Chapter Text
The air was too thick. Smoke hung in it like a warning. There were shouts and screams and the loud echo of explosions. Deku couldn’t move fast enough. His legs were heavy. Every time he turned a corner, someone was hurt or crying or gone. There was too much blood on his hands and no time to stop. Every mistake slowed him down. Every second meant someone else didn’t make it.
He saw Iida’s goggles cracked in the dirt. Uraraka’s helmet bent out of shape. Someone was calling for help but when he turned to look, the smoke swallowed them. He screamed. No one heard him.
And then he saw Katsuki. Standing still in the middle of the rubble. His back was to him. Deku called his name. Again. Louder.
“Kacchan!”
But Katsuki didn’t move. He just stood there, arms limp at his sides, the ground cracked around him. Then he turned. His face was blank. No fire in his eyes. No spark. Just empty. Just gone.
Deku ran to him but Katsuki stepped back. The smoke rose higher. A loud boom shook the ground and then Katsuki disappeared.
Deku screamed again and the world turned black.
His eyes snapped open. His chest was tight. Breath shallow and quick like he’d run a marathon. The room was dark and quiet but the quiet didn’t help. He could still feel the heat of fire on his skin. Could still see the blank look on Katsuki’s face.
He sat up. His shirt was soaked through with sweat. His fingers trembled as he wiped them across his forehead. He needed air. He needed something real. Something that proved this wasn’t the battlefield again. That Katsuki was still here. Still alive.
He grabbed his phone off the nightstand. His hand hovered over the screen. He knew it was late. Past midnight for sure. Maybe even closer to morning. His thumb moved before he could think too hard about it.
No message. No typing. Just the location. Katsuki’s place.
His body moved before his mind caught up. Pulled on a hoodie. Shoes untied. He left his room in silence. Down the stairs. Out into the cold night air. Each step steadied him a little but not enough. Not really.
By the time he reached Katsuki’s door, his legs were sore from rushing. His hands were stuffed in his pockets, trying to hide how hard they were shaking. He stood there for a second, staring at the door like it might open on its own. It didn’t.
He knocked. Light at first. Then harder.
No answer.
His chest tightened again. What if Katsuki wasn’t home? What if he was asleep and got mad? What if this was stupid?
He raised his hand one more time and knocked again. Just when he was about to back away, the lock clicked. The door creaked open.
Katsuki stood there in a T-shirt and sweats. His hair was a mess, sticking up more than usual. His eyes were tired but sharp, like they always were. He blinked at Deku once. Then again.
Deku opened his mouth, but the words wouldn’t come out. His throat felt tight.
“I’m sorry,” he said, barely above a whisper. “I just… I couldn’t sleep. I didn’t know where else to go.”
Katsuki didn’t say anything right away. He looked him up and down. Took in the hoodie. The red, puffy eyes. The way Deku’s shoulders were still shaking just a little.
“Kacchan… can I stay here tonight?”
Still, no words. But Katsuki stepped aside and opened the door wider.
Deku blinked, like maybe he hadn’t heard him right. Then he stepped inside, heart pounding in a different way now. A little lighter. A little warmer.
The door shut behind him. The night didn’t feel so heavy anymore.