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

chapter 57

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

Reliving The Past

Katsuki inhaled sharply, dragging air deep into his lungs, as if it might somehow steady him. But the second he closed his eyes, he was back there laying in a pool of blood, in the suffocating stuffiness of that underground hellhole.

The dim light, the choking scent of blood and burnt flesh, the sound of ragged, desperate breathing. Izuku's breathing.

He felt Izuku shift against him, pressing closer, his fingers still curled in the fabric of Katsuki's shirt as if even in Katsuki's arms, he was still seeking refuge from the agony that haunted them both.

Katsuki opened his eyes, meeting Aizawa and All Might's gaze, both of whom sat in weighted silence, waiting.

"When we found him," Katsuki began, his voice tight, controlled, "Deku was locked in a goddamn cell, restrained with two Iron Maiden devices—one around his arms, the other around his neck." His throat tightened, but he kept going. "He looked like—"Katsuki's words cut off as his gaze dropped to Izuku, his jaw feathering, he didn't need to fucking say it. Now when it was glaringly fucking obvious. Katsuki's hand skimmed down Izuku's side, fingertips pressing lightly against fabric—but even with the barrier of the hospital gown, he could feel the sharp edges of his ribs, each one too damn prominent, pressing up against skin stretched too thin. The fragile curve of his hip bones, the unnatural hollowness where there should have been strength. "—Like he hadn't eaten in weeks. Covered in bruises, cuts—he was barely hanging on."

Aizawa's brows furrowed, and the slight movement was his only reaction. He didn't speak, didn't interrupt—just waited, giving Katsuki the space to continue.

Katsuki forced his hand to stop shaking.

Katsuki rolled his shoulders, trying to shake the tension threatening to choke him. "And he was... different," he admitted, voice quieter now as he ran a hand through Izuku's hair. "Almost feral—like a wild animal. The second we got the chains off, he fought—bit the ever-living shit out of me." He lifted his casted arm, only to scowl when he remembered the stitches were still hidden beneath layers of gauze. "It was as if he didn't even know us anymore, like he'd lost himself completely. Kept saying we weren't real. Thought we were just another one of Odd Eye's goddamn illusions."

His fingers twitched, and he unconsciously pressed Izuku closer against him. He could still see those wild, terrified green eyes, the way Izuku had clung to him once he realized Katsuki was real. like he was afraid Katsuki would disappear if he let go.

"That goddamn piece of shit bastard..."

Katsuki couldn't help the rage bubbling up like a volcano ready to erupt. "Odd Eye tortured him. Every. Fucking. Day. He used his Quirk to drown Deku in it—trying to break him, tear him apart, shatter whatever was left."

His nails dug into the fabric of Izuku's hospital gown, gripping him too tightly, but he couldn't fucking help it.

"And just to make shit worse?" His lips curled into something bitter, something venomous. "He gave him his fucking memories back. Just to hurt him more. Just to make sure the pain hit that much harder."

Katsuki had never felt more helpless in his life than when he'd seen how broken Izuku was in that storage room, backed into a corner, terrified of him to the point he had attacked him. So goddamn guarded against the one person who should've been a safe place.

But the moment Izuku accepted that he was real—the way he had collapsed into Katsuki's arms, shaking with relief—it was all too raw.

A heavy silence followed.