Moonlight filtered in through the window. It bathed everything in peaceful, monochromatic hues. The world beyond was little more than a swath of starless, deep-gray sky.

Had it not been for the periodic incoming and departure of emergency aircraft, the expanse could have passed for a photograph; a blissful emptiness that stood in stark contrast to the chaos that dwelt within Izuku's mind.

Too many proverbial fish swam in the sloshing fishbowl that was his skull.

Sensei had said the medications would help quiet the storm of pain and anxiety. Instead an odd, floaty feeling kept his thoughts from connecting in any meaningful way, which was a problem all its own. And so, the storm within his head raged on.

Izuku was exhausted, but sleep was a stubborn beast, beaten down by the desperate compulsion to count. He needed to know intimately the number of linoleum tiles that covered the floor.

How many pale, lemony stripes adorned the wallpaper that ran the perimeter of the room.

He counted the beeping of his heart monitor, watching the green line bounce rhythmically in the near darkness.

Lastly, he counted the seconds between Katsuki's inhales.

It had taken some effort, but here in the crisp, sterile hospital room, Izuku ventured a glance toward the questionable blond, and once he looked, it was impossible to look away.

It was easier, of course, now that Kacchan was asleep. Before, it had been too much. Now however, he followed the rise and fall of Kacchan's chest on baited breath.

A part of him feared it would suddenly stop.

The blond slept far from peacefully, tossing and turning on the small couch, one leg propped up awkwardly on the armrest and the other dangled on the floor.

The air conditioner kicked on with a click and a low hum, drawing Izuku's attention to the shifting of the shear curtains as they danced in the pseudo-breeze.

Katsuki groaned and emerald eyes twitched back to familiar frowning lips. A furrow appeared between blond brows. He watched the muscles in Kacchan's jaw tense and slacken then heard the harsh 'creak' of grinding teeth.

These were not things that were common to his Katsuki.

It looked as though his eyes raced beneath their lids but in the dark it was hard to be sure. Kacchan's name was on the tip of his tongue. He intended to call out to him, perhaps to calm him, then he hesitated, something on Katsuki's face catching his attention.

Water?

No…

Tears…

Izuku's breath caught in his throat. "Ka-Kacchan," Izuku murmured, voice timid and unsure.

Katsuki's face twisted miserably, then he whimpered, the sound so full of panic and pain that it tore at Izuku's heart. He twitched as Izuku called his name again, though the movement looked suspiciously like a flinch.

Izuku didn't like this.

Slowly he removed the monitor patches and wires from his body, why he even needed them he wasn't sure. He slipped the cannula off his face. After taking an experimental breath, he nodded to himself then stood.

His legs shook, barely able to support his weight and the ground seemed to pitch beneath him. For a moment, he thought he would fall but he used the hospital bed and the IV stand to steady himself.

Right as he began to feel somewhat comfortable on his legs, a desperate sob burst from Kacchan's lips and, with a violent jerk, his body thudded to the floor.

Izuku was too stunned to move. He watched in morbid fascination as Katsuki's hands began clawing at his legs through his sweatpants. He could almost hear the fabric rip beneath sparking fingers.

Katsuki's breath came in frantic gasps and the scent of caramel filled the room. It settled thickly in Izuku's lungs, the weight snapping him from his reverie.

"Kacchan!" Izuku wobbled unsteadily across the room then dropped to the ground beside him. He tried to take hold of Katsuki's wrists however, the moment he made contact, Katsuki's eyes snapped open and he snarled viciously.

Katsuki's pupils were eerily dilated, ebony eclipsing deep crimson as his eyes swiveled sightlessly in their sockets. His brain slammed to a halt.

Izuku let go and made to scramble back but Toga followed him, her body pinning him easily to the floor. He screamed, calling for help beneath her just as her hands curled around his throat and squeezed.

Panic stole what was left of his reason. He thrashed, no doubt doing more damage to himself than to her. This was, until a familiar sound and sensation stole the fight from his limbs.

Katsuki's quirk danced against his skin, burning away Toga's legacy.

Toga couldn't use Kacchan's quirk.

This wasn't Toga.

And yet…this wasn't Kacchan, either. There was too much fear written on his face.

Izuku could smell his flesh burning but the pain was dull, oddly subdued amidst the flood of adrenaline, lack of oxygen, and pain meds.

The world spun, a whirl of color and muffled sound, behind the deafening rhythm of his heart, pumping to a beat he didn't agree to.

He just wanted to sleep.

He could see Kacchan's lips forming clumsy words. They didn't register, passing Izuku's ears like a muffled siren on a highway. A squad car rushing by to some ambiguous somewhere shouting 'something's wrong, something's wrong' but, as it fades into the distance, it leaves no answers, only questions.

Anguish played across Kacchan's face. His words broke from him with the finality of glacial ice plunging into an endless, dark sea. They washed over Izuku with the same intensity, but only their urgency took root in his mind, their meaning was lost, swallowed by the amorphous shadows that stretched and pooled at the edges of his vision.

"Ka-Kacchan, please-," Izuku wheezed, twisting in Katsuki's scorching grip. He searched Katsuki's face, watching the blond's tears slalom down and drip from the tip of his nose. They mingled with his own that gathered in his ears.

He couldn't decide if he wanted the darkness to take him, or not. It felt right, natural, perhaps even expected. The darkness help peace, even if it was contrived.

Izuku closed his eyes, moments from accepting its embrace before a 'bang' and a yell jostled him from his position beneath Kacchan. The pressure on his neck released abruptly and his body took its que to refill his screaming lungs. There was a murmur from beside him, a clamor of voices and bodies.

Izuku rolled to his side, hand at his neck as he coughed violently, cradling his throat.

Then hands were on him.

Big hands and smaller hands, each with unknown expectations, roamed his form. He recoiled more violently than he meant to, but his motions did no good.

"Mr. Midoriya," a voice called and he blinked up at its owner blearily. "Mr. Midoriya, can you hear me?"

He nodded his head, finally catching his breath. The questions continued but they rolled off him, unanswered. His vision came back into focus and he looked to the side where a pair of bodies sat awkwardly on the floor.

Kacchan's back was tucked tightly against Present Mic's chest. He was still, a foreboding shadow obscured his tear-stained face. Mic spoke to him, his expression betraying nothing but concern but Kacchan remained stubbornly mute.

Izuku focused on them, willing his ears to capture the one-sided exchange, but it was drowned out by the medical jargon and questions being spouted above him. For once, he wanted to be Kacchan. To yell, "SHUT UP YOU SHITTY EXTRAS," so he could hear the stuff that mattered.

But his eyelids drooped upon his next breath. Oxygen filled his lungs and warmth spread throughout his body. The tips of his fingers and toes tingled and he smiled. "You'll be ok, kid, we'll keep him away from you. You're safe now."

Safe?

Keep him away?

Who?

Were they talking about Kacchan?

Izuku used the last of his strength to shake his head and wheezed, "Kacchan's amazing."

The movement to the side halted abruptly and the energy in the room changed.

As a new dose of sedatives rushed through his veins he watched a blur of blond and smoke rocket across the room and out the door.