Work Text:
Shit. Everything hurt. Why does he do this to himself, Izuku thought. His head was aching, neck sore, probably from sleeping in an awkward position, eyes glued together, blocking out as much light as they could.
While attempting to move slowly, carefully, and promising himself he'd never drink again, Izuku found that he wasn't moving a muscle. Not even a finger, he couldn't even open his eyes.
Confusion made way for panic. Straining to remember what had happened, he realized that he had been in the U.A. training hall, Aizawa yelling instructions from the sidelines, attempting to keep track of the mess.
They were third-years, soon graduating from U.A. High School, and had improved a lot over the years. Some of them, including Izuku, had been asked to host a sort of mobility training for the first-years, pushing them to their limits and showing them how one could use their quirk, to think outside the box.
It got a bit out of hand, though, as everyone got gradually more excited to show off what they could do and not caring so much about where they were aiming their powers.
So that's how one of the students, a girl with a paralyzation quirk, let out a huge blast that she'd spent a good while collecting energy for, putting everything she had into it.
The blast had been directed at a wall that another student had just accidentally been blown to (literally, via someone's wind quirk), so Izuku, acting on pure instinct, jumped in the way and took the full blow of it.
Next thing he knew, he'd woken up, but not quite woken up, as he was conscious but he couldn't actually open his eyes or move. So in conclusion, the blast had likely caused him to lose consciousness, and now he was in a paralyzed state, in the hospital, judging by the heart monitor he hadn't noticed before, beeping way too loudly near his head.
He was startled, when he suddenly felt (Izuku noted that despite being paralyzed, he still had feeling in his body. He just couldn't move. Definitely had to take notes on that later on) the weight on him that he'd figured was just a heavy blanket, move a bit.
And calmed down again, when he heard it choke a bit, then let out a loud snore. Ah. His mom. Of course.
Izuku's mom always visited him when he was in the hospital for a longer period of time, which happened to be embarrassingly often. He felt bad, of course. His mother worried a lot and he was well aware that it caused her pain, but she still put up with it because she knew this was what Izuku needed. He admired her a lot for it.
Finding himself filled with warmth, wishing desperately he could hug her, at least grab the smaller hand he felt on his own, he instead just wished her all the well and promised he'd visit her once he woke up. Next thing he knew, he was falling asleep again, while technically already asleep.
Next time he woke up, it was to the sound of the door slamming against the wall. Who the hell slammed hospital doors?! Then he heard a muttered "shit".
Right. Kacchan. Though, it was still odd to find Katsuki visiting him, even though their relationship had improved considerably. Training to become heroes together had helped tremendously, as it allowed them to look past the little things, and focus on the future they wanted, which happened to involve each other. All Might was right, of course, when he'd said they'd work great as a pair.
After a long while of struggling, they finally became proper rivals, then, while training together, got closer to even being friends. Katsuki no longer glared at him for every little thing he said, but rather listened, even asked for his opinions. He didn't shout when Izuku was near him or put in his team, but actually favoured it. And at one point, he had started showing up at Izuku's door after classes, dragging him to train with him.
Despite all that, it was strange to find Katsuki in his hospital room, taking a seat in the chair beside the bed.
Izuku wondered what he was thinking, what he felt. Why would Katsuki visit? He wouldn't gain anything from it, couldn't discuss battle strategies with him or describe his new moves. Did he want to see him in a weaker state? He wouldn't have needed to leave the school for that, though, as Izuku seemed to be a walking magnet for all sorts of accidents. If he was awake right now, the blonde would have likely berated him for it, and called him an idiot, Izuku mused.
"Stupid nerd", he suddenly heard him grunt quietly.
Ah, not just when awake then. Fair enough.
Still, Izuku found himself mentally smiling (as his body seemed to be a bit occupied with being entirely useless), thinking it sweet that Katsuki worried. Of course, saying so out loud would earn him a couple bumps atop his head.
He imagined what the other might look like. Would he sit with his long legs spread out, arms crossed and leaning back, dangerously teetering on the chair, or would he be hunched over, hands hung loosely between his legs.
His hair was definitely a bit frazzled, light layer of sweat covering him from the afternoon training, skin definitely beginning to turn golden from the sunny weather of mid-June. He did always tan easily, as did Izuku, though his tan was accompanied with an array of freckles, while the other's skin stayed unfairly clear of any sort of pimples or blemishes. Long story short, he was beautiful.
After a long and sort of awkward silence filled the room, Izuku wondered if the other had fallen asleep, until he spoke again.
"Y'know, horse-face got all snot-nosed and gross after paralyzing the shit outta you, so you better wake up soon and apologize for being a dumbass and taking the blow."
He then proceeded to describe the events that had followed him getting hit, dropping half-dead on the floor, and escorted to the hospital. Apparently he'd been in here for just a few days, so, Izuku concluded, he'd somewhat woken up not too long after getting hit.
He made sure to keep reminding Izuku what an idiot he was for still getting into situations like these, but mostly just complained about how their classmates had reacted, freaking out, as if this wasn't a normal occurrence by now. He really wanted to laugh, when the blonde recalled how 'round face' had started floating in panic by accident, a habit Izuku knew his friend had developed after she'd trained herself not to get sick as easily, and how Iida had slipped on some ice that Todoroki had produced earlier, while sprinting to get some help.
It went on like that for quite a while. Izuku thought he'd never heard the taller speak so much before, as even during their longer conversations Katsuki spent a lot of time just listening. And Midoriya found himself enjoying every minute of it, the other's raspy voice calming him, though he refused to fall asleep, as he didn't want to miss a single word. So he stayed strong, and only once he heard Katsuki talk on the phone and say 'yeah yeah old hag, I'm heading home now', he allowed himself to finally doze off.
After a bit over a week since Izuku had accidentally decided to, quite literally, play dead, he'd come to two conclusions.
Firstly, not being able to move, but being conscious of it, was really taking a toll on him physically, leaving him sore and always kinda hungry. Secondly, it was taking an even heavier toll on him mentally, and kind of driving him insane.
Izuku was delighted to find that many of his classmates had come to visit, making him tear up (metaphorically, for once) as he considered just how lonely he used to be, feeling so very thankful for all the friends he had now. They were all so sweet too, wishing him all the best, bringing him flowers and gifts and describing the classes he had missed, Izuku quickly taking notes in his head the entire time.
At one point, it got a bit weird though.
It seems that it's part of human nature to look for outlets, and while the therapist at U.A. worked well to help you live with any traumatic experiences or the stress that heroism induced, there are some affairs you just don't speak of, even there. So instead, such topics came forth in that small hospital room where Izuku was settled. And like a teddy bear one confesses all their thoughts to, all he could do was listen, even if he didn't want to.
For example, Uraraka had visited quite a few times, being one of his best friends, often bringing Iida along. She'd said something about reading in a magazine that it was more likely for someone in a coma to wake up when a loved one was nearby, so she made sure to make room in her schedule for some 'quality Deku time'.
And while he appreciated it a lot, especially since sitting alone and not being able to even look at anything was terribly boring, he began to question her motives when she started coming to see him alone, and telling him things he probably shouldn't be hearing.
"So all morning I had really bad tummy aches, not realizing why, right? And I was kind of a mess, and hadn't realized I'd ran out of clean gym clothes, right? So then Tsu-chan was nice enough to lend me a pair of shorts, since we're basically the same size, though I have been gaining some weight while she's still skinny as a pencil so I should probably lay off the midnight snacking. Anyway, during training I was horrified when I suddenly felt something trickle between my legs, so of course I ran off to the bathroom, but it was too late, the blood had leaked and stained the shorts. It was so embarrassing, I didn't know what to do. I ended up telling Aizawa I felt sick, and rushed to go and wash the shorts."
Another time, Kaminari and Kirishima had shown up together, cracking jokes and talking energetically about their combined signature move, when the topic suddenly drifted to more private matters.
"Bro, you weren't there but at the changing room today, Sero was all like 'yo, what happened to your back man?', and then Mineta was like 'what chick did ya get to scratch you up like that?' and I played it off like oh no man, I just scraped it when i was punched into a wall, cuz my costume is topless, ya know?"
"Oh damn, really? Huh. But I mean, I can't really help it? Besides, you leave hickeys on me all the time."
"How could I not, you look delicious."
It went on like that, back and forth, for quite a while, getting into more and more detail, and honestly, Izuku didn't need to know about how rough someone was or how good Kaminari looked in certain types of clothing.
Things got especially weird when Aoyama came to visit once, and while Izuku had known he was a tad strange, in a sort of endearing way, he was still terribly confused and a bit scared.
"Bonjour monsieur. Today I've brought along a small selection of cheeses, as I'm not quite sure when exactly you'll rise from your slumber. I must admit though, I happened to be a bit tight on space, so as I know your chambers are vacant, I took it upon myself to use yours as a store room for my cheeses. Do not worry though, I'll definitely have them out before you get back."
How did Aoyama even get in his room in the first place? And why? Just. Why.
However, despite finding out all kinds of things about his friends, he still found that he liked each and every one of them.
Even if he had no idea how he'd be able to look some of them in the eye later on.
It had been maybe two weeks, maybe less (it was rather difficult to keep track of the time when you slept at random intervals and couldn't see anything) and numbers had become some of Izuku's best friends.
He had counted hundreds of things, hundreds of times, like how many times he heard the ambulance sirens from outside the open window, how often a nurse came to check his vitals, how many times his heart monitor beeped per minute, and how many times certain people had come to visit.
Most classmates came over once, as a group, a few visited a couple more times, usually just for a bit, since talking to someone in a coma likely wasn't all that fun. His mother had come for two whole days, mostly just sleeping on his lap, and Izuku knew she would've come more if she didn't have to work.
What was surprising, though, was that the one to keep him company most was actually Bakugou. It seemed that he had neglected his after-school training time (the same one that Izuku usually joined him for), and instead spent it at the hospital, talking to him, as if the other was awake.
It was mostly just him ranting about their classmates, or the 'damn extras', as he called them, but there was often a note of endearment or respect in his tone, which someone else would perhaps miss, but not Izuku.
He had come a long way, Izuku thought. There was a time when the fiery blonde would have considered everyone around him useless and not worth his attention. Now, however, he talked about how he was working on finding a way to get past Kirishima's strong defences, or improving to match Mina for her flexibility and smooth movements. Basically when past him would say 'I'm the best', then the new and improved (and still improving) Kacchan would say 'I'll become the best'.
What truly made him immensely happy, though, was how Katsuki had been opening up to him more over the past year or so. He still had a lot of walls up, but every now and then he'd loosen a brick and allow something to slip through, like thoughts about his parents, his fears, even things about Izuku.
Apparently, despite purposely denying it in the past, he still had rather vivid memories of when they'd hang out as kids, remembering some specific details that even Midoriya had forgotten. He'd also expressed apparent regret towards how he'd treated him, and even apologised, despite the fact that Izuku had forgiven him ages ago.
And as their relationship progressed, their difficult past seemed more and more like a distant memory, almost like a dream, making way for things entirely new to them, such as banter, playful arguments, heated battles not aimed at harming each other, but rather to improve together, and as of late, something Izuku couldn't quite name.
Every now and then, Kacchan would say or do something impeccably soft, like ruffle the shorter boy's hair when he was worrying too much, or compliment him when he did well in a fight. Sometimes he'd do something that didn't even seem to have a specific reason or trigger, something he did just cause he could.
Even during these past few days, with Izuku 'unconscious', he'd sometimes show his worry, telling him that he needed to wake up and eat some proper food, as his complexion was off, and how he was going to end up missing his own graduation, at this rate.
These moments never failed to make Izuku feel all warm and bubbly and a bit like he wanted to either puke butterflies or strangle the other. Wanting to harm really cute things, like kittens, was a trait humans had, he remembered. Did he find Katsuki cute? That's when the memory of the blonde giggling over something he saw on Tumblr surfaced in his head, and he was certain that yes, Bakugou Katsuki was indeed, very cute.
Speak of the devil, it wasn't really much of a coincidence, when the same boy showed up in his room again right then, as Izuku found that, as of late, the blonde happened to be on his mind pretty much all the time anyway.
As per usual, in his somewhat aggressive way, he took a seat in the chair by the bed and was quiet for a moment. But instead of his usual complains, and 'holy fuck, you have no idea how goddamn done I was with people today,' what followed the silence was some more silence, then a few awkward coughs, and finally rustling near Izuku's head.
"Look nerd. You better not fucking wake up now, of all times, cuz you'd never let me hear the end of it. Yeah, I got you fucking pansies, but only cuz you're a pansy, got it? Don't- just don't look too deep into it," he muttered, mostly to himself, as he adjusted what were apparently some pansies, in a pot or vase or whatever on the bedside table.
At that moment, for the first time in weeks, Izuku felt truly, terribly sad that he couldn't open his eyes.
You might find it stupid, for he had much bigger things to worry about, but egocentric, flamboyant, oh so adorable Kacchan, the very Kacchan who used to look at him in disgust, had bothered to go somewhere and get him a bouquet of pansies, and he couldn't even look at them, couldn't smell them, couldn't grab a few petals and carefully dry them to keep them forever. The gesture was so undoubtedly charming to him, simply because it came from Kacchan.
And he found it ironic how the blonde told him to 'not look too deep into it', as he'd said, considering the fact that overthinking and breaking thoughts down to examine every single detail was exactly how Izuku functioned. He was practically obsessive, writing in his notebooks, on his hands, anywhere where his ink could stick, and constantly muttering.
Now, Izuku wasn't an expert on botany or flowers, but he still immediately began to decipher everything he might know about pansies. What really helped was the book he had lent from Mezo (who, surprisingly enough, happened to find great delight in gardening), specifically, a huge dictionary on different types of plants, for when he'd helped his mother plant flowers in their garden.
He remembered pansies being small, colorful garden flowers, often violet, white or yellow. Being called a pansy meant being called girly or soft or just gay, not that Izuku could really argue against at least part of the definition.
The name came from the French word 'pensée', meaning 'thought', since pansies were regarded as a symbol of remembrance. He'd read that in England, when proclamations of affection were frowned upon, they used to use pansies as a means to express love or admiration, and now they symbolize 'love in idleness', describing someone who can't think of much else but their romantic interest.
So in conclusion, Katsuki likely had no idea what the flowers meant, as there's no way he would have given them to him otherwise.
That did raise the question as to why he got him flowers at all. Perhaps his mother made him do it, or a seller wouldn't leave him alone, or maybe he just thought it'd be fun to muck up someone's flower bed in front of their house.
Nevertheless, whatever the reason, Izuku felt rather shy and even more so when he heard the heart monitor speed up the slightest bit. If he could, he'd definitely have his face hidden in his elbows, a habit that still surfaced when he was really embarrassed, so perhaps it was for the best that he was unable to move for the time being.
After what felt like hours, Katsuki coughed awkwardly and finally got back into his usual routine of ranting and complaining about school. Still, while listening, Izuku was hyper-aware of the flowers presumably to his right and the strange, sort of awkward atmosphere in the room. Or maybe that was just due to his lasting giddiness, although, the other's voice did sound a bit rougher and higher pitched.
He was probably just imagining it. Maybe.
It was early July. Most schools had already gone over on summer holiday, but schooling at UA consisted of both theoretical and practical studies, meaning that most of the students were given the chance to help out on the field. This was great and all, except that it meant that the school year lasted longer overall, and that in turn meant studying and training in rather extreme heat, not that it really mattered, since a hero's work is never really done.
The windows of the hospital room were open, curtains fluttering, and Izuku could hear the birds chirping, could smell the freshly mowed grass, could feel sweat gathering on his skin, a clear indication that it would be a perfect day for going to the beach, the park, anywhere but here would be fine, if he was being honest.
Instead he just stayed perfectly still, and despite himself, listened.
"So yeah, sorry man, your toothbrush is kinda ruined. I swear I didn't mean to use it! I keep mine in the common room bathroom and I was tired and I just figured it was mine. Last time this happened, I managed to realize sooner, so my sharp teeth didn't mess it up, I have a special, resilient brush you know? So anyway, I just kinda… didn't tell you then, and you never realized, so It was fine. Uh. Maybe I should just... pretend it got stolen or something? Uh, sorry bro."
Despite wishing he didn't know he'd been brushing his teeth daily with Kirishima's saliva slobbered all over his limited edition All Might toothbrush, and kinda wanting to cry from knowing that said limited edition All Might toothbrush was now ruined, hearing this still beat not hearing anyone at all.
The nights when he couldn't sleep were the hardest. He's been bedridden before, with countless broken bones and other injuries, but at least he could move the tiniest bit, could see, could speak, at least people were aware he could hear them, so he didn't have to deal with their deepest, darkest secrets, goddamn it.
Oh well. Maybe he'll train himself to somehow not hear. Is that even possible? Could be a useful skill as a hero.
"Anyway, what else is new. Oh! Katsu-bro's been acting all weird."
Okay. Now there's some tea he didn't mind the redhead spilling.
He proceeded to talk about how Katsuki seemed distracted in class, often zoned out. His reflexes weren't as sharp in training, and he didn't even get angry as easily. Apparently their classmates were quite concerned for his health.
"Hah, they've got nothing to worry about though. I think I've got a pretty good idea what's up with him," he declared, and just left it at that.
Not for the first time, Izuku was awed at how close the two were. And definitely not jealous. Why would he be? How silly.
What did the future hero mean by his last comment though, he wondered.
"So yeah, apparently I'm lowkey lactose intolerant and my stomach is a mess. Uh, don't go anywhere near the first floor girls bathroom. It's pretty bad. Though, I guess ya wouldn't, being a boy and all," Mina mused. It was the first time she was actually visiting alone, and she certainly wasn't holding back on spilling the beans, literally- okay, TMI.
"So anyway, yeah, I don't get what explodo-boy's deal is. Seems like he's dead set on making me burst from all the cake he's forcing me to try for him. He and Sato, of all people, have been working to make the Ultimate Cake or something, I dunno, but they've gone through who knows how many recipes by now and they've all been good, but Bakugou's just not satisfied."
Izuku found himself mentally grinning at the prospect of Katsuki in an apron, covered in flour and frosting and who knows what. It was strange though. The other has never had much of a sweet tooth, so why all the cakes? Odd.
"So yeah. Please wake up, Izuku! Only you can put an end to this. I'm suffering! I'll never be able to eat cake again!"
The overdramatic, 'damsel in distress' manner complaints went on for a while, until she realized she was running late for work and stormed out, but all Izuku could do was contemplate why she thought he, of all people, could put an end to Bakugou's shenanigans. What a curious thought.
After all, that boy was an unstoppable force of nature, and that, in turn, just made Izuku even more infatuated with him.
Judging by when the nurse had last come to check up on him, Izuku felt giddy at the prospect that Bakugou should be showing up any time now.
Lately he'd find himself more and more eager, almost electrified, upon waiting for the impulsive blonde, as listening to him was, without a doubt, his favourite part of the day. He couldn't even explain why. He was delighted whenever anyone of his classmates came over, but those visits didn't leave him jumpy (metaphorically, of course) and light-headed, almost like he was floating, the way the explosive man did with just a few words.
So you can't really blame him, when he felt elevated upon hearing the door open, only to deflate when he heard a shy stutter of a hello. A woman's voice, one he didn't recognise.
Now curious, and trying to figure out who they were, the person took slow, careful steps forward and finally sat down. Their breathing was a bit off, and only after a few awkward coughs, they finally spoke.
"Uh. Hello Midoriya. I'm, uh, I'm Aki? You probably don't remember, or actually, I'm not sure how you could forget, but uh, I'm the reason you're here now?"
Ah, Horse-face. Then, Izuku instantly felt mortification crawl up his back from thinking that way about the poor girl. Damn you, Kacchan, for giving her that blasted nickname! And for creeping into his head again!
Aki-san, as she should be called, was the one who had released that incredible blow that had him paralized for weeks. He'd definitely have to ask her about her quirk later on, maybe she could even sign his notebook! Her power was remarkable and once trained well enough, she could become a fantastic hero.
"Um, so, I guess I should start off with uh. Um. I'm sorry!" she suddenly yelped, the end of the apology turning into sort of a squeal.
"I feel really really bad for putting you through this. I've never collected that much energy at once before, so I didn't even know what the result might be. I, uh, I made you a card? It's not much, but uh, I really hope you'll read it when you wake up. And I truly hope you wake up soon."
She sounded genuinely upset and Izuku felt rather bad for her. Not once had he blamed her or anyone else for the events that had happened. As far as he was concerned, it was just an accident. Still, he appreciated her coming to see him and would definitely have to reassure her once he could.
"Ah, Bakugou-san was right," she suddenly commented, totally out of the blue.
"Haha, I've been kind of moping because of this for weeks now and it was really affecting my studies. He's the one who finally told me to just come over and speak my mind, even if you can't hear me. I do feel much better, so I'm glad he smacked some sense into me, literally," the girl explained, sheepishly.
Oh his weak, weak heart. Stupid Katsuki and his stupid edgy appearance and even stupider softer side, damn him for being all badass and sexy, while still secretly caring, that stupid stupid tsundere.
He was just reflecting upon his sudden outburst of what sounded like something from a teenage girl's diary, when suddenly,
"He's pretty wonderful, honestly. Too bad he's already so terribly smitten, I'd never have a chance."
...what.
Okay. It was okay. He was fine. Everything was a-okay and he was totally not freaking out over the fact that apparently Bakugou may or may not have a rather sizeable crush on someone and that was totally fine. None of his business.
Except that maybe it kind of was, because shit, why did it sting so much. It's like someone was piercing his heart over and over again and his stomach felt tight. He wasn't sure whether he wanted to laugh or cry but whatever it is, he needed to let it out immediately, but in his current state, he couldn't. Couldn't scream, couldn't punch the pillow, it's like he wasn't even allowed to be frustrated.
And why was he even frustrated in the first place? This had nothing to do with him whatsoever and- ugh. Okay. Izuku wasn't an idiot, okay. Maybe a bit naive sometimes, and a bit impulsive, but he was pretty good at figuring out what the problem might be. Fuck.
He was screwed.
He was doing alright. Class 1A was in the countryside for rescue training and he was given the gift of an entire weekend to be alone.
Just him and his anxious head, thinking up a complex system of what relationships Bakugou might have with the people he knew, to the point of acting like a full-fledged, totally-not-insane conspiracy theorist, and he'd concluded that it was okay. He was okay.
And because he was okay, he absolutely did not freak out when he heard Kacchan's usual grumbling of 'damn door' as he stumbled in, neither did he feel the need to smack himself upon also feeling uplifted just from knowing he was there.
Gosh darn it.
"Hey nerd," he started, rather aggressively, "I'm quite angry with you. What the fuck are you doing, still snoozing around. All of us expected you to be up and about, getting into more trouble by now, stupid."
Ah, classic Kacchan, he though. So rude and totally not endearing with his tsundere-like personality and acting like a bad boy while still maintaining perfect grades and going to bed at 10pm. Yeah. He's better off. And no, he wasn't in physical pain, wanting to cry, thank you very much.
There was a moment of rustling and then he heard something being places on the nightstand. Oh god, what if they were flowers again, his heart wouldn't last.
"I feel kind of stupid now,' Katsuki quipped out of nowhere, "I was certain you'd be up by now, so I dunno if that means all of this will go to waste or what. Damn, all that effort too. Raccoon eyes will never let me forget it too, for fucks sake."
He ended the statement quietly, as if thinking out loud, and followed it with a few long, painful minutes of awkward silence, now and then interrupted by his hands rubbing together or feet shuffling on the ground. It sounded as if he couldn't quite sit still. Was Bakugou Katsuki fidgeting? The thought seemed so ridiculous, so unlikely that he'd believe it if he saw it. Which he couldn't, right then.
Then, a cough.
More shuffling, another cough.
The creak of the chair as he stood up and took a few steps away. Was he already leaving? And no, Izuku wasn't disappointed whatsoever, shush.
A pause.
And it seemed the blonde had finally made up his mind, because the next thing he knew, he was marching up to the bed again, only this time he carefully sat on the edge of the mattress, hand on the other side of Izuku's torso, gently pushing into the bed to keep his balance.
And if you think Izuku was just casual, totally chill about this, like 'oh, yeah, a very pretty boy, who he may or may not have been unknowingly crushing on since he was like ten, was leaning over him rather close, haha, no problem', then oh boy, you really don't know him. No, I assure you, he was, as Katsuki would say, 'losing his shit'.
Okay. Okay it was fine. Calm down, hakuna your goddamn tatas, Izuku. So what if from this proximity, he could feel the warmth radiating from the explosive blonde, and smell the sweetness from the nitroglycerin, kind of resembling that of burnt sugar. He could feel with every inch of his body where the bed was dipping more and more as the taller lowered, was hyper aware of every part they were touching. Could feel warm breath on his face, a bit irregular, then, on his ear, bringing goosebumps to his skin, and then a soft murmur, quiet, like telling a secret,
"Happy birthday, Izuku".
And a kiss.
Nothing big, just the smallest peck on his cheek, a soft brush of warm lips just barely touching his skin. And he. He was not okay.
The beeping of the heart monitor had slowly been speeding up for a while now, so the change was not as noticable before. Now however, it was simply embarrassing. As if the burning flush on his cheeks, spreading down to his neck wasn't enough of an indication, a bloody machine acted as an alarm, like an 'Izuku distress signal', to declare what a mess he was, for all to hear. His breathing was irregular to the point of having trouble taking breaths in the first place, his eyes crinkled, forcing them as shut as he possibly could, brow wrinkling, fists clenching and. Oh. Haha, oops.
"Deku? Deku holy shit, Deku?! You're awake?" Katsuki exclaimed in glee, then paused for a second, and then roared,
"Deku you fuckin shithead, you were awake?!"
"Aaaah, I'm sorry please don't yell!" the shorter begged, voice hoarse from weeks of not using it. He slowly, painfully peeled his eyes open, them feeling crusty and uncomfortable, and the light being much too bright.
Eyes open just the tiniest bit, the room slowly came into focus, and with that a mop of blonde hair, unfairly perfect skin, chapped lips and red eyes, open wide in an odd expression Izuku hadn't seen on the other's face before. One of wonder, anger, and dare he say, embarrassment. Oh right. The kiss.
Oh lord, Bakugou Katsuki had kissed him.
The taller seemed to finally snap out of his stupor and suddenly stood up, making a leave for the door, and Izuku just about managed to grab him by the hand, despite his fatigue. He was met with an annoyed look.
"I need to get a doctor."
"Just wait, please? Just for a bit."
Despite his obvious reluctance, he slowly took a seat in the chair again, and leaned forward, as if he was ready to get up again whenever needed.
God, it was amazing to see him again.
Izuku had been right, the other had tanned more, sporting a beautiful, golden hue. His hair was messy, yet somehow tamed as ever, jaw sharp, muscles straining as he moved, tight tank top showing off his absolutely criminal forearms. And his eyes, in their fiery redness, weren't just looking at him, but rather piercing his soul, seemingly able to see every thought, every filthy little secret Izuku might have. It was both infuriating and exhilarating, as things tended to be when the blonde was involved.
"How're you?" Izuku finally asked, nervously fiddling his thumbs.
Katsuki rose a perfectly shaped brow.
"Seriously? You're in a coma for a fucking month, and all you have to ask is how I'm doing?"
"Ah, yeah. That is kinda silly, huh," he agreed, with a nervous smile, "especially considering I have a pretty good idea of how you've been doing, since I could hear you talking and all."
"Fucking hell."
"You don't seem all that surprised."
"Besides physically, you weren't disoriented at all when you woke up, dumbass. It's not rocket science," he grumbled. And then he promptly grabbed the box Izuku hadn't noticed until then, off the bedside table, and unceremoniously dropped it in Izuku's lap. The white cardboard box was topped with a pretty red bow, but otherwise looked rather basic.
Giving Katsuki a quick glance, he carefully slid off the ribbon and opened the box, only to gasp, cough, then giggle.
Inside was a beautifully crafted chocolate cake, topped with strawberries, along with icing spelling out the word 'Deku' in big, bold letters and a drawing of what was supposedly meant to be him in his hero costume.
"Well, uh. You certainly managed to capture my messy hair."
"Oh shut up, you try drawing something in icing. The taste is all that really matters anyway, and I assure you it's the best fucking thing you'll ever have."
Then, finally, something clicked in Izuku's head.
"Wait, is that why you force-fed Mina cake to the point where she has nightmares?"
"I did not!" he croaked out, defensively, flushing a bit, not that he'd ever admit it.
Chuckling, Midoriya carefully set the cake back on the table, and turned to his childhood friend. His role-model. His rival. His crush, Izuku's brain reminded him, unhelpfully.
"Thank you, Kacchan. Not just for the cake, but for coming here and talking and uh, stuff, yeah."
"Yeah, whatever."
"No, not whatever," he announced, a bit aggressively, surprising even himself, "you- it means a lot to me. I was always looking forward to you coming over."
"Really, It's not a big deal-"
"But it is!" he demanded, and grabbed the other by the cheeks, intense eyes aimed at surprised, red ones, "you being there kept me sane, just like it always has. Despite our past, I could never imagine my life without you in it, and would never want that either. You've always been right there beside me, and I appreciate it so much, I need you to understand that!"
During his rant, his hands kept unconsciously tightening their grip, until he was squishing Katsuki's cheeks, the blonde looking very confused and silly and kind of like a fish. Izuku just sighed and looked down.
"And- and I was really happy when you kissed my cheek," he mumbled, quietly, embarrassed, "even though I know you already like someone-"
"Wha?"
Finally, Katsuki took hold of his hands, and loosened his grip a bit so he could talk normally.
"The hell are you on about?"
Oh man, he was angry, wasn't he? Determinedly keeping his gaze downward, he figured there was no going back now.
"I uh, heard that you were apparently 'terribly smitten' with someone. Kirishima perhaps? And that's okay, I'm sure they like you too, and I hope it goes great!" he croaked out, angry at his awful attempt at sounding cheerful.
"Deku."
He acknowledged the other, still keeping his face down.
"Izuku," the hero tried again, prompting the boy to look up in surprise at hearing his real name leaving the others lips. How pretty it sounded, in Katsuki's voice.
His surprise only grew when the blonde mirrored his position, placing his own hands on the shorter's cheeks, and offered him a grin.
"Honestly, use that bloody head of yours, for once," he simply stated, and promptly placed his mouth over Izuku's.
Squawking, Izuku fumbled for a second, before his brain caught up and he was kissing back. This- explained a lot, actually, he mused. And yet, he'd never even dared to consider Katsuki might like him back. So much for not being an idiot, huh.
That was far from his thoughts at that moment, though, as he had Kacchan's warm, chapped lips pleasantly against his own, his warm breath tickling his nose, tasting of something sweet, and Izuku couldn't have been happier.
Both of them paid no mind to the heart monitor cheerfully announcing the exact state of Izuku's mood, and the amused nurse waiting by the door. Ah, young love. She could give them another minute or two.
As it turned out a couple days later, Aki's paralyzation could be broken, if induced to a big enough shock, something she'd just then figured out. So as it happened to be, Katsuki literally woke him up from a coma with a kiss.
The few people that knew about it, meaning their entire bloody class because Uraraka just couldn't keep quiet, continued, and likely wouldn't stop calling him after different Disney characters, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty being most popular. Katsuki was dubbed as Prince Charming, though, so maybe it wasn't so bad.
Izuku was still being kept at the hospital for a bit, running tests, and he was getting antsy to head back and catch up to the others. They'd celebrated his birthday and 'awakening' in his hospital room, and the cake really was, as Katsuki had said, the best fucking thing he'd ever had. Speaking of Katsuki, the two of them were inseparable, yet nothing seemed all that different. They'd always been right there beside each other anyway, just now they could be a bit more aggressive and 'ew, guys, cut it with the PDA' about it.
And if he later ended up sneaking out of his hospital room and heatedly snogging the explosive blonde in the broom closet, then nobody was any the wiser.
After all, they had many years to make up for, and many years to do so.