{~Deku one-shots with angst~}

Crystal in the Dust (A Monster You See In the Reflection)

A/N: Happy (late) Birthday Izuuu! Ahhh! To celebrate: angst :D 

Hope you all enjoy!

AU: Sometimes the problem is your drive all along. In which Izuku and Katsuki both think they're the problem. 

P.S: This might be a little sequel to the last chapter, not sure! Intended to be a stand-off though, just realised it shares similarities with the last one. 

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"Hey, it's Deku again."

Sneering and giggles haunted him, chasing him after every corner as Izuku quickly hurried through the broken streets, the lights flickering as he silently trekked on. The phantom-pain like shame flooded his veins as he sinked in and out the shadows, his gaze scanning every slash of graffiti on the walls around him. 

"He's such a burden, isn't he?" 

Exhaustion weighed on him like boulders, the growing mass of ice in his chest making each breath strenuous. The moonlight above him scarcely made a difference in the inky night, as Izuku quickly flickered over the city. 

There wasn't time to rest. There was barely enough time to think, at this rate. 

Silence gnawed at his gut; somehow his mind was louder all the more because of it. Skidding around another corner- they were endless, as if Izuku was a programmed machine, going through the same repetitive motions again and again, losing himself a bit in the flow of it all. All day he thinks- how much longer can he go? How much longer until the metal breaks down and the electricity burns and the metallic taste of blood becomes a permanent fixture- 

suddenly,  crimson eyes meet his. 

"You're such a useless Dek-"

"Izuku," the grenette saw pink lips mouth, the movement of it so enchanting that Midoriya didn't even process the noise that they made. His eyes zoned back onto Katsuki's, full of determination and so bright that Izuku almost had to recoil (he'd been in the dark for only a short while, but it seemed so long since he had written those letters with quivering hands and a constant stream of tears, since he had took a step out of the school he gave his blood to get into). 

"Izuku." Katsuki repeated, taking a step forward towards the frozen boy, "Deku." 

"Kacchan?" Izuku whispered, his voice hoarse. When was the last time he talked? With All Might? With Hawks? Endeavour? How long had he been ignoring their calls? 

"Izuku, you need to fu- you need to stop this, damn nerd." the blonde urged, taking another tentative step towards the younger male. "This isn't the righ-"

"What are you doing here, Kacchan?" Midoriya cut in; god, he was so exhausted. It was as if the blood that stained his fists had condensed into kilograms upon his eyelids. It was as if the ground below him had sucked in every ounce of his energy for its own shudders

"To get you back home, what the hell do you think?" Bakugou exasperated, taking another step forward.

Another. 

And another. 

"I can't.. I can't go back." Izuku whispered, turning away from the burning gaze on him. 

"Why not?" Katsuki asked, cocking an eyebrow in confusion. "Who the f*ck is stopping you?"

"You know who." the grenette mumbled, slightly irritated. His fingers trembled (from the exhaustion or from the tension of having to face his friend? Or was it from hope?) violently, his lips quivering from the desperation thrashing in his guts.