A/N: This is our first chapter with sign language, which will be expressed in italic and not centred.

Days blended into weeks and outside of going for a run, Katsuki found it hard to feel motivated to leave the apartment. Interactions with others, even just clerks behind counters had grown uncomfortable. Sometimes they would say generic things to him, or at least he thought that was what they were saying. Things like 'have a good day' or 'is that everything today' and he had no clue as to what they were actually saying. Realistically they didn't need to say anything at all, only scan the items and take his money and he knew it wasn't their fault. It was expected of them, it was part of their customer service yet he could do nothing more than stare back at them blankly, itching for them to just accept his payment and let him leave rather than stand there staring at him, looking more and more confused when Katsuki said nothing in return. It was awkward and embarrassing and Katsuki just hated that even the smallest of interactions was difficult for him now.

He tried to cover it up. Kept a glare on his face and only grunted in response to anyone facing his way, looking to him when their lips moved wordlessly. They could chalk it down to him being in an antisocial mood or just being another rude customer or if they recognized him as Dynamight just being Dynamight and as much as he told himself their thoughts and opinions didn't matter, for the first time in a long time, he felt self-conscious about it.

Sometimes when he did open his mouth to speak he was either too loud, causing those around him to jump which was embarrassing or he was too quiet and people would narrow their eyes and tilt their heads as they leaned in closer for him to repeat what he had said which was frustrating, because when he upped the volume a little, he ended up being too loud. And so the cycle repeated itself. So Katsuki stopped talking. He closed his mouth and resorted to only nodding his head or grunting in response to anyone who looked his way expectantly.

Going outside just wasn't a comfortable option anymore. If someone recognized him in the street his stress suddenly spiked because he couldn't hear what they were saying to him. So he just didn't anymore. Dynamight had a reputation of a hot headed, loud and rude hero and that worked in Katsuki's favour at least so fans expected very little from him interaction wise, but he still hated it because now he didn't even have the choice to not come across as an asshole anymore.

He still hadn't resolved the alarm issue to wake himself in the mornings.

His apartment was starting to feel suffocating.

He had to reject all incoming calls on his phone which didn't look good when it was Kirishima wanting to catch up since Katsuki had cancelled the last couple of times or once it was even the agency and he couldn't do anything more than just stare at the screen until it faded back to black, a pit in his stomach growing as anxiety clawed away at him from the inside.

His mother had called the agency to tell them that he was taking personal leave off due to family matters but Katsuki couldn't blame them for wanting to ask him when he was ready to return to work after weeks of absence. It felt unprofessional on so many levels that he had to rely on his mother to handle this for him and he had to text her to let her know that they had called so she could handle it yet again. He felt like an elementary schooler, needing dear mum to call the school when he was sick and couldn't attend. After sending the text he had thrown his phone down on the coffee table and slumped back onto the couch with his face in his hands.

Katsuki had never thought of himself as a weak person, sure he had had weak moments like his break down in front of Deku their first year at U.A when his guilt over ending All Might had been eating away at him and a couple of occasions since but right now he felt truly weak. He felt like he was drowning in the silence that was his life. He felt more alone than he ever had before which was saying something considering he enjoyed his space from everyone. He could surround himself with people and still feel completely alone and that was disheartening.

Anxiety was something that had been mostly foreign to Katsuki. He had felt it very little throughout life and even then they had only been brief moments. But now it felt like something constantly clawing at the back of his mind, demanding his attention and he had to keep himself focused to look away. He had tried to give into it once, thinking that if he looked into SSHL further that he would find something reassuring enough to kill the anxiety inside him once and for all. But it had done the opposite, only adding fuel to the fire and he had broken his laptop by pitching it against a wall that also now needed patching. But what really made it flare up, more than not knowing if he would ever hear again, was the missed calls and the concerned texts of his friends. He could only ignore them for so long and he was running out of viable excuses to keep Kirishima from worrying and kicking down his door to demand answers. He still wasn't ready to tell anyone what he was going on. He still didn't want them to know and pity him. He didn't want to be showered with their sympathy.

Work was his biggest concern of all though. He could only remain on leave for so long before they start demanding answers or making plans to remove him from the roster. His job meant everything to him, literally, being a hero was his life and he didn't know what he would do without it. Being a hero was so ingrained into his identity that the thought of losing his job and not being able to be a hero anymore was enough to trigger a panic attack, something else that was new for Katsuki. He hadn't understood why that spiralling thought had made his heart race, made his throat tighten made him sweat and shake and hard to breath. He had ended up on the floor of his kitchen with his hands in his hair and his back to the cabinets until he had calmed, repeating to himself that he was a hero, he was strong and he could overcome anything. He felt utterly pathetic after that.

If anxiety was foreign to him and a panic attack new, then depression was alien. He felt frustrated day in and day out and miserable. He didn't have the same appetite as before, struggling to finish the servings he always had. He felt tired all the time despite the extra hours of sleep he was getting. He was no doctor in the field, he wasn't about to self-diagnosis himself but it had been part of their education in their third year at U.A to learn about the signs of different mental health issues to look out for, not only for civilians and work colleagues but also for themselves. Hero work was known to be tough, not only physically but emotionally. Sometimes a hero failed. They didn't save the civilian. The villain got away. They got too injured to return to work.

But Katsuki didn't know what to do with himself to fix any of it. Going out was stressful, talking to friends was impossible outside of texting and the thought of telling them was anxiety inducing. Katsuki felt stuck. That's what it was. He felt trapped in a bubble of silence.

Katsuki had done everything he could to help his body recover. He had visited the specialist with his mother two more times to receive injections and took his pills daily. After four weeks and four injections, the final week was nearing the end before he was due to return to have his hearing tested again and his fate decided. Sometimes he felt a sense of relief when he thought about it, telling himself that just because he hadn't noticed an improvement, didn't mean there wasn't any. As long as he had recovered even a small amount of hearing, he could get hearing aids and things could start to return to normal. On the other hand though, if nothing had gotten better, then that was it. Game over. Goodbye career. Goodbye job. Goodbye everything he had spent his entire life working for.

Finally as June rolled over into the first week of July, it was finally time for Katsuki to get his hearing tested again and as usual, his mother arrived, letting herself in to get Katsuki and they drove to the specialist's office. Katsuki sat in the dentist like chair, was fitted with the oversized headphones again connected to the laptop and closed his eyes to listen carefully, trying to detect any sound but all he got was silence. His brows furrowed as he pushed himself to hear anything, any sound emitted by the headphones, but then they were being removed and the doctor was shaking his head to him sadly and his mother was starting to cry behind him.

That was it.

He was deaf.

The treatments hadn't worked.

He was finished.

Katsuki's phone buzzed in his pocket and he pulled it out to lift it over his head while he laid on the couch doing nothing. It was a text from his mother.

Hag: You better remember to come home for dinner this weekend

Katsuki lowered his phone with what felt like a groan and went back to staring up at the ceiling, although it was closer to a glare now.

Five days had passed since being told that he was deaf and there was no hope for recovery. Katsuki's mother had been upset, knowing how important it had meant to Katsuki to be able to return to work but once she had recovered from the news during the drive back to Katsuki's apartment she had let him know that she wasn't going to give up just yet and was going to search for a doctor with a healing quirk who could help. Katsuki could only nod his head to her determination, leaving him feeling even more pathetic than before. He felt so drained mentally from the weeks of stress and silence leading up to that day that he hadn't the energy left to pursue such things like his mother, which was truly pathetic of him and he knew it. He wasn't being himself. Dynamight, the hero who never gave in or surrendered, losing his will to fight after life dealt him a bad hand. He would pick himself up again another time, he told himself, that he just needed some time to absorb and process the information and then he would get back on his feet again. That's all he needed. Some time.

But apparently he couldn't even be left alone to do that.

His mother's text was in regard to an annual event since their high school days. The joint Midoriyas' birthdays. Inko's birthday was on the fourth of July and Deku's was on the fifteenth and ever since their mothers had grown close again, it became a yearly event for Mitsuki to cook a meal for the Midoriyas and host it at the Bakugo family home. Katsuki was content enough to attend it during high school when he and Deku were friends but since then he had done everything he could to avoid it since they graduated three years ago. Volunteering for extra shifts over that weekend and even swapping shifts with others to keep himself occupied. Now though, he had no excuse to avoid it and his mother knew it, meaning he would have to go.

Katsuki spent the rest of his Thursday doing very little until it reached the evening and he begrudgingly set about packing a bag for the weekend at home.

Friday arrived and when he woke he showered and changed and locked up his apartment with his duffle bag and made his way to the nearest train station a twenty minute walk away. He didn't live far from home so it was a fairly short train ride to the outer suburbs and then he walked from the station to his house, letting himself in with his own key, kicking off his shoes and grunted a greeting to his father who was sitting in the living room as he passed. He didn't spot his mother so assumed she was out at her office. Masaru waved a hand to Katsuki in reply with his usual warm smile and Katsuki let himself up to his old room where Mitsuki had laid out fresh sheets for his childhood single bed.

Katsuki busied himself by making the bed, his mother having gotten him more mature deep blue covers in his teen years and cracked open his window to let in some fresh air. He didn't see much point in unpacking his clothes for a two night stay but went about placing his toiletries in the downstairs bathroom that now went unused without him living in the home. After that Katsuki flopped down on the opposite side of the couch to his father and turned his attention to the TV that displayed closed captions thanks to his father so he knew what was going on. He hadn't been a fan of having to read subtitles when watching TV but it was better than doing nothing.

Masaru had always been a soft spoken man compared to Katsuki and Mitsuki so Katsuki didn't feel like he was missing anything conservational wise and could just relax across the couch. Mitsuki arrived home, greeting Katsuki by planting a hand in his hair and ruffling it like he was a child again and earning a scowl that she just smirked off.

The day went on like Katsuki had never left home to begin with. Mitsuki made dinner, something extra spicy since Katsuki was home for a visit – and since neither of the Midoriyas could handle spicy food it was to make up for the lack of spice for tomorrow night's meal – his parents chatting to one another like they always did during meals. Even if Katsuki could have heard them, he would have just tuned them out like he always did.

Katsuki went to head in for an early night when his mother touched his shoulder before he made it to the stairs to get his attention. He turned to see her holding her phone to his face for him to read which he did so with a scowl. She wanted him to help prepare for tomorrow by cleaning the house while she went grocery shopping and his father worked. Katsuki tilted his head back with a groan but agreed, knowing he wouldn't be able to get out of it and stomped up the stairs to sleep.

When he woke in the morning he found the house to himself, his mother leaving a note for him on the kitchen bench stating that she had been called into the office for a bit and would grab the groceries on her way home in the early afternoon along with a list of chores to do around the house. Katsuki screwed up the paper and threw it away, made himself something to eat and then got to work.

He vacuumed, mopped and wiped down every flat surface in the living, dining room and kitchen as well as made the downstairs bathroom shine seeing as it was the one guests used. He emptied the bins, did the laundry – yes his mother had asked even that of him despite none of the items of clothing being his own – and weeded the front yard, taking pleasure in burning the plucked plants in his hands before throwing them away. Katsuki even brought out the nice dining ware his mother used just for when they had guests and gave them all a wipe down and polished the cutlery, rearranged the fruit bowl and filled a vase with flower cuttings from the yard in the living room. He had gone above and beyond, not only to pass the time but to make sure there was not a single thing left for his mother to complain about when she did get home.

When Mitsuki did arrive home however, she gave an approving smile and nod Katsuki's way before pushing the bundle of groceries in his hands and he followed her to the kitchen with a groan and dutifully diced up whatever vegetables she slid his way across the bench. Between the two of them, dinner and dessert was made and just needing heating by the time Masaru returned home from work, appreciating the many cooking smells before heading upstairs to shower and change. Mitsuki put the final dish in the oven and set the timer before leaving to prepare herself for the evening and waved her hands at Katsuki to do the same. The Midoriyas were set to arrive in an hour and Mitsuki wanted Katsuki showered and changed by then. He frowned and rolled his eyes but otherwise did what he was told.

He showered and dried his hair before trudging upstairs with a towel around his hips to change. He had brought very limited clothing with him, and knowing his mother's standard, had settled on dark jeans and a black button down with rolled sleeves at his forearms. The shirt was to please her while the denim was for himself. He changed over to black socks too just to match the rest, left his hair spiked and unruly as it usually was and trudged downstairs and let his weight drop into the couch with his hands stuffed in his tight pockets to wait, glaring at the TV since there was nothing else to do. His father was already down there, laying out the table at Mitsuki's request and wore dark brown trousers with a white button down and a tan jacket over the top. Mitsuki herself came down the stairs just as he was finishing setting up the glasses wearing a black sleeveless wrap dress that looked like she was about to step out to attend a meeting. Katsuki rolled his eyes that he and his mother were both wearing black before turning his attention back to the text coming up across the bottom of the TV.

The doorbell must have rung because Mitsuki was heading towards the entry way at a speedy walk while Masaru followed her at a more casual pace. Katsuki could imagine it all without having to get up and follow. Inko and Deku would be greeted at the door, shucking off their shoes in the entry way with wide smiles while Katsuki's parents greeted them. Moments later Katsuki turned his head when he spotted movement as his parents returned with the Midoriyas in tow.

Inko herself had lost weight since Deku had graduated U.A and been working as a stable hero without being in the hospital every other week but wasn't yet back to the weight she had been when they had been kids. He recalled hearing a while back during another family meal – one without the Midoriyas – that Deku had been encouraging his mother to exercise more and she had rather enjoyed it when Deku would return for a weekend here and there and exercise with her. She wore black pants with a white blouse and a pale light cardigan on top. It was well into summer but the Bakugo house was nice and cool inside so she could keep it on comfortably.

Towering over her from behind was Deku. He was still shorter than Katsuki by a good inch or so but when standing beside his mother it was clear how much he had grown during their final years at U.A and since. He was still less built in the chest and shoulders than Katsuki, making him look on the leaner side when compared to some of the other male pro heroes out there but Katsuki knew the power that was hidden under that physique. Deku wore dark blue faded denim and a deep sea green short sleeve button shirt, even darker in colour than his same old hero costume.

Deku listened intently as their parents stepped further into the joined living space with a content, if slightly uncomfortable smile until he paused, his green eyes spotting Katsuki on the couch already looking his way. Deku's smile dropped into an even more uncertain line before lifting a hand in a small greeting. Katsuki only lifted his lip to sneer in response before turning his attention back to the screen across from him.

Deku disappeared from sight, following their parents further into the room behind the couch where they did and talked about whatever it was they wanted until an all too familiar smack hit the back of Katsuki's head and he shot to his feet with a hiss from the surprise attack and spun on his heel to glare daggers to his mother who merely gave him a look of warning in return. Katsuki had partially hoped that due to his new found disability that he could be excluded from the mundane family dinner events outside of eating at the table with everyone else. Seemed his mother wasn't going to allow that.

Katsuki grumbled every step of the way from the couch to the dining table where he dropped himself down in his usually spot on one side of the six seater table. For a usual Bakugo family dinner, Katsuki's father would sit beside him while his mother sat opposite so they could carry on a conversation over their food. With the Midoriyas however, the seating arrangement was slightly altered. Deku pulled out the chair opposite Katsuki, not so much of his own choice but it had been designated his spot since the joined family dinners began. Inko took the middle seat beside her son, Mitsuki sat to Katsuki's left to be opposite her while Masaru sat on the other side of Mitsuki.

Katsuki's parents both brought over the food and placed the over the top spread across the centre of the table before taking their seats and waving a hand to invite everyone to help themselves. Katsuki reached for the meat while his mother dropped a portion of salad on his plate which he would have had a tantrum over as a child, but now he just accepted it.

The silent conversation went on around him while he chewed down on his food with a scowl, Deku wisely avoiding looking to him as he smiled and chipped into the conversation here and there, the mothers doing most of the talking. He could tell whenever they would talk about one of them because both sets of eyes would turn to face Deku, who's cheeks tinged pink with the unnecessary attention or to Katsuki who only challenged them to keep staring his way with a glare.

The meal was good and once it was over Masaru cleared the table while Mitsuki got up to retrieve a cake she had baked from scratch for dessert and Inko smiled warmly to her for the time and effort she had put in. The favour was returned each year whenever it was one of the Bakugos' birthdays, Inko preparing food at her home – Deku having put a large portion of his hero income and making his mother cry over getting her out of the apartment and into her very own free standing house.

Once even dessert was out of the way, Mitsuki nudged Katsuki's leg with her heel under the table and with an eye roll to himself, he rose to clear the table. Out of habit Deku rose to follow him, grabbing handfuls of dishes. It was practically tradition now how their joined families handled meals. The mothers would cook and prepare the house, they would eat, the sons would clean up afterwards while the parents prepared tea and then when Katsuki and Deku were done with the dishes and wiping down the dining table, they would move to the living room for gifts and then linger for a good hour or more afterwards.

Both homes had dishwashers, though Inko rarely used hers, but Katsuki figured he would put Deku to work if it meant avoiding having to sit with his parents while they spoke cheerfully around him and glanced his way occasionally – the only indicator that they were talking about him – it felt unsettling to know their conversations were about him but not hearing a word of it.

Katsuki already had his hands in the hot bubbly water of the sink, scrubbing dishes and placing them on the drying rack for Deku to start drying when he finally finished bringing over the last of the dishes. Deku came up on Katsuki's right, his attention turned back on their parents still, listening to whatever they were discussing with a frown. Deku stood too close as he deposited the last of the dishes on the bench beside the sink and Katsuki's elbow knocked him. Deku's attention snapped back to Katsuki with an apologetic wobbly smile while Katsuki shot him a glare, withdrew his soapy hands from the water and moved them erratically in Deku's face, flicking water everywhere, including on Deku's face where suds stuck to his cheek and made him wince one of his eyes as soap was flung into it. It had been unintentional but Katsuki took it as a win as Deku was forced a step back. But the greenette stopped there, blinking the soap from his eye with his gaze glued to Katsuki intently before he broke into a wild smile.

You learnt sign language, Deku lifted his hands to sign back and now it was Katsuki's turn to blanch and deepen his scowl.

Yes, Katsuki had read the damn books the nerd had left behind. It wasn't like he had much else to do. Katsuki hadn't been a fan of them, feeling that learning it was giving up on his hopes of getting his hearing back but after the specialist had given him his final diagnosis it hadn't bothered him so much to learn, feeling like it was one of his only hopes left now to be able to communicate. It hadn't escaped his attention since coming home that his parents had a sign language book tucked away on a shelf Katsuki had discovered earlier in the day while cleaning. So perhaps one day he could have a fluent conversation again with only his hands.

So what? Katsuki threw back at Deku's face with enough sharp movements and flare to carry his annoyance beyond the scowl he still wore.

We can talk now, Deku signed back, the smile practically making his green eyes sparkle.

Like I'd want to talk to you, Katsuki threw back with an eye roll before turning his attention back to the dishes. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Deku raise his hands again to reply before deciding against it and lowering them with a more controlled smile, before Deku's attention was turned away by something their parents were saying again. Whatever had been said made Deku's smile wain.

Katsuki lifted a hand, jabbing a finger into Deku's shoulder, getting the man's attention again, before pointing aggressively at the dripping clean dishes and Deku moved, picking up a hand towel and began drying and stacking the dishes.

Katsuki finished the washing with a long breath and wiped his hands dry on a second dish towel before glancing back Deku's way. The nerd was being even slower than usual, his eyes still turned to their parents chatting away across the room. Katsuki frowned before his irritation got the better of him and he raised his hands to sign to Deku who noticed the movement and turned his green eyes back to Katsuki.

What are they saying? He asked. He would have added words like hell in there but he hadn't learnt it yet. Deku tilted his head ever so slightly, flicked his eyes to their parents across the room, then back to Katsuki, lowering his dried dish and putting the towel down to free his hands to sign back.

You, he told Katsuki with a frown. Katsuki narrowed his eyes and waved for Deku to give him more than that. The greenette's eyes flicked to look to the ceiling in thought before coming back down.

About your ears, he signed, slowly and thoughtfully, not yet knowing the whole language himself, Not good. Aids not an option.

It made Katsuki's blood boil more than anything that they were discussing his health so openly just because he couldn't hear them. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists about ready to blow at them.

Sorry, Deku signed and Katsuki's gaze fell back on him where Deku looked to him with a small apologetic smile, does work know? he asked.

Katsuki turned his head away with a snarl before turning to leave for upstairs. He didn't want to be in the same room as everyone else anymore. He didn't want Deku's damn apology. He hated all of it. Deku did nothing to stop him leaving, being left to finish drying and put away the dishes on his own.

No one came to get Katsuki to encourage him back downstairs for the rest of the evening which he took to be a blessing. Whenever the Midoriyas left and his parents finally went to bed, he didn't know but sleep didn't come for Katsuki as he laid on his childhood bed, staring up at the ceiling through the gloom wondering what he was supposed to do about work.

The next morning Katsuki's mother drove him back to the city, not just to drop Katsuki home though, but to accompany him into the hero agency he worked at to discuss with them his future. It wasn't a conversation Katsuki wanted to have – or in this case for his mother to have for his sake – but he couldn't have her continue to lie to them on his behalf anymore. They had stretched out his saved up personal leave time he had accumulated over the years as far as they could until they had confirmed Katsuki's condition. With the specialist telling them that hearing aids weren't an option, Katsuki had to face the truth and let his work place know. His mother had told him that she was still trying to find and contact various healing specialists across the country and their own specialist had mentioned looking into potential surgery to attempt to return some hearing and going for hearing aids from there, but both of those options would take time and Katsuki had run out of that. He couldn't hide his condition from work any longer or he would lose his job regardless.

Mitsuki parked a little ways away and they had to walk a short distance to the agency, the knot inside Katsuki's gut tightening with each step. They turned to step inside the building, no one making a move to stop them as they crossed the lobby to reach the woman sitting at the receptionist desk where Mitsuki leaned across the tall bench with a pleasant smile to speak. The woman's confused expression turned from Mitsuki to Katsuki and back again while Katsuki only narrowed his eyes in annoyance. He had seen the receptionist plenty of times and the security guards too who watched the entrance and had nodded their heads in greeting upon seeing Katsuki entering the building. They had always been people of few words. The receptionist on the other hand looked confused by whatever his mother was saying or of Katsuki just standing there silently, or both.

Eventually the receptionist used the phone to call someone and dismissed them with a polite smile and nod before someone else Katsuki had hardly noticed before came to meet them in the lobby. This woman, middle aged and on the curvy side, collected them and walked them to the elevator, chatted with Mitsuki while they headed up several levels before stepping off and leading them down the hall. Katsuki recognized the hallway they were heading down as the one that lead to the conference room, or at least that was the only time he had ever visited the level. He had visited said room when he first started there as the ones in charge of running the agency, because there were three of them total – none of which were heroes themselves but rather had inherited running the agency after the pro that started it well before Katsuki's time passed – had a routine of meeting and greeting all new staff. Katsuki had also been to the conference room another two times during his three years at the agency, both times being where they needed to discuss with him subjects such as his temper, manner of speaking, his public appearance and overall reputation.

The woman opened the door to the familiar conference room, stepping aside with a pleasant smile and gesturing for them both to enter before letting the door close behind them and tottering off back to whatever she had been doing before being called for such a mundane task. The conference room was large and spacious with windows all across one side and blinds lowered half way. In the center sat a large table with rounded edges and with seats all around. With their backs to the windows sat the three persons in charge of running the agency. They smiled welcomingly and stood in greeting, clearly pleased to see Katsuki back. They opened their mouths to greet and speak to him but Katsuki stopped midway to the table. Their smiles lessened in confusion and Mitsuki stepped forward to cut off their line of sight to Katsuki and greeted them all warmly before moving to take a seat opposite them. Katsuki followed her lead.

A moment of silence passed them all, the three took their seats again, looking confused as to what was going on exactly when the woman on the left opened her mouth with a smile again, her eyes fixing on Katsuki who could do nothing more than stare back at her until her smile dropped and she looked to Mitsuki with a mix of concern and confusion. Mitsuki took the lead and opened her mouth to talk, a business like smile never leaving her face while the three listened on with wide eyes and concerned, thoughtful expressions until she was finally done telling them about Katsuki's condition and the three glanced at each other thoughtfully. The man in the middle turned back to Mitsuki with a serious expression and spoke something softly to her. Mitsuki nodded in return and with a light tap on Katsuki's shoulder, he stood and followed her out of the room to wait outside. To Katsuki this could only mean that the three were discussing his fate and he was powerless to influence it at all which only made him clench his fists at his side. His mother stepped closer to him, not close enough for their shoulders to touch, but enough to remind Katsuki that she was there for him and he made an effort to calm himself.

They only had to wait two minutes before they were invited back inside.

They took their seats again and the three looked to Katsuki and Mitsuki with serious faces. The man in the middle took a deep breath before offering up whatever decision had been made. Katsuki stared with hard eyes, wishing that he could read lips while his mother listened intently to whatever he had to say. She spoke up herself at one point, opening her mouth to interject but whatever she had been saying only made the man shake his head solemnly and Katsuki felt a void open up inside his gut.

He pushed his chair back, unable to look anyone in the eye and left.