he had just said.
"We are to have an audience with my father, Lord Enji Todoroki, so get yourself dressed and meet me out here. Do not keep me waiting."
"Yes, My Lord," Izuku says, eyes still lowered, and panicked a little if he should close the door on Shoto or leave it open. He decided to leave it open only to hear it close loudly behind him. The sound startled Bakugo awake. "It's okay, Kacchan! It's just Young Lord Shoto!"
Bakugo, alert with messy bed hair, looks around the room. "Shoto? Why is he here? Where is he?"
"Oh, he's not in the room, he's waiting outside the door. I'm supposed to have an audience with him and his father."
Bakugo cracks his neck and back. "With Enji Todoroki? That's an odd request coming from Shoto. Did he say what for?"
Izuku shook his head 'no' while changing into the clothes from yesterday. "He didn't mention you, though. I think it's supposed to be just me and Shoto." Izuku saw the look of concern mixed in with Bakugo's usual hard features. "What is it?"
"I don't like this," Bakugo tells him. "Shoto must be planning something,"
Izuku gulped a little. "Do you think I'm in…danger?"
"Just wait there, I'm going to speak to Shoto."
Bakugo gets up with his cane and goes to the door, fully exiting the room. Izuku waits anxiously by the wardrobe, wondering what was conspiring between them. Bakugo appeared frustrated and he hoped they weren't arguing. Then, when Bakugo comes back in, Izuku could feel the tension in their bond as well as his alpha's irritability.
"What did he say?"
"I'm not allowed to be there because his father doesn't 'wish' to see me at this 'current time'!"
"Oh…" Izuku didn't know what else to say.
"I'll still be there, though," Bakugo tells him. "I'll be in the shadows, watching, so just know I'm there. I don't know what this 'special meeting' is all about, so I can't prepare you for whatever is to come."
Izuku nods. "I understand. Don't worry, I'll be okay. I mean, I know I will have a lot going against me because of who I am…but I'm not going to let that get in the way!" He plants a kiss on Bakugo's cheek. "We're going to find a way to make this work, Kacchan."
"Enji Todoroki is not an easy alpha to work with," Bakugo warns him. "Just be careful of what you say and how you say it. Enji values Shoto above all things. Keep that in mind"
"I will," he kisses him again. "I'll see you there, or rather, I'll sense where you are watching!"
At first, Izuku was calm following behind Shoto until entering the courtroom. The room was large with a high ceiling and there were small groups of nobles and employees mingling. Many of them stop and stare at him; he can feel their eyes on him. His senses were warning him that many of the eyes were not looking upon him with kindness. Did word get around that he came here with Bakugo? Izuku wondered if Shoto and Bakugo's relationship was public knowledge? If so, then of course, everyone would look poorly upon him.
But then he saw Lord Enji Todoroki seated upon a high-back chair lined with velvet. There were three smaller high-back chairs beside him, two to his left and one to his right. There were two others sitting on the chairs to his left, one male and one female. They both resembled Shoto and Enji, so Izuku could assume that they were related. Izuku knew not to move when Shoto approached the dais, softly greeted his father, then took the empty seat to the right. Izuku gulps looking at all four of them gazing down at him. Unsure of what to do, he lowered himself to one knee, figuring this was the safest option.
"Your name is Izuku Midoriya, correct?" Enji's question and loud voice echoed through the now silent hall.
"Yes, My Lord," Izuku kept looking at the red carpet, glad that he didn't have to look at them because they would see the beads of sweat gathering at his temples.
"And you saved Officer Katsuki Bakugo when he was shipwrecked on your island?"
"I did,"
"You may stand, Izuku Midoriya," Enji commanded.
Izuku stood from the floor but kept his head lowered until Enji Todoroki told him to raise it. When he does, he sees Enji and Shoto's hard stares on him. The young woman appeared to look upon him with pity and the other male looked like he didn't even want to be there.
"On behalf of the Todoroki family, we thank you for bringing our best officer and soldier back to us," Enji says. "However, that same officer is promised to my youngest son, Shoto. It gives me no pleasure to say this to an omega, but you cannot be with Bakugo; he is pledged to my son. You are a commoner with no title or honor behind your name. But for your services, we will give you a place to live in the city and a monthly income, courtesy of my son, Shoto."
Izuku was dumbstruck when he heard what Enji planned to do with him, and he couldn't hold back from speaking out.
"I decline your offer, My Lord! I'm bonded to Bakugo! He is my mate, and I am his! We can't be separated!"
"I have spoken!" Enji's voice echoed off the walls. "We are being grateful by offering you a comfortable life, and yet you are declining? Are you a fool?"
"My Lord-"
"I will hear no more of this! Either accept our compensation or-" Enji was interrupted by Keigo.
"Holy stars! Is that Izuku?" Keigo flashes a bright smile at all five equally confused people. "I haven't seen you in years! My, how you have grown! Like a big ol' piece of broccoli!"
Izuku had no clue who this person was, how they knew him, or why the omega was hugging him. The man called 'Keigo' whispered the words, 'play along' in his ear before moving away.
"You know him?" Enij asks Keigo.
"Yes! He's one of my cousins! On the side of my adopted family, of course. Born to my third uncle with a low birth omega, I can't recall her name, but here I thought I lost all of them in the riverboat accident!" He looks at Enji. "You remember that day, right?"
Enji nods. "I do,"
Shoto couldn't believe what Keigo was doing- he was flat out LYING! Keigo had been no more than twelve when the Takami family took him in from the streets. He was too stunned to speak, nor did he think he should call Keigo out on his lies right now. He would wait to see where Keigo would take this.
"You probably hit your head hard back then, huh?" Keigo asks Izuku. "Or heavy trauma can do that, too."
"Uh…yeah. All I remember is water, and then I ended up on a boat and found myself on the island."
"What a small world!" Keigo laughs, patting Izuku on the shoulder then turning to the dais. "Don't worry, he's with me. I'll get all the paperwork started to refresh his title. I can't have one of my family walking around like a peasant."
Izuku turned pale. Title? Paperwork? What the hell is going on, he wondered.
"Keigo, are you sure this man is your cousin?" Enji was stroking his chin, focusing on Izuku with narrowed, suspicious eyes.
"Why would I lie?" Keigo hops up onto the dais to casually rest his arm on Enji's shoulder and speak so only Enji could hear. "He's my family, and if I give him a title, then I can push him to marry someone else. I don't have any other family beside you, and you've always shown me kindness and respect. You've let me make my own decisions, and I fight for your banner rather than the kings'. He's just one small person; hardly an issue."
"I'm not sure about this," Enji whispers back. "He will be trouble for Bakugo and Shoto,"
"You helped me to find the Takami family, and I turned out perfect!" He grinned.
Enji rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't say perfect,"
"Let me help steer my cousin in a different direction."
"Just what are you two whispering about?" Shoto asked, irritated.
Keigo chuckled and says to Enji, "We should talk more about it at dinner," he offers. "We really haven't talked that much since I came back with the baby."
Shoto straightened his back and bit the inside of his cheek to keep from blurting out all of Keigo's lies. It wasn't really a secret that his father had a soft spot for Keigo ever since the omega came of age and rose high in military ranks. His parents' marriage was an arranged one without any real bonding, and as he got older, he suspected that his father had more of an attraction to Keigo than his mother. But Keigo was mated and bonded to Touya, or Dabi, the exiled and disowned first born of the family. If he wanted to, he could tell his father right now about Keigo and Dabi, but something stopped him. Keigo had told him earlier to trust him, and he has more trust and faith in Keigo than his own father.
"Alright, do what you will," Enji tells Keigo, then turns to Izuku. "If you cause any trouble of any kind, then not only will you be punished but Keigo will be as well. Do you understand?"
Izuku only nodded, unable to speak. He was too confused with what was happening.
"Great! Then I'll just take Izuku with me for now." Keigo hopped off the dais and returned to Izuku's side, sliding an arm around his shoulder. "Come along, cousin!"
Bakugo had been watching from the shadows of the courtroom balcony and heard everything. Just like the others, he was equally confused by Keigo's sudden outburst of lies. Why would Keigo attempt to help Deku, he wondered. He knows he's on Keigo's shitlist since the incident with Tokoyami. He had to use his fencing skills to keep from getting run through by Keigo at that time. Tokoyami forgave him, but Keigo hadn't. So, why was Keigo helping Deku? It can't be for his sake, unless Keigo is trying to steer Shoto away from him. But giving Deku a title and a rank? What good would that do?
He sees Shoto get up and leave, near storming out of the courtroom. Bakugo wondered if he should try and catch up with him, but with his bad leg he wouldn't make it in time. He really wants to know what Keigo is plotting. Instead of following after Shoto, he chose to find his way to wherever Keigo and Deku went.
The office of the scribe was, like everything else here, bigger than his house on the island. Izuku sat quietly, stiff as a board in the chair, while Keigo spoke to the scribe. The scribe was an older man, a beta, with a heavy white beard and long hair. When Izuku asked Keigo what was happening, the other omega told him not to worry about it and keep quiet for now. Izuku really wanted to see Bakugo. Either it was his nerves, the baby, or both, his stomach was queasy. His instincts told him that he needs his alpha, that the baby was missing the strength of the bond. Perhaps it's time he tells Bakugo about the baby. It would bring some light to the current messy situation.
"Izuku?"
Izuku snapped out of his thoughts when Keigo called him. "Yes?"
"You're all set!" Keigo takes the rolled-up piece of parchment from the scribe to hand to Izuku. "You are now officially Izuku Midoriya-Takami, Consort of Officer."
"C-Consort of Officer?" Izuku repeats.
"Yup! That means you hold rank on the same level as an officer, but not the military aspect of the job. Basically, you just oversee the officers when they come here- make light conversation, keep them comfortable, and so on. It's a very, very minor title; but" he taps Izuku on the head with the parchment. "You won't have to lower your eyes when speaking to someone of higher rank."
With slight hesitation, Izuku takes the parchment from Keigo. "You're saying...I'm no longer a commoner?"
"Nope. I just saved you from being tossed out in the cold! Come walk with me, and we'll talk further."
Izuku holds the parchment to his chest as he leaves with Keigo, and they walk the halls.
"Keigo, does this mean I can be with Bakugo?"
"Hm. That's not for me to say," Keigo replies. "I'll be up front with you, Izuku. I don't care for Bakugo AT ALL. He broke my Tokoyami's heart, and I've never forgiven him."
'Kacchan didn't tell me he was with Tokoyami…and Tokoyami didn't mention it to me, either…'
"I think that both you AND Shoto should ditch him. However, I know that you are bonded with him, and you have a child in you."
Izuku looks surprised. "How did you know?"
"An omega who has already had a child can tell," Keigo says. "And it's Bakugo's child, I'm sure."
Izuku nods. "Of course. It wouldn't be any other," he blushed. "You're probably laughing at me because...I'm a little older having my first time than most omegas."
"Ah, that kind of stuff doesn't bother me at all. I was older, too," He winked at Izuku.
"May I ask why you're being so kind to me?" Izuku asks.
"As I said before, I can't have a pregnant omega tossed out on the street. The Todorokis would take care of you for a bit but eventually, they would stop. Also, I want to get Shoto away from Bakugo, and you, now holding an actual title, that makes things a whole lot easier!"
"So, can Bakugo achieve a higher status with me now that I have a title?"
"Eh, not really," Keigo replied honestly. "Marrying Shoto is where the power comes from,"
Izuku nodded. "Right…"
"But now that you have a title, you CAN start climbing your way up the social ladder! That's what I did and look at me now!"
"That's great, Keigo!" Izuku matches his smile. "Thank you again for this opportunity!"
"In that document, it will explain your position; be sure to study it carefully. You'll be getting better clothes as well."
"Hopefully, I can gain as many metals as Bakugo! I want to be a Hero of the People, too!"
Keigo chuckled. "You sound like Shoto."
"Hey, Keigo? You know Shoto very well, right?"
"Well enough,"
"Do you think…that I can appease him in some way? I would like to be his friend,"
Keigo let out a laugh. "That's a good one! Shoto doesn't have many friends other than me and his siblings, and Tokoyami, too. You can't easily find friends when you're someone like Shoto Todoroki; rich, noble, powerful, intelligent, high-skilled, all of that, without wanting something in return or wanting to see him fall. It's not an easy life for the nobility like the Todorokis."
"I can try to be his friend," Izuku says. "Everyone needs someone they can trust,"
"Listen, Izuku, I don't want you to be too naive," Keigo says, taking him lightly by the shoulders. "Right now, you are a major threat to Shoto. He is smitten with Bakugo, and he has ways, and the power, to make life miserable for you. Omegas can be just as aggressive as alphas when it comes to those they want to mate. It can alter their personality and their thinking."
Izuku only smiled and replied, "All the more reason to make friends with him,"
"If you can, then that would be great! Just…don't get your hopes up."
Bakugo finally found Deku, or rather, Deku found him. The omega ran up to him and embraced him around the neck, squeezing tight. Deku told him how Keigo basically adopted him as a family member and made him a Consort of Officer. Bakugo was impressed by the title, but it was still nothing compared to Shoto's. Deku's gleeful smile made his heart skip a beat and he pushed him away.
"Don't hang on me like that! You're a Consort of Officer now, so act like one!"
"Whatever you say, Kacchan!" Izuku knew the truth behind Bakugo's insults. "Can we go back to our chambers? I have something important to tell you."
"Something else other than your new title?"
"Yes!"
They head back to the chamber and Izuku pulls Bakugo over to the bed. Izuku flushed a little, feeling the life inside him easing at the aura of his mate so close. Bakugo looked like he was losing patience, so Izuku finally told him.
"We're going to have a baby, Kacchan!
"...a baby?"
"Yes! I waited a few days to tell you, but I know I am and Tokoyami confirmed it!" He took Bakugo's hand and placed it on his lower stomach. "You should be able to sense it now,"
Bakugo did sense it; a small heartbeat and a warm aura that filled his alpha senses. Instantly, the need to protect their child hit him like a stampede of wild horses. He never thought of himself as a father, or even really caring for whatever children he may have (assuming it would be with Shoto). But this feeling…he can't deny it, and their bond grew even stronger. The need to mount Deku again had him pushing the omega onto the bed. He was hard the moment their bodies touched and Deku was just as aroused.
***Edited for FF. Read on A03***
Izuku lay against Bakugo as they rest to catch their breath. His belly felt full and warm with his mate as well as their baby. Now, all he cared about was his little family right here. But as their bodies relaxed, Izuku's mind circled around back to Shoto, as well as Tokoyami.
"Kacchan?"
"What?"
"Why didn't you tell me you were with Tokoyami?"
Bakugo paused a second, then replied, "Did he tell you?"
"No, it was Keigo who told me. Tokoyami never mentioned it,"
Bakugo sighed heavily. "It was before I met you, obviously, so it doesn't matter anymore. Just forget about it."
Izuku looks up at him. "Keigo says you broke Tokoyami's heart. What did you do? I want to know."
Bakugo slaps his hand to his face with another heavy, aggravated sigh. "I didn't know he was in heat when I entered his room for something medical. He presented, I went into a rut, and the rest is obvious. I think Tokoyami expected more after that and was hurt when I said no. But he has Shoji now, so there's no reason for us or anyone to talk about the past."
"Okay, Kacchan," Izuku nuzzled closer. "Hey, do you want a boy or a girl?"
"Pfft. Boy, obviously. Every alpha wants a son first,"
Izuku chuckled. "I think I want a girl, but I would be happy with either."
"That's exactly what I knew you were going to say," 'But having a baby complicates things further now,' he thought to himself. 'Deku may have a title but trying to figure out a way to keep both Deku and have Shoto, too, will be like a deadly quest. Whatever. I'll think about it later.'
"Baby goes UP," Keigo swings his baby in the air. "And baby goes DOWN!"
The baby giggles and gurgles with glee. But the fun came to a stop when the door flew open and Shoto came inside. Keigo held the baby in his arms and greets Shoto's pissed-off aura with a friendly smile. He didn't think it would take Shoto this long to confront him.
"Why did you make up that lie about Izuku being a part of your adoptive family? Why did you give him a title?"
"Because I don't want to see you hurt," Keigo says, walking to the crib to put the baby down.
"Well, it didn't work," Shoto snapped at him. "You said you had something planned! I trusted you, and this is what I get?"
Keigo crossed his arms as he walked back to Shoto. "So long as Izuku has a title, he can be made into either an official lover or marry an alpha of his equal rank. You want to marry Bakugo, right? Well, let me tell you this, little omega; you cannot live happily with an alpha bonded to someone else. Bakugo will ALWAYS seek out Izuku, no matter what."
"I don't care about that," Shoto says. "I want something that is mine! Bakugo has been the one thing that I could choose to have, and regardless of what he feels for Izuku, I still want to be with him."
"Then marry Bakugo and welcome Izuku as Bakugo's official lover," Keigo snapped at him. "I want you to be rid of Bakugo completely. We can come up with some other way to get you to find an alpha of your choosing. I can work on your father,"
"And when he finds out that you are mated to Touya, what then?"
Keigo narrows his eyes slightly. "Shoto, I'm trying to help you."
"Maybe I don't want your help," Shoto tells him.
"You're being selfish!"
"And you're pushing yourself above your status, Keigo!"
Keigo took a step back, shocked at how Shoto was treating him. Shoto had never spoken to him like that before.
"I am going to deal with Izuku in my own way. I don't need your help anymore, so stay out of my affairs! Be grateful I haven't told my father about you and Touya! You can very easily lose your status among us!"
"Shoto…?"
Keigo was still in shock with how Shoto was speaking to him. This is not the reaction he thought Shoto would give, nor did he think this was how Shoto would react to the situation. Omega love has gone to his head, and it was making him think illogically, something Shoto never had an issue with. Shoto is the last person Keigo would think who would tell about his relationship with Dabi. The influence he has over Enji, and the respect, would be destroyed. Then, his life would be over. He and Dabi would have to struggle to live with their baby. No one knows more of what it's like to suffer to survive as he does. He didn't want that life for their baby.
"Shoto…okay, I'm sorry. I overstepped my bounds. I was just trying to help you because I care for you,"
"Well, you've done enough,"
"Again, I'm sorry,"
"I don't want Izuku spending a lot of time with Bakugo, so, I am going to make Izuku my personal groom."
Keigo just shook his head in disbelief. "And what is that supposed to prove?"
"His life here is not going to be easy, and he has you to thank for that because you gave him a title. He's going to be MY servant now. Let's see what Bakugo says to that,"
Keigo grits his teeth at the mention of Bakugo's name. Everything was that alpha's fault! A small part of him wanted to contact Dabi to find a way to do away with Bakugo; permanently. Even though Shoto has seemed to turn on him, he couldn't, with his conscience, take Bakugo away from Shoto.
"I'm done here," Shoto tells him. "Stay out of my way for a while, Keigo. And remember your place in this castle!"
Keigo watched with a heavy heart as Shoto left the room. The baby started to cry from the tension and Keigo picked him up from the crib to cradle him. For the first time in a long, long while, he felt very alone.
Dabi felt a ping of pain his bond, which meant that something was wrong with Keigo. From the level of pain, it was small, so mostly likely Keigo felt sad or afraid. He wanted to take off for the castle and learn what's wrong, but he was in the middle of escorting Kai to meet Tomura. As promised, he discovered how Tomura was creating the monsters and a small amount of science was involved. Reporting back to Kai, he gained the man's trust, and now they were a 'tag-team' against Tomura.
"My absence is not going to go unnoticed," Kai says to Dabi.
"You'll regain all your political power back eventually," Dabi replied. "Why don't you take off that stupid mask? You look like a rejected crow."
"Maybe you should wear a mask instead to hide that ugly face of yours."
Dabi smirked. "You're so funny," he says with sarcasm.
Kai looks at the monsters flying and crawling around the almost near wasteland. "These things are disgusting."
"All the more reason to do away with them," Dabi says. "They are made of flesh, so they should be simple enough to kill. It's the vast number of them that bothers me,"
Kai noticed that Dabi kept rubbing the back of his neck and he moved a bit closer to sense him, catching the scent of a bond. Dabi didn't notice, and Kai was able to hide his smirk behind his plague mask. So, Dabi's ambitions have to do with whomever his mate is, Kai concluded. Now, he knows Dabi's weakness if he gets out of hand or tries to take control. He would keep his desire for the omega Izuku a secret; he doesn't want Dabi to have the same knowledge as he does when it comes to omegas they want or need.
"Well…we're here," Dabi says, pushing the large gates open.
Kai stares at the fully black manor, which appeared to be crumbling and rotting, just like its master. He sneers under his mask while following Dabi inside. The inside wasn't much better with nomus and corpse-like people wandering around. When they came to Tomura, the lanky male was twice as ugly as Kai remembered him. Those hands were still littered on his body. Kai's skin started to itch just from looking at him.
"Well, well, well," Tomura's lips curl into a grin. "I never would have thought Kai Chisaki would be here in my courtroom."
Kai scoffs. "If you can call this tomb a courtroom," he looks up at the shattered ceiling and dark clouded sky above.
"He can use science," Dabi tells Tomura. "He can help advance the number of nomus you make. So, make me your number two, as promised."
"I will be his number two," Kai countered. "Science trumps Magic."
Dabi rolls his eyes. "Magic trumps Science."
Kai and Dabi stare hard at each other, both alphas trying to wear the other down. Neither of them noticed Tomura had approached, silently, to stand by them until they finally caught sight of him. Before either of them could react, Tomura's real hands grasp their faces. They struggle to escape, Dabi calling forth his blue flames, but it did no good because their minds went completely blank.
Tomura laughs manically as he steals their memories and conscience to replace it with sworn loyalty to him. He watches with glee as the color drains from their eyes, turning solid black. When he was finished, he commanded the two to fall to their knees before him, and they did without hesitation or complaint.
"You can both be my Warlords," he tells them. "Dabi, you shall use all of your magic strength to attack and destroy. Kai, you will gather all of your secret armies and prepare them for battle." Tomura calls a nomu to carry him up to the sky where he can see over the ocean to the kingdom. "I can't wait to see that place become a flaming wasteland," the nomu shrieks loudly, sharing in his excitement. Tomura pets the top of the monster's head. "Soon. It will all start soon," he says to the nomu, ordering it to bring him back to the ground.
Dabi and Kai stand at attention.
"We'll start off small," Tomura tells them. "Wear down their main forces; we'll let them think they are winning. They will become hopeful, and then, we will SHREAD that hope apart by sending out our flocks and stampedes of nomus!"
"Allow me to send my people into the kingdom to rally the revolutionists to our side," Kai suggests. "They are hungry for change and reform; it will help us to have armies on the inside as well."
"Attacking the nobility from the inside?" Tomura grins. "A fine idea. Let's begin by stirring up some turmoil in the Royal City! You both can take whatever you want; money, omegas, houses- anything- from the kingdom once we start to gain control. Consider it payment for your loyalty to me!"
"The mages, warlocks, and witches are being unfairly persecuted," Dabi says. "I will rally them to our side as well. They will want revenge for the deaths of their covens and cabals, of their brothers and sisters."
"Bring them all!" Tomura tells him, but then feels his energy drop and he slumps forward, panting.
This happens when he uses too much of his dark powers. It wasn't magic; it's something else entirely, something that even he doesn't know what it is. Rallying real humans to his side would be impossible with how he looks and where he lives, but he will let these two do all of that for him. In the end, he is going to reign supreme, and the world will be his, and endless wasteland of darkness and despair.
He lets out a crackling, manic laughter to the sky above and all the nomus shriek with him in unison.
"OW!" Keigo lets out a shriek as there came a sharp, shooting pain in his bond. It was so intense that he nearly dropped the baby from his arms.
"Keigo? What happened?" Tokoyami rushed to his side.
"I…I don't know! My bond! It hurts! Something must be happening to Dabi!" Suddenly, the pain is gone, as well as the warmth of the bond. "W…Wha…?"
Tokoyami forces Keigo to look at him. "Keigo, tell me what's wrong with your bond!"
"It's…it's gone!" Keigo starts to panic. "It's gone! I can't feel the bond! I can't feel Dabi! Something's happened to him! He must be-" the baby starts to cry and Tokoyami calls Shoji over to take the child for now. "He's dead!"
"Hush. We don't know that for sure," Tokoyami tries to calm him. "There are many things that can happen sever or damage a bond. I'll use my mirror to find him. Please, hold yourself together and try to give me a moment."
Tokoyami pulls the purple cloth off of the mirror and sets to conjuring Dabi's aura to discover his whereabouts. However, Dabi's aura was coming up blank, leaving only darkness. Tokoyami tries to see his way through the dark swirls of smoke but is met with a type of force he had never encountered before. Suddenly, a bolt of black energy shot out from the mirror and struck Tokoyami in the chest, sending him flying across the room. The dark images in the mirror disappeared, leaving on the silvery reflection.
"Yami!" Shoji rushed to him. "Are you alright? What happened?"
"I'm fine," he says with a grunt of pain, holding his chest.
"Yami, what did you see?" Keigo asked, near full panicking now.
Tokoyami stands with Shoji's help. "Nothing. I saw nothing. There's…there's something I've never felt before…a different type of power that isn't magic. Dabi's aura…it's blank. I can't sense him. My magic can't sense him,"
"Is he-?"
"No. No, he's not dead. Take solace in that," Tokoyami rubbed at his aching chest. "But something isn't right. We need to inform your father and the king as well."
Keigo takes the baby from Shoji and holds him close, trying to hold back his tears as to not upset their son.
Bakugo and Izuku were playing cards in their room after they had dinner. Kirishima joined them, curled up by the fire and snoring softly. Kirishima's ear twitched, and something woke him up. Bakugo made a joke about the dog being a lazy mutt and Izuku told him not to say such things about the dog. Kirishima jumps up from the floor and races to the window, suddenly growling and pawing at the glass.
"Hey!" Bakugo shouted. "Stop that, Kiri! Down! DOWN!"
"Something must have caught his attention," Izuku gets up and, ignoring Bakugo, opens the widow while holding Kiri's collar. The night air was cold, and he shivered but Kiri didn't feel it. Instead, the dog kept growling. Izuku looked out at the city but there was nothing unusual. Bakugo had finally joined them.
"What the hell are you going on about, you dumb mutt?"
Kiri continues to growl, his ears flat against his head and his tail perfectly straight.
Bakugo frowned. Something was wrong, and Kirishima could sense it.
"Kacchan?"
"Kirishima doesn't act like this randomly," Bakugo tells him. "When he doesn't listen to my commands, that means he is completely concentrating on something, and most likely it is a threat."
Izuku strokes Kirishima's red fur in an attempt to try and calm the large dog. "Should we tell someone? Lord Todoroki, maybe?"
"Not yet," Bakugo grabs Kirishima's collar and pulls the dog away from the window, telling Izuku to close it. "Settle down now, Kiri! Calm!"
Kirishima whimpered a little, rubbing his head against their legs.
"M-Maybe we're all just tired," Izuku suggested. "Why don't we try to get some sleep? It's getting late, anyway."
Bakugo nods. "Yeah, you're right. We'll deal with it in the morning. Let's hope it's just a coincidence."
When Izuku was asleep against him, Bakugo looked to the door where Kirishima was sleeping, and guarding. Bakugo, in the softest tone he can, calls Kirishima over. The dog wakes up and comes to him, resting his head on Bakugo's stomach.
"Should something come up…you're to stay with Deku," he tells the dog. 'I can't believe the only one I can truly trust to help Deku is my damned dog.'
Kirishima whimpered softly, looking at Bakugo with large, dog-begging eyes, and Bakugo knew what the mutt was asking. He nudged Izuku gently, telling him to roll over, which Izuku did, still asleep. Kirishima jumps onto the bed and wiggles his large body between them. Bakugo tells Kirishima not to breathe on him because it smells like ass and meat. Kirishima's tail wagged when Izuku rolled back over to snuggle into him.
"Mmm…Kacchan…you need to shave." Izuku muttered, still mostly asleep.
Bakugo growled. 'Damned mutt! And I don't mean the dog!'
TBC
