Chapter 23

The beautiful paradise of nothingness surrounded him. A silence so profound that even the faintest of sounds could be heard. He held his breath, afraid of disrupting such dubious calmness. White noise filled his ears, a static-like sound playing against his eardrums in an unpleasant manner. Hands pressed themselves against his ears, trying—but failing—to extinguish the sound.

Jade orbs glanced around the never-ending darkness, almost desperately. His heart thumped wildly against the barrier of its cage, anxiety crippling under every crevice of his skin. The white noise soon turned into a ringing, the screeching so loud it made him shut his eyes tightly.

A soft breeze kissed his pale skin, the ringing coming to an abrupt stop almost making his eardrums pop. A red hue slithered underneath his eyelids, causing him to open his eyes slowly, hesitating. The hands that covered his ears quickly placed themselves in front of his eyes, the sudden brightness deeming him blind for a short amount of time. The breeze swayed his unkempt curls, almost like fingers treading through the strands ever so lightly.

A shadow loomed over him, dimming down the overwhelming brightness. It allowed him to let his hands fall to his sides, eyesight clearing and taking in the person in front of him.

Her silky hair reached her waist, dancing with the light wind that embraced them. Jade orbs stared back at him, the most gentlest of smiles gracing her features. She stood a few inches shorter than the freckled boy, barefooted and in a lovely white dress. The same dress she wore at her funeral, the boy noted.

"Izuku," his mother said, reaching up to wipe a few rogue tears that had escaped his eyes unknowingly. He had forgotten how his mother's eyes looked like without the malicious red. How her gentle smile would ease his worries almost immediately. It was as if he were looking at an old picture of the woman—only that it wasn't a picture. A dream?

"Mom?" He whispered, forcing down the knot that had formed in his throat. Her touch was feather-like, the tip of her fingers gracing his skin like it was such a delicate thing. There were no signs of the woman that haunted his dreams. No sinister smile that taunted him. No static voice that sneered at him for every single mistake he has done.

No underlying hatred behind her eyes.

This was the version of his mother he most dearly missed. The version that had shifted into something malicious because of him. The words he had spoken, the secret he had spilled, like a rotten curse that flicked the switch in her. Horrendous memories flickering around the two like a broken rollfilm, showing bits and pieces of that one day.

But, even as the memories replayed in their peripheral view, her eyes held nothing but sadness and regret. It struck a chord deep within him. His heart squeezed with longing and sadness, feeling as more tears left his eyes.

Nothing else was said between them. His name had left her mouth like the flutter of a butterfly's wings—now dancing inside his chest with the weight of emotions. He was frozen on the spot, chest heaving and teeth gnawing at his bottom lip to hold back a sob. As much as he wanted to, he didn't reach out to her. Because he knew that the second his fingers made contact with her skin, she would vanish. This version of her would disperse with the wind and morph back into the person he created.

So, he stood there. Gazing intently with eyes full of sorrow and regret into the jade orbs that matched his. Hoping that, even in the afterlife, his mother would forgive him for his sins. If he could take back his wrongdoings, he would do so in a heartbeat. Anything to make his mother happy again.

But even as he kept to himself, she started fading away.

"No!" Izuku yelled, reaching out to her desperately. His fingers wrapped around one of her arms, eyes wide with fear. He couldn't lose her, not again!

"You're going to be alright, Izuku," his mother said with a genuine smile, which only pained him more. White petals fluttered out of her pale skin gracefully, flowing around her dissolving frame.

Izuku shook his head, a pleading look in his eyes as he wrapped his arms around her. But it was too late. The second his arms locked around her, her body burst in a storm of white lilies. The wind picked up, the flowers spiraling around him like a beautiful yet sorrowful typhoon. It caused a broken sob to finally escape through his lips, the sound lost with his mother's favorite flowers.

He awoke with a jolt, sitting upright on his bed inside the dark room. His skin shone with dribbles of cold sweat under the moonlight that crept through the slits of his curtains. He took a deep breath, unfocused eyes roaming around the dark room, settling on his digital clock. Seven minutes before his alarm rung.

The greenette sat there, analyzing his current dream. He didn't even know if he could call it a nightmare of sorts. Although he had awoken with a start and all sweaty, his mind wasn't the jumbled mess it normally was after having a nightmare. He felt—in some way—at ease. It was confusing.

What did that dream meant?

Running a hand through his unruly—and certainly tangled—hair, he reached to his bedside table to turn his lamp on. He was back at the dorms, inside his—now clean—unrecognizable room. The walls were bare, not a single All Might poster hanging on them. His desk only had a few papers scattered on top, no figurines on sight. He even got rid of the life-sized All Might figures that got wrecked with the majority of his room that one day.

His room looked...ordinary. The one thing he could salvage was his All Might themed curtains and bedsheets. Other than that, his room was pretty much boring.

The blaring of his alarm startled him out of his thoughts. What startled him even more was the knock that came at the door right after. Silencing his alarm and putting his feet on the ground, Izuku trudged absentmindedly towards the door. Just as he placed a hand on the knob, another knock came, sounding a little louder than the first. Turning the knob, he opened the door to reveal a ready-to-run Katsuki, who looked down at him expectantly.

"Hurry up and get ready, you're running with me," were the words that the blond let out. Izuku furrowed his brows, tilting his head in the slightest.

"I am?" The greenette asked, still a bit drowsy and letting the words register in his head. Katsuki rolled his eyes, fighting off a smile when Izuku rubbed the sleep off his eyes. Only the nerd could make a simple action look adorable. Or, Katsuki simply found most of the things he did adorable. Who knew?

"Yes, you are," Katsuki retorted with a snort. He pushed the confused boy aside and let himself inside the room, throwing himself on the bed. Izuku's gaze followed him, slowly closing the door.

"Are you ok, Kacchan?" Izuku asked uncertainly. He was still getting used to the blond's random friendliness. It was weird not having Katsuki throw insults at him whenever they met.

"Why the fuck wouldn't I be?" The blond asked with a raised eyebrow. Izuku kept his mouth shut and decided to go along with him, grabbing some comfortable clothes to go running. Locking himself in the bathroom, he looked at the wall where the mirror was supposed to be. Aizawa had it removed and would be replacing it with a new one later in the day, probably grumbling under his breath about the hassle.

The greenette brushed his teeth, the minty flavor overtaking his taste buds before he rinsed his mouth. He splashed his face with ice cold water to wake him up even further and clean his face from whatever droplets of sweat remained. Changing into some black running joggers and an orange sweatshirt with black lines running down the sleeves, he stepped out of the bathroom.

Katsuki was sprawled comfortably on top of his All Might themed covers, only turning his head when he heard Izuku come out. Gauging in the nerd's attire, he had to hold back a smirk of approval. His style was plain and they were only going on a run, but even so Katsuki found it quite attractive. He had to forcefully look away when Izuku bent down to put his shoes on. Damn him and his gayness for the freckled boy.

Shaking the thought away, the blond got to his feet. Izuku combed his unruly curls with his fingers, although it didn't help much to tame his hair. It did make it look a bit more presentable, at least. Offering a small smile, Izuku grabbed his phone and let Katsuki lead the way.

"It surprises me that you want me to run with you," Izuku commented while they headed to the kitchen.

"It's fucking boring running by myself, plus, I can easily beat you," Katsuki shrugged, making the greenette roll his eyes in amusement.

"Not everything is a competition, Kacchan. Isn't this supposed to be, I don't know, training or something?" Izuku teased, earning a smack to the back of his head.

"Shut up, smartass," Katsuki grumbled, getting a water bottle from the fridge and tossing it at the greenette. Izuku caught it with ease, chuckling and getting some protein bars from one of the cupboards.

The two went on outside to start their run, taking five minutes to stretch. They started with a light jog, one next to the other silently enjoying each other's company. Katsuki glanced at Izuku momentarily, taking a deep breath and slowly letting it out. "Want to talk about your nightmare?"

Taken aback, Izuku furrowed his brows. "What?"

"You know, it was hard not to notice your sweaty ass forehead when you opened the door," Katsuki noted with a mindless shrug. "It doesn't take a genius to figure it out."

"I wouldn't call it a nightmare exactly..." Izuku mumbled. "Honestly, I have no idea."

Katsuki hummed, surprised that the nerd actually opened up immediately. Normally, he would deny it and keep it to himself. It made Katsuki proud, in a way. He decided not to ask many questions, letting the greenette reveal whatever he felt comfortable saying. The last time he pushed his buttons too far, the poor boy had a panic attack inside his bathroom. Let's just say he didn't want a repeat on that.

"I saw her," Izuku continued in a small voice, referring to his mother. If they weren't jogging next to each other, Katsuki probably wouldn't have heard him. "She just...stood there in front of me, then simply vanished."

Of course Izuku wouldn't tell him the exact details of the dream. Just telling the blond he had dreamt about his mother was enough for him to understand. At least he hoped so. He still didn't feel comfortable enough to talk about the underlying feelings he experienced. How he usually saw the angered version of his mother and not the soft, caring version he had seen.

Katsuki nodded, accepting his vague explanation and not pressing on. Izuku finally started relying on him, so that was a good start. He didn't expect the greenette to spill every little thing that bothered him right away, and that was okay. He vowed to be patient and listen to whatever Izuku said, no matter how small and insignificant it may seem. It was the beginning of him righting his wrongs—a fresh start.

To Katsuki, it didn't matter how long it would take. He was going to save Izuku from himself. From the demons that tormented and haunted his broken soul. He would be his anchor—someone to go to when nothing felt right. He had broken the boy in an unforgivable way, and now he would do anything to mend him back together. He owed him that much.

So, as the first rays of sunshine painted the sky with pink and orange hues, Katsuki held a determined mindset. The chilly September breeze kissed their skin as they both contemplated the beautiful canvas above them in awe. It was as if mother nature was aware of them, of their feelings...of a new chance at life.

A new chance at friendship.

A new chance at something deeper.

And they both welcomed it with a content smile. Their worries set aside and minds at peace for the time being.

They wouldn't have it any other way.