𝓥𝓲𝓬𝓽𝓸𝓻 | Katsuki Bakugou x Male reader

Chapter 13

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(M/N) slowly opened his eyes, taking in the sunlight seeping through the foliage of the trees. It took him a moment to comprehend that he was awake. He didn't know how long he was out, but the whole time he'd been slipping in between nightmares and reality in a weird way.

It was as if he was sitting in a dark room in front of a giant screen, channel surfing. Except the channels were all manifestations of his fears. He'd watch Prim die, then suddenly his father was dying again, then he'd see a glimpse of the arena for a split second when his eyes opened, before the screen switched back to the nightmares.

(M/N) sighed in relief, thankful to be free from the horrors of his mind. That was the true nature of tracker-jacker venom, it would dig deep into a person's mind and target the part of their brain where fear lived.

(M/N) slowly pushed himself off of the ground, though it took a lot more effort than he anticipated. Even the slightest movement from his arms took immense effort, sending pain all across his body. Once he made it to a sitting position, he noticed he was in a small hole.

How did I get here? (M/N) didn't remember. Though he must've missed that detail due to his hallucinations.

For a while, he just sat there taking small sips from his water bottle while trying to figure out how long he'd been out. It was early in the morning when he passed out, and now it was afternoon. Though the stiffness in his joints suggested that it had been more than just a day.

If that was the case, he'd have no way of knowing which tributes survived the tracker-jacker attack. He knew for a fact that Nejire and the girl from District 4 hadn't, but there were still both tributes from District 1, the boy from 2, and Katsuki.

Did they die from the stings? If they lived, then they must have gone through horrid nightmares just as I did.

(M/N)'s mind wandered back to Wendy. Had she made it out? She was so small he was certain she wouldn't survive one sting. Though he had given her a decent head start before he dropped the nest, so he brushed away his concerns.

Despite the pain in his joints, (M/N) found himself at peace during that moment. He momentarily forgot about the rest of the arena as he basked in the warm sunlight and the cool breeze. For some reason, (M/N) was reminded of what Shoto had said to him the morning of the reaping.

"We could do it, you know. Run away together, live in the woods, it's what we do anyway."

He had been through so much in the past few days, that conversation felt like it took place years ago. It gave him a longing feeling, thinking about his days of hunting in the forest with Shoto.

Suddenly, he wasn't thinking about Shoto but of Katsuki.

Katsuki! He saved my life! (M/N) thought. By the time the two had met up, he couldn't tell what was real and what the tracker-jacker venom had made him imagine. But (M/N)'s instincts were telling him that Katsuki really did save him, which led him to wonder why.

He racked his brain for answers. Was he using his lover boy interview image? Or was he actually trying to protect (M/N), and if he was then why was he with the Careers in the first place? Nothing made any sense.

(M/N) pushed the thoughts aside. He had more important things to think about at that moment. Such as, the fact that he finally had a bow and arrows. A full dozen arrows counting the one from the tree.

Having the weapon gave (M/N) an entirely new perspective on the Games. He knew he still had tough opponents left to face, but he was no longer prey, running and hiding. If Mirio broke through the trees then and there, (M/N) wouldn't flee, he'd shoot. He even found himself anticipating the moment he'd get to experience that pleasure.