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Katsuki fiddled with the collar of his shirt in the bedroom mirror, the same shirt Izuku picked out for him before leaving for the overseas mission.
"You'll look good in this at the reunion, darker colours always make your eyes shine!" Izuku said, smiling, his fingers gliding over the fabric on Katsuki's shoulders.
He had grumbled at the time, but wore it tonight. The gold star cufflinks, their wedding gifts, clicked into place with hands that didn't' want to hold still. His wedding band caught the light, silver and scratched. Izuku's green tinted band was on the other side of the world.
He checked his phone. The last texts waited.
Deku: You're going to the reunion right? For us?
Kacchan: I'll go.
Deku: Yay! Say hi to everyone for me.
Kacchan: Only if you promise to come home.
Deku: I promise. I love you.
Kacchan: I love you
He locked the screen and left the house without looking back.
The rooftop restaurant was warm and loud when he arrived. Full of clinking glasses, shared plates, laughter, and the hint of exhaustion that came with being a pro hero.
Kaminari shouted his name, followed by Mina waving and Kirishima pulling him into a quick hug. Todoroki nodded at him from his seat.
"Bakugou!" Mina grinned. "One half of the Power Couple is here!"
He clicked his tongue. "The hell did you just call me?"
"Ah," Iida adjusted his glasses. "Ashido, we must be respectful of-"
"What? It's true!" Kaminari snorted out. "He is literally here as Deku's plus-one, plus-himself. Two in one. The math checks out!"
"It does not check out." Shoto said flatly, although there was a slight curve that pulled at the corner of his mouth.
Katsuki ignored them, dropping down into his seat between Kirishima and Todoroki. There was a place setting beside him, untouched, with a printed name card that read:
Izuku Midoriya-Bakugou
Mina had doodled little stars around his name and Katsuki forced himself not to stare at it.
"Deku couldn't get away?" Uraraka asked, tapping at her glass.
"He's on that overseas mission, remember?" Sero chimed. "Big secret global-level stuff. You know Mido, the guy can't just fight thieves and- and muggers, he's gotta fight, like, meteors and spaceships or whatever.
Uraraka's smiled was fond but held disappointment. "Yeah, that sounds like him."
"He told me to tell you losers that he says hi," Katsuki muttered, leaning back in his chair. "Said to take lots of pictures like am his personal photographer."
"Sure Kats, sure." Kirishima grinned, swinging his arm over Katsuki's shoulder. "Although, I could have sworn you've already taken like three pics of the table. Just admit you're soft."
"Say that again and I'll use you as the centre piece before desert comes out."
They laughed and then tension in his chest eased a bit.
Momo stood up, glass in hand. "Everyone! Before we order-"
"You mean before I order!" Kaminari cut in.
"I'd like to propose a toast," Momo continued firmly. "To all of us. Five years as pros. We have worked hard, grown, and we have survived. Not everyone got that chance. So tonight, I want us to remember them too. But I also want to celebrate that we are here. Together."
Glasses lifted. There were a few watery smiles around the table.
"To Class 1-A!" She shouted.
"To Class 1-A!"
Bakugou took a long drink but didn't say it out loud. The words were snagged in his throat. What's the point if people are missing.
He wondered where Izuku was right now. If he had eaten, if he had slept, if he was smiling that stupid, unstoppable smile, believing just as fiercely as ever that he could save everyone.
"He'll be fine," He muttered under his breath, ore to himself than anybody else.
"Did you say something, man?" Kirishima's head tilted.
"Didn't say shit."
The evening burst into noise and warmth. They shared stories from patrols, stupid fan experiences, and weird villain encounters. Aizawa actually showed up halfway through, standing awkwardly at the edge of the gathering until he was dragged into it, Present Mic at his side. All Might came by in a suit that actually fit his frame for once, smiling that familiar wide smile.
Katsuki tried not to notice the glances at the empty chair next to him.
He ordered an extra dish, something Izuku would like. He had forgotten for a second that his husband wasn't just going to burst in late, apologising with a panicked little wave.
The rooftop bar had a mounted TV near the bar, mostly playing muted highlight reels of hero work. Mina asked for the volume to be turned on when a segment of Sero lit up the scream. Everyone laughed and teased.
Katsuki was halfway through snapping a picture of Kaminari doing something dumb with his chopsticks when the screen behind them suddenly cut to a different feed.
The logo in the corner changed to BREAKING NEWS.
The atmosphere suddenly changed from cheerful music to the frantic voice of a report.
"We're bringing this to you live from overseas, where Japan's very own Number One Hero, Deku, is engaged in a battle that has been escalating for several hours."
The entire room froze.
"Hey... Isn't that-" Sero started, twisting around to get a better look at the TV.
Mina signalled for the volume to be turned up.
The image sharpened. Smoke, collapsed buildings, a city no one recognised, lit by an ugly reddish glow. The camera shook and refocused on a figure darting through the air like a green comet.
Katsuki's eyes widened.
Izuku. Costume slightly updated, heavier plating around his waist, scars along his jaw visible in brief flashes as he turned, shouting into the comm in his ear.
One For All crackled around him in a bright, violent aura.
Katsuki's world narrowed to the screen.
"That's live?" Uraraka whispered. "Like right now?"
"Yes," Momo said hoarsely. "That's... that's the mission he went on. The classified one. I only saw the brief-"
"Shh!" Kirishima hissed, eyes wide.
The news anchor was barely keeping up.
"-what experts are calling an unprecedented threat, an anomaly. International analysts are saying the energy readings are bigger than every before, unlike anything we have ever seen-"
The camera swung around and caught sight of the villain.
It towered over the shattered city, a shifting black and red mass of tendrils. It's form glitching at the edges like a corrupted video file. Eyes glowed in places eyes shouldn't be. Buildings around it sagged and twisted as if reality it self was bending.
"Holy shit," Kirishima breathed. "That's bigger than-"
"The war." Todoroki finished quietly. "It's bigger than Shigaraki."
Katsuki saw the cracks.
He saw the way Izuku's left leg wobbled when he landed. He saw the the tiny hitch in his breathing, the kind that meant he was pushing way beyond safe. He saw how One For All flickered, not steady an strong, but strained like a dying lightbulb.
"Back off, Izuku," He said out loud, gripping the table. "You need to back off."
The creature filled most of the screen. A tangled storm of dark tendrils. Katsuki didn't know what it was. He didn't care. He just knew it was too big. Too strong. Too much.
And Izuku was alone.
Lighting burst around him again as he sprinted forward, barely dodging a falling slab of concrete. His face flashed across the screen, mouth set and eyes locked in. Blood oozing from his temple.
"He looks... bad." Mina whispered.
Katsuki stood, heart hammering against his ribs.
Izuku launched up, blasted forward, one last push, and Katsuki swore he could hear Izuku in his head. Just one more hit. I can do this.
Katsuki shook his head. "Don't do it," he whispered, before he even realised he had said it out loud. "Don't-"
Izuku pushed forward, screaming into the charge, fist glowing white, and slammed into the creature's core.
The world detonated.
A shockwave blasted outward, swallowing the camera in static and smoke. Dust exploded across the entire frame, thick enough that even shapes disappeared. The rooftop gasped as one, chairs scraped, hands grabbed the table edges, breaths caught in throats. Katsuki leaned forward until his knuckles turned white, jaw clenched so hard it hurt..
On the screen nothing moved but a swirling grey.
"Oh my god..." Mina whispered.
"Did he win?" Sero asked.
Kaminari held his breath.
Iida whispered, "Please-"
Katsuki didn't blink, too scared to look away.
The dust started to thin. Slowly at first, then faster, shapes emerging like ghosts. Buildings collapsed. Streets cracked. Smoke lifting in shaky columns. Medics and camera held back, waiting to move until they know who was eft standing.
Then Izuku appeared in the haze.
Only, something was wrong.
His silhouette wasn't moving.
It wasn't standing straight.
The dust cleared more and Katsuki's heart slammed painfully inside his chest.
The creature was gone. Completely gone.
But Izuku-
He was suspended in the air, chest pinned through by a thick piece of crystal, driven clean through his torso and into the shattered concrete column behind him. His arms hung limp as his sides. His head titled forward, chin touching his chest, curls hiding his face. His legs dangled a few inches above the ground, toes barely grazing the pavement.
Everything fell silent.
Uraraka stiffened mid breath.
Kaminara's hands dropped to his sides.
Momo gasped out a fragile noise.
Iida stepped back, eyes wide and glasses fogging.
Shoto whispered Izuku's names like it hurt to say.
And Katsura stared, every muscle tightening in his body all at once.
The dust cleared completely. Revealing the blood dripping down the crystal, dripping off Izuku's boots and collecting in a small pool beneath him. His wedding ring glinted faintly through the red smeared across his hand. Green lighting flickered in tiny, dying sparks around his shoulders. Little remnants clinging to him like they refused to leave.
A medic rushed forwards and pressed her palm against Izuku's chest, right above where the metal pierced through him. She leaned in close, ear to his sternum, waiting for something, anything. Another medic tried to get a hand on the crystal, to lift the hero free, but the other stopped him immediately, shaking her head hard.
The camera zoomed in. Too close, too sharp. Izuku's face filled the screen, pale and unfocused, his lips slightly parted. His eyes stared somewhere no one could follow. His freckles hidden under blood and dirt.
Katsuki felt everything go quiet inside him. His heartbeat flattened to a dull thud. His throat dried out. His legs locked. He wasn't blinking. Wasn't breathing right. He stared, waiting, bracing, begging for movement,
Just a twitch, you damned idiot. Move your hand. Blink. Anything.
The medic sat back slowly. Her expression crumbled. She whispered something to her partner.
The rooftop reacted all at once.
"No." Mina gasped.
"Oh god-" Sero covered his mouth.
All Might shook his head, repeated "no, no, no" under his breath.
Kirshima gripped Katsuki's shoulder tightly.
A cluster of reporters stormed forward, shouting questions across the rubble.
Cameras flashed. Microphones shoved forward.
And Izuku still hung there.
Suspended.
Head down and unmoving.
Katsuki's jaw locked. Pain shot up the side of his face from grinding his teeth too hard. His hands curled into fists, tight enough that his nails cut through skin. His ring pressed painfully into pain.
The medic moved back, turned towards her crew.
In her native language, subtitles lagging a second behind, she said:
"He's gone."
The rooftop fell apart.
Aizawa cried out.
Kaminari staggered backwards, knocking his chair.
Uraraka covered her face.
Shoto stared at the floor, tears slipping down his face.
Kirishima is talking, to Katsuki, tears in his eyes joined with a concerned look on his face.
But Katsuki didn't hear any of it.
He stared at the screen, at the medic stepping back, at the camera cutting to a far shot of Izuku still impaled, still hanging, still motionless. Suddenly the noise around his faded into static.
His body wasn't responding.
His lung weren't pulling in air right.
Someone touched Katsuki's arm, All Might, and the world snapped back in a violent jolt. His chest tightened. His breath broke loose in pieces. His muscles trembled.
The news anchor appeared again, exhausted, mascara streaked and eyes already red.
Her voice cracked as she said the words.
The damn words.
"Hero Deku has been pronounced dead at the scene."
Everything his Katsuki at once.
His knees buckled. He hit the floor hard, palms slapping the tile and back against the wall.
His breath tore out in a broken gasp he couldn't hold back.
He tried to breathe, but every inhale came jagged and wrong. Like his chest had caved in around his lungs. His heart hammered far too fast.
Someone called his name.
He didn't react. Didn't lift his head. Didn't answer. He didn't know how.
His thoughts tried to form words, but all that came through was white noise, pieces of memory slamming into each other. Izuku laughing, Izuku training, kissing, touching, all of him.
"He-" His breath caught, voice snatching in his throat. "He promised."
Katsuki shook his head, over and over, wild and desperate. Tears spilled from his eyes, drops falling to the floor.
"He promised me," he said again, louder, voice cracking down the middle. "He said- he said he'd come home."
The words came faster now, choked, splintered, pulled from somewhere deep and broken.
"He said he'd be here- he said-"
Another sob tore loose, violent enough to shake his whole body. He tried to swallow it back, tried to force air into his lungs, to keep himself upright but nothing worked. Nothing held. His strength, his balance, his control, all of it slipped.
All Might moved.
Arms slid around him, wrapping over his shoulders and pulling him against his chest. Katsuki flinched at first, instinct firing, the old reflex to shove everyone away shouting in his bones. But something deeper inside him, something raw and exhausted, gave up fighting.
He collapsed into the hold.
His forehead his fabric, breath stuttering against All Might's shoulder. He didn't speak, didn't try to. He just held him, one hand braced between his shoulder blades, the other gripping the back of his neck, grounding him as he shook.
Katsuki's fist closed into the material of All Might's shirt. His ring scraped against the fabric. His teeth clenched hard as a tried to hold back his sobs.
"He promised," he whispered into the shoulder, voice muffled, shaking, lost. "He promised he'd come home to me."
All Might exhaled and pulled him closer, like he could shield him from the image still burning on the TV.
Katsuki didn't know who has holding him. He just clung to the only solid thing left in the room, shoulders shaking as his chest caved inward under the weight of everything he had lost in a single moment.
Tears soaked into the fabric against his face. His breath fell apart in a harsh bursts.
Around them, Class 1-A fell silent, reverent in the grief no one could fix.
And Katsukiu cried, and cried. Not because he was weak, not because he'd given up, but because the person he loved most in the world had promised to come home.
And didn't.