»»————- ☩ ————-««

Another forceful breeze carried from the horizon to the small clearing in the middle of the village. Izuku's gaze—which had been fixated on the small plate of food Shoto and Katsuki had been arranging for him—shifted up towards the sky. He sighed. For no matter how much he wished to see even a brief flicker of color sprouting from the vast canvas above, all that remained where clouds.

He still didn't know what it felt like to truly see the sky for the first time. Maybe this was a punishment of some sort, by whatever God or celestial being there was out there, he murdered his parents and in return, he'd never be graced with the beauty of the sky. Izuku did not flinch as his ears detected the bitter laugh which pushed from his lips, Maybe I deserve this.

"Hey," Izuku's focus shifted abruptly as he took in the blond and the duel-haired boy standing a few inches ahead of him. Katsuki sat down on the other side of Izuku on the pushed over log. "Here's your food."

"Thanks,"

Shoto took the other side, the three sitting in an unfretted silence as the youngest ate. Another traitorous breeze swept over the trio in a damning blanket, the two natives went unbothered, while Izuku shivered like a madman. However, despite it all, he still welcomed the cold with open and quivering arms—for anything was better than the habitual life he left behind in the bunker. The same bunker he would have to go back to tomorrow. The same bunker where he killed his—

"Can we ask you a few questions?" Shoto's voice interjected the rabbit hole Izuku's thoughts threatened to jump down in. "About where you lived?"

No.

"Sure," Izuku heaved a sigh, purposefully shoving a spoonful of whatever contents were on the makeshift wooden plate. He wasn't exactly positive on what it was, however, as soon as the food pelted against the smooth surface of his tongue flavor erupted all around him. 

A knowing smirk rose onto Katsuki's lips. "Good, isn't it?" he chuckled as another spoonful made its way into Izuku's eager mouth.

The younger chewed slowly and meticulously, prolonging the onslaught of questions he was about to be bombarded with as he did so. A vortex of wind swept a pile of leaves into a mini-tornado in the corner, ruffling the trio's hair as they sat in an expecting silence—one Izuku knew he had to fill sooner or later. It was hard for him to believe that it had only been a day. One day and a series of events crashed through him just as the roaring flames of the fire crashed through the air. 

After a few more moments, Izuku ingurgitated the air around him—pushing down the lump that formulated in his throat as he stared at the two. "What do you want to know?" he asked shakily, grimacing inwardly before correcting his tone. "But make it quick, I'm starving as fuck."

A flutter of blinks erupted from Shoto's two-toned eyes as he gazed back at the boy. "How did your people die?"

"I already told you," Izuku said, a little too sharply, "Excors killed them."

Shoto resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he sighed, a flash of burning curiosity glazing over him. "Yes, but how? You're Qui Metallum . . . Don't your people have advanced defenses around your home? I don't understand how one Excor could get in, let alone a whole flock,"

Izuku pondered the elder's observation, his shoulder shifting lower and lower until they went slack as his breathing hitched. He had never thought of the how's; the why's; and the who's. Not until now, at least, for those specific details did not seem to matter much—he had been solely focused on the death of his parents. 

"I—I'm not sure," Izuku admitted, exhaling for what felt like the first time in years. Eternity and the vastly inked sky of his mind swept across him—shackling the breath of air that wanted to pass through. However, determination overpowered those senses mere seconds later. "But I'll find out, tomorrow."

He smiled, more to himself rather than the other two boys on either side of him. Because for the first time he was not being suffocated with the overbearing weight of his fatal decision from this morning. For the first time, he had something he could focus on, other than his parents, he had a missing piece to a puzzle that needed to be found. One that was begging to be found. Izuku had a purpose.

And a purpose it what defined him.

"Is it true that you have contraptions that keep your food fresh and healthy for days?" Katsuki asked swiftly, leaning on his knees as he craned his neck to the side. "Also, do you really have beds like they did before Mors Undam happened? And can you—"

"—Katsuki," Shoto chuckled softly, reaching around Izuku's back and placing a hand on the blond's shoulder. "You'll make his head spin with all those questions, love."

The blond grumbled folding his arms securely across his chest as he glared at the leaf-covered grass. "Well?" his voice varnished Izuku's ears, fleetingly leaving the boy in a senseless daze before he snapped back.

"Refrigerators. We have refrigerators, yes, they store certain foods and drinks for a few weeks, actually," Izuku confirmed with a supple nod. "Yes, we do have regular beds from before the virus outbreak."

Katsuki nodded his head slowly, accepting this little piece of information, for now, to hold him over before he got another chance to bombard the boy again.

The youngest of the three took another bite of his food, his shoulders hunched as he mulled over the words spoken to him minutes ago. Don't your people have advanced defenses around your home? They did. In fact, only four people out of the hundreds knew the passcodes to said security defenses—his parents included. Nobody could get past the guards they placed on the outside door, and if they could, the digitally locked doors could only be unlocked using said passcode from either the inside or outside. Not to mention the check-in points on nearly every corner you turn.

How did they get in?

As the minutes ticked by Izuku barely noticed as everyone began to disperse back into their cabins, wishing other's a goodnight before stalking off. Leaving he, Shoto, Katsuki, and a handful of guards out in the large clearing. 

An electric-shrouded shudder coursed through the freckled male as Shoto place a hand right on top of his, the elder gently tugged on his—nodding his head to where Katsuki was now standing. It was then, and only then, did Izuku really take the time to appreciate and observe the boy. Eyes trailing over his jaw, dipping below his neck, back up to his eyes. Heterochromatic eyes that swirled and surged with an influx of inquisitiveness. He would not deny that he and Katsuki were generally . . . good-looking, in a sense.

"It's getting late. You can sleep in our home," he murmured, his hand trailing until he grabbed ahold of Izuku's elbow and began pulling the boy up. "It's not far from here."

Wordlessly, Izuku allowed himself to be dragged; he allowed himself to argue with the facts of the security breach that happened; he allowed himself to forget about how he was a murderer; he allowed himself to be distracted. That's all he needed: a simple distraction to get his brain going.

The wind howled and whispered sweet-nothings to the boy as he walked, trembles running through the leaves on the tall trees as they mumbled unintelligible promises to him. Again, his emerald pools flickered upwards at the velvet-black canvas—expectant for a change, a subtle shift. Yet he received nothing. That is until he was rewarded with a change. 

One he didn't want. 

Muffled sobs replaced the howling sweet-nothings, they flowed effortlessly through the wind—they were his own; a mere distant memory from hours ago. The echoing reverberation of a gunshot elevated the leaves in a chorus of agony, ringing until he heard a muted clink of a shell casing hitting the ground.

And just when hope seemed to be all lost, Katsuki and Shoto had pulled him out of it. Somehow.

"Well, you better start climbing!" Katsuki exclaimed as they stopped in front of the tallest tree behind the town hall. 

Perplexed and disoriented, Izuku looks up towards the rickety rope-ladder pinned to the bark at the very top he could see the distant outline of chopped, carved, and nailed wood. Another treehouse. 

"Uhm . . . No, I think I'll just sleep by the log or something," Izuku cleared his throat, eyes flittering elsewhere as his insides churned. 

Shoto, who was already climbing along with the blond looked down. "C'mon, you aren't used to being outside, like you said. I'm no doctor but I'm sure that won't be good for your body" he chuckled lightly.

The younger's brows furrowed before he inexorably shook his head firmly. "No,"

"Stop being difficult," he groaned, before a filter of realization painted his features. "Are you afraid of heights?"

". . . It's plausible that I am, yes," Izuku growled, folding his arms as Shoto began climbing down. "Now, if you'll excuse me I'm going to—hey! Put me down!" he thrashed and yelped as the duel-haired male scooped him up easily, wrapping the smaller boy around his back before he began climbing once again.

"Close your eyes and hold on tight," Shoto instructed as he practically flew upward, his fingers barely looping around the grips of the ladder as he reached the top within seconds. "You can let go now," he sighed as he entered.

A sheepish chuckled coursed through Izuku's chest as he shakily and tentatively un-wrapping himself from the boy. It didn't take long before a jolt of thrill and wonder shot through him. The treehouse wasn't too big, small candles adorned nearly every corner of the room—with what appeared to be clear-glass casings on top of each small flames. A drawer craved from dark wood rested in the corner, pieces of animal fur and cloth sticking out of each slot.

The younger tilted his head as his eyes landed on the bed in the room. More specifically, the only bed in the room.

"What is this made out of?" Izuku's hands trailed over the soft fur on top of the bed, a blanket, a glut of matching pillows also lay there. He lifted the blanket, pressing his palm into the foreign material of the make-shift mattress. 

It was soft. So. Fucking. Soft.

"It's from a local plant the grows in the area. Without all the toxins and pollution that was put out into the world before Mors Undam a variety of new plants were able to grow over the past few generations. I know it probably doesn't feel like the beds you're used to—" Shoto explained briefly before he was cut off.

Izuku lowered himself onto the bed with a sigh, inhaling into the blanket which oddly had the saccharine aroma he had ever come across. "—It's better than the beds back home. Holy shit . . ." he sighed before abruptly sitting up straight. "Where the hell am I going to be sleeping?"

The blond chuckled lowly as he tossed his over-layer of clothing aside onto the floor while kicking off his shoes. "In the bed with us. Where else?"

"I can't do that!" Izuku scoffed, briskly striding to the other side of the room. 

Shoto gently raised an eyebrow. "Why not? We're just sleeping, it's not we'll be . . . you know," a flush of scarlet radiated across his face as the realization struck him.

"Fucking?" Katsuki supplied, shrugging his shoulders as he glanced at Izuku. "We won't be . . . unless you want to," he smirked as the other two males both blushed a variety of deep reds.

"You're not helping!" the eldest boy snapped.

"Okay, how about you both shut up, I get in the damn bed and go to sleep, and we never have to bring up this conversation again?" Izuku interjected, his hands waving around in the air frantically.

And with that, they all went to sleep . . . However, little did they know, a great and powerful evil was basking nearby on the horizon.

One they couldn't avoid.        

Hello Cricket Cultists!!

Wow. I completely avoided this story like an asshole, sorry 'bout that kiddos! I'll try and post another chapter tomorrow, sound good? I'm just getting used to writing new books now since I was working on my TodoDeku (hella angsty Y'all) for like . . . two months now. I'm still trying to get into the groove of things.

Yes I'm aware I have the references of an eighty-year-old woman don't fuckin' judge.

I love Katsuki and Izuku's dynamic in this book.

Also, I'm surprised you guys didn't pick up on shit last chapter. Go back and re-read that shit then tell me if you have any theories . . . I'll give you a hint: Guards.

That's all imma say. This book has a few plot-twists ;)

Until we meet again!!!