Chapter Text
Things are okay.
There’s a lot going on, but they’re handling it, and Katsuki feels pretty confident that they can win this fight.
There are four villains, and five heroes. It’s him and his self-proclaimed Bakusquad; Kirishima, Ashido, and Kaminari versus four villains; Lava-face, Earthquake, Mindfucker, and Unknown. They were making a mess of the bank. He and the squad were in charge of subduing the villains while Round-Face and Sero ran rescue, pulling civilians out of the mess and getting them safely out of the building. They’re stuck in a bank, a very busy bank, in the middle of a very busy day, with a lot of people both inside the bank and outside on the street.
“How’s it going out there, Squad? We’ve got a huge group of kids to get out of here so we need an opening soon if you can.”
“Give us a sec, Uravity! Still have an unknown quirk to handle, I’ll call when we’re ready to clear!” Kirishima answered, dodging a flying desk and blocking the chair that followed with his arm. From behind him, Katsuki fired off AP Shots, aiming for the villain's face, and watched his pattern, looking for an opening. This fucker could move shit with his mind - people too, the asshole - and was causing more trouble than any of the others. He was an older fucker, probably closer to Aizawa in age, which would put him in his 40s, 50s at this point. A solid blow would put him down for the count, but they had to get to him first and that was the problem. He was wearing a black cloak with a cowl that covered his face, just like Katsuki’s winter costume, but wasn’t nearly as convenient. It kept flopping around and eventually, it would get stuck on the ridiculous hat he was wearing; a tricorn with a bright red feather in the brim. Katsuki rolled his eyes. Old people and their need for the dramatic.
trash can, desk, chair, person .
The people were the tricky part; Katsuki couldn’t just blast them out of the way when Kirishima dodged them. He’d have to catch someone, turn around and shove them towards Sero, who was ferrying them out to Round-Face. Ashido and Dimwit were running interference on the other three, keeping them distracted. So far, it looked like Earthquake and Lava-face were just defending the unknown, who was busy trying to crack open the main vault.
They were running out of time. Katsuki could see that there was at least one more civilian, probably more. A little girl, probably no older than eight, cowering under the counter directly behind the villain.
Katsuki frowned. “Oi, Red. Kid under the counter.” Kirishima nodded.
“Duck and cover?” the redhead answered, tensing in preparation. Katsuki let a feral grin fall into place as he shifted his feet apart, settling into a ready pose.
“Go.” He hissed, launching an AP Shot directly at the villain’s head. Kirishima leapt forward, kicking up rubble as he went into Unbreakable mode. The villain, distracted by the AP Shot, didn’t have time to dodge the tank that is Unbreakable Red Riot before getting knocked over. Katsuki took the advantage as Kirishima barreled straight past Mindfucker to the kid, blasting forward towards the villain.
He was able to see the whites of the fucker’s eyes before his face met steel kneecap with a nasty crunch . He landed on his feet as the villain’s head hit the floor. He cuffed him and turned his attention to the other three. “She good?” He asked Kirishima as he moved away, but when the redhead didn’t respond right away Katsuki turned, sensing something amiss.
Kirishima was still in the same position he’d landed in, curled forward to protect the kid, but that wasn’t what was wrong . No, what was wrong was the way Kiri’s skin had softened. As Katsuki stepped towards him, the redhead coughed wetly.
Red splattered the wall of the counter in front of him, and Katsuki heard a high-pitched giggle. There was an odd sucking sound, then Kirishima flinched before slouching to the side, revealing the kid.
She was covered in blood, and her tiny little hands had not-so-tiny razor-sharp claws attached, which were dripping with blood. Now that he got a better look at her, he realized she wasn’t a kid at all, but a tiny woman, crouched and wearing clothes to make her look like a child. She had short-cropped white hair, two devilish horns protruding from the sides of her forehead, and as he watched, the pale skin and childish clothes burned away, before becoming a deep red. Her sclera darkened into inky black depths and Katsuki knew, he knew , that things had just gotten fucking bad.
She beamed at him as she stood up, still only coming up to about his chest, and he took a step back, realizing her mouth was full of shark-like teeth, but not like Kirishima’s. These were narrower, longer. There were more of them.
“Uh-oh, looks like I scared you!” She sang, and fear raced down Katsuki’s spine. She took a step towards him and he stumbled back several steps. From her back unfurled massive black and red wings, like a bat’s in the way that light shone through them, even in the dim space. “Should I take you, little blasty? Or should I take your friend?” She gestured to Kirishima as she leaned forward. She was almost entirely naked, inky black pools of something just barely covering her and dripping across the cracked floors. “Although, he did just get stabbed with certain death. He might not last long enough to get home, and then I’ll have to start over again. Wouldn't that be just boring ?"
Katsuki couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. His whole body felt numb in fear. Something about her was paralyzing him, and it was pissing him off, but he couldn’t do shit and Kirishima was bleeding out on the floor practically at his feet. He could hear the others screaming, but couldn’t see them. “Dynamight, what’s going on?!” Uraraka screeched, her voice tinny and sharp in his ear.
“Eijirou!”
“Who the fuck is she? Where’d she come from?!”
Red Riot is down! Medic! Somebody get a fucking medic!”
The villain - because how could she be anything but a villain, given what she just did? - tsk-tsk ed at him. “Time’s running out, kiddo. You or him?” She then raised her voice, addressing the rest of the room and spoke a single word.
“Stop.”
The effect was instantaneous. The entire room went silent, and Katsuki was sure everyone else had frozen just as he was.
“Whoa, wha-”
“My body won’t move!”
“The fuck-”
The villain returned her attention to him and her grin turned slightly more unhinged as from beneath them, Kirishima gasped in pain and fell silent. Katsuki gritted his teeth. She was digging her heel into the wound she'd made, tearing Kirishima’s side open.
“Tell the others you’re coming with me, or your friend dies here and now, at your hands.” She said softly, dropping her chin to look at the red puddle growing at her feet, and Katsuki found that he had control over his voice again, the fear ebbing enough that he could take a shaky breath.
“Fuck you, bitch. Surrender or die.” He growled, glaring at her. She shook her head and beamed at him. The fear washed over him again and his spine stiffened.
“Amakitori, stop,” She said, and the unknown villain ceased trying to break into the vault, “I think we’ve found a much better prize. It’s time to go.”
"Whoa, what-”
"They’re getting away! He can teleport!”
“Can anybody get to Eijirou?!”
“I’m sorry to interrupt, darling,” the villain cooed, reaching forward to pluck Katsuki’s earpiece out, “but it’s time to do what you promised!” She beamed, raising her voice for the last bit, and crushed the earpiece between her fingers before stepping back and focusing those black eyes on him. “Burn him.” He could vaguely hear his friends screaming in the background, but his eyes stayed on her, locked on that creepy smile. To his horror, he felt his hands come up, explosions sparking in his palms. Was this her quirk, too? What the fuck is this woman?
His blood roared in his ears and his friends’ horrified cries were muffled by the sound of his own explosions, ripping from him, directed straight downward at Kirishima’s unmoving form.
“NO!” He screamed, breaking the villain’s quirk for a moment, and his explosions sputtered out, but the damage was done. He couldn’t look down, but the smell of burned, burning flesh filled his nose and he gagged, but the villain’s quirk kept him locked in place. His arms dropped to his sides and he could feel tears running freely down his cheeks. His friends were silent, all but Uraraka, who was sobbing.
No no no nononono fucking no not him not him not him not him
“Time to go, love!” the red villain sang, and behind her warped the unknown villain - Amakitori, she called him - and she held out a bloody hand. Hazily, forced by whatever her quirk was doing to him, he took it and kissed her knuckles.
Kirishima’s blood was coppery on his lips.
She smiled at him and reached back with her other hand to grasp Amakitori’s chin.
“Katsuki!” Came Uraraka’s voice, cracking the hold on the quirk once more, and he whipped his head around to face her.
Their eyes met, both wet with tears, seething fury pooling in chocolate depths, before the quirk took hold again and his mouth forced itself into a bloody grin at her. Her mouth opened.
It’s not me it’s not me pleaseplease don’t please it’s not me -
They warped away, and belatedly Katsuki realized that, in fact, things were
not okay
anymore.