Work Text:
It was a Tuesday.
It was a Tuesday when Katsuki found him. There, huddled up against a building, was a teenage boy, shaking and huffing, holding his knees to his chest, hood barely intact, scarf ragged and stuck to his uniform— there was a lot off about him. Katsuki wasn’t able to tell who he was at first. Because just a few months before, his green curls were vibrant and his eyes had life and his hands only shook when he was excited, and and and. There was so much that stood out for only good reason. Now that all disappeared. Overwhelmed by the burden of his power, by Shigaraki, by life itself, he was an entirely different person.
And so was Katsuki.
“Wait,” Izuku gasped, holding his hands out. It was defensive, but not the kind of defense he’d use against a villain. “Please, don’t take me back, I—“
He grumbled, cutting the idiot off.
“You’re selfish as hell! You got the entire class reeling and worried! There’s no way to even tell that you’re alive, Deku, damnit!” He ignites a few sparks from his palms, takes a breath, and just can’t let it go as he continues. “Leaving in the middle of the night— you only left a fucking note! And this is all because, what, you’re too damn stubborn to tell anyone what’s wrong with you?!” By now, he’s hyperventilating. He could only tell when Izuku put a hand on his shoulder, pulled his hood down with struggle, and started staring with concern.
“I left because you were all going to get hurt. I can’t come back because—“
“Because you’re a fucking idiot !” Katsuki screamed. He took a sharp breath when he heard his voice crack, blinking back the liquid pooling in his eyes.
Izuku’s eyebrows furrow with despair. He tugs his hood back down and nods, shooting out a black whip tendril and— holy shit, he’s trying to leave! Fuck my life, he thought, pointing his palms to the ground. A few blasts left his hand, and soon he was chasing after Izuku.
Katsuki was gaining on him, after at least two minutes of desperate attempts to get him back. He decides it’s time to do what he’s best at.
“Fucker! You really think you’re gonna be able to run from a fight? D’you know what you’re doing—“
The boy stopped, let out an angry sob, and took a sharp turn onto the nearest rooftop. Katsuki felt a feeling of accomplishment after he finally got Izuku to stop.
But when he landed, he stumbled, and fell flat on his face. Katsuki watched. It would’ve been funny if the reason he fell wasn’t because he was absolutely exhausted. Grumbling, Katsuki kneeled down in front of him. He couldn’t help but feel guilty. Izuku is pathetic right now.
“I know you— our classmates,” he corrected himself, “are worried about me, but I’m alright. Really.” Izuku’s voice was muffled, so Katsuki struggled to hear him. “All Might brings me bento sometimes, and I patch myself up fine. And this is usually where I sleep.”
Katsuki doubted he slept at all.
“It’s not enough. Don’t lie to me, Deku, you’re killing yourself! And for what, to try and convince yourself you’re safe? You’re starving, and tired. That’s not at fucking all how someone healthy operates. Or even someone who’s ‘alright’!” Katsuki pulls him up, (which was unusually easy,) and yells into his face. “You fucking need help. I’m taking you back. Don’t give me shit,” he adds when he notices Izuku hold up his pointer finger like a fucking nerd.
His grip is tight, but somehow, Izuku manages to slip away. “That’s not the point! You’re all in danger because of me! I can’t just let my friends die because I was too weak to find the villains first!” And oh, no, he’s trying to run off again.
“Fuckin’ fight me. If you win, fine, you get to keep doing this shit. If you lose, I’m hauling your ass back to U.A.”
Izuku must be able to see some sort of pain in his expression because he only nods, stepping back a bit and getting into a defensive stance.
Katsuki wasn’t holding up his damn promise, he was taking Izuku back either way. Who cares if he’s never forgiven for it? At least the idiot won’t be six feet under.
“Stop,” he chokes out when Izuku somehow pins him, panting out air that lands on Katsuki’s face and contrasts the cold rain from his warm breath. “Stop doing this alone. You’re going to kill yourself doing so. I mean it.”
And then Izuku starts sobbing. His tears land on Katsuki’s body, which might as well feel helpless under this somehow strong enough Izuku. Then he collapses.
Katsuki feels awkward, wrapping an arm around the now weaker boy’s shoulders. God, was he in horrible shape. His face was pale, his eyes were dead, his body shook, his throat sounds scratchy. But fuck, he’d gotten himself into this mess once his body moved on its own after him.
“Kacchan, you— you can’t do this, either. Can’t join me. I don’t want you to—“
Izuku lets out another sob, thankfully cutting off the rest of his sentence. Katsuki suddenly feels bitter. The warmth in his heart from finally hearing that nickname dies down and turns into something cold.
“You fuckin’ think I’m weak, don’t you? That’s why you left me that damn letter. You pity me. You think you’re so high and mighty that you decided to leave me, ” he’d only said on accident, “to go on this dumb suicide mission. Are you happy? You’ve proven your damn point,” he spits harshly, shoving Izuku off and sitting up.
The desperate sob he hears doesn’t come from Izuku, but himself. He can’t stop it. His body shakes as tears waterfall from his eyes and hell does it feel nice to finally be able to let it out.
Izuku must’ve only gotten a real good look at his face when Katsuki lifted his head up. Okay, fine, he looked horrific too. He had horrible bags under his eyes, and his head felt empty for a while now. Until he finally felt something, that anger and fear that he only felt with Izuku. Him leaving, and leaving Katsuki behind. With something as little as a note instead of goodbye.
“You’re— huh?”
“Tell me why I shouldn’t take you the fuck back right now! End this shit right here, take you back, clean you up, and get you some damn peace! Don’t even try it, either, because it’s not working on me, Izuku!”
He’s shaking with pure rage. He watches Izuku struggle to answer, but feels arms around him instead.
“Please don’t leave me again,” he mutters into Izuku’s shoulder. There’s a curt nod that he can feel above him.
Katsuki learned one thing about himself.
He’s dependant as hell.
After that day, no matter what, Izuku always had to be in his sight. And he couldn’t believe he was entertaining this dumbass runaway idea.
“Kacchan… have you eaten?”
“No. I doubt your ass has either.”
“Maybe if you went back to U.A, there’d be a nice dinner there for you?”
“Shut the fuck up.”
That’s how their conversations went now. Either that, or it was Katsuki threatening to beat his ass if he didn’t eat, shower, rest, et cetera. Most of the time it worked, and he was pleased.
Oh. Speaking of people being pleased, All Might absolutely was not. He provided bento for two now, and his agency was their resting spot. Katsuki would’ve felt bad if not for their great sneaking ability. If no one saw them there, then they just simply weren’t there.
Izuku still never stopped being stubborn. But if there’s one thing Katsuki knows, it’s that he always lets up because Katsuki is the most stubborn person ever. It’s fighting fire with… slightly stronger fire.
“Take the damn bento, Deku. I swear to fuckin’ god.”
“You must be really hungry though, so—“
“Asshole! He packed enough food for two more of us! Take it or I’ll shove the damn rice down your gullet!”
He was a great friend.
The whole suicide mission thing turned into a double suicide mission. Katsuki forces him to stay alive. That’s all he cares about. It slowly eliminated their rivalry and began a friendship. He was alright with that… possibly. He’s not going fucking soft, don’t even try it.
But to hear a genuine laugh come out of a slightly better in shape Izuku… it messed with his head. For the few hours of sleep he got, (making sure Izuku got the most,) he’d dreamt about it a few times. He might just be pathetic.
“Kacchan… what’s that?”
“What’s fuckin’ what—“
He paused. That didn’t look like a villain, no, that costume looked similar. Was that red hair?
It was Kirishima.
“We have to go!” Izuku yelled, and grabbed Katsuki’s wrist, forcing him to run too. Thinking about how Izuku finally showed that he valued Katsuki by his side, he was utterly distracted from the fact that Izuku had ended up slinging him over the shoulder. Hilarious.
“Put me the hell down! I can go on my own!”
“Stop kicking me, I’m gonna lose balance!”
He grumbled, accepting his fate. As soon as Izuku plopped him onto a different roof, he tucked his knees into his chest and hid his face. He fucking missed his idiot friends. When’d he get so damn soft?
Izuku appears and presses into his side, leaning his head on Katsuki’s shoulder. Letting out a choked sob, he gives up on his tough attitude for a moment.
“You miss it, too?” Izuku offers in a gentle voice. When Katsuki picks his head up to nod, Izuku puts a hand on his knee in a comforting gesture.
“I’m glad you’re here, though. Thanks for always being there for me, Kacchan.”
He wasn’t aware he could feel worse.
“I don’t support your dumbass idea. If it were up to me, you’d be safe from all this crap! But fucking no! You just had to rope me into this!”
Katsuki feels sick. Like he’s going to heave. No, no, fuck he’s not going to, he’s not letting it happen. Not here, not now.
“I thought you understood.” Izuku’s voice is suddenly dark and oh, hell no, he’s not doing this today.
“Don’t run away, Izuku! You know why the hell I’m here, don’t you?”
“Yes! It’s so that you can pity and baby me for your own sake!”
There’s no fucking way he thinks that. Not after all they just went through for the past few weeks. “No, it’s because I fucking care, jackass! You don’t know shit ! I died when I saw you like that, and I continue to when you say crap trying to convince me to leave you!” The feeling doesn’t go away. His stomach tightens, breaths picking up. Need help, need someone. Stop yelling at him. He can help.
Izuku lets out a small gasp. He pulls his hood down to get a better look at Katsuki’s expression.
He doesn’t stop. He needs to knock some sense into this idiot. He speaks his damn mind. “I just want you to be okay again, you ass! It’s impossible when you keep insisting on doing this, it’s impossible when you somehow have more injuries than the last fight, and it’s impossible when I can’t tell you you’re fucking stupid because then you’ll run off and die !”
His vision becomes entirely clouded by tears, so he stuffs his face back in its safe place again. Repeatedly, he wills down sickness. It’s neither of their battles, why’d he insist on going in the first place? It’s cold out, and damp, and he’s been wearing this damn costume for weeks without a good shower, and the last time he saw his hair it was so disgusting he pledged to keep a hood over his head all of the time and never take it off.
“It’s not that. I’m really sorry for how I made you feel, but…” The hell?
”But?!” He shrieked, his head shooting up instantly. It gives his eyes a world of hurt. Maybe that was a sickness? Fuck. Get it out before you let go. “But fucking what? You gonna tell me that you need to do this? That it was part of becoming All Might’s successor?” Desperately, he grabs at his own shirt to try and keep himself grounded, to not punch Izuku in the face. To will himself to hold it back, keep it together, tell himself he’s not dying . “It— this shit shouldn’t have to be your job! We’re just kids, damnit! You’re fighting a battle that was never yours to fight! ” He screamed out, and shit his head hurt fuck . Hold it together and—
Katsuki then swiveled his head around and let himself be sick.
”Kacchan! Fuck— he’s not—!”
The first thing he felt was Izuku’s panicked breaths spanning across his face. He tried to move his head, but it fucked with his eyes too much.
Katsuki saw only Izuku at that moment. He couldn’t understand his surroundings, but felt that he was being taken somewhere. Next he felt the wind, and after that was able to hear Izuku’s panicked muttering. Along with that came confusion. He must’ve shifted Katsuki around, that's why Izuku was no longer in Katsuki’s sight, right? Where’d his mask go? His face felt bare without it, considering it’d been on for— hell, he doesn’t know. Centuries.
But what happened just now?
“Put me—“ he stops short to take a breath, and coughs out, “down.” It makes his vision dark and throat clench, reminding him of the taste of stomach acid and disgusting crap. God, he doesn’t fucking remember!
He’s just stuck. Frozen in Izuku’s arms— who is taking him fuck knows where— and only able to dart his eyes around. He can’t see the other’s face, so he doesn’t even know if the idiot knows where he’s going or not. He must be doing that dumb silent shit he usually does after a fight.
”All Might,” Izuku says, sounding relieved. “He got sick and blacked out. You need to take him back to—“
Katsuki kicks him as hard as he can. He almost thought it would make a cute and wimpy little squeak sound. But the point got across, as it seemed, because Izuku paused and Katsuki could hear All Might sigh.
“Young Midoriya,” he started. “You know I can’t take him back if he doesn’t want to go. This might be good for you, since I know the two of you are so stubborn.” Katsuki grumbled at that, and must’ve imagined Izuku shaking with laughter.
“That’s… why he threw up.” Izuku took a breath, and Katsuki watched his hand go to the back of his neck to scratch anxiously. “He said that I shouldn’t be fighting like this all alone. And that he didn’t want me to try and tell him to leave.”
“So I’ll let him stay. If he really wants to.”
Katsuki’s body unstiffens and relaxes. The chance to know that Izuku is breathing all the time, that was a dream come true these days. He knows it can’t be like this for long. He never wanted it to be. He should be fine going to sleep and not feeling guilty and worried about whether or not Izuku’s heart’s even beating.
For a bit, he’d zoned out, but realized Izuku was talking to him.
“How are you doing, Kacchan?”
“Fine,” he mutters in reply, practically boneless in Izuku’s comforting arms. Then, he notices, they’ve landed on the roof of a small cafe. One of the resting spots on their patrol route.
Izuku must be worrying his bottom lip as he’s silent for a moment. “Can you stand at all?”
Katsuki slowly slumps from Izuku’s hold and wobbles, finding balance after a moment. He moves to sit on the ledge of the roof, trying not to feel too happy as Izuku sits close next to him. He feels for his mask, probably crusted onto his face, and is confused when he touches his skin and not cloth.
“Oh, I um, have it. Here,” Izuku blurted, tossing Katsuki his mask and smiling softly as he put it back on. What’s that for?
It must be because he’s about to say something stupid. Katsuki pulls his hood over his head, and watches as Izuku follows.
“We look pretty cool, don’t you think?”
He blinked.
“As fucking if. I look awesome . You reek.”
And then, he watched as Izuku really, genuinely chuckled. Watched as he instinctively raised a hand to run his fingers through his hair, then chuckled once more as he realized he had the hood over his hair. Katsuki grinned, hiding it in the collar of his uniform.
Then he feels something poke him from the back of his mind. The fact that Izuku laughing made him relieved was… not alright. They weren’t alright. They were tired, dirty, upset, and hungry most of the time, and had made no progress on finding Shigaraki. Katsuki thought just caring would solve everything, make it all easier, so Izuku would eventually go back. Convince him that it’ll all be okay. But looking at him now… Izuku was so far into this mindset that he couldn’t even have any sense beat into him.
He decides it’s best they take the rest of the day off. Go back to their dumb roof they sleep on and just talk. Pretend it’s all okay, that they’re lying in Katsuki’s dorm room and chatting, forgetting about the movie playing in the background. Shit normal teenagers are doing, not fighting insane ass villains just because they want to feel safe. Want others to feel safe.
“Up. We’re going back to our spot.”
“You’re not hungry?”
“Fuck, Izuku,” he sighs, shaking his head. “No. I just want some peace for once this month.” He studies Izuku’s face closely, or, at least what he can see of it, and grumbles as Izuku doesn’t budge.
“I’ll give you a damn piggyback.”
“Deal!”
Lying on the rooftop— which they seem to do a lot nowadays, hang out on rooftops— Katsuki pulls off his mask and hood to get a look at Izuku, who’s also done the same.
He’d look relaxed if it weren’t for the pure dread in his eyes. He looked lonely.
They stay together in silence. As Katsuki further studies Izuku’s expression, he decides something needs to be done. Or said, rather.
“Alright, spit it out.”
“What?”
Katsuki grumbles, but his anger settles when Izuku stares right back at him. His heart starts pounding in his chest, like he’s afraid or something. Like what made him upset is going to be so hard to get Izuku to say that they’ll fight over it.
He refuses to believe it’s any other feeling he may have.
“Whatever you’re thinkin’ about. It’s bothering you, I can tell.”
“I was…” Izuku takes a pause, eyes darting across Katsuki’s face for a way out. For a second, his face grows pink and then fades back into its horrifyingly pale state.
“Actually wondering what you were thinking.”
Katsuki blinks. What?
“Fuckin’ as if.”
“I really was! And then I thought…”
Izuku breaks eye contact, and clears his throat. He mutters something, but Katsuki can’t hear over the ambiance of the city. And partially because he has hearing problems.
“Didn’t catch that.”
“I thought about how lucky I am to have you here. So… I’m glad I wasn’t too stubborn when you told me you were coming with me.”
Katsuki’s stomach flutters. He tries to hide his grin, but… too late. Izuku saw and smiled back. He hadn’t seen that smile in half a year. It messed with his head. He had to stop his hand from reaching out to Izuku’s face.
“Yeah, well… don’t get too used to it.”
Katsuki closes his eyes, still not perfectly comfortable in his surroundings, but knows Izuku will be there, keeping watch in case.
He jolts at the loud crash of a structure nearby. Just as he was finally falling asleep. Sighing, he follows Izuku, who left a few seconds before he did.
To his despair, Izuku is much farther than he is and, when he lands, Katsuki watches him shudder— probably Danger Sense— and runs down an alleyway in a tense posture that can only mean there’s a fight.
When Katsuki finally arrives, he’s confused. It’s completely silent, he noticed as he took in his surroundings. “Fuck,” he curses under his breath. They must’ve ran off.
He thinks this until he turns a corner and there, shaking on the ground, is Izuku.
But something is wrong. Despite Katsuki’s instinctual reaction to run toward, he knows he shouldn’t. It’s not right.
“K-Kacchan,” Izuku rasps. Katsuki winces at the sound of it, sad and weakened and… no, he can’t let it get to him. Especially when he looks up and sees a glow from a woman’s hand. Fucking great.
“Cut the shit,” he yells, eyes darting around for any other change in sight. None. What the hell was this quirk?
The villain, smirking like a damn idiot, jumps down from her perch on a building and closes her palm, zapping the— illusion?— from existence.
“I really thought that’d get you,” she hums tauntingly. “What made it so obvious?”
He didn’t want to humor her. But he had to be honest to himself. He couldn’t smell the drugstore coconut shampoo, and the illusion Izuku’s shoulders were too scrawny.
“Where is he,” Katsuki grumbles.
She tries to open her palm, but he fires off a large explosion as a warning.
“He’s with my friend,” she pauses for suspense, and Katsuki just wants her to stop fucking around. “Just chasing him across the city. He’s quite fast, I’ll tell you.”
Katsuki scoffs. He knows Izuku would’ve caught him already. “Enough chit-chat,” he says, already jumping up and firing an explosion at the woman. To his surprise, she doesn’t do anything about it. He finds that odd.
He tries to kick at her, and his leg goes through. Fuck, he’s been tricked. He just wanted this fight to go fast, so he wouldn’t lose track of Izuku, who absolutely was trying to leave him behind. He feels a strong kick to his back, leaving him vulnerable on the ground. She wraps her hand around his neck, and shit, this is possibly the worst fight he’s had. Now he’s fucking dying.
“Nice one, hero ,” she taunts, and Katsuki wishes he had the strength to lift up an arm, or a palm, or anything. While she’s blabbing her mouth off, he manages to release an explosion, but it doesn’t do much to her, only singing her arm. Desperately, he tries again. Again. And again. He’s losing strength that he needs to stay alive, so eventually, he stops.
“You— were watching us,” he chokes, “weren’t you?”
The woman smiles the ugliest smile he’s ever seen. “You’ve got that right, Bakugo.”
“Don’t fuckin—“ he’s hoarse now, black spots filling his vision. He has to get the important words out. “Touch him, I swear—“
“Who? Oh, your little partner? You seem to care for him a lot, ” she honeys, clenching his neck harder. He can’t believe he was taken down so damn quick. By a d-list villain, too. Someone tell him this is just a nightmare.
“In fact, I think if I kill you, the League will finally take me as one of their members!” She giggles. It is not fuckin’ cute.
“Shut.. your.. trap,” he manages. “Not happening…”
As his vision fully hazes over, all he can register is the muffled sound of crackling, iron soles, and yelling. He’s barely alive.
But after what seems like hours, his vision clears, ears ringing violently. He sees Izuku, hunched over and breathing heavily. Blackwhip expands from his body everywhere. He must’ve freaked out. Then, both of the villains knocked out on the ground.
Good riddance, he thinks, inhaling a lungful of air roughly. Katsuki blinks his eyes open, somehow they must’ve closed, and is met with Izuku’s face. He grumbles.
“Sorry, Kacchan…”
“Whatever,” he sighs. Izuku doesn’t move, examining his face, which must’ve been unmasked at some point. So he wraps his arms around Izuku’s shoulders, relieved that he came back.
“Do you need help standing? Your leg is shaking a lot, and I just thought you maybe lost circulation from how hard the villain was pressing into it,” Izuku rambles.
Katsuki couldn’t fathom the idea of Izuku carrying him, even if they were the only ones to see. He sits up slowly, glaring harshly when Izuku tries to pull him into a princess carry. Fuck that. He takes Izuku’s hand, though, because he’s allowed to have something.
“Have you already called police?” Katsuki asks, slumping a bit when Izuku nods. His leg hasn’t felt any better, a weird fuzzy feeling through his body. Like TV static.
“I know you probably don’t want me carrying you, so maybe we can walk?”
Katsuki hates this. Hates what he’s about to say. “You can, or whatever, I don’t care.”
“Can what?”
And now he hates Izuku. “Fuck you,” he grumbles, about to finish his sentence, then Izuku snickers.
“At least buy me dinner,” he jokes, leaving Katsuki to almost exploding him.
“Shut the hell up! You can carry me, whatever.”
“As you wish!”
Coincidentally, it was pretty much dinner time, and All Might only made them lunch today. They got take-out.
“I’ve heard this place is really good,” Izuku hums, keeping conversation. The line dies down, and they both get simple dinner meals. Katsuki snickers as he pays, looking over to Izuku, and once they leave, he pipes up, “There. Now you can say I bought you dinner.”
Izuku turns a not-so-hideous shade of pink, too busy stuffing food in his mouth to respond.
“Kacchan,” he shakes his head after he’s done, “I think you’ve got the meaning of that wrong.”
“No? What’d you mean by it then?” He teased.
“Nevermind,” Izuku grumbles, pulling his mask back down to hide a blush. Katsuki chuckles.
“Your turn to sleep,” he hums as they return to their roof. Izuku looks at him with concern.
“But you didn’t sleep yet,” he protests. Katsuki grumbles.
“I’m not tired, just go to sleep.”
“But—“
“I’m going to knock you out.”
“Okay. Night, Kacchan.”
He shakes with laughter, watching Izuku’s face to make sure he’s really asleep.
When Katsuki’s sure that he is, he lets himself grin for a moment, tucking a curl behind Izuku’s ear.
“Yeah. Night, Izuku.”
He thinks for a moment, back to the villains they fought today. Obviously they’d be in custody by now, but that woman said… she could be accepted into the League? Did she know where they were? Could Katsuki possibly report their location?
He decides it’s a problem for tomorrow. He needs to keep Izuku safe, after all.
“Um, Kacchan…”
He blinks awake immediately. Fucking hell. Did he really fall asleep? Bleary-eyed, he takes in his surroundings quickly. He’s warm, and can hear his own heartbeat.
Wait, that wasn’t his.
Katsuki looks up and sees Izuku’s face, slightly pinked, but he looks relaxed. He’s not looking at Katsuki, either.
“Sorry,” Katsuki mutters, not good at apologies. “For falling asleep. And this.” He makes no move to back away, body too limp to move. He must’ve needed this.
Izuku replies, whispering, “It’s okay. This is nice.”
After a quiet moment, he suggests, “If you need more sleep, I can carry you while I patrol?”
Katsuki grumbles. No way he’s letting that happen. “In your dreams.”
“Piggyback?”
He thinks. It’s not as embarrassing as a princess carry, or being slung over Izuku’s shoulder. It’s like an in-between of what he’d allow and what he’d absolutely not.
“Yeah, alright. Just a minute,” sighs Katsuki, getting comfortable in Izuku’s hold. He hears Izuku’s heartbeat quicken and snickers.
Izuku mutters something, moving a shaky hand to rub Katsuki’s back. He must still be talking. Katsuki can’t really hear what he’s saying over the sound of Izuku’s racing heart. He knows this’ll eventually have to end.
“Let’s go,” he grumbles, reluctant to pull away. Izuku nods, letting Katsuki get on his back. Right. Somehow, he’d already forgotten.
The sky is plastered in a burnt glow as the sun rises, rough beams warming Katsuki’s tired face. He huffs a laugh, focusing on the tinted sky.
“Kacchan!” yelled Izuku, snapping him out of his trance. Quieter, he says, “You wanna land somewhere so we can watch?”
Of course. Izuku was always watching him. “Kay,” he nods, dropping from the air and settling on the nearest roof. For a minute, he lets himself bask in its comfortable hues, removing his mask and hood. This is one of the first moments he’s felt peace in months. All this time, he and Izuku could have been safe at U.A. with their friends, with their teachers, everyone. Laughing, knowing they’ll be safe until it’s time for war.
But instead, he’s here. Tired, hungry, and barely safe. He threw his life away to make sure Izuku wasn’t doing the same. And, unfortunately, he knows he’d do it again. There was always something about Izuku that made Katsuki have a need to protect him. Not because he was weak, but because…
Because Katsuki loves him.
Whatever Izuku’s yapping about takes a pause as Katsuki leans on his shoulder, sighing as a wave of exhaustion passes over him. In every breath, he can feel the comfort from being close to Izuku. It makes his heart race. His mind think stupid things.
“The sunrise looks nice,” he mutters, to fill the silence.
Izuku hums, looking down at their hands. When he takes a glove off, Katsuki follows suit, and holds his palm out for Izuku to take.
His hand is cold. Geez. Katsuki focuses, filtering explosions from the warmth he’s sending to his own hand. Who knew such a weak signal would take so much work?
“Thanks, Kacchan,” Izuku smiles, and for a split second, Katsuki can see it light up his eyes. He gives his own smile in return.
And something always has to ruin the moment. This time, it’s not a villain. It’s not Katsuki, sick of being vulnerable. It’s Izuku.
“Can I say something?”
Katsuki grumbles, smile fading. It’s gonna be some shit about U.A.
“You— uh, you were right. It’s not our battle. And we shouldn’t be out here, fighting, we should be doing dumb stuff! Like normal teenagers.”
“Your head finally out of your ass?”
“Rude,” Izuku mutters, looking away. “I’m— I’m saying…” He squeezes Katsuki’s hand for support. “I wanna be able to watch the sunrise with you. Without worrying about villains.”
Which was weird, because they’d always have to worry about villains. Katsuki was just about to protest when Izuku turned back to look at him, unshed tears shining in his eyes.
“Kacchan, I want to go back to U.A.,” he sobs, hunching over. Katsuki turns him so they’re face to face, and hugs him tight. Izuku ugly cries into his shoulder, but he couldn’t care less. He ruffles Izuku’s hair, sighing in relief.
“We can, nerd.”
“What if— they don’t let me back?”
“Then I’ll send ‘em to hell myself,” he promises. Izuku snorts, now sobbing and laughing at the same time. Katsuki would normally find it disgusting and garish, but right now he’s full of pure bliss. His smile only widens the more Izuku’s ugly cries turn into gross laughter. Damnit, he’s gone soft.
“I’m sorry!” Izuku breathes before bursting into laughter again. He pulls back, taking deep breaths, eventually calming down.
Katsuki snickers. “Little shit, look what you did!” He doubles over, shaking with silent chuckles. There’s a slight rustle above his head, then Izuku pats his shoulders.
“That work?” Izuku grins, gesturing to Katsuki’s neck, covered by his scarf. Katsuki rolls his eyes, putting it over Izuku’s head, so they share. He leans into Izuku’s shoulder again.
They’ll be okay after all. Not good, but okay.
Never mind , he thinks as Izuku taps him on the cheek with black whip, gesturing to their intertwined hands, smirking. He’s gonna beat Izuku’s ass.
Later. When he’s not as giddy as a highschool girl on Valentines.
“Thanks for carrying me,” Izuku says, hooking his chin over Katsuki’s shoulder. He grumbles, hoping the warmth on his face is hidden enough.
“Hold on tight, we’re landing on the roof.”
Izuku makes another ‘Kacchan Airlines’ joke and Katsuki almost kicks his ass. And, of course, Izuku doesn’t let Katsuki put him down, so he has to trek down the stairs with a tired body while carrying pounds of muscle on his back. Fun.
They decide not to go down to the common room until they’re mentally prepared, even though it’s class time. Instead, they head straight for the shower room.
The only thing Katsuki worries about now are the repairs to their uniforms. That’ll take a while.
“Kacchan, I’m starving. You should make katsudon,” Izuku whines as Katsuki drags him to his dorm.
“Fine. Now take something from my closet.”
Surprisingly, Izuku listens. Until Katsuki’s trying to cook. It’s always right then and there when Izuku decides he’s going to be a pain.
Katsuki grumbles, unable to focus as Izuku blabs his ear off, leaning all of his body weight solely on Katsuki’s side. “Oi. Move or I’ll make you,” he yells, with no bite.
Izuku sighs, moving to sit on the counter. He juts out his lip in a pout, rhythmically tapping his fingers on the surface. Katsuki watches, humored. And if his chest tightens at Izuku’s pouted lips, no one needs to know.
“It’s done, nerd,” he says after a while, growing frustrated as Izuku takes it with no change in expression. He’s doing the silent shit again.
Katsuki sighs. It’s unbelievable that he’s about to entertain Izuku. “I’ll put a damn apron on if it means you stop looking like I kicked your dog.”
“Housewife Kacchan!” Izuku snickers, abandoning his food as he searches for an apron. Just as he’s about to give Katsuki the godforsaken apron, he frowns. “You’re not gonna eat?”
“I’ll eat leftovers. It’s whatever.”
“Kacchan, Kacchan, Kacchan,” Izuku tsks, shaking his head. “You are not forcing me to eat this infront of you. Feed your poor body!”
“My body is not poor! I’m a catch!”
“Not if you don’t eat,” Izuku says smugly, waving chopsticks with tonkatsu in front of his face. “Plus, you made too much food.”
“I said I’m fine.”
“…Okay! Guess I’ll be the number one hero in your place,” Izuku hums, slowly inching the chopsticks back toward himself.
Katsuki hates him. “Like hell you will! I’m getting fuckin’ chopsticks,” he grumbles. Izuku looks proud of himself, now splitting his large portion into two equal portions.
“Here’s the deal,” Izuku says competitively. “You win, you choose what we do for the afternoon, and vice versa. Everything, down to the movie we watch. The loser has to smile and nod like he’d do the same everyday!”
“Now hold the fuck on,” Katsuki glares. “I’m not messing with my diet.”
“Okay, go!” Izuku snickers, shoving food into his mouth.
Katsuki winces as he sips on some drink that’s carbonated to hell. Izuku snickers, watching his disgust. “You couldn’t have picked anything healthy? ”
“I’m thinking we go out to the track, get some laps in,” Izuku replies, looking pleased when Katsuki genuinely agrees. “And then watch the entire Spiderman trilogy!”
Izuku doesn’t look like he’s done. “The best part is, I’m making you share your All Might blanket that I know you have,” he grins. Katsuki sighs, flicking Izuku’s forehead in response. He’s absolutely unbelievable.
“Hey, wait,” Katsuki says, realizing something. “Does anyone know we’re here?”
“Besides All Might? I asked him to tell Mr. Aizawa, so he should know,” Izuku hums.
The silence is deafening after that. Katsuki zones out as he stares at Izuku’s face, completely removing any other thought besides the word pretty. Which is weird as fuck. He feels his face flush, mind numbing as he wonders why he was thinking that.
Katsuki clears his throat. “We should get going if we want to beat the class that gets on track in a bit.”
Izuku grabs his hand and bolts out the door.
“Kacchan, we’re not even halfway through the very first movie, how are you falling asleep?”
It’s not because the movie is boring. Katsuki blames it on Izuku, for being so damn warm. Eventually, he gives up and lets his urge to curl up in Izuku’s arms take over. Said boy is comfortable against the armrest of the couch, legs propped up on Katsuki’s lap. He pushes him off roughly, looking at Izuku’s slight pout and snickering.
“Make room.”
“Huh?”
Katsuki doesn’t answer, shoving Izuku’s legs fully off the couch and resting his cheek on Izuku’s shoulder. The latter sighs, sinking into Katsuki’s side. He knows he’s completely safe here, and smiles to himself. He’s been doing that a lot lately.
Izuku’s hand brushes his, carefully interlocking them as if he thought Katsuki was something delicate. The shiver that Izuku’s cold touch sends through his body is enough to wake him fully. Katsuki grumbles, focusing warmth to his own hand. It makes Izuku stir a bit. He then wonders how Izuku could fall asleep so fast.
Katsuki gets wrapped up in his head, pondering how Izuku can manage to look pretty even while drooling in his sleep. He doesn’t notice the doors open, but he does notice collective gasps.
He doesn’t glare at them to be quiet. Fuck that. Izuku wouldn’t mind anyway.
“Bakubro!” Screams his entire group of idiots. “MIDOBRO!” was louder. Izuku stirs awake, looking confused at the noise but it dies down quickly. He jumps up, and unfortunately, their hands are still interlocked so he brings Katsuki with. Sobbing violently, he drags Katsuki into a giant group hug that he’d rather not be in.
Katsuki doesn’t explode everyone or sneak away. He thinks he’s about to when Kirishima and Uraraka squeeze him and Izuku tight in their own group hug, though.
Yaoyorozu rolls up her sleeve and produces some tissue boxes, probably for the mess of people crying their eyes out. Tsu and Sato offer to cook, and the Spiderman movies they were watching now become the one thing the class wants to watch.
“Spiderman watch party!! Yeah!!” Someone yelled.
Izuku takes up most of the couch and glances towards Katsuki every now and then, being bombarded by his friends. Katsuki only looks back when Izuku isn’t, wishing he were in his arms. Which is weird to him, but he doesn’t think too hard about it.
Finally, someone gives Katsuki a questioning glance when he’s looked back at Izuku for probably the seventh time. He’s been slowly walking backward toward Izuku, but the idiots keep following him. Eventually he gives up on being subtle and flat out jumps on Izuku. Katsuki rests his head right below Izuku’s chin, tangling their legs together.
Uncaring of the camera shutter, (he’ll beat their ass later) Katsuki pulls the blanket up, pretending that was the reason he laid down there in the first place.
He breathes in, and the smell of Izuku’s coconut shampoo makes him all giddy and stupid again. Izuku’s jaw lost some of its baby fat, and his shoulders are as perfect as ever. He didn’t even notice Izuku’s hair was longer in the back, or how his nose looked like it needed to be smothered in kisses. His legs… Katsuki’s not going to let himself think any more about those. When he realizes he wants matching rings on their fingers he decides he needs to stop thinking.
Fuck. Why was he like this in the calmest moments? He should be halfway asleep right now, but instead he’s thinking like a creep.
“Kacchan,” Izuku mutters, a slight pink tinting his cheeks. “Are you bored of the movie?”
Oh. He’s asking that because Katsuki’s staring like a madman. “Yeah— uh, yep. Gonna sleep now.”
“Wait,” said Izuku, his blush deepening. “Thanks for everything. The past few months… I don’t think I could’ve done it without you.”
Katsuki hums, closing his eyes. “Good. I woulda exploded everyone here if I didn’t find you. I was…” he shudders, remembering how horrible. “Half the time just masking everything with anger. The other half you’d find me fuckin’ slouching with dead eyes. Lot more than I like to show.”
“Sorry that I… made you worry so bad.”
“Don’t apologize,” Katsuki grumbles. “You did what you thought was best. I think if not for that, someone would’ve been here already.”
“Kacchan…” Izuku sniffles, voice wobbling. “That means so much.”
“Shut up,” he said, because he had absolutely no idea how to respond to that.
Katsuki found safety with Izuku. He realized that, even after all they went through during those months, the only reason they both were alive was each other. Even if they both became more anxious without the other than ever before, the bond they shared now was enough to make a newly-wedded couple weep.
That’s what Katsuki told Izuku, at least. To make him laugh.
It was a Tuesday.
It was a Tuesday when Katsuki and Izuku returned to UA. They weren’t good, but they were okay. There was a lot off about them. And to think, just a few moments before, Izuku and Katsuki had tired eyes and empty stomachs and anxiously racing minds and hearts. There was so much that stood out, but only for bad reason. Now they are healing. They knew nothing would ever be the same between them, but maybe they were okay with it. Overwhelmed together sounded better than alone. They were entirely different people.
Especially
Katsuki.