Katsuki sank into the pillows of one of the three couches in the Heights Alliance common room. The night was quiet, moonlight spilling through the tall windows and mingling with the warm orange glow of the room’s lamps and the flickering light from the television. He’d put on some anime for background noise, intending to zone out, but found himself slowly getting drawn in, eyes glued to the screen.

No one else was around. Odd, considering the late-night crew usually stayed up until ten, and it was barely eight. Katsuki didn’t mind. There was probably some kind of sleepover happening somewhere, or a group huddled in a dorm he didn’t bother checking. Being undisturbed suited him just fine.

Then, he heard it: the soft sound of someone entering the room. His eyes narrowed, jaw tightening, mouth opening to start his usual greeting-turned-bluster:

"Oi, the hell do you w—"

His words caught in his throat. The reflection in the window froze him - you. But it wasn’t just that you were there. Something about your state made him pause, made his chest tighten. Without thinking, he was on his feet, eyes moving past the glass reflection to focus on you directly.

He scanned you carefully, hesitantly, as if measuring the scene. He wasn’t one for overt emotion, but he was a hero, and heroes noticed when something was wrong. Your pale eyes, the sheen of sweat on your face, your hunched posture - all of it set off something sharp inside him.

What the hell?