Work Text:
. : Bloodbound : .
That most dangerous time of night. When shadows became one with the city. When feral cats roamed the back alleys. When crickets chirped the loudest and the moon hung its highest, shone its brightest. The dark hour—midnight.
With a determined gait, Katsuki hurried down the sidewalk, hands stuffed firmly in the pockets of his cargo pants. The collar of his leather jacket was popped up, blending him into the grungy colors of the nightlife. Neon signs swiped a full palette across his face as he shuffled by, until finally, he planted his feet in front of a rundown pub. The childish squeak of worn-out sneakers rushed to catch him.
“Kacchan—wait… Wait up…!”
With a heave and a sigh, Izuku skidded to a halt, bent at the knees as he steadied himself. Katsuki turned up his nose and scoffed.
“Thought you were supposed to be super fast,” he said, “Why’re you outta breath?”
Izuku straightened out, huffing in exasperation, “I can’t exert myself all the time! I need a rest just as much as the next person…”
Katsuki grunted. He didn’t want their conversation to continue, so he opened the door to the pub. As they entered, Katsuki glanced over his shoulder to see Izuku relax when he noticed the dim lighting. A tiny smile pinched at his lips. Katsuki ignored it.
Immediately, he headed for the bar, Izuku toddling behind him like a timid duckling. They sat down, and the bartender looked to Katsuki first.
“Dark rum and dry vermouth with a twist,” he responded.
The gaze shifted to Izuku. The bartender prompted him, “And you, sir?”
“O-oh! No, none for me.” Izuku’s hands waved awkwardly in front of his face.
“Don’t worry about him,” Katsuki said, propping an elbow on the bar, “he’s a vamp.”
The bartender and a patron sitting on the stool to the other side of Katsuki both stared at Izuku, who had turned bright red. They gawked like they had never seen a vampire before in their lives. Katsuki rolled his eyes. Ever since they became commonplace a few years ago, there was no way these rubberneckers hadn’t come across at least one or two.
“Kacchan!” Izuku hissed at Katsuki when their attention wasn’t on him anymore. “I told you before not to call me that. It’s rude. We prefer to be called nigh—”
“Who cares? I don’t see any other bloodsuckers around here ’sides you. ”
“That’s kind of the point…”
Izuku pouted, crossing his arms and turning away from Katsuki. Flushed cheeks puffed like soft clouds, squeezing his freckles into tight bunches under glistening, pine-green eyes. Again, Katsuki ignored it.
“Well, hello there.”
Katsuki and Izuku looked behind them to identify this new voice. It was a woman neither recognized. She tucked back her long, blonde hair and crossed her ankles as she sat down…beside Izuku.
The woman giggled, smoothing out her dress before speaking. “I thought I smelled something different about you. Or rather, I didn’t smell anything.”
Izuku fidgeted. “E-excuse me…?”
“You’re a nightwalker, aren’t you? So am I.” She pointed to herself, smiling wide enough to reveal elongated canines in her toothy grin. Izuku seemed intrigued by her now; more willing to listen. “So, what are you doing around here? You new in town?”
Nodding, Izuku cleared his throat and replied, “Yes, I, uh…just moved here from Mustafu.”
“Oh, a country boy. Welcome to the big city! If you ever need a place to crash, I have a pretty big couch.”
Katsuki would have laughed if he weren’t so irritated. His drink finally came, so at least he could drown out the incessant chatter with booze. He took a large swig just as Izuku spoke.
“No thanks… I’m actually staying with Kacchan—”
The drink caught in his throat, causing him to cough and swallow painfully. Katsuki glared at Izuku, scowling at the use of his nickname in front of a stranger. Izuku shot him an apologetic look.
The vampire woman also turned to Katsuki. Her eyes trailed him up and down, as if trying to identify the quality of a piece of meat.
“A human? But…he has no smell,” she pondered, tapping a finger to her chin. Both Katsuki and Izuku shifted in their seats. When Katsuki adjusted his collar, the woman grinned. “Oh, I see.”
She leaned over to whisper in Izuku’s ear, and Katsuki’s hand clenched around his glass.
“Is he your bloodbag? ”
Slamming his drink on the table, Katsuki shot up from the bar and threw a couple bills on the counter. He stormed off, not bothering to wait for Izuku.
“Kacchan…!”
Without looking back, Katsuki exited the pub. He already knew Izuku was tripping over himself to follow.
It was one week ago that Katsuki Bakugo stood alone in a city park, leaning against the railing that overlooked a small pond, calm and glistening in the starlight. He held his cellphone to his ear, begrudgingly listening to a voicemail his mother had left him.
“ —and she’s really sweet. A looker, too. If you ask me, she’s the best catch you’re going to have even a chance with! Call me back and I can set up a meeting. I mean it, now. Call me back , Katsuki. ”
He deleted it immediately.
Katsuki let a palm fall down his face as he released a frustrated sigh. Almost thirty years old, and he hadn’t settled down. It was giving his mother ideas. The “I’ll never have grandchildren” kind of ideas. Heaven forbid her son actually wanted to stay a bachelor.
Irritated, Katsuki kicked at the sidewalk to let off steam, mumbling curses with each swing of his leg. The sound of a twig cracking gave him pause. It came not from under his feet, but behind him.
“Puh…please…”
A dry rasp cut through the night. Katsuki slowly turned around, faced with the sight of a disheveled man, pale and wrinkly and covered in loose, ratty clothes. A shaky hand reached out, beckoning him with long, scraggly fingers.
“Sorry, pops,” Katsuki said, keeping his guard up. “’Fraid I don’t have any cash on me.”
“Not…that…” the man replied, the last sound he made turning into an elongated hiss.
Katsuki started backing away. He needed to decide. Was he supposed to run? Perhaps try to diffuse this obviously unhinged creature? Time wasn’t on his side. Before Katsuki’s feet could leave the ground, the gangly man pounced.
A fog clouded Katsuki’s eyes, his nose, his throat. His vision became blurred, breath unsteady. Like an anesthetic seeping into his brain, he felt his body shut down completely. Even if he wanted to move, he couldn’t.
All he could do was endure the fangs piercing his neck.
He was left there, alone in the park. Drained of energy and life, tossed aside like an abandoned animal. Katsuki wished it would rain, just so he could be washed away by morning.
“No.”
His vision grew dark. A figure hovered over his body, blocking out the streetlights. Their voice was familiar.
“No, no, no…” Choked sobs fell between tears that landed on Katsuki’s cheek. “I wasn’t fast enough… I’m so sorry, Kacchan!”
A name he remembered being called a long time ago. Someone he knew for most of his life. How many years had it been since Katsuki last saw him? Since they held hands together in a park just like this? What did Katsuki call him?
Deku.
“Don’t worry. It’ll be over soon, I promise…” Fingers squeezed around his. “I’ll make this right, Kacchan.”
“Kacchan, I’m sure she didn’t mean any harm!” Izuku called after Katsuki as he trailed up the steps to his apartment. “She probably meant to say bloodb—”
“It doesn’t make me feel better hearing it from you!” Katsuki yelled, turning his key with an aggressive click. He stomped inside, nearly slicing Izuku in half with how fast he shut the door. Izuku barely made it through, adjusting his shirt and windbreaker after scrunching his body to squeeze past.
“We need to say it properly, Kacchan. We can’t ignore this relationship forever.” Izuku sighed, scratching the back of his neck. “You’re… We’re stuck like this now.”
“Bull,” Katsuki grunted. He threw his jacket on the couch with an angry thwap. “I’m not your damn bloodbag.”
“Blood bound, ” Izuku corrected. “And we both are. You’re connected to me, yes, but I’m also connected to you. We depend on each other—”
“What, just because I’ve got these!? ”
Katsuki flashed his neck, showing off the clear bite marks sunken into his skin. Izuku quickly turned away. His face began to flush, hands fidgeting with the zipper on his jacket. He was trying to hold back his pheromones, but Katsuki could already feel the calming fog permeate his living room.
Izuku’s fangs became more noticeable as he spoke. “K-Kacchan…p-put that away, please…”
“ That? ” Katsuki chuckled darkly. “It’s my neck, Deku. You can’t even handle me baring a little skin? You’re that desperate for my blood? Pathetic.”
Izuku heaved, covering his nose and mouth. “W-well…now you know… Now you know how it feels!”
A twitch in his spine, and Katsuki glared.
“ What was that?”
“It’s humiliating…having everyone stare at you. Being treated like an object to be gawked at…” Izuku sniffed, his hand moving up to rub at his eyes. “Being…called names.”
Ferocity swelled within Katsuki that he’d never experienced before. He shot his arm out, grabbing Izuku by the shirt in a deadly grip. Inches apart, Katsuki growled in his face.
“Don’t for a second think that I’ll ever thank you.”
Katsuki let him go, and Izuku sank to the floor. Pitiful whimpers came from behind as Katsuki headed to the bedroom. From the doorway, he glared over his shoulder.
“I’m not yours, Deku. I never will be.”
With that, he left Izuku to sleep alone on the couch.
It was one week ago that Katsuki awoke on his couch with aches and pains grinding all the muscles in his body. A particular stinging sensation in his neck was especially painful, keeping him from turning his head to look around his living room. The smell of fried eggs wafted in from the kitchen, as well as the sound of toast springing up from a toaster.
“You’re awake! Thank goodness.”
That voice was—
Deku.
Katsuki suddenly remembered the night before. He groaned, straining to sit up despite his limbs screaming for rest.
“Wait, wait! You shouldn’t move yet!”
He almost spat back with an angry retort, but Katsuki was stunned completely stiff when he stared into a face he hadn’t seen in nearly a decade. It was uncanny how much Izuku Midoriya hadn’t changed. He was taller, and his figure had filled out, but that worried expression was the same as the day Katsuki met him.
“Deku,” was the nickname Katsuki had given him when they were both five years old.
“You remember me,” Izuku said, a smile crossing his face once he heard Katsuki speak. “It’s been so long, I… I was worried you’d forgotten.”
“Like I could forget your braindead mug,” Katsuki grumbled, wincing when he tried to brace himself on an arm.
Izuku rushed to the couch to help him sit up. Katsuki didn’t have the strength to swat him away. Izuku’s eyes flicked up and down, and he sucked in his bottom lip.
“I did what I could, but the healing process will take at least a day to reactivate your blood. I made you some breakfast to—”
“What’d you say?” Katsuki interrupted, voice low and grim. “What do you mean, ‘reactivate my blood?’ The hell did you do to me?”
“Now, Kacchan, just stay calm,” Izuku assured, “I did what I had to do. You had way too much blood drained from that attack, so…I gave you some of mine.”
Katsuki began to feel a new pain, one churning sickly in his stomach.
“That’s not how that works, Deku. You can’t just give me blood and bring me back from nearly dying. ”
“I can, actually…”
Izuku hesitated. Chains of fear guarded his heart, held him in place, but Katsuki willed them to break. He needed to know. He needed to hear Deku say it.
“…Because I’m a vampire, too.”
“Damn it!” Katsuki cursed, clawing at the couch in frustration. “You sonuva—you forced me to drink your blood?!”
“What else was I supposed to do, Kacchan?! If I hadn’t found you when I did, you would be dead! ”
There was a moment where Katsuki paused, taking in what Izuku said.
“How did you find me, Deku?”
A cold sweat broke over Izuku’s pale face. He began mumbling so fast that Katsuki could barely keep up.
“Well, I was planning on moving into the neighborhood soon, so I came to the city at night to avoid the sun, and one of the first smells I recognized was your scent. I could tell you were somewhere close by, and I tried to ignore you— really —but then your scent became weaker, and I got worried, so I ran towards you as fast as I could—”
“You stalked me.”
Izuku balked, ruffling himself up in embarrassment. “I did not! Like I said, I recognized your scent—”
“Don’t talk about me like I’m some sort of animal,” Katsuki snapped. “I’m not like you. All you vamps think about is your next meal, like you’re a bunch of salivating dogs. It’s so gross.”
“That’s not true…”
“And now I’m…” Katsuki pounded the couch, holding back tears of anger. “I’m a damn bloodbag. I’m stuck being your food. This is… It’s so messed up. ”
Seconds ticked by as Izuku looked down at his hands, fingers twirling nervously in between one another. He cleared a lump from his throat and said, “You don’t have to see it that way. This is something very rare for nightwa— vampires to do. We consider it sacred. Our souls have bonded together through the sharing of blood. I can’t live without you, Kacchan. We’re bloodbound.”
Katsuki closed his eyes and sighed, defeated. “There wasn’t any other way?”
“Even if there was, I couldn’t let you die, Kacchan,” Izuku said, placing a hand on Katsuki’s leg. “You were so cold when I found you…”
Katsuki wished he hadn’t glanced at Izuku. He wished he hadn’t seen the look in his eyes. A look that stirred long forgotten emotions of bitterness, of spite. Of disgust.
Izuku’s gaze reached inside, grasped Katsuki’s fragile soul, and squeezed.
“You looked like you needed saving.”
As Katsuki lay in bed, his thoughts turned to Izuku. Of course, it wasn’t by choice—ever since Izuku came back into his life, he’d taken up residence in Katsuki’s brain and refused to move out. Like a rat stuck in the wall. A pebble caught in his shoe.
Izuku’s round eyes never seemed to look away from him. He was always fixated on Katsuki’s every movement, on every breath he took. Sometimes Katsuki thought Izuku’s canine teeth became more pronounced the longer he stared.
Only twice had Izuku fed from him. It was the most vulnerable Katsuki had ever felt. And yet, it was Izuku who always looked scared to be so close to Katsuki. Scared to touch his skin, scared to feel his warmth. Scared to taste his…
He rolled over, trying to wipe away Izuku’s stupid face from his mind. Just as Katsuki began rubbing his face into his pillow, there was a tap, tap, tap sound that came from his bedroom window. Katsuki sat up and waited. Again, he heard it. Tap, tap, tap.
Something felt off. Slowly, Katsuki put his feet on the floor and rose from his bed. For a moment, there was silence. And then—
Crash!
Glass shattered and fell all around the room. A gust of wind slammed Katsuki against the wall, and a forceful hand dug into his neck to keep him pinned there. His flesh burned against sharp nails, contrasting the cold sting of metal as a knife pressed against his cheek. Katsuki had to glance down to look at his assailant.
It was a girl, maybe his age, perhaps a bit younger. Her face had a youthful shape, but her eyelids were baggy, and her complexion was pale. Lips curled into a smile as bouncy as the unkempt blonde buns that adorned the sides of her head. When she spoke, Katsuki immediately noticed her fangs.
“So, you’re him, huh?” The girl giggled, eyes glowing gold in the darkness. “You’re the special guy my Izuku’s got all for himself.”
“What the h—”
She cut Katsuki off by quickly slicing a thin gash into his cheek. A sliver of blood hung on the knife’s edge, shining deep crimson when held in the moonlight. The vampire girl squealed as she turned it over.
“What a pretty color…” she sighed dreamily. “Oh, I wish I could taste what’s so precious to you, Izuku…”
Katsuki watched as the girl gently lowered the knife to lick the tiniest drop from the tip. There was an audible sizzle, as if a hot coal had landed on her tongue. She shivered, closing her mouth to swallow.
“It burns so good! Any more than that, though, and my throat will incinerate.” The vampire hummed an upbeat tune and casually wiped the rest of the blood on Katsuki’s t-shirt. “I’m not here for Izuku’s leftovers, anyway. I want the main dish himself!”
With a grimace, Katsuki managed to cough out, “You’re…a vampire…but you wanna…feed on one of your own…?”
“Of course.”
Thin, golden eyes blinded Katsuki to everything else. His body numbed not pleasantly like with pheromones, but in a paralyzing shock, stiffening his arms and legs, poisoning his veins. It took all his concentration to sense the tip of the knife now pointed against his heart.
“I’ve been looking for Izuku for so long. When my cousin told me about the cute nightwalker she met at the pub, I knew it had to be him. But even knowing he was around here, it was still hard to track you guys! Izuku’s so mean to hang around a human we can’t even smell!”
The girl pouted, twirling the knife around Katsuki’s shirt. “However…once I kill you and drain your blood, Izuku won’t have anything to drink! That way, I can get rid of you and force Izuku to starve at the same time! I get to kill both of you! I’m so clever, right?”
“You’re disgusting,” Katsuki spat. “Go to hell.”
“You first.”
She pulled back her hand, and readied to plunge the knife deep within Katsuki’s chest.
“ Kacchan!! ”
With a terrifying roar, Izuku kicked down the door to Katsuki’s bedroom and hurled himself at the vampire. As soon as she tumbled to the ground, Katsuki gasped for air, breathing life back into his shaking limbs. The girl began convulsing excitedly as she struggled to break free from Izuku’s grasp.
“Izuku, Izuku! I came to see you!” she screeched. “Do you remember me?”
“I do,” Izuku grunted, more pissed than Katsuki had ever heard him, “Himiko Toga.”
“Yes! That’s right! I’m so happy—”
“Just stop, ” Izuku said. His eyes glowed the same color as Toga’s, and she seemed to reluctantly calm down. “Now, listen. Leave Kacchan and I alone, or I’ll have to report you to the Grand Council of Vampires. Killing a bloodbound human is the same offence as killing a nightwalker. Do you understand? ”
“So serious,” she replied with a pout, “but I suppose we can have a romantic night together some other time. I can tell you’re not in the mood.”
In a flash of smoke, Toga vanished from beneath Izuku. Caught off guard, he stumbled and staggered to the floor, wobbling from side to side as if light-headed. Toga darted about in the form of a small bat, shifting back once she was directly above Izuku. The knife was still in her hand, high above her head.
Her piercing laugh echoed pure madness as she hurled her weapon toward Izuku’s backside.
Katsuki willed his body to move.
Toga’s knife clattered to the floor. Katsuki’s elbow had jammed into her side when he threw his arm out, sending her tumbling across the room. Before she could get to it, Katsuki grabbed the knife. Toga shook her head like a dog splashing water, letting out an irritated hiss as she climbed onto the broken windowsill.
“You’re both no fun,” she grumbled, “and I’ve lost interest in you. I’ll be back to see Izuku some other time.”
With that, Himiko Toga left Katsuki to clean up her mess. Once she was gone, Izuku chuckled weakly.
“Wow…you sure showed her, Kac…chan…”
He closed his eyes and fell unconscious on the floor. Katsuki watched as Izuku’s skin turned white, his breath became labored. He looked frail, powerless.
Almost human.
Katsuki sat down beside him, still clutching Toga’s knife.
It was the next morning that Izuku awoke on Katsuki’s couch with color in his face and sleep gone from his eyes. His stomach growled quietly, but it didn’t hurt as much as it did the previous night. The smell of a perfectly cooked vegetarian omelet wafted in from the kitchen, as well as the deceptively sweet scent of dark chocolate and sea-salt caramel.
Kacchan’s scent.
“So, you’re up,” Katsuki said without turning around, causing Izuku to startle and jump.
“Did you carry me here…?” he asked. “I don’t remember much… I blacked out, didn’t I?”
“You were starving.” Katsuki flipped his omelet out of the pan on the stove and onto a plate. He ignored the food and instead went to stand next to Izuku, arms crossed as he hovered menacingly. “I didn’t realize it until you were almost dead, but you hadn’t eaten in three days, am I right?”
Izuku nodded sheepishly.
Katsuki groaned. “That’s what I thought. Well, I managed to make you swallow a few drops of blood, so at least that helped you get through the night.”
Perplexed, Izuku stared up at him. “Kacchan…you gave me your blood…?”
“Idiot.” Katsuki flicked his middle finger against Izuku’s forehead. “Like hell I’m gonna let a shriveled-up vampire die of stupidity in my room. I guess…you can call us even now.”
Izuku’s cheeks turned an ever-so-soft shade of pink. His undead heart raced.
Katsuki gestured for him to make room on the couch, and placed himself directly beside where Izuku sat. When he pulled down the sleeve of his tank top to reveal more of his shoulder, Izuku began sputtering in embarrassment, making noises like a car engine.
“God, you’re annoying,” Katsuki huffed, tilting his head to the side, “Just shut up and eat.”
Immediately, Izuku began salivating. “A-are you sure…?”
“Yeah, I mean…” Katsuki looked away, his voice suddenly calm. “It’s like you said. We’re connected and all that crap. I’m the only one you can drink from. So just…go ahead and do it, stupid Deku.”
He could smell it. Izuku could smell how willing Katsuki was. This was the first time Katsuki’s scent had been so relaxed, so peaceful. Already so milky and creamy and warm on his tongue when Izuku swallowed the confectionary aroma. To him, Katsuki was a work of art meant to be savored.
Izuku held Katsuki’s neck in place, and neither one flinched nor hesitated. There was an unspoken agreement. Izuku needed this. As he placed his lips against Katsuki’s skin, they both closed their eyes.
Izuku’s teeth sank into flesh.
The softest, flowery gasp chimed like a beautiful song in Izuku’s ear. Katsuki’s hand found Izuku’s leg, squeezing him in encouragement. Butterflies danced in Izuku’s stomach as he caressed Katsuki’s neck, soothing his skin with each gulp he took.
Katsuki wasn’t food. He wasn’t a meal or a bloodbag. He was Izuku’s. Now, forever. Eternal.
Bloodbound.
Izuku slowly detached his fangs and licked Katsuki’s skin, watching as the wound closed back into a scar of bite marks. He sighed, his hunger finally satiated.
“Ah…thank you, Kaccha—”
And then he tasted coffee, felt his tongue brush velvet. He breathed the same air as Katsuki while impatient lips stole each other’s words. The two parted shyly, bumping their noses together affectionately.
“Don’t ever scare me like that again,” Katsuki murmured, “dumbass vampire.”
Izuku smiled. “Sorry.”
“I’m still not yours, you know. I don’t belong to anyone.”
“I know, I know.”
“But you’re an idiot, so I’ve got to protect you.” Katsuki held Izuku’s face in his hands, and Izuku gazed deep into his shimmering, blood-red eyes. “Which means you are mine, got it, Deku?”
Izuku knew this, and he was glad. He would devote himself to Katsuki for as long as their bond would allow. Their souls were entwined, bound by blood. An endless cycle, to give and receive. Izuku wanted to tell Katsuki he would give him everything.
For the moment, he instead shook his head and laughed.
“Whatever you say, Kacchan.”