TW: Mentions of sexual assault
Katsuki stood behind a barrier of heroes and yet he felt like more of a danger than the villain standing not to far in front of them. After everything that happened today, the explosive blond found himself on the brink of going nuclear. For a moment, he was granted reprieve from the image of a head rolling near his feet and only focused on the glowing blue flames that encompassed Dabi's obsidian clad figure.
Katsuki remembered Dabi's threat.
He remembered what the villain had said about you screaming in agony and pain while Dabi merely smiled.
He pictured you sobbing in the corner on the floor while Dabi approached you with a sickening grin...
...he pictured Dabi violating the only sense of innocence you had left.
"Katsuki?" You barely were able to croak out as you watched his eyes glow into a bloodthirsty shade of red. Hawks gripped you tighter as his wings reached their full span to appear more threatening. Knowing what Hawks has done in the past during your mercenary missions convinced you he was the most dangerous person here, even moreso than Endeavor. Every feather in his crimson wings could be transformed into a weapon while his eyes were sharp and his speed unmatched. He was the ultimate predator that the people of this world should revere with both awe and fear.
But even Hawks showed concern when Katsuki started to glow from the palm upwards to his shoulders...as if his explosion quirk was charging for a supernova.
"Bakugo, stand down," Hawks called out to the teen. Shoto and Shinso looked over to see him ready to burst, but it was Endeavor that commanded everyone's presence.
"Enough!" Enji held his arm up to signal Katsuki to stop, but Katsuki was rearing and ready to go. In his eyes, he already killed someone once that had done you so much wrong. If his soul was already dammed, he mind as well add this villain to the list. "Stop with the games Dabi! I've had enough of your destruction and violence. Working with Overhaul and The Doctor is a new low, even for the League of Villains," Endeavor gritted with his flaming facial hair setting his own firey cyan eyes aglow. Dabi glanced over to you with his cerulean eyes narrowed, his scarred face twisted in disgust over the mention of the people who caused you to be so frail. Your eyes locked and your heart lept from your chest seeing Dabi reunite with his father, the latter unknowing who the villain was he was threatening.
"Don't ever lump me with those sorry sacks of shit again. That Doctor got what was coming to him and it's only a matter of time before Overhaul does too. Although I have to say, sweetheart..." Dabi looked back to you and offered you a smile that looked threatening to anyone else but so sweet and calming to you. This Dabi was the one that would read to you...to brush your hair out of its tangled and matted form...the one that would offer you warmth during the worst moments of your life...it left you feeling conflicted in so many ways. "I'm gonna miss feeling you against me all night. Maybe I should pay you a little visit soon. You know...so you won't miss me too much." His sly smile curled into a smirk and a wink, leaving Katsuki raging beyond measure.
The blond couldn't handle it anymore.
It was your broken body laying in Hawks' arms.
It was your sanity teetering on the brink of madness.
It was your life that was ruined by Dabi
Katsuki swore to you so many times over that he would be there for you, that he'd never let anything happen to you, that he'd be the number one hero. Now he felt like he could never look All Might in the eyes again...that he failed the only person in his life he revered and looked up to...now he realized why Deku was chosen over him. How was he ever supposed to follow in All Might's steps if he's killed a man and allowed another to brutalize the woman he loved?
I'm weak. I always have been. I was too weak to accept help in the past...too weak to prevent any of this.
But she has always believed in me. She always supported me.
(y/n) loved me regardless...no matter how late I was or how many times I failed her, she always gave me that dumbass smile.
That's why I owe her this. I will owe her more love than she can handle for the rest of her life.
"I'll fucking kill you," Katsuki spoke with a deep animalistic growl towards the flame villain. Dabi's smile dropped to a scowl as he watched Katsuki stomp past Hawks and Endeavor with glowing arms that looked gold from the scorching temperature. "I kept your shitty little secret and this is the shit you did to her? Fuck you. She's never done anything to you! I'll pay you back from all the shit you've done to her tenfold you worthless fucking villain!"
"Oh please, she wanted me." Dabi's reply threw all logic out of the window for Katsuki as he went blind with rage. Meanwhile Shoto, Endeavor, and Hawks were curious as to what Katsuki was talking about. A dirty little secret between Dabi and Bakugo? What could Bakugo possibly know?
Shoto thought hard about Katsuki and his behavior as of late...why Dabi seemed to be so terrifying to both him and you...his fascination with Endeavor...the jabs at Shoto...the way Katsuki seemed so angry at his family...
The half and half boy felt like his puzzle was complete except for one missing piece in the center...and that one was lingering on the tip of Katsuki's tongue.
"No one wants Endeavor's reject spawn T O U Y A!"
Endeavor stopped breathing as his eyes connected with his eldest son's...a matching shade of blue whose familiarity finally reached fruition. Enji felt like his stomach dropped through a black hole or sinking vortex...chills crawling up the base of his spine then neck with drips of ice cascading down his skin. He was caught so off guard that he lost control of the flames on his face, and the fire died out completely. Suddenly the ugly scars on Touya's face had vanished in Enji's eyes...the purple marks replaced with his smooth baby face skin...his matured face appearing young like any child or teen. Enji could see the features of his first born son so clearly that he mentally kicked himself for not realizing it sooner.
"Tou-...ya...?" Enji sounded out slowly with an extended hand as his wide cyan eyes started to tear up. Even though his son was an S rank criminal, a sense of relief like no other flooded Enji's body as if a ten ton weight was removed from his back. His child was alive...the first child he held in his arms was alive...Rei was right all this time...
...Enji felt like he had an opportunity to love his son the way he was always supposed to.
"Guess the cat's out of the bag huh? I'm surprised you even remembered me between beating your other kids and being All Might's hated counterpart. You know, I wanted to tell you my name when I finally got to kill you...but five on one is a rough number even for me. We'll catch up on our familar reunion later Endeavor since I have a mission to finish. Oh and I'll see ya later babygirl," Dabi's rugged voiced carried through the wind and brushed the shock off of his father, sibling, and Hawks. You watched with a fluttering heart as Katsuki was rearing up to charge just as Dabi was ready to leave...
...and he let his guard down for just a moment...
...and Katsuki launched.
Flying through the air with you and Endeavor screaming for him to stop, Katsuki was ready to release his most powerful move, Howitzer Impact, which would have completely erased Dabi like a nuclear blast if his flames weren't there to protect him. Since Dabi was caught off guard though, it was obvious Katsuki would hit him before he could protect himself.
The same feeling rushed through your body as when you pictured Katsuki being trapped underwater in your chi training...the internal panic that someone you cared for was going to die if you didn't do something.
This time that feeling was designated to the man that burned your village to the ground...
...and the villain that went out of his way to cause you and the man you loved most harm...
...yet...
"KATSUKI! DON'T!" You screamed out with bloodshot scarlet eyes as you used the last of the energy you had left to teleport to Dabi and activate ghost within a split second of each other, far faster than any moment you've used the two sequencially before. Katsuki's explosions threw everyone off their feet as the impact left a crater the size of an olympic pool. At the bottom of the crater, Dabi held onto you with a shocked expression as you held yourself above him, eyes dripping with tears of blood as some drops fell on his cheeks. It was the first time in his life someone threw themselves into danger to save him...
...and for a moment he was reminded what heroes were actually supposed to be like.
But in order to be a hero, sacrifices must be made...and the last smouldering flame of your quirks were completely snuffed out.
Your eyes faded back to their usual shade, a sense of dullness in them.
"Go...run before the dust settles. I'll slow them down," You croaked out to Touya. He was stunned in silence for a moment in complete unwaivering awe of you just as Katsuki would be. "Consider us even now. You saved my life. I just saved yours," You smiled despite the clear agony and heartbreak you felt. You knew something was off with your body...there was a weak emptiness that couldn't be mistaken.
"Thanks (y/n)."
Dabi left you with a passing glance as he sprinted away from the wreckage of Katsuki's explosion, the dry dirt and dust slowly settling to reveal you in the center of the pit with no one else around you.
"(Y/N)!" Hawks yelled out as he jetted foward and used a powerful gust of his wings to blow the remaining smoke away. Katsuki watched with a shocked expression and burnt hands how Hawks picked your all but limp body from the crater, the latter knowing exactly what you did. Katsuki couldn't understand what was happening...why any of this was happening. Why wasn't Dabi dead? Why were you there?
What purpose would you have to protect the man responsible for the scouring of your home and countless forms of brutal abuse?
No one had the answer. Not even you.
~~
The aftermath of the raid on The Doctor and Overhaul's joint base resulted in astronomical losses for the future of hero society.
Mirio lost his quirk. Countless life-threatening injuries on heroes and students alike. Sir Nighteye was in the hospital, dying in front of his students and All Might.
And here you were with Recovery Girl in the sick bay at UA since the idea of going to a real hospital was so traumatizing to you that you broke down in a panic attack. Katsuki never left your side, sticking to you like glue as Hawks submitted the hard drive of The Doctor's PC to Whiz Kid and Endeavor waited outside of the room. You had to basically strip down to be treated by Recovery Girl and no matter how much the old lady protested Katsuki's presence, he was unwaivering.
The woman took her time with pressing compresses to swollen areas of your arms, soaking peroxide and alcohol on wounds, bandages on cuts...as a mother herself, Recovery Girl felt her heart break at the sight of you and your frail, practically starved body. She could only use her quirk on you in bursts to heal since you needed to have energy to heal...so she elected to come visit you at All Might's home for the next two weeks as you recovered to stagger your healing.
Once Recovery Girl left the office to grab a take-home med kit, Katsuki finally addressed the elephant in the room.
"So...you gonna tell me why you let that shit stain live?" Katsuki wasn't looking at you and you had no idea what was going on in his mind. Wearing only your underwear, you were shivering as you sat on the thin paperglad patient bed in the nurse's office. He was sitting next to you in his black tank top and matching cargo pants, his biceps flexing as he gripped the bed fiercely. His head was stooped low and a shadow loomed over his face.
"He didn't deserve to die. He fed me and kept me alive after the first half of my imprisonment. It was because of him that The Doctor didn't...didn't hurt me anymore. He saved my life so I saved his. Also...you don't want to go down the slope of having blood on your hands," You replied to him. A light seemed to go off in Katsuki's mind as he stood up and approached you, tearful scarlet eyes grasping your whole attention. His bandaged palms were placed on your cheeks as water fell down his own.
"Did he...did he hurt you?" Katsuki asked you with his voice cracking. You furrowed your brows as you blinked in confusion.
"I don't understand..." Katsuki released a 'tsk' as he gathered the energy to admit a long term secret he kept.
"Dabi told me when I was held captive that if I ever fucked with him that he'd...he'd touch you, break you...and I thought...I thought that while you were locked up..." Suddenly, everything became perfectly clear to you. Sexual assault was definitely common in your field of work and was a dark side to even villainy. There were plenty of villains in the world that still had their own sense of moral code, a shred of humanity left...and Dabi was one of them even though he tried so hard to hide it.
"Oh Katsuki no! He never so much as pulled a hair out of my head. To be honest, he treated me with respect and it shocked me too. I don't know why he was so nice to me, but he never did that to me or even tried." A sigh of relief burst through Katsuki's chest as he reached for a full hug, tangling his fingers in your hair as he cradled your head and body to him. Everything in your broken self started to feel warm again...as if you could finally breathe...as if you were finally safe.
"I was just-...FUCK! This whole time I thought-...He was doing all those things to you...and I-...I wasn't there like I fucking promised..." Katsuki sobbed as he let everything out into the open. You were the only person he'd ever do this in front of, and despite your current state, you comforted your lover. "I'm sorry...This is all so fucked up and I didn't save you sooner. And I fucked everything up. Seeing those scratch marks on the chair...the blood all over the floor...When I wanted to be a hero growing up, I never imagined I'd risk losing someone I fucking love as much as I do you." He continued to press himself against you so you wouldn't see his face, the last shred of his pride coming through.
"You didn't lose me. I'm right here. I knew you'd come for me. I'm not going to lie...I wanted to die more times than I could count...but I would dream about you...every night Katsuki. It was you that I thought of when I couldn't bear it anymore. I love you. I'm alive. And I never have to go back there again because you saved me Katsuki." Your voice ripped him to the bone and he held you even tighter as if letting you go would make you disappear. Both of you desperately needed comfort from each other: you needing security and protection by Katsuki and Katsuki needing reassurance and guidence after everything that happened.
It wasn't the right time to tell Katsuki that your need to defend Touya caused your quirks to die out...that now you were no different than Midoriya when he was just a quirkless child.
So for now, that was a loss you'd have to mourn alone. Today was about the fact you survived hell on Earth and that Katsuki risked his entire career and future just to ensure your life.
~~
Endeavor drove you home to All Might's house with Katsuki sitting with you in the back seat while holding Recovery Girl's medical kit. You were basically ordered to stay at home to heal with at least one trusted person in the house with you at all times. Until Katsuki had to return to school, he and All Might would be staying at the house. Once those two had to return, Hawks or Endeavor would be keeping an eye on you. Neither pro hero complained about this, especially since they both blamed themselves for you getting kidnapped.
And no matter how hard they begged you, you refused to see a doctor you didn't already trust ever again.
Seeing All Might's modern home coming into view was a feeling unlike any other. Despite only living there a short while, safety and security eminated from its sturdy walls and the comforts of your bed would pull you into a dreaming state that didn't have to shelter you from the cruel reality of the world. Even though the retired hero wouldn't be home until late due to Sir Nighteye passing away, just having Katsuki and Endeavor with you was comforting enough. Shoto and Shinso went together to get groceries on Endeavor's dime so you would have a stocked fridge and plenty of medical supplies to get through the next leg of recooperating. Tonight you would have a real dinner and a safe place to stay.
Tonight you would have a hot shower and watch a movie.
Tonight you would cry yourself to sleep knowing that your life was never going to be the same, but you would keep going strong...keep powering through...because survival is not about what beats you to the brink, it's the fact you had the tenacity to wake up and keep standing strong. You didn't have to do any of this alone either. For the first time in your life, you could actually process grief and pain with people who loved you.
The scent of lemon cleaner and air freshener greeted you as you unlocked the front door of the house, scared to walk through the dark house first. Endeavor patted your head while walking in and turning on all of the lights in the house so your anxiety went down, Katsuki holding your hand the whole time. All you wanted to do was take a shower...but you barely had the energy to walk upstairs.
"Need help washing up?" Katsuki asked you quietly as if he read your mind. You looked over to Endeavor who dismissed you, his mind clearly worlds away as he thought about his son.
"Go ahead. I have some phone calls to make. Shoto and Shinso aren't going to be back for another hour or so and All Might won't return until close to midnight," Endeavor stated with a level of exhaustion in his voice that you've never heard from him.
"How long are you staying?" You asked the burly man. His eyes caught yours and he gave you a smile that ached with defeat. It was obvious that he was hurting...everyone was hurting from this.
"As long as you need me." Endeavor was not the type of man that ever gave off that same paternal vibe as All Might nor was he really a person you could find comforting...but in that moment you saw him weaker than he's ever been before. He finally learned how to be a father long after losing the faith of his own children and living with the guilt of thinking he was responsible for his son's death. Enji exercised all of his resources to find and save you and the gesture was not lost. He sacrificed everything to become the number one hero, and he could have lost all of that if anyone found out he was working with mercenaries.
Before Katsuki could walk you upstairs to shower, you crossed the threshold of the room to embrace Endeavor just like Touya did when he was a small, trusting child. Enji sucked in his breath as he held his arms up, ill-prepared of such a token of affection.
"Thank you, for everything."
Slowly Enji Todoroki put his arms down and hugged you back tightly. You were the first person who trusted him on his journey to become a better man...and you were the first to ever forgive him for his shortcomings. As he let you go so Katsuki could carry you up the stairs, Enji took this moment of privacy to sit at the kitchen table with hid head in his hands, knowing that his ever present desire to overcome All Might was the sole reason for his family to fall apart...for his son to fake his death and turn to villainy...
...and he was the one who roped you back into a mercenary lifestyle that was destined to kill you while luring the the ability to become a revered hero.
Endeavor had no right to accept your thanks...and he felt tears that felt hotter than magma spur in the corners of his eyes that no matter how hard he struggled to become better, he always seemed to ruin everything.
"Perhaps...I'm better off giving up..." Endeavor whispered to himself. No more than ten seconds later, a buzzing sensation alerted Endeavor of a text message. Shoto's name popped up on the screen and the message attached finally allowed Enji to release the moisture his eyes had held hostage.
Shoto (5:23PM)
I just wanted to say thanks for letting me come on his mission. Maybe you can help me prepare some Nabe for us all to share. Be back soon.
Flames sparked on his face just as his own heart was rekindled...perhaps he wasn't as much of a lost cause as he thought.
~~
A/n
We're finally home! Prepare some from private Kacchan moments next chapter OwO
Sorry for the late chapter, I've been out of state with family and my physical health has been declining lately due to increased pain with my arthritis in my hands. My brain is running on empty for writing right now and I apologize for that.
The Overhaul arc has finally reached its close! And before anyone asks, yes I will be doing the festival/talent show thingy, no I will not be having Gentle Criminal show up.
I'm genre shifting to a more slice of life style soon so don't be surprised if I am not having an action packed sequence every chapter like I had the last few weeks.
Anyway, thoughts?
Poor (y/n) is quirkless and Katsuki doesn't know.
I wonder what Dabi is thinking and feeling right now...
Thank you so much to AyBroShutUp for your super cute piece of art! Thanks so much for sending it to me! For anyone wondering, I recieved this art in July and I post chronologically so if you're concerned if I haven't shown your art yet or if you didn't see it posted and you emailed it to me before July 16th, please send me a DM. I have about 13 weeks worth of art in the queue currently.
Please keep sending me your art and please join the Discord if you like to see/post more than my weekly chapter! :)
Okay I'll shut up now.
Happy Wednesay/Thursday everyone!
-v4k