A Hero's Villain

Eye of the Storm

A/N : Quick little note - if you already read Chapter 16 - Sentinel before I posted this one, there have been a few minor changes. Mostly grammar stuff I caught after publishing, but there is one small detail that will be important later. I'd recommend rereading at least the last chunk. Happy reading :D

Don't pass out. Don't pass out. Don't pass out.

The mantra Katsuki had repeated for the last block of his flight home seemed to lose its effectiveness as soon as he set foot in the lobby of his apartment. Half-open eyes fixed on the elevator, he trudged across the dark marble floors leaving a trail of water behind. Goosebumps pricked at his skin; the biting cold of the lobby was a brutal shift from the heavy humidity outside. Cold clung to his suit, using every place the wet fabric touched him to sink right down to his bones and leech away what little energy he had left.

A warm bed and dry clothes would be like Christmas come early.

From a little pod of chairs crowding a massive fireplace and flatscreen, tenants too bored to stay in their apartments but not brave enough to face the storm whispered excitedly as Katsuki passed them. Their voices sounded almost as distorted as they looked from the edge of his vision, like water hadn't just seeped into his boots and suit but his eyes and ears as well. Burning through the last little spark of energy he had, Katsuki crossed the lobby as quickly as his aching legs allowed and called the elevator.

He punched in the code to his floor wrong once, then twice, and on the third try the doors slid shut. Leaning against the wall, he listened to the soft mechanical hum carry him up to his bed and his lids dipped dangerously close to shut.

He shook himself awake and looked up at the bright red floor numbers climbing with him. Just a few more minutes and he could let exhaustion drag him under.

A gentle ping announced his floor, and he stumbled out of the elevator into the short hallway that led to his door. Searching a pouch on his belt for his key, he rolled his neck in slow circles to ease the searing pain creeping up the back of his neck. He fumbled the key into the lock, took a deep breath and sunk into thoughts of soft sheets, plush pillows, aspirin, dry clo-

Fingers wrapped around the door handle; he froze. Adrenaline exploded through his body, shocking him awake as his mind caught up with his senses. Someone was here.

Even in the hallway, he could smell hints of something rich and smokey mixed with sweeter notes of sauteed garlic and onion. His mouth watered, and with his next breath he caught a pinch of cumin and pepper. Pressing his ear to the door, he heard the faint clatter of pots and pans and the hum of music, but no talking.

He leaned back and eyed the door. Even if he'd forgotten to lock it, and there was no way in hell he had, there were only a few people with the code to his floor. Maintenance was too scared to show up without getting his permission first. His parents couldn't be here already, not when he'd just talked to them yesterday. Kirishima couldn't cook anything that smelled this good and would have known better than to show up uninvited.

Heart beating faster, he realized there was only one idiot brave – or stupid – enough to be in there right now.

Katsuki slipped inside and quietly closed the door behind him. Setting his gauntlets on the floor, questions built up behind the dam in his thoughts. He pulled his gloves off and dropped them on the rug. His bones creaked as he bent to untie his boots, an almost impossible task with stiff fingers and wet laces. Stars swam in his vision when he finally managed to straighten back up and slip the boots off with his toes. His stomach growled, urging him to throw out caution and feast, but he couldn't feed the starving beast, not when something sour was rising in the back of his throat.