Drag'n you along - Part 2/4 [Fantasy AU]

[Last Part] 

Katsuki thought the dangers would be over when the forest began to thin out, with fewer spots for creatures to hide, but apparently he was sorely mistaken. The sound of rushing water drew nearer and nearer as they walked, until finally they stumbled across a river – and he really did mean stumbled considering the edge was disguised in the rough ground, and he literally had to grab Izuku’s shirt to stop him from walking right on in. It was far too quick a flow to just wade through it and get their feet wet, and too wide to cross easily, only a few scattered stepping stones offering them any kind of a path over the madness.

“C’mere,” Katsuki instructed, grabbing a rope from his bag and looping it around Izuku’s waist. “Don’t go drowning yourself, you hear me?”

“I can swim, Kacchan!”

“Not if you knock yourself out, you can’t. So stick with me, nerd.”

He tied the other end around himself, linking them together securely, and despite a little eye roll, Izuku didn’t protest. Before stepping in, he took off his heavy boots, flexing his toes in the muddy bank. He wanted all the feeling and grip he could get, and the thick leather soles would just get in his way. Tying the laces together made it easy to hang them around the back of his neck, and while the way they bounced against his chest was annoying, he knew it would ultimately be less annoying than an injured – or dead – Izuku at his side.

Stepping into the foamy whitewater made him shiver, the stepping stones not quite tall enough to keep his feet from getting soaked by the rapids, but that did give him enough cover to hide the long claws that protruded from his toes, hooking themselves around the edge of the rock.

“Your turn,” he called back, when he moved to the second rock, his feet stretching wider to give him more balance. “Don’t fall behind or the rope will pull you in!”

“Kacchan!” Izuku protested, taking his first step all the same. “You’re the one who tied us together, don’t you dare drop me in!”

“Better keep up, then.”

Despite his taunting, he took the steps at a pretty leisurely pace, letting the rope between them remain a little slack, just in case. Izuku took his damn time, but Katsuki supposed that was better than the alternative.

“Hey, I think I’m getting the hang of- Oh!”

Katsuki whipped around before the rope even fully tightened, grabbing hold of it and leaning back with all his weight. He braced his feet against the edge of the rock, feeling it crack beneath him as his claws dug grooves into the surface to gain purchase, and for a moment Izuku just stared up at him, the rushing water so close to his ears that it was almost deafening.

“I warned you, asshole,” Katsuki huffed, shifting his hands on the rope slightly to get a better grip. “Hold the rope.”

Izuku carefully moved his trembling hands to grip it, mirroring Katsuki’s position, and when Katsuki began to pull, he bent his knees a little to start standing back up.

“Thank you,” he choked out, when Katsuki got him safely back on a rock, albeit with half his clothing soaked through. “You saved me.”

“Yeah, nerd. What would you do without me?”

“It’s a good thing I’ll never have to find out!”

Katsuki rolled his eyes, getting himself comfortably back on his own rock again before he began his jump to the next. He made sure he was secure before he looked back, watching Izuku nervously size up the next step.

“That rock is a little crumbly,” Katsuki warned him. “It’ll be fine, but don’t worry if it feels cracked.”

“Okay! Thanks for letting me know!”

Izuku didn’t need to know it was Katsuki who had cracked it.

They managed to cross the rest with no further incidents, probably because of the crawl of a speed they went at, but Katsuki hadn’t been willing to push it any further, especially with how nervous Izuku had become after his slip.

“We should make camp somewhere here,” he suggested, looking around at the sparse, bare trees that were finally opening up into empty space, the mountains growing taller before them. “It’s almost sunset, and we probably need to dry your clothes a bit.”

“I can keep going!”

“Nah, no point. Gonna take us another day or two anyway, no need to push it.”

“If you’re sure!”

Katsuki finally removed the rope that joined them, instead tying it around two nearby trees, giving it a few good tugs to ensure it was secure. He gestured toward it silently, but Izuku just stared at him, waiting for more of a clarification than a single hand wave.

“Clothes,” he explained finally. “Hang them to dry, we’ll start a fire nearby to help.”

“Oh! Yeah!”

While Izuku set to work getting changed, Katsuki pulled a big sheet of canvas from his bag, sewn with thick seams on the ends that he’d threaded long ago with some thinner ropes. It was perfect for tying to some more big trees, locking three sides down to give them shelter from any wind and rain that came overnight. Izuku’s eyes shone when he saw it, and Katsuki tilted his head slightly to consider him, unsure exactly what to say.

“You were always the best at making forts!” Izuku gushed. “This is so cool!”

“It’s no big deal,” Katsuki shrugged. “Dad helped me make it, when I was spending a lot of time outdoors for training and everything.”

“Can you make me one too?!”

“Why?” Katsuki frowned. “You never spend any time camping out. I mean, I guess I can, but I’ll have to get Denki to find us some more good fabric, and-”

“Sorry!” Izuku cut him off quickly. “I meant for tonight!”

“Don’t be stupid, we can both fit.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to take up your personal space.”

“S’fine, you’ll get cold with no shelter.”

“Thank you, Kacchan.” Izuku’s face softened. “Thanks for taking such good care of me.”

“Whatever, nerd. Go dig a toilet hole, I need to take a mean shit.”

“Ew!” he grimaced. “Fine, but you have to start a fire for us! I can never get it right, and you seem to do it so quickly!”

“Deal.”

He handed over a small metal trowel that always remained with his camping gear, and Izuku took it with a frown, heading a few trees down to dig a hole behind some bushes. He stayed within view – at least, his mop of silly green curls did– so Katsuki could keep an eye on him, thankfully, whilehe gathered a few twigs and branches to light up. He waited until Izukuwas sufficiently distracted before he leaned over the pile, breathing on it quickly and watching it spark to life, casting a warm glow around their little campsite.

“That was quick!” Izuku gushed, when he returned with dirt all over his hands. “Thanks, Kacchan, you’re amazing!”

“Damn right I am. Now I’m gonna go shit in your hole, sing one of your stupid songs or something so I know you’re not being eaten.”

“They’re not stupid!”

“Prove it.”

Izuku rolled his eyes, but he began to sing obediently, as out of tune and off-key as he knew he was. Katsuki had always been the talented one of their pair – in everything, really, but that included musically. He was the one who could sing a siren to its own destruction given half the chance, while Izuku could maybe blend in with an army of frogs.

“The fire is so much warmer when Kacchan makes it!” Izuku praised, breaking his song off for a minute as he sat down to get warm. “I don’t know how you do it!”

“No big deal, nerd,” Katsuki called back from the bushes. “Don’t forget to change your stupid socks, don’t need your toes falling off and shit.”

“Well...” Izuku hummed. “I kind of only brought one pair.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?”

“I didn’t think I’d need more! Who gets their socks dirty?!”

“Literally everyone!”

Katsuki stormed back when his pants were back on, grumbling to himself as he kicked Izuku’s bare feet closer to the fire, making sure they stayed toasty.

“I don’t think I’ve everseen you get cold,” Izuku mused, eyeing him over. “I’m not sure I’ve even seen you wear a shirt before, even in the middle of winter!”

Katsuki shrugged it off, not bothering to answer, and Izuku giggled as he continued.

“I mean, I know you work hard and are super strong, but you don’t have to show it off every day, you know?”

“I have my cloak,” Katsuki growled, turning away to hide his blush. “Shirts are stupid.”

“You’re so much fun, Kacchan. I missed hanging out with you like this.”

“Shut up, sappy nerd.”

Izuku reached for his satchel, producing a bundle of soft bread rolls he’d picked up earlier in the day, thankfully still dry despite his clothing taking a hit. Then, digging a little deeper, he pulled out a cloth parcel, holding it up with a stupidly proud look on his face.

“I grew these myself!” he explained. “My garden has finally started producing! I’m glad I get to share with you, I was hoping I’d get to show you my vegetables!”

“What’d you grow?” Katsuki asked, voice a lot softer than usual as he sat down at Katsuki’s side. “Potatoes?”

“I did! I’m not sure how to cook them on a fire, though. I didn’t bring a pot to boil them in, I didn’t think of it.”

“We can cook them in the embers,” Katsuki suggested. “Or around the edges, as long as they don’t get too hot and burn.”

“Oh! That sounds great!”

“What else you got?”

“Look at this leek!”

The vegetable in question actually looked pretty good, all fresh and green and not yet wilting. Katsuki nodded his approval

“And they’re a little small, but I have broccoli and cauliflower too! And carrots, you know how much I love carrots.”

“You grew all this?”

“Yeah! It’s not much, but it’s nice and fresh! I have some nuts and berries and things too, and some fruit off my trees! But I thought these would make a nice dinner.”

“It’s plenty. You did a good job.”

“Thanks, Kacchan!”

Katsuki fetched a bunch of big leaves from some of the nearby foliage, checking them carefully for any sign of being inedible before he decided to bring them back, and together they wrapped up little parcels of vegetables, using the toilet-trowel to carefully nudge them into place. It was all pretty normal for Katsuki, after training to be a guard, but Izuku was so fascinated by it all.

“Have you ever left the village before?” he asked, making Izuku jump.

“Um... Not really,” Izuku admitted. “I mean, I’ve been outside the fences!”

Katsuki snorted, but he forced a little smirk out when Izuku looked offended.

“Good thing you dragged me with you, huh?” he teased. “What would you do without me?”

“I could still have done it!”

“You’d be swept down the river by now. Or at best, lying out here in the cold with no fire and burnt food.”

“Not true!” he huffed. “I told you I have berries and nuts too!”

Katsuki chuckled, and Izuku cracked a smile of his own, ducking his head slightly to look at the bread still sitting atop his bag.

“Thanks for coming, Kacchan.”

“Wouldn’t have missed it for the world, nerd.”

Long after the sun set, the pair remained there, laughing and teasing and eventually eating hot vegetables. As much as Katsuki missed having meat with his meals, vegetables so proudly grown by Izuku were a pretty decent substitute.

Stupid vegetarians. How impressed would a meat-eating Izuku have been if he hunted them the missing link for a nice roast dinner?

Izuku fell asleep long before the fire burned out, leaving Katsuki to carefully cart him into the tent for safety and warmth. Already he was shivering, so Katsuki made sure to tuck a few blankets over him, wondering if it was way too inappropriate for him to consider sharing his body heat.

Izuku was protected from view – and hopefully scent – there, tucked away from anything that might be nearby, so when a flicker of movement caught Katsuki’s eye, he took a few bold steps toward it.

More rustling in the bushes, and he let out a low growl, bracing himself.

Some kind of deranged rabbit dove out at him, baring sharp teeth as it lunged for his neck, but Katsuki caught it effortlessly in a clawed grip, inspecting it as it squirmed and snarled. It looked just like any other rabbit, apart from the shitty attitude and the glowing red eyes. It certainly didn’t seem sick or anything...

With a last snarl, he opened his mouth, letting out a burst of flame that roasted the damn thing to perfection.

Homegrown vegetables were nice and all, but he really did like them better with meat.

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