WMUWSE / Chapter 7 (ENG) (Patreon)

“You’re such an idiot, Izuku.” Ochaco sighed, perched beside him on his air mattress. “I leave for a few days and you go and hook up with Katsuki? Seriously?”

“We didn’t really… hook up.” he mumbled, weakly.

They’d been sitting there for half an hour. Izuku had told her everything, carefully skirting the details, obviously, but she still knew he’d crossed a line with Katsuki.

“Oh, no. Don’t you start.” She rubbed her forehead. “If you two got each other off, that’s sex. Period.” She sighed again. “When I told you I’d be there to comfort you, I didn’t think it would happen this fast…”

“It’s not like I planned it…” He turned away when she shot him a look sharp enough to cut. “…Okay…” he muttered “maybe a little.”

“I know it’s complicated between you two, but that was like dumping gasoline on a fire and then diving in headfirst. You’re smarter than that, Zuku...”

“I know!” he snapped, then immediately looked miserable. “You think I don’t feel like crap? It’s just- fuck… he-he makes me crazy, Ochaco. It doesn’t matter what he does or says, I just feel like I’m… ugh.” He clenched his hair in both hands. “He makes me stupid.”

Ochaco softened. She reached out and gently rubbed his back. “You’re in love, Izuku. And it’s the first time it’s happened to you, so I get why you feel all turned around. But you can’t let your heart do all the driving, or you’re going to end up in some really weird situations. Like this one. Or worse.”

He exhaled, long and shaky. “Yeah… But now I feel like I ruined everything.”

She bumped her shoulder into his with an almost smug little smile. “I knew you’d lose your virginity before the end of summer.” she sang.

He rolled his eyes, but a reluctant smile tugged at his mouth. “You’re unbelievable. I’m having an existential crisis and that’s what you take away from it.”

“You have existential crises all the time, baby. Sex? That’s a first.” She lifted her hands like she was presenting a trophy. “Mazel tov. Sure, the circumstances could’ve been better, but hey. Milestone achieved.”

“I hate you.”

“And I love you too.” she shot back brightly.

Izuku couldn’t help laughing, and the sound loosened something in his chest. He’d missed her. Truly, genuinely missed her. What would he do without his best friend to yank him out of his own spiral? Probably curl up and cry until morning.

After a moment, he asked “By the way… why did my mom keep you so long?”

Ochaco’s eyes widened like she’d been waiting to tell him. “Oh my god, right. She was so weird.”

Izuku tensed.

“You know your mom, she asked the usual stuff, how you were doing, what you were up to at camp, whatever. But then she started asking about boys. And she was really pushy.” Ochaco paused, then leaned in. “Especially about Katsuki.”

Izuku blinked, caught off guard. “Katsuki? Why?”

“I have no idea. At first I thought she’d figured out you liked him, but… no. The more I talked, the more uncomfortable she looked.” She pointed at him accusingly. “And don’t look at me like that, I didn’t say anything weird about your man, I swear.”

“Not my man...”

“Uh-huh.” Ochaco waved him off. “Anyway, she asked for pictures. So I showed her the one I took, and then the one from the bar, you know, your birthday night? The one where you and Bakugou were singing on stage.” Her grin turned wicked. “I should send that to you, by the way, because it was hot. He was basically eating you alive with his eyes-”

“Ochaco!”

“Okay, okay. But I show her the picture and she goes pale. Like, I thought she was gonna faint. Then she stands up and says she needs to call someone. She goes into the kitchen, couldn’t hear who she called, but when she came back…” Ochaco’s voice lowered. “Izuku, her face was… I don’t know. Like she was angry, but also… sad? I’ve never seen her look like that. It was creepy.”

A cold knot tightened in Izuku’s stomach.

“I left soon after.” Ochaco continued “and then there was a car accident on the road because some idiot slammed into a recycling bin and trash went everywhere. People drive like they have no brains. And then I finally got here, and… yeah.”

Izuku swallowed. “Ochaco… you didn’t tell her anything about the camp stuff, right?”

“No. Nothing. You know I’m on your side. Besides, she wasn’t even focused on that, she was fixated on Bakugou.”

Izuku stared at his phone like it might explain what his brain couldn’t.

Maybe his mom was just worried. He’d never dated. Never brought anyone home. Maybe she’d just… panicked.

Still.

She hadn’t called today. And if she was worried, she usually called more, not less.

Ochaco squeezed his shoulder. “Don’t spiral, Izuku. I’m sure she’s fine. She just misses you.”

It didn’t help.

“I think I’m going to sleep.” he said, voice dull.

Ochaco studied him for a beat, then nodded. “Okay. I’m going to go say hi to the guys and I’ll come back, alright?”

“You can stay over there.”

“Baby.” She smiled sweetly… too sweet. “You know if I hang around too long, I’m going to filet your beloved with his own kitchen knives.”

Izuku snorted. “He didn’t do anything. I’m the idiot here.”

“He’s still an asshole.” She hugged him tight. “I’ll be quick. I love you, Izu.”

He hugged back. “Love you too.”

When she left, the silence rushed in.

The day had dragged on forever, emotionally. It had wrung him out without him realizing. The moment he lay down, he was out.

He woke to his phone vibrating beside his ear.

Groggy, he cracked one eye and squinted at the screen.

A notification.

From Katsuki.

Izuku sat bolt upright.

Ochaco was back, curled up asleep like a stone. So she hadn’t heard anything.

He opened the message.

One word.

- Sorry.

Izuku frowned.

Sorry? For what?

For last night? Izuku had practically thrown himself at him. He’d begged.

If anyone should be apologizing, it was him.

He stared until the screen dimmed, then tapped it back on.

5:00 a.m.

Still dark, which he should’ve realized from the blackness inside the tent. The message had just come in, meaning Katsuki was awake.

Had he even slept?

Izuku sighed and started typing.

- If this is about what happened in the showers, I’m not mad.

He winced, deleted it.

- It was fun! We can do it again whenever 😉

Absolutely not. He deleted that too.

Finally:

- For what?

Sent.

Read instantly.

The typing bubble appeared.

Izuku bit his lip, waiting.

— Everything. I guess.

That didn’t answer anything.

Another message popped up right after.

— You’re not asleep?

— I just woke up.

— Fuck. Because of me? Shit, sorry.

Izuku’s mouth twitched.

— Wow. You’ve apologized twice in five minutes. Are you sure you’re Katsuki?

— Shut up.

— lol okay okay. But you’re awake too.

— Wow. Thanks for noticing.

Izuku muffled a laugh.

Then:

- I couldn’t fall back asleep.

Izuku’s chest tightened with the question he didn’t dare type.

Instead, he typed something else entirely.

- Want to go out?

A beat.

- Go out? Nerd, it’s the middle of the night.

- Technically it’s early morning. You scared? Don’t worry, you’re too heavy for a bat to carry off.

- Did you just call me fat, asshole?

Izuku shook silently with suppressed laughter.

- I mean…

- Okay. Now I’m going to kill you and bury you in this stupid forest.

- For calling you heavy? Come on. You’re huge.

- THE FUCK?!

Izuku clamped a hand over his mouth.

- Is it better if I say “heavy” in a good way? Like… your muscles. Those have to weigh something, right?

- Don’t test me, Deku.

- What? You’re telling me it’s all for show? You work out just to look strong? 😧 I’m shocked.

- You’re dead.

- Nooooo!

Then Katsuki, out of nowhere:

- And I’m not even that big. Kiri’s bigger than me.

Izuku smiled at the screen, imagining that pout.

- You know I’m kidding. You’re fine the way you are.

— You mean it?

Izuku’s fingers hovered.

He could’ve written a novel. A thousand lines about how Katsuki looked, how he felt, how he made Izuku’s brain go soft.

Instead:

- You already know.

There was a pause.

Long enough that Izuku’s stomach flipped.

Then:

- Five minutes. In front of the cabin.

Izuku reread it twice to make sure he wasn’t hallucinating, then scrambled up.

Ochaco shifted with a soft grunt. Izuku froze.

He grabbed his shoes, slipped out, and fought the tent zipper like it was trying to betray him. Somehow, Ochaco didn’t wake.

Outside, the air was cold and sharp. The sky was still dark, stars bright overhead. A few lampposts buzzed quietly, lighting the path in thin pools.

Izuku waited in front of the cabin, hands clasped behind his back, heart beating too hard.

The door opened.

Katsuki stepped out.

And Izuku, ridiculously, thought he looked even better than yesterday. Like somehow, every day Katsuki just… leveled up.

He wore an oversized shirt that hid the breadth of his shoulders, cargo shorts that hit his knees. His hair was a mess from sleep. Dark circles shadowed his eyes.

None of it made him any less stunning.

“Hey.” Katsuki said, voice rough with sleep.

“Hey…” Izuku answered, smiling despite himself, fingers twisting nervously at the hem of his shirt.

Katsuki let out a quiet laugh. “Relax. This was your idea.”

“I know.” Izuku rubbed his neck. “I just… don’t know how to act around you after… you know.”

Katsuki’s brow arched, amused. “Oh? Now you’re shy after calling me fat ten minutes ago?”

Izuku flushed. “I was kidding!”

Katsuki ruffled his hair with a light shove. “Just be yourself, nerd. We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”

Then he started walking toward the lake, hands in his pockets.

Izuku followed.

“You seem… weirdly calm.” Izuku said.

Katsuki glanced at him. “Would you rather I be a nervous wreck like you? It wasn’t my first time.”

Right. Of course it wasn’t.

Izuku swallowed. “I know. It’s just… isn’t it weird? We’re friends. Friends don’t… do that.”

“Some do.” Katsuki said, shrugging like it was nothing. “Friends with benefits. Sex friends. Whatever.”

“Sex friends?” Izuku repeated, blinking.

“Mutual help.” Katsuki said, blunt. “Give and take. No relationship bullshit. No jealousy, no commitment, no flowers, none of that.”

Izuku snorted. “Flowers?”

“Romance…” Katsuki spat, like it tasted bad. “That whole stupid thing.”

Izuku had read enough romance to know the concept. He’d just always thought it was ridiculous. In those stories, they were always secretly in love and dragged it out until the last page.

How could you be that close to someone and not see it?

They reached the lake and sat on a rock by the water. The moon glittered across the surface, turning it silver.

“I don’t want this to change anything between us…” Izuku admitted quietly, hugging his knees. “I like… what we have. I care about you. Even if we haven’t known each other that long. I don’t want to lose this.”

Katsuki stared up at the sky, elbows behind him, palms flat on the rock. “There’s no reason anything has to change.”

Then, more quietly “I’ve never done this before. With a friend.” He hesitated, then “Deku?”

Izuku turned. “Yeah?”

Katsuki’s eyes were sharp, almost nervous. “Do you regret it?”

“No.” Izuku said immediately. Honest.

He regretted a thousand things, but not that.

Katsuki exhaled. “Me neither.”

Izuku waited for something more, a smile, a tease, anything.

But Katsuki stayed staring up, jaw tight, lips pressed together, eyes tracking the stars fading in the brightening sky.

Izuku’s stomach twisted with too many feelings at once: tenderness, frustration, wanting.

He wanted to know what Katsuki was thinking.

He wanted Katsuki to say something, anything.

Because Katsuki never did.

And Izuku was in love.

He was ready to take whatever Katsuki offered. Even if it was small. Even if it went nowhere. Even if it was just-

“I don’t think we should pretend it didn’t happen…” Katsuki said, cutting through Izuku’s spiraling thoughts. “It was… fine. But it was a one-time thing.”

Izuku went cold.

“Oh.” He forced a laugh that didn’t sound right. “Yeah. That’s… probably better. Less awkward.”

Katsuki didn’t react like he heard the crack in Izuku’s voice. “Yeah. And you wouldn’t want your first time to be some summer hookup.”

If only you knew.

Izuku just hummed.

Then Katsuki stood up, suddenly. Tossed his shirt, short and shoes behind him.

Izuku blinked. “What are you doing?”

“Midnight swim.” Katsuki said with a grin.

“It’s not even mid-”

Katsuki was already sprinting into the water.

He waded until it hit his waist, then turned back, eyebrow lifted like a challenge.

Izuku watched him, transfixed. Moonlight clung to Katsuki’s skin, to the water drops on his chest, making him look unreal.

Izuku’s mind went dangerously blank.

He wanted to touch him again.

Wanted to-

“HEY!”

Izuku startled.

Katsuki smirked. “You tired? You looked like you fell asleep with your eyes open.”

“N-no…” Izuku said quickly. “I was thinking.”

“You were thinking,” Katsuki repeated flatly.

Izuku nodded.

“Then shut your brain off for two minutes and get your annoying nerd ass over here.”

“Annoying nerd ass?” Izuku grumbled, but he pulled his shirt off anyway.

Katsuki’s voice carried that smug smile. “What? You are a nerd.”

Izuku stepped into the lake and immediately hissed “Holy shit! This is freezing!”

Katsuki laughed. “It’s not that cold. You’re just soft.”

Izuku waded in slowly, arms lifted like that would somehow help.

Katsuki got impatient and splashed him.

Izuku sputtered. “Hey!”

“Shut up,” Katsuki said, splashing him again. “You’re gonna wake the whole camp.”

Izuku lunged toward him, now soaked. The cold didn’t matter anymore.

“Still calling me fat?” Katsuki asked, eyebrow raised.

Izuku blushed violently. “I didn’t-”

He didn’t finish.

He jumped onto Katsuki, wrapping his arms around his neck and his legs around his waist, trying to topple him.

For three seconds, it worked.

Then Katsuki’s hands gripped his waist.

“Get off me, leech.”

“Never!” Izuku hissed. “You die tonight, demon!”

Katsuki’s grip shifted, arms sliding around Izuku instead, crushing him close.

Izuku went still.

Katsuki leaned close, lips near his ear, voice low. “You want to make me fall?” Izuku barely had time to inhale. “Then you’re falling with me.”

They went under.

Izuku fought, uselessly. Katsuki was too strong.

It was dark. Water pressed in. His lungs burned.

Then a hand cradled the back of his neck and something brushed his lips-

Izuku didn’t process it. Too fast. Too chaotic.

A moment later, Katsuki hauled him back up.

Izuku gasped, wiping water from his face, hair plastered to his forehead.

Katsuki was right there, grinning like he’d won something.

“You’re such an asshole.” Izuku breathed.

“I’ve heard that.” Katsuki said.

Izuku splashed him and laughed.

They fought like that until they were exhausted, then floated on their backs, the lake holding them up as the sky slowly paled.

For the first time since yesterday, Izuku didn’t feel that heavy knot of awkwardness.

It was… normal.

They were normal.

Maybe it was going to be okay.

Izuku swam closer. Katsuki’s eyes were closed, face calm.

Izuku tapped his shoulder.

Katsuki blinked awake, then sat up. “What?”

“You said you’d help me…” Izuku said “With my memories.”

Katsuki watched him for a long moment, face unreadable.

“I did.” he said finally.

Izuku swallowed. “Do you know where to start?”

Katsuki looked up at the brightening sky, thinking. “We could do a proper tour of the camp.”

“A proper tour?”

“I’ll show you where the kids used to play. Some places have been abandoned for years.”

Izuku frowned. “You talk like you weren’t one of them.”

“I wasn’t.” Katsuki said, and there was something flat in his voice. “I didn’t get along with the other kids.”

“Oh…”

They headed back to shore.

Izuku asked, hopeful “Today?”

Katsuki laughed. “Impatient nerd.” He pulled his shirt back on. “Go shower. Go sleep. We’ll do it this afternoon.”

“I don’t know if I can fall back asleep…”

He did.

Instantly.

When he woke up again, it was to the sound of laughter outside the tent.

Izuku cracked his eyes open and stared around, still half-asleep. Ochaco was gone, but her makeup bag and pajamas sat on his mattress, proof he hadn’t imagined her being there.

After a minute, he pushed his head out of the tent to see what the noise was.

Ochaco, Mina, and Kaminari were standing on the path near their campsite, talking animatedly.

Izuku unzipped the tent all the way and stepped out, barely awake, wearing a t-shirt he’d thrown on in a hurry. “Hey.” he greeted them with a small wave.

“Well, look who finally decided to join the living.” Ochaco teased. “I thought you were going to sleep until next year.”

Izuku blinked. “What… what time is it?”

“It’s 3 p.m., sweetheart.” Mina said cheerfully.

Izuku froze.

“…What.”

“Guys, who cares!” Kaminari threw an arm around Izuku’s shoulders. “Listen to this! Mina and Sero’s birthdays are coming up soon, right?”

Izuku nodded slowly, still processing the 3 p.m.

“So…” Kaminari continued “we were thinking-”

“We’re celebrating at the fisherman’s cabin!” Mina announced dramatically, hands flying. “Campfire vibes, music, scary stories-”

“Hey!” Kaminari pouted. “I was telling him!”

Ochaco laughed. “Scary stories are negotiable… but it could be fun, right Izu?”

Izuku hesitated. The last “party night” they’d had hadn’t exactly been kind to his heart, but the excitement on their faces was impossible to ignore. “Yeah,” he said, forcing a smile that quickly became real. “That sounds great.”

“Right?!” Mina bounced. “We’ve planned everything. Tomorrow night. Kiri handles the alcohol, me and Denki handle the food-”

Izuku couldn’t help thinking: Katsuki is going to have opinions about that.

“And I’ll do the playlist and games!” Ochaco added, clapping once.

Izuku made a face. He knew Ochaco’s “games.” They were dangerous.

Then she tilted her head, casual as anything. “Oh! Katsuki was looking for you earlier.”

Izuku’s attention snapped into place. “He was?”

Ochaco nodded. “I asked if I should wake you up. He said no.”

“Where is he now?”

“I think he’s in his room.” Kaminari said. “I heard a guitar before we came over.”

“He’s… composing?” Izuku murmured, glancing toward the cabin.

“You should go.” Mina sang.

Ochaco leaned in with a grin that was absolutely not innocent. “And he said you should come see him as soon as you woke up.”

Izuku stared. “He did not say that.”

Ochaco raised her hand. “Cross my heart.”

Izuku sighed, looked at the cabin again, and gave in. “Fine…”

He took two steps, stopped, spun around, and ducked back into the tent.

A second later he reappeared in shorts, cheeks bright red.

The three of them immediately burst into giggles.

Inside the cabin, it was quiet. Too quiet. Izuku expected to run into someone, but the living space was empty.

The only sign anyone was there was the soft, steady sound of guitar strings—and a low voice humming along, a melody Izuku didn’t recognize but somehow felt like he’d heard a thousand times.

He stood outside Katsuki’s door for a heartbeat.

Then he knocked.

The guitar stopped instantly.

“Come in, nerd.”

Izuku pushed the door open. “How did you know it was me?”

Katsuki was already standing, setting his guitar carefully against the wall beside the bed. Izuku’s eyes flicked to it. He’d never been into music, so seeing an instrument up close still felt strangely intimate. The guitar looked old, well-loved, the light wood scratched in places but kept clean.

Something near the top caught his eye: a dark green braided string looped around the tuning head.

For no reason at all, Izuku’s heart kicked hard. A buzzing filled his skull, like a half-remembered sound.

Katsuki stepped into his space so suddenly Izuku flinched.

“You sleep off your coma?” Katsuki asked, almost amused.

Izuku rolled his eyes. “Funny.”

Katsuki reached for his wallet and phone, moving with that effortless confidence that always made Izuku feel like he was stumbling around in slow motion. “You eat anything?”

“…No.”

“Yeah. Thought so.” Katsuki jerked his head toward the door. “We’re getting food.”

“Right now?”

Katsuki gave him a look. “Do you have plans?”

“No!”

“Then move.”

Izuku followed him out, equal parts relieved and nervous. “Where are we going?”

“We start at the beginning,” Katsuki said. “The entrance.”

“The common area?”

“Yeah.”

Izuku opened his mouth to say I’ve been there already, but Katsuki stopped so abruptly that Izuku nearly walked into him.

“I know.” Katsuki said, like he’d read his mind. “We’re just starting there.” Then, with a casualness that still made Izuku’s stomach flip, Katsuki ruffled his hair. “Relax.”

Izuku swallowed. “Okay.”

Katsuki’s eyes held his for a second. “You trust me?”

“…Yeah.” Izuku said, softer than he meant to.

Katsuki’s mouth twitched into something close to a smile. “Good.”

The common area was sleepy at that hour. A couple of people near the bar, someone sitting outside the snack stand.

Katsuki ordered two sandwiches without asking what Izuku wanted, because Katsuki was like that. Izuku didn’t complain.

Katsuki led him past the little shop, then around it, into a narrow dirt track that looked like it hadn’t been used in ages. Tall grass and bushes swallowed most of it.

Katsuki didn’t hesitate. He shoved branches aside, snapped a twig that blocked the way, making space so Izuku could squeeze through behind him.

Behind the building, the trail opened into a clearer, older path leading into the woods.

Izuku frowned. “Where are we going?”

“The old playground.”

“The what?”

They reached an overgrown field, rusted soccer goals bent and half-consumed by vines, a sandy patch with a broken slide, the whole place looking like it had been forgotten on purpose.

Katsuki scanned it like he knew it too well. “This place has been dead for years. Ten, maybe more.” He stepped forward. “Thought maybe you’d remember something.”

Izuku stared hard, trying to force his brain to cooperate, trying to feel anything.

Nothing.

He shook his head.

Katsuki scratched at the back of his neck. “Yeah. Figured.” His voice softened for half a second. “Had to start somewhere.”

Instead of turning back, Katsuki headed deeper down the trail.

“Come on, nerd.”

The path dipped into a small clearing where the trees opened around a pond. The water was still, partly covered in lily pads. Frogs croaked somewhere out of sight. Dragonflies skimmed the surface like sparks.

Katsuki stopped and looked Izuku up and down. “We’re taking a break. You look like you’re about to pass out.”

Izuku rolled his eyes, breathless. “I’m fine. We haven’t walked that much…”

“You’re breathing like my grandpa. And I’m willing to bet you haven’t eaten since last night.” Katsuki set the bag down against a tree and looked at him. “Sit.”

Izuku didn’t argue. He just sank down against the trunk without a word, trying very hard not to get distracted by how hot Katsuki’s tone sounded when he gave orders. Great. Focus, idiot.

Not paying attention to Izuku’s internal battle, Katsuki sat down too and pulled out the sandwiches they’d grabbed earlier.

“Enjoy.” the blond said, grimacing slightly.

The bread was a little dry, but the sight of food made Izuku’s stomach growl anyway. “Yeah. You too.”

They ate in silence for a while, the sounds of the woods filling the space between them, branches rustling softly above.

After a moment, Izuku said, “I think this is my favorite part.”

Katsuki raised an eyebrow. “What? Lukewarm sandwiches? Stinky stagnant water? The humid heat of this bug-infested place?”

Izuku chuckled. “No… the quiet. Places like this, where the world kind of… slows down. It’s… calming.”

Katsuki shrugged, but his gaze softened. “Yeah. It feels like you’re the only people on earth.” He glanced around. “That’s why I like hiking. It cuts you off from everything else. Helps you think.”

They stayed like that for a bit, quiet.

Then Izuku stood and walked over to the edge of the pond where the water was mostly clear of plants. He picked up a small pebble and tossed it. It skipped once, then sank.

“…Zero talent.” Katsuki commented with a mocking smile.

“Fuck you.” Izuku said, laughing.

“Watch and learn.” Katsuki joined him, picked up a flat stone, aimed carefully, and threw it, four perfect skips.

Izuku’s eyes went wide. “That was totally luck!”

Katsuki laughed. “That, nerd, is skill.”

They ended up turning it into a ridiculous competition, each trying to beat the other’s record. Their laughter and bickering echoed through the clearing. When Izuku finally managed five skips in a row, he threw his arms up and shouted in victory.

Katsuki rolled his eyes, but he couldn’t hide his smile. “Okay. Maybe you’re not completely useless. Let’s say… fifty percent.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment!” Izuku grinned.

“You shouldn’t.” Katsuki snorted, ruffling his green hair.

Little by little, the calm returned, paced by the gentle lap of water. Izuku stared at the horizon, lost in thought.

Katsuki went back to the tree and slung the bag over his shoulder. “Come on. If we stay too long, we’ll attract a bear.”

Izuku froze, going pale. “…A… bear…?”

Katsuki burst out laughing. “You’re too easy, Deku.”

“Asshole.”

“Idiot.”

And they started walking again, a bit closer than before without really noticing. Almost shoulder to shoulder… well, if Katsuki’s shoulder hadn’t been miles above his. More like… shoulder to bicep.

For hours, they walked the entire camp on foot. They even asked a few people they passed along the way, but it didn’t lead anywhere.

No one had ever heard of a Midoriya.

As night started to fall, Izuku felt drained. He was beginning to believe nothing would ever bring his memories back.

He sat on the swing, the same one from the night of the pinecone fight with Katsuki. He pushed off gently with the tips of his feet, cheek resting against the cold chain.

“It’s pointless…” he finally said, defeated.

Katsuki was still there, on the swing beside him, forearms resting on his thighs, hands clasped. He’d been quiet since they sat down.

And it was strange. Katsuki always had something to say, even if it was just an insult—there was something oddly reassuring about it. But now he wasn’t saying anything, and it made Izuku feel worse.

Then, after another long silence…

“Hey, nerd… why do you care so much about getting your memory back?”

Izuku straightened and looked at him. Katsuki was staring down between his knees. “What do you mean why?”

“I don’t know… you ever think that maybe the reason you can’t remember is because there’s a good reason you shouldn’t?”

“…Huh? What kind of good reason?” Izuku asked, stunned.

“I don’t know, Deku.” Katsuki dragged a hand through his blond hair. “Maybe your stupid nerd brain is trying to tell you to leave it the hell alone. Maybe it’s trying to protect you. Maybe, without even realizing it, you’re trying not to remember!”

Izuku was speechless. He could hear the sudden anger in Katsuki’s voice, anger that didn’t quite make sense. But underneath it, Izuku saw something else.

Fear. Deep and irrational.

But why?

“How am I supposed to know if I can’t remember?!” Izuku shot back. “And my dad?! He would’ve wanted me to remember him!”

“YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOUR DAD WANTED!” Katsuki snapped. “YOU DON’T EVEN KNOW HIM!”

They stared at each other. Katsuki looked furious… and miserable. And Izuku… Izuku was completely lost.

The words hurt, especially coming from the person Izuku cared about most… but Katsuki had never been cruel like this. Not this blunt.

It didn’t make sense.

The day had gone so well. Even though they hadn’t found anything, they’d talked and laughed all afternoon, so why the sudden shift? Katsuki wanted to help, didn’t he? He was the one who suggested touring the camp.

And the first time Izuku told him about the amnesia, Katsuki had been angry for him, talking about how messed up it was that Izuku had no memories of his dad.

So what changed?

“Why are you doing this, Katsuki?” Izuku demanded. “Why… you act like you want to help me, and now… now it feels like you’re trying to stop me from doing the one thing I came here for…”

“The one thing you came here for?” Katsuki barked. “What, nerd? Digging into what happened more than twelve years ago? Finding out if you swam in that damn lake with your damn dad, laughing like the stupid kid you were? Finding out if you burned your nose for the hundredth time because you never bothered with sunscreen? Finding out where you slept?”

He took a step closer, towering over Izuku, forcing him to look up.

“Here’s a spoiler: it doesn’t matter!” Katsuki said, voice shaking with something raw. “It won’t change anything about your pathetic little life to know any of that. It won’t matter whether your dad loved you or whether he was an asshole. You get it? Your memories won’t help you. They’ll just hurt you! Because when you remember what you lost, it hurts like hell, Deku! So keep whatever idea you’ve built in your head and be happy with that.”

As Katsuki spoke, Izuku felt the pieces click into place… everything he knew about Katsuki, the way he reacted, the way his anger didn’t quite fit.

“You’re jealous,” Izuku said quietly.

Katsuki’s eyes widened.

“The person you lost…” Izuku continued, voice steady even though his heart was hammering. “That’s why it makes you so angry that I want my memories back. Because you wish you could forget yours about that person.”

Katsuki stared at him in silence. His anger vanished all at once, like someone had cut a string. His lips pressed tight, eyes painfully sad beneath his furrowed brow.

Then he stepped around Izuku and started down the path. “It’s in the past.” he muttered, hands in his pockets.

Izuku stood and followed. “But it mattered. That person mattered to you. And it makes you angry… I get it.”

He caught up and grabbed Katsuki’s wrist.

They looked at each other.

“But I’m not you…” Izuku said. “And it feels like there’s a missing chapter in my life. Like I’ll never really move forward without it.”

“That’s stupid.” Katsuki breathed.

Izuku let out a small, tired laugh. “Maybe. I never said I was smart. You’re the one who keeps calling me a nerd.”

He gave Katsuki a small, knowing smile when Katsuki glanced at him sideways, and relaxed when Katsuki’s mouth twitched, just barely, like the hint of a smile.

“…Mmh.”

They walked back in silence until the cabin came into view.

Katsuki went up the steps while Izuku turned toward his tent.

“Deku?”

Izuku looked back. Katsuki was leaning on the railing. “Yeah?”

“Look… I… I’m sorry…” Katsuki said, rubbing the back of his neck, not meeting Izuku’s eyes. “For what I said...”

“It’s okay.” Izuku replied. “I understand. Really.”

Katsuki hesitated, looking almost awkward. Izuku filed the expression away like a priceless photo.

“You… uh.” Katsuki cleared his throat. “You joining us for dinner?”

“Yeah, sure.” Izuku smiled. “I’m just going to shower and I’ll be right there.”

Katsuki’s grin turned faintly mischievous, and it made Izuku’s face heat up despite himself. “Alright,” Katsuki said. “See you later, Izuku.”

Izuku mumbled something unintelligible and fled, while Katsuki’s rough laugh followed him.

This guy is going to kill me, Izuku thought. Katsuki’s moods flipped so fast it gave him whiplash. Would Izuku ever solve the mystery of Katsuki Bakugou? Probably not.

But he couldn’t blame himself for wanting to try.

He joined the others in the cabin soon after. Everyone was there, laughing and talking; Katsuki, as usual, cooked for everyone, snapping whenever someone got too close. They planned out tomorrow night’s shared birthday celebration.

Izuku kept watching Katsuki without meaning to, so much that Ochaco had to elbow him to get his attention.

The past few days had been insane. His life had changed, violently and suddenly, like an explosion tearing everything apart in an instant… and the center of it was Katsuki Bakugou.

Maybe Katsuki was right. Maybe Izuku shouldn’t obsess so much over his memories… maybe he should just enjoy this vacation with his friends.

After all, he only had a month left with them.

With him.

Later, after dinner, Izuku went to bed.

He fell asleep quickly despite the thoughts crowding his head—and for the first time in a long while, he dreamed again.

There was a forest. The same forest as in his recent dreams. But there was no little boy beside him this time.

No.

As he looked around, he realized something else.

He was on a road.

It was daytime, and the sunlight slicing through the trees nearly blinded him. The heat was unbearable… why was it so hot?

And why was he lying on the asphalt?

“DEKU!!!”

He tried to move.

Pain flared. White-hot, everywhere.

“D-DEKU!!”

The voice sounded wrong… too high, too broken. Why did it sound so devastated?

He turned his head toward the voice and saw a figure in the distance.

Oh.

The little boy.

He was running toward him. Why was he running?

Izuku tried again to sit up, but he couldn’t move. Not a single muscle.

He turned his head the other way and saw his arm pinned beneath something heavy.

And red.

So much red.

The stench of gasoline filled his lungs.

Then he heard another voice, muffled, distant, like he was underwater.

“…I… Izu… ku…”

He lifted his head.

A silhouette was trapped under the twisted carcass of a car.

Everything was blurred. Nothing made sense. The figure struggled, crawling toward him.

And Izuku… Izuku was terrified.

And he hurt.

He hurt so badly.

Make it stop.

Please.

Please make it stop-

“- Dad!”

Izuku jolted upright in bed, gasping, drenched in sweat, panic clawing at his chest.

A dull ache throbbed through his right arm… like an echo.

He looked down at the scar.

But his vision swam.

A hand on his cheek told him what he already knew: he was crying.

He wiped his face quickly, grabbed his phone, and opened his notes app, typing everything he could remember before it slipped away.

Not a dream.

A memory.

It had to be. It couldn’t be anything else, not with that level of detail, not with that level of pain, not with the relentless buzzing in his head.

Izuku had dreamed about his childhood accident before, but never like this. Before, it had been flashes and sounds. But this time?

This time, he knew it was real.

And he had a lead.

The boy from his dreams was there, and he’d seen the accident.

He had to find that boy.

No matter what.