･ﾟﾟ･⊹ em⊹･ﾟﾟ･

𝐊𝐀𝐓𝐒𝐔𝐊𝐈 𝐁𝐀𝐊𝐔𝐆𝐎 𝐱 𝐅𝐄𝐌!𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑　　 ♱　　♱　　♱ 　　　　 ❝ turns out pretending was easier 　　　　　　 when there was someone watching. ❞ 　　　　　　　　　　　 𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ𐀔 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐈　　𝑼𝑵𝑫𝑬𝑹 𝑭𝑨𝑳𝑺𝑬 𝑷𝑹𝑬𝑻𝑬𝑵𝑺𝑬𝑺 Years after U.A., you have gotten very good at leaving things behind. Bakugo Katsuki included. Then a classified mission sends the two of you to Monaco to infiltrate the Orpheus Consortium, an international quirk trafficking network hiding behind the lavish Aureate Global Investment Forum. Your cover should be simple. Wealthy investors. Four years married. One shared suite. One bed. And enough surveillance to make sure neither of you ever gets to stop pretending. The problem is that Katsuki realizes he stopped pretending long before you are willing to admit the same. 𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ𐀔　　 𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆　katsuki bakugo x fem reader　　 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑　pro hero vesper　　 𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐑𝐊　prowl　　 𝐀𝐆𝐄　twenty five　　 𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐑𝐄　romance, espionage, angst, slow burn　　 𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐏𝐄𝐒　fake marriage, former friends, unresolved feelings, mutual pining, he falls first, she is in denial, separation, right person wrong timing　　 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒　grief, emotional avoidance, references to previous chapters, unresolved romantic tension　　 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐓　18+. all characters are adults. 𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ𐀔　　 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐗　　 𝐈.　𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑨𝑺𝑺𝑰𝑮𝑵𝑴𝑬𝑵𝑻 𝐈𝐈.　𝑭𝑶𝑼𝑹 𝒀𝑬𝑨𝑹𝑺 𝑴𝑨𝑹𝑹𝑰𝑬𝑫 𝐈𝐈𝐈.　𝑬𝒀𝑬𝑺 𝑬𝑽𝑬𝑹𝒀𝑾𝑯𝑬𝑹𝑬 𝐈𝐕.　𝑺𝑬𝑳𝑳 𝑰𝑻 𝐕.　𝑮𝑶𝑰𝑵𝑮 𝑶𝑵𝑪𝑬 𝐕𝐈.　𝑾𝑯𝑨𝑻 𝑾𝑬 𝑳𝑬𝑨𝑽𝑬 𝑼𝑵𝑺𝑨𝑰𝑫 𝐕𝐈𝐈.　𝑬𝑼𝑹𝒀𝑫𝑰𝑪𝑬 𝐕𝐈𝐈𝐈.　𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑫𝑶𝑪𝑻𝑶𝑹 𝐈𝐗.　𝑷𝑹𝑶𝑻𝑶𝑪𝑶𝑳 𝐗.　𝑬𝑰𝑫𝑶𝑳𝑶𝑵 　　 𝐗𝐈.　𝑵𝑶 𝑴𝑶𝑹𝑬 𝑪𝑨𝑴𝑬𝑹𝑨𝑺 𝐗𝐈𝐈.　𝑵𝑶𝑩𝑶𝑫𝒀 𝑾𝑨𝑻𝑪𝑯𝑰𝑵𝑮 𝐗𝐈𝐈𝐈. 𝑶𝑹𝑷𝑯𝑬𝑼𝑺 𝑭𝑨𝑳𝑳𝑺 𝐗𝐈𝐕. 𝑨𝑭𝑻𝑬𝑹 ← you are here 𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ𐀔　　 𝐗𝐈𝐕.　𝑨𝑭𝑻𝑬𝑹

The suite looked different when you returned to it. Nothing had changed. That was the problem. The same expensive furniture. The same ridiculous view of Monaco. The same bed you had spent the last week pretending wasn't the most dangerous object in Europe. Your suitcase sat open near the wardrobe. Katsuki's beside it. Two glasses remained beside the sink from that morning. His jacket was thrown across the chair. Your heels were beneath the table. Evidence of two people living together. Except tomorrow morning somebody would come through this room, strip the sheets, replace the towels and erase every indication that Ren and Aya Takahashi had ever existed. You stood in the doorway longer than necessary. Katsuki nearly walked into you. "Move." "Very sentimental." "You're blocking the door." You stepped aside. "Better?" "Much." He carried both equipment cases inside because apparently being shot at all day hadn't cured his inability to let you carry your own things. You didn't argue. That worried you more than it should have.

For almost an hour, neither of you mentioned leaving. You showered first. Katsuki ordered food. You emerged wearing an oversized shirt and shorts and found him sitting at the table scrolling through preliminary reports. Ninety four arrests had become one hundred and seventeen. Seven active Orpheus facilities were secured. Three more were under surveillance. Authorities had recovered records spanning almost fourteen years. Victims were being identified. Families contacted. Names were still coming. Katsuki looked up when you approached. "Food's getting cold." You sat opposite him. "You ordered enough for six people." "You haven't eaten." "Neither have you." "I ate." You looked at the table. "When?" "Protein bar." "That isn't food." "It has calories." "So does glue." "You know that from experience?" "I had a complicated childhood." He stared at you. You smiled. His mouth twitched. Normal. It felt dangerously normal.

You ate in silence for a while. Not awkward silence. Comfortable silence. Somehow worse. You knew how Katsuki separated food on his plate now. He knew you stole whatever he ordered if it looked better than yours. You knew he checked every door twice before bed. He knew you couldn't sleep if the curtains were completely closed. You knew he woke up before his alarm. He knew you needed at least fifteen minutes after waking before conversation became safe. Tiny pieces of information that married couples probably learned over years. You had learned them in days because there had been nowhere to hide. You reached across the table and stole a piece of potato. Katsuki slapped your hand. "Get your own." "Yours tastes better." "It's the same fuckin' thing." "Then why do you care?" "Principle." You stole another while maintaining eye contact. "You're annoying." "You like me." He went quiet. You realized what you had said. There it was again. The horrible moment when something playful accidentally became true. Katsuki leaned back. "Yeah." You looked at your plate. "I walked into that one." "Yeah." "You could've saved me." "Nah." "Cruel." "You'll live." You smiled despite yourself.

Later, packing became unavoidable. You folded dresses you never wanted to see again. Jewelry went into evidence bags. Secure devices went into cases. The expensive watch Aya wore disappeared into a government issued box. Every object removed made the suite feel less like yours. Then you found the photograph. Ren and Aya Takahashi at the opening gala. Someone from the Consortium had printed it as part of the event package. You stood beside Katsuki in a black gown, his arm around your waist, both of you looking irritatingly convincing. Happy, almost. Your thumb moved over the edge. "Burn it," Katsuki said from behind you. You looked over. "Why?" "My hair looks like shit." "Your hair always looks like shit." "Fuck you." "Very handsome though." Silence. Your eyes widened. Katsuki slowly looked up from his suitcase. "What?" "Nothing." "No. Say it again." "I said your hair looks bad." "After that." "Can't remember." "Bullshit." You shoved the photograph into your bag before he could steal it. His expression changed when he realized you were keeping it. Neither of you commented.

The rings came last. You noticed because Katsuki was standing at the dresser staring at his hand. You were supposed to surrender them with the rest of the cover materials. Government property. Technically. Probably. You looked at yours. The thin band suddenly felt heavier than it had all week. Katsuki pulled his off first. Your stomach did something stupid. He placed it on the dresser. You followed. The skin beneath yours looked strangely pale. Empty. Katsuki looked at your hand. You looked at his. "Well," you said. "Divorced." His eyes lifted. "Shut up." "Four years. Gone just like that." "Tragic." "Who gets the apartment?" "Me." "Rude." "I paid for it." "Fake Ren paid for it." "Still me." You laughed. Katsuki didn't. Not really. His fingers brushed the ring once. Then he picked both up and placed them inside the evidence pouch. Zip. Done. Something inside you sank.

You went to bed late. Neither suggested the couch. That would have been ridiculous after everything. Still, you climbed beneath the blankets and became intensely aware of where your body ended and his began. Katsuki turned off the lamp. Darkness. Monaco glowed around the curtains. "You awake?" you asked. "It's been ten seconds." "So yes." "Unfortunately." You smiled into the pillow. Silence returned. You listened to him breathe. Tomorrow. You hated tomorrow. "Katsuki?" "Hm?" "What happens when we get home?" The question escaped before you could stop it. He was quiet long enough that you considered pretending you hadn't asked. Then, "What do you mean?" Coward. Both of you. "With the investigation." "Debriefs. Reports. Probably hearings eventually." "Right." "You weren't asking about the investigation." Damn him. You stared at the ceiling. "Maybe I was." "You weren't." "You don't know everything." "Know you." That again. It didn't scare you as much anymore. Maybe that scared you more.

You turned your head. He was already looking at you. "I don't know what happens," you admitted. Katsuki's expression remained unreadable in the dark. "Okay." "That's it?" "What do you want me to say?" "I don't know." "Then neither do I." You frowned. "You're remarkably unhelpful tonight." "I'm not gonna decide for you." Your stomach tightened. "Decide what?" "Whatever this is." Silence. You looked away. "I told you I'm not ready." "I know." "And tomorrow everything goes back to normal." "Does it?" You hated the question because you didn't know. "It has to." "Why?" "Because the mission is over." "That answer would've worked three days ago." Your chest tightened. "Katsuki." "I'm not pushing." "It feels like you are." "Then I'll stop." Immediate. No argument. Somehow worse. He rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling. You wanted to reach for him. You didn't.

Minutes passed. Maybe twenty. Maybe five. "I don't know how to do this," you whispered. Katsuki didn't pretend to misunderstand. "I know." "I don't want to hurt you." A humorless laugh. "Little late." Your chest hurt. "I'm serious." "So am I." You closed your eyes. "I'm sorry." "Don't." "Why?" "Because you're apologizing before you've even done anything." You looked at him again. His jaw was tight. "You're already planning how you're gonna leave." Your stomach dropped. "I'm not." "Yeah, you are." "You don't know that." "I know you." You almost argued. Couldn't. Katsuki turned toward you. "I'm not gonna stop you." That hurt worse than if he had yelled. "What?" "If we get home and you decide you need space, fine. Take it." "Katsuki..." "But I'm not doing the old shit again." His voice stayed quiet. "You don't get to disappear for five years and show up one day acting like nothing happened." Your throat tightened. "I'm not asking you to wait for me." "Didn't say I would."

That one hurt.

Good.

Maybe it needed to.

You looked away before your face betrayed you. Katsuki saw anyway. Of course. His voice softened. "That's not what I meant." "Sounded pretty clear." "I'm saying I have a life too." "I know." "And I want you in it." Silence. Your heart stopped. Katsuki continued before you could panic. "But I'm not gonna drag you into it." You swallowed. "What if I don't know what I want?" "Then figure it out." "And what if it takes me a while?" His expression changed. Something softer. Sadder. "Then it takes a while."

You stared at him. No promise to wait forever. No dramatic declaration. No guarantee that when you finally figured yourself out, he would still be standing exactly where you left him. You hated it. You respected it. Maybe that was why you believed him. Your hand moved across the mattress. Katsuki looked down as your fingers found his. "I'm trying," you whispered. His fingers closed around yours. "I know." You moved closer. Slowly enough that either of you could stop it. You rested your forehead against his shoulder. His arm came around you. No performance. No cameras. No Ren. No Aya. Just Katsuki holding you because you asked without asking. "No sex," you murmured. He snorted. "Wasn't trying." "Just establishing expectations." "You always this romantic?" "Only with my ex husband." "Go to sleep." You smiled against his chest. "Goodnight, Katsuki." His arm tightened slightly. "Night."

You woke before him. That never happened. Pale morning light spilled through the curtains. Katsuki slept on his back, one arm still around you. His face looked different asleep. Less guarded. Younger. For a moment you saw eighteen instead of twenty five. U.A. Hallways. Training fields. That stupid undefined thing between you neither had known how to touch. Then war. Hospital rooms. Edgeshot. Grief. You leaving. Years. And somehow Monaco had placed you right back beside him. Your eyes moved over the scar on his chest. Alive. You carefully rested your palm over it. His heartbeat pressed into your hand. Strong. You closed your eyes. "You're staring," he muttered. You jumped. His eyes remained closed. "You're creepy." "You were asleep." "Was." "How long have you been awake?" "Long enough." "Did you know my hand was there?" "Yeah." You tried to move it. His hand covered yours. "Didn't say move it." Your chest tightened. You left it.

The airport was private. Of course it was. Nothing about this mission had ever allowed you the dignity of commercial travel. Hayashi met you beside the aircraft looking like a man who had aged six years in eight days. "Congratulations," he said. "You destroyed my sleep schedule, nearly compromised the operation seventeen times and somehow produced the largest quirk trafficking seizure in European history." You smiled. "You're welcome." Katsuki walked past him. "Need better staff." Hayashi stared at his back. "I hate both of you." "You love us." "Get on the plane." You did.

The flight home was twelve hours. You slept for four. Katsuki slept for maybe two. You watched a terrible movie together without discussing why you were sharing earbuds when the plane had perfectly functional headphones. At some point your head ended up on his shoulder. At some point his hand ended up resting on your thigh. Neither acknowledged either development. Europe disappeared beneath clouds. Monaco became France. France became distance. Distance became ocean. The closer Japan got, the quieter you became.

Katsuki noticed.

He didn't say anything.

That was worse.

When the plane landed, your phone connected before the wheels had completely stopped. Messages flooded in. Agency. Friends. Missed calls. News alerts. Your normal life demanding to be resumed. Vesper had been listed as overseas on classified assignment. Dynamight too. Nobody outside the necessary circles knew you had spent the last week married. Nobody knew what had happened inside that hotel room. Nobody knew about his fingers intertwined with yours beneath restaurant tables or your head on his chest or the way he had stood between you and black. A whole life had happened where nobody else could see it.

You collected your bags. Katsuki collected his. Separate.

The word entered your mind before you could stop it.

Separate.

Hayashi gave final instructions. Debrief Monday. Medical evaluations within forty eight hours. No public statements about Orpheus until international authorities cleared them. Then he left. Just like that.

You and Katsuki stood outside the terminal.

For the first time in eight days, there was nowhere you were required to go together.

Your car was coming from the left.

His from the right.

You hated whoever designed the pickup lanes.

Katsuki adjusted the strap of his bag. "Text me when you get home."

You blinked.

"Bossy."

"Do it."

"Fine."

Silence.

Cars moved around you. People passed. Nobody looked twice. Nobody cared that Aya and Ren Takahashi were standing several feet apart pretending they had never existed.

You shoved your hands into your pockets.

"So."

"So."

"This is weird."

"Yeah."

You laughed softly. "Good talk."

Katsuki looked at you.

You looked at him.

There were a thousand things you could say.

I don't want this to end.

Come home with me.

I miss you already and you're standing right there.

I'm scared.

Wait for me.

Don't wait for me.

I think I could love you.

Maybe I already do.

You said none of them.

"See you around, Katsuki."

There.

You watched the words hit him.

His expression barely changed.

That made it worse.

"Yeah."

Your car pulled up.

You hated it immediately.

Katsuki picked up your suitcase before you could.

Of course.

He put it into the trunk.

The driver waited.

You stood beside the open door.

Katsuki stepped back.

No hug.

No kiss.

You had no idea what you were allowed to do anymore.

So you did nothing.

Coward.

Prowl's voice came quietly.

I know.

You climbed inside.

The door closed.

Katsuki stood on the curb.

You looked through the window.

He raised two fingers.

Small.

Barely a goodbye.

You did the same.

The car pulled away.

You didn't look back.

You made it approximately thirty seconds.

Then you looked.

He was still there.

Watching the car disappear.

Your chest hurt.

You faced forward.

Go back.

"No."

The driver glanced into the mirror.

You pretended you were talking through an earpiece.

Prowl was unimpressed.

Coward.

"I know."

This time she didn't answer.

Home felt wrong.

Your apartment was exactly as you had left it. Clean. Quiet. Familiar. You dropped your suitcase beside the door and stood in the middle of the living room.

Nothing.

No Katsuki complaining about where you left your shoes.

No shower running.

No second suitcase.

No muttered swearing from another room.

No stupid expensive coffee.

No warm body on the other side of the bed.

You had wanted space.

Now you had all of it.

You hated it.

Your phone buzzed.

KATSUKI: Home?

You stared at the screen.

ME: yeah

Three dots appeared.

Disappeared.

Appeared again.

KATSUKI: Good.

That was all.

You stared for another minute.

Then locked your phone.

Your bedroom felt worse.

The bed looked enormous.

You changed clothes. Washed your face. Unpacked half your suitcase and gave up. The gala photograph appeared between two dresses.

You sat on the floor.

Ren and Aya.

His hand around your waist.

Your smile.

Fake.

Except maybe it hadn't been.

You placed the photograph on your nightstand.

Then immediately felt ridiculous and put it inside the drawer.

Then opened the drawer again.

"Pathetic."

Extremely.

"Nobody asked you."

Prowl appeared orange across the bedroom floor, translucent paws making no sound against the wood.

You did.

"I literally didn't."

She climbed onto the bed despite weighing nothing and everything at once.

You stared.

"Move."

She didn't.

"Traitor."

Her glowing eyes narrowed.

You climbed in beside her.

For the first time in eight nights, nobody else occupied the mattress.

You should have slept better.

You didn't.

Three days passed.

Then five.

You returned to patrol.

Normal.

That was the goal.

You answered emails. Filed reports. Completed debriefs. Trained. Ate. Slept badly. Worked again.

Katsuki texted twice.

Nothing important.

KATSUKI: Hayashi send you the revised report?

ME: yeah

KATSUKI: Page 47 is wrong.

ME: shockingly I can read

KATSUKI: Debatable.

You smiled at your phone for an embarrassing amount of time.

Then the conversation ended.

You didn't start another.

Neither did he.

A week became two.

Orpheus arrests crossed two hundred. Moreau remained in custody. Sorel too. Recovery operations continued. The world moved on.

So did you.

Technically.

You went to dinner with friends. Someone asked whether you had met anybody interesting overseas.

You nearly choked on your drink.

"No."

The lie came easily.

Too easily.

You went home alone.

Katsuki appeared on television the next morning after stopping a villain in Shibuya. You watched the clip twice.

For professional reasons.

Obviously.

Prowl didn't bother commenting anymore.

Three weeks after Monaco, your agency changed your patrol route.

Evening.

Central district.

You didn't care.

You liked nights.

Less noise.

Less conversation.

Less opportunity for anyone to ask why Vesper had been strangely irritable since returning from Europe.

At nine forty seven, you landed on the roof of an office building and checked your route.

Quiet.

Good.

Then an explosion sounded three blocks away.

Your entire body recognized it before your brain did.

You turned.

Orange flickered at the edges of your vision.

"No."

Prowl appeared beside you.

Yes.

"Absolutely not."

Another explosion.

Closer.

You walked toward the edge of the roof.

Purely professional.

A figure launched above the neighboring building.

Black and orange.

Blond hair.

Grenadier bracers.

Your heart did something humiliating.

Dynamight landed on the opposite roof.

He looked down at the street.

Then up.

Straight at you.

Neither moved.

Three weeks.

Twenty one days.

Not that you had counted.

Katsuki stared across the gap between buildings.

You lifted one hand.

Awkward.

He stared at it.

Then at you.

His mouth twitched.

He jumped.

One explosion.

He landed on your roof.

Too close.

Not close enough.

"Vesper."

"Dynamight."

Silence.

You hated this already.

"New route?" he asked.

"Yeah."

"When?"

"Tonight."

He nodded.

"Right."

More silence.

This was ridiculous.

You had slept wrapped around this man.

Now apparently neither of you knew how conversations worked.

"How've you been?" you asked.

Katsuki stared.

You immediately regretted it.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"How've I been?"

"It's a normal question."

"Sounds like we're fuckin' coworkers."

"We are coworkers."

His expression changed.

Tiny.

There and gone.

You wanted to take it back.

Didn't.

"Right," he said.

Something crackled over his radio.

His patrol partner asking for location.

Katsuki answered without looking away from you.

"Roof. Heading back."

Your chest tightened.

Of course.

He had somewhere to be.

So did you.

Normal lives.

Separate.

"Well," you said. "I'll let you get back to it."

"Yeah."

Neither moved.

You almost laughed.

This was unbearable.

Finally Katsuki stepped backward.

"Stay safe."

"You too."

He turned.

Your chest screamed.

Say something.

Anything.

"Katsuki."

He stopped.

Looked back.

Your mouth opened.

Nothing.

Fear was incredible like that.

It could empty an entire person in seconds.

You smiled instead.

"Nothing."

His face closed.

Not angry.

Worse.

Understanding.

"Yeah."

He blasted away.

You watched until the orange glow disappeared between buildings.

Prowl sat beside you.

You stared at the empty skyline.

"Don't."

She said nothing.

You looked toward her.

"Seriously."

Nothing.

You groaned.

"I know."

Below, Tokyo continued without caring.

Traffic.

Neon.

People.

Noise.

Your radio crackled.

Patrol continued.

You jumped from the roof.

For the next two hours, you did your job.

Then you went home.

Alone.

Across the city, Katsuki did the same.

Neither of you texted.

Neither called.

Neither admitted that three weeks had been enough to prove something neither wanted to know.

Monaco hadn't ruined normal.

It had shown you that normal had been empty long before either of you noticed.

And now you knew exactly what was missing.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ𐀔

　　　　　　　　　　　𝐄𝐍𝐃 𝐎𝐅 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐈

　　　　　　𝑼𝑵𝑫𝑬𝑹 𝑭𝑨𝑳𝑺𝑬 𝑷𝑹𝑬𝑻𝑬𝑵𝑺𝑬𝑺

　　　　　　　　　　　　　♱　　♱　　♱

　　　　　　　　　　　𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐈𝐈 　　　　　　　　　𝑾𝑯𝑬𝑵 𝑰𝑻’𝑺 𝑹𝑬𝑨𝑳

𝐊𝐀𝐓𝐒𝐔𝐊𝐈 𝐁𝐀𝐊𝐔𝐆𝐎 𝐱 𝐅𝐄𝐌!𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑　　 ♱　　♱　　♱　　 ❝ if you want me to trust you, then stay. ❞　　 𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ𐀔 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐈　　𝑼𝑵𝑫𝑬𝑹 𝑭𝑨𝑳𝑺𝑬 𝑷𝑹𝑬𝑻𝑬𝑵𝑺𝑬𝑺 Years after U.A., you have gotten very good at leaving things behind. Bakugo Katsuki included. Then a classified mission sends the two of you to Monaco to infiltrate the Orpheus Consortium, an international quirk trafficking network hiding behind the lavish Aureate Global Investment Forum. Your cover should be simple. Wealthy investors. Four years married. One shared suite. One bed. And enough surveillance to make sure neither of you ever gets to stop pretending. The problem is that Katsuki realizes he stopped pretending long before you are willing to admit the same. 𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ𐀔　　 𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆　katsuki bakugo x fem reader　　 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑　pro hero vesper　　 𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐑𝐊　prowl　　 𝐀𝐆𝐄　twenty five　　 𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐑𝐄　romance, espionage, action, angst, slow burn　　 𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐏𝐄𝐒　fake marriage aftermath, former friends, unresolved feelings, mutual pining, he falls first, she is in denial, protective katsuki, partners in combat　　 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒　canon typical violence, organized crime, quirk trafficking, captivity, experimentation, medical abuse, grief, references to death and war, blood, intense quirk use, emotional confrontation　　𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐓　18+. all characters are adults. 𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ𐀔　　 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐗　　

𝐈.　𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑨𝑺𝑺𝑰𝑮𝑵𝑴𝑬𝑵𝑻 𝐈𝐈.　𝑭𝑶𝑼𝑹 𝒀𝑬𝑨𝑹𝑺 𝑴𝑨𝑹𝑹𝑰𝑬𝑫 𝐈𝐈𝐈.　𝑬𝒀𝑬𝑺 𝑬𝑽𝑬𝑹𝒀𝑾𝑯𝑬𝑹𝑬 𝐈𝐕.　𝑺𝑬𝑳𝑳 𝑰𝑻 𝐕.　𝑮𝑶𝑰𝑵𝑮 𝑶𝑵𝑪𝑬 𝐕𝐈.　𝑾𝑯𝑨𝑻 𝑾𝑬 𝑳𝑬𝑨𝑽𝑬 𝑼𝑵𝑺𝑨𝑰𝑫 𝐕𝐈𝐈.　𝑬𝑼𝑹𝒀𝑫𝑰𝑪𝑬 𝐕𝐈𝐈𝐈.　𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑫𝑶𝑪𝑻𝑶𝑹 𝐈𝐗.　𝑷𝑹𝑶𝑻𝑶𝑪𝑶𝑳 𝐗.　𝑬𝑰𝑫𝑶𝑳𝑶𝑵 　　 𝐗𝐈.　𝑵𝑶 𝑴𝑶𝑹𝑬 𝑪𝑨𝑴𝑬𝑹𝑨𝑺 𝐗𝐈𝐈.　𝑵𝑶𝑩𝑶𝑫𝒀 𝑾𝑨𝑻𝑪𝑯𝑰𝑵𝑮 𝐗𝐈𝐈𝐈. 𝑶𝑹𝑷𝑯𝑬𝑼𝑺 𝑭𝑨𝑳𝑳𝑺 ← you are here 𝐗𝐈𝐕. 𝑨𝑭𝑻𝑬𝑹 𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ𐀔　　 𝐗𝐈𝐈𝐈.　𝑶𝑹𝑷𝑯𝑬𝑼𝑺 𝑭𝑨𝑳𝑳𝑺

At eight fifty seven, you were crouched behind a stone wall outside Villa Orphée wondering why every criminal in Europe apparently lived somewhere beautiful. The Mediterranean stretched below the cliffs in impossible blue. The villa sat among white stone terraces and cypress trees, sunlight spilling across walls that looked too clean to contain anything as ugly as Orpheus. Katsuki crouched beside you in full combat gear now. No suit. No Ren. Grenadier bracers. Black mask. Dynamight. You looked down at your own gloves. Vesper. Finally. No dress. No diamonds. No borrowed identity. Just you. Except for the ring. Still on your finger. Katsuki noticed you looking at it. "Problem?" "No." "Then stop staring at it." "You still have yours on." "So?" "So we're about to raid an international crime lord's villa while wearing fake wedding rings." "Could be lucky." You stared. "You're superstitious now?" "No." "Then what?" "Like it." Your chest tightened at exactly the wrong time. You looked away. Hayashi's voice entered your earpiece. "Focus." You almost laughed. Katsuki touched his comm. "Listening." "Sure you are." Hayashi sounded tired. Good. He deserved it.

The operation had seven coordinated teams. French tactical units on the western road. Japanese and European hero teams through the lower gardens. Cyber operations remote from Monaco. You and Katsuki had been assigned to the eastern approach because the villa's older research wing was beneath it and, according to Isabelle's archived floor plans, connected directly to the main house. Sorel had designed the wing. Moreau had paid for it. The hackers believed the live authentication signal was coming from somewhere inside. Which meant Moreau was here. Possibly Sorel. Possibly both. Hayashi spoke again. "Authentication is still active. Cyber team needs three minutes of uninterrupted access after physical breach." Katsuki frowned. "Thought they were already in." "They are sitting outside the core. Moreau's live key opens it." "Then why aren't they using it?" "Secondary biometric." You understood. "He's carrying something." "Likely." "A ring?" "Unknown." Katsuki looked toward your hand. You immediately narrowed your eyes. "Don't." "Didn't say anything." "Your face." "Yeah, yeah."

Hayashi continued before either of you could start. "Objective one is capture Moreau alive. Objective two is secure authentication hardware. Sorel is secondary." You frowned. "Secondary?" "He does not control Orpheus." "He controlled Eidolon." "And if you chase him while Moreau disappears again, I will personally fly to France and strangle you." "Very professional." "Three minutes." The channel quieted. Katsuki looked toward you. "Scale." You flexed your fingers. "Ten." "Good." "You?" "Fine." "That's not a scale." "Don't have talking ghost cats." "They're not ghosts." "Still arguing that?" "For the rest of our lives." Silence. Oh. You had not meant that. Katsuki's eyes moved toward you. Your face heated. "Operation." His mouth slowly curled. "Yeah." "Don't." "Didn't say anything."

The first explosion came from the western road at exactly nine. Not Katsuki. He looked offended anyway. You almost laughed. Then Hayashi's voice hit your ear. "GO." You moved. Prowl emerged orange beside you in a ripple of light. Sleek. Golden. Larger than a real tiger but nowhere near her higher manifestations. Orange ears flickered above your head, translucent and sharp. Your tail appeared behind you for balance as you cleared the first stone barrier. Katsuki blasted himself over it beside you. The eastern garden erupted into movement. Two guards emerged from beneath the terrace. Katsuki landed first. "Left." "Got it." You didn't need more. Prowl phased through the stone wall, reappeared behind the first guard and slammed into him before he could raise his weapon. You took the second. Elbow. Wrist. Weapon down. Knee. He hit the ground. Katsuki glanced over. "Slow." "You took the easier one." "Bullshit." "Cope." He grinned. There. That look. Combat. U.A. Home. You hated how much you loved it.

The research entrance sat beneath the eastern terrace exactly where the old plans indicated. Except someone had added reinforced steel and a biometric panel since Isabelle's death. Katsuki looked at it. Then at you. "No." "I didn't say anything." "Your face did." "My face was gonna say explosion." "Exactly." "Works." "Also alerts everyone." "Already attacking the fuckin' villa." Fair. You stepped aside. "Small explosion." His grin was vicious. "Now you're learning." The door lasted approximately one second. The alarm began immediately. "Subtle." "Shut up."

You entered. Cold air. White light. The smell hit next. Antiseptic. Your entire body stopped. War. Medical tent. Silver mask. Your sister. Prowl reacted instantly. Orange brightened. Katsuki touched your shoulder. "Scale." "Twenty." "Stay there." You nodded. The corridor descended beneath the villa. Laboratory doors on either side. Most empty. Some abandoned hastily. Papers scattered. Screens still active. A cup of coffee still warm. They had known the raid was coming. Of course.

Hayashi's voice: "Authentication signal moving." Katsuki stopped. "Direction?" "Northwest. Main house." "Moreau's running." "Likely." You looked deeper into the corridor. Sorel. Something inside you pulled downward. Prowl. Familiar. Katsuki saw. "No." "You don't know what I was thinking." "Yes, I do." "Moreau is your objective." "Ours." "Then go." His face hardened. "No." "Katsuki." "We stay together." "If Sorel is down there..." "Hayashi said secondary." "Hayashi doesn't know what he has." "Neither do you."

Your jaw tightened. Then the floor beneath you shook. Something crashed below. Prowl roared. White flashed at the edges of your vision. Katsuki grabbed your hand. "Scale." "Thirty." "You jumped." "I know." Hayashi cut in. "Vesper, status." "Possible quirk activity below eastern lab." "Ignore it." You stared toward the staircase. "Hayashi..." "Moreau first." You hated everyone. Katsuki squeezed your hand. "Later." You looked at him. He meant it. Not never. Later. Trust me. You breathed. Orange returned. "Fine." "Good." "I hate you." "No, you don't." Your heart stumbled. He ran before you could answer. Asshole. You followed.

The laboratory corridor opened into the villa's main basement. Luxury above. Concrete below. Security doors. Storage. Wine cellar. Server access. Then three men in tactical armor rounded the corner. Katsuki smiled. "Finally." "You're concerning." "Move." The fight lasted maybe twenty seconds. It felt like training. Your tiger phased through a burst of gunfire and solidified into a shield in front of Katsuki. He launched over her back, explosion throwing him above the guards. You slid low beneath the first man's weapon and Prowl's tail swept the second man's legs. Katsuki hit the third with enough force to crack plaster. Perfect. Again. Always. You turned. Katsuki landed beside you. "Still got it." "You sound surprised." "Five years." "And?" "Nothing." Wrong word. You both froze. Then laughed.

Gunfire sounded upstairs. No time. You ran. The staircase opened into the villa's main gallery. Chaos. Broken glass. Smoke. French tactical units pushing from the west. Two heroes fighting near the terrace. Moreau's private security retreating upstairs. Hayashi's voice hit your comm. "Signal second floor. East wing." You and Katsuki looked at each other. Then moved. No discussion. You reached the second floor as a security door slammed shut. Katsuki raised his hand. You stepped aside automatically. "Small?" "No." The explosion shook the hallway. "Subtle!" "Fuck subtle." You coughed through dust. "You've been waiting all week to say that." "Yeah."

The door was gone. Moreau stood inside. Not running. Waiting. Of course. The room was Isabelle's study. You knew immediately. Her photographs lined one wall. Research journals covered another. Moreau stood behind a desk wearing a dark suit, one hand resting on the wood. No weapon. That was worse. Katsuki stepped in front of you. "Lucien." Moreau smiled. "Dynamight." There it was. No Ren. His eyes moved toward you. "Vesper." Your stomach tightened. "You knew." "Not initially." "Since when?" Moreau looked toward your ring. "Earlier than you would like."

Katsuki's palm sparked. "Hands where I can see 'em." Moreau lifted both calmly. "I assume you require this." He turned one hand. A signet ring. Black stone. Your pulse jumped. Authentication. Hayashi's voice: "CONFIRM VISUAL." Katsuki touched his comm. "Ring. Right hand." "Secure Moreau alive." Moreau smiled. "How disappointing." You stepped closer. "Where is Sorel?" Katsuki looked toward you. Moreau's expression changed. "You really are exactly like her." Your blood chilled. "Isabelle?" "Your mother."

Silence. Prowl woke. Katsuki's hand closed around your wrist. Not restraining. Grounding. You stared at Moreau. "You knew my mother." "Briefly." "How?" "She came here." No. Your stomach dropped. "When?" "Before you were born." Everything inside you went very quiet. Moreau walked slowly around the desk. Katsuki raised one palm. "Stop." Moreau stopped. You barely heard them. "My mother came here?" "Yes." "Why?" "Because Isabelle found her." Your pulse hammered.

Moreau looked toward the photographs. "Isabelle spent years searching for the family line. Your mother was the strongest living expression she had found." "She made tiny cats." Moreau smiled sadly. "By choice." You stopped breathing. "What?" "Your mother's quirk was considerably stronger than she allowed people to believe." Prowl stirred. Memory. Your mother making little glowing animals over the dinner table. Tiny. Soft. Harmless. You had never seen more. "You're lying." "No." Katsuki stepped closer. "Careful."

Moreau ignored him. "She was terrified of what Isabelle wanted." Your throat tightened. "What did she want?" "To reproduce the expression." You felt sick. Katsuki's hand tightened. Moreau continued. "Not artificially at first. Observation. Family records. Genetic mapping. Your mother participated briefly. Then she discovered what Sorel intended." "What?" "Controlled inheritance." You stared. "Children." Moreau's expression darkened. "Eventually." Rage crawled up your throat. "My mother left." "Yes." "She never came back." "No." "Then how did you get us?" Moreau looked toward the floor. "Sorel." Of course. Your eyes burned orange. Katsuki whispered, "Scale." "Twenty."

Moreau looked at you. "Isabelle opposed him." You blinked. "What?" "Toward the end." He looked at his wife's photograph. "She believed observation had become exploitation. Sorel believed morality was simply another variable." "Then why did you keep funding him?" Moreau's face changed. There. Something ugly. Grief. "Because Isabelle died before she finished." You stared. "And you thought finishing her work would bring her back?" "No." Moreau's voice hardened. "I thought proving she was right would make her death mean something." You laughed. Cold. "So you built Orpheus." "Orpheus became something else." "People were sold." "I know." "Children." "I know." "You funded Eidolon." "I know." "Then stop talking like this happened around you."

Moreau's expression finally cracked. "You think I don't know what I became?" "I don't care." Prowl growled. "Neither did my sister." Moreau looked at you. There. Guilt. Real. Maybe. You hated him anyway. Katsuki stepped forward. "Ring." Moreau looked at him. Then smiled. "No."

Katsuki's palm exploded. The desk shattered. Moreau moved faster than you expected. Quirk. Of course. His body blurred sideways as if space folded around him. Katsuki's blast missed. "What the fuck?" Moreau reappeared near the window. "Perspective." You remembered. Perspective changes everything. His quirk. Spatial displacement. Short distance. Katsuki grinned. "Should've known." Moreau moved again. You felt Prowl before you saw him. "Behind." Katsuki ducked. Moreau appeared where his head had been. Your tiger struck. He vanished before impact. Fast. Not infinite. You watched. Three meters. Maybe four. Line of sight. Katsuki understood too. "Limit?" "Short." "Cooldown?" "Two seconds."

Moreau appeared beside the bookshelf. Katsuki fired. Miss. One. Two. You moved before the next displacement. Prowl phased through the bookshelf. Moreau appeared. Directly into her. The tiger solidified. Impact. Moreau hit the floor. Katsuki was on him instantly. Knee between shoulder blades. Palm against his spine. "Move and I redecorate." Moreau laughed painfully. "Very heroic." "Never claimed to be nice." You approached. Ring. Moreau's right hand was clenched. You crouched. "Give it." He looked at you. Then at Katsuki. "No."

You reached. His thumb pressed the stone. Hayashi screamed through your comm. "STOP HIM." Too late. The ring flashed red. Moreau smiled. "Tell Sorel I tried." Every screen in the villa went black. Then alarms. Different. Cyber team shouted through the channel. "CORE PURGE INITIATED." Katsuki ripped the ring from Moreau's hand. "Fix it." Hayashi was already yelling orders. "GET THAT RING TO THE TERMINAL." You looked around. "Where?" Moreau laughed. "Isabelle's laboratory." Below. Of course.

Katsuki hauled Moreau upright. "Team!" French officers entered. Katsuki shoved him toward them. "Alive." Moreau looked at you as they cuffed him. "Your mother was right to run." Your chest tightened. Then he added: "You should have learned from her." You stepped closer. Katsuki's hand caught yours. Moreau smiled. You smiled back. "Maybe she should've stayed and burned it down." His expression disappeared. Good. The officers dragged him away.

Hayashi's voice exploded in your ear. "PURGE AT TWELVE PERCENT. EAST LAB TERMINAL. MOVE." You ran. Back downstairs. Smoke filled the corridor now. Emergency doors closing. Servers shutting down. Your tiger led. Orange. Then white. Not anger. Speed. Your ears flashed pale. Katsuki kept pace beside you. "Scale?" "Thirty." "Good." "Stop asking every ten seconds." "No." "Control freak." "Alive." You looked at him. He didn't. That word again. Alive. You ran faster.

The eastern lab door was locked. Katsuki raised his hand. You pointed. "Small." He blasted it off the hinges. "You have no concept of small." "Door's open." Fair. Inside, every monitor flashed red. PURGE 26%. A terminal required biometric authentication. Katsuki slammed Moreau's ring against the reader. Nothing. "Fuck." You looked at the screen. SECONDARY AUTHENTICATION REQUIRED. BIOLOGICAL. "Sorel." Katsuki's jaw tightened. "Or Moreau." "He's upstairs." "Too far." Hayashi: "PURGE 31%. CYBER TEAM CAN PAUSE AT FORTY IF YOU AUTHENTICATE."

You searched. Finger scan. Retina. Blood. Then Prowl froze. Familiar. Below. Sorel. Your head snapped toward the far door. Katsuki saw. "No." "We need him." "Fuck." Finally. Permission. You moved. The far door led deeper than the old plans. Stairs. Cold. Prowl shifted white. Your head hurt. "Scale forty." Katsuki grabbed your wrist. "Stay white." "I know."

Down. Another level. Then the corridor opened into a laboratory you remembered. Not exactly. Memory. War. White lights. A silver mask. Your seventeen year old hands shaking. Someone asking you to activate. You stopped. Katsuki nearly ran into you. "This is it." His expression changed. "You sure?" "Yeah."

Sorel's voice came from the dark. "I wondered if you would remember." Lights turned on. He stood at the far end. No coat. No mask. Older now. Same face from Isabelle's photograph. You hated that seeing him without the silver made him look ordinary. A black drive sat in his hand. Find me. Katsuki stepped forward. "You're coming upstairs." Sorel smiled. "No." "We need your biometric." "I know." Purge. Hayashi: "THIRTY SEVEN."

You looked at Sorel. "What do you want?" His eyes moved toward Prowl. "There she is." "Answer me." "Black." Your stomach dropped. Katsuki's palms sparked. "No." Sorel ignored him. "I have waited eight years to see whether the fourth threshold stabilized." "You already know it did." "Reports are insufficient." "You experimented on me." "Observed." "You stole my blood." "Collected." "You stole pieces of my sister." Sorel's expression barely moved. "She was dead."

White flashed red. Katsuki grabbed your shoulder. "Scale." "Fifty." "Bring it down." Sorel smiled. "Don't." You stared. He continued. "Why suppress what she wants?" Prowl snarled. "You don't know her." "I understand her better than you do." "No." "You spent years treating your manifestation as a creature you command. She is not." Your pulse hammered. "What is she?" Sorel's eyes brightened. "You."

Silence. You knew that. Mostly. But something in the way he said it made your stomach twist. "Every threshold removes inhibition. Orange expresses intention. White expresses instinct. Red expresses emotional dominance. Black..." Katsuki moved between you. "Shut the fuck up." Sorel smiled. "Black expresses truth." Prowl surged. Red. Your ears burned. Tail. Eyes. Katsuki turned. "Vesper." Sorel continued. "Your sister never reached it." "Stop." "Your mother refused it." "Stop." "You survived because you embraced what they feared." "STOP."

Red Prowl erupted behind you. The room shook. Katsuki grabbed your face. "Look at me." Sorel laughed softly. "There. Again." Your vision blurred crimson. Hayashi's voice screamed through the comm. "PURGE FORTY. CYBER TEAM HOLDING. YOU HAVE MAYBE TWO MINUTES." Katsuki's eyes locked on yours. "Stay red." Your breathing shook.

Sorel raised the drive. "Or you could finally learn what she can do." The tiger roared. Black flickered at the edges. Not yet. Katsuki saw. "No." Sorel stepped backward. "Your sister died because her body could not sustain escalation."

Your heart stopped.

What?

Sorel smiled.

"There it is."

Black. A flicker. Katsuki grabbed your shoulders. "Don't listen." You stared past him. "What did you say?" Sorel tilted his head. "She did not die from battlefield injuries alone." The world disappeared. No. Katsuki turned toward Sorel. "What the fuck did you do?" "Nothing." "LIAR." An explosion ripped through the ceiling. Sorel did not flinch. "Her quirk escalated under trauma. Her cardiovascular system failed."

Your chest stopped. Your sister. Battlefield. Trying. Maybe trying to save someone. Maybe trying to reach you. Prowl screamed. Black crawled into your vision. Katsuki turned back. "NO." Your skin burned. Orange ears. White. Red. Then darkness beginning at the tips. Sorel watched with awe. "Yes."

Katsuki struck him. Hard. Sorel hit the wall. The drive fell. Katsuki kicked it away. "Eyes on me." You couldn't. Your sister was dead. Not simply killed. Her own quirk. Your quirk. Black. Maybe that was why your mother hid hers. Maybe that was what everyone had feared. Sorel coughed. "She was weaker."

You moved. Katsuki blocked you. "Move." "No." "Move." "No." "He killed her." "No." "You heard him." "He said he didn't." "You believe him?" "Don't give a fuck." Your tiger filled the room. Red turning darker. Katsuki stood between you and Sorel. "Move, Katsuki." "No." "I will go through you." "Then do it."

You froze.

He stared at you. "Go on." Your breath shook. "You're not scared of black?" "Terrified." That hit. Katsuki continued. "But not of you." Your eyes burned. Behind him, Sorel smiled. Katsuki didn't look away. "You're angry. Good. Be angry. But this asshole does not get to decide what your strongest form looks like." Your throat closed. "He knows what happened to her." "Then we arrest him and make him talk." "He'll lie." "Then we keep asking." "He deserves..." "I know." "No, you don't." "Yeah, I fuckin' do." His voice broke. Just slightly. "I want to kill him too."

Silence. You stared. Katsuki's hands came to your face. "That's why I'm not moving." Black flickered. Red. Black. Red. Prowl snarled. Sorel's voice: "Fascinating." Katsuki looked over his shoulder. "Say one more fuckin' word and I'll make you eat your teeth." Sorel shut up. You almost laughed. Almost.

Katsuki looked back. "Scale." You swallowed. "Seventy." "Bring it down." "I can't." "Yeah, you can." "He..." "I know." "My sister..." "I know." Your eyes burned. "I wasn't there." Katsuki's expression softened. "There it is." Your chest broke. "I wasn't there." "You were seventeen." "I should've..." "No." "I could've..." "No." "If I had..." "No."

"You don't get to turn grief into evidence against yourself."

Your breathing stopped. Where the hell had he learned to talk like that? Probably suffering. You hated that answer. Katsuki continued. "She died. It was horrible. You loved her. None of that means you were supposed to die too." Black flickered again. Then faded. Red. Still red. You gasped. Katsuki exhaled. "Again."

You closed your eyes. Prowl. Not separate. You. Rage. Grief. Love. Fear. All of it. Stay. The tiger fought. Stay. Her eyes met yours inside your own mind. Your sister. Not her. Never her. Prowl. You. Stay with me. Red softened. White. You nearly collapsed. Katsuki caught you. Sorel's expression changed for the first time. Disappointment. Good. Fuck him.

Hayashi screamed: "TIME." You opened your eyes. "Biometric." Katsuki turned. Sorel was already moving. Of course. He reached for the drive. Prowl struck first. White. Fast. She phased through Katsuki and slammed Sorel's hand to the floor. He screamed. Katsuki grinned. "There she is."

You ran to the terminal built into the far wall. "Bring him." Katsuki dragged Sorel up by his collar. The doctor fought. Bad choice. Katsuki slammed his hand onto the biometric reader. ACCESS DENIED. "Retina." You grabbed Sorel's face. He looked at you. For the first time, fear. Good. You shoved him toward the scanner. The terminal flashed. AUTHENTICATION CONFIRMED.

Hayashi: "GOT IT."

Every monitor changed. PURGE HALTED. Then lines of code filled the screens. Cyber team. Inside. Finally. Sorel went still. You smiled. "What?" His face emptied. "You don't understand what you've done." You looked toward Katsuki. He looked delighted. "Usually means we did something good." Hayashi's voice came through almost laughing. "ORPHEUS CENTRAL OPEN. FULL MIRROR IN PROGRESS. ACCOUNTS, CLIENTS, ROUTES, FACILITIES. EVERYTHING."

Your heart jumped. Everything. Names. Locations. Every buyer. Every victim. Every piece. Sorel stared at the screens. Years of work disappearing into evidence servers. You stepped closer. "How many?" He looked at you. "How many people?" Silence. Katsuki tightened his grip. Sorel smiled weakly. "Thousands." Your stomach turned. Prowl growled. White. Controlled.

Sorel looked toward her. Then at you. "You could have been extraordinary." You stared. "I am." His expression shifted. You smiled coldly. "I just don't need you to prove it." Katsuki's grin was vicious. "That's my girl."

Silence.

Your head snapped toward him.

His face changed.

Oh.

He realized.

You stared.

He stared.

Sorel looked between you.

You pointed at him.

"Later."

Katsuki cleared his throat. "Yeah."

Your face was absolutely on fire.

Wonderful.

Perfect climax to an international crime operation.

Hayashi spoke. "Please flirt after the arrests."

You closed your eyes. "Everyone can hear?"

"Unfortunately."

Katsuki looked completely unbothered.

Of course.

Sorel was cuffed. You took the black drive. Evidence. The same one he had used to bait you. Hayashi directed the tactical team downstairs. Five minutes later, the research wing was secure. Ten minutes later, every Orpheus linked account began freezing. Twelve minutes later, arrest warrants launched across six countries. Twenty minutes later, an Orpheus facility outside Milan was raided. Thirty minutes later, Geneva. Routes closed. Buyers identified. Names matched to auction footage. Vautrin. Krüger. Moretti.

You stopped at that one. "Elena?" Hayashi answered. "She contacted French authorities twenty minutes ago." You blinked. "What?" "She's cooperating." Moretti. Do not get on the boat tonight. A courtesy. You smiled faintly. "Good." Katsuki looked over. "What?" "Nothing." He stared. You sighed. "Later." "Better."

Moreau was brought downstairs in cuffs. No suit jacket now. Hair disheveled. For the first time, he looked old. He stopped when he saw Sorel. Something passed between them. Hatred. Maybe. Sorel laughed softly. "You failed." Moreau looked at him. "No." Then at you. "I failed years ago."

You didn't know what to do with that. You didn't forgive him. Never would. He had funded monsters because grief gave him an excuse he chose to accept. You understood grief. That made it worse. You stepped closer. "My mother knew what Isabelle was doing?" Moreau nodded. "Eventually." "Why didn't she tell us?" "I don't know." "Did Isabelle know Sorel continued?" Moreau looked toward him. "No." Sorel said nothing. Moreau's jaw tightened. "She tried to destroy the research before she died."

You froze. "What?" "Sorel preserved copies." Of course. You looked toward the doctor. He smiled. Katsuki's hand caught your shoulder. White remained white. Good. You breathed. "How did Isabelle die?" Moreau went silent. Sorel answered. "Accident." Moreau's expression shattered. "Don't." You looked between them. "What accident?" Sorel smiled. "Quirk instability." Your stomach sank. No.

Moreau's face went pale. Katsuki muttered: "Motherfucker." Sorel continued. "She tested escalation on herself." Moreau lunged. Security caught him. For once, Moreau lost control. "You told me it was an equipment failure." Sorel looked bored. "It was." "You said..." "Her body was the equipment."

Silence.

Moreau stopped fighting. The room became very still. You looked at Sorel. Your mother had been afraid. Your sister had died. Isabelle had died. All chasing the same thing. Black. Power without restraint. Escalation without cost. You understood now. Not completely. Enough. Sorel had spent decades trying to prove there was a version of Prowl's lineage that could survive unlimited escalation. You. He had wanted you to go black because you were the answer to his life's work.

You smiled. He noticed. "What?" "You never figured it out." His expression changed. "Black isn't power." Silence. You thought about the war. The first time. Grief. Fear. Survival. Prowl not obeying you. Moving with you. Not stronger because you forced her. Stronger because there had been no separation between instinct and decision. Sorel frowned.

You continued. "You spent decades trying to make the quirk stronger." "It is stronger." "No." You looked toward white Prowl. She stood beside Katsuki now. Calm. Massive enough to protect. Gentle enough not to attack. "You thought the colors were output." Sorel's face changed. "They aren't." "What are they?" You smiled. "Mine." That irritated him. Good.

You walked away. Katsuki followed. Behind you, Moreau and Sorel were separated. Cuffed. Taken upstairs. Orpheus was falling apart in real time. By noon, forty three arrests. By one, sixty eight. By three, ninety four. More would come.

You sat on the villa terrace with a medic wrapping your wrist. The same Mediterranean stretched below. Beautiful. Again. Katsuki walked out carrying two bottles of water. He handed you one. "Drink." "Bossy." "Dehydrated." "Romantic." He nearly choked. You smiled. Good. He sat beside you. Not touching. For maybe ten seconds. Then his knee bumped yours. You looked. He ignored you. Naturally. You drank.

Silence settled. Not uncomfortable. Not anymore. Then: "You almost went black." You sighed. "Are we doing this?" "Yeah." "I didn't." "I know." "Then?" Katsuki looked toward the sea. "You stopped." "Yeah." "Because I told you to." You smiled. "Don't get emotional." "Shut up." You laughed. His expression softened. Then you understood. It mattered to him. Trust. Not control. You had trusted him enough to stop.

Your chest tightened. "I meant what I said." He looked over. "What?" "About trusting you." His eyebrows drew together. You hadn't actually said it today. Not aloud. You looked toward your hands. "I do." Silence. Katsuki stared. You continued before fear could shut you up. "I trust you."

The words felt enormous. Maybe bigger than I want you. Maybe not bigger than love. You weren't ready for that one. But this. This you could give him. Katsuki looked away. His ears were red. You nearly smiled. "Are you blushing?" "No." "You are." "Shut the fuck up." "Oh my God." "I'm not." "You absolutely are." He looked at you. "Keep talking." "Or what?" His eyes dropped toward your mouth.

Your heart stumbled.

Oh.

Right.

Last night.

You stopped smiling. Katsuki noticed. His expression softened immediately. He looked away. No pressure. Of course. Your chest hurt. You whispered: "Thank you." "For what?" "Today." "Job." "No." He looked back. "For stopping me." His jaw shifted. "Always."

Your throat tightened.

Dangerous word.

Always.

You looked toward the sea. "We should probably talk about last night." "Probably." Neither did. You laughed quietly. "Great start." "Thought you weren't ready." "I'm not." "Then we don't." You looked at him. "But..." He waited. You swallowed. "I don't regret it."

Katsuki went still. Your heart hammered. You stared determinedly at the water. "Just so we're clear." Silence. Then his hand appeared beside yours. Palm up. Invitation. No cameras. No cover. No excuse. You looked down. Then placed your hand in his. His fingers closed. Wedding rings touched. Again. Katsuki exhaled. "Clear." You smiled.

The villa behind you was full of police, heroes, evidence teams and enough international bureaucracy to make Aizawa retire twice. Somewhere inside, Lucien Moreau was formally placed under arrest. Emil Sorel was transferred under quirk suppression. Across Europe, Orpheus facilities went dark one by one. Eidolon was secure. The victims were alive. Not all. Never all. But many. Enough that the mission mattered. Enough that waiting had mattered. Enough that you finally understood why Katsuki had stopped you from burning everything down the first night.

Your phone buzzed. Hayashi. MISSION STATUS: SUCCESSFUL. RETURN TO MONACO. DEPARTURE JAPAN 0900 TOMORROW. You stared at the message. Tomorrow. Home. The word felt strange. Katsuki read over your shoulder. Neither spoke. There it was. The thing you had both been avoiding. The mission was over. No more Orpheus. No more Monaco. No more hotel. No more one bed because there was only one bed. No more reason to wake up beside each other.

Your fingers tightened around his. Katsuki looked toward you. "What?" You almost said nothing. Almost. Then: "I don't want to think about tomorrow yet." His expression softened. "Then don't." Simple. Easy. You rested your head against his shoulder. Katsuki went still for half a second. Then relaxed. His head leaned lightly against yours. Nobody watched. Nobody needed to. Below you, the Mediterranean stretched endlessly toward the horizon. Behind you, Orpheus fell. And beside you sat the person you had spent five years trying not to need. Tomorrow could wait.

𝐊𝐀𝐓𝐒𝐔𝐊𝐈 𝐁𝐀𝐊𝐔𝐆𝐎 𝐱 𝐅𝐄𝐌!𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑 　　　　　　　　　　♱　　♱　　♱ 　　　　❝ there is nobody watching anymore. 　　　　　　so why are you still pretending? ❞ 　　　　　　　　　　　𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ𐀔 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐈　　𝑼𝑵𝑫𝑬𝑹 𝑭𝑨𝑳𝑺𝑬 𝑷𝑹𝑬𝑻𝑬𝑵𝑺𝑬𝑺 Years after U.A., you have gotten very good at leaving things behind. Bakugo Katsuki included. Then a classified mission sends the two of you to Monaco to infiltrate the Orpheus Consortium, an international quirk trafficking network hiding behind the lavish Aureate Global Investment Forum. Your cover should be simple. Wealthy investors. Four years married. One shared suite. One bed. And enough surveillance to make sure neither of you ever gets to stop pretending. The problem is that Katsuki realizes he stopped pretending long before you are willing to admit the same. 　　　　　　　　　　　　　𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ𐀔 𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆　　katsuki bakugo x fem reader　　 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑　　pro hero vesper　　 𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐑𝐊　　prowl　　 𝐀𝐆𝐄　　twenty five 𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐑𝐄　　romance, espionage, action, angst, slow burn　　 𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐏𝐄𝐒　　fake marriage, former friends, unresolved feelings, mutual pining, he falls first, she is in denial, protective katsuki, tension finally snaps 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒　　canon typical violence, organized crime, quirk trafficking, grief, references to death and war, past medical abuse, family trauma, emotional confrontation, sexual tension, heated kissing, suggestive touching　　 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐓　　18+. all characters are adults. 　　　　　　　　　　　　　𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ𐀔 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐗　　

𝐈.　𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑨𝑺𝑺𝑰𝑮𝑵𝑴𝑬𝑵𝑻 𝐈𝐈.　𝑭𝑶𝑼𝑹 𝒀𝑬𝑨𝑹𝑺 𝑴𝑨𝑹𝑹𝑰𝑬𝑫 𝐈𝐈𝐈.　𝑬𝒀𝑬𝑺 𝑬𝑽𝑬𝑹𝒀𝑾𝑯𝑬𝑹𝑬 𝐈𝐕.　𝑺𝑬𝑳𝑳 𝑰𝑻 𝐕.　𝑮𝑶𝑰𝑵𝑮 𝑶𝑵𝑪𝑬 𝐕𝐈.　𝑾𝑯𝑨𝑻 𝑾𝑬 𝑳𝑬𝑨𝑽𝑬 𝑼𝑵𝑺𝑨𝑰𝑫 𝐕𝐈𝐈.　𝑬𝑼𝑹𝒀𝑫𝑰𝑪𝑬 𝐕𝐈𝐈𝐈.　𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑫𝑶𝑪𝑻𝑶𝑹 𝐈𝐗.　𝑷𝑹𝑶𝑻𝑶𝑪𝑶𝑳 𝐗.　𝑬𝑰𝑫𝑶𝑳𝑶𝑵 　　 𝐗𝐈.　𝑵𝑶 𝑴𝑶𝑹𝑬 𝑪𝑨𝑴𝑬𝑹𝑨𝑺 𝐗𝐈𝐈.　𝑵𝑶𝑩𝑶𝑫𝒀 𝑾𝑨𝑻𝑪𝑯𝑰𝑵𝑮 ← you are here 𝐗𝐈𝐈𝐈. 𝑶𝑹𝑷𝑯𝑬𝑼𝑺 𝑭𝑨𝑳𝑳𝑺 𝐗𝐈𝐕. 𝑨𝑭𝑻𝑬𝑹 (AN: im about to breadcrumb tf out of u guys muahahaha) 　　　　　　　　　　　　　𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ𐀔 　　　　　　　　　𝐗𝐈𝐈.　𝑵𝑶𝑩𝑶𝑫𝒀 𝑾𝑨𝑻𝑪𝑯𝑰𝑵𝑮

You woke at four twelve in the morning because Katsuki was gone. Your hand moved before your eyes opened, reaching across sheets that were still warm. Nothing. You sat up. The bathroom door was open. Light spilled from the living room. For one horrible second your body reacted before your brain did. Prowl stirred beneath your ribs, orange threatening at the edge of your vision, and then you heard Katsuki mutter, "Fuckin' ridiculous," from the other room. Relief hit hard enough to annoy you. You climbed out of bed and found him sitting on the couch in sweatpants, shirtless, laptop balanced on one knee. His wedding ring was still on. That was the first thing you noticed. You hated that it was the first thing you noticed. "You're supposed to be sleeping." He glanced up. "So are you." "I was until my husband disappeared." Silence. You froze. Katsuki's eyebrow lifted. "Your what?" "Shut up." His mouth twitched. "Didn't say anything." "Your face did." "My face doesn't talk." "It screams." "Go back to bed." You crossed your arms. "What are you doing?" He turned the laptop toward you. Villa Orphée. Satellite images. Floor plans. Property records. "Hayashi sent the preliminary package." You immediately forgot embarrassment. "Without waking me?" "You needed sleep." "So do you." "I got three hours." "That's not sleep. That's a nap with ambition." He snorted. You sat beside him.

The villa looked almost offensively beautiful. Limestone walls against the cliffs above the Mediterranean, gardens descending toward the water, private road, pool, helipad, boat access. You scrolled through the records. "Moreau bought this for Isabelle?" "Holding company bought it six months before they married." "Romantic." "Money laundering's your love language?" "Maybe." Katsuki looked at you. "Good to know." You ignored that. The next document contained photographs from the property archive. Isabelle standing on a terrace. Isabelle beside Moreau. Isabelle in a laboratory. Then one of Isabelle with Sorel. Younger. No mask. You stopped. "That's him." Katsuki leaned closer. "Yeah." "He looks normal." "Most monsters do." You looked at him. No joke in his face. You returned to the photograph. Isabelle couldn't have been older than thirty. Sorel stood beside her holding a folder. Behind them was a board covered in diagrams. Feline silhouettes. Your stomach tightened.

You zoomed in. "Can you read that?" "No." "Neither can I." "Helpful." "Thank you." You opened the attached translation. SUBJECT LINEAGE STUDY. MATERNAL EXPRESSION. ADAPTIVE MANIFESTATION POTENTIAL. Katsuki went still. You kept scrolling. Japanese surnames appeared. Most meant nothing. Then one did. Your mother's maiden name. Again. You stared until the letters blurred. Katsuki quietly took the laptop when your hands started shaking. "Don't." "You're shaking." "Give it back." "In a second." "Katsuki." "Breathe first." You glared. He stared back. Infuriatingly calm. You breathed. Once. Twice. "Happy?" "No." He gave the laptop back.

The records were incomplete, but enough remained to build a shape. Isabelle had spent years researching quirk inheritance across family lines with unusual manifestation abilities. Your mother's family was one of them. The earliest recorded relative could produce brief animal shaped projections. Another could generate light structures. Another possessed heightened reflexes. Traits appeared separately for generations. Then your mother inherited a weak combination. Small feline projections. Harmless. Pretty. Barely useful. Then you and your sister were born. Two expressions from the same line, stronger than anything documented before. "She knew," you whispered. Katsuki looked over. "Who?" "My mom." "You don't know that." "Her name is in their research." "Her family is." "Same difference." "No, it isn't." You stood. "They tracked the family for decades, Katsuki." "Doesn't mean she knew." "She never told us anything." "Maybe there was nothing to tell." "Or maybe she knew and decided not to." "Why?" "I don't know." "Exactly." You hated when he did that. Made things reasonable when you wanted to be angry.

You paced toward the window. Monaco glittered below. Somewhere in France, Moreau was sitting inside a house built for a woman who had helped start all of this. Somewhere else, Sorel had records about your family that you had never known existed. Your mother was dead. Your sister was dead. Everyone who could answer the simplest questions seemed to have developed the inconvenient habit of dying. "Stop." Katsuki's voice came from behind you. You didn't turn. "I'm not doing anything." "You're doing that thing where you decide the worst answer's true because it hurts the most." You looked over your shoulder. "Didn't know you were a therapist." "Don't need a degree to know you." That landed somewhere tender. You looked away. "You don't know me." Silence. Wrong thing to say. You knew immediately.

Katsuki closed the laptop. "Right." You heard him stand. "Katsuki." "Nah. Go ahead." "I didn't mean it like that." "How'd you mean it?" You turned. He was angry now. Not explosive. Worse. Controlled. "You don't get to act like you know everything going on in my head." "Never said I did." "You're acting like it." "I'm acting like I've watched you do the same shit since we were seventeen." Your chest tightened. "You haven't been watching me do anything. We barely spoke for years." "Whose fuckin' choice was that?" There it was.

You crossed your arms. "We're not doing this." "Course not." "What is that supposed to mean?" "Means every time something gets too close, you decide we're not doing it." "That isn't true." "Bullshit." "You don't know what you're talking about." "You disappeared." "I had things happening." "So did everybody." Your expression hardened. Katsuki saw it and kept going anyway. "Your mom died. Your sister died. The war fucked you up. I know." "Don't." "I'm not saying you should've been fine." "Then what are you saying?" "I'm saying you decided being fucked up meant nobody got to stay."

Your throat tightened. "You have no idea what I decided." "Then tell me." "I don't owe you an explanation." "Never said you did." "Sure sounds like it." "I'm asking you to stop acting like leaving doesn't count just because you had a reason." You laughed without humor. "You're making this about you." "Yeah, part of it is about me." You blinked. He stepped closer. "You think that one argument at U.A. didn't matter because you walked away afterward? You think I didn't notice when you stopped answering? When you quit showing up? When everybody got some bullshit excuse about being busy?" "I was busy." "You were hiding." "Fuck you." "There she is."

Your eyes flashed orange. Katsuki noticed and didn't move. "Don't provoke me." "Not scared of you." "Maybe you should be." "Maybe you should stop trying to scare people away and then acting shocked when you're alone." That one hurt. You went completely still. Katsuki knew immediately. His anger flickered. "That's not..." "No. Finish it." "I said it wrong." "No, you said exactly what you meant." You turned away. "We're done." "See?" You spun around. "What?" "That. Right there. We're done. Conversation over. Door shut. You get uncomfortable and everybody else gets dismissed." "Because you crossed a line." "Then tell me I crossed it. Yell at me. Hit me if you really fuckin' need to. Just stop disappearing."

Your eyes burned. "You think I like this?" "No." "You think I wanted to become this person?" "No." "Then stop talking like it's some habit I picked up because I enjoy making everyone miserable." "I'm not." "You have no idea what it feels like to finally let somebody know you and realize afterward that you handed them every possible way to hurt you." Katsuki's face changed. You couldn't stop now. "You have no idea what it is like to love somebody and watch them die slowly. Or to think someone loves you and find out you were convenient. Or finally trust somebody again and have them leave without warning, then spend months making you afraid to answer your own fucking phone. I changed my number three times, Katsuki. Three. So forgive me if I don't think letting people in has a particularly good track record."

Silence. Your breathing was too fast. Katsuki stood several feet away, anger gone. "I know." "No, you don't." "You're right. I don't know what that feels like." His voice was quieter. "But I know what it feels like when you leave." You looked at him. "And I know you're doing it again." "I'm standing right here." "Physically." You hated him. You hated how easily he saw it. You hated that some part of you had been waiting years for him to.

He moved closer. "You've barely looked at me since the debrief." "That's not true." "You asked me to stay last night and woke up this morning acting like it didn't happen." "I just woke up." "You know what I mean." "What do you want from me?" "Nothing you don't wanna give me." "That's a convenient answer." "It's the truth." "Then why are we arguing?" "Because you're scared and you're turning that into a reason I should pretend nothing's happening."

Your chest tightened. "Nothing is happening." Katsuki laughed once. No humor. "Right." "We were undercover." "Not anymore." "Exactly." "Exactly what?" "We don't have to do this anymore." His eyes narrowed. "Do what?" You gestured helplessly between you. "This." "You gotta be more specific." "You know exactly what I mean." "No. Say it." "I'm not doing this with you." "There it is again." "Oh my God." You turned away. Katsuki caught your wrist. Not hard. Enough to stop you. "Don't."

You looked down at his hand. Then up at him. "Let go." He did. Immediately. Somehow that made everything worse.

He stepped back. "I'm not gonna chase you around the fuckin' room." Your throat tightened. "Good." "But I'm not gonna lie to make this easier either." "About what?" His eyes locked on yours. "I want you." Silence. Your heart slammed once against your ribs. Katsuki continued before you could speak. "Not Aya. Not the mission. Not because some camera's pointed at us. You. Been trying to give you enough space to figure out what the hell you want, but I'm not gonna stand here while you tell me none of this is real."

You couldn't breathe. "Katsuki..." "No. You wanted to know what I want. There. That's what I want." "You can't just say that." "Just did." "That's not fair." "Why?" "Because..." You stopped. "Because what?" You hated the answer. Because you wanted him too. Because hearing him say it made something inside you feel horribly, dangerously relieved. Because suddenly every excuse had disappeared.

Katsuki saw something change in your face. His voice softened. "I'm not asking you for anything." "Stop." "I'm serious." "Stop talking." His eyebrows pulled together. "Why?" "Because I'm trying very hard not to do something stupid." A beat. "What's stupid?" You stared at him. Katsuki's eyes dropped briefly toward your mouth. When they returned to yours, your entire body felt hot. "Don't," you whispered. "Didn't do anything." "You looked." "Yeah." "Stop looking at me like that." "Like what?" "You know what." "Think you're gonna have to tell me."

You kissed him.

There was nothing graceful about it. You crossed the space between you, caught the back of his neck and pressed your mouth to his before your brain had enough time to save you. Katsuki froze. Just for a second. Shock more than hesitation. Then his hand found your waist and he kissed you back.

Hard.

Weeks, years, everything unsaid collapsed into it. His other hand caught your jaw. You pushed closer. He stumbled one step backward and recovered immediately, arm tightening around your waist as though he thought you might change your mind if he gave you an inch of space. Maybe you would have. You kissed him harder instead.

No cameras.

The thought came suddenly.

No cameras.

Nobody needed this.

Nobody was watching.

Katsuki pulled back barely enough to breathe. His forehead touched yours. "Tell me to stop." You hated him for asking. You hated yourself more for the answer. "Don't." Something in his expression broke.

He kissed you again. Slower for maybe three seconds, then not slow at all. Your fingers tangled into his hair. His hand slid along your back and pulled you flush against him. Heat curled through your stomach. You had kissed him before. Monaco had required it. Little touches. Performances. Convincing enough to satisfy whoever watched. This was nothing like those kisses. This was messy and impatient and almost angry. This was Katsuki making a rough sound against your mouth when you tugged his hair. This was your back meeting the wall and his hand immediately bracing beside your head so you never took the impact. This was your body recognizing him in ways your brain had spent an entire week refusing to examine.

His mouth moved to your jaw. You inhaled sharply. "Katsuki." He stopped instantly. "Bad?" "No." The word came out embarrassingly fast. His mouth twitched against your skin. "Don't." "Didn't say anything." "You're smiling." "Can't prove it." You pulled his face back to yours and kissed the smile away.

His hands settled at your waist. Yours slipped over his shoulders, down his chest. Warm skin beneath your palms. Real. He inhaled when your fingers traced the edge of an old scar. You knew that scar. You knew too many of them. Some from U.A. Some from the war. Some you had only discovered this week. Your fingertips stopped over the scar that always made your chest hurt. Katsuki looked down at your hand.

His heart.

Edgeshot.

Your mentor.

The person who had given part of himself to keep Katsuki alive while you weren't there.

The memory struck too hard.

Katsuki noticed immediately. "Hey." You couldn't look at him. "I'm fine." "Nope." "Please don't." His hand covered yours against his chest. Heartbeat beneath your palm. Strong. Alive. "I'm here." Your eyes burned. "I know." "Then stay here too."

That nearly ruined you.

You kissed him again because you had no answer. Katsuki understood. He always seemed to understand the things you didn't want him to. His hands moved carefully now, heat still there but something softer beneath it. Your arms wrapped around his neck. He lifted you just enough to move away from the wall and you laughed against his mouth when his knee hit the edge of the couch. "Smooth." "Shut up." "Very romantic." "Wasn't trying to be." "Clearly." He sat and pulled you with him before you could make another comment.

You ended up across his lap.

That shut you up.

Katsuki looked far too satisfied about it. "Problem?" "Don't start." "Didn't say shit." "Your face." "Thought my face screamed." "Currently it's insufferable." "You kissed it." "Mistake." His hand tightened at your waist. "Wanna test that?" You should have said no. Instead you kissed him again.

The joking disappeared quickly. Your fingers tightened at the back of his neck. His hands moved over your sides, your back, your thighs, never quite crossing anywhere you hadn't invited him. Every time you moved closer, he followed. Every time you hesitated, he slowed. That somehow made it worse. There was no excuse. No pressure. No expectation. Just choice after choice after choice, and you kept choosing him.

His mouth found the sensitive place beneath your ear. Your breath caught. He noticed. Of course he did. "Don't get smug." "Wasn't." "Liar." He kissed the same spot again. Your fingers dug into his shoulder. "Asshole." "There it is." You felt his smile. You should have shoved him. Instead you tilted your head.

Heat gathered low in your stomach. The realization made panic flicker beneath it. You ignored it. His mouth returned to yours. His hand slid beneath the hem of your shirt, palm warm against your waist. You shivered. He stopped. "Okay?" You nodded. He didn't move. "Words." Damn him. "Yes." Only then did his hand move again, slowly over bare skin along your side.

You kissed him harder to avoid thinking about how much that affected you.

Bad strategy.

His fingers traced your ribs. Your body pressed closer. Katsuki exhaled against your mouth. Your shirt had ridden higher. His hair was a mess from your hands. His lips were swollen. You had never seen him look like this.

Because of you.

Something inside you went terrifyingly soft.

There.

That was the problem.

Not the heat.

Not his hands.

Not the fact that you wanted more.

The tenderness.

You looked at him and suddenly saw tomorrow.

And next week.

Japan.

Patrol.

His apartment.

Your apartment.

Breakfast.

Arguments about groceries.

His shoes beside yours.

A life.

The same stupid thing your brain had once done with someone else.

A future.

Your entire body went cold.

You stopped.

Katsuki stopped with you.

Immediately.

His hands lifted away.

"Hey."

You climbed off his lap too quickly. Your legs nearly caught against the coffee table. Katsuki reached for you instinctively, then stopped himself before touching you.

You turned away.

Fuck.

Fuck.

Fuck.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Nothing."

"Don't."

You closed your eyes.

Of course.

You laughed shakily. "I can't."

Silence.

Katsuki's breathing was still uneven behind you. "Can't what?"

"We can't do this."

A longer silence.

When he spoke, his voice was rough.

"Don't fuckin' tell me that was the mission."

You looked back.

He wasn't angry.

That was worse.

"I'm not."

That shut him up.

You looked away again.

"That's the problem."

For several seconds, there was nothing except Monaco beyond the windows and both of you trying to breathe normally.

Then Katsuki stood.

He didn't come closer.

"Explain."

"I don't know how."

"Try."

You rubbed your hands over your face. "I wanted that."

"Yeah."

"No, Katsuki. I wanted it."

His eyebrows pulled together. "I'm aware."

"You don't understand."

"Then make me."

Your throat tightened. "I didn't want to stop."

Something shifted in his expression.

You forced yourself to continue. "And for a second I wasn't thinking about Monaco or Orpheus or the mission or tomorrow. I was thinking about..." You stopped.

"What?"

You couldn't say it.

He waited.

You stared at the floor. "After."

His face softened.

You hated that.

"I started thinking about after."

"After the mission?"

You nodded.

"And?"

"And I can't."

"Can't what?"

"Do that."

His jaw tightened. "Think about me existing next week?"

"Don't make it sound stupid."

"I'm trying to understand."

"I saw a future."

There.

You said it.

Silence.

Katsuki stared at you.

You laughed softly, miserable. "And apparently that's enough to make my nervous system evacuate the building."

He didn't laugh.

You wished he would.

Instead he stepped closer.

You immediately stiffened.

He stopped.

That hurt too.

"I'm not asking you for a future tonight."

"I know."

"Not asking you to call this anything."

"I know."

"Then why are you running?"

"I'm not running."

His look said everything.

You sighed. "Fine. I'm standing very quickly in the opposite direction."

His mouth twitched despite himself.

Good.

You needed that.

Then it disappeared.

"You don't have to decide shit tonight."

"I know."

"But don't erase it tomorrow."

Your chest tightened.

"What?"

"This."

He gestured between you.

"Don't wake up and tell yourself it was adrenaline. Or stress. Or the mission. Or whatever excuse sounds good enough."

You swallowed.

"I won't."

His eyes narrowed.

"You mean that?"

You looked at him.

At his ruined hair.

His mouth.

The ring still on his finger.

Your heart hurt.

"Yes."

He nodded once.

"Okay."

That was all.

No demand.

No punishment.

No pressure.

Just okay.

You hated how safe that made you feel.

You looked toward the bedroom.

Suddenly the bed seemed like an impossible problem.

Katsuki followed your gaze.

"I'll take the couch."

Your head snapped toward him.

"No."

He blinked.

You almost laughed at yourself.

"I mean..."

He waited.

You rubbed your forehead. "God, I hate this."

"Noticed."

"I don't want you on the couch."

"Okay."

"But I also don't think..."

"Nothing's happening."

You looked at him.

He said it simply.

No resentment.

"No touching unless you start it. No kissing. Nothing."

Your throat tightened.

"You don't have to..."

"Yeah. I do."

"Katsuki."

"You stopped. That's the end of it."

You stared.

Something in your chest ached.

"Okay."

He nodded toward the bedroom.

"Go."

"Bossy."

"You're exhausted."

"So are you."

"Yeah."

Neither moved.

Then you noticed his mouth again.

Bad.

You looked away.

Katsuki noticed.

Worse.

"Bed."

"Stop ordering me around."

"Move."

You muttered something rude and walked toward the bedroom.

He followed several minutes later.

You were already under the blankets, facing away from his side.

The mattress dipped.

Silence.

He kept his promise.

No arm around you.

No hand at your waist.

No fingers finding yours beneath the blanket.

Nothing.

You hated it.

Five minutes passed.

Maybe ten.

Prowl stirred.

Coward.

You opened your eyes.

I know.

The tiger settled.

You stared into darkness.

"Katsuki?"

"Hm?"

"You awake?"

"No."

You almost smiled.

Your hand moved beneath the blanket.

Slowly.

Across the space between you.

Your fingers found his.

Katsuki went still.

You didn't look at him.

Neither of you spoke.

His fingers closed around yours.

That was all.

It was enough.

For tonight.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ𐀔

At six thirty eight, Katsuki's secure phone started vibrating on the nightstand.

You woke tangled around him.

Apparently sometime during the night, boundaries had become suggestions.

Your cheek rested against his shoulder. His arm was around your waist. One of your legs was thrown over his.

You stared.

Katsuki opened one eye.

"Morning."

You narrowed yours.

"Don't."

"Didn't say anything."

"You were going to."

"Was thinking it."

"Your face screams."

"Yeah, yeah."

The phone vibrated again.

Reality.

Katsuki reached for it.

You reluctantly moved away.

Hayashi.

One message.

CONFIRMED.

A second followed.

MOREAU AT VILLA ORPHÉE.

Then a third.

LIVE AUTHENTICATION ACTIVE.

Katsuki sat up.

Sleep vanished instantly.

You read over his shoulder.

A fourth message appeared.

SOREL POSSIBLY ON SITE.

Your stomach dropped.

Katsuki looked at you.

No Ren.

No Aya.

No husband.

No wife.

Vesper.

Dynamight.

You climbed out of bed.

"When?"

His phone vibrated again.

OPERATION BEGINS 0900.

You looked toward the windows.

Morning light was beginning to spill across Monaco.

Three hours.

Three hours until Villa Orphée.

Three hours until Moreau.

Possibly Sorel.

Possibly answers.

Katsuki stood behind you.

You looked down.

His ring.

Still there.

Then at your own hand.

Empty.

He noticed.

Without speaking, Katsuki crossed toward the clothes he had discarded the night before.

He reached into his pocket.

Your wedding ring.

Your heart stopped.

He held it out.

You stared.

"Katsuki."

"Your call."

You looked at the ring.

The cover was gone.

Aya Takahashi didn't exist anymore.

There was no reason to wear it.

No cameras.

Nobody watching.

You took it.

Slid it onto your finger.

Katsuki stared at your hand.

Then at you.

You lifted your chin.

"Don't."

His mouth twitched.

"Didn't say anything."

You grabbed your clothes and headed for the bathroom.

Behind you, Katsuki laughed quietly.

You closed the door before he could see you smile.

Three hours later, Vesper and Dynamight would walk into Villa Orphée.

But for the first time since arriving in Monaco, neither of you would be pretending to belong to the other.

𝐊𝐀𝐓𝐒𝐔𝐊𝐈 𝐁𝐀𝐊𝐔𝐆𝐎 𝐱 𝐅𝐄𝐌!𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑 　　　　　　　　　　♱　　♱　　♱ 　　　　❝ from the moment you enter the property, 　　　　　　　you are husband and wife. ❞ 　　　　　　　　　　　𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ𐀔 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐈　　𝑼𝑵𝑫𝑬𝑹 𝑭𝑨𝑳𝑺𝑬 𝑷𝑹𝑬𝑻𝑬𝑵𝑺𝑬𝑺 Years after U.A., you have gotten very good at leaving things behind. Bakugo Katsuki included. Then a classified mission sends the two of you to Monaco to infiltrate the Orpheus Consortium, an international quirk trafficking network hiding behind the lavish Aureate Global Investment Forum. Your cover should be simple. Wealthy investors. Four years married. One shared suite. One bed. And enough surveillance to make sure neither of you ever gets to stop pretending. The problem is that Katsuki realizes he stopped pretending long before you are willing to admit the same. 　　　　　　　　　　　　　𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ𐀔 𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆　　katsuki bakugo x fem reader　　 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑　　pro hero vesper　　 𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐑𝐊　　prowl　　 𝐀𝐆𝐄　　twenty five 𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐑𝐄　　romance, espionage, action, angst, slow burn　　 𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐏𝐄𝐒　　fake marriage, undercover mission, forced proximity, only one bed, former friends, unresolved feelings, mutual pining, he falls first, she is in denial, protective katsuki 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒　　canon typical violence, organized crime, quirk trafficking, human trafficking themes, captivity, experimentation, medical abuse, grief, references to death and war, mature themes, sexual tension, emotional confrontation　　 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐓　　18+ later in the series. all characters are adults.　　𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓　　approx. 4.5k 　　　　　　　　　　　　　𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ𐀔 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐗　　

𝐈.　𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑨𝑺𝑺𝑰𝑮𝑵𝑴𝑬𝑵𝑻 𝐈𝐈.　𝑭𝑶𝑼𝑹 𝒀𝑬𝑨𝑹𝑺 𝑴𝑨𝑹𝑹𝑰𝑬𝑫 𝐈𝐈𝐈.　𝑬𝒀𝑬𝑺 𝑬𝑽𝑬𝑹𝒀𝑾𝑯𝑬𝑹𝑬 𝐈𝐕.　𝑺𝑬𝑳𝑳 𝑰𝑻 𝐕.　𝑮𝑶𝑰𝑵𝑮 𝑶𝑵𝑪𝑬 𝐕𝐈.　𝑾𝑯𝑨𝑻 𝑾𝑬 𝑳𝑬𝑨𝑽𝑬 𝑼𝑵𝑺𝑨𝑰𝑫 𝐕𝐈𝐈.　𝑬𝑼𝑹𝒀𝑫𝑰𝑪𝑬 𝐕𝐈𝐈𝐈.　𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑫𝑶𝑪𝑻𝑶𝑹 𝐈𝐗.　𝑷𝑹𝑶𝑻𝑶𝑪𝑶𝑳 𝐗.　𝑬𝑰𝑫𝑶𝑳𝑶𝑵 　　 𝐗𝐈.　𝑵𝑶 𝑴𝑶𝑹𝑬 𝑪𝑨𝑴𝑬𝑹𝑨𝑺 ← you are here 𝐗𝐈𝐈.　𝑵𝑶𝑩𝑶𝑫𝒀 𝑾𝑨𝑻𝑪𝑯𝑰𝑵𝑮 𝐗𝐈𝐈𝐈. 𝑶𝑹𝑷𝑯𝑬𝑼𝑺 𝑭𝑨𝑳𝑳𝑺 𝐗𝐈𝐕. 𝑨𝑭𝑻𝑬𝑹 　　　　　　　　　　　　　𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ𐀔 　　　　　　　　　　　　𝐗𝐈.　𝑵𝑶 𝑴𝑶𝑹𝑬 𝑪𝑨𝑴𝑬𝑹𝑨𝑺

The first thing you noticed when you returned to the hotel was the camera. Not because it was new. Because it no longer mattered. You stopped just inside the suite with Katsuki behind you and looked toward the lamp in the living room. Tiny lens. Same place it had been all week. Smoke detector above the television. Another inside the bedroom. For days, they had dictated everything. Where Katsuki touched you. How close you stood. Which side of the bed you slept on. When he kissed you. When you kissed him back. Now Orpheus knew. Aya and Ren Takahashi were dead. Figuratively. Hopefully.

You stared at the lens. "That's weird." Katsuki closed the door. "What?" "They don't matter anymore." His eyes followed yours. "Oh." You dropped your clutch onto the table. "All that effort." "Could smash 'em." You looked at him. He looked serious. "You really do solve everything with explosions." "Works." "We're in a five star hotel." "Small explosion." "No." "You're boring." "You're paying for the lamp." "Agency is." "Which means taxpayers are." "You said you're a taxpayer." You stared. Then laughed. The sound surprised both of you. Maybe because neither of you had laughed since Eidolon. Katsuki's mouth twitched.

You looked down at yourself. Dress torn near the hem. Blood on one shoulder that definitely wasn't yours. Your bracelet had been removed by the extraction team and replaced with a thin bandage where the tracker casing had rubbed your wrist raw. Katsuki looked worse. Suit jacket gone. Shirt collar ripped. Blood near his jaw. Small burn across one forearm. You frowned. "Is that yours?" "What?" You pointed toward his face. "Blood." He wiped his jaw and looked at his fingers. "No." "Comforting." "Most of it isn't." "Most?" He looked down at his arm. You crossed the room. "What happened?" "Nothing." You stopped. His expression changed immediately. Then you both started laughing. It was stupid. Probably exhaustion. You covered your face. "Oh my God." "Fuck you." "You said it." "Didn't mean it like that." "Doesn't matter."

Katsuki shook his head. You reached for his arm. "Let me see." "It's fine." "Apparently that's banned too." He sighed but let you take his wrist. The burn wasn't bad. Surface level. Probably from his own quirk. You looked toward him. "You overdid it." "No." "Katsuki." "Little." "How much?" "Twenty percent." "You expect me to believe that?" "No." "Good." Your thumb brushed near the burn. Katsuki went quiet. You noticed. You released him.

There.

That awkwardness.

New.

It hadn't existed when the cameras gave every touch an explanation.

Now there was nothing.

No reason.

No audience.

You looked toward the bedroom.

One bed.

Your stomach tightened.

Fantastic.

Katsuki noticed where you were looking. Of course he did. Neither of you spoke.

Then his secure phone vibrated.

Saved.

He pulled it out. Hayashi. DEBRIEF IN THIRTY. SECURE LOCATION B. TRANSPORT OUTSIDE.

You exhaled. "Thirty minutes." "Yeah." You walked toward the bathroom. Then stopped. You didn't need it. No bugs mattered. No cameras mattered. No shower running. You turned around. Katsuki was watching. You pointed toward the couch. "We can just talk here." He looked around the suite. "Feels illegal." You smiled. "A little."

Neither moved. Then you sat. Katsuki remained standing for several seconds before dropping into the chair opposite you. Opposite. That felt wrong. You hated that it felt wrong. So apparently did he. After about five seconds, he stood and sat beside you instead. You looked at him. "What?" "Chair sucks." "Sure." "Shut up." You smiled.

Then silence settled. No performance. No reason to fill it. That should have made things easier. It didn't. Your sister's photograph was inside the evidence case now. Hayashi had taken the vial the moment you landed. You still saw her every time you closed your eyes. Seventeen. Smiling. Alive. Then you remembered the drawer. 6A. You rubbed your palms against your dress. Katsuki noticed. "You wanna talk about it?" "No." A pause. Then: "Eventually." His expression softened. "Okay." You looked at him. "You aren't going to push?" "No." "Who are you?" "Getting real tired of that joke." "It's not a joke anymore. I'm concerned." "Fuck off." You smiled faintly.

He leaned back. Your shoulders touched. Barely. You could move. Didn't. He didn't either. "Did Hayashi say anything about the people inside?" "Teams cleared Levels Four and Five." Your head snapped toward him. "All of them?" "Still counting." "Alive?" "Most." Most. Your chest tightened. "How many?" "Forty seven when we left." You closed your eyes. Forty seven. More than you had thought. Less than you feared. "Children?" "Nine." Your stomach turned. Katsuki continued before you could ask. "Alive." You exhaled. "Okay." "More teams are searching the rest." "Sorel?" "Gone." "Moreau?" "Gone."

You opened your eyes. "Of course." "Won't be for long." "He has money, contacts, probably twenty passports." "So?" You looked at him. Katsuki looked genuinely confused by your concern. You almost smiled. "So normal people find that challenging." "Good thing I'm not normal." "Debatable." "Not really."

You leaned your head back. The ceiling camera stared down at you. You raised your middle finger toward it. Katsuki laughed. "Very professional." "They already know." "Still being recorded." "Good." You flipped it off again. He smiled.

Then quieter:

"You scared the shit outta me."

The smile left your face.

You lowered your hand.

"Eidolon?"

"Yeah."

You looked at him. He wasn't watching you. He stared toward the dark television. "When you went red that fast." Your throat tightened. "I had it." "No, you didn't." "I did." "You jumped three levels in under ten seconds." You frowned. "Two." "Orange to white to red." "That's two jumps." "Not the fuckin' point." You almost smiled. He didn't.

"You were close to black." Your chest tightened. "I know." "Too close." "I know." "And Sorel wanted it." That stopped you. "What?" Katsuki finally looked at you. "He wanted you pissed." You thought back. Remarkable. Beautiful. Sorel watching as Prowl surfaced. Your stomach turned. "He wanted to see black." "Yeah." "Why?" "Probably same reason he spent years studying your quirk."

You looked away. Katsuki's jaw tightened. "That's why I stopped you." "I know." "Not because I thought you couldn't handle it." "I know." "Do you?" You looked back. He was serious. You nodded. "Yeah." Something softened in his face.

You leaned closer without thinking. Just enough that your shoulder rested fully against his. Katsuki went still. You noticed. Still didn't move. After a second, his arm came along the back of the couch. Not around you. Close. Waiting. You almost laughed. "What?" His eyebrows rose. "Nothing." "You're hovering." "I'm sitting." "Your arm." "What about it?" "You look like you're afraid to touch me." His eyes sharpened. "Thought that's what you wanted."

Ouch.

You looked away. "I don't know." "Yeah." You frowned. "Don't sound so pleased." "I'm not." "You sounded pleased." "I sounded right." "Same thing for you." His mouth twitched.

You looked toward his hand. Then reached for it. Simple. Just fingers. Your hand over his. Katsuki stopped breathing for half a second. You almost pulled away. His fingers closed around yours before you could.

There.

Your chest tightened.

No camera excuse.

No audience.

Nothing.

You stared at your joined hands. "This is weird." "Yeah." "We've done this approximately a hundred times this week." "Yeah." "And now it's weird." "Yeah." You glanced at him. "Do you know any other words?" "Fuck." You laughed. His thumb moved over your knuckles.

You looked down again.

Your rings were still on.

Both of you.

Fake wedding bands.

You stared.

"Katsuki." "Hm?" "We're still married." He followed your gaze. "Oh."

You started laughing.

He looked at his ring. "Fuck." "You forgot too?" "Been busy." "You've been wearing it for like a week." "So have you."

You turned your hand. The ring caught the light. You had gotten used to it. Too used to it. Katsuki's thumb brushed the band. Your heart stumbled. "When do we take them off?" You regretted asking immediately. He went quiet. "Debrief, probably." "Oh."

You hated the answer.

Ridiculous.

It was jewelry.

Government issued jewelry.

You were not married.

You had never been married.

The ring meant nothing.

Your fingers curled.

Katsuki noticed.

He looked at his own.

Then:

"Could keep 'em till we're back."

You looked at him.

"For cover?"

He stared.

"No."

Your heart started beating harder.

"Oh."

Katsuki's jaw shifted. "Unless you don't want to." "No." His expression changed. You corrected instantly. "I mean no, I don't mind."

Smooth.

Very smooth.

His mouth twitched. "Good."

You looked away.

The tiger purred.

Shut up.

Katsuki smiled. "She's doing it again." You frowned. "How do you know?" "Your face." "I hate you." "No, you don't."

The words came easily.

Too easily.

Silence.

Neither of you laughed.

Katsuki looked at you.

You could have denied it.

You didn't.

That scared you more than saying it would have.

The transport arrived before either of you tried.

Secure Location B turned out to be a rented apartment above a closed luxury boutique three streets from the harbor. Hayashi was waiting. So were four analysts, two French investigators, a Japanese intelligence liaison, and enough computer equipment to invade a small country.

You and Katsuki entered together.

Still holding hands.

You realized only after Hayashi looked down.

You released each other immediately.

Hayashi's eyebrow rose.

"Don't."

He held up both hands. "Didn't say anything."

Katsuki muttered something obscene.

You sat.

Debrief lasted nearly two hours. Every room. Every face. Every security point. Every phrase Moreau used. Every reaction from Sorel. You told them about the archive. The photograph. Sample 6A. Your red activation. The moment Sorel confirmed recognition. You kept your voice steady. Clinical. Hero.

When it was done, Hayashi closed his tablet. "The biological sample has been preliminarily matched."

Your chest stopped.

Katsuki's knee pressed against yours under the table.

You didn't look at him.

Hayashi continued.

"It is your sister."

Silence.

You nodded once.

Nothing else.

Couldn't.

"Sample degradation indicates it was collected shortly after death."

You swallowed. "How shortly?"

"Likely within forty eight hours."

You stared at the table.

War.

Chaos.

Your sister dead.

Someone taking pieces of her.

You felt Katsuki's knee press harder.

Hayashi continued carefully. "We found records indicating Sorel's medical unit had temporary custody of several deceased U.A. affiliated casualties before transfer."

Your mouth went dry. "Custody."

"Medical processing."

"You mean bodies."

Hayashi paused. "Yes."

You laughed once. Cold.

"Say bodies."

Katsuki looked toward you.

Hayashi nodded.

"Bodies."

"Good."

Silence.

You looked toward the screens. "How long did he study us?" "Unknown." "How did they get my samples?" "Likely while you were receiving treatment." You remembered. White lights. Silver mask. A hand near your eyes. Questions about Prowl. "Without consent." "Yes." Your jaw tightened.

Hayashi continued. "We also confirmed that your sister was designated 6A and you were 6B. The project appears focused on hereditary quirk escalation." You felt sick. "Why us?" "We don't know yet." Katsuki spoke. "Sorel does." Hayashi nodded. "And we're going to find him."

You looked up. "How?"

One analyst turned a laptop. A map. Several network nodes. Locations across Europe. Companies. Labs. Shipping fronts. At the center: ORPHEUS CENTRAL. Still partially encrypted.

"We got more from Eidolon than we expected," Hayashi said. "When your strike team triggered the facility lockdown, Sorel initiated an emergency transfer." You leaned forward. "Of what?" "The main research archive." Katsuki's expression sharpened. "Where?" "We don't know." You sighed. "Fantastic."

"But the transfer gave us something." The analyst enlarged the map. Three routing points illuminated. Monaco. Geneva. Milan. Then a fourth. Unidentified. "Orpheus keeps its core network isolated. Sorel's transfer temporarily bridged Eidolon to it." Your pulse jumped. "So you're inside." "Not yet." "Close?" The analyst smiled. "Very."

Katsuki leaned forward. "What do you need?" "A live authentication." "From?" "Moreau or Sorel."

There it was.

You looked at Katsuki.

He looked back.

Hayashi noticed.

"We believe Moreau will attempt to leave Europe." "When?" "Within forty eight hours." "And Sorel?" "Unknown." You leaned back. "So we find Moreau."

Hayashi looked at you.

"We?"

Your eyes narrowed.

"Don't."

"Vesper."

"No."

Katsuki sighed.

Here we go.

Hayashi crossed his arms. "Your undercover role is finished." "I know." "You were exposed." "I know." "You have manifestation feedback injuries." "Minor." "Your personal connection to the investigation creates an obvious conflict."

Your jaw tightened. "There it is." "That's not an insult." "Sounds like one."

Katsuki spoke. "He's right."

Your head snapped toward him.

Traitor.

His expression hardened. "Don't look at me like that." "You agree?" "That you're emotionally involved? Yeah. Obviously." "You are too." "Didn't say I wasn't."

That stopped you.

Hayashi looked between you.

Interesting.

Katsuki continued. "But we're also the two people who spent a week inside Moreau's fuckin' pocket. We know how he moves." Hayashi stared. Katsuki leaned back. "So use us."

Your stomach did something strange.

Us.

Hayashi exhaled. "You are both exhausting."

"Been told," you said.

Katsuki almost smiled.

The analyst interrupted. "We may actually need them." Hayashi looked murderous. You liked her immediately.

She turned the laptop. "Moreau has abandoned almost every known property." "Almost?" "One."

A photograph appeared.

Villa.

Southern France.

Private.

Cliffside.

You recognized it. Not from the mission briefing. From Moreau. Conversation at dinner. A woman I knew many years ago. Perspective changes everything.

You frowned. "What is it?"

The analyst enlarged the ownership records. "Villa Orphée. Purchased twenty eight years ago. Technically owned by a holding company attached to Moreau's late wife."

Katsuki glanced at you. "Late wife?" "She died twenty years ago."

You stared at the photo.

Something felt important.

"Moreau mentioned a woman."

Hayashi looked toward you. "When?" "On Eurydice."

You thought.

You remind me of someone.

A woman I knew many years ago.

Should I be concerned?

Probably.

Your pulse changed. "He said I reminded him of her." "Who?" "I don't know."

The analyst started typing.

Moreau's wife appeared.

Isabelle Moreau.

Photograph.

Dark hair.

Elegant.

Young.

Then another file.

Former biomedical researcher.

Your stomach dropped.

"Researcher."

The analyst nodded.

"Quirk genetics."

Katsuki swore.

You leaned closer. "Worked with Sorel?"

Typing.

Pause.

Then:

"Yes."

There it was.

Isabelle Moreau.

Emil Sorel.

Joint publications.

Adaptive quirk inheritance.

Twenty years ago.

Before Orpheus.

Hayashi looked toward the analysts. "Pull everything."

Screens filled.

You stared at Isabelle's photograph.

Something about her expression bothered you.

Not familiarity.

Something else.

Then the analyst spoke.

"She had a quirk."

You looked up. "Obviously."

"No. Look."

Medical record.

Quirk designation:

FELID MANIFESTATION.

Your blood froze.

Katsuki went completely still beside you.

The analyst kept reading. "Ability generated semi physical feline constructs."

Silence.

You stopped breathing.

No.

Katsuki's hand found your knee beneath the table.

Hayashi looked toward you.

"Vesper?"

You shook your head.

"That's not possible."

The analyst scrolled. "Construct coloration appears to have varied according to output."

Your tiger woke.

Not fear.

Recognition.

No.

Not recognition.

Kinship.

Your stomach turned.

You stared at Isabelle Moreau. "Was she related to me?"

More typing.

Records.

Family trees.

Birth certificates.

Nothing.

Then the analyst froze.

"What?"

She looked at you.

"Not directly."

You exhaled.

Too soon.

"But her research involved a hereditary quirk line in Japan."

Your chest tightened again. "Which family?"

She turned the screen.

Your mother's maiden name.

You stopped breathing.

No one spoke.

Katsuki's hand tightened around your knee.

You stared at the letters.

Your mother's family.

ALS.

Her death.

Your sister.

You.

Prowl.

All of it suddenly connected to something much older.

Hayashi spoke carefully. "How much of this did your mother know?"

You couldn't answer. "I don't know."

"Did she ever talk about her quirk history?"

"No."

"Relatives?"

"Not really."

Katsuki looked toward you. "Your mom had a quirk?" "Yeah." "What?"

You swallowed. "Minor manifestation."

The room went quiet.

You had never thought about it much.

Your mother's quirk had been useless by hero standards.

Small projected shapes.

Animals occasionally.

Nothing solid.

Nothing powerful.

A novelty.

You whispered:

"She made cats."

Katsuki stared.

You looked toward Isabelle.

Felid manifestation.

Family research.

Sorel.

Your stomach turned.

"This started before us."

Hayashi nodded slowly. "Looks like it."

The analyst leaned back. "Isabelle Moreau may have discovered the genetic line that eventually produced Prowl."

You felt cold. "And Sorel continued her research." "Possibly." "Using us." "Yes."

You looked toward the villa photograph.

"And Moreau?"

Nobody answered.

You already knew.

He wasn't just funding Sorel.

This was personal for him too.

Katsuki leaned toward the screen. "If his wife started this shit, that's where he'll go." Hayashi looked at him. "Maybe." "No." Katsuki pointed toward the villa. "Guy loses control of his entire network. His main facility gets raided. His people scatter. Where's he go?"

You understood.

"Home."

Katsuki looked at you.

"Yeah."

Hayashi sighed. "You two are not storming a villa."

"We weren't planning to."

Katsuki looked at you.

You looked at him.

Hayashi narrowed his eyes.

"Why do I not believe either of you?"

You smiled. "Trust issues."

The room started moving. Orders. Teams. Search warrants. International coordination. The hackers continued breaking into Orpheus. For the first time, the end felt close. Not theoretical. Close.

You stood. Your legs felt strange. Katsuki followed.

Hayashi stopped you near the door. "Get some sleep."

You almost laughed. "That's your advice?"

"Tomorrow may be worse."

Comforting.

You nodded.

Then he added:

"And take the rings off."

You froze.

Katsuki froze.

Hayashi looked between you.

"The covers are burned."

Right.

Of course.

You looked down.

Gold band.

Fake marriage.

Done.

You twisted it.

It didn't move.

Your finger had swollen slightly.

Great.

Katsuki watched. "Need help?" "No." "You obviously do." "I've got it." "You've been pulling for ten seconds." "Shut up."

He took your hand.

Hayashi walked away.

Coward.

Katsuki twisted the band carefully.

Once.

Twice.

It loosened.

Your chest tightened.

Then it slid free.

He held it between two fingers.

Your hand felt naked.

You hated it.

Katsuki looked down at the ring.

Then at you.

You looked toward his hand.

His was still on.

"Yours."

He didn't move.

"Katsuki."

"Yeah."

"Take it off."

Silence.

He looked at the ring.

Then:

"No."

Your heart stopped.

"What?"

"I'm keeping it."

You stared.

He shoved your ring into his pocket.

Your mouth fell open.

"Excuse me?"

"Keeping that too."

"Katsuki."

"What?"

"Those are government property."

"So were the diamonds."

You stared.

He smirked. "You said taxpayers."

Your heart started beating harder.

"Why?"

His smile faded.

For a second, he looked almost uncomfortable.

Then:

"Want 'em."

That was it.

No dramatic confession.

No explanation.

Just Katsuki.

You swallowed. "Okay."

His expression softened.

You looked at his ring again.

Still on his finger.

"You're going to keep wearing it?"

He glanced down. "Tonight."

"Why tonight?"

His eyes met yours. "Because I want to."

Your chest tightened.

No cameras.

No Ren.

No Aya.

No reason.

You nodded. "Okay."

You walked back to the hotel together.

Not holding hands.

That lasted half a block.

Katsuki's fingers brushed yours.

You looked down.

Then at him.

He didn't look over.

You smiled.

And took his hand.

The suite felt different when you returned. Quieter. The cameras had finally been removed while you were gone. Black marks remained where the devices had been. Empty. No one watching.

You stood in the bedroom doorway.

One bed.

Katsuki walked past you.

He stopped beside it.

Then looked back.

"Problem?"

"No."

"You're doing the thing."

"What thing?"

"Thinking too loud."

You almost laughed. "There are two rooms."

His expression changed.

The couch.

Bedroom.

Separate.

Your chest tightened.

"We don't have to..."

You stopped.

Katsuki waited.

You hated this.

Without the cover, every choice meant something.

You looked toward the couch.

Then the bed.

Then him.

"I don't want to sleep alone."

There.

Truth.

Terrifying.

Katsuki's entire face softened.

Not smug.

Not surprised.

Just soft.

"Then don't."

Your throat tightened.

You walked into the room.

Changed.

Bathroom door closed.

Not because you needed privacy from cameras.

Because some habits remained useful.

When you came out, Katsuki was already in bed.

Right side.

Of course.

You climbed into the left.

Neither moved.

There was space between you.

No camera.

No reason to close it.

You stared at the ceiling.

"This is worse."

Katsuki laughed quietly. "Yeah."

"What do we do?"

"Sleep."

"You know what I mean."

"Yeah."

Silence.

Then he lifted his arm.

Not touching.

Invitation.

Your heart almost hurt.

You moved.

Slowly.

Until your head rested against his chest.

His arm came around you.

Nothing performative.

Nothing forced.

No audience.

You listened to his heartbeat.

Alive.

His hand rested against your back.

You whispered: "This isn't work."

"No."

"You know that?"

"Yeah."

"And you're okay with it?"

His arm tightened. "Yeah."

You swallowed. "Okay."

For several minutes, neither spoke.

Then:

"Katsuki?"

"Hm?"

"What happens when we go home?"

His hand stopped.

You almost regretted asking.

Almost.

"I don't know."

Truth.

You appreciated it.

You traced nothing against his shirt with one finger.

"We go back to our agencies."

"Yeah."

"Patrol."

"Yeah."

"Normal."

"Guess so."

Your chest tightened.

Normal sounded terrible.

You hated that.

Katsuki's hand moved slowly along your back.

Then:

"Doesn't have to mean we go back to not talking."

You closed your eyes.

"No."

A pause.

"Doesn't."

His heartbeat accelerated slightly.

You smiled against his chest.

He noticed.

"What?"

"Nothing."

He groaned.

You laughed. "Sorry."

"No you're not."

"I'm trying."

"Poorly."

You lifted your head.

He was smiling.

You stared.

Without cameras, looking at him felt different too.

Everything did.

His eyes moved toward your mouth.

Your breathing changed.

He noticed.

Of course.

His hand came to your cheek.

Slow.

Giving you time.

You did not say don't.

That was new.

Katsuki leaned closer.

Your heart hammered.

Then stopped.

His forehead rested against yours instead.

You opened your eyes.

He was right there.

"What?"

"You said you don't know."

You swallowed. "I don't."

"So I'm not pushing."

Your heart cracked open a little more.

"You could kiss me."

His eyes sharpened.

You realized what you had said.

Oh.

No taking that back.

Katsuki stared at you. "Could."

You swallowed.

"But?"

"You tell me."

Terrifying man.

You looked at his mouth.

Then back at his eyes.

You were afraid.

Not of him.

Never him.

Of what came after.

Of loving someone enough that losing them could destroy you again.

Of being stupid.

Of being wrong.

Of waking up one morning and discovering that the softness had disappeared.

Of being used.

Left.

Followed.

Hurt.

Buried.

You whispered:

"Not yet."

Katsuki nodded. "Okay."

No disappointment.

No punishment.

Nothing.

Just okay.

You relaxed against him again.

His arm wrapped around you.

You listened to his heart.

For the first time all week, nobody was watching.

No cameras.

No guards.

No Moreau.

No Sorel.

No cover.

And somehow this was the most intimate thing you had done.

You fell asleep against Katsuki Bakugo because you wanted to.

Nothing more.

Nothing less.

Across Monaco, a team of hackers worked through the night. One encryption layer fell. Then another. At three seventeen in the morning, ORPHEUS CENTRAL finally opened. And buried inside its highest level directory was a live authentication signal.

LUCIEN MOREAU.

Location:

Villa Orphée.

Active.

𝐊𝐀𝐓𝐒𝐔𝐊𝐈 𝐁𝐀𝐊𝐔𝐆𝐎 𝐱 𝐅𝐄𝐌!𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑 　　　　　　　　　　♱　　♱　　♱ 　　　　❝ from the moment you enter the property, 　　　　　　　you are husband and wife. ❞ 　　　　　　　　　　　𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ𐀔 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐈　　𝑼𝑵𝑫𝑬𝑹 𝑭𝑨𝑳𝑺𝑬 𝑷𝑹𝑬𝑻𝑬𝑵𝑺𝑬𝑺 Years after U.A., you have gotten very good at leaving things behind. Bakugo Katsuki included. Then a classified mission sends the two of you to Monaco to infiltrate the Orpheus Consortium, an international quirk trafficking network hiding behind the lavish Aureate Global Investment Forum. Your cover should be simple. Wealthy investors. Four years married. One shared suite. One bed. And enough surveillance to make sure neither of you ever gets to stop pretending. The problem is that Katsuki realizes he stopped pretending long before you are willing to admit the same. 　　　　　　　　　　　　　𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ𐀔 𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆　　katsuki bakugo x fem reader　　 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑　　pro hero vesper　　 𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐑𝐊　　prowl　　 𝐀𝐆𝐄　　twenty five 𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐑𝐄　　romance, espionage, action, angst, slow burn　　 𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐏𝐄𝐒　　fake marriage, undercover mission, forced proximity, only one bed, former friends, unresolved feelings, mutual pining, he falls first, she is in denial, protective katsuki 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒　　canon typical violence, organized crime, quirk trafficking, human trafficking themes, captivity, experimentation, medical abuse, grief, references to death and war, mature themes, sexual tension, psychological intimidation　　 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐓　　18+ later in the series. all characters are adults.　　𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓　　approx. 4.7k 　　　　　　　　　　　　　𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ𐀔 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐗　　

𝐈.　𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑨𝑺𝑺𝑰𝑮𝑵𝑴𝑬𝑵𝑻 𝐈𝐈.　𝑭𝑶𝑼𝑹 𝒀𝑬𝑨𝑹𝑺 𝑴𝑨𝑹𝑹𝑰𝑬𝑫 𝐈𝐈𝐈.　𝑬𝒀𝑬𝑺 𝑬𝑽𝑬𝑹𝒀𝑾𝑯𝑬𝑹𝑬 𝐈𝐕.　𝑺𝑬𝑳𝑳 𝑰𝑻 𝐕.　𝑮𝑶𝑰𝑵𝑮 𝑶𝑵𝑪𝑬 𝐕𝐈.　𝑾𝑯𝑨𝑻 𝑾𝑬 𝑳𝑬𝑨𝑽𝑬 𝑼𝑵𝑺𝑨𝑰𝑫 𝐕𝐈𝐈.　𝑬𝑼𝑹𝒀𝑫𝑰𝑪𝑬 𝐕𝐈𝐈𝐈.　𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑫𝑶𝑪𝑻𝑶𝑹 𝐈𝐗.　𝑷𝑹𝑶𝑻𝑶𝑪𝑶𝑳 𝐗.　𝑬𝑰𝑫𝑶𝑳𝑶𝑵 ← you are here　　 𝐗𝐈.　𝑵𝑶 𝑴𝑶𝑹𝑬 𝑪𝑨𝑴𝑬𝑹𝑨𝑺 𝐗𝐈𝐈.　𝑵𝑶𝑩𝑶𝑫𝒀 𝑾𝑨𝑻𝑪𝑯𝑰𝑵𝑮 𝐗𝐈𝐈𝐈. 𝑶𝑹𝑷𝑯𝑬𝑼𝑺 𝑭𝑨𝑳𝑳𝑺 𝐗𝐈𝐕. 𝑨𝑭𝑻𝑬𝑹 　　　　　　　　　　　　　𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ𐀔 　　　　　　　　　　　　𝐗.　𝑬𝑰𝑫𝑶𝑳𝑶𝑵

At five forty seven the following evening, Katsuki was fixing your bracelet. Again. You stood in front of the bedroom mirror while his fingers worked around your wrist. The bracelet looked expensive because it was. The agency had apparently decided the best way to hide a tracking device was inside several thousand euros worth of diamonds. You watched him through the mirror. "If this gets confiscated, I'm keeping the diamonds." "No." "They're technically mine." "They're technically the government's." "That's boring." "That's theft." "I'm a taxpayer." "Not how that works." "Agree to disagree." The clasp clicked. Katsuki did not let go immediately. You noticed. He noticed that you noticed. Neither said anything. Eventually his fingers fell away.

You looked down at your wrist. "Tracker?" "Active." "Signal?" "Hayashi has it." "Until they jam us again." Katsuki's expression darkened. "Yeah." The silence lasted exactly three seconds before you decided you hated it. You turned. "You look nervous." "I'm not." "Liar." "You're one to talk." "Didn't say I wasn't." That made him pause. You smiled slightly. Truth. Apparently you were trying it now. Terrible habit. Katsuki crossed his arms. "How nervous?" "Enough." "That's not a number." "You want a percentage?" "Yeah." "Sixty." "Too high." You stared at him. "Thank you, doctor." "Bring it down." "I'll inform my nervous system." "Do that." You rolled your eyes.

He stepped closer and lowered his voice even though the cameras could not hear anything particularly useful from this distance. "If it goes wrong..." "Katsuki." "Listen." You closed your mouth. "If Sorel calls you Vesper, we're done." "I know." "If he brings up your sister directly, we're done." "I know." "If he tries touching you..." "I know." "Say it." You sighed. "We're done." "Good." "And if they start moving captives?" His jaw tightened. "We signal Hayashi." "And if there's no signal?" "We get out." "Katsuki." "We get out." You stared at him. He knew you hated the answer. He didn't change it.

You looked toward the mirror. Black dress tonight. Of course. Simple. Elegant. Nothing that restricted movement. Your hair was pinned away from your face. Diamonds at your wrist. Wedding ring on your hand. Aya Takahashi. You barely recognized her anymore. That was starting to become a problem. Katsuki walked toward the dresser and picked up your clutch. "You forgot this." You took it. "Thanks." "Anything else?" You looked him over. Dark suit. No tie tonight. Wedding ring. Tiny communication relay hidden beneath his watch. Then you noticed his collar. You reached toward him. He didn't move. You adjusted it. "There." His eyes stayed on your face. "What?" "Nothing." You looked up sharply. His mouth twitched. "Don't." "Didn't say shit." "You knew exactly what you were doing." "Yeah." You flattened his collar. His hand settled on your hip. Camera. Probably. You should have thought camera first. You didn't. That bothered you. Katsuki looked down at you. For one second, the room became very quiet. Then: "Ready?" You swallowed. "No." His thumb moved once against your side. "Good." You smiled. Apparently that was your thing now.

The car arrived at six exactly. No Moreau. No Sorel. Just a driver you had never seen before and a black vehicle with tinted windows. You and Katsuki climbed into the back. There were already two other passengers. Vautrin. And a woman from the auction whose number you had memorized because she had bid on the nineteen year old twins. Thirty two. You did not know her name. You did know you hated her. She smiled. "Mr. and Mrs. Takahashi." You smiled back. "Good evening." Vautrin looked delighted to see you. "Aya." Katsuki's hand rested against your knee before Vautrin could reach for you. Interesting. Vautrin noticed. Even more interesting. "Ren." "Adrien."

The car began moving. Nobody discussed the destination. Of course. For fifteen minutes, you drove through Monaco. Then underground. Parking structure. Private tunnel. The vehicle stopped inside what appeared to be a shipping terminal. You looked toward Katsuki. He did not look back. His hand squeezed your knee once. Location. Memorize. The doors opened. Two security officers waited. "Phones." You handed over the cover phone. Katsuki did the same. "Jewelry remains." Good. Your bracelet stayed. You stepped from the car. The air smelled like salt and fuel. A helicopter waited beyond the terminal. You nearly laughed. Of course. Katsuki leaned toward you. "Still think it's an island?" "Could be." "Optimist." "You use that word wrong." "You use most words wrong." "Rude."

The woman beside you laughed. You turned. She looked amused. "You really have been married four years." Katsuki answered before you could. "Feels longer." You smiled sweetly. "That's because he's miserable." "Every day." You looked at him. His eyes were warm. Too warm. The woman laughed again. Good. Cover. Always cover.

The helicopter seated eight. You ended up beside Katsuki. Moreau arrived last. Sorel did not. Relief came too quickly. You hated yourself for it. Moreau climbed aboard and smiled at the group. "Apologies for the theatrics." Katsuki looked around the helicopter. "This is your version of subtle?" Moreau laughed. "I prefer discretion." "You could've sent an address." "Where would the fun be?" The doors closed. Your bracelet vibrated once. Signal active. Then the helicopter lifted.

Monaco fell away beneath you. You looked through the window. Dark water. City lights. Then nothing. Katsuki's hand rested on your thigh. Not intimate. Anchoring. You placed your hand over his. Moreau saw. Of course he did. You were getting tired of that man seeing everything. The flight lasted forty three minutes. You counted. So did Katsuki. You knew because his thumb tapped lightly against your leg every five minutes. At twenty minutes, signal remained. At thirty, still active. At forty, your bracelet vibrated twice. Hayashi acknowledgement. Good.

Then the helicopter descended. You looked outside. At first, there was nothing. Then lights appeared beneath you. Not an island. A platform. Massive. Much larger than an oil rig. Several connected structures rose from the sea, illuminated in cold white. A central tower. Two helicopter pads. What looked like residential quarters. Shipping cranes. Lower decks almost touching the water. No markings. No flag. No country. Nothing. Eidolon.

Your stomach dropped. Katsuki stopped tapping. Moreau watched your expression. You let Aya become impressed. "That's..." You searched for the right word. "Excessive." Moreau laughed. Katsuki looked toward him. "Expensive." "Very." "How much?" Moreau smiled. "Interested?" "Always." You almost rolled your eyes.

The helicopter landed. The moment your shoes touched the platform, Prowl woke. Not violently. Not like Eurydice. Slow. Deep. Awareness moved through you like cold water. You stopped for half a second. Katsuki's hand found your back. "Careful." Anyone else would think you had stumbled. You knew better. What? The tiger did not answer in words. She rarely did. Instead: Familiar. Your stomach turned. You kept walking.

Security was unlike anything at Aureate. Scanners. Armed guards. Quirk suppression equipment mounted above the doors. You recognized it immediately. Katsuki did too. His posture shifted. Moreau noticed. "Necessary precaution." Katsuki looked toward the machinery. "Against investors?" "Against everyone."

You entered. The first corridor was almost disappointingly ordinary. White walls. Dark floors. Glass partitions. It looked like a high end hospital. That made it worse. A woman in gray handed each of you a visitor badge. Takahashi, Aya. Takahashi, Ren. Level Two. You looked toward Katsuki. He tapped the badge once with his thumb. Remember. You did.

Moreau began the tour. Eidolon had laboratories. Medical suites. Housing. Research wings. Manufacturing. More than three hundred staff. He said it proudly. Like he had built a university. Maybe he thought he had. You passed through a glass corridor overlooking a laboratory. Researchers in white coats worked around quirk suppressants arranged in rows. Vautrin looked fascinated. The woman beside him asked about production capacity. You wanted to throw her through the glass. Aya smiled. "How stable?" Moreau looked at you. "The current generation?" "Yes." "Ninety six percent." You raised an eyebrow. "And the other four?" Moreau smiled. "You ask excellent questions." "That wasn't an answer." "No." Katsuki spoke. "Means they die." Silence. A researcher behind the glass looked up. Moreau laughed softly. "Not always." Katsuki's jaw tightened. Your hand slipped into his. It looked affectionate. It wasn't. Not entirely.

Moreau continued walking. The deeper you went, the louder Prowl became. Not a roar. A pulse. Familiar. Familiar. Familiar. Your head began hurting. Katsuki noticed. He leaned toward your ear. "Scale." You understood. "Twenty." Good. Manageable. He squeezed your hand.

The next wing contained genetic research. That was where things changed. The rooms became colder. Security doubled. Visitor badges were checked twice. Moreau stopped before a sealed glass door. "This is where Dr. Sorel conducts most of his work." Your entire body went still. Katsuki felt it. His thumb rubbed your knuckles. Moreau glanced toward you. "There. Again." Your heart dropped. "What?" "You become still when something interests you." You forced a smile. "Maybe I'm trying to listen." "Perhaps." The door opened.

Sorel stood inside. Of course he did. White coat this time. Silver mask. Gloves. Your tiger recoiled. He looked at you. Not the group. You. "Mrs. Takahashi." Your smile felt mechanical. "Doctor." Katsuki stepped beside you. Sorel's gaze moved toward him. "Mr. Takahashi." "Unfortunately." You almost laughed. Moreau did. Sorel didn't. He turned. "Come."

The laboratory was larger than you expected. Glass cases. Medical equipment. Screens showing quirk factor models. Biological structures rotating in three dimensions. You understood maybe half of it. Enough. Sorel stopped beside one display. "Quirks are commonly treated as abilities." You looked at the screen. A helix twisted slowly. "They are not." Katsuki crossed his arms. "Pretty sure mine blows shit up." Sorel looked at him. "Your ability is an expression. Your quirk factor is architecture." Katsuki looked unimpressed. Sorel continued. "Genetic. Neurological. Metabolic. Psychological. Every quirk exists as an interaction between systems." His eyes moved toward you. "Some systems are considerably more interesting than others."

Prowl growled. You smiled. "And what makes one interesting?" "Adaptation." Your stomach tightened. Sorel walked toward another screen. Four shapes appeared. Orange. White. Red. Black.

Your heart stopped.

No.

No no no.

Katsuki's fingers brushed yours. Don't react. You couldn't breathe. Sorel looked toward the screen. "Take escalation quirks." Your pulse hammered. "Many abilities increase proportionally. More strength. More speed. More heat. Predictable." The shapes rotated. Orange. White. Red. Black. "But occasionally, an ability does not merely intensify." Sorel looked at you. "It evolves."

Every instinct screamed. Aya smiled. "Fascinating." Katsuki's hand slipped around your waist. Moreau watched. Sorel approached the display. "This sample came from Japan." Your stomach turned. "War casualty?" Vautrin asked. Sorel's gaze stayed on you. "Partially."

Partially.

You wanted to kill him.

Prowl surged. You forced her down. Twenty became thirty. Katsuki felt you tense. His thumb pressed into your side. Scale? You touched his wrist twice. Thirty.

Sorel continued. "Two related subjects. Nearly identical genetic foundation. Similar quirk expression. Yet one developed considerably further." Your ears rang. The twin study. You. Your sister. The woman beside Vautrin moved closer to the display. "What happened to the other?" Sorel answered casually. "She died."

Everything inside you broke. Not visibly. Not yet. Katsuki's arm tightened around you so sharply Moreau looked over. You laughed softly. Pretend. Anything. "Cold." Sorel looked toward you. "Death is."

You wanted Prowl out. You wanted black. You wanted to watch the entire facility disappear beneath her teeth. Instead you smiled. "Did you know her?" The question came out before you could stop it. Katsuki went still. Moreau's attention sharpened. Sorel tilted his head. "No." Good. Maybe. Then: "But I knew her sister."

Your heart stopped.

Silence.

Katsuki spoke first. "Through research?" Sorel looked at him. "Briefly." You forced curiosity. Not fear. "What made the sister interesting?" Sorel stared at you. Maybe he knew. Maybe this entire performance was for you. "She survived." Your throat tightened. "That seems like a low bar." "During war, survival becomes statistically interesting." You smiled. "Charming." "Reality rarely is."

He turned back toward the screen. "The living subject displayed a quirk with four distinct thresholds. Each altered not only output, but manifestation, sensory response, and physical capability." Orange. White. Red. Black. Your nails dug into Katsuki's hand. Sorel continued. "The deceased subject's quirk displayed related architecture, though its expression never reached the same level."

You couldn't hear anything except your heartbeat. Your sister had always hated that. People comparing you. Teachers. Coaches. Quirk counselors. Who was stronger. Who learned faster. Who would rank higher. You had spent your whole childhood insisting you were different people. And here she was again. Reduced to comparison. Less developed. Deceased. A sample. Your vision burned orange.

No.

Katsuki shifted. His body blocked Sorel's direct view for half a second. You breathed. Once. Twice. Prowl lowered. Sorel noticed Katsuki moving. "Something wrong?" Katsuki looked toward the screen. "Boring." You almost laughed. Sorel blinked. "Excuse me?" "You've been talking for ten minutes." Moreau coughed into his fist. Vautrin looked horrified. Katsuki shrugged. "I invest in results." Brilliant. Obnoxious. Perfect.

Sorel's attention moved away from you. "What result would interest you?" "Weapons." Of course. Sorel looked toward Moreau. Moreau smiled. "Perhaps the demonstration floor." The tour moved.

Katsuki waited until you were behind the others. Then he whispered: "Scale." "Forty." "Too high." "I know." "Bring it down." "I'm trying." His fingers intertwined with yours. "Use me." You looked at him. "What?" "Ground." Oh. Your heart hurt. You focused. His hand. Rough fingertips. Warm palm. Wedding ring against yours. Katsuki. Alive. Here. Thirty. You whispered: "Better." "Good." You didn't let go.

The demonstration floor was everything Katsuki pretended to want. Weapons designed around quirk suppression. Output amplifiers. Synthetic compounds. Devices meant to force activation. He asked questions. Good ones. Too good. You watched him become Ren Takahashi again. Investor. Interested. Cold. It should have been disturbing. Instead you found yourself thinking about how much you trusted him. Terrible timing.

Moreau walked beside you. "Your husband appears impressed." "He likes anything dangerous." "Does that concern you?" "Constantly." "But you trust him." You looked toward Katsuki. He was examining a suppression cuff. "Unfortunately." Moreau smiled. "You use humor whenever something is true." Your eyes moved toward him. "Do I?" "Frequently." You smiled. "Maybe you're reading too much into me." "Perhaps." You doubted it. He looked toward Katsuki. "I envy him." That surprised you. "Why?" "He knows where your loyalties lie."

Your stomach tightened. You kept smiling. "You make me sound mysterious." "You are." "I'm really not." "No?" "No." You looked toward the glass wall. "People just assume quiet means complicated." Moreau smiled. "And is it?" You shrugged. "Sometimes quiet means I don't like you." He laughed. Good. Aya. Keep moving.

The next corridor descended. Prowl woke fully. Your step faltered. Katsuki's head snapped toward you. Moreau noticed. "Careful." You smiled. "These shoes." Lie. The tiger pressed so hard your ribs hurt. Down. Down. Pain. You looked toward the elevator indicator. Level Three. Then Four. Your visitor badge said Level Two. Interesting.

The doors opened anyway. Moreau led you through. Security here wore masks. No glass walls. No windows. Just doors. Numbers. Your stomach sank. Human subjects. You knew before anyone said it. Katsuki knew too. His hand found yours. Vautrin looked excited. You hated him. Sorel had joined the group again. You had not seen him enter the elevator. That bothered you.

Moreau stopped before Door 412. "Certain research cannot be meaningfully understood from data alone." The door opened. There was a man inside. Maybe thirty. Hospital gown. Restraints at his wrists. You stopped breathing. He looked up. Terrified. A suppression collar circled his neck. Moreau spoke as though presenting furniture. "Emitter class. Acquired three months ago."

Acquired.

Your tiger roared.

Fifty.

Katsuki's hand tightened.

His palms were sweating.

That frightened you.

He wanted to explode.

Literally.

You whispered: "Ren." One word. He looked at you. His jaw unclenched. Barely. Moreau continued. "His quirk allows temporary alteration of bone density. Dr. Sorel's team has increased his maximum output by eighty percent." Vautrin stepped closer to the glass. "Side effects?" Sorel answered. "Significant." You looked at the man. Bruising. Tremor. Blood around one nostril. Significant.

The next room held a woman. Then another. Then a child. Fourteen. Maybe younger. Katsuki stopped. You felt it. "No." Quiet. Only you heard. You squeezed his hand. He looked down. Rage. Pure. You whispered: "Names." He breathed. "Locations." Another breath. "Evidence." His fingers tightened. Then: "Then we burn the whole fuckin' thing down." You almost cried. Instead you nodded. Together.

You kept walking. Door 419. Empty. Door 420. Twins. Not the ones from the auction. Different. Maybe twelve. Your stomach lurched. Sorel watched you. Of course. "Something troubling you, Mrs. Takahashi?" Every eye moved toward you. Katsuki went still. You stared through the glass. Think. Aya. Rich. Detached. Interested. You forced your face into something colder. "They're children." Sorel tilted his head. "Yes." "That reduces value."

Silence.

You hated yourself. Every word. But it worked. Vautrin nodded. "Considerably." The woman beside him agreed. Sorel studied you. Then: "Practical." You smiled. "Always." Katsuki's hand around yours was shaking. Not anger at you. You knew. Still hurt.

Moreau continued the tour. You memorized everything. Room numbers. Guards. Cameras. Locks. Staircases. Every face. Every person. Prowl memorized too. You could feel it. She wanted them. Not as prey. Hers. Protection. The realization made your throat tighten.

At the end of the corridor was another secured door. No number. Sorel used his palm. Then his eye. It opened. Moreau looked toward the group. "This area is typically restricted." Katsuki raised an eyebrow. "Then why are we here?" Moreau smiled. "Because tomorrow I intend to ask several of you for a great deal of money." Vautrin laughed. You didn't.

Inside was an archive. Not digital. Physical. Shelves. Cold storage. Sample cabinets. Your blood went cold. Prowl screamed. Not aloud. Inside you.

Sixty.

Katsuki caught your elbow. "Scale." You barely moved your lips. "Sixty." His face hardened. "Too high." "I know." "We leave." "No." "Promise." "Not confirmed." "Don't play lawyer with me right now." You almost smiled. Almost.

Then you saw it.

Cabinet Six.

A.

B.

No.

Your heart stopped.

Sorel was speaking. You heard none of it.

Cabinet 6. Two drawers. 6A. 6B.

Your fingers went numb. Katsuki followed your gaze. His face changed.

Fuck.

Sorel saw.

You knew he saw.

He went quiet.

The room followed.

You looked toward him.

He looked at you.

No smile. No mask of ignorance now. Just recognition.

Then he said: "Curious?"

Your blood turned to ice. You forced a laugh. "About?" Sorel walked toward Cabinet Six. Katsuki moved half a step in front of you. Moreau watched. Nobody else seemed to understand.

Sorel placed his hand on drawer 6A. "This was one of our earliest comparative projects." Your heartbeat pounded in your ears. He opened it. Cold vapor escaped. Inside were sealed samples. Tissue. Blood. You couldn't breathe. A photograph clipped inside the lid.

Your sister.

Seventeen.

U.A. training uniform.

Smiling.

The world disappeared.

You heard nothing. Not Moreau. Not Vautrin. Not Katsuki. Just her. That stupid smile. The one she made when someone took a photo before she was ready. You knew the picture. You had taken it. Your phone. Training grounds. Second year.

How the fuck did they have it?

Prowl exploded.

Orange. White. Red. Too fast.

Pain tore through your skull. Katsuki moved. His hand grabbed your face. "Look at me." You couldn't. Red burned at the edge of your vision. No. No no no. Sorel watched. Fascinated. "Remarkable."

Katsuki's head snapped toward him. "Don't." One word. Not Ren. Bakugo Katsuki.

Sorel smiled beneath the mask.

There.

Confirmation.

He knew.

You knew he knew.

Katsuki knew.

Mission over.

Protocol.

Extraction.

But your sister was three feet away in a drawer.

You couldn't move.

Sorel looked at you. "Subject 6A."

Your throat closed.

"You stole her."

Moreau's expression changed. Vautrin looked confused. Katsuki swore.

There it was.

Cover gone.

Completely.

Sorel tilted his head. "Stole?"

Your eyes burned red.

"She was a fucking person."

Security moved outside the door.

Moreau looked between you. "Aya?"

Katsuki's palms sparked.

Enough.

No pretending now.

Sorel's eyes brightened.

"Subject 6B."

Katsuki stepped fully in front of you. "Say that again."

Sorel ignored him. He looked at you. "I wondered when you would remember."

Rage drowned everything.

Your ears manifested. Red. Tail. Eyes. The air around you shimmered. Prowl pressed against reality. Huge. Violent. Ready.

Katsuki turned toward you. "Not black."

You could barely hear him.

"Vesper."

Red light filled the room.

"Not black."

Sorel whispered: "Beautiful."

That did it.

A tiger materialized behind you. Not black. Red. Massive. Its shoulders nearly touched the ceiling. Translucent crimson light filled the archive. Every person in the room froze. Prowl bared her teeth. The sound was not a roar. It was worse. Low. Deep. A promise.

Security rushed through the door.

Katsuki smiled.

Finally.

Dynamight.

"Guess we're done pretending."

The first guard raised a weapon. Katsuki exploded forward. The room erupted. You barely saw him move. One blast. Two. A guard hit the wall. Prowl lunged through the next. Her body phased through Katsuki without touching him and solidified against the security officer behind him. Perfect. Years apart. Still perfect. You hated how natural it felt.

Moreau disappeared through the rear exit. "Moreau!" Katsuki turned. "I got him." "No." He looked back. "Sorel." You pointed.

Gone.

Fuck.

Sorel had disappeared too.

Alarms screamed. Red lights replaced white. Doors began locking. Katsuki swore. Your bracelet vibrated violently. Hayashi. Signal. Alert. Your cover was obviously compromised. No ambiguity now. You almost laughed.

Katsuki grabbed your wrist. "Extraction." You looked toward Drawer 6A. "No." "Vesper." "I am not leaving her here." His eyes followed yours. He understood. Instantly. "Thirty seconds."

You moved. Prowl guarded the door while you crossed to the cabinet. Your hands shook. You pulled the photograph free. Then looked at the samples. You couldn't take everything. Evidence. One vial. You grabbed it. 6A. Katsuki pulled a small evidence sleeve from inside his jacket. Of course he had one. You shoved it inside. "Got it."

A blast shook the corridor. Not Katsuki. Security. Prowl roared. You felt the hit. Pain flashed through your shoulder. Shared feedback. You gasped. Katsuki caught you. "Red's too high." "I'm fine." "Liar." "Move."

You ran.

The corridor outside was chaos. Security. Locked doors. Captives screaming. Your tiger turned toward them. So did you. Katsuki saw. "No." "We can't leave them." "Hayashi has the location now." "What if they move them?" "They won't have time." "You don't know that." "Trust me."

You stopped.

He looked at you.

"Trust me."

The words landed.

You did.

That was the terrifying part.

You nodded. "Okay."

His face changed. Just for a second. Then another guard appeared. Katsuki blasted him backward. "Move!"

You ran. Prowl raced beside you. Red light filled every corridor. Alarms screamed. Your bracelet vibrated. Three times. Extraction team inbound. Good.

You reached the elevator. Locked. "Stairs." Katsuki kicked open the emergency door. You ran upward. Level Three. Gunfire. Prowl shielded. Bullets struck her side and fell flattened to the ground. Pain shot through your ribs. You grunted. Katsuki looked back. "Drop to white." "I need red." "No, you don't." "Yes, I do." "Trust me too."

Damn him.

You breathed.

Prowl changed.

Red faded.

White.

Smaller.

Faster.

Pain eased.

Katsuki smiled. "Better." "Don't get smug." "Too late."

You reached Level Two. More guards. Katsuki took left. You took right. White Prowl phased through a wall. A second later, a security officer flew through the door. You smiled. Katsuki saw. "Show off." "Get better." His grin flashed. Familiar. God. You had missed this. You hadn't even known how much.

The helicopter deck was above. One more level. You burst through the final stairwell. Wind. Sea. Night. Helicopters. One already lifting. Moreau. You saw him inside. "Sorel?" Katsuki scanned. "No." Fuck.

Your bracelet vibrated. Then your earpiece activated. Hayashi. Finally. "VESPER. DYNAMIGHT. NORTH PAD. NOW." You almost cried hearing another friendly voice. Katsuki touched the relay. "Captives on Levels Four and Five. At least thirty. Possible minors. Facility armed. Sorel mobile." "Confirmed. Response teams inbound. MOVE."

You looked toward the far side of the platform. Smoke. Security mobilizing.

Then:

Sorel.

Standing near the edge.

White coat blowing in the wind.

Watching you.

Your tiger stopped.

He raised one hand. Not waving this time. Holding something. A drive. Small. Black. Then he pointed at you. And mouthed two words.

Find me.

Your blood went cold.

Katsuki followed your gaze. "Don't." Sorel stepped backward. A smaller helicopter rose behind him.

No.

You moved.

Katsuki grabbed your waist.

"Let go."

"No."

"He has something."

"Don't care."

"Katsuki."

"Extraction."

Sorel smiled. Then climbed aboard. The helicopter lifted. Prowl roared. You fought Katsuki. Actually fought him. "Let me go." "No." "He's getting away." "I know." "He knows what happened to her." "I know." "Then LET GO."

Katsuki spun you around. His hands caught your face.

"LOOK AT ME."

You froze.

White light burned across your vision.

His face.

Red eyes.

Scar.

Alive.

"He's baiting you."

Your breathing shook.

"You go after him now, you die."

"You don't know that."

"Yeah, I fuckin' do."

Sorel's helicopter disappeared into darkness.

Your eyes burned.

Katsuki's voice softened. "We have the facility." You stared. "We have your sister's sample." Your chest hurt. "We have evidence." You swallowed. "And we have him scared enough to run."

Prowl growled.

Katsuki's thumbs rested against your cheeks. "We win this by not doing what he wants."

You closed your eyes.

The tiger fought.

Then settled.

White faded.

Your ears disappeared.

Your knees nearly gave.

Katsuki caught you.

Again.

Always.

You clutched his jacket. "He had her." "I know." "He had her." "I know." Your voice broke. Katsuki pulled you against him. Not Ren. Not Dynamight. Just Katsuki. You buried your face against his chest. For maybe five seconds. Maybe ten.

Then Hayashi screamed through the relay. "IF YOU TWO ARE HAVING A MOMENT, HAVE IT ON THE FUCKING HELICOPTER."

You laughed. You couldn't help it. Katsuki looked offended. "Fuck you." Hayashi answered: "MOVE."

You pulled away. Katsuki kept one hand around yours. You ran. The extraction helicopter waited on the north pad. Two agents inside. One medic. You climbed aboard. Katsuki behind you. The door slammed. The helicopter lifted.

Eidolon dropped beneath you. Lights. Smoke. Tiny figures moving across the platform. Then explosions on the lower deck. You stood instantly. "What was that?" One of the agents pushed you back into the seat. "Entry team." "Already?" "They've been tracking the bracelet since you left Monaco." Relief nearly made you dizzy. "They're getting them out?" "That's the plan."

You looked toward Katsuki. His eyes met yours.

Names.

Locations.

Evidence.

Then we burn the whole fuckin' thing down.

You smiled weakly. He understood. His hand found yours.

The adrenaline started fading. Bad. Everything hurt. Your head. Your ribs. Your shoulder. The feedback from Prowl. The medic crouched in front of you. "Any direct injuries?" "Just manifestation feedback." "Level?" "Red." Katsuki interrupted. "Brief white after." The medic looked at him. You looked at him too. "Snitch." "Shut up."

The medic checked your pupils. "Any black?" "No." Katsuki answered at the same time. "No." You almost smiled. Good. No black. Not tonight.

The medic moved toward another bag. Katsuki sat across from you. Blood on his collar. Not his. Probably. You stared. He noticed. "What?" "You okay?" "Yeah." "You sure?" "Yeah." "That's your lying yeah." His eyebrows rose. "You have names for my yeahs now?" "Get used to it." His mouth twitched.

The helicopter turned toward Monaco. You looked down at your hand. Still holding the vial. 6A. Your sister. Not her. You knew that. A sample. A crime. Evidence. Still, your fingers tightened around it. Katsuki watched. "They're gonna identify it." "I know." "Could prove what Sorel did." "I know." "You did good."

You looked up. Something in you cracked. "I almost blew the mission." "But you didn't." "I activated." "After he confirmed you." "I almost went black." "But you didn't." "I tried chasing him." "Yeah. That part was fuckin' stupid." You laughed softly. "Thanks." "Welcome."

Silence.

Then: "You stopped me." Katsuki's expression shifted. "Yeah." "I listened." He looked almost surprised. You smiled weakly. "Don't get used to it." Too late. You both knew.

His hand tightened around yours.

Monaco appeared in the distance.

You should have felt relieved.

Instead you thought of the hotel.

The suite.

The cameras.

Ren and Aya.

Except there was no cover anymore.

No reason to share the bed.

No reason for his arm around you.

No reason for fingers threaded beneath the blanket.

The thought made your stomach drop.

Katsuki watched your face. "What?"

You shook your head.

Then stopped.

Nothing.

No.

You were trying.

"Things are going to be different."

His eyebrows drew together. "When?" "Tonight."

He understood immediately.

The cover.

His expression went still.

"Yeah."

You looked toward the city lights. "No cameras." "Probably not." "No pretending." "No."

Your chest tightened.

You hated how much that hurt.

Katsuki was quiet for a long moment.

Then:

"Good."

You looked at him. "What?"

He leaned back against the seat. "Good."

Your heart started beating harder.

"Katsuki."

"I told you already."

His eyes stayed on yours.

"I'm done pretending."

Silence.

The helicopter roared around you.

You swallowed. "And if I still don't know what I want?"

His expression softened. "Then you don't know."

"That's it?"

"Yeah."

"No ultimatum?"

"No."

"No yelling?"

"Can if you want."

You almost laughed. "No."

"Then no."

You stared at him. "You make this very difficult."

"Been told."

You smiled.

Then looked down at your joined hands.

He hadn't released you.

Neither had you.

The tiger stirred.

Tired.

Quiet.

Safe.

For once, you didn't argue.

Below you, Monaco grew closer.

Behind you, Eidolon burned bright against the black sea.

And somewhere beyond it, Emil Sorel was running with answers that belonged to you.

But not forever.

This time, you weren't going to disappear.

𝐈.　𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑨𝑺𝑺𝑰𝑮𝑵𝑴𝑬𝑵𝑻 𝐈𝐈.　𝑭𝑶𝑼𝑹 𝒀𝑬𝑨𝑹𝑺 𝑴𝑨𝑹𝑹𝑰𝑬𝑫 𝐈𝐈𝐈.　𝑬𝒀𝑬𝑺 𝑬𝑽𝑬𝑹𝒀𝑾𝑯𝑬𝑹𝑬 𝐈𝐕.　𝑺𝑬𝑳𝑳 𝑰𝑻 𝐕.　𝑮𝑶𝑰𝑵𝑮 𝑶𝑵𝑪𝑬 𝐕𝐈.　𝑾𝑯𝑨𝑻 𝑾𝑬 𝑳𝑬𝑨𝑽𝑬 𝑼𝑵𝑺𝑨𝑰𝑫 𝐕𝐈𝐈.　𝑬𝑼𝑹𝒀𝑫𝑰𝑪𝑬 𝐕𝐈𝐈𝐈.　𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑫𝑶𝑪𝑻𝑶𝑹 𝐈𝐗.　𝑷𝑹𝑶𝑻𝑶𝑪𝑶𝑳 ← you are here 𝐗.　𝑬𝑰𝑫𝑶𝑳𝑶𝑵 　　 𝐗𝐈.　𝑵𝑶 𝑴𝑶𝑹𝑬 𝑪𝑨𝑴𝑬𝑹𝑨𝑺 𝐗𝐈𝐈.　𝑵𝑶𝑩𝑶𝑫𝒀 𝑾𝑨𝑻𝑪𝑯𝑰𝑵𝑮 𝐗𝐈𝐈𝐈. 𝑶𝑹𝑷𝑯𝑬𝑼𝑺 𝑭𝑨𝑳𝑳𝑺 𝐗𝐈𝐕. 𝑨𝑭𝑻𝑬𝑹 　　　　　　　　　　　　　𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ𐀔 　　　　　　　　　　　　𝐈𝐗.　𝑷𝑹𝑶𝑻𝑶𝑪𝑶𝑳

The first thing Hayashi said was, "Absolutely not." You were still in the bathroom. Of course you were. The shower ran behind you. Katsuki stood near the door with the secure phone pressed to his ear. You were barefoot, still wearing the black dress from Eurydice, your hair windblown and your pulse only barely back to normal. Katsuki looked at you. You already hated the direction this was going.

Hayashi's voice carried faintly from the phone. "If Sorel identified Vesper, your cover is compromised." "He didn't say Vesper," you said. Katsuki held up one finger. You stared at him. Did he just shush you? You narrowed your eyes. He ignored you. "He referenced her quirk," Katsuki said. "White and orange." Silence on the other end. Then: "Extraction."

Your stomach dropped. "No." Katsuki looked at you. Hayashi continued. "Immediately. Both of you return to the secure staging property. We will arrange departure." "No." This time louder. Katsuki covered the microphone. "Stop." "Give me the phone." "No." "Katsuki." "You're gonna make it worse." "I am perfectly capable of making my own argument." "Yeah. That's what I'm worried about."

You reached for the phone. He lifted it above your head. You stared. "Are you fucking serious?" "Very." "You are not that much taller than me." "Enough." You jumped. He stepped back. You nearly slipped on the bathroom rug. Katsuki caught you around the waist with one arm. The phone remained completely out of reach. You glared. He glared back.

Hayashi said something. Katsuki uncovered the microphone. "She's fine." You stared. "Tell him to give me the phone." "She's also pissed." "I can hear that," Hayashi said. "Good." You crossed your arms.

Katsuki sighed. "Look, I agree the cover might be blown." "Might?" "He knows something. Doesn't mean he knows everything." "He knows enough." "Yeah." You watched Katsuki carefully. He sounded like he agreed with Hayashi. You hated that. Then: "But pulling us now burns everything."

Your anger paused. Hayashi went quiet. Katsuki continued. "Moreau invited us to whatever the fuck Eidolon is tomorrow. We have direct access. They trust the covers enough to keep pushing." "Sorel does not." "Sorel's interested." "That is not reassuring." "No shit." Hayashi exhaled. You could picture him pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Bakugo." Katsuki's jaw tightened. "We get one more night." Your heart jumped. He looked at you. "One." You stared. Hayashi answered instantly. "No."

Katsuki smiled. You knew that smile. Oh no. "Then pull us." You blinked. Hayashi went silent. Katsuki leaned against the counter. "Pull us right now. Put another team into Moreau's inner circle by six tomorrow." Silence. "Can't?" Katsuki asked. You almost smiled. Manipulative bastard.

Hayashi knew it too. "That is not the point." "Sure sounds like it." "The point is that Vesper may be exposed." Katsuki's smile disappeared. "I know." Something in his voice changed. You heard it. Hayashi probably did too. Katsuki looked at you. Then away. "I know." Quiet this time.

You stopped being amused. The phone call shifted. No longer tactical. Personal.

Hayashi sighed. "Vesper." Katsuki finally handed you the phone. You took it. "Yes." "If I allow this operation to continue, you follow extraction protocol the moment there is confirmation your cover is compromised." You opened your mouth. "That is not negotiable." You closed it again. Katsuki looked smug. You flipped him off. He almost smiled.

"Fine." Hayashi did not sound convinced. "Say it." You stared at the wall. "I follow extraction protocol." "If?" "If there is confirmation my cover is compromised." "Good." You already had twelve possible definitions for confirmation. Katsuki knew. His eyes narrowed. Traitor.

Hayashi continued. "Tomorrow's contact becomes observation only. No independent pursuit. No confrontation with Sorel. No quirk use unless life is immediately threatened." You looked at Katsuki. He mouthed: No hero shit. You wanted to throw something. "Understood."

"And Bakugo." Katsuki took the phone. "Yeah." "Your priority changes." His expression hardened. "Meaning?" "Vesper." You froze.

Katsuki said nothing. Hayashi continued. "Primary mission objective remains intelligence gathering. Your operational priority is preventing exposure or capture." Katsuki's eyes met yours. "Already was." Your heart did something awful.

Hayashi paused. Then: "That is exactly what concerns me." The line disconnected.

Silence.

The shower kept running.

You stared at Katsuki. He stared back. Then you reached past him and turned the water off.

"You didn't tell me." "What?" "That you agreed." "With what?" "Extraction." "I don't." "You just told Hayashi..." "I told Hayashi your cover might be blown." "Same thing." "No." "It absolutely is."

Katsuki crossed his arms. "You're pissed because I didn't immediately say fuck protocol and let you run back onto the torture yacht?" "I wasn't going to run back onto the yacht." "You tried to go downstairs." "That was different." "How?" "I had shoes on."

He stared.

You smiled.

He did not.

Tough crowd.

"Katsuki." "No." "There it is again." "Don't." "You keep deciding things for me." "I am not deciding shit for you." "You literally took the phone out of my hand." "Because you were about to tell an international operations director to go fuck himself." "I would've phrased it professionally." "Bullshit."

You crossed your arms tighter. "Hayashi doesn't understand what Sorel knowing about Prowl means." "Neither do you." "Exactly. Which is why I need to find out." "Not if it gets you killed." "Why are you acting like that's the only possible outcome?" "Because you act like it's not one at all."

You stopped.

Katsuki stepped closer. Not angry. Not really. Frustrated. Scared. Again. "You keep doing that." "Doing what?" "Talking about yourself like you're fuckin' expendable." Your chest tightened. "I don't." "You do." "No, I don't." "You were ready to go downstairs on Eurydice with no support, no route out, and no idea how many guards were there." "There were people screaming." "I know." "What was I supposed to do?" "Wait." "For what?" "Backup." "We didn't have backup." "Exactly."

You stared.

He continued. "You're not useful dead."

You recoiled.

The words were familiar. Too familiar. Utility. Usefulness. People wanting what you could do. People loving what you provided. A boyfriend who liked the body and the comfort and the attention until he didn't.

You knew Katsuki didn't mean it like that.

Your body reacted before your brain caught up.

Your expression shut down.

Katsuki noticed immediately. "That's not what I meant." "It's fine." "Fuck."

You turned.

He caught your wrist. Not hard. Never hard. "Don't."

You looked down at his hand.

He released you instantly.

"Sorry."

You rubbed your wrist anyway. Not because it hurt. Because you needed something to do.

Katsuki swore under his breath. "What I meant was..." He stopped. Words. Not his favorite weapon. You waited.

"You matter whether you can do shit or not."

Your throat tightened.

There it was.

Simple. Clumsy. Katsuki.

You looked away.

He continued. "I don't care if you can summon a fuckin' tiger. I don't care what rank you are. I don't care if you're useful to the mission." Your eyes burned. Great. Wonderful. Exactly what you needed.

"I care if you're alive."

You swallowed.

Silence.

Katsuki exhaled. "You don't gotta say anything."

That almost made it worse.

You nodded. "Okay."

His expression softened. "Okay."

Neither of you moved.

Then:

"You still took my phone."

He stared.

You smiled.

"You are unbelievable."

"I contain multitudes."

"What the fuck does that mean?"

"You'd know if you read."

"I read."

"Explosion manuals don't count."

"They absolutely fuckin' count."

The tension broke. Barely. Enough.

You laughed.

Katsuki shook his head.

Then the secure phone vibrated.

Both of you looked down.

New packet.

EIDOLON PARTIAL DECRYPTION COMPLETE.

Your heart stopped.

Katsuki opened it.

A map appeared. Not Monaco. The Mediterranean. Several coordinates. Routes. A series of encrypted facility codes.

Then one highlighted line.

EIDOLON PLATFORM E7.

MOBILE RESEARCH SITE.

CURRENT LOCATION UNKNOWN.

Katsuki swore.

You leaned closer. "Mobile." "Yeah." "Not Eurydice." "No." "So tomorrow..." "They're taking us there."

You scrolled. More files. Personnel. Research directors. Sorel. You tapped his name.

Dr. Emil Sorel.

Director, Adaptive Quirk Research.

Former consultant, International Quirk Trauma Initiative.

Active field assignment during Paranormal Liberation War.

Your blood ran cold.

"Katsuki."

"I see it."

You scrolled.

Field sites. Japan. Tokyo. Shizuoka. Jaku. Emergency medical zones. Temporary quirk recovery stations.

He had been there.

Not maybe.

There.

You opened another file.

PARTICIPANT ACQUISITION.

Most names were coded. Some were not. Hero casualties. Quirk trauma patients. Unidentified samples. Biological material recovered post mortem.

Your stomach turned.

"Katsuki."

His hand closed around the phone. Hard.

"Don't."

"I need to see."

"You sure?"

"No."

You looked at him. "But I need to."

He hesitated. Then handed it back.

You scrolled.

Sample references. Blood. Hair. Tissue. Quirk factor analysis.

Several entries marked FAMILY PAIRING.

Your breathing changed.

SIBLING COMPARATIVE STUDY.

Your vision blurred.

No.

You opened it.

Encrypted.

Of course.

Only metadata.

Two subjects.

Female.

Same age.

Japan.

Related quirk structures.

One deceased.

One living.

You stopped breathing.

Katsuki saw. "What?"

You couldn't speak.

He took the phone.

Read.

His face went white.

Not literally.

As close as Katsuki got.

"No."

Your ears rang.

Two subjects. Female. Same age. Sibling. One deceased. One living. Twins.

"No."

You stepped backward.

The tiger surged.

Orange.

Your eyes flashed.

Katsuki moved. "Hey." "No." "Look at me." "Don't." "Vesper." "Don't."

You turned away.

He let you.

That was new.

Good.

You needed space.

You pressed both hands against the vanity.

Breathe.

One.

Two.

Three.

The tiger paced.

Not fear.

Rage.

Grief.

Your sister.

Your twin.

Your entire childhood mirrored back at you in another face.

Same birthday.

Same school.

Similar quirk.

Different personality.

Different laugh.

Gone.

You had buried her.

You had mourned her.

You had spent years trying not to imagine the exact moment she died.

And now somewhere in Orpheus records she might have become a sample.

A comparison.

A file.

You felt sick.

"They used her."

Katsuki's voice came carefully. "We don't know that." "You read it." "We don't know it's you." "It is." "You don't know." "Prowl knows."

He went quiet.

That mattered.

You turned. "Prowl reacted to Sorel before I remembered him." "Yeah." "She reacted below deck." "Yeah." "She reacted when I thought about my sister." "Yeah."

Your eyes burned.

"It's us."

Katsuki didn't argue again.

Good.

You couldn't handle it.

Instead he said: "Then we prove it."

Your chest tightened. "What?"

"We prove it." His eyes hardened. "And then we bury the fucker."

You stared. "Katsuki."

"Legally."

A pause.

"Mostly."

You laughed.

It came out broken.

He walked closer. Slowly. Giving you time. Always giving you time now.

You didn't move away.

His hand lifted. Paused.

You nodded.

Then his palm settled against the back of your neck. Warm. Steady.

You closed your eyes.

For a minute, neither of you spoke.

Then:

"I should've been there."

Katsuki went still.

You hadn't meant to say it. Not really. But there it was.

"At the war."

His thumb moved once.

"You were."

"Not with her."

"You couldn't be everywhere."

"I was her sister."

"You were seventeen."

"So was she."

Silence.

You opened your eyes.

Katsuki was looking at you.

Not pity.

Never pity.

"You think being twins made you responsible for keeping her alive?"

"No."

Liar.

His expression said it.

You sighed. "Maybe."

"That's stupid."

You almost laughed. "Thank you."

"Didn't say it wasn't understandable."

You stared. "Who are you and what did you do with Bakugo Katsuki?"

"Fuck off."

There he was.

You smiled weakly.

Then his expression changed.

"I know what it's like."

Your smile faded.

He looked away.

"To wonder why someone else paid for you being alive."

Edgeshot.

Your chest tightened.

Katsuki's jaw shifted.

"I fuckin' hated it."

You didn't interrupt.

"For a long time."

His eyes moved toward you.

"Still do sometimes."

There.

Something he had probably never said out loud.

You understood immediately.

Edgeshot had almost died to save him.

Your mentor had given part of himself to keep Katsuki alive.

And you had disappeared afterward.

Jesus.

You had been so consumed by your own grief that you had never really considered what that must have done to him.

"You felt guilty."

Katsuki scoffed. "Obviously."

"For Edgeshot."

"Yeah."

"And I left."

His eyes sharpened.

You swallowed. "After."

Silence.

Katsuki's hand fell from your neck.

You hated the loss immediately.

"I wasn't exactly easy to be around."

"Neither was I."

"You were worse."

You almost smiled. "Probably."

He leaned back against the counter.

"I thought you blamed me."

Your stomach dropped. "What?"

"For him."

"No."

The answer came instantly.

Katsuki looked at you.

"No."

You stepped closer.

"I never blamed you."

"Could've fooled me."

Pain.

Quiet.

Old.

Your heart sank.

"I couldn't look at you."

His expression hardened. "I know."

"No."

You shook your head.

"Not because I blamed you."

"Then why?"

You looked at his chest.

His heart.

Edgeshot.

You hated that the thought still hurt.

"Because every time I did, I thought about losing both of you."

Silence.

Katsuki stopped breathing for half a second.

You continued. "You were alive." Your voice shook. "And I knew that. I knew I should've been grateful. But every time I saw you, all I could think was that you had been dead."

His face softened.

"And Edgeshot had..."

You stopped.

Katsuki waited.

You forced the words out.

"Used himself to bring you back."

Silence.

Your eyes burned.

"So I left."

Katsuki stared.

You laughed weakly. "Pretty mature."

"No."

You looked up. "No?"

"No."

He stepped toward you.

"It was fucked up."

You blinked.

Then laughed.

Actually laughed.

Tears escaped anyway.

"You are terrible at comforting people."

"You're laughing."

"Against my will."

"Counts."

You wiped your face. "Asshole."

"Yeah."

He watched you.

Something softened.

Then his thumb reached toward your cheek.

Caught a tear.

You froze.

He did too.

Neither moved.

His hand lingered.

Your chest tightened.

This was dangerous.

No camera.

No audience.

No cover requirement.

You knew that now.

He knew that you knew.

His eyes dropped to your mouth.

Your heart raced.

You could move.

You didn't.

Katsuki leaned closer.

Slowly.

Not enough.

Not yet.

Giving you every chance to stop him.

You whispered: "Don't."

He stopped.

Immediately.

No frustration.

No anger.

Just stopped.

Your heart hurt anyway.

His hand fell.

"Okay."

You hated how easy he made it.

You looked away. "I'm sorry."

"Don't."

"I keep..."

"I know."

"I don't mean..."

"I know."

"You keep saying that."

"Because I do."

You swallowed.

Katsuki stepped back.

Distance.

Safe.

You hated that too.

The secure phone vibrated again.

Thank God.

You both looked.

New message.

DECRYPTION UPDATE.

BIOLOGICAL RECORDS SHOW SAMPLE PAIR 6A AND 6B LINKED TO JAPANESE HERO EDUCATION DATABASE.

IDENTITIES PENDING.

Your stomach dropped.

Katsuki read over your shoulder. "Fuck."

Another message appeared.

ADDITIONAL MATCH: QUIRK SIGNATURE 6B SHOWS 94.2% CORRELATION TO PUBLIC VESPER COMBAT RECORD.

Silence.

There it was.

Not suspicion.

Confirmation.

You.

Sample 6B.

Living.

Which meant 6A...

Your sister.

Katsuki swore.

You didn't react.

Couldn't.

The tiger went completely still.

A strange calm settled over you.

Too calm.

Katsuki noticed. "Don't."

You looked at him. "What?"

"That face."

"What face?"

"The one where you stop feeling shit."

Your throat tightened. "I'm fine."

"No."

"I am."

"No."

You looked away.

Katsuki took the phone from your hand.

"Hayashi needs this."

"No."

His expression hardened. "That's confirmation."

"No."

"You promised."

"I promised if my cover was confirmed compromised."

"This isn't your cover."

You stopped.

He was right.

Technically.

This confirmed Orpheus had your biological material.

Not that Sorel knew Aya was Vesper.

Katsuki realized the loophole at the same time.

His eyes narrowed.

"You manipulative little..."

You smiled. Barely.

"Protocol."

"You are unbelievable."

"Thank you."

"Not a compliment."

"I accepted it as one."

He looked like he wanted to throttle you.

Instead he sent the file to Hayashi.

Traitor.

The response arrived almost immediately.

DO NOT ABORT YET.

You blinked.

Katsuki did too.

Then:

SOREL MAY RECOGNIZE QUIRK SIGNATURE WITHOUT CONFIRMING IDENTITY.

CONTINUE COVER.

AVOID DIRECT CONTACT.

EIDOLON ACCESS NOW PRIORITY ONE.

You looked at Katsuki.

He looked pissed.

You smiled. "Say it."

"No."

"Come on."

"No."

"I was right."

"Shut the fuck up."

You grinned.

He pointed at you. "This is not a victory."

"It feels like one."

"Your dead sister's biological material is in an international trafficking database."

Your smile vanished.

Katsuki closed his eyes.

"Fuck."

You stared.

He looked immediately regretful.

"That came out wrong."

"Yeah."

"Sorry."

You nodded. "It's okay."

"No, it's not."

"You're stressed."

"Still."

You sighed. "Apology accepted."

He looked suspicious. "That easy?"

"Don't ruin it."

He almost smiled.

Then Hayashi sent instructions.

Tomorrow. Six. Maintain cover. Board transport. Track route. No independent action. If Sorel touches you, abort.

You raised an eyebrow. "Katsuki definitely added that one."

"I didn't."

"Sounds like you."

"Hayashi's not stupid."

"Debatable."

"Stop."

You smiled.

The bathroom felt lighter.

Not good.

Never good.

But survivable.

You turned off the secure phone.

Then realized something.

"We have to go back out there."

Katsuki looked toward the door.

Cameras.

Ren and Aya.

Bed.

You had almost forgotten.

His expression changed too.

"Yeah."

Fantastic.

You walked into the suite.

Camera in the lamp.

Smoke detector.

Another near the television.

Welcome home.

Katsuki immediately shifted.

Ren.

His hand landed at your waist.

You played along.

"Exhausted?" he asked.

"Very."

"Want water?"

"Please."

He poured it.

You sat on the bed.

The performance felt different tonight.

Not fake.

That was the problem.

You watched Katsuki remove his cuff links. His jacket. His tie.

Normal.

Domestic.

Dangerous.

He looked toward you. "You gonna stare all night?"

You smiled. "Maybe."

His eyebrows rose.

Fuck.

Wrong answer.

You corrected.

"You look ridiculous."

"Better."

You laughed.

He disappeared into the bathroom to change.

You changed after him.

Then the lights went off.

Bed.

Again.

Your side.

His.

Except there was no longer really a his side.

Or yours.

Katsuki lay down.

You did too.

Space between you.

Camera.

You stared at the ceiling.

Thirty seconds.

One minute.

Then:

"Come here."

You closed your eyes. "Very romantic."

"Camera."

There it was.

Excuse.

Familiar.

Safe.

You shifted toward him.

His arm wrapped around you.

Your back settled against his chest.

Instantly.

Your body knew where to go now.

That terrified you.

Katsuki's hand rested over your stomach.

You stared toward the window.

Monaco glittered outside.

Silence.

Then:

"You okay?"

"No."

"Good."

You almost laughed. "You?"

"No."

"Great."

"Yeah."

You smiled.

His thumb moved.

Once.

Slow.

You let it.

Then:

"Did you mean it?"

Your heart stopped.

"Mean what?"

"On the boat."

You knew.

I just got you back.

You swallowed.

"Katsuki."

"You asked."

"And you said later."

"It's later."

Damn him.

You stared at the window.

"You don't have to answer."

His voice was quiet.

"But yeah."

You froze.

He continued.

"I meant it."

Your chest tightened.

His fingers found yours beneath the blanket.

Threaded together.

Rings touching.

"I got used to you being gone."

That hurt.

Then:

"Didn't mean I liked it."

You closed your eyes.

Katsuki's voice was barely above a whisper.

"Then you were just there again."

Conference Room Seven.

One empty chair.

Vesper.

Dynamight.

Could try my fuckin' name.

Your throat tightened.

"And now?"

You didn't know why you asked.

Maybe because darkness made you stupid.

Katsuki's arm tightened around you.

"Now I don't want you gone again."

Silence.

You felt your heart crack.

Not break.

Open.

Worse.

You whispered: "That's not fair."

"I know."

"You can't just say things like that."

"Just did."

"I'm serious."

"So am I."

Your eyes burned.

You hated him.

You loved...

No.

You stopped the thought before it finished.

The tiger stirred.

Quiet.

Knowing.

You squeezed Katsuki's hand.

"I don't know how to do this."

For once, you didn't say what this was.

You didn't need to.

Katsuki answered anyway.

"Neither do I."

You turned slightly.

Not enough to face him.

"You seem pretty confident."

"Bullshit."

You smiled.

His chin rested briefly against your hair.

"I just know what I don't wanna do."

"What?"

"Lose five more years."

Your breath caught.

You had no answer.

So you did what you always did.

Nothing.

Except this time, Katsuki didn't push.

He just held you.

And you let him.

For the first time, the silence between you didn't feel like avoidance.

It felt like waiting.

Tomorrow, you would board whatever transport Moreau sent. Tomorrow, you would find Eidolon. Tomorrow, you might learn exactly what Sorel had done with your quirk. With your sister. With both of you.

But tonight, Katsuki's hand was threaded through yours.

His heart beat against your back.

𝐈.　𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑨𝑺𝑺𝑰𝑮𝑵𝑴𝑬𝑵𝑻 𝐈𝐈.　𝑭𝑶𝑼𝑹 𝒀𝑬𝑨𝑹𝑺 𝑴𝑨𝑹𝑹𝑰𝑬𝑫 𝐈𝐈𝐈.　𝑬𝒀𝑬𝑺 𝑬𝑽𝑬𝑹𝒀𝑾𝑯𝑬𝑹𝑬 𝐈𝐕.　𝑺𝑬𝑳𝑳 𝑰𝑻 𝐕.　𝑮𝑶𝑰𝑵𝑮 𝑶𝑵𝑪𝑬 𝐕𝐈.　𝑾𝑯𝑨𝑻 𝑾𝑬 𝑳𝑬𝑨𝑽𝑬 𝑼𝑵𝑺𝑨𝑰𝑫 𝐕𝐈𝐈.　𝑬𝑼𝑹𝒀𝑫𝑰𝑪𝑬 𝐕𝐈𝐈𝐈.　𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑫𝑶𝑪𝑻𝑶𝑹 ← you are here 𝐈𝐗.　𝑷𝑹𝑶𝑻𝑶𝑪𝑶𝑳 𝐗.　𝑬𝑰𝑫𝑶𝑳𝑶𝑵 　　 𝐗𝐈.　𝑵𝑶 𝑴𝑶𝑹𝑬 𝑪𝑨𝑴𝑬𝑹𝑨𝑺 𝐗𝐈𝐈.　𝑵𝑶𝑩𝑶𝑫𝒀 𝑾𝑨𝑻𝑪𝑯𝑰𝑵𝑮 𝐗𝐈𝐈𝐈. 𝑶𝑹𝑷𝑯𝑬𝑼𝑺 𝑭𝑨𝑳𝑳𝑺 𝐗𝐈𝐕. 𝑨𝑭𝑻𝑬𝑹 　　　　　　　　　　　　　 𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ𐀔 　　　　　　　　　　 𝐕𝐈𝐈𝐈.　𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑫𝑶𝑪𝑻𝑶𝑹

"Have we met before?"

The question should not have frightened you. It did. You smiled anyway. "Not that I remember."

Dr. Emil Sorel did not smile back. He simply watched. His eyes were pale. Almost gray in the low lighting. The silver mask covered his nose and mouth, leaving the rest of his face strangely expressionless. Prowl recoiled again. Not anger. Not aggression. Recognition. You felt it so strongly you almost looked over your shoulder. Recognition of what?

Katsuki's arm tightened around your waist. Sorel noticed. Of course he did. "I rarely forget a face," he said. You tilted your head. "Then perhaps I simply have one of those faces." "No." The answer came too quickly. Your pulse jumped.

Sorel stepped closer. Katsuki moved with him. Barely. Enough. The doctor noticed that too. His eyes shifted toward Katsuki. "Protective." Katsuki smiled. "Been told." "You needn't be." "Didn't say I needed to be."

Moreau laughed softly from beside him. "Emil, you're making our guests uncomfortable." Sorel's gaze returned to you. "Am I?" You smiled. "Not yet."

Something sharpened in his expression. Good. Aya did not scare easily. Neither did you. Usually. Prowl disagreed. The tiger pressed against the edges of your mind hard enough that you felt the beginnings of a headache.

Sorel looked toward your necklace. Then your hands. Then your face. Studying. Clinical. You hated it.

"What is your field?" you asked. He seemed surprised. "Mine?" "You were introduced as the man responsible for much of what we've seen this week. I'm curious." Moreau smiled. Sorel did not. "Applied quirk biology." "Broad." "Intentionally." You laughed softly. "Secretive." "Necessary." "Everything around here seems necessary."

Sorel's eyes stayed on you. "Some work cannot survive public opinion." Katsuki spoke. "Usually means the work is shit." Moreau laughed. You almost did too. Sorel looked toward him. "You dislike research?" "I dislike people using big words to make stupid shit sound impressive."

"Ren," you murmured. "What?" You gave Moreau an apologetic smile. "My husband has never learned when to stop." Sorel looked between you. "No. I imagine he hasn't."

Something about the sentence felt pointed. Katsuki felt it too. His fingers pressed once into your waist.

Sorel stepped closer to you. "You said your name was Aya." "Yes." "Japanese." "So I've been told." "Born there?" "Tokyo." "Family?" Your smile held. "Complicated."

Moreau interrupted. "Emil." The warning was subtle. Sorel ignored it. "Parents?" You felt Katsuki stiffen.

Cover history. You knew it. Father. Investment banking. Mother. Former attorney. Both alive. Both fictional.

"My parents are retired." "Siblings?"

Your chest tightened.

One second.

Too long.

Katsuki answered for you. "One."

You turned toward him. His expression did not change. Cover history said one younger brother. Right.

You smiled. "My husband remembers my family tree better than I do."

Sorel's gaze moved between you. "Interesting." "What is?" you asked. "Nothing."

You nearly laughed.

Of course.

That word.

Katsuki's thumb pressed into your side. He knew exactly what you were thinking. You hated that. Mostly.

Sorel finally looked away. "Enjoy your evening." He walked toward another group. You kept smiling until he was far enough away.

Then Katsuki leaned toward your ear. "Bathroom." You barely moved your lips. "Too obvious." "Don't care." "I do." "You're shaking."

You hadn't noticed. Your hand around the champagne glass was trembling. Barely. But enough. You tightened your fingers. "I'm fine." "Don't."

You looked up. His eyes were hard. Not angry at you. Scared. That unsettled you more.

"Five minutes," you murmured. "Two." "Four." "Three." "Fine."

His mouth twitched. "See? You can compromise." "Don't get used to it."

You stayed in the salon. Three minutes. Exactly. Long enough to look normal. Long enough to speak to a German investor whose name you forgot immediately. Long enough to watch Sorel from across the room.

He barely spoke. Mostly observed. He touched people strangely. Not inappropriate. Clinical. A hand to a shoulder. Two fingers to a wrist. A brief look at the eyes. Like he was collecting information.

Then he touched Vautrin's neck.

Prowl snarled.

You froze.

Katsuki noticed. "What?"

You kept smiling. "He does something." "Quirk?" "Maybe." "What?" "I don't know."

Sorel's fingers remained against Vautrin's pulse for three seconds. Then withdrew. Vautrin looked completely normal. But Prowl hated it. Your instincts screamed.

"Let's go."

Katsuki nodded immediately.

You slipped away together. Not the bathroom this time. Too predictable. You chose the outdoor deck. Wind covered voices better than running water anyway.

The moment the doors closed behind you, Katsuki turned. "What the fuck was that?" "I don't know." "Not good enough." "I know."

You stepped toward the railing. The wind caught your hair. Black water surrounded the vessel. No Monaco. No land. Nothing. You wrapped your arms around yourself.

Katsuki removed his jacket.

You looked at him. "What are you doing?" "You're cold." "I'm fine." "Didn't ask."

He put it around your shoulders. The warmth hit immediately. His cologne. Smoke. Something that was simply him. You pulled the jacket closer.

Bad idea.

Very bad idea.

"Thanks."

He leaned against the railing beside you. "Prowl recognized him." You looked toward the water. "I think so." "From where?" "I don't know." "Think." "I am." "War?"

Your stomach tightened.

Maybe.

You searched your memory. Hospitals. Evacuations. Battlefields. Underground medical tents. Faces covered in masks. Doctors. Heroes. Villains. Too many.

Nothing.

"I don't remember him." "But she does." "Maybe."

Katsuki's jaw tightened. "What was the thing with Vautrin?" "I don't know." "You felt it?" "She did." "Same reaction?" "No." "Worse?" "Different."

He waited.

You tried to explain. "It was like..." You stopped. Prowl shifted. You closed your eyes. "Like he was listening."

Katsuki frowned. "To what?"

"His body."

Silence.

You opened your eyes. "I know that sounds insane."

"Your quirk is talking tiger ghosts. Insane moved out years ago."

"They're not ghosts."

"Sure."

You glared. He smirked. It helped. A little.

You continued. "When he touched Vautrin, Prowl reacted like something was reaching inside him."

Katsuki's smile disappeared. "Quirk analysis." "Maybe." "By touch?" "Could be." "Then don't let him touch you." "I wasn't planning to." "I'm serious." "So am I." "Not even for cover."

You looked at him. "Katsuki." "No." "What if refusing makes us suspicious?" "I don't give a shit." "You should." "I don't." "You literally have to." "Not about that."

You stared. He stared back.

There it was again.

That terrifying openness from the bathroom.

I know I keep finding excuses to touch you.

I'm done pretending nothing's happening.

Your chest tightened. You looked away.

"You're making this difficult."

His voice came quieter. "Yeah."

"You know that?"

"Yeah."

"And you're just okay with it?"

"No."

You looked back. He was watching the water. For once, not you.

"I spent five years being pissed at you."

Your heart sank.

Katsuki continued. "Thought if I saw you again I'd tell you to go fuck yourself."

You laughed softly. "Very romantic." "Shut up."

You smiled.

He didn't.

"Then you walked into that conference room."

Your smile faded.

He finally looked at you.

"And I wasn't pissed anymore."

You swallowed. "Katsuki." "I know." "No. You don't." "Yeah. I do."

His expression hardened slightly. "You're gonna tell me you're not ready. You're gonna say mission. You're gonna say this isn't real because cameras are around."

Your throat tightened. "Then why keep talking?"

"Because I spent enough time shutting the fuck up."

That surprised you.

Katsuki Bakugo.

Shutting up.

"You?" "Fuck you."

You laughed. Actually laughed. His mouth twitched.

Then the smile disappeared again.

"I don't need you to answer."

You looked at him.

"Not now."

The words landed somewhere deep.

He leaned closer. Not enough to touch. Enough that you felt the heat of him even through his jacket around your shoulders.

"But I meant what I said."

You swallowed. "What part?"

"All of it."

Danger.

You looked toward the door.

Coward.

The tiger made a low sound.

Shut up.

Katsuki noticed your expression. "She talking shit?" "Always." "Tell her I said hi." "I'd rather not encourage her." "She likes me." "Debatable." "Bullshit."

You smiled.

Then the doors opened.

Moreau stepped outside.

Of course.

You and Katsuki separated slightly. Not too much.

Moreau looked toward the jacket around your shoulders. Then Katsuki. "Chivalry." Katsuki shrugged. "She's cold." You pulled the jacket closer. "He's useful occasionally."

Moreau smiled. "May I borrow your wife?"

Every muscle in Katsuki's body tightened. You felt it before you saw it.

"No."

Moreau's eyebrows rose.

You turned toward Katsuki. "Ren." "No."

Moreau looked amused. "It is merely a conversation." "Have it here."

Your stomach tightened.

Too protective.

Too fast.

You touched Katsuki's chest. "Darling."

His eyes moved toward you.

You gave him the smallest look.

Cover.

He knew.

He hated it.

But he knew.

You smiled. "I'll be fine."

His jaw clenched.

Moreau watched.

This was a test.

Again.

Everything was always a test.

Katsuki finally stepped back. "Five minutes."

You almost laughed.

Moreau did. "How generous."

Katsuki looked at him. "Six and I come find her."

Moreau smiled. "I believe you."

So did you.

That was the problem.

You handed Katsuki his jacket. His fingers caught yours before you could move away.

One second.

Then he released you.

"Don't wander."

You smiled. "I explore."

His expression softened. Barely.

Then you followed Moreau.

He led you toward the upper deck. No guards. That was worse. You climbed the stairs. The wind grew stronger.

At the top was a smaller lounge. Empty. Glass walls. Dark sea.

You remained near the door.

Moreau noticed.

"Your husband would approve."

"Of?"

"Your caution."

"He usually thinks I'm reckless."

"Are you?"

"Sometimes."

Moreau poured himself a drink. "Would you like one?" "No, thank you." "You barely drink." "You notice." "I notice everything."

You smiled. "So I've gathered."

He sat. You didn't. His eyes moved toward the chair opposite him. You remained standing.

Moreau smiled. "Very well. What did you want to discuss?"

"Sorel."

Your pulse jumped.

You kept your expression neutral. "What about him?"

"You interest him."

"I noticed."

"That is rare."

"I feel honored."

"You shouldn't."

You stared.

There.

A warning.

Maybe.

"Why?"

Moreau looked into his glass. "Emil has an unfortunate tendency to become consumed by unusual problems."

"Am I a problem?"

"I don't know yet."

You smiled. "Reassuring."

"He believes he's seen you before."

"He's mistaken."

"Perhaps."

Moreau looked at you. "But he's rarely mistaken."

Your tiger pressed against your mind. You ignored her.

"Then perhaps we crossed paths."

"Perhaps."

Moreau stood. He walked toward you. Not close enough to threaten. Close enough.

"Have you ever undergone quirk testing?"

Your stomach dropped.

Cover.

Aya.

Normal civilian investor.

No hero quirk.

"Standard childhood assessments."

"Nothing advanced?"

"No."

"Experimental?"

You laughed softly. "Definitely not."

His gaze remained fixed.

"Liar."

Your blood froze.

One word.

Quiet.

You smiled. "Excuse me?"

Moreau smiled too. "There."

"Where?"

"That."

He lifted his glass toward you. "You become very still when you're lying."

Your pulse hammered.

Katsuki would have laughed.

Of course you had a tell.

Apparently everyone knew except you.

You forced your shoulders to loosen. "Then perhaps I'm offended."

"Perhaps."

Moreau turned toward the window. "Relax, Aya."

You hated the name in his voice.

"I don't care whether you've had experimental treatment."

Your tiger snarled.

He continued. "Nearly everyone wealthy enough to sit in that room has altered something."

Cosmetic quirks.

Enhancements.

Illegal medicine.

That was what he thought.

Maybe.

You let yourself breathe.

"My family valued privacy."

"Understandable."

"Then why ask?"

"Because Emil does not react to people without reason."

You looked toward the sea. "And how did he react to me?"

Moreau smiled.

"Interested."

Your stomach turned.

The door opened.

Exactly five minutes.

Katsuki.

You almost laughed from relief.

He stood in the doorway. "Time."

Moreau checked his watch. "Remarkably precise." Katsuki smiled. "Usually am."

You walked toward him. His hand found your waist instantly. This time you did not resent it. At all.

That frightened you.

Moreau watched. "Ren." Katsuki looked at him. "Tomorrow." "Six." "Don't be late." Katsuki's eyes narrowed. "We won't."

Moreau left first.

You waited until he disappeared down the stairs.

Katsuki turned to you. "What happened?" "Not here." His expression sharpened. "Bad?" "Maybe." "Fuck."

You touched his chest. "Later."

His hand covered yours.

Not performance.

You knew because no one was there.

Your heart stuttered.

He didn't move it.

Neither did you.

Then the vessel lurched.

Hard.

You stumbled.

Katsuki caught you immediately.

"What the fuck?"

An alarm sounded.

Once.

Twice.

Then stopped.

Silence.

You looked toward the windows.

The sea remained black.

Katsuki's grip tightened around you. "Engine?" "No." "Then what?"

Another vibration moved through the floor.

Not mechanical.

Impact.

Your tiger roared.

White.

Your vision flashed pale.

You gasped.

Katsuki saw.

"White?"

You grabbed his arm. "Something happened below."

Another impact.

Then screaming.

Not one person.

Many.

Prowl surged.

Orange skipped entirely.

White light burned at the edges of your vision.

Your ears manifested before you could stop them.

Translucent.

Glowing.

White.

Fuck.

Katsuki stared. "Put it down." "I can't." "Yes, you can." "I can't."

Pain tore through your head.

You grabbed the railing.

Prowl was not trying to attack.

She was trying to get out.

To them.

Whatever was below.

The screams continued. Muffled through several decks.

Katsuki moved in front of you. Blocked you from the windows. "Look at me." You tried. White light blurred his face. "Katsuki." "Look at me."

You focused on red.

His eyes.

His voice.

His hands on your shoulders.

"Bring her down."

"Something's wrong."

"I know."

"They're hurting them."

"I know."

"She can feel it."

"I know."

"I can't shut her out."

"Then don't."

You stared. "What?"

"Control her."

His voice lowered.

"Don't fight her. Control her."

Your breathing slowed.

Right.

War.

That was how you had reached black.

Not suppression.

Alignment.

Prowl wasn't separate.

Never had been.

You closed your eyes.

Wait.

The tiger fought.

Wait.

Pain.

Fear.

Many.

I know.

The pressure eased slightly.

Soon.

White faded.

Your ears disappeared.

You sagged.

Katsuki caught you.

His arms wrapped around you.

For several seconds, you stayed there. Face pressed into his chest. Breathing. Alive.

He held you tighter.

"You good?"

"No."

"Yeah."

You laughed weakly. "That's my line."

"Stealing it."

You pulled back. His hands remained on your arms.

"What happened?"

"I don't know."

The alarm sounded again. This time longer.

Then footsteps.

Many.

Security moving below.

You looked toward the stairs. "Katsuki." "No." "You don't even know what I'm going to say." "Yes, I do."

"We need to see."

"No."

"If something breached containment..."

"We don't know that."

"Exactly."

"You just went white without summoning."

"I noticed."

"Which means whatever's down there is connected to you somehow."

Your stomach tightened.

Sorel.

Prowl recognizing him.

Quirk testing.

Have we met before?

No.

Maybe.

You whispered: "What if he knows my quirk?"

Katsuki's face changed. "How?" "I don't know." "War?" "Maybe." "Your sister?"

You froze.

The thought hadn't occurred to you.

Adjacent quirk.

Your sister.

Not identical.

But related.

Same bloodline.

Same quirk factor roots.

Prowl recoiled.

Not fear this time.

Grief.

You stopped breathing.

"Katsuki."

He saw it. "What?"

"My sister."

His expression softened. "No."

"You don't know."

"Neither do you."

"Her body..."

You stopped.

The sentence was awful.

Her body had been recovered. Eventually. But not immediately. War created chaos. Records vanished. People disappeared. Hospitals overloaded. Quirk research organizations had descended on battle zones afterward offering humanitarian support.

You had never questioned all of them.

Until now.

Your stomach turned.

"What if they had access to her?"

Katsuki's face went still.

Not because he thought it was impossible.

Because he didn't.

"No."

"You can't say no."

"Not until we know."

"Exactly."

You stepped toward the stairs.

His hand caught yours.

"You're not going down there."

"Katsuki."

"No."

"If this has something to do with her..."

"I know."

"No, you don't."

His expression hardened.

"You wanna do this again?"

You stopped.

He stepped closer. "Fine. I don't know exactly what you're feeling. But I know what happens when you decide you gotta fix everything alone."

"I don't."

"You do."

"This isn't about me."

"It always fuckin' becomes about you when you're willing to die for it."

Your chest tightened.

"I promised."

"So keep it."

You stared at him.

No hero shit.

His hand tightened around yours.

"We get off this boat."

"And then?"

"Tomorrow we get to Eidolon."

"What if there is no tomorrow?"

His jaw clenched. "There is."

"You don't know that."

"I do."

"How?"

His answer came immediately.

"Because I'm not letting anything happen to you."

Silence.

Your heart stopped.

Katsuki seemed to realize what he had said.

Too late.

Neither of you moved.

You whispered: "You can't promise that."

"Already did."

"No. You promised no hero shit."

"Different promise."

Your chest hurt.

"Katsuki."

His eyes stayed on yours.

"Don't."

You stared.

He smiled slightly. "See? My turn."

Your mouth opened.

Nothing came out.

Then footsteps sounded on the stairs.

You both moved instantly.

Ren and Aya.

Katsuki's arm wrapped around your waist.

You leaned against him.

A guard appeared.

"Mr. and Mrs. Takahashi. Please return to the salon."

"What happened?" Katsuki asked.

"Technical issue."

You almost laughed.

The man had blood on his cuff.

Not his.

You knew.

Katsuki saw it too.

His expression did not change.

"Technical," he repeated.

"Yes, sir."

You looked frightened.

Not difficult.

You didn't have to act much.

"Is everyone all right?"

The guard looked at you. "Of course."

Liar.

You smiled shakily.

Katsuki pulled you closer. "Come on."

You walked downstairs.

The salon was chaos pretending not to be. Music had restarted. Champagne was being poured. Guests spoke quietly. Security stood everywhere. Too everywhere.

Moreau was nowhere in sight.

Neither was Sorel.

You noticed something else.

Vautrin was gone.

Krüger too.

Five other guests missing.

Katsuki leaned toward you. "Moved." "Where?" "Below." "You think?" "Yeah."

The doors at the far end opened.

Sorel entered.

White suit.

Perfect.

No blood.

No panic.

Nothing.

Your tiger recoiled again.

His eyes found you instantly.

You forced yourself not to react.

He walked toward you.

Katsuki stepped in front of you slightly.

Sorel smiled behind the mask. "Mrs. Takahashi." "Doctor."

He looked at your face.

Then your eyes.

Your ears were gone.

Good.

"Are you feeling well?"

Your blood froze.

Why would he ask that?

You smiled. "Fine."

Sorel tilted his head. "Headache?"

Katsuki's hand tightened around your waist.

"No."

"Nausea?"

"No."

"Pressure behind the eyes?"

Your heart began pounding.

He knew.

He knew something.

You laughed softly. "Are you diagnosing me at a party?"

Sorel did not laugh. "Old habits."

Katsuki spoke. "She said she's fine."

Sorel looked toward him.

Then back to you.

"Of course."

He reached toward your face.

Katsuki caught his wrist.

Again.

Faster this time.

Harder.

The salon went quiet around you.

Sorel looked down at Katsuki's hand.

Katsuki smiled.

Barely.

"She doesn't like being touched."

Sorel's eyes moved toward you. "Is that true?"

You looked at Katsuki.

Then Sorel.

"Very."

Sorel slowly lowered his hand.

Katsuki released him.

Something passed between the two men.

Hostility.

Recognition.

Challenge.

Sorel smiled.

"Your husband is devoted."

Your heart stumbled.

You smiled. "He has his moments."

"How fortunate."

His eyes returned to yours.

Then he said something that made every ounce of blood in your body turn cold.

"White suits you better than orange."

Silence.

You stopped breathing.

Katsuki went completely still.

Sorel walked away.

Just walked away.

Like he hadn't shattered the entire operation with one sentence.

Your fingers went numb.

Katsuki's hand closed around yours.

Hard.

"Don't react."

You could barely hear him.

"He knows."

"I know."

"He fucking knows."

"I know."

"How?"

"Not here."

Panic crawled up your throat.

White.

He knew white.

Not Vesper.

Not publicly.

Your quirk levels were not classified exactly, but the deeper manifestations had never been heavily documented. Orange appeared constantly in public work. White sometimes. Red rarely. Black almost never.

But the way he had said it.

White suits you better than orange.

Personal.

Familiar.

Prowl snarled.

Memory flickered.

White lights.

A medical tent.

Blood.

Someone wearing silver.

You grabbed Katsuki's arm.

He looked down. "What?"

"I remember something."

His eyes sharpened. "What?"

"Not enough."

"Try."

You closed your eyes.

War.

Smoke.

Hospital.

Your sister.

No.

After.

You had been injured.

You remembered that.

Not badly.

Enough to need stitches.

Quirk exhaustion.

Someone had examined your eyes.

Asked you to activate.

You had refused.

Then...

Silver.

A mask.

Your eyes opened.

"Sorel."

Katsuki's face changed. "You've met him." "I think so." "Where?" "War."

Your stomach dropped.

"He was there."

Katsuki leaned closer. "As what?" "I don't know."

You searched.

Then remembered one word.

Research.

A volunteer medical unit.

International.

Quirk trauma specialists.

Your pulse jumped.

"He was medical support."

"You sure?"

"No."

"Good enough."

Another announcement sounded.

Moreau's voice.

"We apologize for the interruption. Eurydice will return to Monaco shortly."

Relief moved through the room.

Not you.

Not Katsuki.

Because now you knew.

Tomorrow was not simply another mission objective.

Eidolon had something to do with you.

Maybe your sister.

Maybe the war.

Maybe Prowl.

And Sorel knew exactly who you were.

Katsuki pulled you closer.

His mouth moved near your ear.

"Mission changes."

You swallowed. "How?"

"We get off this boat."

"And?"

His arm tightened.

"We call Hayashi."

"What if they pull us?"

Katsuki went silent.

You looked up.

He knew.

If your identity was compromised, protocol was obvious.

Extraction.

Immediately.

Mission over.

Another team takes over.

You felt sick.

"No."

His eyes narrowed. "No what?"

"They can't pull us."

"If Sorel knows who you are, they fuckin' can."

"We're closer than anyone has ever gotten."

"Don't care."

"I do."

"Yeah, I noticed."

"Katsuki."

"No."

"Those people downstairs..."

"I know."

"My sister..."

"I know."

"If they have something connected to her..."

"I know."

"Then don't ask me to leave."

His face hardened. "I'm not asking you to die either."

"I'm not planning to."

"That's never stopped you."

You stared.

He stared back.

Then softer:

"I just got you back."

Your heart stopped.

Everything disappeared.

The salon.

The guards.

The yacht.

Sorel.

Everything.

"What?"

Katsuki's eyes widened slightly.

He had not meant to say it.

You knew immediately.

He looked away.

Too late.

"Katsuki."

"Not here."

"No."

His eyes snapped back.

You almost laughed.

His phrase.

His avoidance.

You understood now how infuriating it was.

"You just said..."

"I know what I said."

Your throat tightened.

"What did you mean?"

He stared at you.

For once, Katsuki Bakugo looked afraid.

Not of Orpheus.

Of you.

Of the answer.

Then the city lights appeared through the windows.

Monaco.

Return.

The salon erupted in relieved conversation.

The moment shattered.

Katsuki looked toward the harbor.

Then back at you.

His expression closed.

"Later."

Your stomach dropped.

You wanted to argue.

You didn't.

Because for once, later actually existed.

Eurydice entered the harbor.

Your necklace vibrated.

Once.

Signal.

Then twice.

Support restored.

Katsuki felt it.

His hand tightened around yours.

The doors opened.

Fresh air.

Dock lights.

Freedom.

Almost.

Moreau stood near the gangway.

Smiling.

"Tomorrow. Six."

Katsuki looked at him. "We'll be there."

You turned toward him.

He didn't look at you.

Moreau smiled. "I hoped so."

You stepped off the vessel.

One foot.

Then the other.

The moment you reached the pier, Katsuki's phone vibrated.

Secure channel restored.

Three missed alerts.

Then a message.

STATUS CHECK REQUIRED IMMEDIATELY.

Katsuki looked at you.

You looked back.

Neither spoke.

You already knew what Hayashi would say.

Compromised identity meant extraction.

Extraction meant leaving.

Leaving meant people still inside.

Leaving meant Sorel.

Leaving meant never finding out why Prowl recognized him.

Leaving meant possibly never knowing what happened to your sister after the war.

And leaving meant returning to Japan with Katsuki after he had just said four words you couldn't stop hearing.

I just got you back.

You looked toward Eurydice.

Sorel stood on the upper deck.

Watching you.

Even from this distance, you knew.

Then he lifted one gloved hand.

And waved.

Prowl snarled inside your mind.

𝐈.　𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑨𝑺𝑺𝑰𝑮𝑵𝑴𝑬𝑵𝑻 𝐈𝐈.　𝑭𝑶𝑼𝑹 𝒀𝑬𝑨𝑹𝑺 𝑴𝑨𝑹𝑹𝑰𝑬𝑫 𝐈𝐈𝐈.　𝑬𝒀𝑬𝑺 𝑬𝑽𝑬𝑹𝒀𝑾𝑯𝑬𝑹𝑬 𝐈𝐕.　𝑺𝑬𝑳𝑳 𝑰𝑻 𝐕.　𝑮𝑶𝑰𝑵𝑮 𝑶𝑵𝑪𝑬 𝐕𝐈.　𝑾𝑯𝑨𝑻 𝑾𝑬 𝑳𝑬𝑨𝑽𝑬 𝑼𝑵𝑺𝑨𝑰𝑫 𝐕𝐈𝐈.　𝑬𝑼𝑹𝒀𝑫𝑰𝑪𝑬 ← you are here 𝐕𝐈𝐈𝐈.　𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑫𝑶𝑪𝑻𝑶𝑹 𝐈𝐗.　𝑷𝑹𝑶𝑻𝑶𝑪𝑶𝑳 𝐗.　𝑬𝑰𝑫𝑶𝑳𝑶𝑵 　　 𝐗𝐈.　𝑵𝑶 𝑴𝑶𝑹𝑬 𝑪𝑨𝑴𝑬𝑹𝑨𝑺 𝐗𝐈𝐈.　𝑵𝑶𝑩𝑶𝑫𝒀 𝑾𝑨𝑻𝑪𝑯𝑰𝑵𝑮 𝐗𝐈𝐈𝐈. 𝑶𝑹𝑷𝑯𝑬𝑼𝑺 𝑭𝑨𝑳𝑳𝑺 𝐗𝐈𝐕. 𝑨𝑭𝑻𝑬𝑹 　　　　　　　　　　　　　𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ𐀔 　　　　　　　　　　　　𝐕𝐈𝐈.　𝑬𝑼𝑹𝒀𝑫𝑰𝑪𝑬

The doors closed behind you. You heard the lock engage. A quiet mechanical click. Probably nothing to an ordinary guest. To you, it sounded like a gun being loaded.

Katsuki's hand remained at the small of your back. Warm. Steady. Entirely natural to anyone watching. Your necklace had stopped vibrating. No signal. No support. No one outside the vessel knew what was happening anymore.

You smiled. "Beautiful."

The woman escorting you looked pleased. "Eurydice is Mr. Moreau's favorite."

Of course it was.

The interior was almost offensively luxurious. Dark polished wood. Cream carpet. Gold fixtures. Art that probably belonged in museums hanging casually along the walls. Beyond a curved wall of glass, Monaco glittered across the harbor. Beautiful enough to make you forget you had just willingly stepped into what could very easily be a floating crime scene.

Katsuki leaned closer. "Eight hundred million." You smiled. "Not now." "What?" "You say that every time you see something expensive." "Still true."

The escort glanced back at you. You laughed softly and rested your hand against Katsuki's chest. "Ignore him." "Usually do," she said.

You liked her immediately. That was inconvenient.

The woman led you through the main salon. Maybe twenty people had been invited. Far fewer than the auction. You recognized Vautrin immediately, along with Krüger and several bidders from the previous night. Moretti was nowhere to be seen. You noticed that. Katsuki noticed you noticing. His thumb brushed your back once. Later.

The escort stopped near a set of open glass doors. "Mr. Moreau will join you shortly. Champagne?" "Please," you said. Katsuki took one too. Neither of you drank. The escort disappeared.

You smiled toward the harbor. Katsuki moved beside you. "Count." His voice barely moved his lips. You scanned the room. "Eight visible." "Eleven." You resisted the urge to look at him. "Where?" "Two upper level. One behind the bar." You lifted your champagne. "Show off." "Get better." "Rude."

His hand settled around your waist. You leaned into him. Your eyes continued moving. Two exits from the salon. One staircase leading upward. Another corridor leading deeper into the vessel. Security station near the entrance. No visible route below deck. That bothered you.

"If this is Eidolon," you murmured, "there has to be another level." "At least two." "How do you know?" "Draught." You turned slightly. "What?" "Boat's sitting too low." You stared at him. Katsuki looked toward the harbor. "There's more weight below than a yacht this size should carry."

You blinked. "How the hell do you know that?" His mouth twitched. "Boats." "Since when do you know boats?" "Worked a smuggling case in Yokohama." "Of course you did." "Pay attention." "I am." "To me." "Unfortunately." His fingers pressed into your waist. You smiled.

A voice appeared behind you. "You do make an entertaining couple."

Moreau.

You turned. "Lucien." He looked immaculate, as always. Black suit. No tie. Champagne in one hand. Katsuki smiled. "Starting to think you only invite us places so you can stare at us." Moreau laughed. "Perhaps."

His gaze moved toward you. "Did you enjoy the harbor?" "It's beautiful." "Monaco usually is from the water." "Usually?" Moreau's smile sharpened. "Perspective changes everything."

You hated the way he spoke. Every sentence sounded like a threat wrapped inside a fortune cookie.

"Cryptic tonight," you said. "Am I?" "Very." "Perhaps I enjoy making you curious." "You've succeeded." "I thought I might."

Moreau looked between you. "Come." He began walking. You and Katsuki followed. No choice.

He led you toward the stern. Outside. The deck opened beneath the night sky. Monaco stretched behind you in gold. For a second, you forgot everything. The water was black beneath the lights. The city rose from the shoreline. Music carried faintly from somewhere along the harbor.

"It's beautiful," you said again. This time you meant it.

Katsuki looked at you. Not the city. You didn't notice. Moreau did. His smile changed.

"This is why I prefer conducting business at sea." You looked toward him. "Privacy?" "Among other things." Katsuki leaned against the railing. "Harder for cops to knock on the door." Moreau laughed. "Always direct." "Usually works." "It does."

Moreau took a drink. "Tell me something, Ren." Katsuki's expression remained relaxed. "Depends." "If you were offered the opportunity to invest in something that technically did not exist, how would you determine its value?" Katsuki's fingers shifted against the railing. You remained still.

There. The conversation.

"Depends what doesn't exist." Moreau smiled. "A facility." You felt Prowl wake. Katsuki shrugged. "Facility doing what?" "Research." "What kind?" "Rare quirk factors." You sipped champagne without drinking. Moreau watched both of you.

"Not particularly shocking," Katsuki said. "No?" "Half the companies downstairs research quirks." "Not like this."

You joined the conversation. "What makes it different?" Moreau turned to you. "Access." "To?" "Subjects."

Your stomach twisted.

You smiled. "Human subjects." Moreau's expression did not change. "Voluntary where possible."

Where possible.

The tiger snarled.

You ignored her.

"And where it isn't?" Katsuki asked. Moreau looked toward the water. "Progress has always required moral flexibility."

Katsuki's hand tightened around his glass. You touched his arm. To anyone watching, affectionate. To him: Don't.

He relaxed. Barely.

You smiled at Moreau. "You're asking us to invest." "I'm asking whether you would." "Without seeing it?" "No."

Your pulse changed.

There.

Moreau turned toward the yacht. "I would never ask someone to purchase what they have not inspected."

Katsuki's eyes met yours.

Eidolon.

You smiled. "Then show us."

Moreau smiled back. "Tomorrow."

Your stomach sank. "Not tonight?" "Tonight is merely an introduction." Katsuki looked bored. "You dragged us to a boat at ten at night for an introduction?" "I wanted to know whether you'd come."

Test.

Again.

You laughed. "You're paranoid." "Alive."

The word hit you unexpectedly. You had said it to Katsuki in Tokyo. Paranoid. Alive. Katsuki noticed too. His eyes flicked toward you.

Moreau continued. "Tomorrow, a smaller group will travel with me." "Where?" Moreau's smile returned. "That would spoil the surprise." Katsuki looked unimpressed. "I hate surprises." "I suspected."

Moreau raised his glass. "If you're still interested, be at the marina at six." "Morning?" "Evening." You glanced toward the skyline. "Where are we going?" Moreau looked at you. "Out."

Then he walked away.

You waited until he disappeared inside. Katsuki muttered: "Fuckin' hate that guy."

You almost laughed. "Subtle." "Bathroom." "There isn't one out here." "You know what I mean."

You finished enough of your drink to make the missing amount believable. Then you turned toward him. "Walk me." His eyebrows rose. "Where?" "Bathroom." His expression became smug. "Can't make it by yourself?" You smiled sweetly. "My husband is very protective." His jaw twitched. "Yeah?" "Annoyingly." "Could leave you here." "You won't."

Something changed in his face. Again. That thing. You were beginning to recognize it without understanding it.

"Yeah," he said. Quiet. "I won't."

You looked away first.

The bathroom was located down the port corridor. Katsuki followed. You passed two guards. One camera. Another. Then reached the door. You smiled toward Katsuki. "Don't miss me." "Impossible."

You paused.

The word sounded like a joke. Mostly.

You entered. The lock clicked. You immediately checked the room. Vent. Mirror. Light fixture. Smoke detector. Nothing obvious. You turned on the sink. Then the shower. Because apparently obscenely rich yachts required full marble bathrooms for dinner guests. Your life was ridiculous.

Thirty seconds. A knock. You opened the door. Katsuki slipped inside. Locked it.

"Well?" You crossed your arms. "Tomorrow." "Yeah." "Six." "Yeah." "Somewhere out." "Yeah." You stared. He sighed. "Don't start." "I wasn't." "You made the face." "What face?" "The yeah face." "I hate that you have names for my faces." "Get used to it."

Your chest did something weird.

You ignored it.

"Eidolon could be somewhere offshore." "Or another vessel." "Or an island." "Maybe." You frowned. "There's something else." Katsuki looked at you. "Boat's too heavy." "You noticed." "Yeah." "You think there's something below." "I know there's something below." "Could be equipment." "Could be people."

Silence.

You both looked toward the door.

The tiger shifted. Restless.

You whispered: "Can we get down there?" "No." You raised an eyebrow. "No?" "Not without blowing cover." "That's never stopped you before." "It is now."

You stared.

Katsuki crossed his arms. "You promised."

Ah.

"No hero shit." "Exactly." "Technically investigating is spy shit." "Don't." You smiled. "Just clarifying."

"We get information. We get out." "If we can." His eyes narrowed. "What does that mean?" "The signal." "Blocked." "Which means they could take this thing out of the harbor and nobody would know."

Katsuki's expression hardened. "They won't." "You don't know that." "They told us tomorrow." "Moreau lies for a living." "So do we." "Exactly."

That landed.

You both went quiet.

You looked toward the sink. "We should leave." "Yeah." "Now." "Agreed."

Katsuki reached for the door. Then stopped. "What?" He looked at you. "Your hand." You frowned. "What about it?" "You're doing it."

You looked down. Thumb against index finger. Again. You forced it still. "I'm fine." "Didn't ask." "I'm fine." He stared. You exhaled. "I'm nervous."

There.

Truth number two.

Apparently Monaco was ruining you.

Katsuki's expression softened. "So am I."

You almost laughed. "You?" "Don't sound so fuckin' shocked." "I've seen you fight All For One." "Yeah." "You looked less nervous." "Different." "How?"

His eyes stayed on yours. He seemed to consider answering. Then: "Had more control over that."

Your stomach tightened. "Over what?"

His jaw shifted. For one moment, neither of you moved.

Then someone knocked.

Three sharp taps.

Both of you froze.

"Mrs. Takahashi?"

A man's voice.

Security.

You looked at Katsuki.

He reacted instantly.

His hand moved to your waist. Pulled. You stumbled into him.

"What are you doing?"

He didn't answer.

Then he kissed you.

Your mind short circuited. Again.

Only this time there was no Moreau across a dinner table. No audience. No reason.

Until the handle moved.

Right.

Cover.

You kissed him back. Instantly. Too instantly.

His hand slid around your waist. Your fingers gripped his jacket.

The door opened. Only a few inches because Katsuki's foot blocked it.

The guard stopped.

You pulled away just enough to look over Katsuki's shoulder. Your face felt hot. Good. Useful.

"Can we help you?" Katsuki asked.

The guard looked almost embarrassed. "My apologies, sir. Mr. Moreau asked that all guests return to the salon."

Katsuki's expression sharpened. "We'll be there." "Of course."

The door closed.

Silence.

You and Katsuki remained exactly where you were. His hand was still around your waist. Yours were still gripping his jacket. His face was inches away. You could feel his breath.

Neither of you spoke.

Then: "Door."

You blinked. "What?" "Lock it."

You looked behind him. The lock had been opened. Right.

You stepped away. Immediately. Too quickly. Katsuki noticed. Of course.

You locked the door again. Your heart would not slow down. "That was close." "Yeah." You adjusted your dress. Anything to do with your hands. "Good thinking."

Silence.

You looked up. Katsuki was staring at you. "What?" His eyes dropped to your mouth. Your stomach flipped. Again.

"Katsuki." "You do that every time." Your chest tightened. "Do what?" "Act like it didn't happen." You stared. "We had an audience." "Door wasn't open when I kissed you." "You heard him." "Yeah." "So?" "So I didn't have to do that."

You stopped.

There it was.

He said it.

You didn't know what to do with it.

The running water suddenly sounded deafening.

"Then why did you?"

Katsuki stared at you. Your heart began beating painfully hard. He could answer. You realized with sudden terror that you wanted him to.

Then he laughed once. Soft. Almost irritated with himself. "You're fuckin' serious?"

Your walls went up instantly. "Excuse me?" "You really don't know?" "Know what?" He stared. You hated his expression. Not angry. Disbelieving. Almost hurt.

"Katsuki." He shook his head. "No." "What?" "We're not doing this here."

You blinked. "You started it." "Yeah. Bad idea." Your chest tightened. "Fine." His eyes flashed. "There it is." "What?" "Fine." "Oh my God." "Every fuckin' time." "Then stop asking questions you don't want answers to."

His face changed.

"I do want the answer."

You stopped.

Katsuki stepped closer. Not touching. Just close.

"I've wanted the answer for years."

Silence.

Everything inside you locked.

Years.

No.

Absolutely not.

You stepped back. "Katsuki." "See?" "See what?" "Running."

You laughed. It sounded thin. "We are on a yacht owned by an international human trafficking organization." "I know where the fuck we are." "Then maybe now isn't the moment to unpack our entire relationship." "Didn't say it was." "Sure sounds like it." "I asked why you keep pretending you don't know what I'm doing."

Your throat tightened. "I don't know what you're doing." "Bullshit." "You don't get to tell me what I know." "No. But I get to tell you what I know."

You stared at him.

Danger.

Real danger.

Not Moreau.

Not Orpheus.

This.

Katsuki's voice lowered. "I know I didn't need to kiss you." Your heart slammed. "I know I keep finding excuses to touch you when nobody would fuckin' notice if I didn't." You couldn't breathe. "I know I keep waking up with you halfway on top of me and I don't move."

"Katsuki."

"And I know every time something happens, you call it work."

"Because we are working."

"Not all of it."

You stared.

The tiger went completely silent.

Traitor.

You looked toward the door. Anywhere except him.

Katsuki exhaled. Then his voice softened. "Look at me."

You didn't.

"Aya."

Your jaw tightened. "Don't call me that."

Silence.

Then: "Fine."

You almost laughed at the irony.

He tried again.

Your name never came.

Because he didn't have it.

Not here.

Not in this story.

So instead: "Vesper."

That made you look.

His face had changed.

No anger.

Just something terrifyingly open.

"I don't know what the fuck this is yet."

Your heart hurt.

He continued. "But I'm done pretending nothing's happening."

You swallowed. "I can't."

Two words.

Barely audible.

Katsuki's expression softened immediately. He didn't ask what you meant. Maybe he knew. Maybe he didn't.

He nodded once. "Okay."

That was worse.

You blinked. "Okay?" "Yeah." "That's it?" "What do you want me to do?" "I don't know." "Exactly."

You hated that he kept using your own uncertainty against you. But his voice stayed quiet.

"I'm not asking you for anything."

You looked at him. "Then what are you doing?" "Telling you." "Why?" "So you can't keep telling yourself you imagined it."

Your eyes burned.

You looked away.

He continued. "I'll play along."

Your chest tightened. "What?" "The mission." His expression hardened slightly. "You wanna call it work? Fine. I'll call it work."

You stared.

"But don't fuckin' lie to me when it's over."

Your stomach dropped.

When it's over.

Japan.

Normal lives.

No cameras.

No Ren.

No Aya.

Nothing forcing you together.

That should have felt relieving.

Instead the thought felt awful.

Katsuki saw something in your face. He always did. But he didn't push.

He unlocked the door. "Come on."

You followed.

The salon had changed.

You noticed immediately.

Music off. Guests gathered toward the center. Security at every exit.

Moreau stood near the bar. Smiling.

Too many guards.

Katsuki's hand found yours.

You gripped back.

Moreau lifted his glass. "My apologies for interrupting your evening."

Nobody spoke.

"We have a minor security concern."

Your pulse changed. Beside you, Katsuki became completely still.

Moreau continued. "It seems someone attempted to access an internal communications channel from the marina approximately twenty minutes ago."

Fuck.

Your beacon.

Maybe.

Or someone else.

You kept your face bored.

Moreau smiled. "Nothing serious. However, as a precaution, Eurydice will be departing the harbor."

Your stomach dropped.

Katsuki's hand tightened painfully around yours.

No.

No no no.

A guest laughed nervously. "Departing?" "Briefly," Moreau said. "We will return before morning."

You looked toward the windows.

Monaco.

Still there.

For now.

The engines beneath you changed.

Low vibration.

Then movement.

You felt it beneath your heels.

Eurydice pulled away from Pier 14.

Your necklace remained dead.

No signal.

No support.

Moretti had known.

Do not get on the boat tonight.

You swallowed.

Katsuki leaned toward you. Anyone watching would see affection. His lips almost touched your temple.

"Don't react." "I'm not." "You're squeezing my hand." "So are you."

He loosened slightly.

You did too.

Moreau's eyes traveled across the room. Stopped on you. Just for a second. Then moved on.

Your stomach turned.

"Katsuki." "Hm?" "He knew we'd come." "Yeah." "This wasn't an introduction." "No." "What was it?"

His eyes followed Moreau.

"A collection."

Your blood went cold.

You understood.

Private collection.

Not something you were being shown.

Something being assembled.

The invited guests.

Investors.

Buyers.

People Moreau trusted enough to move.

Or people he wanted somewhere they could not leave.

You whispered: "We need to find out where we're going." "Working on it." "How?" Katsuki's gaze moved toward the upper deck.

Bridge.

Navigation.

"Absolutely not."

He looked at you. "Thought you liked spy shit." "You promised no hero shit." "This is spy shit." "That argument sounds familiar."

His mouth twitched.

Despite everything, you almost smiled.

Then Moreau approached.

Of course.

Katsuki immediately pulled you closer. You rested your hand on his chest. Automatic now. That frightened you more than it should have.

"Leaving us so soon?" you asked.

Moreau smiled. "Only Monaco." "I wasn't aware we were taking a cruise." "Spontaneity." "My husband hates surprises." "So I've heard."

Katsuki smiled without humor. "Where are we going?" Moreau looked toward him. "Would it matter?" "Usually like knowing where people are taking my wife."

My wife.

Your heart chose the worst possible moment to react.

Moreau noticed something.

You prayed it wasn't that.

"Protective," he said.

Katsuki's arm tightened around you. "Very."

Moreau looked at you. "And does that bother you?"

You smiled. "Constantly."

"Yet you allow it."

You looked up at Katsuki. He looked down at you.

You had an answer ready. Something Aya would say. Something teasing.

Then the bathroom conversation returned.

I know I keep finding excuses to touch you.

I'm done pretending nothing's happening.

You looked back at Moreau.

"Sometimes it's nice to know someone would notice if you disappeared."

Silence.

Katsuki went completely still.

Why had you said that?

Moreau's expression changed. Not suspicion. Something more thoughtful.

"How sentimental."

You laughed softly. "Don't tell him."

Katsuki's eyes were still on you.

"I heard."

You smiled up at him. "Unfortunately."

Moreau watched.

Then: "You remind me of someone."

Your smile held. "Who?" "A woman I knew many years ago." "Should I be concerned?" "Probably."

You laughed.

Moreau didn't.

Then his attention dropped.

Your necklace.

The locator beacon.

Your blood froze.

His hand lifted. "May I?"

Every instinct screamed no.

You forced yourself to smile. "Admiring my jewelry now?" "Beautiful piece."

Katsuki's hand shifted.

Tiny.

Ready.

You touched the pendant yourself. "Anniversary gift."

Moreau looked at Katsuki. "Excellent taste."

"Know what she likes."

Your chest tightened.

Moreau reached toward the pendant.

Katsuki caught his wrist.

Everything stopped.

The room.

Your breathing.

Maybe the world.

Moreau looked down at Katsuki's hand.

Then up.

Katsuki smiled.

Not Dynamight.

Ren.

Barely.

"Ask her."

Moreau's eyes sharpened.

Your pulse hammered.

Then he smiled.

"My apologies."

Katsuki released him.

Moreau looked at you. "May I?"

Fuck.

You had no choice.

You smiled. "Of course."

His fingers touched the pendant.

Prowl roared inside you.

You held still.

Moreau turned it slightly.

Looked.

One second.

Two.

Three.

Then released it.

"Beautiful."

You breathed.

"Thank you."

Moreau smiled at Katsuki. "Forgive my curiosity."

Katsuki's hand settled at your waist. "She's particular about people touching her."

You looked at him.

That was true.

Actually true.

Moreau noticed.

Again.

"You know her well."

Katsuki's expression did not change.

"Better than anyone."

Your heart stopped.

Moreau smiled.

Then walked away.

For several seconds, you couldn't move.

Katsuki leaned toward you. "Bathroom. Now." "No." His eyebrows drew together. "Too obvious." He looked toward Moreau. You were right. Moreau had already watched you disappear together once. Again would be suspicious.

Katsuki swore under his breath.

You looked down at your pendant.

Had Moreau felt anything?

No vibration.

No warmth.

Nothing.

"Do you think he knows?" "Don't know." "Helpful." "Don't start."

You looked toward the windows.

Monaco was shrinking.

Open water ahead.

The darkness beyond the harbor looked endless.

Your tiger pressed at the edges of your consciousness. Not orange. Not yet. But close. You felt her fear.

That unsettled you.

She was rarely afraid.

Angry.

Protective.

Excited.

Never afraid.

What?

No words.

Just an image.

Darkness.

Below.

You frowned.

"What?"

Katsuki followed your gaze.

"Prowl."

His expression changed. "What about her?" "Something's wrong." "Specific." "Below us."

Katsuki looked toward the floor.

The extra weight.

Lower decks.

Your pulse jumped.

"You were right." "About?" "There's something down there." "How do you know?" "She can feel it."

Katsuki's jaw tightened. "People?" "I don't know."

The tiger pushed again.

Fear.

Pain.

Many.

Your stomach dropped.

"I think so."

Katsuki's face changed.

There was Dynamight.

Just for a second.

Rage.

Then Ren returned.

"We promised."