Crossing Fates : Book 1 - Escape (BakuDeku)

27 - A Feeling Of Doom

"We have an escort to the Elven border," Katsuki's profile looked hard in the dim reflected light. "How polite of them. Do you want to bet they would offer roadside assistance if we got a flat?"

"Well, you can hardly blame them," he pointed out. "You did trespass."

"Yes and you stole from me," Katsuki said. "And look at how well we're getting along."

Izuku was taken aback. He thought back on the overloaded day. They were getting along extraordinarily well. He suspected he ought to be freaked-out by it.

Come to think of it, some part of him was.

"Now that you mention it," he murmured, "you do seem to be running against type a bit, aren't you?"

"Of course," Katsuki told him in a silken voice. "Do you think I go from possibly rending to kissing in a day with just anyone who's stolen from me?"

"I... I haven't had much time to think about it."

He hadn't had time to think much of anything.

Katsuki held up a finger. "First, you're the only one who's ever successfully stolen from me," he held up another finger. "Second, I am not a forgiving creature. In fact, you're the only one I've ever forgiven," he put up a third finger. "And third, I like vengeance. I'm looking forward to ripping apart the person who gave you that charm and who ended up with my penny."

"Putting it like that, I should still be running away screaming," Izuku said. He swallowed and looked out his window at the dark night scenes passing by. "Why is this so different?"

"Remember when I said I wasn't bored?"

Izuku nodded as he folded the corner of his long-sleeved shirt between his fingers.

"Looking back, I think I've been bored for centuries now. That's a pretty big rut. People rush to give me anything I could want. And if for some reason that doesn't happen, I can always buy what I want."

"I can't imagine," he murmured.

"Well, I live that way every day. But you're different. You have been a series of surprises from the first," said Katsuki. "I have never been so angry. Then your note made me laugh out loud. The dream? Big surprise. The ridiculous things you say, the way you smell, the color of your hair in the sunlight, in the moonlight," Katsuki shot him a sidelong glance with that blade-sharp smile of his. "I am very much not bored. I find that's worth a lot to me, including figuring out how to do new things."

Izuku turned to look out his window again.

Oh great, so he could relax as long as this man was entertained? What will happen when he got bored with him? Would Katsuki forget how he 'forgave' him?

He bit his lip. Good thing there were still three caches in Musutafu with three new identities and more money. Guess he was going back to the city with Katsuki after all. He would just have to play along until he found some way to get away.

Katsuki's hand landed on his knee. Izuku jumped and turned his attention back to him.

"Izuku," Katsuki said, the smile was gone from his voice. "I want you to listen to me. I'm serious. Do not try to run away when we get back to the city."

His eyes went wide. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh come on, it's not a big leap," Katsuki retorted, his hand tightened as hard on him as an iron manacle. "Remember I said I called Musutafu? I talked to my First sentinel, a gryphon named Tenya. We think we know who might have been responsible for orchestrating what happened, manipulating and killing Neito and his bookie, making sure the charm got to you and who ended up with the penny."