💥𝔸 𝔾𝕙𝕠𝕤𝕥 𝕠𝕗 𝕎𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕎𝕒𝕤 𝕆𝕟𝕔𝕖 𝕄𝕚𝕟𝕖 𝕍.𝟚💥𝔹𝕒𝕜𝕦𝔻𝕖𝕜𝕦

Chapter 4

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

Broken Promises

Groaning, Katsuki reluctantly stirred, feeling the weight of something heavy pinning him down. As he craned his head, Deku's unruly mop of hair invaded his vision, resting on his abs. Crimson eyes scanned the scene, spotting Deku's hand improvising a bandage with his shredded yellow cape over Katsuki's bloody gut wound. Pain, radiating through every damn inch of him.

Katsuki's body groaned in agony as he attempted to pull himself upright, instantly regretting it. His body ached from the inside out, but at least he was conscious. "Damn it," he hissed, his teeth grinding together in a futile attempt to withstand the searing agony clawing at his insides. It was a torment that needed no medical degree to diagnose.

The room seemed to spin in chaotic disarray, a dizzying haze enveloping his vision. Exhaustion clung to him like a suffocating shroud, he could feel he was slowing down because of injuries. The exhaustion made him feel vulnerable, exposed, and he hated it. It was a reminder that he wasn't invincible, and it fueled the ember of frustration burning within him.

Katsuki noticed emerald eyes flickering open to meet his, and a sigh of relief escaped Deku's pale lips. He tried to pull off one of his trademark smiles, but it fell flat, a weak attempt tainted by blood splatter, puffy bruised eyes, and the dry remnants of tears. Katsuki hadn't seen that grin since their first year at UA, a time when everything wasn't tangled in complications. Yet, even in the dim light, it wasn't lost on Katsuki. The pain, hidden behind the façade of a smile, was uncomfortably obvious.

Katsuki watched Deku continue to attempt masking the obvious agony etched across his features. The gritted teeth, the strained smile—it was all a feeble charade that only fueled Katsuki's irritation. He knew Deku all too well, perhaps better than anyone else, and seeing him attempt to downplay his pain only intensified Katsuki's annoyance.

"The hell are you smiling about, Deku?" Katsuki growled, his voice a low, gravelly rasp that mirrored the discomfort coursing through his own body. He shifted, wincing at the pain, but his narrowed gaze remained locked on Deku as he swatted him away. He didn't want anyone's help, especially from someone he deemed an annoyance.

"What's the matter, Kacchan?" he asked innocently. Seriously, the nerve of this asshole was astounding. "Get the hell off of me, shitty nerd; I never asked for your damn help," Katsuki lashed out, teeth clenched as his hand shot out, giving Deku another shove. But this time it was with a force that surprised them both. The muscles in his arm screamed in protest and yet another wave of searing pain shot through Katsuki's entire body. His gut throbbed mercilessly, and his arm ached like a son of a bitch.

The force of Katsuki's shove sent Deku sprawling to the side, the impact against the unforgiving ground punctuated by an audible thud. A guttural yelp of pure agony shot from Deku; his body momentarily paralyzed by the intensity of the pain. The makeshift bandage on Katsuki's gut shifted with the abrupt movement, causing another fresh surge of pain to shoot through him.

Deku's face contorted in anguish as he attempted to recover, sharp gasps escaping his lips. Every attempt to draw breath seemed to cause him further suffering, his body writhing on the cold, hard floor. He tried to back away from Katsuki, but every attempt to rise was met with a renewed wave of suffering, and his body contorted involuntarily as if trying to escape the torment.

Katsuki, despite his own injuries, found himself momentarily stunned by the sight of Deku in such anguish. Katsuki's eyes widened as regret gnawed at him, an unfamiliar sensation clawing its way through his pride at the realized of the extent of pain he'd just unintended caused. What the hell was this feeling?