Green Hope :: BakuDeku

Peanuts

"Just drive straight!"

"I need to know where to turn!"

"I'll fucking tell you at the next Goddamn turn!" Katsuki clutched Eijirou tightly, hand pressing down a soaked rag to the bleeding wound as he held the larger to his chest. "Just keep fucking going!"

His heart raced, Eijirou's breathing ragged and uneven, sweat dotting his forehead and tears in his vermilion eyes.

"Oh, God... Oh, God, I'm gonna die! I'm gonna turn- fuck!" Eijirou gasped and sobbed, fingers curled tight into Katsuki's arm.

"Shut the fuck up," Katsuki hissed, leaned back against the car door.

Ochako panted heavily, leaned over the wheel as she drove, Hanta in the passenger seat.

Tenya and Denki sat in the back, clutching the backs of the middle seat, eyes flicking between the road ahead and Eijirou in Katsuki's arms.

Katsuki had a good grip on their friend, but still... Maybe it hadn't been a good idea to bring Eijirou with. He's been bitten.

"Are you hungry?"

"No!"

"Are you hot?"

"No!"

"Sick-"

"Yes, yes I'm fucking sick! I just got fucking bitten, Katsuki!"

Katsuki grit his teeth, gripping Eijirou's wound tighter. The younger cried in pain, writhing between Katsuki's legs.

"Right! Turn right, we need to go around the walls!"

Ochako bit her lip, following his instruction.

Katsuki glared at the walls that caused this. The walls that housed Shindo fucking Yo, kept him alive long enough to do this shit.

No, this is Katsuki's fault. He should have just shot the motherfucker right between his eyes. Shouldn't have taken the fucking risk.

Eijirou's head fell back on his shoulder, the younger heaving and sobbing. "Fuck... fuck, I'm sorry... I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have fucking left... I shouldn't have followed the voice!"

"Just shut up..." Katsuki's teeth pressed together, eyes pinching shut. "You'll be fine. We'll get to the house, get you warmed up and get you some rest, alright? Just... just shut up..."

~

Katsuki left the duffle bag in the SUV just in case. He also wouldn't let anyone else come into the truck with him or Eijirou, and he didn't take any supplies aside from his gun and machete. He still lead them. He was the only one that knew the way to the new house.

Eijirou was no longer crying. Just leaning against the door, staring blankly out the window, hand resting on his shoulder, keeping the fresh rag on.

At least the bleeding had pretty much stopped.

"You know this is pretty dangerous," Eijirou finally muttered after about half-an-hour. "I could turn any minute... the others need to know how to get there and if I hurt you-"

"Just shut the fuck up, Eij." Katsuki's knuckles were white as he gripped the steering wheel, glaring at the road ahead. "You'll make it all the way to the fuckin' house, alright?"

"Don't you wanna see Izuku again?"

Katsuki swallowed hard. He inhaled deeply, leaning back into his seat. At the mere mention of his name, Katsuki could hear his voice. See him sitting in the passenger seat with his little journal, grinning up at Katsuki like the world hadn't ended.

He licked his lips. "That's a dumb fuckin' question. We already established that I probably won't. So many fucking variables."

Sighing, Eijirou slouched more. "But there's a chance you could, man. What if he does come back? He knows where the house is, so what if he comes back once there's a vaccine?"

Katsuki blinked slowly, adjusting his grip. "Then he comes back. Meets the group."

"And don't you wanna be there for that?"

"Sure. I'd like to see him again, Eij. I'd like to talk to him, maybe fucking apologize for how we parted. Maybe I want to hold him again and kiss him again. However, I have to take care of all of you right now. He's on his own, and I have to trust that he can take care of himself. So now I have to focus on you guys instead of worrying about how I could ever possibly see him again sometime in the most-likely distant future."

Eijirou hummed softly, looking down to his lap. "You sound so sad talking about him."

Katsuki rubbed his face, gripping the wheel tighter. "Yeah, well... it's not a big deal, Shitty Hair."

They were silent for a while, just the sound of the tires on the road muffled by the windows.

As he drove through a road cutting across a familiar clearing, he heard Eijirou's stomach growling. The younger clutched his stomach, startled by the noise and eyes wide. Looks like he's afraid of being hungry.

"What do you want to eat..?"

Eijirou gulped hard, then blinked slowly, eyes big as he turned to Katsuki. "Bro, I really want cheetos..."

Both fell silent again Katsuki staring at the road with Eijirou's eyes on him before both started laughing simultaneously.

Once recovered to mere snickers and chuckles, Katsuki popped open the console. "Well, I don't have any of those, but I do have some peanuts and some jerky in here."

"Sweet - peanuts!" Eijirou grabbed the jar and ripped it open. "Man, I can't remember the last time I had peanuts."

Katsuki smiled and shook his head.

~

It was dark when he pulled up to the gate. Eijirou was still nursing the peanut jar, jaw falling slack as the headlights shown through the gate.

"Holy shit... This is it..?"

Katsuki hummed, putting the truck in park. He opened the door and looked back to the three other cars pulling in behind him. Katsuki stepped out and unlocked the gate, pushing it open slowly before getting back in the truck and driving off to the side.

The other three cars drove in, Katsuki waiting for them to pass before shutting and locking the gate. He hopped back in the truck and drove closer to the house, Eijirou still staring in awe.

Dumbass.

Cars all in park, everyone began to filter out.

"This is the place..?" Mina stepped back, hands up in the air and teeth sinking into her lip. "Oh my God, it's gorgeous..."

Eijirou stuck close to Katsuki, holding the peanuts to his chest. "God, I can't wait to see it in the light."

Everyone turned to Eijirou, then the man swallowed hard and ducked his head. "Right... still a chance I could turn..."

Katsuki inhaled deeply. "I'll stay with him in the guest house. Everyone shack up inside and we'll figure out real sleeping arrangements later." He grabbed the back of Eijirou's jacket and dragged him on the crooked stone path towards the little guest house.

He can only hope for the best. It just really sucks that the odds are really against them.

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1118 words

Don't wanna lift ya hopes up too much