deep sea blue

A careful hand on his cheek, wiping his tears and a soft, soft, breathy murmur in his hair, "Hey, kid."
Izuku let himself be washed adrift by deep sea blue as he succumbs to sleep, peace finally settling comfortably in his bones.
-
Izuku's friend is not a villain– that's what he's trying to tell everybody else. And if they don't believe him, well, he just has to go against them.

Notes:

(See the end of the work for notes.)

Work Text:

A massive earthquake shudders the solid land beneath them, making Tenko curl tighter under him. Izuku activates Black Whip from his left arm to form a protective sphere around them to bar them from the falling debris from the sky, breaking down into large chunks from the intensity of Katsuki's Howitzer Impact. It will spare them a few minutes before the ambulance reaches their destination, and Izuku thinks that Katsuki will kill Dabi before the rescue arrives.

Or the other way around, but Izuku didn't want to think about that for now.

"Deku," Tenko calls underneath him, hands still clenched tight to his torn cape, spare for his pinky fingers. His usual clothes: plain gray dress shirt and black trench coat, are now soiled and badly torn, exposing his wounds that need to be staunched before he risks death by loss of bloodー large, mangled claw marks dripping blood in the center of his chest, a burned skin that looked like a third-degree, a wide arrays of bruises decorating his face, neck and shoulders, looking too worse for wear and in dire need of medical attention. His legs and feet were dead and broken, Izuku presumes, unfeeling as he remembered that it was beaten badly earlier to keep Tenko from escaping.

It helps his case that Tenko also took a bad hit in the head earlier, so add a possible concussion, given that Tenko's eyes are wildly darting at him and glassy, tears pooling around his cracked, dry eyelids. His eyes are red-rimmed and it looks like it hurt. His stomach turned at the sight, clutching Tenko a bit more desperate than he initially liked.

"Yes? Are you hurt?" Deku whispers, hushed but hurried, hands shaking in wanting to square Tenko's badly bruised face, but chooses to squeeze Tenko's waist in an attempt to assurance instead.

"No," Tenko rasps, wincing as he shuts his lips tight, and Izuku realizes that Tenko must be thirsty. "Sen... Sensei got away, I'm sorー" Tenko stops, and a pained beseeching whimper ekes out of his throat, and he looks at Deku with a pleading expression, clawing his throat wildly.

Izuku caught his hands fast, snapping them away from the sensitive skin of Tenko's throat, crouching lower and making calming noises as he drew his hands around his middle instead, inviting him for a comforting embrace. " Shh, shh. It's okay. You did what you had to do. I'll find him later. We'll find him later. You're gonna be okay, I got you."

All Izuku got as a response from Tenko was a tighter grip around his midsection and a low wail.

"Try not to talk too much. Your throat is hurt," Izuku adds, drawing up to peer at Katsuki, a bit puzzled because the booming stopped, and tried not to smile seeing Katsuki standing over Dabi's unmoving figure, lying on the ground, a victorious smile on his lips, albeit looking like he sparred with catastrophe. Izuku felt a little relieved, relaxing against Tenko. "Help is coming. Let's wait longer."

"Can't. It hurts so much. Hurts everywhere." Tenko cries.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Help is near. Just a bit longer."

"It itches. It itches. It itches so much!"

"Try not to scratch them, Shimura-san," Izuku begs, gripping the former villain's hand to still him. "I know it hurts. I know it itches. Please wait longer. They're near."

"Deku." Tenko wails.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, forgive me," Izuku whispers against Tenko's hair, again and again, and again, embracing him tight, trying not to flinch and cry when he feels the dampening of his hero suit, pressed against Tenko's face and biting his lip as he listened to Tenko's pained cries. Izuku thinks that maybe Katsuki's explosions earlier should've damaged his hearing, because listening to Tenko right now hurts so much, the noises bleeding his ears dry, and squeezing his heart to the point of asphyxiating pain.

Izuku ignored the screams of protest at his wounds and held him tightly, desperately.

"I don't wanna go back," Tenko shudders, remembering how All For One tried to kill him when he discovered that Tenko was betraying him.

"You're not. I'm here. I'll protect you."

"What if he takes me again?"

"Then I'll get you back again."

"You promise?"

Izuku nods, solemn. "I promise."

"Don't leave me, Deku."

"I won't."

"Ever?"

"Ever."

"You swear?"

"I swear." Izuku smiles, and uses his thumb to wipe the tears from Tenko's cheeks. "I swear on All Might's grave."

Tenko narrows his eyes on him, but a small smile peeks through. "That's horrible."

"I'm just proving that I'm serious."

"I believe you, but you don't need to include All Might, he's gone."

"Dead serious."

"Oh my God," Tenko slaps a hand to his mouth as his eyes widen, muffling a sudden laugh that bubbles past his lips. "That's a horrible pun."

"Not sorry." Izuku's smile widens.

"Don't say that again. You're a bad distractor."

Izuku feigns an unbothered shrug, eyes softer on Tenko. "But I succeeded anyway, didn't I?"

Tenko didn't answer, just stared back at him. It should've bothered him, Tenko looking at him like how he used to look at Katsuki before, like he's his world and sees nothing else, but it strangely didn't. If it was anything, he only felt warmth all over, felt the urge to puff his chest out in pride.

Tenko blinks at him, no longer bothered by the chaos ongoing around them, blinking sluggishly, relaxed in his hold and slurring to unconsciousness. "Hero." He murmurs against Izuku's chest, almost breathing out the word, inhaling deeply. The word tested in his tone, tasting unsure on his tongue as he tried to say it. Still, Tenko kept his eyes open, set on Izuku's face, expression peaceful. "My hero." Tenko adds, reverent.

Izuku doesn't want to cry, at least not right now, but he needs to.

He barely heard the distant blaring of sirens overhead over the loud drumming of his hurried, overeager heartbeats in his chest, in his ears, as he blinks down to Tenko's lax body, the former villain's eyes fluttering as he flits in and out of unconsciousness, tenses now and then as if trying to be alert and sharp to his surroundings.

"They're here?" Tenko asks weakly.

Izuku nods, trying to drown out the sounds of his beating heart in his ears and trying to listen to the blaring sirens nearing them. "Yeah. They're here."

Tenko huffs. "Fucking finally. Heroes are always so slow."

Izuku chuckles. "Hey." He jokes about a protest.

"Not you though." Tenko concedes with a close-lipped smile.

Izuku opens his mouth but decides against it, closing. Izuku wants to counter him, petulant and still mad about it, wants to say no, i’m not , but Izuku did not want to agitate and stress him further, trying to swallow back the beginnings of a protest sitting precariously on the tip of his tongue. If I am not slow then I would've caught All For One now.

"Don't frown," Tenko demands.

Izuku jolts back and turns his features into an imitation of a pleasant expression. "What? I'm not frowning."

"You're lying."

"I'm not."

"Look! You're doing it again."

"I'm not!" Izuku interjects, voice a little high, and he clamps his mouth shut as Tenko looks at him incredulously, biting back a smile at the obvious tone of defense in Izuku's reply.

"Sure."

Izuku harrumphs. "Even badly beaten up, you're still a little shit." He mutters, looking around for the ambulance that suddenly vanished yet again. He curses under his breath, mildly irritated, and flushes embarrassedly under the scrutiny of the former villain in his arms. "Why the fuck's the ambulance taking so long?" He groans.

Tenko shrugs, no longer biting his lips and giving up trying to not smile. He quietly winced at the sting of the dried seams of his cut lips and hoped Izuku didn't notice. "Honestly? I'm used to it."

Izuku glares at him, affronted. "You're dying, Shimura-san."

"I'm not." Tenko counters hotly. "I'm not dying. I'm not even feeling hurt. These injuries are nothing compared to the injuries I sustained before."

"Just because I pretended not to notice you wincing earlier that doesn't mean I didn't know."

"Fine."

" Fine . Now be a good boy, stop moving, and wait for the ambulance to come."

Tenko screeches. "Good boy? I'm fucking older than you!"

Izuku shrugs. "Yeah, sure, I can see that now. Totally acting older than me."

"Fuck you." Tenko seethes. "I'm fine. I'm good."

"You can't even feel your legs."

"Watch me."

The two of them halt and jump in shock as Katsuki's enraged voice fills the air from afar. "DEKU!" Katsuki roars and explosions erupt. "WHERE ARE YOU, SHIGARAKI TOMURA?"

"Ow." Tenko winces again, but he shifts closer to Izuku, shuddering slightly. "That sounds scary."

Izuku soothes him by squeezing him. "I won't let him take you. I promise."

"But why is he asking though?" Tenko's brows knitted, puzzled, and he tried and failed to peek over the large rubble of cement that was hiding them from the sight of everyone. "Didn't he know I'm here with you?"

Izuku tamps down the urge to laugh nervously, and begins to sweat. "What? Know what?"

Tenko narrows his eyes on him, suspicious. "That you saved me? That I'm no longer a part of League of Villains?"

"DEKU!!!" Katsuki bellows again, making Izuku shriek in alarm, skittery. Tenko gapes.

"Oh my God. You didn't ."

"Sorry! It was a personal decision." Izuku shuts his eyes to the point of pain, grimacing. "Shimura-san, you're a villain, and the leader of the League at that. Do you think they will take it lightly? You think they'll agree to save you despite you causing all sorts of bad things in Japan for the past years? I don't think so. I had to... improvise."

Tenko's eyes widen, backing away from Izuku, and the latter makes protesting noises and tries to pull him back but Tenko shoves him away. "You... you smuggled me? Without them knowing?" Tenko shrills, manic.

"I had to!" Izuku yells. "But not yet. Soon. A-After your injuries are treated and you are rested enough." Then he shakes, folding into himself in shame. "I don't want them to take you away. You didn't do anything wrong, at least not exercised by your own free will. You're just a kid, manipulated and gaslighted."

Tenko softened, a little, but that didn't stop the panic rising in his throat and lodging there so uncomfortably it pounded and clawed his chest and stomach, it made him itch badly. He suppresses the urge to laugh like a madman from the incredulousness of it all. Of course. Of course. Why did he ever believe that heroes were going to forgive him that easily? He's a fucking villain! He never did anything right in his life! "That's not a fucking reasonable excuse for you to do that. Soon? What the fuck are you thinking?! Are you out of your sane mind?! You could be put in jail for this. You are going to be accounted as my accomplice for this. Fucking accessory. A hero aiding a villain to escape! Deku, what you're doing is wrong." Tenko yells back, hysteria overtaking him. He starts to doubt everything, fear creeping up on him like a snake and vice-gripped in his brain, tears pricking his eyes as he tries to blink. Tenko scoffs. "What are you even planning to do with me? Hide me fucking forever? From them?"

Izuku was quiet, crying, and Tenko felt guilt creeping up on him but the panic didn't let him falter as he continued to demand answers, urgency making him jumpier over the last as Dynamight continued to find and call Izuku, voice getting louder and sounding more impatient.

"Yes. That's what I am intending to do." Izuku replies, silent and somber. Guilty. "I wanted to hide you somewhere. I had it ready. After killing All For One, I planned to tap out anyway." Izuku mutters, shoulders drooping in defeat and letting tiredness seep in and show.

"Tap out?"

Izuku clenches his jaw. "Give up UA. I'm done for anyway. Work as a vigilante instead."

Tenko smiles, brittle and bitter. "You're still going to be a hero, huh?"

"Y-Yeah. That's my dream, right?"

Tenko flinches, still angry. "And what of me? Live in solitude for the rest of my life?" He spat out harshly.

Izuku couldn't look at him, but flushed. "I planned on going with you."

Tenko felt his head stop spinning, or spinning faster, he wasn't sure, his heart beating ceasing and stunned, rushing and faintly drumming as it filled his ears because surely, he heard wrong. "What?"

"I-I had it planned months ago. Years ago, even. I started planning when we became friends." Izuku mutters, turning away from him. "I-I will live with you. I always knew you were different from them, and you always made me feel at peace, so I hatched a secret plan that involves us," Izuku glances at him for a second and jerking his chin in his direction to emphasize his point, turns away again quickly. "getting away from everyone's radar when the time's right and taking ー o-or as what you said earlier, smuggling you without anyone knowing. That's step one." Izuku breathes. "Step two is talking with you and debriefing you of what's going to happen, vaguely, and taking you to a safe house I purchased in secret when All Might left me a generous sum after he uhm, passed away. Then right there I will finally explain everything to you. Step three is me going undercover within the Hero Association, kinda as a spy, going in and outー"

Tenko cuts in sharply, angry. "Hold the fuck up." Tenko snaps, his fingers flexing warningly as if desiring to corrode Izuku using his quirk. "You planned all of this without telling me beforehand? What makes you so sure I'll fucking agree to come with you?!"

"DEKU! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?!"

They tensed but both pointedly ignored the loud blond.

Izuku falters, but flushed deeper, embarrassed. "I'm sure." He whispers. "You have nothing to go to anyway."

Tenko's hand slams into the thick rubble, the chunk of it instantly disintegrates to nothing as he sits up straighter despite the pain of his wounds, ready to wreak havoc and so mad. "Oh, you fucking son of a biー"

"THERE YOU FUCKING ARE." Katsuki barks as he flies with his hands alight, large explosive boosters emitting from his hand grenades, deftly parking his feet steadily atop the large rubble, eyes on the crouched figure of Deku. "I'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR YOU GODDAMN ANYWHERE WHY AREN'T YOU ANSWERING ARE YOU HURTー Oh. You ."

Tenko turns to Bakugo, tensing. He ignores the creaking of his skin as he does. "Oh. Me." Tenko deadpans, hiding the sheer panic he's feeling. Flight. Flight. Flightー "Hi?" Tenko adds.

Shit .

Katsuki's eyes turned to murderous slits, palms igniting. "You are here? I'm going to fucking kill you. What are you doing here with Deku? You don't get to hurt him." He seethes, prowling closer.

"I'm not hurting himー"

"Kacchan, he's not hurting meー"

"DIE!!!!" He screams, and Izuku lets out a helpless squeak before scooping Tenko up in his arms and jumping away from the trajectory of Katsuki's AP shot, narrowly avoiding the fire that bursts out of his gloves, but hisses in pain as he felt the scorching burn that adds itself in his shoulder from catching the powerful heat wave that emanated from Katsuki's blow.

"Deku!" Tenko screeches, flailing to wrap his arms around Izuku's neck and worriedly eyeing his additional injury. Izuku ignores him as he keeps his eyes on Katsuki carefully who's on a rampage , shooting explosions around him in a careless wave, shouting Die! as he does so. He carefully lands on the edge of the ground, stopping shortly before the deep drop that separates the two islands.

I'm gonna die. Tenko thought, panicking. He itches again. His whole body starts to twitch uncontrollably. I'm gonna die I'm gonna die I'm gonna die Deku's gonna die with me and it's going to be my fault I'm gonna die.

"Shimura-san," Izuku starts, lips close and brushing to the shell of Tenko's ear and he shudders in sudden and unexpected proximity. It's almost inaudible due to Bakugo's raucous and continuous yelling in the background, but it successfully steals his attention and snaps him out of his headspace. "I'm here. You'll be okay."

All Might's voice echoed faintly in Tenko's mind.

Against his own volition, he pressed his lips shut even though he wanted to argue and hid his face against Izuku's neck instead, scared witless but eager to remain alive, nodding. Izuku sighs in relief.

"Kacchan. Calm down!"

"THE FUCK ARE YOU ON?!" Katsuki barks back. Another explosion. Izuku expertly dodges, arms locked and tight and secure around Tenko. "WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU CARRYING THAT SHITTY VILLAIN?!"

"Kacchan, stop! Hear me out!"

"THE FUCK I WILL, SHITTY DEKU!" Katsuki cuts, marching towards them with his palms outward in their direction in warning. He was mad, feral mad as he stared at Izuku's wounded body carrying Tenko, and angling him in a way that conveyed he was protecting him from Katsuki. Katsuki boils in a renewed sense of rage. And betrayal. "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING? HE'S A VILLAIN. GIVE HIM TO ME. NOW. "

"No." Izuku replies sternly, fast.

"ARE YOU GODDAMN INSANE?" Katsuki snorts, as if saying that Izuku's joking around. "QUIT IT, I'M SERIOUS. HAND HIM. TO ME. NOW!"

"I said no."

"You're fucking with me." Katsuki groans, hands going limp at his sides, and rolls his eyes, deciding to indulge Deku's unwarranted stubbornness. Shitty nerd . "What the hell is going on with you? Why are you carrying him? He's an enemy!"

"He's not an enemy, Kacchan." Izuku snaps back. "He disbanded from the League weeks ago. I am saving him. Now, leave us alone."

Katsuki blinks, and blinks. Then he roared out an offending guffaw of amusement until he looked at Izuku again, laughing and dying out when he saw Izuku's serious and determined expression. He frowns. "Are you for fucking real?"

"Yeah." Izuku rasps out.

"Fuck no."

"Leave us alone, Kacchan." Izuku repeats.

Katsuki scoffed. "Shigaraki's brainwashing you, isn't he?"

Izuku glares at him. "Is that a question or a statement? His quirk is decay. Brainwashing is Shinso's quirk. And no, he's not brainwashing me. This is all my own decision, and you will leave it."

What the hell is going on? Why is Deku protecting this stupid villain? Why is he defending him? When did they become so close? "Fucking smartass. I said give him to me. He deserves to be locked up. What makes you think he's telling the truth? He's the leader, for fuck's sake. You're so stupid. He's a villain."

"I know, you are just repeating yourself." Izuku retorts, growing tired and impatient from the needless verbal exchange. His knees are starting to buckle from exhaustion and Tenko's unexpectedly heavy weight. "But I believe him."

"What?" Katsuki scoffs, disbelieving and feeling particularly sarcastic, his head almost close to blowing up from incredulity of all this. "What? Are you friends with this shitty person? With this genocidal, psychopathic murderer?"

Tenko flinches hard against Izuku's hold.

"Yes." Izuku supplied.

"What? Whaー" Katsuki steps back, horrified. "What the fuck, Deku?"

Izuku's eyes steel in irritation, trying to tamp down the swell of apology itching to be spoken aloud from the sight of Katsuki. Even though they're still heroes in this field, at this moment, Katsuki is still Izuku's best friend, and Izuku's lover. Izuku contained it all in, tucked it far away. "I said, step out, Dynamight."

Katsuki freezes, shocked, but then his eyes glint with dangerous blazing fire. "Is that it, huh? You're taking his side over me?"

Izuku grits his teeth. "Do not include personal matters in hero work."

"Fucking see if I care. Really, Deku? Him?"

Izuku grows increasingly irritated at the disgusted indication of his tone. "Do not include personal matters in hero woー"

"FINE." Katsuki snaps, palms glowing bright orange and sparks start popping eagerly as he turns his palms outward, directly towards Izuku and Tenko, and the unlikely pair tenses, but Izuku's eyes are shimmering concrete, dull green and resolute. "We're doing this the hard way. You chose this, fucking Deku." Katsuki spits out.

Izuku didn't answer. Izuku anticipates a small, warning explosion aiming towards them, intended to scare him and Tenko from their position. Katsuki won't hurt him much. If Katsuki chooses to bring up his feelings about this, then Izuku is sure that his love for Izuku outweighs his resolve to be a rightful hero. What Izuku didn't expect, was Katsuki's last-second angling to the ground, and before Izuku could move, the ground shook and groaned beneath his feet, quaking hard as the twin big explosions tore the ground and Izuku's feet were still planted uncertainly when the land gives up under him, chunks falling to the pit. Izuku panics, Tenko panics, the both of them releasing each other a split second before Izuku scrambles for Tenko's purchase, but is too late, as Tenko falls along the chunks of what was once a sturdy cement, towards the deep pit, crying out in alarm.

Izuku's feet moved before he could think.

He slides to the ledge, to the edge of the cliff as he dangles a trembling hand in the air and catches Tenko's fingers just barely and briefly sees his life flash before his eyes, and everything slows down, almost collapsing in sheer relief when Tenko's fingers curl and reached around Izuku's, effectively connecting their hands. Izuku's panting mouth shouts a worried shriek when Tenko's battered body swings in a wide arc in the air and slams against the side of the cliff rather hard. Tenko cries out in pain, but tightens his grip. Izuku clamps a hand to the cliff, glowing faint green as he tries to activate the remaining dregs of One For All within him to power himself up, but due to overexertion, fails promptly. He grits his teeth as his body gives out a sudden lurch downwards in additional weight.

"Deku!" Katsuki calls out, walking towards Izuku, stopping himself short as he tries to not give Izuku a hand. He didn't want to help Izuku, didn't want to hold his ankle and hoist him to safety because he was teaching him a lesson, fuck. "Let go. Let Shigaraki fall."

"No." Izuku grits out, angry. His fingers tightened around Tenko's four-fingered hold.

"Don't be stubborn, Deku. Let him go or I will finish him."

"Fuck, no." Izuku insists.

Izuku bites back a pathetic whimper as Tenko's fingers slide out of his grip a fraction, a rushed yelp passing out of Tenko's bloodied lips, eyes wild and desperate on Izuku, pleading. "I don't wanna die, Deku. Please. Please. Help me." Tenko sobs.

"Shimura-san. Hold tighter. Just a little bit. Just a little bit, please. Fuck!" Izuku shrills, rushing tears blurring his eyes. "KACCHAN! HELP ME OUT!"

Katsuki clenched his jaw. "No."

Izuku gave up reining in his whimpers, sobbing freely, shaking his head furiously. "Shimura-san, don't let me go. Please. I can't. I-I can't lose you. Hold on. I promised to save you. I promised All Might and Nana I'll save you." Izuku weeps, crying openly. His grip on the cement shakes as the small debris pricks and nicks blood out of his skin, ignores the way his body protests and hurts, and ignores how much he wants to let go and join his other hand to hold Tenko's. Ignores how much he prefers to just fall along with Tenko than to let go and let him die.

"Deku," Tenko murmurs, tears streaking down his face in rapid succession but vision clear, fixated on Izuku's messed-up face, dirty with something and with ugly, fat tears and snot. Why is he begging for Tenko to not let go when all he'd done is to destroy people's lives? Why is he crying for him? Why is he saving him? He's not worth it. Weeks ago, he would've been repulsed at the sight of the pathetic crying face of Midoriya Izuku, but now all he can do is look at his stupid face fondly and with some overwhelming sense of serenity, oddly calm. Tenko figures he wanted Izuku to let him go. Tenko figures he wanted to be saved by Deku.

But he's a villain. "Let go, Deku."

"Shimura-san. No. No . Please. Hold my hand properly. Use all of your fingers. Please. Please . I-I'd rather lose a hand than to lose you."

Stupid, stupid hope. Stupid heart . Stupid mind, rearing in giddiness at the sight of Izuku declaring that he wanted to save him despite his destructive and cursed quirk, despite him being a disgusting villain. So brave. So, so brave of his hero, not afraid of Tenko. Stupid, stupid fucking hope. It crushes him.

"No."

"Please!"

"Deku!" Katsuki protests.

"Please, Shimura-san!" Izuku sobs, so pathetic and honest and earnest it thaws Tenko's resolve, has his thumb itching to touch Izuku's hand, itches to thank Izuku so gratefully he wants to kiss him for it. Tenko blinks, wide-eyed and hysterical, the hope spreading in him like wildfire and catching himself helpless in the middle of it. He's scared. He's so scared. Scared of hurting Izuku, scared of disintegrating him, scared of using his quirk, scared of hurting Izuku, scared of his quirk, scared of dying, scared of Sensei. Scared of not being able to be saved. "I-I can't live without you! Please! Take it. Take my hand. Please!"

Tenko aches .

"Zuku," Tenko whispers, reverent, before gritting his teeth and pulling himself up, just slightly, and closing his eyes so tight as he joined his thumb along with the rest of his fingers, reveling the brief moment of Izuku's hand so rough but warm and comforting against his own, bracing for the moment he disintegrates.

"NO. DEKU!!!!!" Katsuki cries, jumping towards them.

Izuku snarls protectively and pulls himself back, lifting a foot and inhaling generously, before kicking at approaching Katsuki's leg. It buys him time.

Tenko waits for the inevitable fall, for the inevitable decimation of the only thing that anchors him between life and death. And waits. He can't hear Izuku's shout of pain. He can't hear anything.

Tenko opens his eyes.

He tries to not break down and sob harder.

Izuku's hand is still tangible. And there. And still holding his hand tight, unwilling to let go. And pulling him up, tight and snug around his fingers and still whole.

Tenko blinks. He watches Izuku pulling all of him upwards with loud grunts and a reassuring smile that looks like a pained grimace with wonder. Hope . He unconsciously tightened his grip against Izuku's a bit more, not caring even if it hurt them both and a familiar crack of bone-breaking pops beneath his fingers. He didn't care. He didn't care.

He can hold Izuku's hand. With five fucking fingers.

A pained, labored wheeze was torn out of Izuku's lungs as he successfully dragged a starry-eyed and stunned Shigaraki Tomura to the safe ground, slumping down beside him unceremoniously, a crazy grin unabashedly splitting his face. It feels like a realistic, absolutely interactive, and insane dream, because he single-handedlyー literallyー saved Tenko from dying and he can hold his hand now without the danger of disintegrating his hand in the process.

Izuku was so out of it, so overcome with relief and manic he almost forgot Katsuki's still there. He even flinches in shock as he hears Katsuki's groaning above him, pressing his bruised thigh, glaring down at Izuku.

Or rather, to his hand. Their conjoined hands.

"What the fuck?" Katsuki gapes. "What the fuck?"

"I told you so," Izuku slurs, appearing to be at ease and too exhausted to be worked up from Katsuki's agitated reaction, but he tenses up nonetheless, ready to defend Tenko any time, ignoring the bone-deep pains in his body.

"Deku," Tenko murmurs, tone soft but his expression looks like he's excited and relieved. And something more that Izuku didn't know.

"Yeah. Me too." Izuku sighs, rather dramatically as he slumps further, never grateful enough to be lying down. His bones creak when he moves, and truly, he doesn't mind sleeping here right now.

But not when Katsuki's around.

He needs to catch Katsuki off guard before escaping. He peeks at still-dumbfounded Katsuki, and comes up with a stupid plan.

Izuku relaxes for a few seconds, then clenches his fist to test, inhaling deeply as he forces out One For All to the surface. He sighed in relief when his power ran course throughout his body to soothe him, even if it was faint. As far as he knew, he could take more, and can still move. He moves closer to Tenko.

"Kacchan." Izuku calls out, breathing deeply, bracing himself to say what he wanted to say for weeks. For months, but he never dared to say so. Of course, it will be hard, since Izuku's been attached to Katsuki for as long as he can remember, and finding the courage to finally grow out on his own without Kacchan by his side is appalling and frightening. It doesn't help that he still feels the surge of love and adoration at the mere sight and mention of Bakugo Katsuki.

Sooner or later, Izuku needs to weed himself out of Katsuki's side and life.

"Yeah?" Katsuki's voice is hoarse, resigned. Izuku wonders what the blond is currently thinking, but he doesn't let himself ask. He only has one thing to say.

Izuku sits up, nudges Tenko discreetly, and meets Katsuki's dull red eyes with his own steely ones. He let himself falter for a moment, a slip of momentary weakness curtaining his expression and letting Katsuki see it, and graced him with a soft, resolute smile that confused the wide-eyed Katsuki.

Then Izuku turned away, swallowing the large lump stuck in his throat, trying not to feel guilty about how relieved he felt right now, that finally, finally he'll get rid of this stupid heavy weight that's been settling on his chest. He felt it lighten, bit by bit, and Izuku could breathe a little easier.

"Deku?" Katsuki prompts after a minute of silence.

"Kacchan, I'm breaking up with you," Izuku says, voice quiet. Katsuki gapes, but does not say anything in return. Izuku took it as a sign to continue further. "I know about it, for a long time now. I've been debating to break it up with you a lot of times but I always got scared because I don't want to lose you. But it hurts so much, and I know I'll regret it if I don't say it now. So, Kacchan, let's break up now."

"Deku," Katsuki rasps, voice breaking. "I am sorry."

Izuku nods tightly. "I know. If you really intend me to believe that, you're gonna let me go."

"No. I—"

"Katsuki." Izuku cuts in, tone sharp and dark. Threatening. It renders Katsuki frozen because as much as it desensitized Katsuki to see Izuku's glare and threatening aura in countless battles, he is never on the receiving end of it, and Katsuki realizes why their enemies are utterly helpless and shit scared of it— it feels like his whole body is pinned to the ground and something heavy and absolute is pressing all over his body at the sight of his glowing viridian eyes, like Katsuki is in the presence of a wrathful God. Like Katsuki is a pebble he'll gladly destroy if he gets in the way. Katsuki flinches, and steps back.

Izuku softens his gaze at the sight of Katsuki admitting defeat, before carrying Tenko once again and leaping up in the air, towards the camp of medical personnel. He lands shortly, throwing both of them to the ground with a chorus of pained grunting, a bit far away from the nearest van. The rescue teams perk in attention. Izuku wants to cry. From sadness or relief, he wasn't sure.

Tenko squeezed his fingers against Izuku's comfortingly, and once again, Izuku could breathe easier, fuller. He noticed that they never did once try to unknot their hands. Never once tried to pull away.

They stayed that way until they were carried away by the nurses, who separated them and wheeled them towards their respective hospital rooms. Izuku succumbs to sleep with a heavy mind and lips uttering Tenko's name one last time.

Three days later after his wounds were treated, Izuku escaped the hospital and went by himself to fight with All For One who is thoroughly weakened from the attack of All Might and the other heroes. Izuku successfully ended All For One, and the other members of the League were either dead or imprisoned. Izuku went back to the hospital.

Kirishima offered to come with him, but Bakugo Katsuki refused. He'd been agitated and unsure of almost everything since Kamino Ward, but he knew better of anything to complain about. If anything, all he did was wait which would wake up first. It's been eight days. His legs bobbed furiously in impatience. Katsuki refused to hear any information from Aizawa since he wanted to hear everything personally from Deku's mouth, but now it's taking an obvious toll on him. He'd been flighty, almost desperate for any news and bits of updates, and if Shigaraki and Deku decide to sleep for two more days, it's either he'll blow up the whole hospital building or crawl over Aizawa like a pathetic fucker to tell him everything.

"You sure you'll be okay?" Kirishima asks for the fourth time, hovering behind him as he fastens his hero suit on his body. He felt an annoyed vein burst in his temple.

"Fuck off." Katsuki seethes.

"Bro, I'm just worried."

"Fuck. Off. I don't need your stupid worrying."

Kirishima suppresses a flinch from the tone. "Bro, come on..."

Katsuki whirls around, panting in rage, eyes bloodshot and sleep-lacking. "Why don't you kindly get the fuck away from me? I don't need you and your pathetic whining. Leave me alone."

"Bakugo," Kirishima pleads.

Katsuki’s jaw ticks as he closes the gap between them, snapping a hand to his jaw. "Not now, Kirishima. Don't test my thin patience. If you think we're closer just because we're doing it , you're absolutely wrong."

Kirishima stifled the urge to cry. "T-That's mean." He replies weakly, biting his lip. He figures he should be used to this by now since Bakugo's been like this for so long everyone could remember, and he chose to deal with this longer than anybody. Well, except for Midoriya, of course. The guy's practically a saint.

And they were practically stabbing the saint's back.

Katsuki stares at Kirishima, reeling back in shock, sighing harshly before dropping down to the edge of the bed. Whatever Bakugo Katsuki did, he did it none too gently. Even breathing is done with heavy, forced motions, and so is looking at Kirishima with thinly veiled guilt in his eyes along with angry frustration.

Kirishima, as always, forgets about his feelings and fusses over Bakugo, ever the selfless hero and friend.

Katsuki didn't know if it was a bad thing or a good thing for both of them, but certainly, it was a bad habit of Kirishima.

"Bakugo?" Kirishima prods.

Katsuki sucked in a hiss in response. "In Kamino Ward... Deku... Deku broke up with me." He snarls, heart heavy and hurting inside his chest, beating so loud it might as well jump out and over. He pulls his spikes with violent motions, fingers trembling from unresolved rage and pain, pain, pain , and he blamed himself for it, fuck, he's so sure Deku's decision to separate is Katsuki's fault. Maybe he found out about them. Maybe he caught them on act. Maybe he didn't love Katsuki anymore. Maybe he got tired.

Kirishima gasps, quiet. He'd be lying if he said he didn't see this coming. "Baku... I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Katsuki barks out, fast and hoarse. "It was consensual. We're adults. It's my fault too."

"But still. I'm sorry."

Katsuki shook his head, a small half-smile peeking at the corner of his lips shortly. "You stubborn prick. Fine. Now leave me alone."

It was a brief smile, but it was enough for Kirishima. The redhead nodded, a full-fledged smile on his face that reminded Katsuki of an overly enthused golden retriever. "Okay! But just until you return from the hospital, alright?"

Katsuki turns away, flushing slightly, and snickers. "Any fucking thing just to get you off my goddamn back, Hair for Brains. Dealing with you is draining."

"If you say so!" Kirishima calls out, giggling, before jumping away from the doorframe.

Ridiculous.

Bakugo Katsuki strolls into the familiar halls of the hospital three days after his last visit.

Deku gained consciousness two days ago.

Katsuki's scared to see him.

Tsukauchi Naomasa pushes himself from propping against the wall when he sees Katsuki approaching with a scowl on his face, greeting him with a tight-lipped smile.

"Bakugo." Tsukauchi greets.

"Detective." Katsuki nods. "How's Deku?"

Tsukauchi sighs. "Awake, but unresponsive." He turns his head to stare at Deku's door, slightly ajar, but reveals nothing inside. He could smell the faint scent of the cold hospital air conditioner and the sweet, rotting smell of fruits inside. Katsuki deduces Deku's also refusing to eat. "He declines every assistance we're offering him, saying he's fine. Other than that, practically nothing. I think he's worried."

"Worried?" Katsuki's brows knitted.

"Yeah. Shigaraki Tomura."

"Why would he?"

"The Committee forbid us to disclose any details we know about Shigaraki to Midoriya. He asked once, and when we refused to answer and deflected his question with our questions, he just nodded once and asked us to leave. Just that."

"Why? Is there something wrong?"

Tsukauchi shook his head. "We're avoiding the risk of putting stress and delay on Midoriya's recovery. Not to mention that the mere saying of Shigaraki's name brings Midoriya's emotional state to haywire."

Katsuki nods. Opens his mouth. Bites his lip. Opens it again. "Did he... did he ask about me at all?"

The detective smiles apologetically. "No."

"Oh."

"You're visiting Midoriya?"

"Initially," Katsuki replies gruffly, stuffing his clenching fists inside his jeans pockets. "Right now, I dunno. You make it sound like he's too unstable to talk to right now."

"Yeah, he is." The detective rubs his nape as he cricks his head to the side, and Katsuki notices that the detective looks tired; the darkened skin under his eyes is large, and his gaze is unsteady and ready to roll back to sleep anytime. "It got worse this morning."

He tenses. "What? Why? What happened?"

"Shigaraki Tomura woke up earlier, four in the morning. Midoriya was still awake at that hour and heard Shigaraki thrash and scream in his room, resulting in Midoriya trying to rush towards Shigaraki's room and being stopped before he made it through the door. Midoriya didn't take the restriction lightly." Tsukauchi flinches, as if still feeling and vividly remembering what happened. "He put up quite a fight. Now we have another two heroes admitted in the ward."

"Fuck," Katsuki winces. "I see that stupidity remains even if he's badly beaten up."

"As you can put it, Bakugo."

"Can it, detective." Katsuki smirks.

"Are you going to go visit Midoriya now?"

"Hell no," Katsuki swallowed the lump in his throat, thinking. He didn't want to see Deku. Yet. What's left for him to do? He didn't want to go back to the dorms this early. An idea struck. "How's Shigaraki doing now?"

"He's currently stable. At least we think so. Aizawa's on guard duty for him right now and is also put in charge of interrogation along with me. We are taking a break right now." Tsukauchi tries to smile but it ends up looking like a tortured grimace. "He's not answering any of our questions. Always kept on asking for Midoriya."

Katsuki nodded once, grimly. "Put me in."

"Excuse me, what?"

"Put me in. I'll ask him myself. He'll answer me."

"What makes you so sure?"

"Fucker's fighting me with Deku before they got away and rescued. I think he'll want to talk about that and then some," Unhelpfully, images flashed inside Katsuki's head: Shigaraki in Deku's arms, Shigaraki hanging over the ledge and anchored by Deku's hand, Deku breaking up with him. Katsuki scowled, feeling bitter and angry. "And you useless extras don't know how to do your jobs right. Let me take over instead and show you the right way to do it."

Tsukauchi frowns at him, but visibly relaxes. "I can see you are still a pleasant kid."

"This kid will kick your ass doing what you're supposed to do."

"Never learned a lesson to shut up too," The detective barks out a dry laugh before ushering him towards Shigaraki's room, Room 553, and didn't hesitate to open the door. Aizawa, hair suspended in the air and eyes glowing blood red, quickly whirled towards them, snarling. Snarls louder when Katsuki comes into view.

With his quirk activated, Aizawa's usual deadpanned tone was reverted to something more gruff and a little hypnotic. "What's the problem child doing here?"

The detective shrugs. "He offered."

"I want to visit Dー" Katsuki chokes as Aizawa fixes him with a heated, warning glare that promises violence and the disappearance of his spot in UA. " ー s-someone here but I heard Shigaraki's awake and is allowed for interrogation, ha , so I offered."

"How nice of you," Aizawa clips, blinking his dry eyes, his hair falling to his shoulders. He rubbed his eyes as he sighed and slumped down to the chair in the corner. "Well? Go on. See if he could talk."

"He fucking will."

"Then what are you waiting for? Ask away."

"I'm still thinking, asshat!"

"Stop talking about me as if I'm not here." Shigaraki cuts in, tone bored.

"Shut the fuck up or I'll make you." Katsuki warns.

"You're a little shit," Shigaraki replied, a teasing lilt in his voice, cocking his head to the side in mockery as he grins. "Didn't you come here to make me talk?"

"You fucー" Katsuki lunges.

Aizawa's in his side in an instant, hand slapping down to the tender apple of Katsuki's head hard, making him hiss and rub his severed head. Aizawa levels him with a quirk-activated glare. "First warning, Bakugo."

"Fine."

"Always such a good company you are, Bakugo." Shigaraki grins wider.

"I am going to fucking kill you in your sleep," Katsuki mutters under his breath, calming himself down after he shrugs off Aizawa's hold. The latter admonishes, settling himself again in his seat. "I'm gonna ask you some questions and you will have to answer them. Clear?"

"No," Shigaraki replies quickly as if used to say the word and prepared for it. "I want to see Deku first."

"Answer my questions and I'll consider your request."

Shigaraki fixes him with sharp, narrowed glare. "It's not a request. I say nothing until you let me see Deku."

The blond raises an irritated brow. "Want me to force a goddamn answer out of you then?" Katsuki starts to walk towards Shigaraki's bed.

The villain snickers. "Very heroic of you."

"Stop," Tsukauchi jumps in, pushing Katsuki's chest lightly. "No one's forcing anyone."

"Shame," Katsuki shrugs, letting himself be stopped. "Shigaraki looks magnificent when he's black and blue and littered with bruises."

"That's a sweet compliment, Bakugo. Thanks."

Katsuki answered with a snarl, turning to Aizawa exasperatedly. "Aizawa-sensei, he's fucking hopeless."

"Not hopeless. You see, if you only let me look at Deku for at least an hour, I'll be gushing like a lovesick teenager about All For One immediately."

The blond snarls in protest, hackles raised. "You're not fucking getting anywhere near Deku." He spat out.

"Wait," Aizawa cuts in, eyes narrowed on Shigaraki. "Every question?"

"Well, except if the question's really, really personal, then sure, why not?"

Katsuki snorts, disbelieved. "You're believing this little shit, Sensei?"

"Bakugo shut up," Aizawa warns. "Define personal."

The villain spits out a loud laugh, stretching his limbs under the thin hospital sheets and wiggling it as he does so, sighing as the laugh dissolves into a fit of giggles. His dull red eyes relax, collapsing back to his pillow. "Like... Like, do I want to be plowed or to plow Midoriya Izuku kind of personal? I dunno. Might answer that one if you begged prettily for it." He giggles some more.

Katsuki is done .

"I'M GONNA FUCKING KILLー"

"AHHH! GET OFF GET OFF!"

"BAKUGO!"

Tsukauchi blinks, and stares blankly at the three of them tangled by the bed, Bakugo jumping Shigaraki and aiming for his hair, one hand gripping a few locks of it. Shigaraki, pressing himself closer to the wall, yelling Bakugo to stop but a wide smile on his lips, and Aizawa trying to rein in his student. "I am not paid enough for this."

"AIZAWA SENSEI BACK OFF!"

"You're not hurting Shigaraki."

"Fuck I will!"

"Right. No one's hurting me."

"Shut the fuck up, shitstain!"

"Creative."

The detective stands up, eyes narrowed in curiosity. "But, do you want to be plowed or to plow Midoriya?"

Katsuki screams in his sparking hand. Aizawa groans.

"Oh detective, wouldn't you like to know?" Shigaraki cackles.

"What the fuck , detective?" Katsuki wants to explode himself to oblivion.

The police in question shrugs. "Any information is still information. Were you any related to Midoriya on a romantic level?"

The villain clears his throat, sitting up. "What do you mean?"

"Like, do you trade kisses or go on dates or be intimate with each other?"

"Tsukauchi." Aizawa warns.

Shigaraki knitted his brows in confusion. "That's on a romantic level? We do trade kisses if we're feeling particularly giddy after playing video games and go on dates twice a week in malls and parks with our silly disguises. What intimate? What do you mean, intimate?"

"Like doing physical stuff that encompasses the friendly-appropriate skinship?"

"Oh. You have to be more specific than that. Deku is really, really touchy and clingy. And irritatingly casual with that most of the time."

Aizawa nods. "That, I can confirm. Midoriya is really touchy with everyone in the class and some others. He's like... touch-starved."

"He's not touch-starved. He's just raised that way." Katsuki defends, and glares at Aizawa.

The villain affirms with a nod. "Yeah. His mother is extremely affectionate, so is Deku. I find it endearing, sometimes. Especially when she asks me about Deku in odd hours because she had a bad dream about him."

Everyone in the room froze. "She asks you?"

"Oh my God. You're not supposed to know that. I am not supposed to tell you that."

"Too late. She asks you, you say?"

Shigaraki sighs in defeat, grumbling. "Yeah. We are text mates. She's a cool mom."

"Inko-san texts you?!" Katsuki exclaims, fighting the urge to double over or maybe cry. He never texted Deku's mother and he's Deku's boyfriend.

Right. Scratch that. Ex-boyfriend.

The villain raises an inquisitive brow. "You're the boyfriend and you don't talk to his mother? Rude." Shigaraki shook his head, feigning disappointment. "Anyway, she doesn't know I'm a villain. She only knows that my name is Tenko, and I'm the kid who is the same age as Deku that he saved and became friends with. You can now rest easy."

Their shoulders sagged.

"How come you can give updates to Midoriya's mother?"

"Deku texts me daily." Shigaraki answers, bored and flippant. "He comes over thrice a week."

"Thrice a week?!" Katsuki shrills in horror.

"Shigaraki's telling the truth." Tsukauchi nods.

"Oh. That's why Midoriya asked for a visitation pass outside UA." Aizawa hums.

"You let him?!"

"He used Gran Torino and Nighteye as an excuse. Why would I refuse?"

"Fuck! Then how come you're... you're not surprised!"

"I asked about Midoriya when I met up with Gran Torino last month. He said, quote, 'why the fuck are you asking me about that stupid boy?' unquote." Aizawa deadpanned. "I figured Midoriya was lying. But what he lied about doesn't bother me for as long as he's coming back to UA safe and without a scratch. I ruled out meeting with his secret lover when I found out that he and Bakugo were dating for a few months."

"They're not." Shigaraki mutters.

"What?" Aizawa quips.

"Dating anymore. Deku broke up with him back in Kamino."

"Shigaraki, I'm going to fucking behead you."

"Oh. My condolences." Aizawa says.

"Shigaraki's telling the truth." Tsukauchi nods.

"Piss off, Officer!" Katsuki barks angrily.

"Why does Midoriya come over often?" Aizawa.

"We're friends." Shigaraki replies, huffing.

"Does the other members of the League know he's coming over? See him?"

"No. We're cooped up in my room most of the time. They didn't know anything." Shigaraki snaps.

"He's telling the truth." Tsukauchi whispers.

"Then what do the two of you do when he visits?" Aizawa snaps back just as quickly.

"Let me see Deku, and I'll answer your question." Shigaraki fires back fast, annoyed.

Aizawa grits his teeth in consideration then nods briefly. "Deal."

"SENSEI?!" Katsuki roars.

When Aizawa retires for the day, Katsuki is commanded to stay. He senses the wariness and tension rolling off Shigaraki in waves, directed to him with a distrustful stare that he kept trained on Katsuki as he stayed unmoving in his seat for the past half-hour they were left alone.

For what it's worth, the desire to kill the villain keeps looming over his perspiring skin. He sweats more than usual, and Shigaraki sees. Katsuki didn't know if it was from his nervousness or honed self-defense mechanism.

As much as the villain looked too weary and uninterested in initiating an uproar, Katsuki is a goddamn hero. He has common sense.

Shigaraki's soft hum breaks the tension in the air like a knife, causing Katsuki to flinch hard and for his palms to emit crackles of nitroglycerin.

Shigaraki turns to him in amusement, and snorts. "Dude."

Katsuki flushes, slightly embarrassed. "Fuck off and shut the fuck up. " He snaps.

"Relax. I'm not going to bite you." Shigaraki says, a grin breaking his lips in a teasing, haughty manner. Katsuki wants to punch his goddamn teeth straight down his throat. "Unless you want me to?"

Katsuki leans in warningly. "I'm not fraternizing by the likes of you, villain scum." He spat out, hands posed in a familiar position, like how the police pointed their loaded gun towards the perpretrator in warning.

"So grumpy." Shigaraki mutters, slumping down to his bed. He waves a hand in the air, gesturing vaguely. "Ask away."

"Fuck, what?" Katsuki tenses more.

The villain only blinks at him, looking equally exasperated and amused. Katsuki was taken aback and visibly bristled on how Shigaraki Tomura suddenly looked young. "I can tell you have some questions you want to ask me."

"No shit."

The long-haired frowns. "But no villain stuff. No League and All For One stuff."

"Why the fuck not?"

A smile returns as quickly as it slipped seconds earlier. "Come on. Indulge me, hero."

Katsuki fought the urge to flip him off like a petulant child would definitely do. As much as the villain was right, Katsuki will never admit that he's right.

"Fuck you," Katsuki seethes, pausing. He has a thousand questions to ask, but he chooses the biggest question that posed headaches and hellish nightmares on him: "You can touch Deku. Why?"

"What? Are you jealous?" Shigaraki's lips curl into a goading smirk, and Katsuki curses, repeating I fucking knew it in his head, fingers shaking and his combustible quirk demanding to be unleashed to a certain asshole.

I'm gonna fucking killー

"Kidding. I think it's something to do with belief."

Katsuki stops. He could hear the confused screeches ringing in his head.

"What the hell are you saying?"

Shigaraki sighs and nods emphatically. "It's absurd, I know. What I mean is, I believe in Deku."

"You believed in Deku." Katsuki repeats. Blanked.

He nods again. "I believed in him. I believed him when he said he'd save me, no matter what. I believed him even when Deku clung to my broken arm and I was dangling uselessly in the cliff. I believed him when he told me he couldn't live without me." Katsuki flinches at the last sentence, a blurry image of memory replaying in his head, the words kacchan, i'm breaking up with you echoing in his ears like a broken record. "I believed in myself. I believed I wouldn't die, I believed in a better life. I believe I'll escape Sensei." Shigaraki pauses, a small, disbelieved smile on his lips. "I believed in my quirk. Not really, but I just said 'fuck it' because hearing and seeing Deku begging pathetically made me lose brain cells, it seems. I think begging myself to not hurt Deku in the process also helps."

"While I was hanging between life and death all my brain registered is praying to myself that I am not hurting Deku. Well, maybe except for the part where my dry hand chose the worst time to be slippery and Deku almost lost his grip on it." Shigaraki shivers, like the memory, frightens him. " Huh , I realize I never thought to use my quirk other than destroying stuff in the first place, until that day. So, there's that."

Katsuki heard Shigaraki. Understand his words. But somehow his brain malfunctions, because Shigaraki takes one look at his current expression and rolls his eyes. Fucking shitー

"You look stupid."

Katsuki explodes. "FUCK YOU. I'M NOT STUPID!"

"Sure."

His hands boil. "HAH? I'M GONNA BLOW YOU UPー"

"In conclusion," Shigaraki cuts in. "It's a positive thing. Like those weird ass stupid subliminal videos that Toga watched beforeー like, I asked my quirk to not hurt Deku and it listened. It's fucking weird but it worked. That's all I did."

Katsuki balks, and gapes in disbelief. "That's all?"

Shigaraki nods sharply. "That's all."

Katsuki stares at him. Shigaraki stares back, face serious.

Katsuki stares.

And stares.

And stares .

Then Katsuki barks a skeptical, maniacal laugh, booming and surprising the quiet evening. "You think I'm going to fucking believe you? You think I'm going to buy that shit?!"

Shigaraki looks severely disturbed at the sudden noise, frowning deeply. Then he shrugs. "Totally expected you to say that. Believe me or not, but there's the answer."

Katsuki narrows his eyes at the relaxed villain. "What if I am not satisfied with your answer? What if I force another answer out of you?"

Shigaraki sneers. "Sounds like your problem, not mine." He jeers, then stretches his limbs and yawns. " 'Sides, too tired to convince you that I'm not lying."

"Don't fucking sleep yet."

"Watch me, hero."

"We're not yet done!"

But Shigaraki is already turning away from him, scooting deep in the soft mattress. He waves dismissively. "Then come back never."

Katsuki snarls angrily. "I'm gonna fucking murder you." He grumbles under his breath.

Muffled by the pillow, Shigaraki chuckles sleepily. "Get in line, kid."

Katsuki opens his mouth to retort, but closes it, and stares at the villain's figure instead. The light of the hospital lamp is dimmed, night yellow in color and barely illuminating Shigaraki's back. The moonlight is much brighter, glaring through the slightly opened plexiglass windows, and shone on both of them.

He doesn't know why, but he decides to observe the villain. The hospital gown is an ugly shade of dark green, thin and short-sleeved. Here, the moonlight provided enough light for him to see the large scars that snaked around Shigaraki's arm, skin painfully dry and flaky, the skin stretched and tight as if recovering from fresh scabs. It looks eerily similar to Deku's arms, only that Shigaraki's looked worse. It looks uncomfortable, but the villain looks relaxed, and somewhat peaceful, breathing steady and body rising and deflating in slow, eased motions.

Shigaraki is open, and unguarded.

Katsuki feels annoyed, maybe a bit mad that Shigaraki Tomura deemed him a safe company and chose to sleep despite Katsuki still in the room, albeit the two of them arguing earlier and Katsuki liberally throwing death threats at his face. How dare him feel safe with Katsuki around. There are insistent claws digging into his joints quite painfully, demanding him to move. He could hear the egging harsh whispers in his ears, in a sickly sweet cajoling voice, saying the villain's just right there, kill him.

He's sleeping. Maybe not. But he's just there, inviting himself to be harmed. Attack him. Burn him to cinders. Make him scream. Make him beg for his life. Kill him slowly. Kill him mercilessly. Kill him. Kill him. Kill himー

For some reason, his eyes caught the vibrant color of leaves on the nearby tree outside, swishing noisily against the strong wind. Katsuki flinches, teeth clenched. He stands up, feet veering briskly towards the door.

He still has a thousand questions to ask, but he chooses to shut his mouth and leave the villain alone.

Izuku wakes up with a violent start.

"Hey, hey." A voice beside him calls, sounding both distant and near. Izuku heaves, chest rattling with loud, asthmatic intakes that shook his body. Something heavy, and hot presses down to his shoulder blade and Izuku jumps, a hoarse shout materializing in his tongue before it cuts short as the hot weight on his left shoulder squeezes him, another hot weight on his other shoulder.

"Hey. Izuku. You're fine. You're fine. Hey, look at me." Wide-eyed and unfocused, still heaving deep, hurried breaths, Izuku lets the hot weight transfer to his cheeks, the sudden contact grounding him as it feels oddly warm against his cold, sweaty skin. His breathing slows down, little by little. The hot weightー a hand, handsーcups his cheeks softly, and he leaned closer to him, letting his face sag into the hands. Izuku's eyes flutter open to the blurry figure in front of him. "Look at me."

I am looking at you , Izuku wants to say back.

"Hey. Can you see me? Izuku?" The blurry figure comes into focus, a gradual and taxing process, as Izuku squints hard to blink out the moisture that gathered in his lids. A familiar outline that shapes likeー a face?ー is in close proximity, blinking some more as the premature tears dry faster from the warm breaths gusting close to his face. "Sweetheart. Hey."

Izuku jolts as the face comes into a sharp focus, and blankly registers that the handsome, worried face of Todoroki Shoto comes into view. It was weird, seeing the tension that is formed between Shoto's elegant brows, and the soft, worried eyes that are usually cold. What's weirder isー

He blinks, dumbfounded. "Who are you?"

Shoto reels back, surprised. The hands withdrew from his face and Izuku almost whined from the sudden loss of warmth. Shoto's weird-worried expression worsens, evolving into mild horror. "Y-You... You don't remember anything? You don't know me?"

Izuku rubs his slightly stinging eyes gingerly before taking in the white wallpapers of the room, the singular aubergine couch on the right corner, and the blue sheets covering his legs. He blinks back to Shoto. "I do know someone who exactly looks like you."

Shoto frowns, brows almost strung together. "W- What are you talking about?"

Izuku frowns back. "Shoto will never call someone sweetheart."

Shoto blinks at him, expression ironing to placid neutral, tension hissing out of his body in relief. "You scared me."

"No, you scared me. Don't call me that ever again when I just came out of unconscious delirium."

Shoto's lips curl, a line between grimace and a smile. "Is it that bad? I just wanted to get your attention."

"Well," Izuku clears his throat. "As you can see, you succeeded."

Shoto eases himself on the edge of his hospital bed, eyes still on him, seeking him out. Izuku betrays nothing of his previous distress, because he's not ready to verbalize his dream. Not ever. Izuku busies himself with readjusting his bandages, humming in satisfaction as they looked recently changed, and turns to place the tubes connected to his body in places they wouldn't be in danger to being twisted or pulled.

Shoto senses Izuku's avoidance of the inquisition. Alright then.

"You want water?"

As if on cue, he registers the dry grate of his throat, and Izuku makes a noise that sounds like a low croak. "Yes."

"Here you go." Shoto hands him a tall, clear glass of water and he downs it in three eager gulps. Shoto chuckles beside him as he places the empty glass back on the bedside table. Shoto reaches, seeks for his hand and Izuku obliges, unsheathing his hand from the blanket and threads it against Shoto's, relaxing. Izuku bites his lip as he glances at the door.

"Just you?"

Shoto nods. "Just me."

"Okay."

Shoto's long fingers curled towards their joined palms, drawing circles and caressing the rough calluses in Izuku's, some new and some old, tracing it with such care Izuku couldn’t help but to smile. It took a while before Izuku got over to his shock when he found out that a comfortable Shoto is a touch-starved Shoto, took a while to not feel shocked every time the cold boy asked to cuddle, asked for hugs, offered and sought comfort through physical intimacy. It took a while for Izuku to deem Shoto's knack for giving sudden kisses to his friends normal, sometimes on top of his head, sometimes to his cheek, his jaw, and his handsー anywhere Shoto could reach. Izuku liked it.

Izuku tried not to moan in pleasure as Shoto pressed his fingers to the tender point of his palm, pressing enough to release the tension there, massaging in circles, It felt good, felt so good, and once again amazed at how Shoto seemed to know what he needed. Izuku didn't even know the ache of the muscles of his roughened hand until Shoto mapped all the right places to relieve the pain.

When Izuku can finally wriggle his fingers to his heart's content painlessly, he eagerly shoves his other hand to Shoto's, earning him a soft chuckle. The two-toned boy quickly works his magic, twining fingers to fingers until Izuku is reduced to nothing but a puddle of pleasure and giddy relief. Izuku glances at their hands, heavy-lidded, absently noticing the stark contrast.

Shoto's hands are practically flawless and Izuku's are marked with the milestones of his path to heroism. Shoto's hands are soft and smooth to the parts whereas Izuku's are rough, scarred, and callused. Shoto's fingers are thin and long, a standard for female hands, but somehow looked like leaning more soft and masculine. Izuku's fingers are a quarter an inch shorter than Shoto's, thick in build and stocky. Shoto's nails are trimmed neatly while Izuku's are more often chewed on than clipped clean. Shoto's hands are downy to touch, while Izuku's hands are made up of uneven skin, heavily scarred and sharp, thick edges of his skin scrape to touch.

As if telepathically sensing Izuku's newfound distraction, Shoto pressed down harder, massaging with more force than necessary, followed by a delicious crack of his finger from being pulled down to pop joints. Izuku jumps, a hot tingle sweeping in his frayed nerves, and moaning against Shoto's shoulder. The latter huffed a giddy laugh.

"That good?"

"So good," Izuku moans louder when Shoto cracked his middle finger jerkily. "Please don't stop." Moans again.

Shoto snickers. "I know how frustrating and hurt it feels when you don't finish popping all fingers."

"Yes," Izuku hissed, melting into goo against Shoto's side. "You're my favorite person, in like, ever."

"Careful, you're gonna summon competitive Bakugo."

"Don't care," Izuku replies, wiggling his fingers delightedly. "Don't stop." Izuku groans.

Shoto popped the last finger with a satisfying crack. "I'm done though?"

"Don't stop." Izuku repeats, tone whining and demanding.

"Yes, sir." Shoto grins.

Izuku wakes up four hours after they fix him up. The doctors are stunned at how Izuku quickly regained consciousness, but then again, he's the hero who saved them; the hero who dismantled the League of Villains' ranks, killed All For One whom All Might had a hard time defeating, and incarcerated some of them, who are they to underestimate the young hero?

They tried hard not to wince and not feel furious when Izuku's first words, the first question were Shigaraki Tomura's condition.

They clipped him with an irritated answer, "He's currently under operation."

The second time Izuku woke up he was surrounded by Uraraka, Iida, Shoto, and Yaoyorozu. They were discussing the do's and don't's, what to answer and not answer when Izuku asks, which questions they should answer and ignore. By the time Izuku regained consciousness, Uraraka perked up, waiting.

They've discussed an awful lot, but Izuku uttering Shigaraki's name as his first word is a discussion they refused to divulge earlier. When Izuku asked about Shigaraki's current state, they shook it off with uneased laughs and opened another topic after saying Shigaraki's fine and stable.

They didn't like how the answer seemed to satisfy Izuku. They didn't like how Izuku clearly showed that he awoke just to hear the villain's alright. They didn't like how Izuku promptly fell back to sleep without talking to them.

The following times Izuku managed to get a grip on consciousness for a few minutes were the shittiest times, because how is the hell saying Tenko's fine and dandy so hard? Why is it hard enough for them to not tell him anything about the former villain? Izuku didn't understand, and Tenko helped the heroes secure the victory against All For One as a spy. Why are they treating Tenko like a criminal?

All he knows is his fingers are ached to feel Tenko's cool body again, to hear his beating heart to assure Izuku that he is still alive.

Yesterday, Izuku stopped asking about Tenko. His heroes-to-be and heroes visitors alike sighed in relief.

"Shoto, how is Tomura-san faring now?"

"He's fine."

A lengthy pause. Then a soft, "You're lying, aren't you?"

A brief hesitation. "Yes."

Izuku's voice cracked and broke. "I miss him, Shoto."

"I know."

"Can I see him?"

"Sorry, Izuku."

Aizawa barges his way inside Izuku's room, and Izuku stops mid-bite of his peeled apple, wide-eyed and stunned.

Aizawa has an expression that Izuku is sure he'd never seen the grouchy hero wear before, and one he absolutely cannot recognize. His heart pounds and thrums hard in his chest it rings in his ears.

"What, Sensei?" Izuku hiccups, nervous.

"He asked for you."

Izuku freezes. "Oh." He whispers. The apple is now forgotten in his hand, barely registering everything around him from how his blood roars and sings inside him, a gaudy lick of searing flames washing all over him and he can't help the anticipation that squeezes his heart dry, trembling in barely concealed excitement. Not yet. Izuku manages a shaky, "W-Who?"

Aizawa is staring at him with a small smile on his lips, shaking his head in amusement. "The medical file says his name is Shimura Tenko. But I think he goes by the name Shigaraki Tomura nowadays. You know him?" Aizawa smirks.

Izuku vibrates. "Yes, I do. I do!" He shrieks, body hot as he ferociously throws the blanket away from him, shoving his feet to his slippers before elbowing his way out of his room.

Aizawa's smile widens a rare sight. "Come on then, problem child."

Tenko is swaddled with white fabrics and a soft mattress. Izuku remained frozen by the doorframe, vision blurred and eyes red, crying.

Tenko stares at him with plain elation on his face, tamer than Izuku's, a hint of easy and collected composure instilled in his frame but his arms and legs trembling. Izuku sobs .

Tenko huffs a husky laugh, arms throwing wide open in invitation. Izuku almost stumbles over nothing as he scrambles to melt towards Tenko, almost choking as he takes desperate whiffs of his clean detergent and lemon scent, equally desperate arms wrapped like a vice around Tenko's torso. The former villain is not any better, desperate as he is, crying in his neck.

All Izuku sees is a thoroughly wet watercolor blur of white, blue, and black and Izuku anchors himself into it, the colors blurrier and mix and they create a pretty shade of deep blue, always deep blue. Izuku buries himself deeper in Tenko's embrace as he lets himself be lulled by the former villain's uncharacteristically soft voice, the hoarse and gruff coo on the side of his head several inches from his into muttering Izuku's name over and over.

A careful hand on his cheek, wiping his tears and a soft, soft , breathy murmur in his hair, "Hey, I finally found you, kid."

Izuku let himself be washed adrift by deep sea blue as he succumbs to sleep, peace finally settling comfortably in his bones.

Three days later, Shimura Tenko was released from the hospital first and won his case against Japan by being declared as accomplice by the heroes during the war. He got one and a half years of house arrest with indefinite monitoring by the Heroes Association as his sentence.

Izuku fell into another sleep a day after Tenko was released, which lasted for three years this time, due to acute exhaustion from his battle with All For One and One For All weakening inside him and becoming unstable. When he woke up, he wasn’t able to use One For All for more than 20%, the quirk almost depleted.

No one argued or questioned it when Izuku strangely asked for Shigar– Shimura Tenko's contact after the minutes of awkward silence, right after Izuku woke up for the first time in years. The atmosphere had been suffocatingly tense that Shoto almost choked in it, but opted to just flinch like Uraraka who seemed lost in her own thoughts, white as a sheet.

Shoto chooses to trust Izuku, and dutifully punches Shimura's contact number in Izuku's cell, smiling a bit when Izuku whispers a thank you.

"People finally introduced me to moisturizers. Can you imagine that?" Tenko laughed on the other line and Izuku's dry lips split into a smile. "My skin rarely itches for years. The constant redness and dryness of my skin was gone. I still can't believe that my skin feels smooth and soft now. I even lost the tick and urge to scratch when I'm feeling frustrated. I remembered how you gave me hell for that."

"Of course. You bleed if you particularly scratch too bad. It's quite amazing and puzzling at the same time that you didn't risk an infection before, Shimura-san."

Tenko groans. "I thought you changed. You still treat me like a child and still sound like a berating strict parent."

"Well," Izuku coughed to swallow back a bellowing laugh. The last thing he wants to happen is to alarm the nurses outside with unfamiliar loud noises and bother them by checking on him. "I think it's duly appropriate now. I'm in my early twenties now."

"Whatever, I am still older than you."

"Full-fledged adults do not retort by saying whatever."

"Get off my damned case." Tenko groans again, but with a chuckle, this time muffled by something, and Izuku briefly wondered if it was a pillow and if Tenko was in bed too. He missed the times they were messing around the single-sized bed before the war, uncaring of the world. He wished to be there right now. Izuku tried to erase the thought. The line crackled and buzzed softly as they fell into silence, temporarily running out of things to say. Izuku wanted to raise questions, to bring up heavy topics he was concerned about and interested about. The majority of people around him avoided his questions, deflected his prying inquisitions, and even went as far as filtering the contents of his phone, blocking television news channels, accompanying him every time he went outside the hospital room, steering him clear of heroes and incidents alike and muting keywords from search engines. It feels like Izuku has been relentlessly coddled ever since he woke up, and he hates it.

Tenko breathed slowly, the microphone catching the soft rhythmic sounds and the younger found it comforting, kind of grounding. He needed normalcy in his life. If he considered hearing his former-archenemy-turned-friend breathe the only normal thing in his life, he definitely needed to take a breather once he got out of here.

Luckily, Tenko needs it as well.

"You're going to come, right? Visit me?" Tenko whispered, almost soundless that Izuku barely heard the words, and he found that he didn't need to think it over. Of course, he will visit him. He caught the familiar edge of desperation in Tenko's voice that sounded similar to his own days ago, the sheer loneliness and deep exhaustion of being suffocated by unwanted and asphyxiating companies. Izuku remembered that even after Tenko continuously proved that he was changing, erasing traces of his once volatile nature for years now, everybody is still wary of him as if expecting him to suddenly snap and go on a villainous rampage, or start a revolution.

"Of course. I wouldn't miss it for the world. I missed seeing you too." Izuku pursed his lips, wondered if the words were needed and welcomed, testing. How Tenko breathed sharply in response, exhaling generously just like how he once did when Izuku told him years ago that he wouldn't kill Tenko and instead help him escape All For One's clutches; tremendously relieved he cried. Izuku felt surprisingly warm all over, not sparing a second thought as he added a careless jest, feeling particularly bold, "I might even stay for a long time."

Izuku briefly panics at the hint of childish hope in his tone, hoping it’ll go unnoticed. Was he so lonely he was starting to look forward to something like this?

Tenko choked. If Izuku ever heard a voice that sure sounded shaky by reining in a wide smile, Tenko got it accurately. "I would like that very much."

If there is ever a time he took the title savior and hero seriously, this is it.

Izuku exhaled and found himself smiling wide on his own. His cheeks hurt from the size of it, unused to the action, but he couldn't find himself to care. He needed this. "I'm glad."

Izuku tightened his grip on his overnight bag full of his belongings, mostly clothes, trying to not feel angry at how small it is and how little amount he owned. He decided to visit Tenko once he was able to leave the hospital.

"Take me to Shimura Tenko's," Izuku told Shinso, his designated person today which made the latter pause, as if convincing himself he somehow heard wrong. Why would Izuku go to that person? Right after his discharge?

"Please don't tell anybody. Just tell everyone I'll stay in my Musutafu residence for three days at most."

Shinso opened his mouth to argue, turning to the green-haired behind him, but the wistful expression in his face and the strange light in his eyes forced his mouth to shut. Shinso realized that Izuku looked somehow lighter than he’d ever seen Izuku since he woke up.

He never looked this happy back in the hospital room, or every time they came over to check in.

Shinso sighed and faced the wheel again, fighting back his worry and disagreement, and decided to trust Izuku's decision. He lets out a reluctant smile and starts the engine as he nods. "Okay, you got it."

Izuku stood in front of Tenko's doorstep for a few minutes now, taking deep breaths, half of him wanted to knock and half of him wanted to retreat.

The house was painted simple beige and pale yellow. It looked modest and modern and assumed that it was two-floored. The house was spread apart, taking wide acres of the land, and the front lawn looked spacey.

I am hero Deku, for fuck's sake. Why am I scared of this simple shit?

With closed eyes, he quickly pressed the doorbell once, stepped a good distance away from it like he might catch fire, and promptly jumped back high in the air as the door swung open before the doorbell stopped ringing.

"There you are." Tenko graces him with a wide, toothy smile.

"H-Huh?" Izuku squeaks. Squeaks .

"Took you long enough." Tenko's smile went impossibly bigger, now bordering on disturbing.

Izuku narrows his eyes in distrust, fighting the urge to take a defensive stance. "What do you mean?"

Tenko snorts, arching a taunting brow, amusement sparkling in his red eyes. "I mean, I've been watching you freak out in front of my door for so long I'm actually surprised you manned up and finally decided to ring the doorbell."

Izuku wanted to hide and run in sheer embarrassment. Hide where? There is nothing but a black picket fence and an overused old lawn mower, so he just looked anywhere but Tenko's irritating face retorted an overtaxed, "Shut the fuck up."

"So adult." Tenko dials his smile back to its normal size, eyes soft as he rolls them, and makes a beckoning gesture towards him. "Come in, don't wanna tire my guest."

Deku shrugs as he steps behind Tenko, entering the household, and is taken aback by how the house smells nice. Like lemon and fresh laundry. So unlike where Tenko lived before, which was in a constant state of disarray and the atmosphere was always depressing and edgy.

Tenko blushed at the awestruck expression on Izuku’s face and unknowingly tucked strays of his hair behind his earlobe, a habit he developed years ago when the people who monitored him decided to welcome themselves in his house as much as they wanted to, regardless if he actually wanted them over or not– feeling overly conscious.

Tenko can’t take the silence anymore and blurts, "What?"

Izuku raises his hands in defense, blushing. "Nothing! It's just that I never expected you to be... particular about maintaining your house so well since you know..."

Tenko nods. "I understand." He turns around and walks towards the receiving room, motioning Izuku to sit down on the most comfortable couch he has. "My therapist recommended that cleaning around helps with coping. It worked. I graduated from therapy a year ago, but the advice and exercise stuck. Here we are."

Izuku smiled, jumping in his seat as he looked around, and Tenko tried to not feel too conscious again when the green-haired closed his eyes as he inhaled the air and groaned in appreciation. "It just— it smells so nice. What products do you use?"

Tenko flushes. "Just some random air sprays and perfumes I found in a small shop a few blocks away from here that sells random products. I'll show them to you later."

"Looking forward to it!" Izuku exclaims, and Izuku wants to punch himself for being too enthusiastic about it, but fuck , he missed the smell of nice house fragrances. He was nauseated and suffocated from the constant smell of hospital and sick patients overdosed with drugs and gagging medicines, sickened from the smell of overbearing disinfectant that filled the room. Izuku immediately felt relaxed and quickly settled from the moment his nose took a whiff of Tenko's air freshener because it smelled like home and safe and comfort.

"A-Awesome. Want drinks? Anything?"

"Just cold water, please. Thank you."

Izuku busies himself with leering at the shelves stationed on each side of the large flat television, stacked with rows and rows and rows of PlayStations and game discs. Izuku recalled that Tenko loves playing games– both of them, actually. Loved it so much that if he weren't going around causing mischief in Japan, he was busy beating high scores and playing his game consoles for hours. He recognized half of the displayed games, and a smile stretched on his lips as an idea formed. Izuku was restless for lying down in the horrible hospital cot for weeks, and he needed to expel the brimming energy inside him or he might just combust in no time.

When Tenko came back to the living room with a tall glass of perspiring cold water cradled in his hand, he was forced to a sudden stop in the doorframe as he was greeted by the sight of Izuku's infamous troublemaker smile shining in his direction, and Tenko fought the urge to turn back and lock himself in his room, send Izuku back home because shit , nothing ever happens good when Izuku dons that smile of his.

"Fuck, what?" Tenko blurts out after giving up on staring at Izuku's weird plotting face. He briefly wonders if he could discreetly reach his back and wipe the enormous amount of nervous sweat that accumulated on his skin and rolled down his spine.

"Nothing." Izuku's smile turned guileless and innocent, shaking his head and it made Tenko sweat and palpitate even more. Why did he invite Midoriya Izuku over again? "Just wanted to play this." He brings up a game compact disc that looks way too familiar and before he knew it, Tenko was making indignant noises, slamming the glass down to the wooden tabletop and snatching the CD out of Izuku's grasp. He levels Izuku with a deathly glare and the latter just smiles brightly, whistling a random tune under his breath as he wiggles his eyebrows suggestively.

"What the fuck, Izuku. No one really wants to play that anymore," Tenko grumbles.

"But it’s still here. So? You in or nah?" For a second Tenko thought that maybe Izuku matured a bit from sleeping for a long time, but fuck, he was still the same from years ago, still the boy he ~~became obsessed with~~ ~~and~~ adored and is reminded by the moments they shared in the cramped little space that was Tenko's bedroom, still under All For One's care, elbowing each other as they howled competitively and determinedly outsmarting each other games after games. Tenko often won rather than lost.

Because Izuku goes easy on me, Tenko sighs in surrender while Izuku hisses out a victorious yes! under his breath, throwing a surreptitious glare to the green-haired as the latter reaches over the drawer that stores all of his game consoles easily like he's done that a lot of times and knows exactly where Tenko puts it in the first place. Tenko knows he shouldn't, but his chest hurts from the sudden heat that overcomes his heart, unused to seeing someone acting too comfortable in his house, too comfortable with him, even though it's the first time they are doing this again, after for a few years. It’s been too long for Tenko. Tenko swallows back a choke and immediately thumps his chest to ease the growing pain.

Izuku's previous excited expression morphs into worry as he watches Tenko double over and clutch his chest rather tight, Izuku wants to touch his back, touch his shoulder in comfort, but hold himself back in fear Tenko’s won’t like unwarranted touch and put his chosen console down to the table.

"Are you alright, Shimura-san?" Izuku's voice shakes, and it snaps Tenko back into consciousness, eyes widening and closing a few times, breathing deeply and nodding. Izuku isn't convinced one bit but decided to shake it off. He wanted to respect Tenko's boundaries.

God, this is only the first day he came over and he is already on his way to fucking everything up. Izuku prayed silently that he thought it was wrong.

"Tenko," Tenko murmured so softly that it barely reached Izuku's hearing, and Izuku halted from fussing momentarily, confused.

"What is it? Do you need anything? Does it hurt? Do you need me to take you to the hospー"

"Tenko!" Tenko gasps, snatching Izuku's console, and allows himself to smile briefly, because fuck, Izuku's so adorable and I can't take this any longer . He turns away to hide a furious blush that expands wildly on his cheeks before adding, "Call me Tenko. And I am okay, don’t worry."

Oh . "Okay, Tenko." Izuku had to bite his lips from grinning stupidly and picked up another console from the drawer and started the game.

They spent the whole day laughing boisterously and unfalteringly challenging each other from one game to another game, the room littered with opened snacks, squeezed empty juice, boxes and echoing giggles. Izuku thinks that this, this is what life should be like for me, turning to look at Tenko's figure shaking down the floor, clutching his stomach as he wheezes out a gasping laugh and the thought scared him because he likes it, likes this so much.

“Izuku,” Tenko starts, inhaling deeply. Izuku turns to him, waiting. Tenko is red in the face, clearly embarrassed. It took time for Tenko to continue speaking, so Izuku took the silence as an opportunity to stare at Tenko’s face. This is the only time he can only stare so openly at the other’s face without the other flustering or adamantly covering his face and telling Izuku to stopー when Tenko’s too occupied to notice Izuku looking at him. Even though Izuku had done it a ton of times before, it didn’t really tire him out. He’d always known that there was more than Tenko’s ghastly appearance before the final war, but looking at his face so close in front of him is always a wonder; the now-smooth, seemingly poreless skin that is cared for by-products (upon the first few weeks of Izuku’s stay, he found out that along with Tenko’s vain obsession to keep his place clean and nice-smelling, it seems that the obsession extends to his body and face as well, seeing the hundreds of body care products stashed on the bathroom and his own room). How his eyes, nose, eyebrows, lips, cheeks, chin, and forehead all come together so nicely, making Tenko look so pretty it’s unfair.

“Izuku,” Tenko repeats, and Izuku snaps in attention, noticing how Tenko gets redder and now trying to cover his face as discreetly as he can. Ah, he noticed. Good, maybe he’ll take the hint, Izuku thinks. ”D-Do you remember the promise we made? At the hospital?”

Oh, that. Now, it’s Izuku’s turn to blush. He can clearly remember that blasted phone call, and how embarrassing Izuku sounded at that time, like a schoolboy. It’s also the first time he realizes that he’s fucking in love with Tenko, so go figure. Izuku nods.

Tenko sighs, relieved. “I know it’s a lot to ask, but can you… can youー”

“You don’t even need to ask, Tenko,” Izuku scoots closer, wrapping Tenko in a hug. Kisses him on the forehead. Oh, what would Izuku even do without Tenko anyway? Izuku’s so attached already that he’s practically going to die and wilt if they were to be forced apart. “I never intended to leave from the moment you let me step inside your house anyway.”

Izuku curses and regrets the moment he forgot to capture Tenko’s sun-doesn’t-even-compare wide smile with his camera.

“And why are you still asking that? Is not already implied since I never left your house for three weeks now?”

“Is it such a crime to make sure?!”

Well, oops , there goes Izuku’s promised three days-at-most vacation.

Notes:

and i thought "wow if izuku and tenko talked properly, they would definitely become besties" and just winged it from there because you know,,,, I'm on fire rn
pps. i don't know shit about action scenes, quirks and timelines, if u want clarifications and explanations I won't provide any bc I'm Clueless™ myself
I'm not listening to the promise by when in rome and twilight time by the platters while writing this, nope

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