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Hanta and Denki hummed together as they walked through the dense underbrush of the forest, foraging for food so they could spend the rest of the evening relaxing under the stars.
“Hold on, hold on, listen to this,” Denki cut in, grinning. He riffed on the tune they’d been humming, making his voice go falsetto and scaring some colorful birds out of one of the trees.
“Oooo-weeee-weeeeooooh-wimoweh!” Hanta nudged his elbow.
“Come on Sparky, let’s hurry up!” Hanta laughed. Denki just pouted at him.
“Just because his crankiness calls me that doesn’t mean you have to,” he said.
“It’s cute and it suits you,” he said. “But I’m hungry so let’s get this and get back so we can -” Hanta froze and stared straight ahead.
“What’s…” Denki began to ask, following his line of sight. It was almost camouflaged by some of the colorful underbrush in front of them, but Denki saw the glint of red eyes and sharp, pointed teeth.
“Shit shit shit,” Denki sputtered, scrambling away and pulling on Hanta to follow. They managed to get their feet under them and start running as they heard a crashing through the forest floor behind them. Tugging one another along, they hurried as fast as they could, but the sound of whatever that thing was behind them didn’t waver.
Hanta’s foot got caught on a root and he fell. Denki pulled his arm, trying to help him get loose as Hanta twisted to try and free himself. Over his shoulder, he saw the thing crashing towards them. It looked human like them, only it had red wings and a tail and those really, really sharp teeth.
“He’s gonna eat me?!” Hanta yowled. Denki managed to get his hand around his friend’s ankle and twist it loose. The time it had taken gave the creature a chance to catch up. It’s claws just barely missed Denki’s back. It reached out again, knocking them forward this time so the pair stumbled into a tangle on the floor.
They screamed, waiting for the thing to pounce, when a rage fueled roar cut their cries short. They opened their eyes just in time to see Katsuki launching himself over them, bare chest puffed outward in challenge as he met the thing that had been chasing them head on. He landed on top of the beast and the two rolled around on the forest floor.
“Yea! Get him! Bite his head!” Denki cheered, even as Hanta helped him to his feet and they began backing up to get away from the chaos. “I told you he’d come in handy,” Denki said smugly, elbowing Hanta. It seemed like Katsuki had the upper hand until the beast wrapped its tail around Katsuki’s leg and flipped them so Katsuki landed hard on his back. Denki paled and had to hold Hanta from going forward to try and help.
The half-human looking thing leaned forward and Denki was sure he was about to hear bones break as it snapped its jaws around their friend. Instead, he put out a tongue and licked a long stripe up Katsuki’s face.
“What the fu -” Katsuki began, flailing his arms out. “Kirishima?!” Katsuki scrambled away, the thing called Kirishima sat up to allow him. The two sat across from each other, red eyes staring down red until they pounced again. This time, when they clashed against each other, they embraced. Kirishima spun Katsuki around slightly, looking him up and down, a huge grin plastered on his face. Even Katsuki was smiling. It was genuine and not the usual smirk he wore.
“What are you doing here, Ei,” Katsuki asked. Denki noticed that Katsuki hadn’t let his arms fall from the other’s shoulders. He held him in place, steadying himself, almost like if he let go, he was afraid the Kirishima thing would disappear.
“What am I - What are you doing here?!” Kirishima fumbled. “It’s good to see you,” he pulled Katsuki into another tight hug. Katsuki let him.
Denki had seen enough. He marched forward, Hanta sputtering a protest behind him, which he shrugged off.
“What’s going on?!” He shouted, but the two were saying something to each other in their embrace and ignored the smaller blonde. He physically shoved himself between the two of them, pushing them apart enough so that he could be heard.
“I said...What’s going on here!” He crossed his arms and pouted to make a point.
“Tch,” Katsuki said. “We heard you, Sparky. This is Kirishima. He’s my best friend. Hanta, get over here and say hello.” Hanta sidled up to stand next to Denki, waving nervously with an awkward smile. “Guys, this is Kirishima. Kirishima, these extras are Denki and Hanta.”
“Nice to meet you,” Hanta said.
“Yea, good to mee--wait a second, hold on,” Denki interrupted himself. “You two know each other?! You do realize he was just trying to eat us, right?!”
“It’s fine, guys,” Katsuki said.
“This is so incredible,” Kirishima said. “Wait until everyone finds out you’ve been here. They’ll be so pumped.”
“They don’t need to know,” Katsuki said, crossing his arms. The sour look he usually wore was back on his face. Kirishima looked confused. He shook his head as if to clear his thoughts.
“What do you mean, Kats,” he said. “We all thought you were dead. When the others find out - when Izuku hears you’re alive…”
“You thought I was dead…” Katsuki asked, looking shocked. Kirishima nodded.
“Enji told us what happened,” he said sadly. “But if you’re here…” a huge grin broke out on his face as he put something together. “That means you’re the king!”
“King?!” Denki shouted even as Hanta started to take a deep bow next to him. Denki hauled him up by the arm and smacked the back of his head. “This guy’s crazy, you’re not a king, right Katsuki?”
“No, I’m not a king,” Katsuki growled.
“What - Kats,” Kirishima reached out to grab Katsuki’s shoulder but he shook him off. “Of course you’re the king.”
“Maybe I was gonna be the king, but not anymore,” Katsuki said before storming off, leaving Denki and Hanta with the guy who, a few moments ago, was about to eat them.
“Um, I should go talk to him,” Kirishima said, beginning to walk off after Katsuki.
“Hang on,” Denki said. “Before you go...um, what’s with the…” he gestured to the wings and tail. Kirishima just laughed.
“I can’t believe Katsuki didn’t tell you guys anything...well, actually I can believe that,” he frowned at them. “I’m a dragon,” he said casually. He turned back to follow after Katsuki. “It was, uh, nice to meet you!” He took off through the forest, leaving Denki and Hanta open mouthed and staring after them.
“A dragon?” Denki asked, his voice a high pitched whine.
“Yep,” Hanta said as if he’d known all along.
“And he’s friends with Katsuki? Our Katsuki?”
“Mm-hmm,” Hanta agreed.
“And Katsuki is a...king?”
“Apparently,” Hanta said. When Denki fainted, he held out his arms to catch his friend before hauling him back toward their home.
Katsuki was sulking in his favorite clearing when he heard Kirishima approaching. He always liked this spot because the water ran through the rocks, creating a gentle waterfall where he could look out over the forest. In the light of the rising moon, it was one of the few places he didn’t mind being alone with his thoughts.
Kirishima didn’t say anything as he took a seat on the grass next to Katsuki and looked out with him. Katsuki was content to sit with him in silence. It wasn’t until he heard the other sniffle back tears that he finally turned to look at Kirishima’s face. He was staring at Katsuki, tears flowing freely down his cheeks.
“I missed you,” he said, his voice a quiet rasp in the darkening night. “I don’t think you know how much this would mean to everyone. How much it - how much it means to me.” Katsuki felt himself moving without thinking, wrapping an arm around Kirishima and pulling him in close. He held him, letting his own head fall onto Kirishima’s shoulder.
“Missed you too, Shitty Hair,” Katsuki said after a while. Kirishima laughed quietly, nudging against Katsuki, but not enough to shake off the embrace.
“It’s beautiful here,” Kirishima said. “But,” he hesitated and Katsuki tensed. Neither of them wanted to break the spell of this moment, but they each knew they had to get things out in the open. “I just don’t understand. You’ve been alive this whole time...just hiding?”
“Not hiding, dumbass,” Katsuki said. He wanted to pull away, but Kirishima was holding him firmly and he had so missed the heat of the other’s body. Growing up, they’d been inseparable. Then Katsuki had gotten his parents killed in that accident and he did the only thing he could - he ran. “I just needed to figure some shit out.”
“We needed you at home,” Kirishima said. He turned Katsuki in his arms a bit so they could look at each other. Katsuki hated the hurt in his eyes.
“No one needs me,” Katsuki said, his voice breaking slightly as he spoke.
“I need you,” Kirishima said. “You’re not just my king, you’re my…” he huffed out a breath and looked away to fight more tears.
“I told you I’m not the king anymore,” Katsuki said. “Enji is.” His chest constricted even as he said the words.”
“That’s just it, Katsuki…” Kirishima said. “Enji, he...he made a deal and let the Noumu take over. There’s hardly any food or even water. We’ve all been suffering with him in charge. We’re dying, Katsuki. If you don’t do something, your people will starve.”
Katsuki couldn’t handle the panic rising in his chest at Kirishima’s words. It was his worst nightmare coming true. He had lied to himself for years, believing that things were better off without him around. He never thought Enji would allow all this. Feeling too hot and like he was suffocating this close to the person he’d come to terms with never seeing again, Katsuki shrugged him off and started walking away, deeper into the forest.
“I can’t go back,” he choked out. “Not after…” he couldn’t find it in himself to say the words. That he’d been responsible for the accident that had killed his parents. That he had run away so he wouldn’t be punished or worse, hurt someone else he loved. “Look,” he said, turning back to Kirishima. “Bad things happen and sometimes there’s not shit you can do about it.” Kirishima’s eyes hardened. He stood and stalked toward Katsuki, a new look of determination on his face.
“What are you saying? Listen to yourself. You can’t just run away from this,” he grabbed Katsuki’s arm but Katsuki shook him loose, walking away again.
“What about you?” He snapped. “You ran. You wound up exactly where I am.” Kirishima matched his pace but didn’t make a move to grab him again.
“I left to find food, or at least help,” he said. “I found you! You can help us…we need you to help us.” Katsuki stopped, his heart pounding so hard in his chest he could barely hear himself think. His vision was dark around the edges and the sounds of the forest had been replaced with the whoosh of blood in his ears. It was taking most of his strength to stay upright.
“I can’t,” he said. “I’m not who you think I am. Satisfied?”
“No,” Kirishima said. His voice was full on anger now. “Just disappointed.”
“You sound like my parents,” Katsuki snapped.
“Good, at least someone is,” Kirishima replied. Katsuki’s reaction was physical. He could feel the way his shoulders hiked, muscles going tense in a ripple down his body. WIth every bit of strength he had, Katsuki turned to face Kirishima, poking his finger towards into his chest.
“You’ve got no idea what I’ve been through,” Katsuki said. “So don’t come here and look down on me, Eijirou.” Kirishima’s face softened and he reached out to take the hand Katsuki was pointing at him and force it into his hold. He pulled it into his chest, holding it gently.
“I would know,” he said. “If you’d just open up and tell me. Please, Kat.” Katskui wanted to allow himself to fall forward, to let Kirishima hold him while he cried and let out the guilt he’d been carrying all these years. He wanted to feel whole again like he had when he was a child. But when he closed his eyes, he saw the way Enji had sneered down at him when he’d discovered Katsuki alone with his parents, killed in a blast that he’d caused in the alchemy lab. He could hear his uncle’s voice, asking what he had done.
Katsuki went to make a reply, but his voice only made a choked, scratching sound. He pulled his arm away and did the only thing he knew how to do; he ran.
It wasn’t until he was out of the forest and into a clearing that he realized how far he had gone. His panic and shame had been replaced with anger. Anger at his parents for not being there; at Enji for selling out his people; at Kirishima for crashing back into his life. But most of all, he was angry at himself for all of his mistakes. Even now, despite his strength, he was just a scared little kid and he hated himself for it. He screamed, letting his frustrations out into the star-dotted sky before collapsing to his knees. He hadn’t noticed the tears on his face until he pulled back wet fingers.
He rubbed his face dry before making his way back toward the forest. He was following a stream when he heard something behind him. He glanced back, expecting it to be Kriishima. Instead, he saw an emaciated looking man, hunched over, with yellow hair coming down in two long streaks to frame his face. The forest was home to many exiles, most of them harmless, but there was something familiar about this guy. Katsuki ignored him and continued about his way.
Katsuki was back at the tree line when he heard something again. Sure enough, the walking stick of a person was following him again, crystal blue eyes staring right through him. It made Katsuki shiver.
“Will you quit following me, old man?!” He shouted at him. The other said nothing. Katsuki stared him down a few moments before turning and stalking back into the forest. He was pushing his way through some branches when a pebble whizzed by his head and struck the trunk next to him. He whipped around. Sure enough, the guy was still there, pointedly looking at anything but Katsuki.
“Will you cut it out?!” Katsuki yelled. “I’ll kill you!” The man said nothing and when Katsuki continued walking, the guy crunched along in the grass right behind him.
“I said quit it,” Katsuki growled. “Who are you anyway?!”
“The question is...who are you?” the figure finally asked, his voice much deeper than he would have expected of someone so thin and gangly. He was about to brush him off, but the question had hit a nerve.
Who was he? For the last few years, he’d been nobody. Content to live alone in the forest, ignoring his past and accepting his new life.
“I thought I knew,” Katsuki admitted. “But now I’m not so sure.”
“Well I know who you are,” he spoke quietly, eyes glinting in the moonlight shining through the treetops.
“Yea, whatever,” Katsuki shrugged him off, thinking he must really be crazy. Probably best to leave him alone. He turned away once more but the man spoke again.
“I know your parents, Young Bakugou,” he said. That made Katsuki freeze. He turned slowly to look at the man again. When he made eye contact, the man smiled with too much teeth. It looked like there was a puff of smoke and the man was running, much faster than Katsuki would have expected.
“Wait!” he yelled, crashing into the woods after the man. He was too fast, but Katsuki kept pace, eventually catching up to him when the man stopped to sit on top of a large boulder overlooking a small lake. He had his eyes closed, resting peacefully as he waited for Katsuki to arrive.
“You knew my parents,” Katsuki asked. He hated how hopeful his voice sounded, how out of breath and eager he was.
“No,” he said. “I know your parents.” Ah. So maybe he was crazy. Or maybe he’d been in exile longer than Katsuki himself had been.
“I hate to tell you, old man,” Katsuki said, words tasting like bitter bile in his mouth. “They’re...dead. Been gone a long time,” Katsuki said, the admission reopening wounds he had been ignoring his whole adult life. Why was he suddenly being faced with these ghosts from his past? The man opened his eyes and reached over to slap the back of Katsuki’s head.
“Wrong!” he said, jumping down from the rocks. He covered his mouth with his hands, coughing into it, but he motioned for Katsuki to follow him to the edge of the water. He pushed Katsuki toward the edge, forcing him to look down at his own reflection. “Toshi will show you, now look.”
He gestured to where Katsuki’s reflection stared out from the water. “Young Bakugou,” he said, voice solemn as they looked at his reflection. Katsuki felt his anger returning. What was this guy playing at? He was sick of being messed with.
“That’s just my reflection,” he spat. “Now quit wasting my time.” He turned to leave, but Toshi grabbed his neck and forced him down to look again. The old man was strong despite his frail looking frame.
“Look harder,” he said, holding Katuski in place. He stared at himself in the water. A light gust of wind created tiny ripples that made the image of his face warp and twist. There. Now he could see it, the way his eyes looked out at him the way his mother’s always had. He could see her scowl and her strength there too. His father was also there in the lines of his jaw and his quiet determination. “They live in you,” Toshi said.
“Katsuki,” He heard his name on the wind. Either it was a memory or some other ghost brought to him tonight. He looked around wildly for any sign of the speaker, but they were nowhere to be seen. “Katsuki,” the voice said again more firmly. It sounded like it was coming from the very heavens above him. Katsuki looked toward the sky and saw clouds rolling in front of the stars.
“Mom?” Katsuki asked, his voice cracking. He stumbled shakily to his legs, looking toward the stars. “Dad?”
“Katsuki,” the voice said again. He could hear both of his parents in the way it spoke. He could hear their joy and their pain, but most of all, their disappointment. “You have forgotten us.”
“No!” Katsuki shouted, his breath coming out in quick gasps. “Never, how could I?”
“You have forgotten who you are,” they said. “And thus forgotten us.” Katsuki was crying openly at the heavens now. “You are more than you have become,” his parents’ voices echoed in his head. “You must take your rightful place as king.”
Katsuki scrambled forward more, as if he could reach out and grab the voices, wherever they were in the heavens. “How? I’m not...that’s not who I am anymore. I don’t know what to do.” He whimpered, the wind picking up around him.
“Remember,” their voices said, growing more distant. “Remember who you are.” Katsuki closed his eyes to stop the flood of tears. When he opened them again, the air was still, the sky was clear, and the voices were gone.
“Please don’t leave me,” Katsuki cried, though he knew they were already gone. The grass behind him crunched as Toshi approached. Katsuki rubbed his eyes before focusing again on the stars above.
“Strange weather, isn’t it?” Toshi said, coming to stand next to Katsuki. He held out a hand to help the younger man to his feet.
“Yea,” Katsuki said. “It’s like everything is changing all of a sudden.”
“Ah, change is good,” Toshi said, eyes sparkling at him.
“Yea,” Katsuki agreed again. “But it’s not easy. I think I know what I have to do, but...I spent so long running from my past.” Toshi stroked his chin and nodded, then he smacked Katsuki on the back of the head.
“HEY!” Katsuki shouted, stomping closer to the old man. “Hell was that for?!” he rubbed at the tender spot on his head.
“Doesn’t matter,” Toshi said. “It was in the past.”
“Fucker still hurts,” Katsuki griped.
“The past can hurt,” Toshi said, placing a much more gentle hand on Katsuki shoulder. “But you can either run from it, or learn from it.” He swung his free hand to strike Katsuki again, but this time he was ready for it and caught Toshi’s wrist before he landed the blow.
“See?!” Toshi shouted in delight. “So what are you going to do now?” Something between seeing Kirishima again, meeting this crazy old man, and hearing his parents’ voices on the air had done something to Katsuki. His face was broken out into a manic smile and he knew his eyes were probably wide and crazy looking. He patted Toshi on the shoulder before turning and running back into the forest.
“Hey! Young Bakugou, where are you going?!” Toshi yelled after him.
“I’m going back!” Katsuki called over his shoulder.
Katsuki found Kirishima with Denki and Hanta, all three of his friends pacing and looking nervous.
“Katsuki!” Denki was the first to spot him. “Where did you go?” he asked.
“Doesn’t matter,” Katsuki said. He ran into Kirishima’s arms and embraced him. He pulled back enough so he could look at him while he pulled his face down for a kiss. Kirishima muttered “Oh” but quickly leaned into it, kissing him back. Hanta whistled behind them.
“I’m going back,” Katsuki explained. “Can you take me there?” Kirishima nodded, grinning broader than ever, lips wet and puffy from their kiss.
“I think you mean us ,” Denki said. Katsuki turned around to see his friends walking over to him. “We’re not gonna let you run off with a hot dragon guy all alone,” he explained. Katsuki nodded and thanked them, grateful to have the support.
They had to walk a ways out of the forest to get to a clearing so Kirishima could shift. His wings spread wide, his whole body rippled as it took on more mass and muscle, the ancient magic of the dragons allowing him to take his true form.
“Whoa!” Hanta said next to Katsuki while Denki made a noise that sounded more like a squeak. Katsuki helped the other two clamber up the dragon’s back so they could be carried back to his kingdom where his throne was waiting.
They landed on the outskirts of the kingdom, but Katsuki could already see how badly things had gotten. The farms and forests were ripped apart, their water sources polluted. His castle was tucked into the side of a mountain, looking cold and lifeless. In the plains below, he saw very few of his people. Instead, there were dozens of the Noumu tribe, violent, bloodthirsty creatures who took without thinking. Katsuki was at a loss for how Enji could have aligned himself with them.
“You three,” Katsuki said, “go cause a distraction while I go find Enji.” His friends nodded. Kirishima had shifted back to his hybrid form, so Katsuki pulled him in for a quick kiss before he could leave. Kirishima blushed. “Don’t get hurt,” Katsuki warned him. Kirishima nodded and led the other two down the cliff of their hiding place to go draw the attention of the Noumu. “And see if you can find people to help fight!” Katsuki shouted after them.
Praying silently to the gods he’d long ignored to keep his friends safe, Katsuki made his own way down into the village to sneak his way into the castle. He still remembered the passages from his youth and had no trouble slipping past Enji’s guards and finding his way inside. The inside of the castle was relatively quiet. Katsuki worried over how many of his people had died. He hoped most had been smart enough to flee rather than starve here. He would make it up to them. He had to.
Katsuki turned down a corridor, trying to orient himself to where the armory would be. If he was facing Enji, he would need a weapon. He heard a gasp from the doorway to his right, followed by a whispered “Kacchan?!”
Katsuki ran up to the door. It was solid oak with a window cut into it. Iron bars made it more of a prison. This used to be an alchemy lab, but clearly it had been reformed into a cell of some kind. If the nickname and voice hadn’t sparked Katsuki’s memory, the green hair was a dead giveaway.
“Deku?” Katsuki asked, confirming that he wasn’t hallucinating.
“It is you Kacchan!” Deku whispered. “You came back!”
“Course I came back,” Katsuki said, fiddling with the door. No way was he going to let Deku know how near a thing it was. As much as he had bothered Katsuki as a kid, it was good seeing him again. Deku’s mother had been Katsuki’s parents’ close friend and advisor which meant Deku trailed after Katsuki and Kirishima when they were kids.
Fuck, that reminded Katsuki that it had been Deku who first hinted that he and Kirishima should get married one day. He’d never live it down that he’d been right about that.
“Stand back,” Katsuki said when the door latch wouldn’t open for him. Deku moved without question and Katsuki threw his weight against the door. After a few tries, the latch failed and he was able to get it open.
“What did Enji do to you?” Katsuki asked, feeling his anger growing.
“He just didn’t trust me not to run away,” Deku said. “He needed me too much. He knew if he kept me here, the rest of the castle wouldn’t completely turn on him.” He was crying, so Katsuki only grumbled a little when Deku wrapped his arms around him. “But now you’re here, Kacchan. We can win.”
“Damn right,” Katsuki said. “Now where’s Enji? I need a weapon if I’m going to face him.”
“Follow me,” Deku said, eyes gleaming. Instead of taking him to the armory, Deku led him to an old storage room in the castle that had been partly hidden by years of junk.
“I stored some of your family’s things here when Enji took over,” Deku explained. “I didn’t want him destroying everything.” After a few minutes, they got the door open. Inside were mostly books, along with some furniture and clothes. But there, hanging on the wall were his parents’ sword and shield. The sword, from his mother’s family, was broad and heavy, but fit naturally in Katsuki’s hand. The shield was round and nimble, passed down from his father’s line.
“Thanks, Deku,” Katsuki said. “Now where’s Enji?”
“Throne room,” Deku said without hesitation. “He hardly leaves there.”
“Time to end this,” Katsuki said. “Kirishima is out there fighting. Go and help him will you? My friends are with him.” Deku’s eyes sparkled mischievously but he nodded.
“I knew Kirishima would find you,” he muttered. Before Katsuki could let him say anything more about it he ran off towards the throne room.
“Hurry up, nerd! Go help them!” Deku ran in the opposite direction, still faster than Katsuki thought was possible for that compact body of his.
As expected, Enji was in the throne room, pacing, when Katsuki arrived. He didn’t seem surprised when Katsuki entered.
“You,” he said. “I thought you were dead.”
“You told me to run,” Katsuki said. “But I’m back to take what’s mine.”
“Yours?” Enji sneered at him. “You lost your rights here when you murdered your parents.”
Katsuki felt the guilt and panic welling up in him, but that’s what Enji wanted. To throw him off guard. He couldn’t let him. “It was an accident,” he responded. He shouldn’t have said anything.
“Accident or not, if not for you, your parents would still be alive,” Enji said. “Now you’ve come to kill me too? How will your people respect you then?” Katsuki involuntarily took a step back.
“No, it’s not like that,” he said. “You,” he saw a flash of Kirsihima’s pained face, explaining how their people were suffering. “You’re the one who sold out our people. It’s time to make things right.” Before he could think more about it, he charged.
Enji dodged, drawing his own sword from his back. They clashed again and again, Katsuki running in close to try and get a blow, only to be turned away by Enji’s blade. Enji had raw strength, but Katsuki was much faster, attacking at all angles. Soon both of them were huffing with exhaustion.
Katsuki knocked over a table and kicked it towards Enji’s legs. The man couldn’t dodge in time and let out a yell as he lost his balance. Katsuki jumped toward him and managed to get a strong blow on Enji’s sword hand, causing it to tumble from his grasp. Katsuki held his sword out at Enji’s throat.
“Yield,” he gritted out through his teeth. Enji gave a predatory smile. He reached out with his free hand and a burst of flame sprouted from it. Katsuki managed to get his shield up in time. He jumped backwards to avoid the heat. His whole body felt hot but he was unharmed.
“Magic?!” Katsuki asked. Only few had that kind of power in these lands. The price for being able to use it was always blood. He watched the fire dwindle away from Enji’s hands and a cold tremor of recognition swept through his body. That was the same fire he’d seen surrounding his parents.
“YOU?!” Katsuki roared. He ducked behind his shield as he charged. Enji had just enough time to let out another spout of flame, but Katsuki expected it and dodged. “ You killed them!” He shouted.
“Now you know my little secret,” Enji said. “Now it’s finally your turn.” He unleashed another wave of fire and Katsuki’s shield arm burned against the straps. “You should have stayed away.” Enji’s flames had set the room on fire so now his surroundings were a threat as well. Katsuki was being backed into a corner and his shield was not going to survive much more of Enji’s onslaught.
“Murderer!” Katsuki yelled, trying to buy some time to think. Enji just laughed, still approaching. Katsuki’s feet had reached the wall behind him. In front of him, the blaze Enji had set was growing, creating a wall of flames between them.
“I should just leave you here to burn, little prince,” Enji said. Smoke was beginning to cloud his vision and make it difficult to breathe. His shield was getting too hot to carry. Saying another silent prayer for his friends, he loosened the straps of his shield. In one motion, he threw the shield down to help dampen the flames in front of him and grasped his sword with both hands. He leapt through fire, catching Enji off guard as he brought the sword down, opening a gash in his chest. Enji crashed to the ground with Katsuki on top of him. Katsuki’s entire body screamed and he knew the burns would be bad, but Enji was out cold.
Exhaustion overtook him even as he tried to flee the burning room. He made it a few paces before he felt consciousness slipping. As he tumbled forward, he caught a glimpse of red hair and wings in the doorway.
“...he’ll have plenty of scars, but he’ll be okay,” a voice was saying. Katsuki felt something pressing into his hand. His whole body felt tight as he blinked himself fully awake.
Sunlight was streaming in through open windows. Katsuki was laid out in a cot he didn’t recognize. He could see the castle outside the window so he knew he was in the village. He tried to ask a question but his vocal chords only knew how to groan.
“Shhh, it’s alright Kat,” a voice said, the pressure in his hand tightening. Kirishima.
“Ei?” Katsuki asked, needing to be sure. Laughter.
“Yea, it’s me. I’ve got you,” Kirishima squeezed his hand again and Katsuki let out the breath he was holding.
“Is...everyone,” Katsuki tried to form his question but speaking was exhausting.
“Everyone’s fine,” Kirishima said. “A little beat up, but not as bad as you.” Kirishima’s face floated in his vision, looking down at him, smiling. “I was worried about you.”
“Shouldn’t be,” Katsuki mumbled. “I’m the best.” Kirishima’s laughter made him feel lighter, but him reaching down to kiss his forehead nearly made Katsuki float off the bed. He had a sudden flash of fire and his chest tightened.
“Enji?” He asked.
“Alive,” Kirishima said. “Under guard in the cells, awaiting your judgment.” Katsuki breathed easier after that. He gave Kirishima’s hand a squeeze, taking nearly all of his strength to do so. He twisted to try and look at the man he loved, but his body protested and Katsuki hissed at the pain.
“My King, you need your rest,” a voice said next to him. It sounded suspiciously like a crazy old man from the woods.
“Toshi?” Katsuki asked. Another laugh.
“Yes, my boy. “Now go back to sleep.”
When Katsuki awoke the next time, his head was much clearer. It was dark outside, but Kirishima was still by his side, curled up in a cot of his own, hand still stretched over to wrap around Katsuki’s. They weren’t alone. In a chair in the corner sat Deku, reading a book and muttering something to himself. In another cot in the corner, Denki and Hanta were curled up together. Hanta was snoring loudly.
“Oi. Nerd,” Katsuki said, his voice feeling scratchy but stronger than it had before. Deku nearly tumbled out of his chair.
“Yes, my King?” Deku asked, standing up so he could give a small bow.
“Knock it off with that shit,” Katsuki growled.
“But...you’re back and Enji’s gone, so...Kacchan, that makes you king!” Deku’s whispers were growing frantic and he was worried the others were going to wake. He shot Deku a look then nodded at Kirishima and the idiots in the corner. Deku nodded in understanding and stepped closer to Katsuki’s bed, bringing his voice back to a whisper. “You are going to be king, aren’t you?” He was fiddling with his hands, looking nervous.
“Of course I am, Deku,” Katsuki said softly. Deku’s face brightened immediately. “On one condition.” Deku nodded quickly.
“Anything,” he said.
“Good,” Katsuki grinned. “I’m gonna need you to help me run this place, got it?” Katsuki heard the tears before he saw them. Gods, the boy had not changed one bit. “Shhh!” Katsuki hissed. Deku quieted his tears.
“Th-thank you Kacchan. You know I will do anything to help.”
“Well I’ve got a job for you,” Katsuki said, turning away from Deku to look at Kirishima sleeping peacefully at his side. “We’ve got a wedding to plan.”