Don't Be Afraid of Shadows (BakuDeku)

◅ Chapter 9 ▻

Katsuki would never admit it, he was too stubborn, but there was a warmth blooming in his chest that pushed away the chill of his damp clothes faster than several layers of blankets ever could. They knew, and they felt they had tried. In the moment he could have spat at them that they hadn’t tried hard enough, he could have burned any attempts at building that bridge. Or, he could accept the olive branch and help dig the foundations.

“You’re gonna think I’m fucking mental, okay?” He scrubbed his face with his hands, not wanting to look at them, “You just gotta stick with me, cos I’m gonna tell you everything.”

And he did. 

He told them about his first realisation that there was something else in his room with him as a child. He told them about the night terrors he could never remember, about the feelings of dread, loss and pain. He told them about his ability to see the shadow, and how he grew used to it. How it was always there, when no one else was. He didn’t miss the way the muscles in his mother’s jaw tightened at that. 

He told them about the Squad’s discovery, and their reactions to Shadow. About the seance and the revelations they made. He talked a mile a minute as he recounted the research they’d done, the conversation with Yagi, the visit to Aizawa, and his theory that Inko was buried in their garden the whole damn time. And he felt his eyes blur with the unwelcome presence of tears as he explained that last night Inko has basically tried to kill him, and he didn’t know for the life of him, fucking why… why?

When he finished, he brought his gaze up to see his father wiping tears from his cheeks, and his mother stark white, paler than a new moon. 

“I know it’s fucking crazy and-”

“Son, if I hadn't just helped you dig a body up in the garden, where you said it would be. If I-” Masaru lifted his glasses to remove the last of his tears as he sighed in exhaustion, “If I hadn't witnessed you thrashing in your sleep with bruised handprints around your throat and saw you fighting to breathe, then maybe, maybe I would have doubted you. But I know what I saw. And while I can’t explain any of it, I can’t say you’re lying to us Katsuki.”

His mother did not look well, but she was nodding her agreement, “We believe you Kat.”

“But I don’t think the police will.” Masaru said sadly, locking eyes with his son.

“Yeah, I doubt Aizawa is gonna accept my ghost bullshit. That’s if he even shows.”

“Then we tell them… We tell them we have groundhogs, and we were digging out their dens to exterminate them while they slept.” Katsuki blinked at his father multiple times.

“What?” The old man asked, “We need a reason, and it may seem cruel to the groundhogs but honestly I’m tired and it's the best I can come up with. It won’t matter one bit if we all say the same thing, right?”

Kastuki couldn’t help but chuckle, “Old man, lying to the cops. Setting a bad example ‘ya know?”

He saw a smile flicker at the corner of his father’s lips and his mother huffed a short laugh. 

“I’m getting you a hoodie, you can’t let them see that.” His mother said, gesturing to his neck.

Yeah, he probably wouldn't be able to explain away that and the nighttime ‘groundhog’ hunt.

His mother came back with a clean hoodie as the doorbell rang and Katsuki slipped into it, drawing the hood tight up around his neck as his eyes slid to the clock on the oven - 4:28am. Fuck, not even 5am on a Saturday morning and he might have to deal with Aizawa’s skepticism.