In Your Shadow [Chapter 28]

[Chapter 27]

By the time the bell rang for class to end, Katsuki had already sneaked everything into his bag, packing up all his belongings. The moment it rang, he was out of his seat, ducking between desks before anyone else had the chance to block his way, and running out the door. Classroom doors were beginning to open around him, the first of the students filing out into the halls, but Katsuki sprinted past them before they could block the path, weaving easily between clusters while he still had the chance.

He almost stopped when he neared the teachers’ lounge, seeing Aizawa standing in the doorway, staring at him in a way that should have made Katsuki embarrassed, but instead he just gave him a wide berth to make sure they wouldn’t collide, not even looking as he called back to him.

“Going to patrol, bye!” he yelled

Aizawa didn’t answer, but Katsuki thought he heard a chuckle – he didn’t stop to find out.

The train was just pulling into the station when Katsuki scanned his card, and he sprinted to the platform and straight into the last carriage. It was empty, as usual, so Katsuki didn’t bother to stop moving; he set his bag down on a seat, stripped off his school shirt and pants, and wriggled his boots out of his school bag – they’d been a tight fit, he probably needed to use a bigger bag if he was going to do it often, but he’d made it work. He grabbed his costume pants from underneath his textbooks, stepping out of a school shoe, through his pant leg, and straight into a boot. Repeat on the other side, and he was all set. He’d worn a pair of dark shorts under his uniform to give him some decency, and he’d put his costume shirt on under his school shirt during lunch break, just to save those precious few minutes in transit.

Dressed, he sat down on one of the empty seats, reaching for his uniform to fold it neatly. He tucked his shoes into the bottom of his bag, added his folded clothing on top, and finally he breathed a sigh of relief, zipping his bag closed as he sat back to wait. He’d known from the start that he’d be pushing it, trying to get on board the moment classes ended, but he’d managed it with a minute to spare – that was good to know for the future, too.

He double-tapped a button on his watch, sending out the little location ping that would let everyone know he’d left the school, and kept his fingers crossed that Deku wouldn’t read it and question him, or worse, send him back. He was too busy for that, Katsuki was pretty sure, and he knew Aizawa wouldn’t care as long as he was getting all his schoolwork done, so when his phone didn’t immediately start ringing, he knew he was safe.

The trip felt like it took forever, as he stared at the clock, the seconds ticking away in time with his tapping foot. The doors slid open and closed, people got on and off, and Katsuki just waited, clenching his jaw.

When they left the last station before his own, he moved to the door, watching the world fly by beyond the window. He watched as they pulled in, glanced left and right to make sure no one was gonna be in his way, and when the door slid open for the last time, he ran. His bag thumped against his shoulder, his boots echoed against the concrete, but he ran for the entrance, ducking between slow-moving passengers and keeping his eyes on the doors. He burst out into daylight, heart beating a little faster than usual, and stopped to look around, getting his bearings.

“There he is,” Borealis laughed, raising one hand in a wave. “How was school?”

“Heyyy!” Bleak grinned, hurrying over to clap him on the back. “You made it!”

“I told you I could do it,” Katsuki said with a grin, straightening up and shouldering his bag again. “Anything I need to know?”

“Nah, we’re good,” Borealis assured him. “Happy to have you; as you can see, we’re down a man again.”

“Sai still sick?”

“Yep,” Bleak sighed. “Good to have you, man.”

“It’s good to be here.”

He fell into step beside them, heading down toward the little shopping centre where their patrols began in earnest, and smiled to himself faintly as he reached for his watch, double-tapping the button once more.

———

Katsuki moved the moment he saw the truck start rolling. There had been a small queue out the front of it, lined up to wait for their orders, but without a sound it had begun to move, to slide away from the patrons. He fired an explosion from each hand, launching himself up the hill and slamming his back into the front bumper. He hissed at the impact, and it took every ounce of his strength to stop the truck from rolling, his heels scraping against the concrete as it slowly came to a stop. A honk and the screech of brakes made him jump, almost made him lose his grip, but he gritted his teeth and threw his head back, praying the drivers would be smart enough to stop or go around the food truck that was now sticking out into the street, Katsuki’s figure at its helm.

It took a moment for them to catch up, but Bolster clapped their hands together, leaning in and taking some of the weight off Katsuki’s back. He turned around, rather than step away, using every ounce of his strength to help them push the truck back out of the street, but his heart sank when he saw the mess that spilled down the hill. Everything in the truck had gone flying, when Katsuki stopped it abruptly, and he cursed himself for not seeing it coming.

“Thanks,” he grunted, when Bolster steered the truck back onto flat ground. “Fuck, that hurt.”

“You good?” they asked, watching Katsuki stretch his back lightly. “Let me see.”

“I’m fine,” Katsuki assured them. “Nothing is broken, just gonna have a bruise.”

It took a second for Stagger to catch up, but he immediately went to Katsuki’s back, pulling up the back of his shirt to take a look. He didn’t even say a word before he was crouching to look, and Katsuki felt himself burning red at the attention.

“I’m fine,” he said again. “I made such a mess, fuck, I’m sorry.”

“What are you talking about?” Stagger huffed. “You stopped a truck from rolling into traffic, the mess is no big deal.”

“Deku is gonna be pissed at me. I’ll stay and help clean up.”

“You don’t need to do that, we have people for that. Deku is not gonna be mad at you, I promise.”

“Wanna bet?”

“Gladly.”

Satisfied, he dropped Katsuki’s shirt, glancing at his watch to read a message that waited for him.

“Back-up crew are out,” he said. “We can wrap a little early and head back. You need to put some ice on that back.”

“I’m fine, I don’t need-”

“It’s not you,” Bolster cut in. “Back-up is already covering the rest of the patrol, since we got caught up. You’re fine.”

Katsuki grimaced, but when Stagger gestured for him to move, he obeyed. They walked back to the agency in silence, and Katsuki internally debated whether he could sneak back there to help, to clean up at least a little before anyone else got out there.

“Can you take him upstairs?” Stagger asked, when they got indoors. “I’ll go call the cleaning crew and make a start on the reports.”

“Got it, boss.”

“Cut that out,” Stagger chuckled. “Thanks, Itaru.”

“Any time.”

Despite his weak protests, Bolster refused to leave Katsuki’s side, escorting him up to the health centre. Katsuki didn’t spend much time in the area, outside of his appointments with Yutaka, though he supposed he should use it more often, since it was all there anyway. A few of the heroes liked to go use the spa and sauna after a long patrol, but Katsuki had always felt weird about that kind of thing, so he’d never bothered to join them.

“Hey, Dynamight took a hit,” Bolster said to a nurse. “Can we grab some ice?”

The nurse ushered them through, and Katsuki pulled a face when she gestured at a vacant bed, covered by a thin sheet.

“Where did you get hit?” she asked.

“My back.”

“Can you take your shirt off for me?”

He hit the little button in his collar, loosening the fabric off to pull over his head, and despite a grumble to himself, he lay down on his stomach. From the little hiss Bolster made, he suspected it was already starting to bruise, and when he turned his head, their face confirmed it.

“Wow, what happened?” a third voice asked, footsteps squeaking against the vinyl flooring. “I’m Doctor Kotoo, was this a villain?”

“Of sorts,” Bolster said with a grin.

“Vehicle brake failure,” Katsuki said, rolling his eyes. “Had to stop it rolling into the street.”

“Ouch. Good work, that must have been rough.”

Katsuki just shrugged faintly, a little difficult while lying his stomach, but he was sure they got the point. The nurse returned with a big sheet of ice, laying a thin towel over his back and resting the ice pack on top. Katsuki shivered, but he had to admit it felt good, soothing the ache he’d been trying his best to ignore.

“He’s a student at U.A.,” Bolster told them. “Recovery Girl can probably help out when he gets back, but a general assessment and some painkillers would go a long way.”

“That sounds like a good plan,” Kotoo agreed. “Are you heading back to school tonight?”

“Yeah,” Katsuki said reluctantly. “Just dropped in for a couple of patrols. I’ll be back tomorrow afternoon, though.”

“Alright,” Bolster said. “I’m gonna head back downstairs to check in, but get some rest, okay? You did well, let that back heal up.”

Katsuki grumbled a goodbye, and listened to Bolster’s footsteps retreating, sighing as he turned his face into the thin pillow.

“If you can get in to see Recovery Girl, it’ll probably be good in twenty-four hours,” Kotoo said. “It doesn’t look like you’ve broken anything, especially since you were still walking. If you don’t feel back to normal in a couple of days, we might need to do some further testing, but I think you got lucky this time.”

“Yeah, I don’t think anything too bad happened,” Katsuki agreed, sighing into his pillow. “It just feels achy, not like I’ve ruptured a kidney or something.”

“Just stay here and rest a bit, then you can head back to school and get some sleep.”

“Yeah. Thanks.”

They left him to it, dimming the lights, and Katsuki sighed again. Of course he’d hurt himself, like a fucking idiot. Bolster could have stopped the thing like it was nothing, all they needed was time to clap and brace themself, but Katsuki'd had to go and dive in like an asshole and get himself beaten up.

“Katsuki!”

He groaned loudly when he heard the voice, turning his head to the side to look. Mirio stood beside him, a little paler than usual but wholly better than last time Katsuki had visited, a couple of days prior.

“Glad you’re feeling better,” he mumbled. “I’m fine, it’s not a big deal.”

“Stagger called me; he said you were awesome, but hurt.”

“I was stupid, I should have let Bolster handle it.”

“What? Why?”

“Because they’re a hell of a lot stronger?”

“And you’re a hell of a lot faster,” Mirio pointed out. “From the sound of it, you just barely kept it out of the road, but you think Bolster could have gotten there in time?”

“I don’t know.”

“You made the right choice, Katsuki. Sure, it landed you here, but you prevented a lot of worse things from happening. Be proud.”

Katsuki felt his cheeks burn, quickly turning his head again to hide it.

“Your school bag is at reception, by the way. Why did you have it with you on patrol?”

“Met people at the station earlier,” he admitted. “Can’t quite get here on time, but I can get to the station in time to meet up with them on their way through, and then jump straight into a second.”

“Seriously?”

“Mm-hm.”

“I admire your dedication,” Mirio said softly, sitting down beside his little bed, apparently there for the long haul. “Everyone has been singing your praises, I’m proud to have been your mentor.”

“You still are.”

“Thank you,” Mirio chuckled. “I’ve called a taxi for you, are you okay to walk when it arrives?”

“What? I can take the train.”

“I’d rather know you got back safely and comfortably. Don’t stress, the agency is paying.”

“That’s why I’m stressed about it.”

“We can afford a taxi once in a while, I promise.”

Katsuki grumbled, but he knew he was beaten.

“How are you feeling?” he asked, to change the subject. “You seem better.”

“Much better! I’m still a little more tired than usual, but everything else is good to go. Thank you for taking care of me over the weekend. Your food was delicious.”

“I’ll cook for you again some time,” Katsuki offered. “I cook here for myself a bunch anyway.”

“In that tiny apartment kitchen?”

“Better than the school one. Crowded with idiots and all the gear is beat up.”

“I guess that’s fair,” Mirio chuckled. “Then thank you; I’d love a good home-cooked meal once in a while, if it’s not too much trouble.”

With a ding of Mirio’s phone, the taxi announced its arrival, and Katsuki sighed as he began to sit up – he was well and truly defeated on the transit front.

“One moment,” the nurse insisted, taking the ice off his back. “They’ll wait a minute, don’t worry!”

She swapped it out for a fresh pack, strapping it around his torso with bandages, and when Katsuki sat up, Mirio offered him a hoodie. It was too big for him, but he appreciated the effort, considering how much effort it took to get his new costume shirt on at the best of times.

“I’ll bring it back tomorrow,” Katsuki promised. “Thanks.”

He zipped it up to keep himself warm, despite the icy patch on his back, and Mirio stayed right by his side as they headed back down to the lobby. Mirio insisted on using the elevator, even though Katsuki insisted he didn’t need it, then picked up his school bag at reception, ushering him to the waiting car.

“You did good today,” Mirio reminded him, as he got settled in the back seat. “Thank you for helping our agency.”

With that, he closed the door, and Katsuki slumped in his seat as they headed out. The taxi ride was stupidly long, Katsuki could feel the price ticking up, but sure enough Mirio had arranged it all in advance, and Katsuki wasn’t asked for a cent. They pulled up right outside the infirmary, and despite all the other lights in the school being out, the infirmary window was lit up and waiting for him – Mirio must have called ahead for that, too. Stupid, considerate Mirio.

“You have a wee accident?” Recovery Girl asked, when he made it inside – walking with a mostly-melted ice pack strapped to you was pretty tough, it turned out. “Let’s take a look.”

He sat down and took off his hoodie, letting her unwrap his bandages, and for a moment she just stared.

“Maybe more than a wee accident,” she said. “A fall?”

“Caught a truck.”

“I see. But Kotoo looked and doesn’t think it’s broken?”

“Yeah, he thinks it’s just a bad bruise.”

“Alright, we’ll give your recovery a little boost, then, and hopefully it will clear up quickly. If anything changes, you have any other pains or symptoms, even if they seem minor, make sure you come back right away. To myself or to Kotoo, whoever is closest.”

“I will.”

He scrunched up his face when she planted a kiss on him, but allowed it all the same.

“Take this,” she said, rummaging through the freezer and handing him another big ice pack. “Keep it off until you get back to the dorms, to give yourself a break, then use it when you go to bed, so you can get to sleep easier.”

“Okay. Thank you. Hopefully I won’t have to see you again any time soon.”

“Take care of yourself! That mentor of yours is a bad influence, ended up in here far too often. Don’t be like him.”

“Mirio?”

“Midoriya. He was always breaking things.”

“Oh.”

“Be better than him!”

“I’ll do my best.”

He pulled the hoodie back on and grabbed his bag and ice pack, finally heading back to the dorms. Honestly, he just wanted to fall into his bed, anyway, but he knew his friends would ask questions, and he’d have to eat something, and he probably had homework to do, too.

“Bro! Is everything okay?!” Kirishima called, as soon as Katsuki stepped through the doors. “I heard you showed up in a taxi and went straight to Recovery Girl, what happened?!”

“Jeez, the gossip spreads fast,” he grumbled. “I just took a hit during a patrol, Recovery Girl was speeding up my bruising.”

“Where did you get hit?!”

Katsuki turned around, lifting up the back of his hoodie, and suddenly the whole class was swarming him, gasping and mumbling about his back.

“That bad?” he asked.

“Bro,” Kirishima said sadly. “How are you upright?”

“It’s not that bad.”

Sero thrust his phone into Katsuki’s face, and it took a moment for him to even realise what he was looking at. His entire back was such a dark purple that it was almost black; if he hadn’t known better, he’d have thought he was wearing a dark shirt. There was some mottling in the colour, some pinpricks of pale skin showing through, but for the most part it was just… dark.

“Oh,” he said. “It looks worse than it is.”

“You didn’t break anything?”

“No, I’m good. I wouldn’t be walking if I’d broken something.”

“You could be.”

“The doctor didn’t think so, he saw it before the bruising bloomed too much, I think.”

“You should come sit down, or something.”

“I’m gonna head to bed in a minute, they gave me this to use when I go to sleep." He gestured with his ice slightly. "I just need to grab some food first, and I was gonna check if I had homework to do, but I might just wake up early to do that. Oh, uh, sorry Kirishima, no gym tomorrow I don’t think. Everyone would kill me for it.”

“I would kill you!”

Sero took the ice pack from him, taking it to the freezer until he was ready for it, and Sato was already in the kitchen before Katsuki had even finished speaking. It took him a moment to understand, to start his protest, but Sato just shook his head.

“I’ve got you,” he said firmly. “It’s just omurice, nothing special.”

“I love omurice.”

“I know.”

Katsuki cracked a smile, nodding faintly as he sank into the couch to wait.

“Thank you,” he said, ignoring the looks of concern he got for it. “I’ll make a start on some homework, then.”

“Let me help,” Iida insisted, picking up a stack of books from the coffee table and joining Katsuki on the couch. “Did you get through the stuff from last week?”

“Not all of it. I did History and Math.”

“Let’s do English, then,” Iida suggested, digging out the right book and offering it to Katsuki. “It shouldn’t take you long, you always pick up quickly in English.”

As much as he hated people fussing over him, Katsuki felt a little touched by the way everyone jumped to help. His classmates were good people; they were going to make a good generation of heroes, soon enough.

Sato returned with the food for him, and Katsuki almost moaned when he took the first bite, settling for giving Sato a thumbs up instead.

“Really good,” he clarified, when he’d swallowed his mouthful. “Almost better than my Dad’s.”

“That’s high praise, thank you.”

His classmates hung around even as he ate, fetching him water and a blanket, even offering to get him extra pillows, to support himself. It was sore, sure – sore as hell, if he was entirely honest – but he really didn’t need as much fussing as they wanted to give him.

“I’m gonna head to bed,” he said, when his bowl was empty and his English homework finished.

“Get some good rest!” Iida instructed. “Take care of yourself!”

Kirishima followed him into the elevator, carrying his bag and ice pack for him no matter how many times he insisted he could do it himself, and despite a stern look from Katsuki, he even followed him into the bedroom. He laid the ice pack on the bed while Katsuki changed into his pyjamas, ready for him to lie down on top of it, then stood in the doorway and waited, watching him get comfortable.

“Anything you need?”

“I’m good,” Katsuki assured him. “Should be all gone by this time tomorrow, even the doctor said so.”

“I’m glad. It looks nasty, I can’t believe you’re not in more pain. Did you at least save some people?”

“I’m not sure,” Katsuki admitted. “They say I made the right choice, but I can’t help thinking I was too hasty. One of the sidekicks would have done it far better, but I don’t know if they’d have gotten there in time.”

“No point dwelling on it, then,” Kirishima said, shrugging. “If you hadn’t reacted, and the sidekick hadn’t either, wouldn’t that have been far worse?”

“True.”

“Then it’s a good thing you reacted! Alright, bro, just call me if you need anything – I’m right next door, as always!”

“Tell me about Fourth Kind, at some point,” Katsuki instructed. “When things calm down, tell me everything you’ve been doing.”

“Gladly. Goodnight, Bakugou.”

“Katsuki,” he said, regretting it immediately.

“What?”

“You’ve been my friend for almost three years. Use my name.”

“Sure,” Kirishima said, pretending his eyes weren’t watery. “Goodnight, Katsuki.”

“Night, Eijirou.”

[Chapter 29]