I'm Not a Villain

Chapter 11 - I

Morning light shone into the room. Katsuki rose with a yawn, adjusting his eyes to the soft light. Sitting up and supporting himself with his arms behind him, he felt the material under him. A bed...?

Right. He had almost forgotten what had happened yesterday. Tentatively raising a hand, he checked the bandage. It was in the middle of the upper part of his chest. He wondered what Deku could've done to cause so much pain. Glancing up at the ceiling, he found a camera in a corner, pointed at him. He should've figured as much.

It was only a moment later when the door opened. Deku came in with his signature smile. "I see you're awake. How do you like your room? I tried to get you one with a view."

Katsuki turned his attention to the window. He hadn't noticed it before. As he slipped out of bed, his chest ached in protest. The rest of his body was in pain as well from their earlier fight. Walking over to the window, he leaned against it and looked out.

All he could see was a beautiful beach and the crystal waves of the ocean. The sky was bright blue with no clouds in sight. It would've lifted his spirits, had the current situation not have been so dire.

On the other side of this small window were thick metal bars. Curiously, he inspected the lock on the window. When it opened, the fresh ocean smell hit him. He was able to open the window all the way, wanting as much fresh air as he could get. From what he could see, he was two stories up. Not an impossible jump but this window wasn't large enough to fit through.

"Are you going to answer me?" Deku asked, pulling Katsuki out of his head.

Turning around to face him, he huffed out, "It's fine."

"That's good," Deku replied. "Anyways, you have a visitor!" He exclaimed. Katsuki raised a brow at that. Visitor? Deku turned to head out the door. Katsuki walked around the bed to see who it was. Deku came back a moment later, a carrier in his hand.

Katsuki gasped when he realized what that meant. Deku really did it.

Deku closed the door and set the carrier down. Katsuki dropped down to his knees and looked inside. Inside he found his little gray cat, Susu. Forgetting everything else, he scrambled to unlock the door and open it. Gently pulling his cat out and holding her close to him, he panted, his breath filled with emotion.

It had felt so long since he had something that brought him so much comfort. His mouth was opened wide in a smile. Katsuki was overwhelmed with happiness. Once his heart had calmed down, Katsuki stood up and sat in the middle of the bed with Susu in his lap. He stroked her back rhythmically as she purred for him, shielding her from Deku with his other arm.

"That was adorable!" Deku 'awed'.

Katsuki reluctantly agreed with Deku. "Yeah, she is."

Deku rolled his eyes, inviting himself to sit on the edge of the bed. "No, you are. That thing is a little furry monster." Deku raised his arm up, pulling his sleeve down. "She scratched me like ten times! Little ungrateful thing," he grumbled, glaring at Susu.

"I take it you're not a cat person."

"They don't like me so I don't like them," Deku huffed, crossing his arms.

A thought came to his mind, making his heart drop. "How did you get her?"

Deku flicked his wrist, dismissing Katsuki's nervousness. "Oh calm down, I snuck in while the happily married couple were sleeping. I didn't lay a finger on them."

With a sigh of relief, Katsuki relaxed his muscles and continued petting Susu. "Did you get her some supplies?"

Deku nodded. "Yeah, I'll bring them by later."

The two sat in silence, Deku watching Katsuki as he pets the cat.

...

"Would you like to pet her?"

Deku blinked his eyes in surprise at the offer. "Sure." Katsuki hesitantly pulled his hands away to let Deku access Susu. Watching Deku like a hawk, Katsuki tried to calm his nerves. Deku cautiously stroked Susu's head, his lips pressed together in a struggle to mask his disgust. After a minute, Deku pulled his hand away. "Alright I touched it, am I done now?"

Katsuki relaxed fully as Deku rested his hands in his own lap. Harmless and right where Katsuki could see them. "Cats aren't inherently bad, y'know. Just misunderstood," Katsuki started, taking his eyes off of Deku to scratch under Susu's chin. "If you want their love, you need to be willing to put in the effort to get it." Putting his hand down, the cat repetitively licked it. "Sure, she can be mean and test you but with a little patience and some kindness, you'll find there's more to her underneath the surface."

Deku nodded along, listening carefully. After Katsuki finished speaking, Deku remarked, "Well, I'll try my best." With a breath, Deku stood up and started towards the door. "I'm gonna go make your breakfast and grab those things for the furball. You should take a shower. I'll bring the medkit too." Before Deku left, he gave a smile and said, "I love you, Kacchan."

Setting Susu aside, he went to the closet and picked out his clothes. Once he made it to the bathroom, he searched the room for cameras. He was pleasantly surprised when he didn't find any. Standing in front of the mirror, his eyes flicked down to the patch. Picking at the corner of the tape, he slowly peeled it back. Katsuki closed his eyes in anticipation, ripping the patch off completely.

Opening his eyes, he let out a horrified gasp.

In the middle of his upper chest, just under his collarbone, the skin was cut neatly. A deep, red, scarring mark was left.

His eyes were hot with tears. Katsuki gripped the edge of the countertop to get a hold of himself but to no avail. Holding his breath to keep the emotions in, he panted hard. Tears ran down his cheeks, dropping onto the smooth surface of the counter.

With this mark, it was undeniable.

The truth had been in front of him all this time and he had to accept it.

Katsuki was Deku's.

He belonged to Deku.

Because in the middle of his chest, the claim carved right into his flesh, was the letter 'I'.