The battlefield was a graveyard of destruction, littered with smoking rubble, twisted metal, and the lingering echoes of chaos. Katsuki Bakugo stood frozen in the aftermath, his chest rising and falling with heavy, uneven breaths. His body was covered in cuts and bruises, his hero suit tattered and burned, but none of that mattered. Not when his crimson eyes were locked on the lifeless body lying in the debris-strewn street.
You.
His hands trembled at his sides, caked in soot and dried blood. The once-bright explosions he wielded with such precision had dimmed, his palms now useless as they twitched at his sides. His knees buckled as he took slow, hesitant steps forward, his vision blurring at the edges.
โNahโฆ Nah, no fuckinโ wayโฆโ His voice cracked, barely a whisper, as he dropped to his knees beside you. His heart pounded violently in his chest, his mind refusing to process what lay before him.
Your bodyโso warm, so full of life just hours agoโwas now cold and motionless. Blood pooled beneath you, a deep crimson that stained the pavement, seeping into the cracks like it belonged there. A deep gash ran along your side, your hero suit torn, burned, and shredded beyond recognition. The color had drained from your face, and your once-bright eyes were closed, as if you were simply asleep.
But you werenโt.
You werenโt breathing.
You werenโt waking up.
โNoโฆโ Bakugo reached out, hesitating before his fingertips brushed against your cheek. Your skin was icy beneath his touch. His breath hitched, his throat tightening to the point of suffocation. โNo, dammitโwake up. Get up, get up.โ
Silence.
His hands curled into fists as he slammed them onto the pavement beside your body. His explosions sputtered weakly, flickering like dying embers, as if they, too, were grieving with him. His shoulders shook as his head fell forward, his forehead pressing against yours.
He could still remember the last thing you said to him: โโBe careful, Katsuki. Iโll see you when this is over.โ
But you wouldnโt.
You werenโt coming back.
A guttural sound ripped from his throat, raw and broken, as his grief consumed him. He was Katsuki Bakugo, the strongest, the best, the one who won.
So why the fuck hadnโt he won this time?
Why hadnโt he protected you?
The battle had been brutal, a war against a villain who had been too powerful, too ruthless. The fight had pushed everyone to their limits, but Bakugo had been so sure he could keep you safe. You had fought side by side, just like always, watching each otherโs backs.
And thenโ
Then you had shoved him out of the way.
His mind replayed the moment in agonizing detail. The way you had thrown yourself forward, the way your body had shielded his. The explosion that followed, the blinding light, the deafening roar. The smell of burning, of smoke, of blood.
Your blood.
His hands clawed at his hair as he let out a ragged, shuddering breath. โYou fuckinโโwhy?!โ His voice broke mid-scream, the anguish ripping through him like a blade. โWhyโd you do that, huh?! Why the hell did you save me?!โ
You werenโt supposed to.
He was supposed to be the one standing over your body, not the other way around.
You were supposed to yell at him for being reckless. You were supposed to slap his shoulder and roll your eyes when he got too cocky. You were supposed to be here, alive.
Not like this.
Not like this.
His vision blurred with tears he refused to acknowledge, his hands gripping at your body as if holding you tighter would somehow bring you back. His breathing came in sharp, uneven gasps, his body trembling as his fingers brushed over your bloodstained lips.
He was The Katsuki Bakugo.
He was supposed to be the strongest.
So whyโฆ why couldnโt he save the person who mattered most?
The sound of approaching footsteps barely registered in his mind. Someone was calling his nameโDeku, Todoroki, maybe even Kirishimaโbut he didnโt turn. He didnโt care.
Because in that moment, the world around him was empty. Cold. Silent.
Just like you.
The battlefield was eerily quiet now. The smoke still curled in lazy tendrils, the rubble still groaned under its own weight, but to Katsuki Bakugo, the world had already gone still. His chest heaved as he held onto you, arms wrapped around your broken form, his fingers curled into the fabric of your tattered hero suit. The warmth had long since faded from your skin, and yet he clung to you as if he could force it back, as if sheer willpower alone could bring you back.
He didnโt care about the blood soaking through his gloves, didnโt care about the way his own wounds stung and throbbed. None of it matteredโnot when you were gone.
He didnโt even register the voices at first. They were distant, muffled, like he was underwater.
โBakugoโฆโ A familiar voiceโhoarse, choked with emotion. Midoriya.
Bakugo didnโt move.
โBakugo, we need toโโ
A hand reached for his shoulder, but the second he felt it, something in him snapped.
โDONโT TOUCH ME!โ His voice was raw, his body trembling as he pulled you closer, shielding you like they were trying to rip away the last piece of you he had left. His throat ached from how hard he was breathing, his teeth clenched so tightly they felt like theyโd crack. โDonโtโฆ donโt you dareโโ
โBakugo, please,โ Kirishima tried, his own voice unsteady. His red eyes were wet, pained, his usually sturdy stance uncertain. โWeโ we have to move her. We canโt leave her like this.โ
Like this.
Like you were just another body to clean up after a battle. Like you werenโt his whole damn world, the one person he would have burned everything down for.
His head shook violently, his fingers tightening around your lifeless form. โNo,โ he choked out, voice breaking. โNo, sheโsโsheโs gonna wake up. She always gets up. Justโฆ just give her a second, alright?โ His voice cracked on the last word, desperation dripping from every syllable. โSheโs just tired.โ
Midoriya made a strangled sound from behind him, and Bakugo could hear the way he was barely holding it together. โKacchanโฆโ
โSHUT UP!โ His voice tore through the air, but it held no bite, only pain. His vision swam as his forehead pressed against yours, his breath fanning over your cold skin. โYou canโtโฆ you canโt leave me like this. You promised.โ
You had promised him forever.
He never wanted forever without you.
His whole body shook as the weight of it all began to crush him. The reality, the finality. You werenโt waking up. No matter how tightly he held you, no matter how much he screamed, how much he beggedโ
You were gone.
A strangled sob ripped from his throat as his body curled around yours. The tears that had threatened to fall finally broke free, streaming down his dirt-streaked face as his entire world shattered in his hands. His arms trembled, his fingers ghosting over your cheek, your hair, trying to memorize every last detail before it was too late.
They tried again, and this time, he didnโt fight back.
Didnโt scream.
Didnโt explode.
Because he was empty.
He barely felt it when Kirishimaโs hands grabbed his shoulders, barely registered the way Midoriya knelt beside him, his own face streaked with silent tears. They were talking, pleading with him, but the words didnโt reach him.
His body was being pulled away from yours, and he felt himself breaking all over again, arms stretching out desperately as if he could somehow reach you again.
โPlease,โ his voice was barely above a whisper now, so hoarse, so weak. โPlease donโt take her from meโฆโ
And as he crashed against Kirishimaโs chest, sobbing so hard his whole body convulsed, Katsuki Bakugo finally understood what it meant to lose.
And Katsuki Bakugo, for the first time in his life, had lost his everything.
NORAA HHIAHAIHAIAHAIII SORRY I SAW YOU LIKE MY POST HOW R U!!!! ITS BEEN SO LONGGG !! also I've been on a hiatus on discord bc scary n I'm busy now I've been off for AGESSS BUT ALSO I MISS YOU HOW HAVE YOU BEENNN
sorry I'm rushing I'm in class n the teacher js walked in
NORAA HHIAHAIHAIAHAIII SORRY I SAW YOU LIKE MY POST HOW R U!!!! ITS BEEN SO LONGGG !! also I've been on a hiatus on discord bc scary n I'm busy now I've been off for AGESSS BUT ALSO I MISS YOU HOW HAVE YOU BEENNN
sorry I'm rushing I'm in class n the teacher js walked in
ahh iโm glad youโre doing somewhat alright though !! lifeโs been getting us a lot HELP but iโve been doing somewhat good too. iโm actually in the middle of writing kinktober for my own blog and iโm mentally crashing out because thereโs just so much to write eueueueu. but other than that, i think iโm doing okay ?
โ ๐ฌ
Iโm glad to hear youโre doing well!! I didnโt know you write โ I wonder if Iโve ever stumbled across one of your posts ๐ค
THE CRASHING OUT IS SO REAL, I only have a few requests left and Iโm still stressing ๐๐ (but not doing any progress Iโm sorryโฆ) I hope you get a wave of motivation and can finish everything quickly without burning yourself out ๐ฅฒ๐๐
Ugh I've lowkey just been busy with college.. It's not horrible but definitely not fun ๐ญ So many people stress me tf out bro ๐ BUT besides college I've actually been socializing a lot more which is so unlike me ๐ซฉ
OOOOOO AAAAND I finally quit my job at that god forsaken cafรฉ a couple of months ago ๐ I still work with all that engineering stuff BUT trying to balance two jobs in college is NOT a good idea!! That cafรฉ was hell I remember complaining daily LMAO
I feel you bro ๐ญ most problems start with socialising or not socialising, we should just delete it ๐
AND YOUโRE FINALLY FREEEEEE!!! I remember you complainingโฆ โcustomers are scaryโ ๐ญ I think I was also working in a restaurant at the time (my memory is so shit istg), so I totally understood your pain ๐
YAY I'M GLAD TO HEAR UR DOING GOOD!! How's life in general? Have u done anything fun lately??
Itโs been pretty good!! I had a lot of stress helping my uncle at his restaurant, but thatโs finally over ๐ซฉ I havenโt really done anything fun yet, BUT!!! Iโm watching the Demon Slayer movie in 10 DAYS!!!!!! ๐คญ Anywayyy, enough about me, Iโm boringโhow have you been?? What have you been up to??
But fr stop imy and being chronically online ugh i need to get back on tumblr ๐ฎโ๐จ
We both do ๐ญ Iโve barely been on Tumblr recentlyโฆ I can hardly even get myself to write because Iโve been so busy ๐ซฉ BUT if you get back on Tumblr IโM RIGHT HERE WITH YOU!!!!