"Shit… this is…" there were no words. Walking to the edge of the ridge, Katsuki looked down at the expansive valley below.

"Hey!" Freckles danced nervously behind him, "don't walk that close!"

"This close?" Katsuki asked, faking innocence, taking another step.

"SHIT… K-Kacchan!" Freckles' face was stark white, and he was chewing his thumb nail.

Katsuki moved one tinier step towards the ledge. "Are you by any chance afraid of heights?"

"No… of course not," he sprang forward a tiny bit as if trying to convince himself.

"Okay, I guess you'll join me then?" Sitting down, Katsuki extended one leg over the ledge. He heard his feet sliding over the rocky ground slowly until his legs bumped into his back. Smiling, he reached down and settled his hands on the thick leather of his boots.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Freckles breathed out, sounding slightly less worried.

"I see what you mean about the whole thing being an old volcano."

The ridge that they had climbed formed a massive semi-circle that connected with the mountains in the distance. At first, when they'd started the climb, it'd looked impossible, but the trail turned out to be surprisingly easy. Now at the top, he could see the entire valley spread out as far as the eye could see, it was just like Freckles had described. While there were wide open grassy fields, most of the valley floor was blocked by the canopy of huge trees. It really did look like something from a fictional world.

"You mentioned a lake?" Katsuki wondered how they would find anything down there.

"Yeah," taking off his pack, Freckles pulled out his binoculars and scanned the interior. "Oh!" he shouted, "I see the herd too!" Sitting down behind him and crisscrossing his legs, he thrust the binoculars into his hand.

Looking through them, Katsuki began to study the ridge and the valley floor. "What's that black stuff over there?" He felt Freckles put a hand on his shoulder, his other hand pointing to the strange bare patch that scarred the ridge rock wall.

"That stuff there?"

"Yeah, it looks like a stream of dirt."

"It's an old lava flow. They think this was the main mountain of the entire chain and it exploded at some point. See how there's mountains on that side, then this huge gap and more mountains behind us?"

Turning he could see what he was saying, if this mountain was still standing, it would have linked both ranges. "That's incredible? Do they know when it happened?"

"No, they've dated some of the stuff, but it comes back in so many time ranges they can only guess."

"Is that why everything is so rich looking? Shit, this grass isn't even close to ours at the ranch." It shimmered with a green color that was vibrant and dark.

"Yeah, the soil is really good here, definitely volcanic."

"I'm glad we came." Katsuki felt like he'd conquered something today. It'd been a long time since he'd enjoyed that feeling. The trail ride hadn't been difficult, but it also wasn't the rolling pastures he'd been learning on. Some of the areas had been rocky and narrow. Freckles had assured him that if he gave Bombshell his head, he would find the best route and damn if the horse didn't do exactly that.

Suddenly his arm shot past his face and this time Freckles had his phone held up so that the screen was facing them. Katsuki could see his big blonde head. "Oi, what're you doing?"

"A selfie." Moving the camera around, he set his chin on his shoulder. "Smile Kacchan," he laughed at his scowl. "Pretend you're having fun with me."

Katsuki narrowed his eyes, peering at him in the camera. "I am having fun with you." To prove his point, he turned to kiss him on the cheek right as Freckles snapped the picture.

"Oh," he sat back and rubbed his cheek blushing. "You kissed me."

"Yeah, and you got a picture of it, I think?" Katsuki tried to see his phone.

Freckles burst out laughing. "Kacchan! Look!" Laughing harder, he held up his phone. "I couldn't have planned a better shot."

Glancing at the phone, he snorted at the photo. The whole damn thing was crooked, and Freckles had managed to cut off half of his own face. Katsuki could just see his lips planted on his freckled cheek, but the surprise in his one very round eye was obvious. It looked staged and cheesy, the kind of selfie you'd take with your first crush. "It's okay," Katsuki looked back towards the huge ravine, "but don't you think we should take one with the view?" Spinning on his butt, he stood carefully and hauled Freckles to his feet, who was still staring at the picture.

"It's really good," his smile had turned soft, almost wistful. "I've never had a selfie like this before." Holding up the camera again, he shifted it around trying to get them both into the photo. "I think another one with the valley behind us is a good idea."

Leaning into his face, Katsuki let him snap a few shots, his mind was mulling over what he'd said.

That had been his first selfie of a kiss?

Wasn't that standard teenage bullshit. He'd even taken one like that in high school. "So, you and, uh…" Shit. "Shouto never took pictures like this?" This was going to be a fucking pain in the ass. He was starting to hate that two-toned prick even more.

"Um," he was flipping through the photos he'd taken, smiling wider with each shot. "Not really." He put his phone away and gazed out over the valley again. "Shouto didn't really want…" he took a deep breath thinking. "I'm not sure we had the most typical relationship." The wind had picked up and was trying to steal his hat. Pulling it off, he let it whip through his hair. "I don't really want to think about him right now." He turned to look at him, squinting from the bright sun. "Is that okay?"

Clicking his tongue, Katsuki wanted to ask a lot more questions, but he just smiled at him. "I don't blame you." Grousing to himself though, he began to really consider what his romantic life had been like. He'd said he loved Shouto since elementary school, or middle school, either way that meant that he was his first crush and eventually his fiance.

That asshole was it for him.

From his comments and what he knew of fuck face, he wondered if they'd had much of a typical sweet romance. The image of them walking hand in hand in the school yard popped into his mind. Crap. Freckles was right, he needed to stop thinking about it. "Can we walk around the whole ridge?" Katsuki skirted the ledge looking over the side and then headed to the trail.

"Not quite but we can go pretty far." Suddenly, he stopped and hunched over to stare at something on the ground. "Go ahead Kacchan, I'll catch up. I wanna look at this for a minute."

Stopping as well, he could see Freckles was studying an ant hill crammed into a crevice of the rock. Katsuki chuckled, this was the side of him that he liked best. His kid-like nature, which was in many ways like Shinsou, although he'd probably deny that vehemently. They were both caught in their innocence, exuding a never-ending teenage gawkiness that was both adorable and slightly frustrating. His charm was his affable nature. "What's that?"

"Huh?" He looked up and blushed, "just ants."

His red cheeks were the icing on the cake. That damned innocence was on steroids right there. Katsuki thought of him with that same face… in bed.

Freckles brushed his hands on his jeans and frowned. "Shouto made fun of me too."

Oh Fuck! Don't think about that… but he had. Closing his eyes he blotted out the image of Shouto in bed with him.

"Kacchan?" He opened his eyes, dispelling the vile image.

"I wasn't making fun of you." Katsuki sighed seeing him looking a bit disappointed. "I've just never been to a place like this, so I was curious."

"Oh, I really love this area and-" he froze, his eyes going wide. "Kacchan," he whispered fiercely as he bent down to pick up a stick. "Don't move."

"Why?" Katsuki stood stock-still, his heart picking up speed. "Fuck, is it a bear?" He croaked out as quietly as his panicked brain would allow. "W-What do we do?" He tried to see the wild creature without moving his head.

Freckles burst out laughing and pointed to his foot. "No! Kacchan, look, it's just a bug."

Katsuki looked down to see a black beetle crawling up over the toe of his boot. "Shit." This was only marginally better than the bear.

"Now, just… hold still." Squatting down he pushed the stick carefully into the insect's body trying to get it to crawl on the tip. The beetle was having nothing to do with him and started to climb from his boot to his jeans. Clenching his fists, Katsuki held back every instinct to kick the thing off and into the valley below. "C'mmmmonn," Freckles coaxed, blocking the beetle from escaping.

"Freckles, I think we should stop this and eat." Katsuki needed to get the beetle off before he completely lost his shit in front of him.

He glanced up from his bug collecting and tipped his hat back so he could see him. "Good idea, we brought your bag of food." Their eyes met for a moment and he suddenly blushed, dipping his head back down to focus on the beetle, which had finally taken the bait and climbed onto his stick.

That look.

Katsuki had seen it in their brief connection, hell he'd been feeling it all day. They'd been flirting on and off during the ride here, but now what? His stomach plummeted at the thought of being alone with him.

Their kiss the other day had been amazing, and as much as he'd like that again. What the fuck was he going to do? Feeling his jeans tighten, Katsuki rolled his eyes and mentally thanked his dick for the umpteenth reminder of what he really wanted to do with Freckles, but… he chided himself, it wasn't something he should be even thinking about. Not with the shit looming over his head. He needed to stop before they were in too deep.

"Kacchan?" Freckles had the beetle balanced on the end of the stick and was giving him a funny look. "Isn't that incredible?"

He'd completely missed what he'd said. Debating what to do, he saw his lips twitch. He flinched at how fast his body reacted to the slow smile spreading across his face. Damn, he was teasing him again. "What's incredible?"

"Weren't you listening?" He winked knowingly.

"No and you know it," he laughed. Pulling his hat down just above his eyes, he gave him a sultry smile. He knew Freckles was a sucker for the way he looked.

His big eyes flared even wider, and he dropped his gaze back to the beetle.

It worked.

Avoiding looking at him, he twisted the stick up into the air. "Did you know that a beetle can lift over 800 times its body weight?"

"No shit?"

Freckles grinned as more beetle facts poured from his brain and out his mouth. Carefully putting the insect on a bush, he led the way along the ridge, pointing out various creatures or plants.

His chatter was helping him calm down. This was good, friends hiking… that was all. As he pointed out more stuff, Katsuki was starting to get impressed. His knowledge of the area was incredible. "Did you study botany or something in college?"

Nodding, he let go of the plant he was describing and stood. "Environmentalism," he smiled shyly. "Sorry, I don't get out here as much as I did when I was younger, so I guess…"

"Why are you sorry? I feel like I have my own personal guide." The blush only deepened on his cheeks, which made his freckles look even sexier.

Distraction now!

Noticing a tall flat rock nearby, Katsuki pointed to the top. "How about we eat up there?"

"Perfect!" Freckles strode to the rock and began to climb up the side. "Let's eat with a view."

Katsuki scrambled up behind him and once they were settled, it felt like they were sitting on top of the world. They both took off their hats and enjoyed the cool breeze that was blowing across the ridge.

Leaning back and letting the sun soak into his body, Freckles munched on one of the cookies. "I bet Sero tore apart the kitchen looking for these today." He giggled and chewed.

"I hope he did," Katsuki grumbled.

"I'm surprised you tried to bribe him. Were you really that scared to go on the trail ride?" He took another bite and shaded his eyes looking over at him. "You did well, hell you even galloped!"

Sighing, Katsuki grabbed a cookie out of the bag and took a bite, deciding what to say. "It wasn't just the trail ride that had me worried." His green eyes grew wide, and his mouth formed a perfect circle as he let out a soft sound. Katsuki grunted to himself, that's what had him worried.

Freckles looked down at his cookie and crumbled the edge. "You're worried about me? I mean, us?"

"I am." Katsuki laughed bitterly. "Look, I… shouldn't…" This was his out, he needed to say something about his family, that night. Glancing at him sitting there, the words tangled up in his throat. "I… uh, I… I know I shouldn't be, but I guess I'm a little anxious. Sorry." Guilt hung heavy around his neck.

"Then I'm sorry too."

"You're sorry? Why?"

He propped himself up on his elbows and smiled at him. "Because I like hearing that you're nervous about us being alone together."

The lopsided grin was back and he looked so damn cute that all his thoughts evaporated. It was like he was a damn kid himself, all tongue-tied and starry eyed. What this man did to him… and usually on purpose. He could barely keep his footing half the time with him. "You really are a flirt," Katsuki laughed and ate the rest of his cookie. "Should we head back?"

"We have time, since I saw the cattle by the lake it's only about three hours once we get into the valley." Tipping his head back he continued enjoying the sun. "Is there anything you want to do?"

"I like this right now," Katsuki kicked off his boots and laid back, wiggling his toes. "I also liked the stuff you were telling me earlier."

"You did?" Freckles sounded surprised.

"I did, I was raised in the city, this is a completely different world to me."

"Then let's rest a bit and we'll see if we can find a horned toad."

Turning to look at him, Katsuki came up on one arm. "What the hell is a horny toad?"

"A what?" Opening his eyes, he squinted at him.

"You said we'd find a horny toad, what is that?"

Suddenly, Freckles burst out laughing and rolled onto his side. "That… oh shit!" Holding his stomach, he gasped for breath.

"Oi," Katsuki kicked him. "What's so funny. You said it."

Wiping his eyes, he tried to stop. "No… no I said horned toad." He was laughing so hard, he'd squeezed into a little ball. "S… S… S… Sorry." the word hissed through his teeth. "All I can imagine is some toad that's super horny chasing after all the other toads."

Smiling, Katsuki enjoyed watching him laugh. "Horned toad, okay." Laying back down, he closed his eyes and listened to Freckles break out into laughter every few seconds.

They'd made good time coming down from the ridge, even with several detours looking at the various plants and animals. Freckles had managed to find a horned toad, but the damage was done, he'd started cracking horny toad jokes the entire way down. Since they still had a few hours of light, they decided to ride into the valley and camp next to the lake.

Saddling Bombshell, Katsuki was confused why it would be difficult to get a herd of cattle into the ridge. Although the trail had been tight and a bit rocky, it was manageable as far as he could tell. Plus, the area was beautiful and only a few hours away, maybe further than the aquifer, but according to the others, only by an hour or so.

Riding behind Freckles along the cliff wall, he saw a small opening ahead, more like a crack in the rock. After a few more minutes, he realized they were heading straight for it. He slowed Bombshell.

Freckles spun around in the saddle hearing him slow down. "Kacchan?"

He immediately knew from the worried look on his face that they were going into that tiny crevice. "Are you fucking kidding me?" He stopped his horse.

Thinning his lips, he hung his head a bit. "This is how we get inside."

"There's no other fucking way?" He peered over his shoulder, but the cliff wall was solid as far as he could see.

"This is the northern entrance."

Katsuki stared at the opening. Was it him or did it look smaller? "Entrance?" He clicked his tongue. "How the fuck do you even get in there?"

"The horses fit, although it's tight." He started to guide Medusa towards the opening.

Snorting, Katsuki just gaped unbelievingly at the crack in the massive cliff face. This was lunacy, his mind was trying to find any other way in, hell, he'd hang glide in at this point. "You said this is the Northern entrance, is there another one?"

"The Southern entrance is another two hours away and we use it as an exit. It's a sloped riverbed and tends to get slippery. Better to go out and up, rather than down and in… sorry." He murmured. "I didn't want to say anything because…"

"Because I would've said no! Dammit." Katsuki snapped and looked up at the brilliant blue sky. So much for their nice fucking day.

"Bombshell's done it before, he'll know what to do, just be sure to lift your legs when it gets tight."

"Lift my fucking what?" His chest felt like it was caving in on itself. Freckles pulled his feet out of the stirrups and looped them on the saddle.

"Like this, otherwise they scrape on the wall in certain places."

Trying not to hyperventilate, Katsuki looked between him and the opening. He wasn't kidding, he was serious as shit. "Fine." Somehow the word came out naturally without the hint of the pure fear hammering into his skull. "But next time you have to tell me the truth," he clucked to Bombshell reluctantly. "No more hiding this crap from me."

"O-Okay," Freckles nodded and urged Medusa forward. "Just follow me and do what I do." He glanced back at him. "I won't hide anything from you after we get back, I promise Kacchan." With those words he entered the opening.

Going in behind him, Katsuki's heart was pounding so hard he could swear it was echoing inside the tight space. The sheer walls towered on either side of him and were close enough that if he held out his arms, his fingers would touch both sides. He could even feel the tension coming from Bombshell, who was firecracker proof, according to everyone.

"We have to be careful in spring because of flash floods," Freckles pointed to the silt on the ground. "That storm from a month ago probably went as high as Medusa's back through here."

That didn't help. Never one to like tight spaces, the memory of his prison cell came back in a flash. His skin grew hot and itchy, like he had a rash breaking out over his body. He had to suppress the urge to jump down and run back. Of course, he realized as the walls narrowed and he hooked his legs on the saddle, he'd have to escape over the ass end to get off the damned horse.

When they'd finally come through the other side, they emerged in a hollowed-out rock that looked strangely like a concrete pool, a few meters of water still sitting at the bottom. They stopped there and gave the horses some time to relax before they headed out again. The ride from there was easy and they arrived at the lake with some time to spare before it got dark.

"I'll take care of the horses," Freckles took the reins from him. "Collect firewood and some stones to make a campfire." Leading the horses to a grassy spot, he began to untack them.

Wandering away from the area they'd chosen to camp, Katsuki pulled out his phone to take a few photos. His signal was completely dead. Looking around he was mesmerized by the sheer natural beauty. The lake shimmered in the growing twilight as a cacophony of squawking birds became deafening. He wasn't even sure if that was all he was hearing, for all he knew a bear could be a part of the noise. Snapping a few more photos of the lake, he nervously glanced into the thick trees.

What did a bear sound like? He had no fucking clue.

Freckles was over on the other side messing with the horses, not noticing or even caring. Did he know what a bear sounded like? Gathering wood, he started moving back to the camp, pausing every few seconds to listen for any bear-like noises. After getting what seemed like enough stuff to make a campfire, he sat down and started to put the wood in the middle of his stone ring.

"That's… um, one way to do it." Freckles set down the last of the gear and squatted across from him. "You found some good pieces."

"Freckles." He laughed sarcastically. "You don't have to be nice. I have no fucking clue what I'm doing."

Smiling, he relaxed, "okay, I guess I'd be the same way if I was lying under a car with you trying to change the… uh…um…" he laughed, "see I don't even know what to say."

"The oil?"

"Okay," Freckles grinned. "I'll teach you this and I want to learn how to change the oil on my truck."

His smile was blinding even in the soft light and Katsuki felt practically lightheaded from its brilliance. "It's a good thing to know." He stared stupidly at him, trying to remember this was only for tonight.

"It is, and knowing how to build a fire is important too, especially since we camp out a lot." Freckles spent the next ten minutes showing him how to build a tiny teepee of twigs and get it lit with his fire starter. Once it began to burn, he slowly added the larger pieces.

"What's this?" Katsuki inspected the fire starter closely. It was a rainbow-colored waxy lint and smelled oddly of his elementary school classroom.

"Kiri's campfire starter, it's foolproof. He gets old crayons from the library and melts them down. Then he pours the wax over some dryer lint. He cuts it into chunks and stuffs it into these tins.

"That's pretty brilliant." He squeezed the colorful waxy stuff, "now I know why I thought I was back in first grade from the smell."

"Now that the fire is going, what's for dinner?"

"Oh," Katsuki pointed to the lake. "Sero said we fish for our food."

His face went slack and his jaw fell open. "He did?!"

Grabbing his bag, Katsuki chuckled and started unloading the food he'd prepped. "He did, but I didn't believe him since you didn't say anything about fishing poles."

"K-Kacchan! Don't tease me like that," Freckles sat back on his bedroll. "All I could think of was thank goodness you brought cookies." Picking up one of the plastic bags he'd set down, he shook it. "What's this? It looks like, uh," he brought it closer to his face. "Noodles and… peanuts?"

"Well," Katsuki poured the water he'd been heating up into a pot. "Some of the suggestions Kiri and Sero gave me sounded," he frowned, "disgusting. So, I looked up some ideas and came up with these." He pulled out another bag.

"What is it?"

"That one is Thai curry noodles, and this one is pesto pasta."

"Kacchan," he rolled his eyes, "I'm not falling for another joke." He shook the bag, "seriously, what is this?"

"Give it to me," Katsuki swiped it playfully out of his hands and opened it. Slowly adding the contents to the boiling water, he began to stir. The aroma of curry flooded their tiny encampment.

"Is it really curry?" He gasped and leaned over the pot watching as the water began to hydrate the food. "What's that?" He pointed to the only green vegetable in the dish.

"It's Thai chicken curry."

"No, I mean that," he flicked the small green vegetable.

"Oi, a green onion, now get your fingers out of the food." Slapping his hand, Katsuki added more water. Letting everything soak for a few minutes he began to divide the food up on their plates under his curious gaze. "Yours," he pushed his plate at him.

"It smells amazing," he sounded skeptical. Running his fork through the food, his stomach growled loudly but he still didn't eat. "I see chicken…"

"It isn't poisoned," Katsuki muttered as he took a big bite.

"I - I didn't think so," he managed to scoop up the least amount of food as possible and set it tentatively onto his tongue. Katsuki chuckled at the pained expression on his face. Frowning, he chewed, then his eyes went wide, and he quickly pierced a piece of chicken, popping it into his mouth. "Ohhh, this is really good!" Stirring the food, he held up the bowl, "this tastes like something I'd order at a restaurant."

"I hope so," Katsuki grunted in satisfaction. He'd noticed Freckles was a bit of a picky eater and tended towards sweeter foods. It made him happy to see him gobbling up the curry. Poking at the fire he made a pocket of coals and pulled out two tinfoil packets, carefully putting them inside the heat.

"What's that?"

"More food," he didn't want to spoil his surprise.

Picking up the other bag, he shook the dried food. "How did you make this?"

"With your dehydrator."

Freckles blinked. "I have a dehydrator?"

"Someone did, it was in the laundry room tucked into one of the cabinets. I used it on the vegetables and meat, then added the spices and other stuff."

"OH!" He laughed, "that was my mom's failed beef jerky experiment."

"Failed?" Pulling out a tin mug, he shook out a tea bag and added some hot water.

"Yeah, she had this idea that she could sell our meat as jerky but for some reason it never came out right." Katsuki set his mug and two plastic packets by his bedroll. Freckles picked up one of the packets.

"Honey, for your tea."

He turned it over so he could see the yellow label with a bee on the front. "Where did you get this?"

"I had Sero grab them for me from the diner last time he went to town."

"But we just planned this overnight, how did you know? I mean… tea and honey. It's my favorite." Ripping the package open he squirted it into his mug. "I feel so spoiled."

"I didn't know," Katsuki shrugged but he could see he was awestruck. It was that look on his face that made him want to punch the two-toned prick out of existence. How could something so simple as a packet of honey be seen as a grand gesture? "I figured that you would do overnights at some point based on our conversations, so I'd begun preparing."

Stirring in both packets of honey, Freckles sipped the hot tea and settled onto his bedroll. "Thanks, Kacchan."

Looking up, Katsuki realized the sky had grown dark and the stars now shone across the night sky. There were so many it looked like someone had splattered white paint over a dark canvas. "It's amazing."

Following his gaze, he nodded, "this is my favorite part of coming out here. The ranch has great stars too, but when you're inside a house, you don't really look at them."

"That's Orion's belt there, right?"

"Yep, and the North Star and big dipper," Freckles craned his neck looking for more stars. "Mr. Aizawa used to point out all the constellations to me, but I've forgotten."

"Mr. Aizawa? You mean my parole officer?"

"Yeah," he sipped his tea and looked across the campfire at him. The darkness had sunk in around them and now the warm ring of yellow lit up their little area. Amazingly he could still see his beautiful green eyes. They seemed softer in the firelight, almost delicate, maybe because he was thinking about some memory. "My mom, Enji Todoroki and Aizawa were best friends growing up. When I was young, they would come out and hike the ridge. Sometimes they would drag us with them."

"Us? Shouto too?"

Freckles shook his head and grimaced slightly. "No…" he stopped for a beat and then continued. "I always wanted Enji to bring Shouto, but he would bring his older son, Natsuo."

"Is he a jerk too?"

Tipping his head, Freckles stared up at the stars again. "Not a jerk, but he's really… selfish."

"Sounds just like his brother. I guess they're a pair."

"You know for all he's done to me, Shouto is actually very unselfish." Katsuki snorted and spread his hands out enjoying the heat of the fire. "Look…" Freckles let out a long breath. "It's hard to know someone I loved turned out to be such an ass, but strangely he really does want people to rely on him and be helpful. His problem is, that when he does help, he does it the way he wants and disregards your own feelings." He tapped on his metal mug with his finger. "Like the marriage, I think he knew how much our parents wanted to join forces. If he'd been selfish, he could've just said no, like Natsuo and Fuyumi, and moved on. I'm sure our parents would have figured something else out."

"Fuyumi?"

"His older sister."

"Three of them?"

"Four, his oldest brother died in a freak accident. He and Shouto were ground training a new racehorse when it got stung by a bee. The horse went nuts and began kicking and bucking. Shouto was standing to the side when it kicked out. His brother threw himself between them and the horse's hoof smashed into his face, killing him instantly, but because of that… " he stared into the fire. "It only grazed Shouto. You can't see it anymore because of the surgeries, but he has a scar that loops around his eye."

"Oh, shit…" Katsuki set down his coffee. "How old was he?"

"His brother was in college, so Shouto would've been about ten. He was devastated. They were super close, not like the other two. Considering he almost lost his eye, he was in the hospital for a while and I remember when he did finally come back," Freckles frowned. "I think that's when he changed."

"Changed?"

"Yeah, he'd always been reserved but he was happy, especially around his brother, he looked up to him for everything. After that, he kind of shut himself off from everyone. I think that's when I started to really like him, I thought that if we could be closer, he'd have a friend."

"Huh, making me feel sorry for that shit," Katsuki twisted his lips, "not something I like."

"Imagine me," he laughed harshly. "My brain is so twisted up with these good memories of him and then… knowing what he did to Shin and our ranch." Setting down his mug, he folded and unfolded his hands. Katsuki could see his eyes were bright with unshed tears. "He's taking away everything I know," he whispered.

Katsuki's heart wrenched at seeing his face. He looked so lost. Since distractions worked for him in his worst moments, he figured it might work for him too. Grabbing his sleeping bag, he held it up. "Freckles?"

"Mmmm."

"May I have permission to put my bedroll next to yours tonight?" The words were out before he'd thought twice.

The question plucked him from his thoughts. "Sleep? P - Permission?"

"If that's okay?" He sucked in a breath half-thinking he'd say no and really wanting him to say yes.

"I..I mean… sure… yeah. If you don't get cold."

"I never get cold." He smiled, feeling relieved and annoyed at himself at the same time.

"Oh…"

"First though, it's time for dessert I think."

"Dessert?"

Katsuki laughed, he looked like he was still processing the sleeping arrangements. Picking up the long stick he found earlier, he pulled the two packets of tinfoil out of the coals. Moving fast, he dumped them on his plate and began to unwrap them. The metal foil was so hot, he kept jerking his hands and hissing as he pried them open.

"What is that?" He sniffed the air as Katsuki spooned the surprise into his bowl.

"It's, uh, chocolate cherry trail cake." He could feel the blush rush to his ears as he handed it to him.

Smelling the cake, Freckles took an experimental bite and immediately tipped his head back, his eyes fluttering as he moaned. "Oh, Kacchan this is soooo good."

"Better than the cookies?"

"Way better! I love chocolate!"

"I know."

Licking the spoon, he groaned softly. "Are you trying to get me to like you with food?"

"Not intentionally," Katsuki smirked and took a bite from his own cake. It had turned out perfectly, the warm gooeyness was delicious

"Well…" Freckle's voice dropped low, "it's working." He stuffed the warm cake into his mouth and smiled at him.

Katsuki grunted as his heart pumped blood straight into his dick. Shit. Focusing on the dessert instead, he ate, watching as the fire flitted and danced over the wood. Small sparks drifted upwards with the smoke.

"That was really good," Freckles yawned and stood. "You cooked, so I'll do the dishes." Pouring hot water into their mess kits, he scrubbed everything and rinsed them. Since it was a one-man job, Katsuki picked up his bedroll and laid it out right behind his sleeping bag. Freckles was peeking at him the entire time.

"You said it was okay, right?" He just nodded and stacked the clean dishes. "Do we put out the fire when you're done?"

"N-No.. we let it burn." Sinking onto his bedroll, he jerked off his boots and climbed into his bag. Tucking his blanket up to his chin, he laid there, his body stiff as a board, staring straight up at the sky.

Katsuki looked around trying to figure out what to do next, Freckles had just jumped into bed which seemed a bit odd. His clothes had to be dirty from their day. "Do I take off my pants?"

"Oh, yeah." Freckles blushed fiercely. "I kinda missed a few steps." Crawling back out he poured what was left of the hot water into their cups. "I use this to wash up and brush my teeth. Usually, I like to sleep in my clean clothes, that way in the morning when it's cold, you're nice and warm. Otherwise," he handed him one of the cups, "putting on cold jeans in the morning is torture." Pulling out a cloth, he sat down and started washing his face.

Taking off his shirt Katsuki could tell Freckles was covertly watching him using the cloth as a shield. Slowing down, he peeled off his jeans and then looked directly at him. "Are you peeking?"

"No!" Horrified at being caught, he spun around and laid his cloth on one of the rocks to dry. "Well," he looked over his shoulder, an impish smile on his face. "I guess I was."

Katsuki threw back his head and laughed, Freckles could turn from shy to seductive in less than half a second. "It's okay, I peeked at the hotel." he admitted as he wobbled on one leg and pulled on his clean jeans, almost falling over.

"You did?" He turned slowly to openly watch him now that there was no need to hide.

"I did, I remember thinking you had a nice body." Reaching out he touched the tan line on his arm. "I wondered what you did for a living to stay in such good shape."

"I never saw you."

"I guess we're even then." He popped his head through his shirt.

"I only remember when you, um…" Freckles began to undress. "When you carried me on the beach, I thought you had a really muscular body."

Grimacing Katsuki pinched his waist, "not so much anymore. My workout routine changed pretty dramatically."

"I don't know," Freckles sized him up. "I think you look pretty fantastic, at least from what I can see."

Dropping down onto his side next to him, Katsuki leaned on his elbow. He liked this conversation. "Really?" Even in the low light he could tell he was blushing.

"Kacchan."

"Freckles."

"Are you cold?"

"I am, I suppose I should get in my bag."

"Wait," he leaned back his elbows. "I really liked the way we fell asleep at the hotel. Would you?" He blushed even redder. "Would that be okay again?"

"Yeah, I liked that too," Katsuki whispered and moving closer, leaned his face into his chest. He could hear his heart slamming widely against his rib cage.

"Stay like this… until you get too cold." His fingers worked their way up into his hair.

"That feels good." Katsuki almost moaned out loud, he hadn't realized how desperate he was for his touch.

"I… I never thought that this could exist in my life."

"What?"

"This… being with someone who wanted to make you happy. To be that important to them."

Inhaling sharply, Katsuki just held him. Freckles pressed his body as close as possible into him, his legs pushing into his groin. Katsuki's dick woke up immediately looking for attention. He jerked his hips back. "Oi, I'll do this but keep your body still or…." He snapped his mouth shut on the next words.

"Or what?" Freckles stopped moving but his fingers continued working through his hair.

"Just… stay on your side of the bedroll."

Giggling softly, Freckles sighed and continued to play with his hair. "Sorry if that was too much."

Katsuki just grunted.

"If I haven't said it yet, thanks."

"For what?"

"I know that the ride wasn't easy for you. I just... I really needed some time away. Processing everything has been really hard." Freckles grew quiet and his hand began to slow down. "I'm still in shock, I guess. I just don't understand why… I mean… I thought he wanted me."

"I can imagine." Katsuki wanted to crawl into the bag with him, he sounded so brokenhearted.

"I really did love him." His voice was thick. He could hear him suck in a few sharp breaths as he began to cry. "It.. It hurts so much."

"Ah Freckles," Katsuki hugged him tightly, feeling his chest convulse as he sobbed.

"I never… ever want to go through something like that again." He hissed. "I feel so stupid."

Katsuki sighed. "You didn't know." He sniffled, but didn't say anything. Rubbing his back, he tried to soothe him. "You were a kid, plus falling in love is one of those things you don't always get to choose."

"Right…" he laughed and wiped his face. "I should be banned from ever choosing again."

"Don't say that." Katsuki murmured.

"I guess I shouldn't," Freckles pulled back so he could see him. His face was streaked with tears. "Sounds kinda mean considering I'm crying in your arms."

"Well…" Katsuki stammered.

"It's okay, Kacchan," he smiled. "I can tell, you're different. If… if we ever..." He shrugged and blushed.

The impact of his words hit him, and his entire body strained at the thought of this man being his, that he would ever be able to deserve him. His brain seized up. I was impossible and he knew it. "Ever, what?" He switched to teasing. "If I ever managed to teach you how to change your oil?" Freckles paused for a moment and then burst out laughing. Feeling like they were in safer territory, Katsuki smiled at him. "Whoever you choose will be a lucky bastard and I'm just really glad I've-"

"Kacchan," he scolded lightly.

"Freckles?" He countered, his heart was now matching his, beat for beat.

"Don't…" his face softened.

Fuck. He wanted to kiss him so fucking badly but his damn dick wasn't going to let him stop this time. "I won't, don't worry." He pressed his forehead into his chest.

His hand stilled. "Wait, that - that's not what I meant."

"Are you done crying?" He didn't dare look at him, he knew he was a fucking coward changing the topic.

"I suppose," he groused, clearly disappointed. He settled back down on his pillow. "Sorry but I'm a bit of a crier."

"That's okay." After a few minutes of him sniffling softly, Katsuki lifted his head. He was staring back up at the stars. "Feel better?"

"No," he sighed. "I'm not sure I'll ever get over the betrayal." He was still playing with his hair. "You said something like that happened to you?"

"Kind of." Katsuki didn't want to think about the past. Here under the starlight, he only wanted to think about this moment. Freckles yawned, his fingers slowing, and he saw his eyes droop. The crying must've zapped him of his strength. "Are you tired?"

"No," but the word was slightly slurred. Waiting a while longer, he saw his eyes finally close.

"Okay," leaning over he kissed his cheek feeling his lashes fan against his skin. "Goodnight, Freckles." Unwrapping himself from around him, he slid into his bag.

"Goodnight." He heaved a sad sigh.

Feeling guilty, Katsuki managed to inch his sleeping bag over so he could pull him back into his arms and risked a few small kisses on his forehead and cheek. Finally, he laid down into the crook of his shoulder and listened to the sounds of the night around them.

"Hey Kacchan?"

"Mmmm."

"Do you know what the difference is between a regular toad and a horny toad?"

Katsuki jerked his head up and groaned.

Freckles giggled. "A regular toad says ribbit ribbit, but a horny toad says rubbit rubbit." He broke out into laughter, and curled up into a ball, pushing back into his body. Katsuki groaned louder as he moved up against his very awake lower region, but this time he didn't say anything. He'd endure anything at this point as long as he could hold him.

"Here, I packed you a rope too." He held out the giant lasso looped in his hand. Kacchan didn't budge, hands resting on his saddle horn, he glared at him. Laughing, Izuku felt guilty, but he really did love watching him pout. He'd woken this morning feeling better, like his tears had cleansed the wounds that had been festering and… sleeping in the arms of the man across from him had been the balm after the tears, although he would have preferred more kissing. He'd decided Kacchan deserved some teasing for abandoning his lips last night. Laughing harder at his scowling face, Izuku tipped his head encouragingly. "It's only ten head, I can do this by myself! You just lead the way out and if I need help, you can use the rope to slap them on the butt and get them going."

"Slap them on the butt?" He snarled sarcastically, eyeing the rope. "There's only one ass that needs to be slapped right now and that's yours!"

"Kacchan," giggling softly, Izuku bit his lip. "C'mon now, why do you think we came?"

"I heard, 'check' on the herd, not 'bring home' the herd."

"I didn't want to scare you, I figured once we were here, you'd be okay."

"What happened to that damn promise yesterday?" Mimicking his voice comically, he batted his eyelashes. "Oh Kacchan, I'll be honest about everything from now on."

"I don't sound like that," Izuku huffed. "And… if you recall, I specifically said, after we get back to the ranch." He wiggled his brows in triumph. "You just need to listen better." Kacchan rolled his eyes and growled. "C'mon," he lifted the rope again. "It's easy."

"Easy?" Kacchan shook his head, "when we get home Freckles, you're spending a day in my world. Let's see how easy it is for you to put your engine back together once I dismantle the damn thing."

"Are you going to take the rope?"

He didn't say anything. Pulling his hat low on his head, he gave him that lazy smile. "I wanna present."

Sucking in a quick breath, Izuku laughed, this man knew exactly what he did to him and used it like the damn weapon it was. "You can have the rope when we're finished."

"A rope?" He laughed, "I think you can do better than that."

"It will complete your 'devilishly handsome cowboy' look, Kacchan," he shook the lasso.

Clicking his tongue, he dismounted his horse. Hanging his hat on the saddle horn, he sauntered over to him and patted his leg.

"You didn't have to get off, I can hand it-." He reached up and yanked him out of the saddle. Dropping the rope, Izuku yelped. "Wait!"

"You're coming off with or without the saddle."

"Stop! Wait!" Managing to shake his feet out of the stirrups, Izuku flailed as he fell into his body. Kacchan grabbed the hat off his head and tossed it onto the saddle horn. Squirming, Izuku tried to get out of his arms. "What the hell-" Then his mouth was on him, cutting off his words. His tongue slid along his lip as he sputtered and his hand cupped his ass, squeezing hard as his thigh jammed high between his legs, pushing into his groin. Izuku tried to balance on his tip toes as he lifted him off his feet and into Medusa's side, the kiss deepened as his tongue slipped into his mouth.

Heat.

His whole mouth was filled with his heat, his hard body was pressed from his thighs to his chest. Sucking in air through his nose, Izuku tried to get a breath as he stole it from him. His other hand slid under his shirt and ran up his stomach to his chest. Chills flared over his entire body from the touch of his calloused palm. He felt like Kacchan was inhaling him into his body. Then he softened slightly, gentling his kiss, nipping at his lips. His hand found his nipple and he pinched while palming his ass at the same time. Then as fast as he'd kissed him, he stopped, a cocky grin on his face as he pulled away. He set him back down on the ground and squeezed his butt one more time. Reaching up he grabbed his hat and pushed it back on his head.

"Now, that was a present," he smirked.

"It… it was." Izuku felt a deep aching in the pit of his stomach, desire whipped through him as his heart tried to burst out of his chest. He couldn't tear himself away from his hungry gaze that was burning so hot, he was sure he'd melt right there at his feet. This wasn't like his stupid chaste kisses from the night before. "Why… why didn't you kiss me like that… before?" Izuku knew he sounded completely breathless.

Taking the lasso, Kacchan turned and walked back to his horse. He put his hat on his head and carefully mounted his horse. Settling down in the saddle, he glanced over at him and gave him another wide cocky grin. "Freckles, if I'd kissed you like that last night…" he gave him a knowing look, "you wouldn't have been able to ride out of here today."

Izuku let out a strangled sound as the meaning hit home.

Laughing at his reaction, Kacchan tested the weight of the stiff rope. "You're right, though, I do think this completes my look." Reining Bombshell, he started jogging towards the small herd. Stopping, he spun around, "not sure what the hell I'm doing though," he moved the rope around trying to mimic Kiri. "So I could use a little help when you come back down to earth." Clicking his tongue, he trotted off.

Catching his breath Izuku watched him try to round up the cattle, except they all went different directions. He hollered and whooped like an idiot but, damn, if he didn't look fucking good doing it. Jumping onto Medusa, he shifted in his saddle a bit uncomfortably.

That kiss.

"You coming?" Kacchan called to him, his voice still teasing.

"Yeah." Izuku clucked to his horse. That damned kiss. "You figure out how to use that rope yet?" He teased watching Kacchan swing the rope uselessly over his head.

"Nope." He smiled and tipped his hat. "But green-haired freckled faced men? Those I can rope up anytime."

Fuck. It was going to be a long ride home.

"Let's start framing this side here," Sero pointed to where he was holding the crossbeam. "Shin, help me with this while Kiri hammers it to the frame."

"I'll hammer it," Shin darted to the pile of tools to grab the hammer.

"NO!" both Kiri and Sero yelled at the same time.

"What? I'm good at it though," he swung the hammer through the air.

"Shin, you're downright shitty at hammering nails." Kiri swatted his butt as he walked by, "now come hold this so I can start."

Sulking, Shin followed him and heldthe crossbeam and watched as he quickly hammered in several nails. "I could do that."

"Shin," Kiri smiled at him sweetly. "You can't hit the side of the barn when you swing this thing."

"I can too, I was just sore that day. You made me carry all the bales of hay!"

"Enough, you two," Sero snapped. The two of them had been bickering all morning. He was glad Shin was feeling better, but he'd forgotten that meant they pestered each other nonstop.

"Sero," Kiri slammed in the last nail. "Would you like Shin to work on the next beam?"

"Seriously?" He grabbed the hammer from him. "I'll do it."

Luna sat up from her place in the sun and barked. Tail wagging, she jumped up and started running down into the south pasture.

"They must be back," Sero finished with the last of the nails.

"I wonder how it went with the cattle," Shin snickered. Kiri and Sero both smiled. "I would've loved to see his reaction when he found out he had to drive the herd back."

"Iz could do that easily."

"Still," Shin elbowed him, "he must've been panicking, especially coming up through the south pass."

"Do you think Iz took him through the north pass on the way there?"

"He had to, only good way in but," Kiri chuckled, "I bet our blonde chef grumbled the whole way through."

Sero pulled a tarp over the lumber. "Come on, let's go meet them and help them get unpacked."

"Unpacked, my ass." Shin quipped, "you just want their leftover cookies.

"I do," Sero laughed. "I'm going through sugar withdrawals!"

Leaving the cattle in the south pasture, they rode up the road just as Luna came racing down the hill. Her tail wagging so hard she was having trouble running in a straight line.

"Hey girl!" Izuku dismounted and waited as she zigzagged between his legs, rubbing her body all over him.

"She missed you," Kacchan chuckled as she finally rubbed so hard, she pushed him backwards on his butt. Her tongue found his face instantly.

"UGH! Luna!" He laughed trying to get away from the dog slobber.

"Hey Luna, wanna cookie?" Kacchan reached into the pack and pulled one of the pieces that was left. Luna looked at the food, clearly distraught that she had to choose. Food finally won. Trotting up to Bombshell, she sat with her tongue hanging out, waiting patiently.

Izuku leapt up on his horse as soon as she turned her back on him and gathered up his reins, laughing as she snatched a cookie from midair. She licked her nose and looked up hoping for more.

"Sorry girl, that's all you get. I don't think these are very good for you."

"They aren't but thanks for the rescue, I thought I was getting mugged," Izuku wiped his face off with his bandana. "Just don't tell doc that you fed her human food."

"Doc?"

"The valley vet, she takes care of most of the animals around here. Luna is a particular favorite of hers and has her on a regimented diet."

"I'll be sure to hide any evidence if she comes around." Riding up the road, they could see Sero's truck parked by the calving barn

"Looks like the guys are building the extension." Izuku was glad they were getting everything done so quickly.

"Animals, buildings… is there anything they can't do?"

"Sero was in construction before he came here, he was doing an apprenticeship. He'd been raised on a farm like the others so had ranch experience." Kacchan grew quiet. Izuku realized his words.

Before he came here.

Each of them had served time as young men, he knew it was hard to think of their prior life and what had driven them to lose their freedom. Sero joked about it a little bit but the others usually never said a word. "I guess we lucked out being able to hire people with such diverse backgrounds."

Chewing on his lip, he grunted, "I guess you were."

"Hey Bossman!" Sero called as the three of them came up the incline from the barn.

"How'd it go?" Shin giggled.

"It went great." Kacchan replied blandly. "I'm guessing you all knew about this?" He thumbed over his shoulder at the herd in the pasture. Shin broke out in a fit of laughter.

"He did really well," Izuku beamed proudly. "He even got one that darted ahead of him into the bushes." He didn't mention that Bombshell had done most of the work, but Kacchan had to guide the steer out and back on the trail.

"Wow, a real cowboy," Sero pointed to the rope on his saddle. "You sure are looking the part, Katsuki."

A sudden cacophony of dings sounded from Izuku's pack. "My phone! We must be in cell range." Unzipping his bag, he groped around and pulled it out. Opening the screen, he noticed a missed call from Mr. Aizawa, most likely Kacchan's parole check-in. Scrolling down further he gasped, all the color draining from his face. "It's Asui," he breathed out slowly.

"The loan?"

"I guess we'll find out."

Taking a deep breath Izuku called her, the operator answered after a few rings. "Hello, can I speak to Miss Asui?" He gripped the phone tight. The line rang again and this time he heard her voice. "Hi Tsuyu, it's Izuku, calling you back."

"Mr. Midoriya! Hello, thank you for calling back."

"Sorry it wasn't sooner, I've been out on the trail and just got home."

"Well," she hesitated. "I'm calling about your loan. I have good news and not good news."

Glancing at Kacchan, Izuku closed his eyes, "what's the bad news?"

"Oh shit." He heard Shin and Sero whisper together.

"Well," she sighed, "it goes all together. So, the good news is the bank approved your loan-"

"They did!" He snapped his eyes open.

"Wait," she stopped him, "but only for half the amount."

"Half?" Izuku gave a thumbs up to the guys but cocked it sideways.

"What's that mean?" Shin held up his thumb to copy him.

"Sounds like he got half the amount," Kiri put his arm over Shin's shoulders.

"Okay, thanks Asui. I really appreciate all your help." Sighing heavily, Izuku hung up.

"Half?"

"Yep," Izuku looked up at the sky trying to decide what to do next. "Half the amount I requested, which was padded."

"That's not bad."

"It isn't," Izuku laughed lightly, tears springing in his eyes. "I really thought Shouto would block it." He sniffled, wiping his eyes.

"Puts you a lot closer to getting it paid off," Kacchan moved Bombshell closer to Medusa and laid a hand on his leg. "You okay?"

"I am," Izuku let out another soft laugh. "I'd accepted that there was no way I could get the money, but… I still have to convince my mom to sign the paperwork."

"Do you think she will?"

"After everything? I hope so," Izuku murmured. "If I can show her this money really gets us within reach."

"Tell her that with my nest egg and that purse money, you'll be even closer," Shin grinned wide. Izuku nodded, everyone looked as relieved as he felt. It was nice to see a silver lining in this mess.

"If you win, Shin," Sero patted his head.

"If?" He pouted, "don't you believe in me?"

"I do, but you're going against a horse that's been training for a year and is just as fast. You could lose."

Sticking out his tongue, Shin slapped the brim of his hat down over his face. "Sero, you're such a wet rag." He groused and started walking up the road ahead of them.

Chuckling Kiri shook his head, "you know better than to question him."

"I suppose." Sero shoved his hands in his pockets as they trailed behind him towards the barn.

"Well, I need to get cleaned up and go sign the documents at the bank."

"Uh, Iz."

"Yeah Kiri?"

"Um, I don't want to sound like a jerk, but if we did invest in the ranch, what would you offer?"

"Offer?"

"You know I have money and I'm feeling like shit not saying I'd help you like Shin, but..."

"Oh! No! Kiri, don't! You've been wanting your own ranch for a long time."

"I have, but it seems like every year prices go up a lot faster than my savings. Also…" he paused for a beat, "if there is some way to help you keep the ranch, I think Shin would be happier."

"Shin… happier?"

"Oh, you missed the confession of love between these two," Sero choked out, pounding Kiri's back. "It's probably one of the topmost romantic moments of my life." He slung his arm over his shoulders. "I think E would hand over every penny to keep his man smiling." Kiri blushed and shrugged.

"Love confession?" Izuku could see Kiri wasn't going to respond to that question, he'd have to ask Sero later. "Well, I'd have to think about that Kiri. The Fumikage family did something with their employees, it's a joint ownership ranch, maybe I can call them and ask who set that up and get details. Are you sure though?"

Walking stiffly, Kiri didn't look up at him. "I'm not sure, but if I have enough to get you over the finish line, I'd be willing to help with the right terms."

"Okay, I have all the books pulled together because of the loan, do you want to go over them tonight?"

"Really," Kiri popped his head up, "you'd show us everything?"

"If you're talking about investing in this ranch, I think that's only fair." Stopping the horses at the barn. Izuku began to dismount.

"I'll help Katsuki unpack!" Sero began unlacing the straps of his bags.

"We ate all the cookies."

"Shit," grumbling he pulled down the saddle bags.

"What's this Iz?" Kiri noticed the large bag hanging off Medusa's side.

"That's trash!" He fumed, opening the bag. "Look at all this shit, someone made a camp outside the southern entrance and left a huge mess! I mean, I don't mind people hiking the ridge but even the uni students were better than this."

"Looks like a bunch of junk food," Sero pulled out an empty box. "What's a Mallomar?"

"Mallomars?" Kacchan turned, stretching out his back. "My dad loved those things, I didn't think they made them anymore."

"Tenya used to eat those all the time." Shin pulled the box out of his hand. "I think he bought every single one in existence."

"Tenya?" Izuku frowned. "Hell, he hasn't been around in forever."

Shin's face flared a bright red. "Uh yeah," Kiri coughed and ripped the box from his hand and shoved it back into the bag. "We can catch up on that later."

"Catch up on what?"

"Maybe we should add the ridge to our patrol?" Sero jumped in quickly.

Izuku eyed them all suspiciously. They were acting strange, which wasn't saying much, but stranger than usual. He was just too damn tired to deal with whatever drama was going on. "No," he sighed. "The aquifer is more important and if it's just stupid campers that's fine. When we take the cattle back in spring, we can make sure they haven't done anything else."

"You should report it to the authorities either way," Kacchan slung his new rope and backpack on his shoulder. "That way there's a record if something does happen or if they get hurt."

"Hurt?"

"Some kids used to mess around behind my dad's auto shop. He never reported them or told them they were trespassing. Then one of them fell into some rusty equipment and got hurt. It ended up costing him a ton on his insurance because they said he was negligent for not having a better fence."

"That's not fair."

"I agree, but he still had to pay. At least report the incident. You took pictures of the trash and campsite, so you have proof. Maybe don't throw that all away in case they want to see it themselves."

"Good thinking Katsuki," Sero agreed. "My foreman used to have to rent huge fences to keep people out of our construction sites, it's amazing how stupid people can be sometimes."

"Okay," Izuku gathered up his bags feeling the familiar depression creeping in on him. "I guess I'm really home."

"We are," Kacchan gave him a sad smile. "Aren't we?"

"If it's okay, can you guys take care of the horses? We're tired and dirty."

"You got it Bossman."

Waving at them, he trudged out of the barn with Kacchan. "I had a nice time," he murmured quietly as they walked out of earshot of the others.

He just hunched over and grunted as he headed across the courtyard. Izuku stopped to watch him.

Shit.

This was the worst reality of it all, not being alone together. "Hey Kacchan?"

"Yeah?" He stopped and looked back at him.

"Next time," he could feel the heat crawling into his cheeks. "Ask me before you assume stuff."

"Huh?" He gave him a confused look.

"I think it would've been perfectly fine if one of us wasn't able to ride home this morning." Ducking his head back down, Izuku raced up the stairs, not daring to look back at him.

Running into his house, he collapsed on the couch and covered his face. After that kiss this morning, it'd been all he could think about. Kacchan as a lover… his stomach swirled so hard he felt like he was on a roller coaster.

A two-ton boulder couldn't have hit him any harder. Watching Freckles dash for his house after dropping that bomb took his breath away. Looking into the barn, Sero and Kiri were finishing up. All he wanted to do was run up after him and make good on his statement.

No. No. No.

Things were already fucked up enough. Freckles had already tempted him once today with those challenging green eyes and that wicked grin. He never could seem to control himself around him.

But… last night. His tears had been real and it had gutted him to hear that misery. His mind had been spinning on the entire ride home. He hadn't told him the truth, and now, how much more pain would he cause him? Katsuki dragged his hand through his hair, he knew that answer and it wasn't something he could inflict on anyone, especially someone as sweet as Freckles.

"I'm a damn fucking idiot," he hissed out as he walked across the courtyard. He'd rushed straight at him without even considering the consequences, but dammit, when he was around him, it was easy to forget his past… and what could happen. If there was a proverbial brake somewhere, he needed to slam both feet on it and fast. Clicking his tongue, he cursed his stupid self and the world for its shittyness.

Ahead of him he saw Shinsou come out of his cabin with a basket in his arms, the entire thing filled with stuff. "Is this a new thing? End of summer cleaning?"

Looking over the top that was loaded down with clothes, Shinsou kept walking. "I'm moving in with Kiri." Using his foot to push on the handle, he kicked open the door.

"Does he know that?" Katsuki laughed sarcastically as the door slammed shut. At least someone was happy.

TOL - These chapters are so damn long... I giggled over horny toads!

Our big blonde chef appears to have the touch even out on the trail BUT wtf... backpedaling? None of that... missed out on prime kissing time - well, his excuse is fr though I love that he got the rope and used it like crap... Then Izuku's little bomb drop there at the end.

Shin moving in with Kiri - and what will Kiri think of that?