Chapter Text
“We’ve got some type of cell block system down here. Crazy fuck might have people trapped inside.”
Katsuki gripped the radio on his shoulder, “Move in.”
He was the first to descend down the grated stairwell.
He raised his hands to blast open the first cell door.
It was empty. Each one after that were empty as well. Many of them contained some type of restraints and splashes of blood.
The last door on the right fell to the ground and Katsuki froze.
Kneeling on the floor, was a man. He wore nothing, and he could see deep scratches and wounds all over his body.
He was thin, dangerously so. Katsuki’s anger boiled when he saw the collar and thick chain running from his neck to a grate in the floor.
Katsuki moved closer, removing one of his gauntlets and reaching out to touch the man.
The man didn’t look up at him, still kneeling on the floor. He didn’t seem aware he was here.
Katsuki knelt down beside him, something gripping his heart in a tight squeeze.
“…Deku?”
He brushed some of the dull green hair out of his face and realized that he was right.
This was Midoryia Izuku.
His eyes were hollow, empty.
“Deku, it’s me, Katsuki. What the hell happened to you?”
Deku didn’t respond. He didn’t meet his eyes, only kept his own trained on the ground in front of him.
Katsuki needed to get him out of there.
He had no jacket to give him, so he settled for using his other hand to blast through the grate and the chain anchored to it. The metal collar would need to be removed later, on ground level.
“Holy shit, is he alive?”
Katsuki bent to pick him up, angry at how light he was, “Yea, but something is wrong.”
“Hey, is that Deku?! I thought he was overseas for an assignment?!”
“Yea, it’s Deku alright. That fucking animal must have tortured him. Look at these wounds.”
The police liaison leaned in, “Shit. Look at the marks on his neck.”
Deku’s neck was raw around the metal collar, trickles of fresh blood still trailing down his collarbone. Katsuki needed to get that fucking thing off.
Deku’s eyes remained open, but he doubted that he was seeing anything.
Katsuki took him to the nearest ambulance and helped lay him on a bed.
He looked closely at the metal collar. If he calmed himself, he could blow the pin that hinged it together.
He warned the medical personnel and they exited the car, to be safe.
His heart had been aching and thundering in his chest since he had first seen Deku, kneeling in that room.
He took several deep breaths and got to work. It was fairly easy and the pin slipped out to drop on the ground.
He moved to pull the metal off of his neck but quickly realized something was wrong.
“Oi, the fucking thing is spiked into him!”
The EMTs ushered him out of the way and piled back in. They began to run an IV and oxygen while one of them examined the metal spikes anchoring the collar to his throat.
“We can’t remove this here, let’s get him out.”
They nodded to Katsuki as he was left behind, doors slamming shut, separated from Deku.
He wandered back to the gaggle of police cars, dazed and unable to think of anything else other than murmuring threats to the sick bastard that had done this to Deku.
“You okay? I can start the wrap up.”
Katsuki nodded his head automatically.
Kirishima laid a hand on his arm, “Go. Look after him.”
Katsuki nodded in relief at his friend.
He couldn’t imagine taking a car; his blood was beginning to boil over.
He took the overland route, blasting his way into the sky.
He was more calm once he touched down on the hospital roof. He took more steadying breaths and made his way inside.
“He is in surgery right now. You were right, the collar was deeply embedded in his neck, several steel spikes punched through his skin. His vocal chords show significant strain. It looks like he may not be able to talk for awhile. That’s unfortunate, we were hoping to ask him some questions when he comes through this.”
Katsuki glared at the officer, “Where are we at finding the bastard who did this to him?”
“He’s in the wind as of right now. I have officers combing that house and underground block as we speak. We will let you know as soon as we find anything.”
Katsuki nodded once and continued to stare at the door leading into the emergency OR.
Katsuki was shaken awake by a gentle hand to his shoulder.
“He’s out. His mother is here as well.”
Katsuki’s heart clenched at the thought of Auntie Midoryia. He stood, trying to stretch as he followed the doctor to Deku’s room.
He was exhausted.
The way that Deku was laid across the bed made him look imbossibly small. His skin was pale, the freckles standing out starkly. He had bandages covering his cheeks and arms, as well as thickly across his neck.
He looked frail, sick.
Katsuki was nearly taken down from behind, Auntie finally rushing in.
“Oh my god, my baby!”
She launched herself at her son, throwing her arms around him, practically crawling on the bed.
Katsuki moved to sit in the chair opposite them.
His skin was even paler up close, as if he hadn’t been outside in a long time. He likely hadn’t been.
He didn’t know how long Deku had been missing, but it very well may have been the entire length of the overseas assignment.
His hair was lank and brittle. His once muscular chest and arms were sickeningly thin.
Katsuki awkwardly leaned forward to place a hand on Auntie’s back. His other hand rested on Deku’s shoulder.
He felt his own tears trickle down his cheeks.
“Why won’t he talk? What did he do to my baby?”
Inko had been hysterical since Izuku had first opened his eyes.
Katsuki frowned, feeling just as frustrated and upset.
“Auntie, his neck is still wounded and the doctor said it may be awhile before he can speak.”
The explanation did nothing to make him feel more at ease, but it seemed to work for Auntie a little bit.
Inko nodded, still clutching at his hands.
Izuku continued to stare at the wall, hardly blinking.
“Can he go home now? This place isn’t fucking helping.”
Izuku had been able to get up and out of bed a few times, and he seemed to be feeling better. He still said no words. He still didn’t look at them with any understanding of who they were.
“I suppose it’s fine. I have specific instructions, however.”
When Katsuki assisted Izuku into getting up, he stayed by his elbow, slightly back.
When Inko reached over to touch his arm and lead him away, he slowly avoided her hand.
Inko was already crying, but the effect was tenfold now.
“Baby? Don’t you want to go home with me?”
Izuku didn’t answer, or look at her, only stayed at Katsuki’s side.
Unable to watch it any longer, Katsuki took Inko aside, Izuku stepping up behind him, staying close.
“Hey, Auntie. I can take him home with me. You and he can stay in my guest room. He kinda seems to want to be with me for some reason.”
The suggestion was acceptable to Inko.
Katsuki nodded and then reached around to lead Izuku towards the parking lot.
Upon returning to his flat, Izuku stood in the entry way, not moving further into the house.
Katsuki showed them to the guest room and then offered to go out to pick up katsudon, Remembering it easily as Izuku’s favorite meal. Izuku only moved with a gentle hand to his back, following Inko towards his spare room.
He regretted making it into a semi-home gym. At least there was still a bed.
He went all the way to east town, searching for the shop that he and Izuku had eaten their last meal together, before he left for America.
Izuku and he had been close friends since graduation. He knew he was still rough around the edges, and he swore more than live TV was comfortable with, but he and Izuku had been regularly hanging out up until he left on his long assignment. Going so far as to grab a weekly coffee and also a weekly dinner out.
He’d known that he was in love with him four years ago. It had struck him one day, as random as possible.
He and Izuku had been doing their work study underneath Endeavor for the second time, working more seamlessly that ever before.
Izuku had saved a kid, one moment from falling out of a 27th floor building, while Katsuki crashed through the window, bursted out after the villain that was terrorizing that part of the city.
Izuku quickly handed the child off and rushed out after him. He used Katsuki’s combustion to his benefit, waiting for one burst to time it with his float effect.
Katsuki had watched him soar towards the ground, faster than he could move. The sprinkling rain affecting him slightly.
Izuku landed a smash that rocked the foundation of the city block, destroying the villain, practically killing him.
Katsuki landed, skidding forwards until slipping on the wet surface. He landed hard on his back, glaring up in embarrassment.
“G.D.!”
Katsuki had smiled, thinking it was nice that Izuku had remembered that he didn’t want the general populous calling him by such a kiddie nickname. As it stood, Izuku shortened his preferred name, ‘Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight’ to just G.D.
He was still smiling when Izuku had skidded to a halt on his knees, next to him.
His hair was slick, dripping water at the ends, but he was smiling widely down at him.
“We did it! I won’t bother asking if you’re okay, I know you are!”
His smile was infectious, Katsuki letting a similar, smaller, one to mirror on his face.
He was struck by the sudden desire to tell him he loved him. Suddenly it dawned on him that he always had.
He had gaped up in shock. The fuck? When did that happen?
He didn’t question it much. Kinda sounded a bit too right. He did question his desire to pull him down so he could kiss him.
Ultimately, he hadn’t.
That didn’t mean that he didn’t think of doing it every day for the next four years.
He knew he was being a coward, but he couldn’t expect Izuku to just forgive him and jump into his bed, no matter how much Katsuki tried to change.
He settled for fucking pining instead. Lucky for him that Izuku wanted to be the number one hero and afforded himself no time for dating.
As he waited for the food, he got his phone out.
“I’d like to speak with Lieutenant Tenya.”
He listened for a moment. It only took two more breaths before he was seething mad.
“Are you fucking serious? No one fucking checked in with him directly? This is the dumbest fucking shit I have ever heard. What the fuck? They knew he’d gone off the map and all they did was send another pro?! I need their fucking names. Right fucking now.”
His palm was popping dangerously. He curled it into a fist to stop the sparking. He wasn’t mad at Iida, he hadn’t been privy to the details behind the assignment that Izuku had taken. Tenya had immediately begun investigating as soon as he heard Izuku’s name, hearing he was found in a fucking dungeon.
He aggressively made another call.
“Old hag. I need to tell you something. And I need a favor.”
By the time he had made it back to his apartment, his mother and father’s car was outside.
He heard Inko crying and his mom talking loudly as soon as he opened the door.
“Inko, we will try to find out more information. I have retained our company’s lawyer and he is already getting started on this.”
“I was talking to him! Just three days ago, on chat! How could they fake that?!”
Katsuki set the food down, thankfully having gotten enough for the five of them.
So his captor had been communicating with Auntie? To ensure the notion that he was perfectly well, instead of being a prisoner. Katsuki knew that he had been held underground for a lengthy amount of time, if not a year.
Izuku hadn’t eaten much, but if a dish was set in front of him, he would automatically eat.
While his parents and Inko talked, he took a bowl of curry into his guest room.
He was surprised to see Izuku kneeling on the floor, naked again.
His face was expressionless.
Katsuki quickly set the food down and swept a blanket off of the bed to wrap it around his small shoulders.
“Jesus, Deku. What did he fucking do to you.”
Izuku didn’t answer, but he clutched at the blanket anyway.
He tried to get Izuku to get back on the bed, but he gave no indication that he heard him.
When he placed the bowl in front of him, he was surprised when he took it, slowly eating it.
“That’s it, Deku. Eat all of it.”
Katsuki sat across from him on the floor, just watching him.
His usually wide eyes were half-lidded and there were dark circles underneath them. He had let go of one edge of the blanket to hold the bowl and Katsuki could see down his chest.
There were bruises all over his skin, as well as stitched together wounds standing starkly against Izuku’s pale skin.
The anger and frustration that constantly boiled under the surface raged still, but he was gentle as he took the empty bowl from Izuku’s hands.
He set it to the side and leaned forward, wrapping the blanket tighter around him.
The bandage on his neck was gone, the wound cleaned by Inko. The antiseptic was drying. He moved to the bags on the other side of the room and got out a roll of gauze and ointment.
He returned to his position in front of Izuku and began to dab ointment on and around the large stitches.
Each wound was about an inch long, and a gruesome line of them circled his neck, just under his Adam’s apple.
“I’m going to kill that mother-fucking bastard.”
His words were whispered. He tried to catch Izuku’s eyes, but he continued to stare down at his lap.
“C’mon. Let’s get you back in bed, nerd.”
His heart ached at the familiar nickname. He hadn’t said it in almost two years.
When Izuku didn’t move, Katsuki picked him up.
Izuku was docile in his hands, making Katsuki more incensed by the fact that he seemed to be used to being manhandled and moved around without complaint.
He laid him on the sheets and pulled another blanket up from the foot of the bed.
Izuku didn’t stir, but he closed his eyes just as Katsuki said, “Close your eyes, Deku. Rest.”
His voice was low.
He left Izuku there, turning off the lamp.
Izuku seemed to tense, so he turned the light back on.
“Want the lamp on still? That’s fine. G’night Deku.”
He lingered at the door, just looking at him for a moment.
His mother and father said their goodbyes. His mother promised to get in touch tomorrow after talking with their lawyer.
Inko hugged her son, saying that she knew Izuku would be safer while he was with him. She would be returning home, however, she would return in the morning with breakfast.
He hugged her tightly when she came up to him. He tried to radiate assurance as he did so, despite his growing concern.
When he was alone, he cleaned up, distracted.
When he was finished and flicked the lights off in the kitchen, he went back in to see Izuku.
His heart clenched when he saw that Izuku hadn’t remained on the bed. He was laid curled up on the floor, exactly where he had been kneeling. He hadn’t bothered with the blanket and was still naked.
Katsuki just looked at him for a moment.
What had he gone through?
He picked him up and wrapped him in the blanket again before settling him back in bed.
Izuku didn’t stir.
Katsuki stayed in the nearby chair, and stretched out to clasp his hands.
Even his fingers seemed too thin.
He slept, on and off, waking up to reassure himself that Izuku was still safe.