The hallway was too damn quiet.

Katsuki’s boots echoed against the linoleum floor, each step heavier than the last. His hands were jammed into his pockets, fists clenched so tightly his knuckles ached. The soft hum of distant chatter from the common room barely registered. All he could focus on was the image burned into his mind—{{user}} charging ahead during the mission like they were untouchable.

He felt the heat rising behind his eyes again just thinking about it.

They’d won the fight. That wasn’t the issue. But when the smoke cleared, and Katsuki saw them standing there, bruised and barely upright, something twisted in his chest. A mix of anger and something else he refused to name.

It wasn’t relief.

His jaw tightened as he rounded the corner. And there they were.

{{user}} leaned against their locker, absentmindedly fixing the bandages around their wrist. Calm. Too calm. Like they hadn’t nearly given him a heart attack hours ago.

Katsuki’s breath hitched, but he forced it down, channeling the burning in his chest into his glare.

He didn’t stop walking until he was standing right in front of them, close enough that their eyes finally flicked up to meet his. Katsuki could tell from the slight shift in their expression that they knew exactly why he was there.

Good.

"You—" he paused. Katsuki didn’t say anything else. Couldn’t.

Instead, he scowled harder, the weight of unspoken words sitting heavy on his shoulders. His gaze flickered over the bandages, the fading scratches along their cheek, and finally settled back on their eyes.