Chapter Text
Shouto woke up feeling like today was going to be a good day. Ever since graduation and moving with Katsuki, all his days have been good. He gets to wake up in a comfy bed tucked into the arms of the man of his dreams. Katsuki usually makes breakfast and fills the kitchen with delicious smells. Garlic and oil smells usually waft into the bathroom for Shouto to appreciate while brushing his teeth. They eat together and share their plans for the day before kissing each other goodbye and leaving for work for the day.
After graduation, he was unsure of what path to follow. Midoriya and Bakugo decided to form their own agency, but he chose not to join (not for their lack of trying). Something about it just didn’t sit right with him.
Although Endeavor was trying to be better before, his retirement caused something in him to really change. There was a deep exhaustion in the man, but he used his energy to be kinder. There was still a struggle in him trying to unlearn his behavior, but his attempts were much appreciated. Family dinners are actually enjoyable now. They don’t end with people storming out or tensed shoulders nearly as much as they used to.
Shouto chose to continue his father’s legacy by joining his agency. Not to honor the man, but maybe to value all of the hardships their family has experienced. They somehow made it out, not just together but stronger. He doesn’t really know why he didn’t join his friends, but it felt like the right decision after he saw the gleam in Endeavor’s eyes at the news.
Another change that graduation brought was not being in the dorms or constantly surrounded by his friends. It was comforting to know that living further apart did nothing to hinder their relationships. Class 1-A reunions are a regular occurrence. Sero still trades manga with him, Shinso is his favorite cat café companion, and Izuku feels like a third roommate. Shouto could not be happier about his life now. His younger self might have tried to be tough and spitefully independent, but he knows now that it would have been impossible to stay alone with all the strong personalities that surround him.
Shouto yawned and stretched his arms as he felt the pull in his muscles after a deep sleep. Today was one of the unfortunate days when Katsuki had to leave before he even woke up. Wednesdays were his slow days. It was nice not to have to rise with the sun, but it meant he finally had to do all the paperwork he pushes off.
Staying in his pajamas, he uses his left hand to heat up the food that was kindly left for him. Even if Katsuki calls him lazy, it keeps the rice from getting soggy in the microwave. He sets up his phone against his water, so his hands are free while he eats and plays his favorite conspiracy video channel. It was just about to get good when his phone vibrated with a message.
From Katsuki: Deku is planning a stupid pizza party for lunch today. Come to the agency during our break.
Shouto smiles warmly into his spoon. Knowing Izuku, it is most likely to be just the three of them. Maybe even Kirishima if he happens to be in the area. It sounded fun, and Katsuki knows he isn’t doing much today so he would get bothered until he showed up anyway. Plus, it meant pushing work off even longer and not having to snack until his boyfriend was back.
To Katsuki: Sounds good. Have a good day at work ᓚ ₍^..^₎ ♡
Guess that means he actually has to get dressed today.
____
He hummed as he walked along the sidewalk, making his way downtown to the hero building. The sun was shining, but the turning spring season made sure the air was still chilly. Shouto passed the newly blooming petals on the trees and wondered what it was like to change with the year. Maybe people were like flowers. Starting small, growing and blooming into something beautiful, only to fade away just to do it all again.
Maybe flowers weren’t the right example? Trees were studier and just got bigger and stronger with time. Vines creep and crawl across a surface, intertwining within each other’s lives and working together to create a thick image. Are shrubs good to use for analogies or-
“AAAHHHH!”
His thoughts get cut off by an ear-piercing scream. A young woman is running down the street while clutching her forearm close to her chest. Shouto doesn’t hesitate to run up to her, assessing her condition. God, why doesn’t he just always come prepared? He has no medical supplies with him to help with the situation. It seems that he can never have a day off.
“I can help.” He says calmly as he nears her, “I am Pro Hero Shouto. Let me take a look.”
She gives him a cautious look before reluctantly giving him her arm. She gasps as he lightly grasps it and looks at the damage. The texture of the skin is recognizable, pulled tight and shiny like the many fresh burns he has seen as his life. The shape of it is not something he’s as familiar with. It moves out—irregular and blotchy, indicating a blast rather than contact with a flame.
“What happened?” He cools down his right hand and holds it over the burn to offer some relief to the injury. He rips a sleeve off his button up shirt, not worried a bit about the cost of the high-quality material. She hisses as he warps her arm in the fabric and pulls it tight enough to stay.
“I… I don’t know!” She whimpers. Her body is trembling with what he can only assume is the aftermath of an adrenaline surge. “One minute I was bringing him papers to sign, and the next he was growling and attacking everything! I’m lucky enough to get away with just a burn!”
Shouto was about to ask who “he” was when he heard more commotion up the street. People were rushing out of a building, tripping over each other while frantically moving to get away. It wasn’t until he looked up did Shouto noticed how close he was to his destination.
Dread wormed around his stomach as he noticed. The building being fled was Katsuki and Izuku’s agency.
“Go seek medical help.”
The girl could barely nod her head before he ran towards the building. He didn’t have a clue as to what was happening, but it couldn’t be good. He knew that burn now. Katsuki might be easy to anger, but he would never attack someone. Well- someone innocent.
Shouto pushed through the masses as he made his way to the entrance. He tried to help direct some people and help manage the chaos, but it seemed like some of the interns were handling it sufficiently. He let out a breath when he was finally able to get inside the doors against the sea of bodies. There were still people scattered about inside, some yelling on their phones, some wandering around confused.
People screamed out as the building shook with what Shouto recognized as an explosion. He frantically looked around the lobby trying to find any evidence of what was going on. There was nothing to show a fight or emergency besides the crowd that was slowly growing larger. He took off without thinking, his feet already knowing the way to Katsuki and Izuku’s office before his brain could even catch up. The building let out another shake as he got further in, and he could smell the smoke and dust coming from deeper in the building.
He went to round a corner in the hallway when a body came running from the other side. Shouto was barely able to stop in time to prevent colliding with them. He collected himself fast enough to freeze the potential villain to the floor. Shouto assessed the villain but was surprised to find that it was Ironwell, one of the sidekicks that their agency had taken in recently.
Shouto had met her the few times that he came into the office. She seemed like a nice girl, always smiling at him in greeting, but it was rare that they shared words. Not that he minded. He wasn’t one for small talk himself. If he remembered correctly, she has a strength enhancing quirk. Nothing too fancy, but he had heard Katsuki gruffly compliment her technique and efficiency a few times when discussing their days. The man would never admit it, but Shouto knew he enjoyed having her on their team.
Ironwell let out a gasp as her momentum was stopped and her feet stuck. Shouto took a second to look at her and did not like what he saw. She had a bruise creeping up her jaw and soot all over her costume. Parts were torn or burnt off, revealing bloody scratches and purple blotches. One of her shoulders was sitting below the other. Her arm awkwardly swung below it, obviously dislocated. Her eyes were wide as she stared at him, her panicked breaths causing her whole body to tremble.
She sagged in relief at the sight of him, letting out a huff. “Oh, thank god you’re here.”
He used his foot to melt the ice that trapped her while holding her unhurt shoulder to offer support. He needed to get a grasp of what was happening, and fast.
“Where are Dynamight and Deku? What is going on?” He couldn’t hear anything moving further down the hallway so he could only hope the situation was under control.
“You shouldn’t—you can’t go in there! I don’t know what’s going on, but I tried to stop them!” Tears were coming to her eyes as her breath hitched, “It’s like they didn’t know me. Something is really wrong!”
His blood went cold as her words set in. Kind, sweet Midoriya did this to her. His loving and rough Katsuki attacked their sidekick. No, he thought. They could never do this. It couldn’t be them. There must be some kind of foul play.
“Are you positive it was them?”
“A hundred percent. It’s like their brains were hijacked. I- I tried calling for help, to make them realize who I was, but they looked at me like I was prey!” she said urgently.
“I only got out because I reinforced my leg and blasted through the wall. Shouto, they weren’t holding back. I’ve trained with them before, and I’ve never seen them use that kind of power.”
Shouto closed his eyes and let out a steadying breath. It’s bad enough that they’re out of commission but having the rampaging and uncontrolled power of two top heroes was disastrous.
“Where are they right now?” He has to see this for himself. There has to be a chance that this is wrong.
“They’re probably still by the training room. Or what’s left of it at least. You can’t go! You can’t talk to them!” She almost whimpered in her pleading for him to disengage. He shakes his head, his face steady as always.
“Let me help you. Do you have any medical supplies?” Shouto helps her to the floor, careful of her shoulder. Ironwell nods and points to her support pouch. He finds bandages and starts to wrap some of the worse scratches and burns. It’s not perfect, but it’s the best he can do in a rush.
He shifts beside her and hovers over her lax arm. “I’m going to set your shoulder now. Take a deep breath.” She looks at him hesitantly, but he can see the conviction in her eyes. He sees her body inflate with a deep inhale. As soon as he hears the wind leaving her lungs, he pulls her arm strongly until he hears the correcting pop. She lets out a wavering gasp, but he instantly holds ice to the joint to combat the oncoming swelling.
“You did good,” he says as he secures her arm in a makeshift sling of bandages and his other shirt sleeve. His eyes hard and voice steady, he asks Ironwell, “Do you think you can’t make it to the front? Is there anyone still here that can help with evacuation? We need the building cleared and backup requested.”
Her face sets into one of determination and she gives a heavy nod.
“Can do, sir!”
He helps her to her feet before setting himself straight. He turns and continues down the hallway. Her rushed footsteps fade away as she makes a report to her comm. Hopefully, this will be a misunderstanding, and they won’t need any backup.
Somehow, the idea gives him no hope.
____
The smoke and debris build up as he closes in on the training room. He can hear the rush of his blood pumping in his ears as his nerves build. He doesn’t want to fight his favorite people, but he knows when it comes down to it, he might have no choice.
When he finally made it to the gym, it was everything he feared. There were scorch marks all around and holes in the walls. Destruction and debris littered the floor. What caught his eye the most were the tense backs of his best friends. He couldn’t see their faces, but he could tell from the rise and falls of their backs that their breathing was fast and heavy.
“Katsuki? Izuku?” He wearily calls out. He hopes that they’re still there, but he knows better than to let his guard down.
“What happened? Ironwell says you attacked her. You’re causing mass chaos to your own building and workers. What is going on?”
A guttural growl tore from Katsuki’s throat as he whipped around. What Shouto connected with wasn’t the eyes of his lover. Those eyes — bright and burning red — were usually filled with fire, with fury, with love. They sharpened during arguments but melted in the quiet moments at home.
But now?
These eyes were wild. Glassy. Empty. There was no recognition in them. No thought. Just the stare of something feral — like a wild animal, backed into a corner.
“Kat?” Shouto whispers. He takes a step back, preparing himself for a fight. He doesn’t want to hurt them. He doesn’t think he can.
Taking his eyes off his lover for a moment, he looks over Izuku’s condition. He’s facing them, eyes just as dull as Katsuki’s. Theres no sign of intelligence or kindness that he normally finds. He’s hunched over, anger seeming to simmer rather than explode.
“Come on, you two. Give me something.” Shouto’s voice is quiet as he pleads for a sign that they’re both still conscious.
No answer. Instead, they stalk forward — shoulders hunched, movements sharp and twitchy, like predators waiting for the right angle to strike. Katsuki’s knees bend, and Shouto reacts on instinct. Ice flashes under his feet, launching him back just as a deafening BOOM cracks the air.
The blast hits where he stood a second ago, scorching the marble. Smoke and ash swirl upward like a warning.
Ironwell was right. They aren’t holding back.
“Katsuki. Izuku,” Shouto tries again. “It’s me. You know me.”
Another useless call into the dark.
Izuku’s fists clench. Muscles twitch like live wires beneath his sleeves. His mouth starts to move with the start of a mutter, a habit so old it’s muscle memory. But it’s fragmented. Nonsense. Like static in a broken radio.
They lunge.
Shouto throws up a wall of ice — thick and jagged. Bakugo blows straight through it. The shards scatter, a few cutting Shouto’s cheek, but he doesn’t have time to feel it.
He dodges right, slides left, throws a burst of fire to keep them back. It’s wide, hot, meant for distance, not damage.
“Katsuki! Izuku!” He tries again, pushing himself to his feet. “It’s me!”
They don’t even blink.
Midoriya starts to twitch, the familiar flicker of green lightning runs up his legs. He comes after Shouto who shoots up another wall of ice. Izuku kicks right through it. He isn’t graceful, not clean, just forceful. A blast follows immediately after, Katsuki’s hands detonating fire mid-air.
Shouto is sent flying from the aftershock. He slams into the edge of the support pillar. Something cracks — maybe his shoulder, maybe his ribs, maybe both. He chokes on air. Heat surges against his face as Katsuki moves in again.
There’s no talking between them. Just animalistic grunts and snarls like they’re hunting him.
“I don’t want to hurt you,” Shouto breathes, staggering sideways. “Please.”
They move again, tumbling after him as he fights back. He tries to envision it just like training. He’s fought them both many times over the last years. He knows their patterns and styles. This isn’t like them, he thinks. Theres no rhythm to Izuku’s punches. No balance to Katsuki’s explosions. Their limbs jerk like strings to a puppet.
The next minutes are filled with uncontrolled movements and directed defense.
Ice wall.
Fire blast.
Block, kick, trap.
Explosion.
Move. Move. MOVE!
Shouto can feel himself slowing down as the fight wares on. He’s getting more battered by the minute. Backup will hopefully be arriving soon if Ironwell’s call went through. He is used to training, but not such an uncalibrated fight. He grits his teeth as he sends another ice wave at Izuku. He’s trying his best to hinder and trap while staying alive. These two are fighting like they’re trying to kill.
Using his sweat against him, Shouto throws fire at Katsuki to watch his hands burst without permission. He can’t stand the pained grunt his lover releases as he recovers off the floor from the blast.
He’s able to grab ahold of Izuku and drag him. He launches him at a pile of ice, using his fire to add power behind the throw. Izuku hits the solid with a massive crack, leaving Shouto wincing in sympathy.
He needs to think. Izuku might be a smart fighter, but his foggy brain only seems to know force. The only way he’ll win this is by being smart.
He throws up ice walls, giving himself cover throughout the room while the other two rampage around the room, breaking them down left and right.
He inches closer to Katsuki from behind a pillar. He just needs to catch him off guard to freeze his hands to the floor. He moves and shifts until he’s settled just out of sight before reaching out and—
His body crunches as Izuku lands a kick to the back of his head. He feels himself getting lifted by his shirt and thrown across the training room as if he was nothing more than a pillow.
Before he can use his ice to skate out of the air, white hot pain fills the side of his head. The sound doesn’t even register. There is no sound anymore. Just pressure, pain, and the metallic taste flooding his mouth.
His face burns. His ears ring. When he pries his eyes open, he realizes he’s on the floor.
He pulls his arms under himself and tries to push up. They strain and wiggle under him before he collapses back down. His muscles spasm from exhaustion.
He has to pull himself together.
He lets out a gasp as he finally pushes himself up. Warmth is moving down his face and he sees something pooling on the floor below him. A shaky hand reaches to his right ear. When he pulls it back, his fingertips are dripping.
Red, hot blood leaks down his face.
He looks up to find Katsuki further away. He’s snarling and twitching like a wild animal. Smoke curls around his hands, polluting the icy air around them.
“Kat?” He whispers. At least he thinks he does. His head still rings from the blast. The destruction surrounding them is muffled as he stares at his boyfriend.
Something to the side shifts. Shouto tears his eyes away to see Izuku stalking towards the training room entrance. “No!” He rasps. If he gets out, it’ll be more than just this agency that will be destroyed.
A thick wall of ice cuts Midoriya off his path. It covers the door and offers little to no chance of escaping. Shouto staggers to his feet, swaying slightly and fists pulled up in front of him as best he can. Izuku growls at the interruption and is off faster than sound, a blur of green in his wake.
The blast to his head left him reeling and disoriented. Shouto can do little to nothing as he feels his body getting pummeled. His fire is too slow to react, his ice just shatters as soon as its alive.
Another barrage of punches to the face has him collapsing to the floor. He tries to open his mouth, but his jaw won’t move right. He can’t speak. He’s not even sure he can breathe.
He struggles to flip over as he sees Katsuki is almost on him. Shooting ice further away, red eyes shift to the left. When the distraction works, Shouto wastes no time in finally securing his body in ice.
A small victory. Hopefully Katsuki won’t be able to get out of it for a minute. Shouto had a breath, maybe two, to collect himself.
A fierce roar had his momentary peace shattered. A body slammed on top of him, limbs flying everywhere. Izuku tumbles with him, fighting for dominance through lazy punches and sharp kicks.
His head is spinning and body pulsing as he gets pinned to the floor, Izuku successfully on top of him.
Rough hands snaked their way around his neck.
Shouto’s head was lifted and slammed back down.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Shouto clawed at Izuku’s wrists, eyes wide. He twisted and gaped while his best friend didn’t hesitate in his destruction.
The hands squeezed harder. His vision blurred. And then—
Pop.
Something gave beneath his jaw. It was sharp and deep and excruciating. Shouto felt his mouth gape, opening and closing like a fish as he failed to breathe. He couldn’t even scream.
Black dots clouded his vision as he stared into the dull eyes of his best friend above him.
He couldn’t fight anymore.
This was it. His hands shook as they fell slowly from Izuku’s wrists. His body stilling.
Then, he felt the Earth underneath him shift as the weight on top of him was ripped away.
There was something new in front of him.
Purple. Screaming.
He was moving again, or being moved. The world rocked.
And then it was gone.
Everything was black.
I love you, Katsuki