Work Text:
Ei:
I think I got the flu LOL
>sent 3:37pm
Ei:
So if u start feeling really yucky and sick definitely go to recovery girl but hopefully u r ok! <3
>sent 3:38pm
Katsuki slowed the pace of his run as he arrived back at the row of UA dorms. He laced his fingers behind his head as he caught his breath and continued walking off his workout. It was one of the first nice days they had had in a while, teasing the coming summer with bright skies and a warm breeze, and there was no better way for him to embrace that than to get outside for his workout instead of being confined to the school gym. This weekend had promised much nicer weather than the cold rain that had persisted weeks prior, and it definitely did not disappoint. Friday and Saturday had been sunny but definitely not as warm as today.
As he reached the 3A alliance dorm he settled into a grassy patch off to the side to do his cool down stretches. He reached into the pocket of his joggers to turn the volume of his music down and switch playlists when he noticed the two texts from a certain redhead waiting for him.
His stomach dropped a little when he read them and he cursed himself for being so weak for Eijiro. He swiftly started typing out a response to his boyfriend.
Me:
Did you take any medicine, how are you feeling?
>sent 4:12pm
It was a stupid question to ask, obviously Eijiro must be feeling like shit, but he wasn’t really sure what to say in response to him. Katsuki was feeling fine and he hadn’t seen Eijiro since Friday morning before Eijiro had left to go home for the weekend, so the chances of Katsuki being sick too were low. Of course though, Eijiro would be looking out for him. Katsuki didn’t have a chance to think about it for too long before three typing bubbles appeared on his screen.
Ei:
Feeling prettyyyy yucky HAHA but im ok! Took some meds a little bit ago so hopefully they help!:D
>sent 4:17pm
Me:
Definitely go to Recovery Girl tomorrow but don’t go to class. You need all the rest you can get
>sent 4:18pm
Ei:
I will:) lots of resting and lots of water I know the drill!
>sent 4:18pm
Me:
How do you always manage to get yourself sick shitty hair
>sent 4:18pm
Ei:
Hey it wasn’t my fault! I think Tetsu gave it to me during our training together on Thursday :(
>sent 4:19pm
Me:
Fuck that guy
>sent 4:20pm
Ei:
Nah you like Tetsu I know you do! He’s better than Monoma at least >:(
>sent 4:21pm
Me:
Anyone is better than that copycat bastard
>sent 4:21pm
Ei:
See!! HAHAH
>sent 4:22pm
Katsuki caught himself smiling at his phone at Eijiro’s antics and quickly dissolved it before anyone that might walk by could see. He finished up the last of his stretches before standing up and heading inside.
The air conditioned common room was a pleasant relief from the heat, instantly cooling the sweat on Katsuki’s forehead and the back of his neck. Luckily most of the other students in his class were out for the day leaving the area quiet and peaceful, unlike the usual clamor of twenty teenagers living together. The only other people occupying the common area were Jiro and Yaoyorozu who were sharing a couch each engrossed in the books they were reading. Upon Katsuki’s entry Jiro glanced up and the two of them exchanged a nod, neither willing to break the silence with words.
Katsuki made his way into the kitchen and grabbed a water bottle before heading up to his room to shower. By instinct he had also grabbed a bag of Eijiro’s favorite chips that he usually brought up to him whenever he would join Eijiro in his room in the afternoons. He paused looking at the chips in his hand wondering if Eijiro would even want them right now. Before leaving the kitchen he pulled his phone out to text his sick boyfriend again.
Me:
Are you in your room right now?
>sent 4:37pm
Not even a minute later the typing bubbles were on his screening.
Ei:
Yep ive been here since the morning living my blanket fort dreams LOL :D
>sent 4:37pm
Me:
I’m coming over
>sent 4:38pm
Ei:
What??! No you can’t!! I don’t want to get u sick Kats!!
>sent 4:38pm
Me:
Have you eaten today?
>sent 4:39pm
Ei:
.....
>sent 4:42pm
Me:
I didn’t think so. I’m making you soup and bringing it to you
>sent 4:42pm
Ei:
Katsukiiiii no!! I don’t want u to get sick too!!
>sent 4:43pm
Me:
I might already have it anyways
>sent 4:44pm
Ei:
But if u don’t then u’ll get sick too and I don’t want u to be sick too!!!
>sent 4:44pm
Me:
I’ll be fine, you need to eat. I’m bringing tea too and water, because I know for a fact you aren’t hydrating yourself like you should be
>sent 4:46pm
Katsuki was already starting to pull his cutting board out from the cupboard and fish out the big pot he used for making soup before Eijiro even responded.
Ei:
Katsuki no seriously don’t come over, I’ll be fine its just the flu! I’ll be better in a few days I don’t even feel that bad rn! Just a little stuffy and a little achy. Really, I’ll be okay
>sent 4:48pm
Me:
Fine. But you better eat something and drink a lot of water.
>sent 4:50pm
Ei:
I will thank u <3
>sent 4:50pm
Katsuki couldn’t help but feel a little deflated by his boyfriend’s response. He stared at Eijiro’s response for a few seconds more before pocketing his phone and sighing. The cutting board and pot still lay out on the counter top. He glared at them as if they had personally offended him wondering if he should just do it anyway. He hated feeling like there was nothing he could do to help Eijiro. It made him feel angry, out of control and powerless. He couldn’t exactly blow up a sickness. Tiny sparks popped at his fingertips and he shook his head as if to rid his brain of that train of thought brushing it off. Eijiro knew how to take care of himself and if he said he was fine then he was fine. He replaced the cutting board, pot, and the chips he had grabbed for Eijiro and snatched the water bottle off the counter. He needed a shower anyway.
___
Later in the evening, after showering and texting with Eijiro for a bit to make sure he was still doing okay and didn’t need anything, Katsuki found himself in Kaminari’s room scrolling through his phone while Kaminari and Sero took turns beating each other at Mario Cart and Ashido flipped through a magazine. Sunday evenings were usually the times when the five of them would dedicate to hanging out, Sero claiming it was a way to start the week off on a good note and make Mondays a little less excruciating. Katsuki couldn’t really argue with him. As much as he had dreaded their squad nights in the beginning, after two years of tradition it became something that Katsuki actually looked forward to each weekend, and it did in fact make Mondays a little less painful. All that was missing now was Eijiro.
“No fair! You always pick Star Cup!” Kaminari whined from the floor.
“You’re just mad because you fall off rainbow road every single time,” Sero teased, selecting the tournament anyways and queuing up the first race.
“Rainbow road is hard for everyone!”
“Sounds like loser talk to me.”
The three horns blew and the two of them started yet another race. Katsuki turned his focus back to his phone, but at this point he was more or less just mindlessly scrolling, not really paying attention to anything on the phone or anything going on in the room. Ashido seemed to have picked up on his sour mood and kept glancing up from her magazine to look at him.
“You okay Bakugo? You’ve been quieter than usual tonight,” Ashido asked gently, closing her magazine and leaning forward on the bed. Before he could even think about firing off an annoyed grumble about how he was fine, Sero was jumping into the conversation.
“Loverboy is just moping because he doesn’t have his little shark boy with him tonight and has to deal with us by himself~,” Sero sing-songed without pulling his eyes from the screen.
“Shut the fuck up soy sauce,” Katsuki growled, sparks beginning to dance on his palm involuntarily. He wasn’t sure if it was from anger or embarrassment.
“Aww Baku~ I’m sure Kiri is fine!” Mina cooed, leaning in to wrap him in a hug. He quickly shoved her back causing her to giggle.
“I don’t know, I was texting him a little before and he said he’s feeling pretty bad. I think he mentioned that he still has a fever too,” Kaminari added while knocking elbows with Sero as his racer simultaneously got hit with an orange shell.
“Damn that’s gotta suck. Hopefully he gets better before next weekend, I think he wanted us all to go see that new Marvel movie together,” Sero replied, aiming another shell to launch at Kaminari’s character.
Katsuki could feel his annoyance growing in the heat of his palms and the back of his throat. Of course Eijiro would play off how terrible he was feeling so as to not make him worry and keep him from breaking down his door. Suddenly Katsuki was feeling antsy. Maybe it was because he realized he hadn’t seen his boyfriend for three days and was beginning to miss the redhead’s company or maybe it was because he felt like he couldn’t do anything to fix the situation, but fuck it, if his boyfriend was going to go and get himself sick he was going to try to fucking be there for him, because he knew that if the roles were reversed and he was laid up in bed Eijiro would be feeling the same way.
Without warning Katsuki pushed himself off the bed and started heading for the door.
“Blastyyy where are you going?” Kaminari called from behind him.
“I have better things to do than sit around and watch you lose another game,” he huffed, already turning the door knob to leave.
“Are you going to see Kiri?” Ashido asked even though he knew that she didn’t need him to respond to know his answer. He paused in the doorway for a moment and Kaminari paused the game bringing silence to the room. It’s not like he cared that their friends knew they were dating, or that they knew that the two of them cared about each other so much more than anyone else, that much had been obvious since their first year. But sometimes he still felt a little embarrassed at how soft he had gotten for Eijiro over the last year.
“Tell him we hope he feels better soon,” Sero added gently. Katsuki looked back into the room at the concerned faces of his friends. Two years ago, he wouldn’t have hesitated to fire off a round of curses and some explosions for good measure, yelling at the three of them for being so mushy and poking their noses in his business, but he knew better now. He knew his friends cared about him and even when they spoke gently with him like this, that didn’t mean they didn’t see him as weaker or respect him any less. They were just trying to show that they cared. It was something Eijiro had helped him to realize and accept, and it was something he realized he liked most about his friends. Sometimes it surprised him how much he had grown through his time at UA, not just as a hero but as a person.
“I will,” Katsuki offered and gave them a nod as they returned it with sympathetic smiles.
He left Kaminari’s dorm and took the elevator down to the first floor. When he reached the common area he noted the time on the wall. 7:32pm. Despite the fact that he had insisted over text that Eijiro eat something, he doubted the redhead had made his way down to the kitchen today, meaning he had probably only snacked on some of the granola bars he kept handy in his room and that just wouldn’t do. Resuming the task of making soup for his boyfriend that he had abandoned during the afternoon, Katsuki pulled his cutting board and favorite knife back out and got to work cutting vegetables.
It was quiet downstairs. Despite the fact that a few people occupied the couches and some were finishing up last minute homework at tables, the evening seemed to have cast a spell over them all. With the warmer weather came longer days and at this point in the day sunset was beginning to paint streaks of pink and orange through the space. That alone seemed to be enough to lull everyone downstairs into a calm trance. Compared to how they all were in their first year in the dorms, there was far less constant chaos.
Katsuki was thankful for the peace while he worked. Cooking always helped him to focus and clear his head, and cooking for someone else had always been something he enjoyed even more. It was one of the ways he showed he cared, feeling he was able to communicate what he sometimes found hard to express in words with food and feeding people. He loved to cook for Eijiro.
As he flipped the seasoned chicken thighs he was preparing in a frying pan, Katsuki heard footsteps enter the kitchen.
“What’re you making Kacchan?”
Deku walked up to the counter to his left and started rummaging through the cupboard for something. Katsuki turned to watch the green haired boy pull two tea bags from Yaoyorozu’s collection and start filling the kettle with water to boil.
After everything the two of them had gone through it was kind of remarkable that they were able to be this casual and comfortable around each other. It had taken a while to get there but Katsuki was happy with his friendship with Izuku, and how the two of them, mostly him, had grown as individuals to the point where they could fight with each other and not against each other. The two of them understood each other better than anyone and even though their rivalry persisted and sometimes conversation ended up with lots of yelling from Katsuki, they were also able to have quiet moments like this, calm and at peace with each other. It was nice to have a friend in Izuku and not an enemy.
“Chicken noodle soup,” Katsuki responded, checking on the pasta that was boiling on the back burner. “Don’t ask for any handouts though Deku, I’m not making it for everyone.”
“I’m content to wait until the next time you cook for the class! Plus, I like your hot and sour soup better anyways,” Deku admitted.
“What? You’re saying my chicken noodle soup isn’t good enough?!”
“No no no it’s great!! I just think-.”
“Relax you stupid nerd I know what you meant,” Katsuki interrupted, smirking to himself slightly at his ability to still make Deku spazz out.
“Right,” Deku chuckled, letting out an exhale of relief, probably glad Katsuki was only teasing him. “Who are you making soup for?”
Katsuki poured the noodles into the pot of broth with vegetables that was warming on the stove. “Kirishima,” he answered after a few seconds. The two of them sat in a comfortable silence for a few moments as Katsuki sliced the chicken and added it to the pot.
“I heard he had come down with something. That’s really nice of you to make it for him, Kacchan.”
“Yeah.”
“I’m serious. Kirishima cares about you so much, and I’m sure he tells you that all the time, but I just wanted to tell you that it’s sweet what you do for him. I know you get worried sometimes about that stuff even if you don’t say it out loud, but I’m proud of you Kacchan. You make him so happy, as much as he makes you,” Deku rambled on.
The sentiment wasn’t lost on Katsuki. Sometimes he did fall into thinking patterns of wondering if his explosive personality, his aggression, his attitude in general would ever push Eijiro away; worried that he would do something that would mess it all up. It didn’t happen that often but sometimes those thoughts crept in. He hated how that damn nerd could read him like a fucking book sometimes.
“Don’t you need to bring Round Cheeks her tea,” he grumbled, nodding his head towards the two cups Deku was steeping. He didn’t have the energy tonight to go off on the nerd for butting into his business or trying to analyze him like he did in his hero journal.
“Right right I’m going, sorry,” Deku apologized, scrambling for the mugs. He gave Katsuki a tight lipped smile before bowing his head slightly. “Good night, Kacchan.” Deku turned and made his way toward the threshold leading into the common area.
“Deku,” Katsuki called him back to attention abruptly. He turned toward the green haired boy who had turned back to face him with wide curious eyes. “Thanks.” It was quiet but it reached Deku’s ears regardless. This time the smile on Deku’s face was a lot softer. He gave a firm nod to Katsuki knowing not to push his luck by talking more and made his way out of the kitchen leaving Katsuki alone again.
___
By the time Katsuki reached Eijiro’s bedroom door it was close to 8:30pm. He had briefly wondered if Eijiro might have decided to go to sleep early, but approaching the door he could clearly hear sounds of a show coming from a laptop followed by a fit of coughing. Even being sick as a dog wasn’t enough to keep the redhead from sleeping early it seemed. He juggled the water bottle he had filled to wedge it under his armpit and held the bowl of chicken noodle soup in his left hand so he could knock on the door. The sounds from the laptop cut off and he could hear shuffling from inside the room. Clumsy footsteps made their way to the door before it was being cracked open ever so slightly. Realizing that it was Katsuki, the door swung inward.
“Katsuki!?” Eijiro exclaimed in surprise. “What are you doing here?!” His voice was hoarse and in the light of the hallway Katsuki was able to get a good look at his current state. Eijiro’s face was flushed, from the fever, nearly as red as his hair which was pulled into a low ponytail that only held about half of his hair back, the rest hanging to the sides of his face. He was donning fuzzy Crimson Riot pajama pants, mismatched socks and Katsuki’s own hoodie that had taken up a permanent residence in Eijiro’s closet. While the outfit wasn’t uncommon for the redhead to lounge in, his face and posture gave him away otherwise that he was feeling less than good at the moment.
“This’ll teach you to lie to me about how you’re really feeling, you idiot,” Katsuki scolded, scowling at the redhead. An embarrassed smile pulled at Eijiro’s lips and Katsuki rolled his eyes before looking off to the side and continuing in a quieter voice, “I made you this.”
Eijiro’s eyes went wide as if he had just noticed the bowl in Katsuki’s hands looking from it back up to the blond.
“You didn’t have to! I ate-!”
“Shitty granola bars like three hours ago? Like hell I’m letting you get by with just that!” Without waiting for Eijiro to invite him in or even asking for permission to do so, Katsuki moved past his boyfriend and into the room. As he had mentioned over text, the bed was essentially a blanket fort with pillows piled high and the covers balled up near the headboard. Katsuki maneuvered the obstacle course of clothes, books, and weights littering the floor in a memorized route he had done thousands of times. Once he had reached the side table to set the bowl down along with the water bottle that he still had tucked under his arm, he heard Eijiro shut the door and shuffle over to him.
A heavy weight settled against his back as Eijiro pressed his forehead into Katsuki’s shoulder and wound his arms around his middle in a hug. The heat coming off Eijiro’s skin from the fever seared through Katsuki’s shirt.
“Thank you ‘Tsuki,” came a whisper from behind him followed by the press of lips to his shoulder blade. The kiss made Katsuki relax into his boyfriend’s embrace and he overlapped one of his hands with one of the ones wrapped around him. Guess he wasn’t the only one with sweaty hands now.
“How are you feeling?” he asked. “Tell me honestly.”
“I feel like absolute shit,” Eijiro sighed into Katsuki’s back. It felt as though with each moment standing he could feel Eijiro losing more and more energy and leaning more weight into him. “I still have a fever, my head is so dizzy, I can hardly stand, all of my muscles feel like jelly, and I’m freezing cold.”
Katsuki hummed in acknowledgement but didn’t offer a response right away. Instead he maneuvered the two of them gently so Eijiro’s back was to the bed then turned to face him. He was swaying ever so slightly in place and Katsuki placed both his hands on his boyfriend’s shoulders to guide him to sit down on the bed.
“You stay here and eat all of that, got it? I’m gonna go to the bathroom and get a cool rag for your head. The water too. I want at least half that bottle drained when I get back,” Katsuki ordered, pulling the blanket over Eijiro’s legs and handing him the bowl. “I’m going to grab you some Ibuprofen too to get your fever down.”
“You got it,” Eijiro replied enthusiastically. Katsuki huffed out a small chuckle before heading out of the room to the bathroom across the hall. He made sure to get the water nice and cold for the cloth and wring out the excess water. Before bringing it back to Eijiro’s room he also grabbed the bottle of Ibuprofen he kept in his room.
Eijiro had drained the entire bowl by the time he got back to him and was already back in his pile of blankets against the headboard sipping on the water. Katsuki handed him the dosage for him to take and set the bottle on the table with the dishes.
“You make the best soup Kats, I might have to get sick more often just so I can have it more,” Eijiro teased, pulling the covers back indicating for Katsuki to join him.
“Don’t even start with that, I’m not allowing you to get sick ever again.” It was good to see that Eijiro’s sense of humor was still in good condition. Katsuki settled into the blanket fort beside his boyfriend and pulled the covers back over them, getting the laptop into position in front of them too. It was muscle memory at this point. He couldn’t begin to count the number of times they had fallen into this exact position both in Eijiro’s room and his own, pressed beside each other with a laptop in front of them. Nights spent with heads leaning on shoulders and fingers laced together; tonight was no exception.
“And what are you gonna do if I happen to get sick again? You can’t exactly explode my germs to make them go away,” Eijiro giggled beside him.
“Try me,” Katsuki challenged, earning him another laugh from Eijiro.
Without even needing to ask, Katsuki pulled up one of the cute animated movies he knew Eijiro was especially fond of and began playing it on the small screen. After turning off the bedside lamp, the two of them wordlessly settled into each other. Katsuki brushed the hair from Eijiro’s forehead back and placed the cool cloth on Eijiro’s forehead, who sighed at the relief the temperature brought. Eijiro’s head came to rest on Katsuki’s shoulder and his hand found Katsuki’s underneath the blankets.
“Thank you again for coming and making me soup Katsuki,” Eijiro whispered, now that the movie was playing.
“You don’t need to thank me. You would’ve done the same thing for me,” Katsuki pointed out matter-of-factly. He paused for a beat considering his next words. Before saying them he rubbed his thumb along the back of Eijiro’s hand that he held. “I missed you.”
Eijiro gave a gentle squeeze back with his hand and turned his face into Katsuki’s shoulder again to leave a kiss. “I missed you too.”
The two of them continued to watch through the movie sharing the occasional brush of fingers and funny commentary. It wasn’t until a half hour later that Katsuki felt Eijiro’s head begin to slip a little off of his shoulder.
“Put your head in my lap,” he whispered, moving his hand to Eijiro’s head before he could protest. He gently guided the red head of hair to lay down on his crossed legs. Eijiro adjusted himself to get comfortable while Katsuki rearranged the blankets so Eijiro was still covered. Once they had readjusted Katsuki began threading his fingers through soft red hair.
Eijiro let out a deep breath through his nose and hummed in contentment at the sensation of having his hair being played with. Katsuki always enjoyed when Eijiro would play with his hair during movie nights and he loved seeing Eijiro blissed out when he returned the favor. For hair that was constantly dyed and styled with gel, Eijiro’s natural hair was remarkably soft and silky. Katsuki moved his fingers gently through the locks, careful to avoid any tangles, losing himself in the repetitive motions of rubbing soft circles into his boyfriend’s scalp and combing his fingers through crimson.
They stayed like this for quite some time before Katsuki started to feel Eijiro shaking slightly. At first he thought maybe he was giggling at a funny part of the movie until the shaking came back in a tremor and he realized Eijiro was shivering. So much for his fever breaking.
“Come here, let me hold you,” Katsuki broke the silence once more. Without having to be told twice, Eijiro scooted himself up to tuck himself into Katsuki’s chest, wrapping his arms around his torso and squeezing his middle in a silent thank you.
“I love you so much, Kats,” Eijiro whispered into the darkness punctuating the sentiment with a squeeze to Katsuki’s torso. Katsuki couldn’t see Eijiro’s face but he knew that the redhead was smiling, because he was smiling too. He felt all of the earlier anxieties that he had been feeling before disappear in an instant. It was moments like this that reminded him how lucky he was, and how thankful he was to have found his person, his rock.
“I love you too, Ei.” He wrapped his arms around Eijiro’s back and pulled him in closer.
They kept watching the movie in content silence, leeching off each other’s body heat. Eijiro’s shivering had subsided and Katsuki was pretty sure that at this point his fever had broken from the Ibuprofen. Still, they clung to each other in the darkness, Katsuki tracing indecipherable designs onto Eijiro’s back, and Eijiro providing the occasional squeeze or nuzzling of his head into Katsuki’s chest.
As they neared the end of the movie, Katsuki noted that Eijiro’s breathing had deepened and he wondered if the boy was asleep in his arms. He looked down to see Eijiro’s long, pretty lashes brushing his cheeks. The scar above his right eye caught the light from the screen making it white and his lips were parted ever so slightly. He was beautiful.
Feeling bold, Katsuki impulsively tilted his head down and gave a long press of his lips to Eijiro’s forehead. A toothy grin spread across his boyfriend’s face and he nuzzled closer into the warmth Katsuki was providing. He planted his own kiss on the back of Katsuki’s hand which was intertwined with one of Eijiro’s. Maybe his boyfriend hadn’t been asleep after all. Eijiro turned his face up so he was looking Katsuki right in his eyes, leaning his chin on Katsuki’s chest. His ruby irises were clear and bright, conveying a thousand thoughts at once, all of which Katsuki could read, like they were written in a language just for him.
“Hurry up and get better so I can kiss you on the lips,” Katsuki insisted, matching Eijiro’s intense stare. Eijiro cuddled even closer to Katsuki and peppered kisses all across the blond’s chest and the base of his neck. Katsuki tried to stifle his laughs as much as possible, but was unsuccessful. He was sure his blush looked as red as Eijiro’s flushed face at this point.
“Okay,” Eijiro cooed, giving one more squeeze before turning back to the screen and getting comfortable. That seemed to be enough incentive for his boyfriend.
The two of them finished up the movie and queued up another one. Katsuki knew Eijiro wouldn’t be able to make it through another movie as he watched his eyelids flutter closed and open within the first ten minutes of the second movie, but he kept it playing anyway. If it was an excuse for Katsuki to keep holding Eijiro and rub his back, coaxing his sickness out of his body with gentle rubs and the occasional soft whispers, he’d gladly stay there all night. It’s not like he was leaving any time soon.