After five grueling hours, the students collapsed into the entryway of a mountainside inn. No one had been remotely prepared for the five mile hike through the thickly-forested landscape, or the jagged, icy slopes with snow climbing toward their knees. The promise of a warm meal and hot springs in the distance had been the only thing keeping them going.
Allowance had been given for Quirks, so Katsuki hadn't stuck around with the losers. Rocketing himself through the thick, prickly canopy of pines, he grabbed hold of upper limbs for occasional balance as he propelled himself through the air. A few of his other classmates joined him up there, but none of them were Deku.
Katsuki hadn't thought anything of it. He'd just been happy to be winning. And win, he had – by a long shot. He'd spent a good forty-five minutes lounging in the hot spring by his blessed self, before his classmates started piling in with abysmal excuses for their failures and shitty performance.
Deku did not show up. Nor did Todoroki.
And hour passed. Everyone else had long been back. Katsuki's every limb had been screaming to move, get going, find him.
Before anyone finished gathering a search party, Todoroki arrived, carrying an unconscious Deku, blood streaming down his face from a head wound.
"Avalanche," Todoroki said, wheezing. "I dug him out."
Everyone had swarmed.
Katsuki had remained in place. Back of the room, gawking.
Of course, the teachers had fucking shooed everyone away, and Recovery Girl had taken Deku aside. And, after a lunch where everyone ate less than they would have normally, training commenced as usual.
The day was a blur. None of it mattered.
What mattered was that night had fallen, everyone was asleep, and Deku was finally shifting in his sleep for the first time since Katsuki had sat at his bedside, hours ago.
"You did that to get out of training today, didn't you, asshole," Katsuki said, his tone a low hum in the dark, hushed room.
"My head," Deku said, his words wavering, eyes moving behind his closed lids.
Katuski intercepted the hand that lifted to touch Deku's bandage, his fingers gently cuffing Deku's wrist and placing it back upon his chest.
Deku swallowed, wincing as he did so. Katsuku took a cup of ice water from the bedside table and brought the straw to Deku's lips. Sitting up just enough to prop back against his elbows, Deku drank, his gaze forward and distant, probably trying to piece through his memory, if Katsuki had to guess.
"Avalanche, dumbass," Katsuki said, setting the water aside as Deku collapsed back to the bed with a huff.
"Ava – oh. Yeah."
Katsuki bit back on any number of violent admonishments, his jaw grinding as the impact of Deku's dazed, pale visage sunk in like a punch to the gut.
"You'll be fine," Katsuki said, jamming his elbow upon his knee, his chin resting on his palm as he angled his face away to watch the drifting, evening snow fall behind the window. Looked like those corny Christmas cards his grandma would send him. The old hag would always write shit inside like: Do your best! (Don't fuck it up.)
"I've had worse," Deku said with a short, weak laugh. "Just dizzy."
"Nearly concussed, more like."
Deku's reply was an grunt, his eyes falling closed again.
Katsuki swept his gaze back to the window. Encased in soft, midnight blue shadows, the full moon pouring over the floating snowflakes like sparks of falling light, Katsuki felt they might be inside a snow globe.
