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Police sirens echo in the background. He knows they’re coming to stop him. People below have already pulled over to gather and either watch or attempt to catch him should he finally take the step off.
“Don’t do it!” A gruff voice calls to him. He turns around and meets with piercing, red eyes staring straight into his soul.
His name is Izuku Midoriya, he’s only twenty-four years old. This is his Christmas Miracle.
Izuku hums to the tune of “Deck the Halls” as he decorates the house for Christmas. He’s already got the Christmas lights up and the decorations in the yard and on the house. He’s just waiting for his girlfriend, Ochako Uraraka, to come home so they can set up and decorate the tree.
Izuku hears the door unlock and immediately puts down the ornaments he’s grabbing out of his Christmas Time box. He heads into foyer to greet Ochako and is met with his friend, Shouto Todoroki, instead. “Oh. Todoroki-kun-”
“Shouto.”
“R-Right. Sorry. Shouto-kun. What brings you by?” It takes Izuku a few seconds before he tilts his head at the two-toned man. “And how did you get into my house?”
“Izu-kun, I’m home~! Oh, you’re right there.”
Ochako drops the bags she’s carrying to give Izuku a kiss on the cheek. “Welcome back, Ochako. Did you pick To- er, Shouto-kun up on your way here?”
Ochako nods vigorously. “Yep, yep. I also found Iida-kun in the shopping center too. So we all piled into my car on our way to go pick your uncle up from the airport.”
Izuku nods as he holds the door open to allow everyone into his home. When his uncle walks in, looking emaciated as always, he just smiles fondly. “Welcome home, uncle Toshi. How was America?”
“It was nice. David might be onto something in latest research breakthrough.”
Izuku grins widely. “That’s great. He’s getting really close to finding a universal cure for all types of cancers…” Izuku looks down, his smile a little sadder now. “Even… the one you have…”
Toshinori just nods solemnly as he ruffles Izuku’s hair. “Don’t think about that, for now, my boy. We noticed your hard work on the outside.”
“Yes! You’ve been very diligent in your festivities today, Midoriya!” Iida grins as Izuku laughs it off.
“Izu-kun loves this time of year! Anyways! I got muscle, so let’s decorate this house!” Ochako pumps her first into the air as she doles out tasks. Shouto was on interior light duty, Deku was on tree duty, Iida’s got hanging ornaments high up on the tree, and Toshinori’s got hanging ornaments lower on the tree. Ochako, herself, was preparing dinner for everyone.
After the whole house is decorated, Izuku and Shouto flop onto the couch as Iida and Toshinori settle themselves down into the recliners.
“Thank god it’s all up. I know it’s only a few days after Halloween, but I love this time of year so much. Oh, uncle Toshi, I was meaning to ask, did the flights cause you any trouble?” Izuku looks over at the blond man.
Toshinori sh akes his head. “No. Luckily, I didn’t have any complications. I was a bit winded after we landed both times, but relatively fine.”
“If you don’t mind my asking, Yagi-san, what kind of cancer do you have?” Shouto tilts his head as Iida throws him an incredulous look.
“ You can’t just ask someone that!”
Toshinori laughs and shakes his head, waving his hand as if to wave off the notion. “It’s quite alright, Iida-san. I have two different cancers: stomach cancer and lung cancer. On top of it, I also have emphysema of my left lung. They’ve already biopsied pieces of my left lung and my stomach to remove it but it’s still there.”
Izuku sits quietly as his uncle talks. His eyes are glossed over as his brain goes wild thinking about everything that’s happened in his life.
“That’s quite serious. If you don’t mind answering, since you seem open to talk about this, what stage is it at?” Iida asks, leaning forward to look at the older man. They’d all know Izuku’s uncle had cancer, but they didn’t know much beyond that until now.
Toshinori’s silent for a moment before he inhales deeply. “... stage four.”
Iida and Shouto exchange shocked expressions. “Isn’t that… the last stage?”
Izuku looks up with an out-of-place frown on his face as Toshinori speaks. “It’s called end-stage cancer when it gets into stage four. That’s because the cancer is already spread too far. Stage one is relatively treatable as it’s contained to one area. A simple biopsy could probably remove it. Stages two and three is when the cancer spreads to surrounding tissue and lymph nodes. Stage four… it’s spread throughout the body.”
Izuku finally speaks, hair covering the sad look in his eyes. “The chances of surviving cancer when it enters stage four drop drastically. At stage one, it’s around 80% to 99% with current medicine. Stage two is about 75% to 90%. Stage three stands at 60% to 75%... stage four drops down to 1% to 27%. A bigger range, but a smaller chance depending on the type of cancer.”
Eyes are on Izuku as he rambles on, obviously having thought about this a lot. “For example, pancreatic cancer has a 1% chance in stage four, while breast cancer has a 27% chance in stage four. But combine emphysema with stage four adenocarcinoma and you get 1%, maybe 2% survival rate even with chemotherapy…”
Toshinori sighs. “Izuku, my boy…”
Izuku looks up at his uncle, tears threatening to spill from his eyes. “You’ll suffocate to death before the cancer actually takes you!”
Izuku shoots up out of his seat and runs out the door, tears streaming down his face. He knows he’s being selfish. But it’s just not fair. He knows he should be enjoying his time with his uncle while he’s got it, but he can’t bear to look at him. Five years ago, the man was the picture of health. Muscles for days and incredibly full of energy. Now… now this man was frail, sickly, and barely awake half the time.
He couldn’t stand the thought of losing one more person in his life. He’d already lost enough.
Papers shuffle [a] [b] [c] [d] around as a prickly blond finishes writing his police report. Katsuki Bakugou wanted to be more than just a glorified security guard, but doing paperwork was not what he had in mind when he went through the training to become a police officer. But he supposed it was the quid pro quo for being able to own a gun and a taser. Not that he was allowed to use his gun except in absolute dire circumstances.
That was fine with him. He liked tackling assholes to the ground and brawling with crooks better. He was probably the most fit member of his department, next to Kirishima, of course. The redhead is an absolute gym nut.
“Hey Bakugou. You just finished with the paperwork?”
“Why do you ask, Shitty-hair?”
“Well… Mina and I were gonna go to the Karaoke bar later, did you wanna come with?”
“Do I look like I sing?”
Kirishima laughs and shakes his head. “No, but you look like you could use a drink, and I’m buying.”
Katsuki rubs a hand over his face with a sigh. “Is Dunce-face coming?”
“Who, Kaminari? Most likely, yes. Why?”
Katsuki just groans. “That means he’ll probably bring Eyebags.”
Kirishima chuckles. “Ah, c’mon. Shinsou’s a good guy. And! He makes Kaminari really happy.”
“I know that but Shinsou’s an asshole. He’s a prissy know-it-all who thinks he’s better than everyone just because he’s so fuckin’ smart.”
Kirishima snickers. “Sounds like you.”
“Oh shut the hell up.”
“So you in or nah? I really think you should come… you’ve been dealing with a lot of holiday jumpers lately…”
Katsuki immediately goes silent, face hardening at Kirishima’s words. “‘Tis the fuckin’ season…”
Of all the calls, he hadn’t been able to save a single jumper. All of them jumped before the fire department could get their with their trampoline. Katsuki was starting to get a body count.
“Fine. I’ll go. But don’t expect me to sing.”
Kirishima grins ear-to-ear. “Don’t worry. You won’t have to!”
Lights and music. That’s all Katsuki registered as he downed his sixth beer of the evening. It was too noisy in the Karaoke room for his tastes. In fact, it was starting to give him a migraine with how horribly his friends all sang.
Feigning to go get more beer, Katsuki left to drink at the bar instead of the room they were renting out. It was a lot quieter out here and Katsuki could actually think. His mind reeled from the past week alone. Six jumpers. All of them now dead. And Katsuki couldn’t save a single one.
Gripping his glass tighter, Katsuki glared into the brewed yeast as if daring it to talk back to him. Suddenly, Katsuki felt a presence as the seat next to him was taken up. The blond lifted his head to look over and see a man with Christmas tree-colored hair and freckles that dotted his face like stars.
He was rather plain but also, in a way, very beautiful and cute.
How the fuck can you be beautiful, plain, and cute all at once? Katsuki grumbled as he drank more of his beer.
The man next to him ordered a shot of their strongest vodka before slumping, laying his head on the table.
Against, Katsuki’s better judgment, he decided to engage the seemingly-depressed man in some conversation.
“What’s got you down?”
The man perks his head up and looks over at the blond before giving a sheepish smile. “Oh, uh, nothing. Just seasonal depression. You know. It’s that time of year and it’s stressful.”
Katsuki quirks a brow. “I don’t know you but I’m already calling bullshit on that.”
The man jumps a little at the bold accusation. “Wh-What? Why?”
Katsuki shrugs. “You look like you’ve got somethin’ on your mind. If it’s any consolation, you can tell me about it. You’ll probably never see me again so there ain’t no need to be worried about me judgin’ ya. Besides. I don’t give a fuck about that kinda shit. I don’t judge people for shit that’s got them burdened.”
The man smiles a small smile to himself. “Well… since you’re offering…” He runs a hand through his wild, forest green hair before downing the shot that’s set in front of him. “My uncle has stage four lung cancer and stage four stomach cancer… they don’t think he’ll make it through Christmas…”
Katsuki’s face falls a bit at that. “That’s… gotta be rough. Do you have anyone to talk to? Your parents?”
The green-haired man shakes his head, curly hair bouncing as he did. “No. My dad left me when I was only four and my mom died when I was sixteen. He’s… really the only I have left.”
“What about your grandparents?” Katsuki was starting to feel increasingly worried. He hoped this guy wouldn’t become another holiday jumper.
“Don’t know ‘em. My parents ran away when my mom got pregnant with me. So… I never met them.” The man sighs and rests his head on the table.
“What about a girlfriend?”
The man nods. “Yeah. I do have a girlfriend. But we rarely see each other during this time of year. She’s a retail manager, and during this time of year she’s always at the shop because it does extraordinarily well. Then I’m a postmaster, so I’m constantly delivering presents like some sort of Santa.” The man chuckles at the last part. “We really won’t see each other until Christmas day… well, besides today. She’s at home decorating the house… My house…”
“Then what the fuck are you doing here? Life’s too short and precious to spend it at a bar. Go home and enjoy what time you’ve got left with your uncle. Share some of that time with your girlfriend.” Katsuki chugs the rest of his beer down with ease.
“What about you? You’re at a bar.” The man points out with a coy smile.
Katsuki snickers and shakes his head. “You got me there. To be honest, I’m actually here with some friends. They’re doing karaoke but the lights and sound were giving me a migraine so I stepped away for a moment.”
“You weren’t brooding?”
Katsuki stops in his track and gives the man a scrunched up face but a playful one. “You fuckin’ got me. I was broodin’, too. How about we both go back and enjoy our time with our loved ones, yeah?”
The man smiles and downs one more shot before paying with a nod. “Yeah. Thank you. Uh…. what’s your name?”
“Don’t need to know. Remember? You were just lightenin’ your load with a stranger.” Katsuki gives him a peace sign before heading back to the karaoke section.
Last Week of November
Izuku hums to himself as he buzzes around, preparing food for his uncle and girlfriend. They didn’t live in America, but his uncle was very fond of American traditions, so they celebrated Thanksgiving every year. They’d even call his uncle’s friend, David Shield, to wish him a Happy Thanksgiving as well.
“I know it’s weird. It’s not… Japanese at all, but it makes my uncle happy,” Izuku states as he finishes preparing the stuffing. “Let’s be honest though. Finding all of this stuff is extremely hard. Have to go to the Western shop to get it all. But it’s part of the fun.”
Ochako just giggles with a smile. “You like making it, so it’s a nice tradition to have.”
As they finish setting up the table, the door unlocks and Izuku rushes to help his uncle inside. “Hey, uncle Toshi. Happy Thanksgiving.”
“Happy Thanksgiving, my boy.”
His uncle had gotten weaker and couldn’t walk as well anymore. He could make it to the front door from the taxi but after that, he’d be too spent.
“Here, uncle Toshi. Let me help you to the table. The turkey’s almost done. Just got about ten more minutes before it can come out of the oven,” Izuku smiles as he sits his uncle down in the comfy chair at the table.
“Thank you, my boy. You’ve come a long way. You’re Thanksgiving meals are my favorite part of the year.”
Izuku giggles nervously and rubs the back of his head. “Thank you, uncle. I know how much you like your stays in America. You used to love going there all the time on business trips. Your best friend is even American!”
Toshinori laughs a little bit as the timer goes off.
They quickly settle into an American Thanksgiving Day dinner.
After dinner, Ochako grabs up the plates and begins doing dishes.
“Here, uncle Toshi. Let me help you to the couch.”
Toshinori holds up his hand and shakes his head. “I’ve recovered my strength, Izuku. I’ll be fine. Thank you though.”
Izuku nods before going to the kitchen to help Ochako with the dishes. He was on dryer duty.
“I’m glad you were able to have Thanksgiving with him…”
Izuku nods solemnly. “Maybe… maybe he’ll make it through Christmas…”
“Izu-kun…”
“I know… it’s wishful thinking. But I can hope. I know… I know I won’t have him much longer. But… I hope he makes it through Christmas. Please… just let him have one last Christmas with me. That’s all I ask…”
Izuku sniffles as Ochako stops washing the dishes to rub his back soothingly. Izuku smiles up at her before turning sharply at the sound of a loud thud.
“Uncle Toshi, are you okay in there?”
A beat of silence and no response.
“Uncle Toshi?”
Still no response.
Ochako and Izuku exchange looks of concern before Izuku sprints into the living room to find his uncle collapsed on the ground just before he reached the couch.
“Ochako! Call 1-1-9!”
Ochako rushes in to see Toshinori and gasps, digging out here phone to immediately call emergency services.
“Hello? Yes! I need an ambulance to 14-15, Shiba 5-chome, Minato-ku! … I have an elderly man down. He’s suffering from cancer and needs to be taken to a hospital, stat! … Thank you!”
Ochako hangs up as Izuku starts doing chest compressions. “Izuku, what are you doing?”
“He’s not breathing Ochako! I can’t detect a pulse!” Tears were already streaming down Izuku’s face as he gives two rescue breaths before continuing his chest compressions. “I gotta save him!”
Izuku sits outside the room his uncle was in as the nurses did what they had to do. He couldn’t hear a thing. He already knows the answer as he locks his hands together and just looks down at the ground. Ochako sits next to him and just rubs circles into his back as soothingly as she can.
“I’m so sorry, Izuku.”
He could hear her words, but couldn’t register their significance.
Finally, a nurse steps out of the room and Izuku bolts from his seat. He already knows the grim truth, but he’s still clinging to a sliver of hope that his uncle made it out alive.
“I’m sorry, Midoriya-san. Your uncle passed away at precisely 8:42 PM. If it’s any consolation, he didn’t suffocate to death because of the cancer . His body simply grew too weak to keep him awake and he slipped away more peacefully than what normally would’ve occurred with those who suffer from stage-four lung cancer.”
Izuku sucks in a quick breath and nods. Normally, he’d bawl his eyes out. But just like when his mother died, he tucks it away into his heart. He doesn’t let it out.
“I… see… I guess I’m just glad that it was a peaceful death for him.”
The nurse nods. “His body will be taken to the morgue for autopsy and report. He was an organ donor so his organs will be inspected for anything usable. Given his cancer…”
Izuku nods. “Yeah. Gotta see if there’s any healthy tissue that benign… to save another’s life… I understand.”
The nurse proceeds to give him a card with a sad smile. “It’s a grief counselor. As you are the last in your known family alive, it can be a very trying time. We advise you to seek help but we cannot force you. If you need help with memorial services, head towards the morgue on the bottom floor and right at the receptionist’s desk are brochures with information.”
Izuku just nods.
Ochako takes him into her arms and gives the nurse a small smile. “Thank you, nurse. You’ve been really helpful. I’ll help him from here.”
The nurse nods before calling up a mortician to collect the body for autopsy. “We’ll give you a call when the ashes are ready to be collected.”
Ochako nods and walks Izuku to the waiting area so he can sit down.
“Hey, Izuku, hun, how are you feeling?”
Izuku’s head reels as he shakes his head. “It’s… unreal… I knew it would happen. But… I always had hope that he’d pull through somehow…”
Ochako hugs Izuku to her and kisses his forehead. “Why don’t you call a taxi home? I’ll gather information and take the car home. You should probably call out of work tomorrow.”
Izuku shakes his head. “No… I don’t want to sit and think about it. I just… wanna work for now… just until after the holidays…”
Ochako chews her lip but nods. “Okay, Izuku. Just know that I’m here for you…”
Izuku nods before getting up and calling a taxi back to the house.
Two weeks later
Izuku mindlessly does the dishes after dinner, brain not quite thinking. He’s afraid that if he thinks, all he’ll think about is uncle. If he thinks about his uncle, he knows he’ll break down. He can’t do that now. Not during this time of year. It’s supposed to be merry, and jolly, and happy, and festive.
But Izuku feels none of that at all. It feels like his soul has been drained from his body.
“-ku. Izuku!”
Izuku blinks and snaps his head to the entrance of the kitchen. “Oh. Ochako. When did you get home?”
Ochako frowns. “I’ve been home for three hours! We had dinner together!”
Izuku looks down and realizes he’s doing the dishes. “Oh. I’m sorry… I must have spaced out…”
“Izuku… you’re not the same anymore. You space out, you forget things, you don’t even really have emotions anymore. It’s like you’re a robot that dumps its memory each night.”
Izuku stops doing the dishes and looks at Ochako. “I’m sorry, Ochako. It’s just been rough.”
“I know, Izuku. But you won’t open up to me, or our friends. You just… shut everyone out… we’re here for you. Please… talk to us,” Ochako places a hand on his shoulder. He shrugs it off and scrunches his face up in pain. He doesn’t want to think about.
“No… I don’t want to think about it right now, Ochako. Not yet. Let’s wait until after the holidays…”
“Izuku. I know you. You did the exact same thing when your mother died in high school! You don’t talk about it. You shut everyone out and bottle it up inside until you can’t take it anymore. Then you go into a rage until finally breaking down. That’s not healthy. Let it out, Izuku. Yeah, it’s the holidays, but-”
“ Uraraka [e] , I said no!”
Ochako takes a step back and inhales. “Then… I can’t be with you. You’re so unwilling to change your bad emotional habits that devastate you and hurt those around you. If you’re not willing to open up… then what am I even doing here?”
Izuku looks away, not giving her a reply.
Ochako inhales before stepping forward, kissing his cheek softly. “This is goodbye, then, Izuku. I love you and I always will. But… I can’t watch you do this to yourself. Not again. It tore me apart the last time and it will really break me this time… especially since we are… were… dating…”
Ochako gathers a few of her clothes and packs them into a small suitcase. “I love you, Izuku. But… I can’t take the emotional burden of watching you torture yourself like this. It’s unhealthy for both you and me. Goodbye. If you need me, I’ll be at Shouto’s and Momo’s place until I find a place of my own… I hope… you find some peace.”
The door clicks shut as Ochako walks out of Izuku’s life. Izuku shakes his head and goes back to doing the dishes. He doesn’t want to think, only do.
December 24th
Izuku bundles himself up as he walks through downtown Ikebukuro. It’s cold and he’s alone. Ochako broke up with him a couple weeks ago, his mom passed away when he was sixteen, his dad left when he was four, and his uncle recently passed away due to cancer.
This couldn’t be a worse Christmas… At least I got myself something so I don’t go insane from the crushing loneliness…
Izuku’s mind had taken a dark turn. After Ochako left, he started thinking and spiraling. He drinks nightly now, mixing vodkas and drinking spiked eggnog. As he goes to make a turn down an alleyway as a shortcut to his house, he bumps into a stranger.
“Pardon me…” He goes to skirt around the man, but the man steps back into his way. Looking up, Izuku sees a tall, well-built man.
“Can… I help you…?” Izuku tilts his head as the man grins maniacally.
“Why yes you can…”
Izuku lies in the alleyway as a crumpled mess. Bruises and blood adorn his body as he finally gathers his wits about him to stand up. The nice item he bought was mugged from him. Izuku could feel the tears leaking out of his eyes.
“This really sucks… I’m cold, alone. I was just robbed and beat up on New Year’s eve… This can’t get-” Izuku shuts his mouth. “The last time I said that, it got worse…”
Izuku shivers as he hugs himself, continuing down the alleyway. They had even stolen his warm parka. “That… was a gift from my mom…”
As he makes his way to the bridge that crosses over the main highway and leads to his house, he stops. Looking out over the edge, a very dark thought comes to the forefront of his mind.
“What… even is the point…? Everyone I ever loved left me… I’m alone on Christmas eve. I’ll wake up to an empty house on Christmas day… and it’ll be like that for the rest of my years. Why bother…?”
Izuku sniffs as he takes of his shoes and climbs over the edge of the railing. He looks down at the cars passing below him, bracing himself on the rails. “If I take a leap now… it’ll be over quick. Before I know it… Nobody would miss me… I don’t have a person to come home to anymore… not my mom, my uncle… not a girlfriend... “
More tears shed but he doesn’t make a sobbing noise. “I’m all alone… and I just want this to end. I want to see my mom again. I want to see uncle Toshi…”
I want to be at peace…
“Unit 9, what’s your location?”
Katsuki sighs as he picks up the radio in the police car. “I’m near Aosaki Bridge in downtown Ikebukuro. Why?”
“What would be your ETA to Aosaki Bridge?”
Katsuki tenses up a bit, fearing where this was heading. “About five minutes. Why?”
“We’ve got another holiday jumper.”
Katsuki clenches his jaw tightly. “I… I can’t… I won’t make a difference. I haven’t thus far, and-”
“Bakugou, listen to me. All those deaths are not on you. You never know whose life you could save. Please head to Aosaki Bridge until the Fire Department arrives.”
Katsuki inhales deeply but nods to himself. “Roger…”
He flips on his lights and immediately makes a U-Turn back towards Aosaki Bridge. He’d just driven through there about fifteen minutes ago. What could’ve happened in fifteen minutes?
Katsuki makes it to the bridge in record time, turns his lights off, and gets out of the car. As he walks up, he recognizes a familiar forest-green hair that looks like a Christmas tree. As he angles himself around to get a closer look at the man’s face, he notices the freeway has stopped up traffic. People have gathered at the bottom of the bridge to either watch the man commit suicide or attempt to catch him. People had gathered on the bridge to.
“I need everyone to clear away.”
The crowd slightly disperses as he makes his way toward the man. Upon seeing the star-like freckles on that familiar face, Katsuki can’t help himself.
“Don’t do it!” His voice is gruff as it rips through his throat in a sort of panic.
The man looks up at him and his eyes widen.
“You’re the guy from the bar… I thought you said we wouldn’t see each other again because we’re strangers…”
“Apparently I lied… but I’m glad to see you again. So I can tell you… please don’t do it…”
The man shakes his head. “What’s the point…?”
“Your uncle.”
“He passed away shortly after the American Thanksgiving…”
Katsuki feels that in his heart. “Your girlfriend.”
The green-haired man laughs almost maniacally. “What girlfriend? She dumped my sorry ass… I don’t have anyone. I’m truly all alone in this world now…”
“No you’re not.”
“Who-”
Before Katsuki can stop himself, he blurts out, “Me. You have me. You may not know me but we can get to know each other. Let’s be best friends, you and I!”
The man stares at him as if he grew a second head. “Don’t… pity me like that…”
“I’m not pitying you! I just… I can’t watch another soul go to waste like this. And if it’s because you need a friend, then I’ll be your friend. If it’s because you don’t have anybody to spend Christmas with, spend it with me. From here on out. You’ll never have to spend a Christmas alone, and… and neither will I!”
Green eyes widen as they look into carmine ones. “You’re… alone on Christmas, too?”
Katsuki nods. “Yes. I’m an only child. While I still have my parents, they spend it every year in Milan away from me. So… really, you’d be doing me a favor by spending Christmas with me…”
Katsuki takes a shaky breath as he slowly extends his hand, having slowly crept forward the entire time. “Can you do me that favor? Can you… make my Christmas a little less lonely?”
The man’s eyes water as the firetruck pulls up and he nods. Edging himself towards Katsuki. Taking his hand, and safely coming back onto the road. Katsuki couldn’t help but pull the man into his arms and give him a warm, tight hug.
I… actually save someone… He didn’t jump… I saved him…
Katsuki could feel the tears well up in his eyes. In a way, this young man had saved Katsuki, too.
The firemen come over and give the green-haired jumper a blanket as the ambulance pulls up.
“I’m gonna be honest with you. They’re probably gonna wanna put you in a mental institution, but right now you need to be patched up. What happened?”
The man looks up at him. “I don’t talk to strangers.”
Katsuki snickered a bit. “I’m Bakugou Katsuki. You are?”
“Midoriya Izuku. Hey Bakugou-”
“Call me Katsuki. We’re best friends now, right, Izuku?”
Izuku just gives a small, pathetic smile. “Katch… Katschu…”
Katsuki chuckles a bit. “Or you can call me ‘Kacchan’. It’s a nickname I had when I was a kid because my name was so difficult to pronounce. But c’mon, you’re a grown ass adult.”
“Kacchan… I like that… it makes it so familiar… You can… call me ‘Deku’. As a kid that was my nickname because you could read my name that way as well…” Izuku’s cheeks tint a light pink. “Though, I kinda dropped it when I entered middle school…”
“Kacchan and Deku we are then. C’mon. Let’s take you to the hospital. I’ll see if they can postpone admitting you until after Christmas…”
Izuku nods and follows Katsuki into the ambulance.
One Year Later
“Hey, Izuku. Wow! I like your new place!” Ochako looks around the place as she takes her shoes off at the front door. “How’ve you been doing?”
“Better. Kacchan’s been really helpful. I had… a lot of problems up here.” Izuku taps his temple with a sheepish grin. “Anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder. A lot… but he’s been with me through it all…”
“That’s good. I’m glad to see you back to your old self,” Ochako smiles at Izuku.
Izuku just nods. “How are you and Iida?”
“We’re good… I’m glad you can still be our friend and… you’re not mad…”
Izuku just smiles to himself, a red tint to his cheeks. “Well… I found my own special someone.”
“Oh? Izuku, who-”
“Babe, why are all these cars parked outside our hou-”
All eyes land on Katsuki as he enters the house, arms full of groceries. He looks over at Izuku. “You didn’t tell me we were gonna have guests, asshole.”
Izuku chuckles and shakes his head. “I didn’t know. I’d given them the address a while back but they decided to stop by unexpectedly.”
“Rude. I ain’t got enough food for four people.”
Before anyone else can speak, a flush is heard and Shouto Todoroki walks out and stands near the kitchen.
“Actually… there’s five. Possibly six, if Yaoyorozu’s on her way.”
Katsuki drops the groceries on the floor and throws his hands up. “I give up. We’re ordering food in. Is this gonna be a fuckin’ tradition now?”
Izuku gets up and catches Katsuki hand to stop him. Standing on his tiptoes, he gives the blond a kiss on the cheek. “I’d really like that. Christmas would never ever be lonely. Always lively.”
Katsuki pouts. “Aren’t I enough?”
“Always, Kacchan. But it’s nice to have friends over, too.”
Katsuki rolls his eyes and digs out his phone. “Fine, but you gotta call Kirishima and the others, too. Your friends aren’t the only ones allowed to have fun at our new place.”
“Roger! Oh, and Kacchan!”
Katsuki turns around just to be grabbed by the man he saved a year ago and pulled into a fierce kiss.
“I love you.”
Katsuki’s cheeks burn. “Honestly… I think you saved me that day…”
“Huh…?”
Katsuki shakes his head, pulling Izuku in for one more kiss. “Merry Christmas, Deku.”
“Merry Christmas, Kacchan.”