The rain in Musutafu didn’t just fall,it held a grudge. Katsuki stood on the edge of a rusted fire escape, the neon glow of a subterranean cyber-district reflecting off his wet leather jacket. In this alternate neon-noir reality, Quirks didn't exist. Instead, people modified their bodies with "Spark-Tech"volatile, bio-mechanical enhancements. Katsuki’s forearms hummed with heavy, unauthorized Nitroglycerin-turbines. He was a solo mercenary, and he was currently tracking a ghost.
A shadow materialized at the end of the alley below. The figure wore a frayed, oversized green hoodie, the hood pulled low, but Katsuki would recognize that clumsy yet terrifyingly efficient stride anywhere. It was Izuku. A rogue data-thief who had replaced his own nervous system with a legendary, experimental mainframe called One For All.
Katsuki dropped from the third story, landing with a heavy, hydraulic thud that cracked the concrete. "You're lagging, Deku," Katsuki growled, his palms sparking a sharp, electric orange. "The tech-syndicate has a clean lock on your signal. You're dead in the water."
Izuku didn't run. He just looked up, his eyes glowing with bright green data-streams rolling down his retinas. A soft, frustratingly calm smile broke across his face. "Always so loud, Kacchan. Your threat-metrics are completely off today. My firewall is immaculate."
"Shut up with the tech-talk," Katsuki snapped, stepping closer until he was invading Izuku's space, the heat from his turbines evaporating the rain between them. "You stole data from the highest tier of the corporate ladder. They sent me to scrap you. You think this is a joke?"
Izuku’s smile faded, replaced by something intense, a look that always managed to short-circuit Katsuki’s circuits. Izuku reached out, his metal-reinforced fingers gently catching the lapel of Katsuki's jacket. "Then scrap me, Kacchan. But we both know your code isn't written to let me go."
Katsuki's breath hitched. The proximity was overwhelming, a chaotic mix of ozone, rain, and the unmistakable warmth of the nerd who had been his shadow since they were kids playing with scrap metal in the junkyards. Katsuki grabbed Izuku’s wrist, his grip tight but entirely devoid of the violence he promised the rest of the city.
"You're a glitch in my system," Katsuki muttered, his voice dropping an octave as he pulled Izuku closer into the shadow of the fire escape, shielding him from the view of the main street.
"A glitch you keep saving," Izuku whispered back, pulling his hood down fully to look Katsuki dead in the eye, his green curls damp against his forehead.
Katsuki didn't answer with words. He jammed his thumb onto a small device on his belt, triggering a localized EMP that temporarily blinded the city's surveillance cameras overhead. In the sudden darkness, he grabbed the back of Izuku's neck, pulling him into a rough, desperate kiss that tasted like static electricity and rain. Izuku melted into it instantly, his free hand anchoring around Katsuki's waist, his internal mainframe overclocking so hard Katsuki could literally feel the heat radiating through his hoodie.
When Katsuki finally pulled away, his chest heaving, he let out a low click of his tongue. "We need to move before the sector reboots. Grab your gear, nerd."