The Wild, Wild West, and the Wilder Love of Vigilantes

[LovelyBones]

Live on the frontier was hard at times, especially when Izuku's father was away for business, leaving him and his mom behind for days, weeks, sometimes a month or two at a time, even of money was sent to them weekly to pay their dues, pay for food and supplies. The greenette was a bright-eyed, sweet child, one all the ladies seemed to love to spoil with the occasional sweet, or head pats. After all, he was adorable, polite, and oh so helpful-- how can anyone tell him no if he asked for one small little snack, or maybe a toy for his help?

Though, most kids avoided him, or even bullied him. They called him a crybaby, a brown nose, and many other mean things. Izuku was just an empathetic, genuinely kind and helpful child-- what was so wrong with that? And there was also something weird they'd always bring up-- that he was something called an 'omega'. What was wrong with being an omega, whatever that was? All he knew was that apparently, the kids in town didn't like him for it, and when he asked his mom, all he got was a nervous smile, before being hugged close. 'It's nothing that's wrong with you, hun, you just keep being yourself, okay? One day, they'll realize they've been needlessly mean, and regret it all when you're all grown up and happy.' His mom would say, but....

Growing up takes too long, and being lonely without any friends made it even longer.

Word soon began to spread that a new family was coming to town-- a man, woman, and a little boy-- and that they would be the new tailors for their sandy little town. The thought was so exciting, that every day, Izuku would wait would wait at the archway to the road leading into town, eager to meet the new boy coming to live there. Maybe, if he meets him first, Izuku will finally have a friend to play with, laugh with!! No more bullying, no more loneliness!! He just hoped the new family would be nice-- if they weren't, things may not work put at all.

And so, for a the next few days, he'd stayed at the archway, worrying at the hat his father left him in his small hands, waiting till sundown each day, praying that he'll get the new friend he so sorely wanted, needed in his life. If he would be just another bully in town.... then he'll be disheartened, and accept that he'll just have to put up with all of his struggles alone.

[CRYBABY]

Katsuki sulked in the back of the caravan with a few of the family belongings and tailoring supplies while his mother and father sat up steering the horses. He had been denied sitting up front with his parents due to him not listening when his mother told him to stop asking if they were there yet. He was tired of traveling, he just wanted to be there already. He wanted to see what the town had to offer, he wanted to know what the other kids were like. Katsuki was known to have an explosive, loud personality that made it difficult for him to find genuine friendship. A lot of his friends from back home followed the blonde because he was strong and abrasive, not because they cared for him at all. Leaving those friends behind was easy, the boy figured they were already following some other chump around.

Crossing his small arms across his chest the blonde made one last attempt to be rebellious and test his mothers patience, she was easy to anger and would yell or hit him for the smallest inconvenience anyway, so sometimes the little blonde made his punishment worth it. “Tch. Are we there yet?” He called out loud enough for his parents to hear him. On cue his mother was leaning in the back swatting his head screaming “ENOUGH YOU BRAT!” The boy was grinning mischievously while taking his punishment.

After things calmed down Katsuki spent the remainder of their trip carving pictures into the side of the caravan, something he would definitely be in trouble for, when his mother called for him to join them up front. As he did he noticed they were coming up on a town. Finally! Katsuki was bouncing with excitement, hardly able to contain himself he was pulling at his fathers sleeve and grinning wide. The little blonde was ready, he was ready to make friends, to excel in learning, and be the best! Bakugou Katsuki is a winner.

As the caravan moved towards the archway of town, Katsuki noticed a rather small figure standing nearby holding an object. He squinted his eyes to see better only to be rewarded with the sight of a green haired boy standing shyly twiddling with a hat. The image of the boy became clearer as the caravan made the seemingly slow trek in to town, soon they were passing by, Katsuki leaning dramatically over the lap of his father to get a really close look at the boy, nearly fell off, his father having to hold on to his trousers. The blonde’s heart did a flip as their eyes met, those emerald orbs were so pretty and… sad? Katsuki’s intense gaze never leaving the boy until it was no longer possible for him to see the other boy. Meanwhile, Masaru sat smiling at his son.

[LovelyBones]

Izuku grew excited as the caravan grew close, revealing a family of three-- a man, woman, and a son the greenette's age. Though, when the wagon came closer, allowing the small boy to see more of the family, he soon found his eyes locking on the pretty rubies the other boy had. They were so sharp, and fierce.... but Loyal, maybe? As he realized he was going to lose sight of the other boy soon, he tried to run, keep up, but he was.... Small, clumsy, and he ended up tripping on a rock, kicking up a cloud of dried dirt from the impact. When he finally could stand again, the wagon was clear on the side of town, but he dusted himself off the best he could, and began his trot once more, careful not to trip again. Sure, his knee was scraped, but it wasn't something new for him. At least he wasn't pushed into a water trough for the horses like last week, with a scrape on his nape and line-bruises on his legs.

It didn't take him too long to finally catch up to the covered wagon, and he noticed all the other kids already crowding around it. He grew nervous, knowing the other kids would find ways to make him look bad in front of the new boy, so he tried to find a spot where he could watch out for the blonde, and maybe find a way to talk to him alone, get to know him. And though, yes, he had been running as fast as his tiny legs could carry him, the way his heart pounded in his chest felt heavy, soft like a bunny, and so, so warmly. He was hoping to find that boy, and make him his friend-- he showed interest, didn't he? After all, the other boy almost fell out of the wagon to get a good look at him-- that had to mean he liked Izuku, right?

And so, he found a lean-to to climb up on nearby, and stood on shaky legs, looking for the boy his heart was set on.

[CRYBABY]

When the caravan came to a stop, Katsuki tried his hardest to wiggle free from his fathers grasp but to no avail. He sat impatiently waiting instruction from his parents…why else would they not let him go? His mom grabbed him by the cheeks, in a stern and assertive voice she made it very clear that Katsuki was to behave and come home before the sun went down. She explained that this was their home now and if she heard news of a rowdy, blonde boy causing ruckus for anyone his punishment would be dire. In her own words she doesn’t want to be inconvenienced by him. That was no different than the rules he had back home so why she needed to be dramatic about it he wasn’t sure. Either way, with a kiss on the head his father let go of his trousers and the boy was free! He jumped down from the caravan almost immediately and his heart was set on running back to the doe eyed boy, but before he knew it there was a hand on his shoulder. With a scowl on his soft features he turned around.. “Ehh? What do you extras want?!” He nearly yelled, shaking off the taller boys hand from his shoulder.

All of a sudden he was surrounded by other kids, and boy were they nosy, asking him all sorts of questions ‘What’s your name?’ ‘Where did you come from?’ ‘Are these your families horses?’ ‘How long was the journey?’ He stood silent, eyeing the crowd for the green haired boy he saw earlier but he couldn’t find him… surely the kid would come and greet him, why wouldn’t he? “Move!” He said, a bit annoyed and overwhelmed, moving through the crowd. These kids were too loud! As he finally made it past the crowd he saw the boy he had been looking for. He stomped over to him, scowl on his face but it wasn’t of ill intent, more so that the boy wasn’t used to actually smiling in front of others. “Hey, you!” He says pointing at the greenette.

[LovelyBones]

Izuku's face glowed as the blonde sought him out, and smiled widely when the other had even pointed to him, ignoring the other kids. "It's me!" He called back, before sitting on the edge of the lean-to, positively radiant as his emeralds sparkled with joy at being noticed. "I'm Izuku, what's your name?" He asked brightly, his little legs kicking the air softly. He was so excited-- how could he not be? And the fact this boy noticed him felt so, so nice.... "I heard you came from really far!! Was it really long, though? Did you see anything neat on the way here?" He then asked, eager to get to know the little blonde he was so smitten with.

He soon carefully crawled down to meet the other boy on the ground, before bouncing closer, big eyes locked onto scowly rubies. "Do you wanna come play? Or maybe go to the rabbit pens to pet them?" He asked, eager to show the other his favorite spots, make fun memories with him. The little greenette was so soft and sweet, and almost blinding with his big, genuine smile. He was precious, despite what the other kids thought of him. "Do you have a favorite game to play? I normally play pretend that I'm the sherriff, catching bad guys and putting them in jail! Though.... I normally play alone.... the other kids don't like me much. I don't know why...." Izuku deflated a bit, worrying at his too-big hat with tiny hands. "The kids here are really mean.... they like tripping me and pushing me into bad places that hurt."

[CRYBABY]

The small, greenette’s reaction to Katsuki’s attention made his heart swoon. He was young and unsure of what this meant, but he felt a deep need to be near the boy, to protect him. His voice was soft, eager, with that faint tinge of sadness the blonde picked up on in his eyes just before. “Katsuki.” He introduced himself nonchalantly, even though internally he was just as excited as Izuku. He placed his arms behind his head, kicking out one of his legs, trying his hardest to act like he didn’t care when he answered the other questions… “Yeah, far enough. It took many days to get here but I couldn’t tell ya how many. I lost track. Of course I didn’t see anything interesting… don’t you know how boring it is to sit in the back of a caravan?”

His lips curled up in a grin, closest thing the boy got to a public smile, when the other boy crawled down to meet him. Katsuki was taller than him and he preened at that, he liked being the bigger kid. He was also heavier than him, but not by too much, this kid was small. His smile so big and bright that Katsuki never wanted him to stop.

The rambunctious blonde had to fight the urge to tackle Izuku. He didn’t want to hurt the other boy, he just wanted to show off his strength. That was until he heard Izuku say the other kids were mean to him, hurt him, and that the poor, sweet boy was forced to play all alone. His eyes darkened in disgust of how Izuku was treated, he grabbed his small hand, surprisingly softly despite his anger. “Like hell they’re going to touch you while I’m here. You stick with me, Izuku, and I’ll protect you. Always. Now, lead the way to the bunnies or whatever you want to do.” The blonde glanced over his shoulder, blatantly glaring at the other kids. Katsuki hated bullies.

[LovelyBones]

Izuku, as sweetly oblivious as he could be, picked up on the 'cool guy' act the blonde was displaying, only to giggle sweetly, almost honored. Didn't boys act like this towards girls in all the stories mom told him, because they were in love? "Katsuki.... I like Katsuki!" Both his name, and the boy himself. "I've never been in a caravan before-- I've lived here with mom my whole life! Dad might know what being in a caravan is like, though.... But, he left for work a long, long time ago, and all I hear of him is through letters he sends to us, along with money." Izuku frowned sadly at that. "I miss him.... And.... He's been gone so long, it's hard to remember his face...."

Finding out Katsuki was bigger than him made him happy, oddly enough. It meant being big enough to be enveloped in big hugs, being protected. Katsuki was a healthy, growing boy! Izuku ate well enough with his mom, he was just.... tiny. Burnt off the food he ate a bit too easily. But, his mom was also short, too, even compared to some of the other ladies in town. Maybe he was doomed to be forever short?

When the blonde took his hand, Izuku's little heart slipped a beat, even in his sadness, only for the other to promise to protect him, so long as Izuku stayed at his side. Big, sweet eyes grew glassy, wet before he was crying in joy as he nodded, giving Katsuki the warmest, most tender hug he's given to anyone so far, before sniffling and pulling the boy along, a happy bounce in his step. "O-okay!! Bunnies first!!" He giggled wetly, using his free sleeve to try to dry his eyes as they went. Some adults watched as the pair trotted off towards the farm on the edge of town, most of the little ladies being in hushed awe, others smiling knowingly. Those two were absolutely smitten, and the little boys had no idea, not one bit.

They were too young to realize this is what love felt like.

[CRYBABY]

Unbeknownst to the young blonde, his cheeks set aflame at the cute giggle from Izuku. “Of course you like it! It’s my name and I’m the best.” He said proudly, puffing his chest out a bit. It was so important for the boy to impress Izuku and if doing so elicited these small, adorable giggles he would really say anything. “Tch. Screw a caravan ride, I’ll take you on the back of a horse one day when we leave this place.” When the little greenette frowned while talking about his father, Katsuki felt both angry and sympathetic. How could someone leave this little boy? What was Izuku’s father even doing that was more important than his son? Of course the young blonde was being irrational, there were many adult reasons as to why Izuku’s father would need to leave but all he knew was this made the doe eyed boy sad, and Katsuki hated seeing him sad. Katsuki had both his parents, he always did, and even though his mother wasn’t the best he couldn’t imagine what it would be like to be without either of them. In a poor attempt at comforting Izuku, Katsuki pat the little boy on the head, probably a little harder than intended. “He’ll be back someday, and if not we can go find him.”

When Izuku hugged him, Katsuki leaned back slightly, his heart felt weird at the touch of the other and he didn’t know what to do. He just… let Izuku hug him. “Stop crying!” He scowled with a nervous tone. He wanted to hug him tight, kiss his head, wipe his tears away, hum him a soft tune… but the blonde just… couldn’t do that. He was upset with himself for his apparent weakness. He knew he needed to work on his comforting skills if this little boy was so easy to cry. Katsuki grinned triumphantly while the other lead him to the bunnies. He was going to spend everyday with this kid, he just knew it. “My favorite game is tag…and I will get you every time.” The blonde didn’t forget the little greenettes previous question, he was just taken back by the boys admission of bullying.

After all, love made people do crazy things.

[LovelyBones]

"I bet you are!! You're definitely the nicest boy I've ever met, even if you're grumpy-looking!! But, I like it, especially when you turn pink!" Izuku giggled more, thinking the other really cute. "You're also really pretty.... I'm a little jealous. The other kids say I have moss-hair and that it looks like my cheeks have dirt on them." He pouted, before adorably shaking his head of it. Though, at the promise of being taken away on horseback by the other one day made him turn into the cutest little strawberry-- did he really mean that? Izuku hoped so. The rough head pats shook him out of his sad mood, and he nodded softly, his little hands worrying at the hat in his hands just a little more.

"I-I can't help it, I'm so-so happy....." he hiccupped, before nuzzling into Katsukis chest, before resting his cheek there, listening to the other's heartbeat for a moment. So, he wasn't the only one with a racing heart.... that was a relief!! "Tag sounds fun!! And I'll try to run as fast as I can!! Hopefully I dont trip, though. I trip a lot." He admitted with a nervous smile, and soon, they made it to the rabbit hutches, where a small group of bunnies were playing or cuddling with each other. "Mr. Usagimaru said the doe's name is Soup-- sometimes she's naughty and eats her bunnies if he doesnt separate them at times. It's something about Soup easily being stressed out." He hummed, before carefully climbing into the pen, only for the little bunnies to swarm him. "Hi everyone!" He called sweetly, before crouching down to pet them all. "Wanna hold one, Katsuki?"

[CRYBABY]

“Tch.” The boy turned his head to the side, trying to hide his blush from the other. “Thanks.” He said crossing his arms over his chest, staring directly at the floor to hide his blush once more. He kicked at dirt before speaking again, this time with his head up and his eyes brighter. “Don’t listen to those bullies! Your hair is cool, and your freckles are… really… cute…” his voice getting lower as he spoke as if it were hard for him to admit those words. When Izuku blushed, Katsuki’s face lit up in surprise before he grinned wickedly cute. The thought of whisking away the other by horseback was exciting and the fact the the other seemed to be interested was riveting.

He clenched his teeth, trying desperately to still his heart as the smaller boy laid his head on his chest. Katsuki felt so normal, as if being clung to like this was what he was used to experiencing but it definitely wasn’t. The other kids back home wouldn’t dare touch Katsuki, he was a sweet boy deep down but not exactly approachable on the surface. Aside from his father’s occasional small kiss or hug, he didn’t receive affection at home. “If you’re not going to play tag correctly, then just forget it.. I don’t want you tripping and breaking your teeth. We can play your game, or even hide-and-seek. I like hunting people.” He snickered, hoping that didn’t sound too aggressive; he was trying to downplay himself as to not frighten Izuku.

They arrived to the bunny hutches and Katsuki immediately knew why Izuku enjoyed coming here. The bunnies were downright adorable, timid, excitable, cuddly, just like the greenette. Though, he was a little concerned when Izuku began talking about the mama bunny eating her children. “Soup? What kinda dumb name is that?” He didn’t even want to touch the subject of her eating her young just yet. His chest tightened as he watched Izuku greet all the bunnies sweetly, taking time to pet each one. He stood near the fence of the pen, unsure if he could enter safely without any of the bunnies attacking him. “Yeah, sure. Are they going to bite me?”