Death Paradox 💥BAKUDEKU💥

chapter 22

The Emperor

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Chapter 22

Katsuki didn't sleep much. Hell, he didn't sleep at all. Not that he could with everything swirling in his head, grinding away at him like sandpaper against raw skin. He'd spent most of the night staring at the fire, the flickering flames doing nothing to settle the chaos running rampant in his head, going through the memories Kirishima had shoved down the bond. Sorting through every damn moment like his life depended on it.

Maybe it did.

And it sure as hell didn't help that every now and then, the faint sound of Izuku pained whimpers under Kirishima's protective wing made his heart lurch in a way that felt wrong.

No, it was more than wrong. It was... confusing.

His eyes flicked toward them.

Soft, faint symbols hovered around Kirishima's massive form, floating like embers caught in a slow updraft. The shapes weren't solid—they flickered like dying flames, sharp and jagged at the edges, each one drifting slowly in a slow, circular orbit around him. The glow pulsed gently in sync with Kirishima's breathing, each rise and fall of his chest sending the runes into a slow, weightless spin. Red, orange, and ember-gold symbols hovered just above the curve of his wings and shoulders, moving like fireflies with purpose.

Runes. Drakkan runes.

Even though Katsuki couldn't see the nerd, every now and then he would catch a whiff of Izuku's scent. His nose wrinkled at the stinging tang of not just the pain but the sharp edge of copper and something sickly sweet curling in the back of his throat. The curse.

Izuku had said that no amount of magic could undo the damage done by the curse... and yet the dragon was trying. He was willing to use his own energy to try and ease Izuku, even if there was a high possibility he couldn't.

The fire crackled, low embers popping, but Katsuki barely noticed. He was too caught up, too wound up on another issue, and no matter how hard he tried to shove it all away, one thing kept echoing louder than anything else.

What is he to you?

That stupid, fucking question.

It had been bouncing around in his skull ever since IcyHot had the nerve to ask it. What the hell was Deku to him? The nerd had been his rival, his punching bag, his constant irritation for years. That hadn't changed, right?

But deep down... somewhere he didn't want to go, he knew it had.

It had changed the moment their fates got tangled up in this mess—when that damned quirk, Fate's Embrace, had bound him and Deku together, dragging him into this endless brutal cycle.

He turned over on his bedroll, looking at the fading stars, fingers knotted in his hair as he tried to make sense of the mess in his head. He wasn't some lovesick idiot. He didn't have time for that kind of bullshit, and yet, here he was, awake in the middle of the night, turning himself inside out over one damn question.

What is he to you?

Katsuki squeezed his eyes shut, trying to force the memories away, but they came flooding back, clearer than ever. The way his chest had tightened the moment he saw Izuku bleeding in that stupid forest. The raw, bone-deep rage he'd felt when the Nomu had utterly broken him. The way he'd fought like a damn maniac to get to the next card, not for himself but for Izuku. The way he'd stood there, dagger in hand, ready to rip Shoto apart for daring to suggest he could "court" Izuku.