𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐨𝐧 | b.k.

Chapter Twenty-Three

23.
Chapter Twenty-Three : Fire

The floorboards squeak beneath Katsuki's feet as he staggers through his family's home. He feels like he was hit by a train; every inch of his body is screaming at him—telling him to stop and rest. The blond, if he had the energy, would scoff at that thought. He at least musters up a low snicker.

That strange Englishman did a number on him, but he couldn't even begin stringing together words to describe what exactly happened. All he knows is that there's a burning fire coursing through his veins. It's hot and it's nasty and it's taking every bit of focus he has to put one foot in front of the other.

His home is quiet. It's late, so naturally everyone is asleep. Katsuki doesn't know what time it is, and nor does he really care. All he can think about right now is putting that fire out. His bed is calling his name.

Somehow, the journey from the front door to his small room has gotten longer. It feels like it takes hours to walk through the doorway, when in reality it should've taken a few seconds. Katsuki doesn't understand.

Eventually he gets there, and when he does, he doesn't even bother taking off his clothes—or what's left of them. He falls face first into the mattress and within seconds, he's out like a light.

Katsuki wakes with a start. His body jumps and he gasps, sitting up on the edge of his bed. His head is pounding, but that's only the beginning of it. When he comes to his senses and he's awake and functional, he realizes the clothes he went to bed wearing are barely even clothes. They have been burned—reduced to rags. His eyebrows furrow at the sight.

He isn't too sure as to how his clothes got ruined. His memories from last night are all out of whack; flashes of events and faces appearing and disappearing at the forefront of his mind. It's all coming back to him in bits and pieces.

Katsuki doesn't spend too much time dwelling on what happened last night and jumps up to start getting ready for his day. He would love to spend the day rotting in his bed, thinking about how (and why) Y/n would chose Deku over him, but he has a job to get to.

He removes the strings of fabric clinging to his body and easily finds replacements; just a pair of denim pants and a button down top, nothing fancy. He secures his boots to his feet and grabs his hat, setting it on the crown of his head.

The house is quiet as Katsuki navigates his way the front door. It's early, and his parents are still asleep. They'll be sleeping until the sun has risen and the birds are singing. He softly shuts the door behind him and jumps down the steps of their small front porch.

The dirt crunches beneath his weight as he walks over to the round pen to retrieve his horse. He was at least lucid enough to untack his horse and turn him loose in the pen before dragging himself to bed last night, and for that he's thankful.

The ranch he works at is farther away than he likes, and if he had to ride there on a cranky and sore horse, he'd never forgive himself.

Katsuki slowly tacks up his horse, moving through the motions of lifting the heavy saddle onto his back and doing up the girth. Before he leaves, he attaches his saddlebag to the saddle and stuffs things he may need inside. Soon, he's lifting himself into the saddle with a groan and riding off towards the ranch.

The Todoroki family lives on a 70 acre property twenty minutes outside of town. Like most rich families in this time period, they raise cattle. They didn't get rich off of cattle though. No, their money is old money. Katsuki isn't exactly sure how they became so rich, but he does know that they only breed and sell cattle for a little bit of pocket money.

The estate is huge and it's entirely fenced in. You ride up long dirt road to the main house—which is two stories tall and long, fully equipped with four bedrooms and a couple bathrooms. Their barn is located just a couple feet away from the house, and directly on the other side is a round pen for staff and their horses. The cattle free roam the property. They have 70 acres of fields, hills, and streams to explore. It's a gorgeous home, and Katsuki can only dream of owning.

Katsuki is one of four farmhands that work on the property to keep it steady and running. Everyone on the farm has a job, and his is to work on the family's horses and watch the cattle.

As soon as he tucks his horse away into the pen, he's walking himself to the barn. By now, the sun has begun to rise; its pink glow illuminating the estate and enhancing its beauty. The birds are beginning to chirp and the cows are mooing.

The family owns a handful of horses, most being used to pull their fancy carriages and others being used for recreational purposes. The barn is both long and wide. Stalls line the isle in the middle of the barn, but they're not all full. There are six horses in total that belong to the Todoroki family. Six of the eight stalls are occupied.

Mindlessly, the blond works through all six steeds; removing their shoes, trimming their hooves, and attaching new ones. Time flies by quick—thank God.

Katsuki finishes up his first task of the day before lunch is ready, so to kill the rest of his time, he works on one of the carriages. He remembers hearing Momo Yaoyorozu—one of Katsuki's old classmates and soon to be the Woman of The House—complain about how "unsafe" it felt to ride in it. To be fair, one of the wheels was close to popping off so he tightens the bolts and he messes with the axle.

And then that familiar sound of the triangle being played grabs Katsuki's attention. He nearly drops whatever he's doing to go get lunch.

Thankfully, Rei—the current Woman of The House—makes it a point to feed their staff. Everyday she calls the staff to their porch where she offers them simple meals to replenish their energy. Today she has made simple sandwiches. Everyone has a plate and a glass of water.

As per routine, they bow their heads in thanks then quietly dig in. In less than five minutes, their plates and glasses are empty and they're off.

Patrol is next, something Katsuki is grateful for.

He leaves the porch and practically hops on over to the round pen to tack up his horse. However when he gets there, he notices something is missing. He left his saddle on the fence, and suddenly it's gone. It's a 40 pound saddle, there's no way it could just up and walk away.

Katsuki's eyebrows furrow and he turns around to look around the property. He can't see it anywhere. He is beyond confused.

Then suddenly it all clicks.

That familiar fire sets itself ablaze in Katsuki's body. He can't feel his veins heat up and his heart beat rapidly against his sternum. He can see his saddle as clear as day in the hands of one of his coworkers, one who has a bad habit of taking things and returning them to their owners broken. Katsuki tenses and his jaw locks.

He's older now, he tries to tell himself. He's older and he's no longer an asshole. He isn't a mean little boy anymore. But that fire, it's just so hot and it's burning.

"Hey! Dickhead!" Katsuki calls out almost against his will. He stomps his way over to the cowboy and without a second thought, drives his fist into the man's face.