Chapter Text
Small twinkling snowflakes drifted down from the clouds. The peaceful whiteness in the sky contrasted heavily with the perilous fight currently taking place in Mustafu city.
The chilly frost crunched under the heroes boots as Eijiro recalled that morning. Pro heroes Red riot and Dynamite had both been startled awake by urgent phone calls from their agency about a letter, detailing a current hostage situation.
They weren’t given specifics over the phone, so the two peeled themselves from the comfort of their beds and immediately rushed to Best Jeanist’s agency in the early hours of the morning - having hastily bundled themselves up in their warmest attire. Much to Eijiro’s delightful appreciation, Katsuki picked him up from his shabby apartment in his car.
The redhead was mildly begrudged, having planned to spend that day beneath his thickest of blankets playing video games. The blonde even more so but they would always be on call to help the citizens. After all this is what they spent all those years in UA working towards.
”Thanks for picking me up man.”
The other scoffed and rolled his eyes.
”It wasn’t a favour, just didn’t wanna wait around for you at the agency.”
It was absolutely a favour. He wouldn’t inconvenience himself for most people, but Eijiro was one of his very rare exceptions. He never mentioned it though, and Katsuki appreciated that.
”Yeah yeah, whatcha say we get some katsudon later? My treat!”
This had become a usual thing for them. Dinner dates after a mission, but like most things Katsuki would downplay it and act nonchalant. Even though he would always take the bill refusing to let Eijiro pay, he’d boil it down to not wanting to ‘owe’ him anything.
”Yeah, whatever shitty hair.”
Eijiro smiled gleefully.
By the time they had arrived, Best Jeanist and two sidekicks were already suited up and urging them to put on their winter costumes for the icy battle ahead. They were given a very brief description of the circumstances before hurrying into the misty outdoors where they utilised their quirks to reach the other side of town faster. Eijiro clutching the blonde awkwardly as he propelled them through the sky.
The redhead was painfully aware of how the cold thawed through his minimally insulated costume. He made a mental note to have his uniform tailor make some adjustments for the future.
Katsuki on the other hand was snug as a bug in his thick, black winter outfit.
”Man, this sucks don’t you think bakubro?”
Katsuki scowled at him in his usual chagrin manner.
”I told you not to call me that, dumbass.”
The dumbass in question shuddered when the cold flurries billowed at them.
”Oh man that’s cold!”
Katsuki shrugged and grinned smugly.
”Should’ve invested in some warmer gear.”
The redhead just chuckled fondly at the banter. Their dynamic was unusual, but he wouldn’t want it any other way. He liked how easy things were between them. No high expectations or forced politeness, just chill, laid back conversation.
Their team were informed about three potential villains, based in the projects - presumably in the high rise office buildings. The duo were currently bursting onto the fray and racing up countless flights of stairs to reach the floor number they were given.
As far as they were aware, the criminal they were after had taken five people hostage and was working as a group. The sidekicks had gone after the second party, while Best Jeanist was handling what they assumed was the main prospect who had more than ten people in his custody.
Katsuki was strictly ordered to refrain from using vigorous explosions inside of the building, much to his exasperation. He did do as he was told however, because even in all his prideful valour he didn’t particularly want to risk melting the metal support beams.
The duo panted wildly as they finally emerged onto the 47th floor where the letter claimed the first criminal would be. Katsuki hurriedly explained a plan of action on their way there. He had asked Eijiro to hang back for the first phase of the operation and he would try to engage combat with the target.
If all goes according to his prediction, then the redhead’s next job would be to move the hostages to safety and potentially act as a shield while their opponent was distracted. Once the hostages were safely out of the building, Katsuki could incapacitate the suspect.
It was a risky plan, purposely provoking an unknown target, but it was all they could come up with given such a short period of time. Besides, they didn’t think these villains were particularly smart considering they had sent letters (covered in fingerprints) to Best Jeanist detailing their exact whereabouts.
Speaking of, they had already been handed in to authorities who were currently working on identifying the suspects and their backgrounds.
Eijiro huffed for breath when they finally reached a double set of iron doors. Katsuki pressed his ear against the cold metal and gave the other a firm nod to indicate that the villain was in fact inside. He kept his voice mindfully low in order to be discreet.
”Sounds like he’s communicating with the other villains through a communicator or something.”
Eijiro scratched the back of his neck.
”You sure you don’t want me to help with the fight Bakugou?”
The blonde shook his head.
”We don’t want him to know you’re here yet cuz he might do some shit to the hostages, undestand?”
Eijiro whispered back with a hum and a firm nod.
”Sure, i’ll be right out here till you’ve got the villain engaged, then i’ll get them to safety.”
Katsuki nodded, tied his mask more tightly around his head and urged the other to stand back before promptly blowing the door off its hinges and darting inside.
He remained in an offensive stance as he examined the situation. It appeared that all of the hostages were unharmed, although tied up and petrified. The criminal in question seemed to be simply…standing around? Hands in his pockets as he nonchalantly turned and greeted the fiery blonde.
”About time you showed up, Dynamite.”
He was admittedly taken aback by the unbothered nature of their target. He kind of expected some crazed maniac, threatening to shoot the innocent people if he didn’t hand over a certain amount of money. This was unusual.
The villain didn’t even flinch when Katsuki barked back at him.
”What the hell is this?”
Vaguely gesturing at the crying citizens tied up in the corner of the room.
The man in front of him glanced over his shoulder.
”Oh, them?”
He grinned indifferently.
”They’re just my hosts.”
Katsuki must have looked puzzled, because the villain chuckled coolly. He wasn’t sure what this guys plan was, but he sure as hell wasn’t going to wait around for him to turn these people into his so called ‘hosts’.
”You’re gonna fucking die before i let you touch them.”
He jetted forwards with speed he had finally grown accustomed to. But within the single second that it took for him to cross the room a tall, looming figure obstructed his path.
It couldn’t be a nomu it was too gangly. But what else could it be? He peered up. It had to be at least seven feet tall, with a distorted face resembling that of an insect. Within his peripheral vision, he spotted another one leering down at him.
He slowly turned his head to find that all five people had disappeared and had been replaced by these….mutants?
”What? How did you-“
They were already surrounding him and raising their bladed, mantis-like arms to swipe at him. He ducked narrowly, only to be slashed at again by a mutated mass to his right. He winced as it tore through his costume and carved a deep slit into his forearm. He didn’t even see it coming. These things seemed way too agile to fight alone, and there were far too many of them - Katsuki’s confidence was unyielding but even he knew they needed support.
He leaped backwards when whipping appendages came barrelling towards him, and yelled out towards the door.
”Shit! Kirishima get backup!”
The man grinned sinisterly, and cocked an eyebrow at him.
”Oh, Red riot’s here too?”
He waved his hand in a shooing motion, and two of the monsters scuttled with horrifying haste towards the vacant space where a door used to be. Katsuki didn’t have time to rush and stop them. Eijiro’s surprised shout echoed through the stairwell and clanging noises soon followed.
”Fuck! What do you want from us?!”
There was no time for him to rest as all three lanky beasts bore down on him. He refrained from using explosions that might cause significant damage, for the small possibility they could be turned back to normal. But the more he avoided harming them, the quicker they whipped at him. There was nowhere to run as they encircled him, confining him inside the small space. The man laughed wickedly.
”The boss has a couple friends who wanna give us a hefty sum of cash for your capture. They don’t think the world needs another symbol of justice, and you’re getting in the way of that”
Shit. This whole thing was a trap. Everything down to being inside of a building so that he couldn’t use his explosions was coordinated, calculated. They must’ve split up their team on purpose, all those captured people were just bait to lure him here.
Best Jeanist had warned Katsuki when he first started his official debut that he would shoot up in the ranks and that many villains would be after him. It was just something that came along with being a well revered hero. He hadn’t imagined something like this would occur so soon after he reached the No.4 spot on the charts. He and some of class 1A had been out celebrating just that previous weekend.
”You did all this cuz of some petty little grudge against me? Just who the hell do you think you are?!”
He continued to dodge and defend, rather than attack. Outside of the room a similar altercation was taking place with Eijiro.
”Leave him alone, he doesn’t have anything to do with this!”
A low growling chuckle came from the villain, deep inside his chest.
”Why? Do you care about him?”
When a swiping blade tore wildly towards him, Katsuki attempted to keep it at bay with small explosions. That only resulted in him being chopped in the side by the attack. He hissed sharply when iron blood immediately dripped from the laceration.
”Oh, Dynamite. Don’t bother going easy on them, they’re already dead.”
Katsuki gritted his teeth and blocked thrashing claws with stronger blasts.
”dead? They seem pretty fucking lively to me.”
The villain cackled wildly.
”That’s a nice little effect of my quirk. It’s called parasite, i can send these tiny bacteria like organisms into their pores and control them. Except, instead of feeding off their blood, they expel some protein into it which turns them into this. The process makes their bones grow way too big for their body so they pretty much get torn apart. Pretty neat huh?”
Katsuki barrelled around the tiny space he was given, all the while being pursued by the so called ‘hosts’. Fuck, he was too late. His gut twinged with nausea at the gory description of their demise. He would have to deal with the mental tax of that later.
”You….fucking bastard…”
He panted frantically and decided that his main priority should be to get some backup - He reached towards his ear only to discover that the small communication device had been knocked off. But when? How hadn’t he noticed?
Hopefully Eijiro had signalled for help but he wasn’t gonna count on it.
With a strenuous, heaving grunt he propelled himself upwards and pounced off the ceiling. An indomitable heat radiated from his palm, and with one clean motion he sent the closest mutant’s head blasting off its shoulders. He wasn't sure if they were still aware but he prayed that he had at least made the execution painless.
The criminal tutted theatrically.
”Not very heroic Dynamite, hope you’ll have a lengthy apology for their family.”
He snarled aggressively at the up beat persona of the criminal .
”Shut your lame ass up.”
As much as he wanted to stay and rip this guy to shreds, he pivoted on the ground and bolted for the door. He needed to confirm that Eijiro’s condition was in tact. His dire sprint was halted as searing white hot pain bloomed in his leg.
He thudded to the ground with a cry just inches from the doorway. All of his senses blurred for a few moments and a new throbbing agony pulsed its way up the injured limb.
Upon whipping his head around he found that his thigh had just been skewered, by a long extended claw spanning the whole length of the room. The villain walked menacingly towards him, arm outstretched.
”Where do you think you’re going?
Without second thought Katsuki spun his upper body around and aimed his burning palm at the criminal. Just as soon as he tried to detonate his sweat, another appendage pierced through his wrist and pinned it above his head. A third stabbed through the flesh and bones in his other hand, restraining it by his side.
He grit his teeth at the warm fluid spurting from the newly exposed tissues.
”Aw, that hurt?”
The cackling villain put himself over Katsuki, producing a long blade from his cargo pocket. The cold metal smoothed against Katsuki’s jaw softly in a taunting manner. Even if he had the capacity to fight back, most of his body was pinned to the ground - literally.
He could only watch in muted horror as the villain sinisterly traced the blade down his body. Slowly dragging the pointed edge down his good leg, he stopped directly on Katsuki’s knee. The sadistic man grinned more widely, pressing it in firmly enough to draw blood.
”Just to make sure you don’t try running away again..”
The knife was jammed roughly under Katsuki’s knee cap, and the giggling maniac didn’t even cringe as he pierced through any muscle or tendons that got in the way. The blonde cried out, tilting his head back as guttural cries tore from his throat.
The villain didn’t relent, he tore through the exposed flesh and twisted. Katsuki’s voice cracked, along with his knee as the vile man popped the joint harshly from it’s socket. He thought he could hear Eijiro calling out to him, although he couldn’t tell through the thick daze of unbearable pain.
Warm blood formed beneath the throbbing area and white hot agony engulfed him. He wasn’t aware for a solid few minutes, only of the uncomfortable pressure where the metal had been left in the injury. At least that staunched the stream, so he might not bleed out. He didn’t like the idea that he was being kept alive on purpose though. What were they planning to do with him?
The criminal had long since gotten off him, and was casually speaking to somebody on the phone. Unintelligible voices crackled on the other end and he heard his name being mentioned a few times. He had to get out of this somehow, he couldn’t just die here to a group of low class rookies. Not so unceremoniously in some random building. Not before accomplishing his dream. For the first time since the war, he actually felt afraid.
There was a strange whizzing noise that the villain seemed to notice. Katsuki could only lay there, sprawled out and drifting further away from his lucid state.
”BAKUGOU-
Eijiro called out behind him. It was the last thing he heard before a massive explosion shattered the bulletproof windows, sending glass shards flying everywhere - his hearing ability was reduced to nothing more than a painful ringing. The shockwave of whatever had just happened must have stunned the villain, because the razor sharp tendrils finally retracted from his sore body.
Katsuki’s temple cracked against the ground painfully but he scrambled to a stand, knife still wedged in his knee. This was his chance. His shaky hands fumbled around in the thick smoke that shrouded the room, and muffled shouts of people he didn’t recognise were somewhat audible to him. Only one stuck out however, a rough voice. It must be Kirishima.
He dizzily navigated the rubble and stumbled painfully in the direction he assumed the door was. The dislocated joint would grind with every movement but he fought the urge to keel over. Blood trailed in red splatters behind him, ironically matching his eyes. The closer he got to the shouting, the more he could distinguish.
”..aku..”
”Ba-ou”
The syllables blended together, and just as his legs were about to buckle Eijiro’s hand shot out through the vapour, tugging him rapidly from the room. He limped away just in time as the entire space ignited in flames, searing everything inside to ashes.
The shockwave knocked them forwards and the two were sent flying down the flight of stairs they climbed earlier. He barely registered any of it with his meagre, fading consciousness. Thankfully the other hardened his skin before making contact with the ground so he got off unharmed. Katsuki did not.
His ribs hit the ground first, but at least his hero partner was safe. The redhead was almost instantly by his side.
He could see that his friend was yelling, but he couldn’t hear it. All he could listen to at all was a long, painful ringing. He gazed back at Eijiro with bleary garnets lacking their usual clarity. His vision was fuzzy but he didn’t see any injuries on the other, save for some minor scrapes on his jaw. Thank goodness.
The next thing he realised was that his body wracked with pain, searing agony lighting his nerves on fire. He stifled back his whimpers of pain he refused to look weak. He could smell the metallic twinge of blood. Was it his?
”I…f..fucked…..up..”
He knew he was speaking but couldn’t even hear his own voice, just monitor the vibrations in his chest as he muttered.
”They’re……dead…..”
The other was entirely inaudible but he saw how he shook his head ferociously and forced a smile. Probably reassuring him and telling him he did everything he could. He squeezed his eyes closed when another wave of agony washed over him. He groaned painfully, although he thankfully couldn’t hear it. He didn’t want to listen to his own vulnerability.
Eijiro gaped down at Katsuki’s face, screwed up in pain. The blonde panted for a few moments until his features evened out and he fell into unconsciousness.
”W-wait a second, bakugou!”
There was no response.
”Bakugou, you need to stay awake. Bakugou!
He shook Katsuki thoroughly but he didn’t react in the slightest. His head lolled to the side, allowing a small trail of blood to trickle from his nose. More of it was steadily soaking numerous other areas of his body and painting the concrete beneath him.
”Shit, don’t do this to me you man, you aren’t number one yet!”
Eijiro’s breaths started to heave in more harshly. Salty tears welled in his eyes, spilling down his stinging cheeks.
Boots thumped loudly up the stairs and shouts echoed in the dauntingly large stairwell but he wouldn’t peel his eyes from his friend. He pulled him close, just in case it was an enemy. And maybe for his own comfort.
Katsuki’s complexion was already looking too pale and his chest rose unsteadily. Eijiro flipped his hand over and pulled away the glove to feel the thready, erratic pulse beneath his fingertips.
”Please……Katsuki…please, not like this..”
Rapid footsteps approached where he kneeled, crying and begging a lifeless looking Dynamite to open his eyes. Eijiro was startled by Best Jeanist’s dire tone.
”Dynamite?!”
Eijiro sniffled, staring up at him with terrified, wide eyes. He clutched his wounded friend against his chest with an unrelenting grip.
The fibre hero eyed the busted doorway, which was still flooding with smoke. His heart thudded wildly in his chest although he kept his strong composure. Panicking wasn’t going to help. Katsuki looked too gone. Too similar to back then, back in the war.
”Give him to me, i’ll stitch him up”
He immediately forced his thoughts under control. He couldn’t have made a difference back then, but now. Now he can change it. He wasn’t letting Katsuki die again.
Eijiro reluctantly but swiftly laid Katsuki down, shuffling away to let Best Jeanist nurse him.
The lanky man kneeled beside the blonde, who was a bleeding, ill-looking mess and very clearly unresponsive. Countless cuts and injuries adorned his body, so Best Jeanist ultimately focused on the areas with the most significant damage.
His thigh was still bleeding at an alarming rate, and he hesitantly peeled open the soaked fabric. It looked like his leg had been completely impaled, including the bone. Shit. Femoral breaks can cause internal bleeding.
”Hang on Dynamite, you’ll be alright.”
It was more of a reassurance to himself than anything. He reconstructed the fibres in his costume and threaded them through the jagged flesh. Katsuki didn’t even twitch when the hole was cinched closed.
”Help me turn him over.”
He began rolling Katsuki onto his side to access the rest of the wound with Eijiro’s rushed assistance - repeating the same procedure on the underside of his leg. It could really use some packing but this would have to suffice. The blonde’s jaw hung slack now, and his already unsteady breathing was getting even more laboured.
”He’s gonna be okay, right?”
Eijiro’s voice was uncharacteristically vulnerable and quiet. Before the other could give him an answer, the ceiling above them began to crumble, rubble and dust crackling down. Both of them stared fearfully upwards.
”We need to leave right now, the building is unstable.”
He was already lifting their injured comrade into his arms, the stability in his tone didn’t portray the intense anxiety that bloomed in his core.
Eijiro hurriedly jumped to his feet while the other hoisted Katsuki up from the ground. A concerning amount of blood sluggishly weeped from Katsuki’s injuries, staining Best Jeanist’s denim pants. He internally cringed since it meant the blood wasn’t clotting well.
The two wasted no time in making a break for the next set of stairs. The creaking ironwork above them did little to ease their discomfort.
Something gave way a few stories up and clattered down with a resounding crash and the two swayed for their balance as the building quaked.
”It’s collapsing, hurry!”
Best Jeanist urged. Eijiro gripped the banister for stability, everything above them was already giving out.
They burst out into the cold with mere seconds to spare as the last remaining support beams groaned and creaked, bringing down the rest of the structure.
Murky plumes of smoke and debris engulfed them, to which they crouched down. Eijiro could hear the snapping photos, the droning helicopters, the reporters and the crowing tabloids. Katsuki wouldn’t want to be seen like this. His heart panged with a brief moment of anger at the intrusion of his best friend’s wishes.
The smog quickly began to dissipate, revealing the destroyed, barely standing ruin of what used to be a building. That was going to be a shit ton of paperwork. And a lot of negative feedback on the news. Oh well.
The two sidekicks turned pale when they saw Katsuki and had to cling to one another for comfort.
Once Best jeanist deemed the threat inactive he quickly identified the extent of Katsuki’s injuries and monitored his vitality. Plenty of minor lacerations littered him which usually shouldn’t pose a huge problem, but the rest of his hurts would at least need surgery and he was absolutely going to be out of commission for a good while.
The blood flow had lessened somewhat, although he figured that was probably a response to Katsuki’s body teetering on the edge of hypovolemic shock.
”He’s lost too much blood, we can’t afford to let it continue. Put pressure on that wound i’ll fit stitches in this one.”
He handed Eijiro a large cloth, who gave a shaky nod before gingerly pressing it hard into the wound in his friend’s wrist. The other worked on pulling the gashed forearm closed.
Even with the sutures his body was more than likely still losing far too much blood from various different places - it even saturated into the snow he lay in, turning it a very bright shade of crimson. Considering that more of his blood was splattered around than inside of his body, he probably wouldn’t stay alive much longer.
As if on queue, blaring sirens and flashing lights finally approached the street entrance. An ambulance veered in behind them, revving towards where the distress call was signalled. The redhead breathed out in slight relief upon seeing the white and yellow van pull up.
Gasps and quick photo snaps filled the silence as Katsuki was hurriedly lifted onto a stretcher and wheeled into the ambulance. Eijiro followed in close pursuit, inviting himself inside of the vehicle. He hurriedly fumbled around for his heroes license, which the paramedics barely looked at before giving him a confirming nod. After all, everybody knew how close the two were.
Best jeanist was directed into a police car, probably because head of authorities Koji would need his account of events. The medical team hastily worked around Katsuki, fitting a breathing tube and an IV drip into each arm.
Eijiro wasn’t paying attention to them though he could hear them speaking about shock, hypovolemia, blood pressure - but he was entirely preoccupied with staring intensely at the blonde, studying any signs of life, reassurance that he was still there.
”Please. Katsuki i can’t…”
He weeped quietly under his breath. How could this happen? Everything had been fine this morning and now his best friend was lying there, half dead and being administered life saving treatment. It smashed into him all at once like a big speeding semi truck, it was all so sudden, so unexpected. He hadn’t even prepared for the idea that something like this might happen today.
”I can’t do this without you man…”
His knuckles whitened from how tightly he gripped the bed railing. Katsuki remained eerily still while the uniformed strangers wrapped his battered body with bandages. They had left the knife in the injury to preserve some blood and the redhead grimaced every time he accidentally glanced at it. They had put a tourniquet above the injury however. He was also set up with a heart monitor, which beeped too slowly for Eijiro’s liking.
His mind went blank for the rest of the trip to the hospital. Aside from the occasional flutter of his heart when Katsuki twitched, he felt numb. His muscles went sore with tension but it didn’t pull him any closer to awareness.
The moment they arrived the doors were pulled open and the medical team burst out of the vehicle, pushing the blonde’s bed through a long corridor. The clinical whiteness of their surroundings contrasted heavily with Katsuki’s bloody, beaten form.
Eijiro wasn’t particularly careful in his pursuit, sprinting alongside them with blurry eyes clouded by tears. He probably almost bumped into multiple patients and nurses but he couldn’t bring himself to mind. Not when Katsuki was so badly hurt.
He was obstructed by a burly doctor when the other disappeared behind a door.
”I’m sorry young man, he’s going into theatre you’ll have to wait.”
After that he didn’t recall much else, his senses felt muffled and his chain of thoughts foggy. He did remember a lot of tears and an unrelenting pang of anxiety in his heart throughout the whole ordeal.
A nurse quickly whisked him away into a solitary room to be observed for injuries. They checked him over for any signs of concussion and were relieved to find that his head was in tact. The only treatment he required were some disinfectant swabs for his jaw and a couple of plaster dressings to cover them.
The process took around two hours, due to the fact that he was bombarded with questions and interrogated by prying police. Much to his gratitude, Best Jeanist had quickly rushed over after filling out a giant plethora of sheets to beckon away the authorities. The hero gave him a few reassurances, and informed him that his stack of papers could wait before leaving quietly. He had also brought Eijiro’s gym bag which was back in the locker room at the agency. It held his red hoodie and black shorts.
”Is there any news on Dynamite?”
He gingerly asked the doctor typing out his release form.
”Not yet unfortunately, he will be in surgery for a while.”
His eyes downcast, and his spine was rigid with anxiety. The doctor noticed this and offered him a sympathetic gaze.
”I can have them inform you as soon as he’s out of theatre, but i think it’s best you try and go home for tonight.”
He gave her as much of a smile as he could muster in his messy, disheveled state.
”Thanks.”
He was quickly released with a clean bill of health just three hours after his arrival and ushered out of the urgent care unit. He groggily made his way to the bathrooms to change, then to the elevator, leaning heavily on the railing and listening to the rusty groaning of cogs and chains. He didn’t feel fully aware, though he registered walking into the bustling main atrium.
As soon as he stepped out a crowing group of tabloids and paparazzi rushed over and cornered the read head into a wall and snapped photos of him. He shielded his eyes from the flashes of white, all the while inconsiderate reporters yelled insensitive questions at him.
”Was Dynamite responsible for the explosion that collapsed a building?”
”How is hero Dynamite’s condition?”
”Will Best Jeanist be losing his hero license?”
He couldn’t handle this right now, it was all overwhelming him. He didn’t look anybody in the eye as he stuttered shyly.
”Um- I….uh..”
He was startled by a firm hand gripping him by the wrist and pulling him from the crowd of imbeciles. That shock melted into relief when he realised that a worried looking Kaminari was dragging him away, towards an equally concerned Mina and Sero.
”Come on let’s get you out of here.”
Kaminari wrapped a supportive arm around his shoulders to lead him to the exit while Sero and Mina shot glares and shielded him from the clicking cameras.
They hastily made their way outside, into the frosty mist. Sero retrieved his keys from his pocket, attached with many key rings and decorations. He clumsily fumbled to press the unlock button. All four of them quickly stepped into the car before they could be spotted by any more prying eyes. Sero and mina in the front, with Kaminari and Eijiro in the back.
Finally in the security of the car, they all turned to look at him. Kaminari was the first to ask.
”How you holding up man?”
Mina quickly chimed in.
”Don’t worry, you don’t need to say anything if you aren’t feeling up to it.”
Eijiro was silent for a few moments, staring intensely as his own lap for the fear that if he met any of their eyes he would crumble.
”I…..i don’t know..”
There was another long silence, this time a shared moment of empathy between close friends. Kaminari was the first to break it again, with a gentle hand on his shoulder.
”We’re all going to Sero’s, you should come with us that way you aren’t just sitting alone with all this.”
Eijiro’s eyes flicked up to Sero, whose brows were tightly knitted and features full of distress. They were all worried about Katsuki too.
Tears pricked in the corners of his eyes again, and his lip quivered.
”Yes please.”
Sero smiled at him reassuringly, and turned to start the ignition. Mina’s round eyes welled with tears and she quickly turned away to fix up her mascara. Kaminari pulled him into an awkward side-hug. One he needed however. He leaned into the embrace, and allowed the tears to fall.
”It’s gonna be okay bro..”