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It was a pretty normal afternoon according to Katsuki. They finished their classes for the day, and their extra training. It was habit after their sparring sessions that they’d go out for ramen. It was the first time in months since they’ve started that Katsuki had lost a match. Which means it was his turn to pay for their meal.
The next thing Katsuki remembers, is that he’s lying on the ground on the other side of the road. There’s a car sitting in the middle with a dent in the front bumper and Eijirou’s laying on the ground bleeding. He can’t even move from the spot he’s stuck in, all he can think is the worst. He can hear faint voices around him asking if he’s okay, if he remembers his name and who he is.
He’s not paying attention to any of those voices however. All he can focus on is Eijirou’s unmoving body in the middle of the road, and the people surrounding him. There’s a few on their phones, probably calling 911 when he can’t focus on even moving to check on his best friend.
“Are you hurt?” Katsuki can recognize the voice next to him. He can recognize who it is, but he can’t bring himself to turn and see who it is. It’s not until someone’s pulled him up and turns him away from Eijirou that he sees who it is. Aizawa’s standing there with a concerned look on his face, and Katsuki can’t say a word.
All he can manage is to shake his head, he can feel he’s got a few minor cuts on his hands. Maybe his knees, but they don’t hurt and he can’t bring himself to care. It’s not until the ambulance gets to the scene and they ask him how he’s related to the victim, that he speaks. “He’s my boyfriend.”
They’re loading Eijirou in the back of the ambulance, and Katsuki gets in next to him, holding his hand close. He can’t believe that Eijirou wouldn’t have used his quirk to save himself, he can’t believe that Eijirou would have given himself to save Katsuki. If something happens to him, I’ll never be able to forgive myself for it.
He’s supposed to be the resident asshole, the person who doesn’t care about much of anything. The person who everyone goes to when they need help, and he’ll say no, but he helps them after all. He’s the person who everyone hates because he can be cocky. He’s the person that Eijirou chose as his best friend, and now they’ve got their own little clique including Kaminari, Mina, Tokoyami and Sero.
He’s the person who’s in love with Eijirou but too afraid to say it.
Katsuki sat there day after day with Eijirou, he hated the fact that Eijirou was hurt because of him. He hated the fact that it wasn’t him lying in this hospital bed. He hated the fact that the person he was in love with might never know the truth. Only now would he whisper it quietly through his tears, because he knew he’d never be able to say it out loud.
He turned his phone off, he turned Eijirou’s phone off. He wanted it to just be the two of them for a while, even if it was like this. He kept wishing it was him in the bed and not Eijirou. Looking at his face, pale as a ghost, thinking what if he never wakes up? It scared the shit out of Katsuki and he couldn’t handle the pain. He couldn’t handle the stress that it was his fault Eijirou was like this.
“You’re such a fucking idiot.” Katsuki was in tears again, it’s been like this for a few days now. All he could do was sit by Eijirou’s bed and cry. Only getting up to move when he needed to use the restroom, only getting up to ask the doctor for any updates. “I don’t understand why you’d risk yourself to save me.”
Katsuki keeps repeating the same two phrases time and time again. His voice is hoarse from crying, and he hasn’t eaten anything in almost a week. He can’t bring himself to eat, he can’t bring himself to do much more than drink the water the nurses force into his hands. He can’t bring himself to care about anything that isn’t Eijirou right this moment.
Before Katsuki realizes, it’s been two weeks and Eijirou still hasn’t woken up. He hasn’t spoken clearly in days. He isn’t even sure if he can handle the pain of being alone if Eijirou doesn’t wake up. He can’t handle the pain of his best friend lying in this hospital bed. He can’t handle the pain that his heart is hurting, and he can’t soothe it. He cries himself to sleep again, and he can’t help himself. He stays by Eijirou’s bed side and holds his hand the whole time.
Eijirou can feel pain, radiating all over his body. He can’t feel much yet, he’s just waking up, but he can feel a weight in his hand. He opens his eyes slowly, because the light is too bright. He opens his eyes slowly, because he isn’t sure what time it is. When he opens his eyes fully, he can see a head full of blonde hair sitting in a chair, head on the bed.
He’s not sure where he is, he isn’t sure how long he’s been out. He can hear the beeping of monitors next to him, and he’s looking around. The only thing he can tell is that he’s in a hospital, he isn’t sure where, or how long he’s been here. He’s feeling restless already, and he’s just waking up. It’s not until he feels the hand hold his move that he turns back to the person sitting in the chair.
He doesn’t know what to say yet, Katsuki looks terrible, as if he hasn’t slept. He looks like he’s thinner than Eijirou remembers. He looks like he’s been crying for days straight. Katsuki looks at him, blinking a few times to make sure that he’s not seeing things. Eijirou’s really awake. Eijirou moves over slightly on the bed and pats his side.
“Why would you save me? You stupid fucking shitty haired idiot.” Katsuki started crying again and he doesn’t know how to stop. He doesn’t know what’s right and whats wrong anymore. All he knows is he doesn’t want to be without Eijirou again. All he knows is he doesn’t know if he’d be able to handle it.
“I love you, what more of a reason do I need?” Eijirou tries to smile, and he’s trying to stop himself from crying. He’s trying not to show how relieved he is to know that Katsuki is okay. He’s just happy he could save the person he loves.
“Why would someone so beautiful, love someone ugly like me?” Katsuki hides his face against Eijirou’s neck and holds onto his hospital gown tightly. He’s so happy Eijirou’s awake that he doesn’t even notice anything else. He can’t focus on anything that isn’t Eijirou.
“Katsuki, look at me.” Eijirou speaks softly, he doesn’t want to scare Katsuki. He doesn’t want Katsuki to think it’s his fault. He doesn’t want Katsuki to feel guilty about anything. Katsuki shakes his head and holds on tighter to Eijirou’s gown. “Katsuki.”
Katsuki can’t handle it any longer, he looks up at Eijirou. His name sounds so sweet coming from those lips. His voice sounds so sweet while speaking his name. Katsuki could get addicted to hearing Eijirou speak his name. It’s like a drug, he’d keep going back for more even if it would kill him.
“I don’t care if you’re an asshole. I don’t care about any of that. I know the asshole act is just that, an act. I know you were hurt before, but I won’t push this if you don’t want it.” Eijirou moves his hand slowly to Katsuki’s cheek and rubs his thumb across to wipe some of the tears.
Katsuki doesn’t even take a moment to think about it. He gets up quickly, climbing into the bed slowly so he doesn’t hurt Eijirou even more. Eijirou wraps his arms around Katsuki slowly and he can feel Katsuki soaking his hospital gown with his tears. Eijirou can feel himself tearing up again, but he knows he can’t cry. He needs to stay strong right now for Katsuki, he needs to remind Katsuki that he’s worth it.
It’s not until an hour later when Katsuki stops crying, but Eijirou can tell that he’s sleeping again. He can feel Katsuki hold onto him a little tighter, and he can hear Katsuki’s quiet snores. He’s not sure what to do now, because the person he’s been craving for almost a year is now within his touch. He’s not sure if they should stay together like this, or if Eijirou should tell him to go home and get some proper sleep.
Eijirou finds his phone on the table next to him. It’s turned off, probably something Katsuki did so it didn’t keep buzzing. As he turned his phone back on, it was message after message coming in. Some from Kaminari, some from Sero, most of them were from Iida talking in all caps and talking about his school work and grades slipping. He had to laugh, because even being in an accident couldn’t stop Iida from worrying about his grades.
It’s not until another few hours later when the door opens and Eijirou tightens his grip on Katsuki slightly. It’s darker now, and the lights in the room aren’t on. However, he can recognize the body that walks into the room. Midoriya Izuku is standing in the room staring at Eijirou, or maybe he’s staring at Katsuki. Eijirou pulls the blanket up over Katsuki before sliding out of the bed slowly.
“Kirishima-kun, thank god you’re awake! We’re all so worried.” Izuku is standing at the foot of the bed staring at Katsuki sleeping in the bed. Seeing Katsuki sleep so peacefully is making his blood boil, and he can’t help but feel hurt that Katsuki is with someone like Eijirou. He can’t be enough to protect Kacchan.
“Midoriya, this is a surprise. What are you doing here?” Eijirou’s voice is hoarse from not talking. His knees are a little weak, but he can’t let anyone near Katsuki. He can feel the anger radiating from Izuku, and Eijirou’s on high alert. Nobody knew where he was, nobody knew that he was in the hospital.
“I came to check on Kacchan. His mom is worried.” Izuku stepped a little closer to the bed, a little closer to where Katsuki was laying. He couldn’t let Katsuki stay here with Eijirou, not when Katsuki’s supposed to be in love with him. Not when Katsuki isn’t supposed to be able to love someone else. Eijirou’s not strong enough. It’s the phrase Izuku is repeating in his mind.
“How did you find where he was?” Eijirou stepped closer to the corner of the bed near Izuku. Nobody knew where he was, which hospital he was at. The accident wasn’t disclosed to the public after all, only that it happened. Nobody knew who it was until neither of them had shown up for classes. Eijirou didn’t understand how Izuku would have known unless he called around to every hospital in the area.
“Aizawa-sensei told me where you were. I told him I wanted to bring Kacchan’s school work.” Izuku held up the bag in his hands and placed it on the chair. He had ulterior motives to being here today. He had reasons to keep Katsuki all to himself. He didn’t want to see Katsuki with someone else, because Katsuki belonged to him.
“The accident wasn’t ever revealed. Not even Kaminari knows where I am.” Eijirou moves slowly towards Izuku. This conversation was getting weirder, because why would a teacher disclose something so personal? Why would a teacher tell another student where he was if they weren’t family? “I want the truth. Now.”
“I’m telling the truth!” Izuku held up his hands in surrender. He didn’t want to start a fight right now. Not when Eijirou was still recovering, not when Katsuki was sleeping right there. It would be easy for Izuku to hurt him, to put him back in the bed where he belongs. He didn’t want to incur Katsuki’s rage though, not when it warranted a fight. Not when it might stop his chances from taking Katsuki back where he belonged.
“Midoriya-kun, if you don’t tell me the actual truth, I will break your nose.” Eijirou didn’t need this right now, he didn’t need to fight. He would defend Katsuki to his last breath if he had to. He wouldn’t ever let anyone come near Katsuki if it meant he might get hurt. “I’m not one you want to mess with.”
“I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Izuku feigned innocence and took another step towards Katsuki. Eijirou stepped around the bed and stood in front of Izuku. He wouldn’t let anything happen to the person he cares most about. He wouldn’t let anyone hurt the person he loves. Not unless it was over his cold, dead body.
“Izuku.” Eijirou’s voice was rough, and it was angry. He didn’t like the act Izuku was putting on. It was one thing during school when Eijirou could get in trouble. Right now, though, it would be self-defense. Right now, it would be to protect someone who couldn’t protect themselves. “Truth, now.”
“You wouldn’t hurt me. Not when Kacchan loves me.” Izuku crosses his arms over his chest and smiles. His smile just proves how sure he is of himself and the fact that Katsuki loves him. He’s sure that Eijirou’s going to back down now after hearing this.
“Are you sure about that? He never seemed to care about you before. Why would he now?” Eijirou stood his ground and stared at Izuku. He wouldn’t back out now, not when Katsuki was involved. Not when Izuku was trying to take away the only thing that mattered.
“Well, it was pretty clear in middle school when we dated. Well, he dated me while I used him.” Izuku shrugged and held his ground. He wouldn’t let Eijirou take away what belongs to him. Katsuki was his, and he wasn’t going to let go without a fight.
Without another word, Eijirou pulls his fist back and punches Izuku in the nose at full force. Izuku’s lying on the floor now with blood pooling on his shirt. Eijirou shakes his hand a little bit but he can’t bring himself to regret what he did. “I warned you Midoriya.”
“You really punched me!” Izuku is trying to wipe the blood from his nose and face. Next thing he knows there’s a towel that lands on his face and he looks up. Eijirou’s standing there with arms crossed over his chest with a pissed off look on his face.
“Get cleaned up and get the hell out of here.” Eijirou is standing there staring at Izuku. He’s just sitting there with the towel against his nose. Eijirou feels a little regret for punching someone, but he deserved it. Nobody like Katsuki should ever be used for anything, not when he’s a sweet person.
“Eijirou?” Katsuki sits up in the bed and rubs his eyes. Everything is a little blurry but he can see that Eijirou’s standing at the foot of the bed. He isn’t sure how long he’d been asleep, but he has a throbbing headache. As soon as he stands up, he sees a mop of green hair sitting on the ground. “What happened?”
“He wouldn’t tell me how he found you.” Eijirou shrugged slightly before sitting on the bed next to Katsuki. Izuku was still sitting on the floor trying to get the bleeding to stop. Katsuki moves next to Eijirou slowly and leans against his side gently.
“I didn’t think it was still active.” Katsuki’s voice is soft as he speaks. He knew there was a tracker in his phone, but he didn’t think it was active still. It had been years since they broke up now, and Katsuki had moved on. He didn’t want anything to do with Izuku again, and he didn’t want Izuku anywhere near Eijirou. “When we dated in middle school, he planted a tracker in my phone.”
“You kept running off when I told you not to.” Izuku shrugged his shoulders and held the towel to his nose again. It seemed the bleeding almost stopped, but his nose was throbbing. He needed to get it fixed quickly so it doesn’t set crooked. He still can’t believe that Eijirou followed through on his threat. He also can’t believe that Katsuki is using someone’s first name.
“He isn’t an object to be won. He’s a person, and you’d do well to remember that.” Eijirou wrapped an arm around Katsuki and kissed the side of his head. Katsuki wrapped his arms around Eijirou’s waist and laid his head against his shoulder. He didn’t know what was happening, he didn’t know what would happen.
“He’s going to use you Kirishima-kun. Kacchan isn’t so simple.” Izuku stood up and threw the towel into the dirty hamper. He wasn’t going to let Eijirou win Katsuki over. He wasn’t going to let Eijirou take away what matters most to him. He regrets ever using Katsuki during middle school, but he wants to correct his actions now when it’s going to matter most.
“Deku, get lost. You screwed yourself over, and you’re bitter about it. Fuck off and let me be happy for once.” Katsuki didn’t know what else to do. Eijirou loves him back, and he wants to be with Katsuki. The only thing he knows he needs to do, is take care of Eijirou until he heals completely. If that means staying by his side at the hospital, he’ll gladly do it.
“Kacchan, you don’t belong with someone like him. He isn’t strong enough to protect you like I can.” Izuku is standing in front of them and trying to plead with Katsuki. All Izuku wanted to do was get Katsuki back and prove he could be better. All he wanted was to prove to Katsuki that he could take care of him like he deserves.
“Midoriya, I want that tracking device out of Katsuki’s phone.” Eijirou picked up Katsuki’s phone and held it out. Izuku stared at the phone like it might blow up like Katsuki tends to do. Katsuki watched Izuku’s body movements. He always had been the person to why away when someone gives him orders. Izuku took the phone slowly from Eijirou’s hand and dropped it on the ground.
“I’m sorry, I have slippery fingers. The blood you know?” Izuku smiled slightly, but it wasn’t a happy smile. He looked pissed, and he looked like he could kill somebody. Katsuki felt Eijirou’s arm tighten around his waist, and he couldn’t help but feel protected. Izuku stepped back slightly, stared down at where the phone was lying. It wasn’t broken, nowhere near, probably just a cracked screen. That’s when Izuku stepped on the phone with his full force.
“You can break my phone, but you won’t break me anymore.” Katsuki shook his head and stood up slowly. He wasn’t going to let Izuku get away with anything else now. He wasn’t going to let someone push him around, and treat him as an object. “I’m not a toy Deku. I’m not some prize that you can fucking win.”
“I hope you have a nice life Midoriya. Now please leave, I need to rest.” Eijirou moved back onto the bed to lie down. Izuku moved towards the door slowly, taking his time to leave. He wasn’t going to let Eijirou win this easily, but there was nothing he could do now. As soon as he walked out of the door, it slammed shut behind him.
“I won’t let him hurt you again Katsuki.” Eijirou moved over slightly so Katsuki could lie down next to him. He smiled slightly and once Katsuki laid down, he wrapped his arms around Katsuki’s waist. Katsuki leaned up and kissed Eijirou’s cheek slightly and hid his face against Eijirou’s chest.
“I’m holding you to that, shitty hair.” Katsuki wrapped his arms around Eijirou’s neck and closed his eyes. He felt lighter now, as if a huge weight was lifted from his shoulders. He heard Eijirou’s soft snores fill the room, how anyone could fall asleep that easily is beyond him. He smiled slightly and whispered in Eijirou’s ear, I love you.