Disclaimer: I don't own My Hero Academia and any of its characters used in this fanfic.
A/N: I decided to post this late because I wanted to finish off my collection of Katsuyu one-shots with a bit of a bang (and because real life responsibilities kicked into full gear, so I needed to get those sorted out first before returning to any of my writing). Here's the seventh and final one-shot for Katsuyu Week 2018! The prompt for Day 7 is Fantasy AU. (If any of you want to contribute, head on over to katsuyuweek on Tumblr to see the prompts, rules, and guidelines!
As you can probably tell from the prompt for this day, this one-shot's a Fantasy AU, and it's a lot longer than the previous ones with an actual plot and story building behind it. It took me a while to figure out how to make this fantasy-related, honestly, because it was difficult to think of what kind of mythical creature would fit Katsuki. In the end, I managed to find one that I thought fit him pretty well and decided to stick with it.
As always, fair warning: expect some coarse language (because Katsuki likes to curse). There's also some dark topics/themes that are in this one-shot, such as murders and deaths. Finally, there are mentions of IzuOcha, which builds its relationship alongside Katsuyu.
With that said, enjoy!
Eventual
Day 7: Fantasy AU
To say that Katsuki was bored was an understatement. He could feel his horns beginning to poke out from his hair as he stood against his tree, and as every second passed, he felt the night breeze become cooler. Granted, it was a hot summer night—already past midnight, in fact—and here he was, waiting deep in the depths of the stupid forest a long distance from the nearest kingdom.
It was a dangerous time right now for people like him—monsters, demons, and devils alike—to be out in the open. Many of them had already gone into hiding, either in faraway islands, towns, and villages that no one would dare venture toward because that was the only way they could safely hide. There were kind enough mages in the area who cast a spell that would disguise monsters, demons, and devils as humans to go into hiding.
Izuku had told him recently of a dwelling somewhere in the world where humans, monsters, demons, and devils could live together in peace. Katsuki, of course, scoffed at the idea and scolded him for even thinking that living alongside humans was a good idea when they were the ones killing their kind. He even reminded him that both he and Izuku had lost their parents—that Katsuki witnessed his own parents slaughtered by those wrenched humans, that Izuku witnessed his own parents' execution and torture when they were both just 10 years old, that they both lost so many classmates and friends and their parents and their families—and yet, Izuku still had the gall to want to go there—because Izuku had said that these humans were not like the ones here, that supposedly, these humans had developed a treaty long ago with monsters, demons, and devils because everyone grew tired of war and being afraid of what was going to happen to them.
Katsuki heard rustling, and he immediately got ready—ready to launch at whoever dared to sneak up on him in case it was an enemy—until he saw that it was Izuku who had popped out, so his stance relaxed.
"Hey, Kacchan," Izuku greeted sheepishly, his horns nowhere near in sight, before pausing and blinking. "Uh, your horns are poking out."
"Whose fault do you think that is?" Katsuki growled. "What the hell took you so long?"
"Uh, some travelers who were trying to get to the kingdom found me and asked me for directions…but then they started asking me questions like where I was going so late at night, and well, it took a really long while to shake them off."
Katsuki sighed, this time with a scolding tone. "You didn't have to help them."
"I know, but they looked like they were tired and desperately needed a place to stay, and I mean, they were probably looking for the kingdom to find an inn, so—"
"That's not the point," Katsuki snapped. "What happened if the spell wore off on you then, huh? I wouldn't have been able to save your ass, you dumbass! Look, I know you inherited your powers from All Might, but you're still not in fucking control of them yet, for fuck's sake!"
"Kacchan," Izuku began, trying to cut off Katsuki's aggression, temper, and concern before it got worse. "I had the spell redone on me a lot more recently than you did, so I knew mine wouldn't have worn off."
"Deku—"
"And I would've handled myself just fine even if it did wear off. My horns are a bit easier to hide than yours, remember?"
Katsuki scowled—because he had a point. Katsuki's horns were red and stuck out because of his blond hair, compared to Izuku's green horns—not to mention Izuku's dark hair was a bit messier and longer than his.
Finally, Katsuki grunted. "Whatever. When's the next boat to that island?"
"It'll leave in about an hour, and it'll take about half an hour from here to walk there."
Katsuki growled again. "Less talking, more walking, then!"
"But Kacchan—"
"What now, Deku?"
"Someone might see your horns," Izuku hissed softly. "I didn't think I'd encounter anyone outside the kingdom so late, but…"
"Right," Katsuki muttered in response.
"Did you bring your cloak?"
"No. I was in a rush because I wanted to get here in time."
Izuku immediately started digging around in his shoulder bag.
Katsuki narrowed his eyes. "Wait, where the fuck did you get that bag from?"
"The travelers gave it to me as a gift for showing them the way to the kingdom," Izuku replied.
"They even gave you the stuff in there, too?"
"Yeah. See, Kacchan? It doesn't hurt to be nice."
Katsuki scowled.
"I think there might be something in here… Ah-ha!" Izuku immediately brought out a brown baker boy cap before handing it to Katsuki, who took it and placed it on his head. "Hey, it hides your horns!"
"Good," Katsuki replied. "Let's get going already. If we miss that ship, we'll lose this opportunity to get to that island."
Izuku nodded, and immediately, they began to run as fast as they could in the dead and darkness of the night to get to the boat that was in the furthest corner of the island—the corner that no one from the kingdom dared to venture because of the rumors that all monsters, demons, and devils alike managed to spread about a toxic fatal gas that would cause a deadly disease in humans—because this was their chance to flee from this cursed place filled with bloodshed, gore, despair, and injustice.
And even though Katsuki hated running away—because hell, he thought about fighting against them multiple times—he knew what humans were capable of. To him, they were heartless monsters who found it justifiable to make the devil race nearly extinct, to go on a complete massacre—but if there were humans who wouldn't hurt him or Izuku and if Izuku was dead set on going to that island, then fuck it, he may as well go, too—because Izuku was like a brother to him by now, and he'd be damned to let his devil brother go alone in this shitty, cursed world.
Katsuki, Izuku, and many other monsters and demons they recognized from the island and neighboring islands were on the ship with them. Mages were on the ship, too, recasting spells to continue disguising anyone whose spell had worn off, like Katsuki's, and to continue making the ship appear invisible to any outsiders.
By the time it was nearing dawn, the ship had arrived at its destination. One by one, everyone left the ship, which was still disguised, and the mages began showing everyone to the way to the town.
Katsuki was exhausted, to say the least, and he knew Izuku was the same. Neither of them slept the entire way because they had been on edge the entire time, wondering if maybe the ship would've been discovered, and within an instant, they could've all died—and it was that fear that made Katsuki and Izuku try to stay in proximity of each other in case something like that happened, because they were most likely the strongest out of all the monsters and demons on board, many of whom had families and beloved ones.
Finally, they all arrived at the town.
"Okay, everyone!" one of the mages called out. "We're finally arrived! Please head to the town square, so the mayor, who is a fairy, can make an announcement before you all disperse and settle down."
"Fairy?" Katsuki muttered before he blinked, and his face fell flat. "Oh, no…"
Izuku let out a loud gasp before whispering excitedly, "Kacchan, we're going to meet a fairy!"
Katsuki groaned. "Can you not?"
"But, but, but—"
Katsuki groaned again.
Nonetheless, they went with the rest of the crowd to the town square, and on the large stage that was set up, the mayor, who had her wings spread open and wide, stood confidently on the podium.
"Good morning, everyone," the mayor said, the microphone she was speaking into blaring loudly enough to wake anyone in the audience who was asleep. "First off, I am so thankful that all of you were able to make it to our humble town safe and sound. I know many of you had the choice of going other places to live the rest of your lives in peace and away from humans, so thank you for coming here and deciding to live with the rest of us.
"I'm sure you've heard this already, but I can assure you that the humans in this town will never harm you. This place was created long, long ago during the turmoil between the King of Darkness, humans, and creatures alike. We humans and creatures—fairies, elves, monsters, demons, devils, and everyone else—all banded together as if we were one to defeat the King of Darkness, who represented the void and nothingness and wanted nothing more than everything in our realm to be destroyed and erased.
"We won, of course—but at a large cost. We lost many lives, but it was thanks to the humans who fought alongside us that we were able to win. Many of the humans who participated in that battle long, long ago took residence here, while everyone else returned to their respective dwellings. For a long while, we all lived in peace.
"But, times have changed," the mayor muttered with a dark, somber tone. "I myself don't know when or how it happened, but somehow, along the way, future generations began to forget about the King of Darkness. Monsters, demons, and devils alike, who used to all live in fear and were under the rule of the King of Darkness, and humans slowly forgot what happened long, long ago. Now, I'm sure many of you have heard of the massacres that happened years ago—massacres that have killed so many families and almost the eradication of devils."
Katsuki and Izuku flinched.
"I don't know if any of you are devils because many of you are still under the spell," the mayor continued before her tone almost breaking. "But, if you are, then I just want to say this: I'm so thankful that you're alive—because none of you deserve to have gone through that at all."
Katsuki let out a sharp intake of breath, trying to compose himself. He glanced over at Izuku, whose eyes had become saddened.
The mayor let out a shaky breath before sighing. "I know many of you have lived in fear of humans—but I can assure you that you're safe here. In our town, we always do our best to pass on the tale of what happened between our ancestors, humans, and the King of Darkness—to remind us that they fought for the peace we have today.
"Every human you meet here will be kind and treat you as the person you are, not based on your species or how you look. If at any point, you feel uncomfortable, please let me or one of the mages know, and we can try to resolve the issue. For now, we have a dedicated building for you all to rest and live in from now on, so please follow the mages after this is over. Any questions?"
No one raised their hand.
"Okay, then, everyone, please follow the mages in a single-orderly fashion!"
Despite what the mayor said, there was still a bit of a crowd as everyone followed the mages.
"Hey, Kacchan," Izuku whispered.
"What?" Katsuki asked.
"Do you… Do you think there might be other devils here? Besides just you and me?"
Katsuki frowned. A part of him wanted to say that there couldn't be because nearly all devils held some grudge or fear toward humans, so they wouldn't dare set foot in this place—but he knew how Izuku felt, because honestly, there was part deep down in Katsuki's heart that hit him hard, especially during that speech, that he and Izuku were two of the however many devils existed now.
"Honestly, Deku?" Katsuki finally replied. "I really don't know."
A week had passed by then, and it was strange how quickly the days had passed and how soon everyone had adjusted to the everyday, normal, peaceful life in the town.
Katsuki had sleepless nights sometimes, though. He couldn't bring himself to sleep because the memories of that day just lingered in his mind, and he knew Izuku had been having nightmares again because he heard Izuku screaming in his sleep the next room over, so he had to run over and wake up Izuku, who would sometimes wake up sobbing and apologizing for not listening to Mom and Dad and how he never should've trusted those human kids who he thought were his friends and that it was his fault that they died.
"It's not your fucking fault," Katsuki had snapped. "How many times do I have to say that?"
"I know, but…" Izuku's cheeks were stained with dry tears, his eyes puffy. "I just… I just kept thinking about the what-if's."
"Well, stop because…" Katsuki couldn't help but let out a sigh. "Because none of that's going to bring them back."
Their late-night conversation had eventually led to the question of whether Toshinori Yagi—Izuku's godfather who was referred to as "All Might" between them because it was thanks to his might, strength, and power that Izuku and Katsuki were able to live that day—was going to pop by the town and live with them, and Izuku mentioned that Toshinori told him he was, but he didn't know when he'd be arriving.
And now, here Katsuki was, in the food district looking for something to cook for lunch with Izuku, who had decided to stay behind to rest after his nightmares. Just as he was about to grab an apple, he saw another hand also reaching for the same one, and both hands immediately stopped.
"Oh, I'm sorry about that."
Katsuki blinked before turning his head to the person beside him.
She was short—extremely short, actually—and had big doe-like eyes that held this aura of innocence and compassion around her. Her long hair was tied into a bow near the end, near where her dress' length had ended.
"It's fine," Katsuki replied, giving her another once-over—because, really, she was cute, but she…looked human, and his instinctive nature told him not to trust or approach her and be on guard. Immediately, he grabbed a different apple.
"Are you making apple pie?"
"No. But my friend likes fruits, so I figure giving him a few would help."
There was a long pause, and Katsuki was about to turn around and leave until she said, "Would you and your friend be part of the large crowd of creatures who arrived a week ago?"
Katsuki slowly nodded before he immediately narrowed his eyes, his instinctive, defensive nature kicking in. "But what's it to you?"
"Just wondering. I see you come by this booth whenever I come here for grocery shopping, and, well, you looked new, so…"
Katsuki frowned. He very rarely interacted with the humans around in town. Well, if anything, it was Izuku who dragged Katsuki into town, and Katsuki would go along to make sure to have Izuku's back because damn it all, there was a part of him that still felt on edge.
"I'm Tsuyu Asui," the girl said, holding out her hand. "Nice to meet you."
"Katsuki Bakugo," he replied, but he glanced warily at her hand, not daring to shake it.
Eventually, Tsuyu's hand and face dropped. "Sorry. I met a few of creatures already who came into town, and they seemed friendly—but I forgot there were ones like you who are probably instinctively scared of humans."
"I'm not scared," Katsuki retorted.
"Then, why don't you want to shake my hand?"
"Why should I?"
Tsuyu hummed. "Fair point. Anyway, I need to get back to shopping. I guess I'll see you later, then?"
Katsuki furrowed his brow. "Huh?"
"Oh, right, I guess you're still new, so you probably haven't heard. I'm the daughter of the innkeepers here in town, so feel free to come any time, okay? I'm more available in the evenings, though."
Katsuki furrowed his brow even more in confusion, practically squinting his eyes at the absurdity of that idea. "Why would I need to—"
Tsuyu was gone—nowhere in sight—and with that, Katsuki was left flabbergasted and confused.
A month had passed since then, and by now, Toshinori was now living with Izuku and Katsuki. Toshinori had made his own abode within the town where the three of them could live together until Katsuki and Izuku were comfortable enough in town to move out on their own if they wanted.
A week ago, however, Izuku had met a girl—a human girl who was the daughter of one of the mages—and honestly, Katsuki felt like smacking him every time he saw that lovestruck face.
It also made Katsuki wonder about how open-minded people were here regarding interspecies relationships. He heard about how some demons have gotten together with humans before and bred half-demons, but back where they lived, those half-demons often underwent a lot of ridicule and bullying from both species—because they weren't fully human, but they weren't fully demon either.
Those thoughts were on his mind again when he went to go grocery shopping—and there, he encountered Tsuyu, just he always had ever since that day he met her.
"So, is it true?" Tsuyu asked.
"Is what true?"
"That you're not a demon?"
Katsuki furrowed his brow. "Huh? I thought you knew that already."
"Well, I thought you were a demon this entire time because of your horns."
"I mean, I don't blame you since both demons and devils have horns."
"So…it's true, then? That you're a devil?"
"Yeah. Demons can have horns, too—some species do, some don't—but the ones that do have horns are never shaped like a devil's." Katsuki pointed to his horns for emphasis. "An easier way to tell us apart is by our skin tone because for devils, our skin tones always match the exact color of our horns, but once devils hit puberty, we gain the ability to change our skin tone to that of a human's, so we can blend in better with them."
"Oh, I didn't know that… Ochaco didn't mention that to me."
Katsuki blinked. "Who?"
"Ochaco Uraraka, my friend. She recently met with Midoriya, your friend, and she told me how she found out that both he and his friend were the only two devils in town, aside from Yagi. The only Midoriya in town is Izuku, and, well, you're his friend, so…"
Katsuki grunted. "Makes sense."
"Yeah." Tsuyu paused. "Hey, um, are you planning to go to the Moonlight Festival at the end of this week?"
Katsuki raised an eyebrow, and he noticed there was a hint of pinkness on Tsuyu's cheeks—or maybe he was just imagining things. "Well, I was planning on not going, but All Might and Izuku might drag my ass to the festival, so I can't say for sure."
"You should come," Tsuyu said, smiling. "There'll be lots of food and a whole banquet, music, singing, dancing, and anything else you can imagine."
Katsuki frowned. "Doesn't sound like I'd like it."
"You don't have to dance, Bakugo. You can just eat and pig out like the little devil you are."
Katsuki narrowed his eyes at her.
Tsuyu then raised an eyebrow in amusement.
"I hate you."
"Love you, too."
At once, Katsuki's face flushed. "Wait, what—"
"Oh, look at the time. I got to go now. Bye, Bakugo!"
Just like that, Tsuyu left again, and Katsuki was left flabbergasted, even more so than when he had first met her.
It was the night of the festival, and just as Katsuki figured, he was dragged to attend the festival—literally, out of his bed by Toshinori and pulled out of the house by Izuku—against his will. Granted, the night was beautiful, so he couldn't completely complain—not to mention that wonderful enticing aroma of food from the banquet.
Izuku had long disappeared ago to hang out with that human girl he had a crush on named Ochaco. Katsuki could've sworn he saw them dancing shyly with each other, and for fuck's sake, it made him cringe just watching them because it was obvious to anyone at that point that both were romantically interested in each other.
So, Katsuki was alone, grabbing food to eat because he missed dinner since he overslept—his sleepless nights had finally caught up to him, so he downright knocked out on his bed earlier until Toshinori literally dragged him out of it—and munching down on it as much as he could.
"Wow, Bakugo, be sure to save some for the rest of the townspeople."
Katsuki frowned, recognizing that voice, and swallowed down whatever remained in his mouth. "Shut it, Asui."
Tsuyu couldn't help but laugh in response as she went to sit down next to him.
Katsuki noticed then that she was dressed a lot nicer than usual, wearing more of a formal dress that highlighted her figure, compared to that innkeeper's uniform she always wore. "You sure dressed up."
"You didn't."
Katsuki scoffed. "I woke up a little while ago, so that's my excuse."
"I wanted to look nice, so that's my excuse."
"Fair enough."
"Are you enjoying the festival so far?"
Katsuki frowned, thinking for a bit. "Well, the food's good."
"Food counts."
"What about you? Shouldn't you be hanging out with Uraraka, not with me?"
"I'm doing okay. And Ochaco's with Midoriya. I'm kind of hoping at least one of them makes a move on the other tonight."
"Right, the lovebirds. I didn't realize they were still dancing together."
"Do you have a dance partner?"
"I don't want to dance."
"Or maybe you can't dance."
Katsuki's jaw dropped at her insinuation—his eyes narrowed, in fact, when she smirked in response—so he immediately stood up. "Okay, that's it. Get up."
Tsuyu blinked. "What?"
"Get up. You're dancing with me."
Tsuyu blinked again in surprise, just before Katsuki pulled Tsuyu away from the table, and they danced together.
The music playing was a cheerful one, one that anyone could dance to—but when it turned into a slow dance song, and they started dancing closer to each other, it felt weird.
It felt weird for Katsuki because he never really felt this way before, not with the way her head was against his chest because she was so short, and the dress really did look nice on her.
The second she looked up at him was when it hit him—the sudden epiphany of what he was feeling, that is—and it took everything in him to not make excuses to leave the festival because he'd be damned if he did that while everyone else was looking, so instead, he told himself that he'd avoid Tsuyu from now on—for good.
A week passed since Katsuki had been avoiding Tsuyu, and later that evening, Izuku stood in Katsuki's bedroom doorway, blocking his path to leave.
"What do you want, Deku?" Katsuki asked.
"Uraraka told me that Asui's worried about you," Izuku replied. "Why have you been avoiding her?"
"I'm not avoiding her."
"But you are."
Katsuki growled.
"Kacchan, why are you avoiding her?" Izuku asked, frowning. "It's not like you to just suddenly do that. I thought you and Asui were friends." Izuku paused. "Did something happen at the festival?"
Katsuki clicked his tongue.
"Oh, so something did happen."
"Shut up, Deku."
"What happened?"
"Nothing happened!"
"Well, something must've happened if you're avoiding her like the plague now!"
"Nothing happened! We just danced, that's all!"
"And that's it?"
"Yes, and there was a fucking slow song, so I don't know, at some point, she kind of just put her head on my chest because she's so fucking short, and when she looked up at me, it just—it felt weird."
Izuku's eyes bugged out, and his jaw dropped. "You mean…"
"Shut up."
Izuku gasped.
"Shut it, Deku!"
"You have a crush on—"
"SHUT UP!"
Izuku's jaw was still dropped. "But, I thought you'd never like a human girl."
"I thought so, too," Katsuki grumbled.
"Wait… So that's why you've been avoiding her!"
"Gee, you think?" Katsuki said dryly, rolling his eyes.
"But, you should at least let her know!"
"Oh, yeah, like I should just go up to her and tell her that I'm avoiding her because I can't get over the fact that I like a human girl."
Izuku opened his mouth before closing it and pondering for a second. "Okay, fair point, but you should at least talk to her. She is worried about you, you know."
Katsuki sighed. "Fine. I'll talk to her."
Well, Katsuki had said to Izuku he'd do that, so he figured better sooner than later, so he dropped by the inn and asked Tsuyu to meet him later in the evening at the fountain.
But now, here he was, standing at the fountain and not knowing what he should say to her. He knew he shouldn't tell her about his feelings because really, for all he knew, they could be fleeting and not serious, but on the other hand, she was one of the only townspeople he had grown close ever since he arrived.
"Hey, Bakugo," Tsuyu greeted once she ran up to him.
"Hey," he replied.
"So, how have you been?"
"Okay, I guess."
Tsuyu hummed in response, tip-toeing to get a closer look at Katsuki's face.
Honestly, it took everything in Katsuki to not back away.
"Well, you look healthy…" Tsuyu mumbled.
"Devils have stronger immune systems than humans, you know," Katsuki said.
"I know, but for all I know, you could've gotten food poisoning or something after the festival."
"Well, I didn't."
"Then, why did you avoid me?"
And just like that, Katsuki flinched because wow, was she blunt about it.
Tsuyu stared at Katsuki in silence for a few seconds before sighing. "Look… If it's about us slow dancing, then don't worry about it."
"Huh?"
"We're just friends who did a slow dance together. It's not a big deal."
"We're not just friends!" Katsuki retorted.
Tsuyu blinked.
Katsuki also blinked, and then, he realized what the hell just came out of his mouth, so he immediately pursed his lips. "Uh, I mean, uh…"
"If we're not just friends, then what are we?" Tsuyu asked in a calm tone.
"No!"
Tsuyu then raised an eyebrow.
"Just—just shut up for a second while I think, will you?" Katsuki replied, trying to calm his beating heart. "Uh, what I meant was, we're friends, but—but I guess, in a way, uh, we're not just friends."
"And that's what I asked. If we're not just friends, then what are we?"
There was a long pause of silence.
Katsuki pursed his lips again. "Uh, I mean, I…I don't know. I just—I just saw you differently that night, that's all."
"Different how so?"
Katsuki groaned, really hating how she kept asking questions one after another. "I mean, you looked nice, but when we started slow dancing, it kind of… It kind of changed—or, well, my perception of you changed a bit, I guess, so, I mean, I…I don't know."
"Oh." Tsuyu paused. "So, basically, you're telling me that you avoided me because you like me."
"Yes."
There was a long pause of silence.
Immediately, Katsuki felt his face begin to flare up. "Wait, that's not what I—"
"If it makes you feel any better, I like you, too," Tsuyu interrupted, smiling.
If Katsuki's face could flare up any further, then he knew for sure his cheeks and ears must've been burning red by now. "I…I… What?! Wait, when did you start liking me?!"
Tsuyu shrugged. "I'm not sure. It just happened naturally. I think it was during one of our grocery shopping days at the food district."
Katsuki's jaw dropped.
"But, I mean, I'm okay with staying friends with you, too, if you just want to stay friends."
"Okay, first off, you don't confess and then just say you can be friends with the person who also likes you back. That doesn't make sense!"
"Yes, but considering how you avoided me for a week… It sounds like you don't really want to go to the next level with me."
"What next level?"
"Getting into a relationship with me," Tsuyu mumbled with a rueful smile.
Katsuki felt his heart skip a beat.
"But, that doesn't matter because I like being friends with you, Bakugo, and I'd rather put our friendship first."
"I…" Katsuki let out a shaky breath. "No, Asui, I do like you, but—but it's hard." Katsuki paused. "It's hard because…because you're a human—and I don't mean that in a bad way or anything. It's just…"
Tsuyu stayed silent, staring at Katsuki calmly.
Katsuki sighed. "You heard, right? About that whole massacre that basically made almost the entire devil race extinct?"
"Yes," Tsuyu said softly. "I figured that was also why you avoided me."
Katsuki snorted. "Well, how perceptive of you. Would you like a gold medal for that, Sherlock?"
"How about a kiss instead?"
Katsuki's face flared up again. "What—"
Tsuyu laughed. "I'm kidding, Bakugo."
Katsuki narrowed his eyes before he sighed again. "But anyway, yeah, it's…it's hard." Katsuki paused. "For some reason, Deku's always been able to see the good in humans, despite what they did to his parents—but for me, I had difficulty seeing any good in them after that day. And when things got worse to the point where the king started ordering his knights to hunt down any creatures, regardless of how old they were, everything just…went into chaos. And when they found me and Deku when our spell ran out once…we were only 13.
"They didn't care about us—or our age because most likely, we were the same age as one of their kids," Katsuki growled. "They just didn't give a damn. They wanted to capture us and put us for sale in the black market, where we could become someone's pets. I remember fighting back that day, and it got to the point where they were going to slice my head off with one of their swords—but then Deku ended up releasing his full devil powers to save my stupid ass, so we managed to get away—barely, though, and alive at the very least.
"That's why… That's why it was difficult for me to accept me even liking you," Katsuki mumbled. "Because I never thought I'd end up liking a human girl—because you're human, the one species that nearly obliterated my kind and killed my parents before my eyes when I was just 10—and I'm fucking 16 now." Katsuki paused. "But, I know now that not all humans are the same. I mean, you're an example, and so is every other human in this town."
Tsuyu gently placed her hand on Katsuki's, who slowly grasped hers in return. "Bakugo… Thank you for sharing that to me. Really. I know it must've been difficult for you to say all that." Tsuyu paused, letting out a small sigh before smiling softly. "How about we take things slow for now?"
"Slow?" Katsuki replied, inwardly appreciating how Tsuyu's hand and soft grasp was able to calm him down from getting too far in with those dark memories.
Tsuyu nodded. "We don't have to address our feelings for now. We can just remain as friends until you feel comfortable."
"That…doesn't sound like a bad idea." Katsuki paused. "One question, though."
"Yes?"
"Can we still hold hands and stuff?"
Tsuyu let out a soft giggle. "Yes, if you want."
"And one more thing: you can stop referring to me by my last name."
"Okay, Katsuki," Tsuyu replied, rolling her eyes with a teasing smile. "Very demanding, aren't you?"
Katsuki narrowed his eyes. "You're lucky you're cute."
Tsuyu couldn't help but laugh.
In response, Katsuki gripped her hand firmly, enough to remind himself that this was happening, that this wasn't a dream, and that maybe, one day, he will be with her officially—and he hoped that by then, he would stop being plagued by those forsaken, dark memories and look only toward the future with Tsuyu in it.