Work Text:
Hitoshi sits on the edge of the couch and presses a cool washcloth against Eri’s forehead. She sighs in obvious relief, leaning against his hand for a few brief moments of respite before her eyes fly open. A coughing fit wracks her body, making her tiny shoulders shake and bounce.
Shouta had told him over the phone that it was just a cold, that she only needed medicine to control the cough and she’d be able to sleep off the worst of it, but Hitoshi isn’t so sure. He doesn’t know much about kids, but that dry, barking noise coming from her throat sounds painful. His gaze drifts from the fireplace to the window, searching for any signs of his friends’ return and finding only darkness and deep snow. They really need to get back here soon… Hitoshi adjusts her pillows and offers her a drink, but she just shakes her head and curls against his side.
“Tell me a story, Toshi?” Her voice is soft, cracking on his name, and for a moment, he worries that she’ll start coughing again.
“A story, huh?” Hitoshi settles back against one of the cushions and pulls her closer against his side.
He replaces the cool rag on her forehead and watches as she nods and sniffles. He hands her a tissue, but she just holds it in her fist and sniffles again, staring up at him with sad, crimson eyes.
“Please, Toshi?”
“Okay.” He pulls a blanket up over them and thinks about what kind of story he could tell that she hasn’t heard before. “Once upon a time, in a land ruled by animals there was a pale wolf cub and a fuzzy little lamb. The two animals grew up together, both dreaming of one day protecting their kingdom from the evil monsters that sometimes wreaked havoc on the good citizens. As the two grew older they learned, as children often do, that world isn’t fair. And as they grew up and learned about their differences, the wolf and the lamb grew apart.”
Eri sits up and looks at Hitoshi, her eyes already sleepy. “They didn’t like each other anymore?”
Hitoshi hums softly at her question. “It wasn’t that they didn’t like each other. In fact, they liked each other very much.”
“Then how come they’re not friends anymore?”
“Well, in the kingdom there are special animals who help protect others–”
“Like heroes!”
“Exactly, Eri. Just like heroes. And the lamb and wolf both dreamed of protecting the kingdom. The wolf was born with strong muscles and good instincts. He had jaws that could snap and claws that could scratch. He was a perfect protector. The lamb, though, was born weak. And even though he didn’t have sharp teeth or claws or anything that would help him protect the other animals, he still wanted to help.”
“What’s wrong with that?”
“Are you going to let me tell the story or not, Eri.” Hitoshi chuckles at the pout she gives him and waits until she gets resettled before continuing...
***
“Kacchan! Look what I found!” Izuku grins wide, his new missing tooth on full display as he holds out the stag beetle he’d found under a nearby log. “Isn’t he neat?”
Katsuki turns from his small group of friends, an irritated scowl on his face at having been interrupted. “I told you to stop following me, Stupid Deku!”
The boys around Katsuki laugh and point and Izuku visibly wilts, pulling the beetle closer to his body. He lets off small sparks in his palms, much to the delight of his little circle of friends and steps closer.
“But I thought–”
“I said, go away!” Katsuki shoves Izuku roughly, knocking the boy onto the ground.
The boys around him all laugh at the way he falls, butt hitting the pavement hard, hands still cupped around the bug in hands to protect it. He scrambles awkwardly to his feet, scraping his elbows on the loose gravel when his feet slip out from under him. He looks up at Katsuki, chest heaving and tears already spilling down his cheeks.
He watches as the group of boys takes off and even though his pride is hurt, and his elbow is skinned, Izuku trails after the boys. He’s careful to stay far behind and keep his mumblings to himself. He thinks he’s being rather sneaky until the boys come to a small log bridge. Ever the showoff, Katsuki attempts to cross first. He makes it halfway before his foot slips and he plunges into the cold stream below.
“Kacchan!” Izuku races forward, shoes and all, into the water to get to his friend. “Are you okay?”
Katsuki wipes the water from his eyes, as if not quite believing the sight before him. He scowls as he gets to his knees and shoves Izuku once more. “You’re not a hero, Deku! You’re never going to be!”
***
“That wasn’t very nice of the wolf…” Eri sniffles, but Hitoshi’s certain it has more to do with the story than it does her cold. “… shoving the poor lamb when he was just trying to help.”
“No,” Hitoshi admits, wiping her cheek with a tissue, “but sometimes when kids are little, they get angry about feelings they don’t understand.”
“Like Kota?”
“Mmhmm,” Hitoshi hums softly, thinking about the recent falling out the two little friends had faced. “Things only got worse between the lamb and wolf until one day…”
***
Katsuki watches, mouth held firmly closed as the greenish-brown ooze begins to cover his face. He tries to set off his explosions, but nothing happens. His heart is racing, tears stinging behind his eyes as he struggles uselessly to free himself. The sludge moves over his skin in rivulets, blocking his vision and then covering his nose. He can hear the villain talking to him, telling him to just let go, but Katsuki refuses. He holds his breath until his lungs begin to burn from the lack of oxygen. The crowd around him doesn’t move. None of the heroes are coming to save him and…
I don’t want to die.
Tears prick behind his eyes, and he groans. He struggles, but he can feel how heavy and weak his limbs are growing. He’s nearly given up when the sound of the crowd changes and he catches sight of Izuku running towards him. He curses the nerd for being so stupid, for thinking that he, a useless Deku, could succeed where Katsuki had failed, but the next thing he knows the villain’s sludge is moving off his face. He drags in a few deep, ragged breaths, watching as Izuku continues to close the distance between them.
***
“Is the wolf gonna be okay?” Eri sits up suddenly, her body shaking as another coughing fit overtakes her. “He has to be okay, right?”
Hitoshi rubs slow circles on her back until she gets the coughing under control and then offers her a small sip of her tea. She takes it gratefully, swallowing down the warm brew and then laying back down on her pillow. He can’t help but think about how much more exhausted she looks now. “Maybe we should stop here for tonight.”
“You can’t! Please, Hitoshi, you can’t!” She pouts, lip wobbling as she pleads with him. “I wanna hear about how the sheep saves the wolf from the monster!”
“Okay, Eri. But it’s not the sheep that saves the wolf.” He sighs softly, checking her forehead once more and hoping that his friends return soon. “The sheep helps, but he’s no match for the monster. It’s a lion that saves the wolf in the end.”
“But… but the wolf thanks the sheep for helping later, right?”
“Nope.” Hitoshi chuckles. “In fact, he just gets more upset.”
“Why? That’s not fair.”
“Life isn’t always fair, Eri.” Hitoshi watches her wrestle with herself, deciding whether or not she’s going to be quiet and let him finish, and only when she lays back does he continue. “As it so happens though, the lion did see the lamb’s bravery and he had a special, magical, gift to bestow on him. One that would help him protect the kingdom.”
“Because there were other monsters.”
“That’s right.” Hitoshi nods. “And those monsters were banding together under an evil king who was determined to drive all the animals out of the forest… For a time, the sheep and the wolf trained side by side, learning and getting stronger. Together.”
He continues the story, pausing every so often to help wipe her nose or replace the cold rag on her forehead. He gets up and glances out the window, hoping to see something, and finding only darkness and snow outside. It’s coming down harder. And while he knows that if anyone can make it to town and back it’s those two, it’s still concerning that they’ve been gone so long. When he settles next to her again, he tells her about how the duo’s heated rivalry slowly blossomed into something more.
“… It was a long, hard-fought, road but eventually they would call each other friends. Before long, the magic that had once resided in the lion – the one that now resided in the sheep was the new target of the monsters. And so, to keep everyone safe, the sheep set out on his own. There was one important lesson that he still hadn’t learned though…”
***
“You’re being stupid, Nerd.” Katsuki’s words come out panted, broken by ragged breaths as he adjusts mid-air and readies his gauntlets for another strike. “This isn’t something you have to do on your own!”
The smoke is heavy in his lungs, making his chest itch, but he pushes through and corrects his course based on the sounds of his classmates. He uses their attacks to help pinpoint where Izuku is without seeing him.
He’d heard the heartfelt speeches of their friends, and Katsuki isn’t sure if Izuku’s resistance to their pleas is a testament to his strength or how far away from them he’s fallen. There’s an ache in his heart if he thinks about it for too long so he shoves it down and focuses on his mission. Bring Deku home.
He watches as Izuku breaks out of Shouto’s ice, just like they’d predicted. Mina and Shouto both play their parts. Tsuyu and Ochako help get them set up. Finally, when it’s his turn, Katsuki comes out of nowhere just when they’d planned, using everything they’d given him to help propel Tenya forward. And then… And then his job is done.
There isn’t anything more for him to do except get himself down to the ground and wait for Tenya to bring Izuku down with him. It’s new, relying on them to help – terrifying if he’s being completely honest with himself. Part of him wonders how he’s supposed to just trust them with this… with someone so important to him.
Sure, they all had things they wanted to say to Izuku. Most of them had already said their peace, or at least some version of it. But not him. Even if he was learning how to get along, to be honest with Izuku and the rest of their classmates, there were still some things that needed to be said… just between them.
***
“I don’t get it, Toshi…” Eri grabs her stuffed kitty and pulls it to her chest in a tight hug as another coughing fit takes hold of her. “Wh-why doesn’t the wolf just tell him?”
“Maybe this story’s a bit much.” He sits her forward, rubbing slow circles on her back again until she’s calmed down. “Why don’t you try to get some rest and we can finish it when you’re feeling better?”
“I wanna…” She shakes her head vehemently, eyes fluttering closed as she yawns out a long, drawn out, please, Hitoshi... “I wanna hear the rest.”
“Okay.” He lays her back against his side and wraps an arm around her shoulder. “But you have to stay calm and close your eyes. This is a bedtime story, after all.”
She nods her head and Hitoshi settles down next to her. He hasn’t even remembered where he’d left off before those tired, crimson eyes pop back open and she stares up at him. “Wait, so does the wolf tell him?”
“Eri,” Hitoshi chastises.
She giggles and then scrunches her eyes shut with a small nod and only when she’s quiet for a few moments does he finally continue on with their story. “They all gathered around him, hopeful that they’d done enough. They had worked hard to get the sheep to stay still long enough to listen but, in truth, it was mostly his own exhaustion that was keeping him grounded and not necessarily their heartfelt pleas. That is, until the wolf finally stepped forward and spoke…”
***
“Everyday I was forced to see how strong you were… And how weak I was.” Katsuki can’t bring himself to look at Izuku as he says it, can’t bring himself to think about the rest of their classmates standing behind him. “I’m sorry for everything.”
When he finally looks up he can see the tears trailing down Izuku’s face, and the bone-deep exhaustion in his gaunt, freckled face. And when Izuku stumbles, when his legs start to tremble and he falls forward, Katsuki feels that same pull he’d felt the day in battle with Shigaraki.
His feet move without thinking and he sprints forward, catching Izuku’s body before it falls to the cold, wet cement. The hand that grips his elbow is weak and trembling, and Katsuki can’t help himself; he lets his face fall against those soft, green curls to hide his own tears. “Izuku… I…”
***
The front door bangs open loudly, a gust of wind slamming it hard against the wall as their two snow-covered companions stumble in. Izuku is swatting the snow out of his hair while Katsuki pulls his gloves off. They wrestle the door shut before turning to find Hitoshi and Eri curled up on the couch and staring at them wide-eyed.
Katsuki kicks off his boots and shoves the small, brown paper bag into Hitoshi’s hands before squatting down to warm his hands up by the fire. “I can’t believe you got us lost twice, stupid nerd!”
“Wha… It wasn’t my fault, Kacchan.” Izuku hurriedly shucks off his coat and boats before joining Katsuki by the fireplace. “The roads were terrible. I could barely see.”
“You should have let me drive then.” Katsuki elbows Izuku playfully, knocking both of them onto their butts and pulling Izuku into his lap. “I’d have gotten us back twice as fast.”
“Mr. Aizawa would…” Izuku’s eyes go wide, and he shakes his head and grabs a nearby blanket to wrap around them. “No… He said specifically…”
Hitoshi chuckles at the implication before ignoring the rest of the conversation in favor of measuring out Eri’s medicine. She drinks it down without protest and then snuggles up next to him, tired eyes already struggling to stay open. He gets them settled back beneath the blanket and, slowly, the bickering by the fire dies down. Hitoshi hadn’t realized how exhausted he was until he finds himself drifting off.
“Toshi?” Eri’s soft voice breaks through his exhaustion and when looks down at her, he finds her eyes already closed and her breathing less raspy. “Did the wolf and the sheep get their happily ever after?”
A small smile tugs at the corners of his mouth as he kisses her forehead and then turns his attention to the quiet duo now snuggled up by the fire. Katsuki is sitting in Izuku’s lap with a blanket wrapped tightly around him. He’s gently wiping droplets of melted snow from one freckled cheek while he chastises Izuku for forgetting his hat. A chaste kiss is pressed to plush, pink lips and their voices drop low, hushed so as not to disturb Eri, when they catch Hitoshi’s gaze.
“Yeah, Eri. I think they did.”