Chapter Text
...And even if everything ends in flames - I will choose the fire.
Always.
As long as you're with me.
He put the book down and exhaled.
“Wow...“
A voice interrupted him, leaving the man no space to indulge in his thoughts.
“You're reading again...? Why are you crying?!“
“It's – I – this story – it's so good.” The young man sniffled.
“No wonder it's a bestseller.“
♚♚♚
“Izuku! Izuku! Where are you?“
Izuku hid his face behind his book. He was sitting in their garden, leaning on a willow – his favourite reading spot – as a voice approached him. Noo.
“Izuku! The guests are almost here. Put down your book, you nerdy boy!“
“Ah- Wait, this is the best part!“ He whined.
“I don't want to kill your mood, but master – it is rude to keep your guests waiting.“
“Five more minutes, please? They aren't even here, yet!“
His butler was hesitating - this was his chance. Izuku smiled at him and kept his gaze on the other person until he heard a small sigh. He won! His butler hated when Izuku did this. He called it “the puppy eye curse”.
“Alright...five more minutes.” Just as his butler was about to turn, he added “...oh - your father sends important news! But you go and read your book, since you don't seem to care wha-“
Izuku jumped up immediately, his book completely abandoned in the grass.
“Father sends news?! Why didn't you say so sooner? Show me the letter!“ Izuku pushed his butler towards the door of their dining room. As expected, the letter was on the table, but just before Izuku could grab it, his servant got hold of it and hid the letter behind his back, smiling smugly. “My lord, you may not read the letter before the guests leave. Orders from your father.”
Izuku's smile fell. “You lied to me, Sero. Not fair!” His eyes were still glued to the letter.
“I never said you would get to read it. Come on, let's get you ready.”
Izuku had to follow his butler to the dressing room and the first thing he noticed was a new piece of clothing laying on the bed that he would have to wear for the guests. For Izuku's taste, the shirt had too many ribbons and ruffles, but it would be considered improper to wear plain clothes for royal guests, so he was willing to wear it.
“Is this new? I've never seen it around.”
“Your father sent it for you. It has golden ornaments on the sleeves, see?” Sero said as he started to unbutton his master's shirt. “Isn't is time I learn how to do this myself?” His butler gasped at that, exaggeratedly.
“No way! A man of noble statue should never touch his own buttons, except maybe for his wedding night.”
“Pervert.”
“Grown up, you mean.” He winked at his master.
“Of course I would come to help you even at your wedding night, my dear friend.”
Izuku rolled his eyes, but laughed. To Izuku, it wasn't strange that he had a relationship close to friendship to his loyal servant. Sero had the natural gift of pulling people towards him, so it was only a matter of time before they became friends. Izuku got along with all of their servants at their mansion and he was grateful for that, since his father was rarely home.
When the guests arrived and Izuku came to the realization that his life was about to change forever, he didn't know what to feel. He could only smile and nod, as everyone around him decided what was best for him – for the sake of the family.
♚♚♚
Toshinori Yagi, also known as All Might among the dukes of all around the world, was finally ready to retire. He was ready to settle for a peaceful life in his mansion far away from politics. The only thing left for him was finding an heir, since he didn't have children on his own. Now that he made his decision, he was getting his current residence ready for his new guest.
“Katsuki, this is the dish we need. Can you get it ready by eight?” He handed his butler a sheet of paper.
“Are you joking? Of course I can.”
All Might was known for many things – his accomplishments at war, his skills of negotiations, his strength – he was also famous for his butlers. A family known as Bakugous, who were loyal to All Might exclusively. They have been with the Yagi family for generations and their devotion, their talent and their beauty was always talked about in the country. When All Might travelled, he travelled with other butlers or servants, which is why the Bakugou family remained a mysterious secret, only known and seen by those who visited All Might's mansion. Everyone was curious, so the little information they got was precious to the gossipers.
“She is so beautiful!”
“Have you seen her son? He is so pretty! When he grows up, he will be so handsome.”
“He has gorgeous eyes.”
“Terrible temper, though!I once heard him yell from the kitchen.”
“He will grow up from that!”
The gossip would never stop, and All Might never tried to shut them down. There was a small truth in those words, after all. People who haven't seen the son of his butlers have even asked for his hand in marriage via letters, which All Might found quite ridiculous. And right now – he was quite worried about the young boy. Katsuki was talented and diligent. He knew that Katsuki was just as devoted and prideful as his parents when it came to their family and their duty, but this summer was the first time that Katsuki had to take up the role of the main butler after his father had to leave the mansion for an urgent matter.
It was also the first summer in which All Might had expected more guests than he ever had in his mansion.
“Your parents taught you well. I'm looking forward to your service, Katsuki.” All Might said.
“Whatever.” Was the reply before the young butler left to get the ingredients of the dinner.
♚♚♚
The journey took a whole day, and Izuku was exhausted. He didn't have time to be excited because everything was decided so quickly – but when he peeked out of the carriage and saw the mansion of his uncle, he finally smiled. The mansion still looked the same as in his childhood, when he would spend weeks with his dear uncle during the summer. The mansion was still well-kept and it was surrounded by formal gardens with all kinds of flowers and avenues leading to other gardens and corners of the huge building.
If Izuku counted the huge bronze windows correctly, he could even tell which of the rooms used to be his when he was here as a child. He remembered that he liked the view from his window the most. Whenever he couldn't sleep, he would always stare into the mysterious forest behind the mansion, hoping to see some fairies or vampires. So far, he had never seen anything spectacular, except for one night, when he noticed a small light right by the entrance of the forest. As a child he was convinced that it was a fire fairy, but now he was certain that it was a person who probably sought a hiding place from someone. Otherwise, no one would willingly go into the creepy forest, as it is known to “devour” humans.
The carriage stopped right before the courtyard and two servants were already waiting for him. One of them opened the door and the other offered her hand for Izuku to hold and bowed before him.
“Welcome to our mansion, young earl.”
Izuku smiled back. “Thank you. Nice to meet you.”
The servant didn't reply, which didn't surprise Izuku. Noble people rarely talked to servants. Some didn't because of their status, some didn't because of the strict rules of the house. He remembered that his uncle had strict rules for his guests when it came to his servants. While the servants unpacked Izuku's luggage, he stared at the sky and counted the stars that became more and more visible as the sun slowly disappeared.
“Izuku! My boy.”
Izuku followed the all too familiar voice and walked towards the approaching man.
“Uncle Might!” He hugged the thin, blond man and only after they parted, he realised how worn out his uncle looked. His eyes were darker than ever and the wrinkles on his face have grown over the years. However, his smile hadn't changed at all. It still looked as kind as ever.
“I missed you, uncle.”
“I missed you, too, my boy. Look at you! You've grown so much. You're not a little kid anymore.” He laughed as he patted Izuku on his shoulders.
“Come on, you must be hungry. Let's have dinner. Tell me about your journey."
♚♚♚
The dining hall hadn't changed much. There were more exotic vases and trophies. Maybe some new paintings, but he wasn't sure about them. If Izuku remembered correctly, the curtains were dark yellow, now they were dark red. The table was set already and a young male servant pushed the chair back to allow Izuku to sit down on the left edge of the table, while his uncle sat on the right edge.
Katsuki set the hot plates on the tablets when his colleague signalled him that the guest had arrived and walked towards the dining hall. All Might had told him that today there would only be one guest, but since he was a family member who would stay at the mansion for a while, he wanted to have a feast to celebrate. When he opened the door, the guest turned his head to look at him. He stared at Katsuki's clothes and he could see the confusion on the guest's face, even if it was only for a brief moment before he turned his gaze back to All Might to continue their conversation.
Katsuki bowed before he set the plates on the table and he could feel the eyes of the man on him in every movement. It was pissing him off. He took a quick glance at the man's face as he set the cutlery and only now he saw that the nephew of his master looked younger than he assumed. He thought he would look older, for some reason. And he had big, round eyes that followed Katsuki's every movement. Right as he put down the small spoon, the young man leaned in to grab it, accidently touching Katsuki's hand. He seemed startled and instead of ignoring his mistake, the boy spoke.
“Ah – sorry.” Katsuki didn't look at him as he put away the used mugs. He sensed that he expected an answer from the butler. How annoying. He gave a small nod before he walked towards the door, still feeling green eyes on him.
♚♚♚
When the butler left, Izuku's uncle spoke, since he could sense his curiosity.
“That was Katsuki Bakugou, he is the new head butler.” Izuku slammed his hands on the table in surprise.
“Bakugou? Mr. Masaru has a son?! I didn't know that! If he is the head butler, where is Mr. Masaru? Is he alright? Now that you mentioned it, he does look like his mother. His eyes look more intense, though. They are so red! Why have I never seen him here when I was young?”
All Might laughed at his nephew's reaction, but Izuku suddenly realized how rude his behaviour must seem and he put his arms down from the table.
“Sorry...”
“It's okay, my boy. You don't need to be so stiff around me.” Izuku looked down, but smiled sheepishly.
“It's become a habit. You know how he is. Father scolds me when I'm not behaving accordingly.”
“Your father is an honorable man, but there are times he can make an exception.” To support his words, All Might added: “When you're with me, you can be yourself, Izuku. Growing up doesn't change that.” Izuku felt tears in his eyes at his uncle's words, but he smiled and nodded.
“So, I can see you have more questions. Go ahead.”
Izuku asked more about the changes in this mansion – but he mainly asked about the Bakugous. When he was younger, a butler named Masaru would take care of Izuku. He never talked, but he could feel his calm presence around him, when he played in the gardens or wandering through the huge mansion. Apparently Masaru got ill a few weeks before Izuku arrived and his son took over the title as head butler. Izuku was told that he wasn't allowed to visit Masaru, but Yagi reassured him that he was not in danger.
The name of the boy was “Katsuki” and Izuku found it very fitting. Even if he hadn't spoken, his fierce gaze and confident stride along with the elegant movements of his hands can be summed up in the meaning of his pretty name. Izuku was sure that had the other spoken, he would have been insulted immediately.
Even if his encounter was short, Izuku could see that his stature was everything a man could wish for: broad shoulders, small waist, long legs, flawless skin. The tight vest he had worn accentuated his features. Izuku found it interesting that a boy who seemed more like a king would work as a loyal servant. The reason for his devotion was his uncle, who seemed worthy of Katsuki's respect – and Izuku couldn't blame him. His uncle had been his hero since he was a child, too. His uncle mentioned another reason why the whole Bakugou family always remained here in this mansion. They had lived here with All Might's ancestors and they passed down their traditions to their children. The devotion they had created a special bond with their master, and Izuku was a bit jealous of that.
Even though he was related to All Might through his mother, other than his uncle, Izuku didn't get to know any family members of his mother's side, since she left them after her marriage to his father and only his uncle remained close to their city. He wondered how his life would have been had he lived here as a child.
Would his uncle have been as strict as his father? Would he have had more freedom? Would his mother still be alive? Shaking his head, he tried to forget these thoughts and focus on the story his uncle was telling him about. He reminded Izuku to keep his distance from the butlers. As the Bakugous were a traditional family there were strict rules they had to follow, such as, not talking to the guests.
Izuku was determined that he would get to know Katsuki – and – as scandalous as other nobles would find it - befriend him.