Chapter Text
A week and a half after Scissorhands and his companions had busted into the Midoriya’s home, and they barely had anything to show for their search efforts.
Hiro had dug into all his contacts, had infiltrated dozens of bases, digging up all kinds of secrets and information, but nothing useful.
Hisashi had employed more… direct tactics. Throwing his massive weight around, threatening both allies and foes, and stirring up even the most reclusive sewer rats of the underworld. The only thing he discovered was a whispered name; a rumor murmured over drunk lips and under dim lighting with no ears around to overhear: The Pantheon.
Inko had been confined to a crutch up until a day or so ago and was antsy to get out of the house. She hadn’t been able to do much other than help plan and sort through information. Fieldwork had been off the table and that had been an enormous hit to their efforts, Inko’s specialty was more… creative means of extracting information.
Mitsuki and Masaru had been holed up in their apartment, scared stiff at the thought of being targeted due to their close proximity to the Midoriya’s. Mitsuki and Inko had known each other since they were children, but it seemed fear and panic drove a wedge between even the most closely-bonded of friends (adding Inko’s newfound disdain for Mitsuki’s parenting tactics and the mixture became even more putrid).
Katsuki had only been able to trail Hisashi and occasionally Hiro. His guilt was vanishing quickly in regard to death, and he wasn’t unsettled when the adults took their time asking questions. His quirk wasn’t suited for information gathering and he didn’t yet possess enough finesse to use it for torture. As practice, Hisashi had let him fumble through beginning attempts on people they were done questioning. They took longer to die every time and Hisashi ruffled his hair every time he improved.
Hisashi had assumed Izuku and Shouto had been taken to separate locations. Even if they hadn’t, it would be good to have as many people working on this as possible. Inko made a call—a house call—to visit Endeavor and persuade him into helping the cause. Of course, as shady a person as Endeavor was, he had plenty of connections with crooked cops and easily bribed detectives. Not only would he aid in searching for both kids, he was asked to have the situation with Katsuki accidentally killing an innocent swept under the rug without a fuss.
Unsurprisingly, Inko was convincing enough to get everything she wanted from the flame hero. He didn’t tell her what he did, but the body was gone, and the news never caught wind of the incident. It was like it had never happened. He also paid the damages caused to the apartment when the trio from Black Bullet had busted in out of the goodness of his heart.
Despite everyone searching, seeking, and scouring every crack in the pavement of old forgotten alleys and behind every neon billboard, they found nothing. There was no trail. It was like they didn’t exist at all.
Katsuki hadn’t been able to feel Izuku since that first initial burst right after they had been taken. It felt like there was a wall blocking him from Izuku. He could the greenette was right there, but he couldn’t reach him.
And then, that wall shattered. Desperation, exhaustion, and determination. Emotions not his own smothered him like an undercurrent in an icy river. Katsuki coughed and held his head, breathing heavily. The sandwich he had been eating fell from his hands as he toppled off the kitchen chair, landing on his knees.
When the feeling passed, Katsuki shakily raised his head to look at the adults around him. Inko and Hitoshi were kneeling in front of him, concern evident on their faces (well, on Inko’s. Hitoshi’s looked vaguely disgruntled).
“What’s wrong, firecracker?” Inko asked, resting her palm against his forehead, checking his temperature and attempting to console the child. Katsuki leaned into the comforting touch and caught his breath. A tug in his navel, like a string was tied to it and had been pulled tight, made a smirk blossom on his face.
“I got him,” Katsuki announced. His teeth bared and destruction came alive in his eyes as he got to his feet. “I know where Izuku is.”
Katsuki didn’t remember much of the drive. He knew there was shouting and scrambling. He remembered giving directions to the best of his ability with just a direction and not a map of the streets to follow. He remembered a bit of the initial chaos when they had broken into the underground bunker.
But all of that was swept out of his mind by the sight in front of him now.
Izuku was wreathed in writhing darkness. His eyes were flat and glowed green, no emotion or recognition visible in the toxic light. What really drew Katsuki’s attention was the gargantuan crown on his head. Sharpened points finished long spikes of bone, roses, and thorns created the base of the off-white decorations. It looked like a crown fit for a queen of the dead.
Izuku took a step forward, toward Katsuki, and the shadows pulsed like clouds of disturbed dust away from his footprint. A ravine stretched behind Izuku, skeletons and creatures of nightmare clawing their way up from the pits of the underworld. Chaos and death rang around Katsuki, but he couldn’t look away from the sheer power that Izuku emitted.
He took a shaky step forward, instinctively trying to strengthen the bond between them. Izuku’s emotions swelled in his chest with such potency Katsuki almost thought they were his; icy rage, emptiness, disgust.
Katsuki ran the last few feet between them, launching himself into Izuku’s arms. The shorter boy gripped Katsuki’s waist in his hands while the blond buried his face in Izuku’s neck.
Katsuki was vaguely aware of the screams of agony and wet sounds of ripping flesh echoing around them, but he didn’t have the presence of mind to care. They had only been separated a week, but that week was long and stressful. Tears of relief pricked his eyes, not that he would let them fall.
After a time—it could have been two minutes or two days, Katsuki didn’t know—Izuku coughed and spluttered. The shadows slowed and silenced, but remained, pulsing and waiting to wreak havoc once more. Katsuki pulled back and looked at Izuku’s face.
The greenette was breathing heavily, eyes glassy but no longer empty. He panted and held a hand to his face, covering an eye. With a deep breath and a scream, Izuku banished the monsters and terrors he had brought to the surface.
All-encompassing silence. Nothing made a sound. Izuku’s eyes rolled into the back of his head and he collapsed in a heap on the floor.
A beat. And then—
“Izuku!” Katsuki screamed. He screamed loud enough that it echoed down the cleared corridors, drawing the surviving members of the aces to his location.
Hisashi tumbled into the large passageway, tripping over himself to get to the boys.
Katsuki was shaking Izuku’s shoulders frantically, trying to get him to respond to wake up, dammit, Izu! The connection between them had been snuffed down to a barely-there smolder, one Katsuki could barely feel if he concentrated.
“Izu, please wake up, c’mon, c’mon, come on!” Katsuki begged. He couldn’t feel him. Izuku wasn’t breathing.
Hisashi knelt on the other side of Izuku—he wasn’t stupid enough to try and move Katsuki away—and touched his fingers to Izuku’s pulse.
Faint, but there. Hisashi let out a rattling sigh of relief. He gave himself a moment before taking a deep breath and focusing. The kids needed him to be strong, he could break down later.
“Katsuki.” The boy didn’t seem to hear him, Hisashi tried again. “Katsuki!”
Angry, tear-filled red eyes snapped to the side, burning a hole through Hisashi. His teeth were pulled back in a snarl and a deep, protective growl ripped from his throat. Hisashi was surprised but didn’t back down. He leveled the blond with a glare of his own, one he knew to be effective on hardened criminals.
Katsuki snapped his eyes away—not in fear, Hisashi didn’t scare him right now, but because he had more important things to worry about. Like Izuku still not breathing.
A hard shove to his shoulder and Katsuki was sent sprawling across the hard-stone floor. He rolled to his feet, ready to attack whoever dared to separate him from Izuku but was met with Hisashi performing CPR. All the anger left him in a rush.
Tense, tense moments passed. Hisashi kept an even pace, Katsuki kneeling on the other side, to keyed up to even snap at the man. A cough and a splutter, and then Izuku heaved in a deep breath. It was scratchy but there and Katsuki almost passed out from the relief. Izuku didn’t wake up, but his chest was moving and his heart pumping.
Katsuki fell on his back, adrenaline flooding out of his body. He felt tears prick out of his eyes from the drop, sobs ripping from him. Hisashi sat, curled over Izuku, taking deep breaths of his own.
It had been a week, and it had been hard, but they had gotten him back.
Hitoshi crowded Katsuki as soon as he was on the surface again. The purplette checked the blond for injuries before the White Cards could even get near him, a steely look of detachment on his face. Katsuki didn’t have the energy to fight him off.
“What the fuck,” Hitoshi said flat enough that it didn’t even seem like a question. Katsuki knew what he meant.
“I couldn’t wait up here. I could feel him, bridge troll—he was right there! And—and he needed me. You wouldn’t understand.” Katsuki finished defending himself with a tired sigh and rubbed his palms over his face.
Hitoshi regarded him warily. He took in every line of Katsuki’s face, the slump of his posture, the sluggish movements, and absence of yelling. With a sigh, Hitoshi fell on his ass, joining Katsuki on the ground.
“You are such a dumbass,” Hitoshi whispered, holding his face in his hands.
“Worried about me, eye bags?” Katsuki taunted, the teasing edge falling flat and leaving it sounding more like a genuine question.
Hitoshi paused. “Yeah.”
Katsuki didn’t say anything, but Hitoshi knew he appreciated the sentiment.
Izuku knew where he was. He was next to the river that those ladies had dragged him into. The water was mesmerizing and dark, drawing him toward it despite knowing how icy and dangerous the current was. The smooth surface hid the monsters lurking inside it.
A soft growling to his side and Izuku knew Fluffy was there. Izuku didn’t turn to acknowledge the beast, staring with empty eyes at the dangerous river. He reached out a hand and Fluffy growled in warning. Izuku ignored him, brushing his fingers just barely against the surface.
Immediately, liquid nitrogen filled his veins, launching up his arm and causing even his shoulder to ache in protest. Before the second ripple could even form, a pale hand, long black claws tipping slender fingers, wrapped around his wrist in a crushing grip.
It didn’t surprise Izuku, and he let the hand drag him underneath the surface. Out of instinct, he shut his eyes and held his breath, barely able to think from the cold that made him feel like he had just gone skinny dipping in the Arctic Ocean in the middle of winter. It was probably colder in the river than there.
Hands cupped his face, claws brushing gently through his hair. Izuku blinked open his eyes, the cold burning against them.
Three ladies surrounded him. They were thin and gangly like they hadn’t eaten in years. Izuku couldn’t see their eyes past the heavy shadows of sunken eye sockets, and their hair was thin and floated in lanky waves in the water.
“Breathe” the one holding his face commanded. Izuku sucked in a breath without thinking, coughing as the icy water froze his lungs. He took several deep breaths, honestly not surprised when he didn’t drown. Truthfully, at this point, he would be more surprised if he did.
“Who are you?” Izuku asked. The women’s legs had been replaced by scaly tails that ended in dramatically large fins that billowed in the water.
“Sirens,” the one to the left said. She swam so she was directly to the side of Izuku. The boy wasn’t concerned with them being out of his line of sight—the didn’t seem like they wanted to kill him.
The frigid temperature was starting to get unbearable.
“And what did you want from me?” Izuku asked. They had seemed like they wanted something from him the last time.
“We just wanted to meet you,” said the one on the right. She, too, swam closer.
“The one Persephone chose.”
Izuku woke with a gasp, hands flying to his throat. Everything burned, shivers still wracking his body as warm leached into his body, chasing away the phantom cold.
“Izu!” Katsuki yelled, tackling the young boy onto the bed he had been sprawled across.
Izuku’s throat was too sore to speak and he settled with gently running his hands through Katsuki’s hair. His grip tightened when he noticed another person in the room—one he didn’t know.
Katsuki felt his friend stiffen and looked over his shoulder.
“That’s the bridge troll,” Katsuki explained, completely unhelpful. Izuku gave him a flat look.
“Princess Plum, wake the fuck up!” Katsuki shouted, kicking a stray throw pillow at the boy and managing to nail him in the face.
He sat up quick enough that it made Izuku’s neck ache in sympathy.
“What the fuck, you goddamn Pomeranian,” he growled. His eyes flitted over to Izuku and understanding dawned on his face.
“My name’s Hitoshi, I’m Hiro’s kid,” he introduced himself succinctly.
“Oh! I’m Izuku!” the greenette said with a cheery grin. His throat still felt like it was in ribbons and the statement came out like static on empty radio waves.
All three occupants of the room winced. Izuku suddenly sat up.
“Where’s Shouto?”
Katsuki snarled. “He’s in the hospital.”
Izuku’s face darkened. “What happened to him.” This wasn’t a question, this was a demand for information, a demand guised as a question, in a way royalty would “politely” ask. Katsuki put his hands on Izuku’s face, forcing the other to look at him.
“I’m pissed too, but you gotta keep your shadow power under control. If you lose it again, we have literally no one who is any shape to take you on.”
Izuku took a deep breath. That’s right. He had gotten even more powerful because of whatever they had pumped his body with for… for how long?
“Kacchan, how long was I gone?”
Katsuki’s face twitched. “A week and a half.”
Well, could’ve been worse. Izuku ran his hands through his hair, dodging the pastels and pleased to notice that the massive spikes and briars had disappeared.
“Now, what happened to Shouto?” Izuku asked again.
Hitoshi cleared his throat and the boys on the bed looked at him.
“Katsuki and I were given the run-down by the adults together, but my dad gave me a more in-depth report a while after Katsuki came in here to sit with you.”
“And you didn’t tell me, you fucker?” Katsuki yelled. Hitoshi rolled his eyes. Izuku was astounded by the apparent ease with which he interacted with Bakugou.
Without acknowledging the blond, Hitoshi powered on. Izuku was impressed. “Endeavor received a ransom note from an underground organization; nobody got the name. They were probably some small-time that thought they could make quick cash and move up in the world fast.”
“Unluckily for them, Shouto knows what to do in the case that he’s kidnapped—this probably wouldn’t be the first time it’s happened, actually. So, the kidnappers roughed him up, but he managed to give a hint of his location in the video they sent to the hero.”
“Amateurs probably didn’t even check it before they sent it. Since almost the entire police force was on this case, they found him quickly.”
“Let’s just say it didn’t end well for the kidnappers. Shouto was badly injured though, so he’s resting in the hospital right now. My dad says he’s expected to make a full recovery within the week.”
Izuku slumped onto Katsuki. Everything was fine. Katsuki and Shouto were alive, he was alive, and his mom—
Wait, where was his mom?
“Where’s my— “
“She’s fine,” Katsuki soothed Izuku. Izuku hadn’t noticed how his breathing had picked up and he looked ready to bolt out the door. Katsuki continued, “She is in her room right now, some White Cards are healing her—where do you think you’re going?”
Izuku had slipped out from underneath Katsuki and was stumbling toward his bedroom door. Black spots filled his vision and his pulse pounded in his ears, but he had to see her. He had thought he was going to kill her as he lost control, he had to make sure she was going to be ok.
He heard Katsuki and Hitoshi following him as he slid on the hallway floor and barely managed to get to Inko’s room. He threw open the door and almost face planted.
An arm reached out and steadied him. Izuku looked up. He had never seen this man before.
No, that’s not true. This is the guy that burst in with flames coming out of his mouth and fought Euryale.
“Thanks for saving me, mister. But who are you?”
The man smiled awkwardly like he didn’t know exactly what to say. There was a snort from the bed and Izuku forgot all about the man at his side, barreling toward his mom.
He cried as he buried himself in her chest. Inko laughed, tears streaming down her face as well.
“Are you—you’re ok, right?” Izuku asked, lifting his head out of her chest.
She nodded. “Yeah, baby, I’m fine. Your shadows didn’t hurt me at all.”
Of course, his mom knew what he was worried about. She was awesome like that. Just then, she winced and shifted to the side. Izuku remembered her collapsing, holding her side, and immediately flew off the bed.
“I’m so sorry! I forgot about your side!” he apologized, hands waving in front of his face.
“It’s fine, lily-flower,” Inko reassured him. The man that had steadied Izuku earlier was leaning against the door from with a soft smile on his face.
“I forgot. Who are you, mister?” Izuku remembered his earlier line of thought. Katsuki and Hitoshi—both standing against the wall—snickered. The man glared at them, only succeeding in making them laugh harder.
“Laugh all you want, you little twerps, this is awkward.”
“Oh no,” Hitoshi drawled, deadpan, “The big, bad, mafia boss has met his match; awkwardness.”
“Shut up.”
“I will not.”
Inko laughed, coughing following soon after. She waved her hand, calling off the concerned doctors. “I’m fine,” she said.
“Izuku,” Inko addressed him. Izuku padded back over to the bed, dizzy and feeling like a he was going to pass out and vomit at the same time. “This is Hisashi. He’s the Don of Seven Aces.”
Izuku’s mind connected the dots lighting fast. “That Hisashi?”
“That one,” Inko smiled.
“So that’s why you said, ‘I’m here to take my kid back’. I had no idea who you were. It was a little weird,” Izuku said bluntly. Katsuki and Hitoshi dissolved into guffaws and Hisashi buried his face in his hands.
“Why me,” he moaned. The room laughed at his expense.
Within a week, Shouto was returned to his home and Inko was up and moving again, albeit gingerly.
There was a knock on the door and Hisashi rose to get it.
He was greeted by Endeavor.
“Hello,” Hisashi said. He wasn’t scared of the flaming dumpster fire, especially after hearing that his son managed to traumatize him. That was some top-quality comedy.
Endeavor didn’t do much more than grunt, a hand falling heavily on Shouto’s shoulder and pushing him to the front. The dual haired boy looked up at Hisashi.
“Where’s Izuku and Katsuki?” He asked with no preamble. Hisashi raised a brow.
“They’re in Izuku’s room,” he said, and the boy slid past him and into the house with no more words exchanged. Hisashi returned his attention to Endeavor.
“Do you need something?” Hisashi asked. He smiled but it was filled with venom. Endeavor seemed to catch on to the fact he was not welcome there and turned on his heel, leaving without a word.
Shouto flung open the door to Izuku’s room without knocking. Not his politest moment but he needed to see his friends. It had been a long few weeks.
When he saw Izuku decorating a kid he had never seen before’s hair with flowers while he exchanged insults with Katsuki, Shouto turned on his heel and walked out again.
He had been gone for almost three weeks, not that long, and they had already replaced him. Shouto knew he wasn’t the easiest to be around and he still didn’t understand why Izuku and Katsuki had wanted to be friends with him, but he guessed it didn’t matter now. Unsurprisingly, he hadn’t meant enough to then to warrant a permanent place in their lives since they had already found someone to fill in the gap.
He would just—he didn’t know what he’d do. Without the looming threat of Izuku over Endeavor’s head, the training sessions would pick up full-force. Endeavor would probably take out his frustrations on him and they would be worse than they had been for a long time.
Shouto could feel the panic attack coming on, his hands shaking and breathing heavy. He couldn’t do that here, he had to get out. Izuku and Katsuki didn’t want him anymore, he—
Vines wrapped around his waist, lifting him off the ground and dragging him backward.
“Halfie, where the fuck are you going?” Katsuki demanded, throwing his arms around Shouto’s chest and crushing him in a hug.
What?
Izuku came up behind him and suddenly he was sandwiched by the shorter boys. It was nice and warm there. He could feel the edges of panic seeping away from his mind.
But then he caught sight of the purple haired boy again and suddenly the air was pushed from his chest. He scrambled against Katsuki’s shoulders, trying to get him to let go. The blond pulled off, a confused look on his face. When he saw the look on Shouto’s face, his expression dropped.
Katsuki looked over his shoulder and then back at Shouto. He grabbed the struggling boy’s cheeks firmly in between his palms, squishing his face and forcing him to look at him.
“Shouto, look at me.” Shouto hadn’t realized his eyes had fallen shut. “We love you very much and we missed you. Nothing could ever change that. We were worried sick about you. Hitoshi—“Katsuki nodded toward the purple haired boy who waved his hand in response “—is Hiro’s kid. He was helping us find Izuku. He is not replacing you .”
Shouto’s body sagged like a marionette with its strings cut. The adrenaline drop left him crying softly into Katsuki’s shoulder, a pleasant, calming fragrance coming from Izuku behind him.
His legs gave out and Izuku and Katsuki slid slowly to the floor with Shouto still trapped between their arms. And they sat there like that, Shouto and Izuku bawling like babies, in the doorway to Izuku’s room.
When he got himself together, they moved all the way into Izuku’s room. Shouto sat on the bed, Izuku still wrapped around him, while Katsuki hauled the extra boy to his feet.
“Shouto, meet the bridge troll— “
“Hitoshi.”
“—who has been freeloading off us for almost three weeks.”
“You are doing the exact same thing Katsuki, you live next door.”
“Shut up! I am family!”
“And I was working!”
“That’s beside the point!”
As they continued to bicker, the corner of Shouto’s mouth twitched up. Maybe this new kid wouldn’t be so bad after all.