Whispers of thief

Chapter 2 - who are you

His steppes were inaudible, his body perfectly hidden from the eyes of his prey. The boy looked around more than once, but his eyes never landed on Izuku.

He followed him to the edge of the city, keeping himself on the roofs or in the alleys. They arrived at a two-story high building. It looked better than the rest.

The wood didn't look like it would break if he so much as touched it. Windows had alloy bars and were covered with a piece of red fabric, keeping him from peering inside.

Izuku was on a roof, watching as the blond touched the handle, but hesitated, looking around himself anxiously. The door was pushed open when the boy didn't find what he was looking for, closing it with a light slam.

Izuku took the chance, dropping down from the roof, and came close to the same door. His hand landed on the handle, fingers caressing the smooth surface, listening for any kind of sound before pushing down.

It opened without a sound, showing a small room with a staircase leading up. The room was empty, only with an old, hand made carpet laying on the ground.

There was a sound coming from above, a gentle rustle. The stairs were open risers with a closed stringer attached to the wooden wall. They didn't look old, but Izuku was still careful not to make noise while going up.

When he reached the top, only peaking his head, the first thing he saw was an extravagant floor screen. It covered the view of the room, but it worked as a good cover as well.

The elaborate gold decoration on the edges made the screen a work of artistic splendor. Gold bamboo trees were hand-painted on the back against the black background making it look like a masterpiece.

Izuku couldn't help but stare at it for a while and admire it. With light steps, he moved behind the screen, his breath as calm as he managed to make it, and observed the rest of the room behind it.

Everything looked Chinese. The traditional look couldn't be misunderstood for anything else, but it still looked... simple? There wasn't much to look at, no paintings or anything that would stand out.

He saw a black table not higher than his knees with a pile of papers. Next to it was a wooden armchair that didn't look comfortable at all. The closet with the bed was missing.

Instead, there was a tatami mat under a brown wool carpet, replacing the bed and a small pile of clothes next to it. Three paper lanterns hanged from the ceiling, not bright enough to light up the room.

And then his eyes ended on the figure in the middle. The blond was facing the windows, unaware of what was going on behind him. He just stood there, staring into nothing before his hands went up, unbuttoning the first button on his dress shirt.

Izuku swallowed, unable to move his focus elsewhere. The more buttons were undone, the more Izuku could see. The dress shirt fell from the other's shoulders, uncovering the milky skin, so pale it shined in the light.

His mouth went dry as he watched the piece of fabric slip fully, leaving him unable to move. The blond's hand went up to his shoulder, smoothing the skin.

Izuku was hungry, but he didn't know what for now. If it was for the satisfaction he will get after capturing the boy or the boy himself. His mind told him to take action before this game ends up too dangerous.

With a long, quiet exhale, he started walking forward while his prey's back was still turned away from him, the hidden blade under his sleeve ready to be activated.

Izuku made sure his presence went unnoticed until the tip of his blade was pressed close to the other's throat. "Move, and I will kill you." He was practically breathing into the boy's ear, crouching a bit since he was a lot taller.