STRINGS // KATSUKI BAKUGO [2]

Chapter 32 // Found and Fighting

You stood in front of the second door at the end of the tunnel, clutching the key the clone had given you tightly.

'Please,' you thought, jamming the key into the keyhole with an exhale, 'please, don't be a false lead.' You turned the key.

The lock clicked.

You removed the key, tossing it to the floor, and turned the handle, slowly pushing the door open and peering inside.

You carefully scanned the bare, cement room, your eyes eventually landing on your kidnapped boyfriend.

He was tucked in the far corner, his limbs curled into his body and head resting against the wall, and he was...

...fine.

He was as fit as he was when you last saw him, and his skin wasn't as sickly pale as you originally assumed it would be. His hair wasn't untamed or tangled. It was well kept. He was clothed, and, considering his fetal position, you assumed the wound on his stomach had healed. He must've been well fed and hydrated.

He was clearly delirious and disorientated due to the isolation, but he wasn't harmed. He wasn't bleeding or crying. He wasn't dead. He was just a pawn in a game, a game Shigaraki has created.

However, corrupting his nearly perfect appearance was a bracelet, a cuff, circling his left wrist. It was quirk restraint device. No wonder he didn't just break himself out.

"Katsuki...." you exhaled, choosing to speak rather than move in case your sudden presence were to startle your boyfriend.

Bakugo slowly lifted his head from the wall it rested on, his crimson eyes snapping open at the sound of your voice.

He blinked, unraveled his limbs from where they were tucked into his stomach, and shifted his body to face you.

His mouth hung ajar at the sight of you, and his lips squeezed together as if he was trying to speak, but no words came out.

You cautiously approached him, and his eyes followed you. He was eventually forced to crane his head back in order to look up at you.

You crouched in front of your boyfriend, managing a weak smile at the sight of him completely unharmed and alive.

You raised your hand, pressing your palm to his cheek. His skin wasn't cold. It was actually comfortably warm.

He leaned into your hand, eyes fluttering shut, and you brushed your fingers across every part of his face; his forehead, the bridge of his nose, his eyelids, his lips, and his chin. You caressed everything.

Bakugo soon peeled his eyes open again, and you smiled once more at the sight of the familiar crimson iris' that always stared at you with admiration and love. They gave you enough strength to finally speak again.

"Hey, baby."

He grabbed your wrist, fingers caressing the joint. His delirious state allowed the protruding bone to go unnoticed, which was slowly become more visible with each day, similar to the rest of your joints, due to your deteriorating health.

Bakugo leaned forward and tucked himself into your chest, arms wrapping around your torso. You allowed yourself to break your crouched position to order to properly sit on the floor as you reciprocated the hug.

While one of your arms curled around his head, your hand tangling in his hair, the other laid across his back.

You felt his lips press against your forearm, voice muffled as he asked, "...did you find your mom?"

You inhaled slowly, clutching Bakugo tighter against your body as you comforted him by continuing to run your fingers through his hair.

"Yeah..." you breathed out, "...yeah, I found her."

"Is she okay?" he questioned further, and you forced a smile.

He has been the one trapped underground for weeks, isolated from society, yet he was asking how someone else was doing.

"I hope so," you replied in a quiet tone to hide the shakiness in your voice. "I really hope so."

The two of you basked in the silence and warmth of each other and remained tangled together on the floor for quite some time.

It wasn't until you felt the ground shake ever-so-slightly that you snapped back to reality and remembered where you were, underneath the collapsing headquarters of the Paranormal Liberation Front.

"Kat, we gotta go," you stated, leaning back to look down at your boyfriend. "This place is gonna collapse. Can you walk?"

A few months ago you'd be able to carry him if he couldn't carry himself for however long he needed, but, with how your health was now, you doubted you could carry his weight for longer than a couple of minutes.

"It's gonna take more than solitary confinement to keep me down," he joked, scoffing at his own statement. "I'm ready to get out of this hellhole."

"Alright, Superman," you joked with a breathy chuckle. "Let's get out of here."

You helped Bakugo to his feet while simultaneously turning to head for the door. However, before you could even complete a full step, strong arms wrapped around your waist and pulled you back.

"Okay," you chuckled, "I'm all for cuddling, but let's save it for when we're not beneath a collapsing build—hmf!"

You were silenced when Bakugo pressed his lips to yours, and the kiss wasn't anything like the first one the two of you shared.

It wasn't desperate but instead longing. It wasn't lustful but instead chaste. It was a feeling that made you forget everything and anything but him.

"...missed you," he mumbled against your lips before finally pulling away. Your eyes fluttered open, and you smiled.

"I missed you too..." you whispered.

The cell shook. Everything, the floor, the walls, the ceiling, rumbled as the fight above continued.

"What's happening up there?" Bakugo asked, craning his head back to look at the ceiling, which was now raining dust.

"The war," you stated. "That's what's happening."

[EDITED]