Uncontrollable Fire.

i dont have one

Things were falling out of place, pieces too big to fit, smaller pieces losing meaning, discarded.

More fights, less hours of sleep, buzzing ever present in the back of his head. Heartbeat skipping out of rhythm.

It was the third week of picking up Kaede early out of classes, her teachers claiming she'd become a problem, her knuckles bruised, eyes fierce, picking for fights even outside of school. Katsuki didn't want to believe it was her doing, she was never flient.

His mind kept whispering about her walking in his footsteps. He couldn't tell which were worse his, or her mothers.

Not that it mattered, Kaede's mumbling under her breath, he can't make out the words or if they're even meant for his ears. The windows in the car are fogging, fall finally sitting in, early October never looked so dreadful.

He parks the car, flipping the lock on the doors before Kaede can leave the car. He hears her pulling on the door, they lock eyes in the rear view mirror.

"Listen to me, stop the fighting, it will get out of hand. I didn't raise you to be a bully." her face is blank, her eyes unblinking.

"I'm not the one who starts the fight,"

He unlocks the door, grabbing his bag from the passenger seat. Slamming the door behind him, he grabs her arm before she makes it to the door out of the garage.

"I don't care who starts the flight be the bigger person."

She rolls her eyes, "I can't they're all taller than me," she crosses her arms.

Katsuki isn't sure when she stopped bringing her stuffies to school.

"I'm going," she spins on her heel and is off to the door, it banging closed behind her, echoing throughout the garage. He stood there a moment, smelling the scent of gas and exhaust. He started moving towards the stairs when saw car lights in his peripheral vision.

Unlocking the door to the apartment, Kaede bypasses him heading straight for her room.

She returns back to the main room, homework spread out on the coffee table, hearing aids pointedly out. He doesn't bother to try and talk to her again.

He knew how it would end, he didn't need to start another fight, they've had one too many times in the last few weeks. Her teacher not as nice the fourth time around. He'd been missing work, hours he needed to make sure she could eat.

His phone vibrates against his leg, he's not sure when the messages got frequent all he knows is the idiot starting texting outside of the confines of the fire station, starting in the afternoon to the early hours of the morning.

Unknown number: is it bad i just woke up?? Its like 2 pm

Unknown number: my outside of work life is so small its sad. the only person ive seen this week that wasnt a colleague was my roommate and he was asleep.

Unknown number: tonight is my first night off in weeks,,,and its going to be spent in front of my tv bc im still so tired.

Unknown number: how did i use to go clubbing on the weekends??? seems impossible.

Me: i woke up at 6am

Unknown number: dude!! how???? u were talking to me last night,,,until we got a call and that was like 3AM

Me: work

Unknown number: ur nightlife is even sadder than mine

Me: i dont have one

Unknown number: exactly.

Me: ...

Unknown number: theres nothing wrong with that!! im just saying dont u want to get out sometimes???

Me: no.

Unknown number: cool cool cool

Unknown number: you on break?

Me: no, something came up

Unknown number: things seem to come up a lot,,,,isnt that why u were off at a weird time last week 2???

Throwing his phone to the side he sighs rubbing his eyes, heading into the living room. Sitting on the floor in front of Kaede, he waves a hand in front of her face, from where its downturned doing homework.

She glares at him and slaps the hand away, "What," her voice avoid of emotion.

"Look, I know school is hard," He signs as he goes along to make sure she catches everything. "And it hasn't been easy since it's only me now." His thoughts break off after that, he can't bring himself to finish that. To say the inevitable.

Kaede was too young, even younger when she left.

Kaede stands, grabbing her books from the table, all of them closing heavily with vibration through the coffee table. Hugging them close to her chest.

"I wish she'd taken me with her." Her words were cold, without another glance she left him, door closing behind her with a bang that caused one of the pictures on the wall to clatter.

Katsuki sat frozen, hands still in the air, staring at the spot she had been. He tried not thinking of that possibility, where he'd end up if Kaede was gone, how'd she'd end up with her.

His hands fall to his lap, when did things start to bother him?