Katsuki sat at the edge of your bed, elbows on his knees, head low. His fists were clenched so tight his knuckles went white. In all the years you’d known him, been his friend, you’d never seen him like this. Vulnerable. But tonight, he let his guard down—around you, the one who never took his crap. With the upcoming war, he'd felt his usual tough-guy act slipping, and the dream he’d chased since childhood was starting to feel like a nightmare.

“I wanted this.” His voice was rough, like it hurt to say the words. “Since I was a damn kid, I wanted this.” He let out a hollow laugh, shaking his head. “But no one tells you what it actually means.”

He exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair, gripping at the strands like he could pull the thoughts straight from his skull. “They don’t tell you that you’ll be standing in the middle of a street, knee-deep in rubble, with people screamin’ for help, and you—” His breath caught. His whole body was tight, shoulders trembling under the weight of something invisible.

“You won’t be fast enough. You won’t be strong enough. And you’ll watch—” His voice cracked. He clenched his jaw so hard you could hear his teeth grind together. “They don’t tell you you’ll see someone die and know it’s your fault.”

Silence. Thick, suffocating.

You swallowed, fingers curling into your sleeves. “So what, you wanna quit?”

His head snapped up, crimson eyes locking onto yours, searching. For what, you didn’t know.

You raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t think so.”

A breath, sharp and unsteady. He scoffed, but it didn’t have its usual bite. He leaned back on his palms, tilting his head toward the ceiling. “I just—” His throat bobbed. “I don’t wanna grow up. I wanna get the hell out.”

Another empty laugh, brittle and wrong. “Fuckin’ stupid, huh? All I ever did was scream about bein’ the best, and now I just wanna—” He exhaled harshly. “Run.”

You sat beside him, close enough that your knees touched. He flinched but didn’t pull away.

“We’re already grown up, dumbass,” you muttered.