𝐇𝐢𝐤𝐚𝐫𝐢 『Bakugo Katsuki』

◆Chapter 99◇

It's still beating.

That was the very first thing he took note of. Amidst the silence of the morning within his room, he lay there with his head against her chest, his eyes closed as he listened to the sound of her heart beat telling him she still slept peacefully within his arms.

Katsuki raised his head from her chest, the sound of her heartbeat fading as he looked down at her slumbering face. It was a complete contrast to the girl struggling to breathe the night before, her entire expression shrouded by the haunted memories of her deceased father now morphed into a more relaxed visage.

In truth, he could stay lying there for a long time as long as she remained. He wished he could, at least, had the sun been a bit more patient; he wished her emotions could be shared with him as they lay side by side so he could experience all of her - so he could take away her pain and suffering in exchange for peace.

Yet even as he hoped for these very things, for now, his heart squeezed as he still felt her restlessness in the way she'd wrapped herself around him, her hands still trembling slightly as she fisted his shirt in her sleep.

He reached up to her face and caressed her cheek, but paused when he felt something dribble onto his hand. Alarmed, Katsuki sat up and his heart lurched when he saw a single tear rolling down her cheek, her breathing coming out in quiet gasps from her parted lips. He instinctively wiped away her tear before lying back down and pulling her gently on top of him. Her hold on him tightened, her brows creasing with strife.

A nightmare? Katsuki wondered, cradling the back of her head, listening to her shaky breathing intensify as she whispered Sir Nighteye's name. His chest squeezed with frustration, knowing full well this was exactly the outcome Zin wanted.

And yet, she still risks herself by trusting him...

He leaned down and kissed her glistening forehead in hopes of easing her pain with his warmth, embracing her more tightly to himself as he heard her breathing ease slightly.

...so we can win a war we haven't fought yet.

He looked down at her when she stirred, her eyes slowly peeling open as she came to.

"...Katsuki?" Miyuki mumbled, her voice quiet and hoarse as her gaze focused on his face a few inches from hers. "Sorry, for making you worry last night..."

Why was she apologising? She didn't need to feel bad for how her father's death affected her. For those words to come out of her mouth so early in the morning - it showed him just how stressed she'd been by the commission's assignment. And even though he didn't know exactly what kind of nightmare she had, it still made his blood boil that they were putting her through this.

"You don't need to apologize for anything," he responded, his eyes following her movements as she sat up. Miyuki shook her head as if bringing herself out of a fog, covering her face with her hand.

"This keeps happening..." she mumbled. "No, I'm an idiot to allow it to. He knows where to hit me the hardest and yet, I'm clueless on how to fight back..." Her eyes were focused on his face, yet she seemed to be somewhere else entirely. "He's my enemy, but... he's an ally, too... So, I just have to bear it a little while longer..."

Miyuki looked away, her hair hooding her eyes as she pushed herself off of him. Katsuki looked at her, sitting up, too, so they were side by side. There were many things he wanted to ask her - dozens of things he wanted to know from her. But, as the silence stretched on, as he felt her reach for his hand in the darkness of his room, he could only voice one thing.

"You're someone who wants to become a hero," he started quietly, "letting yourself be toyed by the likes of the commission and a psycho.... don't let either of them take over you." he squeezed her hand, pursing his lips as the frustration bubbled up inside him at those stiff men and woman in suits and Zin.