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Sleep didn’t come easily to Izuku; more so, it came pretty rarely, and if he ever got lucky, he could get in maybe 4 hours of sleep on a good day–which wasn’t very often. He sat up in his bed, the mattress creaking beneath his weight. He winced at the sudden sound that it had made and sighed loudly. Izuku rubbed his tired eyes, from which purple circles surrounded around them, and blinked a few times to get them to focus. They focused on the bright sliver of light that came from the window of his room. Curious, Izuku pulled his curtains apart, ignoring the creaks of his bed as his eyes were met with a sight he never thought he’d see, much less witness. He could see the full moon above his window and the beautiful sight made him smile. He left the curtains open to admire the sight as he returned to his bed. When he dropped down onto his mattress, the racing thoughts came to his mind which plagued him from going to sleep. The battle, the losses, Kacchan. The thought of Katsuki losing his life and seeing the blood seeping from his lifeless body threw Izuku into a guilt spiral. It ate him up day after day when the war ended. Even though Katsuki reassured him that it wasn’t Izuku’s fault, Izuku couldn’t help but feel guilt. Guilt for not being at his side, guilt for not being there sooner- DING! Izuku’s phone interrupted his heart-aching thoughts and lit up. He grabbed his phone by the bedside table and switched it on. As soon as he did, the message popped up. It was Katsuki. Izuku’s pulse skyrocketed and he shot straight up as he fumbled with his phone to open it.
Katsuki: “hey you up?”
Izuku: “hey kacchan! whats up??”
Katsuki: “nothin, just cant sleep is all”
Izuku: “want some company?
Katsuki: “yeah, wanna come over?”
Izuku’s fingers typed before he could even think.
Izuku: “i’ll be right there”
Izuku rushed to put on his slippers, grabbed his phone and shoved it in his pocket and left his room in the same minute he texted Katsuki. He walked down the quiet, dark hall which contained all his classmates sound asleep in their own rooms. Izuku got to Katsuki’s room which was a few rooms further than his and hovered his fists over the door. It opened right before he had knocked and there Katsuki was. Towering a few inches over him and looking down at the green haired boy. His red eyes made contact with Izuku’s and there they stood in comforting silence. Katsuki shifted over to let Izuku in and quietly closed his door. Izuku sat on the floor while the blond made his way over to his own mattress.
“What’s keeping you up, nerd?” Katsuki asked, breaking the silence after a few minutes of quiet between the two boys.
Izuku sighed and his eyes locked onto the blond’s scarred arm. Katsuki was confused at the silence but noticed Izuku’s lingering stare.
“Hey..” Katsuki began but got interrupted by the other’s apologies, “I’m so sorry Kacchan, I’m so so sorry.”
“Izuku, I told you, it isn’t your fault, stop blaming yourself for something that was out of your control” Katsuki reassured.
“It is my fault Kacchan, I should’ve come sooner or been by your si-”
“The damn villains took you, how the hell were you supposed to come to my side. I could protect myself Izuku, you had to fight others and still came to me in the end. You went above and beyond, you pursued through the very end, I should be the one apologizing for not being able to fight side by side with you when you finished the war with your own power.” Katsuki knelt down to the floor to comfort Izuku whose eyes teared up.
Katsuki wiped his tears gently and held his chin up to look at him. There, their eyes made contact once again. Every single time crimson eyes locked upon emerald green ones, a spark ran through both boys, though, they didn’t say a single thing. They stayed in the moment with one another, in each other's gaze.
“Kacchan…” Izuku started.
Katsuki took Izuku’s hands and placed them on his scarred arm, “It’s okay Izuku, I'm okay. This," Katsuki pointed to his arm, "is a reminder of the fight we put up and won, Izu. This is a badge of honor and I wear it proudly.” Katsuki smiled softly at Izuku to try and subside his guilty feelings.
“As kids we wanted to be heroes and even now, we already knew what was to come and scars are just a part of the work we’re bound to do.”
Izuku’s eyes still were welled up with tears and it hurt Katsuki to see Izuku in so much pain, “Here, put both of your palms together.”
Izuku complied and Katsuki laid his scarred hand in the sanction of Izuku’s palms. The blond proceeded to ignite small sparks from his palm. A soft orange light emanated and lit up their faces. “Do you see Izu? I’m okay, my arms are okay, I can still use my quirk. Stop worrying about me, nerd.”
Katsuki ruffled Izuku’s green curls and pulled him into a hug, “Don’t blame yourself for something so simple as a scar, you have them, All Might has them, it’s something heroes bare.”
Izuku’s sniffling subsided and he hugged Katsuki back, breaking every barrier they put up ever since they were just kids. Izuku pulled away abruptly, “A-are you okay now? Does it still hurt?”
“What? My heart?” Katsuki tilted his head in confusion.
Izuku nodded. Katsuki pondered for a moment and pulled his shirt over his head. Izuku’s eyes widened and almost yelled in shock, “Kacchan?!”
Katsuki ignored the apparent raise of Izuku's voice and revealed his bare chest, covered in small scars here and there, but the most prominent one right in the middle of his core. Izuku’s eyes focused on the conspicuous wound and welled with tears. Katsuki grabbed his hand once again and placed it on his heart. “Do you feel that Izuku?” Katsuki asked, “It’s my heart. Focus on my breathing. I’m alive.”
Izuku felt the warmth that emanated from his chest, feeling the rise and fall of his breathing and the beating of his heart. Izuku and Katsuki stayed like that for a moment before Izuku’s shuddering breaths returned to normal once again.
“Such a crybaby,” Katsuki thought, smiling to himself.
The blond raised his head to admire Izuku and noticed the scars that marked his face.
“You’re missing your freckles,” Katsuki murmured, which caught Izuku’s attention.
“What’d you say Kacchan?” Izuku asked, missing what Katsuki quietly said.
“Your freckles,” Katsuki stroked the other’s face, “some of them are gone.”
Izuku’s face went red and became hot to the touch, “Why are you so embarrassed, nerd?”
“Uh! N-nothing! I just didn’t expect you to notice such a small thing” Izuku stuttered, almost as if the breath was taken out from him.
“How couldn’t I, you’re over here crying about my big ass scar and there’s one plastered on your face” Katsuki chuckled, trying to comfort Izuku in his guilt spiral.
Katsuki knew Izuku would always blame himself for things out of his vicinity, though, he also knew joking around and trying to lessen the big deal always made Izuku feel less guilty for those things. Katsuki gazed at Izuku’s face scars while the other was focusing on anywhere else but Katsuki's gaze. Red eyes ended up lingering upon Izuku’s arm, which was heavily scarred, almost the same if not worse than Katsuki’s.
“I never noticed how bad your arm was scarred after the war, Izu.” Katsuki gently stoked Izuku’s arm.
His hands landed upon Izuku’s and held it. Both their hearts raced but neither would dare to speak or say anything in such an innocent and intimate moment.
“I was so scared of losing you Kacchan, you had no idea-”
“I was so scared of leaving without telling you sorry, for everything. Even though I said it all before, I wanted to let you know how sincere I was about it. I was scared to die, I was scared of leaving you…" Katsuki abrubtly stopped before scrambling to find some other response to put together so that Izuku wouldn't tell about his unspoken feelings.
"...To get the number 1 spot all by yourself” Katsuki laughed, ruffling Izuku’s hair once again.
“Kacchan…it wouldn’t have been the same without you and me, tussling over the spot to see who would win the spot” Izuku laughed alongside Katsuki, pushing away all the dark thoughts that tormented him.
“Then promise me Izuku” Katsuki stated softly, getting serious about what he was about to say to the other boy.
“Promise you what Kacchan?” Izuku replied instantaneously, grasping the warm hand in his own.
“Promise me, we’ll fight side by side once again, out in the world once we’re Pro-Heroes, and we’ll do it all together” Katsuki sighed, locking his red eyes with green ones.
Izuku smiled as bright as the stars and moon combined, “I promise Katsuki, together and forever.”