Undead Revolution (⛔☁️)

S8 - 3. [Warden]

Katsuki knelt next to Teskai. The bruises and cuts on his visible skin were evidence of the treatment he'd endured. Katsuki's jaw clenched at the sight, but he kept his focus. This wasn't over yet.

"Teskai" He whispered, nudging him lightly. "You alive?"

Teskai's eyelids fluttered open, his eyes glossy and unfocused. "I dunno any– You– 'Tsuki?"

Katsuki didn't answer further. He was already working on cutting through the ropes that bound Teskai's wrists. Time was running out. He could hear the faint wail of sirens in the distance, getting closer.

Just as he lifted Teskai to his feet, the distant sound of sirens became the unmistakable calls and orders. Katsuki's blood ran cold.

Heroes.

The video and address had been public, but they couldn't have put together a team, brief them, and get here... Right?

「Plot convenience.」

He carefully pulled Teskai over his shoulder, knowing they had to move fast. The last thing he needed was to get tangled up with pro heroes when his focus should be on getting Teskai out of there.

But just as they reached the exit of the facility, a booming voice rang out from in front of him. "Freeze! Step away from the hostage!"

Katsuki indeed froze, his grip tightening on Teskai. He didn't need to look twice to know who it was. The heroes had arrived. The heroes stood in front of the exit.

And they thought he was the threat.

"Shit" Katsuki muttered under his breath, eyes narrowing. He could make out two figures, both closing in fast. The flicker of their uniforms made it clear: pro heroes. Not the weak, useless ones, either.

The lead hero, a towering figure with a scarred face, didn't hesitate. "Put him down, Deadpool!" The hero shouted.

Katsuki gritted his teeth. Idiots. They really thought he was the one who did this.

Teskai groaned weakly on his shoulder, too out of it to respond to the situation. Katsuki's mind raced. He could take them. He'd dealt with worse, but Teskai wasn't in any condition to fend for himself, and fighting the heroes would only make things worse.

The second hero, a woman with glowing energy radiating from her hands, moved closer. "We know what you are, who you are. You're not getting away this time"

Katsuki let out a low growl, adjusting his hold on Teskai. He didn't have time for this.

"Stay with me" Katsuki muttered to his friend, voice tight as he turned to ignore the heroes. "We're not getting caught today"

There was a quiet groan before Teskai gave a slurred, disoriented response. "Dea'Pool? No... I didn'... I won' tell you... I ain' sayin'... his n'me"

Katsuki's blood flash froze in his veins. Teskai hadn't just been taken to draw him out. Teskai had been tortured to give up Deadpool's identity.

And... Teskai had kept quiet. He'd kept Katsuki's identity a secret even through torture. Torture that anyone unused to pain would break under.

He wanted to cry.

Katsuki's grip on Teskai tightened, his heart pounding in his chest. His mind was racing, a torrent of emotions colliding: anger, guilt, and something else he wasn't willing to admit to himself. Teskai had endured torture, and he hadn't broken. He had stayed silent, protecting Katsuki's identity even when it cost him.

The thought was enough to make Katsuki's stomach churn.

The hero with the glowing hands took another step forward, her energy crackling in the tense air. "You won't get away this time" She repeated, her voice firm, unwavering. "Put him down. You're surrounded"

Katsuki could hear the footsteps of the other heroes closing in behind him, but his mind was elsewhere, focused on the nearly unconscious teen in his arms. He swallowed hard, pushing down the surge of emotions threatening to overwhelm him.

Teskai had kept his secret. Even after all of this, the idiot had kept quiet.

Without warning, Katsuki fired a shot in the direction of the approaching heroes, aiming at the ground just in front of the nearest's feet. The bullet sparked off the concrete, sending dust flying.

"Back off" Katsuki snarled. "I'm not in the fucking mood"

The hero flinched but stood her ground, the red glow from her hands only growing brighter. "You can't keep running, Deadpool"

Katsuki's lips curled into a bitter smile beneath his mask. "Watch me"

Teskai had kept his secret.

And that, more than anything, felt like a knife to his chest.

Word count: 742