The Story Of Forever (Todobaku)

Midnight Swim

Katsuki's body was no longer his own.

His normal routine was halted. Eating, chatting with his parents, sleeping, he couldn't bring himself to do any of it. The wires in his brain shut off, leaving him in a catatonic state as he lived through his worst nightmare.

After relaying this afternoon's events to Mitsuki and Masaru, he asked to be left alone. His parents obliged, though not without assuring Katsuki he was free to confide in them if he changed his mind.

It was deep into the night. Mitsuki and Masaru were either close to or already asleep. Katsuki was exhausted himself, but crawling into bed and attempting to sleep seemed more daunting than staying awake.

He couldn't go back into his room. Too many things in there reminded him of her. Of course there was the giant box in the center of the floor full of Camie's belongings or things she gifted Katsuki. Masaru lent it to him to toss everything in, both to keep Katsuki busy and as a coping mechanism for his relationship ending.

Katsuki quit when the box reached a bit more than halfway full. Throwing cherished memories in that cardboard container cut a deeper wound in his heart the longer he did it.

Photo strips from their date at the downtown festival. Camie's silver necklace she left behind the day they made snow angels in Katsuki's backyard. That damn scrapbook she made him for their one year anniversary. Katsuki even threw a few of his own things in there, like his olive green sweater or his all black baseball cap. Camie's face lit up whenever he wore them, saying they made him look more adorable than usual.

It'd only been a couple hours, but he missed her. He doubted that feeling would ever go away. And even now, nothing but the night sky above his head, Katsuki felt like he was trying to crawl out of a bottomless pit, his oxygen supply depleting as the walls caved in on him.

On the bright side, he had a lifeline.

There was no telling if it would work. It was too late in the evening to be sure. But Katsuki owed it to himself to try.

He slid his phone out his pocket and quickly drafted a message.

Katsuki

You up?

Katsuki pressed send, and, to his relief, the response came in under twenty seconds.

Shouto

gimme two minutes

Right on cue, a small squeak came from Katsuki's left. Shouto's pristine hand crawled across the slate tiles until he had proper balance to hoist himself over. With a shake of the hair and a deep exhale, he sat beside Katsuki. Still wearing the Dynamight hoodie, his face twisted into a blend of curiosity and concern.

"What's up?"

Katsuki was too numb from crying to drag it out. So, he didn't.

"Camie broke up with me."

Shouto's jaw dropped just enough to reveal his two top teeth. He scrunched his brows and paused, clearly caught off guard.

"Are you serious?"

Katsuki bit the inside of his lip and nodded.

"What happened?"

Katsuki dipped his head and sulked. "She thinks I cheated on her."

"Why would she think that?"

"I don't know." Tilting his head back toward the sky, his expression turned sour. "When would I even have the time? I'm always hanging out with either her or you."