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Shouto's skin has a pink hue. And both sides of his face are equally hot to touch. It really wouldn't have been that worrisome. A few pills and a day's worth of rest would cure a little fever. But Shouto wakes up crying.
Katsuki's in the bathroom brushing his teeth when he hears the sad whines coming from his room. He rinses his mouth and walks back inside and there--
Shouto is sitting up on the bed, face absolutely miserable as he rubs his red nose, forehead held on his slowly frosting right palm. He's breathing through his mouth.
"Shou?" Katsuki asks, going to sit beside his boyfriend, thumbing along his spine softly.
"'Suki, I'm--sick--," Shouto says, agonised.
The look in Shouto's eyes as he says that wrings Katsuki's heart.
"Okay," he says. "I'm gonna get you some water and then we'll check your temperature, okay?" Katsuki says.
Shouto nods, nudging his face further into his ice-covered palm, chasing that blessed coolness.
"Just don't cry, okay?" Katsuki says.
Shouto shakes his head. "Hate it whe' get sick, 'Suki. Ca't breathe. Ca't do a'ything," he sobs out.
"Oh, Shou." Katsuki wraps an arm around his boyfriend's shoulders, pulling him close to his chest, until he's nestled sideways under Katsuki's chin, snug. "We'll get you medicine, okay. You'll wake up good as new tomorrow morning, promise."
"I hate bei'g sick," Shouto whines, pressing closer to Katsuki still, clinging, draped over Katsuki's chest, face hidden into the crook of his neck.
"I know, baby. How about some warm water now? Gonna help with your sore throat. And then some ginger tea?"
Shouto fists his left hand into Katsuki's top. "U'gh."
Katsuki can't help but laugh a little. "Okay, okay."
Out of all the things Shouto has been through (toiling through eight plus hours of calculas class, being stuck under rubble for days, resisting a pain quirk, getting his chest cleaved open, facing Touya), Katsuki never thought getting sick would break Shouto's composure.
Never thought the Shouto that walked around with a rod impaling his thigh for hours before someone noticed would cry and bang his fists onto the table in frustration over his blocked nose.
"It's horrible, 'Suki! I ca't--breathe--."
"Don't be a baby, Shou, you know I'm looking for the spray," Katsuki says, rummaging through the pill box. "At least the tea helped, right?"
"Throat still hurts," Shou complains, slumped over the kitchen table now.
Their classmates are gonna pour into the common room any second now, and Katsuki doesn't wanna hear their coos over how cute and pouty Shouto is. 'Cause he is. Looking like a baby kitten with the way his eyes are clenched shut 'cause of his headache and lips curled into a childish frown.
Adorable.
"'Suki, did you find it?"
Katsuki's gaze snaps back to the box on his lap. "No, sorry, it's not here."
Shouto groans the longest groan Katsuki has heard.
"I'm dyi'g."
"No, you're not, asshole," Katsuki says, jumping down from the counter. "You're just very miserable right now 'cause of the rain adventure you had yesterday."
"Uhgh," is Shouto's cutting response, face pressed against the crook of his elbow.
And Katsuki can't resist it, so he brushes aside Shouto's hair and kisses his temple. "Fucker, always making me lose."
Shouto smiles, just a little, and dawn finally breaks behind him.
By the time the early risers start clambering down the stairs, crowding around the kitchen in search for food, Katsuki's already got Shouto to finish breakfast (eggs and a plain bowl of rice 'cause spice hurt his throat), helped him take his medicine, tucked him into bed, smothered his face in kisses until he stopped whining about Katsuki going away, and got him to sleep, tracing the slope his jaw with his thumb until his breathing evened out.
Katsuki left one last kiss on Shouto's forehead, made sure the curtains were drawn and the windows were closed, and switched off the lights.
By the time he got down--
"Bakugou! Oh, thank God! My stomach is turning itself inside out right now!"
Katsuki wonders what would become of the extras if he got sick? Would they make themselves breakfast for once (unlikely) or starve to death right here on the goddamn kitchen floor, surrounded by food.
"Fucking useless, all of you," Katsuki says, rubbing his eyes as he enters the kitchen. Satou, at least, has boiled rice and started chopping vegetables. "Except you," Katsuki
tells him.
He's eating his own breakfast when Izuku comes to sit next to him, entirely unafraid, stupid fucker.
"Kacchan, I didn't see Shouto-kun. Is he okay?"
"Yeah, just sick."
Izuku's stops chewing. "Oh my gosh, is it because I got him wet in the rain yesterday? Kacchan, is it--"
Katsuki pinches Izuku's lips together. "Swallow."
Izuku swallows down his food.
Katsuki sits back. "Don't talk with your mouth full, dumbass. It's disgusting."
"But is he really sick? Does he have a fever? I should go see him—"
Katsuki collects his dishes, getting up to deposit them into the sink. "He's in my room. But he's sleeping so don't wake him up."
Izuku starts eating faster.
First class is Advanced Calculus, which he loves. Nothing beats the clueless looks on his classmates' faces when sensei explains Second Degree Differential Equations.
Next is English. He listens to music and does his Math homework. Shouto will explain the lecture notes to him anyway.
In the next class (hero training with All Might) Shou sends him a text:
[Shou 💌: i'm bored.]
[you: what abt that book you were reading?]
[Shou 💌: i have a headache. can't read. katsuki, i miss you.]
Katsuki's about to type his reply, smiling, when All might takes his phone away for the class, giving him a mortifying scolding about how texting with your significant other while on field can be fatal.
He takes neater notes for all his classes that day since Shouto would have to borrow his. Katsuki's notes are normally very messy and crowded, with doodles in the page corners. Shouto's notes are pretty and organised and colour coded. Katsuki envies his boyfriend for that.
By the time class ends, he's exhausted and aching.
He walks home, slowly, wearily.
It's two in the afternoon. Everything is bright and airy and still. The sunlight feels honey warm on his skin. And the wind runs along his face like icy silk.
But Katsuki still feels weighed down.
When he gets to Heights Alliance, Katsuki spots a lone figure sitting at their dorm entrance, playing absently with his two toned hair.
Previous exhaustion forgotten, Katsuki breaks into a run. When he's in six feet of Shouto, he looks up at Katsuki in a start, letting out a gasp as he's tackled.
Then he laughs. "Katsuki!"
Katsuki sighs into his neck, then kisses right under his jaw. "Missed you. It was weird going to class without you."
"Hmm," Shouto agrees. "It was weird being all alone in the dorms too. Scary."
"Were you lonely?" Katsuki asks, pulling back, lifting Shouto up with him. They start walking inside.
"Yeah. But Izuku came up to check on me during break."
Katsuki flings his bag onto the sofa. "Did you eat?"
"Soba," Shou replies, sitting next to Katsuki's bag.
Katsuki drops down beside him. "How's your throat? When did the fever break?" he asks. "Did you take the rest of your medicine? And please tell me you ate something besides soba. And showered. And--"
"Katsukiiiiii," Shou whines. "Shhh." He moves closer, enticingly, punishingly slow, pushing Katsuki back against the armrest. He pouts. "I want a kiss."
"Tch. You'll get me sick," Katsuki says, teases.
"Didn't seem to bother you this morning."
"You were miserable then. I was just being a good boyfriend."
"Oh?" Shouto says. He grins, almost mischievously. "Push me away then."
Shouto leans down and licks a stripe up his neck, kissing under his ear, biting. Despite himself, Katsuki turns his head a little, closing his eyes. Vaguely he remembers he was upposed to resist. But he surrenders himself.
Shouto pulls his tie loop tighter around his neck, holds it like a noose. Chokes him a little as he kisses up Katsuki's neck, then up his jaw, finally capturing Katsuki's lips in a languid kiss, then turning a little forceful, a little demanding.
"Flips us over," Shouto breathes over him.
"Huh?" Katsuki asks, dazed, breathless.
"Flips us over."
So Katsuki does, knees on both sides of Shouto, locking him in place. He leans down, wanting to ruin Shouto—
Someone knocks on the door.
Katsuki looks up. His classmates, some embarrassed, some amused, some turned around and covering their faces (Izuku), are standing at the doorway. Shouto whines, trying to pull Katsuki back down by his tie.
Kaminari whistles.
That night, Shouto's fever comes back and he pretty much whines himself to sleep.
Crybaby.
Katsuki isn't worried at all though. He stays up for only three hours after Shou falls asleep, finishing his physics homework, making a list of all the topics Shou missed today so he won't be confused in class tomorrow, and changing the cold cloth on his forehead once every twenty minutes.
When it's time to sleep (what the fuck it's 3 am), Katsuki checks Shouto's temperature once more. 38 degrees. It's gone down. Good.
It takes him another twenty minutes to organise his books, set his desk right, change and brush his teeth.
At exactly 3:21 am, Katsuki collapses next to Shouto, and passes the fuck out.
He wakes up with a sore throat the next morning.