Work Text:
[ Sorry, “BAKUGOU KATSUKI” can't answer the phone right now. Please leave a message after the tone: BEEP ]
“-...Ka-.. cchan... I...”
---
Katsuki throws the cuffs on the villain he had caught trying to terrorize a restaurant. Katsuki's favorite restaurant, specifically. He was there on his day off getting take out to bring back for him and Izuku to have for dinner and the unlucky soul just had to pick this place at this time. He might have been on his day off, but a hero never really stops being a hero.
He hands over the guy to the cops to take back to the station. The dumbass had fainted as soon as Katsuki got a hit in. Punched him right in the jaw and he tumbled down laying unconscious by the entrance of the restaurant. As he was about to leave, he gets stopped by the officer who needed a statement and a report from Katsuki, but he absolutely did not feel like doing that shit right now and the food was going to get cold. He lets them question him for the report and tells them to fuck off once they asked enough, turning around to go walk back to their apartment.
The officer definitely yelled something about proper paperwork, but Katsuki just ignored him. It's not something they couldn't do themselves, it was just a waste of time for heroes when they could be kicking ass instead of sitting in an office all day. Working in an agency together usually meant it was Deku that would handle more of the paperwork, as well as their interns and sidekicks. They usually fought villains together so it didn't matter who did it as long as it was done.
Katsuki and Izuku have been hero partners for about five years, a couple of years after UA. They had been romantic partners for six. They had gotten closer after all the shit that happened in their first year. Forgiveness and redemption were a big part of their relationship that they had to undergo whether it was for each other or themselves, though it was mostly Katsuki that had to. Once they graduated, everyone mostly went their separate ways to fulfill their dreams and promises, including the wonder duo. They ended up not speaking for a whole year until Deku came back from America showing up out of nowhere at Katsuki's apartment with luggage in hand.
They didn't speak when they first laid eyes on each other. Once he walked into the apartment, Katsuki did what any normal person would and proceeded to punch him right in the face. Deku let it happen, spouting apologizes after apologizes for not contacting him or anyone for a full year while he was in another damn country. After they talked, more revelations were made, and tears were shed. Katsuki admitted to not wanting to be apart from his childhood friend, not knowing whether he was still alive or not was the worse of it. It took a lot of courage to admit something so vulnerable to his friend, but it was something that was needed to be said. They shared their first kiss that night and many others after that.
They've gotten into the habit of falling into each other's steps and were extremely synchronized in their work. The wonder duo, as they were called, continually fought for the number one spot from each other. They were only partners by name and not officially, so they were still separate for the hero rankings. They didn't mind though, the rivalry motivated them even more to be the best of the best and they wouldn't want it any other way.
---
Katsuki made it back to their apartment without any other distractions, now he just had to wait for the nerd to come back from patrol which shouldn't be too long. He went to grab his phone in his pocket to check the time and noticed it wasn't on his person. He furrows his brows. Shit, did I leave it at the restaurant?
He sets the containers on the counter and notices the familiar sleek, green phone case on the coffee table. He goes to pick it up and the screen lights up with a few notifications on the lock screen. A few voicemails from Deku and text messages from Deku and a couple of others. He wonders if something happened for the nerd to be reaching out so much, but he also knows Deku rambles just as much on texts as he does in person. He ignores the slight pit in his stomach as he sits down on the couch to check on the messages. He decides to listen to the voicemails first before doing anything else. The voice in his head was gnawing at him from the potential danger his lover was in. He knew Deku was someone that would have no problems with anyone in a fight so he was hopeful that it wasn't too serious.
He clicks on the oldest voicemail first and the familiar sounds of the green-haired boy rung in his ears.
“Heeey Kacchan, um, I think I'm going to be late today. Something came up and they need me on the other side of the prefecture so just eat without me okay? I'm so so sorry for ruining our dinner date! Love you, Bye!”
Katsuki rolls his eyes as if he was annoyed, but his content face says otherwise. Did he really think I'd be pissed off that he was going to be late for dinner? Sure, maybe they had been waiting all week for it, but shit happens all the time. There were still a few more voicemails from the nerd, he doesn't know what would warrant that many, he was just going to have to listen for himself and find out. He clicks onto the next one, fifteen minutes after the initial message.
There wasn't any talking at first, some sounds of shuffling, and once again his favorite voice begins to talk.
“Kacchan?... Oh voicemail... I- I think I accidentally dialed you again, sor- kkeuh” He goes into a coughing fit that makes Katsuki a bit nervous. Just what trouble did he exactly get into? Deku clears his throat and speaks again, “Ugh, dust and debris is not fun. This villain isn't fun, where the heck is he?! Oh right, I should hang up haha. I want to see you already Kacchan... Oh well, soon, after I get this guy. Okay, I love you, bye.. again!”
Katsuki stares at his phone for a bit, taking the moment in. This message reminds him how much he truly loved the nerd. He would've never thought this was something endearing if it was the him back in middle and high school, but now almost everything Izuku does makes him feel at peace. He wanted to take in all these precious moments and keep them to himself, somewhere safe and homey. He wanted to feel like this for years to come, with the one he loved. He smiles to himself, something Katsuki finds him doing a lot when it came to Izuku. In the back of his mind, he's reminded of a small black box hidden in his bedside table waiting for the right opportunity to surface.
But is there ever really a right time? Their lives move so quickly, especially from being a hero. They only ever occasionally get time for themselves and when they do it's used a lot for meeting with the others they rarely get to see. These hardships were something they already knew were going to be part of their daily lives, but they wanted to see through it. Katsuki doesn't regret it, would never regret something like getting together with his childhood friend, his rival, his best friend, his now lover.
Katsuki changes his position to lay on the couch, feet up against the armrest, and presses the next voicemail that came another twenty minutes after. He puts his phone by his ear and rests his head against it to keep it from slipping down.
“...Ka- .. cchan..” Katsuki's heart rate immediately picks up at the tone of the voice on the phone. He sits straight up and continues to listen.
“I.. I don't think I'm going to be able to make it home tonight. I'm sorry.” The hero's voice was raspy and dry as he tried to sound out each word. Katsuki's grip on his phone tightens. He's probably at a hospital by now. Dammit, why didn't I have my phone with me? I could've been yelling at him to get his shit together and for getting hurt again.
There was only the sound of labored breaths echoing in the message before Izuku struggled to continue speaking. “Did you eat already? I hope it was good... A nice spicy tantanmen from... your favorite place since you got to choose for today. I- I'm sorry again for not coming back on time.” Izuku starts coughing again, this time sounding wetter than before. That wasn't a good sign.
Katsuki turns on the news to see if he could find anything on what was going on in the area Deku was at. Suddenly, he sees it, his eyes widen at the texts on the bottom of the screen.
“Next time I will... I promise.” Fucking liar, you better be okay dammit. He pauses the voicemail to watch the news. Katsuki's gaze is glued onto the television trying to process what he was seeing. He pays attention to the closed captioning.
[Pro Hero Deku 's life in Peril?] “Currently stuck under a destroyed twenty-floored apartment building after saving hundreds of civilians from the villain known as Seize. The villain had managed to catch Deku off guard and threw him into the burning building after the pro hero had safely gotten everyone out of the damage. Seize then proceeds to use his quirk to grasp onto the building and bring it down making it crush Deku. There might be potential in the usage of a black market drug to enhance quirks. As of right now, we do not know the condition of the pro-”
Katsuki looks away from the screen and shakily stands up. He uses the end table to steady himself and stares at the phone in his hand. Deku. Deku. Izuku. He's hurt. They don't fucking know if he's okay? What the fuck. What. The fuck. Do I call the agency? Someone else who was on patrol with him? I don't know even know who he was with. They didn't even mention any other pros that were on the scene. Don't fucking tell me that idiot was there by himself the whole time. Where the fuck was everyone else?!
There was still a minute left of the message, he takes a breath and pressed play. He keeps his phone to his ear as he puts his shoes on to leave and go to Deku. He's met with silence that for a second he wondered if he pressed play or not. But then, there was a laugh. A nervous laugh he was familiar with for the past twenty-five years. He puts his Bluetooth earpiece in and stuffs his phone into his pocket while running out of the apartment. Katsuki makes his way to the emergency outdoor stairs and uses his quirk to explode upwards to the roof of the building then heads towards the area of the attack.
“Kacchan... I want to go home.”
“You will.” Katsuki responds before he knows it. The other wouldn't hear him, but he replies anyways.
“Kacchan... why didn't you answer your phone?”
“I'm sorry, I forgot it.”
“Kacchan... It hurts.”
“You're okay Deku.” He's getting close to the attack site, he can see the smoke clouds that formed above it.
“I... I think I have a concussion. My side... hurts a lot. It's too dark for... me to see, but I think there's something... pinning me to the ground. Every time I try to use my quirk, everything burns. All I feel is pain. What do I do Kacchan?”
“Don't worry, you'll be okay Deku. I swear.”
“Kacchan... I'm getting tired...”
“No no no, shit.” Don't let me be too late...
“Ka-...cchan... I...” BEEP.
Shit. FUCK.
He stops for a second to check if there were any more messages. He taps on the name and tries to call his partner.
Ring. Ring. Ring. Ring. Ring. Click.
Katsuki's heart almost stops.
“Izuku? Hey Izu, are you there?! C'mon, speak to me, babe.”
“Ka- kkeh” A whined choke comes out.
“Fucking hell. Oh my god, you're here okay. You'll be okay alright Izu? I'm coming right now. I'll get you out of there.”
“Kacchan...” Katsuki can feel his eyes burning as he tries to blink away the tears fighting to form.
“Fuck Izuku, why do you keep doing this to me dammit.”
“..Sorry.”
“Shit, no, I just-... I just want to stop you from hurting yourself so much. You have no self-preservation. I care about you. I want to... I want to spend all my life with you. How am I supposed to do that if you leave?!”
“Ka-... Katsuki...” Katsuki almost stumbles off the roof at the usage of his proper name.
“I love you...”
“I know stupid, tell me again when I get there.”
There's no reply. His heart is slamming against his chest as he strains his ears to listen to any noises from the other side of the line. He arrives at the scene and it's worse than what he saw on the news. Rubble and large pieces of the building were scattered everywhere. He wasn't sure where to start looking for Izuku so he just took to the center of the disaster and started digging.
“Izuku, you with me? Izu, babe, please say something.”
“Ka-...”
“Yes, I'm here. I'm here. Keep talking okay? I'm getting you out of there right now I swear.” He starts to dig faster, exploding the bigger pieces to the side and shuffling through the debris.
“Katsuki... you... you know I always... loved you... Always will.”
“Don't do this to me right now Izu. C'mon.”
“I don't think I'm going to make it this time, my love.” Katsuki lets out a frustrated whine as his emotions get the best of him. He doesn't care if anyone can see him right now.
“I want to see you Kacchan... I want... to go home... with you.” '
“Yes, we're going to go home after this alright? After we go to the hospital and get you fixed up, alright you bastard? You hear me? If you don't make it out, I'm going to kill you.” He wipes his sweat and tears with his sleeves and continues to blast away the disaster. He could faintly hear the echoes of his explosions through the call. He's getting closer.
“Katsuki, listen... to me.”
“Whatever you're going to say, say it face to face, asshole. I don't want to hear any of it right now.”
“Please...” As he digs and digs and digs, he finally sees something familiar. There are multiple smears of blood across all surfaces. His heart stops at the object in front of him. His voice barely holding together as a cracked sobbed spills out of his mouth. He quickly takes the severed part and places it next to him in a safer area to preserve. A fabric of green just on the other side of the plank of cement. He rushes over as Izuku continues to speak without confirmation.
“You're going... to be the best hero... this society has ever... seen... since All Might. You're going to be better than All Might.”
“You're damn right I am, and you're going to be right beside me when it happens.” He can virtually hear another voice on the line, rough and familiar. He grips onto the last piece of the building and blasts it away revealing a pale body and the most gruesome image Katsuki had never wanted to see in his entire life.
He shakily rushes to Izuku's side and grips his hand. Screaming for the paramedics to come over. Blood expanding in the area now that the pressure stopping it from flowing was gone.
“Kacchan... there you are. I missed you.” Izuku weakly smiles, eyes barely open.
“Izu...”
“I wish I could've done more.” The tear streaks on Izuku's face glisten as more fall down his cheek and to his ears. Katsuki holds onto his cheek and Izuku's head falls limply at its touch, soaking in the heat.
“You've done so much for the world, Izu. And everybody loves you for it all. You changed society to as we know it. Every damn thing you've done was for the better...Where are the damn medics?!”
“I'm sorry.”
“Stop apologizing. You're going to be okay. I can't do this without you, Izuku.” Katsuki cries silently. Bringing his head down closer to Izuku's chest. Gripping onto him so tightly that he can't feel his fingers.
“Yes, you can.”
“I can't.” His voice cracks.
Izuku opens his eyes and stares into Katsuki's soul. He weakly grips Katsuki's shirt collar and pulls him in for a soft kiss on the corner of his lips.
“I... love... you. Goodbye.” Katuki feels the body under him relax from its grip on the world. He sits there silently as the medics roll in and quickly gives the body attention. They check for a pulse and announce the time of death.
Any reservations Katsuki had were now gone as he screams up at the world. He refuses to let anyone touch Izuku, his grip on the body never loosening. It wasn't until Katsuki began getting more feral in which they brought in someone else to calm him down. The next moment was a vague blur and then all he saw was white as he lost consciousness.
---
The sounds of mechanic beeping that he was very accustomed to greeted him when he came to. He opened his eyes and was blinded by the standard whites of a hospital room. He hears shuffling from his left and looks over to the side to see who it was. He was expecting a head of green but found red instead. The other's eyes were blown wide, puffy as if they were crying all night. Tears were once again threatening to fall from his best friend's face.
“Kats, I'm so sorry.” He had his hands covering his face while he wailed next to his friend.
“So it wasn't a dream?” Katsuki closes his eyes and bloody images flash in his mind before a lovely green surrounded his mental vision.
“I'm sorry. If only we were able to catch that bastard before it got out of hand. Mido would've been... could've...” He sniffs, words escaping him.
“I want to be alone right now.” Katsuki stares at the ceiling.
“I don't think that's a good idea right now man.” Eijirou hesitantly answers.
“Please.” It takes a moment for Eijirou to agree. He leaves the room, but mentions that he was going to be in the waiting room when Katsuki was ready to leave.”
Katsuki continues to stare at the ceiling when he feels the urge to cry surface again. After a silent half-hour, he takes a deep breath and steadies his emotions for when he gets back to their home.
He presses the nurse call button to get them to officially release him. He was only there for quirk overuse and some muscle strain in his arms since he wasn't wearing his equipment when he left to go fail to save Izuku. The doctor gives him the okay and he meets up with Eijirou. He didn't want an escort home, but he insisted. Katsuki didn't deny his friend, he knew it was better to have someone around for the moment. He didn't want to go back to an empty apartment right now. He didn't know how he would react to the sudden change.
Once they reached the apartment, he slowly opened the door, waiting for a greeting from his lover that would never come. He grips the doorknob a little tighter as he makes his way inside. Everything smells like him. He's once again reminded of something that he has lost forever.
The redhead does his best to comfort his best friend, but he remains unresponsive. He knows his presence is helping, even just a little, but once night fell and the moon rose, it was time for him to leave.
“Are you sure you don't want me to stay over?” Katsuki shakes his head. “It's fine Eiji, go back to your kids. I'll... I'll call you tomorrow.”
Eijirou gives him a thoughtful, yet solemn look before thanking him and saying his goodbye. There was the click of the door and the sound of the automatic lock and then nothing.
Just silence.
He stays sitting on the couch in the dark and numbingly stares at the black of the flat screen. He moves his hands towards his pants pocket and takes out his phone. Constantly being reminded of the events before the bitter end. He unlocks his phone and heads to the messenger app. There were a few messages from Izuku before the voicemails.
Yesterday 17:48
Deku: Kacchan!
Deku: Kacchaaaaaan
Deku: Why aren't you answeringggg !! (ᗒᗣᗕ)՞
Deku: Okay well, I don't think I can make it to dinner, I'm so sorry !
Yesterday 18:45
Deku: 
There was a voice message. The timing says it was after all the voicemails. He braces himself to listen to his lover's sweet voice for the seven seconds of a message he had on his deathbed.
"Kacchan... I love... you. Goodbye."
Katsuki buries his head between his knees and cries.
He sits there for what feels like an eternity. Alone.
Feeling nothing but emptiness, he taps on the name on the screen and taps on the phone icon.
Ring. Ring.
Ring. Ring.
Ring. Ring.
Ring. Ring.
[ Sorry, “Midoriya Izuku!” can't answer the phone right now. Please leave a message after the tone: BEEP ]
"Izuku... I..." his voice starts to crack again, but he decides to see through this. He takes a deep breath and starts over.
"Midoriya Izuku, I love you. I'll love you forever... and always. Goodbye."