- Izuku -
They get back to the town, two jars of jam now in his sled. He's never had something so sweet before, it made his taste buds hum when he tasted it. He can put it on tons of things to make them taste like that. Mr. Toshinori would enjoy it too, if he got to taste it.
"Oi, nerd, focus!"
Izuku snaps back, focusing back on the board.
"Sorry."
Katsuki turns away from him, looking back at the board silently. Then, he mutters.
"If you want, I can teach you how to make jam. You'll have to get the fruits and shit, but once you know how to make it you can bring it back to wherever the hell you're from."
Izuku snaps his eyes to him again, slightly wide.
"Really? You would do that?"
Katsuki's red eyes flick over to him, and he turns away.
"Don't make it a big deal or I'll take it back, shitty Deku."
Izuku nods and looks back at the posters nailed onto the board.
"Thank you Kacchan..."
Katsuki doesn't say anything. He is actually nice, save for the name calling. That only makes Izuku want to help him get his freedom even faster. He scans the posters on the board. He'll do as many jobs as he needs to so that he can help the blonde.
There are some that look like they have been up for a long time, torn and the words slightly faded. The newer ones are at the front, covering layers of other posters. That's when he catches something strange. On one poster, there is a half of a person's face, the other half covered.
The person looks a lot like...
"Kacchan?"
Katsuki answers, preoccupied with looking at a page on the board, reading its contents.
"What Deku."
"I think... Your face is on a poster."
This immediately catches the blonde's attention, because his eyes snap over to him and he walks closer, glaring at him as if he's lying.
"Where?!"
Izuku points, and Bakugou looks at it, his expression confused and pissed. He rips the posters covering the other half uncaringly, revealing the entirety of the poster. It is indeed him, his face drawn clearly in a box at the top of the page.
On the bottom half are the words 'Wanted by the PLF: Dead or Alive' 'Reward: 10,000 gold' Katsuki stares at it in disbelief, muttering a curse word. Izuku doesn't say anything, eyes too focused on a similar poster, only with his own picture drawn on it.
He doesn't get why they have their own wanted posters, but he does get that the reward might be a problem. He glances at one of the stores in front of them, only to see two heads duck away from the window.
If the town is aware of these posters, then maybe that's why it seems so deserted. But even then, why- He notices Katsuki's eyes aren't on the board and their wanted posters but turned to the entrance of the town.
At first, he doesn't get what he's looking at, but as he focuses, he sees the dark silhouettes of people in the distance. He gets a sudden feeling that these people aren't friendly. The soft sound of a door creaking open draws both his and Katsuki's attention back to the shop that he was just looking at.
An old woman peeks her head out slightly, her eyes dark and face sunken.
"You must run. The money collectors are here... You must run..."
With that, the woman closes the door, the sound of a lock clicking echoing. Izuku's skin crawls, and Fenrir seems to sense something is wrong too, because his fur begins to bristle, and a low growl escapes him. Katsuki looks equally freaked out.
"That wasn't fucking creepy at all."
He says sarcastically, and Izuku sees the silhouettes coming even closer.
"Kacchan, what do we do?"
Katsuki takes a step back, now standing with him and Fenrir, but not before tearing their wanted posters from the board and shoving them into his pocket. He keeps his eyes on the approaching people, body tense.
"I doubt those guys are just passing through. If they try anything, then we'll have no choice but to kick their asses."
Izuku nods, and they wait only seconds before the people are in front of them. They are riding on big animals that look like they're twice the size of him. They snort and huff, their coats colored darkly.
The men riding them are so much bigger than the animals that Izuku wonders how they are able to hold them up. As they approach, the five men are laughing loudly, as if not having a care in the world.
Normally, that wouldn't bother him. But the way the laughter rings in his ears, sounding so similar to the ones from so long ago, sends small spikes of anger through his body, making his heart pump harder.
They have scarves around their thick necks and gloves on their hands, which grip the reins of their animals. His eyes spot a small marking on one of the horses, a hand holding a flower. The men come to a stop, looking down at them with unimpressed eyes.
"Who are you two?"
"This is property owned by the Paranormal Liberation Front! Even visitors must pay their dues."
They laugh again, still looking down at the three of them on top of their animals. It dees something to him, and his fingers twitch to grab his blade. Two of the men in the very back of the group glance at each other, one taking something out from his pocket.
A piece of paper.
Izuku zones in on the two, and they whisper, before speaking loudly, looking back at him.
"Hey, you're this kid, right?"
They hold up the poster, and it's ripped out of their hands by the guy in the front. He glares down at it before looking at them, then back again. Izuku's breathing steadies, and the man looks at them with a wide smile.
"Looks like you two might end up paying your dues after all."
YOU ARE READING
I'll be your island in the raging storm
Fanfiction- Warning, Super slow burn - Izuku has lived a hard life trying to survive in the cold winter mountains. They are all he has known. Katsuki has lived a hard life trying to survive in the cold cages of the black market. They are all he has known. ...
