Victor | Katsuki Bakugou x Male reader

Chapter 22

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It took (M/N) a while to explain the situation to Katsuki. How Creati stole the food from the supply pile before he blew it up, how she tried to take enough to stay alive but not enough that anyone would notice it, how she wouldn't question the safety of berries they were preparing to eat themselves.

"I wonder how she found us," Katsuki said. "My fault, I guess, if I'm too loud as you say."

(M/N) shrugged. "She's very clever. Well, she was. Until you outsmarted her."

"Not on purpose. Doesn't seem fair somehow. I mean, we would have both been dead, too, if she hadn't eaten the berries first." Katsuki stopped himself. "No, of course we wouldn't. You recognized them, didn't you?"

(M/N) gave a nod. "We call them nightlock."

"Even the name sounds deadly," the blonde said. "I really thought they were the same ones you'd gathered."

"Well it doesn't matter. It just means we're one step closer to home, right?" (M/N) said.

"I'll get rid of the rest," Katsuki said, gathering the berries and going to toss them into the woods.

"Wait!" (M/N) shouted. He grabbed the leather pouch that belonged to the boy from District 4 and filled it with a handful of berries. "If they fooled Creati, maybe they can fool Mirio as well. If he's chasing us or something, we can act like we accidentally dropped the pouch and if he eats them-"

"Hello, District Twelve," Katsuki finished.

"Exactly," (M/N) said as he secured the pouch to his belt.

"He'll know where we are now," Katsuki said. "If he was anywhere nearby and saw the hovercraft, he'd know we killed her and come after us."

(M/N) knew he was right. It could have been the opportunity Mirio was waiting for. But even if they ran, there was the meat to cook and the fire would be another sign of their whereabouts.

"Let's make a fire. Right now." (M/N) began to gather branches.

"Are you ready to face him?" Katsuki asked.

"I'm ready to eat. Better to cook our food while we have the chance. If he knows we're here, he knows. But he also knows there's two of us and probably assumed we were hunting Creati. That means you've recovered. And the fire means we're not hiding, we're inviting him here. Would you show up?"

"Maybe not," Katsuki said.

In no time, (M/N) had rabbits and squirrel roasting. The roots, wrapped in leaves, were baking in the coals. The two took turns gathering greens and keeping a careful watch for Mirio, but as (M/N) anticipated, he didn't make an appearance.

When the food was cooked, (M/N) picked most of it up, leaving him and Katsuki a rabbit's leg to eat as they walked.

He wanted to move higher into the woods, climb a good tree, and make camp for the night, but Katsuki resisted. "I can't climb like you, (M/N), especially with my leg. I don't even think I could ever fall asleep fifteen metres above the ground."

"It's not safe to stay in the open, Katsuki," (M/N) said.

"Can't we go back to the cave?" the blonde asked. "It's near water and easy to defend."

(M/N) sighed. That would require several more hours of walking through the woods to reach an area they'd just have to leave in the morning to hunt. But Katsuki never asked for much. He'd followed (M/N)'s instructions all day and (M/N) was sure that if things were reversed, the blonde wouldn't make him spend the night in a tree.