SUMMARY: Katsuki and Izuku survived their encounter with Sasayaki. The boys had a talk and Katsuki needs to see Mishima again.

WARNING: Mention of gore in Katsuki's nightmare.

INVISIBLE SCARS

"Izukuuuuuuuuuu!" wailed Inko with tears streaming down her face as she rushed toward her son.

The boy looked up and before he could say anything he was smothered in a crushing hug by his worried mother. The air was squeezed out of him as she held onto him tight. Izuku patted her back frantically, "Air! Air! Can't breathe!"

"Oh, dear! I'm sorry, Izuku!" said Ink flustered as she released him. He made a loud gasp for air as he catches his breath. He jumped when Mitsuki barged into the room, her husband trailing behind her. The woman looked close to tears but her glare and scowl was as intense as ever. Izuku shrank when her eyes landed on him. She marched toward him, "Where is he?! Where's that brat?!"

"Mitsuki, please. Calm down!" said Masaru placatingly. He took a step back when his wife pointed a finger at his face, "Don't. Tell. Me. To. Fucking. Calm. Down!"

Inko wiped at her tears, "Mitsuki-chan, please. Take a deep breath."

The blonde woman's hand shook as she turned her eyes on her friend. Inko stared back calmly and Mitsuki closed her eyes. She counted to ten and took in deep breaths. She opened her eyes and looked at Inko's boy, her voice wavering, "Where's Katsuki?"

"T-they're still treating him. He… He got stabbed."

Mitsuki's knees felt weak and she would have collapsed on the floor if her husband didn't catch her. Masaru's eyes were wide with fear and concern, "Stabbed?!"

Izuku shook his head and waved his hands, "Not somewhere vital. It was his left shoulder and right hand. The… the knife went through his hand."

Izuku cringed at the memory. He felt guilty but if Katsuki wasn't there to push him away, he'd probably be dead. He rubbed at his eyes as tears welled up. Inko rubbed his back soothingly, "How did you boys end up in this situation?"

"We… we were trying to get a confession…"

Inko frowned in confusion, "A confession?"

Izuku nodded, "From Sasayaki-senpai."

"Why?"

"Because the boy misused his quirk on your boy," said a voice.

Everyone turned to see Hayabusa approaching them. He held two paper cups in his hands and handed one over to Izuku. The boy took it and muttered a quiet thanks. Hayabusa turned his attention to the adults, "Detective Hayabusa Nobutoshi. Midoriya-kun said Sasayaki used his mind control quirk to create friction between he and Bakugou-kun."

Mitsuki's eyes narrowed in anger, "Where is this boy?"

"Currently in our custody for interrogation. He's been involved in illegal drugs too."

"D-drugs?!" squeaked Inko as she turned to her son worriedly.

Izuku raised his hand to calm her, "He didn't use it on us."

"What kind of drug?" asked Masaru with a frown.

"Ever heard of Trigger?"

The adults nodded their head, their expression was grim. Izuku frowned, "What's Trigger?"

Inko placed a hand on his shoulder, "It's a kind of drug that enhances quirks. They're illegal because people misused them for bad things."

"Oh, so that's why he could…"

Hayabusa sighed, "I'm sorry but I still need to get a statement from Midoriya-kun."

Inko nodded, "Can I come?"

The detective nodded, "Follow me."

"Wait! What about Kacchan?"

"We'll wait for news of him," said Masaru.

"O-okay."

"C'mon, Izuku."

Mitsuki sat on the plastic chair heavily and sighed as she dropped her head in her hands. Masaru took a seat beside her and put a comforting hand on her back, "He'll be alright. Our Katsuki's a tough kid."

Mitsuki rubbed at her eyes, "Yeah. But this fucking sucks. Why does our boy have to get involved in shitty situations?"

Her husband pulled her into a hug, "I don't know. Call it bad luck or whatever. But Katsuki's gotten himself out of those shitty situations. He's a fighter and a survivor. Our boy will be fine."

Mitsuki let out a choked sob, "Still. It scared the shit out of me."

"I know. I'm scared and worried too. But we need to have faith in him."

"I'm gonna kill that Sasayaki boy."

Masaru sighed, smiling slightly in amusement, "Honey, that's illegal."

"He better fucking rot in jail."

Katsuki lay spread-eagled on the cold floor, eyes staring at the darkness around him. His whole body felt oddly heavy and numb. He blinked slowly as his brain started to kick into gear. Where is he? What happened? He tried to sit up but he couldn't. His heart began to race, blood rushing to his ears. Why can't he move?!

Footsteps echoed around him and he looked up as a familiar face loomed over him. Dark eyes stared at him with malice, "The Lord detests lying lips and I shall silence you."

Katsuki stared at Hanamoto with wide fearful eyes, "Y-you're not real."

The man raised both of his hands and slammed them down on Katsuki's hands. The boy screamed as the screwdrivers pinned him to the ground. Tears leaking down the sides of his face, his fingers twitching. He hissed at the pain, "T-this is a dream. Wake the fuck up, Katsuki!"

There were whispers echoing around him. Katsuki's eyes looked around wildly.

"It's not fair."

"Why are you alive?"

"Villain."

"Dangerous."

"I'm scared of you, Kacchan."

Katsuki gasped at the familiar voice, "D-Deku?"

"You're dangerous, Kacchan."

"S-shut up!"

"You have a villainous quirk."

"Stop! I don't wanna hear this!"

Katsuki jolted as he was suddenly upright. He let out a cry as he hung by his hands that were still impaled against the invisible wall behind him. He could feel warm blood trailing down his arms. He stared at Izuku, or whatever it was that looked like his friend. The green-haired boy's eyes were pale instead of their vibrant green. The boy stared at him, "You're no hero, Kacchan."

The blond grit his teeth, "Shut up. You're not him."

He saw a glint in the dark and Sasayaki appeared behind the fake Izuku, a knife in hand. He waved the knife around before settling it near fake Izuku's throat, his eyes wide with madness and mouth stretched into a wicked grin, "So which one will it be? The throat? Or the heart? Maybe you'd like to see him spill his guts?"

Katsuki narrowed his eyes, "You're not there. This is a fucking dream made by my fucked-up brain."

"Looks like he doesn't care about you, Midoriya-kun," said Sasayaki mockingly.

Fake Izuku had the nerve to look sad and Katsuki couldn't help but feel guilty at the familiar face. He flinched when Sasayaki drove the knife into the boy's abdomen. With a vicious twist and pull, blood and guts splattered on the floor. Katsuki recoiled at the gore, gagging at the sight. Fake Izuku dropped to the floor, his pale eyes boring into him. Your fault, they said to him. Katsuki watched as he transformed into the boy in the photo at Hanamoto's house. It was Hanamoto's dead son, Haru.

"Aww, look at what you've done. What a mess!" said Sasayaki.

Katsuki was on the verge of hyperventilating, What the fuck? What the fuck?! Wake up! I need to wake up! He flinched when Sasayaki was suddenly in his face. The older teenager stared into him, "You dragged him into this and you failed to save him. You're not worthy to be a hero!"

"KACCHAN!"

Katsuki gasped as his eyes snapped open. There was a hand holding his shoulders and, in his confusion, he swung his fist at the person. His breath stuttered when a hand grabbed his wrist. Trapped. Pinned down. He wheezed as he tried to pull his hand free.

"Kacchan, calm down!"

Katsuki blinked. That voice. He finally looked around. He's in a hospital room, on a hospital bed. There was a dull pain in his bandaged right hand and left shoulder. The smell of antiseptic was strong. And there's Izuku. The real Izuku and he's alive. His friend stared at him worriedly, still holding his wrist loosely.

"D-Deku?"

"Yeah. It's me, Kacchan."

Izuku was caught off guard when the blond laid his head against his shoulder. Katsuki let out a shuddering breath, "You're okay. You're alive."

The green-haired boy hesitantly hugged his friend. He could feel him trembling, "Yeah. I'm fine, Kacchan. Thanks to you."

"I could've gotten you killed."

"You didn't. You protected me. You saved me."

Katsuki pulled back and didn't look at him, "I'm sorry for putting you in danger."

"Kacchan, it wasn't your fault. The plan was to talk with him, we didn't… we didn't expect things to happen that way."

Katsuki remained silent as he sorted through his scrambled brain. He heard Izuku sighed, "You pulled your IV out. I'll call the nurse."

Katsuki panicked for a moment but he relaxed when Izuku merely reached over his head to press the call button. Izuku frowned at his wide-eyed look, "What's wrong?"

"N-nothing."

"Look, Kacchan. About what I said when… when I was… you know?"

Katsuki gulped and shut his eyes. He felt Izuku hold his left hand, squeezing gently, "I'm really sorry."

"S-so it was true? All of it?" he whispered.

"Yes, and no. Can you look at me, please?" Izuku pleaded.

Katsuki nervously opened his eyes. He slowly raised his gaze to meet wide green eyes. There was no malice in them. Just sincerity and kindness, "I am scared of you but it's because I worry for you."

"What do you mean?"

"Your quirk, it's really strong and dangerous. People say it's villainous."

Katsuki felt his heart start to race in his chest again, "I know it's dangerous and if I make a mistake I could hurt someone or even-"

The door opened and a nurse poked her head in, "Did you press the call- Oh, he's awake!"

She entered the room and fussed over the blond boy. She clicked her tongue when she saw the IV needle was pulled out. She set to work on put it back in and then proceeded to check his vitals and asked him a few procedural questions. Katsuki answered her quietly. Once she was satisfied, she headed for the door, "I'll inform your doctor. He'll drop by to check in on you later."

The door clicked shut and the boys were left alone. Izuku climbed onto the bed and sat facing Katsuki, "Kacchan, I want you to trust me when I say I believe you can be an amazing hero. I want you to show everyone, with that quirk of yours, that you are worthy. You're going to prove them wrong."

"But you're scared of me… I thought-"

"Of course, I'm scared! I don't like seeing you hurt!"

Katsuki stared at him in shock. Izuku huffed as he crossed his arms, "You're always doing something dangerous with your quirk. I've seen you get hurt countless times! I'm scared you'll get seriously hurt because you keep pushing yourself!"

"W-what?"

"That's why I'm scared of that side of you. You can be a hazard to yourself. I know you wouldn't hurt anyone on purpose, not without good reasons, but I know you well enough to know how you don't care about your own safety. You'd rather throw yourself in danger than let anyone, me especially, from getting hurt. It's… it's suicidal and it scares me!"

Katsuki stared at Izuku numbly. His friend was breathing heavily, tears streaming down his face, "So, please. Please don't do that again."

"I… y-yeah. I'm sorry, Izuku."

Izuku rubbed at his eyes and sobbed, "You're an idiot."

Katsuki smirked slightly, "Yeah. I'm an idiot."

Izuku chuckled. He rubbed at his nose and sniffed, "H-how are you feeling, by the way?"

Katsuki frowned, "Crappy."

"I bet. You wanna talk about it?"

"About what?"

"Your nightmare."

Katsuki frowned, "No."

"Are you sure? It was pretty bad…"

"I'll be fine. I had a fucked-up dream because of all the stress. And probably because of whatever they doped me up with. Can't feel my freakin' fingers."

Izuku worried his bottom lip, "Is that bad? Should I call the nurse again?"

"Nah, I'd rather not feel my hand right now," said Katsuki as he waved his bandaged hand.

The other boy nodded, "Yeah. I bet it'll hurt once the painkiller wears off."

Katsuki remembered something, "How long have I been out?"

"Oh, umm…. Fourteen, fifteen hours?"

"You here alone?"

"Our parents are talking with Detective Hayabusa. They'll be here once they're done."

The blond sighed, "The hag's gonna be pissed."

"Oh, she was really pissed yesterday."

"Great."

Izuku patted his friend's leg, "Move over."

"What? Why?"

"I wanna lie down next to you."

"No way! I'm not in the mood to cuddle with you!"

Izuku blushed, "T-t-t-that's not what I was planning to do! I just wanna sit next to you!"

Katsuki's brows knitted together, "Just sit over there! Or on the chair!"

"Please, Kacchan?"

"No!"

"Pretty please?"

"Nu-uh!"

"C'mon, I didn't sleep well because I was worried about you and I'm kinda sleepy, and the chair's not comfortable," Izuku whined. He gave his friend one of his puppy eyes. Katsuki's eyes twitched at the sight. He grumbled as he shifted to the side, "Fine! You're so annoying!"

"Thanks!" said Izuku with a triumphant grin as he settled on the bed beside his friend. Their hips and shoulders touching. He sighed as he leaned back against the propped pillow, his friend imitating him with an annoyed huff. The boys lay in silence, staring at the ceiling.

Katsuki played with a thread sticking out of his blanket, "Do you remember the day I started calling you Deku?"

"Huh? Oh, it was because you read the kanji for my name wrong."

"You said you hated it."

Izuku made a face, "Yeah. Everyone made fun of me because of it. Calling me a quirkless nothing and all the other mean names."

"I'm sorry it was because of me."

Izuku turned his head to look at Katsuki, "But you made it special."

Katsuki blinked and turned his head to face him. Izuku grinned, "I remembered what you told me. You said it sounds like dekiru (capable). You told me I can do anything if I tried really hard. You made me believe that a quirkless person like me might have a chance to be a hero. So, thank you Kacchan."

Katsuki smiled, "Yeah… thank you for believing in me since the day my quirk manifested."

"Hey, we made a promise, remember? We're gonna be heroes together!"

"And I'm gonna be number one!"

"I'm sure you will! I got your back!"

"Wanna be my sidekick?"

Izuku grinned, "Nah. I'm gonna be my own hero, with my own agency!"

Katsuki pursed his lips, "That's… not going to be easy."

"Hey, back me up here! Who knows? I might be the first quirkless hero with his own agency! Wouldn't that be awesome?"

The blond couldn't help but grin at his friend's enthusiasm, "Yeah."

"You know, when I say you two better settle your problems and get along, I didn't mean for you two to get in trouble together," said Fujimoto as he gazed at Izuku from his table.

Izuku chuckled and scratched his head. Katsuki shot the boy an annoyed glare from where he sat but Fujimoto ignored him. A group of their classmates were surrounding their tables and Katsuki was getting irritated at the attention and all the questions. Izuku, on the other hand, was overwhelmed with nervous energy at the attention. He was used to being ignored most of the time. Rumours spread like wildfire concerning the boys' two days absence. Someone from their school had seen the boys being led to an ambulance by the police. It started with the story that boys got involved with a mugging and another popped out about them getting caught in a villain attack.

A brunette with pigtails put her hands on Katsuki's table and leaned forward, "So how did you guys get out the situation?"

"W-well, it was all thanks to Kacchan that-"

"I knew it! You're so cool, Katsuki-kun!" squealed a girl with short brown hair.

A bulky boy chuckled, "I bet you had a hard time too with quirkless here stuck with you."

Katsuki huffed, "Deku was helpful."

"I bet! As bait!" Some of their classmates laughed at the jibe.

Katsuki slammed his uninjured hand on the table, "Shut your mouth! You weren't there so you didn't see how he got my back!"

Izuku smiled at his friend shyly. He watched with sympathy as their classmates started bombarding his friend with more questions. Katsuki shouted at them to keep their mouth shut and leave him alone. No one seemed to heed his request as they continue to ask questions. He saw the blond flinch when someone patted his injured shoulder. Izuku frowned, "Guys, that's enough."

He watched in concern at the subtle changes. Katsuki's breathing was fast and short, his eyes looking around wildly like a trapped animal. Izuku gasped. Katsuki's having a panic attack! He stood up just as the crowd closed in on his friend, "Guys, back off!"

"Stay out of this, loser," said one of the taller boys as he pushed Izuku back.

Izuku put his foot down, "No. Stop it, you guys! Give him room to breathe!"

Everyone ignored him, except for Fujimoto who stood up and was frowning as well, "Guys? C'mon, give him some space."

Katsuki shut his eyes, trying to drown out all the noise. He clenched his fists when he could feel them began to heat up. He can't lose control. Not in front of these extras. He jumped when there was a loud bang. A few startled cries rang out around him. He turned to the source of the sound and stared at Izuku in shock. The boy was holding one of his thick textbooks, it was probably the history book. The boy had slammed it onto the table hard to get everyone's attention. Izuku gave them a disapproving look, "Stop crowding him!"

"Oi, what gives Midoriya?" said the bulky boy.

"Yeah, we just wanna talk with Katsuki-kun!" said pigtails, a few of the girls nodded along.

The short-haired one chuckled, "Oh, wait. Are you jealous that Bakugo's getting all the attention?"

Fujimoto frowned at his classmates, "C'mon, guys. Not cool."

"What's going on here?" asked their teacher as he walked in.

Everyone quickly returned to their seats, grumbling under their breath. Izuku sat down with a relieved sigh. He met Katsuki's eyes when he turned to look at him over his shoulders, "I'm okay."

Izuku smiled at the gratitude in his eyes and gave him a thumbs up. He turned to Fujimoto beside him and nodded at the boy. Fujimoto smiled easily and nodded. They listened to their teacher as he began explaining the lesson. Izuku tried to focus on his teacher but his eyes keep finding themselves staring at his blond friend in concern. He clenched his fists, angry at how everyone had dismissed Katsuki's discomfort. Why couldn't his friend get a break?

His back hit the wall and a hand pressed against his chest, pinning him to the wall. Izuku glared at his assailant, "Leave me alone, Takeuchi!"

The tall, bulky boy sneered at him, "You think you're so tough now, huh?"

Izuku clenched his fists, "Look, I don't wanna cause problems."

"Yeah, well I do! I've always wondered why Bakugou stuck around some loser like ya."

"It's because he's way cooler than you, pea brain."

Takeuchi looked over his shoulder. Katsuki stood staring at him with narrowed eyes, arms crossed over his chest. The taller boy turned to face him, "What did you just say? You think this quirkless loser's better than me?"

"Well, he's definitely smarter than you. I'd rather have him around than some knucklehead who can't even pass primary Maths," said Katsuki with a smirk.

Takeuchi growled as he took a step toward the blond. Katsuki let one of his hands spark and the taller boy flinched. He grunted and walked away, "This ain't over."

"Yeah, that's it. Run away, you coward," said Katsuki.

"Kacchan, don't goad him!" said Izuku.

Katsuki rolled his eyes, "Whatever."

Izuku sighed, "C'mon, let's go."

The boys walked home together. Izuku stayed close by his friend's side, glancing at him every few minutes and grating Katsuki's nerves. The blond sighed, "What?!"

"How's your shoulder?"

"S'fine!"

"Did you take your meds?"

The blond remained silent. Izuku frowned, "Kacchan!"

"Just the antibiotics. I don't need the painkiller."

"But-"

"Look I don't like how it messes with my head, okay?"

Izuku sighed, exasperated, "Okay. Whatever."

"Stop being a mother hen. I got my folks doing that already."

"You can't tell me to stop worrying. You're hurt!"

"I'm alive."

"Ughh, you're so insufferable!"

Katsuki smirked, "That's what I feel when you're in your fanboy mode."

"Fine! Let's call it even!"

They stopped at a traffic light. Katsuki stuck his hands in his pockets as he looked up at the sky, "Summer's coming up. I'll be away for a while."

Izuku turned to him, pouting, "Again? With your parents?"

"Yeah," Katsuki lied. He felt guilty for lying but Izuku couldn't know about his training with the Hero Commission.

"We haven't spent the summer together for years!"

"I know, sorry about that."

"Can't you just stay over at my place?"

"It's not that easy-"

"What's that supposed to mean? Look, I'll have my mom convince your mom to let you spend a few weeks, okay, just a week, of summer with me!"

Katsuki rubbed his neck, "I'll talk with the hag."

"If you can't stay over then I'm going with you!"

"You can't afford the tickets," Katsuki deadpanned.

The light turned green and the boys crossed the road. Izuku raised a finger, "I can find a part-time job!"

"You're twelve. No one will hire you."

"I'll sell some of my collection!"

Katsuki scoffed, "Not possible. You're obsessed with All Might, more than me. Hell would freeze over the day you sell your collections. Think about it, nerd, are you willing to let them go?"

Izuku made a face, and exhaled, "Okay, you're right. That's not happening…"

"Look, I'll talk with the hag. I'll try to convince her to let me stay for a week."

"Really?"

"But don't think it's gonna be all fun and games. We're gonna train for UA!"

Izuku nodded enthusiastically, a grin on his face, "Of course! I'm getting stronger and it's all thanks to you, Kacchan! I bet I'll break my own sprint record this coming fitness test!"

"You better," Katsuki grinned.

"Oh! When you're better, can you show me that move again?! The one where you fly!"

"It's not exactly flying though. I just use my hands like rocket boosters. And it's still not perfect. Can't stick the landing yet."

"I'm sure you'll master it in no time! You're amazing, Kacchan!"

Katsuki's eyes lowered to the ground. He appreciated Izuku's faith in him but he didn't feel like he deserved his friend's admiration. He looked up when he heard his friend practically squealed, "What?"

Izuku showed him his phone's screen, it shows a news article about some hero, "Look! It's the American Pro Hero!"

Katsuki knitted his brows together, "Who?"

"Captain Celebrity!"

"Oh. I read about him. Guy's an ass."

"Still, I wanna meet him! I wanna know more about his quirk. It says here his quirk is Tactile Telekinesis. He can form a telekinetic barrier around him that protects him from harm and he can even fly! He even has superhuman strength! That's awesome!"

"He's not as awesome as All Might though."

"Of course! All Might is a legend! No one can ever beat him!"

They stopped outside Katsuki's house. The blonde pushed the gate open, "I'll see you tomorrow."

"See ya, Kacchan!"

"Careful, Deku. Watch your back."

Izuku nodded, "I'll be careful."

Katsuki watched his friend disappear around the corner. He sighed and headed for the door. He pushed the door open, "I'm home."

"Welcome back. How's school?" asked Mitsuki.

"Eh," her son replied with a shrug. He winced slightly at the pain in his shoulder. Mitsuki sighed, "Go get changed. And don't forget to take your meds!"

"Yeah, yeah."

"We're leaving at four."

"Got it!"

Katsuki dropped his school bag by his study desk. He sighed as he carefully peeled off his blazer, dropping it on the back of his chair. He stared at his bandaged hand for a moment before he moved to his closet to pick out what to wear. He changed into something more comfortable. A black t-shirt and a pair of dark blue jeans. He struggled a bit to put on his t-shirt and when he managed to slip it on, he was panting slightly. He sat on his bed and grabbed his cellphone from his blazer's pocket. He had a few texts.

He unlocked his phone and scrolled through the texts, none of them from Hawks. He sighed, "Must be busy with a case or something," he tried to convince himself. He didn't want to admit it but he knows he depended on the teenager too much when he's feeling crappy. He needed to sort his own shit himself and stop relying on him. He opened the text from Kitamura who reminded him that he was relieved from training for a week. The text from Mishima was just a reminder about his appointment with her at four-thirty. The rest were from his parents, reminding him to take his pills. He checked his e-mail, there was a new schedule from Kitamura and the others were forwarded messages from Izuku. He checked the e-mails and they were notes that he missed during his absence. He checked where they were from and it was from that guy who sits next to Izuku, Fujimoto Yuu. The guy's not bad. He's one of the few classmates who never bothered him and Izuku.

Katsuki looked at the time. His sighed and fished out his antibiotics and painkillers from his bag. He got up and put his phone and the meds in his pocket as he walked out of his room. He went downstairs and saw his mother putting the last dish to dry on the drying rack. She noticed him, "Give me a few minutes."

He nodded as he opened the refrigerator and grabbed an apple. He washed the apple and filled a cup with some water, then he headed for the living room where he plopped down on the couch. He reluctantly swallowed his meds and then munched on the apple. Feeling bored, he turned on the TV. He cringed at the sight of Captain Celebrity being interviewed, "Fuck this guy."

He changed the channel and settled on a wildlife documentary. He wasn't really paying attention to the TV as he finished his apple and his glass of water. He went to the kitchen to toss away the trash and wash the glass. There was an advertisement playing when he returned to the living room. He scowled at the sight of Captain Celebrity promoting his merchandise. He turned the TV off just as his mother descended the stairs, "Ready?"

"Yeah."

She smiled and patted his head. She pulled her hand away when he tried to swat at it, "Ha! Too slow!"

Katsuki glared at her. He grabbed his sneakers and put them on. His mother opted for a pair of flats. She checked her purse to make sure she didn't forget anything. "Alright, Kitamura-san should be here soon."

The doorbell rang. Mitsuki looked up, "Speak of the devil."

Katsuki opened the door to greet the man. He looked exhausted. Katsuki raised a brow, "You look like crap."

Kitamura chuckled, "Yeah, we kinda have a ton of paperwork at the office. With all the chaos going on in Naruhata…"

Katsuki nodded, "Well, get some rest old man."

The man smiled at him before turning on his heels to get to the car. Mother and son followed him and took the backseat as the man opened it for them. Katsuki huffed as he crossed his arms and pressed his head against the cool car window, he shut his eyes and tried to calm his nerves. He felt his mother put a reassuring hand on his knee.

"You need this, Katsuki," she said gently.

He sighed, "I know."

"I'm proud of you for doing this."

He nodded, "Wake me up when we get there. I'm gonna take a nap."

Katsuki tried not to fidget as he sat on the plush lounge chair. His assigned therapist, Mishima Airi, sat quietly across him, waiting patiently. She had her notepad on her lap and a pencil in one hand. Her dark hair tied up in a neat bun and her calm brown eyes on him. The scent of lemon mixed with lavender wafted from the humidifier placed on her desk. He inhaled deeply and then exhaled slowly. He met her brown eyes, "I'm having nightmares again."

She nodded, "Is it the same one like last time?"

"A bit. There're a few additions. That bastard Sasyaki's in my dream now… Izuku too."

"Can you describe the dream to me?"

He kept his eyes on the pot of succulents on her desk as he described his nightmare to her. She listened to him carefully, writing down the additional details. When he finally stopped, she put down her pencil and fold her hands on her lap, "What do you think about it?"

"It's… just a dream."

"Katsuki-kun," she said gently.

"Okay, maybe it's a stress dream. Maybe it's another pile to my PTSD shit. But nothing bad happened! Izuku's fine! I was the one who got hurt! So why did he show up in my dreams?"

"How do you feel when you see him in your dreams?"

Kitsuki frowned and clenched his fists. His stomach tightening at the memory of the man, "Angry, confused and… scared."

"And what about Sasayaki?"

He scoffed, "Pissed off."

"Izuku?"

He thought about it. He had mixed feelings about seeing Izuku, well fake Izuku, in his nightmare, "I dunno… angry at myself. Scared? Guilty?"

"Why do you think you feel guilty?"

"B-because I got him in trouble. He could've died. He's quirkless and defenceless."

"And you saw Haru too."

Katsuki tensed, "Y-yeah."

"You said the fake Izuku transformed to Haru every time he died?" asked Mishima carefully. She watched him nod stiffly. She sighed quietly, "Are you still feeling guilty for surviving your ordeal with Hanamoto?"

Katsuki crossed his arms, "I dunno. Maybe?"

She wrote down a note on her notepad. She put the pencil down and looked at her patient, "How do you feel about your recent bout of nightmares?"

The boy scowled, "It's annoying. I just want it to stop."

"I have a few suggestions for you to try but managing your stress level is one of the priorities. I want you to identify the things that trigger your stress. Put them into categories; light, mild and severe. I want you to focus on the sever ones and I will help you learn to cope with them, are you okay with this?"

Katsuki nodded, "Whatever. If it helps."

Mishima gave him an approving smile, "Let's list out your stressors."

She gave him a paper and pencil and set the time for him to write down his stressors. She sat back and waited for him to finish. The boy was more cooperative than when he first had his sessions with her. She was glad that he's more open with her, although still reluctant but he's seeking help. To be honest, she was quite impressed with his mental resilience. Her other patients took quite long to bounce back but Katsuki was quick to recover. She still worries though, that he might not share everything with her, but as long as he understood the importance of seeking help, she won't force him to talk. She'll do whatever she can to help him, it was her duty, after all, to help young to-be- heroes be prepared for a much challenging future as Pro Heroes.

A/N: Ayy, sorry! No Hawks in this chapter again!

And another character cameo from the BNHA: Vigilantes spin-off was mentioned here! If you don't know, it's Captain Celebrity! I made a large draft about the characters' ages from the main BNHA series and the Vigilantes spin-off, there are a few discrepancies about the timeline but I try not to overthink this. If you're familiar with the spin-off, you might understand why Kitamura said "all the chaos in Naruhata" is giving them a lot of paperwork at HPSC office.

OC Profile

Name: Mishima Airi ("Mishima" means beautiful island, "Ai" means love/ affection and the "Ri" in her name means jasmine. Jasmine is one of the essential oils used for therapy, it's said to help calm nerves and can act as an anti-depressant to improve mood)
Age: 31 years old.
Quirk: Calming Touch
Quirk Description: She can calm down anyone she touches but it has to be skin on skin contact.
Character Description: Mishima has medium length dark hair and brown eyes. She is a clumsy woman and gets flustered easily. She was Kitamura's close friend in high school so she tends to share her worries and complaints with him. She has a tendency to lose confidence when things get tough but she would recollect herself by slapping her cheeks to calm down. She may have a crush on a certain quirkless agent.