Your Hand In Mine (In Every Universe)

4--We Don't Talk About Utensils

Izuku and the two alternate Kacchans are greeted by a surprisingly calm kitchen—Kaminari, Mina, and Kirishima are all circled around Sero, who has a clingy Todoroki digging his face into Sero's shoulder. Dynamight and Kacchan are standing by the stove, with Kacchan slapping Dynamight's hand away from the blue flames licking up into the air.

"Midoriya-kun!"

Izuku smiles at Iida, who approaches him while making robotic movements with his arms. "I've been updated on the current predicament concerning Bakugo-kun—"

A crashing sound has the entire room halting, heads turning to investigate—

Katsuki is sprawled on the floor, scarlet eyes wide and glistening, face slack; unreadable. His hand is clutching at his shirt, body trembling haphazardly.

Izuku's blood freezes, and his heart drops.

Kacchan.

Kacchan.

Kacchan, Kacchan, Kacchan, KACCHAN—

Before his mind processes it, he's kneeling down and reaching out, always reaching out, always because it's Kacchan, Kacchan, Kacchan—

"Are you alrigh—"

Izuku doesn't realize that he's been pushed away until he feels the cold, unforgiving tile beneath his palms.

"Don't touch him, it'll only make things worse," Kats instructs sternly, eyes zeroed in on Katsuki.

Izuku feels a loud, aching pang echo in his chest. How could he be so stupid? Of course Kacchan wouldn't want to be touched at a time like this, let alone by Izuku. How could he have overlooked something like this about Kacchan? He's so stupid.

Stupid, stupid, stupid—

Wait, no. Stop it, Izuku. This isn't your Kacchan. You don't know him better than anyone else here, get a hold of yourself already.

"Do you want to be touched?" Kats asks, voice careful; thoughtful, grounding.

Katsuki violently shakes his head. He chokes on emptiness, coughing and gasping, starved for air. Every one of Katsuki's attempts to get air inside him is another claw ripping into Izuku's heart, leaving it to bleed out in misery, not quite dead but not quite alive either.

That's not the real Kacchan, Izuku reminds himself (though it does little to comfort him).

"Alright." Kat places the hand that was previously reached out to Katsuki on the ground next to him. "Do you think you could match up your breathing to be the same as me?" Katsuki nods, letting out a wobbly breath.

Izuku can't stop the rising urge to help. He wants to—no, he needs to help. He needs to help because he's a hero and heroes are supposed to help and if he can't help then what's the point? He became the 9th user of One For All to become the next Symbol of Peace, to carry on All Might's legacy, to save everyone with a smile. If he can't save Kacchan, then what's the point of having One For All, what's the point of all this training, what's the point of going to UA, what's the point in existing?

Stupid, stupid, stupid stupid stupid. Even with a quirk you're still defenseless little Izuku who can't even save himself. Worthless, useless failure, why do you even bother—

Izuku nearly jumps out of his own skin at the feeling of a hand clamping down on his shoulder. He whips his head to the side to find Dynamight staring down at him, an undescribably gentle softness in his eyes that makes his heart squeeze extra blood to his face.

"Are you alright, Izuku? You look pale."

Izuku swallows down the previously boiling emotions within him, willing them to simmer down to something manageable; out of sight, out of mind, a problem for Future Izuku to deal with. "Yeah, yeah, I'm good, Kac—Dynamight. It—" Izuku takes a long, shaky breath to bring his voice away from cracking; breaking apart on the cold, kitchen tile. "Just...it's weird, seeing him like this. I've never seen my Kacchan like that before."