𝔸 𝔾𝕙𝕠𝕤𝕥 𝕠𝕗 𝕎𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕎𝕒𝕤 𝕆𝕟𝕔𝕖 𝕄𝕚𝕟𝕖 𝕍.𝟚 💥𝔹𝕜𝔻𝕜💥

Chapter 52

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

A Maze Of Horrors

But Izuku didn't calm down. His breathing grew erratic, and his body twisted against Katsuki's hold, his fight-or-flight instincts kicking into overdrive. The sound of footsteps just beyond the door sent Katsuki's heart racing. Shit—if Izuku screamed, if he even made a noise, they were done for.

Without thinking, Katsuki slapped a hand over Izuku's mouth, muffling the frantic noises spilling from his lips. Izuku squirmed, his movements clumsy and desperate, still caught in whatever nightmare his brain refused to let go of. His breathing came in short, ragged bursts, his chest heaving as though he couldn't pull in enough air to survive. He brought his face to his, forcing Izuku's panicked gaze to lock onto his own. His crimson eyes bore into Izuku's with a fierceness that demanded attention his voice a low growl in his head: Look at me, Deku. Focus. I'm here, damn it.

The panic in those green eyes was enough to twist a knife deep into Katsuki's gut. But slowly—agonizingly slowly—the raw terror started to ebb. Izuku's body relaxed, just a fraction, as recognition flickered behind his glassy stare.

Katsuki let out a slow, silent breath, his grip firm but steady. That's it. Keep your shit together. We've got no room for this right now.

And then the door burst open.

A deafening crash split the air, and Katsuki's whole body went rigid. The faint sliver of security they'd had was obliterated in an instant. He shifted slightly, pulling Izuku closer against him, shielding the nerd's trembling frame with his own. Through the narrow gaps in their barricade of crates, Katsuki caught sight of two figures stepping into the room. Their silhouettes were sharp and jagged against the dim light spilling in from the corridor, casting distorted shadows that crawled across the walls.

The intruders moved with caution, their boots crunching softly against the scattered debris on the floor. Katsuki's eyes narrowed, his brain kicking into overdrive as he scanned them for weapons, weak points—anything he could use if shit went sideways. His injured arm throbbed like hell, but he shoved the pain aside, burying it beneath the boiling frustration bubbling up inside him.

His fingers instinctively reached for his dead earpiece, a frustrated grunt escaping his lips as he remembered its uselessness. No comms. No fucking backup. Katsuki's fingers twitched at his side, the itch to blast these assholes into next week almost too much to bear. But that wasn't the plan. Not yet.

The intruders' voices drifted through the room, low and tense.

"The heroes managed to slip in and out under all of our damn noses," one of them grumbled, their tone dripping with frustration. "But Jet Fuel swears they went this way. We need to find them before they cause any more trouble."

"Yeah, and if they've split up, that just makes it harder to track them," the second replied, their voice sharp with irritation. "We've gotta lock this place down before they regroup."

Izuku stiffened against Katsuki's side, his breathing suddenly shallow and uneven. Katsuki's head snapped toward him, his gut twisting at what he saw. Izuku's eyes glinted with that feral edge, pupils narrowed into predatory slits. His lips curled back, baring his teeth, and a low, almost guttural growl rumbled in his throat—a sound that made the hair on the back of Katsuki's neck stand up. It was a warning, a subtle but unmistakable display of aggression.

Shit. He's gonna lose it again. Katsuki tightened his grip on Izuku's waist, a silent warning.

One of the intruders scoffed, cutting through Katsuki's thoughts. "Yeah, well, one of those heroes is dragging around that prisoner Odd Eye was working on, so I doubt those two split. Can you imagine how much trouble that's causing?"