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You damn idiot.
Katsuki squints through thick waves of smoke, holding a wet towel over his nose and mouth with one hand. He stomps through a crumbling hallway, sidestepping chunks of flaming debris falling from above. The paint on the walls curls and flakes off from the heat. Katsuki reaches an open doorway on his left and sticks his head inside.
“Oi! Anyone here?”
No response except for the raging fire crackling away. Building’s starting to groan as the structure weakens. Gonna come falling down pretty quick.
Where is that damn nerd?
Deku’s too fast for Katsuki’s liking, always darting around corners and disappearing. Katsuki understands the need to search every corner for survivors, and in lots of situations Deku’s dedication and speed is admirable, but right now they need to get the hell out of here. The building was already unstable when Deku first ran inside (like an idiot), and Kastuki’s been searching for damn near 15 minutes trying to find the dumbass and bring him back. But Katsuki hasn’t come across a single soul. And they aren’t even in their hero suits, no comms or protection from the searing heat.
Katsuki continues down the treacherous hallway, cringing at the sound of wood cracking and splintering in the floor. Sparks float daintily onto his bare arms and he brushes them away with a grunt. The smoke is so thick he can’t see 6 feet in front of him. It’s time to go.
He yells into the nothingness. “Deku! Where the hell are you!”
“Kacchan!”
Katsuki whirls around as Deku approaches from behind at a jog, white t-shirt ruined with soot. He’s got his respirator strapped across his face at least. “Kacchan, did you cover this hall already? I can head to the next-”
“NO, you idiot. We need to get out of here.”
Deku slows to a stop a foot away, eyebrows scrunched. Katsuki grabs his elbow and starts heading back to the stairs. Deku follows, but slowly, too slowly. “Wait, there could be people trapped-”
“If you don’t leave now, you could end up trapped. You want to keep saving people? You gotta be alive to do that.”
“Kacchan, I have my respirator. I’m fine. You, on the other hand, should probably head back outside.” Deku plants his feet at the top of the stairs, Katsuki still pulling on his elbow. A growl rips its way from Katsuki’s raw throat as he tugs harder.
“A respirator isn’t going to help you if the building collapses around you! Idiot! Just come on already!”
“No.”
Katsuki slowly turns his head to glare daggers at Deku. It doesn’t feel very effective from two stairs below. Deku’s standing above him, chin held high, expression resolute, backlit by the orange glow of embers. The idiot’s not going to listen. He’s not like he was when they were runts. He’s almost as stubborn as Katsuki.
Fucking annoying.
“Fucking- fine! Hurry the hell up then, Jesus! I’m gettin’ outta here.” Katsuki throws his hands up and continues down the stairs. A ball of worry tightens in his chest at the thought of letting Deku out of his sight again. But it’s not his fault the nerd has no self preservation skills.
“Kacchan-”
There’s a sudden, horrible cracking sound. The entire staircase shudders, then sways.
Katsuki swings his head back around and only has time to register the horror on Deku’s face before he feels something big and solid collide with the back of his head. His vision immediately goes black. There’s a sensation of falling, heat, and suffocating pain.
Then nothing.
~
Burning, searing pain. Katsuki gasps, and immediately chokes on thick, hot smoke. He wheezes, blinking his eyes open.
“Shh, you’re okay. I got you, Kacchan.” Deku. Something in his voice isn’t quite right. Katsuki squints while he coughs and sees a green blob that vaguely looks like the nerd’s head. Everything is so muddled. Everything looks like a watercolor painting. Everything hurts. Something fabric is placed against Katsuki’s nose and mouth and he’s able to find a breath, somewhat. His head his pounding.
“What…what the fuck…” Katsuki turns his head to try and make out more of his surroundings but the movement produces a white hot pain in the back of his skull. He squeezes his eyes shut and lets out a broken moan before he can stop himself.
“It’s okay. Try not to move. The staircase and surrounding structure collapsed. You have a head injury. I’m going to pick you up now, alright? Hold on.” There it is again. The not-right sound to Deku’s voice. He’s never spoken to Katsuki like that. It sounds like the way he speaks to injured civilians while on patrol.
“M’not an extra,” he grunts, but the words are way slower than he intends. His voice is gravelly, too. It’s so damn hot in this room. Why haven’t they left yet?
“Sorry, Kacchan,” Deku breathes.
Katsuki doesn’t have time to decide what exactly Deku’s apologizing for before a pair of arms slide underneath his back and legs and hoist him into the air. He shouts at first because the pain in his head multiplies, and then yeah, he might black out for a couple seconds. When he comes to, his head is lolling backwards as Deku runs. He could do without the bouncing. But he can’t really bring himself to keep his eyes open for more than two seconds, let alone voice his complaints.
He feels heat everywhere. In his lungs, on his skin, dripping from the back of his skull.
Then, blissfully fresh air. He cracks his eyes open as he’s lowered down to rest on cool pavement, and the fabric is pulled away from his mouth. He sees blue sky, with plumes of smoke permeating its expanse. Deku’s head pops into view, with a worried crease in his brow.
“Kacchan, try to breathe.”
Katsuki realizes he’s still breathing shallowly from the smoke. He slowly inhales, fills his lungs completely. Lets it out. Does it again.
Deku’s fiddling with the back of Katsuki’s head now and Katsuki grunts, tired of feeling like a ragdoll. He slides his elbows beneath himself and starts to sit up.
Deku’s eyebrows shoot up to his hairline but he doesn’t protest, just braces a hand against Katsuki’s back until he’s sat up completely. Katsuki sways for a second, rights himself, then turns to look at Deku.
“How are you feeling, Kacchan?” Deku’s respirator hangs loose around his neck, now, while a perfect outline of it remains clean on his otherwise soot-covered face.
“M’fine,” he grunts. “...head hurts,” he adds after a moment of thought.
Deku nods vehemently. “A medic should be here really soon. Kacchan, I’m- I’m so sorry. For not listen- listening to you.” His composure has finally started to crack, mouth wobbling with emotion. He reaches back around to the back of Katsuki’s head and applies pressure. Katsuki almost bites his tongue off with the pain. He tilts forward in his seated position, gritting his teeth and grunting again.
“It’s…fine. Prob’ly should’ve...just let you do your thing. You save anyone?” Deku doesn’t respond right away, and Katsuki turns his head slightly to peer back at him. Deku’s eyes flicker toward him and away again quickly.
“One person,” he says quietly.
Katsuki blinks. “Are you including me in that figure.”
Deku bites his lower lip and continues to stare very intently at Katsuki’s head wound, avoiding eye contact.
“You damn idiot.”