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“The planet Reanov has been concluded to be highly dangerous.”
The commanding officer’s voice barely catches his attention, even as the conversations around him die out to focus on Captain Todoroki Enji standing before them. Katsuki can’t bring himself to care about the mission anymore, not with what he’d discovered since coming to Reanov.
Katsuki remembers it like it was yesterday. Stationed at a base next to one of Reanov’s thriving cities, he caught sight of three beast-like creatures encircling two small children. They seemed to be siblings, both clutching things that looked like candy in their pudgy hands. The beasts crept closer, long fangs barred at the kids, their growls so loud Katsuki could hear them from his vantage point.
I have to help them, Katsuki thought, readying the blaster at his hip and breaking out into a run. They’re only kids, they did nothing wrong! He ran within range, kneeling down to prop his blaster for a steadier shot, but he knew he wasn’t going to get a good chance to stop them. There’d been too many factors, too many things to go wrong…
And then, a high-pitched whistle rang through the open air, making the beasts jerk towards the sound and forget the kids entirely. Something flew through the air, hitting the leftmost beast in the jugular. Inky blue blood burst from the wound and spilled down the beast’s front as the weapon flew back to where it came from, almost as if it had been recalled by its owner.
The violence had the kids screaming. They dropped their candy and grabbed each other’s hands as they ran away, and it’d been a miracle the beasts didn't try to follow them. Instead, they were laser-focused on finding the source of the weapon that killed their brethren.
A Reanovian darted from the shadows, a strange sword-like weapon at the ready before the closest creature could even react. Katsuki watched in awe as the tiny alien sliced through the beast’s neck, cutting the head clean off just as another charged straight for him.
Without hesitation, Katsuki focused through the scope of his gun and shot the beast as it pounced towards the Reanovian. It fell to the ground, much to the surprise of the Reanovian. He knew he should have lowered his weapon then, but Katsuki took the time to watch him through his scope.
The man looked at the beast and cautiously backed away, looking around himself to find the source of the shot. Katsuki’s finger slowly moved off the trigger as he watched on, and when he spotted Katsuki, they both stared for a moment.
Before then, Katsuki hadn’t gotten close enough to really look at any Reanovian, but he knew the basics; most were green, some blue, even a few in-between. The man that stared back at him was the in-between—a bright teal color maybe, with darker speckles lining his skin like freckles. His hair was a deeper, darker teal and curled around his face; shaggy almost, and most likely soft to the touch. He could have easily looked human if it weren’t for his skin, or the darkness surrounding his eyes, or even the small horns that poke out from the mess of curls.
Slowly, Katsuki lifted his head from the scope and looked down at the teal man. He wasn’t able to see him as well from a distance, but Katsuki couldn’t take his eyes away.
Those eyes had been striking - a bright and fiery green, appearing to almost glow within the black scleras.
“There is no way to contain these beasts, or ‘Rea-claws’ as the locals call them,” Captain Todoroki continues on, these words pulling Katsuki out of his memories. “Our enemies are scooping them up from the wilderness on this planet and dropping them into the battlefield, and with every one of our soldiers they eat, they get stronger.” The commander shakes his head, crossing his arms. “Not even standard headshots are killing them out there.”
Katsuki listens to the murmurs of his fellow soldiers, most seeming confused about what a Rea-Claw even is. From the sounds of things, the one he shot that day must have been a weakling - easy to kill, nothing in its stomach to feed off of for strength. He hadn’t even thought to ask what the creature was called then, he’d been too distracted by the Reanovian who took two of them down with his odd weapon.
His smile was bright when Katsuki made his way toward him. “You’re one of those hoomans who have come here, aren’t you?”
Normally, Katsuki would correct the aliens he encountered when they mispronounced “human” and “Earth,” but something about the Reanovian told him he wouldn’t want to. “I am, and you’re one of the locals here I take it.”
A shrug. “Local to Reanov, but not to this city.” He pointed vaguely in a direction Katsuki didn’t even look toward, too focused on his shimmering green eyes. “I’m from a smaller town a few miles that way.”
Katsuki nodded, adjusting the straps of his ammo so his hands had something to do. “My name is Bakugou Katsuki, First Lieutenant of Earth’s battalion under Captain Todoroki Enji.”
The Reanovian laughed. “I have no idea what any of that means,” he shook his head, his eyes alight with amusement, “but I’m Midoriya Izuku.”
“Izuku,” Katsuki couldn’t hold back his grin, nodding. “You took out those beasts with no problem… are you a warrior or something?”
He laughed again, and Katsuki knew then he loved the sound. “Something like that…”
Katsuki held out his hand, and Izuku looked at it with obvious confusion. “On Earth, you shake hands when you first meet someone,” Katsuki explained, shrugging away any embarrassment he could have felt.
Izuku pursed his lips, looking between Katsuki’s eyes before he grinned again. “Nice to meet you, Katsuki.” He reached out, taking hold of Katsuki’s hand, and immediately the two of them tensed up.
It was electric. Not in a way that hurt, but his arm had felt loose and his body felt as though the gravity had given way, and he knew Izuku felt the same from the surprise on his face. His skin tingled from their point of contact, snaking its way up Katsuki’s arm and all he knew then was a sense of calm.
“You,” Izuku murmured, sounding breathless. Katsuki stared back, unabashedly drawn to Izuku, only to feel his entire body grow heavy again when Izuku pulled away. Izuku’s skin grew darker, making the star-like designs of his freckles stand out and Katsuki wondered if this was some sort of blush. “Did you…?”
“Feel that?” Katsuki asked and his voice had been softer than he’d meant, but he didn’t care. “Yeah… what—”
“Come with me,” Izuku said, and Katsuki was willing to drop everything when Izuku took his hand again, pulling him in a random direction.
He’d felt like it was a dream following after Izuku, practically floating on his steps as they ran through the red trees of the forest. It was the first time Izuku took him to his fort, and it was certainly not the last after he explained Reanovian culture and the meaning behind what he called “the spark.”
Katsuki stares down at his hand now, seeing the subtle green veins growing within his skin from his contact with Izuku.
“Bakugou?” Katsuki jumps in his seat, looking up to find Captain Todoroki’s son staring down at him. Lieutenant Todoroki Shouto is frowning, briefly glancing at Katsuki's hand before focusing back on his face. “Were you listening at all?”
He looks around the room, all the other seats now empty. Katsuki tries to remember what Captain Todoroki had said, but he can’t recall a single thing after he mentioned the Rea-claws. “Something about the Rea-claws, right?”
Lieutenant Todoroki frowns, his brow furrowed. “We’ve been ordered to wipe out this planet.”
Katsuki stands quickly, nearly knocking into Todoroki in the process. “What? The whole planet?!”
“Yes, the whole planet,” Todoroki steps back, shrugging. “According to the research, Rea-claws are born through a natural process of this planet’s ecosystem. The only way to stop them for good is to destroy the planet.”
“But what about the Reanovians?!”
Todoroki raises a brow, shaking his head. “Rea-claws are higher in population than Reanovians; their people are basically extinct at this point. It’d be better to just—”
“Just what?” Katsuki seethes, shoving Todoroki further back to get out of the row of chairs. “Just kill an entire population of intelligent, gentle creatures because their lives are worth less than ours?!”
“Bakugou, the entire galaxy is in danger if Rea-claws continue to exist.”
Katsuki’s heart is thundering in his chest. “Th-then save the Reanovians first!”
Todoroki shakes his head, having some decency to look concerned. “This order comes from the top of the command, it’s already set in motion; the planet will be destroyed by the end of the day.”
He can’t breathe. Izuku’s face flashes in his mind, the markings on his skin flaring with heat, telling him something is wrong. He already knows, Izuku already knows.
“Bakugou… Reanovians wouldn’t survive for long off this planet,” Todoroki says, voice soft as though he’s trying to placate him. “This is a mercy to them…”
Katsuki scowls, shoving Todoroki away again and rushing out of the command center, away from their makeshift camp. Other soldiers call out to him on his way, but he doesn’t hear them as he grabs his blaster and runs.
Izuku’s voice carries over him, the lore of the Reanovian spark replaying for the hundredth time since he first heard it.
“It is believed that our people were born of stardust,” Izuku had said, tracing his fingers over Katsuki’s hand. Katsuki had been sitting on a makeshift stool in Izuku’s fort, completely in awe of Izuku just moments after they’d met. Back then, the veins growing into his skin were only just sprouting. Izuku smiled at the way they glowed under his touch. “Your planet, your people… they’re within this galaxy as well?”
Katsuki nodded. “A few planets over, yeah… lots of humans believe we’re born from stardust too…”
Izuku turned his hand over, showing Katsuki the light orange veins at his fingertips. “We’re from the same star.”
“H-how did,” Katsuki stopped short, confused as to how he affected someone of a different species. “Humans can’t do that… why—how is this happening?”
Izuku just smiled. “Perhaps your people just never saw the spark being formed before.”
“The spark…?”
He took Katsuki’s hand again, traced the veins with his fingers, the green glow returning. “The spark.”
The spark, as it turned out, was a connection between two people who were, supposedly, born from the same star. Katsuki never gave that much thought, but he did like the way their connection grew over time. Before long, the veins were sprouting in other parts of his body where Izuku had touched—his shoulder, his back, his chest—anywhere their skin made contact.
It didn’t just leave behind a mark however; Katsuki suddenly knew more about Izuku with each passing day, things he never knew he’d learn about a person. He could tell what his emotions were, whether he’d been hurt—sometimes, when they were side by side, it felt as though Katsuki knew exactly what Izuku was thinking. And if he focused hard enough, he could tell exactly where Izuku was.
Today, Izuku was in his fort, and he was panicking.
Katsuki’s heart pounds against his chest the faster he runs, his legs aching from the strain. They’d been on Reanov for three months now, and not once has Katsuki truly needed to run like this; the command kept them stationed at base, taking patrols in shifts and staying clear of the Reanovians. It didn’t stop Katsuki from meeting with his spark’s creator, or spending time with Izuku.
Perhaps it was a mistake to have accepted their connection.
Katsuki didn’t really care.
Izuku is waiting outside the tattered walls made of blankets, arms tight in a self-soothing hug. Katsuki nearly slips in his effort to stop before he barrels into him, wanting to provide Izuku with comfort of his own.
“Is it true?”
Katsuki’s breath is labored, words failing him. He knows Izuku knows. He can feel it, that Izuku already has his answer.
I want to hear it from you.
Katsuki gulps, trying to catch his breath.
I want you to deny it.
Katsuki's jaw trembles as he tries to find the words. Izuku’s eyes glisten with unshed tears. His emotions are at war and Katsuki isn’t sure what Izuku wants more—the painful truth, or a comforting lie.
I need you.
Katsuki drops his blaster and reaches out just as Izuku falls forward, catching him in his arms and holding him tight. Even as they fall to the dirt beneath them, he holds on, Izuku’s warmth a calming presence despite the circumstances.
“K-Kacchan,” Izuku breathes out the nickname he’d given him, his voice broken and teary, “w-why would your people order something like that?”
He shakes his head, cheek brushing against Izuku’s unkempt hair. It tickles his skin, and Katsuki wishes this wasn’t the first time he got to properly hold Izuku. “They think… they think Reanov is dangerous to the galaxy as a whole because of—”
“Rea-claws are the dangerous thing, not my people!” Izuku argues, pulling back to look at Katsuki. He’s angry, not at Katsuki, but it doesn’t stop him from flinching at the fire in Izuku’s eyes. “Rea-claws are stupid, monstrous creators, but they’re not unkillable!”
Katsuki hesitates, remembering the pieces of Captain Todoroki’s announcement he did listen to. “Rea-claws grow stronger with every soldier they eat… it becomes nearly impossible—”
“Impossible for your weak blasters maybe,” Izuku huffs, shaking his head, “but you forget, my people have their own weapons.”
Izuku stands abruptly, pulling Katsuki with him as he turns into the tattered fabric of his fort’s entrance. Inside, Izuku doesn’t let go of Katsuki, leading him to the old couch. Resting on the cushions is the sword-like weapon Katsuki had seen Izuku use the day they met.
He hands it to Katsuki now, the weight of it completely unexpected for Katsuki. He nearly drops it, holding the handle tightly to look over the blade.
The metal has markings similar to the veins that are slowly growing along Katsuki’s body, along with a heat that pulsates the longer Katsuki holds it. Suddenly, the markings along the metal begin to change from the green color Katsuki now associates with Izuku to a bright orange, not unlike the orange veins Izuku’s body now bears.
“This is a Rea-sur,” Izuku explains, gesturing to the weapon. “A Reanovian named Aizawa created it from metals mined from the planet, and the first to wield this type of weapon—the ‘warrior,’ as you call them—was my teacher, Toshinori.”
Katsuki lifts the weapon, the light of the lamp Izuku hung from his make-shift structure shines against the metal, giving it an almost holographic appearance.
“Eraser…?”
Izuku’s brow furrows. “What?”
“You just called it an eraser.”
“No! Rea-sur!”
Katsuki huffs, shaking his head. “Still sounds like eraser.”
Huffing, Izuku takes back his weapon, flipping it seamlessly in his hand. “The point is, this metal is like poison to Rea-claws—Aizawa and Toshinori worked together to create the perfect weapon to save our people.”
“Then,” Katsuki’s jaw shifts as he considers his next words, looking at the weapon thoughtfully. “We need to show this to my captain—prove to them that Reanovian technology can help us fight in this war.”
Izuku is hopeful, Katsuki can feel it. There’s a warmth flowing up his arm from their initial contact point, and Katsuki suddenly feels the urge to kiss him—the urge that Izuku wants to kiss him.
He doesn’t hold back, leaning in and meeting Izuku halfway as their lips connect. It’s a different kind of heat, one that spreads through his entire body, lighting his senses ablaze. He feels properly grounded for the first time since landing on Reanov, since meeting Izuku—before, he felt lighter than air when they touched, but now… everything was right where it needed to be.
They pull apart, but Katsuki can still feel Izuku’s lips on his own, tingling and soft and warm. He licks his lips, staring into Izuku’s eyes.
There’s nothing that needs to be said—they both already know.
The sun is beginning to set as they leave. “Captain Todoroki said the planet is to be destroyed by the end of the day,” Katsuki explains, stooping to grab his blaster before they break into a run.
“What about your people? The other soldiers?”
Katsuki leads the way through the red foliage, the path back to basecamp practically written into his soul. “They’re probably already loading up our ships now!”
Izuku is at his side as they race through the trees, determination to save the planet amplified between their shared emotions.
The moment they come upon the clearing where the camp was set up, they’re met with the loud roaring of the ship engines and yelling from sergeants commanding their troops. Katsuki looks around the area, trying to find his commanding officer.
He’s distracted however by the dread settling over Izuku. Katsuki turns to him instead, looking him over in confusion. “What is it?”
“Rea-claws are drawn to sounds and mass gatherings,” Izuku explains, looking around the edge of the clearing. “They’re going to—”
He doesn’t finish that sentence—he doesn’t need to, as the very thing he’s explaining has happened.
There’s shouting, blasters going off as Rea-claws storm the area, wailing cries as they attack the soldiers. Katsuki sees Captain Todoroki and his son rushing toward the creatures, and he knows what needs to happen.
“Izuku, save them,” he says, but Izuku already heard his request through their spark. His Rea-Sur is shooting through the air, a high-pitched whistle ringing as it shoots towards the largest beast. The holographic shine of the metal is all Katsuki can make out as the sword cuts through and kills the creature before it can harm anyone.
The other Rea-claws stop dead in their tracks, looking to Izuku instead of the soldiers. His Rea-sur shoots through the air again, Izuku’s hand raised as if directing the weapon to return to him—but not before taking out a few more beasts along the way. He catches it deftly, swinging it around to a different hold before charging towards the Rea-claws to continue taking them down.
Katsuki hurries after him, shooting at smaller Rea-claws with his blaster. He sees Captain Todoroki and changes which way he was running to head towards him instead.
“Captain!”
“Lieutenant, what is that?” Captain Todoroki calls out to him, staring at Izuku as he takes down another Rea-claw.
Katsuki stops before his commanding officer, gesturing behind himself to where he knows Izuku is. “That is the answer to our problems.”