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The rift tore through reality like a wound in the sky, fifty meters wide and pulsing with sickly violet light. Downtown Tokyo's skyline fractured around it as creatures poured through—twisted amalgamations of shadow and matter that shouldn't exist in their world.

"Midoriya! Above you!" Iida's voice crackled through the comm.

Midoriya Izuku didn't need to look. His danger sense flared white-hot as he launched himself sideways, green lightning crackling across his body. The ground where he'd stood exploded into rubble as a Class-B horror crashed down, all serrated limbs and gnashing teeth.

"Blackwhip!" Energy tendrils erupted from his arms, wrapping around the creature's torso. He slammed it into three others rushing from the rift's perimeter. The impact sent shockwaves through the abandoned street.

Twenty-three creatures down. Corruption level: 47%.

The mental notification flickered at the edge of his consciousness. Nearly half capacity already, and they hadn't even reached the prime target.

"Todoroki, status?" Yaoyorozu's voice came through, calm and commanding from the mobile base two blocks back. The head Guide's tactical mind was their anchor.

"Engaging mid-levels on the eastern flank," Todoroki reported, his voice tight with focus. Ice erupted in massive walls, corralling a group of horrors before fire flash-melted them into steam. "Corruption at thirty-two percent."

"Uraraka, standby for Todoroki. Asui, you're with Iida." Yaoyorozu's orders were crisp. "Midoriya, your levels are climbing too fast. You need—"

"I'm fine!" Izuku cut her off, immediately regretting his tone. His skin prickled with static, excess energy bleeding off in emerald sparks. Not fine. Definitely not fine. But they had a job to finish.

The fifty-meter giant emerged from the rift like a nightmare given form.

It was vaguely humanoid, if humans were made of volcanic rock and crystallized shadows. Each step shook the foundations of nearby buildings. Its eyeless face turned toward Izuku, and he felt the weight of its attention like a physical blow.

"Prime target acquired!" Iida's engines roared as he blasted past, drawing three Class-Bs away from civilian evacuation routes. His speed was a blue streak against the darkening sky. "Midoriya, Todoroki—it's all yours!"

"Flashfreeze!" Todoroki was already moving, ice racing up the giant's legs in crystalline columns. The creature's bellow shook windows three blocks away.

Izuku pushed off the ground, Full Cowl blazing at 45%. The corruption in his system screamed at the spike in power, but he gritted his teeth and aimed for the giant's center mass. "DETROIT SMASH!"

His fist connected with the force of a missile strike. The giant staggered but didn't fall. Instead, it swung one massive arm in a backhand that Izuku barely dodged with Float, sailing backwards through the air.

Corruption level: 59%.

His vision blurred at the edges. The warning tingle became a burn.

"Midoriya!" Yaoyorozu's voice was sharp. "You're approaching critical levels!"

"The rift is still open!" He activated Blackwhip again, swinging between buildings to avoid another crushing blow. "We can't fall back now!"

Todoroki created a ramp of ice, sliding up to the giant's shoulder level. Fire and ice alternated in devastating waves, each attack leaving scorched and frozen patches across the creature's hide. But it was regenerating, pulling matter from the rift itself.

Corruption level: 64%.

Izuku’s hands trembled. Power leaked from him in uncontrolled bursts, cratering the pavement where he landed. This was the curse of being Rank S with multiple abilities—each power drew on his mental stability, and each use fed the corruption that would eventually consume him if left unchecked.

"Iida, Asui—rift perimeter is clear!" The speedster esper and the amphibious guide had corralled the smaller horrors into a killzone. "Requesting permission to assist with prime target!"

"Negative," Yaoyorozu commanded. "Your corruption levels are manageable. Maintain containment. Uraraka, prep for emergency guiding on Todoroki."

"On it!" The Guide's voice was strained but determined. Uraraka was only Rank B, but her synergy with Todoroki's dual nature powers was respectable—enough to keep him operational.

Izuku dove in again, using Danger Sense to thread between the giant's strikes. He was faster, more versatile, but each exchange cost him. Float to avoid the stomp. Blackwhip to redirect its arm. Fa Jin storing kinetic energy for the next devastating blow—

Corruption level: 71%.

His comm crackled with static as his own energy interfered with the equipment. Bad sign. Very bad sign.

"Midoriya, fall back!" Yaoyorozu's order cut through. "That's not a request. Your corruption is entering the red zone!"

"Almost... there!" He released Fa Jin in an explosive burst, his fist glowing white-hot with stored energy. "FAUX 100% DELAWARE DETROIT SMASH!"

The impact sent a shockwave that shattered every remaining window in a two-block radius. The giant's torso cracked, fissures spreading like lightning through stone. It toppled backwards toward the rift—

And caught itself.

Izuku’s heart sank as the creature stabilized, wounds already knitting with pulled rift energy. They needed to close the breach, or this would never end.

Corruption level: 78%.

His vision swam. Green lightning sparked erratically across his skin, scorching his hero suit. He could taste copper and ozone. The world tilted.

"MIDORIYA!" Todoroki's ice caught him mid-fall, creating a slide that deposited him roughly on a rooftop. The dual wielder landed beside him, breathing hard, left side smoking and right side frosted. "You're done. Look at yourself!"

Izuku tried to stand. His legs wouldn't cooperate. The corruption was eating at his nervous system, power consuming him from the inside out.

Corruption level: 82%. Critical threshold reached. Emergency guiding required.

"Uraraka, now!" Yaoyorozu's voice was sharp with urgency.

The Guide was already moving, her compact frame navigating the rubble with practiced ease. She reached the rooftop in seconds, breathing hard but focused. Her hands found Midoriya's temples—skin contact, the minimum for emergency guiding.

"Sorry, Midoriya-kun," she murmured. "This might hurt."

The guiding hit him like a cold waterfall. Uraraka's energy was gentle, warm, trying to soothe the raging storm of his corruption. But it was like using a cup to bail out a sinking ship. Her 30% compatibility meant the connection was there, but shallow. Incomplete.

Corruption level: 77%... 75%... 73%...

It stalled at 68%.

Uraraka gasped, pulling back. Sweat beaded on her forehead. "That's all I can do. Five percent is my limit with you, Midoriya-kun."

Five percent. Out of 82%. It was barely a dent.

But it was enough to get him back on his feet.

"Todoroki," Izuku’s voice was rough, strained. "One more hit. Together."

The dual-wielder's eyes were sharp, calculating. His corruption sat at 41% after Uraraka's guiding—manageable but climbing. He nodded once.

They moved in unison.

Todoroki created a massive ice structure, a spear fifty meters long and ten meters wide. Izuku wrapped it in Blackwhip, adding his own power to the construct. Together they launched it with combined force—ice, fire, and green lightning spiraling in a devastating helix.

The spear punched through the giant's chest and into the rift itself.

For one suspended moment, nothing happened.

Then reality screamed.

The rift collapsed inward, dragging the giant with it. The creature's bellow cut off mid-note as it was sucked back into whatever dimension had spawned it. The remaining horrors dissolved into black mist, their connection to the breach severed.

Silence fell over downtown Tokyo.

Rift cleared. Mission successful.

Izuku collapsed to his knees. His entire body shook with the aftermath of corruption overuse. 68% was still dangerously high—he had maybe six hours before it became critical again. Maybe less.

"Medical evac incoming," Yaoyorozu's voice was softer now, relieved. "Good work, everyone. Todoroki, Midoriya—you both need immediate treatment. Iida, Asui, secure the perimeter for cleanup crews."

"Understood!" The responses came in, professional despite exhaustion.

Uraraka crouched beside Izuku, guilt written across her face. "I'm sorry I couldn't do more."

"You did enough." Izuku managed a weak smile. "We won, didn't we?"

But as the adrenaline faded, reality set in. This was his life now—powerful enough to face S-Class threats but corrupted by that same power. Always on the edge. Always one mission away from burnout.

And the only Guide who could truly stabilize him?

He didn't exist. Couldn't exist. The compatibility ratings didn't lie—30% with Uraraka was the best match the Guild had found in three years of testing.

Rank S Espers with multiple abilities were rare enough. Guides who could handle that complexity?

Statistically impossible.

The medical transport descended from the sky, rotors whipping debris into dust devils. Izuku let them load him onto a stretcher, his body too drained to protest.

-----

The guiding capsule hummed around Izuku like a mechanical cocoon, pale blue light washing over his trembling form. Through the reinforced glass, he could see Yaoyorozu's concerned face as she monitored the readouts.

Corruption level: 54%. Declining at 2.8% per hour.

"Five days," Yaoyorozu said through the intercom, her voice distorted slightly by the speakers. "The capsule can cleanse up to twenty percent, but it takes time, Midoriya. Your body needs to stabilize naturally or—"

"I know." Izuku’s voice was hoarse. He'd heard this speech before. Push too hard, burn out completely, become one of those cautionary tales whispered in Guild halls. The Esper who went berserk. The S-Rank who had to be put down.

He closed his eyes and tried to let the machine do its work. The capsule's synthetic guiding energy was cold, impersonal, nothing like the warmth of a human Guide. But it was safe. Predictable. It couldn't give him more than the mechanical twenty percent, but it also couldn't be harmed by his corruption.

Corruption level: 53.2%

The progress was glacial.

----

Across the city, at Emberforge Guild headquarters, the atmosphere was electric.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the Guild Master's voice boomed across the assembly hall, "I present to you the Guide who saved St. Petersburg—Bakugo Katsuki!"

The doors opened, and Katsuki strode in like he owned the place.

He was all sharp edges and barely contained energy, his ash-blond hair catching the light as crimson eyes swept across the gathered Espers and Guides. The combat suit he wore was matte black, reinforced plating over vital areas, with thruster ports built into the back and forearms. Twin holsters sat at his thighs, and the bandolier across his chest bristled with specialized grenades.

"Tch." His first word to his new Guild was dismissive. "This the welcome wagon? Expected more from the number two Guild in Japan."

Ashido Mina—Rank A Esper with acid-based corrosive powers—whistled low. "Oh, he's got an attitude. I like him already."

"Bakugo-san," the Guild Master continued, diplomatic smile strained, "your record speaks for itself. The St. Petersburg incident—a ten-kilometer rift, catastrophic breach, and you managed to guide fifteen Espers simultaneously while coordinating aerial bombardment—"

"Yeah, yeah." Katsuki waved him off. "I did my job. When do I get to do it here?"

Kaminari Denki, Rank A Esper specializing in electrical discharge, leaned toward Kirishima Eijirou, the hardening-type tank Esper beside him. "Is he always like this?"

"Confidence," Kirishima grinned, his shark-tooth smile bright. "I can respect that! Welcome to Emberforge, Bakugo!"

Guide Jirou Kyoka adjusted her audio-enhancement equipment, eyebrow raised. "A Guide who's also combat-certified? That's rare."

"Not just combat-certified," Guide Shinsou Hitoshi added quietly, purple eyes assessing. "Full tactical operations specialist. Arms expert. The Russian Guild didn't just lose a Guide—they lost a battlefield commander."

Then, the screaming alarm cut through the celebration like a blade.

PRIORITY ALERT: RIFT DETECTED. SECTOR 7-C. CLASS: A-RANK SWARM. ALL AVAILABLE UNITS DEPLOY IMMEDIATELY.

"Shit!" Ashido was already moving, her suit's acid reservoirs priming with a hiss. "Welcome to Japan, blasty! Guess you're getting that job right now!"

The deployment bay erupted into controlled chaos. Espers rushing to positions, Guides checking equipment, the massive hangar doors rolling open to reveal Tokyo's skyline.

Katsuki's grin was feral. "Fucking Finally."

His thrusters ignited with a roar that echoed off metal walls.

----

Sector 7-C was a nightmare of chittering wings and serrated limbs.

The rift hung twenty meters above an industrial district, maybe eight meters wide—smaller than the downtown breach, but what poured through made up for it in sheer numbers. Insectoid horrors the size of cars, their carapaces gleaming like oil slicks, mandibles snapping with enough force to shear through steel.

From the mobile command center two blocks back, Katsuki stood with arms crossed, crimson eyes tracking every movement on the holographic display. Guide Commander Kendo Itsuka was directing operations, her voice calm and professional over the comms.

"Kaminari, shift to eastern flank. Kirishima, hold the forward line. Ashido, corrosive coverage on—"

"Holy Hell, there's hundreds of them!" Kaminari's panicked voice cut through as his electricity arced between three creatures, frying their wings. They dropped like stones, but ten more took their place.

Katsuki's jaw tightened. His eyes flicked across the tactical display—Esper positions, corruption levels, enemy distribution patterns, civilian evacuation status. His mind processed it all in seconds, saw the gaps in formation, the wasted energy, the inefficient response patterns.

He pulled up the guild database on his wrist-mounted interface, fingers flying across the holographic keys. Esper profiles loaded one after another:

Ashido Mina - Rank A - Corrosive Projection - Corruption: 23%

Kaminari Denki - Rank A - Electrical Discharge - Corruption: 31%

Kirishima Eijirou - Rank A - Hardening/Tank Class - Corruption: 19%

Guide profiles followed:

Jirou Kyoka - Rank B - Musical Pattern Specialist/Corruption Soothing

Shinsou Hitoshi - Rank B - Mental Soothing Specialist

The swarm patterns, the rift's energy signature, the building structural integrity data—all of it fed into his tactical assessment.

"Oi." His voice was sharp.

The Guide Commander turned, orange hair swaying. "Bakugo-san, I know you're eager to help, but—"

"Let me take command." It wasn't a request.

Kendo blinked. "What? You just arrived, you don't know our—"

"Your eastern flank is collapsing because Sparky's spreading his attacks too thin. Rock-head up front is taking hits he doesn't need to because he's not coordinating with Pinky's acid coverage. And Ears isn't cycling her guiding patterns efficiently—she's got three Espers showing early corruption spikes that she could smooth out if she adjusted her musical frequency rotation." Katsuki's eyes never left the display. "You've got maybe three minutes before they break containment and hit the civilian sector."

Kendo's expression hardened, but she looked at the display. Saw what he saw. Her lips pressed into a thin line.

"Two minutes," she corrected. Then she stepped aside. "Fine. They're yours. Don't make me regret this."

Katsuki's grin was sharp as he grabbed the command headset. "All units, listen up! New voice on comms—fucking get used to it!"

"Who the hell—" Kaminari started.

"Shut it, Sparky! Stop trying to fry every bug you see—you're not a fucking exterminator! Focus your discharge on the clustered groups, maximum voltage, wide area coverage!" Katsuki's fingers danced across the tactical board, highlighting zones. "Pinky! Your acid's got range—use it! Create kill zones at these coordinates, force the swarm into channels!"

"Uh—roger that!" Ashido sounded startled but moved immediately. Acid sprayed in calculated patterns, creating barriers that funneled the insects into tighter formations.

"Shitty hair! Stop face-tanking every hit like an idiot! You're a wall, not a punching bag! Hold position here—" a marker appeared on everyone's Heads Up Display, "—and let them come to you! Conserve energy!"

"On it!" Kirishima shifted, his hardened form anchoring at the designated point.

"Ears!" Katsuki pulled up the corruption monitoring display. "Sparky's hitting thirty-three percent, Pinky's at twenty-six and climbing. I need you to cycle between them—musical pattern A-7 for Kaminari's electrical signature, then switch to C-3 for Ashido's corrosive type. Five-minute intervals, keep them stable!"

"Got it!" Jirou's voice came through, and moments later the soft thrum of carefully modulated musical patterns began filtering through the Guide frequency. Almost immediately, the corruption climb rates on both Espers began to level out.

"Troll hair, you're on Red Riot. He's stable now but he's gonna spike when the swarm gets aggressive. Stay ready for emergency mental soothing if he breaks twenty-five percent." Katsuki was already pulling up backup request protocols. "Kendo, send priority request to the nearest guild—we need support now!"

"Already on it," Kendo replied, grudging respect in her voice.

The battle shifted. What had been desperate defense became controlled aggression. Kaminari's electrical attacks hit three times as many targets. Ashido's acid created kill zones that stacked with the improved Esper coordination. Kirishima held the line without taking unnecessary damage, and Jirou's guiding patterns kept everyone's corruption manageable.

Katsuki watched corruption levels stabilize, then begin declining as efficiency improved.

"Better," he muttered. "Still not good enough, but—"

"Bakugo!" Kirishima's voice was strained. "There's too many! Even with better tactics, we need backup!"

"It's coming," Katsuki said, eyes on the priority channel. "A guild confirmed—ETA two minutes—"

Green lightning split the sky.

Every head turned as Midoriya Izuku arrived like a meteor, Full Cowl blazing at 45%, Blackwhip tendrils already lashing out to snare a dozen insects mid-flight. He slammed them into the ground hard enough to crater pavement.

"MIDORIYA?!" Yaoyorozu's voice shrieked through the general comms channel. "You were in the capsule! Your corruption is still at—"

Katsuki's HUD lit up with warnings as his sensory array locked onto the new arrival. The corruption reading made his blood run cold.

CORRUPTION: 54% - RISING STABILITY: DECLINING ESPER CLASS: S ABILITIES: MULTIPLE [7 SIGNATURES DETECTED] THREAT ASSESSMENT: CRITICAL

"Who the fuck—" Katsuki's eyes widened as Midoriya tore through twenty insects with a single Detroit Smash, the shockwave rattling windows three blocks away. "—is this suicidal moron?!"

"That's Midoriya Izuku!" Ashido called back, awe in her voice. "Rank S! Multi-wielder! He's Aetherion's ace!"

"He's also about to fucking die!" Katsuki was already moving toward the equipment bay, fingers flying across his interface. "His corruption's climbing! Who authorized him to deploy?!"

56%

"No one!" Yaoyorozu sounded frantic. "He left the capsule on his own—Midoriya, please fall back!"

"People need help!" Midoriya's voice was strained but determined.

Katsuki watched him move—liquid lightning, impossibly fast, devastating power. And completely, utterly reckless.

"Fuck this." Katsuki grabbed his helmet, locked it into place. "I'm going in."

"Bakugo-san, you're not authorized for—" Kendo started.

"Watch me." His thrusters ignited with a roar as he launched from the bay.

He hit the battlefield at full speed; eyes locked on the greenette who was burning himself out saving everyone except himself. The corruption tracker on his HUD kept climbing.

58%

Katsuki fell into formation beside him, launching a spread of proximity grenades that cleared their immediate area. "OI! SHITHEAD!"

Midoriya's head whipped around, eyes wide with surprise. "Who—"

"Your corruption's spiking! Fall back!"

"Can't!" Midoriya gasped, driving his fist through an insect's thorax. "Too many civilians in the evacuation zone!"

60%

"Then let me guide you, dumbass!" Katsuki matched his speed, thrusters screaming. Every time he got close enough for physical contact, the greenette would dart away, chasing another threat.

"I'm fine!"

"You're LYING!"

62%

Midoriya's movements were getting erratic. Katsuki could see it—the way his attacks had too much power, the way his Blackwhip tendrils lashed out unpredictably. The corruption was eating at his control.

"Midoriya, please!" That was Yaoyorozu again, desperate. "Your levels—"

67%

"Almost done!" Midoriya created a whirlwind with repeated air pressure punches, scattering the swarm. "Just need to—"

A cluster of insects dive-bombed him from above. He saw them—Danger Sense flared—but his body was too corrupted to respond in time.

Katsuki moved on instinct.

His thrusters flared nova-bright, closing the distance in a heartbeat. He tackled Midoriya out of the path, spinning mid-air to fire a spread of grenades that turned the diving insects into chunky mist.

They hit the ground together, Katsuki's armored form taking the brunt of impact.

"What are you—" Midoriya tried to pull away.

74%

"STAY STILL!" Katsuki pinned him, one hand on the greenette's chest. The guiding connection snapped into place—

And Katsuki's world exploded.

Pain. Power. Corruption so thick it was like drowning in toxic sludge. Seven different energy signatures, all screaming for dominance. This wasn't an Esper—this was a fucking hurricane compressed into human form.

But underneath it all...

Katsuki's eyes widened. "No fucking way."

"Let me go!" Midoriya struggled, green lightning sparking erratically. "I need to—"

81%

The Esper's eyes were losing focus. Gold creeping in at the edges, drowning out the emerald. Berserk state imminent.

"Sparkplug! Shark face! Close that fucking rift NOW!" Katsuki roared into comms. "I've got the idiot!"

"On it!" came the immediate response.

87%

Midoriya wasn't listening anymore. He threw Katsuki off with pure strength, Full Cowl blazing at 100% now, no control, just raw power. He launched toward the rift—

Katsuki's thrusters ignited. He caught the greenette mid-flight, arms locking around him like a vice. They spun, momentum carrying them in a wild arc.

"NO!" Midoriya thrashed, inhuman strength threatening to break the hold. "HAVE TO—STOP THEM—CAN'T—"

93%

His eyes were pure gold now. Empty. Berserk.

They crashed into a rooftop hard enough to collapse it, tumbling through to the floor below in a shower of concrete and rebar. Katsuki pinned him again, knees on the Esper's arms, hands grabbing that stupid curly hair—

96%

No time for subtlety. No time for proper contact points.

Katsuki kissed him.

Not gentle. Not soft. Demanding, forceful, pouring every ounce of his Guide energy through the most intimate connection possible. Skin to skin, breath to breath, diving into that maelstrom of corruption and power with zero hesitation.

The response was immediate.

Midoriya's body went rigid, then started convulsing. Katsuki held on, guiding ruthlessly, pulling corruption out like poison from a wound. It fought him—God, it fought him—seven different power signatures each trying to resist, but Katsuki was stronger.

He'd guided fifteen Espers simultaneously in St. Petersburg. One suicidal greenette wasn't going to beat him.

91%

Outside, the sounds of battle intensified then faded. Kirishima's triumphant roar: "Rift's closing!"

84%

Midoriya stopped fighting. His hands came up—not to push away, but to grip Katsuki's shoulders, pulling him closer. The kiss deepened, became something less like an emergency procedure and more like...

76%

"Holy shit," Ashido's voice crackled over comms. "Are they—is that—?"

"Guiding," Kaminari breathed. "That's the hottest fucking guiding I've ever seen."

"Shut UP!" Jirou hissed, but even she sounded awed.

63%

Katsuki barely heard them. The corruption was unraveling under his touch, power signatures calming, and underneath it all was this person—this ridiculous, self-sacrificing, powerful person who tasted like ozone and desperation.

48%

The golden glow faded from those eyes, emerald bleeding back in. Awareness returning.

31%

Katsuki kept going. Deeper, cleaner, until the corruption was just... gone. Wiped away like it had never existed.

12%

5%

0%

He pulled back slowly, watching those emerald eyes focus on him. Really seeing him for the first time.

"Welcome back, moron."

Izuku stared at him like he'd just witnessed a miracle. His lips were swollen, face flushed, breathing ragged. "You... how did you..."

"Bakugo!" That was Kirishima, boots crunching over rubble as the Emberforge team approached. "Dude, that was insane! Is he okay? Are YOU okay?"

Yaoyorozu arrived half a second later, her Guide scanner out and active. She looked at the readout. Looked at Midoriya. Looked at the readout again.

The device clattered from her nerveless fingers.

"That's... that's impossible," she whispered. "Midoriya was at ninety-six percent. The capsule would take weeks, no the capsule could never fully cleanse that level of corruption. But this reading says..."

She looked at Katsuki with something approaching awe.

"Zero. He's at zero corruption."

The silence that followed was deafening.

Ashido's delighted cackle broke it. "Oh my GOD, they're perfect matches! A hundred percent compatibility, has to be! Nothing else could cleanse that fast!"

Izuku's face went from flushed to absolutely crimson. "I... you..."

Katsuki smirked, pulling himself to his feet and offering a hand down. "Up shitty deku.”

"That's not my name," Izuku said automatically, taking the offered hand.

The moment their skin touched again, both of them felt it—that perfect resonance, like puzzle pieces clicking into place. Compatible in a way that defied statistics and probability.

Katsuki's smirk widened into a sharp grin. "It is now."

----

For the first time in many years, Izuku felt free.

No pain. No static buzzing at the edges of his consciousness. No crushing weight of corruption pressing down on his thoughts like a vise. Just... clarity. His mind was his own again, sharp and clean and quiet.

He stood on the rubble-strewn battlefield, watching the cleanup crews move in to secure the collapsed rift site. Around him, Guides and Espers from both guilds were exchanging information, checking equipment, filing incident reports. The usual post-battle routine.

But Izuku couldn't focus on any of it.

His eyes kept drifting back to the blond Guide standing thirty meters away, arms crossed as he argued with Kendo about something on her tactical display. Even from this distance, Izuku could see the sharp gestures, the irritated scowl, the way Katsuki commanded attention without even trying.

This person had pulled him back from the edge of berserk. Had kissed him—kissed him—and burned away corruption that should have taken weeks to cleanse. Had looked at him like he was worth saving, not just another asset to be managed.

"Midoriya-kun?" Uraraka's voice pulled him back. She was watching him with concern. "Are you sure you're okay? That was... intense."

"I'm fine." The words came automatically, but for once they were actually true. "Better than fine. I'm at zero corruption, Uraraka-san. Zero."

Her smile was gentle but tinged with something sad. "I know. I'm happy for you. Really." She squeezed his arm. "That Guide—Bakugo-san—he's incredible. I've never seen anything like that."

Neither had Izuku.

Yaoyorozu was talking with the Emberforge Guild Master now, both of them glancing repeatedly at Izuku and Katsuki. He caught fragments of their conversation—"unprecedented compatibility," "immediate testing protocols," "Guild cooperation agreement."

The politics could wait.

Izuku's feet were moving before he consciously decided to approach. He walked across the debris field, past the scattered teams, until he was standing directly in front of the Guide who'd saved his life.

Katsuki looked up from Kendo's display, crimson eyes locking onto him immediately. Up close, Izuku could see the scorch marks on his armor, the slight tremor in his hands that suggested guiding exhaustion, the way his green hair was even more disheveled than before.

He was beautiful.

"Uh." Izuku's brain short-circuited. "Hi. I mean—thank you. For earlier. For saving me. For the guiding. I've never—" He was babbling. Stop babbling. "My corruption has never been at zero before. Not since I manifested multiple abilities. You're—what you did was—"

Katsuki's smirk was sharp and knowing. "Yeah, I know. I'm fucking amazing."

The sheer confidence should have been off-putting. Instead, Izuku found himself smiling, something warm unfurling in his chest. "You are. I don't even know your name."

"Bakugo Katsuki." He said it like a challenge. "Rank A Guide, tactical operations specialist, and apparently the only person in this entire damn country who can keep your suicidal ass from burning out."

"Midoriya Izuku," he offered, even though Katsuki clearly already knew. "I'm—"

"Rank S Esper, multiple wielder, seven distinct power signatures, chronically self-sacrificing idiot who doesn't know when to fall back." Katsuki's eyes gleamed with amusement. "Yeah, I read your file during the flight over. Didn't expect you to be such a nerdy fanboy though. You were staring at me like I hung the fucking moon."

Izuku's face burned. "I wasn't—I was just—you cleansed ninety-six percent corruption in under five minutes! That's statistically impossible! The medical literature says even perfect compatibility matches can only manage about forty percent per hour under optimal conditions, and you—"

"See? Nerd." But Katsuki was grinning now, something almost fond in his expression. "You gonna keep babbling or are you gonna let the adults finish the post-mission reports?"

"Right. Sorry. I just wanted to say thank you. Properly." Izuku bowed, deep and formal. "You saved my life, Bakugo-san. I'm in your debt."

When he straightened, Katsuki was watching him with an unreadable expression.

"Don't call me that," he said finally. "Just Bakugo. And you don't owe me shit. I did my job." A pause. "Try not to need saving again, Deku. Next time I might not be around to pull your ass out of the fire."

But his tone suggested he would be. That he'd come running the moment Izuku needed him.

Izuku smiled. "I'll try, Bakugo."

----

Three Weeks Later

The alert came at 0300 hours—missing persons reports flooding Aetherion's emergency channels. Seven people in four hours, all from the same district. No witnesses. No signs of struggle. Just... gone.

By dawn, the count was twelve.

"This doesn't make sense," Iida said, his engines idling with nervous energy as they stood in the mobile command center. "No rift signatures detected, no corruption readings, no hostile activity reported. How are we losing people?"

Yaoyorozu pulled up the tactical map, red markers indicating disappearance sites. "They're all within a two-kilometer radius. Something is hunting in this area, but our sensors aren't picking it up."

Izuku studied the map, Danger Sense flickering at the edges of his awareness. On. Off. On. Off. Like static interference.

"It's here," he said quietly. "Whatever it is, it's still active. I can feel it."

"Then we find it." Todoroki's voice was cold as ice. "Yaoyorozu, deploy all available Espers. Standard search grid pattern."

The next six hours were an exercise in frustration.

Izuku floated above the city district, Full Cowl at 30% to conserve energy, eyes scanning every shadow, every alley, every dark corner. His Danger Sense kept firing—useless bursts of warning that pointed everywhere and nowhere.

Corruption level: 23%

Not dangerous yet but climbing. He'd been pushing hard, checking abandoned buildings, rescuing three civilians who'd been trapped when something attacked their home. Whatever these things were, they were fast, and they were smart.

Seventeen missing. Now nineteen.

Izuku landed on a rooftop, breathing hard. His radio crackled with scattered reports—Todoroki found trace residue that vanished before analysis. Iida encountered something that outran him. Uraraka guided six different Espers whose corruption spiked from fighting shadows that dissolved on contact.

They were losing.

Then, something cold pressed against the back of his neck.

Izuku exploded into motion—Blackwhip tendrils erupting in every direction, Full Cowl flaring to 45%, body twisting mid-air to face the threat—

"Holy fuck, Deku! It's just a soda!"

Katsuki stood there, arm raised in surrender, the offending cola can still in his hand. His combat suit was different from three weeks ago—sleeker, matte black with red accent lines, thruster ports gleaming.

Izuku's Blackwhip dissolved. His heart was pounding. "Bakugo! What are you doing here? This is Aetherion territory—"

"Yeah, and you're all running around like headless chickens." Katsuki tossed him the cola. "Drink. You look like shit."

"We have nineteen missing people and something hunting in the shadows that we can't track!" Izuku caught the can reflexively. "This isn't the time for—"

"Shadow creatures." Katsuki's tone shifted, all business now. "I encountered these fuckers in Belgium, two years ago. They hide in shadows—any shadow. They're not from normal rifts. These are micro-tears in reality, small enough that standard sensors don't pick them up."

Izuku stared at him. "How do we fight them?"

"You don't. Not directly." Katsuki pulled up a holographic display from his wrist unit. "They're spawn creatures—kill one, three more take its place. You need to find the rift core and close it. Once the source is severed, they disperse like smoke."

"But we can't find the rift! We've been searching for hours—"

"Because you're looking for the wrong thing." Katsuki's grin was sharp. "These micro-rifts don't project energy upward. They sink down. Underground. Old buildings, basements, sewers—anywhere shadows pool and darkness are deep."

Izuku's mind raced. The disappearance pattern, the way his Danger Sense kept flickering, the old district architecture—

"The abandoned hotel," he breathed. "Sector 4-B, it's been condemned for five years. Multiple sub-levels, entire basement structure that was never properly sealed—"

"There's your rift." Katsuki's eyes gleamed with approval. "I'm already tracking it. Got energy signatures pointing that direction."

Izuku didn't hesitate. He extended his hand. "Would you help me track it down?"

Katsuki slapped his hand away playfully, that sharp grin widening. "I'm already tracking it, idiot. Keep up."

Before the blond could react, Izuku wrapped his arms around Katsuki's waist and activated Float.

"OI! DEKU!" Katsuki's protest was immediate, his body going rigid. "Fucking let me go! I can fly on my own, you—"

"Hold on tight, Kacchan." Izuku couldn't help the laugh that bubbled up as they lifted off. "We'll find it together."

Katsuki's cursing was creative and multilingual, but his arms locked around Izuku's shoulders, and his thrusters stayed off. After a moment, the cursing faded into grumbling.

"You're a menace," Katsuki muttered against his ear. "Annoying nerd."

"Thank you for helping, Kacchan." Izuku said sincerely. Katsuki grunted in response dismissing the annoying nickname the nerd gave him.

They flew over the city together, green lightning and crimson eyes scanning the streets below. Twice they dove down—once to blast apart a cluster of shadow creatures that had cornered a civilian (Katsuki's grenades were devastatingly effective), and once to guide a younger Esper whose corruption had spiked to dangerous levels (a quick touch from Katsuki brought him from 67% down to 15%).

News helicopters caught footage of them—the Rank S Esper of Aetherion carrying a Guide from Emberforged through the sky, working in perfect synchronization. The images would be all over the media by evening.

Izuku found he didn't care.

"There." Katsuki pointed. "Energy signature's strongest at that building."

The abandoned hotel loomed like a corpse, windows dark and broken, structure sagging with neglect. Shadows pooled thick around its foundation.

They landed at the entrance. Izuku released Katsuki carefully and immediately missed the warmth.

"Stick close," Katsuki said, pulling a compact SMG from his thigh holster. "These things are ambush predators. Deku—" He grabbed Izuku's wrist, and the guiding connection flared to life. Warm. Grounding. "—your corruption's at thirty-one percent. I'm keeping contact. Don't fucking argue."

Izuku nodded. He couldn't have argued even if he wanted to.

They descended into the darkness together.

The hotel's basement was a maze of collapsed corridors and flooded rooms. Shadow creatures skittered at the edges of perception—never quite visible, always just out of reach. Twice they attacked. Twice Izuku and Katsuki fought them back-to-back, power and explosives lighting up the darkness.

Corruption level: 38%

Katsuki's hand found his again, guiding energy flowing through. 35%

"You're good at this," Izuku said quietly as they navigated a partially collapsed stairwell.

"At what?"

"Guiding while fighting. Most Guides need stationary contact, controlled environments. You're—"

"Built different?" Katsuki's smirk was audible in the darkness. "Yeah. I know."

42%

They reached the sub-basement. The rift was there—a tear in reality maybe two meters wide, pulsing with sickly black-violet light. Shadow creatures poured from it in waves, and at its center stood something that made Izuku's Danger Sense scream.

A figure. Humanoid but wrong. Composed entirely of writhing shadows, ten feet tall, with too many limbs that ended in blade-like appendages.

"Boss monster," Katsuki breathed. "Fuck. That's a Helheim Shade. Class A+ threat."

"Get to safety," Izuku said immediately. "I'll handle—"

"Like hell." Katsuki's grip on his hand tightened. "We do this together, or not at all."

The Shade attacked.

What followed was chaos. Pure, desperate, beautiful chaos. Izuku moved like lightning—Full Cowl at 60%, Blackwhip creating barriers and weapons, Danger Sense keeping him ahead of those blade-limbs by milliseconds. Katsuki was a storm of explosives and tactical precision, grenades that he'd modified to emit bursts of light that made the shadow creatures recoil, gunfire that targeted the rift's edges to destabilize it.

52%

Katsuki pulled him into a brief embrace behind a concrete pillar, guiding energy flooding through. 47%

"Backup's coming," Katsuki said, his tactical display showing incoming signals. "ETA fifteen minutes."

"We might not have fifteen minutes." Izuku watched the Shade reform from damage, pulling matter from the rift itself. "It's regenerating too fast."

61%

They fought. Traded positions. Covered each other. Izuku's Detroit Smash cratered the Shade's torso. Katsuki's shaped charges blew off its limbs. But it kept coming.

73%

Katsuki hugged him from behind, lips against his neck, guiding desperately. 68%

"Deku, fall back—"

"Can't." Izuku's voice was strained. "If it gets past us, it reaches the city."

79%

The Shade's blade-limb caught Izuku across the ribs. Pain exploded. He crashed into a wall.

84%

"DEKU!" Katsuki was there instantly, firing his entire arsenal at the advancing Shade. But it wasn't enough.

Shadow creatures swarmed. Dozens. Hundreds. Pouring from the rift like a flood.

89%

Izuku pushed himself up. Blood ran hot down his side. His vision was starting to tinge gold at the edges.

Katsuki was being overwhelmed. The Guide was holding his own with explosives and gunfire and pure stubborn will but he was still human. Still just one person against an army.

92%

No.

Not again.

Not Kacchan.

Izuku reached deep. Deeper than safe. Deeper than sane. He grabbed hold of every ounce of power in his body and pulled.

"DEKU, NO! DON'T YOU FUCKING—"

"CAROLINA SMASH!"

The air pressure blast was apocalyptic. It didn't just hit the Shade—it erased it. Vaporized it. The shockwave continued through, slamming into the rift with enough force to tear reality shut like a wound cauterizing.

The rift collapsed.

The shadow creatures dissolved into mist.

Silence.

98%

Izuku hit the ground. Gold consumed his vision. He could feel his body trying to move, trying to attack, corruption screaming through every nerve—

Hands grabbed him. "Deku! Izuku! IZUKU!"

Katsuki's face swam into focus. Those crimson eyes wide with something that might have been fear.

"Kaccha—" Izuku choked on the word. "Backup—"

"They're not here yet!" Katsuki's hands were on his face, his shoulders, trying to establish guiding contact. "Hold on, I've got you—"

Izuku's hand shot out, wrapped around Katsuki's throat. Not squeezing. Not yet. But the threat was there.

Gold eyes stared at crimson.

Katsuki didn't flinch. "Yeah. I know. You're going berserk." His voice was calm. Too calm. "So here's what's going to happen, Deku. You're going to let me guide you. All the way. Whatever it takes."

Izuku tried to shake his head. Tried to push him away.

99%

Katsuki kissed him. Deep. Desperate. Izuku's body responded—kissing back violently, all teeth and aggression and barely controlled power. The corruption climbed.

Not enough. The kiss wasn't enough.

99.5%

"Fuck." Katsuki pulled back, breathing hard. His hands were shaking. "Okay. Okay. I'm sorry, Izuku. I'm so fucking sorry."

He kissed him again, but this time his hands moved—one sliding up under Izuku's shirt, skin to skin contact across his abdomen, the other cupping the back of his neck. The guiding intensified, but it still wasn't enough.

99.7%

The berserk threshold was right there. Seconds away.

Katsuki made a decision.

"Sexual guiding," he said against Izuku's lips. "It's the fastest way to induce dopamine and endorphin overload. It'll offset the corruption, let the guiding flow free. I know—I know this isn't consent, I know you're not in your right mind, but if I don't do this, you're going to die. So you can hate me later. You can punch me, report me, whatever. But right now, I'm saving your life."

His hands worked Izuku's belt.

The touch was clinical at first. Professional. Katsuki worked simultaneously. His hand sliding up and down, making Izuku harden and twitch. His other hand cupped Izuku’s chest and massaged it tenderly. He pulled a perked nipple and Izuku was breathing erratically.

He went back kissing Izuku and thank fuck the nerd was responding. The kiss went deeper and Izuku was struggling to keep his moans down as well as controlling himself not to berserk. “Look at me, nerd. Look at me. I’m here. I’m here. Focus on my hands. Feel it, you feel good right?” Katsuki whispered soothingly. “I will make you feel good, okay Deku? I’m here. Always here.”

Izuku closed his eyes and let everything fall on Katsuki. He felt Katsuki licking his neck and leaving small nips and kisses all over it. His hand continued stroking him and slowly Izuku’s pants fell off to his ankles. Izuku is so damn hard, he would be blushing from head to toe if this was a normal sexual activity not him battling for his life.

“Kacchan—g-good. I-I feel so good.”  Izuku cried as Katsuki sucked on his chest biting his nipples left and right. He was now confused on what’s making him tremble—him going berserk or him cumming on Katsuki’s expert hands.

Katsuki kissed Izuku warmly and when the nerd kissed back as much, guiding energy kicked in—that perfect 100% compatibility—and everything intensified.

Izuku's corruption began to drop.

94%

The gold receded slightly from his eyes.

87%

Katsuki worked with grim determination, his own face flushed, jaw tight. This wasn't pleasure—this was emergency medicine. Desperate. Necessary. Devastating.

79%

Izuku's awareness returned in fragments. Sensation. The feeling of Katsuki's hands. The way guiding energy flowed through intimate contact like electricity through water.

68%

He could think again. Almost.

51%

"Kacch—" His voice was wrecked.

"Shut up." Katsuki's voice was equally destroyed. "Almost there."

34%

Katsuki continued persistently on what he has been doing, leaving his trail marks all over Izuku’s upper body. “Kacch—I’m com—ahh!” Izuku trembled on his touch and as soon as he felt liquid coating his hand, he swooped down and kissed Izuku again. He might be enjoying a little himself seeing Izuku’s serene and spent face but the excruciating feeling of wanting to pull his own pants down and relieve his massive hard-on by thrusting it into the moronic esper is torture, and yet he still needs to fulfill his duty.

The guiding has worked effectively. Dopamine flooding the esper’s system, endorphins overwhelming the corruption, and underneath it all that perfect compatibility pulling poison from his veins.

20%

15%

7%

4%

0%

Katsuki collapsed against him, breathing like he'd run a marathon. They stayed like that—tangled together on the filthy basement floor, both of them trembling.

"I'm sorry," Katsuki said finally. "I'm so fucking sorry."

Izuku's hand came up, threaded through blond hair. "You saved me."

"I violated every guiding protocol—"

"You. Saved. Me." Izuku's voice was firm despite the exhaustion. "I didn’t overload. I'm alive. Because of you."

Katsuki pulled back enough to look at him. His eyes were red-rimmed, expression raw. "You can't tell me you're okay with what just happened."

"I'm telling you I'm grateful." Izuku cupped his face. "And that when I'm not completely destroyed from fighting a Helheim Shade, when we're somewhere that isn't a condemned basement covered in shadow creature residue, when we can actually talk about this properly... I'd like to try again. With verbal consent. With choice."

Katsuki stared at him like he'd grown a second head. "You're insane."

"Maybe." Izuku smiled, exhausted and honest. "But I'm also yours. If you'll have me."

The sound of footsteps echoed from above—backup finally arriving.

Katsuki kissed him once more. Soft. Almost reverent.

"Yeah," he breathed. "Yeah, I'll have you, you ridiculous suicidal nerd."

When the rescue team found them, they were sitting together, Katsuki's arm around Izuku's shoulders, both of them looking like they'd been through hell.

“I want a cola, Kacchan.” Izuku whispered. Head placed on Katsuki’s shoulders.

“I’ll give you a whole liter of icy cold cola, nerd. Shut up and rest.”

The rift was closed. The shadow creatures were gone. The missing people would be found in the coming hours, trapped in shadow pockets that dispersed with the rift's collapse.

And Midoriya Izuku, Rank S Esper, was at zero corruption—saved once again by the Guide who refused to let him burn.

End.