Okinawa was truly like being in another world. Crystal clear blue waters and an endless glowing sky...the air was warm as if it were Spring and the scent of saltwater had lifted the weight that adhered to your shoulders. You had never seen the ocean before or been to the beach. It was like a dream come true, and you had to reaffirm what you came here for.
Miss Vixen is hiding somewhere here. She stole Shinso's quirk. It's time we steal it back.
"So whatcha think? It's been a while since I've been to the beach," Hawks gave his signature smile as he adjusted his sunglasses. Your fingers were entwined with Katsuki's as the four of you walked outside of the hotel you were staying at. It was just a block away from the one your target was living in; close enough to spy, but far enough away to not get caught. Hawks was aiming to see if he could use his feathers to search her out to the point that he only had a tiny little crimson tuft in the spots where his wings used to be. He was vulnerable right now, which meant you were his defense.
You had three days. You were going to make them count.
"It's been a while for me too. I haven't been...ever!" You joked pleasantly. Despite the dreary nature of the trip, it was hard not to feel uplifted by the Okinawan sunshine and the scent of various flora mixed with the sea. Shinso was thoughtful as he stared towards the sea. He wondered what his parents would have thought about him getting revenge. Everything in his life fell into place for this moment. Being bullied at school, the long lonely nights with seemingly endless nightmares, being rejected from the course he was aiming for at UA...there were so many things that held him back from becoming who he wanted to be.
He wondered if they would be proud or disappointed.
But Shinso looked at your back and how your hand locked so tightly with Katsuki's. He couldn't help but smile at the two of you. If you could make it and still be smiling, so would he.
"Let's kick this bitch's ass ASAP so I can actually take you to the damn beach," Katsuki complained while running his hands through his spiked blond hair.
"You're just trying to get me in a swimsuit," you shot back playfully. Katsuki smirked at your response before bringing his lips to your ear.
"Can you blame me?"
The red hue on your cheeks did all of the talking.
"Mom, Dad, can you two wait until later to eye fuck each other? 'Kay thanks," Shinso cut in. It was clear he didn't mean it but of course, Katsuki likes to be the alpha.
"Aw, are you jealous Troll Doll?" You and Hawks shared a look and you both knew this crew was going to get in constant arguments.
"Hey (y/n)?" Shinso called out to you innocently.
"Yeah?" You responded without even looking at the mischievous smile on his face. That was your mistake. All of a sudden, your mind went blank. The muscles in your body started pulling towards Shinso without any mindful directive.
"Come give Daddy a hug." Katsuki's brows furrowed angrily as you wandered like a zombie towards Shinso, wrapping your arms around his waist. He was surprisingly trim with evident abdominal muscles. While adjusting his sunglasses, Shinso gave a cocky smirk and flipped Katsuki his middle finger. His arm around you wasn't proceeding past friendly boundaries at least. "How's this for jealous bitch?"
"I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!"
One of Hawks' feathers twitched.
"We've got movement. North, I think I found her. We need to suit up, (y/n)," Hawks spoke with a serious tone, causing Shinso to immediately drop his quirk. You blinked a few times in slight confusion but you caught enough of what Hawks said.
"Do you have a building location? The Doctor had a warehouse he abandoned about fifteen years ago in this town. I was hoping to lure her there in case there was a fight. Hero HQ can't get their hands on her or we will lose out on important info on Shinso's quirk," you cut in while heading right back inside. Getting changed into your Shinobi gear didn't take too long, but it definitely was startling seeing Katsuki and Shinso get dressed in their own mercenary gear.
You sacrificed so much so Katsuki never had to stain his hands with blood, and now he's running into the crossfire with you. You swore you would follow him into death and beyond, but you never wanted him to take that risk.
But this was Katsuki Bakugo after all, cowardice didn't flow through his blood.
"You look hot," you teased as he zipped up his black bodysuit. It looked like a masculine version of your suit with his signature somewhat baggy pants and knee guards. The skin-tight black shirt did wonders for his six-pack. Katsuki turned to you with a cocky grin and half-lidded crimson eyes that gleamed with mischief. His warm gloved hands rested on your hips as he placed a soft kiss on your lips, his teeth lightly grazing your lower one.
"Oh yeah? Maybe you could show me how much you love it later."
~~
With Hawks' feathers spread around town, he used them as surveillance. Instead of going out into the field with you, he stayed in the hotel room to be your eyes and ears. With iSpi, you and your crew of junior mercenaries were able to stay in direct contact with Hawks.
"Looks like she's heading to a store. Tail her. North...no...northwest. 80 meters away."
His familiar voice in your ear was a great comfort for you as you took on this mission with a very limited quirk. Before, when times got tough you could just ghost or teleport away. Now, you had to strategically maneuver Ghost just enough that it could last through a fight. Shinso and Katsuki were on the ground hiding in the shadows while you were hopping along the rooftops and staying hidden. It was better if you were the more active person on the chase considering your experience anyway.
Your moments flowed smoothly like water and even Katsuki and Shinso couldn't find you. It didn't take long to find the target, but she didn't seem to care about hiding. Miss Vixen stood out from the crowd immediately with her viper-like black-lined eyes that shined like the jade stones she would steal. Her hair was thick, licorice black, and pin-straight as it fell in a sharp line at her shoulders. Her outfit was designer, that much you could tell just from seeing her walk-in red bottom heels, a tight leather skirt, and a bright red tube top with a studded leather jacket. Miss Vixen clearly attracted attention on purpose, and you didn't know if that was on purpose to strengthen her quirk or if it was just her personality.
"You see her (y/n)?" Stay on it. She's just six blocks away from the warehouse. If you can immobilize her or corral her, we should be golden."
Shinso felt like his heart was going to explode from how hard it was pounding in his chest. His mind was flooded with memories of the past and just seeing her face was enough to spread ice through his veins. First, it was paralyzing panic.
And then absolute uncontrollable rage.
"Oi, Oi! Troll Doll what do you think you're doing?!" Katsuki hissed while gripping Shinso's shoulder. Shinso was laser-focused with boiling blood. While this woman was relishing in luxury, his parents were sitting in urns with nothing but pictures and incense to remember them by. He remembered those venomous green eyes that scoured the room looking for him when she and her goons broke in all those years ago. His family once lived in a lovely estate with anything he could have ever wanted. Miss Vixen caused him to lose everything in a drop of a hat. All of his mother's jewelry was stolen and pawned, his father's watches were collected and sold, his home was ransacked and stripped of everything that made it feel safe. Having a stolen sample of his quirk wasn't enough, she wanted all of it. Greed was a deadly sin and Shinso wanted more than anything to force this witch to atone for it.
"Let go of me," Shinso growled with a fighting gleam in his violet eyes. Katsuki saw that look before, it reminded him of the way you used to glare at Dabi.
"Let (y/n) handle this-" Katsuki's face went blank. Shinso moved Katsuki's hand off of his shoulder and coldly turned away from him and towards his target.
"I said let go." Katsuki stood still with that same vacant expression. You were in the middle of scouting, and it was too late when you saw Shinso approach Miss Vixen near an alleyway. The streets were packed with shoppers considering Christmas was coming up soon. There were too many civilians. Too many eyes...and with the way half of Shinso's face was covered along with the violent glint in his limited expression, he looked like the villain here.
"Shinso!" You hissed into the earpiece. Katsuki was roused from his vegetative state from hearing your voice. "You idiot stand back!" You wished you had his quirk to stop him since he just ignored you and your pleas. "He's going to ruin this for himself by jumping in so quick...Hawks, I'm going to have to engage," you gritted with annoyance. You adjusted the throwing knives around your utility belt and counted them once, twice, a third time.
Seven knives, one flash grenade, one smoke bomb...I have to make it count.
You gracefully made it to the ground and stuck to the shadows of an adjacent alley. It was when you saw Katsuki start moving towards Shinso that you knew you were in trouble.
"Vixen!" Shinso called out to her while her back was turned. The woman froze in place, her cherry lips curling into a wide smile.
"Oh? That name huh? Is that a mercenary I smell?" Her voice was mature and smooth like a long drag of a cigarette. There was only one voice you liked that was similar, and he wasn't here to help you. "Out in the open in the middle of the day? My, aren't you a bold one." She turned to face Shinso with those gleaming venom eyes that looked like they should have turned him to stone. The purple-haired hero ground his teeth in anticipation and his hands shook with what he wanted so hard to do.
"I've waited ten years to see you again. You robbed my house, stole my quirk, killed my family...and it still wasn't enough for you huh? A greedy little bitch like you will rot for what you did to us." Shinso's gravely voice was layered thick with threat and it pissed him off even more that she dismissed him. She waved her manicured hand in the air while the other was pressed firmly on her hip.
"Aww...isn't that sweet. You must be the lil' rat that hid from me all of these years. I guess you're finally man enough to seek me out but so stupid to challenge me one-on-one. Once the Doctor comes back, I'll have to make an appointment," she snickered. Shinso clicked his teeth just as Katsuki approached the tall purpled haired student from behind.
"He's never coming back," Katsuki spoke confidently. Suddenly, he broke out in his signature spiked toothed grin. "But if you're desperate, I can send you to the pits of hell to meet him." Miss Vixen's eyes narrowed at Katsuki who forgot to lift his mask when approaching a target.
"Now isn't this a familiar face? Aren't you the kid that won the UA Sports Festival? How interesting that a future 'hero in training' wants to actually attack and kill a woman! I just know the press would love this. Well...if I don't make better use of you first."
Hearing that she knew Katsuki's identity lit that familiar protective fire in the pit of your gut. Miss Vixen just sealed her own fate, even if she didn't know it yet.
She stalked forward like a cougar on the prowl and Shinso wasn't expecting Katsuki of all people to support him. Katsuki's eyes were an unwavering scarlet red...until they turned the same shade of green as Miss Vixen.
"What...the hell..?" You whispered to yourself while slipping away from the shadows to head towards the boys. You didn't like where this was going.
Just as you were about to step into the street, you saw Katsuki kick Shinso's ankles, knocking him to the ground.
"C'mon Troll Doll...show me what you got!" Katsuki growled with a sadistic grin on his face with eyes a shade of green so vivid it sent shivers down your spine. Shinso rolled to dodge Katsuki's small explosion which startled the crowd that was shopping obliviously in the street. Screams and cries of terror echoed off of the stores that locked their doors to keep their patrons safe...and Katsuki looked like he was loving it.
The sight absolutely broke your heart.
Your boyfriend has been trying to become a hero since he was a little kid, but unlike All Might he didn't have the same level of gentle charisma that filled the people with relief. Katsuki never wanted to be anything like a villain, he never wanted to scare regular people no matter how abrasive he came across. This woman was trying to ruin Katsuki's career before it even started.
"This bitch is fucking with the wrong woman." Your mask covered your face as you walked towards the scene of Shinso trying his hardest to evade Katsuki. It was more difficult than he anticipated though considering Katsuki was the toughest and most skilled fighter in the class. He was naturally brilliant and excelled at everything physical. This wasn't a fight that a non-combative quirk user could win.
"Good boy. Now fetch, I can make use of draining this quirk dry," Miss Vixen giggled to herself as if Katsuki was nothing more than a pet. Katsuki obeyed his commands and sucker-punched Shinso in the cheek, a sharp cracking down audible even from your spot. Your possessed boyfriend grabbed Shinso by the shirt and pulled him up to face him, ready to knock him out.
"Bakugo! Talk to me!" Shinso called out to his peer with desperation. Despite all of the times Shinso teased and pushed Katsuki's buttons, he never had to worry about Katsuki hurting him because of his quirk. But now...his quirk wasn't working on him.
"Are you gonna cry? A little pussy like you would never be a hero anyway," Katsuki cackled ferociously. He was so entirely different...this wasn't the Katsuki you knew and loved. This was a villain at work and you were going to make this bitch suffer.
"That's enough." Your voice distracted Miss Vixen and Katsuki enough that your boyfriend dropped Shinso, the latter stumbling to his feet and taking a defensive stance. You recognized it from when 1-A fought Mirio...he was learning from you. "I have had enough of whatever shit you are putting him through. You're going to answer for your crimes Vixen, and you'll do so by screaming." Stepping forward with silent footsteps, Miss Vixen took in your appearance fully. She recognized you...recognized the threat that stood before her. And unluckily for her, her quirk didn't work on women nor on Shinso. From what you could tell, she could manipulate men who spoke to her. All except Shinso who probably had the same rebound effect that you and Mirio had when using your quirks.
"S-Shinobi?! I thought you were retired? That you were gone? What, did you get so desperate that you teamed up with students? How pitiful. Thankfully, you brought me two gifts and I'm excited to use them to their fullest potential," she grinned with a single drop of sweat sliding from her forehead down her cheek. She was nervous. You could smell it.
"Don't make the mistake of thinking you're going to leave this town alive. I'm taking that quirk back even if it means dragging you through Hell and back." With your vicious tone, she knew you were serious. Even she was terrified of what you were capable of, but she wasn't planning on fighting you.
"Oh Bakugo sweetheart~..." Vixen purred towards him, the boy standing protectively in front of her. The sight had you ready to snap her neck in two but you knew she had to be alive to get Shinso's quirk back.
I need to get the answers Touya deserves too.
Vixen whispered something in Katsuki's ear, and his eyes shined with that ever villainous green. He nodded with that same spiked grin that you once loved, but now made you sick to your stomach.
"C'mere baby girl...I owe you that fight, don't I?"
~~
A/N
Thank you so much CosssD for your amazing art! Thank you so much!!
Hello everyone! I missed you!
It's been a really nice vacation but I'm happy to finally get back to talking with all of you lovelies.
How have things been?
I wanted to let you guys know I'm making some changes to the update schedule.
From now on I will be updating every OTHER Wednesday. AKA every 2 weeks. On the off week, I will be uploading new chapters of my DABI X READER book Burning You on my Discord server.
The server has a few layers of security going on right now because we want to keep everyone safe from any trolls or bullies, so please message a MOD for help on getting through if you have any questions.
Once Burning You has about 10 chapters uploaded to the Discord server, I will announce its premiere date for Wattpad! The HAWKS x READER story will start after Protecting You is over.
Tonight at about 7:30 PM New York time, I will be hosting a Jackbox Party Pack stream on Discord for us all to celebrate the new update!
Thank you all for your patience and I'm happy to be back with you all <3
-Kiba