Memory is Futile

Chapter III: Memories of your smile

Contrary to most people's belief, Katsuki was always smiling. There was never a moment where I was with him that he didn't have at least a grin on his face. Talked about how he cared for me and the others, spent every moment in bliss. Loved animals.

Katsuki had a butterfly once. I remember it clearly, when he brought it in. A bird had taken a chunk out of his wing. He'd had to hide it because aizawa didn't like bugs, but he couldn't stand to see it hurt. It was orange, and its wings embodied him perfectly. He had that butterfly until it passed, and had a whip scorpion after that.

He was never really a dog or cat person, but where others saw ugliness, he saw beauty. That's why I think he liked spider lilies so much. Everyone else, if asked, would say that they despise the flower, an omen of death. But he thought they were beautiful. And I did too. He loved them so much, he kept a pressed one in his favorite book. It was never really that hard to get Katsuki to let his guard down. You just had to be friendly, and don't mind the initial snap. If you never showed him pity, he was always comfortable around you. He was never mad at Midoriya. Just despised the way he pitied Katsuki. Combatted it the only way he knew how to. Anger.

Katsuki was sweet, and caring, and was owed more credit than he was given. Always made sure to pay attention to the way someone acted so he could slip them a chocolate bar and a sticky note later if they had been upset that day, of course, he never said it was from him. Never cared whether his "deeds" went unrecognized nor whether they were noticed and celebrated every day.

Sure he had his bad days, but they never lasted long. It was never more than a couple hours before that beautiful bright smile was back on his face. I had always adored it. Couldn't get enough of it. Of him, either. We were almost never more than three feet from each other. Most people thought I was just following him around because I felt bad for him, but that was never true.

Katsuki was electrifying. I was addicted. I craved more of his smile and his kiss, that infectious laugh and every single stray giggle that he let slip. The way explosion-calloused hands felt when he would hug me, or grab my hand at random. His genuine interest in the little things and his small superhero obsession. No one else thought of him as more than a war machine, but in my eyes, he was a living, breathing person. He had his idols, his role models. He cried when he couldn't hold it back anymore and he even had his fears. He was human to me, and I think he knew that nothing he ever said to me would change that.

When i found out about what he'd said in middle school, I wasn't mad. I was worried for him. People tend to project their feelings onto others when they have to bottle things up, and that's what he did. He begged me not to look at him as a monster, and I had just hugged him. Told him it would be okay, and to come to me if he ever needed. No matter how brash he was, he made sure another comment like that never slipped. Sure his "die" catchphrase would be heard, but he never pushed Midoriya like that again. Just grumbled to himself and found other things to fidget with, and that beautiful smile would be back later.

It was always breathtaking to me.

He was breathtaking to me.