As hard as it is to believe, Katsuki Bakugo was every bit a morning person. He loved to get out of bed at the crack of dawn, just in time to hear the chorus of birdsong as he drank a piping hot cup of earl grey. This did not, however, mean the early hours softened his fiery nature in any way. In fact, the exact opposite was true, mornings were when his temper reached its peak.

Somewhere along the line, he'd picked up the idea (whether from TV, online, or scrawled on some random wall, he couldn't quite remember) that mornings were the prime time to unload any pent-up rage from the previous day. Go to sleep calm, wake up angry. Or so the saying went. That was the Bakugo way.

True to this odd wisdom, and as was tradition in the Bakugo household, Katsuki and his mother's voices were shaking the apartment to its very core.

"I said I'm going out! What the hell is it to you, you old hag?!" Katsuki bellowed as he stomped towards the door.

His mother, Mitsuki, was more than ready to match his volume. Just like always. "What is it to me?! What is it to me?! I'm only your goddamn mother you little brat!"

"A real mother would've cleaned up the goddamn kitchen! It's safer to eat off the floor!" Katsuki shot back.

"That's because I need to buy some anti-bacterial wipes, you little shit-stain!"

Katsuki jabbed the key into the door, swung it open, and stormed down the path. As he reached the end of the driveway, he turned and yelled, "I'll buy you some on my way back, okay?!"

A window on the second floor slid open as Mitsuki stuck her head out. "That would be really nice of you!" she bellowed back. "I love you!"

"I love you too!" Katsuki replied, flipping her off before marching down the street.

Being the world's greatest son would have to wait for later, because right now he had to focus on what was important: Satisfying his own curiosity and finding out what Deku was hiding from him.

Why did he care so much? …

Well anyway, it was a short, pleasant walk to the Midoriya's apartment complex. Katsuki was about to start slamming a fist on the door when he remembered this wasn't his own house, and contrary to popular belief he actually was quite adept at keeping his emotions in check. It just so happened that a good nine tenths of those emotions were anger.

"Deku!" He shouted through the mail slot, "Get your ass out here!"

After a moment, the door creaked open, and Inko's kind face appeared. She smiled brightly at the boy, not giving away the fact she was holding a shortsword behind her back. One can never be too careful. "Oh, Katsuki!" she said. "I'm sorry, but Izuku's not here right now, he just stepped out for some fresh air."

Katsuki's eyes narrowed, "Fresh air? The hell does he need that for? The air around here not good enough for him?!"

Inko raised an eyebrow, "I… suppose not? Do you want me to send him a text to let him know you were looking for him?"

"Nah," the teen said, waving a hand and already halfway down the stairs. "I'll find him, I swear it…" he added in a sinister tone.

"Well alright then!" Inko cheerily said, before heading inside and unburdening herself of the sword, twin sai, poison tipped needle and smoke bombs.

Meanwhile, next to a shallow river and surrounded by an irritating amount of tiny flies, Izuku was practising his marksmanship. His working theory was that enduring the annoyance might help him build resistance to distractions when facing the undead someday. But as it turned out, it was mostly just maddening.

"Ptoo," he spat another fly out of his mouth, narrowing his eyes as he aimed at a gnarled, lifeless tree nearby. With a swift flick of his wrist, he launched a stake, trying to emulate his mother's precise technique. The wooden missile shot forward, embedding itself in the bark, before being dug in further by a quickly thrown silver kunai. The blade struck true, slicing the stake down the middle, but instead of satisfaction, Izuku watched the pieces tumble into the grass with a sigh of frustration.

"Not good enough." he muttered, chastising himself. Hisashi had performed a move just like it, but Izuku was struggling to determine exactly where he was going wrong. The tree wasn't the problem—it was far weaker than a human sternum. And by now, he was sure he had perfected the art of crafting stakes.

Resigned he fell into a cross-legged position and pulled a short pole out of his backpack to begin whittling another weapon. Every so often he sprayed the shard of lumber with some sea salt spray. Excellent for flavour enhancement, even better for dispelling the forces of darkness.

Ever thoughtful, Izuku moved to scoop up the loose wood shavings that had fallen to the ground, when he felt his hands brush up against something in the underbrush.

"Are these bolts?" He said to himself, picking up a large piece of metal in his fingers, and inspecting it. "These are huge! There are so many of them…" He brushed away some more loose grass, and found an even larger array of loose fasteners and screws. "Why would someone be hiding these in the middle of the woods?"

Mind racing, he tried to think up an explanation. "Maybe someone's making a curse? But curses usually involve nails, not bolts, and there's no sign of any effigies around here…" He shook his head, tapping his chin in deep thought. "Come on, Izuku, think! There's not always an effigy, but there has to be a sacred tree. Could these trees be sacred? They're nice, but… sacred?"

Rather than spend the rest of the day wondering about the presence of curses, he opted instead to give his father a call and see what he thought. The line rang twice before Hisashi picked up, his voice bright and cheerful.

"Izuku, son! What's up?!" In the background, Izuku could hear the unmistakable crack of a whip, followed by the sound of his father's heavy breaths.

"Dad, I found something weird, I think it might be… Are you fighting something?"

There was a brief pause on the other end of the line, punctuated by the sound of clashing metal. "Nothing to worry about, my boy! Just a Dullahan. Wretched thing caught me crossing a stone bridge and thinks I owe it tithes! I'll have it sorted out in a second!" Hisashi's voice was calm, barely rising above a conversational tone despite the chaos around him.

In front of Hisashi, a headless spectre astride a demonic horse with glowing eyes brandished a whip fashioned from a spine. The weapon slammed into the ground with a crack, splintering the ancient cobblestones beneath them.

Izuku's eyes widened in shock. "A Dullahan?! A headless horseman?! Dad! Are you sure you don't want me to call back?"

"No, no! I can always chat with my son!" Hisashi replied, his voice unwavering as he deftly avoided another strike from the Dullahan's whip. He held the phone away from his face for a moment, shouting, "OVER HERE, YOU OVERGROWN MULE!" The horse reared up, its hooves striking the air as Hisashi skidded under it with ease.

"Uh, well… It's just, I found this pile of bolts and screws hidden in the grass in the woods. Do you think it could be… I don't know, something bad, like a curse?"

"A curse?" Hisashi asked, sidestepping the whip once more. "Don't think so, son, but you might've stumbled on a flesh golem's secret stash." He executed a perfect backflip onto a low stone wall, landing gracefully. "When the undead start falling apart, they sometimes try to piece themselves back together with whatever they can find. Bolts, screws. It sounds like you might have a flesh golem problem."

A shiver ran down Izuku's spine as he glanced back at the pile of metal, suddenly feeling much less alone in the woods. "What should I do?"

"Keep your eyes peeled and stay sharp," Hisashi grunted, parrying another blow. "Let me know if anything else happens. And hey, I'm proud of you, Izuku. You're doing great."

"Thanks, Dad. Be careful out there."

"You too, son!" Hisashi replied before ending the call. He turned his attention back to the Dullahan, a mischievous grin on his face. "That was my son, he's got a good head on his shoulders. Unlike you! Bahaha! Oh, and by the way, enjoy the trip."

The headless horseman's mount suddenly reared in panic as the Dullahan noticed the bridge had been reduced to rubble. Too late to escape, the monstrous pair plummeted into the rocky canyon below, Hisashi's laughter echoing after them.

Crouching low behind a rock, Izuku kept his breath as quiet as possible as he followed the rustling of foliage in the distance. His eyes narrowed, but he kept a watchful gaze, as some manner of lumbering creature emerged from behind a tree. Its enormous hands swung idly by its sides, mottled green skin blending with dark red stitches across its wrists and halfway down the upper arm. What caught the eye the most, however, were the large bolts protruding from either side of its thick neck. The monster seemed to be in search of something, its heavy footsteps causing the ground to tremble.

"That has to be it…" Izuku thought to himself, preparing to inch forward. But before he could move, he heard the snapping of a branch behind him.

"Deku! What the hell are you doing, crouching here like a mmph~"

Izuku spun around and wrapped a hand around Katsuki's mouth, "Shhh!" he hissed, pulling him down behind the rock. After a few seconds to ensure the coast was clear, he removed his hand.

"Don't you shush me, you damn– MMPH!" Katsuki was cut off as Izuku clamped a hand around his mouth, again.

"Quiet, kacchan!" Izuku whispered urgently, peering back over the rock. He didn't have time for this, not with that thing wandering around. "You have to leave, okay?! It's not safe."

Katsuki wrenched Izuku's hand away from his mouth and glared daggers at him. "Don't tell me what to do!" he growled. "There ain't nothing in these woods anyw– …What the hell is that?" he said in a low voice, finally spotting the towering figure moving clumsily through the woods.

"I'm not sure," Izuku admitted, his eyes narrowing as he tried to make sense of the creature. "But it's too dangerous for you to be here, you have to leave."

"Leave? Fuck you." he snarled, "If that thing's a goddamn villain then I'm taking it out!"

"Kacchan, please–" Izuku started, but it was no use. Before Izuku could finish, Katsuki grabbed him by the shoulder and shoved him back, sparks already crackling around in his palms. They struggled, Izuku desperately trying to keep Katsuki from blowing their cover (and his top), but he wasn't one to back down.

"What the hell are you gonna do anyway you quirkless nerd?!" Bakugo shouted, just as Izuku managed to pin his arms down and force them into a tense standoff.

"Kacchan. Listen to me very carefully. You don't know what you're dealing with." Izuku said calmly. Unfortunately, pinning down a person's arms doesn't do much good when they can cause explosions with their hands.

KABOOM!

The explosion rattled the trees and sent a shockwave through the clearing, throwing Izuku a short distance away. The towering creature in the distance froze, its head snapping in their direction. For a moment, time seemed to stand still as it looked toward the source of the blast. Then, with surprising speed, the creature bolted, crashing through the forest like a runaway freight train.

"Now look at what you've done!" Izuku hissed, pushing himself off the floor and breaking into a sprint after the fleeing monster. "I can't let it get away!"

Still fuming, Katsuki took off after him "Like hell you're getting away from me, Deku!"

Though massive, the creature was ungainly as it ploughed through the dense underbrush, far different to Izuku's nimble determination. Effortlessly dodging tree branches and skipping over rocks, it didn't take long for the young hunter to close the distance.

Izuku lunged forward, managing to grab onto its back and cling on tightly, as the monster thrashed in an attempt to throw him off.

"I hope this works!" Izuku said to himself, then with all the strength he could muster, reached for the creature's neck bolts and squeezed tight. The monster let out a bone chilling roar of pain, its enormous hands flailing as it tried to shake Izuku off.

With a final, agonised bellow, the beast fell to the ground, its body going limp beneath Izuku.

Katsuki skidded to a halt nearby, barely able to calm down enough to form full sentences. "Deku?! The hell!?"

Panting heavily, Izuku slowly released his grip in the bolts and slid off the creature's back, looking back at Katsuki and darting his eyes back and forth.

Before he ran away.

Pacing the living room, a phone pressed tightly to her ear, Inko Midoriya tried to maintain calm as she spoke, though her voice was strained. "Again, I am so sorry about this, Mr Stine. I don't know what my son was thinking, I promise I'll handle this. Yes… Yes, of course. Thank you for your understanding." Inko ended the call with a sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose before turning to face Izuku, who was sitting sheepishly on the couch.

"Izuku, what the hell were you thinking?!" Inko burst out, her frustration spilling over.

Izuku looked up at her guiltily, he knew he had done wrong, but he still wanted a chance to give his side of the story. "I thought he was a Frankenstein! He had neck bolts, mom! And green skin!"

"A Frankenstein?!" Inko stared at him incredulously. "It's Frankenstein's monster , for starters! Poor Mr Stine already has it bad enough ever since the cannery closed and he lost his job, and now people are digging up his antiques and attacking him?! Where on earth do you even think a Frankenstein's monster would come from? Do you honestly believe there's some mad scientist creating abominations from dead bodies in Musutafu?!"

"Well… I mean… Stranger things…" Izuku shrugged weakly.

Inko shook her head and sat down beside him, her tone softening but still stern. "Izuku, I get that you're eager, and that's great. But the family curse isn't an excuse to jump into every dangerous situation you come across! If you think something's wrong, you can always call one of us."

"I did!" Izuku protested. "Dad told me it was probably a flesh golem!"

"Of course he did…" Inko rolled her eyes. "You and your father are too much alike sometimes… Well, at least we got this sorted out fairly easily. You're lucky Mr Stine was so understanding and didn't press charges, so let's just put this whole thing behind us."

Biting his lip, Izuku scratched the back of his head. "Well there is um… One other thing…"

"...Izuku. What did you do?"

Katsuki Bakugo sat at the Midoriya's kitchen table, staring at the open Creature Compendium in front of him, Inko and Izuku seated opposite.

"...You guys are fucking MONSTER HUNTERS?!"