Izuku Midoriya – Crossroads demon of the fifth ring, The Slayer of Asmodeus, The Desolation of Astaroth, The Binder of Mephistopheles, Firstborn of the Morning Star, and The Wielder of the Octarine staff – handed the Grande, Quad, Nonfat, One-Pump, No-Whip, Chocolate, Mocha over to the woman on the other side of the counter with a bright smile and a cheerful "Enjoy your drink!"
Izuku was currently retired from the whole 'demon' thing. Sure, he still had the title and the power and the fame - in hell, at least -, but he preferred to live a simple life to the best that he was able to. A simple life for him, at the moment, currently entailed preparing and serving overly complex food and drink items for the residents of Port Townsend, Washington.
Actually, Izuku retired several centuries ago. He grew tired of the whole crossroads demon gig after the fall of Rome, kept up with it throughout the entire 'English Empire' thing, and ended up settling down in the New World sometime in the 17th century. He hadn't even made a real deal since General Washington asked for help winning the war – nearly 250 years ago at this point. Now, however? Izuku ran The Claw and Fang Café and Inn, known by locals simply as The Claw and Fang.
Despite his retirement, Izuku still dressed the part. On any given day, he could usually be found behind the counter clad in an all-black, three-piece suit and suspenders with a literally smoldering red tie. Typically, he skipped the suit jacket and kept sleeves rolled up past his elbows. Sure, the get-up was a bit turn-of-the-century, but what could he say? That period knew how to dress.
Although normal humans visited from time to time, The Claw and Fang catered to a rather specific clientele: Magical and semi-magical beings. Now, one might ask, what is a semi-magical being? Frankly, Izuku didn't know the answer to that. All he did know was that they had an inexplicable love for Caffe Mocha Lattes with just a dash of cinnamon on top.
There were several types of creatures that frequented his establishment: Werewolves, Fae, Witches, Gnomes, Dragons – in their human form, of course – and Vampires. Vampires, in particular, had always interested Izuku. The whole "I must drink blood, or I die" thing fascinated him. He had drunk his fair share of blood throughout his life as a demon; not all deals were made through a kiss – some were made through contract, blood pact, ritualistic sacrifice, or couples pottery class, but the idea of a creature needing the blood of others to survive was quite intriguing.
With his clientele in mind, Izuku tried to make his establishment as hospitable to the different magical creatures' ailments as he could. He provided wards around the Inn to protect Werewolves from the effects of the full moon – something that made his Café particularly popular around that "time of the month." He placed a specifically worded "You are welcome to enter" sign at the door for the vampire and fae population. He even tried his best to provide any and every type of food that his clientele could need; ethically sourced if possible, of course.
As the years passed, Izuku feared that even his quaint little café would begin to bore him. These fears, however, were quashed on a chilly fall night when a particular customer came into his cafe for the first time. He knew that his life would never be the same from that moment on.
Izuku didn't need to sleep – being an immortal demon and all. Because of that, he kept the café open nearly twenty-four hours a day to serve as many customers as possible. He had just finished the day shift, gone for his usual twilight walk around the bay, and had set up the café for the night when a tinkle sounded from the bell above the door. A tall, blond man in a red turtleneck sweater and black cardigan who appeared to be in his twenties stepped slowly through the door and sat at the dark wood counter with an exasperated huff.
Izuku turned and greeted the man with his usual smile, "Good evening, sir! What can I get for you today?" The man stared back at him with piercing red eyes and scowled; Izuku could make out through the man's raised lip the telltale fang of a vampire. Izuku was instantly interested in this individual.
Sure, being a vampire was usually enough in itself to garner Izuku's interest, but this individual had something else going for him as well: he was unusually attractive for a vampire. The spiky blond hair, piercing red eyes, and firm, well-defined muscles had Izuku's attention from the moment he set foot in the café. He was nothing like the typical, sharp-toothed, goth rejects that frequented his establishment. He had some sense of style.
"I'll take a cup of coffee," the man said as he placed some money on the counter and thrust his hands into his pockets.
"What kind of coffee would you like, sir? We have Dark roast, Medium roast, Light roast, and Blood roast."
The blond-headed vampire raised an eyebrow, "The fuck is blood roast?"
Izuku chuckled as he finished scrubbing the inside of a glass with a cloth and placed it next to others on the counter. "New in town huh?" The stranger nodded, "Blood roast is a specialty of mine. I make it specifically for my fangy friends." Izuku smiled as the stranger's scowl deepened. "It's essentially a medium roast coffee that I infuse with ethically sourced organic free-range human blood."
"How the fuck do you ethically source human blood?" The vampire said with a quizzical gaze, "and what the fuck makes it organic?"
"That's a trade secret I'm afraid. You want a cup?" Izuku asked, grabbing a white coffee mug with the claw and fang logo – An open tomb with a claw and fang on opposite sides.
The vampire shook his head, "Just plain coffee is fine with me, I don't need any of your fancy shit." Izuku nodded and poured the man a mug of plain old bean juice.
"Any cream, milk, sugar, or unicorn dust?" Izuku asked. The man looked back with a horrified expression.
"Why the actual fuck would you ruin a good cup of coffee any of that shit?"
"Black then?" The vampire nodded. "So, what's your name stranger?" Izuku asked. He could figure it out himself if he wanted to, but he'd rather his guests just tell him. It felt like less of an invasion of privacy that way.
"The fuck do you need to know that for?" The stranger crossed his arms with a leveled gaze.
"Just makin' conversation, stranger." Izuku placed the steaming cup of coffee in front of his guest. "It would be nice to put a name to the face. Unless you prefer to go by stranger that is? My name is Izuku by the way," the man sighed as he guardedly picked up his cup of coffee. He took a deep breath, seeming to savor the aroma. After several seconds, he cautiously took a sip.
The stranger's eyes went wide. Slowly the vampire's features relaxed into an expression of pleasant surprise."This is the best fucking cup of coffee I've ever had… What the hell do you put in this to make it taste so good?," Izuku smiled at the bewildered expression on the stranger's face.
"The screams of the damned, stranger, it's made with the screams of the damned… and love, But mostly the screams of the damned." The stranger paused and lowered an ear to the cup. He paused for a second before he shook his head slightly with a huff and looked back at Izuku.
"Well, either way, it's delicious, um… thanks…" The blond took another cautious sip and paused for a moment before swallowing with a gulp.
"Glad you like it Mr…?" Izuku paused. He let the question hang trying to coax the man into giving him his name.
"Katsuki," The man said as he took another sip. "You can call me Katsuki… Damn, this is good." Izuku was surprised the man actually gave him his name, he could tell he wasn't lying. Usually, vampires were rather protective of their true names.
"Nothing but the best here, Mr. Katsuki." Izuku went back to cleaning the counter from his previous guests. "So, Mr. Katsuki, what brings you into town?"
"Oi, drop the 'Mr.' Just Katsuki's fine."
Izuku giggled and nodded. He just loved vampires, especially cute ones, "Fine, Katsuki. What brings you to my humble establishment on this fine night?"
Katsuki didn't respond right away and instead continued to sip at his coffee. He slowly turned his body from side to side on the swivel bar stool. Izuku considered asking him another question before he finally responded.
"Just lookin' for a fresh start, I guess. Lost a lot of people from my old nest… now it's just me." Katsuki said gruffly before he sighed and continued to drown his sorrows with a stout medium roast.
Izuku felt bad for the man. He knew enough about vampire culture to know that a vampire's nest is the closest thing they have to a family. He decided that he would do whatever he could to lessen the pain that Katsuki was in.
"I'm sorry to hear that. Is there anything I can do to help you out? I have a few rooms still open if you're in need of a place to stay?" Katsuki stared at him wide-eyed, his mouth hung low showing just the tips of his fangs under his soft pink lips. Or, at least, Izuku assumed they were soft.
"You… you know what I am… right?" Katsuki asked. Izuku was rather confused at the statement and stared quizzically at the man.
"Yeah? You're a vampire, right?"
Katsuki's ember eyes stared into his own. His left eyebrow raised. "You… you know that I'm a vampire… and you're still offering me a room?"
"Of course, tall, blond, and broody. Why wouldn't I? I do run an inn, of course" Izuku refilled the cup of coffee that had been drained throughout the conversation.
"I just don't understand… Why would you knowingly offer a room to a vampire? Aren't you afraid of me?" Izuku laughed loudly, causing the blond to shrink back slightly.
"Oh, sorry about that, didn't mean to scare you or anything," Katsuki leaned back in and sipped his coffee. "I meant to say, why wouldn't I rent to a Vampire? I cater to all types of magical beings!" Izuku said excitedly. "Why would vampires be any different?"
Katsuki stared at him with mouth agape for several seconds before stammering a response. "It's just that… well… I'm not used to being treated so kindly… Usually, people try and uh… kill me. Ya know? Once they find out."
Izuku was hurt to hear that. He hated the notion that anyone would be treated like that just for being different. "Well sir, you don't have to worry about that here. You're welcome to stay as long as you like." He could have sworn he saw tears forming at the corners of Katsuki's eyes. The blond quickly looked away with a move of his arm and they were gone.
"I… I don't have any money for a room" Katsuki sighed, pensively staring into his mug. "I gave ya all I had left for the coffee."
Izuku felt another tug at his heart. Or, at least he thought it was his heart. Until today, he hadn't felt anything there in millennia.
"'S really good coffee by the way…" Katsuki frowned, continuing to peer deeply into the brew. Izuku had an idea and smiled with a glint in his eyes.
"How about this," Izuku said, throwing his bar towel over his shoulder. "I'll give ya a room to use for as long as you'd like, but in payment, you help me run the night shift here in the Café?"
Katsuki set down his coffee and stared at Izuku, his mouth opening slightly and closing over and over again like a confused blond pufferfish. He looked around the otherwise empty café, "It doesn't look like you need much more help. Seems kinda dead in here,"
Izuku, a demon, chuckled at the unintended pun from the not-technically-alive-either vampire. "Oh, I assure you, I do need the help. You haven't seen this place around the werewolves time of the month," Izuku made a wide gesture around the cafe. "Wall to wall fleabags, let me tell ya. You can't turn around in here without bumpin' into a were- something – wolf, badger, shark, house, you name it." Izuku laughed at the befuddled expression plastered on the vampire's face. "So, what do ya say, Katsuki? You want to help me out?"
"You're… you're not serious, right?"
Izuku couldn't help but think he looked like a frightened puppy. Scared that someone was going to kick him after luring him in with a treat. "I'm dead serious, Katsuki. I wouldn't have offered otherwise." Heheld his hand out to the vampire. "Do we have a deal?" Izuku couldn't help but use that particular phrasing. It was in his nature. It wasn't a binding deal though, just an informal one. Since Izuku didn't plan to seal it with anything, it remained simply a friendly gesture to the downtrodden, unfairly attractive vampire at the bar.
Katsuki stared at his coffee with an odd amount of intensity, almost as if trying to will it to explode. Finally, he shifted his fiery gaze to Izuku, grabbed his hand in an uncharacteristically warm, tight grip, and shook it with purpose.
"Ya got yourself a Deal, Broccoli Boy," In all his years, Izuku had never heard that one before. It amused him. He decided he liked this stranger. He liked him a lot.
"Just Izuku is fine. You can drop the Broccoli Boy," Izuku mimicked Katsuki's previous response earning a grin and a chuckle from his guest, now turned employee.
The next night, Katsuki started his first shift at the café. It was a slow night, no more than a few customers; the perfect opportunity to train him on how to run the café. Izuku thought he'd start Katsuki off on something easy – making the coffee.
Katsuki stood next to Izuku behind the bar counter as he showed him the ropes. Izuku had his standard garb on while Katsuki wore a black T-shirt, jeans, and what Katsuki referred to as the aggressively teal Claw and Fang apron. The blond had refused to wear it at first, he called it an affront to the senses. Eventually, he caved and put it on after repeated pleading on Izuku's part.
Izuku first demonstrated how the beans were ground fresh before each batch. He explained that Katsuki will need to clean out the grinder between roasts or the cross-contamination will affect the flavor profile of the coffee. Izuku watched Katsuki nod with each point of information he gave.
"Since we're not doing espresso for this batch, we're gonna want to go for a medium grind." Izuku set the grinder to the medium setting and let it run with a loud crunching buzz.
Katsuki was a man of few words apparently; however, Izuku could tell that he was absorbing all of the information he was giving him. Satisfied that Katsuki would know how to grind the beans themselves, Izuku then led him over to the coffee maker and explained how to operate it.
"Okay, so, the first thing you're going to want to do is to place a new filter in the machine," Izuku opened an ancient-looking wooden cabinet below the coffee maker and gestured to where he stored the spare filters. Katsuki simply nodded with a grunt and Izuku took that as a sign to continue.
"Next, you're going to want to add the beans that we just ground," Izuku gestured to the fresh pile of coffee they had collected in a porcelain jar. "For every cup of brewed coffee that we want, we're going to want to add around one and a quarter tablespoon of our ground coffee. So, since this pot makes twelve cups, we're going to want to add fifteen tablespoons of ground coffee." Izuku opened the top of his drip coffee maker and carefully portioned out the desired amount of ground beans.
"Since I have the machine hooked up to the waterline, all you need to do at this point is hit brew," Izuku pressed the button and the coffee maker whirred to life with a deep gurgling sound.
After the coffee had percolated, Izuku pulled the pot off of the warming plate and added it to a new container.
"Now, the final step is to simply add the secret ingredient." Izuku picked up a nondescript black metal container, opened the lid, and shook it over the coffee pot. With each shake, the faint echo of a scream wafted through the air.
"I thought you were kidding about the whole 'Screams of the Damned' thing," Katsuki said with accentuating finger quotes.
"Nope, dead serious."
Katsuki simply stared on with a mixed expression of curiosity and abject horror.
"And, with that, we're done. Any last questions?" Izuku closed up the black container and placed it back by the other nondescript containers on the shelf.
The blond looked at the coffee maker pensively, "Seems pretty simple… Yeah, I think I've got it."
"Good!" Izuku cheered and clapped Katsuki on the back, "Now, you make it! Though, this time I need a light roast." Katsuki simply nodded and walked back over to the grinder.
Izuku watched with an appraising eye as Katsuki cleaned the grinder, ground the new beans, replaced the coffee filter, and brewed a new batch of coffee. After the pot had filled completely, Katsuki removed it and set it on a warming plate next to the other pot.
Katsuki gestured towards the pot on the counter with a tilt of his head, "You mind if I try it? I've never made my own coffee before," he asked. Izuku nodded with a smile. He wondered if Katsuki would notice the forgotten ingredient.
Katsuki poured himself a mug, blew on it, and took a sip – his face quickly contorted into a frown. The mug clanked as it was returned to the counter. "It doesn't taste as good as yesterday. I think I like it more when you make it…"
Izuku giggled. Piercing red eyes met his, "Katsuki, you forgot the secret ingredient." The blond slapped his palm to his face and slowly dragged it down his face – pulling his lip down as it traveled.
"You're fucking kidding me, god damnit." Izuku grabbed the jar, opened it, and added the ingredient.
"There ya go, no harm done. Try it now!" Izuku gestured to Katsuki's mug with a smile.
Katsuki raised the mug once again to his lips with a sigh. He tentatively took another sip. "God damn, if that makes a difference."
"Doesn't it?" Izuku chirped eagerly.
"How the hell did you figure this out anyway?"
"That's a long story," Izuku laughed. "Cliff notes version: A lot of time, trial and error, three drunk harpies, and a satyr with a skin condition," Katsuki stared at him with a neutral expression. Izuku could have sworn that one of Katsuki's eyes was twitching slightly.
"You've got to be fucking joking," Katsuki deadpanned.
Izuku slowly shook his head, "I would never joke about something as serious as coffee." Before Izuku could further explain how he discovered the many uses for cursed souls, a patron walked up to the bar and ordered a griffin egg omelet.
"Where the hell do we get griffin eggs from?" Katsuki stared at Izuku, head tilted to the side slightly. "I thought griffins were just myths." Izuku stared back at him with a flat expression.
"Katsuki… You're a vampire… I'm a… Well, I'm not human. And I just added the literal screams of damned souls to a pot of coffee. How is 'griffins aren't myths' the takeaway here?"
Katsuki flushed red slightly and shifted his feet. "Well, fair enough I suppose," He reflexively took another sip of coffee. "So, where on earth – or off the earth, I guess – do we get griffin eggs. I didn't see anything like that in the fridge."
Izuku waved his hand and a portal no larger than a dinner tray opened between them. He reached in and pulled out a massive egg nearly twice the size of an ostriches. He closed the portal, walked over to Katsuki, and dropped the massive egg into the hands of the gaping blond.
"Where the fuck did you just pull this from," Katsuki held the egg up turning it over in his hand as he examined it.
"Griffin's nest," Izuku said with a slight smirk.
"Thought you said all this shit was 'ethically sourced' and all. Stealing an egg from a griffin doesn't sound too fuckin' ethical to me."
Izuku stared back at Katsuki with a raised eyebrow. "I believe what I said was, ethically sourced 'when possible.' If you can find me a mother griffin willing to regularly part ways with an egg or two, let me know. I'll sign a partnership with her in a heartbeat. Till then, this'll have to do." Katsuki looked like he was fighting an internal war not to respond with a quip of sorts. Izuku waited for a moment but when no response came outside of the blond's usual nod, Izuku set to work cooking the massive omelet for their guest, teaching Katsuki the general process for the whole ordeal.
As the days passed, Katsuki got better and better at running the shop. He cleaned and set the tables, washed the dishes, and kept the counters and surfaces spotless. Izuku was ecstatic that he had hired Katsuki that night. He enjoyed the vampire's company and it warmed his heart to see him begin to settle in at the café. The first few days, Katsuki seemed tense, almost as if simply making a mistake would get him thrown out on the corner. Now, Katsuki seemed much more at home in the café. He was finally beginning to feel like he belonged somewhere – or, so Izuku assumed. He definitely wasn't using any of his powers at any point to read into Katsuki's emotional state. He'd rather just observe him for the time being.
About a week into their new gig, Izuku was cleaning some glassware when a blood curdling shriek tore through the entire café. The glass in his hands shattered as did all the cups and dishes on the shelves. Even the large pane glass windows at the front of the café cracked with web-like fractures. Izuku whirled around to a sight that forced him to break down in uncontrollable laughter.
Katsuki was standing in the middle of the kitchen frozen in place – his skin white as marble. His mouth was open with eyes wide in abject horror. In one hand he held a lid and in the other, the empty container Izuku kept his secret ingredient in.
Izuku stopped laughing the moment he saw the blond begin to shake and cry. Izuku quickly dropped the shards of glass he was absently holding, rushed to his friend's side, and pulled him into a tight hug.
"Katsuki, are you ok? What happened?"
Katsuki sobbed into Izuku's shoulder and hugged him back tightly. "I… I just wanted to make the coffee… To show you that I could do it as well as you could," Katsuki managed between racked sobs. "I'm so sorry… your café… I ruined it…" He cried louder, pulling Izuku in tight. "I just wanted to help…" Izuku backed himself away slightly and wiped the tears from Katsuki's eyes with the cloth he kept at his waist.
"I'm sorry, Katsuki, that's my fault."
Katsuki looked back at him in disbelief. "How on earth was that your fault? I opened the container." Katsuki nodded his head in the direction of the empty jar. Izuku stifled a chuckle.
He took the lid and empty jar from Katsuki and set it down on the counter, "I failed to warn you properly. The screams like to misbehave when I'm not around. That jar," Izuku gestured to the nondescript container, "Its enchanted so that they can't escape when I'm not around. Sadly, that enchantment only works if it's closed. So, in this case, you opened the container while I was on the other side of the café, and boom!"
Katsuki shook his head from side to side with a sniff. "I still destroyed your café, though, how can we… I don't have the money to pay you back… I… I'm so sorry." Before Katsuki could start crying again, Izuku pulled Katsuki into a side hug facing the front of the café and waved his hand.
As if in slow motion, all of the shattered glass in the café began to float into the air. It ebbed and flowed through the air like a stigmergic floc of fowl – cups, plates, and other glass objects formed out of the rhythmic chaos. In two shakes of a chimera's tail, the restaurant was back in working order. Proverbially good as new.
"Can you teach me to do that?" Katsuki said, wiping his eyes.
"Well, if this becomes a habit… Yes. Yes, I will teach you that." Izuku laughed and turned his attention back to the empty container on his counter. "And I guess I need to replace that now, don't I?"
Katsuki grimaced, "Sorry again about that. Where do you get that anyway?"
Izuku smiled at the red-eyed blond and teleported out of the café without a word. As fast as able, he visited all of his usual hunting grounds. He stopped by the first, second, third, fifth, and ninth rings of hell. Not just any screams would do for his coffee. No, Izuku had spent many years of trial and testing to find where in hell to collect the perfect screams. Some added richness, others added craving, some simply caused the flavor to linger on the tongue longer than it would otherwise. Having collected all the screams he would need, Izuku popped back into the café to find a bewildered Katsuki.
"The fuck did you just go?" Izuku handed him a small black leather pouch. "What's this?"
"The secret ingredient! Go on, open it," Katsuki hesitated. "Don't worry, I made some changes. You should be able to make the coffee now even if I'm not around." Katsuki cautiously opened the sac and pulled out a small black cube with an examining eye.
"The fuck is this?" Katsuki turned the cube over in his hands and lifted it on an open palm as if to check the weight.
"That's the screams!" Izuku chirped with an excited expression.
"It looks like fucking beef bouillon."
"That's the idea! I stabilized it a bit better, now all ya need to do is plop one of them bad boys into the pot after it percolates, wait a few seconds for it to disperse, and you're good to go! No more risk of accidental scream seepage." Katsuki dropped the cube back in the bag, synched the drawstring closed, and placed it gingerly on the counter.
"You're going to be the fucking death of me, ya know that, Izuku?" Katsuki smiled softly.
Izuku elbowed the blond lightly, "Not possible, if you died I'd just drag your lazy ass back up here. I'm not letting you miss a shift for something as trivial as death." Katsuki elbowed him back with a smile. He plopped a cube from the bag into the repaired coffee pot – coffee somehow still intact - and went about serving the visibly shaken customers who had been witness to the entire interaction.
One morning between shifts, Izuku woke up Katsuki earlier than usual. The sun had just officially gone down and the twilight shadows were still dancing in the waxing moonlight. Izuku quickly found that he was enjoying the night shifts more than he ever thought possible. He would spend the entire daylight hours counting down the time until he could safely wake up the sleeping vampire. Katsuki didn't seem to mind Izuku's eagerness to interact. If anything, the blond seemed grateful to have a friend.
"Hey, Katsuki!" Izuku rapped on the door again. "You want to go on a walk with me between shifts?" The door opened revealing a tired-looking vampire, blond hair somehow messier than usual.
"A walk…? Where? Uh… Why?" Katsuki stammered through sleep-slurred speech.
That was a good question, Izuku hadn't really thought of an answer to it. What would he say? Hey! I think I like you, I've been enjoying spending time with you. Would you go on a walk with me so we can just hang out? No… He couldn't say that. The vampire obviously didn't think of him as anything more than a boss or a friend at most.
"Uh," Izuku stalled. "I dunno, I thought it would be fun. The weather outside tonight is really nice." Izuku gave his biggest smile he could that said 'don't look further into this.'
Katsuki looked him up and down and shook his head, "Sure, why not, Broccoli Boy. Let me get dressed and I'll meet you up front." Katsuki closed the door and Izuku wandered to the front of the café to wait on his friend.
Minutes later, Katsuki stepped down the wooden stairs dressed the same as he was the first time Izuku saw him - red turtleneck, black cardigan.
"You always wear that?" Izuku asked as they stepped out into the brisk night air. The crisp air felt refreshing after being inside the kitchen all day.
Katsuki looked down at his shirt before gesturing out at Izuku's suit. "You always wear that?"
"Touché," Izuku smiled as they walked down the cobbled street of the eclectic town.
Port Townsend looked like a place out of time. The quaint shops, Victorian architecture, and seaside setting together made it the ideal place for Izuku's retirement. He felt at home here. Happy here. The only thing that could make the setting better? Well, he was walking beside him.
They walked in relative silence down towards the coastline. They turned left at the wharf and walked out onto the pier which stretched far out into the rolling waves of the ocean. The salty air soothed their lungs as they walked to the end of the pier. They leaned on the wooden railing and just stared out into the horizon. The moonlight danced on the flickering waves.
Katsuki sighed and leaned into Izuku slightly. Izuku didn't pull back but simply enjoyed the contact with the vampire.
"It's beautiful out here," Katsuki said. "Just seems to stretch on forever."
Izuku looked out past the glinting waves as far into the horizon as he could, "Yeah, it's just amazing, isn't it? You ever seen the ocean before? I don't think I ever asked you where you were from."
Katsuki didn't respond for a moment but placed his hand on the railing next to Izuku's. After several seconds he spoke in a soft voice, "I used to live on the coast too. Far, far away. My nest lived in this small town in Maine called Boothbay."
"I don't think I've ever been there, what's it like?" Izuku asked.
"It was beautiful, the ocean was clean and clear, the air smelled like salty smoke. It was paradise. I was happy there… We were happy there." Izuku looked over at Katsuki. Tears were streaming down his cheeks as he stared into the water at the base of the pier. Reflexively, Izuku grabbed the vampire's hand and held it tight. Katsuki started to pull back but stopped and instead flipped his hand over to hold onto Izukus as well.
"Katsuki, what happened to your nest? You said you lost them… Could… Could I ask how?"
Katsuki tightened his grip on Izukus's hand, "So, not all vampires are turned… Rarely, and I mean really fuckin rarely, one of us is born to a mated pair of vampires." Katsuki paused. Izuku nodded to signify comprehension and the blond continued. "My parents were one of the unlucky few to have a kid."
"What do you mean unlucky? I'm sure they were over the moon to have had you. Especially if it's so rare."
Katsuki scoffed, "Yeah, well, not everyone sees it that way. Sure, my parents were fuckin thrilled to have a kid. Some of the other vampires nearby? Not so much. Natural born vampires are viewed as weaklings, mistakes even."
"Why is that?" Izuku asked, his natural curiosity taking over.
"There's a lot more than just vampirism that's transmitted through a bite. Thousands of years of violent instincts and aggression are too. Natural-born vampires don't get that. We aren't hardwired to hunt. Pre-programmed to kill." Katsuki squeezed Izuku's hand even tighter. "A nearby nest found out about me. A group of assholes with the dumbest name ever: The League of Vampires. They found out that I wasn't a traditionally made vampire. Found out that I was natural born. They…" Katsuki started to sob, "They came for me… Told my nest that they would kill every last one of them to get to me if they had to." Izuku pulled his friend into a hug as he cried, joined hands trapped against their chest.
Katsuki took a deep breath and continued through labored sobs, "My parents… they, they saved me. They got me out safely, and I ran. I ran all the way across the country from fucking Maine to Washington. I think the League lost my trail somewhere in Iowa, but… But they died. My parents, my friends… Everyone I had ever known died trying to save me. I just don't understand, why me? Why would they do that? They were so stupid. They should have just given me up and saved themselves. I'm not worth it. I'm just a weak disgrace of a vampire."
Izuku had heard enough to know that he needed to step in. He needed to stop these toxic thoughts from tearing apart his friend any longer. How long had he been suffering through this? How long had he let the guilt of his family's death eat away at his soul?
"Shut up, Katsuki," Izuku scolded. He brought his free hand to join the other in clutching Katsuki's. "Your parents did what they did because they loved you. Your nest loved you more than anything else in the world. Would they have done what they did for someone they considered a disgrace?" Katsuki cried into Izuku's shoulder. "No, they wouldn't. You aren't a disgrace. You never were. I don't know who told you that you were weak, Katsuki, but they were wrong. The fact that you're standing here, that you're still fighting, shows me that you're stronger than any person I've ever known."
"How can you say that? You… You barely know me."
Izuku chuckled, it was the truth. He did barely know the vampire before him, but, at the same time, it felt like he had always known him. That he had always belonged with him. "I can say that, Katsuki, because you're family now. You're part of my life, I won't ever let anyone hurt you again."
Katsuki's eyes widened, he stammered trying to speak. "Why… Why would you want me around? I'm just a…"
"Don't you dare say that you're weak, I've already told you that's a lie." Katsuki nodded with a sniff. "So, you wanna stick around for a bit? Keep helpin' me out? Be part of my nest?" Katuski simply nodded with a hum and pulled Izuku back into a hug.
Izuku didn't know how long they stood there in each other's embrace. They held onto each other in a silent promise to never let go. Izuku couldn't help but think, with the rhythmic sound of the ocean in the background, that this was the beginning of the future for him. A future they would share.
As the days turned into weeks, he and Katsuki spent more and more time together outside of just running the shop. Between shifts, they would find fun things to do around town. The pair would see movies, get dinner, and nearly every night they would take a long walk around the city that would end with the two of them holding hands on the pier and staring out into the ocean.
To Izuku, the café felt less and less like a place of work and more like a home. A home that he shared with Katsuki. He often wondered if the blond felt the same. He'd noticed the sideways glances, the way that Katsuki stared at him when he thought he couldn't be seen. Izuku assumed it was just the blond spacing out, but he couldn't help but think there was something more there. That he wanted it to be something more.
As the time passed, Izuku learned so much about his friend: that he liked spicy food, that he had an unhealthy obsession with folk-rock, and that he had never seen the sun before. Unlike most vampires who were born human and turned, Katsuki had always been a vampire. He never had a life in the light before he was claimed by the darkness. It hurt Izuku to think that someone so loving, so beautiful would live his entire life without seeing the sun once. He vowed to himself that he would think of a way to change that.
Occasionally, Izuku would take walks by himself to clear his head. It gave him time to think of ways in which he could deepen his friendship with Katsuki and maybe, just maybe, find a way to show him what else there is to life other than living in fear of the past.
One particularly chilly evening, Izuku decided to let Katuski sleep in a bit and set about the town. He walked up and down the streets muttering to himself, racking his brain for a solution, any solution. After an hour or so, he decided to turn back. It was far past the time that he should have opened the store. This wasn't the first time he'd gotten distracted on a walk, thankfully the demon had Katsuki around to hold down the fort. Like last time, Izuku assumed that by the time he got back the fiery blond would be standing behind the counter ready to face the night.
Izuku finished his evening walk and went to unlock the front door to the Claw and Fang. The sun had just gone down and he was planning on helping Katsuki set up for the usual rush just after sundown. The door was already unlocked. He could have sworn that he had locked it before his evening between shifts. He walked in and noticed something immediately – Katsuki was nowhere to be seen.
Not one to panic easily, Izuku assumed his friend had just overslept. He'd been working pretty hard recently. Izuku walked upstairs to Katsuki's room and knocked on the door with three light raps. He waited for several seconds but heard no response. He knocked again, louder this time, but still heard nothing. Finally, after one more failed attempt, Izuku waved his hand to unlock the door. It didn't click. This door was unlocked too. Izuku was becoming more and more concerned by the second.
"Katsuki? Are you awake? I'm coming in!" Izuku called loudly as he pushed open the door and stepped into the room. Izuku was not prepared for what he found.
Katsuki was gone. Even more concerning was the state of the room itself. It looked like there had been a fight. The mattress was halfway on the floor, the nightstand was on its side, and there were claw marks on the carpet. Izuku stomached a gulp realizing that the claw marks looked like someone fighting against being dragged out of the room. They led nearly to the front of his room where they just stopped completely.
It didn't take long for Izuku to piece together some of what had happened. Katsuki had been taken. Dragged out of his room by force. By whom? He didn't know, though, he could hazard a guess. It was probably those bastards who had massacred Katsuki's nest – The League of Vampires. Izuku turned quickly and left the dormitory portion of the inn, he sprinted down the stairs and burst out the front door of the Café with a loud clang from the little bell above the door.
Izuku could move fast when he wanted to. If he really tried, he could move faster than was perceptible to the mortal eye. Today? He pushed even that speed to its limit. He searched everywhere he could think of. He checked the local vampire nests, the werewolf dens, he even checked old Chiyo's witch hut. Katsuki was nowhere to be found. Izuku was nearly about to give up when he spotted a body in an alleyway far from the Inn.
Katsuki was stripped naked, lying on the ground beaten and bloody. He had massive wounds that were open and oozing blood onto the cobblestone pavement beneath him. Standing around him was an unknown group of strangers. Izuku didn't need to see their teeth to know that the four of them were vampires. He could smell the tell-tale odor of Allspice and Death that clung to them like cheap cologne.
Izuku usually wasn't one to swear. However, given the rage he felt at that moment, he was willing to make an exception. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't harass my employees! So, leave him the Fuck alone!" As he spoke, his eyes glowed a bright green and the ground shook violently. All four vampires lurched back from Katsuki who curled tightly into a ball on the ground and cried.
"This lowly fuck works for you?" A blue-white haired vampire said with a Cheshire grin. "I'm sure you can find better help than this sorry lowlife. We'll just take him off your hands for ya!" Izuku became angrier than he could ever remember being. The sky overhead filled with clouds, lightning flashed with booms of thunder. The earth shook slightly and the very air seemed to become acrid to the breath.
"Tomura, we should go," A scarred vampire with black hair and way too many piercings said cautiously, pulling at the arm of the younger-looking vampire with bluish-white hair.
"I'll go when I'm ready to go. We're just getting started here. This puny wimp doesn't scare me with his cheap magic tricks!" The vampire, Tomura he figured, looked at Izuku with bloodshot eyes. Claw marks around his face and neck slowly oozed blood. "Why don't you do us all a favor and skitter back to your little coffee shop, huh, Warlock? You're out of your depth here, and I've got a game to finish." They thought he was a warlock? Huh, Izuku realized that this might end up being easier than he originally imagined.
Izuku raised out his hand, palm upward. "I would be careful what you say to me, fang face." Izuku did nothing to hide the loathing bite in his voice.
"Oh yeah?" Tomura quipped. "Why is that, cabbage head? Are you gonna throw a pot of tea at me? Scold me with a scone? Beat me with a biscuit? I don't think so!" Izuku smirked. Well, he asked for it.
"See, if I understand right, and correct me if I'm wrong," Izuku said. "Vampires have a certain… Skin condition you might say. Your kind doesn't agree well with sunlight." The vampires snarled and began to close in on Izuku. "What I find fascinating, however, is not just any light will affect you. It has to be natural light from a yellow sun." Tomura stopped with a raised eyebrow.
"Will you just shut up? I hate it when my food tries to monologue."
Izuku shrouded Katsuki in darkness with a wave of his other hand and raised his open palm out towards the villainous vampires. He concentrated and willed gasses to coalesce and condense at a single point on his palm. The wind swirled, pulling all of the air within the area towards Izuku, the temperature dropped suddenly and then began to increase rapidly, radiating outward from the green-haired demon. Slowly the point on his palm became brighter and brighter until a miniature sun burned brilliantly in his hand. The light grew and spread across the alleyway, illuminating the vampires. As quickly as the light reached them, they shot backward away from it with a hiss – their skin smoking and beginning to scar from the brief contact with Izuku's makeshift star.
"You prick!" A girl with blond hair rolled up in pigtails shouted at Izuku. She was clutching at her left eye, smoke rising through her fingers. "Tomura, let's get out of here. We can deal with this later."
"Can it, Toga. I call the shots around here. Jin, take him out!" He pointed to a masked vampire in a dark grey jumpsuit. The sun didn't seem to affect him. Maybe due to the full-body suit he had on?
"Anything you say, boss!" Jin straightened his back and gave Tomura a quick salute before lunging at Izuku. "Let me kill you! I wanna be your friend! After I kill you!" This dude was insane, he sounded like he was using different voices to argue with himself as he ran towards Izuku.
The unhinged vampire's attack was short-lived, however. Izuku was growing tired of this interaction and his anger was beginning to get the best of him. He closed the distance between them in an instant, grabbed the angry psycho by the scruff of his neck and pulled back, making him open his mouth. In a swift and ruthless motion, Izuku crammed the entire burning sun down the poor bastard's gullet with an unsettling sizzle. Izuku stepped back calmly as the vampire let loose a blood-curdling scream and clawed at his throat. Within moments he was reduced to nothing more than a smoldering pile of ash and cloth.
"You bastard! You're going to fucking pay for…" Izuku cut her off by creating another ball of burning gas. He simply stared at the remaining vampires who cowered back into the shadows just outside the light of his sun.
"This isn't over," Tomura snarled. "Dabi, Toga, let's get out of here." The three of them started to slink away into the darkness.
"No, I think it is over," Izuku said slowly, his voice deep. Each word carefully enunciated to hide the rage that boiled within him. "Do you honestly think I'm going to just let you leave here? After what you did to my friend?" What happened next was a blur in Izuku's memory. Flashes of light, screams of agony, and before Izuku had fully processed his actions, he was standing amid three more piles of crusty ash.
Izuku calmed down as much as he could given the circumstances. With the amount of rage and adrenaline pumping through him, Izuku felt like he could level the city at that moment. He was deeply scared that he might. A single look at the crumpled blond crying on the ground caused his rage to quell as he found himself rushing to his friend's side.
"Shh, shh," he cooed, placing his hand tenderly on the wounded vampire's forehead. "It's ok, Katsuki. I'm here now," Izuku dropped low and cradled his friend. The blond was shivering and covered in blood. He felt cold. Vampires always ran cold, but this was cold even for them. This wasn't good.
He waited for a moment to see if Katsuki would respond to his presence. He did not. Instead, he simply held tightly onto Izuku and sobbed into his shoulder. Izuku gathered his friend, placed his hand supportively behind his neck, and moved as fast as he could back to the Café. In his anger, fear, and concern, Izuku crossed nearly five miles within a single tick of a watch. He crashed past the front door, flew up the steps, repaired Katsuki's room with a wave of his hand, and gently placed the injured vampire down on the soft mattress.
Not wasting any time, Izuku set to work on healing the poor soul. He used every writ, incantation, spell, and ritual he could think of to heal his friend's wounds to the best of his ability. Death was not an option today, Izuku wouldn't allow it. He would storm through the gates of hell, tear down his father's seal, and drag Katsuki's soul back to the surface by force if he had to. Though, as the spells continued, it became more and more apparent that such drastic measures wouldn't be necessary. The healing was working. Katsuki would live. Having closed up the last wound, Izuku fell to his knees and sat back on his heels. He was utterly exhausted. It had been a long time since he had used so much of his own power. It had been even longer since he had done so much for a lesser immortal. Let alone a vampire.
Izuku hadn't thought much about it before that point, but he knew there was more to his action than simply wanting to help a friend. Or even a crush. He thought back to all of their time together over the last few weeks. All of the laughs they had shared. The concern that Katsuki had shown for Izuku's wellbeing, his attempts to comfort him in his loneliness. He realized that he didn't just like Katsuki. It was so much more. He never wanted to let him go.
Izuku closed up shop for the night and, as the hours passed, sat by the bedside of his more-than-a-friend. The blond's breathing had calmed and he had settled into a deep, restful sleep. Izuku couldn't help but stare at Katuski's face. The sharp ridges of his jawline, the soft spikes of his hair, the way his usually stern face looked almost peaceful while he slept. Izuku had it bad. Finally, about half an hour before sunrise, the blond's eyes fluttered open.
"I-Izuku?" Katsuki shot up in bed, eyes darting wildly around his room as if waiting for an attack.
"I'm here, Katsuki. I'm here. You're safe now," Izuku placed his hand on Katsuki's shoulder and rubbed up and down his back in a soothing manner. The blond seemed to melt at his touch and leaned into it.
"What… What happened to Tomura and the others? They'll be coming back for me. I… I need to leave, I should go. It's not safe. I don't want to put you in danger." Katsuki tried to get up but Izuku gently pushed him back into bed with a shush.
"You don't have to worry about those bullies anymore. I dealt with them."
Katsuki's eyes widened, tears began to well at the corners of his eyes. "They're… they're gone?" Katsuki asked with an air of disbelief.
"Yeah, they're gone. Took care of 'em myself. They won't bother you or anyone else ever again," Izuku's heart melted once again as Katsuki began to cry. He leaned in and wrapped the sobbing blond in a tight hug – Katsuki hugged him back just as hard.
After several minutes, Katsuki's sobs had turned into the occasional sniffle, Izuku pulled away and looked into his deep red eyes. Izuku figured that it was now or never. He needed to tell the vampire how he felt. How he thinks he felt from the moment he laid eyes on him.
"Katsuki, I don't want anything like that to ever happen to you again. I.." he hesitated, gathering his thoughts. "I know you've been hesitant to settle down, that you've lost so much and are still healing. But, if you will, I want to be that place where you belong. I want to be that healing for you. I- I think I love you, Katsuki." The blond's breath caught; he held onto Izuku's hand tighter and looked him in the eye. A single tear rolled down his cheek.
Izuku took a deep breath and continued, "I know that must sound crazy given that we've only known each other for a few weeks, but it feels like I've known you my entire life. Like every moment I've been alive, my soul has been searching for you. This time that I've spent with you? Well, it's been the best of my very, very long life. I don't think I could go back to the way it was before. To the time before you strolled through my front door and laughed at my selection of coffee." Katsuki chuckled with a sniff. "So, what do you say? You… Do you want to stay here with me and help me run the café? Be my proverbial partner in crime?"
Izuku held his breath. Every second Katsuki took to respond felt like a life-age to Izuku. Finally, after several agonizing moments, Katsuki spoke in soft, shaky words. "I… I think I feel the same… Fuck, I'm not good with this whole 'feelings' thing… Never have been. But, you… You make me more. You make me want to be more. See more. I- I don't want to leave you… Ever. So, uh, yeah, I'll run this shitty café with you." Katsuki's red eyes glinted as a smile spread across his face. Izuku couldn't contain his excitement anymore and launched himself at Katsuki, pulling him into a deep hug. They stayed like that for several minutes before Katsuki pulled away with a sorrowful expression.
"What's wrong?" Izuku asked, still trying to hold onto Katsuki.
"Suns coming up, I wanted to spend some more time with ya… But I guess we'll have to wait till tonight."
Izuku looked down at Katsuki with a frown. Suddenly he finally had an idea; his face morphed into one of pure uncontained glee.
"The fuck are you so excited about?"
"Katsuki, do you know what I am? I never did tell you." Katsuki looked back at him with a confused glance.
"I dunno, some kind of warlock? You're not like most other creatures I've come across."
Izuku chuckled. "Well, you're both not far off and miles off. I'm a Demon. One of the first, actually." Izuku paused, hesitating for a moment. He hadn't stopped to consider that confessing his true nature could have worried the vampire. "Does that scare you?"
Katsuki shook his head. "We cater to all kinds of magical creatures here at the Claw and Fang; why should being a demon make any difference?" Katsuki repeated to Izuku nearly word for word their exchange on the day they had met. Izuku couldn't help but laugh; irony was a fickle thing.
"Well, how about this? Let's make a deal. A real one, this time." Izuku smiled as he tried to remember the whole spiel he used to give when making a deal. In the end, he decided just to throw it out the window. It was 'old hat' anyways. He took Katsuki's hands in his own and met his gaze. "Katsuki, I, Izuku Midoriya – Crossroads demon of the fifth ring, The Slayer of Asmodeus, The Desolation of Astaroth, The Binder of Mephistopheles, Firstborn of the Morning Star, and The Wielder of the Octarine staff – god I need a shorter title, offer you the chance to live your life as you see fit. I will remove all afflictions to you from your ailment. Sunlight will not harm you, nor shall silver sting. Be it salt or stake, neither shall accost you lest you will it. And in return, I ask only one thing."
"What's that?" Katsuki asked.
Izuku smiled and leaned close to whisper into his ear. "Stay with me," Izuku felt a shiver run across Katsuki's body. "Stay with me and help me run the shop. Be my partner in all meanings of the word."
"Yes," Katsuki said softly, the single word laced with determination. Izuku leaned in and pressed his lips against Katsuki's to seal the deal. The vampire's lips were soft, almost silken, and pillowy against his own. Izuku could feel the gentle tickle of his breath beneath his nose, fingers carded through his spiky blond hair as they breathed each other in. Katsuki's lips parted, and Izuku took that as an invitation to deepen the kiss.
This was far more than was necessary to seal a deal. Only a simple peck was needed. Izuku didn't care. He wanted this and, more than evidently, so did Katsuki. They fought back and forth, each fighting for dominance until they finally broke the kiss, gasping for much-needed air.
"Damn," Katsuki said with a labored breath. "You make all your deals like that?"
Izuku laughed and drew the blond back in for one more peck, "Nope, just that one." Izuku hummed. "We might have to make deals more often though, ya know, just to make sure it sticks." Katsuki nodded and drew him back in for another kiss. Izuku could get used to this. It had been centuries since he'd had any physical contact of any kind. He was in entirely uncharted territory. It was exciting.
Katsuki leaned in for another kiss; Izuku pulled away, causing the blond to pout. "So," he asked. "I was thinking… Would you like to go on a walk with me and watch the sunrise?" Katsuki's breath hitched, eyes wide.
"More than anything I've ever fucking wanted before."
Izuku smiled and wordlessly took Katsuki by the hand.
The blond followed him with cautious steps as Izuku led him out to the front of the Café. The sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon, the street still shrouded in darkness.
"You ready?" Izuku asked. Katsuki stared ahead, a glint of uncertainty in his eyes.
"I… I think so… I don't even know what it looks like. What it feels like."
Izuku tightened his grip on Katsuki's hand. "It's ok; we'll go together. I'll be by your side. Always."
Katsuki nodded with a smile, and Izuku opened the door.
The pair stepped out into the rising sun hand in hand.
"It's beautiful," Katsuki said with a smile, sunlight glinting off his ruby eyes.
"It sure is," Izuku responded, ignoring the sun and staring at a brighter light that had just entered his life.