Haunting

Chapter Twelve: After

Katsuki slapped his mother's panicked hands away from his injured bicep, insisting he was fine .

He wanted to lay down and sleep for the next two days, and he felt a bit dizzy from the emergency blood transfusion they had to give him, but Katsuki was sure it wasn't anything a day or two of rest wouldn't fix. Really, the only problem he had now was the fact that his bicep was branded with the fucker's handprint. That didn't sit well with him, and if he ever saw the bastard again he would make sure to blast the villain into outer space .

His mother wouldn't quit her hovering, and he was too tired to outright argue with her - something he was sure was only making her worry more - so the second they got home and she demanded he went to bed and rest, Katsuki obeyed. He settled down under the covers immediately, but he resisted the urge to pass out.

He laid down in the silence, staring up at the ceiling with a flat expression for a while.

Then it all rushed in.

Villains had broken into the USJ with the intent to kill. It didn't matter who, Katsuki knew, it could've been anyone.

That hideous motherfucker of a beast that was standing by the hand bastard's side was burned behind his eyes, with its brain exposed and too wide of a mouth.

Everyone had been ripped from each other and scattered to the winds. Katsuki was lucky enough to meet up with Kirishima, and the extra eyes and strength helped him calm down however slightly, breathe in deeply and take a second to assess where they were, what was happening.

Then they heard a scream. It tore through the air and their eardrums. Katsuki and Kirishima had to cover their ears, lest they'd suffer a sharp pain. It faded out eventually, and all it took was a look between the pair before they rushed off for the source.

Katsuki had approached the scene to see what the villain had called "Nomu" standing there, posture tense and waiting, while the villain himself had seemed disoriented and dazed. Katsuki had seen an opportunity to attack and he took it. The second he had gotten close though, that bastard had grabbed him, and the searing pain as his flesh dissolved and chipped off had rendered Katsuki immobile for a few seconds. The Nomu had taken a swing, and Katsuki was sure, in those couple of seconds, that he was going to die.

His heart began to pound in his chest, and he clutched his bicep with shaking fingers, his teeth grit against the burning in his eyes as the fear of what he'd just been through finally caught up to him properly. He sucked in a shaky breath and hoped his mother wouldn't just barge in.

He lay in the dark, attempting to keep quiet and regain his composure. A soft, quiet tapping at his desk made him jump, and his head swiveled over to the noise as hope made his chest swell.

Deku was stuck at U.A, right? But maybe...

...Deku?

There was a moment of silence, and Katsuki's heart sank before a more deliberate tapping permeated above his head and through the wall. Deku murmured for a moment, then quieted.

Relief crashed over him like a wave. He swallowed hard, his eyes burning.

Everything in him wanted to just sit down and chat with his childhood friend. It was a feeling he hadn't truly had in a long time, but it was there, simmering in his gut and sealing his throat closed. But it didn't matter, Deku couldn't speak, too broken and twisted to be heard correctly.

I wish you could just fucking talk to me, he whispered, a wave of sorrow washing over him. Please, say something.

Deku muttered louder, more pointed, clearly an attempt that didn't work.