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Katsuki is angry with him. It's not one of their normal fights either, since Katsuki would have said something by now. This is a mess and Izuku is trying to figure out why exactly Katsuki has been ignoring him, instead of talking it out.
Maybe he is moping, too? He feels like he is moping.
"Stop moping around, Deku. It's a pathetic sight."
Izuku glares at Ochaco from the floor; where he has made a new home for himself on the carpet. He throws the pillow he had been hugging at her, which she easily deflects. "Let me mope in peace. Considering the many times you asked me out for drinks, just to rant about prices going up and the bills you have to pay, this is nothing."
Ochaco is unfazed by Izuku's words and sips her tea. "Why are you here again? Shouldn't you be talking this out with your lover boy?"
"Yes!" Izuku sits up and glares at her. How many times does he have to repeat himself. "I have tried but he just keeps ignoring me!"
"Now why would he do that?" Ochaco gives Izuku a look. Izuku doesn't know why he deserves that look. He didn't do anything wrong. He reaches for another throw pillow and curls up on the carpet again. Behind him Ochaco sighs.
"I'm going to be home late. Tenya gets back at three. If you are going to stay, at least make yourself useful and cook something."
Once he hears the door close, Izuku sits up and throws the pillow onto the couch. He's being stubborn and childish but Katsuki has been ignoring him for more than a week now... It makes him antsy. Now he feels kind of bad towards Ochaco.
Izuku stays until three, cooks something as an apologise for behaving like a child, greets Tenya and goes home.
As expected, the apartment is empty. There is food on the kitchen table but no note. Katsuki will be at work until midnight. Izuku finds his way into Katsuki's room and curls up in his bed.
This ignoring thing really messes up his head. He would much rather Katsuki scream at him all week instead of this. Maybe Izuku is at fault, though. He just has to figure out why it bothers Katsuki so much.
Izuku pulls his phone out and calls someone. It's time to face the problem.
~
"It should be obvious."
"It really isn't," Izuku says. He fiddles with a loose thread on his shirt. He always feels nervous when he has to sit down in front of someone in a formal setting.
"What I don't understand is why you ask me. Wouldn't someone closer to Bakugou be more helpful?" Momo puts the folder in her hands down and pushes a button. Almost immediately one of her assistants comes in. "Give this to Shouto and make sure to get his signature immediately. The sooner we fax this to the police station, the better."
Once the assistant is out, Momo looks at him expectantly. He sighs. "You were there. You have a good understanding of the situation and I trust your judgement."
She nods, as if expecting the answer. "Yes. You are right. Then, I want you to think back to the situation and tell me exactly when things between you two changed."
"Right after the fight." Izuku doesn't have to think hard on that. Katsuki immediately walked away from him, gave his testimony and went back to their agency alone.
"No, it happened during the fight. Bakugou asked you to get the hostages to a safe place, didn't he?"
Seeing where she is going, Izuku protests, "I wouldn't let him face that many villains alone. He was already at his limit. He didn't stand a chance! And you were already there!"
Momo holds a hand up and nods. "While I agree with you, you still neglected to listen to him. You ignored him first. You didn't trust him to hold his end. The two of you partnered off as a duo a few weeks ago. It's possibly because of that as well."
Izuku doesn't know what to say. He tries to find words, but all he gets out is, "I couldn't..."
"I would advise you to take your time and think this over. Now I need to excuse myself." On her way out, she gives him a small smile. "I'm sure you will work it out."
~
Katsuki gets home at one in the morning. He's always the last one to leave the agency. Since it was Izuku's day off, he probably had more work to deal with than usual.
Izuku speaks up before Katsuki can turn the lights on. "I couldn't leave you to fight alone."
He hears how Katsuki pulls his shoes off and hangs his jacket up. There is no acknowledgement of his statement. Izuku glares at the back of their couch. He's been lying there ever since he got back.
"I would do it again."
That gets him a response at least. "I'm breaking off our partnership."
Izuku jumps into motion, immediately on his feet and glaring into Katsuki's direction. He can't really see the blond though. "Why? I couldn't have left you! They would have killed you before I even got the hostages out of the building."
"If I can't trust you to follow basic orders, I can't work with you," Katsuki replies steadily. He's still standing in the doorway.
"You need to trust my decisions, too!"
"And risk the lives of how many hostages? I could have held my own. These villains were nothing but small fries. Between you and me, you could have gotten the hostages out there faster."
Izuku takes a deep breath and tries again. Obviously, his agitation is getting him nowhere. And the fact that he let Katsuki sit on the situation for so long probably only helped his stubborn views.
"Yaoyorozu and her team were already on their way to them. We held the villains off and we wrapped it up just fine. Maybe I should have followed your orders, but my judgement told me that I had to stay with you."
"Deku." Katsuki moves towards him. He pushes Izuku until he's sitting on the couch. Izuku looks up at Katsuki's face and wishes he could see his expression but there is almost no light. "I wasn't in need of help. I was not the victim or hostage. I am your Hero partner and if you can't acknowledge that, then there is no hope for us working together."
"But-"
"You only heard from Yaoyorozu after you decided to stay and fight. You didn't know she was with the hostages. You threw the opening I made for you away and stayed, risking all those lives. Why?"
Why? Izuku doesn't want to say it. He feels terrible just thinking about it. He broke his head over the realisation for the whole week that Katsuki ignored him and the thought still terrifies him.
He reaches out for Katsuki's hand and holds it against his chest.
"Deku." Katsuki balls his fist up and grips Izuku's shirt in it.
"I can't." Izuku shakes his head. He's a terrible person. The realisation is something he could do without.
Katsuki pulls him up by his shirt and forces Izuku to look at him with his other hand on Izuku's jaw. "You are hiding shit again."
Izuku tries to shake his head but Katsuki has a firm grip on him. He holds Katsuki's hand tighter to his chest. He repeats the words he said earlier and feels his throat tighten. "I would do it again."
"Don't talk so elusive, damn it! Explain it properly."
Letting go of Katsuki's hand on his shirt, Izuku hugs him around the torso and tries to hide his face in Katsuki's shirt. The hands on his jaw and shirt loosen a bit but don't let go.
"Fucking talk already."
"If... if I had to choose between hostages and you, I would choose you." And doesn't that make him a horrible person and a terrible hero? All Might would be disappointed. Choosing one life over many and being so obviously biased, it's not something fit for a hero.
Katsuki lets go of him, so Izuku hugs him tighter. Katsuki can't leave him, not now.
Instead of leaving, Katsuki threads his fingers into Izuku's hair and squeezes his head tightly. Izuku immediately lets go of him and tries to fend the hands off his head. He repeats a litany of ouch but Katsuki isn't faltered.
After a few more minutes of Izuku flailing, Katsuki lets him go and pushes him further back on the couch. Once he's satisfied with Izuku's position, he drops down on Izuku's lap and cups his cheeks.
"You better listen carefully, shitty nerd. I am a Hero, too. Don't you dare look down on me. If I sent you off to do a task, it ain't so I can die. I obviously had a way to deal with them. The three grenades left in my belt weren't for decoration. Even if they weren't enough, I still excel in combat without using my quirk."
Katsuki stops to squeeze his cheeks tighter, suddenly furious again. "I am no one's fucking damsel in distress! If anything, it would be me saving your damn ass!" Katsuki takes a deep breath, sounding genuine when he adds, "you won't ever have to make that choice. Did you ever see me lose?"
Izuku is... well, he might be crying but that's not the point. He knows Katsuki's words are true, but he also knows that Katsuki can't know for sure, that Izuku won't ever have to make that decision. Yet, Izuku still clings to every single word and nods with a sob.
"You are still a damn crybaby."
Izuku nods again and holds on to Katsuki's hands on his cheeks. "I'm sorry," he whispers. He takes Katsuki's right hand with his own and places a kiss into his palm.
"I won't let myself die, Deku. And neither will I let you die. So, you better listen to me."
Nodding again, Izuku gives a weak smile. "No more ignoring."
That gets a laugh out of Katsuki, but he agrees. "Alright. Now let's go to bed. Not everyone had a day off today."
"Technically it's yesterday and you are still sitting on me."
Katsuki smacks Izuku's forehead and stands up to walk to his bedroom. "Mouthing off to me. See if I let you sleep in my room."
Izuku scrambles to follow him. Katsuki had locked Izuku out of his room before. Izuku might have his own bedroom but it's only his in name. Most of the time, the room is empty or serves as storage room.
"Kacchan, remember you promised not to lock me out again!"
Katsuki scoffs. "I promised no such thing."
He did. He totally did so Izuku tackles him from behind and they end up sprawled on the ground.
"Damn Nerd!" Katsuki tries to push him off but Izuku holds him down and sits on his back.
"I love you, Kacchan," he declares to the back of Katsuki's head.
In reply, he hears multiple small explosions going off. "I swear, Deku, when I get my hands on you-"
Izuku leaves a kiss on Katsuki's nape and scrambles away from him as fast as possible. Katsuki Bakugou is his image of victory. Izuku had always believed that yet he got blinded by his own fears.
He just has to remember that, and all will be fine.
Behind him, Katsuki screams bloody murder.
Izuku runs.