Sweeter Than Revenge by KyuukaKoinu

by alkhuzamaa

“Please don’t look.” Izuku tried then to shove Katsuki away, ignoring the agonizing ache in his body. Katsuki glowered and easily caught his wrists, forcing him to still. They made eye contact and crimson eyes were wild, far deadlier than Izuku had ever witnessed in another person. “Who.” Katsuki spoke simply. “Tell me who did this to you.”

3. Ch 3

Katsuki hated seeing people suffer. It hurt him more than fucking anything.

But all his life that's all Katsuki truly knew: the bitter taste of suffering. It was overpowering and easily spread like a rotting infection of the skin. He would try his best to stop the suffering from spilling over, eroding all the beautiful parts of life, but there wasn't any medicine to heal such a wound.

Katsuki would have to close his fist when he wanted to swing. He would have to bite his tongue when he wanted to scream. But worst of all, he would have to sit and watch when the people he loved suffer greatly.

Particularly, Katsuki hated seeing Izuku suffer. Sweet, adoring Izuku.

Izuku was always the light of his life since the day Katsuki could remember. Izuku was his person, attached at the hip since childhood. In Katsuki's mind, they were twin stars carved out from the same piece of sky, forged under the circulating moon. They were tied together in the depths of this cursed universe and there was nothing Katsuki wouldn't do for Izuku.

He discovered his devoutness towards Izuku young.

Originally, it started with small objects.

Katsuki would find tiny trinkets to bring to Izuku. Example: a bottle cap that was half rusted. He had seen Izuku take some home a couple of times when they were kids. The way Izuku's eyes lit up collecting the piece of trash was oddly endearing. Even though Katsuki found it absolutely fucking filthy—Izuku didn't. Which is all that mattered.

He started collecting bottle caps for Izuku after that.

Every time he got a pretty smile in return.

Next, Katsuki found himself in high school being captivated by Izuku in an entirely different way.

Izuku grew taller, wiser, and it was very apparent Izuku stuck out. He was like a vibrant viridian beauty contrasting against the grayness of their hometown. He was captivating. He was kind. He was talented. He was smart. Izuku had potential to be more than the life of poverty they were born into and when Katsuki realized that, he had to make a choice.

His decision was clear as day the moment Izuku's father left.

The man departed after finding a younger wife and spoke very harshly that he wanted nothing to do with Izuku. With agony, Katsuki watched how Inko struggled in their apartment complex that was riddled with mold. The toxic substance was as green as her hair and as potent as her sorrow. She struggled with money, and Katsuki was old enough to understand that while he was poor too, he at least had two parents.

Izuku was growing thinner in weight during that period.

So, Katsuki started finding time to run errands for people on the wealthier side of town. One couple, Mr. and Mrs. Otsuka particularly took a liking to him.

They were older than his parents and had salt and pepper colored hair. Their house was huge and always decorated with golden lions. Katsuki marveled at their riches quietly, trying his best not to come across as a poor boy who was stunned by how well off someone could be. The elder man liked him enough to give him pointers on how to walk and talk while the woman always happily told him how to fix his hair.

The Otsukas paid him for small tasks like grocery shopping and returning clothes for them. Sometimes however, he found himself delivering odd packages. They were very keen on reminding him not to open the parcel, simply drop it off and come straight back. The box would always be red with a gold ribbon. On the top was always the symbol of a lion and whatever was inside was heavy.

Gold. Money. Diamonds. Guns.

That was Katsuki's best guess when he rattled the boxes to hear what was inside. Whenever he would return from dropping off these boxes, every time the Otsukas gave him a hand full of yen. Nothing huge. But it was enough to purchase extra cans of food and that's all that mattered to Katsuki.

It wasn't before long the errands cut into his school time, and for that his grades suffered. But he saw Izuku eating more, and Izuku was doing better in school as a result.

Katsuki easily decided if it had to be between one of them, it should be Izuku who climbed up and touched the clouds. Katsuki could settle for building the ladder to the sky and make damn sure Izuku reached all the way to the top.

He asked Izuku out in a stupid way their first year in high school.

He had no real clue how to be romantic that young. He fumbled on his words, accidentally cursed and crushed the petals of the daffodils in his hands out of nerves when he almost dropped them. He was mortified, to say the least. Katsuki remembered how he stood there, trying to fix the limp, bright yellow flowers in his hands.

He thought for sure he would be rejected after the shit show, but Izuku simply clasped his hands over his. How soft Izuku hands had been that day, and his gaze even softer.

"These are beautiful, Kacchan," Izuku had said. "I love them."

"I fucked them up," Katsuki muttered. His shame was hot on his face. "You don't have to lie to me. They're ugly as shit now."

"No. They're beautiful because of the thought," Izuku corrected. "I would be happy to be your boyfriend."

Izuku took the flowers and grinned wide. He held the limp daffodils to his nose and inhaled deeply with a dramatic flutter of his eyes.

Then he turned to Katsuki and kissed him on the cheek. It felt like little butterflies grazing his skin and Katsuki's heart soared as high as the sun.

Shortly after he asked Izuku out, Katsuki began to notice how Izuku enjoyed baking. Izuku baked when the sun was setting. He baked at the crack of dawn, and every day after school.

One of Katsuki's favorite memories of Izuku's baking was a funny one. Katsuki had ran downstairs in their apartment complex because he could smell smoke. He darted to the Midoriya residence

like he was on fire in the fear that Izuku and Inko's apartment was in flames—but when he arrived, Izuku was standing in the kitchen with a goofy grin holding a plate of burnt pastries.

The subpar ventilation in the apartment held the smoke and, of fucking course, the carbon monoxide detector didn't go off.

"Kacchan, taste these for me!" Izuku had said. He didn't seem to give a damn that the oven was pouring smoke and it baffled Katsuki. "I made these from a recipe I saw online and I think I finally got it right!"

Katsuki wearily looked at the burnt food.

He was about to say "I'm not putting that in my mouth" but when he stared at Izuku longer, he could see that need for attention. Katsuki glanced around the smokey apartment and noted Inko was missing again, probably off at the house she tended to. The people she worked for always asked her to do ridiculous hours.

So Katsuki tasted a single bit—and it was horrible.

He gagged immediately and spat it out. Izuku's face fell.

"What the fuck—" Katsuki hissed and tried to wipe his tongue. "That tasted like shit." "Jeez. Did you have to spit it out?" Izuku pouted, feelings clearly hurt.

"If you're going to cook you need to get it right," Katsuki muttered. He wasn't about to lie to Izuku for the sake of his feelings. "You burnt up the whole place to make this crap? C'mon, Izuku. You're better than that."

Little did Katsuki know, Izuku took those words literal.

After that, Izuku baked with purpose and forced Katsuki to taste test every time. Katsuki went along with it, because he could see how fixated Izuku became on the idea of baking. He watched Izuku work day and night to try to perfect countless dishes over and over and over again. Every bite Katsuki took that year got tastier and tastier.

Soon, Katsuki was addicted to both Izuku and his pastries.

He couldn't go a day without tasting something Izuku made, and kissing him.

"Thank you, Sweet." The nickname flowed off his tongue so well. He kissed Izuku's sugary lips happily.

Time passed by like this as Katsuki continued to help Izuku refine his baking talents.

He bought Izuku all the cheap cooking ware he could find. He even stuck his neck out once and asked Ms. Otsuka if she could spare some extra money for pots and pans. She had stared at him oddly, brown eyes studying him carefully.

"Why do you need pots and pans?" She asked slowly. "Surely, you don't cook. All you buy is canned food."

"My boyfriend cooks," Katsuki explained. "He likes it a lot and we don't have any of that fancy stuff he needs to make things he wants. It would be nice to get him things like that."

Her eyes crinkled and she grinned at him.

Ms. Otsuka started giving him random pots, pans, silverware and shit he didn't even know existed. But when he brought it home and gave it to Izuku, of course the damn nerd knew what it was. Izuku's eyes lit up brighter than a cluster of stars and he started making more complex food dishes.

Katsuki continued happily running errands for the Otsukas. It was easy enough work that allowed him to have way more money than needed.

However, one fateful day when he was fifteen change the course of his life. He was still deciding if it was for the better or if it was for the worse. But whatever it may be, that day changed him for good.

Mr. Otsuka died.

The circumstances of his death were as elusive as the Gods in the sky. He only took Mrs. Otsuka's word and tears as proof for the man's passing. Katsuki never saw a body, or even saw evidence if there was a funeral.

She began dressing in all black with delicate veils over her aged face and always kept a maroon

handkerchief with a golden lion on it. She wiped her tears with this lacey cloth anytime strange men in tuxedos came by the house to talk to her.

Whatever those men told her, shook her.

Mrs. Otsuka began making plans to leave the province within a couple day's time.

It broke Katsuki's heart in a way. He had grown attached to both of them and even more, so he was stressed about where would he get money to help support Izuku now. His young mind was strained for balancing studying as it was and there was no way he could balance an after-school job as well.

But he helped Mrs. Otsuka pack up her belongings regardless.

There was something mysteriously jittery about her during this time. She was making calls, chain smoking cigarettes and muttering in harsh whispers to whoever was on the other end of the phone.

"Is everything alright, ma'am?" Katsuki asked the day of the move. He had finished packing up her moving truck and Mrs. Otsuka was bouncing her leg a little too rapidly. "You seem stressed."

She offered a fake smile. "I'm alright, Katsuki. Thank you for asking. Let's just keep it moving. I'm waiting for a cousin of mine to meet me here."

Katsuki nodded, deciding to just close out with her and leave it be. However, during the move three men had assaulted them.

Katsuki remembered how his heart sunk to the deepest parts of his being when they attacked. They came out of the darkness like walking shadows. They bled into the night with their wolfish grins and sharp stares. They started stealing her expensive belongings, and when Mrs. Otsuka and Katsuki tried to stop them, they were overpowered.

Katsuki yelled for help as both of them were held down on the cold pavement. The men's laughter had been daunting and cruel. They sunk their fingers into Katsuki's neck and made him eat the grovel of the pavement as he struggled.

"Quick! Let's hurry and get out of here!" One of the men had yelled. "Take what you can and get to moving."

They pulled on Mrs. Otsuka's pearl necklace, breaking it. All the small gems rolled on the ground towards Katsuki. Then Katsuki had looked over at her—and all he saw was suffering.

Her eyes were full of tears as her frail body gave under the weight of the man. She sobbed silently and wheezed out the name of her departed lover. Katsuki wished he could describe what came over him that night, but he couldn't even if he tried.

His vision twisted with the wind, and his logic was swallowed by unbridled rage. His throat felt like a monster had ripped through it as he screamed loudly. With all his anger towards the world, Katsuki pushed the man holding him down off. He jerked his body fluidly to slam a fist into the man's face.

Everyone in the vicinity stopped at the crude sound of bones cracking.

The rest of Katsuki's memory was unclear.

All the events were swept under his sheer disgust for how unfair the world was. He remembered

vaguely the sound of bones breaking. Screams. Pleas. The bitter taste of iron in his mouth. His fist slammed into something over and over again until whatever he was punching gave. Then he remembered hurried sounds of footsteps.

By the time two of the robbers fled the scene, Katsuki's voice was hoarse.

He had turned around to ask the widow if she was alright, but the ghostly look on her face stopped him. She was paler than before, gazing upon him like he was someone else entirely. Her brown eyes were stretched wide, and her gloved hand was shaking. She covered her mouth as she stared upon Katsuki like he had grown fangs.

When he finally looked down at his hands, they were painted in blood. A body was limp underneath him.

Katsuki didn't know how to understand what he had done.

He had stopped the robbers, but he had lost control of himself to the point he was terrified. The pounding in his head was so loud. Mrs. Otsuka tried to call for him to wait, but Katsuki ran off in the night before she could reach him.

By the time he arrived at home, his heart was beating out of control. His eyes stung and the salty taste of tears reached his mouth. Katsuki wheezed violently as he tried to recollect his memory, but it was fragmented. He didn't understand what was happening—and he was shaking.

He didn't go see Izuku that night, ignoring all the text messages on his phone.

[Sweet: I can't wait to see you today! :)) How did the errands for nice that widow go? [Sweet: Hey! Did you get my message? I'm making your favorite ginger snap cookies!! [Sweet: Kacchan? Are you not coming by tonight?

[You: No, not tonight. Sorry.

He kept to himself, like a beast tucked away in the shadows.

His mom and dad were worried about him that day too, surprisingly. Normally his parents couldn't give a real damn what was going on in his life. They were always too focused on paying the rent, and Katsuki could feel an underlying resentment from them from him being an unplanned pregnancy. But even on this night, Katsuki's distress drew their attention.

"Katsuki? Are you okay?" His dad asked from the other side of the door. "You can talk to us if something is wrong, son."

"I'm fine," Katsuki yelled back, defensive. "Leave me alone."

Hot tears were streaming down Katsuki's face as he gawked at the crusted blood on his fingers.

But they kept asking what was wrong with him, but truthfully Katsuki couldn't answer even if he wanted to.

He realized that night, he didn't regret hurting those men and that's what worried him the most. He

should be upset for hurting someone. He should be mad with himself for getting out of control and breaking their bones. Hell, he hadn't even checked if that man was breathing before he fled.

But truthfully, it felt damn good.

Later that night, Katsuki got three important messages from Mrs. Otsuka.

[Mrs. Otsuka: In case you were worried, that robber was not dead. My cousin finally arrived, and we took care of it.

Katsuki eyed the strange language. Took care of it?

[Mrs. Otsuka: I hope you're alright, Katsuki. I feel terrible leaving you on your own after everything you've done for my late husband and me. But I'm going away soon, and I won't ever be coming back. Do you still need someone to run errands for money to help with your family?

Katsuki was going to ignore her, but then the stars aligned and reminded him of the very reason he had sought out being an errand boy in the first place.

[Sweet: Ah, okay. Sorry to bother you. I'll leave the door open for if you change your mind and I left the cookies with your parents.

Katsuki's eyes softened.

He replied to Mrs. Otsuka with blood still caked underneath his fingernails.

[You: If you have anyone I can work for, I'll take it.

[Mrs Otsuka: Perfect. I have a cousin that I think would be able to help you out as much as he can help you.

Katsuki soon found out that cousin's name was Sano Raion.

Sano Raion was a man of sophisticated cruelty.

He held himself as regal as an underground king and as ominous as the grim reaper.

What stood out most was Mr. Sano's striking appearance. He was tall, had hair the color of copper with chilling amber eyes to contrast. Four wrinkles on his forehead showed, and he constantly held a frown like he was in utter disgust of humankind. There was never a single hair out of place, and he was always dressed in flawless white suits with maroon ties.

In his hand at all moments was a long cane that had a golden lion head on it. It was daunting with its gemstone eyes the color of blood. Mr. Sano's veiny fingers were always wrapped around that cane in a fierce grip. And whoever he pointed it at, it was like giving the signal for them to be devoured alive like raw meat.

But the one thing about Mr. Sano Katsuki always noted was how much power he had.

The people around him bent to his every whim. When he walked in a room every soul bowed at the waist like there was a magnet pulling from the earth forcing them too.

It was fascinating.

"My cousin tells me you're in need of a job," Mr. Sano said the first time they met. He was poised elegantly with his hands folded on top of his cane. He leaned back in his chair and looked Katsuki's raggedy clothes up and down. "And I also have heard you have an anger problem that has potential of getting out of control. She says you had an episode, an outburst of sorts."

"People were robbing her," Katsuki explained. "I was only trying to stop them."

"I saw the aftermath. You nearly bashed that man's skull in, and I'm positive he has brain damage." Mr. Sano tilted his head. "That goes a little further than stopping a petty robbery, wouldn't you say?"

Katsuki looked at his dingy shoes. "...Yes."

"To sum it up: you're a poor, angry brat in need of a job." Mr. Sano laughed sharply and there was a smugness in his eyes. "Luckily for you, I'm an expert in helping those gifted with rage home in their abilities. I think we will get along very well."

"Gifted?" Katsuki echoed.

"Yes, Bakugou. Gifted." Mr. Sano chuckled darkly. "You are going to find out exactly what those hands of yours can do. Your first errand starts today."

The errand Katsuki ended up running for Mr. Sano were extremely different than the errands the Otsukas had him doing.

There were no pretty boxes or elegant ribbons but there was always a lion sigil.

The very first errand Mr. Sano had him do was to a discreet underground warehouse, stationed off the river in the city. It looked like a normal factory, but it was very clear once Katsuki entered the basement it was much more than that. Muffles behind locked rooms could be heard along with pleas for mercy. Katsuki flinched once at the sound of a hard kick behind one steel door.

He was quietly led to the back by Mr. Sano. There, he was put into a small room and given a clean set of brass knuckles. Katsuki realized what he was being asked to do when the lights flickered on. Sitting the middle of the small, concrete room was a man tied to a chair.

Katsuki's stomach flipped.

"This man leads an underground drug ring," Mr. Sano explained. He walked with a slight limp, using his cane for balance all the way up to the man in the chair. Burning, hateful eyes glared at Mr. Sano as the man struggled slightly. "He also has a taste for kidnapping little girls. I got a recent client who said his daughter was missing—and he was last seen with one of his men."

Katsuki's eyes went wide.

Quickly, all sympathy in Katsuki's body vanished.

"I'm not telling you anything," the man in the chair said. "You can go to hell you decrepit bastard."

The captive man spat at Mr. Sano's dress shoes, but the King Pin swiftly moved his foot before it could touch him. In a single movement, Mr. Sano lifted his cane and slammed it across the man's

face, breaking his nose.

A single hair from Mr. Sano's head flopped out of line and onto his forehead. With a graceful hand, Mr. Sano smoothed it back in place and walked back over to Katsuki.

Expectant amber eyes bore through him. Not a single emotion was in Mr. Sano's voice as he spoke. "Do you think you can enlighten this man into offering up information on the girl, Bakugou?"

Rage pulsed through Katsuki at the idea of the girl suffering. "Of course, I can."

Every time Mr. Sano needed someone handled, he called upon Katsuki. In all instances, the person that he needed to hurt was some type of asshole.

If it wasn't someone taking advantage of an elder, it was some dickhead who was cheating small business owners out of money. Turns out, Mr. Sano ran a network of protection, and all his clients were non-gangsters who needed gangster issues handled.

Through whispers, Katsuki learned that this was a niche field Mr. Sano was passionate about due to how he was brought up. Mr. Sano was born into wealth, but he watched every day the woman he loved suffer because she was born in an area that was overrun by gang activity.

These specific gangsters sucked her family dry of money, and Mr. Sano did all he could to help pay off these debts. On the day that he decided they should run away together, she died at their hands. The leader of the gang thought it would be funny to waste her life—but it only elicited the rage of Mr. Sano.

Mr. Sano killed that man with his bare fists—and in return took over the underground organization. After that, Mr. Sano decided to help people like the woman he loved in order to alleviate his guilt about her death.

But truthfully, it only turned him salty towards the world when he saw how cruel humans could be. So he was just as cruel in return.

But no matter the feelings Mr. Sano had now, the old man's organization gave Katsuki an outlet on how much he hated suffering.

The King Pin barely smiled, but he would happily tell Katsuki when to pull his punches or when not to and how to properly handle himself. Within time, Mr. Sano was a mentor more than any teacher at school ever could be. Even more than his own parents, who barely paid attention to him.

Mr. Sano sharpened Katsuki into the deadliest blade he had and wherever Mr. Sano pointed his cane, Katsuki's fist followed.

All the money he earned, Katsuki gave to his parents and Inko. The three adults were reluctant at first. His mother insisted that he should be focusing on his studies and not some random after school job. But when the money started smoothing over items like food and new clothes, suddenly no one objected—except Izuku.

"You're barely at home anymore," Izuku muttered once when they were seventeen. His puppy eyes

It turned out he was good at bloody errands.

were deeply sad. "I miss when you were here all the time."

Katsuki hadn't really listened to it. "But you like the new cooking shit, don't you?"

"I do...but, I miss you taste testing for me every day like you used to," Izuku muttered. A fake smile then painted on his face. At the time, it was convincing. "But thank you for everything, Kacchan."

"We can make more time for taste testing if that would make you happier." Katsuki smirked handsomely. "Now let me taste that new dish you made."

Had he been older and wiser, Katsuki would've seen the cracks in their relationship starting to show. The distance between them grew with every passing year because Katsuki was more focused on earning money.

Time went on, and Katsuki never told Izuku what he was doing.

But how could he? It was one thing to run stupid, pointless errands for an elderly couple. It was an entirely other thing to get paid to beat a man within an inch of their life. Izuku would be terrified of him if he knew.

Katsuki was still coming to terms with it his damn self. The new violence kept that darker side of him sedated and allowed his body to convulse with catharsis every time he busted some bastard's lip. He wanted to heal injustices, at the end of the day. Even better, he earned so much money for it that Katsuki could taste their new life waiting around the corner for them.

His mind slowly began to be clouded with shiny, material things.

Especially when Mr. Sano began to be impressed with him and gave him hefty bonuses.

"Bakugou. You're eighteen now, and you've been working for me for so long," Mr. Sano said one evening on his yacht after they finished maiming some guy. "How come?"

The salty sea breeze caressed Katsuki's skin and in the distance, he could see the stars twinkle.

"For my boyfriend, Izuku," Katsuki admitted. "We haven't grown up the best. His mom is gone most of the time and his useless dad remarried and never looked back. My dad and mom are still around but they're not exactly into what goes on in my life. So, it's always been us. It's nice to be able to support people I care about, y'know?"

Mr. Sano nodded at him, impressed. "That was more noble than I expected from a hot head like you. I thought you were going to say your only motive was being rich."

"I won't lie, money smooths things over," Katsuki said honestly. "Only delusional dumbasses believe money can't buy happiness. Money can get a house and shit and we won't ever have to be worried about goddamn mold in the vents again."

Mr. Sano chuckled and poured him another glass of wine. "Cheers to that, Bakugou."

Later that evening he went home in the middle of the night.

He didn't bother going to his room, he knew his parents wouldn't care to check in on him. Instead,

he did what he usually did and walked into the Midoriyas' unlocked apartment. The air was still, and Katsuki noted that once more Inko was gone. He shook his head slightly, worried that those damn homeowners she worked for would run her ass right into the grave.

He found Izuku sound asleep, on the couch. His boyfriend had fell asleep with his day clothes on and the TV was still running. Katsuki smiled at the bit of drool coming out of Izuku's mouth. With delicate care, he bent down and picked Izuku up and carried him into the bedroom. He tucked Izuku in and turned off the lights.

When he crawled under the covers with Izuku and spooned him tight, Izuku's small voice spoke up.

"I missed you tonight, Kacchan," Izuku said softly. "Where did you go?" "I missed you too, Sweet. Go back to sleep, and don't worry about it."

Looking back on it now, he missed the way Izuku's face fell when he left in the mornings to go run errands for Mr. Sano. He missed how Izuku was lonely when he was out all night. Then finally he missed it when indifference begin to slip into Izuku once they got to university.

Katsuki was able to provide all the ingredients that the world could offer for Izuku, but he was always forgetting the main element that made Izuku's world: himself.

When his 19th birthday came around, Katsuki was expecting it to be like it always was: only him and Izuku. His parents normally left it up to them, because him and Izuku were so attached at the hip. It was times like this Katsuki was hyperaware of how his parents were never truly involved in his life.

By this time, he had been working for Mr. Sano for four years. Katsuki was loyal to that bastard down to his last breath if he had to be. Mr. Sano gave him food, clothes, pointers in life and everything else that Katsuki lacked from his parents.

But most of all he gave Katsuki the keys to what he always dreamed of: a forever home.

Mr. Sano cracked his first smile at him the day of his 19 th birthday. The elder gentleman held up a large, blank blueprint paper and sat it on the table.

"Bakugou," Mr. Sano said sternly. His gleaming smile threw Katsuki off kilter. "I'm going to have you design your dream house. I'll pay for it."

Katsuki nearly tripped on his feet.

Everything twisted around him as he snapped his head towards his Boss. The elder man was smiling at him, face pulled tight with the muscles he barely used. Katsuki really did think the old bastard had to have lost his damn mind.

"What?" Katsuki hissed, eyes wide. "No, that's too much. I can't fucking accept that."

"Ah, shut up you grouchy boy," Mr. Sano retorted. He ran his finger along the blank blueprints. "I want you to have this. You deserve it after all the loyalty you have shown me, my cousin, and how hard you've worked over the years. You have something special, and I want to do this for you. Let an old man spoil his best employee, heh?"

"Er—Thank you." Katsuki bowed at the waist. "I appreciate it a lot Mr. Sano, but— why? Why would you do this for me?"

"Because you're the son I always wanted," Mr. Sano said. His lip curled in disgust at some memory. "I have a biological son but he's down right fucking useless. Waste of goddamn oxygen on this planet. He never understood the important message of helping defend those who can't defend themselves. He wanted to turn my goddamn business into a full-scale scheme that took advantage of the weak rather than helped them."

Katsuki furrowed his brows. He was surprised to hear that Mr. Sano even had a son out there. "What's your son's name?"

"Unimportant." Mr. Sano scoffed and waved his hand. "I disowned the ungrateful brat the moment he turned eighteen and started making rotten deals under the table. I have no desire to keep him in my memory. But, you however—" Mr. Sano placed his large hands on either one of Katsuki's shoulders proudly. "You. You are a true successor. We will start building your legacy now. On one condition."

Katsuki swallowed.

This was all too good to be true, and he was positive this would put a target on his goddamn back. He was just some kid from the poor areas of the city who had a knack for punching fuckers in the face. What real loyalty had he shown Mr. Sano to give him his entire underground business?

But—as Katsuki thought about Izuku, he figured maybe his boss viewed his devotion towards the person he loved as a key characteristic.

"What condition is that?" Katsuki asked.

"You have to keep my business running properly after I'm gone."

Mr. Sano sat down in his plush chair. It was then Katsuki noticed how his hands jittered on his cane a bit—a sign of decreasing health. Katsuki never truly considered Mr. Sano to be mortal, he thought maybe the man would live forever fueled by his spite and hatred for humanity.

"There's plenty of filthy vultures who want my throne," Mr. Sano said quietly. He looked out the window and a trickle of sadness rippled in his face. "I've spent many lifetimes being betrayed. Being distrusted. Being hurt. I lost people I thought were my friends. Everyone wants to corrupt what I have spent time building, a gang that helps protect citizens from other gangs—but I do not think that will happen under your watch, you hate watching the weak suffer."

Katsuki nodded in agreeance. "I would be happy to help you keep up the business."

Mr. Sano smiled at him again, and his shoulders sagged with relief. Katsuki never had seen the man relaxed like this and he wondered how many burdens were stacked so high on those broad shoulders.

"It's important to always help those who can't help themselves, Bakugou," Mr. Sano emphasized. "We are men of cruelty. The least we can do is use this rage we are gifted to the benefit of the people." Mr. Sano tapped his finger on the head of the lion attached to his cane. "Be their fangs."

Be their fangs.

That saying stuck with Katsuki.

"Now get your ass over here and start listing what you want in this house," Mr. Sano chuckled. "What do you want in the house? Name anything."

Katsuki eagerly walked over to the blank sheet of paper and when he stared down at it, he saw forever staring back at him. His palms itched for the future that was going to be so bright for him and Izuku. Katsuki's lips twitched into a smirk.

"A huge garden in the backyard and a perfect goddamn kitchen."

Katsuki had entirely lost track of fucking time.

He ran back to campus, wind pushing against his body. He looked at his phone and he had several missed calls from Izuku, and when he tried to call him back—Izuku didn't answer. He cursed himself for getting caught up with talking with Mr. Sano. He hadn't meant to, but when he was presented with those blueprints, all Katsuki could think about was getting it right.

When he walked into their shared apartment, the atmosphere was tense.

Izuku's face was covered in tears and the wax from the candle had melted into the icing on the cake. Izuku's whole body was shaking as he stared at Katsuki. Burning green eyes looked straight through him and a vicious argument erupted like a volcano.

Katsuki had no clue where Izuku was holding in all these emotions.

They slapped into his face harshly, making all the dreams of the future he had seem fucking bleak.

As he stared at Izuku's crying face, Katsuki could only wonder where he fucked up. And when he looked at how much older Izuku seemed, that's when he knew what had happened. He hadn't been there. He had been so worried about everything else that he left Izuku out to fend for himself in the very same loneliness he was working so hard to prevent.

Katsuki decided then and there he was going to do better—but when Izuku stormed past him and up to his room, his heart dropped. Izuku went straight for that drawer that hid away his biggest secret. He tried to stop him, he needed more time to tell Izuku—but when it was unearthed, nothing could repair the fragments that they split into.

If they were truly twin stars made from the same sky, then they broke in half under their fated circumstances. All that came pouring out between them was scorching stardust that was composed of tears, fury, and irreversible hurt.

"Please," Katsuki rasped out. His eyes searched into Izuku's for understanding. "I can't do this without you."

"And I can't do this with you," Izuku sobbed.

They imploded that night, exactly like stars were destined to.

The day Mr. Sano passed, the birds were chirping.

The sun was shining and not a single damn cloud was in the sky. Katsuki was convinced whatever deity was up there was celebrating that cruel bastard's passing. But Katsuki was mourning,

surprisingly.

He was twenty-three when it happened and thought he would feel indifferent about it. However, when he was gifted Mr. Sano's cane he realized the man had done more for him than his own parents ever did.

He stared at the ruby eyes of the lion and it stared back at him.

Katsuki grew into himself over these years without Izuku. But he always kept a piece of Izuku with him at all moments. Once he was in charge Katsuki grew meaner, finally understanding why Mr. Sano was always so cold. He realized he needed to show he had a real spine otherwise people would use him and try to break his spirit.

He found his inner circle quickly during this time.

They were a loyal set of people around his age named Denki, Mina, Sero, and Kirishima. They were goofy and reminded Katsuki a lot of himself.

When Mina pointed out a mole in their network, that's when he knew he could trust her. When Sero proved himself to be the best getaway driver and risked taking a bullet for Katsuki, that's when Katsuki knew he wanted only Sero to escort him places.

The same occurred for Kirishima and Denki. The two were his trusted informants—but also the gang's fucking gossip heads. However, their big mouths were always loyal. Any sliver of information that didn't pass Kirishima and Denki's vibe check they reported it directly to Katsuki. Which is why he kept them close.

During these years Katsuki completed the very short checklist he had for himself:

1. Movehisparentsoutintoabetterhome.

2. FinishconstructiononthehouseforhimandIzuku.

He couldn't reverse a lot of the architecture plans on the latter even if he tried.

And really, he fucking tried. But he was stuck with the layout, so he decided to keep it.

If asked, Katsuki would say it cost too much to change and there was nothing wrong with having a big kitchen and garden. But if he was made of glass, anyone could see right through his well build wall, and they would see he didn't have the heart to really erase Izuku from his life.

Katsuki kept Mr. Sano's business running exactly like he asked when he took over.

However, there were a litany of whispers and rumors. Really fucking ugly ones.

Some people said Katsuki poisoned Mr. Sano. Others said he weaseled his way into getting handed over the underground legacy. Others refused to listen to a single command he gave only because he was a nobody who came from being dirt poor.

Every day Katsuki was subjected to listening to these people claim he should be nothing but scum on the bottom of their shoes. Some even theorized he was possibly the illegitimate child of Mr. Sano and replaced the other one. The rightful one.

"You should do something about those nasty rumors," Sero suggested to him one evening while

they were driving back from meeting with another client. "It's one thing to ignore what people are saying but it's another thing to let shit like that run rampant."

"What do you think I should do about it?" Katsuki asked tiredly. "I knew the power shift would be hard, but I didn't expect it to be this goddamn difficult."

"Well. What do you think Mr. Sano would have done if people who worked for him were saying crap like that?"

Katsuki pondered the question.

He gazed out of the window of the limousine at all the passing people. How happy they were, ignorant to the crimes of the world that occurred right before their eyes. He wondered what it would be like to be one of them—then he realized he would never be one of them. He was raised by a man who was closer related to Satan himself than his own kin.

Katsuki stared at the shiny rings on his fingers Mr. Sano had given him.

Then finally he looked at the cane. He twisted the lion head, and it revealed the cane was truly a long sword in disguise. He unsheathed it, savoring the low hum of the metal in the air. He held it up to admire the way it twinkled, and in the reflection Katsuki's blood-colored eyes stared back at him.

"He would collect their fucking heads."

Katsuki cleaned out the insubordinates with that sword to prove a point.

He found each person undermining him and swiftly cut their throats without a blink of an eye. He made examples of the ones with the most disrespectful mouths and sliced out their tongues during a board meeting. Everyone in the vicinity had screamed when he maimed one particular bastard who called him a 'filthy gutter boy'.

After Katsuki finished butchering the man for everyone to see, he flicked his blade clean of blood elegantly. Exactly like Mr. Sano used to do with the same exact cold stare. He slowly sheathed it while maintaining eye contact with all the gawking people.

"I invite everyone to respectfully voice concerns about any choice I may make in the future as your leader," Katsuki announced while standing over the puddle of blood. "However. I will not tolerate the fucking disrespect that was shown these last couple of months any longer. If another person wants to undermine my authority going forward, you will be joining Mr. Takahashi in being permanently mute."

Not a damn sole questioned him after that.

He found the balance that Mr. Sano always had. Such a thin line between respect and cruelty and Katsuki walked that tight rope perfectly. He finally understood what Mr. Sano was training him for now, and this was it.

Everyone started respecting him and realized he was the rightful inheritor.

Other rumors started spouting up slowly over the years after he had effectively taken full power. His remaining workers said he was mean, but he was fair, nonetheless. He was protective, devoted

and he was fierce at handling business for those who couldn't do it on their own. There was even a rumor that leaked that he was only this venomous because he loved someone and only wanted to give them the world.

Katsuki never confirmed or denied those rumors when his inner circle asked him about it.

"Is it true?" Denki asked, in full gossip mode. His eyes were sparkling with hopeless romanticism. "Do you really have someone you're in love with, Boss?"

"Possibly," Katsuki answered with a shrug as he sharpened his sword. "If I was, I wouldn't fucking tell any of you extras. Now don't ask me about that ever again."

He couldn't let Izuku's identity be known. He would rather be fucking shot than ever put Izuku in danger like that. But secretly Katsuki couldn't truly let Izuku go. They were tied together after all, and Katsuki's heart ached every time he thought about what happened between them.

Over the years apart he kept newspaper clippings of Izuku's success.

The damn nerd was soaring high in the skies now, graduating at the top of his class in university. Izuku then went on to the top Culinary Arts school, and he blew everything out of the water there too. Even worked with the chef he looked up to, Yagi Toshinori. Katsuki had never been one to care for cooking, but as he watched Izuku grow into the baker he was destined to be, Katsuki finally decided to see what the fuss was about.

During Izuku's internship underneath a famous chef, he was featured on daytime television for exactly three months. He helped host in a cooking special and the entire time Katsuki watched.

Izuku looked so happy, full of life and his green eyes were somehow brighter.

"Hello! Welcome back to the Plus Ultra baking show!" Izuku's voice through the television said. His eyes were still as pretty as Katsuki remembered them. "Today we'll be making some fun styled breakfast foods! First up, is a savory yet delicious tamagoyaki I put together today."

Izuku held up his plate to show the rolled omelet. Then he walked over to the other side of the counter to stand in front of an assortment of ingredients.

"Let's get started!" Izuku said with a fist pump.

He watched Izuku on that bake show every day, and slowly started to follow along. He learned how to make his first dishes from Izuku, even if the nerd didn't know it.

He followed Izuku's career closely enough that he picked up on all the dork's recipes.

Katsuki noted that Izuku sure liked sugar, that's for sure.

His Sweet always had the biggest sweet tooth which is why it wasn't surprising when Izuku's first recipe book was published, and it was called 'Sweetest Treats'. On the cover was a polished, high- definition picture of strawberry swirled cheesecake and it was sitting on a tablecloth that had tiny green bunnies on it.

Katsuki's lips tugged upwards into a smirk at the sight.

He purchased it immediately and began cooking every single thing inside of it.

"Wow, Boss. You sure do like this guy's cooking!" Mina pointed out one day with a grin. They were all gathered in the kitchen far too large for him after hours. "Do you know him or something?"

"No," Katsuki muttered while chopping. He halted his movements and glared at all his subordinates. "Can't I appreciate culinary arts?"

Everyone froze at his icy tone. They began awkwardly eating the dish of white ravioli Katsuki had prepped for everyone and no one added any more questions. Mina curiously looked between the professional photo of Izuku in the cookbook and Katsuki.

"Of course. My fault, Boss," Mina whispered. "Good cooking regardless." No one directly asked him about it ever again.

Despite trying to be discreet about following Izuku's path in life, Katsuki was sure it was kind of obvious.

He bought all the little dumb cookbooks Izuku published or were even featured in. Didn't matter if it was a single page of his recipes, Katsuki bought it. He started to build up a hefty collection of Chef Midoriya cookbooks in the kitchen cabinet. It filled his heart with warmth, to be honest.

But what made his heart become overcome with pride the most was the day he learned Izuku opened a bakery.

He had been stunned by the news. It didn't make large leeway or top headlines, but rather it was a small journal article that announced it. Izuku was posing for the camera with a cheesy grin and blush on his face for the camera in his white chef's outfit.

Katsuki had stared at his phone in awe that day, utterly fucking proud. Izuku truly was the hardest working person he knew.

What stunned Katsuki the most however, was when he learned that the bakery was in the city where they grew up. His gang territory, technically. Katsuki tilted his head as he zoomed in on the address and his heart pounded furiously.

Later that night before bed, Katsuki took a good look at himself in the mirror. He was older now; eight years had passed in the blink of an eye.

There were scars on his body that Izuku didn't know of. His knuckles were littered with cuts and bruises from his professional activities. His eyes were sharper, and his hair was shorter. He ran his hand along his chin and could feel the scruff there that he usually never bothered with now.

However, as he looked at that address for Sweetest Treats once more, Katsuki looked at his razor.

Katsuki arrived the next day in Izuku's bakery, and the sweet smell of familiar treats filled the air.

He immediately recognized the smell of cinnamon, butter, and sugar that swirled about. It was familiar and distinctly Izuku. As he walked in, he looked around at the tiny details and couldn't stop the proud smirk on his lips even if he wanted to. Then when he turned his head, he saw Izuku

behind the counter staring at him.

Katsuki could have sworn he felt the stars align.

Izuku had grown taller, filled out a bit more. His hair was curlier, like he had finally figured out how to properly brush it. His deep green eyes reminded Katsuki of all the beautiful nebulas above them and his perfect, warm olive complexion was still graced with endless freckles.

Katsuki walked right up the counter, as if the last eight years didn't happen. "Hey, Sweet," Katsuki's said smoothly.

He watched how Izuku's pretty pink blush grew deeper. His ex-lover stared at him like he was about to say something, but as time passed on, Izuku didn't. Katsuki rocked on his feet awkwardly. He was slammed with the fact that this might've been a terrible goddamn idea.

"I, uh, was around and I wanted to check out how the bakery looked," Katsuki added when Izuku didn't say a word.

Then Izuku looked down at his hand, studying all the rings on his fingers. Izuku's nostrils flared. "Get out," Izuku hissed in a low warning.

Katsuki's heart squeezed until it broke. Fuck. "Izu—"

"No! Get out!" Izuku screamed, voice splintering on the ends.

Several people whipped their heads towards them, and suddenly Katsuki didn't feel like a King Pin. He was somehow that same foolish boy who left the one person he cared for to drown in loneliness. Katsuki averted his eyes in shame, ready to leave then suddenly Izuku spoke very specific words that changed everything.

"Th-This is your fault isn't it?" Izuku whispered, fear edged in his voice. "You're the reason why those guys came by, aren't you?"

Katsuki's thoughts halted. He whipped his head up. "Guys? What guys?" "Don't act like you don't know—"

"—I fucking don't," Katsuki said earnestly.

Izuku scrunched his nose, baffled.

The pair gawked at each other as several beats of silence passed. Then gradually, Izuku's anger shifted to confusion and then rage consumed Katsuki's sharp features. His upper lip twitched into a nasty curl and his eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Did someone come by here and fucking threaten you?" Katsuki seethed.

At the idea of someone so much as making Izuku scared, Katsuki felt his veracious side stir.

"No," Izuku said softly. He turned away from him. "Sorry. I'm not having a good day. No one came by, but I need you to go. Pl-Please leave. I can't do this with you. Not today."

What a damn lie.

Katsuki could see Izuku swallow nervously and pull at the hem of his apron. Katsuki's heart was now squeezing for entirely different reasons when he could fucking feel how scared Izuku was.

"Be their fangs," the phantom voice of Mr. Sano whispered in his head. "Izuku. If someone threatened you I can help—"

"—I don't want your help," Izuku rejected brusquely. "If I wanted that type of help I would've stayed with you in uni. Now either order something or go."

The words were sharp, and it hurt to be so viciously rejected.

Izuku clearly didn't want anything to do with him still—which was fucking fine. What was not fine however, was the possibility someone threatened Izuku. Katsuki stared at his ex-lover, calculating the situation with care. He eventually decided that there would be no harm in monitoring Izuku's bakery discreetly.

He was the King Pin of this region after all.

"I'll take a chai latte and two dorayakis," Katsuki muttered.

He looked away and probed his tongue on the inside of his cheek. He started thinking of a list of people who could possibly be fucking bothering Izuku right then and there.

"For here or to go?" Izuku muttered back.

Katsuki tilted his head as he admired the setting. "For here."

Katsuki started spending his lunch breaks at Izuku's bakery.

He had Sero every evening drop him off in secret and pick him up. He made Sero not whisper a word about it because he was sure it would be really fucking obvious he knew Izuku if word

spread around. He could only deflect so much. No one was that stupid not to put the pieces together that Izuku was the baker whose cookbooks he was obsessed with.

Every day Katsuki did some paperwork, or casually scrolled on his phone as he admired Izuku working. The beautiful green-eyed man buzzed around the small bakery like a busy bee and the entire time Izuku smiled while doing it.

Katsuki smirked at the sight of small blips of flour or sugar that was in Izuku's hair. He charmed every person who walked in, and he worked hard to always make sure all his costumers were happy and comfortable.

Izuku was still Izuku at the end of the day.

Several weeks passed without a peep about who could possibly have threatened Izuku.

Katsuki kept his eyes peeled for any hint of suspicious activity, and asked Sero to as well. But nothing ever came up. Maybe Izuku was right, it was nothing. Or maybe the damn nerd handled the situation himself, he was more than capable if Katsuki was being honest. But there was a part of Katsuki that simply wanted to help.

He walked away from Izuku's bakery one evening feeling sadder than usual.

Izuku had blossomed into a beautiful human, without him. Maybe it was fate that their paths stayed separated and Katsuki should mind his own business and really leave Izuku alone. He climbed into his limo that evening without greeting Sero and watched Izuku through the foggy window.

"You like him," Sero pointed out as he began driving. Katsuki whipped his head towards his driver. "What? Who?"

"Midoriya Izuku," Sero clarified. He smirked slightly. "He's the same guy whose cookbooks you guy all the time, Boss. You're not exactly very sly in how you look at him either. Plus, you're more eager than a toddler in a toy store when I drop you off and look like a kicked puppy when I pick you up."

Damn.

Katsuki clicked his tongue and ran his fingers through his hair. No point in lying to Sero, he guessed.

"...Don't tell anyone," Katsuki murmured. "You tell anyone and I'm going to have your tongue cut out. Got it?"

"Ah, chill, Boss. I won't." Sero smiled at him through the rearview mirror. "Why not ask this guy on a date? You're a good-looking man and I can see him time to time watch you leave the store. He seems like he might be interested in you too."

Katsuki scoffed sarcastically. "You need to get your eyes checked, that little fucker hates me. I'm pretty sure he would rather dunk my head in a goddamn fryer than ever accept a date from me."

"Hah? What do you mean?"

Katsuki ended up telling Sero everything.

It flowed out easy, like a calm river as he retold him and Izuku's failed love story. He told Sero all the tiny details, especially how when he was young, he eagerly ran errands for the Otsukas to buy Izuku cooking materials. Then he told Sero how that was how he got involved with Mr. Sano and eventually how that ended their relationship due to his violence and neglect.

"Geez," Sero whispered. He whistled low. "That's quite the story."

"Yeah. And the ending is he ignores me for the rest of my natural born life." "Or—hear me out. You could try to rekindle the flame."

Katsuki rolled his eyes. "Sero, did you hear a word I fucking said?"

"I did! Which is why I think you should try!" Sero happily suggested. He grinned from ear to ear. "I know you don't believe me, but I can see when you get up to come outside and his eyes follow after you. You can't see his face, but I can. He likes you—even if a little."

Katsuki's heart skipped a beat with horrible hope.

"...You really think so?" He said cautiously. He could be setting himself up for worse hurt—but. The thought of holding Izuku again even for a little while—egged him on.

"Yeah!" Sero nodded furiously. "Maybe you need to show him that you wouldn't be that dumbass teen anymore. That's all! Show him that you're a mature, grown man and I'm sure the rest will follow. Ease back into friendship and let nature take its course."

Katsuki bounced his leg and bit his lip.

The next day Katsuki let Sero style his hair. He was halfway fucking regretting it, because his friend put so much goddamn gel in it that it was solid as a rock. Katsuki scowled the entire time Sero combed it back. Which Sero had to do very forcefully because his spikes were so wild that it took an effort for them to be trained.

When Katsuki was ready, he looked like a goddamn dork.

Katsuki exhaled roughly as he hooked a finger under the collar of his tacky, plaid shirt. He looked like a regular citizen for once and Sero was giving him a large thumbs up to encourage him.

The final touches were green roses Katsuki had seen earlier that morning. They smelled wonderful and reminded him of Izuku. He hoped this would be a good peace offering for his ex-lover and they could begin a new on better terms.

"Remember not to frown so much!" Sero said as he was dropped off around the corner from the bakery.

Katsuki waved off his friend and nervously adjusted his tucked in shirt. He walked around the corner, brushing his thumbs on the petals of the roses. He was going over what to say in his mind, trying to practice and make sure he got this right. Izuku clearly was on edge with him, so he had to be sure not to scare away the man.

Katsuki turned the corner, eager to see Izuku but when he saw the bakery his whole heart stopped.

It was like a tornado wrecked through it on purpose. Katsuki's whole face fell in disbelief as he looked through the smashed windows. Everything was broken. The register. The pictures on the walls. The tables were wrecked, and all the pastries were smashed against the walls. Everything that made Izuku's bakery unique and lovely, was torn to shreds.

Katsuki stepped over all the broken glass to stand inside. His anger boiled in his belly the longer he stared at the horrible scene because this wasn't some accident. This was done by hand, and this was done on purpose. Someone really had fucking threatened Izuku.

Katsuki's eyes snapped down at the sound of a small sob.

Laying in the middle of the floor was Izuku, curled into himself. Tiny speckles of blood were all around him and Katsuki swore all he saw was fucking red. The ferociousness inside his chest roared and clawed at him until his ribcage convulsed at the sight.

Slowly, Katsuki bent down to Izuku's level, and he got the full view of the inflicted wounds. A black eye. Several bruises. A busted lip. Izuku's apron was torn like some filthy animal tried to claw it off of him.

Katsuki's nostrils flared with unchecked rage. He reached forward to hold Izuku out of instinct and inspect his wounds better, but his ex-lover shied away.

"Don't look at me," Izuku wept, clearly ashamed. Katsuki's heart hurt at the pain in Izuku's gentle

voice. "Please don't look."

Izuku tried then to shove Katsuki away, but Katsuki easily caught his wrists, forcing him to still. They made eye contact and crimson eyes were wild. All Katsuki could see was Izuku's suffering, and it pained him worse than anything he ever felt. Izuku had finally touched the clouds, and someone had ripped him from it so violently.

"Who." Katsuki asked with all his self-control. "Tell me who."

"Why? So, you can hurt them?" Izuku replied bitterly. His ex-lover shook his head and fruitlessly tried to grab his wrists back. "Are you going to go tell that old gangster you work for? You think he can fix this too?"

Katsuki let out a dry laugh and sneered.

"That old man died ages ago. I'm the one in charge now. Now. You fucking tell me who did this to you so I can go teach them some manners."

It came as no surprise to Katsuki that Izuku rejected his offer.

Katsuki was okay with it for now. If things got worse, he would step in but in the meantime he wanted to give Izuku his space to process what he had gone through. It was horrible listening to the cops do nothing, and Katsuki knew they wouldn't be able to help in this situation.

Katsuki, however, could.

Katsuki set his watchdogs out immediately after the bakery incident.

He only trusted his inner circle with the information on what occurred and who Izuku was. He ignored how happy Denki and Kirishima seemed about finally being filled in on Izuku's relation to him. Mina gave him a soft smile.

They searched up and down the city, asking anyone who could know what happened. But almost all their leads turned out to be dead ends.

Whoever bashed in the bakery had done it in such slickness that it went underneath Katsuki's nose. Which was fucking infuriating, to say the least. He had been running the city for years and hadn't had a blip in respect since his public maiming of the last man who dared to speak poorly of him.

"Anything?" Katsuki asked after a full two weeks of hunting. "There's got to be some type of lead."

"Nothing related to the bakery," Mina said. She sat down tiredly in his office on the couch and puffed out her cheeks. "But I did overhear something a little concerning that I think you should know."

Katsuki rubbed his temples. "What?"

"There's a rumor about Mr. Sano's son supposedly being back in town after all these years," Mina explained. "I don't know if that's connected with anything, but I think that's something that should be on your radar in case he becomes a problem later."

"If he decides to stir up shit, I'll handle him when that time comes," Katsuki said flippantly. He

dismissed it, too focused on Izuku. "First we need to figure out who could be targeting Swee—I mean Izuku. He takes priority. Keep trying to figure out what's going on."

"Of course, Boss."

Mina arose from the couch, bowed at the waist and took her exit.

Katsuki leaned back in his chair and a low creek echoed into the air. He strummed his fingers against his desk over and over trying to go down a list of possible fuckers who were into harassing small business owners. But last time Katsuki checked—he barely could think of anyone. At least not on his territory. Any dumbass to pull some shit like this on his watch clearly had a death wish.

As Katsuki muddled in his thoughts, his personal phone suddenly rang. He picked it up immediately. "Hello?"

He waited for whoever it was to say something. Then suddenly the saddest sob resonated into his ear. Katsuki immediately sat up straight and his heart plummeted into his stomach. It sounded like —

"Izuku? Izuku is that you?" Katsuki asked, entirely on edge. "Are you hurt? Where are you? Why are you crying?"

The crying continued and Katsuki wasted no time. He immediately sprung up and grabbed his jacket. He rushed down the hall to burst into the kitchen where Sero was getting a midnight snack from the kitchen. Katsuki urgently signaled for Sero, and his friend quickly ran up to him.

"I-I need your help," Izuku hiccupped.

Katsuki's heart skipped. "Tell me where you are, right now."

Katsuki hadn't truly thought about what it meant to have Izuku in this home with him. It was strange seeing the very person he designed it for walk the halls. He could feel a shift in the atmosphere, because Izuku matched so well with all the lavish things inside. He nearly looked like a lost daydream that Katsuki would only think about in private. Which is what made it worse.

The deep longing in Katsuki's heart was tripled now, and it drove him to find the men who had crushed Izuku's bakery quicker than any case he's handled.

With the information Izuku had given him, he was able to follow sparse breadcrumbs and track down people possibly connected to whoever this fucking Isao was. He found exactly five of them and took them in for questioning. Katsuki had no doubt in his mind this case would be a closed book by the next day with him and his inner circle handling it.

They had gone back to the house, and Katsuki thought it would be innocent enough to spend time with Izuku. He hadn't seen the man in so long, and he missed the way they used to be.

He missed his person.

But in the moment of baking, he forgot himself and exactly what their circumstances were. When they kissed, the whole world stopped. There was no Isao. No business. No drift between them. This was what he dreamed about for fucking years. He wanted to keep kissing Izuku, drown in him if possible—

But like most daydreams, he was rudely dragged back to reality.

Katsuki never felt heart break the way he did when Izuku flinched away from him.

He could feel the old wounds reopen and pulse with fresh hurt. Time stopped and all the saccharine nature in the atmosphere spoiled like rotten milk.

Katsuki glanced over his shoulder to see Kirishima giving them a pitiful look he didn't give a damn for. But worst of all, Izuku couldn't meet his eye. The smaller man was shying away from him and curling into himself.

Izuku was scared of him.

Katsuki's eyes started to sting. He blinked rapidly, staring down at his sugar-coated hands realizing that this was wrong. His hands weren't meant to be sweet. They were meant to be terrifying—of course Izuku was scared of him. Them baking fucking pastries together wouldn't change that goddamn fact.

He stepped away from Izuku before the pain in his heart spread all over. "Let's go, Kirishima," Katsuki said coldly.

He turned on his heel and didn't look back to Izuku. He took off his apron and threw it to the ground. He brushed the sugar out of his hair and angrily wiped at his face to push back the onset of tears that were bound to come.

When they arrived at the location that they were given Katsuki knew something was wrong.

It was a strange forest location off to the outskirts of the city. Not a soul was anywhere in sight, nor was any sign of suspicious activity. They scoured up and down the river front, and searched a nearby town to find absolutely fucking nothing. A gnawing feeling in the back of his mind was telling him this was bad. How had they driven an hour out for not a goddamn thing?

"Are you sure this was the right place?" Katsuki muttered. He walked up to the spot where they goddamn slimy bastards were supposed to be—but found absolutely nothing. Again. "This doesn't seem to be right."

Kirishima scratched his head and Sero walked around with his flashlight and assault rifle loaded. All of his other workers were searching the fields with their weapons as well, ready to pounce and devour the first sign of movement. But with every second that passed, that sinking feeling in Katsuki's gut grew worse.

"This was the tip we received from one of those captured guys after beating the shit out of them," Sero said in an unsure voice. He lowered his weapon and shook his head. "But no one is here."

Katsuki held up his hand in a fist and everyone halted.

Sharp red eyes gazed around at the dark woods. He surveyed the dense greenery carefully and found nothing besides his own colleagues. He gave a signal with his hand for everyone to retreat.

They all got back in their cars and headed back to the house. The gnawing in Katsuki's stomach threatened to eat him alive.

When they arrived back at the house, Katsuki's head was pounding.

In and out of his mind escaped thoughts about who the fuck Isao was. Where did he come from? Why the hell had he lied and told Izuku that the bakery was on his territory? Anyone with a goddamn brain knew that this whole city was under Katsuki's watch.

When they parked the cars, most of Katsuki's posse went home, he dismissed them for the night as the clock creeped into the witching hours. He was about to dismiss Sero and Kirishima as well but decided against it when that nagging feeling returned.

Katsuki reached for the keys to his golden gates but stopped when the wind blew them open. "Did someone leave the gates unlocked?" Katsuki asked.

His heart started to increase in tempo when a layer of murmurs couldn't answer him. He whipped his head around to his inner circle who were looking just as pale.

"No," Kirishima said gravely. "I was the last to leave and Mina locked the door behind me."

Katsuki didn't need to hear another word.

He ran forward, thrusting open the gates. Behind him Sero and Kirishima ran too, feet pushing with everything they had. They reached the large doors of the house and Katsuki began to feel nauseous when they were cracked open. He started desperately calling out Izuku's name, and when he entered the large foyer of his home, all he saw was blood.

Several of his men were on the ground bleeding out on his marble floors. A sharp, splintering pain pulsed through Katsuki when he realized his worst nightmare had come true.

He didn't remember running up the stairs or hearing Sero call out for Denki's name. He vaguely heard Kirishima's voice trying to get him to calm down, but all Katsuki could focus on was a single matter: where the hell was Izuku?

He searched high and low but found nothing but signs of struggle.

His heart broke further when he walked into the bedroom and saw a small note, addressed to him.

"If you want him back, come alone to the address listed below."

-Isao

Katsuki stayed there, frozen as he looked at the note in his hand.

Slowly, Katsuki turned around and a small gust of air from the window blew in. He realized his face was wet with tears. Sero and Kirishima stood there, trying to wake up Mina and Denki who were drugged and limp on the floor. Both of his friends stared at him with uncertainty in their eyes.

Katsuki's rage spilled over, and he crushed the note in his fist.

"You know this is a trap, Boss," Sero wearily said as Katsuki began to arm himself.

"I don't give a shit," Katsuki replied without a second thought. "If that son of a bitch wants to

square off then fine. I'm getting Izuku back tonight."

He cocked his gun and pushed it into his holster. Next, he delicately selected which blade would do. He found the one with the sharpest edge and ran his finger along it approvingly. As he geared up, his guilt ate him alive that this was likely all his fault. Katsuki was a lot of things, but he wasn't dumb enough not to put the pieces together.

If Isao was attacking Izuku only, he wouldn't be holding him hostage—which left one possible motive.

It was personal.

When Katsuki arrived on the site, there was an ominous foreboding in the air. The smell of dust, rot, and acid was trickling in and all the hairs on his arm were standing high. An onset of goosebumps slowly inched up to his nape as he walked into the run-down factory.

The rusted door creaked, announcing his arrival.

Katsuki stopped as the door swung closed with a loud bang.

Sharp red eyes glanced around, on high alert. He noticed all the tiny details like the broken pipes leaking conspicuous fluid. There were wire framed catwalks overhead and all around the building was made of a dingy concrete infrastructure. On grey walls were cracks and dried blood marks that told a story that made Katsuki sick to his stomach.

Katsuki stayed entirely still as he looked around this death trap. He took a single step and slowly began to follow the blood trail that was on the ground. He found himself rounding a dark corner and sitting in the middle of the room was Izuku.

Katsuki rushed towards Izuku, heart pounding as he looked over his shoulder.

Izuku began frantically shaking his head. Tears stained his face as he struggled against the ropes binding him to the metal chair. His muffled warnings stayed sealed behind the silver duct tape on his mouth.

Katsuki got in reach of Izuku, and immediately a figure bloomed from the shadows like he was made of nightmares.

"—Well, well, well. I can't believe this really fucking worked."

A large hand clutched at Izuku's shoulder, and another pressed the barrel of a loaded gun against

his temple.

Katsuki's breath hitched when a man who resembled Mr. Sano a little too much came all the way into the light. His smile was full of bloodlust and his blue eyes swirled with envy. His copper hair matched his old mentor's to the last strand and the squareness of his jawline revoked too much family resemblance.

Katsuki gritted his teeth together and tried to move for his gun—but all his muscles froze when Izuku whined.

The man dug his fingers into Izuku's skin.

"Not so fast," The stranger spoke with a sadistic smirk. "Wouldn't want me to hurt yourSweet, now would you?"

"Who the fuck are you and what do you want?" Katsuki hissed. "I'll give you anything—just leave him out of this and we can settle this between us."

The man's chuckle bounced around the cement walls like thunder.

"Let's not ask stupid questions, Bakugou," The stranger hissed his name like it tasted salty. "I think you can take one look at me and know exactly who I am. And I think you know exactly why I am here. My name is Isao—and I am the rightful Lion that was supposed to be next in line for taking over my father's business. I'm sure you know him, Sano Raion."

Katsuki's face twisted into a nasty snarl.

"You know, I always thought I would be the one to inherent my father's fortune after that miserable man died," Isao continued like it was small talk. "Family is family after all."

Katsuki wearily looked at Izuku who was violently trembling, terrified to his core.

"But imagine my surprise when I learned that not only did my father give the business to some stranger, but some classless boy from the goddamn gutter on top of it." Isao scowled. "I've decided it's time that I take back what's mine and many of my blood family's loyalist agree. The vision for The Lions needs a rebranding and I'm done decaying in the background."

Katsuki gritted his teeth. "And what the fuck makes you think I'll let that happen?"

"If you don't do as I say, I will paint the walls red with your little lover's blood." The gun cocked. "Hurting him seems to be your only weakness. It took years to finally find your Achilles heel. Imagine my surprise when it was confirmed that you were a lovesick fool by one of my moles."

Izuku's whole body clammed up.

Red eyes met green and Katsuki's guilt boiled hot in his veins.

"Fine," Katsuki whispered. "How do you want to do this? A public fucking announcement?"

"No. That's too easy and you have too many people loyal to you," Isao said. "The only way for a proper pass in power to happen is if I dethrone you—permanently."

Izuku's trembling stopped, and his eyes cut up to Isao.

"I'm going to kill you right here and now," Isao declared too confidently. "Don't worry. I'll set your little baker free afterwards, I really don't give a fuck about taking his life. He can be a witness to your downfall—it would be suiting. A man like you killed in front of the one person you love."

Katsuki swallowed thickly, ignoring Izuku's onset of protests. Izuku's eyes were wild, crazed with fear and he was struggling against Isao's fierce grip to no avail. Katsuki pressed his lips in a thin line and decided he knew what he had to do in order to get them out of here safely.

"Fine," Katsuki agreed. Izuku's crying grew louder and he struggled against the ropes until his wrist rubbed raw. "You can kill me."

Isao smiled greedily and his eyes lit up. "I knew you'd see it my way, Bakugou. Put your gun down and slide it over to me so we can hurry and get your Sweet home safely."

Katsuki placed his gun on the ground and kicked it over to Isao who caught it with his foot.

"Knife too," Isao added. "I know a bastard like you is carrying multiple weapons. Drop them all or I fill his head full of bullets."

Beads of salty sweat rolled off Katsuki's brow.

He did as he was told and disarmed himself. He kicked all his weapons across the room beneath Isao's feet. Isao grinned in satisfaction; a crazed look of pre-earned victory gleamed in his eyes. Despair drowned in Izuku's, and his chest convulsed.

"Now. Get on your goddamn knees," Isao ordered coldly. Katsuki kneeled on the ground, heart pounding rapidly.

All of his racing thoughts blended with Izuku's muffled screams and cries as Isao pointed the gun to his head. The man walked over to him, looking like he had finally filled his life's purpose. There was blood on his hands that dripped down to the ground

As Isao loomed over him, Katsuki took a deep breath. He could feel the grimy smile that was on the other man's face and within a blink of an eye, Katsuki acted.

Before Isao could pull the trigger, Katsuki rolled forward, slamming their bodies together. The echo of the gun shot slammed against his ear as the bullet grazed his skin shallowly. Katsuki tackled Isao with his full weight and in the background Izuku's muffled screams filled the air.

The two men began struggling, battling for dominance of the gun that was firing off stray bullets. Isao was stronger than he appeared, and he slammed Katsuki on his back, attempting to aim the gun back towards Katsuki's forehead. Katsuki caught his wrists, and they were gridlocked in a push and pull as the man pulled the trigger over and over again.

Katsuki hissed as he swiftly moved, maneuvering out of the way every time Isao fired off far too closely to him. He reeled back and with full forced slammed his skull into Isao who yelled in pain.

When Isao's eyes were closed, Katsuki flipped their positions and grabbed the gun. He turned it expertly in his hand and pistol-whipped Isao across the face.

As the blood oozed out of Isao's nose, that part of Katsuki rumbled again, ready to devour. He wanted to make this sick bastard pay for even laying a goddamn finger on Izuku.

His thoughts swirled red, and Katsuki began reverting to his old state of mind. Fists loaded with rage collided with Isao's face and Katsuki relished in the pain filled gasp. He did it again and again and again until he felt himself slip into the dark spiral that threatened to consume him.

He didn't know how long he was slamming his knuckles on Isao's face. But the sound of Izuku's shocked cry made the whole world halt.

Katsuki stopped his fist.

His vision steadily shifted out of its red-hot state of anger back into reality. But when it did, he was mortified at what he had done—in front of Izuku. He wearily glanced beneath him to see Isao choking up blood, face bruised and beaten.

He reeled back, sitting up from his position over the other man and looked down at his hands. His

knuckles were bruised, entirely raw from smashing against the other man's skull over and over. Katsuki inched his gaze towards Izuku who was staring at him with wide, terrified eyes. Katsuki's heart hurt, seeing how scared Izuku was.

But the rational side of him pulled him out of his insecurities. He looked down at Isao and decided he was not cruel enough to murder a man in front of Izuku. He checked Isao's breath with his hand. The bastard was still breathing.

Katsuki sighed and slowly stood up. He walked over to Izuku with a heavy heart. With care he drew his blade out and began cutting the ropes off Izuku's legs and arms.

He winced when he could see the rope burns marking Izuku's freckled skin and all he could think about was how badly he fucked up. This was the very reason Izuku dumped him and put distance between them. He never wanted to be involved with shit like this—and deserved not to.

Katsuki was sure that Izuku would never speak to him after this—and he couldn't blame him.

Katsuki peeled back the duct tape on Izuku's mouth, expecting nothing but disgust and fear. But he was stunned into silence when Izuku sprung up from the chair and wrapped his arms around him. Izuku's hoarse throat let out more harsh cries as he squeezed Katsuki in his grasp.

"Ka-Kacchan," Izuku wept. He pushed his face into Katsuki's blood-stained shirt. "You're okay. I was so scared I was going to lose you—"

Katsuki stood there like a statue, entirely caught off guard.

Izuku clung to him harder, and their hearts hammered in sync with each other. Warmth spilled from Izuku into Katsuki and slowly a smile tugged on Katsuki's lips. He delicately wrapped his blood- stained hands around Izuku and held him close.

"I'm okay, Sweet. I'll be fine," Katsuki reassured. He smoothed back Izuku's disheveled curls. "Let's hurry and get you out of here."

Katsuki pulled out his phone and immediately dialed Sero. He rushed to tell his friend that he handled the situation and to come quickly to the scene. Izuku kept his arms around him the entire phone call and buried his face into his chest. Katsuki held him back with one arm as they stood over Isao's unconscious body. Izuku wearily poked the limp body with his foot.

Izuku made a disgruntled sound. "Is...Is he—"

"—No," Katsuki quickly answered. "He's still breathing. Probably in a piss poor condition though."

Izuku nodded and then he turned his eyes up to Katsuki. Katsuki was waiting for them to fill with fear, disgust or even shame. But he was surprised when instead the green eyes he adored so much softened. Izuku smiled up at him in a way he hadn't in years.

"Thank you for saving me," Izuku whispered. His hands clutched onto Katsuki's shirt in a tighter grip.

"Of course, Sweet," Katsuki said. "I wouldn't let anything happen to you." Light as beautiful as stardust shone in Izuku's eyes.

He gazed up at Katsuki like he was seeing him for the first time. Katsuki gazed at him back, lifting a hand to gently touch his cheek. He let himself indulge in the moment, knowing that after this him and Izuku would probably never speak again. With his course fingers, Katsuki pushed a strand of hair behind Izuku's ear.

A loud creek reached Katsuki's ears that drew both of their attention towards the entrance. In walked Sero and Kirishima, guns drawn and smiling happily at them.

"Perfect timing," Katsuki said smugly. He wrapped his arm around Izuku and began walking him towards the exit. Once he reached his two friends, Katsuki jutted his head towards the bloody body on the ground. "Deal with this piece of shit. Bury him or something I don't care. I'm going to go take care of Izuku—"

"—Boss!" Kirishima's voice suddenly yelled. He pointed his gun and tried to push Katsuki out of the way. "Get down!"

Both Katsuki and Izuku whirled around at the same time.

The seconds slowed as their eyes laid sights on Isao. He was struggling on the ground suddenly awake. With the last bit of strength Isao had, he held up his gun and pointed it directly at Izuku's chest. Blood trickled out of his mouth as he grinned wide and pulled the trigger thrice.

Katsuki moved before he could think.

Everything blended together like a raging tornado twisting upon itself. The yells, the screams, the gunshots. His feet worked rapidly, and his body flung in front of Izuku. He desperately pushed Izuku down, safely out of the line of fire and everything in his world tilted on its head.

Katsuki yelled as mind numbing pain tore through him. Izuku's screams were the last thing he heard.