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It’s not the first time Izuku has to limp back home, certainly not the last time he’ll drip blood all over his entrance. It had taken all of his will and strength to drag himself home while not seeming in pain, a state in which he definitely is. Now that the door is closed behind him, Izuku easily lets all the weight of his wounds bear upon him.
Izuku’s sore all over from all the falls and hits he’d received from one particularly nasty, big villain. Well built as he is, he’s still pretty lean and nimble… and that had made him believe there wasn’t much he couldn’t dodge or evade. This time, however, being agile hadn’t been enough to stay unharmed.
Darkened and reddened bruises are visible from the gashes and holes on his hero costume, and those are only the ones not covered in blood. There’s a large gash on his right upper arm and another on the outside of his left thigh. They’re not deep enough to be dangerous, but they’re still bleeding and need stitches. At least he hasn’t broken his horns, or more of it, in the case of the one on his left side. That sort of injury would leave him out of work for a few days, something he doesn’t want to afford.
Izuku’s friends have urged him not to go home battered and with no medical attention, but Izuku thinks that if he can still walk, he can manage pretty well on his own. Hero Deku may be one of the top heroes, but he’s also Izuku Midoriya, a humble serow boy born quirkless.
Despite society being more accepting of heroes that align with prey in nature, there are still certain things ingrained into people, stereotypes that the media and sensationalists like to drill into. Hero Deku’s no exception. His skin chock full of scars is often ignored along with his chipped horn in favor of his cute pointy ears and bushy short tail. Izuku has a hard time being taken seriously as one of the toughest heroes, even when most of his exploits are caught frame by frame on camera. Although in the past he hadn’t cared for what others may think, when he’d realized just how much of a symbol he was for others like him, he’d taken up on being more mindful of it.
To save others with a smile, he can’t afford to show pain, he can’t show weakness.
After dragging his feet over to his kitchen, Izuku rummages through his emergency drawer for his first aid kit and his sewing kit. With them all out and sort of ready to be used, Izuku sits on his countertop and starts cleaning his wounds. He’s barely gotten started when he hears booming knocks on his door.
“ Oi! Dekuuuuuuuu!!!”
If it isn’t obvious by the knocks, then the yelling makes it crystal clear. Katsuki Bakugou is at his door. Not that Izuku isn’t expecting him; the blond has made it a habit to check up on him after every major fight Izuku has. Usually though, he takes a lot longer to come find him.
“Kacchan! Could you wait a sec—“ Not two seconds after having knocked, Katsuki breaks the door open.
“Do you know that you are one stubborn, selfish piece of shit!?”
Izuku’s used to Katsuki’s outbursts by now, wild and unfiltered as they are. If only he could spare Izuku’s door, he’d need to replace it and his frame a lot less frequently. While Katsuki had manners and the best of common sense, he’d just forget all of it when he got worried, incapable of processing worry as he is.
“Kacchan, please—“
“Oh, cry me a river.”
There stands Katsuki, clad in civilian clothes, a black tee and a pair of baggy shorts, round, black bear ears poking out of his blond, spiky hair. Looking pissed as all hell, Katsuki walks over to him. Tall as he is, the man would tower over Izuku even if the serow were to be standing. Bears are supposed to be tall and bulky, and Kacchan does more than fit the description. Massive and aggressive a man as he is, for a serow like Izuku he should have been very menacing… Yet, for all that display of grouchiness, the blond is here with good intentions and looking very concerned.
“Look at fuckin’ you. Fuckin’ bleedin’ all over the damn place.” Katsuki’s cursing a storm but now that he’s inside Izuku’s apartment, now that he’s up close to the green haired hero, his volume is a lot lower.
“You broke my door, again.” Izuku sighs. “I think bleeding over my floor is the least of my proble—”
“I’d love to see the idiots who’d try to come in here with me taking care of you,” Katsuki quickly shushes Izuku, before extending his hand towards the latter.
“I-I can handle this.”
“I know you can, but please let me help.” Katsuki grits his teeth as he says the last word.
In this case, it’s either saying yes or having a six foot bear judging and criticizing him until he finishes.
“O-Okay…” Izuku puts down the pair of cotton balls he had in his hands and pushes the first aid kit closer to Katsuki.
“Now you’re gonna fuckin’ explain a couple things to me, you got that, nerd?” The blond starts, fresh alcohol drenched cotton swab in a gloved hand. The blond eyes Izuku’s outfit, picks at it with his free hand and rolls his eyes.
“Okay, off with this shit.” Izuku panics slightly as Katsuki pulls at his uniform.
“I have a zipper!”
“Ah, yes, it’ll be so useful to get these torn up rags off you.”
It takes them a bit of fiddling but by the end, Katsuki manages to get Izuku in his underwear. While Izuku’s sure Katsuki has seen him naked before, he ends up shrinking into himself at how long Katsuki takes to or say something.
“There’s more here than I remember.” Katsuki whispers, red eyes set on Izuku’s chest… and then his thighs. “Dammit…”
“They come with the job—“
“Uhuh, I don’t have as many as you do. Wonder if it’s because you’re so fuckin’ reckless.”
“I am very prone to getting hurt.”
“Don’t sound so proud of it, dumbass. You’re prone to being stupid.” Katsuki starts cleaning out the wound on Izuku’s thigh first, being rather brusque with the purpose of displaying his annoyance.
“Ow!”
“Ow my ass, nerd.” Katsuki clicks his tongue and then continues his work.
Once the wounds are cleaned up, Katsuki gets ready to make the sutures by threading a curved hemostat and picking it up with a needle driver. Now Izuku expects for the stitches to hurt, for Katsuki not to be very gentle… but he expects wrong. The blond warns him before he carefully starts sewing the long gap, holding it closed with a pair of forceps. As he does, Izuku can barely feel the discomfort. There’s a comfy silence between them for a small while, and then Katsuki decides to break it, albeit with some almost indiscernible hesitation.
“I heard you lost focus,” Katsuki whispers, his eyes not leaving his careful work.
“I didn’t lose focus, Kacchan…” Izuku whispers back, long green ears twitching as the discomfort from the stitching wanes and returns.
“That’s fucking worse. You got hurt on purpose?” With his eyes still focused on Izuku’s wound, Katsuki fumes while keeping his voice low.
“Kacchan—”
“I know you don’t fucking do it on purpose, but fuck.”
The way Katsuki’s round ears twitch tell leagues about how incredibly annoyed the man is. Katsuki’s so frustrated and, although the blond keeps his hands from shaking, Izuku can see his lip tremble as his eyes water.
“Kacchan, look at me.”
“No.”
“Look—” Izuku lifts Katsuki’s face with one hand, the blond glaring daggers at him in the process. “—I’m okay.”
“You’re not.”
Katsuki turns his head away from Izuku’s grip and gets back to stitching the latter.
It takes a long while for Katsuki to finish mending Izuku’s wounds but he takes care of each and every one.
“Your towelettes are still in the bathroom?” the man asks as he finishes up the last of the sutures.
“What—Why?!” Izuku questions, jumping up in surprise and making his body shriek with pain in the process. This line of questioning can only mean one thing.
“Bath time, you stinky goat,” Katsuki announces before picking Izuku up bridal style and yanking a whistling snort from the man. “Oh, threatened now?”
Katsuki holds him gently and close, and Izuku freezes up in Katsuki’s arms, feeling he may die—and not because of his wounds.
“… The shit is your tail doing?”
“Nothing,” Izuku squeaks, barely holding back another whistling snort.
His tail, a ruthless betrayer, is wagging itself crazy. Now, a serow’s tail may be short, but half naked as he is and held tight by a very caring but grouchy bear, there is no hiding any sort of joy.
“Is someone happy to be where he’s at right now?”
Izuku remains silent, ears twitching while his tail continues to wag.
“Well settle the fuck down, I’m angry as all fuck with you and will stay like that for a while.”
That definitely does not stop Izuku’s tail any time soon, not even while being stripped to his underwear in the “comfort” of his bathroom. Fight as they do over Izuku’s ability to give himself a proper shower, Katsuki ends up scrubbing him from the tip of his ears to the tip of his toes.
“How the fuck you got that much dirt on you truly amazes me,” the blond teases as he carries Izuku, who is now sparkly clean and still a bit wet.
“It’s literally not my fault, Kacchan…” Izuku wishes he could stay upset at his best friend a little longer, but it all melts into nothing when the bear boldly nips the tip of one of Izuku’s ears.
The almost unholy, high pitched snort he lets out makes the smug bear laugh heartily. This sort of reaction only gives him power; Izuku is doomed.
“Bleaty lil fella you are,” Katsuki laughs as he sets down the green haired serow in his bed. “Now, how best to fuckin’ punish you… Get those whistles out of ya like a fire alarm…”
“What do you mean—!?” Izuku doesn’t have to wait long to get his answer, not when the bear takes exactly two seconds to get in bed with him .
Izuku wants to jump out of bed, run, get as far away as his tired, tattered body would take him, but alas, and repeating himself, he is doomed. Katsuki has him locked in his muscly arms in a heartbeat, a string of whistling snorts being produced as a result.
“Uh uh, you’re not going anywhere, nerd,” Katsuki chuckles maliciously, pulling Izuku closer to his chest. “If you don’t stop struggling you’ll open up your stitches, dumbass.”
“Kaaahaahahhhchaaan—!” Izuku would very much love to die right about now, what with Katsuki Bakugou’s paws over his chest and navel, holding him still even as Izuku struggles to get out of their grip.
“Fuck you’re stubborn, goddamn, stupid goat,” Katsuki groans, before he presses his lips against Izuku’s nape.
That pretty much gets the serow to freeze up, ears all stuck up and tail wagging even more somehow.
“There we go. Silly little goat, getting himself into trouble, making me fucking worry… Tch, the fuckin’ nerve.” The blond is… Is he nuzzling Izuku’s hair!?
“Ummm…!?” Izuku bleats when he feels Katsuki’s nose boop against the base of his ears.
Why!? Izuku thinks in his frozen up panic.
“Deku, can I ask you something?”
“Do I have a choice but to listen?” Izuku replies, voice shaky.
“Ha. No.” Katsuki snickers, nose now pressed up against Izuku’s nape again. “...What are you thinking?”
“Right now? I would like my movement back if one grouchy bear would get his paws off me…?”
Please , any more of this and Izuku might spill the beans about a very “obvious” yet well hidden secret!
“Idiot.” The little bravery Izuku has mustered from nowhere is squashed by a low growl. “What are you thinking when you do this to yourself?”
To emphasize even more on his words, the bear runs his fingers close to the wound on Izuku’s chest.
“You know me, Kacchan. My body just moves on its own.”
If his tail isn’t proof enough.
“...I admire you for it, but could I remind you to not carry all this on your own? For fuck’s sake…”
The arms around Izuku’s waist tighten their grip just a little and it's almost indiscernible, but the blond’s trembling. Katsuki has time and time again asked this of him, but…
“Did I scare you?” There isn’t any response other than the sound of teeth clacking. “ You still are?”
... Never like this.
“Of fucking ‘course I am! You’re the definition of reckless and selfish! What the fuck am I going to do if you die?!” Now, Katsuki’s obviously having a moment, but he somehow keeps himself from tightening his hug further.
Izuku’s hairs stand on end as he feels cold drops slither down his nape, his heart tightening as he hears the faintest sniffle.
“You’re such a fucking idiot.”
Of all the things Izuku could promise, that he wouldn’t be “stupid” isn’t one of them. Katsuki knows, which is why this is so frustrating to him. There’s one thing the serow could work on though.
“You know, you’re pretty reckless and stubborn too. Maybe… Maybe we can be so together?”
Ground Zero and Deku working together? It’s a thing that has happened before but they haven’t made their duo nature an official thing, for obvious reasons, of course.
“Sure, mister ‘I’d-rather-die-than-get-help-from-a-predator’.” Katsuki chuckles through his sniffling, sort of enjoying this as if it were a fine joke.
“I’m not joking,” the serow huffs, struggling in the bear’s arms to turn to his other side. It hurts like uh, in Kacchan’s words, a bitch , but now he’s facing a pouty blond bear with teary eyes and a furrowed brow.
“Hah?”
“I’ll do it, I’ll… uh, I’ll let you be there with me officially.”
Katsuki’s looking at him like Izuku’s gone completely insane.
“Did… Did your wounds get infected? Are you running a fever?” To accompany his question, Katsuki squeezed the serow’s cheeks and then kept a hand pressed against the latter’s forehead. “Oh fuck, you hit your head too hard. You have a concussion—”
“Kaaaaacchan,” Izuku bleats. If he didn’t like his friend so much, he’d have headbutted him and stabbed his horn on the blond’s chest for being so dramatic.
“I just don’t believe you’d voluntarily want to work together.” The bear squints, hands still squeezing Izuku’s cheeks.
“I don’t need your help...” Izuku mumbles before eating up his pride. “But you keep telling me that I don’t have to do things alone. Like this, I can be me and you’ll be there to be you… Oh!”
Katsuki hugs him tight again and this time Izuku winces from the slight pang of pain it causes. It’s worth it, especially when the bear starts purring, making low, rumbly, pleased sounds that just jumpstart Izuku’s tail in the process and make his heart want to leap out of his chest.
“I thought you’d stay dumb and never ask.”
“ You could have asked me!”
“Uhuh, as if I haven’t .”
“Well growling isn’t asking—Ow!” Izuku receives yet another hug followed by more purring.
“Well this is progress, I get the right to haul you into the hospital,” Katsuki snickers, a mischievous smile on his face as Izuku gives him a pout. “In secret.”
All things considered, he can trust Katsuki to do as he said. For being as flashy as he is, he can also do an excellent job being discreet.
“Well, now that I am officially on the ‘protect Deku squad’, asking you out wouldn’t be out of the questio—”
Izuku bleats his lungs out for lack of knowing how else to react to the blond just casually asking him out.
“Fucking shit, Deku. What the fuck ?” Katsuki started laughing before going as far as placing a chaste kiss on Izuku’s forehead. “I’m not going to wait for you to almost get killed again for you to realize obvious things.”
“Wait, you’re being obvious!?”
The serow’s outraged question is answered by a soft head nudge, their noses getting rubbed together.
WELL THEN.
“And you’re not? Your tail can’t lie, silly goat.”
“I, well, you see—” Izuku runs out of stutters and answers the second the bear hugs him and scratches the serow’s ears.
“Shhh, you can think straight later, for now, focus on getting some goddamn rest.”
REST!? IN THIS MUSCLY ECONOMY!?
“Don’t make me hug you unconscious, ya’ dummy.”
Well, that sounds like an idea.
“Kacchan, my heart’s already about to blow up!”
“Well as long as you’re not in that much pain anymore…”
Oh… He’s right! With Katsuki here to keep him company, to take care of him , he’d actually forgotten everything hurt! It only does when Katsuki tightens his hugs out of nowhere, but for the most part…
“Huh, I guess bear hugs are good for healing wounds.”
“Right? Now hurry up and get to sleep.” Katsuki snuggles him further, pressing Izuku’s face, gently, against his chest.
A tough serow could let himself be guarded and protected by a grouchy bear every once in a while. And well… with pillows like these, he could definitely take a little nap.