A/N: Feels good to be writing this again. This is a fairly short chapter but I hope you enjoy anyway. Consider this a bridge chapter.

"Do I have to wear this stupid fucking tie?" 

Toshinori swats at Touya's bothersome hands as the younger alpha goes to fidget and tug at the tie around his neck. It took him an hour just to convince him to put the damn thing on. The older man sighs in exasperation. 

"It is a formal event, son, so yes—you have to wear the stupid fucking tie." He reasons and though he doesn't seem pleased with his mentor's response, Touya doesn't seem as though he has any intentions of arguing with him. 

He's just ready to get this over with. 

The raven is visibly anxious, shifting nervously in the mildly uncomfortable shoes that he's wearing. He can't remember the last time he had to wear a tux or worry about scuffing those stupid, shiny ass shoes. It almost feels like he's suffocating but he swallows it down. 

He has to do this for Masaru. 

For Katsuki. 

But he's never been more terrified in his life. 

He's beginning to wonder if keeping this from his parents was the right thing to do. He wanted to protect them—to make sure that they didn't get too closely involved with this case lest they get caught in the crossfire—but with every passing hour he begins to struggle with his own mortality. 

He was grateful to Captain Tsukauchi for leaving Katsuki out of the debriefing. As much as Touya felt like he had a right to know exactly what he was walking into but if his angel knew what was going to happen tonight, he'd be all nerves and the entire operation would have gone tits up from the jump. He and Masaru were not so easily spared but it's best they be on their toes. Touya would say that he's utterly shocked that the PSI even agreed to something this risky but the government has never been shy about sacrificing civilians in order to cash in on closing a high profile case. To them, the risk is worth it. 

He could die tonight. 

He could die and his parents would never forgive him for keeping this from them. 

And Shouto would never forgive his big brother for leaving him behind. 

He knows that keeping them safe was much more important than giving them a chance to say goodbye. Still, he hopes that if anything happens to him that his family will at least know how much they meant to him. How much he loved them. 

Toshinori moves on to fix Touya's hair, though he knows that it's a futile task as nothing he tries seems to be enough to tame the unkempt nest on his head. 

"Tell me what's on your mind." 

It's quiet—nearly a whisper as he seems to sense Touya's trepidation. The tattooed alpha is hesitant in responding mostly because he doesn't want Toshinori to have a change of heart and force him to stay behind but a part of him is incredibly confused about these feelings of unbridled fear. He's been a little spooked before, sure, but he's never feared for his life like this. 

For their lives like this. 

"I'm...just tryna sort my feelings out." 

"Feelings about walking into the lion's den." 

"I dunno. Don't get me wrong, I'm not fuckin' scared of Mitsuki and I happen to enjoy beating the everloving fuck out of pedophiles and biggots but there's gonna be so many of them and if one of them somehow ends up separating me from Katsuki—" 

"You're worried they'd overpower you and kill you." 

A frustrated shrug.

"I don't even think I'm afraid of dying. It's just that me dying would equate to them having their filthy fucking hands on my baby and...and I know what they wanna do to him. I know what they're planning to do to him if they manage to get rid of me. What they're planning to do to Masaru. And that terrifies me more than anything else—if I'm not there to protect them." 

Toshinori sighs and Touya tenses, gaze glued to the floor as the blonde's massive hand claps him on the shoulder and squeezes encouragingly. 

"Your fears are warranted, son. And...I share your sentiment. I must admit that even though it's a necessary plan, I don't approve of it. The reason that I even took this case in the first place was because I wanted to give Katsuki a better life and here we are, throwing him headfirst into the fray. I'm worried...not just about Katsuki but about you too. I'm worried about Masaru—about Shota who's been running himself ragged because so terrified of losing his family. That's why I'm here—and why the captain is here as well. We won't let the PSI turn this into a bloodbath." 

Touya wants to believe him but…

"Right. So if one-hundred and twenty pedos decide that they wanna tear me limb from limb, my eighty-year old godfather and his ancient boss will do...what, exactly? Fuck, I'm pretty sure Tsukauchi is halfway to fucking dementia by now—" 

"Touya." 

"Sorry, I'm nervous. You were saying?" 

Toshinori wipes a hand over his face with a sigh. 

"I was going to say that SPD has several units stationed on the outside of the property armed and ready at my command. PSI hasn't cleared it but we also didn't tell them that we were doing it this way to begin with. If it even feels like something is going wrong, SPD agents have orders to storm the place." 

Touya lifts his head to look Toshinori in his eyes with mild shock. He's not nearly as smug as Touya expects. 

"You? Going rogue? Holy shit, Nori, I never thought I'd see the fuckin' day." 

Toshinori shrugs. 

"Well this is my town, not the PSI's. I'm not gonna let them just waltz into our jurisdiction and just bark out orders while my team does all of the work just so they can take credit for it. And...maybe something you said to me a while ago really got under my skin. I'm done letting my badge get in the way of doing what's right." 

Touya smiles. 

"I wanna hug you." 

This takes Toshinori completely by surprise, pink in the cheeks as he offers Touya a sheepish grin. He opens his arms in offering and Touya doesn't hesitate to accept. It's a little awkward at first—this having been the first time they'd ever shared this type of affection with one another. Touya squeezes him tightly and Toshinori, overwhelmed, freezes at the younger alpha's enthusiasm. It doesn't take long for him to get over his initial shock and return Touya's embrace in full. 

"Thank you." Touya whispers, "For everything you've done for me in the last fifteen years. I know that I haven't made this easy for you; I've been a little shit right from the beginning but I want you to know that I always just wanted to do what was right. I'm not a bad person, Nori—" 

"I know, son, you don't have to tell me that." 

"I...just...wanted you to know, you know? You were kind of a bonus dad for me. I never told you that but I was always grateful to have you in my life. And I looked up to you. I wanted to save people...like you do. Like mom does. I didn't go about it the same way that you guys did because I realized that following the rules would only get me so far but more than anything else I wanted to make a difference. Did I…" 

He pauses to swallow around the lump in his throat and Toshinori squeezes harder. 

"Did I make a difference, Nori? Did I make any difference at all or am I just—" 

"Hey—kiddo." Toshinori goes to pull away but Touya grips him tighter. Touya doesn't want him to see his face, he gathers. He doesn't try to force him off, rubbing Touya's back in an attempt to sooth his frazzled nerves. "You didn't just make a difference, my boy, you began to change the very structure of this society by doing what other people were too afraid to do. Sapparo is a small town, sure, but eventually the world is gonna catch on. Equal rights for foreigners and omegas. Better omega shelters and healthcare. Rapists and racists in this town are practically pissing their pants whenever they hear your name. I meant to tell you this much sooner, my boy, but I'm so very proud of you." 

Touya sniffles. 

"Thank you." He whispers and this time he allows Toshinori to separate himself when he pulls away. His smile broadens. He feels like he might shed a tear himself. 

"You don't have to be scared, Touya. You're not gonna die in that place. Everything is gonna be alright. Just follow the plan and I'm gonna make sure I get you boys out safely. I'm gonna get you home and then we can finally move on from this nightmare. Optimism is our key to victory here, son. Keep a level head." 

"I'm not scared." Touya snorts as he wipes his eyes. He'll resign to admit that he just told Toshinori that he was afraid not even ten minutes ago. 

"Sure, son. Are you okay?" 

"I guess." 

Toshinori pauses. 

"What I'm asking is if you're really okay to do this. I know that you wanna do this for Baby Boy but you don't—" 

"I'm going." Touya says—as if it were ever an option for him to stay behind to begin with. "My baby needs me. If you want this to go even remotely smoothly then I need to be there. His only protection is gonna be his equally frail mother. I'm not letting them go in there alone." 

And Toshinori doesn't try to convince him otherwise. Touya's grown up to be an incredible alpha. Toshinori trusts his instincts. 

"Alright then." He jingles his keys in the air. 

"Why don't we go grab the boys from downstairs and get this show on the road?" 

#

Katsuki remembers the first time that he'd worn this dress. He remembers how absolutely beautiful he felt—and how much it meant to him that his mother made this just for him. His heart fluttered when he saw his reflection in the mirror. He couldn't remember a time before that moment that something like that had happened to him. He was so happy to be a part of Masaru's world. 

But now, staring at that very same reflection in this mirror only reminded him of his father's cruelty. He didn't feel like one of those fairy tale princesses anymore. 

Just a product of his mother's suffering. 

Would it have been much better if he didn't exist? 

Sometimes he tries to imagine what their lives would be like before he came along. In hindsight—he thinks to himself—Tomura and Masaru were not living very happy lives even before he was born. Maybe it wouldn't make much of a difference either way. But still…

Katsuki can't help but feel like a bad omen. 

A living curse. 

Katsuki doesn't feel very pretty anymore. 

"Katsuki?" 

He twists his body just enough to meet Touya's gaze. Those baby blue eyes are drinking Katsuki in as if he's just fallen in love all over again. It's a little funny, Katsuki thinks. It's not as if this is his first time seeing him in this dress. 

"Gorgeous, baby. Absolutely stunning." He breathes out with a smile as he approaches him, hands gently gripping at Katsuki's waist as he checks their shared reflection. 

Katsuki is unsure if he'll ever get over how overwhelmingly handsome Touya is. 

"I did not think that I would see you in such attire until it was time for us to recite our vows. Though you do look absolutely divine, I cannot help but notice how uncomfortable you seem." He notes and Touya snorts. "Yeah, the tie is really fucking me up right now. I do look damn sexy in this tux though, huh? You like this look on me, baby?" He shifts to pull Katsuki closer when the blonde turns to look up at him with the dreamiest look in his eyes. "Mhm. If I am honest, though, I would much rather see you in nothing at all." 

Touya fails to stifle a chuckle, leaning down to press his lips against the soft skin of Katsuki's neck. 

"Little fuckin' flirt, you are." 

"I do believe that I learned from the best." 

He stands on his toes in an attempt to steal Touya's lips in a kiss but is still much too short so Touya has mercy and leans down to let him take as many kisses as he wants. 

He doesn't mind walking around in Katsuki's lip gloss for a while. 

Toshinori clears his throat from where he's waiting near the bottom of the staircase. 

"We should get going, kiddos. We're already running a little late. Wouldn't want to keep your mom waiting for much longer." 

Katsuki takes Touya's hand in his own and squeezes. He doesn't want to see his father again but he doesn't want his mother to go alone, either. He wishes that he could do more to protect him. 

They leave together in tandem.