**TRIGGER WARNING: MENTION OF SUICIDE**

SUMMARY: Hawks works with the police and Eraser Head to find his missing friend while Katsuki tried to escape from the clutches of a mad man. How will this go down?

A/N: Made a change with the age because I messed up with my own timeline *smacks face*

HAUNTING STITCHES

Mitsuki's hands trembled on her lap as she sat on the couch, her husband trying to comfort her while he answered questions from the police. His large, warm hand rubbing slow circles on her back. They were both horrified when the police informed them that they suspected their son was taken by a serial killer who had been targeting young boys. Mitsuki was hoping they were wrong but the police and Pro Heroes working on the case were firm with their beliefs. She hoped to God her boy returns home alive.

"How old is he?"

"He's twelve."

"Quirk?"

"Explosion."

"How proficient is he with his quirk?"

He's… really good at controlling it."

"Does he tend to talk to strangers?"

Mitsuki let out a shuddering breath, "Fuck no. Katsuki… Katsuki's a very private kid. He doesn't make friends easily and he hates talking with people he's not familiar with."

The officer nodded and wrote it down in his notepad. They looked up when they heard hurried footsteps. Inko and her son appeared, both of them looking frazzled. Mother and son had tears in their eyes. The plump woman rushed to her friend's side, "Oh, Mitsuki!"

Mitsuki spread her arms to receive a hug from her friend. Inko's warmth enveloped her and brought a sense of calm. She pressed her nose into the woman's shoulder and whispered, "Thank you for coming, Inko-chan."

"Uhh, and you are?" asked the police officer.

"Oh, I'm sorry for barging in! I'm Midoriya Inko."

"She's a close friend of ours," said Masaru with a thankful smile.

"Any news of Kacchan?" asked Izuku, his vice a tad high pitched because of the worry overriding him.

The officer shook his head, "We're still trying to track him down."

The boy gripped his shirt, more tears leaking from his eyes, "This is my fault!"

Inko shook her head and pulled her son down to sit next to her on the couch, "Oh, Izuku! I told you not to blame yourself."

"What does he mean it's his fault?" asked the officer.

"He was texting with Katsuki before…"

"Kacchan has sharp senses. No one could get the jump on Kacchan that easily. I must've distracted him and now he's taken by someone!" wailed the boy.

The officer sympathized the boy, "Son, I don't think you should be blaming yourself."

"The policeman is right, Izuku-kun. Don't blame yourself."

"Don't worry, we have Pro Heroes out there helping us find your friend. We'll find him," assured the officer. He got up to his feet and pocketed his notepad, "I'll have a few officers stationed outside just in case. We'll call you if we have new information."

"Thank you, officer," said Masaru as he stood to shake the man's hand. He turned to his wife whose eyes were red after crying. Both the Midoriya were huddled close to her and Inko whispered reassuring words to Mitsuki who nodded numbly. Masaru rubbed at his face tiredly, "Inko, would you like to use the guestroom? It's already late."

Inko felt Mitsuki's grip on her hand tightened, "Yes, thank you for the offer. And I apologize for the trouble."

"No, it's alright. I want to thank you for coming over," said Masaru as he glanced at his quiet wife. He walked toward the stairs, "I'll have the room ready for you and Izuku-kun."

Izuku scrubbed at his eyes with his hands, he felt so helpless! Just like last time when Katsuki was attacked by that thief with the pressure quirk, five years ago. He couldn't do anything for his friend, again! His mother pulled him into a hug and he sobbed louder. Inko sighed and prayed to God that Katsuki would be found soon for the sake of her friend and her son.

"Are you certain about this?" asked Hawks as his voice trembled slightly.

"The message is similarly written and the handwriting is a match," said Aizawa as he sifted through the case folders of the dead victims. He glanced at the young hero, and he wondered if it was wise to have him work on this case too. The teenager knows the latest victim intimately and that could be a problem if he lets his emotions get in the way.

Hawks pressed a hand to his mouth and cursed. He's been helping the police analyse the case for weeks and they're not closer to figuring out the murderer. The last victim was found two weeks ago. The only comfort he had was the fact that the killer doesn't usually kill his victims quickly. So, they have time to find Katsuki alive. He closed his eyes and went through whatever information they had gathered from this case. The one different thing about Katsuki's case is the mannequin. Forensics are working on it to find DNA samples that could help them.

He looked down to his phone when he received a text from Ishikawa, "It's from Ishikawa-san. Ragdoll and Hound Dog can't come over as they're currently involved in search and rescue in Hiroshima. There was a landslide two days ago and a lot of civilians are still trapped. They've reached out to other Heroes who have quirks that could help us search for a missing person. Hopefully, someone will come to lend their aid."

"Let's go through what we have," said the detective in charge, Hayabusa Nobutoshi. The detective has a mutant quirk that gave him the head and wings of a peregrine falcon. Hawks would've made a joke about them being wing buddies if it was a good day. The detective moved everyone's attention to the case board, "The first victim was Arakawa Kenichi, nine years old, found on 28th August. The last one was Fujita Ren, twelve years old, found nearly two weeks ago on 18th October. And our latest victim is Bakugou Katsuki, twelve years old, taken about eight hours ago between 7.32pm and 8.00pm."

Hawks frowned at the word victim for Katsuki. His eyes roamed over the pictures of the other victims before stopping at Katsuki's. Katsuki had his usual scowl in the picture, narrow red eyes staring at them intensely. Hayabusa moved on to the side of the board, "We call this serial killer The Entomologist as he often leaves his victims' body lying splayed on the ground with their limbs impaled into the ground with screwdrivers. He leaves a black butterfly on his victim's face. We've also found some purple petals that belonged to the flower species, hyacinth."

"Is there a meaning to this MO of his?" asked Aizawa, tilting his head to the side.

"Our criminal profilers deduced that the killer is a sociopath who has deep regrets."

Hawks' brows scrunched together, "Regrets?"

Hayabusa pointed at a picture, "The flower petals found on the crime scenes. Purple hyacinths are most commonly known to symbolise regret. The colour purple signifies sorrow for a wrong committed."

"So, the killer holds some form of regret over something. Is it likely he regrets killing his victims? What about the butterfly?"

Hayabusa rubbed his forehead, "Butterflies often symbolises death, rebirth and transformation. Black butterflies are often associated with death and bad omen. We're still trying to figure out how it relates to the case. The placement over the victims' face is reminiscent of placing a white cloth over the dead's face."

"The killer holds regrets. He regrets something he has done in the past. So maybe he was hoping for a change by taking the boys? When it didn't go as how he wants, he kills them."

Hawks stared at the photo of the killer's message, "He will be silenced and he shall not harm others with his tongue. Those words mean something."

Aizawa crossed his arms across his chest, "The silence part is probably death. The second part is more significant here. He shall not harm others with his tongue. My guess; verbal bullying or lies. He's probably doing this for revenge."

"But why the kids?" asked Hawks.

"Likely because it relates to someone the killer cherishes, perhaps? A younger sibling or a son. He could've snapped due to past trauma and he's acting out now. Or maybe something happened to this cherished person recently and he's seeking revenge. Let's assume that he's seeking out boys, ranging between eight to twelve years old, to avenge someone precious who might've been hurt or died due to constant verbal bullying."

"So, he's taking boys at random in hopes to find the one who caused his grief."

"The common thing about these boys is that they have light hair, brown or blond, and a height between 140cm to 147cm."

Everyone turned to the door when there was a hurried knock. A man rushed in with a folder, "Detective Hayabusa! We have DNA results from the mannequin!"

Hawks grabbed the offered folder and opened it, the picture of a boy with wavy chestnut hair and dark brown eyes was at the top of the document. The name Hanamoto Haru was written there. He looked up as Hayabusa snatched the folder from his hands. The detective looked through the information, "It says here the boy is missing?"

"Yes, his mother reported him missing since mid-August. His parents were divorced and the boy was staying with his father. His mother couldn't take custody because she was charged with negligence and child abandonment before. She made a report when her son didn't come to visit her on their promised date."

"I see. Did they investigate the father?"

"He was attending a conference abroad when the boy went missing. The boy was in his grandparents' care while he was away. He only returned to japan two days after his son was reported missing."

"Why didn't the grandparents report him missing?"

"They thought he was staying with his mother. He left the house to presumably go visit his mother the day he went missing."

"I'll go visit the father in the morning," said Aizawa as he stood up.

"I'm coming with you! I can use my feathers to scout the area," said Hawks.

Aizawa stared at the young hero before he sighed, "Alright. We meet here at eight in the morning."

Hayabusa nodded, "I'll do a background research on the man."

Hawks stumbled when Aizawa grabbed him by the front of his suit and dragged him out of the meeting room, "Wha-hey! What gives?"

Aizawa opened the door to one of the station's break room, he's quite familiar with the station since he works with the police closely. He walked in still dragging the teenager and led him to one of the couches, "Get some rest, kid. You need to be bright and ready for the morning."

"But-"

The older hero sat heavily on the other couch. He gave a stern gaze at the teenager, "Don't argue. Get some shut eye."

Hawks sighed. He was exhausted, his emotions had been draining him since he found out something went wrong with his friend. He peeled off his suit, his feathers dispersing for a quick moment to ease his action before returning to his back. He draped it over the back of the couch. He kicked off his dress shoes and swung his legs over the armrest before lying down on his back. He shifted to get comfortable on the lumpy couch, "Don't you dare leave me behind."

"I wouldn't, I promise. You might be helpful," said Aizawa as he too lay down on his back after kicking off his boots. He pulled his scarf over his eyes, "Word of advice, kid. Don't let your emotions get the best of you."

"…he's my friend."

"I figured. Don't worry. We'll find him."

Katsuki woke up to the sound of birds chirping by the window and children laughing outside. He was tied up to a chair and his arms were behind him. His left shoulder was screaming at him. He blinked his eyes and groaned. He flinched at the pain around his mouth. Right, the psycho asshole stitched his mouth shut. His breathing quickened as panic seeped into him. He shut his eyes and tried to calm dawn. Forcing himself to breathe slowly, just like how Mishima-san had taught him. It took a while but he managed to slow down his breathing and clamped down the panic.

He opened his eyes and squinted at his surroundings. He's back in the office-like room where he first woke up last night, surrounded by dead insects on the walls. Hundreds of dead insects. He assumed the crazy man was some sort of insect collector. He craned his neck to look to the side and he saw a photo on the desk. A boy and a man, smiling happily at him. For a moment, he was reminded of his father. He shook his head and looked at the photo again. He doesn't recognize the boy but the man looks familiar. He realized it was his kidnapper, but looking well then he is now. His hair was shorter and neat too. The boy in the photo had wavy brown hair that matches the man.

Katsuki jumped when the door opened. The crazy man entered the room with a bottle of water in hand. He approached Katsuki and the boy instinctively pushed himself back against the chair, trying to get away from the man. His face was crudely bandaged but Katsuki could still see the burnt skin. The man uncapped the bottle and stuck a straw in it. He brought it close to Katsuki's lips, "Drink."

The boy wanted to reject but he was very thirsty, and he needs to stay hydrated so he could use his quirk. He reluctantly nodded his head. The man stuck the tip of the straw through a small gap between the thread stitched around the boy's lips. He watched the boy carefully as he drank almost half of the water in the bottle. He pulled the bottle away and put it on the desk.

He knelt in front of the boy, "Are you ready to apologize to Haru?"

Katsuki glared at the man, fuck off!

The man sighed heavily and stood up. He went behind Katsuki and the boy startled when his whole body shifted as the man grabbed the back of the chair and dragged him out of the room. The feet of the chair scraping against the wooden floor loudly. Katsuki struggled against the rope, legs kicking in the air. The man dragged him toward the room from last night and Katsuki felt nausea at the stench of decay, fuck no! Not again!

The man put him down and made him face the bed. Katsuki flinched at the sight of the body. He instantly recognized the face; it was the kid in the photo. He hissed when the man grabbed his hair and pulled his head forward, "Tell Haru you're sorry. You did this to him."

Katsuki couldn't help but whine as he was forced to lean forward uncomfortably against his bonds, his shoulder flaring in pain. unwilling tears gathered at the corner of his eyes. The man tugged at his hair, "Say you're sorry!"

The boy shook his head, still defiant. He gasped when the man backhanded him, his head snapping to the side. He breathed harshly through his nose, his stomach rolling with nausea. The man grabbed Katsuki's face hard and forced him to look at him, "You're responsible for this! You fed Haru with lies and made him take his life!"

Katsuki glared at the man defiantly. The man slapped him hard and he could feel blood trickling down his chin. They both heard the doorbell ringing. His captor growled as he got to his feet, "Ponder on your sins. I'll be back to hear you apologize to Haru."

He listened to the man's heavy footsteps until it faded. Katsuki swallowed a few times, trying his best not to throw up. He cautiously looked at the body on the bed. It looks like the boy, Haru, had been dead for a while. Katsuki can't tell for how long but somehow it looked mummified. His body dried and skeletal but oddly still shows the boy's recognizable features. There was a stitched cut on the body's left wrist. And Katsuki stared at the red threads. The kid had committed suicide, Katsuki thought with a bit of sympathy. He wondered why the boy would take his life at such a young age.

You fed Haru with lies and made him take his life!

Katsuki shook his head and he looked around to find anything that could help him escape. He struggled against the rope and that's when he realized his wrists weren't cuffed together. His eyes widened with hope. He strained his ears and listened for the man's whereabouts. He couldn't hear anything, good, he must still be downstairs. He tried to summon explosion to his hand but quickly stopped when he could hear popping. He grunted, he wished he could create flame instead of sparks right now. He waited for a few moments, but when there was no sound from his captor, he tried to burn the rope again. He twisted his right wrist so he could grab the rope on his back, concentrating, he tried to use smaller explosions to burn the rope. He could hear the rope sizzling and he tugged at the rope. The rope snapped and he nearly fell off the chair.

Katsuki would've grin in victory but he remembered the stitches over his lips. He sat still and waited for any sound coming from the man. Carefully and quietly, he got to his feet. He brought his left arm close to his chest to lessen the weight on his left shoulder which he figured was dislocated from his tumble down the stairs last night. He quietly walked to the door and peeked out. He pulled his head in and quietly closed the door. He pressed on the lock. Hopefully, it'll buy him time.

He shuffled to the window and pulled the curtains back. The room was facing a river and he could hear the train as it passed over the bridge. There was a Ginko tree obstructing his view so it wouldn't be easy for him to get anyone's attention. He swept his right hand over the window frame when he didn't see a latch. He looked over his shoulder and contemplated if he should just smash the window and get out. But he's on the second floor and with his current condition, it would be hard for him to land without further injuring himself. He blinked when a large shadow passed on the ground. He looked up and his heart raced when he saw Hawks flying over the house. His palm slammed on the window and he wanted to yell.

Hawks landed on the roof quietly. Aizawa and Hayabusa will be distracting Hanamoto and his job was to look for clues. He sent a few feathers to scatter around the house, feeling for vibrations to see if the man was alone. It didn't take him long to feel a strong vibration from one of the windows. He followed his senses and it was the second-floor room facing the river. He flew down to investigate and his eyes widened to see it was Katsuki. The boy looked relieved to see him but Hawks' eyes were trained on the red threads over the boy's mouth and all the blood, both dried and fresh, staining the boy's lower face, neck and front of his hoodie. He saw red. He wants the man to suffer for what he's done!

He snapped out of his thoughts when Katsuki banged on the glass frantically and shaking his head. His eyes telling him not to do anything rash. Hawks inhaled deeply to calm himself and got closer to the window, "Kats, get back! I'm going to break the window!"

Katsuki nodded his understanding and shuffled away. Hawks flew back and then he dove through the window, his booted feet shattering the glass. He landed in a crouch and gagged when the smell of death hits him. He pressed his arm against his nose and turned around. His eyes widened at the sight of the decaying body on the bed. Katsuki tensed when he heard shouting and heavy footsteps. He motioned for Hawks that they needed to get out.

Hawks rushed forward to pick him up, he tucked the boy under his chin and flew out the window as something heavy slammed against the door. There was a snap of wood as the door broke down and Hawks had a moment to wonder how the man escaped Hayabusa and Aizawa. The man run toward the window with an angry shout, "NO!"

Katsuki instinctively clutched at his friend's shirt, his eyes widening when he heard Hawks screamed in pain. Suddenly, they were falling from the air as the teenager lost control. Hawks twisted his body in mid-air to shoulder the brunt of the impact as he landed on the grass. He let out a cry as whatever was embedded in his back dug deeper into his shoulder. He felt Katsuki grabbed the front of his shirt and with strength he didn't expect the kid would have right now, he was pulled to the side just as two screwdrivers landed on the ground where he had been lying. He sent his feathers to attack the man who retreated into the room. There was a scuffle inside the room and shouting.

Katsuki grunted as he pulled Hawks up. His eyes scanning the window with wide eyes. He startled when a winged being flew out of the window. It landed in front of him and Katsuki growled as he spread his arms to shield Hawks protectively. The mutant bird-man raised his hands placatingly, "Calm down, son. I'm with the police."

"I-it's okay, Katsuki," whispered Hawks as he grabbed the boy's arm.

Katsuki relaxed his stance and fell on his knees with a relieved sigh. Hayabusa looked over his shoulder, "You got him, Eraser Head?"

"Yeah. Hawks?" replied Eraser Head as he appeared at the window. Hawks raised a thumbs-up at the man and Aizawa sighed. He turned around to face the man he had restrained. It was a dumb mistake to let him out of their sight in pretence to go check if he had turned off the iron before greeting the detective and the hero. They had rushed upstairs when they heard glass shattering and heavy thumps. Aizawa combed his hair back, well, at least they caught him and the kid is now safe with them.

Katsuki was dressed in a hospital gown and was being treated after he was rushed to the hospital. His clothes had been taken to process as evidence. He reluctantly let the CSIs take photos of his wounds. He rubbed his hand over his mouth, glad they finally got the threads out. After cleaning his wounds, the doctor had healed him with his quirk. He was assured that there won't be any scars. But Katsuki knows he won't forget easily. His shoulder had been painfully popped back to its socket and again the doctor used his quirk to heal his shoulder. He was relieved the pain was mostly gone, just the remnants of pain persisted in his mind. He grimaced. Fuck, he's surely going to have nightmares after this.

Hawks was tended by another doctor on the opposite bed. He grimaced at the sight of the handle of a screwdriver sticking out of the teen's back. The young hero stated that he couldn't feel his back and Katsuki told him that Hanamoto may have put something on the screwdriver to make him go numb, just like the needles. After he was treated, Hawks was ushered out and then Katsuki found himself answering questions asked by detective Hayabusa. He found out his kidnapper's name was Hanamoto Cho, an entomologist working at a university. The man's quirk was called 'bullseye', where anything he throws would always hit its mark. He asked why Hanamoto killed the other victims but the detective said he couldn't give an answer yet since it's still under investigation. After a few more rounds of questioning the detective left the room with well wishes for him. He nodded and thanked the bird-man.

Hawks entered the room. His jacket was hanging, wrapped around his hip, "Hey, how are you feeling?"

"Like shit. How's your back?"

The teen shrugged, "I still can't feel anything there."

"Thanks."

"Hey, what are pals for?" said Hawks as he ruffled the boy's hair fondly. Katsuki gave him one of his rare smiles and Hawks cherished it. He stretched his arms over his head with a wide yawn and his wing enveloped the boy, "I don't know about you but I'm beat. I need to catch some Zs."

Katsuki nodded mutely. He turned to nuzzle against the teen's side and Hawks pulled him to lie down on the bed next to him. He squeezed the boy's shoulder gently when he felt the boy trembling, "It's okay, Katsuki. You're safe now. I got you, buddy."

When he got home that late afternoon, he was crushed between four bodies of the Midoriya and his parents as they hugged him. His ears assaulted by wails from both Izuku and his mother, Izuku's sounding more distressed. His father came to his rescue and he sent a silent thanks to the man with a glance. Masaru smiled and ruffled his hair. Katsuki was actually surprised that the Midoriya family were at his house. They ushered him inside, Hawks, his temporary bodyguard following closely. The teenager had changed to civilian clothes that Ishikawa had brought in for him at the hospital, along with spare clothes for Katsuki.

His family and childhood friend pestered him with questions which he answered automatically in a monotone voice. He felt drained. The whole ordeal still weighing on him heavily. He was glad they didn't get to see how bad he was, like when Hawks had found him. The Midoriya would be bawling their eyes out and his mother would likely raise hell and march to the station to give Hanamoto a piece of her mind. He hopes they never have to find out the torment he went through. He zoned out during dinner; his actions mostly done unconsciously. He couldn't be bothered to be present. He just wants to find somewhere quiet and lie down.

His father and Hawks picked up on his quiet demeanour and Hawks volunteered to bring him upstairs to rest. He didn't comment on how the boy clung to his neck tightly as he carried him. The boy kept his face hidden against his chest. When he reached the boy's room, he gently lowered him to the bed but Katsuki wouldn't let go of his grip around his neck. The boy whined when he tried to pry his arms off his neck. It was very uncharacteristic of him, "Kats?"

"Please, don't leave me alone," whispered the boy. His face flushed in shame.

Hawks sighed as he climbed onto the bed. He pulled the boy against his chest and wrapped an arm protectively around his back, "Okay, I'll stay. I promise."

The boy sighed and mumbled his thanks. He was dozing a few moments later. Hawks remained vigilant all night, waking the boy when he started to struggle in his arms because of a nightmare. Assuring him he's free and safe. That he's home with his parents. That his mouth is no longer sewn shut. The boy would repeat his words with wide haunted eyes, raising shaking hands to feel his mouth. Hawks wiped the tears away and hummed a tune to keep the boy calm until he falls back asleep. He started to doze off when the boy didn't get plagued by any more nightmares. He sighed and pressed his nose against the boy's spiky hair, "You're alright, Katsuki. You're safe now. I got you. I got you, Katsuki."

A/N: I initially had a much darker plot but then I'm like, no. Let's not hurt Katsuki so much, not yet. Wait until he's older!

I hope ya'll enjoyed this chapter! Leave a comment or kudos to feed this starving author!

Villain profile

Name: Hanamoto Cho (in kanji his name Hanamoto means 'flower book' and Cho means 'butterfly')
Quirk: Bullseye.
Quirk description: Whatever he throws always hits its mark. Hanamoto prefers to use needles as his choice of weapon as he can keep them hidden in his sleeves. He tends to put his homemade immobilizing drug on his needles to numb or knock out his victims. He had planned to dip his needles with venom or poison but he didn't want to risk getting himself poked with a poisoned needle.

OC profile

Name: Hayabusa Nobutoshi. ("Hayabusa" literally means peregrine falcon and "Nobu" means trust, while "Toshi" means quick, clever and sharp)
Quirk: Falcon.
Quirk description: Hayabusa's quirk is a mutant type. He has the head and wings of a peregrine falcon. He has the specialities of a falcon such as sharp, keen eyes and flight. He has feathers covering his back and shoulders which are hidden beneath his clothes. He can take flight with his wings and when he dives from the air, he could go at a speed of between 200km/h to 250km/h (not as fast as the actual bird that can stoop at a speed of 290km/h)